View source for 4996/Be Careful What You Wish For

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2017/01/07
|Location=Fall
|Synopsis=A new leader is horribly oppressing his people, leading to a military coup. Or... is it?
|Cast of Characters=336, 1007, 863, 571, 299, 8, 234
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The situation here escalated rapidly, and now matters are a bit tense... but also not into outright bloodshed yet. It seems like the people are still in shock, and aren't really willing to fully commit to a coup or resisting the military. A few scattered and very small riots, but things are more at a high tension state than anything else. So far. The problem is the division between the two. Edward is holed up in his castle, high up above most of the city, with loyalist forces. Some loyalists are also scattered throughout the city... including control of the local Warpgate. This complicates matters for the rebellion here. The loyalists are attempting to transmit a call for help, but jamming makes signals pretty rare, and their relationship with nearby countries is poor. They're pretty well dug-in though, and generally have better equipment.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Most of the rebellion are the have-nots, with a core of soldiers with some good equipment lead by General Marsters. The tech level here is a little in flux, so rifles and submachineguns are common, but tank mobilization is out of the question. A few anachronistic items are about, mostly in rebel hands, from the long period of unification before this all blew up. Two neighboring countries have a Warpgate that let sympathizers through and into rebel-controlled portions. Really, though, the capital is where most of the action is. General Marsters is hidden somewhere, but has liasons out calling for Edward to be toppled. Most people really just want to be left alone and aren't choosing a side at all.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So the 'battlefield' will be the city leading up to the castle, with barricades and outright segmentation of city blocks by the various forces.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1007|Genji Shimada (1007)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In Feudal Japan, there was an answer to 'an enemy who is holed up in a fortress too well-armed and armored to easily displace or siege'.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That answer was 'ninja'.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is a blur of motion past General Masters' general position, and a shuriken flung down into a convenient surface where it will easily be noticed. The shuriken bears a simple note: 'I intend to see if I can bring this coup to an early success before any fighting happens. Give this frequency to anyone else who will help. -G' There is, yes, a radio frequency scribbled on it.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For now, Genji Shimada is making his way over rooftops and through shadows, approaching the King's castle as swiftly and silently as he can. The plan? Sneak in /past/ the bulk of the enemy forces, and either force King Edward to abdicate his office, or...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;.../force/ him to abdicate his office.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br> Haguro's not normally the sort that would encourage armed rebellion. Peaceful protests and the like, sure, but open conflict is somethings he's not so fond of even if she's getting more used to it. The combination of risks to civilian life should a prolonged coup take place and her reasons for being in the Concord being what they are, though, means that the ship girl does have some rather compelling reasons for showing up at the battlefield-to-be. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She's just not sure which side to actually take here: The elected king that's might have simply made some bad decisions on behalf of his people, or his actual people who might have just been pushed too far one too many times? It's a tricky situation, to be sure, but it's not as if the blame could be laid squarely on... <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ... Actually, it probably could be laid squarely on the king, but still. For the time being, however, Haguro is just observing the situation from a rooftop near the edge of the city. She spots Genji's movement in the distance and squints slightly, but the boat ghost isn't making any move to intercept him yet. If anything, it's more that she's curious about what he and potential allies of his will do.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:571|Alexis Maaka (571)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When it comes to toppling regimes, Maaka's an understudy to the art. It's really not much of a science, sometimes you have the advantage of a whole army behind you, sometimes you gotta do it yourself.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Either way, this is just another day at the office for the cyborg.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's cloaked like some kind of interstellar big game hunter, running from rooftop to rooftop with nimble leaps and well-timed boosts to keep her from falling between buildings. THat would be embarrassing.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Anyways, she has a sniper rifle in hand, and she's been scanning for targets ground-side, marking tangos already in position with MG nests and technicals. (Machine gun setups and trucks, anyways.)<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:299|Charity Whiteheart (299)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Charity is, like many others, going through the rooftops to reach the castle, converging on it with all the other Watchmen and aides. Only, Charity is literally travelling through the rooftops. Though she has superhuman jumping, any great change in altitude just has her dashing through the intervening building, phasing past any barriers and out the other side. She doesn't want to expose herself to any viewers from the castle by going too high. For now she's sticking to rebel areas, but soon she'll be within sight of the fortifications to try to assess those.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"This is a bit of an awkward situation..." Charity mutters. Still, she didn't receive any countermanding orders to NOT work against Edward, so...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:8|Deelel (8)}} has posed:'''<br>While not from Japan and only knowing the term ninja due to her time in the user world? Deelel did get the idea of what Genji had in mind. A few people could sneak in and eal with a problem where an army would fail and have a massiv ebutcher bill in the end. It was odd to think of how liberating it was in a way to be free of the old war. A War that had taken on a life of it's own and consumed so many lives not even the Users could grasp hopw many had been lost. Here however today is a chance to do something about a world suffering some serious issues. <br><br> Still the thoughts about the common folk caught up in the grinder did get her attention to as she bounced along keeping a good pace after Genji as she thinks about just what to do depending on how the crowds and military react...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sticking to the rebel area rooftops makes it easy to move among them. While approaching the castle does reveal that the parapets have some snipers, they seem reluctant to actually take a shot yet. This is civil war breweing, after all, and neither side wants to set off a full-blown conflict... seemingly. It's going to pop soon, but it looks like things aren't so tense that they're willing to take shots at singular ninja types just darting around... especially since there is some doubt that they can even SEE them most of the time. Rooftops are generally a good idea though, because the ground forces are arrayed in bottlenecks along the streets. Machine gun nests are a thing, though again they seem to be a deterrent rather than something under active conflict. Right now, both sides are growling at one another and baring fangs, not starting a bloody battle.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That may change, soon.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The people heading toward the castle will find it well-fortified. It would be quite a rooftop sprint to reach the walls, which are high and well-defended. This isn't anything to sneeze at, and doing it bloodlessly may be a problem. At least a dozen guards patrol each side, and they're well-armed and armored with some light body armor under heavier vests, with helmets to boot.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But there's activity in the city, as two dozen carbon-fiber armored troops suddenly spill out, moving in a smooth formation that shows some /very/ elite training behind them. In full battle regalia is a man who can only be General Marsters, sticking to a route that keeps him safe from snipers. With him are two more in battle armor, probably other officers who turned with him, along with a few who look to be more like civilian-level aides. Particularly a mousy woman in glasses with dirty brown hair, fidgeting nervously as she sticks close to Marsters with a notepad in hand. They're heading toward one of the routes up to the castle, intending on confronting one of the barricades directly. Without reinforcements, those elite troops can probably even take it... but it would be bloody.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1007|Genji Shimada (1007)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Genji will go as far forward as he can, and then stop. He remains silent and concealed, not far from the General's armed entourage, and watches the forces on the wall.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's waiting for an opportunity, a moment of distraction. He's waiting for all eyes and guns to be on the General. Only then will he act.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He'll form a single hand seal with his right hand, and a wispy, curling smokescreen will circle its way up, enveloping him entirely and then blowing away on the wind. He intends to reappear behind a guard on the top of the wall itself, where he can make a (silent) takedown and then proceed inside.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:299|Charity Whiteheart (299)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;How to get in? Fortunately there's going to be a distraction. Charity waits for the General to confront the barricade, giving everyone's attention to that so she can move. A leap that rides the winds carries her... to the wall. She's aiming for a window, presuming the wall is thinner around that point, so she can safely phase through.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Any adults in the room she ends up in will have her spurs to contend with, doing a quick stab to shallowly penetrate and inject the venom. Children she'll leave alone with just a little tap to her lips for silence.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br> There's quite a few people coming out of the woodwork today, and not all of them are complete strangers to Haguro. She's wary of getting their attention just yet, but perhaps following them across the rooftops to see if she can get a better idea of what's going on might make it easier to decide on what to do, especially with the general leading the coup moving below. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The tricky part is figuring out how to get across those rooftops safely in the first place. She doesn't have the ninja skills of Genji, the augments of Alexis, the phasing power of Charity, nor the cyber-magic... Something or another of Deelel. What Haguro does have, however, is... <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An inferiority complex! Psyching herself up as she paces back and forth on the roof she's on, she takes one more look at the general and his entourage below before going for a running leap to get to the next rooftop, nearly missing the damn thing and only landing on the other rooftop by the tip of her boots and a lot of arm flailing to fall on the right side of the rooftop instead of the wrong side onto the street below. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Still, get to the other side she does, and she's faced with a new dilemma: How is she even going to approach these Elites? What are they here for, anyway?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:8|Deelel (8)}} has posed:'''<br>Deelel contiunes along with Genji and was on edge she gets the tip off and humms for a moment just what was the other side? The Encomy isn't doing well it's true and things are veyr bad but if the King has a reason such as keeping the League or another maniplative faction out? She could see why he might do it but it will be time for her to do what she can to help. she's fairly stealthy but not as good as Genji and she too will wait and follow up with non lethal take downs as needed.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:571|Alexis Maaka (571)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Maaka stops just as Genji does, dropping to a crouch as her vision zooms to observe the battlefield. MG Nests and special forces get her attention as she notices their arrival. When the resistance leader's aide contacts them, she shrugs. "Fuck it."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She'll begin to shadow the special ops guys, trying to scan for any snipers on-site. Should she encounter any, she'll take aim with her own rifle, and fire. The suppressor should mask her shots, hopefully.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The castle is well-fortified... very well-fortified. As the General's entourage approaches, a few things happen. One sniper appears from across the block, drawing a bead on him... when Alexis causes the sniper to crumple, stopping the hit. That's when things get... complicated outside. Because right after, the entourage suddenly dashes forward, in mid-negotiation, to swarm the fortification. Shots are fired, a few automatic bursts, but the two dozen men are /very/ fast and well-trained, and are quickly overwhelming the entire fortification. With enough of a distraction keeping the rest of the loyalists away, they could quite possibly take the castle themselves.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But they don't need to. Because Genji and Charity lead in to take out some of the defenders already, leaving a brief gap that Deelel can exploit. Finding the audience chamber after that shouldn't be difficult, as internally the guards aren't on hyper awareness. Though King Edward himself is just discussing matters with his council, and doesn't appear to be particularly aggressive. When found by the three infiltrators, he'll be saying, "... arsters himself suggested this course of action, so his sudden betrayal is as worrying to me as to any of you. All I am saying is that we really must not budge on these core points. A short term gain for the country is not worth the damage it will do to our national identity and influence as a regional power."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Outside, Marsters is left with an 'entourage' of six unarmed civilian sorts, one of his armored lieutenants, and two of the elites who are checking out the machine gun nest. Haguro and Alexis will see what happens next. The mousy-looking woman who was taking notes fusses with her hair... then draws a stiletto from it and, without any hesitation at all, thrusts it into the back of the neck where the armor doesn't cover, angled to strike right at the brain. Marsters crumples immediately, and the lieutenant is in such shock that it seems like she's turning around in slow motion, compared to the aide's rapid leaping retreat toward a window nearby.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That was rather sudden. The aide turning face and taking that kill all on her own. Though the Lieutenant may be stunned, it's one of the elite soldiers who are the first to act and respond. No longer checking out the machinegun nest, the man reacts with a lurch of sudden motion, turning towards the general's aid and raising his weapon.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is something odd about the way he moves. It's a little stiff. But that does not stop him from sighting down his gun and taking aim, yanking the trigger and opening fire.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On his fellow soldiers all around him, to cover the woman's retreat.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Somewhere on the nearby rooftops, the sound of a stringed instrument, similar to a guitar, plays a few dramatic mariachi chords...<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As Lu-Mey taps her foot to a beat in her head, humming along, while cradling an ornate blade on her lap.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1007|Genji Shimada (1007)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"'Masters suggested this course of action yourself', you say," comes Genji Shimada's voice within the audience chamber, echoing maddeningly - impossible to pin down. "And you have the country's long-term best interests in mind." There are a few brief seconds, perhaps long enough to let them start loudly wondering who or where the source of that voice is, and then he adds, "You had better start explaining quickly. There is already an assault on this palace happening, and Marsters has been assassinated. If I like your answer, I may protect you from a similar fate."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:8|Deelel (8)}} has posed:'''<br>Deelel exploits the gap to get in and also procs her helmet to rezz into existnace. Sure if you know elites she's still be pretty easy to id but it would be harder to make something like that stick and it provided her with some projection as well as she moves in. She move in and does pick up what they are saying and she drops in a moment after Genji and seems to be just as faceles as he is yet she has no weapon visable but who knows. Then it seems that Samantha had a job to take the general out? Well there's nothing that can be done now about that only to hear what the King has to say. <br><br> "Speak wisely your magisty."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:299|Charity Whiteheart (299)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Charity remains quietly hidden in the audience chamber, for now. Her own knives are out, but something about this is really not sitting well with her. This rebellion doesn't seem... all that warranted? Either there's something nefarious going on with the King, or someone is intentionally trying to muck things up.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:571|Alexis Maaka (571)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What the fuck?!" Maaka is about to take aim at the fleeing woman, before Samantha moves -way too fast- for even her to track with a bolt-action rifle. "Shimada, she fled. Bitch is faster than I took her for. God, I suck." She grumbles some more, before she begins to make pursuit, going from rooftop to rooftop while trying to track Samantha.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br> Haguro's left with a shocked stare when not only the aide turns on Marsters, but one of the soldiers turns on his allies as well. She's not sure what to make of all this, but if someone's goal was to sow chaos? They've certainly picked the right people for the job. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Firing on Samantha at this range wouldn't be a good idea. That leaves Haguro with another option: Dispatching the traitor from her vantage point on the roof. Switching to an armor-piercing round so as to avoid using actual explosives, she leans over the edge of the roof and takes aim at the soldier covering Samantha's retreat. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As she does so, however, she notices something else odd: The twanging of a guitar from a nearby rooftop. Holding her fire, she backs away from the rooftop's edge to look towards the source of that sound. Lu-Mey doesn't look familiar to her, but there's something off about someone just playing a guitar in the middle of a soon-to-be battleground. "M... Ma'am! You shouldn't be here. It may be dangerous here soon." She warns, although with a concerned tone rather than a suspicious one. She might just be an eccentric person, after all!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;INNER GROUP:<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Edward waves a hand dismissively, "Don't call me Majesty. King is but a title, I am more like... a President, if you will." His cabinet/council is tense, shifting to stare at the intruders as the guards lift their weapons, but Edward motions them to hold fire. "Come now, if they got this far, fighting would be a bloodbath. We'll try talking first."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He stares at Genji and Deelel. "General Marsters is the one who agreed that we had to close our borders and buckle down on imports. This was in an off the record conversation though, so I have no proof! He is a personal... WAS a personal friend of mine and I'd hoped we could talk this out. I've looked at the numbers... we all have. This is the only way, long term, for our nation to survive. But without a military I...."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1007|Genji Shimada (1007)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Then you need to explain this to your people," Genji's voice replies. "As it stands, they know only that you have locked everything down and made their lives worse. They don't know why. I believe you for the moment that he had a hand in this, but your people will not, especially now that he's dead. They would think you were using a corpse for a scapegoat. So you'll simply have to shoulder that burden. Why not start with us? Pretend we are your people. Explain how this will allow your nation to survive in the long term."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While he teases an answer out of Edward, Genji is on his guard - listening very carefully for any intruders, for any sounds of a struggle in the halls or outside a window. But more importantly, he's watching /everyone in the room who isn't the king/. The instant one of them makes even a vaguely hostile move, they'll be receiving a shuriken with rush delivery.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;OUTER GROUP:<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Samantha retreats with a few bullets pinging off her last position. She expected to get hit harder! The troops panic and are shooting at the one shooting at them, but surprisingly the lieutenant is not screaming. Some of the troops are shouting that Marsters is down, but the lieutenant just holds her hand out and down toward the corpse.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Corpse?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A shudder, and Marsters lurches upright, taking the offered hand to haul himself up. His other hand reaches back and yanks the stiletto out, tossing it aside carelessly. "Just a flesh wound. Resume operations! We'll take care of the traitors personally!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Whelp, Marsters is dead, and that one soldier seems to be in on it. After gunning down the rest of his own squad, before he can cause any further damage, he lurches again. This time from taking fire. Haguro's shots punch clean through his armor. But... There's something wrong. Something ODD.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her shots hit him dead on, fairly enough, slamming through armor, flesh, bone, and out the other side. He reacts like... A man that has been shot. But his movements are jerky, erratic, and stiff. The blood that erupts from his wounds is a dark red, sticky and matted, already looking like it congealed inside him, before even being shot out, and just like that he crumples to the ground.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It will have to take an incredibly keen eye to notice the large white spider that starts to worm and crawl its way out of the corpse's ear, where it had been controlling the dead body's motor systems.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But then Lu-Mey stops playing. "Ara ara..."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Caught.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In spite of the apparent danger and chaos, the dusky-skinned, horned, woman smiles sweetly. "Helloooo! I just thought all the tension needed some proper music!" She replies. "But I guess you're right, it IS dangerous, I should probably get going. Will you take me somewhere safe?" Lu-Mey asks of Haguro as she rises to stand.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then the general gets back up.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She clicks her teeth. "My my... The drama intensifies." Mused as she heaves a small sigh... And drops that really nice looking sword off the edge of the roof for Samantha to catch.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh oops."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:8|Deelel (8)}} has posed:'''<br>No screaming about terror of other cultures, no screaming about how they are a master race she simply nods a the king explains. It's enough that she will trying to let the one with a better understanding of human poltical situations, that being Genji handle it. She does however seem to fall in line with how he's thinking. She's also keeping an eye out for things too but has yet to pull a weapon, she's on her guard. <br><br> "Yes, I am willing to help as my companion is, explain us to us as a test run." <br><br> So far so good right and she has no idea about what's going outside then she years a report? Wait the body of the general got up? Oh this is going to be a problem but now it smells that something was interfearing ... with things.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br> What is with this lady? Haguro blinks slowly while giving Lu-Mey a dumbfounded look, but the horned woman's lack of immediately apparent threat aside from her sword doesn't put the ship girl on the defensive just yet. Confused, yes, and perhaps a little suspicious, but not quite on full guard just yet. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "... Huh? O-oh, then you're...? Yes, of course. This... Erm. Th-this way, ma'am." She's still looking and sounding just a little intimidated as she usually is, and Haguro doesn't notice that spider crawling out of the fallen soldier's ear with as focused as she is on Lu-Mey in front of her. "I.. I don't know how much music would help calm this sort of situation down, though, but I've heard of a few stories..." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As Haguro murmurs nervously, she's checking the door to the rooftop to make sure it can actually open before turning back to Lu-Mey as she drops that sword. "Eh? M-miss? You dropped your..." Alas, she can't see it falling towards Samantha, but at least Haguro's trying to smile courteously and reassuringly regardless! "We can pick it up on the way down. This way. It should be safe as long as you don't wander too far, okay?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:299|Charity Whiteheart (299)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Charity is listening, and she speaks now, too. Also hidden, she doesn't have a ninja voice trick, but she isn't too worried about being found. "Things seem to be getting a little messy out there. Uh... you might want to hurry, King Edward."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Backing out, Charity takes quick stock of the fortifications. They may have to switch sides here. Awkward.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lu-Mey tilts her head, looking genuinely befuddled at Haguro. "Calm the situation?" She asks, looking at her malsha and plucking the strings in a few more bars. "Oh no, I wasn't trying to calm it. I said 'appropriate'.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But she did drop the sword. Lu heaves an airy sigh. It looked like an impressive and expensive sword too. "Oh that's not important to me right now."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because it's not her sword.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Let's go~."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Assuming Haguro still believes her after... Well. Everything. She'll just roll with it for now.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;INSIDE:<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;King Edward sighs, "We have tried to explain. There is a lot of resistance and misinformation. Politics, as usual."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One of the council members grunts, "A lot of us still don't like it, but Edward has been very adamant and persuasive. Every man and woman on this council stands to lose something from this agreement, but we all stand by the decision anyway. We'd thought the population would understand as well, but..." He looks at one of the other council members, and she snaps immediately, "I told you that I didn't agree to funding that campaign. I fired the one responsible. I'm more behind this than you are, Timothy."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Edward motions for them to be quiet. "At the moment, the military coup is more immediate. We can't spread the word with communications channels locked down as they are."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:571|Alexis Maaka (571)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Maaka's just face palming hard when she notices Marsters get back up from being stabbed in the face. "Hey, uh, Starless?" She speaks into the comm. "EIther you suck /hard/ at assassinating people, or that guy's not exactly human. If you know what this is about, what the hell is going on?" She isn't gonna wait for an answer, not for long anyway.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1007|Genji Shimada (1007)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Unfortunately," Genji replies, finally showing himself by dropping down right into the middle of the room, "If the reports I am hearing are true, it will not likely be easy to stop this attack." He folds his arms over his chest, looking to the main exit. "Your general has stood back up after being stabbed in a way that would be unquestionably, immediately fatal for an ordinary man. At this point, we are going to have to weather the storm. Either he has prepared /very/ well for a bid to seize power from you, or someone outside has been manipulating events."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;OUTSIDE:<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Samantha/Starless catches the dropped sword as the fighting starts to escalate. Scowling, she steps out from cover, blade drawn, and whips forward to go for the lieutenant first. As should be unexpected for an assassin and blademaster of her caliber, the lieutenant goes down easily, an arm splattering to the side. Starless is a /very/ good swordswoman.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To Alexis, she replies, "I don't know. But I intend to finish my contract. You're welcome to try to stop me, or help me." And really... it shocks her, but her slice toward Marsters has him dodging aside entirely, a blurred motion which is countered by a few shots of his sidearm. Most miss, but one tags Starless in the shoulder. Whatever this guy is, it's actually... a challenge for her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The other Elite Soldiers pause at the battle, before Marsters yells, "I'll handle this one. The rest of you, keep going for the castle! I don't want any of you harmed and you aren't on her level!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br> "'Appropriate'...? Erm. That's... Fine, too, I suppose?" As confused as ever, Haguro still manages an awkward chuckle just to be polite. Horned people sure are strange. Not that she has anything against horned people, of course! She has plenty of supernatural friends, and who knows? Maybe Lu-Mey can become a new horned friend! <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At least she's not British. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I don't know if 'appropriate' music is really a good idea, but... W-well, once you're somewhere safe, you can play whatever sort of music you'd like. Now let's see..." Still unsuspecting of any potential foul play on Lu-Mey's part, Haguro leads the horned woman down to the ground level and outside of the building they've encountered each other at. The exit conveniently leads them to the sight of the lieutenant losing an arm and Marsters facing down 'Samantha', and the boat ghost holds an arm up to warn Lu-Mey to stay back. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "There's fighting going on just outside. Ah... I-I don't know if there's any back doors to this place, but if we're quick going out this way, I should be able to keep you safe... I-is that alright, ma'am?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:8|Deelel (8)}} has posed:'''<br>Deelel drops in with Genji anf she nods for a moment <br><br> "I agree, when one dies one should stay dead. Something else is going on here and this is not a good thing. If there is another power player here we do indeed have a problem." <br><br> She looks to Genji and nods and then switches to personal comm for a moment as she speaks with allies on how best to handle this mess. Also where was the third party messing with things? She offers up her plan to aid in the comm jamming over the radio and now waits for a moment.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:299|Charity Whiteheart (299)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Charity steps out of the shadows as well and crosses her arms. "Don't think you're all off the hook completely, but it sure sounds like someone is making things messier than you intended. We're going to have to stop the conflict first, and then figure out what to do. Perhaps you should come up with a less extreme plan and phase things in, I don't know. My Master was the politician."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the meantime, Charity turns around to walk through the wall and head for where the fighting is. She's going to dive into the two dozen Elite soldiers and try to incapacitate as many as she can.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:571|Alexis Maaka (571)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Unbelievable." Maaka begins to search for wireless comm signals as she heads for the interior of the mansion. The soldiers are on their own, she needs to figure something out here. Dismissing her sniper rifle for a bullpup rifle, a Thales F90, she makes for the walls and uses both her boosters, grapple gun, and her magnetics to crawl across the wall, infiltrating the castle itself while getting her hack on.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For the most part, Lu-Mey follows Haguro! The oni is all smiles and sweetness the whole way down off the roof and outside. And there is the general, lieutenant, and former aide. Lu-Mey shows precisely zero discomfort at the sight of severed limbs and bloodshed, though she does click her teeth.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Haguro holds that hand up. Lu-Mey sets a hand on her shoulder... Takes a breath and...<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I wanna take a closer look. Come with~."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Forces Haguro to babysit her.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's so utterly BRAZEN how she traipses into an active battlezone-- pauses scooping a hand low to pick up the little white spider that had been skittering towards her- and slides it into her dress pretty casually. As super casually, in fact, as she kneels by the 'corpse' of the lieutenant that had acted quite sketchy when Marsters 'died'.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lu-Mey proceeds to start poking the corpse.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ara...? My my... You're already cold aren't you?" Yes she's talking to a corpse as her poking gets more invasive, dipping fingers to the cut wound and then bringing them to her lips for a taste.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then for good measure she places her hands on the woman's head. The intent there is pretty simple, she wants to give a nice, quick, neck snapping twist.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;King Edward sighs, "Fine, fine. Look, I don't care if the details need to be negotiated again in light of all this, but there are some core policies we HAVE to do. It can be talked out later when we aren't under siege by a militant rebel wing. I'm willing to make some concessions with reasonable alternatives, but I'm not willing to step down because people are screaming."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That's his idea, anyway. The council all nod, and... well, all told he's coming across as a PRETTY REASONABLE GUY! One of the council says, "I don't know who is paying you, but I don't think we can offer anything greater."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, tapping into the comms is... going to be pretty rough. But just DISRUPTING them? The tech here isn't that great, so it is possible to just find the broadcast tower. It's deeper into rebel territory. Away from the castle.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Charity has no trouble stabbing two of the Elites, but the others are quickly clueing in to her game and clustering in groups of five or six, whicha re going to be more of a problem when they concentrate fire on any comers. That means there are about three clusters left, as the other two slump down.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, Starless backs up next to Lu-Mey, and Marsters reloads his pistol. They're entering into a staredown now. Marsters says, "I thought there would be an assassin after me. Fortunately, I'm a bit harder to kill than most here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br> Haguro holds in a startled squeak when she feels Lu-Mey's hand on her shoulder, and it takes her a moment to process what's just happened. The horned woman doesn't want to leave through the front with that promise of safety. The horned woman doesn't want to look for a different exit. No. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The horned woman wants to go /closer/. "M... Ma'am? I can't guarantee you'll be safe if we get any closer than this...!" And yet, despite her protests, the ship girl goes along with Lu-Mey's prodding, sticking close and glancing around rapidly just to make sure nobody's firing anything in their general direction. Although she notices that scooping motion, she doesn't see what it was that Lu-Mey just picked up. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It's a lot harder to miss the corpse-poking, though. And the wound tasting. And the neck snapping. "Wh.. Why are you even doing that?! This isn't the right place for..." A pause. "... There's never a right time or place for doing any of that!" The fact that Marsters and Starless are fighting so close by is only serving to make Haguro freak out a little more than she already is, although she's actually doing a decent job standing between them and Lu-Mey should an errant shot or slash come their way. Having Starless so close by, meanwhile, is making her impromptu bodyguarding job way harder than it should be! <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She's really starting to regret coming out today.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1007|Genji Shimada (1007)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I cannot speak for others," Genji replies, "But I am not here for pay. I came to ensure that the citizens were being treated fairly. If you really have the kingdom's best interests in mind, then I will make certain you reach that negotiating table again." He looks in Charity's direction, the faceplate of his cyborg body concealing whatever expression he might be wearing. "If we can get the general's men to stand down, one way or another, I think we'll be alright for the time being. Can you think of any outside forces who would stand to gain from your nation tearing itself apart in a civil war?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He's still watching the others in the room warily, and keeping his ears open for signs of attack.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:8|Deelel (8)}} has posed:'''<br>Deelel says "I too am not here for pay and I also came to ensure the citizens were being treated fairly. If you are as you say on these issues? Then I think there is nothing to fear long term. yes we'll need to get them to stand down so things can get to the negotiating table again." <br><br> She pauses for a moment checking her gear, yes she brought some flash bangs and some other less lethal riot gear from the grid in the event there was need for it. <br><br> "Yes we need to know who might ... gain from your nation being at it's own throat. It smells as if someone's playing you and your people against eachother." <br><br> She looks to Genji anf gets reacy to follow Charity but she too is wary what if someoner's wairing to strike against the King too?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The horned woman DOES want to get closer! In fact, she's so close now that Starless is backing up next to her. This means she's in a position to join the melee, or worse, get caught in it. But for a moment longer, she's still prodding at the lieutenants corpse. "Oh we'll be fiiiine." She asides to Haguro while performing her completely unprofessional investigations. "I'm investigating!" She even answers the boat-girl. "Just pretend I'm batman! Have you ever met batman? I have. He's all dark and brooding, but under the mask he's... Well he's still kind of very messed up, I think. Anyway that's beside the point, the point is batman would do it."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lu-Mey's logic there is flawless as she picks up the arm Starless had previously severed and starts to nibble on it casually as she stands up. And there's Marsters. "Well of course you're harder to kill!" She chirrups sweetly, reaching into her kimono again with her free hand. "I'm kind of not surprised there, I mean Starless did cut your spine, and your little friend here was dead long before she disarmed her."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lu-Mey proceeds to wave to Marsters with his lieutenant's severed arm.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's because you're already dead, isn't it?"<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lu-Mey's expression shifts. It is something like this...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;:3<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because she pulls that white spider from her kimono and proceeds to FLING IT AT MARSTER'S FACE. If it latches on, it's going to try and skitter its way into his ear.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:299|Charity Whiteheart (299)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Charity eyes the formations as they start to cover her. She quickly steps through a wall, then out at a different point, arms raised. She knows taking ALL of them on might not work out for her, so... time to bluff. it has worked before!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So, you can see that I can just walk through any obstacles." Charity flicks her wrist and causes a support beam to collapse, sliced in two, thanks to her wind shear. "So here's the thing. Your companions are paralyzed, not dead. They'll recover shortly. You can either stand down and enter into negotiations with the King as he's agreed... and that was what you WANTED, right?... or we can continue this. And if we do, I'll need to get lethal about it. So, what do you say we just literally give you what you wanted if you stand down? Nobody wants more death on their hands, right?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's hoping that these were people who bought intot he propaganda, and not walking corpses.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:336|Starless Night (336)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's pretty tense... but either there are no assassins in the audience chamber, or, more likely, they are not stupid enough to try anything with Genji here. Too risky. Edward is saying, "I want a complete staff review and an audit of all expenditures in the last six months. Yes, I know you already did one, but get another company to do it, then do it a third time with another!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Outside, the Elites are paused by the fact that they ARE getting what they want. "But..." Another frowns and is probably radioing in to Marsters... but taps his helmet. "Comms are down."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And the General? He's edging aside to try to get a good shot when the spider flicks onto his shoulder. "What?!" A stagger back... then a quick jerk as he resists the influence. It's enough, though. A flung shuriken from Starless pins the man's shadow down, and a moment later her blade is flashing, slicing out to dismember the soldier into five parts with a sickening THUD onto the ground.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"About time," the 'aide' mutters.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1007|Genji Shimada (1007)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I think, for the time being," Genji says, finally allowing himself to relax just a tiny bit, "I will remain in the city. I can keep my ears to the ground as an outsider, hear things that others might not." Ears? He has ears? "And if need be, I can act as a bodyguard, if you will have me. As a shinobi, it's well within my purview." It's not a bad thought; while Edward is going through his own rank and file for turncoats, ironically an outsider is the more reliable choice. Someone who has no horse in the race, so to speak, other than seeing that things go smoothly. "My name is Genji Shimada, by the way," he adds, reaching out to offer Edward a hand.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm a ninja superhero."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pause.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...or should that be 'superhero ninja'? I'm not sure. Which do you think sounds more impressive?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:234|Lu-Mey (234)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well not quite as expected, but even still it was a good distraction, right? Throwing the spider like that? Lu-Mey folds her hands behind her back as Starless cleaves the general. She's still smiling sweetly when the spider skitters back, allowing it to clamber up her leg and hide once again in her kimono.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh come now, I totally helped and you know it." She asides to said 'aide', proceeds to pull out her malsha once again and lets her fingers dance over the strings in a mournful tune for Marsters.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:863|Haguro (863)}} has posed:'''<br> "B... Batman?" What a terrible role model. "Just because you saw it in a documentary..." Before Haguro can finish her protest, she's cut off by another grisly sight: Lu-Mey chewing on a corpse's arm! Luckily, the need to vomit is something that probably doesn't exist for her, although the desire to is still strong. It keeps her from trying to understand that line of logic, at least, leaving the cruiser to focus on just protecting her inadvertent charge of the day. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This really isn't what she signed up for at all. Wasn't she supposed to have backup today?! No matter. It's becoming increasingly uncomfortable to keep Lu-Mey and Starless separated, but it's also becoming more apparent that they might vaguely recognize each other. How, though? <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It's pretty hard to ignore that Lu-Mey just flung a spider at Marster's face, giving 'Samantha' the opportunity to just kill him outright. She's staring at the two in utter disbelief, but... Well, the fighting's over! Sort of. At the very least, Haguro's just looking between the two and the body parts strewn about, eventually gathering up enough courage to speak. "You... Planned this all out, then?" <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mission... Accomplished?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:8|Deelel (8)}} has posed:'''<br>Deelel truesting things to Charity with the soldiers she'll remain with Genji and the King knowing Genji is skilled but a second body can help die uyp more attackers in the end and the program does seem to be looking a bit on edge here. She keeps her eyes out knowing there may be other assassins about but what happens when they have to leave? <br><br> "Good thinking, with that." <br><br> They would be also checking eachother if everything didn't like up between the groups checking the books? It would hint to other porblems as well. <br><br> "I'd say you would be mistaken for a System Monitor back home but it's about the same thing I think and my name is Deelel" <br><br> Her helemts vanishes in a flash of wireframe and lights revealing her face as well. <br><br> "If I can help your Highness I would be glad to and I'm ... happy things were not as they seemed with you." <br><br> The Watch got a bit played too by whatever is going on here.<br> <br>
}}