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[ Threat: Extremely Dangerous]|[ Despair ]|[ Title: Demon of Light and Hope]|

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[ Threat: Extremely Dangerous]|[ Despair ]|[ Title: Demon of Light and Hope]|

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Lt. Laurell looked back at Melanie as Captain Cross opened the tent flap to the command center. "I'm sure the plans are still around, though they're definitely top-secret and since they're so new the Librarians probably didn't get the chance to make a copy and file it in the Libraries before the Mobile HQ was destroyed. You'd have to look for them in the ruins of the Bio-Warfare Department. Why? You hoping to become a Faux?" "It's tons of fun." Without further ado Captain Cross led them all into the Command Tent. Inside were many officers, most of them female. However, a small group of people stood at the center of the tent around a giant, 3D Map.



This was clearly the command staff. While there were other officers present, they mostly kept to themselves going on with their own various tasks. Captain Cross turned to the group. "Meet the people who make this place run," she told them. She began pointing at each one of them as she said their names. "That's Captain Starla, Lieutenant Marison, Special Forces Yuji, Investigator Agent Cassie Black, Betsy Red a conscripted mercenary, Lieutenant James May, Captain Otoya and Lieutenant Kiea." Each officer was armed with their own unique saber and their standard issue pistol. The exceptions were the SF member who had only what looked like a large, sharpened metal blade, the Agent who had a dual pair of white magnums and Betsy Red who had two Uzis, one strapped to her hip and the other strapped to the back of her waist.



Captain Cross turned to the Officers gathered there. "Ladies and Gentlemen, these are our new reinforcements: SF Mary Weinbaum, SF Roland Fields, Medic Melanie Du Coteau, the kitsune is called Lily and we have Kevin Schwartz, Royal Guard." Once again there was a reaction from all parties as Despair's title was given. Captain Starla and Lieutenant Marison gave him a blank expression, SF Yuji gave him a half-way suspicious look while Agent Cassie seemed irritated with him. Betsy Red gave him a sly look and Lieutenant May quickly looked away. Captain Otoya frowned and Lieutenant Kiea stared at him wide-eyed. Again it only lasted several moments before the Command Staff turned back to the map in front of them. The tent was large and full of equipment but there were relatively few lights overhead, leaving the majority of the tent to be lit by the soft glow of computer screens and lighted-up buttons. The 3D Map looked to show the ruins of the Mobile HQ, though only small pieces of it had any detail. Large swaths of what was presumably more ruins were blackened out much like the fog of war in a strategy game. Although this band of Machinists had explored a decent amount of terrain, they were no where near having explored several cities-worth of ruins.

Captain Cross approached the table, motioning for the group to gather around. She then pointed at a section of the map causing it to automatically zoom in until a large building came into view. It looked half sunken into the ground and the windows were shattered. There were a few large, gaping holes in the walls but other than that it looked intact. "That's the library," Captain Cross told them. "What we need is almost certainly in there. In the basement, specifically." She ran her finger along the image of the building, causing the map to rotate until they were looking at the front. "See here? The front doors are blown wide open, but it looks like they were destroyed by small explosives rather than in the destruction of the HQ. In other words, someone is already in there." She slid her finger across the map again, this time rotating it to the back of the building where there was a small hole leading inside. It looked just big enough to fit about two people at a time. "Ballistics indicates that this hole WAS caused during the destruction rather than afterwards and it's the most likely route to be unguarded." She looked back at everyone assembled. "That means we're dividing into two teams. Team Joan is going through the front door in hopes to lure whatever enemies are inside towards them. Team Maria will be the actual infiltration team going in through the hole in the back," She turned back to the map as she continued. She had named the teams after Saint Clara's two pistols. "All Team Joan has to do is cause enough trouble for the majority of the enemy to come after them. Team Maria will make their way down to the basement of the library and retrieve the objective. Also, take any blueprints you see; any schematics we can return with will go a long way to helping us back on our feet. We'll be arriving on two Special Forces Ospreys, one for each team. The two Ospreys will also be our extraction so we need those things to be flight-worthy or we aren't leaving. Team Joan will be Lieutenant Laurell, Lieutenant Marison, SF Yuji, Agent Cassie Black, Lieutenant Kiea, Betsy Red and myself. I'll be in command. Team Maria will be SF May, Captain Schifo, Lieutenant May, Captain Otoya, SF Weinbaum, SF Fields, the Kitsune, Medic Du Coteau and Guardsman Schwartz. Captain Schifo will be in command."

Captain Cross stepped back from the map and looked around at everyone. "This is one of the most intact buildings in the general area so it's sure to be occupied by someone or something. We don't know what's in there but we can almost guarantee that it won't be happy to see us so be ready for anything. Any questions?"

Almost as soon as Captain Cross stopped talking, the small, child-looking Lieutenant Kiea shot up her hand. "Kiea?" "What if it is happy to see us? Can we bring it back with us?" She asked, her voice matching her appearance almost perfectly. "...sure." Agent Cassie Black raised her hand. "Go ahead." "Will they be expecting us?" Cassie Black's voice was matter-of-fact and almost void of emotion. "Shouldn't be. We're playing this one pretty close to the vest since it's a high-stakes operation, but we don't know for sure." Lieutenant May raised his hand. "Any chance of surviving Librarians?" He asked, his country accent apparent as well. "Slim to none." Captain Otoya raised his hand. "Since we're flying, can we make sure Lt. Laurell has a barf bag this time?" "Hey!" There was some laughter around the table as Captain Cross rolled her eyes. "You'll have to get with her on that." Captain Cross looked at the others, including Mirai and the rest of the team waiting to see if they had any questions about what they were doing.

Melanie kept walking near Lieutenant Laurel, apparently this fauxification subject was entertaining for the redhead.At least until Laurel asked is she planned on submitting herself onto said process.
"For goodness sake no!"
She replied almost alarmed to see she was asked such thing.
"I mean, no offense to April, but she's a killer. An offensive unit. I am a medic. Do you really thing someone would let me lay a hand on their injured bodies looking like that? Worse, kitsunes at least look esthetically clean, but what if I get turned into a werewolf. People might just hit me with a flamethrower in fear they get infected with fleas..."
She felt shivers down her spine.
"If I were to be a warface machinist, I wouldn't see any problem with it. But due to my main role in this society, a fauxification would be the death of my Medic career. I just... well got curious. How would they look on the inside. I don't mean to kill one just now and to open it. but if the worse were to come to one of our faux allies. I would like to study their bodies. So I could learn how to treat them properly next time.
After all I don't know how different they would be from a human body."
The conversation kept going, Melanie did seem interested in the fauxification process and would actually ask Lieutenant if she wouldn't mind to let her take a stroll by the bio warfare department in any near future.


Once they went in the main tent and were introduced to the new group. Melanie bowed respectfully as she was named in the group.
"Pleased to meet you. I hope to be of service."
Things appeared to run smoothly until they mentioned Despair tittle, followed moments later by Despair's reaction towards the group.Asking if they were to have anything to say.
As the mood became dense, she could clear her throat loudly as she raised her hand.
"Well, for starters. I don't like you. Yes I've been told to respect my superiors ever since I was a child but I cannot forgive you for abandoning your post.
True, our great leader sent you away on a recognicion mission. But your place was at her side, despite her orders. In short, you should had been executed for staying by her side than standing in front of us. surviving because you were away from the actions. Maybe, if just maybe Saint Clara had spared you from the execution. Then your strength in battle could had changed the tides of the invations and gave our faction a smashing victory.
In short. I believe you are a failure... that. and that I would most likely be killed in during this infiltration mission. No offense but I'm not what you call an offensive unit. But I will still do so."
She sighed.
"Speaking frankly for the sake of the mission and under your approval of my free speech, that is."
After that she bowed. And remained silent after that, waiting for either Despair's answer or the other machinists. Hoping to at least ease the mood. Or at the very least save her own alibi.
She had studied the report regarding the invasion to the machinist faction before coming, therefore she knew who Saint clara was. And hearing Despair's alibi, she thought about this as quick as she could to kill the dense mood.