Return of the Emblem Chapter Fourteen: Nine

[KentaEzren]

".... Any other parts of the plan?" Kenta asked both Anna and Raquel.

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

"Yeah, Wynn," Anna nodded. She looked to Thany next. "He's probably fine."

The boss sighed. "I doubt that woman is going to do anything nefarious once he's officially one of them. Until then, he might have a rough time of it. I can't imagine the soldiers here being to welcoming to a former member of Invictus."

"As for the rest of the plan," Anna continued, addressing Kenta this time, "I still have to get a magic seal in case Samael shows up. That's my problem, though. For the attack itself, we need to make sure there's no conventional escape route they can use. If they're ready to warp away there's not much we can do unless I can slip in quickly with that magic seal. Once their escape's cut off we'll have ten ... maybe fifteen minutes to wrap things up before the authorities come in ... and wrap things up for us," she ended, her scowl indicating that she had no intention of letting them get involved. This operation was more or less sanctioned by Major General Belo, but hardly legal, and it wasn't certain if she would stick up for them, later. Either way, neither group involved in the coming mission was going to be praised for trying to slaughter each other. "One other thing; keep an eye out for traps."

"And like she said before," Raphael chimed in, "if a tank shows up out of nowhere, leave it to me."

[KentaEzren]

"I'll cover the gates in the city so they don't escape." He replied

[Script]

"I'm sure you'll do just fine taking out those tanks," said Gar. "But just in case, let's review the most dangerous angles of possible attack for the contraption and the best retreat paths."

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

"There aren't any gates to cover, Kenta," Anna said, "... not unless they're hold up in an estate or something, but there aren't many of those and they wouldn't need one to hide a small team out here."

"The most dangerous angles depend on where their hideout is," Raphael explained, "where the tank--or tanks--come out of hiding from, and where we happen to be at the time. We're going to be trying to surround them and cut off their escape, so unless they surround us the same way, it's not going to be a problem for everyone. Best advice, if we have to fall back because of a tank or two, move in the opposite direction of the closest one, and use the environment for cover. I assume if we retreat, we're heading south, taking longer routes as needed."

"We can meet back up at Weyland Enterprises if we get separated after the mission; it's a hell of a lot closer than Fort Nature," Anna said. "On that note, if Gabbie's already got Lois by the time we take out Zerachiel, go ahead and pull out. If we stay there too long the authorities are going to attack both sides and ask questions later. We're not going to be excused for 'self-defense' on this one."

[KentaEzren]

"Got it." He replied, flipping a small coin. "And we shouldn't be, this is a planned out house breach."

[Script]

"Then I'll be heading north," said Gar.

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

"Got somewhere else to be after this?" Raphael asked, raising an eyebrow at Gar.

Anna practically handwaved at the two, figuring Gar would meet up with them again sooner or later, either way. There was no point worrying about that. "Now," Anna addressed the gathering, "assuming Samael doesn't randomly show up in the middle of all this, we're still going to have a real fight on our hands, and other attackers could show up out of nowhere. Be ready for that. Also ... we might get really unlucky and run into some guardsmen just on patrol out there. If that happens, do not attack the authorities. If they show up, just disappear, and put the enemy between you and them if you can manage it."

"If we've got tank problems," Raphael spoke up again, "and the authorities come running before I've dealt with them, mind if I just stick around and wrap things up? They'll know whose side I'm on at least."

Anna winced. "Yeah ... sure, but don't push it. The Weyland card doesn't work all the time, and vigilante work isn't legal in Ursentius either way." Raphael nodded his understanding, but obviously planned on making sure any tanks were dealt with, regardless of who showed up.

[Script]

Gar just grinned back. "Alright, so south-ways is our exit. Set up the distraction either east or west and hope that draws enough attention from the authorities that they don't come running in looking for the wrong sorts of trouble."

[KentaEzren]

"Distractions are easier when you know where to hire people." He pointed out, "There's probably mercenaries around there anyways, knowing people can come from the strangest of places."

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

The doors leading into the mess hall opened and Gabriel stepped back inside. He wasn't alone. "You don't have to hold my hand," came a voice from behind him. As Gabriel stepped clear of the door, two soldiers entered, and one of them had a firm grip on a third person, Wynn. He jerked hard, pulling Wynn into view while the other soldier shut the door once he was inside.

"Belo wants at least two men with eyes on Wynn at all times," Gabriel explained, "so they'll be staying, too."

"We don't really care what you're doing," the soldier holding Wynn said, just before releasing the irritated mage and heading for a place on the wall, "just try not to keep us here all day ..."

"No," Anna shook her head, "we've just got a few questions for Wynn and then you can go."

[Script]

What was it that I was supposed to ask again? "Alright pincushion," Gar said to the new-old-young guy, "you start answering questions like 'why are Invictus and Lamael's gang pallin' around' and you get to go back to the nice comfy jail cell."

[KentaEzren]

"I love the excitement. Now lets get the hell outta here." Kenta sighed, putting his coin in his pocket.

[scorri]

Erion had been mostly ignoring the new guy, though he seemed to not understand anything about what was going on. However, when Wynn, was dragged in, Erion straightened slightly in anticipation. Here was some useful stuff hopefully. He considered the situation before adding in his own two cents, "He means Samael if that wasn't clear. More importantly than that though... The suburbs sure are an interesting area of the city. We need to know what sort of resistance we can expect if we were to go poking around Invictus there."

Uri entered into the dining hall and spotted Amalia with Erion and a group of others. Heading over to the group, he slid in next to Amalia and smiled at her. "Good to see you. Is this the planning for the attack people were talking about earlier? I assume you're planning on joining if you're here?"

[-Cynthia-]

"What I think Gar means is that your help in this matter would be very much appreciated. We need all the information we can get if we're going to keep Raquel safe from these people," Veronika cut in. Wynn is annoying, but he will be more cooperative with some respect hopefully.

"Patience, dear. It's important to make a proper plan before rushing in. These aren't your common bandits or street thugs we're talking about- if we are to have a chance at success everyone must know and play their part," Lysandra warned Kenta.

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

Wynn's gaze shot to Raquel momentarily. He winced when she returned a blank stare, not sure what to think. At least Thany and the other weren't impaling him with indifference. He forced a smile when Gar taunted him. "Unfortunately for me, that good for nothing general prefers me in a uniform than in a cell-" a smack to the back of his head punctuated the remark.

"Shut the hell up and get on point," said the other accompanying soldier. He decided to stick closely to the mage just to be cautious.

"Fine ..." Wynn nursed the back of his head briefly. He scanned the group and crossed his arms. "If you're trying to protect Raquel then I'll help, even if ..." That statement really wasn't worth finishing now that he thought about it. "So you're trying to hit one of the places out in the suburbs? I'm guessing that's where Zerachiel went?"

"Yeah," Anna nodded.

"I guess that's where they're keeping the tanks, then ... have fun with that ..." Wynn murmured to himself. He didn't know how they managed to hide the things, but he was sure he'd be hearing about it within a day or two, regardless of how things actually turned out. "They probably don't have a lot of people out there. Invictus' teams were never really that big, not in areas where numbers make you stand out. It's best to look like part of some worthless street gang when you're deeper in the city, and like a few pals, some nobodies, out in the suburbs. You can expect any members you run into to be armed, but I think they'd prefer to run for backup than fight a group your size."

[Script]

Gar grinned as the pincushion got smacked. "What about local sympathizers? Any locals on the lookout payroll?"

[KentaEzren]

"Mmmm... Alright." Kenta replied.

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

Wynn shrugged. "We don't exchange strategies--as far as I know--it's just common sense," he said, a harmless edge to his tone. "I guess they'd hire people if they didn't have enough sympathizers helping them out there. It's not like they'd have to tell them that they're working for Invictus on the side." Wynn felt his brow stiffen as he thought on the possibilities. These were questions better suited for Leo, but he wasn't here. That was something that worried him. Invictus was on the edge of annihilation and he didn't want his boss, more importantly, his ally, to get pulled over that edge as well. "I wouldn't expect a lot of them ... people talk too much, but they're definitely going to see you guys coming. No doubt about it."

[-Cynthia-]

"Well if we can't sneak in, we should think of a way to take out those tanks. Do we have any explosives we can use?" Veronika asked. This is going to get ugly...but we can't pass up this chance.

[Script]

They wouldn't see for very long. "I really don't think it changes my idea much," he shrugged.

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

Anna did want information from Wynn, but the operation wasn't going to hinge on his every word, after all, most of what he was saying was speculation, and they had already concluded far worse on their own. If anything, he was being almost optimistic about this. "We'll still go with the diversion. Even if they see us coming, they're not going to have a clear cut report for their bosses," she said.

"Just leave the tanks to me," Raphael assured Veronika, "Focus on your targets, Zerachiel, and Lois."

"You're awfully confident," Wynn scowled at the tall blond man. "What's your secret? Going to sneak up on them and slip a grenade inside? Bet you get yourself killed before you even cover ten paces."

"As if you've got money to wager," Raphael scoffed.

[KentaEzren]

"How are we suppose to get this done if two or more people are fighting each other? This will be a wreck." Kenta thought deeply.

[Script]

"If they see my idea coming they're clairvoyant," said Gar.

[Phoenix]

Mess Hall

"That said," Anna began, her gaze shifting to Gar, "what sort of diversion did you have in mind?" Without waiting for an answer she looked to the guard hovering over Wynn's shoulder. "If he doesn't know any specifics then I think we're done with the questions."

"That'd mean it's back to the briefing," the guard smirked.

Wynn sighed. He didn't want to go back to being fed every last line of the Ursian army's regulations and being talked down to all the while. For the moment, at least, some people he considered actual allies were nearby, and he doubted he'd see much or any of them after this. "Can you give me a minute? I doubt I'll have another chance to talk to any whose not on that annoying woman's payroll ..."

"I could care less," the guard shrugged.