They Who Shall Deliver (Open)

[ShadowVigilante1]

December 27, 2880 AD
Taiwan, Arzenal

“So… this is where it ends.”

James Carter sat on his cell bed with his feet tucked in as he spoke to himself. Just when he thought he could get away with his crimes they come crawling right back towards him. They just had to put a bounty on him for leaving the gang, he didn’t even stand a chance against those Lynxs considering he had no Mobile Weapon of his own to fend them off. She never truly liked him at all, she was just leeching off what was left of him, BAHRAM took the rest. Now he just lies here, an empty useless husk sitting in the proverbial trash can of human society. He would sigh as he lied down on his bed. At this point he’d welcome death, it was better than this for sure.

He soon closed his eyes and heard a loud splash outside. He really payed it no mind as people outside his cell began to panic slightly. But he didn’t mind it at all, he had nothing left to lose after all. But then there was silence, and even more silence. Clearly this was going nowhere.

”What even happened back there?”

He soon got up from bed and went close to the door and looked outside his cell, the light from outside better showing the dragon tattoo place on his forearm. Currently he was only wearing a tank top, and usually on top would be a coat of some sort but right now he preferred to rest with a little less heavy clothing on.

”Hey, Warden? Anyone there?”

 

[RagnaMail]

"High Overseer actually, Mister Carter." When he'd looked to one side he'd missed the woman's arrival on the floor his cell was on. The other prisoners seemed to instinctively quiet themselves as the shiny black high heels went clack over and over with every step against the concrete floor of the level's landing. This woman was almost palpable in radiating an aura of superiority and James' attention shifting to her announced approach would see that two nondescript but burly men in distinct and matching two-piece uniforms were about three steps behind her. Those two were armed with wicked-looking batons at their belt though they looked like they probably wouldn't need them if anyone caused trouble.



The long-haired brunette ran her amber eyes over the man from over the rim of her tinted glasses as she stopped and squared up at his cell. The woman was in a slightly upscale version of 'office lady' attire and James would note she carried a bundle of shrink-wrapped clothes under her left arm casually. The guards affected an air of feigned boredom but anyone could see they were ready to leap to her defense in less than a heartbeat. She gave him a glossy-lipped smile as she apparently liked what she saw in the new prisoner.

"My name is Risa Halligan, and I am the High Overseer here at Arzenal. That means that despite whatever deity or higher power you may have faith or knowledge of; I am in effect your new goddess. In this prison my word is divine law. But we have time for that to sink in later. It would be rude of me not to welcome you properly, James Carter. I even brought you a change of clothes, since your current attire has clearly seen better days... And I strongly advise for the future you keep that dragon tattoo covered. The creatures aren't exactly respected in these parts."

She stepped forward the two steps she needed to, and set the shrink-wrapped clothes on the lip of the small opening in the cell door that let things of such size in. With a casual backhanded flick the package slid forward and into the cell as she retreated a single step; having never come into range of any solid attempt to grab her. Her arms crossed in a relaxed manner beneath her bosom as she watched him, face curled into the gentle smile of someone who would be amused at any display of defiance in a place where she held sway.

"If you'd be so kind as to change into your new outfit, we can finish your processing and you can be on your way into Arzenal proper."

The clothing was scant; covering the essentials but being vaguely embarrassing to wear in public. As James would unpack and inspect what there was of the fabrics and boots, he would no doubt recall that the vast majority of people he saw that weren't dressed like the guards were dressed in outfits like this. The men had on daisy duke-style shorts and the women varied between that and miniskirts at some sort of personal preference. Unusual for a prison uniform, but Arzenal wasn't a normal prison...

Spoiler: This, but daisy dukes instead of a miniskirt

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

He grumbled slightly as he heard her speak. Just like his ex, but could he even call that woman his ex? Either way, he didn’t quite like how he was being spoken to. But considering her armed guards he decided to remain silent as he caught the shrink wrapped clothing and moved away from the door to change.

Couldn’t they at least make a different uniform for the men? The short shorts seemed a bit too much, this was practically cross dressing. If they wanted to prevent smuggling, they probably should have put scanners for contraband around the place instead. Well, dying slowly to those batons would be bad, he’d rather just have it done immediately in one strike. He would soon finish changing, finding the stockings a bit hard to wear but soon got them on and moved back towards the door.

”So do I have to wear this all the time, or can I remove parts of it when I’m in my cell?” He said as he waited for the door to be opened.

 

[RagnaMail]

A bit of polite laughter accompanied his question about the uniform as she waved gently to one of the guards. A murmured statement and equally quiet reply accompanied the cell door sliding to the side on whisper-quiet tracks. The same hand gently beckoned him to step forward as she took another step back with a toothy pearl-white smile.

"To be fair Mister Carter, there are really only a handful of rules about life here in Arzenal. One is that the Overseers are to be obeyed at all costs. The second is that this is the standard uniform of prisoners, but once you're amongst the general populace you're free to acquire whatever clothing you see fit. The only exception to this is if you're in any area designated as a restricted zone. Those would be the docks, Paramail hangars, and anywhere else that would give you any reasonable opportunity to interact with non-prisoners passing through."

Her head turned this way and that as she scanned the ranks of those yet to be processed for release into Arzenal proper. They were all quiet as if they understood interrupting her would be a bad idea. The guards still looked unimpressed to James whenever he decided to exit the cell. Getting closer to her if he wanted, she was one of those women who was of average height but was pretty leggy. What he'd immediately catch onto was her air of supreme confidence in the presence of an unrestrained prisoner. It'd probably raise his hackles a little if he had any sense of self-preservation.

"The third rule is that escape attempts are an automatic death sentence. You would be dragged back to Arzenal and your execution by being beaten to death will be publically broadcast to the entire island as mandatory viewing. A bit brutally draconian but one must take into account the fact that most of the people here have earned their sentence and are mostly the scum of society. Violence is a universal language, however; and being fluent in it has kept everyone in a suitable status quo."

Her smile widened as she gave him a very appraising look up and down the way a 'thirsty' woman would but she clearly restrained herself. "The design of the uniform is intentionally revealing. Makes it harder to smuggle things and thus any searches by the Overseers goes much faster and smoother. And it doesn't hurt that some people are such lovely eye-candy in it. Let us walk and talk, Mister Carter. There are actually opportunities for a man of your talents, if you would care to listen to some alternatives to simply being a drop in the ocean." As she said that, she turned back towards the guards and made for the staircase she'd entered from. It was clear to what james remembered of the place that she was heading back towards the initial processing area from when he'd first arrived.

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“Well, you’ll find me being a law abiding citizen then. Or I guess inmate in this case. Can’t do much without a computer screen in front of me. I wouldn’t want to be put on a death parade either, if I’m going to die I’d rather it be quick and painless. I’m worthless as I am anyways.” He said as he stepped out of his cell and keeping a safe distance from both the guards and the Overseer, making sure to stay between them as not to arouse and false alarms. “But that’s good to know, I’d rather not have this thing on all the time. The jacket is pretty nice though.”

He would begin to follow her as she began to make her way through the cells. He would notice how she was scanning everything and even gave him a slight hint of a lustful look. She was definitely like his ex, which was very bad if he keeps getting regular visits from her. He would jump a little as he got the look, but managed to recompose himself very quickly. His ears would perk up however at the mention of opportunities. He wondered what exactly is was, but soon realized it very likely had something to do with that crashing noise outside as they made their way back out from where he entered. He simply let her lead on and decided not to make any further unnecessary comments.

 

[RagnaMail]

As they walked and he responded, Risa gave an illustrative wave as they finally made it to the intake area of the decent-sized cell block. Instead of the entrance he's come through however, the procession was led out the far door. James' internal sense of direction would easily tell this was further into the island's landmass and away from the ocean. The double doors ahead of her swung open with no apparent means of opening. Whether through some sort of unseen force or a bit of theatrics from someone in a control booth with a flair for the dramatic it meant little in context.

"I've always found the intake area to be a stuffy affair. The rest of Arzenal is quite nicer; a surprise given the fact most of the residents are convicts. But that's the charm of our little dollop of land here!" She laughed a little at her own joke and walked for a few moments more before she stopped at the water's edge. James would find himself a little past midway down the massive concrete dock that housed the intake facility, replete with landing pads and ship mooring points back towards the cold ocean. Risa turned around from her point on the dock and fixed James with a bemused look.

"I take it that this is your friend," she said as she hooked a thumb over her shoulder at the machine behind her. It was half-submerged in the ocean spray and was secured with several strong mooring cables so that it was effectively leaning onto the very edge of the dock like a drowning man having draped himself over a bit of sturdy driftwood.

The second thing James would notice was that the area was pretty thick with people in the same uniform as the two guards: the same base outfit was there, but some had engineering vests and some had man-portable anti-mecha rocket launchers at regular intervals all ready to be aimed at the machine in question. There were also a good number of his fellow prisoners moving about taking orders here and there and some even setting up a heavy crane to lift the beast out of the water and onto a waiting massive flatbed truck.

"You'll understand that I can't allow you too close to it just yet. Security concerns, you see." Risa didn't even glance back at the work even as she was loomed over. "But this shows a measure of dedication and skill that your reported machine decided to follow you here of seemingly it's own accord. I've had some preliminary scans done and am quite interested in what this thing can do. But you're going to have to earn the right to go back into this cockpit. If you want to do so. Were you to decide that you've had enough of it I'm sure command codes can be reauthorized or some such to make it usable for someone else. But that's future talk."

She crossed her arms gently under her bosom again as she observed his reaction further. "For now, I think we can just stick this in one of our hangars until you get more comfortable with your new reality. No wild rush, right?"

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

He would tilt his head as he saw the piece of machinery in front of him. He was frankly confused. Did these people even read the news? He clearly stated in his interrogation that he was piloting the Tempest during the attack on the L1 Colony, not a C-Type Orbital Frame like this. But what sat on his mind was ‘Where did this thing come from?’ It was… pink, certainly not a color he would have chosen for his personal machine. It wasn‘t based of the Neith design so it’s no commander unit, so what was it?

”I hate to break it to you but I literally have no clue what this Orbital Frame is. The one I piloted was big and clunky, fought more like an Arms Fort if anything. This… This is completely different. It’s a C-Type, the kind most of the higher ups have taken to using. Fast, agile, self-regeneration, packs a heavy punch for anyone dumb enough to go up against one up these.”

He inspected it curiously like a kid at a toy store. It came for him? It was flattering but how does that make any sense? Most manned Orbital Frames only have a basic battle AI, nothing complex enough for full autonomy.

”That’s not to say I’m wholly unfamiliar with how these things work. I’m just saying this wasn’t mine. I’ll understand if you don’t believe me but, you probably should.”

To be honest he wanted to see what exactly made these things tick but of course given he’s in a prison, he’ll have to wait for that chance.

”So what exactly do I have to do to earn that trust?” He said with a look of confidence on his face as he crossed his arms, his gaze still looking curiously at the pink Orbital Frame, which seemingly had a name engraved directly onto the head unit. It simply read ”Dolores”.

 

[RagnaMail]

"Hmm... Curious. We think it came here for you because it showed up a short time after you arrived, and you're the only person currently here at Arzenal that is linked to these 'Orbital Frames'. Others of your erstwhile compatriots are either at large or took the coward's way out," Risa said as she mimed a gun going off against her temple with her right hand as index and middle finger served as the barrel with a crooked thumb serving as a hammer. She turned back towards the "Dolores" to get a more critical look at it as the workers began securing it for hoisting. She let his question linger for a few more moments before turning back to face him with that relaxed but straight-backed stance that proudly displayed her figure to any who would dare look. It seemed to be her natural stance if James had any real take on the whole thing.

"As to what you can do to earn the trust needed to perhaps acquaint yourself with this 'C-Type', there are a number of options. You clearly know your way at least basically around giant robots and that is a valuable skill here. You can serve as an instructor; sharing your knowledge of what you've encountered in whatever career you've had before you got caught. There is the rare occasion where Arzenal's military might is called on for more human-based problems, and knowing is half the battle. There is the choice of becoming a ParaMail pilot. You will be assigned to one of Arzenal's distinctive and adorable little machines, given over to one of our various squads, and will sortie into combat against the DRAGON and possibly as part of containment operations against the BETA's occasional swarms. Admittedly a high-risk proposition but not only will you earn steady pay to use as you wish on equipment and whatever expenses you feel like, there is also the aspect that the prisoners have great respect for pilots."

Risa's smile never wavered, and she waved towards the greater landmass of the former Taiwan with a broad stroke of her right hand. "All of Arzenal is under an agreement: defeat the DRAGON and drive the BETA to extinction here on Earth and everyone currently a prisoner as of the moment the last body hits the blood-soaked dirt gets an immediate and full pardon. That's why the prisoners respect pilots, you see!" A sly wink greeted James as she continued her spiel; clearly mostly prewritten but with a little bit of improv to spice up the delivery. SHe was clearly interested in a man who was already a proven pilot. "Your third option is to join the Hounds of Arzenal. I would caution you about this option, though. They have a bit of a bad reputation.. They're considered the snitches of the prison, but for their pariah status they're granted far greater leeway in their special section of Arzenal. They can be deployed outside Arzenal for lengthy periods hunting down any escapees that make it past security or abandon the fight with one of our ParaMails. They live very well, but they do have the teensy little stipulation of having to wear an explosive collar the Hound's leader can detonate if they try to go AWOL themselves. Security concerns once more rearing their ugly heads, I'm afraid."

She returned her right arm to join the left in lightly crossing her torso in a restful manner. The sales pitch was clearly over, but she wasn't quite done speaking yet. "You don't have to decide on the spot, of course! Take some time; wander around! Talk with your fellow prisoners and decide your own path. If you choose to just quietly serve your time I completely understand. It's a harsh world out there, and sometimes it just wears on a person; makes them choose bad things. No pressure!"

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“Well… some of them have almost dedicated themselves to BAHRAM that it might as well be their religion. Not that it’s a bad thing to be dedicated.” He mused as he looked at the Orbital Frame. The colors and the lack of armor made it almost seem… dainty in a way. Almost like a toy doll.

He quickly turned his head towards Risa as she began to explain to him how he could make himself useful. As she finished, he gave himself a moment of pause as he closed his eyes to think. There weren’t many options where his expertise could be used. Frankly even as a Coordinator, he has the reflexes of a snail. So piloting one of those ParaMails was out of the question. Becoming someone knowledgeable on BAHRAM however was more plausible a job for him, but considering how he’s literally undertaken only a single real operation before jumping off the ship it was not going to get him far. Best he could do is provide advice on how to handle BAHRAM’s AI operated machines, but with more and more people joining BAHRAM, he felt that manned Orbital Frames would start becoming more prominent.

“Well… for now I feel like I could-“
————————————-—————————————————————————————————————————————
Before he could speak any further, a synthesized yawn came from the Orbital Frame. The green parts of its body slowly began to glow brightly as the Frame slowly craned its head up and looked around. “Hmmm? Is this… Earth?”

James quickly turned his head towards the now moving Orbital Frame. “Did it just… speak?”

The Frame’s head would begin to take in its surroundings, surveying the place it had found itself in. “Let’s see… ocean, check. Blue sky, check. Tons of people, check! Hmmm… I’m still missing a few things.” Given the massive size difference the robot had compared to the people pulling it, it easily began to sit up and pulled along some of the prisoners who were attempting to pull it onto a platform to be lifted. They would likely be dangling on their ropes as the Orbital Frame stretched it’s arms as if it has muscles to relieve tension in, followed by a groan from the voice of the Frame.

It gazed at the people surrounding it and looked towards where Risa and James were standing. The antennae on its head wiggled as it inspected them curiously, immediately knowing both of them had some measure of importance in terms of it’s current situation.



“Excuse me, miss! Would there happen to be any trees, fishies, and space cows here? If not can you please tell me if they’re on another planet? I’ve been trying to find Earth, you see.” As the robot spoke, it was noticeable to sound more and more like the voice of a young girl.

 

[RagnaMail]

As the people clung to their cables and dangled from the suddenly active Dolores, the Overseers immediately kicked into action. The rocket launchers came up almost as one and leveled at the Orbital Frame. They held their fire in the hopes that this was simply a poor miscommunication and not a few people had confused expressions on their faces as the feminine voice echoed out across the concrete megapier. Risa's face was obscured from James as she whirled to track the source of the commotion but the half-step back would be a clear indication of surprise at the sudden activation.

There was a very tense moment as everything echoed to silence before Risa's spine seemed to straighten up a little more and she moved to regain control of the situation. "Hello there. You have indeed found Earth! Before we continue however; would you be so kind as to set down the people dangling from you gently? Us Earthlings tend to be a bit squishy you see. Falls from height tend to end badly for them and I'm in charge of everyone here." It would be clear to James that Risa was speaking with an authority that fuelled the unwavering courage in her voice. There wasn't a threat in the tone, but it was made clear to everyone who cared to listen that Arzenal's Steel Mistress was determined to get a handle on this new development with a sharp quickness.

The launcher-armed Overseers were nervously glancing between the Orbital Frame and their leader while the non-dangling prisoners that were helping looked ready to dive for whatever cover they could muster on a moment's notice. Risa took a few steps backwards without breaking eye contact with Dolores and came close enough to James she could quietly mutter to him with a tactful lowness.

"One of your C-types, I presume," she murmured questioningly to James as she gave a sweeping and welcoming gesture to keep the machine placated. Her voice raised to Dolores so that everyone could hear her say the next bit. "We do have plenty off trees and fish. We have a number of cows, though I'm not sure if they're the 'space cows' you're looking for. If they're not to your liking perhaps something can be arranged."

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

Right now, James was frozen in fear. It could talk? Not only was it autonomous but it could speak? Just what the hell were they making at BAHRAM? As Risa slowly walked over to him and whispered to him he answered back with a whisper of his own. “Yes, but not like this. It’s probably some advanced prototype.”

Dolores would look at the people dangling from the ropes slung onto its body. “Oops, sorry!” It would slowly drop people down by lowering its arms and helping down some of the prisoners using its hands, making sure to do it gently. “There we go, please be careful next time. It’s dangerous to do something like that.“ Dolores would sit down kneeling with its shins pointing outwards, sitting down like a little girl at a picnic, it began to take a closer look at the people around her.

“The people who made me said all the Earthlings were different from them, but you all look the same.” It’s gaze would turn back to James and Risa, it’s antennae wiggling in excitement and it’s arms tucked closer to it’s chest. “But now that I’m on Earth, I can finally do what I’ve always wanted to do!” Dolores would then raise one of it’s hands as a fist towards the sky. “Becoming the greatest magical girl in the galaxy!” It would bring the fist back down and would use it to do a peace sign next to it’s face with the other arm going to the side of it’s waist, essentially doing the classic Sailor Moon pose while sitting down. “Kyun!” Dolores would make an attempt at some sound effects for extra dramatic flair by using it’s voice, but it was clear to James it just sounded absurd. “Did the programmer have some kinda weird fetish?” he mumbled to himself and possibly to Risa.

“But of course, a heroine needs a hero and you’re perfect to be my boyfriend!” Dolores craned it’s head down and was now clearly looking at James and simply let the statement hang there.

James simply had a face of shock. “W-What? Huh? BOYFRIEND!?”

 

[RagnaMail]

Risa watched as the Orbital Frame gave 'her' reasoning for being here, and her face strained to not break from the polite expression it bore. This.. This could be bad. Her mind was instantly filled with a hundred scenarios where an unsecured war platform could cause untold havoc in her domain. That didn't even begin to add the variable of the pink robot being fucking sentient! She'd be amazed if she hadn't gone deathly pale at the nightmare scenario this could be. Yes; could be.

"An admirable goal, my dear! The world can always use another person fighting for the ideals of justice and peace. We would be delighted to have you be a guest here... But there's a few minor issues that need to be accounted for. First on the docket would be lodgings. Just because you can presumably go where you please there are few things that anchor a warrior's resolve greater than hearth and home. Having a strong sense of belonging is good for those dark times when your morals are challenged."

Pretty much everyone was giving Risa an series of incredulous looks. This was Arzenal's Steel Mistress pandering to a giant sentient robot's delusions of grandeur? She flicked her eyes through the faces she could see and many of them swallowed deeply. The warm tone and sparkling light smile didn't match her eyes and they all found more accomodating expressions to have. The looks stifled, her attention returned to Dolores as she finally dared to turn around and look at James. She flashed him a grimace and a momentary quirk of the eyebrows that practically screamed 'play along' as she stepped to behind him. Her hands landed in a strong pat calculated to look like a matronly expression for the giant robot's edification.

"As to the second matter that's very important to a magical girl; the love interest! James here is a pretty good candidate, but another of those pesky issues rears its ugly head. You see; the place we're currently at is a prison colony, and your potential boyfriend is a prisoner in said colony. As the person in charge of the prison I can't exactly have him go off on a globe-trotting adventure of love and justice as romantic as that sounds. But luckily for your plans this feeds back into the idea of you taking up residence here as a guest of Arzenal, if you're so inclined! Everyone needs some sort of pet project and reforming a bad boy like our lovely James here sounds right up your alley. Woman to woman, men that don't need a bit of work are a painful rarity. So as you range far and wide in your pursuit of adventure your downtime could be focused on getting lover boy here back into something resembling a respectable member of society!"

The pitch was pretty clear at this point, and the Overseers scattered within earshot gave each other a telling glance as they caught onto their boss' plan. The weapons lowered just a bit and Dolores would be easily able to tell that they seemed to get what Risa was going at. Her tinted glasses seemed to catch the light for a moment as she tilted her her a tiny bit to work out a crick in her neck.

"Who knows; maybe your efforts will inspire others to reform their ways as well! There's likely a glut of people here who just need a moral role model to get their lives in order. I like the idea so as the person in charge of Arzenal I would like to invite you to make this place your new home; as an honored guest and not as a prisoner, of course!"

James could easily feel Risa's fingers quietly digging into his shoulders reminding him again to play along.

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

James very much gave Risa the same look as the rest of the people there. This thing was dangerous if left alone, hell he didn’t even know whatever this thing’s real objective was. And they were going to… entertain it? This has to be the weirdest day of everyone involved here.

”Look, I never agreed t-“ He would suddenly feel Risa’s pat followed by her Steel grip on his shoulder. He would attempt to hold back from making a pained expression as he felt the pressure on his shoulder. “W-What I meant to say was I never agreed to be here. B-But I’m sure that whatever happens to me will be for the better. I-If you can help me become better, t-that would be splendid.” He managed to keep up a grin with his eyes almost closed, with his eyebrows constantly twitching.

“Ohhhhhh… so that’s what this place is. I thought this was some bad guy place because it was called Arzenal, and usually words like that are for the crooky hardcore cyborg villains who are usually very tough. So I wanted to beat one of those guys first, so I asked if I could be sent here to defeat the evil bad guy who lives here.” Dolores looked at Risa as she spoke and replied. It was clear her interest was piqued and soon sprung up, now standing on her legs.

“Since you’re offering for me to stay, I can’t say no! Not to mention, having a reformed villain boyfriend would be cool and hot. Don’t you think? I want to be a cool and sexy magical girl, I can’t be the best without doing that!” It’s antennae were wiggling, a clear sign Risa had it hook, line, and sinker.

“Not to mention, every episode can be one where we reform a villain! I think that would be the best idea for Season 1! Then for Season 2, I can take my boyfriend out from here since he’ll be reformed by the end of Season 1, right?” Like all little girls it acted a lot like, Dolores clearly did not have much patience. So Risa would need to find a way around that should she find herself wanting to leave for some reason.

”Do I get a Get out of Jail Free, card?” He whispered to Risa as Dolores spoke about it’s ideas. “Uh, I think the first thing we should do if we’re going to do that is proper introductions with names? I’m James Carter, but you can just call me James. Do we call you, Dolores?”

“Yes, that’s right! We completely forgot to introduce ourselves! Well… yes, I am Dolores. You can call me Dolly too if you like, John Carter.”

”John Carter… John Carter… JOHN CARTER…”

The words echoed in Jame’s head, causing him to clench his fists. The expression on James’ face quickly soured as she called him John Carter, with the words echoing in his head. “Can you please… NOT CALL ME JOHN CARTER!? It’s James, how many times do I have to tell people!?”

Dolores would recoiled slightly at James’ outrage, the tone of her voice quickly switching to one of anxiety. “W-Wait, I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it, it was just in my archives so I accidentally called you John Carter instead of James. It won’t happen again.” Well, at least now it had some proof of James’ supposed ”bad boy” status. James would sigh however and would quickly give a forgiving look towards Dolores, how could he with that kind of voice? “It’s fine, just try to think first a bit before you speak?” He would get a nod in reply from Dolores as it waited for Risa to introduce herself.

 

[RagnaMail]

Risa was glad that James had taken the somewhat subtle hint and released his shoulders with a firm double pat before stepping out from behind him to flank to his left about elbow-length as she regarded the sentient Orbital Frame. "Well, I recall that old novel your archives are referring to and it does seem to be a recurring tic with people who have similar names getting upset by the casual comparison.. The same thing with people named Alice getting Alice In Wonderland remarks tossed their way every other breath as I recall. But it's a minor thing so don't worry about it too badly. People tend to mess up names the first few times. You have an easier time of it, I'm sure."

Risa tapped her forehead and politely jerked her chin to Dolores' head in a silent indication before continuing. "Since we're throwing names around I suppose my proper introduction is in order!" She sharply clapped her hands together before spreading her arms wide in a welcoming gesture, her right forearm ever so lightly coming into contact with the front of James' chest as if to momentarily draw all the attention to herself for her introduction. "My name is Risa Halligan, the High Overseer of Arzenal. Since this is a prison, it's really just a fancy way of saying I'm the warden. The individuals around us who are armed are my direct subordinates the Overseers, and those dressed like our lovely bad boy James here are prisoners. There are many who call me Arzenal's Steel Mistress as I am rather harsh on those who incur my wrath but I hope you understand I'm simply very intent on performing my job. I strongly doubt you'll run afoul of me during your residency, as long as you don't try to help any of the prisoners escape."

The tone was pleasant, the words carefully neutral to slightly inviting. There was still an undertone to the introduction that Dolores and James would both understand without the need for elaboration: it was an extraordinarily unwise idea to test out how much she lived up to her epithet. But she didn't let on that she'd delivered her message since her arms closed back towards herself, hands clasped in what would be a praying gesture if it wasn't for the slight tilt of Risa's head and a look of mild concern.

"But it would be rather rude to continue like this. If you would be so kind as to get onto the transport truck's flatbed area we'll see to taking you somewhere more accomodating. While you are no doubt of a hardy constitution and your internal mechanisms would likely warn you of any damage or discrepancies, it couldn't hurt to get a once-over to make sure nothing snuck loose from your landing. Many people have met their end from the butterfly effect of unnoticed minor damage, and it would be a great tragedy if you followed in their wake..."

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

He would sigh heavily as Risa made a comment on his quite common nickname. He was not pleased, but he was not mad. “It’s worse when some snobs start using it during immigration to tick you off, or generally just call me that because I’m a Coordinator. It’s insane how many people have called me that despite never reading a word from that damn forsaken sci-fi novel. And yet they manage to slug it at me like some kinda slur.”

He sighed again as he watched Risa performing her theatrics. So much for trying to die in peace, his life was about to get crazy, really fast.

“Aww… so I can’t bring him with me when he’s all better? Well that’s just too bad…” The antennas on Dolores’ head would droop slightly along it’s posture, clearly it still has no clue what Arzenal really was. Perhaps it was better that way given Dolores’ innocent disposition. “I suppose I could still stay here. I doubt I’ll find a new potential boyfriend anywhere else.” Dolores’ antennae would slowly rise back up, going back to their neutral state as it turned to look at the flatbed truck that was supposed to carry her away earlier. “Well… I could always just absorb some energy to repair myself, but I don’t see any harm in checking. After all, I did just have my first experience falling from the sky.”

Dolores would slowly float over to the truck before tucking it’s legs in and sitting with it’s knees against it’s chest, right on top of the trailer section. “Alright then. See you later, boyfriend James.” Dolores would be waving over towards James and Risa, waiting for the truck to drive her away.

James would reluctantly wave back, the look on his face very much unmotivated. He’d rather walk around the whole day with his cross dressing prison uniform than hang around THAT.

 

[RagnaMail]

"They'll make sure to take excellent care of you once you arrive. I'll get them to leave contact information and the like so we can work out the minutiae of your residence as we go. Have a safe trip!" As she gave a sharp whistle two of the teams of launcher-wielding Overseers joined Dolores on the back of the flatbed clearly intent on providing an armed escort to make sure nothing went awry. The truck's powerful engine rumbled to life and within moments of the Overseers settling onto the flatbed and surprisingly clipping themselves on with safety hooks on their belts the vehicle and it's cargo were on the way further inland and to the proper facilities. Once the show was out of reasonable earshot she turned to James and her face went half-slack. Back to business, then.

"Well, that was certainly.. something. That's going to be a problem if handled incorrectly." A tired sigh echoed from her as she reached down to smooth out imaginary crinkles in her clothes in an effort to regain her proper composure. Risa finished by making sure her glasses were properly on her nose before she continued. "So to bring this conversation back around to previous topics I would gently remind you that you're the resident expert on these 'Orbital Frames'. You have interaction with this Dolores character as a standing task now, seeing as she's clearly bonded to you. You will be duly compensated for your efforts in trying to get her to divulge secrets and fight our enemies. I remind you now that trying to escape will have you dragged back here to be publicly beaten to death, and I have no moral issues with literally drowning you both in Para-Mails to accomplish that."

"That being reiterated, you could very quickly rate for pilot status given previous experience and the means to do so likely far more effectively than on a Para-Mail. If you want. I won't force that down your throat but it is a lucrative offer if you choose it." She looked him up and down again with the light in her eyes of someone formulating plans within plans. The look as she met his eyes again showed this encounter had very clearly raised his stock in her eyes.

"You do look uncomfortable in your new attire, however. Once you're in Arzenal proper, you can use the funds you'll be provided with for your performance just now to obtain actual clothes. These are for official functions and inspections and the like," Risa said as she gestured to his outfit. "In general population Arzenal is basically your standard country though quite insular. Jobs, housing, food... All of these are things you'll need to find a job for or resort to more.. criminal means to obtain. Most people treat this as just a more openly and honestly ruthless society but there's plenty of pockets of otherwise decent people here. Active pilots are afforded more respect so you'd have some breathing room in that regard."

It was clear Risa was still pushing it, but the threatening tone of her words wasn't a malicious one; just a fair warning about the place he was about to travel out into.

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

“Honestly I’d have no qualms if you shot me on the spot. Had no reason to live. HAD, mind you. Buuut, since you asked so nicely, I think I’ll take that piloting offer.“ He said with a somewhat cocky look on his face. It was already crystal clear what he’d be doing, so he wouldn’t have it any other way. He just hoped that if he ever pilots that thing, the AI would just make up for his slack.

“But as for getting info out of it, that might be a bit more difficult if we’re talking about asking it questions. It doesn’t really seem like one to pay attention, so anything we can grab from her vocally would be a nugget of info at best. However…” He would smirk a little as he decided to make his own proposition. “If you could get me some of your best hacking equipment, I bet I could try and take a crack at it’s memory. It is still a machine after all.“ He would slightly wander a bit towards where Dolores was sitting earlier as it talked with them. “If you’re still not quite convinced, I’ll have you know that all Orbital Frames are only as strong as their coding and programs. So really, I could be doing us all a favor by giving that thing some extra kick.” He would turn back around the Risa, not really having a care in the world as to what would happen.

”So how about it? Pay me a bit more and we’re all winners.”

 

[RagnaMail]

At his seeming acceptance, Risa's face regained a measure of vigor that she put into a light toothy smile. Her teeth were flawless.

"Excellent to hear, Mister Carter. I think we'll get along just fine. We'll get you set up with one of our more tech-savvy Overseers and they'll coordinate the resources you'll need. If we don't have it on hand I'm certain Visorface probably has it hidden behind one of his damned magic curtains..."

The remaining weapons teams were safetying their launchers and there was a general hub-bub of cleaning the area up. Some of the prisoners were apparently tasked with checking the pierside Dolores had been leaned against for structural damage. Things appeared to be going back to a well-oiled series of motions as Risa took a step or two away from James. Her head tilted towards the sky and her right hand shielded her eyes a little bit as she was clearly staring skywards as if expecting more 'company'.

"Damn, though. Guess we'll need to keep the AAA emplacements more manned now. First we have to worry about rogue DRAGON portals and now sapient giant robots? Bah!" She lowered her head and glanced back towards James again. "Please do be thorough, Mister Carter. Things may be accelerating around our sleepy little home, and I refuse to get caught out." She waved to one of the remaining Overseers and hooked a thumb at James without looking at him any more. "See that this one gets his equipment and standing access to our pink guest. Sortie permissions are restricted to First Ring only not counting emergency defense scrambles."

As her instructions were taken to heart and said Overseer moved closer to James so as to talk quietly and get a list of what he'd need a electric-powered limousine rolled up from the interior of the island and rolled to a stop with the rear passenger door in front of Risa. One of her original two guards stepped forward and opened the door without prompting, and just before she disappeared into the guts of the vehicle presumably to return to her own place in the prison she stopped halfway out to give him a final set of words.

"Welcome to Arzenal, James Carter. Noli Draconem Tyrannum." The bit of Latin seemed out of place as she slid out of view, her two guards joined her inside the car, and the limousine smoothly rolled out from the site. What would catch James' attention was the fact that the prisoners in earshot of her echoed the phrase as if it were a uniting prayer; a vow to live by. Something about that would bring the meaning of the phrase unbidden into his mind, and give him something to mull over in the background as he settled in...

Suffer Not The Dragon Tyrant.

 

[ShadowVigilante1]

He would take a moment to look down at his forearm tattoo. The dragon coiling around it as if it were a serpent, ready to strike. To him it no longer had any meaning, it was simply a remnant of his past. But here, it seemed that it would soon be given a new meaning of its own. This new job wasn’t going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, he could only wonder what secrets awaited him. He stared off into the horizon as he finished giving the list of his needs to the Overseer.

“Noli Draconem Tyrannum.” he whispered to himself as the limousine drove away.
—————————————————————————-————————————————————————————————

Later, somewhere far away in a secluded hangar bay…

Dolores sat against the wall, seemingly spacing out as it stared at the wall and began to hum slightly to itself. Then, it began to sing with an absent mind, almost as if it were in a trance of sorts.

Dolores’ body pulsed with green as it slowly began to look up at the ceiling, seemingly looking at something far and distant, yet close to it all the same.

“What am I?”