Year 60,000

[Specter Knight]

OOC

Apologies for the poor wording. Lash was aiming to Ram, but I didn't intend to Autohit.

 

IC-Lash

 

the Kaiju was knocked aside by the huge steel fist, it dived back into the water, head aching, before using its tail to lash out at the Jaeger's legs, keeping out of reach of the arms.

[Makuta Miras]

GM IC: Lash

 

Unfortunately for Lash, it's very hard to lash out at a Jaeger's legs with your tail whilst still keeping your distance- a manoeuvre which did but earn a bolt of plasma flying towards Lash's back in the few seconds before the Jaeger was swept off its feet, landing hard on the sea floor, although no major structural damage had been dealt.

[Specter Knight]

IC-Lash

 

As the bolt of plasma seared the Kaiju's back, it cried out in pain before slinking back into the shadows. Moving swiftly, the Kaiju started circling the Steel colossus, waiting for an opening...

[Makuta Miras]

GM IC: Lash

 

The Jaeger quickly got back to its feet, deploying a small blade on its right arm in readiness for a melee fight, keeping the plasmacaster charged and ready at the same time to attempt to get in a quick hit with the plasma before having to resort to melee tactics once the Kaiju attacked.

 

GM IC: Smackdown

 

As Smackdown's fist came flying towards the Jaeger's mask, said mask's power activated, throwing up a shield of energy around the Jaeger- a shield which Smackdown would soon find his fist slamming into.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Chandra Nalaar

[Nato G]

IC: Darken - Stelt. 

 

Hew knew he couldn't hide in here forever, so after waiting a few moments for the plasma clinging to his hide to cool and dissipate, he took to the air, exploding up out of the semi-destroyed factory and soaring up towards the clouds.

 

These structures were difficult targets; he'd have to be more careful in future...

_____________________________________________________________________

 

IC: Tonitrui - Ocean.

 

Lurking deep below the surface, the near-invisible creature swam slowly, silently, across the bottom. A maze of rubble and wreckage from previous battles littered the bottom - her own private playground. 

[Ghidora131]

IC Dessimus

 

Finishing, Dessimus barely avoided running into two workmen before reaching Avak again. "Sorry for the delay."

[Timageness]

IC: Smackdown - Zakaz

If Smackdown was surprised that the Jaeger's Kanohi had prevented the blow from doing any real damage to his opponent, he certainly wasn't showing it.

Instead, the fact that his fist hadn't connected seemed to only make him angrier. Having no prior knowledge as to how the mask actually functioned, the Kaiju continued to attempt to punch through it, figuring that the machine's act of trickery wouldn't be able to protect it forever as long as he continued throwing haymakers towards the general direction of its user.

OOC: Written under the impression that the mask functions similar to a standard Hau, just on a much larger scale. Please notify me if an edit is required.

[Makuta Miras]

GM IC: Smackdown

 

As the timer on the Hau's activation ran down, unaffected by each impact, the Jaeger's right hand- the hand with the clearest shot at Smackdown- morphed itself into a plasmacaster, the firing end of the weapon embedded in the Jaeger's arm appearing in the palm. 
 
A blue aura of light began gathering itself around the plasmacaster.
 
A high-pitched hum filled the air, as the crackle and smell of ozone became distinct from the air.
 
And then just as one of Smackdown's fists lifted from the Hau's shield, the Kanohi deactivated-
 
 
Followed by a volley of plasma aimed towards Smackdown's torso.
 

 

GM IC: Darken

 

As the Kaiju took off, the turrets launched a number of shots at the fleeing monster.
 

 

GM IC: Plot stuff

 

On Xia, Stelt, and Zakaz, the news began ringing out. In newspapers, by word of mouth, by the radio, or in carefully-scripted letters.

 

The time to move was coming.

 

Metru Nui, and a whole new world, were waiting.

 

 

GM OOC:

 

Okay then, plot stuffs! (Yay) The Shatterdomes have now been notified of the plan for survival- which is, for those of you who didn't know, to go to Metru Nui and try and get everyone out of the GSR. Any Jaeger pilots who want to join on with the first expedition to investigate Metru Nui should go to the Zakaz Shatterdome. Any Artahka-affiliated pilots who want to go should ask the Carpathian to join the Artahka contingent of the expedition.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Chandra Nalaar

[Timageness]

IC: Smackdown - Zakaz

Since there was so little distance between himself and the Jaeger, and the Kaiju's rage had caused him to completely neglect to notice the signs of the upcoming attack, Smackdown had absolutely no chance of dodging the shots coming his way.

Thankfully, partially due to the recoil of the weapon itself and partially because the pain of the plasma had caused him to begin stumbling backwards as it made contact, no two blasts landed quite in the same spot, leaving the force behind their collective impacts to send him crashing into the structures behind him as the projectile's aftereffects proceeded to quickly eat its way through his hide. Had they landed as intended, they most likely would've burned one very large hole straight through the Kaiju, spilling what was left of his guts into the vacant streets below.

As he went down, however, his tail swung itself to the left in a relatively wide arc, smashing its way through buildings and sending a variety of debris flying in the direction of his opponent. While entirely unintentional, the settling dust could've potentially been enough to disrupt the Jaeger's line of sight...

[Nato G]

IC: Darken - Stelt. 

 

He twisted and lurched through the air, his considerable size making it difficult to fully evade all of the shots flying up after him. But then he finally made it up into the cloud layer, out of the firing line. 

 

Free and clear, he started to fly back in the direction of home...

[Void Emissary]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, "So what's your hobby?"

 

IC:

 

...

 

What was his hobby? Did he even have one? He liked coming down to the Lantern for a drink ... liked networking with folks he thought would help him out later ... he liked playing cards when he knew he had the upper hand ... but did any of those count as a hobby? Mal figured that they must have; they must have, because otherwise he wasn't really doing anything good with his life right?

 

...

 

Malinus cracked a grin, running the pad of his thumb along the edge of his glass.

 

"I like cards," he said, tilting his head up ever-so-slightly. "Poker, cribbage ... anything with a stake on it, you know?"

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

"That's cool," she thought it over, "Is that why you became a jaeger pilot? To play for high stakes?" 

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"Yeah, pretty much," he said, taking a sip of his drink.

 

That's a lie.

 

He put the glass back on the table and said, "Actually, nah. Not really. Why I'm here is a little more complicated."

 

Not complicated at all.

 

"You ever heard of the Vod Consortium?"

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

She recalled the name being mentioned a few times by the Ghosts who'd been in charge of distribution, back in the good old days. "Big shipping company or something, right?" 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Avak:

 

"Thank you.... Alright, let's see... Seems simple enough, we'll have it ready in about 12 hours."

 

He turned away from des sinus handing the clipboard to another engineer, and returning his attention to Oblitus' Jaeger.

 

Meanwhile, globule was led into a chamber with another Kaiju, one with restraints.

 

Every so often, Arthaka found Kaiju that were too feral, too wild to be broken. These Kaiju were dealt with in a most appropriate fashion.

 

The restraints opened.

 

Globule received its order.

 

"Kill."

[Nato G]

IC: Globule - Artakha HQ.

 

Unwavering, almost robotically obedient, Globule did as it was bid.

 

Weak and weary from weeks of torture, confused by a sudden attack by another of his own kind, and disoriented by Glodule's poison, the unfortunate creature could do little to prevent Globule from seizing his head between its pincers. 

 

Giving a brutal twist, and a vicious yank, Globule snapped the baffled captive's neck and tore its head clean off, showering the room's interior with fetid, steaming blood.  

 

Dropping the gore-spattered trophy, Globule sat there next to the twitching corpse, waiting for its next order. 

Edited August 11, 2015 by Of Australian Origin...

[Void Emissary]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

She recalled the name being mentioned a few times by the Ghosts who'd been in charge of distribution, back in the good old days. "Big shipping company or something, right?" 

 

IC:

 

"One of the biggest," Malinus boasted, grinning. "My great-great-great grandfather, Seraphinius Vod, started it up out of a one-room apartment in the worst part of Metru Nui. He'd just moved there from the Southern Continent with nothing else but the clothes on his back and barely two widgets to his name -- Karz, the Consortium started as him hauling boxes of butcher knives from one block to another."

 

What are you doing, Mal?

 

"Eventually, it grows and grows, until its basically a kingdom all unto itself." The Ta-Matoran chuckled softly. "My grandfather, Heraldus Vod, he actually called it that. A kingdom of crates and boxes, and ruled by a king of daggers to open them with. So, he starts calling himself the Dagger King. The Consortium starts dealing with more accountants and shareholders and stockbrokers, but at its head, there's always a Dagger King."

 

Why are you telling her this?

 

"My grandfather is king; then my father. I know that my turn's coming, so I spend all my time studying and working and coming up with new ideas for the direction that the company should go in, ready so that my tenure as king is the best one anyone's ever seen. And, obviously, eventually, I do become king."

 

You idiot--

 

"I sit at the head of the conference table, flanked by those accountants and shareholders and stockbrokers and media men, and I'm all ready to throw out some new ideas." Malinus grinned, but the grin was hard and bitter and full of hate. "And what do I find, but those accountants and shareholders ... well, they've got ideas of their own. Ideas that are better than mine; so much better that they don't even need to hear mine. They talk and plan and discuss, and all I do is sit at the head of the table and nod and sign papers and look pretty, like a china doll in a cabinet." His bad leg stiffened, and he barely held back a wince.

 

"Eventually, one of their better ideas is to have a representative of the company fight in a Jaeger; you know, show support for the cause, get some publicity. And who better for the job than the Dagger King himself. Nah, no need to ask him if he wants to go out and risk his life in a metal death trap alongside a bunch of people he doesn't even know against living Cthulhu monstrosities; why should we ask him that?"

 

Pain lanced through his fingers, and when he looked down, he saw how hard they had been digging into the wood of the table.

 

"I'm the Dagger King," Malinus Vod said, his voice a murmur, "but my kingdom ... I guess I shouldn't miss it. I never even had it."

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

"I..." she stumbled over her words, unsure how to even respond to something like that, "...I'm sorry." 

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"Yeah," Malinus said, his voice hoarse. "I win on the ol' dramatic story front every time, don't I?"

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

"Yeah, pretty much..." she agreed, "...my story's pretty standard by comparison. Kaiju destroyed my home, killed my friends, and now I want payback. Simple as that." 

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Groundpound

The kaiju continued to roar, and struggle against his restraints.

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

Now that shook Malinus out of his pity-party.

 

"Where was your home?" he asked, inspecting his injured leg and trying to look nonchalant.

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

"A little coastal village on Nynrah, originally."

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

Malinus nodded, leaning forward until his elbows were on the table, but saying nothing. He had been of the belief for a long time that when people told you about tragedy, silence was often the best response. He remembered how hollow Emalia's "I'm sorry" had been to his ears; he knew that she'd meant well, but ... still.

 

The moment of silence hung for what seemed an eternity.

 

Until....

 

...finally....

 

"I think this calls for another drink," he said quietly, giving his companion a cautious grin.

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

"That's probably a good idea, yeah." 

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

One side of Malinus' smile grew as he waved for a waiter -- as it would turn out, the same one as earlier.

 

"Harrag, can we get a pitcher of beer for the table?" he asked, hanging one arm over the back of his chair. "I was just telling Emalia about my love life, so I think we both need to take up drinking."

 

Harrag chortled a little, and soon enough, a pitcher of Xian light was sitting in front of them, condensing in the warm room. Malinus took it and leaned forward, as though to fill his companion's glass; but he shot her a questioning glance first, asking permission.

 

The true Dagger King should never forget his manners, after all.

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

She nodded for him to go ahead. Another drink or two wouldn't kill her, after all.

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

Mal winked and poured her a glass, then poured himself one. Setting the pitcher down, he raised his beer in....

 

It seems wrong to call it "cheers"....

 

"A toast," he said, instead. "A toast to tragic backstories."

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

"Why not," she agreed, raising her glass, "everyone's got one, after all." 

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"I'll say," Mal said, taking a sip of his drink. "When in Rome, do as the Romans; when in Xia ... have awful, soul-crushing experiences, I guess."

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern.

 

"We're better off than those on Stelt, I hear." 

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"Were I a man prone to homages, I might've made a crack--" Mal lowered his voice to a scratchy almost-baritone. "--about wretched hives of scum and villainy."

 

He grinned as he sipped his beer.

 

"Fortunately," he added, "I'm not."

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern. 

 

She smirked, "If you say so..."

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"I think I made a point not to say it," Mal said, matching her smirk pearly-white-for-pearly-white.

 

Oh God, Vod; you're -flirting- with her.

 

...

 

More to the point, you're flirting -badly- with her.

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern. 

 

"Okay," she took a sip from her drink, "so, how long do you think it'll be before another giant monster decides to go on a rampage on our island?" As much fun as it was sitting here chatting in the bar, pretending the outside world didn't exist, no amount of alcohol was going to make her forget the destruction that lay just beyond the Sunlight Lantern's doors. 

[Void Emissary]

IC: 

 

"We could head back to the Shatterdome, if you wanted," he said, waving one hand airily in the air to show how little preference he had to being here or there.

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern. 

 

"Nah, it's fine. If something happens, I'm sure we'll know about it soon enough..." 

[Makuta Miras]

GM IC: Smackdown

 

The Jaeger quickly got up, narrowly avoiding a few of the larger pieces of debris. Now standing above the buildings, the pilots once again took aim at Smackdown.

 

GM OOC:

 

Just for clarity's sake, the Jaeger isn't actually firing at Smackdown yet.

[Some Random Phrase]

IC Proto:

Hearing teh word on the street, Proto immediately decided he wanted in on this. SO he stepped off towards the nearest transport hub.

[Void Emissary]

IC: Emalia - Sunlight Lantern. 

 

"Nah, it's fine. If something happens, I'm sure we'll know about it soon enough..." 

 

IC:

 

"Fair enoug--"

 

"Hey, Ella!" came the shout from across the room. "Turn up the radio, would you. Can't barely hear nothing!"

 

The sound of static grew louder and Mal gave Emalia a shrug as he glanced over to the barkeep. The Vortixx was fiddling the knob of the radio, though she barely seemed to be looking at the contraption. Slowly, the thin sound of a voice was unearthed amongst the crackling of interference -- there was always a lot of that after a Kaiju attack, Malinus had found.

 

"--otice to all citizens -- bzzt! -- atterdomes have been informed of new plans -- bRZZt -- expedition to Metru-Nui -- BZZT! -- ssibility of evacuation -- BZZZZZZZZZZZZT!"

 

There was a moment of stunned silence in the Lantern.

 

...

 

-Void