DeviousMe

((Okay, now I'm getting curious - what's the deal with the bold? I thought it was because Pitcher was using loudspeakers in the conference room, but now everyone's together and stuff, so...are they all shouting or something?))

"Allen works better." 'Fangy' snickered in his response to Cara, mostly at the expense of the quite visibly flustered 'thing', a meaningful glance given its way due directive to let the General have the word for now.

"And that's a Cerosian Scribe." he explained to the young heroine, "His name's a batch code that I really have no idea how to pronounce with spoken language. In fact, I don't think it can be. So I just call him Six. But yeah, it does, doesn't it? Go figure, really. It's just another gate type. Like that."

The motion of a hand briefly indicated the activating portal to explain as he spoke those words. Without pause, he went on to add, "But hey, they called the world we used to live on Necria. I'll admit, it fit, but...eh, I'm probably boring you. Besides, I need to ask this guy something."

"Hey, so what do you mean advance south?" he wanted to know of Pitcher and Holmes, "I thought you were taking us to those mysterious superiors of yours...?"

"That's not a very nice thing to say." the black-suited 'werewolf' who'd just entered the chamber remarked, a thin grin on his sleek, predatory visage. Granted, his lithe, very much un-bulky frame didn't exactly serve to make that a fearsome show, but there was still something unnerving about it. Not threatening, but by no means comforting either. Not to a human, anyway.

"Besides, if it were true, I wouldn't be making an effort to talk to anyone." he added, eyes wandering from Cara to Holmes to Pitcher, "Not really in our nature. Actually, it's a pretty big effort. But if gets both our peoples what we want instead of just one, I think it'll be an effort well spent."

Behind him, what was either a machine or a biped clad in powered armor now walked in, the footfalls of its soles muffled, but still quite audible against the metal floor. It stood shorter than the one who'd identified as Allen, its decently humanoid shape not much taller than the average man. It had a tail though, encased like the rest of it in the smooth, show-white segments of armor that faintly reminded of a Crey Crisis Unit. It was decidedly not of local origin however, the relief insignia upon its shoulders presenting both a large symbol as well as several smaller glyphs that none of the others gathered here had ever seen before.

And then there was that long case in its hand.

"General Fang," it addressed the wolflike being with a respectful tone, its voice a mixture of a clearly synthetic generator and a hollow, decidedly wet hiss, "we have received word that PE-Helpful has just departed this side of the transmitter bridge. Terminal has been informed and have accelerated their schedule accordingly. An oblivion gate will be ready by the time the platform arrives at Cerosia."

"Well done." the otherworldly wolf smiled toothily in return, then remarked to the Captain, "Who says you can't get good help these days? So, are we ready? I'd like to speak to your leaders before the Rowers arrive. They do charge for idle time, so knowing what to tell them as soon as possible is generally a good idea..."

I'd be game for a MoApex, mostly on the grounds of it being the WST this week.

((Okay, so...where does this go now? Do we 'wait a week' and pick up on the other side of the portal?))

"Sounds fun." the 'werewolf' grinned slyly, giving the Captain a nod, "I'll be eagerly awaiting whichever comes first then - though I'd still prefer to go right now. But if you need time, that's well enough. Gives us a chance to check around if anyone wants in should this head to an unfavorable outcome. In fact..."

He paused a moment, pulling from his belt an orblike little object that quickly snapped a projection of an unfamiliar planet into the air. Roughly the size of a human's head, the image sat there for a moment, then warbled something in an alien tongue.

"English please." said the little sphere's holder, "And yes. Please let the queen know I'd like to speak to her as soon as possible. Allen. Fang clan. She knows who I am..."

"Indeed." the wolflike creature stood with a toothy smile, shouldering the large case again, "What are we waiting for? Please, take me to your leader."

A moment later, that smile vanished as he realized just what he'd said. He gave a snort, then a chuckle.

"Heh." he remarked, the smirk returning, "Never thought I'd actually say that. Now I owe that crazy Khelari a kill. Well, at least there won't be anything left to bury..."

"Then what's the way you would like to go?" the 'wolfman' asked, the shift in his tone and guarded look in his eyes making it quite clear it was now his turn to cultivate some suspicions.

"It sounds to me there wasn't too much thought put into this." he decided it would be better to voice them now than later, adding with a smirk, "Or maybe there was and you'd rather not tip your hand this early. Either way, I think it'd be in all our best interests if you just came out and said what exactly it is you're asking for. If you don't want to rid yourselves of these 'dangers', but at the same time don't want to withdraw to safety, just what is it that you're asking for help with?"

"Or is that something I should be discussing with those superiors of your directly?" he tacked on, wondering just how empowered this 'ambassador' actually was...

That answer was disappointing. Expected, but still disappointing. It would've been so much easier just to move the humans elsewhere. Heck, with that low a population, just one of the Engineers' platforms could've held them - and he had bids from three already.

Well, all wasn't lost just yet, not to mention there was still much more information to gather. Still, the quickness of that answer hinted at quite a few things. Doubt arose that such a people would be satisfied to simply be placed on the 'do not hunt' list.

"So just what is it that you're proposing then?" the lupine alien asked, figuring that in that case, now was as good a time as any to let the cat out of the bag, "Do you want to hire help to destroy your enemies and take back your world? Or would you be content to withdraw to shelters where you'd be safe from them? If so, what'd be your feelings about another people moving in on the outside...?"

"I have a few, yes." the wolflike man spoke up, looking a little concerned. About what wasn't sure though, for he kept his tone quite casual as he wanted to know, "First, about how large is your total population, and would you be willing to relocate...?"

Granted, he may well not have needed it for the 'werewolf'. Judging from the smirking, attentive look in that one's eyes, his interest was already well and duly snagged. Oddly enough though, that didn't quite fit. The advanced-looking, night-black uniform he wore made it easy to tell he was part of some larger force, and by the look of those insignia, the military sort at that. Moreover, if its complex structure was any clue, these guys weren't hurting for resources. The huge case now resting in the creature's lap only further underscored that.

There was another hint buried in that bodysuit, though. Like the Captain's own, its construction definitely followed the scheme of an insulator - and with that thick, gray fur, there was no way its point was to keep heat in. No, this thing was designed to keep it out. Granted, there was probably more at work there than what was visible, but if anyone present swept over its wearer with a thermal sense, it was plain as day that suit kept him in a personal environment so cold many a human would've considered it unsustainable to life...

The resulting quiet thus made it rather easy to overhear the rising voices just outside the conference room doors, growing from a mumble of greetings and identification requests to some commotion about weaponry as the volume rose.

"For the last time, it is not a weapon." growled a gruff, male tone, audibly vexed by his counterparts in the conversation, "It is a gesture. This is a weapon. This you can have."

Muffled thumps and bumps followed upon that in turn, as well as a few more mumbles, and then the doors finally opened, an aide bidding the black-garbed 'wolven man' to enter - along with his case. In his wake, he left three more, their uniforms marking them just as his did him, though of course theirs were likely familiar to those present inside: those assigned to guard and secure the conference room. What was decidedly unfamiliar was the large (and apparently quite heavy) combobulation of pistol and rifle that sat square in the lap of the one whose rear was now flush with the floor, eyes and hands both still on the thing in the same incredulous stare as the rest.

The new arrival meanwhile shouldered his case with a snort and a rather derisive-sounding remark in an alien tongue as he strode into the conference room proper, a toothy smirk forming on his face upon a quick survey of those already here.

"Different than expected." he spoke in an intrigued tone of voice, then sought out a place to await the beginning of the conference...

Cold. Yes, it was very cold in space. Quiet, too. Well, at least as far as sound was concerned. Still, it lent s strange, almost majestic beauty to even the simplest of things, such as the separation of a somewhat kite-shaped, very utilitarian dropship from the much larger, dumbbell-like shadow of its current carrier.

It floated from the hangar airlock in darkness and in silence, a brief flare of iridescent blue all that truly signaled its departure, the pulse of thrust setting it on course for the bright-blue marble of a planet hung 'below'.

When silence finally did give way to sound, the declaration came with raucous, reverberating thunder, the plasma trail the little ship carved through the atmosphere brightly and loudly asserting its presence with harsh thrum and fervent roar, streaking through the cloud-filled skies with fire, flame, and booming rage.

But soon their ways did part, and roaring fire gave way to the soft whine of turbine ducts, slowing and controlling the formerly so wild descent. They held, they guided, and in due time brought the ship before the ground assigned: a dedicated platform marked as such to serve as landing zone for aerial craft, tucked away behind the gleaming structures of the Portal Corporation campus on the island known as Peregrine.

Three landing legs emerged, feathered softly the contact of the two, then pushed down and out again to make room beneath the craft as power waned and engines stilled. Just why became quite clear not long thereafter, for the ventral hull came loose and down, a platform nearly just as wide as the ship itself settling upon the landing pad with a soft hiss and a quiet clack, promptly depositing its sole passenger against the ground.

'Werewolf' often came to mind at first, or at least it did so here, but on just second glance, it usually went with just as quick a speed. No, the gray-haired humanoid up there may have had the face of a wolf, but the well-fit bodysuit of lustrous black deftly declared this creature's intellect - as did the keen, watchful acumen that glimmered in its icy eyes. In its black-gloved hand, the being held the handle of a suitcase, hue alike and proportions great. What it held, to that it offered not a single clue, but judging from its size, it may well have been anything from a floor lamp to a bazooka.

The footfalls of the lupine creature's hard-soled boots, expertly crafted for digitigrade legs, soon echoed first from the metal of the elevator, then from the concrete of the tarmac as he headed for the conference. To say he was excited would've been the understatement of an age. If what he'd heard was true, this would be a day of days. It was why he'd come in person, rather than sending a subordinate. Not that they weren't at his side, that was.

Now he just hoped luck would be as well...

I led a bag of rabid cats (I hesitate to call it a collection of teams ) to take one down on Protector redside once, and I know there were some successful attempts blueside as well, so it's more than possible. However, I have to say I agree with Posi, if only because it really is a prime example of herding cats to do this.

No. Do tell.

Well, Fire for starters - and what about Death and Taxes?

Interesting stories indeed, heh. Glad to see you writing again, Sam. Any chance this means you'll be finishing up some of your older stories?

Hmm...so you're wanting more of the creepy sort and not any gore, huh? Off the top of my head then, I'd recommend you 'Darkness Falls' and 'They' - both nicely spooky, but (iirc) not really any blood or dismemberment in those. Of course, if your wife can look past those a bit, then I would very much add my voice to recommending 'Alien'. That one's just a classic.

My condolences to your son there. I can understand where you're coming from. It's just too bad that 'conflict' so heavily overshadowed those other four. There was certainly the potential for magic.

Yeesh, yalls have sooome kind of endurance, haha. I'll be there with Acid, but I'm definitely gonna need a break in there, so I'm only gonna sign up for the ITF and LGTF.

Global Handle: @Acid Zero
Character Name: Acid 0
Archetype: Mastermind
Primary Powerset: Robotics
Secondary Powerset: Force Fields

Okay, that last line there was so full of win I don't even know how to put it in words. The Watcher is now officially awesome.

If it's villain groups only, I'd suggest Arachnos. They seem to have the closest ties with the Rikti redside. Crey is a decent alternative what with Kelly Uqua, and Nemesis might work too, but there it's most likely she'd end up a Warhulk.

Now, if it's just in-game groups in general, the Midnighters would make an easy continuation, and Vanguard pretty much goes without saying.

Oh, I see how it is. Other flavors of insanity ain't good enough for ya, hmm?

Well, take care. Looking forward to when you come back - and you will come back. They all come back...

And the updated DE (you know, the ones that aren't all rocks at 45+ anymore) please.

Death.