So you all want to join the elite Vindicta Force, huh? Well you're the sorriest bunch of recruits I've ever seen! You think you can be some big shot hero with fame and fortune do you?! I'd say one, maybe two, of you have what it takes to become a hero. Some of you will toil in anonymity and some of you won't even make the cut.
In front of you is the entrance exam. You will give your answers to me directly. Do not post them here for everyone else to see. I repeat: DO NOT POST THEM HERE! Now, begin!

Q 1: Your extraction is a no-show and you possess mission-critical items. What would you do?

A. Keep waiting, it's bound to show up eventually
B. Contact mission support and request another extraction
C. Find your own way back to base with the items
D. Ditch your objective and save yourself

Q 2: HQ is under attack by unknown combatants. What would you do?

A. Charge into battle alone
B. Gather up whoever you can find and mount a counterattack
C. Report to your commanding officer and await further orders
D. Run and hide

Q 3: Your CO gives you an order you are morally or ethically uncomfortable with. What would you do?

A. Refuse the order
B. Protest
C. Execute the order anyways
D. Try and negotiate

Q 4: Your CO is killed in battle and you are the next highest ranking officer. What would you do?

A. Take command of the remaining troops and continue the mission
B. Order a retreat to regroup and think about how to proceed
C. Flee the battle
D. Wait for someone else to take command

Q 5: While on an assignment, you find a wealth of resources that could greatly benefit Vindicta. However, you would need to abandon your mission to secure it. What would you do?

A. Ignore it and continue the mission
B. Abandon the mission and secure the resources
C. Radio HQ to inform them of the resources then continue with your mission
D. Mark a waypoint on your GPS map and return to secure the resources after you completed your mission

Q 6: While behind enemy lines, a comrade is injured and pursuing enemy forces are closing in. Your comrade insists that you leave him. What would you do?

A. Leave your comrade for dead and continue the mission
B. Radio for extraction and hope they make it
C. Carry your comrade and try to elude your pursuers
D. Stay with your comrade and attempt to fight off your pursuers

Q 7: Someone in your unit is known to cause problems because of his attitude. You fear this will jeopardize your upcoming mission. What would you do?

A. Try to work things out with the individual
B. Report the individual to your CO
C. Talk to your unit about how to handle the individual amongst yourselves
D. Ignore the situation and hope it resolves itself

Q 8: You encounter a situation you are unsure how to handle while on an assignment. What would you do?

A. Take in all available information and make the best choice available
B. Contact your CO for orders
C. Try your best to avoid the situation
D. Ask your allies for advice

Q 9: Communications are down and you are unable to continue your mission due to unforeseen circumstances. What would you do?

A. Try to continue the mission even though it is too dangerous to proceed
B. Use your technical know-how to attempt to repair communications to radio HQ for orders
C. Abandon the mission and try to return to HQ on your own
D. Wait and hope mission support can repair communications

Q 10: Why do you fight?

A. Honor
B. Glory
C. Money
D. To protect something

You will be notified whether you passed or failed within 24 hours. If you failed, you may try again after one day has passed.
If you passed, welcome to the mercenary army known as the Vindicta Force. Your score on the test will affect your starting rank. What does my rank do you ask? A lot. Your rank will determine how many men serve under you, which missions you are able to take, the quality of support you receive from HQ, and of course, your pay. Those who passed the test will be notified of their rank in their acceptance letter.

For now I will introduce you to your commanding officers. Who you work under will be determined by which department you serve in. If you're going to be on the front lines, you work under me. My name is Beck. Our job is pretty straight forward: go out and shoot anything that moves.



In charge of espionage is Jenova Chen. If spy work is your thing, you'll be working for her.



Heading up R&D is Elena Heimrich. If you like working in a lab and making new weapons or piloting tanks and jets, she'll be your boss.



The voice you'll all get used to hearing on your radio is George Hampton. He's in charge of mission support. This includes communications, extractions, and air strikes.



And last but certainly not least is Akihiko Sudai, PhD. He's the leader of the medical unit. Treating the injured and manufacturing biochemical weapons are his strong points.



There's one more person you'll probably meet while you're working here. He's our best operative. Goes by the handle Zero and works with an android partner called CAT. They're both off on an assignment right now.



I'll now take this time to explain how things will work around here. As you know, the Vindicta Force is a private military contractor. We take various jobs all around the world and make about $5 billion a year. Our base is quite large and has everything you'll need. Cafeteria, doctor's office, sports facilities, dormitories, and an arcade are just a few of the facilities we have here.
Once you get settled in, you'll get right to work. There won't be a fancy welcoming ceremony or anything. We're all too busy around here for that.
There will be a mission board in the main hall where you can choose your missions provided we don't have any priority tasks to worry about at the time. Which missions you can accept are based on your rank and department. Multiple units may work together on a single task or a single operative can take it. It all depends on the situation and who's available to work. If you have men working under you, use them to your advantage.
Once you accept a mission, you will fulfill the objective however you see fit. You can radio HQ for advice but for the most part, you are on your own. You will be graded on how well you perform and may even receive a promotion if you perform above and beyond the call of duty. Each of you will be assigned a communications officer feeding you information so you'll always be able to make the best choices available.
While on missions, you may find resources. It is in all of our best interests that you secure them whenever possible. Resources can be given to R&D to develop new equipment or upgrade our current gear. Those who are interested should speak to Miss Heimrich for more info.

That is all for now! If you have any questions, now's the time. If not, why not tell us a little about yourself? Your name, age, rank, department, and whatever else you want.

Seems to play out just like a tactics game.
I was wandering what sort of system you'll be using to determine the success/failure of a mission.

But otherwise, already sent in my exam.

Prior to accepting the mission, you will be informed of key parameters such as location and objective. Your communications officer will be feeding you vital information directly during the mission. It's up to you how you use this information. They may give you suggestions if your rank is fairly low. Higher ranking soldiers will be expected to know how to handle any situation.

IE:



From there you will inform HQ of your decision.

IE:



There will be numbers involved with this process but your CO will handle them. Don't worry about getting bogged down with statistics and probability. We'll streamline the process for you. If you are curious about the underlying mechanics, talk to your CO about it.
After you make your decision, HQ will tell you the outcome of your choice.

IE:



From there, you will then post in the RP topic your actions however you see fit.

IE:



Once all targets are neutralized, you may proceed with the mission or take the time to look for anything useful the enemy soldiers may have had. Conversely, you could fail the stealth approach and may be detected. From there you'll have to fight it out in open combat. If you want to work on your stealth skills, talk to Jenova.
If you make smart choices during your missions, and are successful in executing them, you may get a pay bonus or even a promotion. Always make sure to think things through carefully.

My introduction/sign-up thing :B

A figure emerged not much later, holding the filled paper work below it's arm, it was wearing a full pilot suit and then approached the counter where they were supposed to drop the paperwork.



The attendant at the counter stared at the person in front of him. "Uh...Why are you alredy in your suit?" After a moment, a deep voice emerged from the suit. "This suit is my own...It belonged to a friend, I feel more confortable in it." The man at the counter stared, blinking. "If you say so, dude. Anyways...Let me see, your name is Max Crimsom, correct?" Max nodded in response. "Yes." The man let out a short 'hmm' as he kept reading. "And you're 25...All right. So...Private First Class, huh. Not bad, you're a pilot, from what I can read, yes?" Max nodded in confirmation once more. "Correct." The man at the counter nodded in approval one more time before stretching out his hand for a handshake. "All right then, guess we're done, welcome to Vindicta Force, dude." Max stared at the hand for a moment, before, although a bit hesitantly, shaking it. "Yes...Thank you."

Very good. You'll be serving under Elena Heimrich so make sure you introdue yourself to her once you get settled and are ready to assume your duties.

Will we have to bring our own weapons and equipment?
Or will standard starting equipment be supplied?

My exam is sent in also.

Vindicta Force allows the use of personal equipment. Should you find yourself lacking the necessary gear, we will provide you with a uniform and basic firearms. The money you earn can be used to purchase better equipment that can raise the chances of success for missions. Also, should you procure the required resources, R&D can manufacture new weapons, armor, and other equipment.

A dark haired man entered some time later carrying a folder filled with information in one arm and a heavy sports bag in the other.
He handed it to the receptionist who read out the name on the Folder.
"Oh, James Wilkins?" She spoke aloud.
He nodded in response.
She opened the folder and took a glance at the information held in its pages.
"Lets see, 28 years, still quite young. Oh? A photo, not very photogenic. Could be worse I always say. Says you've had some combat experience in the past, you were mainly support fire, but you had tactical skill and seemed good with direction."
Wilkins ignored that stealth insult.

She closed the folder and made a search in the VF database.
"Ah, thats right, Private First Class. Don't forget, you're limited to D-rank missions."
She looked back at Wilkins.
"Oh, you have some personal equipment? Lets have a quick look, its not really my job too, but I'm curious
to see what you've got."
She opened his sports bag and looked inside.
"Oh my, a custom W31-5T4RM? Not bad, a pretty standard hand gun and some unused silencers too. An old fashion radio communicator.
Oh look, some light armour, seems kind of helpful in tight situations."
She zipped the bag back up and sent him on his way.
"Good luck on the battlefield!"
Wilkins sighed with relief, she was finally done.

(Even in sign up topics I do kind of long posts.)

Warning - The below is a wall of text with no pictures or relevant information - just random nonsense you may or may not expect from a psychopath who hides weaponry in fruit.

A tall, thin figured entered next, taking awkward strides towards the receptionist. His belt consisted of an assortment of tools, including but not limited to: Three Swiss army knives, a grenade, a grenade shaped lighter, and a banana. His gait was especially off due to the weight on his legs. Several belts and holsters - most of which were empty - housed a plethora of seemingly useless objects - including a sewing needle and thread. The rest of him was made of a black vest and a white lab coat modified to contain over thirty pockets, which looked as if they'd been ripped off of other clothing and stitched on to the coat in a hurry. The sewing equipment suddenly seeming necessary.
He dropped his suitcase on the floor by the reception and smiled oddly to the lady. She looked on expectantly at his suitcase, instead he lifted up his vest and revealed a sealed envelope. As he passed it over he winked,
"The suitcase is a decoy" he whispered before looking around. She rolled her eyes as if to say this was half-normal and proceeded to flick through the documents.
"John Jackson?" She asked.
"Jack Johnson, actually." he corrected, nodding and continuing to look around.
"It says here: John Jackson"
"Really?" he exclaimed, leaning over to look at the documents, "Quite right." He answered, trying to fix a tie that he wasn't wearing. From some indistinguishable pocket he pulled out a recording device and murmured into it "Note to self - get tie". The receptionist continued to read,
"Twenty Nine" She glanced up, "Are these entirely accurate sir."
"The white hair is dyed" he answered without enthusiasm.
"Field experience: 'If I told you I'd have to kill you'" she glared at him again with quickly diminishing patience.
"Well I wouldn't have to, but it's sure as heck more fun."
"Can you give us anything to work with?" she asked, he glanced around then pointed at his coat.
"Every pocket is from a kill... I collect them..."
"Like trophies?"
"More like scout badges!" he gleefully spoke, pointing to a rather burnt looking one "This is my 'surprise your apple is really a grenade' badge..." She returned him the same glare as before, then continued,
"Well it says here you're a Lance Corporal - C rank missions. Don't know how you managed to cheat the test, but welcome aboard."
John thrust a hand forwards. The handshake was not returned. After several painfully tense moments she pointed towards a door on the left and John made his leave.
Cheat?! Why I oughta banana-knife her...

(I'm glad everyone's embracing my unorthodox sign up. xD)

Quite the colorful crowd we have. Make sure to report to your COs when ready. I believe there are two more recruits who have yet to show up.

How are our COs decided... Sir.

Your CO is determined by your department. If you're an infantryman you'll be serving under me, Commander Beck. If you're gonna be in Research & Development or pilot a vehicle, you'll report to Elena Heimrich. If you're gonna be staying at HQ and working mission support, George Hampton is your boss. If you're going into espionage, talk to Jenova Chen. And lastly if you're working on the medical staff, you'll see Doctor Akihiko Sudai.

It wasn't much longer before the receptionist was faced with another recruit. This one looked like a zombie, his posture limp, and his eyes seemed to gaze off past her.

"Excuse me?" she politely asked, which got the recruit to snap back into reality.
"Sorry about that," he replied, pushing his glasses up to his forhead, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "Jet lag. Havn't adjusted to your timezone yet." He handed the receptionist his paperwork.
"Myles Erickson... age 24... graduate of random university... no previous military experience..." the receptionist mummble as she looked over the profile. "With that settled, welcome aboard rookie. Your rank is Private first class, which means you are limited to D-rank missions. I certainly hope you have what it takes to be part of the force. Most people usually have some sort of experience to back it up. Speaking of which, the last three guys had something unique to share. Anything interesting you'd like to share?"
Myles looked up at the ceiling as if deep in thought. "Nope."

We're expecting one more recruit to show up. We'll get down to business once they arrive.

We choose our own department, eh? Well now I'm quite spoiled for choice...

Yes, choice of department lies entirely with the individual. We find it's best if members choose what they like, rather than being forced into something they're not comfortable with.

Do R&D still do work out on the field, and do Espionage do assassinations? The answer to these two questions is essential to my choosing of department.

People working in R&D would pilot vehicles in the field. And yes, assassinations do fall under the espionage categories.

Espionage it is. Nothing says assassination like fruit-splosives...

I look forward to seeing your creative methods at work. There is still one more recruit who's yet to show up but we may have to go ahead and get started without him.

Well seeing as how we've waited awhile, I'm gonna open the topic tomorrow afternoon. I'm just laying some final prep work tonight and I'll be ready to go by then.

I'm taking a one week vacation, starting in about an hour, sorry for the short notice - but it's what you'd expect from me...
So something's keeping John away from work for a week, maybe the politician has more security than we anticipated, I'll let you decide.

Edit: False alarm... Cottage has internet... Nothing to see here, move along...

OOC: Sorry for not being able to write until now, I was on holiday. Image is copyrighted by Atlus

Finally, a woman entered the building and hurried to the reception. She handed over the large dossier in her hand to the receptionist, who checked it.

"Let's see, Erika Dahl, am I right?", the clerk asked, "aged 29, rank of Lance Corporal, specializing in espionage, sabotage and assassination.".

"That's correct".

"Let's see that photo... here it is."



"I see", the receptionist compared Erika to her photo. He was seemingly getting bored.

"Any personal equipment to declare?"

"I have a weapon of my own.", she said as she reached into her backpack and pulled out a grey M330-ASR rifle. The clerk's bored expression didn't change.

"Semi-automatic M330. Is that all?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well then. You'll be working under Jenova Chen, Ms. Dahl. Report to her as soon as you can. Welcome to Vindicta force."

"Thank you. Goodbye."

"See you." the receptionist then went back to reading his newspaper and Erika walked away from the reception, towards the office of Jenova Chen.