Crossin this here Jordan: A Coalition Soldier Quest

The C.N.A.S. was founded between the United States of Mexico, Canada, and the legitimate government of the United States of America, some 40 years after the Coming of the Rifts. Much has changed since the initial founding and its current state at the end of the 22nd Century. With the collapse of one of the three founder states following the Sabbat's first Crusade and the soft coup launched by the American military in the face of repeated civilian sectarianism and incompetence in the face of existential threats, there are no doubt questions about what the C.S. now looks like as a society. Make no mistake, this isn't some neo-fascist caricature of the 3rd Reich, but the successor of Old World Liberal Republics.

The current Coalition States are currently very taken by their mission to restore legitimate sovereign rule to the Americas, utilizing their mandate and position as legitimate successor to the Old World Empires to instill pride and shore up morale in its collective citizenry. In many ways, people are less connected than a century before. The marvelous innovation known as the internet lies in tatters, critical infrastructure and servers lying unmaintained or ruined where they lay in California and other critical locations. Decentralized private networks are common within the C.S. Armed Forces, but they are limited in scope and function due to the risk hacking and destruction by Sorcerers, Psychics, and other hostile forces, as they have proven capable of doing in multiple classified incidences.

Literal paperwork has made a comeback, as have private broadcasting companies. Private media functions under severe limitations and requirements, but there is no concerted media-industrial complex or Operation Mockingbird following other classified incidences regarding infiltration of foreign subversive elements in government. Indeed, by 21st Century standards, media, including federal sources, are shockingly transparent about the condition of the country and the wars, with recordings readily available from various warfronts and freedom of information requests keeping the citizenry remarkably informed. The average Coalition citizen is a highly educated specialist in an automated society that has served one or more terms of service in a total war footing against existential threats against humanity.

The culture is extremely militaristic by necessity, though a significant minority distrusts the Federal Government in all things, especially in regard to the food supply (controlled by the government in massive hydroponics districts), widespread genetic engineering (supposedly to wipe out genetic disorders and bring out maximum potential of humanity), legitimacy of government (elements of the traditional left and right have united in opposition against an authoritarian military oligarchy which has suborned their civil legislatures), and civil liberties (commonplace invasions of privacy, all citizens treated as though they are still soldiers regardless of whether they currently serve, repression of mass protests, etc). There is a great deal of societal pressure on women to bear many children in order to keep the population replacement rate above water, and this combined with a resurgence of Protestant religiosity has seen a regression from the permissive social views characteristic of late 21st Century Western societies.

Recreational drug usage is generally frowned on but not strictly enforced, private enterprise is encouraged to shore up an unhealthy war economy, socialized healthcare is readily available to all citizen, public housing of tolerable quality is common in the metropoles, households are mandated by law to provide for their own defense, and veterans are subsidized to settle out in the frontiers in order to control the land in truth rather than only in name, much as the Romans of antiquity did at times. Atheism/Agnosticism, Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy, Judaism (particularly Messianic Jews), and Norse Paganism (Asatru) are the next most influential religious groups on a national scale, varying depending on region. Regional and national identities from before the Coming of the Rifts are stronger than they've ever been, a result of the glorification of Old World identities and the decrease of cultural unifiers.

The transnational corporations that survived the Coming were struck down by the post-coup government with the enforcement of Anti-Trust laws, then bound to the war effort to produce military equipment barely above cost. The economy is a functional one, not a healthy one, with the Federal Reserve long dissolved and the country swapped over to a literal Credit system. Widespread automation of agriculture in the form of massive urban hydroponics and atomic reactors supply basic food and energy to all, with sophisticated 3D Forges producing equipment around the clock, fed by mag-rails leading directly to resource extraction sites outside the bounds of the metropoles that the majority of citizens live in.

The counterculture has grown tired of constant war, the labyrinthine military bureaucracy and their diktats, the violations of constitutionally guaranteed liberties, and the ban on Sorcery and Magic from the early days. The Chiefs of Staff, however, refuse to compromise on any of these things, viewing the wars as necessary, the bureaucracy unavoidable, and the dangers of Sorcery and supernatural infiltration justifying impositions on liberty. Separatism, sabotage, disorder, and protests are common outside of the metropoles, especially in areas that aren't well connected by railroad, radio, or other means. It is especially in these places that folk Christrians, Pagans, petty Sorcerers and others challenge the Ban for their own reasons. Those that are in the know regarding Occult secrets, hidden lore, the greater mysteries, even with information repressed and activities persecuted, resist being extinguished. How can one ban natural law, synchronicity, placebos, the very nature of reality? How does one ban life? More than anything else, the Coalition Government at large is crippled by a lack of understanding of what Sorcery and Magic entails, as detailed previously.

And, of course, there are the foreign interventions. Those outsiders and traitors that want the Coalition States grappling with these societal issues, anything to keep the industrial juggernaut of North America distracted and weak. Infiltration by Vampires, secessionists and supernatural entities infests all levels of government, a constant shadow war that ends with high ranking officials dead, industry devastated, mass riots burning down the food supply of a city, and more. It is a reciprocally deterministic system of action and consequence, with no end in sight. So long as the Sabbat pursue dominion from the South, the Xiticix spread in the North, and Lord Splynncryth entrenches himself on this world, lasting peace shall remain a fool's dream. The Coalition States remain a handicapped giant, incapable of focusing its attention on any one problem to completion. The future is uncertain.

The total population of the Coalition States, according to estimates and projections from the 2195 Census, is 171,814,335 individuals, making it the second most populous state on the continent after the Sword of Caine at 206,336,867. The total population of North America, Central America and the Caribbean is estimated at around 665 million, a far cry from the 2098 number of 1.045 billion (for reference, 2020 population is about 590 million). After sharp decline following the Coming of the Rifts for decades, the numbers have been climbing rapidly due to higher fertility rates (with the exception of Mexico). The Regions of the Coalition States can be divided into Canada (geographic region including Alaska), the American Heartland (including the New Frontier), and the Lone Star of Texas.

The total regional population of Canada (2195 Census, including Alaska and estimates for wilderness) tallies at 34,463,951. Canada can be further subdivided into the cities of New Montreal (13,440,941) and New Quebec (9,649,906), the old cities having been devastated by rising sea levels with the return of Atlantis, with the majority of the population found either within the two metropoles or in neighboring Ontario (5,169,593) and Quebec (4,135,674) provinces. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island (estimated population around 350,000) have been heavily depopulated by Splugorth raids and the majority of the remaining populace evacuated to New Quebec. Newfoundland and Labrador remain isolated and neglected population unknown. Alaska (1,033,919) remains organized under Canada for convenience though culturally it shares much more in common with the Americans. The remaining Canadian provinces are either sparsely populated wilderness, overrun by Xiticix hives, or both. The previous heart of Canada, Little England/South Ontario, has been controlled by the Council of Lazlo and its Dragon-Mages for decades.

Canadian influence in the Coalition remains limited, but they are proud of their national identities and resent the soft takeover by the Americans. They are the primary voices in favor of dealing with the alien threats before it is too late, having already lost millions of citizens to slaver raids and hostile swarms. Retaking Winnipeg in Manitoba would also reestablish a land connection through the Dakotas to the rest of the Coalition States and bring them one step closer to containing the Epicenter in Calgary which connects to wherever the Xiticix came from. Heavily influenced by the Great Lakes Kingdoms, Canadians tend to take a softer, less Xenophobic stance towards anyone that isn't an actual supernatural monster or alien.

Another 35,790,045 people may be found within the American Heartland, 10,721,658 within the New Frontier, and 6,746,403 in the territories extending East of the Mississippi into Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee (Total: 53,258,106). Geographically, this is the center of the Coalition States, with waterways connecting the Mississippi Bay through to the Great Lakes and the Canadian Waterways. Sprawling metropolises are not to be found here, with isolated fortress arcologies the norm all along the Mississippi, branching out via road and rail to resource centers. As mentioned previously, many Coalition citizens from this region choose to settle out West due to the abundance of space and government incentives to hold territory. None of the Heartland states have recovered to Pre-Rifts population levels, and Illinois in particular was hardest hit, failing to meet the numbers from 2000. Arkansas (4,665,090), Illinois (11,567,999), Indiana (9,267,568), Iowa (5,644,157), Missouri (4,645,231).

Culturally, Frontiersmen share a lot in common with the Heartland states, as naturally most citizens originated from these areas. However, they can be distinguished by greater independence, indifference to authority, open-mindedness, greater numbers of atheists, pagans and Ban violators, and distaste for constant war, and it cannot be forgotten that nearly every citizen that has settled there has either done their service to the Coalition or are descended from the original inhabitants of those states. Heartlanders tend to be the most committed to the idea of a united America, Canada, and Mexico, and they have shed the most blood containing the Rifts and experiencing firsthand the threat that Tolkeen and the Federation poses. Particularly prone to cynicism considering they live surrounded by the ruins of St Louis, of Chicago, of countless Old World cities that have never been reclaimed, with more and more lost over the years, as the recent decimation of Missouri can attest to.

The densely populated core of the Coalition States may be found in the Lone Star of Texas. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metroplex outnumbers the entire population of Canada by around 5 million (40,890,303) and has been basically untouched by the Sword of Caine's Crusades and other wars and recovered swiftly due to Mexican aid in reconstruction. A further 22,530,899 citizens call Central Texas (Austin-San Antonio, Hill Country, Gulf Coast) home, the political core of the state. The Old World Cities of Houston, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, and others along the Gulf Coast have been completely destroyed by the return of Atlantis and further Splugorth raids. The Borderlands (Panhandle, Big Bend, Southern Plains, Piney Woods and what's left of Louisiana) feature waves of settlement and depopulation in response to Vampire incursions and Splugorth slave raids, 2195 Census places population at 20,671,076 (Total: 84,092,278).

Culturally, Texans are extremely diverse both ideologically and racially due to both Pre-Rifts history and the Sabbat takeover of Mexico, supporting and opposing various mainstream beliefs in equal measure. More than anything, they hate the Vampires that have cause so many of their woes, as well as the Splugorth slavers that never cease their disruptive sabotage and raiding. Particularly, Texans tend to display heightened egos and patriotism, holding Texas before the Coalition at large, similarly to the Canadians, and resent the most the infringement of Constitutional liberties and their old ways of life, partially sympathizing with the New Confederacy that has established itself in the Old South. The Metroplex exports men, material, and industry to the rest of the state, and its National Guard commits much of its strength patrolling the coast and frontiers. Its influence is heavily felt by the rest of the Coalition States, and resentment is held by all sides regarding perceived contributions and value, including the Urban/Rural divide, exemplified by Borderlanders' attitude towards the city folk, who live safe lives inside the dense urban areas inland.

AN: This'll do for a general overview, can get more into detail on technology, politics, etc later. Viewpoint character does a fine enough job handling BIG ARMY matters.

Beauregard had the bug-eyed gaze of a fanatic, blue-green eyes wide and unblinking as he peered off into the middle distance, always past those around him. The only time he'd ever looked at her directly was after they'd all gathered inside the Mark V when they'd first arrived; Beauregard had quickly glanced over her rank, name, and unit tabs before doing the same for everyone else.

Not a particularly expressive individual, even as he prattled on in his offbeat manner, speech unusual in its cadence and delivery, pistol erratically spinning in his gauntleted right hand. Talkative. Solid build beneath his armor, strong in the wiry way as was typical for an infantryman; a 3-mile run every morning with 80 pounds of kit does that to a man. Though his demeanor was somewhat disconcerting, he had almost immediately assisted her with the critically wounded, him and Reynauld.

She turned her attention to McDonald.

McDonald was eyeing her, dead-eyed and lazy. Fully out of his CA-2 now, the individual armored components floating around him, he was fiddling with the electronics in his helmet. They weren't in good condition, unlikely to be recoverable. There was a good-natured animosity between him and Beauregard, their earlier joke about his name seemed like one that had been running on a while. A little taller than her, very sturdily built. Soft-spoken and taciturn, he'd said few words since their prior misfortune; not even during the argument with the medic or immediately after they were ejected through the portal he did speak up.

Their unit patches proclaimed their occupational specialties as Cavalry Scouts, effectively Rangers without the SOF training or equipment, their exoskeletons and armaments the lightest the Army could get away with issuing them. Cavalry Scouts were not actually cavalrymen, haven't been actual cavalrymen for centuries, but the name persisted due to the influence of Old World American military traditions, enduring long after the Coalition States had reorganized their Armed Forces in Sol of 2162. Every occupational specialty tended to attract certain types of people and develop their own sub-cultures within organizational and regional commands. Cavalry Scouts tended to be more fatalistic, for good reason. Advance scouting was a lethal job description even for Psi-Operatives with capabilities like her own, and these men were significantly worse off in that department. Good luck trying to fight off Sabbat Knights or even lesser Day Demons with a fucking carbine.

She understood the rationale. Not everybody could have SAMASs or CA-3s due to the manufacturing costs, and it wouldn't even be a desirable tactical or strategic situation if they could. Even simple exoskeletons were pushing industrial output constraints, and the systems were deliberately kept simple to ease shielding from electronic disruption, something Sorcerers were quite fond of taking advantage of where they could. All vehicles and anything utilizing computers and radio signals were targets, and mass employment of RPAs and armor without the usual combined arms and Psychics backing them up would see rapid disruption and destruction by Sorcerers who could easily leverage their asymmetric strengths. This likewise prevented mass cybernetic augmentation, though again, simple things like eye and hearing protection were commonplace.

There'd been talk for years about employing cybernetic super soldiers, so called Full Conversion Cyborgs, their brain and heart encased in an armored compartment inside of a robotic shell with almost every other organ replaced with a mechanical equivalent. They'd be a terror on the battlefield against a conventional opponent and could operate man-sized or vehicular platforms easily once adapted to their frame. Again, the problem was that there was no widespread or reliable counter to Sorcerous disruption. Not even the best EM shielding could prevent at least partial disruption, and for an FCC that required sophisticated machinery to live, even a child could see the problems this situation would generate, even disregarding the costs.

It was really cool, though she wouldn't go for it herself. Much preferred keeping her bits attached, thank you.

And so, the Coalition Military turned to two separate fields of research to see what advantages could be leveraged where their pet Skelebot and FCC projects failed. At first, they turned to biology and genetics. Many advancements had been made in the fields since the Before the Coming, and in combination with modern medicine, almost all genetic disorders, illnesses and ailments have been eliminated from Coalition citizens. Special plants such as the Moringa tree from Southern Asia were utilized to fulfill the dietary needs of people, the plant of course famous for its use in malnutrition programs from Before the Coming, at least in the Orient. In the Occident, it was pretty much unheard of, but it existed. It provides incredible value as a plant, containing many nutrients, antioxidants, and its benefits in treating health disorders of all kinds cannot be understated. Further genetic engineering of the plant has made the "miracle tree," already a stable in all modern diets, that much more critical. Healthier diets and gene editing have enabled longer lifespans far in excess of 100 years of age, with the oldest individuals nearing 200 with care and biomechanical replacements.

Further modifications have improved various aspects such as the rapid muscle atrophy humans tend to suffer from, immunodeficiencies, greater digestive efficiency, improved cognitive capacity, and more. Naturally, all of the modifications improve the quality of life and capabilities of the Coalition Citizen, and further research went on at various centers throughout the country, most famously at the Lone Star Research Facility down in Texas.

However, the interplay with genetics and Psionics wasn't as clean and rosy. Several unsavory projects had their contents revealed by Criminal Investigation Command, pulling the plug on eugenics experiments involving Psychic Nullifiers, and a massive scandal embroiled the 1st​ Psi Battalion with the Judge Advocate General which saw several high ranking officers hanged as recently as 2194, along with others that she didn't know the details of. From the seeds of dark origin, however, there now existed an experimental program for Latent Psychics that volunteered to be subjected to a much more ethical process to awaken their Psionic potential. The idea of generating more Psychics in a controlled environment appealed and threatened normal people. They feared people like her, for good reason, and the idea of more and more Psychics entering society was something many would not countenance.

But the Chiefs of Staff needed a weapon, and Nullifiers seemed to be the answer. On the face of it, she couldn't disagree. Many of the issues with previous projects hinged on that critical failure point, the ease with which Sorcerers disrupted advanced computing and electronics. A Nullifier, one who'd volunteered for the process, could be assigned to any unit, any team, any mission, and serve as a reliable way to not only protect these assets, but also as a viable weapon against Sorcerers and other Psychics in their own right. They varied in strength, but mass employment and development of them seemed promising.

She didn't fear people, not truly. Perhaps that was arrogance, but she was more powerful than anyone she'd ever met, with the possible exception of the Archon that visited the Academy during her early years there. The idea that potentially anyone could become a Sorcerer with the power that the Crypt Knights displayed was certainly worthy of careful consideration. All the more reason why the Coalition's mission to secure the Rifts was so vital. Coalition Psychics were carefully monitored and guided towards responsible use of their capabilities, whatever they were, and yet a disheartening number of them chose to abuse their capabilities, especially regarding mental powers. Sorcery on a mass scale would undoubtedly magnify this tendency, and the sources couldn't even begin to be controlled until the Epicenters and Blue Zones were, as in St Louis, in Detroit, in Chicago. There were plenty of other things out there that were eviler than mankind.

"We will make it through this, I'll see to that," she finally interjected. She reviewed the conversation mentally, no, Beauregard hadn't said anything important. Too exhausted to really make an effort socializing, there was more important work to be done, and it seemed like the men had sorted things out themselves, with Savage gravitating towards the leadership role in the meantime. She'd put off speaking with him, promised to discuss the situation. Later.

"Of course, sister." Fairly familiar of the Cavalry Scout. She'd tolerate it. McDonald nodded. She nodded back at him. She had to finish the space home and get a food supply going, after which she would explore their surroundings. If there were any threats out here, they needed to be prepared. More useful metals would be nice as well.

She left then, floating through the belly hatch and out to the void beyond. Close it behind, release. The nebula was as beautiful as before, the orange backdrop mesmerizing. Float on, the soon to be space home awaits.

Certainly, the situation bore the mark of providence, given how well her capabilities were suited for survival in this environment. Her powers provided her a method of locomotion, the manipulation of various states and kinds of matter, the memory to make use of ideas and concepts from her education, intuitive technological prowess, and a suite of enhanced senses. Once the initial shock wore off, already plans were forming and developing, making use of what resources were available to leverage further advantages with her unique abilities. Tunneling into an asteroid? Laughably simple, and a prospective tactic for future combats. She would be an excellent sapper; any earthworks or fortifications would prove extremely susceptible to disruptions.

She tunneled a long, cylindrical corridor down through to the core of the asteroid. There she would place the APC and seal it off from the outside void. Beside it, she built chambers for the ice chunk. After she completed the structure, she floated through the empty hall of her new space bunker, darkness no obstacle to one who could feel through the very metal and minerals around, EM pulses providing a clearer view than anything her faulty eyes could see. Sleep continued to call as she approached the exterior. No reason to dally.

She guided the Mark V inside the newly tunneled asteroid, Telekinesis once again rendering the task simple. Once inside, she sealed the asteroid from the void and placed the APC within the small chamber, which she also sealed for safety. The asteroid would keep the other soldiers safe from solar radiation, so she could drop her EM shielding in good conscience. She deposited the ice and performed the same process as before, electrolytically separating hydrogen from oxygen and converting the oxygen into vapor. As before, she broke off smaller chunks to resupply as necessary.

Transit to and from the Mark V was going to be tricky without her management. Didn't want to depressurize the interior and lose a safe space for the soldiers. There was still plenty of scrap metal from the battle and material from the tunneling, could just build a second door and a mechanism to vent air before transit. She could even do the same for the asteroid itself. Set up an osmosis filter in a copper basin, have Savage build his own electrolysis machine. Would certainly keep him occupied and it was within his capabilities.

But no, she had another idea to occupy herself with first. She was going to become a plant.

Metaphorically.

Why did I have to clarify that to myself? She shrugged.

Plants. Photosynthesis. The processes they performed were inefficient and utilized various enzymes and chemical reactions with light to break down water and carbon dioxide into sugars through a fairly sophisticated oxidation-reduction process with many steps, many of which she would be bypassing because she only wanted a couple of materials as an end result. Around 4.4 volts of energy were necessary to kickstart the reaction, as well as water and various organics and elements that were each utilized to create the materials plants needed to maintain their cells and carry on various healthy processes. She would only need to recycle nitrates and sulfates from waste byproducts and what air they had to assemble carbohydrates and later, glucose. From there, she could work on creating further organic compounds, but this was a proof of concept.

Concerning waste byproducts and organics, there was a pretty solid supply to access later, in the form of human excrement. Additionally, the CA line of armored exoskeletons all utilized oxygen filtration systems reminiscent of those used in spacesuits Before the Coming; these all stored carbon dioxide and other components from the respirated air. Very handy to have.

The one downside of not using enzymes was that she would have to manually fiddle with the individual components electrically until she got the results she wanted. Fortunately, she could cheat with her near-perfect memory and electrokinetic precision. It was only a matter of trial and error, trying to finagle neutrons and electrons and mimic what plant enzymes do naturally.

A lot of trial and error.

Even still, she supposed the process shouldn't have been this easy. All Psychics possessed a certain intuition for how to utilize their capabilities. Hours later, she had her first passable result, a semi-liquid suspension of questionable texture, but it was on the right track. Further manipulation of the structure could transform it into more or less solid states. Truly, she would be an exceptional plant with further practice.

With that little confidence boost, she turned her attention to exploration. A lot of raw materials out in the asteroid belt she'd gone to before. Definitely should explore it more before making any decisions regarding relocation. Also, there was the question of alien presence. Hadn't spotted anything thus far, but a more thorough investigation would be prudent. This system could be inhabited by a space-faring civilization for all she knew. Hadn't detected any radio waves or anomalous electromagnetic radiation, but those were just things she could spot.

The idea that advanced civilizations would still be using forms of communication that humans could easily pick up on was fairly unlikely, but seeing as they were still stuck using radios after all that'd happened, it wasn't out of the question. Even if they were, it'd be simple enough to only send signals with the minimum amount of energy to reach their destinations, minimizing their footprint. Then there were entangled point-to-point communications, which she couldn't track at all.

That was before even considering the thought that perhaps all advanced space-faring civilizations were also magical ones, as some in academia were suggesting. So many issues circumvented with casual disregard for mundane constraints such as distance or time. She would see what could be seen in their little neighborhood and return promptly. Scout for materials, points of interest, and Guests.

I guess we're the Guests here. But if we want to leave after taking in the sights, does that make us Tourists? Not here willingly. Hmm. Refugees? Potentially Pilgrims if we got a colony going.

Now would be a good time for that door, actually. It wouldn't look pretty, something like spaced armor. Multi-layered sheets of iron in a boxy shape with gears and bolts to hold it together, an LED and a spare helmet to detect air pressure, a button wired through to the main control system to power it, some springs and a simple pulley to actually do the heavy lifting, some salvaged electronics from another spare helmet, and it'd basically be a shitty garage door. Plenty of raw metals around to fashion into components. Could only be opened from the inside. It wouldn't impede her since she could just activate it telekinetically.

The system would need a combination of rotary vane valves and water valves to create pressure differentials, connected to a third chamber which would contain the stored atmosphere. It wouldn't be a perfect system, some air would be lost every time Rear Exit 2 opened, but it would ensure the men won't be trapped inside in case of something happening to her. She could also set up an external system to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen to replenish the air supply automatically.

Surprisingly complicated things, airlocks. Very useful for making alcohol, too, she was told.

She got to work, some of the men watching her as she went about adding four new compartments to their temporary home. Ah, they hadn't realized the extent of her capabilities. All they knew was that she was a kinetic.

Perhaps Daberman knew. Probably a Minor Class Psychic himself, able to read auras and gauge individuals. The utility of such a skill varied. On the low end, one could tell emotional states by color. On the high end, one could see everything about a person by their aura. As one of her instructors had described, "It's like looking at a person and knowing their soul. A powerful thing, recruits." Daberman was probably on the medium to high end of that scale. Mentioned a curse. The curse in question probably wasn't some meta-analysis of her life circumstances and instead indicative that the Crypt Knight that had withstood her lightning was being more than just dramatic and edgy.

Her thoughts kept coming back to them, it seemed. To the battle. She couldn't have known what would happen, there wasn't enough information to go off. No one knew that Sorcerers of their caliber were even on the field at Monterrey. Why couldn't Booth see this was coming? He was a Clairvoyant, yet when she came to, he was lying in the muddy earth with a disgusting, toothy parasite eating through his helmet. He had a reputation for always knowing what was coming, but if the results were anything to go by, the Crypt Knights had completely blindsided them. They were attacked after Locals were hit by the strange illusion. Hard to tell what, exactly, had transpired in the time between her awakening and when they'd all first been struck.

She had to react quickly when she woke up with a gauntlet crushing her throat. The CA-3 was the most heavily armored infantry exoskeleton, and that included a composite bevor that could withstand several direct hits from a rifle before being compromised. The first Crypt Knight hadn't seemed that strong, and yet if she didn't possess her own unique capacity to withstand physical injury, that would have been her dead for sure. Surprise had worked in her favor in the moments afterward. Not a pleasant image, a man in a demon-skull mask gallivanting around bewitching her fellows and breaking windpipes.

There was so much she could have done better during that fight, but the benefit of hindsight laid bare all faults of the past. Should have been faster, should have waited for an opportune moment, should have bypassed the man fighting her and confirmed the kills, prevented them from recovering. What if she'd retreated? Regrouped with some of her fellow, more experienced Psi-Operatives. If she had linked up with the veterans, surely, they could have come up with something. On her own, she'd almost killed all of Crypt Knights. Almost. But there was no guarantee she could have found any of them. Comms were jammed, and the situation may have turned out differently if she'd returned later. They could have left by the time she came back with reinforcements.
She'd been assigned to where her talents would have been most useful for the operation. Didn't stop the nagging what-ifs, unfortunately. What if she had been stronger?

Blue on blue. Friendly fire. Innocuous terms that soldiers never liked hearing. She'd killed her own. Those were people just like the ones she'd known in Concordia. People with families, each the protagonists of their own narratives. People that left their mothers and fathers and spouses and children and would never be coming back because she had killed them. Not by intent. Did that make it better?

No. It actually made it worse. If it were intentional, she would have had some rationale for why it was necessary, some justification to lessen the blow. Sorry, I killed your son by mistake. Wouldn't go over well at all. And there'd be plenty more battles to come until her first 6 years were up.

She distracted herself with her work, as the works of metal quickly took on her desired form. In only 20 minutes, a functional airlock now provided an exit for the men to explore the inside of the space bunker. Perhaps she could even set up furniture and rooms for them. Find some suitable conductive material and hook up doors to the Mark V's reactor. Expand throughout.

"I'll return soon enough, off to explore our local geography," she informed the few men who'd gathered to watch her work, after she'd finished explaining the airlock mechanism. The soldier whose leg she'd amputated was awake. Drugged up heavily on painkillers, but conscious.

"Jesus, we got spaced," he exclaimed upon being informed of their present circumstances. "Are you fuckers serious?" "Funnily enough, not that long a story, brother, ya se-." The void of the hollowed asteroid cut off Beauregard's reply as she exited through the belly hatch, as was traditional. Traveling through the dark interior, she was more exhausted than she could ever remember being. Not even the SOF selection process had left her this fatigued, and pretty much everyone that could be sleep deprived, was, for the duration of that training. Shrugging off the fatigue, she broke off another chunk of water ice the size of her torso for resupply in-transit.

It was easy to drift into a meditative state, a compromise between wakefulness and rest, blind and hyper-aware all at once, trusting her subconscious to notify her of anything significant as she drifted to her destination.

Soaring, expanding awareness.

Soon enough, the belt appeared. Every asteroid interacted with EM fields differently depending on composition, responding to the impressive output of the system's red star. She came to, decelerating rapidly to avoid overshooting her destination. Still, her thoughts were slow. Proper rest appealed greatly.

She accelerated parallel to the outskirts of the field. In-depth analysis could wait for later. She could just "ping" everything within the belt and examine the contents in her memory as she continued to explore.

Many metals, no organics thus far. More ice. Idly, she looked for regular old salt. The likelihood of finding any salts was fairly low, as salts are evaporites, with the necessary formative conditions that entails, but she'd found plenty of water already, so it wasn't out of the question. As luck would have it, she quickly found that there were small amounts of various salts in some of the more massive asteroids, but no sodium chloride. Magnesium sulfate, or Epsom salt, was useful, though not what she was looking for. Plenty of sulfates, actually. Halogens were quite rare, differing between asteroid types. She'd come back to it.

Hours passed, and merely cataloguing where which resources were located got boring rapidly. Absolutely shocking. Nothing anomalous stood out, either. She hadn't detected any alien structures or signals, or any esoteric physics effects - supernatural bullshit - but that didn't mean there weren't any of those lurking about. Still, there was the possibility as well that this system was perfectly mundane, as it appeared more and more likely that it was normal space. Could be a parallel universe, though that was exceptionally difficult to check without suitable points of reference. It wasn't uncommon for people to pop up with no history or societal footprint claiming to be from countries that didn't exist, or worse, from ones that did exist. Sometimes, they would just disappear, circumstances contriving themselves to keep the instant of departure unobserved. Few records exist of this sort of thing happening since Before the Coming, but it was a surprisingly regular occurrence in the modern era. No proper estimates for frequency. There were worse fates, she supposed.

The orange, starry nebula was disgustingly beautiful, too, though the dust and EM radiation constantly bashing her shield made for quite the irritant. Wherever this was, it probably wasn't Sol, unless, indeed, they were in a parallel universe of some description that had diverged far in the distant past. Or potentially the future.

Hours of exploration satisfied her sense of duty. There was nothing hostile out here other than the environment. If there was a supernatural threat, it wasn't worth worrying about. No aliens, living or dead, which was somewhat reassuring. However, it would be pretty cliché to happen upon alien ruins older than human civilization. If there was actually an ancient alien base somewhere she'd kick herself for not finding it. Really, was the system completely uninhabited? Every sign so far signified such.

After one got over the whole shock of almost certain death followed by frantically working out a plan to save lives and survive, space was actually quite boring.



Voting time: This, by no means, is an exclusive list, just something to provide direction based upon what has been discussed thus far. PLANS PLEASE.

Exfiltration plans: Choose one of the following long term goals.
[][Exfiltration]Attempt to contract an Entity.
[][Exfiltration]Await rescue or another portal.
[][Exfiltration]Delay making a decision.
[][Exfiltration]Meditate on Matter and Energy. (Dimensional travel.)
Write-in: Something else.

Social plays: Choose two of the following.
[][Social]Attempt to establish someone as de facto leader.
-[]Yourself.
-[]Savage.
-[]Ranger Sergeant. (Predicated on the Ranger surviving.)

[][Social]Build rapport and reputation. (Bonus to group morale, relationships. Prerequisite unlocking 'Pool Occult knowledge' as a long-term exfiltration plan.)

[][Social]Discuss present circumstances with Savage. (Keep a promise, learn about other Psi-Operative's character and capabilities.)

[][Social]Fraternize with the men. (Get to know the others as individuals. Regain Mental Health Points.)

[][Social]Isolate yourself. (If chosen, precludes all Social actions. Regain Mental Health Points. Dice rolls for the group to sort itself out.)

Write-in. Something specific.

Miscellaneous: Pick however many with the understanding that longer tasks will become longer projects.
[][Misc]Ask/order someone to perform a task.
-[]Who?
-[]What?
Examples: Ask Savage to gather resources from the asteroid belt. Ask Daberman for further insight about the Curse which has afflicted you.

[][Misc]Break the Curse right now!
-[]How?

[][Misc]Build or tinker with a machine or device.
-[]What?
Example: Electrolysis machine to produce oxygen and sugars.

[][Misc]Encourage cell regeneration of the wounded through bio-electrical manipulation. (Requires Dorete to remain within the asteroid bunker.)

[][Misc]Expand internal quarters within your asteroid.
Examples: Individual rooms, shared quarters, storage silos, etc.

[][Misc]Personally gather resources from the asteroid belt.

[][Misc]Explore or survey part of the solar system.
Example: Explore for 48 hours with the goal of finding terrestrial planets. Survey a different part of the asteroid belt for 5 hours with the goal of finding organics.

[][Misc]Meditate on a subject.
Examples: Meditate on the Curse that has afflicted you. Meditate on artificial protein synthesis and how to further improve being a plant.

[][Misc]Sleep for 12 hours. (Regain Physical and Mental Health Points. Reveal unknown effect.)

Write-in.


AN: WE'RE BACK AGAIN, AGAIN. Rockeye updated, and so, naturally, I had to do the same. ^^
I am once again asking for your feedback and support. 07