And there it was. The main event. Target priority one. Enough money to buy a personal planet with cash to spare less than 2 meters away. But he wasn't here to claim today. Quite the opposite. The flightsuit armor was both sleek and intimidating. It wasn't anything special, rather, the effect was from the way it simply fit. Form and function meeting to create a potent mix. It was a reflection of its wearer more than it was protection.
A smile crossed his lips, the first genuine one since he'd stepped aboard the station. His right hand closed into a fist and slammed into the front of his own flightsuits chest. "Generalmajor Heinrich. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." The personality was still there, the defiance in his words and tone, subdued but lingering. He may have thrown a salute and used the formal words, but the fire in his eyes had only gotten brighter.
And right on cue, the words arrived. "Knight commander Nick Stenn, here to sweep you off your feet.
Annabelle maintained a blank expression, a bit surprised, maybe being sent to a pod all those months ago was met with a fatal blow to the head? No, he wouldn't still be in charge if that were the case, he sounded like a reaver, and those hadn't been seen in forever. Bergmann glanced at Anna, his expression indicated what she suspected - he had too much youth, and not enough experience.Bergmann, Beaufsichtigen Sie die Belagerungsvorbereitungen, Ich übernehme von hier.Her Bretonian accent had a bit of a kinky mix with Rheinlandic. It didn't seem to get anyone's attention on that level though, she did speak with a sense of command, and Bergmann responded as such.Ja, Generalmajor.Bergmann handed Anna the device Lævateinn had given him, and proceeded to leave towards the hangar entrance.
Anna kept her eyes on Stenn until Bergmann exited the room, almost immediately she spoke up.Lokaðu þiljum.The Bulkhead doors slammed shut, drawing Stenn's attention for a split second before he looked back at Anna.Sweep me off my feet... I hope you didn't meet me in person to confess your affection. Maybe you just found it funny.Anna grabbed a small device latched on her waist, it looked like a small data disk, only it had two buttons at one end - the rest was coated in black. Anna's thumb rubbed over either button as she kept her composure, trying to think while bothered from the sound of her own breathing didn't mix, maybe it was time for some fresh air.
Anna took off her mask as she pressed one of the buttons, a distinct AI voice followed quickly.Oxygen and Nitrogen levels adjusting to custom setting. The gases adjusting immediately sent Stenn into shock, the nitrogen and Oxygen levels sharpened dramatically, it was like breathing in sandpaper - never mind whatever other gases could be felt. Anna walked around and behind him, pressing the other button along the way.Gravity levels adjusting. Just like that he was on his knees, neither of the changes even touched Anna's composure, still walking around as if nothing had happened. Stenn's choking started to get violent, cardiac arrest would follow in seconds. *Beep*Oxygen and Nitrogen levels restoring to universal settings.Anna responded with putting her mask back on.
The pleasure is mine, Knight Commander, don't choke on your affection for me. Let's discuss why you're really here.The adjusted gravity would be enough to keep him on his knees, it was much more effective on males than females given the positioning of muscle mass. His own torso and bionic arm would hold him down - until he spoke up of course.Professionally I must apologize but I don't take lightly to mercenaries, never mind the ones who have tried kill me.Anna walked back over towards the table, Stenn had the composure to respond... It didn't matter.What is it you really want?
This was more like it. No carefully placed words to probe, no towering guards purely for show this deep into Hessian space. The sting of the air almost had him activating his own suits emergency measures, but he knew that for all she was made out to be, Anna was still only human. Uncomfortable, irritating, and unexpected enough to cause a coughing fit as it was, the air was still breathable. The tug of gravity was far more concerning. He took the impact on his cybernetic arm, carefully shielding his organic bones from snapping on contact.
Every last one of the knights had been trained to fight under any situation in any environment. He was no exception and had pioneered the courses. Still, just a drastic shift so quickly would take anyone off guard. Taking a moment to ensure nothing had broken in the shift, he pushed himself out of the kneeling position. Rising back to his feet, he studied Anna, careful to not let the strain of keeping his stance show.
He speaks with a smile. "How much stronger do you reckon you'd be in normal gravity as a result of all the alterations to survive under this level. Two, three times stronger?" He took a step towards her.
Ah, there it was. A connection point. Vergil activated, and a moment later gravity returned to a more comfortable standard. "I hope you don't mind, but I'd prefer a gravity level where I can match you in speed without risking a leg should things get more heated."
Rolling his shoulders and clicking his neck, he lets out a soft sigh of release. "What I want is simple. Power. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with it, but I definitely trend towards collecting it. First, it was myself and two equals. Then a small group. A wing grew into a squadron, and a squadron into a division. Then two divisions. From rented hangers on civilian stations, an installation was procured. Then another. But installations can't move, and they only control so much of a region before the sensor grid starts to accrue gaps." He smiled now.
"Carriers are expensive. Cheaper than stations, but harder to convince a desperate owner to give up. So we went to the edge of the galaxy and recovered one. Kills turned into money which turned into materials. The economy of violence at work. And then the Carrier joined our fleet. Of course, that wasn't enough. We'd made friends throughout our stirring of an industry built on blood money. And now the targets were learning. Stay near support, rely on heavier units to survive. So we jumped through the hoops, and said the right things until we got our own heavy weapons to retaliate with."
The light in his eyes was almost gleaming as he recounts the history. "And it was a good time for us. Contracts, expansion, success, all at once. But we had grown too quickly, and expanded too fast. We filled a role that the Guild couldn't due to their size, and that the other freelance mercs wouldn't due to their safety. And so we found ourselves stagnating. An army on standby for a call in a war that doesn't interest us."
A frown creased his brow, as he continued. "Lets be honest. I've got more men than I can use. The houses don't need or want mercenaries on their ground, policing their cities. They are reluctant to request a mercenary army to aid them in a ground battle on some shellshocked world for fear of offering too low a price and being turned on. I want to expand, and the only sector hiring elite killers is the one where insignias are hidden and relationships secret due to the risk of being spotted."
The gravity switching back caught Annabelle off guard, without anticipation she continued to walk as if nothing was bound to change. *Thump* Her foot nearly dug into the floor from lack of anticipation, afterwards she halted, ready to signal for her guards if Stenn tried anything stupid.
His lectures of wanting power went in one ear and out the other, the actual request itself was all Anna had the patience for at this point. Eventually the lecture began to divulge into what Anna knew would be just a contracting request, the specifics on what contracts they wanted remained a mystery, however - accepting any kind of open mercenary employment didn't really fall in line with what the Hessians wanted.
Ground troops? The SOA handled any sort of ground operation the Army needed, all of which were scarce. Still, proxy conflicts were what the Army lived for in it's current state, the only real question was of course - could they be entrusted to not spill their guts in the face of failure.
Anna stood and thought for a moment, or better yet - maybe Stenn should do the thinking.
Beyond my people's gain in the event you do succeed at whatever mission I would have laid out, what reason would I have to employ your soldiers? You operate under the agenda of houses for monetary purposes, you've attempted to kill me for the same reason. In fact the more I say it to myself the more I continue considering just killing you so- Anna walked toward stenn slowly, figuring her temper would take over, or she would act on impulse; he kept his distance.-What would convince me this offer is worth while, and more importantly - reliable? Of course if you considered growing a spine and leaving those fat fucks exploiting the government I'd have a million offers for you. Coming to me insistent on earning as much money from as many people as possible doesn't leave you with a worthwhile impression, especially considering who you're talking to.
Stenn smiled. "I'm not looking for more money. I'm looking for a contingency. I want to open a way for some members of the Forlorn Hope to vanish off the grid when the time comes." He rolls his shoulders. "To tell the truth it's only a matter of time before the time comes for the group to break apart, and even though most of them are mercenaries loyal to a paycheck, I'm loyal enough to them to want to make sure they have somewhere to go when that happens."
He wasn't moving towards her now, he wasn't the same image of a threat now. Rather, he just looked tired. The attitude and the fire in his eyes were still there, but they barely hid the weariness in his posture.