User blog:SupcommMonroee/Next GSSOC Character

I've been working on the plans for my next GSSOC character, and I've come up with a little intro sequence I just couldn't wait to write down.

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Etah was hard-pressed to come up with any sort of prediction regarding Tholker's replacement. All that was given to the HIRIOT in terms of information was a note with the name was Linus Fritjof, and a heavily underlined suggestion not to upset him. Perhaps he was emotionally troubled, some sort of unstoppable assassin who used his anger and inner turmoil as fuel. Etah had come across a handful of similar personalities, all of whom were efficient fighters. However, they seldom were interested in making friends, and friendship was an important adhesive for the GSSOC.

The derelict warehouse that had once been Tholker and Karla's private snogging retreat now served as a low-profile meeting place for the newest additions to the GSSOC, to be screened by the Immortal Colonel himself. As he had made a habit of doing so thousands of years prior, Etah was early by a comfortable margin of at least ten minutes. He pondered about his new prospective teammates for half of that time, before taking in the monumentally non-romantic nature of the decrepit building, silently commending his past comrade for being able to, as Sol I Dor had so eloquently put it, "copulate like unruly adolescents".

The ungraceful creak of the double doors roused Etah from his thoughts. At precisely the arranged time, two figures briskly strode into the small entry room, leaving the doors to shut behind them. These two figures, one Eteno and one Dhragolon, took a seat in front of Etah on a long, worn couch. The Eteno, Linus Fritjov, looked quite young at first glance, possessing a more youthful face, and a smile to match. His body, however, indicated that he was at least twenty, if not Tholker's age. The Dhragolon's face was shrouded by the room's peculiar lighting, and regardless, he was not the first one for Etah to focus on. The curious lack of information given regarding Linus, coupled with his youthful, innocent appearance gave him a perplexing enigma.

"I am Colonel Etah. As you're both prospective new members, I'll just ask you a series of questions. Be at ease, this isn't a formal setting by any means. I'll start with you, Linus."

"Okay! It's nice to meet you mister Etah!" If not for his voice and body, Linus could've easily passed for a nine-year old.

"Right... So, tell me about your military career. Branch, billets, qualifications, the works." Etah cautiously initiated the interview.

"Whatever you say, mister Etah! I'm Linus Fritjof, and we were drafted like all the good boys of the Fatherland. The Imperial Marines wanted us, so-" Fritjof began.

"Wait, wait... What do you mean, 'we'?"

"We, silly! Who else?" Linus laughed at Etah's question.

"O-okay... Continue."

"So, we were drafted into the Imperial Marines! I was trained to be a rifleman, and it was a lot of fun! He made so many friends, and the drill sergeant stopped yelling at us after we had a talk with him. When he finished training, I was sent off to help fight Kklxin! We were really happy to fight them, and our mind did a lot more work than his gun! Some officers saw what my brain can do, so they took us into some special training! He was really excited! But the mean scientists there tried to separate us from me, and he just turned on them! They stopped training me after that, and they kept him in my own private home!"

Linus was giving off all of the wrong signs. He talked like a child, and seemed to continually jumble up he, I, and us. At first, Etah thought he may have had some sort of brain damage, but as Linus' jubilant rant went on, the record of his time with the Imperial Marine Corps grew more and more... Odd. Unorthodox. Mind-boggling. If the unsettling tirade wasn't enough, the Eteno gave off a uniformly-disturbing air. It was as if the depths of Etah's mind had somehow become nauseous.

"So one day, mister Tholker came to me and asked me to be part of the GSSOC. He told us that it was really important, and that he had to focus! So, I did! He did a lot of research on social etiquette, and now we're ready to serve the Fatherland on a grand scale, as Tholker put it. I'm quite delighted to even be considered for a position in this outfit. I've heard only good things." Now that was unsettling. Linus spontaneously went from talking like a hyperactive child to a properly educated gentleman.

"So... What... What are your abilities?" Etah ventured. At this point, he wasn't totally sure he wanted to know.

"I already told you! I think... No, he failed to do so. My my, what an utter boob we can be sometimes. Our brain can do things for some reason, sometimes! He doesn't know why, but whenever we get provoked, it works without fail. It's like some sort of evolutionary misfire gone self-preservation mechanism, he might say. But who am I to tell?"

"Can... You demonstrate it?"

"No, he can't, sorry mister Etah! We need to be right in the moment! I just can't do it otherwise. I really must convey my deepest apologies."

"Then... I'm sorry, Linus. I fail to understand you at the most basic level, and you could simply be trying to play me for a fool. I just can't tell. If you can't demonstrate whatever talent you may have, I just can't let you on this team without further discussion with Tholker and the rest of the GSSOC. For all I know, you could even be unstable." The last part was a complete lie. Etah was certain in his mind that this one was the definition of unstable.

"But... But... Mister Tholker said..."

"I'm sorry, Linus.