Alex Setonaki, Tyrus Melcinus and Vergil Santiago are headed to Noveria to retrieve Tyrus' ship.

Afterwards the group is heading to meet up with the turian sword clan Segonashi in order to forge an alliance to defeat Sephiroth.

The transport landed on Noveria just like planned. Alex stepped out and turned to Vergil "So exactly how does Sephiroth fight anyways?" He needed to know his opponent's capabilities.

Vergil was reading a book titled "Swords of old History" when Alex asked the Question. He slowly closed the book and placed it in his inner coat pocket.

"Well he fights in a style I haven't seen before" replied Vergil "he attacks strong and fast, almost like lighting. He carries what looks like a large Japanese Nodachi maybe the longest sword I've ever seen."

Alex and Vergil took a seat on one of the docking bays benches waiting for Tyrus. Vergil leaned back and pulled out his book agin crossing his legs as he always did "So?" asked Vergil "if we do meet with Sephiroth, how do you plan on fighting him?"

"Speed and strength is his method, So I'll use his own method against him combined with strategy and randomness. I know the two sound contradictory but that what makes a good combo effective. Plus a large blade, no matter how thick or what the design is best at a distance to give the end an added bonus ... so that's exactly where I'll keep him." Alex had his fighting method for this all planned out, it was simple yet elegant. He planned on using his opponent's own strengths as the weakness.

"I guess that could work" said Vergil as he continued to read his book, he began to think about the fight him and Pein had with Sephiroth, and how such power came from one man. Vergil began to gaze down at Alex's Zangetsu that was laying in the black case at his feet

"So how did you come across Zangetsu?" asked Vergil as he kept reading his book only stopping to turn the page "Its not everyday you see a sword with an advance A.I"

Alex smiled "Now that's a story, see it was actually before I joned the Espada that we crossed paths, way back when I was about 5 years old I was told a legend about some great hidden sword, when that happened I was so interested it almost killed me." Alex sighed "When I was brought into the Espada ranks I went looking for the fabled sword because I just couldn't work with those standard blades they hand out when you join. Once I found Zangetsu I used his ability to cut a mountain in half. Since then We've been together." It was a fond memory and he had no problem sharing it.

((In case your wondering I will be going to Character Development sometime soon with the full story.))

"Cut a mountain in half?" Vergil thought to himself. Vergil knew that a sword cutting through a mountain sounded alittle....odd to him, but the sword itself was a sight to hold in its own right, and vergil didn't know everything there was about Alex, even if he was full of himself sometimes.

Vergil picked up the black case that he kept his sword in and layed it on his lap "This is my sword the Yamato" said Vergil as he open the case to show Alex "my master gave it to me back when I worked with the Alliance. I upgraded a small computer chip in the handle that gives it that extra power, and I don't know about cutting through a mountian, but it can cut through almost anything"

Vergil closed the case and layed it back on the floor then picked up his book and started to read agin "before my master died, he told me about the sword, and its story" he said "something about it opening the gates of Hell, but its kinda of an odd story, and I'm sure you don't want to hear it".

"Go on, we've got time till butter cup gets out." Alex told him, the story seemed interesting, Alex's sword was a marvel of technology but a sword without that advantage interested him.

"Unfortunately, "buttercup" is here." Tyrus interrupted. He caught the last of the conversations as he rejoined the two agents and surmised the subject.

"I see we are trading stories about our swords. I'm sure Neo would appreciate the unconscious connotations." he remarked. "In any case, we have a transport to catch." Tyrus handed them two visitor passes with garage rights.

"We're taking a land transport to Station 14. We'll talk along the way. I too, am interested in the background of your blade, Vergil. One does not pass the opportunity to hear a story that begins with a reference to the 'gates of Hell'."

"I guess it would be a good story to tell on the way back" said Vergil as he got up and then picked up his blade case, he turned to Alex "shall we move on?" he asked Alex.

Alex nodded and led the way to the transport location Once they boarded he sat down and looked at Zangetsu. "They had been through hell and back together in those short years together and Alex had enjoyed every minute of it. He turned to Vergil and Tyrus "So you guys got anyone you care about?".

Vergil began to think about Alex's question, he didn't have to many people in his life that he really cared about. Vergil hung his head down and began to stare at the floor "well I guess theres my farther and brother...but I haven't heard anything from them in who knows how many years" said Vergil softly.

Vergil turned his head and began to look out the transport window, there was one more person in his life, but he thought that talking about her was...not needed.

"At least you have someone in your life. I've got nothing other than Zangetsu here but he's not much of a travel companion." There werer times Alex wished he had someone to fight for but there was no one that close.

"Sometimes it is better to have no-one. There are no distractions, no hesitations. 'When one's mind is not focused on the task at hand, his mind is dulled and so is his blade.'" Tyrus quoted the old turian clan proverb.

"I broke off all my ties when I joined the Cabals and the military. When I becomes immersed in the world of espionage, it became my life. Married to the job, so to speak." He let out a sigh.

"Perhaps in the future, I will settle down and move on in serving my people by ensuring my bloodline continues. But not when I still have missions to do and people to kill. When I finally stop, I want nothing ever coming back from my past. It want it dead, buried and obliterated."

"did you ever know your mother?" Vergil asked Alex while still continuing to stare out the window. Vergil thought that maybe if Tyrus didn't want to talk about his family life, then maybe Alex did.

"Until I was nine, then I made a single judgement mistake and was caught. My mother was the one who originally told me the story about Zangetsu when I was just a kid." Alex told him, he often wondered what life would be like if he hadn't have been caught.

"you were lucky to have known her" replied Vergil as if it wasen't that big of a subject, but he knew deep down it was. "My mother died shortly after I was born, I always think thats why my brother was the favorit".

Vergil began to think back when he was little, and while his brother and farther were off in the other room he was left in the house library reading books. "I thought farther seemed like he was angery at me for being born and killing mother, but my brother said he was just like that".

Alex looked out the window and saw there stop was none too far off. "Well no matter our history we're here now and that's what's important. Nothing to do but get to work I suppose.". It might be only 5 to 15 min. till they got off.

The transport pulled off the main access route and into a sealed garage which had opened up. The bay sealed itself and the climate control brought the temperature up to a more bearable degree.

Workers could be seen here and there performing all manner of tasks. Far off, crates could be seen being moved out of rooms through a massive set of doors. The chatter of weapons fire and the occasional explosion could be heard behind sealed chambers.

Climbing out, Tyrus gave the introductory tour.

"Welcome to Station 14, my own little experimental playground. Three large rooms packed to the ceiling of prototype weaponry and equipment, a shooting range, a hazards course that puts hell to shame and the drydock that contains my pride and joy."

A salarian walked up to Tyrus with a clipboard and gave him a run down of the current events. Tyrus turned to his two comrades.

"Feel free to look around. It will take another hour before the ship is ready to fly. The only restriction is to not to hamper my people when they are doing their work."

((This is an open invite to make up your own special and weird weapons and/or equipment. Go nuts. Just try not to make them too overpowered. ^_^ ))

Alex wandered around until he saw several teams working on an Anti Gravitation Propulsion Device. When he walked close they asked him to test it out. The device was easy to get used to and control as it was a belt the read his impuse signals from the brain.

They told him it worked by reversing the gravitation field around him and read his electronic impulses to determine where he wanted to go by creating small gravity masses inside the field to pull him in a certain direction. Once he landed they took the belt off and equiped a power cell the recycled it's energy to increase it's power supply.

Alex decided to practise with the belt as they worked on a power cell to replace the current temporary one. He flew through the halls and went to a training field to test it's combat uses.

Tyrus inspected the crates that were being loaded onto his ship. There were several items of interest ranging from powered exoskeleton upgrades to a portable, high-powered deuterium laser that was capable of boiling away armour. He picked up an oversized rifle with a large barrel. The ammo was a special liquid ferro-polymer that hardened on impact, particularly useful in reducing mobility. One hit could cement a krogan's foot to the floor. The problem was the relative slow speed of the projectile.

Putting the gun down, he noticed that the prototype repulsor unit was missing. Asking a worker, he found out that Alex was trialling the unit on the combat field and Tyrus headed over, bringing along a powered exoskeleton suit.

At the ready room adjacent to the field, he stripped his armour down and assembled the exoskeleton pieces on himself. Anyone looking in could see a heavy degree of cyberisation, something he kept hidden from most, with sockets and wiring on his body at strategic places.

High density ferro-carbon plates overlapped a liquid metal body suit interlaced complete with servo-motors increasing reaction times and strength. The suit was specially calibrated to Tyrus's body. If the adjustments were too much, he risked snapping bones and tearing muscles.

Once assembled, Tyrus activated the suit and winced as needles poked into his cybernetic enhancements. There was a slight hum as the unit powered up, activating the HUD, eezo reserves, shields and the servos. Flashing a predator's smile, he stepped out onto the field where Alex was practicing with the repulsor unit.

"Care for some practice?" he called out, gesturing to his weapons.

Alex had Zangetsu in one of the target drones. He pulled it out and turned to Tyrus. "Nice suit, is it imported?" Alex joked as he landed with the AGPD. He shut it off "So where should we begin, 1 hundred opponents or 2?".

"I'm thinking a twenty, but of a more superior sort." Tyrus smirked. He flicked a few settings on his omnitool and signaled a receiver on the far side of the field. A hidden bay opened revealing row upon row of drones eerily resembling a variety of opponents.

Five resembled a Geth Colossus, mounting heavy weaponry and armour/shields. Ten were bipedal drones which moved with uncanny intelligence and sported some high-end weaponry. Five more were regular flying drones but up-gunned and up-engined.

Another signal and their adversaries activated. The bipeds moved as a unit, displaying some excellent tactical sense and hid under cover. The Colossus units moved in formation with overlapping fields of fire, with the flying drones flanking them at high-speed.

"Better get some cover!" Tyrus advised as a missed shot from a Colossus damaged their shields by merely passing them. "It'll take more than one blast from Zangetsu to blow up just one." Taking his own advice, Tyrus docked behind some earthworks and un-holstered the bulky deuterium laser.

Alex used the AGPD to fly to the ceilling and began running across the ceiling toward the drones. "Watch this trick." Alex yelled as he dropped down on the farthest Geth Colossus and stabbed Zangetsu in the back of it. It only fought for a moment before stopping. Alex ran to cover as the Colossus began to shoot down the other drones. "Zangetsu can infect other electronic systems and put them under his full control. What do you have up your sleeve?".

"I'm old fashioned. Brute force works for me." Tyrus called back.

Thumbing safety, the laser whined as the capacitors started to charge. A quick step out of cover and Tyrus shouldered the cannon, aiming at the left most Colossus. A brilliant flash blinded everyone and the Colossus was a smoking ruin of melted metal. Ducking back, Tyrus let the laser cannon cycle.

The drone bipeds weren't idle, however. Two tech drones had dropped the shields on the rogue Colossus and the rest ripped through it. The five flying units had now flanked above and were pouring slugs into Tyrus and Alex, forcing them into a dangerous crossfire.

Alex was blinded from the flash so he used his hearing and the brief moments he saw the terrain to figure out where the shots were coming from. He charged to the left and cut down 3 of the flying drones. He then got behind cover again "Warn me next time so I can put some shades on.".

"If a little flash bothers you, then don't expect to survive on the battlefield." Tyrus retorted.

He slung the laser and grabbed his assault rifle instead. Using his armour's powered enhancement, he jinked and dodged the aim of the drones to get closer. Close on his heels were the two remaining flying units. Tyrus grabbed a fragmentary mine of his belt and flung it up and behind on a proximity fuse. The high velocity of the drones meant they hit a rapidly expanding cloud of hot metal shards hard. Needless to say, they blew up.

Vergil began to look over the large amounts of weapons that were kept ontop of crates as if they were being sold in a market. Vergil turned his eyes over to a large number of swords and guns that laying on table in a small corner.

He picked up an odd metal glove that laying on a small display table. The glove was made out of some type of metal fabrication with a blue neon color light glowing under the forearm.

"See anything you like?" said a voice behind him.

Vergil turned around to see a tall thin man with curly hair and dark squar classies standing with a smile. "umm....yes" replied Vergil "this glove....what is it?"

"Oh thats my newist weapon I've been working on" said the thin man as he walked over to Vergil.

"I call it Lucifers arm" said the man "Its made only for Bio-tecs. It sends out a hologramic hand that connects with your brain that allows you to grab far off enemies, and if I tell you how that works I'll have to kill you" The man let out a laugh only to be stopped by Vergil's emotionless stare.

"I don't think its quite ready yet.....there is a small chance that you could endup with brain damage or your arm could blowoff if it overheats"

Vergil didn't pay any attention to warning, he put the glove on his left arm, It fit perfectly.

Tyrus received a notification from the drydock.

"Mr. Melcinus, loading is complete. you can launch whenever you wish."

Tyrus signaled to Alex. "Time to wrap this up."

He grabbed the grenade launcher off his back and loaded belt of explosives. With a mighty leap of the powered exoskeleton, Tyrus moved between cover, letting loose a volley of grenades. The special ferro-polymer projectiles impacting on the drones, inhibiting movement and pinning them into place.

"All yours, Alex!"

Alex jumped up and charged toward the disabled robots and he Tore Zangetsu through them with ease. When he finished he returned to Tyrus "We really should do this more often." He commented as they headed for the door.

"Practice? Yes. Get caught in fights with overwhelming numbers? I'll pass."

The two made their way out back to the drydock, where the bay doors were now open. Beyond in plain view, lay Tyrus's ship.

"Ah... my pride and joy. The pure turian name is somewhat complex, but I do believe I found the right translation. She is "The Lost Seraphim" as you humans would call it. Come."

Picking up Vergil along the way, they made walked up the boarding ramp into the cargo hold. Crates were stacked neatly everywhere and there was a transport and two single seat aerocycles. The lift took them up to the main deck. Noticeable was the lack of a crew.

"Seraphim, please come online." Tyrus spoke aloud.

In the centre, a holographic display initiated. The hologram depicted a winged biped made from a swirl of colours and haze, not dis-similar to the VI on Talq Starkiller's ship.

"Welcome Tyrus. Shall I initiate take-off procedures?"

"Please do." He turned to the others. "Seraphim here is capable of running the entire ship autonomously. If you need anything, you merely have to ask."

"Do you have a destination in mind? asked Seraphim.

Alex nodded to the hologram "Feros, latitude 93, longitude 41. Once we arrive I need you to start searching for a small village. It'll probably be hidden." That was the expected coordinates of the Clan's village but He didn't know for sure.

"Destination confirmed. Initiating launch procedures. All personnel, please clear the docking area." Seraphim reported.

There was a slight hum as the ship powered up its engines and in the viewscreen they could see the drydock doors open up into the snowy landscape of Noveria.

"All personnel clear. Initiating launch. Would you like to pilot her out?" Seraphim asked Tyrus.

"No thank you, I have trust in your capabilities."

"Thank you. Launch initiated."

The ship gracefully lifted clear of her docking cradle and smoothly glided out into the frigid air. Soon they cleared atmosphere and were making straight for the relay.

"ETA to Feros: 3 hours, 46 minutes."

"Thank you Seraphim. Let us know when we near it." Tyrus replied. He turned to the others.

"So, anyone know how to pass four hours?"