Scene #4870: Spider's Web Pt 2

Owner	Pose
Nobeard	It's been about a week since the last event... and everything has changed. Finally, the Imperial Fleet has departed once more, though they've left a Man-O-War in orbit(a large, crystalline-winged ship) and on the ground two small 'flitters' are drydocked. Several marines of the Navy are here, still, which is odd because the city didn't have much of an elf presence before. Certainly the locals don't really like it, though they seem tolerant of the presence. This isn't a military occupation, so much as a battleship rolling into town for a few weeks and upsetting the usual routine. The presence is greatly reduced though, and that's why a few requests have managed to slip out to meet with the Watch over an important matter. It comes with peculiar instructions, though, saying to avoid all elves in the city... except one, an Imperial Navy marine who has a particular insignia on the ascot he wears on his uniform. Mostly, the Watch was informed, but sniffing around by those here before may catch wind of such instructions. Said elf is quiet when contacted, directing to a particular house that is being repaired, where people are directed to sit in comfortable chairs and sofas until they can meet with the one who called them here.
Terra Branford	First call happens quick for Terra, doesn't it? Still getting settled in, she hasn't even familiarized herself with the new network of communications that she's been sat down in front of before something comes across her... well, Terra doesn't actually have a desk, but her figurative desk. Slipping a few messages to mobilize some of the people, Terra... unfortunately doesn't have much of a background on this, but she scrapes together what little info she has from salvaged Union records that a few have put together, and gets moving as well. The method of contact isnt' surprising. Working through agents and traitors is familiar to her. Terra gives just a small nod before she slips inside, the young woman dressed like... an adventurer, which in this world isn't a big deal, right? Lightweight armor plus a sword, pretty simple.
Celes Chere	Alongside Terra is another woman, with long blonde hair and a white cape, worn over some manner of armor consisting in, let's not kid ourselves, a green leotard, though the presence of boots, bracers and pauldrons along with the cape make it seem sturdier. There's a long, curved sword sheathed by her side. Predictably Celes doesn't help herself to a seat, remaining rigid and upright by Terra. A bodyguard of some sort, maybe? Celes certainly finds it easier being around Terra when the two aren't trying to awkwardly bumble their way into friendship, so it suits her just fine to act like that. At least, her experience as a general does include some manner of diplomacy, so she'll be more use here than as an extra pair of hands and a sword.
Maya	Some th9ings are still on going a few things the Union was looking into? Were inherited by the Paladins, this one? Was due to sapient trafficing more or less and it woudl be hard to keep Maya out of it. Thankfully she'd had the sense to ask her new superior, that being Ainsley to come with her. The junker was clad as ever save for an etching in the odd metal upper chest piece she wears which has the Paladins's symbo etched into it. She'll get something better soon, but it will do for now. She wanted to see just what the eld wanted, hopefully they might have found something in the ship wreck which would lead back to the base. "So we're about here Ainsley..." She doesn't know Celes ot Terra as s he arrives though and she kinda gives the two the look over. If they can sense magic? Maya would be very much yes in terms of magicc. However the new Paladin doesn't seem spoiling for a fight tonight.
Finna	With the Union now defunct, Finna has found her way to this ragtag band of do-gooders(?)! Freedom to operate how she wishes. And for now... For now that means she traverses the city as a songbird, not out of place at all. All she has to do is swoop through the door when Terra opens it. Then the little birdie swoops up dramatically over a cushy chair... and shapeshifts rapidly to human form, sprouting her traditional huntress leathers. She's running both hands through her hair by the time she 'lands' with a whumpf, and somehow manages to end up in a eager-looking posture with hands on her knees... And sharp blue eyes on Terra. Finna's got every reason to study what example the greenette sets, after all. Those eyes quickly slide over to Celes though... "Look out whatever slave problem this is. There's three beauties on the job." Counting herself in that, probably.
Staren	Staren was here before, and hasn't exactly been hiding, so Nobeard is able to get a message to him. Staren arrives... dressed in... well, he's adjusted his clothes to fit in with the... genre so to speak. A robe over a tunic and trousers and boots, and an Assassin cloak over that. As he sees the group come together, he looks between them with wide eyes... Some new faces, but some he recognizes: "Maya! Finna! Ainsley! We, uh, still get to work together, huh?"
Ainsley	Ainsley had a duty to tag along with Maya for this. Both because Maya would need a friend and ally for something personally painful... and because Ainsley was worried that Maya do something rash if someone didn't keep an eye on her. "I don't like this," she murmured to Maya, the uniformed lizard keeping her arms crossed. She's wearing a suit with the Paladin badge on her left breast pocket. "This has shady dealings written all over it," she elaborates, because of the way they're meeting this individual and the gravity of why they're doing it. She leans away from Maya and straightens her posture, brightening and waving over to Staren with her gloved hand. She doesn't seem too tense right now. She makes a patient smile over at Staren, though it might be easy to read that she's not okay with the way they're meeting this contact. Finna's comment gets her attention for a second, prompting a look of calm musing. She's still hanging around in case her instincts are wrong. She doesn't bother to sit, though.
Kyle Katarn	First day on the job for the Watch, as 'Outcast' arrived. Or as Kyle Katarn, anyway. He's wearing what amounts to combat BDUs without markings, including a vest containing his blaster pistol and lightsaber. As he arrives, the Jedi is quick to shoot Terra a salute in greeting. "Ma'am." He nods curtly to the other women and men present as well, before he gets a seat and waits for the discussion to begin. He's a soldier, not a diplomat, but it helps to represent the Watch regardless, maybe offer his own input as well.
Annie Sandberg	Annie arrives at the house. She's not really disguised, but her normal appearance seems harmless enough at the moment. Whatever her clothes, a little girl was usually not considered dangerous, right? "Hello," she says to the others in the room. "I had some trouble getting here... My internal GPS hasn't adjusted to the new Multiverse yet, so my sense of direction's a bit lacking," she adds, taking a seat. She was actually here, at least for now, more to meet her new allies than necessarily to take part in whatever mission awaited them. But, if she could find a way to contribute... it'd be a good idea to do so, wouldn't it?
Nobeard	The door shuts as everyone finishes filing in, and the elf who gave the directions steps in... and his body shifts, becoming a tanned, dark-haired human that would suit the rest of the city. "Looks like that's everyone we expect, plus a few," he says quietly. A moment later, an elf slips into the room. This one is... well, elves tend to be ageless, but this one is older, it's easy to see. He clears his throat, "Apologies for the deception and skullduggery to get here... never thought I'd be working with pirates. I'm Allwyn Leafrisen, Rear Admiral of the Elven Imperial Navy, retired. I'm the reason the neogi attacked this place. They were after me." He shifts uncomfortably. "Or rather, something I have. What I'm about to tell you can't reach the Navy, I'm afraid... or any other military organizations. It's too dangerous. I'll let you leave right now if you feel this is too large of a restriction." He'll wait a few minutes for anyone to clear out... then gets a firm look. "I'll know if you've chosen to betray this trust. I won't do anything to you, you'll simply regret it, trust me." He sighs. "They were after something I have which will... make it easier to gain something that they seem to have learned about. On the burned ship we found a map. Partly destroyed, but I confiscated it immediately, as I know where it goes. Nobeard's crew had someone nearby and interrogated me... and agreed to help. Pirate or not, I believe he doesn't want this found any more than I do. It's not like you can sell it. It's a last resort, a weapon that should have been destroyed."
Staren	Staren gives Ainsley a brief look when the ex-admiral asks not to taslk to any military organizations. When the admiral finishes explaining, Staren asks: "Why not just destroy the map, then?"
Kyle Katarn	Kyle nods to the elf, before he quirks a brow. Magically shifting form will do that, but otherwise the Jedi remains quiet and stoic before the briefing begins, in respect of the older elf. That's an oxymoron if he's ever seen one, that's for sure. Secrecy is understandable, it's what the Watch is all about, and he moues his lips. Other than a wary expression, he doesn't move a muscle, which means he's not going to back out. Staren actually brings up a decent point. In his experience though, it's never that simple. "What do we know about this weapon?"
Celes Chere	Celes quirks a brow at Finna's comment, but doesn't reply. By far she prefers to be judged on her prowess with a sword, not on her good looks, THANK YOU EDGAR. She has her vices, relating to operas and dresses, but it's irrelevant right now! She glances at Terra, then at Allwyn, as he explains that he knows the location of a powerful weapon that these 'Neogi' shouldn't find. She builds onto what Kyle asks, hoping she already knows the answer. "And you want us to destroy this weapon, correct?"
Maya	Maya mutters to Ainsley in return. "I didn't either but you didn't see those things. The Rash action is even something Maya knows she might do so she pulled Ainsley along with her as well. Still she's in a good state of mind all things considered. She looks over to Staren and she looks at them? Maya's less bothered by it then agian her world is running on anarchy in a lot of places. There's a reason she's with the Paladins to maybe bring some more law to her world. She'll be happy if basic Frontieer /law/ becomes a standard, don't rape, murder, steal, or slave. She'd be happy with that honestly. Maya looks at the Elf for a moment as she listens. "The sort of thing that leaves nothing but Ashes? I had to deal with such a weapon, we're short a nation back home more or less because of it."
Annie Sandberg	There certainly were a lot of shapeshifters about, Annie thought. Her own transformation abilities didn't quite match up with the others... though, she might have to try turning into an elf sometime when it would be appropriate. She listens to the man's explanation intently. "Hunting for buried treasure from a map? Certainly sounds like a job for a pirate," she says. "Maybe," she adds to Staren, "the weapon is somewhere where it'd be too risky to leave it even without a map. It might be found by accident." Celes then voices the obvious conclusion. They needed to destroy the weapon itself.
Terra Branford	Sigh. This isn't sounding good already. Terra stays, of course, and gives Celes a quick and worried glance. Some of the people here aren't Watch... but it isn't a requirement to turn away help if they're willing. Celes actually gets to the point before she does, and asks a very important question, as do the others. "What you want us to do does matter," she agrees. "What kind of weapon are we talking about?"
Ainsley	"You have been very vague," Ainsley agrees, her voice calmly measured and emphasizing what the others are saying. "If you don't want any officials to know about this, then I take it this weapon already belongs to someone and that destroying it would be illegal. If it were just some foreign derelict device, then all of this shady business would not have been necessary. Is that the case?" She waits to see if her guess is correct, while looking around at the others carefully. She looks toward Staren, his pointed look getting a quirk of the corner of her mouth; she did emphasize that the Paladins are not a military, they're a police force.
Finna	"Because, Staren! Destroying the map doesn't stop them from finding this weapon. Just makes them more likely to interrogate whoever's seen it. Or keep searching and find it anyways." Finna explains, folding her arms and shifting her expression to a bit of a grin. So her contact can shapeshift, huh? She'll have to keep an eye on this one.
Nobeard	Those are good questions, and the former Admiral doesn't flinch. He's pretty committed to this. "To answer your question about the map... this is a copy. They must have more. This won't help prevent them from getting there, but it can let us go there. I don't know the route by head, I'm not a navigator... but a navigator with the proper skills can use this one to get where we need to go." The other questions bring a sigh. "Centuries ago, known space was embroiled in a war. A war of the demihumans such as elves and dwarves, against the goblinoid races. Goblins, orcs, and so on. The war was... brutal. The Navy created some powerful weapons to fight them, but the goblinoids created their own horrible weapons. After the war, ours were sealed away or let go, while those of the goblins and the like were destroyed." He pauses before adding, "Officially. Some of the goblinoid weapons were instead sealed away and hidden, in case we needed to turn them against the goblins after their defeat. In case of an unexpected resurgence. As a... contingency."
Staren	Staren nods to Celes and Finna. He /did/ reach that conclusion, that destroying the weapon anyway to be safe is a good idea. He just looks confused at Ainsley's smirk, failing to read what she's thinking. Staren looks back to the admiral. "Ahhhh." he nods at the explanation that it's a copy. "A navigator with the proper skills? Do you know any?" He has no clue what's needed to navigate Wildspace. The physics of it are still... ugh. "Of course. You need to be prepared. So... now that they know the Neogi are after it, why aren't the imperial navy already recovering it? I mean... surely there was a plan for how to retrieve the weapon, if they thought they might need to use it again, right?"
Ainsley	Ainsley considers what has been said to them. The words of war and other events create a picture, a proper context, making it easy for Ainsley to accept his reasoning. It keeps her mellow as she listens, and when he says that they were 'officially' destroyed, the lizard woman narrows her eyes for a second. There's a look of thought on her face. "Officially, Staren, they don't have it, so trying to move it would present problems and open it up for theft," Ainsley says, with the calm analytical tone she tends to use to mask her tension. "And I gather it is not as simple as just finding a remote concrete box and hitting it with a missile. Sir," she turns to address the former Admiral, "I apologize, but due to the nature of this task, I have to decline from assisting you in this matter." "We're leaving," she adds to Maya, a soft order that clearly spells out her displeasure with this so far. She reaches to put a hand on Maya's shoulder just for a second to show some connection and to make sure she's paying attention.
Kyle Katarn	Kyle looks very disturbed briefly. The reminder of the Galactic Civil War wears heavily on him, especially thinking about what would've happened had the Rebels had the chance to capture the Death Star instead of destroy it. The temptation to use it against the Empire would've been unbearable, and he wills that thought away in favor of more pertinent matters. "Do we know where the weapon is being held right now?" He asks, only for Ainsley and Maya to take their leave. Regrettable, but inevitable. He nods to the Junker and lizard girl, before focusing back on the discussion.
Maya	Maya never honestly likes to lead if she has any say about it, she'll lead when she has to like as the Union HQ was dying. Maya doesn't slook happy about it but she knows she has to get going. She rangkles a bit few weeks ago and it would be just be plotting how to deal with it. Poltical antics and Maya never ended well, for the people who were on the other end. Maya sees where this is going. Maya just is silent she grutns she's not happy about this but she gets the idea some guys are /after/ a bio weapon some shady part of a government had basically a genocidal weapon laying around that they offically didn't have. The Junker gives Kyle a nod as does Annie and Staren. Terra and Celes? They get an odd look from the green eyed, blue haired woman as she turns about. Damn it the old elf is right this stuff /needs/ to god damn go. She gives the man on her way out a sympathic look, but her hands are tied.
Terra Branford	Terra doesn't know Maya... this isn't the same Terra from years ago, but a different one. She watches the two go, but it's unsurprising to her. Heaving a sigh, she looks back to the elf. "You kind of dodge the question. What do you want done with this weapon, and what IS it?"
Annie Sandberg	"I prefer making things to destroying them," Annie says. "But... this sounds pretty important." She'd have to consider what she might be able to do to contribute to the situation. If nothing else, she might be small enough to get into a small space and start tearing at things. Rather like a human child, she thought with a grin.
Finna	"...." Finna's starting to make a bit of a querulous face. Thinking hard on what's been said so far. But whatever conclusions she's coming to... she isn't going to share in front of this man. "Could use LOTS more details... what it is, how best to deal with it..."
Celes Chere	Since Terra immediatly grills Allwyn about dodging the question, Celes does not! Instead she remains silent and still, having taken in all of the details already. It's not exactly hard for her to imagine horrible should-not-be-used weapons being made and fielded, and she doesn't need much imagination to figure out the damage that those things might be able to cause.
Staren	"Theft while they move it? They could /destroy/ it. Officially. And cop to their actions. I mean, it's... they're the government. If they want to keep hidden superweapons around, they can just make it legal. It's not like they don't have a totally understandable reason, even if some people who don't remember the war complain about it." Staren replies to Ainsley, giving her a quizzical and then sort of a 'well that's a shame...' look as she and Maya turn to leave.
Nobeard	"I'm sorry to hear that," Allwyn says to Ainsley and Maya. "But I appreciate you being honest. Speak not a word of this if you can... if the Navy finds out you know about this, they won't just hunt ME down." He sighs, waiting for them to go, though he doesn't stop them. To the others, he shakes his head. "They can't admit to it. The uproar would tear space apart. The Navy... means well. They simply make mistakes. I think this is one of them." He closes his eyes and rubs his temples. "The weapon is... a creature. Massive in size, sluglike. And sleeping. When awakend it emits noxious fumes that are poisonous to most beings, and it begins to spawn massive, giant-sized humanoid things. Mindless and with only one goal: to feed. On anything, humanoid or animal or plant. And as they feed these things spawn smaller creatures, the size of an ogre and able to kill an entire platoon by themselves. It's a vicious cycle that can depopulate a kingdom within weeks, maybe even days. They call them the Witchlight Marauders. Uncontrollable weapons that were supposed to be dropped on elven worlds as mindless shock troops."
Staren	"If the uproar would tear space apart, then how were they going to use the weapon in the first place...?" Unfortunately for Staren, pointing out other people's questionable decisions has yet to change the past. Maybe one day it will. Given his other experiences with time travel, though, Staren would surely regret it. Staren listens to the explanation and his ears splay. "Geeze." Well, up until now he was thinking about trying to study the weapon, but... "Okay, I rescind my comment that keeping the weapons was a good idea, if they're weapons that make more weapons." He pulls his hood down and scratches his head. "So, we find this slug and kill it before it can make the giants, right?"
Kyle Katarn	"Probably as a last resort." Kyle asides to Staren. He frowns, looking on in disgust as Allwyn discusses the weapon itself. A beast that size can't be allowed to exist, not as a weapon anyways. "What do we know that /can/ kill it? There's got to be some sort of failsafe for this thing, right?"
Annie Sandberg	"...well... the poison probably won't hurt me," Annie points out, though it sounds like she's not sure how much that will help. "If it's sleeping... I guess we'll have to make sure it doesn't wake up," she suggests. "...How does it keep itself alive while it's sleeping? Does it have some kind of food supply?"
Finna	"... ewwwwwwwwwwwww." Finna balks and gags, disgust all over her face as she shakes her head to clear what's definitely a nasty mental image of this thing. "Simple thing to deal with. Just kill it. In theory! .... But waking it up would be very bad..."
Terra Branford	Terra wrinkles her nose. "Can it not be reasoned with? I... dislike weapons made from living beings, but if it's the only way..." She glances at Celes again. It's not like she's a stranger to needing to put something like that down, but it's never been pleasant.
Staren	"Right?!" Staren interjects, at Finna's assessment of how to handle the weapon.
Celes Chere	What Terra probably meant by that glance: 'she can help us fight weapons made from living things, she's strong and we've dealt with stuff like the Atma Weapon'. What Celes reads into that glance: 'she's a living weapon'. A slight frown traces itself on her lips, but it goes without a comment. "If it can be reasoned with, we would need a place to contain it, where it can live without drawing any attention ever again. We don't have that luxury, so... killing it and doing the world a favor may be best."
Nobeard	The admiral sighs again. "They are... mindless. They only live to destroy. Abominations, really... though you'll hear that a lot from my kind, and sometimes it is exaggerated." Sounds like he's grown a little humility compared to most elves. "Immunity to the poison would be good, but the poison is really a minor thing. So long as it doesn't wake up, you should be able to kill it just like anything else. It is very tough and hard to kill, but a big enough weapon, say a ship's catapult... or several... should be able to kill it before it fully wakes. Magic would make the job easier, but while asleep it's just a lump. There will likely be guards though." He spreads his hands. "The problem is it's in another sphere. Navigation needs to be handled by someone who is an expert on the Flow... and even then, it's a long trip. There are no warpgates to this sphere. The best answer, provided by Captain Nobeard, is for him to take his crew there and set up a planar gate for the rest of us. I'll be going with him, of course, and only give the codes to bypass the alarm when everyone else is there. With any luck, we'll beat them there before the neogi can blast their way through."
Finna	"Sounds like a plan to me!" Finna remarks, though her lips still twist left and right as she ponders the ins and outs of it. Something seems to be bothering her...
Staren	Staren smiles a little when the elf says several shots from a ship's catapult could kill the beast. "We've got weapons covered." Then his eyes widen. "Oh shit, I can't expense missiles to the Union anymore! Uh, well, still, we have plenty of weapons." Staren frowns and scratches his head. "Wait, guards? What kind of guards? Like, constructs or something left to watch over it when it was hidden?" Also, something else said gets a blank stare: "Sphere?"
Nobeard	"I'm sure they'll just be constructs. Golems or the like. Security wouldn't have anyone living there," Allwyn says. "And yes, spheres... ah, right, never been to the Flow? This is just one sphere. Most have a sun and many planets, some have more. Like Herospace with each planet having a sun of its own. But all of them are in vast crystal spheres floating in the phlogiston." He chuckles. "I'd let Nobeard handle that part." Arthur finally speaks up, "No offense to most of you, but if you're from a different realm... taking you into the Flow would be irresponsible. You'd likely either kill us all or be bored stiff. We'll handle that part. It has rivers and currents that will help our trip."
Staren	"Crystal spheres floating in the phlogiston." Staren whispers. Then, in a normal voice: "I would /love/ to know about the flow, and the... the cosmology of this place. Who do I ask about that? Could I send a camera to document the trip? Ah, I guess Nobeard's the one I should ask, if it's his ship doin' it..."
Annie Sandberg	"I don't have a ship or anything," Annie says. "So I guess I'd have to help against the golems somehow." She considers things for a bit. "...Can they be reasoned with?" she asks, looking toward Terra as she echoes the woman's earlier suggestion. "Maybe we could trick them into letting us through."
Nobeard	Allwyn chuckles, "You're a very moral set... better than I expected from this. Pirate or not, he's dug up a good group. They're probably mindless. If they aren't, well... I'm not ORDERING you to do anything. Use your best judgement. As long as the Marauder is destroyed, I'll feel better about my part in all this. Just don't make it a bloodbath of elves if you don't have to." Staren gets a nod. "Might be best to ask him. Nobeard is an experienced Spelljammer, he knows all about that and it would bore the rest."