Avenger Assembled Posted March 25, 2015 Author Posted March 25, 2015 In a scene out of nightmare, the giant snake lashed out and swallowed the ship. In a sudden rush, they and the cloud of semi-liquid gas that surrounded them were tumbling down a vast tunnel, the sensors picking up wildly exotic technology on either side, the work of a dozen lifetimes of Preserver tech coming and going far too fast for them to make out any details. "Not _you_," Zober said, pointing to the Traveler. "Us. The Gorgon wanted our vessel to stop so that she could...swallow us. Oh, bother!" he said at the thought, licking gold nutrient-gel off his hairy paws. They were going fast, at least by orbital speeds, a continent-long tube wide enough to swallow cities whipping by in the space of a few seconds, until they found themselves suddenly floating in an entirely new medium. The shifting fluid around them was almost entirely transparent, not clear like water but nearly invisible altogether, save for strands of cosmically-charged fiborous carbon that drifted and clung around their vessel like silvery seaweed, guiding them towards their destination - a single grey sphere, floating in the vast ocean inside the Gorgon, no bigger than Dragonfly's HAX back home. Another moment had passed, and their vessel clanked against the sphere outside, the hatch glowing green with an established docking seal. The Gorgon's head? Body? appeared again, hovering in the middle of the room for a moment. GET. OUT.
Darksider42 Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 For the next minute or so, all that could really be heard from Ruby's direction was a stream of angry curses in languages most of those present would have never heard of. WIth a glance at the ship readings she could make out, there was little hope of the ship's thrusters being able to fight the forces pulling them ever onwards. She kept a tight grip on the controls so ready to move the ship out of the way of any debris floating inside the ancient machine, but it seemed that the way was clear. Coming to a stop, she sighed. "You lot heard her." The Bounty Hunter said, still trying to calm down after all that had just happened. She ate my ship!
Heritage Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 When the ship was... consumed, for lack of a better word, Ana grabbed on for dear life, even activating her 'sticky boots' in a desperate attempt to get more traction. The helmet slid out from inbetween her shoulders and over her head, pressurizing in case of hull rupture, which for a few terrifying seconds seemed like a distinct possibility! Once the vessel came to a halt, the cryokinetic finally released her white-knuckled death grip and took a deep breath, which was amplified and slightly distorted by her suit's external speakers. "Okay, well...what's one year off your life, right? I wasn't planning on using that year anyway." She reflexively checked the suit's seals and diagnostics for leaks or malfunctions, but everything seemed to be intact. Gesturing in the direction of the main hatch, Ana looked to the others. "Shall we?"
Fox Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 "...unexpected," Dragonfly observed. She seemed more cautious than afraid - either this wasn't her first time venturing into the belly of the beast (metaphoric or literal), or there was something fundamentally broken in her fight-or-flight response. Possibly both."Probably a good sign though," she added, making her way over to the hatch and, pausing to activate her force field, opening it to take a careful step outside the ship. "Could have easily killed us. Could have 'preserved' us with only slightly more effort. Not a good position to be in, but probably good for greater mission."
Tiffany Korta Posted March 26, 2015 Posted March 26, 2015 “To be honest it’s probably not my worst diplomatic encounter, though I admit it might rank quite high on the list.†With apparently no effort her armour deployed from the belt she wore until it covered her completely, the ornate white armour almost glowed as if it was freshly shined. “Shall we go meet our gracious host? I suggest for now we make no hostile actions, let’s keep those blaster holstered for now, but keep our wit’s about us incase trouble breaks out.â€
Avenger Assembled Posted March 26, 2015 Author Posted March 26, 2015 The team stepped through the vessel's hatchway and found themselves in a cool, dark place with a faint, barely perceptible aura of must and decay. Lights flickered on as they entered, slowly, a patchwork of glowing blue-white that cast the space they entered into an eerie combination of shadows and darkness. They were under a dome, big enough to serve as a grand ballroom, dome and floor alike made of the same glowing blue-white stuff marred by patches of inky blackness. In the center of the room stood what looked like a high-backed throne, its sole piece of furniture. Sitting in that throne was something shocking in this vast cathedral of unfathomable technology. The almost-pitiful remains of a mummified corpse of a species none of the crew had ever seen, a three-eyed humanoid with the dessicated remains of snaky hair scattered about its tilted head, clawed fingers still gripping the arms of the chair, jumpsuit a moldy shade of grey still wrapped around its body. Slowly, fitfully, a form flickered to life before the corpse. She was hard to see, her projection indistinct and her voice blurry, but the form could be made out clearly enough. With the snakes projecting from her head and three staring eyes, occasionally visible pointed ears and long white hair, she looked...she looked like a cross between Willow and the Gorgon herself! The jumpsuit had once been white. "So-so, yyyoooouuuu have come to offfffferrrrr yyoouurr services against the Isopterans/Communion/Star Plplplplplpl." Suddenly the projection blinked forward until it was practically in the middle of their little group, practically nose-to-nose with Dragonfly, and stuttered in a voice that was clear as a bell. "You. I rrrremeememmber you. Did you bring my sistersistersistersistersister? Did you bring my sistersistersistersistersister here?!?"
Fox Posted March 26, 2015 Posted March 26, 2015 ".....no," Dragonfly replied, a bit taken aback. She lost no ground as the projection appeared in front of her face, but she did pull her head back an inch to get some room. "Did not bring your sister. Did not expect to be recognized, actually. Didn't come on behalf of Willow, came - we all came - for Earth and other planets in jeopardy. Though, fair, Willow would be in trouble too."The armored heroine cocked her head, finally taking a step back to look the projection up and down. "...malfunctioning? You, I mean? Greater vessel? Don't mean to be rude; also unexpected. Vocal tick, difficulty maintaining clear image; focus problems? Something we can repair?"
Avenger Assembled Posted March 26, 2015 Author Posted March 26, 2015 "I ammmm thethe Ultimate Prpreeserver!" The projection drew its head back imperiously, its voice rising to stentorian tones. "My intinterior projection units have not been used have been neglected have been forgotten in .01034 Galactic rotations. There has been interior dededecay fromfrom..." She was seen to turn and look, just once, at the lonely corpse in the middle of the room. "Youyou mayyyy repair the projection units holographic display pilot vox if this form is too frightening for you, briefbriefbrief one. I, however, am Eteteternal!" She vanished again and reappeared before the 'throne', facing the group like a monarch despite the grim circumstances suggested by her location, and slowly one of the darkened panels on the dome overhead slid away, revealing a tangle of unknown technology beneath that looked like a liquid merger of flesh and steel, except the liquid was black and sludgy and the flesh an unwholesome shade of white. She vanished again, and this time reappeared sitting in the chair, macabrely projecting the indistinct hologram directly over the corpse, right down to the tilt of the mummified head. "Youyouyou came seeking aid help assistance preservation salvation. In recognition understanding sympathy of your cricrisis I have granted you a rare unprecedented alone audaudieeence. Where are your fleets vessels starships?"
Heritage Posted March 28, 2015 Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) Never had Ana been so happy to be wearing an armored suit than this very moment; even the hard vacuum of space felt safer than being in the presence of the Gorgon herself. Itself? Whatever you call it, it was downright terrifying; she recalled the same feeling of existential dread she'd felt the first time she stumbled upon Alien one late Halloween night at the tender age of eight. The feeling that humans were utterly replaceable. Thank god Dragonfly brought up the subject of 'repair'; having a technical task to focus on might clear her head of the gibbering monkey-lizard thoughts flashing through her brain. Luckily she'd thought to bring her full tool kit with her, though as the weird hybrid biotech came into view, she had a feeling she'd need more than a few Allen wrenches to the Gorgon's projection system back in order. Turning to her fellow engineer, she nodded as she activated her suit's propulsion system and began to rise up towards the roof of the dome. Edited March 29, 2015 by Heritage
Tiffany Korta Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 Sitara stood forwards hands outstretched to show she didn’t mean any harm. She also made opaque so Gorgon could see her face, though it probably wouldn’t make much difference. “We have an alliances of many worlds fighting the Communion on many front’s, even now many brave souls are fighting to halt the Communions efforts.†She knew that Gorgon wouldn’t care about details like that, only that they were fighting the Communion, but she felt that such thing should be said. “We are here to ask if you would aid us on a specific task, one well suited to you significant talents.â€
Avenger Assembled Posted March 29, 2015 Author Posted March 29, 2015 "I hahahave seen alliances of many worlds spheres systems before," said the Gorgon coldly, and indeed she had - many of them directed against her! "I understandstandstand your pleas, Terran Delazatri Tratratraveler." Her head started jerking to one side, flashes of her mummified corpse appearing at each turn, mouth fallen open in a silent, eternal scream. It wasn't hard to do the math - had she been there for two million years, the nameless being who looked so hauntingly familiar, who had perhaps become the Preserver of Worlds? "The cccreation of my sister-dddaughter-army dddoes require the sacsacsacrifice of mmmany worlds in orororder to Preprepreserve the larger Galaxy." She leaned forward, fixing her eyes on the Traveler as best as her shaky projection allowed. "What do you rerequire and what sacsacsacrifice will you make in return?"
Darksider42 Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 Despite the futility of it, Ruby had her helmet on the moment they stepped off the ship. The inch of nano fabricated armor at least offered her some comfort. Along with some filtered air judging from the corpse trapped on its throne forevermore. This was the sort of task she would have given Stahnze to deal with. The Bounty Hunter just kept vigil on the three and what she thought was their only escape route, hand hovering near her pistol. Much like her armor, she had her doubts that it would do much good against a deranged planet killing A.I.
Fox Posted March 29, 2015 Posted March 29, 2015 "What sacrifice are you willing to make?" Dragonfly responded - she started to flare her wings, to follow Deep Freeze upward, but at the Gorgon's mention of sacrifice they flickered and died again. 'Sister-daughter-army' didn't help, either. "You are extremely powerful, but not...all powerful. And you have your mission. Communion is growing to unmanageable strength, breadth - too large an infection for any single entity to deal with. And exploding planets," she added, gesturing toward the unseen gas giant. "Blowing them up, creating wormholes. Planet, inhabitants, uniqueness, completely lost. Even best case, conversion rather than destruction, complete loss and corruption of inhabitants and features.""Infections grow exponentially. True of viruses, mechanical and biological. True of planet-exploding, world-erasing Communion, too. They threaten you as much as us - now, or soon. Sooner than you can build many children."
Avenger Assembled Posted April 1, 2015 Author Posted April 1, 2015 The Gorgon stared back at Dragonfly, and was that a flash of Min's fire in her eye? ""Asacrificeasacrificeasacrifice a sacrifice from all of us." She seemed satisfied by the conversation with Dragonfly, or perhaps with the young woman herself. Turning back to Traveler, she regally reclined, despite the continued twitching of her holographic avatar, and waved a hand. "Youyouyou may make your approach, Teteterran Delaztri Traveler." This technology was like nothing Deep Freeze had ever seen - as if inorganic circuits and organic tissue had been grown together on a gigantic scale. She was able to diagnose the problem well enough; a thick mat of what looked like fungus had grown through much of the organic tissue, and in fact seemed to be growing so thickly that strands of it ran well outside her view into the broader structure of the Gorgon's brain itself - however vast that mighty structure might actually be.
Tiffany Korta Posted April 3, 2015 Posted April 3, 2015 Sitara stepped forward holding herself in what she hoped was a humble manner, she had to sell the fact that they needed the Gorgons help. “As wise as you are I’m sure you are aware of the fate of Lor-Van, with all it’s knowledges and experiences cast to the stellar winds. And they still wish to destroy more worlds in this way even now they bring their vast ship to bear on another world.†This was the hard bit to ask for her help without coming across to weak, in case she decided to preserve them before the Communion arrived. “We are fighting the Communion on many fronts and are ill equipped to deal with such a vast treat, so we humbly beseech you to ask you O mighty Gorgon, the wisest and most power of all things, to aid us in destroying this threat.â€
Avenger Assembled Posted April 4, 2015 Author Posted April 4, 2015 The Gorgon glared at the Traveler, her projection futzing with electricity like lightning in a distant storm cloud. "Asssss we speakkkkk, the biological life forms on E-class planet 34043 arrre being annihilated by the Stststar Plague. Preservation has been has been has been DELAYED by the Commcommunion." Her head twitched and she stared at the Traveler as if looking right through her. "I am not some palpaltry god to placate, I am THE GORGON, NOW AND FOREVER." Those words didn't stutter at all - and the heroes realized they had come not from the avatar, but through the very walls. "I know that you have come to plead for my aid assistance alliance- this is why I have granted you the privilege of an audience with my organic avavavatar." Her eyes flicked to Dragonfly. "That one has said you speakspeakspeak from a posssssition of strength - thus we speak now. Whwhat is your strength? What will fight alongside the Eternal Gorgon - and what will be mimimine when the fighting is done?"
Heritage Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Ana's lip curled behind the thick glass visor of her helmet; she was really glad her suit was airtight, because something told her this revolting mass of fungi smelled something awful. "Okay, this is going to be tricky..." She knew she had to be extra careful removing the fungus, because she could risk damaging any of the healthy tissue below; not only might there be some kind of brain damage, but if there were any pain sensors present, they might trigger a physical response on a massive scale! Holding out her hand palm down, she began to send very concentrated blasts of super-cooled air at the fungus, carefully noting the results.
Fox Posted April 12, 2015 Posted April 12, 2015 "Everything," Dragonfly answered - she hadn't really been asked, but she had the answer. Half of one, anyway. "Communion is a threat to everybody; has managed to band everyone against it. Lor, Khan, independents. Dragged Earth - terrans? - into space, too; you know what we're like."She shrugged, turning her head upwards to watch the improvised fungicide put into action. "Fight with us, everyone is alongside you. Fleets, individual powers, all of it. Everyone smart and not cowardly, anyway. Always runners, idiots. Underestimators of threat posed. They won't be there."
Tiffany Korta Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 A good diplomat as far as Sitara understood the concept knew when they should change tact and it was more than obvious that she had misjudge things just slightly. Time for a new tact. “As an ally of our you’ll have access to ship and personnel as well as repair facilities.†She hopped up to where the Gorgon mouthpiece was stood and wander as noculatly as she could around the thing. “If I might say so time has not been kind to some of you systems Gorgon. And we can provide you some of the finest Engineers in this corner of the known universe.â€
Avenger Assembled Posted April 15, 2015 Author Posted April 15, 2015 The Gorgon's projection seemed to stabilize as Deep Freeze went about her work, the ticcing and twitching of the hologram gradually settling down to a faintly staticy halo of light that surrounded the figure. Her body fully revealed by the projection now, the Gorgon was tall and slender, with three eyes and a nest of snakes that rose from short white hair that stopped just above the neckline of a dark grey jumpsuit. She was, clearly, the long, long-dead corpse sitting in the 'throne' at the center of the room. "Ships. Personnel. Facilities. An alliance. Your proposal is...accepted!" There was no sensation of movement inside the chamber at those words, even as the hologram settled back down to mimic the position of her own corpse. But Ruby's communicator began beeping as her ship's location sensors began tripping - they were on the move, and fast! "Aah, my lady Gorgon," said Dr. Zober, the bear-like scientist having been quiet and attentive during the earlier conversation, "might I trouble you to rescue the-" "Yes, yes, more worshippers," she said impatiently, "they will be..." The Gorgon fell silent again, and suddenly the hologram winked out, leaving the heroes alone in the brain of the world-devourerer!
Darksider42 Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 Ruby was alerted to the sudden beeping sound coming from her Wrist Comp. "Well, we're not nano statues so I guess that worked out well." She said as a holographic display wrapped around her arm. Numbers and meters rapidly flashed red. She moved and flicked images around, sorting through the sudden torrent of data. "And it looks like she's already on the move. Don't see ships her size moving at these speeds." The bounty Hunter shut the screen down and looked at the others. "So. Want to head back to the ship? Not that I mind hanging around in a glorified haunted tomb." She glanced behind her, just to double check there was still an opening for them.
Tiffany Korta Posted April 20, 2015 Posted April 20, 2015 Sitara allowed herself a small amount of satisfaction at a achieving their aims, though there was still a chance that Gorgon would eventually betray them. That was something that would have to deal with later.“I’m afraid that we’ll have to stay here for a little while longer, if it makes you feel better you could get everything better in case we do need to leave in a hurry. The rest of us I suggest we gather as much data about this place as we can, this must be a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us.”
Fox Posted April 21, 2015 Posted April 21, 2015 "...slightly concerned," Dragonfly noted, taking a better look at their surroundings now that there wasn't an avatar to focus on. "I am, I mean. Securing aid of Gorgon is good; better than hoped for, given circumstances. Little things are more concerning, though. In concert."Though there was no visible, physical signal from the armored heroine, space around her twisted in on itself - where once there had been air now hovered a half-dozen football-sized drones, one end blunted into a single, glowing blue eye. With a wave, she sent them scattering to poke around the dome. "Hard to think she'd live this long without having...infection...before now? And cutting out suddenly seems unlike her. ....insufficiently grand. Maybe nothing. Worrying."
Avenger Assembled Posted April 23, 2015 Author Posted April 23, 2015 (edited) Suddenly it wasn't speed signals on Ruby's transponder - it was pressure, and lots of it as if an impossibly great fist had taken the spaceship in hand and begun to squeeze it tight! The panels where Deep Freeze and Dragonfly had been working slammed shut with an ominous finality - and the Gorgon appeared again. She wasn't shaking or stuttering now; and the tone of fury in her voice burned with the fire of a thousand murdered worlds. "Puny things of flesh and bone, you think you can betray the Eternal Gorgon and live!?! Your Isopteran allies will die SCREAMING, and as for you, I will CRUSH you like the insects you are!" As she spoke, other holograms flared to life at either side of the projected Gorgon herself - images of the star system that held them, suddenly filled with the rippling wormholes of an arriving Communion fleet! Edited April 23, 2015 by Avenger Assembled
Heritage Posted April 23, 2015 Posted April 23, 2015 "Ohhhhhh, fudge!" Ana did a backflip off the ceiling, her propulsors kicking in to safely drop her on the floor. She chinned her external speakers all the way up and barked at the ageless creature. "Those things are here to kill all of us; it's not a betrayal! Why would I go to the trouble of repairing you if we wanted you dead? If we work together, we can wipe them all out!"I sincerely hope.She bounced ovet to Ruby. "How many are we talking here? And what does the Voidrunner have that we can throw at those things?"If they had to fight both the Communion and the Gorgon, they didn't have a chance in hell; they had to keep her on their side, or all was lost.
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