He grimaced as he followed into the building, his voice calling out a warning.

"Surrender, those who love Draconia. Surrender, those with honour. If you do not, at least come fight those who can fight back. Test your mettle against -mine-, or die without any honor left - and stripping your family of all honor."

As Sereth enters, he sees three figures waiting for him with guns drawn -- the one he'd seen and another pair.

They trade some quick, unspoken calculation among themselves.  Then the pair who'd been lying in wait fall back again; the final one, though, draws his sword and lets his sidearm clatter to the dark steelwood floor.  He raises the blade upright before him in a momentary, formal salute.  Then he springs forward at the Legate, whirling the blade in attack!

OOC:

22:16, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman, rolled 14 using 2d6+7 with rolls of 1,6.  Attacking Sereth: Fighting(3) + Strength(4).
22:18, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman, rolled 11 using 2d6+5 with rolls of 5,1.  Defending against Sereth: Fighting(3) + Strength(4) -2 (second action).

"Some honor then."

Returning the salute, his blade was out, and he duelled with noted skill.

OOC:
13:23, Today: Sereth rolled 17 using 2d6+9 with rolls of 3,5.  Attacking guardsman.
13:23, Today: Sereth rolled 18 using 2d6+9 with rolls of 4,5.  Defending against guardsman. (Free action due to Fighting Man trait.)

Reminder, as it's been a while, using ancestral sword I have an effective strength of 8 for damage purposes. This might be kinda nasty.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:33, Fri 13 May 2016.

The courtyard is rapidly become the scene of a general melee.  One of the Draconians, the first one that chased Smoke Alarm onto the roof, is still sprawled and groggy where he fell.  The one wrestling with the girl on the ground finally shrugs her off, and she comes up with her back to the wall, squaring off against him as he starts to rise, and starting to look around for something with which to properly defend herself.

As Lestasel and the Emperor continue their struggle in the center of the patio, Smoke Alarm's shot tags her target in the hand, ruining his aim at the Emperor.  "Mmf!" he snarls.  He shifts his aim, and sizzling energy blasts out at Smoke Alarm!

The one who she'd previously disarmed, meanwhile looks around frantically, and his eyes finally light on the sturdy trellis that his stunned compatriot tried ascending.  He makes for it, and starts to climb himself.

The remaining pair that are armed and unaccounted for do finally get off shots at the Emperor, and Smoke Alarm is amazed to see how he spins out of their line of fire, even encumbered by Lestasel as he is.  It's almost like they're dancing.

Not very much, though.  Smoke Alarm hears a hiss of pain from the embattled pair, and she sees vivid green stain their robes.  Draconian blood?  If so, it's not immediately obvious who got sliced with the sword that they're struggling over.

OOC:
Ties go to PCs.  In this case, since it is a flat tie, I would like to say that it does not actually disarm the Draconian, but it does make him firmly fixated on Smoke Alarm.

22:21, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman, rolled 17 using 2d6+10 with rolls of 6,1.  Dodge Smoke Alarm: Awareness(3) + Coordination(3) + Called Shot(4).
22:22, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman, rolled 12 using 2d6+4 with rolls of 3,5.  Firing at Smoke Alarm: Markmanship(3) + Coordination(3) -2.

22:33, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC The Emperor, rolled 19 using 2d6+8 with rolls of 6,5.  Dodging: Coordination(2) + Awareness(4) + cover(2).
22:32, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman, rolled 15 using 2d6+6 with rolls of 5,4.  Shooting the Emperor: Awareness(3) + Coordination(3).
22:31, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman, rolled 14 using 2d6+6 with rolls of 5,3.  Shooting the Emperor: Awareness(3) + Coordination(3).

Stanley and Kallann move out ahead of the Draconian they've co-opted.  His compatriot gives a momentary scowl when he sees the guard returning, which quickly shifts to surprise when he sees that his partner has apparently bagged a pair of malcontents.

"Who exactly are these, then?"

"Counter-insurgents and enemies of the Minister, doubtless.  I found them preparing a trap, before I managed to get my weapon trained on them," says their influenced ally, with a disturbing degree of sincerity.  "I knew it would be important to get them back here to you."

"Yes?  Well, we can lock them up with the staff and the watchdog on duty here."  The second State guardsman moves out from behind the aid station checkpoint, drawing his sidearm.  He nods at another door off to the side of the area, with a security pad and a sign that says STERILE SURGICAL FACILITY.  "Move, you two."  He starts to make his way to the keypad, with his weapon trained at the door -- perhaps there's someone inside that he needs to cover when he opens it.

OOC:

In the deteriorating situation on the roof, feel free to dial in some use of the allies you've collected -- mooks can clear out mooks without getting too worried about the mechanics of it, and you will essentially be clear to join Smoke Alarm at this point.  Basically the point of the guy engaging Sereth was that he thought he could physically obstruct him by getting in a hand-to-hand fight, and he was right, for about five seconds.

Footing it fastly, Smoke Alarm swerved, evading the sizzling zip of lighting that scorched the ornamental scrollwork over her head. Easy-peasy! On the roof, she stayed moving and quick, as hard to hit as a rat before dinnertime, reloading on the run with a skill borne of lifelong use hitting self-same rats.

That wasn't going to help her end the to-do though; wasn't going to make anyone sound-and-safe. Already the kitchen-knife had hurt someone, the Emperor or Lestasel she couldn't eyespy. Smoke could've ended this all by putting a bolt in the high minister, but the idea didn't occur. He wasn't a dog or a cleaner, but he might've been a rat. She wished Sereth was here to sort this out. All she could do was try.

She drew a bead on the next guardsman's raygun and fired, to shoot it from his hands. Less rayguns meant less danger, and people attacking the Emperor. Those attacking her she could deal with.


OOC:
Fighting, 2nd: Dodge the raygun: 16, looks good.
17:07, Today: Smoke Alarm rolled 16 using 2d6+9 with rolls of 2,5. Awareness(4) + Coordination(5) + Kang Fu(2) - 2.

Do: Reload

Fighting, 1st: another ranged disarm against someone attacking the Emperor, 17
19:02, Today: Smoke Alarm rolled 17 using 2d6+12 with rolls of 3,2. coordination(5) + marksman(3) + crossbows(2) + Crack Shot(2).
This message was last edited by the player at 01:17, Sat 14 May 2016.

Sereth's blade weaved in a deadly arc, first parrying with skill, and it swung around... and swerved, knocking him out instead of killing him.

"He would have."

That guard, skilled as he actually was, had been little more than a speed bump for Sereth. Diplomacy was his life, but the art of war was in his blood. He had to do this right. He continued onwards, marshalling his troops.

"Those with blasters, set to stun. Those with swords well - alive if possible, but your own lives are paramount. And Lestasel. Is. Mine."

Mooks could be forced to surrender, maybe even made to see the right way. Leaders, there is often no choice.

For her part, The Traveller works to keep lesser opponents away from Sereth, so that he may conduct his duel uninterrupted. One gun is held up and the other pistol is pointed at the lesser functionaries, urging them to stay back.

It is good that there is a sterile surgical facility, but what is that watchdog? Stanley hesitates. On the one hand, it looks like the guard is going to pay attention to whatever lies beyond that door. That could be the distraction they are waiting for, but on the other hand, Stanley doesn't like the introduction of this unknown watchdog into this situation. Looking at it like that, they should do something before the door opens.

"Banana," Stanley says the trigger for the post-hypnotic suggestion he had planted in the first guard. Now they have to deal with the one near the door,  "Stop! The tables have turned, don't try anything funny, just lay down your weapon and we won't hurt you..."

OOC: Presence +Convince + Voice of Authority?
17:55, Today: Stanley Newton rolled 16 using 2d6+7 with rolls of 4,5.  Presence(3)+Convince(2)+VoA(2).
Without VoA it is 14.

This message was last edited by the player at 15:56, Fri 13 May 2016.

When Stanley utters "Banana," their "escort" reverts to his listless, passive state -- not falling asleep, precisely, but offering no resistance whatsoever.  Kallann is prepared for this, quickly fetching his own weapon from hiding to train it on the second guard.

Caught dead to rights, the State security man hesitates, weighing his chances at trying to take down Stanley and Kallann, and doesn't like how the math comes out.  He slowly crouches to set his weapon on the ground, and Kallann moves forward, fetching out a set of zip-ties to restrain his hands.

"Traitor," the guard snaps at his limp and unresisting comrade.

"Quite," Kallann says dryly.  He does give Stanley a quizzical look, after he binds the hypnotized man as well.  "Only, exactly what is a banana?"

OOC:

20:38, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman, rolled 11 using 2d6+7 with rolls of 2,2.  Vs. Stanley's call for surrender: Presence(3) + Resolve(4).

Smoke Alarm's shot tags her target's hand as he's firing, and his shot goes well astray of the Emperor.  As does that of the other man still armed.  The bolt smacks the weapon out of her target's hand, and it goes bouncing a short way into the grass.

The Draconian girl sparring with the guard off to the side doesn't fare quite so well.  He grabs her arm and twists it, holding her in a pin while he rocks her back with a punch.  She staggers and falls.

And the final pair are now focused squarely on Smoke Alarm.  The previous one that she'd shot lays down more blaster fire in her direction.  Meanwhile, with Smoke focused on disarming the targets threatening the Emperor, the last one clambers onto the tier of the roof where she's now standing.  He comes for her in a crouched run and dives, trying to tackle her!

OOC: Smoke's latest target will need to take an action to get his weapon back.

20:56, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman (Smoke's target), rolled 15 using 2d6+7 with rolls of 4,4.  Dodging Smoke Alarm: Awareness(3) + Coordination(3) + Called Shot(4).
20:58, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman (Smoke's target), rolled 8 using 2d6+4 with rolls of 2,2.  Shooting the Emperor: Marksmanship(3) + Coordination(3) -2 (after dodging).
20:58, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman, rolled 12 using 2d6+6 with rolls of 3,3.  Shooting the Emperor: Marksmanship(3) + Coordination(2).
20:59, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC The Emperor, rolled 16 using 2d6+8 with rolls of 2,6.  Dodging: Awareness(4) + Coordination(2) + cover(2).

21:01, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman, rolled 12 using 2d6+5 with rolls of 6,1.  Tackling Smoke: Fighting(3) + Strength(4) -2 (second action).
21:00, Today: The Guardian, for the NPC State Guardsman, rolled 10 using 2d6+6 with rolls of 3,1.  Shooting Smoke: Coordination(3) + Marksmanship(3).

The advance of Sereth and his allies through the Emperor's dwelling is swift, efficient, and brief.  Despite the considerable feat of infiltrating several ringers into the Emperor's Life Guards, it seems that Lestasel and the others in his plot were counting on raising more effective external obstacles and completing their task before anyone had a chance to interfere -- only a couple of additional men are found as the Ministry of Virtue agents and the Palace Guard flood the building.

Following the sounds of hot spraying plasma, Sereth and Trav come to the screened double doors leading out onto the courtyard....

OOC: I figured there was a high probability you'd just head out into the fight, but I wanted to give you the opportunity to make your own entrance.  What you'll see when you do is what I've described above for Smoke Alarm.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:23, Sat 14 May 2016.

Sereth just slams the door open, he growls as he walks in. Seeing what was going on, he shouted out, his voice ringing with authority.

"Lestasel! This is High Treason! At least have the guts to do it by facing me in battle; than crawling about with less honor than a Rutan."

Smoke Alarm whirled out of the way, dodging the blaster shot and the rushing guard, who crashed into the tiles with a clatter. 'Slowpokes!' she taunted, before quickly scurrying off around the roof again. 'Catch me if you can!'

On her circuit, she eyespied the musclebrain hit the girl, knocking her down. The Kang saw blue, and rather than run along the roof, she ran off it, flying feet-first toward the thug. What she lacked in mass, she made up for in speed and acceleration, sneakers stomping on head and shoulders to drive him down before she leapt off him.



OOC:
It seems I only need to make one dodge reaction, so this is good for the both of them.
10:31, Today: Smoke Alarm rolled 17 using 2d6+9 with rolls of 5,3. Awareness(4) + Coordination(5) + Kang Fu(2) - 2.

Moving, jump down off the roof:
10:56, Today: Smoke Alarm rolled 15 using 2d6+9 with rolls of 3,3. coordination(5) + athletics(4) + Jumping(2) + Kang Fu(2) - 4.

Fighting, attack the guard with the girl and get his attention, hopefully with a bonus for attacking from height?
11:01, Today: Smoke Alarm rolled 13 using 2d6+6 with rolls of 2,5. strength(3) + fighting(3).

Smoke Alarm's use of the Draconian as a landing pad staggers him back, but doesn't precisely put him out of commission.

It scarcely matters, though.  Sereth's entrance is followed close on by Trav, and Taliro, and the majority of the group that he brought with him, save a couple of agents who are continuing to sweep the building for any holdouts, as well as accounting for the incapacitated staff.  This puts them at a considerable tactical advantage over Lestasel's men, only of a couple of whom still have weapons to hand.  And for the most part, they correctly see which way the wind is blowing.

Lestasel wrenches himself free of the Emperor's grasp, and he comes away with the blade in hand -- but there are enough weapons trained on him that, were he to resume his attack, he'd likely be down in an instant.

"Battle, Legate?" he says, his voice dripping contempt.  "Not likely."  He throws the sword -- an ancient family blade like Sereth's -- clattering to the stones.  "I know well how that ends, and I will not give you the satisfaction of ending it so quickly.  No, for however, brief of a time, I will live, and I will give voice to the weakness I see in the Throne.  You dare not execute me without due ceremony -- your blue pet has seen to that -- and I will not stay silent while you do.  If I can not now save Draconia, I may at least leave a stain on this reign and this dynasty that you will not soon wash clean."

Bouncing off the reptilian like an Italian plumber, Smoke landed on her toes, ready to react, when she outlooked and eyespied: 'Sereth!' Smoke Alarm gasped, happy and relieved her friend had come to put the palace the rights. Behind him came his caretakers to catch the meanieheads and take them to the cleaners, And there she eyespied Taliro, sound-and-safe, and even the Traveller, an unexpected surprise. The to-do was surely now all-over red-rover. She could feel sound-and-safe at last.

She helped the fallen Draconian girl to stand up, supporting her on her shoulders and around her back as she helped her foot it around the courtyard and behind the cover of the guards, where she could be sound-and-safe. But as she went, she heard Lestasel's words, and felt cold. He didn't sound like a loser, nor ashamed of his naughtiness, nor like he'd learned better. He sounded like he'd won his little game anyhow, because of her. Had she done something wrong?

Trav strides up and gives Smoke Alarm a big glomp. "Hey girl. Glad your safe." She smiles.

But Trav is a little more quiet. She seems... subdued.

During this whole thing she's been in the background.

She takes out her Ipad, and proceeds to step down Chibi's info war control of the various palace systems, carefully handing control back to loyalist elements, under Sereth's direction. She's also contacting Stanley to make sure he's OK.

"Sereth," she asks him, placing a hand on his shoulder during a quiet moment. "I know you're busy. You don't have to give me an answer, right away."

Trav looks pensive. "You know my story. Why I took action, against the Time Lords, during the Time War,"

She looks to her side. She asks him: "What made me different from Lestasel, in what I did to my people?" She looks somewhat haunted.

In that moment, the aching guilt of having chosen the universe over her people stabs her through her heart, again.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:38, Sun 15 May 2016.

A grim smile.

"You are right. Lestasel.. to a point." He sighed quietly. "You could have reclaimed yourself of some honor. You choose not to. Instead, you choose to make a point of it. You choose to destroy all honor left in your family." He looks at his sword for a moment. "I could do the same, here and now, for the honor of Draconia. I could sacrifice the honor of my family, forcing the Emperor to exile me, but you would be silenced. Forever. You know the history of my family. We have -always- been at the forefront of battles. Even now. I fight for those who are not strong enough to fight for themselves. I was amongst the first to push the Emperor's viewpoint, that diplomacy is a more powerful weapon than swordplay. And in failing to consider how those who did not agree with this would cope, how brave and honorable men would deal with the way I wanted the world to work, I brought this to pass." His eyes gleamed. "But men like you? YOu have no honor. You did not even have the guts to stage an open rebellion. You went at it like... like dogs. No matter what happened in battles, no matter how I learnt that many other races could do things we only dreamed of? What has always sustained me, is that our honor was impeachable. And this day, I must let go of this dream. I have had a lot to do with Terrans. And this day, it was a Terran that saved Draconia. History will no doubt tell it was a group of loyalist Draconians that did. But it was not. A Terran girl, had more honor than every single one of us. If it were not for her, royal blood would have stained your blade. And yes, maybe I could have stopped the entire race descending into civil war. But I would have failed. As indeed, I have."

He regarded the Traveller.

"I cannot say Traveller. I was not there when you made the choices you did. But one thing I know, is that it is not what one does in the heat of the moment. It is what you do when the moment has passed. You made your choice. You cannot undo that - I am sorry, but I cannot absolve you of that. But what you have done since, what you have done since I have known you? That is what Lestasel would never have done. If he had been successful, Draconia would no doubt, have marched from this, to rebuild her empire. THe former homelands of the Fists would have been destroyed as the Draconian armies went to war. But in the aftermath of your choice? You have been trying to forge a peace."

A sad look towards Smoke now.

"And Lestasel has failed, but I must stay. I must do what I should have always done - worked to ensure that our great war heroes of the past, who with the changing of the way we conduct our affairs, now have nothing to do, are treated with all due honor, due respect, and given work in our new way of life."

He sheathed his blade.

"My Emperor, forgive me my failure. I should have... anticipated better."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:58, Sun 15 May 2016.

Smoke Alarm helped the Draconian girl to sit or lay down somewhere sound-and-safe, and only afterward could she receive Traveller's glomping hug. 'Me too.' she answered, glad to meet her friend again. Being lost in the palace all day, fighting for her life and freeness, away from friends, feeling like she might never be found, that Lestasel might win – it had been a frightening experience, even for a Kang as brave and bold as her. It was only now at the end that all that could come up. When Traveller released her from her hug, Smoke Alarm suddenly returned one of her own, throwing arms around her and laying her head on her chest, just glad to be back together again. Tears filled her eyes.

Afterward, Smoke Alarm footed back into the courtyard, slipping through the stand-off and up to the Emperor. Amidst all this Draconian to-do, a little Kang went overlooked. 'Come-out, Mister Emperor.' She held out a beckoning hand, to also lead him away from Lestasel and his thugs to some place sound-and-safe, if he wanted.

Finally, she stood behind and beside Sereth and Traveller, listening to Sereth's speech-making. She didn't speak though, even when she realised she was the Terran girl, sensing Kang talk would disrupt all this Draconian politicky stuff, and, well, spoil the moment.

Trav holds Smoke Alarm tight, and doesn't let go, until Smoke Alarm releases her, crying too.

Then, she walks up to Lestasel, and pokes him pointedly in the chest.

"Want to blame someone? Blame me, the Alien. Yeah, me. I laid the frame for the entire peaceful campaign against the Suns. Do you know why?"

"Because, as a former general and leader of armies myself, who has set worlds to flame and destroyed entire cultures and histories, I will be *damned* if I see anyone robbed of their children, or their parents, see any more bombed out cityscapes, see any more populaces ravaged by disease, any more starvation, or funerals, or grief, or cycles of revenge take place over centuries, or racist pogroms. I can go on and on and on." Her eyes are full of bitterness and sadness.

"What you want has no honor - you just think it does. You better pray your Emperor doesn't hand you to me, because I would show you exactly what such 'wars for honor' lead to. You don't want honor, you want self-aggrandisement and pride."

"You're worthless. Sereth is greater than you in every way."

...later, Trav goes down the stairs and moves Sweet Boy to a nearby but out of the way place. She also makes sure to track down and pick up Smoke Alarm's phone (OOC: Resourceful Pockets), which was obviously dropped in all of the confusion.

Trav is letting Sereth know that she's available to meet with the Draconian Emperor, or slip away, as needed.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:11, Sun 15 May 2016.

As the Palace Guards and Shenzaro's agents secure the prisoners -- Lestasel among them -- the Emperor finally makes his way to a table at the center of the courtyard, and lowers himself slowly into a chair.

The Draconian girl takes a clean white cloth from the folds of her robe and dabs at her split lip and the swelling bruise there, until she has blotted the blood away.  She makes the cloth vanish again and moves to stand next to the Emperor.  "Sire, how may I serve you?"

"You have done all that I can ask of you this day," he says sadly.

As Smoke Alarm drifts closer to him, as Sereth makes his apology and as Taliro hovers behind the Legate, uncertain as to why this feels like no victory, the Emperor looks up.

"I will wish to speak to each of you.  Later.  For now, I have things to think upon, and choices to make.  I only ask you this: take no blame for the things that have happened today.  You have conducted yourselves in a manner that befits the finest ideals of Draconia... perhaps better than its Emperor."

"A banana is a piece of fruit from Earth," Stanley explains. "I chose it because it is easy to remember and it isn't likely to come up in a normal conversation with people who have taken you captive."

"I am going to see what supplies there are and get ready to treat patients here." Stanley looks at the surgery room door. The Draconians held there might be able to help. "Kallann? Can you find out what this watchdog is and if it is safe to free those people. It is possible we might need to use that room."

Then it dawns on him that the sterile surgery room isn't sterile any more if it was used to keep prisoners and watchdogs. "Oh, wait. We can't use the room if an animal has been in there."

Receiving a message from Trav is good news and Stanley replies that the situation here is under control and that they are practically ready to receive patients.

Trav drops to one knee for very few people. The Draconian Emperor is one.

"Your greatness. My apologies if my form of address is incorrect. I await your summons, in my ship. If the service you inspire in Sereth, and the heroism and bravery he has displayed at my side, is any indication, your greatness is without measure."

With that, she retires to Sweet Boy. She prepares comfort food and other stuff for her companions. She's also taking some time to monitor the media channels and private coms of all the major coms, and checks her e-mail.

(At the aid station)

Kallann consults his palm computer.  "Ah.  Not a literal watchdog.  They were referring to a security officer assisting the staff.  Sensible caution, considering that this is one of the emergency facilities closest to the Imperial residence, although, in the actual event, his presence seems to have less than effective.  He must have been surprised and overpowered along with the medical personnel on duty."

Shortly after Kallann and Stanley have unsealed the surgical area and sorted out the people imprisoned inside, they get Trav's communication, and find out that they're unlikely to be called upon to provide any sort of emergency care, a considerable relief.  "Still," Kallann says, "diligence and preparation are never things to be faulted.  The life of the Emperor, or many of your friemds, could easily have turned on what we did."