Prime

Tareh

Reality Strikers

Classic/Alt

Previous TAWs

Phase 1: The Dark War

Phase 2: Conspiracies

Phase 3: Readjustment

Phase 4: 15 Years Later

Year 10-587 and 10-588

Date: 10-587.8.4 - 8.9

Session 1: Crisis on Famfrit!

Location: Shuttle near the Nyr system

Arriving at Megumi's homeworld, Xanatos Durran, Erevis, Zephyr, and Ariel are greeted by being attacked and crashlanding on the planet. From there, they move along the planet, until two Kitsune arrive and give Megumi mental images of what happened to her parents and village, sending Megumi into a berserker rage. Zephyr, bonded with Megumi to help train herself due to her memory loss, is horrorfied at the emotions she feels as Megumi tears apart a base and kills everyone, getting severely injured herself. After recovering, Zephyr uses their bond link to keep Megumi mentally secure as they rush her to a crystal ship and escape, heading to the Cartel.

Stardate: 10-587.8.7

Arriving at the Cartel Homeworld, they put Megumi into a hospital, and wait for her to recover. After she does, the group pay the Cartel the bill and head back to Earth, arriving two days later; the military, led by Katrina, takes the ship to study, while they return to Erevis and Xanatos' home to recover from the ordeal.

Stardate: 10-587.8.9

At the park, Zephyr and Megumi work on becoming closer in their bond; after the ordeal on the Famfrit Homeworld, Zephyr has vowed to become stronger to help protect Megumi, and wishes to achieve a true dragoon mech state with her so they can go anywhere in the universe together, including the moon.

Stardate: 10-587.8.10 - 10.587.10.14

Events continue to proceed much like in the Prime Universe, but with changes. Cassandra's team continues it's investigations after Dias and Marcus open up Pandora's Box, unleashing the supernatural. However, due to Billy never returning like before, the man never approaches Raquel and Lilith so they do not attack Dias and Marcus during these months like they did before. Katrina returns and becomes part of the unit dealing with unusual threats and the Fairlights, freed, fight the team, with Freyja dying and Chii becoming part of the team, bonding with Katrina. Unlike before, Warren does not accidently pull out Jennifer Carmichael and the PAX3 is not destroyed like once was due to events not playing out on it like before. Darien is eventually released from prison.

Date: 10-587.10.15-. 10-588.1.20

Session 2: Declared Traitors

Location: Warren's Secret Base

When a Dark Planet appears full of souls, Warren leads the group to it to deal with the planet that has been taking souls for Dark Ones to use to manifest their powers. Once there, they manage to bring it down without the help of the legendary heroes, due to the Alternate Timeline changes that began this reality. Also there they manage to retrieve and save Freyja's soul. Upon returning to Earth, the heroes are declared traitors by the EarthGov government and hunted down. Warren manages to get them away and secured in a hidden base he created when he was the head general of the EarthGov military forces. There, even civilians such as Xanatos, Erevis, Chad, Aya, Katrina, and others are locked down lest they be arrested for things they did not do.

Katrina and Chii continue to develop their relationship, growing close as Katrina takes it upon herself to teach Chii about what it's like to live life without a soul, but seeing how hard it is for the girl, she secretly vows to give her the one thing she wants most - a soul of her own. Stuck with the team until their names are cleared, Katrina works with Chii to seek out friendships and other ties to the team - which leads to Chii and Cheryl be coming close and drinking buddies, hinting that they may once again hook up in this reality, and Chii becoming close to Aya Winters, finding the toddler's innocence refreshing.

During this period Angela is tricked by a new breed of enemies called the Scars, which can shapeshift into anyone and mimic their personality. Despite the fact her and Marcus were not close, a Scar posing as Marcus put the moves on her and stabbed her in the stomach, causing her to lose the twins inside and bringing her down. Marcus blames her stupidity for it, driving a wedge between them, and his inner wolf rage continues to grow, preventing him and Cheryl from connecting, despite the fact Cheryl seems to like him, though she still denies such things. So far over the long three months, the team falls into a routine of fighting Dark One Scars, and other enemies, but with the fact Erevis team is there and not in L.A. like in the Prime Reality, things slowly begin to go their way.

During all this, Ariel dies and no one notices. Darien doesn't have the heart to tell anyone.

Date: 10-588.2.14

Session 3: Gift of the Gods Part I

Location: The Base

After several long weeks of victories, due to the fact Katrina McCormick and Erevis are able to identify Scars with their psionic abilities combined, the team is slowly winning ground in reclaiming EarthGov from those in who have allied with the Dark Ones. With Erevis recovering in medical bay due to an injury sustained during the last battle, Warren Carmichael holds a meeting with everyone to discuss the next plan of action - the team tense due to the injury. The plan is once Erevis recovers, to take their shot at getting closer to the President and those close to him so the two can scan to see if any of them are Scars or Dark One allies - their ability to even get this close stemming from the fact that their last mission they managed to hack into some of the intel needed. However, Chii becomes suspicious when Cheryl refuses to get a drink and doesn't react to the name Cherry, making her attack the other woman. While Dias tries to pin Chii down, the others are left in confusion, wondering who is the Scar, or if Chii is just - well, insane. Warren gives her the benefit of the doubt and sticks his gun into her wound after Chii shoots her shoulder, and forces black blood out. Once it's revealed, Marcus slams Cheryl Scar against the table, who promptly mocks him about bending her over to fuck her. Xanatos steps in and prevents anyone from killing their new hostage and leads her to the bridge, but this leaves the others with one question on their lips: where is the real Cheryl?

However, before Darien can tell them about another pressing matter that brought him into the meeting late, a voice speaks to them all - declaring that the gift of the gods will begin in 24 hours and that whomever wins it, will gain a single wish to their heart's desire. The voice speaks in the native language of each person there, and they quickly realize it was broadcast to everyone in the galaxy. the cepicenter of the earthquake that brought it about is located at Freyja's shrine. Despite her wounds, Erevis forces herself into the meeting to inform them she feels Progenitor energy behind the incident, indicating it's some relic of the ancient race. At that moment, several exposions go off - one hits Chad Winters as he carries Aya, and another strikes Katrina in the meeting room while Zephyr is impaled in the chest by wood. When Chad recovers, he finds Aya injured and her hearing damaged - and many in the meeting room find themselves with varying degrees of wounds. Megumi quickly applies Famfrit healing to Zephyr, injuring herself to stablize Zephyr. The wounded team quickly formulates the plan to get their injured to a hospital, no matter the risk, and they board a shuttle quickly.

At the hospital, Zephyr is put into surgery while Megumi is put into ICU, leaving the team wondering what to do about their captured teammate - Cheryl. Warren informs them that the Scar, despite torture that has removed his eyes, is holding out on her location and will only tell it if Angela lets Scar have sex with her again. The team seems to seriously consider letting her do it, despite Angela's disgust at them for even thinking about such a tactic. The group points out various flaws in Angela's personality, giving way to their low opinions on her - how she'll fuck anything that moves, but not Scar this time - if she does do she, she's a whore - she just wants to be told what to do to be the victim. After being dismissed several time, Angela takes Katrina's advice: follow your own path - and she joins them in the shuttle to scout the area around the shrine.

Arriving at the shrine, the team wonders quietly what wish they should go after - only to have EarthGov battleships begin to arrive. They quickly rush into the shrine and seal it up as their shuttle is destroyed, leaving them wondering what to do next.

Date: 10-588.2.15

Session 4: Gift of the Gods Part II

Due to a stroke of luck, perhaps, as the day comes and the group watches through the cracks in the rocks to see EarthGov setting up a parimeter - with a kill zone to keep others away - they notice a large Battleship hovering over that has Cheryl on it. Threatening to kill her if they do not show themselves, it's clear the Scars are baiting them into the open, not knowing where they are located. With Freyja's aid, the team gets onto the battleship through teleportation, proceeding to tear through the battleship innards until they reach the main base. There, Warren - Angela - Marcus - Erevis - Katrina - Dias - Chii - Freyja do battle with a Dark Scar and manage to defeat him, rescuing Cheryl and detonating the battleship so it explodes on the other units below. As they teleport back down, the Gift of the Gods activates and they quickly enter it.

Once inside, the team works their way through the various traps set up and are pitted against each other - only one person can win the Gift of the Gods and it comes down to who is willing to do whatever it takes. As the group works against each other, some teaming up, others on their own, it becomes a complete surprise when Katrina McCormick reaches the center chamber and claims the prize - where she wishes for Chii to have a soul. Touched by the gesture with her newfound soul, Chii and Katrina become even closer, and they being Freyja back to the base so she's not all alone anymore. Also, Zephyr and Megumi manage to recover and Chad makes future plans to have his daughter checked into the hospital to have her hearing repaired, which was damaged by the explosion last time.

Date: 10-588.2.20 - 2.26

Session 5: Bringing Down Dark EarthGov

With the team reunited and healed after the causalities suffered from the explosion a week back, they use the intel they managed to get on the President and it's allies and move in on them, proceeding to get in close during a public speech. They inflirate the building the speech is occurring, Warren directing the team led by Chad Winters, and another by Chii, inside as each group works toward their objective - the President giving a speech on the HoloVid live. After nearly being caught several times by the guards, they manage to break into the main chamber where Erevis and Katrina use their skills to expose the Scars around the President, and the fact he was being influenced by them. With their cover blown on the HoloVid, the Scars attempt to fight back but are quickly subdued by the team, being defeated.

Afterwards, to save face, the President quickly pardons the group and gives them the highest medals of honor one can achieve and reinstates Warren as the head General of EarthGov. Quickly solidiating his power, Warren builds a brand new base in Tokyo, preparing to get the team ready for the next phase of the Dark War. Despite having it's claws pulled out of Earth, the Dark Ones have gone to the Tsivrixsh Empire and Ridiariums, forging alliances with them now and are slowly empowering both their armies and fleets with dark energy. It'll only be a matter of months before they strike EarthGov and other allies to take over the universe. Despite being offered a position on the team, Katrina joins Ruby Carter - Iceheart - who she asked to pick her up on her fancy ship. Coming along with her, Chii and Freyja bid their farewells to the group and leave together. Darien for his part goes into politics more, moving back to his mansion, and Chad Winters, along with his daughter, Xanatos Durran, and a newly pregnant Erevis, join him, along with their kitty Megumi and her bond partner Zephyr. Warren, forced to rebuild his team, recruits new blood, like Jonas Williams. Cheryl is also promoted to second in command of the team, despite her believing herself not worthy of the role, and feeling lost these days. And Angela, having no place with either group, vanishes from sight.

Date: 10-588.3.1 - 3.3

Session 6: Dangerous Days Ahead

Location: The Base

Jonas introduces himself to Cheryl immediately upon his first few days, and it's clear he's lusting after her as he pursues her with questions. Finally, annoyed and trying to think of a way to get away, Cheryl jumps on her brother Chad's offer to go to the bar with Aya. She brings Jonas along just so he can familiarize himself with the area, and they head out together. It's a trick however, and after getting the booze from the bar, Chad takes them to the park where they have children playing, much to Cheryl's discomfort. However, Chad keeps pushing Cheryl's button on her coming to Aya's upcoming ear surgery with Ben until finally she walks out, having had enough of him trying to force her together with her son. At that moment, a man approaches Chad called 'Agent Sammaels', climbing to work with the local agency. Apparantly investigating people in the dead General Alexander Cran's affairs, they want to question Chad. However, he lets it slip that, despite refusing to talk without a warrant, what day Aya's surgery is going to be on.

In space, Iceheart quickly becomes attached to the fox twins and begins to the seduction process of Freyja. However, as things develop, surprisingly Freyja and Katrina begin to grow clsoer to one another and become more of a couple, while Chii and Iceheart find more in common, going to the casinos and gambling together. However, one thing is clear, even as they enter a four-way sexual relationship: they are in this together, even with each of them having a favorite amongst the others.

Also at Darien's, Chad encounters a maid interested in engineering; while initially dismissive of her, he learns she's working there as a maid part time since Darien is giving her a scholarship into college and engineering is her passion - Samantha Hendricks has arrived. Around the same time, Warren is having problems with a hacker trying to get his attention, which leads to the man being taken in by force after he plays a prank on Jonas that almost injures the man. A feminine like man called Dawn claims he's interested in working for them - for a price in the future of finding his sister. Warren, annoyed at how the man attempted to gain access, dismisses him. Throughout this, Jonas continues to pursue Cheryl to the best of his abilities, despite her constant rejections and counter turns - such as having him kiss Dias. And Dawn is kept on the base until Warren can decide what to do with him.

After taking Aya to the hospital later, Chadfinds out she's gone missing - taken right out of surgery while he was kept away. Contacting Cheryl while she's dealing with Jonas, Dawn, and Marcus antics, and Dawn still lingering, not quite thrown out yet due to the fact he could so easily hack security, Chad informs her what happened, and Cheryl asks questions until he mentions the detective from the other day. Dias, having been out searching for a girl who set up a date with him, is ambushed by a purple haired weapon that poisons him and dumps him into a garbage bin to leave for dead, walking off. Dias uses his remaining strength to contact Marcus. Cheryl, Dawn, Warren, and Marcus meanwhile head off to find information on Aya's kidnapping, while Marcus has Zephyr translate the garbled Dias' words on the comm - since she taught him how to speak. Marcus has Dawn hack Dias' datapad and find his location, rushing off to save his BFF, meeting him with Caduceus, the brand new doctor hired reently. Together they heal Dias and save his life.

With Aya missing and the doctor that took her a fake, the real one dead, the team wonders who could have taken Aya Winters. Some consider that maybe Angela herself did it, having gone off the grid within the last week. Cheryl and Erevis both, giving her the benefit of the doubt, attempt to contact Angela, but to no avail. With the possibiltiy of VI or others being behind it, Warren greenlights Dawn joining the team, while under supervision, to help with the search and prove himself. As things begin to calm down, Chad notices Zephyr looking distracted, like a voice calling to her, and she says she feels like someone is reaching out to her on the protocols. Suspicious that it is Angela for certain, Chad decides to keep an eye on her to see where it leads him.

Date: 10-588.3.4 - 3.8

Session 7: Lost Children

Location: The Base

Cheryl - having begun the tactic of staying out drinking at night and driving her motorcycle - has been attempting to make herself a target so she'll be kidnapped like Aya Winters so she can locate her. It's clear it's taking a toil on her as her eyes are bloodshot and her performance is going down while her temper rises. One morning she picks a fight with Dawn for wearing women's clothing, asking why a man would wear such things and she didn't even get women wearing it. After hearing that Dawn wears it to get close to his twin siblings, she walks off in a huff, driven off by the classical music Dawn plays. While Cheryl showers, she gives Jonas her datapad to read what Chad Winters sent her - the message stating he believes Angela tried to take Zephyr last name using the Omega Protocol on the Alpha Protocol. After Dawn, Jonas, and Dias enter, Cheryl quickly dries up to leave to look it over, grabbing Dawn's wrist harshly when he tries to touch her. After a biting comment, Cheryl walks off - clearly on an edge she hasn't seen in a long time. Going into Warren's office, she forces him to give him his room which has a personal shower, and Warren surprisingly complies. Getting back to Chad, they state that a tracking device on Zephyr is the best bet, using her as bait, no matter how it pains Cheryl to use her little sister in such a way.

The next day, Cheryl enters the base stumbling and piss drunk, a feat for a dragoon, and is met by Jonas. She stubbornly resists his help, though he still escorts her to her room, asking why she's doing. After hearing what Chad said, Cheryl is convinced it's Angela and plans to have the 'bitch' grab her, since she's trying to get her hands on Zephyr it seems. Drunkenly provoked by things Jonas isn't really saying, she tries to break his nose, but is stopped by Dawn who carefully chides them both. Jonas and Dawn begin to get into a pissing contest, so Marcus is able to walk by, jingle a beer, and get Cheryl to follow him instead. Once at the mess hall, she quickly passes out under his supervision, and Dawn puts up Cheryl's meal he cooked for her.

Things continue to degenerate, and the next day Dias approaches Warren, indicating he wants to put himself out there as bait to catch the asassin that tried to kill him the other day, hoping there's a tie to Aya somewhere. Warren tentatively agrees to let him go, believing there to be no connection but knowing the assassin must be found all the same. During all this, Chad Winters begins to slip more and more into depression, taking pills and neglecting his food. Not even Erevis is able to draw him out of it.

Date: 10-588.3.10

Session 8: The Kidnapped Dragoon Part 1

Location: Mansion Base

The day begins in trouble when Warren Carmichael reveives information on his datapad that Cheryl killed a woman the night before, so he gathers those on duty - Jonas and Dawn - and heads out to investigate the claims. As they drive along in the van, Warren pulls up the information as it's slowly given to him - it's a girl in her late teens with her throat slashed opened, which doesn't fit Cheryl's M.O. of attack. The report states that someone matching Cheryl's description was seen, with blood on her hands. While they all agree it's a crappy frame job, Warren points out that they it's easy to cast a negative light on the unit and even harder to get back credit after being discredited. As they arrive at the crime scene, the three get out to investigate. Moving to the detective in charge, Warren questions where Cheryl is at - only to be told she was already put into the back of a police car and taken away. Stating they had no grounds to arrest her, the officer claims she had no identification on her and if they want her, to go down to the police station.

Upon arriving at the police station, the officer on duty states they don't have Cheryl, that Warren himself requested she be taken to his base - which Warren certainly did not do. It seems Cheryl's bait was finally taken. Warren gets out his datapad, setting up a tracer that Cheryl had embedded deep within herself to avoid detection by others. As Dawn arrives back in the shuttle, after being sent off by Warren to get it, he heads for the direction of the signal when it goes out. Eyeing his datapad as they fly there, Warren sees the police officers were killed and someone posed as the officer to take Cheryl. The shuttle flies them to the Russian state and over the Sibierian area of the continent, where they find a large snow storm and mountains. As they manage to get a signal again, something strikes the shuttle, nearly destroying it and forcing Warren to pull back and retreat back to Japan - stating what hit them seemed to be a giant Ridiarum fist, leaving the question how the hell did one get on the planet? Warren states they'll need Zephyr and Megumi to handle battling it in a snowstorm and they'll need an attack shuttle as well, meaning Cheryl is on her own for now.

At his mansion, Darien finishes the last check up on Samantha Hendricks and states that she'll be perfect for the Starr Scholarship for college. Erevis, meantime, is trying to dress up Megumi, since she's her tiny kitten pet, but Megumi is refusing, playing the role of the cat all too well by hiding on top of cabinents. Trying to bribe her with them taking a bath together, they are interrupted by Darien who gets the message from Warren. Zephyr quickly gets into a tactical suit, putting Megumi in one as well, and while dressing Megumi, it's clear that Zephyr is crushing on her as she checks out the girl's body. As Dawn lands the shuttle outside, Darien joins in an armored battle suit, Erevis in her battle suit, and the other two leap on as well to begin the operation.

As they arrive, Zephyr and Megumi form the gear and launch an attack on the Giant Ridiarium while Warren and Dawn try to fly the shuttle through the snowstorm. The shuttle is truck and damaged, with Erevis partially injured, and Warren retaliates with missiles to it's face. Megumi, angered, goes kung-fu on the Giant Ridiarium, beating the crap out of it since it wasn't prepared for hand to hand combat - being a giant rock monster. When Megumi bites it's throat, Zephyr puts their gun against it's head and blows it off. Warren meanwhile, with Darien's help, levels off the shuttle and they land inside a mind shaft inside the mountains, planning on using it to lead them to the base.

Date: 10-588.3.10

Session 9: The Kidnapped Dragoon Part 2

Location: Mines

Arriving at a minecart they need to take them to the base, according to Dawn's map, Jonas is designated mine cart driver, while Warren, Darien, Dawn, and Erevis get into the cramped space of the back. Erevis learns from Jonas, who keeps calling Dawn 'dollface' that it is a term of fondness, so she begins to call them all dollface. While transversing the dangerous tracks, Erevis muses that she will ask Megumi to become her sister, since she hears sisters share everything, and she's particularly fond of her. During all this, Zephyr and Megumi have to share body heat - alone - trapped under a glacier and gathering energy to reform into a dragoon mech to escape.

As they arrive below the base, they debate if Angela can really be behind this - Warren finding it likely, due to the fact she's always seen Aya as a niece and Cheryl was one of the few people who didn't outright reject her. Darien finds it unlikely, however surprising his stance may be. As they move on, they find a mining operation currently in place, when the tunnels were closed down 20 years ago. Finding a group of miners with a drill, they have Dawn set up some anarchy for a distraction, then move on up into the upper areas where the mining materials are processed, using an elevator.

Using the Rune Blade, Erevis gets them past some defenses - pausing to even make an ice pun. After taking out another group of men in protective suits, Jonas takes pity on one and saves him before the furnance kills him - one that he set in motion in the first place. After questioning who they work for, the man claims the government - part of the Russian Mining Union. When calle a liar by Jonas, the man claims that he's not lying - it was kept hidden by the government due to the military base there and that a General Ranc was in charge of the operation. Preparing to move into the base proper, Erevis gives Dawn the water rune and Warren the ice rune, keeping the rest in the sword as they prepare to discover just who put this mining operation into place.

Date: 10-588.3.10

Session 10: The Kidnapped Dragoon Part 3

Location: Elevator

Taking another elevator up to the main part of the military base, the team quickly moves past various cameras and other security devices to reach a security room where they see a monitor of Cheryl - tied up and naked - with machines hooked up into her, and scientists leering at her body. Dawn quickly hacks the firewall to get the tracer going so they can get to Cheryl. Erevis, shaken at seeing Cheryl in such a position, flashes back to what Xevil did to her so long ago and she quickly demands they save Cheryl before she suffer a similiar fate. Warren, as they reach the elevator, states they need to split into two groups - one to take out the satelite blocking communications and the other to rescue Cheryl. Darien and Dawn decide to deal with the jamming system, while the others head to rescue Cheryl. Warren, finding a locked door, uses the password VI to gain entry - and even Jonas finds it suspiciously obvious. Warren agrees, saying he only tried it due to reports saying that VI was behind the girl that tried to kill Dias.

As they head for Cheryl, Warren, Erevis, and Jonas enter the room with Cheryl, only to discover it with blueprints on Chad and Dias, as well as other Weapons. Erevis quickly attacks the scientist over Cheryl after he gropes her - and then Jonas shoots him while he's pinned to the wall. Warren motions for them to help Cheryl while he downloads information from the terminals. They wake Cheryl, who attacks at first, then pauses as she recognizes them - telling them they must have knocked her out after she realized the officers were fake. Cheryl is pissed to learn this isn't the base where Aya is being held, and instead some VI operation instead. Cheryl gets dressed and eyes the blueprints on 9 Weapons - with V looking like their very own doctor Caduceus.

As Darien and Dawn reach the terminal for the satelite, they find Megumi and Zephyr - in dragoon mech form - over them, saying they managed to reform after warming up together. Allowing Megumi the honors, they blast the dish out of existence. Deforming back to their normal forms, Zephyr gets a coat from Darien. With the communication jam down, Darien contacts Marcus, who awakens from a black stupor - having been out with Dias trying to lure out the purple haired assassin woman. Being told that they think they have a lead on Aya, Marcus is ordered to come there. As Marcus gets his head together, he asks the bartender where Dias is at, only to learn that they both passed out after a few drinks and a purple haired woman helped Dias out of the bar. Telling Darien what happened, Darien informs him that Dias wasn't brought to this base, and that the purple haired woman was likely Weapon VI - Virulent. Seething, Marcus hurries out.

After the two groups on the base reunite, they are ambushed, with Cheryl, Zephyr, and Megumi taking some damage from explosives. Marcus arrives in a shuttle and Darien decides they should have Caduceus heal the wounded Zephyr and Cheryl, and giving them time to question him about being a Weapon. Warren states he's locked down the base and is working on encrypted data from VI that will take time to break through, so for now all they can do is hope that there is information on Dias and Aya in there. As they fly back, Erevis asks Megumi if they can be sisters, and if she can take the surname of Zhenmei until she offically marries Xanatos. With a meeeerrrooowl from Megumi, Erevis declares she is pleased that Megumi agrees.

Back at the base, while Caduceus is healing Zephyr and Cheryl, Erevis has Megumi sign documents to make them legal sisters. While Warren interrogates Caduceus, the fifth Weapon points out he did warn them that Weapon VI could poison with a touch and it was foolish to keep baiting her as Dias and Marcus did. When asked why VI wants Dias dead so bad, Caduceus informs them it's because of her sister, Weapon VII - Caesura. Meanwhile, after being released, Cheryl swims in the pool naked down to her underwear, when Jonas arrives, chiding her for being so reckless. Cheryl states she won't allow Chad to suffer another minute being apart from his child and will do whatever it takes to get Aya back. During this, Xanatos, Erevis, Zephyr, and Megumi begin to exit the base when Zephyr stumbles upon a naked and dead Dias, bloated with disease - and she begins to scream. Hearing the scream, Cheryl busts out of the base and stops to stare at the dead man, along with Marcus who steps out, his breathing erratic and shaky. He grabs a bike and begins to drive off, stopping and ordering Cheryl on, who does so, both letting their anger and frustrations go by driving fast. Xanatos tells Warren once they get a lead, to contact him - promising to help him stop VI so they don't hurt their friends and family anymore.

Date: 10-588.3.11 - 3.13

Session 11: Virulent Pain

Location: Graveyard

Several strange things begin to occur after the rescue of Cheryl. After being rescued, Cheryl has begun to quit drinking and seems much more reserved in certain things than before, including going back to believing that Angela had nothing to do with Aya's disappearance, especially in light of the VI angle. However, one night, Jonas gives her a spiked drink and gets her drunk, then begins to work on her insecurities about Aya's kidnapping and wanting to protect her brother, Chad, from more pain. With her drunk and promises that if he is allowed to bond her, he will help her become strong enough to rescue Aya, Cheryl in a moment of weakness accepts, after hearing his story about being an Alpha pilot before and the Alpha dying and being unable to do anything to help her, and not wanting the same thing to be true for Cheryl. The only way they can form a quick bond, however, is to skip the weeks of rigorous training synch excerises, and is to have sex. Cheryl gives in and Jonas becomes her new pilot, forming a leash around her that she doesn't even realize.

Two days after the death of Dias, his funeral is held. A black General named Gordon Paladin holds the sermon over the grave for Dias, since Paladin is a catholic. Cheryl walks off, unable to contain her anger at the death of Dias, her own sadness growing as well at failing him - not even giving him a good boff before he died since Dias wanted in her pants. During the funeral, a woman in black gives off a smell that makes Megumi bound town her, and the woman jerks, running for it, which alerts the rest of the group. As she runs, her hat falls off and it reveals purple hair - the only difference being her hair is much longer than the short purple haired woman's that killed Dias. Jonas fires a shot which makes the woman freeze in fear and Marcus barks questions at her like a wild dog, making the woman quiver in fear. Grabbing a datapad, the woman fearfully and slowly types that Virulent killed Dias; and she is Caesura. When asked why she was there, she types she knew Dias and wanted to say goodbye. Warren decides to haul her in for interrogation, hoping she might be a lead to Virulent and VI.

After interrogating Caesura for hours, Warren, Xanatos, and Erevis exit the room to talk to the others. On the comm is an open channel to Katrina and Chii on Iceheart's ship as well. Erevis informs them that it seems Caesura is unsure where Virulent is at, only that she works for a group called VI. Virulent blamed Dias for what happened to Caesura - when they were children, Dias promised to protect Caesura from all harm and would marry her one day. But when it came time to be tested on, he did nothing and she lost her voice when she was given Weapon powers. After that, Dias left the base and never came back. So when Virulent was freed by VI, she agreed to work for them and killed Dias after learning he was sleeping with various women. Erevis notes while Caesura is sorry for Dias' death, she does not believe she will betray her sister, fearing the team will kill her once they find her. After hearing all this, Katrina asks Chii if she wants to go back to Earth to help find Aya, and Chii says she does. They end communication, promising to return there as soon as they can.

During all this, Cheryl gets into the interrogation room and Jonas informs them of it, thinking she might be in berserker mode. When Warren tries to enter his code to open it, it errors, Cheryl clearly having bypassed it - showing some of her high intelligence she tries to deny. Zephyr feeds Megumi energy so she can manifest without injuring herself, and Megumi punches the door in, revealing Cheryl standing over a silently weeping Caesura who is typing on her datapad as Cheryl looks on coldly. Taking it from her when she finishes, Cheryl tells them that VI gave Caesura a code word to use if she ever wanted to join them. After slamming it down on Warren's hand, she walks off, and Erevis checks Caesura over, finding no signs of physical abuse. Zephyr asks Caesura that if they promise to take Virulent in alive, will she aid them - Caesura quickly giving her promise and nodding. Zephyr gets the group to promise in front of Erevis so she can verify, and Megumi forces Cheryl to give her word by asking her directly. Once they all do, the plan to capture Virulent is on.

Arriving at a fastfood joint, Virulent approaches her sister Caesura, when the group launches their attack. After a quick, but fierce battle, they manage to subdue the Weapon and bring her in alive as promised.

Date: 10-588.3.14

Session 12: Assault on Precinct Warren

Location: Mansion Base

Despite her capture, Virulent has refused to give any information to the team, remaining confined in the brig, while Caesura has been given her own quarters with a guard posted outside her room. Cheryl swims to relieve some stress, and Megumi watches her - which leads to some playful sport between the two after Megumi gets pulled into the pool by Cheryl. Megumi begins to show her the meaning of catfish as she zooms in the water like a dolphin, much to Cheryl's surprise. Erevis, meanwhile, informs them Virulent is a stubborn one full of hate and that she is unlikely to break easily, despite her attempts to scan her mind while Xanatos rubs her shoulders. Also during this, Marcus and Jonas work out together, with Marcus asking Jonas if he truly loves Cheryl - and Jonas saying he just likes her. He doesn't bring up the bond, and plays it off like he just finds Cheryl interesting - despite Marcus saying she's not the type of girl to settle down.

As Cheryl is dressing, the base alarms go off, and outside there is gunfire. Erevis and Xanatos peer up as Virulent breaks out of the interrogation room with acid at the same time. Despite having the two at a diadvantage, since neither had their weapons drawn, Virulent goes the opposite way, leaving Erevis to ponder why she would do such a thing, even as Xanatos contacts Warren to warn him. As Xanatos then proceeds to pursue her, Jonas in the meantime puts up his cat, a stray he found a while back that Zephyr named Trigger, into his room, then heads to Caesura's room. When he arrives there, he finds Cheryl with her arm around Caesura's throat in a position to break it, facing off against Virulent, who has her fingernails against Zephyr's throat - and since her slightest touch can be fatal, both are at an impasse. Xanatos begs them to both stand down, Jonas says this can only end badly for both, Megumi merowls, Caesura looks at her sister pleadingly, and Cheryl and Virulent exchange tense words to back down, neither wanting to budge. When it's clear nothing is going to be resolved, Caesura whispers the word 'stop' taking everyone down but Cheryl, who is hurt too despite being behind her. AS they recover, Virulent is without her hostage, so Cheryl judo chops Caesura to knock her out, and Virulent quickly backflips toward Xanatos as Cheryl leaps at her. During all this, Dawn and Marcus arrive outside, they would find him in an open gun fight with VI troops that are trying to break into the base. They are forced to battle waves of VI troops, grenade lobbing soldiers, and attack shuttles, with only their own wits to keep them alive.

Back inside, Virulent almost claws Xan's face with her poisoned fingernails, but Cheryl uses her whip to yank her back, and Jonas hits her with several stun shots to weaken her. After one hits Virulent's head and weakens her, Cheryl shifts, ramming her into the walls several time with her whip until Xanatos tells her to stand down. They quickly move to put her into a non-melty cell. Outside, Marcus is struck by a beam of light and a winged green haired beauty lands before him - Weapon VIII Seraphim. The others, except for Jonas who guards Virulent, joins the others after they survive a few rounds of Seraphim's attack, and they join in the battle. Seraphim moves quickly, so fast it appears she is teleporting, so Cheryl wraps her whip around her neck to slow her down, and Marcus takes advantage to claw her stomach, cutting through her armor to the Weapon's horror. Erevis then uses her telekenetics to grab Seraphim as Marcus bites into her shoulder armor, and it seems the two might kill her when Dawn tells them to stop, that he and Erevis have her detained. Seraphim, having expected to be killed like a warrior, is surprised when she is cuffed by Warren instead. As they begin to move in, a remaining VI agent fires a rocket and strikes Dawn in the face, burning his body terriblely and leaving him near death. Cheryl, in a surprise move, looks upset and demands Caduceus do whatever it takes to heal Dawn. Cad focuses on Dawn and restores layer after layer of flesh and muscle, even as his own body begins to look skeletal. After collapsing in exhaustion, Megumi takes over healing Dawn as well.

Due to Caesura's actions in helping resolve the conflict, Xanatos allows her to stay with him so she does not feel scared alone in her room, and the team hooks Dawn up to IVs until he's fully recovered. Erevis tells Xanatos they should see if Warren will let them keep Caesura at the mansion, so she can feel more relaxed instead of being forced to stay on the base all the time. Outside, Cheryl and Marcus survery the burning wreckages of shuttles from VI and other damage, and Marcus comments that it is a mistake to allow the Weapons to remain alive. While Cheryl partially agrees, she points out that in the end, saving Billy's life was a good thing. She then pauses, pondering where Billy has been the last year, since she has not been seen since she was not encountered on Centerpoint after the Dark Ones took her body. Which also leads to the dark thought: How much longer can they afford to be delayed on Earth with these affairs when the Dark Ones are gathering power out in space.

Date: 10-588.3.16

Session 13: The Holder of Weapons

Location: Darien Mansion

Chad Winters has stopped coming up out of his lab in the basement, much to the worry of the others in the mansion. Erevis, Zephyr, and Megumi all ponder worriedly what he is up to these days down below, while Darien helps Samantha in settling in and getting her affairs in order. As Darien plans to go out, he puts Samantha in charge of watching Chad to make sure he is safe. Erevis gives Megumi a cat tactical suit, with a bikini like cut out, a tail with sensors, and ears for translating data - based on Chad's designs, she merely cut things off to make it look cuter. As they arrive at the base, they settle down for a conference with the others. Warren announces that Virulent and Seraphim remain constantly pacing in their cells, and seem to test their abilities five times a day to see if the cells are failing to negate their powers. Caesura, so far, has remained on base, Warren deciding to keep her until he's sure this current crisis is over. At that moment, Katrina McCormick, Iceheart, Chii, and Freyja arrive, cleared by Cheryl to be specialists in the case. When Cheryl arrives behind them, all negative signs she racked up from drinking are gone - her hair is looking cleanier and her face healthy again like she's eating properly, due to the bond with Jonas and him ordering her to do such things. When she hears Chad isn't doing well, Cheryl clearly feels guilty for taking so long to go through the encrypted data - but she has found the location of three VI bases located in Tokyo, L.A. and Europe. Able to pinpoint the exact locations based on cargo manifests, she brings up the locations of each of the three bases. Iceheart and Freyja volunteer to remain behind to watch the Weapons to make sure they don't do anything, while the others split up to take on the various bases at the same time, so the enemy cannot warn each other of their attacks.

The first base, at L.A., is taken on by Erevis, Xanatos, Chii, and Soldier #69. Despite Chii's rude attitude, she quickly falls victim to Erevis' attitude - cuddle anything cute and pet it endless with hugs and strokes. AFter being deployed 12 miles from the base, they drive in the vehicle Warren set up for them to the base. After a bit of driving, they get near the shipping vehicle they need to take over so they can ride into the base in disguise. Erevis leaps out and grabs onto the vehicle, holding on for dear life as it speeds up, causing Xanatos to panic and speed up to follow. Chii, on the roof, moves and startles the driver as Erevis pulls Xanatos onto the top with her, and he drops her when the driver slams on the breaks in surprise, which causes Erevis to fall out of sight behind the truck, and another car smashes into the back of it. As Chii goes over the driver's wallet, finding he works for Hermes Inc, Xanatos finds Erevis pinned and injured badly by the car. Chii in panic, and guilt, heals Erevis by switching the wounds with her. Erevis, for her sacrifice, promises to comb and pet her tail for her until Chii's own healing fixes her wounds. Now in the delivery truck, they head for the base.

Date: 10-588.3.16

Session 14: An Unexpected Rescue

Location: Truck

While Erevis speaks with Chii about making her pet, only to be chided by Xanatos which causes her to ask Chii if she is Katrina's pet, they arrive at the base. As the three hide in the back, 69 shows the driver's ID to him. The guard lazily checks the back of the truck, but with them hiding behind the boxes, waves the truck on toward a warehouse. After they park inside, two men approach to unload the truck and Chii quickly springs, taking them out. Erevis strips one man and puts on his uniform. After tailing to fit Chii's ear with an earpiece, Erevis instead uses it and goes with Chii to help her, leaving 69 to go with Xanatos.

As Xanatos and 69 approach the main door, they take out the two guards with silenced pistols, despite the fact there's a camera over the door. After searching them, he takes their keycards. As they enter the base steathily, taking out guards with stun grenades and other materials, Chii and Erevis search for Chii. However, Chii would get no smell of Aya for a while as they inflitrate, until after an enemy shuttle lands in the back and reinforcements begin to pour into the back of the complex. Then, she finally gets a whiff of Aya. While she tries to get a sense of direction, Xanatos and 69 are ambushed and attacked, when the soldiers fighting them are hit and they split off to deal with some other threat, leaving Xanatos and 69 behind. Xanatos finally gets a soldier alive to question him, and the soldier, after threatening to capture Dragoon Alpha Cheryl to use as a template to make new weapons, pauses when Xanatos tells him they did not attack their base, and states he does not know who is attacking. Meanwhile, Chii finally finds Aya - with a bewildered Angela Bennet, who is holding her protectively. Angela states they captured her some time ago to use as a template to make new dragoons, even reawakening her Omega powers to do so. Which means the Omega is back. Aya seems overly protective of Angela, begging them not to hurt her. At that moment, a soldier shoots Angela and Erevis and activates an explosive to destroy the base, giving the timer only 30 seconds so they have no chance to recover evidence from the base. Chii clings to Aya, then touches Angela, draining her wounds and collapsing in pain. Xanatos arrives and picks Chii up, and rushes for the exit, while 69 tries to remain behind to download the data before the explosion. Xanatos gets them all onboard, but unable to wait for the soldier, flies off even as the woman rushes out - and she dies from the explosion. Erevis unstraps herself and uses her hyperspace to seal Chii's wound - a temporary measure, and Aya is left hugging onto the wounded Chii and crying as XAnatos comms Warren and Cheryl.

Elsewhere, and taking place at the same time as this mission, Warren approaches the European base with Soldier 70, Zephyr, Megumi, and Marcus. Warren discusses with Marcus the belief that Jonas bonded Cheryl and has been influencing her emotions and attitude since then. He shows the video of Jonas getting Cheryl drunk, then leading her to Cheryl's room where there's no cameras. Warren also shows him the files that Jonas was the pilot of Dragoon Velva and that she died when he was not around to help her. They agree to watch Jonas and take action if necessary - but Warren warns if they have to kill him, it needs to be a distance, lest the feedback injure Cheryl.

Date: 10-588.3.16

Session 15: What Begins, Must End; What Ends, Begins Anew

Location: Shuttle

Cheryl, Jonas, and Dawn head for the Tokyo base when Dawn gets a flash of Fiore at an Italian cafe. Dawn grabs for the controls, demanding they stop, and Cheryl eyes him dubiously and angerily, wanting to stay on task to save Aya. Dawn babbles that he saw her and brings up the city map files of the area. He sees another flash and Fiore is talking to someone with a VI emblem on their chest. Cheryl frowns, eyeing the two locations - knowing that one will remain in place and the other won't. She tells Dawn he has five minutes as she detours toward the location

Warren meanwhile flies past the leaning tower of piza and knocks it over as it falls. While the others are horrorfied, he simply states it was old. Continuing to fly into the city, Zephyr sadly updates the wiki on the tower with her datapad. As people rush to the tower in horror, Warren lands and pulls open a sewer grate that will lead them to the base, leading the team down below. Leading them through the aquaducts of the city, until they reach a locked door with a sign saying 'Warning - Flooded Area Ahead'. Determining it's a lie for the base, they break through. AS they enter, a cute fluffy thing bumps into them and Zephyr immediately adopts it despite Marcus' protests. Their aruging is interrupted when killer fish attack, which Megumi leaps out like a cat to do battle with. After she defeats the killer fish, they bust in through a door into a lobby area and Warren takes out the guard on duty behind the desk with a single shot. Hacking the terminal, they find it has several labs - Lab 3 has women in capsules being experimented on except one - and one woman has purple hair and wings. Lab 2 has experiments on animals being done, like fish, with gene splicing occurring. Lab 1 has robots being designed and created - gears and cyborgs as well. Warren orders them to split up - sending the rest to Lab 3 while he takes Lab 1. Together, once they set up explosives, the combined might will take out lab 2 as well. When asked about the test subjects, Warren states he'll leave it up to Marcus' judgement.

When they arrive, the scientists point at Marcus and exclaim 'Subject 45', and rush for the alarms. They are shot down by the group quickly and brutually. One capsule has a woman who looks 17 with purple hair and wings; another has one that looks a bit like Dias, but with claws for fingers. The third capsule has has a girl with brown hair that looks completely normal. The three empty capsules have name tags for future subjects - Subject 45 Marcus (Wolfman), Subject 69 Cheryl (Alpha/Omega Template), Subject 70 - Zephyr/Megumi. An alarm announces the awakening process is beginning and they look at the capsules of the other three for names. The purple haired one is Subject X - Omega Weapon, the male Subject 13 - Dark One, and the girl - Subject 16 Q. Realizing the only Dark One around these parts is Billy, he takes a look at the male - and it's definitely a Dias male with asian features like Billy. But the aura coming from him is pure evil.

Soldier 70, finishing planting explosives, gives Marcus traq shots to give the subjects once they finish awakening, and moves to get data from the terminal as quickly as he can before it's too late. Looking up information Subject 0, the donor for Subject 13, 70 finds that it's Billy - drugged and tied up, looking to be six these days, and her location is listed. The info on 13 states it's uncontrollable and the type of weapon you drop in a city to rampage, ala Tyrant. At that moment the capsules open and the two girls drop to their nees, while the male lands on it's feet, opening it's eyes. After being hit by their combined hits, the Dark One shadowports away. At that moment, Subject X opens her violet eyes and peers at Marcus, declaring him her master. Q awakens and freaks out, forming a crystal bat to knock Megumi back, and as the action causes her hair to sway, her famfrit ears are visible. Q then begins to take on a twisted demeanor and as Zephyr leaps, forces a network of crystal lines to slice off Zephyr's leg and a few of her fingers. Marcus orders X to attack Q, so she uses ripples to free Zephyr, then blasts Q away; hesitating and conflicted, Q punches the wall on an automatic level and leaps out - she can be no more than 15 at most. Grabbing Zephyr's limbs so they can reattach them, the group downloads what information they can before they leap through X's ripple to escape the base as they blow it up. On the shuttle, X makes her wings vanish and changes her hair color for now, blending in. At that moment, Xanatos contacts them that they have Aya and Angela. After finishing telling him to take the two to the base, Warren peers at the information gathered on Billy. After Centerpoint, she was found headed for Earth by VI agents took her down using techniques used to hamper Dark Ones. After attempts to brainwash her failed, they forced used her abilities to puncture holes into other reality, able to open them at various points in time further ahead then their own, and they managed to kidnap various test subjects. They were children around the age of 6-7 and hybrids of various races; choosing one they aged her several years and brainwashed her into a killing machine to test the power of the famfrit hybrid. This became Subject Q. By brainwashing her rapidly, they destroyed all knowledge of her prior life. The other kids are being held in the current state until more studies are done on Q. Billy's location seems to be on an asteorid betweeb Mars and Jupiter, VI's main base. Promising Marcus they would attack the base as soon as they were resupplied, they head back to their own base.

Cheryl arrives near the cafe and wears a kimono to try to blend in as she, Dawn, and Jonas head for the cafe to find Fiore. As they arrive, there's an explosion and two groups of people begin to fire at each other - VI agents are firing into the cafe it seems. Inside, Dawn would spot someone in a pretty kimono firing at VI agents that looks like him. Cheryl and Jonas quickly break out to fight the VI agents, not one to let the enemy escape. After dealing with the threats on the street, they rush through the cafe to find a kimono on the ground outside, and Dawn would see Fiore climbing up the side of the building in a sleek tactical suit. Shouting out his sister's nickname, Fiore peers back at him as she gets on a shuttle, blinking and looking confused at who she sees, even asking him who he is suppose to be. Dawn tries to leap at the shuttle, but Fiore grabs him telekenetically and tells him she can't let anything stop her, not even the ghosts of the past, and drops him onto Jonas, timing it so Dawn won't be injured. Going back to their shuttle, they fly out to the base in time to see some other EarthGov shuttle firing down into the base and destroying it, then escaping before they can follow it by cloaking. Cheryl, seized with fear that Aya might have been inside it, answers the comm from Warren.

As they all gather back at the base, they meet a grim Darien Starr who informs them that Chad Winters is dead. After they all left, Chad left the mansion drunk and high on pain pills, and was ambushed by VI agents who tried to capture him. A grenade landed near him and blew him to pieces. Hearing the news, everyone falls into a state of depression. Chii vows to protect Aya no matter what and where she is located. To Cheryl's shock, she's told that Chad left Aya's care to her in the event of his death, and she's now her legal guardian, much to Cheryl's shock. After recovering, Cheryl says she won't let Chad down in raising Aya, and will accept all their help in raising her properly. Iceheart, touched by Chii's devotion, says she'll stick around with them because they're a family now - after groping Chii and Freyja in plain sight of all. When Chii and Cheryl go to tell Aya the news, surprisingly she seems more concerned with Chii's health than her own father being dead, leaving Cheryl and Chii wondering what all happened to her in captivity. The rest of them consider what to do with Angela and her new found powers. Darien sticks up for her again, saying he'll watch over Angela if needbe while everyone settles and adjusts. Warren states he feels it strange that Angela got her powers back at the same time Jonas made a bond move on Cheryl, and states they both need to be watched closely for evidence that either may be bad. To question to see Angelas loyality, after asking if her Omega powers are working - he asks if Cheryl is bonded to her. All she confirms is that Cheryl has a bond, but not to who - and Warren knowing the Omega could tell her more, turns disgusted, saying Darien can have her. After seeing his look, Angela quickly states it's Jonas. Dismissing her for now, Darien takes her home, telling her she's welcome there as long as she waits. Meanwhile, everyone else settles into a new, if not confusing, routine, with many pieces on the board that even Warren doesn't understand yet.

Date: 10-588.3.17

Session 16: Asteroids!

Location: Military Base

As the team prepares on the base for the mission - Xanatos and Erevis given adjacent rooms with Megumi and Zephyr - and Cheryl having slept with Chii so Aya could hold them both throughout the night - they get ready for the mission to rescue Billy. As Warren comms everyone to get ready, Cheryl leaves Aya in Chii's care and everyone gathers for the pre-mission briefing. X follows Marcus around to the meeting, never leaving her new master's side it seems. As they finish eating and show up, Warren informs them the asteroid, for all appearances, looks normal with no outer installations visible, and only a single hole into the interior. Warren's plan is to sneak through the asteroid field and get inside and hope not to be noticed - with Xanatos flyhing them. As they all head to the shuttle, they launch into space and approach the asteroid, Cheryl and Jonas flying in Cheryl's gear form with them as an escort. The asteroid immediately attacks and seemingly destroys Cheryl, but gives Xanatos time to whip in through the belt and into the asteroid itself. Moments later, Cheryl and Jonas bust in and arrive, deforming to their normal states. Splitting into two groups, Warren leads Megumi, Zephyr, and Marcus with him, and Cheryl leads Jonas, Dawn, Marcus, and X another way.

Warren's team battles many troops and takes the elevator down a route not expected, arriving on a floor with no guards and reaching a locked door, while Cheryl's team quickly works their way through another hallway, dealing with shock troopers and other threats, making use of X's ripples to quickly get down to Lab 4, wondering what awaits.

Date: 10-588.3.17

Session 17: Rescuing the Cute Dark One!

Location: Elevators

Warren's team takes the elevators up to the power room with the servers for the base. After setting off alarms, the group defends Megumi as she smashes the door and Zephyr then shoots it open so they can get inside. Arriving, Warren begins his work while the others defend him. Cheryl's team meanwhile works their way through the various labs, disrupting and killing scientists along the way, with Dawn asking questions to Cheryl like her not minding her sister dating - and Cheryl responds with not as long as it's with Megumi, since they each are innocent kids who have a crush on each other. Arriving at the next lab, they fight - what else - but large robots. Warren's team meanwhile is interrupted when a rocket launcher hits their door and blows it open. After dealing with the insurrgence, they climb into the elevator shaft and head upward. Cheryl's team meanwhile defeats the robots and reach the lab with Billy, who evilly comments on how long it took them to rescue her - considering it's been more than a year practically. However, Marcus and Billy quickly fall into their old routine of banter and commentary with one another, letting begones be begones. Joining up with the others, they quickly escape the base as it explodes, riding the shockwave back to Earth safely.

Date: 10-588.3.18 - 3.19

Session 18: Breaking Apart To Form Together

Location: Mansion Base

The following night after rescuing Billy, Dawn manages to convince the girls to go out for a night of relaxation and partying on him at his hotel and casino. Cheryl, Angela, Megumi, Zephyr, X, Caesura, and Billy all agree to go under various stipulations - such as wearing skirts or thongs. Arriving there, Dawn begins to play up the various aspects of it, dazzling each of them. It's clear Caesura has begun to form a crush on him, due to Dawn taking extra time to help pick out outfits for Caesura. However, upon arriving at the base, it becomes clear that Dawn has his eye on Cheryl, and works to spend some alone time, not put off even when Cheryl doesn't want to drink strangely, citing she's turned over a new leaf for Aya. Zephyr, meanwhile, pursues Megumi and they spend their first night together sexually, exploring each other's bodies under Angela's supervision. And Cheryl gets the biggest surprise of all - Dawn reveals that he is actually a girl, and that she is interested in her, no matter what has happened in the past and whatnot. Even if Cheryl doesn't want to end up with Dawn, for tonight she wants to be with her. Scrambling the bond with Jonas, Dawn puts the moves on a surprised Cheryl, revealing to her that she acts like a guy mostly to put people off guard after an incident long ago cost her virginity while undercover. Cheryl bites her lip and promises to consider it, and spends the night with Dawn and explores various things with her, perhaps seeking a counter balance to the infuence of Jonas.

The next day, back at the base, Cheryl is withdrawn, musing on what she did the night before Dawn, and how Jonas keeps flooding her with his desire for her so she can't think straight. X, meanwhile, is put off with how Marcus babies Billy, who lets on she knows a lot more than she seems, such as Dawn should not be a girl, and comments that she's surprised Marcus is not with Katrina - but that Chii and Freyja are with Katrina and Iceheart instead. X, having taken the name Nakita lately, remains suspicious of the little Dark One around her master. When a meeting starts up, however, all concerns are put on hold as Warren brings up their true enemy that they've been distracted from lately - the Dark Ones allying with the Tsivrixsh Empire and Ridariums. Stating they have to get ready to face them in the PAX2 while the main fleet is prepped and supplied, along with Cartel aid and what remains of the Erusian Ascendency's fleet. Billy, in a surprise move, announces where the homeworld for the Tsivrixsh is located, if they can reach it that is, and points it out on the map. She also states there will be Ridariums larger than the Giant Ridiarums, called World Eaters, that they will have to contend with out there.

Surprisingly, Cheryl announces she does not intend to go on the mission, instead staying to be a mother to Aya. Warren and the others guilt trip her, however, into going, staring she will be needed and that if Ben will be on the PAX2 and safe, then Aya will be as well. Twisted and torn, Cheryl gives in, but arranges it so Iceheart's ship is docked inside the PAX and they are given their own zone so that if an attack comes that Cheryl doesn't feel is safe, she can have them take Aya to safety. And that way Chii can be close to her and still have her two lovers with her and Freyja. Warren agrees to this. Warren announces that Darien will be taking over the operations on the base and handling the remenants of VI while they're gone, and look into finding Dawn's sister for her. Dawn tries to comfort Cheryl meanwhile on the decision, seeing how wound up she is, and even kisses her, making Cheryl fluster and look shy and bothered. She states that if something does happen to her, then Angela can raise Aya.

After the news, the various members of the team begin to prepare for the next phase of their war, bantering and commenting - Erevis excited that she and Zephyr are getting baby foxes from Samantha's stay fox Mimiji. Billy questioning Dawn if she's really Fiore and the Fiore out there is really Dawn. Jonas claiming that he isn't interested in Cheryl that way and that Dawn is free to pursue her. Marcus teasing Cheryl for being a lesbian, who quickly claims she's not. Angela, meanwhile, makes a request - she was bonded to a 'twin' of Cheryl named Lemon, created based on advanced AI designs from Cheryl's mind when she was kidnapped, and that Lemon is an innocent and sweetie, and that she wants to free her before they leave Earth. As they all get into a shuttle and fly out, they're attacked by a group of trucks below carrying Lemon, and are forced to do battle to bring it to a halt. Cheryl risks her life during it to save Dawn, and Jonas quietly watches, musing darkly. After rescuing Lemon, who was named after a fruit she liked - and Billy asking if she was ever a sex bot - they head back to the base.

Caduceus puts a collar on Lemon to make sure she's safe to have around, and no doubt to keep tabs on Angela as well. Dawn decides to go on the mission with the others into space instead of remaining with Darien to find her sister, wanting to be with sister; despite the others' words that Cheryl, even if she has sex, will never commit, Dawn tells them none of that matters and she will prove to them that there's more to Cheryl and her inner strength than they realize. While talking to Chii about all who Chii is marrying, being friends with Cheryl, she stiffens and goes blank, stating she's leaving for a brief moment; she walks out to Jonas, who mentally controls her to his room. Suddenly, Angela feels Cheryl being raped in the bond and used, and alerts everyone; they bust in to find Jonas raping Cheryl, who is glassy eyed and looking as if she is enjoying it, but like a puppet on a string. The moment the door opens , Jonas uses a device to bypass their teleporters and teleports out. Horrified at what she did, Cheryl thinks herself a whore at first due to being immune to the Alpha Protocol effects, but they point out when she was captured, VI messed with her mind. At that moment, Jonas breaks the bond, causing Cheryl some damage due to the danger of doing it that way.

They all work to limit the damage, Angela using the Omega Protocol and other things, then trying to be there for her. Even as the team invesigates into Jonas, they find no information to go on, leaving where and who he worked for a mystery. Slipping into a bit of a brooding depression, Cheryl withdraws, while the others wonder what to do for her.

Date: 10-588.3.26 - 3.27

Session 19: Team Warren in Space!

Location: Elevator

Over the next week, PAX2's inner city is slowly populated with the thousands of people necessary to run a city of it's size, plus the crew needed for the battle systems and other things on it. At the base, Warren studies the holoscreen of the various areas on the ship in deep thought on Angela's request to be part of the unit in space. Warren decides to allow her in case she does have ties to VI, so she can't be on Darien's team to hinder his search for them. During the past week, Cheryl has gone back to her old self, scaring all on the base except Chii and Aya. Aya, meanwhile, secretly makes plans to help Cheryl relax by making sure Dawn is close to their zone on the ship and reads her stories at night.

As they arrive on the PAX2 the next day, Warren gives them all their various jobs and assignments while on the PAX2, and what they will be in charge of overseeing. Everyone is given a job except Angela, who is allowed to stay near Cheryl's zone for now. After the introductory meeting on the bridge, Cheryl leads Dawn to the city and to a bakery, announcing that it belongs to her to run, since she knows Dawn likes to bake; she even already has an assistant, Rin, to help her. Pleased when Dawn looks happy at the gift, Cheryl smiles, finally breaking out of her shell of depression.

Date: 10-588.3.30

Session 20: Siblings

Location: PAX2

While visiting the bakery, Cheryl and Dawn learn that someone looking at Dawn was near the bakery the following day; investigating it, they discover that Fiore is in the area, and manage to use their detective skills to track her back to her place, but then lose the trail. Gathering the team in Fiore's apartment, they begin to go over it for evidence to discover why Fiore is there and where she is at now. Apparantly posing as Dawn to get on the ship, Fiore's agenda has to be discovered quickly. After discovering a hidden room below the main room, they hack her datapad and discover files on certain men she believes to be VI agents, and her plans to dispose of them. The men are all in various places, some promenient, some now, one is even an old lady. Wondering if Fiore is insane or not, they proceed to begin their investigation by watching these people.

As this is done, Warren has Cameron, the new researcher on PAX2, look over Dawn, to see what all they can learn about her and her origins, and see if there's any ties that may help finding Fiore. They also look into Roma and with Fiore's notes, determine it was part of a VI experiment, to give people psionic powers - such as Dawn, Fiore, and Katrina. The rest went insane however. After scanning her as well, they find they have similiar markers, indicating they both went through it, and each got different specialities in psionics. After getting some hits on Xanatos' look into the people, they set up a bait and trap.

Zephyr and Marcus walk down the street, with Zephyr having Marcus on a leash as they look for clues, claiming he protects her from harm. Locating Fiore, they track her through the city to a cellar door; calling in the others, they bust in and avoid the traps, finding Fiore interrogating a man, claiming she won't have him destroy the ship. Attacking her, Fiore dodges the team's attacks and hesitates when she feels Dawn feeling her mind. She then grabs Dawn and runs off with her. AS she exits, she gets shot by Zephyr 3 blocks away and collapses. After scanning her, they find Fiore is actually a male. Believing Dawn's memories changed their names and positions, and that they are really reversed, the team wonders what to do now.

Date: 10-588.4.7

Session 21: Brief Lulls

Location: PAX2

During the following week, Fiore has helped the team round up all the VI agents - who killed themselves with cynanide pills - and they continue to fly toward Ridiarium space undercover. While Dawn and Fiore try to rediscover their relationship, many on the team tease her about her feelings for Cheryl as well. Zephyr pulls Dawn away and after hearing they haven't dated in weeks, tells her she needs to ask Cheryl out again. Fiore seems to dislike the idea of his sister dating, listening in as the two talk. Hearing all the talk about dating, Nikita - X- tries to get Marcus interested in her with a date for food. Cameron, listening in to Zephyr and Dawn and Fiore, makes Zephyr an offer to help her grow older by unlocking her aging mechanics if she's ever interested. While Marcus eats with X, X tells him about her feelings for him and that she will wait for a time for him to realize she is worthy, and if he doesn't, she will move on. Meanwhile, Dawn and Cheryl continue to grow closer.

After a bit, they have a meeting where they confer about an upcoming important strategic planet for the Ridiariums to launch their forces against Earth, and that it will need to be taken out before they proceed further into their space toward their homeworld. No doubt having Giant Ridiariums and World Eaters made there, Warren has Cameron fix Cheryl's six month lag time before she can get another pilot and encourages her to pick someone she trusts. Not wanting to pick Dawn, after what happened with Dawn, instead preferring to have their relationship develop naturally, and Xanatos not wanting to put Erevis in danger, Warren states for her to pick someone at random if need be - which would mean sex. Cheryl leaves to muse, but gets an interesting offer from Billy...

Date: 10-588.4.8 - 4.10

Session 22: World Eater

Location: PAX2

After Marcus injures himself during Gear Training, the rest of the team is needed to take on this particular mission. Cheryl, now able to access her Gear form but not telling anyone how she managed to do it, leads the assault, along with Angela and Lemon making up their gear form, Dawn in a shuttle, and Megumi and Zephyr in their gear form. A tense battle against the Ridiariums occurs, and then Cheryl is gravely injured when she's snuck attacked by the planet itself, which turns into the World Eater in disguise. The rest of the team devise a way to get inside the World Eating Ridiarium and destroy it's core, escaping before it explodes into rubble. Dawn then retrieves Cheryl with Angela's help and they all return the PAX2, sending Cheryl to the medical bay; having found her drifting in space in her human form the mystery of who her pilot continues until Billy reveals she split Cheryl's personality into two parts so she could bond with each part. Thus allowing her to bypass any need for a real pilot for now. She also turns Fiore into a girl, saying something about 'fixing what should be right'. This leads to Fiore seeking Dawn for information on how to be a girl, much to Dawn's squeemishness. After telling Dawn the truth about her bond, she and Cheryl continue to grow closer, with Cheryl working on a garden in her zone with Dawn.

 

The alternate floating medieval reality was a reality that Zephyr located in the multiverse/dreams and traveled there, a bit like Jennifer's Dream People that encountered. While I have some minis that might provide context on this reality before this event happened, they are piecemeal and wouldn't really provide all that much and would just be more minis to shift through. Needless to say, Zephyr traveled to the Alternate reality through this mini reality and still had part of herself back home in the Prime Universe. (it would be this way until the two Zephyrs became one once more later)

 

Date: 10-588.4.11

Session 23: An Alternate Take

Location: PAX2

As they travel through space, PAX2 detects a strange distortion in space with planets that should not be there, including an Earth like planet. Due to the currents of the anomaly, they send Iceheart's ship in to investigate; riding in it is Xanatos, Erevis, Angela, Lemon, Cheryl, Dawn, Fiore, Katrina, Chii, Zephyr, and Megumi. After traveling through it, they arrive at a medieval planet and as they land, they are met by counter parts of themselves in a medival type setting. Surprising at seeing such a world, where Erevis is Queen and Aya is 15 years old and her sister, the team quickly speaks with them, learning a few things like they're not the first visitors from another place either. Chaos, that world's Megumi, seems to be the top dog with her abilities as well. They learn from the Queen about the fact there's a group of enemyies called The Others who have taken away Billy's magik, and she is Chaos' master, as well as Iceheart's magik. Needing aid, and the team curious to learn more, they agree to help each other, planning an attack the next day. Until then, the group settles out to enjoy themselves, with Erevis and Xanatos riding horses, Dawn and Fiore being kidnapped by their medieval counter parts and forced to change places, and Katrina, Chii, and Iceheart being punished by medieval Iceheart after breaking into her study.

Date: 10-588.4.12

Session 24: A Different Sort of Medieval

Location: Alternate Floating Medieval Reality

After a big breakfast with the royal family, the team flies their shuttle out to battle The Others, only to be taken down by their beam attacks, and quickly dismantled. Despite having the rune blade, Erevis is unable to hold them off and Xanatos dies when their shuttle crashes. Enraged, she rushes in and attacks, only to be shot in the stomach, losing the twins from the impact of the blast and knocked out. Katrina is captured and the Others move in to steal the Rune Blade and take the others prisoner when Zephyr uses the earth rune to smash them through the ground into a cavern to escape. After they manage to dispatch a few of them, they head back out, getting another ride and going back to the castle. Once there, the medieval Dawn and Fiore, shaken by the battle, quickly give Dawn and Fiore their real roles back and retreat. However, at that moment, as the team waits for day to arrive, due to the dangerous nature of the night there, a new surprise arrives. Another Zephyr shows up, looking to be 18-19ish. She seems surprised to see the others there, then sees Angela, trying to kill her on the spot, shouting she's a traitorous bitch. Confused, Angela and the others wonder what she means, so the new Zephyr shares her memories - revealing she's from the Prime Universe and comes to this pocket reality occassionally. Angela, shaken at what she could become, walks off with Lemon to debate on it and decide, for herself, that she can't let others dictate things, only she can live her live. She kisses Lemon, her lover, deeply, after this. Erevis, in the meantime, remains depressed and withdrawn, a changed person after losing her kids, going as far as to state she's tossing her emotions away and that Megumi need not play the role of a pet anymore. Only time will tell if Megumi can reach out to Erevis as her sister, due to the legal binding documents they signed. And The Knight Cheryl, shaken by a Lemon, reveals to Angela that her Lemon, her sister, died when she was 12 after being taken by slavers - the body having things done to it before it was burned beyond recongition. Chaos overhears, so she, Aya, and Knight Cheryl go to investigate, discovering that Lemon is not dead, but working for a Dark Sorcery named Black, and under the name Miranda now. She appears to have no recognition and hurts Knight Cheryl in the conflict before they leave. However, unable to track her, they return to the palace as morning arrives to deal with the Others and help rescued Katrina.

Date: 10-588.4.13

Session 25: The Others

Location: Alternate Floating Medieval Reality

The other Zephyr explains she is from the Prime Universe, explaining to everyone how their reality came to be and that Cheryl made it so that Ben lived at least in one reality. Shocked at the revelation, this sends Cheryl into deep thought about Ben and not being a mother to him. Zephyr also offers her blood to Cameron to help the other Zephyr unlock her aging. When asked what this medieval reality is, she explains it's a floating reality created from her having the reality's soul gem in her when Wind and Cheryl restarted the universe. It likely floats between the various realities. After gathering together, they use a better shuttle, with Cheryl and Angela playing decoy, and reach a space ship on top of the mountain; working their way through it, they discover Katrina hooked up to something with her insides out on the table, being kept alive by the devices. While the others stormed the bridge, Iceheart, Chii, and Cameron worked on keeping her alive. After taking out the Others, who have wings on their back, and eyeing Zephyr, exclaiming that she has a unique signature they need to follow up on, they send the signal out to their comrades before they are destroyed - however they announce they were all simple scientists and not even soldiers, and they managed to kick the team's ass thoroughly. After finishing saving Katrina, and Chaos being gravely injured, they are sent up to PAX2 while Cheryl uses the Light Engine to build a teleporter in the palace that will allow those in the alternate medieval reality to teleport to the ship no matter where they are located in time and space. The PAX2 leaves to continue it's mission, with Princess Aya staying on the PAX2 to learn more about the people there and to keep an eye on Chaos as she recovers. And Cheryl makes the decision to start being there for Ben.

Date: 10-588.4.16

Session 26: The Progenitors

Location: The Warship of Peace - called Ire

The crew says goodbye to Chaos, Princess Aya and Cheryl as they head back to the Medieval World, after a somewhat sad goodbye, the team reports in for a meeting, discussing the next part of the plan: the assault of the Ridarium Homeworld. This daunting task is interrupted when an ancient Erusian ship appears nearby the Ire, Myria Arhnya delivering them a new weapon to fight the enemy with. After bringing her aboard and finding out all they can about the ship and what it requires to work, a Yloi inside it's core, the group sets to restoring the ship. Only to be interrupted again, Erevis, entering the Hangar Bay, greets two new guests aboard the Ire. Two Progenitors, one of them Ao, kneel before Erevis, who unveils her position of the rightful Queen of the Progenitors.

Warren has to face an awful truth, Myria informs him that Arhnya was brought back to life, but used by Progenitors in a similar ship to the one she brought for their core, she is presumed dead. The group forges an alliance with the Progenitors, who, under Erevis' orders, agree to aid the crew of the Ire in the upcoming battle. Cameron and Angela transfer over to the ancient ship to aid in repairs, Cheryl, Lemon, and any others with Engineering skills also joining in the effort. Angela, learning that the ship's weapons are controlled via psionics, recruits Katrina McCormick to the cause, the crew sets underway to get their secret weapon battle ready. Cameron takes two Nazca Cannons, world destroyers made by Angela, and begins to adapat them for hyperspace energy, creating super weapons. With his daughter, Lisa, now openly exposed as an Omega Dragoon, Cameron and Warren comment that children can't be kept from growing.

Date: 10-588.4.17

Session 27: Rock Throwing

Location: The Warship of Peace - called Ire

The crew continues to prepare for the upcoming battle, the Progenitors getting the ship up to fighting capacity with the aids of Angela Bennet, Cheryl, Lemon, Cameron, and even Megumi Zhenmei. Myria tests the system adapatation and finds herself able to plug in successfully. The crew begins to calibrate their weapons, minds and bodies for what may be the second hardest part of their trials to come.

Date: 10-588.4.18

Session 28: Rock Bottom

Location: The Warship of Peace - called Ire

The Ire launches into battle at the Ridarium Homeworld. The Ancient Ship aiding them, the two begin their assualt against impossible odds with the combined Cartel, Atlean and Erusian forces waiting in the wings to join the fight. Cheryl launches with Angela and Zephyr in tow, and the trio begin to blast their way down to the planet. Lisa is sat in a new console on the Ire's bridge and uses her unique Dragoon Shield ability to help protect the Ire.

The trio make their way to the weak point in the surface and Myria launches an assault to open the door for them. Flying in, the trio are soon set back when tentacles grab and try to infect Cheryl. The sisters get her out and continue to press onwards with the remnants of those soldiers with them that survive. They reach the core where Ridariums infused with Dark Ones wait, as does Arhn, alive and possessed. The group battles the Ridarium soldiers and Arhn herself, soon disabling her and loading a special bomb made by Andrea to completely disrupt all Dark One energy on the Ridarium Homeworld. The group escapes the blast as the recovery forces move in to help clean up.

Date: 10-588.4.19

Session 29: Eternal Damnation of the Spotted Mind

Location: The Ire

Arhn appears to have problems waking up after her encounter with the Dark Ones. Finally determining the problem is mental rather then physical, thanks to Myria, Cameron orders the group Psions in to help. Katrina guides them as she, Angela, Warren, Myria, Chii, Freyja and Dawn go into the mind of Arhn Arnhya to attempt to bring her out. They find a mindscape clouded in darkness, piercing through the darkness, they find the regressed mind of Arhn, taken back to her teenage years.

Together, Katrina and Angela use their abilities to pull the teenaged Arhn to the sruface of her mind and work with her to awaken her. Arhn is taught that she must overcome her darkness and see the stars of life. The group awakens, and Arhn is sleeping still, but stable, able to wake on her own soon.

Date: 10-588.4.24

Session 30: Dark Endgame

Location: Tsivrixsh Territory

The Alliance ships appear over the Tsivrixsh homeworld and begin their assault. Lisa is grounded to defense duty as the other Dragoon, Angela, Cheryl and Zephyr take off with their pilots, firing through the defenses of the homeworld with Billy and a legion of troopers tugged along. Breaking through the darkness, they fight through Dark Ones and tentacles, striking through the enemy and into the underground. Here they are aided by a mysterious figure wrapped in a shroud. He guides them down underground.

The surprise is spoiled when the group calls John out on being mysterious. John McCormick, fighting against the collective seems to be alive and well. He takes them down into a ravine and into the depths, where they find the core of the Dark Ones. Using teamwork, Angela fires a massive Holy blast through a sea of Dark Ones while Lemon launches Billy into the core. Between the Holy Blast and Billy, the core seems to shudder and die, as the group speeds out of the hole, they are chased by a Dark One Queen, in the form of a giant spider. Angela takes charge of the situation and has Zephyr take dragon form, the group loads up on her and she flies, leading the Queen along while Angela lays mines out behind them. Detonating the mines, which turn out to be Hyperspace infused, the Queen is sent reeling.

However, not dead. At the last moment, Erevis orders all the rest of those above in the Progenitor ship off, and she flies the ship into the queen and the hole, the Hyperspace detonation destroys all the remaining Dark Ones, ending the battle abruptly. The group heads back to the ship, teams are sent out to search for Erevis, however, the woman appears to have died in her sacrificial Xanatos-Durran-Manuver to take out the Queen. As people rest and recieve healing, Lisa peers out at the crater visible from space, mourning the loss of Erevis more then seemingly anyone else.

Date: 10-588.4.28

Session 31: A New Adventure

Location: The Warship of Peace - called Ire

Lisa, Rin and Zephyr leave the Ire to go searching for Erevis in the crater. 6 hours later, they have been deemed lost, out of contact with the Ire. Warren sends a group down after them, volunteers to find the missing girls. Cameron, Angela, Lemon, Cheryl, Dawn, Ao and of course, Megumi head down to the surface and into the pit to find them. There they find a passage Lisa previously cleared and follow it down, finding strange orbs of hyperspace floating about near wreckage, carefully scouting, the group hops from orb to orb, until they arrive at a place where the three girls are, battered and dirty, but alive.

Here they find a final, unstable orb, Cameron's scouter shows it to be dangerous to cross and leading far, far away unlike the other orbs. Dawn of course, leaps wildly into the orb, taking Ao with her. Cheryl is nearly killed in the pain that Dawn suffers followed by a huge gap in their bond. Without any choice left to them, the rest of the group leaps out into the portal. To protect them from th dangers, Lisa form her ultimate ability, the Dragoon Aegis, and the group shielded, enter. They come out in a strange grasslands, Cheryl reviving when they reach Dawn.

They are far, far from home, and far from the Ire, and have no idea where they are in the galaxy, but getting home is half the adventure.

Days later, Ire, seeing that they are not returning, orders the Ire back to Earth with the remaining crew, trusting that his people can find their way home.

 
Site Design © 2010 by Gabriella N. Creighton
TAW is © 1997-2010 Kevin T. Bell