Supposedly the EU managed to break the barrier without breaking the plane since then. Considering though that we jump from ramjet straight to scramjet thought, we're gonna leap way the fuck past opposition there.
The big issue is how Slayer will handle overall development time of things. Next gen combat craft can take like 10ish years to develop these days while the systems to counter them can be developed much faster. This gets exacerbated by the long, rigid kill chain needed to successfully take out targets.
This is why the US is trying to switch to Mosaic warfare, but in a Real Robot setting, it's hard to say how much of that actually applies.
People like Lloyd can push development in ways it normally can't, at absurd paces. Lots of things that should seem like obvious countermeasures seem to never develop, and mechas are perfectly viable for everyone
Maybe but then maybe not, the issue with Ramjets and scramjets is that they require a certain amount of speed in order to function, meaning you effectively need two engines/powerplants for a plane that uses them. one to get up to speed and for subsonic flight and the ram/scramjet. then their is the issues with material science, fuel, etc etc, its very complicated stuff. A good example of how complicated is the SR71. While we are making a viable plane its possible that the Europeans take advantage of lower lying fruit/tech and push forward with it. A good example would be combustion jet engines which, while technically being more primitive then electric turboprops would have much greater performance, especially after they perfect it.
All this being said I do hope Slayer doesn't make KFs take over every field of combat, not only is it absurd that a multi purpose vehicle can beat specially designed vehicles its also boring in my opinion.
@Hawkmoon, I'm removing the picture from your post and giving you a Rule 6 infraction. 50 points because the sexualization of minors is not acceptable on this forum. You're also getting a three day threadban.
As a general reminder warning, I suppose I should mention that regardless of the fact that Liliana and Marika are supposed to be over eighteen by this point in the quest (or turning eighteen during this year in-quest), much of the artwork of Code Geass depicts them when they were fifteen/sixteen under Luciano Bradley's command.
Canon artwork for Code Geass being somewhat heavy on the fanservice side, please do consider carefully before hosting images directly on SV. Mods tend to err on the side of caution as regards to this issue.
I'll issue a personal apology to @Hawkmoon - given that I was the one to link the wiki pages which had the pictures in question. Those links have since been removed from the recent update, but are obviously still available to anyone willing to highlight and do a right-click google search. I honestly hadn't noticed the galleries down at the bottom and linked the pages for clarification on relatively minor characters from the series.
Still, exercise caution and if you absolutely must post risque 'fanservice' artwork (which I recommend against), make sure the characters depicted are clearly over the age of eighteen and the artwork cannot be considered 'pornographic' by the rules of the forum. There are people available to help you make the judgement on SV if you don't trust your own.
A general reminder that this thread is not marked as 'mature' and I don't intend to do so. If I ever write mature content for this quest, it will be hosted on QQ, not here on SV. So keep things PG-13 at the very worst.
"And welcome back sports fans to BBC's continuing coverage of the Imperial Game tryouts for 2020. Athletes from across the four continents of the Empire have come to Baron Alexander Stephens Sports Arena in Atlanta Georgia. Over 50 sports and disciplines here are competing for the chance to be on their regional teams and the chance to become the best of the Empire. Of course the 11th Empress is the President of Imperial Game Committee and has pulled no punches in getting ready for the 2020 Games."
"Thank you Tom for that exposition. You know we are going to be aired at 2 AM and due to editing only those on closed circuit TV in the arena will hear us right?"
"Shut Up Mark"
Shirley ignored the TV, and adjusting her swimming cap. Three years of intense training after high school had led to this day this moment, as she began pacing in the locker room with the other athletes. She fidgeted and began dialing numbers hoping to talk to one of her friends, so that she could stop stressing out about if she'd get into the Imperial Games.
New Caledonia
Prince Lelouch was trying to ignore Kallen and Nunnally passive aggressively fighting over who had priority in the Knightmare repair bays, he really should see about expanding them, when Jeanne handed him his phone. He didn't recognize the number and denied the call.
Atlanta, Georgia
"Hey!" she exclaimed thinking one of her friends hung up on her. "Fine! they must be busy." and dialing another number, unaware that she was nervously pressing the wrong numbers on her phone called another of her friends.
Kyoto, Japan
Colonel Kyoshiro Tohdoh hearing the cell phone go off and halted the match "Halt. Miss Kiryuin, you and your sister will continue your match later, hopefully free of interruption." and he cast eyes from the dueling sisters to one of the students in a gi on the perimeter of the duelling arena who was watching the match "Suzaku Kururugi, you may be the Prime Ministers son, but cell phones are not allowed in the training area." Suzaku cleared his throat, "My apologies Sensei." turning off his phone.
Pizza Hut Headquarters, New Britain
Rivalz looked across his office at the green haired woman that entered his office and demanded a certain expansion plan. His father had warned him about this woman and her... obsession with their family's company and to do what she said. "Uh... Miss... Cici? New Caledonia seems an odd choice for International Expansion for my family's company. Pizza Hut does face stiff competition from the likes of Domino's and Little Charles' in the Pacific Marketplace" The woman merely nodded, "I'll see to it that they will fall before your company's clearly superior product. Regarding New Caledonia... in time I may make an appearance there" she smiled enigmatically.
Rivalz had set his phone to do not disturb, and didn't see Shirley's call until after the trials.
Black Mesa Research Facility, Texas
Nina plugged her Hazard Suit into the HEV charger station to recharge the suit, she paused to catch her breath. Things had really gone to hell since she began working in the Anomalous Materials Department, look she was a particle physicist but she was pretty sure that these weird head-crabs going around the complex were the fault of the Biohazard division. "No Nina, this is fine. It's perfectly normal for you to be given a hazard suit and chucked out the door with nothing but a crowbar and told to save the facility from these headcrabs by that creepy MIB that seems to follow me." she was saying as her phone rang. After a pause she decided to answer it.
"Shirley?"
"Nina! Oh thank you for picking up. Do you have a moment?"
"Sure" she said just before she noticed one of those head crabs starting to crawl along the floor that she readied her crowbar.
"Thanks Nina, I'm just trying to get out of my own head before the swimming trials."
Nina swung her crowbar smashing to head crab to paste, "Oh right Is that today?"
"Of course it's today, haven't you seen my feed on Friendster?" exclaimed Shirley.
Nina paused debating telling Shirley that she really only logged onto Friendster to follow the Third Princess' profile. "Sorry it's been-" she swung her crowbar again at another head crab popping out of the vent. "- nuts here." she chuckled tiredly, "Maybe I should have taken that other job"
"I thought you didn't want to work in Raccoon City?" said Shirley.
"Can't be worse than this. Royal Funding doesn't make up for it" she said as she ran along a hallway readying her pistol and saw that OSI man lock the door ahead of her, she flipped him off, "Sorry Shirley I gotta go. I'm about to lose reception" as Nina looked down the Elevator shaft next to the locked door that she now had to descend to get out of this factility, "You'll do great at the trials!"
Atlanta
Shirley smiled back in Atlanta nodded, "Thanks Nina. I just needed to get out of my own head." and hung up. The rest of the athletes were heading out to the pool for the trials, and Shirley took a calming breath, and opened her locker to put away her gym bag, securing her locker and going to the pool. Shirley made doubly sure that her silenced pistol and OSI badge were safely hidden before heading out.
>>>>>
A/N: A bit more light hearted and comedic than my usual omakes but once the idea popped into my head of a nervous Shirley accidentally calling what should be the student council the idea wouldn't go away. I sincerely doubt this is canon though.
A/N: A bit more light hearted and comedic than my usual omakes but once the idea popped into my head of a nervous Shirley accidentally calling what should be the student council the idea wouldn't go away. I sincerely doubt this is canon though.
Well, been a while since I've written an omake but fuck it, I've been meaning to do something for Gino for a while now. Not my best work, but I'll only get the rust off by writing and I hate editing my own work.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Omake: A day in the Life of Gino
Gino knew that today was the day. All of his preparations were complete: Euphie's assistance had been purchased to schedule a "surprise girls' day"; Jaegar and the cult were finally out cold after crashing from three days of uninterrupted consciousness; Lelouch's schedule had been adjusted; and the ninja maid was … somewhere, but that wasn't important!
Because today was gonna be the day! The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky and the forecast agreed it would stay that way for once. The light sea breeze took the edge off the heat and carried the relaxing sound of the waves with it. The beach chairs were out and libations a plenty had been set beside them. He even had snacks!
Gino paused. He didn't remember preparing any snacks. Or bringing them out…
Bah! Probably just the ninja maid being passive aggressive. Maids tended to get like that if you didn't let them do their work, and he assumed ninja maids would be much the same. Hopefully she didn't slip in any surprises to the food, but just to be sure he wouldn't take the first bite. She was a ninja maid after all.
Still regardless of the ninja maid doing ninja maid things, everything was going according to keikaku*. Even the old wise woman he met in the native's village the other day said his fortune was good. Sure, she was half blind and also said something that sounded like he'd bear many strong children, but that must have just been some translation issues. You couldn't expect that much English out of the old tribal types; it was a wonder the lady was as fluent as she was really.
Where was he again? Oh right.
Today was finally the day he'd spend some time with Lelouch, and just Lelouch. A short little piece of down time stolen from his day to spend relaxing on the beach doing nothing together. The time they spent together last year had been great, but well… Jaegar.
Now all he had to do was make sure the workaholic would take this break instead of trying to do more work he could just get a secretary to do for him. This was snuck into his schedule as a meeting, but Lelouch could easily have planned to bring some work to his involuntary break. He could easily wrestle Lelouch's phone out of his hands if need be but keeping it away would be the real challenge – especially if he cheated with his psionic tricks. Best bet would probably be to distract him by mentioning she-who-must-not-be-named, grabbing the phone, and throwing it into the bushes. The ninja maid would catch it. Plan of action set, Gino settled into one of the chairs to wait for his best friend to get his slow ass over to the beach.
"Gino, why do you always choose beaches so far away? We could have saved so much more time if we chose one closer to the base." Lelouch called without even looking up from his phone.
"And get dragged into Euphie's antics?" Gino's response earned him a sly grin and a chuckle, although Lelouch's eyes were still glued to the screen.
"Alas, the time spent traveling is but a small price to pay to avoid my sister's reach. The fair maidens she has ensnared will have to be enough to satisfy her whims for the day," Lelouch remarked as melodramatic as always although his acting was hindered by his continued focus on his phone.
Time to break out the big guns then. Good thing the Blonde Devil couldn't show up just from mentioning her (regardless of Lelouch's stance on the topic), else their bro time would disappear.
"Better her than Miss Ashfo—" Gino's words were cut off from a sudden rush by Lelouch.
"Don't finish that sentence. Don't even say that name when referencing her. Even that name has power." Lelouch spoke with fearful eyes while covering Gino's mouth.
Extracting himself from his friend's grasp Gino shook his head.
"Honestly Lelouch, I don't know why you always react like that. Calling her the Blonde Devil or she-who-must-not-be-named always seems so excessive, especially with her all the way back in the Homeland."
"You didn't grow up with her."
"That's my point though. Milly isn't that bad…" Gino trailed off as Lelouch's since neglected phone started ringing. "You gonna get that?"
Lelouch glanced at the screen, paled, and then threw it while still ringing clear into the bushes. Gino stared dumbly at his friend's out of character actions.
"Who was that? Milly?"
Unfortunately, any response Lelouch may have given was cut off by Gino's own phone ringing. Lelouch didn't even waste the time to have either of them look at it before flinging it away with his telekinesis.
"Lelouch, there's no way that was Milly too."
Disastrously, the only response was more ringing, which was all it took for Lelouch to take off running. With a sigh, Gino looked around to try and find the source that ruined his bro time.
"Sorry, it's me Weinberg-san." Said the ninja maid as she appeared from nowhere.
Gino screamed let out a manly yell.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Gino tumbled out of his bed with a muffled groan. Gino let out a long sigh as he rubbed his head while sprawled out on the ground. His head throbbed from more than the light bump he got on the way down; he must have drunk far too much the night before and was paying the price for it now. Blearily he turned off his ringing alarm and stumbled into his bathroom for a cold shower. The water was miserable, but it helped wake him up and took his mind off the pounding in his head.
When he got out, he already had a large cup of coffee and a light breakfast set on his desk. His sheets were fixed and a fresh set of clothes were already laid out.
Sometimes Gino thinks the Ninja Maid just likes to show off.
Well, been a while since I've written an omake but fuck it, I've been meaning to do something for Gino for a while now. Not my best work, but I'll only get the rust off by writing and I hate editing my own work.
@Slayer Anderson
Have an idea for an omake involving the Emperor having an old friend and unofficial political advisor in the form of an original character.
Can we insert our own OCs into canon if they are sufficiently far away from the current quest main? Such as someone the main characters do not know or is far away enough they are unlikely to meet?
Greta's SL is updated, the fleet loadout is updated, the financial sheet has been updated. You'll start receiving the 3K next year and it will carry through until Turn 19. You already got the 20K payment upfront, so it's factored into your finances already.
On the note of the fact that you now own 20% of the Britannian PMC: The Crowns. In the event they're ever sent against you, I'll make a roll using Lelouch's Diplomacy Bonus plus the percent of the company you own. If you pass the check, the Crowns won't follow through with the attack, signifying your pull in the organization succeeding in heading off attempts to use them against you.
If you want to use them in an attack, same thing happens. As Lelouch's Diplo is 17, the DC for either will be 63 at the moment.
There will be opportunities to increase your holdings of the Crowns as well.
On the note of the fact that you now own 20% of the Britannian PMC: The Crowns. In the event they're ever sent against you, I'll make a roll using Lelouch's Diplomacy Bonus plus the percent of the company you own. If you pass the check, the Crowns won't follow through with the attack, signifying your pull in the organization succeeding in heading off attempts to use them against you.
If you want to use them in an attack, same thing happens. As Lelouch's Diplo is 17, the DC for either will be 63 at the moment.
That is useful, though unfortunately not as useful that I hoped it would be. Hmmm. What about other factors? I would guess that making our military stronger, gaining more allies who are willing to back us up, winning battles (especially at sea) and such would influence the decision making of the Crowns when they contemplate if they would take a contract that would target our forces. And at least according to their part on the pirate dossiers, they won't likely directly target Lelouch, as physically harming, or even worse killing, a Britannian prince would have consequences they would want to avoid.
Also, will Euphy's SL 5 perk help also when its Lelouch who is doing the de-escalation? Would it help in a roll to stop the Crowns from attacking us?
I'll let Euphie's bonus count as long as you're trying to get the Crowns to stop attacking. If you're attempting to push them to attack someone else...
As far as the question of The Crowns being put off by military victories, well, the Crowns aren't quite a polity. Functionally, you could call them a 'military without a state.' In large part this manifests in that, while they take contracts, they're primarily at the beck and call of their shareholders.
What this actually means for Lelouch is that if the Crowns start targeting his supply lines, etc... then those attacks will have at least tacit approval of a majority of the shareholders.
Depending on the exact context of the roll, though, I reserve the right to add circumstance modifiers to represent unusual situations.
So, as of now, we would need a 53 or higher to call of an attack against us by the Crowns and a 63 or higher to get them to attack someone (assuming no other modifiers are used aside from our Diplomacy, the share that we have in the Crowns and the SL 5 perk of our Diplomacy advisor, in the case when we are trying to call of an attack against us). We may want to try and raise our share in the Crowns to around 40% to 50% as soon as we can, in order to get better odds to call of attacks against us\order an attack on someone.
that does bring the question, could we make our own PMC, buy more of The Crowns, or just outright poach some men (and women) from it. [or this being CG it would be more accurate to say women (and men) XP]
Hell now I want to Euphie of all people have her own PMC as a Peace-keeping force, would call it Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF) and then i would get Sued by Konami and
Médecins Sans Frontières... wait do they exist in this world... what about UNICEF and other non-profits?
As far as the question of The Crowns being put off by military victories, well, the Crowns aren't quite a polity. Functionally, you could call them a 'military without a state.' In large part this manifests in that, while they take contracts, they're primarily at the beck and call of their shareholders.
I'm sure some nobles or shareholders would be interested in a leveraged buyout, in exchange for royal favors. Time to invent some titles to award. That or see if Milly is interested in helping us with a little corporate raiding, or the secret lodge we are a part of. We also have 20k burning a hole in our pocket
I'm sure some nobles or shareholders would be interested in a leveraged buyout, in exchange for royal favors. Time to invent some titles to award. That or see if Milly is interested in helping us with a little corporate raiding, or the secret lodge we are a part of. We also have 20k burning a hole in our pocket
Somehow, that sounds like it is worth far less than it actually is.
Also, I keep looking at the aliens stuff and wonder if us messing with psychic stuff is gonna attract some more to Earth...and they might like us....
.....Or they might not.
...If they do like us, though, can we get alien vassals?
Somehow, that sounds like it is worth far less than it actually is.
Also, I keep looking at the aliens stuff and wonder if us messing with psychic stuff is gonna attract some more to Earth...and they might like us....
.....Or they might not.
...If they do like us, though, can we get alien vassals?
We're sorry, at this time Paradox Games CK2 Quest Manager does not support vassals that aren't on the map
But in all seriousness this just touches on the surface of getting a buyout of the Crowns. Remember someone else owns the shares, and although we are likely now entitled to know who the other major shareholders (or at least their lawyers/representatives) are they might not be interested in selling. As a result we may have to be sneaky. Milly via Ashford Conglomerate buys up 10% as part of a diversification of Ashford's portfolio, The Lodge buys up 15% through various holdings (or heck they might already own a good chunk of it), 20k could buy up a few more percentage points. Maybe even getting the Duke of Westhaven involved could help. Being sneaky in corporate intrigue can pay off.
Also if we can keep the other owners fragmented in a corporate goal, and perhaps find some allies on the board of "The Crowns PMC" it might go a long way into bringing them fully under our control, and also... we get a pretty sizable beachhead on Australia itself. Remember we don't need 100% control, we just need to muster at least 51% of Crowns Shareholders to not raid us.
This might be moot if they are a public company, as convincing a mass of public share holders is different than a collection of mutual funds, and holding companies...
Why do I have a feeling this will somehow wind up with us having to talk to Guinevere, aka the First Princess of Finance
We're sorry, at this time Paradox Games CK2 Quest Manager does not support vassals that aren't on the map
But in all seriousness this just touches on the surface of getting a buyout of the Crowns. Remember someone else owns the shares, and although we are likely now entitled to know who the other major shareholders (or at least their lawyers/representatives) are they might not be interested in selling. As a result we may have to be sneaky. Milly via Ashford Conglomerate buys up 10% as part of a diversification of Ashford's portfolio, The Lodge buys up 15% through various holdings (or heck they might already own a good chunk of it), 20k could buy up a few more percentage points. Maybe even getting the Duke of Westhaven involved could help. Being sneaky in corporate intrigue can pay off.
Also if we can keep the other owners fragmented in a corporate goal, and perhaps find some allies on the board of "The Crowns PMC" it might go a long way into bringing them fully under our control, and also... we get a pretty sizable beachhead on Australia itself. Remember we don't need 100% control, we just need to muster at least 51% of Crowns Shareholders to not raid us.
This might be moot if they are a public company, as convincing a mass of public share holders is different than a collection of mutual funds, and holding companies...
Why do I have a feeling this will somehow wind up with us having to talk to Guinevere, aka the First Princess of Finance
It was a pleasant enough room in the lodge where the antique clock stood. To either side of the large black oak door that granted entry to the room dangled large ornate tapestries. They were odd things those tapestries. One had a skeleton seated cross-legged on a background of stars while around its head circled the phases of the moon.
The other seemed to show an image straight off a tarot card.
To another side of the room, a large brick fireplace with bookshelves to either side of it cast its flickering light through a beveled glass and wrought iron screen. The light seemed to dance and in doing so illuminated two masked figures seated in a pair of plush chairs as they played chess on a small table.
"So how is that...asset...you acquired from Canopus working out Rigel?" said the one known only as Polaris to his opponent.
"He's...an interesting character. That being said he is certainly proving his worth," Lelouch aka Rigel said as he moved his knight to finish his encircling of his opponent's king "checkmate by the way."
"An excellent showing as always, and yet more support in favor of that rumor of you defeating the Prime Minister."
"You heard of that? I'm surprised something so minor would reach your ears." replied the scion of the Vi Britannia line.
"It may not be something worth printing on the front page of the Britanian tabloids...but it's still juicy gossip, and gossip travels far and fast." replied Polaris with a shrug "And speaking of tabloid gossip...have you heard what's been circulating recently regarding a certain Britanian university?"
"I believe my sister might have mentioned it, if only in passing. Something about an unexplained death and strange disappearances during a symposium at South Carolina's Tarleton University? A place that already had quite an unusual reputation if I'm not mistaken."
"Got it in one! Yes, Tarleton University, has always had an interesting reputation. It's been that way ever since it was founded by a rich northern Britannian benefactor after some local women nursed him back to health with supposed old world pagan remedies. It originally went by a different name but was later renamed after the local town, which in turn got its name from General Tarleton. A general whose troops' actions during Washington's rebellion gave us the expression "to give Tarleton's Quarter" or as the lowborn troops put it nowadays..."
"Kill them all and let God sort them out?"
"Quite"
"Interesting, but I don't see how it relates to me?"
"Well good sir if you must know, how it relates to you is this. The young student who passed, Exum Layton, reportedly died due to his turning against some group at the university which had been there since it had been founded. A group that had apparently grown to include people like a certain occultist of great infamy by the name of Rowley Thorne. Said Rowley Thorne being a man suspected by certain European organizations of being connected to certain unexplained crimes of thievery and murder...a man who even Mr. Crowley believed was a madman....and who seemingly vanished into thin air before a crowded auditorium after opposing these individuals..."
With that Polaris leaned down and reached into a small satchel lying next to his chair. A moment later and he had quickly retrieved what he was looking for, a small manilla folder which he proceeded to hand over to his opponent who quickly opened it.
"What's this?" asked the scion of the Vi Britannia line genuinely confused.
"Consider it a reward for an excellent showing...and also an indicator of my interest in whatever it is you have planned with your psychic acquisition. I doubt you have him just sitting around doing nothing, I also know you reportedly bought some unusual artifacts at an estate sale some time ago and that you are already making discreet inquiries regarding people who can acquire more."
Polaris paused for a moment, meaningfully, then continued. "I may not know what exactly it is you have planned, but if it involves the good master Therion and his group I suspect it will be grand...and provided you have the full resources to exploit their talents it will be all the grander. Ergo I have decided to help you in this endeavor if only to see what it is you bring about. I believe you'll find the faces featured in the included photo to be quite useful ones."
"...is that the Countess of Montessco?" the young Britanian Prince remarked with confusion as his eyes fell on the foremost person in the image of a cemetery.
There was a strangely long pause, and when no response was forthcoming Lelouch lifted his head to find his host staring at him with what he assumed was dumbfounded confusion judging by his cocked head.
"I'm not going to lie, I am honestly surprised you noticed her first. Given your recent inquiries into matters of the paranormal I felt for sure it'd be her companion you would notice first...
"Is it really that unexpected though?" the Britannian Prince said in a tone that even with the voice muffling effects of his mask just dripped with sarcasm.
"I suppose not," said Polaris sitting back up in his chair "The former Sharon Hill's whirlwind romance with that wealthy, but now thankfully dead idiot, was splashed all over the tabloids. And even if the title she inherited from him holds no real temporal power, given the ousting of his noble ancestor's from northern Italy long ago, she still holds quite a bit of value as a potential investor given the monetary assets he left her. I can see why you would draw the wrong conclusion."
"Oh?"
"With the isolation of your territory it must be difficult to keep operating costs in the black, especially in regards to the matter of esoteric research and thus any potential investor for such things would be worth keeping track of...and she has shown some interest in parapsychic research given some of her purchases... but no that's not what I wished to draw your attention to. I meant to bring up the older, dark-haired mustachioed fellow in the photo. Her on-again-off-again paramour Mr..."
"Mr. John Thunstone: native born son of Richmond though he currently lives in New York, former football player of some renown back during his days in the college leagues, well-known investigator of psychic and supernatural matters, independently wealthy, and supposed possessor of an artifact from a Catholic Saint aka the thousand year old "Silver Sword Cane of St. Dunstan" which may or may not have defied previous attempts at scientific analysis depending on who's asked. " the young Prince interrupted causing Polaris to stop short.
"...how could you have...?"
"...recognized him despite the fact his picture has never been featured in a newspaper before? Oh, I've been aware of him for some time. His name came up several times while I was writing my papers for my degree in Arthurian mythology some time back. After all, he did make quite a big wave in the fields of English archaeology and history when he discovered the name of the previously forgotten pre-Celtic pagan god Bran some years back....and then there's his last name."
"...what does that have to do with...?
"Why Polaris now I'm the surprised one! Didn't your mother ever read you the old Fairy Tale of Sir Tom Thumb? Sometime after Tom had been knighted by King Arthur he was injured and had to go to the realm of the fairies to heal. It took several years and by the time he had returned a certain king Thunstone had replaced Arthur on the throne...a king (most probably of Anglo-Saxon descent) who through one of his daughters may also be my family's many times removed ancestor...though that is debatable." the young Prince remarked with a smirk.
"No Polaris" he continued "I've already been aware of Mr. Thunstone for some time and have even gone so far as to send an inquiry to him regarding employment just prior to this meeting. In fact, that is something I admit that I mistakenly thought you would know as well, hence why I ignored him when viewing the photo in favor of the Countess." the prince said shutting the folder.
"Well then..." His companion said sitting back in his chair, chuckling as he realized he'd been out maneuvered by the young man before him. "I suppose the only thing I can say then is good luck in your attempts to recruit him!"
A/N: Behold! With Slayer Anderson's permission, I bring an Omake with a new character for us to recruit via our Ruin Delvers action! For anyone who is curious, Master Therion was the real-life Aleister Crowley's alias in his little occult group, and Thunstone is not an original invention of mine, he's actually a pulp fiction character from the 1940s whose background I tweaked to fit the quest.
It's very likely that I'll have the next phase out sometime tonight or, failing that, tomorrow.
Yesterday was my birthday, so I spent it more on fun stuff than the nitty gritty of action-planning for this quest. The intro's started however, and I just finished typing up the last new action so the bulk of the work is done.
Let things come when they'll come. So long as the content's good I doubt people will mind to much of a wait. Honestly with all the crazy stuff going on the world right now everyone could do with more fun stuff.
