Jiminy, Prankster of the Future's page

He led Raelle and Ardiente to the teleport room, but steered them away from the token basket. "It's more of a permanent gateway. This door right over here. It's so that the pilots and also the work study folks can get back and forth from the factory to the school quickly. Here you can see that the door comes out in the lobby of the research and development building," he said, waving them through. "There's a security scanner on each side so random people can't use it as they please. Only folks with clearance. Raelle, I'll show you around the R&D building on Monday since you'll be working here a lot, but this time we need to cut across the courtyard here and head on over to the hangar, which is very security restricted. Ardiente already knows how that works. Raelle, you're already in the system as well since part of your job will be working with ground control here," he said, leading the way and then stopping abruptly, his face going pale.

"Ardiente, take Raelle to the hangar. They're already expecting her. Elle, you can just go ahead and get started with diagnostics on any of the mechs. I have to go. Fieri needs me," he said rapidly before teleporting away.

James arrived at the firebird encampment in the middle of what seemed like total chaos. He ignored all of it, heading straight for Fi, who was semi-conscious and being held by Sorchan. Someone tried to stop him, telling him that this meeting was for firebirds only. He turned and glared at them, his eyes going draconic as he snarled, "I. DO. NOT. CARE." He shoved his way through the crowd to Fieri. She clung to him as soon as he got there, burying her face against his shoulder as the tears started. He cradled her gently, picking her up easily. "It's going to be alright," he murmured. "I'm taking you home now."

Raelle del Sol wrote:

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean anything bad by it. It's probably just a bad habit you picked up from Ace. He's a nice guy, but not the best at the listening," she said with a small grin. "Nicknames were mostly just used to make fun of me when I was little. And even when I first came here. I tolerate James calling me Elle because he has nicknames for everyone, and it's not so bad. Nobody ever teased me with that one. Ra, Rawr, Rae, Rail...and the variations of those. They were all used in a mean way, so I really don't like them," she said, shrugging apologetically.

The young monk decides to seek advice from his cousin "Say James, if Raelle ever became a pilot for you, what would her code-name be?".

Jiminy laughed. "No way. We do not let Raelle drive. At least not until she gets her vision thing under control. But it's a good question. She'll probably be spending a fair amount of time working on the ground control crew, so she'll need a call name. Same reason as you guys do. No real names over radio chatter since the wards only extend as far as the atmosphere. Probably Augur. Cause she can see things more clearly. And if I used an embarrassing nickname Fi would hurt me," he joked.

"Moooo-ooooommmmmm," Raelle complained, exasperated. "Please, let's just go before she thinks of any other ways to embarrass me," she pleaded.

He laughed. "My dad always said that embarrassing their children is part of a parent's job," he joked. "Alright then, we can go. See you later, firecracker," he said, patting Chara on the head. "Ignace," he added with a nod since she was less willing to deal with teasing.

Ardiente shrugs "After what Rae went through, can you blame me for being a bit overprotective? Besides, I should probably familiarize myself more with the mechs."

Jiminy snorted, setting Chara down so she could go run and get her things for swimming. "I never said I blamed you. You don't have to worry about should is all," he said, grinning. "You're allowed to impose just because you want to. If you don't impose a little sometimes you're going to get a lecture from Grandma about isolating yourself, you know. It was just a friendly reminder that you're not all on your own. You still have family here. We're trying to let you have your space, but you're gonna run out of time on that pretty soon, and we can get a little overwhelming I'm told, so I figured I'd kind of ease you into it."

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

The cookie party was interrupted by a knock on the door of the apartment, followed by Jiminy poking his head inside. "Hey, just checking up on you guys...." he started before he was interrupted by Chara.

"James! We have cookies! Come share!" she crowed.

He laughed as he walked in properly. "Sorry, firecracker, but I don't think I'd enjoy them the same way you guys do. More cookies for you," he said ruffling her hair.

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't just a social call?" Pyra asked, eyebrow raised.

"I'm wounded! Deeply wounded! Of course it is! And if that part goes well, I'm going to ask to borrow Elle for a while. I can do the safety checks without her, but not as fast and not as well," he said with a shrug.

Scorch gives a respectful nod of his head to Jiminy "Morning Boss, need me as well today?"

Jiminy snorted. "I'm only 'Boss' when you're on duty. Today is a rest day, so for now you're not my subordinate, you're just my idiot cousin who keeps forgetting that he's part of the family," he said with a grin to show that he was joking around. "And what are the chances that I could actually borrow Elle today without you coming too ? There's no way you'd let her out of your sight that long. I hear you were actually sleeping in front of the door last night," he teased.

The cookie party was interrupted by a knock on the door of the apartment, followed by Jiminy poking his head inside. "Hey, just checking up on you guys...." he started before he was interrupted by Chara.

"James! We have cookies! Come share!" she crowed.

He laughed as he walked in properly. "Sorry, firecracker, but I don't think I'd enjoy them the same way you guys do. More cookies for you," he said ruffling her hair.

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't just a social call?" Pyra asked, eyebrow raised.

"I'm wounded! Deeply wounded! Of course it is! And if that part goes well, I'm going to ask to borrow Elle for a while. I can do the safety checks without her, but not as fast and not as well," he said with a shrug.

::"There's now three bugs making their way to building one. Two more just joined the first. Not sure the best way to stop them."::

::So far sounds like concentrated area attacks are best. They need to be destroyed down to a molecular level or they just reassemble.::

::"Boss, there's a small bug creature crawling along the roof from building 2 to building 1. Advise?"::

::Follow it. Keep it from interfering with the bugs in building 1. Negotiations with them are going well, and the group from building 2 are definitely hostile.::

As Jiminy says that, Ardiente notices two more bugs racing towards building 1.

narrator wrote:

[]DESIGNATION EVE: Suggestion: let them build their ship. Analysis: planet is very vulnerable to large explosions. A large explosion would be necessary to destroy them. The best place to deploy such an attack would be outside the atmosphere of your planet. Suggestion: Make sure to vaporize them to dust or they will rebuild. Offer: As a sign of good faith we will help you with information on how to best destroy them. Request: In return we ask to be also given transport off of this world. We would like an asteroid. The building materials here are not sufficient for our needs. Offer: Peaceful exchange of information and technology from our respective colonies.

"Designation Fei: I will communicate your offer to my users now, Eve. One moment please."

Fei switches back over to the telepathic collective, and conveys Eve's offer of help and request to 'homestead' one of the asteroids in-system.

::Boss, I am sure that your father's ship has the requisite firepower to do what Eve suggests...but the resulting explosions could potentially be detected by the Empire, correct? We would have to either destroy them here on Agartha, or transport their ship to another system entirely to safeguard things here, I would think...::

::Technically, if we can hack into their starcaster, I'm pretty sure we can send their ship into the sun the first time they try to jump. Or better yet, set it to auto jump as soon as they clear atmosphere....but there's a good chance that they might notice something was off and find a way to override. We may need to create a sort of tugboat of sorts to force them out of the system and then destroy them. Or, just force them into the gravitational pull of a large star. I know I didn't design those shuttles well enough to withstand a star.::

narrator wrote:

As long as he makes physical contact with the building itself, that should be sufficient to connect with the nanites in the computer. They can basically make a direct line to him that way, thus overriding the communication jamming.

Fei's nanites show a consistent power draw into a back room of assembly 1 over the past few days. There is still a power draw to that particular room, but now most of the power is being diverted to assembly 2.

Fei places a hand on the wall of the building, his nanosuit partially transforming to cover that arm. After a few seconds, he is able to reestablish communication with the nanites he left in the computer system here.

:: It looks like the bugs are responsible for the activity in Assembly 2 :: the young monk broadcasts over the commmunal telepathic link. :: There is a significant transfer of power there from this building. However, there is also power being routed to one of the back rooms in Assembly 1. ::

:: I believe I can now attempt to communicate with them, unless you wish to investigate the back room first.. ::

::No, it's good to know, but first things first. First we try to establish contact, figure out what they want and try to negotiate a peaceful resolution. If I had to guess, I'd guess the power is being used to make more bugs. Maybe I'm wrong, but supplies have been going missing, they're stealing power, and suddenly we have a swarm? That's what it looks like to me.::

Elektra Kalama wrote:

"Thanks," she said, relaxing as she no longer had to worry about flashing her teammates. She shrugged. "Modesty is a really big deal among firebirds. We've got so many cultural taboos we have to keep lists," she added with a grin of her own. "Can't go breaking all of those at once. We just can't handle it."

"Well, we certainly can't have that, now can we?"

He looks over at Jiminy. "Anything you need us doing at the moment as well?"

"Stand by for the moment. I'm not sure if this is going to turn violent, and I'd like to have all hands on deck if it does. I'm hoping we can find a peaceful resolution. I've had enough apocalypses this week already," he added with a sigh.

As Fei goes about attempting to communicate with the bugs, Ardiente looks to Jiminy "What can I do in the meantime boss?"

"You can do aerial surveillance. Until we know more about these things, we need to keep them contained. I don't want another repeat of the plague we just had to deal with. If they try to leave the buildings, let us know and we can hit them with as much as we can. And any information if they start doing something different is useful."

"Fei's nanites have their own integration and improvement subroutines, but they started out as normal nanites. Mom's design. The machines in there won't be able to take them over. They would just shut down. Not actually sure of the potential explosiveness of the shutdown. Normal nanites just crumble into dust, so I'm thinking that any potential explosions would actually be on a very small scale, pun slightly intended. I mean, we're talking fireworks not singularity grenades, is all I'm saying. At least that's my best guess. Fei does have a tendency to supercharge things."
"So they've been stealing parts....maybe to make more robots? I mean, that's how nanites work. They grab onto whatever substances they can in order to make more nanites. It's not that difficult since they mostly want carbon atoms. So we're dealing with slightly larger robots that reproduce on the same scale as nanites, which is, quite frankly horrifying. And they're trying to build a shuttle...the question is whether they have intelligence or whether they act on pure instinct... They may be trying to use the shuttle assembly to make a really big bug, or they may be looking for better resources. We can't do much without better information. The key thing here is to get some form of communication going, yes. I agree with Fei. But as Ghalen pointed out, we can't communicate with them in person since they assume hostility as soon as someone enters the building. OKay...."
"Fei, since you're still plugged into the system in building one, maybe we can try to communicate with the bugs in there? Maybe they'll understand computer language. I don't know. But it's worth a try, and they might be less agitated than the bugs in building two," he suggested.

Should I assume my above perception check revealed nothing of import, or was it lost in the shuffle?

Reposting just in case:

1d20 + 18 ⇒ (13) + 18 = 31 Perception 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (6) + 23 = 29 Fly

Hearing that Phoenix was hurt, but not wanting to rush head long into an unknown situation, Ardiente asks ::"What should we do Boss? Are there other entrances we can come through, to flank or surround the enemy from?":: Directed at Jiminy

At this point all you can see is some flashes of light from Elektra's lightning blades. Unless you have darkvision, but I didn't think you did.

::There's a skylight. You have my permission to break it if you need to. Right now the thing we need most is light. We're going in blind. Somebody get a light spell or something going on in there,:: Jiminy responded.

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

"I'll be joining you. Whatever we're dealing with has been messing with my factories. I'm taking a personal interest, as it were," he said in that breezy tone that meant that he was actually quite serious about something.

"Should we notify the local authorities before we enter, in case the issue turns out to be more dangerous than inconvenient?"

"Uh, I think right now I am the local authority," Jiminy said sheepishly. "I mean, aside from the fact that it's my factory, there isn't actually a functioning government in Kuros right now. Dennis is over there trying to help them get things running again, but...I'm kind of unofficially in charge for now, I guess. If things go truly horribly wrong, Fi can send a rescue party from the school. Since they're more equipped to fight stuff than the town is. I'm kinda of keeping a running commentary going so she's up to date on exactly what's going on."

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

"I've got contact with control now. Er, still no radio, but telepathic contact. They are under lockdown, but so far unaffected by whatever this is. So I think we need to concentrate our efforts. Meet up with Fido and Phoenix and go in in force. Hopefully hostile action will not be required, but if it is we don't want to be working at cross purposes," Jiminy replied.

"Understood. Fido, Phoenix - we are coming to you now," Fei replies as he nods to Ardiente, inputting the coordinates so they can rendezvous with the other shuttle.

"Will you be joining us, Boss, or returning to Control? And will we need to join another telepathic collective before proceeding in?"

"I'll be joining you. Whatever we're dealing with has been messing with my factories. I'm taking a personal interest, as it were," he said in that breezy tone that meant that he was actually quite serious about something.

Jeran Darkclaw wrote:

Over the radio: "Fido to Boss. Something is wrong at base. It's blocking radio signals in the area. Grunt and Spitfire already went in to investigate. I've parked the shuttle near town. The interference doesn't stretch this far. Phoenix and I planning to go in on foot, in a manner of speaking. The field doesn't stop telepathic communication though, so you should still be able to keep in contact with us that way."

"Should we meet up with...Fido and Phoenix and approach in numbers, or should we come in from a different location to better reconnoiter the situation?" Fei asks over the open channel as they are making their way back to Kuros.

"I've got contact with control now. Er, still no radio, but telepathic contact. They are under lockdown, but so far unaffected by whatever this is. So I think we need to concentrate our efforts. Meet up with Fido and Phoenix and go in in force. Hopefully hostile action will not be required, but if it is we don't want to be working at cross purposes," Jiminy replied.

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

Jiminy sighed with relief as he let the portal close. "Don't know why, but portals are hard. I feel like I could eat dinner, lunch, and breakfast all in one go. Good work, Fei. How are you doing? Energy levels holding steady and all that?"

"I am...centered again, and as safe to be around as I can be," he replies with a nod and a self-deprecating shrug. (^-^)

"I wanted to be sure I was...restored...from this mission in case there is a situation back at base that warrants it. There has been a prolonged loss of power there, according to an alert I received from my nanites during the altercation here."

"I do not believe my...investigations into the power fluctuations caused it, but without more information I cannot be certain."

Jiminy cursed under his breath. "Never rains but it pours, eh? Well, the way our luck runs, it's probably not something minor and benign," he said with a resigned sigh. "Time to head back and see what the damage is then."

The interior of the building darkens considerably as Fei sends the rest of the unconstrained spell energy from the circle through James' portal.

"It is safe to close the portal now," the young monk states simply as he finally lowers his arms. The silver-white luminescence of Fei's nanosuit begins to fade as well.

Jiminy sighed with relief as he let the portal close. "Don't know why, but portals are hard. I feel like I could eat dinner, lunch, and breakfast all in one go. Good work, Fei. How are you doing? Energy levels holding steady and all that?"

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

"Is that supposed to happen?" Jiminy asked, maintaining concentration on the portal as Fei shunted magical energies through it.

"I...think it is just a... visual side-effect," Fei replies as the suit itself starts to brighten, "At least I hope so. I normally do not try to...absorb this much energy at once..."

"Well, take it slower if you need to. I'll do what I need to do to keep the gate open. Worst case, You'll have to carry me back to the Avalon infirmary unconscious. Which is much better than having you get all explodey."

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

Jiminy opens a portal in the wall to an area of deep space with nothing but asteroids in it, keeping half of his concentration on keeping the portal stable while he fielded questions from the other members of the team.

"Take them to the firebird encampment outside Avalon. And release them into the custody of Sorchan del Sol. He'll meet you there. And go easy on the guards. They're not in control of their actions. There's a chance they'll never be in control of their actions again. Won't know for sure until I've had a chance to examine their spell book more closely. But prospects aren't great. And those are family members of your fellow pilots, Sunbeam. Something to be aware of, over," he replied on the radio while Fei funneled the magical energies through the portal.

As soon as the portal opens, Fei begins absorbing the unstable magic from the circle. Absorbing as much as he can immediately to buy them some more time, he then starts discharging the rest through the portal. A plume of silver-white energy erupts from his outstretched hand, casting the inside of the building into a harsh combination of light and shadow.

Fei's nanosuit begins to change color from its current 'tactical' matte black. The normally-emerald lines of 'circuitry' lacing it brighten to the same silver-white of the energy burst, and new lines begin to form as the young monk funnels more and more of the magic from the circle.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Jiminy asked, maintaining concentration on the portal as Fei shunted magical energies through it.

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

"That's a good idea about the sedatives. Ardiente, you radio for Sunbeam to come collect the prisoners. Alev, you go and get the med kit and make sure that those two stay unconscious. No accidentally on purpose giving them too much. We're not going to kill them. Pretty sure that's Sorchan's job" he muttered under his breath.

"I can keep the portal open for a minute and a half without trying too hard, Fei. Anything after that and I'm gonna start taking damage from it. Only so far I can bend the rules of magic before they start to bite me. Let me know when you're ready."

"I will make sure you do not exceed that time limit, then," Fei replies with a respectful nod as he raises his arms. He points one splayed hand at the circle, and the other toward one of the walls with nobody currently around it (making sure to not block any immediate exit route). His body settles into a centered, ready stance.

"I am ready."

Jiminy opens a portal in the wall to an area of deep space with nothing but asteroids in it, keeping half of his concentration on keeping the portal stable while he fielded questions from the other members of the team.

"Take them to the firebird encampment outside Avalon. And release them into the custody of Sorchan del Sol. He'll meet you there. And go easy on the guards. They're not in control of their actions. There's a chance they'll never be in control of their actions again. Won't know for sure until I've had a chance to examine their spell book more closely. But prospects aren't great. And those are family members of your fellow pilots, Sunbeam. Something to be aware of, over," he replied on the radio while Fei funneled the magical energies through the portal.

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

The last guard falls to the ground unconscious. With no ability to fight back at the moment, Lord del Sol soon follows suit as Ardiente chokes him out.

Jiminy drops the silence effect.

"Fei, if I open a portal, can you send the wild magic swirling around here through it so it doesn't end up blowing up half the countryside?"

"Ardiente, Alev, radio to Sunbeam. We need him to come collect the prisoners. His mech has a force bubble containment unit that should be just what we need to safely transport the prisoners back to base."

"I was about to ask all of you to leave so I could try to absorb the magic, but I think your idea has much better merit," Fei replies as he moves over to the outer edge of the circle. "If you open a portal, I will try to 'shunt' the energies through my body and through the portal. How long will you be able to keep it open for me?"

"Also, perhaps we should administer sedatives from our shuttle medical kits to the two spellcasters to ensure they remain unconscious while we transport them."

Now that the silence effect is down, Fei starts receiving an alert from his neural lace, coming from his nanites along the 'power corridor'. There has been a power failure of some kind at the factory, and the nearest pylons have gone into a standby security mode, isolating themselves from the facility (and the rest of the corridor) as a precaution. The odd thing is that the communication has come from the mid-line of the corridor, as there seems to be some kind of signal interference in the area around the factory.

"Hmm."

"That's a good idea about the sedatives. Ardiente, you radio for Sunbeam to come collect the prisoners. Alev, you go and get the med kit and make sure that those two stay unconscious. No accidentally on purpose giving them too much. We're not going to kill them. Pretty sure that's Sorchan's job" he muttered under his breath.

narrator wrote:

That provokes an AoO from Guard 2. Which I will resolve before I resolve the attack. (No worries. This guy can't seem to actually do anything right right now.)

The guard that has been attempting to pull Ardiente off of Lord del Sol sticks out a foot to trip Fei as he goes past.
CMB: 1d20+37
CMD isn't listed on Fei's sheet, but I'm gonna assume that's a no on the trip attempt.

Apologies for that, Lyn. Your assumption is correct, though - the trip attempt did not succeed.

narrator wrote:

Fei's blow lands successfully on Lord del Sol.

1d20+ 28
And Lord del Sol's eyes glaze over a bit as he is in fact stunned.

Hoping that his successful attack on Lord del Sol will give Ardiente the chance to restrain and incapacitate him, Fei tries to...persuade the final guard to bow out of this conflict.

Flurry of Blows against the last guard, utilizing Dragon Strikes the Waves to attack against his Touch AC.

Attack Roll: 1d20+46; Damage: 2d8+30 nonlethal; Critical Confirmation Roll: 1d20+46; Additional Damage if confirmed: 2d8+30 nonlethal
Attack Roll: 1d20+46; Damage: 2d8+30 nonlethal
Attack Roll: 1d20+41; Damage: 2d8+30 nonlethal
Attack Roll: 1d20+41; Damage: 2d8+30 nonlethal
Attack Roll: 1d20+36; Damage: 2d8+30 nonlethal

Autohypnosis check: 1d20+47

The last guard falls to the ground unconscious. With no ability to fight back at the moment, Lord del Sol soon follows suit as Ardiente chokes him out.

Jiminy drops the silence effect.

"Fei, if I open a portal, can you send the wild magic swirling around here through it so it doesn't end up blowing up half the countryside?"

"Ardiente, Alev, radio to Sunbeam. We need him to come collect the prisoners. His mech has a force bubble containment unit that should be just what we need to safely transport the prisoners back to base."

Jiminy shot the goo gun at the second guard.
1d20 + 22 ⇒ (8) + 22 = 30
Not a one. Yay! :)
And now he was immobilized and crying as he couldn't even use his hands to scrub the sand away from his eyes.

He takes aim at the last guardsman standing.
1d20 + 22 ⇒ (1) + 22 = 23
And misses wildly.

narrator wrote:

The guards took one more shot at pulling Ardiente off of Lord del Sol.

1d20+39
But he proved too squirmy to get a proper grip on and continued to assault his former lord with blows to the face and midsection.

Meanwhile, Lady del Sol went limp in Fei's grip as she lost consciousness.

And a very bloody Alev was thrown down from the hay loft landing 1d20 on the floor after hitting the ladder a few times on the way down. He was badly hurt and unconscious.
Ollifer jumped down after him, hurt, but not badly.

Upon seeing one of his new comrades unconscious and sorely injured, the young Champion of Courage tosses Lady del Sol's body away like a rag doll to land at James' feet.

::Please encase her in that goo while she is still unconscious:: he thinks to his now-commander. ::I will try to heal Happy to better our odds....and hopefully draw the guardsmen into attacking me instead of you::

Fei then closes the distance to Alev (at speed) in order to aid his fallen teammate.

Jiminy shoots a goo ball at his unconscious grandmother-in-law. 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (9) + 22 = 31 The goo encases her, ensuring that she won't be able to move at all even if she does wake up.

Jiminy doesn't like their chances if he tries anything magical in here right now, so he pulls out a strange pistol-like weapon and fires a glob of goo at Fiilah.
1d20 + 22 ⇒ (2) + 22 = 24
When the first glob of goo fails to connect he tries again.
1d20 + 22 ⇒ (15) + 22 = 37
This one connects, and the goo rapidly expands on contact, completely covering Fiilah and locking her in place.

narrator wrote:

The magic has gone unstable and will explode soon, but it is sort of building up to critical first. You're best guess is between 1 and five minutes before the area goes boom.

::We have, at best, between 1 and 5 minutes to clear this area before the magic here detonates.:: Fei updates telepathically as he continues forward toward his objective.

Unless he is intercepted or attacked by either of the two women at the circle, Fei tries to get to Raelle and pick her up.

If anything on his Spellcraft checks tell him that entering the circle is a bad idea, he will alter his action accordingly.

As Fei moves to pick up the unconscious Raelle, Aine del Sol moves to cast some sort of spell that is interrupted by a line of force slamming into both Fiilah and her ladyship, causing her to lose her concentration. Fei would recognize this as Jiminy's breath weapon.

And I've just realized that I forgot that Ardiente has silence cast on him....Way to go, Ardiente! You just had to get close enough. :)
Lord del Sol continued chanting, but the aura of silence surrounding Ardiente makes his words inaudible, interrupting the spell.

Jiminy uses magic to step through the back wall just as the arcane energies start to swirl out of control.

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

Fei, of the Sun Soul wrote:

"How shall we proceed?"

"I'm going to cast a modified version of silence on us. From here on out we'll need to use telepathy to talk. We come at the building from different directions, and hopefully use the element of surprise to our advantage. With a mech overhead, even if they try to fly off they aren't getting far. Any plan more specific than get in, get Raelle, and get her out alive and in one piece is asking too much. We have no idea what we're walking into right now. We're just going to have to make it up as we go," Jiminy said quietly.

Fei nods before turning his gaze toward the building.

Jiminy does something that might be a spell. It's always hard to tell with him. There's no appreciable difference though.

::I made it so you can all hear like normal, but won't make any sounds yourselves. Fei, head towards the front door. I'll head around back. Alev, Ardiente, there should be an entrance to the hayloft. Try and use that to get inside.::

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

Fei, of the Sun Soul wrote:

Fei's nanosuit engages once more to form a helmet to conceal his features. Engaging his Lace'smental barrier, the young monk turns his attention to the shuttle's scanners as he acknowledges the new orders.

"Understood - we are proceeding to the location now," he replies. "If we have to engage these firebirds to free Raelle, we are to use nonlethal force to subdue them, correct?"

"Roger that, Sparky. Nonlethal force when possible. Primary mission objective is rescue. I've been informed that some of the firebirds may be under mental compulsions. Best to sort that out later."

After a few tense, quiet moments, Ardiente and Fei land next to James and Alev's shuttle - both at a discreet distance from the target building. They quickly disembark to meet with the other two.

"How shall we proceed?"

"I'm going to cast a modified version of silence on us. From here on out we'll need to use telepathy to talk. We come at the building from different directions, and hopefully use the element of surprise to our advantage. With a mech overhead, even if they try to fly off they aren't getting far. Any plan more specific than get in, get Raelle, and get her out alive and in one piece is asking too much. We have no idea what we're walking into right now. We're just going to have to make it up as we go," Jiminy said quietly.

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

"Yeah, I caught that, HQ. DIverting to target area 5." There was a pause and then he continued. "I just got confirmation that Raelle was taken by a group of firebirds. Sparky and Scorch, you are closest to target area five. Divert there. Sunbeam, stand by and prepare to provide backup. I want the other teams to continue to check the other structures in case this is a trick to throw us off."

Fei's nanosuit engages once more to form a helmet to conceal his features. Engaging his Lace'smental barrier, the young monk turns his attention to the shuttle's scanners as he acknowledges the new orders.

"Understood - we are proceeding to the location now," he replies. "If we have to engage these firebirds to free Raelle, we are to use nonlethal force to subdue them, correct?"

"Roger that, Sparky. Nonlethal force when possible. Primary mission objective is rescue. I've been informed that some of the firebirds may be under mental compulsions. Best to sort that out later."

He watches the display over each structure not seeing a difference...then notices the signatures flare up in the fifth structure as he passes by. Excitedly he calls it in.

"HQ! Sunbird! I've got seven firebirds at target area five! Repeat, firebirds in target area five!"

"Copy that. Boss, did you catch that?"

"Yeah, I caught that, HQ. DIverting to target area 5." There was a pause and then he continued. "I just got confirmation that Raelle was taken by a group of firebirds. Sparky and Scorch, you are closest to target area five. Divert there. Sunbeam, stand by and prepare to provide backup. I want the other teams to continue to check the other structures in case this is a trick to throw us off."

"HQ, Sunbird. Have seven possible locations ID'd. Sending coordinates, over." He transmits the data to HQ, and to the other shuttles.

"Copy that. Coordinates received. Be advised that you are asked to stay in the air as possible backup until they find the actual location, over."

"Spitfire and Grunt, take the first location. Sparky and Scorch take the second. Fido and Phoenix take the third. Happy and I will take the fourth. Whoever clears their location first takes the fifth and so on."

"Everyone should head west as well. Same basic plan, but now we have a lot less ground to cover."

"When Ephebe was kidnapped the first time, she was nearly impossible to locate because she was being kept in some kind of pocket dimension. Point being that Champion abilities aren't foolproof. But at least we know more than we did," Jiminy said over the radio.

"Control to Sunbeam, did you hear all that? Concentrate your search west of the factory, over."

During the initial training, Ardiente tries to reign in the sarcasm and tomfoolery of his fellow firebirds. He knows that a lot of it is nerves and coping, but he does his best to remind them to be as professional as possible.

He doesn't mind his nickname of 'Scorch' finding it fitting. Could have been far worse in his mind.

And then Jiminiy interrupts them with news that his girlfriend has apparently been kidnapped. It takes him several long moments to process that as he tries to keep himself from exploding.

"Kidnapped? By who? For what? Are you sure she's alive?" He rapid fire asks Jiminiy.

"We don't know who has her. But yes, she is definitely alive. Grandma saw that much," he said quickly as they walked towards the shuttles.

"Alright, Fei. Do what you need to. I'll do whatever it takes to find my sister," he said, firmly. "Whatever help or suggestions any of you have, I'm willing to try just about anything."

"We'll divide up based on who does and doesn't know how to pilot a shuttle. There are vehicles parked out back for us, or will be momentarily. I ordered them brought around before I came in here. Fei, you're with Ardiente. Ghalen, Elektra is with you. Jeran, you'll take Etain. Alev, you're with me."

At this point Jiminy walked in, looking extremely agitated. "I apologize for interrupting the training," he said, shortly. "Mithros, I need you to suit up and get in the air right now. You're the only one who currently has a working mech. Raelle del Sol has been kidnapped. Whoever took her is using powerful magic to conceal their location. All Grandma has been able to get so far is that she's being held in a wood building, large, some kind of barn or warehouse. She's tied up and still wearing her psionic inhibitor, so totally helpless. The location could be anywhere within a radius of 2000 miles of Avalon. It could take hours to get more information that that, and Raelle might not have hours. Start in close and work your way out. Identify structures that could possibly be the one we're looking for and scan for heat signatures. The rest of us will separate into search teams to check out the possibles so we can reach as many locations as we can as quickly as possible."

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

Jiminy looked thoughtful. "Well, I have a couple of possibilities that pop into mind right off the bat. Depending on what you want to do. It sounds like you have machining skills, which I could definitely use. Especially on the more complicated projects involving planetary defense. Or, if that's not especially your thing, Kuros is currently more than a little bit lacking in the law enforcement department....

"Law enf..." blink blink

"Me? I uhh...I mean...well, s!&+." he sits down or leans on the wall.
"They're that hard up? Don't get me wrong, of the two options, being a constable sounds more interesting, but...huh. I'm not too good at manual labor. Making pistols is kind of a hobby, since I usually have to repair my own pistol. That havin' been said, I don't think I'd enjoy doing it 24/7, just makin' stuff. I dunno that'd I'm cut out for law enforcement, either, but I suppose I can give it a go."

Jiminy grinned. "I'm glad to hear that, Casseus. I know that Kuros could really use a lawman who can't be pushed around. I think you'll do great at it. I'll radio ahead for you and let them know you're coming. They'll be extremely pleased to hear it since they've had some serious problems keeping public order in all the chaos."

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

Narrator! wrote:

While Jiminy watched the reports of the uninvited guests at Avalon, a staffer buzzed him on his com.

"Hey...uh...Boss. You have a visitor. Umm...should I let this guy in?"
On a small screen in front of him he gets a feed from the front reception area, standing there is a tall, red devil looking person.

I dunno if Jiminy has ever met Casseus, but that's who it is.

Pretty sure they've met, but it's been awhile and they were never exactly close.

"Okay, send him in," Jiminy said, intrigued. He knew this guy was a student at Avalon. Might as well find out why he wanted to talk to him so bad.

He watched as on of the workmen steered the new arrival back to the area where he was monitoring the screens.
"Hey," he said with a friendly smile. "I'm afraid I've forgotten your name. Sorry about that."

"Casseus, and no problem. I'm not usually the forgettable type, that may taking getting used to." he says with an awkward smile. A silence ensues...

"Ok, so, I'm here because I don't really know what the hell to do with myself. Life at Avalon wasn't really cutting it. I don't care much for classrooms or moody teenagers, or any other number of whacked out s&++ that happens there. I'm also tired of sitting in the metal shop making pistols to pass the time. I need something to occupy myself with, something meaningful, even. I heard Kuros has problems...I'd like to think that maybe there's a place for me here to help out."

Jiminy looked thoughtful. "Well, I have a couple of possibilities that pop into mind right off the bat. Depending on what you want to do. It sounds like you have machining skills, which I could definitely use. Especially on the more complicated projects involving planetary defense. Or, if that's not especially your thing, Kuros is currently more than a little bit lacking in the law enforcement department. They try, but they're in a bit over their heads most of the time. You might be able to change that. Either of those sound like good options to you, Casseus?"

While Jiminy watched the reports of the uninvited guests at Avalon, a staffer buzzed him on his com.

"Hey...uh...Boss. You have a visitor. Umm...should I let this guy in?"
On a small screen in front of him he gets a feed from the front reception area, standing there is a tall, red devil looking person.

I dunno if Jiminy has ever met Casseus, but that's who it is.

Pretty sure they've met, but it's been awhile and they were never exactly close.

"Okay, send him in," Jiminy said, intrigued. He knew this guy was a student at Avalon. Might as well find out why he wanted to talk to him so bad.

He watched as on of the workmen steered the new arrival back to the area where he was monitoring the screens.
"Hey," he said with a friendly smile. "I'm afraid I've forgotten your name. Sorry about that."

While Mithros was giving the new recruits the tour, Jiminy was monitoring incoming reports from TacNet of two unidentified Dragons flying through Avalon airspace. He would have sent support to deal with it, but the reports indicated that Grandma had decided to handle things personally, so he continued to monitor passively in case any more decided to show up.

Ardiente wrote:

::Speak of the efreeti and they shall appear.:: comes Ardiente's psychic voice from a fair ways away. He can been seen swooping into the hangar at speed before moving to land next to Mithos, taking human shape as he does. "Sorry Boss, busy schedule to keep up with." he says sincerely, not quite managing to supress the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Hey, what are you three doing here?!" he shouts across the hangar to his former guardsmates.

Nods at Ardiente

"Hey, I'm Mithros."he says to the new arrivals, offering his hand to shake. "Looks like all we're missing is Jeran."

"Jeran is going to be a little late today. He already talked to me about it. He's having some trouble balancing his current babysitting duties with pilot duties. We're working on a more permanent solution to the problem. MIthros, why don't you show our new pilots around the hangar for a few minutes, make sure they're familiar with the place."

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

Jiminy sighed. "All I know is, I never wanted to sign up for politics, but everything I do I end up up to my eyeballs in it."

"Here we are," he said, opening the door to the hangar and sighing again. "Oy! You three! No climbing on the mechs! Look but don't touch! Didn't you learn any manners up on that sun?"
"And now I'm getting early practice for when my kids hatch," he muttered under his breath.

"...better not be climbing on my mech..." a young man says, walking into the hangar behind the trio.

"What's up, Boss? New pilots?"

"Yep. A whole bunch of them. I think you've met Fei and Ghalen before. And those three yahoos are Alev, Etain, and Elektra. Not sure where Ardiente is. He should be here by now," he added with a faint frown.

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

"You are being a bit too hard on them, yeah. You have to keep in mind the timeline. The world itself has been trying to change and adapt since it got flipped right side out. That's a lot of changes in a short time, and sometimes it's frustrating that it doesn't go faster, but this world doesn't have a central government and they're trying to overturn centuries of tradition in just a few months. As for Kuros...it's been a week. They're barely through the memorial services. But they're not beaten down. You should go there this weekend if you get a chance. It might surprise you." He shrugged. "It's easy to get impatient, but people have to make their own choices. And change is a process. It doesn't just magically happen...

He looks to ponder the words for a bit.

"Perhaps. While Empires may not be to taste, a centralized government for world affairs would seem advantageous for times such as these. On the other had, it is easier to corrupt things when power is centralized...
I suppose we will just have to 'hope' this world is ready when the time comes, letting the cards fall as they may." he does not seem comfortable with that notion, but there is a bit of resignation.
"I'm confident that Tyrrin can get the elves up to speed and ready, so at least Avalon and Kuros will have their support."

At Fei's comment, he raises an interested eyebrow, but says nothing.

Jiminy sighed. "All I know is, I never wanted to sign up for politics, but everything I do I end up up to my eyeballs in it."

"Here we are," he said, opening the door to the hangar and sighing again. "Oy! You three! No climbing on the mechs! Look but don't touch! Didn't you learn any manners up on that sun?"
"And now I'm getting early practice for when my kids hatch," he muttered under his breath.

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

Ghalen Kiln wrote:

"Forgive my cynicism," is all he says.

"Nothing to forgive," Jiminy said, slapping him on the back in a friendly fashion. "I need someone to criticize me now and then or my head might get too big to fit through the doorways," he joked. "And you do such an admirable job of it."

He stops and looks at Jiminy.

"I, probably better than anyone on Agartha, with the possible exception of your father, truly understands the enemy we face. What you are attempting to do hasn't successfully been done in millennia. I rather admire the work that you do, and I honestly don't wish to give any other impression than that. My cynicism stems from sentient nature. People usually will not do things on their own, they have to be driven. These attacks should galvanize the community to work better and harder to prevent being totally taken by surprise the next time it happens. But I don't see that here. Is it because they don't understand the technological options you offer them yet? Is it overwhelming fear? Where is the desire to adapt and survive?" under his calm facade, there is a sort of frustration, but then leaves...
"Or am I being too hard on them?"

"You are being a bit too hard on them, yeah. You have to keep in mind the timeline. The world itself has been trying to change and adapt since it got flipped right side out. That's a lot of changes in a short time, and sometimes it's frustrating that it doesn't go faster, but this world doesn't have a central government and they're trying to overturn centuries of tradition in just a few months. As for Kuros...it's been a week. They're barely through the memorial services. But they're not beaten down. You should go there this weekend if you get a chance. It might surprise you." He shrugged. "It's easy to get impatient, but people have to make their own choices. And change is a process. It doesn't just magically happen overnight. Well....okay....most of the time it doesn't magically happen overnight...."

"Forgive my cynicism," is all he says.

"Nothing to forgive," Jiminy said, slapping him on the back in a friendly fashion. "I need someone to criticize me now and then or my head might get too big to fit through the doorways," he joked. "And you do such an admirable job of it."

Fei, of the Sun Soul wrote:

"I...cannot think of a solution that circumvents the need for available, qualified healers. I could arrange for a few patients at a time to go to Avalon to not overextend us. That may be the only solution for the moment," Fei replies with concern.

Jiminy, Prankster of the Future wrote:

"Hmm." He frowned. "Yeah, definitely let me know as soon as you have something. I didn't realize the power fluctuations had become a regular thing."

The young monk nods as the trio continues walking towards the hangar.

"Doesn't Kuros have a hospital or other center of healing? Does every one on Agartha rely on Avalon for everything?"

"Of course they do," he said, his face twisting with anger that had no real target to vent on. "But their hospital was affected by the virus as badly as the rest of the city...no, worse if we're being honest. The casualties were...horrifically high. The remaining healers and the few we've been able to get here in the last few days are working practically round the clock, but there just aren't enough of them to go around. Kuros and Avalon work together because we're so close, and normally Avalon could send help, but the bomb in the Avalon infirmary took out healers too. So neither place is in a position to help the other and both are suffering. As for Agartha relying on Avalon...." He sighed. "To the average person on this world those of us here are basically gods and monsters. And nobody wants to live near that. They send us here to keep themselves safe. But where else do you turn when the excrement hits the rapidly spinning blades? To fight monsters you need monsters. And most of the time they're just desperately hoping we don't destroy them in the process," he said dejectedly. "This place is about more than rebuilding industry. It's about building trust, showing that we can all live in peace together. And it's taken a lot of hits lately, Red. Sometimes I think that the goal is just too big." He ran his hands through his hair again. "But I am nothing if not pig-headed and we're not giving up now."