"You forget," says Tycho as he comes into the room, having already caught snatches of the conversation in his approach. Covered still in a thick layer of dust from the days mining, today the mechanical Solar comes baring hunks of stone. Ore, actually. Iron ore, unexpectedly pulled from the earth. "That our dear overlords themselves will show no hesitation towards employing loyalists to assault us. Peaceforce dogs and others who buy into their self-proclaimed mandate to rule. If the refugees have a real role to play in battle, it will be to counter the threat of these. To keep them from doing to us what Third suggested we do to the Terrestrials."

He stops, rather abruptly, and seems to remember that he has a reason to actually be there. Holding up the lump of ore a little sheepishly, he looks around. "I've been distracted, haven't been keeping up. Has anyone returned from that settlement we found yet? It may be a little late, but our efforts could have produced something of value beyond readying the refugees."

"Very well, I'll bow to your understanding of tactics.  I wasn't aware that peaceforcers posed any real threat to us either.  At worst I suppose one of them might cause a little pain but that's nothing to worry about.  Perhaps I'm underestimating the Mortal forces of this world."

"By themselves or, more likely, with the Terrestrial's aid, they're a threat not to be taken lightly," Tycho answers emphatically. "They're very well equipped, very well trained, and optimistically they outnumber us a hundred to one. A mortal alone isn't much of a threat, but a hundred of them in artifact armor and armed with shock pikes is. If they actually threw all of their weight against us at once, I don't think I'd care for our odds."

"Not everyone's basically made of iron"  Danae winced.  "Ordinary people would probably die from the damage I've seen you soak up--even most of us would be in a lot of trouble under those circumstances...  In any case though--we 'Do' need something to counter the Peaceforce units we'll be running against on the way up--after all, it's our job to do the heavy lifting--but we also mostly had the element of surprise when it came to the Water District, as well as the fact they wouldn't have their serious forces in that area as well--what happens if we take on a unit of Gunzosha Troops who have been augmented by Terrestrial magics?  What happens when they dispatch powerful monstrosities towards us?  What happens if we have to deal with other collared Celestials?"

Danae crossed her arms, face clouding over.  "We can't do this alone--the Builder Bugs will be great allies--and if we can find and convince this "Free" and any allies of his to come to our cause--we'll be in better shape...  But ultimately, if we want to liberate this district--we'll need to reach the Earth Gatekeeper--and they won't be treating us lightly the second time.  We need strong soldiers to help distribute the load--so we can all hold up our own shares."

Dena folds her hands together and thinks this over a moment.
"Very well, if they can be equipped with this artifact armor I can see how they might survive and be useful to us.  But. . . it's difficult to see how they might win against, for instance, the young Solar in the warstrider we were forced to kill in the district of water.  But I have not worked with them or seen their skills.  Perhaps I an underestimating them based on their actions in the Gatekeeper's domain.  A pupa does eventually grow it's wings and emerge." she nods and thinks some more, planning out her next sentence beforehand.
"Perhaps, Third, we could have our practice match in front of them to see their reactions, and possibly give the mortals a look at what Exalted combat is like.  The observant among them might learn a few things about balance and movement, the basics of the Art.  I'd suggest a naked match, no armor, weapons, or shapeshifting so we will avoid any serious damage, and fight to three falls.  Would this be acceptable?"

OOC~ I'm thinking that, given how long working out the dice would take, we should just freeform it and call it training time, although we'd surely be using a few charms we can just roleplay out the effects.

"Indeed, the important fact to remember here is that while it is true that we can do many of the things the refugees cannot, truth is that by definition, our role will be different than theirs. It should be our responsibility to handle those threats they cannot handle, while they take care of those things they can."

"As much as the enemy tries to keep the refugees in a position where they feel powerless, they themselves do not hesitate to make use of them when necessary. That fact alone should prove that they are not nearly as powerless as they would like them to believe. And past this fact, I am certain many around the Coils also believe it is their fight as well as ours. As I mentioned before, they were imprisoned just as we were - our chains were only more apparent than theirs."

"I am glad to hear the news of the builder bugs' offer for aid. This is another asset that might prove invaluable with time. The fact that you all managed to uncover that they were responsible for taking this part of the Coils offline is something that might be infinitely useful to us. They might be able to move where we cannot, or establish connections we could not without them. I wonder if they could manage to put us back in contact with the Gatekeeper of Water, for example."

"They indicated that they would make the attempt." Dena answers.  "We shall know when their envoy visits if they succeeded or not."

Third slowly nods its head. 'The finest way that we can hope to train the mortals would involve the awakening of their Essence, and training them in a Martial Arts style. Even Blade is simple, effective, and is of the Root of the Lotus- Normal mortals will be able to practice and master it. It would not be easy to train them, but even a fang of martial artists would be a massive advantage for us.' Third looks towards Dena. 'Third accepts the idea, but cannot claim to be anything more than a novice in the Even Blade style, as of yet.' it says, bowing its head to her politely.

"Hmph, martial arts. Six years of sitting around with your legs bent until some bald man with a long mustache tells you that you're ready to break rocks with your pinky. There are better uses for their time," Tycho rasps dismissively, gesturing with the handful of ore.

The Peaceforces attitude towards martial arts was one of the things that had rubbed off on Tycho during his time with them. Magitech and alchemy are their preferred tools, not cabalistic disciplines. You don't win a battle doing backflips and making funny hand gestures.

"If we're really going to convince people that they're stronger than the Terrestrial want them to think, it's going to take something other than just teaching them how to hit things," Tycho turns his head towards Danae. "Do you think these bugs of yours might be able to get us up with something resembling paper?"

"Hmm, I agree"  Danae said.  "So long as we remain undetected, we have some time to finish developing--especially if the Dragon Blooded think we didn't get out of there intact--so it's probably best to make a rounded education.."

She then also paused, and added.  "Probably have everyone take a week or two off as well--they've been working amazingly hard the last while--and there's only so much you can push that before they'll rightfully begin thinking that they just traded off one set of masters for another.  Set a few boundaries for the sake of maintaining safety and secrecy, and just allow for some time for rest and relaxation for everyone?  That's my call in any case--I've still got some more work to do until I can finish up with our gear in any case...  Probably another two or three weeks at the pace I've been keeping up--probably double that since I hope to get involved in further exploration of the Lost Corridors in the future as well."

"Hmm, perhaps some sort of celebratory festival?  Celebrating that we're all still breathing?" Dena suggests.  She thinks over Tycho's question for a while.
"The Builder Bugs are not precisely wasps.  I believe I saw silk production but their own writing is on layered enamel-like laminates.  And silk may be too expensive and difficult to work with to replace paper.  However I'm sure you can get a better answer from them shortly."

"I agree wholeheartedly with this statement - the refugees need more than training alone, though their training is of utmost importance. I have been spending most of my time trying to work with this other side of their development - human minds and feelings are my specialty, and thus I am currently trying to help each individual to become a more discerning and mentally strong person. It is a slow and careful process, but I believe the refugees are already starting to gain a sense of confidence they previously lacked."

The doctor smiles at Dena, and inclines his head slightly. "That is most excellent news, miss Dena. I am glad that you and mister Third managed to gain such allies in the form of the builders... Getting contact with the Gatekeepers, for one, might help us greatly in the task ahead. I recall a time where they were some of our greatest allies. The Gatekeeper of Water remembered such a time as well. I dare hope that we can use what remains of this previous alliance to continue moving forward."

"I. . . see.  I did not realize you were so old.  In a chamber they kept to their makers I had flashbacks. . . it was as if my warform had feathers and many arms.  No tattoos, I think it must have been first age.  The bugs are very ancient creatures."

The Doctor smiles again, inclining his head properly. "Ah... well, that is a complicated matter, in all actuality." He says, his expression apologetic. "This form is as young as it looks. The time before its awakening makes it difficult for me to conciliate my memories at times, however. My sense of self has a tendency to come at odds with the raw information contained within. There is a time where I was one, then a collective, then a shard of a collective. When I was born again, I was made so that this would regulate with time."

"That was... a rather confused explanation. I apologize." Higura inclines his head again, looking slightly flustered. "Suffice to say that I have multiple sets of memories - mine and fragments of some other peoples - and it makes it slightly difficult to separate the individual sets at times."

He smiles a bit more widely at Dena's words, however, visibly interested in her observations. "That is a very interesting thing you experienced. Perhaps your previous life knew and interacted with the builders. Who knows, perhaps your old self participated in the inception of their society..."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:36, Thu 05 Mar 2009.

"I suppose it's possible, I'm not sure why I'd have feathers though.  Perhaps I became a chimera at some point.  At any rate it doesn't seem important enough to worry about now." Dena considers this.
"No, not important.  However we were planning a festival for the mortals.  Would it be appropriate to set it for the appearance of the builder bug visitors, and celebrate allying with them?"

Third nods. " It seems as though it would make an excellent way to both properly greet the Builder hive, and to offer the mortals some time for rest and relaxation. It has been a trying time for them." says Third, speaking after a long time of silence during the discussion of past lives.

Its own past life is becoming clearer and clearer... And there is precious little within Third but echos already. It doesn't like to admit it, but it can't remember it's parents names anymore. The whispers of another time fill it.

Week 3

Three more days pass peacefully, allowing the gathered Celestials to hone their skills, help with crafting or mundane tasks, or discuss further the preliminary plans to receive the Hive Queen. They learn from Tycho and Higura that they are planning a full meeting with the refugees at the beginning of the next week. There could be more discussion then, if the others wish to participate, and the refugees could hear something of the current situation, as well.

Tycho spends the time not devoted to the refugees' training to begin what appears to be a writing project. From Granite Creed's old office he finds some spare paper, pen and ink -- enough to start on his first significant foray into the literature of rebellion.

Unfortunately, the camp has still heard nothing from Nanaret, Dashu or Xurizu. The assumption continues for the time being that it would be wiser to wait for their return, as they are three of the most suited to move safely through the sentries between them and the Conclave. However, as the days stretch onward, the prospect that they may have been put in danger is one the Celestials cannot quite ignore.

It is not until the first day of the third week that the status quo is disturbed.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:02, Sun 08 Mar 2009.

The time for evening meal is near when one of the sharper-eyed refugees reports to the gathered Exalts in a hurry. "Someone is approaching the camp. I don't know if he or she is alone. But whoever it is is coming right this way."

It is not the first time one of the B25 patrols have passed close enough to be a potential security risk. Almost immediately the refugees pass on the word in hushed tones: "Lights out, fires snuffed, keep it down. Could be an intruder." They know as well as the Celestials do what would happen to them should their settlement be discovered, and the recent weeks of training and rhetoric ensured they would not easily give up their newfound freedom. Hive Irix Chilomena may have isolated the Lost Corridors from AIs and sensors, but there is still the slim chance human patrollers could stumble upon them, should they have reason to wander from their usual circuit.

On the outskirts of the settlement, Talia Zerith has to stop and catch her breath, leaning on a nearby rock formation. She has been running for some time now and she could only hope that she'd lost any chance of Dragon-blooded pursuit. What she thought was the light of cookfires had drawn her this way, hoping to find another group of sympathetic vagrants like the beastman gang that shielded and helped feed her before. But the light she saw has faded and she's not quite as certain she saw what she saw any more...

---

OOC: PCs in the mining settlement - you have a chance to try to get a look at who's approaching (perc+aware) and/or try to remain unseen (wits+stealth if it's to set an ambush, dex+stealth if you are moving). You'll get a penalty or bonus respectively, due to darkness. [Private to Alus Tycho; Grinning Turtle: you're included in this as well, if you end up having the time to post.]

Talia, you can roll similarly to see whether you can spot the settlement, or just try to hide.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:00, Sun 08 Mar 2009.

Talia peers carefully around the rock to see if there is any sign of her pursuers, and then ahead, to where she thought she had seen lights.  "I categorically refuse to believe that I'm seeing things.  Maybe things have been a bit stressful recently, but not so much that I'd lose my grip on reality...and this does not count as talking to myself."  She remains there for a moment, silently debating the relative risks of approach and avoidance.  Finally, with a stifled sigh, she begins to move carfully forward.


[Private to GM: 21:24, Today: Talia Zerith rolled 3 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,9,9,7,2. Percep+awareness.
21:29, Today: Talia Zerith rolled 3 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,3,8,5,10. Dex+stealth. ]

Pursing his lips, Higura nonetheless remains calm as the refugees announce the possible arrival of an intruder - but he immediately springs into action, leaving nothing to chance.

Using darkness to conceal his own presence by stepping aside from the main path, the doctor melts into the shadows at a point where he knows he will be able to observe what is coming for them. And yet, it is not with his eyes that he watches as he remains cloaked in the dark - rather, he closes his eyes for a moment, and slows his breathing to the point where it almost seems like he will enter a trance. During that time, Higura dreams.

There, surrounded by darkness, his memory returns to the time where he was a part of the All Seeing Prochorus. A time where his sentience was limited, where the world was nothing but shining strands, a complex arrays of potential futures and possibilities. Where feelings were nothing but a distant echo of the past, their experience as far away as the horizon line; where all that remained to distinct the difference between human emotions was colors and luminescence of the otherwise invisible threads binding them to one another. He had been Prochorus, then. He had overseen the whole of the Coils, an infinitely complex web of strand and threads, and could reach through all the districts with but a thought. He could read the probabilities at will, but could make no use of them. That part was the dominion of the corrupt servant of the stars that operated him, and the Dragon Chosen that commanded them. Now, Yaishin Higura is once again a man, but he still remembers the way the Coils used to look to Prochorus.

It is those senses he casts forward, towards the possible source of the commotion. He does not as much gaze in that direction as much as feel it. He assesses it, reading whether therein lies opportunity or danger, and otherwise lies in wait.

When the response comes to him, he will know how to act.

[Private to Gatekeeper: Activating Prior Warning to see if what's ahead is danger - and using stealth to remain concealed during that time.]

Believing that the "stranger" is likely the hive delegation, possibly early due to a different definition of "day" in the sunless eternal underground, Dena doesn't bother to hide and instead goes out openly down the tunnel to spot the visitors and greet them.

Third, sharing Tervila's general assumption, agrees to accompany her out to greet whatever the stranger may be. If it is an enemy, two martial artists should be capable of finishing off any patrol in a relatively quiet manner, but ideally, it will be easier to state that they are simply squatters or something similar to that. It walks silently alongside the Lunar, having grown to feel some level of kinship with her after the shared experience of the journey into the hive. The solar keeps itself alert, footsteps fading into oblivion as it listens and looks for anything out of place.

[Private to GM: OOC: You rolled 3 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((9,10,4,4,2)). Perception+Awareness]

Higura feels a chill run down his spine. His limited sense of the strands of fate tells him something threatening is approaching, but it does not confirm whether it involves the person the refugee lookout announced, or something else. The creeping feeling that tickles the Sidereal's nerves makes him certain the source has to be more than one entity, though.

While he considers this, Dena and Third walk on through the darkened settlement toward the outskirts where the 'intruder' is supposedly coming.

Talia finds that whomever she thought she had seen ahead of her has saved her the trouble of finding them: they are coming straight toward her. There are two figures illuminated by very dim light. Both of them are rather short, though not weak, and she is pretty sure at least one of them is female. They are not carrying any weapons she can see in their hands -- in fact, they don't seem to be wary or suspicious at all.

Third can make out few details in the gloom of the caves. Talia is invisible to him and Dena due to the weak illumination (with the lights of the camp cut off) and her care to remain unseen. She can potentially surprise them, or observe them before coming out.

[Private to Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge: Oops, forgot you rolled Perc+Aware already, so ignore the part in the dice log where I rolled for you. We both got the same result, anyway.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:03, Mon 09 Mar 2009.

Talia sees the two figures approaching, and slows.  "Ok, no weapons as far as I can tell, but--heh--I guess I know as well as anybody how much that means.  They don't appear to moving aggressively, but then, they might not know I'm here," she thinks.
Talia continues her approach--but cautiously.

From the darkness, Higura sees the two figures headed out, and almost in sync feels the unmistakable chill that accompanies a dark fate lying ahead. From the shadows, he immediately calls to them in a hushed tone, in the hopes that they will hear him and change their heading.

"Miss Dena, Mister Third!" He calls out, half stepping out of the shadows to show them who spoke. "Be wary - I cannot explain what, but I do feel danger up ahead. I am not able to pinpoint which form it takes, but danger is on its way - please be careful. Perhaps someone with ill intentions is approaching the encampment."