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Post by Mizagium on Oct 2, 2013 13:37:22 GMT -5
First stop on the list of Immortal recruits was Bill Nye. Knox was most familiar with the Science Guy and he seemed the most likely to join the Council. He and Ollie appeared outside the Tower of Science.
“Careful,” Knox snickered. “Many a good man has lost their head here.” Ollie just stared at him as he knocked on the door.
“Couldn’t you just walk in? Aren’t you too like friends or something?”
“Or something is right.” But the door swung open anyway. Not much had changed in the Tower (although Knox noted that Hermit was curiously absent). “Bill? You in here?”
“Up here, Knox!” came the call from somewhere up the stairs.
With a collective shrug, Knox and Ollie ascended the Tower of Science.
“So what is this guy the whatever of?” Ollie asked when they had reached the twenty-something floor. “I keep hearing he’s the Science Guy – is he the Immortal of Science?”
“Close. Science just happens to be his thing. He’s actually the Immortal of Knowledge.”
“Huh. Shouldn’t he already know what we’re going to ask him, then?”
“Hm?”
“Well, if he’s Knowledge, wouldn’t it make sense that he knows everything, including what we’re doing here?”
That actually caused Knox to stop in his stride. “Uh. Maybe. That’s rather determinist, but hey, I’m the Immortal of Time, so I could see the future, too. Maybe it’s better if we just go along anyway.”
“Yeah,” Ollie shook her head. “I was starting to think about it and it made my head hurt.”
When they reached Bill, he was absently tinkering with some device or another. “Hello, Knox. How are you?”
“Well enough,” he answered, looking around. “How’s Immortal business?”
“Oh. You know.”
“Yeah.”
Ollie rolled her eyes.
“Oh, yeah, Bill, have you met our newest Immortal of Light yet?”
“I have not. Hello.”
“’Sup. Name’s Ollie.”
Bill chuckled. “Oh I like her. Not much pomp. We’re far too serious about ourselves, I think.”
Knox nodded silently.
Ollie snorted. “Oh just ask him already.”
“Right. Uh, so, Bill, Artemis and I were talking and, well, we’re forming a Council of Immortals.”
“Hm.”
“I mean, we haven’t exactly been good at our jobs lately. Between Stan and Zais and Karzem – and then the seven in Random World were missing for like a millennium, so…can we count you in?”
Billy Nye set his tools aside, but didn’t look at him. “I came to his land in an effort to seclude myself from the world – the universe. In my time, when Stan and I came into our powers, a good number of the Immortals behaved as Zais and Karzem do now. Theska thought we could convince them otherwise, and for a time we believed him.” He shook his head. “But all we did was make things worse. We messed up and Theska was imprisoned instead of us. So we hid while the world solved its own problems.”
“Bill, I thought that for a bit, too. After I gained these powers, I wanted to hide them away. I was so ashamed of what he put the world through to give them to me – but we have them for a reason. I hate saying this, but Seraphina wouldn’t allow us to keep going on if we couldn’t do any good with them. Even after everything that goes wrong…we’re still here.”
“Maybe you’re right. I suppose my absence wouldn’t inspire much faith in the Council in any case – so count me in. I have a few things to settle here, but I will be there.”
“I still have a few others to recruit anyway, so there’s not a big rush. We’re gathering at the Super Land crash site, when we do.”
They said their goodbyes and Knox took Ollie with him as they teleported out. Bill drummed his fingers on the table and considered the future. “My time is coming to an end,” he muttered. “I only hope this Council can be firmly established by that time. Without it…we might just lose the world again.”
-----
“What in the…”
Sarah poked her head out the window, followed by Julia. “What kind of storm is that?”
“Oh, I think you know what kind of storm that is,” Julia observed.
“I have a few guesses, but I don’t like them.” She groaned and tied the True Sword’s scabbard to her belt. “Better go out and meet them, then. Wait here, Aunt Julia.”
“Not a chance, dear. I would like to see you in action.”
Sarah smiled wanly but lead the way. Last time she took charge, she got a bunch of hippies murdered (yes, she was aware of that) and then got put on trial for the murder of William Cauldwell. Her track record of leadership qualities so far boiled down to “murder”.
And that’s terrible.
She faced the oncoming magical storm and declared, “I need whoever is causing this magical storm to step forward! You are trespassing on the sovereign lands of Really Cool! Also, the palace!” She brandished the True Sword, intent on dispelling the storm.
-----
Blanche grunted and found a corner far enough away from Zento that she wasn’t technically in his space, but she was close enough to glare at him, cross-armed. “Crazy people are everywhere else.”
Stella was still pressing all the buttons.
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Post by Monika on Oct 2, 2013 18:56:52 GMT -5
"You're a clever one, aren't you?" the clouds roared from above. "People don't usually guess that it's a magical storm right away."
The rainstorm seemed to focus its intensity on a spot in front of Sarah, the force of the rain nearly carving a hole in the ground. Water droplets collected in the spot and took on a humanoid shape, eventually freezing into a life sized, human-like ice sculpture. Fissures and cracks appeared all along the sculpture's surface before the ice shattered completely. Shards and crystals of ice fell to the muddy ground, leaving only Galro behind.
"Clever and beautiful!" Galro laughed. "It is always pleasant to be greeted by a ravishing young woman. A pair of them, even!" He bowed to both Sarah and her aunt before continuing. "But you two didn't come out here to receive compliments, I'm sure. Judging from the way you addressed me as a 'trespasser' and are standing outside this palace, I can only assume that you are someone of importance. And that's just the kind of person I wish to speak with."
Scern came floating in with his steel umbrella a la Mary Poppins, landing delicately at Galro's side.
"You see, my colleague, Scern, and I are traveling musicians. We go from place to place offering our musical services. We were looking to hold a concert in the area at a suitable venue."
Scern reached into his backpack, pulled out a laminated flier and handed it to Sarah. A picture of Scern playing his guitar in front of a massive crowd was on the front of the flier, with 'The Astral City Amphitheater Presents' written at the top in large, red letters. On the bottom, in even larger red letters was written 'THE IMMORTAL OF METAL'.
"Not to gloat, but we are rather popular musicians. Guaranteed to bring a huge audience in. Great for raising money from tourists," Galro explained. "We play at a variety of events, including bachelorette parties, birthdays, weddings-"
"And funerals, too!" Scern added, a little too cheerfully.
"If you are in charge of the country, or you know the person who is," Galro said, "we would love to perform here in Really Cool Land."
Galro and Scern concluded their presentation with a bow and eagerly awaited Sarah's response.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I get the feeling we should disregard property rules or any semblance of safety and just hop on board, Chancellor," Aurora sighed, walking over to the vanship.
"It would appear that we have no other choice..." Chancellor Awesome sighed as well and unenthusiastically trudged his way to the vehicle.
The two stepped inside the vanship and, only marginally surprised by its spacious interior, took their seats on either side of Blanche.
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Post by Myrdraxxis on Oct 2, 2013 20:02:35 GMT -5
"Are we there yet?"
A voice asked over the loud hum of their vehicle. Noores sighed, looking up from his Yphone in irritation.
"No, we aren't in Awesome land yet. Just like I told you five minutes ago."
"You'd think this metal abomination would be able to go faste-hrk!" his companion's complaint was interrupted by a retching sound. Noores glanced over his shoulder to see his companion leaning over the side of their hovering car and losing his lunch. Again.
"It would take twice as long without it." Noores deadpanned, returning his attention to his smartphone and the game he was playing. Technically he was supposed to be driving, but this hover car was linked to his electrical signals, so he could pretty much do so with just his mind. "I thought you said you wanted to get there quickly, Roewk."
Roewk glared over at Noores. "I didn't think the ride would be so....horrible. How do you stand being around all of this junk? THere's no nature here!"
"Because I'm not a country hick like you." Noores said, putting in a pair of earbuds to cut off Roewk's squawk of indignation.
"Hmmmm I wonder if there are any new apps today~" he muttered to himself, eyes locked on his phone.
He was jarred from his thoughts as their vehicle crashed into....nothing. "What-" was all he had time to say before he and Roewk were thrown from the vehicle forward and then promptly bounced off of an invisible barrier and slid to the ground.
After a moment Noores sat up, groaning. "I think someone doesn't want us in Awesome Land right now."
Roewk appeared to actually be in much better shape now that he was out of the flying metal death trap.
"Well...now what?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"HEY WANNA JOIN MY GUILD?" was the first thing Corr was treated to as he stepped into the dwarven capital city of St. Beardsburg. A small gnome was staring at him eagerly, practically jumping with barely controlled energy.
"Uh...I-"
"YOU REALLY SHOULD." he was cut off. "WE HAVE TONS OF PEOPLE AND-" A large armored boot impacted with the gnome's face, sending him flying off into the distance. Corr turned slowly and stared at his companion Frib, who shrugged shamelessly.
"It's the only way to get those little suckers to shut up." he explained. Corr just sighed. It seemed that this world was built around violence. If the people here weren't out killing things, they were in towns buying and selling their wares for the sole purpose of getting better equipment to use for killing things.
"Why are we here again?"
"To train of course! And to find some more adventurers to join up with. It would be mad to take on a dungeon by ourselves."
"but why are we doing this 'dungeon'?"
"To get you some better gear of course!"
Of course.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To say that Gree's day had been going poorly would be an understatement. He'd awoken to find himself back on the Ariadne and once again in the med bay.
Captain Sanderson had explained to him that they were en route to the Citadel to make their report and pursue the apparent betrayal of one of the COuncil's Ghosts. THe one responsible for Nyle's death.
What was his name again?
Varren. That was it.
Gree lacked the context to be as shocked as the crew of the Ariadne had been, but even he knew that if this Varren wasn't stopped, Babylon Prime would be just the beginning.
So now here he was, standing in some politician's office in the Citadel, listening to the man express his concerns in typical politician fashion. Bitching.
"This mission has made us look utterly incompetent, captain." the ambassador-whose name Gree didn't even want to know- growled. "The colony is a ruin, the beacon was destroyed and Nyles is dead. All under the command of a non-Alliance operative." he turned his accusatory gaze to Gree.
"None of that was the Commander's fault." Sanderson interjected before Gree could tell the human where to go shove it. "We were put in a tight spot and responded as best we could. We were just luck that Gree here was able to lend a hand."
"You had better hope the COuncil agrees, Sanderson. This is already turning into a gigantic mess. It would be best that we don't let the COuncil know about the commander's....nature for now."
The team had been, needless to say, stunned when Gree had revealed his vision to them. Apparently Gree was the last remnant of an empire that all of the galaxy's technology was built on.
It confirmed Gree's theory that he wasn't in the same realm as Awesome Land anymore. If anything he was in some sort of parallel dimension where the Shadow Empire (or Umbrian Empire as they were called here) became to dominant life force.
A rebellious part of Gree couldn't help but wonder if this was due to a lack of influence by Zais.
"We'll be at the Tower, commander." Sanderson said to him, snapping his focus back to the conversation. "COme find us there."
Gree nodded and turned to his new "teammates". Both Hawthorn and Kravchenko had accompanied him to the Citadel. It was decided that for the time being Gree would pretend to be human. Their features were close enough, as long as Gree didn't take off his helmet all that much.
"Wanna head to the tower then?" Hawthorn asked.
Let's look around first
/
Investigate - ( ) - We should report to the tower
\
They can wait
Citadel Tower
\
The Presidium - ( ) - back
/
Embassy
"Where is the tower anyway?" Gree asked. Not a whole lot impressed him, but the Citadel was utterly fascinating. He'd only ever seen Nyles as a reference for aliens, but the Citadel hosted nearly every race in the galaxy. From the bird-like Turretians to the mono-gendered, -green-skinned Amari.
"Just across the Presidium. Can't miss it." Hawthorn said.
Let's look around first
/
Investigate - ( ) - We should report to the tower
\
They can wait
"We shouldn't keep them waiting. We can look around after this meeting is done." Gree said.
"Right behind you sir." Kravchenko said. It still surprised Gree how easily these two soldiers took orders from him. Apparently leading them through a fight was good enough to earn their loyalty for now.
"Let's hope this turns out well."
----
"That went terribly." Gree observed as the trio exited the Tower. THe meeting had been a joke. And truthfully Gree couldn't fault the Council for not listening. Varren was their top agent, and the humans had no real proof to back up their claims. Sure, Varren was a dick, but they needed evidence to prove that he was a colossal dick.
Hence why they were now roaming the Citadel in search of anything to implicate Varren.
"Sanderson said that the C-Sec guy, Darrus, was in the lower ward." Jaden offered. "We should start with him"
Gree agreed. And lo did his career as a space detective begin.
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Post by Calefrun on Oct 2, 2013 23:50:12 GMT -5
Zento, who was also standing cross-armed, scowled harder at Blanche's statement. "Right?" Seeing two more people enter the hold, he made a noise that sounded like a cross between a motorcycle and Satan. In other words, he sounded like a mildly irritated ocelot.
Confused about how Stella's rampant button had yet to do anything whatsoever, Cale took a peek into the cabin. "Uuhh, Stella, you have to turn the key in the ignition before we can go anywhere." He started back towards his seat, then stopped. "Do... do you think we should let someone else drive?"
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Post by Mizagium on Oct 2, 2013 23:57:15 GMT -5
"Oooooooh! Thanks, Cale!" Stella situated herself snuggly into what appeared to be the captain's chair and flexed her fingers. Ever so dramatically, she reached for the ignition - but stopped! "Wait!" She found the intercom system (which happened to look like an old-fashioned walkie-talkie) and put it to her mouth.
"This is your super-duper-awesome captain, the oh-so-lovely and beautiful and much better than you Space Ninja Princess Extraordinaire, Stella speaking to you live from RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL!" She turned the ignition hard and the vanship sputtered to life. "Prepare," she whispered intensely. "To have. Your Clyde-fizzed minds. Literally. Kicked in the the crotch. All of them. Every crotch you mind has. They will be kicked. Because I am the captain."
She wasn't paying attention, but the vanship was beginning to move.
"Oh yeah. Just like that, baby. Take me to the moon."
Blanche buried her head in her knees. "I need a drink."
"PUNCH IT BABY, YEAH!" Stella was now wearing a fuzzy pink pimp hat as she slammed her foot down on all the pedals until something happened. But really, it looked more like she was jumping up and down and slapping at the console like a monkey.
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Post by Calefrun on Oct 3, 2013 0:04:24 GMT -5
Zento shrugged. "Unless you're into potentially lethal soda, I can't really help you there." Cale sighed and took a seat in the copilot's chair. He turned on the radio, and all of the speakers inside the vanship started blaring out dat jazz. "AW FIZ YEAH, THIS IS MY JAM!" He started doing some mini-gyrations in his seat. |
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Post by Sariel of Tevet on Oct 6, 2013 11:37:21 GMT -5
RB returned from the lavatory to find a space ninja frantically smashing buttons and pedals all at once. He ran his hand along his mohawk and sighed.
"I really ought to lock this thing before taking a piss."
The Professor had finally made his way onto the ship, after being danced on, and found RB.
"RB we have a problem, sorry that everyone has barged in like this, but my other half seems to have merged with the Black Nova and is no doubt running a muck out in space right now. Who KNOWS what he could be doing. We have to stop him and these people can help."
"No it's quite alright. We just need to tell Calypso we wont be headed back to the new fortress so soon and.."
Sergeant Didgeridoo walked up and interrupted.
"Ay mom, whats wit all da people in er'? It's like one-ah dem hippie jam festivals. Dis isn't a taxi service ya know."
Sorry Didgeri-dude, but you saw what happened with my other half. He has to be stopped and these people can hel...
Doo-wop wopped and bopped his way over to the growing conversation.
"Ok seriously, what's with all the people?"
RB and the Professor facepalmed each others faces and Didgeridoo relayed the message.
"We gots ourselves wrapped up into these jivin muthas interstellar man hunt mon."
Brigadier Blues, food from the mess hall in hand and mouth, kinda just mumbled.
"Rooruhldeezpuple?"
RB smashed some things, The Professor would have cried if he possessed tear ducts. Didgeridoo was finally starting to see why everyone was becoming annoyed so he lit up a joint, and Doo-wop just mumbled back at Blues.
"BWEHABSPUSSMISSHIN."
RB began shaking.
"I swear...if one more perso..."
The Captain finally made his way from his quarters.
"My God where are all thes..."
"THAT'S IT. I'M OUT."
RB stormed off towards the helm and left Calypso in disarray. The captain decided it best to let RB cool off and decided to asked his question again, but this time in a very dry tone.
"My God, where...are all these people coming from?"
Blues, mouth still full of food, just mumbled at the Captain, who in turn just began to nod and smirk.
"Right, so..." He lit up a cigar. "I am gonna go back to my nap, just...I trust you people know what this is."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RB, still filled with his rage, strutted his bulky frame over to the helm and found a childish ninja girl sitting in his chair and smashing buttons frantically. He calmed himself by smoothing out his mohawk again, picked Stella up by her collar and placed her in a nearby child car seat. He strapped her in carefully and squatted down in front of her.
"Number one, you never turned the child locks off. You could have hit buttons all day and it wouldn't have meant shit. Number two, (he resisted the urge to laugh at number two, considering he had just left the lavatory, he had to be serious, he was scolding what appeared to be a child type thing), you weren't hitting the clutch. No one taught you how to drive a stick shift did they?"
He realized that this one may be a potential irritant for the duration of the flight, so he decided to strike a bargain with her.
"Tell you what, if you promise to behave during the mission, when we finish and are returning home, I'll let you sit in my lap and steer. How bout it kiddo?"
He patted her on the head and secretly tightened the straps a bit, just to be sure.
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Post by Myrdraxxis on Oct 6, 2013 13:01:47 GMT -5
Azzi took stock of everyone int he vanship....and who was piloting. He came to a quick decision and walked over to the nearest wall and proceeded to strap himself down with a ridiculous amount of seat belts. "Come to think of it, I don't actually know where we're going. I wasn't paying attention earlier and then just kinda got on the ship."
This was the sort of thing that got him in this whole adventure in the first place.
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Post by Mizagium on Oct 6, 2013 19:38:15 GMT -5
Stella struggled against the restraints. Somehow, they kept her contained and she was unable to escape, despite having both of her hands (and teeth) free. "He's got me! Someone! Anyone! The Mohawk man is trying to eat my soul!"
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Post by Calefrun on Oct 9, 2013 16:07:48 GMT -5
Cale stood and walked over to Stella's seat. Placing one hand on her shoulder, and using the other to partially unsheathe one of his katanas, he spoke in a reassuring tone, "Don't worry. If the Mofalcon man tries anything funny..." he drew his blade the rest of the way out for emphasis, "I'll shave his moeagle off. That's where they get their soul-stealing powers from."
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Post by Mizagium on Oct 12, 2013 14:50:09 GMT -5
"Captain, we have entered into an orbital pattern around the planet Venus. Would you like to land at the nearest aerostat colony?"
Captain Uggo scratched at his mask. "Are we wanted on this planet?"
"No, captain. The Monstrosity is not listed in any police records on Venus. You are completely unknown there."
"Good. Take us in."
The Monstrosity gradually tightened it's orbit until it dipped into the thick cloud cover. Were it not for Sally's maintaining a force field, the poisonous atmosphere would have made short work of the two passengers.
"Any sign of that other ship?" he asked.
"No, captain. The Black Swan hasn't appeared on my sensors for some time."
"Hm."
The middle atmosphere of Venus was littered with floating city-states. One of the largest was Cloud Land, which the Monstrosity angled in towards. Sally heralded air traffic and secured a moor. As the ship settled into a docking position, Uggo called out to Butterface.
"Dear? I'm heading into port for repairs. Would you like to come along?"
"Oh, heavens no. I want nothing to do with the filthy, ugly people of this world."
He sighed. "Very well. I'll return as soon as I can."
"You do that, dear."
Uggo disembarked, expecting to feel wobbly, but because of the floating nature of Cloud Land, the transition was smooth; the distinction between sailing the skies and waling on land was minimal.
"Now...where can I find some parts?"
-----
“Sarah,” Julia began cautiously. “I don’t much care for that look in your eyes.”
“But don’t you see, Aunt Julia,” she said dreamily. “This way, I can raise the money for the funeral without having to dip into the royal treasury.”
“I think you’re overestimating the willingness of your people to pay to see some concert” she eyed Scern “no matter how…delicious they are.”
But Sarah brushed her off. “Scern, Galro, how would you two like to play here to help me raise the money to pay off a funeral debt I owe to a dark wizard who trapped me into a murder trial of which I was only tangentially related?”
“Ugh. Ignore her, boys; she’s a little stressed.”
Sarah was in the middle of retorting when the sky opened up and a the screaming sounds of a million swooning women echoed across the land.
THAT’S RIGHT, FIZZBITCHES. GOLDBEZ IS BACK FROM WHEREVER HE WAS. HE LANDED WITH A MIGHTY THUD BEFORE THE FOUR ASSEMBLED, LOOKED OVER GALRO AND SCERN AND FOUND THEM WANTING. THEN HE NOTICED SARAH AND AUTNI JULIA. THE LATTER WAS FURIOUSLY FANNING HERSELF.
“Well, my my, my, who have we here?”
WHERE HE NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS, GOLDBEZ MIGHT HAVE TAKEN JULIA UP ON THAT UNSPOKEN OFFER. BUT HE WAS SO HE DIDN’T.
“FINE PRINCESS, SARAH, YOU PROBABLY DON’T REMEMBER ME-“
“Oh I do. You impregnated one of my maids and destroyed the pantry.”
“I WAS THE BIG ARMORED GUY FROM BEFORE. BUT THAT’S NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT I’M BORROWING YOUR TRUE SWORD FOR A MOMENT.”
He was already in the palace when Sarah realized it wasn’t a request. “Hey!” she called, racing after him, “I just put those back!” leaving Aunt Julia alone.
“Well boys,” she winked. “I guess you’re dealing through me now.”
-
Sarah was too slow; Goldbez has managed to find the secret entrance to the Vault of Wisdom and was already at the bottom of the staircase. “Don’t…even…think…about it…” she wheezed. “It’s sealed with magic. Only a royal family member can open it.”
WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT, GOLDBEZ PLACED HIS MIGHTY HAND UPON THE GENETIC LOCK AND THE VAULT OPENED.
“I…what?” She followed the big armored fellow inside, now more curious than anything.
GOLDBEZ SIEZED THE TRUE SWORD, EXAMNINED IT, AND WHACKED HIMSELF ON THE HELMET WITH IT. THEN A FEW MORE TIMES. THEN HE HANDED IT TO SARAH. “HERE, PRINCESS, GIMME THE OL’ WHAT-FOR!” HE BENT DOWN SO SHE COLD REACH.
“I would like nothing more.” Without pausing to consider her actions, Sarah wound back, and delivered a sharp blow to Goldbez’s head. She forgot to use the flat end, so the blade sliced through the helmet—and kept going, striking the floor. The sword had passed through him without cutting.
GOLDBEZ REELED BACK, BLINKED A FEW TIMES (NOT THAT SARAH COULD SEE, ALTHOUGH SHE MIGHT HAVE FELT IT; GOLDBEZ’S BLINKS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE STIRRINGS IN THE LOINS) AND NODDED.
“EXCELLENT. MUCHOS GRASSYASS. I’VE REMEMBERED WHAT I FORGOT THAT I FORGOT.” HE SQUATTED, IN PERPERATION FOR TAKE OFF. “OH, AND YOUR UNCLE JOHN SAYS HI.”
GOLDBEZ BURST THROUGH THE CEILING, CRASHING THROUGH SEVERAL LAYERS OF BEDROCK, PALACE, THE PANTRY AGAIN, AND THEN OUT INTO THE OPEN SKY, IN FULL VIEW OF JULIA, SCERN, AND GALRO. THEN HE, GRABBED HIS CROTCH PLATE, MADE A NINTY-DEGREE TURN AND FLEW OFF TOWARDS GROOVY LAND.
“What.”
-----
Gallen Kah, the Immortal of Order, welcomed Knox and Ollie in perfunctorily enough. Ollie flopped onto a couch while Knox sat awkwardly in a chair.
“And to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from such…young Immortals as yourselves?” Gallen Kah asked with notable lack of deference.
Eager to move on, Knox quickly said, “We’re putting together a Council of Immortals and we need every Immortal for it to work.”
Order nodded dlowly. “Yes, I could see that is important.” Knox didn’t like his tone. “And what is it you hope to accomplish with this…Council?”
“We’re going to help guide the world, but – we’ve been shadowy puppet masters for far too long, Gallen. It’s time we stop the manipulations and become real leaders.”
“Hm. While I can appreciate the sentiment, I have my doubts about the validity of such an endeavor. But more importantly, I have matters here, in Centros, to attend to. In fact, my young apprentice is off on a world-saving quest and I need remain for…support.”
Ollie saw Knox’s face change in an instant.
“Your apprentice? You mean some poor kid you’ve tricked into becoming something he doesn’t understand. You’re no better than Stan was, than Karzem is; you’re exactly the reason we need this Council!” Knox growled.
“All we do is manipulate,” Gallen Kah replied evenly. “That’s the only thing we’re good for. Just because you all get together in a cool clubhouse with a secret handshake and a fancy name doesn’t suddenly make you better than me.” He smoothed his white hair. “New name, same old story. The only difference is you’re going public with it.”
“It’s better than hiding in the shadows and pulling strings.”
“Is it? What happens when the people realize we’ve been doing this forever? What happens when they realize they no longer need us?”
But Knox was already storming out.
“Wait,” Gallen Kah called, but only Ollie heard him. “Here, take this.” He tossed her a silver key. “Tell Knox I support the endeavor, but cannot attend physically. With this silver key, I will be there in spirit.”
Ollie clutched the key said, “I think you’re right, you know. Immortals manipulate. But I think Knox is right, too. I think we can change.”
Order considered this. “Maybe. But it won’t change as long as I’m here. As long as any of the old Immortals still remain. We’re too set in our ways. It’s time for a new generation, and I think we’re almost there.”
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Post by Sariel of Tevet on Oct 14, 2013 18:21:29 GMT -5
"Daddy! Daddy! What's that one called?!"
A toddler awkwardly sprinted as fast as she could towards a far away animal cage. She pressed her face and palms firmly against the class, careful to not let go of her balloon. Her parents finally caught up and the mother reached down and tugged gently at one of her daughter's pigtails.
"Alayah what have I told you about running off like that?"
"Now Ellie come on, she's just excited. You remember how it is being a kid right, or are you getting too old to remember now?"
He made sure to laugh quickly before he got himself into trouble. His wife pinched his arm and smiled.
"Just because it is getting harder to remember being a child doesn't mean you have to call me what you did when we were children, Connie."
He sucked air through his clenched teeth and rubbed his neck. "Connie? Ouch. You know I always hated that."
Alayah began to tug on her father's pants leg so he picked her up over his head and placed her on his broad shoulders. He pushed the balloon's string out of his face and pointed at the animal within the cage.
"Now princess, that right there is a corgi. We don't have these here on Koria, they come from Earth. It is a type of pet that Earth people keep in their homes, kind of like the kippie you got for your name day last year."
Alayah's eyes lit up with joy, "Daddy can I have a corgi for my next birthday? Pleeeeeeasse!!"
Conrad and his wife laughed, she had said that at almost every cage they had been to at the zoo today, and his answer was always the same. He squeezed her tiny hand and said he would do his best. They set off walking to the next cage together when Alayah began to poke her father's cheek.
"Yes honey? What is it? Ready to ask what the next animal is?"
"No, but what is THAT?"
He followed the path that her tiny finger drew out towards the sky. A mist seemed to be spreading out over the sky above the capitol building. He dropped his gaze and saw that everyone at the zoo had stopped to watch as well. They all had the same look of curiosity on their faces, however it all seemed to fade away in the same moment. Clouds came in from all directions to form around the mist as the particles contained within it began to condense and coalesce. A black nova began to form in the sky above the city, followed by a disconcerting darkness. As it stored energy, lightning began to protrude into the atmosphere and even down into the city itself, knocking out transformers and various city blocks with them.
Conrad and his wife exchanged concerned glances and he shook his head.
"I don't know princess, I just don't know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sir, it appears to be some sort of...collapsing star."
Raymond hurriedly dawned his lab coat as he sprinted over to the console where his assistant was stationed.
"You mean I get an emergency page, come all the way out here for you people to tell me that there is a supernova forming above the city? That's impossible. It could take thousands of years for a star to collapse, and that doesn't even count the time for the star itself to begin with."
He slammed a hand down onto the console next to the lab tech, causing the skittish man to jump in his seat.
"Now do you want to tell me how a supernova began to form AND collapse all inside a half an hour?"
The assistant shifted his glasses and stared at the floor. "Sir it...just...appeared out of nowhere."
Raymond put his hand across his eyes and began to rub his temples.
"Fine, just...we don't need to know how it got here anyway. We just need to stop it. Ideas anyone?"
He took a slow sweep around the room, and everyone seemed to avoid eye contact. Everyone was too scared to think under the pressure. The supernova had come and formed so quickly that it was bound to die out just as quickly.
"Come on guys, anything. Any idea. Throw them out there. What do we KNOW about novas? Any nova."
A sheepish man set down a beaker and mumbled, "They..they are just dying stars."
"Correct."
Another scientist stepped up.
"They...tend...to...explode."
Raymond rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes they do. We are kinda tying to avoid that."
He tried again, "They explode because from a combination of nuclear fusion and the core collapsing. It just emits all of the energy and radiation that had been burning throughout the years."
"Wait! What if we stopped the nuclear fusion!"
Raymond turned to see his assistant rising out of his chair and running to confront him. Frantically waving his hands he explained his previous statement.
"Just think, nuclear fusion occurs with lighter elements, except during certain instances within novas of course. Nuclear fission takes place with heavier elements. It may seem thin, but what if we could bombard the nova with a fission reaction? Maybe the heavier particles would disrupt the fusion reaction and cause it to dissipate altogether?"
A voice rang out behind him, "Yeah or just make a bigger blast than before. You're just feeding a nuclear reaction more nuclear material. It's absurd. What if it just gets bigger?"
"Well we are going to die either way aren't we?"
Raymond stepped forward and placed a hand on his assistant's shoulder, "It may be absurd, but it's the only idea we have right now. Only problem is this is a peaceful planet. We haven't had a war in over a thousand years. Where would we even get a nuclear warhead to shoot at the thing?"
"Well sir, we don't have a warhead, but there is that new prototype aircraft that runs on nuclear fission. It has a small reactor in the back. The only problem is that..."
"....that someone would have to fly it right into the heart of that...that thing. Who is the pilot?"
"Sir...I think you know who he is..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A phone begins to ring and Conrad pulls it from his pocket and hands it to Alayah who is still perched atop his shoulders. She presses the answer button and holds the phone to her fathers ear. He smiles as he recognizes the voice of his dear friend Raymond, but his expression soon begins to fade as the words hit him.
"..yes...yes I will do it. I understand. I will be there soon."
He reached up and took the phone from his daughters hand and placed it back into his pocket. Not taking his eyes off of his wife, he placed Alayah back onto the ground and began to hug his wife.
"They need me, Elinor."
Somehow, she knew in her heart what that meant. She began to sob and clutch at her husbands jacket and used it to hide their faces from Alayah. He wiped the tears from her eyes, and attempted to smile. His memories began to flash inside his head. The last time he had to wipe so many tears from his wife's eyes was the day their daughter was born. Then he began to cry as well. The memory had seemed like so long ago, but the sudden realization that he could no longer make more memories with the family he worked so hard to create was almost more than he could bear.
"I would never want to leave you two alone the world without me, but this way atleast you will both still have a world. I'll be watching over you, I promise."
The couple exchanged I love you's and he knelt down to kiss his daughter, but his words began to fail him. Chocking, let out, "Daddy has to go to work princess."
Hearing this was normal for Alayah. She just smiled like always.
"It's ok Daddy. Me and mommy will just wait here and you can finish telling me about all the animals when you get back."
He just nodded and tried to seem normal. Taking the car keys from his pocket, he headed to the car and made his way to airbase.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Conrad, what's your E.T.A? The radio buzzed through his headset as he approached the nova.
"Just a few minutes. It's getting harder to..."
A colossal hand stretched forth from the black nova, made from the same material from the mist he had seen earlier. It closed a fist around the plane and the immense gravitational pressure began to crush it like a can. There was no longer any hope of the thermonuclear engine reaching the core of the nova.
A face formed from the top of the nova, and a smile stretched through the clouds.
Silence fell over the city. A moment of calm before the end.
Still watching, stricken with fear and holding back her cries, Elinor felt a tug on her pants leg.
"When is daddy coming back?"
The black nova exploded, catastrophically ripping apart the atoms of the atoms of the city and the planet of Koria in an instant. All that remained was the shockwave the was sent hurdling through the galaxy, the one true legacy of Koria.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nova Calamitous was floating in empty space, intact and back in his usual form. His limp body sifted through the cosmic aftermath of the explosion, waiting. Star dust and vapors began to gravitate towards him, reforming the deadly mist.
Nature can be so beautiful. There is so much chaos, so much energy welled up within a dying star. A star that is often unassuming with no awareness of its ensuing fate. Nature has no mind with which to dictate its actions. It only exists as a deterministic tool for the quantum laws to toy with and break apart day by day. Having merged myself into the chaos, I have given a soul to the dying star. It is no longer a slave to the laws of nature. I have given will. A will that seeks to bring order through the chaos. A chaos that lacked direction and feeling. It served no purpose, until now. I will break down this universe and absorb every last neutron in existence. Then I will create the galaxy anew, and it will contain my will. I will set free the universe through this chaos. It is the only way.
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Post by Sariel of Tevet on Oct 14, 2013 18:27:59 GMT -5
RB knocked on the door to the captain's cabin.
"Enter. What is it?"
"Sir, you aren't going to believe this, Koria just disappeared from the galaxy map altogether. We checked, it isn't even a glitch."
"Then I guess you know where we are going. Plot a course."
"Yes sir."
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Post by Myrdraxxis on Oct 14, 2013 19:42:12 GMT -5
Taler wasn’t exactly sure when he had started jumping at every slight movement. Probably after that third wave of dog strikes. He still didn’t know who they were fighting, but whoever they were they had a surplus of angry canines with ridiculously sharp teeth and murder-boners.
Taler wouldn’t have been so concerned if he could rely on his “teammates” for anything besides distraction. The soldiers of this place still seemed to think that the best tactical plan of attack of to fire on full auto from the hip.
Taler was a professional soldier, in an army of questionable morals and purpose, but a soldier nonetheless. A commando no less. So he prided himself on being more disciplined than that.
He timed his shots, firing in efficient bursts that almost always hit their mark.
And it was beginning to piss him off.
There seemed to be a never-ending stream of enemy troops to fight. For every one that Taler shot two more showed up. At least now he could pause for a minute to catch his breat-
“More incoming!” A nearby cry went up. Taler let out a growl of frustration. Sure enough, not a minute later another wave of enemy troops appeared. “Oh, screw this.” He gritted out, a vein in his head throbbing. He was sick of this.
Not really thinking about it he stood up and fired a full clip into the oncoming soldier, howling in fury as he did.
The gun clicked empty and Taler blinked. He had missed just as many shots as he had hit, but the other soldiers around him were nodding approvingly.
That was….oddly satisfying.
“Okay wait, so why do we have to kill this guy?” Vin asked again, still confused. He and Eddie were winding their way through the back alleys of Dunkirkia, the capital city of whatever odd land this was.
Eddie sighed. “Because he’s levying ridiculous taxes against the common citizens, knowing full well that no one can pay them without selling their left arm to do it.” That was only slightly figurative if the conditions Vin had seen held true. “Especially with the squirrel plague on the rampage, no one can afford to live in anything less that utter poverty here.”
“Okay so he’s a major dick, but how does this help us find the Assassin’s Bead?”
“Lod Guido is also a member of the Knights Hospitalier. A secret order that was the driving force behind our destruction.”
“So he might have the Bead?”
“Probably not, but he might know who does.”
“Okay, so this whole “defender of the weak and powerless” thing is just a moral justification for killing this guy?”
“….”
“Eddie?”
“Quiet we’re here.”
Here, as it turned out, was a small shack at the edge of the harbor. It looked abandoned from what Vin could tell. He also noted that nothing at all was living nearby. No pests, no birds, not even the tenacious squirrels that were infesting the city.
“Okay..” he said, glancing around. “Why?”
“because I think you’re going to need some extra help if we want to do this.” Eddie explained, stepping inside. Vin followed. The place looked no better on the inside that the outside. In fact, it looked like something out of a nightmare. The walls were scribbled with insane rambling in languages that Vin couldn’t decipher, and the air felt oppressively heavy.
A pedestal stood in the center of the room, and on it laid a strange object. Bone, from the look of it, with odd glowing carvings etched into its surface.
“Uh…what kind of help exactly?” he asked nervously. ’Don’t say Cthulhu , don’t say Cthulhu, don’t say Cthulhu…’ he began chanting in his mind.
“A bit of magical help.” Eddie said. “If one is strong enough, they can contact the Outsider for a boon.”
’Still not sold that this isn’t Cthulhu’ “The…Outsider?”
“A mysterious being from outside this plain of existence. He likes to meddle in the affairs of mortals sometimes, bestowing gifts on a few chosen.”
“Wow okay….this isn’t going to melt my mind or anything right?” Vin had to ask.
“No, definitely not.” Eddie said. He paused. “Probably.”
“All of my hate Eddie.” Vin growled, and touched the rune.
The world disappeared, and suddenly Vin was standing in a strange place, surrounding by nothingness. A few flashes of images appeared in the corner of his vision, but disappeared when he turned to look fully.
“So. Another one comes to my shrine.” A voice echoed hauntingly. Vin froze. ’OhgodI’mgonnabekilledbyacrazyEldergoddamnyouEddie[‘ his mind fired off as a figure began to appear.
Tall, cloaked in darkness. Radiating power.
Vin stared. His thoughts halting.
A face full of arrogance, with an amused sneer. Snow white hair.
Wait a minute.
“I wonder what you hope to find here little mortal-“
“Lord Zais?” Vin blurted out.
Vin and Zais stared at each other for a long moment, both rather shocked. Zais blinked, not finishing his thought. Or from the looks of it, not really able to figure out what to say at all.
“Uh…” Was what he finally managed.
Another long silence that was becoming more awkward by the moment.
Finally the vision disappeared and Vin found himself back in the shack, with Eddie.
“Did it work?” Eddie asked eagerly. Vin stared at him, then down at his hand where a strange tattoo had appeared. He sighed.
“Yeah I guess it did.”
“Cool. You can never be sure what to expect with the Outsider. He can be kind of a dick sometimes.”
“Yeah. I know.”
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Post by Monika on Oct 14, 2013 20:49:26 GMT -5
"Ahem." Galro cleared his throat in an effort to bring attention away from Goldbez's antics. "Well then. Ms...Julia, was it? Or is it 'Mrs.'? You seem like the type who would be swarmed by men all the time.
Scern nodded in agreement. "Mmhmm. But if your husband doesn't mind, we would love to invite you backstage at our concert...if you all are willing to let us have it here, of course."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aurora and Chancellor Awesome sat patiently and quietly, though neither of them could shake the feeling that something very, very horrible had just happened.
"The sooner we stop this Black Nova, the better..." Aurora muttered.
"Agreed," Chancellor Awesome replied.
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Post by Calefrun on Oct 14, 2013 21:23:57 GMT -5
Cale frowned, and lowered his sword a bit. "I feel a great disturbance, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened." Immediately after finishing his sentence, he let out an enormous belch. Like, magnitude 6. "Oh. nevermind."
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Post by Nel on Oct 14, 2013 22:18:51 GMT -5
Captain Danielle has lost sight of the ship that had attacked her suite some time ago, but refused to admit to her crew (and herself) it. Thankfully, a cloudy planet came into view and, knowing that the ship had been damaged, Captain Danielle was 100% sure the ship had landed there to acquire parts and whatnot.
"Attention! We are landing on that planet!" she pointed out the window to emphasize her point, even though there was no need. Venus was the only planet anywhere close let alone in sight.
"But... why?" David/Peter spoke up, determined to have some authority, "There's nothing on that planet, but clouds and-" he was interrupted by a slap to the face.
"I will not be questioned!" Captain Danielle yelled.
The rest of the crew, fearing getting slapped, obeyed.
After landing, she placed David/Peter in charge of watching the ship and the rest of the crew were sent out to look for the other ship or the captain.
"I'll be at the bars if you need me." and with that she left them.
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Post by Mizagium on Oct 22, 2013 15:15:13 GMT -5
“Oh my, backstage!” Julia fanned herself theatrically. “I’m sure Sarah would just love to have you perform it here. We even have a big open field right here on which to set up a stage. So why don’t you two boy get started on that while I go retrieve Sarah, hm?”
She started away, stopped and turned her head ever so sightly. “It is just ‘Miss’, by the way.”
-
“Excuse me, sir?” Captain Uggo flagged down the nearest pedestrian – woman. “Can you tell me where I might find a Landro Takayaki?”
“Certainly, he’s –“ And then she saw his face. Rather, she saw his mask, his terrible twisted mask. “AAAHHHH!” Her comically loud scream echoed across the street and she fled in abject terror. A few confused people turned towards the source of the scream, saw his mask, and fled themselves. This of course started a chain reaction of curious pedestrians coming to the screams, seeing his mask, and fleeing in terror, drawing more onlookers.
Uggo sighed and let the events play themselves out. Eventually the people would stop coming right?
Wrong. There were apparently enough people in Cloud Land that, fifteen minutes later, he was still the source of a mass panic. Quite fed up with it all, he made his way vaguely in the direction the woman had started to indicate before running away.
“Where are you, you slippery octopus?”
-
The Skyskate zoomed through space at sub-light speeds, else it would be picked up on any Far Out sensors. The Crusaders had combed through the records obtained from the raid on FORD and were slowly digesting them. Pular absently occupied the pilot seat, occasionally glancing at the monitors. Starburst had disappeared to raid the food stores. Nebula was meditating back in the engine room. Moon Blade stared down at printed versions of the most pertinent data.
“I can’t believe it,” Moon Blade began. “After everything that happened…they wanted to do it again.”
“Pff. I believe it,” Pulsar said. “It’s right up FORD’s alley.”
“But to make another Cixer…and to use Stella…it’s no wonder she’s the way she is.”
“We have to get to her first,” Pulsar said quickly. “They know we know. I’m picking up some Star Samurai frigates moving in on Earth.”
“The Star Samurai…no use for stealth anymore, huh?”
“Nope. In that case, we don’t need it – uh.”
“What?”
“There’s a ship leaving Earth’s orbit. It…looks like a…van.”
“Friendly?”
“Not sure, I’m hailing – uh oh.” Alarms started blaring all over the ship. “They found us. Star Samurai frigate Sunspot has targeted us. Hang on.” The Skyskate accelerated so rapidly the gravity stabilizers didn’t have time to compensate, and Moon Blade was almost pushed out of his seat. “Firing.” The ship rocked a few times. “Got a couple hits, but mostly surface damage.”
“Pulsar…”
“No backseat flying,” she growled.
“You’re going to crash us into the – “
“No, I’m not! I just – “ Another explosion. More alarms. “Oh. That was the engines. Yeah, we’re gonna crash.”
Right into the vanship.
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Post by Sariel of Tevet on Oct 23, 2013 20:50:58 GMT -5
"Come in."
Mayor Kranston responded to the knock on his door without turning to see who coming through it. He continued to stand facing the window of his office, nose inches away from the glass. He felt the presence of someone near him and turned to see an older scientist at his side.
"How much time do we have left, Mason."
The scientist removed his glasses and used the tip to scratch his temple.
"Minutes...an hour...maybe. However it doesn't matter, Kovis will never survive this."
Mayor Kranston turned his gaze back towards the window, where his line of sight lifted up towards the sky. A planet had assumed the position of backdrop to the outstretched city. It's center fell well below Kovis' horizon, and ran up along the skyline.
"Normally orbital divergence or change can take thousands, or even millions of years, but this...a planet three times the size of our son just appears out of nowhere. Acliri, Jaliv, Itrion....Poyeria...did this happen to them as well? Maybe if we could have deciphered their messages...We couldn't predict this Mayor Kranston. That mist..."
"I know, I know. There is no time for blame, only prayers."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kovis was finally pulled into the mysterious planet's atmosphere, and as their surfaces collided, the dust and flying rubble began to swirl together and form into a new mist as the planets began to deteriorate into each other.
One step closer to order. One more planet liberated through chaos.
Nova Calamitous moved off into the distance in search of the nearest planet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alarms were sounding, causing Captain Calypso to spring out of bed. He grabbed a cigar and his lighter and took off for the helm.
"RB what in God's name is going on here? It sounds like we are under attack."
Two unknown ships were beginning to fight off in the distance, but too close for comfort.
"Yes Captain, we realize that, but I think we have bigger problems here. More and more planets are beginning to disappear from the UPS (universal positioning system, obviously)."
"How many so far?"
"Ten and counting...sir."
Sergent Didgeridoo leaned over RB's chair and loomed over the UPS.
"Ay mon, dis ting locks on ta da core energy signature of tha planets, yah?"
Calypso began to chew the cigar in his mouth, a nervous habit. "Yes."
"So den...tha core gots ta be depleted den. Do that mea..."
Calypso gritted his teeth and bit into the cigar, causing the outer half to fall to the floor of the vanship.
"It means the planet is no longer there, it can't exist without a core. We have to stop this. RB plot a course that follows the course of disappearing planets. There has to be some sort of patter, track it and let's head out to the nearest planet, but first, how about dealing with...that."
He pulled the remaining cigar half our of his mouth and pointed towards the oncoming ship.
"Got it Captain, Blues, get to working on that course. We may need to head out quickly."
RB began blowing the horn incessantly, unfortunately in space, no one can hear you honk. The ship continued its course and crashed directly into the vanship, breaching the hull.
"RB shake them off, we can seal the hull and make a jump to lightspeed, but we can't do it with them hanging on to us."
The other ship seemed to be lining up a shot.
"Captain if that ship hits whoever they are fighting, it could take out the both of us. We need to jump...now."
"Fine, Blues do you have our destination?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Good, RB make it happen."
RB slammed his fist onto the red button atop the shifter and they made their jump into lightspeed, taking the other ship with them.
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Post by Calefrun on Oct 23, 2013 21:48:40 GMT -5
After the jump had been initiated, Cale got back out of his seat. Figuring it was safe, he decided to go ahead and cut Stella loose. With a quick slash of his blade, he sliced apart the restraints which kept the space ninja in place. He sheathed his sword and started walking towards the point of impact between the vanship and the vessel that had crashed into it.
"Come on, Stella. Let's go make some new friends."
---------------------------------------------
"So," Zento said, still standing in he cargo hold with his arms crossed, "space, huh?"
--------------------------------------------
"Something seems... wrong about this place," Al commented as the trio made their way through the streets of Cloud Land.
Gabe grunted in agreement. "Yeah, I'm totally getting the creeps. The sooner we beat the crap out of those pirate guys that attacked us and get out of here, the better."
To any onlookers, Rick appeared to be his usual, relaxed, absent-minded self. But his friends knew better. He may have looked calm, but they could tell that he was significantly more tense than he usually was, despite the blank expression on his face.
"Hey Rick," Gabe finally asked, "you okay?"
Without changing his expression, Rick simply replied, "This place... it's wrong. Everything about it is just... off. I don't like it here." At that moment several of Cloud Land's citizens came running and screaming down the street, heading in the opposite direction of the trio. After a few more minutes of walking, they caught sight of Captain Uggo, who was swiftly making his way somewhere.
"That's our guy!" Gabe declared as he took off running towards the pirate, drawing his weapon along the way. Al sighed and ran after him, and Rick just kept walking along as though oblivious to everything going on.
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