KaiserElectric

The Marauders (2018)

I did the thing!

The Marauders (2018)

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Commander Aamra Tulez

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”Commander, will you not be joining us? Conversations with the Committee are never quite pleasant in my experience and can be stressful. It is best to do something enjoyable afterwards, is it not? In any case, a distraction should be a nice change of ones pace and it is to honor your follow Marauder after all.”

Aamra stared as the crystalline doctor pulled up a chair expectantly, taking pause at the gesture. She'd never really been offered a seat at the games before. Granted she never really asked as she found her meditations more enjoyable then any base pleasures that came from gambling, but moreso then ever she felt as though she should make inroads to the rest of the crew, if only a little bit to maintain her integrity as an officer of the Council. Plus, it was to honor the fallen, and while she planned to honor the sacrifice of Anderson in the style of her faith on her own downtime, there was no harm in doing the same in what would have been his method of remembering those who had past.

”Did those facts properly convince you or should I tempt you by offering my sandwich as collateral?”

...and by the waters, those sandwiches sounded heavenly right about now, and she hadn't eaten since falling into her combat fervor against the pirates.

"Very well...I will partake in this," Aamra stated, sounding more like she was volunteering for a dangerous assignment then joining a poker game (which, if rumors were to be believed, WERE dangerous if some of these people were involved). Taking her seat next to the doctor, she winced as cigar smoke floated towards her. She was going to be respectful of Anderson's memory, Aamra decided, but she wasn't going to touch those things. Filthy habit.

"It seems rather straightforward," Aamra commented, rooting around for some spending cash before spotting the Captain with the girl sitting next to him. "Erm..."

"Welcome to the Marauders, kid... Teach her how to play fast, because the name of the game is Texas Hold'em, and no you don't need to know anything about Texas to play." the Captain ordered the crew in regards to the child. "Not only does the winner get the pot, but they also don't have to do their share of Anderson's chores."

Aamra frowned slightly. She had already divided up Anderson's duties among the crew, as per the proper protocol, but she decided to hold her tongue, since she didn't want to come off as insensitive. Duty and busywork was just a great coping mechanism for her, though those concerns were secondary compared to the girl being here.

"So, Cap. We, uh, babysitting now? Or...trafficking? I mean, I guess I'm okay if you all are. I just didn't think..."

Aamra fixed the pilot with a stony gaze in response to the suggestion that they were committing crimes. "We are doing neither in regards to this girl, Josk," she said promptly. "If you are so deeply curious, I will gladly detail to you the situation when the time is more appropriate." She may have been warming up to them, but Aamra was absolutely not okay with their avant-garde attitude towards criminal acts. Not yet, at least. Aamra took the opportunity to glance at her hand as she lectured the pilot as well; a King and a two. She assumed that was something tolerable to hold onto, at the very least.

Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (A Fighting Game RPG!)

Last Time on Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul

--2:31 AM, June 26th, 20XX--
--Zamindawar, Empire of Zun--

"Zaranj has gone dark. That's the fifth base that's ghosted us in the last half hour."

Defense Minister Golchin said nothing, continuing to puff on his odious cigar as he pondered the situation. Surrounding him in his office at the Shah's palace were all of the Zun government officials he could muster, all in various states of distress as they assessed the situation. He had everyone he could home for under the circumstances, but there was one conspicuous absence among the group.

"General Zaman has also remained silent," the Intelligence Director announced, confirming the elephant in the room. "Given our suspicions about the General's ambitions on the throne of Zun, I assume I am not the only one suspecting treachery."

"They certainly know where to strike. Look at where our silent bases are located," Golchin replied, gesturing at the map sprawled along the desk. "All within striking distance of border checkpoints, airports, docks..."

"They're cutting off our escape."

The gathered ministers were hushed as the cool and confident voice of Shah Farzad Darvishi, leader of the Republic of Zun, suddenly broke into the conversation, dressed in resplendent white and leaning on his walking stick. Some of the lesser ranked members of government present bowed their heads at his approach.

"No need for the formality, time is of the essence," Shah Darvishi declared.

"Shah," Golchin said reverently. "I am glad you are safe. If you'll look at the plans we've drafted, we think we can stop General Zaman from-"

"Zaman will be dealt with in time, Golchin. Right now the priority is escorting the rest of you to safety," the Shah explained as members of his royal guard entered into the room around him. "There's an emergency tunnel that will take you out of the royal palace and to the nearest military airfield. A flight is waiting for you there."

"Shah, if anything the priority is escorting you to safety," one of Golchin's more eager assistants declared. "I am proud to give my life for Zun in your stead!"

"Zun smiles on you, my son, but now is not the time for heroics," Shah Darvishi said, encouraging him with a pat on the shoulder. "I need you all to abscond from the palace, quickly. Before they arrive."

The other officials did not need convincing; many had already started to gather important documents as they filtered from the room, flanked by palace guards. Golchin, calm as always, was one of the last to leave, pausing before he left the room.

"I take it the day we feared come has arrived, sir?" he asked, quietly. In response, the Shah retrieved from inside his chest pocket a slip of paper, one he was handed fifteen minutes before the first bases began to go dark, and showed Golchin the familiar symbol printed on it. The moon eclipsing the blood red sun.

"I see..." Golchin said, frowning at the symbol. "Then all arrangements have been made?"

"They have. Take care, my friend."

Golchin nodded once more, and departed without another word, leaving the Shah alone in the office at last. Hobbling over to the desk, he perched himself on the end and began to wait, steeling himself for what was to come. As the footsteps of his government ministers and guards faded, heavy footfalls began to echo from outside the room, methodical and oppressive sounding. Shah Darvashi looked up as the doors to the room burst open, and a collection of black armored men stormed in, their faces concealed by seemingly featureless helmets.

"I had expected you to arrive sooner," the Shah told the soldiers, who all raised their assault rifles upon recognizing him. Getting to his feet, he dusted off his lapel and tossed the cane aside, a bemused smile crossing his face.

"Hands behind your head!" the lead soldier barked threateningly. The Shah, nonplussed, stepped towards them effortlessly as he rolled his neck in preparation.

"Perhaps you should have been warned," Shah Darvashi said. "No darkness can withstand the radiance of Zun."

A blinding flash of light filled the room, shocking the other goons waiting outside to reinforce the men taking point. There was a burst of gunfire and the sound of frantic hand to hand combat, followed by one of the guards flying out of the room headfirst and collapsing in a heap nearby.

"Damn it!" the leader of the goons swore as the Shah himself leapt from the doorway after him, his fists raised. "Take the Shah down, now!"

Smirking but still determined, the Shah weaved around the soldier's fire, belying his mature age as he charged with frightening speed towards his assailants, launching them with heavy blows of his fists that cracked their smooth helmets. Some of the soldiers tried to engage with retractable blades, but the Shah deflected them away just as easily, producing bursts of light from his hands to stun the soldiers before blasting them away with another powerful kick. More soldiers rushed in to replace their fallen brethren, and the Shah unleashed a burst of brilliant sunlight, flinging the oncoming soldiers through the air like a bomb blast.

"Is this the best that the dark can manage?" the Shah declared triumphantly. "PENUMBRA shall not win this-"

But the Shah was cut short as the nearby window burst open, and the warm summer air suddenly became colder. Turning around to engage the new enemy, the Shah prepared another beam of light but was knocked off his feet by something cold and heavy slamming into his chest. Momentarily stunned, he looked up at his new opponent, dressed in black as the other soldiers were but much taller, in spite of what appeared to be a feminine build, and instead of a helmet she seemed to be wearing a hood, obscuring her features outside of a pair of brilliant blue lights where her eyes were.

Steeling himself, the Shah charged forward and aimed a powerful blow, only for the woman to slide out of his range, leaving a trail of frigid ice behind her as she glided along the ground. The Shah launched more beams of light in her direction, but she spun out of their way and fired back with projectiles of ice. The Shah weaved around the icy missiles before one struck his arm and impacted the wall behind him, holding him fast. He fired off flashes of light defensively as the ice woman approached, but she simply launched more projectiles and attached his other arm to the wall as well. Approaching him at last, the woman raised both hands in the air and ripped the Shah from his restraints, tossing him about in a miniature snowstorm before slamming him violently into the ground. Winded, the Shah felt his body picked up by forces beyond his control as ice materialized around him, encasing him in a standing position up to his neck. Trying in vain to free himself, he stopped struggling as the black armored goons swarmed back around him, surrounding his exposed face with the barrels of rifles.

"Good try, Shah Darvashi," echoed a voice from behind the Shah. "But ultimately, a failure."

The woman with the ice powers shifted her stance slightly and spun the block of ice around so the Shah could face the newcomer. Adorned in the same shade of black with added highlights of red, and seemingly unarmed, the man paced forward, looking around the richly decorated foyer now scarred with the debris of combat like a curious tourist.

"You truly have resplendent tastes, Darvashi," the man said with mock admiration. "But that is only natural isn't it? This palace, these halls...they are truly a testament to Zun's prosperity, Zun's piety...perhaps even, Zun's power?"

The Shah couldn't help but chuckle at this, despite being encased in the ice. "So...you must be after the-"

"Naturally! The destabilization of a regional power is simply an added bonus," the man said, barely restraining a laugh. "This is but the first step towards the domination of the light, and I'm afraid all you've served as is a momentary distraction."

"Are you going to torture me until I tell you where it is, then?"

"Don't be so foolish. We've been scouring your armory since we arrived, all we need you to do is behave," the man said, slowly approaching the Shah. "If you're lucky, maybe you'll still be alive to see your dearest Yasmina again."

"Kraus, sir!"

The man, evidently named Kraus, turned his attention away from the murderous glare of the Shah to the two soldiers sprinting down the hall. "Ah, you found it then!" he said expectantly.

"Ah, not quite, sir," the soldier said nervously. "You see, we found where it's SUPPOSED to be..."

"And...uh...it's clearly been moved."

Kraus' expression was unreadable under the mask, but there was a definite anger in the way he looked at the Shah again, who couldn't help but laugh.

"Did you seriously think we did not know you were coming, Kraus?" the Shah taunted. "What you're looking for is long gone, in the hands of trusted allies that even I do not know the name of. The darkness will have to wait a little longer, it seems!"

Wordlessly, Kraus stepped forward and backhanded the Shah's face, knocking him out in a single strike and shattering the frozen block restraining him.

"Someone grab this useless sun worshiper!" Kraus bellowed as he stormed out of the foyer. "If he's not lying through his damned teeth, he'll know someone who does know where that thing was taken!"

"Kraus," the woman with the ice powers said at last, her voice tinged with a nordic accent. "Are you certain kidnapping the Shah is wise? This may prompt open conflict if we're not careful."

"The time to be careful is long past. We've never been closer to our goals then we are now, even if the key to our goals has eluded us," Kraus replied, watching the unconscious body of the Shah being carried along by his men. "The time to escalate is now, and after all, where does the dark thrive best if not in chaos?"

---

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--9:54 AM, June 26th, 20XX--
--Zamindawar International Airport, Empire of Zun--

As the heat rises in force and the summer of 20XX kicks into high gear, excitement is in the air for all those connected to the mystical and ancient Nomadic community. For in late June comes the true test of skill and fighting spirit for all fighters who call themselves Nomads; the World Warriors tournament!

Hosted by the World Martial Arts Federation come rain or shine, this prestigious event draws Nomads from all corners of the world to partake in its pageantry, and while many do not have the prestige (or the cash) to participate themselves, many arrive anyway just to see the pure fighting prowess on display, to meet with friends and rivals and test themselves in the shadow of the WMAF's spectacle, or perhaps simply for their own reasons that coincide with this exhibition of the greatest fighters in the world.

Thus as the nomads and spectators alike arrive at Zamindawar International Airport, baking under a Zunist sun, the atmosphere is absolutely electric as dozens of excited fighters and onlookers await the following day's events. For the 20XX World Warriors Tournament in the heart of the Republic of Zun...

"...has been cancelled."

"WHAT?"

"The Annual Tournament has been cancelled," the attractive spokeswoman for the WMAF repeated to a very angry crowd of Nomads, who had just arrived to confirm their participation in the tournament. "We apologize for any inconvenience to our participants, but circumstances beyond our control have forced our hand."

This did little to soothe the irritation of the gathered nomads, already cranky from being in a crowded airport on one of the warmest days of the year. Spotting a few flashes of ki abilities from the more disgruntled members, she hastily repeated an apology and turned to make a retreat, only to come face to face with a microphone.

"May Armstrong, Investigative Nomad!" the scrawny brown-haired girl holding the microphone shouted in a thick Aussie accent. "Can I ask some questions about this sudden cancellation of the tournament?"

"No comment!" the spokeswoman said, attempting to brush her aside, but Armstrong stayed persistent.

"There hasn't been a cancellation since the Warsaw incident in 1999," the investigative nomad declared. "What's going on behind the scenes that you're not telling us? Is there another pee tape?"

"I said no comment! Now scram!" This time the spokeswoman was more forceful and shoved May completely aside before strutting off at a breakneck speed. Annoyed, May turned her attention to the Mythic crocodile man standing nearby, holding a video camera to his eye.

"That was rude of her," the croc-man said, focusing his camera on the spokeswoman's retreat. "Least she didn't insult us like the last WMAF guy did."

"Yeah Wally, she didn't," May pondered, retrieving a notepad from her pocket and jotting down some shorthand. "If the WMAF can't make the time to verbally assassinate someone, that usually means things are serious."

"You don't think it could have anything to do with those rumors about a coup, do you?" Wally Kite the crocodile man said nervously. "We're not that kind of investigators, and I don't think I could stomach a warzone." He gulped nervously.

"No worries Wally, nothing's stopped us so far and nothing will!" May announced triumphantly, doing little to dissuade the larger man's fears. "Now let's snoop around and see if we can get some comments from the other nomads around here. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of juicy scoops we can get from this lot!"

As the two reporters worked their way through an angry gathering of martial artists, some distance away a lone, unassuming figure walked hurriedly towards the gate to the next flight, a smaller figure keeping her head down and following closely behind...

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

-and-

Like a Bunch of Other People

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"This is not going to work."

"This is TOTALLY going to work," Reisen insisted, her indignation causing the wind on the rooftop to stir. "You rob banks for a living, how are you getting cold feet on a heist?"

"I'm not good at sneaky ambushes, everything I do gives off light," Fullbright complained. "Why can't we just have Amorphous drop a blob in the roadway and cut them off?" She jerked a thumb at the good doctor, sitting nearby with a grumpy expression and fiddling around with one of his blobs like it was silly putty. Monsterk4t, who was holding up a pair of binoculars to his face-mask in a position where his "eyes" would not have been able to see through them, gave a few shrill tweets in response.

"Exactly, and if Darrow reroutes after a botched heist they're not going to slip up again," Reisen said, giving the mute DJ supervillain a slight smile. "It's not like you two won't be helping, we WILL need to fight them off. Maybe through a slaughterhouse like in the game or something."

"...game?" Fullbright repeated. "Reisen please don't tell me you got this idea from a video game or something..."

"Er..."

"Here they come!" the robotic ninja Typhoon announced, suddenly springing to life from his meditative stance. "Ready your blades!"

Reisen and Fullbright put their gripes aside and dove into cover as the caravan turned around the corner and down the side street, a pair of Humvees leading a few trucks down the alley.

"My source has told me it's the blue triangle with the goods in it, friends," Dr. Amorphous reminded them. "Those fools will pay for what they did to me..."

"I see it," Reisen said, putting a hand to her headset. "It's coming up...steady...steady...NOW!"

The convoy's peaceful trundle through the backalley was interrupted by the sound of scrunching metal as a bulldozer burst from a locked warehouse gate. The Humvees barely slammed on their breaks before the loaded slammed into the side of the truck with the goods, lifting it into the air and carrying it right on through, the four-armed tarantula girl laughing maniacally the entire time.

"Well I'm glad Fangs is having fun," Fullbright remarked. "Let's go guys, after that bulldozer!"

A sudden burst of wind scattered the armed guards trying to dismount from the trucks as the villains descended on the convoy. Reisen stayed airborne throwing guards left and right as Typhoon flipped and spun his way through the crowd below her, landing killing blows on the guard Reisen flung with perfect precision. Amorphous' blobs went to work swallowing up the boots and guns of his hated enemies as MonsterK4t launched an acoustic blast that flipped one of the Humvee's over.

"Let's move team!" Fullbright shouted, manifesting a sword and shield of light and hewing her way through the goons. "Time to get our payday!" Reisen stifled a laugh as the villains fought their way through and chased after the runaway Fangs. MonsterK4t was still flipping cars with his sonic blasts when his friends were pushing through, and as he brought up the rear, he couldn't help but pause at the sight of the cubes scattered along the ground. Figuring they must have been in the truck that just got bulldozed, the mute villain stepped back as the strange cubes began to glow...

---

"See Caliber makes me think that you use guns," Terra commented, slurping the last bit of milkshake out of her cup before tossing it in the nearby trashcan.

"It's synonymous with stature too, Ter," Maddy Fen Ming insisted. "Not a common synonym admittedly but it's appropriate for something that's both big AND small."

"Still better then Valencium," Aleks said, finishing off their own milkshake as the trio meandered down the street. "I at least know what a Caliber is."

"Oh come on, I panicked and it was the first thing I thought of!" Maddy whined jokingly. "Superhero names are hard to come up with."

"Only cause you're too smart for your own good," Terra observed. "Seriously, that's a good name for your alter ego, but it needs something punchy, like...the incredible Caliber!" Maddy grinned and said nothing, trying to hide her reddening cheeks by taking a drink of her shake.

"I'm not THAT incredible, Ter..."

"Hey, I think it's pretty amazing you can do all that size change stuff," Aleks said. "I just hope I get to see you in action like Terra did."

And right at that moment, the barrier that the group crossed in front of exploded, and a cargo truck being carried by a bulldozer careened through, the driver cackling madly. Aleks took one look at the crazy procession and chucked the rest of their shake into the trash as well.

"Well, me and my big mouth."

"Come on Aleks, let's see where that bulldozer went," Terra piped up, grabbing her friend by the arm and tugging them along behind her. "You want to change and meet us there, Mads?"

"Er, sure, sounds good."

Moments later, Caliber emerged from the nearby alley and chased after the rampaging machine. She didn't have long to run however, and found the vehicle smashed halfway through a road divider, its wheels lifted off the ground and its engine smoking badly.

"Hey, it's a superhero! The Incredible Caliber!" Terra shouted excitedly from the nearby bush next to Aleks. Rolling her eyes, Caliber crossed over and yanked the door open, jumping back with a yelp as a giant hairy lady with four arms tumbled out.

"Whoooah..." Fangs said woozily. "That was wicked fun!"

Caliber crossed her arms impatiently. "Can I ask what you think you're doing, er, fuzzy woman?"

"She's helping us, of course."

Caliber turned around and had to restrain another yelp as a whole band of villains surrounded her threateningly, weapons and powers on display.

"That truck right there is our haul," the ringleader said, pointing a blade made of light at her. "A corrupted corporate treasure to be better serving the people."

"And REVENGE!" cried a deranged looking scientist.

"So I suggest you back down before we beat worse then the barbarians in Civilization 6," a woman floating on the air demanded of her.

"Hey, I know that reference!" the bush shouted before someone punched them.

"It is four versus one, tomodachi," a robotic ninja stated. "It is best if you stand down."

"I'm a lot more dangerous then I look," Caliber said, cracking a smile and preparing to change size. Before she could grow, however, a sixth team member ran up to the group, a character wearing some sort of electronic DJ headgear resembling a cat, who unleashed a series of beeps and whistles.

"Huh...what about a genie, Monsterk4t?" the ringleader said. "Wait...genie..."

"Uh, guys," the fuzzy woman suddenly spoke up. "What are all these cubes doing?"

All of them turned to look at the truck, which at this point had caught fire, its cargo of strange rainbow colored cubes spilling onto the ground, all vibrating and glowing brighter by the second.

"...wait, I remember something like that from the news," the girl floating in the air said. "Something about..."

"A game genie?!"

"Tawagoto!"

"TAKE COVER!!!"

Everyone ran for cover as the truck exploded in a fireball, a fireball that erupted into a rain of multicolored pixels and cubes. Soon a mob of pixelated bad guys began marching out of the rainbow fireball, with additional enemies bursting to life as the cubes thrown into the air hit the ground.

"It's Game Genie cubes!" Fullbright shouted over the din. "Darrow was trying to make their own Game Genie cubes!"

"Why couldn't it have been gold or something like that?" Reisen griped.

"No time to argue, we gotta fight our way out of here!"

"Hey, but aren't you supposed to be arrested or something?" Caliber interrupted the villain conversation. Before she got an answer, laser blasts raked the ground near her as a group of giant robot wasps flew into view. Moving quickly, Caliber grew a couple stories and swatted the robots out of the air, catching one and scattering the other two.

"Yeesh," Fangs said, wrestling with a couple of Hammer Bros nearby. "I'm glad we didn't have to fight HER." Tensing her back muscles, fangs lifted up the two koopas and performed a suplex, pix-elating both of them.

"This is preferable, for these beings are truly worthy of my skills!" Typhoon cried out, slicing through a couple goons from the Ninja Gaiden games. Fullbright rolled her eyes before spotting a tossed sawblade fly towards her, just barely deflecting it with a beam of light.

"I'm gonna floss my teeth... with your face!" Fullbright turned to spot a bunch of shirtless lunatics in white masks charging out of the fire in all directions. The concise villain group soon found themselves scattered and separated, and the pixelated mob was harder to fight through then the corporate goons by a long shot.

Reisen flew through the streets, blasting away at goombas and robots before feeling something catch her behind the legs, falling to the ground, she soon found herself surrounded by viking-looking soldiers in blue cloaks and leather helmets.

"No flying away for you, Imperial scum!" one of the soldiers said.

"Skyrim belongs to the Nords!"

"Oh this is a treat," Reisen grumbled, blowing back the soldiers and flying back to her feet again. "Time to send you back to Sovvernguard or wherever you nuts like to g-"

"DIIIIIIEEEEE!"

Reisen turned around in time to see a giant of a man raising an axe over her head. Bracing for a hopeless dodge, the man suddenly roared in pain as a sword slashed across his chest and he collapsed to the ground. Reisen glanced at her savior, a swordswoman with an equally blue hairdo.

"This doesn't look like Ylisse at all," Lucina remarked, brandishing her blade at the Stormcloak soldiers. "Seems like you could still use a hand, though."

"Yeah, save my butt there princess," Reisen said, floating into the air again. "Want to wake your blade on these goons with me?"

"Gladly!"

Meanwhile, Caliber was exchanging blows with a Metal Gear at her giant size and had just downed one when something hit her in the head like a lead-lined fist. Just barely staying on her feet, she easily spotted a German Panzer IV tank trundling along the road, more realistic then the other pixelated monsters but just as fictional.

"Surrender, dummkopf!" came a comedic accented voice from within. "Stupid Amerikana and their fancy size changing technology!" Before Caliber could protest that she wasn't American at all, another shell rocketed past her from the opposite direction, exploding the German tank into a shower of pixelated flames. Caliber turned her head and spotted a T-34 roll up and come to a stop next to her.

"Tada!" came a voice from inside as Terra popped out of the top of the tank, inexplicably sporting a Russian military uniform. "Hey Caliber! I think that there must be some World War 2 shooters programmed into those cubes. Check what we found!"

"We?"

At that, the front hatch opened up and Aleks stuck their head out, sadly lacking the same uniform as Terra. "I think it's probably from Company of Heroes 2, actually," Aleks commented. "Since every shooter is about the Western Front and the Americans nowadays."

"You sh-houldn't be in there!" Caliber stammered at them. "You could get hurt!"

"Hey, I can handle this just fine. Not going to stand by and let you have all the fun!" And with a wink, Terra descended back into the tank, which trundled off to find more Nazis to run over. Feeling it was pointless to argue, Caliber turned back to the fight with the Metal Gears, only for something massive and heavy to swing right into her, smashing her into the nearby building. Catching her breath, Caliber realized the heavy thing was in fact a massive anchor, being swung by a familiar figure in a diving suit just as big as she was.

"Nautilus!?" Kaliber asked.

"BEWARE THE DEPTHS!!!"

"Yep, definitely Nautilus."

Dodging under the second anchor blow with some creative shrinking, she was about to prepare for her next counter attack when the giant sea monster suddenly lurched as something flew out of the sky and slammed into him, knocking him into the building just as hard as he had flung Caliber into one. Nautilus recovered and attempted to counterattack, but the newcomer charged her eyebeams in response.

"Not this time, crazy anchor man!"

Voyager fired her Psi-Beam right into the center of the monster's visor, causing it to roar in pain before it exploded into a shower of pixelated debris. The space alien heroine pumped her fist in celebration and made to fly off.

"It's Nautilus, by the way," Caliber found herself saying.

"Hm?"

"Oh, the crazy anchor man. He's named Nautilus."

"Oooh, I think I get it, thanks!" Voyager pondered the giant superheroine for a moment. "Hey, wait a moment, I know you! You are the lady who can change sizes! You fought that strange rock robot!"

"Er, yeah, that's me. Caliber."

"A pleasure to meet you, Caliber!" Voyager said cheerily. "Here to help clean up the pixel monsters too?"

"Well, I was in the area..."

And so the two heroes went to work, fighting their way back towards the explosion and getting rid of the pixelated monsters, at least the ones attacking the city again. By the time the pair of them started working the police had arrived in force, and the rest of the fighting was fairly easy. Caliber handled the big guns while Voyager kept things clear of the small monsters. Soon enough, the mini-crisis was over and the scene had finally calmed down.

"A job well done!" Voyager said proudly, dusting off her uniform. "We should do this again sometime, have a proper team-up. Are you local too, Caliber?"

"Sorta, yeah," the now normal-sized caliber said, feeling a little shy in Voyager's presence. "I'm just glad to help any way I can, really."

"Me too!" Voyager said cheerily. "It was nice to work with you, Miss Caliber!" The size-changing heroine meekly smiled, which vanished as a news camera went off nearby.

"Ugh, do they have to...?"

Voyager shrugged. "You get used to it, sometimes."

Before they could respond, a piercing shriek erupted from the crowd as one of the white-masked men sprang forward, a grenade in each hand.

"Drop-kick your babies!" the psycho shrieked. "I AM IMMORTAL!" The words barely left his mouth before a blast knocked him backwards and out of harms way, before he exploded into pixelated goo.

"Lucky me I brought my shotgun," Jordan Fletcher shouted over the crowd, cocking the gun and stowing it on her back. "I heard about what happened and hurried over. Someone told me Darrow was involved, so I wanted to be sure."

"Well, I'm glad you came," Caliber said, looking noticeably paler. "I don't want to know if those grenades were real or not."

"This was still fun, though!" Voyager announced. "I do hope we can do this again sometime!"

"And hopefully for a long time afterwards!" Jordan said with a laugh.

"Haha, yeah," Caliber said, spotting Terra and Aleks waving at her from nearby. Terra still had the officers hat on. "Hopefully for a long time."

Voyager offered a handshake to the size-changing heroine, who accepted it. The cameras went wild.

---

"Oh I so do enjoy a happy ending!"

Sitting in Maddy's loft apartment, watching the scene unfold on her fancy TV Screen, Primetime leaned back on the sofa and unfolding his arms. Snapping his fingers, the TV set turned off on its own and the strange tv host alien leapt to his feet straightening his tie. Finding it satisfactory, he leaned over to scratch Maddy's cat Kaiser behind the ears, who either didn't notice or didn't care about the smiling alien creature in his owner's house.

"Course you were a bit late on the anniversary, but I suppose better late then never, eh?" Primetime snickered. "Ah, well. I'm sure if you would talk back, you wouldn't stop meowing about how wonderful all of these people and characters are, and how grateful you are to be a part of this. So chatty!"

Swirling his hand around a bit, he produced a shot glass, already filled with liquor. Walking over to the glass walls of the loft looking over the city, he raised a glass to the world outside.

"Here's to you, friends. Five incredible years, and many more to go!"

The Marauders (2018)

And there we go. I wrote thinking someone from the crew would peer pressure Aamra into joining in, so go ahead and hop on that. :P

The Marauders (2018)

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Commander Aamra Tulez

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Aamra stepped onto the platform alongside the Captain, wincing slightly as the white-light holograms filled the space in front of them, some pleased to see the two of them, others decidedly not so. The Galactic Council was a lot of things, and mercurial was certainly one of them. Still, Aamra bowed her head in respect as Chase did, clasping her hands together in the traditional Tazygos gesture, and remained quiet as Chase was interrogated by the Council, with the captain constantly bringing up the loss of Anderson and the Council continuously demanding to know about the "cargo" they sent the crew to retrieve.

"Enough for us to figure out what was in it." Chase finally declared, letting the idea stew for a moment before continuing. "A whole lot of nothing."

Now there was a silence that spoke volumes. As a couple of the council members shifted in their seats, Aamra exchanged a glance with Chase, admittedly an uncomfortable one on her part given the circumstances. Wordlessly, she turned to look at Bruma, who hadn't taken her eyes off of the Tazygos since the conversation started, and had been fixing her with the same gaze one might use on a curious and dangerous animal in the zoo. A gaze she got far too often from superiors in the past, who saw Tazygos as primitive brutes, saw their tradition and faith as backwards superstition, and felt their race would have been little more then cave-dwellers were it not for the Tu'Veeri holding their hands.

Aamra being here, standing in front of the council in this uniform, was supposed to break that gaze, to show that the Tazygos deserved to be among the stars and treated as equals and someone like her could become an officer of the interstellar fleet. And yet here she was, fabricating a lie to the highest officials in the galaxy. The part of her that wanted to prove she could be that officer begged her to come clean, reveal the deception. She would earn the favor of the council and become the hero of her people, everything she could have wanted, right?

At long last, G'Pol cleared his throat and turned his attention to her. "Is this all true, Security Officer?" Aamra did not hesitate for a second.

"I was present upon the retrieval of the designated cargo, sir, and personally inspected the crate to ensure it matched the designations that you provided," Aamra announced officially. Subtly, she turned to look right into Bruma's eyes as she continued.

"The crate, by all measurements, did not contain anything of note. Outside of the aforementioned debris, of course." The reaction by the council was even more pronounced, especially from Bruma, who rose to her feet so quickly that the hologram projection stuttered.

"Then clearly you have made a mistake!" Bruma said strongly, barely restrained from shouting. "Not that I'm surprised..."

"I've gone over all the identifiers and biometric signatures twice, Councilwoman," Aamra declared coolly. "This is definitely the crate that you sent us to collect, unless you believe the Ulnar are acting completely contrary to everything Council Intelligence has observed about them." Getting a burst of inspiration, she reached into her suit pocket and pulled out her info-pad. "I can go over my procedure in detail if you would like, Madam Councilwoman, as well as the indicators and communiques from Intelligence to back up my observations. I will need to delay my next cargo inspection but if it soothes your concerns I would be more then happy to postpone so we can settle this matter."

"Ah, that won't be necessary," a Tu'Veeri council member interjected in a diplomatic tone of voice. "We had no intent of judging your competence as an officer, Commander Tulez. Admiral Dalize's faith in you has not been misplaced."

"Thank you, Councilman," Aamra said humbly, slightly bowing her head. Bruma made a sound that might have been a scoff as she sat back down, no longer intent on speaking.

"In any case, it seems we have some deliberation to do," G'Pol declared, more to the council itself then to Chase and Aamra. "Return to base and get ready for the next assignment. We'll be in touch." In the blink of an eye the lights dimmed and the holograms fluttered out of sight.

"Send the real report to the Admiral. Right now she's the only one I trust."

"I was going to suggest that myself," Aamra responded. "One wonders what the Council knows that we don't about this matter..."

Chase nodded solemnly. "Come on, we got other things to attend right now."

---

Chase's speech to the crew in memory of Anderson was very touching. Still, Aamra held back slightly, hovering near Rae as she made those grilled cheeses that humans were so fond of (and had to admit they sounded pretty good). Quietly contemplating all that had happened, she didn't really consider whether or not she would join the game. She had respect for Chase and a few of the crewmen, but at the end of the day, she was still an officer, and they were...well, the Marauders.

Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (DEMO MODE)

New game: Start?

Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (A Fighting Game RPG!)

Vindani Zaman

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⦋ ??? || ??? || Female ⦌

APPEARANCE & PERSONALITY

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APPEARANCE

Vindani is a naga, a Mythic who is half serpent and half human in form. She tends to 'stand' around 5'9, though she is around 10 feet in length from head to tail, and her skin is a mix of pale ivory and sapphire blue scales that match her hair. Her eyes are also a brilliant shade of gold, and both her fangs and claws have a paralytic venom in them. Most notably, Vindani has a mastery of shape-shifting, and can take on nearly any form she chooses to the point that few are certain they've seen her "true" form. She tends to keep her two pet snakes, Thos and Taral, on her person, oftentimes using her shape-shifting to make it appear that they are part of her body to some degree. She's often adorned in blue and gold to match her color, and she also fights with the help of a serpent shaped staff, a weapon she has unique mastery over.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

-Mercurial
-Playful
-Haughty
-Hedonistic
-Enigmatic
-Narcissistic
-Self-Important
-Seductive

BACKSTORY & MOTIVATION

Little is known about the mysterious naga sorceress known as Vindani. Temptress, charlatan, and thief all at once, Vindani has appeared in and out of history for centuries, mingling with the wealthy and famous and dedicated at all times to one thing; herself. Some say she's a harmless pleasure seeker, others say she is a vicious viper waiting to strike down those in her way. Whatever you call her, Vindani has only one answer; she is simply the best, and she deserves the best, even if it means taking it from you!

FIGHTING STYLE & ABILITIES

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FIGHTING STYLE

Vindani fights in the tradition of the Naga, favoring agility and precision over blunt force, and using her serpentine tail, claws, venom, and ki magic mixed with traditional hand to hand fighting, using her staff as a melee weapon. Her style is to toy with enemies, baiting out their stronger attacks and confusing enemies with her obfuscating ki abilities, some of which allow her to take on the form of her opponents and turn their own abilities against them. She also isn't above fighting dirty and will happily use every advantage given until she finds just the opening she needs for a final, decisive strike.

SPECIAL MOVES & TECHNIQUES

■ Mirror Match

Vindani shape-shifts and briefly takes on the physical form of her opponent, copying their appearance indefinitely. She can attack briefly in the copied form before the disguise breaks (she can mimic basic moves but not physical ability), and the disguise instantly breaks if she herself is attacked.

■ Mirror Backlash

When in Mirror Match, Vindani can mimic an opponent's special move, using her ki to mimic any peripheral equipment such as guns or weapons. Doing so breaks Mirror Match immediately after the move, and she can only perform special moves that aren't dependent on other abilities (ie form changes or setups)

■ Sidewinder

Vindani swings her naga tail at an opponents legs to trip them up. A basic move that because of the size of the tail can outrange most melee attacks.

■ Elusive

Vindani vanishes with a seductive laugh in a cloud of smoke, turning invisible. She gets a boost of agility to reposition if she performs this as part of a feint or a counter move, and it is broken after a brief period, or when she attacks.

■ Poisoned Kiss

Vindani spits venom at an opponent, staggering and potentially blinding them. The venom is caustic, but doesn't do much damage on its own.

■ Rattled

Vindani creates some distance by swinging out with her tail, knocking them away.

SUPER MOVES

■ Wrapped Around My Finger

Vindani wraps her tail around a stunned opponent and squeezes them like a boa constrictor. She gently and affectionately brushes her opponent's cheek with her hand, only to backhand them twice and slam them into the ground with her tail.

■ Never Saw it Coming

Vindani vanishes from view, confusing her opponent before he is given an intense beatdown by an invisible opponent. When he is left staggering, Vindani reappears performing a Mirror Match and laughs at her opponent before knocking them away with a haymaker.

■ Cobraaaaaaaa!

Vindani blinds her opponent with venom and calls upon her ki to transform into a massive hooded serpent, fangs bared. When the blindness wears off and the opponent sees the massive serpent, Vindani grabs them in her fangs and swings them into the ground like a ragdoll repeatedly before spitting them out and spinning around to send her tail crashing down on the enemy's head.

WEAKNESSES & LIMITS

Vindani thrives on obfuscation and is at her best when she is in control of a fight. Consequently, she struggles against opponents who don't get duped by her abilities, or are able to control the battle and restrict her movements. She's no slouch in terms of physical strength when the chips are down, but without her ability to obfuscate most fighters will run circles around her.

OTHER

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She is able to move her staff telekinetic, though she keeps a good grip on it during a fight.

Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (A Fighting Game RPG!)

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Nomadic Fist: Radiant Soul (A Fighting Game RPG!)

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