"Hm. Yeah, counter-boarding would work. And it's likely too, considering what you said about Arkady. We could also do what the Candlelight team did and have me and/or some more operatives hitch a ride on the side of one of their ships."

He gives Julius a sideways glance. "Well, you can be sure it's worse for the servants of the Void. I agree, though - we need to shock them so they can start finding ways to cope with it."

Leaning back, he returns to tap through some info on the datapad.

"So... we will have the Kilroy boarded when they arrive, with me sticking onto the outside. I'll hitch a ride on either the Kilroy or one of their ships. As they clear the Kilroy we jump in enough ships to have them make a run for the Last Refuge... Wherein I reveal myself and do my thing."

"Better idea.  Let them make their run to the Last Refuge.  Command from their location.  Make them squirm,"  Julius continues, "Really put the screws on them if they reach the Last Refuge.  At that point they're not just working for themselves.  They should protect the whole fleet first.  Watch them panic as you ignore them."

"Hmm... Yeah, even better. They'll have to choose between fighting and likely dying against an overpowering foe or risking the whole Living Fleet by retreating. So we start off with a boarded Kilroy, have them counter-board. I either join the fight in the Kilroy to force a retreat and tag along when they do, or I attach myself to one of their ships as they fight and reveal myself as they prepare to return, forcing them to make a decision."

"There's a lot of ways we can vary it.  A bunch of paths.  I'll get Core and the sim-guys working," Julius tells him, "Any other special requests as to the templating?  Give yourself a name, an avatar, all that sort of thing?"

He keeps looking at the pad, wheels in his head turning.

"So let's see, so I can get this straight:

ACT 1
1-1.  Kilroy attacked by a Bataan-class frigate.
1-2.  It'll call for reinforcements pretty much as soon as they move in, so they have a limited time to try to eliminate the current enemy space presence.  Say, ten minutes.
1-3.  You'll have hitched on and boarded; you can either hide or join in.  I say force them to retreat from the counterboarding operation if they can't clear the space around the Kilroy, but if they've done a good job you lie low.

ACT 2
2-1.  Current military doctrine is to have at least one jump point between the operation zone and the bulk of the Living Fleet, so this'll be a new section of space.
2-2.  If you're following with the Nanking vessels, this'll turn into protecting their ship and dealing with an Abyssal in space combat, or else it'll be protecting the Kilroy and their ship from a bunch of Nankings while they prep their engines for the next act.
2-3.  Regardless, they'll be allowed to escape- but not without loss, if possible.

ACT 3
3-1.  Eventually they'll be forced to make it to the Last Refuge.
3-2.  Here you can go all-out.  If you've kept aboard the Kilroy and allowed it to jump, here's where you'll strike.  If they can't dislodge you from the Kilroy, what then?
3-3.  Otherwise, it'll become an all-out fleet action where their job will be to 'clean up' the Abyssal while the fleet deals with the Nanking menace.  You should spend your time targeting them one by one if they engage and threaten you enough; if they're not threatening you engage targets of opportunity."

Daniel gains a puzzled frown as he's asked about his persona to be. Picturing an Abyssal version of himself was certainly something that hadn't crossed his mind before. Still, he supposed he had to give them something...

After a moment of curious, faintly abhorrent contemplation he shrugs and raises his head.

"If we're putting me through a black mirror let's do it faithfully. Abaddon."

He looks through the parameters on his pad, nodding.

"Looks good to me. When can we get this done?"

"I can start the programming immediately, might take a few days for the later parts,"  He remarks, "How long are you stuck in here?  Will our wonderful parents in Sanctuary let you out to play in the VR chamber a bit?"

Daniel rolls his eyes and sighs deeply. "If it was up to them I'd never leave. I'm sure they've come up with ten new experimental methods of extracting and replicating my physical advantages during our conversation alone. That said it's not like they can stop me when I choose to go."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 22:12, Thu 09 Feb 2017.

"Yeah, uh, about that."  Julius frowns at him, "The first part, not the last part.  You know, there were two nurses, a doctor, and a janitor all asking if I could put a good word for them in here.  And asking if you needed any... additional... care.  You may very well be a bad influence on the poor, lonely medical personnel of Sanctuary."

Daniel gains a slightly confused frown of his own.

"I'm not sure whether "additional care" would be crazy medical experiments or... other things, or a combination thereof. Either way I'm hesitant to take the chance."

The mention of loneliness - even if in jest - makes him think, though. For all the flak he and everyone else gave those working in the sterile soul-sucking system of Sanctuary, the work done there was crucial for the Living and - for the most part - exemplary.

"Do tell them I appreciate their work, though."

"I would be too.  Who the hell knows nowadays," He shakes his head, "I'm starting to think we're all a little cracked in here.  Some of us worse than others."  He puts away his datapad, "You should tell them yourself, man.  As you're walking out the door.  Tell them we're on the way to get pho or something.  You coming?  Or are you gonna stick the day out here, while they try to figure out the best way to get a needle through your thick-ass skin?"

Daniel gives a faint snicker. "Well, considering the state of things cracked is as good as it gets. As long as people find ways to cope it makes them stronger, though. Stronger and crazier."

He seems surprised at the notion of leaving for precisely a second - it didn't take a lot of convincing to sway him to leave after three days of wasting away.

"...Yeah. Yeah, I think I will. There's not much to do beside wait now that the bones and ligaments are more or less where they should be again anyway."

He gets up, stretching everything but the wounded hand.

"Got something in mind? Inassume prepping the simulation won't be instantaneous."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:35, Tue 14 Feb 2017.

"Drinks.  Drinking while prepping the simulation.  You should probably hold back from sparring, so I've got some books for you to read to sharpen your mind. Good ones this time.  Maybe you can sit down and go through all that fan mail.  Oh, and I hear there's a few demons who want to talk to you eventually as well."

He smiles and shrugs,

"Sorry, I've been working with Smoker lately.  He's been a bit overloaded."

"I could tell something must've kept him extra busy. He knows I start falling apart at the seams after 36 hours of idling."

Daniel walks to the door of his soul-crushing prison and gestures Julius to go ahead. He was the one expected to emerge.

"After three days in this deprivation tank each and every one of those activities sounds exciting. Which demons?"

"Yeah, you should see what happens when you don't have time to take stuff off his queue."  Julius pushes open the door for him.  A little beeping alarm chimes informing the doctors that a patient is trying to walk out.  Normally this means a bunch of black-clad goons with tasers will show up and try to 'assess the situation', but nobody steps up to deal with him now.

Well, except for a cute little doctor who rushes up to him with a clipboard and a pen.  "Excuse me- can I get your autograph?" She asks with sparkling eyes.  "... To show you're leaving."

Oh.  An insurance form.  Right.

"Yeah, some Tomescu.  They're calling themselves the Clouds of Light and seem to worship you as a new Yozi.  And they're also very concerned that you don't have your own honor guard tailing you at all times."  Julius tells him.  "Also something about information for you and you alone."

Daniel frowns at the alarm, hoping to avoid a big scene. He's pleased to see no such thing happen.

He stops walking as the lone doctor approaches him, seeming slightly confused at the request at first. He blinks, then traces a look from her twinkling eyes to the form she's holding and making out the header.

"Ah. Of course."

He signs the form with his official name after a few seconds of skimming for pledges to volunteer for vivisection, then hands it over. As he does, he glances at her nametag before meeting her eyes with... a smile. Well, it might not count as one coming from most other people, but you make do with what you got.

"Julius told me about you and your team's efforts putting my hand back together, Dr. <name here>. Thank you and keep up the good work."

He glances at the wall - if he recalled correctly there was a one-way mirror around here somewhere that others could be watching from. "Please relay my thanks to the others as well. The fight against Death is as essential here as it is on the battlefield."

He then gives the good doctor a nod and resumes walking.

"Tomescu, huh? I suppose they need something to cling to after Ragnarök. The honor guard's not gonna happen but it does sound like they might be useful. Any word on where to find them?"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:23, Tue 21 Feb 2017.

There's nothing that blatantly says he'll be vivisected for spare parts.  Yet, at any rate.  There's something about him giving them all rights for harvesting his organs if he mysteriously dies after leaving, but that might as well be standard for Sanctuary.

The doctor's name is Dr. Kaybee.  She smiles politely at him, takes the clipboard, and walks away, leaving both Lucifer and Julius free to leave the front door.  Which they do.

Though Lucifer could swear he feels a faint chill when he does so...

"Yeah, that'll be down in the Underdecks, there's a few places they hang out.  We're talking the slum buildings there," He explains.  "It might be easier for them to find you, though.  They've got a lot of spare time and you don't."

Daniel had already pledged his body for scientific research post mortem, so such a clause wasn't of much consequence now. As he and Julius cross the threshold he shudders faintly, looking back toward Sanctuary with a frown.

The feeling's gone, however, so after a while he shrugs and keeps walking.

"Yeah, but I'd rather they find me at a fitting time and place. If I make myself known somewhere in their general vicinity they should show up soon enough. Thanks for letting me know."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:27, Wed 22 Feb 2017.

"You know how these types are.  I'm surprised they haven't stormed down into Sanctuary themselves and shoved a couple hundred stomach bottle bugs into you."  Julius takes them to the elevators, "You good to head to the Library or do you need to stop back home?"

"All the more reason to seek them out on my terms."

As he steps inside the elevator, Daniel pats his pockets here and there.

"Got my clothes, phone and gun. Seems the clothes've been cleansed too so no need for a change. I'm good to go."

There's nothing quite like the Martial Library.  Humanity's collected knowledge of fighting and warfare have been condensed to book form, filling up rows upon rows of stacks upon stacks of shelves.  Each one annotated by a master of the art, each one with pages inserted- a debate war on war, fought over weeks and months between patrons.  At any given time there are only a few dozen readers here, with most of the actual patrons spread throughout the Last Refuge.  Some of them are regulars that recognize Daniel immediately; they cross themselves or do something Daniel's seen distressingly often.  They cross their arms over their chest, tuck their chin, and murmur something indistinct.

Yeah, that'd be his cult alright.

Far beyond the end of the stats is the Quiet Exercise Area, an open place to practice katas or exercise regimes.  A small, nondescript door leads back to the REAL Martial Library, where the real theorycrafting happens.  Julius opens the door for Daniel, beckoning him towards the Head Librarian's office.  This isn't so much a dusty old office as it is a command and control center, a vast console of scanning equipment and simulators.  The only thing that doesn't look like something out of Batman's lair is an especially comfortable looking couch.

"Take a seat, couch or command, I don't care.  You're practically the Librarian Emeritus anyway.  I've been busy working with a detailed dissertation on the Battle of Lepanto but that can wait."

For someone as fervently religious as Daniel, you'd think growing and shepherding a cult would be second nature - as a Zenith, the mantle of God-King was not only an easy fit but a quintessential part of his Second Breath. Yet his cult was largely unknown, even alien, to him and every crossed-arm, tucked-chin prayer-salute stirred a faint feeling of awkwardness.

Once, before Ragnarök, his purpose as a Champion and Herald of the Sun had been clear: he would discourage personal worship and direct followers to praise Ignis Divine instead. But as the Sun was Conquered, he'd lost that blissful certainty. What had been an absent Father to worship and impress became a symbol of despair. Sol Invictus was no more - and what's worse, venerating Him in death would risk empowering the mockery that had become of Him.

A period of despair and helpless rage turned into introspection and seeking. In the end Daniel moved on by accepting a bitter truth: Sol's absence was nothing new to him. For all his efforts at bringing glory to the Most High, despite his zealous heroism, the Sun had always remained a strangely absent father. The light Lucifer bore may have never been that of Sol - yet, as the King of Yozis remarked, he was not one of his either. No, the light he bore had always been his own, and the only place left to turn for communion with the Divine was inward. Yet he was no god, he had no gospel to spread or way of life to demand. Rather than found and codify a religion, he'd become an icon; a symbol of defiant strength offering no codified dogma but rather a champion to place one's hopes on.

Perhaps that was why he kept running into his cult everywhere: Lucifer was a symbol that could bear a different meaning for any number of people. Or put another way, weirdos just gravitated toward him.

------------------------------------------

Daniel throws longing glances at the various forms of physical exercise areas laid out before him as they make their way through the Library but manages to rein himself in. Having no immediate need for the various technological gadgets strewn about the room, he plops down on the couch as they arrive to the Head Librarian's office.

"One of Christian history's more valorous moments", he remarks. "If only it was our side that could subvert the enemy these days."

"Are you sure we're the Christians here?"  Julius asks as he sits on his seat, "Technically the Dead could argue that we're the ones enslaving the ghosts, and the ghosts will just... love... to jump up and take their revenge."

He darkly chuckles and pulls up his training program, looking at the space-scape in-potentia.

"I'm a bigger fan of Svestigar myself if you have to look at that section of history.  But none of that era is particularly glorious if you really think about the cost in the grand scheme of things.  Turns out the pacifists might've been right the whole time.  Anyone dying's a sin, isn't it."

"One could argue that. They'd have to be an idiot, though", Daniel replies matter-of-factly. "Although I sort of look forward to a future where mankind is so safe and idle that Neverborn apologists are a legitimate thing."

He looks at the space-scape Julius pulls up with faint interest as he shifts in his seat on the couch.

"Dying is a sin only if it would've been preventable and not enough is gleaned in exchange for it. When it comes to most conflicts on Earth... Yeah, the pacifists might've been on to something. Today it's not our kin who call God by a different name we're up against, though."

"Well, yes, but we're a species renowned for our idiocy.  It's what makes us human.  How else can you explain deciding to grab bullets out of midair instead of just ducking?"  Julius ribs him- not like he's one to talk; the Lunar can quite literally absorb a bullet and all but shit it out.

"Nope, those bad old days are gone.  We're fighting the good war now, the only real good war.  The war against Death."  He taps his fingers against his lips, "You know, there are Quislings, right?"  He looks over at Daniel, "Quislings for us.  Death-worshipers.  We've known it for a while.  Put down the cults where we can.  We know they have their own equivalent over there, too.  I'm just wondering when we're going to deal with their Janissaries."

Daniel gains a smirk. "Tch. It's about principle, sending a message. I'll leave the bullet-dodging acrobatics to Lyla and her sort. The ones actually capable of it."

He leans forward on the couch,  elbows on his knees. The room's temperature drops a few degrees as Quislings are mentioned - Daniel was well aware of such abominable heretics.

"One could argue we've already met them in the form of Candlelight. Whatever form form they show in, though - they're in for an Auspicious Event much sooner than the originals. "