Hokum

Diddly Do

@Quote5@Metatrooper

Siren's attack on the exposed Gunship is successful. The explosion creates a cascade effect, breaking down the tractor beam in a series of further explosions that quickly reach the tractor beam emitter and cause the central matrix to malfunction. But the effects of the blast, in combination with Siren's previous use of Sing that sent numerous other Forte systems into turmoil, cause a series of other system malfunctions.

Immediately, the other tractor beams fail and all the other ships are released as the massive torpedo-shaped Forte Vessel shutters and begins to spin. While it does so, it sends out automated distress signals as well as a number of signature readings that suggest that a high-yield energy imbalance is taking place within the vessel - The Forte vessels propulsion systems are one of the many other systems effected by the blast, in combination with Sing. It is only a matter of minutes before the Forte Vessel loses containment and self destructs. The blast of the Forte vessel will be enough to obliterate every other vessel within a 20,000 mile radius.

If Hany's ribbon's threat was not enough, there is now another and even more immediate threat pending. The Rodia, The Wave Blaster, and the Tempest had better get their asses out of there. Unfortunately... Ramrod and Hank are still trapped inside the Forte vessel.

---

((had to respond to this situation immediately. Apologies to the others who might be waiting for my reply, I'll respond to you as well in my next post.))

Trios

@Harlequ

At this point, Boris is sitting cross-legged on the floor of the Basket across from the little girl and paying no mind to the trajectory of the hot air balloon. His posture is like a young boy sitting on the floor in a classroom, and so too his doting gaze at the girl who hasn't spoken a word since Boris offered her candy. Boris is sucking on candy though, savoring the flavor as he considers his next course of action.

The point of Ilyssa's knife suddenly penetrating the side of the basket gains his attention. He looks at the point of blade that narrowly misses his head while his expression drops to one of a grimace. He stops sucking his candy. A moment later the frail-looking, winged human clambers into the basket and Boris bolts to his feet. Despite his massive size and obvious physical strength, his reaction to the intruder is one of both childlike curiosity mixed with apprehension. He listens to what she has to say. His jaw shifting to one side in an effort to think hard on the situation.

Meanwhile, the little girl remains unresponsive. She is despondent, staring into the distance in a state of trauma.

"Gosh!" Boris says. He swallows his candy with a heavy gulp. His emotions now leaning more towards fascination than anything else. "I sure haven't seen a person like you before!" He glances at the despondent girl then back at the winged freak, saying; "I sure didn't mean to hurt anyone. Not at all, winged miss, but those people were trying to hurt Boris!" He hangs his head in shame. "It's not my fault that I wake up in strange places. Boy... I sure didn't want to hurt anybody, not at all." He raises his baby-face features to Ilyssa, biting his lip for a moment, then adds; "Please don't be mean to Boris, older girls usually are...."

At that moment, it's like nature itself is watching. The wind blowing the balloon across the bay becomes stronger in a sudden burst, rocking the basket with a heavy jolt in its path towards Trios. But more than this, the hot air in the balloon appears to be cooling. It would be clear to anyone with any moderate amount of reasoning skills - unless they know how to operate a hot air balloon - that it wouldn't be long before they crashed, either into the water or somewhere in the town of Trios itself.

Boris manages to keep balance, but the jolt from the wind seems to have provoked an idea. He looks back down at the little girl, who doesn't seem to have reacted to the new tempest of wind. He then regards Ilyssa before bending down and picking up the girl. The girl still doesn't respond, limp and despondent in his grip. Boris holds her out for Ilyssa to take. While he's holding the girl out to her, he looks back at the fast approaching town of Trios, and then back at the winged woman with a smile.


"Boris doesn't have a good feeling." He tells her. "And I sure don't want this little miss to get hurt. Because you have wings and all, maybe you can fly like a birdy and take her away her to safe place."

Diddly Do

@Quote5@Metatrooper@CmdrAlfieq

“So you are the Commander I’ve heard so much about. And believe me, I know more than you might imagine.” Fanny steps forward and extends her hand to shake that of the Commanders. After shaking his hand, she doesn’t take a seat. She remains standing, gives a small gesture to her friend, Junior, to let the Commander know the drone was important to her, then addresses the Commander with the important issues at hand, saying;

“By now you are aware of Hany’s Ribbon. She is the only one of her kind. I’ve been tracking her for a while now. She has a power that is so far unprecedented in this universe. Everything she makes contact with is destroyed beyond redemption. All efforts to destroy her only makes her stronger. Combat is not an option. Only escape. But don’t be completely at a loss, Commander, previous efforts to escape her path have been successful. Furthermore, it is not unlike Hany’s Ribbon to disappear without warning. So let it be known, until she actually strikes, there is a chance that you won’t be destroyed.”

Fanny takes a moment to consider her next words, and says; “I’m a little concerned, though. Hany’s Ribbon usually targets those who have questionable principles…. So I must ask you: Is there something you’re people are doing that might make Hany’s Ribbon want to destroy you? Something that… conflicts with the balance of nature? Anything that could be deemed… Evil?”

---

"Oh goodie!" Hank replies to Ramrod, starting to sound much more confident now, "I really do like to help when I can, and to be perfectly honest with you, I don't want to die! So here’s the thing.... The Forte are a little distracted right now because they are busy being scared of Hany's Ribbon like everyone else! They're unable to jump to Transit Drive because of it. So I'll be very quick in case they revert their attention to this room again soon!"

Hank clears his proverbial throat again and explains:

You see, the Forte's tractor beam systems are quite straight forward, but very strong, I've never seen anyone break free of them! They do however have a particular weakness. An explosion! That's right, if something they have in their tractor beam explodes, it causes a cascade feedback surge through the beam and causes the central Tractor beam matrix to shut down, and in extreme case, go offline completely! Isn't that great?? There is just one little problem with that though...." He clears his throat again, and tells; "Not just any explosion in the tractor beam will do the trick. Nah-ah! It literally has to be an object that the tractor beams have a direct hold of, which in this case would be one of the many ships that are now being held in said tractor beams. In other words, Ramrod - my very new and adorable friend - one of those ships out there will have to self-destruct in order to break every other ship free of the Forte's hold! Helpful, right?"

Hank takes a deep, simulated breath and finishes:

"So, how about I go ahead and tap into the Forte's communications array and connect on a broadband wavelength with all the other ships in the area? Then you can go ahead and message them all; tell them what needs to be done! But make sure you're fast in delivering that message to anyone who is listening, because it won’t be long before the Forte realize what I'm doing with the communication array and sever the link. That, or the interference form Hany’s Ribbon might disrupt the signal. So, you ready?" He pauses for a moment. "Good! The link is now open - go ahead and send the message!"

With that said, Ramrod hears a bleeping sound come out of Hank, indicating that the Forte communication array has opened to all other ships in the area, including the Tempest.

---

Meanwhile, Siren does not receive a response from the Forte, and her attempt to disrupt the Forte's systems don't cause any real issues for the Forte vessel, at least not visibly. When Sing is initiated, the tractor beams flicker for less than a second, but never actually loses their grip. They keep holding strong. But who knows what sort of internal confusion Sing is causing for them. It might just help in the near future....

---

Strangely enough, The Forte weren't pulling in The Tempest or any of the other ships they had seized. Maybe the Forte were preoccupied, possibly by the interference of Hany's Ribbon. The Tempest, the Wave blaster, and all thirty of the Rodia vessels are suspended without moving from the Forte's grip. It would seem that Meta's plan to jump is on hold.

Fanny on the other hand is still very excited about what is happening. She follows Meta to the cockpit, beer still in hand, and sits in the co-pilot seat beside him while staring wide-eyed out at the view of space in front of them.

“It’s such a beautiful thing, don’t you think? It could destroy every one of you without remorse….” She says, and as she is speaking those very words, Hany’s Ribbon comes into view. It literally looks like a waved ribbon of violet light stretching across the stars, slowly swelling in size as it heads straight for them.

Fanny then looks at Meta and holds out her beer for him to take a sip, saying; “Why don’t you take off that helmet so I can see your face with these eyes? I’d appreciate it, and besides, what else is there to do right now?” She smiles in a way that seems far too relaxed under the circumstances. “Don’t worry, I don’t have germs.” She winks as a platonic gesture. “Dorsin ost Halit.”

In her final words, which she speaks in a way that should certainly raise suspicion, The Tempest detects Jezebel just a few meters off the Port Bow, but only for a second or two before vanishing again and Ramrod’s unlikely transmission is received from the Forte’s Ship….

---

Hany's Ribbon is now less than an hour from making contact with all members in its path.

---

@Doc Doctor

With the snap of his fingers, things were about to get very strange for Donny.

Fanny stared pensively back at Donny while the snapping of his fingers - instead of echoing out quickly like any normal sound - moved around the room as if it were a ball, bouncing off the ceiling and the floor and the walls for several seconds before finally dribbling off into the distance. In the returning of silence, Fanny’s thoughtful expression bled away to one of an impassive gaze.

“It’s a shame….” She said, “when a great man like yourself underestimates his challenge.” She releases a long, quiet sigh, turning her eyes to the door as if to think for a moment, then says; “Behind that door is a holding room. In it is a metal crate, unlocked, and in that crate are the rest of your personal effects. Beyond that room are the 23 floors of a city sized vessel filled with busy and unsuspecting Quatis.” She turns her eyes back to Donny, lifting her left hand, the one with the device attached to it. “All you need is this hand. Place in on the panel next to the door and the door will be opened for you.” She places her hand back in her lap. “All you’ve got to do is get through me then take it from me. My hand, that is. Make sure it’s still warm, it won’t work without a sufficient amount of body heat.”

She then rises from her chair, rolling her shoulders as if to warm up for a fight and gives Donny a ready nod.

“You know, I haven’t had a good rumble since Jacob. Holy Israel. Quite a man.” She pulls up her sleeves. “No dirty stuff, Donny. Just the limbs you’ve been given. Keep your blade in your shoes or you’ll be disqualified. Now… are you ready?” She gives him a wink, smiles, then adds one last thing:

“Remember… Dorsin ost Halit.”

---

@Dartbored Fairy@Zyngard

Lieutenant Shard, at first visibly disturbed by overhearing the news that a loved one has been abducted, then turns her frown to a grin from ear to ear in response to Hida.

“Oh, yes please! I was hoping for some action on my first away mission.” She places one hand on Hida’s should, which is an effectual act to note her excitement, while turning back to the door of the Station Hall, saying; “We need to take the Admiral with us. I know he’s a lot to get used to, not everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s the one man who can help you guys right now.”

As it happens, Dino Gavon has already re-entered the Hall. He has overheard the conversation. He gives Shard a sturdy nod before walking over to where the two women are standing. He is holding his rifle across his body, secure in both hands. When he arrives at the pair, his turns up his eyes to meet with Cuna, visible at the top of the stairs. Dino’s expression for Cuna is one of a man who seems to be remembering a recent forgotten memory, before he also gives Cuna a nod of recognition and turns his attention to Hida.

He said; “Am I to understand one of your fellow barbarian has been abducted?” He smirks, for the first time looking like he’s only making a joke, not serious about the name calling. “My lieutenant is certainly right about that, I can mostly likely help with your needs.”

That said, he relinquishes his weapon to the grip of one arm and raises his wrist device to his mouth and speaks into it.

“Flagship Egress, come in.”

The voice of Officer Cas is then heard on the com; “This is Cas, sir, tell me what you need.”

“Good to hear you’re okay, son.” Dino replies, “We have another situation down here. I need you to survey all preliminary and recent scans of the area. More specifically the Station Hall. Look for anything out of the ordinary.”

Cas: “Can you be more specific, Sir? We have two thousand megaquads of data here.”

Dino: “Specifically Cas, search for any signs of individuals who may have vanished from the residence in the last five minutes. Bring up all records of individual bio signatures while you’re at it. Any other reading that may be consistent with the prior. Get back to me as soon as you’ve found something. That means yesterday, son! Dino out.”

Dino then lowers his device to give what actually appears to be comforting nod to Hida, and says; “The best science officer in the Quatis Fleet is on it. Hold tight. We’ll get your friend back, even if it means missing my lunch.”

---

@jorcool

Soon after the fleet of Lanist Khaganate exit the wormhole into uncharted space, their sensors will no doubt be aware of a small one-man vessel. The vessel is adrift in the asteroid field and sending out a destress signal. The signal has an automated message embedded in it:

This is Fanny May of The Jezebel. I need help. Life support systems are failing. Please respond.

Hider

Diddly Do

@jorcool Accepted and looks good! Just keep us all up to date here when you make updates please. Join in the IC whenever you want!

Trios

Boris

---

It happened again.

Sleep Shifting wasn’t something that Boris enjoyed, and it certainly wasn’t something he had any control over. It just happened now and then; waking in a place that he hadn’t gone to sleep in. There was one instance when he woke in the strange forest of a land he’d never heard of before, at another time he woke on the sidewalk of a street in an unfamiliar town, and on another occasion he woke in a strange bed beside two newlyweds trying to make babies. In fact, there had been so many strange places Boris had woken in over the years, he was having a hard time keeping track of them all. Yet, of all those places he’d found himself in, none of them were quite so bizarre as the place he woke up in today; far above the Bay of Keol, in the large wicker basket of a hot air balloon.

It was the screaming that actually woke him, the shrieking of a young girl clinging to her daddy in terror at the sight of the large man who appeared on the floor at her feet. The girl’s mother soon follows suit, screaming like a tortured hyena while using her handbag to beat Boris repeatedly over the head as he fumbles to his feet. By the time Boris finds his footing and realizes, to his own dismay, that he is floating in a basket a few hundred feet above the water, the woman’s husband is also bellowing in terror, and no less following his wife’s example as he too starts assaulting Boris with a frenzy of punches.

Several seconds later, the passengers aboard a large boat on rout to Trios would have likely heard the approaching screams of a man and a woman as they fell from the giant red balloon in the sky and splashed into the water nearby.

After tossing her parents out in a panic of both self-preservation and confusion, Boris turns to the little girl, staring down at her with bulging eyes of instant remorse for what he’d just done. The girl stops screaming when she sees Boris throw them out, her terror now turned to deep, silent, traumatized shock as she cowers into the far corner of the basket, trembling in mortal fear.

“I sure didn’t mean to scare you, little miss.” Boris tells her with a genuine apologetic tone; “But those people were being mean to Boris. I sure don’t like people hitting me like they were, gosh.” At this point Boris had come to terms with the fact that the two people he’d just ditched into the bay were actually the girls parents, and that acknowledgement just made him feel even worse, so he just had to ask the question: “Would you like me throw you out as well, so you can be with your mommy and daddy?”

There really aren’t any words to describe the look on the girls face as she forces her eyes to meet with his and shakes her head, no.

“Well I sure am glad about that, little miss.” He tells her, “I don’t really want to throw you over.” He then removes his backpack, opens it, and starts groping around in search for something inside, saying; “Would you like to suck on some candy instead? I’ve got some very tasty candy if you want some. I don’t mind at all.” He produces a tin from his pack and gives it a shake. The sound of hard candy can be heard rattling inside. He smiles, opens the lid and squats down low, extending his reach to offer her some. “Sometimes, when I’m sad like you, candy makes Boris feel better.”

Meanwhile, the winds over Keol Bay pick up, pushing the hot air balloon fast across the sky towards Trios.

Diddly Do

@MetatrooperTKR update to your character sheet is accepted!

Diddly Do

@Uncle Spanky ey Spanky. Maybe some time you should. You know the drill :D

Diddly Do

@Eviledd1984 Good job and thanks for that! (I probably should mention you missed one spot in the edit, from what i can see, but I know it was just an oversight so it's cool XD)

Accepted! join in on the IC any time you want!

Ban the Person above you

Banned for being void of reason.

Diddly Do

@jorcool oh hi! Good to see ya. Look forward to reading it!