((Um, he hasn't moved anything aside from his head and legs. 
))
"No offense, but it very much is." Ken stated in a rather matter-of-fact fashion, then added with a good-natured sigh, "This will likely sound arrogant to you, but be thankful your problems tend to have such basic solutions. There will come a day you'll wish you had that sort of simplicity back."
Internally, however, the saurian berated himself. He shouldn't have been so forthcoming. Of course he couldn't expect this creature here to understand the scope of what he spoke of, at least not right away. After all, how could he? Humans just didn't think cosmically; like some sort of switch that sat in the 'off' position by default.
Indeed, Ken had his doubts that some people he'd spoken to weren't on a fool's errand. They'd said humans had the capability, but hadn't seen enough to recognize that their localized way of thinking stood inadequate in the larger view - and the more he thought about it, the stronger the feeling became that they simply couldn't be right.
After all, he'd just told Energon their sense of scale differed greatly - yet here the man kept on assuming as if this was some sort of standard terrestrial skirmish. He didn't even ask for details, not to mention clarification, and this Ken found most appalling and illogical of all.
Apparently, Groul and Danger were right about these guys living in their own little world. He hadn't expected this sort of severity, though. Was this guy even listening to him? He could've sworn clearly stating the Concile to be a routinely galaxy-conquering force - yet to Energon, they were a recently emerged group because he'd never heard of them? It was as if less than half of what Ken had said was actually reaching the man's mind.
Either that, or said mind couldn't properly deal with something this large...the saurian had to admit such as a possibility. To him, it was a foreign concept, but he'd heard humans could fall victim there. He'd have to play it safe, at least for now. No sense in taking the risk of driving the guy insane.
"In any case, I'd say more immediate matters take precedence." Ken tried to change the subject, "Once your enemies activate their naval and heavy weapons divisions, we'll need to relocate to somewhere less specialized..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
An annoyed sentence was uttered from the lips of Tamesis, saying something along the lines of 'Sure, but I hold off a Sky Raider assault and barely get acknowledged.'
Of course, such wasn't said with the intention of anyone hearing it, so it was kept to a barely audible whisper.
"So, what, we just gonna hang out until W0-07 gives us the coordinates?"
-----
"Thank you." Jake replied, not wishing to push the compliment. "And yes, Tamesis, we'll have to wait. Take the time to recover a bit, W0-07 should be done in no time flat."
"Unless Lord Scirrocco has something of more pressing concern? Surely a simple skirmish isn't enough to warrant a relocation of one of the inner-circle." He turned his eyes to Malak, already sensing that not everything was right. Cry had run out in the middle of a battle, and one that had taken place in his office, nonetheless. But still, that small act of insubordinance wouldn't be worth sending in Scirrocco.
Then what was it? Had he done something else while the battle was taking place? Surely that had to be it. Perhaps a larger act of insubordinance after he left. Cry always did have a 'I'm-better-than-you-so-I-can-do-anything-I-want' attitude.
Jake assumed this to be the case, but still listened intently for a response.
-----
((And, uh, before I continue with the tribunal... Where's Cry, again? >.>
)
((Stupid writing bug. 
))
"Quite correct." Malak gave answer to the Arbiters, "The infant attempted to assassinate Ernesto. No, I not place blame on either of you. Considering the circumstances, you both did your best."
The slight pause the followed, however, was a clear indicator of Scirocco having quite a bit more on his mind. He hadn't even complained about the title of Lord this time - something he usually preferred to not be addressed by. Of course, it was protocol, and only very few actually remembered, which resulted in Malak repeating himself quite often on the subject.
Something had to be bothering the man - and considering Scirocco existed in a nearly constant state of bother, the things capable of upsetting him were either very big, very dangerous, or some combination of both.
The small group of Mu mystics that now arrived certainly offered a clue.
"It is some manner of vehicle." their speaker took the word, "Our scryings fail to peer inside, but our analysis yields it is not of this world; a Kheldian construct, perhaps..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Mere mentions of his name in this state caught his attention, the entire scope of reality was at his fingers. He eagerly pryed on all conversations that would interest him. He puffed at the remarks of Jake and Tamesis. Saving their lifes wasn't enough to garner them loyalty to him.
Scriocco and his Mu bloodline were useful vessels of physic magnification but like this world they... dried up easily making them easy targets. Cry had prepared a vessel for Scarlet Eye, an entire incarnation if needed when the time came.
The emptiness melted into the office where Cry hovered. A knock at the door and a Fortuna entered silently knowing it was safe. "Scirocco must be informed that Lord Recluse... is severly injured and that the victory in the East is won."
((*CoughStillDon'tKnowWhereCryIsCough* >.> ))
I knew it. Jake thought matter-of-factly, keeping his attention to Scirrocco. That infant doesn't have the needs of the whole in mind. Attacking Black Scorpion? That complete defiance of the truce could cost Arachnos dearly, and for what? Because he doesn't like him?
Jake sighed. Cry was certainly a power to be reckoned with, but his lack of foresight, or, for that matter, common sense, made him a poor choice for a lieutenant, which honestly left Jake wondering how he'd gotten the position in the first place.
But, like Scirrocco, it wasn't so much that part that worried Jake so much as the cryptic message given to Malak by the Mu Mystics.
"Kheldian vehicle? Forgive me for my ignorance, but may I ask what your agent is speaking of?"
"Yeah," Tamesis agreed, having just finished his internal monologue consisting of the words 'Stupid' and 'Baby.' "What's this about a Kheldian vehicle? Something happen while we were fending off these guys?"
Even as the group spoke, workers were already getting on the sight, and the framework for an entirely new wall was beginning to be built.
((sorry guys Christmas season is distracting, don't have time to post tonight I'll get one up tommorow))
((Take your time, just good to know you're back. 
And speaking of, anyone know where Build got to? Or Wolffe, Dragonistic, and Averick, for that matter?))
"The answer to that question is precisely what I've been trying to find." Malak answered cryptically, as was his nature, "In any case, we should make room for the construction crews. Follow me if you wish."
"A few hours ago," Scirocco began to summarize as they walked, "a team of mystics scrying for the location of the Bastion stumbled upon something new in the north in the 'Boomtown' sector, to be precise. It is roughly the size of a city block, resembles a starship with caterpillar treads, and carries a mystic concentration great enough in power to rival the old gods of Mu."
"Strangely enough, it seems purely technological." one of the Mu mystics floating with them added, "Clad in armor of metal science that our spells of sight are unable to penetrate. Hence the Kheldian theory..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
"Makes sense." Jake remarked, his right palm meeting his chin as he thought. "Unfortunately, I'm not very skilled in Kheldian tech."
"Don't we have a sector for that?" Tamesis inquired, walking very casually with his hands behind his head. "Well, maybe not a sector, but at least a specialist? Seems like we would."
In addition, nanites flooded from the inner workings of each of their battle suits, repairing damage done to each of the armors. Fairly soon, within the next few minutes, even, both of their outfits would be fully operational again.
((M-113 is waiting for who to report to. I thought we were doing some sort of portal mission))
Anthius did nothing to move out of the way of Acanous as he teleported them out of there. Then toook a moment to sit down and catch his breath
He looked back over at the keeper. after his question. "Oh you know me. The big guy tells me to go somewhere or help someone. He actually asked me to keep an eye on you, so here I am making sure you don't get yourself killed."
"What about you keeper, what brings you to this place?"
((*Chugs a bottle of Moonbeam Absinthe*
HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE'S JOHNNY!))
Somewhere where everything is icy. Icy cool. Ish.
The Monitor Room Somewhere where everything is Icy Coolish
The main viewing apparatus in the Monitor Room Somewhere where everything is Icy Coolish.
The chair in the main viewing apparatus in the monitor room somewhere where everything is Icy Coolish.
The person sitting in the chair in the main viewing apparatus in the monitor room somewhere where everything is icy coolish.
Somewhere where it was icy coolish, there was a monitor room with a main viewing apparatus that had a chair in it, in which a person was sitting. He was a very simple kind of fellow. His job was to sit in a chair in a main viewing apparatus in a monitor room somewhere where it is icy coolish. His orders were simply.
"Whenever you see something that is the color pinkish green, hit the red button."
So the man sitting in the chair in the main viewing apparatus in the monitor room somewhere where it is icy coolish watched the monitors, looking for anything that was pinkish green. Whenever he found something that was pinkish green, he hit the red button, and went right back to looking for things that were pinkish green.
His personal belief was that it was his destiny to sit in a chair in a main viewing apparatus in a monitor room somewhere where it is icy coolish, pressing a red button every time he saw something pinkish green.
He saw something that was pinkish green. So he hit the red button from his seat in the chair in the main viewing apparatus in the monitor room somewhere where it is icy coolish. Then he went right back to doing his job of sitting in a chair in the main viewing apparatus of a monitor room somewhere where it is icy coolish, pushing the red button every time he saw something pinkish green.
***
*BLERP! BLERP! BLERP!* Alarms suddenly burst out everywhere. The comm. system activated and a stream of words poured out.
"(0|\/||\/|@|\|[), \X/3 |-|@\/3 @ (0[)3 \X/|-|1$|<3`/ +@|\|60 |=0><+|20+, 0\/3|2." The cheesy voice said.
"|2063|2 +|-|@+. |*@+(|-|1|\|6 1+ +|-||20|_|6|-| +0 |-|`/|*3|2|}0|3, 0\/3|2." The nasally voice sniffed.
"|-|`/|*3|2|}0|3 |-|3|23. \X/3 |-|@\/3 @ (|@$$ (@|*1+@|. |*@+(|-|1|\|6 1+ +|-||20|_|6|-| +0 \/1z \X/1z, 0\/3|2." The stuffy voice muffed.
"\/1z \X/1z |-|3|23. +@|263+ 1$ |\/|1|<3 0$(@|2 |\|0\/3|\/||}3|2 3(|-|0, 0\/3|2." The sleazy voice slurred.
"|=|_|(|< +|-|@+ $|-|1+. 0\/3|2." Said the stuffy voice muffed.
"|*@+(|-|1|\|6 1+ +|-||20|_|6|-| +0 1|\|[)1@, 0\/3|2." Said the cheesy voice. "1|\|[)1@, \X/3 |-|@\/3 $0|\/|3 |23@| |}@[) $|-|1+ 601|\| 0|\| [)0\X/|\| 1|\| +|-|3 |-|00[), [)16 1+, `/0? 0\/3|2."
The voices vanished from the comm., and the alarms stopped. Two minutes later, a new voice spoke up over the comm.
".....WHAT?"
"|2063|2 +|-|@+ 1|\|[)1@. \/1z \X/1z, |-|`/|*3|2|}0|3, \X/|-|@+ [)0 \X/3 |-|@\/3, 0\/3|2?" Said the cheesy voice.
"WAIT! NO! Aw damnit..."
***
Far far away, an administrator looked at the report.
"1|\|[)1@, |23|*0|2+$ 1|\|[)1(@+3 +|-|@+ @ |23@| j@(|<3[) |_||* |\/|0+|-|3|2 |-|@$ 60|\|3 |=|20|\/| $|_|(|< +0 |}|0\X/, |\|0+ \X/0|\|[)3|2|}@|2 |1|<3. |\|0+ \X/0|\|[)3|2|}@|2 |1|<3 @+ @||. \X/3 \X/0|_||[) @[)\/1$3 63++1|\|6 (`/|\|1( +0 60 +0 +@|\|60 |=0><+|20+ @|\|[) |*0|* @ (@|* 1|\| |-|1|\/|. +@|263+ 1$ |\/|1|<3 0$(@|2 |\|0\/3|\/||}3|2 3(|-|0, $0 61\/3 |-|1|\/| +|-|3 |=|_||| |2|_||\|. |=@1+|-| |}@$3[), 0|= (0|_||2$3. |\|0 |\|33[) +0 \X/@$+3 |\/|0|\|3`/ 0|\| 0|' (0|0|\|3| (|_|$+@|2[). ||_||z."
The administrator face-palmed. "God damned [censored] nerdy |\|00|}$." He muttered.
***
The darkness exploded and light entered the scene as Commander Cynic lit his pretzel stick. You see, that was the cool thing about cigars. So dramatic when used at the right time. Cynic didn't really like the health issues though, so he used pretzel sticks instead. Healthier, tastier, and a lot cheaper. Nobody could even tell unless they were at point blank range.
The dramatic effect was entirely ruined when the stick bounced off his faceplate. There was a pause as the world snickered. Gathering his dignity, Cynic spoke.
"You boys are big trouble." He said. This was true, as all of his opponents were over forty feet tall. They were alien gods from another dimension. They were GOOD at being tall. And trouble.
"Take us to your Alpha-soon-to-be-Omega." The first one demanded in a voice that sounded like paper being laminated. The very power in the words made the planet warble out of its orbit slightly.
"Or we'll death ray laser you in the face." Threatened the second in a voice that sounded like an apple being bitten. Souls screamed in agony at the sound of his voice.
"Cause. You know. Dimensional Alien Gods." The third and final one said in a somewhat embarrassed voice that made suns explode.
"You'll never get pass me and my squad!" Cynic said bravely, if not stupidly.
The third dimensional alien god gave a polite cough that split the skies open and caused acid rain. "Not to ruin the moment, but when you say your squad, are you referring to the trashed bots around you?"
Cynic ignored the remains of his bots. "Yes." He said in a voice completely devoid of sanity.
"Oh. Just checking." The dimensional alien god said, making several tornadoes and lightning strikes occur.
"I am getting bored. May I please shoot the human filth in the face with a death laser ray?" The second one asked his companions, causing a quick series of earthquakes as he spoke.
"Wasn't it a death ray laser before?" Inquired the first, causing several random explosions with its mere words.
"I changed it. It's not like I can't rename it." The second one said in a wounded voice that shattered the very fabric of the universe.
"Cause, you know. Dimensional alien gods." The third one added in a voice that made fear manifest.
"Oh. Right then." The first one said. The nearest structure to the creature collapse and imploded.
"I will resist you to the end!" Cynic roared, clenching his fists.
"Drunk." All three dimensional alien gods said simultaneously. The moon started to fall from the sky.
"AM NOT." Cynic said defiantly. The dimensional alien gods shrugged, which caused volcanoes to form and erupt, and then crushed Cynic by snipping off their toenails.
Cause. You know. Dimensional Alien Gods.
***
Now NORMALLY, there would be events between NOW and THEN that would lead to Cynic and his squad appearing in our blissful little hell on Earth. But, as it were, the story is very delicate and needs to be woven CORRECTLY. So his story before this one shall be told as this one progresses. That is all.
"God damnit I entirely screwed THAT narration up." Bwerp said angrily. "*HEADDESK*"
***
There was a sudden popping noise behind Scirocco. Turning around, he would find Commander Cynic on his [censored] after falling out of the portal that had been there not a moment ago.
"Ow." The man grumbled as he got up slowly. Noticing Scirocco and Jake, he straightened.
"Oh. Hello there, would this be the...Archnos...Arcnows...AHA! Arachnos base?"
((Sorry. I recently moved and am pretty busy. Taking the Phoenix PD exam tomorrow.))
"Nobody really reports to anyone around here. Can you act as an advisor?" Wolffe asked the precise machine that was M-113.
"Failing that, I guess you can report to me. I don't like the idea of that though... Anybody else interested in going to Portal Corp?"
((Portal mission? Ya got me. I thought all that was going on right now was a semi-planned poke at the Fortress and/or the ruins of Portal Corp.
On another note, isn't it about time for a certain group of robots to bust through a somewhat un-random wall?
And good luck, Wolffe. Hope ya won't need it. ))
"Technically, we retain the ability to ask Requiem or Arakhn." Scirocco answered with a snort, "However, that would require dealing with those relics of the Council - am interaction I am sure we would all rather avoid."
"Von Grun had likely experimented with them by now." one of the Mu suggested, "That man is more unstable than the red dust tome. I should be surprised if he has not."
"Indeed." Malak allowed himself a sigh. Victor was truly a madman - a danger to himself and all those around him. Still, his results couldn't be denied. Not only had he already begun experimenting with things many other villain groups had considered taboo well over two decades ago, but he'd also crated a great many weapons and innovations for the forces of Arachnos during this time, "But let us belay that option until we have more information. First we should determine if this thing is Kheldian, or something else entirely, not to mention..."
The mystic's words came short without warning, Scirocco's hand at the hilt of his sword long before any eye about could blink. The Mu seemed on edge all of a sudden as well, and when a few seconds later a certain figure popped from a portal, the explanation stood quite clearly in plain sight.
"I am starting to believe today truly is Open House here." Malak growled, though he did remove his fingers from the blade once more, "Someone do take the time to reconstruct the security system. This is becoming bothersome."
He didn't bother to ask the arrival of his identity - at least not yet. The man looked villainous enough, and already one of the Mu mystics channeled to a fellow of his who happened to hover near a network terminal. From there, it was a short matter of checking the registry for the form that matched the sight of the security cameras.
If they found anything at all, what was this...?
--------------------
"Well now, did I strike a nerve?" Ken laughed lightly upon receiving only silence as his answer, "Wasn't intended. Yes, I know. So let's move on. Your enemies will make their move before we can complete repairs. I don't want to bore you with the details of what will happen, but in the end the Dark Rover will become an unholdable position."
A rumble from the second hangar signified the return of the heavy fighter. Without further ado, the craft set down once again, and when the noise had abated, Ken want on, "Therefore, we shall have to move. And in order to move, we will need to establish air superiority..."
--------------------
Oh, this was just perfect. They still wanted to go. Now what? If Groul or Danger protested more fervently, at least one of them was sure to notice something was up. Humans were inexperienced, not stupid. Care was a must now.
The real issue was that they wanted to know something as well. Yet once they had their answer, if the humans were along, they would surely want to know the question. An idea was needed; and now.
"Actually, we could use your help elsewhere." Groul brought up for consideration, "From what we've seen, the next few hours look important. The Dark Dragon has a plan, and it will aid your position. How do you feel about taking an aircraft carrier...?"
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Conciousness can be a fickle thing, leaving at the most inopportune moments and seeming to return when it deemed best. Whether when you're still beside the person you swore was of the gender you assumed it was that turns out not to be or after an incredibly long period that would leave many quite disoriented.
The second is what befell The Muck.
It was used to this however, used to being inactive for even longer periods of time in fact. Some would notice that The Muck only seemed to reawaken just before a great moment in history. A rare few learned enough to see how often it was a catalyst of these events.
In any case, it seemed history was about to happen once more as a pool of black and green ooze rose from above a pile of rubble. It slithered across the ruined landscape, sensing wretched life not far away. An Arachnos patrol was making rounds, keeping wary eyes open for heroes. The Muck saw its target...
"Sir, if I may," began a soldier. Their commander turned and received a mace blow upside his face. As the officer whirled away, the other three soldiers drew their weapon to bring down the attacker.
He gasped sharply and dropped his mace. "What the hell?!" he shouted as if just now noticing where he was. "What are you jackasses doing you stupid f-"
The man was silenced by several pistol rounds that split his helmet, skull, and brains across the ground. The commander rose to his feet, rubbing his jaw. "Keep a sharp eye!" he ordered.
"Sir, I found it!" shouted one eager soldier, drawing his mace and pointing off into the distance. The other two ran to his side and immediately collapsed as a full-circle swing of the mace cracked open both their heads. The commander threw out a web grenade, ensnaring the sudden traitor.
"I demand to know what this is about, immediately!" shouted the commander, drawing his own weapon and keeping it leveled at the now hopelessly ensnared soldier.
He saw the other man's eyes grow wide, and for a moment, the commander turned. He cried out, firing his weapon at the ooze rising above his head. It recoiled at the shot, but lurched forward immediately after with a wicked ferocity. The commander could not even scream as The Muck began hollowing him from the inside out, consuming his very soul. The ooze crackled and hardened around him, forming a fine armor. There was a sickening crack as the creature stood in full posession of the commander's body. The ooze peeled back from his head, revealing sickly white flesh, rot already working its way through it.
The armor was an odd, blackened, skin-like substance lined with 'veins' that pulsed with toxic liquids. These veins flowed from its feet to its elongnated, razor-like nails. A set of these green veins also ran to a ventilator placed over the creature's mouth, liquids flowing in and out of it.
The three soldiers who had attacked one another so 'mysteriously' arose, one by one, and stood beside their new master, faces twisted into horrified caricatures of their former selves.
Blightlord stepped forward, casting a terrifying glare down upon the soldier ensnared in the web. The man's eyes were bulging, nearly ripping from his skull. The corner's of Blightlord's mouth turned in a cruel smile as he stepped forward with an outstretched hand.
He placed his palm on the soldier's face and relished in the screams of agony that could be heard for a mile around. When he was threw, the soldier's body fell away, a withered husk, fully drained of life. A soft kick, and the husk collapsed into a pile of dust.
Blightlord turned in the direction of the strongest presence of corruption. "Well that was refreshing. Now then, where shall I begin?"
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
(Dangit, I actually READ all the 1337 that Bwerp posted, and there was nothing cool in there that I could use later. 
)
Acanous' eyes went wide at Anthus' words, the relatively normal way he said it doing nothing to stop Acanous' world from rocking.
Acanous began drawing the energies of the gate around him once more, checking and re-checking the equasions that could protect him from even the most potent magic, or rend his molecules and scatter them on the solar winds.
"Well, Anth, I came here after the Eternal wars. Pretty much just to relax a while. Diddn't origionally intend to stick around very long, but you know how it is, I got wrapped up in the battles, the plots, the people... Eventually the place grew on me. I took some time away from here to restore the balance in another realm, and when I came back, the place had gone right to hell. I don't know if it's part of some bigger plot to get at me, it seems pretty damn conveniant that I get called away just before a huge powergrab here, but I can't leave untill I know for sure. Death walks behind me."
It wasn't as though he was one of the faithless, no, he believed, and more solidly than most. Acanous' hope would be hard to quash.
After all, it was The Lord who had granted Acanous his second chance at life, and guerunteed that it would be exceptionally long. He propably had something to do with Acanous' changed view of the world-that which allowed him to control the Gate also adapted his mind easilly to any situation.
Driving a Keeper insane was impossible, as Sanity diddn't begin to apply to those who could shape the energies of the Third Gate, charged with protecting the very fabric of the multiverse from that which was..without.
But something seemed pretty determined to try. Losing those he had begun to care about here in Paragon while he was busy restoring Toril seemed a pretty open shot at him.
Thusly, if one of the Lord's own had been personally ordered to look out for Acanous' sorry hide, something was coming. Something that Acanous would have no hope of taking on by himself.
Something Big.
Something very, very bad...
((Wall asplodes!))
You can't spell Slaughter without laughter
All your gonna do is just farm behemoths anyways.
My thoughts on November 30.
Energon X waved a hand. "I still don't trust you entirely... from my perspective, there are a lot of holes in your story... but by the same token, I'm not about to let you fall into the hands of Arachnos. Lord Recluse is a crazy enough lunatic to think that he can gain some kind of advantage by trying to ally himself with your enemies, or to try and use his own time-travel tech to grab a Shade to weaponize himself, or something equally insane." He shook his helmet. "Facing down an enemy who is both willing and able to blow up a continent simply to deny it to you... and who would, I suspect, if he had a place to retreat to, blow up the planet to prevent us from benefitting from its continued existence without a second thought... stunning intellectual brilliance and homicidal insanity are never the most pleasant of combinations."
He lifted from the floor. "Welcome to our little war. You can blither about scale all you like, but on the sharp end, all wars look about the same size." The Blaster took to the skies above Boomtown once again, stealthing and fading from view. He opened the channel that he had offered Groul and Danger, on the assumption that since they had communicated everything else to the Dark Rover, they had sent it as well, and spoke. "My energy signature is well known to my enemies- they are likely to divert a significant portion of their forces to pursue and destroy me if it is made known to them that I am in the area." An amused snort. "If you have stealth or invisibility of sufficient potency, it should be a relatively simple matter to lure them into an ambush."
Speaking quickly now as he sped invisibly Southwards, he explained that it was a well-known 'fact' to his enemies that if he needed to move quickly, his stealth field could not cope with the phenomenal energies released and he became a blazing beacon of comet-fire (He had used that misconception occasionally in the past to position Arachnos, Council, and Sky Raider patrols in the most advantageous position possible before turning on them). This seemed to be the best likely opportunity for him to use that particular trick to its fullest effect.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
((*Cough* Wall Asplodes!))
(Man, I'm gonna have to get me and anth paired up with Bladewing and E-X sooner rather than later >.>
You can't spell Slaughter without laughter
All your gonna do is just farm behemoths anyways.
My thoughts on November 30.
The Mu Mystic found Something Odd when he checked the registry.
Commander Cynic did not like being ignored. "Hey. Dreadlocks. This IS the Arachnos Base, right?" He growled at Scirocco.
It was there, then there, then moved at a blazing speed that could pass former Paragon City in five minutes if he didn't keep attention at it. Until it became a full blare of energy. Screens popped up images of a armor clad hero rang yelling alerts of all sorts. "This is the famed and heroic Energon-X." He weighed the consquences of leaving the base again and if Scirocco needed him he wouldn't be around to respond.
"This is the best for Arachnos, Scirocco has his head in to much policies and procedures." Cry started to waver until the glow of his eyes were left, the eyes popped at the sound of a giggle.
__________________________________________________
"DIE........!" The scream of a thousand voices echoed the ground just under the city shook and perfect cyndrical slabs of earth nearly a quater mile in length shot from the Earth. "Your time has come Energon-X, it is time that Bastion will fall." The pillars now fell from the Earth aiming at Energon-X their structure falling apart into a mass of stone, the sky was changing in the area the smokey sky now turning pitch black with waves of celestial purple.
"Depends who's asking." Arbiter Tamesis replied cockily, folding his arms in front of his chest as recovered from the sudden surprise, his eyes glancing over the new comer. "Generally, guys who pop in out of nowhere in front of three of Arachnos's most powerful leaders," His ego lead him to bend the truth a little, considering that he truly didn't have as much power as either of the two others. "Don't have good intentions in mind."
-----
Jake muttered something in his headset, sending a signal to the very same soldiers who had just finished fighting. Luckily, it seemed their lust for battle hadn't yet been satisfied. The unexpected visitor would soon be within firing distance of at least two dozen blood thirsty Arachnos Soldiers, and at least half a dozen snipers.
-----
"Witty Remark: Peekaboo!" Incindiary missiles fired from W0-07's shoulder mounted missile launchers, putting the apartment in a literal blaze as everything from wallpaper to furniture caught fire. Not only would the smoke make visibility almost impossible for the limited visible spectrum offered to mortals, but it would also cause their inferior biological functions to malfunction, in addition to the fire scorching their skin.
But the assault didn't stop there. After W0-07's missiles, the Both Protector Bots L3-37 and N0-013 encased the two in Detention Fields, with the intent of bringing the both of them back to the Steel Canyon Arachnos Outpost.
-----
Just as Jake finished giving orders, a small beeping emitted from his goggles, a small message indicating xyz coordinates for a certain location on Earth.
"Lord Scirrocco," He began. "W0-07 has given me the coordinates to the two rebels. Shall I assist my robots in capturing them?"
"Yeah, go ahead." Tamesis boastfully replied, despite his opinion having no impact on the situation. "Malak and I shouldn't have any problem keeping this guy down in case he turns hostile."
"In fact," He added, grinning at his [At least, what he hoped was] adversary. "I could probably beat him down alone. Whaddya think, Scirrocco?"
While Tamesis wasn't very bright, he was a brilliant fighter, and loved to spar to boot. While a fight may not have been an ideal situation, Tamesis had been put in the mood, and would gladly exchange blows should the situation allow.
Ken only stood there for a shot time - considering. After a few seconds, a humanoid in slate-gray powered armor approached the robed figure, face hidden behind the light blue visor of his helmet.
"The probe has been dispatched as ordered." the Lance Corporal reported, of course not carrying the conversation in English, "We should have results shortly. Should I have my fire team assemble to follow the human?"
"No." the veiled saurian retorted, "We've enough to deal with. Are the ATCs at the ready?"
"Of course, Chief." the officer gave a nod, "We've even managed to dig out some assault skiffs. We're just waiting on Arek's signal."
"Excellent." Ken commented with an audible smirk, "I have a feeling he's going to thoroughly enjoy being the monster..."
--------------------
"Proceed." Scirocco agreed with Arbiter Walsh, leaving it at that. He knew Jake to be experienced enough to deal with the two escapees in speedy fashion.
"As to you," Malak told the new arrival with uncaring tone, "no. Furthermore, we do not appreciate system incursions."
The mystic then turned to Tamesis to inform the Arbiter further, "A registry database has been compromised. I'd like you to assign someone to find the source."
"Oh, before I forget..." Scirocco stopped once more in the process of departing. He still had his own dealings, after all. The mystic's hand motioned to Cynic, "Kill him..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Cynic sighed. Then with one smooth motion, he drew his Night Stick from its holster like someone would handle an active nuclear device. There was a clear white crystal at the end of it, being about a foot long itself. With a soft click, followed by a hiss, the weapon expanded in length until it was a full six feet long. It didn't seem to be compact, the material simply seemed to stretch itself. A soft glow radiated from the crystal and for just a moment, there seemed to be flickering fields of force about the man, which promptly vanished.
"I don't feel like dying today." He said in a tired voice, feeling safe enough behind his dispersion, kinetic, and personal force fields to take his time. "I didn't choose to come here, nor did I come with violent intent. But now...
"I think I'm just going to walk out and call down an air strike."
And with that, Cynic began to look around for the nearest exit.
***
Some time ago
"Hey Custard. Can you hear me?"
Cynic blearilly opened his eyes. "Did someone just say Custard?" He asked.
"No. Must just be you. Welcome back to the realm of the living, Commander." Said the smarmy voice. A voice that Cynic knew very well indeed.
Two seconds later, Cynic was out of bed and halfway out the door when he was grabbed, and with some difficulty, brought back down onto the medical bed.
"LET ME GO!" The man roared, thrashing about.
"Calm down! CALM DOWN! WE NEED YOUR HELP!"
Cynic froze. A moment passed, and then he slumped back.
"What do you need...Hyperbole?" He asked bitterly.
Standing by the side of the bed was a man in the loosest sense of the word. He had four legs, and seven fingers on each hand. His only eye was in the back of his head. His face itself was a television screen. His entire torso had at one point been replaced by a power generator, with multiple consoles and panels connected from it that could be diconnected or flipped down when not needed. Hyperbole was a walking Ops center, and it was rumored he had a rocket pack up his [censored]. (If he had one, which Cynic couldn't observe. Hyperbole was stark naked, not that there was much to see.)
The television that served as Hyperbole's face HAD his face in it. Or at least a bunch of pixels that arranged themselves into faces for him. Right now they were a calm green color, the mouth set in a grim line and the eyes cast down.
"It's Mike Oscar November Echo." He said. Cynic blinked.
"What?"
Hyperbole's face suddenly looked very embarrassed. "Sorry." He said nervously. "I meant to say that Mas-" He stopped and had to stop Cynic from leaving the room again. He may have been clumsy and inept for physical duty, but there was a surprising amount of strength inside those arms. Either that or an extra pair of thumbs REALLY helped.
"Just hear me out!" He pleaded.
Cynic would find himself rather lacking in the time department to complete what actions he took. Malak's order was carried out with the utmost haste, giving him almost no time before Tamesis brought down both of his darkness enshrouded fists onto the head of the cocky intruder.
In addition, many soldiers were now rushing towards him, maces drawn and ready to beat Cynic to a bloody pulp, as well as several snipers now in position and ready to assassinate the being at any time.
Tamesis's overhead blow should have kept him from performing such acts of defense, and therefore would leave him subceptible[sp? Probably wrong...] to any and all of these blows.
-----
Jake nodded briskly and blasted off in the direction of the indicated coordinates, arriving shortly thereafter. Although, the trip should take at least a minute, he assured himself that his creations could handle themselves in that time, if not capture the two.
((The shields are cover-coating. You could teleport INSIDE of him, but that would end badly.))
((Even when fully draped in robes, body language is visible to a certain extent, through posture and limb movement, if nothing else))
The lights flickered for a moment as Energon X blinked. "The Kheldians were an empire once?" he asked, momentarily nonplussed. "Er... sorry. Not particularly relevant." he waved the comment off. Although I wish this guy would quit coming all City-Mouse at me... the whole more-cosmopolitan-than-thou bit is getting a bit grating the Blaster thought irritably.
"Hrm... I suppose we can just put this down to a translation issue, then- your word-choice seemed to imply that there was a more direct method of control involved in their taking of free will." E-X continued. "If it were a technological method of mind-control, it would be a relatively simple matter to lure them to the Shade homeworld to allow the Shades to destroy them, then you could pick over their tech at leisure. Conversely, if they destroyed the Shades, then that would be one less worry for you- colloquially known around here as a 'win-win scenario'. Even without a mind-control weapon, it might be worth attempting, assuming you lack intel on their technology, although the risk/reward ratio isn't as favourable. A simultaneous revolt by every conquered people abruptly no longer under their control would be enough to stall most war machines rather badly."
Then he gave Ken a rather disbelieving glance. "Even just planetary populations being sold into slavery stretches credibility- do they really find buyers for trillions of sophonts? Who could possibly require a workforce that large, and of free-willed biologicals? Even on this world, with relatively few contacts with the galaxy at large... aside from the periodic invasions... really, I don't know why they keep trying... it's simpler to build an quasi-AI-guided mechanical that doesn't require feeding or rest, never questions orders, and cannot catch diseases than it would be to have to deal with a slave." The Blaster shook his helmet. "You'll have to forgive me if it's not a mindset I am capable of comprehending, even from a purely practical standpoint."
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"