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[Nakéen]

Year 450 Cycle 3 - Conclusion

Location: In a meeting room of the 4th Division headquarters

[4th Division Chief Commander] Talaros Braern: Commanders, Handlers. I hope you had all the rest you needed. The Fallen Maiden Extermination has concluded in a success with the defeat of Fallen Maiden "Carla" in a battle against Team Crystal Wings from the 2nd Division. Everyone accomplished their roles perfectly, you have the congratulations from High Command. They have also accepted to drop the issue about how we let ARM Carla enter a Fallen state in a Green Sector."

[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "Chief Commander, are you not going to explain how you turned the tables on them?"

[4th Division Chief Commander] Talaros Braern: "I will spare you the details, just know it was a waste of time. If you want to learn more about it, it's in the report. Moving on. From now on we will no longer as strictly limited as before in choosing our operations and missions: until yesterday we were in what you could call a probation period, which severely limited our room for maneuver. Expect a few changes in the coming days. Chief Operator, I will let you take over from here."

The Chief Commander sat back, leaving the Chief Operator to speak while pointing at several slides. One of them was the map of Nagaea and its sectors. The base was currently located in sector H, at the farthest south-eastern edge of the continent.
- Sectors A to H were called the Green Sectors, practically clear of Phantasmal contamination save for the odd Apparition wave. Most of the civilians lived there.
- Sectors I to O were called the Yellow Sectors, where contamination was still under manageable control for the NRCPF, allowing the creation of more settlements.
- Sectors P to U were called the Orange Sectors, where the risk of Phantasmal outbreak is too high for civilian settlements to be allowed. Only fortified cities exist in there.
- Sectors V to Z were called the Red Sectors, and were the main battlefield of the 2nd Reclamation. Only a few military bases are present here, and they are under constant assault from the Spectres.
- Sectors α to δ were called the Black Sectors. There was next to no information about there, save for the extremely high Phantasmal activity.
- Sector Ω was called the Unknown Sector. There was no information about this place, and all attempts at long distance probing had ended in failure due to heavy phantasmal interference. This was the last sector left unconquered during the 1st Reclamation, and also where the UPI was reported to have appeared.

Code: [Select]

       Ω
    α β γ δ
   V W X Y Z
  P Q R S T U
 I J K L M N O
A B C D E F G H
[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "First and foremost, the 4th Division has been given an official mission from High Command: we are assigned to Sehigama City of sector O, further north to the eastern coast of Nagaea. Relocation of our facilities will proceed at the end of the week and our official duties here will be to defend the sector and its zones, monitor phantasmal activities, and provide support to the Divisions in charge of the adjacent sectors N and U. We will be provided new equipment and support staff to aid in our operations, which should make operations run more smoothly. More importantly, we will be allowed to take on missions of our own, without having to rely on approval from High Command."

Some of the Commanders and Handlers might have recalled the second sortie and connected the dots. At that time, the 4th Division seemed to have their hands tied, forced to partake in battles they knew they weren't ready for. The special status of the 4th Division might have been partly the cause for this situation.

The Chief Operator then pointed at sectors U and O. Pictures and summaries of recent events appeared, depicting recent operations that went in these sectors.

[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "Some of you might have now noticed the discrepancies in the events that led to the fall of ARM Carla. As a newly reinstated division, we were placed in a Green Sector as we were not expected to encounter Spectres yet. However, a mass Spectre outbreak in Sector U overwhelmed the NRCPF and spilled over the underdefended Sector O. A few Spectres managed to go through the net of the Divisions stationed here, which is why we ended up having to fight them on our second sortie. It won't surprise you to learn that the very same chronically incompetent officer who was behind the lackluster defence of Sector O was the one trying to put the blame of Carla on our back. Well, that's now taken care of."

[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "Lastly, our ARM team expansion request is under review. If it passes, each team will obtain clearance to recruit a 3rd ARM. This might lead to some organisational changes when the time comes. Any question?"

[Stirk]

(I thought we already had permission to acquire a third ARM :V)

Roland sips on a can of Crimson Tide while listening in on the meeting, resisting the urge to pipe in 'and Jeannie' when it comes to Carla's fall. Guess Jeannie was the lucky one there.

Seeing nobody else apparently having any questions, he casually raises his hand and asks his own.

"Crystal Wings helped us out a lot. Without them we wouldn't have been able to uh...handle...the fallen Carla I think...not without casualties at least. What type of backup are we looking at in our new assignment?"

[Nakéen]

(I thought we already had permission to acquire a third ARM :V)

Roland sips on a can of Crimson Tide while listening in on the meeting, resisting the urge to pipe in 'and Jeannie' when it comes to Carla's fall. Guess Jeannie was the lucky one there.

Seeing nobody else apparently having any questions, he casually raises his hand and asks his own.

"Crystal Wings helped us out a lot. Without them we wouldn't have been able to uh...handle...the fallen Carla I think...not without casualties at least. What type of backup are we looking at in our new assignment?"

(Oh shoot, I had forgotten about it. Well uh, my mistake. This actually means you get to unlock a 4th ARM if you have the funds.)

Noticing Roland's confusion, Chief Operator Valie realized she had misspoke.
[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "Oh I misspoke. The expansion request will allow our teams to manage up to 4 ARMs, not 3."

The officer then flipped to the pages of the heavy document resting on her forearm.
[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "Regarding backup to expect. We can expect to benefit from more accurate and diverse intelligence reports, as well as stronger Guardian support. We will absorb the Guardian squads garrisoned at Sehigama City for the duration of our assignment. It will mean more works, but also make some missions safer to handle for the girls."

[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "We are also looking to expand the support we can provide before and during operations, but that will have to wait until we complete the move."

During Briefing, provided missions will be distinguished between two types:
- High Priority Missions,
- Low Priority Missions.

High Priority missions will have more data available about them: enemies to expect, risk of random events occuring, risk of failure. These will usually be the hardest missions available.
So far all missions were considered High Priority.

Low Priority missions will have scarce data available, but will be easy and guaranteed risk free due to an easier deployment of the Guardian squads. This will translate into a free extraction if something goes awry.

[Egan_BW]

"It'll be good to have a little more support and less... suicidal options for missions, but we can't rest easy. This fight isn't an easy one, and if I have to risk ARMs to save people, I'll do it."

[VermilionSkies]

"I'm just glad we'll have a wider variety of missions, now. Maybe that means we won't have any more..." Sarah says, before trailing off.

[IronyOwl]

Commander Lanceheart fiddles with his communicator for a moment, bringing up a more stylish map to share with his fellow command staff. He stares at it with cold hate for a few moments before returning to the briefing.

Spoiler: Lanceheart Map (click to show/hide)

"What is the status of the front as a whole? Are we gaining or losing ground?"

[Nakéen]

Commander Lanceheart fiddles with his communicator for a moment, bringing up a more stylish map to share with his fellow command staff. He stares at it with cold hate for a few moments before returning to the briefing.

Spoiler: Lanceheart Map (click to show/hide)

"What is the status of the front as a whole? Are we gaining or losing ground?"

(Thanks for the map, much better than my absolutely minimalist attempt!)

The Chief Operator thanked Lanceheart for the stylish map, and half jokingly asked:
[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "Have you ever been interested in more of a support role Commander Lanceheart? Data visualisation skills are quite prized."

[Nakéen]

Commander Lanceheart fiddles with his communicator for a moment, bringing up a more stylish map to share with his fellow command staff. He stares at it with cold hate for a few moments before returning to the briefing.

Spoiler: Lanceheart Map (click to show/hide)

"What is the status of the front as a whole? Are we gaining or losing ground?"

The Chief Commander took over to answer Lanceheart.

[4th Division Chief Commander] Talaros Braern: "Until four cycles ago, the front had been frozen on what was called the Red Line. An intensification of high class Spectre attacks on sectors Y and Z forced the NRCPF to abandon them to obtain time to regroup. A few divisions were lost covering the retreat, among them the previous 4th Division. As a response, adjacent sectors X, S, T, and U were reinforced and a counter-offensive is in the works. Morale and manpower have been rather low however, and High Command is still on the defensive. The recent breaches in sectors U and O didn't help at all."

The Chief Operator completed the explanation with a mention of the NRCPF politics.
[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "Most of the current inertia above is due to a divergence in opinions regarding the next strategy to adopt. The Entrenchment faction has managed to win over many minds after the Reclamation faction failed to show tangible results on the Red Line for dozens of cycles of stalemate."

[Egan_BW]

"They want to give up on Reclamation!?" Natashia's face ignites in anger for a moment, before returning to her usual neutrality. "That's as good as surrendering. And we all know that these things don't take surrender from humans. This is our species on the line.

[Prophet]

"I see." One of Walter's gloved hands twitched and clenched, as if he wanted to take a puff from one of his, currently absent, smokes. "Politics are politics, they'll be going back and forth on the matter as long as it's a matter to argue about. I'm much more worried what this means for the ARMs, Guardians, and us. Why the sudden spike in Phantasmal activity? Is it a small bump, or the warning before the rogue wave. We'll need to handle ourselves with caution if we want to remain ahead of our escalating duties." The Handler sighs. "We'll definitely need to look into recruiting a third, and then fourth ARM for each team. The wear and tear of constant missions, that will only increase in danger the longer our Division operates, will eventually get them killed, or worse, Corrupted."

[IronyOwl]

"They want to give up on Reclamation!?" Natashia's face ignites in anger for a moment, before returning to her usual neutrality. "That's as good as surrendering. And we all know that these things don't take surrender from humans. This is our species on the line.

"Agreed. Entrenchment is a strategy, not a plan.

Our best course is to enhance our own assets and then lead by example."

[The Canadian kitten]

Assume top part is before current meeting, and the bottom section is during the meeting since I missed those few posts
Congratulations Capella, not only do you make us proud, you make humanity proud as well! Keep up the great work fighting spectres, protecting fellow maidens, and eating spicy food without keeling over at all!


Will we receive infomation on the sector N and U divisions ARMs so we could further synergize when supporting them?

[Nakéen]

Assume top part is before current meeting, and the bottom section is during the meeting since I missed those few posts
Congratulations Capella, not only do you make us proud, you make humanity proud as well! Keep up the great work fighting spectres, protecting fellow maidens, and eating spicy food without keeling over at all!

Capella was all flustered from the praise, swinging left and right as if she had gotten drunk from all the praise.
Capella Scarlet: "Hehe! I'm glad I made you proud Handle Johnathan!"


The ever stern Chief Commander agreed with the comments of the 4th Division officers.
[4th Division Chief Commander] Talaros Braern: "I am glad we are on the same page. The ultimate goal of the 4th Division remains unchanged: the complete Reclamation of Nagaea. This will be tough, but what is at stake is worth the pain. We will have to work doubly more than enough to make it through, but I believe in the potential of the 4th Division."

[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "You seem to be in a good mood Chief Commander."

The recipient didn't react to the quip, and the Chief Operator continued undisturbed.
[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "Regarding your question Handler Johnathan, you can expect more information when we complete the move. The divisions will be organizing a joint meeting to inaugurate our new affectation, and to patch us up on the situation. Until then I can give you the greater picture:
- Sector N is defended by the 27th Division, replacing the 2nd Division who are being reaffected to Sector U.
- Sector U is defended by the 9th Division, and soon the 2nd Division as well to reinforce our defences here.

The 9th Division has 3 ARM Teams of 4 members each, all of them late 1st Generation ARMs. They were previously affected to Sector Z along with the previous 4th Division.
The 27th Division has 3 ARM Teams of 2 members each, all from the 2nd Generation like ours. They were previously in training in Sector F.
The 2nd Division has 2 ARM Teams of 4 members each. Some of you know of their aces, Team Crystal Wings who are all 1st Generation. Their second team is made up of 2nd Generation ARMs, Team Cobalt Crown."

From the corner of her eye, Chief Operator Valie glanced at the clock.
[4th Division Chief Operator] Lia Valie: "Right on time. That concludes the meeting, thank you for your attention."

With everyone dismissed, they each returned to their quarters or to the ARMs quarters to prepare.

[Nakéen]

Year 450 Cycle 4 - Briefing

The move of the 4th Division went smoothly, with all their facilities being dismantled and reassembled in their new base nearby Sehigama City in a quick and efficient manner. And before the 4th Division could take some time to adjust to the new location, new orders came.

[4th Division Chief Commander] Talaros Braern: Commanders. We might have arrived just today, but there is work to do already. Most of it is some clean-up of the mess left behind by the Chief Commander previously in charge of Sector O. Compared to what you went through this will be a breather.

AVAILABLE MISSIONS

[4th Division Chief Commander] Talaros Braern: Our first mission is a Spectre Extermination Order. One D-Class Spectre Type Harvester has completed its incubation in area O-04. The Guardians have already cordoned-off the area, so we do not expect any interference save for a small wave of Apparitions. Once the Spectre is cleared, we will need our ARMs to immediately decontaminate the combat zone. The latter part is not our highest priority, but it will help the ground teams later on.

High-Priority Mission 1: Eliminate D-Class Spectre Type Harvester

Location: Green Area O-04
Danger Level: Medium
Difficulty Range: 6-8
Reward: 10000EC
Bonus Reward: 2000EC
Goals:
- Eliminate the D-Class Spectre, Type Harvester.
- Eliminate the Apparitions.

Phase 1: Eliminate the first wave of Apparitions.
Phase 2: Destroy the Spectre's Barrier.
Phase 3: Destroy the Spectre's Phantasmal Core.
Phase 4 (Bonus): Decontaminate the combat zone

Main skills:
1. INVOKER

Useful skills:
1. DEFENDER and STRIKER
2. AID (LIFE)
3. CLEANSE (SOUL)

[4th Division Chief Commander] Talaros Braern: That's all for combat. Next on the list is a simple recon mission in the new yellow areas of Sector O. Identify any anomaly or hostile activity, but do not engage recklessly. Clear any Apparition you find, but do not engage any Spectre if one is encountered. Spectre combat should only be initiated if combat is judged unavoidable.

High-Priority Mission 2: Scan Green Area O-11

Location: Green Area O-11
Danger Level: Low-Medium?
Difficulty Range: 2-6
Reward: 5000EC
Goal: Search for precursor signs of Contamination and of hostile activity.
Phase 1: Scan the first area.
Phase 2: Scan the second area.
Phase 3: Scan the third area.

Main skills:
1. SENSE (SOUL)
2. SENSE (variable)

Useful skills:
1. PUZZLE (MIND)
2. Any combat skill

[4th Division Chief Commander] Talaros Braern: The last urgent order is a bit different from our usual work. There is a certain area we need investigated: the Sector Barrier in Yellow Area O-05, whose breach led to the situation we are in. The Guardians have already secured the scene, and decontamination is well under way. We do not expect any hostile activity.

High-Priority Mission 3: Investigate the Sector Barrier Breach

Location: Yellow Area O-05
Danger Level: Low
Difficulty Range: 4-6
Reward: 5000EC
Goals:
- Investigate the scene for clues

Phase 1: Investigate the Sector Barrier
Phase 2: Analyze residues of Phantasmal Energy
Phase 3: Analyze emotional traces

Main skills:
1. PUZZLE (MIND)

Useful skills:
1. SENSE (SOUL)
2. EMPATHY (HEART)

Low Priority Missions
Low Priority missions are risk free, and may be selected by multiple teams without cutting the reward.

Option 1 [Repeatable]: Assist in relief efforts in Sehigama City (3000EC)
Option 2 [Repeatable]: Eliminate Apparitions (3000EC)

[Egan_BW]

"Barretta is ready to take the Focus position on the Spectre elimination operation, but we'll need some backup as well."