Skyside 7: The Big Pizza in the Sky

[Ironsmith]

[Tempest Row]

"This city is of great interest to me," the King continues. "My domain is fear, and Skyside reeks of it. It seeps into every nook and cranny. Fear rules it. I can use it, but I need agents here to direct it. This is where you come in. You can be such an agent, striking down targets of my choice. And being rewarded in turn."

[Tempest Row]

Klaus has to admit, that does rather succinctly explain his interest. Of course, he does have to clarify a few things.

"It's an intriguing offer." He begins, with a cordial smile. "But of course, you understand, I can't 'strike down' just any target. I have a reputation to maintain. 'Niklaus Quire, bane of slavers, angel of mercy and justice', you get the idea." He strokes his chin. "I can't risk being seen harming any but a very select number of targets, nor can any of my known subordinates. Unless, of course... I wasn't seen." He smirks. "So if sponsorship is your intention, how about granting me another face?"

[Black Abyss Body Shop]

A few moments later one of the black garage doors loudly opens up, rolling its way to the top. Out comes Raven in her tank and it's very cute but also a little scary her palanquin with a small cadre of mecha-zombies. About twelve in total if you include the ones carrying her. Definitely more than is necessary for Raven and Rose to merely share headphones with. Raven's eyepatch is glowing red as they start to mobilize, the door behind them shutting.

"Ah-hah! This way!" Raven calls to Rose, practically jittering with excitement. "Oh, do you want to walk or be carried? It's not very far so..." Raven doesn't mind at all if Rose needs a mecha-zombie or two to carry her, but it sounds like the trip will be short either way, with excitement waiting at the end.

[Black Abyss Body Shop]

Hm.

Have a pair or more of groping mecha-zombies, one of whom showed a very explicit interest in eating her, get their greasy hands all over her and carry her wherever they were going...

Or walk for a few minutes?

Rose knows which answer she wants to pick, instinctually. She doesn't want to be anywhere near the cadaver-robot hybrids if she can help it.

But that wouldn't leave as good an impression on Raven, and if this mission went on for much longer, she was going to have to get used to being around these zombies. And besides, this would hardly be the first time she's had to walk into a situation that terrified her with her head held high.

So, given all of that, Rose elects to be carried. She allows however many zombies are needed to carry her (though she'll give Raven a playfully offended look if that turns out to be more than two) and gestures for them to proceed. "Allons-y!" She giggles.

[Rebonack]

[SPAAAAAAAAAAACE!]

Zee, being the eloquent person that she is, waves goodbye to the maybe guy who poisoned the crew of the whole ship.

Later guy!

That done, she's going to be peering at the wreckage of shattered Hammer of Commerce because she has questions.

It was venting all its atmosphere, right?

But that might not necessarily be enough since tyranids are kind of cheaty. She isn't totally sure HOW cheaty they are but she already knows that they're cheaty enough for it to be concerning. Have any of the creatures survived the annihilation of the ship? Because if so then her work isn't done yet. After that blast the remains of the ship probably aren't in a stable orbit and if they crash into the planet then the problem with cults starts all over again.

She would prefer to prevent that from happening if she can.

If she does need to intervene she'll probably wait until they get back to the surface. Honestly she would rather not have to explain the whole seraphim thing and the risk of being seen while people are in orbit is too great.

Zee would really prefer to avoid eating anyone on accident.

[Earl of Purple]

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!

Bit of a heretical opinion there, Minerva. The High Lords of Terra are still ultimate authority over everything within the Imperium, and at least one of the individuals aboard the shuttle would disagree with that. (The veteran Valkyrie pilot; the Ratling sniper and the Tech-Priestess might also disagree, but their views are likely also heresy- to Minerva or the pilot or both.)

The communications are broken off, and the tech-priestess tries to sigh. As she's got a voxcaster in her throat altering her voice, it's a strange sound. "I do not think that particular individual needs anyone's help in returning to Sol. We are lucky the wreck was between us- and they assumed us to be Inquisition. Had they known otherwise they may well have killed us all. I have not encountered their authorisation before. Temple Venenum, Ordo Assassinorum. Identity redacted." She's scanning for datagheists and scrapcode that may have been implanted to spy on them, but it's hard going and she didn't sense any during the conversation.

The Hammer of Commerce is still venting some atmosphere, yes. There's some life still aboard the wreck, mostly genestealers, but it's also split into chunks. There's two large pieces, but also quite a few smaller ones- some of which could be large enough to have hibernating genestealers aboard. There's also spots of fire, though it doesn't last long; only the few compartments remaining totally sealed have enough air to maintain fire.

[Reinholdt]

[Searching for Truth]

"The Qs?"

Ilpholin pulls a hard U turn to go back to the sign they just passed and stop in front of it, looking at it as the bike idles. "Looks pretty sketchy to me, but so has everything in this city from what I've seen. Guess we'll check it out. I've never been to Skyside before. You?" Ilpholin asks Anika as she turns again to get back on the path towards Q's.

[Black Abyss Body Shop -> Misty Velvet]

Raven just raises an eyebrow at Rose for being so excited at the idea, but shrugs and waves a hand. The nekomancer honestly thought Rose would choose to walk, but felt it would be impolite to not at least offer a similar mode of transportation to one she was using.

A mecha-zombie soon scoops Rose up, setting her upon its metal shoulder, holding her with one arm to make sure she doesn't fall no matter how uncomfortable or rancid it might be up there. It's surprisingly strong, but maybe not that big of a surprise. There's not much point in adding the mecha- to a zombie if you aren't going to augment its features. Still Rose might find the ease in which it picks her up to be unexpected. It is actually very unlikely that Raven needs all four of those mecha-zombies to hold her palanquin and that it's mostly for show.

About two blocks down, closer to the edge of the border between Thunderhead and Tempest Row, they reach their destination. A small club called the Misty Velvet. "Here we are," Raven says as her ride stops and lowers, letting her down while Rose is also placed back down. Most of the mecha-zombies start to head inside and as they do, Rose can hear the music from within coming out through the half-open door. Raven turns to Rose with a grin, offering a hand to her. "You ready to make an impression?"

[Shadowcaller]

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!

You could still revere and disagree with them at the same time according to Minerva. Even the Emperor himself had an advisor in Malcador the Hero so to best serve Him one must still be able to offer their true opinion on various topics regardless of the circumstances. She would never disobey an order from the Lords of Terra but if they asked of her opinion she would still speak her mind. After all, not speaking her mind would be disobeying a order, wouldn't it?

Not that belief had ever been tested of course and she doubted it would ever be.

"No man is ever without the need of His guidance." Minerva counters. "And even the most powerful among us can be trapped by the unholy power of the warp." Which is presumably how he'd get back to Terra.

Then the sister turns her attention back to the space outside the ship. "But now that's been dealt with we should scan for signs of life in case any xeno's survived and destroy them. Then we are going to head back to the planet."

[Searching for Truth]

"Yeah! Been here, uh, twice now. Fighting those KABAL goons both times." Anika pauses a moment and then decides to add more to that. "Did you know they make deals with demons, Ilpholin? Had one chasing me first time I was here and apparently one of their leaders is a warlock. So that's something you can ask VIGIL to help you out fighting at some point. Bet they're an apocalypse just waiting to happen."

[Ironsmith]

[Black Abyss Body Shop -> Misty Velvet]

Raven just raises an eyebrow at Rose for being so excited at the idea, but shrugs and waves a hand. The nekomancer honestly thought Rose would choose to walk, but felt it would be impolite to not at least offer a similar mode of transportation to one she was using.

A mecha-zombie soon scoops Rose up, setting her upon its metal shoulder, holding her with one arm to make sure she doesn't fall no matter how uncomfortable or rancid it might be up there. It's surprisingly strong, but maybe not that big of a surprise. There's not much point in adding the mecha- to a zombie if you aren't going to augment its features. Still Rose might find the ease in which it picks her up to be unexpected. It is actually very unlikely that Raven needs all four of those mecha-zombies to hold her palanquin and that it's mostly for show.

About two blocks down, closer to the edge of the border between Thunderhead and Tempest Row, they reach their destination. A small club called the Misty Velvet. "Here we are," Raven says as her ride stops and lowers, letting her down while Rose is also placed back down. Most of the mecha-zombies start to head inside and as they do, Rose can hear the music from within coming out through the half-open door. Raven turns to Rose with a grin, offering a hand to her. "You ready to make an impression?"

[Misty Velvet]

"Whoa! Easy there, handsy!" Rose giggles, giving the zombie carrying her an affectionate pat on the head. The rancid metal plate wouldn't make for a great seat, of course, but she still wants to give off that aura of playfulness that permeated their first date. Besides, a little humor made this easier to cope with. She was fine, even in circumstances this unfamiliar.

At least until they reached the club.

Now, Rose doesn't have a problem with nightclubs; she actually enjoys them, quite a bit. But she told Raven earlier that she didn't, as a result of her previous employment. She'd have to be consistent about that or else risk raising suspicion.

So she doesn't answer Raven's question.

She just stares, wide-eyed, at the sign above the door, jaw slightly agape as she seems to remember all sorts of horrible things about similar establishments.

[Rebonack]

[SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!]

Going to be real here Zee hadn't ever heard of the High Lords of Terra before. They hadn't ever come up in anything she had needed to look into in the past. Space Marines? Orks? Tyranids? Daemons? C'Tan? Necrons? The Emperor himself? She had checked out information on all of those because they actually came up now and again. They were relevant. But the High Lords of Terra? Obviously they sound important but not important in a way that's at all relevant to Zee. If one showed up in the Nexus they would be nothing more than some guy who thought way too highly about themselves.

Like Magtok!

Just without any resources at their disposal.

Or any comprehension of the sort of narrative structure the Game operates by.

Probably less funny, too.

"There are quite a few that are still alive," Zee says, still looking out the window. "The hard vacuum doesn't look like it bothers them all that much. Left to themselves they'll wait for someone to show up to salvage the space hulk and then infect them. They'll try to start this whole cycle all over again. Which is why every single one of them needs to die."

Great!

Zee isn't going to have to do this herself.

This is a significantly better outcome.

Any time she can avoid being forced to attend to a problem unbound is a good time in her opinion. The less she meddles like that the less likely it is that one of her peers will be able to do the same.

[Earl of Purple]

SPAAAAAAAAAACE!

The void is killing some of them, same as the fire and radiation is killing some of them. However, they are very hardy, and quite a few are managing to grab hold of something and entering a hibernating state to survive the extreme conditions.

"This vessel is not designed for such infiltration and destroy missions. Furthermore, Yelisaveta's weapon relies on a chemical propellant." The cosmonaut in the back looks up as her name is called, before she goes back to playing with her 3DS. These microgames are timed, and she was doing so well! "We don't have an airlock, and not all of us fit in the standardised voidsuits provided." Most of the actual crew have their own voidsuits- the Navy veteran, cosmonaut and the low-grav-worlder all have their own, but the ratling and the tech-priestess herself would not fit in the suits assuming a standard human frame.

[Morty]

[Tempest Row]

Klaus has to admit, that does rather succinctly explain his interest. Of course, he does have to clarify a few things.

"It's an intriguing offer." He begins, with a cordial smile. "But of course, you understand, I can't 'strike down' just any target. I have a reputation to maintain. 'Niklaus Quire, bane of slavers, angel of mercy and justice', you get the idea." He strokes his chin. "I can't risk being seen harming any but a very select number of targets, nor can any of my known subordinates. Unless, of course... I wasn't seen." He smirks. "So if sponsorship is your intention, how about granting me another face?"

"I can provide you with another face in a few ways," the King replies, his demeanor businesslike. This is a deal, and he knows deals very well. "I can lend you aid to change your shape. But there needs to be a story that comes with it. We fey shape ourselves by shaping stories. I could let you turn into a darker aspect of yourself that carries my blessing, a dangerous carrion-bird."

[Reinholdt]

[Searching for Truth]

"Oh yeah. I've heard of them. And of her. Her name's Tellysandra. She's definitely on my hit list, but beyond the satellite images of her manor security and rumors I don't know enough. I hear she has a lot of curses to protect her and I'm not so good at dealing with curses or I'd have gone after her already. Does VIGIL have any good curse breakers?" Ilpholin asks. Then thinks about it some more. "You know... I dunno. Actually, I survived that golden curse just fine today. Maybe we're actually good to go. Do you want to break into her place today and take her out?"

Nothing like a little impulsive breaking and murdering.

Ilpholin's bike slows down as they reach the alley. It's a grungy place with an equally grungy door that has a sign overhead 'Q's Questionable Qadgets'. Beside the sign is a dreaded camera. It's much more classic looking. A bit boxy, too white, and looks like it has been vandalized a few times in its lifespan.

[Misty Velvet]

Raven mostly just looks confused. She doesn't seem to have remembered that part of Rose's story at all. After a moment she glances back at the establishment then to Rose and something kinda clicks? "It's not a strip club, just a dance joint. I know, stupid name. Don't worry, we'll change it now that we own it. I'm thinking the Black Hole. Or maybe the Empty Void."

Raven pulls her hand back to her umbrella. She can't keep their 'customers' waiting in suspense any longer with the mecha-zombies already inside so Raven elects to waltz inside and hopes that Rose will follow on her own accord. Raven nods just slightly to the mecha-zombie holding the door open for the catgirl. Once inside, she speaks in a booming, commanding tone full of confidence and gusto.

"GREETINGS Peasants! Your beloved and evil Empress Ebondark has chosen your establishment to host music for me and my girlfriend to listen to for our amusement! Be honored!" The place has fallen relatively silent, even the dj having cut the music to listen to this proclamation. The people within look rough, big, and it's a guarantee that all of them are carrying weapons of some sort. Not the kind to be cowed by this small, overly dressed catgirl's demands. The only thing drawing hesitation from the crowd are those mecha-zombies. There's an uncertainty as to how dangerous those things are, and if they're particularly infectious should someone get bit.

"... Did you not hear me?! Clear the floor and put on my music!" Raven says, stamping her foot with a huff. One of the braver souls, a muscular sort, starts to approach, but he's reaching behind his back for something and Rose may see the large knife he's pulling out of the sheath. It seems he intends to meet her demand with one of his own and light the fuse on this whole situation.

[Shadowcaller]

SPAAAAAAAAAACE!

"Depending on how small these pockets of surviving xenos are, Zee and I could take them out on our own." Minerva argues. "They must be at some disadvantage out here in the void considering they lack any kind of equipment." As far as she was aware at least.

[Searching for Truth]

"Uhh... I think so. I can break tiny curses myself, y'know? So what about we grab some gear from..." Anika gestures at the shop sign. "Whatever this shop is and then head to the manor and check it out. Can't be that hard right? I've dealt with KABAL twice before and came out on top both times!"

[Ironsmith]

[Tempest Row]

"I can provide you with another face in a few ways," the King replies, his demeanor businesslike. This is a deal, and he knows deals very well. "I can lend you aid to change your shape. But there needs to be a story that comes with it. We fey shape ourselves by shaping stories. I could let you turn into a darker aspect of yourself that carries my blessing, a dangerous carrion-bird."

[Tempest Row]

"...When you say 'carrion-bird', exactly how literal are you being?" Klaus asks, seeing a flaw with this arrangement. "Do you mean a raven, an unusually large raven, or a raven-man? Those all have very different implications and applications." He smiles. "And one should know better than to walk into a deal with that kind of ambiguity in the terms."

[Misty Velvet]

Raven mostly just looks confused. She doesn't seem to have remembered that part of Rose's story at all. After a moment she glances back at the establishment then to Rose and something kinda clicks? "It's not a strip club, just a dance joint. I know, stupid name. Don't worry, we'll change it now that we own it. I'm thinking the Black Hole. Or maybe the Empty Void."

Raven pulls her hand back to her umbrella. She can't keep their 'customers' waiting in suspense any longer with the mecha-zombies already inside so Raven elects to waltz inside and hopes that Rose will follow on her own accord. Raven nods just slightly to the mecha-zombie holding the door open for the catgirl. Once inside, she speaks in a booming, commanding tone full of confidence and gusto.

"GREETINGS Peasants! Your beloved and evil Empress Ebondark has chosen your establishment to host music for me and my girlfriend to listen to for our amusement! Be honored!" The place has fallen relatively silent, even the dj having cut the music to listen to this proclamation. The people within look rough, big, and it's a guarantee that all of them are carrying weapons of some sort. Not the kind to be cowed by this small, overly dressed catgirl's demands. The only thing drawing hesitation from the crowd are those mecha-zombies. There's an uncertainty as to how dangerous those things are, and if they're particularly infectious should someone get bit.

"... Did you not hear me?! Clear the floor and put on my music!" Raven says, stamping her foot with a huff. One of the braver souls, a muscular sort, starts to approach, but he's reaching behind his back for something and Rose may see the large knife he's pulling out of the sheath. It seems he intends to meet her demand with one of his own and light the fuse on this whole situation.

[Misty Velvet]

It takes Rose a little to see what Raven's intentions are. She thought a dozen zombies might have been a strangely large entourage to bring to a dance club, but maybe that was just how Raven liked to do things; with a large "friend group" to help keep her safe. But looking around, it looked more like a small-scale invasion force... she had planned for the event that "give us your club!" was met with resistance, which she could then put down terminally.

Maybe. They did look to be ever-so-slightly outnumbered, but then, the zombies were stronger than they looked, as Rose had seen firsthand. That factored in, it might be a fairly even fight.

Or a massacre. One side wasn't going to be dissuaded by casualties, at least. If things came to blows, there was going to be at least a dozen corpses on the floor before the night was out. And that number might include her or Raven.

Rose considers what it would take to stop that bloodbath from occurring. Or, for that matter, if she should stop it from occurring. Raven probably had sufficient force to protect herself. And what were a few clubbers next to the mission?

...A lot, actually.

Besides, if getting close to a supervillainess didn't give Rose the power to stop tragedies like these, what was even the point?

Rose steps forward and mutters into the brave-but-maybe-slightly-overconfrontational guy's ear. "Hey, there. Easy, buddy. It's all part of the act." Then she steps forward and addresses the club-goers at large.

"That's right, PEASANTS!" She sneers, imitating Raven's rather arrogant entrance. "Clear the floor! You don't dare refuse the wills of the Emperess and her Queen!" She smiles haughtily. "Unless one of you insolent peons thinks he can match our skills, here and now, on the dance floor!" She snaps her fingers at the DJ. "Music, serf! Music!"

She backs toward Raven, hoping her own declaration had changed the rules of engagement enough to turn this back into a situation where knives didn't need to be drawn. She wasn't a conqueror, she was a very enthusiastic dancer with a persona.

...Hopefully, that wouldn't also cost her what progress she'd made with Raven. If this didn't end in a bloodbath, she might be upset. She might be anyway, for having control of the encounter snatched away from her. The next few seconds are going to be tense, that much is certain.

[Rebonack]

[SPAAAAAAAAAACE!]

Thankfully Zee should be able to fit in one of the standard voidsuits, right?

She's definitely normal human shaped and not anything else.

Also the sister of battle used her name again!

Truly they have become besties.

"The shuttle still doesn't have an airlock, though," Zee points out, a fact which will make disembarking a bit tricky. "I should be able to rig something. Like the wall I made back in the reactor room."

She frowns as she examines the surroundings.

"Not much material here to draw on without crippling the shuttle, though. Maybe when we're close I can pull from the wreckage?"

That's mostly speculation on her part. She hasn't ever used her spheres for an effect quite like that before. Thankfully the power set is incredibly flexible so long as she's doing something related to her spheres. And 'things involving matter and the shape thereof' is a pretty broad brush.

This is going to be pretty touch and go with just the two of them, but Zee will still take it over having to go unbound and seeing to the issue personally.

[Morty]

[Tempest Row]

The King's eyes glint with amusement. Klaus knows how to make deals, it seems. Not that deception was his purpose here.

"I can give you a mask. It will conceal your face and surround you with a bird-like aspect made of darkness. It can let you conjure wings or a flock of ghostly crows at your command. It will carry in it the seed of a legend that will spread across Skyside. You must determine what the legend will be."

[Earl of Purple]

SPAAAAAAAAAAACE!

The pockets themselves tend to be quite small, as the genestealers clump together to enter hibernation rather than spreading out, and the ship's disintegration makes coalescing into larger groupings tricky. There's also a few that are still alive drifting either alone or clinging to a very small piece of debris; even if a scavenger spots them, they likely aren't too interested in going to the effort of opening an airlock and sending out an EVA team to recover a door, or three square metres of deck plate, or whatever. Even if those do get pulled back into the planet's orbit and start plummeting to the ground, they're not going to survive the atmosphere.

"Yes, there's still no airlock so even if you go alone you're taking all the shuttle's air with you. If I enter low-power mode I can survive fifteen minutes without air. That would give you five minutes to clear the wreckage and ensure there's no survivors before I had to leave. And I can't pilot the shuttle in low-power mode." It slows all her metabolic functions, including breathing, using some clever technology implanted in her spine, as her lungs and heart are already mostly artificial.

The Trust-Worthy Hotel

It's a good-looking hotel, four storeys and in a good position to have good customers, not far from one of the Skyside's busier air-docks. It's shabby enough that it looks as though it's reasonably priced, with the odd broken window, graffitied wall and overflowing bin. Inside, the lobby is paved with vinyl tiles, a chequered pattern of black and white, with a small dining room to one side where visitors can eat in, chat to the pretty people who hang around there, and watch decades-old movies on the old television in the corner.

Booking in would require talking to one of the receptionists, who are currently sat behind the desk watching a gladiatorial match on a small television. One of the receptionists is a slender young man, mostly human with slightly pointed ears and amber eyes set in his dark-skinned face, thick black hair brushing his shoulders. The other is a young woman with pale skin, long red hair and green eyes Both are clean and tidy, wearing a uniform of tight grey trousers and a sleeveless red top, quite low-cut to show off the plain brass chokers both receptionists wear.

[Ironsmith]

[Tempest Row]

The King's eyes glint with amusement. Klaus knows how to make deals, it seems. Not that deception was his purpose here.

"I can give you a mask. It will conceal your face and surround you with a bird-like aspect made of darkness. It can let you conjure wings or a flock of ghostly crows at your command. It will carry in it the seed of a legend that will spread across Skyside. You must determine what the legend will be."

[Tempest Row]

"...And, aside from vaguely-defined 'service', what is it you expect in return?" Klaus asks. "Surely this isn't a 'something for nothing' sort of arrangement." He'd be leery of it if it was. One rule that had held constant from his world to the Nexus; there is no such thing as a free lunch.

The Trust-Worthy Hotel

It's a good-looking hotel, four storeys and in a good position to have good customers, not far from one of the Skyside's busier air-docks. It's shabby enough that it looks as though it's reasonably priced, with the odd broken window, graffitied wall and overflowing bin. Inside, the lobby is paved with vinyl tiles, a chequered pattern of black and white, with a small dining room to one side where visitors can eat in, chat to the pretty people who hang around there, and watch decades-old movies on the old television in the corner.

Booking in would require talking to one of the receptionists, who are currently sat behind the desk watching a gladiatorial match on a small television. One of the receptionists is a slender young man, mostly human with slightly pointed ears and amber eyes set in his dark-skinned face, thick black hair brushing his shoulders. The other is a young woman with pale skin, long red hair and green eyes. Both are clean and tidy, wearing a uniform of tight grey trousers and a sleeveless red top, quite low-cut to show off the plain brass chokers both receptionists wear.

[Trust-Worthy Hotel]

This is the lobby Hana Jane Reeverman walks into, carrying a pair of chrome-plated boxes; one mounted on her hip, the other on a tightly-woven fabric strap, under her other arm. Her jet-black hair is up in a braided crown around her head; a complex styling she can't normally do herself, which she hasn't let down since her failure in Butterfly Bay. Her almond-like eyes, both in shape and color, are down on the floor, so as to avoid meeting anyone's gaze; she is a fugitive, after all. She doesn't want to risk being recognized. Fortunately, there were many people in Skyside who matched her general description; slender, waifish woman, mixed European and Asian descent (as much as either term would mean in the Nexus), dressed casually, in a t-shirt and jeans. The only part that might stand out is an oversized red jacket, but even then, she hadn't been wearing it when she was arrested, so it was unlikely anyone was looking for that particular identifying feature.

She's been through one hell of a week, and it shows. She walks toward the front desk with the tired, sluggish trudge of someone who has been on and off of subways, trains, busses, cabs, shuttles, and whatever other transports she could use to get as far from Butterfly Bay (and more importantly, Intersection) as possible. Skyside had been her eventual destination; she understood that criminals could hide here fairly well, and she could use the haven. Plus, she'd heard that a fellow GIN agent (Tau-99, she believed) had set up somewhere nearby; he could help her if nobody else would.

And that really seemed to be the case. Since she arrived in Skyside, she hasn't seen anything resembling a friendly face. She'd been forced to find her way through this hostile city alone, with little more than the clothes on her back and whatever she could print from her Hotbox without being seen.

She missed Hazel. She hoped she was staying safe, in whatever prison Intersection had dumped her in.

Hana steps up to the reception desk and slides forward a couple of mid-sized rubies. "...room for one, please." She mumbles, her voice heavy and strained.

[Reinholdt]

[Searching for Truth]

"I did not know that actually. Comes with the healing I guess?" Ilpholin asks, stopping the bike entirely and swinging one leg over to hop off. "Sounds like a plan to me. Would be nice to come away with something positive to show VIGIL too. I've seen the way they've been looking at me lately," Ilpholin says, waiting for Anika to get off the bike as well before having it fold itself up into a small cube.

[Misty Velvet]

Raven's grin seems to grow as the guy steps forward, as if she were inviting him to take a swing. Looking forward to it, even. Then she could add all these shmucks to her little family of rotting minions.

That grin fades as Rose steps in. For a moment, the guy's grip tightens on his knife handle and it looks like it won't matter, but a second later he releases the tension there and slowly withdraws his hand, grunting dismissively at Rose as he walks past them all to the exit instead. He's got better things to do. Raven just watches, very still, much frown.

One of the mecha-zombies shoves the Deicide cd at the DJ and there's still a question of if the music will change or if the DJ needs to blow the speakers with some battle tunes and a ray gun. They spot the manager behind the bar though, making a motion. Of course the current owner didn't want a fight right now. Whomever she was paying protection money to hadn't saw fit to show up in the last five seconds to handle a zombie horde. So the DJ relents, putting on the metal band and blasting it throughout the club as most of the patrons either disperse or hit up the bar, grumbling.

Raven glowers, tail twitching in agitation as she steps up to Rose, the woman who believed herself queen and denied the Empress' fun. Rose seems to have grown a quick ego over the last two days. It's... understandable, being around such a brilliant and stunning star like Raven, but she still needed to be reminded of her place.

"Never upstage me again," Raven says, before physically brushing past her.

[Ironsmith]

[Misty Velvet]

"Upstage?" Rose asks, trying to sound bewildered. Part of her was hoping Raven wouldn't react this badly, but as usual, that part seemed to be overly optimistic. "I didn... I thought we were doing a thing." She clarifies. "Coming in literally like we own the place. I... I thought you gave me a cue. I'm sorry." She puts what she hopes is a placating hand on Raven's shoulder. "...Hey, at least they're playing our music now, right? And we don't have to worry about stepping over any bodies..."

She's immediately proven wrong on the way to the bar, courtesy of some of the less temperant guests.

"...over any dead bodies, in the meantime." She quickly corrects. "That's... that's a win, isn't it?"

Having seen the expression on Raven's face, Rose had guessed it probably wasn't. She seemed to want there to be corpses... for more zombies, maybe. This encounter was a harsh reminder of who Rose was dealing with, under all of that adorable stammering.

And to top it all off, the patrons didn't even seem to be grateful for her sticking out her neck like that. Which she supposed she could hardly blame them for; the whole point was to make it look like she wasn't taking a risk.

If Raven shrugs her hand away, Rose is going to give up on apologizing for now. Deicide was hardly the least nerve-racking of soundtracks, which would make patching things up between them much harder than it needed to be.

[Earl of Purple]

The Trust-Worthy Hotel

"Of course, miss. Do you want to book by the hour or the night? Hour works out slightly cheaper, but the nightly rooms are larger." The male receptionist smiles at Hana, swivelling the television around and clicking a button to change the screen. It's not showing the gladiatorial match any more, instead showing a view of one of the bedrooms. The view is from a small camera mounted in the corner of the room, near the ceiling, and there's a door and a bed. The floor and wallpaper changes as the receptionist flickers through several bedrooms, showing Hana a choice of what the different rooms look like. One of the rooms has a girl dressed as a maid in it, changing the bedding; first clue that Hana gets that this is a live feed. Second is five rooms later, where two individuals are concealed behind a curtain. Neither receptionist blushes or even seems to care that they- and Hana- are peeping.

Next are the nightly rooms, which also have a camera. These are larger, with a doorframe leading into a seperate bathroom (though at least these cameras don't have a good view into the bathroom itself) and they are slightly less shabby, too. The wallpaper is in better repair, the carpets plusher, and there's more furniture- bedside tables, a television, a desk and a chair, at least. Sometimes a chest of drawers, a wardrobe or a mirror. These cameras are also live, and occasionally someone is visible in the room- mostly more maids, in proper maid uniforms, sometimes a sleeper in the bed and once someone who has moved the desk and chair and are writing something, though they've ensured the camera's angle doesn't show what.

Neither of the two touch the rubies until Hana's made her choice, though they're both sitting alert and looking at her eagerly. "More... private rooms are also available, for a slight additional charge, and the best suite is the Master's Suite on the top floor. It has a bedroom, bathroom complete with spa, wi-fi, walk-in wardrobe and comes with a maid who will serve you however you wish. Minimum stay is, however, a week... And those rubies would not be enough." The female receptionist has a large smile, and leans forward slightly.

[Ironsmith]

[Trust-Worthy Hotel]

Hana frowns as she considers her options. Any room with a camera in it was out; while she might not necessarily get up to anything scandalous in there, nobody was supposed to know she was here, and the fact that the receptionists could and would just casually show off the occupants (with absolutely no regard for privacy) made those rooms unpalatable to her. Not to mention, they looked pretty ratty for the sensibilities of a 21st-century hotel-goer; to her 27th-century standards, they were unacceptably filthy. Even the nicer rooms had that sort of problem, albeit to a lesser extent.

Finally, Hana sighs and produces another fistful of rubies. "Master Suite, please." At least she'd only have to sanitize that room once.

[Earl of Purple]

The Trust-Worthy Hotel

"Of course, miss. Would you like a maid or a valet? During your stay, they will do anything you ask of them. We have spares that aren't on cleaning duty right now." The receptionist bobs her head, scoops the rubies up and pops them into a drawer underneath, and produces a plastic keycard. She'll hand it over; both the plastic key and her hand have a symbol on, printed on the key and tattooed on her hand- a T and a W overlaid each other, and with her other hand she presses a button so a bell rings.

Shortly after the bell rings, a maid arrives. She's a young ratgirl with short white hair- more like fur- on her head, large green eyes and large ears. The TW symbol has been branded into her left ear, and she walks with a notable limp. She wears a traditional maid dress, though it's been cut rather short and paired with long white stockings. A long tail protrudes from underneath it. Her pale skin seems to bruise easily, as there's several old and yellow bruises on her arms. She's also got a long nose and buck teeth overgrowing her lower lip, and she's got a black eye. In addition to the maid dress and apron, she wears black pumps with no heel and another brass choker like those worn by the receptionists. "This guest has booked the Master's Suite. Please show her the way." The ratmaid's eyes widen as she drops into a curtsy at the words. The receptionist is frowning at her face. "...Are you really the only one available? I think milady would prefer a maid with less... damage." The ratgirl lowers her eyes at the potential rebuke, but does defend herself.
"Molly is sick, ma'am, and in the hospital. Fiona left with the manager and hasn't come back. All the others have cleaning duties, ma'am, except Sally who is expecting. Abbi is all that's available, and the best masseuse on staff." The receptionist nods agreement and goes back to the gladiator fights.

"If milady would follow Abbi, we shall go to the top floor and your suite. Would milady prefer to take the stairs or the lift?" Abbi really hopes it's the lift; the stairs are bad on her ankle.

[Shadowcaller]

[SPAAAAAAAAAACE!]

Minerva considers this information carefully. She hadn't been taught much about space but there were a few tidbits that she had picked up during her time at the schola progenium that wasn't warfare or the teachings of the creed.

"Depending on how much you trust the ships hull and our piloting skills we could simply try to bump into the debris those foul creatures cling to. If we aim it correctly the momentum would send them hurling forever out into deep space until they either die or burn up in the atmosphere of some lifeless planet." Any debris with xenos they could spot at the very least. "If they try to cling onto our ship, they will either burn up on reentry or when we search through the ship after landing."

[Searching for Truth]

Anika nods. "Yep, I'm a trained healer and all y'know? That was supposed to be my focus until I found out I was really good at shapeshifting."

She then watches Ilpholin turn the bike into a cube which always seemed to impress the druid. "Oh come on, Ilpy. They're just awestruck by how cool and sexy you are. Not to mention how you always get things done. Since that's all VIGIL is about, right? So they can't stay mad at you."

[Morty]

[Tempest Row]

"I would ask you for a certain number of services," the King explains. "To kill the right people, sabotage something or someone... I would make your help a precise instrument to disrupt Skyside when and where I need it."

[Rebonack]

[SPAAAAAAAAAACE!]

"I'm pretty sure I could seal off the back of the ship to prevent all the air from escaping with us," Zee points out helpfully. "I could also try targeting the genestealers individually if we get close enough, but that would be time consuming and taxing. Just shooting them or shoving them into a decaying orbit would be way easier."

Hmm...

What other options do they have?

"Could we set up a buoy that would warn anyone getting close that the remains of the ship are hazardous?"

They probably could do that!

But unfortunately lots of people have more greed than sense and would likely be more than happy to scavenge the wreck in spite of the warnings.

Which is why Zee is thinking scouring the remains is their best bet.

[Ironsmith]

The Trust-Worthy Hotel

"Of course, miss. Would you like a maid or a valet? During your stay, they will do anything you ask of them. We have spares that aren't on cleaning duty right now." The receptionist bobs her head, scoops the rubies up and pops them into a drawer underneath, and produces a plastic keycard. She'll hand it over; both the plastic key and her hand have a symbol on, printed on the key and tattooed on her hand- a T and a W overlaid each other, and with her other hand she presses a button so a bell rings.

Shortly after the bell rings, a maid arrives. She's a young ratgirl with short white hair- more like fur- on her head, large green eyes and large ears. The TW symbol has been branded into her left ear, and she walks with a notable limp. She wears a traditional maid dress, though it's been cut rather short and paired with long white stockings. A long tail protrudes from underneath it. Her pale skin seems to bruise easily, as there's several old and yellow bruises on her arms. She's also got a long nose and buck teeth overgrowing her lower lip, and she's got a black eye. In addition to the maid dress and apron, she wears black pumps with no heel and another brass choker like those worn by the receptionists. "This guest has booked the Master's Suite. Please show her the way." The ratmaid's eyes widen as she drops into a curtsy at the words. The receptionist is frowning at her face. "...Are you really the only one available? I think milady would prefer a maid with less... damage." The ratgirl lowers her eyes at the potential rebuke, but does defend herself.
"Molly is sick, ma'am, and in the hospital. Fiona left with the manager and hasn't come back. All the others have cleaning duties, ma'am, except Sally who is expecting. Abbi is all that's available, and the best masseuse on staff." The receptionist nods agreement and goes back to the gladiator fights.

"If milady would follow Abbi, we shall go to the top floor and your suite. Would milady prefer to take the stairs or the lift?" Abbi really hopes it's the lift; the stairs are bad on her ankle.

[Trust-Worthy Hotel]

Hana was just coming off a long, arduous trip, and the receptionist just said the Master Suite is on the top floor. Stairs are out of the question.

"We'll take the lift... Abbi." Hana says, taking a moment to realize the ratgirl was talking about herself in the third person. Awkward. "And none of that 'milady' stuff. My name is Hana. Call me by that."

[Tempest Row]

"I would ask you for a certain number of services," the King explains. "To kill the right people, sabotage something or someone... I would make your help a precise instrument to disrupt Skyside when and where I need it."

[Tempest Row]

"I see." Klaus strokes his chin as he considers the deal. It seems pretty straightforward to him; the King in Rags grants him some supernatural powers, and in return, he works for the man. Simple enough in theory. In practice... well, there was quite a bit thay could go wrong.

Which is why he adds to the proposal:

"What do you say to a trial run?"

[Earl of Purple]

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!

"Some of the chunks are large enough to survive- at least partially- an uncontrolled trip through the atmosphere. If any are still alive, we can't guarantee they're staying on the outside where we can easily dislodge them. I can take us closer, however." The shuttle moves closer to the disintegrating wreck. Occasionally there's still a secondary explosion reducing the size of the debris even further, so most of the larger chunks are individual rooms, section of passageway, and occasionally vehicles. There's eight shuttles like the one they're in now drifting, dead in space; three have their hatches open, leaving them empty and derelict. Two have been severely damaged by the ship's destruction; one is extremely dented and spins frantically as it leaks air from several small holes in its hull, and the other is impaled on a former support strut. One is still in its docking cradle, cables and wires clamped into position around it. One is sealed and powerless. The other is also sealed, with its hatches closed, but its lights are on. The monorail they rode earlier- or one like it- stretches for half a mile, a single maintenance trolley still attached.

"I would not trust rogue traders or scavengers to listen to the warnings even if they believed them, with enough profit on the line. That also avoids the possibility that the xenos will survive longer than the buoy's battery, or with a broken vox system or no understanding of Low Gothic, as they are xenos or heretics or worse." Xenos heretics? Are those what she means by 'worse'?

The Trust-Worthy Hotel

Abbi smiles in relief at that. "Right you are, mi- Hana. Abbi apologises, Abbi has been taught what the managers expect from their maids." Politeness, servility and obedience, mostly. She limps over to the lift, pressing the button to open the doors and gesturing for Hana to go in first, before standing by the buttons and pressing the button marking the fourth floor. The lift is sluggish and groans as it starts upwards, though Abbi isn't worried. When they reach the top floor, Abbi leaves first- she knows the way, after all- and heads to one of only five visible doors on this corridor. Another maid, an umber-skinned hobgoblin wearing the same uniform as Abbi, limps past in the other direction, pushing a cleaning trolley. Both the hobgoblin and Abbi favour the same leg, and limp in the same way. They nod at each other, but don't say anything.

Abbi gestures at the door and curtsies again. "Here we are mil-Hana. This is your suite for the next week." Hana should have the key, since it was handed to her. On the other side is a very large room, with three doors leading away from it. This room is one for hosting groups; there's a collection of comfortable-looking chairs and a large table. It looks more like an opulent lounge than a hotel room. It's much fancier than the rest of the hotel, at least so far as Hana's seen so far. Abbi will open another door, revealing a large bathroom with a very large bath, and a seperate cubicle for the toilet and sink. There's also a massage table in there, with another door connecting it to the bedroom, which has a massive television on the wall opposite a four-poster bed and a walk-in wardrobe. The last room is the smallest, connected to the lounge and also Hana's bedroom; this one Abbi won't show unless asked, a tiny closet with a narrow bunk and a chest of drawers in, where Abbi is going to stay whenever Hana doesn't want her nearby. "Does mi-Hana wish for a bath, a massage? Should Abbi call room service, organise a meal delivery? It's all covered, mi-Hana has paid for everything."

[Reinholdt]

[Searching for Truth]

Ilpholin tucks the cube away, a small grin on her face at Anika's flattery. "If only. I'm pretty good at reading people Anika and I don't think that's what they're thinking. Well... that's not all they're thinking. Plus, VIGIL's changed. I'm not as sure it's about getting things done no matter what anymore." She shrugs a little.

"Ah, don't worry about it. You know, I was going to be a healer too? Or wanted to anyways. One of Lolth's clerics. Didn't work out either." They must have realized Ilpholin was better at fighting like Anika realized she was better at shapeshifting. Not that Lolth's clerics tend to do a whole lot of healing.

The nymph tries to open the door but it's locked. She frowns and hammers at it, knocking and looking at the camera. After a second there's a buzz and the door unlocks, letting them inside. The inside is cramped with shelves stocked with wild and weird gadgets. Most of which look horribly out of date or have far too many exposed wires. It kind of felt like walking into a home built computer. Home built by someone who threw out the instructions and decided they'd wing it.

Behind the counter is a man appearing to wear a satellite dish as a helmet with a bunch of loose motherboards sticking out of it in all kinds of weird angles, a pair of night vision goggles - presumably- and otherwise looks just as much of a mess as his store does.

[Misty Velvet]

"We would have literally owned the place if we killed the person who did and anyone who disputed our claim," Raven points out. That's Skyside 101 AND Evil Overlady 101.

Raven Ebondark does not actively remove Rose's hand at least, seemingly buying into Rose getting swept up in the moment. "Well, whatever. It'd probably be a pain to run two places at once. And this place is in dreadful need of redecorating." Which would take time and energy. Not Raven's time or energy, mind you, but the mecha-zombies probably wouldn't enjoy it! "And I suppose you have the hotel, so you wouldn't want to focus on that and this at the same time." So Raven couldn't have given it to Rose. Still, it could have been 'their' place together to listen to all the metal albums that they love. That's worth a little bit of sulk.

[Shadowcaller]

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!

"I can confirm that rogue traders gather some of the worst of what the imperium, and what's outside it, has to offer. But while they're motivated purely out of greed or depseration the ones that survive for more than a little while tend to also be some of the competent people humanity has to offer." At least compared to your average imperial citizen.

"This combination makes them particularly dangerous with xeno materials, as we've already seen with this ship." She gestures out the window.

"So we should take care of as much as we can rather than to leave a warning. As I said, if we aim our trejectory away from the planet rather than towards it we'll send it hurling into outer space. Even if they somehow end up caught in another planets gravitial pull and survive landing on it the chances of it also being able to support life is less than miniscule. They would be as good as dead no matter how resilient they are."

[Searching for Truth]

"Oh, you were priest material? Not surprised, you got their dedication nailed down for sure. I could totally see you smiting and healing people. Admit that you'd be great at that too." Anika argues but pauses as she notices that the door is shut.

Huh, what kind of crazy shopkeeper would leave their door locked? Weren't they supposed to be welcoming to customers?

But everything in this town was crazy so why not the shopkeepers too?

Her theory seems to be confirmed as they enter. This place really did look like a goblin's workshop. A crazy goblin.

Still, she smiles and waves at the shopkeeper before turning to Ilpholin. "So... what are we looking for in here exactly? It's... not... it kinda looks like my room." Which was a bit of a mess, but not nearly as much as this was.

[Ironsmith]

The Trust-Worthy Hotel

Abbi smiles in relief at that. "Right you are, mi- Hana. Abbi apologises, Abbi has been taught what the managers expect from their maids." Politeness, servility and obedience, mostly. She limps over to the lift, pressing the button to open the doors and gesturing for Hana to go in first, before standing by the buttons and pressing the button marking the fourth floor. The lift is sluggish and groans as it starts upwards, though Abbi isn't worried. When they reach the top floor, Abbi leaves first- she knows the way, after all- and heads to one of only five visible doors on this corridor. Another maid, an umber-skinned hobgoblin wearing the same uniform as Abbi, limps past in the other direction, pushing a cleaning trolley. Both the hobgoblin and Abbi favour the same leg, and limp in the same way. They nod at each other, but don't say anything.

Abbi gestures at the door and curtsies again. "Here we are mil-Hana. This is your suite for the next week." Hana should have the key, since it was handed to her. On the other side is a very large room, with three doors leading away from it. This room is one for hosting groups; there's a collection of comfortable-looking chairs and a large table. It looks more like an opulent lounge than a hotel room. It's much fancier than the rest of the hotel, at least so far as Hana's seen so far. Abbi will open another door, revealing a large bathroom with a very large bath, and a seperate cubicle for the toilet and sink. There's also a massage table in there, with another door connecting it to the bedroom, which has a massive television on the wall opposite a four-poster bed and a walk-in wardrobe. The last room is the smallest, connected to the lounge and also Hana's bedroom; this one Abbi won't show unless asked, a tiny closet with a narrow bunk and a chest of drawers in, where Abbi is going to stay whenever Hana doesn't want her nearby. "Does mi-Hana wish for a bath, a massage? Should Abbi call room service, organise a meal delivery? It's all covered, mi-Hana has paid for everything."

[Trust-Worthy Hotel]

The second they're in the room, Hana sets down her boxes and lets out an exhausted sigh. "Thank you, Abbi, a meal would be nice. And... actually, that massage sounds good, too, but before we begin with that..." She fiddles with one of the boxes and produces a series of canisters, handing four of them to Abbi. "Please be a dear and set up these foggers for me. I mean no offense, but the rest of the hotel leads me to believe this room isn't especially clean, either."

If and when Abbi does that, she might notice that the gasses sprayed from the canisters feel warm on her skin; not quite chemical burns, but actively breaking down any dirt, grease, and other possible contaminants that happened to be on her, and producing an exothermic reaction in the process. By the time she's done, she'll probably feel cleaner than she ever has in her life, barring any accidents with giant vats of bleach.

They'll meet up again in the bathroom, where Hana is filling the bath with a red gel that smells strongly of strawberries and cream. She's peeled off her outer layer of clothing, and is now sitting on the edge of the bath with her legs dangling over the side, clad in her underwear and a too-large t-shirt. She's holding her jacket in her arms, about halfway through the process of folding it, but stopped in the middle for reasons unknown. She's breathing shakily, and if Abbi gets close enough to see it, has a fresh tear trailing down her cheek.

[Misty Velvet]

"We would have literally owned the place if we killed the person who did and anyone who disputed our claim," Raven points out. That's Skyside 101 AND Evil Overlady 101.

Raven Ebondark does not actively remove Rose's hand at least, seemingly buying into Rose getting swept up in the moment. "Well, whatever. It'd probably be a pain to run two places at once. And this place is in dreadful need of redecorating." Which would take time and energy. Not Raven's time or energy, mind you, but the mecha-zombies probably wouldn't enjoy it! "And I suppose you have the hotel, so you wouldn't want to focus on that and this at the same time." So Raven couldn't have given it to Rose. Still, it could have been 'their' place together to listen to all the metal albums that they love. That's worth a little bit of sulk.

[Misty Velvet]

"I suppose that's..." Rose's face suddenly lights up. "Actually... maybe we still could. Own this place, I mean. We could talk to the owner and offer to buy it. You know I have enough for that." She smiles. "And wouldn't you know it, but the place comes fully staffed, including management, so we wouldn't have to waste any effort in actually running the place, either. And we already know it works as a business. We could just take the profits from this place and put them into something else." She smirks. "I mean, it's more 'evil chief executive' than 'evil overlady', but still plenty of evil potential. Besides, who would even try to stop it? As far as anyone else is concerned, it's a totally legitimate transfer of power." She giggles. "And we still have these killer speakers at our disposal for whatever we want, whenever we want."

And it'd be a terrific excuse to let Rose see Raven's finances. Although maybe slightly defeating the purpose, since Rose would be sponsoring her now even if KABAL wasn't.

[Rebonack]

[SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!]

Okay so!

It sounds like they have something of a plan.

Use the shuttle to shove smaller bits of wreckage into a decaying orbit so they'll flop into the sun.

Once they're close Zee can begin working on a make-shift airlock that will let she and Minerva go after the genestealers that are holed up in fragments that are too large for the shuttle to nudge toward their doom.

A plan is planned!

That done?

She'll begin looking through the voidsuits available.

Surely there will be something that fits her.