4815/Imperial March
From Multiverse Crisis MUSH
| Imperial March | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 26 November 2016 |
| Location: | Core Tellus <CT> |
| Synopsis: | Iskandria marches on the Frontier. In one such battlefield, someone has sent up a call for help! Elites arrive to fight back the horde, but battle is also joined by a messenger from the heavens. Enter the Hero. |
| Cast of Characters: | William Pauwel, 1077, 1010, 385, 1065, August Kohler, 1007 |
| Tinyplot: | CODE Chaser: Shattered Judgement |
- William Pauwel has posed:
This part of the multiverse is typically pretty quiet. The people of The Frontier are a hardy, robust lot, and while they tend to complain (loudly, to whoever might be around to listen), they rarely need any help to solve their problems. That's not the case today, and it's easy to see why.
The signal leads to a town along the northern edge of the great western desert, far enough from its arid center for the landscape to be occupied more by steppe, mesa and scrubland than sand dunes. There's a town here, set up underneath what appears to be a huge stone henge-- or possibly part of what was once an immense highway. But right now, it looks more like a ramshackle fortress than a village. Makeshift wooden walls reinforced with plates of exotic materials have been set up around the periphery of the settlement. Gunnery emplacements squat atop the bit of barely intact highway, which has been buttressed by elbow grease and scavenged steel.
They needed to prepare.
A formation of armored infantry marches on the settlement from the west. But they're not the bit that should worry anyone. The chances that they'd break into even a fortress- even a ramshackle one- against a force of Frontiersmen all the way out here is vanishingly slim. No, it's the fact that that little squad is surrounded by a veritable battalion of what look like minotaurs with beam weaponry mounted to their arms is what should worry.
It looks, for a moment, as though they're about to start firing.
And then one of the soldiers steps out of the horde.
"Ahem. Ahem! If I could have your attention!" The armored man yells, "People of the frontier town of..." He squints, "...Barter...town. Bartertown. Attention people of the frontier town of Bartertown. We come as agents of the Iskandrian Senate and the Imperatrix to extend our invitation into the empire. Your town has been selected above your peers to serve as seat for the empire's new province. Lay down your arms and surrender peacefully, and we shall extend our protection to your settlement. Resist, and we will have no choice but to take your land by--"
Something goes splat.
It's... It's a rotten tomato.
"We don't want your damn protection!" Someone yells from atop the highway. "We've been handling things just fine out here without you namby-pamby westerners." The soldier's brow twitches. He wipes his helmet clean. "I come in the name of the Imperatrix! Have some respect--"
"Imperatrix?"
"What's that?"
"We didn't vote for no namby-pamby imperatrix!"
The soldier sighs, stepping back into formation, "Very well, if that's the way you want it." He raises a hand, then gestures ahead, "Forces, march!"
...It looks like things are about to get pretty bloody.
- Gabriel Volt (1077) has posed:
"Esp inum lemure cara san."
As a hidden voice calls out, whisps of orange light begin to flit in the area from all around. They float through their air effortlessly, some passing through rock and people alike until they settle in a wide group in front of the approaching army.
"Rek."
The floating lights all dive into the ground and suddenly a wall of fire erupts. The barrier of flames burns between the army and the makeshift town behind for several moments before the center parts. Through the opening walks a young man wearing fairly casual clothes, his long muffler blowing in the wind. His head is bowed, silver-grey hair covering his eyes as he reaches up to grip the hilt of the large sword on his back. As the flames close up behind him, he calls out to the man who appears to be the leader of this formation, "These people have declined your offer of protection. I suggest you leave now in peace, there are surely more important targets you could direct your army towards. It would be a waste to lose them here."
- Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
ROBOTS
Reinhardt is getting some slight flashbacks to the Omnic war back in the day, when he was young and Overwatch was still around. It isn't, but that doesn't mean the old man can't do some good regardless. When he hears the pleas for help, the aging knight is quick to join the fray.
A conspicuous pile of scrap rumbles besides the advancing forces, and suddenly an explosion of sheer German machismo is upon them.
"ACHJAAAAAAAA!!" He bellows, his hammer swinging wide to send as many of the invaders flying as possible. "YOUR PRESENCE IS UNNEEDED HERE, LEAVE NOW!" His voice echoes through his armor's speakers. It's a rather stern warning.
- Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
When Yuna initially heard the distress signal, she wasn't entirely sure that she'd heard it correctly - but she had Elner plot a course for the signal's source nonetheless, and reviewed the signal along the way, as well as conferring with Elner about how best to deal with it. She doesn't really want to fight an army, robot or otherwise, but she can't ignore the people who are about to be swarmed over, whether they get slaughtered in the process or simply annexed by a government they don't want to be any part of.
So when Yuna finally draws attention to her approach, she does so in a relatively simple manner: a big, bright bolt from the Matrix Divider, blasting a hole in the roadway ahead of the imperial army's vanguard. "COMPANY, HALT!!" Yuna calls out in as authoritative a voice as she can manage, soaring in to hover in the army's path, her weapon at the ready just in case she needs to do more than fire a warning shot.
At least she's not the only person coming to the town's defense; Gabriel's wall of fire forces Yuna to remain higher in the air than she'd planned to, but she's grateful for the support nonetheless. And as if to underscore that thought, Yuna doesn't remain alone in the air for long: Jiina and Marina descend to flank her, holding their respective weapons but aiming away from the Iskandrian forces, while Elner hovers next to Yuna's shoulder and just a bit behind her.
"I don't know who in your government decided it was all right to swoop in and annex Bartertown without any forewarning," Yuna calls out, "but this town doesn't want to be annexed, or conquered, or any subjugated in any manner. I strongly suggest that you all head back into your own nation's territory, before --"
Before Reinhardt, apparently; the power-armored knight doesn't give Yuna time to finish whatever she was going to say. But the blonde girl doesn't seem too upset about the interruption .... maybe she recognizes that it's robots that are getting beaten up?
- Devon-7 (1065) has posed:
Let it never be said the life of a Guardian is ever boring. One moment, Devon-7 was cruising through space, slurping on something fizzy and watching the latest Crucible plays.
"Ah damn, I'm down fifty Glimmer." He grumps glumly watching one Guardian put another down with a well placed headshot. Sigh. That's when the distress signal comes in.
"Devon? Hey Devon, y'better take a look at this." Oakley chimes, the floating little construct bobbing in the air for his attention, turning his head from the carnage. "We're close by, wanna take a look?
"Huh... Yeah let's mosey." He decides before pausing, the ship's systems relaying data and info from the site below. Something about an Imperatrix. "Huh... Bartertown? So who runs it?" He muses. "NOT some Imperawhatsis that's for sure." Oakley replies.
All it takes is a moment for his jumpship to reach prime orbital position for a Transmat drop. There's a shimmer... And the ship is empty. Another shimmer on the ground and he lands atop the wrecked segment of highway, duster coat fluttering in the wind only for a moment before he vanishes. Lucky few may catch glimpse of what looks like a space-armored cowboy. Before he just vanishes from sight, the light rippling around where he used to be almost imperceptibly.
- William Pauwel has posed:
A lot of things happen in a very short period of time. Things that make even the great mechanical legion pause. A wall of fire erupts in the space between the advancing forces and the ramshackle walls of bartertown. Shortly thereafter, a bolt of golden light lances down in front of /that./ Heroes appear as if out of the aether, dropping in from high orbit or screaming through the air.
But perhaps most pressingly for the robotic armies, there is a very angry German man taking a hammer to some very unfortunate robots.
"Look at those walls! Those buildings! We bring the promise of safety to these people- we could bring medicine and food, and all we need is their allegiance. The Imperatrix has made her decree-" That same soldier- likely an officer- yells. Though whether that's in response to Yuna or to Reinhardt or to rally his troops or for some other reason isn't quite clear. "Advance," he yells, "-All weapons hot!" The sound of energy weapons charging is unmistakable and universal across all worlds. And just like that, the world is suddenly a terrible storm of red energy. Each of those robots is equipped with not one, but two autocannons, and each one is spitting blood-red bolts at the defenders.
The ones engaged with Reinhardt are... Well, he's been fighting robots for a while, and his hammer is VERY large. Many crumble and shatter, but the ones behind charge forward with heavy, black axes, trying to lock shafts with the ancient German, and then SHOOT HIM IN THE FACE.
Robots are cheaters.
Curiously, the people in the town seem to have... Gone quiet? Or rather, their guns are quiet. "Who the heck called in the cavalry?" One of them mutters. "I'unno," another replies, "No skin off our back." It looks like they're... saving ammo?
Well, it's not like they have too many supplies out here.
MEANWHILE
Somewhere in Bartertown, a head pokes out from behind what looks like a hay bale. "Psst, August," someone in a hat whispers. "Do... Do you think they got the message?" Oh. It's Will! "Signal was successfully broadcasted" Another, hollower voice calls, "Also the front of town appears to be on fire."
"Shush, you," Will mutters. "Why d'we always run into crap like this when we're in the middle of a trip?"
- Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
Reinhardt may be ancient, but he's a monster in close-combat, like right now. He's not so sloppy as to let the robots get too close, his hammer swinging once more to take out as many of the advancing robots down as possible.
Assuming he doesn't get a full swing, he uses his boosters to crash right into the horde of 'bots, bringing his helmet down on the unfortunate robot closest to him in a headbutt. "RRRRRRR!!!"
He may not be too nimble in the armor, but he still attempts a kick to give himself some space and catch his breath.
- Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"SHUGOSEIHEKI!!" Yuna shouts (well, practically yelps) as soon as she hears the Iskandrian 'weapons hot' order; her kite shield, the 'Wall of the Guardian Star' as she named it, flares into existence on her left arm JUST in the nick of time, and Yuna pulls most of her petite body behind the shield's cover just before the energy bolts start flying.
But even WITH her shield taking most of the punishment, she can't just hove there and tank it. Even if she were in Powered Form, the heaviest mode available to Yuna normally, she wouldn't be able to just hunker down and wait it out; the Light Suit's defensive reserves have limits, and she's in *Flight* Form - arguably her *least* durable mode, which puts a premium on dodging. And the robotic soldiers aren't going to give her time to switch out.
There's sort of another option, though, and it's Elner who executes it first: the little robo-faerie simply flies over the wall and down into the relative safety of Bartertown, with Jiina and Marina following suit in a hurry. Yuna glances over her shoulder briefly, then flits back and down to rejoin her allies, the protective aura of her battlesuit crackling a little longer before stabilizing back to its normal, virtually-invisible glow. "They really aren't going to give us a peaceful option, are they ..." sighs Yuna, hoping her heartbeat settles back down to a normal speed quickly enough to let her think, and rejoin the fray while there's still a good chance to protect Barterdown from Iskandrian conquest.
*Maybe* she could outfly the massed firepower out there, but her confidence in that is .... really, really low. That only leaves one or two other options, and she needs the cover she's currently got if she's going to enact either of those.
- August Kohler has posed:
Travelling with William Pauwel: a terrible mistake, one redheaded German has learned. Every single time it ends in chaos. August Kohler glances over the haybale, his nine-gallon hat poking upwards before he dives back down. "I'm pretty sure you're some kind of bad luck magnet. One of these days, you're going to get us killed, Pauwel." And then, Judgment makes a report. August just sighs, gets up, and looks for the closest roof to climb up to. "I'll be right back! Somebody stole my schtick."
Once on the roof, August taps into local radio. "<< Hey, who here isn't a terrible dictator? You get a buff. >>" A glance down at one of his buttons, as he tears it off and tosses it into the air, staring straight into the reflective surface.
"PERSONA!"
Suddenly, the burn-scarred robot soldier with a gun for a leg rises in a crackle of blue energy, before aiming its gun at all friendlys. And it fires, but nothing comes out except a wave of energy. Reinhardt, Yuna, Gabriel, and Devon feel stronger; their attacks will do far more damage than they did before!
- Gabriel Volt (1077) has posed:
If Gabriel is grateful for the assistance of those others coming to the town's aid, he doesn't show it. Now's not the time, after all. Instead he lifts his head, his golden eyes staring down the officer, "You've made your choice then. Live with it."
As the army is instructed to prepare their weapons, Gabriel draws his sword and says, "San lista traven una." Gabriel begins to walk forward, additional wisps of light flocking to him from out of nowhere. They group up around Gabriel, merging together into a set of phantasmal armor that covers most of his body.
Gabriel's pace goes from a walk to a run as the army opens fire with its energy weapons. It's the first time he's ever faced such weapons, but he likens them to some spells he's encoutered so doesn't back down. Instead he charges the firing army rather recklessly, many of the shots going wide as he runs. Those better aimed splash against the armor of light.
As Gabriel quickly reaches the front line of the formation he feels the power of August's buff rush over him. He unleashes a battle cry and begins to lash out with his blade, darting quickly from one robot to the next. He uses the close quarters to make aiming their weapons more difficult while he quickly brings his sword down on limbs and slicing towards torsos.
- Devon-7 (1065) has posed:
Dropping in from orbit? Who? Where? Who could have done that?
Certainly not Deovn-7. He's not even here. The Guardian is nowhere in sight.
But the ripple of motion of something deadly and predatory up above is there. Light bending all around it, little more than a flutter of motion, readying something long-barrelled and deadly.
"Well ain't this a right party." Devon chuckles to himself, Oakley twittering affirmatively where she takes her place hiding in the recesses of his coat as the guardian sights through the scope of his sniper rifle. For a moment he just surveys. The town below, the invading legion of machines, the soldiers, Reinhardt plowing through them and mauling everything in sight. The Hunter whistles under his breath, the clawed fingertips of his gauntlets drumming impatiently on the grip of the gun. He hangs back. He does not join the fray. He lines up a shot.
. o O (There. ... Oh bearer mine. That one. He is the head, is he not?)
The Hunter tenses, gauntlet-clad hand going stiff as he hears the murky whispering giggle at the back of his mind, hands seemingly guiding themselves to sight the rifle on the soldier that had made the initial offer to the town. The man who gave the order to advance. He feels the sudden flow of empowering energy and influx of unbridled strength.
. o O (Do it. ... Oh bearer mine.)
He considers only a beat longer.
"Aydios compadre."
Devon-7 squeezes the trigger.
The report of his rifle is a loud and murderous crack, causing his camouflage to ripple dangerously. It's why he's already moving to another position while he's much more visible in the instant it goes off.
- William Pauwel has posed:
As the planet of Tellus has proven time and time again, just because something's old doesn't mean it's not going to kick your ass. Though, paradoxically, Reinhardt is actually much, MUCH younger than the robots he's presently smashing into so many tiny bits. But it's more than just the fact that he's pulverizing machines that might conjure memories. It's their sheer /numbers./
He smashes one, only for another to take its place. There are hundreds here. Hundreds, for one small town.
Somewhere else on the battlefield, a sorcerer tries his luck. Bolts of energy smash into the robotic legion and... seem to disperse, draining away into the jet black plate of their armor. That doesn't necessarily help them once he gets into melee, but Gabriel might find that these machines aren't nearly as fragile as he might assume. Fortunately, August's buff seems to pay dividends. His sword cleaves through one, then another, but a third responds with a massive axe-- but there are so many of these things.
"Forward, forward!" The officer roars, "There are only two of them out here! Press foward, they can't stop us all!" And indeed, the robotic legion IS advancing, taking advantage of the wide open space around Bartertown to just sort of flood over the defenders. Energy bolts smash into wooden walls and explode into cinder and fire. "Go, go, G--"
BANG
-splut-
The officer collapses, his brain leaking out of a hole in his skull. Behind him, another man grimaces, wiping the gore off his chest, before promptly... Reaching down and seizing the fallen man's helmet. "Keep going!" He roars, "These bastards killed the commander. Lieutenant Secundus, taking command. Now keep going!"
Well. They've certainly got discipline, if nothing else.
MEANWHILE
"Damnit Kohler, it's not that bad here!" Will yells after his BEST BUDDY and travelling partner. "We just keep running into AWFUL THINGS!" And it's true! Usually the threats are pretty tame. Like cave snakes and prairie sharks. But that's not exactly what's at play here. He sighs, rubbing at his face as he goes after August, only to find...
A Yuna.
"M-miss Kagurazaka?" Will grins, rushing over to the glowing girl. "I'm glad y'all got my message! We're in a bit of a pickle here, as y'all can see. Uh... Are y'all okay?"
Somewhere High Above
Devon's spacecraft hovers peacefully in high orbit, delicately dodging the passing ruins of some satellite or a wayward space-pen. It's trainquil up here. Nothing but void, and a big, glowing blue marble.
...And then /something/ swerves nearby. An enormous shadow sweeps across the jumpship's starboard side. A set of bright, white eyes stare at the vessel... Before the shadow, set against the glow of the distant sun, turns away and dips into atmosphere-- towards the Frontier far blow.
Incoming.
- August Kohler has posed:
So, it looks like these guys are more focused on the settlers than the guys they're fighting. And therefore, the Fauxmans are trying to march into the settlement! So, there's only one solution.
Set everything on fire.
Specifically, August leaps forward, making a very clumsy jump from his rooftop to a ladder leading to the upper frontier walls. Once he's at the top, the Tin Soldier looms in the air over him, as he shouts to the enemy. "Hey, you bastards, I'd make some sort of cheesy punchline, but just burn in hell." And then, the Tin Soldier mimes a roar, as that leggun is pointed forward, fire blasting all in front of the settlement entrance. A massive wall of fire is conjured. If they want to get through it...they'll have to burn.
- Gabriel Volt (1077) has posed:
Gabriel finishes slicing through one of the robots, turning to his next target... Only to see it swinging a massive axe towards him. Gabriel quickly brings his own blade up to block, but it's only a small help. The Spirit Knight is smashed through the air by the heavy swing, bouncing across the ground a couple of times before coming to a stop.
Gabriel groans quietly as he gets up to one knee. He looks around at the large force of robots... They're only putting a dent in the numbers. He needs something a bit more intimidating. Gabriel plunges his sword into the ground and chants:
"Kell seni taram est forun pess gaim."
The hard desert ground in front of Gabriel begins to crack and rise up as large boulders, connected by swirling patterns of light. As more of the various sized chunks rise the thing begins to take shape. A torso, arms, legs, head. The Earth Spirit finishes climbing out of the hole created by its awakening and stands tall above the robots around it.
As the large spirit reaches back with one of the large boulders making up its fist, Gabriel jumps up onto it from behind. He uses it as a launching platform to send himself spinning towards the robots with a cry, his blade once more slashing out at them. Meanwhile the Earth Spirit finishes its swing towards a group of them, its boulder fist shaking the ground around it when it hits.
- Devon-7 (1065) has posed:
The commander falls. Devon watches for a long, silent, moment as the leader is reduced to a bloodied corpse, collapses, and is then replaced by his second. It shows that taking off the head does not always work. Another simply regrows. Or in this case, it shows a force that is not faltered by the loss of a commanding officer, when another man with the right initiative takes his place. The Hunter makes a sound like clicking teeth, from within his helment. That is some good discipline, though, he has to give credit where it's due.
He takes up a new position now, dropping to a knee and sighting through his sniper rifle again, cloaking systems stabilizing and rendering him a glassy shadow once again. But.
"... What the hay... Devon. Devon you oughta take a look at these readings from the ship." Oakley says, muffled by the Guardian's coat, and feeds him the data. That stays his hand.
"What the hell... Oakley open a comm to everyone friendly-like."
"Done."
Bwip.
<<Hey so somethin's inbound from orbit. Thought y'all oughta know.>>
Let it not be said a Hunter never keeps his allies appraised. He's lining up another shot, beginning to open fire, precision shots at joints and vital looking parts on a robot here or there.
- Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
SMASH! Reinhardt knows how to deal with numbers, and he attempts to scatter the enemy forces. His hammer's thrusters blast as he strikes with added force and speed. "RRRRAGH!"
The attack buffs from August are a welcome boon, and he presses the assault before hearing the mention of something in orbit, and it's not Devon's ship either. What the hell could -that- mean?
- Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
The power-up from August's Persona suffuses Yuna's armored figure, and she gives the German student a quick thumbs-up in thanks while trying to figure out what her best options are. They really boil down to two possibilities.
Option 1: Switch to Powered Form, leap over the bulwarks and take the fight back to the army.
Pros: Relatively proportional response, and she'd have the firepower and armor to deal with the soldierbots.
Cons: It would still be a slugging match and, more likely than not, a battle of attrition.
Option 2: Summon El-Line and try to intimidate the army into backing off.
Pros: El-Line *is* kind of a siegebreaker-class machine, and the sheer display of it MIGHT be enough to make the Iskandrians back off ...
Cons: .... assuming they didn't just decide 'nice robot you've got there, think we'll take it' and start trying to capture it for themselves.
Not that they'd really be *able* to capture El-Line intact; Yuna could dismiss the Matrix Figure again just as quickly in a pinch, and it's not like the Iskandrians are going to be able to find their own Savior of Light to summon or pilot El-Line for them - or so Yuna hopes. For now, the report of something coming in from orbit is enough to push her to make a decision, and hope it's the right one.
For now, Yuna switches from Flight Form to Powered Form; Erina joins Marina in trying to assist the Bartertown citizens within their walls - providing cover fire over the wall, that kind of thing - while Yuna executes a hoverthruster-boosted leap over the wall and dives back into the fray. Shugoseiheki has been relocated to the left exo-arm, leaving the right arm and its manipulator free while Yuna's own hands hold the Matrix Divider ready.
What follows is a lot of blunt-force melee - punching, shield-bashing, and melee attacks with the Matrix Divider; she's not so much trying to 'kill' the robotic soldiers as just try to disable as many of them as she can, as quickly as possible. There are familiar details starting to nag at her memory, too ... she's been on this world before.
Maybe not in this part of it ... but not sufficiently far away for comfort.
- Genji Shimada (1007) has posed:
Near the back of the Imperial forces, there is an explosion. Followed by another, in a different location. A few more follow - each in a different spot. A man suddenly keels over, a shuriken sticking out of just the tiniest exposed vital point, thrown with pinpoint accuracy.
With all the heavy firepower from the front, the enemy forces have not had any reason to watch their backs. And so the fox is among the chickens.
Swiftly and silently, a cybernetic shadow moves among the mechanized and human strike force. From one to the next, striking wherever he can find a vital spot that his throwing weapons or shortblade can reach. But he's not without aim; no, there are two purposes to the shinobi's seemingly chaotic assault. One is exactly that, though - chaos. To have them alarmed, unsure of their own surroundings, uncertain where the next attack will come from. To throw them into disarray. The other, is to slowly work his way inward. Dropping low, darting between and under and around enemy forces to slowly make his way towards the newly 'promoted' enemy commander.
And to THAT end, he transmits locally; not speaking aloud, but rather, over open radio, so that his voice doesn't come from any one location.
"Having weapons does not make one right. It only forces others to act as if you are. How would you feel, Secundus, if /you/ were the one being told to obey or die? Shall I come for you right now?"
Genji is here.
- William Pauwel has posed:
There are many, many machines on the battlefield. But they aren't exactly elites, not on their own. Even so, as long as they can just overwhelm the defensive line, they can seize the town. Seize the objective. But it's not a job that's being made easy for them.
Reinhardt, one of the great Crusaders of the Omnic Crisis, smashes into the robotic line with his tremendous, rocket-powered hammer. Metal and metamaterial shatters and splinters before his wrath. Apparently, while they are quite effective at absorbing thermal energy, plain old kinetic force still does wonders for dismembering these things. He carves out a killing field, building a veritable hill of broken machines that their compatriots are forced to climb over to progress.
He's not alone. Gabriel reaches into the earth itself and calls its spirit to action. Now, Tellus doesn't really /have/ that sort of thing, necessarily. But something... Something DOES respond. An ancient intelligence answers his call and stirs into motion. The golem draws itself out of the ground and lays into the robotic army. Behind it, a second wall of fire rises to join the first. A formidable defense- a giant of earth and stone and a wall of flame.
Of course, the machines don't seem TOO perturbed by fire, except that it seems to throw off their aim somewhat. Instead, they focus on the big target, firing their red bolts enmasse into the construct. They don't seem to notice (or mind) too much as they start being picked off by the addition of a sniper and the return of a Savior of Light.
Devon and Yuna tear into the legion, completing the defensive bulwark set up in front of Bartertown. Cover-fire from Erina and Marina join in as Yuna starts smashing machines alongside the golem and the crusader.
At first, it seems that the action is all directed to the front, but that's... Not at all the case.
"Advance! Keep pressing forward!" Secundus bellows, though even he has to admit that this is... kind of ridiculous. Who the blazes brought /these/ monsters here? He grunts, levelling something between a lance and a beam rifle to fire off a few shots of his own-- before something explodes BEHIND him. And someone collapses, with a blade in his throat. "Damnit," Secundus growls, "PHALANX!" His troops, the meaty, fleshy ones, fold back into a tight formation of man and steel. Enormous shields are leveraged outwards, forming a bristling shell of wall and gun-spear. "I don't know who you people are, but obeying is what I do. The only safety in this place is in unity. None will stand in the way of that dream!"
- William Pauwel has posed:
There's a sound.
It's a low rippling through the air, like the roar of distant thunder. A sudden rush of force that pummels the ground. Something streaks across the sky-- a shooting star, but... But it's not falling apart. Energy ripples beneath the halo of flame, diverting air away as the figure descends.
Elner would likely detect it first, but only because he's staring into the sky. It looks as though there's just a single power source up there-- at first. But as it descends, it's obvious that there are two.
One is attached to an enormous signature, a thing larger than even a Guardian's dropship. At first glance, it strikes a vaguely draconic shape, with enormous wings and a long, serpentine neck. But then it draws closer, and it's obvious that its body is covered in stark, white armor. Its wings and joints are layered in blue, and its head is encased in a metallic mask, with massive, regularly shaped 'teeth' for a mouth.
The other figure is... Smaller. As white as the thing it's riding, the second figure is perched atop the first. It grips an enormous lance in one hand and a shield in the other. Paradoxically, the latter is... emitting more power than the former. Its shield seems to lens close, the field of energy disperses in a flash of light and heat.
It leverages its weapon at the battlefield. The second figure's lance splits open down the center, and erupts with a blinding ray of blue-white energy. The beam lances across the formation of machines, filling the air with the scent of ozone as what must be a plasma beam cleaves cleanly through a number of the robots.
"You've all made a terrible mistake," a voice bellows from the pair. "This conflict," the thing in the sky yells. "Does nothing but shed needless blood, waste valuable resources." The second figure hoists its weapon again, unleashing a second raking beam, "We do NOT approve!"
- Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Oh, so those are what was coming in from orbit, thinks Yuna as she sees the robotic(?) dragon and its ... rider? Yuna does her best to steer away from where the new arrivals seem to be aiming -
But more than the firepower they're suddenly displaying, it's the words which simultaneously chill Yuna's heart and give her some semblance of hope.
She immediately calls out on the radio for her allies to break out of combat - and she's suiting actions to words, dismissing her weapons and trying to simply barrel *out* of the battlefield post-haste, hoverthrusters boosting her into another jump. She's not even trying to get back into the Bartertown borders; she's just trying to get *OUT* of the fighting, and hope that the new arrivals - possibly the Iron Angels which Will mentioned local rumors about - will take her termination of combat operations as a good sign.
Of course, if the newest arrivals who are plainly about to curbstomp the Iskandrians *don't* realize that she heard, and understood, their ultimatum ... well. She'd probably need to be in El-Line to withstand whatever they can do to her.
- August Kohler has posed:
Well, that's not good. As soon as the giant robot space dragon, its rider, and the lasers all come down at once, August blinks. And then, he hunkers down on the wall, the Tin Soldier floating upwards, as he shouts to the sky as loud as he can. "What is your intention here? Are you really fighting violence with violence?!"
- Genji Shimada (1007) has posed:
"You are mistaken. They are not standing in your way. They simply want no part of it. There are many who would willingly assent, and yet you force your dream on those who would not. You have chosen your battles poorly. Now I will choose your-"
Aaaaw shit.
From where he stands amongst the army, Genji looks skyward. He sees the oncoming storm, so to speak. And he decides to get out of the rain.
All the green lights on Genji's armor switch on as one. And then light is all that's easy to track. Because he's darting /out/ of the Imperial formation, a streak of green weaving its way to safety amongst enemies and wreckage. And while he goes, Genji switches his transmitter up to higher power. "This is Genji Shimada contacting the unknown person riding a dragon. This Imperial force began an unprovoked assault on this town, for the purpose of conquest. If my people and the people of the town agree to withdraw from the fight, will you repel the Imperial invaders in our stead? They are the ones perpetrating a waste of life and resources."
- Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
"FOOLS!" Reinhardt sends robot after robot hurdling away, "We will not falter in the name of those who otherwise have no defense, not today! WE-"
Suddenly a fucking dragon. Reinhardt GLARES at the giant robot dragon and whoever is riding it, and he levels his hammer at the creature. "We were here defending this village from invaders, those who would force their control over unaffiliated parties. Either leave us be, or help us, I don't care!" He grips his hammer tightly, his shield forming as he braces for the oncoming storm.
- Devon-7 (1065) has posed:
Devon is in the zone.
No, he's more than in the zone. The longer he remains firing, it becomes a horrifying display. Crouched on knee, sniper rifle in hand, for every shot he takes, the Guardian only grows faster on the trigger, more accurate with scope, lining up followups and capping off a different robot faster and faster, only growing in murderous efficiency. Every time he needs to reload, his hands are lightning, replacing magazine and repeating the motion with automatic and mechanical precision.
The Gunslinger's Trance, at its peak, is a terror to behold on a battlefield, as one sniper from the back ranks can score precise kill after kill after kill. His sniper fussilade only stops when the being from orbit finally descends.
It's a gatdamn dragon.
"That is a gatdamn dragon." Devon says.
"Yep... A gatdamn dragon." Oakley echoes, as they both peer up, watching the descent and subsequent decimation of the approaching mechanical forces.
- Gabriel Volt (1077) has posed:
Gabriel is far too focused on staying alive amidst the army of robots to notice the robot space dragon coming down from above... That is until its plasma beam sweeps through said army.
As the spirt he summoned continues to rage around him, Gabriel stops and stands, turning his gaze upward towards the source of the beam. He's aware of the existance of dragons... Though he's yet to see a robot version of one. But as impressive as it might be, Gabriel is instead most drawn by its call. He chuckles darkly to himself, saying to no one in particular, "Yes... I've made a terrible mistake... But fighting these soulless constructs pales compared to it."
"Cala seran toremiro set lien esteraph yaro."
A wisp of light similar to those Gabriel summoned before, but blue this time, flits up towards him. It circles him for a moment, before flying towards and sinking into his sword. The sword begins to glow a matching colour, lightning starting to arc across its surface.
Turning towards the nearest robot, Gabriel charges and with a quick swing slashes the lightning enchanted sword at the machine, a trail of light following behind it. He returns to fighting the robot horde.
- William Pauwel has posed:
"What are you--" Secundus asks Genji, moments before he's instead asking empty air, and even more moments before the air TURNS INTO FIRE. Not at him, fortunately. Devon's sniping almost manages to keep pace, impossibly, with the beam raking in from the sky, but the former is far more flashy. Secundus turns and pales at the sight.
Possibly to everyone's mutual horror, the figure on the dragon actually... Responds to hails. The voice, once it's no longer yelling at the top of its lungs like some kind of ridiculous messenger of plasmaic doom, is actually... Rather noble, in many ways, imperious and certain in its course. Hollow, certainly, like it's being spoken through some kind of vocal distorter. "If violence is levereged, then violence is the judgment wrought," it answers the boy on the wall, apparently regarding him as one of the inhabitants of the settlement. "Moreover, these are mere machines. They can be replaced."
"I understand. You are not the instigators of this conflict. Worry not," the voice in the sky says, "You will not be harmed unless you interfere in my task." The Dragon descends, landing just in front of the two walls of fire. Its rider gives them a glance and then dismounts, levering its shield at the mindless mass of machines. The thing lenses open again, revealing an array of crackling emitters. "Instigators of conflict, soldiers and legionnaires, I am the Hand of the Protector," he says, plainly, "The Warrior, Marchosiel."
"Stand down," he says, as the weapon begins to glow, "Or I will be forced to fire--"
"What the blazes," Will breathes, staring at the carnage from atop the wall, near August. "A /robot dragon!?/" Something at his side crackles, "LEGION units. Fascinating. But where is their Terminal?"
Marchosiel's head snaps up at the voices. His eyes go wide as he turns-- inducing just enough motion to pull the trigger. Six rays of light spear through the massed army. Somehow, they don't seem to burn, rather... They /shatter/ what they collide with. Raw kinetic energy smashes dozens of machines to bits, and anyone still in the line of fire would find themselves probably wanting to dodge both the beams AND the shrapnel.
The Angel turns its head back as it recognizes its mistake. "...Surrender immediately," it says quietly, though through the magic of radio, his voice still makes its way to almost everyone present. "Or I will fire again."
- August Kohler has posed:
From his wall, August considers. This Marchiosel is trying to do good things. But he's not only capable of mass power, he's an idiot who doesn't even know gun safety! The Tin Soldier rises, and fires buffs...on all surviving allies and /live enemies/ in the battlefield, as he maintains his bunker. "What about the soldiers? What about that guy Secundus? Should he die? What gives you the right to kill him, when you so casually misfire? Who made you judge, jury, and executioner?" It is actually somewhat hypocritical, because August believes in vigilantism, he's just sort of peeved that they were doing it first and then this guy came in and started making things worse.
- August Kohler has posed:
Also, while this is happening, August is giving William Pauwel a death glare. Pauwel, you fucked up.
- Reinhardt Wilhelm (1010) has posed:
Reinhardt realizes he's in the line of fire. He drops his shield.
THEN he proceeds to run as fast as his feet can carry, running like hell before he boosts well clear of the death lasers Marchosiel's dishing out at the Imps. "Almost thought you were going to aim at us, too!" he comments, after skidding to a stop with enough force to kick up a crapton of dirt as he looks up at the wall. "Run now, argue later!" he calls out at the boys, before he takes his own advice and RUNS like hell. Thankfully the buffs to defense may mitigate any damage he sustains.
- Gabriel Volt (1077) has posed:
Gabriel is suddenly caught by surprise as one of the blasts of light streaks right past him. He stabs his sword into the ground and ducks down to take cover as things near him begin to explode into shrapnel. This includes the spirit he had summoned, which explodes into bits of rock.
Gabriel's phastasmal armor is buffeted by bits of robot and rock, beginning to show visible cracks. But finally the attack passes and Gabriel is left crouching amidst a battlefield covered in robot parts. He takes a moment to recover, slowly standing and turning to look in the direction of the being that had just fired that blast. He takes a deep breath...
... Then shouts, over the radio to, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
- Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
At the moment Marchosiel pulls the trigger (accidentally or not), Yuna is - thankfully - out of the fray and has the opportunity to just observe what's going on.
Rather than dispensing a death-glare or anything (she's in a *bit* too much shock for that right now), she just chides William a little over the Chaser radio band, asking to make sure Judgment doesn't interrupt again.
Other than that? She's watching and worrying from to one side of the road which became a battleground. She's also hoping that what's left of the Iskandrian army will do the *SMART* thing and retreat. Even if machines can be rebuilt or replaced from scratch, a reasonable CO would probably want to conserve resources ... and she's caught on (thanks to Elner) that the army's commanders are, in fact, living flesh-and-blood humans. So she's hoping they'll retreat for the sake of their own lives.
She may even be praying that they do so, but she doesn't have her hands folded or anything.
- Genji Shimada (1007) has posed:
Genji has just reached the perephiry of the fight when-
"What-?!"
It's unexpected. It shreds through the enemy just behind him. Genji whips around in surprise, only just drawing his shortblade in time. Shrapnel pelts the cyborg - or would, if it could get past that lightning-fast blade of his. He parries it neatly, sending it all back into the crowd, then skids to a stop outside it, landing in a cautious crouch.
"...are you young, or just inexperienced in battle? I do not fault what you're trying to do, but lives are in your hand. Lives that have now been lost. Choosing to take them is one thing. But doing so by accident? To someone on your path, that should be unacceptable."
- William Pauwel has posed:
Gun safety doesn't exist in Tellus. August should know that by now. Sure, some Ancient firearms have it, but why would you put a /safety/ on your /giant mechadragon rider?/ It looks like the tremendous display of force has finally tipped the last domino. After losing a majority of their robotic forces to the assembled elites, being faced with (accidental) obliteration by an agent of the heavens is... Too much to handle.
"Damnit," Secundus grunts, "RETREAT! All hands, fall back to the rendezvous point!" At his command, the mechanical legions-- or rather, what's left of them-- turn tail and flee, following after the group of human soldiers leading the way. At least he can legitimately blame this one on Act of God. Also on Primus. Primus was obviously at fault for all of this. Being dead, he also can't defend himself. PERFECT PLAN.
Marchosiel lowers his weapon at the sight of the imperials beating feet. And at the sound of a handful of elites chastizing his lack of trigger discipline. "My apologies," he says with... genuine regret. "I did not mean to endanger you all. I have only reawakened recently, and have not had time to properly acclimate to my protocols. I was also... surprised."
He stares after Reinhardt and- presumably- Will, as they go bobbing off into the sunset. Will kind of has very little way of resisting short of shooting the big guy in the foot, and that would be MEAN AND WRONG, so he's kind of just... Carried along for the ride, leaving Marchosiel and the others behind.
"Regardless, it was a mistake on my part. I do not intend to repeat my error."
- William Pauwel has posed:
The giant dragon next to Marchosiel emits a strange, regretful churl. It'd almost be adorable, if it were not coming from an enormous mechadragon bristling with weaponry that includes at least one smoking gunport. Did it fire when it was startled, or was it when it was up in the sky?
- August Kohler has posed:
August is probably abducted with Will. He'll struggle but he's a scrawny teenager and Reinhardt isn't. "Aaagh, wait, I'm not done here! Marchiosel, next time we meet, I have questions for youuuuuuuuuuu" And then, August disappears with Reinhardt and Will.
- Genji Shimada (1007) has posed:
"Though they were the aggressors," Genji replies, now approaching at a calm and steady pace, "Most of them were simply following orders. All of them are men with someone waiting for them at home. A sibling, a lover. Many of them likely working as soldiers to ensure those people a happy, safe home." His voice isn't harsh or chastizing - there is calm to it, a tone that almost implores Marchosiel to self-reflection. "That is the weight of a life. Whatever issue I might take with your philosophy aside, please remember that. Never allow yourself to end a life by accident. That, is the truest tragedy of battle."
- Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna lets out a *deep* sigh of relief, and re-activates her hover-thrusters to skim over to Marchosiel and the others.
(She would revert to the basic Light Suit and just walk, but her legs would probably give out underneath her ...)
She may want to make sure Bartertown isn't too badly damaged, and possibly even offer to help with some repairs ... but once the adrenaline wears off, she's probably going to just collapse and let Elner worry about getting her back to somewhere resembling 'home'.
- Gabriel Volt (1077) has posed:
Gabriel briefly considers giving chase... But after a tough battle and surviving that last assault from the robot dragon and its rider... He doesn't see much point to the risk. Besides, the anger he'd been feeling about the obviously superior force picking on the inferior townspeople was pretty much gone now. Instead he's more focused on the sudden arrival and near friendly-fire incident.
Still, Gabriel just shrugs it off. He sighs as he moves to sheathe his sword on his back. The lightning spirit that had been inhabiting it floats off and disappears. Likewise those making up his armor and the firewall disperse as things calm down.
Gabriel puts his hands in his pockets and turns, walking back towards the small town that had been saved, eyeing the one called Marchiosel. Over the radio he asks, "Please be more careful, next time."
- William Pauwel has posed:
Marchosiel regards Genji with a long look as the cyborg speaks. "Do not worry," he says, then. "I am not interested in promoting the unnecessary loss of life. What happened was a mistake. The Protocols are being patched as we speak." By who, though? Maybe Marchosiel can just... do that. The Ancients were kind of weird in that respect. "The Protector is responsible for protecting human life on this world. Accidental death- death that could have otherwise been prevented- is regrettable indeed."
That appears to be his answer to Gabriel as well. Marchosiel glances off towards the horizon briefly, and then moves the slide back onto his mount. It looks like he's making to leave. "If that is all, I do have other business to attend to."
- Genji Shimada (1007) has posed:
"That is all, for now," Genji replies, turning to leave - but stopping, to look over his shoulder. "But if you are available some time soon, I would like to speak on philosophical matters more... complex. I have questions to put to you."
- William Pauwel has posed:
Marchosiel stares at the cyborg for a moment longer, his eyes glowing thoughtfully beneath his visor. "Very well. I cannot compromise internal security by providing my contact. However, I will be listening. Call for me and I will come." With that, the Iron Angel's mount stirs. Light blazes beneath its wings and the enormous creature lifts off and races into the sky.
All is quiet.
"Holy crap! THAT WAS AWESOME."
"Someone break out the moonshine!"
"WE'VE TAPPED THE KEG. LET'S GET DRUNK."
Well, that didn't last long.
At least these Frontiersmen are having a good day, right?
