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;

[boughtabookstore]

[ Twenty four hours.

Roslyn doesn't make a move to begin training. She's been keeping herself fit and prepared, and while she won't turn down someone who wants to train she's more interested in sizing up the others around her. Some of them she's seen in training before. Some she hasn't.

She stands on the edge, arms folded, her face blank as she watches. ]

[thleepy]

[ When the speech began, Nik had been sleepy and cranky and he'd only listened half-heartedly. But by the time it ended, he was wide awake and frowning.

Protect a village? Okay, he guesses, protecting people is good. But then the man had said "you all must fight"....

Nik wanders over to the first person who catches his eye. ]

Miss? Do we have to fight?

[ To catch her attention, he reaches up to try and tug carefully at her shirt. ]

[boughtabookstore]

[ If there was something she was expecting, it was not Nik tugging on her shirt. She looks down, freezes a bit, and then awkwardly shifts backwards, shoulders thumping into the wall. Oh man.

She is so not qualified to deal with kids. Or androids who act like kids.]

I'm sure they can find something else for you to do, Nik. Nobody could expect you to fight.

[ She'll need to be talking to whoever's in charge here about the children they're bringing in. This is unacceptable. ]

[thleepy]

[ He doesn't let go, even after she backs off, too preoccupied by his own thoughts to recognize that he probably ought to release his grip. ]

But they said "you all must fight".

[ Wait, she knew his name. Nik wrinkles his nose and looks up at her. He's seen her around before, but he's not sure that they've actually spoken. ]

Do I know you, miss?

[boughtabookstore]

[ Of course he doesn't let go. She listens, keeping her face carefully neutral. ]

They may just mean that we all must contribute whatever we can to the effort.

[ Oh. Whoops. A tiny, tight smile. ]

It's Agent Small.

[thleepy]

[ Agent Small, Agent Small... Hm. That name doesn't match up with anything that he remembers. Wait, is Agent a name or a title?

If anything, his grip on her shirt tightens as he grows more confused. ]

Did we... talk on the network?

[boughtabookstore]

[ a faint sigh. ]

When you were having difficulties with your hardware. I don't believe I introduced myself then.

[thleepy]

Oh! I remember now. [ Nik immediately cheers and grins up at her. It's nice to finally meet her in person, especially since last time--

And just as quickly, his cheer evaporates. Uh oh. They had talked, but, uh. Uh.

Nik finally lets go of her and backs off a couple steps. His look has now turned anxious. ]

I'm really sorry....

[boughtabookstore]

[ She tilts her head down at him as his expression changes. Is he still upset over Maletski? ]

There's no need to apologize, Nik, it was hardly your fault.

Did you find a solution to your problem?

[thleepy]

I'm, I'm working on it....

[ He hangs his head. ]

I looked back at what he said to you, uhm. He's really, really mean, I'm not usually like that, I promise. Sorry, miss.

[boughtabookstore]

That's good. I hope it's going well.

[ Oh, man. She kind of - bends down a little bit, trying to catch his eyes. Stiffly. ]

I'm well aware you aren't, and it wasn't your fault at all. You don't need to keep apologizing.

[thleepy]

[ Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh it was so bad, Maletski was so bad, Nik can't believe that those words came out of his mouth it was just unthinkable oh gosh-- ]

But I'm really sorry! Please don't be mad at me!

[ The plea sort of just breaks free from him. He claps both hands over his eyes as soon as the words are spoken. ]

[boughtabookstore]

[ Eyes widening a little bit. He is really taking this hard and what does she do is he going to start crying what if everyone thinks she's a terrible person and made him cry.

That is totally the reason she crouches down and puts a hand on his shoulder. ]

I'm not mad at you at all. I promise. Okay?

[yakuza_otaku]

[Kazumi wasn't exactly taking part in the training, either. She took part in other training exercises before, but now she decided to socialize instead.

Of course, since Roslyn liked to text so much, Kazumi didn't recognize her. Not that it stopped her from noticing the taller woman (Kazumi is only 5'2) just standing off to the side and approaching her]

So, what do you think the chances are of them throwing us into a fight right away?

[That was one of the reasons she was holding off on training today.]

[boughtabookstore]

[ She recognizes Kazumi, though, from various posts on the network, and eyes her as she approaches. She wouldn't mind knowing more about this particular person. ]

Minimal. If they have any brains at all, they'll know better than to do that before giving us more time to gel as a field unit.

[yakuza_otaku]

A-ahaha... well, we don't know whether they have the aforementioned brains.

Though, you're probably right. Still, we don't know what they're thinking, really.

[boughtabookstore]

True.

But I do think they would be extremely foolish to put us directly into a fight, and doubt they will.

[yakuza_otaku]

Unless the idea is they don't want us to win to begin with. It could be some elaborate setup.

... though, there's better ways to go about this if they really are secretly against us.

[boughtabookstore]

There would be no point in bringing us here simply to purposely sabotage us. Far too much energy would be wasted in bringing us here.

[yakuza_otaku]

Yeah, I guess so. Still, there's something about how they're not telling us everything about what's going on that's suspicious. Why do they have to keep it all "enshrouded in mystery" right now?

[boughtabookstore]

It creates an atmosphere of suspense in which they hold all the cards and therefore all the power.

[yakuza_otaku]

That doesn't make them seem any less suspicious...

Anyway, I don't think we've met?

[She bows politely]

I'm Kazumi Hagino.

[boughtabookstore]

It doesn't in the slightest.

[ and just... not returning that bow because how does politeness work. ]

We've spoken on the network. I know who you are.

[yakuza_otaku]

We have...?

[Give her a moment as she reflects on the people she's spoken with... or texted with, rather]

Agent Small?

[That was the only person she's interacted with that she couldn't identify with either seeing or hearing, after all...]

[boughtabookstore]

[ one raised eyebrow. ]

Hello.