S1-205
Newest in the ranks


7:41 AM
02/13/3274

Planet Vez-2 - IMC HQ
Civilian quarters

Music
Destiny 2 - The H.E.L.M

While enjoying a good breakfast for the first time in his life, Crow sat up on his bed as he read through Michael's biography on his new IMC PDA. "Seems like Michael's quite the inventor. I mean…" He shook his head with a chuckle. "He invented the basis for the neural link between Pilot and Titan when he was just a kid!"

"{And Ghosts and Guardians didn't even exist yet! No Awoken, no Exos, no powers from the Light, no gifts from the Traveler. Just plain human ingenuity!}" Glint remarked, hovering above Crow's shoulder to get a good look at the PDA's display.

"I know." The Lightbearer agreed. "It's not like you could be taught neurophysics at such a young age. It's… uncanny."

"{Well, given how the IMC just gave us a place in their headquarters to call home, we wouldn't be THAT much different...}" The shell-less Ghost grumbled.

His Guardian exhaled as he crossed his arms. "Luck just runs in all of us, I guess."

Suddenly, a voice drew their attention. "They didn't teach me neurophysics. I studied it from books." The Lightbearer and his Ghost headed for the door, seeing Michael through a tiny camera.

"How long have you been standing out there?" Crow questioned.

"A few seconds. I wanted to show you something."

As Crow headed out into the hall, he saw Michael in his Pilot armor, with his helmet clipped to his belt. "What's going on?"

Michael then pressed a few buttons on his PDA's interface, bringing up a holographic display showing… a Pilot and a Titan. "Dr. Hammond wanted to offer you a place in our ranks."

Music
Apex Legends - Choose Your Legend

Taking a look at the hologram, Crow creased his eyebrows a bit. "What's this offer you're talking about?"

"Pilot training." The Pilot then pushed a few more buttons, which caused the hologram to switch to a couple of soldiers near a Drake tank. "Or, if you want, you can take standard combat training. It's up to you."

The Lightbearer thought about the opportunities laid before him. On one hand, he could be a nigh-unstoppable force, his mind linked with a pseudo-sentient several-ton death machine. But, on the other hand, he could simply be a properly trained Guardian with more access to weapons and gear.

"If you want, you can also lead a team of Eliksni soldiers on missions, regardless of which path you take." Michael added, sweetening the deal.

After deciding for several seconds, Crow made his choice. "I'm willing to go the extra mile for them. Being alongside a Pilot would help them greatly."

Michael nodded. "Noble. That's a good drive."

"But for now, I'm going to start slow. Get a feel for the basics before I move onto the advanced." The Lightbearer paused briefly. "I'm going for number two."

"Very well. We should get you loaded up. Hold up your PDA." As Crow raised his PDA, Michael swiped up on his own, transferring the hologram to the Lightbearer's device. It consisted of a holographic screen with four empty boxes in a vertical stack. "You can scan your weapon too."

Glint transmatted the gun into Crow's hand, allowing him to hold it inside of the hologram, which appeared to scan it. A holographic image of the gun appeared in the second box, which was labeled 'SIDEARM'; the weapon itself was identified as 'Hawkmoon'.

"Can't say I've ever heard of it." Michael remarked. "But who am I to judge?"

Crow looked at the boxes that remained empty: 'PRIMARY', 'ANTI-TANK', and 'ORDINANCE'.

"Let's fill out the rest. Can't have gaps in the gear." Michael made the current display move into the background for a list of labeled weapon images. "Take your pick."

Crow looked over the options he was given. Assault rifles. Submachine guns. Light machine guns. Precision rifles. Shotguns. All of them were being offered to him.

Selecting the first category filter, Crow looked over the rifles digitally presented to him; the R-301 Carbine, the R-201, the R-101C Carbine, the G2A4, the G2A5, the G7 Scout, the Hemlok BF-R, the V-47 Flatline, and the VK-47 Flatline, along with an energy rifle called the 'Havoc'.

The submachine gun filter showed him the Alternator, the CAR, the R-97 Compact, the R97-CN, the R-99, and the Volt. These were the close-up options.

Crow then looked at the light machine guns. The L-STAR and Spitfire families, along with the X-55 Devotion and the Rampage, seemed like some real heavy hitters.

After that, the Lightbearer took a peek at the precision rifles, which showed him the D-101 Longbow, the D-2 Double Take, the Triple Take, the Kraber-AP, and the Sentinel ESR.

Up last were two shotguns; the EVA-8 Auto and the Mastiff.

After spending a good amount of time browsing, Crow finally settled on his choice. "I choose the… R-101."

Michael chuckled a bit. "The old predecessor. It's largely considered a nostalgic choice, but it's a good one."

The image of an R-101C Carbine appeared in the first box… along with four new smaller boxes. "Uh…"

"Two mods, the sights, and the colors." Michael informed him.

Going for the sights first, Crow spotted one option with an exclamation mark. "Is something wrong with that one?"

"That's the Threat Scope. Select that and you'll only have access to one mod instead of two."

Deciding not to question it, Crow selected the Threat Scope. The second mod box was automatically filled with a red diagonal line.

Eventually, Crow had completed the loadout. "What now?"

"Now we wait for the loadout to be assembled in our armory." Michael said with a nod.

"{Once that's done, we'll head out for some basic training.}" Rocco added.

Crow looked back at the holo-display, then the PDA. "Am I able to look through other Pilots from here?"

"Yup. Saint and Cayde are there, too."

Crow looked at the camera feeds on the PDA, seeing that Saint was at a sort of firing range, but Cayde's was blacked out. "Um… where's Cayde?"

"Cayde's out on a date with his girlfriend. He's not wearing his Pilot suit right now." Michael then remembered something. "Oh. And Glint?" The shell-less Ghost looked at him. "Your new shell is ready for attachment." A Ghost shell resembling a Servitor was transmatted into his hand.

"{Whoa…!}" Glint mused, amazed at the shell given to him.

Crow smiled weakly as his Ghost snuggled into his new shell. "Thank you. For… for everything." The Lightbearer's smile then faded quickly. "If only there was a better way for me to repay that kindness..."

"Don't mention it. You've repaid us enough." Michael said as a notification appeared on the PDA, informing him that the new loadout had been assembled and was ready for use. "Now, to the docking bay, shall we? We're going to planet Gridiron. But first, you should armor up."

7:52 AM
02/13/3274

Planet Gridiron
IMC Training Ground Whitehead facility

Music
none

As the Drop Ship descended slowly onto the landing pad, Michael and Crow saw that they weren't the only ones here. "Looks like we're just in time for a scheduled training session." Michael said with a chuckle. "I forgot there was going to be one today."

"/How convenient./" Crow, who was now dressed in an IMC military uniform, remarked with a smirk as he switched on his neural voice box.

The Lightbearer joined the organizing crowd as Spyglass stood in front of them all. "I know some of you may have already been here, but for those who have not, welcome to the IMC's Whitehead training ground on the planet Gridiron. We have been working to perfect our real-time live fire training exercises by utilizing reclaimed Scorn technology previously used by the deceased Scorn Baron Pirrha, also known as the 'Rifleman'. The hard light hologram devices used here are engineered to our own standards." The Vice Admiral explained. "For your safety, the hard light targets will not deal any serious or fatal damage. All newcomers, please come forth and take a weapon."

As the other recruits grabbed some weapons and stood to attention, with some going to practice, Crow approached Spyglass as a rifle was transmatted into the Vice Admiral's hands. Once he stood before the Vice Admiral, the Lightbearer watched as an R-101C Carbine with a Threat Scope was transmatted on a weapons rack nearby.

"Crow, you constructed this weapon prior to your attendance. Therefore, it is yours to use." Spyglass noted, gesturing to the somewhat antique rifle.

Grabbing the weapon off the rack, Crow went to turn on the Threat Scope, causing the sights to turn red and show him targeting information.

"Cease fire." Spyglass ordered as he stood in front of the group, just out of the way of the line of fire, causing the ones practicing to lower their weapons and step back. "We will begin with a quick weapons demonstration to help you develop and refine your combat skills." The Vice Admiral continued. "No offense, but I see some of you firing from the hip and spraying bullets all over the range. Firing from the hip could make you more likely to miss your targets. To eliminate your targets faster, you will need to aim deliberately down the sights of your weapon from a stable position. The Crow will demonstrate."

A hard light hologram of a Hive Acolyte with a Soulfire Rifle appeared in the window of a nearby building. Crow aimed his new R-101C Carbine at the hologram, seeing it tinted red through the Threat Scope, then pulled the trigger, finding the rifle to be more stable than his pistol. The Acolyte hologram then disappeared, indicating to the Lightbearer that he had hit his target.

"For those of you who are unaware, all IMC combat armor possess weapon magazine transmat systems. This cuts kilos off a soldier's load while still allowing them access to a full magazine whenever a reload is required."

Taking in Spyglass's words, Crow pulled the magazine out of his rifle, watching as it vanished seconds after hitting the ground. He then noticed a new magazine materialize on his belt. Sliding the mag into the weapon, he saw a new clip take its place on his belt.

"You may begin." Spyglass then made an incredible jump, reaching the top of the central structure with ease.

"No one, not even a Guardian, can jump like that." An Awoken recruit complained, then muttered a single word under his breath. "...Spectres…"

"Hey! Lighten up." An Exo recruit scolded, slapping the man's shoulder with her hand. "He's a Guardian, too, Ghost and all."

Music
Apex Legends - The Drop (Mayhem)

Hard light holograms of Hive Acolytes and Knights appeared, attacking with their own equally holographic weapons.

As Crow downed a trio of holo-Acolytes, a holo-Knight raised its Cleaver to attack. However, a shotgun blast shattered the hard light hologram. "HA HA HA HA HAA! Training with holograms that behave like the real things! The IMC are clever in their methods!" A Pilot with an odd helmet and shotgun, which had the Roman numeral for 14 on it, bellowed as he turned his gaze to another Acolyte.

Watching as Saint-14 joined a group of fellow trainees, Crow noticed an Eliksni Captain making use of an L-STAR EMG against a small wave of combatants. The plasma energy projectiles appeared to be very effective against them.

Four more targets down. Crow was certainly getting the hang of this. He couldn't be this effective by using just his Hawkmoon. But as a holo-Knight ran straight for him, Crow heard his rifle click; magazine depleted. Adrenaline surged through him as he pulled his right hand off the R-101C and grabbed the Hawkmoon off his belt, loading shot after shot into the Knight's body, each impact damaging the encrusted armor until one penetrated where its heart would be if it were real.

Crow watched as the hard light hologram dropped its dissolving cleaver, clutched its fatal wound, and collapsed before fizzling out.

Music
Apex Legends - Waiting to Drop (Escape)

Taking the time to recover, Crow loaded another cylinder into his pistol, then slid a new magazine into the R-101C. But this time, he pulled back the pin.

"/This is what IMC soldiers have to deal with in combat?/" He sighed through the voice box. "/I'll end up overextending myself! But maybe that's what the Pilots have had to go through. They pushed themselves to their limits and forced themselves to become better. That sort of strength combined with the Light could make the ultimate soldier, and the IMC has a whole army of those devoted to protecting the people of the Frontier./"

"Your resolve is noted." Spyglass transmitted. "We will make a Pilot out of you someday, but not today."

With a silent nod, the Lightbearer returned to the group as the range reset itself, wiping any lingering holograms in the area. More enemy types appeared; Thralls and Wizards, which were somewhat grouped together.

Music
Titanfall - OST 03

With that, the Vice Admiral turned to the recruits, his weapon lowered. "For this lesson, you will need to learn how to utilize your ordinance options, such as fragmentation grenades." A standard issue Frag Grenade appeared in his hand. "Unlike the grenades used by normal Guardians, Frontier ordinance does not rely on your Light to be powerful, and would need to be cooked manually." He pulled the pin off his handheld explosive before tossing it at the group of hard light Hive holograms. Seconds later, the grenade exploded, eliminating all targets in range. A few seconds later, more holograms appeared in the range, along with more types of ordinance.

"Some Pilots have had issues with the standard fragmentation grenade in the past, and as a result, we have accommodated them with alternative options to choose from. Many of you have selected such items." The Vice Admiral then gestured to several shurikens, a few unusual-looking grenades, and a plastic explosive on the table.

Saint-14 picked up a slightly orange-tinted shuriken. "What is this? I have never seen such an oddity."

"This is a Star. The one you are holding is a Firestar. On impact with any surface, the Firestar will release a sustained thermite eruption for a limited time." Spyglass explained.

"In any case, I am no stranger to new experiences. I did trap myself in the Infinite Forest, after all." Saint-14 then threw the Firestar at a holo-Wizard, watching as it was quickly engulfed in fiery thermite. "...whoa."

Spyglass then held up a shuriken with a bluish-purplish tint to it. "This is a Gravity Star. On impact, it creates a localized gravitational field that pulls in any targets in range, then explodes shortly after." He threw the Gravity Star at a group of holo-Thralls, stunning everyone with the sight of them being pulled in and suspended in what is essentially a black hole. A few moments later, the gravitational energy violently dispersed, shattering some holograms and sending the rest flying in random directions.

One of the Eliksni recruits grabbed a bizarre device off the table. "I know this. Electric Smoke Grenade."

"Utilized by new Pilot Petra Venj during Operation Shadowkeep. The Electric Smoke Grenade releases a smaller cloud of the same Electric Smoke countermeasure used by Titans."

Everyone watched as the Captain pulled the pin off the grenade, then threw it in between two holo-Wizards. The device stuck to the ground without a bounce, then began spewing out a cloud of smoke, with miniature bolts of lightning surging through it.

When the Electric Smoke cleared, the holograms caught within the radius were gone.

"Ace Pilot Michael 'Wolf' Johnson favors this particular ordinance option." Spyglass held up an explosive package. "Satchel Charges. Remotely detonated explosives. Once thrown, they can stick to any surface on contact and will be automatically armed." He then raised a remote in his left hand. "Rapidly pulling the trigger on this detonator twice will immediately signal any armed explosives to detonate."

Saint-14 could be heard snickering. "His middle name is Wolf?"

Spyglass then affixed his gaze upon the Golem, who fell silent at the Vice Admiral's cold stare.

"My apologies." Saint-14 then held his head up and ushered Spyglass. "Please continue."

With a nod, Spyglass picked up what appeared to be a standard fragmentation grenade, but it had a bluish tint and the little dots around it were glowing the same color. "Lastly, this is an Arc Grenade. An electromagnetic explosive. Heavily effective against robotic targets as well as electronics caught within its radius. Mostly used against Vex combatants, the Arc Grenade has also been employed against Shanks, Servitors, Pikes, Interceptors, and Goliaths."

Crow then stepped forward, looked through the options before him, and picked up an Electric Smoke Grenade.

"It would seem we are somewhat alike, little bird." Saint-14 stated as he took an Electric Smoke Grenade for himself.

Shrugging, the Lightbearer pulled the pin on the grenade before throwing it at another group of holo-enemies, concealing them in a cloud of electrified heavy vapor before dissipating, revealing that none of them had survived. He then watched as the Eliksni Captain walked away from the table with about six Arc Grenades dangling from the side of his belt.

"Now that you are all armed with ordinance options of your choice, it is time to change the hologram type." Spyglass said as all holographic Hive vanished.

It wasn't long before hard light holograms of Vex units started manifesting. A hologram of a Hydra hovered at the end, complete with three rotating 'shields'.

Music
Apex Legends - The Drop (Awakening)

"A blast from the past!" Saint-14 let out a battle cry before charging in with his Perfect Paradox. After destroying the first Goblin in front of him with his shotgun, the Golem turned his attention to three Harpies, which he disabled with a single Electric Smoke Grenade which disabled and eroded them, right before headbutting a Minotaur in its radiolarian core with his signature helmet after popping its shield.

Crow then caught sight of the same Captain catching another holo-Minotaur's hydraulic chop before ripping it from the main body and slamming the limb right into the hologram's head, causing it to stagger momentarily before falling over. The Captain then threw an Arc Grenade at a few Hobgoblins, producing nearly the same result, even disrupting the Solar auras they produced as their defense.

Music
Apex Legends - Lobby (System Override)

After several minutes of destroying simulated Vex, Spyglass called out to the group once again. "Well done, trainees. We will now proceed to the next lesson." The Vice Admiral then pulled a magnetic grenade launcher off his back. "Utilizing heavy weapons can be crucial to taking advantage in a battle, ranging from the grenadier classification of primary weapons to the more powerful Anti-Tank weaponry."

One trainee spoke up. "Weren't they called Anti-Titan weapons before?"

"Historically, you are correct, but seeing as the Frontier War between IMC and Militia forces has been over for centuries, it would not be reasonable in any capacity to retain such a title, as the usage of Titans is not as widespread today." Spyglass explained. "We no longer produce them en masse, and only if a new Pilot is enlisted."

It was then that Spyglass's Ghost appeared, facing the recruits before speaking. "{And any Guardian who reaches that point may have the ability to filter their Light through their Titan. While this may often tire you out or leave you in a weakened state, the payoff is immensely beneficial, but you would be advised not to rely on this tactic frequently. There may be other side effects we do not yet know.}"

"Thank you, Ghost." Spyglass said, which his Ghost acknowledged with a nod before disappearing. The same table from the ordinance demonstration was now stocked with a variety of heavy weaponry.

As Crow picked out the same weapon Spyglass possessed, Saint-14 hoisted up an oversized bazooka. The Golem activated and aimed his new weapon at the outer wall of the installation and pulled the trigger. There was no click, but it also did not fire.

"The Archer can only fire when locked on any large armored target through the sight on the side." The Vice Admiral stated. "Dumb-fire is not an option, although there are exceptions for some specialized models."

Saint-14 looked back at the small glass panel, which was telling him that it had no valid target. "I see. Then let us begin."

"Negative. That will have to wait until the next session. The other recruits will need time to rest." Spyglass stated, looking over the trainees, some of whom looked worse for wear.

"If you insist." The Golem said, putting down the Archer.

"Our training regiments were once long and tedious, but it was decided that we cut back on the time per day in order to maintain the health and well-being of new recruits. This also helps them ease into the new skill-sets at their own pace."

Saint-14 chuckled softly. "Slow and steady. That is more than my skull asks for, and in a good way."

However, Spyglass had one more note to share. "Pilot Michael Johnson occasionally attends our training sessions to help set an example. The recruits look up to him for his courage, dedication, and tactical foresight. Although, I have heard some rumors among our ranks that suggest that his level of tactical thinking is a result of his extended neural link network, stemming from the fact that he shares a neural link with eleven Titans."

Like everyone else, Crow's eyes widened and twitched at the same time. He had seen Michael pilot an Ion on Earth's moon, but to learn that his mind had been connected to that many had left him dumbstruck. How could he be able to fit so many of these machines onto a single battlefield?

The Lightbearer shook his head, shook off these thoughts to ask for later. Right now, he had skills of his own to sharpen.

"The live fire combat session has been concluded." The Vice Admiral suddenly announced. "You are hereby dismissed until further notice."

As some recruits headed to other parts of the training ground for some leisure time and others left for other parts of the Frontier, Crow decided to head back to the Drop Ship, where Michael was waiting.

"You all done?" The Pilot asked.

Crow nodded. "/Yeah. For now, at least./"

"OK, then. Let's go home." The Drop Ship's door then closed as the two took a quick trip back to Vez-2.

8:22 AM
02/13/3274

Planet Vez-2 - IMC HQ
Civilian quarters

Music
Destiny 2 - The H.E.L.M.

As he arrived back at the apartment, Crow decided to make the best of the time he had until the next session. He figured he was a bit hungry, so he decided to have a quick bite.

Taking a small box of pre-packaged macaroni and cheese out of a nearby cupboard, the Lightbearer read through the instructions on the side of the box carefully, the first of which said to pour six cups of water into a pot, so he did just that. As the water was boiling, Crow poured the pasta into the pot, while Glint proceeded to pull up a music file, with a nearby radio playing a song Crow had never heard of before.

Several minutes later, the pasta had softened, so Crow proceeded to slowly dump the steaming contents into a strainer, then back into the pot as he stirred in some milk, butter, and cheese powder, then stirred until the contents blended together.

Finally, Crow dished out the cheesy pasta into a bowl, then went to the television in the center of the room. However, he noticed that sitting in the counter underneath was an old computer, which he overheard a Cryptarch refer to as a 'console'. The Lightbearer fumbled with the machine a bit until he found a power button, which he pressed, with the console coming to life.

The television screen turned blue as a 'welcome back' message came up, along with a soft tune playing. There was a second set of words that told him to press a button to use the controller, so he grabbed an unusual-looking remote off the counter and pressed the button at the center, with the screen proceeding to a menu. A game called 'Horizon Forbidden West' was the first thing he saw; out of curiosity, he pressed a button, and was led right into the game.

9:22 AM
02/13/3274

About an hour later, Crow, curious as ever, continued watching Aloy's story unfold as Glint was floating next to him, watching him destroy and override the animal-like machines with relative ease.

"{You're getting the hang of it.}" The Servitor-shelled Ghost remarked.

"What can I say? I'm just curious." His Guardian replied with a shrug.

"{Y'know, these old folk used to say that 'curiosity kills the cat'. What's that even mean in the face of resurrection, anyway?}"

Crow chuckled. "Even in death, a Guardian learns. But… I still don't know how Ogres can see when they shoot lasers from their eyes."

"{Eh, they'll probably get blinded over and over until their eyes are smoldering charcoal.}"

"So you think they'd have any chance against a Slitherfang?" The Lightbearer asked with a smirk.

"{If these Horizon machines were real, I'd say no.}"

"Well… no matter what happens, I'm just glad you're there for me, even on my first day as a Guardian."

"{Hey now. No hard feelings.}"

Giving Glint an acknowledging nod, Crow carried on with the game, watching as Aloy prepared to enter an ancient Zenith facility. "Those Burrowers are kinda cute." He remarked silently.


Crow

Primary
Assault rifle - R-101C Carbine - (Gun Ready) - (X) - (Threat Scope)

Secondary
B3 Wingman - (Suppressor) - (Speedloader)
[Substitution for: Hawkmoon]

Backup
MGL Mag Launcher - (Extra Ammo) - (Quick Swap)

Tactical
Pulse Blade

Ordinance
Electric Smoke Grenade

Boost
Map Hack

Tier 1
Fast Regen

Tier 2
Low Profile

Execution
Grand Theft Semi-Auto

Pilot Camo
Splinter Collage

Primary Camo
Splinter Collage

Secondary Camo
Splinter Collage

Backup Camo
Splinter Collage

Saint-14

Primary
Shotgun - EVA-8 Auto - (Extra Ammo) - (Speedloader) - (Holosight) - (Pro Screen)
[Substitution for: Perfect Paradox]

Secondary
Hammond P2016 - (Extra Ammo) - (Speedloader) - (Pro Screen)

Backup
Archer - (Extra Ammo) - (Speedloader) - (Pro Screen)

Tactical
A-Wall

Ordinance
Electric Smoke Grenade

Boost
Amped Weapons

Tier 1
Power Cell

Tier 2
Titan Hunter

Execution
2-3-2 Combo

Pilot Camo
Warship Collage

Primary Camo
Warship Collage

Secondary Camo
Warship Collage

Backup Camo
Warship Collage


I wasn't the one who chose Apex Legends music, but I just went with it so there wouldn't be any arguments about it.

Anyway, how about that? Crow's getting some proper training with a good drive as motivation.

And it looks like Saint is enjoying himself.

See you guys next time. We're heading to Io.