IC Can't Take the Sky From Me-[Exalted, Heaven's Reach]

[Tavar]

Terna System, Terna-Alpha, Niven Ring

The Ring furthest out from the star, it has traditionally been home to the least ethical business of Terna. This is the deepest, darkest, most wretched hive of scum and villainy in a system already renowned for such qualities. Generally, it's advised that you higher a small to medium sized mercenary company if you're going to be on the ring for long term business.

The Southern Quadrant is the most lawful area for the most part, controlled by a quartet of powerful gang-lords who maintain order in their section. It's with one of these mafioso's that you have some business.

The Last Whispering Killer is the weakest of the Mafioso's in terms of raw gang strength, but holds his position on the quartet due to his expansive information network and shadowy operatives. Over the past few weeks he's contacted each one of you, requesting your presence about some type of business deal. With little to lose, you've come to the location he specified, a building adjacent to the spaceport guarded by some of his men. When you approach, they welcome you, and direct you inside to what appears to be a rather nondescript conference room, with tables, chairs, and a projector.

I'm not assuming that everyone is together, but anyone who wishes to be can be.

If you don't have your own personal ship, then you can assume to have been on a transport ships or the like.

You may of course describe coming to the station if you wish.

[Incendius]

Nadezhda swaggers through the building with her usual air of confidence, walking past all the guards with a heedless grace. One of them opens the conference door for her and she grants him a radiant smile, winking her thanks and brushing past him as she enters the room. She pulls one of the chairs out and promptly sets herself in it, planting her feet on the table and leaning backwards so that that the chair was resting on only two of its legs. Her hands support her head and she starts to whistle happily as she waits for everyone to arrive.

[industrious]

Des Demasque

Oh, wonderful day.

Get onto a new world after wreaking bloody havoc on the old one (he had played a game of bakrat a bit too well, and they didn't take kindly to cheaters, see), and hadn't realized which shuttle he was getting onto - given that he had signed up for the first transport off-world, that was a bit of a mistake, that.

So, he clears the joke of a customs that the Ring has, and gets met at the gate by a pair of burly men. Brutes, really. He could have taken them, but frankly, nobody was shooting, and it was a crowded area. One of the passengers had a kid; no reason to put any of them in danger.

So he goes to the building with the promise of a job offer. He figures he'll wait and see what they want, make his decision then...

"Nah," he says, staring at the other person in the room, grin on his face. "I'd recognize that godsawful whistling anywhere. 'Lo, Naddie. Fancy a drink?"

[Ganurath]

"Unless you brought a bar with you, such a fancy will have to go unentertained." Scarlet had decided to be expedient in arriving, as it would give her less time on unpleasantly familiar streets and more time to assess the prospective employer. The Day Caste leaned against the wall that bore the door people were arriving through, the incline of her hat and the tilt of her head hiding her face. "I wouldn't object if you did, though."

[industrious]

Des

"Lady, I'm Des Demasque."

He fishes around in his pockets, produces a silver flask, takes a belt of it, and sighs in contentment.

"Some folks call me the Whiskey Dancer, on account of how good I am at staying not dead while not sober. Also the best damn engineer who never got his license this side of the Swan Dynasty."

Des wasn't a particularly tall or muscular or handsome man. He wore a baggy tan longcoat that had been ripped, torn, gotten holes poked into it, stained with everything ranging from blood to oil to other, less identifiable substances, and his hair looked as if it had been cut with a spastic with a set of hedge trimmers. A pair of mismatched guns were strapped to either side of his waist, too high to be quickly drawn.

[DrakeRaids]

Mikil looked a little out of place here, yet, paradoxically, looked strangely comfortable. This was the kind of place he'd been around his entire life, and despite the doctors rich suit, he didn't look worried. Of course, there was always the likelihood he was simply very, very foolish. Rich people often are. In any case, he had made himself comfortable in his chair, looking around at the others her inquisitively. The prettier women, he sort of gave a sideways glance, before going back to a data slate he had been working on.

He had come because, well, he needed work. What he had saved couldn't keep him running forever as it was, and he had no safe haven. His only advantage was staying a step ahead of whoever came after him. So when work came up, any kind of work, he had to jump on it, get it done fast, then get moving.

"Erm, nice to meet you Des." He gave the others a slight wave that came off as a little awkward. "I'm, Mikil. I had... sort of expected there to be more sick people here, which is why I figured I'd been called. Unless, um... I guess none of you are sick, are you?" His voice a little rough, but quite, and not unpleasant.

[Incendius]

"Godawful? You must be tone deaf, everyone always tells me they love my tunes. Course, they could just be pandering... but anyway, hello Des." Nadezhda stretches her neck over the back of her chair, looking at the newcomers with an upside down view. She waves at Des from this inverted position.

"I know better than to take a drink from what you like Des, but then again, knowing better has never stopped me before!" She smiles over at Des and extends her arm outwards to catch hold of the flask, if Des felt like chucking it over to her.

Nadezhda addresses to Scarlet as she waits for her chance to drink. "I didn't see you there friend. I'm Nadezhda, but you can call me Naddie if you want, I don't mind. What may we call you?"

Mikil then enters the room.

"Mikil eh? Well, if we were called her to tend for the sick, I'd be well out of my league. I've got no experience getting people up on their feet, but I've plenty on the opposite." Nadezhda remarks happily as she surveys the new arrival, winking to him as he catches her eye.

[Ganurath]

"You can call me Scarlet." The Abyssal shifted the rim of her hat up, examing those parties gathered thus far. She looks toward the doctor as she shifts to standing upright, brushing some stray strands of hair out of her eye. "Given my own areas of expertise, I suspect you're here to treat wounds that haven't happened yet."

[industrious]

Des

"Hey! This is good stuff. Aged eighteen years, single barrel...this is good stuff. The last of what I got from...the reason why you don't trust anything I drink."

He chucks it anyway.

[Myllinnia]

Raine Celestine

The darkness of space is lit up for a moment as a crimson red fighter screams down the lanes, weaving around slower moving ships. One might think a dare devil hotshot was flying the fighter, someone who was trying to scare the pants off any ship pilot that was caught off guard. They would be wrong through. A confident daredevil did not fly the unique and red fighter, instead a less than confident former songstress did, and worry lined her face.

"Bet I'm late." Grumbled the red-head as she left the stream of ships.

Standing on the console in her little place to do so, was the holographic representation of Crimson Stellar Nova. No more than half a foot tall, the ghostly figure of a woman stood flickering and transparent. Despite that, she wore a kimono today and was apt to change depending on her own moods. Her hair was tied in a pony tail, and a sigh passes through her lips. After a moment she turned and pointed towards the side, to the opposite of the station. A reticule appeared on the cockpit HUD, and Raine groaned. "If I'm not late I will most certainly will be."

"You are cleared for landing, Raine," Crimson Stellar Nova remarks as she guides Raine towards the landing pad.

"So late..."

Men and women scattered as the impressive looking fighter entered at crazy speeds. There would have been a resounding crash, a terrible crunching of metal against metal. But Crimson Stellar Nova is not like other fighters, and Raine Celestine is not like green pilots eager for a job. The fighter stops in the air, inertia nullified and then it lands a moment later. The cockpit opens a moment later and the redheaded former pop idol of the galaxy jumped out and gracefully, athletically, and eye catching, everyone around turned to watch her with awe. A smile touched her lips as she almost seemingly slowly lowered to the floor and then ... with a resounding crash the graceful angel that had left the cockpit was in amongst a pile of cables and tubes while technicians and workers looked on with shock and amusement.

"Ouch..."

It was some time later, like a whole extremely beyond late 20 minutes later, when Raine entered the chamber where everyone else waited. Her waist long hair was everywhere, grease smudged her fair right cheek. Her red outfit was tight and form fitting covering her from neck to mid thighs and sleeveless, a pilots outfit. Black fingerless gloves sat on her slender hands, and a pair of red boots sat snugly on her feet.

Regardless of her appearance, an appearance that was a tad frazzled a sigh escaped pink lips and she slumped her shoulders forward, panting slightly. "I'm not late am I?"

[Dayen]

A loud crash followed by a series of thumps and groans precede a flying blonde man's entry into the conference room. With a shuddering impact he careens into the conference table and manages to sway gamely to his feet, the source of his flight now being restrained by the two guards stationed outside the room. "Mind the suit, you Jovian sewage trawler!" he exclaims, casually dusting off what does at second glance appear to be a very expensive Terran-style business suit in a tasteful cream color. A black shirt is accented by an electric blue tie, refuting any idea that the wearer was looking to mimic this cycle's fashion. Instead he manages to exude a retro-Terran feel, ruined only by his obviously backwater drawl. "I just wanted her communicator ID. I never asked if she was your wife. I never cared!"

He turns and flashes a quirky grin -- drawn oddly around the scar dominating most of his face -- before returning his attention to the interloper. He exits back out through the doors as though he were strolling out of some backwater liquorshack and pokes his finger into the guy's chest. The guy reaches for his hand but the blonde man just shakes his head. "Wouldn't do that, pal. It's loaded." The interloper looks confused for a moment, but still goes for the offending digit. The blonde man sighs as there is a distinct click of a working trigger mechanism and the interloper's chest explodes in a spray of blood.

He strolls back over to the table, sparing a look of disgust for the blood all over his suit and shrugs at The Last Whispering Killer. "They never listen. Hi," he says, turning to greet everyone in the room with a wave. "Uri."

[Myllinnia]

Raine gives a slight and cute sounding surprised cry as Uri is thrown pass her as she deftly avoids his entrance. Deciding it might be safer to be at a corner of the room rather than the center or the entrance, Raine moves 'away' from Uri and his conversation and slips into a nearby corner to avoid being shot at or pushed around. She hated being pushed around. Brushing her hand through her wealth of shimmering and disordered red hair she sighs and evens her breath.

That was until the sound of a gun going off brought her to stiffen where she stood. Paling a bit she watched as the bloodstained Uri returned to the room giving his best smile and all that. She simply leans back against the wall looking rather uncomfortable and drained, as if she had used all her energy in a self done deadline only to find there was no immediate deadline. "Raine Celestine," she lightly adds with a cautious look around to the others.

[DrakeRaids]

"Ahhh." Mikil seemed to understand after Scarlet offered an explanation, though he didn't look directly at Nadezhda after that playful wink. He'd... never really gotten used to pretty women. Made it hard to concentrate sometimes. "One of those jobs." He gave his new allies a weak smile as he said that. Some part of his flight was a desire to escape violence, but, how bad could it really be?

He got his answer just a moment later, when a mans chest exploded.

"Bloody void!" Mikil cursed, suddenly, everyone else in the room was forgotten. No one else mattered, expect the poor soul bleeding out on the ground. A bag of tools was pulled out smoothly from under his chair, and with smooth precision he began treating the man. He was quick, so much so that it was difficult to see him move the space between his sweet and the dying man. He was simply, one moment sitting, and the next, a blur of movement, and medical tools.

"Bastard." He hissed, glaring at Uri for a moment before working to save the mortal, his arms a flurry of tools, while a soft violet light of essence moved about him, shifting like that of a faint breeze. He didn't know what the hell had prompted the murderous display from the man, but it had won him no favors from Mikil. Pointless killing. Pointless death. He hated it.

"Its not your time." He murmured to the wounded man, "Do not worry. Relax, breath deeply, its not as bad as it looks." It was. But Mikil had a good bedside manner, likely came from ages of lying professionally. But it wasn't over yet, any mortal doctor would need a miracle but Mikil... He would pull this man back from the brink yet.


Buying three sux from the second medical excellency

[roll0] six sux total

[Tavar]

The man you saved doesn't thank you, having fallen uncouncious some time ago. Two of the guards come in with a stretcher to take him away, and then one with the bearing of authority enters.

"Okay, you had your fun. Now please, don't shoot anyone else: the mess is troublesome, and you're on private property. We're just waiting on a few more, and then the proposal will start."

[industrious]

Des

"Don't worry, boss," Des drawls, making a "give it back, save some for me" motion towards his flask.

"If these are a valid representation of who'll be joining us, I'm not going anywhere."

He grins at Naddie, Raine, and Scarlet.

"They're just so gorram pretty."

[Incendius]

Nadezhda catches onto the flask and takes a long swig, though she leaves half for Des. Still upside down, she wipes her mouth and tosses it back to him She then eyes each of the male inhabitants of the room and smirks.

"Sorry Des, but I can't really say the same for all of you! Don't worry though, we can't all be godly beauties now, can we? Still... I could teach you some ways to take better care of yourselves. Some new designer clothes, a few touches of makeup, and maybe I could make you presentable!"

[DrakeRaids]

Mikil certainly didn't look like much at the moment. Splattered with blood, and his arms and hands covered in it, mixed with a tired look on his face made him look like hell. And the way he was surveying the room it was clear he wasn't sure if he wanted to stay either. Finally, he made his way back to his seat quietly, the tell tale burn of essence still surrounding him. "I, ah, don't think that will be necessary." He murmured in response to Nadezhda. He preferred to avoid attention, not attract it.

[Dayen]

Uri slides into a seat like an uncoiling spring, his sleeves suddenly rolled halfway up his arms. A series of intricate light blue, silver, and black inking adorn both arms, and his fingers immediately come together in a steeple. "You know the guy had it coming. He ham-handed a loaded weapon wielded in self-defense and got shot. Not even going to warrant an investigation." He let his gaze drift to Mikil. "Didn't really need to be saved, either, but maybe with all the extra time in bed he'll finally please his wife."

Uri lets his gaze drift over the others assembled in the room, his eyes snapping to and fro like he's having a waking dream.

[industrious]

Des

"Oh, Neddie!"

He thrusts his hand over his heart all melodramatic-like.

"What happened to that woman who stalked me across the worlds, and tried to get me drunk so you could have your wicked way with me?"

[Incendius]

Nadezhda

Nadezhda snorts in amusement and continues with another playful jab. "You certainly have a rose colored view of the past, don't you? Lemme tell ya, there was a reason I was drinking as heavily as you were, and it wasn't because I liked what I saw!"

[DrakeRaids]

"I'm used to working with dangerous psychopaths, don't worry." Mikil respond to Uri icily. "But I'll keep your observations in mind." The man could make excuses, but he'd made a conscious choice to shoot that mortal. He didn't need to, he didn't have to, as far as Mikil was concerned, it happened because he could. And that made this Uri the worst kind of mercenary. Maybe he was lashing out because it was so close to what he himself had become, but... it wasn't right.

[Dayen]

"I can hear you judging me from way over here, Doc. You think life's a series of choices and there's always a good answer. Sometimes all you get dealt is bad and worse. Sometimes you don't even get cards. Sternum Negative had a good choice; he made a bad one anyway." He runs a hand through his hair, making it whip around wildly before it settles back down into more or less the same shape it was before the interloping appendage appeared. "Watch those two flirt like they don't like each other. Watch the caricature of the gunslinger over there who's been quiet since I stumbled in, her hand swaying to and from her casters. Watch the one with the grease-stains and the too-tight flightsuit who's hoping none of us realize she used to be famous. -- or maybe she is. But don't presume to know what sort of screwed up I am unless you bought me dinner first."

"Then you can judge me good and full." He winks at Mikil then, completely shattering the illusion of the hard-boiled speech.

[industrious]

Des

"Oy!"

Des looks insulted.

"I legitimately dislike the woman! She very nearly tried to kill me, until we decided to resolve our difference of opinion with alcohol. And she never called back after I gave her my number."

He pouts at her.

"Answer me honestly, Neddie. Was I really that objectionable?"

[DrakeRaids]

"Bull****. You don't throw a man to sharks then claim it wasn't your fault he was eaten. You deliberately brought what happened to him about. Crow all you want like it wasn't your fault, but it doesn't change a thing. You're not just a psychopath. You're a child, and worse one without any regard for their own actions, rationalizing what happens around you so you don't have to own up." Mikil responded, his tone level and cold the entire time. He wasn't buying what the Lunar was selling. He'd patch the man up, he'd use him if he had to, but nothing in the job description had anything to do with liking him. He was dangerous, quick to kill, and of dubious sanity though. Mikil made a note to be wary about the man. Who knows what he would do?

[Myllinnia]

Raine, to say the least, was a little nervous now. The near death of one man, due to well bit of a rough handling and perhaps argument that was born from questioning the desires of one's woman, had placed her in high alert and Crimson Stellar Nova was now aware of it. She'd have to do better to calm herself down and be more cautious before some technicians get wise to the nature of her lovely machine.

Raine nodded to Des, appreciative of one who appreciates, but conservative enough to remember a time when frilly revealing outfits and and make up was used to attract looks of admiration as well as other things. She couldn't afford stalkers and pantie thieves at this point in her chaotic life. Not that any of that would be useful, she was not the bright star she used to be, like the ones that empowered her diminished due to war. Her thoughts were quickly turned to a bit of horror and her eyes turned quickly to Uri and her heart sank and quickly scrubbed at the grease spot which didn't help her. After a moment she shrank back into her corner and hoped they just ignored his rambling. She was a pilot now, she didn't sing. Well not as much or to many people anymore.

"Can't we just be nice to one another. Bad things happen and this is not a friendly world, there is no need to being unfriendly now is there. We're are all obviously here for the job." she was happy, she kept her voice even and level, even if the musically inclined young woman always added a lilt to certain words.

[Ganurath]

"As someone native to the rings, I think I can settle the argument: The doctor is right in that the gunman's logic has more holes in it than the man he blew open. The gunman is right in that the man he blew open had it coming. Nobody living in the rings pursues violence with nonlethal intent, only swiftly lethal or sadistically lethal." Scarlet glances between the bickering pair to see if they'd settled any, then pulled out a hankerchief from inside her coat. She holds it up for the doctor's attention for a second, then tosses it to him. "Soak it up, doctor. It'll only get bloodier from here. Welcome to the rings."

[Kobold-Bard]

Midnight

Midnight listens to Scarlet.

"So it's just survival of the fittest huh? That'd almost be romantic if it wasn't bleak as hell."

As the woman walks in she looks at Uri with an embarrassed look on her face, before settling down in a chair and waiting for the meeting to begin.

[horngeek]

Irisviel

One of the later people in the group walks in, after having had a good- and discreet look for any traps or the like. Iris looks around, her coat being her only clothing other than a form-hugging black bodysuit. Other than that, she carried a black briefcase, surely not large enough to hold a sniper rifle or anything like that.

Right?

She frowns a bit at the body on her way in.

Just for fun: Dex+Stealth: [roll0]
and Perception+Awareness: [roll1]

To discreetly search the area for traps. An IC explanation for why she wasn't here earlier. :P

[Ganurath]

"It's gotten worse since the Empire took over, from what I've seen." That, or things didn't look as bad through the eyes of childhood, but that seemed less likely since even then things were bad enough to warrant fleeing toward the war. As Irisviel arrives, Scarlet gives her a nod of recognition. After having lost so many in the canal, Scarlet made sure to remember the faces of her fellow Dynastic soldiers, especially those she knew to be Exalts. "Been too long."

[Dayen]

"Empire or otherwise..." Uri says, looking disinterested, "You are right about this trip getting bloodier. This whole sector is a glorified scrapheap on top of a crap-heap inside of a cluster. Even Jovians look down on this place, and their moons have been cesspools since the dawn of time."

[Ganurath]

"It's also my home." Scarlet narrows her eyes just slightly at Uri, her tone carrying a hint of a growl to it. While he was quick to insult the worlds of the Dynasty, he never explicitely stated that they were like that before the Empire showed up. For that, she would excercise patience.

[DrakeRaids]

The doctor used the cloth to wipe his hands off slowly, "I know. I'll wade through blood, but there's no point in wallowing in it." At this point he hoped their employer would arrive, or contact them soon. He'd like to know what this was all about, and how much it was paying, so to speak. And the sooner this was apparent, well, the better.

[Tavar]

Irisviel
There are several concealed weapon ports, as well as multiple groups of armed guards. Given who you're meeting with, not really indicative of anything.

Everyone

Someone speaks up from the doorway, voice only a hair above a whisper.
"It's my home as well."

The speaker turns out to be a somewhat short man in tweed, a bowler hat, and even a cane. It's been at least 40 years since those were last in fashion. Even if he was a retro-fashion enthusiast, though, that wouldn't explain the large, mirrored glasses that keep you from seeing his eyes.

He walks to the front of the room, flanked by two massive men, their large, more modern suits seemingly straining to fit. A third bodyguard, rail thin, and somewhat sinister looking, remains by the door. All of the bodyguards are wearing wrap-around shades.

The shorter man turns towards you with a remote, turning on the projector in the room, throwing a map of the Local Canal network.

"Thank you for coming. You see, I have a business proposition for you. As you know, Terna's power comes from being a nexus of canals. There is one canal that remains un-used: Dagon's Folly."

A click, and the map changes, displaying only 3 systems: Nexus, Dagon's Folly, and one who's only notation is a large question Mark.

"There's nothing of value in Dagon's Folly, and the defenses on the other side of the only other canal in that system have destroyed anything that goes through.

But I have a solution. A...salvage operation on the Firewarder ring uncovered a computer with complete records regarding those defenses, as well as a method to bypass the more automated ones.

There will still be danger: the Anihilator defense platforms may not fire, but there are supposed to be many more automated defenses in the area, and lost regions have a tendency to be a tad wild.

Which is why I sent my messages. All of you have some power, and know how to use it, which I why I'm asking your assistance. I'll supply the information, and you scout out the other side. For all the ills the Empire has brought with it, it's exploration laws are very generous. And I'm willing to sweeten the deal a bit on my own."

He breaks off here, waiting for your response.
Basically, Imagine Badger from Firefly with better clothes and mirrored Glasses.

Appearance 4, Performance +Charisma 12 vs Mental Defense values. This counts as UMI, and is an emotion effect.

If it is successful/unresisted, you count as having spent 4 scenes building an Intimacy of (Trust) towards him.

[industrious]

Des

"High risk, uncertain pay, and certain danger."

Des checks his pockets for cigarettes, before remembering that he's trying to quit.

"Sounds wonderful, boss. Where do I sign up?"

[Ganurath]

Scarlet remained quiet for the moment, her only response to the proposed mission being a raised eyebrow. On one hand, her every instinct was telling her that this operation was some variety of trap. On the other hand, his words hinted at being a patriotic Dynast, and he was sending them to a system where the only thing of value was a massive weapons network. Still, Scarlet wouldn't forget what system they were in. If nothing else, she should join up to keep an eye on things. "I suppose a transportation job would be a refreshing change of pace from what I've been doing."

Dodge MDV of 6, App 5, hopefully a stunt bonus and/or Intimacy bonus from this being the system that she's paranoid of.

[Incendius]

As the situation in the room goes back and forth, from the passionate discussion to the newly proposed gig, Jadezhda continues doing what she always does when in a volatile and deadly situation: humming a completely inappropriate tune. She doesn't do this loudly enough to drown other people out, but it is loud enough that anyone can hear it if they listen.

This time the tune is the melody behind a boisterous drinking song, one of the common ones sung in taprooms all over the galaxy. The purpose of this song is dual. Firstly, maybe it would get people to calm down. Secondly, maybe it would plant a subliminal message in the heads of everyone here. Des' bottle really spiked Jadezhda's thirst, and she's not afraid to admit it.

"Eh, sounds like fun. I'm in." Nadezhda calls out cheerfully, speaking louder than is appropriate for such a small room.


Edit: Woops, forgot to say about the mental influence. Using the third integrity excellency out of personal motes to increase her MDV to 10, she has appearance 5, so if this qualifies as at least a 1 die stunt she doesn't get hit.

[Myllinnia]

Raine watched as the man, joined by two of the rather most intimidating men in all of history she thought, made himself known. She was attentive to the display and listened to his desires. And as he talked she became wary. Dangerous places, among dangerous places. Was it only for exploration, which as he had said was allowed by the Empire, so something important lay within the spot?

Raine nodded to their prospective employer, besides if she couldn't bolster her income soon it was likely that she would have to resort to even worse jobs. "Very well, I shall join this expedition. A 'simple' scouting mission sounds right up my alley."

MDV 6, there is no intimacy that he worked against, and... he hasn't shot at her yet. So if he manages to break her MDV then she will take the intimacy. (I'm sure such a thing will not come back and bite us in the butt XD)

[horngeek]

Iris thinks for a few seconds, before nodding. "Sure, I'll take the job. Got nothing better to do right now, and it'll be good working with you again, Scarlet."

I'm pretty sure I get hit with that Intimacy.

[DrakeRaids]

Interesting job. And it would certainly keep him out of reach for a while, and possibly gain some strong allies in the process. For the first time since the meeting began, he smiled, nodding at their potential employer. "Yes, I think I'm interested in this job." he nodded. He was a little curious about what was at the other end of the lane as well, but likely less so then those that grew up here.

MDV 7 against him, no charms.

[Dayen]

"It'll do, at least until I find something better." Uri said, leaning back in his chair.

I don't think I have an intimacy that would apply.

[Kobold-Bard]

Midnight

"Oh good, wyld zone exploration; because that always goes well, the Lunar says with a chuckle. The last time she had encountered the feral nature of the canal system her entire exploration fleet had been sundered and crashed. Though she had ended up with an Exaltation, so it wasn't all bad.

"Fair enough, I'm in. How sweet are we talking?"

MDV: 7, App 4, succumb to social attack.

[Tavar]

" You know who I am: my reach extends farther than you might realize have thought. And everyone wants something. For instance, do you want to go home? Or send a message without it being read by Intelligence?

Not to mention I'm willing to forgo my entire claim except for 3 items: on the surface of the 4th planet, there should be a manse, with a hanger. Inside the Hanger is the Glorious Dawn, a, well, a luxury yacht. Inside are the other two items. And, yes, they are still there: I've always known were they were.


There is one additional requirement, though."

His voice still seems a whisper, but somehow louder all the same.

"You may come in now."


Ganurath-3 wp to resist the attack. One die stunt.

Kobold-Bard-You either suffer the attack, or defend against the entire thing. For you, the total cost is 3 wp to resist the effect.

Incendius-Good Job, the attack fails. 1 die stunt.

Essentially, the Exploratory laws of the Empire give a single resource 3-5 payment per person, depending on the value of the system or chain discovered. This one should be a minimum of 4, as it's basically right next to a main trade hub already, and smart investments can make the money given more permanent. There are also salvage rights: not everything is covered, but the following guideline is a good one: if it's less threatening than a dreadnought or weapon of mass destruction, and as long as it's not Artifact 5 or N/A, you're almost certain to be okay. Others might work with certain restrictions.

This, by the way, should be Snark's entrance.

[Myllinnia]

Raine frowned softly. Only 3 items and one was a ship? Interesting indeed. Whether he was being truthful or not she was now curious. He knows about the ship and its items, anything else was secondary to him.

"Hm?"

Her thoughts are disrupted as he declares a final condition and she turns her eyes to the door. Watch some sort of burly man dressed in black and sunglasses storms inside and forces us all to swear to far more binding or even worse.

[The_Snark]

The new arrival does not walk into the room so much as ooze, a rippling wall of bristle and scales that fills the doorway from floor to ceiling. Muscles shift beneath the skin as the creature unfolds itself, flesh and bone rearranging into something vaguely human-shaped. Two arms, two legs, a head; that's about as far as the resemblance goes. Lizard and hound and boar and a dozen other creatures blend together into a single monstrous whole, crouched on all fours because this room isn't tall enough to let it stand on its hind legs without bending over double. The posture seems natural enough; it has the look of a quadruped, with long forelimbs and heavy shoulders that put one in mind of a hyena. Slit-pupiled eyes stare down from above a short, broad muzzle. Only the hands betray human heritage, unnervingly manlike beneath the fine scales and retractable claw-sheaths.

There are uglier and more fearsome beasts in the Known Worlds, to say nothing of the horrors of the Unknown Worlds; but you wouldn't expect to find any of them in a space station, even in the sleazier parts of Terna. If you didn't know better, you might mistake it for a feral jungle predator or Canal-spawned hordeling.

Some of those gathered here do know better: this is a Moonchild, one of the Central Empire's half-monstrous elite soldiers.

"Gentlemen," it rumbles with the precise diction of an Imperial core-worlder. "And ladies." This is apparently all the greeting it intends to give. The words a pleasure to make your acquaintance hover in the air but are not actually said—it's far too soon to make that sort of value judgment.

[DrakeRaids]

Another Lunar. It was sort of odd, in his rush to avoid one he'd encountered so many more. He wondered if any of them knew about the one who was after his own hearts blood? Likely not, and it was probably best not to tell them. He was just Mikil, the wandering doctor, and for now it was much better that way. He felt... good about this mission. Optimistic. He smiled then, despite himself, and the monster that just oozed through the door, unworried.

"Welcome," tipped his head to the Lunar in greeting, it was a warrior for sure. He could feel it, every inch of that monster bleed death. It was a familiar feeling really. "Mikil Corzi, I'll be your medic it looks like."

[Myllinnia]

Raine gave the intimidating warrior a respectful nod. Deep inside she was nervous, but then things way stronger than her always made her nervous. The one's that gave her, her power was the only exception to the rule. Probably because she didn't really understand them.

She turns her attention back to their host and... employer.

[Ganurath]

"I'm Scarlet." The Day Caste nods her head in recognition, not being phased too terribly by the new arrival. After being in the Terminus, it took a bit more than mundane creepiness to throw her off. "Pilot and killer. Any living condition accomodations we'll need to know, shifter?"

[Kobold-Bard]

Midnight

"I'm sure I can come up with something you can offer."

As the monstrous creature enters, Midnight couldn't help but wonder if that was how she'd end up if she was careless with her transformational capabilities. Or worse, had the creature once been human and known what would happen and become what it was by choice, and would she one day see the same choice as a good idea. Either way, now wasn't the time; they were allies for the moment, so she decides light comedy might work better than warnings.

"Nice to meet you. Try not to eat any of us, ok big guy?".

With that, she readies herself to leave.

[Tavar]

"If that is all, I'll have my men deliver the necessary equipment in one hour. I believe Ms. Scarlet has a ship that can carry those who nee-"

The sounds that interrupt him aren't new to any of you: guns and blasters, mixed with the cries of the wounded, though there are few of those. Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

One of the mortal guards still outside falls into the room, his shoulder almost completely destroyed. The sinister looking bodyguard's hand snaps to his earpiece, before he talks in a smooth, almost silky voice.

"The Red Fang Gang seems to be attacking: all the units on hand are engaged, and we have what looks to be an armored hovercar moving towards this building. I suggest we make ready."

Roll Join Battle. You have about 10 ticks before the vehicle reaches the room, it looks like it's going for a ramming.

[Ganurath]

Scarlet pulls out her revolvers, massive wicked things with a spine on top of each barrel that ends with a stylized skull around the mouth. She glances toward the door, not sure how to effectively manuever around their amorphous ally. "Is there a secondary exit available, or are we killing our way out?"

[industrious]

Des

"Right," he mutters, reaching into his pocket, and withdrawing a vial of clear liquid. "Pick your poison, mates."

He downs the liquid, shuddering at the taste, and draws his own, weathered revolver. The gleaming metals faded, but it still gleams like an opal when one looks over it from an angle.

"...hate the taste of cyanide. Never liked almonds."


Using Someone Else's Destiny to absorb a dose of cyanide (already covered in my writeup).

[Tavar]

"There are severa-"


Last Whispering Killer straightens, pulling two well used gauntlets out and starting to put them on.

"Two have been collapsed by explosives, and the other three are currently sites of armed conflict. Seems we'll have to fight."

At this the two massive bodyguards stretch, seeming to limber up, as well as splitting some of their shoulder seems.

[Myllinnia]

Raine winced and flinched. Oh boy. Things are getting rough. She quickly raises a finger to her ear. "Nova, do start ups, and keep abreast of my situation, we may have to leave this station hot and fast." With that she turns to the others, "Well... if we have to fight, we have to fight."

She shakes loose her hair, closes her eyes, slides her hands to her side with a calming breath and then opens her eyes. "Alright, let's get moving, I refuse to let some unruly men ruin our job opportunity. Miss Scarlet, I hope your vessel is near where I placed my fighter, I'll attempt to protect those of you on it while we leave the area." In fact she wondered if she nearly crashed into it. Ah well. There will be times to worry about that later.

In case its needed, MHM is on. 10m committed.
JB 2d10

[DrakeRaids]

The good doctor nodded, his knife slipping out of his jacket again as he assumed a martial pose, his essence spinning about him in indigo spirals. Calmly, he ran through a few quick forms, throwing knife into the air, letting it spin a few times before grabbing it lightly and slipping his feet back. This was something he understood, he might not like it, but he understood it. "Alright. Fight our way to the ship, then successfully make a takeoff while under fire. It looks like whatever this job will be, it will not be boring."


Assuming Violet Brier of Sorrows Form

6d10s7a

[The_Snark]

A series of snaps, crackles and pops fill the air as the monster stretches, like the breakfast cereal of an angry god. Bristly patches of hair stand on end, more like quills than fur; gunmetal-grey scales shift as the muscles beneath flex and rearrange themselves. Blunt, powerful jade-alloyed claws extend from the tip of each finger, ready to disembowel something.

With more grace than one would expect from such a bulky creature, the Moonchild moves to the door, peers outside, withdraws its head before any of the attackers can draw a bead. "Five seconds. Brace for impact." And then it shifts sideways, clearing the line of fire to the doorway.

Activating Solar Hero Form.

Join Battle [roll0]

Stat block:
Dodge DV 0
Parry DV 5 (6 with specialty)

Soak: 13B/9L (22B/18L armored)

Health
-0 [ ][ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-X [ ]

Willpower: 9/9

Personal Essence: 9/15 (9 committed)
Peripheral Essence: 16/33 (17 committed)
Overdrive: 0/10

[horngeek]

Iris frowns, drawing out a blaster pistol and holding her briefcase in the other hand, as she moves away from the crash location, trying to get some people in between herself and any possible foes- the operative has never been good at close combat.

Join Battle: [roll0]

In addition, Irisviel is going to make a Perception+Awareness roll to see if there are any good perches for her to lay down covering fire from.

[roll1]

[Tavar]

Several tables are pushed over for the small amount of cover they will provide.

The two bruisers in Whispering Killer's employ preform a simple kata, and golden light seems to pour from their eyes and mouth, lines of light shining through their clothing, before taking up guard positions.

Then the impact: the armored car crashing into the wall, and the wall gives way, rubble crashing down. Silence for a moment, with no movement from the attackers, before several small disks roll forwards into the room.

"Don't Lo-"

A blinding flash and noise blanks out the rest, but you think some hatches began to open, and metal figures disembark.


Iris:Not much in the way of options. Best bet is to get into the far, upper corner of the room.

Everyone make a Stamina Resistance check to resist an environmental effect. Each success reduces a -5 internal penalty to non-reflexive actions and all awareness actions by one. This lasts for 2 actions.

Order of Battle:
0:Ganurath
1:Snark, E1
2:
3:Kobold-Bard, TS, E5
4:industrious, WK, Auto
5:D, E2-4
6:Myllinnia, DrakeRaids, horngeek, SHx2, MB x3

[Tavar]

Scarlet's remains too disoriented from the blast to do more than spray a few shots, unable to hit much of anything at all.

1:Snark, E1
2:
3:Kobold-Bard, TS, E5
4:industrious, WK, Auto
5:D, E2-4
6:Myllinnia, DrakeRaids, horngeek, SHx2, MB x3
7:Ganurath

[The_Snark]

The Moonborn explodes into motion as the flashbangs go off, crossing the distance between it and the foe in the space of a heartbeat. One claw lashes out at the closest enemy silhouette, a backhanded swipe with enough power to knock an ordinary man flying (and probably eviscerate him as well), but this is clearly an afterthought. Its true target is the armored car: it rears up, studies it a moment, then slams into it bodily, pushing it sideways with a screech of protesting metal.

Golden light oozes between gunmetal-grey scales, clinging like some kind of divine ichor.

Invoking Fists of Iron Technique and flurrying two attacks, each enhanced by Heaven Thunder Hammer.

Attack 1: [roll0]
Attack 2: [roll1]

Raw damage is 20L + (extra successes x2), and target struck are knocked back (raw damage x3) yards as per Heaven Thunder Hammer. Aiming to knock the car into the edge of the wall it just came through (if it can be affected at all).

5 motes spent, plus 1 for each hit.

Stat block:
Dodge DV 0
Parry DV 3 (4 with specialty)

Soak: 13B/9L (22B/18L armored)

Health
-0 [ ][ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-X [ ]

Willpower: 9/9

Personal Essence: 9/15 (6 committed)
Peripheral Essence: 11?/33 (17 committed)
Overdrive: 0/10

Current Stuff:
Solar Hero Form (scene)
Fists of Iron Technique (1 action)
-1 internal penalty to non-reflexive actions (1 action)

[Tavar]

The man isn't so much thrown as punchsloded: a word invoked only when the mightiest chosen chose to go all out, their target bursting from the sheer force of the blow. Fragments of blood and bone coat one of his allies and the far wall, before all the enemies try to dodge their assualt vehicle, as it is unexpectedly hurled away, a gigantic hand-paw print being the only evidence of the source.

One of the enemies lays down a field of fire, hoping to force the unexpectedly strong resistance back, focusing on the biggest threats from his perspective.

Take a 2 die stunt(well, or a one die stunt, but really...)

I'm going with the assumption that the vehicle can be moved, just with a penalty to the distance it moves.

The_Snark, one attack, 5 successes.
SH1- 2 levels of damage
SH2-1 level of damage

[Kobold-Bard]

Swatting flying debris aside, Midnight slams her fist to her chest and her oversized shadow glows with silver light brighter even than the grenades. It rises up and envelops her, her body growing to match it's large luminous dimensions until it subsumes them completely, leaving only a disk of light at her forehead. The Human gains two foot in height, and almost the same across, taking the form of a large gorilla hybrid with fists of shining white stone.

With a bestial roar she follows the monster's example and leaps forward (the force of which fractures the floor beneath her) which brings her down on a metal man about to fire with the force of a falling meteor, a shockwave of silver energy twinned with another colossal roar shaking the will of their aggressors.

Stamina + Resistance: [roll0] - 1 Success (meaning a -4 penalty, 1 action remaining)

Combo (as below):

Knack: Deadly Beastman Transformation - 5m peripheral
(+1 Str/Dex/Sta, 3pt Lethal, 3pt Natural Attack [Fists], 1pt Large)
Charm: Claws of the Silver Moon (Gift) - 4m personal
(+2 acc, +5 dmg, +2 def, Overwhelming 2)
Charm: Transgressive Blast Strike [Terror Catalysing Force] - 4m personal

Fist Attack: [roll1] - 4(int) -2(int: changed CotSM to Gift) = 4 successes + stunt (if any)
Fist Damage: 8L + excess attack successes (if any) + stunt (if any)

- Add 1 damage dice/level of Large I get for free from DBT (Revlid's Mutations don't say, and since they're variable I've not added anything for now).

- If the attack deals any damage, all targets (friend or foe) within 6 yards whose MDV is lower than my initial attack successes gains an intimacy of Abject Terror towards Midnight.

Speed 5, act again on Tick 8.

Health:
-0 [ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
X [ ]
------------------
D [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ]

wp: 9/10

Personal: 15/23
Peripheral: 43/48 (0 committed)

Anima Banner: 4-7 level (5m)

[Tavar]

Midnight quickly reacts, ripping out the throat of the firing enemy.

The broken form of the vehicle shudders, and 2 large, brutish figures emerge, and rush forward.


2 die stunt, and another enemy down.
In the OOC, everyone, please make a Awareness+Perception check. Note that there was a mistake: there are 3 metal men, slightly behind the rest, not one. The HU's are the Green figures.

1:industrious, WK, Autox3
2:D, E2-4, HU1, HU2
3:Myllinnia, DrakeRaids, horngeek,Snark, SHx2, MB x3
4:Ganurath
5:Kobold-Bard, TS

[The_Snark]

The first ray of energy glances off the Moonborn's shoulder with a high-pitched ping, sending a ripple through the surrounding scales as they bunch up and turn mirror-bright. The monster whirls and raises its arm defensively, swatting the next half-a-dozen blaster bolts out of the air with a shovel-sized paw.

Stunting a parry (also invoking that Brute Force specialty). A one-die stunt should do the trick.

Stat blockDodge DV 1
Parry DV 3 (4 with specialty)

Soak: 13B/9L (22B/18L armored)

Health
-0 [ ][ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-X [ ]

Willpower: 9/9

Personal Essence: 9/15 (6 committed)
Peripheral Essence: 13/33 (17 committed)
Overdrive: 0/10

Current Stuff:
Solar Hero Form (scene)
Fists of Iron Technique (1 action)
-1 internal penalty to non-reflexive actions (2 actions)

[industrious]

Des

"Well," Des drawls, or at least believes he drawls. He's really more shouting than anything else; his ears are ringing something fierce, and he's squinting quite heavily.

"Now I'm just pissed off."

He breathes in, trying to calm his nerves all aflutter, and steadys his aim, focuses his mind, rather than his eyes on the target, his forehead glowing the worn, faded green of ill-gotten, possibly counterfeit jade.

The barrel of the gun is pointed squarely at the back of the Moonborn when he fires; the bullet swerves, dips, arcs, and curves in sinuous motions more akin to abstract art than mere gunplay, and as it enters and exits and penetrates the bodies of the forces scattered against them, a thin trail of red mist follows in the wake of the bullet.


Steel and Smoke Mandala, up to 8 attacks against the different opponents. Start with the ones closest to Des, and moving outwards.

-5 penalty to all non-reflexive Actions. Damage is 8L/2, and Piercing. Using Fateful Excellency on all 8 attacks, for a target number of 6.

Attack 1: [roll0]
Stunt: [roll1]

Attack 2: [roll2]
Stunt: [roll3]

Attack 3: [roll4]
Stunt: [roll5]

Attack 4: [roll6]
Stunt: [roll7]

Attack 5: [roll8]
Stunt: [roll9]

Attack 6: [roll10]
Stunt: [roll11]

Attack 7: [roll12]
Stunt: [roll13]

Attack 8: [roll14]
Stunt: [roll15]

[Tavar]

The bullet careens around the battlefield, leaving crumpled bodies in it's wake. The last 3 mortal soldiers fall without a sound, and one of the automatons takes a hit to the shoulder, leaving a nasty looking dent but failing to penetrate. But, all good luck is balanced by misfortune, as the other foes knock the shot away, with the second charging green man catching the bullet in his teeth, biting down with such strength that the bullet simply shatters.

The three automaton's seem unperturbed by the death of their soldiers, as they rush past the Moonchild to engage other targets. One engages Midnight, while 2 move on towards Whispering Killer, igniting beamklaves as they do so, though they are intercepted by his shining bodyguards. The land a few strikes on the shining behemoths, but no telling blows so far, only a few, shining tears in the suits to show any damage at all.

Meanwhile, the machine paired with Midnight matches the Lunar's claws with his own, strange, tools. At first glance, they looked like razor claws, but with 4 paired prongs rather than 3. By now you can hear the roar of the motor, and see the whirling teeth on the chain between each paired set of prongs. Two lighting fast slashes follow, one barely takes effort to knock aside, but that effort is sorely needed for the next, which seems to strike unerringly at her gut, as the chains seem to tense and speed up.

Then the monsters arrive.

One of Whispering's guards is unlucky enough to be in their path. One of the green figures smashes him down, and you clearly hear the snapping, and then grinding, of his spine. The man cries out in pain, and then panic, as the monster picks him up, and then tears into his chest and torso, messily eating his apparent fill, before tossing the refuse that was a man away.

The Second rushes the Moonchild, bodychecking the massive being as if it were a mere man.

Everyone:
2 die stunt for industrious. Assuming Speed 5 for the moment: didn't see it one your post.

The Snark: successful parry. One attack, 6 successes. If hit, you are launched 10 yards before hitting the wall and suffering damage as if you had fallen this distance, though soak(possibly improved by a Wits+Awareness roll) can reduce this. This is an obvious effect.

Midnight: 2 attacks. The First one essentially automisses(2 successes...). The Second, though, is 6 successes, and your DV is down by 2(one due to onslaught, one due to previous actions). Both were enhanced using the Autoklave rules, though one a Razor Claw base.

Everyone: suffered a Charisma+Presence attack with 5 successes at Appearance 5, to inspire a feeling of Sheer Terror regarding the new combatants. If your MDV(it can be any Mental Defense, and you can stunt/use other resources to boost them) was below this, you now have this intimacy, as well as need to make a Valor check or flee. If this was below your MDV, you count as having spent one scene building this intimacy.

1:Myllinnia, DrakeRaids, horngeek,Snark, SHx2, MB x2
2:Ganurath
3:Kobold-Bard, TS
4:Industrious
5:WK, Dayen
6:


The Snark Only:
You notice a figure, crouching next to one of the secret entrances, utterly still. To bring attention to this figure will cost 3 wp, as an unnatural mental influence, but actions such as attacking him do not incur such a cost.

[Myllinnia]

Raine, still suffering from the dazing and blinding effect of that menacing flash of light backs her way towards the nearest perceptible exit. Singer and Pilot, she was not a very strong combatant on the ground. Still as she made her way an escape route needed she turned narrowed and squinted eyes towards one of the blurry targets that her 'allies' were attempting to repel. Intimidating fearful beings.

"I recommend a timely retreat," she calls out sending a vain attempt to stab one of the 'enemy' targets with a blade of mental energy.

One flailing uselessly attempt of Mind-hand mind's blade mode while moving toward an opening if any that could be allowed to escape with.

Also not clear on who is what, so whatever hostile target is closer in range. Likely not the new bad-peeps.

MHM - [roll0]
Thanks die roller... there is -5 likely to this of which I forgot.

Also my MDV is 6.

[Tavar]

The half hearted stab is easily ignored by the creature.

[DrakeRaids]

The Sidereal was easily able to fight through the infulence, his mind had been hardened agaisnt worse things during his past exploits, and this creature, this dark exalts attempt to influence his mind found no more hold on his mind then a hand could grasp sand. He didn't attack immediately, his did come to his hand, but rather he began assuming a sleek kata, his knife falling into his hand carefully while he assumed the sacred stylings of the Violet Brier of Sorrow. These monsters end had come.


MDV of 6 after app pens

Assuming a form charm, 5 motes spent

[The_Snark]

Tactically, the arrival of the emerald hulks is worrisome, an unknown but formidable addition to a battle that otherwise is under control. Viscerally it is another matter; something in the Moonborn's gut stirs in anticipation of a worthy fight. It turns to face the onrushing beast head-on rather than be blindsided, rearing up to take advantage of its superior height as the two crash into one another.

Dodge MDV of 5 after Appearance, or 7 if that rule about low Appearance counting as high for intimidation purposes applies. (I can't find it to look it up at the moment.) Either way, influence ignored.

Stunting a parry and spending 2 motes on the First Martial Arts Excellency to add to DV: [roll0]

Edit- looks like Parry DV 5, plus any stunt bonus. I forget what happens when attacks and DV tie...

I'll take an Aim action for now; don't have the time to write up anything else, and anyway I want to know the results of that attack before acting. Also, the bad guys don't seem to be on the action tick chart any more...

Stat blockDodge DV 1
Parry DV 3 (4 with specialty)

Soak: 13B/9L (22B/18L armored)

Health
-0 [ ][ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
-X [ ]

Willpower: 9/9

Personal Essence: 9/15 (6 committed)
Peripheral Essence: 11/33 (17 committed)
Overdrive: 0/10

Current Stuff:
Solar Hero Form (scene)
Fists of Iron Technique (1 action)
-1 internal penalty to non-reflexive actions (2 actions)

[Tavar]

The lone mortal left flees, with no one attempting to stop him. Meanwhile, as a Vizier takes his stance, the Moonchild rebuffs the Monsters advance.

Kobold-Bard, Midnight takes 2 levels of lethal damage, and now has a wound penalty of -2(-1, increased by another -1 due to autoklave rules)

Myllinnia, DrakeRaids-please list speeds for your actions.

1:Ganurath, Snark-I'll assume that you're continuing to aim for a day or so unless you post
2:Kobold-Bard, TS,Auto-beam
3:Industrious,horngeek, Auto Klave
4:WK, Dayen, IF x2
5:SHx2
6:

[Tavar]

The beam wielders continue their attacks on the bodyguards, as the third hangs back. A few subtle movement convey what he means to those who need to know, and you find it hard to concentrate on him.


Snark, you are now considered a Shadow Finger 'Light'. If you chose to, on Tick 5 TS initiating a coordinated attack on one of the monsters that you can participate in. You do not gain the various stat boosts of being a Shadow Finger.

1:Industrious, Snark, Kobold-bard,horngeek, Auto Klave
2:WK, DM1, IF x2
3:SHx2, DrakeRaids, Dm2
4:
5:TS, Auto-Beamx2
6:

[Tavar]

Like most fights, the tipping point is sudden and unexpected. Whispering Killer takes a halfstep forward, arm angling towards a vulnerable elbow on the ones assaulting his guards. Then two hands grab his shoulders, belonging to someone who you'd swear never entered the room. This newcomer's mouth then opens impossibly large, swallowing Whispering Killer whole, before reverting to normal. Well, almost normal: what used to be a whipcord thin man now sports a a gigantic beer belly.

At the same time, the Auto-claw man makes a hideous noise, like nails on a chalkboard. One of the Green Giants picks up the thing that swallowed Whispering Killer and jumps out the whole in the wall, while the others withdraw quickly.

The Thin, Sinister looking bodyguard tries to stop one of the giants, but gets backhanded into a wall for his trouble. When he rises, one arm limply hangs by his side, and you can see a bulge in his suit there, most likely a bone poking throught the skin.

Soon the only sound is the ragged breathing, as you feel the adrenaline rush from the fight ebb.


Battle over!

[DrakeRaids]

Mikil's adrenaline was still rushing crazily after the fight, his eyes dilated, his hand grasping his weapon so tight his knuckles where bone white. For a normal warrior, once a battle was over it was time to rest. His responsiblity was different, and it meant much of his work was jsut getting started.

"What the hell just happened." He growled, his tone soft but dangerous and on edge, giving the slightest hints of a quiet anger. Even as he spoke he rushed over to those who had been hurt in the fight, doing what he could in the short time they had open to them.

[Tavar]

Leaning against a wall, the thin bodyguard answers, his injury forcing him to use short sentences.

"Whispering Killer kidnapped. Black Nova's responsible. He has IFF. They must be scared."

[Myllinnia]

Starlight Nova shivered suddenly eyes wide as she watched the scene. She took many steps back and looks to the others a little pale. "S, Should we go after ... it?" She didn't like the thought of having that happen to her, but it sounded like the man was taken captive rather than killed. "My fighter should be ready for escort if we choose to leave quickly."

[Tavar]

"Thank you. We'll be pa-."

"Yeah, no. I can see when a deals gone bad, and I don't do charity."

Uri walks confidently out, and other follow. Not in a group, but deciding that they too no longer have business here.

One of the Bodyguards turns to you, no longer glowing. He was listening to an earpeice before, and while he doesn't look happy, you can tell he is at least somewhat satisfied. When he speaks, it is a deep, confident rumble.
"They haven't left the station yet, and their craft headed into the market district. I think they plan to get the information before they leave. We have a few more assets we can pull in, but if you start the search now it would make things much easier. And if you're wondering, yes, this will get you a bonus. Whispering Killer... he's our headman. We need him back."

At this, his face falls.

[The_Snark]

"That," the Moonborn mutters, "was the sound of our paycheck getting away."

Hound briefly takes stock of the room, noting which ones are still here: the doctor, the top-heavy female pilot, the gunman with the flask. Less than half, but more than you'd expect in the Rings. Why? The lure of money, sheer desperation, misplaced charity, simple boredom? Didn't much matter, as long as they stayed.

As for itself... Hound owes the gangster-spirit. That debt is nearly paid—he was very clear, back when this started, that the arrangement would not last indefinitely—but not quite. Damned if he's going to run out at the last minute.

"Well, then. Unless any of you has a better idea, I suggest we start tracking them. They have enough of a head start as-is."

Activating Keen Smell Technique, which lets you track by scent.

[Myllinnia]

Starlight sighs and rubs her temples for a moment. "Well then, we best start moving then. A bonus I cannot deny, there are things I need to have after all." Mentally sending a call to have Crimson maintain a powered up and ready status she turned to the others and then to the scattered remains of machines. "Anyone have transportation? I refuse to chase them on foot." In fact she really didn't like long distance walking. Her time on Cygnus taught her that. She was quite happy to move around with Crimson.

Granted the large person with them, the one with all the scary combat capabilities, seemed to have a nose for this tracking thing. Perhaps walking wouldn't be bad with him.

An idea occurred to her and she put a finger to her lip in thought. "Oh, or... I don't suppose anyone know if they have their own little hanger with which we can... blockade... shut down... sabotage? Keeping them station bound will ensure their inability to escape."

[Tavar]

"We can keep things grounded for awhile, but if they get desperate there are always ways off station. I'd hurry.

As for transport, well, Hound there has the com codes. Anyone in our network will answer if he calls."

[The_Snark]

"I can hardly follow a scent from the back of a moving vehicle," the Moonborn rumbles, utterly devoid of sympathy for the woman's finicky disposition. On the other hand... "However, I doubt any of you could keep up with me on foot. I'll call something from the garages."

It produces an oversized comm from a toolbelt (the only garment it is wearing).

[Tavar]

One of the bodyguards begins to treat the heavily wounded man, while the other nods.

"It looks like they landed 5 blocks east. Don't know where they went from there, but that should be a start."

[Tavar]

Mr. Kind, Tremia, Sheki

Perhaps you are working for Whispering Killer. Maybe you simply had dealing in the past, or maybe you've come to the rings to satisfy other needs. No matter what, you receive an urgent message.

"Whispering Killer has been kidnapped. We would like to retain your services in order to aid the group attempting his rescue. If you accept, we can provide transportation to the others already in place. Our coffers are deep, and our means many in terms of rewards. Additional high reward work may follow upon acceptance."

[industrious]

Des

He frowns at the Moonborn's words.

"I've got a bike. Don't think you can run quite that fast."

[Myllinnia]

"We have a place to start, let's go there, once there we can 'sniff' out their location." She flashes the group a sweet smile and points in the direction that they need to be going, "Bike, car, truck, whatever, let's just get there! We've not a lot time I believe. Now where is this transportation guy~."

[industrious]

Des

"Right."

There is a small supply closet in the room Des is currently in. Opening the door, a battered black motorcycle, too young to be vintage and too old to be cutting edge, lands firmly on its front wheel. Behind it, several cracked shelves and several thousand assorted papers, pencils, and other office supplies, scatter onto the floor.

"I've got room for one more on her. Let's move."


Never an Empty Alley Technique activated.

[Dragnar]

Let's see. Save a mob boss, get paid, and probably get a few good fights in the process. Hmm... On the one hand, sounded like fun. On the other, this guy was a mob boss. Why should she save someone like that?

...and then it occurred to the lunar. If she didn't take the job, someone else would. If she did, she would have a shot at the Killer's back. Well, that settled that, and soon enough Tremia was on her way to the address of the job. If all went well, this would be like getting paid to go out to dinner! Who knows, maybe the mobster would even make a good enough impression to not get eaten?

[babel_matrix]

Kind

The letters flared before fading to black on the commlink's screen. Kind scratched his beard, still wet from the shower as he looked over the host of equipment on the bed: his painted armor, blasters in his belt, the segmented rifle still in its carrying case. Discrete hotels were hard to find, and he had only just paid for the damn room.

But Whispering Killer had expensive friends, and now was a chance to start connections with those expensive friends. Kind had only met Whispering Killer once in negotiating the terms of a contract under the RDRM, and now he didn't even have their backing, not in this system. Kind started to count the possibilities, the chances that this job would need something besides a team of specialists, and found himself cursing at the lack of viable information.

"Connections are everything..." Kind grimaced as he threw the commlink on the bed and resumed toweling himself off. "... even if those connections do a piss poor job of writing contracts."

He'd have to be discrete. Keep the rifle in the case, keep the rest in the pack, and both blasters holstered towards the back, covered by the duster and stiff arms. Sufficiently dried off, he slipped into the sleeves of his segmented armor, holding still when it finally vacuum-sealed onto his body.

In just a few minutes, he left the hotel room free of any sign of him.

[Myllinnia]

Starlight watched as Des removed his bike from its hiding place and her eyes brightened as he mentioned there was room for another.

Starlight smiled the warmest smile to Des. "Absoultely, let's go get our more immediate pay." She mounts the vehicle and holds on gently enough though with the promise to hold on tighter around Des should the need arise.

[Noble Savant]

Sheki grinned, leaning back in her seat, watching the message play out on the screen of the com-room. She remembered Whispering Killer. He'd been cute. A clever little mob boss with big dreams. She could admire that in a man. And he'd done her a bit of a favor back when she'd met him. Sold her some information on a shipment of military hardware that she could ransack. Admittedly, he'd done it to undercut an opponent, but she'd come out on top.

She should probably pay him back. For a price.

"Oi, Nav!" She yelled out, her chipper voice echoing through the halls of the ship, floating down to the Navigator's room. "Plot us a course for Terna Alpha! We're going to cause a bit of a ruckus! As a highly paid favor to a friend!" She smiled impishly, swiveling in the chair. A kidnapping sounded like it would be a great deal of fun. And she liked the sound of "Deep Coffers" and "High Reward Work".

Now, what was the nickname she'd given Whispering Killer again? "Oh yes. Whiky. I'm sure he's missed me terribly." She said, satisfied, as she watched the blip that was the Blue Rose, turning around and beginning to pick up in speed. She had high hopes for this mission.

[The_Snark]

An expression of surprise crosses the Moonborn's repto-hyenoid face, though perhaps only a skilled xenokinesicist would be able to tell. A broom closet? Really? Even in this universe of near-infinite possibility, Hound is almost completely certain that no motorcycle had actually been stored in that closet, much less this fellow's particular motorcycle. Interesting.

No surprise at all that the female gets to ride behind. Hound may not share the human sexual drive, but it's not too hard to understand.

"Unless you too have a means of transportation secreted in the closet, doctor, I suggest you let me carry you for the next few blocks."

Hound has a dashing speed of 27 ticks, which is not as good as a motorcycle but still pretty impressive.

[babel_matrix]

Kind

He prepared to forward his reply back to the mysterious sender. Awaiting directions, he sat in the rental transport he was using for this visit. Under the theory that work would not literally be waiting for him on arrival, it seemed a prudent expenditure at the time; now he just hoped this job wouldn't punch holes into the loaner. The silver ball compressed around him, sealing the vehicle as it rolled forward.

Presuming the vehicle private enough, he muttered his message. "I'll take the offer. Where am I heading?"

[industrious]

Des

"Hold on tight, lady."

He guns the engine, and races down the streets of the city. Inwardly, he seeks out the location of his target.


Drive Check: [roll0]
Stunt: [roll1]
Also, using EST to ask what the shortest route to the kidnappers location is.

[Tavar]

Sheki

The Destination is simple. For those with Space Craft, a landing bay is opened, even though it seems many of the other bays are experiencing various technical difficulties. All 2000 of them.

After landing, an obviously military hovercar stops by your exit ramp.

"Ready to go, sweet-cheeks?"

Kind & Tremia

The Directions are precise, and arriving on the scene you see the burning shell of a hovercraft. It appears to have been destroyed using some sort of self destruct mechanism.

You also see two figures on a motorcylce, just arriving on the scene.

The Conference Room

One of the bodyguards informs you of the backup they secured, and then Des and Starlight speed off.

Soon they see the hovertank, burning in place with the hatches open. A civilian car is arriving, as well as one pedestrian.

EST can't tell you where they are at the moment, but it can certainly give you a fast route to where they left the vehicle, and I assume that's okay.

Are The Hound and Mikil waiting on something? If not, can we just assume they get some sort of transport?

Tremia, Kind, Dex, and Starlight can all see eachother.

[Noble Savant]

Sheki wondered for a moment if the car was a trap, and quickly decided that she didn't mind either way. A trap would be tremendous fun, it had been a while since someone had really tried to kill her. They mostly flailed briefly in her direction and then stopped being a problem.

"Sweet cheeks, eh?" She asked, grinning wryly and levering herself off the ship and over by the hovercar. "Have we met before, or is this how you say hello to all the ladies? Because someone who isn't as sweet and even tempered as me might get angry." She rapped on the door of the car, hoping to get a glimpse of the 'sweet talker'.

[Tavar]

The door pops open as soon as you know, revealing a short, muscled man, gripping the wheel casually and grinning cheekily.

"Oh, I know what the ladies like."

As soon as she gets in, he rockets off, reaching the scene not long after the others.

[babel_matrix]

Kind

From the digital feed of his Roller, Kind looks at the flaming wreck. He checks his blaster before pressing the release on its seals, expanding the vehicle all around him until the staircase to the bare ground was formed. Stepping down, he watches the exchange between the only two spotted at the scene. Was this there doing? Did Kind arrive too late?



EDIT:
Removed erroneous statement in which I greeted a character that had not yet arrived.

[Dragnar]

The Directions are precise, and arriving on the scene you see the burning shell of a hovercraft. It appears to have been destroyed using some sort of self destruct mechanism.

Tremia didn't arrive on the scene so much as she did crash into it from above, having changed back to human form in mid-air. Of course, any dramatic effect this might have had was utterly ruined by the way she instantly straightened up and bounced over to the burning wreck with a grin on her face. "Ooooh, fire, awesome... Wonder if there's anything fun left inside. Or a clue, whatever."

[Noble Savant]

Sheki preens, reclining back in her seat. "Well, aren't you cute?" Smiling cheerily, she allowed herself to get driven to the meeting spot.

As soon as they arrived, Sheki leapt out of the car, waving to the driver, surveying the scene beneath mirrored glasses. She'd only been here for a few minutes, and already things were on fire. This was certainly a good omen for exciting things to come.

"All right, all right. Reinforcements are here, no need to worry. Now then, tell me, who here is working for Whispering Killer and who isn't?" She asked, gesturing at both pairs of people. "Because if you're the latter, I'm being paid to rough you up."

[babel_matrix]

Kind

"I take it you're the other portion of this slapped together group, then?" Kind shifted his glance between the two women, who were like night and day in contrast. "To answer your question: I'm working for Whispering Killer. I'm not sure about her but, given the spontaneous nature of this employer, I'd say the she looks the part well enough."

Kind didn't wait for a response from the bouncing, shapely woman, instead moving towards the wreckage to make sure Whispering Killer wasn't inside.

[Myllinnia]

Starlight was pretty content until they reached the smoldering tank. As they came to stop and she noticed the others approaching an eyebrow raised. "Well well, this must either be the reinforcements... or the attackers," she says to Des as she leans back slightly, preparing herself for any quick escape maneauvers that Des may make if this went sour.

Hearing that at least one of them was working for the kidnapped Whispering Killer she ran a hand through her hair and smiled. "I assume that everyone here is an addition to the rescue operation? If so, he likely isn't there, in that smoldering craft. He seems to more valuable alive than dead."

[Tavar]

The fire appears to be dying down, and as more damage becomes visible it becomes clear that the fire was internal in nature, and that no one was inside when it happened.

[Noble Savant]

Sheki looked around at the assembled group, slightly bemused. "So... All of you are working for Whiky? Dissapointed. I was getting ready for a nice workout." She shrugged, fiddling with the cuff of her jacket. Then she looked up and grinned. "So, what's the plan now? You guys got any idea where they stuck him? Oh, and by the way. My name." She paused, her voice grand and rolling, her stance brimming with confidence. "Is Sheki Almakosta dy Vereste. Nice to meet ya."

[babel_matrix]

Kind

Satisfied with the flaming ruin, the white-bearded man turned and, while keeping an eye on her cuff, gave his own name.

"Deuce Kind, in Whispering's service. What's the situation? Where are we needed?"

[Myllinnia]

Oh one of them at least sounded important. That was good, if she was famous in these circles it would help to keep her past failures out of the light. With that she nods to Sheki and Kind, giving Tremia a wary glance. "I am Starlight, as for his location, its not exactly known, but my large friend here," she indicates the large The Hound, "can sniff our 'employer' out. The sooner we can retrieve him the better it will be for all involved."

[Dragnar]

Tremia

The Lunar hopped back down from the wreck with a frown, clearly disappointed at the lack of anything interesting in the flames. Of course, she was back to grinning madly moments later, bouncing over to join the others without missing a beat. "Tremia! Any a' you have any idea where the bad guys ran off to?"

[DrakeRaids]

"Mikil is my name." The Doctor looked at the others, though dressed as a civilian he was fairly calm about the entire scenario. At least they had reinforcements now after all. "I was hired on as a Doctor, I can see to anyones injuries quickly enough, if you get to me alive, I can make sure you stay that way." He smiled slightly, as if he had made a joke.

[The_Snark]

"Ah," says the being referred to as Hound, "our reinforcements. Excellent. You are commendably quick."

The voice is cultured and precise, with a distinct Imperial accent, and wholly at odds with the speaker's appearance. The thing is a monster, a mass of scales and bristles and claws nearly as large as the burning hovercar. There are probably uglier aliens out there, and deadlier ones too, but not many; this is a Moonborn, one of the Central Empire's specially-bred elite soldiers, and only the harshest planetary environments can match the creations of the Imperial genesis-moons.

"Our quarry is a humanoid—a spirit-program, I suspect—which swallowed Whispering Killer whole before absconding. It is accompanied by two large green humanoids and three armed automata, all capable combatants. They would appear to be on foot, which is a peculiar decision; I surmise that the kidnapper is attempting stealth."

"Should you have any further questions, you may ask on the way." Hound lowers itself onto all fours, nostrils flaring as it tries to sort the scent of their quarry out from the smoke and industrial smells of the ruined hovercar.

This is supposed to be a Perception+Survival roll, I think? Plus one die for Enhanced Smell, and one success from Keen Smell Technique. Hound will also be activating Unsurpassed Smell Discipline; I don't think this affects tracking, but it'll be good for finding them if they're hiding.

Perception + Survival to track: [roll0] +1 success

Perception + Awareness to examine the scents in the area: [roll1]
Add 2 successes, then double the total.

[Tavar]

They may have been trying to be more stealthy, but it's obvious they were still in a bit of a rush. You easily follow the scent lines to a door leading to the undercity. Makes sense: what better place to keep hidden than in those twisting tunnels.

[industrious]

Des

"Brilliant. Tunnels."

Des dismounts from his bike, stares at the various assembled individuals.

"I'm Des. And one of you can go in first. I'm not good up close and personal."

[Dragnar]

Tremia whistled as they moved, following along without a care in the world... And then they reached the tunnels. The moment the shadows hit the lunar woman, she started to softly glow. And then shimmer. And then, in a muted blink of light, she was gone entirely, nothing more than a faint ripple in the air to mark her passing. Not that the sudden invisibility did anything to dull her attitude. "Well I'm not much for tracking, but scouting a head is always fun! Cya soon!"

[Noble Savant]

Sheki smiled wryly at Des, shaking her head. "Letting us fragile, delicate ladies go on ahead. What ever happened to chivalry and all that?" She asked him over her shoulder, as the small woman tramped on into the cave. "Hey, Kitty!" She said, calling over the Hound, gesturing for her to come forward. "You tell me where to go, and I'll keep a weather eye open for nasties."

[babel_matrix]

Kind

Digging the fool out of a spirit beast's innards before he was digested, or whatever else happened to things inside that creature's stomach, would be difficult. After directing his vehicle to a safer location, Kind tried to map the upcoming area in his commlink, pulling up blueprints, information, anything at all that might give some preview of where the moon-beast was leading them.

[Tavar]

You're able to call up quite a bit of information. Too much, really. The best you can manage is to follow the rest as you try to shift through the results.

[babel_matrix]

Kind

Cursing, Kind draws his attention away from the commlink. "What are we facing in there, besides our target? More gangers, mercenary companies? Do we even know who these guys are working for?"

[The_Snark]

"We suspect the kidnappers are working for Black Nova, one of our employer's local competitors," rumbles Kitty Hound, oozing forward bonelessly into the cramped tunnels after Sheki. "As for what to expect... the criminal element of the Rings is extremely diverse, as evidenced by our little band. Mercenaries, gangers, spirit-programs, independent contractors from out-of-system. I'm not familiar with this particular organization's hiring habits."

Tracking, continued! I'm not sure if you want me to keep rolling, or what.

Perception+Survival: [roll0] +1 success

[DrakeRaids]

"They have Exalt support as well." Mikil said, briefly describing the fight that happened on the previous page because I hate giving detailed exposition in character. "Aside from that, out intel is as noted hilariously poor. We're playing all this by ear so to speak." His allies where odd, but on the bright side they did seem individually competent. He wasn't sure he trusted any of them with his back just yet, but there was nothing that could be done about that in this situation.

[Tavar]

The passage way you find yourselves in isn't large, barely large enough for three men to walk abreast, or for one moonchild. This is obviously one of the more used sections of the undercity. The tunnels are a bit on the dark side, but only as dirty as a reasonably busy warehouse, and there's no dust. Some pipes even have cloth wrappings, likely signifying that they normally carry hot liquids and gas, and those who use this passage want to avoid burns.

At first, the trail is obvious: recent scuff marks, a snap-lizard cleaved in two, with both ends cauterized, etc. Soon, however, the marks become less visible, though the scent at least remains.

Of course, scent alone might not be enough. The party finds itself in a small plaza of sorts, at most 30ft across, with three tunnels before them. One of them is blocked off, with enough dust that it's been that way for some time. The other two doors are clear, though it's difficult to make anything out with distance and lighting playing against them.

[Noble Savant]

Sheki looked down at the split paths, shaking her head. "They don't even have the decency to make it easy. I'm getting tired of this silly chase. Kitty, do you think they're close? Could we run it or something?" She fingered the Daiklaive on her back restlessly. "I'm sure poor Whiky isn't enjoying the wait. The belly of the beast doesn't sound too cozy." She grinned. "I'm sure he'll be real grateful when we break him out, so we should hop to it."

[The_Snark]

Instead of answering, Hound pads forward into the plaza, briefly rising to its full four-meter height to sniff the air before falling back to all fours. Nostrils flare as it samples the scents of the room, discarding the strongest (dust, the increasingly familiar smells of its companions, a faint whiff of oil) and focusing on the ones it's searching for: the heavy musk of the green creatures, an earthy metallic tang that Hound attributes to the automata, and elusive traces of the kidnapper buried beneath those.

Here's a roll to try and figure out how old the scents are - not sure whether it should be Perception+Awareness, or Perception + Survival.

[roll0]

If this is an Awareness roll, add 2 successes and double the total.
If this is a Survival roll, drop the last 6 dice and add 1 success.

Also, I'm taking some liberties with describing the smells - please correct me if I've gotten something wrong. What does the kidnapper smell like, anyway? Human, alien, spirit-program or demon?

[Myllinnia]

Starlight followed, quietly, silently. Though she was not at all idle, her eyes scanned those in front of her, as well as beyond them. She could see the threads of power, the motes that rose and fell, the unseen glow of essence as well as the patterns it made. This is what she searched for, dangerous things laying in wait that could not be sensed by smell. And if nothing well she will be able to count on it to catch every Exalted thrust of essence for a good hour.

Essence Dissecting Stare... ACTIVATE!

[Dragnar]

Tremia kept just ahead of the others, peering around corners and down passageways invisibly just before they could reach them. Of course, invisible or no, the constant jovial humming did make it rather easy to locate her... At least she was keeping it relatively quiet.

[Tavar]

The Hound

It takes a few moments to figure out what exactly is going on in the room. There are two scent trails, one leading through each of the doorways after a fair about of milling about. The confusing part is that at first, it appears as if the party doubled, each member going through each door. It's only after some reflection that the smells make sense. Trackees seem to have used this passageway in their approach as well as their exit, and used different passages when arriving and departing.

As far as you can tell, the swampy, yet somewhat smooth smell of the one who grabbed Whispering Killer went through the left entrance, along with the automatons, and did so recently. Most likely about 6 minutes ago, which implies that you're gaining on them.

Turns out it doesn't matter which ability is used, you toasted the Difficulty.

Also, one die stunt.
Starlight

Much of the essence is already joining the background radiation, telling you little more than that several people with essence were here. There are a few, small facts, though.

For instance, the aspect of two of the figures looks somewhat familiar, though the age and faintness of the sign make it difficult to tell.

More germane to the task at hand are the symbols over each of the doorways. You easily sort them into three categories. First are the totally senseless marks. Possibly some sort of coded message, but with such a small sample size and given the circumstances, it's likely not worth puzzling out. Second are some interesting Real Programs. Similar to basic alarm programs, these have a few twists in their construction. Finally, there are more unknown markings, though these you can at least partially identify. They're in the Old Tongue, and they certainly look old. Seem to actually be part of the wall, as opposed to the others which have more in common with paint.

Difficulty 4 Int+ Occult roll to figure out what is familiar.

Wits+Lore Check to try and puzzle the Old Tongue out.

[The_Snark]

"They're... about 5 or 6 minutes ahead of us, I would say. We're gaining." Hound's lips peel back in a shark-toothed grin. "Now would be a good time to run them down, as it happens. They're splitting up; the kidnapper and one of his machines went left, the others through the middle."

[babel_matrix]

"Hmm. The spirit beast is our priority, but will it be possible to track the detachment afterwards?" Worthe staked out the directions, trying to narrow the search on his commlink and using his gut instinct to pierce the tactical purpose of splitting up. Figuring nothing, he curses."Well, they'll probably reach their masters by the time we finish getting Whisper out of that beast's belly... we'll just have to deal with it as it comes."


Intelligence + War: [roll0]
{Resolved on OOC}

[Tavar]

Following the trail of Whispering's kidnappers, you find nothing of interest for some time. That changes as you near what it probably another plaza of sorts. The difference is, this time, you can hear voices.

"Didn't you hear? 'pparently the whole rings on Lock Down."

"And you think they did it?"

"Stands to reason. They obviously brought someone back, judging by Varanoidea."

"Well, they have a plan, right? We'll all get out of this fine."

"Yeah kid, I'm sure they have a plan."
There's a bend in the tunnel, keeping you from seeing them or telling how far away they are.

Going to need Stealth checks with every action to avoid alerting them.

[Noble Savant]

"Hey, you guys hear that?" Sheki asked in a piercing whisper, rocking on the balls of her feet. "Looks like we've got people. People who knows things to boot. Now, this strikes me as an opportunity. An opportunity for what I like to call concentrated problem solving." She grinned widely, looking for all the world like a girl on her way to a party. "I say we run at them. Give them the old Shock and Awe right in the kisser."

[Dragnar]

Tremia grinned the moment the voices could be heard echoing down the corridor, the invisible lunar breaking into a sprint forward instantly. "Waaay ahead of ya~" Was the only thing out of her mouth before she rounded the bend, blaster drawn and ready at her side. What she lost in subtlety would hopefully be made up for by simply being invisible, but if not... Well, her current form wasn't one most people would want to see.

They're at a -2 external penalty to spot her, thanks to the Invisible mutation. If she is seen, Disturbing Visage means she's so terrifyingly lovecraftian at the moment that they suffer a -1 external penalty on attack rolls against her, unless they either have MDV 8, or spend 2 WP.

Steath+dex+4 motes on excellency: [roll0]
And stunt dice, rolled now just to save time on OOC posts once I know the rating, if any: [roll1]

[Tavar]

Tremia

You come into another plaza, this one leading to some structure. You can see the two guards, one sitting on a bench on the far wall, the other approaching the tunnel mouth, head cocked inquisitively. Neither seems to see you.

There doesn't seem much to say about the room: blank walls, roof, and floor. A door next to the man on the bench, with a keycard slot.

[babel_matrix]

Kind whispered under his breath at a level barely audible even to him, not risking their cover just to transmit the message clearly to everyone in their makeshift squad. "Let's try to keep at least one of them alive, if only to find out where that spirit beast is heading." Kind switched to a single pistol, readying the matte black rod of steel in his gloved hands as he checked over his shoulder one last time. He sniffed at the air, wondering at the combat experience of his allies. At least a few had proven themselves gifted; if the contractor's eye of talent was consistent, the rest might prove themselves here and now.

He quietly heated the coils within his firearm and readied for the inevitable. "Weapons hot."

[Dragnar]

Tremia will really need to be given more specific orders next time something like this happens. As it was, she considered there to be a very large spectrum of possibilities between "unharmed" and "dead", including quite a few that would be in no state to respond to questioning. And with that thought, a shot rang out from the shadows, twin bolts of energy flying toward one of the guards' chests. With any luck, one of those bolts would soon be blossoming into a sickening pattern of green and rotten skin, more than enough to horrify the man's partner into giving up easily.


Attack rolls: [roll0]
[roll1]

Damage is 5L + extra sux, and using Not-Quite-There Shot to nullify any penalties on the attack roll.
If that ends up being enough to kill, paying one mote for the surprise attack version of Horrifying Silver Insurgent Strike. For quick reference, here's the mechanics of that charm:

Every enemy or neutral character who witnesses the death must compare the Lunar's (Essence + base Weapon Damage) to their Dodge MDV, and if their DMDV is lesser, suffer an Emotion effect inducing paranoia and terror which imposes an Internal penalty equal to the Lunar's (Essence) to all actions, reflexive and otherwise, for the remainder of the scene, and creates an Intimacy of Paranoia towards the world. This is unnatural mental influence which costs 3wp for mortals and 1wp for other beings to resist, which also renders them immune to the effects of this Charm for a day. This Charm costs 3m normally, but only 1m if the attack was made from surprise.

[Noble Savant]

Sheki considered her options. While she loved her array of fancy firearms to bits, there was nothing quite like watching the fireworks of a well-aimed shot rain down on people who deserve it, she had to admit that 'non lethal' didn't really apply to them. Which meant it was time to pummel people with big hunks of metal.

"Bruised, battered, blown away. But not dead. Got it Mister Nice." She told the other man, winking saucily. She unslung her kit of close range weaponry from her back, hefting them. The shield was nice enough, kite shaped and shining like the sun, it seemed almost too brittle for combat, slim and skeletal, like an antique from ancient times. But the sword? The sword was a wonder to behold. Though it was, in essence sheer slab of metal like a butcher's cleaver, it was beautiful, with runes carved right into the blade. Somehow, it always caught the light just the right way, breaking it into faint, multicolored aurora in the air.

Both of them together were certainly larger than Sheki herself, but she had no problems hefting the heavy weaponry.

With a bright, girlish smile, she charged, heavy blade weaving back and forth through the air like a swallow, light, for all its size. "I'm a distraction." She announced grandly, beaming at the pair, and swinging the sword at them, smashing into one of the figures with the flat of the blade.



Attack Roll: [roll0] +2 from Second Excellency -1 for pulling the blow.

Damage Roll: [roll1]

4 motes spent.

[Tavar]

Tremia's double tap puts one man down before any reaction, and the quickly rotting corpse collapses to the ground.

Sheki's charge, however, takes a tad more time, long enough for the second man to shake the dawning expression of horror off his face momentary in order to hit a button. After that she lands a telling blow on the man, knocking aside his gun before it's even remotely on target.

Then the world seems to turn, as hidden mines explode, sending a burst of flame rushing down the corridor, and covering the entrance way with shrapnel.


Dragnar-1 die stunt

Noble Savant-1 die stunt

Everyone in the Tunnel takes one die ([roll0]) of lethal fire damage as an enviromental effect(cannot be reduced past this point by soak), Trauma 1. Those who fail the roll suffer a -2 internal penalty to hearing based awareness checks as their ears ring. Those who blotch suffer a -5 penalty instead. This penalty disappears after 5 minutes.

Those in the entrance way(Dragnar and Noble Savant) are hit by shrapnel, which is treated as a normal attack rolling [roll1], and deals a base damage of 5L. Take the dice from left to right as they apply.
[roll2]

In addition, a Difficulty 3 roll will let you hear a very loud, obnoxious siren.

[babel_matrix]

"Shi--"

But it was always the risk of going on without proper communication, wasn't it? Worthe cursed his luck as he tried to peek over the corner, pulling his weapon on two men who were already dying, one in a most gruesome manner. He had little time to contemplate the nature of that attack, however; soon the entire tunnel was alight, the sharpnel and kinetic force bouncing off the Orichalcum armor, threatening to peel away the black matte paint laid upon it. Worthe shielded his eyes and tried to stand tall before the blast, if only to shield those behind him.

Through the ringing in his ear, he could barely make out the siren. Having no need for subtelty, with the ashes and chunks of metal rolling from his singed trenchcoat, he screams at his allies. "If anyone doesn't know about us from the explosion, they will by that siren! If we don't move fast, we're going to get bogged down on their auxiliary forces!"

A single flame was still lit on the left tip of his mustache. He quickly rubbed it out.

[Noble Savant]

Sheki twirled elegantly in place, swinging her sword in an arc and smashing away the shrapnel with easy. Panting slightly, she landed, leaning casually on the blade. "Hum... Well, that fellow certainly reacted quickly. Still, only way to do it. Can't set cannons to stun, now can I?" She rubbed her chin as she heard the siren start blaring, and after a moment, a wicked smile came onto her face.

"Hey hey. No point in running." She told Worthe calmly, walking over to two former opponents. "If we're getting herded around this base, we can't do our job. We don't know where to go yet, remember?" She nodded after a moment. That plan should work. "All right. Hide that... Corpse." She made a face towards Tremia's handiwork. Unpleasant. "And then hide yourselves. I'll do some talking, and we'll be out of this smelling like roses. Worst case scenario, you pop up and hit them while they're reeling. Trust me on this."

[Myllinnia]

Ouch! She silently cursed to herself at the back of the tunnel her head ringing with the alarm and the explosion or was it just the explosion the ringing was in her head was hard to tell, and all the nasty things that came with it. Once things seemed to be dying down she heard Sheki and her comments. Perhaps it was looking too deeply into the substrat that made up the world that put her in a world of hurt. The more this went on the more she really wanted it over with.

Yaaaa. She did like doing the fighting in space, the ground side of things... and scenes of the war... yaaa Space was best. She nodded to Sheki and while she was not at all going to deal with the dead things she was quick to find a place where she could not be seen, like further back along the way.

OOC: Sorry for the delays... really really sorry. Its been one of those weeks, and to think a power loss has become minor to crazy christmas/new years weeks. XD Also colds suck!

[Tavar]

As you start to move the bodies, you find two things of interest. One's a plain looking keycard, which might be your ticket into the base. The other is a short range radio, apparently active and undamaged.

"answer me, Void Dammit! Cal, what the hell was that?"

Moving on. Those who did not post are assumed to have failed the rolls this time.

[Noble Savant]

Sheki gave a convincing sounding cough, and then swore in the colorful manner of sailors everywhere. "Bah... Sorry about that sir." She muttered in a passable male drawl, imitating the guards. "Cal here, the bloody genius, brained himself on the alarm button. Could you believe it? Don't know what he was thinking there. Idiot. Nearly blew us all to the Empire and back. I'm fine, but he'll be out cold for a while now." Sheki sighed, theatrically. "Call off everything, tell them it's a false alarm. Feel free to stop by later and give Cal an earful when he wakes up."


Charisma + Presence, Sheki does her social work via via sheer confidence in everything she says.

[roll0]
4 motes spent on adding 2 successes with the second presence excellency.

[Dragnar]

Tremia breathed a sigh of relief, emerging (visible once again) from the cover of a ruined crate she'd used to shield herself from the shrapnel. "...well, that was a close one. Nobody looks too hurt though, so s'all good!" The Lunar grinned wildly as she caught the tail end of Sheki's impersonation, leaning against a nearby wall without another word to listen in. Maybe they'd even believe that story there, but she rather doubted it.

[Tavar]

"Who is this? I swear, if Mal got someone else to cover his shift without checking in I'm going to shove my foot so far up his ass...."

There's an audible deep breathe over the line, and then he resumes, quieter.

"Name and number, please."

The Alarm is still blaring.

Note you do have a keycard.

Also, one die stunt for Noble Savant.

[Noble Savant]

"Yeah, one sec. I'm terrible with numbers. Got it written down here." Sheki said, making a few quick patting sounds into the radio. She mouthed at the others. "Quick, search them!" She was still smiling, slightly, but maybe her confidence had been taken down a small peg. Taking out the keycard, she tried swiping it against the door scanner quickly. Maybe the number would show up there?

[Myllinnia]

Starlight mouths an 'Are you serious...' to Sheki before darting back out to check the bodies of those fallen. She so wanted to leave the confines of this place, free among the stars. Silently she shuffles through pockets for ID and stuff, but fears likely its all on that stupid card.

[Tavar]

"I'm waiting...."

The search doesn't find much: some ammunition, another blank keycard, comm, and miscellaneous garbage.

The keycard seems more promising. Swiping it produces an immediate reaction: the door opens, leading to another long corridor, this one branching off several times.

"Hey! Who's that by the door? They aren't....oh. oh my."

The alarm quiets for a moment, then a new one starts, with words this time.

"Intruder Alert!!

[Myllinnia]

Starlight groans and looks hatefully at the ceiling. "So much for this. Despite my lack of tactical power outside my vessel I'm beginning to think we should just smash our way down the way, and leave them all regretting messing with us," she says the latter as she turns to the others. She motions to the door, "Shall we continue on and punish them all?"

[babel_matrix]

The small arms were quickly holstered once the alarms went off, and now he rushed to prepare his rifle as the booming voice revealed them for what they were. Deuce Kind nodded absentmindedly, agreeing with Starlight. His eyes and sights pointed straight down the newly opened passageway as the weapon whined, the first cries of life in its plasma cartridge for the day. "We'll just have to write the plans as we run them. Let's see if we can't get that alarm turned off, else it'll be Hell hearing their approach." Seeing no one else ready to rush ahead, Kind started a quick march, gun ever at the ready as he started clearing the hall.

With any luck, they'd be at his back, covering his flank while he pinned down anyone foolish enough to engage what was clearly turning out to be a unit of devastating diverse talents.

[Noble Savant]

Sheki shrugged, dropping the radio on the floor. "Why does everyone want to do it the hard way? It's always such a hassle cleaning out my clothes, afterward. People have absolutely no consideration of the needs of other people." She marched forward, taking the choice, sword and shield gripped firmly. "Right then. Whenever you all are ready. Do we need to go this way, Kitty?"

[Dragnar]

Tremia hummed quietly to herself as she reloaded her weapon, giving the two dead guards only a quick glance before she flickered back into invisibility with a nod to Sheki. "Yup, never any fun at all. Ah well, least this means a good fight or two on the way to the paycheck~!"

[Tavar]

You race down the corridors, blowing through hastily set up blocking forces, guided more by hunch than anything substantial. Finally, an authoritative voice speaks over the stolen comms:

"All Security forces, establish cordon around the Hanger. The strike force must not reach the bay before we establish local control for the hanger doors and are able to exit. This is a priority Able directive."

Convenient. Now you have a goal. How to reach it, though?

[Dragnar]

Hmm, hanger eh? Well, seeing as there weren't any maps, Tremia decided on a slightly different way of getting there: Within seconds of the announcement the Lunar had changed into a perfect copy of one of the soldiers she'd killed. Even her expression transformed, her face going from a mad grin to a look of utter panic in an instant. "Welp, cya! I'll call back when I find the place." Breaking out into a sprint, Tremia made sure to look for all the world like a terrified soldier, fleeing from the exalted intruders for his life. Any luck and she'd be able to join up with a few others running to reinforce teh hanger's defenses...

[Tavar]

Soon after leaving the group, you hear a urgent stage whisper
"Hey! Over Here!"

Looking around, you see a young woman in a flak vest, standing by a door and waving.

"Come on, Hanger's this way."

Following her, you begin to descend some stairs.

[Myllinnia]

A little more cautious and complete with less ability to disguise herself as the Lunar had just moments ago, Starlight softly tiptoes her way after the creepy Tremia. And many would call her unusual! She stopped at the first too peer down the way and spying Tremia-Goon nearing the door and the woman in the flak vest. She would have to wait for both to pass.

[Noble Savant]

Sheki pondered for a moment. She should give the Smiley Lunar a chance to go and fight the hangar. Which meant being a distraction. This was something she could do. It would be good, to work out some aggression. With an air of reverence, she unhooked the cannon from her back, aiming it at a nearby wall. "Hold onto your britches, ladies and gentlemen, we're about to perform some architectural surgery." And with that, she started blasting her way through the wall, with great gusto.

[Dragnar]

Tremia followed the young woman with a nod and a faint smile, panting too heavily to speak as she kept sprinting to 'safety'. "Tha... Haa.... Thanks." She sputtered as she started down the stairs. That's it girly, just lead the way... Then the real fun begins!

[Tavar]

Tremia

The girl closes the door behind you, and you start down the flights of stairs. You can hear a vague knocking sound as you do so.


Sheki

You being blazing at a wall, and taking huge chunks out of it.

[Noble Savant]

Sheki kicked away a the remnants of the wall, stepping through with a cheery whistle. "Well done me. Now then. Some noise!" With gusto, she continued pummeling the scenery without any concern for ammunition, leaving gaping holes in whatever came into sight.

[Dragnar]

Well, that was an odd noise. Still, good chance asking about it would blow her cover, so Tremia simply continued on after the other woman. Get to the hanger and she could make a move, but until then... Nothing to do but follow.