============================ BB Post in Progress =============================

Group:  Repliforce

Title:  Strategy Session: Part 2

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        *** TEXT ONLY ***

 

        The second strategy session to formulate our campaign against the Neo-Arcadians shall take place tomorrow in the Ready Room. Thursday, September 22nd, 8 EDT.

 

        Commander Storm Owl, Commanding Fortress V, Kansas City - Downtown

 

        OOC: Everyone is invited. Even if you ICly don't care about strategy but OOCly want to attend, you can assume Owl's personally ordered you to.

 

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================================= Repliforce =================================

Message: 14/80                     Posted        Author

A Hodgepodge of News               Thu Sep 22    Shining Firefly

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Carbon copies of the following letters seem to appear in everybody's mailboxes. No, not their email inboxes but their physical, tangible, mail boxes:

 

        "Good morning, good day, good afternoon, good evening, and good night (depending on when you chose to read this letter... I thought I would list them all to be safe) good sir, sirs, madam, madadms, neuter, neuters, or individual of otherwise unconventional gender and/or possessing a nonstandard quantity of persons... Hmm... yes, I do believe that covers all of the possibilities, but I do hope that if you find yourself excluded you will not take it too personally... oh dear that would be terrible...

        "However I was writing... hmm... yes... I /was/ writing... and oh yes, I was writing to inform you all of a rather grabbag mix of recent events. The first of which is the completion of the Medical Facility Redemption. There is a little fine tuning left to do, but it should function well enough. I would request that some defenses be made for it. I know that Revolver Ocelot voiced interest in such things, but I do not know if she would be up for such a task... tsk... well... I am sure that things will sort themselves out even though that is high scientific improbability and it will actually be the efforts of individuals working to undo whatever knots need to be undone.

        "But, beside that announcement, I felt that Major Rush Raccoon, who seems to be doing quite well. I must say it is amazing what a simple procedure can do and how a small piece of code... well... relatively small... however no... actually there are a lot of things smaller than that. However, I am getting sidetracked it seems. The point is, he mentioned the Engineering Corps taking a more active stance against the Sigma Virus and in light of that, I took a class by Dr. Light... ho ho... light and Light... I wonder if he has heard that one before... probably. Well, I took a class and now I am certified to treat viral infections, so if you think you are infected, or are infected, stop by my office and I will get you cleaned up.

        "Finally, I realize this is a bit late, however, like a number of other individuals, this Lumine being greatly interests me. If possible, I would like to converse with this young fellow so that I may better understand him. Other than that, I believe that is all I have to report.

 

        Shining Firefly, Major of the Engineering Corps

 

End of Carbon Copy

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Fortress V - Ready Room

 

        A large table and holographic monitors fill the ready room of the Fortress V, a place for Repliforces to get together and plan their next moves. The holographic projectors can fill the room with any needed image, the inducers buried in the center of the table, which is surrounded by large, comfortable chairs, a huge one at the far end big enough for General himself. There are windows here, pointed back and out the ship's rear windows, but these can be closed in order to have a clearer view of any needed holograms.

 

 Contents:                               Contents:                     

 General [Normal] [RF]                   Shield Shellfish [Standard] [RF]

 Ship's Log

 

 Out <O>:                  Fortress V - Bridge

 

[Radio: (A) RF-Chat] Storm Owl transmits, "Our scheduled discussion shall be beginning momentarily in the Ready Room."

 

 

[Radio: (A) RF-Chat] Shield Shellfish grunt.

 

Shining Firefly arrives from the Bridge.

Shining Firefly has arrived.

 

[Radio: (A) RF-Chat] Shining Firefly transmits, "Very well."

 

[Radio: (A) RF-Chat] Storm Owl considers Shield's grunting for a moment and then makes a mental note.

 

Colonel arrives from the Bridge.

Colonel has arrived.

 

As with the preliminary strategy session held several nights ago, this one is in the ready room, around the long holographic display table in the centre of the room. Normally this place is rather empty, save possibly for Storm Owl doing paperwork or having private discussions. But now at least half a dozen Repliforcers are here so far, wandering on in and heading to their seats. Most of them are quite eager for the chance to determine Repliforce's course of action as they plot a course towards Neo-Arcadia's eventual destruction. For now they're just chatting amongst themselves about this offensive or that withdrawal.

        Storm Owl is at one end of the table, opposite of the huge chair that is normally reserved for the big mech himself. He is standing, gathering together paperwork and such. The holographic systems on the table is showing a three-dimensional map of Mexico and the surrounding areas. Bright red or blue symbols refer to Aztlan or Repliforce holdings, armies, and borders, respectively.

 

Chief R arrives from the Bridge.

Chief R has arrived.

 

Fashionably late, or more to the point, showing up when he pleased, the Colonel made his way into the ready room, hat in place and looking as sour as always. With steady steps, the second in command moved up the table to take his usual seat at the right of General's huge seat at the head of the table. This was Owl's show, he was here to pitch in and look bitter.

 

        General entered into the Ready Room, hands clasped behind his back and large feet making enough noise to alert anyone present to his entry. His face was normal looking, gaze sweeping across the entire chamber to take in who was already present and who was not. He nodded toward Storm Owl, as he passed by the captain of the Fortress Five, and then settled down in the large chair, hands lifting up and forward to rest upon the top of the table. "Good day, everyone."

 

Chief R wasn't able to come immediately due to pressing business concerning one of the prisoners Interpol rescued late last night. Walking behind General is... quite an experience. (And also a continuation of a small game of Chicken he and a couple of other officers that still served in Repliforce played.)

            Being that he's walking in on something already in progress, he doesn't say anything to disrupt the collective attention on the holographic map, he just takes his seat where he can. The parrot has no qualms about letting everybody know it is mad at all of them in silence.

 

        Shining Firefly hobbles into the Ready Room his his cane and small train of drones buzzing around behind him. He seems chipper. Yes, chipper is what he seemed to be. Perhaps things have been going well in the Engineering Corps, or maybe the mess hall was serving his favorite mix of soft peas and carrots. Only he knows. However, it should be evident that he is pleased to be here.

 

Shield Shellfish is already here, lurking in the background; or at least as much as anyone ten feet tall and bright pink can possibly lurk. As per the usual she refuses to sit, instead standing with folded arms to one side of the command chairs; still within a good viewing distance of the main table itself. She looks to be decent shape -- either fully-repaired or mostly from her encounter with Number Man.

        Other than her singular grunt over the radio, she remains silent as everyone filters in; with sharp salutes to Colonel, General, and (even) Chief R.

 

Gareth has connected.

 

Jet Stingray arrives from the Bridge.

Jet Stingray has arrived.

 

Sol Wyrm arrives from the Bridge.

Sol Wyrm has arrived.

 

Crescent Grizzly arrives from the Bridge.

Crescent Grizzly has arrived.

 

As people find their seats, the chatter starts to quiet down. Upon General and Colonel's arrival, Storm Owl and all of the gumbies stop whatever they were doing in order to fire off salutes, "Good day, General," a few of them reply in unison. A few of the gumbies that were here for the last meeting once again give a respectful nod in Chief R's direction. Storm Owl waits for Shining to take his seat, and if he notices Shining's happy disposition, he doesn't mention it. As for Big Pink, Storm is used to having the imposing bodyguard scaring everyone into submission from a corner.

        "Thank you all for attending," Storm Owl says, getting the required pleasantries out of the way. "I'm sure for those of you who were unable to attend the last session that you have gone over the notes." Chief R will have been given a copy. "Since then, we have also received a report from Major Firefly-" nod in his direction, "-that Redemption has been completed, albeit without defenses as of yet."

        "The goals of this session are to ensure that all of our projects are on track, and ensure that our two main wards at the moment - Redemption and the Space Elevator - are well protected, thus allowing the Fortress V to depart to join the war effort. I suppose we can start there. Major-" Again in Shining's direction, "As Private Ocelot is on leave, can you tell us what it will take to provide defenses for Redemption and for the elevator? As well as filling us in on our best course of action regarding decontaminating Papua New Guinea and construction of the Valkyrie?" Storm sits down, handing the floor to Shining.

 

Gareth was there pretty much the entire time, taking the corner opposite Shell to provide Maximum Intimidation(tm).

            Gareth moves only to salute the people what outrank him, and to nod a greeting to Shell.

 

        Shining manages to get to a seat just before Storm Owl starts talking. He carefully sits done, although it is sort of an awkward position for him. You try sitting with a large, bulbous laser for a butt and see how you like it. As he tries to reach a comfortable position, he realizes that the Owl has directed the conversation towards him. He moves a little bit more before addressing the group, "Ah, well. While automated defenses could be installed, I would rather keep them to a minimum unless they were nonlethal. Seems rather contradictory to kill people in a place meant for healing them. However, to address your question directly, I think that such defenses could be designed and installed with relative ease. As for price, well that depends, but I am sure we can figure something out."

        The elderly reploid then pauses as if to recall what the next question was. He then seems to remember and continues, "As for the decontamination of Papua New Guinea, I have not yet heard any formal reports, but things seem to be moving slowly according to plan. I will be trying to get into contact with those in charge of that project soon. However, I will say that it appears to be very promising. And lastly, the Valkyrie project has not yet left the ground yet." He chuckles a little at this joke of his, "because I have been rather busy with Redemption, the decontamination homework, and reading what various internet groups have to say about this Lumine fella... lady... shemale... eunuch... bah... why do these people insist on destroying cultural norms through their new creations... I will never understand..." He shakes his head at this last part.

 

Crescent Grizzly arrives, late as usual. But he was probably working, right?

            An apron is hastily discarded in a corner behind his back. Yeah, working.

            A nod to those present, and he takes a seat, eyeing over assorted 'diagrams' on the Redemption. Hrm. He needs to learn how to drive. " Leav' Lumahns' tah ussins', Doctah'. We'll tak' car' oh'......ca, ma marines 'n moi. "

 

Jet Stingray makes his way in right after Crescent, merely using the bear's big size to conceal the fact that he's late too. Haha, Jet is being like ninja! Or um, something. Either way, he moves to a wall to lean again, just hrmming to what he hears here and there, just saluting to all the officiers and such before giving himself the 'at ease' order and leaning against the wall, folding his arms as he does.

 

Private Wyrm sits in the back of the room, an old fashioned pad of paper and pen clutched in his massive talons as the command discusses what to do and where to do. He scribbles notes to himself, but waits really to learn of what his division's next focus will be, which is when Grizzly speaks. He underscores Lumine, but doesn't speak, letting the broad grin passing over his maw speak for itself.

            Hoo-rah.

 

Storm Owl doesn't really see the contradiction to kill people in a place meant for healing. After all, you're not meant to heal the guys you're killing. And if you accidentally kill the guys you meant to heal... well then you've got a hospital right there! Efficiency, baby. But nonetheless, Storm Owl sees Shining's point. "The operation in Papua New Guinea should be well documented to the media," Storm Owl muses aloud. "It would certainly help our image."

        Owl nods at the arrival of Jet and Crescent. Turning to the Grizzly, he asks, "What do you propose? And can it be altered to include the Space Elevator as well?"

 

Shield Shellfish remains motionless for several more seconds.

        Then, very carefully, she reaches up with one hand, and pulls the apron off her helmet before pitching it into the corner behind her.

 

Crescent Grizzly nods, " Weh' 'ssign Red Alert tah' hunt down Lumahns. Ah' know, it sounds kahnda'.....contradictorah', buh' dey' 'ate...it's....guts. Iffins' anyuns' driven tah' tak' dat' 'ting out, is' dem'. " He leans back, " Othawise, we' leave 'trols 'round deh' space elevatah' same 's usuah'. Mais, weh' keep a full squad' o' combat readah' troops 'nsahd, readah' tah' 'spond to 'ttacks. Catch deh Mavriques off guar'. "

 

        "The destruction of cultural norms is both disturbing and yet needed, since it helps to keep a society from stagnating with pre-set continual beliefs and ideas of what is normal and what is not," General said, before he leaned slightly back into his seat, no creaking issuing due to the wonderful work of the gumbies who fix up his chair(Yay gumbies). "The Valkyrie Project, while important, isn't the most important thing we have on our plate, and I feel it would be best if we did get into contact with Chest about Papau New Guinea..."

 

Colonel, for the moment, said nothing. He was here to listen and tell people they were stupid.

            No one was stupid yet.

 

Sol Wyrm stands, saluting the command staff (read: everyone else in the room) before speaking. "If there's a threat of an assault to the outside of the elevator, either in air or space, I could round up a squad to patrol the perimeter. If someone's trying to utterly destroy the Elevator, they would most likely try to decompress it from the outside. Its...what I would do, Sirs and Ma'ams."

 

Storm Owl nods to Crescent and Sol, "As you're no doubt aware, I've been stepping up security around the Space Elevator. I'd welcome additional patrols, of course." Storm's pretty paranoid at times, as Shining should well know. That particular little project that Shining did for him is still there, just waiting to be used. Someday. "Do we believe we can bring security up to the point where the Fortress V is no longer required here?" he asks both Crescent and Sol. Owl doesn't comment on the contacting of GNN, cause, y'know.

 

Crescent Grizzly blinks, and examines the draconic recruit. Up...down....mental calculations as to the worth of his weapons systems....and a grunt of approval. It seems Sol has passed Crescent's little 'test' for now. " Well, iffins' yew kin' start a 'trol o' deh' space leg of deh' elevatah', ah' kin' tak' car' o' deh' groun'...." Moving back to the Turkey...

 

" Actuallah', Storm, 'ah tink' its gun beh' necessarah'. Weh' canna' wait fer' deh' Mavericques tah' mak' dere' mov' 'n dere' own. Weh' 'ahd troops' in deh' elevatah', undah' it, and din' mov' deh Fortress 'way, sum 'mergency. Ah' dunno, nex' 'vent dat' woul' warran' it. Den', when deh' Mavericks 'ttack', deh' get 'mbushed. " Crescent Grizzly says.

 

Sol Wyrm lets Crescent speak first, of course, but does add in his own two cents. "Not without the sacrifice of manpower. The Elevator is enormous, and no matter how you choose to fortify it, its going to cost you. Using our ship, and our main base as the direct form of assault is quite literally putting all our eggs in one basket, giving the Coalition an oppurtunity for a mass strike, with us having everything to lose. I recommend sacrificing the manpower, and moving the Fortress to a more needed location, or a more discreet one."

 

Gareth subtly nods. The young recruit speaks well for himself...

 

Colonel chose this point to speak up. "As Neo Arcadia has proven, no matter where we are, the Fortress is a target. It is also a symbol of our power and commitment to freedom. If we were to move merely because there is the slight risk that the Coalition or Neo Arcadia could overpower us, what would that say about our commitment to our job?"

 

Contrary to popular belief, not all Repliforcers were built for the job, forced into it, or just dragged in by their Mistress. Some were /trained/ for it! ;)

 

Crescent Grizzly chuckles, " Ahm' nat' sayin' mov 'it fer' 'curity. Ahm' sayin' mov' it tah' draw' dem' out"

The elderly insect looks over towards General and inquires, "But is all change necessarily good? Most cultures have some points that should not be sacrificed. While it is true that this gender bending is a minor change, it is taxing on language at the moment. However I do not think that this meeting is to discuss the purposes of critical gender theory..." He then turns to Storm Owl and with a slightly disheartened look says, "I will look into having the press notified."

Sol Wyrm nods. "I understand where you are coming from, Sir. If we move our flagship, people may think we are afraid. I may remind the Colonel that it is also a sign that we feel we dont /need/ our strongest weapon to deal with the enemy. We have power that no ship can grant us. We are brave, we are tough, and there is no Arcadian or Maverick that can stand to our power."

 

Storm Owl peers at Crescent briefly as the grizzly grunts. He considers something for a moment, and then figures sure, it could potentially help his study. Listening to what both Sol and Crescent say, Storm Owl nods, "Then it's agreed. Once you two have moved the manpower you need to the space elevator, we shall head towards Neo-Arcadian territory." This was definitely what Storm was hoping to hear, of course. Having the FV down there kicking humy butt will be useful. Considering Colonel's words, he asks, "If we moved the ship towards Neo-Arcadia, and thus towards the front lines, would this prove that we are not being cowed by their threats?" The war bird nods in Shining's direction in acknowledgement.

        Storm Owl then adds, "I believe we can begin formulating a plan to destroy Aztlan itself. As we discussed in the last session, our best option is to strike from the north, as we have our allies in the form of the United States here, as well as Texas due to their alliance with America. Our other options are strikes from the east and west - from the seas. Captain Stingray, your thoughts?"

 

Gareth does not even feel the shot through that thick skull armor fo his. XD

 

Colonel frowned slightly at the new-esque recruit. Back-talking, even veiled in respect, was bad news.

            He noted that for later and resumed listening.

 

        R has remained silent thus far, but this is because he's formulating what everyone has said thus far as it applies to Interpol's protocol and procedures. Interpol has once stopped Neo Arcadia from taking the Panama Canal and moving southward, but if they're pushed too hard from the north, they're going to go for the south again. There's also the matter of determining refugees from spies, and so forth.

        It's not an easy situation to think of a solid plan over on his end.

 

Jet Stingray blinks as... he gets called on. CRAP. Moving off the wall, he makes his way to a place where he is sure all people could see him. "Well, as it stands now, I think we COULD hit the Neo Arcadians rather hard from the sea. While their Navy is growing in strength, it isn't at a place where it is out of our control. And we need to do something about it. I REFUSE to let the USA get their asses kicked by the N.A.s because we didn't take a clear and visable threat to them. I've been trying to see about doing some hit and runs... I'll have more infomation on that as time goes on. Either way, once I can figure out where their base is and how far along they are, I can give you more... After all, if it hidden underwater... A common practice for Post-Modern Naval Warfare, it could be hard for standard search methods to find." Meaning? He has to look for it the HARD way.

 

Storm Owl nods, "Our underwater have been, unfortunately, subpar for some time now. I'm sure that Corporal Shellfish will volunteer to assist you in any way possible." Storm Owl doesn't even look in Shield's direction, and his tone is vague, so it can be tough to tell whether or not this is an order for Shield, a request, or just stating a fact. "If you require any further assistance or resources, we can see what can be done."

        Resources getting splurged all over the place. That's the cost of a war, Storm supposes. "Given that our navy is still being worked on, and we are not even sure of how it stacks up against Neo-Arcadia's, it seems that striking from the north remains our best option."

            "Thoughts?" Storm Owl looks around the room, expecting everyone to give their two cents.

 

        "Movements through Texas should be quick and quiet, we don't want to alert Neo Arcadia to the displacement of our troops before we strike, nor do we want to potentially cause issues with the Texas government because of making too much of a ruckus in their...nation," General said. "Do we know of any underground bunkers that are owned by Neo Arcadia in their northern areas? While an above ground one would be easier to seize and bend to our purposes an underground one not only would have cost them more to make, but also prove less capable of being randomly bombed into scrap."

 

Colonel kept silent. His silence meant that he had no true objections. It was so nice to have such a competent subordinate. It meant he didn't have to take charge that often in matters like this. He much prefered being on the field.

 

Gareth rumbles as he speaks up.

            "What about a two fronted effort, sir? Repliforce from the south, America and Texas from the north? It would stretch out the Neo Arcadians, which can only help our cuase."

 

Crescent Grizzly eyes Gareth, "...'merica dun' 'ave much offa' milatarah' ta' speak of'. Dats' wha' wes' fer'..."

 

Shield Shellfish grunts in response to Storm Owl's comment. Her tone is vague, so it's tough to tell whether it is a grunt of confirmation, distaste, or just plain acknowledgement.

        It also seems to be her only contribution.

 

Storm Owl replies briefly to Gareth, "Our feeling in the previous strategy session was that the area south of Aztlan was too badly ravaged of war already to plunge into another conflict. I, however," Storm looks around, "Am willing to entertain suggestions of employing the south. A two-fronted assault seems plausible to me, so long as we are not outflanked by Neo-Arcadian naval carriers from the sea. And as Major Grizzly pointed out, America's army is minimal at best."

        Storm nods in agreement with General. The big guy's in charge for a reason. "We know of no underground bunkers, though they well might exist. Neo-Arcadia has considerable above-ground outposts on their borders, of course."

        The grunt from the corner is cataloged according to twelve different parameters.

 

Rush Raccoon arrives from the Bridge.

Rush Raccoon has arrived.

 

Shining Firefly has disconnected.

 

As nobody else seems to have anything else to table, Storm Owl asks, "Major Grizzly, when can you have the marines ready to invade Neo-Arcadia, given the additional responsibilities of dealing with Lumine, protecting the space elevator, and protecting Redemption?"

 

Crescent Grizzly thinks for a few moments, " Gimme deux semaines...."

 

Storm Owl seems to understand Crescent's crazy language, and he nods. "Two weeks it is, then. We'll have to draw up more formal battle plans as that time draws near. One final question - should we inform the public of our intention to carry out this offensive? Strategically, the answer would be no. However, one might be concerned about those living in the parts of Texas and the United States that could soon be living in a war zone." Storm is not one of those people, of course, but he felt he should bring it up.

 

Crescent Grizzly shakes, " Weh' move dem' raht' 'fore we strahk'. Nat 'ntil. "

 

        "It would be best to inform the governments of our plans, that way the governments can make the decision," General said.

 

Colonel is also not one of those people. "I say that we do not tell them. We set up a perimiter to keep civillians out of the combat zone immediately before we begin the campaign anew." Governments are different than civillians, however.

 

Storm Owl looks to General, and then looks to Colonel. Not quite the same answer there. He looks to Crescent briefly before looking back at Colonel again, and then General again. He doesn't bother saying anything. Those two need to work this one out.

 

        "I was informed at the last minute of the strike against Skull Monument. We were lucky to be able to save as many people as we did in Neo Tokyo given the timeframe," R notes from a previous example. "I'm certain you have the trust of the governments up north, but the ones down south I'd be worried about. They have a visible discomfort with Reploid activities."

 

Storm Owl nods in R's direction. It's obvious where Interpol stands. "Legally, we are obligated to at least inform the government. Should we recommend to them that they tell the public, or not? If left up to them, I'm sure that they will make it common knowledge."

 

"Excuse me, sah?" Riviera Weasle, one of the strategists speaks up.

            "Ah have a question, sah. About the Force Metal?" Reviera shoots a look at Chief R, which may or may not be cuaght by people around the room. It may not be such a good idea to bring up particulars with the Interpoller around...

 

Crescent Grizzly gives a nod to Reviera, showing it's alright with Chief R here.

 

Storm Owl looks over towards Riviera Weasel, inclining his head along with Crescent. "By all means."

 

        "I would recommend informing them and letting it be sorted out from there. I'm not worried about North America's handling of the information so much. Texas has been probably anticipating this for quite some time, and the United States doesn't have much love for Aztlan either." This is probably common knowledge. Almost as common as how much the parrot hates all of you, but let's not stray from the subject. "I am not entirely certain as to how much support South America would be willing to give Aztlan or the Repliforce when war does break out. As this applies to what you're asking and suggesting, Commander, yes, you should inform them. I can't fully predict what they'd do with that information and when, however."

 

Gettting the nod, Riviera continues. "Sahs, ahre we shore we should be workin' wit' Doctah Psyche on this? I mean, tha man /is/ a criminal, and all."

            Riviera catches himself, and nods to Grizzly.

            "Prehsent companay excepted, of co'se."

 

General says, "In case none of you knew, the activity on the Moon is currently a Eurasian colony outpost. They're hoping to expand, and Nova told me herself that they have enough security to handle protecting it. As for Psyche...we aren't certain we should be working with him, but currently we're facing a bit of an issue with Lumine, Bass, Rock, Blues, Axl(OOC: I don't think I was even told about him infiltrating yet), and especially Cinnamon all out of our control in organizations all capable of becoming quite dangerous to us. Not even Interpol has any sort of asset on par with them, the last I knew of."

 

Colonel was going to let the General field this one. The second in command agreed with the underling, but sometimes sacrifices were necessary to serve the greater good. In this case: Integrity was sacrificed for victory.

Engineer Equine and Guard Gorilla both cough slighty; they're the observers assigned to Psyche's work, and apparently have some things to share, if need be. But for now, let's wait for Chief R to go 'psyche wtf? u noob!' at Repliforce.

 

The Door Opens. IN Strides Rush Raccoon. Fashionably Late? Not by the look of it. He has several Scuff marks over him as he takes a seat and postures himself. He's still in formal Uniform however. He places his hands on the table and folds them neatly as he catches up on the discussions.

 

Storm Owl has never been quite sure of this Dr. Psyche thing either. He remembers the couple of discussions that he and Iris have had on the topic. While the owl has no problem with making deals with the enemy when necessary, Storm hopes that General isn't getting mowed over when negotiating with them. "Do we know what the doctor is planning to do with his share of the Force Metal?"

        As for R's comments, it seems the consensus is to tell the government and hope for the best. Course General can do as he sees fit on the matter.

 

        R does, in fact, put on a surprised look on his face. Angry or surprised. Both? "You've been working with Dr. Psyche, General? Do you even know who he is and what he's been charged with over the months?"

 

Shield Shellfish continues to stand around and look vaguely intimidating. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

 

Jet Stingray just stands around and listens for the time being, just mentally making a memo to himself to beat up Sage for the last time they fought. Hopefully, he doesn't have to run into that Guardian again if he should find that base. After all, for a human, his abilities were rather painful.

 

General says, "I know, Chief. As for how the item is doing in it's creation...I believe the people posted to watch Psyche like a hawk are present?"

 

Gareth wonders how people can watch someone like a hawk when said someone is not here yet they are...

 

Storm Owl goes ahead and asks, "Who?"

 

The pair nod, and Equine starts. " Well, General, after a few weeks with him, we can pretty much say he's totally insane. " Gorilla adds, " And then some. I mean, this Mecha Martha Stewart he has? It cooks, and cleans, and redecorates. Twenty four seven. It's scary. That one night we stayed over, I woke up, and the room I was in had been redecorated. She knit COZIES for my rifle and ammo packs. " Equine again, " And for my tools. And if you didn't accept a snack or a meal she made for you, she got this really creepy stepford wives homicidal look to her, and Psyche told us that if we didn't want to anger her, we should eat...I mean, it was good food, but gosh...that thing is crazy. But the real kicker is..."

            He looks to Gorilla, who nods, and says it for his companion. " The man's a f***ing genius. I mean, hardcore kind of genius. If you just saw half the stuff he's working on including our contract, you'd wet yourself in happiness...er...sirs.." He adds humbly. Equine chuckles, " It's hard to explain just what it is he's making with the Force Metal we got him, I don't have any visuals...and...well, I have trouble wrapping /my/ head around it. But if it's what I think it is, it doesn't even matter if we never have to use it against the Buster users or Force Metal people. It'll blow Wily's Devils out of the water, that's for sure..."

 

Colonel rumbled with disquiet. He didn't know what to think about this. Really, Psyche wasn't to be trusted as far as he could be thrown, and Colonel could throw him hella far. There were too many loose ends in this for Colonel's taste. If he had his way, he would be overseeing this himself, but he had other things to do, like run this army.

 

        R does not seem satisfied by the answer. "Dr. Psyche is not someone you should underestimate, as previous confrontations with him have shown. Aside from the legality issues, how certain are you that he's not using his 'genius' to smuggle his share out to a safer location so that he may do as he will with it once his part of the bargain is over? How certain are you that what he'll be producing is the genuine article? I understand the discomfort with the arms race, but this is a mistake, General!" The parrot, in spite of this, is not marginalized by R's protests. R still has a long way to go in order to match the parrot's ability to convey such in silence.

 

Sol Wyrm flips back through his notes, to double-check Psyche's dossier. You shouldn't curse at your superiors, but you shouldn't correct them either, and Sol isn't sure if he's outranked. So he keeps quiet. Meanwhile, he looks up. "Well, this Doctor is dangerous, right? But is he more dangerous than Major Grizzly? Or the Colonel or Commander Owl? He may be brilliant, but he's not infallible. Can you imagine someone trying to smuggle from /him/?" he asks, gesturing to Crescent. "No offense of course, Sir. I'm just saying. Use him for what we need, if we truly need him. Personally...I dunno. I think we're better than him. Sirs."

 

Sol Wyrm says, "Dr. Psyche may be a dangerous man, but he could never prevail against the heros of the Marines, or any of the Repliforce. He'd by a fool to take us on, and as you say...he's smart. If he was really smart, he'd play along."

 

Gareth has disconnected.

 

Storm Owl notes, "If this 'thing' Dr. Psyche is making is a weapon, is it illegal? If so, can we confiscate it from him?" Storm Owl has a feeling the answer is 'no' due to Dr. Psyche being smart enough to find some kind of loophole, or otherwise check the law before doing his stuff. To Sol, Storm Owl notes, "We should not underestimate him. Anyone with Force Metal is a dangerous individual. He could construct any number of technological terrors."

Engineer Equine thinks on this, " The real problem is, there's no set laws for Force Metal yet. The substance was given to him under a military contract...and isn't the weapon our property? I mean, we commissioned it...sort of? "

 

        "You can't underestimate /anybody/. Recent times should have taught us that. Even right when we were activated and still making heads and tails over what was in our heads to begin with! Dr. Psyche is not weak on count of lacking the individually mounted firepower of General, or lacking the swordsmanship of Colonel. I request that whenever the contract you have expires, you hand him over immediately to Interpol." Chief R says.

        As for whether or not Interpol would allow Repliforce to keep Force Metal weaponry... well, there has been no real legislation concerning it yet, being it is sparse and there is still much the world has to learn concerning what it can do. Cinnamon may have just been the start... but this may not be the case for long.

        "As it is, yes, the weapon would be in your hands if he did in fact give you one. But I wouldn't trust him to give you anything of worth." The parrot trusts nobody because it strongly dislikes trust, so it's plenty ahead of people in the paranoia game.

 

Shield Shellfish eyes the parrot.

        She's onto you, little bird.

 

General says, "If you can, save video of what you have seen him doing as well as of his place taken from your own eyes. However, said video will be confined and held in an isolated place, untouched so long as Psyche hands over the device upon completion. Aside from that, I have no qualms with turning Psyche over to Interpol upon the resolution of the business we have with him."

 

Storm Owl considers their options. "I have a proposal. We send two additional individuals to keep watch over Dr. Psyche. 1. Corporal Shield Shellfish." Again, Storm Owl doesn't bother looking in Shield's direction. He knows she's there, but he also knows she'll accept it. "2. Someone from Interpol, who can exercise the right to arrest him if he does anything illegal. If Dr. Psyche complains that he is being treated unfairly and that his work is being crowded..." Storm Owl spreads his hands out slightly, showing that he doesn't give a damn what Dr. Psyche thinks about his treatment.

 

General says, "Agreed."

 

Guard Gorilla shrugs, " I dunno. Officer Shellfish we could probably do. But INTERPOL? I mean, man, do you have any idea how many TVs this guy blows up just when they're on the news? And I think he has the Wright Borthers plane in there...." the Gorilla looks to one side, " And, well, he's been pretty pertinent on the whole privacy bit....he won't even unlock the door for us until we've been scanned. "

 

Jet Stingray thinks long and hard for awhile, and finally he raises his hand. "Um, if he made some weapon systems with the force metal, but didn't put it anyone, can I call dibs on them?" Jet, always looking for upgrades. After all, after having stayed the same for five years, he wouldn't mind the idea of getting some new weapon or something as equally awesome.

 

        "Dr. Psyche is not in a position to claim much privacy. Interpol has a number of technical experts that can bypass his security without requiring excessive force." R is fairly confident in this, but as stated before, Dr. Psyche's a genius. He's probably stumbled upon some awesome lock technology that uses Force Metal or some such, you never know. He's also not dignifying Jet Stingray with an answer to that. "He is in no position to request that much privacy with what he does, and has done. Nonetheless, I do agree to this idea."

 

Shield Shellfish, feeling it is required at this point, salutes again to Storm Owl and the company at large.

 

        Whatever her thoughts are on this, she is naturally silent on them. You can bet she's being paranoid about it, though. Dr. Psyche will have lab defenses out the wazoo. She could probably name three-fourths of them right off the bat. After all, she worked with Gate and even has a lab of her own...

        And sometimes spikes upon spikes just aren't enough.

 

Storm Owl looks over in Jet's direction. He /does/ dignify Jet's question with an answer, "No." He then looks back at Chief R. "Then it seems we have reached a decision on Dr. Psyche." Storm Owl once more doesn't bother turning to tell Shield directly to work with this Interpol agent in investigating/beating the crap out if needed Dr. Psyche. She heard. She'll understand what she needs to do.

 

Rush Raccoon is still here. Listening intently. He wears what seems to be a scowl of some sort. but it's not about the issue at hand, and more has to do with the scuff marks about his form. He keeps his hands placed firmly on the table.

 

        General arose! HE MOVED! He nodded toward everyone gathered, and then spoke. "I apologize, but I must be leaving now. I hope that everything will run smoothly without my presence." With that..General tottered on over toward the door.

 

No fair. General got to leave and he had to stay!

            That just meant Colonel was like a tiny god now. Excellent.

            "Since that is decided, are there any other issues that need addressing?"

 

General has disconnected.

 

Storm Owl looks over to Colonel and doesn't say anything. He personally doesn't have anything else.

 

        R does salute General on the way out, but that's about the full of it. The parrot thing goes without saying. Nothing immediately seems to come to mind as a concern for the current set of plans, as tense as the idea of a further concentrated war effort is to him... but who wouldn't it be?

 

Storm Owl looks around the room. Seems like everybody is done, for now. "So reiterate: Construction on the Valkyrie shall begin, installation of weapons on the Redemption and Space Elevator shall begin, and Private Wyrm and Major Grizzly will be fortifying the elevator with marines. Dr. Psyche will be also looked after by Corporal Shellfish and an Interpol agent to be named by Chief R. Interpol shall also be aiding us in aiding civilians who will be caught in the war zone. We shall be informing the United States government of our plans. In two weeks, ladies and gentlemen, we begin our invasion of Aztlan from the north." Storm Owl pauses, letting this sink in for dramatic effect.

 

        "Don't forget to inform the governments to the south, Commander, especially those closest to Aztlan. They should be informed as well. Knowing the rogue nation, they'll try and spread southward if you push from the north," R adds before this is potentially forgotten.

 

Shield Shellfish momentarily eyes Storm Owl. Was that a dramatic pause? Could it be the Commander actually has some sense of drama?

        ...snrrrxxxxxbahahahaaaa. Woo, good one.

        Then the bodyguard turns her piercing blue gaze over to Chief R, as the plans are set out. Shell isn't one to let emotions get in the way of work, which is rather unfortunate, because if she did she could have a /lot/ of fun with this order.

 

Storm Owl nods to R. Owl won't forget about that. Nosiree. "Good. Then I believe we are done. This meeting is adjourned. Thank you all for coming. If anyone has any further questions or comments, we are of course all available to discuss them." And like the classroom that's been told that class is over and everyone can go home, folks start getting up, gathering their things, and getting set to get out of here.

 

Rush Raccoon remains at the table. He heard everything. and seems to agree with it. He looks in thought for a few moments however...

 

        R has nothing further to add, aside from acknowledging the eyes of Shield Shellfish. The parrot only gives enough attention to give the idea that, surprise, it hates her and the space it occupies. R himself decides not to say anything further in regards to Shield Shellfish or what she said to him before, but instead merely stands, salutes those present, and takes his leave.