The Pursuit Of Knowledge: Donovan does some research and training
Young Donovan also found himself in the library, a popular place for many on the networks as they attempted to perfect their forms.   However, his focus seemed to be on the specifics of magic.  Unfortunately, he would learn that the science of magic was a very tricky subject, as the spontaneity and down right randomness of magic made it near impossible for it to be a real science.  From what he could gather from his readings, magic was a purely random force, and though it tended to form patterns, which it repeated with noticeable frequency, it was impossible to predict it’s behaviour.  This was the driving factor in the way that glyphs came to be created in the way that they existed today.  Unlike ki runes and material hashes, magical glyphs were predominantly restraints rather than directions.  Magic users, especially at lower levels, do not possess the finesse to control magic without it backfiring, simply because of their low precision and control.  Glyphs are designed in such a way that magic users use what little control they have over magic to first create restrictions, allowing it to be more easily controlled, allowing them more power over it, and with this increasing power they create further restraints, building upon their base until they have enough control over this chaotic energy to drive it in a single direction and constrain it to a single function.  With this in mind, he then turned his studies to the dimensions of magic.  Like many before him, he quickly learned the virtual effects of his ability to control dimensions.  Dimensions in the purest sense are above manipulation by most channelers as it would take unfathomable amounts of energy and control to bend the fabric upon which our universe exists.  However, with the ability to control ether, dimensional control is not a necessary ability to achieve the results that one would get with such an ability.  Donovan realised, very quickly, that the ability to bend dimensions is simply the ability to bend ether and ether flows.  As everything with which they can naturally interface exists in ether, this ability allows them to simulate the effects of being able to warp reality itself, an ability which is not entire plausible.  Donovan’s eyes opened slightly.  The 11 ethereal dimensions at this point became far more conceptual to the young magi than they previously were, and he quickly began to think of them not so much as manipulatable entities, but the canvas on which he could warp the ether with which he was so familiar.  Magic occupied four of these eleven dimensions, taking up just a bit more than a third of his canvas.  Three of these dimensions were spatial, much like the three spatial dimensions that users can perceive while the four dimension was that which determined probability.  All ether channelers had an at least feint link to this dimension, being able to sense irregularities in it on a subconscious level and with training, a noticeably conscious level.  Even so though, it was impossible for the average channeler to be able to look into this dimension specifically and visualise, measure or record its contents.  As such, this dimension continues to be very much conceptual in the minds of channelers and non-channelers alike. His search then progressed to that of the ability of a small sect of magi uniques to lock glyphs, allowing them create semi-permanent to permanent magical structures, without having to maintain it using their own energy.  However, little on these techniques existed in Terran records causing Donovan to think that he may need to perform this research in an Oyan Library.  Once this was done, Donovan moved out to purchase his Gaia expansion, a device that he had hoped would increase his chances at being able to achieve his Glyph Locking.  He did realise that the expansion did stabilise his energy, however, he learned that this was done by making his energy more material than ethereal.  What interested him however was that this was done without increasing the ratio of matter to the other components, an observation that left him rather stumped.  Even with Rutaedes’ scans, he was still unable to determine the exact process that led to this, but nevertheless he could see the results.  With this little experiment complete, he then turned his attention to his first glyph locking attempt.  Using the same process which he had detailed in his plans, he created a small telekinetic ball, running it through his locking mechanism before he stopped applying the energy to it.  As he retracted his energy, he noticed that the ball did maintain itself, but a small potion of himself seemed to be still liked to it in the form of the glyph providing the information for the lock.  As Donovan attempted to severe the connection, the glyph dissipated and as such, so did the telekinetic ball, causing Donovan to raise an eyebrow… things were starting to make sense.  He noticed that many Cleric class uniques tended to lose their locked glyphs if they wandered too far from the locked glyph, no doubt due to this loss in the connection.  Noting this, he attempted to use these weak telekinetic balls as attacks.  He noted that as they impacted with structures and transferred their energy as damage, they dissipated, and similarly, if they left his area of influence, they also dissipated, but once inside of his area of influence, it took no addititional energy to maintain them.  This was his last experiment that bore positive results however.  His dimension bending experiments yielded no particularly interesting results and his self modification proved too damaging to be continued, causing Donovan to call it a day.
Donovan: +36 Exp (-95HP)
Awareness: 6 Exp	Technical: 14 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 4 Exp	Control: 12 Exp

 

Much Ado About Nothing: Iolus does some reading and an attempt at alchemy
Iolus’ research into nuclear technology yielded average results, noting the usual readouts on yields per mass that one could find on thousands of sites throughout the network.  With the information, which proved to be quite easy to aquire, gathered, he then made a back-up of his information and moved into a residential area in an attempt to reconstruct a permanent copy of his lost scanners.  Unfortunately for the young alchemist, his technical experience and control were not quite as great as his ambition, causing him to fail, though quite spectacularly at his task.  He would probaboy need to buy himself a new one, a fact that made Iolus sigh quite audibly.  With this all behind him, he travelled to France to meet Loki, where he would be able to continue his plans the next day.
Iolus: +12 Exp
Awareness: 2 Exp	Technical: 4 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 4 Exp	Control: 2 Exp

 

Stay Out: Gabriel and Xian go exploring
After doing some research into the artefact known as the Eye of God, Xian noticed its name being mentioned in a number of ancient Oya texts, that spoke of some apocalyptic event that happened in our universe’s alternate future.  As far as Xian knew however, these ancient texts were nothing more than myth and legend, propagated by the story tellers of Oya and the conmen attempting to sell useless junk.  Nevertheless, he wasn’t willing to risk the one in a million chance that this could actually be in some way accurate… after all, five days was a long time to spend contemplating  your own scepticism.    For this reason, he and Gabriel spent this exploration attempt in Gabriel’s Archel, while Xian’s summons actually moved into the facility.  Using a rather ingenious combination of skills, Xian was actually able to maintain a physical link with his summons and himself, allowing the creatures to move out of his area of influence and still be sustained by his energy, while transferring information back to him across this tether.  Unfortunately, his plan wasn’t as limitless as he believed, as he found himself unable to get more than three quarters of a kilometre away from the facility… but even so, this was quite an extension of his usual area of influence which was still less than half a kilometre.  With this figured, the two sat 750 metres away from the facility and sent Xian’s summons into the building with Gabriel attempting to extend his Temporal Enhancement ability onto Xian’s form.  Initially this, for the most part, proved to be an effort in futility but Gabriel did manage to succeed though only marginally as time progressed.  As for Xian, the boosted cognition and channelling speed proved quite helpful, although nothing could have prepared him for what he would see next.  As his summons made it past the threshold, he saw, almost as if in slow motion, a series of attacks being launched off.  The specific type of energy being used was foreign to him,  but that was not the strangest part of the attack.  He noted, with his now boosted cognition, that the attacks were fired off in a sequence, with less than a quarter of a seconds between them; however, the impacts of these attacks varies by as much as two seconds.  What was worst was that, the slower moving attacks were aimed at the locations that his summon attempted to dodge to.  The attacker even managed to predict the ability of the summon to fragment, taking out the smaller pieces of the creature as they attempted to escape.  The entire altercation lasted about three second in total, but not a fragment of Xian’s summon could found at the scene, leaving Xian stunned.  Before Xian could even give the word, Gabriel was clearing the area at full speed.  The two arrived in the city of Dehli some time later, deciding to have lunch at a small restaurant.  In the middle of their meal, Gabriel noticed a small note in an empty chair at the table where they sat.  The note read: “Stay out.”
Gabriel: 26 Exp			Xian: 34 Exp
Awareness: 4 Exp	Technical: 2 Exp		Awareness: 14 Exp	Technical: 8 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp		Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 2 Exp
Precision: 2 Exp	Control: 18 Exp		Precision: 6 Exp	Control: 6 Exp

 

A Translator: L'Qatu finds a Translator

Just the sight of L’Qatu was enough to draw attention to him as he made his wasythrough one of the more populated areas of the country of Romania.  However, his task of finding a translator was turning out to be quite difficult.  Several scans of the Earth’s upper and middle crust had revealed signs of the Jherron, a civilisation of what most speculate to have once been human, which had evolved to divert away from the way in which the rest of humanity had evolved.  However, due too their customs and their tendency to keep to themselves, very little was actually know about them,  in fact, this was to such a high degree that their native tongue had only been partially translated.  This partial translation pack had been included in most Comm. Units, but even with it, it made conversations between the Jherron and humans of any language quite difficult.  Without these devices, communicating with L’Qatu was almost impossible as quite a number of Romanians were already learning.  This made his quest for a translator quite difficult, costing him most of the day in terms of time before his ears resonated with a pleasant sound, a language that he could understand clearly. “I understand that you’re looking for a translator?”  The young woman inquired, puzzling the Xei who was quite convinced up to that point that no one could understand what he was saying. “That is true, where did you come across this information?”  He replied in his native tongue. “You emanate it, it must be very important to you.”  The woman continued. “As you would imagine, life in this place is quite difficult when you stand out and no one can understand what you are saying.”  He explained, causing her to laugh. “I understand quite well, I would be willing to accompany you if that is what you wish… are you one for quests?”  She inquired. “Ah, I’ve heard of these quests, they do seem quite interesting.  I may be interested… why do you ask?” L’Qatu inquired, awaiting the stipulations of her assistance. “I am searching for my brother, and I am running low on funds.  If you agree to giving me 20% of your earnings, I will be more than willing to act as your translator.”  She explained, causing L’Qatu to nod. “Very well, but I must ask one question.  How did you come to learn the language of the Xei?”  He inquired. “Oh, I didn’t… I’m psychic.”  She laughed. “Brilliant… I don’t suppose you’re much into sparring?”

Outcome: L'Qatu has found a translator and possible sparring partner.

 

Eternal Sceptic: Cy talks to Tiana

After his narrow escape from the Stryfes and their fake pick up team, Cy decided that he may need to re-evaluate his back-up, and start considering aligning himself with more powerful forces at work.  With this in mind, the Order of Demai seemed like the only real choice giving his disposition… unfortunately, this also meant that he would need to prove his worth to the faction. Tiana, who was still waiting patiently for her assignment to be completed, was somewhat surprised by the F-25 that landed near her, causing her to take a defensive posture.  Needless to say, she would be even more surprised by the one exiting it.  The hulking channeler jumped from the cockpit of vehicle, landing with a loud thud before continuing towards his target, who now looked him up and down.  Her uplink to the Demai database registered the man as a channeler, but she couldn’t read any ether coming from his form, which could only mean one thing: reversion.  “Good morning, Ms. Amon.” Cy greeted her, drawing a faint nod signalling her recognition of his presence.  Cy just smirked slightly at her indifference.  “I’m here to make a request of you.”  He continued, expecting a reply, only for Tiana to focus her gaze on him, signalling that he could continue.  “I want to join the Order of Demai.”  Cy continued. “Why?”  Tiana replied with a genuine look of bepuzzlement, stumping the channeler. “Why?” He reiterated.  “Money, power… why else?” Cy replied honestly. “And why would we want you?”  She continued with the question that Cy thought she would use first. “Well that’s more or less what I expected.”  Cy smirked again, handing her his Data Pad and the Orbital Enhancer in his possession, causing Tiana to raise an eyebrow. Tiana browsed the files that Cy had highlighted, reading through them all, as well as his collected schematics of the enhancer, as she was forced to admit that his work was commendable, if not impressive.  “Everything you need to bring Drago down is in those files.  The Order could use it however they want, blackmail and a free weapons contract, or turn them in and gain favour in Italy… and as for the Enhancer, I don’t even have to tell you the advantage that mass producing that would give the Demai.”  Tiana nodded slightly. “But what’s to stop me from just taking these and telling you to shove off?”  Tiana inquired, Cy just smirked. “I didn’t get these by luck Ms. Amon, there’s plenty more where they came from, all I need is the opportunity.” Cy boasted. Tiana had to take the channeler serious, after all, the information and the Enhancer were impressive enough, but to have accumulated the money to purchase an assault vehicle in such a small space of time was also a commendable feat, causing her to believe that he may just be able to back up what he was saying. “Okay, you’re not the run of the mill channeler, you have potencial… but call me a sceptic.”  Tiana started.  “I’m putting you and Jayce on securing the contract from Drago using this information.  Jayce should be able to provide you with anything you’ll need… but don’t overdo it on the requests… if you can do this for the Demai, consider yourself a member.”  She stated. “Pleasure doing business with you, notify Jayce, I’ll check in with him very soon.”

Outcome: Cy has been set his test.

 

The Bigger Picture: Roun talks to Tyler

After their little run-in with Saber and Tyler’s presence on the island, Roun decided to follow the Rogue officer back to their headquarters in Barbados, hoping to catch up to her before she made it back to her headquarters.  However, given the speed of her craft, this was an impossibily.  Forcing him to talk with her over his comm. link. “Oh hello there Roun, I heard you were at the island, sorry we didn’t get time to chat before I took off, but escorting dangerous criminals is important business.”  Tyler laughed as she opened the link. “It’s cool Tyler, but I have something important that we need to talk about… with regards to the list.”  Roun explained. “Oh yeah, how’s that going?” Tyler inquired politely. “Well if I’m right, I should be done.” Roun explained. “Oh that was quick, I’m impressed Roun.” She smiled.  “Well tell me, who did you find out about.” “Me, Ryuu and Hyaku… that’s what I started with.  Then I met you, and you told me that you were on the list, so I got to thinking.  I’ve duelled a lot of channelers, but only you, Hyaku and Jayce gave me an odd feeling in battle.”  He explained. “Oh you flatter me.”  Tyler laughed, making light of the situation. “When you told me about Xavier, I had to see for myself, I’d known him before, but I’d never gotten the same vibe from him.  But nevertheless, when I duelled him recently, it was the same feeling.  That meant that Jayce was definitely on this list, and if so, he’d know the last member.  Jayce led me to Shade, and well, yeah, he’s it.” “Good job, I knew you’d figure it out... just in time too or Shade would’ve been locked up and you’d never had figured it out.” “Yeh… but something isn’t right with what you told me.”  Roun continued. “Oh, what do you mean?”  Tyler inquired. “See at first, I figured that it was just like you said, channelers with great potential make it onto the list… so that would mean that the feeling that I got was probably just exhilaration in battle.  But you see, I got the feel from Shade, when I was fighting Blitz… so clearly, something is amidst here.”  Roun explained. “I see… so what do you think is really up?”  Roun could tell from her inquiries, that the Field Commander knew a lot more than she was letting on, this made this all either a game or a test, and eitherway, Roun didn’t like it. “I think you’re messing with me.  I think you got Hyaku to make me curious about all of this, and I think that this list has nothing to do with our channelling abilities at all… there’s got to be more to it.  I feel akin to every other member of this list… that can’t be coincidence, we are all connected somehow, to something much bigger… and you know what it is.  So why don’t you just tell us?”  Roun questioned. “Well… you’re right for the most part… the list has to do with a lot more than just your fighting abilities… it’s a lot bigger, and in a way, you are all kin.  But you’re wrong about me messing with you.  The only reason I know what’s going on, is because Kyasho clued me in, and part of the deal, was that I keep the other six of you in the dark.  Now I don’t know what Kyasho’s planning, but I trust him enough to know that he wouldn’t just give me an order like that without a good reason.  So I’ll level with you.  You’re a big piece of the puzzle, you’re the only one with the spectral intuition… other than Shade… that can identify the other pieces, and that’s why Kyasho wants you both on the Rogues.  Now, I doubt that Shade will be as reasonable as you, but I wish that you’d both consider it.” “If I join, will that increase my chances of finding out what the hell is going on?”  Roun inquired. “Heh, probably.” Tyler laughed. “Fine, then count me in, but you need to make room for one more.”  Roun reasoned. “Your brother?  Done, he’d be an asset to any team.”  Tyler shrugged. “Hey, don’t count me into any of your crazy plans, I got no intention of becoming anyone’s lackey just yet.”  Ryuu retorted. “Yeh… the request isn’t for Ryuu… I’ve taken in somewhat of a ward.  The kid’s got talent, but he needs guidance, his name is Leonardo Benjamin.”  Roun explained. “I don’t know much about him… and he’s definitely not on the list, so if that’s the stipulation then he’ll have to take the test.  But hey, I’ll do you both a favour.  Since you’re joining depends on his, then I’ll make it a joint test.  How’s that.” Tyler asked. “Sounds good to me I guess… what do we have to do?” “Well, your fellow players have managed to really botch a particular private quest, and it’s quickly escalating to a world threat, which will make it Rogue territory.  I want you and Leonardo to deal with it before it reaches that level.  If you do that for me, I can make you both members, deal?”  She offered. “Fine, consider it done.”  Roun replied. “Oh, and Ryuu has to sit this one out, since you’re going to be a Rogue, you’re going to have to prove that you can be self-sufficient.” “Fine fine, that cool with you Ryuu?”  Roun inquired. “Fine with me?  That’s great, I’ve been dieing for a vacation.”

Outcome: Roun has been set his test.

 

Persuasion: Seig and Paco speak with Amanda

Amanda Real wasn’t particularly impressed by the Stryfe brothers’ inability to protect her from SABER’s kidnapping attempt, but she had to admit that their subsequent battle against the team did renew her faith in their abilities.  This made her more open to their proposition, only requiring a bit of persuasion before she agreed to allow them to protect her while she finished her research on the inter-realm portals.  With her agreement, it didn’t take very long before they could make the necessary moves to her equipment, transporting it into the newly purchased Gull. Once done, Loki confronted Amanda alone, inquiring as to whether or not she would be able to assist him with information of devices to aid him in sensing and eventually learning to channel zeta or any type. “Well of course I do, but you don’t think that I’d just give out sensitive information and expensive equipment to just anyone do you?”  Amanda replied playfully. “Well I’m not just anyone am I?”  Seig countered. “Oh, you’re so cute.  How about this; if our little excursions goes down without any hiccups, I’ll consider giving you what you need.”  She smiled deviously. “Okay, I’m sure I can work with that.”

Outcome: Amanda has agreed to their scheme.

 

Questing: Alyssa searches for John

Alyssa hadn’t gotten confirmation from John about anything recently, so she ventured out in search of him.  Seeing that the networks had registered him to be in France, this is where she would start first.  However, tracking John down was a lot harder than usual, forcing her to resort to questioning the natives.  Her search went relatively unsuccessful as well until she got some very interesting intel. Her source informed her that John and Jais were being held at the Xelot Headquarters, Odessa, on the outskirts of a small provice to the west of her present location.  Knowing that she would not be able actually make her way inside of the facility without some kind of plan, she decided to call it a day and plan her next action.

Outcome: Alyssa has found out John's location.

 

A Better Hand: Cy and Jayce talk business with Drago Enterprises.

After leaving Tiana, Cy travelled to Italy on his own while Tiana ordered Jayce to meet him there and provide assistance to the Recruit as he deemed necessary.  Needless to say, Jayce wasn’t particularly pleased with this in the least, but an order was an order, and after his run-in with Deacon, he didn’t really have much else to do.  Given the relatively slowness of his vehicle, and his distance from Italy, Jayce opted for a Demai escort, the faction equivalent of commercial travel. “Did you get the two frame operators like I requested?” Cy inquired to Jayce. “No, I didn’t have time to go back to the base.  But they’re unnecessary.”  He replied, powering up his form.  “The entire Order knows of our mission, if they kill us it would be a personal insult to Demar himself… it’d be like suicide.”  Jayce continued, moving towards the building. “They could hold us captive or attack us some how and use us as bargaining power.”  Cy suggested, drawing the faintest laughter from Jayce. “Demar doesn’t care about us, it wouldn’t work… it would be pointless.”  Jayce continued as they made their way into the building and set up the meeting. “I see…”  Cy replied, hoping that all would go well regardless of Jayce’s disregard for his requests. As planned, Jayce ensured that their requests were met, inspecting the room to ensure that it would not be energy nulled and that their would be windows present before Cy continued into the room to discuss business.  Cy was unable to meet with the Scientist that he had spoken to last time, as he seemed to have fallen to his death in a freak accident just a few days after giving Cy that information… how tragic.  Instead, he met with Alexander Drago himself, C.E.O of the company and handler of it’s affairs. “Mr. Drago.”  Cy started.  “Let’s not waste each other time… My friend and I have come here as ambassadors of the Demai to simply make you an offer u can’t simply refuse. The Demai know all that I know about your little scandal and are willing to keep it secret if you help them. What they require from you is free weapons contracts and production as well as money a generous 3% of your company’s total monthly income. Yes ladies and gentleman these are the cards that fate has dealt you and you only have yourselves to blame. Fear not if u accept you will become an asset to the Demai and im sure that the Demai take good care of their assets for example I hear the parents are still looking for answers for the death’s of their daughters  if u accept this deal we will give them answers and u will be safe if you don’t sign this deal we will give them answers and trust me I’m not sure the police officials will be pleased with those answers. We have the proposal on the table the choice is all but left up to you. Please don’t disappoint us.”  Cy finished rather confidently, causing the man he was addressing to smile. “I had been hoping that Drago Enterprises and the various military factions would have stayed out of each other’s ways until we could become mutually beneficial business partners… but instead it has come to this.”  He laughed lightly.  “You have shown your cards, and for now, you have the higher hand… I will concede defeat and accept your terms… but notify Mr. Demar that he will be hearing from me very soon… this does not end here.” “Yes it does.”  Cy corrected him, attempting to leave the room before being stopped by two guard.  But their resistance was a mere show of strength, one that would be easily overwhelmed as Jayce allowed his energy to flow through the room, no longer suppressing his energy spike. The two then left the facility, and informed Tiana of the proceeding. “Job well done I guess, your in, your updated credentials will be send to your Data Pad in the morning.  You are now under my command.”

Outcome: The deal has gone in the favour of the Order of Demai and Cy has been accepted onto the team.

 

Technopathy: Paco does some training
Seig and Paco’s five man team had safely transported Ms. Real to her destination, allowing her to begin some much delayed research into the phasic distortions that occurred between the two realms of earth.  The selected location of the Stryfe brothers also had to be commended, as it not only gave Amanda a chance to study the interactions between the two worlds, rifts, but it also gave her a chance to study the Gaia phenomenon, where it displayed a fusion of the two worlds.  This would be of particular interests to scientists, as if this were to happen world wide, the result would be catastrophic. Her lengthily captivity only seemed to revitalise Amanda’s will to do research as she quickly got to work the minute she landed on Easter Island.  This was only briefly interrupted by Paco, who had a number of questions for his employer.  Needless to say, she wasn’t exactly pleased that he was interrupting her work, but she and the Stryfe brothers had developed somewhat of a amicable relationship that allowed them to get away with these things. Paco’s area of question however was not one that Amanda was very knowledgeable in, as she only seemed to know the general theory that was known to most.   She was however able to point him in the direction of someone who was a bit more knowledgeable, an old Asian scientist that resided in Tibet at that time.  Paco nodded, thanking her for the information before he got on with some more personal training. Having recently developed his technopathy, Paco was attempting to hone the generally unused skill.  His initial target would be simple as he was still very much a novice to this form of channelling, causing him to move towards his Gull, searching for the simplest form of technology that he could find in the vehicle.  Paco located a small hand-held neutraliser, the recent replacement to common fire extinguishers and similar devices.  The machine was rather simple, running on zeta, it possessed two parts, a small scanning device that identified the target and a small tank that stored the neutralising foam that would be used to deal with the danger.  As Paco attempted to interface with the device he noticed quite a bit of initial difficulty, his natural magical affinity failing to be able to synch itself with highly organised and logical structure of the machine, forcing Paco to try to perform the technique without the use of any magic.  This considerably lowered his control over the device but allowed him to connect himself to it far easier.  Like most players, Paco found that interfacing with the zeta based parts of the device was near impossible, but luckily, it was also rather unnecessary for a device like this as all of it’s functions were tied to some material component which he could then manipulate.  Once he mastered that, he moved onto more complex entities, but continued to have the same problem.  Though he could manipulate the material components which controlled the zeta based functions, he couldn’t hack the implement because he simply could not interface with zeta at all.  He would need to fix that if he wanted to truly be a technopath.
Paco: 20 Exp
Awareness: 4 Exp	Technical: 8 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 6 Exp	Control: 2 Exp

 

Dimensions: Seig does some research
Seig was calling in some serious favours on this attempt at information gathering.  His contact with Iolus had been minimal, but he had still managed to convince the young Alchemist to transfer the information that he had collected at Easter island to Seig’s Data Pad.  With this information in hand, he then called up Roun, asking him to do that same.  Unfortunately, Roun wasn’t as organised as Iolus, and ended up sending Seig the information in chunks. “What the hell is this man?  This looks like garbled mess!”  Seig exclaimed into the comm. link and Roun laughed lightly on the other end. “Look I gave the coordinators of the quest all the information I had, after that I didn’t have much need for the information and I needed to store more important stuff so I compressed it.  Not my fault that it decompressed like that.”  Roun laughed.  “Plus, I don’t think my info would have been very helpful anyway, I don’t understand it myself.” “So how did you know what was destabilising the area and how to restabilise it?” Seig inquired. “Well that’s easy… the bigger the energy disturbance, the more chaotic the ether in the area became.  All I did was nullify the energy disturbance and the chaos subsided.”  Roun explained. “But you created this Gaia phenomenon thing that Amanda Real now wants to study…”  Seig replied, getting somewhat frustrated. “Yeah… I don’t really know about that… that wasn’t exactly part of the plan.  It must be because of the technique I used to stabilise the area, the Buster variant of my Aero energy type.”  Roun replied casually. “What does that do?” Seig inquired, causing Roun to burst of laughing. “Riiight, like I would tell you what my tech does.” He replied. “Well I don’t understand how the information that you gave me was worth 240k.”  Seig replied, now puzzled. “Oh, well that’s simple… I told the coordinators what my technique does… I think they’re building some kind of device based on it as well… though they weren’t too forth coming with information on how they were going to use it… but meh, I was in a hurry so I couldn’t really be arsed.”  Roun replied casually, causing Seig to froth. “Oh boy, well I also need some more information from you, but I’ll request that over a more secure connection… it’s sensitive.”  Roun laughed again. “Okay… whatever… by the way, you know that doing your own research might be a better way to find stuff out… it beats the hell out of piggy backing off of possibly flawed info.   But I guess that’s up to you.”  Roun commented as the file Seig sent came through.  “Well I don’t even need to reply to these over a secure connection… the information can’t be that sensitive if I of all people have it.” “Well still do it over the secure connection.”  Seig prompted, causing Roun to shrug, as he sent the transfer. Once done, Seig would be off to attempt his own research.  Unfortunately, the information that he received from Iolus wasn’t of particularly use for what he wanted to do, as it pertained mainly towards the more brute force way of doing things, whereas Roun’s information was too jumbled to make much sense.  Even so, with what little he had to go on, Seig realised that ethereal concentrations caused rifts to open between Earth I and Earth II (Terra and Oya), the larger the concentration, the larger the rift, and the more dense the concentration of energy, the more potent the rift.  After time, these rifts would close on their own if the energy was no longer being supplied.  However even using his dimensional manipulation, Seig still found himself unable to directly affect the rifts, causing him to believe that these rifts might not be dimensional disturbances in the purest sense.  This would mean that he would need to look into other ways of manipulating this link… but how.
Seig: 16 Exp
Awareness: 4 Exp	Technical: 6 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 2 Exp	Control: 4 Exp

 

Divine Intervention?: Jais in prison

Some would say that Jais was going stir crazy, but those who really knew him would know that there was something more to his actions.  From the moment he arrived at the Xelot Headquarters, his actions were somewhat questionable.  Even the guards would admit that he was far more conversational than any other that they had detained for questioning.  He would regularly engage the guards in idle conversation, asking them questions about everything, from their lunch hours to what the bathrooms were like, even sometimes inquiring about whether or not they were being affected by the weather.  In addition to that, he was also rather fidgety, constantly tapping on the walls and floors, and even the roof of his cell, and for some reason had developed an odd fixation with the lighting.  Indeed an odd character he was. However, from his seemingly random quirks, Jais learned quite a lot.  He learned that the guards switched shifts every six hours, like clock work, with the on-duty guard waiting until his replacement arrived and suited up before he would relieve himself of duty.  He also learned that his cell was extremely well fortified, with the only hollow space in the cell leading to the small lighting fixture which illuminated the cramped space, allowing for power to be transmitted, very archaically, through cables connected to the lights.  However, the panel that sealed the cell of from these cables was held in place by thick screws which would be near impossible to remove without a specialised tool. Noting this, Jais turned his attentions to another facet of his plan.  As things slowed down in the facility, Jais went into a state of deep meditation, focusing on himself an attempting to sense on some level the energy that his soul was channelling through his body.  Unfortunately, he could sense nothing.  As his mind continued to search of this energy, he began to realise that the was actually no energy, at least none that he could sense, being channelled into his user form, ethereal or otherwise.  As he focussed further, he could feel nothing within him, forcing him to concentrate less.  As his mind became at ease, returning to his surroundings, it began to wonder now, almost as if being directed by something, something almost divine by the feeling of it, until all he could sense was the entropy of his surroundings.  This was a chilling feeling however, one that jumped him from his meditative state.  No matter how hard he tried, he could not reach that point again, but he still believed that he would need to get back to that state if he would have any success.

Outcome: Jais beleives he has made progress.

 

Bust: Rayne, Xian and Gabe do some training.
Rayne’s additional readings didn’t provide any particularly useful information, as all of the information on the manipulation and coding of zeta proved to be quite useless without the ability to actually detect it, and it didn’t seem as though there was any particular documented way for player class channelers to sense any of the new variants of zeta.  Xian received similar information from his contacts at the Mercenary headquarters, stating that the ability to sense, manipulate and channel zeta of any form is a skill that usually becomes available when a player acquires their Boss form, and they had been no documented cases of player class channelers having any affect on zeta at a conscious level.  What Rayne found out about Zeta scanners wasn’t particularly helpful ether as the scanners had two main functions, neither of which could be replicated without the initial ability to channel zeta.  The active ability of the scanners sent our a scanning wave, which it analysed on  return to determine what it had interacted with in its surroundings, while its passive mode simply created a potential difference that drew in zeta to be analysed in a similar way.  With this yielding disappointing results, the two switched to a more practical route.  With Gabriel boosting Xian with his Temporal manipulation, the trio now attempted to fuse Rayne with Xian’s Endtime Array, hoping that the glimmer of foreign energy that they had identified would be I-Type Zeta, and that Rayne would now be able to detect it.  Setting up the array, and recalibrating it in the same way that he did in the quest, Xian then merged it with Rayne, who attempted to scan for this foreign energy. As he did so, he began to sense glimmers of it, though nothing stable could be found, and the flickers were two brief for them to gather any real data on it other than that it existed outside of the ether stream.  Failing this, Rayne turned to another plan he had, while Xian made another attempt with his Endtime Array, but this time solo. Rayne was now more focused on creating his own zeta scanners, based on a copy of his own ethereal scanners… however, even this would prove problematic.  Replicating such a complex piece of equipment proved too difficult for the channeler’s limited awareness and technical expertise, not to mention his inability to reassemble such a complex device with his barely adequate precision.
Gabriel: 10 Exp			Rayne: 20 Exp
Awareness: 2 Exp	Technical: 2 Exp		Awareness: 4 Exp	Technical: 4 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp		Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 2 Exp	Control: 4 Exp		Precision: 4 Exp	Control: 8 Exp
Xian: 20 Exp
Awareness: 4 Exp	Technical: 4 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 4 Exp	Control: 8 Exp

 

Struggling: Alyssa does some snooping

Alyssa had managed to locate her brother, but that was about where he luck had run out. She had managed to acquire a map of the sewer system running under France, but it didn’t provide any helpful back ways into the Xelot Headquarters, and for all of her bribery, it seemed that no one could provide her with the schematics or even an idea of the layout of the facility, she would need to take a far more hands on approach if she had any interests of freeing John.

Outcome: Alyssa had not made progress.

 

Welcome Wagon: Roun has a conversation with Tyler

“That wasn’t a bad job that you and Leonardo did down in Africa, you guys should be an excellent addition to the team.”  Tyler stated as Roun made it past the security checks and into the Rogue’s Headquarters for the first time. “Thanks.  I have to admit that it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would have been, but we pulled through.”  Roun replied, still somewhat tired, and a bit in pain from the damage that he had sustained in his attempts to join the faction. “Heh, well don’t let this go to your head kid, but it’s going to be nice having you guys on the team… working with people and actually having people to talk to will be a nice change from the norm.”  Tyler smiled pleasantly, seeming a lot more relaxed than she usually did. “What about Hyaku, don’t you talk to him?”  Roun inquired, finding her statement slightly odd. “Hyaku?”  Tyler laughed lightly.  “No, not at all… I’m pretty sure that he hates me… since I’ve known him, he’s said all of about three words to me.  I just pass him in the hallways, but otherwise, he might as well not be here.”  Tyler explained. “I see.”  Was all Roun could say in reply. “I hope you don’t plan on becoming like that… I like you… you seem kinda cool.”  She smiled again, this time making Roun a bit uncomfortable.  Tyler noticed this, laughing lightly once more.  “Don’t worry; it’s nothing like that… you’re not my type.  You’re about six inches too short and a hundred pounds too light.”  She laughed, causing Roun to laugh as well. “Well that’s good to know, for a minute there I was feeling a bit weird.”  Roun replied. “Yeah, I noticed.  Don’t worry, I don’t make it a point to flirt with my subordinates.”  She emphasised. “Oh yeah.”  Roun exclaimed as his mind snapped back to the main reason why he had chosen to go to The Garrison, instead of his home on the small island.  “I need to talk to you about my privileges.”  He started, causing Tyler to prompt him to finish.  “I have a few theories on the outcome of the battle between me and Shade, but I need access to some form of footage of the end of our battle.  I know that the Network follows the actions of registered Players, but I also figured that factions would do the same…”  Roun explained, causing Tyler to nod. “Yeh, but you won’t be able to get much more information about the battle than what you would have gotten from the Networks.  As soldiers, we only really have access to the audio and video that they collected, all the detailed information goes to the Intelligence Department where it is processed and analysed.”  Tyler explained. “That’s alright; I just need to see it.  After all it was my energy; the readouts probably wouldn’t show anything that I don’t already know… there’s just something that bothers me slightly the entire situation, something that seems amidst about the entire thing.”   Roun continued. “Well then feel free to browse of the information, but do me a favour… let me know what  you come up with.  As Field Commander, I’d like to be kept up to date in all issues that might affect the team.”  Tyler replied, once again assuming a commanding tone of voice, Roun simply nodded. “Yes sir.”

Outcome: Roun has come across some interesting information that made further explain the connection between members of the list.

 

Peices of the Puzzle: Roun fills in Ryuu

“Hey Ryuu, how’s stuff going with you and Rueben?”  Roun inquired from the small console installed into the dresser of his new room at the Rogue headquarters. “Not too bad… unfortunately he’s just like you, he’s got a bad tendency to run headfirst into things that want to kill us.”  Ryuu sighed.  “Is that the new room?”  He inquired now, causing Roun to nod.  “Cool cool, so did you find what you were looking for?”  He now inquired. “Yeah actually, I’ve been going over these satellite images of our battle, and it’s all normal until I vanish, then even the visual output goes all weird and distorted looking.  From there the battle gets weird…”  Roun explained. “What’dya mean weird, where how?” “Weird weird.  My form looks funny, almost decayed like I’m some kinda zombie… you start Trancing like no body’s business.  Everyone on the battle field looks baffled by the occurrences, except Shade, who looks calm as hell… too calm if you ask me.”  Roun continued. “Like he knew what was going on?”  Ryuu inquired. “Yeah… but at the same time no.  He doesn’t really look himself.  Usually he’s a smug prick, at this point he just looks emotionless… if I had to put his facial expression to a feeling… I’d say that its closest to annoyed… kinda like the face dad gets when we get all uppity.”  Roun explained. “That’s pretty weird for a level five going up against two level sevens though, don’t ya think?”  Ryuu pushed. “Yeh, that’s what I’m saying… but that’s not the only anomaly here… I mean, apart from the fact that you and I look possessed… serious possessed… we then pull a fusion stunt, which Shade follows up by draining the area of energy before… and you’re going to love this part: Dad and his friend show up to part things.”  Roun rambled on. “But we already read this in the network review of the battle… well I guess minus the thing with dad… but I mean, that’s not that far of a stretch given the fact that we saw him there afterward.”  Ryuu replied, not exactly following what Roun was getting so worked up over. “You don’t get it, you know my form, and I know yours… it would be impossible for us to do anything that we did near the end of that battle… and I don’t know about Shade’s form that much, but I’m guessing that half of the crap he pulled wasn’t part of his regular move-set either…”  Ryuu nodded, agreeing that he did have a point, but still didn’t think that it was grounds to theorise a conspiracy.  “…And the whole dad incident… don’t forget that we battled a boss level threat in the very recent past… why would he feel the need to break up a scuffle between a bunch of noobs, who haven’t even unlocked our Drive abilities, but not break that up… we both know that S.A.B.E.R. is a far smaller threat than that freak in Romania… something is up.”  Roun explained, causing Ryuu to agree with him to a point.  “And when you add that to all this cryptic crap about the list, you gotta admit that there seems to be a lot that we don’t know.” “Okay, you got a point bro, where are you heading next?”  Ryuu inquired. “Well I gotta go see dad… privately, I don’t suppose you or Rueben knows where he is?”  Roun inquired, causing Ryuu to laugh loudly, asking Rueben just as a formality, causing him to laugh as well.  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” “Well me and Rueb have some plans, so how about you join up with us and help us take care of that, then we can help you search for dad… mom should at least have an idea, and she’d probably be more willing to give us the info if we’re all there to beg.”  Ryuu smirked, drawing a nod from Rueben.  Roun just smiled. “Alrighty then, lemme know what you guys are doing next and I’ll meet you wherever.  Roun out.” “Heh, yeah, lata.”  Ryuu replied, ending the connection. “Your little brother needs to relax man, he’s going to wear himself out.” Ryuu turned to Rueben with a smirk. “Yeah…”

Outcome: Nothing substantial has been accomplished.

 

Breath of Fresh Air: Jais and John are released

Their long stay in the Xelot holding cells had given Jais and John something to think about, though the Xelots did seem to fail miserably at getting to the to change their outlooks on life. The interrogation proved that the two knew little to no information regarding the conspiracy in the French governing structure, making them useless to the Xelots. As such, they were turned over to the French authorities, who had little interests in detaining them, allowing for their release mere hours after their initial transfer. The two would be happy to stretch their feet and power up for the first time in weeks. All they would need to do now is find their companions who abandoned them, one by the name of Cy.

Outcome: Jais and John are free.

 

Step in the Right Direction: Donovan Applies for membership on the Rogues

Donovan awoke early that morning and powered up, attempting via the use of his Hades Vault to sort out the jumbled messages which he had collected in his encounter with the Guardian of the Shrine.  Unfortunately, what the young summoner realised is that the messages were not simply too fast for him to perceive separately, but they were also too fast for his senses to absorb separately.  This made it exceedingly difficult to decipher, forcing him to break up the clear parts of the message and decode them, giving up on the more jumbled psychic impressions.  Even so however, he realised that the messages weren’t of any particular help to him, as all the guardian spoke of was the area being forbidden, and how their presence would jeopardise her mission.  The other impressions seemed to be along the lines of what she would be forced to do if they continued to show resistance, but Donovan didn’t bother to decode that as his team had already felt her wrath.  Donovan sighed, he would need to find someway to speak with the guardian directly if he wanted to get to the bottom of things. His next order of business would be to contact Tyler Cage at the Rogue Headquarters in Barbados, to request membership.  As Donovan attempted to establish the link, he noted that it connected first without any visual display, before the holo-projector flashed to show a tiled wall. “Hello?  Who is it?”  Tyler’s voice came, echoing in the room as Donovan tried to figure out what was going on. “This is Donovan Cael.” He answered, his voice displaying his curiousity. “Well you’re interrupting my shower Donovan so I assume this is important.”  Tyler replied, prompting him to continue. “I’m interested in becoming a member of the Rogue Special Forces.”  Donovan then continued.  “I’m wondering what I would need to do to become a member of the team.”  He continued once more, being met with silence.  “Hello?” “Hold on, hold on, gimme a minute I’m thinking.”  Came Tyler’s reply, followed by more silence.  “Well the name doesn’t sound very familiar honestly, and we’re relatively well staffed… hm, lemme think, is there anything that the Rogues need.”  She pondered before she replied.  “Actually, come to think of it, you could be of some assistance to us.  Kyasho’s been expressing continued interest in a woman by the name of Ms. Amanda Real.  Needless to say that as a law enforcement faction, we are opposed to using heavy handed tactics, and she seems to be rather busy at this point… however, if you can convince her to take time out of her busy schedule to meet with Kyasho, the Rogues would be very appreciative.”  She explained, causing Donovan to nod.  “You still there?” “Oh sorry, yes I am.  I will report back to you when the task is complete.  You’ll be hearing from me soon.”  Donovan replied ending the link.

Outcome: Donovan has been assigned his test.

 

Divine Inspiration: Jais makes another attempt at Astral Projection

Jais was slightly disappointed by his release from the Xelot holding cell, as it would now be far more difficult to get the peace and quiet required to complete his Astral Projection attempts.  His last attempt had left him with a bit of a hint as to how to achieve the process, though he wasn’t entirely sure if it was him, or some other force that was responsible for his enlightenment. As he left the facility, he rented a small room in a nearby inn, waiting until late that night when all was still before he made his second attempt.  He had learned that attempting to find the source of ethereal energy would not lead him to his soul, and as such he now attempted to focus less specifically on his environment, as he just attempted to feel the life forces around him.  As he did this, he fell into a trance-like state once more.  As his mind and body relaxed, Jais simply attempted to get a feel for the world around him, until finally, he noticed a strange thing.  The ‘lifeflows’ around him, that he could sense at least were still ethereal, noting that he had failed at reaching that underlying plain, which he was however now sure that it existed.  Despite that however, he noticed a natural effect of this underlying plain as he called it.  Jais noted the natural Entropy of the ethereal components, as if the forces that held them together were being drained or consumed by some present but undetectable source.  Causing him to wonder, if this undetectable presence would be the Astral Realm, or at least some component of the astral realm. In his mind, he made a number of hypothesis, and as he did, he attempted to apply them to his senses in this state.  He could feel nothing akin to an electromagnetic current, but as he followed the entropic patterns, it seems as if the flows coalesced around a number of different, discrete points.  This caused him to lean more towards the specificity of his lock and key theory of soul binding.  However, he would not be able unlock himself, without a method.  Jais pondered this slightly, because his divine inspiration hit him once more, causing him to snap out of the state.  He would need to study what he learned, but he was almost certain that he would be able to achieve his task on his next attempt.

Outcome: Jais is almost there.

 

Not As Persuasive As You'd Think: Jinzo talks with Amanda Real

Jinzo was quickly learning that his powers of persuasion were exceedingly useful in him getting what he wanted.  Knowing this, he decided to try his hand at acquiring one of the more desired bits of information, and something that was sought after by many channelers.  His target, Ms. Real, was rather busy, but as usual, decided to take some time out of her schedule to see the Summoner. Jinzo would quickly learn however that the scientist, whose predicted level exceeded his rather noticeably.  Much like with Cy, he noted that persuading Ms. Real of anything was exceedingly difficult, and at points it was almost as if she was unaffected by his abilities, a reality that was somewhat chilling for Jinzo.  Jinzo had come to realise that the level of Awareness of his target seemed to be a very important factor when compared to his own level of Control in determining how affected they would be by his abilities.  This left him to assume that as his powers seemed to be quite ineffective, that Ms. Real’s Awareness was rather high, and more so, considerably higher than his Control level.  Needless to say, the information that he requested was not forth coming, forcing the Summoner to give up and allow Amanda to get back to her work.

Outcome: Jinzo failed to get the desired information.

 

Equally Unpersausive: Seig talks with Amanda Real

With Jinzo’s failure, Seig decided to give his way a try. Jinzo still accompanied him in the matter, but as he had learned previously, he couldn’t be much help in persuading Amanda. Seig and his brother Paco had already volunteered to be the first testers for Amanda’s machine that would bridge the gap between Terra and Oya. However, with both of them in Oya, someone would still need to be present on Earth to protect Amanda from any eminent danger. For this task they volunteered Jinzo, who Amanda agreed would be adequate, though she was sceptical about their requests for payment, as she had assumed that the band of channelers had been escorting her out of courtesy rather than with the intent of profit. Their idea to also transport the young dragon that had made it’s way to Stone Henge was also looked upon sceptically, though Amanda did agree to consider it once she had perfected the device and could successfully transport objects between Terra and Oya without any problems. Seig request for help with his own ability to bridge gaps between Terra and Oya was again dismissed, though politely, as Amanda was rather reluctant to share the results of her research with anyone until she had completed the experiments and was ready to publish the data. She was however kind enough to let Seig know that he was going about the process all wrong, and that he should seek out a more technically sound method, rather than resorting to brutish tactics in order to achieve his goal.

Outcome: Seig failed to get the desired information.

 

Persuasion Acquired: Paco talks with Amanda Real

After Seig and Jinzo attempting to hit her up for information, Amanda was starting to get a bit annoyed with the constant interruptions, making Paco’s job that much more difficult. Fortunately for him, his conversation would be more beneficial to Amanda, as he was actually offering assistance, rather than requesting information. Amanda was pleased by his verification that he would be accepting the quest that she had sponsored, though Paco seemed somewhat sceptical about his brother’s ability to assist him in the quest. However, he had found two persons that would possibly be able to assist him. His affiliation with the younger Itami twins, Roun and Ryuu had given him some insight into their current activities, as he had contacted Ryuu with regards to allowing him to speak with the dragon, a process which he learned he could simply do over his Comm Unit, rather than wasting a trip to France. As it was, Rueben was working feverishly on a way to get the dragon back to Oya, while Ryuu lazed around, awaiting his chance to contribute to the project. Paco’s communication however brought that chance somewhat earlier, as the young Stryfe relayed his plan to Ryuu. Amanda was still sceptical about the proposal, as she would have preferred to not involve the dragon until she was sure about the device, but Paco’s plan was rather persuasive, causing Amanda’s scepticism to dissolve slightly, until she agreed with a stipulation. If Paco could complete the quest which she sponsored, with the dragon’s assistance, she would not only pay them all, but she would transport the dragon back to Oya, from any location on the planet. This essentially meant, that if it so desired, she could return the dragon to it’s homeland without it needing to fly there. This piqued Ryuu’s attention, as he wasted no time in relaying the information to both Rueben and the Dragon. The Dragon was rather sceptical about the plan, as it had no interests in accompanying a number of low level channelers into Oya, but it was quickly learning that it would need to swallow its pride if it was going to be requesting assistance from these same channelers. Realising this, while acknowledging that both Rueben and Ryuu managed to survive an onslaught from it’s power made the dragon slightly more inclined to accept the plan. Ryuu relayed these feelings to Paco, who realised that the Drago was still slightly conflicted over the offer, it would probably be up to Rueben’s vote to sway its opinion one way or the other.

Outcome: Paco has talked Amanda into going along with his plan, he is awaiting Rueben's approval or disapproval of said plan.

 

Kicking A Man, When He IS Down: Yasmin, Bobby and Kenshin mug Cy.

Roun travelled from Barbados to rendezvous with Yasmin and Bobby on Easter Island. After which the three travelled to Israel and were met by Ryuu and Kenshin, before attempting to engage Cy and his team. Unfortunately for the battle ready unit, and their overly useless back up in the Itami twins, Cy and his entire team had been previously reverted, and were spending quite a bit of time at the local hospital.  Luckily, Cy had been released on the day of their arrival, allowing them to have words with him, in a less than pleasant fashion.  Roun and Ryuu would have no part in their mafia-esque tactics, deciding to sideline while the three channelers went about their business with the team of four. Needless to say, it wasn’t particularly difficult for Yasmin to get what she wanted, that being Cy’s Orbital Enhancer, and access to his Data Pad.  Using a previous copy of Paco’s form, she was easily able to access Cy’s Data Pad and copy the information to hers, not bothering to delete it as he had already shared it with the Demai. “So this was the most pointless assembly of a doom squad ever.”  Ryuu scoffed, as he looked over to Roun. “Damn skippy… Paco fails…”  Roun replied, somewhat disappointed by the lack of action.  “Ah well, I guess we have what we came for… I’m heading back to Barbados, if you kids want a ride, speak now.”

Outcome: Yasmin has acquired Cy's Orbital Enhancer and information on Drago Enterprises.

 

Target Practice: Crydus does some training.
Still waiting for Paco to return, Crydus decided to get some more training in, testing his new transformation and the abilities that accompanied the elemental morph.  Not wanting to disturb Ms. Real, who had been rather hospitable since he arrived, he decided to move his training away from her experiments, setting up a Faraday’s Cage around himself as he sent his newly acquired Automa to carve out 8 bullseyes with its drill. Crydus commenced the action attempting to hone his accuracy with a new ability, his Fury of Zeus technique, which allowed him to create localised lightning bolts.  However due to the less direct way in which created the lightning, it required a bit of control as well as accuracy to get them to hit exact where he wanted.  His first attack was rather off, by at least a foot and a half as his Tekera used its scanners to measure the point of impact and compare it to the position that it had carved the bullseye.  Crydus tried again, this time getting closer as he realised how he would have to modify the charges to get the attack to me more compact, direct and accurate.  As the method clarified in his mind, he continued to try, attacking the spot again and again until he could finally hit his target dead centre and contain the impact to only the confines of the circle.  Once this was achieved, he moved onto more targets.  With his relatively low control however, he realised that he could only accurately create 2 lightning bolts at full power, as whenever he tried to strike more than two targets, the power of the lightning bolts war lowered.  Not being able to compensate a whole lot for this, Crydus contined with his training, now moving onto achieve a smaller blast radius, and then doing it with multiple targets.  This process would be repeated until he was hitting 4 out of 8 of the points on the bullseyes without any energy spilling out.  Unfortunately, this was as good as he would be able to get before his energy ran down, and he was forced to power himself down.
Crydus: 64 Exp
Awareness: 6 Exp	Technical: 12 Exp
Accuracy: 18 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 16 Exp	Control: 12 Exp

 

Avatar: Jais attempts astral projection again.
Once again Jais returned to his trancelike state, taking a leaving from the things around him as he drifted off into a state of higher and at the same time lower awareness. This time he focused on the sense of entropy around him, and then specifically on the points at which Entropy seemed to be most concentrated. As his mind became accustomed to this feeling, he now focused inward, sensing this same point of concentrated entropy in himself. As he followed the feeling he became this entropic feeling, slowly letting go of himself, his consciousness and even his own ability to channel. As he did this, he became more engulfed in this entropy, and soon he simply was entropy. Though he could sense that he was still himself, the state in which he existed was so different from that which he usually existed in, that he seemed like something else. It was only at this point that his senses picked up something, which seemed to be directed at him. In this state, he had no real senses, just awareness, making it hard to translate his experiences back to something that would be easily understood by others, but as far as he could tell, this presence was another soul, free floating just like him, and it attempted to communicate with him. Unlike usual methods of communication however, this seemed more pure and uncorrupted, as he felt like nothing was loss between the sender and the recipient. Doing his best to translate the message into words, Jais could only come up with this. “Welcome. I am Fate, and you are my avatar… Chance.” As this was said, he felt as if this entity imprinted itself on him somehow, though it did not fell as if they fused, but instead as if it had imparted something upon him. With this, Jais re-established the connection between his soul and his body. Outcome: Jais has acheived Astral Projection
Jais: 58 Exp
Awareness: 18 Exp	Technical: 16 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 12 Exp	Control: 12 Exp

 

Hidden Dragon: Leonardo has a duel and talk with his sensei Sun Lee.
With the Rogues having split up once again, Leonardo decided to check in on his sensei, the channeler known to most simply as Dragon, Sun Lee.  Sun was admittedly pleased to see his young pupil, though he was puzzled by the visit as Leonardo’s motives seem to extend past simply saying hi. This was only confirmed by his cryptic questions.  Sun raised an eyebrow now as Leonardo started to hint at his point. “I have an offer for you sensei… if I come close to defeating you or at least show improvement, would you be willing to consider it?”  He inquired, causing Sun to raise an eyebrow. “Show me your skills, we will speak afterwards.” Came the reply as Sun Lee powered up. Unknown to Leonardo, Dragon had been training quite strenuously to master his Soul Call ability.  Serai however was no slouch, having recorded the number of sessions that he and Sun Lee had into his AI, utilising this along with his Donpha and Seraitias, he attempted to predict the movements of his sensei, while his Serai Sins, shifter and Kamekaze give him the mobility to avoid Sun Lee’s attacks and counter attack.  This made the opening sequence of the battle quite even as Leonardo predicted the dashing palm strike of Dragon, guarding the attack before teleporting to avoid the spinning hook kick that he failed to be able to counter, detonating the gas in his wake to throw off Dragon before countering with an aerial double kick.  Dragon stumbled backward, performing a backward hand spring as Leonardo took off for his double kick.  As Leonardo’s kicks neared Dragon, his body was upside down, his weight resting on his palms before he sprung into the air, allowing him to dodge the attack by propelling himself upwards.  As he lingered in the air now, he put his palms together, summoning a ball of energy before launching it at Leonardo.  Leonardo’s eyes widened as he thrusted to the side, allowing the small ball of energy to explode into a huge wave of expanding energy, knocking him away as Dragon dashed past him.  As he dashed past the boy, he made a grabbing motion, clutching only volatile gas as Leonardo teleported one again, detonating the gas in Dragon’s face as he braced himself.  Dragon easily shook off the attack, running his dragon explosion through his form to get rid of any lingering effects. As he braced himself, he noticed Leonardo executing a rush from his dragon stance, the same style which he had learned from Sun Lee.  Dragon braced himself and waited for the attack, watching as Leonardo vanished.  A quick block as enough to stop Leonardo’s punch, modified with Soul Call and Dragon explosion, the high concentration of energy knocked Dragon back, allowing Leonardo to continue the attack.  Next would come a barrage of punches, which continued to knock him off guard, but Dragon would catch Leonardo’s foot with a stomp before he was able launch his round house, planting in a low stand before delivering a power dragon palm to Leonardo, knocking him away. “You’ve been training well… but none are as dedicated as I.”  Dragon laughed, an usual expression for the former world martial arts champion. Noting the increase in not just speed, but the skill of his sensei since they last fought, Leonardo realised that he would need to try something far less orthodox, charging his Soul Rush prematurely.  As he unleashed the attack, Dragon vanished his position, appearing behind Leonardo in a crouching position. “You are the first to witness my new Dragon Flash Leonardo…”  Was all he said as Leonardo’s eyes widened with shock, his AI module slowly recompiling the event before diplaying a number of slashes across his form, and chunks of his form actually missing.  Dragon clenched his fist shut, his Dragon Explosion burning Leonardo’s form near reversion before he called an end to the battle. “You continue to push me Leonardo…” Sun Lee commented. “Have I improved?”  Leonardo inquired now, feeling far less successful in this battle than his first. “Considerably.  Do not mistake my improvement for your loss in skill, had you stayed as you were that battle would have been far shorter.”  Sun explained, causinig Leonardo to nod.  “Now, what was this visit really about?”  He inquired. “Don’t you get lonely up here sensei?”  Leonardo inquired, looking up at Sun Lee, who raised an eyebrow.  “It must be boring just training all day long, wouldn’t you prefer putting your skills to use helping the world?”  Leonardo pushed. “A man who has not yet mastered himself cannot begin to master others.”  Sun Lee attempted to explain. “But what about your training, how can you really tell if you’re getting any stronger if you never fight strong opponents?”  Leonardo inquired once more, causing Sun to laugh lightly. “Martial Arts are not about battle strength, it is about the strength of your mind, body and soul… tell me Leonardo, what are you trying to get at?” “The Rogues, we could really use you.  Not only would you have access to all the training facilities and equipment that you need, but you’d have steady income, not to mention real opponents so that you can put your power to use instead of allowing your abilities to waste away… not to mention that you’ll be a lot closer to your favourite student.”  He grinned broadly.  “But it’s your choice; you could just give it a try and see if it’s right for you.”  He finished, but Sun just shook his head. “No Leo, your Rogue Forces are not for me… until I can see past my own fists, I am not ready to leave my mark on this world.  But, should you ever require my fighting abilities, do not hesitate to ask… I would be more than willing to assist my best pupil.”  Sun Lee smiled, patting Leonardo on the head before turning to leave. “Where are you going now?”  Leonardo inquired. “My sister is waiting…” Outcome: Sun Lee has denied the Rogue invite, but is willing to affiliate himself with the team, to be called on as necessary.  Leonardo has requested that he be deputized for his assistance in future tasks.  The request is under review.
Leonardo: 64 Exp (-450HP)
Awareness: 8 Exp	Technical: 6 Exp
Accuracy: 16 Exp	Tactics: 12 Exp
Precision: 8 Exp	Control: 14 Exp

 

Police Work: Roun has a talk with Illiana.
With his team having split up, Roun turned his attentions to other less pressing issues.  A particular local event caught his attention as he was going through the networks, coming across the bounty of Ms. Illiana Roeder.  Like most players, Roun knew well the meaning of the title Don and wasted no time in investigating the business of Don Ventimiglo, unearthing a number of allegations against him, many of which were never resolved.  Roun smirked lightly, he had never had the opportunity of dealing with a Mafioso before, so he was somewhat excited.  Roun however was taking a different approach to the quest, making his was first to the home of Ms. Roeder.  Not being much for tact at this point, and being rather anxious to test just how fast the woman called Talon was, Roun just pushed on the door, powering up his form and transmuting his now trademarked katana. The Red Bullet quickly flew past him, as Roun dodged easily to the side, raising his katana to block Illiana’s dashing slash as well.  He would be rather surprised however by the fact that the class 2 blade shattered under the impact, allowing her to take a chunk out of his chest before he silhouette slide to the otherside of the room. “Okay relax, I’m not here for the bounty.”  The words would barely make it out of his mouth before he was forced to dodge yet again to avoid a dashing strike from Illiana. “Then why are you here?”  She inquired. “I’m a member of the Rogue Special forces… recent activities have taken me to this area and your case intrigues me.”  Roun began to explain before the sound of a commotion outside drew the attention of both him and Illiana to the front lawn. “W.C.!” Illiana yelled now, attempting to break up her love and Roun’s subordinate’s scuffle as Roun ordered the operator not to retaliate. “Sorry about the method of intrusion, but I was anxious to see your fabled speed up close and personal.”  Roun laughed, as he tried to draw the conversation back to business.  “But as I was saying, I did a background check on the Don, and… well I probably don’t need to tell you what I found.  So here’s the deal, if you help me bring this creep down, I make sure that you’re no one’s hit list from here on out.”  Roun explained, causing Illiana to raise an eyebrow. “What makes you think that I have information that could bring him down?”  Illiana inquired now, reluctant to lend assistance of any kind. “I don’t know whether or not you have information that could bring him down or not, but I know that you two have done business with each other, and a shrewd business woman like you would have to have some information on a potencial business partner…”  Roun started.  “Look I’m not asking for you to hold my hand here, but at least point me in the right direction, afterall this will be a big help to you as well.”  He sighed, quickly growing tired of the rhetoric.  Illiana laughed lightly. “The Don is into everything, from illegal weapons to political conspiracy… but he’s clean, you won’t be able to hold him like that.  You’re going to have to piss him off if you really want to get under his skin, and make him slip up.”  She started. “Now we’re getting somewhere, so where would you suggest I start?”  Roun inquired, causing her to pause for a bit. “Well you have two options… I guess it depends on how you prefer to do things.  He had two facilities that are involved in illegal activities in this area.  There’s a facility where he manufactures designer drugs for distribution east of this location, and he owns a private dock where I think he imports weapons and sells them.  The first requires stealth, the second muscle… chose carefully.”  Illiana explained. “And I don’t suppose you would be willing to be of any help.”  Roun inquired. “I just was.”  Illiana replied matter of factly. “Heh, fine.”  Roun replied, leaving the room and signalling for his subordinate operator to follow closely. Outcome: Roun has received information on The Don.
Roun: 24 Exp (-45HP)			Renegade: 38 Exp (-125HP)
Awareness: 4 Exp	Technical: 6 Exp		Awareness: 6 Exp	Technical: 6 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 2 Exp		Accuracy: 8 Exp	Tactics: 6 Exp
Precision: 6 Exp	Control: 6 Exp		Precision: 6 Exp	Control: 6 Exp

 

For Science.... etc.: Davius and Juggerknot talk with scientists.

Davius and Juggerknot, having had little luck with the Gladiator quest as of late returned to have a word in person with the sponsors of the quest. Their business was not related directly to the quest itself, but more so the research that went into the developments that made the quest possible, volunteering their services to aid in the scientists continued success. However, they would be informed that until the proper tests were run and additional data was collected, the specific field of research in which they were all interested would not be approved, and it would be illegal to start actual trials before it was. Davius and Juggerknot were invited to stay for the initial tests however.

Outcome: They will be allowed to begin initial tests.

 

More Target Practice: Crydus does some more training.
Once again, Crydus found himself waiting for Paco and Yasmin so they he could continue with his plan in Oya, so once again, he attempted to train his accuracy, attempting to get it to at least an average skill level. Once again he set up his array of bulleyes and went at it again with his Zeus’ Fury, continuing for the entire day until once again his stamina drained, allowing him to call it a day.
Crydus: 48 Exp
Awareness: 4 Exp	Technical: 8 Exp
Accuracy: 16 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 10 Exp	Control: 10 Exp

 

Shedding Light on the Truth: Seig returns Setto's belongings and has a word with the Oyan Prince.

Roun had requested that Ryuu accompany him back home, along with Setto, who Shin had allowed to travel with the two, putting the young man, his nephew, in the care of the twins for this meeting with a member of the Xelots.  Roun was already suspicious of Seig’s intensions, hence why he had requested the additional back up in Ryuu, but it seemed important to Setto to retrieve his personal belongings so Roun set up the meeting.  As Seig approached the house and knocked on the door, he could hear nothing but confusion coming from the inside, as there were a number of foot steps and the loud crying of an infant, causing Seig to raise an eyebrow.  The door opened slowly to reveal Ryuu, who just smirked at his old acquaintance before opening the door fully. “Roun and the kid will be down soon.”  He stated, noting Seig’s displeasure before he turned his attention back to his nephew, who was crying loudly. Roun made his way down the stairs without a shirt, drying his hair as he left a trail of water behind him.  Seig raised an eyebrow and scoffed loudly as Roun went on about the smell of baby vomit, before Seig caught his attention. “Oh, yo.”  Roun laughed, looking for his shirt and through it on, before yelling to his mother, who was out in the garden with Donovan, inquiring as to the location of his Data Pad. As Setto made his way down the stairs, Seig noted that he did look rather different in Terran clothing.  The Xelot wasted no time in returning the boy’s possessions, causing Setto to bow faintly and accept the bundle.  Roun smirked, detaching a device from one of the Hard Points of his Expansion Suit and tossing it to Seig. “The kid was wearing your Venom Suit, so I took the liberty of extracting it from his expansion suit at returning it.”  Roun replied as Setto went up stairs to put his stuff down and go through them to make sure that nothing was missing. It wasn’t long before Setto returned back down the stairs, and Seig requested to speak to the boy.  The arrangement had been for Naomi to provide the link between the Seig and Setto, but with Naomi busy assisting Donovan, Roun would have to do it.  Luckily, Roun’s recent upgrade allowed for some telepathy, so linking the meta-human and Seig in his user form was a relatively small task. Roun was amused to see that Seig had come rather prepared for his little speech, having downloaded a great deal of data from Xelot Command to supplement his persuasive argument. “Let me cut to the chase Setto.  The Council of Xelots has no problem with you staying with your Terran relatively, but I think that you should really know who it is that you are staying with before you make a final decision.”  Seig explained, pulling up a file on his Data Pad and replaying a satellite recording of the clash between the Xelots and the Demai.  “This is the battle that lead to you being taken by your family members here.”  He started, pausing as the satellite zoomed in on Rueben and Rayne.  “Rueben and Rayne, known affiliates of this man.”  He paused, showing a picture of Cy.  “Rueben and Rayne have assisted in assaults on Xelot officials and been part of the kidnapping of my brother Paco, who was at the time an innocent civilian.”  He explained, causing Ryuu to laugh lightly, drawing a smirk from Roun as well, as Seig continued on, showing Setto the files with relation to the Amanda Real kidnapping and Cy, before he attempted to show how “friendly” Rayne and Rueben were with Cy. At this point, Setto began to raise an eyebrow, wondering exactly what this had to do with him, but out of courtesy to the Xelot, he continued to listen.  Next Seig would highlight Ryuu, and his association with Jayce, trying to link their cooperation in the retrieval of Setto to some form of amicable relationship between the bitter rivals, and attempting to discredit Ryuu by using Jayce’s records.  What Setto did find somewhat shocking was Jayce’s kill count, which was rather high for someone his age, a statistic that shocked even the young Oyan who was no stranger to death, causing him to be slightly impressed with Jayce’s skills.  Roun scoffed now, doing his best to hold his tongue through Seig’s lengthly distribution of propaganda and gaff.  The next however would be the nail in the coffin, killing a great deal of Seig’s credibility, as he now attempted to link Shin Itami to Rayad Demar, stressing on the expression of ‘amicable’ relations between the Demai and the Terran Itamis in an attempt to connect Shin to the atrocities perpetrated by the Demai.  For the first time now, Setto replied to Seig. “I think you for your compliance with my request, and once again I think you for returning my possessions, but your knowledge of your own world seems to be even more limited than my own.  You should seek to enlighten yourself before you attempt to enlighten others.”  Setto suggested, before walking over to Ryuu and taking the screaming child from him, calming the youngster considerably, much to Ryuu and Roun’s surprise.  He Setto’s attention left them, Roun severed the link between him and Seig, turning to Seig with a look of disdain. “You’re a fairly greasy bastard… had it not been my cousin; I’d be impressed… but know this.  You’ve officially destroyed what little credibility you had with us, if you intervene in any more of my family business, I will take it very personally, and I’ll assault whatever it is that you hold dear to you....  You can see yourself out.”

Outcome: Seig has returned Setto's possessions and has received his Venom Suit module in return.

 

Getting On With Business: The Itamis unlock Setto's hidden power.

With Seig gone, Shin showed himself, shimmering into existence as he approached the three young Itamis in the room. “Did you deal with that thing that you said you had to deal with, dad?”  Roun inquired casually as his father materialised. “Yes, I had to thank Marshack for his assistance and for not pushing the issue.”  Shin explained, looking over to Setto.  “Did the retrieval of his gear go well?”  He inquired, causing Roun to tip his hand from left to right. “So-so… the Xelot that made the delivery used to be a friend of mine, not sure if it’s just him or the whole team, but whatever deal you made with Marshack, he didn’t bother to inform his operatives… looks like there’s some kind of grudge.”  Shin shrugged at this fact, dismissing it as a triviality before turning to Setto. “Now that you have retrived your possessions, we can complete your task and fulfil the reason that you came here in the first place.”  Shin stated, taking his grandson from Setto and calling over Roun and Ryuu. As Shin directed them where to stand, he removed the inhibitor from Roun, placing Roun and Ryuu on opposite sides of Setto before he ordered Setto to power up and attempt to channel his energy.  As Setto was still below channeler level, this was an odd request for the youngster, who did his best to comply.  As he did this, Roun and Ryuu noticed the same odd sensation that they had received while fighting Jayce and Xavier, causing them to power up as well, channelling their energies through their bodies.  For the first time, the two focused on their own energy, not being preoccupied with a battle, noticing that all three of their energies began to synchronise, pulsing in tandem until the sound began to resemble that of a heart beat.  The three continued this exercise until the pulse sped up, until finally a red energy erupted from Setto.  As it fanned outwards, Roun and Ryuu threw up their guards, only to find that their energies had been crystalised by the expanding wave, which Shin was forced to contain. “It is done.”  He said, ordering Setto to power down as he reversed the effects of Setto’s energy, a task that took more effort than usual for the perfect.  “Geon’s power is strong in you… maybe the legends are true.”  Shin smirked.  “Prepare for your departure, I will arrange for your safe return to Oya.”  Shin sounded now that it was complete, an order to which his nephew simply complied.  “Roun, you and Ryuu will be overseeing his return, I do not expect there to be any resistance, but should there be, I expect you two to deal with it and secure his extraction.”  Roun and Ryuu nodded, preparing to head out.

Outcome: Geon has been awakened in Setto and he is now with Shin, waiting to be returned to Oya.

 

The Price of Progress: Paco learns the seret art of traversing the astral realm.
Amanda was starting to realise that relying on channelers registered with the Network required a great deal of patience, as sponsors were subject to a number of things that could impede the speedy completion of their requests.  Fortunately, her research was almost complete, and with the team’s next excursion to Oya, she would have all the research necessary to complete the device.  And in addition, knowing Paco had been a treat, so she was not only willing to humor him, allowing him to handle his business while she awaited him and his team to make the final run, but she was also willing to put in a call to a friend of hers, a doctor of philosophy and meta-physics by the name of Xiang Sihung.  Making the call, Amanda organised the entire thing, leaving Paco to just meet with the doctor and see if he could help him. On his way to Tibet to meet the doctor, Paco left his team and his Gull with Ms. Real, deciding to take Rogue Transport carrier to the Tibetan mountain range. During his trip, he had a brief chat with his Field Commander Tyler, detailing the sketchiest of plans, and one that had just struck him out of the blue.  As Paco expected, Tyler was not too certain about the feasibility of the plan, but given the amount of time on her hands, she decided that she would look into the matter.  On arrival at the residents of Dr. Sihung, Paco greeted him warmly wasting no time in cutting to the chase.  Paco was very liberal with his Data Pad at this point, hading it to Dr. Sihung to give him the full capabilities of Paco’s form, something that would aid him in helping Paco achieve his goal; the ability to traverse the Spectral Realm while in his player form.  As Dr. Sihung looked over his form, he pondered a possible method of aiding the Oyan channeler, pausing for a lengthly period of time before he drew up a theoretical plan for the attempt.  Unfortunately, it would require the upgrade of Paco’s Ethereal Scanners and the modification of his Hestia and Push Call.  Paco easily agreed to the terms, kissing the money for his ship modifications goodbye as he handed over the money that would be necessary to upgrade his scanners.  To save him time however, Dr. Sihung gave him a pair of scanners that he kept on hand at the facility, taking the money to upgrade Paco’s scanners which he would in turn keep for himself.  The technique took quite a bit of explaining on the part of the doctor, but eventually Paco was able to get the premise behind it, modifying his Hestia and Push Call as necessary before he attempted to breech the astral realm.  Unfortunately, his initial attempt would not go very well as his Cronos aura quickly ran down, forcing him to exit the spectral realm as he prepared for another attempt.  He would be able to make sever or so passes through the spectral realm before his low stamina rendered the process too dangerous. Paco would continue to train for three days until he finally got the technique down. Outcome: Paco has learned to traverse the spectral realm, but his time in the realm is rather limited due to the lack of ether.
Paco: 58 Exp
Awareness: 14 Exp	Technical: 8 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 18 Exp	Control: 18 Exp

 

No Interpersonal Skills: Ryuu has a confrontation with Bayman.

Thanks to his Regeneration, Ryuu was feel a lot better than Cloud was two days after their duel, and he decided that it would be a good idea to take a look around the city while he was in town.  Amsterdam was known for a lot of things, but none of them was of particular interest to Ryuu, and in fact he could only think of one reason to really venture into the city.  As he made his way towards the fashion house of Misha Teragi, he was intercepted by Enrique Bayman, the Mercenary that was assigned to liaise with Ms. Teragi in regard to their Second Skin project. “What do you want here?”  Bayman inquired, getting somewhat tired of channeler interference when it came to this particular project. “What’s it to you Hans?”  Ryuu inquired rather disrespectfully, somewhat annoyed that Bayman would interject himself into his business.  This made it quite a surprise when Ryuu found himself pressed against a wall that was some distance from his previous position, only now sensing Bayman’s energy flaring.  “The hell!?”  Ryuu exclaimed, grabbing Bayman’s hand which was pressed into his throat. “What do you want here?”  Bayman questioned again. “Look man!”  Ryuu exclaimed now, doing his best not to power up as he didn’t want a confrontation with the military veteran so near to Ms. Teragi’s workplace.  “If you want me to kick your ass, send me a message over the networks, otherwise, stay the hell out of my business.”  Ryuu retorted, causing Bayman to raise his forearm and suspend him higher from the ground. “This is mercenary business, and you are in it…”  Bayman replied now. “Look man, I read the networks, I’m not interested in your project or the cooks that you and your boys are chasing down.  I just want to talk with Misha.”  Ryuu replied. “Ms. Teragi is busy, why don’t you leave her a message, and I’ll see to it that she gets it.”  Bayman replied. “So it’s like that then.”  Ryuu laughed.  “Fine, I’ll come back when you’re finished.”  He replied, allowing Bayman to release him.  “You got some serious issue man.”  Ryuu replied, pointing at Bayman as he turned to make his way off.  Bayman just shrugged, cracking his shoulders and moving back towards the fashion house.

Outcome: Ryuu was not allowed to speak with Ms. Teragi.

 

Home Sweet Home: Rayne looks for a place in Maine.

Rayne and his Automa, recently named Rude, decided to stop by Maine to take in the city. It was his intension to make Maine his new home, so he was looking for someplace that he could possible make some cash or at least improve his skills so that he could eventually use it to make some money. Unfortunately, Rude couldn’t find much in line of jobs that Rayne would be qualified for, and apprenticeship wasn’t as advertised in the 25th Century as it used to be in the 14th Century, meaning that he could probably have to take the door to door approach if he wanted to convince someone to take him on and train him. Rude did manage to find a few correspondence courses in Zeta Mechanics, one of the most basic zeta courses that he could find over the networks. The only other useful information that Rude could find was the location of an old scrapyard located in the city, one that he and Rayne would have to check out later. But for now it was getting late, and Rayne would need to check out the Maine nightlife. From what he could gather, residents of Maine had adopted a culture that was common to the more eastern countries, with the younger citizens, those around Rayne’s age preferring bars with an Arcade theme, while the older citizens preferred more traditional clubs. This left Rayne somewhat uncomfortable with the club scene, but he was determined to fit in, making his way to a single bar in search of a good time.

Outcome: Rayne has found an apartment near the centre of the city.

 

The World's Strongest: Hyaku has a talk with Tener Aldron.
Tracking Tener down after he broke off communications with Rueben was quite a task for Hyaku, even using the resources made available to him by the Rogue Special Forces Tener was still a hard man to find.  Luckily, after quite a bit of trying, he was able to locate Tener in Columbia, where he had taken an interest in a small cartel.  It didn’t take Hyaku long to identify the man that he had faced just months before, but in his powered up state he did sense that Tener was far stronger than he was at the time that he and Hyaku had faced off.  This was slightly unnerving to the Rogue officer, who had found it quite difficult to face off against the beast those months ago, forcing him to now wonder just how much his powers had grown.  To give a rough estimate he would guess that Tener was probably around level ten or eleven, quickly encroaching on the level of his rival, Tyler.   Once again, this was slightly unnerving, but Hyaku wasted no time in approaching Tener. “Tener Aldron?”  He opened, causing the man to turn to him.  “What is it that you want?”  The man replied, as he faced Hyaku.  Tener had changed his look considerably, though he still maintained a rather eccentric look to him.  Instead of the old Gi, he now wore a flowing robe over a pair of baggy pants.  His expansion suit was a thin and sleek black material, running under his bagger clothing, and his face and hair looked better kept to give him a more sophisticated look.  However, Hyaku could still see the savagery in his eyes. “I am here on behalf of the Rogue Special Forces, we would like to offer you a chance to be of great help to the faction and possibly work your way towards gaining a permenant position on the team.”  Hyaku explained, causing Tener to raise an eyebrow. “Is that so?”  Tener questioned rhetorically.  “And what is it that you would have me do?” He inquired. “Since you left, gangs have been making a mess of the place, I’m willing to work with you to clean Barbados up again.  If you can prove that you’re a competent team player, then you may be considered to be a useful addition to the team.” Hyaku explained. “Gangs?” Tener laughed.  “Those upstarts are small fries compared to what I see here…”  Tener continued.  “The Rogue Special Forces and their elitisms is now secondary to me, my strength will be shown through my deeds.  I intend to bring the Columbian cartels to their knees, and when I do the whole country will be indebted to me.  This entire nation will be testament to my strength… can you Rogues offer me that?”  He inquired, causing Hyaku to scoff. “You’re just as unstable as you before… I don’t know what they were thinking, the Rogues has no place for you.”  Hyaku scoff again as he turned to leave.  But his remark only awakened the beast. Hyaku’s AI sprung to life causing him to spin and release a viral wavefront to counter the incoming Shakunetsu Dark Hadou blast that came towards him before his AI blipped again.  Unfortunately, he would not be able to power up his phaseshift boot in time, and found Tener’s Surging Fist in his stomach, winding him and Tener powered down and left him. “I have no place for the Rogues…” Was all he said as he walked off, leaving Hyaku rather displeased by the exchange. Outcome: It would seem that in his quest to be recognised as the strongest, Tener has taken to vigilantism and has refused Hyaku's offer for Rogue support and possible membership..
Hyaku: 26 Exp (-86HP)
Awareness: 6 Exp	Technical: 4 Exp
Accuracy: 4 Exp	Tactics: 4 Exp
Precision: 4 Exp	Control: 4 Exp

 

Limited Results: Rei infiltrates the facility from Tacking Dsayta.
Once again Rei found herself in Cuba at the request of the Mercenary Army, her services once again being outsourced by Xian to infiltrated the facility that had hosted the Tracking Dsayta quest. Since the sponsors of the quest had claimed ownership of the facility under registration as a historical geological find, it was now illegal for anyone to enter it, making stealth of the utmost importance in Rei’s mission is she didn’t want to end up in prison. As she approached the facility, her stealth was in full gear, allowing her to sneak past the border sensors, which seemed to be rather weak and from her deductions, simple relayed information to a control post rather than actually tripped an alarm. Her Mecury Solea allowed her to hover over the ground, avoiding any possible pressure sensors, though her Prismvision was not able to pick up any such security measures. Unfortunately, the facility itself was locked down tightly, with a number of barricades securing the entrances into the facility to prevent unauthorised entry. From Rei’s scans, she could sense that the barricades were reinforced with some form of energy, her guess being zeta, and with her current form, she could find no way to actually get past them, leaving her to find another way in. This proved quite difficult as every conventional means of entry seemed to be blocked with some sort of physical barrier. Rei paused for a bit re-evaluating the situation as she moved to the roof of the facility, looking for a sky-light or something of the sort which she could climb down through, but once again found nothing. The only possible entry that she did manage to find was a small section of the facility that was not energetically reinforced, most likely an area of study where zeta reinforcement would through off readings from their research. The scientists compensated for this by reinforcing it with strong metal beams, crisscrossed to form a grid under the concrete. Rei deduced that with the right equipment, this would be the best likely point of entry, short of the sewer, though she was almost certain that that would be blocked by barricades as well. Noting this, she called it a night, making her way back out of the restricted zone and powering down, sending the information to Xian. Outcome: Rei has identified the most likely point of entry, and a few of the security measures, though she did fail in revealing all.
Rei: 30 Exp
Awareness: 12 Exp	Technical: 6 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 4 Exp	Control: 8 Exp

 

Military Might: Tyler does a bit of snooping in Japan.
Taking Paco’s suggestion into consideration, Tyler decided to travel to Japan and see just how much she could learn about the virus, now coined Maverick, which had once terrorised the area.  It didn’t take her much time to make her way to the reserve, which she found to be under rather high security watch, forcing her show her Rogue credentials simply to be allowed into the area. As Tyler suspected though, the Itami team that had been dispatched to the area to deal with the so called great threat to their homeland, had successfully erased all traces of the virus from the reserve, leaving only the strange monolith purifiers as the clue to what had really happened.  Tyler’s intrusion crept out over the area, interacting with the monolith’s vacuum effect as it was sucked in and Tyler assumed purified.  Unfortunately, with no ailments to her form, this made it very difficult for her to actually figure out what the purification entailed.  As she scowered her database of channelers, she searched for one with an infectious energy type, doing her best to acquire one before she settled on Paco Stryfe, with his Cronus.  This was as close to a viral or poisonous technique as she could find, reminding her that she should put more emphasis on acquiring new forms so that her arsenal didn’t get too stale.  Using her Shatter Mold, she converted her Force to Cronus EX, charging a small rock and throwing it at the monolith.  As she did this, authorities noticed her vanish from her position, followed by three kunai impacting her previous position. Tyler’s Intrusion had managed to pick up the Kunoichi in time, who seemed rather upset that she was tampering with the monolith in any way.  Tyler’s subordinate however could not sense the kunoichi, deciding to stay high above the battlefield and rely on Tyler’s communications to target the channeler, covering the area with vulcan fire and releasing the occasional laser beam at her location, keeping the kunoichi busy while Tyler attempted to communicate with her. “What is your problem?” Tyler exclaimed, summoning her Enhancement Armour for added speed as she attempted to dodge her opponent’s attacks. “I cannot allow you to tamper with the monolith.” She replied.  “Leave now.” With Tyler distracted, two golden orbs impacted Tyler’s form stunning her as the operator of the Ace frame-pack turned and released a powerful laser at her attacker, before the Ace started a hail of vulcan fire at shinobi. “The virus is a threat to our people as well as yours, why don’t you share the cure with us?” Tyler inquired. “We do not have the authority to do that, leave now.” The kunoichi replied once again. “So you’ll just leave us to suffer?”  Tyler inquired again, her returned calmness being somewhat impressive given the situation. Unfortunately, even with her calm demeanor the arrival of another three shinobis, bringing her opponent’s ranks to five made the situation look rather grim.  Sending a silent communication to the operator of her Ace frame, the operator charged its laser to max while exiting the area preparing for the possibility of an attack. “Very well, we do not want any conflict with your people, but let your superior’s know this: people will do whatever they need to survive, and we would be eternally grateful to your empire if you were to help us.”  Tyler explained, as she summoned a copy of Rock and backed away from the area. “We will make this clear to our superiors, but if you attempt this again, we will take this as an act of aggression, and we cannot be held responsible for the consequences.”  The kunoichi explained. “Very well, your understanding is appreciated” was Tyler’s reply as she left the area. Outcome: Tyler has gained limited information on the monoliths and the specifics of the method in which they carry out their function.
Tyler: 56 Exp (-135HP)			Ven-Nu: 46 Exp
Awareness: 12 Exp	Technical: 10 Exp		Awareness: 6 Exp	Technical: 4 Exp
Accuracy: 4 Exp	Tactics: 6 Exp		Accuracy: 12 Exp	Tactics: 6 Exp
Precision: 8 Exp	Control: 16 Exp		Precision: 8 Exp	Control: 10 Exp

 

Crackdown: Rogues and associates crackdown on two of Don Ventimiglo's facilities.
Having acquired information on two separate facilities linked to, and under the control of the Don, Roun realised that he would need help if he planned on bringing both facilities down.  For this he relied on his team-mate Paco Stryfe, and the two quickly came to the conclusion that the strikes would be most effective if performed simultaneously, preventing a planned counter attack for either attempt.  With this in mind, they would need to break up into two teams.  Paco would lead the assault on the weapons warehouse, and as such he would need a relatively large but more importantly powerful team; whereas Roun would lead a considerably smaller contingent in a stealthy infiltration of the facility where the drugs were manufactured. For his team, Paco relied mostly on members of the Rogue Special forces, bringing Leonardo, Yasmin and two frame operators along with a channeler that was new to the network but one that came highly recommended, Zadavia Mareno.   Roun on the other hand took a far smaller contingent relying only on himself and his teammate Kenshin to make the infiltration attempt on the drug production facility. Paco’s six man team started some distance from the facility, engaging their various scanning devices as they attempted to get a feel for the facility before infiltration, doing their best to identify defensive units as well as external defensive structures.  It was not much a surprise when they identified no external offensive counter measures, as turrets or anything of the sort would prove to be quite suspicious on a private dock.  Paco was however able to identify a few of the security systems and trips that would alert the armed guard to the presence of intruders.  Roun and Kenshin on the other hand were having a bit less trouble, as the two easily made their way up to the outside of the drug production facility in their user forms, scoping out the place visually before they attempted any scans of the facility. With the initial reconnaissance out of the way, the members of the teams made their way to a safe distance and powered up, with Roun and Kenshin moving into the facility under maximum stealth while Paco and his team rushed the warehouse with their forms fully charged.  The incoming energy signatures tipped off the guards in the facility who either powered up, in the case of the channelers, mounted their frame packs, in the case of meta-humans, or simply armed themselves or manned the internal defences in the case of the users. As the group made its way towards the facility, it was met with a blanket of fire, from frames and mobile turrets, causing the group to scatter.  Paco’s Chaos theory and his triple layer protection allowed him to continue to close the distance, while Leonardo’s speed and teleportation got him considerably closer as well, forcing the others to take cover from the power weapons.  Unfortunately, there was little cover that could stand up to the force of the incoming fire power, and the team quickly found themselves activating their defensive armaments in a bid to survive.  Yasmin’s control was a bit too low to give her Rock clone the invulnerability that the actual channeler exhibited, only allowing her to shield about 80% of the damage from the attacks leaving the rest of the energy to whittle down her Health, while the operator of her Hi-Nuun frame secured its position and began to return fire.  Zadavia’s Mystic Barrier proved to be quite useful, while her Phalanx made doing damage to her form even more difficult, allowing her to phase through both the solid and energy attacks as she tried now to close the distance as well.  The operator of the Renegade frame was taking far less risks, utilising her grenades to cover her assault pods as they made their way up to the initial defences.  Before she could be of too much assistance however Leonardo’s Soul Call and Paco’s Cronos Ex ran wild among the initial defences, sending the operators into a panic and allowing the rest of the team to move forward and add to the effects of the attacks. Meanwhile at the drug facility, Roun and Kenshin were having an easier job, making their way through the ventilation system of the facility on their lowest power settings, activating only their stealth abilities and the weakest level of scanning, as they did their best not to trip any of the sensors in the facility.  Back at the weapon’s warehouse, the operator of the Renegade frame had finally managed to pilot the Remote Assault Pods up to the entrance of the warehouse, allowing her to set them on a low power before opening fire on the users operating the mobile turrets.  Amidst the flames, it wasn’t too difficult to take them out, making the jobs of Paco, Leonardo and Zadavia considerably easier as they only had to deal with the frame operators now.  With the heavy hitters now downed, Yasmin and the Hi-Nuun made their way towards the entrance, adding to the fire power from afar as Leonardo now attempted to retreat.  Unlike Paco and Zadavia, the youngster’s defensive capabilities were very s.p. to s.p. based, and even though he could generate a large quantity of energy, he found that his control was too weak to allow him to shield all of the attacks, leaving his Health rather low by this point. As Zadavia’s Mystic Barrier began to overflow, she activated her Super Nova, focusing the attack in front of her and releasing the flood of energy that her form had been shielding, cleaning up a number of the operators of the zeta frames while Paco’s Cronos wave dealt with the majority of those remaining, allowing the others to clean up the rest before they proceeded inwards. Back at the drug facility, Roun found himself relying on Kenshin’s stealth quite a bit, as he now dedicated a large quantity of energy to his scanning ability to identify the important parts of the facility, and more importantly the security devices that kept the place secure.  Luckily, Kenshin’s stealth was energy based, allowing him to extend it quite a bit to cover both operatives as they moved on inwards. Back at the Weapon’s facility, the back line members of Paco’s team had taken the front, with Yasmin hurling exploding projectiles at the defensive points, while the Hi-Nuun backed her up.  Zadavia and the Renegade teamed up to deal with unit of zeta frame packs, and left Paco and Leanardo to set an extremely controlled blaze to the facility, targeting the security while attempting to spare the weapons. A powerful charged blast would quickly dismiss the Hi-Nuun frame however as the resistance attempted to take out the most vulnerable of the heavy hitters with a small photon turret which they had mounted in the warehouse.  The next round from the turret impacted Zadavia, sending her hurling into a wall before she vanished from sight.  Seeing two people taken out so quickly, the others wasted no time in taking cover, with Paco narrowly avoiding a blast before he could find himself behind a nearby crate, one that they would not dare shoot.   Seeing this, Leonardo thought back to his original plan to burn the generator which supplied the facility with zeta energy. “Somebody find me the generator!”  He exclaimed now, launching the periodic energy attack at their opponents as Paco engaged his Ronin Sight and Yasmin utilised her Abschreiben to search the area.   The Renegade had managed to sneak assault pods into the midst of the elevated defence team, and made quick work of the users, but the assault pods would be destroyed by one of the channeler level guards before she could disable the photon turret.  Luckily, by that time, Leonardo was given the general location of the generator and he wasted no time sending a powerful Soul Rush, racing along the power flows to the generator to shut it down. This took just a few seconds, but the facility was soon in darkness, and with it came Zadavia’s reappearance.  Another dump from her Super Nova quickly reverted the channeler that had dispatched the Renegade’s assault pods, and her Stand Ayane wasted no time in lifting the small turret and tossing it off of the elevated platform, towards the final group of channelers that were now making their way to defend the warehouse. Back in the drug facility, Roun and Kenshin had reached the control room, and wasted no time in powering up to full before making their way into the facility.  With Roun now possessing Mesatsu, he channelled it down into the shape of a blade, flash converting the huge concentration of energy into a carbon sword, using most of the energy to form bonds rather than actually transmute mass.  With this accomplished it was no surprise that he and Kenshin made quick work of the security team in the booth, allowing them to fully lock down the facility and take control of it before making their way through the facility to revert any resistance, and make the police’s just far easier. At the weapon’s facility, Paco’s team found themselves facing off against the final defensive unit, a squadron of channelers.  Leonardo would be the first to fall as a result of his low Health, but not before he unleashed a Soul Rush-Dragon Explosion combo to dispatch two of the channelers, evening the odds considerably as they engaged the relatively low level channelers, unleashing their most powerful attacks.  Between Paco, Zadavia, Yasmin and her clone of Seig, the combined energy was too much for the final team to deal with.  Allowing Paco’s team to take the weapon’s warehouse as well before placing a call to the Rogue Headquarters to seize the weapons contained in the facility.  Both teams would secure their respective facilities and call in the authorities to take the staff into custody, while the Rogue Special Forces seized the contents. Outcome: The Rogues have seized possession of the contents of both facilities, and the Italian police force has arrested a number of the workers of the facilities.  Evidence has been collected from the drug production facility that links these facilities loosely to the Don, but no definitive evidence was found to press charges.  The Don has since implemented higher security in his facilities and there are rumors of his implementation of a program to counter further attempts at incriminating him.  Paco's suggestion to appoint Zadavia to the Rogue Special Forces is being considered, but she will need to prove herself a bit more before she is accepted onto the team.
Paco: +80 Exp (-132HP)			Yasmin: +68 Exp (-412HP)
Awareness: 12 Exp	Technical: 8 Exp		Awareness: 12 Exp	Technical: 10 Exp
Accuracy: 16 Exp	Tactics: 16 Exp		Accuracy: 12 Exp	Tactics: 8 Exp
Precision: 8 Exp	Control: 20 Exp		Precision: 10 Exp	Control: 16 Exp
Zadavia: +78 Exp (-118HP)			Leonardo: +68 Exp (reverted)
Awareness: 6 Exp	Technical: 4 Exp		Awareness: 8 Exp	Technical: 12 Exp
Accuracy: 16 Exp	Tactics: 8 Exp		Accuracy: 12 Exp	Tactics: 8 Exp
Precision: 20 Exp	Control: 24 Exp		Precision: 8 Exp	Control: 20 Exp
Renegade: +70 Exp + 10 Exp (perfect bonus)			Hi-Nuun: +84 Exp (reverted)
Awareness: 12 Exp	Technical: 8 Exp		Awareness: 12 Exp	Technical: 16 Exp
Accuracy: 16 Exp	Tactics: 26 Exp		Accuracy: 16 Exp	Tactics: 8 Exp
Precision: 8 Exp	Control: 10 Exp		Precision: 8 Exp	Control: 24 Exp
Roun: +72 Exp (-65HP)			Kenshin: +50 Exp + 10 Exp (perfect bonus)
Awareness: 12 Exp	Technical: 12 Exp		Awareness: 8 Exp	Technical: 4 Exp
Accuracy: 12 Exp	Tactics: 8 Exp		Accuracy: 12 Exp	Tactics: 6 Exp
Precision: 12 Exp	Control: 16 Exp		Precision: 8 Exp	Control: 22 Exp

 

Extraterrestrial: Jais has a "chat" with Fate.
Once again Jais returned to the Astral Realm, being unable to purchase the upgrades that he would have liked due to lack of funding.  His trip had little to do with his purchases luckily, as he now sought an audience with the force that he deemed him its avatar.  Jais was still becoming familiar with communication as it was in this Realm as the connection between souls tended to be a very intimate interaction.  As he sought out the entity called Fate in this realm, he came across the unique feeling that he acknowledged to be the entity, causing him to attempt communication. “Good day Fate.”  He expressed, causing a pleasing sensation in the entity, that seemed pleased that he was learning so quickly. “Greeting Chance, what may I do for you?” Came the reply. “Your avatar requires your assistance.”  Jais expressed.  “This realm is foreign to me, I would appreciate if you would be able to guide me through its uncertainties.” “That is commendable, and there is much that you should learn.”  The entity replied.  “Where would you have me start this lesson?” It inquired. “What are the things that you wish me to know, what should I do or not do?”  Jais inquired. “This is a delicate realm, and not to be exploited… unlike the sister space, the Spectral Realm, this place holds a much closer connection to the world which you know, harbouring the souls of the sentient beings which exist there.  Knowing this, you should consider that any soul with which you interact in this realm is linked to a body in your own plane.”  Fate explained.  “To tamper with a soul here would be the same as assaulting that person in your world.”  He explained to Jais.  “This is a great responsibility.” “I understand.”  Jais replied.  “Anything else?” “Yes, your ability, though unique through your link to me, is not one that is not possessed by others.  So be weary of other souls, and some have the ability to affect you in the same way that you would be able to affect them.  Luckily, the strength of your soul is proportional to your channelling power, so the stronger you grow in your world, the more powerful your soul becomes here.”  Fate explained.  “So all you must do is be vigilant.” “This is difficult given my lack of senses in this realm.”  Jais replied. “You have grown too accustomed to those sense which your body possesses.  Much like your form, you soul has its own unique abilities.”  Fate explained, causing a strange sensation in Jais followed by a flood of sensory information rushing into him.  The sense that was unlocked was a primal one, like a combination between smell and taste but with far more range.  “With practice you will hone this ability, in the same way that you increase the strength of your form.”  Fate explained. “Thank you Fate…”  Jais continued.  “I am also curious to learn more about you.  You said that everything that exists here is linked to a body in my world, is the same true for you?”  He inquired. “In a way, that is true for me… but my ethereal form is not like yours.  I am of your world, but not from the same place that you call home… I am alien to you.”  Fate attempted to explain, but the impressions which came across to Jais were hard for him to interpret, causing him to be slightly confused. “I am not sure if I understand, are you from Terra or Oya?” Jais inquired. “I am not from either of those places, my home is much farther away, across the stars.  My world is like yours, but different.  My people are your people, you, like us and our brothers are God.”  Fate tried to explain, but he only seemed to be further confusing Jais.  “You seem lost Chance.” “I am lost…”  Jais replied. “My apologies… but you will need to accustom yourself to this mode of communication a bit more before I can share my experiences in a manner that you would understand.” “Couldn’t you explain it to my in person?  Where can I find your ethereal form?”  Jais inquired. “My form is in a realm parallel to the places you call Terra and Oya, unhabited by creatures that are currently beyond your comprehension.” “I understand.” “Go now, Chance.”  Was the last impression he received before his Soul was shunted back into his body, rousing Jais from his trance. Outcome: Jais has unlocked a less basic Astral Sense.
Jais: 24 Exp
Awareness: 12 Exp	Technical: 12 Exp
Accuracy: 0 Exp	Tactics: 0 Exp
Precision: 0 Exp	Control: 0 Exp