NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Just like it says in the overly long title. Alright, introduce your character everybody.

IC: Empress Saya Mereshka sat in the office that she had gotten when she opted to join, at the vehement objections of her Shoguns, the speciely made squad. It was furnished with all the traditional Mereshkan furniture, and was probably the only thing in the entire headquarters with a computer, if a very old and crappy one. To her however, it had been a supplier of no end of entertainment. Looking at the time, she sighed. Looks like its time to wait for the troops. She grinned. She'd heard Ed and Crispy would be there, as well as Mick. She thought it was rather funny that she was the CO now. She got up from the desk and her bodygaurd, who was also the Shogun of the Wolf clan, rose from the floor, and followed her out to the helo-pad. Although, he had absolutely no idea how the big circle was going to get the troops there, but, she was Empress, and therefore infallible.

The Osprey roared through the evening sky. "She had to set it at evening, didn't she, just had to set it up near nightful." Edward chuckled. "Frank, I don't think she even knows how hard it is to fly during twilight, just focus on getting us there in one piece, ay?" Patrick laughed. "Yeah, you don't want to get her highness the empress all up in a tizzy after you killed the new shogun, huh?" Frank laughed. "I missed working with you boys, who's the new guy?" A man in a very long, white trenchcoat sat in the back. "Jefferson Irons, merchant extraordianre." Frank chuckled. "Right, LZ in sight, I'll set 'er down as roughly as possible."

OOC: I'll have to finish this post later. I'm off for thr night.

Justin pulled up in the late '90s Chevy he'd rented. "I hope I'm not an oddball for transit." he muttered to himself as he locked the doors. He looked up to see the Osprey landing on the roof of the building before walking around to the back. A quick look at the side of the building revealed a fire escape with a ladder low enough to jump and grab. Justin took a running start and grabbed the bottom rung. A few minutes later he's reached the top of the building and saw everyone there. "A fine night this is turning out to be." He walked toward the empress and kneeled before her. "It's great to meet you." he said in the most respectful tone he could muster.

Saya laughed. "Justin, right? No need to be so respectful, you aren't one of my subjects." She said with just the slightest hint of an accent. Her bodygaurd however had an extremely heavy accent. "Empress, we have discussed this. As long as they are in your divine presence, they are your subjects." He turned to Justin and bowed. "It is good to meet you, I have no katana." He said despite the sword at his belt.

Justin looked up. "You are an empress no? That's more than reason enough to be respectful toward you. Your bodyguard and his wonderful gesture of peace are another."

Saya laughed. "It is the way and he was raised. The term I carry no katana means that he wishes you know harm." The man grunted. "Ignorant savage." He said in Mereshkan.

"That's precisely why I used the word 'gesture.' I noticed his sword before I even made my approach. And I understand that." Justin's last sentence was said in rough Mereshkan. He had no clue what was said, but he wanted to toy with the bodyguard.

The man grinned, and began talking very fast in Mereshkan, most of it very unflattering.

Despite herself, Saya began to laugh. "Oh, now thats just rude, just plain mean."

With a grin on his face, Justin spoke. "You know, swear words are often the first to cross the language boundary, followed by foul language, pronouns, verbs, and finally actual speech. My speech may not be perfect, but I got most of that." He began muttering something about bodyguards that weren't very diplomatic in Sylvonian.

The bodygaurd unexpectadly laughed, and continued in english. "Oh, I'm going to like you. The name is Svekra Niashi, Shogun of the Wolf Clan. And, just so you know, I've studied languages from a young age."

Justin barked out a laugh. "My name is Justin VanSambeek. Most people just call me Boom-Boom though. I've studied language for many years myself, but Mereshkan is one that I didn't learn much about until a few years ago."

Svekra shrugged. "Saddly enough, many disregard our great nation, soley on the fact that we are not modern."

Saya nodded. "Yup, we prefer no technology. I doubt Svekra here has ever even held a modern weapon. Thats one of the reason we need outside help. But, guns don't seem to do much, doesn't cause enough bloodshed. Explosives should do well though."

Justin grinned at that comment. "Now that comment, your highness, seems quite tailored to me." he pulled out a small black sphere with a black wire sticking out of it. "Something like this? Remote detonation and everything. Quite the blast radius too. I've got some shaped charges in the car too. I didn't not learn the language out of not being modern, but unfortunately of simply not having a need."

The Osprey roared over the landing pad. "Hey, you boys have fun down there, I think I'm gonna saty here, never could stand being stared at." The Osprey rattled as it touched down, Jefferson was the first to stand up. "You know what?" He dashed up to the pilots seat and dragged Frank out of his chair. Frank let out an indignent squak as he was dragged towards the ramp. Edward simply laughed. "Frank, you haven't seen Mereshka in years, nor have you seen Saya, she's an empress now." Frank's expression melted from annoyance to a slight smile. "That I haven't, you can stop dragging me now." Jefferson let go of Frank and let him hit the floor, a two foot drop that rattled the Osprey and the teeth of everyone inside. "Frank, lose weight, Patrick and Jefferson, lets go. Remember the term of non-hostility is 'I carry no katana.' Got that?" They all noded, eager to escape the confines of the cramped Osprey. "Good, Frank, do the honors." The boarding ramp lowered as the four of them stepped into the evening twilight.


OOC: That means they're on the landing pad where everyone else is.

A Shenyangi MH-92D Saker transport helicopter flew in low over the trees, scaring a great number the locals. The aircraft touched down on a landing pad along with the UHC Osprey. The engines spooled down and the rotor slowed to a stop. From the ramp at the back of the aircraft a single figure appeared. She wore Multicam clothing with black body armor. She had an internal frame pack and several large bags. She was followed closely by a large 6-wheeled robot, which was covered in hard cases of varying sizes.

The woman had strikingly blue eyes and black hair of about shoulder length. She was pale, even for a Shenyangi. Her armor had no identifiers at all. She approached the group with the stereotypical confidence of a Shenyangi soldier.

Saya started laughing. "Oh, who to greet first. The UH'ers, or the always stiff Shenyangi sodier?" She ran over to Ed's group, much to the dissaproval of Svreka, who was already unnerved by the form of transport. So, it was left to him to greet the Shenyangi woman. He was in the middle of bowing, when he noticed the robot. Speaking in Mereshkan, he said, "Empress, this woman is a witch!! She is followed by a Demon!! We should feed her to the flames."

"Try it and you'll be dead before you hit the dirt."

Her hand was on one of her Five-seveN pistols. She looked to the woman that had been addressed as Empress.

"Empress Saya, I've heard quite a bit about you. Brigadier General Trance, Shenyangi 13th Special Operations Unit. You can call me Sirius. I'd appreciate it if you'd call off the witch burning, I get called that enough as it is."

Justin raised an eyebrow. "Ok, that time I missed a lot of your speech." he said to Svreka. "Like I said, i haven't studied it too much."

Svreka turned to Justin. "She is a witch!! She is followed by a demon. Do you not agree that she should be cleansed by fire?"

Saya sighed. "I should have expected something like this to happen. He means no disrespect to you. He has never seen a robot before, thats all. I'll admit that we Mereshkan's are very superstitous, but in his own way, he means the best for you. He just wants your soul purified. Don't worry, I'll talk to him."

Justin sighed. "She's right. It's just a robot. Technology made to help people. It can move, carry supplies, some even talk. But they're not demons, they're assistants."

He scowled." It is till untrustworthy. I will take your word, but I will keep my eye on it, and its keeper."

Saya was about to talk to Svekra. She started to smile. "Well, what do ya know? Boom Boom here has alreadyfixed the problem. Hes already proved his worth."

Justin smiled. "Well, it's better than trying to kill her. Do as you wish, but it will not harm us, it seems incapable of doing so. It will however provide us with many supplies I see." Boom Boom walked over and began to examine the robot more thoroughly.

Svekra sose whom shrugged. "So you say, but maybe it is different for those who...whats the word..." He said something in Mereshkan to Saya and she laughed. "The words mistrust, Svekra."

"No, it appears to have been built for the sole purpose of carrying supplies. There are places to store weapons, but there are no weapons on it that I can find that it could use." Justin stated. "Quite the advanced little thing though. I'm astounded at the technology."

Svekra's scowl just deepened. "Technology is to mistrusted, especielly the weapons. It makes killing impersonal. If you would sentence a man to death, you owe it to him to look in his face as you do the job."

"You mean that you mistrust technology. It's not a bad thing, but it takes some getting used to." Justin said.

Svekra seemed about to reply, but then thought of something. "I will concede that some can be good. The Empress has told me of radio, and...vehicles I believe? However, I stand by my statement about weapons."

"Oh the radio is a wonderful thing. And vehicles too. I completely agree about weapons though. My exception being explosives. They're an effective way to accomplish much. At any rate, if you're interested in vehicles, I have a decent one parked outside." Justin grinned, finally making some headway.

Svekra shook get his head. "Letting one part of technology into your life, even the good kind, allows for the corruption of the rest to sneak into your life. Give me the simple life of a Mereshkan any day."

"To each their own I guess." Justin shrugged.

"This is the MULE, Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment. It can't really do anything without me telling it to. It's following a transponder in my armor right now. The only way it could cause any harm is if I ran faster than it could keep up, which is unlikely, and I put someone between it and myself. Then it might run them over if it had some software malfunction."

She patted the 2.5 ton vehicle.

"Of course, this one's really only here because I can only carry so much gear on my own."

She gestured to the 3 foot tall vehicle's roof. The black weapons and equipment cases sat ominously atop the tan vehicle.

"Those boxes on the other hand, those will help me kill. A small platoon's worth of ammo and weapons. Knives, assault rifles, grenades, I've got a sniper rifle in there that can drop a human being at over a kilometer."

Svekra snorted. "You prove my point. You should have the honour to face your enemy."

"I'm a close combat specialist. I've been trained to put holes in people's heads anywhere from arm's length to a kilometer away. I'm a black belt in more martial arts than some people think exist. I can and have killed an opponent by pitching a combat knife into his chest from across a room, and if you care to doubt that I am an honorable fighter then that's fine by me. Honor in Shenyangi warfare tactics went extinct a long time ago. All it did was get good soldiers killed, so we learned to fight dirty. In that field I excel."

She gave a mildly nasty smile.

Svekra shook his head."Such is not the right thing to do. If I am to die for my people, I would have the Gods know that I did so honourably, facing my enemy out in the open, not skulking around their backs. Unless of course they outnumber you. Then it is fine to use whatever means neccesary, as they have abondened their own honour." He appraised her. "Despite your lack of honor, I do give you respect for facing what most fear. You are brave, for a woman."

Sirius's eye twitched quite noticably. Her fingers danced on the grip of her Five-seveN. She had 21 shots in the weapon. She could drop him in 1. Finally she relaxed, slightly. Sirius suffered from a mild form androphobia (the hatred of men), which didn't normally allow her to let such statements to pass unpunished.

"Watch what you say around me."

Her voice didn't leave any room for misinterpretation.

It was going to be a long mission.

Saya decided to step in before Svekra said something to get himself shot. She knew and respected that he was a very skilled swordsman, but he had absolutely no idea what to do against someone with a firearm. She stepped between the two, and turned to Svekra. "Are you saying that women are not brave? May I remind you that I am a women."

Svekra didn't even appear phased. "You are the Empress. You are not a normal woman." Saya just sighed. "I think we've talked about this before Svekra. I am just like any other human." Svekra smiled faintly, as if putting up with absolute nonsense. "Whatever you say, Empress."

Saya shook her head, and led Sirius away. "You'll get used to him. Hes more traditional than some of the Elders. So, whats with you and men? I noticed the way you were about to put a bullet through him when he talked about women."

Sirius suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.

"The short version is that I had some bad experiences around your age. Very, very bad."

She gave Saya a look to transmit the idea 'I'm sure you can figure it out'.

"The long version is that its a long story. So if you want to know, we'll have to discuss it in private."

Saya nodded sympathetically. "Its okay, I understand. No need to say anymore. Hell, maybe I can even help you get over it, hmmm?"

"We'll see, but I doubt it."

She nodded appreciatively, but said no more.

Saya shrugged. "Well, if you ever need another girl to talk to, just ask." Poor girl, no wonder men make her uncomfortable. Well, I'll just have to fix it. They have their faults, but most of 'em are pretty good She thought fondly of Alex. Bummer he was to busy to show up. I miss him, never any time to see him, what with me now being a ruler, and him still in the military.

An all black CH-53K roared over the Mereshkan countryside, making for the TBCS headquarters at speeds much faster than the factory model had been clocked at. Aftermarket engines made and supplied by United WeaponsTech were the only ones out there for Sikorsky aircraft.

It slowed to a dead hover in seconds, about twenty feet off the ground. Due to lack of obstructions like power lines, the pilots were free to have some fun. The engines began revving down and the massive helicopter, which had steadily been descending, dropped the last two feet and the landing gear absorbed the impact with a thud.

The ramp dropped and out staggered a man fully enclosed in black armor and hefting an assault rifle-and cursing, there was lots of that too.

"God***n chopper jocks! You HAD to do that didn't you?!?!? Buncha ***holes!"

Over his open com the pilots could be heard laughing hysterically. The helo revved back up and lifted off, leaving Commander Mick Hawkins clearing the cobwebs from his head in the middle of the turf. Slowly, he began to make his way toward the compound.

Saya saw Mick, began laughing, and ran towards him. "Mick!! How are you? Its been to long!" She laughed even harder, and jumped at him, putting him in a cruching hug.

Svreka was scowling both at the chopper scaring the living hell out of him, and Saya being so improper. "Empress's should not be hugging soldiers." He muttered under his breath.

Mick caught her, checking himself before stumbling back due to the chopper ride, "Saya, hey! It's great to see you too! Things are going amazingly with the rate paranormal events in the Dominion at 10% and dropping. I'm putting my self out of a job!"

He laughed and as he was released from the hug removed his helmet, "The ride over was interesting to say the least. The pilots wanted to see if it really could pull a full loop..."

She shook her head and laugh. "Do you know how many legends they just started with that? I'm going to have Elders coming to me after this is all over demanding that I put a stop to all the demons that have showed since I became Empress. Well, you already know Eddy and Crispy, this here is Sirius, and mister grumbly here is Shogun Svreka of the Wolf Clan, and my bodygaurd." She said pointing to everyone in turn.

Mick nodded and greeted Ed and Crispy in turn, "We'll have our reunion party once my head's cleared enough to refog it with bourbon."

He bowed his head slightly to the Shogun, "An honor to meet you. I look forward to seeing how you combat these creatures given a lack of firearms."

He then looked to Sirius, "And yes, I know you quite well. Dossier 1140-S. New armor I see, impressive. We don't have a full file on that-at the moment"

OOC: Mereshka... vampires versus chemical weapons. Would it work? I'm curious.

OOC: Hmmm... Depends on the chemical I suppose. Something like Anthrax wouldn't work, but something like an acid might work.

IC: Svreak bowed in turn to Mick. "An honor to meet you as well. I carry no katana."

Saya shook her head ruefully. "You guys and your intelligence. Is there really anything you don't know about the nations of the world?"

Sirius turned to Mick.

"If you've read my file then you know what happened to the last Black Ops..."

She gave him a glare to finish the statement.

Mick smiled, "Yes, yes, but I also know better than to hit on you. A broken arm isn't on my list of things to do while here."

He then turned to Saya, "If there was anything we truly didn't know, you'd never know wo don't know it while teams worked tirelessly to find out what it is we're in the dark about. Shenyang and the Dominion are the only two nations in the world that are such close allies yet spy on each other to the point that it becomes like a game or sport."

She grinned despite herself. "As I'm sure you could guess, we're not too good at spying. Mostly because the guy watching the radar ends up wondering who the hell is stupid enough to be sneaking around without any stealth whatsoever. Hmmm... Maybe we could spy on some other nation with a likeminded view of technology."

Edward nodded towards Mick. "Always one to knock back a bourbon, one of the beneficial side affects of the UH, I can slug back as much as I want with only a mild buzzing." Patrick shivered. "That shenyangi woman, she gave me the fraking chills sir." Edward laughed and clapped Patrick on the back. "I know you've always been shy around women, mein fruend, but this hits a new low for you. Seriously man, lighten up." Jefferson noded, and Frank shook his head. "What I need," He grated. "is a drink" Within a split second Jefferson whipped out a small bottle of whiskey and placed it in Frank's hands. Frank fumbled with it, before giving Jefferson an astonished look. "If I worshiped you like a god, would you be insulted?"

Saya finished hugging Mick, and ran over to the UHC'ers,and attempted to hug Ed and Patrick at the same time. "Its been to long Crispy!! I see Ed quite a lot, obviously, but you really need to stop by and visit more often."

Justin looked to the bodyguard. "You know, I'm not complaining but I think she missed me in that introduction. I prefer to be in the background anyway."

Svekra shrugged. "You are a newcomer. Even the witch comes from a country she knows of. She means no offense, she just does not remember newcomers. It will not happen once she gets to know you."

"I don't care anyway. If someone wants to know my name they'll ask me, that's how I look at it." Justin was still examining the MULE.

He grinned. "That is a good way to look at it I think. But, sometimes that can not be helped. So, friend, what is it like in your home country?"

"It's like here, but with electricity. We use firearms to hunt anything from small birds to something like deer and with technology, farming is a lot more efficient. We've got a pretty high standard of education too."

OOC: It should be noted that most of my technology is circa 1940, though things like firearms are more modern. Computers aren't used much and only the educated know much about them.

OOC: Hehe, in case you haven't noticed, we're medieval Japan.

IC: Svreka shook his head. "Have you ever even held a blade?"

OOC: No, I completely missed that. :p

IC: "Yes, I have. I'm trained in sword combat, though I was unable to get my favorite here. I'm also skilled in hand to hand combat, martial arts, and firearms." Justin listed off his qualifications like one would list the ingredients in a recipe.

He cocked his head. "And what sort of blade do you wield?"

"May favorite, ironically enough, happens to be a katana. I'm skilled with most swords though." he said casually.

Svreka grinned. "Ah, good, good, I'll be right back." He ran off for a few minutes, and came back carrying a sheathed katana. "Here, I give you this katana, in the hope that you increase your honor through weilding a Mereshkan katana."

Justin took the sword and looked over the blade. "Truly impeccable work this is." Justin breathed. "I thank you more than words can say." he bowed deeply, making sure to keep the sword off the ground.

Svekra nodded in satisfaction. You must only promise that it sees blood before this is over."

OOC: Hehe, yes, it would be impeccable work. The Mereshkans may not have much in the way of technology, but they do make some of the best swords in the world.

Justin rose, grinning from ear to ear. "As much as I love my explosives, this will certainly get a lot of use."

OOC: That's what I was banking on.

OOC: Probably has to do with the fact that they're one of the few that still use 'em in wars.

IC: Svekra grinned. "That will do nicely my friend. Well, are you hungry? I am sure you had a long trip."

OOC: Probably.

IC: "Hungry? That would be an understatement. The nearest airport is quite a ways away and my superiors were too cheap to send me directly here. It's a long drive my friend." Justin laughed and smiled for the first time in a while.

He nodded. "You have no idea. Do you realize how long it would take if you were on a horse? Well, I'll lead you to the dining hall."

"Good point." Justin said while following. "It's better than showing up on one of the helicopters though judging from what I've seen so far."

Svekra laughed. "Scared the peasants I'm sure. I bet even you made quite a few villages run for the protection of the capital. But, I digress. Food is this way. Hope you like Mereshkan food mate."

"Probably right. And I've never really had any so I'm a blank slate. I like to try new cuisines though so I'm not going to complain. It's better than those damn MREs we usually get. I can tell you that without even tasting it." Justin said.

Edward looked slightly queasy at the thought of Mereshkan food. "To much fish..." He mumbled. He walked alongside Sverka. "Good to see you again, my friend." His Mereshkan was slowly aproaching perfection. "I hope the empress hasn't gona and done aanything to rash, has she?"

Mick pulled out a flask of his own and walked over to Crispy and Frank, "Well, this sure brings back memories, huh? You gonna be flying us around again Frank? Got us out of some tough jams-and dropped us into 'em- asI recall."

He smiled and took a long swig.

Frank laughed. "You betcha, never get this much excitment flying overa combat zone, I mean, seriosuly, how many times are you going to be boarded by something that wants to eat your face when you clip some water? Seriously!" All four of them pulled out flasks of there own. "Standard issue." Crispy explained. "Purely medicinal."

Mick laughed, "Of course! But I'm sure we all feel the need to 'self-medicate' every now then, huh? It really has been forever since the good old days. Well, I guess you can't really call them 'good', but we sure had fun around the HQ."

He took another sip and savored the warm, burning sensation running down his throat.

Edward laughed. "If fun is barley survivng a siege of UH infected soldiers and naval personal, then yes, we sure had fun. Didn't we boys?" Frank and Patrick laughed in reply. Jefferson merely noded. "Who needs self medication when you can get all you want, when you want?" He flipped out several bottles of bourbon. "Comes in handy, this tench coat. Gotta love it for when I really need to pack some firepower."

Svekra shook his head. "Ah, if only I could have joined all of you on those missions. I've heard many such stories from the Empress." He looked around sheepishly. "Would any of you happen to have some sake?"

Edward smiled. "Trust me, you saved yourself from a lot of psycological scars and the distinct probability that you would've ended up like me. But hey, I guess it would've paid off to know the empress before she was an empres." Jefferson whipped out a small bottle of Sake, barley more then a mouthful. "I've got you covered mate, you ask for anything," He patted the worn white leather of his trench coat. "I've probably got it."

Svekra looked impressed, but also rather dissapointed at the small amount. He shrugged, and swallowed the liquid. He grinned. "Ah, excellent quality. You wouldn't happen to have anymore would you." Just then Saya walked up. "Svekra, haven't we talked about you drinking?" He jumped, despite himself. "It was only a small amount, Empress. And you said I may have some. I haven't even had a bottle in the past three days!!" She sighed. "Thats because I hid it, Svekra." She turned to Jefferson and shook a finger at him. "Be careful about giving him alchohol. We've had problems in the past. Make sure to keep it limited to half a bottle at time."

Jefferson lifted his thumb and covered half of it. "Thats right about what he would be drinking ma'am. I only carry the right ammount." He shifted his eyes back and forth, then whispered. "What does happen if he's drunk anyway?"

Saya laughed. "I think you can give him a little more than that, but just a little." She grinned. "Think about it, stubborn and superstitious man who always carries around a sword, plus the amount of sake he likes to drink, what does that give you?"

Jefferson thought a moment. Ruffling around in his pocket for something. "This." He handed Saya a photo, in it, Crispy, Edward and Jefferson all stood inside a wrecked bar. "Up until Edward joined the fight, some sailors were totaly beating on us. Believe me, when Harrison actually does get drunk, not much is gonna stop him." He chuckled quietly, then went sullen. "The only bad thing, I think Patrick is drinking far to much, keep it on the DL, but I think he's actually drinking to forget something. Just saying."

Saya looked worried, and glanced at Crispy. "Really? You think its serious? Maybe I should talk with him." She smiled faintly. "Men aren't very good at comforting people, it takes a woman's touch."

Jefferson chuckled quietly. "Don't I know it, all the times I've tried to comfort someone, its always ended in a drinking binge, usually followed by a bar brawl. And its usually with Frabk to, that guy may not look like much." He feigned knocking his jaw with a right hook. "But he's got it where it counts."

Justin felt a rumbling in his stomach. "Um, weren't we on our way to eat? Or am I the only hungry one around here?"

Saya winked and whispered, "Don't worry, that won't happen. I'll talk to him sometime." Aloud she said. "Sure, we'll get some food." She grinned at Ed. "And don't worry, I know how you feel about Mereshkan food, even after all the time being Shogun, so I took the liberty of having some food from the Union brought here."

Edward grinned and wrapped Saya in a bear hug, lifting her about an inch off the ground. "Thank you Empress! Its been to long since I've had steak, seriously, fish is good and all, but when you have it for weeks on end..." He chuckled. "its like being that guy in castaway they try to feed you seafood and you won't eat."

Talk of a television show of course brought nothing but blank stares from both Mereshkans. "Er...Okay. Well, this way please." She led them through the archaic base. It seemed more a medieval castle than a headquarters for a SpecOps unit. Eventually they came to the feasting hall. Inside there were many Geisha, waiting to take the orders of all present.

"Oh yeah, no movie theaters..." Edward followed Saya into the immense banquet hall staffed with Geisha ready to serve food and drink. "Remember guys, they have Union food here, and try and be really polite, Mereshkan culture has such a wide vareity of subtle insults, if someone offers you something, take it, don't eat it or use it if you don't want to, just take it." He waved to the nearest geisha. "Three tall glasses of bourbon for us, if you please." He said in mereshkan. "And if you could put some of this..." He slipped the geisha a packet of alchool digestion powder. "In his," He jerked his thumb towards Crispy. "Dinrk, I'd be very grateful."

The geisha bowed. "Yes, Shogun. It shall be as you decree." She was rather confused, but when a Shogun commanded, it was not her place to question. She went off to get the drinks. Another came up to the group. "And may I take your order, Empress?" She asked Saya. She thought for a second. "Sushi, and one of those Union sausages I think." The geisha nodded and turned to Svekra and Edward. "And you, Shoguns?" "Sushi, a fish, and some spice soup." Svekra answered with a familiar smile to the geisha, which got a raised eyebrow from Saya.

Edward cracked a smile at Sverkas reaction. "Just a Union steak for me today. And if you could please bring somewhat was the word..." He switched back to english for a few moments. "Anyone know the word for shrimp tempura?"

Saya grinned, and told him the correct words. (Don't feel like making up words at the moment)

Edward snapped his fingers. "Thank you saya." He rapidly switched back to mereshkan, speeding up his words to account for time lost. "And also, some Shrimp tempura, if you have any. I think that'll be enough." He turned to the other three. "Right?" They either noded or grunted, cuasing Edward to chuckle. "First time I haven't seen 'em eat an entire room, they have the stomachs of a teenager."

Svekra grinned. "There is no need to hold back. I'm sure the Empress has made sure the kitchen is well stocked. Right Reya?" he asked the Geisha. She grinned impishly. "Why yes, Sveky."

Edward choked back a snort. "Sveky?" He said in mereshkan. "Gee, I wonder how you got that nickname, you know I'm never going to live this down, right?"

Svekra tried to scowl, but couldn't help but smile. "Long story friend." He grinned wickedly. "You should here some of the other nicknames we have for each other." Reyaile, that was the Geisha's full name, giggled and ran off to tell the chefs the orders.

Edward tried to frown, but found himself unable to like Sverka. "Good times my friend, good times. Those times are probably gonna come back though, first time we've served on the battlefield together since the rebellion."

He nodded. "Indeed. It'll be good. Its been a while since I've had the chance to test my honour in battle." He sighed. "Ever since we put down the rebellion, there haven't been any Clan wars. But, I'm confident there will be more soon. What do you say, Ed? Our two clans against the rest of 'em. We may have relatively small clans, but we do have the best warriors."

Edward noded. "Oh yes, if these things we're going to be facing are half as intelligent as a human, they'll recognize the benefit of either starting a clan war and going about their business undisturbed while the Wolf clan is busy with the war, or they could convince the clans to join them and become an army, or at least, a readily available food source."

OOC: What is Edward's clan any way?

OOC: Lets see... If I remember correctly, the one that rebelled was the Bear, or Isthvra in Mereshkan. So, since they were defeated in the rebellion, I'd say that one. I might check back, but I think it was bear...

IC: He grinned. "Somehow I don't think that would work out quite the way you think. But, they have started a clan. Noones allied with 'em so far though. Hehe, so I guess this is sort of a clan war, ain't it?"

OOC: Guess it would be bear then.

Edward smiled. "Probably, doesn't matter what size it is, as long as its a clan, guess its a clan war." His smile became malicious. "Oh, will I enjoy that..."

Svekra grinned along with him. "Yes indeed. After the missions, perhaps we should Purge the clan. Hmmm...I have been looking to gain more land. I was thinking of attacking the boars, but this works to."

Edward laughed. "Long as you don't attack us bears, I'm fine. I've managed to keep them under control most of the time. There are still a few pockets of resistance, but in time, in time. And when you do purge the clan, count me in, Bear clan needs a little territorial gain to..."

He laughed. "We'll split it right down the middle eh? I call the lowlands. I need to get out of the mountains sometime." Just then, several geisha showed up carrying the food, and one carrying the alchohol for the Union troops. She looked apologeticly at Ed. "We only have sake at the moment, Shogun. I will make sure to request some burboun sometime soon." She set it down, being careful to give the right one to Crispy.

Crispy noded and took a quick sip. "Thak you ma-." His words cuaght in his throat as he threw the cup at Edward. "Dammit Eddy, I can handle full alchool. For christ's sake, stop acting like my mother!" He grabbed his coat and stormed out the door, Frank attempted to stop him but Edward shook his head. "Let him cool his jets, we all know he needs it."

They were all silent, then Saya stood up. "Let me talk to him. Like I told Frank earlier, guys aren't very good at giving comfort." She walked out the same door as Crispy. She walked out sat beside him, notsaying anything.

"Y'know, its always been tough, those years with an omni-potent demi god at your side." Patrick grunted. "That, and when he's around section zero buzzez like flies over a corpse. They..." He chocked back a sob. "They took my wife and daughter. Damn bastards kidnapped them. I shouldn't be blaming Ed for all of this, he tried to lead a rescue, but they knew he was coming." He took a quick swig from a small flask. "And they damn near killed him for his trouble to."

Saya stayed silent for a second, then said: "Crispy, I know Ed. If there was anything he could have done to stop that, he would have. Now, I'm sure you've already told yourself this many times already, but sometimes it helps to have someone confirm it. You know what I think? I think that you really don't know who to be angry with. You're loyal to the Union, so you don't want to be angry with them, and Ed's one of your oldest friends, so its the same deal. And as such, you've become angry with yourself. You can't handle the self-anger, so you've started to either lash out at those around you, or drown the anger in liquor."

Patrick sighed. "Guess you know me more then anyone else, and what you said is ture, I'm loyal to a Union that wants to 'harvest' my best friend, but I don't want to betray him. Guess the bottle is all I have now, ever since they took away Mary and Saya."

She raised her eyebrow at the name Saya, but didn't say anything. "The bottle isn't all that great Crispy. All it does is hide reality from you. What you need to do is face reality head on, don't try to hide from your problems." She gently took the flask from his hand.

Patrick resisted for a moment, then gave the bottle to her. "You're... you're right. I spent all my life throwing myself head on at things, now my wife and daughter are on the line, and I have to actualy think about my next move, to actually outsmart them. Hell, with Edward, that should be no problem."

She smiled, and stuffed the flask in her shirt, making a mental note to keep it from Svekra as well. "You remember the first time we all met? I remember me and Ed got off on the wrong foot almost immeadielty. Although, if I recall, you didn'tshow up until after that." She grinned at the thought of the first time she met Crispy.

Patrick smiled. "I didn't show up until shortly after the QCS, so I only heard about how you and Ed didn't hit off immediatly. Kind of strange how when we met it was the opposite."

She shrugged. "Well, after we gotthe problems worked out,I found out hes really a good guy. That, and I think getting red eyes himself taught him to not pull guns on people with strange eye colors."

Crispy smiled. "Like the time I pulled a gun on him while unconcious. That was something interesting..."

Saya laughed. "Didn't turn out well I'm guessing?" She glanced at the door. "Well, ready to go inside Crispy?"

Crispy noded. "I think I've bared enough of my soul to warrent that, besides, my foods getting cold."

Saya laughed. "You'd better feel lucky mister. You managed to get the Empress away from her food." She grabbed Crispy's hand and dragged him inside. "We're back!"

Edward looked up from his food then motioned to his ears. "So I heard. I did everything I could crisp. You know that." Frank noded. 'Even though I haven't the foggiest, 'es Ed, what wouldn't he do?" Jefferson simply mumbled through his food, his appetite hadn't beeen satiated by the long chopper ride.

Svekra looked confused. "You outsiders are very confusing. If something needs said, say it." Somehow he had gotten the Geisha he'd been grinning at earlier on his lap while Saya was talking with Crispy, and was feeding her from his own plate. Saya looked shocked at that. In Mereshka, only those promised to each other did that.

Edward snorted when he notcied that, then switched to Mereshkan. "Svek, my friend....." He cleared his throat. "Nevermind. Do as you please." He knew in his mind that Saya would want to tear him to pieces for saying that, but he kept a smug grin on his face.

Saya gave a look to both Svekra and Ed that promised a talking to later. Svekra just grinned, and gave Reyaile a bite of fish. She sighed and sat down. "Alright, lets eat I suppose."

Edward smiled and thwacked Jefferson on the back, almost causing him to choke. "This guy didn't even wait, where are your manners?" Jefferson shrugged. "I'm not even Union, I'm American, Yes, I have manners but when the host takes a while lingering outside, a man's gotta eat, y'know?"

Saya grinned. "American huh? I'm not quite sure I believe you. Shouldn't you be fat?"

Jefferson laughed, then became straight faced. "No. Thats only a small percentage of the population. And since I'm technically the number one enemy of soceity in my homeland, I don't think I have the time to be fat. To busy running." He gestures to Frank, Crispy and Edward. "Lucky me, I haven't really done anything wrong, and the Union loves us mercs and merchants to death, so here I am."

Saya laughed, then thought of something. "Hey Ed. Are you Union or Mereshkan now? Technically I mean, not birth."

Edward scratched his head. "Not really sure, last time I was in the Union was years ago, so probably Mereshkan, even though I'm Union by birth and military affiliation. Sort of."

She shrugged. "Ah well doesn't really matter I suppose." She popped a sushi roll into her mouth. "So, how have you been doing Frank? Its been a while."

Frank laughed a deep belly laugh. "It has been a while, hasn't it? I've be flying around here and there, been making a living flying for the QCS and now, the TBCS I guess. Hope I can still scare the pants off some peasatns though. Managed to do that in my last run."

Saya laughed. "Oh don't worry, I have no doubt of that. I feel sorry for the steward I left back at the palace. I'm sure hoards of peasants are coming to the capital for safety with the spins and rolls you were doing."

Frank laughed. "Hey, I knew it! Cuased quiet a ruckus!" He tapped patrick on his shoulder. "Oy! You hear that! I made people think I was a demon!" He sank back into his seat. "I can't wait for the Olympus project gets off the ground, supposed to tbe the first FTL ship ever."

Svekra looked completely lost at that, but Saya had a small idea. She sighed. "Do you want Mereshka to attack the Union? It wouldn't be my say, but with something like that, every man would be going over there to kill the demons."

Frank laughed. "Not that I would fly the olympus over Mershka, things just theory and designs right now, might not even be built in my lifetime. But if it is...." He whistled. "I sure wish I could fly it."



OOC: Yeah, thats a reference to how Frank ended up in Shattered Union.

Saya shook her head. "Yeah, but something like that, Mereshka and the Union aren't very far apart from each other..."

OOC: Speaking of which, when does the second thread start?

Frank noded. "Only about an hour flight in an Osprey. Probably a few days by sea. Maybe a week by the boats that are used here, other then that, not much distance. Of course, by the time the Oympus is built, you might be on par with the rest of the world. You never know."


OOC: Pretty soon, those exerpt scenes are the ones that chew up the most time, I have to get it just right and make it flow together.

Saya laughed. "Sure, and we'll have teleporting stealth samurai too." She rolled her eyes.

OOC: :D again.

Edward laughed. "Even stealth harmonics won't enable teleportation. Union's tried that, organic matter comes out as... well, yikes. They tried to teleport lab rats. What came out couldn't even be classified as once had lived. Looked more like custard swirled with cherry."

Saya laughed. "It was just a joke Ed. Our idea of stealth is an old man whos mastered his ki in a ninja suit. And lets not even talk about teleportation."
She tapped her lips in thought. "Hmmm... Thats an interesting idea though...Maybe modernizing Mereshka is a good idea after all..."

Edward let a quiet laugh. "Modernizing Mereshka? Would that mean I'm out of a job?"

OOC: Here I am! *trumpeting*

IC:

The TBCS Headquarters had been hard to find-but after a day, but Kevin da Vincho had found it. He drove all the way from Kenavt, after all-no maps, no nothing. Oh well. He was there.

Kevin walked to the building and heard people talking. Great, I'm late. Either way, he opened the door, nodded to everyone, and sat down. He put his lifeline, his backpack, on the table.

Sirius leaned on a wall, patiently polishing her glasses. Down-time bothered her. She didn't like having nothing to do. She placed the delicate looking glasses over her eyes, despite the option of laser eye surgery she refused to let anyone cut her eyes open in order to correct 20/18 vision. On missions she wore contacts, but for lounging around the base and civilian life she preferred to wear actual glasses.

The M.U.L.E. still followed behind her, dutifully carrying her gear. She opened one exceedingly large case and pulled out a Barrett M-95M .50 caliber rifle. She sat down atop the vehicle and tore the massive rifle down to inspect its condition. She vary seldom used anything beyond an assault rifle, so having access to enough firepower to bring down a chopper was something entirely new for her. She was familiar with the weapon, but it was still going to be unwieldy for her, a 1.6 metre tall close-combat specialist. Upon convincing herself that she could easily handle this monster of a weapon she replaced it into its case and looked for a much smaller one.

After a moment or two of rummaging she found the case. It looked like any other black metal case she'd brought with her, but she handled this one with care. Not the kind of care you use with a case of grenades, rather the care the kind that is associated with a newborn infant.

From this inconspicuous case she pulled a violin, made of black carbon fiber, and a matching bow. She checked the instrument lovingly, then set to work, a quick tuning note proved to her that the instrument was still in tune. Though it would need to be tuned again shortly.

She began playing, listeners might not initially recognize the piece, but she was playing the official 13th SOU anthem, "Breaking the Habit". Her eyes were closed and she was zoned into the music, playing from memory.

OOC: um, ya, I can't get back on track. Can someone please bring me back up to speed? this is the problem with being away from my personal computer and being forced to use another wth dial-up internet.

OOC: When I figure it out, you'll be the first to know.

OOC:

Page 7: Ruthless Slaughter arrives. Talking Ensues. Group moves inside.

Page 8: UHC Zero arrives. Talking Ensues.

Page 9: Talking / Reminiscing about previous missions.

Page 10: Kenavt arrives. Shenyang checks out rifle and plays Violin.

That's the really brief version.

OOC: lmao. Sounds good to me. EDIT: nice. Thanks much!

If anyone wants to respond to my character mysteriously arriving and not saying anything, go ahead!

OOC: Um... bumpity bump bump?

OOC: I think we've been left for dead. Mereshka's been on and has posted in other threads, but we're being ignored. Its more than a little annoying. I'll bite for the sake of SOMETHING happening.

IC:

Sirius finished the song and looked around the room, only to see that another had joined them. He seemed to be relatively defensive of a backpack on the table. From his appearance she knew he wasn't military.

'civilians...' she thought.

"So, what's with the bag?"

"My bag is pretty much all the belongings I own in this world, besides whatever's in my pockets, my car, and my bank account. All the stuff to kill a bunch of vampires. When is the next mission anyway? Anyone know?"

OOC: Thanks! And that's pretty weird and annoying that Mereshka has been snubbing us.

Joseph looked over to Kevin. "Hm, someone new. What's your name?" he inquired of the man.

OOC: Um, I've been gone and didn't have much time to post so don't blame me.

OOC: OK.

"I'm Kevin da Vincho, vampire... specialist from the Confederacy of Kenavt.

"Care to elaborate on 'vampire... specialist' for us?"

Sirius was weighing her options, swords would work, the Five-seveN would be quicker, she had a Taser if she wanted it.

OOC: Shit!! I did forget about this!! No offense meant to any of you I promise.

IC: Saya noded at Sirius's question. "That would be kind of helpful. Didn't say much more on your entry form..."

"Well, due to many factors, we've had vampires expand into the Confederacy. Someone has to 'eradicate' them. And then someone in the bureaucracy got the bright idea that the leader of the Vampire Eradication Force in Kenavt should join the TBCS as well. So here I am."

OOC: As a spoiler, he's lying. You'll find out on the first mission. *winks at Mereshka*

Saya shrugged. "Seems like a good idea to me." She thought of something. "Wait...since when have the bugger been elsewhere? I thought they'd stayed in Mereshka..."

Saya shrugged. "Seems like a good idea to me." She thought of something. "Wait...since when have the bugger been elsewhere? I thought they'd stayed in Mereshka..."

"Well, we had a lunatic here who tried to copy that one scientist who invented vampires, mainly at the insistence of Mereshkan vampires. You have primitive technology, no? How do you monitor your border?"

She laughed. "Did you happedn to pass a big wooden tower on the border? Thats about all we got. Theres a couple archers in each of the towers, to spot, and if neccesary, kill anyone trying to leave. Damn vamps could waltz right past though."

OOC: Cursed Cable modem *continues dark muttering about the cable modem I'd like to shoot*

IC: "Big wooden towers? You're not referring to piles of ashes along the sides of the highways are you? There was one along the road where I entered." Justin hoped he wasn't the bearer of bad news. "It's possible the vampires burned it down on their way out of the country too if they'd left."

Saya shrugged. "It would have happened eventually. I'll have the Hedgehog clan build some stone ones sometime..."

"Not to be rude, but getting better technology would do wonders for border patrol. I could probably get Kenavt to do something. Although, this is what you've done for centuries."

OOC: First mission?

OOC: Give me a second, I need to think up an opening post.

IC: Svekra snorted. "Ignorant outlander. We have had many opportunities to modernize. We simply do not wish too. We still stick to honor."

"Honer works for many nations. Sylvonia was slow to modernize too, though we're still behind. I'd listen to him, he did after all want to kill what's her face over there just for bringing a robot." Justin's bluntness showing.

Svekra shrugged. "I am mistrustful of demons and their keepers both."

Sirius sensed that Sverka's last comment was aimed at her.

"Excuse me? Maybe I should have my 'demon' come after you. Or I should turn you into a newt? I've got everything I need to do it right here."

She reached for one of the cases, specifically the violin case.

OOC: Give me a second, I need to think up an opening post.

IC: Svekra snorted. "Ignorant outlander. We have had many opportunities to modernize. We simply do not wish too. We still stick to honor."

"I did not mean any offense. Merely, technology works for you-quite literally when you think about all those new robots and things. Technology is a boost-but then again it can be a bane."

Sirius sensed that Sverka's last comment was aimed at her.

"Excuse me? Maybe I should have my 'demon' come after you. Or I should turn you into a newt? I've got everything I need to do it right here."

She reached for one of the cases, specifically the violin case.

"I thought we were all friends here." Kevin said simply.

"Friends? Probably not quite yet. Allies working for a common cause? Yes." Justin said simply.

"Friends? Probably not quite yet. Allies working for a common cause? Yes." Justin said simply.

"That's pretty much what I meant. At least we're not enemies. You are?"

"Nice to meet you. Well, some people just need to get over their differences. No offense to anyone."

EDIT: Yay! My first timewarp in my kenavt account! Happy days!

"I'm Justin VanSambeek. And we may not be enemies but Svekra and Sirius sure seem like it." He chuckled.

"Nice to meet you. Well, some people just need to get over their differences. No offense to anyone."

EDIT: Yay! My first timewarp in my kenavt account! Happy days!

"No, you're right. Some people do need that. Unfortunately for the rest of us, it doesn't happen overnight."

OOC: Congrats on the timewarp. :D This is post 1500 for me! Seems like good news for both of us.

"Yah." Kevin agreed. "By the way, what does everyone have-weapon wise?"

OOC: Congrats!

OOC: Grrr...damn timewarps...congrats on the 1500 posts thought.

IC: Svekra patted his katana. "I have a sword, which is all a true warrior would ever need." Saya patted hers as well. "I usually use this, when Svekra lets me fight at all, but when necceseary I'm also a very good sniper. However, this time Svekra has it right. Vampires are more susceptable to swords than firearms."

OOC: Grr! I can't wait for the first mission... whenever it's up!

IC: "Well..." Kevin looked inside his backpack, "I have a Smith & Wesson Model 500... and a M16A4." He paused. "Oh, wait, I have two Desert Eagles in my pockets too."

"Um, how well do explosives work? I get that cutting out their hearts or removing their heads works best, but if we're in a bind, I'm liable to go for a bigger boom." Justin grinned sheepishly.

Saya nodded. "Explosives will do just fine, just make sure we're out of the way first."

OOC: Don't worry, mission coming soon.

"Ah, that's what shaped charges are for. Besides, most of what I've got is light, but powerful so it's easy enough to get it away from us."

"Well, that's good. You mind if I borrow a couple-I could always use some in a fight."

Got Bump?

OOC: Yup, I got bump right here. Sorry, was busy in another RP.

IC:

Jefferson slapped a small device on the table. "This here is the bastard love child of a nuke and an incindeary, not a big bang, but sure as hell a big fire, this thing burns so hot that it actually ignites the air around it, making that lovely fireball I mentioned. Thing is, its only got a burn time of a few seconds, otherwise we risk a self sustaining reaction which would, ah, 'remove humanity with a sauna' albeit a sauna turned up to several thousand degreees."

OOC: Yah, I saw you post in War of the Heavens, then I thought I could bump this up for you. It was actually on the second page-I bumped it up like an hour ago.

"How big is the fireball-the thrower could get hit by it?"

Jefferson grinned, then slapped a remote detonator down. "Its triggered whenever you want, so you could go suicidal and go running into a room with this, or you could treat it like C4, set it in the badguys hideout, then run like hell and set it off. 'Course, I managed to snag this from the scrap pile, it was viewed as to dangerous - even for the Union."

"The scrap pile?" Kevin looked at the seemingly innocent device. It could cause so much death-but to things that were worth it. "Such a valuable thing in the scrap pile?"

"Depends on your definition of a scrap pile. I rescued this baby from the middle of the Akrheim Military R&D department, believe you me, they don't just leave this stuff laying around. Or ungaurded." Frank laughed. " 'Course we all know how you got it, you hired me as your extraction pilot. Thats how you got out."

" 'Course we all know how you got it, you hired me as your extraction pilot. Thats how you got out."

OOC: Assuming you're talking to me... what are you talking about?

OOC: Assuming you're talking to me... what are you talking about?

OOC: Nope, it was Frank talking to Jefferson. You see, Jefferson hired Frank as his pilot for that heist.

OOC: Oh, OK.

IC:

"Arkheim? What's that?"

Every single one of them stared at him. "You've never heard of Arkheim? Seriously?" Edward blurted out. "Its only the capitol of the Union for petes sakes! Let me guess, you've been traveling for the past seven hundred years."

OOC: No, he's the brother of my current Premier, who's 29, so he's not all that old.

IC:

"No. I have not been traveling for the last seven hundred years. I'm 25. And I have not heard of Arkheim. I have not ever been to the UHC, so I have never heard of Arkheim."

Patrick shook his head. "Y'know.... never mind. I'd end up saying something offensive." Frank grunted. "Damn straight you will! No worries though my friend, I travel alot and I still don't know the capitols of various countries, heh!" Edward's cell phone pulsed, nearly causing him to rocket out his chair. " Didn't even know I had the damn thing on me.." He muttered. "Excuse me." He beat a hurried retreat for the door, intent on answering the call.

"Well, does anyone know what the first mission will be about?

Patrick shurgged. "Its up to the empress. We're all content to sit around right now, probably the longest down time we'll have during this crisis. Believe me, if they're anything like the afflicted, this first mission will go south in a heartbeat."


OOC: Mereshka, I'm about to Introduce Edwards Fiance (A mereshkan nobleowman) I need a name quick!

OOC: Uh....Airya Sekeveyu?

OOC: Uh....Airya Sekeveyu?

OOC; Okay, you're the one that has all the Mereshkan names, and I don't know the system so... thanks.


The outside air had a certain chill to it, the nip of a nearby lake and a slight fog. Nearby, crickets chirped, creating a certain sense of peace in the clamy cold of the fog. "Mildly disturbing..." Edward muttered as he answered his cell phone. "Edward." A familiar voice said behind him. He whirled around hand on his side arm, only to be wrapped in a hug and a kiss. "A-airya? How..?" She smiled, then said in slightly fractured English. "Horse cart." Edward was still suprised, but a smile was edging over his face. "Y'know, everyone's here, and I haven't yet informed any one that we're set to be bethrothed." He said in Mereshkan. "I think.. yes, I'll tell everyone now." He opened the door and gestured inside. "After you."

OOC: I want the first mission!!! :p

"Hello, who are you?" Kevin said to the first person who entered.

Airya cocked her head to the side. "English?" She said, then launched into a flurry of mereshkan. "She says that she doesn't understand very much English." He translated. Airya interupted him with even more Mereshkan. "Also, she says its an honor to meet someone who is to fight beside her husband."

OOC: Sorry if you don't like the name, I'm not very good at making them up last minute.

IC: Saya raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here Airya?" Svekra stood up. "No!! The Empress may be in this force, because she is the Empress, as may the witch because her people have no honor, but I won't have a Mereshkan lady fight beside me."

"Well, it's nice to meet her too."

Edward cleared his throat. "I don't think Airya will be joining us in this fight, as you can see." He gestured towards her. "She carries no katan." Edward wondered if his pun of the term for non hostility might anger Sverka. "Edward speaks the truth." Airya said. "I have not come to fight, only to see him one more time before he departs for battle, as well as cement our promises of bethrothal."



OOC: Just a note to everyone, (In case you didn't guess) Airya doesn't speak very much english, just a few phrases taught to her by Edward.

"You're bethrothed?" Kevin was dumbfounded. But then he thought about it, and it kinda made sense. "Well, congradulations to bride and groom!"

Edward laughed nervously. "Yeah... yeah we are. Been here for a couple years, decided to lay down some roots here to." He repeated what Kevin said in Mereshkan, causing Airya to beam at Kevin. She gave him thanks in Mereshkan, to which Edward translated.

Both Saya and Svekra grinned. Weddings were very big events in Mereshkan culture, especielly between nobles. Svekra hopped up, bowed to Airya, and clapped Edward on the back. "Ah Edward, you dog, why didn't you tell me about this?" He said in Mereshkan.

IC: Kevin nodded.

OOC: Target: Impatience for First TBCS Mission. Firing IGNORE cannons in 3...2...1...

"Sir, did it work?"

"No, it's still alive!"

"Shoot it down!"

"It's invulnerable!"

"What's wrong with this Impatience???"

"I dunno! Watch out, it's coming!!!! Run for your lives!!!"

"AHHHH" *squish*
____________

"Mommy... what's that?"

"It's just a... I dunno honey." *squish*

IT'S KILLING EVERYONE!!!!

And my impatience is now raging around my head destroying all my citizens despite my IGNORE cannons... quite sad.

Both Saya and Svekra grinned. Weddings were very big events in Mereshkan culture, especielly between nobles. Svekra hopped up, bowed to Airya, and clapped Edward on the back. "Ah Edward, you dog, why didn't you tell me about this?" He said in Mereshkan.

IC;

Edward smiled. "Didn't have time, was a bit busy with.. other affairs." His Mereshkan was nearing flawless. "Besides, horse cart and runners do take a while, I wouldn't be suprised if the runner was just getting to you clan.


OOC:


Two counties over

"Whats in the news today?"

"Oh, just a giant mosnter raging around, nothing special. *squish*

Svekra grined. It makes us less lazy. You know, we should enter the runners into the Olympics."

OOC: Hehe, calm down Kenavt, it'll be up soon. Here, have a nacho.

OOC: Yay Nacho! *crunch* I just really want a freaking mission. Oh, and the thing in D&A has really hyped me up. Now what I need is a Mt. Dew! Not really.

IC:

"Hey... Saya, right?" He said to the empress. "Do you know where I can get Mereshkan language lessons?"

Saya shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure any of us would teach you if you asked nicely. You might be able to find a school that teaches it in your country, but most countries don't find us very important, so its not likely."

Svekra grined. It makes us less lazy. You know, we should enter the runners into the Olympics."

OOC: Hehe, calm down Kenavt, it'll be up soon. Here, have a nacho.

Edward raised uo his hands. "I know, I know, I'm just saying, its a slow way to give messages, unless your on the frontlines. Then you don't want a HMMWV giving away the messenger. Or something like that."

Saya shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure any of us would teach you if you asked nicely. You might be able to find a school that teaches it in your country, but most countries don't find us very important, so its not likely."

Edward noded. "The Union only began offering lessons in Mereshkan after Saya came to the throne, I learned mine a different way, from her directly."

Saya shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure any of us would teach you if you asked nicely. You might be able to find a school that teaches it in your country, but most countries don't find us very important, so its not likely."

"OK, thanks. Anyone available after we're done with the TBCS?"

OOC: :( I can't keep up. Summary anyone?

OOC: We're just sitting around a table doing lulzing things, waiting for SOMEONE (if looks could kill, kills Mereshka) to make the first mission. Just have your guy/gal walk in, say hello, and get caught up in the discussion.

OOC:


Edward's fiance arrives, big congradulations, Kenavt wondering about language lessons, everyone else languishing in a dark corner of the room, forgotten by various posters who seem to be no longer in the thread. (lookin' at you RS and Shenyang)

OOC: Without Mereshka I've got no one to threaten, so I'm 'hibernating' right now.

IC:

Sirius put her violin away.

"So, any of you have any professional assessment of these vampires. No credible threat is the same twice so I want to bounce notes off someone with experience in vampire killing."

Sirius was adjusting her tac vest as she spoke. The damned thing still wasn't fully broken in to her form, so she had to keep after it when she could. There were times when she thought she might be 'too much woman' for combat. Then she'd looked in the mirror and see the woman staring back at her.

Jefferson shrugged. "From what I read in a dossier, they have the intelligence of a human, a bit stronger then a normal human, love group tactics and have the bloodthirstiness that rivals Vlad the Impaler."

"Well from my experience, they're not too much of a match for a well equiped soldier, even solo. They've tried to bite me before, only to sink their teeth into body armor and then promptly taste steel and gunpowder, if you catch my meaning."

She pulled her Five-seveN and checked over the weapon.

"Too vicious for their own good is what I've seen. Their scare tactics might scare civilians well enough, but they have yet to impress me. When I see a hostile 'Victor' employ valid combat tactics from some time more recent than 1882 then this 'Witch' will be impressed."

Convinced that the weapon was in order she reholstered it, and tweaked her vest just a little tighter. 'Piece of ****' she thought, 'atleast these things only need one mission to break in.'

"Vampires are pretty strong and fast. Plus, they love honor and duels and that type of thing, though most of the time, as this person who I do not know just said, they are vicious." Kevin da Vincho finished. "May I ask who you are, the person that just talked and who was just practicing the violin?"

"Brigadier General Daphne Victoria Trance, callsign: Sirius. Or 'The Witch' according to some of our company here. Commanding officer of the 13th Special Operations Unit, and the 1st Violin for the 13thSOU Quartet."

Sirius didn't rise from the M.U.L.E. she was actually getting kind of comfortable. She did extend her hand though.

Kevin shook it. "Nice to meet you... Sirius."

"And you Kevin. It's nice to finally meet someone who doesn't think I'm a dishonorable witch."

She smirked, she kind of enjoyed being disliked. Atleast then she could prove people wrong for all the right reasons.

"Really? What have you done to make them say that you're dishonorable?"

"Kill at long range. Since I don't always fight nose to nose with my enemy, and am willing to put a few rounds in the back of their head that makes me dishonorable. Frankly, I don't care what Sverka or the Sylvonian think of me, when we get out there I'll be doing things my way regardless of their opinions."

She pulled one of her Wakizashi from their sheaths.

"Of course, I do have training in sword-based close combat, but that's also aimed at taking out the enemy without giving them a chance to fight fair. Fighting fair gets people killed in my experience. I intend to live a long time after this."

She resheathed the weapon. Even the swords showed the tell-tale mark of Shenyangi manufacture. The hand forged blade had recieved a TiNi coating, one of the toughest finishes that could be applied to steel metal.

"Well, there's not a lot of dishonorable things about surviving."

"Hey, I stuck up for you. And this Sylvonian has a name, Justin 'Boom-Boom' VanSambeek. Besides, I'd rather drop a very large bomb on the lot, but that wouldn't work here in Mereshka, so I'm sticking to their traditions." Justin said gruffly to Sirius.

OOC: Oops, I thought you were talking to my guy. Disregard that.

EDIT: Time that Warp! Oh yeah!

OOC: Oops, I thought you were talking to my guy. Disregard that.

EDIT: Time that Warp! Oh yeah!

OOC: You deleted your post? Wah! Now I've gotta delete mine or it won't make sense!!!

I guess. Sorry about all that!

OOC: BTW, have you heard that you can create groups? I can create one for the TBCS if anyone would like too. Check out this group (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/group.php?groupid=1).

OOC: Joined. And go right ahead and create the group, unless the big boss man says he wants it.

OOC: Better leave it for the big boss man. Mereshka might want to.

"You didn't help much either Justin. Just because you're in someone elses house doesn't mean you let them insult a someone without a good reason. I'm used to being called a witch, but if Sverka keeps that up he'll regret it."

Edward shurgged. "You'll get used to it, for the first year of being a shogun, the people thought I was a demon after what I used during the civil war. Did help keep the population down though.

"I told him to stop. Just because he didn't listen to me doesn't mean it's my fault."

"Oh trust me, I'm used to it. I've been getting called everything you can think of ever since I joined the 13th SOU, and I imagine its only gotten worse since I was promoted to command. Of course, now no one calls me anything to my face any more. You leave enough marines in critical condition and people learn their lesson."

She shrugged.

"I guess word never made it here. Most allied military personnel know that I'm not someone to f*** with. That or they learn damn quick."

"These people are a bit...superstitious. If they can mistake an Osprey for a flying demon, you can expect a lukewarm welcome when you land. Probably arrows, spears and swords. Lots of 'em to." Edward scratched at the beard he had been growing. "And I could see why, special forces usually do there best to break the new guys, least thats the procedure in the Union. You just tune it out eventually, and like you said, I could land anyone under my commad in a hospital with massive internal bleeding and broken bones. Thing is, I'm a Mereshkan shogun, not a Union General."

"Just what we're gonna need. VTOL drops us off and we've got to talk down the civilians so we can save them. That's gonna be really great."

Sarcasm dripped from her comment. She began opening cases, pulling weapons and ammo for the mission she sensed was coming. She rigged up another holster to carry her other Five-seveN and began hooking up mag pouches. When she was done she had ammo for her P-90 PDW, her XM-10A3, and two extra mags for her M-95M, despite the fact that she didn't particularly like the idea of carrying that monster all the time. There were times when she wondered how her snipers did it.

"However, isn't it worth it?" Kevin had his two cents in.

Bumpity bumper bumper?

Here's a bumper sticker for you Kenavt.

"Getting threatened for showing up to help... I'm going to say no. Atleast in the 'dishonorable' nation of Shenyang we actually welcome people who show up to help us."

"This is going to be a long day." Justin muttered to nobody in particular.

Here's a bumper sticker for you Kenavt.

OOC: YAY!!! BOO-YAH!!!

"What are we waiting for for the first mission, anyway?"

OOC: If the first mission takes place and/or ends between tonight and Sunday, I may not participate because I'm on vacation, and if I'm there half the time it would probably screw everything up.

"It's already been a long day," Sirius corrected, "and it's not getting any shorter either."

"Maybe for you. But I'm one of those people that's more awake at night than during the day. And we're waiting for the empress to tell us what it is." Justin said.

OOC: That's your cue Mereshka. And Kan, glad you like that.

Edward noded. "I knew Mereshkan military operations were slow, but this is beyond measure. Should've been no more then an hour before we got our mission and now its.." He rolled back his jacket sleve to expose a digital watch. "Near midnight. Damn."

OOC: Is there OOC? Anyway, I just found this. Anybody feel like tellin me what it is?

OOC: TBCS stands for The Blood Containment Squad. We're hunting down vampires in Mereshka after some scientist went crazy. This is our HQ, we're waiting for Mereshka to come up with an opening post for the first mission.

OOC: Ya, what Ken said. And I suppose the signup thread works. Are you stalking me Tal? :p

IC: Justin rolled his eyes. "Please tell me that's no local time."

"Well," said Kevin checking his watch, "It's 4 in the morning Kenavt time."

EDIT: See yall in four days!

OOC: Oh for the love of Pete. HERE IS THE SIGNUP THREAD. (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13752875) TIMEWARPS!!!!!!!!!!!! And thread-jacking sounds like fun...

IC: "Then it's gotta be about 6 PM in Sylvonia." Justin said checking his watch. "Oh, wait, daylight savings. It's 7."

OOC: Which has taken several days so far. Search for TBCS, its the one with posts by Sylvonia in it, that's the sign-up thread.