NationStates Jolt Archive

Patrick shrugged. "It wasn't that glamorous. We pretty much sat around for seven years before actually getting deployed to deal with the UH threat, and even then we didn't do much. Didn't have flamethrowers."

Saya laughed. "So are you only happy with a flamethrower? Maybe you can speciel order one from the Union."

"Nope, high heat kills UH, that's why we didn't make that much of a dent. Its the only way to kill," He jabbed Edward with his elbow. "Our resident UH here. Its why he never carries incindearies."

OOC: I have to get going, probably for the day.

OOC: Later.

Sirius sat quietly aboard the Osprey. She was busy in her own world, reviewing the mission in her head while checking her weapons. In her opinion they hadn't gone far enough into that complex, there could have been valuable intelligence even a few rooms away.

She would have made her anger very clear, but she knew that this was only round one in a very long fight. She unloaded her weapons and stowed the magazines.

She leaned back and silently stared into the gathering light behind the aircraft. Her hands slowly balled into fists and relaxed over and over.

Svekra noticed her balling up her fists. "Are you angry, demon woman?" He asked.

"It's nothing. I don't like biting my tongue, even when the situation warrants it."

Svekra blinked. "You are biting you tongue? Why would the situation warrant you to bite your tongue?"

OOC: I rather enjoy having ignorant characters. :)

"It's an expression, it means I'm not saying something I want to."

She hadn't looked away from the view behind the aircraft.

Svekra nodded in pretend undersdtanding. "I see. What I do not see, however, is why you do not say it. If something must be said, is must be said."

"If I said everything I felt needed to be said then I would be in a military prison by now. I'm in the habit of staying till the job's done. That job wasn't, not by a long shot."

She sounded a little bitter, but mostly her voice was matter-of-fact.

Svekra laughed. "Mayhap it is different where you live, but here, the commander is expected to take the soldiers advice, especielly the experienced ones."

"Normally I am the commander, it's been almost six months now that I've been the 'queen' back home. Six months of bouncing base to base and running missions for spooks who've never held an XM-10A3 except on a shooting range."

She flattened her hands around the angular sides of the M95M rifle.

"Now I'm away from the Beaurocrats and I end up on a valid mission that I'm not allowed to finish. Which is worse? Completing a dozen missions that won't get you anywhere, or not completing the one that might?"

Svekra cocked his head. "You consider the mission unfinished? I personally agree with the Empress, there was nothing more to be gained there. Anything we could have found would be corrupted by the demons anyways."

"Sometimes it's not what you find, it's what you learn from it. In Shenyang one every warrior reads a book, 'The Art of War'. Most of our rules of engagement are in some way derived from it, even though it's hundreds of years old. For us, Rule 1 is 'know yourself and know your enemy.' All we know really is that they're bloodthirsty and they're arrogant, there's a lot more to be learned before I know my enemy."

Svekra grinned. "What do you suggest? Would you like to try to sneak into the vapire fortress?"

"Not without more time, once I figure out how tough they really, all their strengths and weaknesses, then I'll go in solo, but not before then."

She patted her rifle.

"This baby does the job, but it's overkill in the extreme. I learned that they're fast, so I need something lighter that will allow me to track them better, and that when I make the hit, they'll go down. Me getting through that with this monster in close was pure skill, specifically their lack of it and my passable familiarity with them and my weapon."

OOC: PEOPLE ASIDE FROM SHEN MUST POST! i COMMAND YOU!

Oh, and my apologies for being gone the past week and a half. I had some stuff to do in RL, but I assure you I've not forgotten about this yet again.

IC: Svekra grinned. "That is why you should learn the katana, demon woman, rather than rely on your demon powered weaponry." He was of course quite aware of gunpowder and the like, but he still preffered the explanation of demons. "There is no such thing as overkill, and it is the most honourable way to do battle, though admittably you have much honor for a demon woman."

Sirius reached back to the base of her spine and pulled a pair of Shenyangi Wakizashi, finished black with modern high impact grips and combat knife style hand guards.

"There's a reason I carry these you know."

She sheathed them and pulled an 'ODST Combat Dagger' from her vest.

"Then there's this baby and her friends."

Sirius carried a half dozen combat daggers.

"Back home we're trained to hold off from hand to hand combat unless it's necessary. Too many things can go wrong and get you killed in close."

Svekra laughed. "Ah, but then there comes the pure exhiliration of being toe to toe with your foe, pitting your skill of the blade against his. And that is what it comes down to I suppose, the skill of the blade. The way you people do war, it all depends on who can pull the trigger faster. With us, you must be strong and cunning as well as having overly quick fingers. And those blades you carry are fit only for children. Someday you must learn the true katana."

"In case you didn't notice, I'm only 1.7 meters tall, besides, full-size swords have a tendency to cause more trouble than they're worth in my experience. My predecessor carried two katana, but he only ever used one at a time."

Sirius pulled the wakizashi and began checking them over.

"The closest name you'd have for what I do would be ninja, and katana are just too big for that kind of work. Even the ninto is shorter than a katana."

Sirius twirled the weapons.

"Besides, it's unwieldy trying to use a katana one handed, these are much more dexterous weapons."

Svekra grinned. "There are shorter blades that are still katanas. And besides, I once knew a man who was four feet tall, and could defeat me in the blade dance three times out of five. But, if you are ninja, that is honorable in its own way, though I dislike all that sneaking about. However, should you ever wish to learn a real weapon, you've only to ask."

Sirius smirked.

"If you ever want to learn a real weapon then feel free to ask."

She patted her M-95M.

Svekra smiled. "Bah, why would I ever feel the need to learn the use of an unhonorable demon weapon? I would die in shame, and my ancestors would not let me into the spirit world, and I'd have to come back and haunt you."

"Who knows, times and needs change. If you're going to haunt me then you'll have to get in line."

Sirius continued smirking.

Svekra grinned. "But if you have not killed any Mereshkans so far, and as far as I know our countries have never gone to war, else you would be my subject right now, then they cannot haunt as they are heretics, and so I get to be first in line."

"You may find this surprising, but in Shenyang we've got religions too. I've been cursed by members of most of the established religions and every kind of cult you can imagine."

She leaned back, considering.

"I probably have killed someone with the Mereshkan belief system by this point. Then again, I don't exactly ask people about their beliefs in the middle of a firefight."

Svekra laughed. "But ours is the only true belief. And unless he was actually Mereshkan, he does not count, as he is without proper ancestors.

"I'll ask him next time I see him. In my experience the ghosts are in chronological order. Give or take, the first person I killed showed up first and on down the line."

Svekra smiled. "And have you seen the ghosts as of yet, demon woman?"

"Not today, but they usually show up when I'm asleep."

She yawned.

"It's usually pretty interesting when people start showing up. As if a tactical version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland wasn't interesting."

Svekra of course was utterly lost. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland? May I ask what you are talking of. Who is this Alice? And where is Wonderland?"

"It's a book, Alice is a girl who ends up tumbling down a rabbit-hole into another world. That world is called Wonderland. It's fiction, but it's an interesting read. Wonderland is this completely inexplicable world that makes vampires and zombies look normal. I've got a copy with me if you want to read it, it's back at the palace right now."

Svekra tapped his chin, and shrugged. "This sounds good to me. I will have to read it once we get a respite."

"Glad I had some positive impact over here."

Sirius rested her head against the wall behind her and closed her eyes.

OOC: I sent an e-mail to RS, once we finish this one off he might be back.

Svekra, obviosly thinking Sirius was going to sleep, shrugged, drew his katana and pulled out a whetstone, and set to polishion it.

OOC: That'll be cool. Wasn't he in a camp or some such?

OOC: Yeah, he was working as a counselor, but the 'camp season' is over.

OOC: I am so lost with this it's not funny.

OOC: On V22 osprey, returning to base after mission.

OOC: I can work with that.

OOC: Counsoler huh? I applied for a job like that once, but for some reason they didn't think I should be trusted around young campers...

OOC: I wonder why....

IC: Taking after Svekra, Justin kept to himself and checked the various safeties on his explosives. It was outstanding how many he could squirrel away.

Svekra noticed Justin toying with his explosives, put his own stuff away, and walked over to look at the explosives curiously. "What exactly do this particular demon weapons do?" He asked.

Justin grinned wickedly. He wanted nothing more than to give a demonstration, but would have to settle for words. "You've heard of fireworks right?" he started.

Svekra nodded. "The Empress has told me of these lights in the sky, accomponied by loud noises."

"They're a lot like that, but bigger, badder, and a lot deadlier." Justin's grin kept widening. "Tell you what, when we get back to base, I'll demonstrate with a smaller one. But I suggest you wear these." He held out a pair of orange ear plugs for the other man.

Svekra took the ear plugs and looked over them suspiciously. "I don't know what this does, but I refuse to wear it."

"It's called an earplug." Justin explained. "And unless you want to start losing your hearing like I have, you'll used them."

Svekra stubbornly shook his head. "My own fingers will do well enough to block the noise."

Sirius opened her eyes.

"Put the ear plugs in or you'll end up bleeding from the ears or deaf."

Sirius put her ear plugs in.

Justin laughed and pulled one of Sirius' earplugs out. "I'm not setting it off yet. But she's right, the smallest one I have with me will shatter all glass within 10 meters, cause temporary blindness, and blow your eardrums out like some guy with a cold and a handkerchief does his nose."

Svekra stubbornly shook his head, but said nothing more on the matter.

Justin rolled his eyes. "Sirius, we'll have to force him won't we?"

Svekra scowled. "I would like to see you force those demon things into my ears. Or any part of my body for that matter."

Justin's grin returned full force. "Not difficult really." he joked. "Though perhaps something bigger might work better with you."

"It is not so easy a thing to force a warrior to do something he does not want."

Sirius snatched back her ear plug.

"These are impulse-rated, I can hear just fine unless something really loud goes off, then they block out the noise and go back to letting me hear."

She put the ear plug back in.

Svekra grinned. "You may listen all you wish, demon woman. It is good for you to know that I fear neither you nor your demons."

"Good to know." Justing scoffed at Sirius. "Now do you have something that would cover his ears? I have a feeling that though they'd be less effective, he might consent to wearing them."

"Since you don't want to use ear plugs then maybe this would be more your style."

Sirius reached into her medic bag and pulled a set of cotton balls.

"Cotton balls, about as old school as you can go when it comes to hearing protection, short of covering your ears, about as effective as covering your ears too."

She offered the cotton.

"Of course, we have ways of forcing your cooperation if we have to, but forcing you to save yourself a lot of pain, by using pain is kind of a no-win situation, so let's avoid that."

Svekra thought for a second, and took the cotton balls. "I will agree to this. Though I mantain you nor the magic man would be able to force."

"I was thinking ear muff kinda things, but that works too." Justin chuckled. "And since when am I magic? I just like to push the science of explosives."

"What you call science is magic." Svekra said with an absolutely straight face. "You ignorant outlanders simply do not know of the forces you tamper with, and so prefer your own explanations."

Justin leaned toward the bodyguard. "Trust me, I recognize that everything that happens is God at work. Science is man's way of explaining God's methods and trying to use them for ourselves. Sometimes we fail, sometimes he grants us with success, but every time it's by God's will and God's power, not my own."

Svekra snorted. "Bah, you show your ignorance in religion as well. It is our ancestors that are responsible for these things. And it is our ancestors who are deeply shamed, or have done something terrible, who become demons."

Sirius handed over the cotton and then pulled an M26 taser from her gear.

"This is what we call a taser. The short simple explanation of what it does is that it shoots lightning out to about 10 meters. I assume you've seen what happens to people that get hit by lightning. This won't necessarilly kill you, but it causes unbelievable pain and can cause unconsciousness, even brain damage."

She reholstered the weapon.

"I don't want to have to use that on you."

She paused for several seconds.

"The cartridges are expensive."

"Well that is rude, even for a demon woman." Svekra said in mock offense, "Valuing the cartridge over a fellow soldier."

"What she meant was she didn't plan on shooting any of us with it because it would cost more than what she would gain by hurting us. And you failed to mention heart damage." He commented this last bit with what to him was helpfulness, but to others was usually irritation. Justin also simply ignored the whole religion debate figuring he wouldn't get anywhere.

"You don't have to explain every round you fire to some 'procurement officer' who's never seen combat in his life. Trust me, these cartridges are almost as valuable as gold to some people."

She looked at Svekra.

"Not that the round is more valuable than you of course. I'd have a lot of explaining to do if I used it on you though, that's all I'm saying."

Svekra laughed. "You're military system seems bothersome. If it is your weapon, why may you not use it as you see fit?"

"Because it may not be as her superiors see fit. Say for example you feel it is necessary to decapitate someone who brought a present to the goddess that turned out to be a porcelain doll that is now shattered even though you thought it could have been something much worse. Your boss wouldn't approve of that right? It's the same principal."

Svekra blinked. "Why would I ever decapitate someone for bringing the Empress a gift? Such a thing is encouraged here."

"It was a hypothetical situation. Say you had intelligence that someone was going to try and poison her through a gift, then the scenario could play out if you got the right misleading information. My point is that just because one person sees their action as just and fit, that doesn't mean everybody will."

Svekra looked even more confused, but said, "The Empress would approve of my actions, even if she wasn't happy with the results. She would know that it is not my fault I got misleading information, and was simply doing my best to protect her, as is my job."

"It is, if we were paying for the ammunition then we could do what we wanted, but since ammo is expensive and we get the government to pay for it, we have to account for how we use it."

Sirius pulled her swords.

"Of course, the fact that the government pays for our ammo and most of our gear allows us to get our hands on the best gear available, sometimes before anyone else."

Svekra shrugged. "If it is your way, I suppose. Different things work for different peoples."

"Exactly."

Sirius adjusted her vest for fit, yet again.

Svekra looked at the vest and cocked his head. "If it does not fit, why do you not get a new one?" He asked, though he rather missed the point of the vest.

Justin blinked and decided it best to go back to inspecting his explosives.

"These vests require a mission or so to break in. I have yet to find a vest that fit right when it was new."

She gestured to the tan vest.

"All the technology in the world and they can't make a vest that quite fits. Curse of the Trance family women."

Justin glanced at Sirius upon hearing this. "Curse?" he mused to himself, slightly amused.

"Try buying clothes for this body and you'll see that it's a curse."

Svekra was again confused, as Mereshkan's quite simply did not talk of such things. "Curse? I am afraid I don't know what you are..." Realization dawned on him as he was looking at the vest, and he suddenly blushed furiously. "Oh, now I get it. You mean your...uhm...that is...you are too well...endowed, shall we say?"

"That would be one way of saying it."

Sirius folded her arms to camouflage herself.

"It also doesn't help that sooner or later everyone has to notice."

OOC:
Dimensions: V167/B91/W58/H86 (V=height)
For those who were curious. All values rounded to nearest whole centimeter.

OOC: Just so you know, that means absolutely nothing to me. Even were I not to lazy to make sense of it, I am not very good at all with the Metric System.

IC: Svekra blinked. "You do not like people noticing these things? My, you are strange, even for a demon woman. In Mereshka, a woman would be proud to have such...ah...stuff."

Sirius simply gave him an icy stare, transmitting all the information that was necessary.

'This body got me 'in trouble'.'

OOC:
That translates to:
V 5 foot 6 inches
B 35.8 inches
W 22.8 inches
H 33.8 inches

V (Height)
B (Bust)
W (Waist)
H (Hips)

OOC: Thank you.

IC: Svekra looked rather nervous, and began shuffling his feet like a little kid who knew he'd done something wrong. "I, ah, am sorry if I offended." He said, for once not calling her demon woman.

Sirius began to warm.

"You couldn't have known and I don't blame you for anything."

Svekra grinned, trying rather vainly to go back to his normal humorous approach to things. "Well thank you for not holding a grudge. Mayhap you are not a demon woman after all."

Sirius faked a gasp.

"A breakthrough!"

Svekra laughed. "No need to be offensive. But, if I do not call you demon woman, than what should I call you, hmm?"

"For you, you have a choice. Sirius or Daphne. Sirius is my call sign, it's what most warriors know me by. Daphne is my actual name, the one my parents gave me. Daphne Victoria Trance.

Svekra thought on that a moment, then said, "I believe one should be known by ones birth name, so I shall call you Daphne." Suddenly he thought of something. "You said for me. Would that mean that if I were someone else, I would be required to call you by another name?"

"In my military unit, the 13th Special Operations Unit, we chose a name to be used to protect our identities from the enemy. In the kind of dirty war that I fight my enemies would not be above using people I care about against me, kidnapping or killing them in order to get to me. As a result we all chose another name to use around other soldiers, as a measure of protection. Most warriors know me as Sirius, not Daphne. It protects me from retribution."

She smiled.

"You can't hurt what you can't see, to use a metaphor."

Svekra blinked again. "They would do this sort of thing? That is neither right nor honorable. War should be between those who fight, not those whom the warriors protect." He thought for a second. "Than would you prefer me to call you Sirius?"

"No, you've made it clear you wouldn't do anything to my family or friends. If we were in Shenyang, then yes I would prefer that you call me Sirius, but it's... safer here, all things considered."

She paused.

"As to whether my enemies would hurt my family, yes they would. They tried it on my predecessor. As a result we learned to fight fire with fire. We won't do what they do to innocents though. We have detained families 'for their protection', but we've never hurt them."

Svekra smiled. "It is good to know that you think good of me. And I think you come to the heart of why for so long Mereshka has refused to use technology. As we are, we mantain our honor, and the common people can feel safe. However, were we to use your bombs and your guns and your radio, I get the feeling war would cease to be clean."

"War can only become as dirty as one allows it to be. In my experience, the fact that killing is easier can limit wars. The fact that so many can be killed so easilly gives an added reason to avoid war entirely."

"But it makes war all that much more devestating when it does happen." Svekra said. "It all comes down to whether you'd rather have many many smallscale wars, with few civilian casualties, or a few huge wars with many innocents killed."

"Civilian casualties are almost never an objective, they happen by accident, as in all wars, but the power of weapons makes us much more cautious about employing weapons around civilians. That said, I do respect your choices. Just remember, not all technology is designed to harm others. It's a shame that for the most part Mereshka has only seen the ugly side of the modern world."

Svekra smiled sadly. "You want to know the reason I think our way of war is better? When you have one of your guns, you kill from a distance, you simply put aim at him and fire. And with your bombs, you do not even see those you would kill. You press a button, and they will die. It is easier to not think about those you are killing. I believe that if you would sentence a man to death, you owe it to him to look in his eyes as he dies. You owe it to him to see the fear, and the misery that he shall never again see his family, that his life is ended."

OOC: Mer I think you've seen my trend. Can I get a recap? Grandpa decided to pay a visit then I fell asleep.

"Some people don't deserve that measure of respect. Those are the people that it's my job to deal with. To get respect, one must earn it. Why give someone who doesn't deserve to be alive the benefit of an honorable death?"

OOC: Conversation made it's way from Sirius's body to technology... somehow... :?

"Because life is precious." Svekra replied. "No matter how despicable the person, they have life, and there is someone out there who loves them, and someone they love. All life is precious. It is a terrible thing to kill, no matter the circumstances, yet sometimes it must be done."

"Killing is terrible, but I have to disagree. There are some people that simply deserve what they get. Karma's a b****, it just so happens that some days I'm Karma's instrument. If I'm dealing with someone that orchestrated an attack that killed dozens of innocents, then they don't deserve my respect."

"I said nothing of respect. But if you would take a life, you should be their to watch it drain from their eyes. However, I do agree that some men deserve death. However, once there were no more than an innocent babe, cooing in their mothers arms as she sings a lullaby for them. And it is to that lost innocence that you owe it to, not what they have become."

"The targets I handle, their innocence wasn't lost, it was murdered. They took their innocence and strangled it to death, watching life drain from it's eyes. Consider me the avenging angel if you like, the scorned woman. I know what you mean, but I was always preferred to snuff their lives out from a distance, anonymous justice."

"They won't see it that way." Justin said. "They'll see it as impersonal and cowardly. Mereshka is a proud country and thinks that by not getting up close and personal with those you kill that you are just being a coward about it and you shouldn't be doing anything." It was totally random considering he was tweaking with what appeared to be a live grenade.

"I mean this as no offense, but I don't care what others think of it. I've had to learn to survive on a heartless battlefield, and if that means that I'm cold and impersonal about war, it's because I'm a product of the severest school."

She was scowling now. Her hair was falling into her face.

"'Behold, I am become death, destroyer of worlds, and I have come to engage all people.' It's that simple."

Svekra shrugged. "We all have our ways, and we are all convinced that ours is the right."

Sirius simply nodded and leaned back to the wall, hair still hanging in her face, making her look more than a little disturbing.

**TAG**
I has returned! I'll be ready for mission 2.

OOC: Nice to see ya RS. Something that could technically be considered mission two will start soon. Truth be told I've been waiting for UHC, but his computer doesn't want to work with Jolt, so I might go ahead without him.

OOC: I say go for it. This mission has dragged on long enough.

OOC: I agree. We can help him join in if it decides to work later on. Though what would happen if we went with an offsite forum for this one too? UHC could join then.

OOC:True, and I planned for using that particular one for something else anyways. Up to you two I suppose. And for your information Shen, since you don't know, I made an offsite forum for another thread, but have no problems with using it for another.

OOC: I never said we had to use that one. It's simple enough to sign up for another.

OOC: Yes, but I'm too lazy to work on another.

OOC: Um, ok. If you don't mind a plain look, I'd set one up.

OOC: Do you have any particular problem working with the other one?

OOC: None whatsoever. It just keeps things organized and separated a bit.

OOC: I could just make another subforum.

OOC: Damn you and your logic.

OOC: Mer, you're still online.... Are you trying to tell us something?

OOC: Logic, eh? What a novel concept...
Personally, I'm good either way. Have forum will post. If UHC can't use Jolt and we're all ok with outside forums, that would be the logical course of action. It doesn't even need to be fancy, just a one-time disposable one that can be reformatted every now and then for a random RP.

OOC: UHC and I found what's going on with his computer. His mom put parental control software (Webroot Parental Controls) on the computer and removed his Admin access to the computer. I'm helping him go through and try to crash as many of the files as we can, and if we can get the program to stop working properly, we can restore his access to NSG. Wish us luck.

OOC: UHC lives with his mom? If hes old enough to join the army (which I seem to remember hearing/reading) why does he not have his own house? Unless he joined right after graduation I suppose...

OOC: That's what he told me. And this fragging keyboard is broken. mSeem what mI mmean? mItm keepsm putting min mam mmm with mevery mspace. mIj'm mgoing mto mgo mbuild ma mtrebuchet mto mlaunch mthis mthing mnow...

*salutes* Good luck and Godspeed! Oh, and get that d*** keyboard fixed!

OOC: It can't be fixed, I've tried many, many times. So now I'm on my dad's new Dell. It's a Microshit Windows, but it's a computer with internet and a good keytboard.

OOC: Twice bedamned Dell...And Microsoft for that matter. And just for good measure, I'll throw in George RR Martin. And maybe Robert Jordan. And tell UHC that if he doesn't get it fixed by the time I get on tommorow, I'm moving this to the offsite.

OOC: In an effort to do something other than OOC...

IC: Svekra, getting bored of the silence, turned back to Sirius. "So, what is your country like? So far, I have only heard you tell of the war."

Sirius glared from behind the curtain of black hair for several minutes. Finally she decided that it was worth speaking.

"Shenyang is enormous, and pretty much breaks into three climate zones. Nearest the equator is a tundra area, almost totally barren and pretty much uninhabitable, There are some towns and one or two cities, mostly along the coast. In the south it's pretty much all desert, same deal for people out there, which lets the military have some fun out in the wastes. As for the central region, that's mountainous and varying types of forest, rainforests near the coasts changing to temperate forest in the center, taiga up north and badlands down south. Most of the cities are in that central band."

Having finished the geography lesson she returned to what she knew.

"There's also a minimum of seven different terrorist organizations, all of them out to destroy the current government. Mostly we have trouble with the IRF, Imperial Restoration Front. A whole mess of imperialists that never got over the fact that they lost the revolution back in 1979. They want to get rid of the democratic government we set up and bring back the Shenyangi Empire, more specifically to bring back the Imperial Family."

Svekra cocked his head in confusion. "I do not mean the geography. Nor what, ah, terrorist you said? Yes, nor what terrorist groups you have. What of your people? What are your customs like?"

OOC: Twice bedamned Dell...And Microsoft for that matter. And just for good measure, I'll throw in George RR Martin. And maybe Robert Jordan. And tell UHC that if he doesn't get it fixed by the time I get on tommorow, I'm moving this to the offsite.

OOC: mUm, msorry,m haven'jtm hadm contact mwith mhi mlately.m mIj'll mtell mhim ifm Im see mhim mon mthough.

IC: MTerroristm groups? mTundra mnearest mthe mequator? MJustin mdidn'jt mhink mthis mwas ma mcountry mhem would mlike mtom visit many mtime msoon.m At mleastm inm Sylvonia mhem couldm get mthrough mthe mdaym only mworrying mabout mthem over-7abundant mgovernmentm propoganda.

Mick shook his head, "You won't get a straight answer out of her if it doesn't pertain to Special Operations. Our good friend Sirius here doesn't like to show any sign of culture past that icy exterior."

He gave a Sirius a playfully taunting smile and leaned back, cupping his hands behind his head as he did so. He admittedly hadn't played much of a role in the mission, but SCI operatives were people that everyone in the Dominion Intelligence Ministry had something to say about. Though in the upper echelons of the DIM SCI members were treated as bitter rivals and approached with animosity, members of the Black Operations branches worked alongside with a more joking or forced hostility. They'd realized long ago that the ODST and Black Ops were like apples and oranges, so competition served as a morale booster and really never proved anything. Of course, that never stopped the organizations from trying to one-up each other when it came to latest toys.

Svekra shrugged. "If that is the case, than what of your country?"

"Culturally speaking, Shenyang is generally open to just about anyone. As long as you're not in a cult or out to destroy the nation then we accept you. The previous regime wasn't open from what I've been told, so the current government has done everything to fix that."

Svekra cocked an eyebrow. "Since it is rather obvious you are not going to tell me about your people, may I ask why you are so evasive?"

OOC: Hi. I was on vacation, sorry about inactivity!

BTW, what happened with the vampire base?

IC:

Kevin had been pretty quiet the whole time, thinking about his future. Then some person he hadn't yet met started talking to Sirius about Shenyang. He couldn't help but listen in.

Shenyang... he thought to himself. Didn't really cover that in Uni... no, not really. He decided to wait for Sirius's response.

EDIT: MY SIGGY!!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SIGGY???????? GAHHH!!!!! What the FREAKING.... 101st Paratroopers!!! *chases after RL friend who plays NS as 101st paratroopers and has been suspected of hacking my account*

Saya, deciding to get involed ina conversation herself, turned to Kevin. "So, Kevin, as long as we're on the subject of our countries, whats yours like, hmm?"

OOC: And nothing much really happened at the base. I completely forgot about this, so it went nowhere. So, I'm planning on doing something else. I've been waiting on UHC, but I'm thinking about saying fuck it, and starting the other thing today.

OOC: Why don't we try to restart the (it would be 3rd, right?) TBCS?

IC: "Oh-what?" said Kevin, startled. "Oh, hi Saya. Hmm... Kenavt... I dunno. It's a hodgepodge. Many articles have been written talking about how Kenavt is in a cultural revolution, of sorts. Of course, where that will end up is another question."

OOC: Nah. Although it does bug me that I spent so long writing the OP for nothing.

IC: Saya leaned in closer. "Oh? Please elaborate."

Sirius rolled her eyes, apparently she and Svekra weren't quite speaking the same language.

"We don't have any defined customs. Every group has their own holidays and customs, but as a whole there's not much that defines Shenyang aside from fierce nationalism. In general people in Shenyang are friendly, over-educated, and very respectful. I happen to hold a college degree in Vocal Performance and Dance, yet I'm here, commandant of the nation's number 1 special forces unit."

She paused.

"The best description is that we're a nation of warrior scholars, so take from that what you can, I'm not very good at describing Shenyang to others. I think it's something you have to live to understand."

"Warrior scholars?" Justin had decided to pipe up again. "Sounds interesting. And deadly. Though it does make sense if you think about it."

Svekra nodded. "I understand. It is how you do not understand our way of life, or fighting, yes?"

"I understand your ways, but I won't compromise my ways for anyone. That would be a break from everything I've come to believe about myself."

Svekra laughed. "You may claim to understand, but I do not think you truly do. But, we all do as we believe is right. We have a saying here in Mereshka, Ashigaru serya ver Allinda. I believe the direct translation into english would be, Spears never march on the Ancestors. However, I hear an outlander put it in a way that I think would make more sense to you. No army has ever marched thinking God sided with the enemy."

OOC: Nah. Although it does bug me that I spent so long writing the OP for nothing.

IC: Saya leaned in closer. "Oh? Please elaborate."

OOC: Bummer.

IC:

"I dunno... Education is a very high priority, and a peace movement is growing inside the country after my brother, the head of state, raised taxes for a military budget increase. We joined the League of Imperial Ocean-Faring Nations, after all-imperialism is part of the job description." He paused, thinking hard. "A lot of us are Catholic, though I'm starting to doubt my faith. When a Kenavtan believes in an ideal, they really go after it."

"Sports are a large priority as well. The government is spending tons on the third Summer Olympics (OOC: See NS forum) to gain a wider appreciation in the international athletic world."

"I think you would say that we are a basic nation, Catholic, nationalistic to a point, devout, and scholarly, for lack of a better term."

Saya grinned. "Best keep your flagging faith to quiet from Svekra Kevin. He'll try his best to convert you. You'll end up worshipping me and your grandfather before you know it."

Svekra shrugged. "If that is the case, than what of your country?"

"Faith isn't really paramount to us back home. The government allows free religion within reason, but it gets no funding," Mick chimed in.

Svekra blinked, looking up as though imagining buildings blocking out the sun. The very thought of it made him shudder.

OOC: Heh, edited it to coincide with the current conversation....I'll roll with it.

IC:

Mick smiled, "It's pretty awe-inspiring; it made me want to do what I do, find a way to preserve it. I think you'd like it there."

Svekra shook his head. "I do not think so. My love is for the mountains, and trees. That is why I am glad to be Shogun of the Wolf." He cocked his head at Mick's comment on faith. "Why would a religion get funding? You do not need to fund faith."

Mick patted Sverka on the shoulder, "Trust me, friend, it's a very different world out there. Some nations are entirely theocratic, where the government and church are the same thing. For a time our 'Board of Directors' decided to feed the opiate of the masses and make it into a business as well. 1% of the budget went into it. None now though, because the President takes your view of it. Nationally recognized religions are exempt from taxes though."

"Faith needs funds because many religions that aren't state run need to pay for utilities, supplies, buildings, and even preachers. They're no different from any other business. The only difference? They sell false hope for the afterlife." Justin's view was grim and he obviously didn't like the subject.

Svekra laughed. "Some say that our government and our religion are the same. I think because our word for Goddess is the same as Empress. However, I disagree. We may worship the current Emperor or Empress, but our true object of worship is our ancestorsm and that is purely on the inside." He thought a moment. "Does your government regard our faith as a nationally recognized religion?"

"Our government classifies your faith as a mild form of Theocracy. While taking into account that your true outlet of worship is your ancestry, the word for 'Empress' and 'Goddess' in Mereshkan being one in the same was what did it. As an ally, we acknowledge your government and therefore, because your government and faith are one in the same, your faith as well. So yes, we do recognize it, but any shrines or churches you would build in the Dominion would be regarded as an embassy; basically foreign soil so we would have no jurisdiction there." Mick shrugged, "Mixing church and state is always complicated."

Svekra laughed. "We have no churches, demon man. If we must pray to the Empress, we do it in person. And we feel no need to have a specefic place to worship our ancestors."

Mick smiled. The black armor and glowing green lenses in his helmet did make him appear to be a demon to the Mereshkan people, a fact that always tickled him slightly whenever he was confronted "There you have it, then. One less complication and a lot of land saved. A lot more simplistic than many religions and some would argue less idolatrous. All the same, the file on Mereshka has you guys listed as a 'Feudal nation with mildly Theocratic government'. Nothing wrong with that, provided the Empress or Emperor is a fair ruler. Dominion Intelligence has seen a lot of theocracies go bad with the wrong person in power."

Svekra gave a wicked grin. "We also believe that if a Goddess would have us do wrong, she is not a Goddess worthy of our worship. The Shoguns have desposed of such Gods before."

Mick gave a less sincere smile, one with a hint of nervousness behind it, "One of the benefits of a theocracy, I suppose: kill the god ih he or she is no longer looking out for you."

They don't have THAT in the file he thought with concern toward Saya.

"Probably not the best thing to say around a group of highly trained military professionals." Justin laughed. "Saya, you may wish to be on higher alert with that kind of reality around you."

Saya looked at first Mick then Joshua with her cute little girl face. "Oh, you don't think I'd be the sort of goddess that needs removing, do you?"

Saya looked at first Mick then Joshua with her cute little girl face. "Oh, you don't think I'd be the sort of goddess that needs removing, do you?"

OOC: WRONG THREAD!! IT'S JUSTIN!!

IC: JUSTIN chuckled warmly at that face. "I didn't think so, but someone else who wants your country might. I'm just making the suggestion, that's all. Your bodyguard is probably better at that kind of thing than I am anyway." He looked out the window. "How much longer till we get out of here? I don't like air travel."

OOC: Sorry.

IC: Svekra smiled faintly at JUSTIN. "However, if someone tries to kill a good Goddess, we will defend her until the last breath."

Saya shrugged. "Should be pretty soon I suppose."

OOC: Accepted. :p

IC: Justin shrugged. "I figured. But get enough people and a big enough nuke and you won't have any breath left." he was bubbly at the thought of a nuclear bomb going off, but still sick at flying. "I hope you're right." he commented to Saya.

Svekra appeared angry. "And that is why I do not like modern weaponry."

Saya grinned. "Don't like flying, hmm?"

"If we were meant to fly we would have evolved wings." Justin said firmly. "And what's wrong with modern weaponry? If you have no other choice to win, I say go for it. Obviously there are environmental challenges, but if it means the difference between freedom and a dictator bent on killing us all until we fall in his line, nuke 'em."

Svekra sighed. "I am guessing I am going to have the same, 'life is precious' discussion with you that I had with Daphny, correct?"

"I suppose I should have seen it coming." Justin said, looking like he needed a sick bag. "But honestly, it won't do you any good. I prefer by far to go in and lose only as few lives as possible to end the problem, but when someone tries to take other countries over and is unstoppable except for something with a less delicate touch, it has to be done."

"I suppose I should have seen it coming." Justin said, looking like he needed a sick bag. "But honestly, it won't do you any good. I prefer by far to go in and lose only as few lives as possible to end the problem, but when someone tries to take other countries over and is unstoppable except for something with a less delicate touch, it has to be done."

"Are you OK, Justin?" Kevin asked, concerned.

Justin was bound and determined to only taste his lunch once, though it would probably be a close call. "Ya, I'm fine." he said, convincing nobody.

Justin was bound and determined to only taste his lunch once, though it would probably be a close call. "Ya, I'm fine." he said, convincing nobody.

"No-seriously, are you OK?" Kevin was not determined to fall for "sure" answers.

Justin looked daggers at Kevin. "I'll live won't I? Thus, I'm fine."

"Sorry, whatever," he trailed off. "So... what's next?"

"We land I hope." Justin replied. "And then we see what else Saya has in store for us."

Sirius simply sat back trying to enjoy the flight. She saw that Justin was getting sick.

Rookies... she thought.

Mick looked Justin over and determined with some certainty that he'd lose his lunch before they landed, maybe after out of relief.

"Sorry Sverka," Mick said, "I'd have to go with Judtin on this one. The Dominion doesn't condone nuclear weapons, but we'll let loose with orbital defenses if need be."

Ha cast a look at Sirius, "But it's been a while since we've fired up ODIUS, huh? Damn good thing it's never come into use in combat. It's a particle cannon. A very power-consuming, destructive, particle cannon. Pretty much lobs a pillar of energy onto whatever you want onto Earth from space."

Justin figured he'd throw himself into the conversation to distract himself from his stomach. "So essentially all the destruction of a nuke, minus the environmental hazards? Remind me never to get on your bad side. And if it's so power consuming, how do you power it?"

Svekra sighed. "As I said to Daphney, I believe that if you would sentence a man to death, you owe it to him to look into his eyes to see the despair that comes with death. The reson I, at least, use a sword, is because when you are using a gun, or a bomb, or one of your parti-whatever things, it is easier to kill. You cannot see the face of the man you would kill, and therefore it is easier to simply not think of it. Daphney also mentioned that some people do not deserve such respect, even in death. I have thought about it, and I agree. However, I have also realized that using a sword helps me mantain my humanity. It is a terrible thing to kill, no matter the reason, and I believe you lose a part of yourself each time you do, and so being near him, and seeing the agony in his eyes helps to remind me of what a terrible deed it is."

Justin sighed. "You think I didn't already know everything you just said? There is so much damage caused by bombs and guns, but there are times when to win, there is no other choice. Not one person has detonated a nuclear weapon upon another human being and did not feel horrible about it. Guns I will not speak for because, and this happens with swords too, there are times when the wielder of the weapon simply cannot fathom that what they are doing is bad for another human being. I speak of course of those with severe psychosis, but those without it eventually feel remorse for what they have done and that is the greatest punishment possible." His face seemed to turn some sick shade of green and red mixed from air sickness and exertion. "Anyone know where the sick bags are?"

"Project: ODiuS is an ultra-high energy particle beam emitter and a network of refractor satellites stationed in orbit. Theoretically speaking it is capable of detonating a mountain from the other side of the planet. It allows for precision strikes on targets ranging from moving vehicles to hardened bunker complexes. All other information is classified at this time under the Shenyangi Military Secrecy Act. That's the official description of the world's only pair of orbital death rays, seeing as Shenyang currently controls both emitters. It's like a strategic scalpel of sorts."

Both emitters and a control room with full override authority...

Justin figured he'd throw himself into the conversation to distract himself from his stomach. "So essentially all the destruction of a nuke, minus the environmental hazards? Remind me never to get on your bad side. And if it's so power consuming, how do you power it?"

"Its own array of cold fusion reactors. They're left over from when the Dominion and Shenyang were part of the now defunct CAD alliance with Doomingsland and our bank accounts were bottomless. We need only pay for maintenance since the Doomani government just up and left it for more efficient and better things," Mick smiled, "Their loss is our gain. You'd be surprised how much hardware and underground facilities are left over from those days that the government is still finding. ODIUS was only one of the few obvious ones because of the propaganda potential it had and still has. For checks and balances, different components were located in different nations. The Dominion annexed the power plants after Doom left and we have one of two control stations, though when our nation went dormant for a while after the outbreaks, Shenyang was given full override authority."

Mick smiled teasingly at Sirius, "Actually, my boss wanted to talk to your boss about that."

His smile faded as he turned to Sverka, "The changing face of war I'm afraid. I'm in full agreement, but it's necessary when your opponent has no regard for the lives of your countrymen. We use orbital weapons for similar reasons, ironically. A nuke leaves radiation that can affect millions, possibly of people after the initial target is destroyed. Orbital weapons pack the same punch with no ill effects afterward save a scorched crater."

Justin, eager to placate Sverka's rebuttal that was sure to follow interjected. "Of course, something that powerful still won't be used unless necessary. Most militaries train their soldiers to fight like nothing else, and get honors for their kills, but taking a life is not something anybody likes to do, no matter the weapon."

Sirius stared down Mick.

"I am my boss."

Justin would have laughed if his stomach could take it. "I think he meant the person in charge of that satellite thing. Unless that happens to be you of course."

OOC: I'm just messing with him because anything I put in italics is thought. So apparently Mick is a mindreader.

IC:
"Doesn't change that I'm in charge of my unit and my actions back home."

Jeezums. Humans, bickering all day about some orbital weapon... should tell my brother about that, eh? And Justin looks like he's going to blow. Humans are as fragile as eggshells.

Kevin shook himself from his trance. "Sirius clearly knows what she's doing," he remarked to Mick.

OOC: Mick was answering Justin's questions about powering it then went into where the facilities for it are located. That event happened to be part of the history of the facility and talking about it jogged his memory. *shrug*

Mick grinned, "Look Daph, I've been in intelligence long enough to know that the errand runners like us aren't the ones pulling the strings. We have jurisdiction in the field but in the office there at least twenty people at any given time that outrank us. The Intelligence Minister is going to set up a meeting the head of SCI to discuss it. DIM believes it's dangerous to have the emitters and the only override in one place. It'd mainly involve setting up a second switch.
We could shut down the reactors as our fail safe, but you and I both know that your nation is more than capable of generating the power needed on its own. It's a big weapon, and the new government wants no small number of checks and balances to make sure that if it's used the decision is unanimous."

He turned to Kevin, "Trust me, it's the back and forth rhetoric that goes on between our two nations. We're the closest of allies, but that doesn't stop our intelligence agencies from posturing and one-upping each other."

OOC: Wrong Department again RS.

"If the head of DIM wants to talk to someone about ODiuS then he's got to go through StratWeapCom (OOC Note: Strategic Weapons Command) and even then I doubt it'll get anywhere. Besides, I'm not an expert on strategic weapons; I work in low-intensity irregular warfare, not strategic warfare"

She quickly switched gears.

"For that matter, even if I'm outranked there's only two people that I am required to actually listen to: Major General Knight and Brigadier General Makarov. It's in my contract, if it's not worth my time then anyone with brass on their shoulders can tell me whatever they want and I am in no way bound to even pay them the courtesy of paying attention."

"Hey, more power to you! The brass can get annoying and my contract is lacking a clause like that. I can't tell you how many times I've had to put up with military types giving me crap," Mick shrugged, "Either way, Alexis is going to be meeting with someone over there. And trust me, she's not the bumbling fool who was 'removed' during the outbreaks. I wouldn't say she's as scary as you are, but no less formidable."

He looked over to the pilot, "What's our ETA to base?"

OOC: Hey, I'm moving this to a new forum, so that UHC can post and we can get this moving. That was one of my major problems, that the pilot is UHC's character, and I've always had a problem about controlling others characters. Although, if I remember right, he had a bad habit of doing that. Anyway, forums here: http://fallenangel.createforum.net/index.php

Just in case anyones wondering, I'm using it for something else as well.