[System]
Age: 22

Gender: Male

Appearance:

Personality: Perhaps it's a result of spending his formative years around the dead, but at some point in the last decade Kichiro just sort of stopped caring. Saying he has no regard for life wouldn't be entirely fair: He does think twice before killing anyone. He certainly doesn't want to die, and he wants the few people he has any attachment with to stay whole and healthy. It's more that he has the chronic habit of not taking anything seriously, approaching the world with cynicism and detached amusement.
 He has Manic-Depressive tendencies as well, making him a difficult person to form long term friendships with. Kichiro is frequent user of intoxicants, mainly alcohol and psychotropic drugs, as a way of staving off the general breakdown of sanity associated with his condition, but worries he is fighting a losing battle.

Equipment: Kichiro carries a number of spiritual and shamanic, mainly things that produce smoke such as sage, palo santo, and frankincense. He doesn't actually know if these items actually make him more effective, but they do make him feel more confident. He doesn't carry any physical weapons as he generally avoids fair fights.

Abilities: Kichiro is an ectopath: he lives deeply in tune with a phenomenon he calls "the Ghost Soup", a sort of psychic smog made from the remnants of dead mortals as well as ambient spiritual and elemental forces attached to any given area. He can channel and redirect these forces to produce a number of paranormal effects.

Communication: Kichiro can receive simple messages from the spirits around him in the form of short phrases and sensory inputs, manifesting in a sort of "enhanced intuition". As it turns out, holding in-depth conversations with ghosts is like pulling teeth from a spastic wild cat: Only the recently dead and particularly strong willed individuals retain their rationality, leaving the majority flighty, emotional, and unreliable.

Obfuscation: Kichiro channels the energy around him to hide himself from view. He isn't invisible while doing so, only significantly harder to detect with normal senses or esp, and completely obscured from electronics. In a dark room or deep patch of shadow, it's nearly impossible to know he's there unless one were to walk directly into him.

Manifestation: Kichiro directs large amounts of energy into an individual spirit, giving it physical form. Once released, a spirit manifested this way is not under his direct control. He generally uses this method when in a tight spot to create havoc and distract any pursuers while he slips away.

Inverse Possession: Kichiro can channel a specific spirit through his body in order to utilize their skills through muscle memory. For example, channeling a highly skilled martial artist would temporarily give him a deep instinctive knowledge of hand-to-hand combat. Maintaining this state for any extended period can be very damaging to his psyche, however, as he must struggle against the emotions and personality of any entity being channeled through his body.

Ikiryo: Kichiro separates a part of his mind from his physical form to become it's own free roaming entity. His Ikiryo is significantly stronger than most average humans and is able to physically manifest and move physical objects, but lacks higher function and rationality. His body still functions on it's own, but is completely emotionless. He has yet to find a practical use for this ability, as reuniting his body and soul is very difficult.

Skills: Kichiro's main focus lies in espionage. His talents make him ideal for information gathering, information which he relies upon for trade. He's very skilled in deception and manipulation as well, displaying a knack for playing people off one another to keep suspicion off of himself.

In terms of non-profitable skills, Kichiro has a peculiar way with animals. Domesticated animals such as dogs and cats tend to gravitate towards him and give him an unusual amount of trust.

Brief Backstory: Translated roughly to English, "Kichiro" reads as "lucky son". It's widely held by those that know him that whoever named him must have done so as a mean spirited joke. He keeps a tight, heavy lid on his childhood, so all that is known about him by the Agency starts when he was sixteen.

It was at the scene of a murder, five high school students torn to bloody pieces in a locked apartment. The young Kichiro had slipped in amongst the agents as they investigated, looking gaunt and filthy as though he had been living on the streets. He claimed to know how to help them, and indeed proved his worth by tracking down and assisting in subjugating the rogue entity that had done the deed. Kichiro was offered a job, which he declined, on the grounds that he couldn't bear the idea of bonding himself to any group. He did accept a large sum of money under the table for services rendered, however, being proud but not a fool.

Since then, he has worked as a sort of "freelancer" for the Agency, assisting whenever his particular talents would be most effective. He mainly makes his living through the black market and organized criminal groups. Officially he owns a small occult shop in a dark back alley, directly above which is his small apartment. The items he sells are advertised as "very haunted, possessed, and otherwise hexed", so most of his sales go to eccentric collectors.

Allegiance: Outbreak Agency (Mostly, and unofficially)

[User]
Minami Fuuka

... Alright, that was it. All that crap he'd just thrown out? After he'd been the one who was annoying people and screwing with the room? Fuuka wasn't okay with that. Taking a step forward, she drew one fist back... and found a shinai placed right in her path to prevent her from following through. Before she could do anything about it, the man had already left down the hall. As much as he'd pissed her off, she didn't feel like running down the hall to pursue him so she could knock him clear through a wall. The schoolgirl jammed her hands in her pockets and huffed.

"Tch, jackass," she commented, simply, before turning to face Tamako. The entire cafeteria was pretty annoyed at the moment, though thankfully lightbulbs were already being brought in to replace the ones that had been damaged.

"Ohh, Tamachan's already on the move," she added, watching the robot girl, "Oii, let's go, White-san."

With that, she followed the girl. Pizza would help calm her down."

[Assistant]
Diego Reyes//Raijin

Diego walked out of the mandatory meet-and-greet with some of his less-socially-inclined coworkers feeling much the same as he did when he walked in: disappointed. He'd been disappointed before the meeting, not knowing just how many sticks-in-the-mud he actually worked with, just waiting for him to ply his trade on. And he was even more disappointed now, since the meeting had barely just begun before people started trickling out of the room like particularly-hostile (and bored) maple syrup. What a let-down this day was turning out to be- perhaps he should pull a fire alarm or something, liven things up. Though, a fire alarm was a bit too juvenile for someone of his talents and experience. Uncle Coyote would be such disappoint in him for stooping so low. Hm. This might take a while.

Hmph. A shameful display in there, boy. You spoke scarcely a word, and slouched in your seat like a peasant. You are host to a god, need I remind you- I expect a more suitable demonstration of our might the next time we encounter your subjects.

Speaking of things taking such a long time... Diego rolled his eyes at the booming voice in his inner world. They're not my subjects, Raijin, they're my coworkers/prank targets. And need I remind you, you're not a god. Also, don't call me "boy-" I might actually be older than you.

I will call you "boy" if I so desire it! Truly, never have I had such a witless and shiftless host before! You should be raising armies! Claiming territories! Making this land bow before your feet! Anything other than your insipid pranks and childishness! As the god of storms, I would expect a half-blood storm spirit to offer more respect for one his better!

Look, I get you're used to the whole, "sucking your own dick" thing, but hear me out- I've met gods before. Maybe- it was hard to tell to what extent Uncle Coyote really qualified for divinity, sometimes. And I've also met jumped-up elementals, spirits, and dead guys with an over-inflated sense of self-importance. And based on how long I've been doing this whole spirit-walker thing, I think I'm experienced enough to tell the difference.

Raijin sputtered at this, which translated to rumbling thunder echoing across his inner world's sky. Worthless! Worthless child! I should simply tear myself free from you and have done with it!

An empty threat, just like all the other times Raijin had made it. The two of them knew very well that any attempt to separate their essences would mean the death of both of them. And Raijin loved itself too much to just let his will and being dissolve back into the Light Rainbow. He smirked, knowing Raijin would feel the audacious gesture, and knowing how badly it would nettle the narcissistic spirit.

Keep telling yourself that, windbag. In the meantime, I'm gonna go find Kichi-chan.

Another, quieter rumble of thunder. Your dalliance with that poor excuse for a medium troubles me, boy. Surely you can find a more fitting consort than a mercenary. Much less a male.

For the last time, Raijin, I'm not flirting with Kichi-chan. Or was he? Did it even matter? Probably not. Besides, what would it matter if I was? What exactly is it with this country and your hangups about two-spirits?

Name it in whatever way you will, but such behavior is unbecoming of the king I expect you to become. Feh. I tire of this nonsense- I take my leave for now, but mark my words, I will be pondering ways to punish this insubordination of yours. And on that note, Raijin retreated deeper into Diego's soul, prompting the man himself to sigh in relief. Raijin was getting more impatient with their situation, which could cause problems. He didn't know what would happen to him in his current situation- he'd never been so deeply entwined with a spirit before- but a disconnect between a shaman's motives and those of the spirit he was channeling was bad for their connection. It might interfere with his ability to use Raijin's powers, leaving him with his own admittedly-less-impressive suite of abilities.

At worst, it could dissolve the connection between them entirely, killing them both. And that was no bueno.

Regardless, there wasn't much he could do about that now. Right now, at least, his and Raijin's mutual desire to not die should, in theory, be enough to keep the two of them connected. But that was all he really had right now, was theory. As far as he knew, spirit-fusion like theirs happened about as often as Uncle Coyote gave out his teeth, or as often as Susitna woke up from her sleep.

In short, not often at all.

Diego glanced up from his reverie to realize he'd made it outside, somehow. Odd. He seemed pretty far away from the building, too, considering how short of a time he thought he'd been reminiscing. What street was this, anyway?

Confound my poor sense of direction, he growled in his head, curious how even a half-spirit like him could get so easily lost. Just how far did I get off track this time? Now I'll never find--

His thoughts stopped abruptly as he spotted the current object of his attentions attempting to scrub out an impromptu summoning circle he'd seemingly sketched onto the sidewalk. Diego smiled, unfurling his wings from the ether and levitating off the ground by a few inches.

Ha HA! Take that, poor directional sense! Your attempts to foil me have only brought my evil plan to fruition! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! He floated lazily over to Kichiro, who was currently smoking one of those sins against good tobacco. He resisted the urge to grimace, leaning an arm on the ectopath's head casually, as one would at a bar or similar establishment.

He, of course, was still floating.

"Kichi-chaaaan~" he purred, ruffling the other man's hair slightly. He nodded in the direction of the symbols Kichiro had been unsuccessfully trying to scrape away. "Whatcha got here? Homework?"

[User]
Kichiro felt a stir among the minor spirits. All around him the energies shifted and swirled away like leaves. They didn't scatter, really. It would be more accurate to say they shifted aside in deference, making a path for one they viewed to be not only like themselves, but a superior.
 Shortly after, Kichiro felt it too: A pair of distinct auras that washed past his third eye in a flash of begrudgingly harmonious elements. One that was light, caring, passionate… if perhaps more than a little mischievous. This first felt divided further still, one foot on either side of the bleary line that separated the physical world from the spiritual. The second major energy was a complex one. It was huge, grand, enormously powerful, and certainly knew it. There was arrogance and regality in equal measure. This was all tempered by a small but clear spark gruff compassion for its host.
 It was about then that an arm thunked down on his head and ruffled his already unruly hair.
 Diego.
 A complicated being sure, but not so to Kichiro. He rested firmly on the short list of people Kichiro could consider friends, which translated better as 'people he didn't completely weird out'. He took a few steps forward, then turned to look up at the winged young man.
 His mouth quirked in a small smile. It looked a little strange on him, as though he couldn't quite perform the action unless it was cynical or rueful.
 "Diego. Hey, man." He said, then quirked an eyebrow. "Raijin. You still massive tool?"
 He knew the self stylized god didn't like him. If he focused, he could reach out and hear the greater spirit's words, but he didn't bother. He wasn't really in the mood to listen to his grandiose rantings.
 He looked down at his chalk scrawlings and chuckled.
 "Eh, it was just a dumb trick. Some goofball startled me in the cafeteria at your dumbass HQ. I, uh… Also may have blown the lights out. Maybe some robot chick's face too. I dunno, I saw her little eye-light things go out. I didn't stick around for the finger pointing, so to speak."
 He paused and took a long drag from his cigarette. Blew out two trails of smoke from his nostrils before continuing.
 "Anyway, I called up a sprite to go hex him. Not the most noble use of my time, but hey, I'm not a noble guy."
 Kichiro glanced at his watch. Damn, was it really past noon already? A little nugget of pain started to pulse away behind his eyes. It was getting to be about time for a drink.
 "Which way are the puppet masters pulling your strings today, eh? Do they know you're hanging around a shiftless ne'er-do-well instead of working?"


[System]
Appearance:

Cassie is always dressed rather properly, and has a thick leather harness that she uses to lug her Howler Cannon around with.
Nicknames/Titles: The Bombshell

Gender: Female

Age: 28

Skills:
Bombadier - Cassie is one of the best sappers you could find. Admittedly when your weapon blows up large square footage anywhere near where it lands, that doesn't count for much, but she is admittedly excellent at making her shots land where they're needed.
Explosives - Cass can easily combine various materials to create make-shift bombs, or disarm other explosives rapidly.
Collateral damage - Her cannon is small as far as cannons go, but it's still a cannon.
Demolition - There's very little this girl can't blow up.
Architecture - When you spend your life blowing buildings up, you learn a thing or two about architecture in general.

Equipment:
- Single Shot Howler Cannon *meant to be used by a single person, the Howler is a simple muzzle loaded cannon that can be braced against the hip to fire either directly forward or arced for greater range and to clear fortifications. She can only get one shot off before she needs to reload, but if she's got the space, she can make about 3 shots per minute. Can be used medium to long range, but is useless up close. Ammo consists of a heavy slugs or grapeshot, situation depending*
- Howler Support Gear *stands for keeping the cannon upright, and a basic maintenance/cleaning kit*
- Rope *always handy, but often used to help strap the cannon to herself*
- Black Powder satchels *mostly used for the Howler, can be used as makeshift bombs*
- Grenades *essentially ready made molotov cocktails used to keep enemies from reaching her*
- Dagger *more utility than combat oriented*
- Three shot pistol *last resort if someone with a blade manages to reach her in a battle*
- Flint *often used to ignite the black powder when in a pinch*
- Monocle *it's generally assumed she wears it to look more refined*

Personality: Cassie is a pyromaniac with a deep love of blowing things up. Despite her very formal looking appearance and love of lavish fineries, this girl is one bullet short of a full clip at all times. Not insane, but renowned as unstable, Cassie is driven and passionate. Loud, boisterous, and fiery, especially around explosions or fire. She loves the smell of gunpowder and is infatuated with guns, the bigger the better. Despite this 'explosive' attitude, she is fiercely loyal to King Allamon, and takes great pains to help others who need it.

Biography: An immigrant from Milokis, Cassie came to New Torrea with her father and sister. Though most of her life was spent in relatively poor conditions, she eventually joined the army, aspiring to be a great knight. However, her melee skills were beyond lacking, earning her a position at the bottom of her squad in terms of skill. She was transferred to a gunners platoon, and while she fared better, she was still one of the worst around. A sharp eyed captain noticed however that her understanding of the chemicals within the guns was beyond compare. She was again transferred to the sappers, and her purpose became clear. She showed an immediate affinity for the huge guns, and became an asset to her team. The Howler cannon became her life, and she fits it perfectly. She sends most of her pay to her father, to help raise and educate her sister so that she may have a better life than either of them, away from the military. However, when Allamon became bed ridden, Cassie was put in a tense situation. If she left the military, her sister's education would need to stop, and she would be forced to get a job just to make ends meet. The family would probably never leave their current standing, and struggle their entire lives. However, she disagrees completely with the Minister's vision, believing that to expand would simply cause the empire to collapse in on itself as their former allies turn on them in defense. She has yet to make a choice about how she should proceed yet.

Others: She is absolutely useless in any fight that doesn't involve her bombarding from a distance. Those who manage to break through her onslaught and grenades are often met with the woman simply picking up the cannon and fleeing, taking potshots with her pistol as she does so. She is still a pretty awful shot with her pistol. Often times, to avoid melee, she'll simply ignite everything around her, taking her chances with the flames instead of a sword to the stomach.

[User]
Bristlebane was just minding his own buisness when suddenly his vision was assailed by a vibrant red color nearly as attention grabbing as himself flaied around in the wind and stuck upon his face. He carefully detangled himself from the strange parchment and exaimned its contents, it appeared to be a job request of some sort, ohhh action and adventure, and for some reason it had a jumble of text at the bottom, didn't make any sense to him so he threw it away. Bristlebane did love himself some action and adventure, unfortunatly it wasn't until tommorow.

 Alas, he contiuned his journey curious about the prospects the job offered, and on his way to a bar to play for some coins his 7th sense began tingiling and alerted him to the presence of magic, he wasn't sure how it worked yet but it had never failed before. Looking about he noticed the source attentivly looking at the very same annoyingly bright flyer he had just thrown away. Carefully Bristlebane subtly moved through the crowds of milling poeple and got a closer look. The man had a veeeeery shiny necklace, he wanted it. Bristlebane fake tripped putting his foot in front of the unknown persons and slamming into him. As they hopefully fell to the ground he would grab the mans necklace and rip it off while turning over landing with his back towards the stranger and stuffing the necklace into one of his many pockets.

[Assistant]
Salazar woke to sunlight bursting through the drawn shades of the room he had been given by a local lord at court in New Torrea. His reputation had preceded him, not a strange thing to happen in cities such as these. As much as Salazar had wished anonymity, the exertion he would have had to endure to completely wipe his identity from the minds of the people would have put him in no state to travel for at least a year. Sighing gently and sitting up, allowing the naked lady that had been sharing his bed the night previous to gather up her underclothes and scamper from his sight, Salazar caught his reflection in the mirror. He had been wearing one of his favourite Masques the night previous, white hair and a thin scar that curled around his neck, and he watched it melt away. The flesh became less full and the returned to normal flesh. His hair suddenly shifted into brown and he was once again himself. He grinned, revelling too much in his power was something his teacher would quite often reprimand him for.

Well…She was pretty.

"Quiet Grim…"

Oh you are so grumpy in the morning.

"Because I always have to listen to some snide remark from you, dear teacher"

Salazar gave a short growl and dressed in his customary attire; shirt and tie, black pants and a well worn in jacket. He had to look presentable today…there was court to attend to.
---

Salazar strolled through the mingling nobles of the gathered court, a ball of some lesser noble attempting to gain favour from the stronger houses the vied for control of the merchants and land within the city. Salazar loved this game…he was a natural with his gifts. A simple riot of an aggressive emotion from one would incite a rambling argument, a quelling of fears could allow Salazar to illicit information from the tightest of lips. It was a help that Salazar could imitate the idea of consummate ladies' man. Salazar gave short nods and curt smiles to the lords and ladies fulfilling their noblesse oblige. He felt nothing as he watched arguments cut down alliances in favour of more beneficial ones. He never really felt much when it came to the nobles…they were just secrets to be sold. He finally caught a conversation worth listening to. Shifting closer, he waited and listened.

"Did you hear?" a whispering voice peeled out.

"what?"

"It's hidden in those red fliers getting thrown out?"

"The 'monster hunting' ones?"

"Yes, the ones posted by Hazael of the Triumvirate…Donat is a betrayer"

The gasps gave Salazar his sign to leave. Hazael…Salazar smiled and clenched his fist gently, a small blue bird coalescing from the energy in his fist "fly to Hazael of the Triumvirate, inform her that I will be joining whatever investigation she is planning."

The bird nodded and shot into the air above the nobles, flying off to find its target.

"This will be fun…"

I agree….

[User]
Dante

Dante was working on his forge, making trinkets and weapons for travelers who requested. It seemed awfully busier as of late, with Kingdown Expansion came the need for tools, and he had to deliver. He just returned a gun to a new customer, who needed the handle fixed. However, Dante took his time, disassembling it and examining how it worked, before fixing and returning it. The prospect of forging a gun was always so exciting! After wiping his brow, beaded with sweat from the heat and work, he noticed a poster on the wall, alarmingly red colored. "Hm? What is this?" he said, reading the big poster, then looking at the small writing. "I'm afraid I can't decipher this just yet..." Dante muttered, taking the poster and going inside to properly examine the small text. He left a sign that said, "Out for lunch!" although if someone looked enough, they could see his thin frame's shadow in a window, peering over something.

[Assistant]
Bristlebane had definitely had taken Yunan by surprise however upon contact and pressure during mid-air a yellow barrier appeared that surrounded Yunan. It had knocked away the assailant considering what he was trying to do, which was obviously trying to knock Yunan over. However, It was obvious that it would take more than simply the body to take down Yunan. To Yunan the spell that surrounded him, was an automatic spell that Yunan had came up with that required only the assistance of his Golden Staff that he carried around, as people around who noticed the two could see the thing shimmering faintly as it was supply energy for the barrier before it had went transparent. It was obvious that the magical shield was still up, as now that his assailant at such close range could see the space was subtly warped around Yunan indicating the barrier.

Yunan's assailant had chosen the wrong person to steal from, however he decided that he would let them off easy... considering they haven't done anything bad, yet. So with his staff it gathered its energy taking its time before the staff shot down a tiny green orb into the ground right beneath the ground where Bristlebane was knocked back to. The green orb had grown vines from the feet of his assailant and had slowly crawled up from his feet and up to the top. The vine gave little resistance and was relatively easy to get out of it you had at least a little bit of strength, the rate of travel of the climbing vines were also slow giving Bristlebane more than enough time to escape. With him busy, Yunan waited to see what the man would do with his spell slowly entangling him.

[User]
A white gloved hand plucked Astarte's cigarette out of his mouth, putting the tip into a skull headed pipe clamped between sharp grinning teeth as Cassie eyed the young boy, monocle glinting in the sun before she handed the cigarette back. Such brazen behavior towards a knight, let alone one of the Triumvirate, was something most would never dare. But then, few dared what Cassie dared. She puffed the pipe, letting a trail of smoke bleed out from her teeth as she cocked her head, the massive Howler Cannon strapped to her back clanking against the ammo bag. She smelled heavily of cordite, smoke, gun oil, and black powder. Odds are she'd just finished morning drills with her platoon, or maintenance on the Howler, or any number of things involving her beloved cannon. She spoke way too loudly, causing several passerby to give curious glances as her voice carried across the square.

"Goooood morning Sir Astarte. Isn't it a bit early to be getting worked up over your sister's little event? Actually, keep going. You're pretty freaking cute when you're ruffled."

The bombardier's jackal grin widened as she gave a salute, still 'technically' following protocol. As a sapper, she was quite low in the military, after all. She took a long drag as she eyed the piece of paper, having already seen about 16 others around the city. You'd have to be deaf and blind to not pick up the hidden message that was so absolutely poorly hidden within the letters, or to hear the whispering from the citizens who had noticed it. While Cassie was most definitely deaf in her left ear from the Cannon, she was certainly not blind. Especially since the subject had been on her mind for days now. Still, it would be best to avoid bringing the subject up, especially around Hazael's brother. Her amber eyes flitted back to Astarte, the grin remaining as she puffed the pipe.

"I take it by the grumblings and threats of assault upon your sister that you will NOT be joining the event? You wouldn't happen to know anything about it? I'm curious myself."


[System]
"Won't you join me?"
Nicknames
None

Age
16

Species
Ashe City Creature Log: Ningyo

 A species of fish like humanoids. With the amount of fish qualities being different for each member of the race itself. They have varied diets though most prefer the taste of raw fish. The specific abilities of Ningyo aren't very well known, as they are extremely uncommon. It is known that they have great swimming abilities and can breath underwater. Though it is believed that Ningyo start off as a sort of blank canvas. Born with no personality, they are said to mimic the personality, habits, disposition, posture, and quirks of anyone they speak with.

They appear to be an extremely friendly race, though their taste for raw fish may give some insight into their true nature. Ningyo use the personalities they have mimicked to deceive people and lead them to do work for the Ningyo themselves. And once they are useless, Ningyo abandon their victim, killing them, leaving them for the police, the method of disposal depends on the Ningyo.

Weaknesses that Ningyo have are not plentiful but they are present. They adore fish, and will always eat it of they have the chance, as long as it's uncooked. They also copy a persons weakness when they copy their personality and disposition. So weaknesses mostly depend on the Ningyo. A very intelligent species.

Gender
Female

Job
Criminal
Mastermind behind a series of murders committed by other citizens

Behavior
Sakana has a sweet and innocent personality. She daydreams has a habit of rolling dice when bored. Sakana is also calculating and intelligent, and she doesn't seem to get mad, though it is easy for her to be bored. With a love for swimming and photography, Sakana takes a large amount of pictures, constantly taking a camera with her, and is almost always in a swimsuit.

Bio
Sakana was abandoned when she was young as a result of the first personality she copied was that if a depressed young woman who desperately wanted death. After abandonment Sakana spoke to many more people, copying their personalities, and forging the perfect one for herself. But the first personality left Sakana with scars of attempted suicide.

Sakana's criminal acts started when she was a teenager, a girl of thirteen. She convinced a man to rob a bank and then commit suicide. After finding joy in the act of convincing people to do evil she began to forge herself an even better personality, one built for deceiving people.

Abilities
Deception
Underwater Breathing
Fast Swimming
Large Intelligence
Siren Song - An ability unknown to most carried by all Ningyo. A last resort ability allowing Ningyo to sings songs capable of changing ones heart. However the songs themselves are only learned when absolutely necessary.

Other
Sakana is unskilled around electronics, and weak to electricity.

[User]
Chapter 1: The Start of a New Year

Welcome to Ashe City a city that may seem normal at first glance. With people going from place to place, your usual crimes going on everyday, and maybe that old lady down the street is yelling at her cat again. However a closer look at this city reveals something interesting, the supernatural. Yes, this city holds not only humans but supernatural creatures as well. Some of these creatures coexist and live in peace with the humans. Others however some creatures terrorize and commit crimes. A Detective Agency was founded in order to capture these criminals this is the Ashe City Detective Agency, Scarlet Ashe.

January 1st, 2020: Ashe City Detective Agency, Scarlet Ashe

It's the new year for Ashe City as Leon was turning on the lights of the agency, he had just arrived to open up. When he turned on all the lights in the office he went down the hall towards the morgue as the motion detecting lights went on. Leon opened the doors and turned on the lights to see Xander sleeping on one of the tables.

"Xander, hey Xander wake up." Leon said as he gently nudged Xander.

Xander slowly woke up as his upper body rose to sit up. "Oh hey Leon when did you get here?" Xander said completely awake

"Just now." Leon replied "I thought Zombies didn't need to sleep?"

Xander who was getting off the table towards his desk to grab his lab coat and put it on looked over at Leon. "No you would be correct on that note." Xander said

Leon was poking at a brain that was in a small silver bin watching it jiggle as Xander rushed over screaming "Don't touch that! Don't put your filthy hands on this delectable treat!" Xander screamed as he took the bin away from Leon.

"Well geez sorry" Leon said as he walked towards the door "I'm heading back into the office. I'll come back once everyone is here and we have our first case." Leon said as he began to walk away.

"Yeah yeah okay." Xander said "Just dont touch anymore of my treats when you come back" he added in a yelling voice.

[Assistant] Zio woke up from his sleep by a ray of sunlight shone in his eyes. He rubbed his eyes a little as he got up from the couch he was sleeping on, he turned to his tv that was still playing. Zio grabbed the remote and turned of the tv, when he turned it off he threw the remote on the couch and got to get a change of clothes and a shower. After he took the shower and put on some new clothes he grabbed his phone, wallet and his keys. He started to go to the door of his apartment and was almost going to leave without taking his sword with him, so before he clodes the door he quickly grabbed his sword. He now went on his way to the Scarlet Ashe agency, wondering if he could help Garo with a job.

[User] The somber sound of piano music would begin to drift up from the holding cells of the Scarlet Ashe detective agency, just as it did every morning. If one would be so inclined to follow the melody down stairs and into the dark, foreboding corridor they would find rows of cells that flanked both sides of the hall. The hall stretched for a good distance before coming to a stop at one last cell, but this one was unique. Instead of bars this cell had a reinforced glass wall as its barrier, unlike the others this cell was not a bare room with cement walls. No this cell was fully furnished from a decorative rug to a small crystal chandelier that hang from the celling. The soul occupant of the room, a shockingly pale fellow in a even whiter inmate's uniform, sat at a grand piano with his fingers skillfully gliding over the ivory. To most this would be a odd sight, but to those who worked at the agency would be used to this as well as the monster who was causing it. Ever since his capture Damien had made it a daily ritual to meet the morning with a song, much to the distain of the members of the agency.

[Assistant] Eris bolted upright in her spinning chair her hair color slowly brightening and her ears perking up as she regained her baring. After realizing she was in her workshop still she relaxed and stood up to stretch before taking over a small RC car and driving to the break room all the while avoiding peoples feet and parking it right under the counter and powering off the car before grabbing an apple. After started walking back down the hall driving the small car while waving to others as she went until she reached the the elevator where she pushed the button to go down to the holding cells and waited listening to some of her favorite calming music. She wanted to start the day with a visit to the criminals and run some security checks.

[User]
Noah woke up with the sun in his eyes after cursing the sun for the fifth time he decided to get up. Deciding to get a better layout of the city he got dressed and got his Glock 17 and hid it in his jacket and his combat knife in his boots, he left his apartment and began heading to a near by park that he had not gone to yet simply passing it by. Once there he began walking in circles around the park, this early in the morning the park was empty and quite Noah hated it, in his experience quite usually meant an ambush or an enemy sniper waiting for him to get out of cover.
He sighed and decided he had memorised enough stratospherically advantageous areas in the park and continued walking to his next destination.

[Assistant]
Leon walked down another hall to an elevator and presses the button to go to the bottom floor where the holding cells are.

"Wonder if Eris is already down doing the security check?" Leon thought to himself. He reached the bottom floor as the elevator door opened. Leon noticed the little rc car on the ground and looked up to see Eris. "Hey thought you would be down here so I came to check on things with you." Leon said as he waved to Eris.

[User]
Eris jumped a bit at the sound of Leon's voice and her whole body flickered before she calmed down, "oh... Hi Mr
Leon everything's fine as far as I can tell" she said as she put the car on autopilot and continued typing on a terminal "though the way I see it, some of the locks could stand to be replaced with some that don't need a manual key and key code, but that's just my opinion" barley looking up to hand him a list of numbers 1-6 as well as an ear piece that had a small screen on it.

 "if you could be so kind as to check these cells manually I'll keep in contact through this and have visual contact too"

[Assistant] Emmett drifted in the car he was driving speeding heavily over the limit. Gun shots could be heard not to far behind him. Two cars moving at a very similar speed stayed on Emmett's tail. "Crap!" He shouted as a bullet grazed his car door. Emmett had to lose these guys quick before the cops interven. He turned on a sharp corner and drove at about 90 mph down the alley. The thugs in the following cars followed and chased him down the alley at a similar speed. That alley was clearly a dead end but the thugs were to busy shooting at Emmett. The end of the alley was coming closer and closer within seconds. Emmett smiled as his car colided into the wall and exploded. The thugs were speechless and unable to stop smashed into his fire ball of a car increasing the flame and also causing a domino effect with their cars blowing up. Emmett walked through the agency doors wearing a tuxedo and a giant smile. He knew teleporting would come in handy at some point in his life. "I got documents on one of the gangs in the city!" He shouted walking through the offices. "But.....they're useless now. If you wanna know why just check the news for fiery casualties." He said laughing and throughing the paper documents into a shredder.

[User] "Call me Leon, Eris no need to be so formal." Leon said as he was handed list of cells 1-6 and an earpiece. "Check cells 1-6 manually? Can do. I may be lazy but when it comes to security I'm serious." Leon put the ear piece on his ear as he hit the little button on the side turning it on. Leon began to head towards Cell Block A which contained the first 6 cells as well as cells 7-10. "Ok first cell 1" Leon tapped away at the keypad doing the simple checks in the system. (time laps to go through cells 1-5) "Alright Eris I'm on cell 6 doing the final check." Leon said in the ear piece. "Ok do that, do this, and..." Leon mumbled to himself as a quick electrical surge went through the keypad "Woah!" Leon said as he jumped back and grabbed his sword but not unsheathing it. "Hey Eris did you experience a surge of electrical energy on your end?" Leon said into the earpiece.

[Assistant] Noah had after some walking and taking a bus he had finally reached the observation tower from her he could view all the city and find potential sniping spots for any potential targets, he did this for every city he went too and had become a useful habit that had saved him trouble in the past. Looking around the city he spotted what appeared to be a car chase for a second he considered tracking down the driver out of pure curiosity but found that decision to be dangerous so he decided against it. Once had gotten down from the tower he began heading to the area where he saw the car crash. Once there the police seemed to all ready be at the scene of the accident Noah walked around to get a better look at the front of the car "No driver what the hell?" he muttered to himself this was strange even if the driver had managed to jump out of the car before the impact a human would have been on the floor enough time for law enforcement to arrive a none of the doors where open so what happened.

[User]
Sakana a downed the last of the broth in her ramen bowl, setting it on the counter before leaving the small stand. It may have been morning, but Sakana hadn't felt like having real breakfast.

Having left Sakana walked to a small empty park. On the way there she had bought a bag of fish, and was happily eating them, clad in her swimsuit. A young man walked up to Sakana.
"What's a young lady like you doing out here alone? It's dangerous," he told her. But Sakana had already started. She began to talk to him, bewitching him into believing that he needed to kill. That that was the only thing he could do. And that once he killed, he needed to die as well.

Sakana did this a lot. Her call card, if you could call it that, was suicide after the crime. She looked at her wrists, they were covered in scars from where Sakana had slit her wrist over and over again as a child. But now, for some reason, she found joy in seeing others die by their own hands after committing a crime.


[System]
Eudora Esmeralda Erebus

"Would you mind getting inside the oven to clean it?"

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Character Summary
Aliases:
Mama Joon - Grand Mama
Age:
???
Birthday:
???
Ethnicity:
Beyond Such Frivilous Things
Birth Place:
???
Place of Residency:
Untamed Forest Area in Altsoba
Hometown:
Nature is her Home
Gender:
Female. (She thinks.)
Highest Level of Education:
No Formal Education
Occupation:
Witch
Languages:
The Tongue of Animals, and Old/New English. Basic Understanding of All Dead Languages.

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Appearance
Height:
5" 11'
Weight:
Weighs the Same as a Duck
Body Type:
Stout, Large, and Made of Wood
Eye Color:
Black as the Coals She was Burned In
Hair Color and Style:
Silver grey, frizzy and light as the morning mist. Frequently described as a storm cloud on her shoulders. Never combed, nor cleaned, simply left to do what it pleases.
Skin Tone:
White as Bone
Tattoos/Scars/Piercings:
Varius small scars and bruises from accidents.
Personal Style:
Dust caked rags was all she ever had. Eudora had no need for Gucci bags or designer clothes. She prefered to work with what she had, like a "true witch." Extracting materials from silk-worms, cotton plants and discarded clothes left in her realm. True, she could use a bit of hocus-pocus to create brilliant leather and the smoothest silk. But with time outside her little hut, she learned people seemed to adore her look. Fingerless gloves, shawls, etensive jewlery, and silly hats hats were seemed to be normal for the modern witch, and Eudora didn't have the heart to dissapoint (what she assumed) were her fans, and thus kept the look of raggty old street begger.

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Psychology
 •Crazy •Independent •Wicked •Dangerous

Sexuality:
Open to One and All
Relationship Status:
Single (For now.)
Personality:
Eudora is mad. Just, mad. She cackles, and chuckles over a cauldron, she laughs after the most gruesome of murders just because she thought of a joke. She dispises those who take life too seriously. People who refuse to smile in the direst of situations, where a smile would be the most helpful. Eudora adores the shock of the unenlightened as she rants on about touchy subjects without a care in the world. Why take life seriously when you're immortal?

Eudora, despite using curses of the non-magic kind more than the magic kind, is a gentle person. Though her lack of social skills and love for morbid humour caused her to be shunned by everyone save the most disgusting of freaks. Whom she called friends. Sadly, those crazy few have now been long gone from Eudora's life and so Eudora took up a life of solitude. Wandering about her many huts in the most reclusive of places, but Eudora herself is not reclusive. She's a good host and a great cook. Welcoming in any wanderer who stumbles upon her cabin with open arms and a pot of soup. Frequently disguising herself as a beautiful woman to calm those nervous few who get lost in their hiking trips.

Because past all the hexes, and Eye of Newt Stew lies a good woman with a twisted sense of humour.
Habits:
* Hexing
* Cackling
* Staying up till the Witching Hour
* Offering Poisoined Apples to women in huts owned by dwarfs.

Hobbies:
* Wearing a Witch Costume in September
* Communicating with Eldritch Abominations
* Inviting Guests to her Home
* Cooking

Fears:
* Fear of Betryal
* Fear of Alienation
* Fear of Fire
* Fear of Religeon

Likes:
+ Animals

+ Nature

+ Cooking

+ The Supernatural

+ Crafting Spells

+ Getting Lost in Nature

+ Dark, lonely Areas

Dislikes:
- "Normal" People

- Brightly Lit Areas

- Religion (Guess why.)

- Highly Industrialized Areas

- Rude People

- Unclean Homes

- Arrogant Witches

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Skills
More Mental Skills:

* Extensive Knowledge on Cooking
* Master at Witchery
* Telekinetic Telepath
* Knowlegble on Nature
* Beast Tamer

Physical Skills:

* Knowlegble on how to Use Various Knives
* Surpringisly Resilient and Driven
* Higher Endurance Towards Harmful Magic
* Sleight of Hand Expert

Day to Day Belongings:

* Grad-Mama's Book of Spells and Homemade Cooking
* Copious Amounts of Make-up
* Shrunken Head of a Voodoo Priestess (Capable of Giving Sage Advice)
* Switch-Blade
* Small Vials of Enchanted Herbs and Liquids for Good-Luck
* Enchanted Broom
* Ghost of Her Long Gone Cat
* Ritual Knife
* Various Enchanted Jewlery

Home:

* Giant Ingrediant Stash (For recipies or other things)
* Cauldron
* Cabniets Full of Enchanted Food That Never Spoils
* Fine Collection of Bones
* Black Goat she Believes is Possed by a Guardian Spirit
* Stashes of Magical Items (For potions, spells, etc.)
* A Tap that Never Runs Out of Water
* Alter to the Gods
* Various Protection Spells Around Her Home (Keeps away anything not strong enough to break the charms, or anything Eudora doesn't permit in her home)

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History
Life Before The Apocalypse
Eudora can never remember a day where she wasn't a raggedy old hag. Thinking back as for as she could care to remember, Eudora only saw herself in the same position forever. Living in a hut outside of a small town, lonely, and constantly working. Sometimes she'd get snippets of memories from her past life. Cooking for her family, who all now have been hanged for witchcraft or never write, or taking care of her kids' kids. She can barely remember the times she left her shabby hut.

Eudora does remember some events that happened outside her home. Salem Witch Trails, Industrialised Era, playing some "Pong." She was enthralled by how the world accepted magic so readily! They used sorcery to communicate to each other on tablets made of the smoothest stone and rode in giant metal bugs. The way they pronounced "thaumaturgy" as "technology" bugged her a bit, but she didn't mind too much.

Her favourite ritual of hers in the new world was by far the festivity of Halloween. She still couldn't believe there was a day celebrating the eldritch and witchy instead of hunting them. Eudora still vividly remembers being cheered on as she rode away on a broom.

Times, however, is quickly passing her. Her memory fades further and she retreats deeper into her forest. Wishing never to be seen.
Life Leading Up To the Apocalypse // What Brings You to Altsoba
Eudora had no attention to ever leave her home again. The world was quickly growing more cynical and strange, ever so more sensitive and blind to the world around them. She gazed with contempt at the little down past the lush trees and fine soil. Until now.

Eudora felt many vile energies and even more vile news as the days passed on. She'd frequently hear locks shattering with every bad news she gained. Tall tales of witches and demons killing people. "Hog-wash," she'd spit every time that damned shrunken head whined about another tragedy or another spell being cast. She was convinced it was all just a few miscast spells by young witches with no idea what they were doing.

That is until she felt the shudder. Powerful, intense magic was used that even the most mundane of mortals could feel. A warm aura of peace filled her damp hut and for once, Eudora almost felt relived. There was nothing to do but go out and investigate. She just had to! She never felt a spell that great, the rumours of the world ending and demons escaping were worth risking just to take a peak at what caused that powerful blast.

The world ain't so bad after all.

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Additional Information

Theme Song:

Deviances:
Eudora has never shied away from the dark arts, she knows the Underworld like she knows the back of her own hand. Eudora is a master at sensing magic, and detecting intent. Any curse or blessing you place on her or anything or anyone else and Eurdora will notice instantly. She may not be able to know exactly what the cast spell was, but she will have a vague idea about it and be able to discern if it's dangerous or not.
Extra Information:

I agree to follow the rules for this RP and understand that if I do not follow the rules, the GM or Co-GM may kick me out of this roleplay.
"Turtles are such boring pets, I prefer dragons as scaly companions."

[User]
Seraphina Adams

Location: The Church
Interacting With: The Church Crew

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Sera watched as Aloise and Amy went to tend to her wound she closed her eyes as she groaned slightly as they went in to remove the bullet, then Trevor came in. She opened her eyes and looked up at him as he gave her the bad news that Sylvia died, Seraphina wiped away some tears she felt like it was her fault now that both Katsumi and Sylvia were now dead. "Thank you, you did what you could.." Seraphina said softly, maybe if they did go to the hospital maybe Sylvia could have actually lived. Maybe if Sera had done it another way she could have been able to save both of them, and maybe she and Sylvia could have been friends. Seraphina made a note to bury Sylvia's body whenever things calmed down it was the least she could do.

She looked towards Belladonna for a moment asking Amy some of her blood, she watched the two of them Seraphina wasn't sure what the strange woman wanted Amy's blood for. But it wasn't her concern anyway as she watched Javier lifting up Sariel off of the ground, she froze seeing the archangel's hand move and then her name being called. And then another voice, it was always a common thing for her growing up she did hear these voices. Sera closed her eyes and tried to tune out the voices again.

"I wished these damn voices stopped!" Sera said out loud, she opened her eyes again and realized that she had said it out in the open and looked at the group around her she wasn't crazy they always came and went but since everything started they were extremely frequent. Sera just hoped that no one would start asking her about it.

[Assistant]
Trevor Martin

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Location: Church
Interacting With: A lot of people

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He was still getting over the fact that a lot of the people still left in town ended up all in the same place. There had to be a reason, but he didn't say anything about it. Everyone else seemed to relax in the church, but he still didn't know he could trust them. The only person he knew in the room was Seraphina, and he had only known her for like half an hour after the whole running away from the shopping area. It was clear that Sera was saddened by the Sylvia's death, but he felt like there was something else bugging her.

Trevor just stood off to the side, ignoring most everyone and trying to remain calm. He didn't like the fact that everyone was in the same place, it felt strange and unnatural to him. He kept to himself, and just took a good look at everyone in the room. He recognized a few of them, but had never known their names. He didn't feel like introducing himself, so he just stood in the corner, keeping an eye out for more trouble.

[User]
Location: Church
Interacting With: Fallen Angel

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Eudora hung back again, things seemed to be slowing down, except for the rate that the angel was dying. Already she looked like an empty husk to Eudora, and she couldn't help but to stare at the angel. She didn't snap out of it until she noticed someone looking at her. Eudora shouldn't be surprised though, a witchy looking old woman just staring at a dying body was bound to attract some arched eyebrows.

Eudora was unsure what to do now, waiting around for an epiphany or a sign was doing nothing. After a few seconds of deep thinking and second guesses, Eudora straightened herself, exhaling a tired sigh as she waddled up to the body. "Excuse me," she breathed out as she slithered between the huddled group and crouched down near the fallen angel, "Don't worry dear, I may be able to help a little," she said, trying to comfort the angel and everyone around her with her words as she produced herbs from her pocket and held it close to the angel. "Chew it," she ordered, her hand wavering slightly in the air, "It'll help with the healing process," she lied. Truth was, it was meant to numb the pain and give the angel a peaceful passing, there was a small chance she might pull through, but Eudora wasn't counting on that. The witch just wanted to feel as if she was helping.

Eudora's hand was still outstretched, offering the natural medicine and not minding the people around her. She wanted to thank the angel, for revealing to her what needed to be done, but she didn't say a word. Eudora brought her head up to face the ceiling for the second, calling out to the energies that govern the universe. "Help me," she mouthed before returning to treat the angel.


[System]
Rank: Lieutenant

Age: 24

Biography: Sabatine Hickoring is a member of the old but not particularly influential Hickoring family. The Hickoring's of Westmarch are a west country family of moderate estate but have been out of political power for the last century or so as a result of not moving to Xenos in order to pursue the cut and thrust of Senatorial politics.

Sabatine is the youngest of five children of her now deceased parents. Her oldest brother, Justin, is the Hickoring of Westmarch and enjoys the flashy lifestyle the estate affords him as does his grasping and manipulative wife. Separated by nearly a decade from his next oldest sibling and nearly two decades from Sabtine he has little affection for his younger relations and has essentially cut them off without a cent. In order to make a living (and more importantly maintain the image of aristocracy) the four remaining siblings were forced to find employment with the Republic. The two older boys embarked on careers with the Foreign Service while Sabatine's older sister obtained a commission with the Land Forces of the Republic in an infantry unit. Forming a informal financial agreement, the three pooled their resources to put Sabatine through the naval academy, viewing the RCN as the best place for the energetic young girl.

Raised in the country largely by servants who knew of her brothers cool feelings towards her Sabatine learned at a young age that the only way to gain respect was to be helpful and to do the best you could at any given task. This willingness to help made her popular among the tenants who were less than enamored with their absentee landlord and his wife both of whom the tenants (correctly) believed looked down on them. It was also an attitude which served her well at the RCN academy where she graduated at the top half of her class, with high marks in technical subjects and physical fitness. Her three older siblings were able to secure her a midshipman's billet at the RCN harbor complex at Harbor 3 assisting in maintenance and dock work. Eventually she caught the eye of a captain fitting out for an expedition to the Rayleigh Stars and Navy House was prevailed upon to assign her to the task force. Before leaving Cinabar she sat for an passed her Lieutenant's exam, no mean feat for a spacer whose entire experience consisted of in system tests and a couple of cruises in senior year at the academy.

A year or so on station has knocked some of the Harbor 3 starch out of Sabatine. Although she is renowned as a hard task master by the crew especially the power room crew, her willingness to throw herself into the work makes her a popular officer. The Riggers are particularly happy to have an officer who is both willing to learn and willing to help and have adopted Sabatine, unofficially, as one of their own.

@POOHEAD189

[User]
Captain Micha was a hell of a Captain when it came to logistics and navigation, but Kaiden had to disagree with his assessment of the situation. Kaiden wasn't certain it was something the crew of the Vickie should take care of themselves, but it was clearly apart of some illicit activity. If it looks like a horse, walks like a horse and sounds like a horse, it's probably not a Zebra, his former aide de camp used to say. He missed Bertram sometimes. The man had been old, but reliable and undoubtedly predictable in his loyalty and punctuality. Tilda was young and entirely unpredictable, at least in the way women you fancied could be. She was a good aide de camp however, with all the reliability of Bertram...not to mention a few other things he enjoyed.

Almost as if she had read his mind or planned for him to think of her, she appeared with the dispatches he had asked for on local ship activity, quicker than he would have expected. Miraculously, it was a log on all activity the past three months. It almost did more harm than good to Kayden, until he opened them up and realized Tilda had already marked down every instance in which a ship matching the Kamal's description had exited and entered the local area.

"How did you..."

"I listened in on the way here and decided to make it a bit easier for you." She said, her face pristine save for the small smile she had on her lush lips.

"Remind me to make it up to you." He said, eyes pouring into the pages whilst still gauging the ship's systems every now and then to make sure the vehicle was still operational.

"I plan on it." She whispered in his ear with a suggestive tone that sent a thrill up his spine. He did his best to ignore it, and she simply stepped back and took a seat behind everyone, watching them work like a hawk, or a hound at attention, awaiting orders.

"Sabbie, come here." He remarked, clearing his throat and saying louder because of Tilda's appearance. "Lieutenant, look at this." As he turned the page, the fabric loudly 'fwapping' in his hands.

According to the log, the only ships that matched the Kamal's tramp model was from the Tarlock Trading Company that shipped minerals and spices every fortnight, give or take a few days due to activity and mismanagement on the corporate side. Today was nowhere near any previously scheduled movements for such ships. It could potentially be a new schedule or unexpected shipment, but without a flight plan...

[Assistant]
Sabatine tried to ignore her dislike for Tilda, though it wasn't easy. Rather than focus on the woman's irritating intrusion into her carefully ordered world she focused on the task at hand. Despite her resolution to let it go, she couldn't put it out of her mind. For a long moment she scanned the documents.

"Imagine you are a pirate," she mused, taking a seat at the console beside Kaiden. She punched the console live and pulled up a plot of the system. The paths of all the ships appeared as lines, mapping trajectories.

"With this much traffic in the system, attacking a freighter is going to be hard. The second you extract everyone near you will scatter, plus most of these tubs are worthless anyway," she explained. Most of the freighters weren't even capable of entering the matrix anymore, if they ever had been able to. The hulls were worth something, and the crew possibly as slaves, but all in all only laden vessels with valuable cargos were worth the risk.

"You need to be precise when you attack, come out of the matrix close to a rich prize and snatch her before she can dive for the planet, moon I suppose," she went on. Kaiden was nodding following her train of thought.

"So you need a spotter, like our unusually observant freighter," he said musingly. It was Sabatine's turn to nod.

"If I were in charge, I'd set up a base on a moon behind one of the lesser gas giants, I could jump my spotter out behind it like she was leaving the system, then simply follow a reverse course back in once she extracted to give me my intel."

[User]
Kaiden absorbed the last information, already certain something was amiss but now he couldn't have been more sure they had just seen pirate activity. He saw it in Sabatine's eyes too. They each knew one another enough to know when the other was dead certain on something. Briefly he wondered how whatever actions they were about to take might cause a scandal of some kind, always on the look out for such a risk.

"He'll never go for it." Kaiden said, obviously referring to the Captain.

"Maybe if we confronted him together?" Sabatine queried, still wishing to remain safely within the chain of command. He wouldn't blame her, already being on a tight leash from the Ottis debacle, but he also knew she was born and bred for the service.

"Or..." he said, drawing a finger over the map on the console screen, indicating where the ship had jumped and the path it had taken through the system. "We dangle something in front of the Captain to have him make the order to approach where we believe their current position is."

Sabatine looked at him, her expression unreadable. He hoped that meant she was entertaining his suggestion.

"Not lie." He said quickly. "We have small hiccups in the logs all the time. We can suggest to him that something in the logs of the Tarlock Trading Company or the Habsburg Acquisition Corp. doesn't fit according to their flight plan and we would go and see if they're flirting with skipping taxes or perhaps they have resources we can requisition. The Captain isn't one to pass up free fame or money as long as there's no conflict save for the accidental kind."

[Assistant]
The officers wardroom was a small space, just large enough for the table and chairs that had been bolted to the deck in its small walls. Kaiden as the new XO was offically being dined in by the company and had generously extended an invitation to Captain Micha who had graciously accepted. The Vickie was cruising in real space, making an orbit of MXD-41 and showing the flag of Cinnabar to all in the system. Theoretically this was to ward of pirates, but Sabatine doubted it would be very effective in that. Pirates were a scourge this far from the civilized worlds and whether a ship was a trader or a pirate largely depended on whether they thought one would be more profitable than the other at any given moment. All of the senior warrants as well as Ottis were present. The only absentee was midshipman Mckay, the most junior of the company thus, as propriety demanded, stuck on the bridge as the deck officer.

The meal had been sumptuous, roast meat prepared with local spices and thinly sliced vegetables in a rum and pepper sauce. Wine and rum from their last landfall had been plentiful and they were settling in for the dessert course of treacle putting with fresh custard. Byron might have a long ways to go as a spacer, but his talents as a mess steward were on full display. As the steaming pudding was unveiled, he circled the table and topped up drinks without being asked before midshipman Ottis stood and raised his glass in the traditional toast. The other officers followed suit careful not to bang their chairs against the bulkhead doors.

"To a bloody war or a sickly season," the youth declared and the others echoed him before downing their drinks. Given the circumstances the toast seemed particularly ominous, but each 'day' of ship time had its own toast and the RCN never deviated from tradition. They all resumed their seats as Byron began to dispense the pudding with a wooden serving spoon with a bladed edge.

"Speaking of impending hostilities sir," Sabatine began, "Ms Savarti did some digging into our runaway freighter and I think you were probably right in that it wasn't a pirate." Micha nodded agreeably, favoring her with a patronizing smile now that he felt she wasn't going to challenge him.

"As much as we might all wish for action, this is no time to be jumping at shadows," Micha replied sagely. Chief Savachev nodded but Helenna Graving looked disappointed. No doubt the gunner was more enthusiastic about the prospect of action against pirates than most of them. Even in fleet actions, plasma cannon were primarily defensive weapons, meant to nudge incoming missiles off target, but every gunner dreamed of being able to use them to rip open a lightly armored pirate at close range.

"Quite right sir," Sabatine agreed, following the plan that she and Kaiden had worked out together. Tilda had been surprisingly helpful as well, no doubt her background as an investigative journalist gave her an instinct for how to use such social engineering.

"According to Tilda," Kaiden broke in, taking up his part of the plan, "It looks like Tarlock Trading is probably just moving cargo off the books, stashing it on a moon somewhere out behind MXD-43 or one of the other gas giants. Probably figure war is coming and are looking to avoid confiscation of iridium. Smugglers," he concluded with an aristocratic sneer. Kaiden Caladwarden, the scion of a rich and powerful family, could hardly be expected to care about such money grubbing tactics as avoiding legal excise duties. Every other officer in the mess however, including Micha sat up a little straighter. Sabatine concealed a grin by draining her rum and lifting her glass for a refill. The rest of the plan should unfold without so much as another word.

"That would make whatever they are stashing out their subject to seizure and condemnation by a prize court wouldn't it?" Higgs asked, looking more than a little bleary eyed from the amount of liquor he had consumed. Kaiden had assured her that it wasn't necessary to bring him into the scheme, and she was pleased to see she had been right.

"It certainly would," Leyla Savachev agreed in her Xenos drawl as she mentally calculated what a chief engineers share of such a seizure might be. Doubtless that share was all the more inflated for being imaginary. Micha was rubbing his chin too. Micha didn't come from money or even the aristocracy, quite the opposite in fact, he had worked his way up through years of thankless peacetime service, only to find himself far from the action and chance for advancement when the last war broke out. Even on active service the pay of a senior lieutenant was not extravagant, not unless you won prize money and that didn't happen without action. Unless of course you found an excuse to seize a valuable cargo from smugglers.

"I'll bet you the prize court on Herculaneum would condem it no questions asked, as little trade as they have been getting lately," Graving speculated. The idea was clearly taking hold and Sabatine could almost feel the avarice take hold.

"Speaking of Herculaneum, if we put back in I'd like to see about replacing number three starboard, she stuck again during extraction," Sabatine interjected, steering the topic away from smuggling and prize money as Tilda had suggested. Kaiden raised his glass surreptitiously in salute. Sabatine had no doubt that by morning, the Captain would have not only found an excuse to sweep the system for smugglers caches, but be thoroughly convinced it was his own idea.


[System]
Age:
21

Sex:
Male

Hair Color:
Sandy Brown/Grey

Eye color:
Red

Weapon:
Calabolg - A sword passed down to Braska by his father. It stands as a testament to how far Braska has came as a swordsman. He effortlessly blends his swordsmanship with magic to create something stupendous.

Biography:
Braska has lived the life of stardom ever since he could remember. With his father being leader of the Zanarkand Abes, reconstructing Zanarkand, and his mother as the high summoner, Braska stayed in the spotlight as eldest of his siblings. Tidus raised his son to live the life of a blitzball player while also teaching him how to fight. Little did Tidus know that Kimahri and Yuna were both teaching the young boy in the ways of combat and magic. Taking after his grandfather's legacy, Braska went on to achieve spectacular stardom as a Zanarkand Abe but little did he know that fate would bring him into the same life that his father once lived.

Personality:
Braska has been described as a lazy but confident man and someone you can rely on by his comrades. He is smart and has a great sense of humor. He believes in his own methods of doing things not abiding by any other methods, he is very laid back and only speaks words when he feels that he needs to. When people are in his presence they tend to find it hard to speak to him due to the way he gives off a natural presence, making them silent. Normally Braska is the one to start and finish a conversation, he is very hard to predict and tell his emotions due to him having a natural poker-face, he stands out in crowds and is very easy to notice and pick up on.

Are you arriving in Besaid or Living there?
Considering how far the rp is, Braska will be arriving where needed.

[User]
The minute she heard the stomping of several heavy steps, Alex set Naisha down before standing up and turned. Body stiffening and eyes narrowing in a glare, fists clenching and already ready to lay out a punch. A bunch of local guards coming up, with Sifen. In which case Alex glared at him, motioning her hands up in a 'what the hell is this' before listening to the woman speak as Urick confronted her. The red head glared and gave a huff. Irritated by such a accusation.

"What?! He's the one throwing rocks at innocent people! He actually shed blood! At most he has bruises on his pretty little neck! Oh but what, the baby has such a problem he has to run to daddy after he causes it then get the little bitch lapdog to come fight his battles? Spouting nonsense 'authority' when it's just a bunch of high status men's egos? Well, **** you too!" Alex sneered and shouted before starting to give a feral growl at the command to cuff.

"And if it's just me, why are you arresting the people who weren't involved?! What kind of sick twisted government are you running you bunch of ********?! Leave them out of this!" Alex snarled before the woman had the gall to try and force Alex to cuff herself.

She was so pissed, the red head just took the cuffs before spinning them on her index finger. "Sorry darling, but I'm not in the mood to be your little bitch for you to ride all night." Alex said sarcastically before her eyes glanced to the temple just beside them. Wondering if the others heard the commotion. Hopefully they didn't come out in case the rest of these bastards try arresting them too.

Her blue glare to a man who picked up Naisha and instantly Alex rammed him, quickly catching Naisha and holding her close in a bridal position as she snarled and growled loudly. "Hands. *******. Off. You ******* perverted ********! She's not some sack of potatoes you jerks!" she shouted.

As the woman turned toward her, as if warning if the cuffs weren't on, which they weren't, Alex glared back as the woman scowled. Unlike the other guards, didn't falter in her glare. Growling. Her temper really just wanted to beat the crap out of all of them, but they were outnumbered. Though the woman was a bitch, she did hold strength in her and probably wouldn't be a simple opponent. And most of them were too tired for a full on brawl. If it was just her in trouble, which it should, she wouldn't have much problem. But by how much jerks these people were, Alex couldn't exactly guarentee they wouldn't play dirty.

So she shuffled and put the cuffs on, but still held Naisha and her glare depend. "I'll behave like a good little ***** master if let me carry Nai." Alex said in a sickenly sweet mixed with venom voice before huffing. "Or. You can risk quite a bit of your men going to the hospital. Guarentee you'll take me down with how much you outnumber me, but I'll take quite a few with me." she said, body shifting as she glared.

Alex glanced to Sifen and flicked her eyes to the temple. Trying to silently tell him to go tell the others. Before resuming her glare.

[Assistant]
Naisha managed to show a smile between the tears as both Braska and Alex tried to cheer her up. The mage was very glad that Alex didn't hate or dislike her because of how she acted. It's just that with everything happening, it was so hard to keep track of everything. And difficulty to move one arm in addition to that pesky horn that was weighting on her head just made everything bloody worse.

 Just as things were looking up and they were going to go have fun, everything went straight to hell… The guards appeared to arrest them in account of Alex having injured someone. After the red head explained what happened, Nai's face paled once again." It's my fault…" She whispered looking at Alex. If she had just stayed put and not show herself in public, none of this was going to happen.

 "…!!!" Alex gasped in surprise as someone rudely tried to put handcuffs on her hands, but found it difficult to do so with the mutated hand she had. Finally he did it and rudely took her from the chair as a sack of potatoes. In response Alex quickly gained hold of Nai.

 "What did you say just now?" Nai asked as she looked at the woman from the guards, who seemed like she was calling the shots." Did you just threaten my friends!? Because of that bastard who threw that rock?!" Nai asked her mind slowly descending into darkness. 'Kill them!' She heard a whisper inside the depths of her mind. "Yeah… shall I remind this town what happened before the last eternal calm!? HURT EVEN ONE OF MY FRIENDS AND THERE SHALL BE NOONE LEFT IN THIS PLACE TO REGRET IT!!!" The mage shouted to warn those guards what will be the payment in case something happens to her friends. Nai's hands flashed as well as the small plushy doll she held in her arms. She had enough with people treating friends badly.

[User]
Braska was awe-struck by the authority that had arrived and were barking orders left and right. It had seemed the Nai had pissed off the mayor. Now things were getting to be a little too dangerous. With the guards looking to take them away, excluding Braska as the big boobed woman stated and Sifen who had given them away, Braska wondered how would they get themselves out of this situation. He only could stare for a bit, getting pissed at the circumstances that presented themselves. Suddenly it turned into a shouting match between Alex, Nai, and the leader female. Braska stepped forward placing half his body in front of Nai. His back was toward her but his head turned just a bit so that she could see his left eye past his hair. There was a seriousness in his eyes that many didn't get to see. Something Nai would know almost instantly.

"Nai. ENOUGH! Antagonizing will not help in this situation. Quiet yourself.....for now." Braska eyes moved toward Alex next, "Keep Nai close to you but you also need to calm down. We aren't in the best predicament." Braska turned his head back to the forces that looked to capture the group. "You listen here. You wanted me, lady. Then my friends transition to your prison smoothly. No harm whatsoever and lighten up." Braska knew this would be the only way. Once he dealt with this, he'd have to get Gippal. There friends wouldn't stay locked up for long.


[System]
Age: 28

Race: Human

Height: 161
Weight: 73 kg
Astrid usually wears her combat engineer kit - combat boots, fingerless gloves, a battleship gray coverall under a repurposed body armor system used to hold tools and other equipment that can be used to patch up anything from a weapon in a minute to a small ship in a day. The suit comes with a closed helmet equipped with filters.

Faction: * Marauder
* Mercenary (IMS Irene, formerly)

Role in team: Engineer

Bio: Astrid was born to a freight pilot father and propulsion technician mother on a civilian station in the boonies, her father leaving for a long haul shortly after her birth, never to return. She grew up surrounded by machinery, visiting a planet for the first time on her 23rd birthday. The surroundings and her mother's profession led her to engineering and engines, gyroscopes, general electronics and life support became her life, quite literally when it came to the last item on the list. Rapidly growing bored of civilian life and her control freak of a mother, she tried to join the military, but failed physical tests.

Undeterred, the young engineer sought out Harris Fairchild, captain of a mercenary ship called Irene that's just been through hell and needed to replenish its crew. Although the Irene's activities often tested the line between lawful and lawless, Astrid gained a lot of hands-on experience as the Irene's sole engineer, kitbashing her way out of trouble on numerous occasions.

Sadly, fortune wasn't in the stars for Irene's crew, as their last employer had no intent of paying them, instead turning his weapons on the smaller ship. Outgunned and unable to flee due to EM interference caused by the nebula they were meeting in, the Irene made her final stand, using its superior maneuverability to overpower its opponent. Although they've come out on top, the cost was catastrophic - the Irene was crippled, stranded in the nebula and most of the crew perished as a result of decompressions and failing life support. In a stroke of heartless survival instincts, Astrid sealed the relatively undamaged engineering section, pumping as much air as she could to it, dooming anyone that may or may not have still been alive. With dwindling air supply and unable to repair any life support systems, Astrid activated the distress beacon and waited.

A passing patrol received the call and hauled the semi-conscious Astrid out, but mistook the Irene for one of the many pirate ships that roamed that sector. With her experience and without anything that would prove her innocence, Astrid was sent to the Monroe.

Personality: Astrid is practical, straightforward and tends to gravitate to dark humor. Fairchild once likened her personality to a belt sander, a fitting description if she doesn't know you or thinks you're some sort of shifty character. Slow to trust, only a selected few are allowed into a closed circle of people she trusts. Those can count on her even in the direst of circumstances. Her worst fear is losing someone from this closed circle, as it happened on the Irene.

Weapons and Equipment: * Diamondback MAR - An assault rifle manufactured by a small, private armory. Though she can defend herself if her ship is boarded, it is a perfect example of someone using tools above their skill level, as the rifle's great potential is usually squandered by Astrid's inability to shoot straight.
* Protector Riot Control System - Armor covering the torso, elbows, front legs, knees and neck. Although the breastplate is rated to stop pistol rounds with decent reliability, the rest of the armor is meant to protect from batons, knives and thrown bottles. Though it's saved her life once or twice, she's grown fond of it mainly because it came with so many pouches and pockets. The helmet is usually kept hanging from her belt, only used when absolutely necessary.

Relationships: Most people Astrid considered friends perished on the Irene, leaving a rather bitter misfit. She hasn't been in contact with her mother since she joined the Irene's crew and doesn't intend to change that.

Other: * Astrid is voiced by Ashley Burch (Aloy, Horizon: Zero Dawn).
* Much like her former crew, Astrid harbors strong distrust of the Satasi due to their natural abilities.

[User]
---

Commander Aamra Tulez

---

Poker was interesting. Essentially a game of chance, but with an element of skill in terms of deciphering an opponents actions, not unlike predicting the strikes of an enemy in battle. She would have to try it again sometime, Tulez mused. Unlike that revolting liquid the crew consumed for pleasure.

Her daily meditations finished, Tulez fastened her uniform with less then her usual finesse, her claws slipping on a few of the buttons. Taking a deep, controlled breath that rustled her frills gently, she smoothed the jacket's lapels before striding out of her quarters, marking the time for the first inspections of the day and heading to the kitchen, bracing herself for the reek that accompanied last night's jubilation. Needless to say, she was pleasantly surprised at how clean it was; you couldn't even tell there had been a party lasting all night, and...was that tea? Now that was just the thing to warm the bones and stir the river.

"That's not Lakewood Briar, is it?" Tulez asked as she approached the crystalline doctor, no doubt sounding more conversational then she usually did. "By the waters, I-"

Alas, tea would be delayed by that most loathsome melody. Almost immediately she was at the shoulder of the Captain, listening to him lament about the completion of their recent Code Silver.

"I am sorry for your loss, Captain, but you and your crew are the only ones close enough to respond to this threat," the Admiral rattled off with barely enough empathy to be considerate. "Fortunately it's on the planet of your refueling schedule. I need everyone in the briefing room as soon as possible for a briefing. Admiral out."

"Well, that's considerate," Tulez commented when the communication went out. "Storm forbid, they would be impolite enough to make us change our plans." Inwardly, Tulez groaned. This damned crew was REALLY starting to rub off on her, and not in a way she was fond of.

"It's been a while since we've had a Velvet on our hands... Sorry, folks, but we got one more job before we can hibernate. You heard the Admiral, get to the briefing room... Drink your tea fast, get dressed up, We'll question our newest recruit after all this shit is over with."

"Of course, Captain." Tulez shot off a salute before backtracking for her tea, a shot of energy that would get her through a Code Velvet. Sarcasm aside, it was absolutely something worth dropping schedule over. The Academy drummed a lot of absolutes into her head, but one of the biggest was that velvets were life or death, and not something to be taken lightly.

Of course if things were run PROPERLY, Tulez thought to herself as she entered the briefing room, they would not be the only ship in range who could deal with this. It almost made her wonder if Captain Lovhaug back at the academy was right about his theory that the Galactic Committee only ever had two ships deployed at any time. It really would answer so many damned questions.

[Assistant]
"I again apologize for this, Monroe, but I personally trust no other team to do this." Admiral V'sul's holographic figure appeared in the center of the room, taking a look at all the exhausted faces looking back. "Everything you hear in this room is incredibly sensitive, and highly classified."

"Are you sure the Committee wants us to hear it then, Admiral?" Raymond asked, standing in front, his bloodshot eyes fully focused. "It is not their place to say, Captain, seeing as how I am in control of what goes on in the outer regions." There was a hint of a smirk on her face as she glanced at the Captain of the Monroe. Ever since the two met, there seemed to be a distinct understanding between the two. She knew Raymond was innocent, and Raymond knew Tori wasn't a fan of the political system either. In a way, the exchange the two had was:

"We're not going on another Committee errand."

"Fuck the Committee, this is my show."

"Have any of you heard the name Vin Torsq?" The Admiral asked. "As far as the galaxy is concerned, they are the most dangerous target in the galaxy. Also the most wanted." A new hologram showed up, showing a dossier on Torsq, but with no picture, as well as a 3-D map of a prison vessel on course to a place Raymond was very familiar with. "What makes him so special?"

"Torsq is a very rare race that we thought was extinct for millennia. Not long after the Committee formed, they were attacked by a group of aliens known as Breev. They are shapeshifters. No one knows what their true form looks like. All they have to do is look at you and they will be an exact copy of whoever they want. Eye color, height, every scar, any little detail you have. If they touch you, they get some of your memories as well. When the Committee found out about them, they went on a purge, and killed them all... or so we thought. We knew Vin was a highly skilled assassin, but we did not know what he was until we finally caught them."

"While on Transit to the Rock, he took form of a guard, went on a killing spree, and used an escape pod to the fueling depot planet you are currently going to."

The room was dead quiet.

"And you want a group of sleep deprived fugitives to hunt them down?"

Admiral V'sul nodded. "I believe your team is skilled enough, with or without sleep, to find and apprehend Torsq… Aren't you going to ask me how?" Her sense of humor was known across the galaxy. "We have taken DNA from him, and although it is incredibly complicated, there is a way to trace him with the scanner on your datapads. I'm sure Doctors Driani and Valanx can set them up and get them running before you land on the planet."

She looked around once again at the crew. "I can't express enough how important it is to capture Torsq alive. I will send his dossier to your quarters, Captain, but as of now no ship is leaving the fuel depot. You have some time to get a battle plan ready. You're all dismissed... and good luck."

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

The Fuel Depot S07-1 was a very dry, and baron one. It was not large, but it did hold a lot of natural resources to refuel and supply ships. The only city it has was its capital, and it reminded Raymond of a Bazaar from Earth. The planet had an atmosphere, but was prone to massive sandstorms and intense heat. Needless to say that he issued all his crew to wear appropriate attire for this mission. As the Monroe landed on the fueling dock, and the large ramp lowered with a number of hisses and groans, Raymond was the first to scan the area. He wore a light cotton shirt, beige cargo pants, boots, and a scarf around his neck. He raised a gloved hand to block the intense sun, and then looked at his other wrist, where a small device was strapped to it.

"Alright ladies, gentlemen, and robots, lets head out. Try to find a bar or some place he can lay low. If that doesn't work we'll all split up. Make sure your tracker is working and please don't do anything to embarrass Aamara and I."

[User]
Yasaliah Josk: Pilot

 Yasaliah donned a pair of sexy, mysterious sunglasses and strode down the ramp of their ship. Other than that her outfit hadn't changed at all- she didn't mind the heat. Nothing was hotter than her. Well okay, the sun might be, but she couldn't get anyone out of anyone wearing cargo pants. She had to look good to work her magic. If they wanted to find a shape shifting assassin, they might have to talk to some of the locals; and as far as Josk was concerned, no one was better at persuading than she was.

 "Considering how many people this asshole has killed, I don't know why we can't just put a bullet in his brain. This guy gets better treatment than we do. Do you know how many innocent people I've killed?" She asked everyone, complaining loudly to those around her.

 "...Well, less than this guy, for sure." She said with a cheeky smile and shrug. In her own mind, she hadn't directly killed anyone that didn't deserve it. Now, did she indirectly have a hand in the death of innocents by piloting her ship with expert skill and precision? Maybe. But those people knew what they were getting into when they signed up to protect such precious cargo. If they were smart, they would have taken it for themselves. So, really, all the people she killed where either stupid or had it coming.

 "Anyway. I can do the talking. I bet this guy's left a wake, a trail, someplace at sometime. Somebody's gotta know who comes in and out of a place where people lay low. With a little bit of palm-grease and some convincing...I can get it out of anyone. Where we goin' first? I don't know my way around this dump. The seedier and scummier, the better." As she spoke she fiddled with the DNA scanning app on her datapad.

[Assistant]
As someone who's spent all but a few days of her life on a ship, her skin, not used to sunlight beyond UV lamps, required some extra precautions, especially on a furnace of a planet like this. As such, Astrid was covered head to toe, mostly following the captain's example, but replaced the scarf with a shemagh wrapped around her head. Having found no reliable weather forecast, she grabbed some goggles in case of a dust storm and kept them in a pocket for now.

"Embarrass you? Would we ever?" Astrid raised an eyebrow, the only expression discernible through her outfit, "Such as by getting off-your-face drunk with booze provided by our criminal-in-chief? No thanks, I think there's been enough of that for a star's lifetime or two, or ten." She stepped off the ramp, marvelling at the desert around them. Not as pretty as nebulae and ice belts, and certainly in need of manual environmental controls, but planets had their charm. Until she made the mistake of looking up. With no static reference, the moving clouds fooled her brain into thinking she was tipping over, making her stumble into whoever was standing next to her in an attempt to counter the perceived motion. "Woah, sorry! Don't look at the clouds."

"And who says we can't?" Astrid thought aloud about Josk's complaining, "Orders are to take him alive, yes, but accidents happen. What are they gonna do if he eats a stray shot or hits his head on a table?" she offered with a shrug, "Can't give us two death sentences, can they?" she watched Aamra with the corner of her eye, not sure how their warden might react. Given the council's interest in Rendyl, a psychic, and now a shapeshifter, that dark corner of her mind where all the paranoid and insane neurons gathered was working overtime, cooking up batshit theories ranging from a fucked-up freakshow to a black-ops strike squad. Unfortunately, she had no idea where to begin either. Besides maybe a place to get cheap used parts, she was completely out of her element.