Scene #5673: Lost in the Depths-1

Owner	Pose
Wandering Dog	The information had spread in the week since Gavrane Tomazri washed up ashore one of the islands of the Wavecrest Archipelago, found by sailors. Branded with a symbol on his head, the boy claimed that he came from the city of Luthe, deep underwater, where the Great Whale God kept the descendants of the Dragon-Blooded as a slave caste, Traitorspawn among beastman Scionborn. Naturally, this was pretty outrageous, but the boy's language was of an old dialect, and the mere idea of a city of wonder under the sea had people interested. One adventurer managed to convince a ship to ferry people to the location, bringing the boy to give intel. That adventurer was Wandering Dog, and he stands to the side of the merchant ship, waiting to dive. He's dressed simply in a silk tunic and pants, sea blue hair and lime green eyes. The ship captain is charging a fee, but it's not much, and Wandering Dog's willing to spot anyone who cannot afford it for some reason. The ride takes several hours, in which either Wandering Dog or Tomazri can be asked questions. Eventually, though, the boat comes to a stop among a slightly wavy spot. There's nothing clearly visible beneath the water, but it matches the rough location that Tomazri said...and so, Wandering Dog would turn to any on the adventure. "Alright, now, we dive!" Taking a running leap, he's suddenly dive into the water, swimming towards the bottom without any specialized gear. As others start swimming down, or use equipment to scout, they'll see it many miles beneath the water. The dome is about three miles wide in diameter, surrounded by five large pods connected to it like spokes on a wagon wheel. What appear to be cannons mount the ring of domes, and most importantly, the city is lit up, powered despite the location - giving credence to the story of a great underwater city. Closer to Luthe itself, shadows move through the water, several humanoid creatures, though someone would need to truly identify them. Examination will give three possible entrances. Most obvious is what are massive open doors some sort of deck in the middle levels of the dome, though that's also closest to the shadows - yet, being the closest to surface level may be a benefit. Further below is what appears to be water and sanitation filters, which can likely be travelled through...dangerously, but also likely to lead somewhere interesting and grant better access of the facility. And scanning will detect open doors at the very bottom of the dome, but with how Luthe is facing the sea floor, they're not accessible without some heavy-duty digging, but may be the most stealthy option. What do you want to do?
Starbound Flotilla	The STARBOUND FLOTILLA are here, in their standard Durasteel equipment! Moonfin, the fishman, is in elaborate full-body durasteel armor that looks like a powered cross between a diving suit and a samurai's armor, glowing cyan at the faceplate. Biteblade, the humanoid plant, is in durasteel plating with elaborately carved wood and bone ornaments over glowing powered components that glow an intense green. Pavo the bird-girl wears a divine-aesthetic set of mesoamerican-style armor, with yellow runes and inscriptions lighting up on stylishly gleaming golden armor and robes. Albert the monkey-man is wearing elaborate dystopian commando armor reconstructed with a 'rebel spy' aesthetic: A sleeker faceplate, a slimmer form, and a more chaotic design that integrates thin, resilient plates of durasteel, and lines of bright white. George (just plain human) wears a futuristic combat EVA hardsuit that glows a gentle red at the flat faceplate. Seft, the robotic Flotilla member, is wearing full-on medieval knight armor with a soft energized blue glow below the plates on her body, and especially around the eyes. Each has a heavy industrial-yellow two-pronged plasma-cutter-like tool strapped to their side, a Matter Manipulator. For those who have no protection of their own, no EPPs and other systems to project environmental protective measures, they have brought a few Oxygen Nanoskins. With a sort of heavy appliance that's sort of like a DMV camera, Moonfin has set up on the ship a nice spot to have a field projected over one's body, resistant against pressure and asphyxiation! "For those making use of our nanoskins, please be aware that they will likely expire within eight hours; do your best to not be underwater at such a time, please, as the cold grasp of pressure shall likely make such a demise quite painful." Thanks for the encouraging words, Moonfin. The Flotilla-members dive soon after Wandering Dog dives, and they sink just about as readily, with Seft keeping her scanner poised to detect the vast dome. As they approach, they consider the matter... "It would seem the child spoke truthfully." "What, you were skeptical? You /come from/ an underwater city." "Ugh. Hope thisss one not have all thossse fishmen." "Aye, but look at all that technology we could be taking!" "Alert. I've found an entrance, it looks like it's on the underside." "Mmh. Digging. Let's try that." As they sink, mining beams bristle from their Matter Manipulators, and once they reach the bottom, they intend to dig deep to reach those doors. They're not really stealthy types, but an aspect of surprise has never hurt any deep-sea raid, as long as the Flotilla is the one doing the surprising.
Alexis Maaka	Alexis is pretty antsy about going scuba diving. She can swim fine, she loves the water even! There's a reason why she brought a surfboard for after they get done with this op, and a spare swimsuit for that matter. The issue is she weighs a good 240 pounds on a /good/ day, in full kit she's pretty hefty. Which makes her glad this model of sneaking suit is as buoyant as the kit UDT team guys wear, including Navy SEALs when the time for frogmaning comes. She seals up an X95L assault rifle (Really a carbine, considering how compact the gun is.) and checks her oxygen tanks just as Dog leaps off the boat. Donning her rebreather, the cyborg hops off after and dives into the water, using tiny boosters to help her paddle her way after the exalt. Switching to thermal vision, the cyborg inspects the target area, before she makes her way towards the sea floor when she sees the Flotilla digging. <"Hey, mind if I tag along?"> she asks over cyber-comm. Hard to really speak physically when you're using a rebreather to not drown.
Haguro	Haguro can do this. She's been training all week to get herself used to getting submerged: Dunking her head in the bathtub, diving into a pool, wearing weighted boots in the training area... Now's the time for all her training to finally pay off! Slowly. She's not quite as gung-ho about the whole thing as Wandering Dog is, having donned a diving suit of her own along. Does she even need the oxygen? Maybe, maybe not, but that level of detachment from the water hitting her face does wonders in keeping her from freaking out even as she starts to sink with the rest of the group. "I don't think we'll be down here that long. It... It should be fine." Haguro attempts to reassure everyone following Moonfin, her eyes already starting to dart around as they make their way towards the dome. As they approach the dome, she reaches into her pouch of waterproof stuff and digs out a camera to start snapping pictures! It's a sturdy one for once. Not one of those dollar store disposables, either. "Sorry! I didn't bring anything for digging, so... Um. If things go loud, though, I'll be more than ready."
Kyoko Takada	"Exploration" is, principally, the act of taking risks just to see what happens. That's not the kind of thing that someone like Alpha-39 would say she tends toward, and yet, here she is. "Curiosity" would be one way to put it, though the truth is more explicitly self-serving. Whatever the reason, she's shown up, coming along with the Flotilla, a group with whom she's become increasingly familiar in recent months, from several perspectives. She is only cursorily suspicious of the Oxygen Nanoskin, accepting the field projection for its expedient convenience over top of her mask, and immediately testing it out as she drops over the side, zipline snagging on the boat's edge. Gear and girl combine to be significantly heavier than water, lacking even the usual layers of fat that give humans their buoyancy. Her gear will be mostly nonfunctional while actually in the water, though it'll dry off just fine afterward. Her blades, especially, she hopes aren't needed down there. Thermal conductivity is a major issue. For now, they just help her sink, with minimal effort on her part pulling her further down. The working of the nanoskin assured, she cycles through sensor modes to try to find one that works well down here. Getting into the water was generally an eminently bad idea back home, so she has the capability but little of the experience with underwater operations. She spots where the Flotilla are heading, and it looks like a good idea, but neither the concepts of joining a party nor of bunching up, in the general, tactical sense sit well with her. She checks instead for the small ways in, eventually finding the filtering area. Yes, that's more her speed. She's not even a large person for her apparent age, and without her bulky AMR, she might be able to get in where others would get stuck. Her blades can at least help cut her way in, if rather less useful than normal for the risk of flash-boiling the water if she powered them on.
All-Seeing Eye	During the voyage, All-Seeing Eye is quite social with Tomazri. He, too, speaks an old language--Old Realm, to be specific. His tone is friendly, agreeable, his smile warm and genuine as he asks about the conditions in Luthe. How are humans treated? How do the beastmen justify slavery, if at all? When the ship comes to a stop, Eye approaches the apparatus the Flotilla have set up. Moonfin's warning is received with a grateful nod and a smile that belies the gravity of the advisory. "Much appreciated!" He fusses with his hair while the field is applied, and the moment that it's finished, he takes a running leap off the side of the boat. Twirling in midair, Eye breaks the water's surface and descends. 'Descend' here means 'let the weight of his augmentations drag him down.' As he sinks, his vision scans the area. In particular, he focuses on the humanoid creatures with a small smile--he zooms in and attempts to identify them, then kicks his legs. It's clear that he's only doing that because he sees others doing it, but it seems to work for locomotion all the same. His goal is the large door--the obvious route, rather than A-39's risky filtration route or the flotilla's burrowing.
Lyria Mason	Lyria mother was yes lets be honest, she was the Dread Pirate Yoko, but she had retired to be a totally legitimate shipping company owner. Hume trafficking was something her family at it's worst never got involved in. Hostages for ransom sure, but keeping people as slaves? That sat poorly with Luria, when the job came up? She was quick to accept it so here she on on the ship with Wandering Dog, she's not alone a strange magi-tek robot is along side her and it looks like a small sea serpent from the looks of it. They had got enough information to be ready to dive on in, she was willing to work with the Flotilla even with her grudge against Biteblade and Pavo. Well for the moment at the very least, she'll take the nanoskin and will make use for it. She'll set a silent timer on her mPhone which is made for going under water before she makes ready. "The kid wasn't lying this is ... pretty crazy. "If things get into a fight I'm adapte at dealing with things above or below the waves, also Swimmer here packs some serious firepower." With that she looks to Haguro with the Camera. "Good idea with that get all the intel you can with it." She seems ready to go but she's also taking several parts of her current outfit off and leaving on the deck, leaving her looking more suited to going for a swim. She'll dive on in joining the Starbounders followed here her serpent drone swimming right along side h er.
Wandering Dog	While the others do their thing, Wandering Dog is mostly keeping watch in case the shadows come closer. In this case, however, they don't - Haguro manages to get some pictures of the dome, and the Flotilla moves to begin digging. As they approach the lower section of the dome, they'll notice the cannons are mounted right around here...and also seem to be inactive and in a state of disrepair. Their barrels are several yards long, and they'd probably be worth something, as well as incredibly dangerous if active. Digging into the ground is easily feasible for the Flotilla, allowing them to carve a passage into what appears to be an underwater port. One of the doors is partially stuck open, quickly flooding the interior, though finding a way to close the doors or reseal it could help stop that. There's no one on this deck, and not much of note besides learning that these appear to be submersible pod passages, and they are on 'DECK 37'. Travelling downwards (which stops at Deck 40) reveals more pods, while travelling upwards is the same until they reach Deck 35. Deck 35 can only be described as a massive submarine workshop. Several fish-stylized submersible ships, light for their size, as well as magitech workshops to work on them, full of all sorts of old and valuable-looking tools. The ships are in good repair, probably usable right off the bat. Up here is a ver small group of squidmen, with a single amphibious human-like person and several sharkmen holding what appear to be electric pikes. There's a communication relay on the wall nearby, which one of the sharkmen stands near. The other, along with several squidmen nearby shouting, are antagonizing the humanoid and several other squidmen, their peers accusing them of being 'heretics' trying to sabotage 'the works of the Great Whale God'. There's enough of them that a fight might be a bit dicey, and they could even sound an alarm.
Wandering Dog	The filtration machine A-39 finds herself going through will require her to be very careful moving through very fine magical blades moving way too fast and sewage filtering machines, unless she wants to get diced up. Careful manuvering will allow her through, at which point, she'll reach Deck 26, which appears to be an automated sanitation deck. There's no one down here, but she'll spot sewage transport pipes, which will allow her to safely continue upwards - alternatively, sensors will reveal what appears to be massive generators on the floors above, as well as noises on those floors, which could likely be bypassed with the fun of raw sewage. Both choices likely have their benefits, though, as objects pass through the sanitation and occasionally move to hit the soldier, including what appears to be a chunk of metalwith a note attached to it. "'Hopefully you get this, H. T's out, and hopefully he'll be able to bring rescue. J managed to steal one of the Militia's pikes, but it won't be enough, and I don't know if we'll be able to get more without being caught. Dispose of this through the sewage. - U'"
Starbound Flotilla	The Starbound Flotilla is more than capable when it comes to dealing with the matter of flooded stuff... While also looting tons of those barrels. Airlocks, environmental sealing, and general mechanical facility-work, they can manage, and so with a quick and coordinated effort, they'll likely get the doors shut so that the otheers can operate without the flooding. "Pavo, airlock. Mr. Petrov, Ms. Seft?" "Aye aye." "Draining." "Dutiful. Re-sealing." They're moving on one way or another. George links with Maaka, and he's likely to follow along with anything she does, and well intends to help ensure the communications terminal is thoroughly sabotaged. Then the Flotilla intend to pounce! With a rushing wave of melee strikes, they're hoping on coordinating with Lyria to clear out the more hostile pike-men, though not the peers being called heretics. They're hoping for the comms relay to be taken out, and for the surprise many-bodied strike to descend with an aggressively heavy impact from a diverse array of melee weapons.
Alexis Maaka	Maaka covers the Flotilla as they make their way into the entrance. Then, they reach Deck 35. Once everyone's in, Maaka spits out her rebreather and lets it hang on her belt, tugging down her hood in favor of tying a bandana to keep her hair out of her eyes. Her flippers are removed and tucked into her pack, and she reaches for a suppressor to affix to her USP. Seeing the crowd up ahead is enough reason for her to want to keep a low profile as they infiltrate this zone. Her eyes zoom in binocular mode, trying to get a feel for enemy numbers and equipment. Those electric pikes might be a problem for her. The numbers make her hesitant to engage right now, so she begins to hide behind storage containers or crates. Whatever's on hand that can hide her for now. With George in tow, she advances toward the comms terminal while the guards are distracted, using cover to hide whenever the fishfolk (that aren't Moonfin) are too close for comfort. She uses whatever she can find on hand sometimes, usually to kite guards away from herself and George, by hurling them in whatever direction. It's low-tech, but you can't say it doesn't work when dealing with henchmen right? Hopefully, she'll reach the terminal so she can pry it open and sever some wires, in order to silence any chance of alarms going off in this docking bay. She also makes note of the ships, just in case.
Wandering Dog	Tomazri's language is actually an offshoot of Old Realm, so he's actually rather welcome to Eye's talk. He's a bit skittish in general for one of the Dragon-Blooded, but that's likely due to how he was brought up, as he'd explain to the Alchemical - the Traitorspawn are treated as less than human. They're used for slave work and unfavorable jobs such as sewage, have no access due to the food supplies due to flooding, which give sthe Beastmen power over them, and are bullied and executed for even minor crimes. They don't receive enough food to ward off malnourishment. Overall, Tomazri talks incredibly negative about them - his people want nothing but to escape, because they're treated like this because of the actions of their ancestors, betrayal they committed in the past. The boy's hoping that he can be the hero they need. The humanoid creatures are sharkmen, carrying electric pikes in a patrol of a few dozen, split up some distance. As Eye approaches, they approach too...in formation, treating him as a threat. They don't immediately attack, but they're grouping on him to do so, trying to surround him with their superior swimming skills. They're communicating somehow, but it's not through speech. If Eye decides to fight them, it'll take some effort, especially with the tactics they're using.
Lyria Mason	Lyria Mason will help where she can with the starbounders to get though and dig into the strange place. She's makes note of the emplacements for later but she keeps going with the starbounders it wont' be long before they make their way in once they are in? She says something quietly in Levitani to her drone which follows her and she creeps along with the rest of the group she looks about the deck that is labelled 35. The tech here is strange, but those tools look useful. She'll move to take some and push them into a satchel she has but not go for too many. Even as they get an idea, she recalls Alexis from her days in the union. She holds no malice to her but doesn't know her that well as she moves along with the starbounders. The time to go is now and so she does, she'll draw a cutlass along with a pistol for some sort then tell Swimmer. "Sick em." With that the robot hisses and leaps into action like Coily going after Q'bert. She too is joining in the sudden attack upon the locals.
Kyoko Takada	Getting through dangerous spots like this is something Alpha-39 is very good at, but not when she has to do it underwater. The blades coming at her are sharp, the resistance annoying to fight through. She stops just before the kill-zone, weighing her options, timing the passes, and sifting through what of her equipment will have any effect without a gaseous atmosphere. There's a point at which the way is mostly clear, but she's not quick enough to get through it at a safe margin. She prepares, and waits for that cycle to come back to the most opportune moment. The charges she detonates behind her weren't made for this work, and will do minimal damage to the pipes she's traversing. It's enough that the water reacts as it does, heat and force generating a shockwave that catches her spread cloak the calculated moment after she triggers the explosive, throwing her forward past magical blades that seem to slow for that split second before she hits something on the other side, as water, distance, and the inverse square law bring her to a stop that's less than shattering. "Ow." Up she goes, finding herself inside, and looking up with thermals activated to spot the flow of energy. Something that hot could be a generator, whether purposefully of heat or as a byproduct. She quietly radios as much, but she's not going the direct route. She's going up the sewer. It's not like it's her first time. The mask is still appreciated, at moments like these, for how it blocks out both the poisonous and the merely odorous.
Lyria Mason	Lyria Mason will help where she can with the starbounders to get though and dig into the strange place. She's makes note of the emplacements for later but she keeps going with the starbounders it wont' be long before they make their way in once they are in? She says something quietly in Levitani to her drone which follows her and she creeps along with the rest of the group she looks about the deck that is labelled 35. The tech here is strange, but those tools look useful. She'll move to take some and push them into a satchel she has but not go for too many. Even as they get an idea, she recalls Alexis from her days in the union. She holds no malice to her but doesn't know her that well as she moves along with the starbounders. The time to go is now and so she does, she'll draw a cutlass along with a pistol for some sort then tell Swimmer. "Sick em." With that the robot hisses and leaps into action like Coily going after Q'bert. She too is joining in the sudden attack upon the locals.
Haguro	Haguro breathes a sigh of relief (and also remembers to breathe) once she realizes the cannons aren't going to be firing on them anytime soon, then takes a few more pictures before diving the rest of the way down to follow the group going for Dock 35. No sense pretending that she's going to be helpful in stealth. Luckily, they seem to be going for a quick takedown rather than a prolonged battle, and Haguro's more than ready to join in! Good thing she's practiced her takedowns a bit, too. Instead of opting for a loud revolver, she's rushing at one of the pike-men off to the side, trying to ram her hand into what she can only hope is a mouth and using the momentum to slam the rest of its head into the ground. Repeatedly, just in case.
Wandering Dog	A coordinated action allows the group in the submersible bay to get the drop on the guards without an alarm. Maaka and George distract and take out the guy near the comms terminal, though the terminal itself isn't just wires - it's a series of valuable crystals (though the mere act of prying it open actually does the job of preventing the guards from using it). If Maaka still wants to sever the wires, it's easy enough, and the crystals power down. Lyria, her robot snake, Haguro, and the rest of the Flotilla, meanwhile, manage to slam the pike-wielding guards as well as the squidmen accusing them of being heretics if they wish (they don't have pikes, but one would reach to strike with poisonous claws in self-defense). Of how many squidmen survive, the group's action is enough to leave the remaining group panicked on all sides, some praying, others attempting to run. Those being called heretics back away, clearly scared of the attack. They'll need to be talked down or convinced, somehow, but they're likely a valuable source of information.
Wandering Dog	As A-39 heads up the sewers, besides the note that fell out, she'd also get hit with a bunch of other gross and unspeakable stuff. It's not the most pleasant trip, but it is quite stealthy. It takes quite a while to get up to an exit that isn't also flooded (as she'd notice near the end), but when she does, she'll find herself heading for a sewage management room. Thermals will alert her that it's not empty - there's several humanoids, working in the sewage, as well as a few sharkmen with the electrical pikes watching guard. These are the slaves and their captors. Doors are closed, luckily keeping an ambush from suddenly getting an alert, if A-39 chooses, but she could also continue up the sewage pipes instead. Based on length, the person who dropped that note is probably still up here.
All-Seeing Eye	Earlier aboard the ship, All-Seeing Eye had listened to Tomazri's story, nodding. When he began to describe the nature of the betrayal, though... his good-natured smile slowly dimmed, darkening until an icy frown glared in its place. "I see," he says, his tone cold and clipped. "It's good that we've met, then." The moment the guards begin to approach him, Eye stops in his tracks. In an instant, the man's skin changes to shock-white, and dark metal cybernetics reveal themselves on his face. His sleeves, too, bulge slightly, rigid, artificial shapes pressing against the expensive fabric. A champagne diamond, resembling the classical 'third eye,' emerges from his forehead. All around him, bilious clouds of ink swirl, his body forming the eye of a vortex. Purple sparks of bizarre undersea lightning escape from the gem in his head. His arms cross defiantly, and, as the guards advance on him with weapons, he utters a command. "Stop." His golden eyes convey the command where his words can't, glaring into the eyes of those coming to attack him. To further the message, he thrusts his palm out authoritatively, as if the guards were criminals.
Starbound Flotilla	"Ready. Mark." "Time for a wrassle!" "Maaka, the relay. We will strike!" "Huuuuuunt!!" "Take all they have and give nothing back!" "Closing to strike." "Hopeful. Make sure the workers remain safe!" George launches into a tight and aggressive grapple with the guard near the relay, using strength-enhancing gauntlets to try to pin him down and strike him with heavy bursts of electrical energy. The rest of the gang descend with katana, daggers, battle-axes, hammers, and all other suchlike; Pavo is the one who sadly gets struck by the raking poisonous claws, which lash through her fancy divine armor and sear her flesh with dangerous toxins while the medical systems kick in. Rrrrhhh..." She slices hard, now going less for disabling and more for a lethal impact. "If it's gods you fear, then fear a new one!" She says, trying to cleanly decapitate her assailant. "I'll smite anyone who brings that heresy at me!" "Urgent. Calm down the delusions just for now at least!" Seft calls out, anxiously emitting several buzzes, before heading right towards the workers who were being harassed before. "Caring. Are you okay? Did they hurt any of you? I have medical equipment here, if you need it." She does, in fact, brandish various nanowrap bandages and such in their direction! "We have need of your assistance in locating the seats of power here. The Whale God and its host. What do you know, you who would have been called heretic? We may be able to offer safety in return, if you can assist us in recovering some of the tools and materials of this workshop." Moonfin says, approaching in a stern but peaceful way, and trying to make an offer that those within the workshop might appreciate... One the Flotilla may be able to properly assist with, since they fixed up the lower area.
Kyoko Takada	Alpha-39 recalls the note. She also recalls something about... unspeakable acts involving whales. The relation is uncertain. Her equipment just needs to dry out to be useable. Most of it, at least. The blades are self-drying, as she switches the power on, taking the longer blade in her right hand, and a knife in reverse grip at her left. Like a red-eyed elemental of filth, she rises silently from the sewage, her course already plotted to maximize her chances of striking every guard in the back as quickly as possible. It may not work, especially with the stealth-defeating steam and blue glow as her blades reach optimal power, but at least in terms of sound, she makes none that wouldn't be heard in a treatment plant in the first place. There is the faintest sizzling, the drip of disgusting water, nothing at all for her footsteps, and whatever sound a sharkman makes as a white-hot blade driving straight at his spinal nerve cord, assuming it's located somewhere either a shark or a man would have it. Against merely human flesh, it's something of a warmed knife through a fatty food block. A-39 makes no convenient assumption, hitting as hard as fast, slashing wide open, and giving no hesitation in carrying through should she be discovered. She begins to move again without pausing to judge the effects of her work, from the first guard to the second, from the second to the third, carving with her longer blade and readying the shorter for her defense. The insulation that prevents it from melting her fingers will work just as well for diverting an electric attack. When her immediate task is completed, then will be the moment to lower her blades, raise her mask, and take a closer look upon these slaves.
Alexis Maaka	Maaka motions for George to take out the guard by the terminal. She proceeds to disable the alarm just as Lyria and the other Flotilla members drop down to ambush the fishfolk. Almost immediately she takes aim at the cultists, firing upon them with her X95L, the rifle blasting away with short bursts of 5.56. Shouldn't be a problem helping cut down these cultists, to protect the so-called 'heretic'. If they're trying to kill him, he can't be that bad can he?
Wandering Dog	As Eye continues to approach, the sharkmen, at first, are moving to attack. Or atleast, they were, until he flashed the anima banner and stared in their eyes. As Eye moves forward, they pull back, maintaining a defensive position in the water, as one of them tries to break off to head back and report. While they're not attacking the Alchemical, clearly in awe and wondering about him, they're also not clearly trusting him...but this gives Eye a moment to do whatever it is he wants or needs to do.
Lyria Mason	As the brief fight happens? Any, enemy who chooses to stay down, she will not do follow up, attacks upon them. She will rise up as she sees some of the remaining squidmen whom are left she ahems for a moment. As the fight dies down for a moment she looks to Pavo for a moment as things wind down. "You heard the metal lass, she's right we're not here for you. Tell us where we need to go or or help us recover things here and things will be good for you. We will giver you a place to go.". She will leave Maaka to the rest for the moment and swimmer will aid in dealing with any attacks that come her way.
Haguro	That worked better than expected! Haguro breathes a sigh of relief as the pike-man goes down, glancing over at her compatriots as they bring down their own targets as well. There's a new issue when the workers show their own apprehension at the group's sudden appearance, though, and Haguro's quick to do what she does best! "Ah... We're sorry! We're not here to hurt you. We're just here to help." She even bows her head quickly in apology at the squidmen, clearly not noticing how that might come off as she's just finished beating someone's head into the ground and/or choking them. And also the killing. So much killing. "Why do they call you heretics? Do you know if anyone's ever gotten out of here before?"
Wandering Dog	A-39's fast and stealthy enough to sweep through the guards, who barely have the time to swing at her once -painful if it hits. They're cut through from the ambush, dropping to the ground in a pool of blood. They're clearly Traitorspawn by the brands on their forehead, yet one moves to scream - easily preventable by knockout, subdual, or just plain killing him if A-39 really wants. Another, a teenaged girl in the back, stares at A-39 briefly before speaking up. From her body language and the fact that she steps forward, she seems to be the leader of this group. "Who are you? Did he send you? Are there others?" Her words are careful, creeping around her words as she comes off far more mature and educated than her age and filthy clothes might make her seem. Another moves to glance outside the door, while another starts to panick..."Oh, oh you killed them, they're going to kill us..."
Wandering Dog	While the cultists go down fast, the 'heretics' are not actually grateful for this. No, they're full of fear and scorn, one of them attempting to run to get aid, another shouting at Pavo. "Blasphemers! You've come to destroy Luthe! You must be working with the Traitorspawn!" And another...stands back, watching how this unfolds, clearly more willing to work with them but not yet. The rest remain quiet, refusing to engage, with one making prayer movemens and anoher moving to check the corpses of the dead if allowed. They're obviously more scared of outsiders and far too attached to their religion to actually just accept you, even if you saved their lives. As the others refuse to talk except to spit hate, the one who is slightly more willing speaks up, his voice sibilant. "You trespass on us and threaten our god, yet offer us aid and treat yourselves as righteous invaders 'helping heretics' with business you know nothing about? You've slain our own and come into our city. It's obvious what this is, isn't it? An invasion?" This appeases the others...but there's something about him, one that makes it clear he's just saying what the others want to hear in this moment. It's entirely possible he's fishing for responses, as a tentacle on his back hovers above an ally.
All-Seeing Eye	"That's better!~" His tone is flagrantly at odds with the situation--merry and amiable. He relaxes visibly, too. "If you'd be so kind as to take me to the highest authority of your city..." He wrinkles his nose, smiling playfully at one of the guards. "I'd like to discuss an alliance which could be very~ profitable for your people!" "As you can see," he says, gesturing towards the city, "I'm not one of your slaves. If you should forget this, I'd be very happy to remind you!" He chuckles, as if he's just told a polite, but inoffensive joke. "Ah..." Eye smiles in the wake of the laughter, sighing amusedly. If the two guards are still there after he does this, the Exalt shoos them away with a flick of his wrist. "Run along now," he says, somewhat curtly.
Kyoko Takada	Alpha-39 does her work well, getting in under that last guard's attack, driving her knife up against the shaft to prevent it from swinging at her, and gutting the unfortunate from stomach to chin. Preventing the working of the lungs is another way to stop a call for help. She's nicer toward the unarmed worker, taking the middle road of driving a wet and stinking boot into the imminent screamer at the moment of inhalation, to drive that breath back out again without preventing them from hearing her say, "Shut up." The blades will need time to cool before she can safely sheathe them, under current conditions, and so they remain in her hands, reverse-grip, while she both searches the corpses for anything obviously useful and answers the girl. "I'm a soldier. Some 'he' told another 'him' who told 'me' to look down here. There are others. They have the means of escape." She doesn't take too long in the search. Keys would be useful, valuables she'll care about are unlikely, and she's leaving the weapons as too cumbersome. Standing, she shoves her dagger back into place on her leg, and turns fully to face the girl. "Tell me what's on this deck. And about the generators below us."
Alexis Maaka	Maaka lowers her carbine once the fighting dies down. The heretics are understandably frightened of these newcomers, but Maaka has none of it. "You're welcome, gills." She says sourly, letting her weapon sling on her gear as she storms toward the heretics. "I suggest you start explaining right now. We were hired by someone to investigate this place, and we don't appreciate things getting in the way of us finding answers." Thankfully Alpha has the questions in mind, so she just folds her arms and looks intimidating. Given the wetsuit and the guns, she should stand a good chance of being scary enough to nudge these people toward cooperation roughly. If that doesn't work, the Flotilla oughta be more reasonable.
Starbound Flotilla	"Were we supposed to be invading? I would have gotten my Invasion Beard." "Shush, you." "We are certainly doing a poor job of acting as an invading force, if you must treat us as such." Moonfin says, with a light bit of smugness to his tone, placing a hand on his chest as if hurt by the accusation. "We've repaired much of Deck 37, in fact, which is certainly poor invasion etiquette given how the contents therein are so dangerous to us and our continued efforts. We are here as the answer to the wish of a lost child and little else, and no child dreams of invasion. Tomazri wished only for life to be less miserable, and while we may find benefit to ourselves in our visit, we certainly have no intention of leaving that wish unfulfilled." While it's absurd for a militarized group of mercenary craftsmen to be going around being the Multiversal Make a Wish Foundation, it's at the very least a better substitution of a root cause than the actual Flotilla motives of raiding the /shit/ out of every bit of valuable pre-Usurpation tech.
Haguro	That wasn't quite what Haguro was expecting. She looks taken aback and considerably startled by the heretics' reaction, glancing over at her allies again to try and recompose herself before turning to the more measured speaker. "Please. We're not here to..." A pause, and then she listens to her allies handling the talking before trying to add in a bit more of her own. "I even brought a camera to commemorate the occasion." She raises her camera with a little shake, putting on a nervous smile while trying to look less threatening than before.
Lyria Mason	Well the guy is stalling she knows they are trying to buy time but for what? A chance to escape and it seems they don't wnat to help for them for a moment she shrugs a bit at the rage from them for a moment. Okay Lyria don't botch this to not let your mouth run out of control. "We';re here to carry out ofd hob for a child. He doesn't dream of ruin for the people pof this place he wants things to be made better. Sure i might pick up some loot but you can check the deck that was repaired, this place ... is falling apart who knows how much longer it will last without help."
Wandering Dog	"Tomazri...that's a traitorspawn name, you are supporting them!" The angry one shouts, but the calmer, more shrewd one...stretches his tentacle over and injects him with poison. He raises his tentacles over to the others, who just back off. "Well, you doomed me to death either way, so I might as well play this smart." His voice is somewhat gurgling besides sibilant, as the squidman steps forward. The others spit at him, but the group with their guns are able to make them not escape or cause issues. "In return for what I tell you, you give me protection. I will not tell you everything. You seek the Sage of the Depths, one of the disciples of the Great Whale God, Leviathan. He oversees Luthe. If you seek to save the Traitorspawn, you will have to draw blood. They were given that name for a reason. I...I am a merchant, so I will seek what brings survival and profit. And you seem to be my best bet right now." The squidman raises a tentacle. "Thrlj-kth. I am one of the architects on these machines, and this is...was my group. Our leader decided to cull those he didn't like, and accused us of sabotaging the ancient technology, powered by our god. While they probably weren't going to kill us, we don't have a choice now, do we?" Thrlj glances to the others, a stare and a charisma that makes a few of them come up and join him. "I will lead you to him at the top, in exchange for information, safety, and survival. Do we have an agreement?"
Wandering Dog	A-39 manages to subdue the one about to scream, causing others besides the girl to wince. One of her hands is stained in oil from metal - similar to the chunk of metal attached to the note, as the girl takes a step back, callous to death yet not entirely brave. "This is Deck 14, one of the merchant decks. The generators below...they power Luthe, and are apparently connected to the old control systems on Deck 1, but that's all I know. We can't...get down there due to the flooding. I only know this much about the old lore." A-39 would be able to find what appears to be some sort of 'key' on one of the guards, probably to the magitech comm units and likely doors. Nothing else would be useful. As A-39 finishes doing so, the girl speaks again. "They're going to kill us if they find us. Will you help us?"
Wandering Dog	Eye's intimidation goes off successfully, as while they're still pointing spears at him and communicating nonverbally, the group starts pulling back towards the opening, which appears to be a flight deck. They're bringing All-Seeing Eye with them, and /refuse/ to look away from him. One of them talks on a comm console, relaying what's happened and asking for backup. After several minutes, as well as 'mentions of the council', they begin bringing Eye forward again, ascending. The Council of Scions adjourns in a rush, in a situation they never expected.
Starbound Flotilla	"Would you truly strike out against the servants of a suffering child's wish?" Moonfin says, bowing in that way that conveniently lets him put a hand on his katana hilt, but thankfully that turns out to be entirely unnecessary. By the time he's up, the aggressive ones are down. Moonfin seems to be totally unfazed by the death in front of him, and nods a greeting to the squidfolk. "We are happy to take the assistance and provide our own assistance to any who feel willing to perform the exchange, of course! We seek only an end to the status quo of suffering; this is no special treatment for any species. We do a great deal of trading ourselves, and I am sure we could certainly benefit from your assistance. For now, simply identify that which is of most value among the workshop, and then move to Deck 37, where our repairs should have taken hold." he gestures broadly and stylishly, as if he were on stage. "Once there, we will make certain that we take you along with us once we have finished our efforts here. The crafts with which we intend to take leave of this city shall certainly have enough space for one more."