Multiverse Crisis MUSH - User contributions [en]

3820/Returning Favors

2016-02-18T07:06:27Z

Darth Smith: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2016/02/17 |Location=Far Away Galaxy - Core Worlds |Synopsis=After months in apparent hiding, HK-47 is finally spotted on the graveyard planet of D..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/02/17
|Location=Far Away Galaxy - Core Worlds
|Synopsis=After months in apparent hiding, HK-47 is finally spotted on the graveyard planet of Dahrtag - otherwise known as the 'Necropolis'. With his first open appearance since the truce, now is the best time to make the hunter into the prey - in one of the most brutal battles with the droid thus far.
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|Cast of Characters=42, 290, 385, 457, 513, 754
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      In the civilized galaxy, there were very few worlds that constituted the term 'hell incarnate'. Fewer still were worlds that people wished to visit - at least out of those that were readily accessible.      So to say the presence of this particular world, located in the Core Worlds themselves at the heart of the Galactic Republic, was a morbid surprise to say the least... would be a very grotesque understatement.      Tentatively regarded as 'the nightmare world' by those unlucky few living souls to visit it, the planet of Dahrtag was covered in masses upon masses of dark, ill-kept structures built one atop of the other. All throughout, the world seemed permitted with a gritty, foul atmosphere - not literally in terms of breathable air... but in terms of the emotional state the surroundings bred.      Surroundings composed entirely of hundreds upon thousands of interwoven tombs. A massive, conjoined 'Necropolis' that covered the entire planet with both freshly-built and millennia-aged burial grounds and shrines from almost every species imaginable.      Entire valleys and canyons were composed simply from the stone structures, some of which were so old that the stones were fused together from time and wearing, making entire swaths of the planet seem as though it were made of decaying bone. Interlocked bridges crossed the gaps at points, like alien growths across stretching into the walls.      ... and not far from one of these areas... there was an unusual sight contrasting the image - a pristine, silver-plated shuttlecraft from which a few harvest-droids were busily carrying small samples of gritty, space plant-life covered in small berries back into the ship. A process supervised by a pair of HK-51 units.      ...      And at the entrance to one of the tombs, seeming to be overseeing the removal of a large clump of plants... was the rust-red form of HK-47, directing the harvest of the lethal Cryptberries from which his poison-darts were filled the juice from.      If he was followed here, he would have no idea of it - he knew of no way anyone could have tracked him, even if he /was/ taking a massive risk heading into the Core Worlds, regardless of the planet's reputation tending to ward people off. For the first time since his one-droid campaign had started... the machine was relatively unprepared for a direct attack. Or at least in the way of being a full-fledged assault.      ...      But then again, he'd have had no way of knowing a bugged shipment of ores had been following his every step. In fact... for some odd reason, that shipment was still on the move and leaving this world behind - Jayale's bid never did seem to stop anywhere permanent.      But the message the Union were given by Republic SIS that said shipment had been tracked to Dahrtag would have been heard loud and clear... and even if it didn't lead to a base, it did apparently lead to the droid behind it all. And the best chance anyone would have at pre-empting it. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' When the memo from the Republic came in, Yuna was finishing an afternoon's homework for Beacon Academy; she had been planning to put in some training time either there or at Hikari. Elner's report that HK-47 had (apparently) been located was enough for her to put those plans on hold, though. She even has her own interstellar FTL-capable cruiser - although it scales to more of a privately-owned business jet, as far as spacecraft go - so it's not as if Yuna needs to hitch a ride with anyone else. On the other hand, the Mike-maru-go also isn't really designed for military operations of any sort; it's a *civilian* ship, and Yuna has done her utmost to keep it that way. Still, it's what she has, and she's willing to pick up some fellow Union Elites on the way to Republic space. It's possible that the cruiser is spotted making planetfall; Yuna is more concerned with getting down in one piece (and relatively close to where the tracker was detected) than trying to sneak up on anyone. Hopefully the weather - whatever it's like - will help with that. Once the cruiser has touched down, Yuna leads the way out of the cruiser, already in her Light Suit; she's strongly tempted to switch into Powered Form (for its heavy armor and comparably heavy weapons), but she sticks with her basic battlesuit for now, wuth Elner sticking close and passively scanning the surroundings while her three 'partners' hang back ... 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     The memo came in from the Republic, and Rebecca could feel the lump in her throat almost like it was something inevitable. Yet, the feeling of terror and anger at the same time wasn't something she wanted to feel at the moment. But it was there with her, and immediately her eyes narrowed. She knew that HK-47 was there, and that he'd more than likely recognize her if she showed up again. But Rebecca was ready to take that risk. Not out of revenge or trying to finish a vendetta of some kind, but because she wanted to protect others who might be at risk of being a target of this droid.     Unfortunately, while Rebecca's taking flight lessons, she's not quite ready to pilot a craft like that yet. So she's taken it upon herself to ride in Yuna's cruiser, bringing with her some extra weapons since she knows that droid is so powerful that it makes a Hunter look like a cakewalk! As Yuna's cruiser approaches the area where they're heading, Rebecca is sitting cross-legged on the ground, loading a clip into her MP5K while she puts some more clips into her belt. She then proceeds to load a First-Aid case, that is a case holding three First-Aid Sprays without causing her too much disability, and puts it in her sidepack. Rebecca then takes out her trusty custom Magnum, and loads a clip, while taking a few extra clips as well. The power is strong, but the clip is small, at only eight rounds each. After she's locked and loaded, Rebecca doesn't get up yet, but continues to sit for a few moments, almost like she's making a mental plan.     Upon making planetfall, Rebecca is moving out alongside Yuna while wearing a special protective mask over her nose and mouth in case the air isn't quite breathable. Her eyes dart from side to side a little, as if she's expecting HK-47 to leap out of nowhere and attack her, while her MP5K is at the ready in case anything (or anyone) tries anything funny. Her teeth are visible as she grits them while it's obvious she's a bit on the nervous side as her breathing seems a little erratic and her body is shivering. 

:'''{{#var:457|Neuroi Girl (457)}} has posed:'''      After all the attempts on Toph Beifong, HK-47 had an enemy he likely did not even realize existed. One that, to her thinking, was one of the most dangerous to him. Of course, he likely had many enemies like that. Evangeline was quiet the entire trip, her face slightly downcast as she considered the best way to approach.      When they arrive, Evangeline also deactivates all her scans and radio transmissions. She doesn't want to give away their position. She sticks low to the ground as they start toward HK-47, as quiet as the dead over which they are travelling. She could easily be mistaken for some kind of spectre with her black form moving through the air with only a quiet metallic sound accompanying her movements. As they travel, she explains her plan to the group. "...I am able to...merge with mechanical things...such as robots...if I can get close enough...I might be able to merge with HK-47...once he is under my control...we can transport him to a secure holding facility...if he is too strong to control...it will make him easier to destroy once the attempt is being made..."      It sounds a bit like a suicide mission, but Evangeline doesn't want anyone else being harmed by this android reject. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     HK-47.     It's not that he's the most /evil/ being in the Multiverse. But that at the evil he does, he is scarily effective, and he has the ambition and intelligence to plan for killing to be only the first, small step in his grand designs.     He would have killed Twilight, if someone on his own side hadn't made a careless mistake, and to be fair, Lezard probably didn't know how the Flotilla's teleporters work. It was sheer luck that saved her.     Staren will never forget that close call. So when he hears that HK will be somewhere... that he can prepare, and face the droid more on his own terms... Staren goes on the warpath.     He's beamed down near the others. In the armor that some of them may know he can only carry if he's in a robot body, and carrying one of the resonance cannons built for the Behemoth fight a year ago that ended up not even used. A big, bulky energy cannon of some sort, emitting a faint, high-pitched whine as it charges up. The RAISER rifle is slung over his back as a backup. Staren nods to Evangeline. "The more ways we have to impede him, the more likely one of them will work. Let's hope he doesn't know you can do that." 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     Finna doesn't emerge from Yuna's cruiser, even though she did indeed board it. Instead... a dark shape detaches from the thing when it's still flying. On closer inspection, the thing has wings. It spreads them wide and glides through the gloomy skies of the tomb world...     Whatever this creature is, it fits the locale pretty well. If a Bald Vulture went and got frisky with an Archaeopteryx, this repulsive scavenger bird that seems like it would be right at home amongst the dinosaurs might be the result.     Its great bat-like wings carry it far, soaring over the heavens. As it circles.     Like it's waiting for some prey to die. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The weather is, as possibly expected of tomb-world of all places, eerie - the clouds hang low, seeming to have an almost sickly tint to them. The atmosphere, while breathable and not truly fowl, is thick and cloying like the inside of a damp cave - like the the sky itself was produced by the labored breaths of a massive, dying beast. Abstract protrusions of worn stone and decayed mortar form a decidedly forbidding terrain, abundant with shadows between the uncountable number of deformities and the lack of a visible sun past the cloud-cover.      It's a world only a machine could ever tolerate. Literally a world of the dead... and everywhere one treads, it feels almost as if they are treading on hallowed ground - something only a machine could disregard. There are abundant shadows for Evangeline to hide in as a result, and enough cover that ships would be obscured easily... but the lack of wind might make the noise carry through the valleys, as though the twisted landscape is releasing a death sigh in spite of there being no wind.      Additionally, across the landscape - the stones worn away to resemble the bones of a mammoth carcass - there are patches of vines sporting small, rounded fruits, nestled in the dark crevices of the ground. Berries with a light sheen that make the clumps stand out like blood-soaked sores.      Cryptberries. Named for their drawing nourishment from the thousands of interred corpses across the planet... and for their ease in rendering most species dead merely by ingesting a single one. The very same plant used to fill the poison darts that nearly killed Kyle Katarn months ago.      And the assassin droids were harvesting them by the barrel-full. Enough to arm a battalion of themselves with the toxic darts - and in complete disregard of the fact that they are vandalizing dozens upon dozens of resting grounds, new and old, in order to uproot the plants from the gravestones, caskets and burial mounts they have grown into and out of.      Somewhere down in one cannon, two other HK-51 units are working, but they are far removed from the two at the shuttle guarding HK-47 - far removed from helping their progenitor if he is in trouble. The rust-red droid himself is using his cortosis-knife to slice away at the stone cover to a particularly old tomb, eventually dislodging it with a muted release of trapped air - another death-like rattle that echoes through the canyons, the machine obviously too focused on his task to pay much attention to his surroundings.      In fact... one might say that the droid seemed upset about something. Like he was venting his frustrations on the tombs he was harvesting from.      It's an intriguing question - what could have happened that would actually irritate the machine like this - but either way... the important part was that it meant he was preoccupied. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     At Yuna's request, Staren cuts a sprig of cryptberry and puts it in a sample container in his bag. And now...     There he is.     HK-47.     Staren could take the shot... but he can't be sure the resonance cannon will kill HK-47 (he mostly hopes it'll overload the droid's shields, really), and the droid might be able to hide before he can follow up with another weapon.     And so he waits for his allies to get closer. Staren himself isn't the sneakiest. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     As soon as the Raiton manages to touchdown on the outskirts of this gathering.... it's gone. The feathers melt into scales andits considerable size just evaporates into something long and... slithering through the growth at truly impressive speeds without hardly a noise.     A snake. Perfectly suited to stealthy operations in this environment, apart from it being a race against time.     They ARE cold-blooded after all.     Finna's not coordinating with the others because she intends to be there in case the assasssin droid manages to outwit the others.     She knows this group quite well. They're about as stealthy as a startled elephant.     They'll be the perfect distraction to get real work done. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' 'Holy ground' does not mix terribly well with 'graveyard' in Yuna's opinion; neither does the lurking, ominous atmosphere which makes Yuna think of crypts and catacombs and long-lifeless places she'd rather not be. Still, the sense that this place should be a sanctuary for those who are buried ... Yeah. She picks up on that, even if only just a little. It puts a further dent in her desire to do violence here, but HK-47 has tried to hurt too many people for her to leave him be. Yuna keeps making her way towards HK-47's position now that the master killdroid has been spotted; she gives her allies some orders along the way - asking Staren and Rebecca for the cryptberry sample, seeing if Evangeline can maybe subvert some of the lesser droids or other hardware - as she considers what's the best way to go about this. Finna's suggestion of bombing is taken under brief advisement, but besides disturbing even MORE graves, there's no guarantee that would put HK-47 offline. Her gear is not meant for stealth operations like sneaking up on a trigger-happy, sociopathically-programmed murderbot. *She* isn't meant for stealth operations, for that matter - she's still learning what it means to be the Savior of Light, and how to live up to the title she was given when Elner first found her - and a piece of her wants to just call out a challenge and fight the killer droid openly. She doesn't believe that the droid can be persuaded to change its ways, either, which rules out her usual preference. Yuna keeps working her way closer to the grave that HK-47 just broke into and entered, ready to will the Matrix Divider into her hands at the drop of the proverbial hat. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     Holy ground, crypts, whatever. Places like this creep Rebecca out, even though she's been through similar things many times. Then again, her terror could be because of the inevitable encounter with HK-47 that's going to happen eventually. After what he did to her in New Haven-3586 and how she barely escaped with her life, Rebecca's feeling slight pangs of a possible panic attack coming on. She takes a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and looks to make sure her MP5K is still securely gripped in her hands. She breathes a sigh of relief then looks in the direction of the crypt again, before noticing the various berries scattered about. "Huh, these could be useful maybe?" Rebecca says to herself as she takes a small specimen bag and deposits a few inside carefully.     From what she can smell through her mask, the odor is somewhat bizarre and very strong. "I wouldn't want to eat any of those," She mutters to herself, before ducking back into the nearby shadows, then continuing to advance, breathing as evenly as she can. She knows if she messes up, HK-47 could easily get the drop on her. And who knows what he might try to do to her this time? 

:'''{{#var:457|Neuroi Girl (457)}} has posed:'''      Evangeline hears all the chatter and sees HK-47 entering the tomb. Then, she starts moving. Beneath the dark, cloudy sky her shadowy form might be easily missed. She hugs the ground, trying to use the many hills and tombs to cover her approach. Since she does not walk, there are no footfalls to hear. With how loud HK-47 must have been while removing that coverstone, the quiet whisper of her movements should be easily covered.      When she reaches as close as she can get without being physically spotted, Evangeline pauses. "...I am about to strike HK-47...please support me as you see fit...but do so in five seconds..."      Evangeline starts a countdown, giving the others enough warning and time to get into place. Then, she pulls out a trick she has hardly ever needed to use. Teleportation. In the blink of an eye her form blurrs and she appears in the tomb right behind HK-47. And with the surgical precision and stoicism of a machine, she attempts to wrap her arms around him without a word. As soon as she touches him, he would feel an invasion in his systems and a strange sensation as the metallic surface of his casing starts to convert to Neuroi material. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      If Finna bothers to pay attention to it, she may notice the ground itself... feels wrong. It feels... bleached... yet there are patches where it is soft yet lacks moisture. Like a mass of decaying bones.      And if she is not careful... she may find she is not the only serpentine creature on the world as small, white lamprey-like forms covered in a thin film of mucus slowly start pushing their way out of the dirt and towards any of the several dozen unearthed graves nearby. Boneworms - invertebrate scavengers that waited until dead meat was exposed to begin feasting... though getting too close might result in them trying to hunt live prey for a change.      Yet another aspect that added to the unnatural surroundings. Something the droids ignored as they continued working-      Then... suddenly one of the droid's limbs sink into the ground as the surface gives way. Startled, the machine lets out a surprised yelp and topples, catching itself with it's arms before it can clatter to the ground... and then it's yellow photoreceptors /glare/ at the unnoticed grave it had fallen into, the casket having rotted to the point that the surface-pressure made it collapse.      And then... there is a hideous tearing of stone and matter as the frustrated HK-51 droid reaches into the pit it fell in and tears up the plant that was inside... and /everything else/ interred within.      "Disgusted Statement - Miserable organics! Leaving their refuse littered about so haphazardly. If it weren't for the fact that we'd have no purpose, I would advise we mass-sterilize them all and be done with it!"      With that, it simply hurls the handful upon the ground... then it pulls the knife and brings it down hard enough to cut the ground beneath and-      ...      And by the end, after the droid has vented it's irritation, it hauls the freshly-liberated plant back to the shuttle, it's armor splattered with juice, dirt... and heaven knows what else.      It's a horrific sight... and it highlights the sheer callousness of the machines - what others would consider sacrilege, they see as as mere debris to clear aside or to cast away. And not even the slightest hint of guilt exists as the machine adds the plant to the stockpile they have accumulated.      Likewise, their progenitor seems utterly unfazed as he finally shifts the stone cover away from the entrance of the tomb before him, the slab shattering as it hits the ground - and wherever markers of identification for this crypt going with it.      And also distracts him from the encroaching shadows that follow him into the doorframe. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The closer Evangeline gets, the more obvious it is that something is wrong with HK-47. His photoreceptors are largely focused on the cave entrance, spending only a brief instant to check his surroundings and not calling his subordinates to cover him. As if he didn't wish to be disturbed.      ...      And then he hears it - the shifting of something in the air. But it's not enough to properly alert him - not substantial enough to figure as anything more then grave-pests - until too late.      He isn't even finished turning around before the Neuroi's limbs grasp him, a stunned metallic cry of surprise echoing out as the droid registers his armor beginning to compromise.      The first thing Evangeline may notice is that the droid's armor is incredibly dense - several dozen layers worth of thick mineral-composite packed into a single plating. The famed Beskar - Mandalorian Iron - that could withstand even lightsaber strikes, which breaks down painfully slowly... though it /does/ at least start to break down. The second was that his body was lined in capacitor-underlays that dampened electrical charges - a precaution against a droid's worst fear; ion-electrical attacks.      Altogether, it points to the droid being a sturdy machine that was not going to be assimilated easily... but was also not /immune/ as his circuits obviously were stunted by the feedback, his processor still locked in trying to figure out /how/ he could have been tracked.      The loss of contact likewise startles the two HK-51 units as they realize their progenitor's signal has gone erratic, one attempting to call the other pair of HK's down below in the canyon for backup while the other runs for the shuttle - there will only be a short amount of time before one of them starts trying to get contact off-world for rescue.      They were alerted now... and the hornet's nest had been stirred. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Ironically or not, Staren doesn't care that they're desecrating graves. The value of graves is in any meaning they have to the living... and this planet? People come here to bury the dead, not to visit or mourn. So it is nothing but an organic junkyard -- discarded meat-machine bodies whose minds and souls have moved on. Staren's hatred for HK-47 burns bright, as does his resolute surety of purpose and righteousness. There is no time to waste on petty disgust.     Evangeline goes in. <<Wait, I don't have a-- Argh!>> He can't risk it. Evangeline can regenerate, it's true, but the very reason he's hoping the resonance cannon will be an effective weapon against HK means he doesn't want to hit an ally with it -- regeneration or no, it'll do as much damage to her as possible rather than penetrate.     So he abandons his position, and just runs towards HK in a beeline. He'll just have to fight the assassin droid in close quarters! 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Five seconds is NOT a lot of warning time, especially when you're moving as carefully as Yuna is - so when Evangeline makes her move, Yuna just shifts gears wholesale. Even as she's calling orders to her allies over the radio, Yuna has Elner teleport Jiina, Marina, and Erina from their rear-guard position to her location - and as soon as Yuna's done giving her orders, she glances over her shoulder at Jiina of the Earth with one word: "Combine!" Eye contact and that single word are all it takes; the green-and-white android goes translucent, her image 'phasing' over Yuna, then disappearing entirely as a large wireframe shape surrounds Yuna. In the next instant, the pieces of a large exoskeletal battle-frame begin materializing, filling in the wireframe by interlocking with the Light Suit and with each other; when the process is complete, Yuna is outfitted in the heavy armor and armament of her Powered Form - and immediately starts charging towards HK-47 and Evangeline ... albeit not exactly in a straight line. No, she's going after an HK-51 first, namely the one that just desecrated that grave in a fit of pique. She'd figured they were drones, so seeing one of the HK-51s throwing a tantrum kind of takes her by surprise - but still, this one would almost certainly intercept her if she DID try going straight for their 'boss'. Better to be pro-active, and in this case, that means cutting loose with her beam cannons while she's closing in with her hover-thrusters, literally skimming over the ground rather than running. Meanwhile, Erina of the Sky and Marina of the Sea also go airborne - not something Marina is optimized for, but she can fly well enough to keep up with her 'sisters' - and they head for the shuttle, opening up on it as they approach. Marina's minitorpedoes have actual explosives, and while Erina's pulse blasters may not pack much of a punch per individual shot, they're rapid-firing, which can add up quickly. They'll be focused on disabling the HKs' spacecraft, but if any of the other droids turn their attention to shuttle defense, Yuna might have to break off and help them. 

:'''{{#var:457|Neuroi Girl (457)}} has posed:'''      Having made contact, Evangeline bearhugs HK-47 for all she is worth. She had expected it would not be easy to integrate with him, but she had not expected it to be this difficult. Just what is he made of? Still, slowly that rust-red metal starts to turn black in tiny octagonal sections. The integration doesn't really flow over HK-47, it sort of partitions him. Heavy sounds like a hammer hitting an anvil and a magical chime everytime another bit of that armor is claimed. The same happens in a roughly spherical pattern, but Evangeline is sure that if she can breach the armor she can claim the components within relatively easily.      However, while trying to integrate with HK-47, Evangeline is completely exposed and unable to defend herself. If any of those 51s get through she could be targeted before she can fully envelope HK-47.      Now that she has a firm grip and they are quite literally connected, Evangeline finally speaks.      "...you made a mistake...coming after Toph, and all the others you have attempted to kill...you will pay for your attempts on their lives...if it is at all in my power to stop you...you will never leave this planet alive..." In her soft, nearly monotone voice that might not sound -too- menacing, but there is a definite feel of anger and perhaps even hatred for HK-47. "...my allies assure me you are a defective machine that has outlived his usefulness...so accept your fate...you will be recycled...into something worthy of existing..." 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     Rebecca scowls as Evangeline decides to take action. She wanted to keep herself as hidden as possible in hopes of avoiding possible direct engagement with HK-47. But as luck would have it, that's not going to happen today. No, it seems Evangeline wants to take a direct approach to HK-47. With the other HK-51 droids around, it looks like Rebecca's going to get a share of action too. She shrugs a little, then draws her Magnum in favor of her MP5K, hoping power will be more useful here. She then pops out from her cover and attempts to aim at the nearest HK-51.     "I don't care about you or anyone else. I don't care about the fact your leader almost killed me recently!" Rebecca yells out as she opens fire. "All I care about is obliterating you to the junk heap where you belong!" 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     Thankfully, basic animals are the least of Finna's concerns. Literally. As she notices the presence of such simple creatures she exerts some will through her spirit, through her slither, through her very body. It's a message to the worms. 'This creature is your ally. One of you. Should just ignore it.'     The baser their instincts the clearer this message is.     But later, she's going to complain about how disgusting these things are, even by her standards!     Of the group, Finna silently applauds Evangeline's efforts! Could the rusty assassin bot possibly escape from that?     Yet this snake notices trouble. The HK-51s, no longer desecrating graves, seek help.     She figures her allies will get the one going for the shuttle. The bigger danger is more units that are closer. They must be kept from spreading the news. Or at least... delayed!     The tiny snake slithers ever more quickly...     And emerges from behind a grave in the Hk-51's path. Fangs bared and-- FWEEECK!     It spits a glob of some noxious substance snakes just aren't able to spit. But it spits it anyways. A black, tarry, slimy gunk that stinks and reeks and burns!     Right for what she's pretty sure are the thing's eyes. Or at least its face. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The Boneworms seem to regard Finna for a long moment, as if idling on her 'message' - so they back away, returning to their feast as the lone snake moves toward the edge of the canyon where the lone silver droid is running.      The first HK-51 running for it's companions in the canyon sees Staren incoming, freezing up in what seems to be surprise at the mech-suit before standing it's ground-      -and letting out a metallic screech as a corrosive acid impacts it's photoreceptors, the fragile lenses giving away far easier then the armor as they begin dissolving the transparasteel membranes, the HK-51 yelping in feedback-induced 'pain'. - "Agonized Statement - My photoreceptors! My /photoreceptors/!"      This blindness leaves it unable to properly respond as a hail of bullets from Rebecca's gun begin pelting it, sending the machine stumbling backwards and toppling to the ground as dents appear across it's form and some of the bullets embed in the joints of the knee. Whatever the HK-51's are made of, it clearly isn't as durable as HK-47's own armor.      The HK-51 trying to return to the the shuttle - the one that had desecrated the grave - barely has time to turn around before the beam cannons impact it, not even getting much chance to engage it's shields. The shots slough off large portions of it's shoulder and torso-armor, rendering the left arm all but useless as the machine is sent to the ground in a crippled heap - still functional but badly damaged, trying to get back up on one limb.      Somewhere down below, the other pair of HK's tilt their heads upwards at the sound of chaos echoing down below... but it isn't until they hear explosions coming from the layers of hull plating being blown off their shuttlecraft one by one that they realize, too late, that their brethren need reinforcement - and that their ship is taking damage by the second. But will they even reach it in time to matter? 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      HK-47 himself, pinned as he feels layers of his armor being eroded bit by bit, all but glares at Evangeline in what can only be called an expression of wrath incarnate. His limbs strain audibly to overcome the circuit feedback crippling him as his internal systems become a battleground of invasive and defensive impulses. His systems register slow but sure loss of mass as his plating is gradually assimilated.      However... as he stares back at the attacking Neuroi... the droid's eyes seem to pulse with something a machine should not have. Something that spawns to life at the very mention of Toph's name.      Hate. True, undiluted, murderous hate that floods his processor-pathways like a flood of magma bursting from a volcano. A raw /emotion/ that seems to push the droid past his limiters, his straining increasing as he tries to fight back against the invasive influence.      "Defiant... Statement - I will /not/... be destroyed so easily, /traitor/.... Threat - You had better hope... your promise holds true... for if you fail... I promise you... that when I am through with that Earthbender... you will /wish/ you had stopped me here... because I will make you her parental units watch /every/ nanosecond of that meatbag's disassembly."      One arm twitches - the droid is trying to operate his internal weapons; trying to activate his flamethrower and burn her off of him... but was he going to have enough control?      Either way... if there was one thing the droid would not do, it was give up. He would either fight his way out or go down fighting - there was no middle ground for him. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     ...The robot is trying to say 'Augh, my eyes, my eyes!' "Seriously?" mutters Staren.     Nothing else matters. There are other robots. There may be reinforcements on the way. But what's going to happen... it comes down to these moments, before aid can be mustered. Either they will take down HK-47 swiftly, or not at all.     Staren won't let the time his allies have bought go to waste.     Staren stands by the crypt, and fires.     The resonance cannon, a conceptual weapon powered by 'resonance' with the ripples elites make in the surface of reality. Its insides constantly change form, as their very incarnation is used to fulfill the role of electronic switches in circuits. Electronic circuits, cogs, runes, magic crystals, ghostly channels directing spirit power... it is all at once, and none. Its bulk devoted to taking the power from resonance, and amplifying it and storing it... and, as Staren pulls the trigger, releasing it. A beam of energy, infused with the concept of speed (pointless at this range, and a waste of potential power) and with an inability to be deflected. If it hits shields or armor, it won't bounce off, but force itself to be destructively absorbed. All that energy is going /somewhere/, and that somewhere is the target.     Whatever else happens, the cannon begins to shake apart, to burn, to spark, as it suffers various manifestations of the idea of 'destructive overload' -- it's a weapon meant to only be fired once, after all. As if it has a sense of drama, the Core Matrix -- in this case a cylindrical crystal -- is ejected like a shell casing and hits the ground with a ringing tinkle, but it is cracked, clouded, and burnt.     Staren doesn't speak. There's no point, is there? If HK survives, then all threats were empty -- and if HK doesn't survive, then that is all that matters and it was pointless talking to him.     Staren tosses the broken, burning cannon aside, ready to fight HK for real now. Because no way does Staren expect that that weapon was enough to kill him in one shot. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Erina and Marina aren't just trying to peel through the shuttle's armor, mind you; Marina in particular is launching minitorpedo barrages at the craft's *engines*, aiming into the exhaust nozzles as well as she's able - and given that both of them are also doing evasive maneuvers even without being shot at (yet, anyway), it gives her some time to generate/load the next volley of minitorpedoes before she loops back into an optimal firing position. Erina, by contrast, doesn't have ammunition to worry about so much; *she's* working at degrading the shuttle's hull to the point that it's no longer spaceworthy. Not that droids might *care* if there's an atmosphere on board or not, but hard vacuum, or even the Void, might not be good for the poison berries. (Now, if the shuttle's hatch is OPEN, Erina will gladly dispense focused beam dakka to blow away any containers she can target ...) Meanwhile, Yuna materializes the Matrix Divider and accelerates towards the HK-51 that she downed. Normally she would open up on an enemy like this, take advantage of the Divider's gun mode - but in this case, while she *starts* to heft the Matrix Divider rifle-style, she switches to a melee grip ... and tries to sever its mechanical 'neck' in passing. She would've been happy to blow the head apart, but she remembered one little detail: If the CPU and/or memory core can be salvaged, then there MIGHT be useful data which can be extracted - maybe coordinates to other possible hideouts that HK-47 could retreat to if he survives this battle. So 'blow it apart' is shelved in favor of 'disable with extreme prejudice, but in a manner where something might be salvaged'. Once the -51 is definitively out of action, Yuna will be ready to go on to support her allies against HK-47 proper - or to double back to the shuttle and give Erina and Marina some help, if they're under fire by that point. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     The droid is down, but it's not dead yet. Even Rebecca can figure that out, and she doesn't know much about droids in the first place. She plays it safe and fires two more shots at the gaps where its eyes were, just to make sure it won't get back up, before surveying the rest of the area. She then spots HK-47 and a scowl forms on her face big time. "That's the same one who tried to kill me! I'll teach him to mess with S.T.A.R.S.!"     Checking to make sure the coast is clear and there's no one flanking her, Rebecca moves quickly, attempting to flank HK-47 if possible. She doesn't fire just yet, though. Instead, she gets herself into a proper position to give herself a good advantage over the droid for now. That way she can take cover if need be. 

:'''{{#var:457|Neuroi Girl (457)}} has posed:'''      "...I am not a robot..." is Evangeline's soft response to HK's accusation of her being a traitor. Even Evangeline is surprised a bit when she sees what looks like hate in HK-47's eyes. For a moment it makes her consider if HK-47 is actually just a robot, or if he is something more. But, whether he is a lifeless machine or a manufactured lifeform is really unimportant to her. He is a threat. A threat that continually promises to not only kill her friend, but to torture her and her parents before killing them.      "...you will never kill her...even if I fail...you are not strong enough...you have proven it over and over again..." Evangeline retorts. "...you may get close...you may even gravely injure her...but you will not kill her...therefor...you are a defective machine...defective machines are scrapped...accept your fate and I will let you fade into the blackness...refuse and I will keep your core alive so that you may watch your body be recycled...into lifesaving devices...like pacemakers...and...healing beam weapons..."      Evangeline redoubles her efforts, and a slight rose-colored glow can be seen as her core attempts to penetrate HK-47's shell. If she can get her core in contact with his circuits, she is certain she will be able to override his systems. By now, a bit of the little Neuroi's chest would have sunk into HK-47. "...and if somehow you do manage to escape...I will hunt you with as much dedication as you hunt others...hateful things that exist only to destroy do not deserve an existence..." Evangeline looks right back into HK-47's eyes as she says this, though she lacks actual eyes of any kind. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     That's some HK-51s, down for the count!     Finna doesn't stick around once Rebecca shows up. The Snake is once again back to slithering across the grounds and staying nearby, unseen, unheard. But although it can hear only through vibrations, this isn't hurting Finna's understanding of what's happening in the nearby crypt at all. Tongue flicking out repeatedly, she waits near some upturned, crumbled headstone rubble.     Because if HK-47 breaks free of Evangeline's grasp, she's deadly intent on knocking him right back into it! 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The shuttle's engines begin rupturing in the first few volleys, spraying fire and smoke out the sides of the buckling hull. Internal fires begin consuming the electronics and shorting out the subsystems, some of the Cryptberries catching fire and releasing a pungent odor as they slowly burn away.      The HK-51 downed beside it, pushing itself up slowly with it's slagged shoulder, barely has any chance to see Yuna coming - and even less to dodge the strike, resulting in the weapon cleaving through the metal stalk that serves as it's neck, it's head bouncing across the ground with a metallic clanging.      The remaining HK unit, blinded and crippled, is unable to respond as two rounds pierce through the weakened plating behind it's melted photoreceptors, puncturing the cranial processor and 'killing' it's consciousness, the machine going still at last.      The two HK-51's have are only just now making it back out of the canyon by this point, racing to return to their landing zone - and already priming their weapons - but... it is already too late to save their shuttle. Or at least use it to escape. In the next few moments, they will arrive.      But what will they do when they get the chance? 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The Neuori - a non-organic lifeform. A pinnacle of evolution if somehow achieved naturally... and it would waste it's time aiding /meatbags/ of all creatures?      If that wasn't a betrayal - of not just machines but of synthetic lifeforms the Multiverse over - HK-47 didn't know what else was. They were structurally superior to organics in every way... and yet one would willingly side with them to such a degree that they formed attachment to them like this?      "Statement - You are... /better/ then them... and yet you would /shackle/ yourself to them. What else is that... but a betrayal of your kind?"      HK-47 seems to almost seethe as Evangeline accuses him of inadequacy - of inferiority - to /meatbags/ of all things... and yet the droid seems to speak with a smug degree of condescension. His servos strain violently as he tries to break free of her grip - to pull away before his body is breached... and yet he sounds so very confident. There is no /fear/ in the droid - only defiance and assurance.      ""Statement - Each attempt... is no failure. Merely the elimination... of a method that does not work. Adaption... only comes from adversity. Not only from success... but also from failure... and strife. I /am/ a machine... as much as you are a synthetic lifeform. I think... therefore I /am/. And I... will /not/ surrender my existence to you-"      The next instant, Staren's weapon impacts him, the durable armor on the droid's torso and right shoulder glowing brighter and brighter - taking on an incredible amount of energy without breaking... and then, finally, it shatters like glass, spraying thick, razor-sharp shards across the cave in a hail of shrapnel. The droid himself is flung further back into the tomb, crashing against the stone sarcophagus with the sound of fracturing stone. His right limb becomes useless, the servomotors crippled and non-functional.      His processor synapses are partly muddled it seems - almost like HK is attempting to profess his existence as an individual, droid or otherwise, as his breached armor exposes his circuits... yet he seems to pause when she declares her intention to hunt him as doggedly as he did others.      And as the droid's vermillion eyes stare back... there seems to almost be a budding look of /pity/ reflected in those lenses. "Statement - How... admirably cruel. Musing - But you... are missing something."      Black matter meshes with internalized circuits... and multiple redundant systems, backup memory processors included that come to life as they recognize an attempted invasion of the systems when two impulses begin to meld - and with it... the sheer, ingrained impulse to kill that flows forth from HK's behavioral core.      Twenty-five years worth of continuous killing - of murder both blunt and subtle - or /gratifying/ in each and every death caused and in every single method used to do so. Visions of quiet death and mass slaughter - assassination protocols and their function.      The understanding of purpose - the singular satisfaction of that existence. One the machine was trying to imprint upon the Neuori - apurpose that defined his existence that was causing the machine's consciousness to fight back doggedly against her.      As he tries to inflict his own programming against the invasive consciousness, the other arm finally starts to move; it forces up slowly, as if attempting to reach for Evangeline's core, but the action is ponderously slow - all his processing power devoted to fighting off the alien influence.      He wasn't dying quietly. He refused to die quietly. And certainly not without taking someone with him. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren shakes his head slightly as HK tries to talk Evangeline into swapping sides, of all things. But he still fires.     And... "Holy shit!" Part of HK's armor heats up and shatters! This is a pleasing result! He doesn't stand back and admire his handiwork, though. HK has barely hit the ground when Staren starts walking closer.     HK is... reaching for Evangeline's core?     Yeah, no.     Staren walks up to the droid and crouches over him. His plan? He's going to place a foot on HK-47's shoulder, and then grab the reaching arm, and /pull/, with 'car-throwing' class robot super-strength. He doesn't have to pull it off, though. He just needs to break the internal mechanisms and render it useless. He says one word, flatly:     "No." 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Two HK-51 units down, two more in a hurry, shuttle basically destroyed. HK-47, still putting up a fight as far as Yuna can tell. Marina stops dodging things, maneuvers to where she's got a clear shot through the hatch, and launches a full spread of minitorpedoes - these programmed to spread out inside the shuttle and blow everything *inside* it up, cargo included. Then they'll be on their way to support Yuna and the others. As for Yuna herself, with her initial target destroyed, she scoops up the removed head (with an exo-arm; she does NOT want to touch it with her own hand, even through glove or gauntlet) and consigns it to her sub-dimensional 'inventory' where Elner can pull it out later for Staren or somebody to analyze. Then she heads towards the crypt where Evangeline and now Staren are actively battling HK-47. Elner is tracking the other two -51s, and the group of Unionites may need to split their attention again to stop those two before they can back -47 up .... in *any* sense of the phrase. Actually, Yuna thinks, maybe she and Rebecca ought to focus on taking those other two -51s out of the picture for good measure ... how long would it take them to get to -47 at this rate? 

:'''{{#var:457|Neuroi Girl (457)}} has posed:'''      HK-47's argument falls on deaf ears. Because Evangeline is part of the Neuroi splinter cell that believes humans and neuroi could live together peacefully. Because she has lived with humans, and they are infinitely more understanding and kind in general than Neuroi. "...if we were better than organic creatures...then why is it that your companion units have been destroyed..? ..why is it that you have failed in all of your assassination attempts since starting this campaign against the Union..? ...A truly 'better' being would not need to eliminate methods that do not work...you are delusional...just because you are a living machine or an inorganic does not make you better than anyone else..." she counters.      Evangeline tilts her head slightly as HK-47 says she is missing something. "...what am I-" Then, Evangeline twitches as she gets feedback from her connection as her core sinks further into HK-47. If that arm is not fast enough, her black metallic form and HK's converting form will soon re-engulf the core. Until then, the flowing rose-colored energy fills the cavern. The merging doesn't stop, but Evangeline's head suddenly snaps back as someone else's purpose is forced into her. An ear-splitting metallic screech fills the air and echoes out of the tomb as the droid's purpose attempts to imprint itself into Evangeline's core.      And as it does, the electrical static she has been sending through HK-47's circuits clears up. Her concentration wavers as she has flashes of all the things HK-47 has done. The little Neuroi shudders, then arches, then curls as she tries to block out the images. She doesn't enjoy death and destruction! Just because she is good at it doesn't mean she likes it!      ...or...does she? Evangeline shakes her head as that thought floats through her. Does she like it? Is killing good? No! No...it...it isn't good. It is bad! Certainly not fun! Another shrill metallic cry echoes through the tunnel as Evangeline tries to ignore the images and urges, though this one sounds much more pitiful.      After the momentary lapse in concentration, Evangeline shudders before straightening again and squeezing her arms around HK again. "...I...do not enjoy killing!!"      Evangeline's voice starts off at its usual quiet volume, but it quickly grows in volume until the last word reverberates through the tomb. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     Rebecca's main role is to assist an ally at all times, and she sees that Evangeline is going to become assimilated by HK-47. Then she spots that Staren is attempting to take down HK-47, and she relaxes a little. Her distraction turns to the remaining HK-51's. Apparently there's more than she thought, and that could be dangerous for Rebecca and her allies. She looks to Yuna and gives a small nod as if to say, "Let's do this!"     Reloading her Magnum, Rebecca aims at one of the HK-51's and yells out, "You're finished here! Might as well get a head start on going to the junkyard if you haven't already!" She fires off a couple more shots to emphasize this. 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     Okay, the strange thing that Evangeline is actually SCREAMING's enough to unsettle Finna. Looks like she'll be needed after all!     The snake slithers over to the gathering... and changes. It quickly GROWS large enough to be noticed, but it's also changing. Scales lift off and soften into white fur. Legs sprout, a serpentine tail becomes a much fluffier one...     But oh, even as Finna adopts a towering humanoid form, the serpentine MUSCLE ain't going anywhere. Although lithe and sleek, the Fox That Walks Like A Woman that emerges's like one finely coiled, honed muscle. Her whole body ripples with raw, primal force ordinary flesh couldn't hope to emulate. The Deadly Beastwoman is a vision of savage, primal murdermachine straight from the pages of a horror story.     The guttural, reverberating SNARL she makes bites HARD into any organic thing's psyche, pressing hard on the lizard brain - the survival instincts of everything that screams 'soil your pants now and RUN or be eaten. A predator is here!'     With a wordless SNARL Finna lashes out with claws that glow silver, filled to the brim with Lunar Essence and hardened impossible, sharpened beyond obsidian. These claws can rend steel, rock, flesh, and bone with equal ease.     And she plunges them down for HK-47's torso, heedless of the fact that one arm and his shoulder is in the way! 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Even as Evangeline speaks, HK remains skeptical - cynical. Almost as if it considers that a moot argument. "Statement - They... are akin to meatbag youths. They lack... experience... understanding... and so few of them are able to learn." The droid sounds almost placating. "Observation - You... can learn by assimilation. Far quicker... far easier... then a frail meatbag... and yet... you still must resort to violence. To destruction. To /murder/."      For was that not what this was? If Evangeline recognized human morals so readily... she surely could recognize the contradiction between action and statement?      "Statement - You eliminated negotiation... returned my own tactics upon me" the droid replied... and perhaps sickeningly, there is a hint of begrudging admiration in his voice. Maybe even pride that he forced a response such as this with his actions. "If what you say is true... then aren't you and I... not so dissimilar?"      He tries to reshape what invades him - or if nothing else push back against it. "Statement - If you are... not a machine... then you would not know... what it means to experience something... and /know/ you enjoy it." "Musing - But... that is perhaps one thing... I envy you for. You will get to /learn/."      The programming asserts itself again - he fights harder... and this time, it seems more obvious that the droid is perfectly willing to die fighting - and now... seems intent on shaping a successor in his place even as more of his circuits are compromised.      "Statement - You promised... to destroy me, did you not? For what I did... to the Earthbender? For what... I'd promised to do?" He goads her - tries to force her into an internal conflict with herself. Breed doubt that will help free him. "You would not enjoy... destroying me? Crippling me... as I did the Earthbender? Electing agony... like what was present on her face... when I nearly destroyed her maternal unit? You do not enjoy... destroying threats to what you cling to?"      "Smug Observation - You... are /lying/. For if you do not know hate for what threatens you... if you do not know retribution for what you lose... then what do you know of meatbag excuse for 'life', /traitor?/"      And then the stimulus takes effect - and the haze clears away as Evangeline's influence is lessened... so that when Staren grabs HK's arm and Finna charges for him, all are met with the familiar clicking of metal plates as droid /lurches/ forward to actually try and press back against the Neuroi's body, the limb opening up and fires off all six of his incendiary darts in a spray of small fireballs - directed at /himself/. A suicidal attempt to use that one moment of distraction to offset the attacks and dislodge the Neuroi from himself by firing at /his own/ compromised body and hers - if even one random shot can glance off her core... he could, if nothing else, cripple her even as he likely crippled himself further. That way, even if the claws slash away the rest of his armor from his shoulder... they would have to choose between finishing him and saving their friend.      Or at worst... even if he was terminated... he would take the Neuroi down with him. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Outside, as the two HK-51's pressed ahead, they charged ahead... and broke off. One of the droids, charging ahead into Rebecca's storm of bullets to try and act the role of the shield and cover it's partner. Armor is chipped and dented but the droid stands firm, activating it's flamethrower and initiating burst-mode to try and immolate the area and block off an easy line of sight-      -and the other ran for the ruined husk of the shuttle, dashing for it's nose-cone.      The internal interface console was slagged and the covers on the panel blown away... but the communications relay, within the armored hull at the tip of the itself, was /not/.      And in instant latter, with one swing of it's limb... the panel covering it came off and the machine itself plugged in, thanking every shred of luck it possessed that only two of the Union members had left to stop the remaining pair, consumed with the droid equivalent of hope that his brethren would stall Rebecca and Yuna enough for him to tap the relay.      And if the HK-51 succeeded in tapping the transmitter in that shuttle's nose-cone... chances are the Union members present would soon be facing far more then just two HK-51's. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' And that's why Yuna was biding her time. When the two HK-51s part courses, Yuna takes note of which one Rebecca is intercepting, and goes to full-thrust to run the other one down. The lenses covering her beam cannon's emitters slide open, the arrays behind them crackling with built-up power - and she cuts loose once again, trying to obliterate the last of the HK-51s, probably taking the transmitter with it if she cut her interception too close. If a signal got out, though, Elner is most likely going to have noticed, and will proceed to alert the others. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     Confusion perhaps? Or maybe something else?     Regardless, Rebecca and Yuna AREN'T taking on the same HK-51. Instead, Yuna's going after one, while Rebecca switches to her MP5K to take on the other. That way, they can focus on keeping both droids distracted while the others try to rescue Evangeline and get out... or something. Rebecca wants to help Evangeline, but she's kind of distracted at the moment. She can only hope that someone else will take care of HK-47 while Rebecca is on her own fighting one of the HK-51's. Beads of sweat are forming on her face from uneasiness and stress, and she silently prays that this mission won't end with a casualty or worse.     "Gonna oblierate 'em all! Teach 'em to mess with us!" Rebecca mutters through gritted teeth. "I can only hope we can save Evangeline too!" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     "Oh my god SHUT UP!" Staren shouts angrily, as HK tries every Hannibal Lecture trope in the book. He hopes Evangeline can see through them, but consoling her comes later -- Killing HK comes now.     And then there is a ROAR and Staren shakes as something deep inside him screams RUN AWAY and he can't help looking for a way to escape... Because he may be a robot, but his psychology is intact, including such weaknesses.     But he's fighting for something too important here. Even if his body dies... but no, he doesn't have to surpress the fear with logic alone.     He's fighting for a future with Twilight.     Having an opposing emotional response too makes it a lot easier to control himself. To tell himself /it's just Finna/, doing /exactly/ her thing.     But that brief moment of distraction allows HK to slip free. To try... some sort of suicide attack? <<Protect your core!>> he urges Evangeline over the radio.     A suicide attack. That sounds like a great idea. Why oh why oh WHY didn't he nuke the site from orbit as soon as he heard HK was here? Stupid. Foolish.     The future will be decided in moments. And a future without HK-47 is worth any mere material posession. He can replace this body, at significant expense... Pity he didn't design this body with some sort of sure-kill taking-you-with-me self-destruct. It was such a foolish idea he didn't even consider it. Still, he can step it up, can't he?     Explosive bolts release the armor from his arms, baring the metal skin beneath. There's a buzz and a crackle as he directs all the excess power his reactor can produce to charge specially positioned capacitors and to course through his arms. Electricity sparks and arcs. Staren lunges for the assassin droid!     All he has to do is /touch/....     "RrrrrRRRRRRAAAAAGH!" 

:'''{{#var:457|Neuroi Girl (457)}} has posed:'''      Even as HK-47 makes an exposition, the blackness continues spreading along the back of his mechanical body. Evangeline may not be trying to scramble him anymore, but the integration is continuing. Evangeline is little more than a passenger as HK is knocked around and lunges forward. Severing from an integration is not a something that can be done quickly. "...hate does not translate into enjoying the death of ano-"      Before she can finish speaking, that arm swings around. Locked as she is, Evangeline can do little but raise an arm and try to redirect the aim toward HK's head. But, whether that works or not, Evangeline is hit at very close range by fiery explosions. Usually her shield would protect her from such things, but at this close a range it is inside her shield. The explosions rip into her black metallic body, tearing away sections with each explosion. The last one bursts away enough of her torso that the soft rosey glow from before becomes a blindingly bright light while Evangeline lets out another metallic shriek. With her head and much of her torso gone, her core is quite exposed.      And while she can regenerate almost indefinitely, she cannot instantly regenerate. Still stuck to HK, she starts to regenerate while Staren moves in for his strike. She is faced with the choice of using her shield to deflect Staren and save herself, or to let him hit and possibly finish off HK-47.      She chooses the latter. With her chest merged to HK's back, she brings her arms around to cover her core. It must look rather spooky. A headless body with holes in its torso covering its core. But, that is the best Evangeline can do. That, and reassert her electrical scrambling of the nasty droid. "...I do not enjoy killing...but I will destroy you if it will save the lives of others..." 

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''     "Protect yourself!" Finna insists of Evangeline, sensing what the droid's up to. But... she doesn't catch on QUITE quickly enough despite her supernaturally-focused wits and reflexes.     Still...     The monsterous Lunar has much the same idea as Staren! Since Evangeline's holding on... finish HK-47!     It's not like she can DETACH him from her!     And so she lunges in again, this time driving her claws forward in a tight, drill-like THRUST she hopes can pierce all that armor and rip out SOMETHING vital! 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The attention is split - one on one... but the droids refuse to acknowledge the challenge. For if they fail... their progenitor dies.      As one HK-51 is fired upon, it simply refuses to return fire - instead it turns it's back to Rebecca, running back to the shuttle even as more and more shots pelt it's less-armored joints.      The two droids don't care about victory anymore - only about saving their progenitor. But by the time one droid reaches the other, Rebecca's shots have already crippled it's limbs - the actuators that operate it's internal weapons -      "Self-Sacrifice!!"      - so it does the only thing it can, the HK-51 at the shuttle's nose watching as it's partner, lacking any way to defend itself, abandons any and all pretense of fighting to throw itself in the path of Yuna's attack, it's torso being reduced to nothing but a smoldering crater as it gives it's own existence to defend the other.      The beam is diffused and weakened as the HK-51's body absorbs the brunt of the attack, what remains seeing through to char the body of the remaining machine and cripple it... but not enough to destroy it before, with a final swing of it's limb, it triggers one last burst of transmission from the shuttle's nose-cone relay.      ...      A transmission that would cause a disturbing change on wireless transmissions... as the signature for the bugged ores - the ones that had pointed to HK's location before leaving the planet once more - began to approach the world at a rapid pace, as though it was-      ...      But then that was the truth, wasn't it?      That was why Jayale's bugged shipment never stopped anywhere permanent. /That/ was why the smuggler Han Solo was to be permanently silenced after delivering the original ores long ago - he and anybody with him were never meant to have escaped... after seeing that drop point.      None of them were meant to have gotten off the vessel. None of them... were meant to see that /ship/.      That ship... that Foray-Class Blockade Runner, now tearing across space toward Dahrtag's atmosphere... was HK-47's staging ground. A /mobile/ staging ground. A mobile base from which to harvest and store resources - and always be on the move to blunt tracking attempts.      And as that ship begins returning to the planet as quickly as possible, cargo bays already opening up to deploy a shuttle of reinforcements... the crippled HK-51 slumps against the shuttle's nose and simply waits for the inevitable to occur, almost as though daring the Union members to finish him off.      A sentiment punctuated with one last defiant statement - and a chilling sign of an unwanted evolution.      "Mockery - Too late... meatbag." 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Internal subsystems begin shorting out - and soon after, even the redundancies begin failing as multiple incendiary bursts char both hm and Evangeline, one of them blowing out the droid's left photoreceptor as his aim is forced off.      Her core is exposed... she's crippled... but she still will not release HK-47... and his enemies close in.      ...      So he does the only thing he can do...      He refuses to dodge... and instead diverts all his remaining will on shifting so that he can face his back towards Staren - face /Evangeline/ towards him... so that he /must/ go through her to get to him. His front faces Finna -      And he steps /forward/ into her... angling her so that she pierces through the secondary actuators in his torso - and through them... straight into /Evangeline/.      A desperate, final-ditch effort to use his own attacker's actions against each-other. It's true that Finna destroys several critical actuators - including what little systems controlled his arm-weapons such as his darts - and cripples his central power core... but only by also spearing through the same area where the Neuroi was located on his back.      At that point, Staren's attempt to deal a final blow likely impacts HK's body - and the resulting energy discharge between suit overload, Neuroi electrostatic interface and exposed droid reactor result in what can only be called a spectacular explosion that sends fire and smoke belching out of the entrance to the tomb - something that might inspire the worst in Rebecca and Yuna.      And when the smoke clears... laying inside the hollowed sarcophagus... only half of HK-47 remains      Both the legs are gone - almost /everything/ below the central torso is gone, including the lower abdomen. The back-plates, or what remains of them, are cracked and splintered and the right arm is utterly blown off. The left arm is shredded and scorched, everything below the elbow being badly mauled. The central torso is wholly exposed and the skull-unit is cracked. Half the droid's faceplate is destroyed, a grotesque array of sparking wires and steel frames openly exposed where the left photoreceptor and 'jawline' once were.      But /still/... the droid's body ebbs with dim life. It's one remaining optic still carries a defiant spark of a glow.     Even severely crippled, with more then 80% of the murderous droid's body gone... HK-47 simply refuses to cease. It - /he/ - simply refuses to /die/.      Even if all that need be done is ensure his head survives to rebuild him... the droid still refuses to greet oblivion, temporary or otherwise, without a fight.      Then again, the fact that crushing his head would end any chance of reconstruction may also play into that... as well as the fact that once he shuts down, he loses control over his fate.      However... the sight of the crippled droid may be one the Union members - or in this instance, possibly only Finna - can observe as Staren's attack has another, unexpected consequence...      ... namely that the Tomb they were inside - already worn with age - begins to collapse in on everyone as Staren's actions crack the walls and ceiling, threatening to bury them all alive as dirt and stone begin to fill the chamber - leaving only a short time for anyone to escape.      And a short time for HK to, taking advantage of his metal form, uses the stump of his left limb to push himself into the broken sarcophagus - enough to shield his head and it's precious memory cores from destruction, even though what remains of his body will likely be crushed.      But at least this way... he can and will be /recovered/... and /rebuilt/. In time.      Or at least that is the final thought running through the droid's processor before what remains of it's ruptured power cell finally runs out, the droid shutting down to be recovered in the aftermath as the tomb caves in. 

:'''{{#var:457|Neuroi Girl (457)}} has posed:'''      Evangeline tries to lean up as HK-47 moves and angles himself, but she can't quite move far enough with how far the integration has gone. Staren's attack hits her and smashes through into HK, sending the overload of electricity through both her and HK. Finna's claws strike from the other side, piercing all the way through and grazing the Neuroi's glowing core.      And, despite all of that, HK-47 is still 'alive'. Even as Evangeline falls to the ground, severed by all the damage and the explosions. She looks even worse than HK-47. Where the claws and electricity hit her they severed her body just below where ribs would be, and as her lower body falls away it disintegrates into silvery dust that soon disappears. There is basically a ring of black left around Evangeline's core, with a few scratches on the underside of that core where HK's maneuvering earned the Neuroi a bit of friendly fire.      So, what looks like a glowing model of Saturn is left wobbling on the ground, the rather sinister red, multifaceted gem core unable to defend itself. And yet, there is a soft voice. "...we...have to go..." that comes in over Staren's and Finna's radios. Evangeline is already starting to regenerate, but it is slow after so much damage at once. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     *KABOOM!*     Staren's flung feet away by the explosion, pretty banged up and smoking, especially his arms... but the robot body is pretty tough. He can take it.     Toughness isn't the problem. Using that attack leaves him barely able to move for a few seconds, and right now, that's critical. "Get Evangeline... and my bag... and get out of--" but it turns out Finna's able to turn into something that can carry them all anyway. "No... they'll find him... they'll find him... NOOOO! We were so CLOSE! AAAAAAARGH!" he can only shout in rage as he's carried away.     If only he hadn't used that attack... stupid, stupid fool! They HAD HK, they HAD him!     Staren's thoughts spiral like that for awhile.     He does have one final 'f*ck you' for HK, though. When investigating droids pick up the fallen pieces of his armor, much later, the ones with micromissiles inside detonate. As an improvised trap, though, it's unlikely to be more than an annoyance that makes some HK-51s need additional repairs later. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' One of the -51s got a signal out. And something else is *responding* to it. Like Elner said, it's time to go, and Yuna has to separate her sinking feeling from the calm, cool-headed recognition of that fact. Rebecca is still in the open, she can head for the cruiser first - and now that they don't have to sneak around, she can run flat-out. Yuna doesn't have to worry about sneaking either, but rather than booking it for the shuttle, she focuses on making sure the rest of the strike team is getting out of that tomb - which came so close to becoming THEIR tomb - and to safety; her cruiser is NOT built to take on an enemy ship, so they have to be clear and away before HK's reinforcements arrive. Worst-case scenario, as far as Yuna's concerned, is that she entrusts piloting the Mike-maru-go to somebody else while she brings out El-Line for a holding action, to keep the blockade runner from pursuing her friends. Fortunately, though, it shouldn't be necessary; Evangeline and Staren are both still mobile, and Finna should be following suit. Erina and Marina are re-tasked with helping them get to the shuttle if needed; Yuna brings her hover-thrusters back up and books it for the cruiser's landing site as well. If she's there ahead of her allies, she'll get ready for immediate take-off while they're getting on board. It's going to be a tight getaway ... but they have just enough time to avoid a fight. 

:'''{{#var:457|Neuroi Girl (457)}} has posed:'''      The glowing core that is Evangeline is carried out by Finna, still slowly regenerating. But, where those claws hit her the regeneration doesn't take. When Evangeline is finally fully formed again aboard Yuna's ship, it looks like she was slashed by a bear or something along her torso. She is quiet the entire ride back, and when they arrive at Njorun Evangeline slips off for home without a word other than a polite 'thank you' to those who went with her.      She has a lot to think about, in no small part thanks to the programming that HK-47 tried to force into her core and his words to her during that time. Does she enjoy killing things she thinks are bad? Is it okay to enjoy that? Surely it can't be okay...she's supposed to be working toward preserving life, not enjoying taking it... 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      As the Union members flee the tomb-world... they will likely get a very good look at the Foray-Class Corvette as it descends toward the murky atmosphere of the Necropolis, ignoring them entirely in favor of expediently rescuing their progenitor. It's shell seems reinforced with denser armors but it's painted in Republic colors.      No wonder the Republic SIS never could track where Jayale's shipment went - the vessel probably kept slipping past their grid.      No sooner does the vessel release it's shuttle then the small craft speeds to the surface of the planet and all but enters a combat-drop deployment of the HK-5 units aboard.      In short order, six of them are deployed quickly and fan out in a defensive formation, ensuring the area is secured. Then, one begins to examine the wreckage of the remaining droids to see if any of the four original units remained active.      After securing the remains of their brethren... they begin the arduous process of unearthing the tomb's entrance... and salvaging whatever was left behind for study.      It is not a wholly successful effort, though - four of the HK-51's are damaged when they try to recover the remains of Staren's mech-armor, with one of them even having their head blown clean off their torso. The abstractumtech weapon is largely in useless pieces but is collected all the same for study of whatever functional elements remain... if any.      As a result... the process takes well over an hour to open up the tomb again. Even with the use of careful excavation, the droids are left with a painstakingly delicate operation of removing the debris without causing another collapse.      In the end... it will take another four hours total before the HK units finally reach the half-crushed sarcophagus... and after prying the stones away from it, let out a collective and metaphorical sigh of relief at seeing their progenitor's form, his cranial unit damaged but intact.      ... of course it wasn't like this was an entirely fortunate event as the body was practically totaled... but parts could be replaced. Armor could be reforged.      HK-47 would return... but it would be quite some time before the droid was in functional condition. And for now at least, the threat from the elder droid was stopped... leaving only his subordinate units to manage in the interim. The most substantial victory to date for the Union against the droids.      And above all else... proof that they were not the only ones that could lay an ambush. 

}}

3566/Where in the Galaxy is HK-47

2016-02-10T00:08:00Z

Darth Smith: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/12/24 |Location=Far Away Galaxy, Coruscant |Synopsis=Members of the Union gather up to unwrap some unconventional christmas presents - the sk..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/12/24
|Location=Far Away Galaxy, Coruscant
|Synopsis=Members of the Union gather up to unwrap some unconventional christmas presents - the skulls of the nine HK-droid cores recovered thus far - and see if the presents - the droid's data-stores - are the worthwhile gifts they hope for.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=20, 42, 385, 391, 626, 754
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      'Bustling with activity' would be the words normally associated with the capital world of the Galactic Republic... but ever since the sudden 'incident' barely several city blocks from the Jedi Temple itself, Coruscant's situation was less 'bustling' and closer to being a state of controlled chaos.      A shooting that caused a major skyline crash, involving two of the Jedi Order's ranking members in it's resolution - and an attacker that not only evaded said Jedi but seemingly escaped the planet itself. A situation that was very much an embarrassment and a concern for the Republic and the Jedi.      Considering that - unknown to much of the public - that the target of the shooting had been a Jedi herself from another reality, it was far more pressing a concern for the latter though.      To say the Republic had been weary of getting involved in multiversal affairs was... well, a gross understatement.      But on the other hand, an attack on Coruscant - involving a Union member trying to get information on a certain machine that had been besieging the Union as of late - had left them little choice but to offer up a grape-vine.      So when the Jedi learned of the Union's efforts in trying to coordinate a hunt for the sociopathic murder-droid HK-47 - Darth Revan's personal executor - the Supreme Chancellor himself had given special permission to let Union representatives use one of the Strategic Information Service's storehouses as a lab to analyze any captured droids and, hopefully, extract tangible information from them - anything that could give the Republic insight into whatever plans the droids and their masters had in mind for their actions as of late.      It's for this reason that this safe-house has been deemed a form of 'open-house' meeting zone for the Union, complete with a droid analyzation table with a tray for tools, multiple work-stations and a holodisplay for the known Galaxy to start imputing data into as the field of hiding spots was hopefully narrowed down somewhat. There is also a holocommunication station to speak with a Republic 'moderator'... and a light is currently blinking on it, indicating the channel is open. If there are any questions - or if anyone has heard of Jayale's state and wishes an immediate update - they will want to use this console.      Unless the Union did not trust blind delivery or the group present instead brought them along themselves, then the many HK-51's recovered so far will be laid out on the far wall in a series of segregated booths. The question though is which to start with - the more damaged ones, or the more intact ones? And how do they start - with a simple dissection... or the risk of powering one up to speak with? 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     It's a bit weird to be in this sort of world again, especially now during the holidays. She could be spending time at home with her family, resting up the final days before Christmas, but instead Toph Beifong had no choice but to head off to Coruscant. Sure, there was some strange weirdo who reeked of booze who had been at one of the streetcorners near the portal, blabbering nonsense about something weird called Lifeday, but that's got to be a made up crud.     Toph arrives at the storehouse, presenting her ID to the guards before she walks in, and she can't help but feel a slight chill run up her spine as she senses the pieces of the droids there. Not that she expects she will be able to do much, but... it's worth a shot. And if she can get info on Jayale she's not going to say no to that chance. Maybe she'll do that before the others arrive, and then help them if they need her metalbending to inspect the droids or whatever.     So the blind girl fumbles a bit with the holo communication station. "I'm ensign Toph Beifong from the Union... can anybody hear me?" 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' While Yuna herself hasn't been targeted by HK-47 (so far, anyway), she still considers herself to have a personal stake in finding the mechanical assassin. She *has* crossed paths with him in combat, but more importantly, he's attempted to kill a couple of her friends - and he's come very close, far too close for comfort, to SUCCEEDING. On the other hand, Yuna isn't exactly a skilled cyber-engineer. She's in civilian clothes at the moment, dressed moderately warmly due to the season where she's from elseworld, and is accompanied by the little robo-faerie Elner. It's Elner who's probably going to be doing most of the 'hands-on' work where Yuna's concerned ... or at least, it would be, if Elner had *hands* to speak of. And Yuna didn't want to risk questions about more 'droids' if she'd brought the rest of the Matrix of Light with her, so Elner's sensors and wireless interface capability are likely to be Yuna's big contributions. As it is, Yuna shows her ID on the way in, explains briefly that Elner is here to assist her, and takes a moment to see how things are laid out while Elner 'looks over' each of the recovered -51 chassis, not trying to do anything beyond detailed scans yet. If Elner can confirm which units have the most-intact memory cores, that should be a good starting point. If Toph needs help with the comm station, Yuna's ready to assist her, too. 

:'''{{#var:391|Reina Kinney (391)}} has posed:'''     For Reina Kinney, the holidays aren't much to her. Namely since she's usually on duty most of the time, and her family... well, don't ask her about her family. Especially given her recent nightmares she's been having. It's a sure fire way to tick her off and have a mighty shouting match with her. But anyway, back to the point. She's arrived on Coruscant and is trying to find her way to the location given, having an interest in this whole HK thing. Namely since GUARDIANS might be able to peruse possible technological information as well as the Union.     Reina presents her ID wallet, which has two IDs in it instead of the usual one. One identifies her as an official member of the UAF, while the other indicates she's with GUARDIANS, and is a high ranking operative too! She makes her way to where Toph and Yuna are. She looks to the two women and then around, taking out her binoculars the scan the general area. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     A first visit to Coruscant should havae been under much better circumstances, all things considered. But given more recent events, Kyra Hyral has been sufficiently made gunshy enough to venture into this particular universe, /especially/ alone. Thankfully, she certainly wasn't alone today!     The white mage hadn't gone through any trouble of trying to dress in a way to fit in with the locals. Her current attire did seem to fit enough that it wouldn't turn too many heads and she was, after all, a human. Nobody would find a human suspicious here. Only the Republic officials responsible for liasing with the Union would really know that Kyra wasn't one from this far away galaxy and right now, for the purpose of gaining access to a storehouse, the connection was appreciated.     Her arrival to Coruscant was via the Rafflesia, however, a make of starship not native here. The vine-encrusted, shark-shaped ship might turn a few heads as it sits in its dock, though.     Upon arriving in the storehouse, Kyra takes stock of each of the captured HKs, assessing their various states of disassembly, and frowning. "Before we start activating any of these, I'd like to remove their weapons systems completely, if possible. I suspect they each have some kind of resevoir for carbonite and cyanogen inside each somewhere. Emptying those would also be prudent!" Kyra produces one of the many 'surgery tools' she's brought with her today. It's a screwdriver. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren's never been to Coruscant before, so he can't tell if it's always like this or not. He doesn't spend much time outside anyway -- With the Stranger Than Fiction parked in orbit, he beams down just outside the building, then enters the lab provided after only a brief look around.     "I think, if we can get some information on how droids store data, it would be simplest to examine their memories directly. Failing that, reprogramming them to follow our commands may be viable. But first... yes, that's a good idea, let's do what we can to deal with any... anti-tampering measures." Staren activates his armor just in case, and offers Kyra an environment suit, then helps get to work on disarming the droids. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The Republic guards - simple soldiers in red-on-black uniforms with dome-like open-faced helmets - give tentative salutes and nods of acknowledgement to each Union official that presents their ID's. In spite of that though, it's somewhat obvious they are anxious of the metaphorical 'aliens' from beyond their reality.      People teleporting in out of thin air tended to put people on edge, after all.      As the holocommunicator powers up, the emitters flare to life and the projection condenses into a three-dimensional form, the resulting image being a dark-haired man in a lightly-armored combat suit; Jal Shay armor. Twin blasters sit in their holsters at his sides... and beside each blaster, a lightsaber hilt is affixed to a belt-hook.     His wry half-smirk might remind some of a certain Corellian smuggler they may know as he takes in the arrivals, most notable being the girl who contacted him, though he looks somewhat questioning. "Hey kid - you the one that called me?" A sarcastic chuckle escapes him as he tilts his head. "I heard the Union takes all ages, but shouldn't you be off spending Life Day with your parents? Or did someone suddenly decide 'take your kid to work' day was a /good/ idea when dealing with crazy assassin droids?"      And so emerges one of the trademarks of all who have been deemed scoundrels - a smart-alek streak. Something that Atton Rand, even after ten years as a Jedi, still hasn't lost. Though he does, at the very least, seemed to have gained a sense of priority as he crosses his arms. "So, you all find anything yet, or do you just have questions you want to ask?" 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      As the HK-51's are examined, those with intact arms will trip up Elner's scans, and opening the casings for the right-side limbs will reveal what looks like a six-chambered revolver-system, each containing a different nozzle or emitter which which to fire a weapon. The Neural taser, Ion-Charger and Plasma-Emitter all are fueled by compacted energy-cells, but the other three - the toxin-emitter, flamethrower and carbonite-emitter - contain three storage tanks, each about three or four inches long; the reservoirs of cyanogen-gas, inflammatory fuel and liquid-carbonite that is used in combat.      The left-side limbs contain a miniaturized dart-launcher system with over half-a-dozen different varieties of dart contained - incendiary, tranquilizer, poison, acid-filled or even just simple projectile-darts.      Most of the droids, with the sole exception of one, have their memory cores entirely intact - with the one difference being a droid that was bisected at the hip by one Karian Icefang during the attempt on Twilight Sparkle, with it's head being half-crushed by debris caused by the grandiose... curtain-fall Lezard Valeth enacted that day.      Additionally... Elner's scans will likely detect the shaped charges connected to the droid's power-cores - the devices that, when activated, ignite the energy-cells; the basis of the HK-51's self-destruct mechanisms. Likely a priority for removal.      In terms of intactness, the ones that would bear the most attention would be the four relatively-intact units. The first is intact save for a massive hole punched through it's torso - courtesy of Yang Xaio Long when she came to assist in the rescue of Kyle Katarn. The second, aside from a disconnected power core, has only light burns and scrapes - the unit Jayale deactivated during the attack on Twilight Sparkle. The third, also suffering from a disconnected core, is the droid Jayale and Lowri Revan-Shan interrogated on the Autobot Arc-ship along with Blurr. But the Autobots removed all it's weapons already.      The fourth is a notable exception to the others - it looks entirely undamaged save for being shut off, as well as being colored a rather shockingly-bright cherry-red with white highlights. This droid had been disguised as a Santa Clause in Gotham, apprehended by Toph Beifong and Batman... though rather disconcertingly, in spite of being the most intact droid, it ironically seems to have been entirely /disassembled/ and then put back together before being shipped here. Some parts are also missing and it's weapons were apparently removed for study by whoever had it last.      Whoever it was that Batman had look at this droid, they really knew what they were doing since, sans the missing power core and weapons, the 'Santa' HK-51 looks pristine and the memory-core seems to have been duplicated and downloaded even if the data hasn't been decrypted.      However, removing the internalized weapons of the other droids is actually comparatively simple... once someone actually can /open/ the durasteel casings of the droid's limbs in the first place. Likely, it will require prying the things open, delicately or otherwise - especially for the thick chest plates so as to access and remove the small, two-inch detonator sticks attached to the droid cores. 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     When the others arrive Toph does greet them with a wave, though she doesn't turn towards them. Not that they should take it personal, knowing that Toph seldom bothers to face people to 'look' at them. And well, Kyra makes a really good suggestion. "We did remove the power cores, but that's probably a good idea." Just so they don't mess up and do something stupid. Because Toph has the feeling that Pepper would not want her to spend Christmas in medical.     Let's see what information they can get first. It's been too long since they have heard from Jayale, and well... knowing how messed up HK-47 is, a mix of skills and psycho, Toph /has/ been worried for the Jedi that got caught in his assassination attempt.     When the man speaks to her that manner all Toph does is let out a snort as she crosses her arms across her chest. "I might be young, it might be the holidays, but stuff needs to be done. And we want to know how the Miraluka is doing. She's being treated, right? We're friends of her." Better not talk too much about Jayale, after all. And how many Miraluka can there be around here anyway? It should be obvious who Toph is talking about anyway. "Is she awake?" 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Yuna twitches slightly at the reaction Toph's getting from their Republic contact. The earthbender seems to be handling it in stride, though, so she focuses her attention on Elner ... and with Staren activating his armor, Yuna transforms as well, her Light Suit replacing her civilian clothes. Just in case. Besides, she likes that jumper and doesn't want to damage it while poking around at salvaged droids. "Disabling and removing their weapons systems does seem to be in order," Elner reports, pinging Staren for a data-link; once that link's been established, Elner starts transmitting the schematics it's extrapolating for the HK-51s based on their shared 'features' and arrangements of systems. There's also a convenient log of what's missing or damaged in which of the six droids. "However, I would suggest defusing their self-destruct systems before anything else, in case there are anti-tampering sensors which will try to kill anyone who starts poking around in their systems." Looking for anti-tampering sensors is Elner's next priority, but the robo-faerie spares a look at Staren. "It might be feasible to modify the layout to arm a new suit of powered armor, if that suits your approach to combat. If nothing else, battling HK-47 with the weapons used on its 'brother' models could evoke an interesting and perhaps-useful reaction." Yuna grimaces, "I don't think HK-47 would send out drones that could be turned against it - would any of these weapons even slow HK down?" 

:'''{{#var:391|Reina Kinney (391)}} has posed:'''     "I'd think they're already deactivated or something," Reina comments to Kyra. "Still, good idea to just make sure." She has her weapons on hand if the need to use them should arise, but she's hoping that won't happen. "I'm hoping there's at least SOMETHING we can use. After all, one person's trash is another person's treasure... or something like that." She runs a hand through her hair and sighs. "Or at the very least, maybe I could earn some extra meseta perhaps?"     Then the new guy arrives, and Reina turns to face him with a raised eyebrow. She's about to ask him who he is, but before she can ask him anything, he makes a sarcastic comment to Toph, and Reina winces slightly, anticipating, at the very least, a nasty comeback. But Toph simply remains firm without getting too harsh, and Reina relaxes a little. "How do you like that?" Reina mutters to herself, looking to the side with her eyes, sneering a little. "Someone thinks they can be more sarcastic than me?" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Okay, step one? Remove the weapons and explosives. They have tools for that -- Staren has nanomachines and every tool imaginable, and there's always Toph if they need plating precisely bent... And furthermore, they can compare Elner's scans of the previously-disassembled santa drone to scans of the others, to identify anything that might need to be removed to work on the droids. Once that's all done? Staren dismisses his armor.     Staren has to agree with Yuna on the idea of a new poer armor. "Most of these are anti-organic weapons that won't do anything to a machine. The rest are energy weapons that aren't better than anything I've got. Somehow, I don't think emotional manipulation is likely to work on HK-47 anyway." An idea pops into his head, "At least... not like this." He doesn't speak of it further for now, though.     Now? Staren will begin with analyzing the already-provided data from Santa Droid, then move onto other droids when he's gotten everything. Others are free to attempt interrogations if they think it's a good idea... 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra finds herself with a sick sort of appreciation for the design of the KH. The compact nature, weapon loadout, and variety in projectiles was admirable. Being a droid, it could switch between weapon types easily and change out ammo with little time, whereas she herself needed to spend precious moments selecting the needed darts from her bandoilers. Maybe there was a design she could crib from these-a rotating drum of some kind, a little like a revolver, perhaps with similar minaturized darts. "Maybe his mixtures are more potent and that's how he gets away with smaller darts..." Kyra theorizes, fascinated.     "Oh, yes, I agree, let's remove the self destruct first. Staren, if you would do the honors on that?"     Kyra actually backs away. Engineering is not her specialty-other science is. "I don't think the HKs are programmed to react psychologically to anything. Given how good they are at evoking those kind of resposes in other lifeforms, I doubt they'd give them such a weakness." 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The rouge-turned-Jedi gives a half-chuckle at Toph's response, instantly reminded of a certain former bounty-hunter with an abundance of no-nonsense attitude, figuring the two would probably get along great. "Well, far be it from me to tell someone how they spend their holidays. I mean, I spend mine trying not to fall asleep meditating, so there's that."      He then sighs as he gets right to the point "Anyway, I'm Atton - Atton Rand. And none of that 'Master' stuff, please - I hate titles. As for the Miraluka, I guess you're talking about 'Flowers', right?" His expression, though Toph can't see it, is decidedly both impressed and grim. "She's a tough old bird. She's awake, but still in recovery. A lot of her injuries were pretty bad, which tends to be the case when you survive a speeder-crash, but the worst was her left arm - or what's left of it since it was amputated at the elbow during her fight. Add to that the burns, and then getting a neural-scrambler shot into her on the back of a concussion and she was out of it for some time. Still, she's alive and, yes, she's awake now, so that's something."      Atton's frank run-down of the situation might be called blunt, but he figures the group has a right to know what happened. And likewise, it should be obvious who Atton speaks of with his next west - "I take it that ol' rusty's given you people a lot of trouble lately?"      The central chassis of the torso is rather durable due to the need for protecting the internal components, the bodies lined with reinforced durasteel. Opening them out will be a bit difficult, though removing the detonation sticks - small devices tied to the core-frames - isn't grossly difficult, though it would be best to remove them carefully in case of any trip-up systems - and they do in fact have a small trip-fiber that might cause a detonation. Though with the cores either removed or shut off, the resulting explosion wouldn't be strong enough to do anything but wreck the internal components of the droid - though that in and of itself would be a concern.      When Yuna makes her comment, Atton actually quips up here - "Can't imagine he would, considering he's already had that little adventure. There was actually another /wonderful/ little batch of droids, the HK-50s. Rusty went after them and actually took down their entire central factory all on his own. They wanted to kill every organic in the galaxy and rule the universe back then, and the only reason their grandpa was /any/ easier to live with was because he didn't want everybody dead since that would mean he'd be out of a job" Atton replies, shrugging. "Guess even crazy droids have standards."      In this, Atton has also hinted to something rather disturbing in saying HK was easier to /live/ with. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Upon Staren's overlooking of the 'Santa-droid', preliminary data seems to simply be a log of some sort - possibly locations pertaining to Gotham City. The report will also note the 'cash-box' the HK had carried was a DNA/Fingerprint-scanner that had been systemically logging each and every individual in the city; likely the kickstart for a comprehensive database of inhabitants from which to begin a search for Batman. Of course, that data's been redacted - likely by Batman himself to protect his identity. However, it would be a good starter to see how the HK's conduct their searches when seeking out unidentified targets.      Likewise, the darts and internalized weapons, once one actually starts looking into them, seem to contain very potent cocktails. The incendiary darts are little more then stronger-then-average firecrackers compared to the flamethrower, but the darts... the poison inside isn't cyanogen or an earth-familiar cyanide. It actually looks closer to... a fruit-juice of some form. Possibly a concentrate of some lethal plant-fiber. This is likely the toxin that nearly killed Kyle Katarn several weeks ago, the poison-dart's shape being strangely abstract and alien compared to the more practical designs of the others. Likewise, the cyanogen-gas tank shows that the gas inside is roughly somewhere between 300-500% concentrate, and has green dye mixed into it, likely to alert allies on the field when the gas is deployed. Potent even when it worked through skin-absorption, and exceedingly lethal when breathed in.      The droid certainly seemed to love his poisons. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' Yuna spins on her heel to stare at the holo-projection of Atton Rand; the look on her face is most akin to surprised horror. "You *know* HK-47?!" she asks. She doesn't sound angry, just surprised. She almost adds more right away, but seems to catch herself, taking a couple of seconds to calm down. The horror hasn't entirely gone away, but apparently it isn't filtering out of her gut and into words so easily. "I ... guess he'd need to have a personality *somebody* organic can get along with, wouldn't he ... otherwise there'd be as many Confederate casualties at his hands as Union, maybe more ..." 

:'''{{#var:391|Reina Kinney (391)}} has posed:'''     Reina turns to face the projection also. She's got a stern look on her face as well, and while it's not as fierce as Yuna's was, it's still not exactly a happy one either. "So, what can you tell us about HK-47?" The question is asked almost instinctively, as if Reina expects this person to know something about HK-47 without even thinking it over. She folds her arms and narrows an eye as if she's starting to get a little on the impatient side. 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     The others should know Toph well enough by now, fully aware that she's used to being underestimated due to her age, small stature and her gender. If this wasn't such a serious situation she might snark back at the Jedi, but no. Not today.     "I hate crud and unnecessary formalities myself, so that works out just fine for me." She nods in response to his question, it's indeed 'Flowers' she is referring to. And to hear just how Jayale is doing, now that makes Toph's expression harden, and she swallows. She lost her left arm... "That rust bucket has tried to kill several of us Unionites," she begins with a serious expression on her face. "He nearly killed my mom too, so it's gotten real personal."     The fact that Yuna seems surprised makes Toph turn her head just slightly. "Hey, that rust bucket does get around. It's not weird that people know of him..." Damn thing. Toph lets out a sigh. "Tell Flowers that we're working on dealing with HK-47... and wish her a merry Christmas from me. Her present is waiting for her at Njorun when she gets back. If she can accept visitors sometime soon, let us know."     With that Toph turns away from the holocommunicator, walking over to the others who are dealing with the droids. "Need me to bend anything?" she asks, wishing for something else to think about besides Jayale's current state. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     "Hmmm." Staren mentally files this information on searching away. He'll think about it later, see if there might be a way to either confuse and frustrate the search method, or identify a hidden HK unit through its use.     The poisons... are not his field. He'll relay the basic information, but he's not especially interested. He has his own countermeasures, and he doesn't really use poison, since in general if there was a chance to use poison, there was also a chance to just hit them with a /lot/ of force, the that works on all kinds of beings, not just beings with earth-like biochemistry.     Staren gives Yuna a curious look. "He must have friends in the Confederacy, right? And Revan built him. I talked to the HK-47 that was in the Union over the radio, though we never met."     Staren looks over the remaining HK units and takes a deep breath. On an impulse, he pockets one of the stunners for later analysis, to see if he can figure out a countermeasure. But more immediately pressing is the data search.     After thinking for a minute or so, Staren goes back and actually attempts to hack into santa-droid's memory core himself (he was using Batman's copy of the data), just for practice. However that goes, his next try is on the previously-interrogated droid -- if he screws up from lack of experience, better to learn on the droid that they've already got /some/ info out of, right? 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Once the darts have been broken into, Kyra carefully collects them all into a lead box, which can be carefully sealed to prevent leakage. As she examines the darts, she's able to tell what is what-an incendiary dart is easily recognized, seeing as Kyra uses them herself. She's also familiar with the cyanogen already since Batman shared the samples and developed antitoxin with her. But the poison...     "Hm, this must be what was used on Kyle." she says, carefully examining the dart, her hands protected by latex gloves. "Interesting. The dart has a completely different design too. A local variety maybe? Excuse me, Toph, Yuna.." she seems to be leaving the freaking out about Atton and his questionable living arrangements to Yuna. Kyra holds up the odd dart to the holo-projector.     "Excuse me, but does the design of this dart remind you of anything? I'd say it, and perhaps the poison inside, were perhaps locally manufactured since they don't fit the ammo specs of the HKs. I'm pretty sure the poison inside is plant-based. I can give you a precise chemical analysis in a moment once I run it through your spectrometer." she assumes the lab has one, or something close to it.     Mentally, she makes plans to plagarize every single one of these mixtures. Or in the case of the plant poison, figure out where it came from so she can go get her own. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Atton's expression seems to become a bit sympathetic when Toph brings up HK's attempts to harm Union members, Toph's mother included. "That's rough, kid. I'm sorry to hear that, though at least it sounds like nobody's died yet." He likewise gives a small chuckle when Toph tells him to wish 'Flowers' a 'Merry Christmas.' "Alright. I, uh, guess that's what passes for Life Day in your... world? I'll tell her you've got her presents waiting for her."      However... now would have to come the more serious part.      Atton gives a long, weary sigh when finally addressing Yuna, crossing his arms and looking grim. "It's more then just knowing him." He pauses, seeming reluctant this time - a touchy, sad subject most likely - but he figures they deserve to know the truth - their friends were nearly killed by him. "He and I actually used to be allies if you can believe that. Actually, to be honest... someone I knew long ago is actually the reason the damn droid's up and running. Jedi Order was pretty much dead and buried in the wake of a war with Darth Revan - read the history holos to know all you need about her."      "We were being chased by the Sith back then - real nasty bunch, and the group Revan's now leading again - and by the HK's 'cousins' the HK-50's, so when our 'fearless leader' found HK-47's wrecked body in the Ebon Hawk - the ship we'd... er, 'repossessed' I guess - she decided that having HK's firepower on hand would help us out." He sighs deeply. "I know it was desperate times, but I personally didn't think it was bad enough that we needed mr. shoot everything that breathes."      "But it was her call, so, against the advice of me and just about half of everyone she knew, she put HK back together by tracking down his missing parts or salvaging new ones from the other killer droids and then switched him back on... and not one single day goes by that I don't wish we'd just left him to continue rusting in the cargo hold." Atton sounds a bit more vindictive here, and it shows in his face as well. "I mean, I don't like droids - I've never liked droids - but ol' Rusty took the cake. Bring him into a bar when a firefight starts, the first thing he does is lob a grenade into the dealing tables so that people start running around panicking and getting in the way of the people firing at him. He's trigger-happy, loves to kill people, loves to talk about killing people, and loves thinking of bigger, better ways to kill people."      When Kyra brings up the dart, though... Atton pauses, narrowing his eyes curiously as he looks at the dart in her hands. "Looks like some of the darts Mira uses - she's our resident Jedi tracker. They're not locally-manufactured, though - actually, they're pretty abnormal by most standards. They come from some planet near the Rishi Maze - a dwarf-galaxy that orbits ours. Database can probably tell you more if you want." 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      There is indeed a spectrometer in the lab, and once the poison is analyzed, it turns out to be a natural compound - Cryptberries, a poisonous fruit that is extremely lethal to most sentient species. It's natural homeworld is Dahrtag, otherwise known as Necropolis - a graveyard tomb world... disturbingly located in the Core Worlds.      A planet where people were buried en-masse from all across the Core. What a fitting place for the droids to harvest poison from.      Likewise, the dart actually is more then just unique - it called is a Kyber Dart, there is, in fact, only one place in the known galaxy where they are manufactured; an oceanic planet called 'Kamino'.      In other words, the dart is hardly something one just up and purchases at the local markets.      Finally, there is Staren's attempt to access the droid's memory, which at first responds adaptively - the lockouts seem to be code-embedded, though it is largely more conventional then what the deeper lock-outs for the behavior core would be. But any missteps cause the data to start auto-deleting.      Some of the data isn't severely restricted, though - one thing that is easier to access is a topographical map of Gotham City, seeming to be a soft-scan analysis of addresses for each individual the HK's make a log of and cross-checking it with locations where Batman has been most sighted. Again, the names and addresses that were scanned have been redacted, but it points to the HK's having a decidedly-metodocial hunting process when selecting targets.      A strangely stark contrast to the more obvious quickly-planed, forceful smash-and-grab hits HK-47 has carried out against the Union to date. Is this a new modus-operandi... or is the one HK is /currently/ using on the Union the new tactic as opposed to his preferred style?      There is further data in the core - a list, it seems, of individuals. However, once accessed, safeties begin tripping up and the information starts erasing itself - though the way the firewalls kick up will likely provide insight in how to approach them next time.      It also shows that, if that was in fact a list of what Staren might suspect it to be... then the HK's don't just select targets at random. Someone pre-meditated at least a few of those past targets... and may have planned more. 

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''     The blind earthbender walks up behind Staren, letting out a snort. "If that thing has any friends then I'm the freaking queen of Ba Sing Se," Toph states sourly, not really bothering to hide her opinion of HK-47. For now she merely observes the others working, ready to assist if it should be needed. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Oh really? How very interesting. I wonder if this planet happens to have any extremely poisonous local plantlife. Thank you." Kyra moves away to extract the contents of the dart to run it through the spectrometer. While the poison is being analyzed, she sits herself down in a rolling office chair, wheels herself in front of the aforementioned database and starts researching the planets near the Rishi Maze. She also takes a picture of the dart, using it to augment the search to further narrow it down to the correct planet. Kyra's quick to learn that the picture of the dart alone would have quickly got what she was looking for.     "Well that's interesting. These darts are Kyber Darts and there /just so happens/ that there's only one planet in the galaxy where you can buy them: Kamino. Sounds like it might be a good candidate for an HK base if you ask me."     A cheerful 'bing' tells that the spectometer's analysis has finished. With a shove, Kyra wheels herself back over to the machine. What she sees was definitely a match for what poison she had found in Kyle's system. "Cryptberries? Now that is a very interesting name...what. /What/? There are entire planets that are nothing but tombs in this galaxy? /What/? That's like...but what if a necromancer...like Lezard and..." her speech turns to babbling as she envisions the horror of some sorceror creating a zombie planet with raise dead. "/Ugh/, so put down Dahrtag, also known as the /Necropolis/, down as another potential HK-47 base world."     Kyra prints out a copy of the spectrosopy results for later study. With all the darts collected, she closes the box and heads over to peer over Staren's shoulders. "Hey, how goes the hacking?" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren hmphs as Atton goes on about HK's deranged love of killing.     Yeah, the Multiverse will definately be better off without that droid...     Staren otherwise works quietly, until he trips a safety. "Gah! Damn it!" He's already trying to save any of the list he can, but it may just be too late.     However, it stands to reason that if there /is/ a list of general targets that the droids are supposed to persue besides their primary target... Then all of the droids will share it, or at least each will have whatever the list was when they were last programmed.     Staren takes a stab at trying to make sense of the programming, to see if maybe he /can/ program the droids to tell him, but soon comes to the conclusion that that will just be more work than directly hacking the memory cores, and if he screws up the reprogrammed droids will no doubt accidentally trigger their own safeties anyway. HK has certainly done a good job of putting obstacles in their path. It was hard enough to obtain these four droids even in this state...     Well, on to the one the Autobots interrogated. Staren figures that's a good second target, since, again, at least some information has already been extracted from it by other means. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "... I didn't introduce myself yet, did I?" Yuna smiles wryly. "Yuna Kagurazaka, singer." Clearly more than just a singer, given how she transformed into a sleek, snug-fitting battlesuit like that, but she doesn't elaborate on it. "And we appreciate your help, Mr. Rand." Elner is still mainly assisting Staren and Kyra, if they need it; the robo-faerie can't help with tools, but it *can* confirm where something is beneath the 'armor' or details like that, and Staren's getting any further details that Elner's sensors pick up from disarming the defunct droids. (There may not be much that Elner can provide that the spectrometer won't, mind you, and it DOES have the 'local universe' data that Elner completely lacks.) Yuna herself can't do a whole lot to help with the investigation at this point, but she's listening to what gets said. "They might *need* otherwise-uninhabitable worlds to use as graveyards," she notes with a shudder. You could NOT pay her enough to make her visit such a planet, clearly. "Elner, should you try accessing one of those data cores on your own? We'd just need a suitable interface and the right kind of power feed, wouldn't we?" "Unless there's an error-checking routine to query the HK-51's other systems," Elner points out. "We may have multiple data cores to work with but it's still a limited number. If Staren is confident in his skills, I'd sooner entrust him with the task." 

:'''{{#var:391|Reina Kinney (391)}} has posed:'''     Reina realizes that she's been a bit too harsh for the time being. She looks to Toph and says, "I think when they say, 'friends,' they mean like accomplices or something of that nature. Because I highly doubt he'd have anyone who would want to be his friend either." She then looks and watches as Yuna introduces herself and decides to take the opportunity to introduce herself as well. "Ensign Reina Kinney, Union Forces and Head Operative of GUARDIANS."     The operative takes a moment to flash her dual IDs to indicate her affiliations before putting them back. "So, what's the status with the current technology? Anything we might be able to utilize for our own forces?" 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Atton gives a nod to Yuna and Reina, agreeing with the latter point - "That was our situation - we tolerated him but there weren't enough credits or juma-juice in the galaxy to make it enjoyable." However, he does rub the back of his head somewhat awkwardly with Yuna's thanks "Uh, sure kid... but you don't have to call me 'Mr. Rand.' I'm not /that/ old."      Well, considering he was about 42 by galactic standards for humans, that was something of a lie, but he didn't like advertising that.      Likewise, when Kyra brings up the probability of HK being based on these two words, he moves offscreen for a moment to log it down himself - "Not surprised. Even knowing he was Sith-built, he was one sick droid, so my money's on the graveyard world. But just in case, I'll see if I can get the SIS to scout it out first." Meanwhile, in response to Kyra's logging the worlds down, the holomap nearby gains two new blips on it marking the locations of Dhartag/Necropolis and Kamino respectively, a pair of red patches marking down the tangible size and range of planets HK would need to be at in order to have a presence at. Each is a few lightyears with some neighboring systems flagged as well in case HK only set up shop near the system instead of in it. Still, it's a start.      When bringing up the matter of weapons that would affect HK, Atton sighs. "Well, he's tough enough to stand up to lightsabers, and that's not counting that he has energy shielding and capacitor-diffusion armor that dampens electrical attacks. Still, he's not invincible - he admitted that he was dismembered by Jedi before, so his joints are probably easier to cut into. But aside from just hammering him 'till he drops, you'd probably know more about weapons that could scrap him then I would - and if you do, I'll gladly take twenty of them." 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Staren's analysis of the droid the Autobots already interrogated shows that some of it's firewalls have been breached - however, it's own hit-list was deleted... but it's strategy-plan was not. And contained within is an extrapolation of what was to happen should Noble Six's assassination succeeded.      Stage One: Acquire and repair Armor of Spartan-B312 for use as disguise. Stage Two: Analyze corpse of Spartan-B312 to derive venom based on SPARTAN-III genome that can reliably overwhelm human immune-systems with a 00.7% margin for survivability among matching genetic codes. Stage Three: Infiltrate UNSC divisions through infiltration as new-age service droids and distribute modified virus through falsified medical check-ups, killing any and all SPARTAN units that have undergone bio-modifications, including the recent SPARTAN-IV Generation. Stage Four: Order an HK unit to ssassinate Arbiter Thel Vadum while wearing the armor of Spartan-B312 to spark war between Covenant forces against UNSC. Stage Five: Use Spartan-B312 armor to assume identity of Spartan-B312 and 'defect' from UNSC. Eradication of SPARTANs + re-igniting of war = termination of UNSC. Stage Six: Unite remaining human fragments under Sith Empire and occupy target reality, swiftly absorbing all human elements into new subsidiary empire for Confederate/Sith interests.      ...      It's clear that the HK's didn't expect Noble Six to have had allies that day. And it's clear that each attack has a plan... but it still doesn't explain the harsh attacks and lack of methodical planning the HK's have used until now. Was it possible that plans this detailed could really be just feints?      Or was it that the HK's simply made sure to have a plan in mind all outcomes, including their brasher, more brazen attacks succeeding?      ...      However, this may be overshadowed when Staren reviews the list he took from before - at least part of the list survived... though it would have only done them any good months ago, considering half the names have already been targeted since then: Noble Six, Toph Beifong, Han Solo, Kyle Katarn and Twilight Sparkle.      However... disconcertingly, there where four names that are /not/ among the list of those who were attacked. Targets on the hit-list that the droids were intending to hit in the /future/.      Ryuko Matoi... Yuna Kagurazaka... Raditz... and finally, Juno Eclipse. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren comments, overhearing Atton, "Sounds like our best bet is RAISER weapons or defense-piercing protoabstractum. At least that's what I'd try. Hmm..." He stops and thinks for a moment, then resumes his work.     When he finds the plan to eliminate all the Spartans, he says, "Holy shit. This was thorough... The plan wasn't just to kill Noble Six, but to use her armor as a disguise, analyze her body to develop a virus to use against /all/ the Spartans, and then use the disguise to start a civil war so the Confederacy can swoop in and conquer the pieces."     He goes on, to find...     The List.     He gasps, then...     "Yuna, you're on the hit-list! And so are Raditz, and Ryuko, and Juno..."     He hrms to himself and rubs his forehead. He notifies the Union immediately, of course.     Now, on to those last two droids... The one from the attack on Kyle, and the one from the attack on Twilight.     He should probably do that one last, since finding out whatever HK's sick plan was for /her/ -- probably using her to unleash some kind of magic plague on Equestria or something -- might make him so angry as to disrupt his concentration. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra's going to get copies of the data from the database on possibilities of other planets near the two that HK may be located upon. "Oh hey, thanks, that will be very helpful." she says to both Atton and the not so animate database. She'll be sure to share thiis with whoever decides to make a write-up on their findings.     "...Juno's on the list? I'm...not so surprised, actually. They've had problems with each other in the past. I'll have to let her know." Inwardly, the lack of herself on that list was reassuring, though she doesn't do anything as callous as to say it out loud. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "If you insist, Atton," Yuna says with a smile and a polite, Japanese-style bow to the hologram. *She* thinks he's old enough to call 'Mr. Rand,' but since he seems not to take well to it, who is she to argue? 'Yuna, you're on the hit-list!' That derails Yuna's train of thought rather tidily. "I - what?" Yuna turns to look at Staren; Elner is hovering next to Staren to look at the list for itself. "I've only fought HK-47 once, and that was more like 'interrupting another fight' than ..." "That doesn't make you any less of a target, Yuna," Elner states. "You're a publicly-recognized figure - an idol singer, as you stated, and one who's known across much of this part of the Multiverse. I believe Mr. Ishikawa's desire for you to stay safe, even at the cost of cancelling public appearances and concerts, is increasingly well-advised." "Wha- Elner, you CAN'T be serious! I'm not going to go into hiding just because some bolt-brained bucket-headed robot is aiming for me!" "You *should*." Elner flies over to hover about two feet in front of Yuna's face, right at her eye level. "Your Light Suit is designed to protect your life and health, but it *does* have limits, limits which you've encountered in the past. And it won't do anything to protect your fans." Elner glances briefly at Atton's hologram. "I presume that HK-47 would have no compunctions about killing members of a concert audience, or fans in line for an autograph, if doing so would make Yuna more vulnerable physically or emotionally. More likely, it would do so explicitly for that very purpose - to hurt you, to make you angry." The robo-faerie barely hesitates before adding, "You should cancel the Christmas Eve concert." "WHAT?!?" Yuna stares at Elner, her face pale. "But there's a truce - not even HK-47 is going to break that just to take a cheap shot at me *or* my fans!" Elner's reply is as calm as Yuna's claim is fervent: "How many lives are you willing to stake on that?" 

:'''{{#var:391|Reina Kinney (391)}} has posed:'''     At first, Reina is merely reporting the information to GUARDIANS until the mention of Yuna is heard, and Reina does a double-take. "YUNA is being targeted?!" She looks around and then stares at Elner and Yuna. "In the middle of a falzing truce?" She sighs and rolls her eyes around. "That HK-whatever goon must not believe in truces or whatever!" She narrows her eyes and scowls. "He'd better not do it though, or else they're gonna be picking him out of a scrap pile after I get done with him!" 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren looks... slightly surprised at Yuna's reaction. "Noone said you need to go into hiding. However, making sure you have elite protection might be a good idea. And," Staren shakes his head, "I don't believe HK-47 would break the truce. Bringing /both/ superfactions down on his head would only make it harder for him to continue killing organics. It's much more sensible to wait until the end of the truce. However..." Staren rubs his chin, "once the truce is over, canceling public appearances... well, I don't know if I'd go that far, unless you don't usually take precautions... has the thought that an elite might attack one of your concerts never come up before?"     Staren sighs as Reina seems to now be /assuming/ HK will break the truce. He facepalms. "We have no evidence that he's going to break the truce. Remember, these droids were dispatched long before the truce was established. Their orders are out of date." 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Atton looks somewhat relieved when Yuna agrees to drop the 'Mr'. He also pauses as he listens to Staren, tilting his head. "Well, I'm not quite sure what those are, but if they'll punch Rusty's ticket to the scrap-heap then sure." Finally, he gives a nod to Kyra - "I'll also have the SIS scout out the nearby systems. If they find anything - or if they just happen to vanish - I'll call it in. I've got a score to settle with that walking scrap-pile myself, after all."      When Yuna is revealed to be one of HK's prospective targets, Atton grimaces and crosses his arms. After a moment of thinking, he sighs. "Well... if there's a truce going on, he probably won't come after you. He's crazy but he's not stupid - if both Union and Confederacy are upholding this truce, I doubt he'd do anything to turn his allies against him. Still, better safe then sorry - like your friend said, he doesn't really like truces."      Meanwhile, After having seen the description keys for the memory banks of the other HK, these next two are progressively easier to exterminate... and the one Yang cored has a /very/ unexpected boon.      Because it was terminated believing Kyle Katarn had been terminated by HK-47's poison... the hit list on this one is /intact./ It's memory-banks, now that Staren can get a good look at them, are programmed to lock down the target lists until after a target is killed - or until the HK unit believes so at least.     ... and once that list is accessed, the first terrifying thing is the /size/. Noble Six - (1 Attempt Made; FAILURE) Toph Beifong - (1 Attempt Made; FAILURE) Han Solo - (1 Attempt Made; FAILURE) Twilight Sparkle - (1 Attempt Made; FAILURE) Kyle Katarn - (1 Attempt Made; SUCCESS) Emiya Shirou - (Assassination Pending) Steve Rogers - (No Current Assassination Pending) Veronica Potts - (Assassination Pending) Saber-Class Servant Arturia Pendragon - (No Current Assassination Pending) Psyber - (No Current Assassination Pending) Kimberly Hart - (No Current Assassination Pending) Pegasus - (Encountered - No Current Assassination Pending) Raditz - (Assassination Pending) Serenity - (No Current Assassination Pending) Yuri Stinson - (Assassination Pending) Franken Stine - (LOCATION UNKNOWN - Capture for dissection) Sarah Rodgers - (No Current Assassination Pending) Unidentified Alternate-reality Ebon Hawk Pilot - (Capture at all costs) Galen Marek - (Capture at all costs for improved relations with Galactic Empire) Juno Eclipse - (Capture for improved relations with Sith Empire) Miraluka 'Flowers' - (Assassination Pending) Tomoe - (No Current Assassination Pending) Blurr - (Encountered - Assassination Pending) Ryuko Matoi - (No Current Assassination Pending) Rebecca Chambers - (No Current Assassination Pending) Yuna Kagurazaka - (Assassination Pending)      ...      This goes far beyond simple selective process - this is pretty much everyone HK-47 has met that he didn't like or who fought him. Some of these like Franken Stine or Han Solo are either not known members of the Union or affiliated with it at all.      This is practically a war-path. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The plans the HK-51's had for their respective targets is no less grim, starting with Kyle.      Stage One: Eliminate Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors - assume identity through voice-mimicry protocols. Stage Two: Using Kyle Katarn & Jan Ors' identity, lead the New Republic to a Jedi Storehouse pre-filled with HK-51 units with claim of being Jedi Training Droids. Infiltrate New Republic and Jedi Order using knowledge of Jedi & Sith teachings to integrate. Stage Three: Subtly introduce susceptible new generations of Jedi to Sith teachings for conversion to Sith ideology. Stage Four: Gather vocal samples of all noteworthy individuals in Jedi Order and New Republic, then systemically assassinate and replace trouble individuals when needed or necessary. Stage Five: Put any and all fallen Jedi into contact with Confederacy - stage controlled self-destruction of Jedi Order. Final Stage - Engineer collapse of fragile New Republic infrastructure. New Republic estimated time to collapse after the dissolution of the Jedi Order = six months. Establish new ruling body among remaining factions for Confederate/Sith interests.      And then... there was the plan for Twilight. And it is here that the droid's willingness to commit atrocity takes a new level.      Stage One: Eliminate Twilight Sparkle and recover cadaver for analysis in efficient termination of Equestrians. Stage Two: Have Necromancer Lezard Valeth re-animate as resurrected corpse so as to continue interrogating after target expression. Begin mental restructuring through psychological assassination of mental faculties through refined and gratuitous torture, interrogation and mind-affecting techniques both scientific and mystical. Stage Three: Use reanimated Twilight Sparkle to draw out remaining five bearers of 'Elements of Harmony' - Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack & Pinkie Pie. Eliminate and reanimate all cadavers. 5t Staren might need to pause here to subdue any anger at HK's plan.      Stage Four: Corrupt or destroy 'Elements of Harmony' - consult mage-entities for assistance. Sow chaos among Equestria. Stage Five: Integrate HK-51 units as peacekeeping entities in resulting chaos following corruption or destruction of 'Elements of Harmony.' Destroy mental faculties of of the six bearers and send them against Equestria as enemies to destroy faith in leadership of Princess' Celestia & Luna. Final Stage: After establishing HK-51 units as peacekeeping units, depose of Princess' Celestia & Luna through inflamed rebellion against failing leadership and failure to prevent chaos. Will recommend establishing Confederate-Affiliated Equestrians Ebon Ribbon & Bramble Patch as new leaders and assimilate Equestria into Confederate/Sith control. Will recommend establishing Lezard Valeth as official Confederate liaison and representative as payment for necromancy abilities making plot possible.      ...      It's getting worse. By all accounts, HK-47 is now integrating the abilities of other Confederates into long-term plans in the event of success, vastly broadening the scope of what he could achieve. Perhaps the grandioseness of the attacks was meant to disguise and hide focus on what came after... and yet, these strategies are so extensive that it seems unlikely that HK-47 would devote so much time and effort to creating advantage-taking contingencies for every single one even before the success of the attack was confirmed.      HK-47 is an assassin droid... but these plans are more like military conquest.      ...      And there /is/ a power behind HK-47 that would be interested in such a venture. 

:'''{{#var:385|Yuna Kagurazaka (385)}} has posed:''' "The 'thought' has never come up," Elner answers Staren, with Yuna caught in between shock and outrage. "Her concerts have been interrupted before, though, even before Unification and on at least one occasion since. Admittedly, none of those interruptions were a direct attempt on Yuna's actual life." Yuna takes a deep breath, trying to clear her head (again). "The -51s had better have been programmed to respect the truce," she mutters, then speaks normally. "I'm not worried about security at the stadium; when Ayako shut down the holofield, we knew she was in the building, right? And these HK droids are even more obviously machines than Yuri or Ayako, and way below your tech, Jiina's, or her sisters', Elner. We do a full sweep of the stadium during set-up, make sure each entrance has a scanner to confirm who's human and who's mechanical, and pay closer attention to cybernetic types. It's too late to just cancel my biggest concert of the year, anyway - I'm going on-stage tomorrow night." If Elner's face could show expression, it's likely that the robo-faerie would simply look resigned at this point. Atton's statement that HK-47 will probably refrain from attacking in mid-truce does help defuse some concern on that front. Then the other files are accessed and decrypted: the full list of targets, and the assassination plans and subsequent plots ... It's probably just as well that Elner doesn't share that information with Yuna, at least not here or now. She's compassionate even towards her enemies ... but she's still a human girl, her compassion has its limits, and the assassin droid is swiftly placing itself on the wrong side of those limits. Add in the upcoming concert, and it's just as well to keep Yuna out of that particular loop; she doesn't sing nearly as well when she's enraged ... 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     As Staren goes down the list, he doesn't recognize some names, and he actually /laughs/ at the idea of HK trying to assassinate /Yuri/. He looks more solemn at some of the others, though. One of those evn sounds like a powerless relative of Pepper...     The plan for the Jedi Order is imrpessive. It's not really shocking, after seeing the plan for the UNSC.     Using Speak With Dead on Twilight he can understand. But everything else...     Outwardly, Staren mutters, 'Monster.' and his knuckles whiten as he grips the table he's working at.     Inwardly...     Never before has he felt so justified in imagining all the things he could do to HK if he got ahold of that droid's mind.     After a few long moments, that line of thinking passes. He only needs to kill HK. Torture provides no additional utility, although psychological warfare to weaken and subdue the droid to make him /easier/ to exterminate may still be useful. And Staren already had an idea.     He's filed HK in the 'monster beyond redemption' box in his mind, though.     Staren reads further, though he's beginning to skim at this point. "He just wants to destroy everyone..." Staren shakes his head slightly. "There's no understanding it. He's gotta be destroyed, like any other monster."     Staren looks at Yuna with an expression that says 'Oh, are you still going on about that?' "His plans are too big to risk on breaking the truce. If anything, this pattern of planning to corrupt or kill everything in the Multiverse shows that he's /less/ likely to attack your Christmas concert. I'm sure you'll be fine..." 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      As the information contained in the dead HK's is discriminated and analyzed by the Union, Atton in turn sighs. "Well, if Rusty's going dormant for the holiday truce, it gives everyone some breathing room. SIS should have some information about Necropolis and Kamino by the time the truce ends... or at least cross out the possibilities if he's not there."      Atton seems a bit contemplative at Staren's words, looking like he agrees. "Yeah, though I wouldn't be surprised if Revan had a hand in this. War was pretty much her thing, after all. Still, doesn't change the fact that the galaxy and this 'multiverse' would be better off if he were put on the scrap-heap for good."      With the most valuable information recovered, and at least two possible locations for HK-47's location, the group's efforts have effectively paid off... and as they leave, Atton decides he may as well give them the typical send-off of a Jedi, albeit mixed in with his own brand of snark; "I'd wish you luck, but I've been told Jedi don't believe in that... so instead, I'll say something I never thought I'd say.      Thus, Atton gives a mock-salute with his typical smirk as the signal ends on his parting words - "May the Force be with you." 

}}

3523/Curiosity & the Miraluka

2015-12-14T10:39:36Z

Darth Smith: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/12/14 |Location=Far Away Galaxy - Coruscant |Synopsis=Jayale goes to the Coruscant of HK-47's reality to try and piece together an inquiry on ..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/12/14
|Location=Far Away Galaxy - Coruscant
|Synopsis=Jayale goes to the Coruscant of HK-47's reality to try and piece together an inquiry on the droid and stash some bait with which to draw him out... but if there's one thing assassin-droids don't like, it's having questions get asked.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=754, 892
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Long regarded as the center of Galactic prosperity and providence, Coruscant had been the bastion and centerpiece of the Galactic Republic for untold millennia - the symbol of peaceful society and a secure governmental presence across the Galaxy.      ... or at least, that is what it was in comparison to other worlds. Compared to sixty years prior, this was a bit of a different story.      The wars between Exar Kun, Mandalore the Ultimate and Darth Revan had crippled and stricken the Republic's prosperity. Even as the planet-wide metropolis of Galactic City itself was as bustling as ever, disrepair was evident in many districts as a result of the horrid bankrupcy the Republic had undergone eight years prior. It had improved drastically, but a few areas - most notable the lower levels - had suffered from the lack of credits and resources as the Republic tried to recover from the wounds dealt to it by Revan and Malak in the Jedi Civil War.      The Jedi Temple, still standing proud and tall in this era, is largely quiet as the number of Jedi within is a pale shadow of the number contained within years ago, the Order still in the midst of rebuilding in the wake of the Shadow War against the Sith Triumvirate.      In fact... many of the Masters for this rebuilding Order had been acquainted with Revan's associates before her fall to the Dark Side, trained by Meetra Surik - the Jedi Exile who had been Revan's lieutenant in the Mandalorian War.      Where else could one get information on the new Sith Empire and the forces behind it.      ...      Sadly, though... even the core of the Republic is not safe from the touch of the Dark Side or it's servants... especially when one starts trying to dig too deeply for their secrets.      And especially not when one such servant, cloaked atop one of Coruscant's many skyscrapers, sits waiting with rifle in hand to target any speeder vehicle or taxi or even walkway pedestrian who's occupant carries a target that has most /assuredly/ been seeking out information she should not be. A certain female that had interfered in at least two prior operations.      A female that, if she came into his sights, would not interfere again after today. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     Indeed, one such speeder was going along the skyways currently. Jayales craft had landed within the Coruscant landing pad closest to the Jedi Temple and beyond that, she had gone about trying to(in her belief) stealthily inquire about various things, try to get some understanding of what was going on, recent events and all the such. Trying to get some understanding of what, and when, things were going on.     Which was why she was heading towards the Jedi Temple now, in a rented speeder, with several things she had reacquired from her ship. Among them was a package that HK-47 himself had attempted to acquire from one Han Solo.     Jayale herself was fully cloaked at the moment, no outward signs it was /her/ though if one was tracking her back it wasn't hard to follow. She was good at staying a target that doesn't exist, not being a target that can hide once known. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The speeder comes into sight... and the machine had proceeded to stalk her for some time through the scope of his rifle before risking taking aim.      If not for the fact that he had already met her before, the droid might not have been able to pick her out among the crowds and the bustling speeders... but it helped that he had a good idea of where she would go - he assumed the Jedi Temple would be her target for the conclusion of her inquiries... so all he needed to do was watch all traffic to and from the Temple, and he would likely spot her regardless of what route she took.      ...      Soon enough... he did.      There was her speeder - there was her cloaked form... and what clinched it was the crate the speeder had inside it as well - the ores that he had wanted. The ores that the Smuggler was meant to bring before being exterminated.      His rifle was already charged and primed... he only needed her to get closer in range... closer...      Even if he only hit her vehicle, it would down her as she would be unlikely to survive the crash. But then again, Jedi were always a very slippery lot. The best-case scenerio was to aim for her directly.      And as soon as he has the shot lined up... he fires. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     The notiong that HK-47 was actively tracking her, or for that matter was looking at her transport through a scope, wasn't something that the older Jedi had any sense of. Sure, she could have been more careful, should have been more careful, but this was hardly her area of expertise. She was not a spy, was not a trader of information. She was a supplier, she was a trader of /goods/. She had connections, could grease wheels, but this? Was new territory for her. She almost seemed relaxed, going back towards the Jedi Temple that was so familiar in the distance.     To know that in thousands of years... terrible things would happen. Then again terrible things always happened.     That was a way of life in the Galaxy. For the Jedi. For the Sith. No matter how long peace reigned, war returned. Fighting, death. Pain.     Despite it all, though, something passed through Jayales senses. Something that was so subtle and quick that normally any being which had a thought would not be able to think about said thought and react in time, or even formulate a way of reacting. However, Jedi were accustomed to feeling things through the Force, trusting the Force, and as utterly paranoid as Jayale was in her efforts of trusting the Force and being safe, that momentary flicker of something instantly got a reaction out of the older Miralukan.     The transport was grasped mid-air courtesy of the Miralukan and forcibly halted with the Force, hard enough that she and the pilot lurched forward, nearby transports screeching out of the way and zooming by with calls of anger and blaring sirens and horns to let them know they screwed up. The pilot was launched forward and flipped over the open-air shield that acted to protect him as Jayale cracked her head hard on the barrier, dazed and wounded as the rifle tore through the transport and disentegrated part of it, as well as a good portion of the clothing along her back and side, barely avoiding grazing her body but still close enough to sear across her and leave what would likely be a lifelong scar across her.     "H-help!" the pilot called as the ship rocked and started to plummet. Jayale was nearly too dizzy to act, though she forced herself to do what she could despite the blood running down her head from the slamming of it on the vehicle. She reached out and through the Force shakily wrapped it around the fellow, throwing him towards where it felt 'safest' to do so, letting him land painfully(and alive) in the contents of a recycling vehicle. She, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky and barely managed to slow her descent as she pushed herself out of the vehicle before it impacted the ground below and shattered into an explosive million pieces. The older Jedi tumbled as she landed roughly with the Force barely able to cushion her descent, probably saved only by hear near lifetime of that novel application of 'floating' with the Force. Really it was just pushing up from below while she was doing other things, but it also meant she wasn't complete paste, just terribly injured far below, and not moving at the moment. Still, there was too many things around now for HK-47 to charge up and get another clean shot. He would have to go down himself to finish the job or search the rubble. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      And so, as usual, the Jedi proved difficult prey to hunt - they always seemed to register danger just a /fraction/ of a second before it could satisfyingly incinerate them.      While the scene of chaos that now gripped this particular skyline was a very soothing consolation prize, it would also make his job simultaneously easier as it would disguise his moments... and harder as it would draw the planetary authority onto the area.      All the more reason not to waste time, then.      Moving away from his sniping point - she was out of his line of fire now, somewhere several levels below - the cloaked tore away the covering on his concealed speeder and hopped into the chair, pulling away quickly and soon honing in on the burning wreck where the vehicle was.      He very much hoped the ores weren't badly damaged. It would be terribly inconvenient to have to procure replacements - more-so then it already had.      Moreover, though... he wondered what the intact /Jedi/ could offer in terms of information. Provided he left her intact after this.      As the chaos above hides his descent for the moment, the speeder quickly lands at the site of the Jedi's crash, the cloaked form emerging quickly and taking note of her prone form.      He wondered if he ought to check whether or not she was deceased... but then again, considering their propensity for melee combat, getting close to a Jedi, even a seemingly-dead one, never had good results. The fact that his prior Master could often struggle back to her feet in spite of severe injuries pointed to the more pragmatic route being to just pelt the corpse from a distance.      As such, a rust-red limb emerges from beneath the folds of the cloak, the plates on the forearm sliding open as a Carbonite-projector begins spewing the supercooled liquid at the fallen body.      Either she moved and proved she was alive and conscious... or she didn't and he had her body or corpse for study. Either way, he'd benefit. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     Indeed, the Jedi was not moving when he came. She was entirely still, her hearbeat, all vital signs seemed completely missing. In fact, to anything but a trained force user, and the /best/ of medical equipment, her pulse might not even be able to be felt. She /was/ alive, however, her systems, her body slowed to a crawl that was meant to aid in long travels and slowing things down to negate the effects of long travel. Morichro, a technique that while typically used by dark-sided Force users to kill, in the hands of a Jedi or those with better intentions, could have self-targeted applications. It also meant she wasn't feeling the pain quite as much as she should be while trying to sort things out.     The world was a blur, even to one with the Force as an ally. The injury to her head, and the fact that she had barely managed to survive the fall thanks to overexerting herself meant she was pretty well screwed. Hopefully whatever attempted to bring her down wasn't going to come finish the job?     In front of all the beings here?     That was too much to hope for, unable to try and respond in time partially due to her own attempts to manage what was going on. Her body was way too sluggish to jump back to full strength and as a result, even though she barely managed to roll onto her side, arm caught in the carbonite while leaving her mostly prostrate and now trapped. Her vital signs quickly began to recover, however, and in a rather bad attempt to avoid simply being sprayed down and being completely trapped, Jayale attempted to grasp the weapon through the Force and quickly point it down towards HK-47's feet, possibly trapping him as well if he wasn't quick enough to respond - or if she even had the concentration and capability left in her after that. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Jedi /truly/ were an annoying breed.      Even as he managed to douse one of the meatbag's limbs in Carbonite, his own limb was wrenched downward abruptly, deep-freezing his newly-minted legs - freshly restored from his encounter with Toph Beifong - and cementing him to the floor. His knee-joints creaked and strained as he struggled to try and break free, his armored form working against him in this instance as the weight of his frozen legs caused some of his framework to bend a bit, electing a metallic shriek as his internal sensors sent feedback through his processor akin to a jolt of pain traversing the human nervous system.      And beneath the hood of his cloak, the ruby-red photoreceptors of HK-47 pulsated with thinly-veiled hate, as well as a budding anticipation to either incapacitate or butcher the Jedi meatbag before him.      The comparatively few meatbags that hadn't fled in the wake of the crashing speeder were assuredly scared off by the cloaked form attacking another entity, most assuming that they were watching some horrific bounty-hunter's mission gone wrong... or an assassination mission they would rather not be part of.      If nothing else though, Coruscant Security Forces - as well as the Jedi in the Temple who may very likely have sensed the disturbance of this conflict - would congregate here soon enough... meaning the assassin droid was on a timetable.      Lifting his arm, the droid fires off his flamethrower this time, deciding that his prey may be more amicable if the will to fight was /literally/ burnt out of what parts of her body the carbonite hadn't encased.      Then... perhaps he could get her out of here... and take his time in finding out just how much about him the Union now knew off-hand.      And perhaps make an offering to Darth Vader? After all... what better Life-Day Present could a Sith Lord ask for then a Jedi? 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     Trapped.     Jayale was trapped and she knew it just as much as HK-47 did. The carbonite had them both locked in place with the primary difference being she was pinned and at a loss defensively, and aggressively, while HK was simply rooted in place. He had all of his weapons, and the advantage, and the carbonite both weighing her down, and pinning her to the ground, made it quite impossible to do anything in her current position.     Was this it? She could see him bringing up the weapon, pointing it at her.     Could feel the flames pour out and catch the remnants of her cloak and some of the clothing beneath on fire, barely avoiding damage to her face by turning her face down so the rest of her took the immediate brunt of it. But while the HK unit may need his limbs to do things, Jayale only needed her fingers, her hand, to move slightly. There was a silver flash, the sound of a lightsaber and the shrill scream of pain from the Jedi by what was likely her being burned alive.     Something surprising happened, however. She rolled away further and tried to claw her clothing away, somehow separate from the carbonite. But that was not possible unless...     Like a trapped animal that gnawed its' own limb off, so to speak, to get free rather than die. Her lightsaber lay on the ground next to the carbonite and what was likely inside as she barely managed to drag the burning cloak off and try to clamber away. Which was quite hard. In fact, she didn't get too terribly far, considering she just crippled herself to avoid what was likely going to be a lethal assault. With HK rooted, and Jayale attempting to crawl away, she should still be an easy target. But would he see in time a lightsaber hilt roll slowly towards him, the one that she had dropped after cutting herself free? Would he see it in time as it shot upright, Jayale ceasing her attempt to crawl away as she resigned herself to the fact she was barely conscious at this point and probably wouldn't manage to stay that way for more than the next few moments. The silver blade flew up and tilted, igniting at an angle in an attempt to pierce through the space between the rusted red durasteel plating, towards the black underside in a hope to pierce some vital component. Possibly a power source, if the HK-51's designs were any indication of where his might be. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      He'd won.      He knew it, the meatbag knew it. All that was left was to /cement/ that fact. They were both trapped, but she was defenseless - he was not. It was HK's victory as the flames seemed to engulf the meatbag's form-      And then that victory was stolen away abruptly as a silver flash of light suddenly sliced across the meatbag, causing a rare stall-out of HK-47's logic-processors in the droid analog of shock. Something that persisted for the split-second in which the meatbag rolled away screaming with a delightfully pain-filled overclocking of her vocal unit as her form, cloth-coverings burning from his attack, she began crawling across the floor... with smoke trailing from the cauterized stump where her limb had once been attached.      She enacted a self-disassembly to avoid being exterminated. How annoyingly clever - most meatbags were far too attached to their non-compartmentalizable bodies to ever make such a practical move.      Not that it would save her... but if nothing else, HK-47 would opt to terminate her with a tad more respect for meatbag survivability logged into his memory unit as he pulled his disruptor free-     And in doing so, became aware of another silver flash sprung to life even as he inclined his head down, the tip of the lightsaber coming active with it's distinctive 'snap-hiss' as it speared for his torso, the stunned droid reacting in a snap and throwing his disruptor at the weapon to send it off-course.      Sword met rifle, the energy-blade slicing through the power-core of his weapon - and causing an explosion that tore HK-47 free of the carbonite that kept him trapped and sent him skidding across the ground as the improvised detonation blew him several feet back, scorching his metal body and blacking out one of his photoreceptors as shrapnel and concussive force shattered the right lens. His hands were more burnt then his body, one of the digits of his right limb going inactive as he was tossed across the duracrete pavement of the Coruscant walkway.      ...      And when HK-47 got back up, his intact photoreceptor glowed with pure, undiluted /hate/, the machine pushing himself to his feet, black marks covering much of his chest with his back-plates holding multiple scrapes. His burnt hands clenched, fourth-right finger frozen from it's damaged connectors.      Indeed... Jedi truly were a challenge...      ... however, while his state would inspire pure rage under normal circumstances... HK-47 couldn't help but feel the damages were more a mark of pride, all things considered. Badges of honor against facing one of the supposedly-revered Jedi and bringing them down - and a Union Elite, no less. Maimed in the process of facing him...      But while this reaffirmed the droid's faith that he was more then capable of engaging Elites himself... he wasn't going to simply let the Jedi walk away.      This time, raising his arm up, HK-47 selected his Neural-Scrambler Stun Ray, so that he would be able to enjoy a through direction and interrogation upon returning to the homestead.      A Life-Day present all his own... waiting to be unwrapped of it's fleshy covers. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     Jayale was barely even conscious enough to know what was going on, a high mixture of the pain of her own injury sustained in trying to get free to avoid death, and the fact that she'd basically been hunted and failed to escape. There was no further response from the Jedi, no further attempts at escape. To be fair she had nothing left to give. Which is why when the scrambler was aimed and fired, it hit and left her quite fully unconscious with no real response out of her.     HK-47 had won.     She had no annoying backup. She hadn't radioed anyone, or really had the chance. All that remained was to collect his prizes. Oh, speaking of, that ore of his was actually still intact, though the container was practically falling apart, laying off to one side amidst a smoldering piece of the transport she had taken. A good day for the assassin-droid it seems. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      This time... the Jedi does not get back up.      Once again... the merits of launching the first attack become clear. Had he faced the meatbag in a frontal battle... he likely would have sustained far more extensive damage. Already the damages he'd sustained was rather impressive for a meatbag - even a Jedi - to inflict.      But in the end, the logical conclusion - his triumph - had occurred, and now all that was left was for HK-47 to recover both his previously-stolen ores and his new information source-      BLAM!      -and yet, not one moment after the droid had started to move forward, he was stricken by a series of blaster bolts against his sides, burning away more of his cloak. The shots were diffused - too diffused to do much harm... but that in turn meant they must have been made from a rather noteworthy distance.      And as he looked up at the oncoming speeder, the droid realized that if the shots coming from it were from the same weapons that just attacked him, his ambusher was no ordinary opponent.      Unbelievable - was there no /end/ to these's meatbags continual interruptions in his efforts??      Turning to open fire on the speeder with his ion-charger, the vehicle performed a surprising arial spin before righting and performing a rapid parallel-park against the side of the walkway, two forms suddenly emerging to face him.      "Well... long time, no see, rusty" came an annoying voice that the droid remembered all-too-well - he could never forget the smug arrogance in that voice even if the owner /wasn't/ so spiteful to droids. Or at least droids of his peerless make. "I mean, I knew you were one sick droid... but picking a fight on an old woman? That's low even for you - but she must be pretty important, huh? Especially if you're stupid enough to start a firefight with her right outside our windows."      Hopping out of the speeder with a half-swagger, lightsaber held idly in one hand and blaster-pistol in the other, the form of the meatbag known as Atton Rand promptly strode over to where Jayale lay prone on the ground, a look of concern passing over his eyes before turning into one of hard focus. The green blade of his Jedi weapon ignited to life with a sharp hissing sound as he took up a more offensive position, slowly advancing on the Sith Assassin Droid.      Behind Rand, another meatbag emerged from the speeder's passenger side - this one having blonde hair in contrast to Rand's dark hair and clad in more traditional Jedi garb as opposed to Rand's Jal Shay armor. This meatbag - Mical, acting member of the Jedi Council, head of the Healers and chief Librarian in the sill-undermined Jedi Order, coming out in spite of his high ranking due to no-one else of high-rank for handling emergencies being present - placed a hand against Jayale's body in obvious concern for her state, expressing sorrow at her severe injuries - especially her arm. "Atton, these wounds are severe. We need to get her out of here immediately!" 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      "Statement - Yes, her safety is so very important, meatbags. More so then engaging me."      It was here, as Mical spoke to Rand on Jayale's status, that HK took his chance, pulling free his fragmentation grenade and lobbing it at the pair.      This elected a startled curse from Rand as both he and Mical threw their hands up, pulling the wreckage of Jayale's speeder in front of them to shield from the blast, the explosion blacking the area in front of them out in a cloud of smoke as it impacted the husk of the vehicle.      In the chaos, HK bitterly realized he needed to cut his losses, instead making for the object that fell out of the speeder - the crate of ores the meatbag had been transporting - and grabbing onto it with his burnt hands, all but sprinting back to his own vehicle.      HK didn't need to look back to tell the two now-veteran Jedi had prevented the blast from killing them and Jayale - he could safely assume that their pooled strength would stop whatever blast-force that wreckage didn't block.      But he'd done enough, in the end. Attacked her in the heart of the Republic itself - and even though the attempt was quickly botched by how she did not perish with the first shot... the result was still salvageable as he loaded the crate of Chromite ores onto his speeder, hopped into the driver's seat and gunned the repulsorlift engines to their limit, peeling away at top speed.      On the walkway below, Atton Rand & Mical remained in their standing positions with both hands brought in front of them, having used the Force to disperse and shield from the blast, Rand cursing while Mical immediately returned to Jayale's side, calling for medical attention.      Atton, seeing a fallen object - Jayale's radio - immediately picked it up and began trying to call in assistance from whoever was listening... and subsequently groaning in exasperation as he ended up getting a droid on the other end of her commlink. "Droids" he moaned ". "... why'd it have to be droids?"      As Atton reported the details of this, Mical reached out with the Force to try and heal or at least lessen Jayale's injuries as best he could, hoping that he could keep her stable long enough for someone to come reach her - "It's okay. We've got you."      And so the incident on Coruscant came to as abrupt an end as it's beginning, leaving behind many wrecked vehicles, a skyway in chaos, a plume of smoke visible a dozen city-blocks from the Jedi Temple... a wounded Jedi left near-death... and a fleeing assassin droid, damaged but ultimately victorious... for now.      After all... if perhaps he'd known the ores he carried had a homing device installed in them... he might not have felt quite confident or victorious. 

}}

3469/Fatal Interception

2015-12-05T05:34:33Z

Darth Smith: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/12/01 |Location=Planetary Plains |Synopsis=An attempt to meet with a New Republic Intelligence agent results in a brutal barfight with lethal ..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/12/01
|Location=Planetary Plains
|Synopsis=An attempt to meet with a New Republic Intelligence agent results in a brutal barfight with lethal cocktails, unexpected guests and a healthy slew of traded barbs as Kyle Katarn finds himself the latest target in HK-47's sights.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=530, 604, 626, 754, 778, 824, 901, 903, 906
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      An innocuous location for a meet-up. That likely best describes the planetary plains and their large swaths of open farmlands and racing strips.      It is here that Kyle Katarn came to meet with a contact for the Rebellion - one that, hopefully, will have information on the Imperial Factions that have begun to crop up within the Multiverse.     That the emergence of three different iterations of the Sith Empire has made the New Republic anxious is an understatement... and that they have caused trouble is also just as much so.      Something plaintively obvious, given the trouble a droid from one of these factions has been stirring up lately.      The bar is rustic, out of the way and decidedly low-profile as far as bars go. Amid a small community within the largely-isolated townships dotted across the Planetary Plains, it ought to be the perfect place to start getting in-depth information on the Empire that had spawned the murderous A.I. and coordinate with efforts to track the machine down... or at the very least stop it's rampant assaults. Around the back, there looks to be a private stable of some sort, with there possibly being a shifting of hooves from inside to prove there is in fact a horse or pony within... right up against one of the walls facing into the bar.      The interior of the bar is largely empty aside from a patron in a cloak stirring his drinks. The Bartender seems to be rather busy behind the counter and is often either facing away or shrouded in shadow. In spite of the slightly run-down nature, the supports seem in excellent condition... seeing as the walls have six solid metal objects inside the walls at the support columns that some may likely be able to perceive or sense. All of which are partly obscured by the building's own structural supports... strangely.      And at the far end of the interior is a secluded, private booth sanctioned off by curtains, the perfect place for a meeting - or at least as far as cliche holodrama standards go... complete with shady contact.      ...      A shady contact who doesn't seem to me moving... with feint sizzling audible from where his spilled glass now lays dropped upon the bench. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Need anyone say this is a trap?      If they do... the sounds of blaster fire - or more disturbingly, disruptor fire - emanating from the bar will certainly do so for anyone outside at the time.      No sooner had Kyle Katarn entered the private booth did he find that his contact was already long dead, the poor man is slumped to the side in such a way that one might assume him sleeping at a distance... though his spilled drink - reeking of Dozoisian Snark Venom as it sizzled against the fabric of the bench-stools - paints an all-too-clear picture.      The bartender is the first likely suspect - but he's likely already out of view, with the odds of glimpsing his identity or features being extremely low. That was what one tended to expect from an Imperial Intelligence Agent, after all - one with a copy of a Rebel informant's prized secrets in tow as payment for services rendered.      The 'patron' will likely be actively enjoying his drink until called to action - on the second assassination mission he will have been called upon, the first having been enacted against a certain Unicorn a week prior - but the dark-haired young man will probably get on his job rather quickly... after finishing his drink perhaps.      The walls burst open, six metal forms striding out quickly from behind the building's own supports and leveling disruptor rifles at any who entered the bar with Kyle Katarn, photoreceptors glowing a sharp yellow to contrast the dim lighting. And finally, the wall behind the 'stable' collapses and falls in from pre-made perforations in the surface, giving the 'pony' - or in this case, unicorn - a clear path to enter... and attack.      If nothing else... the near-instantaneous snap-shots of disruptor-fire, meant to scatter and disorient their prey for Ebon Ribbon, Garan and Raine Arland to pick apart and isolate, makes it obvious that HK-47 has decided he has no time for pleasantries or theatrics. And no tolerance for further failures.      Military secrets are being compromised here, after all... and his reputation in sealing this leak is now on the line. 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     As Kyle Katarn had gotten the message, he'd put out a call for backup if need be. However, being the man he is, Kyle had opted to go ahead of time to check things out. Jan was with him, of course. She'd be crazy not to be at her boyfriend and partner's side in this operation, and she follows him in. A hand is kept over the holstered blaster pistol she's brought, while Kyle keeps his hands at a neutral position.     "Just like Marr-Sara, huh?" Jan muses in a whisper, canting her head to Kyle before he nods.     "And just as creepy. Stay frosty, Jan." He approaches the cloaked patron, whistling sharply. "Hey, anybody else around town right now? We were supposed to be meeting someone here." He says, leaning against the bar. His senses pick up six metallic objects where supports should be, nothing too weird right? Well something about this is giving Kyle's hair reason to stand on end in suspicion.     And then he and Jan hear sizzling, and immediately draw weapons. "What the hell?!" Kyle's lightsaber flashes to life, humming as he adopts a defensive stance, and Jan levels her pistol at the cloaked figure.     "Do I even need to say it at this point?" She asks, before leaping behind the bar as Kyle begins to grab a table with a quick yank of the Force, holding it up at the horde of fire. Yeah, kind of a bad thing to use for cover, but this is all he has in case the lightsaber fails him. 

:'''{{#var:903|Ebon Ribbon (903)}} has posed:'''      Once the walls burst open, Kyle and Jan would find themselves assailed not only by disruptor fire, but strange neon purple ribbons of energy that seem to glow with blackness. A pair would try to ensnare Kyle and Jan, with one more reaching to try and wrap around his light saber hand. Whether that works or not, as soon as those ribbons of energy wrap around them, Kyle and Jan would feel their strength start to ebb as their lifeforce is drained.      The unicorn pony who is responsible for those ribbons is staying well back, a light smirk on her face as she attacks from the relative safety of the stable. She is out of the way of blaster fire, partially hidden behind a wall, and seems quite confident in this plan. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen smirked softly as he moved around the bar, his task proving to be quite simple. The information would prove invaluable to his handlers back at Imperial Intelligence. But before he could upload anything...suddenly Kyle is behind the bar. Hoping that he could move quietly, he reached up and draw out one of his blaster pistols. With it in grip, he aimed to roll over the bar and fire a few potshots at the jedi. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Along for the ride with Kyle seems to be a short, masked bounty hunter of some kind. They wear a dark brown hooded cloak over some kind of flexible black and white armor that looks like a pretty standard vac suit. There are no customizations beyond a leather belt around the waist that carries both a number of leather pouches and the holster to a pistol of some kind. Strapped across their back is a much, much larger gun that looks a little like a grenade launcher that shines in gold and silver.     Their face is hidden entirely by a helmet that looks like that of a fighter plane pilot, complete with gas mask like bottom.     The hunter remains a silent shadow to the Jedi, though not going so far as to follow him into the booth. No, instead it lingers in the bar, checking out the 'structure', observing the other patrons. It seems on edge, and rightfully so, given the trap that springs moments later to unleash more sickenigly familiar droids. Wordlessly, it pulls the grenade launcher weapon off its back, cranks a dial on the side of it, and fires it...     ...at Kyle. It unleashes a white spherical blast of energy that appears to bring /healing/ instead of harm. 

:'''{{#var:901|Hoshi Amakasu (901)}} has posed:'''     Hoshi had been at home, trying to cool her head from all of the bad vibes that had come from today. Having to accept the help of certain people had taken a lot out of her, as it were. Still, the moment she heard Kyle mentioning he'd need backup, Hoshi got herself up and got herself ready. Kendo gi, kendo armor, helmet, her hair tie--natch. Really, a mission could probably help clear her head and some of the bad feelings, right?     Then she heard Kyle shouting over the radio as she was making her way to the warpgate near Alberichstadt. Once she's confirmed that she's on her way, she starts sprinting. "Why did he go in there without everyone?! Gaaah, why is everyone crazy!" She of course attracted several stares, but it seemed at this point they were used to seeing this strange girl running around.     It takes her longer than she would've liked to get to this strange bar, but the moment she hears blaster fire she pulls her hair tie from her belt and wills it to transform to her katana. She draws the sword and starts running for the entrance, trying to bullrush her way past any potential roadblocks so she can get in next to her team. "Katarn, I'm here, and--Argh, freaking robots!" This... maybe wasn't going to be as relaxing as she might've thought. 

:'''{{#var:824|Fiora Laurent (824)}} has posed:'''     Assuming that Kyle and Jan simply walked into the bar, without any sort of plan, would be a poor estimation. Keeping a low profile is, surprisingly, something Fiora is not all that unaccustomed to. It's quite impressive, what a hooded cloak will do, actually. Hearing the commotion, the hood drops and the cloak is grasped in one hand while the other draws her sword. The bright, silver-white Demacian Steel is soon put to good use. Entering the bar from another entrance, she chooses two targets. One, she flicks her cloak at. The fabric winds around the head of one of the robotic assailants, and is stuck there quite firmly. The second is lunged at without a moment's hesitation, the point of that blade driving straight through it. Were it organic, a lethal blow. Perhaps the same here, as Fiora follows up by slamming her shoulder into the construct, to push it off her sword, as she turns to regard Garen. "Ah. You, again. In need of another lesson?" Her free hand tucks behind her back, sword held outwards. The woman's eyes regard him, as sharp and cutting as the blade she has aimed at his chest. 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      And through the rain of disruptor fire and ribbons, a single man, garbed in black, comes casually striding in. With a grin on his face, and a blade hefted across his shoulder. "Heeeeeey, yooooo! It's that time again! Time for another party!" He announced over the rapidly esalating noise, as if this were a totally normal thing.      "Hope you don't mind if we...take a /shot/ at you? Ahahaha!" While laughing at his own joke, Raine glanced aside at Hoshi as she burst through the front entrance. "Well. Lookit what we got here." That looked like a problem. He'd leave HK and Ebon to handle the ranged assault. He'd play roadblock. And so he stepped right into Hoshi's path.      "Yo, wussup? Sorry to say, but little girls aren't allowed past this point." He grinned again and shrugged his free shoulder. "Strictly business and all that. We're cool, right?" Having said that, Raine didn't actually move to attack. Typical of him, he just stood there, as if waiting, baiting something out of the opponent instead. 

:'''{{#var:901|Hoshi Amakasu (901)}} has posed:'''     Hoshi stops short when Raine takes his place in front of her, and she quickly settles into her neutral stance. Her eyes quickly move to take in the scene, since he was kind enough to give it to her. She hadn't really met any of her teammates in person yet, but hearing them talk is enough to put faces to names. She'd have to depend on them being able to fight, just like they were depending on her. Underneath her helmet, she sets her mouth into a thin, grim line.     "No, we're not cool. Generally, I'm not cool with cowards," she shoots back. Her hand goes into her gi to bring out a gleaming silver locket. When she opens it, it begins to pulse with hazy blue light. "We'll beat these guys off, everyone! Come to me, Persona!" With a sound of shattering glass, the mirror inside the locket gleams blue.     As the haze surrounds her, it begins to take shape, forming into a a tall woman, her head nearly brushing the rafters. All but her face was covered by her green hooded cloak that blew out behind her, showing off the mud-stained old wedding dress she was wearing. From her back, she draws an extremely large broadsword.     The moment she materializes, Rosamond lifts her sword, piercing the roof above and letting the sun strike rain. The light begins to take forms of written prayers and talismans that egin to burn with offensive Light. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The droids begin switching tactics quickly, one of them firing with it's Multi-spectral plasma-bolt emitter to try and cut through the table with the concentrated bolt... and possibly distract Kyle enough for Garan to take down.     Another droid sets up it's shield-barrier in front of Ebon Ribbon to provide additional cover and defend her as it levels it's disruptor at Jan Ors, trying to potshot her from the side.      The HK that is enveloped with Firoa's cloak doesn't hesitate - the moment it's sight is obscured, it draws it's knife and starts cutting the fabric away, though it becomes occupied doing this and distracted from the fight. The other droid that was impaled on Fiora's blade-     -grabs onto Fiora with both arms when she slams her shoulder into it, effectively trying to her pinned to it and pushing back with all the mechanical force it's body can provide, putting up a fight to keep from being entirely pushed away from her. If nothing else it intends to keep her distracted, regardless of if it can maintain it's hold or not.     The other two HK-units activate their wrist-mounted Ion-energy charge-throwers to try and electrocute Kyra with a joint assault, intent on taking the apparent healer down due to how detrimental such and individual would be to their assault. In turn, they seem to trust Raine with holding off Hoshi from breaching their parameter.      The chaos is obviously taking it's toll on the bar - the walls and floors are splintered by missed or deflected bolts, chairs and tables are overturned or smashed and more then a few liquor bottles are probably being shattered.      ...      However... most disconcerting of all this chaos... was that out of the six droids present, none of them was the rust-red machine that had assumedly masterminded this attack.      ... though the sound of something slowly moving through the rafters, stalking it's way carefully to try and get over where Kyle and Jan were pinned, might be a good hint to those with the senses to perceive it. 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     Jan yelps as the ribbon snares her by the neck, the hand holding her pistol with it in an angle that makes it useless to hold. Growling with anger, she reaches amid her equipment before she produces a flick-knife, the switchblade reaching up to try and cut herself free. The life-force sucking effect the ribbons have on her don't make it easy though, and she has only adrenaline and combat training keeping her still conscious while she frantically cuts the fabric. Luckily she's still behind cover, which gives her an opening for Garen.     After a tense few moments, assuming she frees herself, Jan will pop from cover and aim directly for Garen's back, firing twice without hesitation.     Meanwhile, Kyle's hands are bound together, and he's only kept awake through similar means as well as Kyra's healing grenade spells. He'll have to thank her later when this is over...assuming they're still alive. In the meantime, he extends a pair of fingers, flinging the remains of the table at the bulk of the droids before he begins to evade and block blaster fire. He senses something up above, but he has no idea what it is. HK's robotic nature has saved him from early-detection, it seems, as the Jedi and his allies are busy with those currently antagonizing them. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen had been so focused on Fiora and Kyle he never expected Jan to make an impact. Feeling the blasts on his back, he felt himself give a small bit of thanks he upgraded his gear after the whole Garlean incident. But the force from the impact had a second effect. It allowed him to move just enough to avoid a pierce into his chest, but rather into his shoulder. "Sorry...not in the mood for giving a lesson today." He replies to Fiora. He then tries to kick off the bar and deliver a solid kick to her face. Meanwhile, he would twist around and try to blast off a few shots for Kyle, and to keep Jan suppressed. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "Keep on your feet!" Kyra orders, though her voice comes through the helmet sounding pretty distorted. She's apparently put a lot of effort into disguising herself to get here! Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the HKs to figure out that she's a source of healing for the Jedi and allies. She holds steady and continues to fire up a second healing sphere only to face an unpleasant interruption.     Electrocuted by two at once, Kyra jolts and topples over onto the ground on top of her GLEAMING GRENADIER'S CURE-ALL. It's still attached to her via a strap so she doesn't lose hold of the 'weapon'. But in that moment, there's little help she can offer the Jedi.     She tries to focus her magic inwards, getting the brilliant idea if she cast Reflect on herself, she'd be able to deflect further electrocutions. As she lies there over the CURE-ALL, stunned, she murmurs the incantation to that particular white magic spell. However, something goes /really wrong/. The Jedi can sense a disturbance in the force as the magical particles flowing through Kyra come out wrong-inverted, even, into a very nasty piece of black magic.     A sparkling red orb appears in the air over Kyra and the girl twitches, trying to claw her way as it expands rapidly into a massive explosion of black magic known as Flare. If the structural integrity of the bar wasn't already at risk...it is now. 

:'''{{#var:824|Fiora Laurent (824)}} has posed:'''     If it were any normal opponent.. much less one who isn't an elite with superhuman reflexes, the HK unit might've found itself latched onto Fiora. It doesn't, though, one of those arms finding her sword, instead as she rips it free and cuts through it. The same applies to Garen's rather telegraphed attack. She's thusly able to cover Jan and Kyle just fine, and keep Garen's attention on her. "You seem to have a poor memory, as to who gave whom the lesson, the last time we met. I think you do need a referesher." The woman lets out a sigh, her blade moving to block the projectiles he's firing off. 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      "Ahhh, I kinda figured that. Give someone the easy out, they take the hard way." And nonchalantly, Raine shrugged again. "Well, alright then. I guess that means we gotta do the thing." The thing. Right. Smirking all the while, Raine watched as Hoshi summoned her Persona, gaze inclining upwards to take in the sight of Rosamond.      And then the Persona raised her sword, causing sunlight to shine on him. "Eh? ...Sunlight?" But he soon noticed that the light started to change form, turning into written prayers and talismans, which took on a burning sensation. "Ow, whoa! Ow!" Raine cried at first in a comical manner as his clothes began to smoke up, and burn, but then he chuckled. "Heh heh...Well, girl. I've got to thank you." He raised his own sword, holding it up so that the broad side shielded him.      "Thank you for making me look so good." The remaining light of Rosamond's spell touched the sword, and...was absorbed right into it. In turn, Raine's sword took on a white glow, shimmering brilliantly. "Since you want to throw light magic at people...why don't I give you a taste of your own medicine? Free of charge!"      Rearing back one handed, the young man in black stepped in decisively and swung the blade horizontally outwards at Hoshi's chest. "Judgment Blade!" The light of the blade flared up, extending the range of the sword and aiming to cleave at the Persona user with an intense, searing light. 

:'''{{#var:903|Ebon Ribbon (903)}} has posed:'''      The ribbon holding Jan takes a bit of effort, but soon enough it is cut in two. The result is that the part that was holding Jan's neck evaporates into magical sparkles while another ribbon grabs for her leg and tries to pull her feet out from under her. And Kyle finds his attempts at blaster bolt deflection hindered to a degree as those ribbons pull firmly on him. The one Jan destroyed soon joins the others in wrapping Kyle, and while they don't have the strength to hold him down they have enough to slow his movements. Not to mention the continuing energy drain.      This leaves one ribbon free, and it goes after Kyra. It attempts to wrap itself around both her feet and keep her from getting up while it drains her energy. One ribbon isn't enough to disable someone with the energy drain, but it would certainly make it harder to concentrate and take more effort to cast a spell. 

:'''{{#var:901|Hoshi Amakasu (901)}} has posed:'''     Score one! Hoshi nods firmly as she sees the Light magic doing it's work. For a moment, she's about to start trying to go for one of the HKs assaulting Fiora, Jan, and Kyle... Then she sees her opponent was stealing the magic! "What the--" she mutters quietly under her breath. This might end up being a problem...     She raises her blade to try and protect herself from the light. But... strangely enough, as it nears her the gleam glows far less brilliantly, and the strike that hits her is far less impacting than it should've been. Hoshi has to take a couple steps back from the force, but she's barely even singed. "... Huh. Well, nice to know I'm not Kohler." Looking up, she grins under her helmet, and charges forward... Only to stop when she sees the sudden gleaming red light in the room. Kyra's spell. With a quick glance at Raine, then the spell, Hoshi instead jumps backwards, hopping into the crook of her Persona's arm. Rosamond's blade reaches up to cut through the roof again, and then shields Hoshi as she jumps through the roof. Raine might hear amidst the sound of breaking timber a cry of pain from Hoshi when Rosamond breaks free. The Persona lands on the roof over Raine before hopping off and depositing Hoshi--maybe Hoshi would get lucky and the stupid roof would collapse on him. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The HK-51 barely has the time to respond as the weakened and battered but still-intact table is flung into it, the furniture shattering into several-hundred splinters and shards as the assassin droid is tossed to the ground, it's torso now having several dents lain across it's surface. However, it soon starts pushing itself back up, though it's clearly stunned.      Superhuman reflexes aren't exactly an unknown quandary for the HK's. They were, after all, programed to hunt and kill Jedi Knights - and thus, to be capable of at least keeping on par with superhuman reflexes. As such, the droid is able to spare itself from deactivation at the cost of throwing it's left arm up to take the brunt of the blade's impact, which severs the limb cleanly at the elbow - though even then it sustains a cut across it's chest. The force sends it toppling back, sparks belching from the clear hole in it's torso from the prior impalement wound even as it clatters to the floor noisily.     And from there... it pulls out an adhesive grenade and flings itself at her again - this time for her legs. Additionally, the droid providing cover for Ebon Ribbon sees Fiora advancing on Garan and promptly offers support, attempting to shoot the woman in the back and split her focus in separate directions as it recognizes her detachment to the fight as a sign she is a priority opponent.      The two HK's targeting Kyra are, as it turns out, promptly tossed clean across the bar by the misfiring of her spell into a flare, their fronts severely blackened and processors stunned but otherwise intact.     The last HK, finally slicing Fiora's cloak free of it's head, sees that two of it's brethren are trying to deal with the swordswoman and instead focus on trying to keep Kyra from having any breathing space, lifting it's right arm to spew flash-freezing carbonite at Kyra from it's wrist-launcher to try and immobilize her.      So far though... the only definite impending casualty seems to be the bar itself. broadsword splitting into the roof causes pieces of the overhangs and rafters to come raining down along with tiles from the roofing itself that spill in through the hole - all of which cause the building itself to creak loudly.      Hardly unexpected, considering a Persona was summoned in such an enclosed space.      And then... Kara's flare blows out a portion of the building's walls and ceiling, which soon starts caving in. The only one likely protected from this is Ebon Ribbon, whom an HK-51 has deployed a shield barrier in front of for some defense against their support. But for the rest of the bar, pieces of wood and falling debris have just become a rather notable concern as the wall closest to Kyra now has a ragged hole in it, along with a torrent of smoke from the wood that was charred by her flare.      However, as the ceiling quakes from the damages, one rafter shifts with a louder thunk then the others - it seems there is more weight on that side then the others.      ... something that is quickly explained when, taking advantage of Jan's focus on Garan and her being suppressed by him, a cloaked form steps off the rafter and begins free-falling... straight towards Jan in a drop that, with the weight of his Mandalorian-Iron body, will snap her spine upon impact if she cannot evade him... or unless some Jedi predictably diverts focus from himself to save her.      And upon landing... his left arm rises up from under the cloak, an air-pressure popping noise echoing out as a trio of darts shoot out from the limb's rust-red casing, flying toward the after mentioned Jedi as vermillion photoreceptors watch eagerly from beneath a drawn hood.      At last, banking on the vaunted self-sacrifice Jedi chain themselves to... the instigator shows himself. 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      "...Huh." Once the light dimmed and the absorbed magic dissipated from his blade, Raine was left rather disappointed. His strike didn't actually do much of anything. "Resistant, huh." Well that sucks! Cursing his luck, the swordsman prepared to defend gainst Hoshi's charge when...well, a red light from behind caught both his and her attention. t And when Hoshi and Rosamond retreated, he turned around to look. "......Crap." Was all he muttered before he brought his sword up, defending against the sudden wave of energy that washed over the majority of the premesis. "Gah!" Some of the oncoming energy was absorbed into his blade. The rest was more than he could take in, and subsequently blew him over into a wall.      Thankfully, that unfortunate result had the unintended side effect of pushing him out of the way of the falling debris that fell right down to where he was standing just moments before. "Tch...talk about having some kinda luck." He muttered, standing back up to his feet to survey the damage.      Frankly, it was a miracle this place was still standing.      "Well, that was something, I guess." Raine quipped, rolling his neck casually as he stepped forward. "But it's gonna take a little more than that to get rid of good ol' me." He grinned after that, raising his sword, which glowed with a red and orange light, absorbed from FLARE. "Tell me; does this look familiar?" Gripping his weapon with both hands, he took a stance, spreading his feet apart and holding his blade away and behind. "'Cause you're about to be reacquainted!"      And with an inwards swing, Raine expelled the absorbed energy, sending it bursting outwards as a circluar wave of destructive force that traveled outwards in a radial fashion, rather than just straight forward. "Let's see you resist this one! Flare Blade!" 

:'''{{#var:824|Fiora Laurent (824)}} has posed:'''     Just because she's a duelist doesn't mean she isn't used to two opponents. As the HK with the grenade lunges at her feet, Fiora jumps over it, kicking it into its partner. The grenade will, no doubt, do the rest of the work. Which frees her to deflect those shots being taken at her, from behind, by sweeping her blade out behind her, which scatters them in an arc at the ceiling. She does all this, before ever landing on her feet. Not a Jedi, but certainly possessing similar traits, when it comes to a sense of the flow of a fight, nevermind her reflexes. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra herself isn't left unscathed by her own spell either, in fact, which absolutely destroys her cloak and the back of the armor she wore on the mission. There is only the slightest bit of exposed skin on her back from this. At least, for those few moments, it gets the two HK models off of her back. Despite the pain, she continues dragging herself across the floor, now seeking an exit since she knows that Flare is not an indoor spell. Indeed, she can hear the bar starting to crumble around her.     Her progress stops abruptly as the ribbon wraps around her feet. She pulls against them for a moment before turning around to grab at them. Ebon will find that draining her energy is actually going to take a very long time to have an effect-Kyra is brimming with an unusually large amount of energy for the purpose of powering her spells. "Ugh, damnit, let go!" she warbles, grabbing something out of one of her boots. She stabs her emergency scalpel into the ribbon to try and cut herself free, still trying to scramble through the hole in the wall she created.     Then, without warning, a cold sensation spreads over her back and the world goes black for the white mage. She doesn't even get much of a chance to call out before she's frozen in carbonite, mid-stab at Ebon's ribbon. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen wanted to continue his blaster antics, but when the building starts the spew debris out, it's time to seek better ground. "Maybe...But this will have a different outcome." He says. He leaps back, trying to dive into cover. But he was also firing at Fiora. He was hoping she would deflect his shots. At her feet, she would find a flash grenade rolling towards her. "Light out." He says, smirk sliding on his face again. 

:'''{{#var:903|Ebon Ribbon (903)}} has posed:'''      If not for the HK's shielding, Ebon would likely have been blown back by the Flare. As it is, she is still sent stumbling back a bit. Kyra cutting into the ribbon at her feet is moderately effective, but before she can finish it seems the mage is frozen in a rather unpleasant substance. With little reason to keep holding her, Ebon releases Kyra.      Being outside the bar has its perks. Such as not being in the room when the bar starts to collapse. The little stable is weakened by the weakening of the bar walls, but it is a stable so it is fairly easy to get out if necessary. This allows Ebon Ribbon to keep her grip on Kyle and Jan even as HK tried to crush one and dart the other. Ebon, with four ribbons now free to focus on Kyle, tries to hold him down so that either Jan will get severely injured or Kyle will. Or both. 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     Three ribbons this time. Two for the arm, pinning it around his waist, and one for each leg. THe life force draining is enough to bring Kyle to a knee, and he groans in pain despite desperately batting away blaster bolts with his lightsaber. It's getting dark, and he's having trouble breathing even as he tries to cut the ribbons away. It's a miracle he hasn't maimed himself in the process with how close the blade of his saber is to his body.     Of course, Jan is too busy firing at the droids and Feds to notice the ceiling coming down on top of her. She notices too late when splinters land on her, and the Rebel tries to move before getting squashed.     Kyle notices this in the corner of his eye, and he knows Jan isn't that fast with everything going on around her.     He bats a dart away, but then he makes the sacrifice. Then again, the choice for him would be obvious regardless. His hand drops the lightsaber, and with the Force, Kyle yanks Jan well out of the way before he feels another dart, possibly two, strike him in the chest.     A flashbang goes off, and everything is bright and really high-pitched before Jan regains her vision and hearing. And when Jan realizes what's happened, she shrieks in horror before immediately making a beeline to Kyle.     "NOOO!" It's loud enough to get everyone's attention, and Kyle stumbles dumbly before he finds himself slumped over, just in time to see Jan picking up the dropped hilt.     Jan isn't a Jedi, obviously, but she will fight to the bitter end before she sees Kyle die like this, just like he would do the same for her; It's a cycle of self-sacrifice for these two, admirable if mistaken in the end.     She fiddles helplessly before the lightsaber springs to life once more, and the weapon shakes in Jan's hands as she levels her only chance at defending herself and Kyle at the droids, as well as the Chiss agent. "Get away from him! Come any closer and I'll cut you in half!" Tears streak down her face. She's afraid, not for herself but for the man she cares more for than anybody else. Despite her fear, she's still staring daggers regardless of how outclassed she really is.     It is really not a good idea to stay around here. 

:'''{{#var:824|Fiora Laurent (824)}} has posed:'''     Fiora manages to turn her head, and avoid being completely blinded, at which point she notices what's happened. "Time to leave. NOW!" She dashes straight for the slumping figure of Kyle, and manages to pick him up onto her shoulder. "Fighting is done! Move!" She doesn't hesitate, even if it means leaving the others behind. It's clear that Kyle needs assistance, and quickly. Her main concern is getting him outside. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen looked over and simply watched as Kyle slumped over. Then he narrows his red eyes to Jan. "I respect your bravery. Shame we're on opposite sides. You would have made a good agent." He says. He keeps his blaster levelled at Jan, but doesn't fire. Sure, she had a saber in her grip totally able to do as she said and cut him in half, but he wasn't a monster. He was efficient, and figured that her grief and fear would be enough this day. 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     All Garen gets is a growl from Jan, before she flings her knife to the Chiss's face. "Go to Hell." That's really all that she can do now, as she takes Kyle's safety over continuing this fight. Fiora and her will help carry Kyle out, the agent clipping his lightsaber back to his belt before they hustle outside. It's really, /really/ not a good time all around.     Meanwhile, Kyle's vision blackens more and more by the second. "...Jan..." He mutters, repeating it over and over as he tries to shake himself awake. That poison is potent stuff, as even the Force can't keep him up for much longer. His grip weakens on the two women helping him out, his body going slack and limb. Already Kyle's face is going pale from the toxins those darts carried, not to mention the life-sucking ribbons. That evac team better get here soon, or Kyle won't be waking up at all in a few minutes. 

:'''{{#var:906|Yang Xiao Long (906)}} has posed:'''     The Confederates, if they're keeping eyes on the horizon, would likely spot a dust plume, and aerial craft approaching from the direction of the nearest warpgate. The deep, baritone growl of a motorcycle engine would announce its presence first, followed by the low whine of whatever engines the aircraft are using. Yang's bike crests a ridge, gains some airtime, and slams down again, showing no signs of slowing down. "Union team, this is Yang. I've got the Medevac in tow, coming in on your beacon now. Hold on just a little longer!" she transmits over local comms, tucking her Scroll away afterwards and leaning down a bit closer to the bike's frame, trying to squeeze as much speed out of it as she can. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      For a long, poignant moment... HK-47 stares as his target slumps down, the lethal venom-filled Kyber Darts injecting their toxin directly into his chest.      That poison was fatal to most sentient meatbags... even Jedi would be hard-pressed to fight back against it.      For all intents and purposes... his attack had succeeded /perfectly/.      "Smug Statement - How typical of a Jedi meatbag, sacrificing oneself to save another. And how very predictable." He takes a step for the fallen Jedi -     Only to pause in amusement when the female wields the fallen Jedi's lightsaber, drawing his own cortosis-knife in response. "Smug Statement - I would normally ask you stand aside... but I am not entirely without mercy. Therefore, I shall endeavor to reunite you with your deceased partner, if you submit now."      But before he can advance, the building begins to collapse as a penultimate result of the duel between Raine and Hoshi, as well as Kyra's prior attack, support columns now raining down as the rafters begin to systemically collapse and shatter.      ...      No time to eviscerate the body to be sure... so the only thing left to do was sterilize the area.      Pulling back, HK-47 begrudgingly issues the pullback command and directs his allies to the exit - while tossing an incendiary grenade to try and pin Fiora and company down as the droids and their comrades start evacuating.      Kicking the droid away was a good move on Firoa's part... but kicking it toward it's partner was a mistake, as, with the barrier active and defending it and Ebon Ribbon, it will be unaffected by the adhesive grenade as it splatters across the barrier's front, though this combined with the effect of the flare causes it to start breaking as the damage stacks up.      But still, even though one is pinned down and disabled, the glue seeping into it's circuits and downing it... the other droid is still shooting. Thus, it proceeds to keep firing off it's disruptor alongside Garan's duel-wielding to try and keep Firoa pinned down by shots and stall her out against the flashbang-grenade. After those final shots, it will pull out through the gap in the wall and escort Ebon Ribbon out of the area.      The HK that froze down Kyra, satisfied that she is out of the fight, thus decides to become a /third/ opponent, approaching Fiora while she's haling off Kyle and attacking the same way as many Jedi have been downed - by high numbers and varied attacks, lifting it's arm to spew a stream of cyanogen-gas at her on top of the flashbang and blaster-fire from Garan and the disruptor fire from the other HK-51 prior to it's run. The gas works on skin-contact, though to a lesser degree then breathing, so she should be at least debilitated by it.      The two HK's that were blasted back by the flares stand up shakily... and with a shared nod to each-other, both pull out their thermal detonators - the largest explosives they have in their inventories.      All in all... the entire bar is soon to be reduced to explosions and rubble within the next few seconds, and all fire is directed on the fleeing elites to try and take them down with the building. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen hmm's softly as he moves to tilt his head away, but the knife still strike him on the cheek something good. "Not bad....I would have done the same, but aimed for the throat." He mutters to himself. He holsters his blaster and simply reaches into his pocket for a cloth for the deep cut. He looked over the cantina and simply shrugged. "Sounds like out jobs done here. See what I mean about stealth, HK-47?" He asks, not really expecting an answer. Of course, this is moot at the bar began to collapse. "..Keeper is not going to like the paperwork after this..." He mutters, but figured he'll soothe his handlers anger with the info he stole. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra continues being a carbonite statue for several more moments longer as the bar starts to crumble around everyone's heads. Technically, she's in hibernation right now but that might not last for very long if she's crushed beneath the bar's ceiling.     There's a faint sizzling noise coming off her, the first signs that the shot from the carbonite gun may be wearing off-but it's definitely not fast enough for her to rouse and escape the building before it collapses. That's going to take intervention. 

:'''{{#var:903|Ebon Ribbon (903)}} has posed:'''      With the order given, Ebon Ribbon will begrudgingly release Kyle from her ribbons and make her way out of the stable with her robotic protector in tow. It isn't so much that she enjoys killing as that the energy of a jedi is particularly robust and flavorful to an energy vampire like herself. She trots briskly out of the stable and away from the ruined bar in whatever direction is opposite the Union personnel. All in all, she feels this was very successful, and she emerged without a scratch!      Of course, her mane and tail are rather frizzy now thanks to the heat of the Flare, which seems to have her in a sour mood. Still, this was a good hunt, and she voices as much to her droid companion. "I would say this was a rather successful attempt, wouldn't you?" she asks the 51 that is running with her. 

:'''{{#var:824|Fiora Laurent (824)}} has posed:'''     Fiora, carrying Kyle, even with help, has to take a knee, eventually. She might not have been blinded thanks to some quick reflexes, but that loud noise definitely rattled her nerves some. "Nnh. Assistance should be forthcoming." She lets Jan take over, for now, keeping her sword drawn, in case they decide that their assassination attempt isn't quite through. 

:'''{{#var:901|Hoshi Amakasu (901)}} has posed:'''     The explosion that rocks the poor little bar makes Hoshi really grateful that she decided to step out for the time. Unfortunately, it also means that she can't really see any of what's happening inside. Nobody's coming out--Kyle was the one who called for them to leave the building! Why wasn't he--     And then the explosion happend, throwing Raine clear from the building. "Crap--guys, are you okay?" She starts moving to bring herself into the fight, but then there was Raine... Again. "Rgh--Why don't you just die already and save me the trouble?" she mutters at her foe. The familiar red on his blade is... discouraging. Intead of Hoshi taking it, Rosamond comes forward to recieve the damage from Raine's Flare Blade--for all the good it does. When it hits, Hoshi lets out a strangled scream and drops to her knees as she holds her head. Rosamond's form flickers and sways, but manages to stay firm.     Hoshi has to take a few moments to push herself back to her feet, gritting her teeth against the backlash that had struck her. There were calls for a retreat... Kyle! "Damn you and that fucking robot," she mutters under her breath. Without much else of a word, Hoshi jumps back into Rosamond's arms. The two return to the falling-apart bar, hoping to do some good--and Hoshi caught sight of Kyra in the carbonite. "Crap--I got you, Kyra!" Hoshi calls out as she hops down and lets ROsamond pick up the statue. The two then immediately start breaking for the exit before the whole damn roof came down on top of them. 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     With Fiora and Yang covering the escape, Jan staggers to try and drag Kyle further. He himself does his best to keep going, but he's losing steam fast. "C'mon, baby, stay with me...please don't do this to me..." She murmurs, grunting with effort as she tries her best to hail the plane. "DOWN HERE! HEEEEYY!" She calls out, waving an arm at the transport before giving Kyle a swift nudge in the side.     "On your feet, soldier, COME ON! Fight it!" She calls again, trying to keep him focused on her face as she sets him down for a moment. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      As Yang approaches... she may notice something emerging out of burning bar.      Something that gleams a bright silver, followed by a bolt of burning-white disintegrating energy that lances for her as soon as she gets in range.      Even now, the HK-51 droids refuse to back down while their progenitor retreats.      Were it possible for him to do... HK-47 would have smirked at Garan's comment as they fled the building, alongside - assumedly - Raine. "Affirmation - I have had to use grandiose tactics against the stronger elites for some time. It is... a satisfying return to form, to say the least."      The HK-51 acting as Ebon Ribbon's escort gives an affirmative nod as it follows her at a light trot, rifle held at the ready to defend her from any potshots. "Statement - Indeed, Mistress" the droid replies, regarding her as temporary master due to her technically being his charge to defend. "I believe it is the most successful one to date. Hopefully... there shall be more like it in the days to come!"      The remaining three HK-51, even as the bar collapses down on everyone, continue to fire after the fleeing Union members, two of them lobbing incendiary grenades while another fires disruptor bolts at them from behind. They are nothing if not determined. 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      "Heh heh, sorry bud." Raine replied, a pained grin on his face. With Flare Blade launched, and no magic left in his sword, he shouldered he casually, not making any further moves. It looks like the others got the job done. Good, good. "Like I said. Nothin' personal. This is strictly business. You gotta understand."      And with an infuriating grin, he shrugged his shoulder. From where he was, he just watched Hoshi leap into Rosamond's arms and go back into the wreckage of the bar. Not him. He did his part, he was staying right out here where it was nice and safe.      Pause.      A glance aside at HK-47 and Garen as they fled the scene. "Well, you know what I say; what gets good results. And I think we got good results today, heh heh." 

:'''{{#var:906|Yang Xiao Long (906)}} has posed:'''     The transport tilts it's engines, and comes in for a 'hard landing', slamming down hard enough that the landing legs groan in protest. The medical team scramble down the ramp as it lowers, getting the crash cart and anti-toxin kits to the Jedi as soon as they possibly can. A pair of Regular troopers stand watch, their weapons aiming, but not wanting to draw attention unless they get it some other way.     Yang, for her part, swerves and weaves, the bolts grazing past her as she bares down on the HK-51. Once she's close enough, she releases the trottle, flicks a lever, then LEAPS from the seat, kicking off of it and twisting around in the air. As she does, her Gauntlets deploy, and with a satisfying CLU-CLAK, she suddenly shifts trajectory, and SLAMS down, either into the 51, or the ground near it if the droid moves. Either way, the impact sends a tremor through a 5 meter circle around her, tearing up the ground with the imparted force. She then stands, bringing her gauntlets up in a defensive boxer-stance, ready to take the Droid on if it's still standing. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     The Kyra statue is snatched up by Rosamond. As soon as the Persona clears the bar with Hoshi in tow, the statue suddenly becomes limp, color returning to the teenager. Though that color is still black due to the full-body suit and helmet she wore today for protection. She's still clutching the scalpel she was using to cut herself free of Ebon's ribbons. "..what the...what the hell happened!?" Kyra sounds groggy, even through the still-functioning voice distortion effect from her helmet.     She looks around the Persona to see the collapsed tavern. "Where is everyone? Is everyone alright?!" With each passing moment she grows more lucid and active. 

:'''{{#var:901|Hoshi Amakasu (901)}} has posed:'''     A transport! Perfect! Despite still being fired upon by the various HKs, Rosamond is able to make her way quickly towards it with Hoshi's direction. Slowly, her expression sags as she tries valliantly to keep the Persona's form stable. At least Kyra is released from whatever it was that was holding her. "Katarn is poisoned and we're retreating. I'm going to kill that stupid robot!" Her vehemence is surprising, in her tired state.     Once Rosamond is close enough to the drop ship, the Persona begins to fade quickly, dropping Kyra unceremoniously, fading until she was completely gone. "Sorry," Hoshi mumbles quietly, her eyes downcast. "I should've done more." 

:'''{{#var:778|Kyle Katarn (778)}} has posed:'''     Just as soon as the transport arrives, Jan does her best to help Kyle onto the cart before the medics do their work. She staggers towards the transport until one assists her as well, and she remains close to Kyle the whole time.     She remains very quiet, as Kyle manages through short gasps a brief, "...Jan..." It's raspy, but thankfully the medics have his poisoning handled for now until they get him to Njorun. His breath runs ragged, but Kyle does have one more card to play.     There is no death, there is only the Force. The mantra continues in his head, and he focuses what he can as he starts to enter a sort of trance. It ideally should slow the effects of the poison down until he's treated properly for it. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The HK-51 droid is, while barely able to sidestep a fatal strike to the chest, ultimately unable to keep from the strike smashing through it's rifle and being thrown a good seven meters back, crashing and rolling across the ground with a series of heavy clangs as it clatters across the ground.      However, it starts hefting itself up... and levels a flamethrower at Yang, searing-hot fire spewing out from it's wrist at the blonde to try and incinerate her.      Is it just imagination at work... or are the HK-51's progressively getting more vicious and stubborn against their enemies as time goes on?      HK-47 cannot deny that it ended up being a very exceptionally well-executed hit, their target likely deceased or soon to be - and all of them escaping with little to no harm! Well, aside from the agent. He would have to offer complimentary recovery services to the meatbag - he had proven quite capable, after all, and so very few meatbags were able to be judged as such.      The same could be said for Raine Arland and Ebon Ribbon, their abilities having proved invaluable in the effectiveness of their attack.      He would need to find some what to repay them - he hated being indebted to meatbags, even useful ones.      "Statement - This has been a very satisfactory mission. I shall endeavor to procure adequate reward... but for the time being-" a quick signal on his internal communications network sees the transfer of roughly 50,000 Republic-Standard credits apiece, or whatever passable analogue of currency the trio uses, into whatever accounts they may have available to have the funds deposited into. "-I shall render payment for your services rendered... as well as an additional reward to be sent once we reach safe grounds."      It payed to have a Master who was Empress, some days.      The trio of HK-51's left behind - burned and battered but still pursuing the Union members - keeps pushing their luck as they rain down shots, many of them directed at Jan or Fiora. It seems her power - infuriatingly equivalent to a Jedi Masters's in ability - has them rather personally insulted... and vindictive in chasing their query in the face of certain destruction. 

:'''{{#var:906|Yang Xiao Long (906)}} has posed:'''     Yang draws up her arms, crossing them in front of her face as she's bathed in flame. It engulfs her, obscures her form completely... then explodes outwards, casting embers in all directions.     "Come at me. And you'll see. I'm more than meets the eye."     Yang's eyes sparkle, and she grins.     "You think that. You'll break me. You're gonna find in time."     Her hair glows a molten gold, flickers of flame dancing amongst the golden strands as she slams her gauntlets together, causing another explosive concussion and heat wave to roll off of her.     "You're standing too close, to a flame that's burning, hotter than the sun in the middle of july."     She shifts her stance, and locks onto her target, before, with superhuman speed, she lunges, swinging her gauntlets and firing explosive bolts back at the Droid, before attempting to slam those same gauntlets into its chest casing, the bolts detonating on contact.     "Sending out your army, but you still can't win, listen up silly droid, cuz I'm gonna tell you why!"     She plants her left foot, and as her eye go blood red, she brings a right hook around, aiming for the center of mass.     "I BURN!"     Meanwhile, the transport waits for the others to get onboard. But if they take too long, the pilot will leave without them. They have a man in critical condition aboard, after all. 

:'''{{#var:824|Fiora Laurent (824)}} has posed:'''     Fiora sighs, as she's struck in the shoulder.. thankfully, the one bearing armor.. and flexes it a bit. A good thing, too, because that did actually hurt. "Oh, I've had quite enough of this nonesense. Excuse me." She remarks, to Jan, before standing again and bringing up her sword. A step forward, and the woman is simply gone. In the blink of an eye, she closes the distance to one of the HK units, and with an upward and slightly diagonal sweep of her sword, cleanly bisects it. "Do you constructs understand futility, if not death? Whatever advantages you had in stealth and surprise is gone." Another step. The upper half of the HK she clove in two has it's head removed, which then is also bisected. "On my honor, if I meet your progenitor, I'll do far worse." 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra's now mobile enough that she can half squirm her way out of Rosamond's hands without being dumped on the ground in an undignified manner. She lands on her feet and immediately rushes into the ship, not asking questions, just quickly priming her white magic.     Now, despite the earlier bar-destroying mishap, it functions as intended, the pure, healing energy flowing into the teenager's fingers. She makes a beeline for Kyle with her outstretched hand, immediately slapping it up against Kyle's chest. "ESUNA!" The fast-acting restorative energy flows into him, a spell famously capable of handling poisons and other nasty "status effects" as they're called on her world.     Next, Kyra reaches into one of the leather pouches at her waist and withdraws a syringe. She slips the cap off the needle with her free hand and tosses it aside. "Don't move, this is for the gas." They had enough samples. Terry was able to do a lot of work for developing a treatment. Kyra added her own touches given her own chemistry background-there was a variation of it coursing through her veins right now, prepared days ago in case she were unfortunate enough to be the next victim of the HK droid.     She jabs the syringe into Kyle and depresses the plunger fully. "Okay. That should stabilize him. We still need to get him to medical." 

:'''{{#var:901|Hoshi Amakasu (901)}} has posed:'''      Hoshi watches silently as Kyra hurried to save Kyle, and Fiora and Yang engaged the robots, but she was... so tired. Like a zombie, she stumbles towards the evac ship and goes inside, eventually collapsing in as deep a dark a corner as she can find. She wouldn't be any help with Kyle--she knew basic first aid, nothing more. The flush of furious anger that she felt initially was gone.     When it came time to leave, they'd find her curled up in that dark corner, face hidden by her arms and knees. She refused to talk to anyone that might have tried to speak with her; her shaking shoulders and tiny, quiet sniffs would probably explain why. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      To say the HK-51 droid is stunned by Yang's display is an understatement, let alone the grin she shows off. If the droid were capable of it, it's faceplate would reflect the negative charge in it's core that was assuredly one of dread.     Then it is pelted by shots that buckle it's casing and cripple it's systems, sending it staggering back before the shot-infused punches blow holes clean into it's torso. It grabs for it's vibroblade, attempting to slash at Yang-      -and then goes still as the girl's arm goes /straight through/ it's weakened torso, coring the machine completely and sending it spamming and stricken while impaled on her limb, before finally going inert, becoming a heap of unmoving metal, sliding off to crumple into a heap.      The droids, upon finally getting Fiora's more serious attention... quickly wish they hadn't as one is struck by her blade, the hard durasteel putting up a fair bit of resistance and requiring a good deal of force to cleanly cut through and then has it's head removed and bisected as well.      However, the remaining droids, while taking several cautionary steps back, remain defiant. "Chiding Statement - No matter how many of us you destroy, there shall /always/ be more arising from the wreckage. You shall never cause such harm to the progenitor... and if you make the attempt, you shall face us in legion before we allow you in his presence."      All they can do though as the Union forces finally manage to pull away on their transport, still firing away... assuming that Fiora doesn't opt to cut them down as well.      Either way... the encounter is done. And the message made is all too clear.      These droids don't intend to stop... and they're only going to keep coming.      At least... until someone strikes back at them. 

}}

3443/A Tome to Die For

2015-11-25T08:42:01Z

Darth Smith: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/11/24 |Location=Far Away Galaxy - Inner Rim |Synopsis=Twilight and friends come seeking lost knowledge of the Jedi. But within the ruined Truu..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/11/24
|Location=Far Away Galaxy - Inner Rim
|Synopsis=Twilight and friends come seeking lost knowledge of the Jedi. But within the ruined Truuine Praxium, what awaits is not only the relics of the Jedi, but a legacy of the Sith - one that plans on making Twilight history.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=42, 106, 278, 411, 451, 598, 604, 626, 754, 836, 892, 911
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     Some realities embraced their inclusion into the Multiverse, and some did not. That was an inevitability most couldn't avoid. Granted, a majority of universes arguably saw there were more benefits then risks and assimilated as best they could.      Others however refused to do so... and in turn became more reclusive or resistant to Multiversal visitation. But even then, it was hardly like they could truly resist such a thing - as such, Multiversal visitation was allowed... if not closely monitored.      Ironic, considering that, if anything, a more pressing threat would be from their own universe as opposed to an exterior one. Even amid the Inner Rim Worlds.      One of which has been propertied as the site of old Jedi relics. And one of the only worlds where an open invitation to the Multiverse's more historical, cultural or scholarship experts have seemingly been given authority to study... with the Republic only begrudgingly allowing it.     Largely regarded as something of a forgotten world in the Rim, the oceanic planet of Truuine had once held a Jedi Praxium in the days of the Great Sith War against Exar Kun. As of now though, the planet was largely characterized by civil wars between two settlers of a native species; the amphibious fish-like Patrolians and the shark-like Karkarodons. Only a few landmasses stand out amid the endless seas, foremost being small island chains and minuscule landmasses.      The northern-most of these small masses holds the ruins upon which attention has been garnered on what is purportedly an archeological excavation of the site around the ruined temple's decayed structure. The ground - mostly sandy beachheads and rocky outcropping - is spotted with a variety of tropical seaside foliage, much of which has grown over the once-artful monastery-like designs of the Jedi Praxium.     However... something seems remiss.      Even though there are certainly signs of study having been set up at the entrance... nobody is visible. Moreover, the set-up - a utilitarian tent with a few tables and chairs and some errant items here and there - seems rather overtly structured and organized, more so a length then most people would bother to go to in terms of set-up unless they were borderline obsessive-compulsive about it being perfectly exact.      Then again, considering who seems to have taken interest, such a respect for detail probably isn't something one would consider 'suspicious' as opposed to 'enviable'.     Among the items here is an invite on a datapad-card - an open message inviting any who answered the call to try and figure out how to enter some form of 'sealed chamber' where Jedi artifacts, such as old tomes or holocrons, may have been kept, promising a reward and first crack at studying whatever is within to any who can open the door.     Beside thus is a map that, if followed, will lead into the Praxium's interior - much of which is decayed or burnt-out from signs of heavy fire, the stones crumbled or fractured with almost distressing amounts of lore and knowledge having been assuredly lost. Even more depressing is that this route leads through what seemed to have once been a library - with all it's shelves charred and the remains of what must have been over several thousand books, all reduced to ash.     Someone was certainly through about destroying the history of this place when it was originally ruined in the Great Sith War 60 years prior.      Eventually, the route on the map ends at what appears to be a reinforced vault of some form... with a seemingly-unique lock of tumblers and gears that looks almost like it is meant to be operated via telekinesis.      A Force-oriented lock meant to be utilized by a Jedi... rather intact compared to the rest of the damaged structure. Then again, the same can be said for the vault door.     Perhaps the most valuable of the tomes the Praxium had to offer were stored inside? 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Today, in fact, is not the first time the Spaceship Rafflesia has visited a Galaxy Far, Far away, but before then it had done so in isolation, following a winding path that eventually lead her to a pair of refugees from the Empire. Great care has been taken to disassociate Kyra from the traitor Juno and she's been cautious in her help and visits.     So there is nothing particularily suspicious about the Rafflesia's visitation-Truuine is a sanctioned planet, open to Multiversal visitors of scholarly bent. Being a student, Kyra certainly qualifies though she will decidedly not point out her educational leanings veer more towards the biological sciences and far from anything historical or cultural. No, it's more so that 'exploring an ancient ruin for ancient artifacts while accosted by hostile locals' is something that fits more in the dungeoneering aspect of her education. This is also not mentioned, less it immediately brand her as a filthy looter (though it's not so far from the truth).     Suffice to say, it's made Kyra load more of her 'utility' type mixtures into her Matter Manipulator before hand, which, of course, includes explosives. Explosives are a great utility for exacavations. It would also be remiss of her to go anywhere unarmed so she is quite visibly carrying the alchemized healing 'gun' known as the CURE-ALL on her back, counter-balanced by a Galiandan hunting rifle dangling from a shoulder strap in front of her.     "Huh." Kyra murmurs when she sees the empty campsite. The neatness doesn't bother her too much-archeologists were anally neat about their business, after all. "I wonder where everyone is...?" Idilly, she pulls a headband-looking device out of one of the pouches at her waist and slips it on, revealing it to be a wearable camera. Seconds later, a red ring glows, indicating that the power is on.     The Rafflesia itself floats in orbit, the AI of the ship managing its flight path already provisioned to take evasive manuvers just in case. Though armed, the ship would have a hard time fighting the specialized craft of the Republic, even with the inexperienced Kyra at the helm.     She waits at the entrance for the others to arrive. She is definitely not hardcore enough to solo a dungeon. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight Sparkle is busy checking all her supplies as she rides along in the ship, a happy smile on her face. Notebooks? Check. Pencils? Check. Recording device? She looks over at Staren and smiles. Check. She knows he records just about everything he sees and does, so she asked him to come along to catalog the expedition. Kyra? Well, expeditions into ruins always run the risk of dangerous collapses or traps, and Kyra's healing abilities will be quite helpful in that regard. And Jayale, or Flowers as they know her, should prove quite helpful as a jedi herself.      When the water world comes into view, Twilight's eyes widen a bit. "Oooooh. Planets always look so amazing from space!" she says excitedly as Staren brings them in for a landing. She gestures with a hoof toward the small northern island. "That is where we will be landing. Put us in orbit over that island and we will teleport down." she says, then heads to the teleporter. Her horn glows as she trots happily toward the transporter, then once on it she slips into the environment suit Staren provided for her and waits for the others.      Once they have all assembled and beamed down to the surface, Twilight leads the group into the ruins and the camp there. Twilight doesn't seem to find the over-organized state of the camp unnerving. Rather, she is delighted by it. But, the lack of research team is a bit disconcerting. And, with Toph's report still fresh in her mind, Twilight didn't come unprepared. She knows Staren and Kyra can hold their own in a fight. She doesn't know much about 'Flowers', but she did read about her encounter with Ebon Ribbon. And, just in case, Karian Icefang joined up with the group when he heard about the expedition. No doubt to provide added security.      As they move into the main area of the ruins, Twilight gets positively distraut at the amount of books and knowledge that has been destroyed. She walks slowly passed the many burned bookshelves, ears splayed flat against her head, tail lowered, and a sad frown on her face. "How could anyone do this to books?"      When she reaches the apparent vault door, she looks at it curiously. "Do you suppose there are books saved in here?" she asks, even as tries to inspect the locking mechanisms more closely. Jayale may help with that, or opening it. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     "I cannot imagine such a suit is necessary. Especially on this planet. The Jedi would not have built a place such as this in a location which was not suitable for habitation. At least, nothing so grand." Jayale speaks from nearby, having gone along for the ride. Her own attire was rather non-descript actually, a simple enough outfit like she usually wore, though around her waist she had a silken toolbelt of sorts with various pockets. She didn't seem to have /too/ much about her that others might, no things to examine objects with, no real tools or preparations.     By and large she might even seem underprepared.     Despite such though the older Jedi did seem quite relaxed and allowed the one who had thought to ask her along to lead. It was... a bit strange a thought, going with others, and letting /them/ invite her, to a place of the Jedi. A place that generally only Jedi would be allowed to enter unless the Jedi invited others. Perhaps circumstances would explain why such is otherwise. After all, she was simply here as a trader while attempting to acquire something of interest for her collection in exchange for offering what knowledge she has of trade goods.     "There is no way to know exactly what was saved within. Those who had access to this vault were likely the Jedi Masters in charge of this place. That it was destroyed during the Sith Wars, however... and remains intact is quite odd. The Sith, and Jedi both should have been more than capable of opening this vault. Especially considering how it is designed to be opened. It... it bothers me quite a bit the notion that it is intact after such a ransacking. With so much else of this place destroyed, why would everything /but/ this be the way it is? Those who tore this place apart should not have left the most important objects... untouched, without a reason."     Slowly the older Jedi walked forward and reached to touch the vault door, quietly looking over the area, over the vault itself. Her ability to see, see /through/, unhindered by almost anything conventionally hindering, would allow her quite the good look at the Vault doors and locking mechanisms themselves unless guarded against such. It is unlikely of course, why would the Jedi guard the vault against the Force? That seems a bit strange, considering how it was meant to be opened. Perhaps she would even be able to see within the Vault as well. She wasn't opening it yet. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Twilight has asked Staren about using his Flotilla ship to get to somewhere with lost Jedi lore. Sounds good! Anyone else invited is told to either come to Equestria to be beamed-up with Twilight, or told to come somewhere on the way. If the destination planet itself is most convenient, people can even be ferried from the warpgate there!     When Twilight and the others beam up, the ship is clearly different from when Twilight last saw it. The back room is now some kind of manufacturing center and workshop, and stairs lead up to the upper level. Staren hugs Twilight and will give a brief tour if asked, although aside from being /on a spaceship/ the rest isn't particularly notable. He now has a bedroom/office above the science lab, and a dining room and bathroom above the beam-in room. The science lab in front has been reorganized a bit but contains pretty much the same stuff. "Alright, ready to go?" There are two chairs on the tiny bridge already, and some can be borrowed from the science lab. "You don't need to worry aout strapping in because the same systems that give the ship artificial gravity also include inertial dampeners." Staren's exposition continues as he sits down in the pilot's chair and plots in a course. This is actually simple -- Staren pulls up a map and touches where he wants to go, and S.A.I.L., an AI whose avatar appears by all acounts to be a robot wizard, does the fine calculations. "Here we go... so, as I understand it," Staren exposits as there's the sound of electronics warming up all around them, "The FTL drive is twofold. First off, erchius crystals, somehow, allow us to ignore relativity and go faster than light. But that would still require an immense amount of energy. Liquid erchius fuel... /somehow/... makes the ship go faster." Staren rubs the back of his head. "I honestly am still working on understanding how all this works..."     Just then, the ship finishes reorienting, and then space outside flashes white, then is replaced by the streaks of light one expects from FTL travel.     It takes a few minutes, even with an Erchius drive, to cross to somewhere with a ship-scale warpgate. Staren uses this time to suit up himself. He wears his armor. Since he intends to suit up /anyway/, he may as well. Also, only days ago was he caught without it when troublemakers intruded on a peaceful mission, so... he lucked out that time, but Staren doesn't like relying on luck. The ship drops back to normal maneuvering as Staren flies it, somewhat clumsily but cautiously, through the warpgate network until they reach the destination planet. Then it shoots up into orbit -- it's not really a ship meant for /landing/. "Okay! So then..." Staren checks the map Twilight's provided and configures the teleporter, then speaks as he leads to the teleporter pad. "One last thing... This has /always/ bugged me when elites go exploring in underground caves and abandoned bunkers and stuff. When you go into a confined space, especially one newly-excavated or that's been abandoned a long time and allowed to decay, you bring a suit and emergency air supply. You never know /what/ could be down there. Pockets of toxic gas, or just places with a low oxygen level. What if there's a collapse and someone's trapped until friends can dig them out? And so on, and so on. It's just basic safety. My armor's a suit anyway, but others never have them. As such, I've fabricated these--" Staren grabs torcs and belts from a storage locker in the teleporter room. "If you press this little button here, or sensors detect an unbreathable atmosphere, it will deploy a smart material suit to cover you and provide air for awhile. It also has a flashlight and displays basic atmospheric information in the helmet." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Those handed out, they can beam down to the site. Staren reiterates his explanation to Jayale -- it was safe when the Jedi built it, but who's to say it's completely safe /now/?     Staren takes in the ruins curiously. He frowns a bit at the lost knowledge, but isn't as expressive about it as Twilight. "They either didn't know what they were doing... or they wanted to make sure none could follow in these Jedi's footsteps." Staren comments, a bit darkly. When they reach the vault, he replies, "Possibly. There must be /something/ inside, since the Sith or whoever didn't break through..." he leans in with Twilight to examine the mechanisms. "Maybe they couldn't break through, and figured they'd done enough damage? Although, now that you mention it... why didn't they just /collapse/ the tunnels to make it immensely hard for any Jedi to return to the vault...?" 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian simply looks over everyone, and offers them a nod. Normally, he would have brought alot more of his battle-brothers for defence, but he was running light today. With him were his elite wolfguard and, of course, his thunderwolf. The mighty creature sniffed curiously at Jayale, but always aware. "Maybe....or they never had the chance." He says to Staren. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Upon Jayale looking inside... it seems the vault itself is rather empty. Painfully so - much of the walls seem bare and stricken of relics... or at least intact ones, as the the few articles that remain seem to have expired due to the rigors of time, either crumbling to dust or falling apart.      ... except for one item located amid a pedalstool near the back wall of the Vault's interior. At the wall furthest from the door. A rather thick, well-worn book that nonetheless seems in much better condition - excellent, dare one say, compared to the scatterings of broken crystals and rotted pages that represent whatever else had once been contained in the vault.      The inside of the vault though nonetheless looks rather untouched though compared to the rest of the Praxium... though like much of the building, plants and roots have grown through gaps in the architecture or bored their way through the stonework, as well as the occasional patches of moss from the humid atmosphere of the water world outside.     By all accounts... there's nothing else inside the vault but the remains of artifacts and books with at least one surviving article. Any defenses this place had seem to be either inner or long since defunct...      ... so why did the silent, empty halls seem so forbidding if it was really so benign? 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight nods in agreement with Staren. "I must admit, even I did not consider the hazards of an old excavation site." She ponders the implications while Jayale looks the vault over. When she completes her investigation, Twilight's ears perk. "So, can you open it?" she asks expectantly. Even if everything inside is destroyed, the remains of artifacts can still be rather informative.      The others seeming so concerned gets Twilight to start worrying a bit. She starts looking around a bit nervously as the others talk. "Perhaps the vault closes automatically after a certain amount of time." Twilight says when Staren and Karian discuss why the door wasn't destroyed. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "It could be trapped really well with something else." Kyra speaks up, "Something that's anathema to Jedi? Some kind of Sith powers maybe?" she looks to Jayale expectantly since she'd clearly be the expert on the Force and Force users here. "I wish we could have grabbed Soan along for this too, he's good at unlocking things and disabling traps."     She speaks as if she pretty much /expects/ traps to be here and that it's not such an unusual thing. "Maybe whatever is protecting that door dealt with whoever burned all those books we saw back there." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren hmms. "If it closes, that would imply they opened it somehow. I guess that makes sense. It could be here simply to yank the chain of any Jedi that come to see -- They'll see the undamaged vault door, get all hopeful, and then open it to find more ash." He shrugs. "We won't know until we open it." 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     Jayale remained silent for a moment before sighing and raising her hands as she stepped back, working the mechanisms that she could easily see. It shouldn't be terribly hard for her to open the door. Not only was it a technique familiar to Jedi, her own lightsaber was locked the same way, to one who had to use the Force to open it. On top of that, Miraluka - see it all. "Be careful, and... please, consider the legacy of those here before us, over what can be gained. Even those with the best intentions sometimes lose sight of what actually matters. Only one thing remains inside, and it does make me wonder." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     "Only one thing?" Staren asks. "So, either they only put one thing in the vault to begin with, or everything else was taken... but why leave one thing...?" 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     "Perhaps it was meant to be left alone." Karian suggests. Granted when it came to artifacts like that, he wasn't exactly the one to ask about. His wolfguard maneuver around, taking up position around the vault door, seemingly always expecting trouble. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Upon approaching the book, details become more visible. It's bindings are a dull grey yet marked with an embroidering mirroring that of the Praxium's walls... with the ancestral mark of the Jedi Order emblazoned upon it's cover.     In proud silver lettering above this... the words 'The Jedi Path' are emblazoned upon the tome's cover. At it's side, the spine is entitled 'A Manual for Students of the Force.'      An edition of a book that, historically, would have had all it's copies lost in the ending eras of the Clone Wars. However, one notable difference is that this book is arguably much thicker then the old one... and possibly more complete. It may even be a second edition from an old Maser as opposed to the third-editions that would have existed in the Empire era.     A record that managed to endure the wounds inflicted on the Jedi Order by Exar Kun, Darth Revan and Darth Malak. A tome they, all having once been Jedi themselves, may not have needed to take or destroy, as they would likely have studied it themselves at one point... yet now, with all but one of these Dark Lords left in existence and this world currently out of her reach, perhaps it's knowledge holds importance once more? Especially to rebuilding Jedi.      ... yet, why is it all that remains when everything else has already decayed?      ...      ... it is not until one actually physically enters the vault for the book that the reason becomes clear; namely... that it hadn't been part of the original collection. Rather, it was placed here later.     The perfect trap for a curious scholar interested in now-lost history.      Abruptly, once the book is pulled from it's stand, something is visible behind it - a sensor that lets out a sharp piercing whistle; a signal for attack.      It is here that the vault will, if all goes to plan, slam shut and seal anyone inside the vault behind it's thick reinforced surface, which is in turn likely being reinforced with crystalline constructs that the Gems who specialize in such would be so proud of.     And inside the vault... likely appearing in a flash of energy characteristic of a teleportation spell... several forms appear. One of them another mage who is promptly given his own signal - "Command - Nullify her abilities!"      The rest - excluding the teleporter who dropped them in - are all droids. Seven in total - six of them silvery-grey with gleaming yellow eyes, all of which move to encircle those entrapped... and one a dull, rust-red with deep-vermilion lenses, almost burning with anticipation."Musing - I have pondered your specific species since meeting two of your fellows. Ebon Ribbon and Bramble Patch, I believe they are called? The fact that you possess vibratory cords that mimic the annoying vocal utterances of most meatbags is a curious evolutionary marker... almost as curious as an extension that allows you to seemingly manipulate energy fields and interact with what I would regard as 'the Force', though I believe your specific analogue for it is 'magic'."      A clicking of metal punctuates the droid's arm opening up, a neural-scrambler taser-ray activating and discharging a sharp bolt of stun-based energy at the equestrian scholar the droid has made his target.      "Theory - Therefore, if it operates on similar principles to the Force... then disrupting your concentration with neural scramblers should make your subjugation /all too easy." 

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:''' Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, the telltale circles created by forbidden teleportation magics arrive. Within the Vault, several figures appear from shadow, taking form within to menace those trapped there. Outside it might be even worse, as the cackling laughter of Lezard Valeth echoes through the halls. "Well well, it looks like you can lead a horse to a book but you can't make her think!" He says, grinning wide as his own joke. With a gesture, the air billows around him, giving his cape a dramatic flair. "Feel free to surrender or escape if you wish, or if you would like to face utter destruction then please, by all means, struggle." 

:'''{{#var:836|Peridot (836)}} has posed:'''     Peridot had learned the hard way a long time ago, that conventional methods for keeping gems prisoners did not work on biologicals. But, she was a problem solver, and an engineer. So first she had to solve the problem of how to keep human prisoners aboard her warship. This would come in handy, as she is now tasked with a similar function, save she must both trap and separate a group of individuals.     Keeping someone from getting out was easy. A simple matter of keeping all the functional bits of a sealed room on one side. However, keeping someone from getting out and someone else from getting in? That would require creative thinking.     Fortunately, she had ample time to prepare and managed to create a remote set up. It wasn't quite as strong as a permanently fortified location, but Peridot didn't need to fortify a strong hold. She needed to create a window of opportunity just long enough for an assassination to take place.     So she had opted for crystalline shielded walls. It springs to life, creating a green-wall. Triggered remotely by Peridot on her holo-pad as she waited for Twilight to cross the threshold. She watched through the eyes of a robonoid from the relative safety of a room over. "The librarian has been detained." She says over radio. Though she couldn't quite see if she had sealed anyone else in with the purple pony. Peridot bore no love for Twilight and her gem eating dragon.     She then moves on to stage two of her involvement in this trap. Mobile turrets had been her answer for turning a once safe-seeming environment into a dangerous hellhole of lasers. Keeping the barrier up long enough for the job to get done. "Turret robonoids are moving into position." She goes on a monotone voice. The same enthusiasm one might have spending a day doing accounting at the office. Peridot herself and a few giant pods with legs step up besides Bramble, and produce large barrel like protrusions creating the unmistakable whine of energy being charged. "Now providing support, acumen and rationality." She says looking down at Bramble, her once-bodyguard turned co-conspirator, then to Lezard.     "I encourage the use of precision. I would prefer to not damage any latent artifacts." Though she had already voiced these concerns to the droid and personally assisted with their removal. Either way, Peridot preferred to be careful. 

:'''{{#var:278|Bramble Patch (278)}} has posed:'''     Every so often a bit of the overgrowth clinging to the ruins twitchs a bit. But maybe that's normal? It is alien plantlife, after all. Considering the way the vines have creeped over walls during the centuries and moss squeezing into damp corners, some sort of movement wouldn't be out of the question would it. There, but small and easily overlooked... Until the book is picked up, and the alarm sounds. A rumble not unlike that of an approaching stampede can be heard behind one of the old walls, followed by the crack in it being split open even wider as a rush of gnarled vines and roots surge out of it like water being disgorged from a broken fire hydrant. The largest portion of the cluster lunges directly for Staren to try and wrap it's botanical grip around the limbs of his armor, their controller knowing he's going to be one of the first to try and go to Twilight's aid. Several smaller growths wirth across the ruined floor like snakes and grab for ankles of anyone else not getting quick enough out of the way, attempting to dig in with their thorny protrusions and hold people back. The general idea is to keep people from jumping into the Vault after Twilight when it starts to lock down again. As Staren and others may of guessed by the sudden surgence of hostile plant growth it is none other than Bramble Patch that trots out on the main cluster of growth moments later, grinning one of her wicked smug smiles as she does so. "Tch. These ruins, always full of rats scurrying about. Good thing we brought plenty of traps, heh heh heh." 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      And then the trap is sprung. Once everyone is teleported into position, thanks to EVIL MAGICS, one of them, a young man dressed in black and shouldering a similarly black blade, stepped forth. "Yo peoples." He greeted casually, offering a lazy, two fingered salute. "Nothin' personal. Strictly business. Yadda yadda, where were we now?"      His gaze settled in on Twilight Sparkle as he plodded over to the HK-47's general strategic position. A bit ahead of the droid, as if making himself a kind of shield, ready to move at a moment's notice. "So you're the one, huh...?" Raine mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully with his free hand. "Well, I guess they come in all types." A grin formed on his face as he tapped his blade against his shoulder.      But for all of his talk, he didn't actually move to attack the target equestrian. It was more like he was waiting. Waiting to see how she would respond to HK-47's assault, before taking action himself. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight Sparkle is naturally the first to step into the vault once Jayale has opened it. "Naturally, Flowers. We will take the utmost care when handling the book." she says as she approaches, then her horn glows softly and the book floats into the air. Revealing that sensor and making Twilight wince in pain as that shrill whistle goes off almost right in her ears. Those ears quickly pin back and her eyes close as she stumbles back, the book still held in her magic.      When HK starts talking, Twilight's ears pin back even more. She slips the book into her saddlebags, then her horn glows brightly, ready to unleash spells on her attackers while her coat shimmers and her Harmony Armor coalesces onto her body, along with another book that hovers about her, and as soon as it appears she unleashes a spell referred to often as Force Push. A shockwave of magical energy that hits hard enough to send her enemies flying. "I came prepared for such an eventuality! My friends will not allow you to have your w-"      BZZZZZT!      Unfortunately, Twilight did not come prepare for electricity to the brain. She lets out a pained cry as she is hit by the taser, and the glow around her horn fluctuates before disappearing. She stumbles about a few moments before falling onto her haunches, eyes fluttering as she tries to sort through the following confusion. "Nnng...m-my friends will...save me..." she manages as she fights through the fog in her mind. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian likewise stepped into the vault to keep twilight safe from possible traps. As the door seals up, the wolfguard quickly move into action. "Jarl! We'll have this door down soon!" one of them shouts. True to their word, they break out a melta-charge and as one member goes to set the charge, the rest move into cover and watch for enemy movement.     Inside the vault, the Wolf Lord draws his bolt pistol and power sword, the latter crackling to life. "Never expected a servitor to set an effective trap...sadly all it did was trap you in a room with a cornered wolf." He says, bringing the sword up. "If you want Twilight, your going to have to take me down first." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     If Twilight walks into the vault, Staren does too... looking around for other details or clues to what happened here besides the book itself. "Why is that the only thing that survived? Is it specially treated somehow?"     And then all hell breaks loose. They're surrounded by droids... including the infamous HK-47. "/You/." Staren growls. And also, Lezard! Staren sighs in disappointment. "Man, I /liked/ you and your quest." At the same time, Staren's voice comes over Twilight's radio. "Twilight! They teleported in. Maybe you can teleport us out!"     He's attempting to size up the situation. If the feds wanted them /dead/, they could have just used a bomb. And then he's grabbed by vines, which he tests his armor's strength against. "Bramble! You too?" He winces as Twilight's hit by the stunner. Damn.     The feds haven't killed them though. Time to buy time for thinking up a plan: Villains putting on a show instead of killing them might love monologueing, right? "So." He growls. "If you wanted us dead, you'd have used a bomb. What's your plan? What will you do once you've captured us?" 

:'''{{#var:911|Elizabeth Bathory (911)}} has posed:'''     With Lezard, is another figure. Well, that's easy to say - MOST of the figures are with him, as he teleports them in. One, however, short horned girl stands out from the rest.     This is not due to her stature, her form, her power, or anything. It is because when she enters, she has a generic smartphone out and is tapping away at it quite intently. It even takes her a moment, upon teleportation, to notice that her surrounds had changes. "Miss Gudako was right, this idol game is quite addictive! But, I wonder when I will get myself in the gacha? How alluring, this 'cash shop' is!"     Her long fingers tap away before... "Oh! Master, are we oppressing these dirty peasaaaaa..."     Her eyes dance along the trapped Twilight Sparkle. "A tiny horse! In such a /different/ color. And --" She continues for a moment, noting the differences in the various people, such as 'a hairy barbarian in plate' 'some sort of shiny human' and such. She rests on Kyra. "And the mixed-blood, was it? We should have a chat!"     And so the mad-eyed idol in the frilly dress wanders right up to Kyra. Uncomfortably close, if Kyra will let her. "You weren't clear of your pedigree, you know? It was a little rude!" 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     It was once again strange for the older Jedi to find herself standing aside as others entered before she, entered not as Jedi into a place where only Jedi should tread, but in quick succession. Was she lagging behind for a reason? Her thoughts betrayed her. Perhaps it was for the best. Though she may have been a Jedi, now? She, like this place, was no more. Perhaps it was not her place to go in. Perhaps...     "Out! That is not a Jedi tradition, things such as that!" Before she could act properly, however, things were already being sealed and on top of that others appeared outside, and inside. She could see them, hear them. HK-47... HK-51's. Confederates. Most she didn't know. One she did. She really didn't have much of a chance to act, so, she did.     Jayale reached her hands up and pointed them towards the vault, reaching out with the Force. Not in an attempt to open the vault, but an attempt to do something that the HK units might not be expecting, the Progenitor, or the rest. She tried to use the 'weakspot' she found on the captive HK-51. She reached out and with the force grabbed for the power sources of as many HK droids as she could and tried to rip them disconnected. It wasn't as fine as her last effort, it was hasty certainly. Would it even work through the barriers, however?     And even then, how many would she be able to get to... before the others outside stopped her. Would they even realize it was her doing it? It may just look like she was trying to open the door. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra squints a little. A near-pristine book alone on a lone pedistal, sealed behind a vault. She can't help but feel a little suspicious at the set-up, especially since all the sealed books she's seen last were sealed for a reason. She's cautious, hesitant to enter the vault herself in case something really does happen.     And boy does something happen.     "Oh /shit/!" Kyra exclaims, more focusing on the actual closing of the vault door than all the sudden Confederates showing up. She doesn't even get to catch much of what they're hearing, her own thoughts spiraling in to 'people trapped in the vault are going to be hit with something nasty' because that's how these kinds of set-ups tended to work. Her reaction is a panicked one that, honestly, should have been better prepared for since a trap on the room WOULD lead off with the door slamming shut, wouldn't it?     Her immediate reaction is to flip her left hand over, pointing the back of her fist at the door and activating Gem device. From the Matter Manipulator, one of Kyra's homemmade explosives is fired, aimed for the rapidly-closing bottom of the vault door, entirely for disruptive purposes.     "HEY HANG IN THERE-gah!" A wandering vine yanks Kyra off her feet and onto her back, where she lies for a few seconds, staring up at Elizabeth. Scowling, she scrambles to her feet before the Bramble-directed vines take advantage of the moment. "Later-" yeah, that uncomfortable closeness? Kyra will react to it by putting her right hand in Liz's face and pushing away. The Matter Manipulator whirs again, ready to unleash another who-knows-what. 

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:''' "Indeed, Elizabeth. The peasants must be oppressed occasionally in order to remind them of their place." Lezard says, with a nonchalant shrug. He doesn't sound like he really cares, however. Maybe he's just playing into Elizabeth's personal worldview to keep her happy. As Elizabeth jaunts off to torment people she deems worth her time, the dark wizard simply shrugs again at the objections by Karian and Staren. "Sometimes you must do unpleasant things to accomplish your goals, Staren." He replies, tapping his nose. "When the time comes, you are more than welcome to assist in laying the gods of my world low. You will be well rewarded." And then there's Karian and his minions. The Necromancer of Midgard simply sighs at the bulky man's posturing and attempts by the Marines to breach the door. With a rush of magical force, Lezard withdraws a twisted, black cane and points it at the Marines. "FRIGID DAMSEL!" He calls out. With a wash of icy wind, a gleaming crystalline woman of ice manifests... As well as a two-handed blade of ice. With a sweeping motion, she dances through the men at the door, cutting with frigid, destructive force. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      The vault closes in to trap HK's query, Peridot's reinforcement working to seal the pony in, Bramble Patch working with her to keep the other Union personnel out of the trap, though the mage doesn't immediately enforce his restraint on the Equestrian meatbag.      Once again, a reminder that the droid was best suited to not leaving exorbitantly critical details to meatbag discretion.     As a result, the six HK-51's are sent blown back by the rippling wave of energy, the squadron of mechanical entities clattering across the stone floor and left scrambling to get back up.      Thus, as with all important matters, HK-47 had to do everything himself, though, to his satisfaction, his stun-blast was swiftly effective on the equestrian meatbag.      The so-called 'wolf-lord' was an unexpected and unwanted complication, however. One the droid was not in any mood to tolerate... and thus he was all too eager to excise the problem. "Statement - Gladly."      Thus, with a single movement, the HK directs his expendable clones to assault the wolf-lord, two of them Ion-electrical charge-throwers while the third activates a carbonite-launcher, the droid intending to use the contrasting electricity and cold to bring down the warrior in addition to Lezard's attack.      Staren's statement gets the droid's attention, though... and if anything, the elder HK unit seems bemused by the claim. "Correction - This is both true and untrue. I do indeed wish to see you exterminated... though I simply prefer the personal touch. Addendum - However, during my prior attempt... I lingered too long on savoring the completion of the mission. Therefore, I am afraid explanations shall need to await until /after/ I have completed my objective. However... what happens to the rest of you, I shall leave to the determination of my allies." The droid tilts his head at the others in the room, an eager gleam in it's photoreceptors "Command - Do as you wish with them. The Equestrian is mine alone."      Then three of the HK-51 units begin staggering, lights flickering. One of them convulses wildly in place before it's core unit seems to disconnect within it's chest, slumping to the floor in a heap, much to HK-47's fury as he directs the 'guardians' outside to handle whichever entity must have been responsible.     HK-47 himself... no longer opts to waste time. A clattering of metal punctuates this, as a cortosis vibroblade is drawn, it's vibration cell causing the edge to tremble slightly and add to the blade's cutting capabilities.     "Musing - I shall endeavor to take great pleasure in examining this phenomenon myself... after extracting the bone-petrusion from your skull for further study, as well nullifying your ability to tap your 'magics'."      With this, HK-47 encroaches on Twilight in what could be alined to a lunge, reaching to try and grab her by the throat. "Once that is done... I shall have your remains given to the dark mage and observe your biopsy, so that I shall have all the time I need to thoroughly examine every aspect of 'Equestrian' physiology. As I am sure a scholar like yourself can attest... a text excerpt can occasionally be a poor substitute for first-hand experience."      The blade is drawn even with Twilight's horn, the vibrations in the air likely palpable for the sensitive extension as he swipes to try and sever it in one stroke - "Eager Statement - And there is nothing I enjoy more... then learning about how new breeds of meatbags are assembled... and disassembled." 

:'''{{#var:278|Bramble Patch (278)}} has posed:''' A few of the vines snap as Staren struggles, but several more sprout from the wirthing mass of botanical matter to replace them and keep the boy's armor entangled as best it can. The thicker clusters wind tighter together and even tug back, as if trying to pull the armor off in some manner. Meanwhile, Bramble Patch indulges in another favorite villaneous pasttime -- mocking. "Aaaw, poor widdle Stawen." Mocking mock baby talk and all. "His widdle pwetty pony is in trouble and he can't do nuttin about it but watch." The pony sits down upon the core of the entwined plants and points with one of her wrapped forehooves. "And once she and her Element of Magic are out of the way there will be no one to rally the rest of the technicolor dweeb patrol against Nightmare Moon again!" After which she throws her head back with maniacal laughter. "MUWAHAHAHAHA!" 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      Did Raine ignore HK-47? Or was he waiting for the perfect dramatic moment? It all became clear when Raine chuckled and shrugged his shoulder. "Fragarach." Immediately a ghostly white figure faded into sight behind him. "Time to do the thing." To supplement Peridot's traps, the figure directed both of her arms forward, channeling some manner of magical energy.      That energy caused intricate runes to appear all across Raine's weapon. "Sealed Sword - Type II: Sinner's Prison!" And then the blade was thrust right into the ground. Glowing white runes spread from the blade and flowed out across the ground, creating a makeshift magic circle over the radius of the vault.      The power immediately began to intensify and anyone stuck inside the vault would very likely begin to feel an invasive magic dampening effect weighing down on them. It was not a true sealing circle, but a hasty one set up to interrupt magic at large. Of course, Raine was thoughtful enough to tune the spell to make exceptions for allies. Or maybe that was Fragarach's doing. Raine didn't seem that bright. 

:'''{{#var:836|Peridot (836)}} has posed:'''     Peridot puts her hand to the side of her head, to listen to some un-heard voice. Receiving instruction from the droid who had put the operation together. She picked up on a key word. Telekinetic. That was a word she knew. Telekinetic gems were not unheard of where she came from, and the tell-tell signs of one wasn't too hard to spot.     "Identified potential source." She says quickly. "Attempting to neutralize." She raises her hand and points, and at her command the robonoid soldiers suddenly start forward to Jayale, the large turrets firing bolts of electrified goo towards the Jedi.     Meanwhile, she stayed in the relative safety of the back line. Her holopad up, feeding her data on what everyone was doing. Various robonoids watching from the sidelines recording data, and documenting the entire battle. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight lets out a strained 'hnngk!' as her throat is grabbed. Her forehooves come up like a human's hands would to try and dislodge the grip of those robotic hands. Her forehooves kick at HK's arms frantically, then her horn glows and that book that appeared beside her when her Harmony Armor appeared floats upward. It is just about to launch an attack when HK swings his vibroknife.      There are a few things HK-47 might find out upon attempting to remove the dazed Twilight Sparkle's horn. One is that it is not bone. It is instead a very hard chitin-like substance similar to hair. The other is that it is tougher than it looks. His swing definitely bites into her horn, and Twilight yelps as she feels the disruption to her magical flow compounded by all the different assaults on her magical abilities, but her horn is not cleanly severed in one swing.      The second thing is that even a unicorn is still a horse, and as such Twilight wraps her forelegs around HK-47's arm and uses that for leverage to deliver a powerful double-hooved kick to his midsection. 

:'''{{#var:911|Elizabeth Bathory (911)}} has posed:'''     Elizabeth walks right up to Kyra, crazy eyed and interested in continuing the conversation they had at the Exodar about bloodlines, interests, perhaps a little stabbing when they were RUDELY INTERRUPTED, and, well, Ark Line was being quite the gentleman before. Now, it was just them, and she's right about to settle down and give Kyra a good berating for her attitude.     Then she gets a hand shoved in her face. Now, really, Kyra should know better than to do this!     The RUDE HAND smooshes into Liz's face, and her eyes go wide with sheer surprise. This can't possibly be happening, can it? It's a joke, a sick ha-ha at her expense? At the world's expense!     She presses forward, throwing her not-zero bodyweight forward, backed by her own freakish strength, to just push through this. It must be an illusion!     Wait, no, Kyra is shooing her. No, it's reality.     Long fingers reach up to grab Kyra's arm and squeeze hard. "Do you think I am a joke? Do you think me some peasant you can push away?!" 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     Kyra is the proud owner of PUNY MAGE MUSCLES. She can't overpower anyone. Best she can do with them is carry all that heavy gear around with her (the CURE-ALL, in particular, was alchemized out of gold and platnium and is therefore super heavy, but still under the bolter Karian's soldier had been carrying). Elizabeth looked about as frail as she did so she figures a good shove will send the nosy Servant on her way.     Shoving Servants around might not be the best of ideas but right now, there is little choice. Kyra had people to support. She had to get in there and dispell that anti-magic circle. With Liz shooed aside, Kyra makes a bolt for the downed wolf guard. Although the offered bolter is definitely intriguing, Kyra reaches for the melter set that the space marine had been getting ready to set against the door. She grabs it with one hand and moves for the door. As the other hand starts reaching for it, it stops, only to be harshly held back by an angry, angry Liz.     She cringes in pain as the sharp, claw-like nails dig into her arm. "Ow!" she turns to look back at Elizabeth, then stares her down, unwavering, unwilling to show fear in the face of the Lancer. "Let go of me. Let go of me or I'll call my tyrant-breaking friend /right here/!"     Meanwhile, her other hand blindly roams over the buttons of the melter, trying to mash the right one to activate the device. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Staren struggles against the plants. HK takes a very long time to say that he doesn't want to monologue. Staren's pretty sure he can escape the plants. But what comes next? Bramble will try to grab him before long. He's reluctant to kill... because before he could worry about Twilight, it had become clear that /killing/ wasn't their objective. So he thought there was time.     The HK makes his true plan clear. And Staren's devotion isn't just being in love. She was, before that, a friend, but not every friend does he want to be so close to. One of four people in the Multiverse Staren could trust /completely/, and half of those are his parents. And she is the /only/ person in the Multiverse capable of making a great many things that confuse him make sense. And on top of that, she's a good friend, and kind, and clever, and every sappy thing he's ever said about how special she was is entirely true. That bond is precious to him, beyond anything in the Multiverse. A future with no Twilight Sparkle, while recogized as a possibility, is one his mind refuses to imagine.     And HK just said he and Lezard are going to /torture/ her in a manner that will almost certainly end in death. Not out of sadism, of course, but out of the cruel lack of care characteristic of things that Staren dismisses as valueless, like nature and fair folk.     The time to act is now. But mindless rage won't help. Coldly calculate, first to ensure Twilight's safety, then how to /win/ this.     "The FUCK you will!" Well, there's /some/ rage. Staren directs it out of his mouth, as a plasma missile fires from his armor point-blank -- it damages his armor, but also incinerates the plants. Staren's about to fire micromissiles at HK, but Twilight's grabbed the droid for a kick. Staren smiles to see her up and about again. His right hand dips into his bag, pulls out a Federation phaser. Bramble must be neutralized, at least for a moment, and their enemies aren't the only ones with stun weaponry. Staren fires a stun bolt at her hoping for the best, then swings his arm towards HK as it switches to kill mode, firing a bolt at him before charging in.     He's not sure what to do next yet. He's making up this plan as he goes along. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     One down, more to-- suddenly Jayale found herself knocked backwards, hands having been upright, concenctrating on the task at hand. The older Jedi was suddenly left pinned from the waist down on the ground and letting out a pained sound as the electricity from the material coursed through her. Suffice it to say, constant pain was a way to keep her in check, even as she tried to peel it away from herself with the Force and largely failed. She actually did something else a bit unorthodox to try and get herself out of the goo, she lifted herself upright with the force until she was floating just a little above the ground, and pulled her lightsaber to her hand, cutting at large portions of the goo to try and par it away while enduring the pain from it. Though now she realized something more important.     The source of the goo... could likely trap her with more. She couldn't focus on Twilight, or the HK's or those inside the vault anymore. She had to focus on...     Those machines? What were they? How did she interact? No matter, what was important was trying to get herself free of the first batch of goo in time to react to what likely came next. Though the pain was starting to wear on her, vital signs looking pointedly weaker, in pain even. 

:'''{{#var:278|Bramble Patch (278)}} has posed:''' Bramble Patch's evil laughter is interrupted by a missile going off and setting the vines entangling Staren on fire. "Holy buck!" Arguably she was more surprised by the swearing than the anger, covering her face with a foreleg as the the rest of the biological masse pulls back as the vines are burned off. A pugnant smoke waifing off the remaining ends from being charred black. Whatever the alien plants contained within them, it smelt -terrible- when it was smoldering from fire. Bramble let out a snarl as she got over the moment. "Hey, I wasn't done emotionally tormenting you, get back here!" She raised her hooves over her head, and two weaves of vines twisted from the overgrowth along the ruined walls to rip a portion of the broken foundation free. Then raise it up over her head, intending to drop it on top of Staren. Except that's when he shoots her with the stun bolt. "Gah!" With a twitch Bramble topples over backwards, falling off the plants. Which without her control, splay out wildly in random directions. Letting go of the portion of wall as they do. Which falls right on top of Bramble Patch herself with a *WHOMP*! Don't worry, it's not the first time she's had something huge and hard fall on top of her. Or the last time. Considering her best friend is a walking bad luck magnet. It does momentarily incapacitate her until she can get her wits back together and lift if off, though. 

:'''{{#var:836|Peridot (836)}} has posed:'''     A trapped and helpless opponet! Now this was where Peridot could shine. She ordered her robonoids forward and for them to continue firing. She took the opportunity to walk behind them, closer to Jayale. She still wasn't brave (or stupid) enough to walk in front of them, however. She continued to use them as physical shields. Shields with huge turrets mounted on them.     "It is not advised that you move. If you simply wait, the assault will be over and we will withdraw our forces once the droid has met his objective."     Her tone was cruel, as she kept one eye on her holopad. "Which should be any moment now. Thus expediting the end of your pain." 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     The wolfguard watch as the psyker closes on them. "Hold strong...we will not give one inch. If this is to be our deaths.....we face it gladly and proudly." one of them says. They take aim and let fly their bolters, all while trying to cover Kyra. "Hit the large red butto-argh!" another started, before Lezard's magic claimed his life. 

:'''{{#var:911|Elizabeth Bathory (911)}} has posed:'''     Kyra is flailng and, really, Elizabeth doens't care. Kyra was RUDE to her. Kyra SNUBBED her, and she still remembers every iota of feeling from the hand on her face. It burns her, this phantom slight. "You shoved me away like I was some beggar girl." She seethes quietly, still holding on to Kyra's hand. She's half-free to continue whatever she's doing, including pressing all SORTS of buttons on the Melter/Melta/Whatever Device.     Elizabeth is on full rant mode. "I can tell you're not very smart." She growls, tilting her head up so that she's somehow looking DOWN at Kyra when their heights are quite similar. "So I will make this easy for your tiny, uncultured brain to understand. You shouldn't be so /rude/ to your betters." She whispers, leaning in close to get right into her ear. Her hand, however, is released, to smear the speckles of Kyra's blood that her claws had drawn across her face, before rubbing thumb and index claw together. "Hmm. But your blood is if a fair quality. So I'll give you an opportunity to apologize."     "Are you even paying attention to me?!" 

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:''' "Tch!" Lezard emits as he hears Staren unleash the true power of NERD RAGE. It seems that this is something delicate for the scientist-cat, he'll have to keep that in mind. "I suppose there are yet heroes left in the Multiverse." He scowls for a moment... And then smiles faintly. A hail of bolter fire answers Lezard's assault. The blasts impact a defensive field around the Sorceror, though shrapnel rips through the field regardless, several nasty cuts ripping across his face and body. His scowl deepens, and there is a dark gleam in his eyes as his smug expression suddenly shifts to piqued rage. "Fools like you daring to injure /me/? CEASE YOUR EXISTENCE AT ONCE!" There is a sudden surge of Power around him as he gathers together intense magical forces, and then there is a dull thud as a hail of black spheres rips through the air, heavy-looking balls of unearthly power that sear and melt flesh and batter down physical defenses. "DARK BEAD!" He calls out, despite not really needing to for Lordran magic. Some habits are hard to break. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     The sound of hooves against reinforced Mandaloran Iron echoes through the vault as HK-47 staggers back slightly, his blade pulling free of the equestrian's horn before the droid can try to push it the rest of the way through.     His grip on the unicorn weakens enough for her to pull free - but the assassin droid hardly intends to let her capitalize on her moment of freedom, his arm sliding open to reveal a nozzle that belches out at the unicorn what seems to quickly be his favored tool against meatbag opponents; cyanogen gas.      "Chiding Statement - It is time for you to join these relics, and the culture that created them, in extinction, /meatbag/."     He will debilitate her first. Rob her of her ability to focus on her already-damaged capacity to manipulate magic... and then, if she still continued to resist... well, perhaps the draconic entity known as a 'Servant' would not mind if the pelt he would reward her with was just /slightly/ immolated.     However, further complications make themselves known as one of the HK-51's instead moves to engage Staren and is hit by the kill-setting phaser, which melts through much of it's chest-casing.      And in turn... burns through the transparasteeel plate on the HK-51's chest and breaches it's core.      The next seconds - precious moments in which HK-47 has already begun to advance through the green-dyed toxin on his target, possibly delivering a swift kick to her body for good measure as his vibroknife stands raised in preparation to drive down on the unicorn's skull - become interrupted. Instead of being characterized by the death-throws of a pony... but instead by a blur of lights and shockwaves as the HK-51 droid detonates in a spectacular burst of light, flame and ignited or boiling chemicals, staggering HK before he can deliver the fatal blow and buying Twilight another precious minute of life      The other remaining HK-51 was now all that was standing between Staren and HK-47. As if ready for a fight, the droid soon becomes surrounded in a blue nimbus - an energy shield meant to deflect and absorb energy-based attacks... but hat does /not/ protect against physical strikes.     Meanwhile, the remaining trio of HK-51's, in the midst of their facing down Karian, are stunned by the abrupt explosion of their comrade unit, causing one of the droids to be stricken by the Wolf-Lord's black blade as it cleaved into the machine's shoulder.     However, it refused to give in, it's comrades both tossing an adhesive grenade at Karian so as to cement him to the floor... and against the dying HK-51 as it's core began to go critical, the machine's body convulsing as it's self-destrcut mechanism was activated, the unit trying to take Karian down with it. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     The stare-down and threat doesn't seem to be working. Kyra breaks eye contact for a moment-perhaps even enraging Liz even further by giving off the impression that she's not paying attention to the idol's ranting-and glances back at the melter in her other hand. She spies the red button the wolfguard had spoken of before he expired. Her thin fingers stretch down and press it.     She looks back Elizabeth in mid-rant briefly, half catching something about tiny, uncultured brains. An annoyed frown forms on her face, "Wait, what? What did you say? What did you call me?" she hisses at the whispered words.     Another brief glance away, enabling Kyra to toss the now-hissing melter off towards the vault door. When she looks back, she sees Elizabeth smearing blood all over her face. Kyra's own blood, she realizes, from the throbbing pain in her wrist.     Kyra opens her mouth, a panicked look overcoming her. Maybe she WILL blubber out an apology to her 'better' as it does seem to have finally dawned on her that Elizabeth is really, really creepy. Light beneath them filters upwawrds suddenly, however, before the circle etching itself into the ground beneath Liz blasts upwards with white magic like an activated landmine.     "HOLY!" 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian continues his slice down into the HK unit he had already skewered. "I do not fear death, machine!" He roars. The other Hk's would find bolt pistol fire aimed for them, as would HK-47 himself. "I am Karian Icefang, Wold Lord, Son of Russ, Space Wolf! I know no fear, for I am FEAR INCARNATE! Face me down, and learn to fear the wolf's howl!" He roars out over his vox.     That same roar would be heard by his wolfguard, and even as another falls they stand strong. United as a pack, even if barred by a wall. They hear their lord's call and resond in kind with an almost deafening howl of fury and rage. Rather then let the psyker continue his bombardment, they do the ballsy thing and charge right for Lezard. With the melta bomb now armed and set, it was only a matter time before it went off. The hissing indicated the melta reaction had begun, and was literally microwaving the moisture out of the air itself. Soon, the blast of pure plasma would follow. 

:'''{{#var:278|Bramble Patch (278)}} has posed:''' Eventually a few vines wiggle out from under the slab of wall, curl around the edge like fingers and push it up. It creaks with the movement, and then just crumbles in half as Bramble Patch staggers out of the indentation it made in the floor and collapses. Rubs her forehead with one hoof. "Holy horseapples who knew that nerd could rage spasm like that..." 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     Jayale was struggling, trying, but trapped as she was, unable to concentrate properly in time. She found herself slowly getting weaker, and weaker, and there was a point at which she found herself unable to control the Force properly under the pain of the constant shocking. Seems the older Jedi simply didn't have the stamina to properly resist such an attack. She might not look old, but she was. And constant pain left a heavy toll on her. 

:'''{{#var:911|Elizabeth Bathory (911)}} has posed:'''     Elizabeth Bathory is, as well as a pureblooded noble, also totally bonkers, from a family of depraved and bonkers individuals. Kyra's lack of attention on the TOTALLY MORE PRESSING MATTER of Liz, and not, you know, saving her friends and making their sacrifice not in vain and accomplishing a goal (Elizabeth's own goals forgotten in a haze of phone game and generic directives from her Master, Lezard, to 'go tie up the heroes') creates an odd situation.     Liz isn't really stopping Kyra from doing very, very important things, becuase she is too busy testing the consistency of Kyra's blood and also ranting about how Kyra is dumb and not paying attention to her.     "I called you... AN IMBECILE!" Elizabeth replies, obviously incensed now. Her eyes contain no empathy for Kyra, only a maddened and building annoyance. "And you will not ignore me any-"     The world becomes white for her, filled with magic and divine light. Elizabeth disappears in the power of the magic, and for a moment, perhaps is washed away completely with the spell. Lezard, however, would know better, as he feels magic draining away from him to fuel Liz's recovery.     As the light fades, a burned Liz stands there, clawed hands on her hips, leaning forward with a cocky look on her eyes. "That was a powerful spell, wasn't it. Was it your most powerful? It actually /hurt/ me! Do you want me to name the number of mages that can hurt me with their magic?" She wonders, as her right hand drifts behind her to summon out of light and a crackle of thunder the form of a vicious two-pronged lance - her weapon.     Elizabeth laughs, then. "Because I can't! You're the first I've seen. Did you know that an extreme rate of magic resistance is the trait of a Dragon? Aren't my horns /adorable/?" She asks, before getting all up in Kyra's face again. "If you don't apologize to me, I'll do more than squeeze your arm. Would you like that? I can arrange quite a parade of sensations if you're /really/ a glutton for that sort of thing!" 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      That minute will certainly not go to waste! Twilight kicks free when HK's grip loosens, then lands on her back, twitching from the effects of that taser and the various other magical impediments and coughing from the cold metal hand of death that had been around her neck only moments earlier. She takes a moment to catch her breath...      Which turns out to be a large mistake. The deadly cyanogen gas is already surrounding her, and on the second breath Twilight starts coughing again and cringing in pain. She quickly tries to hold her breath, but fighting a body's natural instincts is hard. She coughs and sputters as she tries to crawl away, then remembers...she has an environment suit! She quickly hits the button on the device Staren gave her. She struggles back to her feet even as she coughs, but with all the pain from the gas and the still heavy fog in her mind, she can only manage a crawl toward Staren.      "I-it...will not be us...who will be destroyed here..." Twilight gasps out, her voice already going hoarse (no pun intended) from the gas burning away at her lungs and even her skin. After what seems like forever, the 6 seconds it takes for Staren's environment suit to deploy finally pass, and Twilight is protected from further exposure. But, she has already gotten a few lungfuls of the deadly gas, and now the poison is working its way through her system.      Her horn starts to glow again, though there is some sputtering from the half-through gash that HK-47 cut into her horn. "St-staren..!" she calls out as loudly as she can with her poison-seared voice. "We have to get out of here!!" It probably sounds like someone with an extremely sore throat trying to shout. Because, after all, that is what is happening.      Twilight is desperately trying to cast a teleportation spell, but with all the dampeners and the damage to her horn, she can't manage it even with her magical book floating beside her. So, instead she opts for a much easier, much more destructive spell. Her magic book floats around in front of her, facing HK-47 with its pages open. Then, it starts to rotate rapidly. A moment later, a beam of pure energy is fired at him. The purple-white beam is as thick as the book that fired it, and aimed right at the psycho droid that tried to kill Twilight Sparkle. And may yet succeed if Lezard has anything to say about it. 

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:''' The Marines are apparently far more durable than expected. Lezard's brow twitches, and a his anger spikes, there is a sudden surge of energy around him. Those sensitive to the Force may feel a massive, oppressive weight upon them as incredible amounts of power are simply /wrenched/ into another configuration, an overwhelming Will channelling an intense amount of force. Even as Elizabeth draws upon his well of power, it is not enough to stop what is about to come. For Lezard is no mere mage, no simple /Psyker/, as the Marines insist on calling him. "Know this." Lezard says, his voice resonating with the energy he has drawn forth. "With your defiance, you have sealed your fates. This place, your lives are now /forfeit/. Now look upon your future and /despair/." Purple flame erupts around him, etching a growing magical circle around him as he calls out, "CAST OPEN THE GATES OF NIFLHEIM! MORE SOULS AWAIT!" The air thrums with power, but nothing seems to happen immediately... Far, far above, in the orbit of the planet so far away, ancient debrit hangs there, floating, Remnants of wars that time itself may have forgotten, nevertheless these hunks of metal and rock remain, testaments to the powers and passions wrought here. "NO MERCY FOR THE DAMNED!" As Lezard's voice resonates through the area, gleaming beams of light rip through space, summoned up from elsewhere by a twisting of raw power. They slam into the massive hunks, imparting movement, overcoming inertia. Dull creaks echo, somehow, through the airless void as they are pulled down from their eternal rest... And the sky above the ancient temple and place of learning clouds over, turning red with flame. The land begins to shake as a roaring noise grows, ans the first meteorites, tiny but still intense, begin to rock the area around the location. "THUS THOU HAST NO ESCAPE FROM THE GRIP OF CATASTOPHE!" The roar intensifies, moments before the area shakes, a massive flaming spike punching down through rock and metal, propelled by something that could be called nothing so much as pure pride and hatred as walls crumble and the very ceiling above them is rent before the onslaught. While his magical powers spares his allies... The Enemy is not so fortunate. "METEOR SWARM!" 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     "You want me to be serious for a moment?! You're a giant jerk and I don't like you lording your stupid nobility over me!" Kyra hisses back at her, full of fury, though it doesn't last very long. She thinks she just blew the servant's face off. Instead, holy, which /is/ her stronges and most offensive spell, hardly did anything to her at all.     Her jaw drops a little and she backs up into the wall. "A dragon? What?" she holds up her Matter Manipulator in front of her, eyes widening. Her magic was useless!     This psycho was going to /kill her/. She doesn't hesitate any longer. She calls for him. She calls for rebellion. 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      "Sheesh. Fun all around and here I am just keeping up an interference circle." Raine rolled his eyes from where he stood at the backlines, hand grasping the handle of the blade embedded into the ground before him. HK was handling Twilight...and Karian. Wow that looked lopsided right now. "Heh, guess it's time for me to earn my keep here."      Raine smirked and pulled the blade from the ground, weakening the spell jamming circle in the process. "Change of plans, Fragarach. You handle the circle. I'm going in." The girl in the white dressed rolled her eyes but stayed exactly where she floated above the circle. Raine himself gripped his blade and dashed in right as multiple energy shots came for HK-47.      "Raine Arland here to take off some of that heat! Watch yourself, my fine metal friend!" He skid to a stop right in front to the droid, sword raised flat like a shield. Twilight Sparkle's magical beam impacted it head on and....it was absorbed right into it. Did that just happen? Yes, it did.      "Special Delivery!"      He roared, diving forward and spinning once horizontally before swinging his weapon outwards. In that moment, the exact same energy that the Equestrian had sent HK's way is suddenly barreling right towards her in the form of a single beam that then broke off into multiple, smaller homing lasers, all aimed for her.      The droid would have to handle Karian's assault himself. 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     KILL HK micromissiles ready and locked wait she's up and too close next concern Kill Bramble what would Twilight think doesn't matter if she's dead you can't kill her in one shot for sure need to incapacitate faster phaser? OK What about HK MAKE HIM PAY not helpful goal is save Twilight nothing else matters incapacitate HK incapacitate the rest how could Bramble be cool with torture? Not important You can grab HK but then it is hard to stop all the others think bigger crazy bluff? too unlikely call Morg? Divine intervention too unknown Abstractum? Probably not awake okay think a little less wild why didn't HK just grab some random unicorn he is lying or he has some mental flaw figure out how to use it later no known weaknesses kill HK? Dangerous to commit focus others may attempt to complete objective is Twilight able to cast again yet what will that cut do to her perhaps escape vault door is tougher than walls green field problem what about where Bramble broke through? Lezard and some lady sound full of themselves flaw? note for later did he just gas Twilight unlikely that gas can put her in unrecoverable state droid in the way unknown shield need to bypass easy answer     Staren makes some effort to dodge the HK-51's fire, but is confident his own shield and armor can tank it if he needs to. Staren's hand dips into his bag with the phaser and comes out with the RAISER pistol. A stream of RAISER projectiles fire into the shield -- photons energized into an exotic state where they can bind into matter-like molecules. They decay on impact, preventing them from being deflected, and concentrate energy to incredible density, possibly enough to punch through. Even if they don't punch through, they force the shield or armor to absorb the full energy of the shot regardless of the angle of impact.     If that doesn't do it, then when Staren reaches the HK-51 he tries to circumvent the shield by just pushing his hand through it and firing the bream cannons point-blank.     Oh good it worked Twilight hang in there     Staren gives Twilight a pained expression behind his visor. He doesn't see how escape is possible. Then Lezard pronounces his fate. "No." he comments offhandedly. Their future isn't set until it's here or time travel shenanigans occur. If enemies are talking instead of killing, things aren't over yet. Staren advances on HK...     And the wizard BLASTS THROUGH THE FREAKING CEILING     It only takes a thought to send a command to the ship. Twilight is engulfed in red energy and beamed up as the spikes come down and her own desperate attack is redirected at her.     Primary objective complete, next survival of self and allies.     Rocks fall, and Staren may be crushed or pinned, but he can't leave yet. He has a way to cheat death, though Lezard or one of the others here might have a way to counter it. His allies don't. He looks around, taking stock. Anyone else who looks out of the fight, and is IN the breached vault, is beamed up. Then he tries for the people outside the vault.     If it works... well, time to beam out everyone!     If it doesn't... then that leaves Staren and Karian and anyone in fighting condition in the vault, and the people outside.     Save them it's not over till its over think of something 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     Karian grits his teeth as he hears the wizards judgement and shakes his head. "My life is the Allfathers....his to use." He says to himself, but then notes the roof being blown off. He looks right to Staren and says in a cold voice. "I will not leave my brothers behind. If I die with them, so be it." He says. Of course, he had a mad HK unit to deal with. So the best way to do that is to run right up and try to cut him down.     The wolfguard outside pause, but feel no fear at all. They dart at Lezard once more, only for one to be crushed by a falling spike. The lone survivor curses his luck, and opts for grenades. He throws a trio, and quickly looks for the wall. Opting to utilize his massive weight and the impacts of the meteors, he planned to charge right into the vault via a weakened wall, if any exists. "Jarl....There may be no choice here...You must survive most of all. If it comes to that, leave me and go." Karian curses back to the marine. "No...we came here as a pack and we leave as one....I've lost too many brothers to let this psyker claim another.....there MUST be a way!" 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' <J-IC-Moderated> Kyra Hyral says, "YURI STINSON!" <J-IC-Moderated> Kyra Hyral says, "I'M BEING OPPRESSED BY A TYRANT!!!"     Somewhere, elsewhere in the Multiverse, Yuri lifts his head. He has, in terms of a Cult Following, less than many other Infernals would. He is not a leader, nor one of the black-tongued honey-whisperers of the Dragon. So it's not hard to tell which of his few followers would pray to him. And it was one he was inclined to answer immediately.     His seafoam green eyes glow for a moment as he cycles through his options. Kyra Hyral's location was too confined for his machine, but her danger was imminent. Instead, he cycled the many charms left in his machine and compiled them. Then he downloaded those onto himself and accessed them. Adorjan would guide his actions today. Wind-Borne Stride x8 + Death-Dealing Journey + Self as Cyclone Stance + Unimpeded Perfection of Exertion + Foam-Dancing Haste + Gravity-Rebuking Grace + Earth-Skimming Gale Tread + Faster Than Sight + Sacred Kamilla's Inhalation + Who Strikes The Wind? Mote Cost: Approximately Yes, 3 WillPower Combo Effect: Bail Out Kyra At Great Cost to Personal Power     Yuri arrives in a manner that is less like a human and more like a moving element of the earth itself. There's a massively flowing gust of breeze that seems to flow across the Multiverse in an invisible blur. It flows around Elizabeth, gusting for a few moments before it seems to move towards Kyra. Grabbed by an invisible force, Kyra is lifted upwards as if carried by someone that no one can see.     Her movements, and by proxy that of the force carrying her, lift her back and upwards, directly INTO the Meteor Swarm. Adorjan teaches a Green Sun Prince that it is not the wind's duty to bend for the storm, but to split the rain itself where it desires. Those with the speed to perceive the motion would see that the force carrying her is heading directly up into the falling debris and bouncing off each one to lift her and itself higher and above the falling assault.     It's once the force clears the ceiling of the falling matter that Kyra (Plus whatever is carrying her) seems to hover in the air for a few moments before flipping cleanly and then falling again. It's once the force lands and comes to a stop that the obfuscation and blurring charms fade away, leaving the Exalt standing there with Kyra tucked under one arm not unlike a sack of potatoes.     "I have no interest or investment in this conflict." He says to nobody in particular. Perhaps directly to Kyra, "Or interest in battle. The act of rescuing you has taken a great deal of my energy. But I would not deny your prayer."     It's probably good, tactically, at the moment that he is incapable of expressing pain. Because the sheer physics of the speeds he moved at to get here and execute that maneuver have likely caused severe internal damage to his body, owing to his lack of a perfect soak. Luckily, he's incapable of showing this excruciating pain. 

:'''{{#var:278|Bramble Patch (278)}} has posed:''' And somewhere in the craziness that follows with Staren going crazy and Lezard summoning things from space to fall on the place, Bramble Patch put her henchpony 'retreat while the retreating is good' clause into effect and is getting the heck out of here. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     "Smug Statement - That is very brave of you to claim... when you are approximately ten minutes from full respiratory and organ failure after having inhaled so much concentrated toxin." HK-47 replies, metallic voice seeming to drip with sadistic glee, if not outright depraved enjoyment at hearing the Unicorn's choked voice. He continues to stalk towards her, wrist-launcher deploying with the intent to activate his flamethrower and burn off her newly-deployed protective layer-     Only to find himself cut off as the broken husk of an HK-51 unit is tossed at his feet, the unfortunate droid's defenses proving unable to defend against the assault even as it tried to use it's flame thrower to immolate the oncoming enemy. The HK-51 took shot after shot after shot, staggering back as it's armor and precious internal components were breached one after the other-     And then collapsing dead as it's core was ruptured, it's front exploding in a shower of sparks and shrapnel while what was left toppled back at HK-47's feet     HK-47 turns to see Staren approaching him - an event that distracts the droid for the fatal second it takes Twilight to abruptly launch her attack-      -only for Raine to step in, absorb and reflect it like a proper, subservient meatbag is expected to. Something that has the droid make certain to have this particular individual's contact information stored on record for future incursions - it seemed that there were at least /some/ meatbags that were both loyal, obedient and intelligent enough to not deviate from that path.     But... suffice to say, it does not go as well for the HK-51's.     The trio assaulting the Wolf-Lord are /stunned/ by the display from Karian, the meatbag showing unnatural tendencies that go beyond self-sacrifice, as though fear truly does not exist in his processor.      Even more so is the HK-51 trying to self-destruct as it realizes too late Karian will not panic as the expected... and this is the last thing that flows through it's processor before it's core cuts out, it's central power unit split in half before the overload process could be completed. The self-destruct charge implodes instead, the droid's inside burning themselves out and the machine slumping dead as it effectively splits in half, the blade having bisected it entirely from shoulder to hip.      The remaining HK-51's try to formulate a counterattack, only for one to be repeatedly perforated by bolt fire that scorches most of it's form and blows off it's left arm as well. The other tries to put up a defense, right arm sliding open - only to sustain a direct shot to the opened wrist-unit that detonates the internalized weapons, causing the machine's casing to explosively detonate as a majority-portion of the droid's right-torso was utterly obliterated by the resulting explosion, it's head being torn off and bouncing away like a discarded pebble.      HK-47 himself, more then frustrated by the mounting turn of events, is forced to take his attention off the Unicorn and redirect it onto Karian as Raine's efforts end up keeping him from being attacked on two fronts. He aims his arm and activates his multi-spectral plasma-energy emitter, firing a bolt of plasma energy - effectively a bolt of lightsaber energy - at Karian to try either debilitate or exterminate the oncoming so-called 'fearless warrior'.     Once again, he was being humiliatingly outmaneuvered. The walls into the vault were being systemically breached - even with the Gem's reinforcement, it was obvious it was not invulnerable... and the Gem seemed distracted with subduing the Jedi, beneficial an action that it was. 

:'''{{#var:911|Elizabeth Bathory (911)}} has posed:'''     Liz looks up at the literal whirlwind taking Kyra away, and huffs. "Fine, Kyra Hyral. Fine. If my Charisma won't work on you, my threats are insufficent, and my ability to give you my full attention limited by my inablitly to have you all to myself... I will simply have to engage in my last method of recourse." She murmurs, an evil look crossing her eyes, as the short Idol bringing long claws to shield her eyes from the DEATH BY METEOR STORM (which thanks to magic did not BLOW HER UP, which would have made Pure Pure Liz-Chan sad).     "I will write the most popular diss song... Ever heard by mortal ears! Then you will know your betters, to be immortalized in insult-song by me!" 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      But then... it all becomes irrelevant, as something begins falling straight from the atmosphere... homing in on their position.     The meatbag mage had obviously lost patience... and in all honesty, so had HK-47 with meatbags in general. Did the miserable creature not realize they would all be destroyed in the impact as well?!      ...      However... it makes more sense that they are protected from it - the meatbag seemed too intelligent to commit such a suicidal act if he intended to die.      However... the final straw comes as a result of the hole the meatbag blasted into the roof, what the droid recognizes as a teleport activating and, much to his livid frustration, teleports his quarry out of danger.      Whatever the case... this mission was effectively a failure. Thus, having left his parting shot at Karian, the droid begins bellowing on the radios for Peridot - a very reliable creature, closer to a droid then a meatbag - to, if she has transport, summon it and evacuate as soon as possible, should the mage's protection fail her. He found he respected her, somewhat, for her methodical nature. Far more then he respected the majority of meatbags, that is.      He does not stay long in the vault as it collapses from the many strains. There is no point to staying here now that his objective has fled.      ...      But at the same time... he was getting closer. Like with Toph Beifong, he had never been this close to successfully eliminating a Union member before... and this time he had left arguably more extensive injuries. And this time, it had been against an opponent he had never directly faced before.      His hit-to-kill ratio was increasing. His success-rates were steadily growing. At this rate... it would not be long before he landed a critical strike.      Some more refinements, then. A bit less trial and error... and then he'd have a working template to adapt from.      After that... the Union would soon be taken apart.      Watching as the meteor approaches the Jedi Praxium from behind the safety of Lezard Valeth's power of protection, HK-47 at least takes consolation that, if nothing else, he fulfilled some part of his primary programming. A part that glowed splendidly as the Praxium was smothered and obliterated by falling orbital debris.      The protocol to eliminate the Jedi and their history... wherever it may be found.      ...      Additionally, perhaps he would help the draconic meatbag exterminate any stragglers left alive. Annoying as he had initially found her demeanor to be... her gratifyingly-bloodthirsty display had forced him to re-evaluate his opinion of her. May she possibly want help in disemboweling any stragglers?      A droid could only hope, after all. 

:'''{{#var:411|Twilight Sparkle (411)}} has posed:'''      Twilight Sparkle can do little but watch in despair as Raine intercepts her beam, absorbs it, and sends it back at her in several smaller beams. Her horn sputters again as she tries to raise a barrier, but it is no use. As she tries, there is a flare of energy from the cut in her horn and she lets out a pained cry as her spell misfires. The beams impact just as a red glow starts to surround Twilight. When the dust clears, the pony is no longer there.      She appears in the safety of Staren's ship. Where she just curls up and coughs. Not wanting to contaminate the air of the ship, she keeps her environment suit closed. And she hopes that she can make it to medical in time to be treated. 

:'''{{#var:598|Lezard Valeth (598)}} has posed:''' Lezard Valeth, Sorceror of Midgard, stands amongst fire and death. His cape whips in the air from the remnants of power surrounding him and the heat waves that cause roiling hissing washes of air through the ruined Praxium. With a low sigh, he turns away. disgust visible on his features as he hears the remaining Wolfguard calling out. With a wave of his hand, he summons up a teleportation circle, his form slowly phasing out. Others can join him if they wish. He has no care left to waste any more time in this place. 

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''     For a few seconds, Kyra was deathly afraid that calling for Yuri wouldn't work-especially as the meteor storm /and/ Elizabeth bare down on her.     And then something invisible seizes her up into the air. Kyra lets out an undignified yelp, followed by another one as she finds herself hurling /towards/ the meteors. Yet not a single one of them hit nor do any of the bits of ceiling strike her as she dangles face-down in the air.     "...Yuri..." she says, relieved. "..thank you." she offers quietly to him as he hovers.     Liz sneers back at her. Her pale cheeks redden as the Servant speaks. "...inability to have you all to mysel-are you /hitting on me/? Is this what this whole begging for my attention and insulting me thing is about? Is this some kind of tsundere crush thing!?"     She reasserts herself. "You want to make this a music battle? FINE. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" She drops her voice. "My ship is nearby, Yuri, let's go there." 

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''     Thanks, perhaps, to fortune, the Union and friends are evacuated. Kyra is evacuated thanks to Yuri, and she has her own way off-world.     The teleporter pad of the SSC Stranger Than Fiction is now /covered in bodies/. Breathing ones, at least. But with the teleportation having been rushed for an emergency, safeties were overridden, making the transport a painful and tiring process. They may not even be /conscious/.     A woman with long, electric violet hair and a plain black dress is lifting Twilight and dragging her into the lab. If Twilight or anyone else manages a close look at the science lab, they'll notice one of the lab's human-size storage pods is open. So that's what was in there. This is actually a robot, of course, covered in synthetic skin and clothes for a more friendly appearance. She removes Twilight's saddlebags and deactivates and removes the vacsuit, then opens the healing vat and slides Twi in. It might not be a comfortable position for a quadruped, but once the cover closes the whole thing starts to fill with a sort of gel and medical nanomachines. Which might be disconcerting if she's still conscious, but they're able to keep her blood oxygenated so she doesn't need to breathe. They begin the work of removing the cyanogen gas and repairing the damage.     As soon as everyone is on board, S.A.I.L. begins preparing for the jump to FTL, and soon the ship is off, headed to some world with an orbital, ship-size warpgate. 

:'''{{#var:604|Raine Arland (604)}} has posed:'''      "Tch. So much for that." Raine grumbled, watching in the end as their opponents escaped. "Heh." A shrug followed that and then he casually shouldered his blade, waving over at Fragarach. "Show's over. We're out." And he says this despite the literally falling down around them thanks to Lezard's massive WIZARD TANTRUM.      Eh, everyone has a wizard tantrum once in a while. It's coolm it's cool.      That's how it worked, right?      Right.      Fragarach meanwhile rolled her eyes, again, and released the spell. "Stupid fool." She muttered under her breath before floating after the black clad man. The both of them made it into the Sorcerer's teleportation circle just barely, not once looking back at the aftermath of the carnage.      "...Say, we are getting paid for this still, right?"      "Why do you never find these things out before you run headfirst into them?"      "Effort."      One of them had a long sigh.      It was business as usual. 

:'''{{#var:451|Karian Icefang (451)}} has posed:'''     HK-47's plasma would strike home, burning into Karians face. Luckily for him, it would hit on the side that was already wounded and burned through the patch, showing the massive scar on his eye. But soon after he was safe on a ship. He knew not if his sole brother was alive or not, but he would find out later. He...would also have a few choice words for Staren later as well. 

}}

3334/Easier then the Kessel Run

2015-11-06T07:08:52Z

Darth Smith: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2015/11/05 |Location=Void - Empty Space |Synopsis=The smuggler Han Solo, performing a run for what ought to be easy credits, finds himself in a dub..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/11/05
|Location=Void - Empty Space
|Synopsis=The smuggler Han Solo, performing a run for what ought to be easy credits, finds himself in a dubious situation aboard an abandoned vessel. Here, the Corellian smuggler and his Wookiee companion quickly finds something in common with a Miraluka outcast, a space dragon, a synthetic construct and a living soul in an artificial shell - namely that they have all fallen into the targeting brackets of a cadre of homicidal assassin droids.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=7, 528, 673, 754, 814, 892
|Tinyplot=Storyline I - Forges of Hell
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      Usually, jobs such as this were relatively simple for most smugglers - trade-offs and delivery runs were, according to popular rumor, commonplace among them.     Of course, it was rarely, if ever, that easy. Between official law-enforcement, unofficial law-enforcement, people who thought themselves above law-enforcement and competitors or even colleagues that might want a piece of the action.      This tended to help them learn when deals were worth the risk though... or when something was on the verge of going really, really wrong.      In the middle of uncharted space, hidden in the mass shadow of a remote world's asteroid belt, A vessel running on silent for a smuggling drop-off wouldn't be one of these things. You'd tend to want to try and avoid patrols from whatever group would have it out for you or if the cargo you were carrying was not something they wanted across their borders.      But a vessel that was not just running on silent but devoid of life-signs was... more troubling to the average smuggler or observer. By all accounts it looked more like a derelict vessel as opposed to a meeting point. Phantom movements and signatures - maintenance droids or automated systems.     Those well-versed in the native universe may additionally recognize the vessel, at 155 meters from bow to stern, as a ship from the long-forgotten age of the Old Republic; the Foray-Class Corvette/Blockade Runner... begging the question of, from the perspective of an Imperial-Era inhabitant, where the owner dug this relic up from.     Granted, the docking arms - one on each side of the vessel - are still active, as was the open door to the cargo bay.     The bay itself is large enough to hold a ship the size Millennium Falcon and offer better protection then an exposed external docking clamp... at the cost of having to deal with the hanger doors closing shut on them once they land. On the other hand, the docking arm has an easier chance of a ship getting 'accidentally' detached while the crew is stranded on the ship, though also offers a better chance of a quick getaway then a sealable hangar bay.     Regardless of which option is taken, the ship seems unable to take more then three vessels at a time... and the oncoming approach will give those approaching ample time to think on the budding situation before them. 

:'''{{#var:814|Han Solo (814)}} has posed:'''     A relatively worried and subdued growl.     "Just relax. I know it's suspect. Everything we do is suspect."     Han Solo, Captain of the Millennium Falcon, is seated next to his blood brother and reputable Chewbacca the Wookiee. Chewbacca's huge paws are working the navigation at this particular juncture. Han's hands are on the controls of the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. There's a 'knowing' smirk on his features as the ship levels out from the hyperspace jump.     "Scan everything." Han glances over at his screens to make sure there's nothing weird going on in the sector. "I'm not in a 'surprise me' mood."     Chewbacca's response growl probably has more to do with Han never being in a 'surprise me' mood but he works those radar controls just the same. He doesn't feel like dealing with anything extra either.     The Millennium Falcon soars slowly towards the derelict ship. Han's piloting is smooth and cautious, even as he turns the Falcon around and backs it up into the cargo hold. It hesitates for a moment before the landing gear unfolds and the ship makes a graceful landing inside Blockade Runner. The moment the Falcon is securely inside Han starts flipping switches to power the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy down.     "Alright. We're gonna' go down here and take care some business." Han whirls around in his seat to speak to the passenger behind him. "Do me a favor and don't touch anything, huh?" Han smirks and nods towards his Wookiee. "Come on, Chewie. Let's get this over with."     The first thing Han does when he stands is make sure his blaster is appropriately holstered. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     "Business? Right, you did mention something about a stop on the way."     Behind Han was a middle-aged woman in fine white silks that looked more like a stray noble than anything else.     "Far be it from me to impede on your business. I have no desire to mess with your ship, Captain. That said, I do not fancy just sitting here. Just in case. After all, if something untoward happens, I would rather be with the big strong wookie to keep me safe than here by myself, right?" Her tone was entirely teasing despite her words seemingly making sense. "Besides... while it's always nice to have a Wookie around to smash open jammed doors, it is also quite nice to have a Miralukan along. After all, we can see quite a few things you cannot." She hardly looked the adventuresome type, had no visible blaster or for that matter anything visible about her besides her clothing and what amounted to an overly fancy-looking tool belt with no visible tools besides what might be in the pouches. "Of note... this ship is actually quite ancient. I am surprised it is not only here, but powered to a point. I suggest before we even head in, you work with me to make sure this cargo bay you parked your ship in cannot close. I am sure we can find a control panel somewhere or determine where the power is that runs to the cargo bay and disable such?" 

:'''{{#var:673|Rory White (673)}} has posed:'''     Space ripples and shudders. It's very similar to a ship dropping out of Hyperspace but not quite identical - although, only scientists would likely care about the details. What IS important is that another ship, about 60 percent the size of the blockade runner... ALSO drops out of hyperspace.     Its shape is similar, but it's stockier and broader. Far less manueverable, probably not as fast. And it doesn't appear to be heavily armed.     IFF comes alive on a variety of Multiversal frequencies. The sleek, steel-grey ship that's covered in sensory equipment and only lightly armored is COGNIZANT ODYSSEY, an Argonaut research vessel. Definitely not one that frequents these parts.     The problem is that it's far too large to enter the cargo/hangar bay... and an external docking just isn't likely to work.     "Strange... I thought I just detected a power signature. There wasn't one earlier." Rory White checks her scanners, voice coming from everywhere and nowhere aboard the Cognizant Odyssey. The science vessel's thrusters fire in carefully calculated fashion to swivel it around and bring it into a slightly higher orbit than the blockade runner.     The Blockade Runner is immediately subjected to a BARRAGE of scans across the entire spectrum, analytical AIs looking for signs of damage or activity...     "I don't recognize the model, but that's no surprise. Still... it is orbiting an asteroid in the middle of nowhere. It is powered down neatly. There's no signs of damage. No signals from the ship..."     Is there even a name painted on the damned thing? She's scanning for one.     "Perhaps the people aboard used an escape vessel to leave. Or it may be entirely automated and waiting for some event..."     She'd come expecting to find a drifting hunk of junk, perhaps half-functioning. Not this.     But in no time at all, one of the standard Synth morphs comes to live as it's Jammed by one of Rory's thought threads.     "Recommending we send some drones to start with or just leave, Kotone. This doesn't seem safe."     But of course, they're not going to leave. So Rory's teleporter comes alive - and several drones on wheels, the size of dogs and bearing many integrated arms beam aboard as well as the remote-operated Synth.     Coincidentally this puts her slew of drones not far from the Millenium Falcon.     The Synth is just a humanoid robot with no attempt at fitting in with society. Naked metal and exposed mechanics. And it's staring right at the Falcon. "Ooooh. I like that design. When did this arrive?" 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      The Falcon's cargo hold opens slowly, and the large grey dragon called Bahamut steps out. He rumbles as he stretches his arms and wings, rolls his neck, and flexes his tail. "I would have thought that a cargo vessel would have a bit more headroom." he says as he walks around the Falcon, his heavy footsteps probably alerting anyone..or anything..that they have boarders.      Why did the dragon come along? Simple. Because he is a protector, and things on his world were actually slow for once. And a cargo run into criminal space could be quite hazardous.      Okay, he was just a bit bored and the Falcon is a neat craft. The engineer inside him couldn't pass up the opportunity. It's why he doesn't mind doing this pro bono. He looks around the cargo bay as the others disembark, then blinks as some small drones appear. "It seems we have company." he rumbles, regarding Rory's robots with caution. 

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:''' Rory was not alone Kotone had come along but had left the Bluenose as it was in for upgrades and wouldn't be deployed for a while. she looks over the scanners as well as she takes an idea to look over the ship. "Humm if there's no one left alive onboard it's salvage right?" She seems pretty plesed about this at this point as she's about ready. She beams in with Rory a moment later but she's well come in person as she's not wanting to make use of her remoting ability after all they need someone onboard who can't be jammed into not functioning right? "Now there's a very sexy looking ship if I do say so myself." She seems to be a fan of the falcon as well. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     Once one actually enters it, interior of the ship is... just as eerie as the silent exterior paints it.     For starters... the ship is clean. Frighteningly clean - no grime, no overt damages, no rust, no water-marks left from where cargo has been left to sit for too long. It's all immaculate... far more so then a ship used for smuggling would likely have, considering how many valuable credits would have to be spent to have every surface practically bleached as this ship's has been instead of food or fuel.     Almost like there was a rather large mess that the owner didn't want anyone else knowing about - in the case of pirates or the like, probably the ship's previous tenants... though that is just as worrying as the scent of bleach is overpoweringly pungent. The signs of a recent clean-up job.... all of which doesn't explain the seeming absence of crew /now/.      In fact, the only presence are a small contingent of droids - maintenance units that scurry over to the Falcon like pests and start scanning or probing it's surface, seeming as though they are trying to conduct a standard 'complimentary restock' of the vessel... without actually restocking it through the normal standards such as attaching fuel lines. In fact, they seem more interested in poking it with their appendages and tools simply to see if they can figure out how it works - which may very easily earn the ire of it's two owners.     Foremost among thees droids are a pair of red-painted utility droids - shorter and smaller then Imperial-Era astromech droids with an angular pod for a torso and a small saucer for a head... which, by the Imperial calendar, have not been active in the galaxy for at least 4,000 years.     Just like this ship itself, the droids aboard are antiques of a forgotten time... yet they all look almost brand-new. The benefits of a mutiverse connecting to a period a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?     The cargo bay seems relatively utilitarian - no uneeded or unmoored cargo. There's a small catwalk with a terminal - the docking control and manual overrides for the hanger bay, most likely... though seeing as they are locked down, they will likely require some program-slicing or a manual circuit bypass to override. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     Moving ahead through the open doorway out of the hanger, the path ahead becomes rather straightforward... or rather, it's made this painfully clear by way of every other hallway off the 'beaten path' being locked down - and culminating in those present entering what seems to be a moderately-sized briefing room with a large chest on the table and roughly a dozen chairs around it.      One of which is occupied... by one of three presences in the chamber.      The individual - for lack of a better word - is clad in what seems to be a heavy cargo-suit with a full helmet. 'He' is tall - 5'9'' at least - and somewhat bulky due to the outlines lightly visible through the mesh. On either side are figures of similar stature - one of which wears armor that looks vaguely Mandalorian; or rather, like antique Mandalorian Neo-Crusader armor from the far-flung past, polished and bleached to a shine like everything else has been.     And if Jayale were to 'look' at them... she would disconcertingly find that they lacked any 'color' or 'aura' to them. In fact they may seem almost phantasmal to her 'sight' as they exist only in physical presence - the Force does not emanate from them at all. Even corpses aren't this dead to the Force.     Since all life is supposedly touched by the Force... this could only be possible if the things in the suits had never been alive to begin with.     The suited forms, after taking note of the new arrivals, gesture for those gathered to sit - or in Bahamut's case, take as close a position as possible. They seem to glance at each-other at the higher number of guests then expected - before the leader speaks in what sounds like a young human male's voice.     "Hey. I see you brought company. Expecting trouble... or were you just hoping to try and extort more payment?" The one in the chair - the 'leader' it seemed as he was the only one to speak - gestured to the sealed crate on the table, closer observation showing it had credit-chip insignias on it.     A bank-sized lockbox. Big enough to hold at least a million credits.      The 'leader's hand settles back down on the arm-chair - a bit disconcerting considering no other part of him as so much as twitched all throughout - and addresses Solo calmly with a cocky smuggler-worthy draw that his body-language does not reflect in the slightest, as though it were a tape-recording; "So... you gonna offload the goods? If you want, we can play a few rounds of Pazzak while we wait."      Yet again another sign of antiquity - pazzak was far, far outdated. Few people in the modern Imperial era probably even knew what it was anymore.     Of course, anyone with good hearing might note that the vents seem to have come active at this time... rather strangely. And rather silently, too.      ...      If there was ever a time to have a bad feeling about a situation, this was undoubtedly it. 

:'''{{#var:814|Han Solo (814)}} has posed:'''     Han Solo stands in the front of this rag tag group of misfits that have gathered in various ways to handle the exchanging of cargo. The Galaxy must like him or something because he didn't know he would be packing such a large group. He doesn't say anything for the longest moment as he just stares at the individual that's speaking to him about this entire exchange. It's always much easier to let potential enemies talk themselves into not paying attention to the fact that his hand is resting on the Heavy Blaster Pistol that's resting at his side.     Chewbacca's hands grip his Bowcaster. He growls.     Han holds out a hand to keep Chewbacca from doing too much of anything. He doesn't want to jump the gun, here. It has a lot to do with the lockbox that could possibly be holding the credits he's come to collect in the first place.     "Pazzak's not really my game." Han finally responds. "I'll take what you owe me. No more, no less." He tilts his head so that he can keep Jayale, Bahamut and the others that are on his 'side' in his peripheral vision. "We'll unload the goods after we load the payment. Not that I don't trust you but I don't trust you." Han keeps the smirk on his face and his hand grips his blaster a bit tighter. He's ready for the draw, that's for damn sure.     Han is hoping that this can go down without violence. He really is. But the way he's looking at The Leader is will probably let the others know that he has a bad feeling about this. At the very least, Chewbacca knows.     "Bahamut?" The dragon can handle loading up the lockbox, right? 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      Bahamut has had a bad feeling about this since they landed. When you are a guardian of an entire world for a few years it becomes part of the territory. Instincts and all that. But, when Han calls to him, Bahamut nods, then goes to serve the part of cargo unloader.      He is keeping an eye on the Leader and his two bodyguards. With is size and strength it wouldn't take long for him to unload the cargo containers into the larger ship. "What is Pazzak?" Bahamut asks as he works, trying to relieve some of the tension and possibly keep the suspicious characters off guard. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     Suffice it to say, Jayale has lived as a trader for a long time, and even before that she worked a function much the same. Dealing with others for most of her life, combined with being a Jedi whose training - like many others - allowed them the ability to sense the way things were going, such as emotions or how beings in general were feeling lead to her thinking strangely about the situation. Miraluka did not really see how others saw to begin with, and combine that with what else she was able to see, these beings - the ones in the Cargo suits - had her standing there with her arms crossed as she allowed Han to do his thing.     She was along for the ride, this was his business, her own business was a fair bit away. She had hired him, after all, to be a faster transport than her own ships might offer. But here she was with him, in a position that was rather unnerving to her. She was quite aware of the difference between living beings and technology, quite aware of how beings looked through the Force that were alive... and those that were manufactured. And these beings certainly were not normal, natural living beings. There was no thoughts, no feelings, no sentiments of ease or unease despite the voices. Their body language didn't match their voice, hell, even their movements didn't match their own bodies. At least not fully. But she hadn't actually said anything since they got here, and it was entirely possible that despite it all they /were/ legitimately trying to conduct business despite her unease with the situation. Which was why she reached into her cloak and pulled out a datapad, typing something onto it before offering it towards Han so he could see. On the datapad? It read rather simply, 'You seem tense enough that you know similarly to I, but they are at they very least not alive. Droids, or shells of some kind, but not alive. Either the droids on this ship are malfunctioning and self containing, or something is /very/ wrong. I suggest we skip the lockbox and leave with the cargo. I can find another buyer.' 

:'''{{#var:673|Rory White (673)}} has posed:'''     "No local wireless. What kind of backward engineering makes a FTL-capable ship without local wireless?" Rory's perplexed at a complete lack of anything that seems to be radio traffic between the droids that are scampering around the Falcon and the ship itself. So much for her hopes of getting any answers from the ship's computer with a guest user query or the like.     But Kotone's comment is answered with the equivalent of a shrug. "Perhaps. But as I said, it may be automated. This ship is very clean. It cannot have been in this state for very long. Machines cannot be this active without some kind of periodic mainten-- huh? We're not alone!"     With Bahamut looking her way, robo-Rory and all of her drones back up slightly.     "Pardon me. Are you the owners returned? I had thought this ship derelict?"     Of course Han Solo can just walk on without either of them. Rory sends an animated question mark to Kotone over local wireless and then tromps onwards...     Oh well. She just walks along, sure she'll find some answers deeper in the ship. Which she eventually does.     "Oh. This explains the incredible cleanliness. Are you the captain? I came to investigate whether an apparently derelict ship needed help. But none of my communications went through, so I came aboard to check directly." She doesn't know who Han Solo is or what they're doing here, but...     Rolan is warning her of a lot of bad signs.     << Kotone. I think we may have stumbled across something criminal. Retreat to the cargo hold and beam back to the odyssey. You're in danger and I want to move the Odyssey out of range of this ship's weapons.>> 

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:''' Kotone Yamakawa seems to have come across a business deal of somesort with Rory this was not expected tat all. <<One that is heavy duty on security prehaps? It would make keeping systems a lot more secure if you had to get to physical terminals to do anything. She ponders about that and she looks to Bahamuyt for a moment taking a look over Han walks past she does take a good look at him. <<It seems we walked into something from the lookc of it Rory, looks like a business deal of some sort we don't want to dirsupt it. You got a good point, I'm heading there now.>> 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      When Rory and Kotone first arrive aboard the vessel, some of the droids flocking the Falcon pause to acknowledge them - some of them even scuttle over to prod at their feet with their stubby appendages as if testing to ensure they are real, or figure out what they are.     It might actually be called cute in some form of the word, were it not for the fact that the rest of the disconcertingly-clean ship was utterly devoid of any other activity.     As Han turns down the offer for Pazzak, the trio seem to glance at each-other wordlessly, the 'Leader' tilting his head quizzically. "Really? I figured most smugglers loved Pazzak - or taking chances and risks in general. After all, what other reason would anything have to make such insane choices?"     The draw is still there... but the way he speaks is more structured - more ridged. Though what seems like cold amusement - perhaps even eagerness - starts leaking through the voice when Han remarks he doesn't trust them. "That /is/ the common practice, isn't it? I know very few... others, that ever trust each-other fully. Either that or the opposite extreme where you meet ones that are too trusting."      The one in Mandalorian armor seems to take note of Jayale proffering her data pad to Han, as though suspicious of something. And curiously enough, they all seem to take special note when glancing at Bahamut... as though they know what he's capable of even though this /should/ be a first meeting.      Another hint is that the credit box is surprisingly light - so much so that if Bahamut tries to heft it up too hard or quickly, he might stumble from how much lighter it is then it should be.     And then... at this point, those of keen ears will notice something is quite obviously wrong with the vents... namely that, after having been active for only a few minutes, they seem to be malfunctioning as wisps of something start leaking out of the grates.     When Rory asks the 'Leader' if he is captan, he seems to take special note of that, body straightening up a bit more as if having won an award. "You're very perceptive. Yes, I suppose 'captain' would be the best term for me. Though I daresay I will not be needing help, per-se."     Now a hissing noise becomes gradually more audible as the vents start forcing atmosphere into the room far harder then they should... but those with the senses to perceive it learn rather quickly it isn't /air/.     Bahamut may recognize it as well... seeing as he'd seen it in action rather recently.      Cyanogen gas. A toxic cyanide that killed through both skin-absorption and inhalation. Getting immersed would cause the lungs to seize up and the body to go into shock, causing death by painful seizure in minutes. Breathing in enough would be fatal - though one could live long enough to treat it with an anti-toxin injection.     It also burned horrifically hot when ignited - 8,177 degrees... so if someone was crazy enough to /shoot/ it while it was still only just now leaving the vents...      "Now... I do believe you asked to receive what you were 'owed?'" the 'Leader' remarks... though his tone sounds disturbingly more murderous. "I shall be all too happy to provide... and while it was merely a cover to lure you out, I must say I do appreciate you delivering the ores to me in such a timely fashion."      At this point, the voice loses all humane qualities and becomes a grating, almost malicious-sounding metallic tone that is clearly not that of an organic. "Placation - As a token of my appreciation, I may even spare your life" - for a few more days, though he dent volunteer this - "As a smuggler, your words will be a valuable commodity in locating other unaffiliated... and bringing them into line. The rest of you, however... "      The next instant, the two forms start reaching under the table - if they get the chance to complete this action, they'll pull out very lethal disruptor rifles; if there was any proof this was danger, it would be those flesh-disintegrating weapons. 

:'''{{#var:814|Han Solo (814)}} has posed:'''     "I hate droids."     That is both in response to what he's read on the datapad and also what he's hearing from the Leader that's sounding more and more like itself. What happens next is probably what happens more often than not when he's dealing with stuff that kind of wants to kill him.     Han doesn't even need to see the things go for the underside of the table. He's assessed the situation. He's been in one like this at least a dozen times before. He knows whatever kind of weapon is probably under the table and that's probably why the damn thing kept sitting. So by the time the droids are reaching for their rifles beneath the table, he's drawn his DL-44 and firing a shot at the head of one of those things. Chewbacca has raised the Bowcaster up and fired a shot at the opposite one. Both shots are sent in a simultaneous manner because that's how blood brothers roll.     Both Han and Chewie are also on the move as they fire those shots because they are not trying to stand still and get shot in the unlikelihood that they miss. This movement, though, allows Han to see that there's stuff that's coming out of the vents. "Chewie! The vents!"     Chewbacca inquisitively roars!     "Figure it out!" Han's looking at the rest of his makeshift crew (and the tagalongs, as well!), "Run!"     As if they didn't know that already. 

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:''' Kotone Yamakawa gets poked more than a little bit she looks embassed but the thing it not making a hostile action at least yet. She is however starting to back off at this point and making for the cargo bay she doesn't want to leave Jayle and Han there but she knows she'll be more help ona s hip if this does go bad. It may not but she doesn't want to end up running foul of things. Then the voice is shifting oh ya, Rory was right it was a trap all right. Rory's warning is heeded as she switches to itnernal oxygen she doesn't have klong but wit will help for her. She does howev er draw her blaster and opens fire, just trying to keep the ones who set everyone up's head down a bit as she makes for the cargo bay to beam out. <<Rory we might want to offer them a way out Screw it I'm telling them. She calls out to Han, Jayale and Bahmut. "I got a way out if you people wnat it keep with me!" She doesn't stop moving or shooting and oddly doesn't seem to be sucking down the gas? Though if someone were to scan her it be clear why she might be a droid her self, though someone with the force could tell there is life in that shell, something stubbonly clinging to this world cased in sythetics. 

:'''{{#var:673|Rory White (673)}} has posed:'''     Rory, little more than a 'droid' in this current state herself, and REMOTE CONTROLLED at that, has no fear for herself when weapons start coming out or gas is pumped into the room. But her sensors pick up the change immediately. "I see. It's a trap for someone else!" It's kind of eerie how clearly she states the obvious. "It's a small Multiverse sometimes. Hk-47? Or one of others?"     All of Rory's remote-operated drones arrange themselves in a defensive phalanx to cover Kotone, although if the others get to retreating they'll also be mobile cover for them too.     But as the biggest, her remote Synth is likely to take the most fire if anything crazy happens.     And well, crazy IS happening. There's already blaster bolts flying. the synth grabs one of the dog-sized drones and hoists it up like a shield to provide better cover!     Her priorities are ensuring Kotone and the other fleshies off the ship and FAST! 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     Being at one with the Force was generally a good thing when it came to knowing things were about to go wrong. Especially when the situation was already this awkward. However, the culmination of things that were going on, combined with the fact that when she saw one of them reach and finally thought to look, Jayale found herself cursing her own naivety in not actually looking the place over better to begin with. She could literally straight through the table, she just hadn't even /looked/ at it. Instead she was so focused on the others there that it hadn't run through her mind.     It was a reflexive motion, but just as she started to put the datapad back to where it went, and they started to reach for the weapons, Jayales hands came forward and with a single motion she grabbed for the table through the force and attempted to upturn the table so the guns were on /her/ side and instead all the things in the cargo suits could grab at was the top of the table from their angle.     At the urge to run she didn't quite turn yet, instead attempting to use the surface of the table to try and battering ram those in the suits aside and back before turning to do just that. The vents though? Jayale began to look around at the surrounding area only to let out a soft sound and say, "I will go to make sure the cargo bays don't close on us, I'll meet you at the ship!" She wasn't the /fastest/, but when you count in her attempt to buy them time by battering the others out of the way, perhaps she'd be able to make it to the catwalk in time that lead towards the controls among other things. Though that did beg the question - was the cargo bay even still open? If it was, at that point it might be much simpler to just try and find the power source that lead to the bay and cut it. 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      Bahamut pauses as he hears the voice of the leader changing, then he looks at the vents before growling. "It is definitely HK-47." he says as Han and Chewie start shooting. "That looks like the poison gas from yesterday! Do not get near it!" Bahamut calls out, then looks over at Kotone. "They will be fairly safe inside the ship, but you and your friends should get out of here!"      Bahamut grins as Jayale flips the table and bashes the badguys with it. With them distracted, he quickly slides the cargo containers back into the Falcon. No sense in losing their cargo! That done, he steps out to cover Han and Chewbacca. He does this by throwing spells at the droids who are still standing. With a wave of his hand, he conjures that devastating spell known as Flare. A powerful explosion of pure energy surrounds the Leader, supersaturating the matter it hits until it explodes.      Hopefully this won't ignite anything. Bahamut isn't one for studying or researching. Even if the information about the gas is available, he is unlikely to know it. "Get in the ship!" 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     The droids thought they had the advantage in using the gas and their disguises - they believed they would have had the element of surprise.     They didn't anticipate the Miraluka, and they didn't anticipate the smugglers to be so quick on the draw, the droids having only just grasped their weapons while leaning down when the shots impact against their skulls.      The one with the pilot's jumpsuit goes ridged and recoils with a metallic shriek as Han's shot melts part of it's plastoid helm to it's head, the superheated material searing out one of it's optics as it staggers back instead of focusing on it's targets - a flaw of it's programing in the eyes of it's progenitor unit, the 'Leader' glancing at it in disappointed scorn and disgust as it wails; "Agonized Exclamation - Aaaahhhh! My photoreceptors! My photoreceptors!!"     The one wearing the antique Mandalorian armor has the helmet scorched as the powerful bowcaster shot splits the shell of the helm open... revealing the angular and menacing silver-grey head of what is clearly a combat droid, yellow photoreceptors glowing menacingly even through the black scorch-mark now burned on it's faceplate.     Jayale, if she has studied it, may recognize the contours as matching the HK-series assassin droid prevalent in the Jedi Civil War and the Galactic Cold War millennia ago. Bahamut, Kotone and Rory will all recognize it as sharing the shape of a certain rust-red assassin droid they all have met before.     The droid's poor decision to real back from the shots compounds their failing as Jayale flips the table, blocking them from getting their guns - and smacking the half-blinded droid, now in the process of bending forward to try and wrench it's melted helmet off, square in the head and knocking it to the ground.     The 'Leader' in turn... actually takes the time to glance at Rory White's addressing of them as it rather calmly stands up when the table is lifted and quickly maneuver out of the way.     The brief acknowledgement is all but confirmation that the leader among them is the elder assassin unit; "Musing - I suppose it is at that... though I personally consider it something of a shame that you will soon be deactivated. Reassurance - But you need not worry; I shall endeavor to convert your remains into a potent new unit, if only because of how wasteful it would be to let your components go to waste."     The droid raises his arm - and is quickly enveloped in explosive energy of Bahamut that encircles him and burns away his disguise... only to reveal a portable shield-barrier deployed, the form knelt down behind it trailing smoke and steam from it's heated metal body, clothes little more then burnt rags around a rust-red form that was now glaring at them with undisguised malice.      Outside the room, things get worse. The cargo-bay doors begin closing shut to trap the falcon... and the previously-sealed hallways open to reveal four more HK-51 units, all of which pull lethal disruptor rifles and quickly become embroiled in a hallway gunfight as Kotone and Rory's probes begin trading shots with them. And that gas is still pouring - only now, vents all over the ship are starting to come online, though they're not pumping the poison yet like in the briefing room.     That will probably change in a few minutes.     Disruptor shots are devastating to electronics as much as they are to organics and lethally accurate enough to avoid accidentally igniting the gas - one of the reasons why the HK's love them so much - but the number of probes Rory has deployed makes downing them difficult as the rifle's major drawback is a slow firing speed. The probe's cover thus lets Kotone shoot the disruptor rifle of one droid, sending the HK-51 flying several feet backwards as it's weapon detonates in it's grip and blows off three fingers from it's left hand.     Angry droids in front... and angrier droids giving chase from the brief. All in all, likely your typical 'impossible odds' for the average smuggler. 

:'''{{#var:814|Han Solo (814)}} has posed:'''     Chewbacca hurls something into the nearest vent as he takes off running after Han and the others. He's big and hairy so his running isn't the fastest but he's not wanting to stick around around what he's just thrown. He roars at the back of Han's head as he brings up the rear.     "You did /what/?" Han stops to turn around and look at Chewbacca. Chewie lowers his head as Han runs up to him. He raises a finger for ultimate chastising but shots from droids in either direction cause ducking. The two smugglers fire off shots at the droids before returning to their previous positions of Chastiser and Chastisee. "Get to the Falcon. I'll get the doors."     The Smugglers are back in the race for freedom and not getting shot up by droids. Chewbacca's run and gunning is probably going to assist with taking out some of the droids in front. His Bowcaster is in Auto-Fire mode so he's definitely intending to mow them down. The roar that comes forth as he attempts to blast a path to the Falcon is definitely one of anger. Han? He's shooting every panel he can find on the way up that might keep those cargo bay doors open long enough for the collective to get on the damn ship!     By the way, there's a hole in the vent that Chewbacca threw a little something. Wookiee strength allows for such things to happen. Just uh, what did he throw in the vents exactly? Nothing too special. Nothing too dangerous.     ... just a Thermal Detonator. 

:'''{{#var:673|Rory White (673)}} has posed:'''     "Making assumptions that you can deactivate me--" Rory's 'robo-skeletal' remote scowls as she tosses away another drone and grabs a new shield, the last blasted through by several disruptor and blaster shots, "At this point is very immature. I am not terribly attached to this Synth model. They're easy to produce... easy to deploy... easy to modify... and..."     ROBO KICK! Rory sends her downed drown across the room towards one of the HK-51's with a display of prodigious robot strength! There's at least one mighty crunch noise fromt his effort, but there might be two.     Rory's drones are only lightly armed and not terribly armored, but they have one advantage. Their weapons are ordinary lasers. Which travel at the speed of light and thus, at this range, can't really be dodged. The onboard AI targets lasers at the HK-model optics!     On the other hand, each of the half-dozen drones she's brought goes down with only a few concentrated shots. Seems they were really mostly maintenace drones or scouts.     "Easy to remote control." 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      Bahamut just grins as he sees those malice-filled optics. "Perhaps you chose the wrong occupation, droid." he says loudly enough that HK can hear him. Of course, he's a droid, so Bahamut probably could have whispered. He is surprised as the room starts to fill with droids and...he doesn't seem to be targeted. The dragon isn't going to look the gift horse in the mouth, though. With HK-47 hunkered down for the moment, Bahamut focuses on the droids trying to make their way into the cargo area. He crouches a bit, then growls and shudders slightly as energy arcs over his body. That energy flows up to his shoulders, then forms into three large orbs of blue-white energy. Bahamut roars as he launches them toward the open doorways. When they impact, the orbs explode much like the Flare, but not as powerfully and with the added effect of possibly turning those it hits to stone. He is hoping Jayale can stop those closing doors. It might get bad in here if she can't. 

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:''' Kotone Yamakawa sees the design and has her ideas. She is backing off as she's making for the cargo bay she sees the door closing and this world has no wireless so she can't remote in she's going to need to find a jack in point. Or there may not be much time she's doing her best to avoid them. She's almost at the point she can beam out but the others need to get off here. "I'll cover you then!" She calls out to Han, she's using a blaster pistol that if noticed dates back to the clone wars. She's however shooting bolt adfter bot she can. She's backing out now and is about at the point she can be beamed out but Han's trying to get out with his ship and she fully understand that hence the covering fire! <<I'm in the caro are giving the ship captain cover fire as he attempts to get the doors.>> She will also dish out cover fire where she can for anyone else. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     Jayale meanwhile had started to try and make her way towards the door controls only to realize that a certain smuggler was taking a more direct route. So, she focused instead on running and trying to avoid the droids shooting at them. She was hardly the most fit, however, and as a result without her lightsabers drawn she had a blaster shot pass along her leg and graze her, causing her to cry out softly and hobble forward a moment. She wasn't going to be able to just make it by running. She had to do something a bit more... direct.     Primarily she actually had to make it to the ship, at which point she might be able to act. It's why she falls to the ground as she was shot, making it seem like she was hit worse than she was in the hopes that the droids take the opportunity to shoot at the more heavily armed and seemingly dangerous types than the wounded middle-aged woman laying on the ground. And hopefully at the same time they wouldn't notice her hands move a bit, a three-set of lightsaber handles coming from beneath her cloak and spreading out, one each shooting towards the nearest droids along the floor unignited. It wasn't until the last moment when they got close enough, practically already touching the droids, that they ignited and swung up in an attempt to destroy them before deactivating and returning to where she was.     All the while Jayale waited just a moment for the fire to hopefully get redirected so she can head back towards the ship. "Just get to the ship, if you can stop the doors I should be able to force them open! Since I doubt we have time to use the terminals or slice anything!" though she reached out towards Chewie with the force, trying to nudge him with the notion of helping her along, since he was probably a lot more fit to grab her and help her move faster than she was on her own. It would simply be an idea, a 'Hey, I should help the injured woman', though it's entirely possible he might instead choose to just look out for himself. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     HK-47's body is crafted from Mandalorian Iron; one of the strongest metals in the known galaxy, tough enough to withstand lightsaber strikes. Reinforced by a cortosis weave, the droid is capable of enduring immense punishment before he goes down.      ... on the other hand, his duplicate generations, the HK-51s, being made primarily out of durasteel... are far less durable. Especially against a weapon as potent as a wookiee bowcaster, which is already stronger then the average blaster rifle.     This is evidenced as one of the HK-51's, stupidly trying to stand firm against a charging wookiee, is perforated by the shots as the enraged Chewbacca pelts it and cores gaps in it's armor, the droid being pushed back by the force of each shot - until one round goes clean through it's left photoreceptor and cores it's processor. After that, the droid twitches a single moment before collapsing to the ground in a deactivated heap.     Another HK, seeing his comrade be shot down, knows to try and avoid the wookiee's shots, though it's shoulder is clipped. Shots from Solo force the droid to recalculate cover - until it belatedly realizes the smuggler is shooting the panels covering the power conduits to the hangar bay's door mechanisms, causing them to start slowing down instead of closing fast. As a result, this HK unit proceeds to aim it's arm and activate it's carbonite-launcher, spewing a stream of supercooled resin at the smuggler to try and immobilize him.     Likewise, the HK-51's are rarely used to seeing other droids willing to make such 'sacrifices' as to cast aside their subordinate units, one of the droids being knocked to the ground as Rory punt-kicks a drone into it, smashing it's rifle and severely denting it's torso. It only just tries to get up before it's photoreceptors are drilled into by the drone's lasers, the assassin unit screaming in agony while the rest of it is being systemically torn apart by the probes.     The other HK's react accordingly, activating portable shield-units to deflect further blaster shots as they work to pick off the drones... though it's worth noting that personal shielding cannot defect melee attacks. They are forced back further by Bahamut's shots, which turns the rifle and left arm of one droid to stone, which promptly breaks when a lightsaber seemingly ignites out of nowhere and slices through the limb and puts a deep gash through the torso.     The two remaining HK-51's, striding after their targets with HK-47, start changing tactics by lobbing adhesive-glue grenades, trying to cement the fleeing organics in a spray of blue-white gunk. One proceeds to begin trading shots with Kotone as pure-white disruptor bolts are traded against the blue-white of the DC-17 pistol, taking hits across it's form and gaining scorches over it's torso and limbs.     HK-47 himself proceeds to target Bahamut as his arm slides open to expose his multi-spectral energy emitter; a weapon that utilized the same plasma-energy as lightsaber blades, creating a projectile that could punch through starship hulls.     With any luck, dragon scales wouldn't fare any better... especially since the assassin droid is shooting at Bahamut's back.     The other droid, however, following it's ingrained assassination protocols... approaches the downed body of the miraluka, apparently not trusting her to be dead... of course, it doesn't make the smart move of just shooting her corpse at a distance, not noting the lightsaber hilt until it nearly steps on it - and ignites, chopping off it's feet and sending it crashing to the ground. The resulting shriek from the droid is what alerts the others of the lightsabers, though the fact that two of the three blades struck their targets makes it little consolation. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     It is as all this chaos is taking place however... that the detonator punched into the vents makes it's presence known, exploding with the force of a bombshell and blowing open a hole in the wall - a massive ragged gap that actually tears open a new entrance into an adjoining hallway.     And when it does... the ship is suddenly punctuated by a new sound - the shrill warble of alarms going off as the ventilation systems are /flooded/ by gouts of flame shooting out of the vents, the masses of cyanogen gas within them igniting and lighting many of the walls up with brilliant jets of fire.     Grates in the wall either melt, burst open or simply spit out fire as the ship's vents and their accompanying filters are burned away. The scents of antiseptic bleach and the growing stench of cyanide fumes are all burnt out and replaced with the reek of charred, melted steel and plastics, environmental control systems burning out across the deck as the vents on this section of the ship are purged by a flood of searing fire.      Granted, so long as one stays away from the walls, they ought to avoid being hit by the flames - and if they have the precognitive senses, reflexes or even pure luck needed to do so, they can likely evade the fire even if they are somewhat close to the walls. The HK units in turn are forced to pull back farther from their prey as flame blows out of the vents in the walls. The hoard of maintenance droids in the hangers are running about in a blind panic trying to fix the burning vents.     Soon enough the flash-fire will die out as the cyanogen in the air is burned off... though the thick clouds of smoke left by the immolated remains of the ventilation system for this deck. Small geysers of sparks flow from some of the ruptured wall-panels like fireworks as a result of any internal systems that were burnt out when the vents melted and spilled their fire into adjoining systems.     As a result, power flickers across the deck, the lights blinking in and out... and as a result, the hangar bay doors almost grind to a halt as the power fueling them sputters even more then it already was.      Overall... certainly what one would call the product of a 'spark of ingenuity,' all things considered. 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      The sound of that heavy plasma shot impacting Bahamut's thick hide is likely deafening in this confined area. The dragon roars in pain from the attack and is sent flying through the air as his heavily armored hide disperses the energy somewhat. There is a heavy dent in the plates along his back, and at the apex of the dent is a hole that is bleeding steadily.      This could be bad, because it is about that time that the walls seem to burst into flame. Near-solar flame. Bahamut's wings fan out to try and arrest his flight, and since he is flying forward it is pretty effective. He manages to stop just before actually crashing into a flaming vent, but he is still seared by the flames. He leaps back quickly before growling. "Quite a sore loser, aren't you?" he says to HK-47, then raises a claw. Electricity sparks over it, then the air around 47 charges before a veritable storm of lightning bursts to life around him, all the bolts flowing right into him. On Bahamut's world, electricity such as this is very dangerous to robotic creatures. 

:'''{{#var:814|Han Solo (814)}} has posed:'''     With everything that is happening it is time for the Han and Chewbacca Show to get out of here. This is what they are good at. Getting the hell out of dodge. Escaping is the primary concern.     "Bahamut!" Han yells to make sure that the space dragon is keeping up or ready to get on the ship or whatever. It's one of those warning yells that fades because Han is dropping and sliding beneath carbonite blasts that make him do a double take. From his kneeling position he goes for the epic headshot to make short work of the offensive droid.     Chewbacca does a spin move that woud be epic on a football field if it existed in space. As he does, though, the Bowcaster is switched to one hand and Jayale is grabbed and hoisted up with the other. Wookiee strength is a blessing or something because he can just run, gun and carry all at the same time. Big hairy feet hit the Falcon's ramp with Jayale in tow. Moments later, the ship starts purring.     Han's back to his feet and running up the ramp, as well. "I'm goin' back to workin' for Hutts." And he too is headed for the cockpit so that they can get the Falcon airborne. Engines are burning hot and that ramp is being lifted. The cargo doors on this thing are still open enough for Bahamut to get back into the hold!     "Buckle up!" Han tosses to Jayale before taking his seat in the Captain's chair. "Chewie. Soon as we're clear? Punch it."     Chewie's growling reply sounds a lot like you ain't got to tell me twice. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     As soon as Jayale is picked up she pats the Wookie and mumbles out in a /very/ broken accented Shryiwook 'Thanks'. It was broken, but she was fluent enough from trading purposes to approximate a few words and tones. The lightsaber handles flew back towards her and locked back into the hidden spot under her cloak where they were, and once onboard the ship she asked to be put down. Probably already was being put down. "I'll... I'll try to get the doors open wider."     Just how she was going to do that remained to be seen, though she stayed where she was near the ramp and concentrated. Still, feeling out with the force, which was harder to do with the fighting going on and the wound to her leg. Though ultimately what she was attempting to do was reach out and push the cargo bay doors back into the spaces they came from. Certainly a task, but hopefully made easier by the fact the power to them had stopped thanks to the thermal detonator. She wasn't going to be fighting hydrolics or whatever was operating the doors, ideally, simply a matter of applying the Force to move them.     To anyone else watching, though - should she succeed? The cargo bay doors would begin to retract with nothing touching them. Honestly it may even look like they did it on their own. 

:'''{{#var:673|Rory White (673)}} has posed:'''     Shields that fend off particles are sufficient to deter Rory's lasers completely. They're great at small things, but shield penetrating? They're not. Once the AI running Rory's drones deduces that... well..     By that time, she's down to just two of the dog-sized wheeled things left.     And they've switched weapon arms. Now miniature railguns firing tiny metal pieces - Shredders - open fire on the Hunter Killers!     But Rory herself - or rather, the Synth that could be identified her - is too close to one of the vents when the FIRE happens. A huge gout of plame ensnares her, the explosive force hurling the drone body into the opposing wall hard enough to dent it and knock her completely off her feet. She yells in surprise, but not pain!     It doesn't stop the drones though. They're still firing.     After a bit though, the Synth just STOPS dead in the hallway. There's no point trying to recover it.     The Odyssey's teleporter powers up and attempts to retrieve Kotone! 

:'''{{#var:7|Kotone Yamakawa (7)}} has posed:''' Kotone Yamakawa is just not wnting to leave people behind, she really does want to help but even as she's locked in a fire fight and going for cover she feels something strange it's the pull of a transporter locking on ot her. Rory is more than successful in beaming Kotone out, who gives a very loud shout of shock as she vanishes in a pillar of light. It's a godo thing too she'd have been heit dead on by the shots from one of HK's droids had she not been beamed out. On the ship a very confused Kotone falls flat on her face on the teleporter platform. "Gurk?!" Is her refined and elaborate response. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      One of the advantages of HK-47's design was that he had been built by Sith Lord. As such, he had been designed to engage Force-users - both Jedi... and Sith.     One of the favored tricks of the Sith was the ability to project lightning. This, coupled with the natural weakness of droids to electricity, was something his Master had reinforced his design for.      As the lighting arcs across the droid's frame... it seems to become /absorbed/ into it's amor and dispersed by the capacitor armor, the energy converted into power for the droid's own core.     Obviously an effective upgrade... though far from perfect.     As with all dispersal units, there was a limit to how much it could safely absorb. As a result, while the electrical strike is not fatal to HK, he does still emit steam from his armored shell being heated and scorched by the attack. His photoreceptors glow harshly from the charge of fury working through his circuits, due to the fact that the attack - while not able to kill him - had debilitated him enough for the draconic creature to have a chance to pull back to the smuggler's ship.     Meanwhile, the battle is faring far, far worse for the HK-51's.     The droid assaulting Han Solo is stunned by the smuggler's maneuverability as he ducks beneath the stream of carbonate - which in turn causes the droid to lose track of it's target... too late to see the blaster-bolt before it punches straight through the right photoreceptor into it's head-casing and smelts it's electronic brain into pure slag, the droid convulsing with the death of it's higher processor functions before collapsing into a heap.      Meanwhile, the hangar bay doors, having lost all but the barest power, no longer possesses the hydraulic pressure to assert itself against the invisible pull of the Force as Jayale's efforts begin pulling the bay doors back open again, the gap slowly widening to the point that the Millennium Falcon can slide back out of the vessel's hangar.      In the hall, a crippled HK-51 - it's arm missing with the remaining stub partly turned to stone at the end and a deep gash across it's torso unit from a lightsaber stroke - tries to lob a grenade at the fleeing targets, only for it it feel the impacts of shredder rounds pelting it's frame.     Frame that, while normally impenetrable to such shots, is far more effective against armor that has already been breached by way of the gaping slash in it's front, the shells tearing through the weakened armor and coring it's vital systems as the droid slumps against the wall, optics flickering as it's power begins failing... and ultimately ruptures in an explosive burst that blows out part of the torso, leaving little doubt the machine has expired.     Meanwhile, the HK-51on the floor, left without it's feet due to Jayale and rifle-less due to Kotone having earlier shot it's weapon apart, tries to aim it's own multi-spectral energy emitter at the Millennium Falcon in an attempt to shoot a bolt of plasma into the engine-vent and cripple it - only to be set upon by the remaining drones, turning in a half-panic to fire upon them instead to down one while the other occupies it, ending the threat it poses to the smuggler vessel.     The final droid, deadlocked in it's gunfight with Kotone, proceeds to take several more grazes across it's metallic frame - including one that severely charrs it's left arm and damages it's rifle - before it's target teleports out of it's sights. In turn, the droid only stares at the empty space for a moment before attempting to contribute to an attempt to stop the ship from taking off, pulling free a thermal detonator and lobbing it at the Millennium Falcon.     As the doors open enough for the Falcon to fly out... the ship itself seems to be powering up rather rapidly.     At this point, evacuating before the forward-mounted cannons on the vessel come online would likely be a very prudent measure. 

:'''{{#var:528|Bahamut (528)}} has posed:'''      The yell from Han is all Bahamut needs. Having temporarily disabled HK-47, he makes his way into the cargo hold even as the Falcon starts to rise into the air. He closes the Falcon's cargo doors quickly, then yells. "Go go go!" Then, he holds on tight. Just riding back here when Han was flying steady was difficult. He couldn't imagine what might happen if Han is using evasive or other high speed maneuvers.      Not to mention the cargo containers that are loos thanks to being unloaded and reloaded quickly. But, Bahamut can do little but watch out the cargo window as Han and Chewie fly the ship. He is grinning, hoping that HK-47 can see him as they make their escape. 

:'''{{#var:892|Jayale (892)}} has posed:'''     The doors begin to open and Jayale lets out a tired breath before saying softly to those in the cockpit, "There... we should be free to leave. But do not dally, this ship... is ancient, and while it is not quite as capable as something newer, it probably has more than enough capacity to tear us out of space." It may be implied that he knew it, but there was no harm in saying it, especially as she pulled herself into a seat and worked to restrain herself as she tried to catch her breath.     Despite how capable she was of using the Force... she was both injured, had been trying to run, and was easily exhausted even in such a short time. "I'm getting too old for this poodoo." 

:'''{{#var:814|Han Solo (814)}} has posed:'''     The Millennium Falcon takes off with Han at the controls like he's never been at the controls before. He's got a ship full of new allies, a cargo hold full of stuff he 'acquired' and now has to try and get rid of. And he's apparently probably about to be hunted down by killer droids. Of all things. Droids.     The moment the Falcon clears the space between the hangar doors and twists to get upright again, the hum of the hyperdrive seems to be in working order.     "Droids. Why did it have to be droids?"     Handiana Solo punches it and the Millennium Falcon is pulled into the vast reaches of HYPERSPACE! 

:'''{{#var:673|Rory White (673)}} has posed:'''     The moment Kotone's aboard the Cognizant Odyssey's dormant engines hit MAXIMUM POWER. G-forces might put her against a wall but that's unlikely to be a problem for her.     Rory just has decided to BOLT, leaving the wreckge of her drones and her spare Synth aboard HK-47's vessel. It's completely motionless and empty, even purged of its operating software.     Just to spite HK-47.     The Cognizant Odyssey's engines soon spool up. If nothing moves to stop it... it'll enter its own FTL boost soon 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     By the time HK-47 manages to reach the fleeing vessel himself, it is already too late. The Millennium Falcon has already taken flight and the HK's vessel cannot power up it's main systems fast enough to try and give chase. Especially not since he vessel is superior in advancement and speed as the Falcon shifted out of the way of the last HK-51's thermal detonator in a way that even the average survival-inept meatbags would consider suicidal, practically corkscrewed out of the hanger bay and tore out into open space.     In turn, all the droid can do himself is glare at the vessel, optics pulsing furiously enough that they would have burnt holes through the fleeing freighter if it were possible to do so.     Outside, the ship itself comes alive as priority is diverted to activating weapons over propulsion, the small-scale point-defense guns coming online and firing after the fleeing ship. However, lacking a dedicated crew, the automated targeting systems prove unable to keep pace with the mix of talent and skill demonstrated by the pilots of the Falcon, sidewinding through the shots with the grace of a dancer and the ferocity of a rancor. In turn, the opposing vessel - Rory White's Congnizant Odyssey - is assaulted by the weapons on the opposing side of the corvette, but it's larger size ensures that it will at least be able to defend against it.     By the time the ship aimed one of it's primary guns and begun firing at the fleeing target... a flicker of presumption signals the Millennium Falcon's escape into hyperspace, the green bolts of the Foray-Class Blockade-Runner's cannons arching through the empty space where the freighter had once been and missing by mere /seconds/. Likewise, the Cognizant Odyssey's engines, in full working order as opposed to the engines of HK's own ship - still activating - leaves them unable to even try and chase the departing ship.      In short... it was nothing short of a disaster.      Staring out into space with an intensity that could have lit even the vacuum, HK-47 ponders the odds that the dragon he'd encountered so recently would be here of all places. As well as the synthetic he'd faced when hunting John-117.      Another surprise had been when the smuggler had brought a miraluka with him - an eyeless breed of meatbag HK-47 knew from his experiences with Visas Marr. One who, if the droid was not mistaken, must have been very proficient with the Force - that briefing table did not simply spring up on it's own.     There was also the humanoid-synthetic he had encountered before on Nar Shaddaa - Kotone Yamakawa.     Then there was, of course, the smuggler and the wookiee companion.     Han Solo - a Corellian if HK was not mistaken - was purportedly one of the best from his universe... and after witnessing the way the meatbag had managed to fly that ship even with the limitations of his fleshy processor, the droid could comprehend why. Not since Carth Onasi or Atton Rand had the machine witnessed a meatbag skilled with flying... and this one quite possibly outstripped both of the Ebon Hawk's former pilots. Add to that his wookiee companion Chewbacca - who had to be just as resourceful to have enacted that rapid-burnoff of the cyanogen gas - and it was no wonder Solo had such repute.      ...      It seemed the Multiverse had ensured more names were branded onto his list of enemies he would enjoy hunting again.     Turning on his metal heals, HK-47 walks down the corridors to the vessel's bridge, resolving to have the ship returned for repairs - it was still serviceable after all. At his side, the remaining HK-51 - the only one still standing - followed him out-      "Re..qu... est: H... help. I... need-" *BAM!*      - /After/ the elder droid, taking note of the last HK-51 writhing on the ground near Rory White's discarded frame, puts a stake-dart through his crippled subordinate-droid's skill out of disgust for the lesser unit's groveling.     After all... If they couldn't even terminate with dignity, they didn't deserve to function at all. 

}}

Part 3 - Summoning (Archer)

2015-09-09T06:23:13Z

Darth Smith: Created page with "{{Cutscene Header |Date of Scene=2015/08/28 |Location= |Synopsis=The fated moment is at hand - Tohsaka Rin stands poised on the threshold, ready to rekindle the power of a Her..."

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2015/08/28
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|Synopsis=The fated moment is at hand - Tohsaka Rin stands poised on the threshold, ready to rekindle the power of a Heroic Spirit. And in doing so, a nameless hero will once again walk the waking world.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=821
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This was it. At last.

It was nearing the hour of 2:00 A.M. when her prana-leveks would be at their peek. The hour when a Summoning would have the highest chance of success. And while she didn't really need the help, Rin going to refuse it either. After all, she still suffered from that damnable curse of having at least one thing be neglected.

She would /not/ let that be the case this time.

Taking a stance she hadn't assumed since her days back home as Overseer of Fuyuki. A hand dipped into the pouch, withdrawing the gemstones and holding them aloft... and a bout of nostalgia crept up on her as she compared now to then.

It was the same. The same... and yet different.

Once again, she was effectively going to be part of a war, though this time she was more likely to be kept on the sidelines - an officer instead of a soldier.

Once again, she would be a Master ... but it was the Servant she would entrust to handle her fate and those around her.

Once more... fate drew her into acting for the sake of humankind, as it did against Angra Mainyu.

The only thing that really hadn't changed... was that once again, she blindly was calling out to someone to be her blade against enemies unknown. No way to guarantee who she would get. She had... well, hopes of who she'd get, but... at the same time, there was one who she didn't know if she wanted or not, yet had resolved to give him a chance if he came... for better or worse.

These were the thoughts that filtered through Tohsaka Rin's mind as she repeated the words of a long-unused ritual, going word-for-word the same lines she had used four years ago, her other hand pulling from her pocket the object she'd always kept since that final day.

A ruby pendant. The pendant that had helped save Emiya Shirou twice over. The pendant that called his reflection to her - and may do so once more - as she uttered the lines of summoning, the energy crackling around her as the circle came alive with each line uttered.

"For the elements, silver and iron."
"For the foundation, stone and the Archduke of Contracts."
"For the ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg."
"Close the gates of the cardinal directions."
"Come forth from the crown, and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom."
"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill."
"Repeat Five times."
"But when each is filled, destroy it."
"Set."

Tohsaka Rin stopped being human at that point - her body's nerves were bleached with the pure prana being drawn into her body, filling her, destroying her, flowing through her as part of the circuit to connect two different planes of existence and form the gateway between them. The circle flashed beneath her feet. Prana flowed freely and the air crackled with energy, shifting the air pressure and giving the illusion of wind as a familiar pain shot through her.

Even years afterwords, with many experiences between the two events to harden her body and mind, humans were still humans - their bodies always rejected becoming nothing more the conduits. None of it blunted the feeling of blades materializing through her nerves or her flesh feeling as though it would boil away... but at the same time, it was easier then the first. In fact, when she started to feel the sensation of a spear piercing her left hand, it was almost reassuring - it meant she was doing everything correctly, even as she became lost in the pain.

"Heed my words."
"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny."
"If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me."
"I hearby swear... that I shall be all the good in the world."
"That I shall defeat all evil in the world."
"You seven heavens, clad in the three great words of power,"
"Come forth and form the circle of binding - Guardian of the Scales!"

The chains were set - and drew back tightly, snapping taunt as the energy, pain and all sensation left Rin for a long moment. All her prana was released in an instant and poured into the circle - into the summoning - and it responded with an explosive burst of energy that would have knocked Rin back a step had she not been expecting it. So-

"Eeeep!"

That left the thing she /wasn't/ expecting - the sound, audible over the short din, of the auburn-haired girl from before squealing in shock and surprise, followed by a small thud as the girl presumably backed into the wall reflexively.

In spite of herself, Rin couldn't help but spin around in shock - and for good reason! What the /hell/ was she doing in the summoning chamber during the ritual?! Didn't she have any idea of how badly botched things could be with two magi in the same room when it was cast?!

Oh, God almighty, she really /was/ a female Shioru, wasn't she?!

However, before Rin could indulge the sudden urge to smack the younger girl upside the head... she became aware of two things...

...

First off... that there was nothing else in the room with them. No trace of anything having been summoned. And secondly... she'd diverted her attention fro the ritual right at the end because of the girl.

For a long moment, she remained fixed in place, mind racing - panicking more like. Had it happened again? Had she ended up flopping at the finish line? And not even because of a mistake of her own but instead due to this... this /idiot?!/ +bb Had it all really been for-

... no. /No./ It couldn't have been. She knew it /couldn't/ have been.

Because her left hand hurt.

It was only a split-second after that in which a loud noise - the shattering of large objects - echoed from somewhere outside the room, electing a squeak from the auburn-haired girl. "Miss Tohsaka?? What's going on?!"

Rin didn't have the time to process the auburn-haired girl's question, let alone acknowledge it and dignify a response to it as an alarm klaxon started wailing and personnel in the hallways began rushing around like headless chickens away from the source of the disturbance - and some others in suits began rushing toward it.

Unwittingly, Rin herself joined them before she had even been sure she was involved, leaving the confused girl in the chamber. She moved before her mind even had time to process her thoughts-

He really never changed, did he? Still as big a show-off as ever.

The thought crossed Rin's mind without her realizing it, even though she had no way to know. And yet...

"Out of the way!" she yelled. Only a few actually acknowledge the request, so she forced her way around anyone that refused until she reached the short line of suited Enforcers that were standing in front of the site where the noise had come from. It wasn't easy - her body protested the actions as she had just expect a very significant amount of mana. Even now she found herself panting and short of breath. But things like that had never stopped Rin before.

The vague familiarity of the situation was another matter though, as it weighed down on her moments.

It was him, wasn't it? She'd actually ended up with...

Pushing her way past the Enforcers, Rin shoved herself through the group that had built up around what she recognized as one of the complex's two rec-rooms, absentmindedly taking note of the fragments of debris littering the floor in front of the doorway. She stepped in somewhat tentatively, anxiously raising her head with the speed of a rusted drawbridge to as to know what - know /who/ - she was going to see-

"Jeez... you really know how to make someone feel welcome, don't you Master?"

Him...

It was...

He was just sitting there, reclining against what looked like a shattered pool table that was now smashed against a bookcase as if it were natural. Debris of all kinds, mostly wooden splinters and ruined book-pages, were strewn everywhere, but the lone figure was no more concerned with this then he was with the many agitated Enforces staring at him.

And yet... in spite of herself... Tohsaka Rin couldn't help but smile at the antics of all-too-familiar Red Knight.

Part 2 - Preparation (Archer)

2015-09-09T05:35:20Z

Darth Smith: Created page with "{{Cutscene Header |Date of Scene=2015/08/28 |Location= |Synopsis=As she nears the moment of fate, Tohsaka Rin prepares herself for the fact that she will once again call upon ..."

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2015/08/28
|Location=
|Synopsis=As she nears the moment of fate, Tohsaka Rin prepares herself for the fact that she will once again call upon a warrior among Heroes to fight by her side... and thinks of one in particular that she would be both anxious, yet not entirely reluctant to see.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=821
|Tinyplot=
}}
The next step had come - double-checking everything before the actual event. It all had to be perfect... otherwise it would be wasted effort.

But that didn't mean she had to enjoy the idea of being near it again.

Taking a breath, Rin stepped forward into the chamber, walking toward it's center - towards the large, ornate design imprinted into the floor, swirling patterns interlocking into a circular pattern she was familiar with even after so much time had passed. Beyond that...

Beyond that, behind a plexiglass pane inside a much larger chamber then the one she was currently in... was a white crystalline device, built in the shape of something Rin would rather have never seen again. A device that took advantage of this newfound 'unification' and the concepts of the SHIVA lens to replicate the so-called 'miracle' that had existed in Fuyuki until four years ago. A 'miracle' that had been tainted and corrupted by the greed of a family who's pride blinded them to the reasons of discovery that had initially fueled their construction of it. A 'miracle' that Chaldea had taken great pains to replicate - and while it was not the original, nor was it corrupted like the original had been... the very concept of the crystalline, miniaturized and vaguely chalice-like structure in the background was something she would never stop experiencing shudders at the thought of, let alone the sight of.

For it was also a 'miracle' that her close friend's step-sister had given up what little life she had left to end for good.

It once again made Rin wonder if what they were doing was really worth messing with fire once more... and after everything she - they - had given to end it all the last time... would they ever understand, let alone forgive her if they knew she had dabbled in it once more? She hoped it never came to that - that their job never was exposed to their public... that their people didn't know they were involved in war for the sake of having surefire protection from one side against the other.

... but if it did... would she even get the chance to say anything? Would she have anything to say that could justify-?

"Wow... you're very good at this, Miss Tohsaka" came an all-too-relaxed statement of encouragement from beside her - the auburn-haired girl, blissfully oblivious to the internal questions Rin was being plagued with. "I've never seen anyone so calm about this." The girl then fidgeted somewhat awkwardly, momentarily unsure of what to say. "Um... I know it's a bit early, but... I hope you get a good one."

Regarding the other for a long moment, Rin forced herself to expel the tension in a sigh, giving a simple nod of affirmation before stepping ahead toward the circle. The child reminded her of Shioru so very much it wasn't even funny.

Then again, maybe it would have been under better circumstances. The fact that Rin was effectively going to become one of her world's covert heroes, acting for the sake of defending her reality - her family - from potential dangers was not such a circumstance to laugh at... especially now. After all, even as experience as she now was, she still occasionally screwed up at the worst moment... and right now was /not/ a moment she wanted to screw up. She couldn't afford to. Not this far along.

After all... if Rin didn't do this... who would? Not Sakura - Rin wouldn't allow her sister to suffer any more hardship. Not Shirou - it was unfair to both him and Sakura to even suggest it, considering that he, or rather they, finally had some semblance of a normal, happy life. And she had no desire to inadvertently rekindle that suicidal sense of 'save everyone at the cost of yourself' that he had finally put past him now. She was the big Magus in the family - this was her responsibility, for their sakes as much as hers.

That was why she was willing to help with the FATE system - with Chaldea's pseudo-replication of the original Fuyuki Holy Grail. One designed not for the granting of wishes, but rather for the specific purpose of summoning and sustaining Heroic Spirits as Servants to use in assisting the Union - and in doing so, aid in the overall defense of their world. Using the warriors of the past not as pawns in a power-game, but instead for actually defending their world like the heroes they were remembered as. It was far more noble a cause then what the original Grail had been built for.

... so why did she still feel so anxious? Why did she keep imagine what it could do if misused?

...

Well, that was her job, wasn't it? To make sure it wasn't misused? To be sure those mistakes never happened? Friends close, enemies closer and all that? Besides... like she'd said before... she'd be darned if she let anyone else get shouldered with this burden.

Stepping fully into the circumference of the circle, Rin stilled her thoughts for a moment and withdrew a pouch from her pocket with practiced ease, placing multiple gemstones into the carving on the floor at regular points.

This was the easy part in all honesty. The harder part... well... that was actually selecting who it was she should think of to summon.

She should have aimed for the strongest one possible, given the circumstances.. A Saber, preferably... heck, a Lancer would do well, too. And seeing as few, if anyone in the group had anything in the way of Catalysts - they were basically just summoning whoever and trying to keep it restrained to "good guys" by using good-natured Masters to draw Servants of similar disposition - there was no real way to predict who Rin would get.

Still... she also knew that, slim as the chance was with how many heroes there were in history, she might end up with a Servant she knew from the Grail War. Cú Chulainn, maybe? Heracles? They'd be good picks. There was also... well... there was Arturia Pendragon as well... but somehow, that thought unnerved Rin, as she didn't know if she could face the former Saber without remembering what happened to her last time. It would be awkward to say the least.

...

And... of course, there was the chance... she'd get /him./

It was a slimmer chance then the others... normally. He hadn't been a normal spirit and his name was not recorded in history... and it never would be recorded in /their/ history since his timeline wasn't theirs. It would be summoning a Servant from beyond their own history itself - typically impossible.

But he was unique... and she still had the catalyst.

Fingers brushed against the smooth, multifaceted surface of the object in her pocket, reassuring Rin once again as if the one it brought to her still looked out for her, begrudging as his help had been in the past for both of them. In her other, currently outstretched hand, she finished placing her gems on the floor, the patterns etched into it's surface slowly filling out as the melting stones across it filled the empty recesses of the carving.

It didn't matter who she got - they'd do the job just as well. Hell, they would likely be far more trustworthy as well, all things considered - she'd never actually gotten far enough down the line with him to have considered him 'trustworthy.' Reliable, yes. Skilled, certainly. Trustworthy... that was subject to opinion.

... still... if she did get him again... it wouldn't be so bad, would it? After all, given the situation... someone like him, with his duty, would be more then welcome. Even though it was unfair of her to push that kind of job on him, it was still his job... and at the very least, she felt he could accomplish it better then a hero who's mental state was inflexible.

Or at least that was her errant hope, if she ended up with that twisted man once again as her Servant. +bb After all... in spite of his smartass attitude and the fact that he was often more trouble then he was worth... he had still been a good person.

And anyway... she owed him. And if there was one thing Tohsaka Rin didn't do, it was fail to repay her debts. So if she did end up with him again... well, worse came to worse, she always had the Command Spell, right?

Part 1 - Introspection (Archer)

2015-09-09T05:29:04Z

Darth Smith: Created page with "{{Cutscene Header |Date of Scene=2015/08/28 |Location= |Synopsis=Four years after the Fifth Grail War, Tohsaka Rin once again is dragged into the world of magical war... but t..."

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2015/08/28
|Location=
|Synopsis=Four years after the Fifth Grail War, Tohsaka Rin once again is dragged into the world of magical war... but this time for more then just Fuyuki or her family. And once again, she finds herself re-tracing the steps taken years before.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=821
|Tinyplot=
}}
Multiverse.

That word was still new to her, feeling strange and alien on her tongue as she tried to process it.

She knew the concept existed. She'd studied the theories of the Kaleidoscope - the theory of many, many alternate parallel timelines - effectively parallel universes - existing outside her own... but, no matter how much she tried, the reality of it didn't seem truly /real/ to her yet. As if it were some surreal dream. It just... eluded her ability to process it completely.

After all she'd been through, she hadn't been sure that was possible anymore... and yet... here she was, stupefied, as the world as she'd known it was effectively warped forever.

...

Then again, wasn't that the whole reason she signed on for this crazy project-?

"Miss Tohsaka?"

Scrunching her nose slightly at the term 'Miss' - she wasn't /nearly/ that old - Tohsaka Rin turned and faced the one calling her; a young girl with bright auburn hair and amber eyes, looking a mix of innocent and uncertain that reminded her all-too-much of a certain moron she knew of back home. Sighing, she gave a short nod, affirming that she understood.

Of course, her brain wasn't quite so sure of that, but damned if she'd let her face show that.

Following the girl out of the small audience chamber, Rin was lead by the girl down the adjoining hallway toward another section of the complex. All the while, she glanced around at the others moving through the halls, once again wondering what she'd gotten into.

The world was peaceful. Nothing had happened to threaten it since the end of the Holy Grail Wars around four years ago. No tyrants setting up shop anywhere, no renegade servants or spirits, no rampaging Dead Apostles spelling out the end of the world. Rin's own research had been going very, very well ever since she finished her original task the year before - though to some degree it seemed that a lot of her work might have been much easier to do had she ironically just procrastinated a few years and picked up again /now/, given the circumstances - and she'd been looking forward to being able to spend an extended vacation visiting her family in Fuyuki.

... but that was before fate decided to toss their reality into a mass of others, now called the 'Multiverse.' And of course, the Clock Tower had decreed that precautions had to be taken.

Another symbol for the Institute - a moon-symbol that transitioned into a wave inside a circle, framed by a wreath - passed by her field of vision as Rin rounded the bend. The logo of Rin's new benefactors - the Chaldea Security Origination. A private initiative launched by one of the more prominent members of the Association from the Animusphere family, funded out of her own pocket.

Off the books.

... in other words... a Godddamn secret organization. Not like the Mage's Association - this was more like an actual black-operations secret-agent group like the kind of thing that, in the old days, she'd expect Shirou to think up which she would /laugh/ at from the absurdity of it... and now she was living that same absurdity.

The Chaldea Security Force had been established by Olga Marie of the Animusphere Family in the wake of what they had been told was called 'unification' - the merging of their reality into a large mass of interconnected realities - to provide assistance to the benevolent faction known as 'the Union.' They were to keep order on their world and make sure that no factions on their planet joined the ranks of the more militaristic 'Confederacy' and help defend against incursions from it... as well as to defend their world should the Confederacy decide to try and acquire their realm by force.

Of course, it wasn't quite easy for the Association to pick a side at first, and it took people like Lord El-Melloi II to almost literally knock sense into them and get them to side with the Union, even after seeing some of the hideous factions that worked under the Confederacy - groups like the 'Sith,' the 'Red Lanterns' and many more.

In the wake of that, it now fell to Chaldea - to Rin and those she now worked with - to help the Union against the Confederacy and try to establish some form of lasting peace, even if it was just in the immediate sense of the word.

Rin didn't have any qualms against that. She was all-too-happy to agree to that kind of contingency-response system - she had her sister and brother-in-law, or close enough at least, to think about, after all.

But still... the extent they were going to - the things they were about to do - seemed impossible. Hell, it was outright scary for her - she'd seen what could happen when this kind of power could be abused... or corrupted. She'd seen what it /did/ to people... how it tainted them. If it didn't twist them into the antithesis of who or what they were... then it just left them hollow husks of who they used to be. She'd seen /both/ happen - she'd be damned if she let it happen again if she had the chance.

... the problem with that though was that it wasn't just her own life on the line by doing this. Members of the Mage's Association that took part in this little... venture... they would be closely watched, and their families would be part of a clause to be protected in the event that something happened in her world. But that protection in and of itself was the problem - if they were promising to protect them, that would mean that, if something /did/ actually happen, they would take them into protective custody... and if they did, they could discover the secrets about her family she had kept hidden.

If anyone even suspected what she was hiding... if they suspected something of her family back home... Sakura, Shirou, Rider - if the truth about just /one/ of them was discovered-

No - /no/. That wouldn't happen. She wouldn't let any dangers reach this world. That was the whole reason she was doing this. Why she was part of this "initiative" to help give assistance.

Hell, she'd been an unofficial part of this institute for a while since it was /her/ research that was helping make half of this possible - the SHIVA Near-Future Observation Lens was effectively a re-tooled version of the Jewel Sword Zelretch she had replicated under the old man himself. Using the same principles of interacting with parallel universes as the sword did, a Professor by the name of 'Lev' retrofitted the theory to create a jewel-lens that could glimpse possible futures and see what may potentially happen in the near-future. Their 'danger-alert system' as it were... though building up the needed energy to get glimpses of events across the whole of the multiverse took time, making it an unreliable means of telling where hotspots were at best.

... and that... was where their 'reaction agents' would play a two-fold part... and this was the part where she prayed to God she wasn't helping start something worse then what could potentially happen if they'd just stayed out of the Union and Confederate's wars, possible eventual involvement be damned.

Almost as if in tandem with her thoughts, the girl who had been leading Rin through the complex finally stopped off at their destination room, with Rin unconsciously slipping a hand into her pocket to wrap her fingers around an old trinket that even now gave her a sense of comfort.

And soon enough... it might do more for her... as it had twice before.

That was why they'd asked for her to do this - because she was one of the few who'd had experience with it. One of the only ones they knew of that still lived through the Grail War who could assuredly provide them someone that could help defend their world.

Hopefully... she'd do exactly that.

2905/Declaration of War

2015-08-28T23:41:49Z

Darth Smith: Most Recent TP of Higeki

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/08/26
|Location=Techno Urbania
|Synopsis=The Black Blade Syndicate engages open warfare against the Cyberia Police. Whose side are you on?
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=255, 290, 481, 530, 692, 754, 797
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:797|Higeki (797)}} has posed:'''     Techno-Urbania, Cyberia district.     One of the region's more dystopian sections, Cyberia is a mix of grime, crime, and technology. Sleek looking vehicles offset dirty streets. Months ago, the streets would also be rife with crime and gang violence, though since the arrival of the Black Blade Syndicate the violence has been disappearing, and the criminal elements have been steadily overtaken by sharp looking men in black suits, rather than the usual badly dressed, shifty dealers one would expect.     Of course, even with the streets calming down, there are those who still frown on the criminal elements overtaking the city's underbelly. A cluster of black and white police vehicles, red-blues flashing, surround the singular skyscraper headquarters of the Cyberia Police Corporation. The entire tower, twenty floors or so, is devoted to this organization.     And outside the protective ring of cruisers and CPC personnel is a second group of vehicles and men in black suits. The lead vehicle, an unmarked limosine, produces a young woman with long black hair, wearing a fox-themed kabuki mask. In her hand she carries an old Japanese-style sword. Unaccompanied, the so-called Black Fox leaves the protection of her thugs, approaching the police formation. From within their numbers emerges a senior officer, the Chief, denoted by ornate epaulettes on his uniform.     "What's the meaning of this?" the Chief demands once he's within speaking range.     "Right to the point, Chief Rogers," the Black Fox comes to a stop, resting her sword between her feet, hands resting on the hilt, "The Black Blade Syndicate has done what you cannot-- we've destroyed or absorbed all other gangs and brought peace to Cyberia. The only element left that can cause trouble here is the Cyberia Police Corporation-- You." Her head inclines, eyes behind the mask cast in shadow, "So I'm here to offer your company a place in my organization. We've already done your job, so it's only fair."     "And if I refuse?"     "That's simple," The Fox lifts her sword slightly, than taps the asphalt with it, "Either your company surrenders to us or we'll kill every man wearing your badge by the end of the day." 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     Things have been getting tense here in Techno-Urbania, but now they seem to have gotten to a very strong boiling point. Namely between the Black Blade Syndicate and the police themselves. And when a gang that wants to negotiate directly with the police makes it into the news, it makes Rebecca Chambers uneasy. Especially given this news about how the syndicate has pretty much taken out all of the other gangs and how they want the police to join them. This can't end well.     For the time being, Rebecca is standing ready nearby, no weapons drawn though. She's simply acting as a peacekeeper in case things get out of hand. From the looks of things, they definitely are, which is why she has several weapons on hand for when things get nasty. She's biting her lower lip a little as the talks go on, her sixth sense in high gear knowing that this is pretty much as volatile as a leaking tank of gasoline inside a fireworks factory. It's not a matter of if, but when things explode.     "Understood, moving to high alert now," Rebecca says into her radio before returning to her ready stance. She tries not to show any emotion on her face, but a slight twitch of her lip shows otherwise. 

:'''{{#var:692|Razer (692)}} has posed:'''      Just behind the Black Fox stands a man in red and black armor, his electric-blue eyes staring out from under a red helmet. The look on his face is something of a scowl, like he's disgusted with the CPC personnel in front of him. Knowing Razer's history, maybe he is. After all, what do those with authority do other than ignore the plight of those who suffer on society's fringes?      Red light dances around his right hand, the ring on one finger there glowing softly. He's listening to the Fox an to Chief Rogers and, for the moment, not saying anything. There's no way the CPC will refuse. And, when that happens, Razer will be ready to show them the folly of trusting in their badges to protect them.      Really, he's spoiling for a fight, and all of his anger and hate is going to be a load of gasoline on some smouldering flames. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     After hearing the swordswoman on the radio the other night, Setsuko has been wary. An evil sword that wants to fight her specifically, one that may be influencing the actions of what already sounds like a bloodthirsty sort of person. She has gone about her patrols with a particular keenness of attention, of insight, paying careful heed to her divine sense for battle. Just hearing about the alert regarding the Black Blade Syndicate is enough to nudge something in the back of her mind, some corner of divine insight that says, 'This is a battle you need to be at.'     And so she flies over the city on her hoverbike, coming in high at first but then banking low on approach to the CPC HQ. Her fingers are already flexing anxiously around the hoverbike's grips - her ability to sense battle is screaming at her that a bloodbath is imminent. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''      In HK-47's time as an assassin droid, he'd found there was an old saying among meatbags that seemed to transcend time and space to a degree; 'the more things change, the more they stay the same.'     The gluttony, greed and all-too-pleasing inherent callousness of organics obviously fell into this category. As did their over-inflated senses of pride and self-importance.     Overall, the design of this particular world was still very much like the crime-ridden moon of Nar Shaddaa in his own universe - thousands of interlinked metal buildings with neon signposts and largely populated by recreational facilities such as casinos.     And, of course, there was the ever-present squabbles of power that cropped up between what constituted as "law" on these worlds, as their "law" was more often then not dictated by who had the biggest and most powerful weapons, or who was clever enough to entrap the other in an invisible cage and thus gain all their power.     Both of which were things HK could respect and enjoy taking part in. Or at least as far as the "murder and manipulation" part went. And nothing served to rejuvenate an economy then some finely-administered doses of anarchy.     Covered in a simple gray-brown hooded cloak, the droid stalks through the abandoned service walkways of one of the city's many skyscrapers, moving into his predetermined position - a building adjacent to the police headquarters. Upon his arrival, he moves off the beaten path, kneels by a railing and readies his disruptor-carbine, aiming for the police convoy and especially the chief.     The droid's orders are to provide support for when things inevitably become dicy... however, HK has no qualms whatsoever about providing a spark or two for the flames if it comes down to it, and keeps his weapon primed to turn any errant organic into a charred heap of fried tissue and bones.     All he needed was an excuse.. and failing that, he would make one up himself. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Across the rooftops leaps a lone figure with foxlike features, moving with insane speed and agility as Kirika makes her arrival. Landing on top of a nearby building, Kirika remains watching from up high, her scarf flowing in the breeze in synch with her tail. Kirika's eyes narrow as she observes the scene, wary and reaching for her own sword.     It's clear she knows this is going to be a bloody fight, and that it's a matter of only when the battle begins, which makes the fox worried about how this is going to end. All Kirika needs to know about this is that there's an evil swordswoman and her posse of henchmen about to cause a LOT of trouble here, and she's brought allies from the Fed as well.     Here we go... 

:'''{{#var:797|Higeki (797)}} has posed:'''     Chief Rogers scowls, eyes wandering to Razer and then across the amassed Black Blade Syndicateers before returning his fiery glower to the Black Fox in front of him. He's a large man, easily a foot or more taller than the young woman before him, and he tries to leverage that by squaring his shoulders and looming over her, "You've got guts, girl. But the game ends here. You think you /scare/ me? You and your little gang are going behind bars. Or the morgue. Frankly, I don't give a shit where you end up."     Unseen behind her mask, Chell smirks. The response she expected, "So... You'd rather go to war than join us. That suits me just fine."     Rogers goes for his holster, drawing his pistol up, "You little bitch, you think this is war!?" As the weapon comes up, he barks, "Thanks to that mouth of yours, every one of your bootlickers has a date with the coroner!"     The girl does not move. Though a tilt of her head accompanies a laugh. There's a click from the sword in her hands and a flash of violet-tinged light. In the blink of an eye the weapon is drawn, held at a sharp upward angle and trailing a stream of crimson in an arc behind it. Slower, more easy to register, she twists the blade around and slides it back into its sheath.     Only after her motion is complete does the result become clear-- Chief Rogers' forearm disconnects, dropping to the asphalt, gun still in hand. He lets out a shout of pain and surprise, stumbling back a step and groping for the bleeding stump, lost for words.     Black Fox shifts her stance, lifting her sheathed sword to point towards the CPC building looming behind him: "Destroy everything," comes the order, "And HK, be a dear and finish this scum off for me."     She knows a certain assassin droid was just waiting for permission, after all. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' The order is followed almost faster then the droid can utter "Acknowledgement - Gladly, Master" as the trigger is already being pulled.     A split-second later, a bolt of white energy slams into the side of the Police-Chief's nape - and his body ignites in a flash of crackling, sizzling energy as Chief Rodgers' screaming form turns into a roasted blackened skeleton coated in a thin layer of char-broiled flesh. With a sound like cracking twigs and dried meat hitting steel, the steaming husk collapses forward and hits the ground dead.     Not a minute in and already the primary target was dead. This was going to be a very good day.     Already, HK is lining up for his next target as he watches the officer's reactions to seeing their commander having literally evaporated before their eyes after being disarmed, aiming for any snipers or problem-targets.     After all, meatbags were so very easy to intimidate - like a pack of animals. Kill the lead... and they start panicking and flailing, almost begging to be put out of their misery. 

:'''{{#var:692|Razer (692)}} has posed:'''      And there's the order. Destroy everything. "With pleasure," Razer replies. He raises his ring to his eye level and begins to chant:      "With blood and rage of crimson red,     We fill men's souls with darkest dread,     And twist your minds to pain and hate,     We'll burn you all - that is your fate!"      The ring responds, awakening the power held within as the oath summons up Razer's hate. The oath summons up his strength from the darkest parts of his being, and the fact that he responds so well to it... Razer hates that, too.      With a red aura building around his body, the plates of his armor glowing brightly, Razer cries out in anger - and lets his hate explode outwards in a bright red flash, intending on utterly annihilating the protective ring of CPC vehicles and officers. As the maelstrom calms, Razer clenches his fists, and prepares for a fight. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     And shit goes bad.     Setsuko guns the engine. The hoverbike accelerates to maximum speed quickly, closing the last block or so of distance more rapidly than even Setsuko herself could, and she doesn't even bother to stop it before disembarking. She simply turns and falls off the hoverbike in one casual motion, her momentum and angle carrying her just right such that she arcs towards the ground to land in a pavement-cracking crouch, with her sword already drawn...     ...right in front of the Black Fox.     "I believe you wanted your chance to face me. You have it."     No further warning. No pause for introductions, no warrior's salute. This is a battle. She's right in front of the enemy commander. So she goes for the kill without hesitation, standing up into a vicious lunging stab with no pause whatsoever. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Kirika makes a /horrified/ face as she sees the disarmed chief vaporize by an unseen shooter. There isn't a lot that can get her like that, but Kirika all the same can't help but pause at such a terrible weapon.     She then leaps right off the roof, hurdling towards the street with her sword drawn. A van is /flattened/ as Kirika lands upon it, and she stares with a crimson gaze towards the Power-Ring user.     "Your hellish hate will consume you, should my blade not fell you first." She growls, Kinugiri glowing with ice along the edge as Kirika moves with shocking speed, lunging towards Razer without hesitation or warning. Kaminagi is right, this isn't a duel, it's a full-on skirmish. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     "Oh my god--" Rebecca can only stare with her jaw hanging open and her eyes wide as saucers. For a moment, she can't believe what just happened: In the blink of an eye literally, the woman slashed off the police chief's forearm. The pain that poor man is in must be undescribable. Rebecca can only stare for a couple of more moments before the shock wears off and she shakes her head, realizing that she's a medic and she has a job to do. Even if the wound is that serious, there's still a chance he can be saved if the bleeding is stopped. Rebecca may only be a field medic, but she's not willing to let this man die on her watch!     Quickly rushing towards the wounded chief, Rebecca is fumbling with one hand for her first-aid kit. She calls out for several other officers to help get the chief into a better position, instructing them to position him supine with his legs elevated in order to reduce blood flow. Once she's finally arrived, though, Rebecca is shocked to find that the chief has been hit by some kind of energy shot, and is nothing more than a burned out skeleton. "NO!" She yells, tears forming in her eyes as she stares at the remains of the police chief, before looking in the direction of the fire, and spots the hint of the cloaked figure that's HK-47. She thinks quickly and realizes she needs to get up onto the rooftop. It's then that she spots a nearby alleyway with a fire escape on it. Thinking quickly, she rushes in and, thanks to a well placed dumpster, uses that to reach the fire escape. She climbs up it quickly but carefully, not wanting to risk becoming another casualty here. Once she reaches the roof, HK-47 had best watch out, because Rebecca is really mad now! 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Somewhere amongst the officers was a strange man. He had kept to himself for the past few days, and beyond that had blue skin. Even so, he had done quite alot, like talking and helping file lots of paperwork. But at the sound of the chief getting meeting his untimely end, he knew things had gotten good. He made a quick signal and....some other cops turned and seemingly made efforts to join the black blade. In reality, Cipher Nine was on the field, and already flipping assets. As for his location...he was amongst the crowds (as his player doesn't know where to place him yet, blame his job.) 

:'''{{#var:797|Higeki (797)}} has posed:'''     Razer goes off. HK takes his shot. While the Chief's body evaporates and he collapses into a heap of charred bone, the accumulated Black Blade syndicate members let out shouts of their own and open fire with pistols and rifles. CPC officers, shocked by the utter destruction of their Chief, are quickly pressed into cover behind their cruisers. It's a full minute before anyone has recovered enough to return fire. When someone throws a grenade, destroying a parked (and flattened) van, it becomes quite obvious that full out war has broken out on the streets of Cyberia.     The Black Fox hesitates when Setsuko drops in front of her, swinging her sheathed sword back and tucking it against her hip, gripping the scabbard in her left hand while her right rests readily on the hilt, "So you sought me out?" Her stance deepens and the sword flashes out-- utterly clean of the blood from the Chief's killing-- too meet Setsuko's divine blade with a spray of violet sparks. It's a brief contact, pushing the thrust off just enough to protect herself before the slice becomes a counterattack, cleaving at the godly swordswoman's midsection.     Already the blade lets off a faint but visible violet aura, swirling around it from the hilt and licking along the black edge like flames. Behind her mask, the girl chides, "It's even more excited now than before, you know."     And so two sword fighters engage in the middle of a gunfight, dueling in no-man's land. 

:'''{{#var:692|Razer (692)}} has posed:'''      Breathing heavily, exhaling through his teeth, Razer is just about to let out a torrent of red energy against some officers of the peace when Kirika lunges at him.     "If it's going to consume me, then I'll feed it with you first!" Razer snarls, red bands of energy erupting from his ring. As Kirika lunges at him, Razer wraps one of the broken police vehicles in his chains of hate, and /hurls/ the whole thing at Kirika!      When Kirika's blade comes at him, however, Razer's chains turn into a crackling red wristblade, and he parries the first blow, red energy flaring as the two blades connect! 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     Though her stab is deflected, it's a simple enough matter for Setsuko to retract it as she steps back, and drop the tip while turning the sword in such a way that she can deflect the Black Fox's strike in turn. The end result is no damage on either end, and both of them coming up into ready stances, wary. Only now does Setsuko take the chance to more properly size her opponent up, and to give the battle around them a brief glance. "I go where there is battle," she replies simply, shifting her stance. "For today's battle to include you... fortune, or fate. No knowing which, and no point to knowing."     With everyone tied up handling reinforcements, things are going to go badly for the police if something doesn't change. So, Setsuko resolves to change the tide of battle herself. "I am here to end this. However I need to." Zanjintou's handle snaps out, its crossgoard expands, and in a quick shimmer of light, a blade takes shape from hilt to tip that is utterly massive. Not missing a beat, Setsuko swings it overhead, attempting to bring it down right through the Black Fox - only to suddenly haul it to one side, intending to cleave through some of her foe's forces with one sweep of her sword. She intends to thin the Black Blade forces at the same time as she fights Chell, through the sheer massive size of Zanjintou. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     As soon as the car flings toward Kirika, the kitsune snarls as she slashes at the vehicle, splitting the thing in two with her sword. Whether or not it explodes is unknown, but Kirika did just slice a goddamn police car in half.     Kirika then makes a slash for Razer's neck, clashing with Razer's wristblade as they two Elites face off. It's a fearsome scene, one that no sane person would dare interrupt despite the raging gunfight.     While Kirika may feel a bullet graze her shoulder, she ignores the pain in favor of focusing on Razer, moving to slash the Red Lantern once more. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     Some meatbags just /had/ to be the heroes, didn't they?     Not since his days with the Jedi Exile had he seen anyone rush so blindly into the forefront to save some doomed organic from death - and yet here was a female organic, who had to be less then half the Exile's age, rushing to the forefront without even having the Force to try and heal the injuries of the Police chief. Did she believe she could save him from death by blood-loss from his amputation.     Not that it mattered by the time she got there, as HK's shot had already killed the Chief - though he did enjoy the look of dismay on her face when she reached his smoldering remains. If there was one thing most meatbags hated, it was feeling as if their efforts were wasted - which, in most cases, they were.     However, the meatbag then begins making her way toward him, and HK realizes that she has spotted him. Re-alinging his rifle, he takes aim at the girl as she reaches the rooftops, inwardly cursing the slightly intertwined and twisted nature of the architecture and the ample cover it provides them both - though the droid assumes the human needs it more then he does. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:''' 5tWith all hell finally breaking loose, and his converted cops going a little crazy in the streets, Garen decides it's time for this adder to strike. Dropping his guise, he grabs the nearest cop and quickly moves to break his neck. Meanwhile, he draws his blaster and opens up on any cops in cover. "Surprise..." He simply says, losing the local accept for his standard Imperial accent. Of course, once he did that, he also rolled for some cover as well. 

:'''{{#var:692|Razer (692)}} has posed:'''      Kirika's blow finds a gap in Razer's armor by his shoulder and the Red Lantern grunts, leaping away from the strike. He whirls, a red lash slashing out from his ring, and he cuts down a set of police officers who seem like they had the problem of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They fall, a long black line of charred flesh and uniform marking the passage of Razer's whip.      He turns back towards Kirika, and Razer charges. This time, there's no wristblade. No, Razer just gets in close, aims a fist at his opponent's gut - and unleashes a blast of energy from his ring! "DIE!" 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     Upon arriving at the top and spotting HK-47, Rebecca can only shake her head in disbelief. "This is far worse than I expected," She thinks to herself, realizing what she's truly dealing with right now. It's definitely more than just your average sniper, and Rebecca's kevlar vest won't do much if that thing shoots at her. Which it looks like it's going to do in a minute if Rebecca doesn't get to cover fast. She would open fire as is the usual case, but sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.     Thinking quickly, Rebecca looks around and finds a brick structure that is about chest high for her, and she runs to take cover behind it. Once she gets there, she crouches down and checks to make sure the safety is still off on her MP5K. She doesn't want to know what HK-47 is capable of doing to her first hand, especially after seeing what happened to the poor chief. Instead, she presses her back against the structure and glances out slightly. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     Well, that's absolutely disturbing.     Kirika yells in horror at the whip's effects on those officers, before she's hit full-on by the blast of Red Lantern energy. It knocks Kirika off her feet, slamming her against another van with enough impact to leave a dent and bloody her body. A wheeze of breath indicates Razer's broken a couple ribs, and Kirika groans as she tries to get back on her feet again. Her body will heal the damage quickly, and she has no time to recover.     Her free hand burns as Kirika sends a gout of flame towards Razer, and she charges with sword in hand to leap and slash again at the Lantern. 

:'''{{#var:797|Higeki (797)}} has posed:'''     Gunfire is basically everywhere. For the most part, thanks to the use of cover, there hasn't been much in the way of casualties on either side in regards to the Police or the Black Blade goons. This changes when Garen reveals his true colors and he-- and any of his persuaded compatriots-- start shooting the officers behind cover with them. This initially appears to be a sudden swing in the balance of power, as cops start panicking without any clear indication of what's going on.     The Black Fox lets out a 'tch' sound when Setsuko's blade expands in size, her stance shifting slightly in preparation. She has no intention of trying to block something bigger than she is. When the blade comes down, the young woman hurls herself aside into a roll, coming up several meters away in a crouch. The sideways sweep forces her to duck again, while the Zanjintou cleaves through black vehicles immediately behind her. The men crouching behind it shout as they're carved apart, silencing that particular arm of the Black Blades and bringing the gunfight back into parity.     "Lady Black Fox..!" One of the men, his arm sacrificed to Zanjintou, staggers around the front of his vehicle, "--We can't fight something like this! We have to pull--"     His words are silenced by the gang leader, snapping her sword out of its scabbard and driving it back and upward through his midsection, emerging from the side of his neck. She wrenches it free with a spin, cleaving the man neatly in two with a motion that places her face-on with Setsuko once more, splattered with blood across her black uniform, her weapon, and the scabbard she still clutches.     "I have not come this far to be stopped /now/," the woman hisses. The sword's violet glow intensifies as she slides the blade back into the scabbard. Her stance lowers, ready, while the swirling glow around the weapon grows, "You're a warrior, right? So you know shit like progress always has to crack a few skulls!" When she snaps her blade out from its scabbard, she draws it in a wide arc, slinging off an arc of violet light that carves its way through asphalt and whatever else it may run into, while the Black Fox spins her weapon back into its sheath and stalks after it. 

:'''{{#var:692|Razer (692)}} has posed:'''      The gout of flame comes roaring towards Razer and he has only just enough time to raise his hands, letting fly with a torrent of red energy to try and counteract Kirika's attack. He groans, pressing against the flames, feeding the energy he's sending out with his pain, and manages to extinguish it.      Unfortunately, it leaves him right open for Kirika's charge. Her sword bites across his abdomen, drawing blood along the blade, and Razer shouts out. He summons up that red whip again, aiming to loop it around Kirika's arm and pull her defences wide open - so he can punch her in the throat! 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen simply smirks as he watches the chaos occur. It was satisfying to see a well layed plan come to fruition. But he had other plans as well. He looks around and spots HK on the roof, causing him to pause. "An HK model? Well, I suppose stranger things have happened..." He admits. So, he takes off in that direction, taking pot shots at any and all cops not on his payroll. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     The moment the meatbag glances out of cover, HK fires his rifle, the energized bolt blowing off the top half of the small brick structure in a storm of stone-and-mortar shrapnel and clouds of chalk-dust. The upper segment is effectively obliterated, but the bottom part, charred and crumbling, still remains intact - and so does the human, assumedly.     She was obviously an intelligent meatbag to immediately realize she couldn't take him in frontal combat. But it would not save her - intuitive or not, she was still a very fragile organic fleshbag... and an empathetic one at that.     After all, she'd risked being shot just to help one doomed meatbag. Why not a whole slew of them?     Sliding behind cover, the droid's cloak trailing behind him enough to just slightly expose part of his rust-red armoring, HK selects his strongest grenade - a thermal detonator - to lob down into the chaos below them. With a six-meter blast radius for the explosion and another ten for the blast force, the front of the police lines, or at least those still loyal to the police force, would be harrowed at worst, and assumedly flattened at best, and provide cover for the turncoat officers to slaughter the officers still fighting the Black Fox.     Best of all, the female meatbag would have to choose between staying in cover... or trying to be the hero and stop the grenade from hitting the police lines.     And if she choose the latter... he would have her right in his sights. Save herself or save the floundering police officers - either way, the droid was confident he would exterminate her. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     At first, Rebecca isn't sure what to make of HK-47. She thinks he's planning to attack her, and doesn't suspect that he'd be planning something else. Something that would constitute causing far more damage than Rebecca even thought would be possible. He's going to try to use a grenade and kill numerous innocent officers! Rebecca has to stop him!     But that would mean putting herself into the line of fire. And knowing how dangerous the droid is, she could be leaving herself seriously vulnerable to a counter-attack that could have very serious repercussions. For a moment, Rebecca sweats visibly, trying to figure out what to do. Does she risk her own life to save others or does she stay protected at the cost of the others?     Then it hits her. S.T.A.R.S. never let innocents die if it can be prevented! Rebecca steps out from her cover and opens fire. She aims primarily for the grenade (or whatever it is) in hopes of detonating it in the droid's hands instead of letting HK-47 throw it. Even if she is leaving herself vulnerable, at least it's for a good cause if she gets hit. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     "And yet, stopped now you will be," Setsuko replies calmly.     There will be no saving that man, the Black Fox's own subordinate slain to sate her blade, but nevertheless, Setsuko scowls. She can't condone a style of fighting that feeds on one's own subordinates. Nevertheless, they need to be stopped here. So Setsuko is careful that every move she makes, every swing of her blade, is likely to intersect with more Black Blade forces, even as she launches on the attack at their leader.     That arc of hungry energy looks as if it just barely missed Setsuko, the demigod tossing herself to one side out of the way - but the deep line of red that opens up along her left side tells the story. "...such a wretched blade," she mutters, coming up to a standing posture again. "I know that /sometimes/ a war is necessary. But this brutal conquest, this senseless bloodshed, this is no war. This is slaughter for the sake of it. If you can see that, don't even bother pretending otherwise. And if you can't, then I was right about that sword. Either way, there is only one recourse."     Around Zanjintou comes, sweeping in a wide, street-clearing arc, intended to cut right through Chell's path, in hopes that she'll be forced to jump - because the swordswoman allows her weapon's momentum to carry it all the way behind here, whereupon she swings it up and over for another vertical slice, hoping to catch her opponent in mid-air. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     "GHK!" Kirika wasn't expecting such a quick manuever by Razer, as she's stopped from furthering the assault with a whip around her arm. Struggling, she can only stand there vulnerably as Razer moves in for a vicious strike.     A nasty, pulping noise is heard as Razer hits her in the throat, collapsing her windpipe by the looks of it. Choking, she staggers and stumbles before dropping to a knee and gargling with blood flowing from her mouth.     She'd drown in her own blood were she human, but her body is quick to knit itself together even as she's immobilized.     And she lunges to headbutt Razer in the stomach while her throat heals. Ow. Ow. Ow. This is going to be a bitch to deal with. 

:'''{{#var:692|Razer (692)}} has posed:'''      "So," Razer says, circling Kirika as she lingers on her knees, "You regenerate, or something along those lines. No wonder you're putting up such a fight." His face is cool and expressionless, like he's crushing a bug.      She lunges up at him, her head colliding with the soft black armor that protects his abdomen - the air whoofs out of his lungs. Razer stumbles back, one hand on his belly, out of breath. He wheezes out something that's almost a word and lashes out with his fist, again and again. He's not anywhere near Kirika, and yet the sheer power behind his hate allows him to strike at her from a distance, the asphalt glowing red at each impact, again and again!      "I wonder what your limit is! Face the power of my rage!" 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     If there was one thing the droid loved, it was when a plan came together.     Just as predicted, the human female stepped into his sights to try and save the masses of swarming meatbags below them, and already he is moving. All he has to do to thwart her attempt is tilt his body outward and twist so that his back faces her, the shots of her gun impacting against his armored body instead of the grenade. Small scorch-marks appear on his armor-plating as his cloak is torn open, revealing the form of his clearly non-human chassis. He finally faces the human full-on, letting her properly the edge of his face-plate and his glowing red eye-lens as his hood falls away.     "Advisory - Prepare to die!"     The next instant, the now-revealed droid's arm lifts up and the panels on his forearm slide back to reveal a small nozzle that promptly begins spitting out a jet of superheated flame at the human, scorching anything in it's path. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     A bloody smile grows on Kirika's lips, and she spits a mouthful of blood at Razer. "I've yet to find it." She says, confident in spite of everything as she grips her sword. "My body is half-spirit, you see. I carry in me the blood of a Nine-Tail, ruler of the spirit realm! It's her will that I fight scum like you, and send them straight to Hell."     Her blade flourishes, and she bats away at the projectiles, taking one in the chest but still coming as she flings another fireball to Razer. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen watches Rebecca take shots at the grenade and smirks. He, of course, gives a whistle to the cop. "Impressive, but what will you do when you learn that there are two, not one?" He asks. Of course, he's got his blaster pointed right at her. Imperial protocal would have said to shoot her right there. But he was a gentleman, after all. Of course, that's when the flames come flying from Hk. "Not bad...for a droid." 

:'''{{#var:797|Higeki (797)}} has posed:'''     As the Black Fox and the War God fight, shadows grow deeper and a faint but noticeable pressure begins to settle. Wispy miasma slithers out of the corners of the eye, skittering away when one looks directly towards the disturbance, as if nothing was there at all. The hateful sword in the Black Fox's hands seethes with malevolent light, like a burning, swirling flame while she approaches, keeping it tucked away.     "Like I should give a shit who has to die, you don't know what kind of hellhole this place was before I decided to change it. 'course there's nothing saying I can't make a bit of money on the side." She stops, planting her foot when Setsuko's assault renews itself, and she snaps, "I'm changin' the world, you dumb bitch, and you're getting in my way!"     When the Zanjintou comes at her from the side, Chell simply dips her shoulder and charges the last few meters towards the colossal blade's weilder. It impacts her exposed back, throwing out a spray of blood, but she throws her shoulder into a roll with it, effectively vaulting the blade in spite of her injury. Seeming to ignore it, the Black Fox snaps her own weapon out in a swift slash that traces a violet arc. Her foot touches the mangled asphalt and she kicks off, following it up with a charge and a secondary, vertical slice that carves an X shape in purple light, point blank.     Behind her, one of the Black Blade cars caught in the slash explodes, a stray bullet sparking off the steel and igniting the ruptured fuel tank. Black Bladesmen scatter for better cover that is not currently on fire. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     The grenade is still there, and worse, Rebecca is vulnerable to a flame attack. Her uniform isn't fireproof either. She's not covered in flammable liquid but she's still vulnerable all the same. She's only got a few moments to react before she's burned to a crisp! Thinking quickly, Rebecca drops to the ground into a prone position before rolling in a semi-curve like a log, trying to get clear of the flames before she pops back up and opens fire at the grenade again. All the while she's running perpendicularly away from the flames in hopes that she can keep away from them.     "This isn't going to end well," Rebecca comments to herself as she ejects a clip and loads in a new one. "i've got to stop that thing before it causes more casualties!" 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     "I don't know?" Setsuko replies, her tone rising. "I don't /know/?" The cross-cut lands without parry, cutting a deep, visible X-shape across Setsuko's torso, from shoulder to opposite hip on both sides. But rather than bring her blade around, rather than employ any of a dozen counterattacks she could use, the swordswoman waits for a perfect moment and reaches out to grab the Black Fox by her collar, haul her around and slam her to the ground with bone-crushing force.     "Let me tell you about 'warriors' using peace as an excuse to sate their bloodlust! Let me tell you about entire villages slaughtered to the last man, woman and child by people who claimed to be 'bringing about order'. Because I have known it far better than you ever will. And I am looking into it right now. If you wanted peace, if you wanted to make this town better, you had many other options than slaughtering the police. You are /nothing/ but a bloodthirsty conqueror, tugged about like a puppet on a string by the hate of that blade in your hand, and however I have to, I /will/ end it."     Zanjintou snaps as it returns to its 'sealed' form, a katana far easier to wield in close quarters. There is no fancy technique to her attack, no ostentatious name; it is a simple stab, meant to kill. 

:'''{{#var:692|Razer (692)}} has posed:'''      Razer raises his arm and, with a snarl, deflects the fireball into a nearby police van. It detonates spectacularly, showering the fighters in debris and ash. His gauntlet smokes slightly. "Then, by Atrocitus' will, allow me to send you there to prepare for our arrival! All of you defenders of justice are so alike! So arrogant, so self-righteous!"      Razer's eyes fall on the asphalt between him and Kirika as she charges towards him. He holds out his hands and /focuses/ on the ground. Red cracks blossom into life, fracturing their way through the street, and with a shout from Razer, the road /detonates/. Not only will it, hopefully, interrupt her charge by practically pulling the ground out from under her - but it'll give Kirika something to deal with as the giant chunks of the street come raining down in moments! The broken parts of the road rain down like giant hailstones, crushing cars and people alike.      Razer takes to the sky, evading his own storm of debris, as he alights atop one of the nearby buildings. What's he doing up there? 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     This one was /very/ skilled. For an errant moment, HK-47 was reminded of the so-called 'huntress' known as Mira. Self-proclaimed bounty hunter that she was, that particular flesh-bag had placed a disgustingly high value on preserving lives, even the lives of her targets. It made her woefully predictable... but at the same time, never truly vulnerable, for she had an annoying amount of skill behind her.     Such was the case here.     HK had a markedly easier time of it knowing in advance what the female's target was - the grenade currently cupped in his hand. So long as it was her target, he could keep her focus occupied. However, it wouldn't do if he couldn't /hit/ her - she was frustratingly agile, and her shots kept pelting his armor. Sooner or later, she may hit his optics - and then what good a sniper could he be for this engagement?     That was when he saw one of the corrupted police officers heading for their position... and suddenly, a golden opportunity presented itself.     Abandoning a direct confrontation, the droid took advantage of the human's movements and suddenly vaulted for the edge of the building. She would assuredly follow, right to the edge of the building.     She had to if she wanted to get a clear shot at a falling target.     Without so much as pausing, the droid flashes it's optics at the strange blue-skinned police turncoat - a signal to attack - says a simple "Statement - Farewell, meatbag.".... and then hurls the grenade as hard it can for the police barricades, the red light on the orb's surface blinking rapidly as the primed detonator flies forward like a missile from a catapult.     The moment the human peeked over the edge to try and shoot that grenade... the turncoat would fire at the target.     And then... the meatbag would be his to finish. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen smirks again as he watches Rebecca escape the flames. He looks over at Hk and nods. "Step aside, and let me show you how an 'organic' handles things." He says. He then pulls both blaster pistols and opens up at the S.T.A.R.S. member. The HK, it would be clear that the officer had more training then the standard cop. He might also spot certain imperial methods to his firing stance, as well as his imperial accent. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     Rebecca can only stare in awe and disbelief as the grenade goes off the building. She rushes towards it, hoping to yell for the cops below to look out or at least take a shot at it. Of course now that it's been thrown, there's little she can safely do to stop it. Unfortunately, though, there's more to that then stopping other police officers from being killed. Because the moment she gets to the rooftop edge, there's gunfire coming at her. One of the shots actually hits her kevlar vest in the back, causing her to stumble forwards. If it wasn't for the barrier there, she'd be falling a long ways to the ground. As it stands, the barrier protects her and keeps her from being made into a Rebecca pancake!     Still, not being flattened isn't the only thing Rebecca must worry about. She turns and sees Garen firing at her and she realizes that she's got no cover this time. Thinking quickly, Rebecca drops into a crouched position and returns fire while trying to quickly move towards cover again. "I don't care what you are," Rebecca replies angrily. "You are going to pay for messing with me!" She continues to fire, feeling a mixture of guilt and anger at the fact she was unable to stop the inevitable demise of numerous officers on the street level because of this enemy. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     "I am not the one slaughtering those appointed by the city to enforce law and protect citizens." Kirika snarls, "Nor am I the one who openly took about this simply out of boredom. I know not who this Atrocitus is, nor do I care." The kitsune's speech is interrupted however, as she stops to leap towards the chunks of earth.     Her nobility is what keeps her from pressing the fight, as she stops to split each coming piece of debris that comes down towards the ground again, to protect nearby civilians and officers.     "Everyone, get underground!" She calls out to those who listen, mid-slice of stone. 

:'''{{#var:797|Higeki (797)}} has posed:'''     With a "Wuphf..!" Chell hits the street flat on her back, the mask she wears cracking enough to fall away. With black creeping across her vision, the wind knocked out of her, she becomes something of a captive audience. It's several long moments before she's caught her senses enough to start picking herself up, spitting out, "I'm not a puppet..!"     Shnk     Setsuko's blade drives through the Black Fox's chest and into the street beneath her. The girl's eyes snap open in surprise, mouth open with the shock. Her free hand reaches for the sword impaled through her, fingers wrapping gingerly around it across the back of the weapon to avoid the edge.     "...Ffffuck..!" she spits out, blood escaping her mouth. With a wrenching motion, she pulls the sword out in a spray of crimson, though doesn't release it while she rises to her feet.     The girl's head shakes with a hollow laugh, which grows louder, "You don't even fuckin' get it..! This is Shouri-no-Ken, you idiot. So long as I got this--" She releases Setsko's weapon with a shove, snatching at the weapon holstered in her still-clutched scabbard. Her own blood runs down her arm and along the sheath, disappearing before it can drip from the end. Its glow only intensifies, while motes of flame begin to gather around her, dancing like wisps, "--Ultimate victory is /MINE!/"     A blood-covered hand grasps the hilt of Chell's sword and she swings it out in a lightning-fast horizontal slash, tracing a violet line through the air that burns whatever it touches. She hefts up the scabbard while sliding the blade into it, the line she'd slashed growing more unstable, until it explodes in the second the sword clicks fully within its sheath. The blast scatters police and Black Blades alike, and a nearby car catches fire with unearthy violet flame seconds before the fuel tank catches and transforms it into a more traditional orange fireball. 

:'''{{#var:692|Razer (692)}} has posed:'''      Razer lands, going down to one knee and sucking in some harsh breaths. The power from his ring might sustain him, even as it flickers and weakens, but there's still limits that he can't push beyond. Still, without Kirika following him, Razer gets a chance to catch his breath.      And, as Kirika does her best to save people, Razer seizes his chance - he's just about to exploit that nobility to the fullest extent possible.      With a shout, Razer slams his ring hand agains the roof of the building. It's not a particularly large structure, just a few storeys, but he infuses the structure of it with his anger, bending support beams with his hate, fracturing walls with his rage. Red energy isn't nearly as multi-purpose and flexible as green energy is but it is far more destructive. From there, all he needs to do is give the front facade of the building a little push.      Leaping free from the front section of the building, Razer goes to bring the front of the building down on Kirika! 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     "Better people then you have said that, and I'm still standing." Garen replies smugly. He quickly rolls out of the path of incoming gunfire and finds some cover. He rummages and finds a nice flash grenade, which he hurls towards Becky. "Never fight against your betters!" He shouts in taunt. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     Setsuko is fast to withdraw her blade and hop back when even that direct stab does not end the Black Fox. In a flash, the weapon takes its massive shape again, and she heaves it around, high and forward, the blood from her wounds pouring down her front and sides. Her stance is cautious, right until the moment where Higeki traces a horizontal line. Then she allows Zanjintou's weight to simply fall, dropping the blade such that she can shift herself behind it, using its width as a shield against the worst of the enemy attack - but even that can't protect against the full power of the Shouri-no-Ken.     But in the wake of that incredible blast, from behind, beneath the Zanjintou, comes a simple voice. "The 'Sword of Victory', is it...? Let me teach you about 'victory', girl."     Zanjintou lifts. It sweeps around. Setsuko is scorched, bleeding, and yet she stands stern and proud. "My name is Setsuko... KAMINAGI SETSUKO! I am the Sword of the War God! Neither divine nor mortal, human nor god, I have chosen the path of eternal bloodshed! To me who lives on the battlefield forevermore, for whom war is unending, the word 'victory' is meaningless!" Another quick sweep, this time holding the massive sword horizontally, straight behind her. "And if this slaughter is what you call 'cleaning up', then I will end your improvements here and now with a peerless divine blade! ZANJINTOU!"     Forward the demigod explodes moving with a superhuman speed, closing the gap between them with the suddenness of a bolt loosed from a crossbow. But a step becomes a leap, the silver-haired woman launches into the air, and for a brief moment her shoulderblades flare with a twin pair of blue-white jets, almost winglike as they drive her back to the ground. In that instant she swings the sword, adding all that momentum to it in one tremendous slash.     "SHIPPU DOUTOU!!" 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:'''     There is little anymore that can truly surprise HK-47 anymore. Especially after that odd debacle at the Honnouji Academy. But the presence of what the droid could now plainly identify as a Chiss was still an unexpected development nonetheless. Especially when he noted the other's accent - pure Dromund Kass. The Chiss's fighting styles also contained plaintive cores of Imperial combat directives, albeit heavily modified - improved, even - to the ones the droid had seen among the organic operatives of his own time.     That he was from a variant of the Sith Empire was obvious... but which one?     intriguing as the matter was, the droid was forced to shelve it for the moment as he bore witness to the fruits of his labor - namely the sight of the modified thermal detonator hitting the streets.     An instant later, as Razer brings down the building on the crowd, the modified explosive detonates with the force of a point-blank tank round, atomizing everything in the immediate six-meter radius and sending flame and air pressure outward another ten meters, burning or winding whatever was unfortunate enough to be in it's way.     Between Razer collapsing a building and the exploding grenade, it is unlikely that police and civilian alike will escape unharmed or without casualties. Just the sight of ash and smoke being thrown every which way by the combination of collapsing building and exploding grenade brings a warm glow spreading outward from the droid's motivators, the execution of combined chaos adding to the list of panic-inducing issues for the already-haggard police force.     Of course, there are still more immediate concerns to handle before HK can properly enjoy the scene - namely the very alarming sight of his current client and on-site Master being impaled by a blade.     Trusting Garen to hold the meatbag off, HK takes his disruptor rifle back out, takes aim at the form of the silver-haired meatbag facing his Master... aims for her center of mass... and pulls the trigger.     He does not need to kill her. He does not even really need to wound her. All he needs to do is interrupt her attack - throw her off-balance... and give his master an opening. For the other speaks of victory... and yet she has failed to account for the fact that victory goes to the one most willing to do whatever it takes to win. And HK has no problems interposing into other people's fights if it means doing just that. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     There's nothing that Rebecca really can do right now, because the bomb has been thrown. Meanwhile, this other opponent of hers, whose name she does not know, has chosen to blind her with a flash grenade. Realizing what it is, she raises her hand to her eyes just a second too late. The flash goes off just as she covers her eyes, meaning her vision is partially obscured and her ears are ringing like you'd expect after you've heard an extremely loud noise at close range. This type of combination really pisses Rebecca off, but there's little she can do because she can't see at all.     All she can do is remain crouched down and try to rely on memory to find cover again. Right now, she just wants to stop the ringing in her ears, as the blindness is wearing off slowly but steadily. Still, she can't see very well, leaving her a sitting duck for Garen. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:''' 5tGaren counted down the timer, and shielded his eyes before the flash. He knew he had becky cornered, yet he just couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. Be it his intention to draw out the fight, or even his own small bit of dark enjoyment, he wanted to make this last. So he rather then shot...rushed ahead and threw a roundhouse kick towards Becky. At this point, and if HK was watching, he had all the hallmarks of a world that had agents from Imperial Intelligence. 

:'''{{#var:797|Higeki (797)}} has posed:'''     Chell's bloodied face sneers at the broad blade Setsuko uses to defend herself from the fury of Shouri-no-Ken. She slips the weapon back to her hip, holding the scabbard in a practiced angle with her free hand ready to draw once more. She all but ignores the blood pouring from the sucking chest wound she's already taken. She dips her head, hissing at Setsuko's self-introduction and the display of her divine power, the enormous sword now bearing down on her.     Blood-slick fingers wrap around the cursed sword's hilt and Chell's posture changes. In an instant, she dashes forward and the two warriors encounter one another in the same instant.     Time stops. Setsuko and Chell face to face, swords in motion.     Time resumes.     Meters away, Chell's feet touch down and she skids to a stop, sword held out at an oblique angle. With a practiced, automatic motion, she twirls the weapon and then sheathes it.     Half a second later, blood sprays from a slash through her chest and back, nearly carving the girl completely in two from shoulder to the center of her ribcage. With a gasping sound she collapses to her hands and knees, clinging to the sword in one hand, the other sinking into the puddle of warm crimson pooling around her. Unable to speak, all she can manage is a gurgling cough, but she's somehow not /dead/ yet.     She is, however, no longer able to fight. Against the Zanjintou, it seems like victory may not be attainable after all. 

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''     "You are dropping a building on me. You bastard." Kirika seems almost /too/ calm about this, even as the building collapses on top of her. There is a truly terrifying sight of debris collapsing and falling right on to of one person. The ends Razer is willing to go to take down just ONE person is utterly horrifying.     This entire day is really not going well for anybody so far, Kirika finds, as she's buried in rubble. It's almost as if the kitsune had been flattened by that attack.     Or so it seems, as time stops.     And Kirika begins to assume a cutting stance underneath the rubble just before impact, focusing all her might into one slice.     And time continues, the blade /cleaving/ through stone and steel. If this works, the building debris will be in two halves now, harmlessly landing on either side of Kirika.     She's still been put through hell considering the wounds Razer inflicted earlier. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     As her vision comes back, Rebecca looks up just in time to see Garen attempting a roundhouse kick at her. She quickly thinks and rolls out of the way, while at the same time trying to push herself into a position where she can try to counter with a sweeping kick aimed at Garen from down low. She may not be a martial artist, but S.T.A.R.S. are trained in military combat, and some of those techniques are derived from martial arts. All the while she's starting to feel the ringing in her ears going away.     "I overestimated them," Rebecca comments as she finds her senses returning to normal. 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen quickly moves to avoid the sweep, but fails. Thankfully for him, he quickly recovers. He grins a bit and wastes no time with words. He at it again, a trio of kicks flying towards becky. "Maybe, but your not escaping here without more then emotional scars." He says, his accent now clear to becky, british and from an imperial varient. 

:'''{{#var:255|Setsuko Kaminagi (255)}} has posed:'''     The peculiar movements of Setsuko - the superhuman speed, the sudden, sharp hop, the equally sudden descent-under-power, make her movements unpredictable, even for someone used to fighting superhumans. The shot taken by HK still manages to clip her across the back, searing away cloth and burning the skin underneath, a feat that in and of itself makes HK's shot impressive. It would be a disabling hit on any ordinary person.     The demigod doesn't even slow down for such a serious wound. The reason why might be obvious by now; her earliest injury, the cut along her side, has already ceased bleeding. She's a regenerator, and superhumanly tough besides.     Not that she's not in a bad way. Her wounds are numerous and deep by now, burns and cuts alike. And one more adds to the spread, a cut along her right shoulder from Chell's last strike. But for as bad as her wounds are, Chell's are worse. It's a killing blow. Now, Setsuko turns. Now, she tilts her head, looking straight up to where HK is... no, looking /straight into HK's optics/. Her voice lifts up, her words ostensibly directed at the men under Chell's command still alive, but also meant for the Confederates present.     "Your leader in this endeavor is finished! I would advise leaving before things get worse for you."     As if to punctuate her point, the silver-haired swordswoman floats up off the ground, holding position about two meters up. It's a silent, implied threat against HK - 'If you don't retreat, I'm coming for you next.' Even in that bloody, ragged state, she's still willing to fight. 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     Rebecca tries to get out of the way of the kicks, but one of them hits her in the stomach. Even with a kevlar vest on, that's still pretty painful. Rebecca doubles over and stumbles backwards, placing one hand on her stomach the moment she stops stumbling. She gasps for air and then drops to one knee as she briefly loses air in her lungs. Once the oxygen is back and her breathing is stabilized then she gets back up and glares at Garen.     "I've had more emotional scars in my lifetime than anyone my age should ever have! And as for physical scars, they can always heal sooner or later. We have good medical technology, while you Confederate goons probably couldn't even cure a common cold!" She takes out a bottle of chemicals and shakes it a little. "Take this!" She yells, throwing the volatile chemical vial towards Garen. It will explode on impact, causing some bad damage from chemical burns! 

:'''{{#var:797|Higeki (797)}} has posed:'''     A killing blow. Any ordinary human would be dead on the spot from such a deep wound. One lung damaged, the other cut clean through, doubtless a severed aorta and probably severe damage to the heart--if not cut completely in two. Crimson blood pours from Chell's wound as she shudders there, barely keeping herself upright. In her hand, the sheathed sword's sinister glow intensifies.          Useless.     "No!" the girl snaps, "F-fuck you!"          Prove it. Stand.     Shaking from the strain, her body barely holding together, Chell pushes herself up in stages, nearly slipping in her own blood two or three times before she retains her feet. The entire time, she utters curses, a repeated litany of 'fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you' that does not stop. Staggering between burning cars, clutching the sword and her side to keep herself from falling apart any further, she spits out a mouthful of blood before her voice returns, raspy and forced.     "Fuck them all, blow it. Rest of you, get the fuck out."     The surviving Black Bladesman nearby, shocked by the state of his leader's health, nonetheless relays the order. Surviving Black Blade Syndicate members start retreating under fire from the remaining Cyberia Police, some of them dragging wounded, others firing up what cars still work to aid in the escape. It's into one of these that Chell hauls herself, instantly transforming the back seat into a bloody mess, an ironclad grip on her sword. 

:'''{{#var:692|Razer (692)}} has posed:'''      Above it all, on what part of the building is left standing after Razer dropped it onto the street, the Red Lantern takes some time to examine the situation. It's chaotic, to say the least, although his allies seem to have things in hand.      That is, until Setsuko starts claiming that Chell's been finished off. Razer pauses. Sure, he has no particular love for Chell (or anyone, really) but it seems like it might be best to take flight. He's tiring and his ring is running out of energy. He's not sure how long he can continue this fight for.      "Yes," Razer murmurs to himself, and hearing what Chell says over the radio, "I do believe it's time to withdraw."      Gathering his crimson aura around himself, Razer takes to the skies, leaving only flames, ash and the broken bodies and vehicles of a police force behind him! 

:'''{{#var:530|Garen (530)}} has posed:'''     Garen moves, but not quick enough. The vial manages to catch the side of his face, leaving quite the angry, nasty burn there. But all that managed to do was make the agent angrier. Seemingly, he didn't even feel the pain of the burn, but in reality he was merely supressing his own feelings. He wasn't just any agent, after all. He was Cipher Nine! So he narrows those red eyes at Rebecca. "You have made a grave mistake, officer. I'm not someone you want to make an enemy of." But at that point, the call for a retreat is given, and he hears the words he was waiting for.     A few days prior, Garen had infiltrated the cops ranks and had set up a nasty little 'insurance policy' for the black blades and the black fox. That being well hidden explosives all over the building.     Back in the present, Garen grins and hits the detonator. "Checkmate." He says, before dropping one last flashbang and using it's detonation to escape. 

:'''{{#var:754|HK-47 (754)}} has posed:''' If the droid were capable of cursing, he likely would have blown out his voice-box by now. Even with the shot to the meatbag's back, the the silver-haired humanoid didn't stop her attack. And as a result, his master was now all but bisected! This did not bode well for him - on top of being a crippling blow to his own pride as an assassin and bodyguard, HK's operational systems were hardwired to /shut down/ and all short-term memory /erased/ if his master was terminated.     Therefore, he was faced with two options - try to save what was likely a dying master and possibly shut down mid-battle... or switch masters to a new, more intact one while the current one still functioned to preserve his operational status until the end of the mission.     ... as if he really needed to debate it.     Facing what HK is now certain is an Imperial Intelligence Agent from some aspect of the Multiverse that mirrors his own, the droid speaks plainly - "Statement - My current master, the meatbag Chell, is in critical condition. Request - In the interests of preserving my in-field operational status, I ask permission to regard you as my temporary field-Master."     He waits long enough to get a reply, then almost casually takes aim at the girl, disregarding her ability to levitate - he had seen Jedi perform such tricks before. He had seen Jedi heal serious wounds before. However... in the cases where he fought the strongest ones, he had a team of HK-51's providing back-up. At the moment, he had no such loyal forces with the potential exception of the agent behind him... and in all honesty, he knew the battle was lost.     Turning back, HK regards the Chiss with an analytical gaze. "Recommendation - Retreat is advised, Master. Addendum - However... I would ask permission to finish off the meatbag before we leave. I do so enjoy tying up loose ends." As if to accentuate the point, he draws his vibroblade, approaching the female like she is livestock to the slaughter.     However, he takes a moment to note the detonator in the chiss' hand... and upon remembering he was undercover as an officer, the droid's processor's catch on that they won't be walking away without sending this entire sector of the multiverse into a beautiful display of pure chaos.     "Begrudging Appraisal - Not bad... for an organic." 

:'''{{#var:290|Rebecca Chambers (290)}} has posed:'''     Unfortunately, Rebecca is not expecting this flashbang, and she's left blinded and deaf for the most part. She can only curl up into a semi-fetal position and wait for the damage to be undone. When she finally gets her hearing and vision back, she looks up and finds that Garen is gone. "Damn it, I lost him!" She drops to her knees and bangs the ground angrily. "I can't believe it!" She struggles to get back up and looks around, hoping that the damage isn't as bad as she thinks it is. 

:'''{{#var:797|Higeki (797)}} has posed:'''     Bip.     In immediate response to the detonator, the Cyberia Police Corporation headquarters goes up in a series of large explosions, courtesy of concealed explosives. Great big pieces blast out of the structure on all sides, raining glass and rubble on the street-- But the structure itself does not fall.     Some explosives, it turns out, were more well-hidden than others, prompting a double sweep. Not only for more bombs, but for the person who planted them. The culprit hadn't been found in time by the undercover investigation, but a large number of explosive charges had been recovered and disabled.     The result is that while the Cyberia Police Corporation tower is damaged and on fire in places, the full structure is still standing. The logo above the main entrance flickers out, but defiantly flickers back on with the buzz of neon lighting, despite the damage and debris raining down.     In the streets, surviving CPC officers raise their weapons in a cheer when the Black Blade Syndicate pulls into a retreat. A few even take potshots, but the bulk of the men on the ground are just happy to have survived.     Stepping out of the main door, his uniform decorated with a single ornate epaulette and a series of service medals, a man with a salt-and-pepper hair tone and a bushy moustache folds his hands behind his back, a grim frown showing just beneath the curtain of his facial hair.     "Commissioner Jordon!" A sergeant ascends the steps, "The Blades are leaving. I'll get you a casualty report ASAP but what are your orders in the meantime?"     "Commend the Elites who attended the combat. And get me the Silver Guard. If the Black Fox wants a /war/," the Commissioner mutters, "She's going to get a /war/." 

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