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Along the banks of the Yarlung Tsangpo River Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, People’s Republic of China Wednesday August 2, 2023 10:45 AM local time Situated high on the Tibetan Plateau, the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon lay in the eastern end of the Himalaya range, where the great Yarlung Tsangpo River turned south through the range, before dropping nearly ten thousand feet to the lower gorge and into northeastern India. With an average depth of nearly 7,500 feet, it was the deepest canyon on land, and was slightly longer than the American Grand Canyon. Despite the high elevation, the day was fairly warm, reaching into the low 70's. This was tapered somewhat by occasional light rain from the cloudy sky. While the rain was intermittent, it was enough that all of the vegetation in the forest covering the banks of the river in this stretch of the canyon was soaking wet. Veronica Danger moved through the wet vegetation, following after Davyd Palahniuk as he tracked through the forest. The young brunette was, as always, dressed in a pair of cargo shorts (black in this case), a linen Khaki button up short sleeve shirt worn over a grey T-shirt and a pair of well-worn hiking boots. However, given the rain and wet vegetation, Veronica had added a lightweight waterproof parka, which she had pulled out of her dimensional storage when the rain had started over an hour ago (providing similar parkas to her friends that wanted one). A short distance behind Veronica was the third member of the trio hiking through the forest, Louise (Lulu) Beaumont. While both Davyd and, more recently, Lulu, where employees of Danger International, when Veronica had asked for their assistance it was based on their friendship that went back to their first year together at Claremont Academy. The trio where hiking through this remote forest in search of any signs of Veronica's younger brother, Rex Danger III. The teenage Danger had been accompanying a group of scientist employed by Danger International conducting research in the canyon. Two days ago Rex had vanished from the base camp the scientists were working out of and had not been seen since.

For when we need it.

Danger International Building Wading Way, Freedom City, New Jersey Wednesday July 26, 2023 9:43 AM local time Lulu Beaumont found herself riding an express elevator to one of the upper floors of the building that housed the Freedom City offices of Danger International and the associated business and non-profits companies under the umbrella of that holding company owned by the family of her friends Veronica and Janus. The redhead was there for an appointment to meet with Veronica (the need for an appointment primarily being to ensure Veronica was actually in Freedom City, given her habit of regularly traveling to all corners of the world). The elevator came to a smooth stop, the doors opening and letting Lulu out into the reception area of the floors that housed the executive suites for Danger International and its various subsidiaries. It was little surprise the area was set up to impress. The large open space of the reception area had ceilings that rose a full two floors above. In the center where several comfortable leather couches and chairs, arranged in small clusters. Throughout the waiting area were various statutes and other artifacts from around the world, very likely items found by members of the Danger Family over the decades, perhaps some even uncovered by Johnny Danger himself. Ahead of Lulu was a long reception desk, behind which sat a couple of women in professional attire. To either side of the desk were stairways that wrapped up to the floor above, which divided from the towering open area of the reception area to what were likely office or meeting rooms. There were also two hallways (one to either side of the desk/stairs) which led back along the current floor as well. To either side of the room were large glass walls, enclosing large conference rooms and towering windows that looked out over the skyline of the Wading Way. To Lulu's right the view was of the three massive towers of Pyramid Plaza, while to the left were views toward the heart of the city center. As she made her way toward the reception desk, one of the women seated behind it looked up with a friendly smile. "How may I help you?" But before Lulu could answer, a familiar voice range out from behind the redhead. "It's alright Mary, I can see to Ms. Beaumont from here. She is meeting with Veronica." Turning around, Lulu saw Prudence (the often omnipresent personal assistant to Veronica and Janus during their time at Claremont) emerging from another hallway to one side of the bank of elevators. While Lulu knew Prudence would often "dress down" when in the field with Veronica, it was unsurprising that today she was dressed in impeccable business attire and glasses. As was so often the case, Prudence was holding a small iPad in one hand. "It is good to see you again Lulu." Prudence continued with a more familiar tone, offering the younger woman a genuine, yet professional, smile.

A few blocks from the Freedom School for the Arts, Riverside, Freedom City 2022 May 1st (Sunday), ~9:45am. Clear skies, calm, about 60o F. Davyd Palahniuk hummed random tunes as he made his way down the Riverside street. He was in a good mood, which readily showed on his face -- and it was his own face which he was wearing. He'd let his hair grow out a bit over the winter months, and it now reached just to his shoulders, rising and falling as he bopped along. His outfit, as usual, was fairly simple, a yellow long-sleeved cotton shirt, with plains cuffs and collar, blue jeans, and well-worn brown sneakers. He'd had many reasons to feel in such a good mood. The successes he'd had in his new job with DNN, and the challenges he'd recently overcome, was certainly a factor. And the day's pleasant weather didn't hurt. But one thing was foremost in his mind at the moment, the reason he was walking down this particular street: a call from one of his former classmate, Louise ("Lulu" to her friends) Beaumont. She'd called him a few days ago, asking to meet, to catch up over a meal. There was a new Ukrainian restaurant which had recently opened in the area, and he'd wanted to check it out -- maybe to treat his family for a Mother's day brunch next Sunday -- and this seemed like a perfect way to combine his interests. He'd not seen much of her since their Euro-Trip, and that was almost a year ago! I wonder if she'll have changed much? He didn't see her when he got to the entrance, and waited a few moments...

GM Approximately 90 km southeast of Cairo, Egypt Tuesday March 23, 2021 (11:36 AM local time) The sun was approaching its zenith over the flat, rocky landscape of the Western Egyptian Desert. The mid-day sun had warmed the air until it was now in the low 90s. Suddenly, the quite calm of the rocky desert was broken as a blue and white Mini Cooper sped across the terrain, kicking up a trail of dust and sand behind it as it went. The Danger International logo (consisting of a globe with the letters DI across it) was prominently displayed on the hood and doors of the Mini. Lulu Beaumont was seated in the passenger seat of the Mini, dressed in a blue and white jumpsuit with a DI logo on the upper left side. A matching helmet with built-in headset competed the redheaded teenager’s outfit as part of the Danger International rally team that had been organized by her friend Veronica, who was seated in the driver’s seat, similarly dressed. A small IPad was in a holder affixed to the dashboard in front of Lulu, a satellite map with various GPS points up to track the Minis’ course as it began the first leg of the 2021 Dakar Rally. Lulu and Veronica had arrived in Cairo three days ago aboard a Danger International private jet, along with their friends Micah Roebuck, Davyd Palahniuk and Elizabeth Grey, to prepare for the start of the rally. Although there had been a lot of work that needed to be done, the group had managed to find time for a bit of sightseeing, in particular the Giza Necropolis with its massive pyramids, Great Sphinx and other ancient wonders. "Everything is seems to be working perfectly so far Micah." Veronica said into her headset. "I am up to 192 kmph without any issue but will probably easy back a bit until the way stop." Approximately 128 km to the southwest/south Micah was riding in the Kamaz support truck that was similarly painted blue and white with the DI logo on its sides. Elizabeth was currently behind the wheel of the massive truck, with Davyd in the cab as well. The trio had set out about an hour ago along with other heavy trucks that made up the T3 and T4 class vehicles in the rally. In addition to running this first leg of the rally in for those vehicle classes, the support trucks left earlier in order to reach the midway mandatory stop point of the first leg before the rally cars to be set up for a pit stop. Normally this would include refueling of the vehicles, but in the case of the modified DI vehicles, it would involve Micah helping to swap out the power cells for freshly charged ones. Elizabeth had gotten the truck up to a cruising speed of just under 80 mph and been holding steady at that speed as they crossed the mostly flat, rocky terrain. The desert around them was empty save for another support truck a few miles ahead of them, mainly visible by the dust trail left behind in its wake. The route had turned due south over half an hour ago, and the trio still had just under an hour until they reached the waypoint.

"A friend of the Espadas... Espadases, Espadaii? Talya?" Ace replied when Davyd called to arrange a meeting finally settling on his old friend sans surname "Think nothing of it, swing by the manor, next Tuesday afternoon?" The ageless man of mystery effortlessly encouraged not offput in the slightest by the out of hte blue call. When Davyd arrived at the imposing manor house of the Danger clan the gates swung wide and awaiting him at the end of the manicured drive was a positively ancient butler in full black and whites gloves and all, "Young master Ace is expecting you." he intoned breathily without a hint of irony in his voice, "He awaits in the conservatory." not waiting for a response he turned to lead the young man through the storied halls of the manor at a surprisingly quick pace for a man of his apparent age. Throwing open the glass paned doors the butler announced in his same reedy tone, "Master Palahniuk to call on master Ace." beyond the doors tables lined with lush exotic flora and the heady smells of earth and humidity nearly obscured the famed adventurer as he carefully pruned one of the plants with a delicate pair of shears. "Thank you Georg." Ace called out and waved for Davyd to come in. Georg closing the doors behind the young man and shuffling off to his other duties. "Welcome Davyd, can I offer you a drink?" Ace politely invited as he finished his final cut and set the shears down, "How can I help?" he inquired with a paternal smile. He seemed open and affable comforting even in his demeanor but there was something in the appraising way his eyes darted over his guests form that spoke to the age and experience behind the innocuous question.

GM Hamburg, Germany Early August, 2021 The journey from Egypt to Germany took 5 hours, even using a top modern Danger International plane. The flight had been largely uneventful, as Veronica and J'onn arrived at the Hamburg Airport. The cloud layer was heavy and oppressive, hardly letting any sun shine through at all. Once they had made their way through customs, a pair of bikes were waiting for them, ready to continue their journey to the West, to find the map to the missing gem.

OOC for this. @Thevshi

GM Somewhere in Egypt Early August, 2021 Things happened, as they tended to do. A contact at Danger International had informed Veronica Danger about an ancient stone tablet that might be connected to her amulet. She had gone to Egypt, she had found the tablet, one thing had led to another... and now she was riding a bike through the desert, pursued by a group of cars and bikes. She wasn't really sure who was pursuing her, but their leader seemed to be an angry little man with short black hair and a pencil moustache. He was seated in a jeep that leapt across a dune behind Veronica, sweating profusely while he yelled something about somebody just shooting the damn brat.

OOC for this. @Thevshi

The Western edge of the Taklamaka Desert, at the foothills of the Pamir Mountains Western China Saturday March 7, 2020. 7:54 AM China Standard Time (CST) (6:54 PM on Friday March 6, 2020 in Freedom City, New Jersey) A cold winter's wind swept over the sands of the Taklamaka Desert, shifting some of the sand as it went. A pair of figures walked up a sand dune in the early morning light, the dark shapes of tents and other temporary structures down in an open space below them. Not far to the west, the snow-capped peaks of the Pamir Mountains rouse up into the sky over the dark foothills which lay between the mountains and the desert. <"Why did they say to come out here?"> One of the two men making their way up the sand dune asked in Pashto. The other man in the lead gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. <"They said a member of the Danger family would be arriving with some assistance to take over the search for Doctor Schneider and Doctor Warren. You have heard some of the stories of the Dangers, likely wants to make some sort of dramatic entrance."> The two men crested the rise of the dune and moved out onto a relatively flat expanse of sand amongst the dunes. <"Hopefully we will not have to wait too long."> Those words proved prophetic, as the pair were just starting to look about for some sign of the arrival of the help from Danger International when there was a bright flash of light and a group of individuals appeared a short distance away. The central figure release the hands of the individuals on either side of her and took a step forward. The two men saw an attractive seventeen year old girl dressed in dark khaki cargo pants and a light brown winter parka. She wore a pair of well-worn hiking boots, and her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "Good morning, I am Veronica Danger." The teenager said to the two men with a small smile.

Bayview, Freedom City, New Jersey Sunday September 6, 2020 1:34 PM During the slightly controlled chaos of the day before, Veronica had reached out to several of her friends from the Senior class at Claremont about wanting to talk with them about a new project she had in the works. So the teenage Danger (well, really Prudence) had arranged for a van to pick up Lulu Beaumont, Micah Roebuck, Davyd Palahniuk and Elizabeth Grey at Campus and bring them down to a small warehouse building a few blocks from Bayview Mall. The parking lot around the warehouse was fenced in, an electronic gate allowing entry in. Veronica was already there, standing near the side of the building and her parked DangerCycle. As might be expected, she was dressed in her typical cargo shorts, T-shirt with light linen shirt over it and the well-worn hiking boots. "Hey, thanks for coming!" Veronica said in greeting as the other four Claremont students exited the van in the parking lot next to the warehouse. "Sorry I have been a bit vague about what I am working on, but I figured it would be much easier to just show you." She added with a small grin as she led the group over toward a door beside a larger garage door.

GM 5:30 PM, December 17th, 2019 Riverside, not too far from Riverside Park It was the week before Christmas, and Freedom City was as calm as one could expect the city to be. It had been snowing, but wasn't right now, and the city was as busy as ever, with people leaving work, looking at Christmas decorations, shopping for Christmas gifts or whatever other activity they felt like doing the week before Christmas. Pan was leading his friends through the streets of Freedom, heavy shopping bags in his hands. After his first Christmas on this world, he had quickly decided that it was much more enjoyable to do Christmas shopping together, instead of on his own, and so he had managed to bring Lulu, Adam and Veronica along, visiting shops, stores and what have you. Now, they were heading towards one particular shop in Riverside at Pan's insistence, a little bookshop called the Never-Ending Story...

Tortola, British Virgin Islands Monday, June 24, 2019 (10:34 AM local time) A white van made its way along curving roads that twisted and turned along the lush green hills along the southern coast of Tortola along the way to Road Town. In the back of the van sat Veronica Danger and four of her classmates from Claremont Academy, Adam Lanchester, Pan Barrie, Louise Beaumont, and Davyd Palahniuk. When Veronica had learned that she needed to come down to the Caribbean almost immediately after the school year ended to help a Danger International team that was investigating a recently discovered shipwreck, she had invited some of her classmates to come along. The group had departed Freedom City early this morning aboard a Danger International private jet, landing a short while ago at Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on Beef Island, where the van had picked them up. Now they were on their way to where they would be picked up by the Danger International research vessel. The teenage Danger had been eagerly anticipating the trip. While she enjoyed being at Claremont, she also found the time there somewhat….constrictive, as she was not accustomed to being in one place for so long. If it had not been for trips to Africa over winter and spring breaks, Veronica would likely have gone stir crazy. But now it was summer vacation, and this was but the first of a number of locations she would be visiting before the fall. The teenager was pulled from her thoughts by a voice from the front passenger seat of the van. "A launch from the Horizon is already waiting at the docks for us. Several of the team went into Road Town to pick up supplies." Stated Prudence, the almost omnipresent twenty-something employee of Danger International that had been given the daunting task of trying to oversee the schedules for both Veronica and Janus Danger while the cousins were at Claremont. As was typically the case, Prudence had her tablet in hand, studying the screen, seemingly indifferent to the breathtaking view outside the van. From the winding roadway, the van’s passengers had a mostly unobstructed view of the clear blue waters of the Sir Francis Drake channel to their left, along with several of the southern British Virgin Islands in the distance. Out on the water were a number of sailboats, catamarans and yachts of various sizes, either moving through the channel or moored in one of the many bays along Tortola or the other islands. "Thank you Prudence." Veronica replied with a small grin, shaking her head slightly before looking back out the window at the water beyond. Then the van turned a corner to the right, and the teens in the van caught sight of Road Town and its harbor below. The clear blue waters of the bay were filled with boats, from small single person sailing ships to a large cruise ship pulled up to the main pier.

Danger Manor North Bay, Freedom City Saturday, June 20, 2020. 10:23 AM The current academic year had recently ended at Claremont Academy, and for a change, Veronica did not have something that immediately needed her attention. This meant both she and her cousin, Janus, were able to spend some time at Danger Manor before they set off for any summer plans. Of course, given that allowing a pair of teenage Dangers to remain idle for too long was asking for trouble, the cousins had been set to work straightening up an attic in one of the wings of the large estate. Veronica climbed the last set of stairs that led up to the attic space in question, holding a LED camp lantern in one hand as she reached the top and began to look about the shadowy stacks of boxes, furniture and other objects that were illuminated by the lantern. "I remember coming up here during a game of hide and seek when we were eight." She said over her shoulder to her cousin. Moving further into the attic, Veronica went over to the nearest pile of boxes to start getting an idea of just how monumental this task might be. The teenage Danger was dressed in her typical attire, dark grey cargo shorts, an olive green T-shirt over which she wore a light brown thin linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up, along with her well-worn hiking boots. The brown haired Danger had been a bit more quiet than normal since the end of the school year. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that during the last week of school Veronica had ended her relationship with a graduating Senior from North Bay Academy whom she had started dating before the winter break.

April 2020 Outside Cuiaba, Brazil People think of Brazil as all Amazonian jungles and also the streets of Rio. Here just outside Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, though, both cities and Amazon seem far away - this is a place of rugged terrain with jagged cliffs and high waterfalls, with large red hills and sandstone cliffs towering thousands of feet in height rising in almost every direction. Normally it would be a gorgeous place to visit - minus the trail of destruction leading from Cuiaba towards the interior of the vast, rugged parkland "So you see," said Dr. Fraire, speaking by phone from the inside of her jeep, "we have a giant problem. The National Guard is already investigating what happened in the city but I think our lawyers will be able to tie them up for a few days. But if they get hard evidence that 'dangerous supertech' was being held in the city without their government's say-so, they could shut down every DI facility in Brazil!" The other voice on the line, the one who'd originally gotten the call, said "Why _didn't_ they know?" "That thing has been with us for almost seventy years, since Papa Danger's time!" said Dr. Fraire, who had not gotten a lot of sleep in the last few days. "Er, sorry, sir, but my records at the base said that information about "A Centurion Robo" was communicated to them all the way back in the 1940s; but there's been coups since then, and elections, and of course the museum fire..." She looked disconsolate for a moment. "If there were records, they've been lost. So we're in trouble!" So ended the last of Veronica's briefing about the recent breakout in Brazil of a twenty-foot, seventy-five year old robot cast in the brass and steel image of the Centurion! Danger family crises were a little different than who was going to water the lawn or feed the dog.

Kingston, Freedom City New Jersey Late Fall 2019, 10:30 PM Since the Terminus Invasion of 2018, much of Kingston had consisted of ruined buildings and empty streets. Only the most minimal efforts to start to rebuild had begun, and mainly along the boarder sections with other North Freedom neighborhoods, leaving the majority of the center of the formerly historic neighborhood still largely abandoned and in shambles. Now, those that frequented the Kingston area were those that wished to be unobserved or otherwise isolated from the more crowded and active sections of Freedom City, while still maintaining a close proximity to the rest of the city. A small figure in a trench coat made its way through one of the empty streets in the heart of Kingston, moving among the shadows with a seeming confidence that there was nothing to fear among the dark ruins. The figured walked for several blocks along the cracked and broken sidewalks, stopping a few times to peer around towards the dark recesses of the nearby buildings. Eventually the figure turned into a dark alleyway and was seemingly swallowed by the darkness within. If anyone had been following the figure, it would have seemed they had vanished into thin air in the alley. However, the figure continued on its journey dozens of feet beneath the cluttered streets, moving along a path through the partially flooded sewer tunnels that ran under Kingston. The figure still moved at a steady pace, perfectly at home in the dark, damp confines of the sewers. After passing through several city blocks of tunnels, the figure came to a bend in a tunnel where a section of wall had collapsed, beyond was a larger open area that appeared to be a half buried subway station. Several tables of various shapes and sizes had been set up along one of the platforms and were covered with a variety of scientific equipment. Another section of the platform had been turned into a makeshift living area, with a bed and some other furniture set up. The entire area was partially lit by several emergency lights that had been placed around the platforms. The result of the makeshift lighting was that there were sections of the platforms that where relatively well lit, while the rest of the station was cast in shadows of various depths. The figure moved onto the platform containing the collection of tables, stopping briefly to look at some of the equipment as it went by, before coming to a mostly empty table. The figure sat a large duffle bag onto this table and began carefully removing various objects from within it. As the figure was focused on its task the almost oppressive silence of the chamber was interrupted by a cold voice from somewhere among the shadows. "Good evening Dr. Seidel." The figure quickly turned away from the table, scanning the illuminated section of the platforms, even as he edged towards some of the nearby shadows. "Who are you?" The man asked, his tone a bit surprise but not necessarily concerned or frightened. "Someone who has spent some time trying to locate you." The voice from the shadows simply replied. The trench coat clad figure identified as Dr. Seidel moved into one of the deep shadows near the collection of tables. "You will soon wish you had not done so." Dr. Seidel responded, his voice deepening and straining slightly as he did so. This was followed by a few pained grunts and groans before the shadows went silent. Then, a large figure could faintly be seen climbing among some of the shadows above the platforms lit by the emergency lights. "So, you can now change your shape at will." Stated the cold voice that again seemed to come from multiple directions at once. "All the more reason you will regret coming down here." Replied a deep, partially hissing voice from the large shape crawling along one of the uppers walls of abandoned station. "Perhaps." Replied the cold voice. "But I believe there is a way we may help one another with mutual goals." The large figures stopped, peering out to scan the darkest areas of around station with yellow reptilian eyes. "I suspect there is little you can offer which I will be interested in." It replied in almost a growl. "I believe we may help one another in striking out against the Second Raven." The cold voice replied from the darkness. There was a long pause as the yellow eyes of the large figure peered out at the shadows around the station platforms. "Go on, you have my interest."

OOC for this. @Thevshi, @Heritage, @Thunder King

GM Egyptian Airspace, 30 minutes from Cairo Friday, April 18, 2019 (1:20 PM local time) A Danger International private jet soared above the light cloud cover over northern Egypt as it entered its final approach toward Cairo. The sleek aircraft began a gradual descent as it continued on its flight path, transporting a rather unusual group of passengers to the ancient city. It had been several months since a group of Thule Society sorcerers accompanied by several enhanced SHADOW clones had attempted to steal an ancient Egyptian artifact during the opening of an exhibit at the Hunter Museum of Natural History. What the Thule Society had not accounted for was the presence of three Claremont students who had been able to halt the theft. But as the remaining Thule sorcerer had escaped, he had made a cryptic remark about artifact, suggesting that there it possessed some secret the teens were unaware of. Two of the teens, Veronica Danger and Elizabeth Grey, had been able to confirm that the artifact (the burial mask of the Pharaoh Sanakht) resonated with magic and that it was some sort of key. But despite their best efforts to research what that might mean, they still did not know exactly what it was a key to. So over the last few months Danger International, with some assistance from the Dakanan Royal family, had made arrangements with the Egyptian authorities to allow for an investigation of Sanakht's pyramid at the Saqqara necropolis. Permission had not been obtained until after the start of the new year, meaning Veronica, Elizabeth and Kam Kingdom had to wait until Claremont’s Spring Break to take the trip to Egypt. The interior of the jet was rather luxurious, with each of the teens having a large leather seat with plenty of room around them. The seats rotated so they could turn to face the middle and each other to more easily converse about the expedition they had set out on, or could turn out towards a small table next to each of seat (with connections for laptops and cellphones).

OOC for this. Threads will be split into two with whoever goes where once action gets started. To help me keep an overview with the large number of characters, I'd appreciate if you do a quick rules summary of some of the more unusual power uses that might happen.

GM Secret Location in the Mojave Desert, Nevada March 26th, 1 PM Claremont Academy Field Trip to Danger Institute: Mojave Installation The field trip had been announced a bit suddenly, and for a rather varied group of students, spread out across the different squads: Zenith, White Lioness, Ms. Thursday, Gauss, Thunderbird, Salvo, Forever Boy and Veronica Danger, accompanied by their teacher Steph Harcourt. Why they had been the chosen students were anyone's guess, but they were promised it would be quite a treat. And of course, they would have to write an essay about the visit. It seemed that Headmistress Summers would temper any boon with a bane. But still! At first the group of students would get to on a field trip to the Danger Institute's Mojave Installation, hidden in the Mojave desert. The description of the place had been vague. The students had been told that it was a research station where Danger International studied unknown objects found across the world, kept safely away from any population centers in case any of the objects turned out to be dangerous. They would get a tour of the place, and potentially get to see some of the items of interest. As an added bonus, Headmistress Summers had pulled some strings, and the group of students found themselves arriving via teleporter pads, straight from the Freedom League. Quick and easy travel, and they wouldn't miss several days of classes to travel. That was bound to be quite an experience to the students that had not tried something like that before. As the students and Steph Harcourt appeared, they were met with a big cube of a building, 330 feet in each dimension.There were several square windows in different locations all around the building, placed seemingly randomly. As they appeared at the top of the building at the teleport pads on loan from the Freedom League, the students and the teacher could see a pair of helicopter landing pads, and a small cube with a set of doors that led into the building from the roof. At the ground level, two pairs of great doors were situated at equal spacing on each side of the building. The second thing that the students were met with were sand blowing absolutely everywhere. Not a pleasant experience, by all accounts. The third and last thing was a man with a red scarf tied over his mouth and nose, with thick goggles over his eyes. He was wearing khaki shorts and a dark grey t-shirt, and was shouting for them to get inside, leading the group to the entrance. "C'mon! The storm'll pass soon, but no reason to get caught up in it!"

GM Marmaris, Turkey Mid-July, 2019, 11:34 AM local time The small city of Marmaris, Turkey was nestled among low foothills along the southwestern coast of Turkey, not far from the Island of Rhoades. With long, beautiful beaches and clear blue waters, the city was one of the key resort towns along the section of the Turkish coast line known as the "Turkish Riviera," or the "Turquoise Coast." For most, the primary attraction of Marmaris was the city’s vibrant nightlife, and in particular the collection of nightclubs and discos along bar street. Out in the Marmaris harbor, a sleek sixty foot yacht was making its way towards the inner part of the harbor, easily blending in with the other similar yachts and large sailing ships that filled the harbor and marina. However, unlike the majority of the passengers on the other similar vessels, the four teenagers aboard this yacht were not here for the exciting nightlife, or at least not directly. During an investigation into the possible disappearance of Daka crystals from a border region of Dakana, the teenage children of the Dakana king and two members of the Danger family had uncovered a group of mercenaries smuggling crystals across the border. Information obtained from some of the captured mercenaries had revealed that other members of the mercenary group were planning to meet with some potential buyers in Marmaris the next day. So, the four teens had arranged for a non-descript yacht to transport them to the costal town, providing them an chance to blend in with the other summer tourists looking to enjoy the excitement of the city. The sun was staring to approach its mid-day zenith, and already the temperature was over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The nearby beaches were crowded with people and the harbor was busy with activity as the yacht slowly made its way in.

GM December 10th, 2018, 5.25 AM, five minutes to destination Mars Orbit, Solar System, Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy, The Universe, inside of a Pegasus-class spaceplane Light-speed travel was great. With the coordinates set, all systems nominal and nothing especially likely to be between the Pegasus and Starshell Castle, there was little to do but wait and consider what the little band was up against. The pilot and three passengers had a lot of skillsets between them; young adventurer, amateur mystic and philanthropist Veronica Danger, anxious AEGIS Eyespy agent Echohead, otherworldly wanderer Forever Boy and materials-mimic Facsimile, all of them brought something unique to the mission. The mission itself was simple enough: get into Starshell Castle, don't get caught, find out and do as much damage as they can before escaping. Of particular interest were the Nightstone, supposed power source of Blackstar and his followers, and anything to suggest how they could move between Starshell and Earth without the Lighthouse satellite detecting them. That last was of especial importance, since the refitting of the satellite and its augmentation with alien technology included some of the best sensory systems the Coalition could provide. If there was a flaw being exploited, some basic incompatibility, or even some wholly-unknown power at work, it was vital information. Outside there was nothing to see, but on the inside of the windows was a projected simulation of the solar system blurring by. If you looked too long, you started to see patterns in the stars.

Utando wa Buibui, Dakana The Buibui Waridi, the Rose Spiders were a small clan that specialized in micro-engineering and nanotechnology, making medical scanners and other surgery equipment using Daka crystals in almost artistic ways. Recently there had been a few disturbing rumors that a few of their supplies of Daka crystal had been disappearing across the border. Such rumors had reached the ear of the Palace, though none had yet taken a look. There home town, Utando wa Buibui, was also on the way the lakeside Summer palace of the White Lions, where the two teenage children of the King were taking friends to enjoy the natural springs and (mostly) crocodile and hippo free waters for a few days of summer. How could they not take a few hours just to take a quick look into things, they had the entire summer to enjoy the lake after all...

OOC thread for this thread. Get your space on! @Thevshi @Supercape @Exaccus @RocketLord