Helios System; Home of the Ariadnan Nations of Planet Dawn. . . . . . . . In the depth of the space, on the outskirts of the Solar System of Helios (a GBV Yellow-Orange Dwarf Sun-Star) lies the immense Wormhole Gate nicknamed simply "Gateway Station". . . Far rougher and straight-angled of the typical Wormhole Gates of the rest of the Human Sphere is also HEAVILY militarized and surrounded by relatively primitive Orbital Kill-Sats and emplaced Asteroidal Fortress Garrisons. . . Ostensibly granted by the O-12 Council in the care of the Ariadnan Nations, is still one of the few Extra-Planar Habitats that the "Primitive Ateks" of Planet Dawn could claim of. . . Once totally disarmed and unmanned by Military Personnel, with the growing importance of the Cube-Less Veteran Soldiers of the Ariadnan Nations funnelled to fight the encroaching danger of the Alien Combined Army on the Paradiso Frontlines had been recently granted leeway to specialized Mercenary Companies hailing from Haqqislam an the Nomads Motherships to guard and prevent the three-way escalation between the "Native Locals" passing by and some "Security Details" of the Pan-Oceanian Mining Concerns and Yu-Jing Commercial Enterprises that tries to STILL exploit the rich Teseum Ore veins that are abundant in Asteroidal Belts and Planetoids of the Helios System (but difficult to reach and excavate, if compared to the "Surface Overabundance" of the Planet Dawn depots, that could be reached even by the Antipode Aboriginals employing "Bronze Age" kind of Tools !!). . . . . . . . The "Void Space" between the Gatweay Station Quantronic Relays start to shimmer and distort, signaling that a Wormhole is soon opening; space is folded on itself, and where once there was NOTHING now stood imposingly one of the most advanced Industrial Undertakings of th Human Sphere. . . A "Circular". . .!! One of the immense "Train-Wagons" styled of Vessels that bring goodeis, personnel, crews and even whole smaller ships around the Planetary Systems that make up the Human Sphere. . . Many vessels start to detach from the Ventral Holding Bays of the Circular, or (if large enough) simply released by the immense Hydraulic Docking Clamps; many of those that exits bear the Logos of Commercial Enterprises dealing in Teseum, the precious Neo-Material that bases (along with the incredibly precious "Silk" of Haqqislam) many of the Technological Advances of the Human Race. . . Many other are O-12 Troop Transports hauling "Fresh Meat Rookies" to-and-fro the Paradiso System. . . In that confused exchange of Vessels exiting and entering the cavernous, titanic depths of the Circular (and EXTREMELY surveyed by the "Joint Onboard Security" of the Santiago Knights and the Yujing Imperial Service) one could easily let slip by a relatively smaller Orbital Freighter bearing the characteristics "Colours" of Red, Black and White of the Nomads Nations. . . . . . . . Dubbed "Rough Rocinante" on the stenciled Holo-Letters on the Aft that Vessels starts to fire its Engines towards the core of the system rather than latching onto the various Support Structures surrounding Gateway Station. . . Quickly superating the two Gas Giants, Albina and Eostres, contained between the relatively Teseum-Rich belts of asteroids called "Tereshkova" and "Armstrong" then, in Astronometrical Time, speedily reach for the instable planetoid of Saranyu, without even considering the Hailing Messages from the Pan-Oceanian and Yujing troubled minerary mobile stations on the Telluric Planet surface. . . Soon (relatively soon) the target is in sight; Planet Dawn, the crown jewel of the Helios System and one of the MOST dangerous inhabited worlds of the Human Sphere. . . While far distant blinks the other remaining Planetart Bodies around the Yellow-Orange Helios (Hausos, Ushas and molten-rock Tithonus) the sparkling Blue Oceans of Dawn and the rocky Brown-Green landscape masses of the Ariadnan Homeworld greets the "Rough Rocinante". . . But strangely enough it does not reach a "Suborbital Vector" towards the ONLY officially working Spaceport of Dawn, Matr, core capital of the Kazak Nation, but rather a slightly skewed direction approach. . . Immediatly the Satellite Network of the "Burning Star" are alerted; even if EXTREMELY primitive by Human Sphere standards these Unmanned Drone Satellites are an enormous quantity over ALL the Orbit of Dawn; lacking the sophisticated Rail-Gun Batteries and Smart Missile Pods of the more advanced nations, these "Kill-Sats" have instead multiple racks of less sophisticated Mass-Driver Guns firing 100% Pure Teseum flechette ammunition, capable of shredding even the toughest Warhip Reinforced Hull. . . . . . . . A Patrol of three "Orbital Interceptors" (an Hybrid between a venerable Mykhoyan-Surevich Stratobomber and a N.A.S.A. Space Shuttle) is deployed to hail the interlopers. . . But soon, on the Pilot Displays are exchanged codified protocols that are doubly verified by the Stavka General Intelligentsya Office in Matr and the Nomad Orbital Tender is escorted towards a precise point of Dawn Orbit. . . There another foreign vessel is docked in Stationary Orbit; an Haqqislamite Cargo Ship, full of Modular Container Bays, ALSO this "Civilian Commercial Vessel" sports an unusual number of "Anti-Pirate Countermeasures". . . It is soon clear to the Orbital Pilots of the Ariadnan Orbital Patrol that those two vessels are plotting a Docking Course and that they will be exchanging "Virtual Handshake Protocols" in the Arachne Subnet of Dawn that are far more complex that their Radio-Messages with Matr Comm System. . . . . . . . Meanwhile EXACTLY on the Perpendicular Spot on the Surface of Dawn that lies DIRECTLY under that section of space. . . . .
. . . . .lies a small, unassuming Coastal Trait of the inner body of water of the "Mirror Sea". . . Equidistant from the coasts of Tartary, Rodina and inland Caledonia, and JUST on the cross-reach of the Merovingian Air Lanes ther is "New Knossos Island". . . Once a prosperous Teseum Mine and Smelting Refinery based on an extinct volcanic island, was hastily abandoned after the Vein started to run dry, and just some Descendants of the Miners squatted on the brutalistic industrial structures or clinged to the only greenest spot on the Island, a hilltop quaint village colonized by Merovingian Merchants and nicknamed "Mount Saint Michel D'Ariadne". . . . . . . . But now, recently the Island is a frenzied hub of activity, with foreign and local personnel speedily building infrastructure and erecting Paramilitary Fortified Emplacements; Haqqislamite Biotech Domes are implanted in various strategical places of the Island while Nomads Structural Savvy is emplyed to reinforce the crumbling Volcanic Mine Shafts into sound and safe honeycombs tunnells that create a veritable maze of Underground Facilities INSIDE the extinct Volcanic Caldera. . . . . . . . A Banner proudly flags around various pennaces of the Island, a Banner of a freshly created Mercenary Company with the Regalia of the legendary Minotaur, the Bull-Man Monster that in Ancient Classical Myths of Old Earth battled the Hero Theseus !!
"No, I can NOT cut my autograph into your boob with my sword!" "No I won't say my catchphrase again, haven't you gotten tired of that after all these years?" "No sorry, no comment on the accusations against "Gecko Hand Bostria", he's a grownup and he can take care of himself.." "No I'm sorry but I have to leave now, we are about to land and I need to get ready!" *Swoosh Chunk* With that sound the doors to the loading Hangar Bay of the "Rough Rocinante" finally sealed behind Miyu, bluring out the rampant noise from the other side. Luckily only authorized personal as well as cargo owners were allowed in here, so the flock of Paparazi and Fans that had somehow followed behind her had to stay outside. Leaning against a nearby cargo container Miyu released a hugh sigh of relieve and frustration, slowly sinking in on herself as she did so, her head sluring downwards with her long hair covering her face entirely. "I never thought I would be saying this so quickly, but I already miss my time in the Yu Jing Army...at least they kept those guys at bay when there wasn't some sort of official event going on..." "It's a small price to pay for independance wouldn't you say?" Came the responce of Commander Koi in a "wise man" voice as he suddenly came swimming in from next to the Cargo Container, slowly crossing Miyu's field of view if she had any below her hair. Now obviously others couldn't see Commander Koi, as he is Miyu's personal Geist and unlike many other users, Miyu's Patina was kept 100% private for everyone other than her closest friends. But for those who could have seen him, Commander Koi had the shape of a white, black and orange coloured Koi fish of slighly above realistic proportions, wearing a traditional samurai armour styled "fish armour" including a Kabuto with a snarling demon face on it on his head (but not covering his face). He also always holds a traditional japanese pipe in his mouth, which usually puffs stylised ink drawing like smoke clouds into Miyu's Patina whenever Commander Koi feels like it. Miyu herself was wearing her TAG pilot suite, consisting of a tight full body skin suit which went up to her shoulders (but not covering them), covered in a stylish Hex Patern in black and dark red. The suite had skin revealing openings wherever the connector ports to the Guija TAG were, as well as reinforced tabi styled foot pieces to protect her feet. Other than that she had forearm protectors as well as her weapons on her side. With an outfit like that she almost looked like your everyday Guija TAG Pilot, if it weren't for the long glowing purple hair and glowing blue eyes...as well as the obvious glowing green horns on her forehead... Miyu was actually expecting some sort of "trial by fire" thing to happen today, as she had heard that most mercenary groups were a "rough bunch", and apparently those Minotaurs that she had ended up in contract with had a reputation for being "the roughest among the rough", but she expected that sort of trial to involce her TAG as well, since it was her main selling point, so she had decided for her TAG outfit instead of her armoured outfit. Releasing another sigh Miyu slowly rose her head again and parted the hair before her eyes with her hand in a subconcious motion which she had been doing all throughout her life. "Yeeeeah....I know, you're right of course, but still...I mean can you believe it? Cut my name into their boob? What kind of cra..." the soothing voice of Commander Koi cut her short as he came in for another lap around her field of vision "Oh come on Miyu...you're not a teenager anymore, you know there's all kinds out there, and most of them are weird and twisted in their own ways." "Hai hai...I know...anyways...let's get this thing started shall we? Wouldn't want to run late on my first day on the job right?" "Indeed, no use lingering on the bad things, today is the beginning of a new life for you! Enjoy it to the fullest!" At the mention of a new life Miyu started to smile like a little girl, excitement visible in her eyes as she pushed herself off the cargo container into a fully upright position. Energetically slapping her own backside to get rid of potential dirt from the container, she turned towards the Cargo hall, for the first time really taking in what it looked like and whomever else would be in it. Somewhere in there her beloved TAG "Onigokko" should be ready for landing and swift deployment, and she fully intended to find it and get ready for the landing procedure as close to it as possible. With this in mind she turned to the first person walking across the cargo hall she could find and approached with a friendly "Shitsureishimasu...you wouldn't know where I can find my TAG in here? It's...eeeh....Cargo Number 0000512082...if I read it right."
OI! Get up lazybones. Tony stirred, 'I'm up, I'm up'. Damn, it felt like he'd only gotten off shift minutes ago. Betty stood in front of his eyes, made up and ready for the world; she'd spawned a steaming mug of coffee and was sipping it... The smell was unbelievably good. 'Bitch' he thought, opening his eyes and smiling. She smiled back 'I've cued up some 'satz in the galley, it'll be ready when you are'. He slipped out of his narrow rack, careful not to disturb the other crew-members sleeping in the cabin. A faint light illuminated the compartment, which coupled with his ARO overlay was more than enough to get around. Finishing up his morning routine Tony headed into the galley. Nodding to a small group of crew who were awake out-of-cycle to prep for the landing, he grabbed his cup of ersatz-coffee and joined them. God it was nowhere as good as the real thing... Tony would have sworn at that point he could hear faint feminine chuckling. Exchanging pleasantries for a few moments (surprising no-one, nobody likes off-cycle starts), Tony got down to business: 'We all ready to go with Mateo's gig?' 'Yep, been added onto that Japanese primadona's consignment.' 'That'll work.' Tony received a ping of the for the 28 different crates. Betty interrupted him, privately speaking to him: '1hr to entry, you need to take your pills'. Standing, Tony spoke, 'It's been a pleasure. But I've got to get ready to get planetside. Fly safe.' He leaves the galley and heads out to the main Cargo Bay. From his pocket he grabs a bottle of pills and quickly shallows two: they're not pleasant. Well fuck, not much longer enjoying the void for a while. Betty ignores him. Heading across the middle of it he hears an accented voice from behind "Shitsureishimasu...you wouldn't know where I can find my TAG in here? It's...eeeh....Cargo Number 0000512082...if I read it right." "Yeah, I was just about to do final checks to make certain it's secure for entry. I'm Tony." He sticks out his scarred hand for a handshake, "You can follow me if you want, but there won't be much opportunity to do a full diagnostic. Best you'll be able to do is check the electronics." Tony's tone is perfunctory: he doesn't have any interest in dealing with a groundpounder while prepping for atmospheric entry, and he's not impressed by Miyu's celebrity. Tony walks over to where Miyu's TAG and the other Minotaur TAGs and assorted stores are located for offloading at Knossos. Running what must be the third (or fourth, between the crew and the ships automated systems) check that everything was there and it was all secure, while keeping an eye on Miyu to make certain she didn't do something that would inadvertently kill them all if there was a mishap during re-entry. The habits of a lifetime taking over. OOC: if I need to roll anything let me know, but otherwise I'm just going to assume that the job I'm doing for Mateo just rolls along on rails
[O.O.C. assume that everything is going smoothly and without problems of sort. . . For the moment this is just for defining flavour and encourage bonding between squadmates. . . ]
Dreanna sat among the Cargo Containers, busily attaching a light flamethrower canister on the back of her Zondcat. "Oh for the love of God! You're gonna get us in trouble again!" said Echo the Possum Geist, easily visible swirling above Dreanna's head and easily heard by anyone with AR access. "The Maintenance guy said they had a rat problem and asked for my help." replied Dreanna while G:Sync-ing with the Zondcat and testing the flamer pilot in its hands. Echo stopped in mid swirl looking annoyed. "You do realize he was teasing you because you look like a cat." "Oh, was he?" replied Dreanna putting on her goggles and extending her hands like a Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain; while the Zondcat Bot copied her every move and activated its pilots, producing a small flame at each palm. "I thought he was dead serious." she finished giving Echo a shark-like smile, oblivious to the approaching figures.
Used to the countless different ways of greeting each other due to her many journeys through the stars until now, Miyu quickly extended her own hand for a strong handshake with Tony. The difference in size and “roughness” of the hands felt very obvious to Miyu, yet she knew that her own hands weren’t exactly all ladylike either, the traditional callused skin areas of a martial artist, results of countless hours of training, giving her own hand just as odd of a feeling to others as Tony’s scar tissue did to her. She immediately took a bit of a liking to the rough looking man in front of her, he seemed like the hard working no nonsense kind of guy she always wished she could have been more in contact with throughout her time until now, but alas, some things just weren’t meant to happen. “My name’s Miyu, nice to meet you Tony.” As Tony started wandering off she followed right behind, her arms crossed behind her back as she stared around the hangar in excitement. It wasn’t like she had never seen a hangar like that during landing procedures, in fact she had seen countless during her journey, but this time it just felt…special…because it was special to her, because it was her own adventure this time, not a mission from her military corps, not a tournament organized by her parents, not some Maya Interview gig, but her own little adventure, and she breathed it all in in hopes of remembering it until the day she’d die….or something like that….as she giggled a little to herself as those “grand” thoughts crossed her mind. “Oh sure, don’t worry about it, I’ve already checked my TAG countless times before this while it was stowed away in the back, I just want to make sure it’s ready for quick deployment now and find myself an area to hunker down during the landing procedure itself so I can get in, and out of here as quickly as possible once we hit the ground. You know, early bird catches the worm and whatnot…” As Miyu followed behind Tony she suddenly noticed a wooshing noise right next to her from above. Suppressing her combat senses to jump straight into action, she instead slowly rose her head to take a look, confident that nobody would try to ambush her here just now. As she saw a woman with a Zondcat on the cargo container right above her, flames leaking out of the bots hands, she almost wanted to slap herself for NOT getting combat ready at the sound. This could have ended bad indeed! What the hell was that woman doing up there anyways? Since Tony didn’t seem to mind the woman Miyu assumed it wasn’t too uncommon of a thing to happen here, and thus she simply continued to tag along with Tony, at least until she was a few meters away from the woman. “You wouldn’t happen to know what she’s doing up there now would you? It’s not every day that I see someone playing around with flamethrowers in a cargo hold….” As Tony continued on with his work, Miyu walked towards her TAG and ensured everything was in order one final time, not much else to do to kill the time anyways she reckoned, and one never knew what sorts of rascals were taking care of the cargo in these kinds of run down Nomad haulers. Luckily everything seemed to be in order, and thus Miyu was left with little else to do but wait. (OOC: Damn, I had hoped to get a colour code going with everyone using a different one to make it easier to distinguish :-P Guess you guys all like red and orange as well. )
Uja'rak Se'ok: "Alright, Is everyone ready?" Arabelle Archer: "As ready as I'll ever be." Uttered the Aussie/French Loup-Garou. Growing up Bella had a tough childhood and early adult life. When her Catholic Metro mother Alexia married her Protestant PanO Fusilier father Jack their union was ostracized by the more radical members of Ariadna society. One of these was Alexia's parents who felt their daughter betrayed her own people by literally sleeping with the enemy. Yet throughout all of this Bella's parents never divorced, never separated and never gave up. It would have been so easy especially when her younger siblings Adrian & Amanda were born. But Bella watched as her parents sacrificed their lives for each other & their children. This example had a profound effect on the girl as she grew and she vowed to herself to make sure her parents would be taken care of. However, this mindset would cause Bella to develop harried mentality. Feeling that she needed to carry her parents just as they carried her. So when she was old enough Bella joined the Metros until an antipode attack left scars on her upper body and chest. From that day on Bella had a hatred for the beasts and immediately after her wounds healed she joined the training program for the Loup-Garou. It didn't take long for her peers to admire and fear her. Especially after she placed a couple of trainees in the medical ward due to their remarks about her parents. This trait of violence followed later on into Bella's career. She became known for her no tolerance towards any Dog Nation protester, Dogface and/or Wulver that didn't cooperate. When you live in Poictesme, which lies near the Caledonia border, a Loup-Garou must always be prepared to be called. Her actions won the praise of the town and the family stigma finally melted away. People would lavish her parents with praise on what a wonderful child they raised and how they were exemplars among parents. Still this didn't calm Jack & Alexia's worry over Bella. She never dated, never stopped working, never seemed to enjoy herself outside of her immense love of manga, anime & cosplay. Everytime they would bring up the subject of settling down or to stop overworking she brushed off their concerns and continued on with her life. Her parents could only watch as their daughter grew older and more entrenched in her ways. Viewing the other three Ariadna nations as backwards or full of themselves and becoming more of a Merovingian patriot in the process. It was then that both Alexia & Jack feared that they had lost their daughter to her notion that she had to repay them for the suffering they endured. Arryn Khan: "Yes daddy." The Indian teen sensually spoke. Hailing from Neoterra, Arryn was born to a Christian Indian family by the name of D'Cruz. After his father died Arryn's widowed mother eventually married a Turkish Haqqite widower named Khan who moved to PanO with his sons, Achmed & Amir. As the years pasted both families grew closer and Arryn enjoyed having a good relationship with both of his older stepbrothers. Achmed became an Aquila Guard and Amir went on to become a Neoterran Bolt. The brothers' bond held strong despite Achmed's frequent trips around the Human Sphere. Though getting in touch with Amir was easier due to him being stationed nearby on NeoTerra. However, that bond was broken when Amir disappeared without a trace. The PanO authorities kept running into dead ends and even Achmed's own private search was comign up fruitless. One day Arryn decided to visit where Amir was stationed hoping beyond hope that he would find a clue there. Along the way there Arryn was kidnapped which caused further sorrow to his family. This made Achmed even more determined to find out what happened to both of his brothers. Arryn was taken to a lab as part of a pool of test subjects for Project: Elagabalus. The process & personality tampering that he underwent turned him into one of the new "items" in a Catamite catalogue for an underground business ring. Over time Arryn became one of the more popular toyboys that the ring had to offer. Adorning many of their catalogue covers over the next few years and a favorite of men and women alike. Being enticing is as natural as breathing to him. From his movements to his speech he is the embodiment of what is the Elagabalus experience. Even though Arryn still loves his old family he doesn't wish for them to find him. This isn't because they would despise him for what he has become but that they would welcome him back with open arms like nothing happened at all. Arryn feels that his previous life & personality is dead. Corrupted & destroyed over the years of being a sexual toy or companion for others. There is no way he can go back. Their boy is dead and they should just move on. After all that is what he did. He is already up to his neck in muck so why not just drown in it? Fully embracing the new sexual creature they molded him to be. Ye-Jun: "I'm good." Stated the Asian teen in a "matter of fact" tone. Jun is the yin to Arryn's yang. On the outset he seems dull, passive or cold but this is not the case. He is of a quiet personality that serves to add to his appeal. Ever since the boys met while escorting the same client they've kept as close to each other as possible. Despite that Arryn doesn't know much about Ye-Jun and that's because Jun himself can't remember his life outside of the ring. The fact that Jun's reconditioning process erased or blocked both his memories & former personality made the two boys suspicious of the true reasoning behind it. His bond with Arryn is so strong that when Uja'rak helped liberate them Arryn insisted that he take them both because the Indian boy wanted them to remain together. This strong devotion is what convinced Uja to adopt them which lead up to the recent events on Dawn and their eventual residence on Knossos Island. [O.O.C. This is just a short background post since I haven't posted one yet. I'll still expound on Uja's past & current actions later on. For now consider this part one with more to come. Also I had finished the whole introduction before and the forum suddenly erased it. Cause me having rewrite the whole thing all over again. Quite the frustrating, soul-crushing event seeing your hard work wiped clean when it wasn't your fault. Still here are the background for most important characters currently in Uja's life. More to come for both the Mr. & the Mrs.] @stevenart74 Would we talk about each others characters & other story lore questions in the O.O.C. thread when we are not roleplaying?
[@Golem2God . . . You are right about it. . . When a Player want to Roleplay even "Past Flashbacks" or "Pre-Written Interactions with N.P.C." THIS is the right Thread for this. . . Long "Indirect" exposition of Lore / Fluff will be BETTER instead in the O.O.C. Thread; to not clutter too much Play + Roleplay "Green Colour" Texts like this very one SHOULD be kept at bare minimum. . . Also PERHAPS is best to have JUST the Dice Roller Results posted I.C. as even the best ones (Orokos is one of the ones that I find more reliable) tend to create a "Wall-Block" of text and Results that could be unsightly. . . In ANY case pleas EVERYONE continue on this track, the Roleplay Exchanges are very good. . .!!]
Powerful Scotsman was patiently waiting for doctor to run the tests and all the check ups, his mechanical arm constantly extended, while the scarred flesh next to the mechanical prosthesis remained flexed. Still Alistair, despite hour that passed on needles, tests and overall boredom, kept smiling, evidently in good humor. As soon as final beep signalized that check ups were done soldier was itching to get up. So doctor, is everything okay? Or is another procedure needed? Dog Face looked at the monitors trying to piece the information on them, but admittedly, despite his intelligence and basic medical knowledge, he had to rely on specialist from Bourak. Still, finally the integration seemed complete. Not only he could use his left arm, he actually could feel it. His whole arm, moving and flexing as he stretched his hand. He felt alive. Truth be told he would barely notice the words spoken by the doctor as he kept toying and playing with the arm. Scot asked after a few moments. So am I good to go? No more simply training recruits and putting down rowdy bikers? He barely could wait, of course he was in fighting shape for a while now, but until today the arm always felt slightly clunky, especially with sensory data being connected to his neural system only now. Admittedly, lord McElliot was terribly under dressed, currently wearing only a kilt as he was after all, visiting medical facilities, his uniform resting next to him, neatly folded and ready to be put on any moment. He just needed that final confirmation.
Professor Fatymah Amzarhoud, an aristocratic, beautiful, noble and graceful Haqqislamite Woman of 41 Years (Legal Age; Geno-Anagathics Therapies for the Elites of Bourak make Her appear BARELY 30's !!) smiled fondly and warmly when She observed Sir Alistair Mc Elliott practicing with the new prosthethic Cyber-Arm. . . Her main assistant, Doctor Hannah Trofymov (a Kazak Wulver Babe of 33 Years) arched in a surpised manner one of Her quite bushy eyebrows; the foremost Ariadnan Expert on Wulver Genetics, Antipode “Cuckoo Retrovirus” and the Almost-Physics-Defying “Werewolf Morphings” of the Dogfaces / Dogwarriors of Planet Dawn had ALMOST NEVER seen the dour, poised “Royal Blooded” of the Arid Desert Mountains of Haqqislam being so uncharacteristically happy, at least in a so overt manner. . . Even if the Cyborg Arm was one of the MASTERWORKS of the Bourakite Scientist, that was uncharacteristic behaviour; even counting the sleepless hours employed perfecting that Hyperadvanced Prototype, the well-tanned, olive-skinned was usually more reserved in Her collected and perfectly poised demeanour, rebuking politely ANY attempt to over-familiarize (so that Dr. Hannah was TOTALLY unsure if that “Mediterranean Beauty” was Straight, Lesbian or as the Wulver Doctor, “Swinged Both Ways”. . .!!) and Her yet attractive features were made even more gorgeous by that wonderful smile. . . Even more surprising for the Ariadnan “Mutant Native” was the eager, almost excited tone with wich the Gene-Engineer from Bourak addressed the Caledonian Highlander in the Lab Wing; gone were the polite and courteous, but quite aloof and detached, clipped phrases usually heard of. . . “Sir Mc Elliott-Effendi ? Could You maybe wear back Your Field Uniform and proceed towards the Test Cages, please ?? I think it is due time to field-test, in very controlled and safe environments, the more. . . . .Radically Unusual. . .”Properties” of Your Cybernetic Arm. . .!!” The lightly dark-skinned Haqqislamite proceeded towards the Ariadnan Warrior, showing complicated Infodump Diagrams and Coterminous Data-Feed on a complex Hologram generated by Her wrist-mounted Comlog Unit, but JUST a very expert Bionic Scientist would have made “Head-Or-Tails” of the confusing Cascade of Algorythms that surrounded a 3D Replica of the Cyborg Prosthesis, enlarging or retracting as the depth of looking changed. . . “As You can easily see there the Synaptic Response Time and the Neuralware Interaction are even BETTER of the most optimistic previsions; is as if Your partially-inhuman Genomes are reacting in a manner never before seen with the High Grade Teseum Alloys of the Cybernetic Grafts. . . . .Must be surely this unforeseen characteristic, as the Test Arms of Orbital Steel and Synthetic Tissues had NOT a similar excellent % of Integration. . .” “I don't know if another different Patient than a Noble Scion of a Caledonian Mormaer Family could have obtained a so costly Advanced Prototype with so MUCH Gradient of Pure Teseum Alloys, but in Your case all those “Highlander Pounds” were well spent. . . . .We are now making. . .No we are PIONEERING many inroads in previously unconsidered interactions between Neomaterials Cybernetics and the Human-Antipode Hybrid Genome. . .!!” “Must send a Ping Notice to my esteemed colleague from Bakunin, Doctor Pauline Moureau. . .!!” The Wulver Doctor Hannah internally cringed by hearing the name of the Nomads genius child prodigy, of 19 Years; that offspring of two Radical Praxis Scientists (that went SO FAR to modify “In Vitro” their own child to be the “Perfect Black Labs Genengineer”) was charismatic and a true cornucopia of innovative “Troubleshooting Problem-Solving” ideas, but also totally coldly amoral and ALMOST sociopathic in Her single-minded fixation in the Dogma of “SCIENCE !! AT ALL COSTS !!!” Reasoning that the Bourakite Woman was NOT privvy of their troubled shared past and misguided collaboration, then the Wulver Scientist decided to not press the issue and let Professor Fatymah bask in the glory of that most merited success; She would have been anyway nearby, just checking on the Intravenous Drip-Feeds of Painkillers and Calmants that kept docile and tranquil the poor “Cybermane” (the Antipode Elder that was one of the most scarred experiments of the Praxis duped and too enthusiastic “Monster Maker” in that loathsome past life !!). . . Heedless of the “Inner Turmoil” that plagued Her assistant then Fatymah Amzarhoud awaited for the Highlander Soldier to dress back in the Dogface-Specific Fatigues and head towards the reinforced Plexi-Steel Glasses of the Test Cages, all the while continuing Her “Promotion Spiel” with an infectious, uncharacteristic enthusiasm. . . “You see, Sir Mc Elliott-Effendi, that the Myocortex Artificial Connectors there plunge DIRECTLY and without any sizable scarring of tissues INSIDE the Marrow of Your still-extant Shoulderbones; also, and this is very wonderful, that Micro-Tomography there evinces that the Neuralware Actuator Chips have flawlessly integrated in the Organic Receptors. . . . .I was YET aware that Your “Dogwarrior Regenerative Factor” is surprising even for the standard of Your other Ariadnan Brethrens but this is WHOLE MAGNITUDES of difference. . .!!” “Is as ALMOST Your whole Body is adjusting. . . . .craving for sensing the Teseum Implants as equal to remaining Organic Tissues. . . . .and We have employed the BAREST MINIMUM of Silk-Based Biograft Connectors !!” “Ah Here we are; now the more important Characteristic of this Radically Innovative Bionic will be checked. . . . .!!” With a last encouraging smile and an eager, but friendly push (that the Caledonian felt was a little too. . .“Affective”. . . . .toward the shiny, artificial shoulder) then Alistair entered the Test Cages. . . Immediatly there was a faint buzzing sound and a reverberating Synthethized Voice boomed from Roof Loudspeakers and, in the contemporary, the Vocal Boxes of a handful of “Android Combat Dolls” housed in recessed alcoves in the spotless, sterile metal walls: “Greetings. . . .Sir Alistair Mc Elliot. . . . .First Scion in Line of Succession of the Mc Elliott Clan. . . . . Junior Lieutenant of the Minotaurs Mercenary Brigade (Rapid Assault Subsection). . . . .I'm called H.I.V.E.M.I.N.D. and (as You probaly are yet aware) I'm the Artificial Intelligence Matrix (deployed by My Makers in the Tunguska Mothership) to assist IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE with the Private Military Concern. . .!!” “I'm now downloading a Fraction Shard of My Consciousness on the Limited Processors of these Artificial Replica Humandroids to assure. . . .TOTAL SAFETY. . . . .of the Organics involved in the Tests. . . . .I will downgrade the efficacy of their Tazer-Stunbatons to a mere 32%. . . .enough to tickle Your Pain-Receptors and TRIGGER a Threat-Response of Your. . . . .[ERROR: DISAMBIGUATION TERMS RESEARCH. . .]. . . . .so-called “Wolf Side”. . . . .without unnecessary Loss of Blood. . .or other High Stress Stimuli. . .!!” “When You are read. . . . .to proceed with the Combat Test. . . . .Please walk on. . . . .Towards the Red Ring on the Cage Floor. . . . .and the Combat Dolls will activate. . .!!” Just some basic “Shadow Boxing” exercises to warm-up the muscles (with the weird, but pleasant, “Feeling” that even the Myomer-Fibers Artificial Muscles of the Cyberarm were “Limbering Up” !!) and Alistair was ready. . . The movements of the cheap (if still reliable) “Human Edge Unsanctioned Copies” of the Karakuri Combat Gynoids were stiff and clumsy, and easily telegraphed enough at first; but when attacking in droves of 5 Vs. 1 even their “Naive Attack Patterns” were not so easy to avoid. . . . .when striking the Teseum Plated Cyberarm the pain was minimal (even if sensed at a low % to ease the realism of the physical answer) but on other parts of the body were quite annoying, even if not very painfuls. . . But that was the gist of the exercise in the Combat Test Cages, to tease, provoke and entice the “Dogwarrior-Out-The-Dogface” and so that happened. . . The usual “Fiery Red Haze” overcame the sight of Alistair and the “Flood Of Adrenaline” in the blood hastened the transformation, but with an uncanny weird sensation of EVEN the Cybernetic Replacement Arm starting to “Morph” too. . . The Bands of 100% Pure Teseum that were the Main Protection on the Cyborg Prosthethic Limb opened-up, changed to "Shieldplates Configuration" and released free the Memory-Metals of Aluminium-Teseum Alloy fibermuscle bundles; all the while the Titanium-Teseum Alloy Bone-Frames unstopped their safety clamps and proceeded towards the pre-programmed “Secondary Structure” with the whole Arm reconfigurating to flawlessly mimic and match the still-organic other limb. . . At the same moment the Dogface Field Uniform (designed after a Hundred of Years of Trials-&-Errors of Ariadnan Military Tailors) opened as usual with Velcro Straps peeling away the parts of the dress that fit not anymore a Lupine Humanoid Anathomy and with Spandex Tissue stretching where needed, along with quick-release Belt Holdings opening up at the pre-fixed pressure application. . . The transformation ended with the Articial Arm extending in a Dogwarrior Claw size and the Curved Platings of the Human-Sized Gauntlet extending and releasing razor-sharp Teseum Talons with an ominous sounding “Snikt!”. . . If the Combat Doll Humandroids would have been Organic Soldiers surely they would have cold sweating at that moment, especially when a triumphant Dogwarrior, now “Whole-&-Complete” after so many time of feeling “Somehow Halved” snarled a triumphant smile full of Canine Fangs. . .!! But they were uncaring Robotic Drones, controlled by an unfeeling I.A. and so trudged onwards, towards their Doom !!
