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Nobeard     THE WATCH:

    As promised, Nobeard and crew did end up using their artificial warpgate to set it up in the target sphere. Nobeard is a sphere of his word! Also, running off with one of these would make him wanted numero uno in the Multiverse, and he's not stupid.

    So the warpgate opens up to... an asteroid? It seems to be that. There's grass and greenery on it though, which is weird. Also the gravity is earth-normal. Wildspace. Another detail is the SKY! This asteroid is close enough to another planet to see it, and just like the asteroid, the planet is suspended in a web. That's right, it looks like the entire sphere/solar system is in a gigantic spider's web, with glittering 'pearls' of light for the stars, like dew on a spiderweb. And the sun? It's a giant, glowing yellow spider crawling through the web. The planets rotate, but the seasons must be matching up to the motion of the spider.

    "Arr," Nobeard greets. "That be the planet in the distance. If ye be needing anything, this be where to have it."
Nobeard     PALADINS:

    As for the Paladins, they've been contacted by the Navy, all right, and escorted to a ship. The Armada is docked with a large asteroid, though this one is free-floating in a distant orbit around the planet. The ship is pretty large, and looks like a crystalline butterfly in many ways. Wide sail-wings and all.

    The commander is there, and unfamiliar with many of these people. Still, he can give a briefing. "Looks like the warnings were true. Our scouts glimpsed what had to be an unknown ship passing by some time ago. We have our patrols investigating any incoming portals to the sphere with their locators. If any of you can give us an idea of what we'll be up against, I'd appreciate it now." This elf is... not an asshole? Working on the frontier tends to make that happen more often.
Kyra Hyral 'Finally' Kyra thinks to herself as this new solar system opens up before her, painting a gorgeous image of a spider web that organizes the planets along the strands of silk. 'Another sun that actually makes sense.'

    Tragically, she has no one to share this wry observation with right now because she has attended to this mission in her alternate ego-Carbunkle, also known as the 'Rabbit', a more paletable name for those not familiar with the lore of her world. It's difficult to tell, based on her uniform, that she's even a girl, her chest compressed to a fairly flat surface beneath the tightly woven leather and kevlar armor. Her head is obscured completely by a matte black, featureless helmet that is connected directly to the neck of the slim black-armored suit. She moves silently and easily, the suit offering a full comfortable range of motion for the Rabbit. When she speaks, the voice comes out as a gender-neutral, heavily-autotuned computer-generated text-to-speech sounding tone. Belts cross the waist of Rabbit, containing pouches bulging with unknown objects. A pair of guns is included on these belts.

    She doesn't voice any questions, merely shaking her head at Nobeard.

    Those familiar with scanning magic will notice something rather odd about Rabbit-she emits zero magical signatures, hinting at some kind of intense magical shielding embedded into her suit.
Kyle Katarn     For once, Kyle's in space and doesn't need space equipment for breathing in it. This has to be the first time he's seen a damn asteroid with grass and earth-like gravity and all that. TO say the least, he's a bit confused and this is a man whose world has moons with all that stuff.

    ["Hope nobody has a phobia or anything."] He says, as they head through the warp gate. Ever prepared for the worst, he's brought some heavy artillery with a grenade launcher of sorts strapped to his back and a blaster rifle in hand. He's also dressed similar to Kyra, with black BDUs with body carbon fiber body armor plating on the chest, arms, and legs. His helmet's pretty similar to Carbuncle's, but sharp and savvy eyes will notice his is a Stormtrooper helmet spray-painted black with dark red markings that helps disguise his voice. Unfortunately nobody can disguise snark, it seems.
Celes Chere     This is not what Celes expected space to look like. Give her the first half of the ride to stop staring and finally make sense of what she's looking at.

    The former general is dressed as ever-- some might wonder if she ever takes the Minerva Bustier off (and the answer is yes, and stop thinking about that), but if it helps she does have more than one cape, because anyone who's worn a cape even once knows they gather dirt like nothing else, and hers are white. She has one for every day of the week. Such is the garish life of a former general. Save the Queen hands from her waist, sheathed.

    "What should we be expecting? I feel I wouldn't have been half as derouted by what's outside if I had asked that question first."
Ainsley     Ainsley stands before the elven commander in her police-like uniform with her Paladin badge on her breast pocket, with her book in one hand and her sword on her belt. She looks like a battlemage alright, even though that's strictly not her specialty. She has a stern look on her face, because of how serious this and how much it bothers her to know she might be fighting people that would have been allies mere months ago. She tells the commander, "I have a reasonable suspicion that the pirates and a handful of former members of the Union, as well as several other parties, could be coming. They saw the map, too. If it's not the Neogi, it's them or whoever is going with them." She did mention this possibility before. She breathes a great big sigh through her nose, though, because not only does this stress her out, the strange properties of this realm still weird her out. She may be a talking lizard, but...

    "Expect the fight of a lifetime." Because she doubts she can even try to talk them out of this. She frowns extra deeply after that.
Maya Maya is inwardly very grumpy, she's seen an entier nation on her world wiped out by a lioving biomagic tehc weapon. She knows the horror of such things she knows they should not /exist/ the elves hubris in keeping such a weapon disgusts Maya. Still she's got a job to do and she hopes someway out of the contiuning eixtance of a thing like this weapon is. She takes a deep breath and will follow up Ainsley on this. Maya may have looked like a bit of a savage or worse and adventurer from the looks of her gear. Though the cross pice across her upper chest did bear the Paladin's logo on it.

Maya is silent an simply nods to the elf.
Staren     A house-sized castle slooowly flies through the pirates' warpgate, careful not to scrape against the edges. The Star Hawk follows it through, crawling.

    <<&*@$!(>> SAIL emits a burst of modem noise, its holographic avatar's eyes going dark and a bunny peeking out from under the hat. Staren sighs.

    The SSC STRANGER THAN FICTION sets down on the ground nearby, and Staren teleports into view next to it, wearing his flightsuit, looking up at the spider sun. Okay, so his sensors weren't crazy, that's real. "Damn it."

    He tries to scratch his head, but his fingers just touch helmet. Seeing other people breathing fine, though, he removes the helmet for a moment. "I expect more of those slavers' ships. Probably armies of slaves and those insect-headed monsters." He turns to Nobeard. "Anything else...?"
Kiyoko Saito     Kiyoko is currently wearing an intern's outfit and glasses. She has a clipboard. She's writing things down while listening, pretending to be just a secretary. "Do you think you can defend the target against a large force? Just in general, I don't think you'd be allowed to give me numbers. Like, should we be sending for reinforcements?"
Nobeard     So many questions! "Heh. Well if we be beating the neogi, they not be a threat. Just the elves. The Navy be strong here... their territory. Magically potent sorts, ye know. Stringy too, not too much protei-OW!"

    Nobeard's eyes glare at where Jack jabbed him with the butt of the spear. "Cap'n."

    The beholder sighs, "Just a joke! Arrr..." He chuckles. "The Navy be patrolling these parts. Not good to get on their bad side. The Jack can take a Man-o-war, maybe two with me full crew, but the damage make it not worth it. Be better to get past them quick, avoiding the fight. The planet be warded with an alarm though."

    He sighs, "Ideas be worth it. Pick your ship, we need be moving."
Nobeard     The elf rubs at his head and grumbles, "Figures. No good intel, and who knows what they're sending me here. NO uh... offense intended." He gestures. "We're used to certain methods, that is all I meant." Hey he at least tries. "We'll need to keep the pirates offworld for their own good, painful as it is to help them. The neogi we have a kill order out for them anyway."

    He motions to the First Mate, and a moment later the ship is turning... with no real sensation of vertigo, just the motion of the stars/web outside the porthole, which is like a giant crystal eye.
Kyra Hyral "My suggestion." Rabbit says in her electronic voice, "Is to trigger the alarm and sneak in from another entry point. If it operates anything like a spider's web, the spider will have to address one source of 'vibration' amongst the strands before the other. Maybe one of the Man of War could be the decoy and draw them off?"

    Rabbit nudges Kyle, "I will be going in his ship. Let's go, Outcast."
Kyle Katarn     ["After you."] Outcast-1 nods back, her plan seems solid after all. He's deferent to Rabbit's decision on this one, mostly because he's pretty damn impressed with the young lady. She'd make one hell of a Rebel, to say he pitied the Empire she'd go up against was an understatement.

    He's brought the Raven's Claw along. Thankfully there's room for passengers in the back. ["So how much do you know about this monster we're after, huh?"] He asks, in the middle of priming the engines from idle.
Maya Maya is following Ainsley's lead on this, her first inict might have been to leave the former Union personel to do thier thing but well? Here she is now as she waits wondering how thngs are going to play out and she pauses for a moment "PRotect the pirates?" She lookec curiously but she doesn't seem intent to pry she also seems concerned. She oooks to Ainsley for a moment tilting her head but saying nothing further.
Ainsley     Ainsley flashes an apologetic smile to the elven commander. "That's the best answer I have for you," she tells him, hunching her shoulders and holding her hands out helplessly. She tilts her head to watch the porthole, the motion of the stars almost hypnotic. She nods at Maya's question, looking for clarification on the elven commander's part. She searches his face inquisitively, perhaps too intensely because of her personal discomfort.
Celes Chere     "That's probably our best plan," Celes agrees with Rabbit. "Captain Nobeard, I hate to ask this, but the fact of the matter is they'll be expecting you, and us on your ship. If your ship sets off the alarm and then pulls out, we'll have an easier time getting around on Outcast's and Staren's ships. I'm sure we can arrange some way to pay you back if you suffer any extensive damage for it."

    Provided Nobeard does not have an objection, Celes will make her way to Staren's ship, rather than Kyle's, so as to evenly distribute the four of them in case something happens to either of the ships. Or she'll just get on Kyle's if that's not an option! Whichever works.
Staren     Staren nods as the plan is laid out and Celes asks for a ride. He puts his helmet on and beams onto the ship -- Celes is beamed over a moment later.

Hub - SSC Stranger than Fiction (Location #0)
---...Okay, I'll skip this gimmick today. In short, the ship's lower deck has walls covered in a fake stone facade, and an aesthetic of medieval furnishings coupled with high-tech lighting and computers. The arrival room mostly has lockers against the walls and windows to outside. Behind them is a large manufacturing room that ditches the medieval part of the aethetic, but Staren leads her through a room with computers and lab equipment (SAIL's avatar is still glitching out on a wall monitor there) and to the 'bridge', although it's a bit small for that name, it's a bit large for a cockpit. There's the expected canopy and control panels, and a few chairs. Staren sits in the foremost one and gets to work.

    The ship's thrusters turn on again and it sloooowly ascends. It's not really meant to function in 1G gravity much. The Star Hawk goes hybrid mode and pushes it up with everything it's got...
Kiyoko Saito     "Wait, wouldn't you want to arrest the pirates?" Kiyoko says what everyone is thinking. "I mean... if you want to get rid of them wouldn't it be easier to just... kill them? I'm not really big into killing people but just... you know." She gestures. "It seems a lot easier."
Nobeard     So what's going on? The One-Eyed Jack makes a trajectory toward the planet, all right, leaving the others to try to dart in when the elves come a-calling. Fortunately(?) that isn't... really something they need to worry about. Just an hour out, as the Jack is approaching the planet, other things happen.

    The Man-o-War is on the move, for one thing. Just a patrol, really. The captain is answering, "Well, we should arrest them, but we don't have any way to hold them. Killing them would be the easy solution, but there's nothing to raid out here. If they're violent pirates we might put them down. Otherwise... ti's too dangerous. Battles in space can get pretty bad, and we don't have easy resupply here. The new gate is not something we want to use too much or a lot more will learn about it." he shrugs. "So at best we can just drive them off unless they're very weak, or so much of a threat we NEED to take them down."

    He's about to say more when the lookout calls through the tubes, "NEOGI FLEET OFF THE PORT BOW!" That immediately gets the Man-o-War turning about, to bring a Deathspider(the big ships) and three Mindspiders into view. Still far away andout of weapons range, but closing fast.

    Which of course leaves the Watch and Nobeard in a dilemma. Do they use this distraction to slip into the planet, or help with the outnumbered Navy?
Celes Chere     The decor of Staren's ship might delay Celes' arrival to the cockpit area, as she spends a fair few too many seconds looking at his gathered medieval swag. She didn't expect it from him. He struck her as more... well, she expected industrial designs. Metal everywhere. Maybe she judged him too quickly, but that's the story of her life.

    She takes a seat, when able, and settles in to watch Staren pilot, curious. They already have their plan, besides, and she can't do anything but watch and advise until they land.
Kyle Katarn     It's a tough decision, but Kyle eventually decides on taking the chance to get in undetected. After all, it's like hitting one part of the web to distract the spider. ["Hold on."] The ship begins to slip through defenses, thermal scanning instruments trying to analyze the planet surface as he begins to bring it close to planet itself. Picking a fight with the weapon while wasting time out there is fatal, too.
Kyra Hyral Rabbit seats herself in the co-pilot's seat as they take off in the Raven's Claw, leaning forward and...hm, seems she at least knows her way around as a second. Someone's clearly taught her a few things. But she's careful not to interfere-or moves if certain droids are needed to take that seat instead. As they head in and see the Neogi fleet baring down on the Space Navy, Rabbit makes an appreciative noise.

    "Looks like someone started shaking the web for us." she remarks, the faintest hint of amusement in her autotuned voice, "Good call, Outcast. This certainly would have been my suggestion."
Maya Maya seems to understand where the Officer is going an to be honest her world's still got life due to a pirate crew so showing osme mercy to less rabid ones isn't something that would make her unhappy about it. She now simply waits to see what is going to happen next. She seems to be waiting to get into action here one wya or another and she looks to Kiyoko for a moment then back to Ainsley she'll follow the lead of things here as she waits.
Staren     It's actually just that the ship's original builders used a medieval aesthetic and Staren doesn't care enough to replace all the furniture. If she glances at the fabrication room in back, it pretty much conforms to her expectations. The expansions on the middle and upper decks mostly use another aesthetic -- if she looks up, the lab's upper level has office chairs and such.

    Staren makes a multiversal phone call for help. Rory's all for helping destroy terrible WMDs, given what happened to her own world. (Ironically, neither of them knows they're technically on opposite sides here. Oops!) The lights dim for a moment and there's a hum from the back of the ship as the fabbers come on. If the pirates and friends don't luck into finding the weapon's location, in a few hours they'll be able to deploy sattelites to help!

    And then Nobeard kicks the h...spider's nest, and the Imperial Elven Navy shows up.

<2X-Supplemental> Kyle Katarn says, "So what, we're just gonna let them deal with this on their own?"
<2X-Supplemental> Staren says, "It's kinda their fault. They made their bed, now they can lie in it. If the Neogi get the weapon, then far more people... innocent people... will be harmed. They could have destroyed the weapon at any time. They can't force us to undo their dirty work AND expect protection too."
<2X-Supplemental> Celes Chere says, "Staren's right. Destroying the weapon is more important. These people are soldiers. They knew what they were getting into. If it was civilians caught in the fight, I'd insist we do something about it, but..."
<2X-Supplemental> Kyle Katarn says, "Right." Staren says, "Yeah."
<2X-Supplemental> Celes Chere says, "The weapon, besides, sounded very dangerous. We might not be able to kill it if we're weakened by picking a fight out here."

    Staren coordinates with Kyle to search the planet, flying over detected mountain ranges and scanning them for signs of life. The actual work is somewhat quiet, since Staren can mentally send commands to his computers -- he offers Celes a pair of glasses that let her see the same augmented reality screens and whatnot that he's working on, explaining what they're doing and going into scientific details if asked.
Ainsley     "Oh by all the underworlds," Ainsley sighs out in clear exasperation when the Neogi show up, though part of her is relieved by their presence. Fighting them will be a far less morally straining experience and she HAS to prioritize them because of their very real threat. "Alright. How do we get out there to stop the Neogi from in here? What do you have for us? Because I don't tend to come equipped for any kind of space travel at all." She looks at the commander pretty seriously. "If all else fails, I can disrupt their ability to communicate with each other. It might not work on more than one ship at a time, and they might have wards for what I can do." She glances aside thoughtfully, and muses, "Which I can dissolve if they work a certain way and get close enough, but..."
Kiyoko Saito     Well... darn. The ship is under attack. And Kiyoko did NOT bring her giant robot! That was silly of her, wasn't it? She glances at the captain and frowns, "Um... what are our chances with these things? I mean, barring any surprises we might have. Which are a lot." She takes a mental inventory. "But I'm not equipped to fight ships right now, and neither are these two as far as I know."

    She glances at AInsley and Maya. "Hey... you two think maybe we can go for a boarding action?"
Maya Maya is very eager to deal with the Neogi. I can and I have experiance with these things before as well. She looks to Kiyoko and then to Ainsley again "Yes I can deal with them, I can deal with them. They are the biggest threat after all we don't wnat those slavers to get whatever they think they are after here."
Nobeard     The Paladins are in trouble then. The Captain frowns... "We can hold off one or two, but that Deathspider would crush us alone. W ehave some reinforcements on the way, but even then... this may not be a fight we can win, straight up. We may have to lead them a-"

    A strange and quiet, yet somehow annoying pulsing comes from above, where a bright green disk hangs. The captain looks up and sighs. "Oh for... we've got someone penetrating the atmosphere... THREE somethings. Different points! Did they get behind us?"

    The battle mage concentrates, then shakes her head. The elf woman looks up again. "No... the only ship we see is the One-Eyed Jack, a pirate ship. Orders, Captain?"

    The Captain sighs. "We're going to have to lead them away, rather than engage in direct combat. The Jack is after valuables most likely... there aren't any down there, so if they survive it will not be a threat. We can catch them later. They're pirates, not warmongers." He looks at the others. "We're going to lead them into the web's tangle. That should keep them busy for a while and give us some time to regroup and figure out what to do."
Nobeard     As for the Jack and the others... well, there is still a patrol, and the Jack draws it away, just as planned. Kyra's plan was solid! This lets the Outcast and Staren's Science Vessel whose name is long bust through the cloud cover... and discover a Problem. The place is not actually all that uninhabited. And the elves will not be occupied for /that/ long.

    So, options are: Make an aerial survey and study the maps for the location of the weapon, then retreat to base...

    Or fight rampaging dinosaur herds while searching in the hopes that the Neogi or the elves don't come back soon.
Kyle Katarn     Well.

    Kyle removesh is helmet, and sighs. "So much for hunting monsters. You hungry? Doubt we'll be going anywhere soon, I guess." He muses, before he produces two things of pashi noodles, just like Juno likes. They're an acquired taste to say the least, and these come in cups like those ramen cups you get at a gas station.

    He also produces a thermos, carrying scalding hot water. May want to be careful wit that stuff, Kyra.
Ainsley     Ainsley knits her brow. "It would be a good idea to delay the spiders until more of the Fleet can respond, as much as I'd prefer to neutralize them immediately to prevent them doing the same," she murmurs in agreement, and then she breathes a sigh and looks away to Maya. She has a significant look in her eyes for a second, then a glance over to Kiyoko. She then walks over to find a place to lean her back against a wall, her arms crossed and her eyes forward in deep thought.
Celes Chere     Celes puts the glasses on.

    She's kind of quiet, but it isn't hard to tell she's checking the features out. She doesn't seem out of depth, but then Staren saw her world has pretty advanced technology (nothing compared to his', but...), so that's not too surprising.

    She'll help search however she can, but her eyes won't be anywhere near as good as the ship's scanners. Still, if a spot on the planet seems off-color or unusually stands out, she'll point it out.
Kyra Hyral "...did...did you really ask if I could go for something to eat? Right now? With the..." Rabbit knocks the side of her helmet with a few delicate thumps. She seems both amused and a little exaspirated by this. "I'll have to wait. I can't let anyone know. It's too important to be exposed right now. Aherm."

    But despite this, she watches the noodles and water longingly from her hidden side of the world, peering through the helmet easily-she can see quite a bit outside of it, the shiny surface mostly a one-way mirror to her.