ic Running up that hill

[Tiffany Korta]

Dakana Parliament

N'Gome ya Watu, Dakana

09:00 EAT (0:00 EDT) Thursday 12th July 2018

 

It was rare that all of the Clan representatives, both major and minor were all gathered in the main room of the parliament. Much more rare was that no one was arguing or trying to outdo the others, instead, they spoke in nervous hush tones. And whilst their nation had yet to be involved none of them, even the most isolationist of them, would dare suggest they do nothing, for an invasion from the Terminus was a threat to the entire world.

 

After a few moments one of the nations chief scientists, despite her young age, K'Sema moved to the center of the gathered representatives and with a swipe bought up a giant hologram of the globe. As King M'Balla raised a hand to silence everyone else she began to speak.

 

"As expected were have detected a vast amount of Terminus energies around Freedom City, but that's not the only place we discovered them. We've passed the information onto the Freedom League but we have a problem closer to home."

 

With a sweep of her hand, the map focused on Dakana itself, with one region in the south-west being illuminates, the Singing Hills. Due to a fluke of geology, the Daka crystals found below the hills had formed in perfectly linked crystal strata. This allowed to natural collect and store energy in their structure which caused them to give out a low-level hum that was disconcerting to both humans and animals alike. It also tended to build up and release energy at random making it difficult to operate electronics in the area. All this made the area more or less uninhabitable, even mostly ignored by those that kept Dakana's borders secure.

 

"We picked up an anomaly on the regions seismographs back on the 10th but paid it no heed, until we got news from America about the invasion, so we used a technology we'd been developing to use the natural frequencies of the area like a sonar and we've formed an image."

 

The hologram changed to that of some sort of massive structure though apparently much of the image was made up of best guess and still it looked menacing in its structure.

 

"Our best guess is that they're using the crystals to generate powers four there other structure on the planet. We're can't even guess at how it operates but it should be easy to shut it down safely."

 

"Why can't we just bombard the place before they become more of threat? If they send people out to capture the sacred mountain or even the Beast itself?" ask one of the representatives

 

"The feedback from that or any large-scale assault could cause a catastrophic feedback loop in the crystal below destroying them and most of the hill. The environmental damage would be catastrophic with that along, not to mention possible harm from terminus infused materials." having said her piece K'Sema stepped back to allow the parliament to discuss a solution to the problem.

 

For the next hour, the parliament debated how to deal with this discovery, whilst still performing their ancient duty to guard the caged beast, with every one of them getting a chance to speak their piece. Finally, it was decided that the Dakana army would prepare itself to defend the sacred mountain, whilst a small band of heroes would go and hopefully destroy the structure.

 

Naturally, the two defenders of Dakana would go on this dangerous mission as well as some assistance from experts from outside the country that could assist them in their own way.

[Tiffany Korta]

GM Post

 

K'Ribi International Airport

The traditional transport of the White Lion's sat on the tarmac on a secluded corner of the airport being efficiently checked over by a crew of technicians. Normally the craft was kept and operated from the palace but since the tenth, no day had been normal, though they were trying and the airport was more or less operating as normal abet with a lot more security.

 

The craft was ready to leave as soon as they received the "experts" from overseas to try and deal with the problem of the device hidden out in the Singing Hills.

[angrydurf]

Kamau sat just inside the hanger legs crossed as he once more went over his armor and gear carefully removing any elements that might be disabled by or worse interfere with the energies of the Singing Hills.  "It will be like those hunts when we were young."  he remarked to his sister as he worked free the daka power pack for his helmets com system.  "Just us and our skills and the finest in analog tools."  he grinned hefting one of the exquisitely crafted marungu before sliding the club into the clasp at the small of his back.  Pulling the weighted gauntlets of his suit on he stood and tucked his helmet under one arm.  "It will be soon now?"  he was not precisely impatient but he was rapidly running out of things to triple check in his personal kit, if they waited much longer he'd have to start on HER kit and that never went well.

[TheAbsurdist]

There were times that he wish he could get drunk.  This was one of them.  Well he could.  For five seconds, at roughly the cost of of the annual GDP of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  He had been here for business things, trying to setup an office within the country that complied within the rules they set.

Which were anti-capitalist and moderately xenophobic.  But given all the recent events leading up to this, well, Rome wasn't build in a day.  His attention was elsewhere, his holdings back in Freedom City.  His daughter.  But he had to have faith.  He had to...

Not think about that.  He hadn't packed his 'costume' so his arrival was, okay, it was filled with nervous energy, as he soared in and landed heavily.  Having taken off his suit coat, leaving himself in his slacks, vest, and a shirt and tie was that undone a little, and unbuttoned. Amir had managed to leave his watch and various things back with his assistant before coming here.  At this point, the Dakana people could stow whatever insular and protective behavior they wanted, but at this point he wasn't of the mind to listen to any rules or restrictions they had.  A potential apocalypse put him in a mood.

Like undead pirates.  Or thieves.

Fortunately, it was like he was coincidentally here to deal with a large scale energy problem that cropped up in the middle of paperwork.  His expression was severe, his eyebrows pushed down, looking a little fearsome what with that and beard. Somehow he had kept sunglasses on during his mad-dash of a self-powered flight here. "Start thanking Allah if you're of the mind.  Otherwise, I recommend a neat scotch."

[Brown Dynamite]

Why'd I hop on his plane after him?  Dalir had told Amir when they met that he didn't drink.  That was true then.  And it was true now.  But, rather than take the moment to place himself in further contention with the man whom he viewed as a father in name only he simply shook his head.  An alien invasion was far outside of his comfort zone.  And the last thing he wanted was to be compared to the man sitting across from him who looked to be perfectly comfortable.  At least at this moment.  Booking a magic show in Santa Fe, complete with a stand-in to mock Amir was another matter.

 

But, Dalir couldn't let his inexperience show.  It was an Entertainer's job to keep the crowd lively.  Even when dealing with...robots.  He wasn't really sure what omegadrones were.  But, alien robots seemed to make sense.  Considering he was barely three when the Terminus last made an appearance it was about as interesting as learning about the USSR.  Which was to say not very.

 

A decision he found himself regretting in this moment.  Perhaps reciting Durud for the prophet wasn't a bad suggestion.  

[Tiffany Korta]

White Lioness

Whilst she knew that as the protector of Dakana she'd have to fight for the nation's safety, she hadn't expected it to come so soon or on such a massive scale. She was sure that they could succeed, but it didn't make her any less nervous. But she tried to put on a brave face on things.

 

"I remember that you always did better on those challenges than me my brother!" she managed a smile "Let's hope that we do that well today."

 

They didn't have much longer to wait until the Americans arrived in his jet when it stopped and the ladder deployed she was ready to greet them.

 

"Hello and welcome to Dakana, I'm sorry that is in such dire circumstances. Please follow us to our transport and we'll get going immediately."

[angrydurf]

With a slight smirk the young prince shook his head, "Yes and I only had to practice thrice as long to manage it."  he replied as he stood to join his sister in greeting their, guests?  Perhaps allies would be a better term, it would not be in the interest of good hospitality to take a guest on the mission they were about to embark.

 

He stood an axacting three steps behind his twin as she greeted the new arrivals, "We will begin the final briefing in transit."  he added as explanation and turned to lead the way toward the plane hopefully before the older and more experienced heroes could see the nervousness in his eyes.  He took a final steadying breath and quickly stepped into the transport to begin to call up what intel they had on the target location on the holodisplays.

[TheAbsurdist]

Asad exuded confidence, even dressed like someone who had their business meeting interrupted, which was true.  Even if the information placed him as a rich twit who seemed to be able to take hits better than most Freedom Leaguers, and that was it. 

Pulling out a hip flask, he twisted it open and took a knock back, before he offered it up to the others, while walking to transport.  "It's some of the best in the world, I recommend a swallow.  It's no as if we're facing the end of the world, or anything."  His expression blithe, as if the possibility of his failure here didn''t occur.  Which, really, it all boiled down to either they succeeded, or it would be suddenly not their problem.  

[Tiffany Korta]

 

GM Post

With very little ceremony the little team of superheroes was whisked away in one of Dakana's impressive hypersonic transports, the one used by the White Lion's. During the very short journey, the American heroes were briefed with a version of that had been given earlier to the Dakanan Parlament.

 

On the edge of the hills, the craft had to land, even the advanced Dakanan technology couldn't survive the Singing Hills. Indeed even here they could hear the hauntingly beautiful sounds the hill generated, but even here the subharmonics put people on edge.

 

The more superstitious locals, on both sides of the border, believed that the hills were haunted, and indeed they could be right, but right now the little team knew that real evil dwelled in the Singing Hills, and evil that must be stopped for the sake of the entire world.

[angrydurf]

Prince Kamau smiled but demurred from the offer.  He was going to need to be at his best if he was going to keep up in this company.  He sat calmly in the transport however.  Their preparations were complete with nothing more to focus on he payed rapt attention to yet another rendition of the limited intel they had on the sight.  "If luck is with us their sensors will be as hampered as our own."  he suggested with a nod.  "We should be able to approach undetected if we take care."

 

As the transport settled into it's sheltered landing zone he strapped his helmet on and stepped silently out of the doors alert for any sign their arrival had been marked by the enemy.

[Tiffany Korta]

GM Post
The hills were quiet and still apart from the incessant hum they produced, nothing large could live long in these conditions, and even birds flew around the hills if they could. The brave heroes didn't have that option as the closed the distance to the hills and began to climb the foothills that never got truly massive.

 

As they reached just below the hill there was a discordant note in the incessant humming of the hills, over the ridge was the sources of the power sources there were here to try and stop.

[angrydurf]

With almost silent loping strides across the soft earth of the hills Kamau crossed the ground at a ground eating pace.  As they approached the glow that spoke of them reaching their destination he signalled to the others he'd scout the ridgeline and report back what the anomalous signals might be.

 

Sticking low to the ground and moving quickly and quietly through the low scrub Red Lynx crept toward the crest of the hill trying to find a vantage to get eyes on the operation to relay back to the others.  He was well aware his usefulness here was so far contained to local knowledge but he hoped to give the heavy hitters below a better idea what they were dealing with.

[Tiffany Korta]

White Lioness

Since earning the mantle Àjàṣorò had spent a lot of time and effort practising her combat skills and working out her own strength and weaknesses. As before her strengths were in her quickness and dexterity, something she ironically shared with her brother. Which was part of the reason she was beside him as they scouted ahead, the other was because well he was her brother.

"They do not expect anyone to dare come here, I'm sure we'll have no trouble at all!" she wished she was as confident as she hoped she sounded.

[Tiffany Korta]

GM Post
Over the rise of the next hill was the device they were here to destroy, an unremarkable box-like machine it's only distinguishing figure was a strange lighting bolt like symbol that glowed with a baleful inner light. Around the device crackled a strange energy that flowed around the device.

The device didn't seem to be guarded and if they were lucky the strange hum of the crystal was just as harmful to the Omegadrones than other people. There were a few people moving around, however, in ways that seemed slightly off, like there limbs didn't quite work like normal peoples.