open log » ❝ mission oo1 briefing ❞

[initiates]

Date & Time: 04.04.3312
Location: Training Gymnasium in the Initiative Hold.
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: Everyone is summoned to a briefing and training, pre-mission for the very first mission.
Warnings: None.

There would come a demanding ping on every netbook at once. An urgent call to arms, a request for each and every transport to return to the Initiative Hold immediately. If ignored, the ping would continue until it reached its full volume -- overtaking the senses only until its owner complied, deafening in its insistence. At the Hold, there were several more Initiative attendees to rush each and every transport into a large training gymnasium previously unseen by all residents of the island of Exsilium. The auditorium was massive -- its walls whitewashed, its ceiling patterned with dim, purple ambient lighting.

There was a stage set up near the very back of the large room. A man, stern and young-looking, stood in the center of the stage and held a microphone in front of his pursed lips. Behind the stage was a set of time travel plates more populated than even the arrival room -- there had to be at least forty-five plates, all attended by a member of the Initiative, who stood beside the plate in wait and with a distant expression. Only once all of the transports were successfully congregated into their auditorium, did the astringent, black-haired man begin to speak. "This is a briefing," he began, his voice equally authoritative and matching the expression of great urgency on his angular features. "Tomorrow, we begin our very first mission. A mission into the past.

You will be sent to the year 115 CE, in the midst of a turmoil between the Romans and an Assyrian village. It is in both ours and imperatively your own best interest to help defend this village, and to send the Romans retreating to their own homes. You absolutely must comply with this mission. Not only for yourselves, but for your families at home in their own worlds. For all of us.

You will have twenty-four hours from this time to utilise this gymnasium. You will find an array of weaponry at your disposal, and will have access to your own chosen weapon. Use them. Train fiercely, as you have no choice in this initial mission to pick a different path. You all must fight. After your twenty-four hours of practise, you will be given your cloaking devices -- they will make you untraceable to the native people to the time in which you find yourself. Do not, under any circumstances, remove your cloaking device. It will not only be detrimental to you, but to your friends and your colleagues here, as well as your friends and family in their home worlds.

You will be summoned back from whatever your whereabouts at the success of your mission. Should you die during your mission, you will be summoned immediately and brought into the Initiative Infirmary and you will be healed. Do not die. Do not turn your back on your colleagues and your friends. Remain vigilant. The imperative nature of the success of your mission will be made clear upon your return to this world. There is nothing more that we can give than our word.

Finally, I will be coming with you. I will be your mentor and your guide during our mission and I will do my utmost to keep you safe, prepared, trained and informed. Slowly, our world here in Exsilium will become less and less enshrouded in mystery. Slowly, we are able to reveal our true selves, and with it we hope we will gain a much-needed trust. We do not withhold information easily, and it comes to us at a great cost. Thank you, everyone, and let your sessions begin!"

Comments

open - I'll match tag style

[notthatjason]

Jason stood, his face a mask hiding his inward turmoil. This couldn't be right. He was Roman, and he couldn't imagine fighting other Romans, even if it was centuries before. He was a son of Jupiter, the line of Rome continued in him and it just...no, after all this time why did their FIRST mission have to be to fight other Romans? It was like some sick joke!

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair and moving off to the edge of the gym. He needed to think, to process, and come up with some way out of this. Jason wasn't normally one to back down from a fight but he just couldn't find it in himself to go up against what was essentially his family. That couldn't be what the gods intended for him to do. 'Though they haven't exactly been answering your prayers now, have they' a little voice in his head reminded him.

Jason leaned up against a wall, rolling up his sleeve and looking down at the brand there: The Eagle and the letters SPQR over 12 marks. Marks that pledged him to the Roman Legion. He couldn't just abandon that, not after so long. There had to be another way. The others could train with their weapons, Jason wasn't going to fight until he could think of some other plan.

[septim]

Rome wasn't Cyrodiil, yet their languages, their cultures were analogous to each other, both empires who employed legions under the command of an emperor. He, Martin Septim, an emperor, asked to fight against who were, essentially, brethren.

The grip on his silver-alloyed gladius' hilt is ironclad, the discomfort a barely adequate, temporary relief from his thoughts. His face is a mask of neutrality, though the intensity his eyes carry betray his inner turmoil.

"The Senate and the Roman People." Martin reads too fast. He hadn't intended to peer at the boy who stared at the markings on his lower arm as if it held the answer to some problem. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Though I assume you're as uncomfortable with this as I am." Martin taps the hilt of his gladius once, fingers relaxing.

[notthatjason]

It's not like he had been trying to hide it. Although Martin's voice does jar him from his thoughts. He looks up and shakes his head, "It's okay. Someone was bound to see it eventually." It's not a secret. Jason has spoken of the legion and Rome and while he hadn't exactly gone around flashing the marking on his arm, it was pretty large and easy to spot if he wasn't wearing sleeves or a jacket.

"I am. I serve my own Legion back home. If we're facing Romans that means we're facing another Legion...it's a huge betrayal and I can't see any of the others back home approving of it." Especially since he was the PRAETOR of said Legion. What sort of turncoat would he be regardless of the era?

"I don't mind a battle, I just wish our first one didn't have to be against a group I consider both family and as the army I serve. Do you think there might be a way around this?" Their supposed mentor had left so speaking to him at the moment was out of the question, still, there had to be some kind of plan they could come up with to circumvent this fight.

[bellonaborn]

Reyna made no attempt to hide her contempt. As soon as the briefing ended, she sought out Jason. As she stormed over to him, she made no attempt to weave around anyone else. If they were in her way, they were knocked aside. She clenched her fists as she reached him and threw an angry glance back at the others. "This is unacceptable," she hissed under her breath. The anger wasn't directed towards him, he would know that.

She glanced back at him urgently. "There needs to be another way."

[notthatjason]

He figured Reyna would find him after THAT. There was just no way the other Praetor would sit idly by and listen to someone command her to fight the Romans. Jason saw her coming before she was even near him. At least that was familiar, it would help right now. Since one of the two of them needed to stay calm.

"Agreed. Maybe you can help me think of one because I don't plan on being a traitor today and I can't see how this will possibly help our own world." Considering their world was ruled by the same gods the Roman's worshiped. "We should come up with a plan. Something that can work both for these people and our own."

[bellonaborn]

Familiarity was something that could help their situation, sure. She was just glad that he remained calm, even as there was sure to be steam coming from her ears. Her eyes flashed dangerously at the idea that by not being traitorous to her ancestors, she would be a traitor to this place that had kidnapped her to do their bidding. That is what the man with the microphone had suggested, and it had taken all her strength not to go after him the moment he had said it.

Her loyalty was not to these people, it was to Rome: new or old. Still, she nodded her head and sighed, her fists relaxing only slightly. "We will think of something. To bear arms against our People is unacceptable."

[notthatjason]

Honestly he would have thought these people would have foreseen this type of problem occurring. There were people of all kinds here, as Jason had learned, and this was no army. Sure, some had been together for months, but it was going to take more than the commands of some man with a microphone to get them to work together. And he expected them all to go against a legion of Rome? Jason knew some would be skilled enough, but he had his doubts of others, especially in a real battle scenario.

He wasn't sure they were ready for this scale of a mission and what made it worse was that he wasn't sure he could put his heart into participating in it if it meant betraying his family.

"We'll need to talk to the people here. There's a reason they picked this as their first mission, though I can't think of any way it makes sense to send a bunch of barely trained recruits against an army as powerful as Rome, especially in Rome's hayday. I know you hold no ties to this place Reyna, but I'm concerned for the transports as much as for our loyalties. You don't fight a legion with a mish-mash of people like this, it just won't work." He looked thoughtful, rubbing at the SPQR on his arm, torn between helping this Initiative and the transports and his Legion. He knew which one meant more, but Jason couldn't just turn a blind eye to the transports who were being thrown into this. They had as little choice as he did after all.

"We're supposed to be defending an Assyrian village, right? Send the Romans home. What if instead of approaching this as a battle we approach this with some diplomacy. Get the Romans to avoid the village or target somewhere else."

[bellonaborn]

Of course being here longer made Jason more attached to the people, to what was going on. Reyna had no concern for the others. If anything else, she was concerned only with hers and Jason's choices.... Concerned only with making sure they did what was best to their people. Still, even as he mentioned it, she couldn't take a blind eye to his point. "The strength of Rome is superior to any hope this group of transports could ever have," she agreed quietly. "These people are foolish, they do not understand the Roman way to fight.... And that the Roman way to fight means assured victory."

As he rubbed at his SPQR, it caught her eye, but she kept from mimicking the action. Her lips quirked in the first smile she managed all day. "Our SPQR's, Jason. It will show our link to the Roman's.... You, Percy and I each sport them.... And you and Percy are sons of two of the Big Three. We have a chance of sending them away without betraying them."

[sweettalker]

She was looking for the others as soon as she heard they'd be facing Roman's. Piper only waited until the last word had been uttered before turning and seeking out whichever of them she could find first, it just so happened that it was Jason. She called ahead as a means of announcing herself, also an unspoken question because she was pretty sure he was NOT alright (with this), so there was no need to ask.

"Jason,"

[notthatjason]

Jason looked up. He had a feeling the others would find him. After all, they were just as aware of his history as he was. He didn't bother trying to force a smile, he knew Piper would see through it. Though he did try to hide his worry, if only a little.

"Hey, so, how messed up is it that our first mission is against Rome. I'd say Hera is toying with me if there was any sign that she were here." He sighed and shook his head, "I'm not sure I can do this Piper. I can't FIGHT Rome. Everything in me is saying it's wrong." But he didn't want to let down the other transports either. Especially since he had been a big part in training and encouraging others to hone their skills.

[sweettalker]

It was way more than a little messed up, especially since they had to realize that they had some Romans or Roman loyalists amongst their numbers. She'd talked to Martin and figured he wasn't likely to be keen on it either. Her hand reached out to touch his arm.

"Then we'll just have to come up with something that doesn't involve fighting them."

[notthatjason]

"You're right. You and I have had enough weapons training. We should spend the next twenty four hours coming up with a plan that will help us do this without fighting the Romans or putting our home at risk." He had to assume that one the Initiative said was true. If their homes were in danger, more so than before, then he would just have to fight to make sure it stayed safe.

[feel_nevermore]

Raven came to lean against the wall next to him.

"Why so preoccupied, Jason?"

[notthatjason]

Jason looked up. Raven was good, he almost hadn't notice her come up to join him. He glanced back down at his arm and shrugged, "A lot of things. I know Rome, it's in my blood you could say. This is a ridiculous first mission for several reasons and one of them is there is no way this band of transports, even with another 24 hours of training, can take on a Legion of trained soldiers." The power of Rome was legendary and there was a reason they had conquered so much of Europe and into Asia. They were a powerful army and even if it was just one village they were defending he had doubts that a collective like this could turn back a Legion.

He hesitated and then added, "Plus, I feel like I'm betraying my own home by being asked to fight against Rome. I suppose I should have realized this might happen but honestly it hadn't crossed my mind. I should have thought of it, but even if I had what good would it have done?"

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the girl, "What about you? Not interested in getting in a little more training?"

[feel_nevermore]

"If I told you I thought I could take on a whole legion alone, you'd probably think I'm pretentious then, right?" And still, what were the odds a legion of human soldiers could defeat a half-demon who could fly, raise protective shields and heal herself?

"You used to live in Rome? Were you a soldier too?" She kept silent for a moment. "There are many ways to win a war. If you know those people, maybe you could talk with them, negotiate and convince them to surrender. I don't intend to kill anyone myself. And I won't. But if they fight me, they'll probably end up badly injured."

She looked back at him and shrugged. "I've been sparring with a few people. But you know, finding allies is also part of being prepared." And yes, she meant him.

[notthatjason]

"A little bit...maybe. But I haven't exactly seen you go all out." Who knew what kind of powers these people possessed. He'd learned some, but there had been a lot of new Transports lately so he hadn't gotten around to investigating everyone's powers or seeing them fight.

He shrugged, "More or less. It was called New Rome. It may be hard to believe but Rome didn't completely vanish after its fall. Some members of the legion survived and carried on Jupiter's will to continue the legacy. Right now there's a small encampment and city in California called Camp Jupiter...that's where I'm from. I was a soldier, the praetor of the legion actually." He wasn't sure how easily Raven would accept it, but he was being truthful. It wasn't like he could MAKE this stuff up.

Raven had a point. Wars were not always won with brute force or even numbers. He nodded, "I was thinking of something along those lines. I have the mark of Rome," he held out his arm and showed her the tattoo there: SPQR, 12 lines, and the eagle, "Not to mention I might carry some weight if I can get them to accept that I am the son of Jupiter." That wouldn't be difficult either, given that he WAS the son of Jupiter and had the abilities to prove it. "It's just a matter of getting enough people to AGREE to this plan. I don't want to let the transports down either."

He nodded, "I hope I've made enough allies here. Although a few more never hurt." He smiled at Raven. He knew where she was going with this.

[feel_nevermore]

"And I can assure you that you don't want to." She smirked a bit as she said that, although she was being perfectly serious.

Why wouldn't she believe it? He was from a different world, an alternative universe in which things had evolved differently. That was part of the memories she had kept from that weird place she'd been to before being brought here. Anyway she listened and tried to focus on what was relevant to the matter at hand. "You're a roman commanding officer and Jupiter's son. So you're basically a god or a demi-god, right?"

She looked at the tattoo. Raven knew latin so she did know what SPQR and the eagle meant. The twelve lines were a little more obscure but she could try to guess. "Do those lines indicate your position of praetor?"

And after pondering the issue he had raised for a bit. "You should send a message over the network to let all the transports know about your plan. I can't guarantee everyone would accept to follow you. But it's certainly worth a try."

She nodded. "More allies never hurt, no."

[curepotion]

[ he'd just been intent on getting to an empty space to start practicing his Darkness. of course, breaking away from the crowd was a little disorienting, and it meant brushing past some people--

after bumping shoulders with Jason, he'd meant to say sorry, but he caught his sigh, his intent on moving quickly. ... he let him go, but once he was leaning against the wall, he approached. ]

You're not okay with this, huh?

[notthatjason]

[Jason looked up. He didn't mind being distracted from his thoughts...after all it was a lot to take in]

I'm okay with fighting and battles. I'm not okay with who we're supposed to be fighting.

I have ties to Rome, even the Rome from 115 CE, it just wouldn't be right for me---

[he shakes his head] I'm going to have to come up with an alternate plan, that's all.

[curepotion]

Is it really fighting if you're just defending some place?

If you just stay on the defensive, maybe it'd be easier.

[ a beat; he looks back to Jason. ] Unless you want to stop everyone from fighting at all.

[notthatjason]

Well, if I could get the Romans to back off, sure. But, no, stopping everyone from fighting is probably impossible and I accept that.

[morsecodes]

Leo was stunned by the announcement, he really was. It took him a minute to recover from said shock, but he immediately went in search of Jason. When he spotted the male, he stopped for a minute, looking at the brand on his friend's arm.

If he had any doubt as to where his allegiance lied before this, he knew now. Jason wouldn't want to fight the Romans, and therefore he wouldn't either. He was Greek, yeah, but the Romans were kin still. He couldn't-- no, he wouldn't fight them, if just for Jason.

And he totally meant to say something thoughtful to help cheer Jason up, but all that came out was: "Well this sucks."

[notthatjason]

Jason snorted. That was the understatement of the year. Still, he knew there was a way around this or at least there had to be. There was always more than one way to approach a battle like this.

"Yeah, no kidding. But, don't worry, I'll come up with something." Not because he wanted to, but because he had to.

[morsecodes]

"'Course you will. You always do." Leo laughed a little nervously, rubbing the back of his head now.

"You don't think-- if we don't fight, that they'll...you know, make us stay longer, do you?" It was a thought that crossed his mind. He only voiced it because...well, they needed to get home. Badly.

[notthatjason]

Well, the burden of leader wasn't always light, but this was one time he didn't mind it. He was born for this kind of thing and if he couldn't get other Romans to listen what chance did he have of helping to unite the camps back home? At least, that was how he saw it. He hoped this would work out in their favor.

"Who knows. I'm still trying to figure out their goal here. What benefit do they gain in preventing a legion of Rome from taking this particular village. Rome conquered most of Europe and parts of Africa and Asia. What's one village to them? But they didn't say specifically we had to FIGHT the Romans, just that we had to defend the village. If we prevent the Romans from attacking at all then it shouldn't be a problem." Or so he hoped.