12th July 2568


The Eternal Eyrie-New Serpentum.
Throne Hall. 12:47PM.


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The Imperial Court was in a uproar.....The war whilst slowly falling into their favor was far too costly...With the current progress the empire would not have the manpower and resources to recolonize and rebuild the North.


The Imperial Army had their hands full and most of the it's representatives in the Court were absent to attend to the war itself,the Intelligence service where constantly scouring Helix communications and signals whilst also keeping a eye on the other factional powers just in case they would break the alliance and attack the weakened Imperium. All divisions of the empire where focused on the Helix War.And because of that narrow-minded focus the Alliance was being drawn into a war of attrition.The reports told no lies.


Helix was bleeding the Alliance dry....


The Empire could not divert resources to counter this lest they lose ground on the front.The GSU already diverted most of it's military forces to support the front and the Drosden remained focused on pushing the front towards the former Immortal worlds much to the dismay of the War Council.


The Empire needed another force detached from the complexities of the allied effort.A private force directly commanded by the Viscount,one detached from the Imperial Army and the respective military forces of the Alliance.They needed a icon that would improve morale for the entire allied war effort.This meant it could not be a Imperial,GSU and Drosden force,lest it would cause political fracture in the alliance between them.No this force would be christened heroes and sent to fight Helix on it's backyard.A force sent beyond the frontline to sabotage Helix and show that it's defeat is more possible with each system taken. Glorified poster boys  


The Court agreed on this,the Viscount's proposal for this force was given light and some resources had been brought to organize this special unit.


The Court registered them as the Galactic Crisis Unit or G.C.U for short,yet the Court all had different names for them.Some of the Varanus named them 'Krelkorric' meaning Throne Fury whilst the Human courtiers named them 'Wolfpack and System Purge'.None could agree on the name they would later be known across the galaxy for.


For now they where named 'Bane' Battalion for the sake of agreement.


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13 July 2568

Eternal Eyrie-New Serpentum
Lower left wing {Viscount's chambers}


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The Viscount looked over the reports provided by Intelligence Service and reports given by the Colonial Intelligence Agency and whatever the pirates had on others.


Six individuals chosen....


All from various backgrounds some from other factions and governments.


The Viscount focused and began reading through the list.


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{OOC: I will notify the members chosen.Please do not post on this thread}

Marcus walked with the rest of the group, as they were lead into the throne room, without a word. Being silent most of the time was a defining attribute of all Spartan troops, except when in battlefield situations. Instances such as these: standing out here in the throne hall, waiting to receive orders and mission briefings would normally cause other units to think through the situation and process what was being said to them without a word.

Marcus was different though. He didn't give a shit. If he had a problem with something, he spoke up about it. Not much stayed in his mind as most of it would exit his mouth without prompting. That wasn't to say that he was extremely talkative, but he just didn't hold back. And if there was nothing on his mind, he had nothing to say.

So there they were, standing in awkward silence in the middle of the hall, waiting for... something. The boredom took its toll on Marcus quickly and he instantly blurted out, "Olright so what the fuck is the hold up then?" His voice carried a slight tinge of a scottish accent in it. He turned towards the Zikah Guards.
"I was sent here ta' fight, not stand in ceremony in front a' buncha spectres for cryin' oot loud! Am beginning to build up an itch in my bahoochie from just standing still doin nuthin."

Elizabeth's Knight Armor:

Elizabeth followed the others into the Hall, her footsteps silent. As though she was a wraith, the woman's​ presence was almost like that of a monster's. On her person was a long, brown coat, more patches and oil stains than the original cloth. Underneath the jacket, she wore a set of dangerous armor. She had only just became a Knight, and then she was called by a noble of the Varanus. It was strange alright. In her caution, Elizabeth fiddled with the blade at her hip. Small electric bolts traveled between the plates if her armor. Her fiery red hair was tied back in a ponytail as her blue eyes watched those who gathered around her.


Her silence, forged by the Knight's, forced her to hold her tongue as two of those that stood before her voiced their own opinions. The threat from the second causing her to grasp the holy of her sword even more.

There was a large difference of opinion between the group that would be hard to tell what powers the others held. He stood at the end of the line on the right his mask obscuring his face. As he glanced to the left towards the others that were brought here his recording software automatically picked up on movement and began recording. He chose to stay quiet while the seemingly Scottish Spartan had spoken. Once the girl without electricity sparking through their body spoke he decided that this was enough. His voice modifier activated and randomly picked a mixture of dark whispers and deep robotic. 
"How about you both shut up so we can leave faster." 
After he said this he disengaged his voice modifier and stood back looking straight ahead. His pistols were now activated and ready to discharge in case one of these fools decided to move in on him. He stood at a rigid attention waiting for one of them to move first so he could have an excuse to kill one of them.

The Spartan instantly turned to face the female vampire that had just threatened him. He looked right down at her before retaliating:
"Oh, would you look at that now. A wee lassy lookin' like she's up to high doh. Well I'll let ye in on something love, frankly in my most humble opinion yew honestly look like a twig! So shut it before I'm encouraged ta skelp yer wee behind!"

The sudden sound of a robotic voice caused Marcus to take his attention off the vampire girl towards one of the other strangers that was standing in the throne room. Marcus frowned at him and almost began to say something before another individual piped up and suggested that everyone shut it. To reinforce his point, the Zikah Guards drummed their spears that may have cancelled out any other noise of quarrel, and moments later the Viscount arrived.

Marcus turned to listen to the... lizard.. on what he had to say. He was thankful mostly due to there being a more detailed explanation as to what he was doing here, but also because something other than him standing around was finally taking place.

He denied any refreshments and continued to listen to the Viscount, about how Helix has allegedly worn both GSU and Imperium war efforts and and how they have assembled a team - him and those standing around him - to lead an unconventional retaliation against the growing, relentless virus.

The notion of death didn't scare him. Truth be told, all he wanted was an excuse to blow something up... it had been a while after all. So when the Viscount mentioned how some of them may die and an offer to leave, Marcus couldn't help but speak up yet again.

"With all due respect President Lizard man, dying ain't somethin' that's been all too much on my mind right nae, nor has it been since I ever joined the military. So yew just do me a favour and show me what I need'a explode and yew'll 'ave it done. Aye?"

Natalie just wanted to start a fight with that Biggot right now but then the Guards ordered silence by hammering their staffs to the ground, Instantly Natalie kneeled since she knew the Viscount has arrived, she listened to every word the Viscount said up untill...That "Teammate of hers spoke up and said something disrespectfull to the Viscount, and so she simply said still looking at the ground kneeling . "Boy, you better be patient"

His mask tilted to the side listening to both of the others speak. He had already declined the food due to not wanting to reveal his face but something about what the viscount had said was taking his toll on him. He liked the Spartans way of thinking of things but he preferred a more calm and calculated approach. His eyes under the mask betrayed what his mind was thinking as he stepped forward pulling out his blade. He stabbed it into the floor the metallic ringing echoing around the chamber. Even being one of the more lean and small ones here he commanded respect just by his stance and posture. His mask rotated to a deep purple as he knelt before the Viscount. 

"You have my sword in this battle." This voice was completely his own. It was deep and mechanical but still gave the hint of humanity. As he rose his mask changed back to a dull green. 
"When do we begin?" 

Up until now, Jonas had been silent.  He hadn't introduced himself, nor had he made any move to alert anyone to the stealthed biosuit he was wearing.  It was likely that the Spartan had seen him, if only in his thermal losses.  But with his ship touching his mind occasionally to reassure itself, he sent a calming thought, stepped forward, between the others, and knelt. With one fist resting gently on the floor and his head bowed, he gave his ship a signal, and through means undetectable by digital technologies, and inconsistently by magic, the ship sent a signal back.  In response, the biosuit simply relaxed, leaving behind its patterned image of what was on the other side with a slight shimmer fading into an earthy brown, interposed with blue.

In essence, he decloaked.

"The Leverian Legion sends their regards, and their assistance.  I would be honored to work with these soldiers and be their eyes."  He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he halfheartedly wondered what the others would do with his sudden presence.  The Zikah had known he was there.  He would be getting a few chuckles out of them later.  In fact, that had been his plan.  To see what happens when the others don't have the whole picture, thus proving his worth by sheer shock and awe.

The sudden appearance of another individual in a suit caught Marcus off-guard but it did not stir any reaction from him. Instead he merely turned his head to look at the individual and examine his appearance. He seemed to be equipped with a variation of active camouflage technology.

Marcus turned his head back to the Viscount when he heard him reply to the stranger. He looked back and forth between them once before before ultimately resting his gaze on the Viscount.
"'Ave ye got any other surprise appearances scheduled mister viscount?" He asked rhetorically.

Marcus proceeded to listen to the Viscount and then watched the video recording of a scout infiltrating a massive Helix structure. Marcus whistled as he watched the scout get crushed into nothing but a flat sheet of gore. "Fuckin' hell.. that's quite a way tae go." He commented.

To his disappointment, the Viscount then suggested that each member of the team get to know each other. He sighed as he turned away from the Viscount and looked over the other members. While he wasn't one for small-talk, the rational part of Marcus's brain realised the importance of getting well-acquainted with everyone else in the room if they were to succeed as a team.

"Alright then... me name is Marcus, am a Spartan as ye all can see. It's nice tae meet all 'a yew." He said the last part in a "friendly" tone that was obviously faked, particularly as he glanced over to the vampire Natalie, with whom he had briefly quarreled earlier.

Simonis would turn to everyone and say "I am Simonis,i am the bounty hunter in the team..." He would pulls out of one of his pockets his hand holding a strange looking small device. "These device's are connected to my robotic eye so they are a way of communication..." He'd press a button on the device and it would open a small compartment with a holo-projector and a holographic panel would appear over it."And interface if you want to,lets say...strategic plans or hacking stuff..." He would then pull out from a hidden place in his clothe's a bag full with these device's and put it on the floor.

"Oh also,DO NOT argue with eachother near me." He would look at Marcus and Natalie with a serious look."I do not like people arguing and also if you need anything during a mission just send me a message through these device's..."

"Also one last thing,im telling you all this cuz i just want to quickly ready up so i can end this Helix madness."

"My name is Johan.  I am a pilot for the Leverian Legion, and I fly one of our new stealth vehicles.  I will be your Oracle, and I bring the latest advances in Leverian rail weaponry with me for your use or dismissal."  Johand stood slowly, noting the others in the room.  "Your ships should be detecting mine, now... If I can get it to decloak."

The AI was defying him, and near panic, he could feel its thoughts.  It didn't want to get shot down, and so he suggested that it open up communications with a nearby vessel, and made his mild annoyance clear.  Eventually, the feeling of a pouty child made its way to his mind, he got its confirmation that it was now visible, if they wanted to see it.  "My apologies for the delay.  Leverian AI are susceptible to mental health issues.  Understandably, mine being a stealth ship, it has a bit of self consciousness and anxiety issues about being seen."

After he had sheathed his sword again he turned to face the others listening to first the Spartan then to the bounty hunter and finally to the pilot. As the pilot finished he spoke up his voice module activating for the first few words.

"I am-" The voice module cut off as he sighed in his normal voice. 

"Well if we're going to be teammates we might as well get to know each other." He pulled something off of his neck before putting it into his back pocket. The helmet he was wearing consisted of three different parts. The first was the back part of the mask then came the faceplate and finally the secondary faceplate. He removed the back part of his mask revealing white hair. This hair was in no way signifying he was old but it was stark white. He removed the front part of his mask taking off the heavy armour as well as the large 'X' adorning the front. Now he just had on a gold mask in which two eyeholes were visible. However, these eyeholes had a carbon fiber slide over them which now hid his eyes. He sighed one last time thinking of how many ways this could go wrong. With a slight hiss, the secondary mask popped off first revealing his dark purple eyes. He looked young probably less than most thought. He had pale skin with a defined chin. His hair fell lazily over his left eye covering part of the purple. 

"I'm X-Prime. I was born on a backwash planet growing up with criminals and crackheads. I love this world and I would never, ever leave it. I'm around 19-20 I can't quite remember the birthdays I never had. I might not be the most respectable of people but I can promise you that I won't let the galaxy go to shit like my homeworld did. Oh and one last thing anyone ever tells anyone my real age and I'll put a bullet through your brain faster than you can draw your weapon. And well I kind of like fighting." He gave Simonis a sly grin before pushing his hair back and putting on the secondary mask. He left the faceplate off but put the back of the helmet on as well. He stepped back from the limelight waiting for the vampire.

Natalie just snickered while looking back at X-Prime "I thought it was a Thing for Women to never ask them their age? Well aren´t you just really selfconcious, got a Little secret bud?" 
Natalie sighed "Welp my Name is Natalie i like stabbing Things in their backs end eurgh....I´m pretty much a dick so always expect me to say something 'Quirky' in Response to any of you schmuks" 

Natalie looked around the Group of Goons and clapped her Hands "So! are we done?"

"We will see." He'd then look with a unimpressed face to Natalie "Lets see if you dont end up back-stabbing one of us..." He would then stay silent.

The Viscount was keeping close watch on the group as it conversed.

He would creak a smile in the shadow as the group interacted with one another,some seemed conflicted with others whilst they seemed to pick out some they where already bonding with,this group so different from one another.The Viscount was given some controversy over why he would form such a team and fund them rather then use Imperial forces...The situation was complex.

In several cases his operations to fortify the position of the New Imperium has been outright sabotaged,he suspected members of the Court still harboring pro-racial tensions and some even wanting to return to a exclusive Varanus society like the old empire.These people are the ignorant that will recite history and cause the fall of the new empire.

How better to symbolize the new empire then having the Viscount personally handpick a ragtag team of scoundrels,soldiers,criminals and even AI to go where the resources and administration of the military restricts.

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The Viscounts thoughts where halted as one of the doors that led outside the hall opened to the rushed movement of a Varanus clad in tattoed robing.The Scholar bowed for the hasted interruption and spoke without waiting for the Viscount's nod.

"My Lord......The Ship is ready but Primos Ulerias is threatening to shoot down the ship should it leave the docking bay."

The Viscount stood in anger,his wings becoming tensed.

"Is the Primos aware that I ordained the ship."

"Yes lord,he claims that the creation of this unit in against the agreement of the Court."

"The Court has already ceded authority to me."

"He says it was agreed to be a Imperial force ordained by the Court."

"Bah!.....Carry on with the preperation.....Bring Primos Ulerias to the hall and take our guests to prepare for mobilization"

"Yes Lord Viscount."

The Scholar motioned for the group to follow him out.

"Please follow me and do not wander,the Zikah Guard does not take kindly to those who do."

The Scholar would lead them to one of the docking bays from the area they arrived from,the large circular halls that led to various rooms were spotless and made from a silvery metal that carried faint reflections of the people within it.As the group progressed it became more busy as nobles and their servants scurried carrying documents and hologram projectors filled with administrative paperwork that required their judgement before the Civil Administration proceeds to implement them,many of these documents where simply where the placement of the next wave of refugees would be,many nobles resented this burden claiming the responsibility of these refugees where not theirs to hold.....The Viscount however convinced them otherwise.

Most of these nobles clad in their extravagant clothing would look tired and greyed from the stream of work that floods to their eyes,some glance towards the group with eyes mixed of curiosity,some would creak a smile,a nod and a bow whilst some would frown with a disgust or hatred unknown to the group.
 
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The group reached the doors of a locked section of the docking bay,here it separated the ship the Viscount promised from the rest of the private cruisers and corvettes used by the nobility and the diplomats who frequent the throne hall.The doors where guarded by Zikah Guard who lifted their spears from the door and opened it without hesitation.

Inside was a bay containing the flat surface of the promised ship,several engineers working on said ship and a very angry noble who turned towards the Scholar with a sneer.

"So this is the rabble our wise Viscount gathered." He said as he walked towards the group.

The noble who everyone assumed to be Primos Ulerias was a human with blond hair and a clean shaven face,he seemed to take great pride in his appearance but seemed to lack that elegance in his behavior as he spat at the clawed feet of the Scholar.

"The Viscount summons you Lord Primos."

"Does he now." He says whilst eyeing the various members of the group.

The Scholar would not react.

"Well better not keep him waiting then..." He says with a grin leaving the bay.

"Tortekesh Merfor" The teal-scaled scholar would silently mutter before turning his horned head back to the group.

"Welcome to Docking bay 9 and the vessel you see before you is the Arrowhead Corvette,the project of a combined team of our own,GSU and Bylian engineers and shipwrights with technology not even deployed yet by our military forces yet."

The group was quickly brought to a briefing chamber renovated in one of the second floor bay offices built into the wall.

They where given a briefing by one of the deck officers who identified their standing objectives whilst providing a holomap of the illusive cubed facility where the server head lies.

1:Infiltrate Facility
2:Find server network
3:Hack systems to discover Helix Prime Network {Resources will be provided} and exfiltrate facility
4:Disable the facility {Optional}

Other objectives may be given when the operation starts given the unpredictable conditions of Helix occupied space.

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"Questions would have to be answered by the Viscount himself,there is a direct link from this ship to his private chambers which can be used despite any distance in this galaxy.We must not delay as the operation has already started."

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The team was led into the ship where engineers familiarized them with the rooms and facilities and then told the team that their departure will begin in one hour.

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Simonis would go with the group to the ship,checking every detail using his robot eye while the engineers familiarized each one with the rooms and facilities."...Wow..."


   He'd whisper to himself and after hearing that they would depart in one hour he would start preparing himself by checking his health via holo-pad projected from his robotic eye;Checking if revolvers were functional by analising them;Checking every grenade he had;Check his glove's and finnaly checking on the artifact he had hidden somewhere on his clothing.


He would start heading towards the bridge of the ship before turning towards the rest of the group and say "You better ready up" He would say with a wide grin.

Johan looked out the force shield into the stars, and specifically to the ship flitting about nervously, its mottled brown skin quivering and flashing stripes of black.  "I'm going for a walk."

With that, he walked to the shield and placed his hand through, into the vacuum of space.  The tiny, eight meter craft immediately burned slightly, drifting towards the shield to bump its nose under his outstretched hand like a puppy.  It gave a soft crooning note, really a resonance across the hull as the reactor spooled down, though the sound was carried by the shield like a great speaker.  "Come, little one."

Signalling for zero gravity within the bay, the small ship was guided by Jonas's calming touch into the team's cargo bay, where a set of arms descended from the ceiling to latch on to and support the small craft in a gentle cradle.  Another soft crooning sound resonated from the hull as Johan told it to use his eyes and see that they were going to be alright, and there was never a need to panic.  Its response was to cloak and become, as far as the eyes and any sensors were concerned, a hole in the cargo bay.  Simply nothing there.

"Melanie will warm up to the rest of the team soon enough.  She is a bit... Skittish."  He would explain to the engineers, before gesturing for them to take him through the ship.  He didn't want to imply that she was liable to go from visibly calm and invisible to bright colors and full burn if someone touched her wrong, and he didn't want the cargo bay subjected to the exhaust from the engine delivering enough thrust to move over twelve hundred times her mass at the same acceleration as a standard gravity unit.

Marcus's gaze followed the ill-mannered Human noble as he exited the docking bay.
"Gee, I wonder what's been gone up his bahoochie." Marcus said in a quiet voice only audible to his team mates.

He stayed quiet for the remainder of the tour, taking in the sights of the ship they would be given command of, the briefing room and finally, the interior of the aforementioned ship. He had to admit, the Imperium definitely had a thing for architecture. From the Zikah Guards' alabaster white armour to the general construction of the structure in which they stood which featured an intricacy in its design that was absent from GSU architecture.

They were given one hour to prepare. Fortunately, Marcus had already done so before he left the GSU dropship that dropped him off at this location.
"You better ready up" Simonis said as he began to run a check on his equipment.
"Aye-aye, captain. Don't you be waiting up for me in case I trip or suhin'." Marcus replied to him in an obviously sarcastic done. Although Marcus did go on to make sure he was ready, a quick double check if anything.

He had his Heartseeker Rocket Launcher magnetically attached to the back of his armour, his Gauss Rifle was already in his hand and an Executioner pistol sidearm was magnetically attached to each of his hips. Wrapped around his waist was a large belt that featured a series of up-sized, reinforced pouches. The ones along his back contained six fragmentation and two flashbang grenades in total while those on his front contained a variety of other equipment including two overshield modules, ammunition for his Gauss Rifle and Executioner sidearms and four plasma grenades.

Two large machetes rested comfortably in their sheathes, one of each of his shoulders. An ammo belt ran from his left shoulder down to his right waist, containing two different types of ammunition for his rocket launcher: the standard issue, normal rockets specially designed for the weapon as well as a few cluster-bombs specially picked to cause, as Marcus justified it to his superiors, "maximum chaos".