Chapter One: Binary Nexus

[Purr]

(Game Master Note: Forgive me, folks. I saw this and meant to respond to it, but ADHD struck [wheeeee!] and I became distracted.)

Hercules took position at the back, offering a hand up to anyone who might need it before stepping up himself, his long legs making easy work of mounting the high rear of the heavy vehicle.

Still grinning, she hopped into the hover truck, accepting Hercules Papa-whatsit's hand to steady herself as she did so. "Thanks, big guy!"

As Herc's and Elinor's bare hands touched (their uniforms not having gloves), there was born a sudden connection. Just as it had been when Mario and Elinor had fist-bumped, so it was here. That brief skin-to-skin contact had triggered something unusual and extraordinary. Neither soldier had been thinking anything that had required words; there had been only feelings.

And yet, those feelings became instantly known to the other - the elation of success at having beaten the odds, the relief of not having failed, and also the physical hunger inside each of them that longed for satiation - all were shared in that briefest of moments. When their hands released, their minds were completely their own again, and if their trains of thought had been derailed by this experience, who could blame them?

It was not every day you reached out for a helping hand and suddenly found someone else inside of your mind.

*
​

(Background music playing from Booty's stereo...)

Spoiler

"This Town" by the Skints (feat. Tippa Irie and Horseman). Dis be music ta move yo body, mon! =)

Sitting together, Reggie and his father stared at each other competitively. Without taking their eyes off one another, they slowly reached for the hot wings and dipped them into the incredibly spicy sauces they came with. As if locked in a titanic struggle of wills, they ate these hot wings while staring into each other's eyes, each unwilling to be the first one to call it quits though their mouths and throats become so hot as to shoot out flames. Soon there were more than a fair share of "Ooooh!" and "Aaaagh!" sounds coming from that side of the table.

To Hitomi and Elinor she says through a mouthfull of food, "From all the times we've gone out to lunch together, why didn't we ever go to this place? This food is . . . <mumble mumble gulp!> wonderful! Ah!"

Hitomi ate her BBQ in a ladylike fashion. "Didn't know it existed! Talk about a great way to end a workout!" Nearby, Colonel Sharp could only smile as he listened to the conversation around the table between bites.

"Sirs, I have so many questions, I hardly know where to start. Can you tell us more about this Traverseing power? Is it a recent development, or has this ability been around for a long time? Also, is this a power that the Zentraedi are aware of?" He glances over at Toph for emphasis. "Obviously, Lt. Kirin has the ability, but can we expect to see a Female Powered Armor ace or someone in an Officer Pod with this talent taking to the battlefield against us?"

Professor Stein raised a finger as he put down his styrofoam cup of immense proportions (a common item often present in good BBQ restaurants). He took a deep breath. His tone then became that of a teacher in front of a class. "Firstly, we've come to calling it technopathy, lad. Tech-NO-pathy.' Though neither myself nor Hitomi can bear credit for calling it that. Now let's see how far I get with these questions before I have to turn it over what passes for our local technopathy expert, my dear Hitomi.

"Those of us in Eternity don't know how long technopathy has been around; all we know is that there are no records of anything quite like it. Perhaps before the Rain of Death when we had things like Google and Yahoo, we could have found an answer, but the world being what it is now, we may never find an answer to that question. It won't me from searching though.

"As far as the enemy knowing about it, we don't believe the Zentraedi are aware of it at all. Are we?" Under white and bushy eyebrows, his willful eyes turned to Hitomi who nodded.

Hitomi licked her lips. "Technopathy appears to require a certain amount of empathy, a key emotion nearly all Zentraedi seem to lack given their warlike construction, nature, and history." Her gaze crossed the table to Toph. "In fact, it surprises me that a half-Zentraedi has it at all. I daresay a full-blooded Zentraedi would have to be quite unusual to possess empathy, much less the level technopathy seems to require. My best guess is that your technopathy comes from your father's side of the family; from what I've heard, he was a passionate and compassionate man, traits each of you seems to possess." Hitomi nodded especially to Toph and Elinor.

Shirley wiped her mouth with yet another napkin, BBQ being a wonderfully messy food. She rested her cheek in her hand as her thoughts turned to voice. "I was just playing around really... Earlier, I was able to touch Mario on the hand and I think he 'heard' what I thought." Immediately, Shirley looked around the table for reactions of 'lady, you've lost your mind.' Finding none, she continued. "So... does this work only through physical contact?"

Hitomi explained. "Yes. Technopathy seems to require both physical contact and a heightened sense of awareness. Think back to when your hands were all in my purse - what did you feel upon physical contact with what was inside? Nothing, right? It wasn't until I presented a live grenade that your fight-or-flight instincts came alive. Think back again when each of you found yourselves using technopath. Were your lives not in danger at the time?

"As best as I can tell, using technopathy also takes a lot of practice. Like the development of a martial skill, that practice will probably wear you out at first, but like real muscles," she indicated Herc, "the more you use your mental muscles, the stronger and more efficient they become."

The Professor tapped the table with his plastic fork and pointed it at Reggie. "All of you saw what I could accomplish with the Veritech Hover Tank. Reggie can do what I did in even less time and concentration. He appears to be a natural at this. Keep in mind that neither of us are trained in the piloting of mecha.

"So... it looks like what we have here is a binary nexus - a meeting of many on two levels - physical and something beyond. I don't know what it means or if it means anything, but it is certainly one heck of a way to get people together. Speaking of getting people together, let us now present the smallest member of our team, shall we?"

Hitomi smiled widely as if she had been waiting for this. She reached for her purse, the same purse all of you had had your hands inside, and pulled it close to her. "Hey!" she whispered playfully. "Who's in there?" Something in the purse moved causing the outsides of the purse to bulge and stretch. "Who wants to join us for barbeque?"

The bag made a sound - an inquisitive "mew??"

"Who's inside? What could it be?" At this, the rustling became more excited.

Hitomi gasped. "I know! It's a MechaKitten!"

On cue, a cat-like metallic beastie burst out of the top of the bag, paws outstretched in the air with a joyous, high-pitched, "Meeeeeeeeeww!" As if being a cat was cause enough for celebration.

(Spoiler contains picture.)

Spoiler

The one, the only, the MechaKitten! "Meeeeeeeeeeeew!"

(Image credit: EatenRibs - DeviantArt )

Hitomi's hands opened wide with a bright smile at the creature's entrance. "There he is!" Reggie and Booty ceased their competition to look at the very life-like evidently robotic creature that now prowled around the table just like a real kitten. MechaKitten pressed his head up against Hitomi's hand. In return, the lovely Asian lady scratched his head.

The unmistakable sound of real purring ensued.

 

[Kaerri]

Hitomi explained.  "Yes.  Technopathy seems to require both physical contact and a heightened sense of awareness.  Think back to when your hands were all in my purse - what did you feel upon physical contact with what was inside?  Nothing, right?  It wasn't until I presented a live grenade that your fight-or-flight instincts came alive.  Think back again when each of you found yourselves using technopath.  Were your lives not in danger at the time?

Elinor swallowed her most recent mouthful and swished her mouth clean with sweet iced tea.  " 'Scuse me, ma'am, but that's not how it always is.  I mean, I just learned about this thing, but twice now I've ... 'made contact' with one of the others here just by touchin' hands.  We didn't even intend it -- didn't know it was possible, the first time, and we sure weren't in any kind a' danger.  What I'm wonderin', is that because we all have it or 'cause we don't know what we're doin' yet?"

The unmistakable sound of real purring ensued.

Questions and the fork halfway to her mouth were alike forgotten.  "Good Lord," she said, half smiling, half staring.  "You sure do keep the craziest stuff in your purse, Hitomi!"

 

[Purr]

Elinor swallowed her most recent mouthful and swished her mouth clean with sweet iced tea. " 'Scuse me, ma'am, but that's not how it always is. I mean, I just learned about this thing, but twice now I've ... 'made contact' with one of the others here just by touchin' hands. We didn't even intend it -- didn't know it was possible, the first time, and we sure weren't in any kind a' danger. What I'm wonderin', is that because we all have it or 'cause we don't know what we're doin' yet?"

Hitomi nodded. "That's what I get for not being specific. I should have mentioned; I was referring to your interactions with machines. When it comes to Traversers interacting with each other, the heightened awareness does not seem to be a requirement, just the physical contact." She added. "My data is limited seeing as Traversers don't seem to be able to interact this way with non-Traversers. At least, not with Reggie, the Professor, and myself doing the testing."

Questions and the fork halfway to her mouth were alike forgotten. "Good Lord," she said, half smiling, half staring. "You sure do keep the craziest stuff in your purse, Hitomi!"

Hitomi smiled and kept petting. She looked to Professor Stein who said, "Actually, that little critter there is how this whole thing got started. And before any of you ask, yes - he is with Eternity and no, I am not making you one." Stein and Hitomi shared a chuckle while MechaKitten pawed at Hitomi's hand.

 

[Kaerri]

Elinor snapped her fingers in mock disappointment and went back to eating.  After a moment, she looked thoughtfully at MechaKitten.  Clicking her tongue to get its -- his -- attention, she held out a forkful of brisket.  "Here, kitty!"

 

[Purr]

MechaKitten turned at the sound of snapping of fingers. Then across the table he saw it. Brisket! Immediately, the MechaKitten looked up obediently to his mighty alpha - the bushy, white-haired, rotund human with the will of a god of cats.

"Go ahead, you little pest," said the god.

MechaKitten turned to face the brisket-become-prey. In an open display of hostility, his tail rose and swished, his head lowered, his tiny claws and fangs bared and shining under the lamplight. Then all of those features became close and flat against the table as the wily MechaKitten skulked quietly forward, step by stealthy step.

Hitomi and Stein hurriedly moved away any items that he might knock over in his assault as MechaKitten prowled across the table charging like some futuristic tiger or lion from another age. Then finally, with a great spring of his rear legs, the MechaKitten launched himself through the air.

"MEEEEEEEEWEWEWEWEWWWWW!" (Translation: "ATAAAAAACK!")

He pounced! With expert timing (or cat-like, depending on which description you liked, for with MechaKitten these words were synonymous), he chomped the brisket right off of Elinor's fork, and with a turning radius that only kittens know, the little beastie turned about and began happily munching away on the beef within petting distance of Elinor.

And, yes, the MechaKitten despite his robotic features, seemed to be actually eating the remains of his "hard-won" prey.

(Spoiler contains loosely-related, brief, and cute kitten video.)

Spoiler

=)

 

[Sherwood]

Mario looks troubled as he keeps thinking, not liking where his thoughts are leading.  "The psi power, it can be used to control machines.  Can the same be done with people?  If so, in the wrong hands, this can be quite horrific to consider."

 

[Psychie]

The light-hearted comment that Toph was about to make is suddenly lost when Mario asks his question.  "Oooh, I hope not.  This is scary enough as it is without having the worry of controlling a person against their will!"  She shudders.  "But, I can answer one question that you did ask; my mother has told me much about history and lore of the Zentraedi people, and never has there ever been any comment of this technopathy in my mom's side of the family."

 

[Purr]

"The psi power, it can be used to control machines. Can the same be done with people?

Hitomi explained. "We don't believe so. There isn't any evidence in that direction. At the risk of repeating myself, Reggie and The Professor seem to be able to share messages via skin contact, but neither can do the same with me, a non-Traverser."

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Previously


Hercules had sat silent in the back of the truck. His brief contact with the T.A.S.C lieutenant's hand, Hall was it?, and as a result, her emotions was something that he'd found distinctly and profoundly disturbing. It was one thing to be so in sync with your team-mates that you could predict almost everything about them, from where they're going to move on the battlefield, to what they are doing in hand-to-hand combat or even when they are going to switch from fork to spoon at the dining table, but this...


He found it unnerving and, for someone who'd loudly declared that he had 'already done the impossible', wondered if he was cut out for that level of intimacy with others. Because it was a form of intimacy, as much as with a lover. To be able to, at a touch, know a person's feelings and emotional state, perhaps over time to know their thoughts gave Hercules a moment of pause. Was he ready to be that open with people he barely knew? All too soon the truck ride came to a stop and Hercules hurriedly leaped from the vehicle, mindful to avoid contact with any other of these Traversers.


Now


Entering into the depths of the bunker, Hercules was impressed with the orderly state of it all. He was especially impressed with the armory. The scent of premium quality gun oil and that distinctive metallic aroma of weaponry was as heady a musk as a well-cooked Greek chicken gyros. It was the little things like that that made him happy. But then, once they had arrived at their destination and before he could marvel at the technical complexity of the VHT, food arrived. And what food! The fold away tables usually reserved for maps, high-precision aerial photography and blueprints were swiftly filled to their limit with boxes and platters of barbecued meat of all varieties. Suddenly, Hercules was aware that breakfast had not been a thing and that this would be more than enough to suffice. He pulled up a seat with no ceremony and started loading a plate with a half-rack of sticky ribs, half a barbecued chicken, a fistful of marinaded lamb cutlets, two corn cobs swimming in butter, a pile of hot chicken wings, a hearty portion of pulled pork and what looked like a pound of cornbread. With this veritable mountain of comestibles, he set to with no thought to how he might look like a glutton.


He had heard great and wonderful things about the cuisine of the US South and here was his chance to experience it, prepared by people who knew and loved their cooking. Each mouthful revealed more and more insight into the preparation and recipes. He had to restrict himself to drinking water between the different foods, the better to appreciate the subtle flavors, but still it was sublime. Within a few minutes, while the others were talking, he had experienced at least one item from each of the various things he had picked. As he sucked the rich sauce from the chicken from his fingers, Mechakitten made his appearance.


Hercules remembered the lively little... creature from last night, though up until now, he'd rather thought of it as some sort of autonomous assault drone. But yet, here it was, large as life, nomming on some of the lieutenant's brisket. Hercules smiled cheerfully. He'd almost expected the tiny mech-animal to be somewhere around and he'd been prepared. He slipped a hand into one of the capacious pockets of his fatigue trousers and extracted a small, silver ziplocked bag. He popped open the mouth of the bag and slipped out the contents onto a side plate. A new scent, far more subtle that the strong aroma from the Southern cooking permeated the air. Fish. Sat on the plate was something Hercules had previously been preparing, sardeles pastes. Three tiny sardines, previously caught and packed in sea salt for a day, then deep frozen to preserve the taste. He'd intended to have them for breakfast, before he'd been kidnapped, so they had spent the night in the refrigerator defrosting and now they were here. Hercules tapped the plate speculatively, to catch Mechakitten's attention. As if it'd need it....

 

[Purr]

(Game Master note:Heya folks! This next scene is just me being silly and having some fun. Call it a little scene entitled: Meandering in the Mind of The MechaKitten.)

Purring and lying flopped on the table, The Mighty MechaKitten was enjoying the fruits of his labor. He savored the great pride he felt from yet another glorious hunt when all of a sudden, he saw it...

...across the humongous table...

...dangling there quite unlike a frenchy fry or a greenie-bean...

...a feesh!

MechaKitten recoiled in awe. He looked upon the face of the big god and immediately remembered him from the bloody crying prison where Grizzly God had asked MechaKitten to track him down. Deep in his mind, MechaKitten remembered the scent of the god and the fish he had eaten. And now here he was across the table with more!

Instinctively, MechaKitten looked up to the Grizzly God, for with all that girth and fur, the god reminded him of a grand old bear, fierce and hunter-like, yet with a deep understanding of All Things Catlike. Grizzly God was mouth-murmuring contentedly with one of the god-kittens.

"Mew!" sounded MechaKitten. To everyone else at the table, this sounded very much like a "Hey!" He was rewarded with the Grizzly God's attention, which he knew not to squander for he was a force of little patience and great anger when riled. He could do things MechaKitten could not understand.

Quickly, MechaKitten stared at the feesh. As he had hoped, Grizzly God's gaze followed his own until he saw it too. MechaKitten hoped in his little heart that Grizzly God would not want the prize for himself, but he had to take the chance! Grizzly God turned back to him and said, "Yes, you may have it, you little fuzz-bucket." Was MechaKitten a fuzz-bucket? It did not matter, for Grizzly God's eyes were warm with pleasure. Best to act now before something riled the old bear.

But... what about her? MechaKitten could not forget the goddess who so kindly shared brisket with him. He curled and turned and gazed up fondly at Brisket Goddess, his golden eyes wide with appreciation for her gift. MechaKitten stepped up to Brisket Goddess with her short brown fur and strong-willed eyes. He laid his paw upon hers.

Inside Elinor's mind came words that were almost an apology...

you iz nice but he haz feesh

The transmission completed, MechaKitten turned back toward Feeesh God. He tapped his plate. He was looking at MechaKitten. He was signaling MechaKitten! Oh joyous day! How Feeesh God had produced feeesh from thin air was beyond MechaKitten! These gods often did things that were far beyond MechaKitten's understanding, but he knew better than to be too curious.

The time for that had passed. It was time again... to hunt!

This hunt would not be like the brisket-hunt. The dangling feeesh would receive no battle-cry or hint of warning lest it escape. MechaKitten flattened his whole body against the great table. His whole body became one big slinking mass, his eyes unblinking, he moved with practiced grace and quiet hoping not to startle the feeesh in Feeesh God's big hand. Closer, closer, the Great Hunter closed upon his prey. It did not matter that the other gods watched him and made comments with their mouthy-sounds. The only thing that mattered was The Feeesh.

MechaKitten resisted the urge to lick his lips as he silently scooted, little by little, until finally he had closed the distance between him and his prey! Every iota of the MechaKitten's feline being was alive as he tensed his paws - and sprung!

Jaws wide, he snapped them across the splendorous feeesh's body! Success! Then he fought madly with the beast-feeesh as they rolled around and thrashed the empty part of the table in brief and horrific combat! Soon, the feeesh went limp (or was it always? Did it matter now? It was not moving). MechaKitten stood above his rightly-gained prey and let out a victory roar that would surely shake the core of all creatures who heard it!

"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyooooooooo!!"

Wait. He looked around. Why were some of the gods laughing? Surely his ferocious battle cry did stir some fear even in the hearts of the gods! Again, he decided, it mattered not, for he had victory!

As he snacked on the delicious feeesh, a dreadful thought crossed his mind. What of generous and mighty Feeesh God? His ears perked and his tail flew up. Would it not be right to share his catch with Feeesh God? MechaKitten knew him to be a dedicated feeesh-lover too. Did not the heroic efforts and pious behavior of a fellow feeesh-lover warrant reward? Of course they did!

MechaKitten took half of the feeesh and started his march up gigantic Feeesh God's arm. If the arm moved, it was a simple matter to insert his teeny needle-like claws to keep his traction. How else to get the feeesh all the way up there to Feeesh God's face? He loved feeesh too! That was certainly how Feeesh God got to be as big and strong as he was! He ate like a lion!

As MechaKitten made his way up Feeesh God's arm and shoulder, he dangled the half-feeesh before Feeesh God's face in benevolent offer, a gesture of true and unending friendship between two born feeesh-lovers.

Grizzly God saw this and said something that sounded like, "Herc, if he is bothering you, let me know and I will remove him from your shoulder." But who could he have been talking about? Certainly not MechaKitten! Somebody else must have been causing trouble around here!

Despite Herc's care not to further physically interact with the rest of the Traversers, perhaps he did not think of MechaKitten as one of them. If this was so, then mega-damage MechaKitten succeeded in pressing one gentle paw against Feeesh God's cheek. Now that they touched, he transmitted through technopathy a heartfelt message:

Look! Feeesh for feeesh-friend! You want share??

Meanwhile Dolphin Goddess (Hitomi) burst into good-hearted laughter. "Just look at these two! Who's the bigger charmer here, Mario or Herc? Somebody tell me!"

Professor Stein sighed. Once again, MechaKitten had created his own brand of chaos. He tried to return order to the table. "Technopathy, people! Raise your questions!"

 

[Purr]

Meanwhile Dolphin Goddess (Hitomi) burst into good-hearted laughter. "Just look at these two! Who's the bigger charmer here, Mario or Herc? Somebody tell me!"

Shirley thought about this with a grin. "Seems to me they're just charmers of a different kind."

Professor Stein sighed. Once again, MechaKitten had created his own brand of chaos. He tried to return order to the table. "Technopathy, people! Raise your questions!"

Shirley put her utensils down and sipped her drink. "I have a few questions." She looked to Hitomi. "So... your test group is three people?"

Hitomi replied, "Yes."

Shirley got a strange look in her eye. "Well, if that's the case, Colonel? May I?"

Colonel Sharp looked up with an expression that said, "Me?"

"I just want to touch your hand and see if you can tell what I'm thinking."

"Oh sure. Just don't make me blush in front of the troops, all right?"

Shirley grinned. "Of course not." She reached over and laid her hand upon his. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Long, quiet moments passed. Then she lifted her hand away.

"Not a thing," Colonel Sharp said.

Shirley nodded and turned to Reggie. "Now may I try this with you?"

Reggie, completely unprepared, turned around with a saucy hot wing in his mouth. His eyes were wide with surprise. Booty wore the same expression. Both men had been deep in their competition. They finished their wings, agreed to call it a draw, and watched.

"Let me ask Professor Stein."

"But of course, my dear." Shirley began to rise from her chair, but Stein lifted his hand to pause her. Instead, he rose from the table and made his way around for her convenience. Once there, he offered his hand. "If you please."

Shirley smiled, clearly enjoying his show of courtesy. She meekly reached out and clasped his hand and focused.

Immediately, both of their eyes grew large with surprise.

(Mood music)

Spoiler

"Emotion Detector" by Rush

Partial lyrics:
Right to the heart of the matter
Right to the beautiful part
Illusions are painfully shattered
Right where discovery starts
In the secret wells of emotion
Buried deep in our hearts.

Suddenly, they turned toward each other with urgency. Their gazes met. "Hold it, you two." Hitomi ordered sharply. "Close your eyes. Don't let body language be a factor."


Both of them nodded and closed their eyes. In moments, they looked like two people completely absorbed in their own private thoughts. They seemed serene, but it was clear that some kind of communication between the two of them was indeed occurring, beneath the skin, without the ears or eyes, beyond the five senses, beyond the edge of scientific knowledge, above the unpredictable roaring oceans of emotion, below the clear and safe skies of reason - at that special dreamlike place where humans communicate deepest and best.


To the both of them, it was as if they immediately knew each other's surface emotions. Stein was calm and as curious as any scientist with the unknown before him; Shirley was like a giddy little girl daydreaming some fantasy like children so often do. Inside, they smiled. Putting the outside world away, they seemed to enjoy the mental and emotional sensation of just being in contact with someone like them. For there was this unmistakable feeling of belonging. As if something inside of each of them said, "It's O.K. This person understands."


They appeared to be doing a lot of listening. Then they grinned sharing yet another invisible and intangible feeling, creating this memory together without even trying. A moment later, they nodded together, their conversation done. They opened their eyes and looked to one another with that warm, special glow of enlightenment and the happiness that it so often follows.


"Yes," Stein said softly. "You'll have to ask her. With your voice, that is."


"Yeah," Shirley replied looking happy and kind of dumbfounded. She just sat there studying Hitomi. "Yeah." she repeated.


"What is it?"


"I'll ask you later."


"O.K." Hitomi then switched her attention to the rest of the table. Hitomi asked Shirley and Stein to try again, this time not touching at all, and when that failed, touching each other's clothing but not skin. That too failed to yield any results. Hitomi clapped her hands sharply. "So... there we have it. Technopathy - solely telepathic communication relaying images and emotions between Traversers established via skin to skin contact. What was it like?"


Shirley spoke. "It was as if we didn't need language anymore."


Professor Stein nodded. "We discussed things in images and sounds."


"And feelings!"


"Yes. And feelings. It was like... we spoke in the language of movies, each of us an audience in each other's private theatre, experiencing the emotions and thoughts perfectly, sharing only what we wanted to share. No more, no less." Stein looked around the table. "Shirley received what I sent and nothing else. Nor could I see past her 'movie screen' into her private thoughts or memories. Like a telephone call, when she was not transmitting, there was nothing to see nor hear. When she was telling me something, I understood it as completely as I was able to. As if there was no chance of misunderstanding in the message itself." Filled by the moment, he let out a deep breath. "Utterly fascinating."


Hitomi tapped her fingernails in thought. "O.K. Now let's take technopathy to the next level. May I get a volunteer from another among our Traversers?" Her golden-brown eyes scanned each of you, her own thoughts unreadable.

 

[Psychie]

Toph raises up her hand.  "i'll volunteer for the next test."

 

[Sherwood]

Mario sits back, watching and waiting for his opportunity to join in.  He muses, "I wonder if it would eventually be possible to perform this technopathy at a distance?"

 

[Purr]

Toph raises up her hand. "i'll volunteer for the next test."

Hitomi gave Toph a proud smile. "I was hoping you would be the one to step up."

Professor Stein smoothed his beard. "Why?"

"Because, sensei, Toph here survived my pok sao testing."

"What?! You mean the one with that same damned fist in your face again and again and again?"

"Yes sir! And at the end, she saw clearly instead of letting her vanity get in the way like most people. Toph's tough. I suspect she didn't even think of quitting the class despite the hard lesson." Hitomi looked to Toph as if to ask if she had gotten that last part right. "I just wish we had some cheesecake to celebrate that moment." She grinned.

"Cheesecake!" Colonel Sharp exclaimed. "They have it at the barbeque joint. Wish I would have thought to order some."

Mario sits back, watching and waiting for his opportunity to join in. He muses, "I wonder if it would eventually be possible to perform this technopathy at a distance?"

Professor Stein pointed sharply at Mario. "Indeed! You voice a wonder Reggie and I have discussed on more than one occasion."

"Oh, I hope so. Wouldn't that be cool?" Reggie said.

"Undisputably."

Hitomi sipped her tea. "Perhaps with practice? The one thing we don't know about technopathy are its true limitations. I can't stress it enough when I say our data is true but terribly limited. How about we start that testing now?"

Colonel Sharp put his empty plate into the garbage. "Hold up, ma'am. This is probably a good spot to talk mission details. When they," he indicated your team, "see what they're testing on, they're going to have questions. Best to let them in on it before that happens."

"Damned good point, Hiram," Professor Stein said. Hitomi nodded. "Shall we proceed downstairs then and discuss it on the way?"

"Not a bad idea." Colonel Sharp rose from his chair.

Immediately Booty rose up and stood by a blank wall. This he tapped in a few spots. A moment later, the wall split as panels slid open revealing a large freight-style elevator. The elevator was large and wide and appeared to be designed to get a boatload of people from where you are now to wherever it led as quickly as possible, say, in the event that would require people to need a bunker in the first place.

As people moved toward the elevator, they met Booty there. He held a wastepaper basket and a container of wet-naps. His frown was of the serious-looking variety. "Moment! Ain't nobody goin' down wit' greasy, sticky barbeque fingas! Dirty fingas stayin' topside!"

"Yes, sir," Colonel Sharp joked as he cleaned his hands.

Hitomi did the same. "Anyone else have questions about technopathy before we move on, er, down?"

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Hercules chuckled as MechaKitten asked about the fish, then carefully reached up and started stroking the back of it's metal neck. No, mikrós fílos, I have eaten more than my fill. Please eat fish to your heart's content, he transmitted his thoughts, even as the tiny creature's thoughts permeated into his own mind. This technopathy was something bizarre, straight out of the sci-fi books he'd read as a child. He contentedly sucked the last sticky juices from his fingers, reveling in the mingled spices and herbs he could taste. He could see himself experimenting at some later stage, this food was something worthy of adding to his extensive list of recipes.


He watched quietly as the Professor, the colonel and Lieutenant Shirley experimented. The results of their tests were exciting to hear, but he felt a rush of anxiety as Miss Hitomi asked for a volunteer that was swiftly calmed when Lieutenant Toph raised her hand and accepted. It appeared that they would be going elsewhere for this next test and there would be more explanation as to what they actually would be doing. This made Herc feel better. He rose from his seat, leaving a hand firmly planted on the table to allow MechaKitten a route back down if it wished and then, whether it dismounted him or not, he moved to where Corporal Booty was handing out moist towelettes, fastidiously cleaned his own hands front and back and tossed his waste into the trash.


The elevator was familiar, almost but not quite like the one from last night. This time, however, he was amongst allies and not under threat of harm or death. He strode manfully forward and stood to the rear of the elevator, stood like a silent sentinel watching and waiting.

 

[Sherwood]

Mario is quite curious to see what secrets are hiding down in the depths of the bunker.  Some Top Secret tech?  A new series of Veritechs, perhaps?  An upgrade for the lightweight EU-11 rifle?  Whatever it is, I'm excited to be a part of it!  "Lets go on down."  He accepts a napkin from the Corporal with a nod of thanks.  Cripes.  Is every tanker here bigger and more muscular than I am?  I'm starting to get a complex!

 

[Purr]

(Game Master note: Look out below! Big informative post (especially the second part). Enjoy! =) )

Hercules chuckled as MechaKitten asked about the fish, then carefully reached up and started stroking the back of it's metal neck. No, mikrós fílos, I have eaten more than my fill. Please eat fish to your heart's content, he transmitted his thoughts, even as the tiny creature's thoughts permeated into his own mind.

MechaKitten surrendered to Herc's neck massage, purring, sounding and acting in every way like a real cat. He curled his little body atop Herc's spacious shoulder and sat there looking very pleased with the universe at large (especially since "Feeesh God" had given him permission to eat the rest of this delicious fish...).

As MechaKitten nommed, the elevator filled with ASC and Eternity personnel until no one was left in the "dining" room (and each of you had clean hands). Booty reached up to MechaKitten with a demanding look and a wet-nap. "Mew!" MechaKitten proudly displayed his clean forepaws and mouth. Booty gave a surprised look followed by an expression of dutiful satisfaction. They were clean. Still, ain't nobody was gonna get into him armory wit' icky fingas. Oh no, mon. Dis GM here ta tell you. =)

The elevator's mega-damage doors closed shut with the sound of some giant sword sheathing. From the small talk overheard, Mario soon discovered that he was not the only person hoping to see the wonders of a bay with someone like Booty in charge of it. Down, down the elevator traveled until finally, it came to a stop. When the doors opened, you found yourselves before an immense room made of super-structure (mega-damage), meticulously-kept, brightly-painted, with many maintenance machines standing by like mechanical soldiers awaiting the call duty. All was ready. This was possibly the most pristine mecha hangar on Eglin ASC base...

...and it was utterly devoid of mecha.

"Uh," Shirley pointed around. "Shouldn't there be mecha in here?"

Furiously, Booty complained and stomped the floor (and why not? When you are in a mecha bay, what are you going to do? Harm the linoleum?). "Even new people seein' it instantaneously! Me Colonel!"

Colonel Sharp appeared downcast for a moment. "Shall I tell them, Maximus?"

"Yah, sir! Do da tellin', please!" Booty stormed off to a nearby table upon which lay a number of computerized schematics displayed upon high definition monitors, all of which were part of the table. All ASC personnel present immediately recognized pictures of Veritech Hover Tank parts, weapons, and upgrades on those screens - from a bulkier, more deadly-looking EU-11 to a VHT in transport mode with a protective pilot's compartment and more - without a single tank in the bay to be seen. Nor were there signs of there ever having been any.

Colonel Sharp put his hands behind his back and spoke to you. "You may have noticed Corporal Booty is a corporal. Now, have any of you ever seen an armory where a corporal was in charge? I haven't. The position starts at the rank of sergeant. And yet..." He shook his head. "This is all because Corporal Booty and General Steel locked horns a few times..."

"Dat's puttin' it mildly!"

"...and The General, in response to Booty's protests, found a single solution that would stop Booty from spreading his way of thinking to the other technicians. The same solution continued to have Booty serving Eglin's elite - namely Steel's Slayers. The answer? Big Bunker." Waving his hand for all of you to follow, Colonel Sharp walked slowly to the table. Your steps and his voice echoed through the mammoth room.

"Here, Corporal Booty can 'infect' no one with his opinions while he continues to maintain, supply, and upgrade Eglin's Special Forces units with top-grade mega-suits and mega-damage small arms. However, that's not really Booty's love of life; Booty remains Eglin's best mind when it comes to mecha mechanics. He has the right combination of determination, love of duty, attention to detail, and constant study of the proper skills - if in the right environment - to potentially improve all of Eglin's mecha."

Professor Stein gave a disgusted look. "Except that he's stuck down here out of his element. All because he gave General Steel his mind?" He sighed. "Wasteful folly."

"Not to mention demeaning," Hitomi folded her arms.

Booty snarled. "All me wantin' is to see humanity risin' up an' kickin' Mista Green offa Mother Earth! Big time! Wit' Booty's designs, humanity be zoomin' an' boomin', winnin' an' grinnin' every day! But General-man say him people comin' first! Glory belongs to Steel's Slayers! Booty disagree - Booty's designs should be shared by all humanity! General-man say no."

Shirley did not like what she was hearing. "Booty?"

"Yah?"

"Is General Steel, uh... 'wicked'?"

Booty's answer was instantaneous. "No! General Steel is not Wicked Man - him... selfish. Heartless. He want humanity on top his way only. When Booty speakin' up, General-man puts Booty down here to quiet him."

"Booty is still the best!" Reggie wheeled up. "My daddy has the greatest, most practical designs out there! His interests aren't limited to the VHT either! Ain't no betta!" Reggie had said this loud enough for his father to hear.

Booty returned a rare and soft-looking grin as he glanced back his wonderful boy. He glowed with appreciation. Besides, it was so good to see him safe and whole again.

"It ain't no ting, mon." Booty tried to put the problem behind him. Besides, this was not the reason his colonel had invited them down here. Booty removed his schematics from the screens and produced some barstools around the large, wide rectangular table for people to sit at. Then he looked about at all of the empty mecha bays. He glanced at the one mecha bay that was closed off by its large blast door. He stared at that door suspiciously. Then with a 'humph," he turned his mind to getting his beloved colonel's presentation together.

*
​

Once everyone was seated and more or less comfortable, Colonel Sharp and Professor Stein took their places at the head of the table with Hitomi sitting elegantly nearby. Colonel Sharp began. "O.K., troops. Time for the lowdown. Here is our confidential situation. I remind you that you can speak to no one who is not presently here - General Steel and his people included. They come through me only. General's orders.

Colonel Sharp tapped a few keys on the surface of the electronic table. Before each of you, a monitor glowed to life presenting a picture of three young and average-looking A.T.A.C. tankers posing proudly for a triple-selfie. Each appeared to be sergeants with their leader wearing the markings of a Sergeant 1st Class. "Francisco" read the name in black letters on his uniform.

"Our story begins with Bravo Squad here. Yesterday early morning, near what used to be the small town of Milton, out past our 'little fiasco' on Interstate 10 at Mile Marker 25, Bravo Squad was dispatched to scout out signs of Malcontents. We had caught wind of something unusual from the natives. Malcontent activity, as you may know, happens often enough in Alabama, but not so much near Pensacola to our west, and hardly ever near Eglin. So when we saw unusual signs of platoon-sized Malcontent activity near us, we sent Bravo Squad to check it out. Despite the F-3 tornado heading our way, we needed good information immediately for the sake of the base's safety.

Colonel Sharp looked toward Mario for a moment. "Enter Corporal Zuko's involvement. Anyone in A.T.A.C. can tell you; Eglin dispatches VHT squads in teams of four. Bravo Squad was short one tank, so dispatch sent Zuko out to join them. In Rattletrap..." Colonel Sharp rolled his eyes and sighed in a manner that showed that he had not yet gotten over that particular situation. He continued. "Zuko searched for Bravo but kept coming up 'no contact.' It was soon after that Zuko and Mackenzie gave TacCorp and the Alabama civilian convoy that terrific assist on I-10. But our situation concerns Bravo Squad.

"When Bravo Squad failed to report in, General Steel, noting the unusual Zentraedi involvement in our area, sent in his Special Forces Slayers to recover them. What they found was disturbing; the Zentraedi had caught Bravo Squad in an ambush. Now that alone was unlikely given several factors - this is Bravo's home territory, with three experienced A.T.A.C. sergeants, it had happened in broad daylight, and Bravo could get no word back to Eglin for support. Now that's a perfect ambush in my book. Furthermore, and more disturbing, was that these Zentraedi blew one tank to make an example out of it and its pilot - but took the other two prisoner.

"They what?" Shirley's eyebrows rose.

"Precisely our feelings, lieutenant. Need I remind any of you that this is not the way of the Malcontents? The Malcontents, at least those operating in and around Alabama, have never attempted to take humans prisoner since the First Robotech War. Since Lord Khyron's kamikaze, Malcontents have one goal only - destroy humanity."

He cleared his throat. "The Slayers made contact with Eglin. They wanted to go in after the A.T.A.C. tankers. General Steel gave the go-ahead. That's when the Slayers, following the Zen's tracks hoping to find a typical Zen thrown-together outpost, came instead across a full-fledged Zentraedi base right here in The Panhandle (the nickname for northwest Florida).

"This base was extremely well-camouflaged and has apparently been under our noses for months and we knew nothing about it until now. If it weren't for Zen's slip-up, we might still be in the dark." Colonel Sharp looked at each of you with one of the most serious expressions you had ever seen on his face.

"The Slayers again made contact with Eglin asking permission to breach the base. Again, General Steel gave the go-ahead. The Slayers infiltrated using methods only available to us 'micronian-sized' people and got lucky; they caught a Zen patrol in mid-transport with our two remaining survivors in Bravo Squad.

"The Slayers moved in and engaged the Zentraedi who fought back, of course. However, during the conflict, the Slayers noticed a few big differences in our gigantic enemies - first, they wore red markings on their armor. Words in Zentraedi, they think. We've never seen that. Secondly, they fought smart. They apparently wanted to keep their lives instead of throwing them away in the typical Malcontent fashion in a blaze of glory. Lastly, they gave no voice to any Malcontent battle-cries or the like. Most of the Zens in Alabama will preach you a sermon on Lord Dolza and Lord Khyron prior to dying; it's enough to make you want to kill yourself after you've heard it enough times. Maybe it's part of their grand plan?

This brought chuckles from some in the room.

"All in all, these red-clad Zens were well-armed, well-fed, fought smart, and were not about to give up. The Slayers had to kill them, for they were given no other recourse. According to Steel's people, the red-clad Zens fought to the death like madmen.

"In the end, we got two of our three Bravo Squad back. As for the third, the funeral for Sgt. Francisco will be held within the week. Now here's where it gets tricky, troops." Colonel Sharp leaned forward with his hands on the table. "The Zentraedi are by and large tank-bred soldiers. War, glory, and death is all they know. That is, until you count these guys. One of them prior to the Slayer's ambush spoke wistfully about the "great things we shall learn from the micronian's new mecha." That's a quote. Now how many foot soldiers in the Zen army do you know that make comments like that?

"So General Steel has come to the conclusion that we need those two tanks back, intact. For one thing, those VHTs are virtually brand-new Army of the Southern Cross property complete with black boxes. If, somehow, this strange faction of Zentraedi have some way of doing to our technology what we did to theirs with the Super Dimensional Fortress One... well, heck, it's anyone's guess how bad this can get.

"Here is where you come in. Our plan, given the team of you that made it, is to take six of you in using three air-capable Veritechs and get those tanks back A.S.A.P. That means two of you, each in a single fully-armed Valkyrie, AJAX, or Logan. We prefer Valkyries, because if this plan goes south, then that would mean the "Red Zens" would have a brand-new ASC airworthy Veritech on top of the two VHTs; a Logan or AJAX we delivered to them. No thanks. But the call goes to each of you 'fly-girls.' The General listened to me when I suggested this, so if you take a Logan or AJAX, it's my butt on the line, but don't let that stop you - take what's best.

Your team is a good mix of three T.A.S.C. pilots; they'll get you to the base swiftly and cover you on your way out." Colonel Sharp indicated Toph, Elinor, and Shirley. "The two A.T.A.C. pilots will access the VHTs, once you find them, and use them to escape the base. Bravo Squad said their VHTs were mostly only banged up on the arm shields and were otherwise battle-worthy when they were forced to surrender. That means you can use them." The Colonel pointed at Herc and Mario.

"Those of you who have been doing the math will notice that leaves one seat extra on one of the airworthy Veritechs. There has been some debate as to who will fill it. That in itself will be figured out before we leave today. Also, General Steel has declared who will be leading this mission from among those present. Forgive me; I had little say in the matter. Finally, you'll be outfitted with ASC mega-damage weapons and gear from this armory before flight time. Flight time is as soon as we can get the rest of this sorted out. Preferably within the hour. Miss Hitomi?"

Hitomi rose. "Thank you, colonel. Traversers? At this point, you may be asking 'why us'? Why not storm the base with Eglin's own mecha forces? Because doing so cannot guarantee that the VHTs safety. The "Red Zens" might move them out of the base and out of our hands during such an attack.

"The largest benefit Eternity sees in asking Traversers to go is this - Eglin's people cannot otherwise access this base. The Slayers, after they had the two tankers back in custody, were shut out of the base. The "Red Zens" discovered the hole and have likely reinforced it. So... the only way into the base is either to capture a Red Zen and get access out of him - not likely to happen even if we did have the time - or we hope that your ability to communicate and command machines can get you in and around the base without having to know any prior information. If that is indeed the case, then it seems like you are our best bet for success.

"Which brings us back to the technopathy test..." Hitomi gave Toph a proud, proud smile that Toph could swear to God seemed to say, "Dear student, dear friend, dear fellow human being fighting for humanity, thank you for trusting me and volunteering in an army where the first rule is, 'Never Volunteer For Anything.'"

(Spoiler contains pictures.)

Spoiler

This one's for Psychie. =)
Edit: Once again, a picture is lost from the RpN transfer back to xenForo (I'm saving all pics to disk from now on...). But hey! Here's another that gets the point across!

(Image credit: Under The Radar - Military.com)

Oh and one more for the laughs...

(Image credit: militaryhumor.net )

Hitomi addressed all of you. "You see, the Slayers stated that when they had to beat feet out of the alien base, they brought with them three equally-alien containers, two of which contained the two surviving members of Bravo Squad." Hitomi glanced to Booty. He hit a switch.

"This is the third."

(Game Master note: Remember that mecha bay that was closed off, folks?)

The bay opened up now revealing a rounded 10 foot by 10 foot by 10 foot dark green orb-like structure. It certainly appeared to be a container of some kind for there was a round pink-colored window of sorts on the front, but it was very badly fogged over on the inside completely obscuring what was within.

"Our scanners and sensors can't penetrate its super-structure and we have no idea what's inside. Traversers? Logic suggests, well, The Professor suggests, that if you can open that container, you can also very likely interact with the doors in the base. So, we'd like Toph here to demonstrate her ability to use technopathy on an alien device. But first... I'd like to test another theory first if I may?"

Hitomi's hand slipped quickly under her skirt and withdrew a small, deadly pistol, one that Toph had interacted with before.

(Picture of Hitomi's pistol.)

Spoiler

The excellent Heckler & Koch P7 M13 "squeeze cocking" pistol with silencer. =)

(Image credit: EnemyForces )

Hitomi smiled as she properly unloaded the weapon and then made certain that it was unloaded. Only then did she offer the pistol, grip-first, to Toph. "I'd like to see if you can talk to my pistol again... Would you, please?"

Colonel Sharp addressed all of you. "Questions?"

 

[Psychie]

Toph doesn't yet take the offered pistol quite yet.  Instead, she slowly walks around the captured object, keeping her hands well clear of the alien device.  Even with her own Maltrandi heritage, she has no idea as to what it could be.  Completing her circuit around the thing, she makes her way back to stand in front of Hitomi.  "Well, I did it once before with this pistol, and since then, we have all shown ourselves to be able to control this power enough to make it work again when we were not in the midst of combat.  I just need to remember the frame of mind I was in when I was able to make contact with the pistol.  Simple, right?"  She tosses her pink hair back from her eyes with a casual brush of her hand, and then reaches out to carefully take the weapon from the other woman's hand, being sure not to point it at anyone.  


Placing the pistol in her right hand, she closes her eyes to better focus on the feel of the weapon, the weight of it in her hand, the textured grip against her palm, the smooth lines of metal.  You can do this.  Focus on the pistol.  Feel it, not with just your hands, but with your mind.  Not knowing exactly what she is doing, she tries to 'reach out' with her senses to be one with the pistol.  This will work.  I will make sure it will.  Failure is not an option.

 

[Sherwood]

While Lt. Kirin tries to commune with Hitomi's gun, Mario asks quietly, "Sir, you said that General Steele has appointed a person to be in charge of this mission.  May I ask who this person is, and will this person be our 'fearless leader' from now on?  Is this going to be good news or bad?  Also, just what was the circumstances under which this gizmo was found?  Where was it?  In a mecha hangar, or was it in a barracks?  Knowing where it was kept might help give us a clue as to what it was intended to be used for.  I'd hate to go though this effort to find the Zentraedi equivalent of the commander's porn stash."  He grins, knowing that it would most certainly not be porn.

 

[Kaerri]

Previously


Elinor grinned at the MechaKitten's antics, which reminded her of the barn-kittens back home.  They'd liked brisket too, but boy would she get in trouble if Mom ever caught her giving "real" food to animals!  It seemed that everyone here was OK with it, though.  Maybe 'cause this wasn't an ordinary cat.


Though she continued to stuff her face, Elinor watched and listened intently to the discussion around her.  The others were asking the same sort of thing she'd ask, anyway, which was fine by her -- she hadn't had grub this good since her last visit home.  Note to self: get the name an' address of that joint from the colonel.  


Grabbing one last piece of cornbread as she stood up, she munched hurriedly so as to have free hands when she reached Booty (and the wet wipes).  "Thanks," she said, accepting a couple and cleaning her fingers meticulously.  This might be the best barbecue around, but sauce and tech didn't mix too well, and she'd long ago learned to make sure her hands were as near to sterile as she could manage before doing any mechanical work (and nevermind how dirty they got during that work).


Almost-now


Elinor stared at the unusually empty bays.  Faint disapproval was echoed in face and eyes as she listened to the explanation for the emptiness.  The more I hear about the general, the less I like!  Sure am glad we're working for the colonel instead.  She perched on one of the barstools and turned to face the debriefers, all but perking her ears like a cat.


Now


Elinor smiled when the colonel mentioned a choice of mecha.  "I prefer Valkyries myself, sir.  They're what I'm best in, though I figure I can fly about anything on base."  It wasn't a boast, really; more a statement of fact from someone who'd flown several and knew her own skills (and had her share of 'pilot ego').


She nodded when Zuko asked who'd be leading.  Exactly the thing she'd been about to ask.  Clearly it'd be one of the five Traverser-pilots, since the sixth seat had yet to be filled.  And who is gonna get that last seat?  I don't think we oughta bring Reggie, he's too young for that kinda thing yet.  Booty?  Hitomi or the professor, to represent Eternity proper?  While her own mind filled with guesses, she watched Toph use her mind on Hitomi's gun.

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Hercules seated himself on one of the stools. His face was a picture of consternation and confusion at the colonel's words. Steele seemed more and more like Caligula of ancient Rome. Fiddling while his city burned. Was he so sunk in self-aggrandizement that he'd really denude all of Eglin Base just so he and his SpecOps could be the ones accepting the laurels? It was folly to behave so, because eventually, the Slayers would fail, they would be defeated and there would be no force at Eglin with the equipment and motivation to act as a second line. And then Steele would be famous, infamous in fact. Famous for being the singular cause of Eglin's fall. Was the man's hubris so great that he could not see the danger he was inadvertently creating? Hercules contented himself with continuing to stroke the tiny mechanoid on his shoulder, looking at the huge container that had been recovered from the Zentraedi base.


"Are we sure that thing is not also booby-trapped? A force so well organized would certainly set safeguards in place on their materiel in the event of it's loss or theft.", he spoke up, watching his superior officer carefully.

 

[Sherwood]

Mario looks up at the gentle giant and says, "If it is booby-trapped, Toph should be able to sense it once she makes her dive into the guts of that thing.  From what I remember from my own time when I merged with the death trap of a tank I was in, I understood the mechanics of the vehicle in far more detail than I have ever known before, and I'm dual trained as both a radio operator and a mecha mechanic."  He looks at the lieutenant as she continues to focus on the pistol.  "If there is a nasty surprise in there, we'll know one way or another soon enough."

 

[Purr]

While Lt. Kirin tries to commune with Hitomi's gun, Mario asks quietly...

Colonel Sharp was about to answer when he caught sight of Toph about to... do whatever it is she does. "Hold on, son. Let's see how well your teammate does. Then I can answer your questions to all without having to repeat myself." Colonel Sharp watched Toph with interest and he was far from the only one. Even the feline MechaKitten seemed to be paying attention.

Placing the pistol in her right hand, she closes her eyes to better focus on the feel of the weapon, the weight of it in her hand, the textured grip against her palm, the smooth lines of metal. You can do this. Focus on the pistol. Feel it, not with just your hands, but with your mind. Not knowing exactly what she is doing, she tries to 'reach out' with her senses to be one with the pistol. This will work. I will make sure it will. Failure is not an option.

What was nigh-instinctive and well within reach when Toph's life was on the line turns out now to be like climbing up the side of a skyscraper in terms of effort.

Instead of a gentle meshing of mind to machine, there is the realization that now there is a feeling of great mental distance, vast and wide like a great rushing river, between Toph and her goal; it was not insurmountable, but it required great skill and resolve to traverse. It was not the latter she lacked.
This interaction was wholly unlike using technopathy with a fellow Traverser, as Toph had when they had heard Shirley's song; this was an attempt at communication with a machine that in no way was attempting to make Toph's job here any easier. Unlike her fellow Traversers, the machine did not care. Being a machine, it could not. Therefore, no one was helpfully meeting her in the middle; Toph was making this mental journey alone.

Toph pushed herself forward, on and on. It was like traveling through a snowstorm toward the distant horizon; lonely, hard, and uncertain. But after several very long moments, she attained her goal, perhaps through the effort of sheer will. Toph came to the realization that alone, she could accomplish using technopathy, but it was exhausting to say the least.

In fact, her only evidence of any success is when suddenly a thought entered her mind that was not her own:

I am empty. I cannot perform my true function without proper ammunition.

That was all. No mental schematics. Just the full knowledge of how to operate the Heckler & Koch P7 M13 squeeze cocking pistol with silencer. Toph felt confident that she could operate a pistol she had never fired without fail. That is, until this bond was broken. Then all of this gained knowledge would drift away in the winds of memory, utterly gone in a matter of time. As for now, the bond was whole. The Meltrandi-blooded human was sweating, but sure.

Beside her, Hitomi whispered brightly. "Good going!"

If Toph asked how Hitomi came to know of Toph's success, Hitomi would explain how she noticed Toph was cocking and uncocking the gun in the same fashion that Hitomi had been trained to - except that this was only the second time in Toph's life that she had ever held the machine...

Toph knew that if she rested a few moments, she would be able to make a try at the Zentraedi-made container. But she would require that rest first.

Professor Stein approached close enough to Toph to act as a shoulder to lean on if she needed one. "You look rocky, young lady, but you did it. How are you feeling?" Hitomi drew close and listened for Toph's reply.

*
​

"Are we sure that thing is not also booby-trapped? A force so well organized would certainly set safeguards in place on their materiel in the event of it's loss or theft.", he spoke up, watching his superior officer carefully.

Colonel Sharp spoke only after Toph was done with her ordeal. He seemed to watch Toph with some bewilderment, but he kept his questions to himself. Instead, he focused himself on answering questions. Those that he could, anyway. But first, he listened to Mario's statement and that look of bewilderment returned for a moment.

"Listen up, troops; we have some good questions here you'll want the answers to." Once he had everyone's attention, he continued. "Again, Steel's Slayers got lucky. They caught two of these "Red Zens" loading the Bravo Squad guys into these containers. There were three containers in total. The "Red Zens" dropped one tanker each into these pods and were in the process of closing the containers up when the Slayers DXed* them."

(*DX = old soldier slang for "eliminate")

"The Slayers saw the opportunity to take this third, sealed, container and they did. That's how it wound up here. We have no idea what's inside of it. It may be empty. All we know is the Red Zens were about to use them as portable prisons for our boys and we got there before they could close them up. This one was closed up tight when the Red Zens came to pick up our boys." Colonel Sharp mused. "My best guess is that if something is in there, it's another prisoner. And that means another human being. If that's the case, I'm betting they'd be interested in some of our barbeque. But again, it could be empty. Until it's open, we're in the dark."

"Now, Corporal Zuko raised a few questions..."

(Game Master note: I am quoting those questions here so none of you have to scroll up and look for them.)

"Sir, you said that General Steele has appointed a person to be in charge of this mission. May I ask who this person is, and will this person be our 'fearless leader' from now on? Is this going to be good news or bad? Also, just what was the circumstances under which this gizmo was found? Where was it? In a mecha hangar, or was it in a barracks? Knowing where it was kept might help give us a clue as to what it was intended to be used for..."

"Let's finish up with the portable prison first. The Slayers found it in a hallway where Bravo Squad was being held prisoner behind some kind of mega-damage barrier. Evidently, those two Red Zens were there to transport the prisoners somewhere else. The Slayers, in hitting them at that moment, effectively went around the problem of how to get Bravo Squad out of their wall-prison or out of these things here. Otherwise, Bravo would probably still be inside of them."

"Furthermore, I have it on trustworthy authority that our own ASC Zentraedi forces were contacted. They agreed that these things were meant for portable prisoner-taking, but they couldn't crack the way in after hours of trying. That said, we're sure it's not trapped. I think that's all we know. Anyone else feel we got lucky showing up when we did?"

Shirley nodded in reply.

"Onto the next subject: Leadership." Colonel Sharp folded his hands behind his back. "Troops, whether this person is your leader after this mission is not known to me; all I know is General Steel made it clear in no uncertain terms who he is putting charge of this operation."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" Shirley looked at her fellow Traversers. "Who is it?"

Colonel Sharp pointed. "You."

"WHAT?!" The news rocked Shirley. "ME?"

"What's the trouble, lieutenant? As an officer, you've been through the Army of Southern Cross leadership courses. You know what's required."

"That doesn't mean I'm ready for it! I'm a follower by nature! I just became an officer so I could fly!" Shirley held her hands to her temples in worry. "Wait, wait. Why not Toph? She's a born warrior, right?" Her gaze went to Toph.

"Looking at this through General Steel's eyes, it's simple. Lieutenant Kirin is an outsider. She doesn't come from around here. Plus, her Meltrandi blood doesn't work in her favor here. You may have noticed Steel's Slayers at the Assembly were all human? The General doesn't trust anyone outside Eglin until they've proven themselves. That goes double for the Zentraedi-blooded."

"Well, well, what about Elinor? We're of the same rank, right? Maybe she'd like to..." Shirley tried to appeal to Elinor, but the colonel shook his head.

"Hall has the training and her background as a southern-born, but you're the one raised inside of a long-standing military family with an excellent reputation for service toward humanity. I, of course, refer to Sergeant Powers and his loyal line."

"And... Mario and Herc?"

"A New Yorker and a Greek? Both men are from out of town, lieutenant, while you have been highly praised by both the veteran Ghost Riders and a school full of children in nearby Alabama." He sighed. "Look. This is one element of your mission General Steel called 'non-negotiable.' Enjoy your rise to the top, Lieutenant Mackenzie. If nothing else, it will only add to your sterling reputation as a daring close air support pilot. And besides," he added with the hint of a grin, "you might learn a few things about yourself in the doing. I know I did."

Shirley tried to smile back to his encouragement, but it wouldn't come. "Oh... my... gosh..." Shirley's shoulders sagged. She had not seen this coming. Pushing her black curly hair aside, she looked into the faces of each of the people whose lives she was now responsible for. Worry and doubt lingered in her eyes, but none of it was directed toward anyone else in the room.

 

[Psychie]

Toph can feel the sweat breaking out on her brow at the same time that her knees got all wobbly.  "Ungh.  I feel like I just ran a marathon going uphill the whole damn way.  I'll be ok, just give me a moment."  She takes several deep breaths, and then says, "Sir, I can fly a Valkyrie, but I'm not fully qualified on it.  I spent my time in the Logan and Ajax.  I would prefer to take the Ajax; it is what I am the best at.  It will give me the best shot at getting our passengers into the base in one piece to get those hover tanks out."  Toph then looks over at Hitomi and Colonel Sharp.  "I feel better now.  I'm willing to give this device a shot to see if I can unlock it, if you still want me to make the attempt."

 

[Purr]

Shirley's shoulders sagged. She had not seen this coming. Pushing her black curly hair aside, she looked into the faces of each of the people whose lives she was now responsible for. Worry and doubt lingered in her eyes, but none of it was directed toward anyone else in the room.

Reggie wheeled up alongside Shirley. Now it was his turn to give her encouragement. He spoke quietly yet enthusiastically to her and his actions had their intended effect. Shirley grinned, apparently needing to hear it.

She replied a little louder than she meant to. "Why can't The Colonel be in charge of Eglin?"

Reggie held out his hands. "I know, right?!"

Colonel Sharp heard this too. He grinned at the compliment but kept his thoughts to himself as a gentleman should under these circumstances.

"Sir, I can fly a Valkyrie, but I'm not fully qualified on it. I spent my time in the Logan and Ajax. I would prefer to take the Ajax; it is what I am the best at. It will give me the best shot at getting our passengers into the base in one piece to get those hover tanks out."

Colonel Sharp considered Toph's statement. He told her squarely, "All right, Lt. Kirin. If it's the AJAX you want, then it's the AJAX you get. Having the option to choose your mecha was one little item I was able to argue successfully with The General. He wanted Valkyries only. However, this option comes with a condition - if it looks like your mech is going to be captured, you are to set the AJAX to self-destruct. Blow it sky-high. Under no circumstances can we let this new faction of Zentraedi get their hands on it. Do I make myself clear, lieutenant?" Colonel Sharp gave Toph a look that showed her that he had utmost confidence in her; it was as if this question was something he simply told General Steel he would require to get the option passed.

"I feel better now. I'm willing to give this device a shot to see if I can unlock it, if you still want me to make the attempt."

Professor Stein and Hitomi shared a brief conversation that ended in the two of them nodding in agreement. Professor Stein addressed Toph. "We certainly do, Toph. If anyone can do it, you can."

With a graceful sweep of his hand, the academic called "Fat Gandalf" stepped aside to welcome Toph to the great alien orb-shaped device.

"One moment," Hitomi stepped toward Toph with a thin wristwatch-like device. Toph recognized it as a health meter; she had seen Hitomi make good use of it during their Jeet Kune Do workouts. Now, if Toph did not mind, Hitomi slipped the device around Toph's left wrist. The band shrank itself to fit the half-human. It was quite snug. In moments, it was collecting data that Hitomi viewed on her smartphone. "O.K. Your blood pressure is a little high, but that's to be expected." She gave a thumbs-up.

"It's your show, Toph!"