Disclaimer: I own nothing except those ideas that I created myself. This story is to entertain and improve my skills as a writer.

Chapter 1: Is it a Bird? A Suit? A Familiar?!

Not for the first time, Jean Colbert wondered if Miss Valliere was just one spell away from being cast out. Not only from the Academy but from all of the aristocracy in general. He could indeed understand why she had avoided coming forward to make her summoning attempt, even if that meant she only succeeded in catching the attention of all the other Second Year students once her absence was finally noticed.

Miss Zerbst goaded the Heavy Winds youngest daughter into the summoning circle, and Miss Valliere raised her wand with a hand that trembled slightly. The balding magic user silently vowed to give some manner of assistance to the pinkette should this spell end in failure for her. An assistant's position would be a good fit, given her studious nature in class. My research budget could easily afford the expense also, but quarters for Miss Valliere n-

The professor was yanked back to reality as a loud bang came from where the pinkette had been casting along with a thick, choking dust cloud. Something had happened, at the very least, but the balding magic user still felt pity for what was most likely hidden under the haze.

He focused his Will and slashed at the dust cloud with his staff. The haze responded and dispersed, leaving Miss Valliere falling to her knees in the summoning circle…

...by herself.

Professor Colbert felt his heart go out to the pinkette as several whispers and muffled laughs started to be heard from her peers all around her. The balding magic-user did notice some students that weren't up to kicking the Heavy Wind's youngest while she was down; such as Miss Zerbst, who had her arms crossed under her substantial bosom and a somber look to her face. Miss Tabatha, who had been reading one of her many novels at the time, actually looked up from the pages to focus on Miss Valliere for a moment.

But just as the Professor opened his mouth to call the pinkette to leave the circle…

"HEY! Which one of you bastards yanked me from the testing area?!"

A voice from above startled many of the assembled students and forced everyone to gaze upward! There, a good twenty feet or so above the ground hovered something no one upon Halkeginia could ever remember seeing. It was humanoid in shape and completely covered in squarish, silvery grey armor that had strips of teal blue at the thighs, biceps, and shoulder guards.

The front chest plate was shaped into the head of a bird of prey, with a beak and eye frames a bright gold. The forearms and lower legs were the same silver grey as the rest of the armor but were smoothly shaped instead of square, making them stand out. The legs, in particular, each had a jet of bluish flame rushing out an opening at the calf area.

Attached to each forearm at the wrist was a two-pronged claw that extended out past the hands. They didn't look particularly sharp, given that they shared the same block design as the rest of the armor, but the balding magic user still felt old instincts tense at the sight of the strange handguards. Two squat slanted protrusions extended from the shoulder blades and had flames erupting from the underside of each, both colored the same incandescent blue as the fire coming from the legs.

Professor Colbert started to wonder if it was those flames helping keep this stranger aloft. As if to answer the unspoken question, the fires went out, and the armored being fell to earth, landing firmly on its feet.

Now that it was on the ground, the balding magic user could get a better look at the helmet. It was blocky, as previously noted and held a large squarely cut emerald in the forehead area, and two white vents around an opening in the front. Glass or some other transparent material was covering that opening, and behind it was a person's face. A man's face, if the thick goatee around his mouth was any indication, with pale skin, hazel eyes, and an angry snarl on his lips.

The stranger then brought a hand to the transparent faceplate and did something that allowed it to recede upwards into the helmet, exposing his face to the outside air. He opened his mouth and spoke again in that same unrecognizable language. "I'm not gonna ask again. Who. Did. This. TO ME?!"

Whoever he was, the fellow was apparently upset. Several of the students began to speak amongst themselves, but much of it could be boiled down to wondering if this was what Miss Valliere succeeded in summoning. A good question indeed, and one that had a sure fire way to answer it. The balding magic user straightened his stance and put himself back into the look of an authority figure. He turned to face the Heavy Wind's youngest and noticed that she was still in the position she had been when the dust cleared. Professor Colbert tapped the butt of his staff into the cobblestones underneath his feet and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Miss Valliere, it would be prudent to see if this creature is your familiar. Continue with the ceremony, if you would, please."

Acting as one, everyone refocused their attention upon the pinkette, including the stranger. The Heavy Wind's youngest jerked her head around as if she just remembered what she was supposed to be doing. She then took a deep breath to steady herself and stood up before walking towards the stranger.

The armored being had crossed his arms in front of himself and cocked his head to the side, almost looking curious as to what was about to happen. But as soon as Miss Valliere came to a stop in front of him, the stranger tensed as started backing away from the much smaller girl.

"Louise… Françoise… Le Blanc de la Vallière…" It was a tiny whisper from the armored being, but it was heard loud and clear by everyone present, especially the one to whom that name belonged. Suddenly the armored figure stumbled backward before leaping into the air and flying away at a speed no Halkeginian had ever witnessed before.

Or, at least, he would have had Professor Colbert not been the one to preside over the Springtime Summoning Festival for the last decade. As such, the balding magic user was quite adept at reading the intentions of creatures that had just been summoned and were about to make a break for it. Even then, with his reflexes from years in the military, Professor Colbert only just managed to cast the Levitation spell in time.

But even with a millisecond to spare, the magic did its work. The stranger's forward momentum halted almost as soon as it began, leaving the armored figure quivering in midair with great plumes of fire blasting out behind him. The strain on the professor's Will was enormous, so much so that his body was slowly being dragged from his original position.

The students could feel the hot wind being kicked up by the armored being, even more so when he looked behind himself for an instant, then faced forward giving off a wordless shout. As the stranger did so, the gem in the helmet and the eyes of the bird's head began flashing with a bright green light. At the same time, the gouts of fire from his back grew much more significant and exerted such force that the balding magic user was nearly yanked from his feet. Some students fell backward from the sudden output.

Several others rose to their teacher's aid and cast Levitation on the figure as well, forcing the impromptu battle of opposing forces into a stalemate. Miss Valliere could only look on, transfixed at the sheer display of power her familiar was capable of producing.

For a moment, as Professor Colbert's Will began to fray and the students helping him felt their growing fatigue, it looked like this creature, whatever he was might overpower a Triangle-class mage as well as several of the Academy's stronger students at the same time.

But it wasn't to be.

One of the two protrusions on the stranger's back exploded in a massive fireball and immediately the glow coming from the armor and the force trying desperately to push the armored figure forwards ceased. The stranger now merely wriggled in place, trying to reach the blackened section of his back and crying out in pain from the damage the explosion just inflicted on him.

The balding magic user was able to handle things from that point onwards. He gently floated the armored being in front of Miss Valliere so she could complete the ritual. At the same time, Colbert directed two students to fetch the apothecary to give medical attention to the injured being. He heard shouting coming from where the pinkette had been and turned around to face an oddly comical scene.

The Heavy Wind's youngest was pounding on the stranger's helmet demanding that he reveal his face so she could complete the ritual correctly. The armored figure just laughed and spoke to her in a taunting tone, sticking his tongue out at her for emphasis. Professor Colbert was now in a hurry to finish things up so that he could lay down, hopefully for a few months. "Miss Valliere, what in Founder's name is the matter?!"

The pinkette turned to her teacher quivering with anger. "I-I-I-It's h-his fault! I spoke the incantation and tapped him on the head like I was supposed to, but when I moved closer to… to… t-to!"

Miss Zerbst interjected at that point. "I think the word you're looking for is 'kiss,' Valliere. If you like I could show you a few pointers later."

The class erupted in laughter, the memories of what had just occurred seemingly forgotten. The pinkette turned to give a scathing rebuttal to her redheaded rival, only to be preempted by a bright glow coming from the armored being. Unlike before, however, this glow was a solid white and came from strange letters forming upon the stranger's chest. "NO! NononononoNO, this is bullshit! The half-pint kissed my faceplate, not me!"

The professor was stunned speechless. For some reason, the stranger's words shifted into proper Tristanian mid-sentence, hinting at powerful magic being the cause of what was happening. The next instant the armored being's protection began rapidly folding away from him making a strange tonal sound. Colbert still kept a grip on the armor as it changed, but that meant the one wearing it fell to the ground in an undignified heap. The glowing letters remained upon the collection of twisting metal plates as it reconfigured itself. The fragments of the section that had been blasted off of the armor flew back and rejoined the whole as the transformation continued.

Before everyone's eyes, that which had been worn as a suit of armor changed into a large bird of prey as tall as the Heavy Wind's youngest. The strange runes faded, leaving an enormous, metal bird that acted unusually lifelike after Professor Colbert released his hold on it. It studied the pinkette intently, even while letting her run her fingers across its shiny exterior. Her face gained a look of wonder and joy as she came to grips with this development. "I should think of a name to match your beauty, shouldn't I?"

The stranger untangled himself and stood up striding purposefully towards the pair. "It's called FalconGao. It's a prototype variable configuration armor suit that I was testing to get some of the kinks worked out, at least until your stupid spell kidnapped me."

The pinkette looked up at the taller stranger as if for the first time. Somehow he had managed to keep the gauntlets and leg guards on his body, which was found to be decently muscular. He wore a solid white shirt under a dark brown unbuttoned leather jacket with a white fur collar. Below his waist was a pair of pants made of some unknown midnight blue material that ended at the knee and were secured by a black leather belt around his waist. His dark brown hair was cut short and brushed away from his face.

Not ugly by any standard Miss Valliere could name, but she wasn't feeling too inclined to sympathize with his situation, mainly since it resulted in her grand turn of fortune. "I suppose that is an interesting enough name for my familiar."

The young man shook his head. "Uh-uh. My armor."

"My Familiar!"

"My Armor!"

Their faces moved closer together, each growing more enraged. "My Familiar, you cheeky, musclebound hooligan!"

"MY! ARMOR! you strawberry sized chibi-chan!"

FalconGao could only look between the both of them as they argued, considering ways of ensuring their future cooperation despite this rocky start. A thought unknowingly shared by Professor Colbert, who felt a familiar twinge in his temples as he realized a nap would be a ways off indeed.

Headmaster Osmond had seen many things over the course of his many years. So many things, in fact, that a part of him entertained the fear that there was nothing new to behold, no shore left to discover, or no new prank that could surprise his secretary, Miss Longueville.

So despite the fact that a humongous political tangle dropped into his lap because of Miss Valliere's summoning, Old Osmond was glad he could kick that nasty thought back into the subconscious where it belonged. Currently, the problem was summarized like so: Louise de La Valliere had been successful in bringing forth a familiar, something that went quite a long way to justify her place in the Academy. However, what became her familiar had previously been the property of this man that had been dragged along during the summoning. A rare occurrence, but not outside the Headmaster's experience. In past situations, the divine mandate that came with the master/familiar bond was accepted as the last word in whom owned what. But for the sake of fairness, compensation could be agreed upon and paid out to the former owner that would settle the matter.

Which is where the problem showed itself; this fellow did not accept the bond of master and familiar as sacred, nor would he receive any form of payment in exchange for agreeing on the current state of affairs.

Or rather, as he put it:

"You could give me this entire country, and it wouldn't be enough to cover a fraction of the tab for FalconGao!" The stranger further showed his displeasure by slamming a fist on Osmond's desk as he spoke. "That armor is a one-of-a-kind prototype, combining the height of my country's understanding of G-Technology and the latest in A.I. assisted combiner mecha system development. A few gold coins, jewels, land grants, or combination of all of the above isn't gonna cut it!"

Osmond sighed while stroking his long, white beard. "I am certain that Miss Valliere's familiar was indeed something of great importance to you and your country, but 'What's Done is Done,' as they say. The Springtime Summoning Festival is a sacred rite that just cannot be revoked. Even a foreign Nobleman like yourself is aware of the need for dignity and tradition in situations like this?"

The stranger scoffed aloud before crossing his arms in front of himself. "Nobleman? Me? Not really, and glad for it, especially if Nobles define terms like Propriety and Tradition, in the same way, I'd define Kidnapping, Theft, and Attempted Bribery."

The pinkette and Headmaster both became quite interested in the discussion as an unforeseen solution revealed itself. Coughing once to clear his throat, Osmond locked eyes with Miss Valliere. "My apologies, Miss Valliere. It would seem your involvement in this was unwarranted. Feel free to retire to your quarters with your familiar."

Before the stranger could utter a single syllable of renewed protest, the Headmaster channeled his Will into his staff and focused his magic upon the young man from another world. Instantly the stranger began shuffling towards the door to Osmond's office. His face was taut, and his teeth were clenched as he tried in vain to resist the magical control that his arms and legs were now under. The group passed Miss Longueville, Old Osmond's secretary, who now observed this casual display of her employer's power with a stunned look on her face. The Headmaster asked her to head to the main vault, gather one of the grey sacks of coins stored there, and bring it to them at the main entrance. The jade-tressed woman gave a single nod and hurried off to comply with her employer's request.

This impromptu parade of a stranger, Headmaster, second-year student and her metallic companion made their way to the front gate of the Academy, whereon Osmond maneuvered the young man from another world into a kneeling position facing the Academy just outside the threshold. Moments later, Miss Longueville returned from her errand with a hefty sack floating beside her.

Guessing his intentions, the jade-tressed woman levitated the sack over to the helpless stranger and deposited it in front of him. The Headmaster whispered words of power under his breath and pointed at the young man from another world with the head of his staff before angling it towards a point far beyond the surrounding treeline. Osmond then cleared his throat and spoke. "My spell will now compel you to journey until you reach the capital city. It is my hope that you will be well and use this bounty that has been provided to build a life for yourself since it is doubtful that you will be capable of returning to your home country. You have a few moments freedom now to gather up that purse of platinum coins."

The two guards that had observed the spectacle thus far gasped in shock at what they heard, as did Miss Longueville and Miss Valliere. A single coin of minted platinum was a fortune in and of itself. A whole purse full could buy a Germanian title, lands and a mansion with hired staff and not deplete even a tenth of the supply. The stranger would have to be mad to not take advantage of what had been given to him.

Slowly, testing that he could, in fact, again move under his own will, the young man from another world lifted the heavy sack off of the ground and rose to a standing position. The Headmaster turned to leave, confident that this little knot had undone itself when he got the second most significant surprise of his day.

"HEY, GANDALF!"

Osmond turned back just in time to see the stranger go into an unusual pose and throw the bounty of precious metal, sack and all, right back through the gate. Murder wasn't on the young man's mind, however, since the purse careened past everyone there and flew the distance of the courtyard to impact the wall of the nearest tower with a thunderous sound. At the site where the bag now held itself against the wall, several spiderweb cracks soon spread.

The Headmaster was speechless as he looked from what he had just witnessed back to the one that had accomplished it. Much to his relief, the young man from another world was starting to move away from the gate, but not without some parting words. "Nice try, Mithrandir, but you aren't gonna be able to lawyer yourself out of this one. I will be back, and I will figure out a way to reclaim my armor. I owe that much to everyone back home, at least."

The pinkette, having seen more than her share of startling things, was unable to resist offering her rebuttal. "You can't stop our magic! Our blessings from the Founder m-make it impossible for a Commoner to reach where Nobles stand! Y-you've got a better chance to w-walk upon the moons than cross the gulf that stands between us!"

The stranger somehow managed to come to a complete stop after Louise finished shouting. He then turned himself back around to face everyone still assembled at the gate. A smirked grin appeared on his face, and a strange, bright green glow began flashing from the center of his chest underneath his white shirt. As it did, spoke calmly back at the pinkette but strong enough to be understood despite the distance between them. "Firstly, I just threw that bag of heavy metal across that gulf of yours, so it isn't as far as you might think. Secondly, and I'll admit you can be forgiven for not knowing this, Never tell the Prince of Braves that something is impossible. I've made a career out of proving people like you wrong."

With that, the glow in the young man's chest subsided, and he resumed his enforced journey to the capital, leaving the assembled group to puzzle out what they had just witnessed. The two guards remained standing at their post, but neither could remove the sight of the man that glowed with an intense inner light from their minds.

Miss Longueville looked almost starstruck as she made her way to the 'returned' purse of platinum coins so that they could be returned to the vault.

The pinkette was overcome with the urge to hold onto FalconGao as tightly as she could while she tried to reconcile her reality with the knowledge that some strange commoner had the same hardened gaze as her mother.

The Headmaster only sighed aloud before starting back toward his office. 'Not a Nobleman, but strong enough to toss a full purse across the courtyard to strike walls reinforced against all but the most extreme damage and make a dent. And also shrewd enough to understand what taking those coins would mean to the world at large and how it would help my position. And I all but offered him to Princess Henrietta on a silver platter… Oh Founder, have mercy on me.'

"Stupid memory, stupid procedure, Fucking stupid BioNet! I can't believe how badly I messed up back there!" The young man from another world had been walking for almost 20 minutes now and had more than enough time to cool his temper. But with that cooler head, came the self-recriminations of a task poorly completed. "If that damn giggling twit hadn't scrambled my head-"

He paused mid-rant as he heard rustling limbs and leaves behind him, gaining fast. A tender part of his psyche hoped it was someone, or a group of someones, thinking he was an easy mark. The exercise would do much for his frustration. The stranger grinned and began muttering to himself. "Welcome to the House of Pain, boyos. I'm Hiro Gabriev, and I'll be your server today!"

Hiro's greeting ended in a roar as he bent his will against the magic pushing him forward, stopped, then turned around in a fighting stance to face what came out of the foliage!

He could taste his disappointment when a feminine scream answered his call, and the brush parted to reveal a young woman in a light brown travel dress covering her face with the suitcase she had been carrying. The young man from another world groaned loudly and let the enchantment take hold once more. He walked backward for a few steps, then turned himself around before continuing his enforced journey.

A few dozen steps later Hiro heard the young woman rush to catch up with him while shouting for him to stop and wait for her. He turned in place midstep so that he was again walking backward before giving his reply. "Sorry, Darlin'. Mithrandir back there whammied me so hard that I'd keep walking till I reach the capital city. I can hold it back in short bursts, but not much else." The young man from another world reversed his positioning and faced forward once more. "If you wanna have a conversation, you'd best be able to walk and talk at the same time," he continued.

A few moments later the mystery girl managed to catch up to him and match his pace as they continued down the road. Hiro turned his head to get a good look at her while she calmed her breathing. She was a bit shorter than he was, with raven hair cut into a cute bob style. Her eyes were a sky blue and held a slanted almond shape. The rest of her body could only be summed up as 'right' by the pilot's standards. Not too large anywhere, and not too small, especially in… certain areas.

He averted his eyes as soon as he caught himself staring and focused on the path ahead. A moment later Hiro's new traveling companion had recovered enough to both walk and talk. "I-I'm sorry for startling you earlier. My name is Siesta. I hope you don't mind me traveling with you, mister… um…"

The young man from another world gave a little grin before speaking. "Hiro Gabriev's the name I answer to these days. Nice to meet ya!"

Siesta smiled in turn, but then gained a confused look on her face. "'These days?' So you had a different name once?"

The young maid noticed her companion shrinking in on himself and quickly moved to apologize for her misstep. Hiro waved it off as a non-issue before choosing to elaborate further. "I'm sure I had a different name once. But I can't remember it, or anything related to my personal history."

Siesta was now more confused than ever. "I've never heard of someone only losing a specific part of their memories before. Was some noble punishing you in some way, and this is what happened as a result?"

Hiro chuckled as he laced his fingers behind his head. "I doubt there would be a point to punishing someone like this. Besides, it wasn't magic that did this to me. If it were, I'm certain it could do better than this kludge job."

He then proceeded to explain the process known as Targeted Memory Manipulation or TMM. The brain of the subject is mapped within an MRI through the use of pointed questions about one's past events, relations, and so on. Afterward, pulses of electricity are injected through the scalp, scrambling the neurons underneath. Unfortunately, with so much of the mind's memory interwoven throughout the whole of the brain, more than just the targeted information was likely to be affected.

Siesta, for her part, was honestly shocked that anyone would undergo such a horrific sounding treatment. Hiro grinned and simply pointed out that this was done to him, not for him. The young maid went pale and stopped in her tracks. A moment or so later she had regained her senses enough to catch up again with the young man from another world and silently walked beside him.

The awkwardness in the air quickly subdued Hiro's sensibilities, forcing him to break the silence. "Look I'm… sorry if I frightened you back there, Siesta. Where I'm from most folks, have at least a basic idea of what BioNet put so many people through. It never seemed to bother anyone when I talked about it before. If I had known you'd react the way you did I'dve toned down the infodump a bit."

Siesta didn't respond immediately, leaving the young man from another world to wonder if he had hurt her mentally from the shock. Thankfully, that proved not to be the case when the young maid opened her mouth to speak again. "Nobles are horrible, aren't they?"

Hiro's left eyebrow quirked upwards but gave no further sign of interest in her question. "I would think it depends on the Noble you meet, honestly."

The young maid whipped her eyes up to meet his own. "I used to think that about Headmaster Osmond! His eyes would wander, of course, but he'd never force himself upon any of the staff. But he stole that steel bird from you for Miss Valliere, didn't he?! Who's to say that couldn't be me, tossed to some Noble as a gift because of my looks, and me helpless to do anything about it if it was to help him with another Noble problem?!" Siesta's shoulder twinged at that moment from the strain of holding her luggage for long without a break. Hiro offered to carry it for her the rest of the way, to which the young maid agreed. As the young man from another world maneuvered the luggage into a comfortable position dangling behind his left shoulder, Siesta continued to vent her grievances. "I thought I was safe there! At least, as safe as any place could be for a commoner girl… Then I watched Old Osmond casually force you out of the Academy, then tossing you that purse of money, as if that would make the fact he bullied you out of your property disappear. I couldn't stay in that place another second! And- and what this Lord… Bayonet did to you in your own country! It's all so...so!" The former maid finally couldn't find the words to express her frustration and fears adequately, ending her tirade in a roar.

Hiro patted her on the back with his free hand to help her calm down. As he did so, he felt his opinion of his impromptu traveling companion rising along with his general mood. It felt nice to have someone in his corner after everything that happened thus far, even though he couldn't help but try to correct her on a few things. "Not that I don't appreciate the support, Siesta, but I honestly think all these things you've listed are examples of human nature, not Noble nature. Gandalf back there was having to deal with a very nasty out-of-context problem and took the easy way out when it showed itself. As for what happened to me in the past, BioNet isn't a powerful Noble; it's a company made up of businessmen. Merchants. And not a single one of them has a title next to their name. So when you think about it, it's commoners hurting commoners in this instance."

Siesta was stunned at this revelation, so much so that the young man from another world had managed to distance himself from her by a dozen yards or so before she could recover and run to catch up with him again. Once she had, the former maid sputtered through several false starts before finally settling on an essential question. "But if Nobles and commoners aren't that different, how do you avoid being a hypocrite and show you're better than them?"

Hiro smiled as he offered a swift reply. "Love your neighbor as you would yourself. As to whom your neighbor is, look to the one who is beside you."

Siesta looked slightly lost, so the young man from another world elaborated. "That's the second commandment that my Messiah, Jesus Christ, told to those that would accept following him and the Gospel. The First being: 'Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind.' During the first month, after everything that BioNet did to me back home happened, it was hard not to feel low given… given everything I lost. I found this little one-story church building on one of my off-days and figured, 'Why not?'. But Brother Kelly and everyone there helped me, even in ways I didn't know I needed help."

The former maid was smiling now, as well. "So you prove you aren't like those Nobles by… caring for everyone you meet?"

Hiro shook his head. "It's not to prove I'm better, but to prove His Way is better."

Siesta turned her eyes back towards the path with a thoughtful look on her face. A moment later, as the pair just cleared the treeline of the forest, she pointed ahead with a happy exclamation. The young man from another world took the time to stop and enjoy the view with his companion of the capital city in the early sunset.

Elsewhere, far to the west and several miles above Tristain, the sun was setting in a more binary sense; both heralding the end of a day, and the inevitable end of the soft tyranny of the Noble families that ruled here. Little of this mattered to the one that would spearhead such change, the interdimensional warrior known as Revan Greywords. It wasn't the name he'd gained at birth, but when he'd undergone BioNet's TMM procedure for new agents, the technician/otaku running the machinery felt inspired by the opportunity.

Afterward, things went further downhill in the agent's opinion. As their first successful G-cyborg, BioNet would use him to perfect their version of the 3-G Variable Terrain Assault Combiner Armor that had initially been designed by the United States Air Force. With Revan thus armed, and armored, BioNet would quickly rise to become the world's most feared criminal empire forcing him to inflict great hard upon all who dared oppose them. They became the boogiemen in the night, moving their shadowed hands to claim whatever the company's leaders would desire.

But it wasn't enough for the corporation, so in time they began research into breaking through the unknown to other worlds, other dimensions. A few days ago, BioNet had succeeded in punching through to this world of Halkeginia and the land of Albion specifically. Almost immediately, contact was established with a rebel organization that supposedly wished to unite all the continent and reclaim their Holy Land from the elves that held control over that part of this world.

BioNet's Directors were ecstatic, naturally. Actual Magic in a percentage of the population, exotic locales, and resources that might be harvested for the 'good of all' back on Revan's homeworld. But first, the company wished to see if these rebels had any clue as to what they could do with real power.

"So basically my employers want to see what you can do with the right assistance. If the Reconquista can prove themselves competent with my help, BioNet promises much more in return in the campaigns to come. For a slice of the spoils, of course." The BioNet enforcer smirked inside his helmet, looking himself over. The sleek red and black plates of his GurrenFar Armor caught the light of dusk in such a way as to give off an intimidating glare to his audience. If he'd had the room for it in the building used for the negotiations, the armored fighter would've come wearing the complete suit for extra flair. As it was though, being in a tiny room with one hole in the wall acting as a window, three occupied chairs and a battered table between them, the demonstrations would have to wait until he got onto the battlefield. But he knew there was a more straightforward way to show off some skills to these Reconquista fellows.

Revan began a systems check of his core armor, causing the two men from the rebel group to cease speaking and merely watch at what occurred next. He clenched and unclenched his fists reflexively, the gauntlets responding to the pressure by activating and deactivating two sets of three straight claws made of beams of crimson light. Moments later, sections of the suit began to shimmer in and out of sight, continuing until every bit of plating had managed to vanish and reappear once. Finally, the jewel embedded in the center of the chest plate glowed, then flashed brightly behind its translucent red paneling. Two Reconquista agents stared in shock and awe over what they had seen. The man within the powered armor let his thoughts drift to where he had once been before arriving in this world. A series of conflicts, major and minor, lasting over 20 years. And the two rays of sunshine that he had managed to find and keep for himself during that time.

The sooner the girls cross over to here, the better I'll feel about it. Revan looked out the window to the exercise yard where his robotic ally/ signature weapon, Black Marg, was enjoying himself. Marg kept the ennui away by using his gravity manipulation abilities to take weathered chunks of stone and crush them into densely packed perfect spheres small enough to fit into a human hand. And where Marg was, the Obsidion Hammer was always close by. The BioNet enforcer didn't have access to a repair bay over here yet, but the regen system of the DaiDemoGar should be able to handle the day-to-day stuff well enough if his masters chose to sortie him immediately. The thoughts that followed made him chuckle to himself before he stood up, leaned over the old wooden table, and symbolically offered his open hand to the two men before him. "So, gentlemen, do you care to be with me, or against me?"

Chapter 1 END.