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Owner Pose
Starbound Flotilla "Can't think it'll actually turn out like that."
"Mmmh. Maybe not, but for one time, Floran agreesss with fishface."
"We've destabilized the region far too much for it to be otherwise."
"Regional destabilization is part of our business."
"Albert's right. We put that on the menu for a reason."
"I've little intention to avoid it. I merely believe that this will represent an act of taking responsibility for the matter. The destabilization need not be so thorough or so continuous that it purge the Line entirely."
"Thoughtful. I'll back the revote then, on one condition. We need a negotiation with the Northern empire, to make sure that they're handling this in more moral ways."
"On this, we shall agree. Then it is settled."


    THE LINE

    Fourth Gear is a strange and surreal zone. Out here, the visual warping of space causes much of the terrain to visually become void. Those within it are moving fast enough past the speed of light that all visibly-seen light collects in front, except for some reason those who are matching speed. This surreal void racetrack is disorienting and mind-bending, which is why the vast construct on the south end is shielded with intangible shielding to prevent long-term mental damage and short-term Treasure fire from scorching inhabitants. And boy does the Fuel Ark live up to its name. Everything about it is mechanical, and so much of it seems dedicated to fuel. The place is full of massive tanks, huge garages, vast hangars, and titanic residential blocks put together in a way that seems retrofitted to give people MORE space rather than LESS. The site has the brutally utilitarian echo of a place that used to be dedicated to purpose rather than people, but which has been changed to give people more comfort over the last few years.

    That's not the important bit though. The important bit is that the ENGINE KING has put out a summons to those visitors who helped him last time, and have been helping him. And notably, he hasn't extended that summons to the Starbound Flotilla, or they haven't attended. The man with his massive five-crown pompadour and fancy leather jacket delivers them a mission in his greaserspeak: They need to get aboard his Dragster Throne and help him conduct his own raid against a Fuel Ark to the north, with the intention of striking down at least one of the Empire's Saints. In doing so, he hopes they'll get what they need to build or modify vehicles for the group to follow, so they can enter Fifth Gear and help him without the Flotilla's support; he expects it's going to be withdrawn soon.
Starbound Flotilla     The Refinery moves with hydraulic power, shifting massive residential blocks, garages, cargo spaces, and fuel processing facilities. Every few hours it re-arranges itself for the comfort of its inhabitants, so this isn't notable to those watching. Not until a freshly repaired Dragster Throne ejects itself from one end, ramping out; the tremendous hot-rod super-machine has one singular driver's seat, but enough handholds for daring riders to grab on, and the same magnetic systems that allow other vehicles to share its acceleration when properly modded. It looks, for a moment, like he's about to take on Gilgamesh... But not quite. It's unlikely Gil has placed himself north of the thing, simply for the extended overexposure it would have to the high-intensity plasma storms that come from the passing Treasure, but regardless of where they've been placed, the Engine King appears to be conveying those Elites directly... North?

    Past Fifth Gear, crossing it, and ramping over the massive gash in the earth that marks the Halfpipe of the Freeway, it's looking like he's heading to a Fuel Ark in the North! Even those who he didn't put out a summons to should recognize that this is where the northern Empire can be found, and that means the King is heading to raid somewhere. The Linerunner disengages and undocks, following as fast as it can -- and this time, it's stopping to pick up Dexter if he needs it, assuming Gil isn't breaking off with his own craft.

    To the north, another Fuel Ark can be found. This one is almost the opposite of the South, but rooted in the same design. It's built purely for efficiency. Huge hyperglass constructs shield everything aerodynamically. Vast heat recyclers jut out in odd but precise angles. Every entrance seems secured. Everything hovers in the same consistent, stable pattern. The residential blocks are limited, the refining structures are in a constant state of heated work, and the manufacturing systems are perfected, interlinked, and built as a singular, tremendous unit. And the whole thing, top to bottom, is fitted with incredibly dense religious engravings. A square foot of its surface has the detail you'd expect in a cathedral.

    The King intends to impact his Dragster Throne partway into one side, ramped into one of the upper levels. Anyone joining him is encouraged to brace, and then ready to attack as soon as they land, or to leap off and find their own spot to land at while he jumps his vehicle!
Gilgamesh      It's been a long week for the King of Heroes.

     Gilgamesh has spent much of it recouperating. Between the wounds he took from Riva and the Engine King, the magical power expended to call upon the Preserver of Life, and the magical power necessary to bombard the Fuel Ark with ancient Babylonian laser cannons, Gilgamesh was very quickly...not *exhausted*, the King would never allow himself to be *exhausted*, but...

     ...well, yeah, he was exhausted. But he'd never admit it.

     The Preserver of Life has therefore been filled to the brim with food, song, and celebrating. The sweetest of smells wafts from the ancient ark, filling the air with impossible delights. Loud music of ancient Babylon and modern Youtube in equal measure thunder from the walls of the Preserver as the King both plays and listens. Indeed for anyone outside the Preserver - say, on board the Fuel Ark - the King of Heroes' vessel sounds like a party for an army.

     It's a party for one man, and he's the only attendant. The demigod's eyes are distant. The cups of beer are all for him. The long table is his and his alone.

     But that's fine. such is how the King is meant to live. Separate. Alone. Unique. Perfect. There could be no peers to a perfect existence. There could be no lovers who could be considered wives or husbands. There could be no siblings. Gilgamesh's existence was as unique as his Treasures - alone in all the universe, replicated a thousand, thousand times, but never quite matched.

     He stands at a particularly loud chorus and looks out to see the Engine King on the move. At first, he considers that it might be an attack, and the cannons of the Preserver turn towards the Dragster Throne. when it becomes clear it is not, Gilgamesh watches for an instant before snapping his fingers. The music, the food, the party for one, it vanishes in an instant. The lonesome King strides out onto the spike prow of the Preserver. A raid, then. Yes, the King knew such well. He was no stranger to such actions. Striking at the tribes beyond your own...it was natural. It was human.

     The King raised the cup to his lips and drank the sweet golden fruit of civilization.

     The Preserver starts to dredge its way forward, ancient Babylonian engines flaring to life to pick up the burn. It will follow the Dragster Throne. Whether to help or hinder, that is known only to the King of Heroes.
Yang Xiao Long     Yang's bike had most of the modifications damaged or torn clean off during her fight with the Velocity Beast. She's taken some time, after recovering from her wounds enough to move, trying to refit it with help from the Engine King's hangar staff, but it's not easy without parts.

    So, unable to ride there on her own, the blonde Brawler clings to the side of the Dragster Throne, releasing as the thing ramps over a parts storage zone. She deploys Ember Celica and plummets like a meteor down onto the Hyperglass dome, smashing through to get at the stuff inside.

    She is still wounded, so the landing isn't as graceful as she'd normally manage, but she's still pretty damn intimidating to non-combatants as she pulls herself up, trailing ember-like flames of Aura. "GET. OUT!" she bellows at any civilians in the area, Aura flaring like the wings of a dragon behind her.
Staren     The Star Hawk takes off from the Line Ark and escorts the dragster throne from the sky. Staren's told the Engine King (and anyone coming with them) 'I have a lot of missiles, call in a target if you need support'. He doesn't go for attacking the fuel ark -- instead, he waits nearby, watching his sensors. Ready to try and blow up the Saints as soon as he detects them.
Orchid      "Radio Free Flowers is on the air, filling your commute to disaster with all the music, enemy intel, and gossip you'll never admit to wanting! Today we've got a strike on the Saints, crossing the line to hit them where it hurts, and a little bird told me that the King of the Road himself is out in force." Orchid is not the sort to go on a raid herself, but she is the sort that would help via other means. She's currently sitting in the South's refinery, monitoring the feeds to get a feel for the traffic, ready to warn people of incoming threats, while providing her own brand of banter to keep people listening. "And on the subject of Kings, it looks like the lord of Babylon is on the move as well, keeping pace with the Dragster throne, but still a good separation.
Dexter Arkwright Getting picked up by the Flotilla has made Dexter's day - it means they're likely willing to work with him, to take the 'smart' path, as he considers it. Armed in his Venture Suit with a pistol and a revolver ready, megadiamond bullets in a pouch to his side, the flying billionaire prepares to launch.

Once Dexter is close enough to the Fuel Ark, he boosts off the Linerunner, moving to dash in and reach the Fuel Ark's lower decks. He sends a radio transmission directed for the Fuel Ark. <"Coming in to assist!"> Hopefully that'll keep him from getting shot at by them.

For now, Dexter's going to try and get an idea of what they're fighting, and what their allies are like, so he can figure out how to assist.
Starbound Flotilla     What few noncombatants are present in the area that the Throne impacts are swiftly scattering. In unextravagant jumpsuits and doing simple manual labor, they shout and flee the moment the raid is identified, in ways that are both practiced and purposeful. Looks like this is something the Fuel Ark has drills for. They may be efficient, but they're not /inhumane/. Yang and those who have joined her have some things she needs to deal with though: Apex, Avian, and even some heavily plated Glitch soldiers arriving. Their thick armor is adorned with strange gadgetry that zips them around the upper decks and between cover speedily, and they wield an array of rapid-fire SMGs.

    These aren't too difficult to dispose of. What is more difficult is an energy signature and silhouette that's a lot more familiar. Orchid sees it before Yang: The Saint of Glass, rushing down a hall, intent on trying to decapitate Yang in a clean shot. That glassy mecha has been rebuilt into a smaller model, one more like power armor, but that long hyperglass katana still viciously gleams with all the same sharpness!
Kotone Yamakawa The Graveyard spoke enough that the treasure exiting was a danger to the public good ands Kotone had made her choice. She did intend to not put anyone in the ground other than the Saint if it came to it. She has the gear to help with getting the Knight set for high speed. The Knight was never intended toi do what it is but with it jacked into Kotone's brain directly? She cna handle it for now she may board later for now though she's running pace outside at high speeds.
Riva Banari     Riva's had a complicated time. In her defense of the Dragster Throne, she learned a lot more about the Engine King than he espoused under more cordial circumstances. Simultaneously, other situations are coming to light as well.

But most of all, there's a goddamn party in that ancient babylonian space ark and she wasn't invited. She slurps on a juice box, staring out into the psychadelic waveshifted landscape of Fourth Gear.

    What is she fighting for, anyway? What's the point of all this?

But the Line is not conducive to philisophical ruminations. She leaps on the Linerunner as things Get Real, moving back to one of the more 'neutral' parties in this arrangement as they breach through the Halfpipe and rush the opposite Fuel Ark.

    No matter what side you're going to be on, you need to be where the action is. She hits the deck, striding forward with growing purpose. She defended the Engine King last time, but that was yesterday. She didn't make any deals... Yet.
Starbound Flotilla     Orchid manages to get a solid radar lock on something incoming before anyone else does, and the data will likely be useful to Staren; what's incoming is some kind of high-speed superjet. The Saint of Carbon is here, with a jet-black super-fighter! Inlayed with all sorts of strange lines of mosaiced diamond, its surface thrums with terrifying energy. Heavy jets at the back are tightly forced into a high-afterburner state. It's a mix of classic World War 2 fighters and something far more hyperfuturistic. "Carbon Actual on-station. Heard you needed the road a little more painted." The sharp-eyed Avian in classic World War 2 aviator gear can be seen when she zips right near Staren, slipping just above his Star Hawk upside down, buzzing his vehicle before looping and trying to pull in behind him. "Fox four. If you want civilization in the dirt, I'll make sure you never touch the sky again." Guns open fire, heavy machinegun blasts trying to tear the Star Hawk apart with thick, weighty rounds of solid megadiamond.
Starbound Flotilla     What their allies are like so far is straightforward for Dexter. He can probably see the flashy movements of the Saint of Glass down there, and he's established himself certainly as enough of an ally to the Church that they're immediately giving him information. He gets the IFFs and such for the mechasuited Saint of Glass, the ace fighter Saint of Carbon, and very shortly, he gains insight into the Saint of Fire, a while before Orchid does: It's a massive, high-heat vehicle coming in from the east, speeding up to match up with the Fuel Ark and menace those assaulting it! He can back any of them, or he can focus on the attackers! Kotone is keeping pace outside, Staren is running above, Yang is assaulting from within, and Riva's keeping her distance in a much more neutral spot... He's got a menu of people, though there may be more enemies to deal with shortly!
Starbound Flotilla     Kotone is the first to be menaced by the Saint of Fire. It's like a tank mixed with a monster truck. The Saint of Fire has her own, long-upgraded, long-enhanced, highly deadly massive vehicle -- and the energy signature is like the Flotilla's own Linerunner! The solo vehicle is at least two stories tall, and has several robotic sections that clearly look like dangerous sets of arms. The hefty steel robotics immediately come crashing down, trying to crush Kotone with an assault from behind, ejecting gushes of fire from a dozen exhaust pipes. The noise from inside is a grieving, wailing scream. "NO! NO!! LEAVE!! I HAVE TO BRING HER /BACK/! I WON'T LET YOU BREAK THE LAST CHANCE WE HAVE! I WON'T LET YOU! AAAAAAARGH!" He slams those massive fists down in an awful rhythm to try to crush her into the road or swipe her off it; she'd better maneuver!
Yang Xiao Long     Yang doesn't have anything like the gear these guys have. She's injured and her mobility is limited due to the brace on her leg and the still healing wounds from the Velocity Beast.

    She does fire a few rounds of ice-type dust shells off as she staggers behind a parts container, the bolts semi-homing and causing an instant freezing effect in non-organic materials, hopefully disabling weapons, diving behind cover just as that katana slashes through where her neck was a moment before. "You again!?" she growls, shoving off the deck with a pair of blasts from her gauntlets. She lands awkwardly, and winces as her leg twinges... "Ghnn... I just need some parts to fix my bike... I don't want to fight you!" she says, but raises her arms defensively in case she can't talk the Saint down.
Dexter Arkwright As Dexter gets intel and surveys, he checks his possible targets, and ends up returning to the Linerunner. The Venture Suit lands not far from Riva, facing her, as Dexter holds a revolver tight in his hand. But he doesn't take hostile actions, instead moving to address her.

"You know, you're pretty tough! Why don't you join us? You certainly know what you were talking about back there." The blonde likes that she has a reasonable head on her shoulders for the group they're opposing, and also that she argued against the others who were going on about civilians.

"I mean, we've got a pretty good plan. You could probably benefit from it! We take the Treasure, research it, get whatever we can get out of it, uses its power for the land, and then give it to the king to no longer be a problem...it's a perfect ending! But if you blow up the Treasure...well, what do people get from that, huh? A brief ending to some war, when there'll be another one eventually?" Dexter shrugs with his suit. "Whaddya say?"
Gilgamesh      The King of Heroes puts his aid up for bid. One side bids him the Treasure. The other side bids him nothing. The fair-haired Huntress with a pleasing face informs him what a motorcycle is, and Gilgamesh resolves to both purchase one and buy her whatever parts she needs to fix hers as thanks as he sips from his beer.

     He's watching the fight begin to play out. The Saints on one side, the other side standing against them. He waits for a second offer, and hears nothing. Dexter comes in and agrees with him.

     Gilgamesh purses his lips over the beer. Yes. That was enough to satisfy him.

     The King of Heroes steps off the Preserver of Life. He falls, falls, falls from the prow until he just...lands on the Northern Fuel Ark. Around him ripples the world as he rises, fair and beautiful beyond measure, something inhumanly perfect in a world of madness born of speed. He is a point of stability, a shining beacon of majesty and right. The robe that flows around him is patchwork but it shines like the holiest of tunics.

     The Saint of Glass is engaged with Yang.

     Gilgamesh walks forward, directly towards that fray. He makes a gesture with his hand. "You there. Leave." He's directly addressing the Saint of Glass, and the mooks around them, as if they're not even there. As if they're *speed bumps*.

     "I wish to convince her for myself, else see the power she wields. Get in the way and I will destroy you."

     The King folds his arms behind his back and walks forward, his eyes locked on Yang. "Fair-haired Huntress. I dislike talking over the magic of the Box. It is unpleasant. You cannot see the conviction in my eyes when I speak."

     A cup falls into his hand, and he takes a sip of it. "You heard me speak plain. I would convince you to join with us."

     "The King of Engines seeks destruction. He seeks not to save lives but to be right about his methods. If saving lives is what you wish then it is my path that is the righteous one."

     Gilgamesh holds out the cup. "Are you willing to talk? Or would you prefer to talk with blades flashing and fists flying? To see the strength of will that defines the King of Heroes?"

     "I am willing to do either."
Staren     Staren has a sensor contact, thanks to Orchid -- a suspected Saint! He's not going to get another chance -- one of the shoulderpacks is full of 20 long-range missiles (Well, they're classified as 'short range', but it's beyond the range of most elite vs elite conflicts) -- so he starts ripple-firing them as well as the three in the arm pack, blasting the Saint of Carbon (or the air nearby) on approach.

    And then she's freaking buzzing him. He's actually not used to this kind of air-to-air combat. Usually, fighter mode is just a way to get around quick. He tries to slow down and pull up, but he's unable to so readily shake her. Megadiamond rounds tear through the Star Hawk. It's... not good, there are holes in his machine and he's at risk of losing his lift surfaces. <"Urgh! I get that megadiamonds have super-momentum, but how come they don't tear out of your ammo bins whenever you pull a maneuver? Let alone SHOOT them!">

    <"I'm not putting civilization in the dirt! It's burning itself to ashes!"> Although, he hears something confusing over the radio: That the Empress DOES want the treasure. Whether she or the King wins, this will end. But now, he has to keep the Saint of Carbon off of Kotone. He tries to split his attention between the fight and... analyzing this. He's flying up... then the legs come out and he does a backflip impossible for a normal plane, and fires down a burst of railgun and laser fire. <"Is it true that the Empress is going to take the treasure and end this madness of civilizations spending so much energy just to live at insane speeds?">
Starbound Flotilla     Riva takes the Linerunner, and there's a moment where she looks like she might be assaulted too! Seft is up on deck, operating some kind of sensor equipment, and when Riva lands, she brings her aged Mojave laser pistol around to point it at her... But not fire. "Anxious. You scared the daylights out of me. You're not with the King's raid?" Her eye-visor blinks between various expressions of uncertainty. "Worried. Moonfin thought something like this was likely to happen; he broke the stalemate on our votes for our position because he thought we had a responsibility to deal with the regional instability. We're still not sure about how this is going to turn out with the Empire of the Holy Combustion." She tilts her head. "Curious. What's made you not join with the King? What's got you hesitant to join the Empress? I'd like to know what sort of things we might need to bring to the negotiating tables, and you helped us out a lot before, so you've earned that much."
Kotone Yamakawa This is quite the mess but the only way to ensure this never happens again? The thing needs to go. Even if it was safe for ages in Gilgamesh's vault? Someday it could be lost or even he might fall and then who knows. She does not enjoy going up against Gil, no he'd been good to her even if they have some very different views on certain things. While he has spoken much he's not sought to put the normal people of the multiverse to the sword.

She's going to focus on the saint and maybe though he has a point? She, for now, picks up speed and she's heading at the saint of fire and oh lord it's an apt name yet what he's yelling about confuses her.

"Bring her back? What do you mean?!"

She does fire a few shots from her pistol though at the huge thing it's a huge fight and her just able to avoid becoming street pizza she's going to have to think of a better plan to deal with things... than just one small gun.
Starbound Flotilla     Yang is more than enough for the mooks. The Saint is overwhelming, but once again, this once-megaboss is now being halted again. He menaces with his blade. "I know what the King intends, to take our blessings and turn them into what you need to keep pace. I will not let our Priestess be felled by such overwhelming force. Only her hand can guide the Throne to the Finish Line and grasp the Treasure, and I will never allow your hordes to breach Fifth Gear. You may have broken into Third by my failure, but--!!"

    Here comes Gil. His drawn katana is lowered. The man recognizes many different things; his face is a mess of conflict as the urge to prove himself meets his duty to his Priestess and to his Empress. Making sure that Gil is an ally to the Church is something crucial, more crucial than his redemption. And that charisma and oration certainly brings it home. "As you wish, King of Heroes. I shall ensure the engine heretic's damage is mitigated where I can." That twisted face of mental strain is probably one Gil's seen a fair share of in his time. The mooks follow easily.
Riva Banari     Riva begins walking through the increasing chaos as the Saints descend upon the area. She doesn't even pull her weapon, however, as she moves along. Crashing impacts drive down into the ground all around her, but she bobs and weaves, staying out of the way of the strikes for now as she considers what to do and where.

    Dexter swoops in to begin trying to convince her to join his side. Riva stops and turns, arching an eyebrow as she listens to his words. Even now, she doesn't pull a weapon. Either she's naive or confident as hell, considering the Adventure Capitalist is well-armed. "You talk a good game." Riva replies. "Do you really think it's going to go down that clean, though? Say you take the Treasure. The Church gets the power. What do you think they're going to do with it?"

She gestures. "Do you really think they're going to go to peace with the Engine King and his people? I saw how the people in Sunseeker treated Church members. I saw how the zealots attacked and rampaged against the Engine Empire."

She shrugs. "If you think you're going to have time to research the thing before Gilgamesh chucks the Treasure into his vaults, more power to you. But there's one caveat."

Riva looks over to where Gilgamesh is facing down the Engine King. "If the Church gets power, so does the Engine King. Both or none at all. If you give just one side the power, the other's going to die. Make the Engine Empire unstoppable. Make the Church of the Holy Combustion immovable. Restart the cycle all over again, and chuck that ball that created the entire problem out. Maybe one day they'll create new Treasures, but that's going to be up to /them/ to figure out if they can get over themselves enough to not mutually annihilate."
Riva Banari That said, she smiles to Seft as he spins about to almost shoot her. She does, of course, duck. She's confident, but not stupid. A Flotilla laser to the face would hurt. A lot. "Hey Seft." She waves. "I'm undecided. Both sides make good cases for their situation, but they're both telling half the story. You probably just heard what I said to Dexter over there."

She thumbs to Dexter. "I like the King." She pauses. "Okay, so I /really/ like the King... but I don't like him so much that I can ignore everything that I've seen so far. I can't judge the empire just by their leaders. There's also the people and the culture they've created to deal with. I've been exposed to the good and the bad of both sides on my way here... And the truth of the matter is I think they're both right. And both wrong."

Riva sighs as she continues. "The King is wracked by the abuses that the Church inflicted on him and his people. But they're in danger of doing the same thing. to the other side. Is it really about justice? Or is it about revenge and being right? Sure, there's freedom and taking your own way too, but if you're really going to talk that talk, you gotta walk that walk, and some people can be uncomfortable with what that means. It's /easy/ to hate. It's hard to stop."

She turns and looks over to where the Saint of Fire is smashing things. "And if there's one thing I know about the Line... It's that no one stops."
Yang Xiao Long     Yang tchs. "I'm just along for the ride." she begins to the Saint, before he's summarily sent away. The Huntress keeps her defensive posture, more out of habit than anything else as Gilgamesh speaks. "Heh, you'd fight someone wounded like me?" she asks, grunting as something jostles the Ark and her leg gives out, sending her to a knee. "Can't really fight like this... I really only wanted parts to fix my bike... I don't really get all this bullshit about Kings and Empresses... Never was much for the thinking side of stuff." she chuckles dryly. "Doctor Oobleck was right... I don't have the right motivation to be a Huntress."
Gilgamesh      It is. Gilgamesh enjoys that face. He watches the Saint of Glass and the mooks leave with a satisfied impression. He won't even remember the Saint of Glass's name tomorrow. It's even odds whether he'll even care enough to learn Yang's name. He's not subtle but he's also not really the kind of person to...you know...get attached to people. The King stands alone.

     It's probably kind of sad, in a lot of ways, or it would be if anyone knew it.

     The cup of beer sloshes around in hyperspeed. It's golden and beautiful. It's civilization.

     Yang asks if he'd fight someone like her. Gilgamesh stares at her for a long moment. "If you came at me with fists raised I would come at you with what strength I felt you had earned."

     "At this moment, though, I see no reason to clash. The support of the Engine King is waning. The rightness of his cause is cast in doubt." The King walks forward and stops in front of her, meeting her eyes. His own are a deep red, the color of blood, the color of a human being. "To draw and wipe out those who support him when I could instead turn them to my own cause is not only a waste, it is stupid and pointless."

     The King raises the cup to his lips. "It is a battle between countries. On one side stands a country hurt and angered by its place beneath the stronger, lashing out and rebelling. On the other stands a country that wants proudly to bring a new life for its people by any means necessary. Each will consume the other in flames no matter who wins. The casualties will not be limited to the leaders but to the countries themselves."

     Gilgamesh sits down. A chair literally just emerges out of thin air, an exquisite-looking...is that an /ancient Babylonian magic massage recliner/? He waves his hand, and a second chair falls out of the air behind Yang. If she sits in it, it's insanely comfortable - the kind of comfort you only get from something you pay *thousands*, maybe *hundreds of thousands*, for. "Nevertheless."

     "Whether you lack the motivation or not, you are here, now. Your decisions are important in a battle of countries. Your choices will help shape a world."
Starbound Flotilla     The Avian Aviator has more than enough advanced technology to bring his display up on Staren's screen, and the crimson-red falconoid is a little battered by the missiles, his cockpit cracked, but he's calm and cool, totally under control. <"Inertial control systems are tiger, tracking bandit."> He says, calmly. <"If you're not willing to burn today for a brighter tomorrow, it'll be dead dark. Burn too much, all you'll have is ash.">

    He pulls into a hard dive and a twisting, whirling barrel roll, maneuvering all around the field of view in improbable arcs while the man inside displays a dead-calm expression. <"The Empress?"> Behind his goggles, he looks slightly confused, but pushes on. <"It's not a matter of can, it's a matter of will. The Priestess is going to take the Treasure, split it, and set it back the way it ought to be. Giving life, not taking it, for the Empire. That's a fact, sonny. Fox three, bogey painted. Try to crank this, Legs."> There's a smile on that beak. The ace fighter pulls back hard, abruptly dropping an array of megadiamond missiles; when any strike, they emit a gush of megadiamond energies, inertial dampening power that tries to harshly limit Staren's apparently superior mobility!
Dexter Arkwright Dexter doesn't butt in on Seft's conversation with Riva, though he does listen. Instead, after Riva's done replying to both of them, he moves to reply to her. "Honestly, I hadn't put much thought into it. They probably would destroy the Engine Kingdom, yeah." He considers, and then replies. "And the Engine King would do the same if he was in the same position."

"Oh, him? I'm sure we'll become friends as we work on it. We're both wealthy guys, we probably have a lot in common!" Dexter has no idea what he's in for - he's being idealistic. "And if that fails, I could always help him find that 'cloud' at the top of one of those...uh, cell towers, I think they're called? I think he'd like that!"

But then, Dexter gets to Riva's caveat. And Dexter is clearly thinking it over...but he nods. "That's kind of crazy. But...maybe history could be rewritten. The uostppable and the immovable work together. Can't know unless you try...hahaha! I like this idea a lot." He paces on the deck, clearly enjoying it. "I really do. Dexter Arkwright, the one who united two civilizations...the one who found the Treasure...the magazines back home would love it. But I wonder. Do they deserve that power? Have they earned it?" He tilts his head back to Riva.

"What do you think?" A glance towards Seft, as well. Dexter's curious about the more moral member of the Flotilla's thoughts on his weird power philosophy too.
Yang Xiao Long     Yang shifts her weight, finally getting back on her feet, and settling onto the chair with a weary grunt. "My main concern is that 'rebelling' side. They're people, they have lives, culture, their own wants, needs, desires. Families... what happens to them if this side takes the Treasure? Do they get dissolved? Destroyed and burned away, because they don't conform to this side's vision?" she asks, leaning on her thighs and locking her lilac gaze with the red one. "What guarantee do any of us have that the Empress will 'make things right' for both sides of this conflict if she gets what she's after?"

    She chuckles. "What guarantee do I have that the King isn't just going to burn this whole thing down and take everyone with him?" she asks, mostly herself. "I was never good at this thinking stuff." a repetition, self derision and a hint of some inner insecurity.
Riva Banari Riva nods to Dexter. "See? You get it. It's too volatile to let one of them gain supremacy. And you're right. The Engine King would probably wipe out the Church if he had the upper hand at this point."

The comment about Gilgamesh causes Riva to look over at the man in his... "Is that an Ancient Babylonian Massage Chair!?" Riva gaps, staring. "DID THEY /HAVE/ THOSE?" She mutters as if this somehow offends her on some deep level, but she shakes it off after a moment, mostly to chuckle at the comment about being 'friends'. "Um... You can try to establish some kind of relationship with him, but you might be better off trying to settle for giving him your advice and viewpoint on things when he wants to consult someone." A pause. "Maybe some kind of economic advisor? Dress up like Elvis, maybe? You know who Elvis is, right? Do that." The comment about the cloud causes her to stare for a moment. "You... You don't know how cloud storage works?" She asks. "... Actually, never mind. Yes, it's totally on top of a cell tower." She gestures offhandedly. She doesn't really have the knowledge or interest in trying to explain that stuff. "Maybe ask Staren for help."

The next salient point, of course, is the question of power. "Who are we to decide if they deserve it?" Riva replies. "Are we the great moral arbiters of right and wrong? No. We're just people. People who stumbled into an ages-old standing physics hazard that would make Heisenberg and Einstein and Stephen Hawking freak out. The best solution, /in my opinion/..." She stresses that, "Is to give them both the tools to deal with the world after we reach the end of the Line. Give them what they need to be proper kingdoms and empires. Let them determine their own fate. All we're going to do is remove the playtoy they're chasing and see how they stand up without that excuse. Give them the ability to actually /define/ themselves."
Starbound Flotilla     Kotone's query doesn't get a very coherent response. "WE NEED TO /BRING HER BACK/! THE EMPIRE IS LOST WITHOUT HER!" His tone is one of just... Constant, mind-bending, debilitating grief. "SHE STOPPED, AND THAT IS WHY WE /NEVER/ CAN STOP!" His voice is hoarse and dry, like someone fresh off a session of crying at a funeral. "THE KING DOESN'T CARE! HE DOESN'T CARE! HE'D RATHER LET HER /DIE/! HE /MOVED ON/ AND RAN FROM WHAT WE NEEDED! HE WOULDN'T EVEN STOP WHEN SHE DID -- HOW /DARE/ YOU HELP HIIIM!" He screams, gushing fire around the track.

    Kotone's looking for a better plan. Maybe getting aboard! The motions and movements are robotic, but they mean she might be able to jump her motorcycle onto the massive monster and deal damage from aboard. After all, she is a mechanic! And she knows just what parts she'd need to put together their own rides! For now, the pistol impacts show, at least, the robotics are unsteady enough that shooting lets her divert and manipulate heavy arm impacts if she fires while they're "charging up" a crush.
Starbound Flotilla     Riva's ideas make sense. "Contemplating. So we should make sure any victory comes with humane and positive concessions to the loser. Something to sort of... bring the conflict of the Line to an end." She taps her chin with a single metal finger, and her eye-visor displays a little loading spinny, before it flickers back to the eyes. "Affirming. Alright! I'll make sure Moonfin especially rewards all your help by making sure any negotiations we start doing, with the King or the Empress or whoever it is, all make sure to keep that in mind! It's a good idea."

    She regards Dexter with a sort of judging look, sheepish and skeptical. "Judging. I think it would need a lot of careful work to bring the two nations together, especially unifying them, Mr. Arkwright, and I'm not sure you could do it." But her look shifts towards positive. "Optimistic. But I think it's a good idea to try. I think you're going to have a lot of responsibilities, with all the resources you've got. It's important to learn to try these things. And I do terribly hope you succeed."
Gilgamesh      Gilgamesh leans forward slightly. There is, in fact, around that supremely egomaniacal face, that /literally flawless/ face - a face sculpted by the gods to *be* a flawless face, to be a flawless face for a flawless king - wisdom. It's probably unexpected - the way he talks, he comes off as a ball of ego and jackassery, but in those eyes is a flicker of some understanding, and in that face is the image of wisdom. But, then, he is Gilgamesh, who knows all the countries of the world; it isn't that surprising.

     "You have none."

     "There are no guarantees in the life of humans. There are no things in such a life that can be called guaranteed but that the sun shall rise and the moon shall rise after. The world is not under the control of single humans, and no single human shall ever have a guarantee of anything where another human is concerned."

     The King swishes his drink. Another motion of his hand, and a bronze cup of beer just falls into a cupholder (seriously, a cupholder?) next to Yang. "Drink. It is the bones of civilization." It's also *stupid* good. Only the finest in the King's pantry.

     "But I will spin you a new question."

     "What happens if they win?"

     Gilgamesh leans back in the chair again. The massage function is delightful. "What happens if the rebels succeed? I doubt very much that those swept up by the fervor of righteousness have been as incorruptible as they claim. That those throughout history who sought to change their own lot in life did so out of altruism without vengeance. I do not know - I know only Babylon, where none rebelled, for I was King and my rule was perfect."

     "Will there be less blood on one side or the other? And if neither option is one that satisfies you, is not the finest, swiftest path one where the Treasure is removed from play?" Gilgamesh's eyes remain locked on hers. "Fair-haired Huntress, do you not think that letting the Treasure disappear into my Treasury is safer than any other option? Do you not think that I, King of Heroes, who has wealth beyond measure and all the treasures of the world within my vaults, am not used to ambitious fools who seek to steal from me?"

     He waves his hand. "The Church wishes to use it. Let them. I will own it. I will tell them how they may use it. I will tell them what they may do with it. If they disagree I will strike them down."

     "I would rather have aid from you and yours than fight you. It is not that I cannot fight you. I have made abundantly clear that it is within my means. But a battle will only prolong the suffering of those you want to protect."

     Gilgamesh himself may not care about the people, but he's willing to appeal to people who do. It's still the truth, after all. He doesn't lie.
Staren     It seems Staren misunderstood or misheard the Empress's goal at some point. Now things are even less clear. Do they even need to fight at all? And there are fewer and fewer people supporting the Engine King. If an alliance between the Empress and the Concord could be reached, this might be ideal...

    Wait, did the Engine King say the fuel ark was manned by slaves? Come to think of it, isn't the Engine's King whole faction former slaves who are rebelling?

    What kind of future would the Empress create? Prosperity for who, exactly?

    "Tch!" Staren makes an annoyed sound as the more experienced dogfighter dodges his shots completely, does frankly impressive aerobatics, and then fires missiles. Staren tucks the legs back in and does an aileron roll, trying to thread between the missiles, but to no avail! They dig into the Star Hawk and... don't explode? Staren feels the effect soon enough, though -- He tries to slow down, to drop behind the Saint of Carbon, and... it doesn't... work right. He can feel the megadiamond fighting him. Well, just because he can't maneuver to aim the railgun and laser doesn't mean he's defenseless. There are four boxes mounted under the wings right now -- panels open to reveal they're minimissile racks. He lets loose a salvo, the missiles abruptly changing direction to home in on the Saint no matter which way Staren's facing.

    While the Saint deals with that, Staren deploys the arms and legs and fights against the megadiamond to try and turn the Star Hawk to face his opponent again.

    <"As you say -- we must neither burn too much nor too little. But I understand the Empress uses slaves. And burning other people's lives as fuel only creates a future where people keep doing more of the same.">
Riva Banari Seft's initial conclusion gets a big nod from Riva. "Yeah! If we can find a way to negotiate some kind of peace treaty, that would be awesome. But who knows what it would take to make that happen, it would depend on what they bring to the table. Which means we need to ensure that neither side gets too strong in this Treasure thing."

She nods. "If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

Riva turns and shrugs. "It's not our job to solve every problem immediately. Some kinds of things can't be solved immediately. We can try, but don't lose heart if we need to let time heal some wounds."
Dexter Arkwright Dexter makes a long 'hmmm' noise, before he nods to Riva. "That's a good point. Economic advisor, like some presumably smart man named Elvis. I sure know how to spend money...yeah, that's a good idea!" Dexter Arkwright has no idea how to spend money /responsibly/, however. He does shrug about asking Staren for help about the cloud, still being upset about him not siding with him, but he's considering it.

Riva's argument on the question of power makes Dexter consider. He's not really sure what to do...but he /does/ want to recruit Riva, and he's not against her argument, so..."Alright! Let's do that, then. We'll have to meet with the Empress and see if we can make discussions. If you're willing to join us. Give them power and see what they do with it...I mean, if they don't deserve it, they won't measure up, anyways. Only those who can make something of themselves can hold power, after all." Dexter nods to himself, and then holsters the revolver. He glances to Seft.

"Well, it was an idea, and I'm not going to say I can definitely get it done...but if we can reach peace, it's worth a try. We're ending the Line either way...but it's gonna be a hard road. So, what do you say, miss Banari? Want to give it a shot, help stop them from taking out this refinery? You too, Seft!" Dexter hopes, that by doing this and trying, maybe he can be friends with these people, too.
Kotone Yamakawa She will have questions for the King but right now she can only giess what the guy is ranting about exactly, she also is trying to not get set on fire. At the worst she's just going to hold him off from rampaging through the rest of the team. Things are getting seriously messy though as far as is cncerned. She does look like it might be better ot board the thing. She will take a chance to board it once she gets on board she can really do some havoc here, right? That's the intent she guns it and without thinking humms a few bars from the song Fuel...
Yang Xiao Long     "Yeah, never any guarantees. Y'learn that in the first year of Huntress training." remarks Yang, ignoring the cup, though not out of rudeness. She just doesn't like beer. "Whatever happens, I just want to make sure as few people as possible get hurt in the process. Noone deserves to have their entire world ripped out from underneath them by those above them." She has a grim determination about that specific fact. "Those who govern should serve the people. The people are your country, not the gold, Dust, Treasures or whatever other resource they produce. If you have no people, you have no country, just empty land, and shattered hope."
Gilgamesh      Gilgamesh says nothing at that. He doesn't seem particularly insulted that she refused the cup.

     "Then I can promise you, fair-haired Huntress," Gilgamesh says idly, "I have no interest in the lives of these people one way or another. It does not bring me any pleasure to kill them or save them. If it brings you pleasure to save them and that is what will convince you to my side, then so be it."

     "My sole and only desire is the Treasure itself."

     Beat.

     "Although I have also decided that I want a motorcycle. Perhaps several. I will probably acquire several. Maybe lots of them."

     Beat.

     His face turns a bit red. "I have many desires," he admits, awkwardly, and now he looks less like a wise and all-knowing King and more like a huge dork talking to a pretty girl as he scratches the back of his head and looks away from her. It's kind of astounding; a few minutes ago he was imperious and regal, the lord of the magic spaceship flying in the air nearby, and now he looks, well, like a seventeen-year-old prettyboy who just realized he said something dumb at a party.
Starbound Flotilla     Has Staren ever seen an Itano Circus? He's about to. A salvo of missiles breaks into the space around the pair and the Saint of Carbon goes wild. <"Scuds, cranking."> He guns the throttle and overloads his own inertial dampener, suffering intense G-force as he zips forward, around, and above Staren, zipping between and around the guided missiles, trying to force his machine beyond their range of turning. That calm look gets a twitch of stress that sticks on it, but only one. He begins dumping flares to force the missiles away, thin Avian gems that spoof almost all aspects of sensory data to simple machines like missiles.

    <"'Slaves'. That's what they call themselves. They're the only ones condemning themselves to that. They won't put themselves out into the Fire, to take a little of the Line's power. If they /won't/ think fast and stay strong the way we do, that's their /choice/. Choices have consequences. That's how things are."> He narrows his eyes, his goggles filling with red alerts as one wing is clipped badly by the missile storm and he has to adjust for the drag. <"Ghhh-- So. You're saying you'd flip for the Church if we had better /labor laws/? Bring some terms -- but don't bring your guns for the heretic. We do what needs doing for the brighter future. If you want to outweigh them, then outweigh them. Put what you've got on the table. The Priestess only cares about doing good, not tradition.">

    This will probably be mostly relevant for Gilgamesh later as well, because it'll help make Paladin things easier to justify.

    For now, the Saint of Carbon pulls high, forcing himself into an altitude where the weather conditions are closer to Third Gear rather than Fourth Gear due to the close-range verticality here, and pulls behind -- then drops low, diving hard with the altitude to build speed and swipe with heavy guns blazing from below! The attempted feint requires such an incredibly fine understanding of Line meteorology that it should at least show Staren he's working with a genius of sorts. <"Tally, fox four. I've got your tone, bandit. You hear that ringing in your ears, son?">

    One of those engines is badly damaged, ready to come off. If Staren maneuvers well on this next rush as the ace buzzes him, he might be able to yank it out and take the prize for today.
Starbound Flotilla     Kotone manages to maneuver and ramp onto it! After all, there's always plenty of hefty ramping spots as the terrain shifts and moves beneath them. Leaping onto the thing, she finds herself on the upper deck, and that's primarily automated, from the look of it. Heavy automated weapons gush fire, while the big mechanical arms try to sweep her. There's passages below, though! Especially near the back, into the inner workings of the engine compartment. If she can dive and evade (or get a moment to engage her invisibility) then it's likely she can pull the gear she's looking for, deep in the depths of the "hood" of the huge vehicle! Right where the Flotilla put theirs, in fact!

    The man has continued his grief-wracked speechifying, but with no more of Kotone's replies, there's less coherence to it and more rambling that doesn't need committing to text.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa is onboard now and she skids from her bike,she dives and weaves her way throuh the fire not attacking trying to get off her bike, she has enough time to cloak once she leaps off the Knight. Her jack disconnecting as she cloaks she'll try to get into the inner workings of the machine, as she is undr the hood she gets lucky and they built much like the Starbounders do. She'll move to jack into a port she found to attempt to take control of the machine, she doesn't intend to kill this man. No she intend to take over, shut off the weapons as well and hopefully be able to ahem end this without killing this guy.
Riva Banari At this point, Dexter has accepted and conceded to all of her demands and logic, so the Templar shrugs. "All right. If you're serious about this, then I'll work with you and the King of Chairs over there." She reaches into space and pulls out her shotgun from a ripple in spacetime. As she flicks off the safety and the Anima Circuits glow, she looks to Dexter. "Let's do what we gotta do."
Yang Xiao Long     "Heh, fine..." replies Yang, "You sound like Ozpin though. All aloof and hands off and all that." she comments, folding arms over her chest.

    When the King of Heros becomes the King of Dorks though, she can't help but giggle, covering her mouth with one hand. "Maaaan, that's some tone-shift right there. didn't know you were bipolar to boot." She tilts her head, finally seeming to be at ease with the King now he's shown to be human just like everyone else, with flaws and failings. "Once this is all said and done... we can go shopping for bikes, it y'like."
Dexter Arkwright "It's a better idea than anything I had. This is why I love to work with eggheads! Not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with you head, or anything..." Dexter rambles a bit, but then he fires off his thrusters. He's heading towards the Engine King's position, and when he gets close, he's going to shoot at the Dragster Throne.

"Engine King! Retreat at once. The future you desire isn't going to be the one that happens!" Dexter's feeling really good about himself, so he's saying dumb stuff. And also going through his head 'jeez, how /am/ I going to do all those things I just agreed to because I wanted her to join my side? Well, I'll figure it out'
Staren     Itano Circus? Is the other narrator aware that Staren is literally flying a machine based on the VF-1 Valkyrie? Because if he's not, yeah that is totally a thing! Multiversal shenanigans from decades before Staren was even born, man!

    Man. Staren's never gotten to fire tons of missiles at a target like this before. He has to admit, internally, that it looks damn cool. He ALMOST doesn't mind that that means most of his missiles didn't hit.

    <"The fire's not for everyone. Are they allowed to leave?"> Staren asks. He manages to bring the beam shield to bear, blunting some of the hits.

    The megadiamond is starting to be considered part of his machine now, or however that works -- in any case, it's no longer slowing him down. He's got to do something now -- that show made it clear that this bird is an experienced flier. Staren's got an advantage in sheer volume of weaponry, but if he doesn't end this down, the Saint is going to wear him down bit by bit.

    He rotates again, using aerodynamics and the foot thrusters to slow to a degree impossible for a normal fixed-wing craft, forcing the Saint to fly ahead -- then pointing the nose forward again and pouring on the speed from a combination of thermonuclear-powered jets and rocket boosters, both souped up with erchius technology that laughs at the idea of a light speed limit!

    <"I won't support a future where the people in power decide that other people are worthless when they haven't hurt anyone! And I'll fight anyone who does! People are what gives the Multiverse value... all people! If they aren't making the future worse, they deserve happiness! And even if they are... even if they are, they still do but we just can't afford to give it to them! That's where my heart is trying to guide me... I've listened to my gut feelings and to a lot of people, and thought about it a whole lot, and it's the only answer that makes sense! The only answer I can live with! The only answer I can live for! Where's /your/ moral compass? Can it guide you any way but west?">

    From this starting speed, Staren fires ALL THE MISSILES, trying to limit the space and time the saint has to dodge. A combination of high-tech high explosives and anti-tank warheads that explode into lances of light!
Gilgamesh      Gilgamesh coughs and attempts to rally. Once again, it looks like a dorky teenager puffing himself up as he straightens in his chair and tries to look imperious. "I...suppose that would be pleasant."

     "Good, though. Good." Gilgamesh stands. "I will make preparations to order the Church and the King of Engines to the table, and we shall solve this dilemma once and for all."
Starbound Flotilla     Seeking a port on this isn't a bad idea. These strange technologies, however combustion-focused they might be, are high tech, and use many advanced digital control systems. When Kotone jacks in, though, she finds no automated control systems. Somewhere else in here, the Saint of Fire is also plugged in! His mind feels human, and it surges around Kotone. Linked as he is in all the systems, she gets to see that the digital space is marked with repetitive memories of what looks like a tall, powerful Floran woman; his digital space is practically decorated with the virtual equivalent of elaborate reverent statues and artwork. His sobbing is echoing through the network constantly.

    The artwork is what becomes those digital defenses; statues come alive and rush at her injected control systems. Kotone probably won't be able to hijack the entire linerunner with its rather /live/ defenses -- but she'll likely be able to eject and disconnect some of the key parts. If she fights her way through the system right, she can probably unlink chunks of multiple engines and such, which will fall out and be easy for the King's allies to pick up.
Starbound Flotilla     When Dexter and Riva head in, and get through the breach, bypassing Gil's civil meeting, they can surge into the interior where the Dragster Throne has dug in and began intense battling. When they get there, what they find is actually pretty much what one would expect. The Dragster Throne is beat up and dented by an ongoing battle with the Saint of Glass; hyperglass katanas, plural, are scattered about, embedded in the body of the thing and jammed in the floors and walls. Alongside them... Switchblades. First one, then a few, then dozens. HUNDREDS.

    When they eventually get to the Engine King, he's standing over the Saint of Glass. The hylotl samurai is bleeding below him, covered in an unspeakable number of cuts straight through the hyperglass. The King himself is flicking a cigarette onto him, stamping it into his body, provoking a groan of excruciating pain from the angry zealot. "I told you to agitate gravel or you'd be cruising for a bruising." He's saying to the man. "Cool it in the pavement 'til you take a night shift with the empress, dig?" Parts from the mechasuit are already loaded onto the Throne, yanked right out of the Saint amid combat. He flicks a switchblade out of his pocket, leaning down. "Time for you to DTT, slaving scum."

    "Empress... Priestess... Forgive me..."

    That's about when Dexter and possibly Riva might wander in, interupting something that was seemingly about to secure itself rather thoroughly if they didn't head over here.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa is getting the idea this Floran ment the world to this Saint she has to wonde ther's more to the story here as she finds herself in the digital world. Her own avatar is nothing like her it's a white haited andorid with a swimsuit like body suit. Kotone leaps back froim omne od the attacks, well mentally her HUD has so much code streaming by someone who was not agumented could not deal with it. She hears Gilgamesh's offer she's willing to take it even as she comes under attack.

"Saint of Fire ... we have been given a change to Parley and chance that may allow for her to be brought back, I'm going to stand down..."

This could get her killed she will cease in her plan to deatch parts of the Saint's ride and will try to pull an mergancy jackout but that will leave her dazed for a moment in the real, she issues the command...
Riva Banari "Egghead? I'm just a painter." Riva laughs. "I don't know science, but I do try to know how people feel. And boy, there's a /lot/ of feelings going around out here. Let's go."

They move in to figure out where the King is. The radio helps point that out. She stops walking, and starts running. More and more quickly, as the switchblades grow in number, as the pieces and parts multiply, shattered hyperglass everywhere, Riva moves. She can tell what's about to happen and time is abruptly not on their side.

If the Saint dies, that's going to cause a problem in negotiations.

Just as the King is leaning down to prepare to finish off the Saint of Glass, Riva dives, tucking and rolling to flop herself in the way. She's in an awkward position, she can't deploy her anima barrier like this. The only thing in between that blade and the Saint is her flesh. Her weapon is gone, arms outstretched. "Whoa whoa, cat. You gotta play it cool." She says, trying to use an adjacent slang set. "Putting the square on ice isn't gonna make things straight. You gotta be cool for your boys, right?"
Dexter Arkwright As they approach, the King is in the middle of murdering the Saint. And that's not good. As Riva rolls in to tank the knife, Dexter turns up the thrusters, and flies into the Saint's direction. He moves to fly by, scoop up the Saint of Glass, and then start radioing the friendlies. <"Saint of Glass is critically injured, bringing him in! Tell me where to drop him off!">

If it's not far, Dexter will drop off the Saint for medical treatment, make sure the Saint knows that it's him who saved him, and then fly back off to join Riva. It'd be terrible if she got stabbed, they're allies now! But he probably won't be back soon, since flight takes time and such.
Starbound Flotilla     <"Nobody leaves the Line. The Line never /ends/. You think they want to /leave/, son?"> The Saint of Carbon mutters tensely, narrowing his eyes and blasting hard. <"Nobody wants to leave. Everyone wants to be here -- because it's as close to the Treasure as anything can be."> He shoves a lever hard to the front, blasting an afterburner as hard as it'll go. The missile volley is getting to be too much for him; his inertial dampeners are at their limit even when overclocked, and are starting to spark. His face, still calm, warps and twists as he accelerates at speeds unthinkable. <"You... Ghhhhh..."> His body is straining to match these missiles, twisting in ways that no aircraft should. The pilot is suffering damage long before the aircraft does, but that hardly means the aircraft is getting away.

    The cockpit is cracked, then blasted almost entirely open by a series of heavy near-impacts. The man is, impossibly, faster than the detonators in the missiles themselves. They slam into the aircraft, and by the time they have, he's already twisting out of the way of the blast, blunting and mitigating the damage. But there's only so much he can do. He needs a moment to adjust to the accumulated damage and its increased drag, and Staren isn't giving him a moment. When he survives the /entire volley of missiles/, it's only because he's managed, somehow, to avoid strictly speaking /physical presence/ as a key concept of impact. His expression is still just as calm, but it's pale, gaunt, and he looks like he's going to pass out.

    Then something else is shouted over the radio. Staren calls out: <"Saints of Fire and Carbon -- I'll stand down in return for a chance to negotiate with the Empress and for no further harm to come to Kotone today.">

    He disarms his missiles and retracts his main gun, narrowing his eyes at Staren on the viewport, and pulls into a holding pattern just alongside him. He's panting a little bit, breathing heavily from the pain Staren just put him through, but still clear-headed and speaking with the same sort of calmness as someone fishing at a calm lake. <"Negotiate? With the Empress? What're you... talking about?"> He gives Staren a baffled look, on his viewport, and then out the cockpit next to him, the only expression that shifts off of his stoicism. <"Son -- the Empress is Stopped. She's Unmoving now. That's /why/ the Priestess needs the Treasure.">

    <"Only way for us to bring her back and put our Empire back together.">
Starbound Flotilla     The Saint of Fire's vast mental and digital palace dedicated to his treasured Empress seems more incoherent than most, but at the very least, he can sort of understand a retreat. "You-- You come here to help the heretic! And you want to just leave! Like the rest! Like the rest of those people who didn't love her as much as she loved her people! YOU--!" He starts, his grief-wracked sobbing echoing hard through the digital plane, but he seems to realize what he's doing.

    More than anything, he is driven by the deep desire to attain the Treasure and recover his Empress, and so on some level, the logic of the situation solves in his pained mind, and his urge to lash out and murder Kotone the way he lashes out and murders so many others is something he puts away for her sake. "...Standing down." He allows her to jack out without, you know, trying to crush her to death with a giant robot arm. His whole Linerunner shudders with the straining pain of his own mental conflict.
Staren     Staren winces as he sees the shape the Saint of Carbon and his machine are in after that. If only he'd learned peace was an option people were willing to back a few seconds earlier...

    He turns off active sensors and closes the railgun's firing port. Preventing missile locks is... something he can do to signal peaceful intent, at least.

    <"...Then we'll negotiate with the Priestess. A lot of things aren't adding up, though. If everyone who's there wants to be there, why did the Engine King and his people rebel? And nothing I've learned about the treasure suggests it has the power to raise the dead to life -- or reverse the effects of some sort of stasis field, if you were being literal. There's... hopefully when we meet with the Priestess, I can learn some of what she knows about the Treasure. It seems the King is missing some information.">

    Staren retracts the cockpit armor and turns his head to look through the canopy at the saint -- although, all the saint can see is a helmet with a featureless mirrored visor and protrusions for Staren's ears. <"...Sorry about the damage to your machine.">
Starbound Flotilla     Riva jumps right in, keeping the Engine King from finishing the Saint of Glass off. The man's eyes are fire. His hand is steel. His mind is righteous, courageous fury. His crowns are ablaze with light, his jacket gleams in a glorious way. But he halts, instantly, at the idea of hurting those who help his kingdom. He freezes in the intended stabbing, muscles tense...

    He straightens up, flicking the switchblade away and pulling out a switchblade comb to adjust his pompadour. "I've got the dibs on what I'm needing." He explains. "These nosebleeds have been giving me grief for years. But you know what? Feel like I could blow them off on a proper drag for the Treasure as-is, and if you're really thinking it'll shake what's now up too bad, then sure, I dig." Just like everyone else here, despite their /weird quirks/, the Engine King is a driven, purposeful man, one who refuses to get so caught up in himself that he forgets what he /wants/. "So," He taps an earpiece. <"Alright, nosebleed, you want to bash ears for the Line, we'll do it. But you better shoot straight or not at all. I'll give whatever talk you want to have a chance, and I'll do what's good for my people, nothing else.">

    Meanwhile, Dexter gets the Saint of Glass out of the breach zone; flying him to a nearby medical block isn't too difficult. He's bleeding like a stuck pig, but with a swift rush of medical care -- the medical care out here is /incredibly/ effective, for some reason -- he's likely going to make it. He's almost lost consciousness by the time a team of emergency medical Apex take him, but he's got enough clarity to whisper a quiet, strained, "Thank you." To Dexter. He realizes what just almost happened.