Gunvolt (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shockingblue) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
daybreakacademy2019-12-16 04:07 pm
shockingblue) wrote in daybreakacademy2019-12-16 04:07 pm
Operation Azure - The Collision of Thunderstorms
Who: Gunvolt, Desidera, Vivi, Lia, Rex, Jailbreak, Ky Kiske
What: Putting a stop to Asimov and rescuing Monarch one last time.
When: December 16
Where: A mountainous region of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
Warnings: Fighting, violence, revenge, imprisonment of an AI, and foul language. Probably death too.
Briefing:
Gunvolt had taken the time to put together the materials he had, and procured one of the smaller rooms for it. Unlike Asimov, his briefing wasn't going to more professionally in depth, as he didn't have the time or resources to craft it. All he really has is a map of Germany, and a few printed out pictures taped to a whiteboard behind him. Normally this probably wouldn't be a job given to a student, but GV had insisted on being allowed to present this, seeing as he was the one who gathered the intel. And was the... well, former, now, QUILL agent. He pulled a mundane metal pointer out from behind the lectern and circled a location in the southwestern portion of Germany, in the mountains.
"So, what I got from my contact is that Asimov and a handful of QUILL agents from the German branch of our group have procured an old broadcast tower that's been mothballed for several years. Apparently, their activity there has spiked since Operation Icarus, with agents and small quantities of materiel being moved there every day since. It looks like Asimov is taking his time, probably not looking to draw too much attention to it until he's ready. My contact believes that he may be trying to reactivate the broadcast tower, though he didn't know why. I didn't tell him about Monarch's AI Core, though. The fewer people that know about her at this point, the better."
Frankly, he was sick and tired of people wanting to use her, so keeping her presence on the down-low off of campus was probably a good idea, unless Monarch herself wanted it. Either way, he then pointed to an old black and white photo of the broadcast tower, probably taken when it was still relatively new.
"But I don't think it takes a genius to figure out what he's up to. Most of you will probably remember that Monarch's AI Core has a limited broadcast range for her ability to detect Candles, and that Sumeragi are trying to keep that sort of thing quiet themselves. We at QUILL thought that Sumeragi didn't try to broadcast Monarch's sonar over long range because it could be detected by outside forces, including possibly mundane ones. It'd draw a lot of attention. ...But given how far off the deep end Asimov seems to have gone, I think he's all but stopped caring about that. Or maybe he's got some kind of explanation ready. Hell if I know right now. All I know is that he's probably going to use Monarch's sonar to locate every Candle within a few thousand miles of here. Given Asimov's goals, he'll probably try to indoctrinate as many of them as he can before Nightfall."
Gunvolt's expression darkened at the thought, though he did his best to keep that much hidden. Even just thinking about Asimov was angrying up his blood, and he had to keep it under control for the sake of the mission.
"Speaking of, he's one of our targets for this mission." GV pointed at a series of pictures taken of him while he was at Daybreak Academy. "You already know who he is, but I'm here to tell you what I know about him. Which, as it turns out... wasn't much." There's only a little bitterness in his voice as he says it. Just a little. "What I do know about how he fights is that he's a master-class marksman. He's the one who taught me how to shoot. He can shoot just about anything, from a pistol to an anti-materiel rifle and everything in between, and hit his target with ease. Honestly, he's so good, it's... almost scary. Remember when I mentioned that he shot out the leg of a Mantis tank with one shot? That wasn't an exaggeration.
Also, I found out the hard way that he's also a Candle. And apparently has been as long as I've known him. He never once told me about or used his powers in combat. The only thing I know he can do with his powers is channel some lightning. ...Looked a lot like what I can do. But I don't know how much he can really do. So we're going to be finding that out the hard way. Expect him to at least try to zap you. And if he's not zapping you, he'll probably shoot you.
His normal combat loadout is his personally modified anti-materiel rifle, which can fire normal rounds, as well as custom-tooled magical ones. I've only seen him use lightning rounds to disable machines and overload power grids from a distance, but I'm sure he's got more than just that. He's also at least got his personal revolver, which... it's chambered in .357 Magnum. It's no joke. Don't get shot by it. It hurts. A lot. And he probably has orichalcum bullets."
He grimaces as he says it, and while he tried to keep it in a sense of dark humor, it still rubs a mental wound that's still raw.
"There will also be at least a few QUILL field agents deployed with him. ...Most of them won't be a threat. Zeno and I were the top-tier agents beyond Asimov himself, and most of the regular guys are probably just there to work on the tower. They might try to stop us. Maybe. If they do, try not to kill them. I don't think they're anymore in the know about Asimov's true nature as I was. Just... try to disable them nonlethally. I'd rather not hurt anyone unnecessarily." ...Except Asimov. He wants to hurt him quite badly.
"Anyway... the most important thing is that we free Monarch again, and get her out of Asimov's hands. That takes priority over everything else. Free Monarch so Asimov can't use her, and then we can deal with him at any time." That's the plan, anyway. But... Gunvolt knows very well there's probably no way to get to Monarch without going through Asimov. "We're moving out as soon as all of you are ready. Let's get this over with."
Arrival
Touchdown near the broadcast tower was actually fairly easy, thanks to one of the stealthier Rune Wings in Daybreak's employ. Though it wouldn't be a surprise attack, as it happened. Even if Gunvolt was one of QUILL's best agents, that didn't mean the rest of them were stupid either. Once the team got close, a few of the QUILL agents would approach them, weapons out but not raised, and motioning them to halt. ...Most of these people looked like kids. Except the shifty looking woman in the gas mask, which brought a lot of curiosity.
The lead of the three agents stepped forward and spoke in German. "Excuse me. This is a restricted area. We're going to have to ask you to leave."
"Stand aside, Hartmut." Gunvolt replied, stepping forward out of the group. All three of the guards turned white as a sheet, all of the blood rushing from their faces at once. They looked like they just saw a ghost. "...I've got an appointment with Asimov. Right now."
"GV?! You're alive?! My God, we all thought you were dead! Asimov said you were killed in action by a Glaive Soldier!"
"Yeah, well. I'm in front of you, aren't I?"
"Aw, man! Asimov's going to be thrilled to see you okay. He's been out of sorts since Operation Icarus. We figured it was because he was taking what happened really hard. ...To say nothing of Moniqa and Zeno. Moniqa's been putting on a tough face, but we know she's not been doing well. And Zeno? Man, I don't think I've ever seen him so serious. Do they know you're okay yet?"
"No. I'll tell them once I'm done with the boss."
"GV... are... are you okay? You seem pretty upset. You've usually been reserved, but not this short. ...What even happened to you, anyway?"
"...It's a long story. I'll tell you later. For now, I need to see Asimov. Take me to him."
The agent looked between the two others and nodded, an actual sense of relief building between them. They legitimately seemed relieved to have their comrade back, alive and well. "Yeah, sure. Come on, you and your friends are welcome to see him. Man, he's going to be psyched that you're alive. I really can't wait to see his face."
"Yeah. Me too." Gunvolt did his best to conceal the bitterness and anger in his chest in that statement, but the sentiment was genuine; just not in the way Hartmut had intended it. Either way, the three soldiers led the group past a couple of more agents who quickly folded into the group once they saw Gunvolt was alive and well. They too, wanted to see Asimov's reaction.
Asimov, for his part, was standing in a paved area just outside the broadcast tower; there looked like a large console had been hauled in, with several, long thick wires running from it to the base of the broadcast tower. At the moment, it looked like Asimov was speaking to someone over the console on a video call, a small hologram broadcast in front of him. On the call were a young man and young woman, both wearing QUILL uniforms.
"Yes, the operation is almost complete. Looking forward to it being finished. If it works, it will give us better communications coverage. I know you've been looking forward to that, Moniqa."
"...Yeah."
"Boss! Boss! I know you're on a call and all, but we've got a surprise for you! You gotta see this! It's GV! He's alive!"
Both figures on the hologram practically jump out of their seats in shock when they overhear Hartmut talking. "What?!"
"...Hartmut, April Fools' Day isn't for another four months, and it still wouldn't be funny." Asimov bitterly replied, without turning around.
"I'm serious boss, look!" The agent motioned to Gunvolt, and his group of friends.
"...You greatly exaggerated the rumors of my death, Boss."
"Oi, GV! Wha--"
"...I'll call you both back." Asimov unceremoniously hung up on Zeno and Moniqa, and glanced back over his shoulder at Gunvolt, as well as the crew he brought with him. And his other agents. "...What sorcery is this, GV?"
The QUILL guards all looked instantly confused by Asimov's reaction; they surely hadn't expected him to sound so... cold. So... hostile. What was even going on here? Hartmut, for his part, could feel the hairs standing up on the back of his neck.
"Boss... uh... what's. What's going on here?"
"Detain them. Now."
"Boss? Why...?"
"What's the matter, Asimov? You not going to tell them how you shot me, left me for dead, and took Monarch for yourself? Or are you just gonna keep up this horsejitt forever?"
Asimov turned around fully to stare down at Gunvolt, his expression hardened, his body tightened and tense. The five QUILL soldiers all looked agog at the accusation Gunvolt just leveled against Asimov... and more to the point, that Asimov didn't immediately deny it, but instead, kept silent for a number of unpleasant, heavy seconds.
"Well?!"
What: Putting a stop to Asimov and rescuing Monarch one last time.
When: December 16
Where: A mountainous region of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
Warnings: Fighting, violence, revenge, imprisonment of an AI, and foul language. Probably death too.
Briefing:
Gunvolt had taken the time to put together the materials he had, and procured one of the smaller rooms for it. Unlike Asimov, his briefing wasn't going to more professionally in depth, as he didn't have the time or resources to craft it. All he really has is a map of Germany, and a few printed out pictures taped to a whiteboard behind him. Normally this probably wouldn't be a job given to a student, but GV had insisted on being allowed to present this, seeing as he was the one who gathered the intel. And was the... well, former, now, QUILL agent. He pulled a mundane metal pointer out from behind the lectern and circled a location in the southwestern portion of Germany, in the mountains.
"So, what I got from my contact is that Asimov and a handful of QUILL agents from the German branch of our group have procured an old broadcast tower that's been mothballed for several years. Apparently, their activity there has spiked since Operation Icarus, with agents and small quantities of materiel being moved there every day since. It looks like Asimov is taking his time, probably not looking to draw too much attention to it until he's ready. My contact believes that he may be trying to reactivate the broadcast tower, though he didn't know why. I didn't tell him about Monarch's AI Core, though. The fewer people that know about her at this point, the better."
Frankly, he was sick and tired of people wanting to use her, so keeping her presence on the down-low off of campus was probably a good idea, unless Monarch herself wanted it. Either way, he then pointed to an old black and white photo of the broadcast tower, probably taken when it was still relatively new.
"But I don't think it takes a genius to figure out what he's up to. Most of you will probably remember that Monarch's AI Core has a limited broadcast range for her ability to detect Candles, and that Sumeragi are trying to keep that sort of thing quiet themselves. We at QUILL thought that Sumeragi didn't try to broadcast Monarch's sonar over long range because it could be detected by outside forces, including possibly mundane ones. It'd draw a lot of attention. ...But given how far off the deep end Asimov seems to have gone, I think he's all but stopped caring about that. Or maybe he's got some kind of explanation ready. Hell if I know right now. All I know is that he's probably going to use Monarch's sonar to locate every Candle within a few thousand miles of here. Given Asimov's goals, he'll probably try to indoctrinate as many of them as he can before Nightfall."
Gunvolt's expression darkened at the thought, though he did his best to keep that much hidden. Even just thinking about Asimov was angrying up his blood, and he had to keep it under control for the sake of the mission.
"Speaking of, he's one of our targets for this mission." GV pointed at a series of pictures taken of him while he was at Daybreak Academy. "You already know who he is, but I'm here to tell you what I know about him. Which, as it turns out... wasn't much." There's only a little bitterness in his voice as he says it. Just a little. "What I do know about how he fights is that he's a master-class marksman. He's the one who taught me how to shoot. He can shoot just about anything, from a pistol to an anti-materiel rifle and everything in between, and hit his target with ease. Honestly, he's so good, it's... almost scary. Remember when I mentioned that he shot out the leg of a Mantis tank with one shot? That wasn't an exaggeration.
Also, I found out the hard way that he's also a Candle. And apparently has been as long as I've known him. He never once told me about or used his powers in combat. The only thing I know he can do with his powers is channel some lightning. ...Looked a lot like what I can do. But I don't know how much he can really do. So we're going to be finding that out the hard way. Expect him to at least try to zap you. And if he's not zapping you, he'll probably shoot you.
His normal combat loadout is his personally modified anti-materiel rifle, which can fire normal rounds, as well as custom-tooled magical ones. I've only seen him use lightning rounds to disable machines and overload power grids from a distance, but I'm sure he's got more than just that. He's also at least got his personal revolver, which... it's chambered in .357 Magnum. It's no joke. Don't get shot by it. It hurts. A lot. And he probably has orichalcum bullets."
He grimaces as he says it, and while he tried to keep it in a sense of dark humor, it still rubs a mental wound that's still raw.
"There will also be at least a few QUILL field agents deployed with him. ...Most of them won't be a threat. Zeno and I were the top-tier agents beyond Asimov himself, and most of the regular guys are probably just there to work on the tower. They might try to stop us. Maybe. If they do, try not to kill them. I don't think they're anymore in the know about Asimov's true nature as I was. Just... try to disable them nonlethally. I'd rather not hurt anyone unnecessarily." ...Except Asimov. He wants to hurt him quite badly.
"Anyway... the most important thing is that we free Monarch again, and get her out of Asimov's hands. That takes priority over everything else. Free Monarch so Asimov can't use her, and then we can deal with him at any time." That's the plan, anyway. But... Gunvolt knows very well there's probably no way to get to Monarch without going through Asimov. "We're moving out as soon as all of you are ready. Let's get this over with."
Arrival
Touchdown near the broadcast tower was actually fairly easy, thanks to one of the stealthier Rune Wings in Daybreak's employ. Though it wouldn't be a surprise attack, as it happened. Even if Gunvolt was one of QUILL's best agents, that didn't mean the rest of them were stupid either. Once the team got close, a few of the QUILL agents would approach them, weapons out but not raised, and motioning them to halt. ...Most of these people looked like kids. Except the shifty looking woman in the gas mask, which brought a lot of curiosity.
The lead of the three agents stepped forward and spoke in German. "Excuse me. This is a restricted area. We're going to have to ask you to leave."
"Stand aside, Hartmut." Gunvolt replied, stepping forward out of the group. All three of the guards turned white as a sheet, all of the blood rushing from their faces at once. They looked like they just saw a ghost. "...I've got an appointment with Asimov. Right now."
"GV?! You're alive?! My God, we all thought you were dead! Asimov said you were killed in action by a Glaive Soldier!"
"Yeah, well. I'm in front of you, aren't I?"
"Aw, man! Asimov's going to be thrilled to see you okay. He's been out of sorts since Operation Icarus. We figured it was because he was taking what happened really hard. ...To say nothing of Moniqa and Zeno. Moniqa's been putting on a tough face, but we know she's not been doing well. And Zeno? Man, I don't think I've ever seen him so serious. Do they know you're okay yet?"
"No. I'll tell them once I'm done with the boss."
"GV... are... are you okay? You seem pretty upset. You've usually been reserved, but not this short. ...What even happened to you, anyway?"
"...It's a long story. I'll tell you later. For now, I need to see Asimov. Take me to him."
The agent looked between the two others and nodded, an actual sense of relief building between them. They legitimately seemed relieved to have their comrade back, alive and well. "Yeah, sure. Come on, you and your friends are welcome to see him. Man, he's going to be psyched that you're alive. I really can't wait to see his face."
"Yeah. Me too." Gunvolt did his best to conceal the bitterness and anger in his chest in that statement, but the sentiment was genuine; just not in the way Hartmut had intended it. Either way, the three soldiers led the group past a couple of more agents who quickly folded into the group once they saw Gunvolt was alive and well. They too, wanted to see Asimov's reaction.
Asimov, for his part, was standing in a paved area just outside the broadcast tower; there looked like a large console had been hauled in, with several, long thick wires running from it to the base of the broadcast tower. At the moment, it looked like Asimov was speaking to someone over the console on a video call, a small hologram broadcast in front of him. On the call were a young man and young woman, both wearing QUILL uniforms.
"Yes, the operation is almost complete. Looking forward to it being finished. If it works, it will give us better communications coverage. I know you've been looking forward to that, Moniqa."
"...Yeah."
"Boss! Boss! I know you're on a call and all, but we've got a surprise for you! You gotta see this! It's GV! He's alive!"
Both figures on the hologram practically jump out of their seats in shock when they overhear Hartmut talking. "What?!"
"...Hartmut, April Fools' Day isn't for another four months, and it still wouldn't be funny." Asimov bitterly replied, without turning around.
"I'm serious boss, look!" The agent motioned to Gunvolt, and his group of friends.
"...You greatly exaggerated the rumors of my death, Boss."
"Oi, GV! Wha--"
"...I'll call you both back." Asimov unceremoniously hung up on Zeno and Moniqa, and glanced back over his shoulder at Gunvolt, as well as the crew he brought with him. And his other agents. "...What sorcery is this, GV?"
The QUILL guards all looked instantly confused by Asimov's reaction; they surely hadn't expected him to sound so... cold. So... hostile. What was even going on here? Hartmut, for his part, could feel the hairs standing up on the back of his neck.
"Boss... uh... what's. What's going on here?"
"Detain them. Now."
"Boss? Why...?"
"What's the matter, Asimov? You not going to tell them how you shot me, left me for dead, and took Monarch for yourself? Or are you just gonna keep up this horsejitt forever?"
Asimov turned around fully to stare down at Gunvolt, his expression hardened, his body tightened and tense. The five QUILL soldiers all looked agog at the accusation Gunvolt just leveled against Asimov... and more to the point, that Asimov didn't immediately deny it, but instead, kept silent for a number of unpleasant, heavy seconds.
"Well?!"