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Scipion3 Joueur du Grenier from The Attic Since: May, 2018 Relationship Status: Healthy, deeply-felt respect for this here Shotgun
Joueur du Grenier
#301: Oct 6th 2024 at 6:09:20 AM

Scrapyard

Giegue's ears twitched after he gave the card to Susie, turning toward an approaching sound.

4 ugly things were getting closer to the place. Were those Ridley's minions?

   "...Really? That's what you are afraid of?"    Giegue asked with a completely deadpan look at Aquarius's reaction. Whatever it was that made him and Everett afraid, Giegue completely failed to see it.

In fact, the alien looked back in the unsuspecting scouts's direction, his irritation only growing. They had to waste his time now of all moments. And it's not like they could hide, they were going in their direction. Confrontation seemed unavoidable. Perhaps the others managed to screw up and spill the bean about Everett for all he knew. Useless fools.

As if the alien didn't look angry enough, faint red smoke swirled from his red pupils. Unlike last time with Seras, however, there was no moment of doubt, no lashing out. He looked more focused and in control. Still, Aquarius would likely pick up the pure hate steaming from Giegue.

After all, it's been made clear as crystal that the Space Pirates were enemies. For once, every fiber of his being was agreeing on that. And...

He wanted them to die. Screaming. It wasn't out of sadism or personal vendetta, but Giegue had that much rage inside he unconsciously decided they would make excellent punchbags. If it hadn't been them, it would have been someone else. It would leave a bad taste in the ruthless alien's mouth to kill them too quickly.

Now, Giegue would have asked Everett to hide but Aquarius already beat him to the punch, dragging Everett with him.

Well, that was one advantage of being freaked out at anything.

Giegue turned toward Eric next.

   "You should hide as well. As much as I want you to finish your task, you can't exactly work if you're a corpse. If you can work while hiding, that would be appreciated."    he coldly said.

Giegue then gazed at the party overall. A part of him didn't really care if the pirates were able to hurt them, aside from maybe in Everett's case, because protecting him was why they were here in the first place.

But... Giegue felt like he should do a bit more. Not because he liked them, but because they were more useful to him alive than dead. At least that's what he repeated to himself in his mind.

Given the emergency, Giegue only bothered with the strict minimum. He lacked time to do anything else and he wanted to save his PSI for more offensive purposes. Even as a prodigy, he couldn't just endlessly spam PSI moves around until his mental resources would be out.

Giegue waved his tail, not even warning the others of what he was doing and not caring about not startling them. Then, individual psychic shields of light suddenly wrapped around each person in the scrapyard with a psychedelic sound.

That was PSI Shield, at least a variant of it. It wouldn't last too long, around 4-5 minutes at best, and they didn't make anyone invulnerable. But those forcefields should help mitigate some damage to the group's fighters. Giegue especially needed it without a capsule to protect his frail body, should he be unable to dodge. And should the enemy get close to Aqua and Everett or Eric, this should allow them some time before someone pulls them out of danger.

Well, around everyone... Everyone except Galleus. He was the only one Giegue didn't use PSI Shield on. He didn't even acknowledge him.

Because screw him.

The Geeg gazed at both Susie and Alia. Aside from himself, the alien considered both the only ones able to properly defend the group.

   "We can't risk the enemy spotting us and reporting to their main base, even if we hide. We must act first, and we'll act now. Target the jetpacks, prevent them from leaving. We have the element of surprise so be quick and swift. When they are on the ground, prioritize removing further communications with the rest of their army if they have some. The other Pirates cannot know we're here."    Giegue sternly said to the two women in a commander's tone.

   "We're three against four. It wouldn't be an issue were it not for Everett and the others we must protect. Given the circumstances, I will speak with both of you through telepathy should we need it. Alia, you'll assist me with bringing them down. Gathering them or immobilizing them will help. Susie, I've yet to see exactly what your machine does, but I believe it would be logical for you to take a more defensive role depending on the enemy's strategy. Out of the three of us, I think you're the one who can take the most hits. And you've dealt with their leader before, surely you know one or two things about this type of pirate."   

Then, his red pupils briefly shrank, looking back at the pirates.

   "When the bugs can no longer ask their crew for help, take your time to terminate them at your leisure."    he finished, his venom clear for everyone to hear. As if to prove his point, one of his hands started to sparkle with some kind of electric power. The Geeg was already preparing a PK Thunder.

Giegue took a deep breath to regain his composure. He had to be patient. Before leaving the Scrapyard, he glanced at the rest of the party, his hand still sparkling.

   "Any questions? I estimate they should be here in minutes. I know we could spend more time planning our move, but we're running out of time, so hurry."   

Edited by Scipion3 on Oct 6th 2024 at 4:14:23 PM

AND I'VE STILL BLOCKED OFF MY BALL!! FUCK!!
Bored_Man Since: Jun, 2015 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#302: Oct 7th 2024 at 5:35:51 AM

Granet Scrapyard - Preparing to Engage

Even with Susie showing basic courtesy in answering her question, Alia didn't miss the way the business woman's tone differed when speaking to her as opposed to when she addressed others of the group. Alia couldn't prove anything, not without asking invasive questions or otherwise bothering Susie further, but she had the feeling that simply being near her made the woman uncomfortable.

Before she could dwell on this, the sound of an explosion reached her ears, and Alia stood up completely straight, almost immediately going into combat ready mode. Seeing as Giegue was also getting ready for a fight, and granting her...some kind of defense that she couldn't quite identify, the Reploid listened to his words and then nodded.

"Understood." She said, her hand shifting into a buster. "Direct me on who to shoot if need be. We don't want to overfocus on one target and let another gain ground."

Proud member of the AGOG community.
kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#303: Oct 13th 2024 at 1:33:48 PM

Ruri, Skies Above Canyon

Ruri kept soaring south. There was a chance the others needed help, but rash action never did anyone any good. She had received an order and from Miss Enty no less. The least she could do was carry it out. She kept communications open, scanning the area for anything unexpected.

kagescorpionakki Breath of the Sun from Long Ago Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
Breath of the Sun
#304: Oct 13th 2024 at 7:52:36 PM

Skies Above The Canyon

Ridley's tail appears to be stronger than Seras's tendril, piercing through it, but this is exactly what Seras expected. Her shadows latch onto Ridley and pull. She can't hope to budge something as big him, not without leverage, but she's not trying to - she's pulling herself closer to him, close enough that the missiles risk hitting the both of them, but Seras can survive a few explosions.

She actually doesn't know if she could win a straight melee fight, but that's not why she's getting close.

When Ridley prepares to breath another beam, Seras draws her cannon out of her shadow, and looses a second shot, aimed right at the dragon's open mouth.

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
G2BattleConvoy The Hope, The Hero from Installation 07 Since: Mar, 2017 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
The Hope, The Hero
#305: Oct 18th 2024 at 1:54:55 AM

Crater Canyon - (Lieutenant Titus)

Oh, great, just what they needed. Two Space Pirates who were not only on guard, but were stupid enough to actually approach the party without realising they're the ones who engaged Weavel's group.

Not particularly caring for the question at hand, Titus would raise his Auto Bolt Rifle and fire two shots at the one that had Locus' dot on him, and then would quick aim his Auto Bolt Rifle at the other one as soon as the first one was shot.

"Pirate, if you want to live unlike your friend here, you will tell us how many ships you have at your dock. We are not in the mood for games."


Granet Scrapyard - Blissfully Ignorant, But Confident Nonetheless (Galleus Malthiron)

Galleus would look up at the approaching scouts, his ocular implants denoting that while lightly-armed, he would agree that perhaps hiding would be the best option, despite Aquarius' whining. By the Omnissiah, he seemed more and more like a coward the more he heard him.

"Calm yourself. Blind panic will not do. But you are correct that engaging them will not be wise."

That said, Giegue had a point. If they ambushed the pirates at the right time, the young Master would be protected successfully until Lieutenant Titus came back with his impromptu unit.

"Good sir," the Magos would say to Eric, "do you know where I can scavenge some weapons? I find myself unfortunately under-equipped at this time."

It would not serve the Omnissiah well if he did not find a weapon himself.

"We all fail. We all make mistakes. That is what makes us human."
PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#306: Oct 24th 2024 at 4:10:24 PM

Granet Scrapyard, Planet Centerra (Vision of a Cosmic Destroyer)

Okay, Susie hadn't been expecting the oafish cultist to agree with her on something. Even his math seemed to check out. Perhaps he's not a total idiot after all.

Not that she was about to say so.

Instead, she chimed in after Giegue reminded everyone of a very pertinent fact, half her attention still focused on wiring the recovered cryogenic weapon to her Business Suit's defence matrix.

"Mr. Giegue is right, as usual. While of course the Company values each and every one of you, the objective must come first!" she said, pointing up from deep inside the cockpit. It took a few moments to register the fact that she was being given something.

"Oh, what's this? A present, for moi? You're too kind!" she said with a happy little clap, accepting the item. "A VIP pass for the Stardust Casino?" she commented, observing all of its little details, before unceremoniously shoving it in her pocket. "Believe it or not, I'm not surprised it found its way to this little junk heap! We haven't heard many good things of that establishment - the glitz and glamour concealing a seedy underbelly of drugs and debauchery, enabled by 'her highness' Madame Dust... still, if the energy signature is an alternate source of Boltzmann Radiation as you imply, it's worth a trip to R&D."

There was a definite tinge of annoyance in Susie's voice speaking of the Casino, and there was a good reason for that. Indeed, she had the misfortune of meeting the Madame herself, when she was tasked with representing the Company in an attempted buyout of the Stardust Casino. If it had worked out, they would practically have a monopoly on gambling in that sector, but Dust had to be difficult. And she definitely didn't blow thousands of the Company's Haltmanns on the Pachinko machines, nuh-uh!

Fortunately she didn't have enough time to dwell on that before another complication was thrown their way - some of the Zebesian vagabonds who'd been off exploding in the distance had sent some numbers towards the Scrapyard. Four of them, probably a scouting unit. Susie just rolled her eyes at the sight - if they were dumb enough to come down here and pick a fight with her and Giegue, they'd get what they deserve. Of course, Aqua and Everett felt differently, running off to hide. She didn't say anything, just shook her head - Everett she expected to hide, but Aqua? Based on his earlier showing with his powers, she was somewhat disappointed.

Still, at least someone had a handle on this PSI business - dear Void, look at that red smoke coming out of Giegue's nostrils. Susie's eyes widened as she observed the strange alien. Though she lacked any kind of psychic powers herself, she nonetheless got a... vibe from him. A vibe of power, of anger, of hatred...

Truth be told, it was a little frightening. It was enough to stun her into silence, if only for a minute. Not even her own fraught relationship with her father could compare. She still loved him, of course she did, even if he was infuriating in every way. That's why she wanted to save him. But this? She couldn't imagine feeling this...

That stunned silence was long enough for Giegue to step in and take command of the situation while she was busy sitting there gawking. She slammed her eyes shut, shaking her head. Stupid, stupid! How is she supposed to be the leader of this team if she can't call the shots when it counts?

"Ahem!" she loudly cleared her throat, "While I am impressed with your seizure of the initiative, Mr. Giegue, I would like to remind everyone that we still don't know what these Pirates intend to do with us. It is as you say - I have dealt with them before, and they are self-serving criminals - 'honour among thieves' is such a cute little lie! I wouldn't be surprised if they recognize me from our past dealings and wish to strike some kind of under-the-table deal. Or perhaps we could offer them something? Such as..."

She made a show of tapping at her chin, before her eyes swept down to the pocket she was keeping the VIP Card, "oh, I don't know, a key to the payout of a lifetime? Just an idea."

Of course, she wasn't stupid - she wasn't going to put all her Maxim Tomatoes in one puree machine. She sat up straight, all business. "Of course, if it comes down to a fight, the Business Suit is plated with latticed Haltonium alloy, and can rev up to a top speed of 96 Haltometres-per-hour in just seven seconds, and that's before you factor in my drones. I'd like to see them even scratch me with their savage weapons!" she said, starting to sound aggressive.

Maybe she wanted a fight after all. If nothing else, it'd sure blow off some steam.

Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on Oct 24th 2024 at 12:18:23 PM

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
darksidevoid Anti-Gnosis Weapon from The Frontiers (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
#307: Oct 24th 2024 at 4:51:15 PM

Skies Above The Canyon

Seeing what Ridley was about to do, Enty knew she had to act quickly or risk eating the full brunt of his beam attack! Swiftly turning Westward, she gunned her Rigging's engine as much as she could and sped in that direction, though she zig-zagged in various directions as she went in the hopes of dodging the beam! It was possible her Rigging's deflector shield, lesser than that of her full starship form, could handle part of the energy of the attack if Ridley managed to land it, but that wasn't a risk Enty was prepared to gamble on.

"Seras, Lewa, disengage! I'll circle back around to pick you up in a second!" she broadcasted to the pair of her allies who were still nearby before she got out of range. And so, for a short while, the vampire and Toa would be left to fend for themselves... but soon after, something appeared on the Western horizon, speeding towards the battlefield:

A huge metal disc, attached to a large cylinder, which was in turn attached to two more cylinders... and the first cylinder had a suitably massive brown cowboy boot attached to the bottom. In case anybody didn't know how to identify this gigantic flying object, the underside of the disc - the only side visible to the airborne combatants from this angle - had the designation NCC-1701 emblazoned upon it in large characters. Continuing to soar back into the space she had left, the starship swerved towards Ridley, attempting to effectively "kick" him with the humongous boot!

"And here I am! Ta-da~!" Enty announced to Seras and Lewa over their comms. "Lewa, the landing bay is on the aft! Seras, you enter however you think is best!

Edited by darksidevoid on Oct 24th 2024 at 10:10:21 AM

GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
ZodanTheUnbounceable from Everywhere, Nowhere, Somewhere Since: Jul, 2013 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#308: Oct 24th 2024 at 9:28:08 PM

Granet Scrapyard

"R-right, right, hide...good idea..."

Everett follows Aqua behind a pile of scrap as Eric simply ducks back into his office. As he does, he points Galleus towards a pile at the back of the scrapyard, containing various discarded devices. Most of these look like they could be weapons...or alien hair dryers. The line is occasionally rather blurry.

"Don't gotta tell me twice!"

He audibly locks the door behind him.

As the Pirates fly closer to the scrapyard, one of them looks down and locks eyes with Giegue. Letting out a guttural yell, he motions to the others to look down, which they do to see the crew gathered in the scrapyard. The pirate who initially spotted the group levels his arm at them, a cannon attached to his wrist glowing a bright orange before unleashing a rapid-fire volley of shimmering blasts at the group.

...They're the exact same color that Stella glows in Centerra's sky, and both Giegue and Aquarius should be able to sense something else familiar.

Their guns are firing weaponized Boltzmann Radiation.

Crater Canyon

"Achoo! Stupid allergies..."

Zeemi rubs her nose as Titus's shots blast straight through Chiton's carapace, the Space Pirate falling to the ground.

"Chiton!"

His comrade falls to his knees, looking the fallen Space Pirate over.

"Chiton, are you okay?! Talk to me!"

"I...I think I'm fine...I think I'm...no, actually...I believe I'm dying...Herk, ble-ag!

The green Space Pirate jumps to his feet, claws raised in an act of surrender.

"J-just our frigate, the Merchant One! A-and a few dropships! We're just a m-modest detachment out here on a resource-g-gathering mission, I just guard the entrance, don't shoot me! I have a wife and thirty-seven unhatched eggs at home!"

Skies Above The Canyon

Fortunately for Ruri, her scans indicate that the pirates haven't deployed any reinforcements for Ridley...which speaks volumes about his reputation for bloodshed.

As Seras successfully pulls herself towards Ridley, the Space Dragon reaches out and grasps a hand around the vampire, armored claws digging into her and doubtlessly drawing blood. The Space Pirate Commander levels his gaze at Seras, intending to blast her point-blank with his breath weapon...before her cannon fires straight into the back of his throat.

An ear-splitting howl of pain and rage booms across the aerial battlefield, Ridley dropping Seras as his claws fly up to clutch his throat. Momentarily stunned, Ridley doesn't even seem to notice Enterprise arriving on the scene to kick him out of the air! Ridley is sent sprawling through the air, taking a few seconds to right himself before surveying the area to try and catch sight of his enemies again.

But for now, he does not seem to see them.

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Nov 23rd 2024 at 10:39:57 AM

This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
Scipion3 Joueur du Grenier from The Attic Since: May, 2018 Relationship Status: Healthy, deeply-felt respect for this here Shotgun
Joueur du Grenier
#309: Oct 25th 2024 at 4:13:40 AM

Scrapyard

Giegue stared at the foolish priest as he asked for a weapon. Susie and Alia, he assumed they were competent enough to defend the group.

The priest with a weapon? Giegue did not like the idea at all.

   "I suppose we could use a meatshield to distract the fourth Pirate... Do what you want. Just try to be useful and not hit yourself, or any of us."    Giegue said in contempt to the cretin. He had so little faith in him he expected the fool to shoot at his allies.

The next one to exasperate Giegue was surprisingly Susie of all people.

She suggested talking to the ugly pirates to see what they wanted. She even suggested trading that piece of junk he just gave her. Giegue didn't get the appeal of the foreign place, and even she seemed to hate this "Casino". Why was that going to work?

As if to prove his point, the defenders were barely locked out of the building when one of the pests opened the hostilities the moment he stared at the strange, angry-looking alien. Perhaps it was because he underestimated their speed or because he was distracted, but Giegue dodged a little too late, being on the front line. One of the blasts hit his right leg.

Granted, the psychic shield helped mitigate the damage and protect him from possible side effects, but it still left a nasty burn on the Geeg's skin. His lack of protection compared to his two partners (the idiotic priest didn't count) was apparent.

And yet, the pain, as irritable as it was, was negligible compared to the mental agony constantly torturing Giegue. He didn't have time to distract himself with physical pain, though Giegue felt like slapping himself for letting his guard down like a fool.

He had to keep control. Focus. Focus his anger on them. Nothing else. No distractions, no unnecessary lashing out. It was a good thing Niiue was helping him in that regard, as much as he detested his "positive" self.

He remained scarily calm as he turned toward Susie as if nothing happened.

   "You don't negotiate with enemies. You crush them, one way or another, no matter how long it'll take."    Giegue muttered. The alien lazily looked at his burn mark and the impacts of the other blasts. It didn't take long for him to figure out what the enemies were shooting.

   "So... The bugs have already started to weaponize the radiation as we suspected. I should be impressed..."    he informed his partners in a frankly monotone tone.

Emphasis on "should", and it was clear that he wasn't. At best, he was impressed by how predictable that was. Perhaps the weapons could be salvaged, though... After the insects would be turned into broken corpses of course.

Giegue looked up to the four pirates. He already found his target... The fool who tried to hit him and opened the hostilities.

The Geeg looked at the three people next to him. He briefly closed his eyes for a moment, before his voice started to echo in Susie and Alia's mind, as he had warned.

   I would say each of us focus on each pirates... But I'll be frank, I expect the priest fool to fail quickly, so I advise keeping an eye on him. I will handle the one that spotted us. When that one is dead, I'll join one of you depending on the situation. The psychic shields I gave you should protect you a bit, but when they are off, avoid their blasts as much as possible. There may be a good reason why they want to weaponize Stella's energy aside from raw fire-power.   

Giegue narrowed his eyes, his hand still crackling with psychic electricity. He then raised it toward the sky and the sparks suddenly disappeared.

   First, however... We'll prevent them from escaping. I'll start. If that won't hit them, it will distract them. Use this to your advantage and deactivate the rest of their jetpacks.    Giegue informed the two women with him.

Just as he was finished talking psychically, four bolts of lightning bursted out of the sky without warning, aiming for the Pirates.

PK Thunder was a volatile PSI move, just like the element it was based on. Even Giegue had trouble landing it on his target in one-on-one duels. Unfortunately for the Pirates, they were four. And PK Thunder worked much better against more foes. If it didn't hit all of the jetpacks at best, which even Giegue doubted would happen, at worst one of the lightning would land toward the Pirate Giegue was focusing on. And that was what happened.

One powerful bolt of lightning would aim right on the spotter, more precisely, on his flying machine. The three other bolts would miss and land right next to the others. Not hitting them, but likely to startle them.

Giegue then ominously floated toward the Pirate he was focusing on. Unblinking, his focused expression not changing. His eyes wider than they should and his red pupils smoking. He didn't show any signs of fear, nor was he boasting. He wasn't shouting or anything, he didn't look that angry after he got shot at. But the closer he got to the Pirate, the more the Zebesian would feel something very, very wrong with the Geeg. If even Susie picked up the vibe Giegue had when she wasn't even the target, he certainly would realise that maybe, he and his crew should have never come here.

For Giegue, that wasn't a fight, that was pest control. He had a lot of steam to vent. Starting with him.

Edited by Scipion3 on Oct 25th 2024 at 1:14:38 PM

AND I'VE STILL BLOCKED OFF MY BALL!! FUCK!!
Bored_Man Since: Jun, 2015 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#310: Oct 28th 2024 at 7:02:07 AM

Granet Scrapyard

There was a rule among Maverick Hunters, one that was driven into them so that it became second nature: if the enemy shoots first, the time for negotiations is past, and it's time to shoot back, a notion Giegue evidently agreed with.

With the alien's warning, Alia was prepared for his attack, and thus was able to stop herself from flinching when a sudden bolt of lightning materialized and just barely missed the Space Pirate she was aiming at. With energy charging in her buster, Alia was able to use that to her advantage by moving just enough to get the enemy's jetpack in her sights, and once she had a clear shot, she let loose with a semi-charged shot directly at it in order to put the jetpack out of commission, and hopefully deal a good bit of damage in the process.

Proud member of the AGOG community.
PresidentStalkeyes Eats moldy bread and flies into windows from United Kingdom of England-land Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Do you like me? (Yes ⎕ Definitely ⎕ Absolutely!!! ⎕)
Eats moldy bread and flies into windows
#311: Nov 4th 2024 at 2:29:23 PM

Granet Scrapyard, Planet Centerra (Executive, Execute!)

Well. So much for negotiations.

Seems Susie was dealing with the dumb ones - shoot first, ask questions never. Surprisingly quick, though - one of them even got in a lucky shot against Giegue; she took note of the shimmer that made itself apparent as he got struck. His PSI powers at work, perhaps? Most intriguing! (and exploitable!)

She could tell that Giegue thought less of her for not immediately taking the initiative against the attackers, but that was totally fine by her. She's not so stupid and naive to think that they're trying to be friends - she admired his strength, but only for the potential it held, nothing more. This little episode need only be a speed bump in the road to their otherwise-productive business relationship, anyhow.

"I don't apologize for considering every option," she told him, "nonetheless, it looks as though violence is our only recourse. Which is a shame! I really hoped I wouldn't have to humiliate them, but it's the only way they'll learn!" she said, still sounding weirdly cheery about the upcoming violence. She even made a ^_^ face.

Oh yes... now she was hyped! With everything on the line, there was nothing stopping her from teaching these savages a lesson in manners!

Hearing a 'blip blip blip blip' sound as her mech's onboard computers informed her that it'd finished copying and projecting the cryogenic Grummel weapon's internal energy signature upon its own offensive components, Susie quickly unplugged it and tossed it aside, its purpose fulfilled (though she'd be sure to pick it back up later, the Labotories would love it). Her visor flipped down and the Business Suit revved up. It was time to go to work.

Susie didn't even wait for Giegue to finish talk- er, mentally broadcasting his plan of action to her and the Reploid. She still listened, of course (and made a note to recover some of their weapons for study, if they were indeed weaponizing Boltzmann radiation - just what else could you do with it, toast waffles?).

The screw end of the Business Suit spinning, it skittered along the ground at high speed, leaving behind a trail of earth. She zipped a fair distance away from the others, towards the entrance to the scrapyard - and, she estimated, behind where the jetpack-clad Pirates were aiming to land. Indeed, though she'd been told to assume a more defensive role, Susie was the one giving the orders, not taking them - and she had her own plan to divert attention away from their VIPs.

"SPACE PIRATES! YOU ARE PRESENTLY INTERFERING WITH THE OFFICIAL BUSINESS OF THE HALTMANN WORKS COMPANY! LEAVE NOW, OR BE... DESTROYED!" she yelled out as the Suit drifted to a stop, her voice projected by a megaphone attachment in her cybernetic trachea (very useful when addressing staff meetings!) She had no intention of letting them leave, it was simply to draw their attention, hoping they remembered her or the Company from Ridley's prior dealings. If nothing else, maybe the news they'd come to collect on his debts would make him crap his draconic britches.

Hitting a few keys, Susie activated the Business Suit's Drone Launchers - and felt an unmistakable chill from behind her, indicating that the cryogenic device had done its job. With but a few thoughts and a few gestures akin to pulling an invisible trigger, the drones fired off - 'POWPOWPOWPOW-EEEEEEOOOOOO' - about eight of them in total, each of them cone-shaped metallic missiles almost as big as Susie's entire body, enveloped in chilly vapours.

The drones homed in on the pirates, each taking a different path to make them difficult to hit - it was likely they'd shoot down a couple, but by law of averages at least one had to make it past their defences. And when they did, they'd stop, fizzle, and - CCCCHRRRK-BOOM - explode, scattering icy shrapnel in their wake.

Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!
kagescorpionakki Breath of the Sun from Long Ago Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
Breath of the Sun
#312: Nov 11th 2024 at 4:35:15 PM

Skies Above The Canyon

Part of her wants to keep fighting. Years of service to Hellsing have ingrained the idea of 'kill the monster' into her soul. But this was meant to be a scouting mission, and besides which the sun is up. She can always come back after dark, when she's in her element, and properly sink her fangs into the problem.

So Seras takes the opportunity provided by Enty and flees, soaring at the starship Enterprise and casually phasing through it to land inside, reforming into solidity as she does.

"I'm safely boarded." She announces over comms. Then she sighs in relief, glad to be shielded from the sunlight. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, Miss Enterprise. I'm not an ace pilot, but I do have some skill with ships."

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
EchoingSilence Since: Jun, 2013
#313: Nov 22nd 2024 at 9:24:19 AM

Crater Canyon

Gesicht swung by, following Titus's aim, and Locus's laser sight. He aimed for Scythe, clearance had been granted for use of Zeronium shells. Adjusting for environmental resistance and distance...

He paused, technically while there was special legal conditions surrounding the Space Pirates. He held back, before rocketing over and raising the Zeronium shell, shouting. "Hands on your head and lay on the ground, now!"

Survivors could be interrogated.

Edited by EchoingSilence on Nov 22nd 2024 at 2:40:43 PM

LizardOfAus (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#314: Nov 23rd 2024 at 9:57:13 AM

Skies Over the Canyons

"What are you doing, Toa Lewa?! The plan was for you and Ruri to retreat first!"

"Oooh...ever-sorry, Enty," came the sheepish reply over comms, "Got caught-swept up in the moment!"

"Seras, Lewa, disengage! I'll circle back around to pick you up in a second!"

"Right you are, air-sister! Quick-falling back!" A quick boost from his thrusters got Lewa safely out of harm's way...just in time for the entrance of a truly magnificent spaceship. "...Mata Nui..." gasped the Toa in awe.

"And here I am! Ta-da~! Lewa, the landing bay is on the aft! Seras, you enter however you think is best!"

Slightly reeling from the spaceship speaking to him in Enty's voice, Lewa still tried to shake it off, and combined jet thrusters with his own burst of air to double-time it up into the landing bay.

"Toa-Hero on deck. Quick-ready to help as well. Though I have to admit, the last high-flying craft I rode was a Ngalawa Canoe compared to this...erm- you!"

And a Strange Figure Emerges.
darksidevoid Anti-Gnosis Weapon from The Frontiers (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
#315: Nov 23rd 2024 at 11:26:42 AM

Skies Above The Canyon -> Skies To The East

Seeing as her precious cargo of comrades was now secured, Enty saw no reason to stick around and fight Ridley any longer, and so followed her own plan and zoomed her ship form off to the East, hoping to leave the Pirates in the dust for the time being...


Aboard Enterprise

"Welcome aboard, Seras and Pip! And thanks for the offer, but unless something goes wrong with the generator or engines, I probably won't need help! I embody and control all of my own systems, after all," came Enty's voice from behind the vampiress. Turning would reveal what seemed to be the KAN-SEN herself standing in the hallway, smiling and offering Seras a Vulcan salute. However...

"Ah! Before you wonder how I just happened to be in the same place as you, this is just a holographic avatar, although hardlight! I can create any number of them at once, so I'm using them to talk to you and Lewa while my actual flesh body is up in the bridge," the shipgirl explained. "Anyway, it might take a little while for us to finish circling around and approach the canyon from the South, and since you in particular can exit from anywhere, you're welcome to wait wherever you like while we're flying; you and Lewa will just need to disembark before I miniaturize my ship form again. I guess your three most interesting options for places to go are the bridge, where I technically am, Ten Forward, which is our lounge and bar, or the landing bay, to hang out with Lewa."

As she finished speaking, Enty snapped her fingers and brought up a holographic map of the ship with the three locations highlighted, along with Seras' current position being marked.


As Lewa landed, the landing bay doors closed smoothly behind him. No danger of falling out while the ship accelerated!

"Welcome aboard, Lewa! And awww, thank you for the compliment, hee-hee!" came Enty's voice from behind the Toa. Turning would reveal what seemed to be the KAN-SEN herself standing in the landing bay, smiling and offering Lewa a Vulcan salute. However...

"Ah! Before you wonder how I just happened to be in the same place as you, this is just a hardlight holographic avatar, or in other words, a tangible illusion! I can create any number of them at once onboard my ship self, so I'm using them to talk to you, Seras, and Pip while my actual flesh body is up in the bridge," the shipgirl explained. "Anyway, it might take a little while for us to finish circling around and approach the canyon from the South, but since you and Seras will need to disembark before I miniaturize my ship form again, it might be easier if you just stay here until we reach our destination..."

"Sorry, I know that's kind of boring," Enty apologized, then stepped over to inspect the Toa and his gear more closely, though of course she wasn't so impolite as to reach out and poke him. "But we can at least chat while you wait! For one thing, this morphable equipment of yours is really interesting! I don't think I've ever seen gear quite like it before! What's it called, and where did you get it?"

Edited by darksidevoid on Dec 6th 2024 at 11:56:37 AM

GM: AGOG S4 & F/WC RP; Co-GM: TABA, SOTR, UUA RP; Sub-GM: TTS RP. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.
ZodanTheUnbounceable from Everywhere, Nowhere, Somewhere Since: Jul, 2013 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#316: Nov 23rd 2024 at 7:59:35 PM

Granet Scrapyard

Giegue's PK Thunder hits the first Pirate's jetpack, causing it to stall out in midair. Barely managing to hover in place, the Pirate stares in horror at the approaching psychic before loosing another volley of blasts from his energy weapon.

His partner swerves in midair to avoid Alia's charge shot, glaring down at the scrapyard...and seeming to notice something. A guttural, hissing roar erupts from his throat as he aims his free hand at a pile of scrap.

...The same pile Everett and Aqua are hiding behind.

At the same time, he takes aim at the Maverick Hunter and fires off another volley, spraying the scrapyard with a hail of energy bolts.

Susie's drones quickly close in on the last two Pirates, who proceed to open fire with their energy weapons. While they do a decent job of slowing the assault, one does manage to slip past and detonate. A barrage of icy debris assaults the pair...but they unfortunately remain in the air as they now concentrate their fire on Susie herself, their jetpacks looking quite worse for wear but still mostly operational.

Amidst the sounds of battle, Aqua may become aware of a distinctive noise behind him...the distinctive sound of a military-grade teleporter. A pair of Pirate Commandos has materialized behind the pair, both rushing towards Everett!

"They can do that?!"

One of them has already grabbed him!

Crater Canyon

Scythe complies, laying down on the ground with both claws over his head.

"I'm getting my rations restricted for this, I just know it..."

Locus steps forward towards the canyon entrance.

"Good call. We can get some answers out of-"

Mid-sentence, Locus suddenly raises his rifle and fires off a shot into the canyon. Its trajectory is quickly interrupted and deflected upwards by an energy shield, held by a gray-and-orange armored soldier in similar gear to Locus himself.

"...Felix. Still working with the Space Pirates, I see."

"New partners, huh Locus?"

The orange soldier hurls a knife at Locus before taking off further into the canyon. Locus takes a second to sidestep the thrown knife before running after the man, whose voice echoes from a passage off to the left.

"Gonna betray them, too?"

"You made your choice. I made mine."

As Locus follows the mysterious assailant down the left passage, a draconian shadow passes overhead, its source evidently returning to home base.

Skies Above The Canyon

Well, at least Ridley doesn't seem to be chasing them...

A transmission suddenly comes in from the direction of the canyon...on a Federation channel, no less!

"My name is Locus, I am a mercenary hired by the Federation. I'm aware of your mission here, and our goals align. I've joined up with the rest of your team by the canyon, but we were attacked by a bounty hunter named Felix. I'm in pursuit. Your team might be behind me, I'm not sure. Their job isn't my main concern. This communication is just professional courtesy."

From behind her, Seras hears a familiar...and annoying voice.

"So if Everett needs a ship, why don't we just use this one?"

It's Zeemi, again...there's a tear in her outfit, at her shoulder. It looks like she was stabbed for some reason, but the wound is not only significantly smaller than the hole in her clothes, it looks fairly healed up already.

"Am I the only one who thought of that? Also where'd the nice Enterprise lady go, wasn't she with you guys?"

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Nov 25th 2024 at 5:58:08 AM

This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
EchoingSilence Since: Jun, 2013
#317: Nov 23rd 2024 at 8:21:41 PM

Crater Canyon

Gesicht was just about to cuff Scythe when Felix appeared, and rushed off, with Locus following him. Felix was wanted in several Federation States, with numerous Notices put out on his character, as well as his history.

For anyone else, this would be difficult. Making these decisions and evaluating what they had on hand. For Gesicht, an advanced android with impressive AI processing, it wasn't too difficult at all. He knew that with the headstart, even at max speed it'd be difficult to close the gap between him and Felix.

His eyes darted over to Captain Titus, an Astartes from the Imperium, Federation Records showed heavy augmentation throughout his body, as well as a powerful exoskeleton, this should help sort out that issue. He clasped the cuffs around Scythe's arms and said. "In accordance with Federated Law Section 5, subsection 4, and in accordance the Zebian Accords, I am placing you under arrest. Anything you say or do can be used against you, you have the right to an attorney and the right to remain silent."

With that done, he turned to Lieutenant Titus. "Titus, I require some assistance if you would grant it. How good is your aim and and your throwing arm?"

Edited by EchoingSilence on Nov 24th 2024 at 7:44:54 AM

Scipion3 Joueur du Grenier from The Attic Since: May, 2018 Relationship Status: Healthy, deeply-felt respect for this here Shotgun
Joueur du Grenier
#318: Nov 25th 2024 at 8:22:53 AM

Scrapyard

Perhaps was it the Pirate's fear, or was it because Giegue didn't fall for the same tricks as last time, but every shot missed, the Geeg dodging each with graceful yet alien manner.

Eventually, Giegue disappeared from the Pirate's sight once close enough. He reappeared behind him and immediately grabbed his head with one hand, then used his tail to restrain the Space Pirate.

That little skirmish might as well be over. As Giegue prepared to finish him off, he glanced at the rest of his team to see how they were doing.

And as he expected, their performances left to be desired. Alia visibly failed to dispose of her adversary, but at least they were locked together in battle. Susie was fairing a bit better even though she ignored his orders, opting to distract them instead of defending their client and holding off the remaining flying pests at once, but both foes were still flying.

And the priest, well he didn't know, but as he expected he was pretty much useless.

   I really have to do everything myself around here.    Giegue thought to himself before spotting Aqua and Everett in the open field.

...Wait a second, they weren't supposed to be there. What were these idiots doing instead of hiding? Surely they would have the reflex to get somewhere else.

But too late, two Pirates, visibly much more armored than the goons the crew was currently dealing with revealed themselves right next to the duo, away from the others. Giegue could only widen his eyes as he realized what was happening.

   We've been tricked.    Giegue's bitter voice resonated in Susie and Alia's minds.

A simple strategy in hindsight, yet very effective. Distract the defenders and send others to get the prize. But Giegue could have seen it coming, he should have seen it coming, damn it!! He was better than this!!

He had tasked Susie to guard the others, but the stubborn secretary was parked near the entrance. The only one close enough to get Everett out was Aqua.

Oh in Maria's name, the only one who could get Everett out was Aqua. Giegue restrained himself from clawing at his face in frustration.

He looked back at the pirate ensnarled with his tail. He hadn't time for this. And now he had a legitimate reason to be pissed off more than usual. How dare such an inferior species ridicule him??

He didn't even bother with parting words. Staring at the pirate, he sent waves and waves of pure, raw PSI from his hand into his mind. Something that a fool's primitive brain could barely understand until it would be too much for it to bear and it would crack for good.

The killing blow was quick enough so that Giegue wasn't going to waste too much time, and long enough so that the Pirate would go through a mental agony that would make him wish he was dead.

After finishing the flying pirate off, he immediately switched his attention toward the emergency. He had to act, and fast before the two new pests would escape with their prize. Problem, the clumsy boy had already been caught. If Giegue wasn't careful, he could also end up killing him. To make matters worse, the other three flying marauders were still breathing and could get in his way. Now it was a 5 pirates vs 3 situation, and time was running out.

He analyzed the situation as best as he could to try to salvage that utter disaster until he came up with a new strategy that he wasted no time communicating to his two female colleagues.

   Alia, destroy the two pirates the secretary wounded and distract the last pest!! Susie, help me get the boy back now!!    Giegue mentally barked, this time his hand cracking with cold psychic power as he rushed toward the Pirate Commandos. But he was too far away to properly use PK Freeze on one of them right now, leaving his colleagues to act first.

Though he also sent one last psychic warning... this time to Aqua. The closest one to Everett.

   DO SOMETHING YOU IDIOT!!   

Edited by Scipion3 on Nov 25th 2024 at 5:24:36 PM

AND I'VE STILL BLOCKED OFF MY BALL!! FUCK!!
kagescorpionakki Breath of the Sun from Long Ago Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
Breath of the Sun
#319: Nov 25th 2024 at 5:24:43 PM

Skies Above The Canyon

Seras nods along with Enty's explanation, looking over the map and pondering which location to visit while she waits for them to reach their destination. She briefly frowns at the transmission from Locus, but Pip mentally assures her that the ground team can handle themselves.

"Thanks, Miss Enterprise. I think I'll-" Seras starts, and then whirls at the sudden sound of a familiar voice.

Zeemi stands before her, having recently regenerated a stab wound that she couldn't have gotten more than fifteen minutes ago, and having appeared on a moving ship that she shouldn't have been able to reach, moving so quietly Seras genuinely didn't hear her.

"...what are you?" Seras blurts, blinking in confusion.

She's not a vampire - Seras would have sensed it - but it's fairly obvious that Zeemi possesses some kind of supernatural abilities, so the question is reasonable, if a bit rude to say so bluntly.

"Ah, sorry. You startled me." She clears her throat and explains: "Miss Enterprise is the ship; we're inside her right now. She's been blocked from going to space for some minor offense, and her full functions won't be unlocked until we finish helping Everett."

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
G2BattleConvoy The Hope, The Hero from Installation 07 Since: Mar, 2017 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
The Hope, The Hero
#320: Nov 25th 2024 at 5:32:04 PM

Granet Scrapyard (Galleus Malthiron) - PRAISE THE OMNISSIAH, FOR WE JOIN THE BATTLE!

As battle erupted between the team and the Space Pirates (why Haltmann decided to say that the whole party was conducting business for her company, only the Machine God knew! And they say he's the most zealous of them all...), the tech-priest would scrounge through the pile that Eric had pointed out to him, hopefully finding an actual weapon blessed upon by the idol of the Mechanicus.

And he would: an old Federation phase weapon had found itself in Galleus' mechanical hands soon enough. While the machine-spirit within the weapon seemed to admit it did not have enough charge for its max setting (rumour has it that phasers were supposedly a more reliable version of the much desired Volkite-type weapons used before the standardized use of Bolters), it did have enough to at least make use as a standard weapon.

Perhaps, he could have time to modify it into a suitable rifle construct later, but for now, he would have to use it quickly. And just as well: because he was still nearby Everett and Aqua, he managed to notice the impromptu ambush of one of the Pirates through the use of teleporting.

"Release the boy, you infernal cretins, or suffer the wrath of the Omnissiah!" he immediately declares with a precise blast fired from the phaser, hoping to kill the one who hadn't taken Everett hostage.


Crater Canyon - He is Built Like A Quarterback in Tank Armour... (Lieutenant Titus)

Titus had noticed the Draconian shadow returning home, but Gesicht had already grabbed his attention before he could comment on it, especially with the reunion between Locus and his "former battle-brother" if the conversation he heard was any indication.

"Strong enough to throw grenades a considerable distance. Why do you ask?"

"We all fail. We all make mistakes. That is what makes us human."
LilyTheLitten Inspector Irratino my beloved ❤️ from The Investigation Institute Since: Apr, 2020 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
Inspector Irratino my beloved ❤️
#321: Nov 25th 2024 at 5:50:01 PM

Mission Sta— OH STARS (Aquarius)

My lips purse together as I watch the pirates land, a faint buzzing in the back of my head—and this time, I know the source. "Boltzmann Radiation," I murmur to Everett, watching the others launch into battle. "Somehow, they managed to weaponi—"

I stop dead in my tracks, my eyes going wide as one of the pirates points his hand right at us. I grab Everett's hand, trying to keep my voice steady even as my heart starts pounding in my chest. "They might've seen us. Don't panic, just—"

The distinct sound of a teleporter rings out behind me, and I whip around to see—

"WHAT?!" I shriek, completely thrown off by the arrival of the pirates—and then further thrown off when they grab Everett! "Wh— No! Let him go! HELP!" I draw the borrowed sword and charge forward blindly, clumsily swinging it at the pirate—sure, I've never done this before, but something good has to come out of this!

"Look inside yourself and to the stars; there, you will find your answers."
Bored_Man Since: Jun, 2015 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#322: Nov 26th 2024 at 6:00:02 PM

Granet Scrapyard

While Alia can guess that the Space Pirates are planning something, she's forced to save pondering about it for a later time as her immediate concern is not getting pelted with energy bolts. This causes her to strafe to the side to try and keep the enemy in her sights, gritting her teeth as she tried to get a bead on the slippery target.

This was interrupted by both Giegue warning her that they'd been tricked by their targets, as well as a command to finish off the pirates Susie had managed to hit. Time was of the essence, and the Reploid switched targets to fire off shots of energy at the two who'd had their jetpacks damaged, running closer and trying to find a way to shorten the distance between her and them.

Proud member of the AGOG community.
kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#323: Dec 4th 2024 at 1:03:38 PM

Ruri, Skies Above Canyon

Hmm. She didn't sense anything suspicious, but that made it all the more suspicious. If she leading a pack of murderous cutthroats she'd surely have set a trap. Yet she didn't sense anything. She stayed the course, hoping she met up with Ms.Enty eventually. She was starting to get bored...

Edited by kkhohoho on Dec 4th 2024 at 3:03:55 AM

LizardOfAus (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#324: Dec 6th 2024 at 7:51:25 AM

Aboard Enterprise

"Ah! Before you wonder how I just happened to be in the same place as you, this is just a hardlight holographic avatar, or in other words, a tangible illusion! I can create any number of them at once onboard my ship self, so I'm using them to talk to you, Seras, and Pip while my actual flesh body is up in the bridge,"

"Tangible illusion? Aw, that takes me far-back..." If toa could smile, then Lewa wistfully did so. He was about half-listening to Enty as he leaned on a wall and reminisced over one of his first adventures, and another one that also involved hardlight.

"But we can at least chat while you wait! For one thing, this morphable equipment of yours is really interesting! I don't think I've ever seen gear quite like it before! What's it called, and where did you get it?"

"Oh, this little number?" said Lewa, posing with his arms to show off the shiny plating covering him. "This is my Adaptive Armour. My toa-brothers and I got custom-tailor fits from Artakha himself. He's the Master Builder on my world- very spooky-secret, but a legendary inventor-king. And I do mean legendary! Matoran on my world have stories that if they're happy-good little fellows, then they go to his workshop to craft-build when they die."

Just then, the message from Locus came over the comms. Lewa narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin.

"Hm...sounds like a real bright-charmer, this Locus... Still, if the dark hunters in space are anything like the ones back home, we'll need all the help we can get. Better-good to have him with us than against us, true-right?"

And a Strange Figure Emerges.
EchoingSilence Since: Jun, 2013
#325: Dec 7th 2024 at 7:16:08 PM

Crater Canyon

"Forgive me for this, but to explain would take too long," Gesicht said, before attempting to beam several equations relating to his construction, weight, the general shape of the canyon based on his own sensors, Felix's top speed on foot.

Gesicht then pointed outwards in an arc over the canyon. "Throw me as hard as you can, following the arch that way, the sooner we do so, the sooner we can handle this. I can't fly like other Robots in the Federation, I'm too dense, but there are ways around this."


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