Adventurers Amongst the Stars IC

[Dodgeson]

Not of enough strategic importance for any of even the youngest and most petty of the expanding empires to pay much attention to and far too useful to the kind of people who would seek to plunder such outposts for them to actually pillage, the cluster of asteroids now called Lombard Junction had carved itself out a niche as a place for shoppers who were looking for a bargain and didn't want to ask too many questions, off duty soldiers wanting to relax without a commanding officer looking over their shoulders and of course the often less than scrupulous individuals that catered to the rest.

It was on one of the smaller rocks in the cluster that one such individual had decided to open a bar and it was here that the coordinates would lead those who had decided that the deal was worth their time. Outside a disgraced former gladiator stood in front of the door and watched the crowd hurry through the bustling market place, his arms crossed and tail whipping lazily behind him ready to draw the pistol that hung at his waist, making sure that the wrong sort of people didn't get in and the people that got thrown through the bar's large holographic window stayed out. The inside was dimly lit, all the better to draw the people's eyes to the flickering hologram in the centre of the room where a scantily clad four-armed woman sang with the voice of an entire orchestra to the cheers and hooting of the patrons whilst towards the back of the room a patchwork yellow pressure-suit stood behind the bar, white smoke escaping from the joints every so often with a hiss as it cleaned the glasses.

[Quellian-dyrae]

There was a momentary glimmer off in the...distance? Well, relatively speaking, anyway. It was distant enough by the local standards of the asteroid cluster, although by the standards of the trip he had just taken, it may as well have been inches. It could be seen again closer, and then closer still. And then a form plummeted down in from the sky starry expanse of space beyond the asteroid, a tall humanoid form encased entirely in a sleek suit of what looked like an odd mix between archaic plate mail and advanced powered armor, all tiger-striped alternating mirrored white and matte black. A massive hammer of some dark metal, at least as tall as the form itself, its long haft banded with occasional rings of some silvery metal, was strapped to - no, scratch that, it was floating along behind the figure, maybe six inches from its back.

Once he had landed in whatever local atmosphere the meteors used, Tager shifted his armor. The suit went from solid metal to flowing like a liquid, and in a trice had changed from a suit of mail to a loose white t-shirt mostly covered by a light black vest, baggy black pants, white gloves and boots, and a white headband that held his black-and-orange striped hair back from his forest green eyes.

He took a moment to look around, and with a flick of his hand, a pair of camera drones floated up out of his pockets and zipped around the area (though not into any buildings), capturing video of the area. It was his first time on another...well, not planet, perhaps, but another celestial body than his home world. Naiar had established ties with the wider galactic community only a couple of decades ago. While that meant that Tager had basically been raised with it as part of his reality, his personal exposure had been limited. Oh, sure, he'd met a few extra-naian lifeforms in his life, but this was an entirely new experience.

Even the things that seemed similar were just slightly...off. Naiar had floating cities, which these asteroids in some superficial ways resembled, but on Naiar a floating city was...basically the absolute pinnacle of society. Even the least of houses went for tens of millions of credits, everything beautifully laid out, artfully designed, elaborately constructed.

There was a certain cognitive dissonance, being in a place with the shape of a floating city, that was nonetheless so...seedy.

Regardless. After a few minutes to explore his surroundings a bit, Tager got back on task, recalled his drones, and headed for the bar, walking with something of a confident swagger. As he reached the door, a flick of his hand brought his hammer floating around hover in front of him. "Is there somewhere I store this?" he asked the guard politely, working on the assumption that weapons would be prohibited.

[Izzarra]

A small generic model one man freighter (the spaceship equivalent of a small box truck, not much larger then a shuttle craft) makes its approach to Lombard Junction and pulls into a designated parking orbit. It is the type of ship that would not draw a second glance from anybody if it were not for the glowing pink lightning paint job.

A vulture drone detaches from the ship and flies down to the asteroid into the atmosphere retention field and cruses past several stores eventually arriving at a specific bar. The wings reconfigure into legs as it settles down in front of the bar. A young woman with magenta hair wearing an armored flight suit materializes next to the drone as if being printed by a laser. She marches up to the former gladiator and looks him straight in the shin, for she is only 16.5" [42 cm] tall. Butterfly wings that resemble translucent circuit boards sprout from her back and she flies up to talk face to face.

With a smile and a wave she says "Hey Mr. Bouncer Man, is this a good place to park my ride?" in a voice that is high pitched and a just a little fast.

[SuperCracker]

A small, glowing wormhole opened on the edge of the asteroid cluster and out flew a human astronaut in alien power armor. The armor’s colors were based on the astronaut’s original flight suit, one that resembled another suit made famous by one Commander Shepard. The armor was mostly black, with a white/red/white stripe running down the right arm and an N7 on his breast. On his back, in the same coloring, were the letters UNASA. The armor flew through space swiftly, surrounded by a violet glow. John had been bonded with the suit for six months now and had gotten the hang of maneuvering the suit through space. Despite all the terrors that had visited him since his first wormhole encounter, the astronaut in John was thrilled at the way he could fly through the stars with nothing but a suit.

Fortunately for John, his digital audio player and its vast library of files had been on board his ship when he flew, and the power armor’s AI, who John had just straight-up named Cortana, had been able to take that musical data and store it within the armor’s memory. Combine that with the fact that Cortana was tied into John’s psyche and you get this…

While flying through space, John and Cortana were singing along to some CCR.

“Left a good job in the city
Workin’ for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleepin’
Worryin’ ‘bout the way things might have been

Big wheel keep on turnin’
Proud Mary keep on burnin;
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river” (https://youtu.be/XfyEpmQM7bw)


In John’s Mindscape, they were riding in John’s car, an old Mustang that he’d paid to be restored. In the Mindscape, John wore normal clothes – a t-shirt and jeans. Cortana, well… looked like her namesake sitting in the passenger seat. Originally, the AI didn’t have much of a personality. It appeared in his mind as a glowing incandescent orb. However, after an encounter with a vicious sentient virus and a techno-Pixie, the AI seemed to wake up and gain consciousness. Having access to John’s memories, it started to create an identity for itself. And what John associated most with an armor’s AI happened to be… Cortana.

During the guitar solo, she went back to business. "Commander, we have arrived at Lombard Junction. Displaying landing coordinates."

"Thanks. Let's go see what trouble we can get into."

John banked and came around towards the asteroid. A map of the area began to populate his HUD as he approached. Soon after he had gained access to the asteroid, he was making his way inside of the bar. John’s helmet peeled back from his head as it dissolved into nanomachines. John was human. The only human. He had short brown hair and dark brown eyes. Since razors were in short supply, a close brown beard had grown on his cheeks. Since the bar was seedy, he kept the armor on. He had no visible weapons, but in truth, his armor was one hell of a weapon.

Outside of the doorway he whistled to himself. He spoke with a bit of a Southern American accent which somehow came through even with all the universal translators/translator microbes. “A wretched hive of scum and villainy.” He paused looking at a guy nearby with a giant floating hammer-- “Tager Yung?” John asked, not expecting to see him again. “It is you! How you doing?”

And then looking down lower he saw another familiar face. "And Tinkerbell! It's a regular reunion here."

[tonberrian]

A beautiful lizard-woman in generic combat armor sips tea by herself at a table in the corner, watching the new arrivals. She's seen them before - it helps to glimpse the future - and ponders the tapestry of the universe that binds them together. Not all had been revealed, it never was, but something about these people, in this place, at this time, for this job - it was important. So Kana Te watched and waited for their employer to make an entrance.

[Dodgeson]

The crowded market place scattered as Tager plummeted to the ground, giving him a wide berth, but once it became clear that he wasn't about to attack anyone with his strange floating hammer or declare that he was going to annex the Junction even those that had reached for their weapons went back about their business with only a murmer about his unusual method of arrival (whilst travelling between planets solo wasn't exactly unheard of, forsaking a ship was definetely unusual enough to draw comment) and a few store holders grumbling about 'yahoos'.

The bouncer watched the Naian approached, unimpressed by his swagger or the floating hammer, you work a door long enough and you've seen far too much to be surprised by anything "Don't start nothing and I wont have to take it off you." He said gruffly.

And then a little flying girl zoomed up to his face, okay maybe their still were a couple of things that could surprise him, blinking a couple of times he straightened up and glanced over at her drone before his face settled back in to a vague sort of scowl "Aint my problem if it gets 'jacked, park where you want."

[metakirb]

Calla stood at the bow of the Empyrean, Arms folded, looking down at the rocks of the Lombard Junction below.

Seriously? This is the place?

She turned to walk back inside, confirming with the navigator that these were the right coordinates and that she wouldn’t have to jettison him into space today.

The ship brought itself down for her to disembark, before returning back to it’s position, relatively, above them.

Crowds parted as she walked towards the bar. People seemed to know who she was. Good. But let’s put it to the test.

She walked up to the gladiator, firmly ignoring the other three he was dealing with, right up to him. She tilted her hat back slightly, looking him dead in the eyes.

Be a dear and get the door for a Lady, tough guy.

Intimidation on the Gladiator, [roll0] +5 if he’s aware of her reputation.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager blinked as the tiny woman went zipping past him into the face of the gladiator, looking for all the world like some sprite out of a Phantism myth. He was a little surprised at the rather lax weapons policy, but he recalled that Naiar was kinda on the high end of the scale when it came to arms control. Which, he supposed, also explained why a doorman at a bar was carrying a freaking firearm. Back home that would get a place shut down faster than you could say "armed security".

So he just nodded, and was greeted by a familiar voice. "Well if it isn't The Commander! Fancy meeting you here!" he returned with a broad grin. "The Commander" was the "honorary Graviator name" that Tager had assigned him on the conclusion of their whole misadventure. It was a sign of respect. You have to know the culture. He walked while he talked, heading into the bar so as not to be obstructing the entry, casing around both to find a place to sit and to take in the surroundings and people. The physical diversity of the various beings, while not something he had been entirely unprepared for, still took him somewhat by surprise. Naiar had several different races evolved from a wide variety of animals, and while there were definite physical differences between them, they were relatively slight. You never had anything like inches-tall people with wings, or people with four arms. And John, who was pretty much the only alien that Tager had really had much in the way of personal interaction with, could have easily passed for a simid. So while he was intellectually aware that not every sapient being in the universe followed the same template as the Naian races, on an intuitive level he still kinda hadn't expected just how different they could be. "You here for this job-thing too?"

[Izzarra]

"John of Dirt ... Soil ... wait I got this ... Earth. How have you been, who is your friend?"

Pixel considers the indifferent attitude of the bouncer.
While Calla is marching up Pixel is programming her drone to take flight and enter a holding pattern around the bar out of reach. She taps into the video feed from the drone to monitor anything that might happen to it.

Using Sensor Network (Remote Sensing) to monitor the drone.

[Dodgeson]

The bouncer's face went pale and his tail stood on end as he saw Calla approach, when she spoke he couldn't open that door fast enough, almost knocking it off of its hinges in his haste and quickly stepping aside "R-right this way..." He said with a not unnoticeable shake in his voice.

Moving inside Tager would see why the doorman had such a lax reaction to his weapon as every other patron seemed to be armed, some with large rifles slung over their backs and others with (often several) pistols in holsters whilst the rest opted for simple blades and bludgeons. Not that this seemed to matter that much as many of them suddenly decided that they had better places to be and hurried through the door and window as a certain woman walked in.

Conveniently this meant that there were now several empty tables and booths for him to pick from so that was something.

[SuperCracker]

John offered a broad smile and a handshake to Tager. “I thought I was the planet-hopper. Didn’t think I’d be running into you again.” His adventures on Naiar had been memorable. He was wanted in multiple cities for discharge of an alien firearm, disturbing the peace, and unsanctioned Graviator activity. There was a lot on Naiar that was strangely familiar. Everyone, despite being of different races, seemed very close to human. And from what he’d gathered, simids were genetically identical to humans. John could have ended his journey there and lived out his life… but he wanted to explore. He wanted to find a way back through time and back to Earth in 2019. "I’m here for the job. I go wherever there might be Precursor tech.”

Precursor tech, like the armor he wore and the AI in his head. The armor held the power to travel through wormholes and disrupt time and space… and for all he knew, it was the tip of the iceberg. You see, while the armor sought to attach itself to a suitable sentient lifeform, it did so for a purpose the Precursors had programmed. The armor was a data repository from that ancient, vanished civilization. And now that it was bonded with John, that data was now somewhere in his head. But it was locked. He could not access it, and it didn’t seem Cortana could willingly grant access either. This meant that although the armor could potentially travel through time in a wormhole, John had no idea how to do that.

It also meant that John was hunted for both the armor he wore and the information locked away in his brain. Things weren’t all fun and games in his Buck Rogers fantasy life.

When Pixel was trying to get Earth’s name right, John gave little vocalizations with his pitch going up as she got closer. As she said Earth, he went, “Ayyyyy! You got it!” He looked between the two, then decided he would make introduction.

“Tinkerbell, meet my tag-team partner Tager Yung, no relation,” since phonetically Young and Yung sounded alike, translator microbes or not, “Tager, meet Pixel the techno-pixie. She’s good people. I guess we’re all here for the job.”

Including, possibly, the scary lady that the room was collectively trying to get away from. John looked at her for a long moment with a funny expression on his face like she might be familiar. He could have sworn he’d met her somewhere.

“Something wrong, Commander?”

Mentally, John responded. “Yeah, I feel like I know her… just can’t place it.”

“I can do a search of your memory, Commander.”

Mentally, he answered, “Yeah, go ahead. Let’s make sure she’s not related to the Peacekeepers somehow.”

“Roger, Commander. I'll let you know what I find.” Cortana had picked up the lingo.

"Lets try and find our would-be employer," John said aloud, returning his attention to the two in front of him.

Sorry for the length.

EXPOSITION!

[metakirb]

Calla’s expression shifted to a smirk as the Gladiator’s fear became apparent, and further into a grin as everyone else vacated the bar. Except for a few others anyway. One of which was... staring at her?

You got a problem kid?

She started moving towards the bar before John’s comment about the employer.

Oh, you’re here for that too?

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager could admit it, he was kinda taken aback by seeing, just, everyone seeming to be carrying weapons. And not just archaic weapons, actual firearms. Some of them looking cutting-edge, even! He knew rationally that not all worlds were going to have the same laws and mores as Naiar - and he could only hope that such a proliferation of weapons meant that the wider universe had not so often experienced such horrifically destructive conflicts as The War To End All Wars - but still. Even though nobody seemed to be paying him personally any particular mind, he had never felt more threatened in his entire life - and that includes during John's visit to his world which involved Graviator street brawls, fleeing the authorities, and a less-than-peaceful encounter with a pack of wolves the size of small buildings. (How were they to know the cave was occupied? Neither of them were survivalists.)

So, yeah, it might have kinda made an impression when this rough-and-tumble, armed-to-the-teeth crowd more-or-less universally vacated when the woman behind them entered.

Huh.

Tager nodded at John's explanation. He didn't mention his own reasons for being here. Tager may have had the best of reasons for being in it for the money, but it didn't change the fact that he was in it for the money. The drive of curiosity or whatever reason John had for seeking out Precursor tech seemed nobler by far. He did comment on the planet-hopping though. "Yeah upgraded my armor. My sister's actually been studying astrophysics, she helped me set it up for space travel." The pride in his voice was unmistakable. "This is actually my first time off-world. So I suppose I'll follow your lead." He smirked a bit as he said it, a silent commentary on the wisdom of that, when considering the trouble John had gotten them into during his visit to Naiar.

But, he didn't then walk back what he had said, despite the smirk. John had also stepped in when he needed help without any reason to do so. There was a statement being made there. Again, you had to know the culture.

"Glad to meet you, Pixel," he said with a nod after John had made introductions. He was unfazed by her name. In the general sense it might have seemed rather on the nose, but it'd fit right in on a Graviator roster.

"Shouldn't be too hard now," he answered John's suggestion dryly, glancing around to see if anyone seemed to be paying any notice to the lot of them, now that the room had largely cleared out. If nobody did, he'd head over to the bar. The strategy of talking to the barkeep seemed reasonable, absent other options. Although...he wasn't entirely sure if the barkeep was mechanical or not. Still, even if it was, that didn't mean it couldn't also be sentient he supposed, in this wide and wild universe. Good enough for him.

[Izzarra]

Pixel is in aw of Calla’s ability to seemingly clear the room with a simple question.

"That was amazing! When I talked to that guy he barely acknowledged my presence, but he got the door for her."

With childlike innocence Pixel flies up to Calla. "Hi, I'm Pixel, that is John and Tager. You're also here for an exiting adventure?"

[Dodgeson]

The bartender watched as most of the patrons fled bar, shaking its head, that was a lot of money running away. Still it wasn't as if that was the only way they were going to make any money tonight and placing the glass they were cleaning down on the bar it left its station to approach the newcomers, leaving a trail of wispy white smoke in its wake.

"I take it you folks are here for the uh...special event?" They asked with the electronic distortion of a bargain-basement translation device "Right this way."

Waiting for a moment to make sure he was followed the bartender headed back behind the bar and punched a code in to a door leading down in to a cellar full of boxes, casks and barrels lit by a single dangling lightbulb. "Right through there." It said, pointing to a simple metal door partial hidden by shadow and stacks of preservative laden snacks, once again only briefly waiting for any response it turned to head back up the stairs to its post behind the bar.

The door was easily opened with a slight hissing noise to reveal a well lit affair conference room in contrast to the gloomy cellar that preceded it dominated by a sleek white meeting table with its own projector built in, at its head sat a figure wearing a large purple robe with a hood concealing their features.

"Don't mind the noise, a simple Babel Mist to facilitate communication." They said in a feminine voice "Now how would you all like to become filthy rich?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager followed the barkeep to the cellar. When they reached the meeting room, he took a seat with a nod to their host, his hammer floating behind his chair like some sort of watchful sentry. At her question, though, he only listened attentively. Yes, that was the goal, but it wouldn't do to seem too eager.

[SuperCracker]

You got a problem kid?

John didn’t quite know who the scary lady was, but she asked the question, so he answered. “Ain’t got no problem, lady. Just… have we met before?” He refrained from asking if she was a Peacekeeper… you know, in case she was a Peacekeeper, which seemed unlikely when she also said she’s here for the job.

When Tager said he was going to follow John’s lead, John gave a lopsided grin and clapped Tager on the shoulder. “If that’s the case we’re already screwed.”

The group approached the barkeep. Since the place had cleared out a bit, John mentally commanded his suit to change. The armor changed into what seemed like a liquid metal made up of many many nanomachines. In only a few seconds, the armor had changed into a flight jacket with the same coloring and emblems. And when the barkeep took them down into the cellar and then through a secret door, John followed along.

He stepped into the conference room and took a quick glance about before locking his eyes on the woman (???) in the purple robe.

“Nice Speakeasy you got here,” John said, followed by, “Get rich quick schemes are usually too good to be true or come with a biiiig catch. Which one are you selling?”

[metakirb]

Probably off a bounty poster. I don't recognise you, so I doubt you've come after the price on my head.

She was about to move after the bartender before the tiny pixie asked her question with such enthusiasm, and obvious lack of knowledge of who she was, that even she couldn't help but smile a little.

Name's Calla. And yeah, I suppose I am.

She started heading down after John and Tager.

You're a new sight for me, Pixel. And I've been around a long time. What's your deal?

[Izzarra]

After talking to the bouncer Pixel has been searching the net for videos of him in embarrassing situations. His history as a gladiator provided some choice options, but nothing quite as juicy as tripping over himself to get the door for Calla. The timing could not have been better as Pixel had just finished programming her drone to take flight when it happened and managed to record the exchange. A quick bit of video editing to replace Calla with a cute little kitten and it was ready for broadcast.

"I talk to computers and stuff."

The holographic window's security was easily bypassed. While the Barkeep is showing John and Tager to the conference room Pixel pulls a holographic wand with a little star on the end out of thin air and waves it at the window which starts playing footage on a loop of the bouncer fearfully opening the door for a kitten.

She then takes the opportunity to upgrade the security protocols, it would be terrible if somebody were use the window for nefarious purposes.

Leaning towards Calla, Pixel says in a low voice. "He wasn't very nice before you showed up."

After mentally altering her drone's flight path to get it out of the bouncer's likely line of site Pixel flies down into the conference room and grabs a mug. She sets it upside down on the table and uses it for a seat.

To the barkeep "Could I get a shot of something sweet with pretty color please?"

As discussed in PM on Discord.
Communication (Radio)
Feature (Holographic Display)
Skill Mastery (Technology) - routine check for 30

[tonberrian]

As the others descend, Kana Te follows after them, concentrating a little to get some more information out of their thoughts, and those of the contact as well.

Area mind reading! Everyone makes a Will check vs [roll0]. It's subtle, so if you want to notice the subtle fingers running through your mind, you need to roll a DC 20 Notice check. The NPC as well.

Edit: Gonna HP that.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Conscious answer to the question "Why are you here?": With the money I can earn from this job, my family will never have to worry about finances again. Also I'm the Grav-Knight and it will be an awesome adventure in space.

Memory: You see a memory of...what appears to be a television commercial advertising a cutting edge gravitech mobility suit. At the time, Tager had been thinking, That's what Dad needs. If I can make enough money for that, he'll be able to move again. Everything can go back to normal.

Subconscious: Although Tager himself doesn't consciously recognize it, he believes that to push him limits further and grow stronger, he needs to face a greater scale of challenges. He's defeated the best Graviators that Naiar has to offer; this mission will give him the chance to test his skills for real and grow beyond anything that any Graviator can hope to match. Brazen Maal underestimated him in their battle, and it was a factor. He won't make that mistake; he'll become so strong that no normal Graviator can ever hope to take his title away!

So, order of priorities here, Tager was thinking. Obviously, learning the actual mission and reward are first. The function of this artifact and what purpose it will be put to are important as well though. No amount of money would be worth- ...What is that?

Tager cased around, until his feline eyes were facing the direction he felt the subtle mental pressure coming from. Tager didn't have any particular personal experience with psychic powers, but he knew they existed. Feeling it himself, he couldn't say it felt like he had expected it to. But it also wasn't something he could really mistake for anything else.

And it wasn't just some light psychic scan, either. Though the sensation was faint, it was also pervasive. Like food left in a lidded garbage can for too long, creating just the slightest nasal twinge when you walked into the house, but once you noticed it, it was obvious whichever room you went in. Only in his head. In his thoughts, in his memories, in his very sense of self. Everywhere in his mind he went, that faint feeling of intrusion.

It was profoundly invasive, and rather worrying as well. He didn't know what the power was actually doing. It could be stealing his thoughts, implanting compulsions awaiting triggers, altering his memories, even staking out a claim for complete control. His knowledge of telepathic abilities was limited to fiction, and fiction made them sound terrifying. With his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed, he focused his will against the feeling, tossing it out like the garbage.

He hesitated a moment before speaking. The reptilian appearance of the individual involved made him...kinda unsure whether "sir" or "miss" was the appropriate descriptor. So instead he went with, "Friend," which at this stage was flatly inaccurate itself, but whatever, "I don't know what the social customs on your planet are. I'm happy to assume you simply weren't aware of how it would be taken. But I'm making you aware now. Invade the privacy of my mind without my consent again, and we're going to have problems." There wasn't any threat in his tone or aggression in his expression or body language. The hammer floating behind his chair didn't waver. But his voice rang with sincerity and did not particularly conceal his anger. He was content to let the matter drop, but that didn't mean he in any way approved.

He had no way of knowing whether anyone else at the table had been targeted, and would not make accusations. But neither would he keep the matter secret.

[tonberrian]

Kana Te's voice is musical. I mean no disrespect. You are a mystery, as is how you fit in the Grand Tapestry. I seek to know your soul, to know why your journey has brought you here. And words are often the enemy of the True."

[metakirb]

Conscious answer to the question "Why are you here?": Profit, see if there are any chances to raise that bounty higher, have some fun along the way.

Memory: Calla stood in her usual spot atop the bow of the Empyrean. Staring down at a planet. Her planet.

You're sure this is what you want? I mean, isn't this your own home?

Don't make me repeat myself. All ships, open fire.

And there she stood, unblinking, watching her own home planet reduced to an uninhabitable rock at the hands of her fleet.

Subconscious: Deep down Calla regretted what she did to her homeworld. Risking her life on ever escalating raids and such hadn't helped at all. Maybe it was time for one last job. Enough to settle down on. Raise a family? Grow some plants? She certainly did enjoy growing plants.

Calla turned to Kana Te the moment Tager reacted to the potential mind reading going on, and immediately drew her pistol.

You go into my head and I get to find out if the bounty on your kind's still up for grabs.

[Dodgeson]

"Sure thing." The barman replied to Pixel, unphased by her diminutive size and odd appearance "What about the rest of you? It's going on their tab." It said with a nod towards the woman at the head of the table, more smoke hissing out of its neck, once it had got everybody's order the barman would head back upstairs where it had some very stern words for the bouncer that was currently bashing the controls of the holo-window in a desperate attempt to shut it down.

And then things got a little tense...

"Now now." The woman spoke up calmly in an attempt to stop things from escalating "I can assure you that whatever bounty is on the lizard's head is a pittance compared to what my employer is willing to offer, it would be a shame if you were to miss out. Now if everybody could take a seat I'm sure the drinks will be here in moments and I can start assuaging any doubts you might have." She finished with a pointed look towards John.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager wasn't particularly impressed with the explanation. There were ways to get to know a person that didn't involve mental invasion. They were less reliable and took more time and effort perhaps, but that was kinda the point. And he might have said some of that.

...Except the woman who the bar's patrons had all been afraid of pulled a firearm. Was that...was that normal, on the worlds beyond Naiar?

At that point, Tager was a little torn. To say his piece then would have seemed siding with the gun-wielder, and while Tager would concede a certain right to defend one's mental privacy with force should it be required, at the moment that seemed like a couple steps of escalation too far. But to stand in the mind reader's defense would both convey some degree of approval, and also perhaps escalate the situation further.

Conveniently, their host intervened before he could come to a decision. And since he was pretty sure he had forced the mind reader out of his head, nobody could really say for sure that he hadn't just sat there unflappably because he was too badass to show any particular reaction to a drawn weapon.

"Water, please," he answered the barkeep calmly, because now he supposed he had to just act like nothing else of note was going on. He had taken up the role, however accidentally, and so there was no choice but to play it to the hilt. You don't break kayfabe.

[Izzarra]

Pixel's mind feels more like that of a computer then normal flesh and blood. A computer that has spent too much time on the internet.
Her attention is shifting all over the place, the data feed from the drone outside, incoherent technobabble ideas for inventions, random memes, what color will the drink she ordered be?
The colloquial equivalent of the Nyan Cat song is playing somewhere in the background.
Then something resembling a demonic cheshire cat drops into the mental scan and glares at Kana Te as blood drips from its teeth. (Picture in the character sheet (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WFblxDS06G7UNPjEpMK5BAA7GSKSOEBa65UPWINzbXU).)
"Ooooaahh, that is what it feels like."

[tonberrian]

"Garumian Tea, please." She ignores the drawn pistol.

[SuperCracker]

Conscious answer to the question: I go anywhere there might be Precursor Tech. This technology can open wormholes, control cosmic forces, and violate almost every known law of physics. Precursor Tech opened the wormhole through time and space that got me here. If I’m ever going to get home to Earth in 2019, it’s going to be Precursor Tech. And if the wrong people, like the Peacekeepers, get their hands on the wrong tech… it would make the Death Star look like a B-B gun.

Memory: John is strapped inside a chair. His eyes are pried open and he cannot move his limbs. He is trying to activate his armor but something is stopping him from doing so. A dark, sinister figure steps out behind a control apparatus. A voice with a rather civil tone speaks. “Commander John Young. Human. The Peacekeepers have never encountered that species before… never a ship or a colony or a station. There has never been a documented encounter with N7 or UNASA by the Peacekeepers or our allies… or our adversaries.” A pause… “So I find it quite odd, John, that a creature of your unknown, likely backwater species possesses technology as advanced as your armor.” The figure approaches swiftly and bares his teeth, suddenly displaying an aggressive menace. A hunger. “It’s technology from the Ancient Ones… and it is part of you.” The figure moved back to the panel, his tone once again seemingly genial. “You don’t have to answer right now, John. No no no… you need to spend some more time in the chair first. Then you will tell me what I want to know.” A lever was pulled and there was blinding pain.

Subconscious: This isn’t so much a thought from John, but… something buried deep down inside of his psyche. Even with the Mind Reading, what this is isn’t clear to you. But you can feel it… there is a very large cache of data buried inside his mind. And it’s so deeply encrypted that you can’t tell if even John knows what’s in there.

To Calla, before they came down, John would have answered: “I’m not a bounty hunter. I’ve got my own problems without trying to play Boba Fett out here. Must be from somewhere else.”

John was unaware that anyone had pried into his mind, but he trusted Tager. The reptile was mind reading. And not just Tager, either. That Calla woman pulled her gun. John stayed beside Tager, staying out of it. He had no dog in this fight. He didn’t know either of these people or what they were after.

So to try and defuse the situation, John doubled down on the business and sat down at the table with Tager. Play it like Han Solo. He looked to the woman who was their would-be employer and he gestured with his hand for her to begin. “Lady, if you start in on the details I think the guns and psychic powers might get put away.”

[metakirb]

Calla glares at Kana Te as she's ignored. Normally this would result in Calla happily opening fire on the offender, she had a reputation to maintain after all. This time though?

Her weapon fired, though it was clear there was never any intent to hit. A warning shot to underline her words.

Remember these words. My mind is off limits, scales. I even have reason to believe you might have tried and the next one won't miss.

Her weapon was returned to it's holster and she took a seat.

Something strong for me.

[Dodgeson]

Internally their host breathed a sigh of relief as tempers cooled and everybody took their seat, luckily for her the hood kept her features hidden so nobody would exactly notice and more importantly with everybody seated at the table the projector finally flickered in to life with the image of a lush green planet with a surface marred by enormous grey cities and dirty brown work sites.

"This is Malachord Mining World 7, those of you have been keeping up with recent events may have heard that it is currently undergoing a bout of civil unrest. My employer deemed that this was perfect cover to investigate the rumours of Precursor artifacts being uncovered at a temple belonging to some of the flora beyond one of the larger arcologies."

With a wave of her gloved hand a red circle appeared on the projection, highlighting an area of green a (relatively) short distance away from one of the cities, and she briefly stopped as the barman returned carrying a tray dotted with drinks and a single bottle cap filled with a fruity purple liquid for Pixel, this was need to know information after all and it certainly didn't need to know.

"Hope that's alright." It apologised "Not much call for tiny glasses."

"Ahem." The host said pointedly

"Leaving." And with that the barman was gone again in another hiss of white steam

"Gaining the assistance of the rebels to act as a security force was simple enough in exchange for weapons and logistical support but three cycles ago the xenoarcheological team dispatched failed to send a scheduled progress report. This is worrying as their last report had promised the team was on the brink of something big, it will be your job ascertain their condition and if necessary secure whatever progress they have made for my employer. Do you have any question?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager considered. He wasn't super fond of all the secrecy. It meant they had something to hide. But that could just be a matter of operational security and trade secrecy, it didn't inherently mean dangerous motives.

In the end, he decided not to inquire further into her employer or their motives. If they were altruistic, he didn't need to know them to contribute to them. If they were mercantile, they didn't matter. If they were dangerous, she would either lie about them or refuse to answer, and reject him from the team if he pressed. It sounded like they didn't actually know what the artifact they were seeking was, so a mercantile goal based on the general desirability of Precursor artifacts was the most likely bet anyway. If the artifact itself did appear to be dangerous, then he would be in a better position to demand more information once it was in their possession. Besides, if the original team was in peril, rescuing them would be a net positive.

...Also, it was a lot of money and being suspicious directly reduced his odds of earning it. But, you know, the above all sounded much better.

What he did ask was, "Do you have any intelligence on potential dangers or hazards on this planet? And is there anybody else competing for the artifacts?"

[SuperCracker]

“Cortana, take notes,” John said with a thought as he sipped whatever this drink was.

“Sure thing. Commander.”

It had the color of something Willy Wonka would have tortured children with but it somehow tasted like a hipster beer. Go figure. John watched the projector and listened to the would-be employer. None of this seemed on the up and up. On the other hand… he’d already made up his mind that he was going to go.

“So that’s the simple job? We drop into the middle of a civil war into a site that was guarded by insurgents with guns. You have no idea if your people found anything or if they are still alive at all. You don’t know what’s going on down there at all.”

He leaned forward. “Did I get all that right?”

Without waiting for an answer he clapped his hands and gave her a finger gun point. “And that’s the catch.”

He settled back and took another drink. He followed up on Tager’s question by asking for more specifics.

“Is there any fighting going on near the dig site? How much faith were you putting in the rebels you bought off? Who all knows about this potential find? Criminal organizations, freelancers, governments… Peacekeepers.” He last one in particular.

[Izzarra]

Pixel takes a sip of her drink

"Can I get a copy of that information?"

She points at the holoprojector.

[Dodgeson]

"You shouldn't need to worry, the air is breathable and the Malachord's pacified the natives long before my employer took any interest in the planet, the dig site itself is far enough away from any of the arcologies that there shouldn't be any major fallout for quite some time." She began to explain to Tager, fishing out an infodrive containing everything they'd already discussed along with a map towards the planet in question and sliding the device along the table towards Pixel.

"As for the nature of the expedition, the information was given out on a need to know basis, even if the insurgents have worked out what it was they were being hired to guard I doubt they'd be stupid enough to make that information public, If word got out of a potential cache of Precursor technology it would make their little civil war look like a tea party."

"I believe that covers everything?" She finished as the room was suddenly rocked by an explosion coming from up above as a new voice made itself known through the speakers built in to the table's projector.

"Ahoy there dirtwalkers! Lombard Junction is now surrounded by my fleet, don't even think of resisting and maybe you'll live to see another cycle! Hoist the colours and man the cannons me scallywags!"

Another explosion shook the room as far above them another ship unleashed its weapons on the cluster of asteroids, the image on the projector flickering only to be replaced by a three-eyed skull being pierced by a pincer, an image that was being repeated across the Junction, replacing every single screen, visor and projector that it could reach.

You've heard that voice before, it belongs to Captain Karkanos, a rival pirate originating from Cancrix the planet of the crab people. Your relationship with him isn't exactly friendly and the last time you two clashed you ended up in a bloody duel ending in you beating him and leaving him marooned to die but it looks like that didn't exactly stick.

[metakirb]

Damnable crab just won't die... I'll be sure to ask him how he survived before I take his carapace for a trophy.

Calla downed her entire drink in a single go, slammed the mug down on the table and got to her feet, looking to their host.

Think he's here looking for you? He and I have a history of fighting over scores.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager started slightly at the sudden explosion. When the threat was made, he blinked. Was this sort of thing...common, out here?

Well, now he understood why everyone went around armed to the teeth, he supposed.

...Although come to think of it, he may have had the causation going in the wrong direction on that one.

The voice of Tommy Yang was very rationally pointing out that this was not his quarrel, that it sounded like whoever was out there was armed with freaking high explosives, and that trying to fight could end up putting more people in danger.

The voice of Tager Yung answered that people were already in danger, you can tell by the high explosives.

Tommy accepted that, and asked what about the other two points?

Tager replied, what other two points?

And that was that.

In a single graceful move, Tager came to his feet with a sweep of his arm that sent his chair flying back, his massive hammer floating into his outstretched hand as fluidly as if it had been just another limb. There was just enough time for someone looking at him to see the calmly confident smirk on his face, before his outfit flowed like water and became his iconic suit of black-and-white armor. Without a word, he started back for the stairs, striding about half a foot off the ground.

Setting Gravitech Maul to Supplemental Gravitech, Gravitech Armor to Flight 5, full Gravitic Buffering, and the Light Immunity portion of Gravitic Bending.

[Izzarra]

Pixel picks up the drive as she sees the incoming attack through her drone's data feed.
She throws the video feed up behind her using her holographic display for the others to see.
"That is not very nice."

[tonberrian]

Without a moment to lose, Kana Te's armored helmet materializes, and she starts flying towards the commotion. Lives are being lost, and now is the time to act.

[SuperCracker]

“That didn’t answer the quest--” John protest was cut off by the room being rocked with an explosion. He stood up to his feet.

“Cortana, energy readings, bring up the HUD.”

John reached up and touched the N7 on the breast of his jacket, tapping it twice. The jacket transformed into what looked like liquid metal, but was really trillions of glittering nanomachines spreading out, changing, forming into Commander Young’s alien power armor.

Visual! Link (https://youtu.be/7lVolULFxX8?t=94)

The nanomachines covered his body, his arms, legs, and the last part to come into form was his helmet, a black helmet with twin glowing visors.

Sure, John was aware that none of this was his business. He was here for a job; he didn’t know these people and he certainly had enough enemies in this region of the galaxy. He didn’t need to add any more.

But John wasn’t going to sit back while a space pirate slagged this rock and the people on it, definitely not while he was wearing this suit anyway.

“Tager, Pixel, link comm systems. I’m gonna go make trouble.”

I’ll have him teleport in the next post, once I've gotten the info from his senses and perception roll.

[Izzarra]

" Let's do this. Care to give a girl a ride to the party?"

Pixel sends a quick command to her drone telling it to return to her little ship and defend it from enemy forces.

She dissolves into a stream of light that flows into John's armor, then proceeds to hide his presence from all hostile sensory equipment.

*Gives Cortana a hug*

Upload/Download: Movement, Dimensional Travel (Into Technology)
Sensor Masking: Concealment (All Senses), Affects Others, Precise, Limited (Technology)

[metakirb]

You kids aren't going up there without me. Karkanos and I have a score to settle.

She banged her fists together, lighting up the knuckles she was wearing.

[SuperCracker]

“Sure. Come ride in my Mustang.”

When Pixel downloaded into John’s armor, in a way she was downloading into John himself. He wound up inside of his mindscape with Cortana. Cortana, seeing as how a battle was about to break out, was sitting in an imaginary war room… like something out of this scene (https://youtu.be/zR7CeC-rqiE?t=55). She was dressed up in a rebel commander outfit. Cortana clearly liked to cosplay in John’s pop culture memories. Pixel appeared and hugged the AI, who hugged back.

“Hello Pixel. Welcome to the War Room. The Commander is getting involved in someone else’s trouble again.”

On the displays in the War Room, many, many points of light lit up the map, showing the location and intensity of energy sources above. Pixel could also see the mapping sensors showing the layout of the area. In a burst of data, John shared his readings with the rest of the… team? Well, it seemed like everyone else was involved. He supposed that was team-like.

“Well,” he said to Calla, his voice a bit digitized as he spoke through the helmet, “Guess I’ll meet you up there.”

After engaging Life-Support systems, John stepped forward into a flat, two-dimensional white space that appeared and emerged high above the asteroid. He was cloaked to sensors, thanks to Pixel. He was out in the open for a moment, staying still and quiet as he looked about for the main ship. If he saw it, that would be the next place he’d teleport.

[Izzarra]

Pixel studies the battle-map.
"We might want to jump into one of the smaller pirate ships, we could attempt to take over fire control and communications then start a fake mutiny within the pirate fleet. Get them shooting at each other."

[Dodgeson]

Even as the explosion hit the host remained seemingly nonchalant in their chair, this wasn't because they didn't care about the sudden arrival of murderous pirates in the air space above, it was quite the opposite, they were frozen in place with fear. This was exactly what they wanted to avoid!

"How should I know what they want? I'm just a middle man in all this, what could they possibly want with me?" They replied to Calla after taking a moment to calm their heart beats, thankful that their cloak still concealed their features and hid the details of their brief freak-out from the rest of the room.

Leaving the bar was easy enough for Kana to make her way out of the bar, whilst the bouncer was nowhere to be seen any more the barman hadn't seen fit to engage any sort of defences on the building and was still calmly cleaning out glasses behind the bar. Outside on the streets was utter bedlam, all around the sounds of shouting mixed with the discharge of weapons whilst bodies rushed through the winding streets of the market in every direction, pirates swooping in from the air on their jetpacks to pick them off with impunity.

"Let go of her!" The air was suddenly pierced with the sound of a child's cry as a small boy was yanked from the arms of his mother and hauled in to the air by a cackling pirate.

Up in space things weren't looking much friendlier, John and Pixel finding themselves surrounded by ships with more still warping in and whilst the pair might have been concealed from all manner of high tech sensors, the pirates that were currently disgorging from the ships (and their distinctly organic eyes) were another matter entirely.

Okay, so bad news the place is swarming with pirates however all is not lost if you can beat an initiative roll of [roll0] you can make a break for the flagship before they get a chance to open fire.

[Dodgeson]

It was true that there was no sound in space but thanks to their communication devices this didn't present any kind of major barrier to the pirates as John and Tager arrived in their midst, and with some quickly exchanged chatter they turned their attention to the pair of intrepid space heroes and opened fire. They weren't particularly coordinated (turns out roving groups of space marauders weren't all that in to order, go figure) but as the laser weapons rained down on them there was definitely something to be said for MORE DAKKA!

Okay, as you can imagine there is a lot a lot of pirates right now so brace yourself, you're each getting three attacks! Each one getting aided by some of their buddies.

John
Attack 1: Aid [roll0], Aid [roll1], Attack [roll2] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits. Miss
Attack 2: Aid [roll3], Aid [roll4], Attack [roll5] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits. Hit
Attack 3: Aid [roll6], Aid [roll7], Attack [roll8] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits. Hit

Tager
Attack 1: Aid [roll9], Aid [roll10], Attack [roll11] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits. Hits +5 Multiattack
Attack 2: Aid [roll12], Aid [roll13], Attack [roll14] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits. Hits
Attack 3: Aid [roll15], Aid [roll16], Attack [roll17] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits. Hits

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager strode out of the bar and into a pitched firefight.

Now, Tager Yung was a Graviator. He was no stranger to battle. But he was also a naian. On his world, firearms (and the more technologically advanced versions thereof) were highly restricted. Oh of course, he'd seen television shows and played video games and such that involved gun violence. But even so, to him, battle was intuitively a thing fought with swords, staves, maces, fists, and of course hammers. Archaic weapons.

Stepping out into a battle with lasers flying all around was...weird. To some extent, it carried the sense of terror that the soldiers of the War To End All Wars must have felt. But equally, it seemed almost unreal, the cartoonish, PG-rated violence of television and video games.

Nearly a dozen lasers came flying straight at him pretty much the minute he exited the bar, which some small part of his mind flagged as rather rude. Maybe he was coming out to surrender. They didn't know! (Eh, the armor and hammer may have been a clue). The beams were aimed straight and came from all angles. There was no possible way to dodge.

...And, also like in TV shows, every single shot from what should have been professional marksmen aimed with high-tech laser weapon managed to arbitrarily miss the protagonist.

Well, that wasn't really accurate. The shots were well aimed, would have hit, except for one minor detail.

Gravity bends light.

He launched himself for the nearest cluster of pirates, another sweep of his arm sending his camera drones flying from his cape to record the battle. He lashed out with a flurry of blows, gravitechnically reducing the weight of his hammer as he swung it, giving it massive speed, and shifting all the weight and more back into it as it came close for contact for devastating power. It was a tricky technique, but one that the experienced Graviator performed flawlessly, raining blow after punishing blow down on his targets, the black-outside white-inside cape behind him flowing up with every swing as gravity was canceled, and then suddenly tugging down with every hit as it was reasserted. Assuming he got them, he'd then send his hammer afield on its own, sweeping through the air with broad gestures of his gauntleted hands, to smack around as many of the pirates as he could reach.

And then he recalled the weapon back, and the moment it slapped into his palm, he smiled a positively Cheshire grin, drew his cape around himself with his left hand, and vanished.

Again, gravity bends light.

Free: Activate camera drones.

Move: To the nearest cluster of pirates.

Standard: Attack four pirates with Supplemental Gravitech, Multiattacking for four. I'll Routine the first attack for 16 and if it hits, Routine the rest. Otherwise they'll be at [roll0], [roll1], [roll2]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage. If any of them drop, I'll start a Takedown, Routining as long as Routining had hit or rolling otherwise, using my Elongation to spread the Takedown as far as I can.

Free: Reconfigure Gravitech Armor array (still at +20 points from Supplemental Gravitech) to full Gravitic Bending and Gravitic Flight, gaining Total Concealment from All Visual Senses and from Hearing.

Move-by Action: Reposition to obscure location using Hide in Plain Sight, getting to what cover I can in case of more advanced senses, and supplementing my Concealment with Stealth at [roll3].

Current Status: Normal.

[tonberrian]

Without a second thought, Kana Te grabs at the pirate with the power of her mind. <Release the child. Leave this place. Harm no one. Then I will not harm you.>

DC 20 to avoid grab.
[roll0]: Intimidate

[metakirb]

As she walked out of the Bar, seemingly unphased by the surrounding Pirates, Calla threw up a signal to her crew and bringing her ship swooping down for her to board.

She strode into the command deck and up to the controls.

Captain on deck!

Bring us up. We're bringing Karkanos' ship down and I'm bringing back his shell as a trophy!

The crew cheered and set to work, bringing the Empyrea up to bear it's weapons on Karkanos' personal ship.

Movement action to bring the ship for Calla to board and another movement action to get it back up in range of Karkanos' ship.

[SuperCracker]

John appeared up in space in a burst of light. And while the ships didn’t target him, the pirates did. A single pirate firing wouldn’t have been much of a problem, but getting shot at by nine of them at once with energy weapons was another story. John brought ups his arms to brace himself for the barrage. Lasers scorched and scored his armor, but weren’t enough to take John out. Either way, he had no intention to stand and fight.

In a burst transmission to the other members of his ad-hoc team he sent, “Boarding the command ship.”

John once again disappeared in a flash of light to appear within the engine room of the command ship. Immediately John switched off life-support so that his armor would begin auto-repairs.

Bruised x 2 and dazed.

Move action to teleport again. Free action to switch Life Support to Liquid Armor Regen. John heals 1 Bruise.

[Dodgeson]

Lombard Junction

Tager's hammer sent almost half a dozen of the pirate rabble sprawling on to their backs and in to unconsciousness as it slammed in to them, almost seeming to take on a life of its own when it's owner sent it further a field until a cackling brigand clutching a shrieking child up in the air managed to roll with the impact and took the Graviator off of his stride.

"You want the brat!?" The pirate cackled to nobody in particular (he couldn't tell where Kana Te's mental voice was coming from after all) "Take him!" A sphere on his belt began to flash and give an electronic bleep as the pirate twisted it and jammed it in to the child's pocket before launching them in to the crowd.

Meanwhile on the ground there were a good few looters who wanted to get a piece of Tager after what he had done to their friends, but he seemed to have vanished in to thin air (and none of them can beat that Stealth on a 20), so instead they went back to venting their frustration on everyone and everything within reach and unfortunately for Kana Te that included them as well.

Kana Te
Attack 1: Aid [roll0] Aid [roll1] Attack [roll2] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits Hits +2 Multiattack
Attack 2: Aid [roll3] Aid [roll4] Attack [roll5] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits Hits
Attack 3: Aid [roll6] Aid [roll7] Attack [roll8] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits Miss

Matron Carrak's Revenge

With a flash of light John and his passenger appeared deep within the bowels of Captain Karkanos' flagship, the whole place was filled with the grinding sounds of the enormous machines that kept the fearsome vessel running, punctuated by countless strained shouts and cries of pain from the crewman that occupied this level. Not that John could actually see any of this as right now he was crammed in to a storage closet (if the buckets were anything to go by) but he could certainly feel the stifling heat emanating from the machinery coming through the door.

And then the whole thing shook.

Space!

"Captain! The Empyrea's approaching!" A crewman on the deck of Karkanos' squawked to his captain.

The Captain hissed and clicked in to his translator and the device buzzed in to life "Then fire the cannons and prepare for boarding ya bilge rats!"

"Fire the cannons!" The cry went out, running across the deck and down the ship until it reached the engine room and with an almighty boom the ship launched wave after wave of heavy metal spheres at the other ship.

Not wanting to wait for his hated enemy to launch a counter attack the Matron Carrak's Revenge disgorged its raiding party, each of one racing forward on their flightpacks to be the first to reach the Empyrea and the first to taste blood. The Empyrea wasn't without defenders however and both crews were quickly locked in battle.

"Calla! Show yourself you cow!" Karkanos' called out, appearing on the deck in a flash of light, indiscriminately scattering combatants from both sides with a swing of his enormous robotic claw as a single glowing red eye scanned the deck for his hated enemy. "I'm here for your head!"

Matron Carrak's Revenge
Standard Action: Attack the Empyrea with Cannon Battery [roll9] DC30+Multiattack if that hits. Miss

Initiative
Calla [roll10]
Captain Karkanos [roll11]
Calla is on turn!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Unable to detect Tager with all his armor's stealth-enhancements, the space pirates had turned their attention back to attacking other people.

That was their first mistake.

A flicker of motion, and a pirate would go flying away.

Halfway across the field, another would get yanked into the shadows, followed up with a sickening crunch.

A pair of pirates took aim at a civilian, and were suddenly crushed to the ground.

Off in the distance, a Wilhelm scream.

Or, you know, something like that, anyway. Give or take a natural twenty in the worst possible place.

Free: Swap to Gravitic Strike. Reconfigure Gravitech Armor to Flight 5 and Concealment 5.

Standard: Gravitic Strike, Power Attack for 4, Routine for 16. Toughness DC 29 vs. Damage, Elongation Takedown, and they get thrown around by Move Object too. It's Contagious, but I'm too busy playing Horror Movie Monster to play Pinball.

Move: Reposition and re-stealth at [roll0].

Just For Fun: Intimidation to be a Horror Movie Monster: [roll1].

Current Status: Normal.

[Izzarra]

After they arrive in the ship. "Let's see what we are dealing with."
Pixel starts tapping into any video feeds from within the ship and relaying them to a large screen in John's mindscape so he can follow along.

Start with closest feeds then work outwards. Trying to get a feel for ship layout and how many baddies we are dealing with.
Sensor Network: Remote Sensing 10 (Audio, Visual), Simultaneous, Subtle 2, Medium (Technological recording equipment), Activation (Standard)

[tonberrian]

Kana grabs the child out of the air, and gently brings them toward the mother, separating child from grenade. <Be not afraid, child. I am with you.>

[roll0]: Telekinesis using the 29 from the reroll

[SuperCracker]

This ship felt more Klingon than Federation… and the broom closet was dank and smelly. With things heating up outside (judging by the energy readings), this needed to end soon or people would die from crossfire alone. John looked into the engine room with infravision while Pixel hacked their cameras and displayed what she could. Combining that data with the layout from his HUD, John quickly figured out just the right place for an attack.

He communicated to the others.

“Young. On board enemy vessel. Sending data now.” His systems broadcast all the information he had gleaned about the ship (layout, numbers, etc) to the other members of his team, including Calla on board her Empyrea. “Attacking the engine room. Go in 3…. 2…. 1….”

“Astronauts like to do that,” Cortana said to Pixel in the mindscape.

There was another flash of purple and John appeared within the Engine room. He picked the exact place where his next attack would hit the Overseer and as many pirates as possible. The armored astronaut extended his arms. Rippling purple energy coursed down his arms to his hands.

"Surprise!"

He released that warp energy in a wide, destructive shockwave of explosive power fanning out over the Engine Room.

As soon as John struck, he instantly started with keep-away tactics, teleporting to the nearest safe room out of their vision. He was going to leave them guessing.

Teleport.

Shockwave! Cone Area DC 20 dodge vs. DC 25/20 toughness (secondary effect) and Fortitude 20/15 vs. Impaired/Disabled.

Teleport.

Regenerates a bruised. I think that clears up his injuries.

[metakirb]

Cow?! That infuriating crustacean! I'm going to enjoy peeling his shell of his corpse.

She turned and started towards the door.

Bring down Matron Carrak's Revenge. Karkanos is mine.

Calla made her way up onto the deck, Cutlass in one hand, Sidearm in the other, entrance announced by the sound of the Empyrea's cannons opening fire.

How the hells are you even still alive, Crab?

Switching the Array for:
Cannons at Rank 12 & Enhanced Flight 6
Move to the deck. Calla's action on ordering the Empyrea to bring down the Matron Carrak's Revenge and Empyrea's action to fire the Cannons for [roll0] For DC27 Toughness if that hits.

[Dodgeson]

Space!

The Empyrea's cannons fired off with a deafening boom sending its heavy projectiles careening towards the enemy ship but unfortunately for Calla the Revenge's shields held strong against the bombardment before returning fire itself with its own cannon battery. On the deck Captain Karkanos hissed as his mechanical eye ran up and down the length of his target, his translator helpfully turning it in to booming laughter.

"That's Karkanos to you, ya fishwife! And I've got a message for you, the Seven Lords have finally had enough of ya! There's a new price on your head and I'm gonna be the one that claims it!"

To prove he wasn't playing around he raised his enormous mechanical claw towards her and snapped it shut hard sending a sound wave hurtling towards Calla faster than the eye could follow.

Captain Karkanos
Move: Why move when you have a robo-claw?
Standard: Attack Calla with Sonic Snap DC25 Toughness Save vs Damage

Matron Carrak's Revenge
Standard Action: Attack the Empyrea with Cannon Battery [roll0] DC30+Multiattack if that hits. Miss
The Bowels of Matron Carrak's Revenge!

A brilliant flash of purple and John's ambush rewarded him with a chorus surprised shouts as powerful wave of warp energy laid out a half dozen of the pirates he had appeared in front of and knocked the ogreish four-armed Overseer for a loop before he vanished again.

"What the [CENSORED]!?" The Overseer growled to his lackeys, rubbing the spots from his eye with a free hand "I don't know what that [CENSORED] was but you better find it if you know what's good for you!"

Not wanting to attract the ire of the Overseer or his cat o' nine tails the remaining crewmen began to spread out and find John and Pixel in their new hiding place.

The Overseer
Standard: ???
Move: Dazed
End of Turn: Fortitude to recover from Impaired (DC20) [roll1] Recover

Pirates 1-3
Assist [roll2], Assist [roll3], Perception [roll4] 18

Pirates 4-6
Assist [roll5], Assist [roll6], Perception [roll7] 28

Pirates 7-9
Assist [roll8], Assist [roll9], Perception [roll10] 19
Lombard Junction

"Thank you!" The woman was almost in tears as she pulled her child close to her, the grenade exploding 'harmlessly' down an alleyway, okay there might have been a crater...

If Kana Te looked around from this touching reunion she'd find the area curiously free from any more pirates bar one who was currently cowering up against what was left of a ruined stall, their arms thrown up in the vain hope that it might protect them from the fate that had befallen all of its crewmates. Closing their eyes and babbling as it turned out was of little help to defend themselves against the invisible attacker and was quickly sent flying just like the rest of them.

"Whelps..." A furry bipedal figure made their presence known as they stepped out from between two buildings, drawn by the sounds of shouting and the sight of flung pirates "I'd punish them myself but it looks like you've saved me the trouble." He continued, looking directly at the invisible Graviator, being invisible might have been a remarkable thing in a fight but as the eyeless humanoid in front of Tager proved the universe was a large place filled with all sorts of creatures with all kinds of weird and wonderful senses.

"Well, I guess if you want something done you have to do it yourself." With that the figure leaped towards Tager, with a swipe of its sharp claws.

Raid Leader
Move: Move in to Close with Tager
Standard: Attack Tager with Claw Flurry [roll11] DC27 Toughness if that hits. The Raid Leader is defended at 1d10+24 Hits

[Quellian-dyrae]

The raid leader's blows managed to put a dent in Tager's armor, but it held. Tager faced him with a smirk, dismissing the cloaking and redirecting his gravitech to repel physical forces. Odds were that the guy had energy weapon capabilities too, but hopefully he'd have to leave himself more exposed to use them.

The camera drones swooped around the pair of them, zooming in for the occasional close-up. Tager whirled his hammer through a complex, showy display of spins. It looked cool, but any skilled warrior could see that it wasted time and effort that would be better spent attacking. "Hah! Buddy, did you ever pick the wrong target!" he boasted, grinning for the camera.

Then he came on hard, a wild overhead swing telegraphed so badly that the unconscious pirates strewn about the meteor could probably see it coming. Oh, sure, if it actually landed it would carry devastating power as he gravitechnically increased the hammer's weight on the downswing, but most likely it would be easily sidestepped and crash right into the ground.

...At which point it would trigger a gravity well to try and weight his opponent down!

Free: Swap to full Gravitic Buffering for Half Immunity to Physical.

Move: "Startle" using Showboating, to cause [Underestimation] rather than [Fear]. [roll0].

Standard: Attack with Gravity Well. Defensive Attack for 2, Power Attack for 5, at [roll1]. If I manage to roll a 20 that's Toughness DC 30 vs. Damage, but regardless he gets Defense DC 20 for half, Strength or Defense DC 20/15 vs. Grab.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, +2 Defense this turn.

[tonberrian]

No time to let the mother greet her, there was still trouble afoot. Kana Te concentrated on the newcomer, bringing her mental powers down upon him. <Pain.>

Mental Blast! DC 25 Will vs Damage, with a secondary effect next turn as well.

[SuperCracker]

Still using Pixel’s camera feeds to watch what the pirates were doing, John let them fan out and move away from the Overseer. With the group dispersing in an effort to find him, he could pick them off in smaller chunks. The Overseer was doing…. Well, John wasn’t sure what he was doing. But just like a guy who’s in prison for the first day, you just have to punch the Big One or the rest won’t respect you.

“Hey Pixel, do your thing. I’m going to go fight Goro,” John thought, which was projected over loud-speakers in his Mindscape Command Center. He placed his hand on the nearest computer console or other piece of digital kit on the ship and gave her the chance to slip into the ship’s systems.

John clenched his fist and crouched a bit like he was ready to mime an uppercut. He delayed for a moment, letting the cluster of pirates come his way before… FLASH!

FLASH!

John appeared behind the Overseer, immediately coming out of his crouch with an uppercut aimed at where he imagined the alien’s kidneys would be. At the same time, a burst of warp energy was released from John’s suit. For the time being, John was surrounded by a protective barrier of warp energy.

“I must break you!” John said in his best Ivan Drago impersonation.

If the goons were still in the room, John would consider teleporting again (I’ll make up my mind). If they weren’t, he was just going to stand and fight the Overseer.

Barrier, which is linked to a punch!

Punchy time: 1d20+10 DC25 toughness on hit

John is deflected for the next two turns.
Turn one deflect: [roll0]

[Izzarra]

"I do not need to disembark just yet fly boy."
Pixel drops the camera feed and takes a stab at the pirate's comm system, her fingers dancing across the imaginary control console in John's mindscape.

I would like to try to access the ship's communications both current and anything in the computer memory in order to relay any relevant tactical information to my allies and compose some fake transmissions between the pirate captain and any underlings that are in command of the other ships in his fleet. The end goal is to get the pirates to start shooting at each other.

Scan Technology: Mind Reading 10 (Resisted by Opposed Technology or Will), Cumulative, Effortless, Subtle, Affects Objects Only, Limited (Technology), Perception range capped at 400 ft.

Communication (Radio 400 ft)
Senses (Radar/Radio), Accurate 2, Analytical 2, Rapid, Extended (3), Penetrates Concealment

Technology checks have a +20
Skill Mastery (Technology)
Second Chance (Technology checks)
Quickness 6, Limited (Technology)

Sensor Masking is no longer in effect. Instead John has access to my Senses (Radar/Radio).

[metakirb]

Calla snaps her own fingers the moment Karkanos snaps his claw shut, cutting the atmosphere on deck long enough for the shockwave to have nothing to travel through before reactivating, immediately followed once again by the sound of the cannons firing.

The Lords, huh?

She grinned, this would make things more fun.

How much they giving for me?

Without waiting for an answer she dashed up to him, bringing her cutlass up in an attempt to remove his remaining natural arm.

Besides that, I'm curious how you got off that rock I left you on. Nobody knew where you were, and you weren't in any state to build a beacon. Not with only a single claw.

Move action up to Karkanos and then attacking with [Photon Cutlass]

[roll0] To hit for DC25 + Multiattack against defence.

Empyrea's action to fire the Cannons for [roll1] For DC27 Toughness

[Dodgeson]

Space!

"You really think I'm gonna up and die before I see ya tumble in to the Black Abyss?" Captain Karkanos retorted as his mechanical claw began to crackle menacingly with electricity "And the bounty don't matter, every mother's son what calls themselves pirate is going to be gunning for ya now to in good with the Lords but I'll be damned if anyone's gonna do it but me! Maybe I'll make this tub my new flagship once I've got your head on a plate!"

His translator had to work overtime to be heard as the mighty weapons of both ships continued to exchange fire at full tilt, satisfied that his claw had built up enough charge Karkanos cut the banter and swung at Calla's neck.

Captain Karkanos
Standard Action: Attack Calla with Lighting Claw [roll0] DC25 Toughness and DC20 Fortitude vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated with Secondary Effect if that hits. Miss

Matron Carrak's Revenge
Attack the Empyrea with Cannon Battery [roll1] DC30+Multiattack if that hits Hits +5
The Bowels of Matron Carrak's Revenge!

"HE'S IN HERE YOU [CENSORED]! SOUND THE ALARM!" The Overseer bellowed to his underlings even as his crackled cat o'nine tails missed the suddenly appearing space and sparked against the metal grates that made up the floor which brought the rabble running back from the nooks and crannies of the engineering room that they had been searching, one of their number rushing towards the communicator on the wall as the others opened fire on John.

"I'm gonna snap you in two!" The Overseer bellowed, John's classic film references going clean over his extraterrestrial head as he tried again to bring his fearsome weapon down on the astronaut.

In John's mindscape Pixel would find the ships outdated systems childs play to crack and would quickly have an overview of Karkanos' entire fleet and their battle plan. Unfortunately that plan pretty much amounted to flood the Junction with men, grab everything that isn't nailed down and retreat once we run out of stuff to grab. Still it was a start right?

((Yeah not going to lie, they're not gonna be able to keep you out. If you want to start crafting fake messages it'll be Technology vs Insight))

Overseer
Standard: All-Out Attack +2 at John with Agony Overload [roll]1d20+12[roll] DC25/20+Multiattack Fortitude Save vs Damage and Dazed/Stunned if that hits Why am I like this :smallsigh: Hits (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23982522&postcount=72)

Pirate 1
Move x2: Run back in to the room and to the communicator

Pirates 2-5
Assist [roll2] Assist [roll3] Assist [roll4] Attack [roll5] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits Miss

Pirates 6-9
Assist [roll6] Assist [roll7] Assist [roll8] Attack [roll9] DC21+Multiattack Toughness Save if that hits Hits
Lombard Junction

"I don't know." The raid leader matched Tager's smirk with a feral grin of his own as he slipped around the Graviator's overhead blow "You look like you might be a challenge."

Then he felt Kana Te's mental powers crash against his mind and he leapt clear of the gravity well to bring himself crashing down on the psychic that had just drawn his attention, a flick of his wrist and a grunt of pain in mid-air activating the implants in his claws and shrouding his hands in a field of searing hot plasma.

"People like you should keep their head down missy." He taunted her as he swung a burning fist at her, he might not have no the specfics of her situation, but he still knew enough people who would pay a pretty pile of credits for a psychic, even if they were a little rough around the edges after he brought them in.

Raid Leader
Move Action: Activate Plasma Implants
Standard: Charge at Kana Te with Searing Swipe [roll10] DC27+Multiattack Defence vs Damage if that hits Miss

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Wish I could say the same," Tager returned without missing a beat, a trolling grin on his face. He whirled his hammer in a quick spin, reducing its weight to nearly nil and building up momentum, before swinging it at the raider with a powerful blow, his cape sweeping out behind him as he came forward, partially with a step of his own, partially from the hammer dragging him along as its gravity was reoriented on the raider - and greatly intensified. If it landed solidly, it would be a crushingly powerful blow and hopefully leave his target reeling!

Move: Startle with Showboating to induce [Anger]. [roll0].

Standard: Attack with Gravity Slam at [roll1]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25/20 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Toughness, Fortitude DC 20 vs. Dazed+Impaired+Vulnerable/Stunned+Disabled+Defenseless Affliction. If the Startle succeeds I'll Power Attack for 3.

Current Status: 1 Bruise.

[tonberrian]

"You have chosen poorly, to bring down the wrath of a Jen'Kwi upon yourself."

Deftly dodging the plasma blades, Kana Te attempts to grab the miscreant and hold him, so that her hammering ally could actually hit him.

Grab attempt, DC 20 Dodge or Strength. And he makes another DC 25 Will vs damage due to secondary effect.

[SuperCracker]

“That’s not the line-- oof!” Came John’s digitized voice as Goro smashed him with his alien whip. The blow came right to the helmet and left John quite literally dazed, the electronics of his visor flickering briefly before stabilizing. Then the whole gang joined in and fired with wild abandon at John, shots going wide or being deflected by his warp barrier.

“I see you pirates all went to the Stormtrooper Training Academy,” John said as his raised his hands up and spread his fingers out. He gasped, as if in surprise. “Hey fellas. Guess what?” And if the one dumb pirate answered with ‘What’ or some variation thereof, this would be even better.

BOOM!

John unleashed another explosion of warp energy into the room at Goro and the pirates arrayed behind him. And as soon as the flash had cleared, John’s left arm was back behind his shoulder, flowing with an overload of purple warp power before John unleashed a massive left straight punch at the Overseer.

"HAAAAAAAAAAH!"

If the punch landed, it would thunder with explosive warp energy.

Shockwave! Cone area attack aimed at Overseer and as many pirates as he can get. DC 20 dodge, DC 25/20 toughness; DC 20/15 Fort vs. impaired/disabled.

Then extra effort to surge!

Then Debitating Blow: All-Out Attack 3, Power Attack 5 – [roll0] , will spend HP on a miss - DC 30 toughness, DC 25 fort vs. Vulnerable+Dazed/Defenseless+Stunned/Incapacitated

Regenerates his bruised.

Roll to recover from Dazed: [roll1] Recovers!

John is Deflected again thanks to Secondary Effect, but only at +7 since he's power attacking. John is now fatigued.

[Izzarra]

After spending a few milliseconds considering content that could cause a large amount of chaos between the pirate ships and draw a minimal amount of suspicion at first glance Pixel goes to work mixing up some fresh fake comm feeds. With the aid of Sprite her AI she composes several messages that all have the same basic content but adjusted to reflect the ship of origin: A lone dying pirate sending out a final message warning that Calla's forces have seized the ship, take it out before they can man the cannons.

She spoofs the origin so that the messages appear to be sent between different pairs of pirate ships then starts jamming communications between the targets.

"John, we are going to want to find weapons control soon."

I will take routine checks unless you want me to make the rolls. If you want me to roll how many rolls should I make?
Quickness 6, Limited (Technology)
Skill Mastery (Technology) for a 30

[SuperCracker]

The intercoms in the mindscape Rebel Base squealed and then bellowed.

"Busy right now! I'll get to it soon!"

[metakirb]

It’s cute that you think you’ll ever top me.

She ducked under his claw, slashing at his legs.

How many times have we clashed? And how many times have I walked away the winner?

Attacking with [Photon Cutlass]

[roll0] To hit for DC25 + Multiattack against defence.

Changing Empyrea’s Array to: Regeneration 10 (Limited to Bruises), Ranged Damage 14 Extended Range, Secondary Effect)

Empyrea's action to fire the Cannons for [roll1] For DC29 Toughness.

[Dodgeson]

Space!

Callas's weapon hit home but unfortunately for her the new metal of his cyborg shell seemed to be extremely resistant to the frequencies of her trusty cutlass.

"There aint no winner to this until one of us stops breathing Cow!" The robot crab pirate hissed through his translator, his claw still crackling with deadly lighting as he swung back at her, the ship shuddering as it fired off its cannons yet again and scored a direct hit on the Matron Carrak's Revenge but unfortunately the rival ship's shields held strong and it fired off its weapons in kind, hoping that quality over quantity would win the day.

Captain Karkanos
Standard Action: Attack Calla with Lighting Claw [roll0] DC25 Toughness and DC20 Fortitude vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated with Secondary Effect if that hits. Miss

Matron Carrak's Revenge
Attack the Empyrea with Cannon Battery [roll1] DC30+Multiattack if that hits Hit
The Bowels of Matron Carrak's Revenge!

The engine room shook but whether it was from the explosion of warp energy that John had unleashed or from the damage that the hull was sustaining was hard to tell. Still whatever the case he sent another bevy of pirates scattering to the floor and his follow-up punch sent the overseer flying, his unwieldy and unconscious form clanging hard against a piece of bulky and out of date space age tech. With their leader now lying in a heap on the floor the remaining pirates decided that discretion was the better part of valour and began to flee for the stairs for the upper decks.

Meanwhile in cyberspace the wits of the pirates were no match for Pixel's technical know how and a trio of ships fell for her ruse hook line and sinker, beginning to open fire on each other in the mistaken belief that they had been taken over by enemy forces. For sure Calla only had one ship but given the rumours that floated around the space pirate were enough that they believed her and her crew were capable of such a thing. I mean if you believed the tales then this was the woman who had eaten a laser once...like with a spoon.

Lombard Junction

Tager's hammer blow hit his lupine adversary hard, but he just about managed to roll with the impact, impressive for someone who wasn't wearing a Graviater's high-tech armour, even more so that he managed to roll out of the psychic's grip at the same time. Eyeing (if you could use the term for a blind species) his two foes he quickly determined that whilst Kana Te might have provided a nice windfall, it was Tager who was most likely to take him out.

Forgoing a taunt or witty banter the raid leader instead chose to simply rush at Tager, swinging his plasma coated claws at him in a complex kata, aiming to leave no hole at all in his defence for them to exploit.
Raid Leader
Move: Move in to Close with Tager
Standard: Attack Tager with Claw Flurry [roll2] DC27+Multiattack Toughness if that hits and the Riad Leader is Deflect at 1d10+24 with Secondary Effect. The attack now has the Energy descriptor Hit

[Quellian-dyrae]

Just because the raider's claws were now energy-coated didn't mean they weren't slowed down by the gravity field pulsing off of Tager's armor. He barely managed to graze him, and the Moonmetal suit easily absorbed the trivial plasma discharge. Tager responded with an absolutely trollish smirk. "Did you forget to charge them this morning?"

This guy had a pretty good selection of tricks for getting around Tager's specialized defenses, but one of the big things that had earned Tager the title of Grav-Knight was his technical know-how and tinkering skill. Every time he had come up against an opponent who found a way around one of his defenses, he had come up with a new one. So he once again shifted the frequency of his armor, the gravity field coming off of it flowing down into a tight, pulsing layer, to repel anything that got close. It wasn't as reliable a defense as cloaking or buffering, but it was broad-based.

The raider went on defense again, but the situation had changed from the early moments of the fight. Now Tager had an ally, and that ally had psychic powers. Tager lashed out with a powerful blow, but he sent waves of gravity over the field to interfere with any return attacks against either he or Kana Te. Whether his own attack hit was largely irrelevant; as long as he could keep the psychic safe from reprisal, victory was theirs. It was only a question of how long it took.

Move: Startle using Showboat for [Anger]. [roll0].

Free: Swap to Gravitic Repulsion.

Standard: Attack with Gravity Shield at [roll1]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage. Regardless, Tager and Kana Te are Deflected at 1d10+20 and receive Evasion 2, Instant Up, and Immunity to Critical Hits for one round.

Reaction: If attack hits, that's a touch so Gravitic Repulsion triggers. Strength or Dodge DC 20 or be knocked back up to 30' depending on points of failure.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Deflected (1d10+20).

[tonberrian]

Once again, Kana Te focuses her mind on the Raider's. The pulse of crippling psionic energy attacked his mind once again!

Mental Blast, DC 25 Will vs Damage

[metakirb]

Then why don't you just do us both a favour and let this happen!

The pirate gracefully ducked down under his latest attempt to harm her, banged her knuckles together in order to activate her other close ranged option and sprang back up, attempting to land a mighty uppercut on the crab's head.

Using [Driver Knuckles] on Karkanos [roll0] for Dc25/20 Toughness & DC20 Strength/Defence

Empyrea's action to fire the Cannons for [roll1] For DC29 Toughness.

[Izzarra]

"Well, we might as well put your hard work to good use. John, put you hand on the main console I will see what we can do from here."

Are any of the following options possible from engineering?
- Fire the ships cannons.
- Purge all atmosphere from the ship and disable life support.
- Set a self destruct countdown.

[SuperCracker]

When Goro fell to the floor in a crumpled heap, Commander John Young, astrophysicist and space explorer, the one and only human envoy to the galaxy in 1984, struck a particular fighting game victory pose with a thumbs up (https://i.ytimg.com/vi/d_U3TSxTVdU/hqdefault.jpg) and aped his best Mortal Kombat announcer voice. “John Young Wins. Flawless Victory.”

Satisfied with himself, he walked over to the main console and put his hand on it for the techno-pixie to wreak some havoc. Just in case, he switched his armor over to Life Support.

“Do your thing. I’m gonna take a sec for a breather. And if you can find the head pirate guy or whatever, let me know. Today, I’m a contender.”

Standard action to recover. Fatigue goes away.

[Dodgeson]

Space!

Calla's knuckles crackled in her hand as they kicked in to life, accelerating the forces around her fists and slamming in to Karkanos' dense metal carapace with enough force to send him flying but instead all Calla got was the thudding sound of her weapon's impact and the whirr of the crab's servo enhance counteracting the momentum.

"Because it's gonna take a lot more than some jumped up doxy to put me in the ground!" He snarled, lunging recklessly towards his hated enemy trying to her in between his enormous mechanical claw and squeeze the life out of her.

Captain Karkanos
Standard Action: All-Out Attack +5 Calla with Crush Claw [roll0] DC25/20 Toughness vs Damage, Cumulative Vulnerable/Defenceless & Weaken Toughness Hits

Matron Carrak's Revenge
Attack the Empyrea with Cannon Battery [roll1] DC30+Multiattack if that hits Hits +2 Multiattack
Lombard Junction

Kana Te's formidable mental powers clashed again against the Raid Leader's mind but hours of discipline allowed him to shake it off like a sudden (but brief) shower of rain. Ducking under Tager's hammer blow he thrust a single plasma-sheathed palm out at the Graviater, once he'd dealt with the body guard, the true prize would be his.

Raid Leader
Standard: Attack Tager with Palm Strike [roll2] DC27 Toughness & DC22 Fortitude vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated & Weaken Stamina

The Bowels of Matron Carrak's Revenge!

The first two would require taking over other levels of the ship but your routined Technology check would definitely be enough to set the engines to blow.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The waves of gravity-manipulation pulsing from Tager's hammer turned the palm strike aside before it got close. "Hee hee! It's like some little kit trying to punch an adult holding them back at arm's length! Maybe you should just go home and have some milk, man!" Tager cheerily taunted the raider, as he came in with another swing, really just keeping on the pressure while he kept up his active defense.

Move: Keep up the psychological warfare. [roll0].

Standard: Attack with Gravity Shield at [roll1]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage. Tager and Kana-Te are Deflected at 1d10+20, and get Evasion 2, Immunity to Crits, and Instant Up for one round.

Current Status: Normal.

[tonberrian]

"Stubborn fool, you will fall eventually!" This time Kana Te lashes out with physical force!

DC 25 Toughness, Secondary effect of last turn is DC 25 Will, both vs damage. Come on, please let me actually do something for once. :smalltongue:

[Izzarra]

"I can trigger the self destruct, will a 30 second silent countdown be acceptable?"

[SuperCracker]

With Pixel about to blow the engine, John jumped onto the comm systems. "Tager, give me your coordinates. Pirate lady, Jedi, anyone else copy? The Jolly Roger is about to go boom."

Right after one of the others responded, John continued.

Off-comms, he spoke out loud to Pixel. "30 seconds is too long when you're workin' with wormholes. 5 second countdown. We are go for countdown."


Short, but it's because I haven't actually taken an action yet. If Tager or anyone else responds, he'll teleport towards their location and try and jump in on the fight. If no one responds, John will teleport well away from the Revenge and possibly onto the deck of the Empyrea, just because that's closest.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"I'm maybe...thirtyish meters from the bar? In the direction of the marketplace.
Look for the camera drones, I guess? Most of the hostiles down, leader is trying his very best to pretend the fight isn't over." Tager responded. It maybe wasn't the most helpful answer, but it gave him an excuse to troll the bad guy some more, and come on how annoying was it when your enemy was on a phone call mid-fight? Especially using one of those bluetooth things. That was just the worst.

[SuperCracker]

Once Pixel had initiated the self-destruct sequence, John wasted no time teleporting himself and his technopathic passenger a full mile away from the Matron Carrak’s Revenge and towards Tager Young’s location. John’s suite of sensors included extended vision and hearing, so with knowledge of where Tager was and who he was fighting, John was able to (stop me if I’m wrong) spot the Raid Leader they were fighting. While unable to get within melee distance, John was able to still attack. He held his hand out and fired a burst of violet energy down at the Raid Leader.

Attacking with Warp Blast: [roll0] DC 25/20 toughness damage and weaken toughness

[Izzarra]

Pixel rigs the self destruct to activate with just enough time for them to teleport out.

Edit: She also instructs her drone to fly back down to the bar.

[metakirb]

Hopping to the side of his attempts to catch her, Calla threw another punch at Karkanos. His armour might be tough, but she wasn’t going to give up on tearing it off his body when she was done with him.

Meanwhile, on the bridge.

”Pirate Lady”? Show the captain some respect! Her name is Captain Calla. She’s on the ship’s deck dealing with the Carrack’s captain.

Once again the Empyrea’s cannons fire.

And what the hells is a Jolly Roger?

[Driver Knuckles] on Karkanos [roll0] for Dc25/20 Toughness & DC20 Strength/Defence

Empyrea's action to fire the Cannons for [roll1] For DC29 Toughness.

[Dodgeson]

Space!

Captain Karkanos' cybernetic claw split clean down the middle and began to spin like a cylinder, building up a crackling charge of energy between the two pieces of metal, this was the pirate's trump card and his translator spewed out a gleeful cackling laughter in response to a stream of monstrous hisses and clicks from his maw, this was going to be the weapon that put an end to his hated rival.

And then behind him was an almighty explosion as the engines of his beloved flagship could hold back no longer and overloaded with enough force to crack the ship in two, sending shards off the ship and crewmen unfortunate enough to be almost immediately sucked out in to the void of space hurtling across the battlefield.

"The Matron! What in god's name have you done to her you hag?! This isn't over! I'm gonna come back and I'm gonna bring every last devil you ever crossed down on your head with me!"

The light between his claw died as the power was diverted to one of the many other systems hidden within his metallic shell and he vanished, reappearing on the bridge of one of the other ships to try and regain control of the situation and order a full scale retreat.

Lombard Junction!

Even three (technically four) against one the Raid Leader he came out unscathed, Kana Te's psychic after shock washed over him along with a blast of telekinetic force that would have doubled over a lesser combatant but his hardy predator's frame absorbed the blow as he slipped around Tager's hammer and the energy blast of the suddenly appearing astronaut with practised ease.

And of course none of that mattered as a brilliant explosion lit up the sky and a few seconds later the shockwaves could be felt even down on the Junction itself, pieces of metal and other things that it was probably better not to think about beginning to rain down upon the asteroid in fits and starts.

Tilting his head sideways for a moment the Raid Leader suddenly decided that there were better places to be right now than right here and began to flee at top speed, scrabbling up the side of a nearby building.

He just received an order to retreat, the pirates are getting the hell out of here.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The raid leader was a tough cookie, for sure. But if he thought he could attack the innocent people of this asteroid and get away with it, he had another thing coming. Tager floated silently into the air chasing after the raider in a flight that was too fast to properly call a "drift", but was still basically that aesthetically.

He bent the light around him as he went. The raid leader had already proven capable of peering past his invisibility, but here he wasn't really trying to cloak himself from view. He just wanted to make sure he didn't cast a shadow.

He let the guy get a decent distance, let him think he was making good his escape.

And then the fully-armored Grav-Knight dropped down behind him in utter silence, his cape trailing in the air above him to settle once more against his back as he swung his hammer with all the gravitic power he could pump into it, only then making his presence known with a roaring shout of, "SINGULARITY STRIKE!"

(Graviators didn't necessarily call their attacks in the general sense, but they absolutely did for finishing moves.)

The hammer shot from his hand as he swung it, carrying with it enough focused gravitational energy that it would increase the raid leader's effective mass roughly twenty-fold if it hit solidly enough to discharge fully into him, binding and crushing him until he submitted or passed out. The hammer shot off into the distance, before with a sudden hard tug of his arm and grunt of exertion, Tager brought it flying back, in an effort to crash into the leader a second time on the pass!

No escape!

Free: Reconfigure Gravitech Armor to two ranks of Concealment (Don't Cast a Shadow), 8 ranks of Flight.

Move: Fly after the Raid Leader, approaching from above and behind. I know he has some manner of Counters Concealment...but hopefully not a Radius Accurate sense. Using Stealth to approach silent and undetected in an effort to catch him Vulnerable: [roll0].

Standard: Attack with Singularity Strike, All Out Power Attack for 5, at [roll1]. On a hit, Toughness DC 30 vs. Damage, Strength or Defense DC 25 vs. Grab. The Damage is Progressive for as long as the Grab is maintained. If he's not Vulnerable I'll reroll this one

Reaction: If he's successfully Grabbed, Toughness DC...either 25 or 20 (not sure if Grab-based attacks benefit from Power Attack, come to think) vs. Weaken Toughness. This is Progressive for as long as the Grab is maintained.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: DO IT AGAIN at [roll2], except if he's already Grabbed I'll make this just a basic attack because Grabs have that rule where if they beat a new attempt while already Grabbed they escape. If I didn't reroll the prior one but he's not out, I'll reroll this one.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, -5 Defense this turn, Fatigued as of next turn.

[metakirb]

Karkanos! Where the hells do you think you're going?! Get back here you insufferable coward!

Calla stormed her way down to the bridge.

Open fire with everything! Ignore the closest ones, that infernal coward will be somewhere in the middle of the group! I will have his head as a trophy!

Fire the Cannons for (1d20+5)[18] For DC29 Toughness on the middlemost of all the retreating ships.

Forgot to edit, see OOC

If the main weapon was still online then they'd all be dust...

[SuperCracker]

John looked up at the thunderous explosion of the Matron, admiring his and the pixie’s handiwork. “Though he couldn’t hear the pirate captain’s impotent rage, he could imagine it and it made him smile. He opened a comm channel to the Empyrea again, responding to the guy they had on comms.

“That giant explosion right there is a Jolly Roger.”

He looked back down at the raid leader just in time to see a grav hammer sail directly into himI and end his escape… and his currently stretch of consciousness. n a flash, John teleported again down to stand beside Tager Yung. His helmet segmented and opened up, then segmented again and again as it peeled away from his head.

“Have I ever told you you’ve got a hell of an arm on you?” Yes. He had. A lot.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager's own helmet rippled for a moment and then flowed back away from his head, just kinda vanishing among the rest of his armor like water into a pool. "Maybe once or twice," he replied, deadpan, as his camera drones came whirring back over, tucking themselves into his cape.

Once the cameras were off, though, his demeanor...changed, somewhat. He looked up into the sky at the retreating pirates, and the remnants of the exploded ship. There was no question that John and Pixel had had to do it, and that taking that ship out so quickly had probably saved a lot of lives. Still, a shiver went briefly through him. Tommy Yang may have been used to battle, but he had little experience with violence.

He stayed that way for a couple moments, and then took a deep breath and exhaled it tightly. And then Tager Yung was back. That he would break kayfabe at all in front of John was a sign of trust. "So.
What do you think the odds are that this place has some authorities we can take these people to?" he asked, his own bet clear in the sarcastic tone he asked the question.

[metakirb]

Calla let out a frustrated growl as the last of Karkanos’ fleet escaped.

Bring us back down.

Once disembarked she stormed her way towards the rest of the group.

Alright, which one of you blew up the Matron?

[Izzarra]

Pixel materializes next to John. While holding her hands behind her back and looking anywhere except at Calla "Weeeeeeeeeell, I kinda, sorta, told the engines to do some things that they really shouldn't do and that started a power buildup that might have caused a little tiny itsy bitsy rapid uncontrolled deconstruction of the ship."

[metakirb]

Is that so?

She takes a few steps closer to Pixel.

Well then Pixel. The way I see it you just stole a prize from me. Destroying his ship was enough to drive that infernal coward into retreat before I could claim his head.

She grinned.

And so, until the day when you help me claim a trophy from his corpse, you'll be accompanying me as part of the Empyrea's crew. Whether you like it or not.

[tonberrian]

"I will also join you. For this mission. And what comes next. A storm is brewing, and this is the first step. I would see that it be guided."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager frowned as Calla tried to force the, err, fairy lady(?) into her service. Tager wasn't going to stand for any attempt to enslave another sapient being. That she was, as far as he was concerned, the hero of this battle and also oh yeah John's friend only compounded the fact.

He took a step forward. He didn't draw his hammer back out, although as always it floated along behind him like a ready squire, or re-engage his helmet, although the rest of his armor was still in its normal form, the moonmetal blending shine and shadow. He planted himself squarely between Pixel and Calla, his stance ready but non-aggressive. He had no desire to bring further conflict to this asteroid, but he wasn't going to just stand by either.

"So...you're trying to force someone to work on your spaceship, bare minutes after she sabotaged an enemy spaceship to explode from within?" he asked with a certain dark amusement. "I'll grant, I'm no astronaut, but to me that seems...unwise."

"That being said, as I recall we all came here for the same reason before we were so rudely interrupted. Perhaps we should return to the meeting, finish getting the details of this mission, and we can all work together on that." If he were honest, after what he had just seen, Tager would just as soon never see the pirate again, and certainly wasn't looking forward to splitting a share of the earnings with her. Flip side, well, after what he had just seen, it probably wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her.

[Izzarra]

The massive multimedia machine has been romanticizing the pirate life for ages; so Pixel naturally assumes that it will be great fun full of adventures, romance, friendship, excitement, and teamwork with lovable characters that have endearing quirks. Impromptu song and dance numbers that are impeccably choreographed are probably a bit too much to hope for, but you never know.

So the invitation to join a pirate crew is inciting to say the least "I suppose I could tag along, as long as I get to keep my ship."

[metakirb]

Calla glared at Tager as he stepped between her and Pixel, though when she gave her answer said glare shifted into a smirk.

You should let people make their own decisions, Kid.

She looked past him back to Pixel

Welcome to the crew, Pixel. You can of course keep your ship, though i’m sure you’d be more comfortable onboard the Empyrea herself. We’ll work something out.

And with that she turned and started heading back to the bar.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager only raised an eyebrow. The advice was mildly amusing coming from the one who had used the words 'whether you like it or not', but as long as the pirate wasn't going to try to force Pixel into something, he felt no particular need to continue the discussion.

[Dodgeson]

Arriving back at the bar the place was surprisingly relatively untouched, the barman casually back at his station and cleaning out a glass, seemingly unconcerned by the trio of pirates that were lying unconscious and twitching on the floor. "Didn't expect to see you again." It said electronically "I take it you want to finish your business with...?" It finished tilting its head towards the door in the back, smoke hissing out of joint in its neck.

Punching the code back in to the door he led them back in to the cellar and then headed back up the stairs to his position at the bar once they were obviously going towards the conference room.

The first person trying to enter was greeted by a bolt narrowly missing them and embedding itself the door "I'm armed!" the voice of their hooded contact shrieked "Oh it's only you..."

Seeing the danger had passed she quickly regained her composure and holstered her holdout pistol, taking her seat again. "I take it that the...situation has been resolved?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Yeah. More-or-less," Tager said. The danger was passed, anyway. He returned to his seat. "So, is there anything else we need to know regarding this mission?"

[Izzarra]

Pixel returns to her unfinished drink.

[metakirb]

I guess you could call it resolved. Karkanos got away, but I guess losing his flagship was good enough.

She leaned over the back of her seat.

Malachord Mining World 7. Look into the alleged precursor tech. That about cover it? Anything for us on the locals? You mentioned civil unrest and rebels. Anything we can use to our advantage?

[Dodgeson]

"That about sums it up." The woman nodded to Calla "I believe all that information is covered in the datadrive I gave to your associate. As for the locals..."

She gestured to the centre of the table and the projector flickered back in to life showing recent news footage of a clash between two opposing sides composed of large squat and stocky rock creatures, some wearing strange looking metal backpacks.

"For those of you not absorbing the Newscasts these are the Malachords, if you can't tell by looking their biology is entirely mineral based, they survive by consuming vast quantities of ore which makes them natural fits for the mining industry. This also means that their strong and highly physically resistant, if that wasn't enough evolution saw fit to gift them with the ability to project unstable energy from their mouths."

As if on cue the image on the table shuddered violently and faded to static as a stray blast from one of the Malchords struck whatever had been recording the situation.

"If the rebels have decided to renege on their half of the bargain with my employer then that is what you'll likely be up against."

[SuperCracker]

John sat out the little altercation, but was ready to have Pixel and/or Tager’s back if necessary. Truth be told, John didn’t know what to make of Calla except that she was also a pirate. Krakanos was a pirate too, and look what kind of things he was getting up to. But Pixel wasn’t stupid and she could handle herself. She could go wherever she wanted to go. John was just glad that nobody (innocent) died and they could all get back to business.

He grabbed up his previously abandoned drink and took a sip as he watched the footage from the projector.

“Good to know.”

“I’ll store that for later,” Cortana said as she filed away the footage somewhere in John’s brain.

[Izzarra]

Pixel finished her drink and get up. "Well I think we are ready to get started."

As she leaves the backroom of the bar she sees what the bouncer did to the poor holographic window. To the bartender "Oh no, somebody damaged you window, let me take care of that."

Pixel pulls a large (retaliative to her at least) tube off her back onto her shoulder and presses a few buttons on it. A stream of nano-machines flow forth from the device and start effecting repairs on the window.

After the physical damage is repaired she clears the video loop she uploaded to it earlier from the memory and sets it back to what it used to display before turning it back on again.

"There, good as new."

Nano-Forge: Regeneration 15, Persistent, Affects Others Only, Affects Objects Only, Concentration, Activation (Standard), Easily Removable, Quirk (Only affects rank 5 mass/volume at any given time).

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager nodded, standing up and following along. He smiled a little as Pixel repaired the window.

[metakirb]

Calla followed along behind Tager

Now, Travel. I assume we all have our own methods of getting where we need to be, but, if we’re going to be working together then we should travel together. Empyrea has room enough for everyone.

She stopped to watch Pixel fix the holographic window.

Well now, that’s quite the talent you’ve got there.

[Izzarra]

"This" Pixel points to her Nano-Forge Projector "It's just a little widget I put together because it was easier then fixing something."

She leaves the bar and downloads into her drone.

[tonberrian]

"Would you show us to your vessel, Captain? There are words that need be said, but not here."

[SuperCracker]

"I saw it... looks like a Peacekeeper ship." John commented as everyone one by one decided to hitch a ride on the pirate's ship. And it wasn't lost on John that they just got finished fighting pirates either.

"Sorry to break up the groove, but I'll take my own car."

[metakirb]

Calla grinned at John’s comment.

It was a peacekeeper ship. A long time ago.

She adjusted her hat and stood proudly.

You’re looking at the flagship of the most feared pirates in the known universe. The top of the line experimental planet buster Empyrea, taken by force by yours truly. You got a problem with peacekeepers then kicking up your feet on my ship is a good start.

[Izzarra]

Pixel flies her drone up to her ship and preps to fly it over to Empyrea's shuttle bay.

[Dodgeson]

With the Junction still in disarray it would be easy for the motley crew of adventurers to slip away, whether they were leaving on the Empyrea or had decided to take their own transport. However they chose to leave they would all be in for a long voyage across the spaceways until eventually Malachord Mining World 7 came in sight, a once green and lush planet with swirling purple oceans now marred by the angry scars of rampant industrial mining on a planetwide scale and the collateral damage of a civil war between a race of energy spewing giants.

Now of course they had a decision to make, with the coordinates that they'd been given when they were hired it would be easy to land at the nearest secure spaceport and make their way in to the jungle towards their target or attempt to find somewhere more secluded that they could land away from prying eyes and try to make it from there.

[metakirb]

So, we gonna vote on this? Empyrea docking in a spaceport will definitely draw some attention, though it’d Definitely be easier to get supplies for the rest of the task at hand.

[tonberrian]

"I see... fire and destruction. If we land at the port, the Empyrea, as a pirate vessel, will be attacked. It would be safest to find an alternative docking port."

[Izzarra]

"I think I can put something together to help us land discreetly."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager rode along on the Empyrea. Admittedly, it was kinda primarily to make sure that Calla didn't try to force Pixel into anything again, but he elected not to mention that. And it wasn't like he minded being on an actual ship. The space-travel functionality his sister had helped him program into his moonmetal armor was perfectly safe and functional, but he could admit it was just a tiny bit nerve-wracking to go flying through space at superluminal speeds with nothing but a suit of mail between you and the Void.

Although granted, he wouldn't exactly say he was thrilled to be riding aboard "the flagship of the most feared pirates in the known univer-"

Did she say planet-buster!?

Ahem.

Tager tried not to appear like a gawking tourist as they began approaching their destination, but the astute might note that he positioned himself at the most convenient location for looking down on their destination. This would, after all, be the first actual planet he had ever set foot on, other than his own. It was kinda exciting.

Naturally, it couldn't be easy.

"I expect we'll find enough trouble without actively drawing it upon ourselves," he said. "A more secluded landing would probably be best. We can always travel to a city ourselves if we need supplies."

[SuperCracker]

John wound up flying on the Empyrea. Despite his reservations (and ability to achieve interstellar travel without an actual ship), it sure was nice to kick back without a helmet and relax. John worked on recording notes from his ongoing adventures. It was a mix of action serial and scientific paper. Hopefully one day someone from Earth would read these and learn about the wider universe. The pirate attack on Lombard Junction was detailed, as well as the new types of aliens he encountered today. The Empyrea was there also, and everything he had learned about the planet to which they were traveling.

On board the ship, John had traveled in what appeared to be plain clothes, but was really just another configuration of his suit.

Once they were there and the lizard told them about a battle at the port, John perked up. He walked towards the viewport and looked down on the world below. The damage of war and industry on a planet-wide scale. It was horrific.

“Well, I’m workin’ with wormholes here. I can get in and out of that spaceport real quick to check it out. Less likely they’re gonna notice me than a Peacekeeper ship.”

[metakirb]

So, general vote is elsewhere. Unless your idea can help, Pixel?

[Izzarra]

"It should let us land elsewhere without being tracked by orbital flight control, unless they have somebody looking our a window with a telescope. Although if you really wanted to go and try to land right in the middle of the starport ... I might be able to go in and make some adjustments to your ships registration info, make it look like a normal peacekeeper ship on paper. It would be up to your crew to act the part though."

[metakirb]

You think these guys can pretend to be Peacekeepers?

Calla laughed.

We’ll set down in the jungle. It’ll be easier to escape from if things don’t work out so well too.

[Izzarra]

"Alright then I will get to work on the widget."

After the meeting Pixel goes to her workshop and begins building the power amplifier.

[Dodgeson]

With Pixel's abilities spreading across the whole of the Empyrea with the aid of her new gizmo, one of the most wanted ships in the galaxy began to descend upon the planet. Luckily for the rag tag group of adventures inside most planets had largely scaled back their physical monitoring efforts in favour of a mechanical solution and the few people that would normally still be watching the skies were currently far more preoccupied throwing off the chains of their oppressors.

The jungle was hot and humid as they disembarked from the Empyrea, something that wasn't a problem for the planet's current rock skinned owners but might prove annoying for others who weren't so used to and from there it was a case of simply following the directions that their employer had supplied them with, cutting their path clear with whatever tools they had to hand through a maze of twisting vines, the sounds of the wild never more than a few feet away but vanishing in to nothing if anybody strayed from the path to investigate.

Eventually they would arrive at their destination and it looked like a warzone, all around the clearing the tattered remains of tents fluttering on heavy lattices of thorny vines whilst thousands of credits worth of advanced scientific equipment lay shattered and broken amongst the dirt. Scattered around the place were jagged outcrops of rocks, that would seem almost completely out of place, until one of them started wheezing and coughing up a wisps of flicking energy that crackled as it dissipated.

You're not alone, you're being watched from the jungle around the edge of the encampment

[Quellian-dyrae]

Routine Perception for 25.

Tager looked around at all the ruined science tech. Not a great sign. Didn't appear to be any bodies though, which was somewhat encouraging. It meant the search team might have escaped, or at least been captured rather than killed.

But while ascertaining the status of the search team was a primary mission objective, at the moment it was a secondary concern.

"We're being watched," Tager said softly. "They're hiding in the jungle. Not sure how many."

Heh. Hiding in the jungle. Tager's orange-and-black hair wasn't just for show.

He started poking about the camp, picking up the odd object and examining it before setting it back down, studying tracks, and so on. He went over to one of the out-of-place rock outcroppings and started circling it, looking at it from all angles. And you know, it was weird. He didn't like dart for cover or anything like that. It was just that at a certain point, the watchers would just...lose track of him.

I'm sure it was nothing. His explorations had likely just taken him behind some object. Someone else probably had eyes on him. Right?

Routine Stealth for 30 using Hide in Plain Sight, then slip off into the cover of the jungle and start getting a better look at whoever's watching us. Tager has Darkvision.

[Izzarra]

After the ship lands Pixel uploads into her drone and pilots it out into the jungle with the group.

[roll0]
Edit: So close. Oh well, QD made it.

She begins looking over the broken tech to see if there is anything worth fixing.

[metakirb]

As the group departed the ship Calla was already prepared, cutlass active in hand to cut a path. When they arrived she glanced around, more interested by the out of place rocks than anything else.

Strange rocks lying around on a planet of rock people? I think we’re looking at some locals.

And then one coughed up some energy. She started walking over.

Looks like we have a live one. You need a hand?

[SuperCracker]

On the list of positive things about having an ancient alien armor hard-wired into your nervous system… John never thought that air-conditioning would be on the top of that list. But here we are! Walking through the jungle, John had his full suit up and set on Life Support. Suck it, intergalactic nature walks. As John moved through the jungle, the HUD systems of his helmet did an amazing job of mapping out the jungle, vines and all. John paused at the edge of the excavation site, zooming in with his visor to inspect the things left behind. Then Tager said they were being watched.

“Well, if they’re lookin’ at us, we might as well tell ‘em...”

John quickly punched one hand into the other, producing the force he needed to bring a barrier up around each of his squad-mates. You know, trust but verify and all that.

Hoping his translator microbes worked here too… “My name is John Young of the Planet Earth. We come to you in peace.” First time he’s said that. Usually he gets shot at before he can do the typical first-contact spiel. “We just want to talk.”

[Dodgeson]

The four creatures observing them were strange looking indeed, humanoid in shape they had rubbery green skin with long arms whose long thorn-like claws nearly dragged against the ground, their faces were almost featureless except for a pair of deep black eyes and a purple flower atop their head, if they had noticed Tager they certainly didn't show it.

When John spoke up they seemed to confer wordlessly with one another, gesturing as their flowers began to change colour and a mixture of scents floated through the air, quickly bringing their discussion to a close (and still unaware that they were being observed) they started to retreat, moving back deeper in to the jungle.

Back in the clearing the survivor hacked and coughed as Calla approached him with yet more energy leeching out from an enormous gash in what had once been its chest. "THEY GOT TO HIM!" He cried out, what was left of a rocky hand clumsily reaching out to try and pull the pirate closer "THE PLANTS! SHOULD HAVE KILLED THEM WHEN THE GOT THE CHANCE! THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HARMLESS!"

Looking around what was left of the camp, what remained of the equipment didn't seem to be in much better shape than the rebels were but that wasn't as much of a barrier as might have been for someone that had Pixel's way with machines. Most of what could be salvaged was simply boring technical data about the nature of the surrounding area's geology and the like but amongst the damaged files she would be able to find a series of notes along with a small digram of what looked like a structure submerged in the ground along with a crude map leading deeper in to the jungle

7.5/Blawq/07
I miss my office...I miss air conditioning, we better find something out here.

9.9/Yarz/05
We've finally found something, this is going to make my career. The natives have started to poke around the dig site but our escort is doing a good enough of keeping them from doing any real harm.

9.9/Blawq/07
The Malachord's are starting to ask questions and I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I think they're starting to guess what we've found. What have I gotten myself in to?

[Izzarra]

After hearing what the rock person said "Wait, are the plants going to attack us?"

[tonberrian]

"We should aid these people. Do we have any medkits?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager quickly weighed his options. While he did have some solid tech skills under his belt, he couldn't do the sort of stuff just that he had seen Pixel do. Likewise, he didn't have any medical training. Wait, the rock formations were people? It was funny, Tager had accepted the notion of rock-like aliens without thinking much about it, but his imagination had still cast them as fundamentally similar to naians, with relatively minor physical differences. Like, just naians who had evolved from rocks, as little sense as that made. It was a weird bias, but given how similarly the various naian races had all turned out despite the vastly different creatures they had evolved from, he had just...not even assumed, but taken for granted that they would look like basically-normal naians with some clear rock-like characteristics. He hadn't yet been exposed to a wide enough assortment of alien life for that bias to have been corrected, at least without consciously thinking about it.

(Seeing the plant people, with their rubbery-green skin and the flowers growing for them, smelling their conversation and recognizing it for what it was while knowing he had no way to actually comprehend it, was helping with that, though.)

Regardless, far as he could figure the rest of the team was more than sufficient to handle the campsite. Keeping some distance, he whispered into his commlink, "Observers are kinda plant-like people. They're withdrawing. I'm going to follow them and see where they come from."

And off he went, slipping through the shadows after the retreating plantfolk, making sure to stay downwind and taking a moment to cover himself rather liberally in some mud and soil from his surroundings, which he would periodically refresh as he went. Tager had found himself in a rough spot once when his stealthy trickery had been countered by the keen nose of a canid opponent, and canids didn't communicate by scent. It was thus only sensible to assume that these florids (as his brain nicknamed them by sheer pattern-matching) had a sense of smell at least as keen as felid hearing, which meant that if he wanted to track them long-term, he had to conceal himself from noses as well as ears and eyes.

[metakirb]

Treating injuries isn't really my strong point.

Calla glanced around again.

Anyone see any bodies besides the Rock people? I'd expect our dig team to be made up of some other species. They might still be alive. Kidnapped by the attackers maybe? Taken them as hostages for ransom? Or as guides to the main dig site?

She leaned back as the rock creature tried to grab her.

Who'd they get to?

[tonberrian]

Kana Te moves toward the nearest of the rock people, using her mystical powers to provide healing to the rock-person.
I forgot i had a healing power. Derp. [roll0]

[SuperCracker]

Killer plants murdering the dig team and the rock people. John mused, “Hope no one brought a red shirt to change into.” John was not a medic. Sure he had some skill with medicine, but he truly doubted it extended to a mineral’s anatomy. Knowing that he isn’t going to be much help to Obi-Wan, he engaged his thrusters and lifted up into the air, high enough to get a bird’s eye view of the area and where Tager and the things may have gone.

[Dodgeson]

Kana-Te's mystic powers flooded in to Malachord, its rocky carapace slowly knitting back together, unsteadily he started to get to his feet, whilst he was now missing an arm at least he wasn't leaking a stream of crackling energy into the atmosphere any more.

"Hey, you lizards are alright." He said, swinging a rocky hand to slap the psychic on the back "They got to that Slime Weasel Graff! Him and his bookworms! They're in with the weeds!"

From high above John now had a clear view of his surroundings, from the jungle that stretched out in all directions until it hit the savage results of the Malachord's strip mining and even to the war stricken arcology beyond that. Another scan of the surroundings would catch something that very nearly escaped his notice, tucked away beneath the trees was a squat structure constructed from a series of enormous stone steps leading to the peak of a pyramid.

---

The plant creatures moved through the jungle like they were part of it (which to be fair, they were), almost threatening to lose Tager amongst the vines and trees a few times before they reached their destination, a small enclave of scattered buildings built from vines and trees and flowers. Once they got there they immediately sought out a diminutive blue humanoid in beige helmet and jungle attire.

"What? People? Where are my cards?" He said as they gestured wildly at him, one of their number starting to sketch crude pictures in the ground.

"Right here Professorman!" A purple skinned girl with tendrils for hair rushed out of one of the buildings holding a series of coloured paper.

"Thank you Calra" The small blue man replied, taking the sheets and beginning to engage in a clumsy game of charades with the creatures, the coloured paper substituting for his lack of a flower.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager, crouching in the shadows watching from the outskirts of the camp, started putting things together.

It was funny. He hadn't really noticed when their employer had mentioned the temple was owned by some of the world's flora, or had called what he had taken to be their cities "arcologies". Thinking back on what they had been told, things were starting to make at least some degree of sense.

The geoid - no, wait, the Malachord - had been yelling something about the plants "getting to him". And this blue-skinned fellow had been called Professorman. That suggested the non-florids here were the science team. Presumably, they had switched sides from the Malachord rebels to the florid natives. Whether willingly or due to some sort of coercion or compulsion was yet unknown, but the Professorman didn't look like he was under any duress.

But why had they not simply reported the change to their employers? The Malachords had simply been security, as far as they were concerned. If they had struck a deal with the florids, that shouldn't have been something they needed to hide. Perhaps it was just that their communications equipment had been damaged in the fighting? That was certainly plausible.

"Tracked the flori- uh, the plant people to their camp," he reported over comms, keeping his voice low so it wouldn't carry to the camp and risk giving away his position. "There's some other folks here with them that are more colorful can most piscids, I think they might be the original archaeology team. One of them referred to another as 'Professorman'. The plant people seem to be reporting to him, but I can't understand their form of communication. Pretty sure they informed him of our presence though. Going to hold here, see if I can get the Professorman alone."

[metakirb]

So do we know where they’ve gone? Or should we head to the dig site and see if we can bring something back for our employer?

[SuperCracker]

Over comms, John said: “Huh… that foreboding pyramid looks foreboding.” He relayed a photograph of what he could see to everyone’s commlinks because a picture’s worth a thousand words.

He picked up on Tager’s whispered transmission and tried to look in that direction.

“Do they seem hostile? Who knows what any of these folks are up to. Rock people, plant people, Dr. Belloq over there,” John said, tossing in an Indiana Jones reference no one would get.

Deciding his best use of time would be checking things out, he flew towards the Pyramid structure.

[Izzarra]

Hearing the Malachord speak Pixel checks her Translation Matrix to see if there are any problems. Slime Weasel Graff?
Diagnostics show it is running properly. Must be an obscure speech pattern or something.

She throttles up the engines on her drone and moves into a slightly better position to provide support to John or Tager in case something happens.

[tonberrian]

"What is going on?"

[Dodgeson]

"I'll tell you what's going on." The Malachord rumbled, slowly making his way towards the treeline, before stopping mid-stride and disgorging a crackling stream of energy in to the jungle, more to vent his own anger than anything but it did at least start to cut a path for his hulking form through the trees.

"I'm heading back to the dig site, those bone kickers and the Weeds have got hell to pay."

---

The crude game of charades, doodles in the dirt and the waving of coloured papers that Graff was having with the plant creatures eventually came to an end, and they started to leave (though Tager would note that they weren't going back the way they came) whilst the smaller man headed back in to one of the buildings and threw himself back in to pouring over the sketches, rubbings and otherwordly alien trinkets that lay scattered around the room.

---

Approaching the pyramid it was probably more or less what years of movies had taught John to expect, there were a smattering of tents erected near the base of the structure for the smattering of archaeologists who were working around its entrance. Whilst they were being watched over by strange looking green-skinned creatures dotted with spikes and a single flower atop each of their heads.

Okay so if you want to try and go unoticed give me Stealth or otherwise just go nuts

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager gave the florids a bit of a lead, and then released one of his camera drones to fly after them. It wouldn't give him real-time surveillance, but he'd at least- hmm...

"Plant people are leaving. I'm sending a camera drone to follow them. Pixel, are you able to tap its feed do you think, keep track of it? Maybe call it back if it's going to enter a place it's likely to be found or something?" He wasn't sure exactly what Pixel could do, but it was worth asking at least.

He'd await a response, and then make his move. Bending light around him and lightening himself to prevent any sound from movement, he leaped/floated over to the building that the Professorman had entered. There were two main options for approach here. The Tommy Yang option would be to shift his armor to look live civvies, leave his hammer floating outside, knock on the door, and politely explain who he was and why he was here. After all, he didn't know for sure that the team was working at cross purposes with them. Open discourse might be the most effective route to getting information.

On the other hand, there was something to be said, when seeking to extract information from an unknown quantity, to keeping them off-balance.

The Grav-Knight chose the Tager Yung option. The first indication of his presence was the sound of the door locking, at which point, if Graff turned from his work, he would behold a figure in full black-and-white striped armor, white-inside-black-outside cape draped behind it, its head and face fully obscured behind a visored helm. The figure stood just a couple inches off the ground, a massive hammer floating along at its side like a ready squire - or perhaps an attack dog kept carefully at bay.

And in a deep voice with something of a digitally-modulated buzz, the figure spoke with heavy melodrama.

"Greetings, Professorman."

Intimidation: [roll0].

I mean, you know, assuming nothing stops or otherwise inconveniences me at any point. I'm using the Concealment from Gravitic Bending (supplemented by Hide in Plain Sight and my Stealth) to cross the camp undetected.

Oh, and I guess a Stealth roll for the drone. [roll1] since it doesn't benefit from my armor, plus whatever modifier it can get for distance without losing the plant people (probably not much in a forest but whatever I'll take what I can get).

[Izzarra]

To Tager: "On it."

Using Sensor Network to monitor the camera drone.
Remote Sensing 10 (Audio, Visual), Simultaneous, Subtle 2, Medium (Technological recording equipment)

[metakirb]

Dig site sounds like the best bet on finishing up our job here. Lead the way, Rock.

Calla moves to follow the Malachord.

[SuperCracker]

The second John had eyes on the archaeologists and the creatures watching them, he took a picture of them and bailed, hopefully before he could be spotted. Space warped and he appeared high in the air above his current location. His flight field stabilized again and he hovered for now, looking down at the pyramid he could still make out.

“I think I found what we’re looking for. The Temple of Doom,” John said over comms to the… little over half of the team that had comms. He sent the picture over for them as well.

“Tager, Pixel, feed me your locations.”

The visor zoomed in so that John could take a better look from high above. He already had his eyes set on the top of that pyramid, a good place for his sensors to map out the underlying structure.

Within his mind, Cortana was dressed in a brown leather jacket with a brimmed hat and a whip. A John Williams theme played. “It belongs in a museum! Commander, I know this reference!”

[Dodgeson]

Unaware that they were being followed the planet creatures made their way through the jungle, Pixel's link to the drones giving her a perfect view as a stream of crackling energy lanced passed them and hit one of the creatures in the back, reducing it to a pile of ash. Their flowers immediately turned a bright red and they began to scatter as the source of the beam lumbered in to view with Calla in hot pursuit.

"THAT'S RIGHT! YOU BETTER RUN! TELL THE REST OF THE WEEDS I'M COMING!" The Malachord bellowed, spitting another beam at one of the fleeing creatures.

----

"Oh my..." Graff squeaked as Tager made his presence known and his legs gave out, in an instant his mind began to race and he started to babble "W-well you're too small to be a Malachord and you're not one of my team, so who sent you? The Prime Foundation? Pan-Astra Technologies? Galacticorp? Well I don't care if it was the Peacekeepers! You'll never get anything out of me!"

Whilst he talked a good game the quiver in his voice and the fear in his eyes as he looked up at Tager made it clear that he was severely overestimating his ability to keep quiet.

[Quellian-dyrae]

John requested his position over comms. Tager didn't...really think that fiddling with his phone to send the coordinates would help him make the optimal impression here, so he held off on that for the moment. Hopefully John would recognize that he was in a situation where he couldn't readily reply. He left his own comms on so at least the team could hear what he was saying, which should help serve as something of an explanation for the otherwise non-reply.

Tager stood silent for several moments, the visored helm's impassive gaze boring into the Professorman. It was a convenient way to avoid seeming like he had no clue who any of those people were (well, wait, he was pretty sure he recalled John mentioning the Peacekeepers) and was taking a few moments to figure out how to reply to that. He didn't...actually know who his (and, thus, Graff's) employers were. The fact that he had previously dismissed as annoying but acceptable operational security was starting to seem more and more like an oversight.

Finally, after several seconds of increasingly ominous silence, he answered, "Your most recent expected progress report has not been received." The modulated voice, though still imposing coming from the high-tech suit of armor, was largely neutral, neither explicitly threatening nor calming. That statement should be sufficient for Graff to identify who had sent him. The most useful information he could probably get at the moment was seeing what Graff's unbiased reaction would be to knowing that the intimidating, heavily armored figure before him had been sent by his own employers.

[Dodgeson]

Just about managing to avoid the Malachord's parting shot the plant creatures melted back in to the jungle, looping back around to their village and beginning to cause as much fuss as they could, dragging their claws on doors whilst their flowers shifter between brilliant red and a dark black, quickly amassing a small crowd, the whole scene being observed still being monitored by Tager's drones and keeping Pixel in the loop.

While he was aware of something going on outside Graff obviously had more important things to occupy himself with right now, Tager had very kindly answered his first question, he was working for the same people who had hired him, unfortunately he was as in the dark as Tager was as to their identity and 'sends heavily armed thugs after their problems' didn't really narrow things down.

"And there isn't going to be one." He said, slowly getting to his feet and trying (and failing) to control his breathing "My team has hit a wall, and we can't progress any further, you can tell our employer that there's nothing of value here."

Which might have been a satisfactory answer if not for one simple fact, Graff was an academic, not a liar.

----

From his position above the dig site John had a perfect view as the bulky figure of a Malachord burst out from the jungle still ranting and raving, his very appearance sending them running for the pyramid.

"THAT'S RIGHT! NEXT TIME YOU TRY AND KILL SOMEONE YOU BETTER MAKE SURE IT STICKS!" He roared, another energy blast lancing from his mouth, missing the fleeing archaeologists and scorching the outer wall of the pyramid. Growling in frustration he lumbered over to one of plant creatures that been just a little too slow and hauled it up by the neck.

"AND AS FOR YOU STINKIN' WEEDS!"

[metakirb]

Calla followed the Malachord out to the dig site, seemingly unphased by the chaos going on around her.

So, here’s our dig site. Now we just need to get inside.

She glanced over at the Malachord and the plant person it was holding.

Plant people, huh?

She sighed. It had to be plants, didn’t it?

Making her way up to the Malachord she glanced over the plant creature, trying to make sense of the colours of it’s flower.

Rolling Expertise: Botany to try and understand the plants methods of communication [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager heard the commotion outside. He did not react to it.

To be fair Tager wasn't exactly proficient in reading people or anything, but it was like come on. Even just based on what he had seen, that wasn't exactly credible. "Professorman..." Tager said with heavy melodrama. The modulated voice almost sounded...sad. "I arrived here to find your camp ransacked, the Malachords that had been hired as your guards lying injured or dead, and you here in the village of the natives controlling the target site, free and unguarded. I was watching your conversation with them earlier. You are clearly working with them. Now, if you had merely managed to ingratiate yourself to them to advance the mission, that would be one thing. But lying to me...that is another."

In a sudden shift, the faint note of sadness in the modulated voice changed to sharp anger. The room seemed to subtly darken, the armored figure standing out like he was in some invisible spotlight, as if some proportion of the ambient light in the room had been redirected to bounce off of him rather than anything else. The very air around him started to feel heavy, oppressive. When he spoke again, he wasn't yelling, but it was definitely louder. "There will be a Progress Report. You may deliver it to me now, or I can begin exploring alternative avenues of compliance." Tager, of course, had no intention to harm the guy. It was just, well, he didn't need to know that.

Intimidation: [roll0].

[SuperCracker]

John hadn’t quite known what to make of all this. He was fully intending to sit tight, listen to Tager’s Batman routine, and then weigh the options. But then the Malachord went berserk and started pretty much attacking everything that moves. And while there were scenarios where that was certainly justifiable, it was striking that none of the archaeologists or, more importantly, none of the plant-people fought back at all.

Commander, I caution neutrality until--

“Nope.”

He teleported down to the surface, right beside the Malachord. John’s arm was curled back for a punch, violet warp energy rippling over his arm.

“Easy there, Rock Biter. Put the azaleas down or I’m gonna turn you into gravel.”

Readied action to attack if he makes any hostile move.

[Izzarra]

Move to John's position to provide backup if required.

[tonberrian]

Everybody was going off this way and that. And that left Kana Te all alone, with no idea what was going on. She cursed her lack of communicator, and reached out telepathically to her teammates, to ask them all a single question. <What's your status?>

[Quellian-dyrae]

After how he responded to the mind reading attempt previously, it wouldn't be particularly surprising that Tager would not have a particularly positive action to another mental intrusion.

~Eh? Oh. Hey this convenient! Can everyone hear this? Err, can you hear this? Like, am I thinking this right? Err, if you can, I'm still at this camp place. I got the 'Professorman' alone. Trying to get some information out of him. There seems to be some sort of commotion outside but my situation appears stable for now.~

While there were a few Spirit Powered naians with psychic abilities, Tager's understanding of them came largely from popular culture. Naian popular culture on the matter did not differ too far from Earth's. So yeah, he pretty much saw mind reading as an invasion of privacy, mind control as super-squicky, and telepathic communication as basically okay.

[SuperCracker]

Kana'Te gets back a message and a distinct mental image from John.

~Busy.~

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t1oNz92qJzw/hqdefault.jpg

[Izzarra]

Kana Te's connection to Pixel has some unusual digital interference as Pixel does not currently have a biological body.

<Provided John with backup.>

[Dodgeson]

Even if he didn't mean a word of it, and Graff had no way of knowing that, Tager's implied threat was all that was needed for the floodgates to open and Graff began to babble. He'd heard rumours about what happened to people who didn't give the Corps what they wanted after they'd signed on, that's how his mentor had vanished and he'd been a Doctorman! Who knows what they'd do to him...?

"It's true! All of it! Everything we thought! The natives confirmed that the temple is of Precursor construction, it is unfathomably ancient and there is something at the centre. I don't know exactly what yet, translating what little I can is taking time." It was at this point that he knew what the next question was going to be and there was no avoiding, all that was left to do was hope that somewhere deep inside the faceless corporate hitman in front of him was a conscience.

"But please, you have to understand, we can't go any further!" He pleaded, throwing himself on to his knees in front of Tager "Everything I have found points to one thing, nobody should have what is inside! It could destabilize the galaxy!"

-----

"Everybody's sidin' with the Weeds huh?" The Malachord grumbled as John's fist bounced of his thick rocky hide and he threw the Cactan aside, its limp body bouncing along the ground before coming to rest in the dirt. With the plant creature lying unconscious several feet away he could now afford to turn his full attention to the Commander, his enormous form towering over him.

"They got any funeral customs on whatever rock you're from or am I just gonna have to wing it?" He asked, energy crackling inside his empty maw.

Malachord [roll0]
John [roll1]
Calla [roll2]
Calla's on turn!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager sighed. His helmet briefly wobbled, and then flowed like water down from his head, seeming to just seep into the rest of his armor as if it were a sponge. His voice no longer modulated, Tager replied, "That's what I was afraid of."

~So, bit of a wrinkle. Evidently whatever's here is powerful enough that it's freaking the Professorman out. They stopped sending reports because they consider the thing too dangerous for anyone to have. The phrase 'destabilize the galaxy' was mentioned. I'm frankly inclined to believe him. Thoughts?~

Verbally, he said, "Sorry for going all 'Neil Warshawsky' on you," referencing a figure from Naian pop culture. He offered the Professorman a hand up. "I wasn't sure where your allegiances lie. My team was sent by the people who hired you to figure out what went wrong, but truth be told they were as vague with us as I'm getting the sense they were with you. Can't say I didn't have my doubts."

"Here's the thing. If my team doesn't deliver, they'll keep sending people until someone does. So...it seems to me that our best bet is to acquire whatever it is, figure out what exactly it can do, and then determine how to keep anyone from using it to destabilize the galaxy from there. Maybe destroy it if that's possible, or get it to someone who can be reasonably trusted not to use or abuse it. I dunno."

The other thing, he supposed, was that he didn't actually know if his team would be on board with that. He knew John well enough to trust him to do the right thing, but he didn't know the motivations of the others. Fact was they were a mercenary team, and who knew if they wouldn't consider the money worth the risk? Truth was, he'd be lying if he didn't say he was tempted to just get the job done and let matters sort themselves out. That mobility suit for his dad wasn't going to pay for itself.

But every path of justification his desire to get the money led him down ended at a brick wall made up of the words 'destabilize the galaxy'. Some costs couldn't be measured in credits.

"If that's the sort of plan you'd be interested in helping with, I'd welcome the assistance. Otherwise, you should probably get your people out of here. I don't know what our employer's next move is going to be if we don't deliver, and I can't necessarily guarantee your safety."

[metakirb]

There should be a trail of plant life the Malachord stormed through on his way here.

From her tone of... thought? It was clear that Calla wasn’t keen on the psychic communication. Her thoughts on Kana Te’s intrusions into her mind had certainly been made clear earlier. Still, more pressing matters at hand.

The Plant creatures aren’t exactly built for combat. They might be able to manipulate other plants as they see fit. I can’t really get an idea on communicating with them.

Hey rock boy. You ever heard of me before? The Dread Pirate Queen, Calla. You might want to stop this before you regret it.

Rolling intimidate to try and get Malachord to back down

[roll0] +5 if he’s aware of Calla’s reputation.

[tonberrian]

To Everyone: <We should regroup at the dig site to see what, exactly, they are digging up. It is as I suspected, an artifact of extreme power, but what to do with it has yet to be written.>

To Tager: <Try to have your... Professorman... lead you to the dig site. I will meet up with you.> She takes off, trying to locate Tager with her MENTAL POWERS.

[Dodgeson]

Calla's bold proclamation gave the Malachord pause for a split-second as he squinted at her, trying to wrack his brains to see whether he'd heard of her name before. At least that's what it looked like he was doing, it was kind of hard to tell what with him being a rock monster and all.

"Sorry lady, I don't watch wrestling." He decided with a shrug before a crackling wave of white energy spewed out from his mouth.

Malachord
Move: Nah
Standard:Attack Calla and John with Wide Beam DC20 Defence and then a DC25/20 Toughness
Adventurers are on Turn!

-----

Graff just stared disbelievingly at the offered hand for a moment before reaching out for it and shakily getting to his feet, he still half expected Tager's other hand to snap his neck any second now...

"Yes, of course!" He finally spoke up, excitedly shaking Tager's hand when no snapping was forthcoming "That's exactly what needs to be done! I would be more than happy to help, I can take you straight to our dig site, just let me gather my things, I'll need to explain it to the natives."

Without waiting for him to respond the diminutive let go of his hand and began to scurry around the room, gathering his armful of brightly coloured papers.

[SuperCracker]

John lifted his arm and formed a shield of warp energy over his right arm and shoulder, splitting the energy wave in two around him. He turned his body and clenched his left fist, energy starting to charge around it.

“I don’t watch wrestling,”

“But I do! So gimme a Hell Yeah!”

Everyone connected to Kana’Te’s telepathy heard an imaginary crowd shout “HELL YEAH!” Thanks, Cortana. And then, with a hard left cross, Stone Cold hit the Stunner on the Rock.

All-Out + Power Attack for 5: [roll0]
DC 30 toughness, DC 25 fort vs. Vulnerable+Dazed/Defenseless+Stunned/Incapacitated

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager answered with a smile and a nod. While the Professorman went about gathering his things, he said, "I'm Tager, by the way. And you are...?" He had heard the Professorman title but hadn't ever actually heard his given name. "Oh, and just so we're on the same page, what all...actually happened down here? Like, how'd it all go from you guys trying to find the artifact and being guarded by the Malachords to you guys working with the plant folk and breaking with whoever-they-are that hired us?" The more he could learn about what was actually going on here the better.

~I'm going to head to the dig site with the Professorman. Might be a good idea for us to all regroup and head out together; I expect there's a reason they haven't actually retrieved the artifact yet and that reason probably bears a strong resemblance to {closest Naian equivalent of Indiana Jones},~ he sent to the team. While he was at it, he finally took the opportunity to send John his coordinates. He more-or-less no-sold the clear indications of fighting coming through the mindlink, figuring no assistance was likely required.

[Izzarra]

Pixel does not want to hurt the Malachord, so she sets the drones weapons to stun and takes a shot.

Attack the Malachord with the drone's stun gun.
[roll0] Affliction 8 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Ranged

[metakirb]

Guess we’re doing it this way...

Calla ran straight through the wave of energy, her coat easily soaking up all the damage she could have taken, and began slashing at the Malachord with her cutlass.

Attacking the Malachord with [Photon Cutlass]

[roll0] To hit for DC25 + Multiattack against defence.

[Dodgeson]

Outnumbered by 3-1 the Malachord faced down stun rays and photon blades, all the wonders of modern weapons technology failed to so much as slow down the raging rock monster, it turns out what you really needed in these situations was good old-fashioned fisty cuffs and John's left hook sent the alien reeling.

"That all you got?!" He bellowed, lashing out with an enormous stony mitt in the Commander's direction.

Move: Staggered
Standard: Attack John [roll0] DC25 Toughness & DC20 Strength/Defence vs Grab if that hits Hits
----

Once he'd gathered up the papers Graff hurried outside and animatedly gestured to the natives, flashing the papers at them as he explained the situation as best he could in his pidgin tongue. A few minutes later and the pair were off heading towards the dig site and the Professor decided that it was as good a time as any to try and explain the situation.

"It's very simple really, the Malachord's might have a certain reputation for brutishness, but they are by no means dim, once they realised that the structure at the dig site was Precursor in origin they thought that whatever we found would be able to help them in their struggle. Which is where the natives come in, as far as I have been able to work out, they believe the Precursors to be gods and like me they believe that nobody should have what lies within the temple. Once the Malachord's began to make threats what else could I do but throw my lot in with them?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager followed along, nodding at Graff's explanation. "I see. So what's the situation like in the ruins? Have you just not retrieved the artifact because for the time being it made more sense to leave it where it was, or are there...obstacles." He placed a certain emphasis on the last word.

[SuperCracker]

The Rock should’ve used the People’s Elbow. The fist slammed into John, denting his armor but not punching through into any sensitive systems or the crunchy, fragile human underneath. As for the attempted grapple, John’s strength was raised to superhuman proportions thanks to the Precursor armor. He shrugged the Malachord’s efforts off vigorously.

“Nope, there’s also this!”

John planted his right foot and spun on it, swinging his left foot up with a roundhouse kick, carrying a powerful blow of warp energy along with it. The instant his foot made impact or missed, John flashed out of existence, gaining a lot of distance from the Malachord. He knew he’d left himself wide open with that attack, best not to be too close.

He then engaged his auto-repair systems. The armor began to repair the dented section, completing the work within seconds.

Standard: Another All-Out/Power Attack.

Warp Strike – [roll0] – DC 30+Multi Toughness damage, DC 25+Multi Toughness vs. Wzeaken Toughness

Move: Tactical Teleport – moving 200 feet away.

Free: Switching Nanotech Armor Systems to Auto-Repair. John heals one bruised.

[metakirb]

If the Malachord wanted to ignore Calla and focus on the instigator of their current scuffle then that was fine by her. The captain twirled her cutlass in her hand and flipped a switch on the hilt, causing the already powerful blade to grow in both size and intensity briefly as she unleashed another flurry of attacks.

Attacking the Malachord with [Photon Cutlass], all out attack and power attack at +5 each

[roll0] To hit for DC30 + Multiattack against defence.

[SuperCracker]

Well that didnt work... so might as well try something crazier!

John took a running start then jumped into the air in a Superman pose, left fist cocked back and ready to punch. He teleported, twisted around his angle of reentry, and appeared coming the opposite direction with a warp punch to the face.

"And there's this!"

And once again, he teleported away.

Extra effort to surge.

Debilitating Blow - full All-Out/Power - [roll0] DC 30 Toughness, DC 25 Fort vs Affliction (Vulnerable+Dazed/Defenseless+Stunned/Incapacitated) (Cumulative)

John is now Fatigued.

[Izzarra]

Pixel takes another shot with the stun gun.
Attack the Malachord with the drone's stun gun.
[roll0] Affliction 8 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Ranged

[Dodgeson]

Working their way through the jungle Professorman Graff chuckled a little with embarrassment "We have made a lot of progress, never would have gotten that far without the natives' help, but there has been something of a snag. We've reached what I believe to be central chamber of the temple but it's blocked by a fortification that our equipment isn't able to penetrate, I was hoping that a concerted effort from our guards might have been able to breach it but that's no longer an option."

"YOU LITTLE #@£$%!!!" The Malachord roared a string of incomprehensible alien swear words whilst the combined efforts of his John and Pixel still failed to put him down for the count as he swung out at the human again, trying to grab him in his rocky grip and snap him like a twig. In fact he was so enraged that he didn't even notice when his former employer showed up along with a couple of new faces.

"Oh my..." Graff squeaked, moving safely behind Tager's larger frame

Move: Staggered
Standard: All-Out/Power Attack +2 John [roll0] DC27 Toughness & DC22 Strength/Defence vs Grab if that hits Hits
Adventurers are on turn and the gang's all here!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Oh, good, the others are already here. Tager had kinda lost track of where everyone was, so that was convenient.

Also, they were fighting one of the Malachords. Tager wasn't entirely clear on what the deal with that was, but they totally had grown-up things to deal with right now. And based on what Graff had been telling him, letting the Malachords near the artifact might not go well for folks.

From across the battlefield, Tager turned a glare on the Malachord. An intense, focused stare. It wasn't so much challenging as it was dominant. It was a stare that said, Look. Look right here. These? These are the eyes of the person that is going to crush you.

Which, you know, hopefully would distract the guy from the giant floating hammer sneaking up behind him and walloping him upside the head.

Move: Startle the Malachord at [roll0].

Standard: Attack the Malachord with Gravity Slam at [roll1]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25/20 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Toughness, Fortitude DC 20 vs. Dazed+Impaired+Vulnerable/Stunned+Disabled+Defenseless.

Free: Reconfigure Gravitech Armor to full Gravitic Buffering.

Current Status: Normal.

[SuperCracker]

Ok, maybe heel-era Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wasn’t the appropriate metaphor. In reality, it definitely seemed like the Malachord was a different fictional character. The Malachord could’a been a contendah’!

Hit the music! (https://youtu.be/DhlPAj38rHc)

And yes… some of that bled through the telepathy. John’s head is a weird place, not helped by how much alien technology and data is using his frontal lobe as a Storage Unit.

“Commander,” Cortana voice echoed, “Laser breath incoming!”

John braced as he took the hit of energy, taking the shot at just the right angle for the armor to disperse the energy without damage. John teleported, moving through created wormholes at will, bending and breaking the forces of reality with ancient alien technology in order to… beat up a rock man.

John appeared and threw a right jab into a left warp hook at the Malachord’s open jaw, followed up by several more body blows. If the Malachord was Rocky, John was Clubber Lang... but a Clubber Lang who doesn't like getting grappled. So he teleported away again, this time on the opposite side of the clearing.

Move: Teleport

Standard: Attack with Warp Strike, full all-out+power attacl: [roll0] DC 30+Multi Toughness, DC 25+Multi Toughness vs. Weaken Toughness

Move Continues: Move by Action to teleport again, 200 feet away.

[tonberrian]

<I did not heal you so you could die here. Please, surrender.> Kana Te calls out telepathically to the Malachord. Perhaps they could avoid further bloodshed.

[roll0]: Diplomacy (fingers crossed for a narrative bonus...)

[Dodgeson]

Rage and a stony hide could only carry the Malachord so far and in the face of overwhelming odds it was finally the one-two punch of a gravitically powered hammer and an actual punch from Earth's favourite some that finally sent the rocky alien crashing out in to unconsciousness and hitting the ground with a satisfying thud.

When it became apparent that the laser spewing malcontent wasn't getting back up again the archaeologists that had been cowering in the pyramid cautiously began to make their way back out in to the open along with the few plant-like natives that were present on the site.

"If it makes you feel any better." Graff tried to reassure the assembled group "The Malachord's did have the natives classified as flora so that it wouldn't interfere with their mining operation."

[SuperCracker]

The Malachord fell and the crowd went wild! Well, the crowd in John’s head. Cortana, now in a referee’s outfit, counted to 10 and declared a knockout. The bell rung for a victory.

“And that’s the bottom line, cause John Young said so.”

He disengaged the helmet and the armor segmented and peeled away from his face, exposing the alien human to the plants and the Professorman.

“So they’re colonial Europe. Cool. I now classify him as a mineral.” John gave the unconscious Malachord a kick to the midsection for good measure, not hard enough to do any real damage, but enough to make it hurt worse when he finally woke up. John was apparently not bothered at all by beating up the Malachord.

John turned to Graff and the emerging natives. “Commander John Young, UNASA.” He offered a sincere smile. These creatures were sentient, ambulatory plants. It was amazing! A completely different evolutionary path. “I take it you’re the Professorman.”

Worth noting that since John’s suit is Precursor Tech, maybe Graff knows something or can recognize it as such.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager's hammer floated back over to hover behind him again as the Malachord went down. Okay, that was one problem handled. "So, here's the situation. The dig team has encountered a barrier at what they presume is the center of the temple that their equipment is unable to penetrate. Should be something we can get through, I would think." John could teleport, if nothing else. "Once we're in, I think our best move is to try to determine what the thing does, and then...well, we figure out a plan of action from there."

"But...well, I suppose now's the time to ask if there's anyone here who would unilaterally object to altering the mission parameters if it turns out this thing is indeed too dangerous to just hand over to the Vague and Mysterious People who hired us? I'm not saying we have to make a hard decision on that now - maybe the thing is actually some kind of breakthrough medical tech and turning it over to a group of people with the resources to facilitate wide-scale distribution is the best thing we can do or something - but if this thing is or can be used as a superweapon or something, I think we're going to need to consider alternatives. Is everyone on board with that?"

[Izzarra]

"John, in all of your earth stories doesn't the ancient device built by visitors from far away always have some nefarious purpose or controversial problem attached to it?"

[Dodgeson]

The Professorman might not have noticed much about John's armour, his attention was currently occupied by the Malachord lying sprawled on the ground and the idea that he might not be as unconscious as he seemed. Even the fact that he remained utterly silent when the human drove his boot in to his gut didn't completely set his mind at ease, but that didn't mean that nobody noticed...

John had no way of knowing it (though Graff would certainly give that lecture if given half the chance) but to the natives The Precursors were known as the Shining Ones, the gods that came from the sky to build their might temple and well, they had just been saved from a rampaging rock monster from a stranger wearing their armour, what else were they supposed to think?

The plant-creatures approached the Earth man and stood around him in a vaguely triangular formation, their arms held out by their sides whilst the petals on their head shifted to a deep purple and releasing a sickly sweet scent.

"You've heard of me...?" Graff started to reply to John, only to trail off as he took in the strange sight in front of him.

[SuperCracker]

In a quick retort to Pixel, John said: “Every single one of them.” He was glad to hear that someone else was openly voicing the idea of not giving the technology over to their employers. So to Tager and the rest of the group at large, John just came out and was honest. “Look guys, I was never gonna give the Precursor tech to the obviously shady Mos Eisley Cantina mercenary agency and their psychotic pet rocks. Chances are way too high that they’re going to use it themselves or pass it off to someone worse who will use it for reasons that aren’t good. The Peacekeepers want this stuff. I want to study it, catalogue it, take whatever information we can get from it… but I’m not going to pawn it off.”

Tager and Pixel both probably knew that John wanted that tech to maybe try and return home; and that the ancient AI intertwined with his mind wanted John to find and safeguard the technology. It may have seemed suspicious at all that he’d signed onto the job for money to begin with.

John’s discussion died down as the native plant-creatures surrounded him in what certainly looked like something that was hard to place….

“Commander, the native species appears to be performing a group action with some cultural or religious significance.”

Oh, so church. Or a cult.

“Uh… Thank you for the warm greeting.”

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager nodded as John said his piece. That was more-or-less what he had been expecting, and honestly hoping to hear. Pixel's question suggested that she was on board with the premise as well, so that was good. He was about to suggest a next course of action but...

Tager raised one orange-and-black-striped eyebrow as the florids...what? Surrounded John, sort of, but that didn't seem to have the right connotation. They didn't appear hostile, or to be intentionally blocking the way or sequestering him. It was hard to really judge their behavior, their method of communication being so, well, alien. But the intuitive sense he got was...like a crowd of people gathering around like an idol or celebrity or something.

"...John? Are these guys, uh, friends of yours?" he asked. There was legit curiosity there, but the ever-so-slight lilt in his voice and the hint of a smirk on his face indicated he was more teasing than actually expecting John to know what the bleak was going on.

[Izzarra]

Pixel studies what the plant-creatures are doing. She consults her AI's database to see if there is any information on what is happening.

Here is a roll, not sure how to use it:
[roll0]
+12 if Eidetic Memory misc expertise
+18 if Well Informed Check

[tonberrian]

"They believe he's 'The Shining One' returned as the prophecy foretold." <The Shining One seeks... the Holy Shrine, or whatever it's called.>

The <> denotes psychic conversation, in this case directed at the plant things.

[Dodgeson]

The natives paused in their ritual as Kanna Te's words appeared in their mind, telepathy wasn't something they were particularly familiar with but in the presence of the 'Shining One' they weren't exactly going to object.

<Of course> One of the plant creatures replied, breaking away from the formation, their flower rapidly shifting colour and releasing a fresh scent <The Shining One returns for great work>

Graff watched Kanna Te as the whole thing unfolded and slowly approached her "You can understand them?" He asked "Remarkable..."

The native turned back to the others and more scents, colours and gestures were exchanged before they too moved from their position around John and began to head towards the temple.

While there isn't much specific information on the natives in the database, after all as far as the rest of the galaxy was concerned they were merely flora and it was in the Malachord's best interest to make sure that nobody really pried too far in to that, but what they were doing matched in no small part several religious rites found in several tribal cultures on other worlds.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The Shining One, huh? Well, it wouldn't have been Tager's first choice for a graviator name, but he supposed they'd take what they could get. At the very least, this appeared to have solved the problem of convincing the natives to let them access the temple. Giving a kinda "roll with it, I guess?" shrug to John, he followed after the florids.

Kana-Te could communicate with them. Telepathy really was a super-convenient power, when it wasn't being a super-squicky one. Tager felt like there should have been some things to ask her to ask them...and totally failed to come up with any. Well, it's not like he had ever pretended to be a great anthropologist or anything. ...Or would that be herbologist in this case? Maybe split the difference at biologist? Aliens were hard and he was none of the above, so whatever.

[Dodgeson]

~Scene Wipe~

The natives lead our heroes up the steps and in to the temple, leading them through its labyrinthine passages.

<Please only follow our steps> One of them explained in another burst of scent and colours as they very deliberately navigated their way forward, walking only on certain blocks and tapping others as they moved passed them, assuming that at least Kanna-Te and the 'Shining One' could understand them <The temple has many ways of keeping out those who should not be here>

Meanwhile the Professorman followed them, more than accustom to the temple's security measures at this point, something that he'd had to learn through trial and error "What are they saying?! This is all priceless information!" He pleaded, tugging at Kanna-Te's clothes.

Eventually the natives came to a halt in front of an enormous wall, covered in strange and unknown markings <We can go no further, beyond here is the Shining Ones great work, their Ascension Engine> One of them said, filling the passageway with a bitter scent.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager followed the steps of the florids carefully. There was a tiny, irrational part of him that kinda felt like it was cheating, but he ignored it. When they got to the rune-marked wall...he looked to John. Look, I'm not saying Tager took a wall to be an insurmountable obstacle or anything. Hitting things is well within his skillset. But he kinda figured smashing down the ancient wall of their hallowed temple might upset their hosts.

"Sooo...what do you think, 'Shining One'?" he asked. Yeah, I'm sure John would live that one down any minute now.

Ascension Engine, he thought to himself, as Kana-Te translated the florids. So presumably some sort of energy generator of some kind? On the one hand, at least it (probably...maybe...hopefully) wasn't a superweapon. On the other hand, if it were a powerful enough energy source, it kinda wouldn't have to be.

[Izzarra]

"This looks interesting."

Pixel carefully scans and documents all of the markings for future reference and asks her AI if it can make anything of them.

Comprehend (Languages; Speak, Understand, Read)

[tonberrian]

"I cannot translate these runes. Can any of you make any sense of them?"

[SuperCracker]

The Shining One?

As a scientist, explorer, and self-designated galactic ambassador of Earth, John’s first impulse is that it would be intellectually and morally dishonest if he allowed the natives to worship him as whatever kind of religious/mythological figure they were holding him up to be.

On the other hand…

If someone asks if you’re a God, you say YES!

….

“Yes! The Shining One returns for great work!”

He followed along with the natives and the group as they made their way to the ruins-slash-temple. “Please only follow our steps” seemed a lot like “Only the penitent man may pass.” John had his visor tag the safe blocks in his HUD in case he needed to beat a retreat later.

“We’ve gone from Buck Rogers to Indiana Jones, got it.” Absolutely no one present would get the meaning of that.

The Ascension Engine had a foreboding tone… and could mean a lot of things. Flight, extradimensional travel, uplifting plants into a sentient species even… John was extremely wary. As they approached the wall, his sensors reached out through the structure of the building, mapping it out to give John safe places to teleport.

“I’m not sure what it says… Cortana?”

“The language portion of the Creators’ database is not yet safe to integrate into your mind. You are going to have to wing it, Commander.”

“That’s a no.”

He took a deep breath. “Alright, let me take a peek behind the curtain. If I’m not instantly killed, I’ll come back for the rest of you.” And with that, John went to teleport through the wall.

Using HUD to map the temple. It penetrates concealment, so I should be good.

[Dodgeson]

Taking in the markings in front of them, Pixel's AI would slowly begin to render them readable and what she got was a warning.

DANGER

We who are left are not so vain as to believe that our great work will remain concealed forever but it is imperative that you go no further. There are things that no being that should possess, boundaries that should never be crossed.

Please for the sake of all that is you must turn back now.

And then John mapped out the temple behind the barrier and vanished.

---

The air was musty as John appeared in the darkness on the other side of the wall, dim and ancient lights aligned in unusual patterns on the walls slowly stirring to life a and beginning to illuminate the enormous musty chamber. Almost everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, it was obvious that was the first living thing to set foot in this chamber for a very long time, from the scorched walls to the silvery metal floor. The one thing that had appeared to be untouched by the passage of time stood in the centre of the room on a slightly raised platform, it was a bizarre looking amalgam of gold and crystal that glowed gently with its own shifting internal light, looking more like a piece of art than any kind of machinery.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager gave John a blase thumbs up at the plan. He could have showed some concern, offered to go with as backup, but meh. John would be fine. He was pretty sure Cortana was immune to instant death.

Having precisely zero knowledge, training, or tech that in any way prepared him for translating what were presumably ancient precursor runes, he just left that detail to others and waited for John to return.

[Izzarra]

"It appears that this text implores us to go no further as the contents of this temple should not be possessed by anybody."

[SuperCracker]

John has now been the first human to tread many places in the galaxy, but here it felt like he was the first anything to do it since the Shining Ones / Precursors. Pixel’s voice came in through his comms, which meant that comm traffic could still make it through the barrier.

“I kinda figured that’s what it said.”

John began recording and transmitting the images from his visor to the others. The visor automatically switched from darkvision to normal sight as the chamber lit itself. John first noted the scorched walls, then the machinery in the middle. John’s suit rippled with space distortion as he floated a few inches off of the ground (just in case there are any floor traps) and he came closer to the device in the center until he was 20 feet away or so. He zoomed in on the machine and began to scan it with his sensors.

“Alright people, anyone have a clue what I’m looking at?”

John himself tried to puzzle it out… he was a scientist after-all.

First, John analyzes the machine with Detect Energy.

And once he has those readings… Expertise Science maybe? [roll0]

And I can roll investigation or anything else I need to.

[Dodgeson]

The light inside the machine wasn't just shifting, it was pulsing, what you were looking at was a heartbeat, the machine (if you can even call it that) was dormant but very much alive, you're pretty sure you could wake it if you wanted to. Not only that but the light was obviously an energy source, pure energy, the sort of stuff that birthed the universe, you are very much in third law territory right now. If there was any doubt in John's mind as to the sort of power the Precursors wielded and how much damage their artifacts could do in the wrong hands, now was probably time to reconsider his stance.

The lights around the chamber aren't in just any pattern, it looks like more of the same writing you saw on the barrier.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Tager reviewed the images coming through on his phone. It wasn't like he had any particular knowledge of this stuff, but still, he had his share of tech skills, and tried to offer what insights he could. Hopefully they would amount to more than "Well it's very glowy."

Team Check for any Technology roll Pixel might make regarding the device: [roll0]. +5

[SuperCracker]

John kept his distance and watched the machine until what he was looking at clicked right into place.

“This thing is alive. There’s an energy signature with readings similar to… the Big Bang. The energy is pulsing inside that thing like a heartbeat. We never even conceived that such a thing could be possible under the known laws of physics.”

No wonder the Precursors were treated as gods. And now… no wonder his suit could draw out so much power from John’s mere human metabolism. The Precursors just take known physics and fling them out the window.

“It’s dormant, but I can wake it up.” There was a tone in John’s voice that was almost far-away as he said that. Tager and Pixel both knew a fair bit about John Young. His primary driving force in this region of the galaxy was to research the Precursors in the hopes of finding a way home. This didn’t override his morality or the clear need to keep this technology out of the hands of monsters, but John Young would never just destroy it before trying to [understand it.

Inside of John’s mindscape, Cortana was standing nearby dressed in your stereotypical white lab coat with black rimmed glasses on. “Commander, I urge you to remain cautious… however… this life form was made by the Creators themselves. It is imperative that we attempt to make contact.”

"And if it starts yelling 'Kill all humans?'"

"We are equipped with Creator technology ourselves. And your friend has a hammer. Science, bitch," she said with a playful smirk. She'd been watching frontal lobe TV again.

"Duly noted."

Through the comms to the others, John said, “It’s alive. I know what the warning says… but if it’s alive, we can maybe communicate with it. Get it away from here without having to destroy it. It’s a risk… so I’ll put it to a vote. Either way...”

John teleported back into the other room. He then transported anyone willing back into the chamber with him. At least Tager, for the aforementioned reason. Once all who desired were in the room, he waited for the vote.

“I vote yes.”

[Quellian-dyrae]

It was alive. Some artificial intelligence. Or artificial life form. Or something. Tager's head swam. This was...so, so far beyond anything they had had on Naiar.

Of course, he teleported in with John. Tager Yung would hesitate before no unknown!

But Tommy Yang...

"No..." he said. His voice was subtly but undeniably different. It wasn't just that he spoke more softly. His voice was not just quieter, but smaller. There was less presence in it. His body language seemed to change too. He drew in on himself, just a bit. His gaze dropped slightly, and flicked on occasion to the walls or the floor. For some reason, he suddenly looked almost awkward in his striped armor. Like he was wearing a suit too big for him. His form and features didn't change one iota, but he nonetheless seemed, in some indelible way, like a different person, one far less strong and confident and cool than the mighty Grav-Knight.

"I vote no. I mean...not now, anyway. I'm not saying we have to just destroy it out of hand. I mean, of course not, not if it's alive. But...to just activate it, or wake it, when we have no idea what it would do, when every single piece of information we've encountered on this thing tells us it's too powerful, too dangerous, for anyone to use..."

"We can take it from here. Maybe find someone who can analyze it better, figure out what it will do. Maybe...maybe see if we can find a way to communicate with it without activating it. Between Kana-Te and Pixel and Cortana, or something?" Even that suggestion he hesitated on. Naiar had science-fiction too. He had seen movies and read books about artificial superintelligences convincing their creators to let them out of the box... "Maybe once we've learned more, but to just activate it now, on a whim. That's just...irresponsible."

He didn't...really look at John as he said so, couldn't quite manage to meet his gaze for more than flickering fractions of a second. Tager would have no trouble arguing with his friends when he thought they were wrong, even about matters he knew were important to them. But Tager would have no problem activating the device and handling whatever came of it. Tager couldn't be trusted with a decision this important. This was Tommy talking, and Tommy was way more socially awkward than that.