Lady Takanuva

[DATA EXPUNGED PER O5 COMMAND]

[REDACTED]

IC: Keitara (Reunited, and it feels so good!)

Kei's heartlight skipped a beat as she looked up. For a brief, tense moment her grip tightened on her shield, but suddenly relaxed as she realized who had made the noise. Her heartbeat returned to normal, and in fact sped up a bit.

Skorm! Irna! And… what was her name again? Knichou's friend, the Toa of Magnetism.

Kei partially dropped her cloak and waved like a madbeing. "Irna! Skorm! Erm… Magnet Girl?" Kei called out in a voice she hoped was loud enough to carry across the ship but not to alert the crew below. "Fancy meeting you in a place like this!"

Kei made a 'come hither' motion with her shield-free arm and added "Strategize with us?"

(OOC:

@The UltimoScorp, @Tarn, @Keeper of Kraata, @Conway)

IC: Keitara (Atop the Taku)

A faint chattering noise filled the air from below, followed by the drumming of bullets raining against the underside hull of the *Taku.*

Adrenaline shot through Kei's body. Aches forgotten, she yanked her shield free and slid and staggered until she'd planted herself between her fellow Toa and the sound of impacting bullets. "Kat! Stargazing tour is over! Those bullets sound like they're moving this way, and I highly doubt there's enough protosteel on my tiny butt to keep us both safe!"

(OOC: @The UltimoScorp)

IC: Keitara (Atop the Taku)

The glowing light from Kat's attack flowed through Kei like warm milk. The cold, melancholy starlight was suffused with rich, golden firelight. It shot through Kei's system like adrenaline. Her stomach was sour, her joints ached, her head was starting to throb… but she was still in the game.

"Kat," she winced out through her migraine, "got enough… more in me for a bit. I'll try… try and cover us until you head below."

Bold words, she thought as she swooned slightly against her shield. Spots were dancing at the corners of her eyes, although they'd already begun to fade by the time she processed this. Her body had been through Karz and back in the last day, and while it had yet to present its bill it had begun hanging around the table meaningfully, whistling as though to suggest that while of course the customer's business was always appreciated in such an establishment the restaurant had closed several hours ago and the wait staff would very much like to be getting home, as it were.

Kei shook her head muzzily. Her thoughts really were getting woozy.

"Um… but the sooner the better, perhaps?" The Av-Toa squeaked out as she leaned against her shield for support, the cloak rippling slightly.

(OOC:

@The UltimoScorp)

IC: Keitara (Atop the Taku)

Keitara gave the Ta-Toa a tremulous smile, the light flowing across her body giving her a watery, glasslike appearance. A leaden ache was settling into her stomach from the effort, and it was becoming harder and harder for her to keep track of the various thoughts racing about in her head.

"Thank you." She said, and meant it. A slight sunny glow suffused the Av-toa, then vanished into the shimmering cloak around the ship.

Kei's mind cleared slightly, enough to fully feel the ache in her body from all the power she had expended in the last twenty-four hours. Just a little longer, she told herself. Come on, girl. You've got this.

(ooc: @The UltimoScorp)

IC: Keitara (The Taku.)

The Toa of Light nodded back toward her captain and friend. If by some miracle they all survived this, she'd have to ask him more about their past. Especially what had happened to lead him to trust her with the safety of the entire ship.

Kei's thoughts were roiling beneath the veneer of focus she was devoting to hiding the Taku. What he'd said… ghosts. What had that meant? She could have sworn she'd remembered, briefly, but her mind was so fragmented. Any traces of the memory were scattered and lost in the shards of her forgotten past.

Kei poured her frustration at the situation out through her hands and into the latticework of light which was doing the job of several rather exotic metamaterials. It was finicky, but somehow she was able to intuit parts of it. The rest was just… feeling. She was going with a strange combination of brain and gut, which was somehow more disheartening than trusting either on its own would have felt.

She had been Knichou's apprentice. He seemed to be very technically minded. Part of Kei was awed by his casual mechanical knowledge, and her heart ached slightly with… was that jealousy? No, not jealousy… admiration. The others seemed to respect him as an expert on mechanical matters. Kei felt a warmth within whenever she looked at mechanisms. Perhaps that was their connection. But how could a ghost work on mechanisms? 

She shook her head slightly. Already her joints were beginning to feel stiff, and a slow leadenness was just beginning to enter the pit of her stomach. How long can I keep this up? She thought. Please… whoever is out there, don't let me fail my friends. Let me have the strength to keep them safe.

(OOC: @BULiK. Alao, if anybody Aspect-y wanted to invade Kei's brain @Vezok's Friend, the door is officially open. Though mind, if Kei loses her focus things might go bad for the Taku....)

[REDACTED]

Name: Myka

Breed: Matoran

Element: stone

Faction: Crichton

Description: Myka was one of Zakaz' original inhabitants, before the Skakdi took the island for themselves. Despite what one might expect, she took to the chaos and violence of her new home to heart. Assisting her guardian, Crichton, Myka is a jack-of-all-trades, master of none who assists the Toa however she can. 

History:

Before the fall, Myka was a fairly ordinary, if a bit excitable, Po-matoran. She lived in a village neighboring a local jungle, and thought of little else besides foraging for food and catching the gaze of a certain charming Le-Matoran. Eventually, the two women began courting. Myka's love in turn loved flowers deeply, and so Myka would always surprise her with bouquets of freshly-gathered wildflowers when they would meet.

The attack came while Myka was in the forest. When she returned to her home, the village was in smoldering ruin. She found her love among the ashes,  the flowers dropping from her nerveless fingers. She slumped beside her heart, now lying scorched and broken on the barren ground.

She has no memory of how long she stayed there. The smoke was so thick it could have been hours, or days. Eventually, a Toa searching for survivors found her, and dragged the nerveless matoran to safety.

Myka may come across as an almost incurably cheerful individual well adapted to the brutality of the Wasteland. But in reality much of her demeanor is meant to keep others at arm's length. She will make acquaintances, buddies, but hesitates to make true friends. Part of her still lies burning in that village, leaf-green armor withered to charcoal.

Personality:

If you have ever played the game Borderlands 2, I would like you to imagine Tiny Tina's personality. This will bring you a long way towards understanding Myka. She is boisterous, impulsive, goofy to a fault. and more than eager to punch first and forget she was supposed to ask questions later. In spite of this, she takes great pride in her work as a mechanic,  even going so far as to paint flowers on her favorite creations in honor of her lost love.

Despite her seemingly bizarre violent tendencies Myka is actually quite personable, and loves company dearly. What few people get past all of her defenses and become, despite her best efforts, important to her… she would give absolutely anything for them. At the current time this number solely includes Crichton 

Flaws: Myka is very slight, and though she is wiry for her size she is still simply a matoran. If it came to a real fight she likely would not be able to hold her own. Additionally, her armor isn't in the best of repair and has been occasionally known to seize up or creak ominously.

 It is not truly known if Myka's seemingly unstable nature is due to her personality, the events she witnessed during the assault, or some other factor as of yet unknown.

Equipment: She wears a tool belt whose pockets are filled with everything from spare bolts to small explosives. Nobody ever steals from her, as the last skak to try and pick her pockets needed to find a replacement hand. Slung across her back two weapons: an aged hatchet with a rag grip and a broken-headed wrench whose handle has been shaved to a ragged edge, making it the world's strangest sword. There is a filthy, ragged plush hanging from her belt named Laika. If one tries to touch her without Myka's permission there is no aspect or great being who can save them.

She wears a cracked Great Kakama, whose bottom half has long ago been broken off. This half of the mask has been refitted into a breathing apparatus which filters out solvents and shrapnel in the air as well as several nasty kinds of chemicals once used by skakdi warriors. The mask's lenses have inserts that can block out bright light. allowing her to weld with solely the mask as face protection.

IC: Keitara (Much like John Cena, you cannot see her)

"Give me… a moment." Said Kei slowly. "This takes… a lot...of concentration."

Figuring that they were still far enough for raised voices she called hoarsely "Knichou! We need...a bit of information. Where to target on a ship… and if Kat can siphon some of the Taku's heat. Please, and thank you, and if you could call so she can hear it… I've got my hands full, unless y'all want a jittery cloak…"

Her focus straining like a frayed support cable, Kei returned her concentration to the task at hand. The faint imperfections that had begun to form in the cloak rippled, then smoothed back into virtual nonexistence.

(OOC: @ultimoscorp @BULiK)

IC: Keitara (Now would be a bad time for me to give her altitude sickness, eh?)

Kei was in no fit state to think too hard about this newest development. Slinging her shield across her back and straddling the ladder, she turned around. "Knichou, don't you go mistreating that poor van, okay? Make sure whoever is down there treats them right."

Without waiting for a reply, and while her mind was still slightly elsewhere, Kei hauled herself up the ladder onto the top of the Taku.

Away from the lights of Metru-Koro, the sky was a kaleidoscope of color. Kei's breath caught in her throat. A silky violet-blue ribbon of stars crossed the sky, twinkling like a pool of some exotic plankton.

Her feet shifted as Knichou continued to adjust the ship for takeoff. She should probably have waited a bit longer, but if she could have them cloaked from takeoff the Taku might have a better chance of evading notice. Shaking her head to dispel her enrapturement at the night sky, Kei readied herself.

Snagging her shield off of her back, Keitara drove its protosteel tines into the ship's hull plating. Locking her arm against its back, the technician observed her surroundings. See what the situation provides, she thought, find a way to use it.

Well… for an Av-Toa there wasn't much. Her bread and butter was light, was it not? But… there was still light here, was there not? Whispering, ancient starlight. A prickle started within her stomach. Strangely alien, but yet again not unfamiliar.

"A star's heart: still beating, still lit." She whispered under her breath. It must have been a line from a poem she'd heard somewhere. But yet… She was a Toa of Light. Starlight filled her veins just as protodermis did.

Placing her palm flat upon the Taku's hull, she let ghostly threads of starlight flow through her fingertips, weaving together with the faint glow coating the ship's surface. Once her net was woven taught, she twisted the skein just so.

Light flexed, and shadow flowed into the gaps. With a ripple, the ground far beneath Kei's feet became visible, and then to her momentary lurching discomfort so did she. But she composed herself, collecting her thoughts and keeping her breathing steady.

Her job had begun.

The Taku had vanished

(OOC: Okay, Taku. You're clear to proceed. @BULiK @Keeper of Kraata @Conway @Tarn)

5 hours ago, Conway said:

IC: Irna | Taku Bridge

"I'll ... I'll go with you, Skorm," Irna said. "Two of us there couldn't hurt."

IC: Keitara (Bridge- the Taku) 

A small squeak emanated from Kei at Irna's statement. She fought to keep her face neutral as the carefully stacked, yet still fragile, blocks of her confidence swayed. Skorm and Irna both undertaking a dangerous mission? Her stomach soured at the thought of losing both of them, and her hand instinctively tightened around Skorm's. She wanted to say she would go with them, to try and keep them safe. But the events of the swamp played across her memory: the agony on her friends' faces. Skorm's desperate pleas, and possibly worst of all the agonized scream of the crab she had poisoned. So, as Knichou spoke, she nodded affirmingly even though behind her shield her hand was knotted in the fabric of her impromptu cloak. The Taku needed her help. The best she could do to keep Irna, Skorm and the others safe was to help Knichou disguise their approach.

(OOC: @BULiK @Keeper of Kraata @Toru Nui @Conway)

IC: Keitara (Bridge- the Taku)

Kei considered this. "To be honest, I'm not sure. It sounds safer than the last big attempt I made to use my powers." 

She played out the scenario in her head. "The big thing is I'm not sure I could do it blind. I'd almost need to be outside…" Kei hefted her shield, showing off the lethal protosteel blades on its edge. "That being said, I think I'd be able to stay in place once I got out there. If you could manage a quick flight to get me to the top I could give it my best shot if nothing else."

4 hours ago, Keeper of Kraata said:

IC: Skorm (The Taku, Metru-Koro)

"Getting onboard one of their ships was my plan. I... used to be a part of the league, I don't know how many of them know I deserted. I may be able to get one or more of the ships called off if I can get on board. Enough of them are just following orders that I could try an appeal."

OOC: @BULiK @TL01 NUVA @Toru Nui @Conway

Kei gently took Skorm's hand and squeezed it. After all of his talk of wanting to offer himself as a distraction she was scared of what he might attempt. Still, she knew she'd need to trust him. They'd all need to trust each other if they wanted to get through this day.

(OOC: @BULiK @Keeper of Kraata @Toru Nui @Conway)

IC: Keitara (Bridge, the Taku)

The bearings whirred away as Kei considered and re-considered her plan. "How far away would you need to be to erect a temporary zipline? Or to drop a couple individuals with improvised parachutes? It'd be hard to make them to proper specification, but with luck one of those levitation kanoka you were mentioning should soften the impact enough to minimize chance of injury. Once inside, the goal would be disabling the levitation grid and jamming the increase-weight grid into activation. We'd still need to clear out the ships, but with them on the ground we won't need to simultaneously manage a dogfight. Their weapons may not work as well on ground. And, most importantly of all, they wouldn't be able to make a run on Metru-Koro."

Kei stopped to take a breath. What was she even suggesting? This was insane, just as bad as her self-sacraficial attack in the swamp.

Kei composed her thoughts, then faced Knichou. "I know the plan is full of flaws. Tell me why it's impossible, and I'll try and find a way to make it possible."

(OOC:

@Tarn @BULiK @Keeper of Kraata)

IC: Keitara (Cockpit- the Taku)

Kei turned to Nale. "I think we're on the same slate here. I don't like the idea of slaughtering a whole shipload of beings either. But Maybe that won't be necessary. If we can ground the ships, it would make boarding easier and we might be able to more easily capture the crew rather than slaying them. And as for how to get on, I may have an idea there as well." She turned back to Knichou. "Does this ship have any grappling cable? And any cylindrical bar stock metal or old support girders? Oh, and maybe something that could reduce weight or create buoyancy in a target?"

(OOC: @Tarn @BULiK @Keeper of Kraata)

IC: Keitara (Cockpit- the Taku)

Keitara anxiously began adjusting her shield. Then her eyes fell on the long tines and flat cutting blades on its end.

"Knichou…" said Kei slowly, "How do these ships stay up in the air? Furthermore, how would one go about making them not do so?"

(OOC: @BULiK @Keeper of Kraata)

IC: Keitara (Cockpit- the Taku)

Kei's thoughts raced on greased bearings. She didn't have any tactical background she could remember, but still… the thing was, she realized, if she looked at the situation she was capable of breaking it down into pieces. She could see the pattern of things. It was simple logic. 

Long story short, Keitara had an idea. She turned to her Twi-Toa friend and companion. "Skorm, would you feel comfortable with IV coming along with us? I may need his help."

She then turned to the Taku's pilot. "Knichou, one of the two ships fighting against the League will need a mechanic more than the other. Which would you place your widgets on?" Then, in a more serious tone, "I know it seems odd to trust them, but isn't there an old saying that goes 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend?' It may be worth it to offer help. Of course, if you ask me to I'll happily stay here and do what I can to aid in any necessary repairs. Time to see whether or not you were telling the truth about me being one of your Ghosts, eh?"

(OOC:  @BULiK @Keeper of Kraata)

IC: Keitara (Zero Hour)

(Reccomended listening: Heretic, Hero from the Halo 2 soundtrack)

The horn roused Kei from her blissful slumber. Shaking herself, she looked around. Everyone was scrambling to battle stations. Kei's mind, fully rested, clicked into gear. They were under attack, they must be. It had begun.

Light shone from various stone lamps and panels. It wasn't much, but Kei felt it trickling into her body like fresh, cold water. Slowly, her blue nimbus began to creep back to life. Grabbing the fabric tarpaulin she and Skorm had been using as a sheet, she threw it over her shoulders and used a shard of metal from her lance to pin it at the front.

Hefting her shield on one arm, she sprinted for the cockpit.

When she arrived, she addressed Knichou. "Orders, Sir" she said. "What can I do?"

(OOC: @BULiK)

IC: Keitara (sleepytime hours)

"Yup! It's...Knichou...." She shook herself slightly.  "I-it's Knichou's airship. Oh! Skorm, by the way, I forgot to mention! Knichou is an iron toa, and he recognized me! Apparently I was dead, and... before that a ghost? I swear it made more sense when he was saying it." Kei blinked groggily. The lack of light wasn't helping things, either. Unlike a toa of fire or water, who could draw strength from their element day or night, the dark of evening meant that Kei was subsisting on whatever gasps of power came from nearby lightstones and... Kei squinted at one hut as they passed it. Was that a glowing fish in a jar? She must be more tired than she realized. The point was, she was still drained from her little stunt in the swamp. Normally the remaining daylight should have seen her through, but as it was she'd been running on fumes. If it weren't for that little trick she'd been practicing earlier she'd probably be catatonic.

"Mmph," she concluded sagely. "Too groggy. Brain...even foggier. Maybe Knichou's ship has blankets?" She turned and very deliberately and carefully addressed Ulkarr's chest: "You... ahm... wouldn't happen to know which airship is Knichou's, would yuh?" she asked, gesturing to the solitary airship lit by stonelight by the city gates.

(OOC: @Toru Nui @Keeper of Kraata @Conway)

IC: Keitara (Teen Titans assemble!)

Skorm looked exhausted. Come to that...

As if it had been waiting for an excuse, the day's exhaustion hit Kei like a steamroller.She had nearly depleated her elemental energy, been healed from near death, undergone repeated physical and emotional shock...

The events of the day stepped up to Kei and mugged her seemingly all at once. Had her eyes already felt this heavy? Her head so muzzy? She had been so wired she could hardly remember.

She shook herself internally. She'd fallen apart plenty of times that day, now she needed to pull herself together for the final stretch.

Blearily, Kei turned to Irna and Skorm. " 'm... I'm gonna head for Knichou's airship. I'm... I'm absolutely exhausted. I figure if I conk out... *yawn* ...there, I'll be all ready to go come morning. Also I won't risk missing our flight." She turned to her four companions. "Any of y'all want to come... come with?"

(OOC: @Toru Nui @Keeper of Kraata @Conway)

IC: Keitara (Teen Titans assemble!)

Kei's laugh had just the tiniest bit off about it. "Yes. Funny, that. But no, Ghost as in..."

There it went. The thought had been there, she'd slid into it like a needle in a record groove. And then... pushed away. She had to talk more with Knichou. The more she could learn about her past, maybe the less this... this *whatever* blocking her memories could do to stop her.

"...well, I'd have to ask Knichou."

She hesitated for a second, then asked hesitantly "Why? Do you... are ghosts a common thing around here?" Her voice held a bit more interest than she meant it to. "Do people often escape from the grave?"

-(OOC: Kei, subtle as ever. @Toru Nui @Keeper of Kraata @Conway)

IC: Keitara ( Team up for battle, we fly...)

Keitara let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding when she saw Skorm. He hadn't gone off on a suicide mission. Her friend was safe.

Well, safe as someone in a city about to be under seige could be.

"Howdy, stranger," said Kei, smiling faintly, "you from 'round these parts?"

1 hour ago, Toru Nui said:

IC: Ulkarr and Klawne (Metru-Koro, Outside Sans's Hut)

"Excuse me." Ulkarr spoke to Irna and Keitara. "Perhaps I could assist you in... whatever it is that you're doing, I presume trying to defend this settlement?"

Kei turned around, addressing this newest arrival. "Certainly. Every set of hands would help. I'm hoping to assist Knichou. He has access to an airship and is a Ghost to boot!" Kei paused, then added "...along with apparently being my teacher while... while I was a Ghost as well..."

(OOC: @Conway @Toru Nui @Keeper of Kraata)

IC: Keitara ( Team up for battle, we fly...)

Kei giggled damply, then gently lifted her mask to dry her eyes. Sniffling, she re-folded the cloth and passed it back to Irna. "Thank you. You're... you are a good friend."

Re-adjusting her mask of emulation, Kei smiled up at her new teammate. "Ready when you are" she said.

(OOC: @Conway)

IC: Keitara ( Outside the Sans' Hut Convention Center)

Kei gently took the cloth, and looked questioningly up at the woman before her. "What is this?" she asked softly.

(OOC: @Conway)

IC: Keitara ( Outside the Sans' Hut Convention Center)

Kei nodded, fighting back tears that stung the corners of her eyes. "Thank you" she whispered, then "I agree. After the battle. We'll have all the time in the world to talk then."

The Av-Toa gulped down a fortifying breath, and then added "Do you know anybody else who might be willing to tag along? If not, we could always make for Knichou's airship and scope things out."

(OOC: @Conway)