EliteCommander

The Tower Chapter 1: A New Dawn

The tarp that the Ratman dropped onto Taylor was only...minorly effective. It might have prevented someone at a far distance who was not paying close attention from taking notice of it, but Taylor still had a distinctly non-human silhouette, and obviously glowing eyes. Nevertheless, Darkspire seemed to know the area well enough to help them navigate away from prying eyes.

Inside the clinic, Taylor found itself rather surprised. At first, it did not seem much out of place, perhaps somewhat nice for the district it was in, but still a clinic. It was only once they were given access to the rest of the clinic that Taylor was surprised. Lab? An operating room? This seemed like more of a small hospital than an actual clinic. Though, if it meant more equipment and supplies that Taylor could use, it certainly would not complain.

"Hmm...thank you. This place...it reminds me..." Taylor began, though its voice soon trailed off. It just stared in silence for a few moments at parts of the clinic with an impossible-to-interpret gaze. Taylor was still not sure of the nature of this "Orwell" person. But, it had chosen to trust Darkspire for now, and she had told them to trust Orwell. Although, at the moment, Taylor was less concerned about the outside and more concerned about the problems right in front of it. Taylor's attention was, once again, fixated onto William. Now that it had a clinic at its disposal, it could more effectively tend to his needs. "William, you need to lie down and rest. I see you are still weak; you were having trouble staying up when you were walking. The burns would not cause this...there is something else wrong with you. What are all the symptoms you are experiencing, William?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag, standing in the opposite corner of the tent, gave a cynical huff upon Ariel's last comment. "Right..."

"'Friend' might be a...generous word for Neesa." Meesei elaborated. "But you might also be right. In speaking with the Psijics and...others, I did have some of the same thoughts as well. It is being bound to my body that is keeping my soul together, so I have wondered if I might be able to bind it to something else after death. My soul is already bound to my beast spirit, but...not in the same way. Not in a way that would keep it together, currently. Perhaps Neesa might be able to apply her experience to some of your ideas? I am certainly willing to try whatever might work, in these next few days. I am particularly interested in trying, well...something with my beast spirit, I am just not sure what."

Meesei turned her attention to the rest of her pack in general. "I know it is getting late, and none of us should lose too much sleep over this in the next few days. We will need to be well-rested for the invasion. Ariel, if you do wish to stay and help directly, I would certainly appreciate it. You can have a tent here, or you can use my personal quarters back in the Silent City, if you would rather not stay overnight in a Plane of Oblivion. But, do not feel guilty if you have to return back to your home in Thorn. Even if you just leave notes, I would appreciate any help you can give. I plan on starting on this problem in earnest first thing tomorrow morning."

"Fendros, Lorag..." Meesei began, turning her head towards the two of them. "If it is not too much trouble, would you mind taking on some of my responsibilities here in the camp, so that I can focus more time on this?"

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram - Dxun

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By the time Eri's team stepped off their shuttle, they were all armed and alert. It was a delicate balance, remaining non-aggressive while simultaneously being prepared for the very real dangers that might be present around them. Dxun, as Jerius had described, was a dangerous place all on its own, Mandalorian clans or no. However, being in such a large group meant that an attack by predators was not terribly likely. Even the most dangerous of creatures still had survival instincts. Usually. For now, they just kept their eyes on their motion trackers and their hands near their weapons, ready to draw if attacked.

Dxun was certainly a lively world, if their motion trackers were any indication, but Eri and her team were experienced enough to be able to separate out an organized group from the sporadic movements of animals. As such, Eri was not surprised when Jerius stopped them, and she too motioned for her team to keep their weapons holstered. Being that Jerius was the one who was knowledgeable about these Mandalorians, she allowed him to be the one to speak for now.

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Thaz - Samus' Gunship

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Thaz was quick to make herself comfortable once onboard Samus' ship. It was fairly small, though still larger than Thaz had expected looking at it from the outside. At the very least, there was enough space for her to sit down, or to stretch her legs if she wanted. She found a place to put down her beam rifle, just to get its weight off of her back, then took off her helmet and put it down beside it. She was trained and conditioned to carry around her beam rifle out in the field for extended times, but it was still a rather heavy weapon, and she preferred to put it down when she could afford to.

While Thaz did move up closer to Samus once she heard Jerus' voice, she did not say anything quite yet. Samus was the shipmistress here, and Thaz could be respectful of that.

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram - Nu-Class Shuttle

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Both Eri and a few of the other Sangheili nearby gave a few short laughs at one of Mando's suggestions. "An unarmed fight against a Human? I would have to have an...optimistic opponent. Perhaps the strongest and most skilled Human could best a Sangheili minor without a weapon, but...I am far beyond that. This rancor hunt sounds more likely, but I should be perfectly capable of that as well. Sangheili learn to hunt and kill from the time we are fledglings."

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Thaz - The Resurgence

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Thaz lifted her beam rifle back into place on her back, then nodded to Jerus. "Sounds simple. As long as I can see them, I can take their heads."

Stepping up alongside Samus, Thaz gave her armor a closer look, in particular her weapon. "Didn't get to see you fight on that ship. Shipmaster will be eager to hear what you can do. I'm eager to see it, too. See if it was more than a...fluke."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Thaz - The Resurgence

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"Hold on." Thaz replied quickly, jumping up to her feet before either of the bounty hunters could leave. "You can buy whatever you want when you have the credits, but there's something else. Shipmaster's going to want us to be able to get our own credits too, eventually. But we don't know this galaxy, how things work. He wants to be cautious. You, uh... other Human bounty hunter. With the weird powers. You know how things work here. Shipmaster wanted me to ask to come along, learn things. And see how good you two really are."

Thaz grabbed her beam rifle and hefted it up into her arms. "Shipmaster wanted to send our best hunter. Send me. I've hunted bounties before, and I'm the best sniper on the ship."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram - Nu-Class Shuttle

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Eri gave a brief grunt. "The Sangheili have been born and bred for war for more generations than I can count. Leadership is earned through strength and skill, and throughout the existence of the Covenant, we were the vanguards of the Great Journey. I curse the very idea of the San'Shyuum's religion now, but...that does not change the fact that we were and are unmatched as warriors in our universe. If these Mandalorians want strength, they will find none stronger than us."

Pausing just a moment, Eri leaned in forward towards Mando. "So how do you recommend I prove that strength?"

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram

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Eri gave a nod towards Mando. "A lightsaber...your word for the energy blade Jerus uses. They seem to operate similarly to our energy swords. If your armor can resist one, then it must be resilient indeed. Our swords can burn through a starship's armor."

As Mando was finishing donning his armor, Eri put her carbine with the plasma battery, and a small crate of spare equipment they had brought along. Even for a mission without expected combat, they tended to be prepared.

Eri took a seat just across from Mando, then unsealed and removed her helmet, placing it in her lap. "Your commanders seemed to feel that the Sangheili in particular would be well-suited to speak with these Mandalorians. We are not diplomats, we are warriors, but the way you speak of them...do you believe they will respect that? How do you know our senses of honor will not conflict, instead of complement? What should I expect of this meeting?"

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Eri 'Moram - The Resurgence Hangar

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With the exception of her Kig-Yar, Eri's team was in the hangar of the Resurgence, having been directed towards the shuttle that would be taking them on their next mission. While the Aegis itself was stuck in the asteroid field pending its upgrades, that did not mean its crew could not join in their efforts. Falul wanted them to take an active role, and pursuing enemies of the Empire as allies was reasonable, considering their own limited forces. Although, Falul was still wary of giving out trust too easily. Eri was meant to evaluate these Mandalorians and give her own assessment of how much they should be trusted.

Eri herself was armed with the same weapons she used during the boarding, though she also carried a carbine that she might substitute in for the energy lance, depending on the circumstances. There were enough magnetic holsters on her back to carry both, though it would be cumbersome. The rest of her team were armed with their usual weapons, though one of the Sangheili carried a plasma battery into the transport, in case they needed to recharge any weapons.

Just outside the shuttle, Eri approached the Arc Trooper, whom she had been told went by the name "Mando". "My team is ready to depart. Is there any specific equipment we will require? Will we be able to communicate with them without translation programs?"

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

The Immaculate Aegis

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The jumper from the Daedalus and the phantom carrying chief engineer Strevrols arrived in the Aegis' primary hangar at approximately the same time. It was a singular, massive space half a kilometer in length, with hundreds of fighters, dropships, and ground vehicles all neatly organized within, though it did not seem to be filled to capacity. With some rearranging, even a ship the size of the Daedalus looked like it would fit within. Indeed, as a pair of Unggoy were leading the group through the ship, it would be hard to escape how spacious it all seemed. Even between chambers, the hallways were designed for the larger Sangheili, and so felt tall and wide by Human standards. In contrast to the Daedalus, the architecture of the Aegis' interior, much like its exterior, seemed to avoid most flat surfaces and sharp angles in favor of smooth curves.

Fortunately, the group was not made to walk several kilometers to their destination, as there was an interior transport system to take them to the appropriate section of the ship. Though, instead of a tram, it made use of gravity bridges that accelerated an individual at high speed while suspended in a gravity field, which might have been unnerving to those unaccustomed to it. Walking through the halls afterwards, they did pass by plenty of members of the Aegis' crew, mostly Unggoy and Sangheili of minor and sometimes major rank. Some simply ignored them, but several of the Sangheili in particular gave them long stares as they passed by, though without knowing more about Sangheili expressions, one could not tell if they were looking at them with suspicion, or simple curiosity. In any case, it took less than ten minutes for the Unggoy to lead the group to their final destination.

"Alright, this is the science...place." One of the Unggoy remarked just before the door's lights flashed white, then opened in front of them. As with many of the other rooms and chambers they had passed, it was a fairly large room, but this one had a mess of equipment scattered around on the tables, on crates, and along the walls without too much obvious organization. Though, what would stand out immediately was the fact that not every object was of the same alien origin as the rest of the Aegis...and the fact that one of the two beings in the room was Human. She had pale skin, red hair, and wore a sleek white and black uniform that bore a small insignia depicting a pyramid set inside of a circle. The other, perhaps more expected individual in the room was a Sangheili, though he had quite a distinct look compared to most of the others they had seen. Instead of armor, he wore clothing that seemed to be made from animal hides, and even a large, thick fur cloak. It all had the appearance of being handmade, though with good craftsmanship.

The Human woman gave a quick look up from her laptop when the door opened. She looked briefly surprised, especially as her gaze met Strevrols, but she nevertheless had a friendly tone as she spoke. "Oh, hello. Has it been that long already? I think I lost track of time. Um, anyways, you must be the scientists and engineers Falul mentioned. Just, uh, have a seat, if you can find one. Sorry about the mess, by the way. Narak and I have been trying to get all our equipment out of storage and set back up. We weren't expecting to be needing it on this trip."

Star Wars - Galaxies at War[MULTIVERSE SPACESHIP RP]

Thaz - The Resurgence

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Thaz gave a quick grunt, briefly looking over Samus' armor from head to toe. "Don't know. Depends on what you need. We don't know much about you; that armor, your ship. Might be we've got nothing to offer you. Doubt it, though. Trust me, Shipmaster pays well if you earn it. Best Sangheili I've worked for. All business, no religion. Sure there is something he can pay you with. Maybe upgrade that ship, maybe that armor?"

Deciding on a quick demonstration, Thaz engaged her active camouflage module, suddenly fading from view right in front of Samus. There was the shimmering in the air that was just noticeable as she moved around behind and to the other side of Samus, though it was only easy to notice because Samus had already been looking at her. She took the beam rifle off of her back and propped it up against the table as she uncloaked, so that she could sit down properly in the chair beside Samus.

"Shipmaster wants the credits this galaxy uses." Thaz continued. "We'll probably need them. So, you get credits for him, he shares some of our best tech. And he'll go through all the trouble of figuring out how to get it to work on your suit, or ship. Good deal, I say. What else you going to spend them on? Once we do all go back home, any credits you get here will be worthless. Trash. Garbage. Got to spend them here on something that means something. Just depends on what you need. What you want. You want armor equipment? Active Camouflage? Shields? Holograms? Anti-grav pack? Guess it depends on what that suit can handle. What powers it?"

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Falul 'Taham - The Immaculate Aegis

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Before even replying to Yiithren, Falul had already ordered for a phantom to be prepared. "Very well, I am sending a phantom to you. Relay it docking instructions on its approach. Your chief engineer will have the full cooperation of a Huragok, and other relevant crew."