Lone Rose's Dirge

Chapter 1

All was quiet as it could possibly be at Shickshal Headquarters. Personnel was running to and fro busying themselves with their daily routines. The only difference that changed today was the heightened security level. A large number of freshly built mechs arrived earlier today, most were Baldur and Iskandar models with only a handful of Hercules models, probably added to fill in the required numbers to better the security for reasons kept secret for the most part. These imposing constructs were almost immediately put to work as a group of high-profile individuals were scheduled to arrive.
Most of the personnel were unaware of the nature of such measures and temporary change, rumors, and gossip say that some of these individuals were wanted for various crimes and infractions committed against Shickshal and its noble cause, while a few were highly valued and were to be escorted to safety for further processing.
A ship of outstanding proportions approaches from the far eastern side of Shickshal's floating Headquarters. Workers were momentarily distracted from their jobs and secretly admired the sizable vessel that just arrived. Some even recognized it at first glance and uttered the name: "Hyperion" under their breaths.
Another ship, nearly half the size of Hyperion, comes into view after maneuvering along the side of the flagship and then docks while the sizable Hyperion slows down and seeks another docking place further away in a highly secure hangar where several mechs have been deployed just recently.
As a set of massive double doors open and an extendable bridge touches down on the landing pad, a small contingent of Immortal Blade Valkyries streams out of the craft in perfect unison in two files equal in number and sync with each other's steps. Caught between these two files of impressive personnel was an easily recognizable character for some people. Her head was held high, her one visible eye betrayed little to no emotions, and a scythe's blade nearly grazed the metal floor as she strides across the walkway. She was Rita Rosseweiss, the Umbral Rose of Shickshal.
Behind her were three people caught in between the files of Immortal Blade Valkyries. One was a young man dressed in an ivory-colored fleet captain's uniform. He kept his head low, shadows cast by his cap obscured his eyes but his face betrayed a mix of emotions. He keeps lightly biting on his lower lip and for one moment he seemed to underestimate the force of his bite and draws a little bit of blood. Its metallic taste doesn't seem to bother him, and neither does the pain.
Behind the young man were two girls, a quiet one with messy hair who kept her sights aimed low, her hands bound together by a set of hinged handcuffs.
Behind her was a very loud-mouthed girl with red hair to match the intensity of her temper judging by the volume of her voice and how much she protested against being touched or forced to walk. Her hands were bound with a set of specially designed handcuffs that covered the entirety of her hands to prevent the usage of her fingers. A few moments later she seemed to throw a stream of insults at the young man in front of her and even lunged forward, nearly toppling over the quiet person in front, in an attempt to choke the young man with the wire-like link between her cuffs. The Valkyries manage to keep this troublesome prisoner in check despite her demeanor but couldn't do much about the volume of her voice that got too much-unwanted attention.
Meanwhile, the docking area where the ship landed was soon filled with Baldur mechs while the lower side of the landing pad was lined with Iskander models. They formed a line to keep the curious workers away while maintaining an excessively high-security level for no obvious reason.
The Immortal Blade Valkyries walk along the security lane of Baldur mechs, a few curious workers peeked through the openings while maintaining a safe distance from the Baldur mechs to get a look at who was being escorted. The Baldur mechs emitted a message that repeated itself when unauthorized people drew too close to them, cautioning the curious to keep away and mind their contractual obligations rather than waste their time on curiosity. The murmurs of the workers were occasionally interrupted by the yelling of the red-haired girl who didn't seem to run out of things to criticize that belonged to or were made by Shickshal.
All of the sudden, the line of Valkyries stops moving and distances itself a little bit more to the sides. It seems that someone's moving back toward the other side of the line. Soon, the yelling and protesting of the red-haired girl turn to muffled noises that are very much more pleasant to one's ears compared to the constant shouting. Shortly after this welcomed modification, the Valkyries continue onward, descending the landing pad where they are greeted by a rather petite woman with rich curly hair holding a touchscreen device pressed against her chest with several armed personnel members flanking her sides.
Rita comes to a stop a few feet away from the petite woman, the armed guards immediately give Rita a silent salute, straightening their posture and standing at attention. The Immortal Blade Valkyries behind Rita begin to change their formation as soon as she stopped, shifting from two evenly numbered files into a single one while pushing the highly valued people they were sent to recover in front of them. Their weapons were at the ready, should either of them try to so much as make a sudden movement, their fates would be sealed.
The petite woman discreetly clears her throat, takes a step forward, and then says: