1602/Standoff

Standoff
Date of Scene:	18 February 2015
Location:	TARGET: The Factory (TF)
Synopsis:	While trying to snag some information from The Factory, Juno bumps into a few unhappy Unionites and a mysterious interloper.
Cast of Characters:	192, 428, 636, 694

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Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Welcome to The Factory in all of its barren, industrial glory. There isn't much in the way of exciting features, here, but it's home to some seriously weird, regenerative mineral useful for all sorts of things, and thus a point of interest for both the Union and the Confederacy. Needless to say, the scars of their squabbling over the things are all over this blasted, barren region.

Also, there's a starship touched down in the midst of this wasteland. It's a sleek, black ship with a predatory look about it, about the size of a modest transport. Metal ticks as its aft engines cool down, and the heat waves still rising from them suggest it hasn't been shut down for very long.

A little further away, kneeling in front of a small and hastily-installed Union computer is a young woman, wearing the uniform of the Galactic Empire. An officer, specifically, complete with short-brimmed black cap, hair pulled into a severe twist under it and lending the impression of being much shorter than it really is; a few wisps left free to frame the sides of her angular face. Every so often she looks up, her eyes as vibrantly blue as the sky is empty, and every so often she looks back to the ship. There's a blaster holstered at her hip, and she looks like a consummate professional.

...She also looks like she's making every attempt to go snooping through the computer system for useful data. Every so often, one of those spider-like robotic drones that calls this place home tries to investigate one of her boots, prompting her to look away form what she's doing and nudge the micro-droid away.

The furtive way in which she keeps looking around, and how hastily she seems to be trying to slice through the computer's stubborn security systems, suggests she Probably Doesn't Belong Here.

Vervi (192) has posed:
In the distance there's a burst of thrust that any jet jockey would easily recognize as the rumble of engines. The sound accompanies a tiny point of blue light in the distance, arcing out of one of the Union access bunkers and turning in a lazy circle. After a moment, seeming to spot a Galactic Empire officer who doesn't look like she belongs here, that light suddenly veers towards the carved-open access terminal.

It is both a jet and not a jet. It's a tiny humanoid robot clad in armor that looks like it probably came off a jet, complete with a cockpit canopy in the center of her chestpiece. It's the blue shinki, Vervi, who's pretty easy to recognize–unless this is some other VerVietta model.

What cements this as Vervi would be her approach. The tiny girl approaches in a wide arc, circling Juno well beyond sword range. She tows her beam rifle in one hand, though it's aimed back in a posture suited for flight rather than combat, and she seems more interested in what's going on than in stopping it just yet.

After a pass or two, though, she swings her legs forward and adjusts her wings, pulling herself into a hover, "Excuse me! You should stop doing that."

Ryu (636) has posed:
The presence of a starship over the Factory was all the prompting Ryan needed to haul his draconic butt over there and see what was going on. The distinct sound of a car driving up to the factory is heard in the distance... Ryan gets out of his vehicle, pulling a pair of sunglasses off his face as he stares over the expanse, frowning at the presence of the spider things.

He steps toward where the computer was installed, humming a tune to himself. He pauses when he hears a horrid metallic wrenching behind him.

He turns around and sees one of the spider bots physically tearing a huge chunk of metal off of the hood of his car. It stops in mid-theft to look at him, frozen as if a deer caught in the headlights, if only for the vague potential threat. Ryan is making the most exagerrated frown he possibly can. He doesn't make a protest, he just turns back to going on his mission and ignores the curious creatures.

"It was a cheap car anyways," he mutters to himself as he steps up to where Juno is, his boots easily announcing his presence.

"Hey." He looks at the computer, and then with a strangely calm motion, he draws that massive handgun from its holster and holds it at his side. "I'd like you to stop what you're doing and calmly step away from the computer. No quick movements, alright?"

Wally West (694) has posed:
Wally shouldn't be here. The red head should not be here at /all/. Yet the youth has come here for his own reasons, hoping that once the Union comes to investigate what the Cionfederate is doing in these contested grounds.. he may be able to try and make off with some stuff.

They say the factory makes tons of things, even from worlds that have yet to Unify. Maybe– just maybe– he can find some things useful to sell for some quick coin on the Black Market.

This means for now, the red head has a black hoodie over his head and he is hanging out back, peering around left over structures from defenses placed up from the many, many different hands that owned this place over the war. Best thing about wall defenses, fallen towers, and broken down turrets. May great for hiding behind stuff– just the matter of waiting everyone out.. and not getting caught.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
So much for trying to accomplish things efficiently and quickly. The Imperial Officer whirls at the sound of those engines–

The blaster is up and in her hand before she even completes her turn.

"I don't think so." Both hands raise to brace the pistol-like blaster. Her smile's about as welcoming as a blade. "I think you're going to leave, before I blow away half of your chassis. You're a shinki, aren't you? I've got some experience with your kind, little droid."

Oh. Look. More of them. Isn't this turning out to be her lucky day? Those blue eyes flick toward the hoodie-wearing figure, though for now the Imperial has more immediate problems.

The blaster stays fixed on Vervi, but her eyes flick quickly from Vervi to Ryu and back to Vervi, evidently deciding the small, agile shinki is probably the more threatening entity.

"Alright. You win."

Slowly, she eases away from the computer, smooth movements suggesting that this person does have some measure of military training. And the blaster remains fixed on Vervi.

"I've got a counter-offer of my own. You're going to let me get back to my ship, and we're all going to go our separate ways, civilised-like." Her smile is hard. Threatened. "I've got enough aim to put a hole in your shinki friend, if I really have to."

She'll wait until they actually let her go, though, because that's a Very Big Gun that Ryan's holding.

Ryu (636) has posed:
Ryan flicks his eyes to look at Vervi, and then toward Juno. His weapon raises... he's holding that hand cannon with one hand as easily as if it were made of cardboard. His other hand's thumb rests in a pocket and he looks almost bored with Juno. His mouth is wilted into a frown that shows he's got a bunch of sharp teeth in his mouth, the way some of them seem to show.

"I can deal with that. If you shoot either of us, you will have bigger problems to deal with than a smoldering hole in your chest, anyways," he tells her. Instead of calm, her approach to leaving has just severely angered him. He does not seem to appreciate anyone endangering his allies in any way.

He tilts his head, a gesture toward her ship.

"Go on. I won't shoot you, if you keep your word."

Vervi (192) has posed:
"—Huh?" Vervi's eyes widen when the blaster is pulled up towards her. Immediately, she swings her beam rifle up to aim right back. There's a puffing sound behind her when her Options deploy, tiny metallic devices that soon become engulfed in orange light and take up a formation around her. A heartbeat later, multiple panels slide open on her leg armor, bracers, flight pack, and chestplate–Missiles.

It's this bristling arsenal that displays itself when Juno aims a blaster at her.

"Please don't treat me like a toy, I'm a fighter, too!" Her wings change angles, moving her to one side, then she shifts and skirts the other way, "I won't stop you if you leave, but if you open fire, I have no problem defending myself." All of her opponents in the WMAT were way bigger than her–Juno might remember that. Though they never fought directly. The Pilot had the Shinki Hell Bracket while Vervi had to play Shadow of the Colossus every match.

Wally West (694) has posed:
As the group seems focused on the Confederate agent, Wally makes his way across the field with some simple ease, before sliding under a destroyed vehicle. His green eyes looking around as he watches the strange machines work, before his gaze goes back over to the group.

He frowns at the fact that Juno is threatening the small drone.. but it isn't his problem. At least not yet.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Quite suddenly, Juno Eclipse remembers why she dislikes those little shinki things. They pack as much weaponry as any Imperial commando in a conveniently miniaturised package. And they know how to use those weapons.

Oh, missiles. Delightful. Juno doesn't bother disguising her scowl.

"You know, I really don't like shinki." The blaster twitches. "On the other hand, I suppose I should be flattered that you consider me a threat at all." Ah, so the little shinki has an inferiority complex. That's good to know.

Something seems to occur to her, though, and she stops her slow, smooth walk backward.

"Well, it seems you've got me. How gallant of you, outgunning someone like that. But I don't think I've seen you before. Shinkis, yes," she adds, eyes flicking to Vervi. "Your model in particular, no." Eyes flick to Ryu. "And you, not at all. Who are you two?"

Might as well get something useful before she beats a hasty retreat, no?

Vervi (192) has posed:
Vervi hesitates, then lowers her rifle with a perplexed noise, "Uwah? You don't remember?" She swings her rifle to one side so that she can flip open her wrist, explosing her interface. On this, she pulls up an image, then blows it up to be large enough for the human to see at this distance, "I was in the World Martial Arts Tournament, same as you, miss Blackout. You got eliminated before we fought, though." With a shrug and a helpless experssion, she adds, "I guess you've been really busy and just forgot~!"

Without hesitation she snaps her rifle back up, "B-but yes, I know you don't like shinki, after your fights with Zeno and Aurora, it's not a surprise at all!" There's a click and the barrel of her rifle splits open, hissing out a glowing blue mist from its laser core, "And it should be no surprise that I'll give you even more trouble than they did if you don't leave right now!"

Ryu (636) has posed:
Ryan watches with a tense patience as the pilot steps away. The violence in his eyes is easy to see. He is waiting for the slightest mistake to give him an excuse to shoot her, though he doesn't make any twitch or unnecessary change in stance, himself.

When she stops, he lets out an inhuman rumbling noise of impatience. "Gallant," he repeats, carelessly. His brows raise when she turns her attention at him. He smiles at her, but it's not really a friendly smile in the slightest. Not wanting to give her a direct answer, since she's clearly some kind of enemy, he'll tell her. Before he even says it, his smile grows into a proud grin, and his eyes glow faintly.

"I'm a dragon."

His teeth gleam. His very sharp teeth.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Heh. Crap. So they recognise her voice and face from her stint in the tournament. Part of her was hoping that no one really did, and so far she had managed to duck that recognition, but everyone's luck runs out eventually.

The blaster stays right where it is, never so much as wavering.

"I've been busy. I can't say it's something I remembered, unfortunately." Her eyes flick from one to the other. "Can't argue with a point like that."

And so Juno scootches backward with her blaster still trained on both Unionites, and scootches back up the access ramp of the Rogue Shadow very very quickly.

The ramp retracts, the door closes, and the ship is pretty fast to take off and beat a hasty retreat out of there after that.