Once you land unless some one stops you free to roam the city and check it out.

They did say though Kairos is on a rather high paying gig though, and this is a nice ship, so worth looking into.

The city though is his kinda city... just... way way way way bigger than anything he's ever been to... yet at the same time seaming rather small in some places. (but if he sees a big cavern he might be a little shocked there can be cities this big lol)

But the kinda places here remind him of the towns on the rim of the wastelands.... dirty bars full of workers, shotty dock hotels, grumpy miners... almost like home... just with way way way way more people O.O
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:50, Thu 06 June 2013.

Raven guided the ship into port, channeling his own energies into the craft to help landing in a storm that had kicked up when they arrived. After the vessel was docked, the old man stood up and stretched. Two hundred people were safe now because of him, he hadn't left anyone behind this time. Maybe the dreams would stop at least for tonight. He silently hoped, anyway.

Shoving the thought out of his head for now, Raven looked over the city they had come to over a monitor. It looked dirty, lowbrow and crowded. The kind of place where a single man, even an old heavy splicer like himself, could go un-noticed in the throngs of people. His credits were a bit low, and he might even be able to pick up some smuggling work. Low grade from the looks of the place, but there was always a chance and with his funds in the state they were in, he wasn't of a mind to be too picky. Plus this was a nice ship, now that he had the hang of it, and if he could 'borrow' it for a delivery, all the better.

The big fellow checked his gun to make sure it was fully loaded and in perfect working condition, and took a moment to make sure his armor was fully secured. The battle was behind him, and he wasn't planning for a fight persay, but you never could tell, especially in a city like this. Raven had been to places like this before, not quite so big, granted, but still he knew how to act. It didn't mean the odd stranger wouldn't have too much to drink, look around for someone to pick on, and land on the splicer. It had happened before, and an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure he'd heard somewhere.

It wasn't just a bar brawl that plagued his mind. In fact, if the day were kind, he might get into a dust up just for some fun. No, he was more concerned with the refugees on this ship. He had saved them, of course, but it didn't mean they would see it that way. Not after he had backed the ship into the station and sent innocent people out into space to die. The old man wasn't troubled by what he did; he'd been in combat before, and from the looks of things all he had done was kill those people about ten seconds sooner than they would have been otherwise. The evac shuttle had left, and from the looks of the structure there hadn't been time for another to dock. Even if it had, the station probably would have given way before anyone could make it to safety. He strongly doubted those dead would haunt his dreams, but if they did, it wasn't like he would notice with the way things stood now. No, he wasn't worried about the dead, but the living.

The ex-Marine gambled that the station didn't survive long enough for any message to be sent about the crash, and even if it had gotten out there was no way to know he was the pilot at the time. But the survivors, all two hundred of them, had been on the ship with him when it had happened. When he himself had been in the cargo hold, he hadn't seen any windows, but he'd been around long enough to know that there was no telling what senses, magicks or talents someone has. There was no way to know what any of that crowd knew or didn't, but he took the fact that in five hours they hadn't rushed the bridge as a good sign. It still didn't mean they weren't still in shock, and when it wore off he'd be in trouble. If that were the case, it paid to be ready.

Right now though, Raven had a little coin to his name and he was in search of a bottle and a girl, and he didn't much care as to the order. The old Splicer made his way to the main hatch and entered Hades.

Well with over 100 thousand credits to his name, meant if he wanted to blow it he could have quite a good time. Like many cities like this there was plenty of bars and a relight district near the dock, as well as a thriving entertainment district. He could probably even find a construct designed for sex, as odd as some of those may be.

Raven looked around as he disembarked; it wasn't hard to find a bar by the docks. He entered, bought a bottle without being too picky as to what, and laid down a challenge to the crowd:

Arm wrestling, 100 credits a round, winner takes the pot.

People just laughed at raven, at least one saying 'least make it worth a drink'.

After a good bit of laughing one guy comes over, he seams to also be a splicer... hard to tell exactly what he's spliced with save for the fact he's got hoves, a lot of brown hair over his body, and is big... quite big. This guy looked to differently be stronger than Raven.... but if worse came to worse this guy was a worker, not a fighter, he could tell by the way he held himself.

"One round, 25,000 credits.... or are you afraid of spending all your lunch money at once?"

That started up another round of laughter.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:31, Wed 12 June 2013.

Raven smiled at the other splicer as he took a drink from his bottle.

"Oh, I would bet that much, but if I did I wouldn't have anything left for your mom, and she charges by the hour. I might worry she wouldn't get with a bird, but from the looks for you she'll bed anything."

The man took a more serious look as he set down. He got a silver chip and put it in a data pad then let you watch as he filled two and a half chips for the 25k. He layed the pad down encase you needed it along with the money.

He also let you get a look at the other chip when he did the trasfure, he's still got another 30k or so on it.

Raven smiled up at the brute, took a chip from his own pocket, slipped it into the scanner, and downloaded 25k. He let the other splicer watch, so the man could be sure that the money was really there. Once that was taken care of, the old man motioned to a chair at his table while he placed an arm in position. He started to sing 'Minstrel Boy' as the other got himself ready, and when the match was on the ex-marine kicked at the man's shins as he dug his talons into the beast's hand, and with the power of his song summoned a rift to open in front of his opponent's face and a harmless, but scary spirit to pop out.

Unlike the younger man, Raven realized there had been no rules set for this match.

The kick to the shin was perfect though it seamed to do little more than piss him off.... however his talons dug into an major vain and blood sprayed out. It was rather easy to get an advantage on him then with the crippled hand, but he was big, strong, and most of all pissed off. Red faced, sweating, veins popping and straightening he started pushing your hand back cursing and screaming. Though sure force of will he was winning.... but will gave out to blood loss and pain, and straining with more strength you though you win... the metal table bent up a bit from the ordeal.

He stands up giving out a cry and kicking the table at you "WHAT THE HELL KINDA GAMES YOU PLAYING BOY!?!?"

Raven's fast enough though to duck under the table, or jump up onto it.

Raven ducked under the table, and stood up to face the brute, all four fists up and ready.

"Hey, horsey, it's not my fault you were too stupid to realize we never set any rules. No rules mean anything goes, and it did. That lesson just cost you 25k to learn, and a hand. Push the issue, and it's going to cost you a lot more.

"I was a Marine kid, I was in fights before you were born. I just hurt you in a friendly game, what do you think is going to happen if you raise the stakes? You learn a lesson, nurse that hand, go back to work and in time you'll earn that money back. Try to take me on, I beat you down, and take all your pay for my troubles. What's it going to be, Trigger?"

Stuff got quite for a moment as they thought there might be a fight. And it looked like there might be. But after a moments stair down... he backed off walking away. "piece of bird shit... we'll see...." The bar keep already had the first aid out... but Raven seen that look before, he would be  looking for him later, with friends.

For now though he had 25k more and the bar was laughing at the other guy now.

Raven collected his new money, then walked over to where the other guy was getting patched up. The old splicer tossed a credit chit on the bar.

"Don't worry Kid, you'll be older and wiser for it. Barkeep, give oat breath here something on me to dull the pain."

He nodded some while tending to the splicer. "Can I get you something, how about a drug bowl? There only 2,500 creds." The other splicer just glared at him.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:48, Thu 13 June 2013.

"You know, you're lucky. Back in the past if a horse got hurt like you, they had to shoot them. Go back to your barn, eat some hay and you'll be fine.

"Also, a little advice. Since you already paid me, this will be free. I know that look in your eye, that you want to get even, somewhere, sometime. You ever been a Marine? You ever been trained in how to kill a man, by hand, blade or bullet? You ever had your mind honed to where you see sniper nests, hiding places, ambush sites? You ever been able to decide if that noise in the dark is a bottle rolling on the floor, or an attacker? You ever been in a fight where others count on you, and the stakes are your lives and theirs? I'm an old man, past my hour with the Reaper, though I've tried plenty of times to meet him. How about you, Mr. Ed? How eager are you to shake that boney hand? How many friends could you call to take on the crazy old Marine who won't die alone, and how many men have I killed with them against me, with experience, training, and this old gun at my side? You might dig a grave after the next time we meet, but how many and whose going to fill them? Just a few words for you to think about, while you enjoy that drink you paid for."

The old Splicer turned to the barkeep.

"You got any food in this place? I could do with a big steak, I don't care about what the meat is from, as long as it's tasty. Maybe a couple of sides, of you got any. If you can feed me, I'll take a drug bowl for dessert."

Though the Mr Ed comment was WAY WAY to old for the young splicer, the down talking and the horse talk was getting to him and he was getting red in the face again. There was a good many splicers and iron heads about in this city and usually not many called such out unless they were looking for a fight. The look started to fade though, Raven was just too serious... too cold. He was a hardened man and that was coming through and it scared him some, enugh that it looked like he could let some one give him a good talking over if it might cost his life to try and shut him up. He was an angry man but had more commonsense than a lot of people.... just not enugh to know where to throw his money.

The bartender seams a little let down "We don't have any food, I'm sorry. Just lousy snacks and various forms of inebriation."

Raven smiled.

"Don't apologize, I've found coming in here to be an enriching experience."

The old Splicer winked.

"Well I think I'll have a night on the town, paid for by my new buddy here. He's made an old man happy, he can be proud of that as he finds someone to ride him into the sunset."

The ex-Marine gave a wave to the room, left, and went in search of the biggest steak he could find.

Searching around he finds there are various kinds of stake, with different kinds of prices. The cheapest being synthetic stake made by hyper tech that builds the stake atom by atom. Then not to much more would be stake cut from the large bugs that roam the Martian surface. Then came the more expensive stuff, starting with stake from the large plant eating dino's imported from Venus. Finlay there was ridiculously expensive stake, starting at over 7,500 a pice and only served in restaurants he would probably have to rent a suit to get into or at least leave his armor and sidearm at the door.... real actual stake from actual cows. But the idea of an acutal cow, clean, healthy, cut up and cooked for him? That's a suprize for a man that spent most of his time in the wastelands.... he was more use to the bug-stakes likely.

Raven looked over the various offers, pleased there were so many. He wasn't in the mood for a 'built' steak, and he noticed there were plenty of offers of bug meat, a taste he had aquired over the years. Still, he had plenty of cash to burn through, and when he saw cow meat offered, he had to stop and think back decades to remember when the last time was he'd had that. Earth, he thought, a lifetime ago.

The old man looked around some more, and found a place that offered entertainemnt while you ate, plus they served real, healthy cow. He wasn't sure they would welcome a heavy splicer like himself, but he figured his money was good and they wouldn't sneer at that. He entered, and talked to the greeter.

"I'd like a table, with my back to a wall if at all possible."

He has to take a tram to a larger central cavern, with quite the stunning view, a massive underground boiling lake and a city build high over it (high enough the heat can be delt with easily). It was a higher class place he was directed too, they made him leave his armor and weapons behind, and rather sternly told/asked him to keep his claws to himself and that there was armed security... not really trusting some one walking into such a place in armor and with guns.

It was a classy joint though, live band, dancers, and a wide verity of food from all over the solar system, the better of the imports was a wide selection of live fish killed and cooked there from Ganymede.

They were quite pleased with his order of stake, one of the more expensive dishes. And they left, they offered him fine wines and served him fruit drinks. Something likely new to the old marine, drinking fruit juice? hu...

The stake was ... well emaculate. It was one thing eating sickly wild cows, and being served domesticated, well breed, well tended too, and well cooked cow. On top of that healthy large baked potato and green beans ....  From a hellish scene to taste heaven in one day... not bad.

The only bad thing was a lot of people around him were more interested in his meal than there own, kind uncomfortable when people are watching you eat and slavering the smell of your food.

Raven refused to give his armor and gun to the greeter at the door, and did not let go of it until the head of security showed up. Raven looked the man over, he looked respectable and had the air of former military or law enforcement about him. To this man, the old Splicer entrusted his goods.

"If you're armed, that means you got a secure locker for your gear. Sotw mine there too, and be careful with it, it's older than you."

Now disarmed, the ex-Marine entered the restaurant. He was pleased with the meal he ordered, as well as the wine that poured into his glass. The fruit juice was a treat too; he'd had it before of course, but most of the places he'd been it tasted like it had come out of the toilet. This actually tasted like fruit, and he was satisfied with that. He ignored the gawkers; it was actually a bit of a relief, he'd been stared at before, for his dated gear, his body, his now destroyed ship. But never for his food, that was new to him. He turned his attention away from them, and watched the girls he'd paid good horse money to see.

Was looking to be a nice evening .... then there was some commotion from the greeter, and the door started to rust a little as a cloud of rust burst through the cloud took flight with wings flapping... flakes of rusted metal raining down over peoples meanly gasping or shooting at it. Untill it pulled together into the familiar mechanical bird that landed on the table "found you, found you!"

The greeter was looking around at the chaos and at the damaged door rather astounded that something like this would happen. And one of the waiters had gotten the security and what was likely the manager.

Raven calmly chewed a bite of steak, and swallowed some wine, giving a nod to the bird.

"I wondered where you'd gotten to."

The Splicer looked up at the approaching men.

"Sorry, my little friend here doesn't have the best manners. He's harmless. Annoying, but harmless. What say I pay for the door, and you let me get back to this tasty meal and the show?"

The look rather upset but the manager nods to them letting them go back to there posts "If you can keep him in check" "in check!" "then fine, but the door we can fix... these fine peoples meals however...."

Even as they talked one of the men cleaning tables had gotten a power glove and was us running some sort of procedure that was repairing the door.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:35, Thu 13 June 2013.

Raven took another bite, chewed, swallowed, and washed this down with more wine before responding.

"I'll tell you what, how about a trade? You let me finish my meal, and after I'll work security for you. I have military training, I checked my armor and gun at the door so you won't have to supply me with any gear, and when I'm done you just deduct what you would have paid me from the price of those meals and I'll pay the remainder. How about that?"

"I have enough security." Some one came over handing him a data pad. "now we are looking at with your meal and the others 33,597 credits. If you can not pay for that now we can work some payment options out if you will pay for some of it and let us download the information of your ID card."

Well that was a problem, Raven only had a temporary CCG ID that would likely expire before he left this place too.

The bird though that was funny apparently.... well you did smash him into parts once before, him smashing into your chips wasn't quite as bad.

"Right, you've got plenty of snot nosed kids trying not to drop their guns in the toilet when they take a leak. I wouldn't trust them to protect a bicycle, but it's not my call. Whatever, no sink off my beak."

The Splicer took the required chits out of a pouch and tossed them on the table toward the manager.

"There, we're squared. Now, if you don't mind, my steak is getting cold, my wine is getting warm, and I can't hear the show over you."

He nods taking the four chips and handing one back after the funds had been taking from it.

"Thank you sir, I'll leave you to your meal."  He was getting some odd looks, there was a sign about no pets allowed, but it's often for managers to bend the rules or prices to smooth things over.

He spent the next few minutes going from table to table ensuring people there meals would be covered by you. This smoothed things over and lightened the atmosphere up quite a bit, as ell as getting you a few friendly nods of approval.... an unpleasant mishap turning into a free meal, espeshaly a pricy one, was a nice turn of events for most people.

It was a pleasant evening with classical music, 1950's ~ 1990's for the most part. After the little unpleasantness even twink was a little behaved just awaiting some for a meal of his own, but least he waited for it instead of taking it.

Raven took the partial chit back and replaced it in his pouch. He also ordered a new fork from a waiter. When it arrived, the old Splicer gave it to Twink to play with. The ex-Marine also cut off a strip of steak from his plate, and placed it on the table before the little bird. Oh the little pest was annoying at times, had gotten his 'friend' into fights in the past, but he was also humorous on occasion and the big man didn't mind a dust up. Besides the little guy had been with him for years, keeping him company on long lonely nights lit only by the glow of his cockpit lights.

Raven wouldn't admit it, but the pesky Gremlin was the closest thing to a friend he had.

He pecked at the steak curiously and squawked some more at you.. he wanted some of those little crystals like always, didn't seam much interested in real food regardless of how nice it was.

The little friend though seamed only to be at his worce when something happened to it, he might be warming up to you.

Raven took the piece of steak back and ate it, not willing to let it go to waste at these prices. He felt under his false eye for a crystal, broke it off with his fingers, and tossed it to the bird.

He caught it in the air and gave a happy squawk before growing quite as he nibbled away at it.

Raven finished his meal, ordered dessert, and continued to drink wine while he finished watching the show. He wasn't sure how long he had been there, or how heavy the wine had been, but when it was finally time to go he did notice he was a little slower in standing up than he normally would have been been. It took him a few seconds to convince his feet to move, and when he retrieved his armor he fumbled with a strap he could have fastened in his sleep. When he left there was more than one empty bottle on his table, and as he holstered his trusted rail gun and weaved out the door, he began to sing the Marine Corp oath to himself, his tongue having difficulty with some of the words. He broke another crystal off his face and fed it to Twink as he made his way out into the street, but this time he didn't even feel the stone snapping off.

The old Splicer's mind was in a bit of a haze, but he decided he hadn't had enough fun for the night yet; he wanted to try one of those drug bowls. Maybe sneak it into a hotel room that didn't stink of vomit and sweat, for once. He went in search of the elusive drug bowl.

He found a fairly nice room that would put him up for the night that had various intensification available, as well as an assortment of constructs programed or trained to please a man/woman/whathave you. They came with mandatory 15% insurance agenst accidental damage though and were already a little pricey... least the ones that looked anything near real.

Raven found a room that suited him, and paid extra for a safe to store his gear in. He also put out extra credits for s drug bowl to be located and brought to his room, no questions asked. Then he selected a construct that had four breasts and flowing water for hair. He closed the door to his room, and got to business.

The drug bowl came first, the request of four breasts was rather standard but flowing water for hair meant finding one that could fit the bill and could produce force fields to hold the water in place... or least could have one installed. In theme end the promised him a cybernetic construct that felt just as real as any woman but the cost was more than the room, his meal, and the bowl combined (but not the other peoples meal).

While he waited to see if it was worth his money he was served one of the colurful and some what luminescent bowl of liquid. This bowl was clear and he could see it had a some what bluish green color and looked rather like snot in constancy... and oddly enough was boiling at room temperature. He hadn't seen anything like this on earth or on tour, but he seen some odd things mixed up for pleasure so eh.

Sticking his beak in and breathing in the fog in the bowl was quite the experience: rather like having distorting lenses put over your eyes, while sticking your head upside down underwater, shoving a chemical factory up each nostril, and exasperating a few random shifts in gravity. Add to the fact the fog was heavier than air meant it wanted to stay in the lungs. The feeling was not unpleasant but disorientating for at first time use until it all settled out... it was quite a present buzz for just the little bit, and the bowl looked like it would take an hour or two to evaporate completely. He had had better, but this wasn't nearly as harsh as the stuff on earth or that the marines used.

When his robo whore arrived she was rather stunning, her body was quite well crafted. In a way it was kinda sad, but also quite inciting, here was this work of art some one put likely weeks or months into crafting and she was used for nothing but pleasure... but tonight she was all yours. She was as well programed as promised when it came to pleasing him, however the VI was a simple one she knew what she was doing but she might as well had water for brains too when it came to trying to talk to her about anything

By the end of the day he was down to 99,421c.

Raven finished the drug bowl, climbed into bed with the robo-wench, and fully enjoyed himself. She was very skilled, and her talents on top of his high allowed him to spend a few hours in heaven; Until he passed out, and was plunged once more into hell.

Raven awoke feeling better than he had in years, but felt about as confused as Tink looked. The old Splicer wasn't fully sure what exactly had just happened to himself, but it had seemed to be some journey of self. He remembered it, all of it, and though he had managed by the end to piece some things together, a number of the answers he had recieved raised more questions for him.

Thomas got out of bed, not caring that the robo-whore was gone. He just figured the meter had run out, and she'd left. He went into the bathroom, and it was there that he noticed the crystals that normally grew on his face appeared to be larger now. He felt fully awake, so he didn't think it was the fog of sleep playing tricks on his eyes. Just to be sure, he reached up and felt a few. Sure enough, they were larger now. Well, if nothing else, that would make Tink happy. The ex-Marine got into the shower, cleaned himself up, and pondered the while long what had happened to him.

The bird got out, dried off, went back into the main room, and cracked off a crystal for tink for breakfast which he offered him. After, Raven got dressed including his trusty dusty armor and gun from the safe, and headed for the lobby. He figured a place like this would have a hot breakfast for its guests at the prices they charged, so he helped himself to a heaping plate of bacon, eggs, waffles (or at least things that at least looked and smelled like these things. The taste didn't make him want to vomit and it didn't poison him, so he figured it was OK).

After he was done there, the old Splicer approached the front desk and asked where he might find a VR hookup to the Info Sphere.

The hotel had some holistic interfaces, for well... playing with dollz. Raven knew a marine or two with dollz, digital lovers cost a lot but they where cheaper and easier to maintain than the constructs... and constructs couldn't be carried with you into battle.

It was easy to configure a VR hook up with systems like that.

Raven pays for the use of a VR set up, has it delivered to his room, and when it's ready puts it on. He hasn't used Vr in a long time, but he recieved some of his training this way years ago and if the basics are the same he shouldn't be too lost. He slips the visor over his eye, hits the power button to turn the system on, and waits.

He was introduced to a much more updated interface than before, his ID logs him in though and links to bring up his old military avatar, a few standard avatars, and any he might have made / had made / bought through out the years.

He was prompted to select his avatar and ether enter the local hub or select a formatted sector (web page kinda) to link to.

Raven decided to go with what he knew, and picked his old military ID. Then, without knowing exactly where to go, he opted to enter the main hub.

His 'form' changed to that of the simple rendered and generic military space suit and he was transported to the hub.

(cut from huoshui's)

For the most part there seamed to be no real walls, floors, ceilings... they could see correctly into the info sphere from here..  countless genioms moving about out there, the little geometrical shapes carrying information or attacking things that shouldn't be where they are. Millions of nodes not a one of them looking like the other... while many looked like black cubes with lights moving over them, there was differences is size, shape, and the lights. The other nodes... well they came in every shape imaginable! There was one that looked like a ship sailing along the stream of information that ran along it, another that looked like a large city, one that looked like a battlefield, another that looked like a heart, one near buy that looked like a fishbowl... there seamed no rime or reason to there shapes but they were all connected by the streams of light moving about, some of those came into the hub he was in to large gates 'people' were coming and going through.....

Speaking of 'people' there didn't seam to be much a limit on what people could have as avatars.... and it showed, some of the icons/avatars moving about were.... well anything but human.... some so abstract it was hard to look at them, fractal pasterns swimming about through the air and talking in math! Madness!

It was all a lot more developed and advanced than the early reconstructions and barely connected segments of the attempts to rebuild an internet he remembered. So many people too.... with the wildests of avatars.  At least he was not the only one with a simple one, some people seamed to find low rez as a form of style and 'wore' block avatars that reminded him of the kind of early games his parents use to play when they grew up.

Raven looked about, a little taken aback at how advanced things had become, but then again he rationalized he hadn't been here for years. He did know however he was going to need help in figuring out where things were, but he had an idea for that. Used to be, long ago, there was an interface built into a Military Avatar to help you if need be. The downside was it had been a drill sarg., so troopers wouldn't want to get too dependant on using him for answers. Still, this was his old ID, so maybe the sub program remained as well. He sighed, took a deep breath, then said, "Sargent, report!" He hoped the old command still worked.

"TEN HUT!" A voice yelled out as the icon formed.

A few people around were startled by the shout, and others just looked on in curiosity or confusion. Most military interfaces were quieter, and nicer, now a days. And often built into the system rather than a separate icon. Most just keep on though after the initial confusion.

Raven faced the icon, saluted, and said "Sir! This trooper requests information on the Hermetic Order, Sir!"

"You want to explain to me how in the hell a fully trained soldiure like yourself don't know about the the Oder of Hermes? The seat of forces in the Council of the Mystic traditions, one of our greatest enemies?  (still pre-truce/aliance/govermentt formation programing)"

After a good bit of chewing out he finally ends with "Study solder, that's an order!"

A bombardment of text files, images, diagrams of mystical circles, alchemical practices, brake down of the purified alchemical metals (topic in the main page), and many many other things surrounding him.... (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Order_of_Hermes and all the links off of it) It all seams like a bit much... but he catches a familiar looking crown... what he saw on the burning banners.



Not only the crown but the image of a burning lizard holding a book.....

http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/House_Solificati
http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Solificati

Raven did as ordered, and studied the materials presented. It took him a long while, but finally he was done and once more addressed the Sarg.

"Sir! This trooper requests information on the gilgul Sir!"

Another, shorter chewing out reselts in some more info.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgul

Aprently Gilgul means cycle, and in hebrew has to do a lot with souls and stuff like the world tree and reincarnation.

Also Gilgul is the name of a ritual used to punish / torture mages.  It tares away at there soul causing it to brake apart... eventually tarring mages avatar to shreds and leaving them unable to use magic ever again.

"Sir! Is there any recorded history of one in the Hermadic Order performing child sacrifice for his magicks and being subjected to a Gilgul, or any record of the Hermadic Order performing a Gilgul on a mage of another Order who meets these peramiters, Sir! This event would have taken place 80 years ago or before, Sir! Please advise, Sir!"

"Do I look like ancestory.com maggot!?!? I do not have access to enemy execution records. Now drop and give me 50 while I requester an update."

And he seriously expects Raven to do so... not doing anything till he starts. Drawing a little bit of attention.

Once he dose as he is told the old VI icon goes into a set of "please wait searching" animations such as getting on the horn, ordering a recruit to go get documents, and reading over reports.

"Critical updates found. Please stand buy"

The icon flickered out of existence and Raven's suit shifted to a much higher rez, real looking even, modern day Space marines space suit.

A HUD image flickers into Ravens view of what appears to be a woman in operations, a support unit feed, or another VI?

<There are many situations through out history of Gilgul preformed on captured  Nephandi, and on the worst of betrayals. This search avenue would seam to be a dead end with out more parameters to narrow down the search.>

Raven was a little surprised when the icon, and his suit, shifted. He knew things were going to be different, but he hadn't expected this. Still, he needed information so he addressed the new VI. First, however, he pondered over what to say.

"Limit the search to any mages from House Solificati who were accused of acts such as flaying children and writing the histories of their victims into their own flesh, 80 years ago or before. Cross reference any names with those Mages the Hermetic Order performed a Gilgul on. Remove any Mages who are deceased from the list, give me only those still alive. Also, search the Info Sphere for House Solificati, corssed with crowns, fire, and salamaners. Finally, not that I miss him, but what happened to the Sarg.?"

"Sorry, I'm afraid the Hose of Solificati has only been recognized for for 55 years. And the original Solificati tradition is so old the only records of any Gilgul are those related to the Grate Betrayal of Thoabath Heylel Teomim Solificati and the executions that followed. As for the Solificati, crowns, fire, and salamanders are symbols of the house. The Sargent has been replaced by an operations modeled VI, mainly me."

"Tell me about the Great Betrayal. If possible, also give me a list of all known mages punished, remove those dead and include only those still living and those known to have reincarnated. Cross that with mages accused of child sacrifice."

"Little knowledge remains of this event, it took place approximately 8000~10000 years ago. What is generally known of the event is that Heylel was a founding member of both the Order of Reason and the Council of the Nine Mystick Traditions. However as other Solificati lead the traditions he left them to re-join the Order of Reason, and had them attack the traditions. The full details are unknown but it is said Heylel calmed he did it to save the traditions. He and all those involved were subjected to Gilgul and executed. Gilgul negates the possibility of re-incarnation. Records of sacrificial practices of Solificati, if any, have long been lost to time. Thoabath Heylel Teomim Solificati is the only universally agreed on member, and the Thoabath naming is that of abomination... a sign of his betrayal, likely the reason his name and actions have lasted the eons. If there are any records of other names they would likely be in the Fors Collegis Meruris on Mus."

"What is the meaning of the crown in the House Solificati, and what would the symbolism be if it were shattered?"

"Unknown, I'm afraid there is little wide spread information on the 'lost traditions' particularly the prehistoric ones."

"You said wide spread information. Is there a place, maybe not on the Info Sphere, that might have more? Also, are there any members of House Solificati located in Hades, or elsewhere on Mars?"

"House Solificati members unknown, relative information may be on Mus. At this time I do not recommend contacting Den, Monet Granville. Infiltration and direct file access would normally be recommended, however the Fors Collegis Meruris is also a military compound and a literal fortress."

Raven had to laugh at that.

"A military compound? Then I should feel right at home. Who's Monet Granville?"

"Collage Dean"

So, Fors Collegis Meruris is amoung other things a school, huh? What sort of things besides military do they teach there, why would the informatino be there, and what's the cost of tuition?"

"The price can vary depending on classes, the average though is 5 million a year and acceptance can be problematic to obtain for most. However there are many programs in place to help people with the costs."

A sphere of some what translucent and bluish silver manifests with rings twisting and turning around it. "'Raven' your presence is requested back on the ship."

Raven blinked, and turned to face the new shape.

"Who or what the fuck are you, and what the hell are you blathering about? I only activated one VI and you're not it, and I haven't been on this thing in decades so you're not someone I know. As for reporting to the ship, that would be just a wee bit problematic as it's in tiny little pieces floating in space mixed in with the wreckage of a space station five hours away from here with the use of magicks I don't personally know. So unless you've got tweezers, glue, and a really long time to waste, I'm afraid I can't help you."

The Splicer turns back to his VI.

"Give me all information on Mus, how far it is from Mars, anything you got. Also, scan local records for known ships in post in Hades, and list those with a flight plan going to Mus. If none are, pick the one that gets me the closest. Cross the ships on that list with any looking for a pilot, mechanic, or added security."

"This is the ship AI for the OSS Lucid Nonsense, the ship you took here. There apparently you had a vision that was shared with others. Huóshui Zuìquán wishes to talk to you about your vision, and seams to imply he may be able to answer some of your questions. It seams he knows things about you that you do not know due to exposure to the Akashic Field. This 'seeking' phenomena seams tied to the Akashic Field. I beleave him to also be worried you are in danger from an entity he is referring to as 'the man behind the 10th seat'. All in all, it seams a de-breffing is being requested."

"Mus is currently approximately 320 million km from Mars at this moment. There are no ships leaving for Mus, or Mercury at this time."

Raven couldn't help himself, he laughed out loud.

"Wait, wait wait. Let me see if I've got this straight. You're name is Nonsense, and you want me to take you seriously? Yeah, not going to happen.

"As for this whoever he is, I don't know anyone by that name. I also have no idea what the hell a 'seeking' is, but if I did have one, it would be mine, and you can tell your friend to keep his damned nose out of it. If he doesn't, I will be happy to relocate said nose, though if I'm in a good mood I might keep it on his or her body.

"Finally, I'm plugged into the greatest source of information available, and I'm getting nothing. Now you show up telling me some guy I've never heard of has answers for me. Yeah, I know the type, this isn't my first turn around the block. Potions, crystal shards, tea leaves, reading bones, whatever. These jokers all have the answer, for a price. Well, tell your master, no sale. I'm not buying whatever he's selling, so he can just try another mark.

"Oh, and as for this guy in the tenth seat, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean, if some idiot gets in my way I'll kick his ass, and I don't care where in a room he's sitting. First chair, fifth, tenth, twentith, whatever."

The old Splicer once more addressed the VI.

"Fine. Find me a ship that gets me as close to mus as possible, even if I have to take transport from there to Mercury later."

"There are some transport ship leaving to Venus, but there cargo transports."

The disks vibrate in an unpleasent tone.

"Warning under attack, cyber warfare suite active, firewalls failing, connection compromised. Error, Error, unable to log out. Files compromised. Location compromised."

"You should show more respect to your fellow beings"

A blast of energy came from the sphere and Raven's avatar was de-rezzed. A rather unpleasant way to be logged out for sure, but he's experienced the sensation before in simulated combat. In this case it felt like getting shot by a plasma rifle and a rather in this case head ache.

Raven gasped, and removed his rented equipment when he had recovered from the shock. In the military it had actually been worse to be derezzed; there they added a device to your suit that shocked you. Compared to those days, this wasn't as bad, but it had still been a long time since he'd 'died' in a VR. The headache wasn't pleasant, but he'd drank himself into worse before. He'd deal.

For now however, the old Splicer left and went out into Hades. He had some shopping to do, but he avoided the regular stores to begin with. Instead, he searched for a place that sold military surplus.

<Raven's communication device starts to chime in with an incoming call.>

Raven winced at the sound of the beeping; the comm piece he wore fit into his ear, and the noise wasn't helping his headache any.

"Whoever you are, I'm not in a great mood and I'm not buying anything. You've been warned. What do you want?"

"I am not selling anything, I would have no need for your money. We met before if you recall. Now do not threaten me or my friends. All I am offering is an explanation of your dream, Raven. Unless you're happy searching the info sphere, but I think you will find 15ft star eyed monstrosities are difficult to find information on, Solificati and the 10th sphere are also scarcely recorded on the info sphere."

"If you want to understand better what he told you then I can offer that. And maybe I can help find your other pieces, Gilgul has such horrible consequences. You are more unique and important than your alterations give you credit for."

"Now will you come and hear me out?"

Throughout he uses a unemotional tone, no emotion, just complete calm.

Raven had a look of confusion, and it worked itself into his voice.

"Wait, what? First off, threaten who? I haven't threatened a soul since I've been here, hell I even talked some young kid /out/ of fighting me. Oh! Do you mean that AI thing? Are you that guy with the Oriental sounding name it was talking about? Well, if that's what you're talking about, I'll be happy to explain; first off I was busy and it butted in without being asked. It told me to report to the ship, and I truthfully told it that was impossible, my ship was destroyed. Then it told me it's name was Nonsense, or something like that. Some unknown shows up telling me what to do, expects me to drop everything sight unseen, and just run off with complete trust in it and then it tells me igt's name is Nonsense. Now tell me something, sir, would you allow a doctor Idiot to operate on you, or would you have doubts? I laughed, it was funny to me. As for everything I told it, I was completely honest. I had no idea who you were, I wasn't interested in buying any answer you might have since that's an age old con and again I didn't know you or it, and it said something about a guy sitting in the tenth seat, whatever that means and I said if they tried to get in my way I'd kick his ass no matter where he was sitting. It also said something about my seeking, of which I was able to gather only it was mine, and someone else was butting into my business without my asking them. Yes, that annoyed me, I don't like my matters snooped into without my permission, which neither you or it had, nor bothered to get. This AI of yours could have told me what it all meant I suppose, or I could have asked on the Info Sphere, but before I had a chance to, your 'friend' attacked me. It killed me in VR, deleted a profile I'd wager was older than you which had /just/ updated, and when I got booted from the booth I had a headache as a side effect. So, given all that together, I again told the honest truth when I said I was in a bitchy mood, especially since my comm unit just beeped right in my ear which did wonders for the pain your AI was so kind enough to give me.

"I would also like to point out that the AI said it was the ship I took to this planet, which leaves out the part that I was flying it away from the things trying to kill me, the survivors, you if you were there too, and the ship itself. I saved all of those people, including the ship which means the AI in it. Instead of thanking me, it attacked, all because I laughed at the name thing I've already told you about. I would also like to point out, that again instead of thanking me, your second breath was used to tell me not to threaten you or your friends. If I intended to do you or your friends harm, don't you think I would have been more effective at it by sucking the air out of the hold or something? I was behind the door to the bridge, it could have been sealed and you couldn't have stopped me, but I didn't. I got everyone here safe and sound, AI and all. The AI who shot me and deleted a profile older than it was I'd reckon. By the way, have you ever been on the receiving end of a simulated plasma blast? I just was, and it's not pleasant.

"As for having met you before, no I don't remember. You're a voice over my comm, you could be anyone as far as I know. I don't recall meeting anyone with your voice and the name the AI gave me in Hades, and if we met before on the station I was a little busy trying to save my ass, so if I forgot you I hope you'll understand.

"Now, as to meeting you, I will admit you interest me. However, I will most assuredly /not/ meet you on your ship. The AI of that already killed me once in VR, I'd be pretty foolish to let it try in real life, don't you think? I'll tell you what, I'll give you a couple of choices; number one, you meet me out of the ship at the time and place of my choosing. If you don't like the idea of giving me the advantage, that leaves you with number two. You have that AI of yours rebuild my profile, all of it including the upgrade and VI. I have some shopping to do, when I'm done I'll find a VR station and attempt a log in. If my profile is there in that time, I will meet with you on your ship. Only you, alone, one on one, and no weapons on your part. I'll have one or two, but they'll be put up I just have no place to store them right now as I said before my ship was blown to bits.

"Just a side note, but if the AI forgives my laughing and rebuilds my profile, could you get me a job as a pilot on the ship? My credits are going to be light after said shopping and I could use the credits, a place to crash, and meals. Doesn't have to be fancy, I'm not picky."

"Well I remember you, we met while you were queuing to get off station. I then helped you get to your ship for your things. I didn't snoop into your matters, for some reason the universe has decided that I find you." he smiles to himself, "I would like to add that she is also more than just an AI but I do not expect you to understand the implications of that. You insulted her and this is I cannot allow."

He walks around the room a bit and continues. "I can understand your hesitation towards her and even me now though, I may have to talk to her about her reaction to your mocking. But with that said I can't speak for her, so I will have to go with you choose the meeting place. I can even promise I will come unarmed, be as armed as you feel comfortable with. I understand this is all very strange." The last bit he said with some pride, "Sadly I personally can't hire you but I do know someone who might, If you want I can set you up with a meeting with him after ours."

"Name your place and the time, I shall be there unarmed. We can chat about what I believe you are to all that is happening, how I would like to help and maybe about getting you a job on the ship." he says in a cheery manner. "Maybe you can tell me more about this whole split soul thing too, that has me very stumped."

Raven smirked.

"I wouldn't understand the implications, huh? You mean something like, everything created from a fork to a city, has a Spirit, and this can be awakened? In other words the object then has a soul, or is alive. Or, if one would rather, a spirit can be infused with an object and the item can be 'alive' in this manner too. Is that somewhere close to what you mean?"

Raven gives an address, one of the places he knows on Mars and until recently avoided like the plague.

"Meet me there in two hours, there'll be people there, but I promise they won't listen in or bother us.

"I might have met you on the station then, but I had a rough night and fell out of my cot with an alarm blaring in my ear. I was some out of it for a while after, so it's possible you got lost in the haze, so to speak. As for your friend, you can let them know I'm interested, but before I agree to a meeting with them, let's see how ours goes first. And yes, if I do end up working on the ship, as a pilot or mechanic, I would like the AI to be nice to me. I was Army, then Space Marines, they taught us a lot but social skills was not at the top of the list. Didn't matter since all the guys acted the same, then after that the people I dealt with didn't deserve better. Plus it put people off, which made them want to leave me alone, of course that's what I wanted.

"Oh, and you might want to tell your awakened AI that I joined the Army of Earth to protect certain rights, rights that as a citizen of that planet I was born into. This includes what's known as the First Amendment, which means among other things I can say whatever I feel like and there's no law against it. I fought to protect that right, and I aim to use it whenever I see fit. Oh sure I've gotten into some fights over what I said sometimes, but getting gut shot with a plasma blast because a name struck me as funny was a bit much. Also sweet talk it into remaking my profile if you can, I have very little left of my life that was."

He smiled and laughed as Raven assumed it was a simple awakening like the sword on Huoshui's side, "Something like that, but something much greater I think you will find."

A large smile on his face and a bit of holding back laughed came over Huoshui as Raven started to sound like Solan. Military type with little need for social skills, seem Huoshui was raising an army without even trying. "You will fit right in I am sure."

"Don't worry about Luci, I am sure you two can patch things up. Seeing as you two maybe working together again. I will have a chat with her about VI repairs before I head over to that address." he wouldn't have to explain much she was probably listening now.

"Well I shall leave you to your shopping then, sorry for the disturbance and misunderstandings. I shall meet you there in two hours."

"Till then."

There was a beep as the comm unit was turned off.

After the conversation was over, the old splicer continued looking for a military surplus store.

Raven found the shop, picked up the items he wanted, and left to visit another store or two.He figured by that time, he should meet with the monk and headed off for the address.

Heaven's Gate

Entrance to this sprawling place is provided by an archway of hand hewn stone, the property itself is kept in by a fence of polished metal made to look like the wrought iron of old. Just inside are walkways that weave around grand monuments sitting amoung skillfully carved statues, resting on a thick green carpet of genetically engineered grass. Here and there are shade trees with benches under them and bushes, flowers well tended and even fountains that spray holographic water into the air. Hidden speakers play soft, soothing music for all to hear.

As one walks farther into the grounds, however, it is worth noting that the size and quality of the graves and the trimmings about them decline. A bit at first, but it becomes more noticeable the more in one goes.

Finally, one comes to a stretch of barren rock and dirt that is hard to believe it's even part of the same place. The only trace of those that rest here are cheap markers mostly decayed and crumbled to the point where any information they contained is forever gone. No shade for their bones, no sounds to lull them in eternal sleep, no stone angels weep for these; the forgotten dead.

Having left the doctor outside and makes his way in. This certainly was not the burial site he was used to, it saddened him as the further he went the less well kept things were. He could recall hours and days that he had spent tending the tombs of the temple he trained in, for such things to be left undone was an insult to the dead.

Finally arriving at the very back to what could barely be called a place of rest, he looked around clearly upset by the poor conditions that these people had been laid to rest. Trying to find the pilot he had arranged to meet, this Raven.

As the monk grew closer to the forgotten dead, he would begin to hear a sound odd in the silence. As he drew nearer still, he would be able to tell it was music. Raven was there, as promised. He was seated on a pack he had placed upon the ground, his boots propped up on a box. In his none taloned hands he held a guitar, and he was playing this while singing.

"She walks these hills in a long black veil.

"She visits my grave when the night winds wail.

"Nobody knows, nobody sees,

"Nobody knows but me."

He stopped as the other came into view, and stood. He was much like the man remembered, still in his dated body armor with a railgun at his side. He had added a Marine sword and a combat knife, but the pilot had kept his word and these were put up. He smiled at the approach.

"Well, you found me. Here amoung the forgotten dead, where I belong. I'm mostly forgotten, and by rights should have been dead a few times over at least."

"I think most who were on that ship can say the same but not due to a small part by you they live." He bowed, "I am Huoshui."

As he rises he spreads both wide to the side showing he is unarmed, "I come because I believe you to be a part of what has been occurring recently. That is not to say I believe you had anything to do with it just that you are literally a piece of it."

"I do hope your head is better." he said as he rose his head again and lowered his arms.

Raven grinned at the last comment.

"Yeah, it's better. I brought medicine."

The old splicer turned and bent down to open the box with him, which turned out to be a case of booze. He removed a bottle, opened it, took a swing, and offered it to Huoshui.

"Well, let's start off slow. First a few questions. To start with, what the hell is a seeking? The AI mentioned it, but zapped me before I could ask. Second, what difference does it make where a man sits? Finally, you mentioned a tenth sphere. What in blazes is a sphere? Well, I've got two the ladies love, but I doubt that's what you meant."

Raven winked.

Huoshui was shocked by Raven not knowing of the sphere but his face did not show this. He took the drink he was offered and took a swig before explaining some of the basics of magic and the avatar.

"Right well a Seeking in an inner journey of sorts, if mine and what i suspect was yours are anything to go bye the avatar helps us improve. Improve in mind and soul, you may find some of that magic you do is easier." stopping and passing back the bottle, "Ah, well the Avatar being the eternal soul. That little spark that makes you different to the people around you, its what makes you able to manipulate the world around you."

"The spheres and their seats is where the problems arise. There is a sphere for each area of magic. The more commonly used names for these are Correspondence, entropy, forces, life, matter, mind, prime, spirit and time. Each tradition will have their own names usually for them but those are their common names. Each of the nine traditions takes claim of a sphere, that being their speciality, those are the seats."

"Now with that said the importance of wear a man sits can be explained. He who sits behind the tenth seat, the tenth seat is just that another seat in the council. From the nine spheres there is believed to be a tenth, this tenth depending on the person usually means unity or ultimate power. You know pipe dreams of knowing and understanding it all. The tenth seat has returned, but before I saw this in the news, I saw in my seeking that there is a man behind it. I believe that he is behind what happened at the station and what is going to happen."

He took a deep breath and finished. "So no one ever explained the basics to you?"

Raven took the bottle back, then he upturned it and poured some of the contents on the ground. He grinned at the monk.

"The dead get thirsty too."

He grew a little more serious, and offered a shrug.

"Nope, not a word. I've never had a master, been formerly trained, or any of that. No temple, no library of rice paper, no meditations by a waterfall, no anything.

"Oh, maybe I could have learned something back on Earth, but when I could have there was no reason to because I wasn't 'different' then. By the time I was, the old Earth was gone, and the new one hadn't settled into any shape yet. Even as it did, where I was had been given up for lost.

"Then I left Earth, and joined the Space Marines. There I learned more about mages, or more directly I learned to hate them. Us against them, an endless war. I had never really explored my powers up to that point, so I didn't think of them as magic just that things were different for me after that point of my life on Earth. They were the enemy, we were the good guys, so it never occured to me I was one. Besides, even if I had, had I uttered one word about it, or shown even my best friend what I could do, I would have been branded a spy, charged with treason, court marshaled, and locked in a brig for the rest of my life. Oh, sorry, that's a military prison. Sealed away in some shit hole, your days controlled by those who think you betrayed everything they fought and stood for. Not the best fate, and that outcome would be if I was extremely lucky and met the court on a really, really good day.

"As I said, things were different for me, but I never really thought about it, just figured it was from the things I saw on Earth, didn't link anything else more to it. That was until I went out with my squad the last time. We got into a fire fight, we were wiped out. All of us, I thought me too when my ship was shot out from under me. I was knocked out, woke up to this beeping in my ear. I was still in my flight suit, and it protected you against space, for a time. Even had an air supply to help you last until pick up. The alarm I heard was telling me my oxygen was running out, there in the void surrounded by my dead men. There was no recuse in sight, I wasn't going to last much longer, so I figured I had two choices. The first was to slowly suffocate from a lack of air, strangle to death on nothing, effectively. The other way out was I could remove my helmet, and let the vacuum of space finish me. From the warning they'd given us in training it would be about as close to instant as I could get. So I removed said helmet...

"...and I realized after several seconds that I wasn't dead. In fact, I was breathing, without oxygen. I think it's fair to say about then I realized I wasn't a normal person anymore.

"After that, I parted from any form of organized military, and drifted supplying my life style in anyway I saw fit. I did once and again run into outspoken mages who didn't try to hide it, but these were few at first, especially since I used to be paid to slaughter them whenever possible. Eventually, as the side I was on joined up with the mages for peace, and time dulled memories, I found more people willing to admit they were magick users. However, I couldn't find one who would give me the time of day.

"Some said Death followed echoed from my footsteps, others thought I was full of it since they were usually younger than me, and thought I couldn't really be amoung them and getting such a late start in life. I could have told them why, but they were such assholes to me I didn't bother to try. I even tried a monk once, but that didn't go well either. He said I had no Master and no tradition, that I was a Hollow One and it sicked him, then he drew this stick from behind his back and told me to leave his sight at once. It took him three days and fiber to get said stick back.

"So, at long last, I had something to go on, a Hollow One. I hunted for others, found out most I ran into were punk kids with way too much eyeliner on who dyed their hair black, wore leather, and claimed to know a whole hell of a lot more than they really did. The closest they got to any organization was some would get together and form a group, but said group was not mostly open to new blood. I even had one pack tell me I was a pretender since in their minds Hollow Ones are goths, and to them there are no old ones. I'm a giant walking Raven connected to spirits and who reeks of Death, and they tell me because I'm older than them that I'm a pretender. I taught those punks a lesson in respecting their elders, a painful one.

"But a Hollow One was in short a magickal outcast, and since that's the way I had been treated I took the title. I was one from Earth, and with the Space Marines, so I figured why not go for a hat trick?

"So, in short, no. No master, no tradition, no fellows to discuss things with, no library, no home base, no squat. In other words, no basics."

Raven took another swig from his bottle, and offered it again to the monk.

"Sorry, I haven't talked this much to someone in a while, and it's making my throat dusty. Another belt?

"So there's some guy with his dick plugged into ultimate power, and for some reason he wants me? My casting is from a long while of trail and error, I can't imagine I'm as good at it as others, and I would think 'ultimate' would mean this guy can't hold anymore anyway, so if he's all powerful I can't see why he'd bother with a burned out drunk druggie like me.

"Before we get into that though, I spilled my guts so now it's your turn. I don't want any one line answer either, like 'I grew up in a temple.' Most often there's a life before said temple, and from the little I've seen monks tend not to want to leave these temples, but you have. I figure there's a reason there, too. Also, I've been itching to ask this; why are you a tree?"

Huoshui grabbed the bottle from Raven, "Ok I will share my story but I will warn you it does start and go on for a fair amount with 'I grew up in a temple.'"

He took a swig, "I was born during the last fall, like during it. Underground weathering the storm. My homeworld Ganymede is a moon as you maybe aware, a moon of what was Jupiter. You may also now know that my home now orbits Saturn. This is why for much of my childhood we were underground, this was the 'temple' I grew up in. Life was harsh and so was father, his children were trained by the monastery and then when the time came to choose a leader, we were asked to use what we had been taught to prove our worth. This was a family tradition you see my father owned a great estate, the island was his. My sister inherited the estate and became heir, I was taken by the monks for further training."

"You have to realise that not all in a akashic monastery are awakened mages. At least for our small island it was more a place to allow those who would awake to do just that. Having been separated from my family was rough but not nearly as harsh as the training. Taking hits, dealing hits for days on end. Usual monk stuff you will be bored to hear, but it was at this temple where I awoke. Upon telling an elder I was then put in front of the grandmasters and my family. I was shocked to see them again, I thought I had said or done something wrong. There was someone I had never seen before sat facing my family and the grandmaster, I was gestured to sit beside him."

"I then left with him and we travelled he taught me to understand what I know knew. Upon meeting him I discarded my name and wouldn't have one until he gave me a new one." Passing the drink back to Raven. "After sometime he said I was to travel alone. So he gave me my name and I have travelled alone mostly since then."

"That is my story, I am a travelling monk. I now travel to learn, train and one day I shall take these back to the temple and pass them on to others. Besides many temple don't like my form of Do so staying in one would get dull."

"My name is Huóshui Zuìquán, meaning Flowing water drunken fist. My master took it from the way my magic and Do flows... and the fact that because of my awakening my Do takes the style of drunken fist. So you will understand if I was rather harsh to you when you made fun of Luci's name, names are of meaning to monks and mages alike."

He sighed "but recent events have made my quiet wandering impossible. I don't think this man behind the tenth is looking for you as a person, I believe he wants your soul, your Avatar. I believe at some point your avatr was part of something else. Shatter and scattered. I also believe that the tenth sphere as the seat he sits behind are of his creation, but I do have to think on that more."

"Thank you for thelling me. Awakening? Is that when the strange feeling comes over you, and then you can do hocus pocus after?

"AS for this Avatar business, I'm not fully clear on that point. The best I can figure out, there was another me. A past life, I guess you would call it. I'm not a nice guy, but he was far worse. I was told he would flay the skin from children for his spells and carve the histories of his victims into his own flesh. I believe from various symbols I saw in that weird assed dream that this man was somehow involved with House Solificati, which help found, then attack the Traditions. Those responsible were said to be hit with a gilgul, and killed. The House is tied in now with the Hermatic Order, but any more information wasn't on the Info Sphere. I got a lead to a college on Mus, a spit of rock that can hardly be called a moon. It may have more, but I'm having a devil of a time finding a way there.

"So this guy I was, he had a gilgul cast on him probably by the Hermatic Order. It shattered his soul, the pieces went everywhere. But it didn't kill him. I say this because reincarnation is impossible after a gilgul, and I was told during this seeking he's still around. One of those pieces, became me. It's not exactly reincarnation, so I guess it's possible. The rest pieces are still out there, somewhere, and the more you find the more power you have. So it's become a race of sorts, between him and me. I've been tasked by my Avatar thing to find the pieces first, before this other me. Even if I didn't want any part of it, I can't walk away because at some point, if he hasn't already, he'll find out about me, and come running. See, there's no way both of us are going to see the end of this, because we've both got a piece of the soul. To be whole, one of us has to have all the pieces, which means the other has to lose their soul and I assume that would kill them. So it's him or me.

"From the vision I'm going with he belonged to House Solificati, and if he was hit with a gilgul I'm guessing he was one of the ones that attacked the Order. That was ten thousand years ago, and he'd have had to survive since then with only a fraction of a soul and no power, but hell I survived Earth, am eighty, and feel fine. So I guess it's possible. Either that, or he was hit with a Gilgul when House Solificati joined the Order, since the seeking talked about Hermatic betrayal. I'm not sure of that, though, since the House joined the Order roughly fifty five years ago and for him and me to be connected with a piece of each other his soul would have had to shatter at least eighty years ago. But hell, what do I know? Magic is weird."

Raven took another long draw from the bottle.

"So the bad ass I was still is, and he wants me dead so he can be whole again. That's it in a nutshell, I guess. Of course a lot of people have wanted me dead, on and off for various reasons, so I can't say it's new to me. The reason is, though.

"I'd like your thoughts on this, and the meaning of the giant with star eyes who talked weird, but first, if it's not too personal, how did your awakening happen? Also, you still haven't told me why you're a walking tree. I've seen a lot of strange shit over the years, but a walking, talking tree not so much."

"Awakening is just as it sounds. You awaken to what the world truly is, that strange feeling describes it well. That hocus pocus is one effect of it yes."

"My awakening happened while I was sparring back at the temple on my homeworld. We begun each one on one, but as the overseer noticed what was happening to me he sent more and more students on me. You see some monks believe that awakening is achieved through hard work and great stress. For me it happened there, I was moving more fluidly, my fellow students seemed to lag behind where I knew they were going to be. My Do changed that day, once it was hard and moved with the precise motions taught to me but on that day my movements became more fluid and random. I had awoken and my avatar had shown my way of Do, Drunken fist. My fellow students fell before me each seeming more drunken and sluggish to me than I did appear to them. When I stood over my fallen fellow student to overseer did run off to collect the elders while I tended to their wounds."

"Right, yes I guess I do resemble a tree," he said while passing his wooden fingers through grass like hair, "This would be what is called paradox. Imagine the universe is a river, ever flowing in one direction. We who have awoken can disrupt the flow, shaping it to what we desire. Paradox is when the change we attempt to make is too great and the flow crashes against us. During the battle on the ship that crashed into the station, there were marauders. Insane mages who have fallen into their own madness. I was hit by paradox caused by one such mage and my own attempts to defeat her. It should only be a temporary effect, the universe will snap back into its normal flow and I should return with it."

Raven noticed the bottle was getting low, but he offered the last of it to the monk to be friendly.

"Must have been nice to have someone explain this shit to you, not be left in the dark to figure it out for yourself. Then again my life has been hard, so I guess it's fitting. If something came easy to me, I wouldn't know what to do with it most likely. Guess I learn hard or I don't learn at all."

A shrug. The old splicer reached up with a hand a tapped a talon against his false eye.

"Me, the weird shit happened when I got this. Lost my eye during a mission, grabbed up some metal laying around, had it made into a replacement. Popped it into the socket, and suddenly I felt like I was fucking a power plant.

"I know this is a dead horse, but I'm going to beat it a little more to clear up the air. Iwas /not/ making fun of the AI's name, I was laughing at the situation. It's like if I told people I was a pilot named lead balloon or something. It would strike people as funny, and they would laugh probably before they realized they were doing it. All of this I could have explained had it asked me instead of shooting.

"So H..., H..., Flowing Water, tell me of star eyed giants and why I'm so important to you that you tracked me down."

"Yeah I am sure I had it much better than yourself learning wise, but I do hear that the other orders are more directing in teaching. Our masters tend to only want to help us learn, not teach us." he waved his hand to the bottle.

"You are what many would call a hollow one, I am ashamed that you went to a monk and they didn't offer help. Seems to many of my order are forgetting our purpose." he shrugs.

"The name thing as I said I will have words with her. She is young and unique in the world, When you meet her I am sure you will see. Honestly I think she is just a little scared of the outside world."

"If what I saw was what I believe it to be. Well I am guessing what you went through was a seeking, and for some reason I was shown part of it. The star eyed Giant I would guess is a part of you. From what I learnt in my seeking, no one else is there but you." he took a pause, "What I am saying is that I believe that was you, or at least an aspect of you, trying to drive you forward. Closer to what you are meant to be and final ascension."

"As for tracking you down, I believe its the same purpose as the star eyed one told you. I believe our stories are to intertwine, I believe the other who is searching for your pieces has something to do with the tenth seat stuff I have found myself trying to stop. I wish to help you search for these pieces, because I believe it will help stop them from stopping this cycle and restarting another."

Raven shook his head.

"I said he was a monk, not what he was a monk of. Never got around to asking that part. Besides, if he was one of your brothers don't let it bother you. I've learned there's pricks in all areas of life. No way to avoid them. I'm sure once he was able to sit down again, he wasn't quite so high on himself...

"So our lives are intertwined, huh? A burnt out military man from the wrong side of the tracks who was paid to kill addicted to booze and drugs, and a rich boy monk who I guess was like most others I've heard about, a pacifist. One looking for violence and death, the other looking for peace and life. Who the hell thought this combination up? Fuck, let's throw in a tentacle beast and a robot as well while we're at it. Why the hell not?"

The old splicer laughed for a solid minute, apparently he thought this too was rather funny. When he was finished, the soldier wiped at his eye with the back of a hand, and downed the rest of the booze. Then, oddly enough, he opened the box again and slipped the bottle back into it's spot. He could have thrown it away as befit his crass nature and out here no one would have cared, and yet he did not. When he was done he stood once more and addressed the monk.

"Not to rain on your parade, but I'm not sure you've really thought this all through. It's not that I don't want your help, it's more like I'm not sure you want to give it. From what I know, the more pieces he or I have, the more powerful we become. He's a child murdering ass, I give you that, but I told you before I'm not a nice guy. If you help me get those pieces first, then I get stronger instead of him. You sure you want to trust me with that power? You don't really know me after all, we've met a total of two times in life so far. You can't even be sure what I just told you is real, I might be making it all up. So, how do you know when I'm all put back together again I won't just try for this tenth sphere thing for myself or something? Or cause pain and suffering in general for some reason? Wouldn't be far easier for you to just kill me, take my fragment, and keep it safe? Not that I won't go without a fight of course, but at least then you would know for sure I'd never turn into a monster like him.

"One other thing for you to consider, those that follow me die, all of them. It's happened before, Death swallowed them up time and again, but spit me out for some reason.

"Still want to tag along?"

"Far from rich my friend, as I said all of that was discarded. What I have I tend to carry with me. I do like to think of myself as a pacifist, but I will defend myself or others if it comes to it." he smiled.

"I am looking for peace and life yes, but those it seems I am placing myself in the way off want violence and death. But don't people say fight fire with fire?"

"The Robot and tentacle monster have already been met. At least A robot and a monster. You wouldn't be the first violent character I have had the pleasure to meet recently. There are others with me, others who for various reasons have found themselves on this same path." he paused for a second in thought, "I am currently just following the path my avatar has laid before me. I do not wish to make judgement on people before I have come to know them better. If we are being honest here, yes if you were to at some point start harming innocents or acting in a way that would harm other than I may step in."

"As for the tenth sphere, I wouldn't go for it. From what I have been shown it doesn't exist and is a trap to lure people to the person behind the seat, for his own gain. As long as you don't plan on stopping this cycle and starting your own, you would be the preferred holder of the pieces." he laughed at the people following him dying comment, "Well I have a doctor waiting for me outside and I myself have learnt how to heal people. We are a tough bunch, and maybe we can help you not only with finding your pieces but understanding those abilities of yours."

Raven blinked.

"Wait, you actually have a robot and tentical monster on your team? Sure, why the hell not? I find myself getting less and less surprised as time goes on in this matter.

"OK, you told me about yourself. But if you want me to work with others, tell me about them too. I wouldn't mind a little info on what I'm getting into. Also, which one did you want to hire me? The robot or the other one?"

"Well I really meant that we have fought a tentacle monster and robot, but now thinking about it..." he stroked his chin, "The doctor does have some odd extra appendages of sorts, and our current soldier is going the route of the cyborg."

"Mind you neither are the one I have in mind for employing you. The knight would be the one I want to introduce you to for employment. You might like him, he is from earth and his tradition has a wonderful fascination with death." he said with a smile. "Euthanatos, maybe a name you recognise or not but they are a tradition in the council. They hold the seat of entropy. He is not as depressing as some of them can be. He goes by Kairos."

"Solan is the first mercenary that came under Kairos' wings so to speak. Circumstances made it so they had to work together but I do hope they are warming up to each other. Solan is a soldier type and from what I hear a mercenary. So again you might get along with him." he shrugged, "More on the techno side of things magic wise but he does appear to have awoken to how the world really is."

"That leaves us with the doctor, met with him awhile ago and bumped into him again recently. His history I did get a glimpse of but to be honest he has had a bit of an adventure by the sounds of it. Apparent affiliations with a faction of the brotherhood, and is apparently a son of ether." he sighs as he struggles how to put it into words, "They are another tradition of sorts who hold science still as a paradigm but understand that there is much more to the universe that normal science allows. They hold the seat of matter, but he has knowledge of life and healing. I believe he is a full medical doctor."

"If you want to know more I would have to just introduce you to them, but as I said Peter, the doctor, should be nearby. Maybe we can share a drink with him while we wait on the others."

Raven shook his head while giving the monk a grave look.

"No, I don't think me and soldier boy are going to get along so well. For one thing, when I lost my squad I was finally picked up but arrested and held for a court marshal. I mentioned the term before, but in case you don't know it's a trail like they have for civilian criminals. Only this one is run by the military, and involves crimes against them. They wanted to stick me with the deaths of my men, locked me in a brig while they investigated, found a couple of black boxes that survived. Those are special little computers that store all sorts of information about the ship, including radio transmissions and such. By the end of it they couldn't do anything to me, not officially since I didn't do anything wrong. Couldn't take away my medals, drum me out or what's normally called a dishonorable discharge, or even take away my rank. So they assigned me to shit work, and made it mighty clear I'd never be above it again. I didn't want to lead another group of men having lost the last one, and I felt my time there was about over, so I resigned. No reason to stay, but rumors got started that it was over guilt of getting my men killed even though it couldn't be proven. There were other whispers too, such as I had abandoned my men to save myself, or that I had led them into a trap for pay. The fact no credits were ever found didn't seem to matter to anyone, none of the facts did. I couldn't show my face in any military hangout for some time after, unless I wanted a really one sided war on my hands. It's been mostly forgotten anymore I suppose, but my name still leaves a bad taste in some military mouths.

"Also, just in case you've made the assumption, I'm not a mercenary. Oh I could have been I suppose, but there's far too many of them already and it's not like it takes any kind of qualification to be one. Just get a gun and be willing to have no morals for pay, simple enough. Oh I've done a little work along those lines on and off, been a body guard and a bouncer too. But merc work isn't how I earn my main bread. No, I decided to go into, you could say, the delivery service. There's something someplace that someone wants, but for certain reasons they can't get it on their own. So, they contact me, and I deliver it. I use my training and skills to keep the package safe until it arrives, get my pay, and move on to the next job. Not as well paying as some of the high risk merc work, but then again I've never had to worry about getting shot in the back because I killed somebody's father on assignment.

"I'm not a soldier because I want to be or I have anything to prove in that regard, it's just all I know and a choice in my life I'm not ashamed of. It gave me a purpose, made me feel proud, educated me, put cloths on my back, food in my belly, and money in my pocket. It gave me friends, and a place to belong. It was home, something I really wanted. It marked me, and I'm glad of it. Me, I'm looking for the next thrill in life, not the next war as I've found a lot of mercs are. If you already have a soldier, then you don't really need me. Too many cooks and all that.

"The doctor, I'm a little iffy about. Saw Bone types don't tend to like me much, they think I way overdid it on the splicing usually. They seem to have this thought that my animal nature will take over suddenly, and I'll become violent and unpredictable. Hormonal imbalance and such, I think they said.

"Finally, we come to the last man, a real life knight. If it's like the storybooks they tend to have a code of conduct, tradition, and a sense of honor. That might be a problem since I have none of those three. I fight dirty, cheat to win, have stolen in the past, and have a general hard time keeping up with all those pesky laws. Of course if I was a strict follower of said laws, then getting paid would be really, really hard."

A gentle wind blew across the desolate land, brushing Raven's face. Oddly, his feathers fluttered in the opposite direction, against the light wind. The bird shrugged.

"Still, I need work, so I can at least meet with Lancelot I suppose, no harm in that. Even if I didn't need a job, I would still have to have a ship to get to Mus and you have one that I know I can fly. A doctor on the team means free medical help which would save me a fortune in credits since I doubt this other me is going to lay down and die quietly. Course, it wouldn't be fun if he did."

The old Splicer chuckled.

"I guess I could use this Solan for backup, no reason to let a perfectly good soldier go to waste. That leaves the knight, and every team needs a bank to fund them. Since he might sell out for me and is already carrying a merc on the payroll, he can be said bank.

"So Doctor Tentacles, Mister Roboto, Sir Tin Britches, Brother Flowing
Water, and a female AI permanently programmed to be on her period. Is there anything else I should know, maybe you got a unicorn, Pegasus, or lepricon tucked away somewhere? Or our mission will take us down the yellow brick road to the end of the rainbow or something? With the way this is shaping up, I'm ready for anything."

Raven laughed, then he shouldered his pack and picked up the booze box. With his other two hands the bird warmed up his guitar.

"So a band of misfits on a temperamental ship, the only hope against an ancient evil mage so powerful he can remake the universe in his own image. Between us we've got a couple of guns, your fists, and a medical kit. I think that about sums it up. I guess now you'll want my answer about if I'll join you, huh?"

Fingers worked the strings of the instrument as the old fighter's voice rose.

"And I will walk through the fire,

"For where else can I turn?

"And I will walk through the fire,

"And let it burn."

Huoshui smiled while Raven played, he had heard of the animalistic tendencies of splicers. From what he heard they were on the same lines as the cyber degeneration he had seen in some of the cyborg types.

"Our merc seems to favour long range, he has been a great support so far. Stepping on toes hasn't happened so far, seeing as myself and the Knight have fought on the front lines so far." he shook his head "Our knight I don't think would fit into the fairy tale image of one, as I said he is of the Euthanatos order. They follow a concept of the 'good death', the only one who may have a dislike for your methods maybe me. But I try not to judge, everyone has their own path."

He laughs, "Maybe one day we can show your the mermaid, fera, dragon and lemurian. So shall we go meet Dr. Tentacle?"

Raven packed up his guitar, and added the case to the growing collection on his back. He again faced the monk.

"Sure, I'm up for a free drink and I might as well get meeting him out of the way. Before we go though, a couple of things. What I told you, I did so in confidence. That means you've got no right to repeat a word of it, without my permission. Do so, and this partnership will hit a rough spot one or the both of us is going to regret. No threat, simple rule of thumb to follow.

"Second, I've been asking most of the questions and such. Anything you want to ask me before we head out? No one to overhear us here, at least no one who will care."

"You have no need to worry. Many things I am unsure with sharing with the whole group anyway. Many hold the tenth sphere and the end of the cycle as sacred. So I would ask that you not relieve these revelations with the others."

"I would normally ask which spheres you have studied, to understand what you are capable of. But from what you have told me the definition of them is something you never learnt, So how about instead I ask. How are you able to extend you will onto the universe?"

Raven thought on that for a minute.

"Well let's see. I guess there's two different ways to answer that, and since I don't know which way you'd like it, I'll give you both.

"First there's keeping on when there's no clear way to. I can sometimes beat a man stronger than me muscle to muscle, run when I'm drop dead tired, that sort of thing. I guess you'd call it willpower, so it might count for your answer but it affects me instead of what's around me.

"The second answer is I feel close to Spirits, have for a long, long time now. I can see them, summon them, send them back, that sort of thing. Once I got /really/ wasted, and I think I ended up in the Spirit Realm. At least, it looked trippy enough to be there. How I got back, I'm not so clear on. Eh. There's one that hangs around me, a rust Spirit I call Tink. He either likes to take the shape of a cloud f rust, or a mechanical raven. Not a robot, more like a really expensive wind up toy. I fumbled around once and tried to summon a Spirit, and I got Tink. The little bastard decided he liked me, and he won't go away. I've tried banishing him, blasting him, smashing him, locking him away somewhere, blowing him out an airlock, and so on, but he reforms and comes to find me. You'll see him at some point, I'm sure. He's not dangerous exactly, but he's annoying, sometimes very much so. In fact on the station he almost got me into a fight with a metal head because Tink decided one of the robo-man's circuits looked pretty and pecked it out of his body. Probably would have had to duke it out, but turns out that gizmo was kind of important, and the guy did the cyborg version of a faint. So if you have a shiny talisman or meditation crystal that disappears, you might want to talk to Tink about it.

"Aside from Spirits, I also have good luck with machines mostly. That's how I was able to keep my old junk pile of a ship flying, actually. Shouldn't have, but it worked for me.

"So how about you? Can you like hold hot rocks in your hand, walk across rice paper without breaking it, blast a hole through a wall with your pinky, or something? Or do you just drink, throw your fists around, and patch people up?

"Also, it's none of my business what you tell your friends or not, but I am curious about one thing; why tell me? You don't know me from Adam, you got thought I was threatening your AI, and yet you tell me everything including stuff you don't want the others to know. Hell, you knew I was connected to this bad thing happening somehow, how could you be sure I wasn't on their side in this? In fact this could all be a set up for the bad side, I wait until you turn to lead me to your friend after you told me all you knew, then I blast your brains out and leave you among the Forgotten.

"I know, you don't judge and let people walk their own paths, but it just amazes me. I've never met anyone as fully trusting as you.

"You walk freely into what could be a trap, without time to scout the location since I know how far this place is from the docks, without weapons, and you're only backup is a doctor getting drunk in a bar. Then you talk freely about yourself, believe every word I've told you, you know I'm connected to evil yet trust I'm on your side, and you're willing to walk in front of an armed stranger in a place with no witnesses where you're remains won't be found for days, if not longer. By that time I could be long gone.

"I'm not implying you're gullible or anything, it's just I have never, ever ran into a man as trusting as you. Not on Earth, not in the Marines, not in my wandering, nowhere. You're an oddity to me, and you're talking to a guy who had sex with a robot last night who had actual water for hair and that didn't surprise me."

Raven reached a hand up to his face, around his false eye.

"Oh, in case you're wondering about the crystals growing out of my skin, don't be alarmed. I didn't fuck with the Universal Flow like you did, I've just had them since I've had the eye. Tink likes to eat them. They have however as for that, um, seeking? Yeah, that's it. As of the seeking they've gotten bigger for some reason.

"Also, ask away anything else you'd like to know."

Huoshui listened and took everything Raven said in.

"For what I can do most would split it in two. The magic like you and others can do, and there is Do. As for spheres I have schooled in they would be entropy, life, prime, mind. This means I can read minds, manipulate life itself, see and manipulate the magical essence of the universe and what we call Karma." he holds one hand up in a handsign then continues, "For example I can see that your eye would be a node, that would be something that produces the magical essence of the universe. That is what those crystals are, and what you friend eats. Its commonly know as quintessence, its physical forms are know as Tass or Dram."

He had met Tink now several times, once on the ship it had tried to eat his paradox scars. Seems they weren't to his liking though and just started attacking him but Huoshui didn't mention this for it wasn't the birds or Raven's fault.

"Do being what all forms of martial art come from, it walks the line between the mundane and magic. With this I can do things that would normally be impossible, but without attracting paradox." he looks to the ground and picks up a pebble, "I guess a demonstration would be best."

Holding the pebble in his palm he maneuvers it and then flicks it, the small stone zips through the air and embeds itself within a distant wall. He then leaps towards it, before touching the ground again he appears to jump again off of the air landing near where the pebble was embedded. He pulls it out and the surrounding hole in the wall crumbles a bit.

"If you have ever seen a kung fu movie, you have seen Do." he walks back to Raven playing with the pebble in his palm, "I am afraid a Akashic monk is never truly unarmed."

"As to why I came here with little reason to trust the situation. Well I believe in myself and the visions that brought me here." he placed the pebble back where he found it. "I am not sure on the details but the seeking made you stronger, magic should be easier for you. So I believe this is why the crystals are bigger."

"I trust you as much as I would any stranger, but I guess being a monk thats more than a normal person." he brushes the fragments of wall from his robes, "Ok since the nature of your avatar and its pieces are of import to both of us, I wish to ask do you know how to find the pieces? Other than visiting this out post of the hermetics have you had any other leads as to where you path heads? What I guess I am really asking is do you have a plan, and what is it?"

Raven grinned at the monk as he walked back toward the pilot, the old man applauding.

"Damn, that sure was impressive. It doesn't really surprise me though, I figured from the minute you agreed to this meeting you had some trick up your sleeve just in case this meeting went sour. That you came alone means you believed heavily in your skill, right or wrong. So, it's nice to see my faith in humanity hasn't been too shaken after all.

"By the way, I came prepared too. Oh you can see the gun, sword and knife, but like you I had an ace in the hole. See, as I told you, I can summon Spirits. Take a look around where you're standing. In a cemetery, a place where the barrier between our world and that of the Spirits is thin. This would in theory make my summoning Spirits to aid me easier. On top of that, these graves around you are of the Forgotten. The poor who died and were discarded only slightly better than trash. They would be angry for the disgrace done to them, they would want revenge against the living. I might well convince them I'm a friend, you I was betting couldn't. So you can fly about, shoot stones from your hand, rip rocks out of walls, but I could summon a horde of vengeful dead that have no bodies to punch or bones to break. How's that for a plan?"

He winked.

"A node, huh? And my face is covered in raw power? Well, it's cool. Handy too, if I can figure out what to do with it. Any ideas?

"As for plans in general, I'll tell you about them. You can sweat over what to do, lose sleep on it, talk to others about it, consult machines and books, and come up with a hum dinger of a plan. Then, this plan is translated into orders, and these are sent to men expected to follow this glorious plan. It tells them just what to do, where to go, how to handle things, all of it. Then, these men who follow this plan as ordered die, horribly so in some cases. Two of which I know personally well, from the Army and again in the Marines. Of course the ones who make these plans read the reports, throw it away, say 'oh well' and make a new plan that will fill more graves."

Raven looked angry, and as though he wanted to spit. But he looked about him, remembered where he was, and swallowed instead. Then the old Splicer sighed.

"To say it another way, I don't do plans so much. Oh sure, I thought to lead you to this bone yard to give myself an advantage, but I've never tried it before so I'm not sure it would work. If you had the same powers, or brought someone else who had, or held some kind of charm that warded off Spirits, I would have been up shit creek and tried to run and gun so to speak. So I get a general idea, then I fill in the holes as I go. It's worked well so far, plus it gives me an advantage because the other guy can't figure out what I'm doing.

"No, other than the college, I've got nothing. I might have, maybe, dug up more, but as you well know I got zapped. I don't even know what I would do when I got there, it used to be a military fortress so breaking into the library would be hard, even for me at my prime and that's gone to hard and fast living anymore. I did think I could save up my credits and get in legally to view the material, but it costs five million credits for one semester and by the time I had even half of that this other guy would find me with all the pieces he found and I'd be dust blowing in the breeze if you know what I mean. There's programs to help with cost, but I doubt highly I would qualify. You usually have to report income, and mine doesn't have a paper trail for certain reasons we don't have to get into right now. Even if I got the cash, I was told the admission is hard. Moreso for me, since my original birth certificate has no doubt crumbled to nothing and I can't get back to Earth to get it anyway. Then there's the fact I'm eighty years old, but want them to believe that suddenly I've been awakened and want to learn Magick. I'm not fit for even the Outcast mages, and yet the Order of Hermes would have to buy I want to be one of their number. I heard they take anyone really, but you know they're going to favor their own kind.

"So no, no plan as such other than to get to Mus. At least I might be closer to answers there than I would be if I stayed on Mars. My backup plan is to go down swinging, and swinging hard.

"You told me over the comm you had answers, I kind of hoped they were about the pieces, the House, the gilgul, and all that.

"Anything else?"

He sighed heavily, "I can tell you of Gilgul, you will have to understand even in the harsher circles of mages its only spoken of when its the last option."

"To understand Gilgul you need to understand what the avatar is to you. Its a soul, it's that spark in you that has lived before you and will live after you. It reincarnates each time it dies."

"Thats what talks to you during the seekings, it carries the wisdom of the universe and your pass lives. Its purpose being to help you ascend." the way he talks and holds in self sags, "A Gilgul is killing that, shattering it so that it never comes back, you see avatars can go bad. Some call it inverting, so instead of helping the person ascend they drag them down into madness."

"That Raven is what happened to you, but something must have gone wrong with it. I don't know, its supposedly a very complex ritual. I believe they managed to shatter your avatar but instead of it being destroyed and its energies melting into the cosmos, they instead scattered."

"I hope you understand my hesitation, for mages the avatar is sacred. Its what allows us to be what we are and to become what we are meant to be."

He held out his hand towards Raven, "As per how to use the crystals energy, If you do not mind my intrusion," as he said that and energy enveloped his extended hand, beginning to glow as if it were surrounded by a blue luminous gas. "Do can be combined with the prime and life chi of the universe. This is one such use I could show you in how to use the quintessence you are so freely radiating. Quintessence is what all things are made of, knowing this one can convert it into anything or anything into it. I myself am but a learner in the prime sphere but know enough to be able to combine it with others."

"As for finding out about the house and how to get you into that library, well I am sure we can help. I doubt I know more about that house of magic, but I have means and know people who might be able to help. I myself plan on visiting the Incarna of this planet, That would be the spirit of this very planet. As is the norm it has many names some you may recognise, Nerigal, Thor, Ares, Anhur, Akhnet. It will be a task getting there but a promised a dragon, if you can believe that, that I would go to him and ask for his help."

Raven got a thoughtful look on his face.

"Speaking of dragons and other such things, there's a couple parts I forgot to tell you. For one, I met this thing that called itself the Salamander. It talked about a brother and sister, and how the brother had to stay hidden. There's a lizard on the house banner. There's also a crown, and I saw one like it laying around my feet in some kind of tower or castle that was on fire. But my crown was broken, shattered. Also right before I woke up, a lot of stuff ran through my brain real fast. In the blur, I saw a phoenix flying me away from a fire. Any thoughts?

"As for this beast, mind if I tag along? Well, if I'm sober enough at the time you go, anyway. Might not be. But it would be fun to see a dragon that's not trying to eat me like on the station."

"It is not a beast, a better word would be a god. This is the spirit of the planet you are standing on Raven. I mean this would be the sibling of Gaia or Luna, thats the level of spirit I talk of. Its best not to anger them as you would imagine. A friend of mine recently told me about him, He is a warrior and respects strength. One should not use one's powers or hightech when going through his challenges. Every challenge must be met with violence. It is a quest my friend tried to steer me from but maybe I should have her explain it."

"The beast on the station was not a true dragon, it was itself a spirit of a forest. A child of the tiger and gaia. It had been tormented and raged against those who wronged it. I am just glad that with the knights help it was reasoned with."

"But maybe you can see a dragon, the one I made a deal with has promised that it will travel with me. This is why I must venture to pole to meet the incarnation of mars. It is to strengthen myself and make ready for what I foresee to be a long and difficult quest.

He strokes his chin a bit, "I know of a phoenix, but that maybe a coincidence. Visions and seekings are often not direct, unless the avatar sees a need for it to be. I was not shown these parts, I am sorry but I shall have to meditate on those."

"One should not use one's powers or hightech when going through his challenges and every challenge must be met with violence, huh? Well my armor is from Earth, Army issue. No powered displays, no circuits, no nothing of any kind. My rail gun uses science, not magic, and it's one of the first issued on Earth. My sword and knife are just plain metal, nothing I own is awakened. I never thought of myself much as a mage, so I don't as a habit use my powers, I relie more on other skills. As for violence, it and I are old friends.

"So, when do I start? Seems custom made for me, and I've got some time to kill. Besides, if it's a powerful Spirit, maybe it can give me some answers. If not, at least I can say I bested a dragon. You want me in, I'm in. Don't cut me out of the fun parts. If you try to, I'll just follow you anyway. Worst case I die, and that's long overdue anyhow."

"The dragon I spoke of is my friend and a different spirit to the one we will be taking the challenge of. I made a deal with a dragon, part of that is to go do this challenge. You will not be fighting the dragon for that would be fighting me."

"The spirit of mars requires the highest of respect, show no fear but honor him. Maybe I can have you speak with my friend about it. I do not know all of the challenges that he lays before those who step into his realm but I do know the weather alone is a harsh feat, Large ice spikes that rip at ones very pattern are but one of the obstacles in the way to an audience with him."

"We start after I have also made the offer to others. I am to go but the Dragon also told me that it might be of benefit for the knight to also go." He turns and begins to walk, "First we shall introduce you to the doctor."

"Right, drinks with the Octopus, then we're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Mars."

Raven hummed the appropriate tune as he followed after his new friend.

Raven's sleep is interrupted by a .... ?un?pleasant dream....

While you layed in rest something quite odd happened, some one both man and spirit came along... as if that wasn't strange enugh they used the powers of it's spirit side to control entropy to compleatly remove the posablity of the door being locked or closed for that mater... and the door just opened on it's own acord.


birdy: Raven was sitting up having a smoke by three passed out girls, and reached for a weapon from his duty belt when he saw the door open
Azraile: A man with black hair and dark eyes, wearing a duster slides in and then blinks a little rasing a brow when he looks at you. "Er... sorry man didn't mean to stare just never seen a metis.. didn't even know that there could... hey... your not.... bah... your one of those bloody mage born shifters ain't yah?"
birdy: Raven eyed the other to assure himself no weapons were visibal. "
birdy: "A sifter? Sorry, what you see is the real me. I don't grow fur in a full moon or nothing like that. Name's Raven by the way. Come in for a visit if you like, these girls are a bit boring outside of sex. Got part of a keg and a roasted boar left, if you don't mind eating with naked people"
Azraile: He laughs "phhs... you shouldn't go around calling yourself names like that boy, espeshaly in a place like this..... sure isn't the higher courts but there plenty a eyes and ears about that might take offence."
birdy: The old man shrugged. "It's my name has been for decades now. The feather and wings came from the name, and before it was my name it was my call sign, or nickname if you like"
Azraile: "Raven is a grate spirit, one of weath and wisdom and though he is always hungry and makes sure his followers want for nothing.... I some how don't think you where named for such things."
birdy: "There's a spirit named Raven? Sorry, I'm new to this Spirit stuff."
Azraile: "Bloody hell, see we knew stuff like this would happen.... damn wendigo all conserned about revenge istead of saving what can besaved... and uktena just got there nose to the grind wheel too much and grinding hips too little!"

birdy: Raven got up slowly and made his way to the keg. He picked the whole thing up and took a swig from the top before wiping his mouth on an arm. "You seem upset. Want a drink and talk about it? Didn't catch the name."
Azraile: "Why the hell no?" he walks over taking a long deep drink and then shaking his head. "Dought you even know about the Indians, the American natives, do yah?"
birdy: Raven shrugged. "I know a little from school and such. Columbus sailed from Spain even though he wasn't from there himself. Italian I think. Anyway he was looking for a shortcut to India. When he found land he made a mistake thinking he was there and called the natives Indians. Even though he didn't actually land in what became America the name stuck. The Indians were everywhere, but after wars with themselves and the whites, white sickness they caught, and so on, there numbers dwindled and some whole tribes were wiped out of existance for good. What was left was shoved onto reservations that was land no one else wanted."
Azraile: He gave a long stare at raven and then took and even longer drink. "wow.... that is so wrong I don't even what to start on it."  he shook his head. "Fucking pentex, thank gaia there power base is shatered." he sighs taking another drink. "I was just going to say those toems they have watching over them, there real stuffs lesser gods you might say that watched over them.  Just those domn spainards, though they didn't know, brought with them a primordial god of emense power with them when they came one called the devour of souls, if that tells you anything. they also brought the influane of what you call stasis and entropy to a untuched land of dynamic life."
birdy: Raven reached down to the equipment pouches and drew out a pack of cigarettes, slowly while keeping his eyes on his new friend. He got out his lighter too, and lit one up for himself. He offered the pack tot he other man, but said nothing. He seemed interested
birdy:  in what was being said.
Azraile: You notice going through you pouches that your credit chip is gone. He shakes his head and declines the smoke. "eh... anyway I was just here looking for some knight guy, word is he was coming here and he had promised me something real shiny .... well that or some interesting eye"

birdy: "Sorry, but the only knight we have is a girl. There was supposed to be someone else and we went to his room there was armor and a sword piled up in there but no sign of him. There were runes on the walls, I think he went to the Spirit Realm and never made it back. I've gone there a time or two when zi was high I think. But it's good to know you. If you don't like Raven, you can call me Tom. It used to be my name before it changed." The Splicer held out a non-taloned hand. He noticed his chip was missing but thought better than to bring it up. If this guy could take it without going near the pouch it had been in, ho knew what else he could do?
Azraile: "Probly went looking for Hugin and Munin with out my help, damn fool." He luaghs shaking his head. "Thinks he can call on the right hand birds of a god like one might a gaffling?" he laughs even more "Damn fool even though I was one of em at first!"
birdy: "You still haven't told me your name. You wouldn't be the Raven you were talking about earlier would you?As for the knight, I agree he was an idiot going in alkone, without a weapon or a guide."
Azraile: He luaghs shaking his head "Just one of his bastard kids.... call me Tisias"
birdy: "Your dad sounds cool. Is there any chance I might meet him some day?"
Azraile: He has another long laugh. "You know I don't like getting involved but having a talk or two is just worth it some time.... I'm not literaly his kid, just long long long long long long distant 'chidlren' takes a bit of explaing realy.  But meeting him would be about as hard as meeting the people here. Not even the totem spirits that protect tribes and the like are actualy raven, just his actual children. I've only ever talked to one of his ofspring myself"
birdy: "

birdy: "So are you a mage who followed Raven, and became what you are now?"
Azraile: He shook his head and luaghed. "I though all you finger wiggly types new about fera, i'm a corax...... kinda like you only not made by some damn fool who thought he could copy a gods work."
birdy: Raven shrugged yet again. "I'm not a mage so much as I know magick really. I dont meditate as much as out and out get stoned for example."
Azraile: "Well like millions and millions of years ago the earth kinda figured she might forget stuff now and again or something and she gave serten animals a human like form letting them change there shape, and in there blood they held her memories.....  she did so with the help of the sun.  They nearly got wiped out though back then.. .and more recently... but  point is a few hundred thousand years ago after humans showed up and spirit and flesh got separated, she desided you guys needed looking after so her and the moon got together and took humans and mixed them with animal spirits and made lots of fera..... others thought that was just awsome and they joined in on it too.... but yah there was a lot of us before the wolfs desided they where the best and started killing everyone."
birdy: Raven blinked. "So wait a minute. Are you saying were wolves are real?"
Azraile: He luaghs some "Thought that was common knowlage, you visiting a god"
birdy: Raven shrugged yet again. "I told you I wasn't what I'd consider a mage.
birdy: Most of this is new to me. Hell, for a while mages were enemies to me. I don't know a ton of crap like they do. I'm attuned to spirit stuff but I kept away from it for certain personal reasons and just recently started to explore it."
Azraile: "Eh well like I said... the finger wiggly types have tubles with wolfs too some types and they wanted to fight fire with fire, but you all arn't gods and they didn't know anything of the spirit so yah..... terable knock offs.... and no offince but your a knock off and i'm the real deal boy." He laughs, "Though never thought being a knock off fera would be a fad"
birdy: "I might be a knockoff but they broke the mold on me. I do like your coat though. It goes with your hair and eyes. Much lighter than the kevlar I lug around."

Azraile: Eh humans get get all progective and offended and stuff when you don't cover yourself up usaly, don't get it personaly what do they got to be ashamed of? Probly another thing to blame the weaver, mabye now that she's been replaced people will stop caring so much.
birdy: "ho's the Weaver, and why were they replaced?"
Azraile: "This crazy chick that made stuff solid yah know, but she got sick of having to make stuff solid .. paticuarly when others whent around braking it up and she went a little bonkers. She made a backup of herself of sorts though that kinda outsmarted her after a few billion years and is kinda eating her or something idk.... there all muggled up who knows whats going to happen.... two spiders trying to catch eachother in eachothers webs, one got the jump on the other but thats about all you know kinda hard to tell who's winning, just looks like a big jumble and knoted up web to me
birdy: Raven scratched his head. "I...see..."
Azraile: *Ravens awareness, streetwise, and wits are giving him a good feeling this guy has a problem shutting up... and thats part of his nature verly likely... least looks that way kinda hard to judge his spirit side being that he's only half spirit.*
Azraile: But I don't think you should go chasing Ravens fella, you seam to have a love for clashing boom-boom's kids, why not go looking for her... she's likely around here some where
birdy: Raven blinked. "Now who the hell is Boom Boom. I've met one before, but since I don't see a pole anywhere around I doubt it's the same one."
Azraile: He gives a good laugh "don't repeat that joke around her, she's a hard ass." he shakes his head and points to the gun you had laying out. "She's it's mamma"
birdy: "Guns have mothers?"
Azraile: Kinda.... she's a little batty, been around sense the dawn of time but only been awake when machines of war are around.  She keeps getting currupted though due to her ties to the wyrm, so she's always looking for people to take her babbies away from people that would abuse them to calm her distructive tendances and get rid of her curuption.
Azraile: Though now adays I think she should be conserned by being inslaved by the machine if it wakes up......
birdy: "Back up a little. Who's the wyrm?"
Azraile: Oh boy thats a long story.... I got to be heading out of here, I realy shouldn't be around here.... just ask another fera about the whole wyrm, weaver, wyld thing.. or just think of it as this  wyrm is entropy, weaver is stadic, wyld is dynamic.... there alive, there aware, the forces that is... there not realy spirits or anything there way beyond that, if there is anything that is truely god it would be the three of them working in tangent.... exsept they haven't been in a long time
but hey if you didn't know the world was fucked up you have had your head up your ass a long time
birdy: Raven laughed. 'The world is fucked up, ok now that part I got. What if I want to talk with you again? How do I get in touch with you?"
Azraile: He hums some then digs out a large (quite large) black feather and hands it over. "Burn it when you got some good info or the like...  If you get some real real good shiny things or dig out a choice eye ball from some real old or interesting chap... or least some one that seen something others haven't.... might be able to get you in touch with raven then."
birdy: "Will do. And thanks."
Azraile: "Just keep an eye out from some nasty looking war machine if you wana find her
Azraile: He slides to sneak away.
birdy: Raven calls after him, "You going to take the keg too?"
Azraile: He shhhhs you. "quite!"
birdy: Raven nods, then lights himself another cigarette and leaves the Corax to his own devices.
Azraile: Oh yah should note his clothing is actualy spirtualy charged and linked to his soul, and as a voice calls out he quickly (about 2~4 seconds) turns into a raven his clothing apprently being absorbed into his body but he can see it's absorbe into his spirit. He flies off, a battle maden chasing him.

Raven tucks the feather away with his things, and uses his talons to slice off a remaining piece of roasted boar and munches while he pounders what he's been told.
Azraile: If he looks around he finds his credit chip discarded, aprently not shiny enugh... lol

One of the battle maddens knocks at the door. "It will soon be time for your turn in the proving grounds."

Raven voiceshis thanks for the warning, then uses his talons to cut some of the sinew from the roasted boar. He plucks a few of his own feathers and pokes holes in the ends. Once done, he threads them and attaches the rushed decorations to the plasma rifle. Figuring he has no time for anything else, the old fighter redresses and dons himself once more with his pouches and duty belt. Then he shakes one of the women awake and asks her to lead him to the proving grounds.

She groggily nods some, getting dressed and taking your hand.

Raven takes her hand and allows her to lead the way.

Raven is lead to balcony where CBB was watching another fight, down bellow a grate many people were at war.  It was more the kind of thing Raven was use to seeing, many people taking cover in trinches or behind tress while they opened fire on eachother with guns.  The arena seamed to have the space warped and the people in it seamed quite small but they obviously weren't.. They expanded space though was quite a large area with hills, forest, and swampland.  It was quite the little ground war.

As you approach she looks to you some, the blades and gears of her mouth clicking and grinding in ways that almost made it look like she was smirking or smiling some. "YOU SHOULD JOIN US... THIS QUITE INTERESTING." She looked back to the fighting. "THEY ARE WARRIORS FROM THE AGE OF BEAUTIFUL SADNESS, AND LIKE YOU FROM THE AGE OF DARKNESS. THOSE FROM THE AGE OF BEAUTIFUL SADNESS THINK MY CHILDREN ARE NOT THE TOOLS OF A WARRIOR AND THE WARRIORS OF THE AGE OF DARKNESS ARE WEAK. THE CROW SUGGESTED THEY FIGHT IN EACH OTHERS WAYS AND SEE HOW WEAK OR STRONG THEY MAY BE... IT WAS THEN DESIRED THEY WOULD HAVE SEVEN YEARS TO LEARN EACH OTHERS WAYS. NOW THEY FIGHT AND DIE IN THE WAY OF THE BATTLES OF YOUR AGE."

She dose a little bit of a second take at the sight of your sword and takes it in 'hand', using devices that come out of the tenticals to create an odd field around it, and return it to it's normal size.

Raven looked down on the battle that was taking place below him.

"The guy behind that tree there pinned down needs to load one of his empty shells into his clip, on top of live ones. When he pulls the trigger, the enemy will hear the click of the pin against the empty casing and think he's out. They'll rush him then, and he can open fire with the live ammo still in the clip and get several of them in one go. That will either take care of those who have them cornered, or it will scatter them back into the trees to think and regroup, giving him time to get away. One of the fighters in the swamp needs to pull up a reed stalk, and break off a section if he doesn't have a knife. Then he should get into the water and let it go over his head, breathing through the reed. He needs to make sure the reed in question is not too long or wide though, or he will end up breathing his own spent air and pass out. After he submerges, he needs to stay perfectly still so the water looks still. When the enemy enters the liquid, it will send out movement that the hidden warrior can feel. Then he can spring up, and gun the other guy down. He doesn't have to worry about his gun not working if the weapons are from my period. The hand gun or rifle works by steel parts, no circuits or wires to short out, and the powder is sealed between the shell and bullet so it can't get wet and it will still fire. As for the trench fighting, you have a couple of choices there. You can either throw in a grenade and pick off the enemy as they run out, or you can prime the gernade but hold it until it's about to blow then throw it into the foxhole and kill thgem with the blast before they have a chance to run. In the first case, they might have enough time t9o throw the grenade back at you, or some hero will jump on it and save the others on his side. If you take the second path, your timing has to be perfect or you blow your hand away at the very least."

She hums some watching "IF YOUR PASSING SHOULD BRING YOU HERE PERHAPS YOU WILL JOIN THEM NEXT TIME THEY DESIRE TO SETTLE THERE ARGUMENTS SO..." She turned and started taking your weapons and plucking out the copper feathers with her many 'arms'. "I KNOW WHY YOU ARE HERE."  She starts welding the copper feathers onto Ravens weapons, and embarrassing them into the wood of Awe while she talks. "I WILL GRANT YOU AND MY CHILDREN MY BLESSINGS AS LONG AS YOU SEEK ATONEMENT AND USE MY CHILDREN JUSTLY AND SAVE THEM FROM THOSE THAT WOULD NOT." She returns the weapons as she finishes altering them. "BUT I MUST SAY THIS TASK YOU CHOSE TO CHANGE COLLISIONAL MEMORIES IS FLAWED, WHAT IS DONE IS DONE, THOSE THAT DIED WOULD HAVE DIED REGARDLESS OF YOUR HAND... IT WAS NOT AN ATROCITY YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED, BUT IT NEEDED NOT BE YOURS. YOU MADE A LESSER ATROCITY THAN WHAT WAS TO COME, BUT IT WAS NOT THE MANY WHOM HANDS STAINED WITH BLOOD BUT THE ONE...NONE WILL HOLD YOU FROM YOUR CHOSE, IT IS BRAVE AND JUST, BUT IT IS FOOLISH AND WE MUST LET YOU KNOW.... YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS WILL SUFFER THE WORSE ATROCITY THAT YOU NEGATED IF YOU INTEND TO WIPE THE STAINS OF THE ONE YOU CAUSED."

oh i'll ad it later but

War Totem: Clashing Boom-Boom, The mother of war machines.
Traits: Gives +1 Firearms, +1 Melee, max difficulty on weapon use is 9 (even if it would normally be over 10), the awakening of weapon spirits is at -1 diff, the binding of spirits to weapons in the creation of fetishes is at -1 diff, weapons used never malfunction or jam. (small botches might be ignored form time to time)
Ban:  Clashing Boom-Boom expects that her powers will only be called upon by the righteous to dispense justice. Those who follow her and call upon her to do otherwise risk having the multitude of her forms turn against them.

(in other words her gifts rock but you better only call on them when giving an ass kicking to some one who truly deserves and ass kicking or you might be the one getting your ass kicked lol)

Raven was way used to weird shit by now so as his weapons were taken and his feathers plucked, he calmly lit a cigarette and listened to the Goddess. When his goods were returned to him, he saluted Her just as he had the God of War, for a Warrior depends as much on the gun at his side as the training he received. Taking care of it becomes a ritual, then a normal part of life, then it's as natural as breathing. He had depended on this Being's children to see him through some bad things and they had not failed him. The least he could do was show her the greatest respect of which he was capable.

"Thank you very much for the blessing I'll try to honor it as best as I can. I know they were bound to die, every mortal is. Even me when the Rejuvenate stops working or some punk in a back alley gets lucky, who knows? Maybe I won't survive the next bar fight, or the power core on whatever dump of a ship I'm working on will overload and I'll be dust. The issue to me is not that they would have died anyway, but that they died when they weren't supposed to and that was because of me. Now I found out just today that what I did created a hell and those souls are in it replaying what I did day after day after day. I have a chance to shut it down, to free them. No matter how small, even impossible, how would you view the stain on my soul if I didn't try every means to remove it? If I just sat back and let them continue to suffer, after pining all this time that I want to fix my mistake?

"You don't have to worry about my friends, I don't have any. The monk doesn't even like the fact I smoke, he doesn't even know about the tons of sex and drugs yet. Hell I can't even remeber his name most of the time so I call him boss or FW which he allows. The metal man you put in his place, Solan, he owes me two life debts, and he's already triedx to get me into a fight to the death, twice. In the arena today you saw yourself he didn't have my back one single time. He could fly, I was sinking in quicksand, and he didn't even look in my direction. The tiger guy is super cool, but he was a chance encounter and when we return to Hades I'm sure he'll go his own way. He doesn't owe me anything anyway, I didn't rush to his aid in the fight so no hard feelings there. Ix thinks he's my friend, and the knight wants to quest and do honorable stuff, but what would they say if they knew I killed 1200 people, stripped them of life not out of glory or honor, but fear and desperation? The assassin gives people a Good Death, people who deserve to die. I did not, not to mention I've long outlived my lifespan with my habits but I'm still walking around. I can't count how many ways I've fucked up the Wheel, or whatever he calls it. They'd all avoid me, if not out and out try to kill me for what I did.

"It's moot anyway, I wasn't going to tell any of them about this, let alone ask them to come along. It's my mess, mine alone and it's up to me to fix it. I'm going to get into this realm, enter the bunker, put a bullet from Tried and True here right between Thomas Miller's eyes, and let those people in. Then I'll close the blast doors, the rock will hit, and they will all be alive. The cycle will be broken, and those souls will be free. At worst I die there and become a part of the Hell I created, so I can't think of a more fitting end. Add to that there's a bad guy, wait, two, out to get me, and they'd have to not only go into Hell to do it, but a warehouse of Hells. They'd have to find the right one, then if they died in the attempt to kill me they too would be trapped in there, forever repeating their actions over and over for all time. I would punish a mass murderer, and trap two evil men at the same time. Win win as they used to say."

"YOU FAIL TO UNDERSTAND CHILD, YOU NEED THEM TO WIPE CLEAN THIS PLACE. IT IS NOT A 'HELL' OF SOULS BUT AN ECHO, A RECORDING OF THE SOULS PLAYED BACK. THERE IS NOTHING TO FREE. YOU WILL ONLY CLEAN THE RECORD OF YOUR ACTIONS... THE MEMORY NO LONGER PLAYING BACK AGAIN AND AGAIN WILL EASE SOULS, YOURS MORE THAN ANY OTHER, BUT NONE ARE TRAPPED BY IT. WHAT YOU DID SAVED THOSE PEOPLE FROM A FAR WORSE ATROCITY TO FOLLOW. YOU KNEW THEN AS YOU DO NOW WHAT WOULD TRANSPIRE WITH A SHELTER AT OVER ONE THOUSAND PERCENT CAPACITY. OTHERS MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THIS BUT IX WOULD DO THE SAME, IT WAS THERE TIME... BETTER THEY DIE IN AN INSTANT THAN IN WHAT WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED. IT WAS A DARK THING THAT HAS STAINED OUR SOULS, AND THAT OF MY CHILD, BUT IT KEEP OTHERS PURE."

Raven was so stunned by this that the cigarette fell from his beak as he remained speechless for a few seconds. He blinked,, gathered himself, and spoke finally.

"Um, no I definitely did not know that, then or now. What I knew is I was drafted into the Earth Army, and my orders were to get a group of select civilians into a bunker before the asteroid hit. But the brains got it wrong, it was coming faster than they thought. I saw it, and panicked. I ran into the bunker, and closed the blast doors. Others tried to open it, to save those outside, but I wouldn't let that happen. But no, I didn't think past my orders, I didn't consider the size of the bunker against the number of people we were putting in there. So what you're telling me, is that all I did was give them a quick death as opposed to a slow, lingering one? For sixty years I've tried to atone for what I did, tormented by nightmares every time I closed my eyes, and now you're telling me I was actually some Angel of Mercy? Well that's just god damned fucking fantastic, isn't it? Here I am, stopping on a space station that's exploding around me, to dig some dick out of rubble, and flying 200 souls to safety, while those I killed are relaxing in their respective after lives and toasting me for punching their tickets instead of dying slowly and painfully from starvation, dehydration, or what have you. Perfect, just fucking perfect. I've destroyed my liver, 80% of my brain cells, had myself spliced to become someone else all just to forget what I did, and now I find out what I did was a good thing. Excuse me, I'm going to shoot myself dumb fucking ass in the head now..."

"IT WAS NOT A GOOD THING, AND YOU STILL MURDERED THOSE THAT TRIED TO STOP YOU, BUT IT WAS BETTER THAN WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED. YOUR ALLIE IX AND HIS PEOPLE CALL THINGS LIKE THAT 'THE GOOD DEATH' AS WELL BUT NO DEATH IS GOOD. WHAT YOU DID WAS MURDER, IT MAY HAVE BEEN FOR THE BEST BUT THAT WAS NOT YOUR INTENT, AND THEY DO NOT THINK OF WHAT YOU UNINTENTIONAL SAVED THEM FROM... BUT WHAT YOU DID TO THEM. YOU STILL HAVE MUCH TO REDEEM FOR, AND SETTING THE SLATE CLEAN WILL HELP EASE THOSE SOULS, BUT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU TRY THAT THOSE THAT HELP YOU IN THIS WILL LIVE THROUGH WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU LET THOSE PEOPLE IN... THAT WOULD BE YOUR PUNISHMENT... BUT THEY WOULD SHARE IN IT FOR HELPING YOU.  IT IS NOT FAIR, BUT NOT ALL THINGS ARE. THIS IS ALL I MEANT, IT IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW.... IT IS SOMETHING THEY SHOULD KNOW BEFORE THEY HELP YOU."

"Then I'll change the plan. I'll let Miller seal the doors, but I'll kill him before he can murder the 200 that were already inside. If they try to open the doors, I'll passively subdue them but keep them alive. The one thousand outside will die instantly, no pain, and the bunker will house exactly the number it was designed for so they will live on as was meant to be. yes I'll still kill one thousand people, but as you said it will be a good death, it will keep them from suffering, and I will know what I do I do for noble reasons."

"YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE REALM, PLEASE EXPLAIN IT TO THIS CHILD." She says turning the the battle maiden. She nods and looks to raven. "The atrocity is a realm of death and memory, but corruption has sunk into it's roots and feeds on the pain. There they bare there young and train them in the arts of victimization. People confuse the atrocity for the battlefield... a memory of the deaths of the past, but it has split away and there is one clear difference. There is no true struggle or conflict there, only pretense. The strong prey on the weak. The realm is a place of victimization and helplessness. Infants lie starving and screaming of malnutrition while wolves gnaw at them. Men beat there wives to death. Nomads burn villages. Cannibalism runs amok among explorers. Concentration camps run their 'showers'. Serial killers strike victim after bless victim with no one to stop them. These scenes replay continually while Banes hover gleefully around them. You may attack a spirit and try to stop the killing, the larvae will flee, however the attacker spirits simply reform after being destroyed and the scenes of slaughter begin again. They can not be permanently destroyed. Those that find the realm are separated from each other and drawn into atrocities that most fit them, and soon they become the victims. You where advised to take the wylds blood because it is the essence of change... with it you may not kill the spirits but it may be forced into a different scene or cycle as the one you have starts to change. However normally only administering justice will erase such a place... museums and monuments have eased the rate at which they repeat.... but with the seeds and the blood you can cleans part of the realm of corruption and allow your empathy and atonement to cleanse away the memories as once was enough. But cleansing part of the realm will not change it's nature.... there is no way out of the realm, at it's edge are endless walls of onix as far as the eyes can see with names engraved into them 21 feet high and along every inch of the walls length... names of every being that has died a victim. They are indestructible and impenetrable... but anyone that goes in finds there way out... for the way out is death, and all that enter the realm become it's victims in the end.... it is unavoidable none have entered the realm and leaved any other way."

Raven scratched his head.

"OK, so if I use this blood and tree idea, I can change the memory into another reality. But if I do that all those people starve or die slowly in some other way. There's no way out, but the way out is death. So if I go in there alter the memory, and die with the others in the bunker, I'll be released from the realm?Sorry to be slow here, but all this is brand spanking new to me."

"You will wipe the memory clean... but not right away, you will still be stuck there while the seeds take root. If you do not die there with them you will die some where else."

The goddess turned again. "THE REALM IS A REALM OF DEATH, AS I SAID. THIS CAN NOT BE DONE ALONE HOWEVER ANYONE YOU TAKE WITH YOU WILL EXPERIENCE HORROR AND DEATH."

Raven saluted Clashing Boom Boom one more time.

"Thanks for the gift, and your blessing, Goddess. I'll do my best to become and remain worthy of it. I gt what I'm going to do is foolish, but if only those who want to truely atone go there, then I can't not go and still claim I want atonement as well. It sounds like there's a chance I might be trapped there for a while at any rate. Would you like me to leave your children with someone else where they can do some good in this universe instead of being stuck with me killing shadows? I wouldn't want your gifts to Mankind to go to waste in such a way. Besides, the last time I was there, in what is now a black memory craved into existence, I abused your gifts to cause what I did."

"YOU SHOULD TAKE 'TIRED AND TRUE' NO MATER WHAT YOUR CHOICE IN THAT REGARD. BUT IF YOU WILL AVOID THE BANES, THEN TAKING ONLY WHAT YOU NEED AND YOURSELF IS A GOOD WAY. I KNOW THOSE WITH YOU WILL GO EVEN KNOWING THE CONSEQUENCES, BUT IT IS GOOD YOU AND THEY KNOW AND ARE PREPARED."

Raven patted his old sidearm as he grinned.

"Old Tried and True and I have been through a hell of a lot together. I found him in what has been called the waste or dead lands depending on who you talk to. He was in the hand of a corpse I found in front of a rift that went I don't know where. There was a entire squad, all killed by something nasty by the looks of the remains. The bodies were dressed in black clothing, no insignia or markings but they wore military issue boots and their hair was cut short per regulations. I guessed they were Black Ops, the unspoken problem solvers of a government. Guys listed as truck drivers, clerks, cooks, but who do what no one wants to admit needs to be done. Most of their equipment was destroyed wrecked by whatever the fuck took them down, and hard. But my buddy here, he survived the carnage somehow. The most advanced handgun on the planet, it's existence only whispers behind closed doors, and a disgraced soldier got one along with all the rounds for it I could scrounge up that were any good. He's been with me from that day on, no matter how sticky something got I could relie on him. He wouldn't let me go into a fray without him, regardless of what might happen. So yeah, I'm going to take him. Maybe if I don't make it out some other foolish soul will go into that cursed realm and find my remains, pick up my gun, and the cycle will start all over again."

The old Bird turned to the Battle Maiden.

"So, about those drugs?"

You got a feeling the god was pleased by the tale, perhaps the way you told it more than the recounting itself. She reaches out to tink and lifts him from ravens shoulder looking at him. "AND YOU, HE'S MORE THAN JUST AN EASY MEAL YOU HAVE HELPED HIM AND HE HAS CARED FOR YOU... THOUGH IT IS READING HIM THAT YOU DESIRE. IT'S BECOME MORE THAN THAT THOUGH, KINSHIP IS FORMING AND YOU BECOME MORE THAN YOU ARE TO HELP AND YOU FLUTTER BETWEEN MASTERS THE SPIDER OR THE DRAGON PURE, MUCH LIKE MYSELF BUT LESSER AND PURE OF THE BALANCE RATHER THAN TOUCHED BY CORRUPTION AND FORGED FROM MEN. YOU ARE YONG BUT DO WELL TO WATCH THIS ONE SO I WILL GIVE YOU A GIFT." From herself she withdraws a small cylinder of sorts full of a luminescent liquid, it looked like a cross between a battery and some old fuse... it actually looked quite a bit like the power source of the lighting gun, just with a liquid inside rather than a metal. "OPEN UP NOW." Tink canted his head some seaming unsure at first but then meal . twisted away and slide away from his chest as it opened up and accepted the new addition, as he closed up on him sparks flew and his eyes glowed the same color as the fluid.  Electricity arched along the little metal bird for a moment before in an explosion of rust, the rust was blown off several parts of his body. His spine, beak, skeletal structure, claws, talons, the base of his wings, and many other core support structures of his body shed there rust and were now galvanized bronze... though the rest of his body was still rusted as before. He fussed at it shaking, squawking, and overly not seaming to like the felling to much at first fleeing to raven to sit on his shoulder giving a mild shock when he dose... but he settles down a bit and relaxes once he's use to it.

After that the goddess turned back to watch the games she was running bellow.

Raven couldn't tell quite what happened to tink there, he did get a little bit more powerful but hardly much... what was different was he was an elemental that controlled and created elemental forces and properties, and now she had added another element to his nature.  Tinks original element was some what abstract before, being rust,  now raven felt the power of storms in the bird... she had granted him the essence of a storm crow and now he was of rust and storms.

The maden watched curiously but nods "Yes... this way." and she led him back to the main hall, to where some vets were hanging out... where better to get said drugs from than the people that cooked them up in the first place.

Raven made to follow after the Warrior Maiden, but he stopped just before the archway out of the balcony and turned to the Goddess once more.

"Sorry to bother you one more time I know you'd like to get back to the show. But a thought just occurred to me. You're the Mother of all war machines, and it was a war machine that destroyed the station I was on. Was that one of your children, or does another possess the power to create such things as well?"

The machine god looked back. "IT IS NOT A MACHINE NOR IS IT ONE OF MY CHILDREN, THOUGH IT DOSE SEAM BORN FOR WAR. YOU SEEK TAMBIYAH, SHE HAS KNOWLEDGE OF ALL LIVING SPECIES. SHE SHOULD KNOW, BUT IF IT WAS BORN ONTO THIS REALM MORE STILL CAN BE BIRTHED."

"Tambiyah? Good to know. Where can she be found? Then I'll go get my drugs, and forget about reality for a while."

"<b>VENUS/b>"

The old soldier gave one last nod of thanks and salute, then he followed the Battle Maiden off to the vets for drugs. He was quick with what he wanted, for now his atonement had a destination and though it would mean at the very least his life, he was eager after sixty yeas to each it. Once they had parted with what and as much as they would, the bird asked his guide to either take him back to his group, o if they had left already back to Hades if at all possible..

She will lead him back to the others where they are talking.

Lucy contacts Raven <You seam to have acquired some antiquated technology, you should have informed others of this first you could have been supplied funds for a better model and there is still a unused high grade unit left over from the supplies Senex gave the knight.>

She presented him with the senex power glove, the fancy black number was smaller, sleeker, and (if what she said was true) was more powerful than the old military surplus he had bought.

Raven had just finished up his ritual and stepped out of the circle in front of Clashing Boom Boom's alter when Lucy spoke to him. The old bird let out a low whistle as he looked at what she offered him, unhooking the eye piece from his glove and slipping the bulky thing off to set it down and pick up the pretty new one. It slipped easily onto his hand, and he even found he could connect the eye piece attachment to it as well which he did. The soldier wanted to try out his new toy, but before he got to that a thought occurred to him; he guessed the knight the ship was referring to was the guy who wasn't in his quarters when they went to check on him. He was absent, but if this was still here what other goodies had he left behind?

Miller left his room, and made his way back best as he could remember to the one of the missing man. He entered, trying to recall the layout from before. Armor laid out, sword there as well, symbols all over the place; nothing had been touched as far as the pilot could notice. He began a search of the area, starting with what was in plain sight. One of those things turned out to be a cyber-warfare armored suit, he'd smuggled some tech in his day, but this was quite the sight.

Next to this was a sword, but the fighter had no interest in it since he had one already and had no need of another. Plus, Hot Rod as it had come to call itself was young yet and his owner did not wish to offend or upset him by carrying what might be seen as competition. More poking around revealed an old Earth revolver and a standard issue rifle. These he did not bother; he had Tried and True his faithful rail gun and Battle Dawn the rifle he had saved from abandonment and death. He knew the patch job he did on her would hold for only so long, and that this rifle could provide him parts to repair her better, but he did not touch let alone strip it. If he did that, it could not function and do what it was created for. That would be no more fair than what Battle Dawn's fate was to be before the old dirt stomper stepped in. No, he would get the parts some other way.

Miller knew full well there had been a time, not long past, that he would have bundled up all this hardware and absconded with it to the nearest pawn shop that didn't ask questions where it would have been traded in for party money. But, he followed Clashing Boom Boom now and could no longer banish Her children to some cold and dank place to rust and grow grimy with dust just so he could sate his desires. They seemed to be in good condition, well maintained by the man who had once lived here. Raven decided to leave them, in the event the knight returned and could once more take them up.

When the splicer found a poor, lonesome credit chip however, that broke his heart so badly he decided he would adopt the dear little thing. He used his hand with the power glove to pick it up, which caused the mentioned device to flash and indicate the chip was encrypted along with an offer to decode it which the savior of rejected money accepted. He also collected the suit, and headed for the door. Before he left, something occurred to him and he addressed the ship:

"Lucy, you said the knight left a power glove and gave it to me because you thought it might be useful. This suit he seems to have abandoned could help me out as well, but it needs to be modified. Are you aware of anyone on the ship that can do that for me?"

There was also the fact that the sword was "cursed" and in terrible condition apon close inspection it was worn, chipped, covered in scratches, and sighs that it had rusted then had the rust scraped away..... How in gods name it had been the only weapon to cut through gluttonys armor in the video he had watched was beyond him.  There was a sense of magic about it and it was once powerful magics but even that magic was faded a grate deal. On the other hand if the blade could be restored..... The potential there was grand.

<The new arrival we picked up may be able to alter it's shape with out damaging it but it is advanced armor produced by Senex, Ix may be able to help you get it fitted>

"Could you contact them for me, and ask them to meet me here? I'll wait."

Raven found a place to perch his hindquarters, and looked at the readout on his glove to see how it was coming with the chip.

<I do not think the unit you have is capable of hacking a banking chip. I calculate if you continue this action you will lock the chip up. The armor or myself should be able to access the funds though if you think such would be his wishes. I can only amuse he has joined the fight at SR-Entropy. The governmental representatives have made it quite clear the situation there is dire. I can contact Ix for you but sam seams to still be bussy setting up the hydroponics bay. Thought it would be easier to just buy a program to do it.>
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:17, Sat 21 Feb 2015.

"You can go on the info-sphere thing, could you locate one for me? As for the chip, I can't use this suit for squat until I can interact with it so I guess that leaves you. I was going to give you whatever credits were on it to put toward buying one of those engines mentioned eariler, so you could go to whatever planet you liked. Go for it."

Raven placed the chip on the floor so the ship could interact with it.

<The ship we rescued Sam from has one, it is small but I beleave it can be adapted, that or you could just use it as a landing craft while I stay in orbit. I will look over for the procedure but I do not think I will be able to find anyone giving it away.> The chip dissapears. <hum, secure banking chip for large funds. I can not even tell how much is on it while it is locked, It could be anywhere from 100Kc to 10Mc... I will let you know when I am able to access it.>

Raven grinned.

"Who said anything about a free program? Luci, in my experience, when someone says they want you to pay for something, it's more polite suggestion than a rule. If one can get it without payment, then they've earned it by my count. I've made my living based on this philosophy for a bit now. Take this suit of armor for example; the guy who owned it left it in a room he didn't even bother to lock. If he needed it, he either would have taken it with him to where ever the fuck, or he would have taken pains to make sure it wouldn't just walk away with a new owner. Where do I keep my armor? On me, and if it's not it's right next to me. Ix does the same with those guns of his, no one is going to grab them if he can help it. If you find a program like what I need online, and it's not or lightly protected, nicking it to help me, and by me your crew as I'm now a part of it, and by your crew you, don't you think it makes sense to inconvenience one to help the many?"

<Ok, I will look into that it shouldn't take too long. The chip however I will have to try and access as the bank, the biometric security it to difficult to crack. I can however remove any ownership from the chip if I can access it with the banking override. This may take a few hours though, Senex has there own 'bank' of sorts to secure in company funding, I have not worked with this before and am starting from scratch. Senex's priories are security, containment, and observation. This means there banking chip is particularly hard to crack. I estimate it will take three to five hours.> Senex sold the most advance sensors, hasmat tech, hazardous marital containment units, and various other things that they developed while exploring and quarantining parts of SR Entropy. It was.... interesting... finding all the little nifty things though that they were keeping to themselves. Advance armored space suits, and serious security programs, and what are all the suits targeting systems tailored for?

Raven pulled out a smoke, lit it, and found a convenient place to place his posterior.

"I'm in no rush, take your time. When you figure out what makes that card tick, you might want to copy the program and use it to secure your own self if the company who made this specializes in such fields."

<You need not worry it is hard to impact the will of others in and of itself, the protection I have in addition is sufficient. The basis around this security though is tied to it's hard to replicate key, and the fact it will permanently lock out to all but a single uqinque key if any attempts to bypass it are detected.>

"I don't worry, I solve problems until the given day they solve me... I was just trying to help out a friend, I would say so shoot me but you already did that and I for one do not want a repeat performance. So, you want to give me the specs on this armor in the event I can ever get it to work for me?"

<I apologize, it was my understanding de-rezing some one was the appropriate response to info sphere insults from a user with a class 1 or 2 immersion rating. You should use the glove to interface with the suit, turn it's VI on and speak with it.>

"The avatar you zapped was not only older than you, it had just finished updating when you decided to blast it. I was not happy about it being deleted, and not only that it gave me a headache when I was snapped suddenly out of VR which also failed to please me. I will give you a piece of advice though; if you want someone to take you seriously, don't tell them your name is 'Nonsense'. People tend not to take what they define as nonsense to heart, and you set yourself at a great disadvantage telling them it's your name. Take me for example; my name is Raven, and I am one. People find out you're Nonsense, that's what they'll except from you. Next time you meet someone, say you're called Luci and you're a ship interface. It's true after all, your nickname is Luci and we do interface with the ship by talking to you since you are said ship.

By the way, can I get a rough ETD on that program you're trying to get off the Infoshpere?"

Raven did as instructed, and hooked his new power glove to the suit.

"Bird to suit, bird to suit, come in suit."

<I have the designation OSS Lucid Nonsense I believe it to be a reference to a first contact ship from a set of books by a late 20th century science fiction writer Iain Menzies Banks.  Some other first contact ship names from that set of books include:

Space Monster
Never Talk to Strangers
Funny, It Worked Last Time
BOO!
Just Another Victim Of The Ambient Morality
Stranger Here Myself
Synchronize Your Dogmas
Well I Was In The Neighborhood
You Will Thank Me Later

And war ships such as:

Attitude Adjuster
Killing Time
Frank Exchange Of Views
All Through With This Niceness And Negotiation Stuff
Resistance Is Character-Forming
_{I Said, I've Got A Big Stick}
Ucalegon (in a language from the book means "a neighbor who's house is on fire")
So Much For Subtlety

And rapid exstration ships:

Kiss My Ass
Don't Try This at Home

The person who created named most his ships with this odd style of naming things from the books.

As for the program a few more minutes.>

There was a moment of the suit powering up, then it quietness for a few seconds before a response.

<Detecting external user.
User unknown.
Setting up new user profile.
State user preferences.
VI voice: Male / Female
User experience with interface: ______
Desired level of VI assistance: ______>

Raven gave a distracted nod to Luci as he dealt with the suit.



'Female'
'None'
'Full'

<New user designation?> responded a rather plain and some what dul female voice.

R-A-V-E-N

The splicer was by no means techno-gifted, so he hoped the questions remained simple.

<User: R.A.V.E.N.
Registered with guest acsess
What is it you need R.A.V.E.N. ?>

<There we go, sending the procedure now. Besides your avatar was not deleted just decompiled some what, damaged. It just needed recompiled to work. I fixed it though your omni tool could probably have done it for you. Yours was even designed with war games in mind and was less damaged by a suden derez than most made now would be. People want fancy show avatars now not practical ones, those ones they pay out the ass fore have lots of graphical substrings all over...some of them quite subseptical to braking down and bugging out. But then again the types that like the surreal crap that a lot of people find hard to even look at it's so unnatural tend to buy two or three a week so stability isn't much an ishue to them.>  Raven did remember seeing a pair of.....um...women? That appeared to be made from math in n-dementional constructal representations of the mathamadical formulas..... Or least that's what the goggles said he was looking at, all he knew was it made him sea/car sick just looking at them.

"It's not R.A.V.E.N, you second hand knock off. It's Raven, all one word, I just did it that way so you'd understand me."

The next part was muttered under the old man's breath;

"Sheesh, a fortune in technology, and it's as smart as a rock."

He raised his voice again.

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm not a guest. I'm your new owner. For proof, I was given a Senex power glove to use to interact with you, same company that made you. In fact I've just had a program downloaded to allow you to resize to me, so step to it soldier."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:37, Sat 07 Mar 2015.

<New procedures have been accepted, suit and VI adapting to user. Please stand buy.>

The suit shifted shape slowly as it was altered to fit Ravens particularly odd body.

<I've took the liberty of extracting the security clearance from the power glove, your now the primary user.> There is a painful unnecessarily drawn out pinch in his finger. <AND giving a biometrics lock to your access, dumb-ass. Maybe you should try not talking to your computer like it is a cave man if you don't want it to think you aren't one. Now do you want me to have a name or are you going to call me by random pronouns all day?>

You could hear luci give a little bit of a luagh. <I'll leave you alone to your work.>

Raven smirked in response.

"Who the hell ever said I wasn't a cave man, er, bird? Why do you think I hang out at clubs? If I find some sweet thing that wants me to go up to her bedroom, I'm more than happy to Yabba Dabba Do her.

"There's a very old song, about a girl and her horse. They died one winter, and the girl's boyfriend knows she's going to come get him because of all these omens he's seen, he says they'll leave riding together on her horse named Wildfire which is also the title of the song. Since you're a battle suit, and you bring death, how do you like the name Wildfire?"

<This is a Virtual Intelligence, a program, not a person. I may use I or respond to pronouns and names but I am just a program I have no intentions just statistical observations. You would need a significant upgrade to this suit to be able to house an Artificial Intelligence like your ship. As for my capabilities I am capable of providing basic life support in many hostile environments. These include space, deep space, and Shade Realms for an extended time period ranging from 24 hours to one week. I am even capable of providing some minor protection in Shard Realms, though an estimate time can not be given due to the nature of these realms. I have military grade software for forcing entry into computer systems and preventing forced entry into my systems. Stealthy access to systems is a possibility as well. I have advance targeting systems and fire assist procedures installed. I have advance Senex sensory software picked up in your powerglove. There is also the application of the new software allowing automated repair and form alteration. There are redundancy... that is to say, there are programs that both I possess and your power glove possess and this is a waist of space. I would suggest keeping the scanning and hacking software the glove freeing up more room for me to hold more powerful procedures.>

"Standby."

Raven first took off the glove and let the armor rest in the floor, before he unbuckled and unstrapped the armor that had served him faithfully for more years then some if not all of his current team had seen, and laid it down carefully in the same spot he'd found the new one. Next, the bird went through the process of putting on his new attire which, to be blunt about it, felt freaking weird compared to his old stuff; but on the plus side this didn't smell as though it had clung to someone who over the course of six decades had not always had ready access to soap and water. Once the glove and all other parts of the suit were frmly and correctly on him, the smuggler looked out of the room from the visor in his helmet now comfortably augmented for his beak. His head turned toward the bed.

"Wildfire, you have my permission to make whatever changes to the programming you think is best. I also want to alter the suit color to a shiny black, put a B-2 Stealth Bomber sillotte on the back, and on the chest two crossed swords and overlay a raven with wide spread wings. Make these things out of silver, and give me a test scan and readout of the items on the bed to make sure you still work right after the resizing thing."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:05, Sat 07 Mar 2015.

The armor adjusts as it is told, a few suggestions for further armor alterations come up... 'feathering' in the armor, the way to pull the wings into the armor to keep them held tight and safe when not in use and clamp to the base of the wings to give them some minor protection when flying. And a variety of other minor tweaks here and there for looks... more than one idea for each given. <I am unsure what you mean by giving a scan and read out of the times, however here are some options statistics insure you may like.> And most where at least fine, but like most "if you liked this, you might like ...." kinda of things there are one or two that are way off base... but seams statistical annalists has gotten a lot better as for such a short time to sample stats from him there not too many misses.

Raven grumbled under his breath for a few seconds.

"Wildfire, dear, I didn't say I wanted you to scan the times, I said I wanted you to scan the items; give me a visor displayed readout on them if possible. And go with the feathering, the wing mods; both of them. While your at it, can you adjust the gloves to allow my talons to come out without rupturing the suit itself? I'm also interested in any other ideas you might have."

Now that he had a voice interface, could use all four hands to gather up his weapons and hang them off his new toy.

<There is no real way to properly display all the information that can possibly be gathered from an object with the scanning procedures provided. They are highly accurate and detailed. You must provide what information to desire to know from a scan. Even say just scanning the physical properties of an objection you can have: height, width, depth, and other dementions, mass, structure, atomic/molecular make up, heat, volume, buoyancy, atomic/molecular stability, kinetic potential, kinetic momentum, kinetic direction, and I could keep going but I think you get the idea here by now. There is also the metaphysical properties, denominational properties, energy properties, the affects time and correspondence have, flows of quintessence, paradoxical predictions, and I could go on while each has it's on long list of properties.

It is the suggestion of the manufactures that you create a few default scanning settings you can the ask for a set type of scan you have already set up later, and I will tell you if there is any abnormalities you might be interested in or suggest another type of scan you should have.>

Raven sighed.

"OK, let's try that command again, then. Give me a scan of the two items on the bed, the armor and the sword. I want to know what they are each made up of, how old they are, any weird properties about them, and the top price they could be sold for on the Infosphere. I would also like to know what version shape shifting program you have installed from Luci. That's the ship that was talking earlier, BTW."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Sun 08 Mar 2015.

The armor gave about what he expected, he already knew his armor well. It didn't have much value as they where available from millitary surplus stores, there was however increased value in the fact it could be confirmed it was used in the third Hyperion  war, the ware and tare seams to increse the value oddly. Seams with magic being so rampant having actual real were and tare from actual events, there resonance soaked into the items, has value. All in all it's about twice what he expected he could get for it considering its condition.

The sword was a little more interesting. <This is a Sword of Mars, there properties are rather well known however there composition is a well keep secret protected by  magical wards and strange patterns worked into the blade. This also makes it hard to determine the age of the blade. However I can place it to be from some where on earth as it's frequency still is in shift with earth and has not re-alined to space completely yet. The blade's ware indicates it has not seen the care of some one knowledgeable in its re-fording in over a hundreds of years. It seams likely this sword was given as a gift from the Order of Hermies to the Euthanatos and they have keep it in shape only through manipulations of decay. This makes telling it's exact age near imposable. This sword is likely as old as the crusades however. It's power has worn away however it is still capable of cutting through things most other blades can not, though only slightly. Re-fordged it could fetch a high price, however with the geass in place on it and the ware that has weakened its power it would only find interest in collectors. If the geass could be removed, and the sword refordged, there would be almost no price people would pay for one of these. But I don't see that ever happening. These swords are treasures of the greatest value to the Order of Hermes still, finding one of them or a collector is the best bet in getting a good price on it.

The version of the program isn't goingto tell you anything you want to know, sufficed to say I can alter this armor's shape in near limitless ways as long as I maintain the same mass and material make up and am able to self repair from damage as long the system core on your back is not damaged to much. I have shielded it well however.>

"So far, so good." The bird looked for pouches to put the spirit fetish card, ring, small figure he had gained in his travels thus far, and his old Earth Army lighter. Once they were stored away, he looked back at his old armor. He had meant to leave it for the missing guy so he wouldn't be left naked in combat, but the old soldier just couldn't bring himself to part with it. Besides, the former owner of his current suit had able to afford this one and not only abandon it but a possibly high value bank chip and a sword that could fetch a good price on the collector's market.


'If this dude has so much money he can throw it away this easily, he doesn't need my hand me down armor.'

The fighter snatched back up his old stuff, and turned to leave while not messing with the sword. After all, a former member of the team had thought to hoard weapons, which caused Raven's new Boss to be just a bit miffed at the cyborg since that meant they were not being used. Handing this sword off to a collector would possibly have the same result of ill favor, only with the splicer in the cross hairs this time. That was not counting getting the God Mars cheesed at him as well for selling a sword of His not given to this feathered warrior, and an entire Order of Mages to boot. Nope, the ex-Space Marine was a Thrill Seeker, not a Stupidity Seeker. He'd leave that hunk of metal here, unmolested by any of his four hands. If the occupant of this room returned for it, wonderful; if not and someone else wanted the thing, then it could be their headache. For his part, the scavenger returned to his own quarters and stored his original armor with his pack. While present with his supplies, the smuggler took out two fresh packs of smokes and slipped one into a pouch. Then, he took a spare clip for his rail guns from his stock pile of spares, and placed it in the circle before the alter he had created. He filled the metal bowls once more with tobacco, crushing up cigarettes from the second pack for this purpose. He set these ablaze, then tended the flames until thick smoke rolled out of the contains toward the ceiling. He walked back behind the circle with his boots just missing touching the edge, and after setting the suit to project his voice outside of his helmet raised his hands up and out to his sides.

'Radical mind day and night all the time
Seven, fourteen, wise, divine
Maniac, brainiac, winning the game
I'm summoning up Jesse James

I'm saying a plea on my tongue from the tip
Don't leave me with no empty clip
With nothing to show
When into battle I must go

Don't let my enemies win
Make them pay double for the wages of sin
Into danger and blackness I ride
Let there be Spirit power at my side'

Raven then waited, for whatever was going to happen. He had no formal training in this stuff, had ignored it for decades once he had awakened to his power. But he had to start somewhere, and his first attempt at a blessing had gone well so he hoped for the best out of this idea he was free wheeling. In fact, he hoped that at least something, anything would occur or Luci might get joy out of heckling him for an untold amount of time to come.

((OOC: Based on and includes parts of Snap - The Power Lyrics))
This message was last edited by the player at 04:02, Sun 08 Mar 2015.

((If it is ok with you, I would rather you do this after flying the ship to the moon. You can keep posting here and set this as what you do after you land the ship and while Huoshui is away. After all this stuff takes time.))

It took some time but after a half hour or so he could feel a spirit crawl out of the hunk of trash that was the havoc gun and while he couldn't see the thing he could feel it moving about looking over the magazines. Then images flood to him. Guns like his own being wielded by a gun shaman like he sought to be, though this guy was much more shaman than gunner. He wore a lot of tribal shit and had several items and markings dedicated to spirits of all sorts. His guns had extended magazines instead of standard ones and there was ritualistic carvings in them. The fight he saw was a bit of  stale mate with a LOT of fire being exchanged, while those he was fighting had to change clips he never did and keep firing and advancing as they did. When the fighting was over he ejected the empty clips though and two rat spirits crawled out and fled fading into the umbra. The power from them was gone, though he retrieved them. The visions shifted to showing the gun shaman with several of such spent clips together in a mountain range, he was preforming a ritual and had each clip filled to the brim with salt he had infused with quintessence. Time passed and several 'young' granite spirits burrowed there way up from the depths of the mountain. He spoke to them some and they apparently where pleased, devouring the salt and entering the clips. Into each he placed a single bullet and loaded up to head out.

So... this was the way it was done. But it was only a temporary solution... that one bullet was only fired over and over again for a few minutes and then was gone.

But the spirit was not done and showed more images. These where of a cyber shaman, no... a werewolf cyber shaman, as he watched he shifted into crinos and whent to work. His 'ritual' was more lab work than anything and was a little beyond his understanding.... but it was much more complicated than his own or the gun shamans. It seamed to call in a powerful machine spider, one looked like a large wolfspider made of metal the size of a large cat.  He trapped it in a feraday cadge and it put up quite a fight trying to cut its way out before he electrified the cage. The spirit screamed out some as it tried to brake free and was shocked with spiritual energy and electricity and it pulled back into the cage hissing and making foul sounds. The extended magazine that the 'shaman' brought out was carved and decorated with grate care and style and he set it out, again the ritual he used to bind the spirit to it was more complicated than the other. While the one seamed to just bind the object and spirit together this was more like splicing two ropes together to make one thicker stronger rope.... It was much more complicated work and the spirit fought him all the way but when he was finished he tested the magazine and it did just what the bird wanted... formed a bullet from nothing.

He could feel the emotions related to the images, and it was QUITE clear the spirit wasn't condoning the imprisonment of ANY spirit agenst it's will even bad ones, unless they were iradeamily corrupted... in which case they shouldnt be used just locked away some where deep and hidden.

It was though showing him to get what he wanted he would need to take time and care into this. First there was the magazine.... it aprently needed to be an exstended one, he could send for one of those while he worked on other stuff, and it needed to be decorated and in fine condition. From the way the spirit felt it seamed while it dispised the actions of the second 'shaman' it liked the magazine it had more.... and apprently that was important.  Guess it made sense, if some one was asking him to move into a new place it would be a lot easier to convince him if it was a decadent mansion filled with lovely serving girls. =p

So the spirits like well crafted homes, thats understandable.... and secondly it seamed he had to go out of his way to call on a more powerful ones capable of sustaining such power. He might also need a substantial offering, though if the summoning works well it seams very possible he could just sweet talk the spirits into staying in his clips.

The final 'word' of the spirit seamed to be that any spirit might rather take the form of the gun than the clip.


Tried and true let raven know it is willing to become part of another stronger war spirit, especially one of his choosing. It is happy enough you have given it the chance to be asked, and more so that it knows you would not ask.  Old school is a bit more reluctant but thinks if this is his wish the spirit better do more than just keep him from having to spend money on ammo or it's going to be pissed.

The scene outside the Lucid Nonsense was one Raven never could have seen before since the station had recently fallen, yet that did not alter the fact that indeed his eyes, both metal and flesh, had before witnessed what they now beheld; people, beyond a number he knew to count and then more still, begging, pleading, offering all they had for passage off the moon for fear death, destruction, and disaster would strike again. Past them, there would be citizens moving in as hurried a pace as they could in a city crowded by panic. These hurried wanders had nothing to offer, no skill or ability to aliviate the pain or suffering felt by ome many, yet these figures could not stand by and do nothing so instead they performed this pointless nothing of rushing to nowhere to offer less than little. Also in this large domed place, the old soldier knew there would be those who were held up in their homes, grand and draped in splendor or cramped and shared with rats and cockroaches, who either wished to protect their families or thought if they hid their heads behind those walls it would be as a hole in the sand, and they might be able to forget what happened just past their front doors, make believe the world they knew was still bright and gay. Futher still, on the outskirts of this expanse of buildings, businesses and homes, that's where the refugee aid camps would be in hopes to kept this city from getting flooded with those lean on possessions but full on panic and desperation. From the look of the docks, that strategy wasn't working as well as was hoped.

Miller pushed into the throngs, and was transported back, swept away in a surge of time from the shore of the present to one in the past. It was the same, different faces, clothes, hunk of rock in space, yet the same. He had made a like pilgramage as these people, bartered for passage as those with things to offer tried now. This time, however, he was taking his odyssey in reverse. He kept walking through the mass until he came to a street, then he looked for someone who wished to leave the moon and had a transport they had no more use for. For this, the splicer would offer the revolver. It was a serviceable weapon to start, and after the six shots had been used instead f the cost of replacing ammunition the new owner could sell or trade it for no doubt a decent amount of credits. This way, the bird man was not intentionally preventing one of Clashing Boom Boom's children from being used as it had been intended; in fact, he was saving it from imprisonment in the room of the one who had abandoned this fine child. The transport in question did not have to be fancy or all that new, it didn't even have to run as Raven held some skill in that area. Although working condition would definitely be a plus.

It wasn't to hard, once there was a point transportation could take them no further. The personal vehicles being abandoned for public transports and the like. It wasn't to hard to to find some one that would give up there ride for something they could protect themselves or there family with. This though meant first and best picks likely left him with something along the lines of a family van.

Raven took his time checking the vehicle over, making sure everything was sound and worked as it should plus it was juiced and ready. There was little doubt that this thing would not win him a drag race or score big with the ladies, but then again that type of stuff did not loom as important to him now as it might have well done in the past. Once he was sure he was getting a good trade, he handed over the gun and started up his ride. He eased out of the congested area and headed for the outskirts of town, noting to himself that while the roads leading in were overflowing to the point of a stand still, no one in their right mind was heading toward the site of so much destruction and death so the way lay wide open for him.

New Boston was close by but it was still a bit of a drive, it gave Raven a good long view of the approaching disaster as the little hover car speed along. Thankfully with next to no friction and next to no traffic he could go quite fast. The outskirts of town were about what he expected when he got there, almost all the people who did come back or stayed were ether looting or loading what was left behind. The others didn't want to have much to do with anyone with what ever it was they where doing.

Raven slowed as he approached what loomed before him; he saw the looters, but for a change he was not here to join their numbers. In fact he did the opposite of take; as he traaveled the streets, whenever he saw a person who had not yet made it away from this destruction for one reason or another, he reached into his pack and handed them enough MREs to feed them and their families at least once a day for a few days. Perhaps it would be enough for them to find more help, maybe not, but it was what he could do for them. Sixty years ago, in a wasteland not unlike this, he had taken a military pack and stuffed it with MREs after paying a cost of over one thousand souls; now, he was buying back his humanity one meal at a time.

He could have left the food at an aid station for the refugees who made it, but they had access to beds and blankets and food, at least a better shot at it than any whom were still  here by whatever ill fortune struck them so they could not free themselves from this blight upon the Lunar surface. Not that he expected to find many such stranded, but in a city as big as this one he suspected there would be some. He kept his eye open to scan windows and doorways, ready to slow down if he though he spied a huddled mass hiding in shadows so he could toss a few MREs out to them. They would not trust him, or anyone but themselves, but they would creep out cautiously to see what he had dropped, and by that means they would have food, and with something in their bellies, perhaps even a tiny glimmer of hope in their hearts.

The Splicer was here for another reason too; he spoke to his suit as he drove and dispatched his offerings as needed;

"I need you to make a list of all large complexes in and around the city, the bigger the better. I need you to narrow that down by those further away from the crater as they would have suffered less damage, and again by older building that would have been built to last. Finally, any of those still on your list that have been marked abandoned or are up for immediate sale. Give me what you come up with."

The suit brought up a list there was a building in his price range that was an insane assilem built early in the cities history, as more people arrived and tech advanced the need for it passed and it was turned into a hospital. It was abandoned though even before the incident and was already for sell, the incident just threw the price into his range.... though he would need help with funds to bring the place up to any standard of code, and odds are most of the equipment was already sold, if he was lucky though there was some forgoten stuff laying around.

Raven pulled up in front of the building and took a look at it, thinking how best he could put it to the purpose he had in mind. He was also ready for trouble, in the event it came sniffing around. He came in here with his guns, transport, suit and tail feathers; he planned on leaving with all intact.

There was some squatters that had got the environmental systems working again and hooked up to the grid but the air had obviously vented a lot as they were sealed away in interior rooms. Even they were leaking some though. The squatters didn't want to put up a fight but they didn't want to let the imposing bird man into the service levels where he needed to be ether. That or the communication systems weren't working on there end, ether way they weren't answering.

Raven's suit had been giving readouts since he came into the building; it said there were trance amounts of oxygen available and possible life signs below him. The splicer followed a floor plan projected onto the inside of his visor to a stairwell with access to the lower levels, but when he found an emergency blast door blocking his way and no one responded to his use of the wall mounted comms unit, he mentally switched the standing of guests in his new place from 'possible' to 'certain'. The old fighter returned to the front lobby of the building, and started searching around the front desk. The info he'd gotten about this place from the suit was that it used to be a nuthouse and than it was made into a hospital, the first would have had lock-down controls in the event of a riot and the second quarantine measures in the event of a breakout. It made sense to him that the same system would have been used in both cases, and that originally the activation button or level would have been close to the front desk so the receptionist could see the crazies coming and lock the front doors tight before they could escape. If he could find that thing, he could maybe activate all of the blast doors instead of jut the one he had found. That would form something of an airlock in front of the stairwell, then he could try and manually release the one that was blocking his way without sucking all the oxygen out and accidentally killing the squatters.

The suit warned that there was several doors that would cut the hallways into segments once they looked. Odds are they are sealed by magnets and it would be hard to deal with them one at a time, it would be easier to seal them one at a time, as needed rather than seal them all and then open every one between here and where he was going. The suit though checked the system to see what kind of control they could get over it....

The result was disappointing power relays could be serviceable but many of the security systems were shot to hell and back... thank god if all worked out he would have a building that would help people fix it, and try and fix itself.. Simple fact was he could control some segments at a time but they where quite random and disconnected from each-other... hard to tell where and how big they where.

The floors were all sealed off separately and this is likely why the life signs came from the maintenance level, they where able to seal the place up by levels... then they went around sealing doors individually on that level.

It did mean all raven had to do was get to the stairwell and get inside then seal it back up behind him... but meant besides that sealing off areas ment one of three things:

1 - Sending a shock through the system resetting all the doors and making them seal up...

2 - Seal them one at a time as needed...

3 - Access the network by functioning area, one at a time...

None was a fun way of doing things... Getting this place set up for people that needed life support looked to be an all or nothing deal right now.

Raven opted for none of those solutions at the immediate moment, choosing instead an idea of his own. He made his way back to the sealed door that had and still hindered him, but ignored it in favor of the communication panel in the wall. Recent attempts to use it failed, but that could be owed to the simple matter that if the possible life signs the scans showed were a certainty in the lower maintenance levels, they had not spared any power for what could be seen as a useless device. The splicer figured if he could provide it power, the communications system might allow him to get in touch with whoever was still in here. That simple task would have been a problem for him since any generators would be located in the area he couldn't get to, but his new suit had it's own mini version.

"Wild Fire, is there anyway to redirect a little of your power into the comms array and get it operational so I might be able to reach someone below us?"

<Simple just follow my instructions.> The repairs were easy enough to get the universal adapters hooked up. It didn't take long, the only hard part was figuring out what to say to them.

"Hello? This message is for anyone down in the maintenance areas of the building. My name is Thomas Miller, but I go by my call sign of 'Raven' most times. I am in the process of legally buying this property, so I either am the current owner or soon will be depending on the progress of the paperwork in case you're wondering what the hell it is I'm doing here. I know you've got the power and oxygen back on, but those systems might need to have some more work done on them to keep them reliable plus you can't eat power or air. I'm a mechanic who knows something about older machines, and I have a pack mostly full of MREs you can have. You've got two doors down between me and you, forming an airlock so you can keep breathing. I could get the doors open, but they might get damaged and you would lose your breathable atmosphere; you however know how you put them down so you could get them back up one at a time and let me in then lower them again to keep your air safe. I know I look scary as hell if you've hacked into the security feed, but that's just to keep the looters and raiders away. I've got food, skills, and the ability to make it legal for you all to be here, interested?

Tragedy is nearly avoided when the suit manages to keep the power from shorting out at the wrong time, and raven is able to make some quick repairs. Thankfully the message comes through and after a few minutes of quiteness there is a responce. <Lay down your weapons, and shut down your VI, and we will let you in to talk about this..>

"So, you want me to walk unarmed and blind into a place with a bunch of strangers so desperate for survival that they held up in an old place like this? That could end up you with a new suit, weapons, and food, and me with an unmarked grave.

"I'm not sure if you've realized this yet or not, but I'm actually the one holding all the cards in this deal. The systems you're dealing with down there, at least the oxygen maker is older than the dome that used to be over this city. I applause that you got it running again, but my readout tells me you're leaking air out of the lower levels to the point I could stay up here without my helmet if I needed to. That means bad seals, and in order for you to keep breathing you would have had to max out that old dinosaur. I could just wait for it to give out, then you'd either have to come out in search of oxygen elsewhere if you have any stored with you, or you'd just stay down there until you choked to death on your own bad air. If I didn't want to wait that long, I could instead just find the exhaust for the oxygen maker and plug it up, cause the Co2 to rise to toxic levels. I also have the means to get through both of those doors in a matter of minutes, and all your atmosphere would be gone regardless.

"But, I'm not of a mind to do any of that. Surely one of you managed to grab a weapon either on the way here or fashioned one of some sort to protect yourselves in the event of looters or raiders, right? Well, send that person up along with someone to open the doors for me, and have them stand behind me to keep me covered. I'll keep my hands away from my weapons, and even if I decide to reach for one your man or woman could get a shot or two in on me then the rest rush me in a mob. Since you know my suit's advanced enough for a VI, I'll take that as confirmation you do indeed have access to the old security network. In that case, take a look around. I'm by myself, there's no one hidden in the lobby or outside waiting to rush in. The transport I have is a common vehicle, not some large means of hiding a small army. Also, ask yourselves one question: if I'm not here because I'm the legal owner or soon will be which if you have the means to do so you could check on, why would I be here? Looters want things of value they can sell or less commonly use, this place was for sale a while before the city went bye-bye. What could be here that I would possibly want if I were a looter? You know I have a VI, and a look outside from a camera will prove the transport is real too. Wouldn't it make a lot more sense for me to be following a city map and hitting places like jewelry stores and such with vaults that might have survived?

"Look, I know you think it's impossible for good luck to come your way after all you've been through, but I have a sack of food all for your group. Doesn't that buy me just a slight amount of trust? At least enough to take a look at the systems? If I'm telling the truth and I can fix them, you'll have a stable source of oxygen. If I'm lying and break it, I'd suffocate right along with you so I'd have no reason to fib now would I? Once you have a full belly and don't have to worry about your next breath, then you can decide if you want to snuff me or not, OK?"

There is another moment of quietness apparently as they talk things over. <Dump the contents of the pack. Let us see the MRI's and we will let you in. It will take us some time to suit up though.>

"Um, they're MREs, stands for Meal Ready to Eat. An MRI is some weird thing they do to you at a hospital, I think. Here you go, per your request."

Raven held up the pack in plain view of one of the cameras, turned it upside down, and emptied all of the remaining MREs onto the floor as he was instructed to do.

It took them a bit to get up there but a man opened the door with another man and woman guarding her. Only one of there suits was fully intact the other two where patched up with a sort of super duck tape some mages cook up with matter and/or entropy to make it dangerously adhesive once left to set. They all had weapons but one relied on combustion and would do much good once the atmosphere vented around them. The other two had rail pistols but the person that had opened the door the suit was telling him he had removed it's power supply (likely to help jump start the generator) and the girls gun was drained to the point the generator bairly worked anymore.... A rail gun didn't take to much power to fire but with that low a charge the damaged generator was putting out she would be lucky if it stuck in his armor or left a scratch.  The clearly only had the guns as a illusion of an ability to defend themselfs.

On the other hand if he went down stairs with them, while that old hand cannon some one put together in there basement might not even work, if it did it would become a threat at point blank in an atmosphere.

It didn't look like that was the case though, these people wernt fighters or raiders or anything like it... He could see from how they looked at him and the food they just wanted to get out of here alive

Raven held something up making sure it was in plain sight; the started for the transport outside.

"The vehicle out there is yours if you want it, along with all of the food. Take your friends and families, and get out of this wasteland. It's fit only for scavengers and to be haunted by old ghosts like me. There's enough power left to get you to New Boston. There's aid camps on the outskirts, more food and shelter there. Your guns are in bad shape, I could try to fix them for you, but if you keep your foot down on the peddle you should be able to get away from here without too much trouble. Don't worry about me, I'm part of a crew and they'll look for me long before I starve to death or anything. If you need to, sell the transport for whatever you can get if it'll help you out. No, there's no catch, I'm not interested in your worn and busted gear or anything else you might have. I was faced with this decision once, others or myself. I picked me, and I felt like a shit ever since. Now, I have a chance to redo that choice, and this time I'm giving the innocent every chance I once took for myself. So, food, transport, and I'll even fix your weapons if you need them to leave. I ask and want nothing in return, just a chance to get it right this time."

The gave him a few odd looks, then the woman spoke up. "We need help repairing suits and rigging a scrubber for suits that didn't have any. Even then we would have to fix the life support here to get enough air for the suits. It's not fully working, I've been growing mold to help scrub the air... and supply food and water. Luckily there was some harmless mold down there and some one had a gardening program I could fiddle around with."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:51, Sun 19 Apr 2015.

With some direction from the ship, Devellana made it to where the ship was being loaded.  She felt some joy that she would be able to aid those who were suffering while also rejoining a comrade.  She looked around for the newest of her fellows,

"Osmon?  My Lord?  Wherefore art thou?"

"Right here."  Osman may be one of the single ugliest people he has ever seen.  But he's here and he's ready to help out.  He relaxes and looks about at the folks, trying to get a good assessment of them with his own senses.

Raven is waiting for them in the lobby of the building; past him but before an open stairwell door is a group of individuals with hastily repaired suits and weapons that probably couldn't kill a flea with the shape they're in. The old splicer gives the pair a nod.

"Heya, Dev. Wild guess here, but I take it you're Osman right? Let me sum this up in a nutshell for you; I just bought this old building to convert it into a home for military and security personnel who were injured in the recent fighting, and the families of the same who didn't survive. I found these people here, seems this was far as they could make it. They got both a power and air generator going, but at least that last one is older than the dome that used to be here and with all the bad seals they're having to push it to the max just to breath down below in the maintenance areas. They've been living off mold for I don't know how long, some suits need repair while others don't have oxygen scrubbers in them which will have to be obtained or made and installed, the air machine for the building needs to be fixed so they can resupply said suits, and they might need medical attention as well.

"If you got any repair tools with you, Os, I'll go down and see what I can do about the oxygen. Help them in whatever order the two of you think is best, but after eating mold burgers I'm guessing some actual food would be first on their list. Hell, the reason these guys came up from underground was because I had some MREs to give them. Those have been carted down while we waited for you."

If Osman was waiting for some reaction to his appearance from the man in the black armored space suit with four arms, wings, a beak-shaped helmet and silver symbols on it like a suit of olden armor, it was not forthcoming. Raven also did not seem worried about the stranger, but then again the new owner of this property was carrying enough firepower on his body to take over a small country which may have had something to do with his peace of mind.

"Can do."

He will set about seeing if he can repair the suits of the hapless victims at all.  He's always patching something.  And he'll use what he can from the repair kit to try and make it right.

A huge grin broke like sunrise across Develanna'sface as she recognized her comrade.  Striding forward, she offered her weapon hand, grasping Raven's upper right arm in the way of warriors: each grasping the forearm of the other's in order to prove themselves  noncombative.  Raven returned the handshake.  Dev laughed as Raven continued to speak.  When he finished, she spoke over her shoulder to Osmon,

"As ye maun tell good friend Osmon, no introduction is necessary, and would you have palaver with this one, ye'll need to be speedy of tongue!"

As Raven outlined the situation, Dev had turned her hand to offloading the supplies.  As the other two decided what their tasks would be, she offered a quick comment and then laid out her own plans:

"Well enow Good My Lord Raven!  Art thou trying for sainthood?  It is indeed a kindly act!  And in the meantime, I will break out the food and drink and give succor to the masses!"

It would be quite easier to just use the same working suits over and over to move them from the basment to Ozmans ship, and it is quite true they have dug into the MREs like mana from the heavens. It has only been a few days but even less than a week of forcing down mold is more than enough to make someone greatful to have something even resembling real food. When being offered the bug meat and veggies on Oz's ship they are exstadic about it.  It tasted like lousy lobster and no one had a single drop of butter but hey it was real food!

Raven left the others to deal with the survivors on the ground floor, and with a repair kit from Osman's ship headed into the stairwell. He closed the door he entered by, so as to open a second while created an airlock of sorts. He found his way into the maintenance area, but he didn't do more than give a nod to any he passed and walked on with purpose. With the original floor plan pulled up on his visor, the splicer found another staircase that led down into a sublevel and decended. He used his false eye to scan as he made his way along, finally spotting what he wanted and stopping by a section of wall; he used his four fists, and started bashing the flat surface until it gave way to a hole; past it laid yet more steps, covered over so much by the grime of age the original material used to make them could not be told just by sight. Ever deeper into the bowels of the building he went, his foot falls the first heard here in untold years.

According to the readout, he was now standing on the original foundation of the structure above him. Black boots made sweeps as the bird cast his gaze downward, until he saw a single letter and number etched into the stone. He got to his knees, and carefully wiped the area until he'd uncovered the cornerstone. He reached into a pouch, and removed the small figurine the God of War had given him. It was placed under a heel, and with a sharp force was broken. He repeated this action several times, until by his inspection there was just white powder. The soldier lifted his visor, brought his beak down close to the pile, and spit on it over and over until he judged he had applied enough. He exposed a talon and worked the mixture until it was a paste, then commanded his suit to uncover an arm long enough for him to pull free a single feather. With this, the fighter transferred bits of the gooey mess to the stone, and smeared it until the whole thing was coated.

The ex-Marine stood up, and removed the Sword of Mars from his side. He placed all four hands on the grip with the blade pointed dead center of the stone, and lifted the weapon up. The silence of this place was broken by his voice echoing from the walls, a song issuing forth.

"Make an Everlasting Home for Warriors,
This Contrite Soul Asks You to Abide.
Where Death and Danger Dare Not Come,
To a Soldier's Side."

At the last word, the hilt was plugged straight and true burying the blade of the sword into the cornerstone.

(Lot of rolls but with all factors and rolls made final roll diff 6 and you got four 6s lol)

Raven didn't have any exsperiance that even could part way be applied to appealing to a sleeping building through ritual, this was some crazy shit. Luckily seamed the spirits liked the natural drugs as much as he did and liked even bad signing so he was doing ok up to this point but when something is asleep? Eh..  Thankfully he had that nice little tip on sympathetic resenance and the simple ritual, and using it paied off quite well. When the sword drove about half way into the stone it didn't even crack, it was hard to tell where the sword and cornerstone stoped/started, and he could fell a momentary shock of a pained being that quickly passed. What followed none needed spirit magic to sense as all about the building sounds echoed... Pipes creaking and thumping, walls groaning, metal shaked into metal. It scared the last few into running out as fast as they could lest part of the building come down on them. But once the building finished 'streching' things quited down.

There was what reven could only guess was comunication between the sword and the building as odd sensations, images, and fellings were about but nothing realy focused on him and faster than the way spirits would 'talk' to him. The building then addressed the old soldier thanking him for awaking it and giving it another chance to help people, it didn't like housing people suffering from quite (mage craziesness =p) and missed being used to help people rather than just housing people that couldn't be helped. But it was conserned about the damage it had taken over the years and from being at the edge of the attack. It dose not wish to come off the wrong way on it, but if it could have some of his energies it could repair some of the damage it's self, but much still needed fixed by human hands.

Os is pleased that they have been well fed.  And it looks like he is able to repair the suits as well.  In that case, he will relax and enjoy their enjoyment for a moment.  God knows, there will be enough times in times ahead that will feel like a buzz saw chopping out your eye.

Raven gave a nod to the building's request, grasped the sword once more, and attempted to concentrate on channeling his power through it into the building itself. He had no idea if this was the proper way to do such a thing, or if it would even work, but he made the attempt regardless.

 Develanna decided that it would best behoove her to stir up conversation with Osmon in order to better know this fellow and quest companion.  As she helped keep order among the starving and give aid as was needed,she asked,

"Do ye tell me Friend Osmon of thyself and from whence tho comest and to where thou wouldst go!"

"Well...home.  But since home is the 20th century around 1991, which, by the way sucks since it sounds like the 90's was pretty awesome....but apparently time travel is only possible for like...oracles..and even then its iffy, I'm not expecting it any time soon.  As for myself? Well...I...."  He doesn't know any way to say that without making himself sound like a jerk, so he does vaguaries,"There was a ship.  I was part of the crew.  We got taken by Nephrandi and got tortured for a while, first by them, and later by criminal vampires.  They ran some horrific experiments.  I'm part of the result of that....we got free.  I'm looking after what's left of the crew and other people they picked up, looking for someplace safe, only it seems there is no place...so I'm helping you guys and then will look for the drive of the ship that I was on...it was...pretty impressive and might solve some problems with the Earth....what about you?"

(You have 6 quintessence, each one works out to something like 5~25 power for the spirit depending how well you feed into the building using spirit to act as prime would...  At most it might handle 50 power or so, so you can send a set amount or just try and give the thing a good wake up full charge hehe up to you though)

(Since it sounds like 2 from me would equal a charge at max of 50, I'll give it 2 and hope for the full dose)

As Osmon shared with her his story, a wide range of emotions scrolled across the knight's open countenance.  When he mentioned the vampires, she snarled and spit in disgust on the floor.

"Of those vile denizens of Evil I am sadly acquained.  I mourn for any who have the displeasure to cross their foul paths."

When asked of her own tale, she toght for a bit before responding,

"I was raised on a small island on a planet that I have just recently been made aware of.  We had little in the way of
'tekgnawledgy', so I am oft in great amaze on this my quest.  I was taught that Great Galahad was to be worshipped as our Diety, but due to a vision from Him, I know that much I had learned was not true of Arthur who maun not be evil and M-...others who are worse than I thought him to be.  I am questing for knowldege and guidance from  and for Great Galahad that I earn my spurs to become a right good knight."

"Interesting.  Are you of the Celestial Chorus like myself?" He seems genuinely intrigued and listened to all of her story.  He eats a bit of food himself considering, and also keeping an eye from time to time on the crowd to make sure no nonsense occurs.

The building went deathly quite and the power slowly died away, then the sword and the stone started to give off a light illuminating the room. Lowest room in a place like this... yes it was a morgue, and a jolt of energy blew one of the lockers open and another sent the decomposed flesh and bones flying out and splattering agents the wall. The building gave off a large amount of spiritual force, what raven had given and then some, a piece of itself at least.... the energy released was near as much as the power one of the two beasts the god had summoned had.

Outside both Deb and Ozman could clearly feel the large burst of energy deep in the ground under the building. It was a strong eruption of static(order) energy.

The energy all flowed into and around the corpse as strands of the pattern web started to spin around it. The body was some what pulled into the pattern itself, but not fully, leaving it in a cocoon of strange rainbow like strands of light as if it was wrapped up in fiber-optics. Raven had seen something like this before, it was often what Stasis/weaver spirits did as they wove some one into the pattern, but this... just stopped here... it didn't get dragged any further into the pattern, and there was defiantly something going on inside the caccon, he could feel it.

Regardless the building slipped back into slumber after it was done with this act,it was still 'awake' but it was in a state of deep rest now.

Raven calmly activated his comm unit.

"Um, Dev? Hi, sorry to bother you, but I just sort of blundered my way through a ritual I pulled out of my ass based on a dream, and mixed an artifact from Ares with the power of a Sword of Mars and then super charged it with my own magic juju. Now I got a bunch of rotted flesh suspended in midair by Christmas lights, looks like some sort of freaky cocoon; if my hunch is right, and I'm strongly hoping it's not, I might have company really soon. So, if you could spare a moment to bring yourself and that big ass sword down to the foundation level, I'd really appreciate it..."

The energy around the cocoon seamed very much alive indeed as it was slowly absorbed into the mass, it was quite the odd sight too, hanging from the pattern web to natural sight it did just seam suspended in mid air. But soon all but the light of the fibers them self was inside the mass of strands, and stuff in there was moving... and slowly filling more and more of the cocoon.  Thankfully it was only about the size that a man curled up onto himself could fit in, so if something was in there it wasn't anything too awful bit so it was unlikely that much stronger than Raven.

Osman pats his blaster by his side as he hears Raven's plea to Des. "I can go with you to help, or stay here and protect the civilians in case this place tries to harm them."

He still has an eye out, just in case.  Always.

Dev responds to Osmon as she continues to feed the masses.  At his question, she responds:

"Methinks not as I know not the chorus of which thou speakest..."

She was on the verge of asking more about this chorus when Raven's request comes through her earring.  Touching said bit of jewelry, she looks uzzled, then worried, and then flashes a huge grin.  ACTION!  She speaks to the four armed inventor of havoc:

"Indeed Good My Lord I will attend thee at the nonce!... though mine sword hath no ass to speak of!"

Looking up to Osmon, she shakes her head,

"Twould behoove all an that thou didst remain here to succor and protect these goodly vassals an it dorh thee please Sir!  Also, someone maun need to tell the tale of our deaths should aught go awry.  Yet shouldst thou hear us screaming, do thou come on the run!"



Develanna drew her sword and headed to Raven's side.

By the time Dev arrived the light had nearly all but faded from the sack, and it had sagged away from the pattern web, dangling lower and lower and now was slumped on the floor looking like a rather normal (but overly large cocoon). There is a bit of a groan from the mass though as it rises twisting some her and there and starts to pull apart. What pulled free from the coccon was what appeared to be a normal human man, though a very naked human man.... no.... scratch that.

.... it wasn't something they could quite make out at first but there was just something 'wrong' about him as he curiously looked over himself in confusion and curiosity. The way the smiley webbing flowed so easily off him, how little emotion he showed, the nearly... no completely flawless skin... it added up more and more there was no physical flaws at all to the mans body, and the webbing slid of him leaving him perfectly clean (and perfectly naked =p) all so easily. It wasn't right, it wasn't human, it was all very subtle but it was there... he was just too perfect to be a normal human being.

He blankly stated. "I'm alive? no... no I'm not. I am not myself am I? I am something else... something that was me and was me as well but something different from the other me.... but am something that is one and new made from the two...." seaming to be talking to himself as much as anything else.

What really stood out and was creepy now that they where looking was his eyes, everyone eyes had little flaws in them but his were full of perfect uniformly blue lines around his iris.

Raven quietly talked to his suit.

"Wildfire, give me a scan of this guy, anything you can come up with."

The bird waved with one hand, while the other three were on guns.

"Hello there. My name's Raven, and I'm responsible for you being here. The woman is named Dev, what should we call you?"

It looks over it's self some more and then the two of them, "I am lacking any form of designation, part of this form once has one but it's application has long sense past, the other part was created only for the perpose of my formation and required no designation. Hum... I seam to be lacking the proper attire." It looked down moving it's hand and bits of rusted metal and the silk tore apart and swirled up it's arm as it broke down, then it was drawn together and fused into an armored space suit, lightly based of Raven's suit and Dev's clothing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:15, Sun 24 May 2015.

When Dev got to where Raven was, all she could see was a ...man thing on the floor.  Raven was conversing with it.  Reluctantly she lowered her sword and looked confused.  After the nameless thing finished speaking, she spoke to her erstwhile companion,

"Was this slip of a fellow that what brought you to fear Raven?  Uhh ... Are ye still in danger's fearful way? If ye sayest to me that there is no fight in the offing, I may be forced to come over and hit thee, so 'ware that thou dost speak wisely.  I was hoping to fight some evil!"

The last came out almost whiny, like a child who had been denied a promised treat.  It did not help her lack of maturity when she stomped a booted foot.

Raven deactivated the external speaker on his suit, but opened a comm. channel to Dev. and spoke in a whisper.

"This guy has access to something called Umbrood abilities, and out of the things that use such, dude here is the most powerful sort. He's some kind of drone made out of flesh and magic, he's not supposed to really have much in the way of emotions but getting in between him and his duties is supposed to be a very bad idea. Since he's major powerful, armored as well as you and me, and we have no idea what his intentions are so we can't avoid accidently getting him POed, would you like to reconsider your 'slip of a fellow' comment?"

Drones had particularly good hearing and most had little trouble picking up on various EM transmissions, something the birds suit could have warned him before trying to use such rather than after. "They are referred to by most as 'charms', I was created to see to the repair, upkeep, and safety of this building." He closes his eyes. "Though the first will take some time, I do not have the power to repair so much damage on my own in a time frame to assist the refugees if that is your intentions for this place. I will need a few weeks unless some form of power can be restored to the building I can draw from. Much like the building I will have to rest for some time to regain spent energies on my own."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:19, Fri 29 May 2015.

Os will keep an eye on the refugees, get them to talk about their experiences to try and help them work things out, help them set goals for their lives to try and put things back together and try to generically give them hope.

Devellana touches her earring and speaks softly,

"I know not this 'Unbrood' good my lord.  Is it a death dealing power or maun it mean that there will be a hellacious stench when he doth burp with his butt?  He appeareth to be a wee slip whose head would roll quile easily.  So I will not recind, but I am willing to be schooled on the merits of not swinging mine sword now".

She waited, but had little hope that she would get the chance to right some heinous wrong by smacking the holy hell out of something evil.

Raven's attempt to secretly communicate with Dev not only proved pointless as the creature heard his every word, the Knight was unwilling to believe his warning this creation could be dangerous while whispering back in full ignorance that his message had been heard by all present evidenced by the reply from the drone. The splicer considered that his accidental creation appeared to have a better grasp of the current situation plus at least a normal level of intelligence and understand the ex-Space Marine's intentions for his new building, whereas the Lady from Yesterland still pestered him about where the straw was every time she attempted to use the head on Luci and was currently missing the blatantly obvious in their current situation. His choices were either keep slamming his animal modified skull into the concrete wall that was his sword wielding friend, or gamble that this being was exactly what it said it was; here to help him achieve his goals. The soldier opted for the latter, and turned back on his external speaker.

"Yeah, that's my plan. I'm not going to even pretend I understand what exactly happened to get you here, but I am clear that you're duties are helping this building. Since I woke the building up in a ritual that connected me to it, then empowered that spirit with another in a Sword of Mars, then channeled both my own magic and raw power into this complex at its request and then you came to be right before this place took a nap, I'm going to say I'm connected to you as well.

"I'm going to help you out, you're not going to have to do everything on your own. The first thing we got to do though, is give you a name. People come here for shelter and help, we can't have them creeped out because the caretaker has no name. This place is going to help soldiers, I was a soldier twice and now once more I'm in a war but this time the stakes are all of existence, so I'm going to give you the name of a famous one from the history books back on my old home world of Earth. George, after General George S. Patton. Also, hurt or desperate people either are scared, or get that way real easy, so you can't act distant like this if you deal with them at all. So, we're going to practice, OK? I just gave you a name, now pretend you're happy and let's see how you do."

He gives a bit of a smile, it seams some what censer but he defiantly needs some practice. "I appreciate the desi... the name. You are right in all this, I will work on it but I still have some memories from my human halves past life. I share some of his feelings even if my nature finds them unnecessary, they are there." he grows quite trying to think of a way to put it with out sounding to much like a computer. "I can experience these emotions and focus my attentions through them more, instead of pushing them aside, when in the presence of others. I will need there help or at least a fair power source if I am to get this place to a functional state. A list of priories to what needs restored would help out in this." He looks up and lifts a hand, some odd strands of almost digital energy rising from him again only instead of reforming scrap into armor, it seams to turn back time on the lighting and wiring in the roof over him until it seams to have just magically lost 40 years of ware and tare... it's not fully repaired but it's enough that it comes on and lights up the room a bit more. "As I have shown I am capable of restructuring and repairing the building... this act however drains me, while I can restore energy on my own it takes far longer than would be considered acceptable in this situation. A steady power supply, or a small shipment of tass will be acceptable."

(as a note, raven has 2 tass(dram), and dev has 3. Also bird has 6 5quin dram 4 of them full, one empty, and one with only 1 quentessence in it....  but there in his rifle and vibroblade)

Osman moves toward the exit Dev left, so he can hopefully see what is occuring in the room whilst still sheparding the refuges if need be.

(Yah you would have 3 dram/Tass of your choice I will have to sort that and your $ out later when I get home)

The refugees settle in quite easily, some are a little uneased by all the talk of his noodly holliness and all that but they are just greatful and relaxed to be safe and have real food and water.

Osman talks more about pirates most of the time.  His noodly appendage is awesome enough that people can learn more on there own.  Evangalism is not a component of pastafarianism but he will answer if asked what kind of a chorister he is.

OOC: Is prime 2 enough to try some wards here?

(I put anti magic rules somewhere under the magic thread I think)

(There are rules for taking something apart but not for creating a lingering countermagic effect on a building....though you could imply them with extended casting and the time chart if you like...)

"That's not bad for a first try, keep practicing and I don't think you'll have any problems. As to your need for power, there's an old generator in here someplace I was planning to fix up anyway. That will save a bit of wear and tear on you or allow you to repair something else instead, and when I've got it up and humming you should have access to all the juice you need."

As Raven had given her no idea about this power held bt the creation and as she was now ignored by the fellow adventurer, she replaced her weapon and strove to focus her mind as well as centering herself.  It would seem that the thing had great power and ability as well as a  harmless nature ... as for the now anyways.  She had to struggle with her more martial nature to put it back into its cabinet as it were.  She really wanted to trade blows with bad things, but then she figured that part of her nature was suicidal.  She was making herself ready to help in any way possible to bring greater acclaim to the name of Gallahad.  Intentionally she turned her mind away from the message he had given her concerning her own identity from the vision.  Galahad's balls, but she craved action!

"If your Tass can not be spared, it will have to do I suppose, perhaps I can scan and locate more sources of power in the surrounding buildings." With that he walked past them heading up to repair the generator. He knew what he had to do, so he saw little reason to keep talking about it.

"Heya Dev! This dude says he needs power, and though like everything runs on or makes magick these days, he says the generator in this place is apparently the one thing in all known creation that don't. I gave a good charge already and I need what I got for my weapons, so you mind if this dead thing sucks some mojo out your ass?"

Ah, if only the splicer hadn't missed that 't'...
This message was last edited by the player at 20:08, Sun 31 May 2015.

Osman considers putting a ward around the building, but ultimately decides not to, simply because of the fact that he has no idea what Dev and Raven are doing, and doesn't want to sabotage it.  Sabotage is an area he understands quite well.

In reply to Raven (msg # 229):

Develanna scoffed in great amaze at Raven:

"Indeed he maun not!  Whatever art thou thinking sirrah?  We have not even been properly introduced!  He would then need to woo me with gifts and professions of love ... and I wouldst then accept ere aught else proceed.  Twill nae happen!  And even were I so wanton, mine ass is not made for such energy transfer! "

Develanna continues under her breath about the lax morals in this new world as she does not get the jest and is starting to think that Raven has lost his mind.

After a few minutes the buildings power stabilizes, and little by little more of the buildings power is restored as the wiring is repaired.

Osman waits

n reply to Azraile (msg # 232):

In reply to Osman (msg # 233):

Once the are fed, Osman delivers the nice people to their new home and returns to the larger ship, hopefully with his compatriots.

(just waiting for them to post)

Raven wwted                               to cy.  Seriously!  With exaggerated patience, he explained to Dev that the creature needed magical power.  And he asked her to contact Osmon and bid him to wait as the four armed do-gooder had more for them to assist with.

As understanding finally dawned, Dev hurried after the creature as she also used her earring to communicate:

"Osmon Lord, art thou still with me?"

"I'm not really a lord of anything Devalanna, I'm as commoner as it gets, but yes, I'm here.  How can I help?"

"This modern age is troublesome indeed!  If thou art a warrior for good cause, that in itself doth give thee honor and nobility!  Wilt thou also argue with me when I call thee worthy of respect!?  Ne'er the less, Lord Raven will also need us for more work on this his haven for the helpless and needy.  I must catch the ...creature that he summoned and offer it mine own aid.  He will call upon us anon!"

Osman blinks and faintly smiles,"Well I think respect is earned but I appreciate that I have earned it.   What help do you need to give the-well, let me know if I can do anything to help....I'll be waiting."

Lucy contacted raven and devalanna's com units. [Preparations for the mission are complete.]

Raven responded; ['That's nice, but those for my mission aren't yet. I need beds and food, kitchen supplies, pretty much anything and everything save for the building to make a home for veterans and the families of those who survived or were lost in the attack. Contact anyone you can think of that might help, those monks would be a good idea I think, and hit up Ix's resources too. Tell the Kung Fu Kid that if he's done kissing ass, he can come lend a hand. The more of us work on this, the faster it'll get done.']

The bird had enough presence of mind to open the channel to both Osman and Dev, so they too would know what else needed to be done. For his part, after the message was sent the splicer took a repair kit from Osman's ship and went to attempt to repair the air unit in the building.

Dev responds to Raven and then to Osmon:

"We have divers foodstuffs and medical supplies still aboiard Sir Osmon's vessel.  As I cannot seem to find the creature to offer aid, I needs must do summat to lay a helpful hanf to.  I will return to Osmon and we shall finish offloading the goods.  An it doth thee plese Sir Osmon?"

She trusted that Luci would take care of communicationg with all others that Raven would need to make this haven seemly and good.

In reply to Devalanna (msg # 242):

Osman has been there and has enough of an understanding of logistics to know what is best taken directly from the ship and what still needs to be obtained from the market.  He instructs his crew to aid Devalana and Raven in the repairs as they can and will take the ship to the market to buy what is still needed and then return.

[I would think it best we hurry, if what they are saying is true we may not have much time for this one, and the longer we take the harder it may be. The governess has offered to help in this in return for your help with her problem, and the temple will likely help if past experiences prove any indication.]

Raven's suit picks up the back up generators giving off more and more power as they are repaired. Cut power lines through the building slowly regenerating here and there as the power spreads.

Osman will see if he can obtain some kind of loom to both give them something to do and potentially a way to fund themselves after everyone has gone.  He would have asked them their skills while feeding them to gain an understanding of the tools they will need to live rather than simply wait to die, since that would kill them surer than anything else.


After this, he will fly back with the supplies.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:23, Tue 16 June 2015.

Bird man needs to let them know all what is needed before he can take off the

PM

In reply to Azraile (msg # 246):

OOC: I did in my last post.

Of the group held up in the place, one intends to stay while two are willing to stick around long enough to help get the place up and running as it will be a while before the job market stabalizes and they can find a new home anyway and they are nice people. Ozman has a crew of of about 15 one is a skilled mechanic, one is surprisingly enough for raven a croax, one is studying magic but is bad at it, and three are kids that are more trouble than help, most if not all have been exsperimented on in one way or another and most seam to worship the GFSM...... Thankfully only one or two talk about his noodly hollyness much.

What ever Ozman wants to tell raven and rev is up to him, but he returns after a few hours with a cargo hold stock full of everything bird asked for and enough to furnish 50 rooms with some basic, dull, bulk bought from a warehouse.  The kitchen stuff and other things looks used but is in good condition, as one might exspect there is a lot of stuff for sell from business who had enough survive that they are fringe to sell of as much as they can to get them through till insurance or government help is processed. Still there is a few million credits worth of stuff that was likely purchased a lot cheeper than one might think due to the disaster.

Lucy informs that she was correct and the monks will be able to help with manual labor and there magics but not until after the full moon passes.

Osman helps his crew set things up, and puts the furniture into place.

Dev sees and old sight as tink flies by her rather quickly in a immaterial from of a bird shaped cloud of dust, the creature she was looking for follows behind with shards of some what rusted metal floating around it looking rather intent on stopping tink and more than a little frustrated when he flies through the floor. It stops to reverse the rusting damage caused by the bird's passing.

Tink quickly materializes and lands on Ravens shoulder pecking at his helmet quite frantically.

It's all a mess of images and emotion and hard to make to much sense of it, but the bird understood how birds think, and some what how spirits communicated.

In the past, Raven had ignored his Mage side and tried to distance himself as far from his connection to the Spirit Realm as he could. He had thought he had lived as long as he had because of failed attempts to get high on Rejuvenate more than once, and having either the worse or best luck in the Universe depending on how one looked at it. Now, though, as he strove and toiled for redemption of what was left of his tattered soul, he was beginning to wonder if he was not still around for a purpose beyond blind chance.

For, according to his buddy Tink, there was a thing out there made of technology and infused with the hollow ring of religion; not connection to something greater than one's self, but the guilt trips to be good, the constant remainders that one is such scum they must be punished for every thought, the implied consent that one could do whatever they wished just as long as they put enough cash in the donation plate once a week. This creation would awaken, and brand itself the new God of War Machines before attacking all of Humanity wherever it might be found. There would be a war beyond the scope anyone or being had ever witnessed to this point, it would turn what he had seen after he left the bunker into a walk on the beach. Some humans would fight back, others would try to protect the innocent as long as they could, and a few screwballs would even fight on behalf of this creature. Entire suns would be used as bombs to try and destroy it, more and more of the Spirit Realm would take sides, as mortal numbers dwindled fewer and fewer would remain innocent. The blatant abuse of Her children, coupled with the Blasphemer, might do damage to the splicer's own Goddess.

Raven once wouldn't have cared about any of this, in fact he would have made a tidy sum running blockades and smuggling supplies to the highest bidders. However, that was back when no one and nothing gave a shit about him; Clashing Boom Boom had, She had honored him with acceptance to be Her follower, and he was going to do his very damnedest to be worthy of that. He pulled out his weapons, checked his ammo levels, hung everything back where it belonged, and commanded his suit to find the caretaker. Once the bird had located him, he said,

"George, there's something I've got to go take care of, so you're in charge until I get back. You know the kind of people we look after, take in as many as you can and make them as comfortable as possible. Also, the transport I came here in is to be used only for business related to the new mission of this complex."

That said, a twice disgraced soldier who could not save twelve hundred lives boarded Osman's ship in hopes of saving all life everywhere...

When 'george' got down there he seamed more intent on being rid of Tink, but the two touching each other there bond was blatantly clear so he quickly stood down. "This is what I was made for, though you are not my master it is you we have to thank for our new strength and purpose. This is something we will never forget."

When Raven boards, Osman shakes his hand.  "It is good to meet you.  Welcome aboard."  When everyone is aboard, he will return to the primary ship, after all of his people are gathered on board.

They have a god to...er....do something about/kill/die horrifically from.

Twitch was a curious little critter, and looked like a clockwork crow with rusted gears. It tried to explain things to the some what confused 'preacher' and while he didn't understand birds, and had little communication with spirits of the non marinated kind, he was an empathetic and understanding man and he was able to learn something from the some what frantic emotions and images of the critter.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:21, Wed 24 June 2015.

Dev recognized Raven's ... um ... pet? as it whizzed through the floor.  She was still grinning as the construct stopped to repair the spot.  She attempted to offer assistance with either power or simply by lending  some elbow grease, but apparently whatever Tink had done had the creature's full attention.  He hurried off instead.

Devellana shrugged and considered that one offer refused and turend to return to Osmon's ship.  She walked in right after Raven and was pleased to have this many of her comrades together once again.  Watching Tink's antics had made hr sorry that she had left Numina back on Luci.

In reply to Azraile (msg # 255):

"So then Dogma and Technology join in unholy union...we must throttle the infant spirit in its cradle before it grows and drowns us all.  I don't suppose anyone knows the hotline for Allanis Moraset? Elsewise, we must distill a bit of chaos into this pending fire.  I am primarily still an apprentice in some ways, learned though I am of lore, for many things I can perceive and pilot you I can as well, but are any of our newly improvised cabals adepts or masters of entropy or prime?"

Raven gave a nod to Osman, but didn't have a chance to speak to the man(?) because Tink beat him to it. When the captain mentioned Moraset and asked if anyone knew Entropy, the bird snagged a coffee cup from a crewman and sang;

'How crass you stand before me with
 no blood to fuel your fame
 How dare you wield such flippancy
 without requisite shame
 Your very existence becomes my sacred
 mission's bane'

The splicer willed his sphere to effect the mug in his gloved hand, to decay before all the eyes upon it.

Raven has no problem taring the pattern of the mug apart.

Osman smiles,"Well.  There's that.  Let's go stop a horrific elder godlet, shall we?"  Once he conducts inventory to make sure that all people are accounted for, he will set the ship back on coarse for the other ship.

Devellana gave a whoop of immense joy,

"Well spake my friend!  Noble quests will not accomplish themselves!"

She was so glad to be setting off to do good AND without foul  bombs in her body that she slapped Raven on the ass as she passed by him.

At the slap on his ass, Raven turned swiftly and grabbed up the knight easily in his four strong arms. As her feet left the floor, the bird called out to Osman,

"We're going to make use of an empty room. Do me a favor, and take the long way back..."

The pair left the bridge and disappeared from sight. What happened by the time the ship reached Luci is known only to those two, but Dev's armor was inside out the next time she was seen and the splicer was heard singing the Tom Jones classic 'This Girl Is A Woman Now'.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:38, Fri 03 July 2015.

Osman takes the long way back.  Well, by about 2-3 hours.  The fate of the world is in balance after all.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:03, Mon 06 July 2015.

Devellana looks bemused.  While pleasurable, she had no idea that how was she to know that a slap on the ass was an invitation?  Such peculiar habits these people have!

It was a little odd for Osman, the only sounds the ship and... well the occasional sound of the couple. It had been a while things were so quite.

Once back in the city Lucy was able to get them clearance to land in her docking bay, even dock with her. Lucy willing, if it's ok with Osman to make a place for his ship in her structure, so they could dock securely.

Osman is just fine with his ship linking up with Lucy and docking up inside of her.