Faenbrynn felt completely stupid. The outfit she had picked out for 'herself' was a mix of a human's standard 'beauty' clothes, that being a sundress with flowers, and a more 'casual' approach to hiding her ears. A jacket and a beanie of some kind, as well as combat boots. This was probably the last time she would ask Michael for any form of help choosing her wearable outfit. Alas, she somehow didn't stick out, because most human females in the area seemed to be wearing different brands of insanity like this mix. It meant that she was harder to spot.
With the ears hidden, she was basically just like any other human nearby, which was perfect for the little op they had going on right now:Stalking the TRAXUS HQ. Karl Stauffer, to be exact. The tattooed, bald ex-convict had, according to Office of Naval Intelligence messages from the Sergeant's contacts. The man was looking through his personal com device as he spoke, "He should be heading out soon..."
She nodded, listening in over the Realm of Souls's 'airwaves' so to speak, trying to find the man among a sea of souls around them. It was hard, but at least it was doable. She forever thanked Isha that the place's Realm of Souls was relatively calm. It took her a moment, but when she found the man, she paused. The Ex-con walked out of the building with a smile on his face as he spoke to what seemed to be an old friend.
She listened in on the conversation through the Warp, giving a gentle nudge to Michael. The Marine shot a quick peek over, then sighed and looked away again, arranging his clothes and reading stuff from his phone. Or, well, pretending to. Beside them, at a distance among the crowds, the man and his friend spoke, "... So, didja hear Joe's back in town for the week? Apparently, there's some big deal going on nearby with the Fission station being shut down and upgraded to an He3 Fusion one."
"No shit," The other man, surprisingly gelling better with the world around him than the worried Karl, spoke rather jovially about the situation, "Man, it must be really big if he's back. Wonder if he's gonna swing by our usual watering hole for a beer or if he's meeting that creepy-ass contact of his from the boonies. That Ruski-descended freak's really worrying me some times..."
"Give the guy his dues, he knows how to throw a party..." The German-descended man replied in a murmur. Seemed as though he had hesitated, however, "But yeah, it's my birthday party tomorrow. Gonna be some big fuckin' fireworks, I'll tell ya," And he sounded happy, too. Though she felt the malice behind his words. She scoffed and sighed, then kept on listening, "You gonna be taggin' in? It's gonna be tomorrow, near the Town Square..."
"Should be able to make it, heh. Considering it's in my neck of the woods. See ya there, Karl," The other man replied and got in his own personal car, driving off on the freeway. She sighed and gave a gentle elbow nudge to Mike as a bus arrived to take them to the other side of the city, back to their room. New Alexandria was a walkable city, apparently. Whoever thought that was a smart idea had never heard of the idea that people didn't necessarily want to walk to their workplace.
As the two boarded the bus, he asked, "So, miss psychic, what didja hear?" in a whisper.
She replied calmly, "They'll be heading to the Town Square, presumably to set off the 'surprise' for the man's birthday. Probably some codewords for induction into their little party, but little do I know," she then added jokingly as she leaned against her seat. Mike nodded and wrote up the details to ONI. Faen, however, closed her eyes and thought for a moment, focusing on the threads of prophecy and fate to see if she could eek out any knowledge of the upcoming.
The Warp itself seemed to ebb and flow calmly around her for a moment as she held her eyes closed, ensuring nobody could see them turning dark and empty while her spirit danced with those of the dead and dying so they may reveal the truth. Even as she sought said truth, her mind tried to remain at least firmly implanted into Reality, so that if the Sergeant called upon her, she might be able to wake.
She paused as images began to play ahead of her. A flurry, a blur, it was hard to determine. Before long, however, several images seemed to discern themselves among the many playing in front of her. 'BXR' was written on a wall, followed by images of Stauffer, Hennessy and their friend, Lebedev in front of said building. A flash, death, screams. She blinked and opened her eyes, sweating a little before feeling Mike tug on her sleeve.
She looked to him and he tilted his head toward the door. They'd arrived. Shaking the fear and sweating off, the woman stood up with him and they walked out of the vehicle, exiting straight across the street from their hotel. She spoke to him, "... I'd suggest they keep an eye on any BXR Mining buildings within the city's confines, too. Visions, before you ask..."
He shrugged, "Hey. I trust ya. If ONI doesn't and a dirty bomb detonates there, that's on them..." and he smiled. The woman nodded in thanks, remaining stoic as the man walked her to her hotel. She'd left hidden her singing spear, so as not to arouse any suspicion their way. So, as she returned to her room and bid goodbye for the next couple of hours to the Sergeant, she sat there, utilizing her psychic powers to re-sharpen the blade of wraithbone.
She knew never to fully trust the threads of fate. Even a small change today might eek out a great change of the times tomorrow, for time was never truly linear. All the Souls could do was tell her a possible outcome that could change depending on the choices made by the individuals. Alas, that didn't mean they shouldn't expect any form of upcoming issues near BXR's buildings.
She hummed as she heard a knock on the door. Utilizing her link to the warp, she tried to feel who the person was as a male voice spoke, "Room service!" loudly. Blinking and rolling her eyes, she stood up from her seat, Spear at the ready as she approached the door. Propping it open and peeking around the corner, she saw the same man Krauss had been talking to standing there. His thoughts were shielded, too. Seemingly hidden by trauma. He was a former Marine.
Grabbing him by the throat and pulling him into the room, she pinned him against the wall and shut the door, pointing her Singing Spear right at his gut. She told him, "I could gut you right now, but I suppose I shall listen to your mewling requests or whatever bravado you have within you. Why are you here, Mon'keigh?" and the man almost seemed to shudder at the psychic presence.
"I s-saw you and your buddy, the Marine staring at me and my old pal talking," The man grit his teeth, "I wanted to warn you guys, I don't think he and Joe are right in the head now..."
"Like we didn't know that," She replied, "Speak."
"I wanted to w-warn you, that's all... Can you loosen the grip a bit?" He asked as he was turning blue. She sighed and dropped him, but kept her Spear pointed right at his throat. He raised his hands defensively and said, "Look, look... I'm not a threat. I saw Joe take a Rod out from the storage area and bring it into the city. I know he and Karl are gonna meet a common acquaintance living off-the-grid... That guy's bad news."
"Hm?" She raised a brow.
He shook his head, "Ain't Innie if that's what ONI told you, no... He's just a psycho. Wants to drop a dirty bomb on a BXR site cuz they stole some land off of his family back in the day. His dad died in some sorta car accident, too. Looked suspicious as fuck. If they're linked to any form of Innie group now, I don't know, but the guy really wanted to get back at BXR for it."
She hummed, "Any idea where the Site they strike would be?"
"None," He shook his head, hands still raised, "I just came here to make sure you guys also didn't lump me in with'em... I'm not going to his 'birthday' party..."
Even through the blur of his mind, she could tell he spoke the truth. Pulling her spear away from his neck, she offered him a hand, much to his surprise. He took it and felt the gentle, yet firm grip of the Farseer. He nodded, to which she said, "... Thank you for the warning, mister Roland. I'll make sure my friends know of it. Go," She tilted her head toward the door, "And keep a low profile. I have no doubt Stauffer probably knows you came here to rat him out."
He nodded in thanks, then smiled, "Hey... If I can stop innocent people from dyin'..." then he chuckled, "Guess the rumors're true, too, huh? You can read minds?"
"Yes," She replied, "Keep that quiet lest ONI come for you, though," and she let him leave. Watching him depart, she sighed, shut the door and pulled up a similar communication device to what Michael had. She activated it contacted the Sergeant. When he answered, she spoke, "Stauffer's friend just came to speak to me. He told me a few interesting details. I hope ONI tapped our communications, because they, too, will want to hear this."
"Yeah, they're hearin' ya. I'm with Klara and her unit now and you're on speaker. Go ahead," The man replied. She then began to give details about everything Roland had told her, ranging from the men possibly not being Innies(Which the ONI agent, Klara, had joined in to disprove) to the BXR issue. They clarified that there was already a presence of guards at BXR. Armed infantry belonging to the Office of Naval Intelligence kept watch over the infrastructure.
Good. One last piece to report was on Roland himself. ONI quickly assured her that it'd be fine and that they'd ensure the man was safe for giving this info. Even through the phone, the woman could feel Mike's hesitation on the matter, considering everything. She sighed and bid goodbye, then donned her armor and gear and prepared to be summoned for the battle to apprehend the enemy.
BXR Site-03, local Headquarters
And indeed, the time had come relatively quickly. It seemed as though the terrorists had moved their plot ahead because of the disappearance of Roland. Only five hours had passed between the warning delivered by the man and their arrival within the Site, a mining area headquarters near the Viery' territory's northernmost reaches. The woman saw the three men from behind the top of a hill, ONI soldiery, Michael and Hitchcock beside her, all of them armed with silenced Submachine Guns.
She showed the group to wait, however, then sensed through the area. Indeed, they had 'friends' present. Armed guards she could feel the intention of. She watched the three men discussing the matter as Joe held onto a box that, during first inspection, rather obviously held the dirty bomb. She sighed, then looked to the others as if to ask for permission to intervene.
Not like she really needed it, but it was nicer to inquire. They shrugged, with the woman taking that as her cue. Eldar weren't exactly known for patience when it came to stopping an attack like this. She descended down the hill and powered her Singing Spear, clearing her throat. The men turned to face her and gasped, all three drawing commercial and police pistols on her. She raised a brow and asked, "Are you gentlemen aware that this is a restricted area owned by the BXR Mining Company?"
"A fucking Elf," Murmured the Russian beside Stauffer. He was the sole one with an M6G Magnum, meaning the sole one with any sort of stopping power behind his shots. The others had either a 10mm pistol or a lower-caliber M6 that was police service. He spoke, "You know, you're fairly far away from your buddies and fleet there. Do you really want to try and do this?"
"I am afraid I do," She replied somewhat jovially, "Putting Terrorists into the ground is a seemingly good passtime. So I've heard, anyway."
"We're just getting payback on BXR for the shit they've been pulling," Stauffer stated from beside his friend, "Helping the Innies deal the UNSC a nice little crippling blow, morale-wise, is just a bonus in our eyes," and he thumbed the safety of his Police Magnum off. She rolled her eyes, then surprised him. Her hand shot out, then she pulled it back nigh-immediately, his pistol clattering to the floor.
She replied to the accusations with, "While a Genocidal alien hegemony bears down on your heads and while I and my people are around and able to halt your work. Clever creatures, you lot are," and a lot of sarcasm in her tone. She pulled the gun back toward her, grabbing it mid-flight and examining it. She tisked, then said, "Damn shame the Police are armed with these Magnums, I suppose."
"Fire," The Russian ordered. Two pistols rang out, bullets zipping through the air toward the incredibly calm Farseer. Bullets struck thin air and stopped, spinning in place still before dropping to the floor. They gasped as the woman sighed and glared at them. She tossed the pistol aside, put one foot forward and one perpendicular to its axis, then aimed her Singing Spear toward the closest man that held a pistol.
She surged forth, dodging several more shots as the enemy's Guards appeared. She thrust the Singing Spear clean through the front of the Terrorist's hands, splitting the weapon and them in half, before retracting the blade and slamming the main in the face with the bottom of her staff. She surged toward the Russian, pinned him to the floor and put her hand to his head. Energy surged at the tips of her fingers, a sizzling lightning strike that paralyzed the man momentarily.
Stauffer, whom she'd disarmed, charged her with a knife. She planted the heel of her boot into his stomach, then agilely disarmed him and swept his feet from under him with her spear. Bullets rang out from rifles and pistols presumably stolen from a UNSC or Police Armory. Bullets rang out around her and zipped through the air as both sides began exchanging fire, but the Farseer, smarter than most, decided to utilize her Warp-given powers.
Her hand shot forward as a bolt of Lightning formed at the fingertips. She sent it forth against the line, slowly reducing it in strength as it reached farther and farther. When it made contact with the first foe, it zapped through his body, causing his muscles to lock up. He fell to the floor, spasming as the Lightning travelled to the next man, whom she charged and pinned to the floor.
Acrobatically dodging bullets and utilizing the field around her as protection Faen disarmed another man by grabbing onto his arm, sending a short burst of electricity through it and twisting it, causing him to drop his weapon to the floor. She hit another with the blunt end of her weapon, knocking him out. She grabbed a third by the arm and pulled him toward her, then hit him with her open palm and a shockwave of psychic energy.
It sent the man flying into another of his compatriots, knocking both of them out. A bullet zipped by her face as a response, cutting her cheek, but she persevered, face like a mask of stone. She stabbed the man in the foot and kicked high, striking his jaw and cracking a few teeth in the process. It staggered him enough for the woman to pull the blade out of the bleeding foot and thrust it into the barrel of the weapon, splitting the gun in half.
She spun, aimed a bolt of lightning at another man and sent it forth, slamming the man against the wall. She was pretty sure she cracked his spine, but that didn't matter right now. Her main objective was subduing as many of these Innie rats as possible so they could learn just what had gotten into them. As another, this one a female, advanced toward him, the girl noticed a tattoo hidden by her jacket and froze, then swung and slashed her belly open.
She blinked, breathing heavily as the woman ahead bled out. She pulled the Jacket aside to see if the tattoo she'd seen was what she thought it was, then scoffed as she saw it was a mere blood type marking. She'd thought... No, they would have no reason to be here. War in Heaven or not, this place was quiet compared to their own Warp. There was no way for them to have taken the same, vile forms as they had in that timeline. Or to even exist.
She hummed, ducked as a bullet zipped over her head, then cocked her head toward the man that had shot. His gun clicked, the bullet 'stovepiping' and stopping the pistol from chambering another round. The man swore and pulled back on the slide, trying to dislodge the spent case by flipping the gun to the side. He didn't get to let the new round chamber before Faen pressed her hands against his head and sent a tidal wave of psychic energy through him, causing him to drop to the floor and curl up. Beside her, another man took a bullet from a pistol.
She looked over to see Michael advance beside her, pistol smoking. He looked around and whistled, then said, "I'll be damned... You just got ONI hours and hours of data on these guys," before holstering his pistol. As she turned toward him, he added, "They also found the bomb. It wasn't fully assembled, but it had some C12. Best bet is these guys either raided an armory, or had a guy on the inside."
Klara stepped up to the pair as well, grinning. She extended her hand toward the mind-reader and stated, "You must be Faenbrynn. I'm Klara and I'm with ONI SEC-3. Thanks for the help here," while waiting for the girl to shake her hand. Faen looked at the woman, brows furrowed in both confusion and disregard, then sighed and gently shook her hand. A short electric jolt caused the ONI agent's muscles to lock up around her hand.
Faen pulled her forward and whispered into her ear, "You would do well to keep your end of the deal, Agent... You owe the Sergeant as much," before letting her go. Klara, wide-eyed, watched the Aeldari Farseer walk away while feeling up her numb hand. Mike, confused, walked up to the ONI agent and shrugged to show his confusion, lifting his hands.
Klara's grin returned as she spoke, "Y'know... The knife-ears really are growing on me now," before she patted him on the shoulder and said to him, "Expect a package in the next couple days. You'll get your chat, as promised..." before walking away and rallying her troops. Mike hummed at that, then looked toward the Farseer again. He ran up behind her to help her climb the hill to their transports.
With a smile, he asked, "You made a good first impression on Klara. How?"
"Showing her a truth," The Farseer replied. The truth was that she would do well not to screw anyone the Farseer knew. Yes, nominally weird for an Eldar to care so much for a human, but she herself hadn't seen her family in years, even though they were on the same Craftworld. If there was even a faint chance of his sister being able to meet him after so long... She continued, "That my comrades, regardless of if they're Eldar or not, matter..."
He smiled at that, "Heh. Alright... Keep your secrets."
As the two walked, however, Faen asked somewhat meekly, "... May we go to get crepes?"
... The Sergeant snorted.