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Post by Hiroko Agueda on Oct 11, 2022 23:08:24 GMT
Hurtling towards the surface of the planet, Hiroko dimly noted that her section were engaged in various chaotic acts of conversation and relaxation despite the thunderous rattling and roar of engines being redlined around them. While Hirokos frame was reinforced and her brain specifically layered with programming to make it easy for her to cope with even a re-entry as forceful as this, she had to give a certain amount of respect and re-evaluation to the capabilities of her teammates for enduring this combat- no, crash- landing with such poise. Then again, Magic can do wonders for keeping you safe, comfortable and focused, despite Newton's Laws war with the shuttle's inertial dampeners vibrating through every cell of their bodies.
Briefly tapping into internal communications, she was momentarily alarmed to find that the Shuttle's controls had in fact been hijacked- but, thankfully, by one of her section-mates, and not enemy activity.
Already deep into earth's gravity well and within her atmosphere, Lixue nonetheless managed to execute near-flawless flight control remotely, while also engaging in a fairly intensive conversation on the cultural relevance of Belkan neo-feudalism with her section-mates, Hechingen and Winter.
This was beyond impressive, it was actually quite alarming, and Hiroko began to suspect that, like her, her section was full of techmagi whose skill or raw talent was far above the usual bell curve. A popular theory that had been circulating was that, at least amongst the crew Hiroko had become familiar with, there was a highly disproportionate number of oddballs, aces, fresh talents and other borderline magic-users. "Motley" was an understatement. The fact that a young girl could multi-task to this extent, while in free-fall, while her colleagues seemed, to various degrees, more interested in each other, was a testament to the kind of power she was dealing with.
The corner of Hiroko's lips twitched. She tightened her grip on her arm-rests.
"Volunteer Lixue, please release your control of the flight mechanisms of this vessel and allow its pilot to resume our flight-plan. Your interference while consummately handled was nonetheless uninvited and...probably- unnecessary." She commanded. It was clear that she was going to have to start keeping a much tighter leash on her section-mates, but wether they understood, had experienced before, or had any intention of conforming to military discpline and command structure was another matter.
Much chastened and shocked by having had control of her shuttle taken away from her mid-flight, Hiroko gently extricated herself from her seat-webbing and began to negiotiate the delicate process of resuming their flight, albeit at much more conventional speeds.
"Our destination is supposed to be a stretch of uninhabited shoreline close to our final destination and target city, Kamihama City. However, since we are already off course by a considerable margin, I suggest we simply effect any kind of safe and discreet landing, and make our way onwards on foot." Looking through the still glowing view-ports, she believed she could make out the dim outlines of well-lit urban metropoli below, nestled between the sea and the mountains. As a cyborg, Hiroko would much prefer a mountain landing to a sea one, but anywhere would be acceptable at this point.
Descending much more slowly and comfortably, Agueda refocused herself, calmed her adrenaline-spiked system, and attempted to catch up on the ongoing conversations.
"Volunteer Hechingen, Volunteer Winter. You seem to have prior experience with one another. A neo-feudal master-vassal relationship? I wasn't aware such was still commonly practiced, even amongst the Belkan high lords."
Her memory-banks furnished her with several occasions where she had attended or crashed a number of such aristocratic parties on her past clandestine missions.
"Volunteer Lixue, your skills are undoubtedly impressive, as is your tech-deck, Volunteer Velgear. I kindly ask that you keep all magical and technological enthusiasm to yourselves in conversation only, unless permission to do otherwise is granted."
Serious and monotoned as always, Hiroko knew she lacked charisma or even much of an intimidation factor when it came to commanding reluctant operatives. A solo agent more often than not, she nonetheless had some rudimentary field leadership programming. It was clear though, that the limits of her programming were going to be sorely tested, and a more...human skillset was going to be needed.
Several minutes of awkward conversation followed.
Slowly, the Jet, its outer hull no longer glowing red, made a more stealthy and comfortable aerial descent to their new, impromptu landing zone. As the last rays of sunset winked out, they found themselves about to set foot onto a strange new world in the midst of darkness.
"No illuminary magic will be necessary. We have rudimentary electrical light projectors called "flashlights" in our back-packs. Also flares, but please don't ignite those."
@techmage
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Post by Lorie Zetros on Oct 14, 2022 16:14:41 GMT
It was amusing, sharing a shuttle with characters like these. It was almost like reading one of the old epics with their colourful casts. Of course the epics were something special and unsurpassed even by many instances of the modern day. But while this particular ensemble paled in comparison to Sanktkaiser Folkvar's 17 Einherjar and their expeditions during the Warring Ages, this clique had its own value. Lorie had been saddled with them as part of her section. They were commoners for the most part, excepting Sigi, and though her parents tried their best to teach her about valuing the "bedrock of the Reich", it was hard to do so. After all, since her earliest days, they had been pampering her, submitting to her every whim. While her great ancestor, Archon Anniken von Hechingen had written extensively about the value of the Grundgesteinvolk, it all seemed like theory to someone whose only meaningful reactions with them for most of her life was seeing them in servitude. What possessed the old Archon to place so much stock in the common man? Even wandering among them for three years, it was difficult to comprehend. And so for all intents and purposes, while she continued to respond with practised, surfical deference to those commoners in authority, it was but an act she had been training with since her early childhood. Barring Sigi, and any others with brilliant azure blood, they were entertainment to observe. And perhaps mingle with for additional amusing stimulation. The eager beaver Bureau agent who possessed a bountiful energy on par with a little star. Apparently a fire for battle. Like the boisterous portly Einherjar Bjorg the Blessed, compressed into a tiny package. A knowledge of Earth as well. Well that would certainly come in handy. No, nobody told Lorie there was an Unadministered World also called Earth. And she wouldn't have thought anything of it even if someone did. After all, if it was anything like this place, it was a filthy backwater that didn't even discovered Magilink Theory yet. "Your knowledge of our objective's culture will be of good use to the mission, Athena Velgear. Perhaps we will take you up on this challenge once we have accomplished the mission and established a surface base."If nothing else, their enthusiasm for battle was mildly contagious. But a noble must remain stoic. It was around that time that the pilot became even more intense, to the point that the latecomer intervened and did... something with her device. Mere physical contact creating a luminescent show that made it apparent that the pilot was no longer in charge. An interface with machinery then. That would explain how her question sounded like she had missed not a second of the sham of a briefing they had. And then, their eyes met. Words spewed forth from her mouth. Polite, but clearly with combative intent, masked in the language of the orator. Sharp like a rapier. The golden cowlick twitched for a brief moment. An oddity given how the shuttle's chops went down significantly just moments before, and not to mention the inertial dampening spell that made the trip now mildly comfortable. A movement not in tune with the vessel's shaking. An independent action. It was a tell her parents had always used to see through her words when she was much younger, more easily rattled. Whenever caught flabbergasted and irate, it would wiggle wildly while she threw her tantrums. As she grew older and more experienced, it would twitch less, until she became completely comfortable with hiding her feelings. Nevertheless, she would have to build up taller walls to maintain her image. Encase that cowlick until it was immobile. "Cao Lixue," It sounded like one of those names, from the older Administered Worlds with their highly diverse cultures and populations. Some of which understandably valued family so much that surname came before given name. Admirable, but in a cosmopolitan environment, likely more influenced by the Midchildan Hegemony's individualism. Lorie maintained her stoic demeanour, having recovered as quickly as she could. "Is it not common practise on your homeworld to declare protection over those in your care? We understand that this is a military operation and that we are all in concert as a single unit. We have no intention of undermining that pact signed with the Bureau and will work within all of our power to ensure the mission's success. However, we believe that on a 'free planet', as we have often heard mentioned by those who Administer, value is placed on the freedom to express one's self and culture. Is this not correct?"Of course if the Bureau actually respected that aspect of their claims for volunteers of this expedition, then they would not have been left with questions hanging, would they? It certainly was common to declare protective intent over vassals back in the old days. But then the Cradle fell and the Belkan people fragmented, the great majority abandoning the very name "Belkan", many even changing their own names to match the natives of whatever planet they settled on. Few worlds retained a dedication to the old ways, mainly under the most persistent of Houses. But even among those who retained the name, the smaller Houses, especially, they saw fit to settle with small estates on worlds that were not predominantly Belkan. How embarrassing it was, for example, that the once proud line of the Donnerkaiser Dahlgrun, a rival for the Cradle's Throne to Imperial House Sägebrecht, was left to a mere estate in the Midchildan countryside. A disgrace that they continued to hold fast and proud to their heritage when they couldn't even maintain control over their fiefworld. "Worry not, Sigi. There will be no conflict here. Neither are you of any fault. We know better than to go against the binding chains of command. Perhaps some time will be necessary, as you say, to become more acquainted with our fellows. For the time being, we must focus on the mission." No more duels? Did Lorie accidentally vassalise a coward? No, that wasn't right. She would not have volunteered for such a dangerous expedition were she weak willed. She certainly did not hesitate to poise herself against the troops who barged in on their ceremony. Ah, that was probably it. She was putting up a humble front to deescalate the clearly mounting tension. Yes, it seemed she was more clever than her suzerain gave her credit for. It would be a disaster for the mission if they botched this landing. Sigi was only thinking ahead. Yes, inside, Lorie was smirking. What a truly fortuitous choice for her first vassal! It was around this time that the Section Leader took control of the situation, and gave orders to the rest in the shuttle by name. And though Lorie was called out for other reasons, she made sure to put on her best face. "We apologise for any misunderstandings that may have arisen from this prior exchange, Section Leader. Know that our full loyalty is to the mission and its completion." As for the inquiry, it was a simple matter, really. "The practice of vassalage is no longer a common one, even among those of us whose Houses keep their names and estate. We can count on one hand those who still do. As we understand it, the Admiral's fiefworld, with its substantial Planetary Defence Force, has a number of post-Imperial lesser titles and allotted landed estates. These serve in command positions within Neckar's defences. Similar things can be said of our fiefworld Vindler, if not on such a significant scale."In short the only Houses that still practised vassalage were those that could still afford to create new positions of peerage through the traditional key elements: land to administer, and command of a levy. Those who had given up their fiefworlds, a majority of the remaining Great Houses, had surrendered all but their name and estates. The handful that still stood teetered on a dangerous edge, between showing their contractual fealty to the Bureau's Administration, and asserting their own sovereignty without tripping off alarms in the Administration's heads that screamed that they sought to restore Belka. Not that they did. But they were simply so deep set in their old ways that even in the face of the great majority of Belkans throwing away their name and heritage, these few doubled down instead. Where the many cast off the name "Belka", these Houses that continued to stand, be it on their own fiefworlds, or on comfortable little estates on Administered Worlds, or even in the service of the Church, all stood against the tide, and held fast to that name. That was who they were. The shuttle landed some in one of the few dark spots of the city's lights. A park somewhere north of the port area, with the city centre's iconic radio tower well in sight, the lights just coming on as the sun chose respite. A short distance away at a large building, a loudspeaker could be heard, announcing something about the opening of the night booths for some event called "Kamicon '22". The Section Leader took the initiative and gave further instructions to the group debarking the shuttle, even as the latter activated its stealth field. As the craft quickly disappeared behind a mask of background grass, trees, and bushes, if one paid attention to the cockpit, one would see the pilot reclining into her chair, tipping a ten gallon hat to cover her sunglasses. A literal space cowboy, it seemed. Lorie reached into her backpack to find this item, this "flashlight". She had seen these before. Purchased on Unadministered Worlds by magically ignorant masses who had to rely on these and their chemically stored energy. The Administered Worlds had an equivalent for the masses without Linker Cores. But they were powered by microfusion cells and came with a digital connection to their owners' personal AI. In short on Midchilda, you could talk to your flashlight. The young Archon flicked it on under her chin, and the light outlined her stoic features. "Yes, this appears adequate. Which way is our target, Section Leader?"[1698/3941/4] Sigi Winter Cao Lixue Athena Velgear Hiroko Agueda
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Post by Athena Velgear on Oct 16, 2022 6:34:28 GMT
Lixue, Athena's new seatmate, wasted no time in managing, of all things, to hack into the shuttle controls itself and slow down its descent, probably for the best as nobody wanted to end up as a splattered wreckage upon reaching the planetary surface. Even more surprising, she even started arguing with the blonde Archon over the minutiae of Belkan vassal culture, a topic the Elite knew of only in passing. While Athena did have to interact fairly often with Knights and other people of Belkan heritage, these interactions were fairly straightforward in nature such as having to team up for various purposes. And, since Lixue was piloting the ship, Athena thought it unwise to further distract her, thus she refrained from disturbing her seatmate.
Sigi, on the other hand, seemed to be quite embarrassed when the topic of wrecking the gym in a spar was brought up, and, combined with the argument her friend was having with the impromptu shuttle pilot, decided to forswear duels for the time being.
"Sigi, we can definitely duel as friends, you know, and I'll wait until you're ready," Athena reassured. "Besides, it doesn't necessarily have to be a training spar, we can have other kinds of games too! I'm not called the Queen of Games for nothing!"
She flashed a cute wink and a thumbs-up at Sigi, hoping it would help.
Lorie, er, Lady Hechingen, seemed to have taken up the challenge, though, and set the event to after they'd managed to set up their base. Perfectly acceptable.
"You're on, Lady Hechingen! I'll be looking forward to that!"
Finally, they approached their landing zone, an area called Kamihama City where the anomalous magic seemed to be most concentrated. It was almost night, and if they were going to make this stealthy now was the perfect time. And--
And they landed in a park. Smack in the middle of the city. Despite their camouflage, there was no way someone wouldn't bump into the shuttle by mistake. The reason soon became apparent, as a nearby building was hosting an event called "Kamicon 2022", which they were obviously meant to blend into. Resisting the urge to summon a motorcycle for children's card games, Athena instead grabbed her flashlight and the deck that had been prepared for her from the duffle bag before zipping it up again and hefting it over her shoulder.
So it was called Blitz Duel here, as opposed to Road Duel on her Earth. For some unknown reason that perhaps only Al-Hazard knew, the card design formats from both worlds looked exactly the same. Only the card names and the appearances of the creatures depicted were slightly different. So for that reason, Athena was holding a copy of Sevens Blitz Archmage instead of Seventh Road Magius. Stepping down from the shuttle, the Duelist "cosplayer" addressed her teammates.
"I'll be keeping my Device fully equipped, as it was designed to look like an item from an Earth anime that also exists here. As for the rest of you, please make sure to keep your disguises functional and any slip-ups passable as mundane wardrobe malfunctions. If anyone approaches you with the intent to take pictures, try your hardest to remain polite whether you accept or decline, and don't be afraid to show off and act in character based on the character assigned to you. Without using magic, of course. We are authorized to use basic physical self-defense if harassed by con attendees, better yet call con security or scream like a normal girl. You may most certainly slap someone in the face for trying something creepy... just not too hard."
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Post by Cao Lixue on Oct 16, 2022 21:51:38 GMT
Unable to hold back, Lixue flashed a sly smile at the Princess’ obvious tell. Unlike the unashamed joy of a dog, Lorelei’s plumage wagged back and forth at anger instead of joy. Such a reaction almost caused Lixue to lose control of the shuttle, taking all of her remaining concentration to not laugh at such a unique reaction. However, her enjoyment was quickly exchanged for a small amount of respect towards the rest of the Princess’ response. Unlike the majority of children living off the wealth or achievements of their family. Lorelei’s words were meaningful if a bit contradictory at times as the Peacock’s hivemind response to both Sigi and herself violently clashed with the ideals of freedom and individuality.
Though Lixue’s rebuttal would be interrupted by the heart sleeved Sigi who took the blame onto herself, clearly misunderstanding the clash between her Lady and Lixue. Turning her focus to the pawn, Lixue studied Sigi who was much more open than her Lady in both senses. Thinking through all of her past actions made it difficult to discern whether or not the Soft Hearted Knight’s act was genuine or a cover for her Queen. Whatever the truth was, all Lixue knew was that Sigi’s words made her feel like one half of a disgruntled family with Sigi playing the role of child to a tee.
“Your ‘Lady’ is right, you have nothing to be sorry for. I apologize that I upset you. That was not my intent. Nevertheless, it seems as though we came to an understanding amidst all of the chaos so please remove any negative connotations from your mind”.
Sheathing her silver tongue, Lixue returned her focus to the ship for the nanoseconds allotted before her attention would be diverted to Section Leader this time instead of the Belkan hivemind. From how robotic and militaristic Hiroko looked and acted, Lixue had to replay Hiroko’s words in her mind. Even with the confirmation of Hiroko’s words, Lixue was still in disbelief at the soft approach, though soft might not be the best way to word it. More than anything fear was probably the reason for Hiroko’s approach as a gentle person would not appear so tense while praising and politely requesting something from another.
“If that is what you think is best”. Speechless by both Hiroko’s words and the knowledge that what she did was incorrect from a militaristic standpoint even if she disagreed. Centering herself Lixue released control of the ship, but not before leaving a warning on the monitor for the Space Cowgirl showing her the future if she goes full throttle again. Removing her hand from the hull of the ship once the luminescent lines that once coiled around the ship faded along with the code that endlessly scrolled down Lixue’s eyes as the Section Leader spoke of their heading. However, Lixue was only able to acquire bits and parts of what was said while her mind was focusing on jacking out of the shuttle’s system only getting the tail end of what was said.
Shortly after the shuttle rumbled and vibrated signaling their entry into the atmosphere. Though it seemed as if her warning had some effect on the pilot as their entry was far smoother than the full throttle lift off. Being so unsure of their destination or even where they were planning to land would have normally bothered Lixue to no end but with her brain a mess from her past actions and knowing that she would doubtfully gain an actual answer the cybernetic specialist decided to simply focus on herself instead of things out of her control.
Feeling a slowed descent alongside the whirring of the shuttle’s landing system, Lixue peered out of one of the window’s hoping to get some form of an idea of where they even were. Expecting farmland or an empty stretch of land, not a park directly in the middle of the city! “What”!? Her shock unconsciously belted out of her as landing in the middle of the city was a surefire way to completely give away their arrival. Even if the cloaking systems all it would take is for someone to bump into the ship or focus harder on the ship as it was an optical illusion, not invisibility! Turning back to the rest of her group who seemed oblivious to something as serious as landing in a heavy population center!
Not having any time to admire the simple genius of the illumination device known as a flashlight, Lixue immediately spoke out about their current situation, cutting off Athena’s strange and concerning ‘Con’ knowledge, but not before returning her own device to it's compact fingerguard state. “I think the shuttle is the biggest concern as the cloak only obscures its appearance, not sound, heat, or electronic signature!” Looking back to Athena with an apologetic expression. "Also Athena is right I don't think walking around with weapons drawn or even our gear is the best idea. We are in civilization for the most part we are safe and I doubt criminals would be so bold as to approach us as long as we are together".
[864/3230/4]
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Post by Sigi Winter on Oct 19, 2022 1:32:12 GMT
Sigi still had no idea what was going on between Lorie and Lixue, but apparently they had gotten over whatever was bothering them before. She sighed in relief and let herself relax just enough not to get thrown around in her chair. Lixue was a bit scary, but Athena seemed nice enough. Sigi had never heard of the game she was talking about, but if it didn't involve bashing each others' faces in then she'd give it a shot.
She didn't have much to say for the rest of the ride, but Lixue and Lorie continued to banter back and forth. Maybe they'd get along fine after all. There seemed to be a good rivalry growing between them, and Sigi had seen friendships grow out of arguments plenty of times. She smiled softly to herself, proud of Lorie for making a little more progress at breaking out of her regal shell. She knew how hard it could be interacting with others when your family expects you to act like a proper lady, especially when it came to the archaic practices of some of the great houses.
After a surprisingly smooth landing, Sigi was the last to shuffle off the ship. Lorie had already drawn her flashlight, but Lixue and Athena seemed to want everyone to disarm before they continued. Sigi hadn't paid much attention to the plan, but had thought they were supposed to keep their devices active. It was relieving that the area was safe enough that they could walk around unarmed, but she didn't want to get in trouble. She'd just wait for the section leader to tell them what to do. Sigi dug out her own flashlight and flicked it on. The park was probably a pretty place in the middle of the day, but even with the flashlight it was hard to make out any details in the darkness. In the distance, however, a building was lit up like a beacon. She imagined that was where they were going next, as it was the only building around that looked like it had any activity.
Was that where they were going to be living? It seemed a little too conspicuous. Maybe they were just supposed to find a local guide there. Sigi was really beginning to regret not reading the mission brief. Missions sure were a lot more difficult when you had to do more than just drop in and kill everything that moves. She didn't see any hostiles around, but that didn't mean there weren't any hiding. Subconsciously, she flexed her hands. If anyone did try to take them by surprise, she knew the Section Leader would be fine, and probably Lorie too, but she had no idea about the other two. They definitely weren't knights, and their field spells didn't look particularly suited for defense. "We still don't know if there are any hostiles in the area. We should probably stay armed until command tells us otherwise."
Wait did Athena say something about characters? Was she supposed to have a persona for this mission? Panic sent a shiver up her spine. Maybe it wasn't too late to sneak a peak at the mission brief on her device while she waited for orders...
[537/1771/4]
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Post by Hiroko Agueda on Oct 24, 2022 23:45:39 GMT
The situation had gone from mildly off mission to wildly off mission. Hiroko's algorithms were buzzing as she was mentally forced to shift gears. Clad in full Barrier Jacket armour, she was able to conceal her Device but was keenly aware that their space cowboy of a pilot had just dropped them in a Grade-A, no doubts about it Charlie Foxtrot.
Attempting to take command of the situation, she was rapidly being strained by the eccentricity and lack of discipline of her team-mates, and also by the unusualness of the situation. She had years and years of combat experience to draw upon, and knew just about every kind of hot drop there was. She could pull her team out of an insectoid hive, a full-blown ambush, even on one occasion a full-blown planetquake, but somehow, a Sci-fi convention was unknown territory for her.
"Stick close. Remember your stock Japanese phrases. Try not to say or do anything that would seem socially abnormal." Her eyes darted around, overloading with visual information. She physically reached out to grab at least one of the section members before they wandered off too far.
Turning, she noticed the space cowboy had already engaged the stealth mode, and was rapidly going through pre-flight checks. The asshole was going to leave them in this lurch!
A headache was beginning to develop for the stressed out cyborg.
"Volunteer Winter. Please take point and find a path through this crowd and to somewhere quieter. Volunteer Hechingen, your outfit seems to be drawing the most...favourable reactions from the locals. As total stealth is impossible, I propose a Peacocking Alternative. Please continue to pretend to be a...animation character and draw the terrestrial's attention while we move off."
Turning her attention, she rapidly spat out commands as she tried to keep pace and keep them all together at the same time. Her original plan and back-up plan for deployment were shot to hell, and now she was very much "making things up as they went along."
"Volunteer Voulger, you seem experienced with these types of parasocial events. Please support Volunteer Hechingen in dealing with locals. Volunteer Lixue, your technological capabilities will come in handy. Can you access the terrestrial wireless radio wave networks and accquire a map or information about this convention and its exits?"
Hiroko was pleased with her quick-thinking, even if it was taxing her mental overlay to its limit. She absent-mindedly massaged one of her temples to try to calm her headache.
Agueda noticed that they had been talking and blinked, realising her responses were somewhat slow and behind the curve.
"Keep weapons concealed for now, but don't be afraid to draw if something more...suspicious than usual appears." What that would be she couldn't imagine.
"Try to exercise trigger discipline. Do not cast or fire unless casted or fired upon." It was a restrictive RoE, but a necessary one. Not that she didn't trust her section-mates judgement, but...
Looking around, she tried to guide them away from the larger crowds, entering an area that her internal translators identified as "the Dealers Room". This area seemed to have less foot traffic right now, so was an ideal place to take stock and rest.
Amidst the dimly lit shadows of the room, there were table after table of strange figurines of metal, pewter and plastic composition. Confusingly, ceremonial weaponry, bed linens and furnishings, wall scrolls and physical media of various kinds were also scattered around the place. This was truly a bizarre Bazaar, she thought, and felt a dim, faint memory of humour at the wordplay.
"Please, try not to touch anything." She said futilely.
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Post by Lorie Zetros on Oct 27, 2022 10:13:00 GMT
Why did it have to be a park right next to a public gathering? Lorie grumbled internally to herself as the group made do with their circumstances and attempted to navigate the crowd of media-obsessed natives. Nevertheless, as the indigenous folk closed in around her and the section leader issued a quick flurry of orders, she steeled herself and answered in the affirmative. ”That’s a very impressive Fencer costume!” one similarly dressed girl said, giving the plating on her skirt a light tap. ”It really feels like you could take a hit with this.” She cocked her head to the side, and furrowed her brows, thinking some more. ”Why silver and not gold, though?”Uthyria Pendragon. A modern adaptation of an ancient native legend dating back fifteen centuries. Uther was known mostly as a ruthless king who conquered to get what he wanted. He went on to sire a world famous king named Arthur, who relegated him to a rarely-attested footnote. This country’s wordsmiths and artists, on the other hand, had ripped the mostly forgotten King Uther from the pages of myth and successfully ingrained him into the modern consciousness. How? By turning him into a woman, changing his story to make her more sympathetic, and making this character, “Uthyria”, one of the main heroines of an extremely popular franchise. Said franchise revolved around the summoned spirits of historical, mythical, and legendary heroes and villains from around the world fighting each other to the death in a war to claim the grand prize of a single wish from yet another legendary artefact known as the Saint’s Chalice. It was not Lorie’s fault that her armour resembled this Uthyria of the famed Destiny series. Nor was it her fault that silver was chosen so as to not detract from the golden sheen of her Device. ”Sarmatia fumbled with the paint delivery. You know how these big companies get sometimes,” she answered with her best attempt at sounding casual. ”We- I... made do with what I got.”This was mostly a guess, of course. A guess pinned on her belief that if big online retail companies along the Dimensional Sea could frak up a delivery, then there was no way a mere one-world company could be anywhere near 100% efficient. Of course, naming it after a nation ruled by women also meant that it was doing women a disservice by tarnishing their image. Still the girl chuckled in response and nodded in agreement. ”I’ll give you that. Sarmatia does mess up once in a while.” Even as Lorie struggled to stick to the team, she was accosted by a tall cosplayer adorned with blinding golden armour, his hair gelled up. ”Your costume might need work, but damn if you’re not a dead ringer for an IRL Uthyria!” He shouted, putting an arm over her shoulder, while holding up a phone with his free hand. ”Say ‘mongrel’!”What was the difference between these primitive phones and modern phones? Lorie wondered as she forced a smile and prepared for the shot. ”Smile, you mongrel!” It was a simple and straightforward insult that he seemed to be asking for. Given how he reacted when the camera flashed, he was either too stupid to realise she was talking to him rather than the phone, or his ego was big enough that it didn’t matter. ”Oh that’s feisty! I love it!” He said, examining the resulting picture with his arm still over her shoulder. It was taking her every ounce of royal training she’d received to keep herself from breaking his arm, flipping him over, and slicing his other arm off. She did not want to be the one who compromised the mission by making a big ruckus. The cosplayer slapped a postit on the back of her plate before backing away, explaining what it was as he disappeared into the crowd. ”That’s my Chaos username. Let’s chat later!” She couldn’t even reach it, given where he’d positioned the note. Later on, someone could probably find out about this GilgaChad#2177 if they could help her get that damn yellow slip off her back. Still, the disinherited princess would continue to hold back the tide of con-goers even as she slowly backed off in the direction the team was headed. The Section Leader and the Velgear girl’s advice was actually sort of paying off. ”You do know that Excalibur belongs to Arthur, right?” said one nasal-sounding voice from below her eye level. She looked down to see a short round fellow with a bowl cut and thick square glasses. He was dressed up in what looked like a poor man’s attempt at an Isekai hero. Black coat, shirt, boots, black everything. Even one of the two swords strapped to his back was black. The other was a kind of aquamarine crystalline in appearance. ”Idunno, it looks more like a hybrid between Excalibur and Caledfwlch,” Said a tall lanky cosplayer dressed up in a white tunic and green cloak, his face dangerously close to Lorie’s finely displayed blade. He sniffed twice. ”Definitely good quality too. Recently oiled.”He stood up and backed out of her personal space. ”I’m guessing you chose this to emphasise Uthyria’s deep regrets for having been a very poor father, resulting in Arthur and Morgana always being at each other’s throats.””No see if she wanted to do that, she would have used Caledfwlch Draig. Yknow, the form it took after Arthur pulled it out of the stone and cleansed it of the Green Knight’s curse?” The short dark hero announced. Lorie kept her face blank. She didn’t read this much into the story. It didn’t help that there were a lot of artistic licenses taken with the actual legends. What was she supposed to say anyway? ”Oh, I bet you’re really fun at parties. Not everyone has to have a perfectly canon-like cosplay. Hell the silver armour looks pretty good on her!””Yeah, and I bet you’re the kinda guy who thinks ‘Ultria’ is a legitimate Romanisation of her kana.””’Ultria’ sounds just fine, but I do subscribe to Uthyri-””I knew it!”Grundgesteinfolk... Bedrock people, the lot of them. Getting into heated arguments over what is acceptable to a modern bastardisation of classical legend. Uther was a ruthless conqueror who sired extremely flawed progeny, who in turn could not even keep their inherited kingdom together for a generation. His greatest failure was the establishment of a dynasty, a monumental exercise in itself. The only possible result for such a story was an endless slew of parental and familial issues. A grand family tragedy, punctuating the downfall of the ideal kingdom. ”Gentlemen, regardless of whichever sword we- I… forged for this occasion, and however you may interpret it, surely you could both agree on its craftsmanship?”Both froze in the middle of their verbal spat, turned to look at her at the same time, and revealed gaping mouths. Was it something she said? ”You sound JUST like her!””That is the BEST impression I’ve ever heard!”Then they bowed at her feet. Almost groveling. Could it be? Maybe associating herself with this character might not have been absolutely horrible. Perhaps down this road, she might expand her influence… And if anyone asked, she could always thank the Section Leader for astutely instructing her to use a peacock method. If nothing else, she could use them as collaborators… ”Do you stream on Glitch?””Or WeTube?””Or Neconeco!””We- I have not, no…””With that kind of impression and profile, you could really hit something off,” said the girl from earlier. The short of it was, even as she made her way to the team, addressing various admirers who passed her way, Lorie slowly built up an understanding of this streaming culture. By the time she finally parted ways with these individuals, they had given her their various contact details and tips… And she would formulate a plan to develop an online following. Purely for mission purposes, of course. [1359/5300/5] Cao Lixue Hiroko Agueda Sigi Winter Athena Velgear
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Post by Sigi Winter on Oct 27, 2022 23:00:17 GMT
Sigi was thankful to get the easy job of working through the crowd. She hadn't looked at what her character was supposed to be, and doubted she could pull it off as well as Lorie anyway. As her lady drew off a large number of the crowd, she began to pick her way through the rest. She was careful not to bump into anyone-- she had heard humans were incredibly fragile and could be killed with a single punch in some cases. Thankfully, her device had set up a waypoint to their rendezvous point, so all she had to do was go straight toward it.
Just as she was making some headway toward the objective, a heavyset man dragging a pair of giant totes that were filled to bursting with tiny plastic women blocked her path. "Woah! Awesome costume. It's so detailed. I don't recognize it, though. What series is it from?"
Sigi looked around in panic, hoping for a lifeline to rescue her. Unfortunately, there was no one to help. Everyone else was busy with their own tasks. She would just have to wing it. The man was starting to look pretty confused, so she blurted out the first thing she could think of.
"SIGI WINTER, OF HOUSE WINTER, KNIGHT OF THE CHURCH OF THE SAINKTKAISER, REPORTING!" She snapped into the Knights' salute on instinct, cursing her excellent muscle memory. She had just ruined the mission by blowing their cover, and it would probably cause an intergalactic incident. Would she be thrown in prison? Executed?
"I've never heard of House Winter before. Awesome! Is that an OC? Do you have a web novel? Let me take a picture!"
Sigi wasn't sure what an OC was, but she was super glad it existed. She'd thank the Sainktkaiser later though. She posed for a picture with the man, scrolling through generic responses as fast as she could.
"Um... That's right! You'll have to... look it up online?"
"Thanks! I'll definitely check it out."
The man passed her by, and joined the crowd swarming Lorie. Sigi sighed in relief and continued to map out a path. Whatever this gathering was, it at least wasn't dangerous. She was pretty sure they could all just walk to the rendezvous point without incident as long as no one managed to accidentally kill anyone along the way. She pinned a few waypoints in her device, then sent them to the rest of the group. "This route looks safe. I'm not picking up any hostiles either, and the locals don't seem to be suspicious of us. Just watch your step. Some of the people here seem pretty frail."
[443/2214/5]
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Post by Athena Velgear on Nov 1, 2022 9:40:56 GMT
…So it was time to cosplay for real, then.
While Lorie was off dealing with the admirers of her Uthyria Pendragon cosplay, a similarly large crowd had gathered around Athena, ogling what appeared to them as an extremely well-made Duel Disk.
"Yo, that's the best Duel Disk I've ever seen! Where did you get it from?"
"Heh!" Athena declared. "This isn't your run-of-the-mill standard issue KyberCorp model! I made it myself, of course!"
"Woah, nice!"
"You're really confident, too! Your voice really captures Hikari Yuki's personality so well!"
"Why thanks, but of course! I'm the Queen of Games after all! Now prepare to be banished to the Shadow Realm!"
Athena pulled out five cards from her deck, and with a quick swiping motion placed them in order on her Duel Disk. The Device started emitting the sounds of a charging energy beam, and her voice dropped an octave as she posed and yelled. "Whoever breaks the seal shall know unlimited power! Now, I summon Exodus the Restricted One! OBLITERATE!!"
The crowd clapped and cheered.
"Now, since your life points have been reduced to zero in this Punishment Game, your penalty will be to give my friends and I a map of the venue," Athena said in the cutest tone she could muster. "We're kinda lost, you see..."
"She can do regular Yuki too?!" A rather plump guy with thick, round glasses said in surprise. "Why of course, my Pharaoh.. There's one on that wall over there."
"Thank you!" Athena replied, and went over to look at the wall map before returning to Lorie and the others.
"I would have to agree with Sigi here," she said to the team. "The map I saw of the floor plan matches the route she picked out for us."
And so they arrived at the Dealer's Room following Sigi's route. The place was filled to overflowing with anime merch, and while Athena did her best not to touch anything, she did look very closely at everything and took pictures.
"What do we do now? I also found an exit route, but is there still something we have to finish here? Not that I mind staying a bit longer..."
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Post by Cao Lixue on Nov 2, 2022 15:47:40 GMT
Unsure what exactly Hiroko expected from her as she had to keep her device concealed. Even if she could release her device the mere transformation would alert the human population as no such technology existed.
Looking around to find a terminal or something she could use as an access point, though nothing within the sales floor looked to have such capabilities minus the monetary transaction devices in use. While she could glean some information from such a device she lacked the data card on top of the security that was no doubt standard among a monetary transaction. More cons built up as she thought deeper on her idea until she completely waived such an idea as it was; unless they were in dire straits.
Thankfully the Princess’ performance seemed to have drawn away most of the attention from Hiroko and herself, giving her more time to try and figure out something that could be used while also not drawing attention. Searching the bag once again trying to not think about how out of place it made them seem, she came across what appeared to be a communication device of sorts. Though as she played around with it more, the communication device she found that it was a low end, but nevertheless a functional computer. Quickly connecting it to a public network, Lixue gathered all of the relevant data, however cutting off the connection and wiping her data footprint would require more than her phone or cause her to possibly be spotted by a human.
Moving intimately close to Hiroko nearly a hair away, “Are you okay Agatsuma”? While Lixue’s tone and words flowed with care; her glowing eyes casted downward showed the true intentions of the young Techmage’s actions. Soon rings and beeps echoed from the other girl’s bags as the map of both the con and the city along with messages that while seemed like simple friendly banter held the generic message with extra notes towards the Squad leader. “Drop the volunteer and true names”.
“Ps for Squad Leader Agueda, using my name singles the others out”.
Quickly her eyes returned to their normal hue as she looked up at Hiroko. Though just as she prepared to quickly continue her show of concern Sigi crushed her hopes of following through with not giving away who they are! Stupefied by the knight’s brazen confidence toward revealing the truth, Lixue was both shocked and amazed that nothing came of it as the humans simply took it as Sigi’s character. Forgetting herself for a while longer, Sigi’s message snapped Lixue out of her shock responding to the forthright knight. “Hostiles? This is a civilian gathering in a major metropolis. The only thing that currently threatens us is your newly acquired “fan” discovering that your webcomic and character does not exist”.
Growing more annoyed with her squadmates by the second, Lixue took a moment to gather herself before returning her focus back to Hiroko and her original plan. “This must be overwhelming for you. “Sigi” and Ina seemed to have won and or cleared the way to our freedom, I am sure it’s less populated over there”. Placing her hand around Hiroko’s, Lixue gently guided her forward to continue the ruse. However, both of them seemed to be the next targets of the media junkies.
“Neat outfits, who are you two supposed to be? Wait! Do you happen to be Yu Yazhu!? The new fighter for Street Bashers 14”!?
“YA she looks exactly like her down how did you make a costume so fast are you perhaps one of the models for the panel”?
“She has to be that with her looks and costume it’s too high quality no way such a thing was made just after the reveal”!
Showing great restraint towards the greasy masses that blocked her path as she held her smile. “I am sorry, could you let us pass, my friend is not feeling so well…”
“Come on just one picture it will only take a second”.
“Are you with the other girls? They can take your friend and you can show us your high kick”!
Thoroughly done with the humans that were in her path, Lixue's smile faded as she prepared to show them more than just a revealing high kick.
[725/3955/5]
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Post by Hiroko Agueda on Nov 4, 2022 0:14:30 GMT
The chaos of the convention was overwhelming and infectious. The press of people, the vibrant costumes, the ease with which her team seemed to be separated and distracted by seemingly trivial and culturally contagious encounters...it was a nightmare by any standard of how a discrete insertion op was supposed to go.
Worse, she could sense that despite her efforts to exert some prior control over Volunteer Lixue, the squad-member was still finding ways and time to manipulate technology and information like they were her own playthings, something that was becoming an increasingly obvious threat not only to operational security, but perhaps to her own existential autonomy as well. She had been hardcoded with layer after layer of the TSA's best data protection technology and protocols, of course, but that didn't mean it was impossible to hack her central system, only potentially more difficult. At least, for anyone with a normal level of techmage ability.
Lixue sent her some kind of mental engram, a wise move in this crowd, though it only underscored Agueda's growing concerns about her in particular.
"Acknowledged. Team, let's try to stick together." It was useless, they had all already split off in their own directions, though at least none seemed to have been drawn into anything they could not get out of...yet.
The lack of any visible security response to their presence was reassuring, at least. Clearly the Peacocking Strategy had worked tremendously well, and they were blending in effectively with the locals.
Fortunately they were able to acquire a map of their surroundings fairly quickly, and despite the chaos and madness she had to admit that her section-mates were managing to handle themselves relatively well.
She motioned to them as best she could, indicating with hand gestures to meet up at the exit on the other side of the dealer's room. Hopefully they could all understand and would comply. It would be tricky now to retrieve and corral all of them to their intended destination with the surging crowds now flowing all around them.
Then, just as a way out of this nightmare beckoned, the glowing red "EXIT" sign well within visible range, the worst happened.
Several local human males blocked the way forward, asking for pictures.
"Apologies, civilian. I do not possess any pictographic material on me." It was clumsy even by her usual standards, but she had no idea what preloaded conversational package to use in this context.
"High Kick?" She cocked her head, trying to figure out what exactly these humans, who seemed to be in a state of mild arousal, were requesting. Their hormonal signatures suggested they were trying to engage in some kind of para-sexual activity with herself and her section-mates.
She defaulted to her usual response.
"This is a High Kick."
With terrifying speed her leg lashed out at a perfect angle, connecting with the lead human male's chin, his head spinning round as he collapsed to the floor. His jaw was broken, but she had been sure to apply only a normal human-level of damage from such an attack. The human should be unconscious at worst, with no significant lasting damage beyond a punctured libido and some loose teeth.
Still, whoops.
"Team, follow me! Double-Quick!" she yelled, realising that further stealth would be useless. Abandoning the Peacocking strategy, she charged for the exit door, elbowing it open with ease.
"Not a word, Lixue. Please. Not a word." Hiroko grated, her cheeks flushed, expressing appropriate embarrassment.
Her reaction had not been particularly measured or suitable, but sometimes you just have to improvise, even if the situational modifier is your own faulty programming.
"Lori! Sigi! Athena! There should be some vacant local transport we can appropriate. A safehouse should not be far from this location, we'll make for it once we are clear of any pursuit."
She was most definitely not looking forward to the After Action Report for this one.
Entering the Car Park, there was a plethora of options.
"Hot-wire whichever one you can. Do any of you have any experience with driving a vehicle like this before?"
Hiroko rapidly deleted her memory storage of useless junk in order to crash-download instructions from this world's internet on how to drive. An instructional movie, called Driver, was scanned and converted into haptic feedback for her muscles.
This was only going to make her already erratic responses even more wild, she knew, but a necessary operational sacrifice.
"If necessary I can drive us there."
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Post by Lorie Zetros on Nov 5, 2022 7:31:41 GMT
It didn't take too much time to regroup with the rest of the team as they filed into the Dealers Room. Although given the patience required to build rapport with commoners might have been an issue, Lorie had quickly caught on to the fact that these commoners were providing useful information. Information that could be employed at a later date. While Hofud was the kind of Device optimised for battle, he was nonetheless capable of performing simple tasks like recording audio and filtering out noise. After all, if you were interrogating a fallen enemy in the middle of a chaotic battlefield, the voices of crowds were nothing compared to the explosions and impacts of mana artillery. Yes, this would all be available for her personal consumption once this was over. Assuming it was going to be over soon. A quick survey of the team revealed others were doing quite well with their own duties. Each one had clearly done her research in regard to the characters they were intended to portray. Sigi was doing an excellent job navigating the tides of rabble. Ah, she was proving herself useful even as a pathfinder. Who would have thought that Lorie would have lucked out with such a capable vassal? She would have to give her commendations later, once she had claimed her due from Sigi's compensation, at any rate. The enthusiastic duelist was very much in character. Why was she so enthusiastic about everything? Or did this just somehow intersect with her interests? The sharp medical officer was escorting the Section Leader along as well as an escort should. Although despite this they were suddenly flagged by another group of rabble. Lorie navigated the incessant crowd in their direction, still addressing fans and recording everything useful as she could. But everything fell apart when... she didn't quite understand what was going on just seeing things from a distance. But for some reason the Section Leader kicked a cosplayer up the chin and brought him down, causing a bit of an expected uproar. Phones flashed and people started to yell and circle. A strange mixture of excitement and outrage, as if some people actually thought this was part of the show? Still, among the chaos, Lorie picked up two very important things: first, the Section Leader distributed orders to just drop everything and run for the now visible exit. Second, someone who had more common sense was now calling for security. Well this was definitely the time to just get going. Lorie transmitted a command, and Hofud played a patriotic tune loud enough to sound like a ringtone. To which she pulled up one such primitive phone from inside her bag and brought it to ear. Nobody was there, of course, but she faked a quick conversation before putting it back in. "We must apologise. That was our chauffeur. We must get going now!"And just like that, she scrambled through the crowd to catch up with the rest of the team in the car park, in which lingered the smell of fossil fuels. So the Earthers had not even discovered Reactant yet. That truly was primitive. "We have only driven horses, wyverns, and swoop bikes, Section Leader. But while an automotive is not part of our repertoire, we can keep watch and continue to stall if necessary." The swoop was the only mechanical choice of those three. In earlier days, for jousting, and after her exile, for a quick getaway from tight spots in mercenary combat. And while she learned the essentials of maintaining one due to the loss of her retainers, there was absolutely no way that a fossil car could possibly have any system resembling a grav engine. Taking that initiative on her earlier suggestion, she trained her eyes on the exit they had just left, to see if anyone had followed them. Not yet, but it was surely only a matter of time before it opened up and security rushed out to pursue the group. [666/5966/6] Hiroko Agueda Cao Lixue Sigi Winter Athena Velgear
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Post by Sigi Winter on Nov 11, 2022 16:24:41 GMT
Sigi was slowly pushing her way through the crowd toward the objective, doing her best to clear a path for the others. They seemed to be doing much better than her, which was a huge relief. That was, until the Section Leader knocked one of the civilians out cold. The humans really were as fragile as she had heard, for he crumpled to the ground after a single kick, and Sigi could easily tell how much Hiroko was holding back, having fought her before. The Section Leader gave the order to run for it, and Sigi imagined security forces would be on their way soon. Human fighters would not pose any threat to their group, but she doubted Hex Hammer would be happy if they ended up blasting their way out.
Exasperated, Sigi picked up the pace, doing her best to be delicate with the humans as she shoved past them. She looked about for Lorie, worried that the more popular woman would have trouble getting out. She was relieved to find that her lady had made it safely to the parking garage. "Lady Hechingen! You're safe. I lost track of you there for a moment, and I was worried you might be having trouble." She turned to the Section Leader and saluted, "I don't have any piloting experience, ma'am, but I think I spotted a vehicle that will be suitable for our needs."
Sigi pointed down one of the aisles to a jet black behemoth of a vehicle that could barely be called a car. Her scan indicated that it could seat up to 8 comfortably, and its lifted frame and large wheels would make navigating any terrain more easy. Its sheer mass would prevent any other vehicles from running them off the road, and in a pinch they could probably ram their way through just about anything. It also had 20 cup holders and an onboard entertainment system, but Sigi doubted they would need that. "It should easily hold us all, even with our gear equipped, and I believe it has some combat capability. My scan says it's modeled after military vehicles."
[354/2568/6]
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Post by Cao Lixue on Nov 12, 2022 16:36:49 GMT
Since diplomacy seemed to lack results, force would be the next option. However, as Lixue was about to give the head of the group a minor intestinal issue her squad leader's words distracted her from giving the man a bathroom break he would not soon forget.
Mouthing out a confused what at Hiroko’s robotic response, Luxe had no idea if her leader was playing a character or simply really bad at social interactions. Though any plans or ideas to play off her stilted leader’s act quickly fell flat when her heel met the human’s jaw sending him to the ground.
Frozen from shock as she was unsure what to do now that any form of stealth had just been killed and buried. Firstly she looked over the thankfully unconscious human’s body showing no serious damage as at least their leader had the sense to not use all of her strength toward a civilian. Caught between the flashes, recording devices and her concern for the human her leader just injured all Lixue was able to do for the moment was use her hat to obscure her face from further pictures. Deciding that the best course of action was to leave her, Hiroko was already leagues ahead of the frazzled Lixue dragged her along as she called for the tactical retreat.
Crashing into the garage the shock of having her face plastered all over the interweb dull ever so slightly as her fool of a group just made any of her plans far more difficult. “Not a word? It’s a bit late to act like a dainty lady after that showing”. Removing her hand from Hiroko, Lixue quickly fired off multiple needles from her device into the nearby cameras as the rest of the group brainstormed over their method of escape.
Continuing to listen while looking over their options. She scoffed at Sigi's choice as she jumped into a simple economic compact cutting the group off with the rev of the small engine. Pulling up to the rest of the group and exiting the car, “The only choice is Hiroko unless Sigi can drive as only adults or late teenagers are able to acquire a driver’s license.. Are you trying”!? Cutting herself off as while she was annoyed with the group arguing was pointless with the mere moments they had before security and the congoers would catch up. Dispersing her barrier jacket and refracting the light with her ice magic to change the colour of her hair, Lixue walked away from the group looking like an everyday schoolgirl. “You have your vehicle, message me the location so we can meet back up as I don’t plan to expose us to the human population further”.
[459/4414/6]
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Post by Athena Velgear on Nov 19, 2022 3:38:44 GMT
"EHHH?!" Athena looked on, absolutely horrified, as the Section Leader kicked one of the con attendees into the air. "That's totally not what we practiced!"
Immediately after, Hiroko made a break for it, with the rest of the team following suit. Seeing no other choice, Athena ran after them, her small size and superior training allowing her to duck and weave through the crowd with ease. "I AM SO GONNA SEND YOU TO THE SHADOW REALM FOR THIS!"
The squad finally made their way to a parking lot just outside the venue, where they promptly set out to find a mode of transportation, or rather, escape. Sigi picked an impressive looking black vehicle that had, of all things, twenty cup holders. Athena wished that was some kind of a joke, as she wasn't feeling too pleased with her teammates right now. Before the other girls could enter the vehicle, she stepped in front of them, blocking their path.
"Hold it right there, everyone!" She glared daggers at the team, especially Hiroko and Sigi. "This may not be the planet I know, but I am not going to stand for not one, but two breaches of Earth protocol that'll definitely endanger our mission."
"Section Leader, I know what I said earlier, but you're not supposed to actually hit people unless they actually do something threatening. Don't tell me you took their requests literally. And you, Sigi. You wouldn't steal a car. I mean, theft is a serious crime on Earth just like back home, and we'll blow our cover if they can trace it back to us. Say what, we have advance bases here, we can call for backup and a ride."
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