ShinRa HQ

[Tseng]

It wasn't long before Tseng managed to catch sight of something in the distance. A singular spot against the backdrop of the snow covered mountains. The smile on his face couldn't have been more non-existent as he brought the helicopter in closer before placing it into a hover. He didn't dare edge the vehicle closer just in case the people he was tracking were well-equipped enough to see them coming. Instead, Tseng locked the flight control stick into place and pulled out a pair of binoculars to get a better view of his opponents.

They looked fairly well armed with strange looking swords and though silver barreled shotguns of alien design. It was a less than comforting sight to see that they were staring in his direction with what he assumed were their version of binoculars. The whirling blades of the helicopter didn't lend well to stealth, so it was to be expected. However, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that the situation was now slipping out of his grasp. The unit in the mountains was fairly well equipped and entrenched implying that they were prepared to operate a good distance out from their base of operations. There had to be more of them out in the world. They were one step of ShinRa's own forces as Tseng was still awaiting confirmation that Junon was under control.

A scowl crossed his face for a moment before he lowered the binoculars and checked his CR Sniper Rifle, "One long range patrol. Any suggestions Celes?"

Hopefully, she would have an idea what to do right now. For despite his experience, he was not prepared for this particular encounter. He'd expected either a pre-emptive attack on their part of a smaller less well-equipped unit. Instead, he found what appeared to be an organized group of individuals armed just as well as the ones who had broken into Midgar days before. All in all, the circumstances were less than ideal and the element of surprise lost.

[Celes Chere]

[OOC: Lookie! A post! And it's a long one too!]

Celes couldn’t see anything with her naked eye from the window, so she looked around her own seat for an extra set of binoculars. She found them quickly, and brought them to her blue eyes. Following Tseng’s line of sight, she almost immediately spotted the strange-looking…what? Soldiers? Mercenaries? Explorers? Even before Tseng voiced his request for her opinion, her mind was racing with possibilities.

Her very first instinct was to examine their weaponry – unlike anything she’d ever seen. Even her new sword, which she still clutched firmly in her still-powerful grip, looked like it couldn’t hold a candle to the sleek, curving, practically glowing blades they brandished. Their armor looked like it came from another planet, and as such Celes could only assume that it was, for all intents and purposes, impenetrable. And the large guns they seemed to effortlessly hold with one arm…they were long-range weapons, and unless Tseng had something on-board that was even longer range, they would be no match.

Leaning closer to the window in her seat, as though that would somehow increase the magnification of her binoculars, she tried to see their faces, tried to get a sense of their current status. Were they laughing, were they angry, were they hunting? Careful observation showed that they all wore fearsome masks that made their faces look alien. What were they doing here?

Of course, there was always the possibility that these strangers were not much different than herself. Perhaps their country of origin was just looking for clues, sending soldiers who would be able to protect themselves from the treacherous beasts that roamed these mountains. She shook her head slightly. No, she thought to herself. I have to assume the worst.

It suddenly struck her how often her observation had included words like “assume” and “seem.” She didn’t need her years and years of military experience to tell her that entering into a potential skirmish with these people (if people they were) was unwise at best. Another assumption she’d been making hit her suddenly, like an unprompted slap in the face. She turned to look at Tseng sharply. She’d been assuming all this time that for all his skill in the corporate world, he had an equivalent amount of skill on the battlefield. But in truth, she hadn’t seen him take a single shot, hadn’t seen him swing a sword. Aside from his eagerness to come out looking for the culprits, he had presented no evidence to show that he even had the guts to do battle. Trying to force the judgment out of her mind, she set her mouth in a grim line.

“They’ve obviously seen us, so we can’t avoid mutual knowledge. But Tseng, we don’t know anything about them. They outnumber us, and I’m pretty sure they outgun us as well. We can’t know their intentions, so trying to negotiate would be too risky. Their transport is land-based and would hopefully have difficulty keeping up with us, so I think our best bet is to head back to Midgar now to regroup. Our speed should give us enough time to get back before they’re able to reach us…if they try to follow us at all.”

Turning again, she peered through her binoculars again. The group was now facing them fully, and seemed to be watching them. She shivered involuntarily. “Is there some way we can take…you know, visual records of them with us?” She wasn’t sure how to phrase it. “Like those?” she added, pointing to the folder that held the glossy pictures she’d looked at earlier. If Tseng had a powerful enough visual recording device, perhaps they could bring back more detailed pictures, and spend some time analyzing their equipment. If there was only some way they could get a sample…

But no, it was too great a risk. Celes didn’t become a general in the Imperial army by taking stupid chances and getting her men killed. And if they wanted to, it looked as though these strangers were well-trained killers.

[Acts Of God]

((I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. They are scouts, but only in the sense that they are soldiers out scouting. Specifically, there are seven of these and three of these. Sorry again. My bad. Anyways, I'll have a post up soon. Tomorrow, maybe.))

[Celes Chere]

[OOC: So revised. Thanks for the head's up!]

[Tseng]

Tseng glanced down at this Sniper CR and mentally ran the numbers against the forces he was staring at. Celes was right that they didn't have the upper hand if an engagement were to commence and definitely had the ability to flee the scene as the scouts seemed to lack an obvious means of pursuit. However, if there was one thing Tseng had learned in his years with ShinRa was that misdirection could be far more useful than any amount of firepower, and the Turks were masters of art. The enemy couldn't reasonably know the full extent of his personal abilities as most people within the company or Turks knew what exactly his specific training had included. The lack of information then swung both ways and offered Tseng a powerful edge, all he needed to do was put it to use.

Slowly, he smiled and stepped into the rear of the helicopter and out of sight long enough for him to establish a perfect mirror image of himself to handle the helicopter once he was on the ground. It would land it safely nearby before dissipating leaving him with a means to escape the mountains on his return trip and while radioing for help so that he wouldn't remain a prisoner for long. Quietly, Tseng stepped back into the cockpit and spared a glance to Celes before casting an illusion over his wrist to make the watch filled with materia vanish as if it was never there.

Tseng didn't bother speaking because there was nothing else to say. The order for his 'clone' was set, and he had already made up his mind as to the next course of action. Celes was intelligent, but hopefully would be willing to throw caution to the wind and follow him into what was sure to be a rather strange encounter. He knew if he voiced his plan it would only serve to put his compatriot into further danger as this attempt at infiltration would require that they not know back-up could eventually come and that he was more than capable of escaping whatever prison they placed him in with access to his materia and of course whatever equipment he would wrest away from the guards.

It was just like when he had first joined up with the Turks. He was once again a field operative and despite his mentor's teachings, was going to also jump head first into a dangerous situation without knowing all the variables. Honestly, it was against everything ShinRa had taught him as well but that was exactly the point. Following ShinRa's training, he had never managed to successfully capture and hold Avalanche or put and end to the threat that Sephiroth had posed to the world. No, it had been a simple band of misfits who had no regard for order, procedure, or analysis. They had jumped head long into whatever trouble they could and by the grace of their ancestors managed to survive.

Without thinking about it any further, Tseng moved into the back and opened the door to the helicopter while kicking out the rope ladder. A smile crossed his face as he looked back at Celes and mentally ordered his double to hide from her line of sight, "Trust me."

And with that, he slid down the ladder into the enemy's hands mentally reminding the double to call for help and get out of sight whether or not Celes chose to follow.

[Acts Of God]

The various Estharian soldiers leveled their guns at Tseng as he climbed out of the helicopter. Six were armed with the same shot-axe weapons as were seen in Midgar, while three were armed with rifles vaguely resembling military grade or Magitek laser technology. The tenth soldier, one of the three darker coloured variants, was equipped with a large, unusual two-handed machine of unfamiliar design. No barrel was apparent, and a faint glow emitted from it. Several soldiers looked at one another, occasionally nodding. It became obvious that they were talking to one-another inside their helmets—their words unheard by those outside their group. The black coloured soldiers did not look at one-another, and kept their weapons trained on Celes rather than Tseng.

“Please put your hands behind your neck.” One of them shouted over voice amplifiers built into his helmet. “You are flying in functional Estharian airspace during a military operation without permission. Please state your full names, your occupations, and the reason you are here in what appears to be a military aircraft.” He shouted again, pausing ever so slightly before his use of the word ‘functional’. One of the blue soldiers armed with a shot-axe stood at that moment, walking toward the group’s transport while the other soldier was still talking. Disappearing inside the vehicle, the soldier did not come back out.

[Celes Chere]

Celes wasn’t sure why, but her heart stopped for a moment when Tseng smiled at her. Perhaps it was the chilling, confident way with which he commanded her trust, while at the same time preparing to jump the twenty or so feet to the ground beneath them. Perhaps it was just the smile itself, full of life and vigor and excitement. He almost looked like a child for a moment, ready to jump down the park’s biggest waterslide. She had little doubt that if she looked down at him a few minutes later, he would be shouting, “Let’s do it again!” It (almost) didn’t even bother her that he had apparently taken everything she’d just said and thrown it out the door before him.

After he jumped, it took Celes about three seconds to decide what to do. The helicopter seemed somehow stable – she didn’t even want to imagine what sort of technology was in place there – and Tseng was certainly going to get himself killed if she left him alone. Besides, she didn’t know how to fly this thing, and if she needed to make a getaway she’d be much more efficient on her feet than in the air. Another thought came to her then, one which made the pit of her heart sink to her stomach. What did it matter what she did now? She could go back and die alone on the streets of Midgar...or she could die here, fighting alongside a man she hardly knew but somehow trusted with her very life.

Well, that decision was simple.

Mustering all her fearlessness, she dropped the heavy headpiece to the side and grabbed hold of the rope ladder. It wasn’t far. She checked that her new weapon was secure on her side, and slid down the ladder to the dirt below.

By the time she made it, the strange-looking soldiers had advanced upon them quite a bit, and she could see that she’d underestimated both their numbers and their firepower. She breathed slowly, training her eye on the helmet that seemed to be making the loudest noise – it was asking her to put her hands behind her neck, but she had no intention of letting her hand stray too far from her blade. She stretched her fingers out and lowered her head slightly, maintaining eye contact (or as close to it as possible) with the one who shouted.

What he said next made her stomach turn.

Estharian? she thought, her brain working rapidly to check the name against her memories. Nope, never heard of it.

The voice demanded to know who they were, and Celes, who wanted nothing more than to cast a Stop spell and get the hell out of there, steeled herself for Tseng’s answer. Time to see if he was as diplomatic as he was daring.

[Tseng]

Estharian airspace, interesting, His hunch had been proven correct and as result his plan was still the best method for learning more about what was happening to the world at large. Specifically, a new nation-state declaring their own airspace in what overlapped with ShinRa's military reach was unusual. Furthermore, the logos on the side of the helicopter should have resulted in an attack or a declaration of hostilities by these Estharians if they were a rebel group. Actually letting a ShinRa employee land amongst their ranks was a rather suicidal move considering their reputation and the fact that it would have smelled of an ambush. No something much more intriguing was at work, and Tseng wanted to know what that was.

In response to the soldier's request, Tseng smiled and left his hands behind his back keeping a firm, commanding posture. He was confident that if necessary he could dispose of the entire unit, so there was no need to be completely diplomatic. He would let them take him prisoner, as that was the plan, but not until he used the situation to learn whatever he could indirectly from these soldiers. Additionally, it might prove advantageous for him to convey to the men just what precisely they were dealing with. It might earn him a quicker transport back to whatever place they called home.

"To the point, very well. I am Tseng of the Turks Head of the Department of Administrative Research and CEO of ShinRa. I've come to let you know that you are trespassing in actual ShinRa territory," Tseng kept his voice level and matter-of-fact while his expression betrayed none of the amusement he felt. If he was them then his claim would seem far-fetched and implausible especially considering the amount of conviction in his voice. It helped that he heard belligerent, confrontational words like this from Rufus before and knew the results such a tone could bring about. Granted had Tseng had his way, he would have had his full team on hand to follow a beacon and infiltrate the city upon his capture in an effort to remain subtle, but he was low on personnel and more importantly lacked much of his usual patience due to the constant motion of the last few hours.

In any event, he had a trump card in Celes would be captured along side him and as a former General would be able to pick out information in the city that he himself would normally miss. Tseng was a paper pusher, a manager, recruiter, and a infiltration expert. He was not a soldier or a direct member of the armed forces like those of SOLDIER and thus lacked their perspective. In fact, Celes' knowledge of a different sounding nation might prove useful later on as she might recognize something of her world at their ultimate destination.

However, the fact that this plan had worked for Avalanche was ultimately the reason Tseng was so confident in Celes and his success. If it worked for a ragtag band of rebels, why wouldn't it work for a general and a Turk?

[Acts Of God]

There was a pause as one of the men tapped his helmet’s side twice and simply stared at Tseng for roughly thirty seconds before responding: “The Estharian government does not recognize the authority of corporate policy; foreign or otherwise.” He started, referencing some basic intelligence they’d gathered on the company. “Unless an official of Midgar’s actual government tells us otherwise, this is Estharian land and Estharian air.” The soldier finished in a rather dismissive tone, keeping his weapon trained on the Turk all the while.

“I suggest you go home.” Another soldier began; his voice deeper and more serious than the first’s. “If you have a problem with us being here, have your government send ours an ambassador on your behalf. I’m sure they can work something out.” He offered, lowering his gun momentarily as he did so before raising it once more as he’d finished.

[Xenos]

((Guys, I have a question. If you're near Esthar, why are you still in the Midgar thread? You guys should probably move to a new thread outside of your location. Normally when changing location, you switch threads to the Overworld and then change again to your location so that we don't have things piling up in one location. it also makes it much easier to find in the future.... Sorry to cut in, but I just noticed this and I was very confused.))

[Tseng]

((Didn't know the Overworld would have been more appropriate. Technically, we're closer to Midgar though since we're in the mountains. However, I'll be moving my next post over to the Overworld thread then to avoid problems))

Edit: ((Just one question though, Overworld is located on a different continent... should we use it anyways as suggested or was there meant to be one for this continent as well?))

[Adel]

((Wait, we're in the mountains? Which side? I thought we were on the Estharian side of the mountains, which would make us closer to Esthar.

...Okay, so where are we? XD))

[Tseng]

((I don't have the map anymore, but when I last checked, the mountains [even the Estharian side] were technically closer to Midgar. Once again I don't have access to the map anymore, so I can't be sure [Korean Computers seem to not like it ]))

((But if we're closer to Esthar that works for me. It doesn't change Tseng's stance or position. As for placement of the thread, I'm still confused as to where to place my next post))

[Seltzer Grenadine]

((The map thread is not in an announcement thread. It's hosted on and linked from Photobucket. Is that the problem? If you want, I can e-mail you the .jpg so you can have it wherever you need.

As for the overworld question: the overworld here is technically the Veldt, but I can make an alternate eastern continent overworld thread if it's called for. Since you're still in the area outside of Esthar, and not actually inside the city itself, your next post will be in the overworld. ))

[Xenos]

((The Overworld was supposed to be for any transition. It was put in the first category so that it would be easier to find. Really it should have been in its own sub-category... We might want to make a category for it or make an over world for each continent. (I think that's a little excessive, though.) What we could do is make a sub-category for the overworld for each continent. Would that be the best way to make it clear...? >_< ))