New Dawn

Subject: New Dawn Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:07 pm

Dark Studios Presents...

A Darkthought RP...

A tale of humanity's final stand...

New Dawn

Prologue:
Mankind had almost reached its pinnacle. Petty wars and trivial disputes had been set aside, ushering a new era of peace and understanding. Such great leaps in science and art were made as had not been seen since the renaissance. It was truly a Golden Age. In such an age as this, the institution known as UERI, the United Earth Research Institute, reigned supreme. Its minds had cured world hunger and global warming, and its minds were also the ones that ultimately doomed humanity.

Three years preceding the even that would come to be known as the Nova Incident, UERI's top scientists had begun work on a massive particle accelerator named after the project's lead scientist, Doctor Isaiah Magnus. Located near the Franco-Swiss border in a top secret facility called the Nova Labs, the Magnus Device would, in theory, have allowed for great advances in interstellar travel and virtually eliminated the world's growing fuel shortage. However, the tests that were run on the device could have never fully prepared the scientists for what was about to happen. Late in the year 2012, the Magnus Device was switched to fully operational. That was when it happened. A massive EMP blacked out the entire world. Electronics everywhere simply ceased to work. Panic ensued. Riots broke out within hours. The world was ripe for the slaughter that was about to occur. That was when They came.

Great Britain, the world's oldest and longest standing kingdom, was among the hardest hit areas of the planet. Yet the cruel centuries had toughened the people. The new enemy was met with unexpected resistance. Unfortunately, the queen was killed in one of the first wave of attacks. Infuriated, the United Kingdoms flocked around the Parliament Building to protect the former queen's young daughter, Adrea. As the new Queen, Adrea addressed the public in order to keep morale up. The child queen's famous speech came to be known as the New Dawn Address. This is how the New Dawn establishment came to be started.

The soldiers of New Dawn eventually came across an old Holodisc and a working player. The disc had been created by UERI top scientist, doctor Isaiah Magnus. The disc explained that there was in fact a way to defeat the enemy. However, due to likelihood of the discs falling into the hands of They, Magnus had created five separate discs detailing his plan to defeat the enemy once and for all. The one found by the soldiers had been but one of these discs and had been encrypted with a partial blueprint for some sort of device that would ultimately stop They in their tracks.

Less than a week ago, the Sanctuary City-Bunker, which also held one of the Magnus Discs, came under assault by Them. Sanctuary was completely destroyed with the exception of a small group of survivors. A broken transmission was made about a week ago by two TalonV aircraft that crashed somewhere in the wilderness. A massive search effort has been mounted in order to find the survivors, assuming they survived, and see if they were able to escape Sanctuary with the Magnus Disc.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:08 pm

The New Dawn Establishment

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Important Places

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Important People

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Important Enemies

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Our Weapons

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Subject: Re: New Dawn Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:08 pm

They
A large amount of data has been amassed and we can offer quite a few details on exactly what They are. The surface of Their bodies are covered with a layer of pale white scale-like hide. They have no hair at all. They are natural hunters and carnivores. They breath a sort of Chlorine compound, the exact nature of which has yet to be fully analyzed. Their muscles are far more dense than that of a human, allowing Them to perform impressive feats of strength. All of Them also appear to have psychic ability to some extent.

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Your Story

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Rules

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Character Sheet

Quote :: Name:
Age:
Sex:
Gear/Weapons: (No more than three weapons. Melee weapons are allowed but bear in mind that they would probably not be too effective against the enemy.)
Special Skills: (Things your character is good at; Computers, marksmanship, etc.)
Personality: (The way your character acts.)
Description: ( The way your character looks)
Background: (A brief synopsis of the events that have shaped your character's life)

Subject: Re: New Dawn Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:30 pm

Name: Jack Cyrus
Age: 22
Sex: Male

Gear: A pair of pistols, as well as training in various martial arts techniques. Also carries many small electronic devices on his belt, which he lovingly dubs 'the batbelt'.

Special Skills: Computer systems management is his primary focus. This includes running and programming software (hacking), in addition to breaking security (cracking; look here for the difference. Wink

). Also, Jack is a crack shot with his pistols, and does well with almost any semi-automatic weapon. Finally, Jack has experimented with various martial arts, particularly jujutsu.

Personality: Jack is easy-going and personable, if a little quiet at times. He leans more toward optimism, but not excessively so, and he analyzes every situation throughly before judging it. With people, he is friendly and open, with an easy manner and an aura of humor. During or after a hack, he will completely geek out and ramble on about the details of his implementations. Nothing makes him happier than punching away at a computer terminal.

Description: Jack stands 5'11" and is well-proportioned, if a little thin. He has shaggy, somewhat wavy brown hair that instantly curls tightly when wet. He has bright blue eyes, and a faint mustache and goatee.

Background: Jack's mother died of a hideous disease soon after giving birth to him. His father (Richard Cyrus) was a soldier, heavily decorated for his actions in the fight against They. He taught his son to think for himself, and be his own person. He nurtured his love of guns, electronics. and mysticism, teaching him all he could and finding all the literature he could. Jack's twin pistols were a gift from his father. Richard died when Jack was seventeen at the hands of They. Jack mourned him, but quickly moved on, knowing what his father's wish would be. He demonstrated mastery in his endeavors and was eventually hired by the government as a covert operative. He has seen and completed four missions into enemy territory, and is currently the youngest operative on the team with that much experience.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:52 pm

NAME: Varenna Shepherd (goes simply by 'V')

AGE: 25

SEX: Female

GEAR: A Colt carbine rifle with barrel-mounted flashlight and riflescope, some training in martial arts

SPECIAL SKILLS: Medical skills and a pretty good instinct for survival.

PERSONALITY: Deliberate. Has an orderly mind, not without a sense of humor, tries to be optimistic, cool-headed unless she gets out of her depth. Friendly but reserved, periodically needing solitude.

DESCRIPTION: about 5'5", Delicately built with long deft fingers. Not very strong though she is quick and agile. Oval face with an aquiline nose that has a small bump at the bridge from being broken at one time, slightly squared jaw. Blue-green eyes, generous mouth, and straight honey-colored hair that falls to a bit past the shoulders.

BACKGROUND: Born to a military family in the underground stronghold of Sanctuary, V lived in an upper level of the Rows. She spent her childhood playing in the stairwells with the other children. Now and then they'd venture to the Junkyard and made a few friends there as well. Notable friends include Josh and Zefie.

V's father, Lieutenant James Shepherd, died in battle against They when she was thirteen and she still mourns him in private moments. Varenna had an interest in healing early in life and read every book she could find on medicine and the healing arts. Her mother made sure she had the opportunity to train at the small clinic in the area so she has some functional knowledge of medical care though she isn't a surgeon or even a full-fledged doctor.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Sun Feb 15, 2009 7:44 pm

Name: Mirocye Blake

Age: 31

Sex: Male

Gear/Weapons: two black stock standard Gloaks and a hunting knife

Special Skills: general Doctor, tends work with the homeless

Personality: Mirocye is blunt, people can at times put it down to him being mean. He is actually quiet sociable and tends to challenge people with conversations that are a little outside the box.

Description: well muscled but not a muscle man. He has black hair and gray coloured eyes flecked with green. Six foot in height, he has a large array of tattoos on his back. Mirocye’s skin is pale.

Background: to be revealed.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Mon Feb 16, 2009 3:12 am

Name: Jessica Bennet

Age: 23

Sex: Female

Gear/Weapons: MN-800, Handgun

Special Skills: She is an excellent markswoman

Personality: Jess is very calm, even in the most pressurized and dangerous of circumstances. She does not like to state her opinion or make small talk – generally she does not relate well to people.Most of her thinking is internal; she does not provide ideas, merely acts on them. She takes what most people say literally and seeks direction from superiors in the military. People usually assume that she is unintelligent/mentally unstable.

Description: She is 5'9", pale and slender. Her hair is shoulder length, straight and has been dyed a vibrant shade of cyan, although the blond roots are now showing. She has multiple piercings (lip rings, several piercings in her ears including an industrial bar.) Pale green eyes look out from her overgrown fringe.

Background: Jess was taken into care at 13 when her mother was declared too mentally ill to look after her. Her father had died years before defending the Wall against They. Jess trained for the military and has been defending the Wall since she was 19.

More recently, she was one of the lucky few to escape the Sanctuary.[b]

Subject: Re: New Dawn Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:17 am

Name: Joshua 'Josh' Pastor

Age: 24

Sex: Male

Gear/Weapons: Modified MN-800, MN-SA. Large black gun case which holds not only his weapons, but also two black folders which have all the information required to access two military bank accounts.
Special Skills: None (Public speaker of limited success)

Personality: Easily frightened, easily panicked. Normally a very relax person, Josh has trouble dealing with stress and danger. Very self assured when it comes to interaction, a lot less self assured when it comes to combat, mainly because he is such a terrible marksman.

Description: 6’2, black hair (Perfectly Undone) and brown eyes. Usually cleanly shaven, although the lack of a razor and hot water lately have caused him to grow a thin and uncomfortable beard. Pale skin, a round scar to the left of his bellybutton and complementary one on his back, caused by a recent run-in with a Hunter Stalker.

Background: The son of a well known military officer, Joshua led an easy life, as far as life ever was easy inside the Sanctuary City Bunker. When both his father and older brother died in a They raid, when Joshua was thirteen, his mother became overprotective and begged him not to join the military. Being a terrible marksman (despite the hours of training with his father), Joshua was happy to find a different direction in life and instead became a reporter for the local newspaper, using his fathers contacts and family friends inside the military to get access to those parts of the bunker civilians were normally not allowed.

He was one of the lucky few to escape the massive They raid on Sanctuary, thanks to childhood friend Varenna Shepherd, involuntary bodyguard Jessica Bennet, the Dragoon Vishka and the other survivors. Was highly dependent on the other to survive; Joshua has shown to be of little use for anything else then shooting himself in his foot or getting impaled by mental aliens.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:55 am

Name: Zafrira “Zefie” Gainsborough

Age: 20

Sex: Female

Gear: A dual automatic assault rifle with a scope and 40mm pump-action grenade launcher attached (though there is a very limited supply of grenades), a pair of switchblades and many years experience of street-fighting.

Special Skills: She is a very good long-distance/sniper shot, and has an excellent memory. She also has good pick-pocketing and lock-picking skills.

Personality: Zefie is sharp-minded and sharp tongued, but would never be deliberately malicious or cruel. She has a tough exterior and has difficulty trusting people and letting them in, but when she does she is warm and loyal. She tries to be kind but is aware that she lives in a harsh world in which survival costs.

Description: just under 5’3” and skinny from malnutrition. Though not strong she is agile and a swift runner. She has waist-length blonde hair that she keeps tied back in one long braid. Wide, dark eyes are set either side of a long, straight nose and she wears dark make-up that makes her skin seem fairer than it is. She has a tattoo of a stylised wing over one eye that marks her as a member of one of the Sanctuary street gangs, but usually keeps it covered up with a head-band.

Background: Zefie never knew her father, and her mother died of a wasting disease when she was three. She was left to wander the streets and was adopted by a gang of street kids who taught her to pick locks and pockets and to steal to survive. Occasionally they would find a still-working gun or rifle and so Zefie also learned to shoot. She grew up scavenging around the Rows and the Junkyard, looking out for the younger kids and learning from the older. She had to be able to run fast in case they were caught, and sometimes they would get into fights with rival gangs so she had to be able to fight. Friends she made include V and Josh.

She was lucky enough to survive the fall of Sanctuary, though many of her friends were killed. She found herself in the position of defending the mysterious "Magnus Disc" along with the other suvivors and the Dragoon Vishka (who at one point almost incinerated her lungs with chlorine gas, purely by accident).

Subject: Re: New Dawn Mon Feb 16, 2009 12:14 pm

Name: Darmetrius Lindemann... also goes by Lin...
Age: 23
Sex: Male
Gear: a .45... a bag with 7 sticks of dynamite... an AK-47... night-vision goggles...
Special Skills: i believe the term is "more balls than brains"... very brave, sometimes too brave... and a phonographic memory... now he has experience fighting They...
Personality: not a joker, but he has a healthy sense of humor... very grounded in reality, he knows it's serious out there... also cocky... in some situations, he can be a hothead...
Description: fatigue pants... combat boots... a poncho... under that is a thermal shirt... long hair in a ponytail... light-skinned with freckles... 6' and about 180 lbs solid...
Background: Lin's brother, mother and girlfriend were brutally murdered by They and Lin ran into the original cast evading They after killing one in a dark apartment complex...

Subject: Re: New Dawn Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:01 pm

Name: Lt. Tim Foster
Age: 28
Sex: Yes Razz

(kidding Male)
Gear: CRX5 rifle with scope, CRXSa sidearm with larger clip and laser sight, and a longsword made out of the dense "They" armor.
Special Skills: Bomb Defusal and leadership skills.
Personality: a strong willed man who doesn't break easily, he does have a much kinder side to the innocent, but like in any battle, he fights with honor and great strength.
Description: Wears the standard combat armor, but with a little more defense in it, also has binocucoms, and sensors. Has a standard buzz cut hairstyle with a triangle goatee, has a scar going from the bridge of his nose down to his lower left eye.
Background: a soldier that at the right age joined the crusaders, and went on active duty in Europe, he had great leadership skills and when in combat saved his entire squad from an enemy ambush, this earned him the lt. status and made him a war hero. Now he'll have to fight his greatest battle yet against They.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:43 pm

Name-MSG Vincent "The Animal" Akira
Age-28
Sex-Male
Gear- Odin armor, Hammerhead rifle, knife
Special Skills- excellent close to medium range marksman, high pain tolerance, specially adapted a feral hand to hand combat and movement style he self invented to suit close quarters combat/evasive maneuvers in the Odin armor.
Personality- Cocky, Lone wolfish at times, thinks aloud a lot. Isn't too great at taking orders but due to his ability to get the job done, coupled with his ability to survive no matter how dangerous the mission, his mouthing off is often overlooked. He thinks himself fearless, everyone else stupid, and is well learned in all matters concerning war, weapons systems, military strategy and THEY. Has serious abandonment and fear of failure issues. is a cutter.
Description- Stands at about 6'1" 210lbs. Half white, half asian. light creamy skin. Purposely keeps his hair longer than regulation and dyed platinum. his eyes are pure black. Most of his cutting scars are covered in wild tattoos running down his arms. On his back is a huge tattoo of a god raining down poisoned tipped arrows on a clan of Dragonspectres. (the god is obviously winning the fight.) Though he is muscular he is quick and deceptively agile.
Background- The unwanted offspring of a couple of transients, Vincent was left in the care of an uncle on his mother's side. His uncle was militant and very strict with him, he was an officer in the military and always made Vincent feel as though his best was never enough. At age 16 Vincent's uncle, and only family he'd ever known, died defending the outer ring. Vincent enlisted shortly after, quickly gaining rank, claiming himself a leadership position in the same unit as his uncle on the outer ring. Always trying to brutishly prove his worth to those around him, Vincent is seen as a loose cannon, an animal that cannot be controlled, only aimed at the enemy and and set free to wreak Havok.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:01 pm

***if there's anything wrong with this, please let me know***

Name: Erik Freeman (call sign: Auster)

Age: 20

Sex: Male

Gear/Weapons: CRX5, CRXSa, bayonet and whatever New Dawn pilots wear.

Special Skills: Excellent pilot and boxer

Personality: Erik is a bit of a wildcard. He despises authority on any level, but rarely pushes the envelope to receive any serious punishment. He can be friendly at times, and demeaning during others. It all depends on the situation at hand.

Description: 5'11" and 160 lbs. Fit from strenuous workout regimens and boxing. Bald head and brown eyes, slightly tan skin. He has tattoos of angels on both his shoulders.

Background: Erik grew up in New Dawn. His family was rather wealthy and loving, but Erik never truly took to that life style. He began boxing in unsanctioned bare-knuckle matches at 16 (a practice he still keeps to this day). This eventually curtailed into other minor criminal activities that gave him a bad rap sheet. His parents eventually put the quash down, and offered him the choice between jail or the military. Erik chose the latter, and his father used some pull to have his file sealed.

Upon joining, Erik took to flying despite having no previous interest in it. He's run numerous missions, mostly small but some dangerous, and has developed a reputation as being a good pilot, if a bit unruly.

After running into some criminal trouble, again, Erik was offered a choice from his CO, not unlike that which his parents offered: go to the brig or join those going after the Angels of the Sanctuary.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Thu Mar 05, 2009 5:09 pm

Name: Ark Routledge
Age: 22
Sex: Male
Gear/Weapons: A modified rail gun used as a trophy from his encounter with a Thresher. He enjoys the status this weapon brings with it and a chance to show off his strength. Uses a three pronged glaive for close combat (I didn't copy CG i tried using this first time round in Sanctuary lol) and the usual CRXSa sidearm for when he needs something faster than the rail gun.
Special Skills: Physical exercise, tanks
Personality: Has earnt himself a reputation for his competitive over aggressive nature as he continuously seeks to prove himself. He looks down on those that are weak as he thinks if he could make something out of his life anyone can.
Description: 5ft 10 ridiculously well built. Shaven brown hair. Brown eyes. Wears custom built odin armour given his build. Wears black leather gloves dotted with small spikes to act as knuckle dusters. Steel toe capped boots.

Background: At the age of 10 Ark contracted a deadly virus that saw him bound to his bed for five years. His muscles decayed from lack of use. After a continuous course of anti biotics to try to treat the unknown virus they finally began to see a recovery in him. It was slow but by 17 he was back in school and by 19 he watched as his friends were called up for military service. Disgusted with his weakness and been overlooked for the service he swore to earn back some pride.

His muscles were still poor thanks to his past but despite this he confined himself to the gym under a gruelling work out regime and a heavy course of steroids in an attempt to build himself back up. The program was damaging and is likely to have drastically shortened his life expectancy, but by 21 he was better built than the majority of the army core. He joined the tank regiment and has been serving for the last two years.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:05 am

1:32 AM...
Somewhere over the
frozen British Wasteland...

“Damn it,” shouted Jack Cyrus as he slammed a fist onto the TalonV's control panel. “I can't disengage the autopilot...something about a top level override key.” Bringing a hand up to his forehead and wiping away some sweat, Jack shook his head and leaned back in his seat, his eyes drifting over to the blinking fuel light as it cast a red hue over the whole of the cockpit.

“Why can't you just work around it? There must be a way...” piped in Zefie Gainsborough from just beyond the cockpit, one hand holding her gun and the other clinging to the safety rail on the wall of the craft in an attempt to steady herself as the TalonV rocked turbulently.

Jack sighed and scratched his hair absently as he went back to fiddling with the control panel. “I can't...if I tried to disengage to autopilot manually then the ship would power off. Some sort of safety mechanism. Its stupid.”

Vareena Shepherd stared out of one of the small round windows at the sea of swirling gray and white outside. Snow...she had read it in a book once. “Well it looks like we're going down either way then doesn't it?”

As if on cue, a piercing alarm sounded throughout the craft. The fuel had been exhausted. One by one the ship's engines began to shut off and all had the distinct sense of falling rapidly through open air. Drengi Itir sat quietly strapped into one of the seats against the wall, wishing he could do something, anything to protect these people. They were like a family to him...they were a family. After all, no one else except the group on the other TalonV had survived the horrors of Sanctuary. Dre wondered if anything could be done...he could feel the tension of the second group in the back of his mind. He just wished he had more control over his powers.

Vishka, the rogue Dragoon, had contacted him a couple of times since they had left Sanctuary. He had said something was blocking access to most of his abilities. Something knew they had escaped...and it wanted them all dead. Maybe they would be when the ship finally went down.

Jack pressed down on the coms button and began to talk in an oddly calm voice. “Attention anyone listening, this is Jack Cyrus of the Sanctuary survivors. If you are getting this, then we are going down and will need assistance if we survive. I don't know where we are, but I'm keeping the line open so you can try and home in on our location. We have two ships and nine people. We also have the Magnus disc. Please...help us. Cyrus out.” For a moment, Jack was quit. Then he spoke again. “Everyone find something to hold on to! We're going down,” Jack shouted over the noise of the alarm as he strapped himself into a seat next to V. Dre could feel his tension too...but it was not for himself. He watched Jack take V's hand quietly...No, his fear was for her life and not his own.

For a few more moments the whole crew was silent. All simply met everyone else's gaze for a moment, knowing very well that it could be the last time they would see that person alive. Then...darkness.

-~<>~-

Darmetrius Lindemann looked around the cabin of the second TalonV craft complacently as the alarms began to sound. He was vaguely aware of Bruce Stark and Joshua Pastor yelling at each other over what to do about the autopilot. It really didn't matter to him. Lin was also aware of Vishka, the hulking traitorous Dragon that he had somehow gotten stuck with on the craft. The thing still him the creeps...but mostly it disgusted him. The thing was an enemy...even if it had helped them, there had to be some other reason.

Lin's eye's drifted over to Jessica Bennet. “Hey baby...you know we're about to die right? Well if you need someone to hold you...”

Jess strapped herself into one of the seats and shot Lin a look that could only be described as pure hate. “Go to hell Lin.”

Lin laughed a little. “Looks like we're already on our way if you ask me.” He sat back into the seat and stretched his legs a little. Death didn't concern him really. Not anymore. Not after what had happened back at Sanctuary.

Fyr na Vishka sat impassively. He had been silent for much of the trip. There was a shield of sorts around him. He could feel as though it were a physical thing. It kept him from getting to his power. With it, he might have been able to set the craft down himself... He couldn't quite understand it. The signature felt so familiar...but it was impossible.

“Attention anyone listening, this is Jack Cyrus of the Sanctuary survivors. If you are getting this, then we are going down and will need assistance if we survive. I don't know where we are, but I'm keeping the line open so you can try and home in on our location. We have two ships and nine people. We also have the Magnus disc. Please...help us. Cyrus out,” came Jack's voice over the coms system. And eerie quiet settled over the crew.

“Brace for impact everyone,” Bruce said complacently. “We're goin' do-” And it was the last thing Bruce Stark would ever say. His words were preceded by a brief weightlessness. Then there was nothing. Only darkness.

-~<>~-

One Week Later
New Dawn Settlement
Parliament Building...

Lord North gave a curt nod to the two men in the shining Odin Combat suits as they stepped aside and opened the massive double doors to the throne room. They quickly and wordlessly returned salutes as North passed. North didn't appear to be a strong man, even with his own suit of Odin armour. He was an old man, wispy white hair seeming to always want to stand on end despite his best efforts to keep it under control. He was a man to respect though. In fact, his presence commanded it. Something about him announced in whenever he entered a room. Perhaps it was his piercing eyes. When he had been a young man serving on the front lines, his CO had told him that he had the eyes of a killer...of a leader. Perhaps that was it.

North silently took his place next to the queen at the large round table that sat in the shadow of the throne. The queen was much like North. Her small stature and young appearance belied a lady that had brought a scattered people back together. She was firm...far more mature than any girl her age. Andrea smiled at North...far more beautiful than any girl her age.

Looking around the huge circular table, North returned nods and smiles to the other Lords that had gathered, Blackmoore with his oily and snake-like looks and Highmount with his brilliant smile and regal manner being the foremost among them. For a moment all were silent, the Queen being the first to break it.

“Well,” she began in a voice that was more akin to song than spoken word, “now that we have all gathered, I believe it is time we discuss the matter at hand. As you all know, one week ago Mr. Ward and several technical officers received a garbled transmission from a one Jack Cyrus, claiming he and a group of people had managed to escape the destruction of Sanctuary. While this in itself is good news, Cyrus also said that he and his people had managed to acquire a Magnus disc. I need not reiterate the importance of this should it prove to be true. While it is known that our forces are stretched thin and we are unable to mount a large scale rescue attempt, I gave Mr. Ward permission to select a few people with the necessary qualifications for a small operation into the Wasteland to try and recover the disc and any survivors. Mr. Ward...if you will take it from here.”

All eyes turned to the frail looking young man who had risen from his seat and begun to clear his throat. He fidgeted around for a moment and pushed his glasses up before he finally began to speak. “Well...um...yes. I have run over the...uh...files and selected a group of five well qualified people to undertake this this...um...mission. This group is to be led by Lieutenant Tim Foster and um...comprised of medical specialist Mirocye Blake, Senior Airman Erik Freeman, Tank Specialist Ark Routledge, and um...Master Sargent Vincent Akira.”

One of the lesser lords banged a fist into the table. “Akira?! A mission of this importance and you want to send a lose cannon like Akira? I will not have it! The man has gotten more of his platoon injured than any-”

The Queen cleared her throat and all eyes fell to her. “Lord Wellshire, was I misunderstood when I said that I personally granted Mr. Ward the authority to assemble this squad as he sees fit?”

“Your highness, surely you can see my reasoning! The man is insane! I would have him locked up if it were up to-”

“It is not up to you Lord Wellshire,” came Blackmoore's smooth voice from across the table. “Or are you trying to imply that the queen was misguided in her assessment of Mr. Ward's abilities? You mean to undermine the Queen's authority? Sit down and refrain from disgracing this table with your insolence or begone from this room forever.”

Wellshire blushed and quickly sat, giving a small bow to the queen as though he were trying to save some face. Highmount frowned at Blackmoore as the queen gave a nod of approval. She motioned towards Ward, “Please continue Mr. Ward.”

“Ahem...um...yes. Well...rather...Each of these people are highly qualified for a mission of this caliber. I have sent orders out for all of them to report to Ministry for briefing with myself and Lord North within the hour.”

“An estimate on when we can expect a recovery of the disc and any survivors?” the queen asked.

Ward pushed his glasses up and cleared his throat. “Well...um...I expect that if all goes well...we can have the assets within the walls by late today.”

“Very good Mr. Ward...I will not keep Lord North and yourself from your business. All are dismissed...Willshire. I want you to stay. I might have a word with you in private.”

Willshire visibly paled as the rest of the Lords left the room. North shook his head as he joined up with Ward. “Still not gotten over your fear of public speaking eh?”

North fiddled with a stack of papers he had brought with him as he walked. “Well...lords can be a rather confrontational type to say the least Mr. North.”

“Yes...that they can be. You have already sent for the people correct?”

“I suspect they will...um...be waiting for us already.”

“Well,” said North, “Lets not keep them waiting any longer.”

-~<>~-

Marius van Dreath sat quietly in his chair as he contemplated the week's events. His contacts at New Dawn had come across some highly classified stuff. Something about a group of survivors from Sanctuary, something about a rescue attempt, and most importantly, something about a Magnus Disc. Marius did not covet much in the world, or what was left of it, but he could recognize that those who had what everyone wanted were the ones in power. Above all, Marius cherished power. He knew that whoever possessed the Magnus discs would hold the fate of all in their hands, and he wanted to be that person.

Only a few hours ago he had set out a group into the Wasteland to locate the Disc and kill those that would keep it from him. His soldiers never questioned him. They were loyal. That was type of power in itself. But power had a tendency to make a man want more of it. To Marius van Dreath, the Magnus Disc was his ultimate bargaining chip. With it, he would force the queen to kneel before him and kiss his rings. Marius brought a gloved hand up to his nose and did away with an itch. Yes, the queen would be but an itch on his nose when he was done. It would be Marius that would seal Their fate and be at last recognized for his greatness. It would be Marius that would stand in the new world as its undisputed King.

-~<>~-

Dre wandered leaned his back against the huge sheet of steel Vishka had managed to salvage from the wreckage, one of only a few things they had been able to take with them. Somehow Dre had expected something different on the surface. Roy O had told great stories about things called trees and stuff called grass. None of it was here, not in this forsaken place.

Dre sighed as his stomach rumbled loudly. Food was also something they had done without for nearly a week. Hunger and cold combined did nothing good for morale. Most of the time, everyone was huddled up near the back of the cave. They all took turns at the mouth keeping an eye out for rescue. No one ever saw anything of course, and most had accepted the fact that they would all probably die in the cave. Dre found himself wishing he had taken the same way out as Bruce. Bruce had been lucky enough to die in the crash. At least he had died warm.

Making his way towards the back of the gave and to the rest of the group, Dre shrugged off the large coat they had all been trading off and tossed it to Zefie. “Your turn,” he said quietly as he snuggled his way into the huddle of bodies and did his best to try and sleep. Sleep...and dream of better times.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mission I: Introductions

Sanctuary Survivors
-Describe the conditions of the Cave
-Remember something about the crash
-Talk with another character

New Dawn Specialists
-Show us something about your character's daily life
-Interact with an NPC
-Meet at the Ministry of defense and wait for briefing from Lord North and Oliver Ward

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:15 am

“We got to sit down!” Joshua Pastor looked around the TalonV, staring at the other passengers. “Damned, Bruce! We need to sit down!” The scar on his abdomen, a little memento of their encounter with the Hunter Stalker Ohdran, throbbed and ached, yet Joshua remained standing, looking at the large man in front of him. Jack had told them what was happening, and if they wanted to survive this, they had to brace themselves. “Bruce!”

The other man stubbornly refused to react. He kept his eyes locked on the control panel, fingers racing over the many flickering buttons, as if he was determined to somehow restore the engines, or… do something. Anything.

Joshua cursed and sat down, using the belts to strap himself down before grabbing the large black gun case and holding it tightly. He closed his eyes, said a few prayers and then waited for the inevitable. He didn’t want to die. He was to young to die. He wasn’t a warrior, he was a journalist. He wrote. He didn’t fight. He shouldn’t die, he shouldn’t die…

“Brace for impact everyone,” Bruce said complacently. “We're goin' do-” And it was the last thing Bruce Stark would ever say. His words were preceded by a brief weightlessness. Then there was nothing. Only darkness.

-~<>~-

One Week Later
Somewhere in the
frozen British Wasteland...

“I’m cold.” Joshua sighed deeply, then sneezed, which, in turn, caused him to cough. It had been a week since the crash, a week since Bruce’s death. But at least the rest had survived. At least he had survived.

In the first few days, Joshua had hated himself for thinking like that. But as their conditions slowly worsened, he had realised that above all else, it was survival that mattered. He wasn’t a hero, and he was aware of that. He couldn’t die for the greater good, simply because to him, he himself was the greater good. Survival was what mattered.

The cave they were in provided shelter from the storms that were raging outside, but did little to provide or trap any sort of warmth. It made him long back to Sanctuary; there, the heat had been regulated, and the inside temperature had never fallen under a certain temperature. And although that had been a relief when they had lived there, it had done little to prepare them for the icy conditions of the outside.

No one had reacted to his comment, which either meant they didn’t care or they weren’t cold themselves. In the latter case, he was doing something wrong. Not willing to take that chance, he repeated himself, more loudly this time, simply so he couldn’t be ignored this time round. “I’m cold.”

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:41 am

Jack Cyrus stumbled around in the heap of wreckage that was one of the ships they had crashed. Every day for the past seven, he had come out here to try and sift through the mess, trying to find something, anything they could use. Food had been very sparse, though they had thanked whatever powers had been for the rain. It was very acidic, and couldn't be drank without boiling first. It had kept them alive. It wasn't a pleasant existence, by far, but it had been life nonetheless. They had to hold out, do whatever they could to ensure that they gave anyone who had heard his message enough time to respond.

Jack picked through a the mass of debris. The craft had been mangled and twisted in the crash, and there was only a distorted, cramped space that led to the cargo hold door. Jack had to crawl through it, and manipulate his body so as not to cut himself on the sharp edges. Days ago, it had been filled with debris. And today, he had finally got it clear. Now there was the matter of getting into the hold. He sat crouched low in front of the mangled door.

He needed to cut through. Which meant he'd need to coax some life out of the fusion gen, and rig up some way to make an improvissed torch. For the next several hours he set about this task, fixing and poking and hacking things. The result was a hole that didn't quite cut through, but exposed the door's locking mechanisms. These, Jack had to bang on with a sharpened piece of metal until they eventually came free. He could then slide the door open, and was almost buried as several small containers tumbled out around his legs.

Groping, he picked one up and opened it up. And he smiled for the first time in what seemed like months.

He stacked as many of the packages as he could in his arms, and then waded out into the driving rain and wind once again.

His form was a blurry silhouette as he approached the cave, and he was soaked to the bone as he strode back in, hair tightly curled and dripping. He dumped the contents of his arms in the middle of the space, and then went and sat in the corner. Seeing the questioning glances of the crew, he gestured to the packages.

"Rations." He said between breaths. "Finally got the damn hold open." Still breathing hard, he turned to where Varenna was sitting. He gave her a weak smile, still trying to quell the feeling that haunted him.

His forays out alone into the ships had gotten longer and longer as the days had drawn by, because he couldn't bear to see them like this; cold and thin and fragile. He had begun to hate himself for what he had done to them. In bringing them this far; bringing them here, he had open the doors to have them tortured and left alone...with no indication at all that anyone was coming to help them.

He turned his eyes away from V, sighing as he looked at the hard ground.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 9:06 am

V's heart seemed to beat slower, as though saving its strength.

Seven days since the crash. Seven days since she had felt something break inside of her as they fell from the sky and hit the ground, sliding and briefly pinwheeling along it before the ship settled, a crinkled mass that, miraculously, still held living souls when it came to rest.

It hurt to breathe and between the unrelenting cold and the hunger that had long since gone from a gnawing ache to a stupor, the effort seemed less and less worth it. Already thin from the chronic lack of food in Sanctuary, V's weight had dropped to a dangerous thinness.

V owed her life to this point to her companions. They huddled together, sharing body heat as best as they could. Differences were set aside by necessity, even Lin a welcome companion as they pressed together.

At first V was able to ignore her woes. She was a survivor, after all, and tried to help the others as well as she could. Her mission in life as a medic was to help people and she was strong for the others.

Yet now, seven days later, she could only huddle, indifferent and only half aware, her head pillowed on Dre as bodies crowded in around her.

"I'm cold." Josh's voice, saying it once and then again louder as though it might help. V closed her eyes for a while.

As they drifted back open it came to her dimly that Jack had returned from one of his forays out into the cold. His hair was curled wetly against his face and he dumped something on the floor of the cave.

V felt a pang of curiosity but it didn't seem worth the effort to raise her head. Instead, she followed Jack with her eyes as he withdrew, as he had done all week, to a corner.

"Rations." He said between breaths. "Finally got the damn hold open." Still breathing hard, he turned to where Varenna was lying. He gave her a weak smile.

Then, as he had done every day since the crash he looked away, somehow disappearing into himself.

Why?

V closed her eyes. Her stomach had given up on the idea of food long ago. Maybe she would go see what was there in a minute.

In just a minute.

But first she'd rest.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 9:51 am

Jess huddled in the cave, realizing that she had never been truly cold before. In the controlled atmosphere of the Sanctuary, there had been the occasional chill. But nothing that compared to this. It rose up through the cave floor and soaked through her body.

“I’m cold,” Josh said loudly.

An icy gust brushed her cheek. Jess looked down at the ground, using a sheet of tangled blue hair to shield her face. Blood streaked her fringe. She frowned upwards. A small patch of cloth that Varenna had stuck to her forehead intruded on the edge of her vision. The crash was a distant, fuzzy memory. The earliest thing she remembered was the aftermath, lying on the blood-soaked ground. At least she was alive. That small thought had become her internal mantra, playing on endless repeat in her mind. At least she was alive.

"Rations. Finally got the damn hold open."

Jack had returned, carrying an armful of packages. For the last week, he had been making himself useful. Looking down at her uniform, she scowled. What use was she? This was not a danger she could shoot and destroy. That was what she was meant to do. It was what she had been trained to do. But what was she supposed to do now? There was no one to tell her. She could not build a fire or a shelter. She could not even think of words to say to make the others feel better. All she could do was sit there, huddle with them and wait.

Jess looked down at her feet. A small rock had become lodged in the tread of her boot. She frowned and picked at it, her blue tinged fingers numb and shaking. Her nail broke and began to bleed but the pain was numbed by the cold. She continued to scratch at the small stone. Her teeth chattered and she bit her lip piercing.

"Varenna should eat," she murmured, unsure if anyone could hear her. The doctor had closed her eyes and gone to sleep. She was as thin as Zefie now.

The hunger was not so bad anymore. With the rest of her, her stomach felt distant. If she ate now, she would have to start over with the hunger, going through each of the days and feeling her strength and energy deteriorate.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:28 am

Zefie tried to keep her breathing slow and even, but even so it sounded unbearably loud in the silence of the cave.

It had been a week since the crash, but whenever she closed her eyes she could still hear the whining of the air as it whipped past the Talon, feel her whole body rattling as the plane careered though the sky, and see that explosion of whiteness on impact. Then there was nothing but darkness.

A week since then. The longest seven days that Zefie could remember, in which they had barely moved and yet somehow all their energy had sapped until they were too weary even to talk. All they did was huddle together for warmth and pray for another miracle.

"Your turn."

Zefie lifted her head and reached out with one hand to catch the coat Dre tossed her way. Slowly she got to her feet, and pulled the coat over her shoulders as she made her way to the entrance to the cave. They had been taking turns watching for any change outside, but Zefie could no longer see the point. There was only an endless, bitter whiteness that covered everything.

Seven days of being cold, tired, hungry and hopeless. Zefie was perhaps a little more hardened to it than the others; growing up a scavenging street rat in the Junkyard of Sanctuary, it was rare to not to feel cold or hungry to tired. And hope ... Zefie couldn't remember the last time, if ever, she had felt hope.

"I'm cold." Josh's voice, in a pitiful sigh.

Zefie half-turned her head towards him, then back to the entrance as a shadow flitted across the snow. Jack, back from venturing out to the wreckages of the Talons to see if he could salvage anything. This time he was carrying something back with him. Zefie nodded at him as he ducked over the threshold into their rocky prison.

"I'm cold." Josh repeated behind them.

Without looking at him, Zefie shrugged off the coat and threw it over to him. "Here."

There was a quiet thump and Jack set down his bundle. "Rations. Finally got the damn hold open."

Zefie glanced over her shoulder. It seemed everyone was too weary even to work up much excitement over this. Even Jack, after delivering the packages had turned away again and retreated into himself.

"Varenna should eat." Jess's voice cut quietly though the silence. Zefie's gaze slid over to her, and then to her friend. V had become particularly quiet and withdrawn these last few days, and had lost a lot of weight. Her eyes were close now, tiredness evident in every line of her face.

"We all need to eat something." Zefie drew her knees up to her chin, turning back to staring out at the whitness. "Open the rations."

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:57 am

Lt Tim Foster was a master veteran against They, it was honorable work and Tim had to keep the honor within his troops. Everyday as always Tim would either be training his troops or out on the battlefield, defending one of the last places they would ever call home. His muscular tones worked perfectly with his Odin armor, buzz cut hair brisking along the winter breeze, his breath fogging the air, his sword at his side, clanking along with every step. Today things were running smoothly.

"Lieutenant sir!"

Or so he thought, he turned to the voice that was shouting to him, the man was somewhat panting and must have been running for a while.

"Lt Foster sir," he gave a salute, "srgt Reynolds, reporting for duty."

"at ease soldier, what do you need?"

"sir, your presence is request, by Lord North," he handed him a letter.

Tim read over the letter, his eyes darting back and forth, "dismissed."

He gave another salute, and left. Today things were going to be difficult.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:30 am

The first hit landed square on jaw, and damn near knocked him out. The brute before Erik Freeman was a bit on the slow side, but his size more than made up for it. Erik ducked the next hit by simply falling over. He quickly rolled opposite the way the man was swinging, kicked up and brought his fist straight into his opponent's armpit. The man gasped and stumbled a bit, and Erik socked him a few good ones to the ribcage. The man went to a knee, and Erik grinned. Without hesitation, Erik jumped onto the man's back, locked his arm around the jugular and began beating the man's head.

"Hey!" Came an angry shout from the crowd.
"Yeah! What the f***," another screamed. "This ain't wrastlin!"

Erik brought his elbows into the mix and, soon, the man face down. He stood up and kicked him in the side for good measure, before spitting on him and going to his corner.

"He's a cheat!"
"I want my money back!"

Erik looked up and saw the bookie's making a run for it, cash in hand. One was caught by the crowd turned mob, and they viciously beat him. People made for the ring but, before things could heat up further, the doorway was kicked in and armed Military Police stormed the small warehouse. Erik simply sat down. It was only a matter of moments before they surrounded him.

"Took you guys long enough," he muttered and spat out some more blood.

~

Decked in his blues, Erik situated his red beret atop his head and entered his C.O.'s office. "Airman Freeman," the woman muttered.
"Senior."
"Excuse me?"
"Senior Airman Freeman, ma'am," Erik responded.
"I should have you locked up in the brig," she continued. "Disgracing this Air Force, disgracing yourself, your family... you could have a bright career. Youngest SA ever, but you're throwing it all away by acting like a hooligan."
"Yes, ma'am."
She handed a folder to him.
"Ma'am?"
"This is your choice, Airman," she said. "Either go to lock-up, never to return, or take this mission."
Erik squinted at the folder marked "Confidential."
"Report to Parliament building, ASAP."
"Yes ma'am!" Erik said and gave a stiff salute.
She saluted him back. "And Erik," his C.O. lowered her voice. "Mess this up, and you're done. Your "sealed" record, your current conflict, all of it; out in the open and you'll be in prison. Behave yourself, or you're finished."
Erik nodded and headed to the barracks.

~

He had been there a few times, when he was younger and when he while he was in the Air Force. Politics never impressed Erik much, but then again, nothing really did. He switched his large pack to his right hand and walked up the steps and into the building. He was stopped at the front desk:

"Name and business?"
"Senior Airman Erik Freeman, reporting on request of Lord North and Mr. Ward."
The man typed something into his console and then nodded. "Military Police will escort you to the meeting room."

Erik nodded spitefully at the MP escorts and followed as one lead him and the other trailed behind.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:29 pm

Lin just listened as he was half-asleep. He slept a lot since being stuck in the bitterly cold cave. At first he shivered, but eventually the harsh winds had done their worst and Lin laughed at it. Not as loudly as the Lin everybody came to know and "love", but he still mocked the crappy conditions nonetheless.

His thermal had multiple tears in it, so his skin was familiar with the cave's ground. The cold was no good for his shoulders, either, as a soreness developed over the last three or four days. It was extremely uncomfortable for him, but he hadn't the power to change his situation.

He thought about Josh and Bruce arguing before their crash. He considered it sweet music to his ears as he almost desired to die. One last flirt with Jess, who wished him a great trip to Hell. He smiled as he relived that. He remembered bumping his head very hard on the control panel as they landed. His seatbelt defected and he was tossed around as the crash took place. He's alright at the moment, but periodically he'd get a bad headache as well.

He raised an eyebrow as Josh repeated himself, complaining of the cold. From what Lin had heard of snow one of the few times he attended class, it was supposed to be cold. Vintage Josh, he won't be happy until others have their spirits broken as his was the first 15 minutes of being in the cave.

As he prepared to answer Josh with a quip, Jack came in with rations. Lin smirked. The guy was a hero, right out of any tall tale. The girls discussed eating. It was suggested that V eat. Lin had huddled with her a couple times for body heat, and he agreed that she could put those pounds back on. As of now, she was getting the better end of their closeness. He couldn't really do a lot of talking, he was pretty skinny himself. He had missed many a meal, but that helped him not to stress about the lack of food. That... and the cold.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:30 pm

The small barracks room was in shambles. Vincent's few belongings lay strewn unceremoniously across the floor in the dim, as a single candle played it's light across the cream colored plaster of the walls. The single small window, that had probably never been opened and had long ago frozen over, rattled as the bitter winds howled loudly outside.

Vincent stood silently, knife in hand, taking in of the sight of his own naked body as he stood bare in front of a full length mirror. In the background, music played on his personal stereo.

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black

He ran his fingers across his bare, thickly muscled chest, stopping to explore each of the many long, smoothed over scars that he'd carved into his skin over the years. Each deep jangled scar a reminder of a soul now departed, a friend he'd lost, or in this case a man lost under his command.

I see a line of cars and theyre all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back

He brought the knife to his chest, savoring the cool kiss of cold steel as he ran the side of the blade across his flesh. Yet another suicide mission, yet another comrade falls... and yet again... I am condemned to live. He thought to himself.

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and it has been painted black

In the near darkness, a single tear ran down his cheek as he spoke, his voice deep and gravelly, permanently hoarse from the years of smoking, drinking, and yelling orders. "I'm sorry Meyers." He met his own eyes in the mirror as he plunged the tip of the knife deep past his skin. A raging torrent of pain shook the foundations of thought. His hand tremored as his body fought in vain to halt his actions.

Maybe then Ill fade away and not have to face the facts
Its not easy facin up when your whole world is black

Flashes of Meyers laying lifeless in the snow, then flashes of the owners of all the other scars that decorated his body, flooded his mind. Vincent withdrew the bloodied knife and threw it angrily onto the air mattress that served as his bed. He knelt down on the floor and cradled his head in his hands, shaking, he struggled to banish the ghosts from his mind.

Maybe then Ill fade away and not have to face the facts
Its not easy facin up when your whole world is black

He reached for the stereo remote and turned it up to it's maximum setting, the speakers danced and vibrated on the floor, the subwoofer shook the walls. On the floor, he adjusted himself until he lay flat on his back, his head still cradled in his hands, he began screaming along with the lyrics.

"If I look hard enough into the settin sun!
My love will laugh with me before the mornin comes!
I see a red door and I want it painted black!
No colors anymore I want them to turn black!"

He realeased his head, and threw his arms out to the sides as the pain and the images began to subside. Spread out on the floor like a bloody chested snow angel, he felt the handle of his gun that lay on the floor beside him. He picked it up and eyed it as he continued to sing along.

"I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
Hmm, hmm, hmm,..."

He drew himself up from the floor and faced himself in the mirror again. He put the barrel of his side-arm to his head and whispered the last few words to the song in a dark, smooth voice.

"I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black"

BOOM BOOM BOOM! The small door shook as someone kicked it.

"MSG AKIRA!!!" Someone called from beyond the door.

Vincent was vaguely surprised that they could yell loud enough to be heard both through the door, and over the instrumental. He ignored the distraction.

Boom Boom Boom! Whoever it was kicked again.

Vincent stood at the mirror trying to focus as the pistol shook in his trembling hands.

"F**k off! I'll play my music as loud as i want!!!"

"MSG Akira!! your R&R has been cancelled, you have orders!!"

Vincent lowered the weapon and peered at the door. "On who's authority!?" He walked toward the door and gripped the handle.

"The Mini--!!" the words of the older man, one of Vincent's peers, were cut off as Vincent swung open the door. The man gawked as a naked, bloodied mess, his face still wet with tears and a gun in his hand, answered the door, yet acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. the man regained his composure and answered his question. "The Ministry of Defense... Jesus Christ, Vincent, what're you--"

Vincent snatched the paperwork from his hands and slammed the door in his face. He needed to get prepared.

Subject: Re: New Dawn Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:29 pm

Tim was escorted through the doors by MPs, this wasn't out of the ordinary for a meeting with any of the higher ups. The soldiers stopped and they opened the door letting him through, he saw another man and he stared up at him. Senior Airman Erik Freeman? he thought.

He walked over to the table and took a seat across the man, then he spoke to him, "any idea what the hell is going on?"

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