Intro 1: Vytor

Intro 1: Vytor

Friday, 6/20/2014

* Amy changes topic to 'Illusions of Grandeur 3: Mecha | Intro 1: Vytor | Jasion 25th, HE 882 | Fridays, 6 pm Pacific | http://sites.google.com/site/iogmecha/ | Game start by July 11th.'

* Amy is now known as GMAmy

* GMAmy dusts off this nick!

* DNW is now known as Vytor

<GMAmy> == Intro Start ==

<GMAmy> The maglev train, cheaper and slower than the hyperloop, is the typical option for military personnel being transferred cross country. A tall young man with blue hair is seated in a passenger car alongside a variety of other travelers, though at the moment he is the only military man in the car. His gray fatigues and insignia identify him as a corporal in the Messembrian military's Air Cavalry.

<GMAmy> A ding alerts the passengers to an incoming announcement, and a voice over the loudspeakers says, "Arriving at Eiar Station South in five minutes. Disembarking passengers, please gather your belongings."

* Vytor stands up quickly and hauls his bag from the overhead compartment. After taking a moment to ensure nothing opened or came loose, he starts working his way towards the exit.

* Vytor squeezes his way through a few civvies not paying much attention to their surroundings. "Pardon, coming through."

<GMAmy> The train slows gradually, finally pulling to a stop in front of the station. The ride has been very smooth, but decelerating causes Vytor to brace himself against the wall to avoid falling over. He emerges from the train onto a platform that isn't terribly crowded, but is plagued by an unpleasant light drizzle.

* Vytor looks up at the drizzle, lets out an annoyed breath and pulls his cap down a bit.

<GMAmy> Standing under an overhang safely out of the rain, his eyes might alight on a figure dressed in military grays - not easy to see, if it weren't for the bright red bandana tying back her long, silvery hair. Her eyes scan the crowd, eventually landing on him, and she pushes forward from where she is leaning against a pillar, waving to Vytor.

<GMAmy> "Yo! Corporal! Over here!"

* Vytor spots the tell-tale sign of a Messinian militsry unform and heads in that direction.

* Vytor sets down his bag and snaps a quick salute. "Corporal Dunbar, reporting for duty, ma'am"

<GMAmy> Once he gets close enough, Vytor can make out her isignia, which confirms her introduction as she replies. "At ease, soldier." She laughs. "Chief Warrant Officer 3, if you want the official designation, Emiria Ramirez. Salutes are optional. Heard you were coming in and needed a ride out to base."

<Vytor> Wouldn't mind it, if you're offering.

<GMAmy> [Emiria] How was the trip? I see they put you up in only the best of accomodations.

<GMAmy> She starts walking, motioning for him to follow, to where her vehicle is parked outside the station.

* Vytor collects his bag and follows quickly.

<Vytor> Minus the lack of elbow room, I had a lot of time to read through some of the new technical documents. I want to be ready to hit the ground running when this gets going.

<GMAmy> [Emiria] I heard you were very motivated. You're the new techie for the group, right? Good, they're gonna need you, from what I hear. *She grins* I'll be working with you. Not part of the GDF, but one of the on-the-ground liaisons to coordinate efforts with the military. They just shipped me in from Fort Keller a few days ago.

<GMAmy> [Emiria] I'll be in and out - but basically, anything you need requisitioned as far as parts or equipment, I can probably get it for you.

<Vytor> A Fort Keller tech? Well, that means I'm in good hands if I get in over my head.

* Vytor stops a moment, and looks at her. "Razgriz... I know that name."

<GMAmy> She grins. "You got it, kid!" She doesn't look more than a year or two older than him, if that.

<Vytor> You're the one that authored the corrections on the forced-induction relay protocols last year, right?

<GMAmy> [Emiria] Guess word's got around, huh? That was me! I swear, no one around here know how to properly wire anything. If I hadn't started revamping the process, the model H-7 jets might have caught on fire first time they tried to take off.

* Gonetrus (ketrus@ip68-12-122-193.ok.ok.cox.net) has joined #mecha-iog2

<Vytor> I always wanted to come up with a way to correct for displacement eddys in the relay flow, but it never occurred to me to try a three-phase inductions over a two-phase.

<GMAmy> She climbs into her vehicle - a military car, nothing so sleek as the civilian models, but still fairly aerodynamic and designed to handle on road or off. She slides behind the wheel and switches off the auto-drive. "Hope you don't mind, I like to drive manually. Just toss your duffel in the back there."

<Vytor> Works for me.

* Vytor carefully tosses his bag into the vehicle and settles into the seat across from Emiria.

<GMAmy> [Emiria] We couldn't have done it ten years ago, but with the new developments in refining photoreceptive minerals, you can do all kinds of amazing things with the relay matrix.

<Vytor> I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on those.

<GMAmy> She switches on the engine, and the car glides smoothly and silently out of the parking lot. Within minutes they are on the highway. "Won't take too long - less than an hour. Helicon Base is way out in the boonies, though."

<GMAmy> [Emiria] Well, you lucked out! Even I'm drooling over the equipment they're using up there. Did you know they have electromagnetic photo-manipulators?

* Vytor raises an eyebrow. "I did not, actually. So they've corrected for particle-wave conveyance?"

<GMAmy> [Emiria] In a manner of speaking. Wait'll I get my hands on them though, and they'll be running like a dream. Right now they have a tendency to spark when you introduce the receptor manifold.

* Vytor puts the tips of his fingers together and rests them under his chin. "I'm beginning to suspect there are a lot of developments going on that I'm going to have to study up on, and fast."

<GMAmy> [Emiria] You're not going to get bored, that's for sure. So, kid, how'd someone like you get conned into joining this circus?

<Vytor> Probably pissed someone off. This whole transfer came out of nowhere.

* Gayo (~gayo@bas1-ottawa08-1176109420.dsl.bell.ca) has joined #mecha-iog2

<GMAmy> [Emiria] Orders, then, didn't volunteer to be tested? From what I hear, most of the others are volunteer. You're one of the only other military, though. Most of the rest are civilians.

<Vytor> I did get tested, but that was quite a while ago. I figured I didn't make the cut at the time.

<Vytor> When the new orders came in I had two days to get ready.

<GMAmy> [Emiria] Well, it's good to have you aboard. I swear, if I didn't know better I'd say they were nabbing teenagers from the secondary academies. A couple of 'em don't even look old enough to have passed their grade 10 prelims. They've gotta be at least eighteen though, the GDF wouldn't dare go under that after that mess a few years back.

* Vytor raises an eyebrow at that. "Seriously? What exactly am I getting involved in here? This is starting to sound weird."

<GMAmy> [Emiria] There's supposed to be eight of you total, I think. Some goofy black lady - you'll like her, I think, she's got all kinds of crazy ideas but she's great to talk to - couple of kids like I mentioned...oh, there's another military guy, a captain. Scuttlebutt is that he's supposed to lead the team, if the training is successful.

<GMAmy> [Emiria] A couple others, scary women, not very friendly....how much did they tell you, anyway?

<Vytor> To grab my stuff, head for the train, and not talk to people.

<GMAmy> She chuckles. "Yeah, it's all pretty top-secret. But I'll tell ya, I think you have to be pretty strange to have qualified. I did my testing same as you, but they never called me up for MAP training. It's probably because I'm more useful where I am. Or maybe I'm not the right psychological profile - but when you see the others on the time, you really have to wonder what their standards for qualification are."

* Vytor 's expression flattens. "Oh goodie."

<GMAmy> She reaches over and claps him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, it's not nearly as bad as I'm making it out to be. Seriously, with the amount of psychological testing they've done, these have to be the most stable and well-balanced people on the planet. Otherwise, they'd never put them in those machines, right? Anyway, YOU seem pretty level-headed."

<Vytor> I'd like to think so.

<GMAmy> [Emiria] Me, I get away with a lot because I'm a genius. But I admit, I clam up a bit more on base. 'Yessir, right away sir.' The officers in the GDF are all right, but very business-like. A little serious for my taste. Anyway, General Tsukino heads up the GDF, but you won't see her around much. You'll be reporting to Colonel Eberhart. He's a good man, even if I sometimes wonder if his sense of humor was surgically removed."

<Vytor> Oof. Good to know ahead of time.

<Vytor> I'll make sure to keep up the military decorum.

<GMAmy> [Emiria] Shouldn't be much longer before we're there. When you arrive, you're to report to Col. Eberhart first. Then we'll get you settled in your quarters, and there's a preliminary briefing tonight. MAP training starts in a few days. Hope you're ready for this!

<Vytor> Me too. I feel like a mushroom in all this. Talking to you has given me more info about this MAP business than I've learned in the last two days.

<GMAmy> [Emiria] After you come out of the tank, come and see me. I'll show you around the workshop, get you started. But they're pretty impatient, MAP is scheduled to start ASAP. If it were me, I'd give you a chance to adjust before wiring you up to the computer. *She rolls her eyes* Oh, and HE'S a piece of work, I'll tell you.

<Vytor> He?

<GMAmy> [Emiria] The AI. Undoubtedly male, you can tell; there's something about the way he talks. I've never met a computer with an attitude before. Listen, I wouldn't worry about your teammates. He's gonna be the real challenge, if you ask me.

<Vytor> Oi...

<Vytor> I don't suppose hitting it with a wrench will help?

<GMAmy> The car has been gliding rapidly over the roadway, plains, trees, and farmlands whipping past. Over time they've traveled closer to the foothills of the Rhipaion Mountains, and Emiria turns off the main highway, heading up further into the hills.

<GMAmy> [Emiria] Wouldn't do that if I were you; the AI is what's going to run the sim and monitor everyone's brainwaves. *She speaks cheerfully* You'd better pray he stays in good condition! At least you'll be able to escape his snark once you're in.

<Vytor> Well, I have to assume that those who are running this thing know what they're doing.

<Vytor> Snark or no snark.

* Huw (~tylana@host81-152-27-204.range81-152.btcentralplus.com) has joined #mecha-iog2

<GMAmy> The road takes them up between the hills to a hidden away base. Apparently only two stories, it's not a very imposing building, nor very large. Emiria drives them up through the gate, flashing her ID to the guard, who waves her on through. She parks in the motor pool, then gestures for Vytor to get out of the car. "Grab your bag, soldier. Let's go meet your new commanding officer!"

<Vytor> Yes ma'am!

* Vytor grabs his bag and falls in behind Emiria.

<GMAmy> They head into the building, Emiria whistling cheerfully, Vytor perhaps wondering exactly what he's gotten himself into...

<GMAmy> == Intro End! ==

<Vytor> Tah dah!

* GMAmy is now known as Amy

* Vytor is now known as DNW

Session Close: Fri Jun 20 18:14:25 2014