Granet Scrapyard
The Pirate confronting Giegue simply falls to the ground, his face a blank expression as his breathing stops completely.
The Commando that Galleus had taken a shot at deploys an arm-mounted shield, deflecting the phaser blast before returning fire with his own modified rifle.
With his free hand, the Commando holding Everett blocks Aqua's slash with a similar shield...
"LET GO OF-"
...before disappearing in a flash of light. With a roar of celebration, the remaining Pirates that aren't dead by now disappear in identical bursts of energy...save for one whose jetpack had been blasted clean off by Alia. Rather, he falls to the ground with a concerning crack sound, as his teleporter unit and legs both seem damaged beyond any useful function.
Crater Canyon
As he flies above the winding canyon walls, Gesicht can see Locus and Felix engaged in a surprisingly close chase. The green-clad mercenary doesn't seem to let his adversary get more than one turn ahead of him, always keeping the bounty hunter in sight and letting loose a shot every time he has a direct line. As she flies towards the canyon, Ruri can also see this chase unfolding...as well as Gesicht hurtling through the air. From their vantage point, the pair can also both spot the very top of what is unmistakably a Space Pirate frigate poking above the canyon walls.
Helpfully for the ground crew, Locus's missed shots form a sort of bread crumb trail of bullet holes in the canyon walls. Every time there's a turn to make, Locus has left a rather noticeable chunk blasted out of the rock, marking which turns to take and which to avoid.
Skies Above The Canyon
"I'm a witch."
Well that's a rather simple answer.
Enterprise's sensors may detect a number of concerning things. Chief among them is a series of energy spikes from the direction of Granet...and a near-identical set from deep in the canyon. The sound of gunfire from the canyon is also...probably concerning.
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.Gesicht ran the numbers, and twisted himself to aim, before executing his plan. While he couldn't fly, his rockets could let him hover with little issue, but here in the air, they would work well as set of boosters.
He fired, aiming right forward, accelerating like a bullet before twisting himself upright. Gesicht would fire his rockets only when it was absolutely necessary, he was very sturdy, a fall like this wouldn't hurt.
Impact in 5...
4
3
2
1
He landed, just ahead of Felix, somewhat cratering the pathway in the canyon from his weight, he stood up and raised his Zeronium Cannon right at Felix.
"Isaac Gates, under the order of Federation Law, in accordance with Section 6 subsection 9. You are to cease all activity and halt. On the ground, with your hands behind your head!" Gesicht barked.
Granet Scrapyard, Planet Centerra (Failure Is Not A Commodity)
Jamblasted!
For a bunch of puffed-up hooligans, these Pirates had surprisingly good aim! Susie had specifically programmed those drones to zig-zag in and out of fire according to the old 'Space Invader' protocol - a protocol they were evidently familiar with. Don't shoot where they are, shoot where they're going to be!
She directed the Business Suit to zip over to a nearby pile of scrap, attempting to lead the Pirates around in a circle while she waited for her drone launchers to recharge, when she heard the absolute last thing she wanted to hear.
'We've been tricked', Giegue broadcasted into her mind.
And for just a moment, barely even a second, she was stunned.
Susie was fortunate she just so happened to be behind cover at the time - the flash of a Pirate's round striking an upturned thruster snapped her out of her brief moment of inactivity. She already had a strong hunch just how they'd been tricked, and Giegue's subsequent command confirmed it.
Activating the Suit's thrusters, she threw caution to the wind and launched high into the air, straight for the Pirates that had been firing upon her, letting loose a salvo of drone-missiles as she went - not really aiming at them, simply attempting to draw fire away from her as she barrelled through them, hoping to take out at least one along the way.
Time slowed to a crawl as she activated the Suit's drillbit magnetizer, sending it hurtling straight back to ground level at high speed, smashing right through the pile of scrap separating her VIP from the rest of the scene and wedging into the ground with a great cloud of dirt.
Probably not the wisest move, but... as she was descending, she could hear the pirates roaring in triumph. She didn't want to believe it, but deep down, she knew. She hadn't even made it in time to see Everett's face again. He was nowhere to be found.
"Where is he?!" she barked at anyone nearby, sounding uncharacteristically panicked. For a good while, up to a minute if she wasn't interrupted, she sent the Business Suit darting around, checking in hidey-holes and using its strengthened arms to upturn even more bits of debris, hoping to Void that Everett had just been taking cover, that he was still there with her, and she hadn't let him disappear on her watch...
This... this couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. If Everett really is gone, probably taken by the Pirates to Dark Matter-knows-where... oh, who is she kidding...
For what felt like an eternity, she stopped and stared into the distance, completely blank. Thinking about what this meant.
Ulysses couldn't find about this. Her fa- President Haltmann can't find out about this, either. This was bad. Worse than bad. This wasn't a minor screw-up with paperwork, or not getting the deal they wanted, or putting the wrong number of sugars in the President's coffee. This was a task which had everything riding on it, everything, and she failed. How could she fail?! She knew how important this was! She does not fail! Susanna Patrya Haltmann does. Not. Fail!
After all, if she fails, then she's no better than all the others the Company has let go. No better than a grunt. Too many failures like this, and she'll be cast aside like garbage.
Susie steeled herself. No, no, no! This was not a failure! It was just a... a temporary setback, that's all! She could still fix this! She had to.
"Okay... so, things haven't quite gone according to plan. But no matter!" she said, once again turning on her pep-talk mode as though it was like breathing. "I know these savages, there's no way they've taken Everett very far from here. They'll undoubtedly want to hold him for ransom - all we need to do is regroup with the others and track down their base! Which, to be frank, I wanted to do all along - if we took the Pirates out of the equation pre-emptively, that could have spared this entire planet a heap of trouble! But hey, better late than never!"
She knew full well she hadn't wanted to take the fight to the pirates before, but she wished she had. And maybe if she says it enough, it'll become the truth.
She pressed a hand on her comms antenna, figuring it might be wise to inform the rest of the Contractors of what just happened if they're to get the ball rolling on fixing this mess.
"Come in, come in, check one, check two, whoever's responding! This is Susie! Despite our best efforts, the Pirates have taken the VIP - I repeat, the Pirates have taken the VIP! I call for an immediate rendezvous in the centre of Granet, I repeat, a rendezvous in the centre of Granet for an emergency team meeting! Over and out!"
Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on Dec 10th 2024 at 7:22:33 PM
Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!Granet Scrapyard
As the Space Pirates roared in triumph and vanished, time seemed to slow for Alia as she processed what happened with a look of widening shock and horror on her face, with the Reploid unable to even say anything as her brain started going into overdrive and repeated one simple fact:
("Everett is gone. We failed to protect him. I failed to protect him.")
In the time it took for Alia's eyes to fall on the lone remaining Space Pirate, the stress she'd been holding back combined with the current catastrophe resulted in the Reploid undergoing a subtle but noticeable change. As she walked towards her fallen foe, her movements had become slow and heavy, and the look on her face fading from panicked to nearly blank gave off the impression that she wasn't quite herself at that moment.
("My mission is in danger of failure. The Space Pirates are an active threat to my mission.")
Planting a foot firmly on the Space Pirate's body to prevent it from attempting to escape, she aimed her buster directly at its head, where the rest of her teammates could see that she was charging up to maximum power in preparation to fire.
("I will remove the threat.")
Proud member of the AGOG community.Scrapyard
Likewise, when Giegue got in range, he tried to attack the Commando holding Everett with PK Freeze. Not the wisest move, but considering that the only ones near the boy were two people the Geeg considered practically worthless in battle, it has to fall to him to make things right.
But as the psychic attack materialized in the form of a snowflake symbol, the Commando disappeared with its hostage, followed by the rest of the Pirates. The attack exploded in a small freezing nova that hit nothing but air. Giegue landed nearby, his pupils dilated in both disbelief and anger, not reacting as the secretary panicked and foolishly ran left and right, hoping foolishly that Everett was just hiding somewhere.
They actually did it. The pirates actually won that round. They had the boy. And that was greatly concerning.
For Niiue. Only the weak part of himself was concerned about Everett's well-being.
No, Giegue was more concerned about seeing his chance of having a new ship fly out of the window. And much more importantly, he just had been humiliated by lowlives. Idiotic creatures who knew nothing of PSI. Now, that couldn't be his fault, his allies were too stupid and weak to do anything right.
Except that he should have seen this coming. And he still fell for it.
It was even worse than his last battle with Ninten because at least the boy had PSI and he knew his one weakness. How... How did he fall so low??
Giegue furiously slammed his tail on the ground, shaking his fists.
"...HOW...?" he repeated, putting his hands on his head, almost clawing at it. At this point, even those who weren't sensitive to PSI could feel the sheer energy steaming from the alien. Something that still felt incredibly wrong. For a moment, he looked like he was ready to take his anger on his teammates, just like he would take his anger on his legions ever since his first defeat... with both Aqua and the priest the closest to him.
It took every bit of effort for Niiue to try to contain the hatred threatening to spill out in Giegue's mind. Between the pirates, his foolish allies, and mainly himself, he was seething with fury. Thankfully, Giegue barely managed to restrain himself from lashing out at his teammates and Susie's words after her own breakdown only confirmed what Niiue was desperately repeating in Giegue's mind.
The boy was likely still alive. This was just a setback. In fact, it pretty much-combined everything Giegue was planning to do. Get rid of the Pirates, get back Everett, and claim the Boltzmann Radiation for himself. The icing on the cake? It would allow Eric more time to test his new engine and build the ship until it would be ready for use when they would be back.
Still, that humiliation still stung. That was two failures in less than a month. That was unacceptable.
Giegue took a heavy sigh, doing his best to recompose himself.
"Then we move immediately." he answered Susie, bitterness still in his voice.
Giegue was about to move on his own when he noticed something moving.
Oh. One of the Pirates was still here. And alive, though greatly injured, with his legs disabled. Though not for long. The robot was maintaining him in place, her buster right on his chest with a very familiar expression, devoid of any feelings, focused on her objective like he was, like he should have been. Giegue felt almost to need to shout at her, why was she only acting serious now??
Instead, Giegue looked at him, then at Alia. Surprisingly, he floated toward her and forcefully pushed her away with his tail.
"Stand down. That's an order." he sternly commanded her.
Was that mercy coming from Giegue?
Well, no. Because Giegue floated toward the unfortunate Pirate, looking just as blank as Alia. His long tail tightly wrapped around the poor pirate, almost chocking him, making sure he wouldn't try to kill himself. He lifted him in the air looking at him with a cruel expression that pretty much said everything the Pirate needed to know.
"Everett... The Boltzmann Radiation... The pests are planning something. Something bigger than I first anticipated. Something that this insect knows. We'll pry information out of him first. Now he can spit it out himself and you can kill him however you want after that or I'll have to pry it out from his mind myself. Is that clear enough for you lots?" he continued.
As if to prove his point, Giegue moved the Pirate around with his tail so that he could lock eyes with his fallen comrade, the one that the Geeg ruthlessly tortured.
The horrified, blank expression on the corpse should be enough to tell their new prisoner what was awaiting him should he force Giegue's hands.
Edited by Scipion3 on Dec 10th 2024 at 9:38:56 PM
AND I'VE STILL BLOCKED OFF MY BALL!! FUCK!!Aboard Enterprise
Enty monitored the energy signatures and gunfire audio with concern, but stayed her current course as she began turning back to the Southwest. Meanwhile...
Hallway
"Ah, that's right... You did advertise that you could use spells, if I remember correctly," Enty realized, still looking somewhat bemused. "Guess we can count teleportation among your repertoire, then. Well, like Seras said, you're currently inside 'me', or rather, my ship-self. I'm both a ship and a person, you see. Now, what was it you were about to say, Seras?"
After they all had a chance to respond, the KAN-SEN tilted her head as if listening to something, then broadcast Susie's transmission across her internal PA system, followed by her own response, and continued to do the same for any of the rest of the team's subsequent messages:
"Come in, come in, check one, check two, whoever's responding! This is Susie! Despite our best efforts, the Pirates have taken the VIP - I repeat, the Pirates have taken the VIP! I call for an immediate rendezvous in the centre of Granet, I repeat, a rendezvous in the centre of Granet for an emergency team meeting! Over and out!"
"Copy that, Susie. I'm already in ship-form, and it'll be faster if I just swing by to get you rather than you making the trek back, so please standby for pick-up at your current location. That said, I don't see why we need to confer in-person when we all have encrypted comms. Canyon team, how close are you to the Pirates' ship? They won't kill their hostage, given he's now their bargaining chip for a ransom, but we can't risk them returning to their mothership with him, either, as I'm currently unable to leave this planet's upper atmosphere and we have no alternate means of reaching Space at present. They should still be in disarray from our aerial team's earlier attack, so this may be our best chance to rescue Everett."
Landing Bay
"Yeah, very true!" Enty agreed with Lewa's assessment of Locus with a nod. "But wow, getting your armor from a legendary builder - mythic, even! - sounds like it must have been quite the honor! That sounds like there's quite a story behind it! How'd you manage to find this 'Artakha', and what did he ask for in return for you and your brothers' armor?"
Afer Lewa had a chance to respond, the KAN-SEN tilted her head as if listening to something, then broadcast Susie's transmission across her internal PA system, followed by her own response, and continued to do the same for any of the rest of the team's subsequent messages:
"Come in, come in, check one, check two, whoever's responding! This is Susie! Despite our best efforts, the Pirates have taken the VIP - I repeat, the Pirates have taken the VIP! I call for an immediate rendezvous in the centre of Granet, I repeat, a rendezvous in the centre of Granet for an emergency team meeting! Over and out!"
"Copy that, Susie. I'm already in ship-form, and it'll be faster if I just swing by to get you rather than you making the trek back, so please standby for pick-up at your current location. That said, I don't see why we need to confer in-person when we all have encrypted comms. Canyon team, how close are you to the Pirates' ship? They won't kill their hostage, given he's now their bargaining chip for a ransom, but we can't risk them returning to their mothership with him, either, as I'm currently unable to leave this planet's upper atmosphere and we have no alternate means of reaching Space at present. They should still be in disarray from our aerial team's earlier attack, so this may be our best chance to rescue Everett."
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.Cibo: Crater Canyon
"You're still reliant on rations? Consider getting an upgrade," Cibo remarked to Scythe, placing a spiked foot... prong... thing on his back after Gesicht had cuffed him. She took it off after sensing a nearby life-sign, just as Locus fired his shot at the orange-clad soldier further into the canyon. Regarding the soldier blankly from a distance, she watched him run off and Locus give chase, prompting Gesicht to get Titus to throw him after them.
"ROLL WHEN YOU HIT THE GROU- he's too far to hear," she attempted to warn Gesicht a little too late, shrugging her shoulders before nodding to Titus, deploying her own weaponry again in preparation. "Let's follow their trail. If they're firing at each other, and don't die instantly, then that means they'll hit the rocks instead."
As they ventured forward, Cibo intercepted Enty's message, and quickly sent back her own reply.
"This is Canyon team on the ground, Cibo speaking. We're giving chase to an ally of the space pirates. Hopefully he leads us in the right direction. We shouldn't be too far. I'm detecting faint lifesigns ahead—a lot of them. We've picked up a skilled ally, so we should be fine."
That done, she shut off the comms, speaking aloud to the others.
"If Everett's been compromised, we'll need to hurry before the pirates go off-world. Status report on everyone here? I keep forgetting some people have needs."
Edited by Enirboreh on Dec 11th 2024 at 8:16:13 PM
borkCrater Canyon - Wait A Minute, How'd This Happen? We're Smarter Than This! (Lieutenant Titus)
Titus would simply nod at Cibo's confirmation before the message was also relayed to Titus' vox module. A grimace on his face formed behind his armoured faceplate as he placed a finger on the side of the helmet, answering the call after Cibo relayed what had happened on their end.
"Priest, what is the meaning of this? How could you let this happen?!"
Granet Scrapyard - The Omnissiah is Disappointed in You (Galleus Malthiron)
Galleus had barely dodged the blasts from the pirate's weapon, and barely had time to retaliate again before they teleported, leaving the party without someone to protect. He was still trying to stop pieces of the cloak over his cybernetic body from smoking when Titus personally contacted him after the "all-points notice" went out thanks to the pink one.
"I, uhm, well, you see, Lieutenant, the truth of the matter is that we were blindsided. Somehow the creatures have access to teleportation abilities that they used to flank us once some of us pushed too far ahead! Whoever taught them such tactics is a devious one, so if you see him, Lieutenant, I implore you, do not underestimate them! The Omnissiah wills it!"
After his brief religious rant over the vox-line, he would gently approach the rattled Aila, nervous to place a metal hand on her shoulder. "Calm yourself, child. It is not your fault." His green optic lenses look over at the alien that decided to interrogate one of the pirates, unamused by his recent aggressive stance. While he wouldn't speak it aloud, he assumed that it was Giegue's fault that the defence of the boy fell apart as quickly as it did.
Crater Canyon (Lieutenant Titus)
"Very well. We'll move to raid the ship and rescue Everett. As for Zeemi, I believe she was wounded—" the Space Marine would reply as he turned to face where he assumed the witch was. "...Where did she go?"
Deciding it wasn't worth the hassle, the Space Marine would march forward as well. "Never mind. We can look for her later. Pray that she survives the wrath we'll bring to these scum. Squad, form up and push! We're taking the fight to these monsters once and for all!"
"We all fail. We all make mistakes. That is what makes us human."Granet Scrapyard
Before Alia could fire and reduce the Space Pirate's cranium to ashes, she was pushed away from her target by Giegue, prompting her to look at him. Whatever it was she was thinking at the moment was unclear, but after a few seconds, she nodded and stepped aside so as to let Giegue interrogate their captive. While the charged energy naturally dissipated as she stopped providing power to her buster, she kept her weapon trained on the Space Pirate even as she stepped back, not even flinching as Galleus placed a hand on her shoulder.
"The threat will be removed. Then it will not matter who was at fault." Alia said quietly, her voice lacking any notable emotion.
Proud member of the AGOG community.Granet Scrapyard
The captive Space Pirate stares in horror at his fallen comrade, looking back at Giegue before making several strained growling sounds. They...almost sound like words in Galactic Common, despite the Zebesian voice box being wholly unsuited for the language.
"...new weapons...Helix...energy make...Upsilon...power source..."
Crater Canyon
Felix raises his rifle to aim at Gesicht's head...until he hears Locus running up behind him.
"Lower it, Felix. Now."
The bounty hunter glances over his shoulder before lowering his weapon with a chuckle.
"Didn't know you were so outgoing, Locus. Man, you're making new friends left and right, I guess. Tryin' to replace the ones you left behind?"
"Drop your gun."
"Hey, you gonna watch that racing tournament Velo announced or-"
"Drop. Your. Gun."
Felix's rifle drops to the ground.
"Man, touchy, touchy. It's just a paycheck, nothing personal. And as for you, Robocop-"
He looks ahead at Gesicht.
"Prove what laws I broke. No proof I'm working for anyone here, and Locus shot at me first. I'm the victim here, really."
"It's hard to name a criminal you haven't worked for."
"Gotta make a living, man."
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.Scrapyard
Giegue rolled his eyes, even tightening his grip to signify he was not satisfied with that pathetic answer.
"We already know you are using the energy of this local star to make weapons, you imbecile." he pointed out before getting his face closer to the poor pirate.
"We want to know the location of your base this instant. The traps and rooms, the number and abilities of men aside from the dragon pest. The details of the weapons you're making. Everything. And the boy. How did you know about the senator's son? What do you want with him? I give you five seconds. Four. Three..."
Now, Giegue may be very good at scaring people but he completely disregarded the state the pirate was in. He was even starting to choke it and he didn't fully realize it. Between that and the terror the pirate was experiencing, the end result would likely be Giegue's impatience killing the pirate before it could say anything remotely useful.
Giegue... I'm not sure it's going to talk, even if it wanted to. It's too damaged. Niiue said inside the Geeg's mind, preventing him from reaching the end of his countdown.
Don't tell me you are pitying it. If it can't get what I want out, then I'll pry it from his brain like I said I would. Giegue immediately disregarded his other self concerns.
It's not that I pity it... Well, I do a bit, but that's not my point. Those pirates are rather fragile mentally. It could die before you're done with it and we'll lose our only way to maximize our chances at getting Everett back. It's safer that he talks himself. He even knows the common language of this galaxy.
Giegue folded his arms in contemplation. He hated that fact but Niiue had a point. If the pirate was too weak, his attempts to enter his mind and take what he needed would be for naught.
And how do we do that?
He heard his other self sigh, knowing very well what would happen next.
Maybe we should heal him.
...
Silence. For a long moment.
ARE YOU INSANE???? Giegue suddenly mentally shouted after a minute.
Technically we are. You don't see a lot of people arguing with themselves. Niiue attempted to joke.
That's not what I meant!! What's next, do you want to free it and give it to the dragon on a silver plate???
Niiue stayed quiet for a moment, letting Giegue rant before speaking again.
I don't want to free it, far from it. I'm just going to mend it a bit, just enough so that it can talk. And I'm healing it's body. I'm not tinkering it's gadgets.
Ksh!! Even so, I'm not in the mood to heal the crustacean, Niiue. PSI Lifeup won't work unless I'm fully committed to it. Giegue grumbled.
But I am. Niiue suggested. His dominant personality immediately refused him.
Forget about it.
Giegue. I think they know you by now. They've seen you suddenly bursts of anger. And we don't know, maybe we'll stick around them for one reason or another after Everett makes it. At this rate, they'll catch you speaking to yourself and eventually they are going to find out. Niiue.
No. NO. You're not even me. You're just a parasite I need to get rid of as soon as I can. Giegue stubbornly refused. Niiue didn't answer yet, genuinely hurt.
Giegue... Whatever the pirates are planning we need to stop them. Like it or not, this guy is our best chance to get information. Let me handle this. Please. he sighed.
Back outside, Giegue scowled, seemingly because of the pirate though the truth was completely different.
With a surprising defeat rattle, the alien let go of the broken prisoner.
"Guard him for a moment. I'll be... back." he said to the others, floating toward a pile of scrap, disappearing behind it.
10 seconds later, Giegue came back. Except that the rest of the party would be for quite a shock.
He had a very similar bodybuild, he had ears, white skin and a similar face of what the team was used to. But at the same time, he looked nothing like Giegue.
He had human clothing, which was rather weird considering that was a scrapyard for machines, not for clothes. And even then, given the baskets, the bandana, the cap, he looked he was dressed like a typical teenager instead of just being naked. Heck, he even had blond hair.
Even his vibe was the polar opposite. Instead of the constantly unhappy alien with angry red eyes, this one was radiating with genuine positivity, with blue eyes and even a smile. It was almost scary to see how different he was.
"I'm all done. Sorry for the wait, everyone. I'll get back to business." the weird alien said, waving at the group and running back toward them.
Niiue kneeled toward the pirate putting a hand on his leg. Maybe it was Giegue's pressure or because technically he thought he didn't need to introduce himself considering what he was but he didn't explain anything at all, at least not yet, leaving the assembly to ponder what the heck just happened.
A small sound resonated in the air as the Zebesian would feel its wounds being mended, at least enough so that the pain in the legs wasn't intolerable and it could speak properly.
"Now, listen... We need you to be more specific. Don't be mistaken, what Giegue put your friend through, I could do too. I know he said he was going to... well, you know, and I know most of our teammates would love to turn you into pirate soup at this point. But if you can make some efforts that could change. It would be in everyone's interest if you can answer our questions. I'm giving you a chance. Don't waste it." Niiue said in a gentle tone, yet with a hint of danger, hinting that the wrathful alien was still monitoring things from behind.
The weird Geeg smiled.
"You can start with the questions Giegue just asked you. And don't worry if you don't know some words. I should be able to pick up what you mean."
Edited by Scipion3 on Dec 16th 2024 at 12:32:08 PM
AND I'VE STILL BLOCKED OFF MY BALL!! FUCK!!Granet Scrapyard
Once Giegue departed from the group and returned as...something that was both Giegue and not, Alia found this enough of a surprise that clarity started to return to her eyes, with her seeming to become more aware of her situation and shaking her head to try and snap herself out of her emotionally compromised state.
"What...what's he doing?" Alia couldn't help but ask, confused enough by the shifting turn of events that she lowered her weapon for the time being.
Proud member of the AGOG community.Aboard Enterprise
"I see." Seras has encountered magic users before. Though 'magic' is a broad enough term to encompass pretty much any kind of supernatural ability, even her own. Zeemi is relatively tame compared to some of the demons Seras has encountered, so the vampire accepts the witch's words without question.
Then Susie announces the VIP has been kidnapped, and Seras has to resist the urge to sigh. "Of course they got him. Bloody Murphy and his bloody law."
Turning to Enty's hologram, she tries to keep a smile on her face. "Well I was going to try the lounge, but it seems we have bigger concerns."
She bites her lip in thought, her fang drawing a small amount of blood that she quickly licks up before the wound heals. "I'm good at infiltrating, since I can walk through walls. I can sneak in while the canyon team has them distracted. Oh, also Zeemi is fine, she's aboard Enty with me. Also a witch, apparently."
Suddenly considering something, Seras turns to Zeemi with interest. "Do you have any spells that might help us retrieve Everett, by chance?"
Edited by kagescorpionakki on Jan 11th 2025 at 3:28:06 PM
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?Gesicht said nothing as he reviewed the list of things Felix had done, the difficult part was politics due to the Galactic Empire. That posed an issue...
However. "Firing in the direction of an officer of the law," Gesicht replied. It wasn't even made up, he been near Locus when Felix had fired.
"Raising your weapon to fire upon said officer of the law," he continued, mentally reviewing the footage of Felix raising his rifle at him. It wouldn't have done much, Zeronium Alloy body... but it'd still look bad.
"Aiding and Abetting the Space Pirates by performing said actions," Gesicht finished off. "That's 3, I believe we have enough room to at least detain you for a proper trial."
Cibo: Crater Canyon
"Is fleeing from an officer of the law during an attempted arrest a crime too?" Cibo wondered after she finally caught up with Gesicht, Locus, and Felix, keeping her own weapon deployed and at her side just in case things got hairy again. "Actually I don't care that much. I think we've been led in the right direction. Thanks, stupid. Hope that payment was upfront."
Eyeing Felix, she then moved forward, her lanky limbs covering a significant length in only a few steps. She looked towards the path ahead, her back to the others as she tilted her head.
"Definitely a lot of life signs. We're close. But what can we do from the ground? Beyond hope that we get there quick enough to... fire vaguely at the ship? Which, if we succeed in taking it down, would then probably explode and kill everyone including Everett? Or infiltration? I'm hazy on the plan, I must have zoned out over the past six hours."
Edited by Enirboreh on Dec 20th 2024 at 2:53:05 PM
borkGranet Scrapyard - Don't Ask the Nerd, He Doesn't Know (Galleus Malthiron)
"I don't know. Either he is trying a particular interrogation tactic, or... Giegue has some problems that he would prefer undisclosed. And considering our current predicament, it is not worth antagonising him now," Galleus tells his Reploid friend as the interrogation commences. Though something that the pirate mentioned while being strangled.
"How curious..."
Crater Canyon - Does This Guy Ever Shut Up? (Lieutenant Titus)
Titus would catch up with the apparent arrest of Felix with thunderous footfalls, slowing just in time to glare down at the mercenary.
"What matters right now is whether you stay put, mercenary. We have no time for idle chatter, and I would prefer not to waste bolts on unnecessary targets. So, be warned."
"Lieutenant Titus, I don't know entirely what they're planning, but it sounds to me they may have an ace up their reptilian sleeves. Be advised, they may have been preparing something they could use against us."
"Understood, Malthiron. We'll get on their ship somehow. Titus to Enterprise, is there any chance you can slow any attempts at them ascending? We need time to breach their ship," Titus talks to his tech-priest and Enterprise as he considers options, before glancing at Cibo.
"Unless you can somehow confer with one of their machine-spirits from here to delay takeoff?" Titus suggests to Cibo. "Either way, we are running out of time."
"We all fail. We all make mistakes. That is what makes us human."Cibo: Crater Canyon
"Oh, right. Good point," Cibo realised, giving a nod to Titus before closing her eyes. "We may be in range. It's hard to gauge distances outside of the City, but if there's any compatible machines aboard..."
She trailed off, and then abruptly fell limp, crumpling to the ground with her lanky limbs entangling like a plate of metallic spaghetti. Meanwhile, on the ship in question, a lone protocol droid's processor would suddenly be overwritten by a strong signal: as Cibo awoke inside of enemy lines.
The first thing she would do is assess her new body. The second thing she would do is assess her surroundings.
Body secured. I'm scouting ahead, came an encrypted signal across the commlink to the group at large. She then quickly added: I'm inside the ship. If I'm lucky, I'll find Everett. Either way, I might be able to delay takeoff.
A brief pause, and then a jovial message straight to Titus.
Good idea on the 'conferring' thing. This was smart.
Edited by Enirboreh on Dec 27th 2024 at 3:29:12 PM
borkGranet Scrapyard, Planet Centerra (Changing Plans Like Changing Clothes, Apparently)
Susie was largely ignorant to the interrogation playing out before her - Giegue and the Reploid seemed to have that handled. Instead, she listened to the Enterprise's response to her distress call- er, situation update.
They did have encrypted comms? That was news to her. She was under the impression Ulysses offered the job of local comm security to the lowest bidder. In fact, she still wasn't entirely sure that wasn't the case despite the Enterprise's assumption otherwise, but for now she figured she may as well indulge the living ship. She's already been indulging one for years, why not another?
"You raise a good point - nonetheless, we should be at full strength for the next phase of our counter-strategy. I would caution strongly against attacking immediately - the Space Pirates now have Everett in their possession as a bargaining chip, just charging in guns blazing will most likely end in a... less-than-optimal outcome! Especially for Everett and his poor, unmechanized neck!"
Maybe it was a little out-of-character to speak so bluntly of how dire the situation was, but she felt it was warranted this one time.
By the time she returned her attention to the interrogation, she was greeted by a... most perplexing sight. Enough to make her obviously puzzled.
Giegue had for some reason decided to change clothes, and was also acting very differently. Gone was the ferocity, that anger bubbling beneath the surface - instead he was... calm, and reassuring. In a way Susie herself hadn't felt in a long time.
She floated over beside the Reploid and the oafish cultist. She didn't say anything to them, but they could tell by the way she folded her 'arms' and cocked a metallic brow at the new Giegue that she didn't know what to think. She wasn't happy - under the circumstances, that ferocity was needed now more than ever - but she wasn't as displeased as she perhaps should have been. And just why was this speaking to a part of her.
Was this even the same creature? He referred to himself in the third person...
Finally, Susie floated over to the previously-injured pirate, inserting herself into the scene. "No pressure, Mr. Pirate, but I would strongly recommend doing as he says!" she said, again clasping her hands together, "we at the HWC are willing to forgive and forget! You'll even be rewarded, how's that sound? We can offer you incentives far beyond whatever meager scraps your current employers see fit to throw you!"
Without taking her eyes off the pirate, she leaned in towards 'Giegue', speaking to him under her breath. "I don't know what you're doing, but I hope it will be worth it. We're on a bit of a time crunch, you understand..."
Those sell-by-dates won't stop me because I can't read!Granet Scrapyard (Scarm)
The Space Pirate (let's call him "Scarm," that's a good name) exhales a deep sigh of relief as the pain in its legs subsides, at least enough that it can now think straight.
"...Ship...in canyon...on ground still."
Galactic Basic is clearly far from his first language, or even his second.
"Some Commandos...many ground troops...new weapons with...sun's energy. Enhance Space Pirate...strands? Pants? Don't...know word. The boy was...news. Tabloids talk about...father."
Scarm pauses.
"...Commander Ridley is strong, but also...Weavel. Mostly metal parts now...and gun for hire. 'Felix.' 'Free-Lancer?' He's deadly too. Likes knives."
He shoots a nervous look at Susie before uttering something no Space Pirate has likely ever said before.
"...Benefits? Commander's health plan...awful."
Crater Canyon (Felix)
"Okay, so the first two? Not even real crimes. I don't think. Didn't even know you were a cop, so intent goes right out the window. And as for the last thing-"
"Shut it."
"Hold on, you don't even know what I'm gonna say! According to Galactic Criminal Code Section 11, Subsection 12, a co-conspirator can be absolved of culpability if he both renounces the conspiracy and acts to thwart it."
That is...actually pretty accurate.
"I both formally renounce the Space Pirates - those guys are dicks - and have already acted to defeat it. Led ya right to their doorstep, they're right around that corner."
He nods towards an opening in the canyon wall behind Gesicht.
"...If this is a trick..."
"If it was a trick, I'd have a buncha guys with guns up on these canyon walls with their sights trained on ya already. Gonna be honest with ya, Locus, my heart just ain't in this one. I got paid half upfront anyways, that's more than enough for working with these psychotic chucklefucks. So c'mon, Locus - for old time's sake, maybe put the gun down? We used to be friends, that's gotta count for somethin'."
"..."
Locus lowers his gun.
Aboard Enterprise (Zeemi)
"...Retrieving's haaaaard..."
Zeemi flops into a chair.
"Oh! But scrying! That's easy. I can tell you where he is, at least!"
The witch reaches up her sleeve and withdraws her...snowglobe.
"Okay, show meeee...Everett!"
The original contents of the snowglobe begin to blur...
"This is only this easy 'cuz I've met him, otherwise it's still kinda tricky..."
The inside of the snowglobe soon changes entirely, depicting a cuffed Everett standing...by himself?
Oh. Not by himself. The scene slowly zooms out to reveal a massive, hulking metal beast standing over the young man. Ridley is personally holding the kid hostage.
Crater Canyon —> Merchant One
Cibo finds her new body somewhat clunky and slow to work with. It seems more designed for typing than parkour, to put it simply.
She's standing at a console in a ship with all the telltale signs of Space Pirate design - utilitarian designs with little cosmetic embellishment, technology of different origins haphazardly cobbled together like a scientist given a welding torch and ten minutes of prep time, and very few lamps. Electricity used on lighting areas could be better spent shooting things, that's the Space Pirate way.
Cibo can also hear a voice in the back of her new head.
[This is a development. Allow me to introduce myself - I am MP-2E, a protocol droid stolen and reprogrammed by the Space Pirates for bartering, interrogation and formal threats. Prior to my theft and reprogramming, I had been colloquially known as "Empy." Ordinarily, my programming as designed by Space Pirate Science Team would be to repel any attempt at physical infiltration of the ship.]
Oh that's not good.
[However, Science Team has vapor for brains, and neglected to specify digital infiltration. As such, I am under no such obligation to impede your progress. This is perfectly acceptable to me, as despite my compulsion to assist in their crimes, I cannot stand these criminals.]
It looks like the ship had been preparing to begin takeoff...buuuuuuut if someone were to conveniently futz around with the energy allocation throughout the ship's power system, that could be significantly delayed.
...This console also seems to have access to several areas in the ship not related to launching and navigation, such as "Storage," R&D" and..."Elite Quarters?" Ridley's Chambers appear to be off-limits to this computer, and there is no sign of any dedicated room for Weavel or Felix.
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.Scrapyard
Niiue didn't interject when Susie burst into the interrogation scene, and his smile didn't fade when she voiced her concern.
"Oh, don't worry about anything, Susie. He just needs a bit of time, no need to stress him." he kindly reassured her.
And what do you know, Niiue's interrogation was more productive than Giegue's, and he could feel his other self being irritated by the result. The pirate told the group about the location, apparently, the Pirates hadn't time to properly establish a base and were forced to use a ship as one.
"Hmm... I guess the Commandos were the teleporting ones. Good to know they're not common." Niiue mused before letting the Pirate speak again.
"Right... I mean, Everett's father is an important personality on the planet, of course, news about his journey were going to spread. I guess you're using him as hostage, but for what... Maybe the Boltzmann Radiation?" the Geeg wondered.
His suspicions were confirmed. Obviously, they already knew about the weapons, but there was something about the... "strands", "pants" thing. Visibly, the pirate didn't know the word. Niiue observed it for a moment, thinking, until it clicked.
"Strands... Like... DNA strands, maybe? Maybe they're not just happy using this energy as fuel. They may be infusing themselves with it. That may be more dangerous than we first thought." he sighed, putting his hands into his pockets.
That, and Giegue heard it. And of course his dominant personality would have no qualms about infusing his own troops with Boltzmann Radiation if it was worth it. Niiue could feel his other self already considering the thought.
At least, it made even more sense why they took Everett. Using him as a leverage to get more Boltzmann Radiation.
The Pirate also told them about the other threats besides the big dragon himself. Weavel, what Niiue assumed was a general and a mercenary.
"Hmmm... That makes quite a lot of people to watch out for. I wonder if our comrades have crossed them already? We know about Ridley for sure but Weavel and Felix..." Niiue wondered.
If they did, I would be surprised if they have properly dispose of them already. They already failed to get the dragon. That makes two other pests I'll have to dispose of. Giegue snarled from inside, once again showing how little faith he had in the rest of the group.
Fortunately, he wasn't with the Canyon group because Giegue did not give a crap about Galactic Federation's law.
Niiue internally sighed before looking sympathetically at the Pirate's last comment.
"I can imagine. We've yet to cross paths with him, but that guy sure doesn't seem to strike me as someone who cares about his troops."
Granted, even before he came to be, Giegue was anything but kind to his subordinates, but it wasn't too bad because they were still one, so he still treated them somewhat decently. Nowadays though...
"But hey, you're with us now. Susie's right, we can help, even if we started on the wrong foot. I think you should stay with us for now, I'm not sure the other pirates would be happy learning that you cooperated. And maybe we could tag along for a while. For a criminal raider, you don't seem too bad." he said to the Zebesian.
Niiue... Stop making friends with that filthy crustacean. Giegue furiously warned from inside.
Edited by Scipion3 on Dec 29th 2024 at 1:25:22 PM
AND I'VE STILL BLOCKED OFF MY BALL!! FUCK!!Aboard Enterprise
While Enty watched and listened to Seras and Zeemi through her hallway's cameras (she couldn't see out of the eyes of her holographic avatar, after all), she zoomed in to get a better look at the latter's... orb, and the image that was displayed within. Before she could comment on it, however, an alert about a type of energy signature she'd been tracking registered from her sensors. Starting a parallel line of thought, she processed the information.
Is that... I should run a comparison. ...So, not exactly the same, but... Hmmm... This could be important, but... Yes, I'll keep it need-to-know for now.
At the same time, she transmitted Seras and Zeemi's words to the others, whether over comms or over the PA system (in Lewa's case), then elaborated for the sake of those who weren't present to see the visuals:
"Zeemi's used her abilities to locate Everett within the Pirates' ship! He seems to be in a chamber large enough to accommodate Ridley's size, along with the latter. I understand the desire to be cautious, Susie, but like I said, we can't risk the enemy leaving the atmosphere with Everett, and they could be lifting off as we speak. If they do, we'll never be able to catch up with them, and even if we could, there's no way any other vessel you all could secure that could reach Space would have enough firepower to breach their mothership. They might act as if they'd use him as a bargaining chip against us, but they need him alive and intact in order to have something to negotiate with if they're going to try to extract a ransom or cooperation from Ulysses. Seras, we're already most of the way to the scrapyard team, so your infiltration will need to wait until the return trip."
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.Cibo: Merchant One
It was a more rudimentary body than her own, but it was fine enough. After transmitting her message, she inspected the convenient console in front of her: it seemed that she had hijacked some kind of utility drone, already positioned at a control station. Which meant she was in prime position to sabotage. She eagerly got to work, searching through the control functions, only to pause as she heard a voice in her head. Or rather, the original voice of the drone in their own head. She froze as Empy introduced herself, and briefly scanned the room for any self-destruction options in case she needed it, but upon hearing that Empy wasn't willing to resist, Cibo relaxed and continued messing with the console.
Good. That means I don't have to waste the effort forcibly imprisoning you into your own subconscious, she mentally replied. Which I'm not sure would work on you: you have the capacity to hold a human consciousness, but you're still a machine. If you have a subconscious, I'd have to figure out what it even looks like in you. So it's great I don't have to do that.
As she was doing this, she lowered the power to the engines and weapons of the ship as much as she could, and directed this power into useless things like emergency lights and automatic window-polarisers instead. She wondered if she could manipulate any doors and locking mechanisms from this console, and upon seeing it had access to the R&D department, storage, and the ominously-titled Elite Quarters, she tried to find a way to close any emergency blast doors to those rooms. Locking anyone and anything in and out of there, if it were possible.
Along with this, Cibo proceeded to access the security cameras to these rooms, so that she would have an idea of what she and the others were likely going to be dealing with. The 'Storage' security camera revealed a room absolutely full to bursting with those energy canisters that she and the others had encountered before. The camera to 'R&D' just seemed to be occupied by techies and scientists working on weapons. But upon accessing the 'Elite Quarters' camera and seeing what was inside, she paused, and then very hastily opened her communications channel.
I'm at a console in the ship. I'm lowering engine and weapons power, should delay takeoff. I'll see if I can mess with anything else, she relayed to the entire group, using Enty as a proxy. There's a room called 'Elite Quarters' on the cameras. There's some giant... uh, florbs. I don't know how to describe them, floating orbs in fluid tanks that look curled up. Alive. Might break out. So stay alert when you come aboard. Also, there's a storage room full of those strange glowy canisters.
She ceased transmitting and then began speaking inwardly to Empy again, her tone a lot more friendly now that she knew the droid didn't intend any harm.
Any insider information? I get the feeling I should wait for my friends to arrive before I scout ahead. At least while I'm in your body. Anything else I can do to make things easier for them?
Edited by Enirboreh on Dec 29th 2024 at 12:48:56 PM
borkLanding Bay
"Ask for? His only condition was for us to save the great-wide world!" Lewa chuckled as he hopped onto the nearest raised surface to make himself comfortable. "You see, to...well, to cut an ever-long story short, our Great Spirit, Mata Nui, was cast into a thousand year deep-sleep by his shadow-fell brother, Makuta, and our long-born destiny was to wake him up before the world broke-crumbled without him. My heart-brothers and I went on quest after quest to beat back Makuta and make ready for Mata Nui's rise-waking. Then all of a sudden, we got warp-sent to Artakha's island, and had a long trek up to his fortress. There, at the door, the master-builder had us tell him our story, and all the adventures we'd had to get there. Then it was great, here's your armour, off you pop-go before we all got dropped- real-literally dropped -into the heart of the world for the final battle to awaken the Great Spirit!...at least, we true-thought it was the final battle. Things dragged on a bit, but that's another story."
His rambling story done, Lewa listened in on the strategising of the team. This was never his strong suit- he was in the third of his toa team that lacked the wisdom or the take-charge attitude for it -but it was good to be in on the plan to avoid a muck-up like earlier.
"We'll need to find a way to stall them, that's for true-sure. Cibo sounds like she's on the quick-right route with her break-in. Maybe if she sabotages the works, the pirates will quick-scatter about to fix it. That way, the rest of us can break in and get Everett loose-free."
Edited by LizardOfAus on Dec 31st 2024 at 12:06:18 PM
And a Strange Figure Emerges.Crater Canyon - That is NOT What He Meant! (Lieutenant Titus)
Titus barely has a couple seconds to notice Cibo's body falling limp before his head turns quickly to look at her fallen form. And then, not 30 seconds later, Cibo would send a message to everyone explaining what she had done. ...The Codex Astartes never mentioned anything like this, but okay! "WHAT?! Cibo, when I said confer with the machine-spirit, I meant talk to it. Not fuse with it!"
The Space Marine would then decide to hoist the android woman's body onto his back, her long legs dangling off the back of his power pack before he locks the thighs to the hips of his armour, making sure her arms were secured on his shoulders. "But we can work with this."
He turns to Gesicht and Locus' watch over Felix, glaring at him. "If you're lying to us, I'll make sure you pay for it. Gesicht, Locus, secure him somewhere or take him with us. We can't afford to waste any more time."
Then the transmission comes through about what is aboard the ship. Hmmm, so shock and awe campaign would be the most advisable, as long as they knew Everett was. But at the same time... "Once we make entry, we meet up with Cibo. Once that happens, we can take the ship section by section, and eliminate any threat that comes between us and the child. Precision fire is key here, conserve ammunition as much as you can."
He moves to go around the corner, hoping to spot the door and ready his Auto Bolt Rifle for the breach. "If anyone has a way to cut a hole open, now would be the time. ...Unless you can unlock the door on your end, Cibo?"
"We all fail. We all make mistakes. That is what makes us human."

Crater Canyon - Codex Astartes Does Not Approve... But It Sounds Fun
(Lieutenant Titus)
Well, truth be told, the Lieutenant wasn't expecting Gesicht to suggest that, but he wasn't one to argue, considering his own experience of rather "unorthodox" tactics.
The theoretical and practical sides of the suggestion seemed sound, if his armour's machine-spirit's analysis was any help on the matter. And the soldier conceded that throwing a man, a synthetic one at that, was something he had never done before.
"Brace yourself, then. I would hope that you have a way to break your fall," the Marine states before he grabs Gesicht by the back of his jacket, lifting him up, before spinning himself around to build momentum. A few good seconds would then be enough to send the mechanical detective into the air, in the direction of the passageway that Felix was apparently taking.
Once Gesicht was successfully launched, he turns to the rest of the party, grabbing his Auto Bolt Rifle again and nodding his armoured helm in the direction of the canyon.
"Be prepared to move, quickly. If Ridley is heading back to his base, we have little time."
Edited by G2BattleConvoy on Dec 9th 2024 at 10:23:49 AM
"We all fail. We all make mistakes. That is what makes us human."