3447/The Scene of the Crime

The Scene of the Crime
Date of Scene:	26 November 2015
Location:	The Galaxy
Synopsis:	Jayale brings allies back to the ruined temple where Twilight was attacked by HK-47, hoping to find clues to track him down - or better yet, functioning witnesses.
Cast of Characters:	Kotone Yamakawa, 20, 754, 892, 901, Yang Xiao Long

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HK-47 (754) has posed:
    The site of a battlefield ought to be characteristic of worlds where Jedi or Sith had taken residence in the past. A fact that often bred dislike, of not outright hate, in a world's natives as the galaxy was so easily influenced by, in many of their minds, fanatical religious groups.

    As a result of the rampant destruction that had come down barely a day ago, the two populations of Truuine had uncharacteristically united in something; an abject /resentment/ of outsiders... and it is only on the promise that they never again return to Truuine that the natives allow any recovery to take place amid the ruins of what was once a Jedi Praxium.

     The structure has largely caved in on itself, it's core now a ragged crater-like form filled with shattered and burnt rubble. Small holes have pock-marked the tiny island as a result of the meteors that were brought down on the area. Much of the foliage has been burnt away or uprooted, with fragments of dirt, stone and masonry dashed every which way, with freshly-made fissures having allowed seawater to seep in and form small pools here and there. Smoke still wafts lightly through the air from where rock and grass and plants were immolated and glassed instantaneously the day before.

     To think this place had once been a library might actually be depressing for some who cared about the knowledge and cultural history that this place had once symbolized. Much less that it had been disgraced as the site of a trap organized by a legacy of the Sith - a murderous droid that had attempted to butcher a scholar.

     A droid that, luck permitting, may have ruined duplicates left here that could provide insight into the attacks... and on where the original has gone now.

Jayale (892) has posed:
    Those that had come along with one Flowers, more properly known as Jayale to those that know the name, would have arrived in relatively unstylish fashion. At least by Galactic standards. Flowers was a trader by job and thus had cargo ships, primarily just various freighters of various utility sizes that had plenty of cargo room and was capable of getting back and forth on a Galactic scale. It wasn't as fast, or pretty as others, but it certainly worked.

    It also meant that they got to see the shape the older Jedi/trader was in. While she certainly looked like a middle-aged human at best, albeit with her eyes blindfolded, she was looking quite tired and pained still. The encounter with Peridot among others the previous evening had left her entire body wracked with constant electrical discharge for quite a while and as a result, she was still a bit too sore to walk freely. She had with her a large stave she was using to help keep her balance and felt more and more like Master Yoda by the hour as she found herself using such to get around.

    Having to agree to not return was a bit in sore taste for her, but there was no choice. She did not feel the right to try and convince them otherwise through the force considering it was their fault this circumstance happened to a point. They had walked into the trap. Even if they did not set it.

    So, once the ship got close enough to the island to hover over an area where disembarking could take place, they were all allowed to disembark and the freighter would be taken up and into space for the moment courtesy of her droid to keep any stray HK's from trying to disable their escape or transport.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    This whole place is a mess from the 'looks' of it. As she walks up to the remains of what was surely a strong structure until recently, Toph can't help but shudder slightly. Rather than immediately run off as they land, Toph sticks close by Jayale. Both are blind, but it's not like the Jedi can't navigate. It's more the fact that she is clearly sore and not able to move too well. In contrast Toph is young and uninjured. Even if she can't say she is too happy going here, recalling what happened with HK-47 a few weeks ago only too well. But she is not the type to dwell on those things, not when things need to be done. Only a coward runs instead of trying to fix things.

    "I can sense metal down there somewhere," she asides to the others, her expression determined. Still, it would be stupid to run off into this. After all, there might be traps and dangers lurking from yesterday. Or there might be new ones. So for now the earthbender is cautious, keeping her senses open. At least there is more than enough for her to bend here.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    What Jayale's ship was missing in style certainly made up for it by flying through space, as far as Hoshi was concerned. The moment they'd boarded, she'd started wandering all the places she could reach and not get lost in, only settling down and going to sit quietly in the cockpit (if she was allowed) to stare out into the infinite darkness of space with a tiny smile on her face.

    Once they got closer, she got changed; pulling on her kendo gi and armor, keeping her helmet close by.

    Once they'd landed, she was quick to disembark and stand by the ramp, looking around the area carefully to watch for any dangers. She digs into her gi belt to pull out her hairtie and bounces it in her hand. A small frown is sent to Jayale. "Ms. Jayale... It would probably be best if ou stayed behind us during this whole thing. We'll be your defense line."

    Toph's senses aren't well explained to Hoshi, but she takes it in stride and slips her helmet on her head. "We should be careful, then. I wonder if this HK thing would actually come back here, though? The locals didn't mention it at all, did they?"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa was still pretty wide eyed at it, the tech of this world had caught her intrest with this world and it's technology. A group of space fairing cultures and species that had kept a gaalatic scale civilization going for tens of thousands of years had a lot to teach. Or so Kotone thought, but one of those lessons was the danger of making a killing machine with a mind of its owna nd no want to do anything but carry out it's job as a killing machine. HK-47 had proven to be very dangerous and she's signed on to help with this operation.

"I brought a couple of scout drones that should be able ot help seeking it out Toph but your likely better at it then them."

Toph would be getting metal and more from Kotone.

"We'll do what we can to cover you, Hoshi's got the right idea there. We should keep alert for that and for fail safes in what we're after. He's vicous and utterly amoral he cares about only being efficent at what he's doing."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    It starts off as a rumble in the distance. Anyone from a modern era world might recognize the deep baritone of a 250cc motorcycle engine approaching. The cycle itself can be seen a good distance away, as it's bright yellow. In fact, there's a lot about the girl riding it, that's yellow too.

    She pulls up with a screech of rubber against the stone, and takes off her helmet and riding glasses. "Hey, I'm here. Where do ya need me?" she asks, getting off the motorcycle and walking over to join the group.

Jayale (892) has posed:
    "Indeed, though I would note I am hardly something frail to be protected, I will not turn down your offers. I know where we are to go, though, and given my... heritage, I am familiar enough with some aspects of this praxeum that I can spot out anything odd. Mayhaps at least." With the devestation that was present, it might actually take longer to get to the central vault, even if the trip would be more obvious. Rubble and all, though as they got closer, Jayale finally pointed towards the central vault. "The HK units were inside of what was the Vault. The destruction present withstanding... we need to try and locate if they are still there. I can try to clear away some of the rubble through the Force unless others are... equally capable of moving debris?"

HK-47 (754) has posed:
     Upon descending into the ruins, one could see - or sense - that in spite of the damages inflicted across the area, much of the Praxium's foundations were still intact in spite of the building it was built on being largely demolished. Mud, ash and glass mixed into it's remains from the bombardment may make traversing what's left of the Jedi holding.

     Shattered supports and broken stones litter the path, some of it rather heavy - and others being the result of having been superheated and fused together. Moreover, even though the foundations remain largely intact, the impacts have also shifted them and thus caused some parts of the Praxium to slant or drop sharply.

    Perhaps a more frustrating result of Lezard Valeth's destruction of this place is the method he chose for it - dropping orbital debris, which in turn has scattered traces of unfamiliar metals throughout the cratered ruin.

     However... perhaps thankfully, the central vault seems relatively intact compared to the rest of the temple... if not half-buried beneath a literal ton of stonework. The metal-lined walls had helped it to survive, though the damages inflicted by Karian Icefang's pack and by Kyra Hyral had caused one of the walls to shatter entirely, thus allowing an incalculable number of rocks to carpet the interior.

    Whatever remains were left of the decayed artifacts this place had are now rendered unrecognizable from the damages, and this isn't even counting the scorching, cracks and craters that were left from the fight between the Confederate and Union forces...

     but there /is/ obviously something still here. Lumps of metal scattered throughout the room, most of it buried under the rubble or collapsed shelving - some of it likely being debris from Lezard's method of attack... and some likely being the remains of the HK-51 droids that their progenitor had left abandoned here.

     The question however was how many of them were still intact.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's the first time she's on a mission with some people here, and well... Toph is perhaps so used to people knowing what she can do that she doesn't consider this a good time to explain it further. "I can't see him, but it would be just plain stupid to not be careful," Toph agrees with Hoshi. Kotone too earns a nod, and Toph points towards the temple. "I can sense metal walls and other stuff made of metal there, but I need to get closer to be able to tell just what is what," she explains. The blind earthbender then turns her head slightly when she hears the rumbling of the motorcycle as Yang arrives. Ah, so that's Yang? "Heya. I think we should avoid splitting up, just in case. We're stronger together."

    As Jayale leads the way Toph follows closely, noting where the Jedi points. Inside the vault, huh? Toph just nods her head. "I can sense metal there... and I don't know about you, but there's no trying when it comes to earthbending." If you need to move earthen materials, why not leave it to an earthbender?

    Assuming a wide legged stance, Toph takes a deep breath and reaches out with her hands in front of her, not actually touching any of the debris, and then she kicks her right foot into the floor, all while she moves her arms apart, seeking to open up a path through the debris without throwing it aside. It might make things even more unstable, after all. For now it's best to focus on a direct path towards the inside of the vault. "I can see some heaps of metal, but it's buried! I think most of them are broken though," she frowns, waiting for the others to follow.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Kotone got a quick, thankful grin from the kendo girl, though she probably couldn't see it under Hoshi's helmet. It felt good to have someone she'd had a lot of experience with here to back her up. "Yeah man. Slow and steady, and we'll clear this place out no problem." She bounces the hairtie in her hand one more time, then snatches it. The hairtie expands and extends into it's katana form, and Hoshi slips it into her belt. She's just about to start off, when...

    The rumbling that fills the air makes Hoshi look around curiously, only to see the bright gold streak of someone familiar. "Hey, it's Yang!... What is it with people here and motorcycles? Those things are dangerous..." She quickly shakes her head and offers a wave. "Just in time! C'mon, Yang!" And so the badass gang of gals went.

    The destruction that has been wrought to this place makes Hoshi feel a little disgusted. Japanese people liked their culture and protected sacred sites, which she assumed this was. To see it in such a state... "Damn them," she says finally, sadly. "They just love to destroy the things that aren't theirs, don't they..." The path is blocked, and Hoshi allows Toph to do her work, watching with open curiosity at the movements and how they made the earth shift. "That's so cool..."

    Carefully making her way under the various bits of rubble, Hoshi takes a deep breath and lets her Personas presence calm her thoughts. "Uh... do we really want to try digging right now, though? This place looks like it's in terrible shape as it is." Still, she goes around, looking for any pieces she might be able to take up by hand.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang follows along, listening to the conversation flowing back and forth. At least she gets to see what an Earthbender can do, and it's quite impressive. She lets out a low whistle as the debris simply moves as if by itself. "I've seen people with a Semblance that can do stuff like that, but not on such a big scale." She mentions, then cracks her knuckles. "Lets get to digging then!"

    With a path cleared, and an objective in sight, the blonde steps forwards, and starts hucking huge, obviously heavy chunks of debris aside, checking if they're supporting anything else before doing so. Trying to clear a path to the nearest lump of metal. She's obviously increadibly strong, but it's all brute strength with little finesse.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa looks out at the carnage here and lets out a low whistle.

"Kyra said it was bad but I didn't think it would be /this/ bad."

She looks to Jayale for a moment at the suject of debris.

"I can help pretty well with that. I'm stronger than I look."

She nods back to Toph.

"Well we'll be reling a lot on your talents to find the metal here."

She knows enough about TOph from what she's heard on the radio bands to know the young lady knows what she's doing on things like this.

"Slow and cautious don't rush off, that's a good way to die. Cover eachother as best you can."

Hoshi gets it as wella nd then Yang comes whose a bit of an unknown to her.

"I make custom ones for a living and ride one myself."

Kotone's a motorcycle pusher it seems.

"Well we can't leave a possible HK class unit there if we can get our hands on it? It's our bestchance to get an idea about HK's own workings and I know someone who works with robotics that can help if we recover this."

She looks to Yang for a moment and will move to start helping the blonde lady known as Yang. She too is going to be careful about what she moves and how, Hoshi was right to have them be cautious.

HK-47 (754) has posed:
     Upon searching the metal lumps, several of them turn out to be hull fragments - pieces of the debris Lezard had sent crashing through the Praxium's ceiling. Many of them are comprised of the same metal as the HK units - durasteel.

     However... a few minutes of searching turn up some discoveries.

    Scattered at the sight of a small crater - the ground around it stained by not just blast-marks but chemical burns - are fragments of one of the six HK-51 units, this unit having been the one that Staren obliterated by breaching it's core with a phaser blast. Little of the torso or head are left but metal shards, the most intact pieces being a foot and half the left leg.

     Not far from it is the other machine Staren defeated, it's torso-unit torn open in a blossoming flower-like explosion that had obliterated much of the internal components within it's now-hollowed chest. However, unlike the other, the head - and the memory cores within it - are intact, if not with a battered and blackened casing from the detonation of the unit's power-source.

    On the other end of the room, another HK-51 can be uncovered with some work, though this one has had it's torso largely destroyed from the right side, the head likewise being missing from it's remains. However, digging through some of the rubble might succeed in finding the missing cranial unit if one takes the time to sift through the smaller articles of metal, the severed head being blackened from where it was violently torn off the body by combustible force.

    That accounts for three of the original six units thus far. The others are likely buried deeper beneath the rubble.

Jayale (892) has posed:
    For the moment, Jayale allows the others to work, not getting in their way. Sure, she could try to do something, but she would rather take the opportunity to watch and learn. Not to mention it would give her a chance to figure out more about Toph. The ability to 'shape' things of this magnitude were rather different than anything the Jedi were capable for, and even seeing others just start picking up and moving things... it's odd. Strength not belying size. "Let us try to find all of the HK units we can, all pieces, bits and such, and withdraw them as intact as physically possible. At that point we can take it all back then pick through it. There is no need to try and separate such now."

    Not to mention if they were willing to have her 'be behind', no reason why she can't make a few suggestions. Plus with droids and machines it's impossible to truly know if they are destroyed. "Do be careful too... droids are not living beings. It is possible that they will, in some fashion, remain intact. To which point I am telling you clearly now - if you come across a HK unit that seems remotely intact enough to do ANYTHING, immediately destroy the core upon its chest, either by ripping it out or a precise strike. They are capable of destroying themselves and autoerasure of their data."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    At Hoshi and Yang's comments about her bending, Toph can't help but arch an eyebrow. "... this is something even a novice earthbender can do. I can show you guys what I can really do another time," she says. Well, she likes showing off, but this is hardly the time and place. And well, it would be better if they could get this done without too much trouble.

    Once they are inside the vault Toph stops and stands still as Jayale warns the others on how to best deal with any droid remains. Well, it does make sense. They aren't living beings so maybe they can still function even if mostly broken. And Jayale knows more about these things than the rest of them. "Got it. Destroy the core." If the data is erased, then it will all be for naught.

    As for finding the droid remains... a look of concentration settles on Toph's face before she raises her foot, kicking into the floor again. Several small earthen spikes rise from the floor, and she points at one of them. "I can sense metal under these, so we better get to digging. Some of those are definitively robot shaped. I'll take the ones that's the deepest since that will be the quickest." With that she heads on over to one of the spots she didn't mark and throws her hand downwards, causing the rubble and debris to shift as she opens up a tunnel. It's probably best to be careful not to destroy the metal remains further. Rather than going for the obvious ones that the others can handle it's best to focus on getting to the ones that are buried deeper, and Toph works as quickly as she can without unsettling the rubble. At least things are going okay so far...

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Hoshi spots the metalic gleam of the HK with the torched torso and shivers a bit as she catches Jayale's warnings. It would be just their work if they ran into one of them and it blew the rest of the temple away. With a grunt, Hoshi reaches down and hefts the thing in her arms, dragging it back towards Jayale. "This one's chest is busted, so I think we're good here. It's head looks like it escaped a lot of damage, so maybe you can pull something from it."

    Going back in, she notes the spikes in question. "Mm... I don't really have any digging equipment, but... Ah well." Reaching into her gi, she tugs out her locket and clicks it open. "Persona!" Hoshi calls, and the mirror inside the locket gleams brightly with blue light. Behind her forms a hooded, shadowy figure that slowly gains form, appearing as a rather tall woman in a green cloak and a muddied wedding dress. Rosamond has to crane her head to fit in the room, but quickly goes to her knees, Hoshi crouching down next to her. The giant woman raises her hand and plunges it into the ground with a resounding crack, pulling aside earth as Hoshi grimances, gripping her hand as though it was paining her.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is lis working to collect some of the metal from the frame of the fraged HK unit.

"Automated killing machines that can function without any orders from something else. Still hell of a job with the AI coding I'd not be shocked if to use a term from my world. HK had a of his own. Ghost, a twisted one given how he is but a ghost none the less."

She shakes her head a bit a she gets to work further. Jayale was correct.

"Right we want ot be able to go through it all ot at least let you people from the Union do so. Thanks for the warning."

She knew HK would have failsafes in his lesser units and she was right she's getting to work on seeing what she can find. Let me see later I might be able to jack into it and see what they have though I'll need to get some other hardware for myself first."

She pauses t the PErsona and she hw self starts moving some pretyt hefty bits of wreckage that could be hiding more HK-51 bits she knows there might be something there, maybe they will get lucky and find something akin to a head or a drive as she movews ot the far end of the room and keeps on digging and heftin rubble out of the way.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "I found something! It's missing the head, but it might be around here somewhere!" calls Yang, as she drags the broken wreck of the headless 51 out of the rubble and tosses it into the clear. "I'll keep looking!"

    She goes about sifting through the smaller pieces, tapping each one to figure out if it's metal or stone. She does, finally find the blackened 'head', and brings it out like a dog that's found its favorite toy, grinning broadly. "Lookie what I found~."

HK-47 (754) has posed:
    In the end, further digging soon unearths more finds - digging through the deeper rubble, Toph soon comes upon her target... which all but slumps out of the crumbling debris, giving the illusion of having been active for a split-second until it clatters lifelessly at her feet.

     As it turns out, this is ultimately the only HK-51 that escaped relatively undamaged, save for being severely dented and cracked in dirt, dust and glass-fragments from the bombing of the temple. It is the HK unit that fell first - the one who's power-core was disconnected by Jayale.

     Hoshi's efforts with Rosamond soon uncovers the fifth of the droids - this one having been bisected from shoulder to hip by Karian Icefang in the prior fight, the majority of it's core components smashed, with what little escaped being crushed having been scorched when it's self-destruct protocol failed. Sadly, Lezard's attacks with falling debris had caused most of this droid to be severely crushed and dented - the head is half caved-in, and, while some memory may still be recoverable, it likely won't be easily repaired.

     ... but, perhaps as to be expected though, not all of these discoveries are so benign-

     -made obvious as no sooner does Yang brandish the severed head of one unit then a metal limb lances out from the rubble and grabs at her ankle, yanking sharply. An action that will either pull her down... or serve as the leverage to pull a charred metallic form out from under the debris, one yellow lens glinting menacingly while the other flickers in and out from a rather large dent encompassing half it's faceplate.

     "StATeme-ee-nt - o-o-o-oRgAnIC T-Ar-get LOcAted-d-d-d-d-d!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    So that's a Persona, huh? Toph looks a bit curious. "I can't say I know much about those Persona you guys have." When Hoshi grimaces and grips her hand she looks slightly concerned. Is she okay?

    "I can sense some gem tech around here..." she mutters. So Peridot was here too, huh. She had heard the gem on the radio, and this doesn't sit right with her. Likewise, it's a bit unsettling to find the droid, though Toph is sort of relieved to find that the core is already disconnected. "I have one here," the earthbender calls out to the others. "It's not all that broken, and the core was disconnecte--"

    Upon sensing movement underneath the debris near Yang however, Toph's eyes widen as a look of horror dawns on her face. For now she ignores the inactive droid that she found, instead turning partly around as she throws her arm out towards the thing that is grabbing for Yang, and she closes her hand into a fist before she yanks her arm back, aiming to bend the droid forcefully /through/ the debris and try to keep it still while the others come to Yang's aid.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang yelps as she's grabbed. She shifts her stance and holds her position. "Target this." she says. As Toph yanks the thing out and holds it still, she deploys her gauntlets, and with a quick leap, flips and takes aim, before bringing an explosive fist slam down into the Droid's center of mass, the shotgun-like blast lashing out against Durasteel chassis.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Hoshi is a little relieved when she's finally hit the area where the droid was buried--it looked completely smashed, though! Hoshi rolls her eyes in small irritation. Go figure. All the while, Rosamond picked up the pieces she could with surprising delicacy, stting it beside the hole. When she hears Toph mention her Persona, Hoshi turns around and blushes a bit, rubbing at her hand. The pain was fading, thankfully. "We don't know much either. I can tell you what we know when we get back to safety." Like how pain was transferred between them. Ouch.

    As soon as they heard the struggle with Yang, both Hoshi and ROsamond looked over quickly. For a moment, both seem ready to spring into action, but they pause to let Yang get her piece of vengeance. Rosamond springs forward with surprising speed, drawing a giant broadsword from under her cloak as she approached, and swung--apparently aiming to cleave the HK's head from it's body. Hoshi stays still and focuses on keeping Rosamond up as she looks around for any more dangers.

HK-47 (754) has posed:
     A choked shriek from a damaged vocabulator pierced the air as it's movements are abruptly stymied, trying to struggle even as one limb remains locked on Yang. However, as more of the debris falls, the droid's damaged state - the severe burns and missing left arm it sustained at Karian's hands - become apparent.

     It's servos are too damaged to hold forever, though, the droid's grip finally slipping away as Yang begins pummeling it's already-damaged chassis, causing part of it's torso to cave in and cripple the already-damaged HK unit further.

     It's form freezes up even further as a broadsword becomes lodged in it's neck-pivot, the blade burying itself deep into the metal and cleaving halfway through the connection. But in spite of that, the HK-51 unit still retains enough power to glare back at it's attacker defiantly, as if refusing to back down even while garbled shrieks escape it's mouth plate and sparks belch forth out of the gash in it's 'throat', the majority of power-connectors between it's core and it's head having been stricken or severed.

     "S - ate - men - t - Y-you w-WiLL... all... bE... Ex...TeRm...i... nAt... ed."

     A stricken final threat, made in the face of what it considers to be impending destruction.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Ugh, it's still functional!

    There's a determined and somewhat harsh look on Toph's face as she turns fully towards the HK-51 unit. Though Jayale can sense that the girl is not happy about the thing being functional and a threat, she's still relatively calm and focused as she assumes an earthbending stance, bringing both hands forward before she yanks them back. Her intent is simple; tear out the core before the unit can attack them further. Hopefully it will work...

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is caught by the voice from the damage machine the droid's sitll somewhat. She snaps up with inhuman sped as she turns about to see the ravaged Dorid as it still speaks. She looks at the final threat.

"So your functional."

She's wary now adn she's looking for a way that she might be able to help disable it, she's dropped what she was working with. For she's got som tools she's got to disconned. She moves at the speed one might expecty of a combat droid or other mechanical thing as she moves in rapidly attemping to follow up Hoshi's actions and quickly finish disabling the HK-51.

"You will be of use to us."

She'll give Hoshi a look onlk once it's safe, but it seems there's others also going for the core to disable it this should be enough. Between her, Hoshi and Toph, it should be enough right and if Yang piles in there should be no chance of this thing cooking off...right?

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang leaps back and away, backflipping into a crouched, ready stance as Rosamond comes in with the sword, and Toph does her telekinetic thing. She's watched Professor Goodwitch using her Semblance, this is different, but there's some similarities. The blonde gets back to her feet, keeping her fists up in a defensive stance, like a boxer. She'll move in again if she's needed.

Jayale (892) has posed:
    "Is everything alright?" Jayale calls out, "I hear, see... commotion. Be safe foremost!" Though Jayale starts to step forward, as if intending to help, she forces herself to stop - for the moment, trying to trust in her newfound allies capabilities. She would probably be a liability even if she did go forward.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Rosamond slowly looked down at the ruined HK unit, trails of blond hair brushing across it's face, as if the eyes hidden under the hood were studying it. For a moment, there was a flash of a golden iris, until the Persona fades away into the shadow again.

    There didn't seem to be any more threats, a fact Hoshi was grateful for. When Rosamond fades completely away, Hoshi snaps her locket shut and slips it underneath her gi. There's not much more a sword can do here. "That thing isn't going to blow itself up, is it?" She asks hesitantly, slowly slipping back to Jayale's side. "One of them was still kinda working, go figure. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure it's not going to be doing much anymore."

HK-47 (754) has posed:
     A harsh grinding of metal being torn asunder precludes the front of the HK-51's torso buckling and bowing forward until half it's chest plates are ripped away - but the machine's arm folds back on itself in a panic to keep it's power core in place, even as it's eyes dim immensely and it's arm slackens.

     It's... disconcertingly odd. Few of the other HK units aside from HK-47 himself had clung to functionality this harshly until now. Was something about this droid unique? Or was it one of the few HK-51's that had been active long enough to start breaking free of the shackles placed on their programming capabilities?

     Whatever the reason, it isn't until Kotone swiftly takes the exposed core and disconnects it, the machine finally slumping into an inert state as it's head lolls over and it's lenses go black.

     From here, removing the head and abandoning the ravaged main body ought to be relatively simple.

     Now... the only question is what to /do/ with the four intact heads and single half-crushed one? And moreover... what to do if any HK units come seeking their brethren, only to find the remains have been vandalized and their cores missing?

     Regardless, at the very least, they have intact sources of information now. Perhaps enough to find out where it is the droids have been launching their attacks from.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Well! Crisis averted. Hoshi relaxes a bit as Kotone does her magic, and the thing finally falls. All clear. Hoshi lets out a small breath of relief. "Y'know, I was thinking with our luck, it was going to blow and we'd end up having to escape from this place as it collapsed," she half-jokes to Jayale. With everthing done, Hoshi goes to collect the pieces that she'd managed to salvage and bring them over.

    Checking them over, Hoshi grins a bit and stands tall with arms folded. "And so we have four... and a half? It's something. What sort of things do you intend to do with these, anyway? Is there some data you think you could pull off them or something?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Oh, you're not getting away from this! Toph's expression hardens, and she grunts as she grits her teeth together, her hands and arms struggling against an unseen force. Sure, it's weird that this one is so stubborn, she has destroyed other HK-51 units before, but this one... it's more important to stay safe for now though, and they need information. So Toph doesn't stop her metalbending, not until Kotone has managed to disconnect the core. Only then does Toph take a step back, breathing as she feels herself calm down slightly.

    "That damn piece of scrap metal..." she mutters, then kicks the ground. In response the earth underneath the unearthed droid she found earlier shifts, knocking the HK-51 unit up so Toph can grab its leg and begin dragging it with her. "We got them, I suggest we leave," Toph says, clearly not happy. It could have gone far worse, none of them are injured, Yang seems okay. And as Toph passes by the older girl she reaches out to punch her in the shoulder. Which might be misunderstood as Toph continues walking off. "We're fine, Jayjay."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa sees that the HK-51 is no longer acive thanks to everyone's efforts. She was curious about it's behaviour to be sure she'll worry about that later as they go to collect what they have.

"I'm going to collect all the remains here. There could be something to learn from it and I got a few ideas."

Also it's a chance to study an alien tech base too."

she looks to hoshie or a moment.

"Study them grab what information and tech we can out of them. Supplying even information on how they are made are usful, find design flaws, learn what thier limits on movment and weight are. That sort of thing. Also there's the data we cna pull."

She looks to TOph for a moment.

"Thanks for your help there Toph."

She looks to Jayale.

"We're good, thank you for giving me a chance on helping with this Miss Jayale."

She looks at Yang getting a feel for the young woman.

"Interesting meeting you as well."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang returns her gauntlets to their storage form, and runs her fingers through her hair. "Heh, that thing scared me. Nice hustle! Good teamwork." she remarks. "I can carry some of it if ya want." she offers, then looks to Kotone. "I'm still getting used to this Multiverse thing. Name's Yang, nice to meetchya!"

Jayale (892) has posed:
    "Good, let us get what we can and be on our way." Jayale says simply, nodding, "I am thankful to have what help we can. Toph, can you try something for me?" The older Jedi begins to step forward. "Everyone, come, gather and bring everything you have." Jayale slowly makes her way out of the area and into an open space, waiting for the others to gather, before saying softly, "Toph, within the HK units there is a self-destruct module. It is a bit... overly worrying of me, but I am uncertain if the units can only activate it themselves, or if HK-47 or other units can remotely activate the devices. See if you can separate them from the pieces we have found, and if possible return them to where they were found, if you can still tell. It is... a bit overly cautious of me I admit, but better safe than sorry. If we can manage, we may be able to make it look like the units self destructed after the collapse/after the Confederates left, if we can separate the devices, and remotely destroy them where they were found. There are enough parts around that it might be believable, with the destruction effects, they won't look /too/ hard. If they even look to begin with."

    Moving towards the headless one, Jayale struggles a bit to maintain her balance and raises her stave, pointing towards where the device was in the HK-51 unit she interrogated not long back.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    When Jayale asks the young earthbender if she can do something, Toph stops in her track, her expression one of curiousity. "Hmm?" She does drop the droid next to her though to hear out the Jedi's suggestion.

    The concern Jayale has is a valid one, and well... if the self destruction does get activated it could mean trouble, that's for sure. "It would be plain stupid to underestimate what that Rust bucket can do," she agrees, then she kneels down by the droid she was dragging, closing her eyes as she rests her hands on the droid's chest, then head. "You know just where the self destruct module is? Wouldn't it be easier to just grab the memory part? Might be less to carry," Toph suggests. Though when Jayale points out where the self-destruct module is, the blind earthbender nods. Slowly her fingers dig into the metal of the droid's chest, tearing it open as if it was paper, and she is careful as she pulls out a part that she handles with great care. "It seems stable enough for now..." It wouldn't make sense to have it be unstable, after all. Then the droids would be exploding left and right!

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Hoshi crouches down to watch Toph digging through the thing's innards. Mostly, she's trying to watch for places where she shouldn't stick her sword in case she ever gets in a fight with these things. "How many of these other robots does HK have, anyway? Does he always swarm the people he attacks with them?"

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "Probably has a production facility somewhere. The guys over in Atlas build androids all the time. They use 'em as disposable troopers to support their Hunstmen. A metal shield which they hide behind." Yang says, cracking her knuckles idly. "Kinda pointless if ya ask me, take too many and you lose all stealth, but not enough makes their job kinda pointless anyway."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa Says "You'll want to keep them somewhere that they can't get wireless transmissions I'd suggest. Getting those systems removed would be the first thing I intend to do before we do anything else with them. I can get us explosives to do that it won't take too long to set that up. Still better to try and cover our tracks than to do nothing at all. HK won't be happy if he finds out we snatched this hardware. Though that last unit seemed a bit different...I wonder."

She nods to Yang's comments about combad drones.

"My world does much the same with unmanned craft and infantry units. It's hard to tell where the warmachines end and the people begin..."

HK-47 (754) has posed:
     The assorted HK's seem rather harmless in their current, damaged and majority-dismembered states... though the key factor to keep in mind with these units was that they were - for the time being, at least - never-ending. And they were always careful to cover their tracks.

     Anyone with eyes in the sky - or sensors that can register the new arrivals on their communication system - may detect it before it actually penetrates the cloud-cover... but, depending on how far Jayale's perceptions reach, she may be left dreading the form of the Foray-Class Corvette - the same one that had once been used as the site to ambush the smuggler Han Solo.

     A vessel that was, rather ominously, holding position high in the distance... with it's forward-turrets slowly-but-surely angling downward toward the ground.

     It seemed the HK's were in a hurry to obliterate evidence... yet still seemed to plan on visually assessing their situation, the ship begins it's approach for the island that the Praxium is located on.

     Hopefully, those present parked their ships close by - or have surefire transportation. The island is rather small... and turbo laser fire is rather indiscriminate, should the droids find they have reason to glass the area. And with any luck, whatever mimicry the group enacts is enough to trick the droids...

     ...because they will likely be in sensor range of the vessel within ten minutes... and in firing range a few minutes after that, should they find enemies sitting there.

Jayale (892) has posed:
    While Jayale may be a Jedi, and a Miraluka, she can hardly see into orbit from the ground. She was starting to get a bit uneasy however, like something was wrong. Just what she couldn't tell. Not until an intercom she had with her started beeping and whistling like an astromech droid. "No time, we have to leave, now. Something is coming and I do not wish to chance that it is what I think it is. My Astromech droid is having a fit and the pilot seems to think it could be bad news too." With that she turns and starts to make her way back the way they came, "Hurry, just... grab what we can, we have no time. If they find out, so be it. I have to try and warn the locals to get away."

    It was a painful effort, but Jayale began to move quicker, letting the Force flow through her. She wasn't the most adept at this application, but at the very least she could push herself along and suffer the pain later. The rest were still likely much faster than she, but her path was different than theirs. She was trying to keep others safe for the moment. "Get to the ship, it should be where we dropped off by the time we get there!"

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang listens to Jayale, and she doesn't exactly need to be told twice, not when there's weapons and stuff she's unfamiliar with involved. These have some vague similarities to Atlaesian Androids, but that's about where it ends.

    Yang leaps onto her motorcycle and straps her helmet on in a practiced motion. Glasses on next, and she calls out. "Anyone that doesn't have their own transport, hop on! I can take one with me, but we gotta move!" She then revs the engine, striking it into roaring life as she preps to get the hell out of dodge.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Without any particular supernatural sense, Hoshi had no idea of the threat that was currently looming over their heads, watching as Toph messed around with the machine with curious eyes. When Jayale starts to get worried, though, Hoshi looks up--and nods quickly, snatching up one of the robots and putting it over her shoulder. The added weight is a pain, Hoshi grunting a bit as she comes to a stand, but she's stronger than a normal girl. Once she's got her load, she starts hauling ass.

    Out in the blessed air, Hoshi looks up to see if she could get a view of the thing that was threatening their lives--probably couldn't, though. Yang and her bike get a wide-eyed gaze and a quick shake of her head, and she dashes for the ship, throwing her droid somewhere while she went back outside to wait for Jayale.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Even as Toph gets ready to work on the other droids and making sure the self destruct modules are removed, she blinks when Jayale speaks up and lets them know that they can't stay any longer. "Wait... you think they are coming back?" she asks, frowning. This is the only time they can return here too. They have gotten all of the droids, of that Toph is absolutely certain. So let's be quick about it. And she isn't slow to give orders either. "Yang, take Jayale with you! The rest of us will get the droids to the ship!" Heck, she can bend an earthen plate along the ground for the others if necessary, which she does the moment they get outside, flinging her droid onto it as she gets on. And she'll let the others have a chance on catching a ride on it towards the ship.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "Lets get the loot and run!"

With that she'll take whar cargo she can and make for the ship. She's not holding back running and she takes off at a strong clip shes' going to make for the ship and get the heck out of here. Jayale's right it is so very much time to go.

"On it!"

She's getting the dorids parts loaded up and she's going to make ready for getting the heck out of here.

"We can't handle fire power of this magintude!"

Jayale (892) has posed:
    "...very well. Yang, is it? Please, try to get me to some of the locals as quickly as you can. At least outside, then get to safety. I will catch up to you, I cannot just let those here be harmed a second time thanks to us being present." With that she waits until Yang is close enough and she joins them carefully on the vehicle.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang nods to Jayale. "Alright, hang on to me, Bumblebee's the fastest cycle in Vale." she says, then, once the Miraluka's on and situated, she kicks the stand, and pulls the throttle, tearing off in the direction of the settlement nearby. She doesn't slow until she's in the middle of the village area, skidding sideways to bleed off speed. "Get everyone you can moving, I'll wait for you!"

HK-47 (754) has posed:
    The sight of open activity - the earthbender's plate and the motorcycle in particular - is enough to preclude any doubts the droids may have had about whether or not the site was compromised... and they react as expected, the Corvette picking up pace and then slowing to enter a stable approach over the Praxium's ruins.

     Seconds later... the sky comes to life with bolts of vibrant green, turbolaser blasts from the forward cannons angling downward and opening fire upon the island to obliterate everything that remains.

    One of the few saving graces is that it is largely indiscriminate... but that likely doesn't mean the effects aren't noteworthy as a third of the Praxium's remains are annihilated by one of the barrages. Depending on Toph's effective range of 'sight', she can probably feel the craters suddenly being blasted into the island and realize the droid's aren't just returning - they're already here.

     If they hurry, they can likely make it back to the ship before the HK's are close enough to start targeting smaller objects.

     The only 'settlement' near the Praxium is actually underwater... though the devastation of an island crumbling down above it is hardly safe for it. Granted, there is something of a 'meeting place' on the surface where the natives of this section of the world -the Karkarodons - sometimes meet...

     ... and upon seeing the approaching vehicle and it's passengers, the shark-like humanoid all but glares murder at them, gesturing wildly to where the bombardment is occurring in the not-to-distant backdrop. "What /is/ this madness?! Why is the Republic firing on that Temple?!" he bares his teeth viciously, the anger evident in his eyes. "What horrors have you invited on us now, you miserable wretch?! We told you before - we want /nothing/ to do with any of your wars!!"

     ...

     And so the reason the droids used a vessel - a /Republic-associated/ ship in this era - to indiscriminately bomb a target has become clear; they're inflaming mistrust and assumptions.

     The HK's are trying to spark a conflict... and right now, it looks to the locals like there is a fight between the Republic and the Union.

Jayale (892) has posed:
    "It is not the Republic, and it doesn't matter! Get to safety! All that matters is your lives right now!" Jayale struggles off of the motorcycle and works her way towards them, "There is no time to be angry, if you wish to lash out at me afterwords feel free, but you can hardly be angry if you are scorch marks and bones on the dirt! If you ever trusted the Jedi, then trust this..." the older Miralukan woman stops when she gets close enough and holds out her hand, slowly levitating the stave she had with the Force as if trying to give some credit to her words, "I ask nothing of you beyond you get to safety. Our presence here was not the cause of their return, they returned to cover their tracks surely. The only difference is we now have a chance to stop their madness further! Go, go!"

    Jayale waves Yang away and points towards the ship that was just landing, the cargo freighter not going to be able to outrun the Foray that was currently firing on the ruins. "We don't have time, go, if keeping them safe means staying here and leaving at a later point, then I will take that chance. The Union has to get those droids, and these people must be saved, neither is more important than the other. Let alone you waiting on me." And once again Jayale turns towards the Karkarodon in the hopes that common sense prevails. Anger had another time and place, getting out of the way of this glassing was certainly more important.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    As the blasts hit the ground Toph can't help but frown, using her arms to bend earthen plates that shoot out of the ground to cover her and the droid she's transporting. Add in the fact that she doesn't move in a straight line, and she somehow seems to make it safely to the ship. It's easy enough to fling it aboard, and Toph waits by the ship for the others. If they are attacking from the air it's better to stay by the ship. Either way they are leaving, and hopefully the droids they have gotten their hands on will have worthwhile information.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Well, she wasn't going her way. Hoshi rushes into the ship again, running into the cockpit, to the poor man who was meant to be their pilot. "We need to leave. Like, now. They're tearing the whole freaking island apart for us. This thing doesn't have weapons, does it?" Without waiting for an answer, she's running back for the hatch. Once everyone is in, she's going to slap the button to close the door so they could get the hell out of Dodge.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "And if you die here it'll all be pointless!" shouts the blonde back. "Hey, Fish dude, get out of here, right now. I dunno what's going on with that ship, but it isn't one of ours, and we didn't bring them here!" she adds in, trying to back up Jayale's words. "If you're staying, then so am I. Every life is precious, and it's a Huntress' job to save as many as she can. There's a warpgate on the far side of the island, it's how I got here, and we can use it to get away."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa loosk to the native with a good bit of shock as she says.

"It's not the Republic..."

Did they get set up did they leave the remains of the HK-51s as bait? She will have to worrya b9out that latert.

Jayale is woman who has a way with words she hopes the natives will understand but she also gets their fear of what might come of this. She's going to haul on to the ship.

"If they are after us we can lure them away as well!"

She calls out. However she looks for a moment sighing they can't leave the natives here to be ripped apart by HK's crew either.

HK-47 (754) has posed:
     When told to trust the Jedi... the Karkarodon looks absolutely enraged. He all but roars at her and lunges, snapping his jaws inches away from her face. "Trust the /Jedi!?!/ I'd sooner kill them myself!!" His voice is full of spite and anger, obviously having no love for the Order. "The Jedi have been the reason for every horror we've suffered with that damned temple of theirs on our world, drawing raiders and looters and invasions! First Exar Kun, then Darth Revan - now the Republic and your 'Union'! I could care less why they are here or what triggered their attack - you are involved and you will remove yourselves from our world /now!!/"

     A harsh impact against the island - direct impacts from the barrage of turbolaser fire - rattles the ground, seeming to aggravate the native further, this time glaring at Yang and Kotone. "If you value our lives you will not try to drag us off our world! You will hold to your past promise and /leave!/ And once you do, /never/ return and /never/ bring your cursed conflicts to our home again!!"

     Even with fire raining down, common sense seems to be the least of the Karkarodon's concerns... or rather, after the orbital fire Lezard caused the day before, he simply has no reason to believe any outsiders are innocent of bring chaos.

     Not that it matters... as another of his kin barks out an exclamation and points at the sky - just in time for turbolaser fire to impact the water behind them and boil it, blanketing much of them in superheated steam.

     "What in-?!"

    Another impact blows a crater not far from them, the heat glassing the dirt and throwing up water and earth, forcing most of the natives to duck for cover.

     The only saving grace is that most of the fire is concentrated on the Jedi Praxium... which by now has been almost entirely obliterated by fire.

     And as a result, the vessel's prow is now tilting to angle for the direction of Jayale's transport, gradually inclining so that it may begin targeting with more accurate fire.

     At this rate, it will hardly matter - the island itself seems to be on the verge of collapse. The natives will likely flee their underwater village deeper into the sea... but that does not mean all of them will make it before the island's mass comes down on their homes.

Jayale (892) has posed:
    "...Yoda forgive me for what I am about to do." Jayale thinks to herself, not flinching as the Karkadon snapped at her, standing 'tall' at her short height and not seeming intimidated. "Yes, the Jedi having made the Praxeum here made this place a target. Such is existence, and it is our fault. I take the responsibility of those before me, and in that responsibility I have already agreed to never return. But I will be damned before I see anyones anger at the Jedi be their own death. Quit being a fool and flee while you have the chance!"

    When her voie raises, her hands do as well, the stave dropping as she reaches out with every bit of strength she has and through the force attempts to quite literally force push in a wide swath all of the natives she can and forcibly fling them out into the water away from the land mass, knowing full well that she far overstepped any bounds set by her order. She could not allow more to die, not for this... even if it meant she would be wrestling with that action for a time. "...take off without us, get those who are onboard the ship out of here." And then Jayale turns towards Yang and says, "Thank you for staying, but if we have any chance of escaping, we need to get to that warpgate."

    Perhaps it was obvious just looking at her, but she had no energy left. Injured from the previous day, and having just basically expended way too much effort trying to save those who wanted her gone over wanted their own safety, she was barely able to move towards the motorcycle of her own capacity. Seems it was up to Yang to decide how to handle that situation.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Oh damn...

    It's easy enough to feel that the island is in bad shape, and Toph swallows before she gets down on one knee and slams her hands into the ground, doing her best to keep the area around the ship stable. Ugh, just what is taking the others so long?!

    "We gotta get going /now/!" she calls out on the radio to the others.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang watches the telekinetic push, the concussive blasts whipping her hair about in a frenzy. As Jayale staggers from her outburst, the blonde leaps off her bike, moves to grab the Miraluka, and hauls her over onto the bike again. "Just hang on and I'll get us out of here."

    She revs Bumblebee up, and guns the throttle, aiming as directly as possible for the Warpgate. Turbolaser fire is fast, and has a massive blast range, but even a ship like that will have trouble aiming at such a small target, moving as fast as the motorcycle is. Add in a weaving, unpredictable path as the island starts to collapse, bringing once passable terrain into the realm of the impassable, and Yang's having to fight for every inch she can get. "C'mon. C'mon!"

    She ramps up over a sudden chasm, landing hard and skidding for a moment before she recovers. "Just a little further!"

    Like a shining beacon, the Warpgate looms over a small crest of land, and Yang guns her bike as fast as it'll go, dead-running it through the gate and out of the line of fire.

    "... Nailed it..."

HK-47 (754) has posed:
    The Karkarodon barely has chance to voice protest before he and his kin are flung backwards into the oceans, some of them screaming curses to Jayale and to the Jedi Order in general for bringing misery on them.

     However, most of them can tell there is no point to staying, the island continuing to crumble as the Foray-Class Corvette above rains down destruction on it. Thus, shooting one more collective hate-filled glare at the fleeing pair, the Karkarodons grudgingly flee, returning to ensure their homes are evacuated before the island above it can collapse entirely on their village, finally placing the escape of their families over their hate.

     At this point the ship is now clearly visible in the sky, having dropped far enough down through the clouds to make it's systemic devastation of the island all the more expedient. The ground shatters and is reformed with each and every blast - craters, sinkholes and surging waves are torn open and just as soon transformed into glass, and from there into debris, the ship's attempts to destroy the fleeing Huntress and the Miraluka failing as it's targeting computers cannot keep pace with it's fast movements.

     However, as the ship finishes it's re-alingment, it's primary batteries focus on a comparatively larger target - Jayale's freighter.... and a moment later, bolts of emerald light pierce the sky as they rain down on the ship.

     At this point, fleeing would be a very good option as the island proceeds to start crumbling entirely, and soon enough will completely sink beneath the waves, vanishing from the world as though it had never existed.

     ...

     At this point... the only thing left to do is find some way to examine the HK units... and see if it was all worth the risk.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is going to have to trust in Jayal's words this is after all not Kotone's world she knows the history here she also sees thing are heading for the ship. Kotone isn't going to leave people to die she's knows she's got to get out of here with the droid parts. The ship won't last long and it's about time to do. They have to get out of here and she's managed to get on to the ship and get ready to head out, still this op got the locals hurt yet they don't seem to want any help, Kotone grimaces as things seem to be for the moment over.

"I hope this was worth it, and we're likely going to have to contact General Hall about this mess..."

Jayale (892) has posed:
    Jayale was hardly conscious at this point, though thankfully Yang had taken charge of the moment and had seemingly managed to help her escape the destruction of the area. Jayales ship, a simple Freighter, was hardly able to withstand blasts from the type of ship that was currently razing the island, and as a result, as soon as she instructed the pilot/Astromech to take off, it began to with those who were present. It was only moments away from being destroyed as when it began to fly away, bolts of the lasers energy impact the shields in glancing blows enough to rock the ship like it was a canoe on the ocean.

    It certainly wasn't the fastest thing, but with the Foray focusing on destroying the island and possibly not able to pursue fast enough with having to reposition /then/ chase, it was possible for the ship to barely make it to space in time, with the escape jump pre-calculated, to get out in time though the ship might not get /all/ the way to the target. It will probably need some repairs mid-transit, but it will hold together certainly.