The Galewing was a common class of small airship with multiple variations for different uses. They could be used to transport a few people only, far smaller than the ones taken by the larger airships. They could act as civilian aircraft for short trips, military gunships, research transport, and they also came in hybrid models.
They were extremely versatile, and their VTOL nature made it easy for them to land on virtually any flat piece of terrain large enough to hold them. Their only downside would be their small size and energy capacity, the latter being something that could be overcome, but would require a massive investment of resources to do.
With that said, the interior of this particular kind of Galewing, belonging to the supranational organisation known as Aegis, hummed with the soft pulse of its Essence powered engines. Grav-cushioned seats lined the cabin, equipped with holographic interfaces for the pilot. And overhead, soft blue light reflected off seamless metallic walls.
It was akin to the civilian counterparts that was used by the public for commercial purposes, with its sleek aesthetic, but it has access to more advanced systems if they were to be needed.
“Hmm…I’d say that briefing was quite successful!” A voice spoke out loud, belonging to a young man of pale blonde hair with green tips, wearing a lab-coat as he sat on one of the seats within the back of this aircraft.
He was Felix Knolton, a head scientist of Aegis, a coalition of multiple smaller groups of organisations merged together to form a larger unity. But despite that, his mission of bringing in specific talented recruits was a much needed thing to do.
In spite of its reach, Aegis could only be deemed as deceptively large due to their strategic spread. The coalition’s resources were spread thin across multiple facets, and most of their assets were located in one location, their main HQ.
The number of available operatives they have wouldn't be enough to handle a crisis of this size, in spite of their experience. Hence why they needed to get through this with the collaboration of other parties. The Veil Storm wasn't even their only worry too, despite it being top priority, so they certainly needed the extra help.
“Still though…I wonder if this would even be enough…”
Normally this would be fine, as the Veils that could only be handled by them would really only manifest a few dozen times at most in different places, over the course of a year. However—
“Around several hundred to a thousand different Veils of varying sizes have opened up over the past year alone, and counting…”
He was talking to himself right now, as his mind ran through over a dozen simulations, akin to a supercomputer at work. He imagined that potentially, if the entire organisation were to be willing to work around the clock for a few years, they could stave away the encroaching storm.
“That would be extremely unlikely, fatigue would be an issue and I don't think our logistics could handle an increasing number of Veils at once like that.”
These storm-born Veils were different compared to the standard ones local Pathfinders tend to handle. The normal ones at their worst case scenarios could perhaps be handled with difficulty by a team of those Pathfinders, but these ones were more worrying and unpredictable. While they still vary in threat level, they required extensive containment efforts and careful handling.
Fatigue would certainly be an issue, and with resources spread so thin, stemming the tide would be impossible without expansion and cooperation with outside parties.
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Felix sighed, heavily, legs crossed and arms rested. He was tired, he deserved a break after this, but he couldn't. Things were too dire to be taking a break from.
“In any case…” He turned around, with a casual smile, “How are you, Eppy?”
His gaze focused itself upon the cockpit area, as he caught the attention of a girl with silver hair and violet eyes piloting the aircraft they were in. There were really only two people in the Galewing, so they were basically alone.
The girl activated the auto-pilot sequence for the Galewing, before swivelling her seat to face Felix directly. Her clothing could only be described as contemporary and futuristic. It was sleek, coloured in deep purple and pink. A sword in its scabbard could also be seen hanging upon her back magnetically.
“My name is Epsilon, you're intentionally mispronouncing it.” She said, her voice akin to a loud whisper of sorts, composed and calm. “However, I’m doing fine.”
Felix's upper body hunched forward slightly, his chin resting upon his arm that was placed on his raised knee. He chuckled.
“It's called a nickname, you should try it sometime.” He said, “Then again, you're only a few years old, and despite your mental capacity you lack the knowledge of someone with your physical age. I’m surprised someone hasn't given you a nickname yet though.”
“Am I?” She raised an eyebrow, “I am an artificial being, possessing a body akin to an elf, I learn and adapt to varying situations fast.”
He sat up straight again, clapping his two hands, “But you're still naive when it comes to miscellaneous things! For example, do you know where babies come from, Eppy?”
“...” She tried to think about it, “...No. How do they exist?”
Felix caught his breath, trying not to laugh. “Y-you’re going to learn about that sometime in the future, don't worry. Or maybe you can ask my sister Angela, you and Ramiel can definitely learn together, you know?”
Epsilon was not amused, in fact, she pouted, “Fine." She said, "How are the chosen collaborators?”
“Those six that I specifically chose, or the ones encouraged to handle some of the weaker Veils?” He asked her.
“The former.” She stated simply.
He leaned back towards his seat, his expression in mildly deep contemplation. "Right. Well, they're pretty good.” He said, “Just from what I see alone it's certainly not a lie that they could be effective fighters, though they lack the professional experience needed.”
“So this operation of theirs would be a test? Isn't that dangerous?” Epsilon inquired, raising an eyebrow. Apart from that, her expression was kept neutral.
“The threat level of the Veil they're handling is fair according to their talents. Plus, this is a specific request from the commander, y’know?”
She furrowed her eyebrows, “Why is that?”
“Ehhh…not sure.” He said, scratching his head, “I have theories as to why, but you'll have to ask him yourself.”
“...hm.” She took a pause, and gazed downwards, her eyes somehow showing signs of reminiscence. She really didn't know why she felt this way, but— “Secrets…somehow I hate them.”
“I beg your pardon?” And Felix was now the one confused.
Her gaze went back to him, “It's nothing of note, go back to topic. Why didn't we just transport them immediately with the Galewing?”
“Well, it wasn't specifically mentioned that they have to, plus I don't think we're even allowed to do that.” He mused, “They're not Aegis personnel, so despite the efficiency, we have to make a compromise and say no.”
“...I see.” She nodded, “That girl with the eye-patch. I’ve heard she was of special interest, like the one with the black hair and deep blue eyes.”
“Marilyn and Adrian?” He questioned, “Well, I’d say they're quite special. Adrian's certainly because of his potential and his background, and Marilyn…I am not actually sure, the commander said that she was 'chosen'...whatever that means.”
“Chosen...hm.” That was a mysterious term to her, “Why is that?”
Felix shrugged, “Not sure. Too many unknowns, not enough clarifications.”
Simply put, both of them were in the dark about this. They didn't have any clear answers apart from potentially far-fetched theories, and they couldn't find any connections as to why these six were picked out amongst the rest.
Either it could be fate, or it could be because of some other reasoning. The latter Felix thought so to be the answer, and despite his curiosity…
“I trust that they'll be able to handle this. He hasn't been wrong once.” He said, “I just hope that those six would be able to satisfy our expectations, that is all."
Epsilon was sceptical about this. She didn't exactly believe these students could possess that kind of potential. “If they couldn't?”
“Then we’ll have to make an assessment of what could be improved for them. If they're still worthy, they’ll need that extra training time to be sufficient.” He said, crossing his arms.
She blinked, “...I see. I hope they’ll be prepared for it, then.”
Felix smiled, “Yeah, I hope so too.”