Post-the Knight shedding of light

[srwu_npc]

There's a unit waiting in Sakihama Base's hangars. The Wildschwein is not a new addition to Unity Group. It belongs to a guest, a very important guest.

The guest in question is Major Ingram Plisken, one of Divine Wars veterans and a former Steel Dragon Battle Group commander.



"You're probably all wondering what just happened and who the Lady's Good Men are. They are a terrorist group, a cult-like organisation at odds with everyone they consider to be using their 'Lady's gifts'. TSEN happens to be one of those gifts."


"TSEN, a gift? Major, I thought it was an invention of research teams led by Professor Dupond."


"And you'd be correct, Commander-in-Chief. They are cultists, not bound by reason or logical thinking. What they believe has no basis in reality."


"Professor Dupond is currently under surveillance. This is for his safety, to make sure he isn't targetted."


"I wonder how did they learn about my base's location. Or TSEN's existence for that matter. Our secrets are not as airtight as we hoped for, it seems..."


"The Lady's Good Men are investigated by a small independent team. When they discover anything, they will contact you. I suspect it will happen soon enough."


"Yes, but when more or less will that be?"


"Soon."

Have you a question to the Major while he's still around Unity Group?

Comments

[3xmadder]

I guess we should take these guys seriously, if they took your attention away from that other project of yours.

Unless you're finished, of course.

[Totally not a thinly-veiled "can I has R-Gun?" question.]

[srwu_npc]

"No, it's still a work in progress."

"The Good Men are different from other hostile factions. They're not the only ones who fight against Unity Group, but how many others do you know that target UG specifically, Lieutenant?"

[3xmadder]

Well, you're right. It was bound to happen eventually, I just figured we were too new.

[srwu_npc]

"Well. That changed from now on. Unity Group already starts to make a name for itself. It is no longer 'new'."

"Neither are the Lady's Good Men. In fact they have been operating for a while now. It is them learning that we have TSEN is what put UG on their radar."

[ugyuuya]

"Sir, could I ask why we were not notified about the potential threat before they acted against our base? Also how at risk are Alhambra and Star Rose and how were they able to isolate Sakihama so accurately?"

[srwu_npc]

"It was an explicit order of the higher ups to leave the Good Men to the investigation team. It had them under control, until now."

[ugyuuya]

Still a well known and obviously well equipped force is after us? Perhaps at least some word of warning would be appropriate. At the very least it's a risk to the pilots if we leave the base no matter how good the protective forces assigned to us may be.

[srwu_npc]

"Your opinion on this matter has been noted, Lieutenant. Regardless, you are aware of the Lady's Good Men now, so this discussion doesn't change a whole lot, does it?"

[ugyuuya]

"The hell it doesn't Major" [Yuuya's temper seems to have gotten the better of him with the dismissive nature of Ingram's comment.]

"We are out there to fight and win against this massive horde of hostile alien forces and you're HIDING other potential enemies that could potentially attack us. If this was a matter of bad intel then that was one thing but a group that you were acting against that was targeting us and it doesn't make a security briefing?"

"We already have more information on most of the forces arrayed against us than any other group on Earth and common knowledge within the organization already includes classified details. Really it boils down to whether you trust us to make the appropriate decisions with appropriate discretion or if you want to use us as your pawns in the current power struggle. Almost everyone assumed the former but if you want to play the latter you're playing a VERY dangerous game Major."

[srwu_npc]

"That was not my decision to make." Ingram's voice turns cold. Or rather, colder than it already was.

"I too have my orders. Orders that must be obeyed."

[ugyuuya]

"Well honestly sir those orders are bullshit. If you want to foster the kind of trust to make this organization successful then we need to know that you're not just going to use us as pawns in some damned power game. I'll follow orders and do what I need to but I need to trust that those orders aren't going to intentionally leave me high and dry just for someone's game."

"What if one of these groups engaged us during a mission. The recent sortie with the Prayer was bad enough with the hacker incident and the passing Raven. If either one of them had seriously meant us harm Leos would be in a coffin at the very least and who knows how the rest of us could have managed? We rely on the best intel we can get to operate and people in the higher ranks are playing secrets? I know not everything is need to know but if someone wants to shoot us I think it damned well deserves a mention!"

[srwu_npc]

"You think these orders are bullshit, Lieutenant?"

"You are not alone. Don't forget, not everyone involved in Unity Group's creation has only goodwill of humanity in mind. Or the group members' safety."

"This is politics."

[majestic_keiki]

Excuse me. What can you tell me about the enemies faced in that last battle? Everything seemed confusing as people came back.

[srwu_npc]

"There's not much more than what you can see from the operation recording. They are a cult that operates on a class-based mentality. The leaders use unique "Gifts" they acquire from their Lady, the rank and file soldiers are little more than hired thugs and mercenaries using cheap, mass produced units."

[majestic_keiki]

They don't use low ranking cultists for the fighting?

Also, from what I can gather, there were two groups out there. But the recordings were confusing and I was hoping you could clarify what it was all about.

[srwu_npc]

"They are still initiated into the cult. But as low level members, they know little and could as well be just mercenaries."

"The other group are Knights of Guiding Hand. We don't have any knowledge of them other than what their members said during the mission."

[majestic_keiki]

[Kei was visibly disheartened by this.]

I see...I'd hoped talking to you would help clear up what was going on out there.

[srwu_npc]

"I know they were after one of potential - well, not potential anymore, Unity Group recruits, Volya Alkaev. That they attacked at the same time as the Lady's Good Men is most likely just coincidence."

[majestic_keiki]

He's that kid with the white hair, right?

And I'm not sure, it sounds pretty likely that one group knew about the other and tried to use it to strike in the chaos.

[srwu_npc]

"That's him."

"Good Men were here because of Unity Group, the Knights were here because of Alkaev. I made sure he is directed towards Sakihama, so while it makes sense both of our foes were drawn in the same direction, I doubt they were aware of each others' presence until the combat started."

[majestic_keiki]

I see. [That explained a lot, but not in a pretty way.]

Why did no warning that they were on their way come?

[srwu_npc]

"In order to ensure Alkaev survives, I couldn't reveal my presence. Even sending a warning transmission could potentially alert the enemy."

[majestic_keiki]

Understood.

[dolorous_sensei]

Why "The Lady," Major?

[srwu_npc]

"Good question. I suspect it's some kind of a god they worship."

[gravitons]

[Well, this is a pretty surreal moment. Still, time to get a bit serious.]

The gift of tunneling through space itself...

[Shu starts to ponder. It still doesn't explain much about how that TSEN got to La Gias...]

Are we aware of other technologies this group considers 'gifts'?

[srwu_npc]

"Some of it."

[gravitons]

And other groups possessing these technologies; have they been attacked as well?

[srwu_npc]

"That's classified information."

For some reason Ingram is very curt. The reason might be that he's talking to the man his group fought several months ago. The man that should be dead.

[gravitons]

[Even though that's the situation, fortunately or unfortunately, it seems that Shu doesn't really remember you, Ingram. At the same time, he knows when not to press on with something like this...so...]

Very well. However...taking a stance that this cult's beliefs have absolutely no truth behind them may be unwise, Major.

I do hope the investigation team discovers helpful information soon.

[With that, he turns around to walk off.]