Scene #6085: High-Steaks Operation

Owner	Pose
Klasi Stryde	High in the sky, where thick fog makes it difficult to see the ground below, an airship moves through a trade route on a ruined Earth. Signs of what this Earth is like below are unclear, since the only warpgates were on floating islands, in the sky for vehicles, and aboard the massive Machine Beasts that dot the land. They're colossal metal animal-like beasts, roaming the world, big enough to house cities. They have all sorts of features, such as tusks, horns, trunks, etc, and resembling some sort of land mammal. Even higher above the clouds is said to be flying beasts, though none are clear right now. The destination is to a local trading route where they'll barter for what a Varrick has to offer: meat, a very rare commodity in this world. The trade is in fine jewels, and quite a bunch, too. Klasi Stryde is in Varrick's airship working with the navigators (as he brought the trade route map), when it happens. A large airship is heading towards them straight ahead. It's moving to fly side-by-side with the ship, and is getting pretty close. This might be a time to take a look on what's going on and try to hail the other ship, possibly, as that's super close for airships to be next to each other.
Varrick	Welcome aboard Varrick's own shipping solution. This airship is like many from its own homeworld, powered by hot air and the firebenders aboard that provide the heat. It has the many amenities one might expect of an Age of Industry vehicle, featuring DAZZLING ELECTRIC LIGHTS and ASTOUNDING RADIO-WAVE RECEIVERS and all those wonderous impressive aspects of "modern" life. A large metal compartment houses the heated gasses, and multiple levels make up the structure of the vehicle surrounding that compartment and lead into rear propellers, giving it a design not unlike a steamboat, and a speed similar to it. The tremendous metal craft is emblazoned with the big blue ship logo of Varrick Global Industries, and importantly, it has picked up anyone willing to blaze a trail into this dangerous zone of Klasi's world. Specifically, it made sure to pick up Klasi himself as a guide! Aboard the airship are rows upon rows of cages, and in those cages can be found... Animals? Strange hybrids: Possum chickens, komodo chickens, rabaroos, turkey ducks, and other similar animals are found in big rows. Luckily mostly inside, leaving open decks as an escape from the smell. The various workers keep the ship clean, but there's really only so much you can do about animals like this. That's why Varrick has big conspicuous clips on his nose. Zhu Li does too, but she seems more annoyed by it. Varrick is around the bridge, sitting at a big comfy chair and peering through binoculars. "C'mon! You've got a /whole sky/ to work with, you don't need to crowd our lane!" Zhu Li examines the situation blandly. "They're not trying to get somewhere else, sir. I think they want to come up alongside us." "Well they better have some good trades, because if these bozos try to unload whatever radio they have that isn't working, I sure know I'm not paying a cent!" He grumbles, then gets on a shipwide PA with one free hand while still focusing hard through the binoculars. "Hey! We've got someone coming up on our side, so look alive, or really impressive like you're worth what I'm paying. Wait, both of those at once! I'm sure not getting anyone on the horn so be ready to shout really loudly at them from one of the open decks!" He tells the helmsman to hold pattern and gives a quick nod to Zhu Li, with a more tense look, just in case, then heads to the side of the bridge to examine what needs examining on this ship. He's shipped enough over the seas to know when to worry about pirates, and know not to set things off too early, which is why he's called any of the people he's hired to come along and keep an eye on things out onto the decks, just in case.
Orchid	Also on the ship is one Orchid, who is currently inspecting those rows of cages. She came along for mysterious reasons of her own, unless she really does want to set up a little business of her own. She used the little robots that she brought to help load the cages onto the ship, and she is now inpecting the animals inside, taking notes for some reason. She doesn't know about the other airship yet, unless there is a window here too.
Nie Li	When Nie Li heard that there was some ADVENTUROUS MERCHANTRY to be undertaken, he hopped at the chance to see more of the world and perhaps strike some business deals, get his hands on some juicy and valuable commodities and 'playing cards' for other enterprises. And so, he's gotten a good gander all over the ship. He's had plenty of questions for everyone from Firebenders on break to whoever's watching over the animals. Questions about the Firebending, questions about the animals. Of course, he also has other questions about this world. What's below the clouds and why are the landmasses floating? He's spent much of the journey, also, drafting up business proposals. Ways to transport far more meat cheaply. More kinds of things to sell. And of course, how to glean a profit from the whole matter. The only thing missing from his calculations is whether there's anything in this land he could Really Use that would make it worth the trouble. Still, when the PA goes off, he decides to rush at top speed to the bridge. Because the bridge has some of the best windows, and from there he can see the airship that's approaching. He's no captain, he's certainly never dealt with airships before, but something about the way it's maneuvering... "Ah. It looks like we might have a fight on our hands!" With that understood, he dives back into the rest of the ship, heading for wherever he can predict they're probably going to try and board. And at the first sign of any disturbance, he's going to just turn invisible. Because if he's right, he might be able to seize a crazy advantage here.
Klasi Stryde	To everyone's luck, Klasi is actually a competent guide, knowing the area well and having up-to-date maps. The primary problem is that the airways just aren't safe, which Klasi would have warned about but not seen as too big a problem. 'Everyone here can handle that, right?' The floating landmasses with a closer look, meanwhile, seem to be made out of some sort of metal and scrap rather than natural islands. They have big propulsor-like technology on the side in the forms of engines, keeping them afloat. The approaching airship is sort of shaped like a big metal bird, with sliding doors on the sides like a van. It's not answering over radio, and gets pretty close...before raising enough so that those doors can face the open decks. They're gonna come straight on the side of the decks, Nie Li would realize, as they slide open the doors and suddenly blare through megaphones. "The Sharpjaw Fleet sends their regards! Get em, boys!" As the doors slide open, the first thing that happens is that mobile grappling-hook launchers are wheeled out quickly and then fired at Varrick's airship, before being locked in place. Then, as the attacking airship approaches, it rises enough so that enemy pirates can slide down the grapple-lines. Two of the pirates hang back briefly, one dressed in a leather jacket with a straw hat, and the other dressed in a fine suit vest similar to Klasi's with lilac hair pulled into a ponytail. The man in the hat is carrying a dagger that has a gun trigger, while the much younger man shadowing him has a pair of leaf-shaped swords on either side of him. They wait for their crewmembers, about two-dozen pirates armed with guns, swords, knives, and bats, to board the ship before they move to follow. The man in the hat slides down the ropes with one hand, while the swordsman leaps onto the rope and slides down it on his feet. The man in the hat, ostensibly the leader, speaks up, while the swordsman takes a protective position around him. "Name's Cutthroat Chris, and we're the Sharpjaw Fleet. We'll be taking your ship and especially your shipment, because, well, that's what we do!" The younger man grimaces a bit at this, clearly unpleased with the situation - he doesn't seem like the rest of them, and doesn't give off the same 'pirate' attitude, yet he's protecting the captain either way. On the ship, for Nie Li's information, about a dozen to two dozen pirates remain, probably the backup and also the ship guards. Meanwhile, Klasi moves to inform Varrick about the pirates. "The Sharpjaw Fleet! I just learned of them recently. They're the most vicious pirates in the area, the cream of the crop!"
Orchid	Orchid does not like fighting. In fact, if she can help it, she won't go up on deck. That doesn't mean she can't contribute to a fight, as those longshoreman bots she brought with her do have some combat ability. The hardhat dudes seem to be trying to go around the pirate invaders, while the spiders are laying in way for suitable ambushes should the pirates attempt to go deeper into the ship.
Nie Li	By the time the Sharpjaw have gotten close, Nie Li's made his way to the open decks and is observing the situation. Albeit... from behind cover. Barrels, crates, or extrusions of the airship's frame... whatever cover there is, he's waiting. Watching. After their introduction, he shouts back - with a voice controlled by Soul Force. It echoes all across the deck in freakish ways, constantly changing the direction it seems to be coming from! "Bold scum like you thinks it has what it takes to stroll onto our ship and do as you please? Have you gotten tired of living? You have one chance to stow those weapons and turn back. Otherwise, don't blame us for what happens!"
Varrick	Varrick throws his binoculars away like they're trash. "What in the hey-- I don't want these /regards/ sent here! I want 'em sent back is what I want." He calls out over his own PA system. "Keep those animals safe! Pirates are all superstitious and unscrupulous, who knows what kind of /bad influence/ they'll be on the livestock!" He must protect their precious, innocent minds and meats! Then Klasi lets him know they're /cannibals/!! "Gyaaah! Not my /other/ meats! Zhu Li! Do the thing!" He cries out, taking a sort of exaggeratedly panicked pose and posture as if they were in the bridge /right now/. Zhu Li's passive, placid expression doesn't change when she says, "Yes sir." And steps away from the bridge swiftly. She swiftly joins some of the Firebenders who were working the ship! Without a word, she joins Nie Li and heads out to where the grapple lines are attaching! Despite her frumpy officewear, she immediately rolls up her sleeves, hikes her skirt a bit for mobility, and squares right the fuck up like a boxer. The captain is one she's giving distance, but she's determined to head right for some of the other landing points and lead the Firebenders. She moves with nothing but flesh and blood to start trying to break arms, legs, and noses, while the Firebenders start some stylish martial arts to blast flame towards the grappling hook anchor points and those who slide off them, equal parts brutal kinetic impact and high heat, fueled by surging and practiced control of chi. Varrick speaks up over PA. "What you /do/ is mooch! You're nautical couch-surfers, dull-tooth crew! What the heck are you talkin' about 'fleet', you're one ship and if you don't get off mine I'll have Zhu Li make you captain of a hospital bed!" Varrick sort of cheerleads Zhu Li from the back row of the fight, despite his urgent worry that at any moment someone might try to /steal his flesh/.
Klasi Stryde	As the pirates board, a powerful echo dashes in from all sorts of directions. This spooks most of the pirates, but both the captain and his swordsman remain strong, as the captain barks to his pirates. "Keep it together! We can't be afraid of a little echo!" The bodyguard just hms, as Varrick speaks up over the PA, leading to Cutthroat Chris shouting again over his megaphone. "We need to eat to live too, and besides, this way's fun! And if you think we're the only ship of the Sharpjaw Fleet, get real! One ship's all we need to deal with some weaklings like you!" As he shouts all that out, though, the swordsman speaks up. "Ugh, disgusting. Don't include me in that. I'm only a bodyguard." His eyes dash over to Zhu Li as she goes to break limbs, and she manages to take out a few pirates, but Chris indicates for the swordsman to move to intercept her, and he grunts once before going to do so. He can't be older than twenty, yet he moves over to the skilled woman with confidence, moving to intercept one of her strikes on a pirate by pushing him out of the way. "Looks like I'm with you. Name's Nickel Rodgers. Nothing personal, but I need you to either stand down or get your ass kicked." He draws the two blades, and takes a fighting stance. If Zhu Li proceeds in hostilities, he moves to swipe for her sides, trying to inflict painful but non-immediately lethal blows. Half the pirates move to try and take down the firebenders with their weapons, while the other half are led by their captain to approach inwards and try and capture Varrick, which might give Orchid her opening. Nie Li pretty much has his pick of what he'll do, or if he'll go take out the backup or not.
Nie Li	"Hrmph..." It's the same typical hardheadedness and overconfidence as usual with such things! The boss shouts, and the people who were wisely doubting their instincts go right back to being idiots. Nie Li can only sigh. He did warn them. Within about ten seconds, as the pirates start to go up against the Firebenders... Nie Li fades into view literally in the air behind one of the pirates, and he lashes out with a swift and efficient swipe of his hand. A shadow sickle blade strike that's aimed with assassin-like precision for the weakest part of the neck, no wasted motion. As he skids across the deck, he vanishes again, and moves to appear behind another pirate - who gets ROUNDHOUSE KICKED with enough force to send him off the decks and down into the clouds if he doesn't manage to grab onto something first. And the boy, who seems to be thirteen at a glance, far too young to be capable of such targeted precision and lethal discipline, vanishes again. This is the pattern he establishes, striking down anyone who fights instead of running back to the ship with a combination of stealth, speed, and brutal efficiency that leaves little room for his opponents to actually act. And he's on a course for the captain!
Orchid	Good, Orchid's drones are ignored for the moment, giving them time to A: cut the ropes holding the two ships together, and B: ambush the pirates. Hopefully none of the pirates suffer from arachnophobia as the robot spiders start jumping onto them. It's mostly a distraction tactic, but not full on psychological warfare. No, the EXTRA scary spiders haven't advanced yet. At the moment, it's robot spiders trying to bite wrists.
Ryouma Sakamoto	"Ah, this is bad. We're very, very late," Ryouma says, wrapped in the arms of his partner, whose flight across the sky aims to catch up with the ships locked in combat. "Oryou is going to be mad if there's no meat left," said partner says, looking determined. "I'm sure there'll be meat left. Ah, was it supposed to be two ships? I thought it was just one," Ryouma notes. "Oryou thinks it might be pirates," she answers. "Perhaps," Ryouma answers. Oryou accelerates. Ryouma squints, holding onto his hat. "You're not... planning to just... attack, right?" he asks. "Oryou won't let pirates steal the meat she wants," she says. "Oh. Right, right," Ryouma says. There is a thundering CRASH as Oryou attempts to slam into, from the inside, the hull of the pirate ship. Just right through, several walls possibly included, to land within its bowels quite flagrantly.
Varrick	Zhu Li is a fair bit older than Nickel, and regards him critically; she seems to see him the way she might see a task in urgent need of attending to. "Zhu Li Moon." She says, in clear and calm tones, her fists still square and her stance still ready. "I don't know why you're putting your life on the line for that man, but it's not worth it. You should pick someone better." That's less a boast of power and more a statement of her opinions on the captain's moral shortcomings and her own willingness to put her life on the line for Varrick. Varrick must have microphones or something nearby, because his PA shouting keeps going. "'Nothing personal'-- Hey! You better not put a scratch on my assistant, kiddo! That's someone's /person/! More specifically, /my person/!" He insists. "Zhu Li! Do the thing!" She isn't going to stand down, and instead she rushes forward to get past Nickel's convenient range as quick as she can. Is she wearing some kind of armor under the outfit? It might explain why the impact of the blades is blunted into a horrible bruise instead of a heavy cut. Her style is like a boxer, informed intensely by a Roaring Twenties love of professional fights. Her arms move like snakes, her knees move like trees in wind, and she focuses as hard as she can on Nickel's arms, going for elbows and shoulders, cannily thinking that a pair-sword approach depends heavily on arm endurance and intent on driving that down as hard as she can. "Gyaaaah!" Varrick shrieks out briefly in fear as he notices the movement of pirates heading for the most crucial player on the field for Varrick: Varrick! "Help! The cannibal's going to try to eat my brain and absord my genius!!" No he's not! Nobody said that Varrick. He urges someone over PA to come to his rescue, though the half-dozen firebenders and Zhu Li are all thoroughly occupied! Meanwhile on the bridge, Varrick searches about for something to hide in as a disguise, eventually settling on rearranging a chunk of furniture to block the lower side of a painting, flicking some of the lights on in one place and off in another, and setting himself up as an /eerily/ convincing replacement person in a portrait of Varrick shaking another Varrick's hand. Frankly, it shouldn't be as convincing as it is, but assuming the selective darkness messes with their vision, this GENIUS DISGUISE could actually avoid detection for a fairly long time.
Klasi Stryde	Nie Li did warn them, and they didn't listen, nor do they expect what's coming. His efficiency allows him to just slip in and out, taking out different pirates, though the one he roundhouse kicks manages to grab onto a railing and hold on for dear life. As Nie Li approaches the captain, the captain cold sweats over his pirates being taken out, and several of the remaining ones freak out about the spiders climbing onto them. The captain moves to stab those that do come with the dagger, which works, but it's enough of a distraction that he doesn't notice either Varrick in his super disguise, nor the rest of Orchid's spiders. "Where are they?!" Cutthroat Chris steps forward, and raises that dagger, looking for signs of anyone still inside. Zhu Li introduces herself, and Nickel just glances her over, and notices her stance. He's not underestimating her, it seems, but he also seems super sure of himself, as he responds to her. "He's paying me quite a bit to guard him, and money is power. You need power to get around in this world, and money's the greatest one there is. Would an outsider like you even understand?" As the armor dulls the blade, Zhu Li moves for his arms, and striking them sure is effective, as he staggers back and almost drops his blades. He clutches onto them tight, and then moves to rapidly bring his knee up to Zhu Li's stomach in a quick motion. It's not super skilled or strong, but it's also primarily a distraction, leaving her to focus on that so he can sweep his blades (which he /is/ skilled at) into her arms to do the same to her. This is a man who can fight - he seems to be trying to gauge his strength to be non-lethal where possible, and does so well. Ryouma and Oryou crash into the side of the airship. They rip a massive hole in the hull, and take out several pirates in the process, the remainder freaking out. They raise their guns and move to fire on Oryou and Ryouma quickly, trying to take them down, even if they're just normal bullets. "Aaah! Call the rest of the fleet, they have a monster!" One of the pirates shouts out, as another dashes for what looks like a ham radio. That could be a problem.
Orchid	Orchid is still not on deck. Which remains super handy for not getting killed in the fight. By now the hardhat robots should have cut the grapples away, and any new ones that may have been attached. So Orchid does the sensible thing, and wanders over to the bridge. She'll find whoever looks like they're in charge there right now, and give them this advice. "Pull us away from that pirate ship, the ropes have been all cut."
Nie Li	The child that Nie Li would appear to be at a glance acts nothing at all like a child now that the situation is life or death. His expression is fierce and harsh, with the coldness of an experienced killer matched with periodic flashes of a demon-like ferocity. Razor sharp and honed killing intent can be felt in his motions only rarely. Although he was playful and easygoing while adventuring aboard the ship, now that it's come to this, there's no mistaking it. This guy is NOT a child. This guy is a terror, and he's going straight for the captain. The only words he has for him are unspoken, and contained purely within a moment where his eyes met those of Cutthroat Chris. And since the fights on the deck have calmed some (for his definition of it, anyways) he blitzes down the corridors with practiced parkour-like movements, leaping off of walls and coming up behind the pirates on their way to the bridge! His body's darkened by wispy shadows that seem to cling to him, never mind the actual blades of shadow that extend from his wrists. Blades that have repeatedly now been shown capable of twisting and bending impossibly. In one case, a pirate ducked under this boy's swing, only for the blade's tip to make a BENDY U-TURN DOWNWARDS and still pierce the unfortunate mook in the back of his skull. Every swing sent his way when the goons got smart and started trying to pre-empt him has been expertly ducked under, side-stepped, and brutally countered with all the certainty of a martial arts master who's done this ten thousand times and can see the motions coming far in advance. Finally though, he stops attacking the pirates and instead enters a freakish dash that takes him UP THE CORRIDOR'S HALLWAY and spiraling up onto the ceiling. As soon as he's ABOVE Chris, a single ceiling-kick sends him plunging downwards with those impossibly bendy sickles!
Ryouma Sakamoto	"Ah, no, don't... if you call her a monster, she'll..." Ryouma is let down, that is to say, Oryou removes him from the grip of her princess carry, and stands in the path of the bullets, letting the countless rounds barely bruise her skin as she glares back at the pirates. "Oryou isn't a monster. Oryou is a magical girl," she insists, as that's her mood today. On a technicality, it's not wrong. "Please don't kill them, we don't even know whose ship this is," Ryouma pleads, before also noting: "Also it's an airship, I'd like to study it before you destroy any more of it." "Oryou only cares about the meat," she answers, though on Ryouma's request, she doesn't go all-out lethal. She does pick up (INSERT NEARBY OBJECT) however, probably a crate of stolen loot or various ship supplies, and lob it at one of the pirates, though. "Tell Oryou where the meat is!" she demands. "Ah, please do it, she won't stop until you do," Ryouma smiles, more like an idiot than threateningly.
Varrick	Varrick keeps still. He keeps /perfectly/ still. He blinks only when he's sure nobody there is looking at him. His motion is utterly, perfectly halted. His big grin on the "painting" is forced as hard as he can force it as they see more and more of the bridge... Aha! Thank goodness for Nie Li's arrival. He's not sure if the boy's combat will drive these foes off the bridge, but at the very least they'll keep cannibalism away from his /precious meat/! He leaps for the helm, quickly assessing things. "There we are! Kid, whatever I'm paying you, it's double now if you keep those guys from taking a bite out of me!" He calls out to Nie Li, and then starts spinning the Big Wheel, trying to yank the ship harshly away from the enemy ship! With crews occupied, hopefully this is something that can drive them into something of a retreat to avoid getting cut off! Zhu Li's boxing is having a hard time keeping up with this guy. She's off-balance because of the wound to her side, which means when he brings his knee into her body, knocking the wind out of her and stunning her badly. She's not armored at her arm, oh shit. She's forced to dodge and twist around, though it only shifts the impact laterally. Instead of slicing open her arm, it forces Zhu Li to strain her muscles badly to get it out of the way, still dealing a tremendous chunk of damage and leaving her stumbling on the backfoot, trying to catch her breath and hold her overworked arm. "People like that don't go far past this. You can move all around the world, but you can't move past doing this." She says, with a harsh determination in her eyes, gasping a little. "Varrick Global Industries has always had plenty of money for this, but that income doesn't keep up without vision. If you have something to offer you could get more from Varrick, I know it for sure. This is a cargo hold full of animals for meat." She's doing her best to convince, but she's not exactly a great orator. She sticks to fighting, crouching lower to try to prevent him from getting a good knee in again, and going for low sweeping kicks and less straining elbow side-strikes. Meanwhile, Varrick shouts out responses to Oryou, over PA. "I don't think they've gotten our cages! But the meat's only in the cages! Remember /that/ part, okay!! Don't be like these cannibals! My brain isn't very good meat for anyone but Varrick. There'll be tons of possum-chicken and turkey duck when we get there just as long as this doesn't get blown up, promise!" He says, putting on his best salesman voice.