It's been several days after the Raid on the Buchenwald.  As expected, Core and Command have accepted Five Days Darkness's resignation and allowed him to keep the captaincy of the Enterprise.  With the Enterprise under repair, he and Lyla  have made the most of their spare time.  They've made a LOT out of their spare time.

But business has to come eventually, and when it does, the mood on the Enterprise is sober.  They take off from the Last Refuge as a skeleton crew, nothing in the hangar but Lyla's Benisuzume and the tin-can jumpship Odysseus, freshly slathered with paint and duct tape.  The crew of around eight hundred has been reduced to 50.

Lyla's in the hangar, tending to the Benisuzume, when XO Chambers approaches Lyla  and gives her a snappy salute.

"Lyla Raines,"  She says, "We're deploying out towards unknown space in five minutes.  Is the Benisuzume up to your standards?"

Lyla knows the plan, of course; she and Five Days Darkness have discussed it at length in private.  The Abyssal prison ship Pyongyang was discovered by Journeys just a day earlier.  The plan:  the Enterprise jumps halfway towards the Pyongyang and drops her off with the Odysseus.  The Odysseus makes the secondary jump, dropping her off just outside of the Pyongyang's sensors.  Then she docks with the Pyongyang, infiltrates, and- well- saves Swan Dragon, a Lesser Elemental Dragon of Fire.

Sure.  Easy.  Right.

There's not much else to go on.  Journeys couldn't get too close, but from what pictures he could take they could tell the Pyongyang has a different structure from the Buchenwald.  The floor plan isn't the same.
This message was last updated by the GM at 22:53, Sun 06 Nov 2016.

The several days have been a warm welcome, especially now that Lyla has had something to do with her spare time instead of stressing about her purpose and if she was doing enough to fulfill her role. It has left her refreshed, and filled with joy, which she has been trying to contain when bumping into outsiders.

The new mission had pumped her full of adrenaline, even before it had started. Despite having gone it through with Five Days Darkness, it was still when put to paper all too simple and lacking in detail. It was hard to prepare for the unknown. When she managed to get in terms with the fact that all the possible prepping had already been done, it was just about waiting. In which she was never too good at.

"XO Chambers," Lyla responds with a salute not quite as snappy as hers, naturally.

It would've been a mission in itself for Lyla to be as official and disciplined as Chambers. Or as perceptive. During her stay on the Enterprise she'd been mostly avoiding contact with all people, but especially Chambers just to await possible awkward moments.

"Of course, she seems to be in fine shape, as expected. The mods were implemented as requested? Besides I'm more worried about our paper model over there," she inclines her head towards Odysseys, while absentmindedly patting the side of Benisuzume.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:28, Sun 06 Nov 2016.

"Well, Pandora Bay has done a shit job of making another Odysseus-class, so you're stuck with it."  Chambers sighs as she look sat the crappy vessel, "Yeah, as far as I can tell they've all been added but I haven't had the time to personally inspect your ship.  I've been busy since the Captain has been so secluded lately."

Chambers sighs and rubs her forehead, "Damn, this ship is hard to run."

"I trust your crew, so I'm sure the mods are in good shape. I can run a quick diagnostics check even after we leave, before heading out. That way if something doesn't work, then I'll know not to rely on it," she nods with a confident tone.

"Well, his vacation of once in five years is now over, so you'll be cut some slack soon enough. Besides I've heard that you've been doing a great job, so no wonder the captain puts his faith in you in running the ship," Lyla pulls out her cigarettes as usual before a flight and offers them to Chambers."a smoke?"

Lyla makes a mental note to later remind Five Days Darkness not to neglect his crew, or at least Chambers.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:18, Mon 07 Nov 2016.

"Hey, thanks for the kind word and kinder offer, but I actually prefer cigars."  Chambers grins at her, "Very appreciated, though.  I know tobacco's pretty rare on the Refuge nowadays.  Still, running this old gal isn't as stressful as what you're about to go through.  Want me to pull you some strings?  I can get anything you need waiting for you when you get home."

"Ah, my bad. Never really gotten used to those, or rather never had a suitable occasion for them," she folds the cigarette case away into a pocket.

"Hey, it's just me, myself and I. No crew to look after for. But yeah, keep up the fort so I have somewhere to return to. And I never say no to some Vodka as a welcome back gift, one way or another I can use it to sterilize something," she jests after a moment of pondering, because there was not really anything she'd need.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:32, Mon 07 Nov 2016.

"Well, I just so happen to know the captain of the transport Rat-King.  Whole ship's a potato farm,"  She drums her fingers against her arm, "I mean, they don't distill, but how hard can it be?  I'll ask the engineers.  Enterprise-brand vodka, just for you, alright?"  She holds the grin, "Of course I'll have to sample it myself first."

She pats the Benisuzume, "Best of luck out there, girls.  If you need help trigger the emergency button on the Odysseus and we'll make a hot extraction.  Rest assured we're not going to leave you hanging."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:36, Mon 07 Nov 2016.

Lyla gives a grateful nod.

"Sample all you want. Better be sure its up to par," she lets a small chuckle escape her lips. "Thanks, I'll remember that. And here's to hoping I won't need that button."

She puffs out some smoke, before dropping her cigarette and stepping on it. Her mind was a mess, but that's how it was always. It'd get better once things would start happening. Her helmet under her arm, she readies herself to jump into to Benisuzume to do the said diagnostics before moving anywhere.

"Alright, heading back upstairs.  Best of luck!"  She salutes Lyla and then hurries back to the bridge.

"TWO MINUTES TO JUMP."

That's her cue.

"FIVE.
FOUR.
THREE.
TWO.

ONE..."

Lyla's insides turn outside and her outsides inside and then the Odysseus flares its engines, shooting out of the hangar.  Lyla's up next, joining the Odysseus out into a black field with the faintest light generated by dying stars.

"This is Five Days Darkness.  Dock with the Odysseus when you're ready and it'll punch up the jump drive.  Happy hunting, Blue Fox.  I'm rooting for you."

The vast emptiness is not that comforting to face, but the darker the easier to blend in. Kind of. It had always been hard to be the darker shade of black than the space in itself. Lyla flips some switches, checking to see that everything works just fine, while getting adjusted to the feeling. Everything seemed to be running just fine on Benisuzume, as was expected.

"Thanks. I'll be bringing trophies to gawk at and a friend to greet," she smirks and steers clear next to Odysseys.

Lyla breathes in and out, then pushes a button to dock with Odysseys.

"Roger that.  Five Days Darkness out."

Lyla docks with the Odysseus and the ship thrums with power.  Then she can feel the hiss of propulsion gasses rock the Benisuzume and -

Her stomach lurches again.  She finds herself in a startlingly beautiful nebula, all purples and greens and blues stretching out in every direction.  It's not cloudy like one would expect from a TV show, but rather looks like she's found herself in the middle of a rainbow.

And, in the center, a cancerous black ship, a lone black hole against the beautiful background.  Her sensors wink on, showing a ship that looks like a sharp wedge studded with tumor-like growths.

Her sensors register the Pyongyang's active devices making a sensor sweep!

Pyongyang Awareness Check:
10, 7, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 5, 3, 3 & 3
*47 + Awareness 10 + AB 10 = 67
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:04, Tue 08 Nov 2016.

((Stealth check
9, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5 & 1
Float 9-9
25+25+15+10 = 75 vs 67))

Lyla was expecting the sight of a ship most foul, but the rainbow that greets her surprises her pleasantly. At least for a while. Then the violent beep pushes through and makes her focus once again far from being pleased. It would seem they've amped up their sensors since their last encounter with her...or it was a lucky shot in to the nebula.

There is a blue shade of a caste mark on her forehead, when she adjusts the ships settings and combines her essence with it, drowning both ships into shadows that mimic the surrounding colours. With the cover given by the nebula, she lurks closer.

Soon it becomes apparent why they're on alert.  A flight of Navarino interceptors takes off from the Pyongyang, ten of them in total; a nasty little flight, one that would give most pilots in the Living Fleet serious trouble if they're piloted by at least one Abyssal.  The Navarinos head right for where the Odysseus jumped in  and start opening fire on the spot where the Odysseus was, just laying into the area with their ammo.  If she'd left the Odysseus behind, it would've been blown to pieces.

After their sweeping fire, the Navarinos fly back towards the Pyongyang, taking up a sentry position.  The ships sweep back and forth blazing-fast.  Getting past them won't be tricky unless there's something Blue Fox doesn't know about, or they have an Abyssal on board who's specifically equipped to deal with stealthy threats.

Then, a few minutes later, fifty Nanking-class cruisers jump into the area- all of them Escort Variants.  The Nanking cruisers flick open their turrets and start spraying the area with more fire, saturating the battlefield!

((Make a Dodge roll, difficulty 50.  +10 if you want to account for the Odysseus.))

((Dodge roll 9, 9, 8, 8, 5, 5, 4 & 4.
29+20+10+5= 64 vs 60))

"Ugh, come on Benisuzume, lets move this paper plane," Lyla mutters to herself as the guns start singing.

Odysseys not so optimal build does make it difficult to dodge and it causes both ships to sway in unexpected ways, but once Lyla gets the hang of it, she speeds forward, zooming past and hopefully beyond the "bullet hell" that was wanting to snare her in. Despite wanting to leave Odysseys behind, it'd make her following tasks too difficult, not ready to risk it...at least at this point.

The best way to go:  forward!  She zips and ducks and weaves through the massive volley of fire, pushing through their firing cone and finally into freer space.  If it was anyone else trying this, their exhaust would've given them away instantly.

But Blue Fox isn't anyone else.  She's a honed stealth expert, and she gives away no sign of her passage. They're finally safe, except for the last approach to the Pyongyang.  There's only the Navarinos left to worry about.

((awareness roll to spot a good opening 10, 9, 8, 8, 7, 6, 3 & 1.
28+20+10 = 58))

Lyla takes a breather after passing through the lasertag, adjusting her hold on the steering system. She runs a few checks to find out any pattern that the Navarino are flying according to, trying to find an opening suitable for Benisuzume and Odysseys to pass. She also takes the moment to see where to get into the Pyongyang, there was no Lucifer beating a hole into the hull this time to solve that for her.

Blue Fox is forced into a holding pattern, watching the ships fly about.  She's patient, more patient than the dead, apparently.  The enemy ships eventually start lining up to fly into a hangar that just appears on the side of the ship.

She can probably try to follow them in, or she can try to dock and quietly cut her way in.  Both are pretty risky but she sees no other alternatives.

Sometimes the straightest route is not the best one, and while in waiting for the enemy ships to fly into the hangar, she spots a perfect little nook to place Benisuzume in waiting with Odysseys, well away from the hangar. Lyla had no intention of following them into the hangar, it'd be troublesome trying to get out of it. It felt a better option to make her own way in. At least that is how both ships would be ready to leave immediately when the time would come.

Benisuzume glides near the massive ship, and takes a spot from which to cut an opening. The good side is that there is no sound in space, the bad side of it is that it could be heard and felt as vibrations on the inside. Despite this Lyla begins to cut an opening, crossing her fingers, while letting her shadows envelop the ships and crawl in the hole to mute the noise.

Finding a nice piece of the hull to lock yourself into is pretty easy.  Arranging it so you can cut through easily? Not so much, especially with the Odysseus holding place.

Cutting in takes a lot of time and effort.  The Pyongyang's armor is thick and heavy.  Eventually, patience wins the day and a ragged hole is cut into the side, revealing heavy soulsteel cabling and electrical wirework.  It looks pretty solid, but it's a start; there's the outgassing of atmosphere, meaning air somewhere.  Now she needs to enter the hole and work her way inside.

Fortunately, she's been given a personal blowtorch, donated by an Elemental of Fire.  It should cut through just about anything pretty rapidly, but it'll run out of essence fast.

Patience is a virtue, Lyla tries to remind herself, while waiting and cutting away. The better the work is done here, the easier it is to get out...if and more likely when things get messy. Being patient wasn't always what suited her best. Benisuzume hums contently as she gives it a comforting pat before slipping out of her flightharness.

She adjusts her gloves and her belt, before equipping the blowtorch and heading into the hole. Tight unconfortable spaces were to be expected, and all her gear along the helmet had been suited for that. Despite that she couldn't wait to get rid of the exoskeletal helmet that was constantly limiting her movements, even if it was only minimal. The visor on her helmet turns black to shade her eyes from the blowtorches light.

Blue Fox slips into the hole and settles in.  There's a lot to cut through, and she has to be careful not to accidentally cut something that looks too important.  Doing so will certainly set off an alarm!

((Craft roll, difficulty 40.  Critical failure means the baddies know exactly where the hull leak is, which isn't good for you.  Regular failure means the baddies will be alerted that someone's penetrated the Pyongyang.  Critical success means you end up a lot closer to your target.))

((Craft 9, 7, 7, 5, 5, 4, 3 & 2
Flowed 39 + 10(+5 equipment if applicable)= 49/54 vs 40))

Blue Fox carefully picks among the cords and wires, plucking out the ones she can and giving them a look before cutting. Her visor is continuously analyzing the cords, sending information to her field of view, everything ranging from electricity run to the composition of the cords. She didn't really want to get electrocuted as a first encounter.

The bigger ones she gives prods to determine what they might contain. What really helps her cause is the leek of air. She focuses on that to run a diagnostic to see if it contains oxygen. It's a good guidance for her when it comes to direction, because ghosts don't need to breathe, and this hole might eventually lead to the prison section. Or infront of the Abyssals for the matter. Any living thing was a positive encounter, she ponders.

Eventually she works her way to the leak.  It looks like the Pyongyang has breathable air, which tells her a few things.  She knows that there are two prisoners aboard, one of whom is a spirit who doesn't need to breathe.  That means the other prisoner, Takehiko Isakawa, must need it.

The other thing is it tells her there's probably an Abyssal on board.  Abyssals are still alive, so they still need air.  They'd want the whole ship with atmosphere so they could easily patrol.

There, an alarm sensor!  She flicks it off and finally finds what she needs, a maintenance shaft.  Another schematic, gleaned from the Buchenwald, shows her how to activate the atmosphere-saving forcefields to keep it from venting.

She's in.  And they have no idea.

There was not much sightseeing to be done in the maintenance shaft, so she heads forward in search of an opening. There is a small breath of relief, when there is no alarm and she is not swarmed by bloodthirsty ghosts. One last glance to Benisuzume and she is gone indoors. Now she'd need to find a map in the shaft or hatch or a venting grid to a hallway to locate herself in the massive ship.

She finds the maintenance shaft leads into the main hallway of the Pyongyang.  The hallway is brightly lit, clean, white.  It's also featureless.  The air is climate-controlled, a cool 17 degrees C, dry as a bone.

It's almost like a morgue.

Trying to find a map may be more difficult.  She's not seen so much as an ounce of documentation anywhere.  Either the ghosts that run this ship must know it inside and out or it's maintained through much more esoteric means.

The hallway heads along the spine of the Pyongyang.  Five Days Darkness and Juno guessed that jail cells must be in the very center of the ship to minimize the chance of a powerful prisoner cutting their way out.

Lyla shakes her head. The style of the ship was not something that attracted her. Might've also been the side effect that she was quite alive and not so in tune with death like all the other passengers.

Since the only other way is back out, there is really no other choice than to step out in the hallway. Her jet black pilot suit shifts to white to match the antiseptic hallway. Not really her color, but it'd help her blend in faster when need be. Then she briskly, but as silent as death, hopefully, heads what she'd imagine to be towards the center of the ship. There was bound to be other corridors and turns ahead. Incase of encounter Lyla keeps her eyes peeled for other shafts and nooks in which to hide.

As she hurries through the hallways she starts to get a headache.  The fluorescent lights, the antiseptic smell, the blinding white; she starts to understand that this is utterly hostile to human life.  An unprotected mortal walking down these halls would either go insane or drop dead from an aneurysm within an hour.

She heads towards what she thinks is the center of the ship.  The corridors branch out in either direction, with the one main one heading directly down the spine.

She can hear the clanking of armor.  She's dealt with Gunzosha before, and that's definitely Gunzosha armor.  While she's more than a match for one individually, getting caught would certainly put a damper on her rescue operation.  The sound's coming from the corridor to her left.

To ease the feeling that was growing within herself, she turns her visor to grant some shade for her eyes from the light. The headache is annoying one, and for sure doesn't help with her patience.

Upon hearing the clanking, Lylas eyes dart around for a place to hide. She turns to a different corner to let them pass, and lets her shadows envelop her, the air rippling a tad around her when she blends into the wall and a nearby pipeline.

((Stealth 10, 6, 6, 5, 4, 4, 3 & 2
Float 4-4
Gliding Shadow:ignore 10 points of environmental Stealth penalties
26+20+10 =56))

((Awareness:
10, 9, 8, 8, 5, 4 & 3
*28 + 15 + 10 = 53 vs 56, doesn't notice))

Fortunately one of the corners is just good enough to hide her from the line of sight.  Sure enough she sees someone walk by:  an Abyssal in stylized black armor, a helmet covering his face.  The bulky abyssal carries a guan-do, a bladed weapon that looks oddly quaint in this day and age.

Of course, it could probably still cut through flesh and bone like butter.

Flanking him are two dozen ghosts in the low-cost Gunzosha variant armor that elite Ghosts sometimes use.  He's well protected, though she's more than a match for them.

The warden keeps moving past and eventually she's... safe.

After the threat passes, Lyla is relieved. She would not have wanted to alarm the abyssal of her presence. She gives them a good Headstart, before heading onwards. Standing at the crossroad, she takes a moment to ponder before heading to the corridor on her left where the abyssal came.

The hallway slopes downwards until it becomes a staircase.  There's a lot of blind angles down the staircase- a good thing for her in case she needs to run- but there's no sign of any other ghosts.

At the bottom of the staircase, a good 5 or so floors, she finds a long white hallway.  To her left she sees five dark black rectangles, windows to a yawning black void-cell.  To her right, far up in the air, she sees windows.  That path down the main spine must overlook both sides of the prison, a comfortable observation deck.

That means when sneaking around in the cell hallway she'd have to hug the wall nearest to the observation deck.

Lyla sneaks down the staircase, her body ready to turn around and hide at every turn. Luckily nobody comes towards her. There is a wave of joy when she finds herself at the cellblock, at least she had been going the right way. Now it was more of a matter of finding out if she even was at the right cell compartment. She turns to hug the wall to her left while sliding forward in the hallway while peering towards the cells trying to see who they contained.

Lyla skulks down the hallway.  The first few cells are empty.  Jet-black cells loomed in front of her, like they somehow floated outside in the vacuum.  Only the barest glint of light bouncing off of the odd corner let Lyla know they weren't entrances to pocket-sized black holes.

The third cell contains someone- a man, tied down with black chains and a white straight jacket.  Fire licks at the jacket but doesn't burn, instead tailing off into the nothingness of the black cell.  He looks like he was once handsome, but is now old and starved, red-hair now white as snow, withering away-

Except for a pair of red eyes, reminiscent of Sayeed.  He looks at Lyla and winks at her.

Letting out a sigh might give her off, and could be considered rude, so Lyla holds it in, mentally marking a sigh at the sight and especially the wink. Well one part down, many to come. She gives a nod to him in return, before looking upwards towards the observation deck and then back to the cell, pondering on the mechanism that kept him locked up.

She could try cutting things open but that would cause noise and a sight hazard. She could also venture up to the observation deck, but she might be seen in the process. Or someone might see her take someone out, but at least then the sound and sight hazard wouldn't be a probably incase she couldn't use to control system for the cells.

At first it looks like he's just behind bars.  Then he giggles and starts rocking back and forth in his cage, building up momentum- long enough to expel burning spit in the direction of the observation deck.  The cell turns flat black, just like the Buchenwald's Void Prana Shield, blocking Lyla's view of Swan Dragon for a few seconds.  His whole cell is shielded, designed to contain his fire.

There are no alarms.  This must be a regular occurrence.

She can't see any controls nearby.  That means the controls must either be up on the observation deck, or more likely, the bridge.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:56, Sat 19 Nov 2016.

She heads for the observation deck with a sigh.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:18, Sat 19 Nov 2016.

As she heads back up the stairs she hears the clanking of Gunzosha boots making for the nearest stairwell.  By now she's halfway in the center of the hall so it's simplest just to head to the opposite hall, which has an identical stairwell.  She manages to duck into it just as the Abyssal forces make it into the hallway- and she catches the first exchange.

"Really, Swan Dragon.  We're doing this again," The Abyssal's voice comes out from the helmet hollow and tired, "You know what happens every time we do this, yes?"

"Oh, the pain and misfortune, Warden," Swan Dragon calls out in a sing-song voice, "Playing the game of listening and knowledge!"

No time to hesitate, Lyla crouches into the other stairwell, listening intently. She gathers her patience and with the help of a corner camera embedded on her sleeve, she takes a peek at the exchange infront of the cells. Maybe they'd give her some insight how the cells operated, or give her an opening to attack and thus get the cell to stay open. Either or, there was no point rushing away just yet.

"It's not a game." The Abyssal tells him, and then he walks right through the forcefield and the bars.  There's the wet smack of armored fist on flesh and a gout of fire stopped by the cell.  The Abyssal steps back out of the cell, his fist dripping blood.

"The Neverborn require subservience, Swan Dragon.  That means you sit still and be quiet."  He turns and points a finger back at the cell, "I don't like hurting you, damn it!  But I'll keep doing it until you comply."

"Oh, I'm not teaching YOU,"  Swan Dragon cackles despite what are no doubt some serious wounds, "You're not a learner, Warden of Despair!  Other people do learn, though."

"But you'll teach."

"Yes, I will teach."

"You will teach," The Warden points a bloody finger at the cell, "the secrets of fire essence to Cygnus and the Gunzosha?"

"I said I will teach."

The Warden looks surprised. "... Why the change of heart?"

"I never said I'll teach your men!" Another gout of fire blocks off the cell.

The Warden's hands twitch.  He almost moves to reenter the cell but he looks at his other Gunzosha, obviously annoyed.  "Keep up your rounds," He orders them, "I'm going to go blow off some steam."

The Gunzosha salute and head back the way they came, away from Lyla.

Quite satisfied with the turn on events, at least partially. It was easier to move around now that she knew what they were up to. Abyssal was out of the picture, and there was only Gunzosha around. Shame she couldn't just walk through the forcefield...or even if she could, Swan Dragon sure couldn't.

She waits a few minutes to pass, before turning to head to the observation deck, sticking to the walls and the few shadows around. The headache that she had acquired earlier didn't really help with patient working, since the whole ship felt like it wanted her to get out.

"I hope you were paying attention!"  Swan Dragon calls out as the Abyssal leaves.  "I'm not even the important one!"

Either by luck or design, the Gunzosha haven't headed her way.  They're also clear of the observation deck.  Once there she finds there are two consoles, one for each hallway, and an obvious microphone/intercom system.

There are gunzosha still guarding Swan Dragon to her left.

On her right she sees another row of identical cells.  In the middle cell (just like Swan Dragon) she sees a figure.  The grey pallor of his skin and the ragged edges of corpus show him to be a ghost, a ghost bound into place by hundreds of chains.  Amidst all of this she can see the green glow of Malfeas, vibrant and alive compared to the sickly green pallor of pyre-flame.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:44, Mon 21 Nov 2016.

Lyla looks through the controls and the surrounding cells. The other prisoner does interest her, but he is not why she is there. Extra luggage would always be extra, also she had no clue who he was and why wasn't he on the list of the to be rescued.

She'd need a distraction to let Swan Dragons cell open, in order to retreat to the ship with him. She had been dreaming to fly under the radar through the whole mission, but had known since the beginning it to be impossible. At best she'd get a Headstart for them.

Thus she closes her eyes and pushes the assumed controls to release the other prisoner. Once the guards would leave, she could help Swan Dragon.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:53, Mon 21 Nov 2016.

She quickly learns that the buttons here probably don't open the cells.

No, the button she pushes sends visible arcs of electricity down the chains holding the other prisoner, forcing a scream from him as he writhes in their grasp.  He bites off the scream, pausing to look up at her.

He sees her.

He grins, revealing way too many teeth with no gums to hold them.

"GUARDS!  GUARDS!"  The prisoner shouts as loud as he can, "GUARDSSS!  COME QUICK!"

It would be sadistic to enjoy someone writhing in agony, but Lyla is happy that she didn't try the button matching to Swan Dragons cell. As the other prisoner begins to shout, she does push the same button again, not really caring if it'd shut him up or no. He deserved it this time.

"Oh shut up..."
she growls under her breath annoyed.
After that she retreats to the shadows, heading quickly down the stairwell and positions her better in order to slip past the possible arriving guards. She takes a passing look at Swan Dragon and his cell, seeing if the wall has anything out of place that might hint to wiring that'd connect to the unlocking mechanism.

((Stealth roll 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 4, 1 & 1
Flowed 44+20+10 = 74

Awareness
21+20+10=41))
This message was last edited by the player at 01:11, Thu 24 Nov 2016.

He screams in pain again- and two gunzosha sprint down his hallway.

As she looks around, well, she can't tell where the unlocking mechanisms are.  They're not something she's used to looking for- how is the wiring working here, anyway?  The Gunzosha certainly don't spot her.

Two pass by to the controls.

"Looks like it's been tampered with," She hears one say to the other.

"Tampered with the torture controls?  Why?"

"No idea.  But we did detect that one possible Living ship."

"No way that survived.  Probably a remote probe anyway."

"Could be on the fritz.  There are a few wild ghosts still."

The Gunzosha ghosts stare at the panel.

"... Then again, he always was an asshole."

"Drill?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.  A drill."

"You sure?"

"Do you want to be the one who asks him?  Alright everyone, drill!  Back to your posts!"

Lyla lets an amused grin tug her lips, relieved that she was not exposed. Not really having any insight as to how the Abyssal machinery works, she sneaks her way back into the hallway in search of the bridge.

She reaches the main hall- which includes the observation deck, as the two Gunzosha have taken to the round that'll take them towards Swan Dragon.

As she moves through the observation deck she's aware of the other prisoner staring at her and GRINNING.  Not a second of her movement goes unobserved by him.

Lyla gives him a questioning look, which is hidden by her visor covering her eyes. Despite the grinning, which is bothersome and disturbing, she still musters her patience while waiting for good oppportunities to move forward.

Ragged flesh flaps around skeletal gums, as he mouths 'You're welcome' to her.

Their paths have been disrupted.  Judging by the simple floorplan she needs to head up towards the bridge, and there are very few deviating corridors.  It's a trivial matter to bypass the 'crew barracks', which are glorified places for the ghosts to occasionally shed their armor- which is conceptually quite rare.  The Buchenwald and the Pyongyang have a very similar bridge, then.  It'd have to be the Abyssal's personal quarters, as the Abyssal is still technically alive.

The doors there are locked shut.  If anyone's noticed her, no alarm's come up.  The Warden said he was heading for his quarters to let off some steam.

The silence and the lack of an alarm is both comforting as well as concerning. There'd be no alarm for her either in the sense that if the things are already going sour. Lyla tries to memorize as much as she can of the ship incase of speedy exit. The hallways did all seem too similar in a way.

Passing the barracks makes her tiptoe even more, despite knowing that none would be there. The logically straightforward leading route feels wrong, as if being lead to a trap which she can't avoid stepping into.

Upon facing locked doors, Lyla looks around for unlocking mechanism, such as a keycard placement or something resembling a camera for facial recognition.

Hm.  She spots a sensor above the door, a flat panel about the size of a business card.  Based on that, she's gonna have to go with some form of biometrics- though this being the Abyssals, it's probably necrometrics or something stupid like that.

Which means she's going to need to either draw out the Abyssal, figure out another way in, or... improvise.

This is the part where Lyla actually feels bad that she hadn't ended up in battle with anyone yet. Or paid attention to if the Gunzosha passing had been wearing any special tags.

Before doing anything rash, she decides to check through the barracks. Either she might get lucky by finding something, or lucky by finding someone.

She moves back to the barracks, ducking into the seemingly abandoned room as another group of Gunzosha passes.  Without specifically looking for her, there's no way they could catch the stealthy Solar.

Inside the barracks she finds pods instead of bunks.  Each of the black and white pods- black the color of soulsteel, white the color of bone- is a ghost with a green heart 'asleep', screaming silently and twisting as they 'rest'.

They're not in their armor.  She doesn't think she can get into a suit- nor would she want to, based on what little she knows about the Gunzosha armor- but she spots something by the unused suits of armor, little keytags.  Maybe that might give her access to the bridge or the cells?

Moving up and down the same corridor makes it at least certain that she knows the halls by heart, at least to an extent. The barracks seem odd to someone who is used to seeing people chatting and relaxing in there, instead of she is faced with a blank slate with distorted sleep.

She takes the keytags, looking them through and discarding similar ones. It'd benefit her to have more different ones incase they don't have the same functions. Now all she'd need to decide is which place to try first. The bridge might be the right one, but then she'd most likely face the Abyssal. The cells are safer, but more time consuming especially if she is not lucky.

Then again she was not exactly in a hurry, so she decides to return to the cells. Perhaps later the Abyssal would've left their quarters and give her better access.

Most of them look similar, with a few bearing weird symbols that look straight out of Wingdings.  She keeps a blank one and a few 'wingdings'.

She returns back to the cells- to Swan Dragon.  She has to dodge the Gunzosha again, who're following their patterns with commendable efficiency.  Commendable because, well, they're easy to dodge and bypass.

Swan Dragon looks up at her as she approaches.  He shakes his head subtly.  Then she hears a whisper, right by her ear.

"Careful.  I can't take too long or I'll spend too much essence.  Special scanning.  Even the Gunzosha can't come in, just in case I trick their minds. The warden's the only one who can come in and out, he resonates with the field in place.  Either you'll have to fake his resonance or you'll have to turn off the ship in the bridge.  The dog tags should get you into the bridge."

Lyla almost has a "so used to this" step in her dodging, and sneaking. It was also beginning to grind her, the feeling of not understanding how things work, and how a normal task such as this has resulted to running around like an idiot. But its not like she'd ever be sent off to spy in a ship made by the Living Fleet.

A shiver runs down her spine at the sudden whisper. It had been so quiet and eerie, that it comes as a surprise. She responds with a barely audible hmph.

Great. Fine. FINE, let's fight then. Bash their head in to get rid of this sickening white and colour it red, thoughts pass through her mind as she turns around and heads for the bridge clinging to the shadows once her temper cools down.

"Careful.  He can always make the ship blow up," Swan Dragon's voice follows her, "And I'm not even the important one..."

As she walks through, she finds- jackpot.  The door opens to the Abyssal's bridge.  The Warden strides out, flanked by two Gunzosha.

"You're certain," One of them rasps in a monotone.

"Yes.  Swan Dragon was using essence."

"So?  He does that a lot."

"When he's spitting at me, yes.  But a small amount? And someone should have come to me about the other prisoner.   Something is awry here!"

The Warden clomps by her.

Swan Dragons word echo in her mind, mental fingers being crossed that the more important captive wasn't the one she electrocuted earlier. With her coincidence, he probably was. That's what you get for haphazardly pushing unknown buttons.

The sudden opening is very sudden, and she almost doesn't realize to take advantage of it, sliding past and after them to the bridge. The discussion is alarming and means that she should pick up her pace.

The door shuts just behind Lyla.

The bridge/room is a testament to an orderly mind.  Every button on the bridge is labeled, from weapons to sensors to controls.  A large throbbing black portal with an overhanging sensor located over a pad.  It looks like a teleporter from Star Trek was placed directly in front of a Stargate.

The Abyssal's sleeping room has been separated by what must be priceless Japanese paper screen dividers.  If she were to poke her head around one, she'd find a cot, some bookcases with books that'd make any librarian bite their fingers off in envy, and a TV with an XBox One.

Oh, and don't forget the torture implements.  There's an entire section of the wide, brightly-lit room with a St. Andrew's cross, an iron maiden, and a wall of whips and lashes.  Someone likes their BDSM.  Right near it is a punching bag as well, leaking black sand from a truly vicious beating.

The almost carefree wandering around the ship seems to feel awkwardly wrong as Lyla studies her new surrounding. She was toying with dangerous forces here and the realization sinks in like an anchor, swift and heavy. It didn't take much from her to guess her date If she'd be caught. The Japanese dividers in combination with the torture equipment send shivers down her spine accompanied with bad memories from years back.

She refocuses her attention to the bridges control panel in search of the right buttons. Her mind was slowly itching for a cigarette but she knew there was no time, and the need releases itself in a form of ponderous tapping of a foot. The sound echoes in the room, and she quickly seizes it.

The control panel, as stated before, is wonderfully labeled.  The Warden no doubt knows every single switch by heart, but labeling is IMPORTANT!  There's a whole section of the switches labeled 'ATTUNEMENT'.

Under it are a few switches:
CELL 1:  UNUSED
CELL 2:  UNUSED
CELL 3:  SWAN DRAGON
CELL 4:  UNUSED
CELL 5:  UNUSED
CELL 6:  UNUSED
CELL 7:  UNUSED
CELL 8:  TAKEHIKO ISAKAWA
CELL 9:  UNUSED
CELL 10:  UNUSED

Then another switch INITIATE ATTUNEMENT:
INSTANT
DELAYED (10S)
SEQUENTIAL

STEP ON SQUARE AND WAIT 15S FOR ATTUNEMENT

ATTUNEMENT LASTS ~30 DAYS

Lyla looks about for the nominated square to step on. She could attune herself to allow herself into the cell, but that would still not let Swan Dragon out but she would need to unshackle him for sure.

The other prisoners name doesn't ring any bells to her, and probably neither did in anyone else's ears since there had been no mention of him to her. Weird.

That's the square right in front of the dark portal- the 'teleporter pad', for lack of a better word.

Lyla vaguely recalls that another prisoner was said to be held on the Pyongyang, but since Living command has no clue who he was, she wasn't very well informed about what to do with him.  Guess that's up to her discretion!

There don't seem to be any keys or anything else around the area.  Maybe the Warden keeps some on him?  Which means either pickpocketing the Warden or else just breaking the chains herself.

If she'd have a chance, she could spare a word or two with the mysterious prisoner. Even better she could ask about him from Swan Dragon before marching to talk to him. She pushes the buttons matching both cells to attune herself to them instantly, and walks to stand on the square. Pilfering some keys didn't seem impossible, but challenging, especially when they most likely wouldn't look like a set of keys. Then again when did she turn away from a challenge?

She feels like someone's dumped cold black water all over her.  Her skin goosebumps and the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.  But she feels a bit more at home within the Pyongyang now:  her headache's gone down a bit and the hallways seem a bit less bright.

She heads back out to the halls.  The Warden seems to be interrogating Swan Dragon with two Gunzosha standing guard.  She can hear the wet smack of metal on flesh as the elemental dragon is beaten brutally.

((Stealth roll: 10, 7, 7, 7, 5, 4, 4 & 2
Float 4-4
Stealth trancending Chi 5
37+20+15+10 = 82 ))

It's odd to feel more home at such an environment, but its a welcome relief. It all allows her to think straight, and better, when she can focus on something else than her aching head.

Lyla slides down the stairs, only to face a familiar sight. She hugs the wall and lets the shadows grow larger. Seeing that the Gunzosha are on guard, she takes one of the tags she collected earlier and tosses it on the otherside of the hallway. She'd need only few seconds to lurk in a better position, and close in on the two. Lyla readies herself, and her gloves. If she could take out one Gunzosha first, it'd always be better for her.

Fighting might be inevitable, but the later they found out about her, the better.

Her toss is excellent.  The keytag lands just aside one of the cells, in juuust the right place that it'd be difficult to find but still make a lot of noise.

"What was that?"

The Gunzosha stop and look down the hall, towards the direction of the keytags.  They both turn and walk down the hall, two big rifles at the ready.

If Lyla wants to get the drop on them, the time is now.

((If you want to attack, roll init.  If you win init and attack their turned backs this round, you automatically get a Laughs and they get a Fears.))
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:47, Wed 14 Dec 2016.

((Initiative 10, 9, 8, 7, 7, 7, 3 & 1
Using Murderous Shadows w/ Unarmed+Saber
Shaping wave(stealth): flood 24+20+10 = 54
Initiative: 37+15+10 = 62
FoB: 19+15+10 = 44 / 2 chi))

There is little humor in her stunt and it leaves her partially amused, and even more so relieved to see it actually worked. Since the Abyssal is busy himself, Lyla focuses her attention to the two, who have turned away.

She crouches and effortlessly almost seems to glide behind the two. Her aura spreads itself behind them, ready to fall upon them to dampen the noise that would appear from combat. The shadows seem to darken around her hands, creating talons that vibrate in the air.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:38, Fri 16 Dec 2016.

Imperator 1 Init:
10, 9, 8, 7, 5, 4 & 3.
*Goes Last

Imperator 2 Init:
9, 8, 6, 5, 4, 4 & 3.
*Float 4-4
*Goes Last

Both are Rank 7 Lesser Legends.  In later rounds they can attempt to Cover Ground towards the cell- they won't go in but the cell sizzling to keep them out will certainly alert the Abyssal!

Neither of them seem to notice anything.  "Man, this place sucks,"  One says to the other, "I hate it here."

"But at least we're not going to die again!"

"Yeah, there's at least that."

((Attack roll:10, 8, 6, 4, 4, 2, 1 & 1.
Reincarnating Nine Brothers 5 chi
Scattering the Golden Feathers 3 chi
Strike 21+20+25+10+10 Auto L/F = 86 / +15 dmg
Burn 24+10+10+10 Auto L/F = 54 ))

Covered with her shadows, Bluefox glides behind the two, tilting her head at the exchange between the two. She arches her brows and lets a smirk spread on her lips. The blue shaded mist lurks between their legs infront of them, covering the nooks and crannies on the floor and nearby wall. A deadly silence falls upon that part of the hallway.

It all happens like an explosion but in complete silence. Her vaporformed talons strike hard and precise, aiming into their armors past the metal. The shadows lurk in from the tip of her fingers, the blue veil turning into an aggressive flame burning everything on their way.

"Reaper's here."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:03, Fri 16 Dec 2016.

Imperator 1 Defense:
10, 9, 7, 7, 7, 2 & 1.
*Dodge Primary 37 + Dodge 5 = 42 vs 86, 4 Ripples
*Dodge Burn 19 + Dodge 5 = 24 vs 54, 2 Ripples

Imperator 2 Defense:
9, 8, 7, 5, 5, 3 & 3.
*Dodge Primary 25 + Dodge 10 = 35 vs 86, 4 Ripples
*Dodge Burn 23 + Dodge 10 = 34 vs 54, 2 Ripples

The Imperators have just enough time to go "Huh?" before Lyla rips them to pieces.  Two malfeas-hearts fall from their shattered corpuses, smacking together and congealing into one mass with a soft 'THWIP', the only sound made in the hallway.

If Lyla wasn't suppressing sound, that probably would've sounded like a cannon shot.  But the Abyssal certainly hasn't noticed.

((Initiative 10, 8, 7, 7, 5, 5, 2 & 1.
Using Murderous Shadows w/ Unarmed+Saber
Initiative: 25+15+10 = 50
FoB: 18+15+10 = 43 / 2 chi
Ghostly Presence: 27+20+10 = 57))

The steady smacking caused by the Abyssal echoes in the hallway, when the two fall silently to the ground. Oddly out of breath, her shadows wrap themselves around the two shattered corpuses to hide them out of sight. Lyla leans in to pull them aside with the assist of her essence, and in the end leans to the wall.

She had drained herself while stalking around the hallways, and it was taking its toll on her. Now that she felt a little more home at the ship, her strenght was coming back to her. The blue mist comfortingly lurks in front of her, like a pet that was ready to attack those threatening its owner. Despite the danger of being discovered, she waits patiently, hoping that Swan Dragon was able to take the beating that was given to him.

When having recovered what was lost, Lyla hesitates no longer. The talons within her gloves extend to assist the shadows, and she steps out, ready to face the Abyssal, face or back first. She hopes to ambush him, or at least push him back in order to place the battle within the cell at the reach of Swan Dragon and his chains. Two flies at one hit.

((Warden Initiative:
9, 8, 7, 7, 6, 5 & 3
*FoB 27 for 2 Chi
*Init 19 + Speed 5 + AB 10 = 34

Minions automatically summoned!

Minions Go Last.  They're Rank 3 minions.))

The Warden keeps on pummeling his prisoner, but he certainly feels her walk through the void field.  Thus he is waiting for her inside the cell- which seems far, far bigger on the inside.  It still feels cramped, probably because in the time it took for her to enter the room he's filled it with the shades of hundreds of mindless ghosts.  They form ordered ranks, a veritable ghostly army.

"I thought I felt something wrong on my ship,"  The Warden draws a long staff, crackling with dark energies.  "I am the Warden of Sorrow.  And you are?"

((Attack roll: 10, 9, 9, 7, 6, 4, 2 & 2
Scattering the Golden Feathers 3 chi
Reincarnating Nine Brothers 5 chi
Lashing Flurry 3 chi

Strike: 22+20+25+10 = 77
Secondary Strike: flowed 34+20+10 = 64
Burn: 29+10+10 = 49
Disrupt strike : 17+20+10 = 47
))

Her bodysuit, which was white as snow earlier to fit the hallways, now shifts to a shade of black, competing with the darkness of the void surrounding them. The visor covers her eyes, but the smirk does not disappear from her lips, when encountered with the surprise of a sudden army.

"You felt something more right in your ship, for once," she replies. "I'm Bluefox of the Living Fleet. The keeper of Shadows."

Blending in with the ranks of ghosts, her shadows disguise her movements, when she dashes towards him. She takes leverage from a set of shadowy stepping stones appearing and pushes herself into a vault to pass some ranks of the ghostly army, her claws slicing near their heads while approaching the Abyssal.

"I had hoped this would be just between you and me, but alas I should've known your type to cowardly rely on assistance," she sighs dramatically, while disappearing in a cloud of shadows.

She reappears behind him, her talons ruthlessly aiming at vital organs, mist pouring past him and sizzling in return when coming in contact with his staff.

((Warden Defense:
7, 6, 5, 4, 4, 2 & 1
*1 Chi:  Tactics +5
*4 Chi:  Block +15
*Defense vs Strike 24 + Block 20 + AB 10 = 54 vs 77, 2 Ripples + Roll
*Defense vs Secondary 17 + Block 20 + AB 10 + IKF 15 = 62 vs 64, Ripple
*Defense vs Burn 16 + Block 20 + AB 10 - Better Dodged 5 = 41 vs 49, Ripple
*Defense vs Disrupt 15 + Tactics 20 + AB 10 + IKF 5 = 50

RR2:
*17 + 15 - Toughness 10 = 22, a Trivial Wound

Minions:
10, 9, 8, 8, 7, 6, 4 & 1
*Defense vs Burn 28 + Tactics 20 = 58 vs 49, avoids
*Defense vs Primary Strike 17 + Tactics 20 = 37 vs 77, 4 Ripples
*Defense vs Secondary Strike 16 + Tactics 20 = 36 vs 64, 3 Ripples

Warden Attack:
10, 9, 9, 9, 7, 5 & 3
*Strike Lyla 39 + Strike 20 + AB 10 + IKF 25 = 89, Better Blocked

Minions Attack:
*Strike Lyla 28 + Tactics 20 = 48

Initiative:
10, 10, 6, 5, 2, 1 & 1
*1 Chi:  Tactics +5, can analyze with 1d
*Float 0-0
*Analyze Style Fears 16 + Tactics 15 + AB 10 = 41
*FoB with 21 for 2 Chi
*Init 15 + Speed 5 + AB 10 = 30))

Lyla steals up upon him, ripping at his armor in several places.  He makes a paltry attempt at blocking her slashes and the resulting fire, depending on his armor to mostly take the assault.

His ghosts aren't so lucky.  They're mostly torn to shreds- but only mostly.  Some survive, mostly thanks to a spread-out formation.

"Please,"  He sighs at her as he spins his staff, "They're as much a part of me as your hands and feet!"  He swats around the area in a wide net of strikes, cutting off potential places for her to run and hide.  This is aided by his few remaining ghosts, who slash away at any spot he might miss.

((Defense vs Warden 7, 6, 6, 6, 4, 3, 2 & 1.
Dodge: 36+15+5+20+10-5 = 81 vs 89, 1 ripple
Crow Eclipses the Sun 4 chi

Defense vs Minions 8, 8, 6, 5, 5, 4, 2 & 2.
Dodge: 28+15+5+10 = 58 vs 48

Initiative 10, 9, 5, 4, 4, 2, 1 & 1
Using Murderous Shadows w/ Unarmed+Saber
Initiative: 19+15+10= 44
FoB: 15+15+10 = 40 / 2 chi
Ghostly Presence: 24+20+10 = 54
Hide style: stealth 21+20+10 = 51

Attack roll: 8, 7, 7, 7, 5, 5, 2 & 1
Scattering the Golden Feathers 3 chi
Reincarnating Nine Brothers 5 chi

Strike: 25+20+25+10 = 80, better dodged
Burn: 37+10+10 = 57, better dodged
Disrupt strike : 18+20+10 = 48
))

He tries to cut her away, and corner her, but she does not let him do so. It's much harder to control something you can't actually see. Bluefoxes shadows veil her and hide her movement within a cloud of smoke. The darkness of the void momentarily seems to suck all the little of the remaining light in.

Out of the dark, her talons lash out, tearing the air around her apart as well as everything that is standing in her way. She scoffs at his response, and slices from somewhere behind him, or maybe it was infront of him. It's hard to tell where her attack comes from when her essence copies the talons everywhere. It was a fool hardy move, pushing her essence on the edge, but that was her way of doing things.

"Hands and legs? Well I'd be devastated to lose either of them...like you just did," she retorts regarding the damage she managed to inflict.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:01, Thu 29 Dec 2016.

((Warden Defense:
10, 8, 6, 6, 6, 5 & 5
*4 Chi:  Block +15
*Defense vs Primary with 36 + Block 20 + AB 10 + IKF 15 - Better Dodged 5 = 76 vs 80, takes Ripple
*Defense vs Secondary with 25 + Block 20 + AB 10 - Better Dodged 5 = 50 vs 57, takes Ripple
*Takes Disrupt

Minions die :(

Warden Attack:
10, 7, 6, 5, 2, 2 & 1
*Strike Lyla with Flowed 30 + Strike 20 + AB 5 + IKF 25 - Disrupt 5 = 75, Better Blocked
*Disrupt Lyla Speed with 22 + Tactics 15 + AB 5 = 42))

Lyla's stealth isn't as useful as it could be against the Warden.  His defense is daunting.  Though he takes another pair of scratches and is hindered, she has to duck and weave through a complicated pattern to try to get at him in the first place.

"I lost them?  Interesting," He growls as his last ghost flings itself in her path in an effort to shield him from most of her attacks. "How naive of you to think so."

His counterattack focuses more on filling the area around him with educated guesses instead of targeted attacks.  That may be good enough for most; a normal human would be battered to pieces!

((Defense: 10, 8, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4 & 4.
Float 5-5
Primary dodge: 34+15+5+10-5 = 59 vs 75, 1 ripple & roll
Disrupt 18+20+10 = 48 vs 42

Initiative: 10, 9, 9, 7, 7, 5, 3 & 1
Using Murderous Shadows w/ Unarmed+Saber
Initiative: 13+15+10= 38
FoB: 15+15+10 = 40/ 2 chi
Ghostly Presence: 29+20+10 = 59
Analyze fears: 27+10+10 = 47
))

Her dodging and dancing in between the pattern is almost perfect, but almost doesn't quite cut it, as his staff hits her due to recklessness. She could've dodged it, had she not focused her efforts on attacking. But no, she was not feeling too defensive.

He tries to hinder her swiftness, but she notices it, and masks her movement to prevent him from hitting her legs.

"A loss, even if a temporary one, is still a loss."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:52, Mon 02 Jan 2017.

RR on Lyla:
*14 + Damage 5 = 19 - Toughness 5 = 14 - 18 = No wound

Warden Init:
8, 8, 7, 6, 4, 2 & 1
*Summon Minions:  MINOR ACTION, 28 = Rank 4 Minions
*Loses Init

Fears:  Opponents who get too close, opponents who are outside of his zone of control

After the successful strike- a hit that threatens to bruise Lyla's ribs- the Warden readopts his original stance.  A flexing of his muscles brings another horde of ghosts around him, swarming out of the walls and from his very armor.

"You seem to be running out of Essence,"  He rumbles at her, "Too much offense!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:07, Thu 05 Jan 2017.

((Attack: 10, 8, 6, 5, 5, 2, 1 & 1
Reincarnating Nine Brothers 5 chi

Strike: Flowed 45+20+10 = 100, better dodged
Disrupt block: 18+20+10 = 48
Burn: 21+10+10 = 41

+5 to both if Fears apply))

"There's never too much offense!" She smirks and skips back from the hit disappearing into her shadows.

It had been a foolish close call, a silly attempt at finishing things quickly. Hasty decisions didn't get her nowhere. The hit near her ribs is a reminder of things past, how she tried to go and save her friends with broken ribs before the exaltation even. It's amusing.

Upon having taken a closer look to his style of fighting, she weaves a pattern past the ghosts that once again emerge to litter the small room. Pushing herself away from the wall, she flips right behind him, all too near to the ghost swarming armor of his. She pulls her arm back and the shadowy blades on her hand turn into blueish flames as she aims to shank him near the ribs in return.

Defense:
7, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 & 3
*Defense vs Strike 27 + Block 20 + AB 10 - Better Dodged 5 = 42 vs 100, 3 Ripples + ROll
*Defense vs Burn 23 + Block 20 + AB 10 - Better Dodged 5 = 48 vs 41, Blocked
*Takes Block Disrupt

RR on Warden:
*1 Chi for Chi Aura
*29 + Damage 15 - Toughness 10 = 34 - Anything = another Trivial of Lyla's choice, or inflamed to Minor

Attack:
9, 7, 6, 6, 5, 4 & 3
*5 Chi for Strike +25
*Strike Lyla 26 + Strike 20 + AB 10 - Disrupt 5 + IKF 25 = 76, Dodge -5

Minion Attack:
9, 8, 8, 7, 1, 1 & 1
*Strike Lyla 31 + Tactics 20 = 51

The Warden weathers her attacks, throwing up vast hordes of ghostly spirits who slash at her as she passes and otherwise throw themselves in the way to break up her chances of dealing with him.  She still delivers a solid blow that sends him reeling, but it's not enough to stop him from his own vicious counterattack.

((inflame the trivial to minor

Defense vs warden 9, 9, 9, 7, 7, 3, 2 & 1
Primary dodge: 39+15+5+10-5+5 = 69 vs 76, 1 ripple

Defense vs minions 8, 7, 7, 6, 6, 4, 2 & 1
Dodge +15+5+10 = 57 vs 51, miss))

She doesn't expect him to give up, the fight would continue until one would fall. She tumbles and weaves past the ghosts, breathing in and out. She sticks close to his skin, dodging past his arm and torso, leaning back away from the staff staying almost too close to comfort to him.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:07, Sat 07 Jan 2017.

Warden Initiative:
8, 6, 4, 3, 3, 2 & 1
*1 Chi:  Analyze Style Fears
*FoB with 23 for 2 Chi
*Analyze Style 18 + Tactics 25 + AB 10 = 53
*Init 16 + Speed 5 + AB 10 = 31

The Warden flicks his right arm, spattering blood across the floor as he shifts his staff to his left.  "You're a cunning one," He remarks, "I'll greatly appreciate breaking you when this is all over."

((Initiative: 9, 8, 6, 6, 6, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2 & 1
Used 3 chiv joss
1 chi on +5 Stealth
1 chi on +5 speed
Using Murderous Shadows w/ Unarmed+Saber
Initiative: 12+15+5+10= 42
FoB: 18+15+10 = 43/ 2 chi
Ghostly Presence: 19+20+10 = 49
Awareness to find locks: 23+20+10 = 53 vs dif 40
Shaping wave to open the said locks: 36+15+10 = 61 dif 10
Hide style 23+20+5+10= 58 vs 53, hides

Attack 10, 10, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 7, 6, 3 & 1
Lashing Flurry 3 chi
Reincarnating Nine Brothers 5 chi

Strike: 17+20+25+10 = 72, better dodged
Secondary Strike: 38+20+10 = 68, better dodged
Burn: 29+10+10 = 49
Disrupt block: 20+20+10 = 50

+5 to all if Fears apply))


Seeing his blood spatter to the floor, colouring the emptyness crimson, Bluefox can't help but to smirk to her small triumph. The blueshaded mist spreads itself and turns to more dense one to cover her movements from the Warden and his ghosts. She herself takes speed from wall to wall and jumps upwards to see past the horde of ghosts and the Warden, her visor immediately analyzing the chains when catching a glimpse of them. Propping herself somehow between the voided wall and the door arch, she focuses her attention to the chains of Swan Dragon.

She had opened locks before, many many times before. Admitted she had done such deeds even as a normal human. But then again these locks were nothing like those locks at that time. Still in the end they were only locks, and their placement as well as shape was always somewhat similar. She got what she needed with one look: an opening.

Once again she darts into motion, almost headfirst diving into her own shadows that give way to her. She tumbles next to his right side, and still in movement pushes his already wounded arm aside with a talon to get in his guard.

"I don't think thats the right way to ask a girl for a date,"she retorts while slashing towards his healthy arm in a stretch, while continuing with a vault past him.

She gives a small nod to Swan Dragon upon finally reaching him, before her shadows wrap his chains in them in order to pick the locks. She uses her sharp tipped talons to mold into the locks, impatiently waiting for them to give up.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:14, Tue 10 Jan 2017.

Defense vs Lyla:
9, 8, 3, 2, 2, 1 & 1
*8 Chi:  Block +15 vs primary and secondary strike
*Defense vs Strike 22 + Block 20 + AB 10 - Better Dodged 5 - Disrupt 5 + IKF 15 = 57 vs 72, Ripple + Roll
*Defense vs Secondary Strike 21 + Block 20 + AB 10 - Better Dodged 5 - Disrupt 5 + IKF 15 = 56 vs 68, Ripple + Roll
*Defense vs Burn 19 + Block 20 + AB 10 - Better Dodged 5 - Disrupt 5 = 39 vs 49, takes a Ripple + Roll
*Defense vs Disrupt 18 + Tactics 20 + AB 10 = 48 vs 50, takes Disrupt

RR 10 on Warden:
*35 + Damage 15 = 50 - Toughness 10 = 40 - Chi Aura 11 = 29, a new Minor or Minor inflamed to Major

RR 11 on Warden:
*30 + Damage 15 = 45 - Toughness 10 = 35, a new Minor Wound (or inflame that previous new Minor to Major)

RR 12 on Warden:
*32, a Minor Burn

Warden Attacks Lyla:
8, 8, 5, 4, 2, 2 & 2
*Strike Lyla 32 + Strike 20 + AB 10 - Disrupt 5 + Strike 25 = 82 (If you wound his other arm, this drops to 77), Better Blocked
*Disrupt Lyla Strike 28 + Tactics 20 + AB 10 + IKF 15 = 73

After his attack, he's Taken Out.

The Warden is just too weak to truly stand up to a pre-exodite of Lyla's caliber.  He spins his staff to defend against her, ghosts swarming as he counterattacks, but she shreds him and his armor.  He burns through the rest of his Essence trying to keep her off and drive her away.

It's not enough, though.  She gets past him and quickly finds the lock- a link in that big ball of soulmetal made of mere steel, with a tiny little hole in it, big enough for a needle.  It takes a sliver of essence twisted just right for the chains to fly open, causing a cascade of fire essence to burn away his ghosts and illuminate the cell.  Swan Dragon stands up straight, stretching old bones for the first time in a decade.

"Well done,"  He says to Lyla as he looks at the writhing form of the Warden in front of him.  "Please don't kill him."

((Defense:10, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 3, 3, 3 & 3
Primary dodge: 43+15+5+10-5+5 = 73 vs 77, takes 1 ripple
Dodge disrupt: 26+20+10 = 56 vs 73, takes disrupt))

The Warden's last hits are vicious ones, and Bluefox doesn't manage to get past them unscathed. Her dodge seemed sloppy at the end due to her focus being on getting to open the locks, and the hit is immediate reminder that she should've paid more attention. The last hit renders her feeling battered and bruised, but she still stands tall in a much better condition than her combatant.

As she calms down, her shadows lower themselves and lurk on the bottom of the cell covering what remnants there could be of the ghosts. They shun away from the Warden, leaving the space around him empty. The talons in her gloves are pulled into the them, and she stretches her fingers.

"I didn't come here on an assassination duty," she notes, more targeting the words to the Warden than Swan Dragon. "I think this failure will be punishment enough for him... Unless that is you had something else in mind."

End of Battle Rippling Roll on Lyla:
*19 - 16 = 3, a Trivial I'm not even going to care about.

Lyla EoB RR on Warden:
*47 - 23 = 24, a Minor condition of Lyla's choice

The Warden has collapsed and twitches on the floor, no longer able to protest as she smothers away his ghosts.  Swan Dragon twists his arms until they pop.

"No, honestly, killing him would normally be best but it'd be a bit of an inconvenience for this whole ship to explode with us on it."  He kicks the Warden in the face, making sure the Warden is properly unconscious.  "I've picked up a few things.  These prison ships immediately self-destruct when their owner deattunes to them.  That'd be quite the inconvenience, don't you think?"

He looks at her, "Please tell me you have the ability to escape with both of us."

She nods partially in agreement with him, when it comes to the fate of the Warden. Lucky for her there is no need to decide anything when it comes to him, though in reality and in her mind killing the Warden would ne naturally for the better. Lyla can't help but to think how he'll want to revenge this all later on.

"Yeah. I gathered there was something like that going on," she steps over the Warden to the corridor. "What kind of a gallant knight would I be, if I didn't have a trustworthy steed waiting for us outside?"

Lyla chuckles vaguely.

"I have a ship waiting for us outside, but we still need to reach a ventilation shaft to get there...Oh by the way...Do you know the other prisoner?"

"I didn't mean both of us as in you and me," Swan Dragon says to her seriously, "Your presence is obvious.  I meant myself and my other compatriot.  He's the important one here.  I can't believe you came to get me first."

"Ahem. You are Swan Dragon, right?" She can't help but to turn cautious at this point. "Explain further, also why my data included only you."

"Yes, I am Swan Dragon, Elemental Dragon of Fire, and very thankful for the rescue.  The ghost in the other room, in the other hand, screams and yells while they rip something from his corpus and then all of a sudden I am introduced to a new Imperator within the hour.  Who replaces an old one."  Swan Dragon tells her, "Which makes me wonder- how are they making new Imperators in the first place, and why am I meeting a rotating cast?"

"Well..." she takes a step towards the stairs. "We should just go ask him. I did attune myself to his cell as well, just incase."

She walks towards the stairs leading to the other cells.

"I am however NOT taking anyone along that could be a danger to the Living fleet. Also there is no containment cell in my ship for transportation purposes, because he sure didn't seem too friendly the last time I saw him," she keeps her visor well lowered down. "Even though he seemed to think he helped me...We still have to survive out of here, and through a few jumps in order to reach a bigger ship."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:25, Thu 12 Jan 2017.

Leaving the cell leaves  them with a faint chill of cold and a tingle.  He follows behind her, looking at the remains of the Gunzosha she left in the hall.

"I wouldn't be too friendly either in his situation,"  Swan Dragon tells her, "And by that logic you shouldn't bring me back either."  He looks around the hallways, blinking owlishly. "They did many terrible things to me in that cell.  How do you know I'm not a threat too?"

"I don't but I was told to take you along. We can fight on the way back if you want to," Lyla shrugs off. "Besides despite the time you spent in captivity I know more about you then about him...even if it isn't much."

She continues steadily but hastily towards the other cell. She doesn't lower her guard even though the Warden is down, and Swan Dragons doubting speech wasn't convincing her to do so either, not that she'd trust him in any case.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:20, Sun 15 Jan 2017.

"Then your minders are either not thinking carefully or are willing to take the risk." Swan Dragon tells her, following quickly. "We should take this risk."

She spots another Gunzosha standing guard by the other guy's cell.  He sees Swan Dragon and Lyla, reverses his weapon, and blows off his own head.

"... Hm.  No prisoners, it seems."  Swan Dragon shakes his head.

The chained-up ghost looks up at Lyla as she arrives. "So, you've come back,"  He gives her a leering smirk, "About time.  And how is our dear warden?"

"Yes, I think so too," she nods in agreement when it comes to risking it.

The Gunzosha blowing his head off lets her only sigh, partially at ease, because she sure didn't feel like fighting when its not necessary. Spared the trouble from her.

"Well, last time we saw I kind of didn't have time to stay for a cup of tea and a chat," she folds her arms on her chest. "Quite...silent, for now. But that doesn't mean I'm too eager to spend a lot of time talking with you. Who are you, and why are you being kept captive?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:14, Mon 16 Jan 2017.

"Takehiko Isakawa, pleasure to meet you." He tells her, "Once known as Take the Blade.  Chosen of Luna, protector of Kyoto.  Slain by Yama in honorable combat, but desecrated after death."

He lifts his chin.  She can see a gruesome looking wound encircling his neck.  By her estimate, he looks like he was beheaded.

"I am quite displeased.  Release me."

There is a part of her that wants to lift her blue tinted visor up to reveal her questioning and blank stare, but there is the other part that wishes that she'd wear a proper helmet covering her mouth as well, so she could make the most unprofessional faces as possible.

"I'm Bluefox, nice to meet you. Though I see you dropped the pleasantries pretty quickly. In that case I'm not really sorry about the coming interrogation. I hope you do realize that I'm your only way out of this hellhole currently, so you better impress me."

She tilts her head to the side, and clearly shifts a look to Swan Dragon as well.

"How come you're alive if you died? Are you one of them these days? Most importantly, is your mind your own?"

"I'm dead.  I'm a ghost," He tilts his head so she can see his ragged corpus, pulsing with green tumors.  "And it's as mine as it can be, otherwise I wouldn't be locked up like this."

"One part of Malfeas grants power,"  Swan Dragon observes to her, "So what do many parts grant?"

"Apparently the chance to tell the Neverborn to fuck off."  The ghost mutters, "But apparently it's a delicate process or else they'd harvest faster.  I don't know what the hell's wrong with me, but the Neverborn sure do."

"Well it could all be just a safety measure, or maybe you just like it all that way," she jests, rather grimly, failing at sounding funny to lighten the mood.

Lyla shifts her weight from one leg to the other, before unfolding her arms and walking into Takehikos cell. Luckily she attuned herself just incase.

"So, do you want to get out and join the Living Fleet with the most likely future of being subject to testing due to your unique condition?"

Now that she is not inte middle of a combat, opening the locks is not such a hasty business, and she takes her time while waiting for his answer. Naturally she expects him to say yes, so the locks are opened before he even gets to that point. In reality Lyla felt as if she'd used too much time on everything as it is.

"No, because if they had let me free I would've torn this entire ship to pieces," Takehiko mentions to her.

She starts undoing his chains and he just darkly chuckles.

"Of course I'll do it.  Which one of you's tortured me for a decade?  Do you have any idea what it feels like to have a piece of you ripped out and bitten off?  It's not pleasant."

He stands up when she finally releases him.  He doesn't stretch but instead slouches, buried under the weight of his tumors.  "About time.  Now bitch-"

Swan Dragon punches him in the face, letting out a little flare of fire essence.  The tumor-filled ghost falls over like a felled tree.

"Apologies, my rescuer.  He was getting on my nerves."  Swan Dragon leans over and picks up the prisoner, grunting under the ghost's unexpected weight.  "Malfeas tumor or not, he should speak with more respect."

Lyla just listens to Takehikos  boasting silently, rolling her eyes under the cover of the visor. Once having released him, the words that he spits out cause her hand to clench and the shadowy talons to extend. But then it is Swan Dragon who saves the day instead and spares the trouble from her.

"No need for apologies. You just beat me to it," she lets out a dry chuckle, relieved that Swan Dragon was the one to be rescued and not Takehiko. The elemental was a welcome relief to this blank and somehow rude ship.

"My ship has space for you and me, but we can shackle him...outside..or to the jumpship attachment, since he doesn't need air. Unless you have other intel of this place, I suggest we get out."

With quick strides Lyla heads back to the corridor from where she first came out from the ventillator shaft. The floorplan was essy enough to remember after few tours. A drawing of that could be handy in her report as well. She does wait and assist Swan Dragon with the extra weight wether he wants or not. She also dons a pair of cuffs to Takehikos wrists...they'd make him easier to be dragged along. Also he deserved them.

"Benisuzume is just on the outside. Though with the extra its quite the tight squeeze through the shaft I came from. Also we have to spend a few seconds without oxygen, unless we share my mask," She explains and throws a glance at Swan Dragon, being unsure if he actually would need the air even.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:07, Fri 27 Jan 2017.

"Shackle him outside?  Like common cargo?  Oh no, whatever shall we do."  Swan Dragon rolls his eyes theatrically, following behind her. "Yes, I agree with your suggestion.  I'll be fine a few seconds without oxygen, so hold on to your mask please.  You're the one that has to get us home."

Shackling Takehiko is a bit harder than she'd think, his wrists are just so covered with tumors that the cuffs have to cut into the ghost-flesh.  Dragging him through the hole only rips more of the ragged tumor-flesh.

Then she has to lash him to the underside of the Benisuzume.  Swan Dragon helps, holding his Essence to help with the process.  Downside is that he's a glowing green target, basically painting the underside of the ship.

When they finally board the Benisuzume, with Swan Dragon taking up what cramped little space there is in the interceptor- aided by inhuman physiology- he speaks up.  "I hope we won't have issues getting out of here."

((Stealth to cover the ship: 9, 9, 7, 5, 4, 4, 3 & 3.
Float 4-4
Finesse transcending Chi + 15 stealth
29+20+15+10-10 = 64))

"You never know," Lyla sighs, when starting up the engine and taking a hold of the steering. "...But..if this will be our end, I'm glad to tell you, that its been a joy having saved you...instead of Takehiko."

Lyla chuckles honestly, and relieved for the first time after the mission began. Sitting behind Benisuzumes steering system is like returning back home, after the long empty corridors. Her suits shifts to its natural shades of black and blue, and the tension in her body eases after sneaking around. As always the whole ships seems so welcoming after the short but disturbing encounter with the inside of an Neverborns ship.

"No issues, just -maybe- some bumps on the way."

With that notion, her shadows pour from her arms through the steering system to the ships exterior, covering it in a blue shaded cloud. At least it seems so from the inside. On the outside the whole ship just vanishes into the void decorated by shining stars on the background. Lyla rushes the engines to boost them away from Pyongyang, preparing the system for a jump with the aid of Odysseys as soon as possible, but keeping her eye on the radar incase of any fire.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:16, Sat 28 Jan 2017.

Pyongyang:
10, 9, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 4, 1 & 1
*DETECTION 56 + Awareness 10 + AB 5 = 71 beats 64 (can't stack chi-channeling, but still beats 69 anyway)

Lyla has to reach the jump point!  Let's not use the map.  It's about 10 zones away.  Roll init!

As Lyla pulls away from the Pyongyang, her ship is rocked by a wave of dark energy.  The entropic field bounces off of her living ship, traveling back to the Pyongyang at the s peed of death.  The Pyongyang just pinged her- and caught her!  The Pyongyang's weapons systems come online.  The escort cruisers start pointing their noses at her, preparing to fire as they disgorge dozens of Navarino interceptors.

"I take it that was bad,"  Swan Dragon mutters.

((Initiative of 9, 8, 6, 4, 4, 2, 2 & 1
Using Murderous Shadows (pilot) w/ Benisuzume (unarmed+saber)
Flight of the Golden Crow 3 chi
Cover Ground: 74 (24+15+5+10+20)
Ghostly presence: 49(19+20+10)
FoB: 41(16+15+10) /2 chi
Initiative: 57(22+25+10)
))

Lyla clicks her tongue upon noticing Pyongyang targeting Benisuzume. She sighs discontently and takes a better hold on the steering system.

"That's what I get for being sloppy...also should've dragged out that bastard and killed him," she mumbles. "Still..I managed to get in,I'm sure I can get us out. Besides without little danger this would've been quite the bore."

Benisuzume hums constantly when speeding up, trying to evade being the target, her shadows thickening.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:04, Mon 30 Jan 2017.

Lyla CG:  8 zones, wins init

Pyongyang init:
8, 7, 7, 5, 4, 4, 3, 2, 2 & 1
*Float 7-7-4-4-2-2
*Init Less Than Lyla

Escort Cruisers Init:
8, 7, 7, 6, 6, 4, 4, 3 & 1
*Float 7-7-6-6
*Minor Action:  Targeting Solution, will have Strike +25 vs Lyla
*Going to handle them as one group:  if attacks hit, they deal +4 Ripples per attack
*Init Less Than Lyla

Navarino Interceptors Init:
10, 10, 9, 8, 5, 3 & 1
*Navarinos are not maxed, so they are useless :D
*Init Less Than Lyla

Lyla has the option of attacking any group given she's gonna blow past all of them.

Lyla may have been found, but she has quick reflexes and quicker engines.  She quickly blows past the interceptors, most of whom are piloted by less-competent ghosts.  The escort cruisers, on the other hand, start bracketing her ship with their targeting systems.  The Pyongyang's weapons have spun up.  Soon hell will be unleashed!

((attack roll:10, 10, 8, 7, 4, 4, 3 & 2.
all attacks against escort cruisers
Reincarnating Nine Brothers 5 chi

Strike:  20+20+10+5+25=80, better dodged
Burn: 24+10+10=44
Disrupt Strike: 18+20+10=48
))

Despite confidently zooming past the cruisers, she can't help herself but sink Benisuzumes plasma cutters to their sides, scratching and peeling them like tin cans. She exhales deeply, focusing on taking all the enemies into account and readying to the bullet hell soon to be unleashed.

"I'd tell you to hold onto something but there really isn't much to grab onto," she flashes a grin over her shoulder to Swan Dragon.

Defense vs Attack:
10, 9, 7, 7, 4, 4, 3, 3 & 2.
*Defense vs Strike 27 + Block 10 + AB 10 - Better Dodged 5 = 42 vs 80, 3 Ripples + Roll
*Defense vs Burn 24 + Block 10 + AB 10 - Better Dodged 5 = 39 vs 44, a Ripple
*Defense vs Disrupt 23 + Hardiness 20 + AB 10 = 53 vs 48, avoids

RR 3 on Cruisers:
*19 + Damage 15 - Toughness 5 = 29, a Trivial wound

Pyongyang Attack:
10, 9, 9, 6, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2 & 2
*Flood 7 to extend attack
*Slaved Missile Barrage vs Lyla with Flowed 52 + Strike 10 + AB 10 = 72; Dodge is -20
*Simple Turret Attack with Flowed 44 + Strike 10 + AB 10 = 64; Dodge is -5
*Supermassive Void Cannon with 29 + Strike 10 + AB 10 = 49; Dodge is -5
*Disrupt Lyla Speed with 23 + Tactics 20 + AB 10 = 53

Cruisers Attack:
10, 10, 10, 6, 6, 6, 4, 3 & 2
*Flood 7 to extend attack
*Flood 7 to continue Targeting Solution
*Flowed Strike 56 + Strike 10 + AB 10 + Strike 25 = 101, Dodge -5

The cruisers are peeled, but less like tin cans and more like... lemons getting zested.  They're barely touched after her sideswipe.

"I am holding on to my ass.  Does that count?"  Swan Dragon asks.

Then the Pyongyang opens up fire.  Before, Lyla didn't have to worry about things as the Buchenwald was focusing on the Enterprise or maximizing mortal deaths.  Now she has to deal with hordes of missiles flung her way, a beam cannon whose beam is wider than her ship, and a flurry of deathly lead.

That's not even counting the cruisers, which have slaved their attacks together rather effectively.  They criss-cross the area around her with walls of projectiles, threatening to tear her and worse, the Odysseus to pieces!

((Defense against Pyongyang: 10, 10, 9, 8, 8, 5, 4, 4, 4, 2 & 1.
Spending 3 chiv joss
Crow Eclipses the Sun 4 chi + 2 chi
Dodge:Slaved Missile Barrage  flowed 44+10+10+5+10-20+20 = 79 vs 72, dodges
Dodge:Simple Turret Attack 28+10+10+5+10-5+10= 68 vs 64, dodges
Dodge:Supermassive Void Cannon 20+10+10+5+10-5= 50 vs 49, dodges
Defend:Disrupt Speed  19+25+10= 54 vs 53, defends

Defense against Cruisers: 10, 9, 8, 7, 5, 5, 4, 2, 1, 1 & 1
Dodge: 31+10+10+5+10-5 = 61 vs 101, 3+4 ripples and a roll

Toughness 10, will use 3 chi for chi aura
))

She wrinkles her nose in disappointment to her sad effort on attacking her enemy, but then again, she didn't put her whole heart into it. It was more of a teasing tickle, than anything proper. Not that she really wanted to play catch with these guys. She had always somehow prefered hide and seek, and to have been found was a cruel disappointment.

"Any ass to be grabbed is a good option," she tightens her grip to the steering system as the pitch black space is coloured with flying missiles..and a beam...and some more lasers.

It's like the worst rave party ever. Odysseys does not make hiding the ship into the dark void of space any easier, and its maneuverability is shitty as ever, trying to hinder her down. Bluefox felt only little relieved that she had already once had to drag the damn ship with her, since without that experience this would be a completely different type of deal. It's far from a walk in the park.

"Please, if there is any machine spirit with me today, pleaaase, keep the tin can in one piece," she mutters between her gritted teeth.

Benisuzumes engine is pushed to the limits, as she turns her ship towards directions and swings that seem impossible. Working with the lack of gravity, she turns the laser tag into a violent ballet, rather taking any hit to come to her own ship, and sheltering Odysseys with any turn.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:47, Wed 01 Feb 2017.

RR on Lyla:
*22 + Damage 10 = 32 - Toughness 10 - Chi Aura 18 = 4, a Trivial:  Damaged Odysseus Jump Drive

Lyla will probably cover 2 zones with this init roll, so go ahead and roll it; if you don't manage to do so, I'll give you +1 ChivJoss for the rest of the round.

Lyla puts on a spectacular show, ducking and weaving and dodging past most of the attacks.  Despite her best efforts the Odysseus is big and bulky, and there is a LOT of fire.  The Odysseus is punched through in several places but she can see that it's still functional.

They can still make it.

((Initiative of 8, 8,6,6,4,3,2&2
 Using Murderous Shadows (pilot) w/ Benisuzume (unarmed+saber)
 Flight of the Golden Crow 3 chi
Supreme burst of speed 4 chi
 Cover Ground: 76 (26+15+5+10+20)
 Ghostly presence: 52(22+20+10)
 FoB: 39(14+15+10) /2 chi
 Initiative: 83(28+25+10+20)
 ))

It must be quite the show as seen on the outside. Benisuzume gliding like a black beetle in the void that is lit up by bullets that seem to be ready to devour anything in their path. Lylas visor is filled with data and incoming warnings, and the hit from the cruisers make her clench her jaw even make. Happy to have gloves on, otherwise holding the steering system with sweaty palms would be difficult.

The hits that decorate Odysseys cause her to rum hasty diagnostics on it. She didn't want to be forced to push THE big red button. She wasn't that much of a damsel in distress. She lets out a sigh of relief to notice that the jump drive is okay.

"You alright?" she checks up on Swan Dragon, not really used to having passengers. "It's soon over, just a little bit further...and we're out."

Pouring in the last regained essence from her, she revs the engines to gain more distance, and after what seems like a small eternity reaching a good jump distance, she turns the jump drive on, leaving the battle field behind.

The Odysseus was damaged, yes, but it's still very much operable.  The Benisuzume leaves the Pyongyang and Nankings in the dust, reaching the jump point.  There it's a brief flash of light and she finds herself in a friendlier portion of space.

The Enterprise hangs in the distance, turning to face her.  She gets a hail.

"Five Days Darkness here.  What's the code word?"

Mission Success is 'Lighthawk', Mission Fail is 'Rutger'.  Anything else means she gets blown out of the sky.

Once entering a friendlier portion of space, gives Lyla a well appreciated moment to look at the starry pattern surroinding her while her adrenaline levels slide back down.

She hails back with a smirk:"Bluefox here.It's Lighthawk," a brief pause. "As promised I've brought a friend to greet and a..souvenir of somekind."

Letting her essence still linger around Benisuzume leaves the ship blotted with part camo and part blue metal. The greenish taint from the extra cargo gives off an eerie glow from within the shadows.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:08, Sun 05 Feb 2017.

"Nightwolf."  He gives the proper response, "We're reading a lot of rads there, Blue Fox.  Do we need to call in quarantine?"

"Ah, Five Days Darkness.  It's good to hear his voice again,"  Swan Dragon closes his eyes, "I should have known he'd come for me."

The Enterprise opens its hangar bay, and two fighters come out to flank Lyla on her approach.

"We have a few transports standing by for your personal decontamination and for quarantine for Swan Dragon.  I strongly suggest that for each of you.  No telling what kind of viruses might've come with you.  We're also going to have to do a sweep of the outside of our ship.  Since you've been gone it seems we brought a Gunzosha killteam with us from the Buchenwald.  They hitched a ride on the outside of our hull."

After hearing the response, Lyla continues more freely:"The radiation is from the other prisoner from Pyongyang, Takehiko Isakawa, a ghost who is covered tumours. He was...reluctant to co-operate and behave...so yes, putting him in quarantine would be good before we know if he can be trusted."

She pauses momentarily, adjusting her holding of the steering system, before taking the same flight route as the flanking fighters. She gives a look over her shoulder to Swan Dragon, finally lifting her visor up to look at him without any obstacles.

"Understood. No objections here for any of those from me. Wouldn't want to cause trouble by accident. Benisuzume and Odysseys both spend quite sometime without supervision after all. A kill team? They've  been taken care of, I assume?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:12, Tue 07 Feb 2017.

"We have a special transport for just this sort of thing.  You'll dock with the Jade Lady to offload your special cargo; I'll have the Nightingale and Willy Pete here-" He highlights another waypoint, "For a personal debrief and decontamination."

Oho.  A personal debrief.

"Yes, the kill team has been dispatched.  Lucifer took them in hand personally, I'm told."

There is an uninhibited chuckle from her upon hearing him talk about Daniel:"I'm not really surprised to hear that Lucifer's been busy...did they manage to do a lot of damage?" She can't help herself from inquiring, even though she realizes soon enough she should've just shut up.

After spending relatively long time in the eerie and cold Pyongyang, the social contact with someone who isn't talking down on you feels nice.

"Ah, hmmh, don't need to answer that, it'll just cause me to ask more questions, which I could just spare after the debriefing. Sorry about that," she corrects trying to sound nonchalant, partially amused by her personal debrief. "Great.I'll drop off the cargo and give a proper report soon enough. Blue Fox out."

Benisuzume heads for the Jade Lady swiftly, but with a relaxed tempo, Lyla being happy to get rid of Takehiko, who probably at this stage has less and less nice things to say to her. Not that she took it personally, no, the man just simply irked her and it'd be unfortunate to cause more damage to such an important "cargo".

"Hopefully you won't mind the quarantine. I guess undisturbed rest is something you've been lacking?" Lyla turns to Swan Dragon.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:29, Thu 09 Feb 2017.

"Not too much, though we lost some civilians in the process.  There's also news coming from Journeys about some sort of altercation in a nearby nebula.  You'll get a full debrief."

"I think I haven't slept in three years.  So yes.  Rest will be quite nice."  Swan Dragon closes his eyes, "And if the crew of the Willy Pete are who I think they are, it'll be just like home."

The crew of the Jade Lady take care of her foul radioactive cargo; at Willy Pete, she's forced to stand far back from the airlock because the damn thing is almost burning hot.  It seems fire elementals have taken over this ship, and it's a small miracle the damn bulkheads haven't melted. Swan Dragon gives her an exhausted-but-happy wave, letting her move on.

The Nightengale is a hospital ship, one of the few luxury ones built within the last year.  She's shepherded inside, where they take a close look at her with a geiger counter and a bunch of other technothaumaturgical implements she doesn't recognize.  Eventually she's led to a hospital room which she notes is lead-lined.

"Visitor,"  She hears over an intercom, "It's the Enterprise's XO."

Glad to see Swan Dragon be united with his kin, she waves him off as well, hoping to share more words with the elemental later on, once he had rested for three years worth. Though in her mind she's sure this is not the last time she hears of him, if not any other way than Sayeed would be guaranteed to gossip on it. Lyla shakes her head thoughtfully, before moving on.

Lyla takes the examination with a laid back mind set, mostly lost in her own thoughts and standing where told. It's not the first time, but most certainly one of the most meticulous ones. Having left her flight helmet into Benisuzume, there is no visor to shelter her eyes from the random bright lights of indoors, which leads her to sigh with a light frustration. She taps her fingers to her thigh, a small part of her brain itching for a cigarette to pass the time, but she waits for it all to end.

In the hospital room, she ends up pacing momentarily around while digging out a cigarette. Her dark hair has mostly clinged to her head due to wearing a helmet, and there is a persistent frown on her brow. Now that there is no more need for hiding her bodysuit has settled for a mix of shimmering dark blue and oily black.  The intercom interrupts her idling.

"Oh. Let her in," she looks at her cigarette and places on the bedside table as if realizing that smoking in a hospital might not be looked well upon.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:44, Fri 10 Feb 2017.

XO Chambers walks in smartly, giving Lyla a snappy salute and a snappier smile.  "Well done, Blue Fox,"  She says with admiration oozing out of her voice, "I can barely believe you did it.  The whole crew of the Enterprise was on pins and needles.  Except for the Captain; he had complete faith in you.  Core's already on the line with us, anxious to talk to your extra payload.  From what I can tell, your extra payload isn't happy about that."

Lyla instead gives a wave and a content smile to see a friendly face. She flops down on the hospital bed and leans to the wall behind it.

"Chambers, do make yourself at home," she gestures to the nearby seats. "So captain was steady as a rock, like always. Yeah, you had all the reason to be nervous, it wasn't exactly smooth sailing to be honest. But then again I would have alerted you guys to help out only over dead body."

She lets out a snicker concerning Takehiko.

"It's nothing personal from the cargo, I'm pretty sure he isn't happy with anything we give him. He had the mind set that we should treat him like a princess, give all the praises to him...sheesh, he sure has a rude mouth and I doubt he'll change the way he talks even if its the Core."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:58, Mon 13 Feb 2017.

"It's a law throughout the fleet that hospital ships should be as uncomfortable and soul-sucking as possible," She says as she takes a seat on a harsh chair and grimaces, "Yep, steady as Core.  I don't know how you two do it.  'Smooth sailing' my ass, I'd have been sweating so hard I'd have drowned in my cockpit.  Then again, that's why I'm not a pilot."

She crosses a leg and chuckles.

"Yeah, well, he's definitely not happy about this.  I've gathered that he and Core knew each other personally and he is NOT happy that Core's in charge.  So if you want to think of anything that could really screw up Mr. Isakawa's day, it's that he's stuck answering to Core somehow.  Karma's a bitch, huh?"

"Soul sucking? I wouldn't say that after Pyongyang, that ship was antiseptically white all over and gave off a more depressing feeling than this. Though that being said I wouldn't want to spend any excess time here for fun. Am I to be quarantened here for long, or do I get to spend it in some more life encouraging environment?" Lyla chuckles looking at around the room. "well, Didnt have time to panic even if I wanted to. Flying was tough, but nothing compared to being in that ship. At least with Benisuzume I had something sheltering me."

She taps her fingers on the bedside table.

"Oh, that I didn't know... Interesting. I wonder if Isakawa knew about Core beforehand when being released by us. How did you find out?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:49, Tue 14 Feb 2017.

"Really now?  Weird how they're exactly identical,"  She rolls her eyes, "I really hope you're not going to be here too long.  You haven't had any hallucinations, have you?  Bad dreams?  Nightmares?  They've apparently got one of the guys who boarded the Buchenwald in Sanctuary right now for really bad hallucinations."

She sighs,

"Well, one bright side about being the XO of the Enterprise is that I've got a very, very high security clearance.  Almost everything that goes to Five Days Darkness ends up going through me.  What he knows, I pretty much know."

That might be exaggeration, given Lyla's... relationship... with her boss.

"Yeah, he and Core got into a scrap in Japan early on in things.  He'd pushed around the demons a bit hard and Core put the smackdown on him."

There is a passing frown that decorates her face, when a thought passes through her mind. Maybe she should put some effort into checking that there is no connection between hospitals and the Abyssals. Everyone was always going on about how there -are- abyssal spies anywhere, so why not. Maybe next time when meeting with her associates she could appoint one of them to work in Sanctuary.

She turns her gaze to the window.

"So far, so good. No nightmares here. We'll see about that after a few nights of rest here, before I've had enough of my forced vacation. Bad hallucinations? What was his name.. ah, Grunt, likely? That sounds serious, though given the headache that Pyongyang caused even me to have, not unlikely to have some concequences on a Dragonblooded as well," she shrugs at the subject at hand.

"Someone likes to snoop around I see," she teases the XO, turning to look at her again with a smirk. "Ever thought about adding more to your resume than being an XO?"

"Yeah, that's the one.  He had a freakout in Sanctuary after he was supposed to be checked, and that's the last I heard of him."  She nods, "Hey, I don't snoop, this information is GIVEN to me!  There's a major difference!  And no, being a good XO means being a good intelligence officer anyway.  I'm pretty content where I am.  Do I want my own ship?  Someday, but for now, I'd like to learn from the best there is, right?"  A peculiar look crosses the woman's face.

Lyla knows that look.  Chambers remains the XO for many reasons, and the big one is Five Days Darkness.  It's debatable whether or not she's in it because she wants the 5DD or because she genuinely looks up to the man.

Lyla tilts her head to the side, ever so slightly. Was it a faint tinge of jealousy that just crossed her field of emotions... As if she had any justified reason to feel such things, nor was there any point. After all her "situation" with 5DD was something quite vague, and there had been no real serious talk about what is it that they are.

She shakes her head a bit, and reaches for the cigarette.

"Yeah, from what I heard having your own ship is quite some hard work, mainly because of the responsibility over people. But I'm sure, that one day you'll make a wonderful captain," she smiles lightly. "You are anyways practically irreplacable in your current position."

Lyla pauses the conversation to light her cigarette. For all she cared, they could storm her room and come rob it from her lips, if it was forbidden to smoke.

"So, what was this all about the Gunzosha? All taken care for?"

Nobody's come to steal Lyla's smokes just yet; nobody really has the balls to try here.  Sure she'd get told off in some other places but as a Pre-Exodite she is more or less a living walking goddess.

"Glad to hear you think so highly of me."  She watches Lyla light up the cigarette, and there's a sense she's grateful for the change of topic "Yeah, uh... that was fucking weird.  Apparently a shit-ton of them managed to hitch a ride on one of our ships after dealing with the Buchenwald.  Remember all those fighters?  They were mostly ignoring us because each and every one of them had a Gunzosha tagging along.  We've since found evidence of their messed up armor around the battlefield."

She looks at the cigarette intensely.

"Anyway, some survived and got onto the outer skin of the Last Refuge, bushwhacked a Voyager, and got caught by a bunch of gods getting stoned in the ventilation shafts.  The gods mostly died but that tipped off a Lunar who managed to get in contact with Lucifer.  I want you to imagine how well that went for the Gunzosha afterwards.  The thought warms me the fuck up at night."

True enough, normally Lyla wouldn't give a flying fuck to people telling her not to smoke, without a proper reason at least, but somehow the quarantine feeling made her sceptic about it. Then again, if they had wanted her not to smoke, they could've just confiscated them before hand.

"I know you said you liked cigars more, but once again, fancy a cigarette?" she asks noticing her look and digs out the case to hand it over to her.

Lyla chuckles at the story. "You can always count on Daniel to trash some Gunzosha. Quite the concerning news though, given that they managed to sneak in so easily. That's something to improve our work on. Though chasing down fighters will take much effort and attention away from bigger problems. What were they after, any idea? Other than sneaking a peek at everything."

She frowns looking at the smoke wafting in the air.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:47, Wed 22 Feb 2017.

"No, I really shouldn't.  Just the tobacco's making me crave one really badly.  Thanks though." She shakes her head, "Only a few more weeks until shore leave."

She thinks for a bit.

"I don't think they can keep on doing that.  It was spectacularly wasteful and didn't get them anything of any regard.  Intel is suggesting this was a one-time thing."

"Sorry about this then," she taps some ashes to a nearby cup, her thoughts momentarily flinging to Sayed complaining about her smoking.

"Hopefully a one time thing. I'll bother Daniel for more details, if I feel like it. I'm just glad to hear that they didn't manage to do whatever they wished to. Anything else amiss, or is everything fine on the Enterprise and on the Last Refuge? It feels like I was gone longer than I really was... Oh, are they expecting me to manage to write some sort of report on things?" Lyla realizes with a smirk.

It's not the writing in itself that she detests but more the way they are expected to be written, formality not being her strong suite.

"Oh.  Oh shit, yeah, you'll have to write up a report for Core.  Same old, honestly; but it's even more important now that you're one of three people to enter a hostile, occupied flagship.  Sorry toots, that's your life now." Chambers shakes her head, "Reports, reports, reports.  At least you won't have to submit it in punchcard format, like Core asks when he's mad at you."

She stands up and gives her a nod, "You should be about of quarantine soon if they've let me visit you.  Any messages you want me to pass along?"

Lyla waves a dismissive hand to the report writing:"Yeah yeah, I know. I'm not exactly new to writing reports, it just sometimes varies how they want them. Or rather who wants them..."

She taps some ash to a nearby glass and shrugs a shoulder.

"I guess not. It's not like I'm out of reach completely. I need to sit behind a computer anyways, to write a report. People can just email or message me," she looks at her wrist computer. "I'll make sure to drop by at the Enterprise when I get out. Even if Five Days Darkness was sure of my survival, I'm sure he is glad to see me being alive. Besides you and me still have a vodka shot to share."

She smiles to the XO, the smile carrying a faint shadow of exhaustion.

"Yeah, that'd be Core.  Alright, yeah, we'd love to have you back.  I hope you're not gonna get transferred out.  The ship's a lot brighter with you around, you know?"  She salutes Lyla, "We most certainly do.  We'll make a party out of it.  Until then, Blue Fox."

With that, XO Chambers leaves Lyla to her own devices.  Soon enough the Sanctuary minders bring her a tablet to write reports with.

"Until then, XO," Lyla gives more of a wave and less of a salute.

In comparison to Pyongyang, the room at least lacks in the heavy feeling. Sure, they got their bright lights, and white walls, but thats it. Still it doesn't make Lyla feel anymore at home. The tablet is a welcome escape, as well as the window which provides a view to the stars. She thanks for the tablet, laying it on the bedside table for a moment.

The cigarette resting between her lips, she kicks off her shoes while in search of a lightswitch. She'd rather enjoy the view, or darkness for that matter, instead of the bright light. Flopping down on the bed, she tugs the blanket around her legs, not really caring to shower just yet. It was anyways better to get the report done, before the details would decide to turn into suggestions, instead of facts.

Momentarily staring into the stars and gathering her thoughts, she idly taps the tablet. Eventually she opens her mail, and begins to write down notes. She goes her mission through bit by bit, covering everything from penetrating the hull of Pyongyang to attuning herself to the cells. Naturally she also includes all the things she saw, including the crew cabin and the dogtags. Everything might prove useful for later use.

Having written plenty of reports during her ten years, it's not too difficult for her, but more of a nuisance, and something she didn't exactly like. Kendal was always much better at writing, or as Lyla liked to say to her brother; he was better at bullshitting. No wonder he became a politian. Lyla smirks to herself and halts her report writing to write to her brother, encrypting the e-mail while at it. She didn't want to involve her brother in anything extra..

She just asks him, how he is and what is going on, tells him that she is alright as always, and suggests that they should meet up sometimes, if they ever have time. Which is never as they both well know. Always being busy with their own missions.

She finishes her cigarette and dumps the stump in the glass nearby. There is a brief sigh as she wipes her hair back and tries to return to the subject at hand. Re-reading the report through makes her do some tweaks here and there, and add something little, but in reality her mind is no longer in it. Thinking that she included everything after a while of writing, she just sends the report onwards. The Core could ask for more, if some detail was lacking. For now Lyla just hopes that they won't send anyone else into Pyongyang or any other prison ship, given the headache the place gave even her.

Refreshing her email, finishing the report leaves her idle to blankly stare at the stars. She'd grown attached to the gentle light of the distant stars. It reminded her of earth and time spent gazing at them. It was much nicer this way, than being fronted with the blazing suns at close range. Eventually she turns back to the tablet to write a short awfully official, though encrypted, email to 5DD. Well, he could read her report...so the message practically is her just saying hi.

The message sent, Lyla just sits back and waits.  She gets a read receipt from Five Days Darkness, telling her that he'd want to give her a personal debrief at her earliest convenience.

Soon enough, she's released from the vessel and shuttled back to the Enterprise...

... and here we'll call the thread to a close.