Reaper of Rewards (Verus)

[MKR]

Sefer Septem Base, Io
After Insurrection Era, 0025
Sixth Day of the First Calendar Month

The group crossed collectively had a moment of silence, the clip looping again and again. "Okay..." Asami spoke up first for a change "You get a half-pass this time Dominic." She calmly said. The man in his fancy clothes once more gave her a smile and a nod, a half pass was a rarity from her given that everyone got scolded upon return. Something that had happened but a short while ago.

"So what now?" Darshan asked "Uh, what do we do with this?"

Alvis stood up and walked up to a terminal "Now, I suppose I'll do my job."

Dominic nodded "Yeah we'll see what the people on Ganymede have to say about all this, I got some ideas but well. They'll both be really happy and really unhappy I feel." Alvis paused besides the terminal, typing in information and sending a message.
"Alright boss, all you now."

The Red Peacock planted himself in the couch as the video repeating halted, Alvis controlling it was a remote device now.
"Hunter ID# 00-5939-Eta 7th Long Distance Defense Group, Sefer Septem."

A ding, acknowledgement. Now to wait for the line to be picked up. For the time being their display beamed with the information sent to the Dominion, a real eye catcher this one was.

"Sefer Septem"
"Information and Battle Report Pertaining Silent Guardian"​

It was a shame and a blessing Rose was in medical, the higher ups usually didn't like seeing a former Vulture again. The lack of Ismene was a shame though. They did like her, but leaving someone along in the med bay was not the best of ideas. Still even if some didn't show it, everyone present was always somewhat nervous when contacting the Dominion. A few wrong words could land a lot of trouble for them. But given the good news this time it was likely to be on the better end of things at least.

Regardless Darshan was fiddling with his thumbs and Asami had herself in her usual corner. Though that was nothing new.

 

[Fenrir367]

Garland Dominion Military Offensive Command
Ganymede

The Heart of the Garland Dominion’s military command and logistical network, the MOC was located but a few kilometers from Princip proper, and housed one of the largest military bases in the entire Jovian Sphere. Even in this time of unofficial peace, the hustle and bustle in the command center was never ending, every day a busy day.

“Commander Octavius, we have an incoming communications request from Io.”

A lieutenant came up to the supposed commander of the entire operation, who was currently sipping on a cup of piping hot coffee and reading something on a digital tablet.

“Oh? Has Caladrius finally raised the white flag?”

Without moving his head, Lauxio Octavius eyes shifted to the lieutenant, with the ever-so slightest grin on his face.

“No sir, it's from a group of MS Hunters.”

“...”

The grin seemingly dropped from his face.

“But they say they have ‘information and a battle report’ dealing with Caladrius though.”

The commander’s ears perked up and his head turned to the lieutenant. He leaned back into his chair and crossed one leg over another, setting his cup of coffee down on the table next to him.

“Hoh? This may be interesting yet. Forward the message to my tablet, and make sure it's on a secure line.”

“Yes sir.”

The data uplink connected to his tablet and the video popped up on the screen. From what he could see, it definitely was the Silent Guardian, looked like it anyways, but it was the ending that left the man the most confused. He placed his thumb and index finger to his chin and tilted his head as he repeated the video, once, twice. Tens of hundreds of situations and scenarios began flowing through his head as he tried to make sense of the video.

After several seconds, a lightbulb finally ‘dinged’ in his head and he snapped his fingers in a moment of enlightenment.

“So that’s how it is.”

He gave a brief chuckle and stood up from his chair.

“Commander, sir?”

The Lieutenant asked as the man stood up.

“Patch a video line with Sefer Septem to my office, we’ve stumbled on some quite interesting information.”

“R-Right away sir.

“And Lieutenant, secure line please.”

“R-Right!”

“And a new cup of coffee, 50ml of milk, no sugar.”

“Y-Yes sir.”

With his parting commands he walked leisurely to his office a couple of rooms away. Once there, he took a seat in his chair and turned on the holographic display of his computer terminal. Once the video feed went through, he greeted Sefer Septem with a smile on his face.

“So tell me, Mr. Peacock, how did it feel to fight and survive against a mere child?”

He spoke sarcastically, yet dryly.

 

[MKR]

As the group waited for the contact they at least got to see the message being picked up, Viernes crossed his arms and gave Darshan a pat on the back with a sympathetic look. They hadn't gotten to chat after the latter's little episode earlier quite yet but that would come. Asami in the meanwhile seemed to have all the damage dealt to their machines on her personal device, planning the repairs needed for them as they waited. Not too long after however the Commander appeared on their screen, Asami putting away her device for now as her focus went to it.

Dominic gave a smile before speaking up.
"Never in my life have I been so infuriated sir." He noted, "I was hoping to take on the real deal instead of its niece."
To anyone unskilled in people the smile might sound like something faked, but it was a genuine thing. The fury within his voice was also evident however as the the words carried weight to it, like speaking through gritted teeth.

He leaned forward, red hair falling forward as he did so. The pseudo-noble clothing he had draping forwards as his eyes went to the screen, a rising anger within like a pot bubbling, threatening to send boiling water out from it to anyone nearby. But still Dominic contained that, he was no stranger to bottling up these kinds of things and it was all the more energy to release in the rematch.

Darshan besides him could feel the energy in the room shift as Dominic spoke, it was far from the first time and he seemed to be the only one here who could read the room in such a way. Still he remained quiet, a glance shifting to the Peacock before going back to the screen.

"I only got half the bout I was aiming for, not the man but just the machine." He relaxed his muscles some, leaning back again. "My personal desires aside, I take it you enjoyed the footage I was able to secure?" A mostly rhetorical question "I doubt I even need to ask if you see the same windows of opportunity as I do currently." It wasn't his job, he didn't particularly care about what propaganda purpose they had for the feed. No, no he had another purpose in bringing it up. "Because my attention is on one in particular." The anger in his eyes was replaced by another kind of fire.

 

[Fenrir367]

Lauxio refrained from laughing at the red-headed man’s gripes, giving little but a smirk and a grin at him. He folded his hands in front of him and leaned back in his chair, listening to the man’s questions. He read the man’s body language and saw the anger the man held about the situation, to which Lauxio only saw as displeasing; though he made little effort to make his thoughts known; for now he simply listened.

“The footage was certainly… interesting, to say the least.”

He looked at the tablet once more scrolling through the video, stopping at the end, where the pilot could be seen.

“Many opportunities there may be, Mr. Peacock; but first, a question to you: Caladrius was an infamous pilot who partook in the Insurrection War 25 years ago. The girl in this video is doubtfully even an adult yet. As I'm sure you can do the math, the numbers don’t match up.”

He paused for a moment, before turning the tablet to the camera, showing the frame of the girl pilot in the suit.

“Why is there a child piloting the Silent Guardian? I’d like to hear your true thoughts.”

 

[MKR]

Dominic leaned back again, one arm going over the back of the sofa as he listened to the screen. The puzzle posed was the first one that the Peacock had thought about during his little trip back. A smirk came upon his lips.
"If it was a thief they would have signaled their intent or met up with someone to sell it to, so that's out of the picture. So I think there's only one option, we're dealing with a apprentice. Either that or Caladrius is dead and they needed to replace him in a rush. But that I think is much less likely, no what I expect is that the 'legacy' needed to live on and so they got him a pupil of his own."

A one shoulder shrug from the Peacock.
"Maybe age has gotten to Caladrius, maybe he's sick or even heavily wounded from some Praetorian super suit. Doesn't matter much in the end, what I expect is for him to somehow no longer be able to depart himself and somehow that gal became the inheritor to the Guardian. But that is in itself an issue, because I expect her to be hand picked by that infamous pilot."

He leaned forward, a spark in his eyes. The reason his prior fury was not released was this realization. A soft tremble of excitement.
"How long, Sir, do you think it will take for a pilot hand picked by Caladrius who we should assume is being trained by him personally unless we find his obituary... How long do you think it will take for her to reach his level. A decade? A few years? A month, maybe we just have the rest of this week before that child is as much a menace as the man who stopped hellfire."

His arms crossed as his eyes went to the man in the uniform's eyes.
"My personal estimation? 3 months to 6 months depending on how often she can be fielded and then she becomes what might as well be the same level of issue."

"And some random schmucks who think themselves the best we got this side of Io will just end up rushing her and giving her more combat experience if they have remotely the reaction that I, my peers and, from that stifled laugh, you had." Dominic grinned, a shark like grin of a predator knowing their prey, smelling blood in the water.

"You need someone you know can take that thing, and sir with all due respect. You've got one with video evidence. I got half a punch away from having the Guardian's skeleton be a welcome mat in a suit that was only a quarter as good as it at best." He leaned backwards, a confident smile on his face. "Imagine what I could do to it in a proper Mobile Suit." It was a bit bold to say the least, but the still frame both parties could see and all the video feed before it showed enough. The Gerbera was made for space, not for such a place and well. Sending a Gundam of that caliber packing back home to mommy told a tale and a half in itself.

 

[Fenrir367]

He listened to the mercenary’s thoughts, his ideas, nodding subtly along as he went on… and on… and on. He could see the man’s… intent and drive to take down the Silent Guardian. But for what reason was he so driven? Perhaps the answer was ever-so clearly written over his face, his words, his body.

Greed, Pride

The deadly sins and the structure of most MS Hunter groups out there. It seemed he was little more than a mere glory-seeker in the grand scheme of things. Such people disgusted Lauxio, a man who was founded on the principles of reason and logic. He made a frown as Dominic finished his words, perhaps the man’s true character being out on display for all to say with his last word.

“The man and the machine are the two parts that make the whole. Operation Skystorm was a failure only because of the fact that Caladrius was piloting the Silent Guardian. Were it any other pilot, or any other machine, who knows how much success there would’ve been, or rather, would it have the same morale effect as it does now?”

He continued where Dominic had left off.

“Of course the Silent Guardian is a symbol in itself, with or without the true Caladrius piloting it. Should word come out that a young child is piloting Silent Guardian, the multitude of things that could happen; confusion to say the least of things.”

He paused and grabbed a mug from a man off-screen, blowing gently three times on the piping hot top of the dark-brown liquid before taking a sip and giving a breath of satisfaction.

“What were you hoping to get out of sending me this information, Mr. Peacock?”

The man’s eyes narrowed as he now leaned into the ‘screen’.

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but you’re hardly the kind of man who cares about this whole vulture and MS hunter conflict. Frankly I feel like you couldn’t care less about what I do with this video, whether I decide to use it as propaganda or toss it as soon as you leave.”

He waved the tablet in his hand, as if acting to toss it away.

“With a lack of better words, you’re an animal, Dominic Kron. You’re little more than a predator seeking a worthy prey. Do you think you’ll find glory in defeating a baby bird who has yet to leave its nest?"

The man slowly leaned back into his chair again and took another sip of his coffee.

"What do you see the Silent Guardian as? Do you see it as a symbol of unity? Or do you simply see it as prey? Be honest with me."

 

[MKR]

Dominic gave a hearty laugh at the remark. The accusation, folding his hands together as the rest of the group watched the two men talk. The man's eyes went to the commander once more, looking upon him with, relative, calm.
"No, no I assure you you are quite right. I do not care about the conflict at large, I do not care about what you use the recording for. I have my expectations and guesses but frankly, I do not care."

He flexed the muscles in his fingers together and loose again as he looked to the commander, perhaps the man would see Dominic's 'official' tone as even worse.
"Your description of myself as a predator is apt, my goal here is unlike that of those around me. All of them fight for the Dominion's sake in their own way with two simply fighting for survival." A glance to Asami before he continued. The other members of Sefer Septem around him looked between one another at the man's words remaining silent for now.

"As for what the Silent Guardian is to me, it doesn't represent a symbol of unity of prey." He gave a short laugh "It is one of the beings standing on top of this food chain we made for ourselves, it represents the apex predator and so, it represents the position that I intend to claim." He stretched himself out slightly "To answer both of your questions with one answer, it represents why I followed the Dominion's incentive here to begin with. Claiming that top spot."

He smiled again, "In this ecosystem of MS hunters and Vultures I intend to claim top spot but for that, I need something more then what I have. So my intent with that video is simple. Its a resume, my desires are rather simple as you mentioned and no, I don't think that I think the baby bird is worth much glory. However, by killing the fledgling I can force out mama bird." A glint in the eye "And if he kills himself on me to kill me, great. If I kill him and live, better."

A small shrug again "The way I see it, in all but one situation this is a win-win for you. Either I succeed in my goal, commit iconoclasm and turn the Silent Guardian into shrapnel meaning that Caladrius himself has to come out of the woodworks in another Mobile Suit to take me down. At which point the trip either kills him as I expect or we kill one another at which point you will be rid of me."

His hands moved to his lap, crossing at the wrist "Or, if I don't die you effectively have strings on the new top dog in Io's atmosphere."

"Then there's the possibility of me and the girl killing one another, something I will deem as unlikely as you can see on the footage at which point Caladrius is still at large but no more Silent Guardian and the last option, I die and don't kill the Guardian that is the only scenario where you lose, but again I will refer to the footage."

The man crossed his arms more fully this time, "Hence my resume. I offer myself as solution to this problem all you need to do is send over a suit with strings attached." The man seemed uncaring about what kind of strings would be attached to such a deal. Now silently awaiting an answer.
Viernes silently crossed his arms, Darshan fiddling with his thumbs even more and Asami burying her face in the device she had prior. Intentionally requesting strings attached to a deal was quite something. They hadn't seen him this worked up ever before and it was quite something to see him as such.

 

[Fenrir367]

The man listened intently to Dominic once more as he made his points. His eyes were closed all the while as he nodded along. Perhaps it was as he expected. The man's words did little other than to reaffirm his suspicions. He was a fighter for the sake of being a fighter. He was a single-minded man, the simplest of their kind.

Once Dominic had finished his speech, Lauxio let out an extended breath and leaned over to his side, placing his cheek on his hand.

“Maybe you’re as good as you say, maybe you just got lucky. You could be the next Ace of Io, you could be but a one-shot wonder.”

He looked at his tablet again, with a rather bored look on his face, scrolling through the on screen items.

“With all that being said, as unfortunate as it is, Mr. Peacock, providing an entirely new mobile suit to some upstart MS Hunter group is not something I am capable of doing at this moment.”

His face had gone serious and his words became cold.

“That being said, the meritocracist within me would feel bad if I sent you away today with empty hands, so I shall arrange a package to be sent to your facility. You pilot an AGX-04, yes? Consider this the good will of the Dominion and encouragement to keep up the effort~”

He put on a blatantly fake smile and spoke in an upbeat, yet sarcastic tone.

“Well then, I’m quite the busy man so I shall be taking my leave. Perhaps we shall see each other again, perhaps not. Good luck hunting.”

As he finished speaking and turned off the video feed, he slouched back into his chair, with a scowl on his face.

It was far too early to end this war. As much as he hated relying on MS Hunters to do their work for them, it was beneficial in wiping out their kind as well. Frankly, Lauxio hated Vultures and MS Hunters alike. Their kind were too unpredictable, too selfish. All they cared for was themselves, and their own ambitions. So long as you gave a soldier a decent pay and a place to return to at the end of the day, they’d follow your orders to the beat. Even if you told them to die, they would do it, simply because it was their ‘duty’. Even if you laid a contract with 'strings attached', who's to say whether they'll stick to their word or not? Give a man enough power, make him believe he is powerful enough, he will begin to think things like 'rules' and 'laws' are beneath him. And it is those who are the most dangerous.

For that reason, this ‘war’ would serve his needs. Not until the last vulture and MS hunter remained, will it be time to close the curtains on this whole fiasco.

 

[MKR]

Dominic quietly listened to the man speak, and with the video feed closed a smile further crept on his face. Fake smiles, cold words and an uncaring attitude about their survival exactly as expected. He wondered how a man such as that saw his troops, as pawns to toss away or were the MS Hunters filling that role instead? He cared not, the attitude was clear enough. As that meeting could be very simply translated into layman's terms

'I only care about your observation of the situation, go ahead and die for my cause now'

Frankly his side was just as easy to translate 'Give me tools to kill Vultures'

But the utterly fantastic part is that he still got what he wanted, sure he wasn't bound to get the super prototype he'd been hoping for for the past five years but well, he didn't expect that. Aim for the stars and you're bound to hit something and what he hit, was sounding like a upgrade. And the best part, no strings attached.
He was a man with simple desires, but that didn't mean he was 'simple', he was willing to bet that if he'd asked for some extra supplies and an upgrade he would've been undercut. Resource preservation and what not.
Besides, he so absolutely loved to boast against the army's tough men show them what he could do that they couldn't.

"Are you done gloating now?" Viernes asked, giving Dominic a glance.

"I suppose so." The peacock gave one last glance to the video feed, smiling to himself. Now he had every excuse to wait until she had worked herself up to the level of Caladrius. Oh sure if they ran into another again he would still attempt the same thing as today, but there was no need to hunt her down. The Commander had shut down a win-win for himself and instead made it a win-win for Dominic.

This internal moment was cut short when Asami shoved a device in his gut, sending air out of his lungs. He peered down at it, ah the projected repairs... Ah.

He peered up towards the smaller girl standing in front of him.
"Right right, alright everybody time to get stuff in working order again. Oh and do keep a copy of that video around Alvis I feel like it may still come handy."

"Will do." The man noted.

"The rest of you, time to begin repair work."