Date: 5:50:43 PM, March 15th, 2015.
Metal Man (GM): 555555555555555555555555555 RECAP. The Questers went to the world of Solis, the ancient monk who had caused the death of his own people. It was a beautiful world free of danger.
Metal Man (GM): Apparently all the other Solarians had not bothered to hide out there. The group were offered as much free advice and random bits of Magitek crystals as they could want. There was no real remnant of the "Ha'kar", which was revealed to be a self destructive folly anyway.
Metal Man (GM): On top of that, it was revealed Psycho Illian's Solarian Machine was just a remix of the same concept. And that essentially, Magitek was great for more specific things, but that doomsday devices were... like... just something you didn't make out of Magitek, period.
Metal Man (GM): For those of us who were around 10 years ago, you might recall how badly Kuja's Dimensional Cannon Magitek device also backfired on him... and then it did it again seasons later when Ivo Robotnik remade it...
Metal Man (GM): However, there was some good news. It was determined the base was a safe place to hang out, and a good time to go to Alsa and dig up the ruins of Judge Dredd's fleet for the parts needed to repair Borne's Anti-Reality Device/Reality Reversal... thing I need to look in the logs to remember the 'official' name of.
Metal Man (GM): Well, ironically, they were getting to be a dime a dozen, but the Reality Reversal Drive is the only one that doesn't catastrophically backfire and self destruct when fired. So currently that's the only one, although it's presumed the Time Cops have one.
Metal Man (GM): They used to use The Void and potentially Evil Wolfman for those purposes, and presumably they didn't just forget about that... Of course they can't erase THIS dimension because they happen to live inside it. Well... they can, but... ...that one has an answer that's a bit more spoilery, so I'll leave that one to whenever you get the chance to ask a Time Cop... probably mid-battle, mid-shooting time. XP
Metal Man (GM): They probably wouldn't, but they would probably give a hint in the form of some threat... anyway.... The group is in the Bridge, where the much larger Stargate that Gelato made bigger is. Xavier is standing there, staring at it. Continuation.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "So... we gotta get the ships in here... ...somehow... ...Then we gotta go to the GUN Continent thing and... ...wait, we don't even have any cranes, how are we going to steal entire shiploads of parts? Hmmm... Then we have to lug the parts back to the Mushroom Republic while taking heavy fire... oh right, that's why we need Ivan's help. Any of you have any suggestions? I'm not 100% on this plan yet. More like... 60%."
Nonna: "What shall we do about GUN itself?"
Metal Man (GM): Borne would stand there, putting a hand to his chin.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Not... yet, Gelato, we need to figure out what we need it to do first."
Valron: "Yeah..."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "After we figure out what to do, though, probably."
Commander Borne: "What was GUN doing, anyway? I may be avoiding interacting directly, but I feel like I could give at least some advice on the situation."
Nonna: "World domination through violent conquest. They're fanatical but have lost their way, and perhaps also their minds."
Valron: "A moment..." *Taps a finger against his head, letting out a soft hum as he digs through his memory.* (Photographic Memory is go.)
Metal Man (GM): Looking for anything in specific, Valron? ...Even as the GM, I can have difficulty just magically thinking of what would be most useful to you. XP Borne would... smile, meanwhile.
Commander Borne: "I would expect no less for what happened to them. The chaff just need to die. At which point the intelligent people can run things. I would suggest assassinating whoever is currently running it and their immediate subordinates."
Nonna: "Genocide against nonthreatening people also seems to be a part of their doctrine."
Commander Borne: "Let them associate their stupid motives with death."
Metal Man (GM): Valron would remember that GUN is currently flying around, threatening everyone around them, trying to conquer the entirety of the Mobian Continent, and also threatened the Mushroom Kingdom, and were chasing everyone, thinking that anyone who wasn't them was unauthorized. Though that also their city was a mess and most of their defenses were pretty shoddy, and they had only a handful of ships that looked technologically inferior to say, the one Borne has.
Gelato: *He paces in place, staring at the gate... it's so hypnotic.* @w@
Valron: "Nonna summed it up about right. They're harassing everyone around them, trying to conquer the whole of the Mobian Continent. They also thought that anyone who wasn't them was unauthorized. Their city was, to put it nicely, kind of a wreck, and their defenses are also pretty rubbish, along with the fact that their ships did not seem all that impressive, either. Definitely a step down from yours, I'd say."
Metal Man (GM): Borne would contemplate.
Commander Borne: "Yes... that's right. You need to activate my defenses on the city! I have automated defenses that only respond to me."
Metal Man (GM): He casually forms a remote control out of his nanites and hands it to you.
Nonna: "Is killing really the best answer?" *This was to nobody in particular.*
Commander Borne: "They were going to die from attacking others anyway."
Valron: "...Oh. That's... handy." *Shrugs, before taking the remote.*
Commander Borne: "Of course, it turns out they don't need to die, now that I think of it. They can be imprisoned inside the city with my force field system. The one I built long ago, during the war with Garrick and Illian."
Valron: "Ah, yes. I remember that."
Commander Borne: "The city was eventually overrun, but the shield was deactivated rather than destroyed. As much as it may have appeared to have been destroyed, even if there was damage, it was made out of nanites too... and as such, would regenerate. Exactly like yours."
Nonna: "My main concern then is whether or not they have any intelligent people there. We've encountered the grunts in the field, but none of their higher ups from what I've seen. Is there any chance that someone would be there who could get in the way of our imprisonment plan?"
Metal Man (GM): Borne would shake his head.
Commander Borne: "Illian and Garrick purposefully killed off as many of the intelligent people as they could. The only one left was Marley... and he was an idiot. If he's even alive. You can probably find plenty of Nanites, but please don't eat them without checking first. There's... bad nanites out there too. Yes. The nanites that are poisoned may be broken, or virus laden."
Nonna: "And what of the chance that a new actor, someone outside of your historical information, has joined them?"
Valron: "Yeah, we don't need you melting into goop, Gelato."
Commander Borne: "I cannot say. Alsa has had a lot of its people killed off over a very long time. The data there suggests that only these 'Cool Guys' exist in the area, and they appear to be worshipers of losers. GUN has no nanite-based Mad Men program to invent new supermen. The remaining people were mostly lower corpsmen who survived only due to my X-Zone hideaway. And from the sounds of it, the smarter ones stayed behind. That doesn't rule out smart psychotic people, but they are probably relatively undertrained compared to you. You should be able to stop them."
Nonna: "Forgive me if I sound paranoid, but one thing I've already learned through my travels alongside everyone here is to always expect the unexpected, be prepared for anything, and to never make assumptions."
Commander Borne: "Yes. That is something to look out for." *He would stretch a hand idly.* "It's just that the area had been quite thoroughly destroyed by extremely willful, deadly people..."
Valron: "All things considered, I'd say you're learning the right lessons from our past experiences, but... Borne does bring up a point, there."
Commander Borne: "...And as such, if there is anybody, they would be lost and mindless Sloan remnants or something. Or, I guess. If Illian's Solarians decided to hide in there. But why? The GUN people wouldn't accept them in their midst if they could help it."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "It is true. We haven't accounted for Sloan or the remains of Psycho Illian's forces. So if there is danger, it might actually be marooned units who, like certain Earth units of fallen factions, can continue to fight decades after their war has ended. Those would be the danger, in my opinion. GUN people... weren't very smart to begin with, and most of them got toasted."
Valron: "Sounds about right."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "If there is a new one, then we'll make note of it, but otherwise it won't be the only thing to look out for. Though I guess one question is unanswered. What's the plan? Do we fly out there with ships, activate the remote control and then get to stealing? Or do we want to go into the city and root out for remnants?"
Commander Borne: "If there are dangerous people, they have probably claimed sectors of the city as their feudal lands and will most likely be entrenched in ruins. There sounds like only a few people can fly out and harass you. I'd wager you could shoot them down after isolating everyone else inside the town."
Valron: "To be honest, I'd rather fly out with the ships, use the remote, and get to the scavenging... After shooting down any hostiles, yes."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Sounds fairly cut and dried, then."
Nonna: "I only say this because I had encountered a military strategy in which many of the circumstances were similar. The enemy would intentionally give the impression of weakness, disunity, and of being ill-equipped and trained. The others would be lulled into a false sense of confidence and feeling no need to keep up their guard. They would then proudly march straight into the enemy's trap."
Commander Borne: "...I wish I had people like that on my force. Maybe I wouldn't have ended up alone and attacked by Garrick in that war, then. Maybe they would have actually stood a better chance against people without me having to create Deathguards and do it all myself... ...Maybe they wouldn't have needed Mad Men to fight Eggman... ...But I guess, the lunkheads we ended up with were all we had, so... unless a new military mind has emerged, it shouldn't be too surprising." *Shrugs.*
Xavier Ridgecrest: "So, we fly in, and avoid getting too close, lest this potential ambush happen."
Valron: "Sounds about right."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "If we're ambushed by, say, Sloan forces or something, we can jet. Because in the end, we don't want to waste our time fighting anyway... but one more thing. What do we do to take the parts home?"
Valron: "What are our options on that front?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Ivan is repairing the ship. I assume if we have the ship delivered there, your repaired ship can do it? What were the capabilities it had anyway? I remember something about that ship having something to do with it, like, the Alsan Questers used it for something... it had more space than, say, my limo. As much as I can probably take my limo and stick some stuff in the trunk, you can't fit huge stuff in it. Borne's ship is a bomber-fighter... Kit's ship is... ...in pieces, and Kit is... ...not here. ...Huh."
Nonna: "Who will be in which ship?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, the issue is we don't have a gate next to the GUN Continent."
Valron: "Capabilities, capabilities... Let's see, outside of the fact that it should still retain its' original capabilities, ranging from the infamous missile rain, to its' devastating lightning cannons, and the ridiculous shields, I had requested for Ivan to make it able to switch between that and a more MTA-like form."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "MTA like. So it has hands?"
Nonna: "I don't exactly have one of my own..."
Valron: "I'd be surprised if it didn't."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, I'll be in my ship. I'm not sure who will fly Borne's ship. The MTA thing can probably pick up the pieces and hold them all piled in its arms when we're done."
Valron: "Well, Nonna. You could always take the Spirit of Vengeance. I was only going to use that as a temporary thing until I got my own ship back."
Commander Borne: "I can be in my ship without being noticed." *He glances to Nonna.* "Don't ask me why, but it seems like you could probably help fly the ship as well. It's a multi-person job."
Nonna: "Hm. So you're coming along, Borne?"
Commander Borne: "I am, and I am not."
Metal Man (GM): He transforms to resemble... Ederick. Who looks pretty generic GUN-y to you. (using same alias though) Generic GUN soldier with armor and stuff.
Ederick?: "Pardon if I don't exactly behave like this person. But I figured the easiest and best disguise would be someone who really, really wanted me dead."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "That's weird and unsettling, but luckily you won't be in my limo."
Ederick?: "I have to ensure nobody thinks I'm alive. Those idiots will worship me like Jack's cultists otherwise."
Nonna: "So you're not going to be using the Spirit of Vengeance, Valron?"
Valron: "Fair."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "One of the old friends of mine who helped loot the Time Engine here. I wonder what happened to him, really..."
Ederick?: "For the record, my men never found or killed Ederick. Otherwise I guess, if you wanted him back, I could have helped you revive him... but he's not dead by my hands."
Valron: "I will be using my own ship once I get it back. Until then, I shall take temporary command of the Spirit of Vengeance, yes."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, that does pose a problem. When you get the ship back, who will be piloting the ship that's not being used? I don't think these things have the greatest autopilot on them, especially for planets they've never been on..."
Ederick?: "I can remote control ships, but not Solarian ones."
Nonna: "I'll join you onboard. Then I will take command of it once you get your own ship back."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "I'd say Illian come along, but we need someone to guard this ship."
Ederick?: "...Touche`" *Realizing he talked himself out of needing Nonna due to his remark of remote controlling GUN ships* "I don't plan on staying like this. I actually hate Ederick. That's the entire reason I'm using him as a disguise."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Because you hate yourself?"
Ederick?: "Even people who know me wouldn't expect me to hide as him."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Oh. I was gonna say. Maybe you could disguise as Garrick."
Ederick?: "I'm not... stupid? Insane? Enough to pull that one off properly. At least Ederick had some semblance of logic in what he did. Also Garrick will never be on your side again."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Duh. So that's handled, let's get into the ships. Gee, I feel like it's the old days again..." *He starts walking to the ship bay.*
Ederick?: "You Questers usually went into ships???"
Valron follows behind.
Nonna: *Following Valron.*
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, we had the secret underground garage. With a ramp, and a garage door we forgot to open. And cars with no safety controls and rockets strapped to them."
Valron: "Oh, we've had our experience with ships. In fact, piloting them is one of my specialties."
Ederick?: "...I see. You were once a troupe of circus performers."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "You could probably say that."
Gelato: *He bounces behind Xavier, trotting along in his footsteps.*
Valron: "I pretty much usually took Arwings, though. They seemed like the most sensible choice more often than not."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Nobody took the Egg-o-matic. Nobody! Except me, I did it once for the hilarity."
Ederick?: "I am glad I rebuilt my own ship."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "We don't have an Egg-o-matic for you to ride, Borne."
Valron: "Did anyone ever seriously use those beetles, though?"
Ederick?: "You rode giant bugs?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "No. Nobody. Not even me. Locos did the whole mission to get them and nobody ever rode them."
Valron: "...Wow."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Wolfman just wanted to make fun of us for falling for it, I'm certain. Or maybe Wolfman went senile."
Metal Man (GM): The ships are ready.
Nonna: *Smiling and trying not to let on that she's lost.*
Metal Man (GM): Ederick? gets into his. Xavier on the other hand, takes out a remote and clicks a button.
Valron , of course, boards the Spirit of Vengeance
Metal Man (GM): Thin air shimmers, then an upside-down Diablo SV converted into a limo falls on the ground with a loud SLAM. Xavier opens the trunk of the limo and starts crawling in through the back and the several compartments towards the front.
Valron: "It isn't so fun when you realize you'd be riding them while getting shot up by proper ships."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "It's okay. This limo is the best thing to fight capital ships in! Come aboard, and experience the madness!"
Valron: "Oh. That'd be perfectly fine, then, I'm sure."
Nonna gets in the Spirit of Vengeance as well, taking any position she can if not ordered into a specific one by Valron.
Metal Man (GM): Xavier starts blasting "Happy Together" by the Turtles, for no reason in particular.
Valron: *He, of course, takes the helm while glancing around to see what positions there are for Nonna to help fill.*
Metal Man (GM): As he presses some buttons and his car rolls right side up.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Good old fashioned controls. Never fails!" *Accidentally shoots a laser at an empty wall* "Perfect!"
Metal Man (GM): Borne casually walks into his Dauntless. As if a religious thing, he takes out an image of Garrick and gives it the finger on the way in.
Ederick?: *Mumbling* "Stupid good for nothing bastard f..."
Metal Man (GM): The Spirit of Vengeance opens up and closes smoothly. Unlike the wacky ship Xavier has, it has a bunch of crystals and mnemonic thingies that let you control things with your thoughts. It's hyper-advanced and doesn't require training to use, and the controls translate themselves, letting you take place at any one of three seats: Pilot, Weapons and Engineering. Engineering is optional. It can take care of itself automatically. Some notes indicate more "Old Fashioned" Solarians refuse to leave that up to the machines. Borne is in the greatest hurry, or I should say it's obvious he knows his ship inside out and unlike Xavier it has somewhat efficient startup mechanisms.
Valron: "An interesting ship... Hm." *Glances over at Nonna* "Are you fine with handling the weapons?"
Metal Man (GM): The bay to the outside opens up. It seems confusing as to why that would be, until Illian is seen rolling the Stargate into position... by himself.
Illian MacGregor: *R* "This thing... phew... is... very... heavy..."
Metal Man (GM): He locks it into position and sits down while it starts charging up.
Nonna: "Won't be a problem."
Valron: *R* "...Remind us to automate the process so you don't have to do that every time."
Illian MacGregor: *R* "Next time... I bring... two forklifts..."
Metal Man (GM): Xavier meanwhile, has some trouble with the ignition.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "C'mon... c'mon... c'mon 50 year old ignition switch!"
Metal Man (GM): The car belches out some seaweed from the tailpipe.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "I know you didn't like when I drove you under the sea! But I heard from a hermit crab that it's cool to be there!"
Valron: *R* "I was thinking of making something that'd just slide it into place, but sure. Two forklifts also works." *Shrugs, before going to go and start up the Spirit of Vengeance.*
Metal Man (GM): Xavier slams the dash a couple times, then sticks in two more keys, plugs in the smash dex, and then licks an electrode. The car sputters and finally turns on.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "All right, I'm ready now. Also for some reason the wiring in my car tastes like Gibby."
Metal Man (GM): Borne casually rolls his ship up first, folding a wing inwards. Illian stares at it.
Illian MacGregor: *R* "I thought I told you we needed to disassemble that to roll it through?"
Ederick?: *R* "I redid the wings specifically so you wouldn't put your dirty hands on it."
Illian MacGregor: *R* *Waves hands* "And here I thought I was touchy about my machines!"
Metal Man (GM): It floats through the warp, making Harrier-jet noises. It's quite deafening. Except for Xavier, who is still playing that music at maximum volume, and thus, somehow is louder than that.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "I knew making speakers out of industrial water cannons was a good idea!"
Valron: *Once he's sure he's got everything down, he goes to follow Borne through. The Spirit is probably nowhere near as loud compared to the other two.*
Gelato: -w- *Having no external ears seems to be working out for him. He's sitting on the speaker, his whole body vibrating to the subwoofer.*
Metal Man (GM): Indeed, you can hear him talking, because his PA uses the similarly loud speakers which are illogically both outside and inside the vehicle.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Right, I'll go next. We can probably live without Borne if he got blown up... er I mean Ederick! So... then if I get blown up, just revive me like last time."
Metal Man (GM): Xavier steps on the gas, and his ship wildly bounces on the ground like one of those pneumatic cars, and then flips upside down through the portal.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH JAMAICAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
Metal Man (GM): The way is clear for the Spirit of Vengeance.
Valron: "...Right." *And through the gate it goes.*
Illian MacGregor: *R* "The strange part is that you're the only people just flying a normal ship... ...be careful."
Metal Man (GM): You're now all three through the portal. The Mushroom Republic A bunch of people, including Princess Peach, are sitting at tables near the portal. They appear to be having some really regal dinner. Suddenly the portal opens, and an extremely loud harrier jet noise is heard.
Peach: "Oh dear, what is that noise?"
Toadsworth: "Nothing to worry about, m'lady. There was no scheduled activation, it'll probably go away."
Metal Man (GM): Then the front of Borne's ship appears and some of the guests run in terror.
Peach: "Wait a minute... is that a GUN ship? Here?"
Toadsworth: "No... I see no marking for GUN on it... but we should probably get out of the wa--"
Metal Man (GM): They're blown over by the Harrier jet exhaust as tables and things go flying. The ship flies through the banquet tables, floating straight up so as to narrowly avoid destroying some pricey display/band stand.
Ederick?: *R* "Er... sorry! You guys built really close to the gate! I'll pay you back for that late--"
Metal Man (GM): The music of Xavier's ominously starts being heard through the portal.
Ederick?: *R* "Uh, Xavier, you might want to slow down!"
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "WHAT? WHAAAAT I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!"
Metal Man (GM): Peach gets up. Her eyes bulge as Xavier's car rockets out of the portal, spinning wildly out of control, smashing the bandstand to bits and then careening against some buildings before it flies into the air.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT'S TOAD TOWN 2 ALL OVER AGAIN"
Metal Man (GM): The Spirit of Vengeance would float out... its collision avoidance systems warning it and making it stop before it would crash into whatever Xavier's car didn't crash into.
Peach: "..." *She casually removes some cake from her dress, after Erderick?'s ship blew it everywhere.*
Nonna: "...Oh dear."
Valron: *R* "I swear, Xavier. Do I need to figure out a way to attach a leash to that limo of yours?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "It's okay. I only mildly dented property values, and some unique cafes with limos smashed into the side of them are BOUND to recover the property value!"
Valron: "...Right."
Peach: *Takes a radio from someone* "Uhhh... you know, maybe if you could pay for the damages, that would be... nice... ...then again, you are coming out here to help get rid of GUN, I assume, so..." *She seems speechless.*
Nonna: *R* "We really need some communications set up ahead of time..."
Valron: *R* "Sorry about that, Peach. I wasn't exactly expecting to make a mess... even though we have Xavier at the helm of a vehicle with us, but." *Sighs.*
Ederick?: *R* "Uh... yeah! We'll... throw a party that's twice as large..."
Valron: *R* "Yes. We're going to deal with GUN."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "It can have my limo in it!"
Ederick?: *R* "Uh... probably not, Xavier... your limo is... uhh... it's... ...not very safe."
Valron: *R* "That's as nice a way of putting it if I've ever heard one."
Peach: *R* "I guess you can have the cake... it's not like anyone else is going to eat it..."
Xavier Ridgecrest lands the limo next to the cake and opens it to let Gelato eat the cake.
Ederick?: *R* "Er... nobody record this and... tell anyone the Questers do this. It would be... bad for our morale."
Nonna: "So we ruin their party and now we want to join them in it?" *To herself, mostly.*
Gelato: X3 *He hops out, beginning to nibble on it genteelly.*
Peach: *R* "It's okay. We... ...are thankful for what Valron did."
Valron: *R* "Doesn't mean I still won't feel a bit awkward about this little mess happening."
Ederick?: *R* "I'm... really sorry, you... put it next to the gate and..."
Peach: *R* "It's not really you who made this mistake..."
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "That's right, Gelato, eat the tasty cake. While I contemplate where to steal one twice as large to replace this one."
Nonna: "Anyway..."
Peach: *R* "But... ...we're also somewhat used to what he does... just... call in advance before letting him do that again." *R* "We'll be sure to stay away from the gate anyway... carry on."
Metal Man (GM): She sits there, while Toadsworth has some servants clean away the mess.
Valron: *R* "Will do."
Toadsworth: "My my my... I knew we should have listened to Merlon! He kept going on about 'ominous crows will land on your cake party'... I thought it was birds..."
Gelato: *He carefully steps aside to let the cleanup begin... really, he has the best manners of all here.*
Xavier Ridgecrest: "All right, that should be enough, Gelato. Let's get flying to steal a bunch of parts and crash GUN's party. We'll have to steal a really big cake to make up for this. On the plus side, the hood of my car is now covered in strawberry icing! They'll probably run in terror once they've discovered I've mastered Cake-fu."
Gelato: [Aww...] *He pulls off one more chunk to take with him.*
Metal Man (GM): Xavier shuts the door, turning on the windshield wipers to get the candles and plate pieces out of his view.
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "Right. Let's go get the things we came for, then figure out how to make up for party destruction. Onward!"
Metal Man (GM): He flies the ship into the air as it teeters, throwing pieces of cake and icing around haphazardly. A big chunk splotches against the windshield of the Spirit of Vengeance. The Dauntless that Ederick? has flies after, cautiously ducking some thrown icing.
Nonna: "...Activating wipers."
Ederick?: *R* "Right, boss... just... take it slower through the portals."
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "Sure thing, Ederick!"
Valron: "...Really." *Shakes his head, before also activating wipers. And then he flies off.*
Metal Man (GM): Up ahead, over the vastness of the Mushroom Kingdom, is the force field. You can actually already see some GUN ships. They seem to have been patrolling outside.
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "Hey you! Stupid people in space ships! We're coming to get you! WITH STRAWBERRY ICING!!!"
Jane: *R* "What the hell? Why is a limo covered in icing flying at us?"
Valron: *R* "You should be less worried about him and more worried about me."
Joe: *R* "It's the Questers. The instruction manual told us they tend to do these things."
Nonna: *R* "Hello. Would you please surrender?"
Jane: *R* "Er... turn back! This is GUN territory!"
Valron: *R* "He does those things. I prefer to actually get things done."
Ederick?: *R* "Did you read the instruction manual about me?"
Jane: *R* "...Traitor Ederick is here too???"
Joe: *R* "He worked hand in hand with Xavier."
Nonna: *R* "Second request. Please surrender."
Jane: *R* "I... ...I..."
Metal Man (GM): They have two, relatively cruddy refurbished ex-Eggman ships.
Valron: *R* "Please do, or else I'll turn this from GUN territory to GUN ship graveyard."
Metal Man (GM): You have a psychotic limo, a fully decked out customized Dauntless... Dauntless 2 I'll call it, and the Solarian ship. Xavier doesn't say anything more at them, preferring to psychotically turn up the volume until the windows start vibrating.
Joe: *R* "As much as I hate to say it, we can't fight you and expect to win. But only because the manual made it clear we shouldn't waste ships fighting useless battles."
Jane: *R* "Hey! We have to get them! They ran away last time, remember?"
Valron: *R* "Well, at least the manual knows what it's on about."
Nonna: "Final request. Please surrender."
Joe: *R* "Surrender is not in the cards. However, please accept our retreat instead."
Metal Man (GM): Joe flies his ship away at maximum speed. Jane belatedly goes to follow.
Nonna: "We need to go after them quickly before they have time to prepare."
Ederick?: *R* "Hm." *Flips channel so they can't hear* "What do you think. Should we blow them to bits? ...Sounds like it."
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "FULL SPEED!"
Valron: "Engaging pursuit."
Metal Man (GM): The limo and Dauntless 2 rocket after Jane and Joe.
Gelato: :D
Valron: *Has the Spirit of Vengeance fly along with them.*
Metal Man (GM): Xavier leans out the window and screams while shooting at their ships with DVDs.
Nonna: "Weapons online. Set to disable rather than destroy." *Does so.*
Jane: *R* "What the hell is hitting my shields? What is that, an entertainment device???"
Joe: *R* "Did you read the manual, Jane? It said their leader attacks people with garbage."
Jane: *R* "No, I skimmed it. I figured we would be able to kill 'em!"
Joe: *R* "I can't talk anymore, Jane. I have to ensure we don't die."
Metal Man (GM): The two ships shoot flares and chaff, while you begin firing Solarian beams at them. Ederick? sadistically grins as he activates every single one of the 20 mass-projection railgun bullet devices on his. Xavier's DVDs are basically useless, though Gelato would notice a button to fire Arwing lasers at them. Arwing lasers being capable of stunning rather than annihilating.
Gelato: *Button... button... BUTTON. He jumps on that button.*
Metal Man (GM): Joe's ship is better at evading. Jane is almost immediately disabled by the Solarian lasers and a hail of bullets. It lands in the ocean, floating but completely nonfunctional.
Valron: "These are... a lot less impressive than I was expecting."
Nonna: *R* "You have performed your duties admirably. You will not be harmed unless you take further action."
Jane: *R* "Hey! Don't leave me here!"
Metal Man (GM): Joe doesn't respond. His ship goes ever faster, the rear of it bursting into flames as he seems to take his job much more seriously.
Valron: *R* "...Kinda your own fault, all things considered."
Metal Man (GM): Lasers fly by it, some hitting it. It seems likely if you try to disable it at these speeds, it may crash and burn.
Ederick?: *R* "We got ourselves a bit of a choice... if we hit and disable THOSE engines, he's likely to die in a fire." *R* "And we don't have long until he's in range of GUN's radio systems."
Nonna: *R to everyone but Joe* "...Baton toss."
Gelato: 'Hooray!' *TOSS.*
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "Hmmm... ...yeah, Gelato, why don't you do that while I hold hands with you so it transfers the car with us? ...Yeah." *Does so.*
Metal Man (GM): The ship trades spaces.
Joe: *R* "What the? GAH!"
Nonna: "Let's prepare to board."
Ederick?: *R* "Should I go in first or you?"
Metal Man (GM): Joe goes to almost immediately try to take evasive maneuvers.
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "I'm going to be over here and make sure if he tries to run for it I ram his ship."
Nonna: "Easier for me. Think you can get us aligned with it, Valron?"
Valron: *R* "Will never get tired of seeing that happen." *He then nods to Nonna, before making the necessary adjustments.*
Ederick?: *R* "Yeah, this ship is... a bit more reliant on actual aerodynamics."
Metal Man (GM): You go to move the Spirit of Vengeance up alongside the ship. It has a weak shield, but that's nothing your lasers can't disable. The Solarians weren't much for boarding people, but the systems allow you to configure it to give you a connection to that ship that would let you do that.
Nonna gets out of her seat to prepare for a risky boarding process. She turns the weapon controls over to Valron as well.
Metal Man (GM): Seeing you get closer, you start hearing noises that suggest the other ship is trying to shoot and bounce you away, although the Eggman ship remains rather inferior. You also see Borne's ship moving around to help box it in.
Joe: *R* "Damn you, Ederick! You of all people would have memorized the manual you betrayed!"
Ederick?: *R* "Just doin' my job! If it weren't for me and them, that crazy man would have killed you!"
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "I can always make them renege on the part where they don't kill you, if you insist, stupid person 3000!"
Valron: *He establishes the connection, before going to disable the ship's shields as that's probably a thing that needs doing.* *R* "Less chatter, more getting stuff done."
Metal Man (GM): You smash and grab, making a connection to pry open a weakly defended door and get inside. Joe of course has a GUN standard service rifle and seems unlikely to let you inside without a fight. With both ships chaotically sliding a little back and forth and throwing sparks from being so close together.
Nonna: *Has her weapon drawn and boards the ship as quickly as she can.* "Surrender, now!"
Valron: "I'd offer to come aboard as well, but I should probably stay and make sure no one tries anything sneaky."
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "On that note, need any help from me? I mean, boarding ships is a thing I can do too, if you need a hand..." *Makes sure to stay in the way so the ship can't get away.*
Metal Man (GM): Joe fires at Nonna, trying to stop that from happening. He's a bit distracted as he does so, due to flying the ship at the same time. He misses and Nonna gets aboard. He positions his bayonet in the way, aiming the butt of the rifle at his control panel.
Nonna: *Her counterattack suddenly kicks in...*
Joe: *R* "You won't take this ship so easily, Quester!"
Violet: *Strange blades appear and surround him.*
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "Why do they always choose to say that line... it never helps them..."
Metal Man (GM): He's kinda stuck, since if he moves he loses the control panel, but if he doesn't he gets hit. He blocks to try and reduce the damage instead.
Violet: *102 damage.*
Ederick?: *R* "We're getting rather close to the radio range... ...oh, but what am I just sitting around here for?"
Metal Man (GM): You hear a loud crackle fizzle noise from the other side. The control panel indicates the ship's radio is down.
Ederick?: *R* "Oops, guess I bumped you a bit roughly!"
Metal Man (GM): He takes 51 damage due to blocking. He gestures with his rifle, aiming the butt stock of it at the self destruct button of the ship.
Joe: "Get back or I hit the button and take you out with me! You can't possibly kill me before I can hit the button!"
Nonna: "...Heh, good luck with that. I have a way out that you don't. Do you want to blow yourself up over nothing?"
Joe: "I've seen them all... Sloan people... Illian people... they all torture and maim their prisoners, or mind control them! You're probably like Garrick... you just want to capture us and then kill us so your new God can protect you! ..." *He looks at you a bit.* "...Wait... what uniform is that you're even wearing? It looks a bit familiar for some reason..."
Nonna: "You will not be harmed. You have my promise. If I wished to kill you, you would already be dead. All damage you have incurred has taken place after you already fired on me."
Ederick?: *R* "Just a friendly note, we will eventually fly into sight range of GUN, but we have some time now."
Metal Man (GM): Joe threatens to hit the button... then drops the gun on the ground, trembling. You can see he's malnourished and dirty.
Joe: "I would have done it... but we're low on drinkable water, supplies are next to nothing, and psychotic people abuse us for no reason..."
Nonna: *She kicks the rifle away.*
Joe: "My only promise is you don't bring me back to my superiors, they kill people who surrender... ...And to lose a ship means a very terrible death too..."
Metal Man (GM): He flips a switch so the ship doesn't careen out of control and explode. It'd become evident the ship's engines were overheating pretty badly.
Nonna: *She takes a container, and uses a laguz rune to create some water for him. She then hands it carefully over to him.*
Joe: "I just... we couldn't be certain if you weren't like the others who attack us..."
Metal Man (GM): He drinks it, while Nonna gets the radio call back from Ederick--
Nonna: "We would like to know more about these people who have been abusing you. We will not turn you over back to them, either."
Ederick?: "So... things okay down there?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "You know, this ocean is a lot bluer than I remember it being. Pretty."
Nonna: *R* "Situation under control."
Valron: *R* "Glad to hear it."
Joe: "...I should note to you that this ship's about to run out of fuel, too..." *He taps the dashboard.* "They intentionally gave us less fuel than we could use to get back."
Nonna: "It is within your power to stop and land."
Joe: "Well yes... we're not to land yet, and there's nothing out here but the ocean... the only person who lands on the ocean willingly is Garrick."
Nonna: "Then you will come with me. Is that acceptable?"
Joe: "I... am fine with that."
Nonna: *R* "Bringing our guest on board, Valron."
Valron: *R* "Alright, then. Bring 'im aboard."
Nonna: "Come, let's go." *She gestures.*
Metal Man (GM): Joe gets aboard, sighing.
Joe: "They were only going to give us fuel to return if we ensured you were... dead."
Nonna follows him along, keeping an eye on him but not in any way that's threatening.
Valron: "What an absolutely rotten bunch of people."
Joe: "...But they only had about one or two ships left, so it seemed more like they didn't like that I used this."
Metal Man (GM): He takes out a dog-eared manual. Its title: BORNE'S MANUAL OF STEREOTYPICAL THINGS TO AVOID
Joe: "They tried to outlaw these when it kept noting that becoming power hungry and avoiding anyone having a vote in anything was a stereotypical way to run something into the ground."
Valron: "...Some people, I swear. It's like being sensible is frowned upon or something... Eesh."
Joe: "And also the time where it noted that people being able to eat was more important than shooting bad guys."
Gelato: 'Hi, new friend!' *Joe is promptly handed that piece of cake.*
Nonna: "What about your friend we disabled earlier? Shall we go pick her up?"
Joe: "The fact I didn't die no matter how many suicide missions they gave me seemed to suggest---" *Holds the cake confusedly* "...No. Jane is one of their people through and through. You'll have to kill her or use a prison, or something... She was bent on killing you to the last bit."
Valron: "So, she's one of the dumb ones. Got it."
Joe: "...You were going towards Capital City, weren't you."
Valron: "Yep."
Joe eats some of the cake, since he's been starving. "...Take this route. Here, run it by Ederick too. He'd know I'm not lying."
Metal Man (GM): He hands a data disc with the route on it.
Joe: "Your ship is some weird non-GUN ship, so even if it had a virus, it shouldn't effect it... I swear we saw the last of these ships when that Illian person died."
Valron: "Right." *He scans the disc with his visor, making sure to check the route, before relaying it to Ederick* "We managed to pick one up... elsewhere. Very far off elsewhere."
Ederick?: *R* "Ah, the idiots never bothered to close off the seaside runway... after it was destroyed by a certain Xavier Ridgecrest late in my tenure."
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "Eheh... sorry about that one, but you were in the way of my need to steal a Solarian ship!"
Joe: "I can only guess that it's... not going to be guarded. It was destroyed, like he said. Ederick probably was the one who told him to destroy it."
Valron: "So... What should we expect from the remainder of these folks, anyways? Doesn't seem like they have much fight left in them."
Nonna: "Do you need some food?"
Ederick?: *R* "Er... *Sneezes*."
Joe: "This strangely mangled cake your weird limo-driving maniac's goo dragon dropped to me through the window is better than nothing, but I would probably prefer something less... dirty."
Metal Man (GM): The ships move to land at that airstrip, given it's away from Capital City's main area. The continent begins to show up.
Nonna: *She gets her lunchbox and hands him a package of squid ink noodles she made earlier.*
Metal Man (GM): Joe eats some, then sits down, trying to recover from what he just saw, while his ship runs out of fuel and casually lands into the ocean.
Valron: *Of course, moves to land with the other ships.*
Joe: "That was the aforementioned--" *Eats some more* "--lack of fuel..."
Metal Man (GM): The airstrip is a destroyed mess. Xavier appears to have driven through it with his limo. And I mean, literally. There's Xavier limo-shaped holes in the walls. You barely have anywhere to land in the midst of the destruction. Some other destroyed Sloan and Illian ships indicate a number of battles took place here.
Valron: *Shakes his head as he takes note of the limo-shaped holes* "Some things never change, huh..."
Metal Man (GM): Xavier drives through one of the few un-limo'd walls 'by accident' before landing.
Xavier Ridgecrest: *R* "Ah, home sweet ruined mess."
KitRedgrave just-so-happens to just walk out of the nearby hangar and meet you, totally no foreknowledge or reality-warping shenanigans involved.
Nonna: "...Hi."
Metal Man (GM): Xavier would glance at Kit and raise an eyebrow, as he got out of his vehicle.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "So that's where you went! I thought you might have gotten lost inside my sock drawer or something. Because... foxes... like socks... or is that dogs? ...No, that's Gelato... ...wait, do I even wear socks?"
Valron: "...I was about to say."
Xavier Ridgecrest: *Clangs his artificial feet against the ground* "Hm... probably not."
Valron: "I didn't even know you had one. Huh."
KitRedgrave: *She just grins at that.* "I hope not, heard horrible things about it." *She then look towards you all.* "Good to see you again."
Valron: "Nice to see you as well, in any case."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, it's good you're here, we're about to dredge ancient ships out of the ocean. And deactivate GUN things."
Gelato: :D 'Kit!' *He runs over, hugging her leg!*
KitRedgrave: "Sorry to just flake on you like that, but I couldn't help myself. I had the perfect chance to just go off and look into some things, so I took it."
Metal Man (GM): Ederick? steps out and casually looks at Kit, vaguely confused. He rolls with it, though.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Ah, so you left earlier while we were busy with Solis."
KitRedgrave giggles and just pets the Gelato. As impetuous as ever, I see. ...And then just stares at Ederick? "...I'm sorry, do I know you?"
Nonna: "People phase in and out of existence all the time, anyway."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Oh, don't mind him, he's someone we know..." *Whispers* "Somebody who can't be seen as he really is here, starts with a B and ends with an e."
KitRedgrave: "I... see."
Metal Man (GM): Joe is busy staying inside the ship, having been so stressed out he chooses to sort of just rest there.
KitRedgrave: "Well, good to have you aboard in any case. You said you were about to dredge things out of being lost forever?"
Valron: "In any case... Where should we start, exactly?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Judge Dredd's time fleet. It has some things we need. But first, we need to make sure GUN won't get in the way."
Ederick?: "We don't need to go far, we should walk up on foot and use that remote I ma--er, stole."
KitRedgrave: "Oh, I've been keeping GUN at bay pretty much all day. They're like flies, really. Buzzing all over the place I really wanted to look into."
Valron: "Ah, yes. We can trap them in that shield. Was wondering when we'd get to that."
KitRedgrave: "What... shield?"
Ederick?: "The remote... we need to walk into range, when the remote starts beeping, hit the button."
KitRedgrave: "I hadn't heard of that."
Ederick?: "Well, there's a shield for the city that... Borne made long ago. I stole this remote and... it theoretically can turn it on and trap GUN inside the city."
KitRedgrave: "...which city?"
Valron: "Right, then! Any other pressing matters we need to tend to before we do that?"
Ederick?: "Capital City. The big one over there." *Points down the coastline.*
KitRedgrave: "...Oh. Okay. Go ahead, yeah, nothing I want there I can't already see from here. Now you said we got a new 'friend'? ...Yeah, I'm not even gonna ask how. Anyway, I was just looking over where my home was a long while back in the past and got the message you'd be here. You need me for anything right now?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, you can probably be of use with us as we go to disable Capital City. And then again when we start digging up the ships. We might encounter trouble over there."
KitRedgrave: "Okay. Just don't be surprised when I don't come back home with you quite yet... still not done. Really, you got here right when I found it and arrived."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "To be expected." *He would sigh.* "One day I wish to be able to help my homeworld."
KitRedgrave: "Maybe if we get the keys to that universe... if we ever do."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "It may be for the best not to. The keys are a dangerous thing... even the ones you have could be. Thankfully, they seem to have become self-limiting."
Metal Man (GM): Xavier would begin walking down the path, towards Capital City.
Ederick?: "Yeah... we may as well get about dealing with Capital City now."
Valron: *And Valron would trundle behind him.*
KitRedgrave: "I have no idea how Illian dealt with not having perfect control of everything. Would've thought it would drive him mad."
Gelato: *He yaaaawns, then starts wandering along behind Xavier.*
Nonna: "Hopefully my fears don't come true..." *She'd follow along.*
KitRedgrave: "...Wait. Why exactly are we walking there?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "To use the remote to activate the shield. Limited distance to it, and a ship would probably be seen."
Ederick?: "Well, we could technically ride in the invisible limo, boss."
KitRedgrave: "...Right. Well then, let's be on our way." *She'd follow the party along.*
Xavier Ridgecrest: "That is true, the limo can escape if we're ambushed. Keep walking, I'll drive the limo up so you can get inside... ...on the ground, so I don't give you nausea."
Metal Man (GM): Xavier walks back to fetch the limo.
KitRedgrave: "Better keep it nearby. I... don't particularly feel like riding in it unless we must, and you can understand why."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "...Also we should have someone guard the other ships, now that I think about it."
Valron: "...I'll go back to the ships, then."
Metal Man (GM): So as to avoid a lot of waiting, I'll note Valron is able to go back to the ships, and the limo rolls up on the road and stops as planned. Xavier has turned off the radio and instead engaged the opposite of the radio: the invisibility device. You can only faintly hear it now.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "As much as stealth isn't my thing, I managed to hijack and wire in a stealth engine. We can drive up and then very far away if things go bad."
Valron: *And indeed he does go back to the ships. Probably also a good idea to not leave Joe alone, anyways.*
Xavier Ridgecrest: "This road here brings up back and forth easily enough, so even if somebody does drive on it... they won't see us."
Nonna: *On guard, expecting some sudden appearance of a previously unseen threat the moment they put their plan into motion.*
Metal Man (GM): Xavier lets everyone get in, then drives down the road. Ruined signs that say "3 Mi to Capital City" dot the route. Old billboards sit around, torn by lasers. One of them has an old Sloan ship crashed into it. Some hoboes can be seen with barrels and campsites on the side of the road. Occasionally Xavier drives around a shot-out or otherwise disabled car.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Neighborhood really went downhill around here..."
Metal Man (GM): Ederick stares at it, seeming rather unhappy with the state of affairs.
Ederick?: "When this is over, we should clear out the rubbish and make this place function again..."
KitRedgrave: "...I thought we were going to reset the universe anyway, so this never happens in the first place?"
Nonna: *Looking to Ederick sympathetically.* "Don't worry about it. There will come a time when things will be right."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, yes. The issue is that we have to agree on what to reset."
Ederick?: "Hopefully it won't be blasted to pieces right after we finish, then..."
Metal Man (GM): Eventually the car gets to an area near a freeway overpass. The remote begins beeping, detecting the system nearby.
Nonna: "This seems almost too easy."
KitRedgrave: "Well, they can't feed their people anymore. What's to say they can defend any of their important things anymore other than the general's tent?"
Xavier Ridgecrest: "We're invisible, so even if they lose their minds they'll struggle to find us. I was going to suggest we just walk over, but you know." *Turns up air conditioning* "This really is much nicer."
Gelato: *He peers suspiciously into the AC vent.*
Metal Man (GM): Only cold air in there.
Ederick?: "So, who's gonna hit the button?"
Nonna: "Allow me."
Metal Man (GM): Ederick hands the remote to Nonna (I assume if Valron had it he gave it over when he went back to the ships)
Nonna: *She presses the button after taking one more look around the area.*
Gelato satisfied that he doesn't need to eat a civilization out of THIS one, he sits back to watch.
Metal Man (GM): It turns on, and... time for a little bit of a cinema, heh. Cinema-ish Scene: At the top of the GUN tower, some people sit around in the old office chairs, drinking Admin Booze brand Whiskey.
???: "So... did we ever hear back about Joe?"
??2: "No, I think he went rogue. Be sure to kill him when we find him."
???: "Ah well, those were crud ships anyway. Once we turn on the next plan we should be fine. Have we found it yet?"
??2: "No, and--"
Metal Man (GM): The building suddenly activates; previously it'd been mostly deactivated, even the lights being off. Images of Borne appear on monitors and computers all over the town.
Commander Borne: "Attention, citizens of Capital City! The automated defense system has detected that the threat that it cannot destroy has been defeated. All services will now resume including the barrier, so as to protect an accidental Garrick attack. Once the highest ranking still remaining official of Borne's administration is present, the alert will end and the shield can be safely deactivated."
Metal Man (GM): The shield turns on, while the people in the tower curse and one of them throws the bottle to the ground.
???: "F@#k! I didn't know that still had juice in it! How long until we can turn that damn thing off?"
??2: "It was one of Borne's things, sir. We can't turn it off without destroying it."
???: "How long until we can do THAT, then?"
??2: "It could take a while. With those two ships having been lost, we..."
???: "Dammit!"
Metal Man (GM): The camera moves back to the ground, who see a massive barrier surrounding the city, including its internal airfield.
Ederick?: "...And that makes one completely isolated city... Well, there are means to get out of it, but you know. I doubt any of the people in there have Borne's say-so required to do so."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "It pays to have traitors on your team, sometimes. Let's get back before we accidentally ruin this bloodless victory."
Metal Man (GM): Xavier very slowly turns the limo around. The radio would start crackling with chatter.
KitRedgrave: "Well, we better win the rest of it soon before they starve or something."
Soldier: *R* "Roger roger, Tango Delta, Scan the area, scan the area."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Hm... we might want to step on it, it seems."
Metal Man (GM): Some nearby helicopters are flying around, trying to find something. One is waving a searchlight at the street, as it's been getting dark outside.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "That's not gonna do..." *Swerves off the road and into the dirt, bumping a bit* "...We could probably radio Valron if we want to shoot the helicopters down."
Ederick?: "They can't see us, so why bother?"
KitRedgrave: "Searchlights or not."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Well, that's true, but their spotlights can probably notice if it starts refracting light oddly..."
KitRedgrave: "Point."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "This isn't God's Own Stealth Device and all. It has... weaknesses."
Ederick?: "Leave it to you to not have a perfect Stealth device..."
KitRedgrave: "Oh, I could make it God's Own Stealth Device, but that'd ruin the plot or something."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "That sounds pretty tempting."
KitRedgrave: "Or it'd backfire or something. For a deus ex machina, the book is pretty unreliable."
Ederick?: "The Book makes energy signatures when it does things. You could create it, but you'd probably also need magic... ...did you steal the power of a God while you were out there, Kit?"
KitRedgrave: "I thought I had it right here. Or at least, the power of a demigod or something. Enough to warp reality just enough. Would be more but the psycho's made it diabolically hard to figure out ANYTHING about how this works."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Wait a minute... what about your more mundane spells? Maybe you could cast one of those."
KitRedgrave: "Hm... about the most useful thing over what we have now is Distraction. Or Agility, but I think we'd all die or wish we were dead if I gave you that."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "What do you have in mind, Gelato? Also, that sounds cool. Maximum speed! ...Not."
KitRedgrave: "Probably not a military vehicle, since I'm sure they've got a tight grip on all their units around here. Hm... who could have a good excuse for running out of the city right about now...?"
Ederick?: "To be honest, any vehicle will create attention. I would foresee it being better if we could just drive into the forest where they can't find us."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Into the cavern waterfall it is then?"
Nonna: "Might as well."
KitRedgrave: "...*Sigh* If we must."
Xavier Ridgecrest: "It really must be the apocalypse if my bad offroad driving is actually the safest route."
KitRedgrave braces for imminent physics-breaking shenanigans driving.
Metal Man (GM): Xavier decides to take it quieter into the forest. Almost immediately it becomes clear this was probably a better idea than hiding on the road. Some military jeeps are driving about on the road, and you see maniacs with guns just firing wildly at anything that resembles anything on the road, including the street signs.
Gelato: *Can he Alter the car to have forest camo?*
Metal Man (GM): Yes. Given that inside the forest, the invisibility is limited due to leaves setting atop it anyway. Whereas a specific forest camo is better.
Gelato: :D *Alter! He's helping!*
Metal Man (GM): Xavier bumps about. The radio chatter continues.
Soldier: "No tangos, I repeat, no tangos anywhere. Only homeless people."
Soldier2: "Dammit, we can't even get to base with all of this going on..."
Metal Man (GM): Xavier makes a sigh of relief, as the car drives by a base that's been completely consumed by the forest--an ancient Eggman base.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "That's the old secret Eggman landing pad base the Alsan Questers had, over there. And once upon a time, Borne's men were there too."
Ederick?: "I was going to suggest it, but we... er... they booby trapped it."
KitRedgrave: "It could still work, if we absolutely had to use it."
Metal Man (GM): Finally, you reach the base where you were last. It's far enough away that there's no soldier chatter out here.
Xavier Ridgecrest: "Guess they wouldn't come here?"
Ederick?: "They can't. Their base is destroyed, they don't have the resources."
KitRedgrave: "I do wonder why that only now happened. If the threat was who I think it was, it should've triggered a while ago."
Ederick?: "Intentional."
Metal Man (GM): He would phase his face back to Borne's for a moment, then back to Ederick's.
Ederick?: "When I went to my probable death against Garrick... I did not want my systems to be destroyed trying in vain to stop Illian's forces. ...But of course, they never turned on again, because the assumption was I could turn them on... And I wasn't there."
KitRedgrave: "Ah, so it only would've sparked on again if it knew you were there? Good thing we weren't caught in it, that would've been awkward."
Ederick?: "Correct. Or others of my organization. The fact it didn't indicates these GUN soldiers are rebels who disregarded my instructions. Which is why even if we must spare them, they are going to jail for what they've been doing, sooner or later."
Metal Man (GM): Also I think I'm gonna pause around here, have the group rest in this base, next session: Obtaining the wreckage and probable fighting somewhere (though the precautions this session helped evade the helicopter fights I had in mind XP ) The likely event now when they fight is to be on better ground, given they managed to sneak in and out without being caught... XP Anyway, you can downtime at the base, or... just let it pause here. Session Pause Felt pretty good about that one, mixture of stuff. More explosions come later, as it seems we'll be more geared up to do those then.