"Buckle up kiddos, this one's going to be wild." You stand within one of the cabins that's been hastily converted to a war room of the R.S Seraph, one the Republic's fastest and smallest craft. "For a a straight year we've been on the defensive. Frantically trying to hold onto our armories, our factories, our shipyards. We've lost battle after battle, world after world. A week from now, you will have changed that." The speaker is one Captain Irravel Veda, commanding officer of the Seraph. Captain Veda is an older elvish woman, slender but still stern looking. She has her silvered hair cut short, and the left side of her face is disfigured with what looks like burn scars. "This operation has been meticulously planned for the last two months following the ascension of Fleet Admiral Rafe - and you have been carefully chosen based on your unique talents for a special role in the upcoming assault."
She taps on a crystalline globe resting on the table centered in the room, speaking a quick few arcane words. The crystal begins to glow then flashes, displaying a floating blue-tinted illusion of a planet. The world is mostly covered by ocean, save for one large continent. "Iketer was one of the first to fall to the Outer Alliance: the loss of its shipyards were brutal for us, and a huge boon to the rebels. It is unique for its abundant crystal deposits, a particular variety that are used in the creation of a Spelljammer helm. Recovering Iketer is step one of Fleet Admiral Rafe's counter-offensive."
With a light tap of the globe, the image changes to an isometric view of a massive collection of buildings and facilities, encircled by high walls. A building with three equidistant towers dominates the center of the installation. "Aeon Terminal. This is Iketer's principal shipyard and skyport. Alone it could damn near double production of Spelljammer craft. We must secure this installation before proceeding with the rest of the assault, and we must not allow them to sabotage its equipment on the way out."
She points at the tri-tower structure at the center of the base. "Atop the facility control building are a battery of arcane cannons. New renovation courtesy of Sid's weaponscrafters. We need to be able to fly in fast and hard, but if we do that with those cannons working, we'll get shredded."
"This is where you come in. We have a way to get a small team on world and into the Aeon Terminal. From there, you'll need to make your way to the tops of those towers and disable those cannons. The main assault will begin at a set time - regardless of whether you succeed or fail, this attack is happening. But your actions can spare many of our forces from an early death."
Next, she focuses on a collection of buildings and structures northwest of the control building, halfway between it and the wall. "After you assault begins, you'll need to get out the control building and link up with myself here. We'll be securing key facilities in order of importance."
With yet another tap of the crystal, the map refocuses on another city north of the Aeon Terminal. "After the Aeon Terminal is under our control, it's a straight shot the capital. You'll be joining the Red Devil Company in securing the central government palace. You find Sid's little puppet president and toss him out on his ass, copy?"
"Questions?"
Please take the opportunity to 'introduce' your characters, and roleplay a bit with each other or the Captain. =)
Standing back and leaning against a wall of the cabin is a fairly tall, lithe elf with long white hair and eyes that almost glow a light blue. His skin is a pale purple and covered in shining white tattoos that make a swirling pattern across his skin. He wears a sleeveless dark brown jerkin that looks as if it has seen better days and would certainly not offer any protection, light brown trousers and black boots which rise up to cover his knees. At his waist he wears a belt with a rapier hanging on one side and a dagger on the other, along with various pouches in between. Slung across his shoulder is a bag of decent quality that belies the rest of his attire.
He listens to the briefing intently, his keen eyes fixed upon the images being projected by the holo-crystal. When Captain Veda mentions that those present have been chosen based on their unique talents, his eyes flick to each other person present in turn, appraising them as he wonders exactly what talents they bring. He has been gone a long time, and there are not many that he remembered, or he thought remembered him. And yet he has been hand selected for his talents also, which truly intrigued him. Did anyone back here truly know where he has been and what his talents have become? But beyond this, he is irked that his efforts over so many years in the depths of Wildspace to help expand the Republic into new systems is being unravelled by this Outer Alliance. Now he is back, it is only right he should join the war effort.
When the Captain finishes the briefing and asks for questions, he pushes himself off the wall and walks around the table with a fluid grace, even beyond what would normally be expected of his elven kin.
"I have many questions, about this meticulous plan and about these people before me", he says forthrightly. "For starters, how exactly are you going to smuggle us into Aeon Terminal? Do you have a schematic of the terminal? Do we know how well fortified and guarded it is? How long will we have to disable the arcane cannons? Exactly what talents do these people bring to the mission?", he asks of the Captain, motioning to the others as he asks the final question.
"And it would be good to know who recommended me for this? It is a long time since I have been back within the bounds of the Republic, and much has changed".
After all the questions are asked, he finally addresses the others in the room.
"But before you get to answers, I expect proper decorum dictates we start with introductions", he says in an almost mocking tone. "I am Raeksalos, for the most part known as a frontiersman by trade", he adds, although it is quite evident by the fact he is here that he is not telling the whole story.
"We have a defector, a young man who pilots one of the Spelljammer craft responsible for hauling supplies in and out of Aeon Terminal. You'll be hiding amongst his cargo, and should end up in a supply depot." Captain Veda answers swiftly, bringing the projection of the Terminal back up. She points out an arc running from the southern point of the wall to the eastern point. "All of this space makes up the docks. Once the pilot makes the landing, you'll be offloaded and taken here." Now highlighting a small collection of warehouse type buildings in the southeast section of the base. "We have this projection here to show you the general layout...But as for a detailed schematic of the interior of the buildings...No we do not. Such records would have been kept on site, and the Terminal was taken from us too swiftly to secure them."
"We estimate a combat garrison of 1500. You'll have three hours to disable the cannons before the main assault force arrives."
As the elvish "frontiersman" asks his second to last question, the commanding officer raises her eyebrow. "These people consist of two Ember Knights, the prodigal son of House Voidwatcher, and one of the fiercest Sukesh ((OoC: An extremely harsh frontier world)) warriors the Spiral has ever seen. And then there's you, who survived something very few have. Believe me, your abilities combined are a good match for this task."
"As for who recommended you - all of you. That's above my paygrade."
Calmly beside the table as the Captain presents her information is a tall knight of the Ember Order. He looks young, in his early twenties perhaps, with wavy light brown hair that isn't quite shoulder-length. What you can see of him might suggest a lean build, though his true physique is obscured by a loose fitting dark colored tunic. Over it he wears a black leather tabard with a belt fastened around his waist. His pants are tucked into a pair of black boots, and currently his hooded cloak is folded neatly on his arm.
A bladeless cylindrical hilt hangs from his hip, and a variety of small pouches and pockets adorn his belt.
Quietly, he listens to the elvish man's questions and Captain Veda's answers. "I am Salvor Kimer, as the Captain has stated...I am from the Ember Order. You can expect the full capabilities of our Order's techniques."
"Both of us,"he gestures towards the young woman standing beside him, "are skilled blademasters, though Raia here is definitely my superior in that regard. My own focus is focused around the telekinetic and the psychic. I can enhance my own physical capabilities, confuse, sway, or otherwise incapacitate our enemies." He allows himself a small moment of arrogance, "when I am attuned to the flow of battle, few are able to strike me."
"What are your particular talents, Raeksalos of the frontier?"
A female Goliath leans against the wall, doing more listening than talking. She can't help but sigh internally... she's almost certain that she's surrounded by witches... or, as everyone else calls them 'casters.' Well, as much as she might not like or trust those who use these strange powers, she has been forced to work with witches before and probably will be again in the future.
The Goliath woman stands a little under seven feet tall, with jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders. Unsurprisingly, she looks like she could uproot a tree with her bare hands... yet, she is also surprisingly slender and graceful for a member of her race. She is garbed in half-plate armor, a strange cloak, and a stone pendant hangs around her neck. At her side she carries a scimitar with a gleaming, silvered blade to cut through the defenses of werebeasts and many other supernatural horrors.
"It's a pity that we don't have the maps," she mutters. "But I think that you're right, Captain, even without them I suspect we will be more than capable of destroying the witch-cannons you describe."
She pauses and looks around at her new associates. She sighs... they probably should know what they're dealing with when they work with her.
"I will be upfront with all of you right now, I and my people do not have a pleasant history with witches... or 'mages,' as they are called here... so please don't take it personally if I seem unfriendly. It isn't you I dislike, it's the witchcraft. And as much as I hate to admit it, I do understand that there are times when witchcraft is needed to fight witchcraft. My name is Zania Stonebreaker, and I am one of my region's most successful witch hunters."
Standing silent with a stern face in the middle of the war room, listening attentively to the others, does a white-haired human wearing a kind of long coat you would see certain aristocrats of the republic wear, holding a glass of red wine in his gloved hand while the other rests on his back. There is no doubt he must be the prodigal son of House Voidwatcher that Captain Veda had mentioned. He sports a small white beard, as well-kempt as his hair and he exudes an air of calm and professionalism and his every motion seems refined as would be expected from a high-born. He finds the Astral-Elf's questions pertinent to their mission even though somewhat impertinent with his call for proper decorum at the presence of the captain. An Astral-Elf, a witch-hunter and two Ember Knights, quite an impressive group he found. What could possibly go wrong he thought, smiling briefly to himself.
"Let us hope we will find witches for you to hunt then Zania." The white-haired aristocrat calmly says with a polite smile to the goliath and then to the others gathered for the briefing. "As you might or might not already know I am Lord Daryos Voidwatcher, but during this mission I am simply Daryos."He explains in the sincere and firm tone of a professional officer of the republican armed forces. "As for my skill set I am admittedly not a veteran special forces operative as some of you but I possess a variety of powers granted me by a family artefact, some of which I predict to be quite useful as we infiltrate enemy territory. And allow me to handle any convicing that might be needed during the mission, let's just say I have had time to develope a degree of natural authority over others, particularly those used to taking orders from superiors that we might need to pass without using violence. " He calmly continues before curiosly turning to the other Ember Knight who had not yet spoken.
Standing next to the tall Ember Knight is another of the Order, a woman of around the same age with dark brown hair and blue eyes. She wears garments that are similar in form to Salvor's, but made of more neutral grays. Her robe is a sea blue color, and embroidered on the shoulders and runes of protection from the old ways of her people.
As the others turn expectantly to her, she gives a stilted bow and speaks. "I am Raia Castorena." Her eyes flick to the man next to her. "Also a Knight from the Ember Order."
With a glance at the goliath woman, she continues. "My witching abilities are not as advanced as Salvor's, but my blade is swift."
Raeksalos listens to the captain answer all his questions, becoming satisfied with the plan in most aspects, and the one he isn't satisfied with is out of their control anyway.
"Relying on a defector is not ideal, I assume all measures have been taken to ensure they are genuine", he replies, his intonation suggesting it isn't a question that needs a response.
When the captain introduces the others, he arches an eyebrow, "An impressive roster, but not surprising if this mission has as much strategic value as you suggest".
As everyone else introduces themselves, his caution at working with others recedes. These were not inexperienced folk more likely to get them all killed than help, this was truly an elite force.
"I will admit, for my part I do have some skills in what you would call Witchcraft, Zania Stonebreaker. I expect the talent that brought me to this party though is survival, Salvor. I am a surviver, skilled in going into unknown, hostile areas, achieving my goals and coming back alive. Diplomacy, as you might have noticed, is not my strong suit, so I am happy to leave the talking to you, Daryos".
With that said, he awaits the captain's answer to Raia's question.
"Yes, I kind of assumed you might... I can't walk five steps without tripping over a witch around here,"Zania says with a wry smile. "It is what it is. I can put up with it."
The elvish woman turns to Raia, and with a quick word and tap of the orb switches the illusory view once more to bring an example of the device up. "At their base is a pentagonal crystal - as we understand these serve as wells of arcane energy from which the cannons draw their power. Based on what we've seen so far, these crystals can be overloaded with magic or destroyed with enough concussive force."
"You'll be sent with enough explosives to knock all of them out."
Captain Veda waves her hand over the illusion, and it fades away along with crystal orb's glow. "From now on, you report directly to me. I expect you all to work together nicely, but if for whatever reason you come to an impasse, defer to the Embers' judgement."
"After dealing with the cannons, if for whatever reason you are unable to link up with me - for example if by some act of the gods those rebel bastards actually manage to kill me - then you will find my second, Commander Jareth Solari. You met him when you first boarded the ship. If you are unable to find him, report to the first officer you can find and work your way up to another Commander, tell them you're Tau-49."
"This group is brimming with a sharpness fit for the high stresses of battle, I can feel it. Your trust that we'll arrive at the correct course of action is not misplaced." Salvor says, hands clasped behind his back as he walks the length of the table."I don't foresee the need for Raia or myself to impose our will upon them."
"Is this defector aware of their guard rotations? I presume the entrances to the base are well manned...But are there other sensitive areas we should expect resistance?"
Raeksalos moves closer to look at the image of the arcane canon, "It shouldn't be too difficult to set the explosives around the power crystal. Ensuring we destroy them simultaneously will be the key. Are they timed or do they have remote detonators?".
As talk turns to chain of command, a low grunt of derision escapes his throat.
"That is a strange way to phrase your comment Salvor, 'impose our will'. I am not sure I like the implication of that, and I would imagine I am not the only one", he says glancing at Zania and Daryos.
As the Astral-Elf mentions leaving the talking to the aristocrat, Daryos replies with a nod and a small polite smile over the confidence shown in him. There was no doubt in his mind these people had the necessary skills and competence to execute the mission, question was if they would be able to act as a cohesive unit, the Astral-Elf and the witch-hunter in particular seemed strong-willed, perhaps too strong-willed to submit to the will of others when that became necessary for the good of the mission. "Oh, I'm sure the Ember Knight simply meant we will hopefully reach consensus with the decisions we need to make during the mission."The aristocrat says calmly, trying to defuse the apparently provoking wording of their de facto leader. "Still, with a sensetive mission like this we should be prepared for situations where immediate tactical decisions must be made and there won't be time for debates, and when that happens I personally will have no problem to follow orders from our Ember Knights, after all we are all already under orders to execute this mission." He says calmly, smiling politely to the Astral Elf before taking a sip of his wine.
Raeksalos studies Raia for a moment, looking for any hint that she is being disingenuous, before relaxing.
"I am not a member of the Ember Knights, nor a career soldier. I am here by choice. Where I am concerned, I will follow the chain of command, and if you are to make a decision, I will abide by it. You will not need to impose your will on me, which to my mind is a rather forceful turn of phrase. There are beings beyond the deepest reaches of Wildspace who use phrases like that, and they literally replace your own will with their own, making you their pawn", he explains, his voice betraying a hint of anger mixed with regret by the end, but towards the beings he spoke of, not Salvor.
"However, it seems that my interpretation was not your intention, Salvor", he adds, inclining his head to the Ember Knight.
The aristocrat nods to the Astral Elf as if he understands what he was speaking of, the true loss of one's will was a horrible fate and to his mind something quite different than to submitting to the wills of others in time of need. Daryos is however slightly troubled by the Astral Elf pointing out he was here by choice. He didn't doubt Raeksalos sincerity or fervor, but someone being here by choice could also as easily leave by choice, still, with the competence on board the team could possibly execute the mission without any tough decisions having to be made. The aristocrat then looks to Captain Veda to answer the team's final questions.
Zania looks slightly confused. She hadn't heard any ill meaning in the Ember Knight's words.
"His phrasing really didn't sound particularly strange to me..." the goliath says. "And I'm usually the first to look for subtle signs of malice in the words of a witch. It just sounded to me like he was saying that we're all experienced enough to know what to do without a commander breathing down our necks."
"Well, to be fair, if you have experienced what I suspect our Astral Elf here has, imposing your will on someone could easily be misinterpreted for something far more sinister than breathing down one's neck." The aristocrat calmly and politely explains to the wich-hunter. "I believe it is all sorted out now."He adds with a polite smile before returning his attention to the captain.
"Indeed, you certainly have the way of the diplomat about you Daryos. I have been away from friendlier territories for some time and it may take time to adjust to being amongst allies. I haven't been back to the core of the Republic since just after Sukesh joined", Raeksalos explains.
"It is good to see your people have embraced the Republic, Zania. It was touch and go back then, but thankfully I was not the diplomat on that mission, just the guide", he says sending a half smile to Daryos.
The Captain waits patiently as the group works out their communication kink before giving a quick nod, "good. You can settle your own problems, getting along well already."
"To answer your other questions in order, he knows only what's he's seen from the loading and unloading docks. That being said, there will be guards throughout the facility control building protecting restricted areas. You can certainly expect some preventing access to the arcane cannons."
"As for the explosives, they can be set off from a range of about 500ft. If that isn't to your liking, we can rig them with timed fuses instead."
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1 Week Before the Assault on Iketer
"Buckle up kiddos, this one's going to be wild." You stand within one of the cabins that's been hastily converted to a war room of the R.S Seraph, one the Republic's fastest and smallest craft. "For a a straight year we've been on the defensive. Frantically trying to hold onto our armories, our factories, our shipyards. We've lost battle after battle, world after world. A week from now, you will have changed that." The speaker is one Captain Irravel Veda, commanding officer of the Seraph. Captain Veda is an older elvish woman, slender but still stern looking. She has her silvered hair cut short, and the left side of her face is disfigured with what looks like burn scars. "This operation has been meticulously planned for the last two months following the ascension of Fleet Admiral Rafe - and you have been carefully chosen based on your unique talents for a special role in the upcoming assault."
She taps on a crystalline globe resting on the table centered in the room, speaking a quick few arcane words. The crystal begins to glow then flashes, displaying a floating blue-tinted illusion of a planet. The world is mostly covered by ocean, save for one large continent. "Iketer was one of the first to fall to the Outer Alliance: the loss of its shipyards were brutal for us, and a huge boon to the rebels. It is unique for its abundant crystal deposits, a particular variety that are used in the creation of a Spelljammer helm. Recovering Iketer is step one of Fleet Admiral Rafe's counter-offensive."
With a light tap of the globe, the image changes to an isometric view of a massive collection of buildings and facilities, encircled by high walls. A building with three equidistant towers dominates the center of the installation. "Aeon Terminal. This is Iketer's principal shipyard and skyport. Alone it could damn near double production of Spelljammer craft. We must secure this installation before proceeding with the rest of the assault, and we must not allow them to sabotage its equipment on the way out."
She points at the tri-tower structure at the center of the base. "Atop the facility control building are a battery of arcane cannons. New renovation courtesy of Sid's weaponscrafters. We need to be able to fly in fast and hard, but if we do that with those cannons working, we'll get shredded."
"This is where you come in. We have a way to get a small team on world and into the Aeon Terminal. From there, you'll need to make your way to the tops of those towers and disable those cannons. The main assault will begin at a set time - regardless of whether you succeed or fail, this attack is happening. But your actions can spare many of our forces from an early death."
Next, she focuses on a collection of buildings and structures northwest of the control building, halfway between it and the wall. "After you assault begins, you'll need to get out the control building and link up with myself here. We'll be securing key facilities in order of importance."
With yet another tap of the crystal, the map refocuses on another city north of the Aeon Terminal. "After the Aeon Terminal is under our control, it's a straight shot the capital. You'll be joining the Red Devil Company in securing the central government palace. You find Sid's little puppet president and toss him out on his ass, copy?"
"Questions?"
Please take the opportunity to 'introduce' your characters, and roleplay a bit with each other or the Captain. =)
Standing back and leaning against a wall of the cabin is a fairly tall, lithe elf with long white hair and eyes that almost glow a light blue. His skin is a pale purple and covered in shining white tattoos that make a swirling pattern across his skin. He wears a sleeveless dark brown jerkin that looks as if it has seen better days and would certainly not offer any protection, light brown trousers and black boots which rise up to cover his knees. At his waist he wears a belt with a rapier hanging on one side and a dagger on the other, along with various pouches in between. Slung across his shoulder is a bag of decent quality that belies the rest of his attire.
He listens to the briefing intently, his keen eyes fixed upon the images being projected by the holo-crystal. When Captain Veda mentions that those present have been chosen based on their unique talents, his eyes flick to each other person present in turn, appraising them as he wonders exactly what talents they bring. He has been gone a long time, and there are not many that he remembered, or he thought remembered him. And yet he has been hand selected for his talents also, which truly intrigued him. Did anyone back here truly know where he has been and what his talents have become? But beyond this, he is irked that his efforts over so many years in the depths of Wildspace to help expand the Republic into new systems is being unravelled by this Outer Alliance. Now he is back, it is only right he should join the war effort.
When the Captain finishes the briefing and asks for questions, he pushes himself off the wall and walks around the table with a fluid grace, even beyond what would normally be expected of his elven kin.
"I have many questions, about this meticulous plan and about these people before me", he says forthrightly. "For starters, how exactly are you going to smuggle us into Aeon Terminal? Do you have a schematic of the terminal? Do we know how well fortified and guarded it is? How long will we have to disable the arcane cannons? Exactly what talents do these people bring to the mission?", he asks of the Captain, motioning to the others as he asks the final question.
"And it would be good to know who recommended me for this? It is a long time since I have been back within the bounds of the Republic, and much has changed".
After all the questions are asked, he finally addresses the others in the room.
"But before you get to answers, I expect proper decorum dictates we start with introductions", he says in an almost mocking tone. "I am Raeksalos, for the most part known as a frontiersman by trade", he adds, although it is quite evident by the fact he is here that he is not telling the whole story.
"We have a defector, a young man who pilots one of the Spelljammer craft responsible for hauling supplies in and out of Aeon Terminal. You'll be hiding amongst his cargo, and should end up in a supply depot." Captain Veda answers swiftly, bringing the projection of the Terminal back up. She points out an arc running from the southern point of the wall to the eastern point. "All of this space makes up the docks. Once the pilot makes the landing, you'll be offloaded and taken here." Now highlighting a small collection of warehouse type buildings in the southeast section of the base. "We have this projection here to show you the general layout...But as for a detailed schematic of the interior of the buildings...No we do not. Such records would have been kept on site, and the Terminal was taken from us too swiftly to secure them."
"We estimate a combat garrison of 1500. You'll have three hours to disable the cannons before the main assault force arrives."
As the elvish "frontiersman" asks his second to last question, the commanding officer raises her eyebrow. "These people consist of two Ember Knights, the prodigal son of House Voidwatcher, and one of the fiercest Sukesh ((OoC: An extremely harsh frontier world)) warriors the Spiral has ever seen. And then there's you, who survived something very few have. Believe me, your abilities combined are a good match for this task."
"As for who recommended you - all of you. That's above my paygrade."
Calmly beside the table as the Captain presents her information is a tall knight of the Ember Order. He looks young, in his early twenties perhaps, with wavy light brown hair that isn't quite shoulder-length. What you can see of him might suggest a lean build, though his true physique is obscured by a loose fitting dark colored tunic. Over it he wears a black leather tabard with a belt fastened around his waist. His pants are tucked into a pair of black boots, and currently his hooded cloak is folded neatly on his arm.
A bladeless cylindrical hilt hangs from his hip, and a variety of small pouches and pockets adorn his belt.
Quietly, he listens to the elvish man's questions and Captain Veda's answers. "I am Salvor Kimer, as the Captain has stated...I am from the Ember Order. You can expect the full capabilities of our Order's techniques."
"Both of us," he gestures towards the young woman standing beside him, "are skilled blademasters, though Raia here is definitely my superior in that regard. My own focus is focused around the telekinetic and the psychic. I can enhance my own physical capabilities, confuse, sway, or otherwise incapacitate our enemies." He allows himself a small moment of arrogance, "when I am attuned to the flow of battle, few are able to strike me."
"What are your particular talents, Raeksalos of the frontier?"
A female Goliath leans against the wall, doing more listening than talking. She can't help but sigh internally... she's almost certain that she's surrounded by witches... or, as everyone else calls them 'casters.' Well, as much as she might not like or trust those who use these strange powers, she has been forced to work with witches before and probably will be again in the future.
The Goliath woman stands a little under seven feet tall, with jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders. Unsurprisingly, she looks like she could uproot a tree with her bare hands... yet, she is also surprisingly slender and graceful for a member of her race. She is garbed in half-plate armor, a strange cloak, and a stone pendant hangs around her neck. At her side she carries a scimitar with a gleaming, silvered blade to cut through the defenses of werebeasts and many other supernatural horrors.
"It's a pity that we don't have the maps," she mutters. "But I think that you're right, Captain, even without them I suspect we will be more than capable of destroying the witch-cannons you describe."
She pauses and looks around at her new associates. She sighs... they probably should know what they're dealing with when they work with her.
"I will be upfront with all of you right now, I and my people do not have a pleasant history with witches... or 'mages,' as they are called here... so please don't take it personally if I seem unfriendly. It isn't you I dislike, it's the witchcraft. And as much as I hate to admit it, I do understand that there are times when witchcraft is needed to fight witchcraft. My name is Zania Stonebreaker, and I am one of my region's most successful witch hunters."
Standing silent with a stern face in the middle of the war room, listening attentively to the others, does a white-haired human wearing a kind of long coat you would see certain aristocrats of the republic wear, holding a glass of red wine in his gloved hand while the other rests on his back. There is no doubt he must be the prodigal son of House Voidwatcher that Captain Veda had mentioned. He sports a small white beard, as well-kempt as his hair and he exudes an air of calm and professionalism and his every motion seems refined as would be expected from a high-born. He finds the Astral-Elf's questions pertinent to their mission even though somewhat impertinent with his call for proper decorum at the presence of the captain. An Astral-Elf, a witch-hunter and two Ember Knights, quite an impressive group he found. What could possibly go wrong he thought, smiling briefly to himself.
"Let us hope we will find witches for you to hunt then Zania." The white-haired aristocrat calmly says with a polite smile to the goliath and then to the others gathered for the briefing. "As you might or might not already know I am Lord Daryos Voidwatcher, but during this mission I am simply Daryos." He explains in the sincere and firm tone of a professional officer of the republican armed forces. "As for my skill set I am admittedly not a veteran special forces operative as some of you but I possess a variety of powers granted me by a family artefact, some of which I predict to be quite useful as we infiltrate enemy territory. And allow me to handle any convicing that might be needed during the mission, let's just say I have had time to develope a degree of natural authority over others, particularly those used to taking orders from superiors that we might need to pass without using violence. " He calmly continues before curiosly turning to the other Ember Knight who had not yet spoken.
Standing next to the tall Ember Knight is another of the Order, a woman of around the same age with dark brown hair and blue eyes. She wears garments that are similar in form to Salvor's, but made of more neutral grays. Her robe is a sea blue color, and embroidered on the shoulders and runes of protection from the old ways of her people.
As the others turn expectantly to her, she gives a stilted bow and speaks. "I am Raia Castorena." Her eyes flick to the man next to her. "Also a Knight from the Ember Order."
With a glance at the goliath woman, she continues. "My witching abilities are not as advanced as Salvor's, but my blade is swift."
"How do we disable the cannons, Captain?"
Raeksalos listens to the captain answer all his questions, becoming satisfied with the plan in most aspects, and the one he isn't satisfied with is out of their control anyway.
"Relying on a defector is not ideal, I assume all measures have been taken to ensure they are genuine", he replies, his intonation suggesting it isn't a question that needs a response.
When the captain introduces the others, he arches an eyebrow, "An impressive roster, but not surprising if this mission has as much strategic value as you suggest".
As everyone else introduces themselves, his caution at working with others recedes. These were not inexperienced folk more likely to get them all killed than help, this was truly an elite force.
"I will admit, for my part I do have some skills in what you would call Witchcraft, Zania Stonebreaker. I expect the talent that brought me to this party though is survival, Salvor. I am a surviver, skilled in going into unknown, hostile areas, achieving my goals and coming back alive. Diplomacy, as you might have noticed, is not my strong suit, so I am happy to leave the talking to you, Daryos".
With that said, he awaits the captain's answer to Raia's question.
"Yes, I kind of assumed you might... I can't walk five steps without tripping over a witch around here," Zania says with a wry smile. "It is what it is. I can put up with it."
The elvish woman turns to Raia, and with a quick word and tap of the orb switches the illusory view once more to bring an example of the device up. "At their base is a pentagonal crystal - as we understand these serve as wells of arcane energy from which the cannons draw their power. Based on what we've seen so far, these crystals can be overloaded with magic or destroyed with enough concussive force."
"You'll be sent with enough explosives to knock all of them out."
Captain Veda waves her hand over the illusion, and it fades away along with crystal orb's glow. "From now on, you report directly to me. I expect you all to work together nicely, but if for whatever reason you come to an impasse, defer to the Embers' judgement."
"After dealing with the cannons, if for whatever reason you are unable to link up with me - for example if by some act of the gods those rebel bastards actually manage to kill me - then you will find my second, Commander Jareth Solari. You met him when you first boarded the ship. If you are unable to find him, report to the first officer you can find and work your way up to another Commander, tell them you're Tau-49."
"Other concerns?"
"This group is brimming with a sharpness fit for the high stresses of battle, I can feel it. Your trust that we'll arrive at the correct course of action is not misplaced." Salvor says, hands clasped behind his back as he walks the length of the table. "I don't foresee the need for Raia or myself to impose our will upon them."
"Is this defector aware of their guard rotations? I presume the entrances to the base are well manned...But are there other sensitive areas we should expect resistance?"
Raeksalos moves closer to look at the image of the arcane canon, "It shouldn't be too difficult to set the explosives around the power crystal. Ensuring we destroy them simultaneously will be the key. Are they timed or do they have remote detonators?".
As talk turns to chain of command, a low grunt of derision escapes his throat.
"That is a strange way to phrase your comment Salvor, 'impose our will'. I am not sure I like the implication of that, and I would imagine I am not the only one", he says glancing at Zania and Daryos.
As the Astral-Elf mentions leaving the talking to the aristocrat, Daryos replies with a nod and a small polite smile over the confidence shown in him. There was no doubt in his mind these people had the necessary skills and competence to execute the mission, question was if they would be able to act as a cohesive unit, the Astral-Elf and the witch-hunter in particular seemed strong-willed, perhaps too strong-willed to submit to the will of others when that became necessary for the good of the mission. "Oh, I'm sure the Ember Knight simply meant we will hopefully reach consensus with the decisions we need to make during the mission." The aristocrat says calmly, trying to defuse the apparently provoking wording of their de facto leader. "Still, with a sensetive mission like this we should be prepared for situations where immediate tactical decisions must be made and there won't be time for debates, and when that happens I personally will have no problem to follow orders from our Ember Knights, after all we are all already under orders to execute this mission." He says calmly, smiling politely to the Astral Elf before taking a sip of his wine.
"How would you prefer it to be phrased?" Raia asks, confused as she tilts her head slightly. "It's a plainspeak way to refer to the nature of command."
"The Lord Voidwatcher speaks the truth in any case. Arriving quickly at a consensus during the mission is the preference."
Raeksalos studies Raia for a moment, looking for any hint that she is being disingenuous, before relaxing.
"I am not a member of the Ember Knights, nor a career soldier. I am here by choice. Where I am concerned, I will follow the chain of command, and if you are to make a decision, I will abide by it. You will not need to impose your will on me, which to my mind is a rather forceful turn of phrase. There are beings beyond the deepest reaches of Wildspace who use phrases like that, and they literally replace your own will with their own, making you their pawn", he explains, his voice betraying a hint of anger mixed with regret by the end, but towards the beings he spoke of, not Salvor.
"However, it seems that my interpretation was not your intention, Salvor", he adds, inclining his head to the Ember Knight.
The aristocrat nods to the Astral Elf as if he understands what he was speaking of, the true loss of one's will was a horrible fate and to his mind something quite different than to submitting to the wills of others in time of need. Daryos is however slightly troubled by the Astral Elf pointing out he was here by choice. He didn't doubt Raeksalos sincerity or fervor, but someone being here by choice could also as easily leave by choice, still, with the competence on board the team could possibly execute the mission without any tough decisions having to be made. The aristocrat then looks to Captain Veda to answer the team's final questions.
Zania looks slightly confused. She hadn't heard any ill meaning in the Ember Knight's words.
"His phrasing really didn't sound particularly strange to me..." the goliath says. "And I'm usually the first to look for subtle signs of malice in the words of a witch. It just sounded to me like he was saying that we're all experienced enough to know what to do without a commander breathing down our necks."
"Well, to be fair, if you have experienced what I suspect our Astral Elf here has, imposing your will on someone could easily be misinterpreted for something far more sinister than breathing down one's neck." The aristocrat calmly and politely explains to the wich-hunter. "I believe it is all sorted out now." He adds with a polite smile before returning his attention to the captain.
"Indeed, you certainly have the way of the diplomat about you Daryos. I have been away from friendlier territories for some time and it may take time to adjust to being amongst allies. I haven't been back to the core of the Republic since just after Sukesh joined", Raeksalos explains.
"It is good to see your people have embraced the Republic, Zania. It was touch and go back then, but thankfully I was not the diplomat on that mission, just the guide", he says sending a half smile to Daryos.
The Captain waits patiently as the group works out their communication kink before giving a quick nod, "good. You can settle your own problems, getting along well already."
"To answer your other questions in order, he knows only what's he's seen from the loading and unloading docks. That being said, there will be guards throughout the facility control building protecting restricted areas. You can certainly expect some preventing access to the arcane cannons."
"As for the explosives, they can be set off from a range of about 500ft. If that isn't to your liking, we can rig them with timed fuses instead."