MISSION: GET TO ZE CHOPPA

[initiatesnpc]

Date & Time: August 23rd, 2753 (OOCly forward-dated to the 1st)
Location: Uruguay National Defense HQ
Characters: All transports!
Summary: All transports are sent back to Uruguay to download a self-aware AI before it gets bombed out of existence by an early incarnation of the UE. Time distortion effects will be set right either on the way there or on the way back, according to player choice.
Warnings: violence, action movie tension, 3 terabytes of foot fetish porn.

The Transporter drops the entire transport population into what will quickly be established as Home Base, a mile from the vast, sprawling facility that is Uruguay's National Defense HQ. The low roar of helidrones moving above is pervasive, but the black ships can only be glimpsed here and there through the thick cover of trees overhead. If you keep calm and quiet, it's likely you won't be spotted. It's the UND HQ their attention is on, after all.

The population is quickly sorted by attending Initiate employees according to who volunteers to fight and who volunteers to protect, along with those with enough skill to access the computers, and those with enough skill to get them there. The fighters move out first, off to intercept the early UE's ships and ground troops, and to draw the automated defense systems of the facility alike. They'll be in a crossfire, and neither side will be happy to see them there.

The techies and their escorts are sent out far more quietly, in groups of three. Their task is to sneak past the front lines and into the facility itself. There might be alarms and automated defense drones, so those escorts may well be called on to earn their keep. The Initiative can't give any information about which building will house the AI's mainframe, that information was long since lost to history. All they can do is send out enough people to hope that one of them manages to find it.

And remember — as soon as the UE troops withdraw, there will only be minutes until the bomb drops. Everyone would do well to work fast.



[[ Mission information is here, and the techie/escort teams, along with their hacking results, are here. Each techie/escort group will have their own established thread, but Team Distraction and Team We'll Stay Here, Thanks are welcome to thread where ever and however they like! The newbie log that goes up on the 1st will also encompass the arrival back in Exsilium, if you'd like to play that out as well. ]]

Comments

TECHIE/ESCORT TEAMS

[initiatesnpc]

TEAM 1

[initiatesnpc]

Kanaya Maryam | Home Base | Open

[speakveryclearly]

A

[Are you a small child at the moment? Who is here to distract you? A glowing horned girl! She is a little uncertain about this but if nothing else she is one hell of a person to watch play peek-a-boo.]

B

[Maybe you are not so small a child but you are Kanaya's friend and of particularly dangerous and reckless temperamen. Or maybe you're just familiar. Maybe you're not even familiar! Either way, if you look like you're going out without a weapon, you might find a rainbow drinker nearby looking at you and conveniently ready to start a conversation.]

C

[And maybe for some reason you are outside at the perimeter. This is where Kanaya is doing patrol - holding a chainsaw in her hands, ready to kill any enemy who approaches. After all, this place is going to be bombed in a few hour's time anyway. Better to spare them death by fire, right.]

[caligulas_aquarium]

[Did anybody order (1) seadweller of a particularly dangerous and reckless temperament trying to leave while weaponless.

I think they did.]

distraction and home base, opennn

[fortissimos]

a. ( distraction. )

[ Even now, the middle of battle is still where Sayaka feels like she belongs. There's vigor in her movements — the actions of someone fighting because they want to, not because it's the only thing they have left, and while she won't kill anyone on either side, she's more than happy to draw their attention with flashy swordsmanship and exploding blades.

Her healing lets her shrug hits off like they're nothing, and she might be bleeding one moment, only to be fully intact the next. Anyone about to get hit may have a tiny blue magical girl jumping in to block or take the blow, and she gives a confident wink to anyone she fights beside. ]

Geez, I was almost worried. These guys don't stand a chance!

b. ( home base. )

[ Out of the corner of her eye, Sayaka spots some ground troops heading for the home base. They're fast, but she's faster, and before they have a chance to hurt anyone, she's slapping them down with the flat of her blade. ]

Don't worry! There's no way they'd get past me. [ She poses, grinning widely. ] From now on, magical girl Sayaka is here to protect everyone!

[speakveryclearly]

[A couple of gunshots punctuate falling troops who are still struggling underneath the blade slapping them, and then Kanaya is catching up in a stunning black and white dress with a whirring chainsaw in her arms.]

Sayaka! You're doing fantastic today. [She saw a network post that made her suspect Miki-san might be deaged and not recognize her - but what the hell, this is a great gory mission and friendliness is the order of the day, might as well.]

off the shoreline | OPEN TO ALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

[whatsupcroc]

( Collette winged above the action, not trusting that a bird wouldn't be shot full of holes before arriving but figuring that there was a decent chance it wouldn't kill her quite dead like a dead thing.

She hit out over the sea, judging distances and exactly what it meant to be a distraction.

Oh, she could do distraction.

An eagle flew to the sea, an eagle landed awkwardly on the water, an eagle sunk under the sea.

And a minute later... the waters stirred and bubbled and frothed. And frothed some more.

Out of the foaming sea, rises the Leviathan. )

< Yoohoo! Oh, boys! >

[peachbaths]

[ Whoa! Wielding a giant sword and wearing nothing but what looks like a lot of fancy jewelry and long strips of cloth, Kougyoku gets over her initial shock and flies over to the monster. ]

Colette! Is that really you? I thought you were...

home base & open

[gevurah]

a.

[ Recovery time would have been nice, but once Kate is suited up and entering the field she's almost on auto-pilot. Whatever's transpired in the past couple of weeks has to be put on the back burner so she can focus on what needs to be done. Right now, there are many at home base who need her to protect them and her senses haven't been this clearer in weeks.

She's perched somewhere away from most eyes, but she can be spotted every now and then. ]

b.

[ When troops get too close, she springs out and takes anyone who gets too close down with excellent precision, speed-- and force. Noses, ankles, and wrists break and she does her best to allow none to get past her. ]

A

[wilder]

[Most eyes, sure]

[Zelos still catches sight of her as he gets ready, it's hard for him not to notice the occasional streak of red at the corner of his eyes. He looks up, trying to see if he could get a better view of who is up there]

Jesse Pinkman | home base | OPEN

[tweaker]

[Jesse is highly, highly underqualified for this. In fact, he's never fired a gun before. Until a couple weeks ago, he didn't even know how to load one. Bless him, though: he's trying. He stays inside the perimeter at all times, but he remains vigilant (with some help from the meth, of course) and determined to defend the place - even if he's quaking in fear all the while. He's especially focused on guarding the kids who've been dragged along to the mission. To him, nothing's more important than keeping them safe. He'll put on a brave face just for them.]

[outright]

[ There's a man that might provide him a little amusement. Or, failing that, at least an outlet for a few cruel jokes. So over he strolls, hands in pockets, already with a lazy smile in place. ]

You look a bit edgy.

Vanadi | Home Base

[outright]

[ Vanadi, for one, is a little bored. The mission had sounded at least interesting, but once he'd recognized the entirely unappealing odds of the people heading out to fight, he'd decided to kill a few hours in the safe zone rather than join them. Not that he's afraid, he just fully recognizes that his skills are not exactly applicable in a battlefield full of armored humans with guns. And he's not about to get himself killed on the pretense of being brave.

So he sits against a tree, idly twirling a strand of grass between two perfectly manicured fingers. It's a bit warm here, isn't it? It seems perfectly safe to strip down to the waist in the middle of a warzone, why not? That's partially to help with the fact that he's just about bored enough to hit on anything that comes his way (age allowing, of course). ]

Re: Vanadi | Home Base

[mushroomthief]

[one hobbit has rejoined the others, looking about with wide eyes. In all those stories, nothing had come close to what they found themselves in now. Surely someone had to know what those flying creatures were!

It would have to be someone older than he was, and judging from how unconcerned this Man looked, surely he must know something!]

What are those flying beasts? Are they dangerous?

home base and open!

[ringletted]

[For the first few minutes, she keeps her eye on the skyline, peering through the trees to glimpse the ships flying overhead every so often. It's an ominous sight, but she doesn't let it distract her for long. The goal here is too important to lose focus.

Not the goals of the Initiative, necessarily. She's still altogether unsure if she can really put her trust in anything they try to do. Instead, she's focusing on her own goal, and it's clearer to her every time she looks over the rest of the group and sees the faces of children scattered within the crowd. Her hand never strays far from her bow, wary of any threat that could approach the defenseless.]

[accidentalrebellion]

[This stunt has hardly done any favors for Katniss's general opinion of the Initiative. They've not only brought children into their war, but they've also sent them here. Here, to an even stranger time and place, right in harm's way. Helpless, defenseless.

But if it's for those children? She'll fight. Someone has to. Someone has to protect the ones who can't protect themselves but are still exploited as pawns in a power struggle.

She has to. Because she couldn't protect Rue. Because even if Peeta made it out of the arena, he's now in the Capitol's hands. Because it's her fault an entire district has now been leveled to ash. Her hands are already drenched with blood as it is, and the weight of debts she can never repay constantly drags her down. Subsequent failures aren't an option.

So she's here, too, with her hand gripped tightly on her own bow. Ready to use it at a moment's notice. Ready for the Games to begin again.]

home base: open!

[wieldertobe]

( A )

[ he has not seen many people aside the ones who have cared for him--suddenly, being part of a crowd does not bode well for Riku at all, because he promptly loses the hand he was holding so tight onto and is lost in the crowd. he jumps every now and then, tries to see if the person he's been following and has been guiding him is on their way to retrieve whatever special thing the Initiative sent them to retrieve.

when he can't find them, he starts to back up, hands balled close to his chest, looking around. who's around? who can help, and who can hinder? are there other small children? he can see a few older than him, teenagers, big kids pass by him without a second thought, and he ducks his head to try and ignore them and be ignored.

unusually quiet, he crouches away from the crowd, thinking on his own, hands laced underneath his legs and resting on the softness of the backs of his knees. ]

( B )

[ curiosity killed the cat.

also the small little child walking about the edge of the camp, dangerously close to battle lines. he seems curious to see what's going on, especially as he doesn't even think of toddling back to camp. instead of that, he decides to forgo all concepts of safety, and parks himself right there on the edge.

he laughs in the face of danger, ha-ha-ha-ha! ]

( locked to Connor )

[ it's very likely Connor would be able to see the flash of silver, blue and yellow out of the corner of his eye. given the circumstances, it does not seem that the odd burst of color serves a purpose.

at least, not until a few minutes later, when those colors seem to coalescence into a little boy with bright eyes that seems distinctly familiar, if not far more innocent and young than the source. at first glance, he seems lost, before he takes off running straight for the enemy line.

a child against modern weapons will not fare well, no doubt. ]

B

[breakingskylark]

[He'd stayed behind because this wasn't a mission he was particularly interested in, didn't even make much of an effort to conceal home base even though it would be fully in his power to hide their entire presence from anyone standing right in front of them. He's bored, debating what to do to keep himself entertained without causing too much trouble. And it appears he's not the only one, a child so small so close to danger.]

Kufufu...

[The laugh is soft and quiet as he sneaks up and kneels by the child, trident resting at his side.]

Oh? Are you a little small to be so close to such a big fight?

[undroppedeaves]

If the last mission had been confusing this one just went right over Sam's head. A.I? Drones? Air Ships? It was probably a good job Sam had no skills useful for this sort of mission and so was at home base.

Looking for Frodo, in case he was still a Tween. Far too many dangers here for a Tween.

He's trying not to look as jumpy as he feels, he might know little about this world but he knew enough that 'moments before it is bombed out of existence' meant trouble.

[mushroomthief]

It wouldn't take Sam long to find Frodo. The tween had stopped some distance from where those who been singled out as not part of the fighting group, and had frozen, starting up at the sky in a mixture of wonder and fear.

The strange creatures passed over him, only bare glimpses here and there through the trees, but it was enough to whip his hair about from their passage.

Home base | Open

[breakingskylark]

[Mukuro isn't quite as invested in this mission as the last, preferring to keep his powers to himself despite the fact that he could easily cloak the entire home base in a protective illusion. There's really no need for that, allow the others to think they're doing something.

He can be found idly pacing around or resting by a tree, trident in his hand as always. While he doesn't care for much there and really is simply waiting for it to be over, he does keep an eye on any stray children who may wander too far from safety. No need for unnecessary casualties, and it's always good to have people owe him a debt if he does end up protecting them. Gaining trust is the first step after all.]

Kougyoku Ren | on the shore or at sea | open to all!

[peachbaths]

A Dwell in me, Vinea!

[ If you are near the shoreline, you might have heard the rest of Kougyoku's chant. In a flash of light, she fully transforms, gets a giant blue sword, the works - her hair even changes color! But what's with that outfit? Kind of scandalous. ]

Unfortunately for them, water is my domain...

[ Will you be wowed by her transformation? Do you dare comment on her new get-up? Maybe you're here to try and team up with her. In any case, automated defense drones will appear a few tags in, so be prepared! ]

B [ So, you many have seen Kougyoku flying around and slicing bitches with her awesome water magic. In fact, she's casting another spell in mid-air right now. It's kind of hard to miss, her staying still with a glowing magic circle behind her and all. There's a huge wave of water building up behind that, too. Unfortunately, staying still makes her an easy target for anti-air units. ]

O spirit of sorrow and isolation, thou who controls the power to make kings...

[ There's a missile heading towards her as she recites her chant with her eyes closed. What do you do? ]

C [ Just when you're about to get hit, Kougyoku swoops down and pierces the enemy with her sword. It's not just any attack - the water around the weapon forms a hurricane around it, so it drills a hole right through! ]

My, this is almost boring me to tears! [ And then she turns... shy!? ] Um... are you okay?

B please~

[explodewiththerage]

[Honestly if he hadn't fought Kougyoku before he may have just kept on his trend of blasting APC's until they start melting in on themselves forcing their armored but still more squishy contents to run out seeking refuge. Too bad there is none as Natsu then proceeds to punch them into the air or into trees and buildings. Just after that though he hears the incantation and the now familiar sound of a rocket flying towards a target. Her. With his keen hearing it's no trouble finding the deadly projectile and as soon as he has his sights on it, Natsu blasts the missile with a high power Roar, vaporizing the missile in flight.]

Home Base | Open

[idealord]

A

[Younger person and/or interested by strange sights? Hilbert is playing with his Rotom - though he's still keeping a good eye and ear out for danger - and making Eeks do all sorts of tricks. Like creating a ring of electricity and zipping a ball of it through the ring over and over, keeping it stable. That's only on the Pokémon front, though, he's also telling them about what Eeks is.]

And a Pokémon's like an animal that lives in my world. They're all over the place where I come from in Unova! Some are big, some are small, some look scary, and some are as cute as any rabbit or puppy. But they're all really special. Eeks here is a ghost! There's even dragons!

[The Rotom staticshrieks happily, bouncing around as its electricity trick fades away.]

B

Now remember Eeks, you don't have to attack anyone. I'll... handle that. You just keep an eye out and distract them.

[Sitting on the base's border, Hilbert is (to people who've known him the past two months) unusually serious and keen-eyed. He wouldn't mind chatting it up with a fellow protector, but any kids or young teens will be sent back into camp. Eeks, as a Pokémon, isn't used to attacking humans and his trainer's not too keen on the idea either despite having gotten lessons from Kougyoku and whatnot. But that might be more because he has a shield as a sentient weapon than actual nervousness of danger.]

C [... And if your character is the type to get hurt running about, Hilbert is offering sporadic services in wrapping up cuts and scrapes and whatnot. And by "sporadic," I mean whenever someone comes up to him or he sees them hurting.

This is also the most viable time for hanging out.]

I'm sorry I'm a Homestuck with a recently expired paid bear with me...

[speakveryclearly]

Dragons exist on your world?

[A glowing alien girl with horns has been watching his lecture with fascination and approaches him the moment he seems idle.] I never thought I'd hear of a planet with civilized fauna.

crystal / home base / open

[crystalia]

( a ) She takes a few moments, at first, to survey their camp and see what there is to be done. So Crystal can be found examining the perimeter, making sure people have fresh water—a job she’s uniquely qualified to help with—or just trying to keep people calm. She’s clearly experienced in this, walking through the camp with an innate grace and confidence that can’t be faked. If she looks worried, it lasts only for a moment, and she’s ready to talk anything—strategy, supplies, mission status or the weather—with anyone who approaches her, smile at the ready.

( b ) One of the first time the troops get too close, Crystal is ready—it takes her all of a minute to raise a wall of rock between the base and the troops, six feet high and twice as wide across. Standing beside it with her hands in the air to keep it steady, her voice is noticeably strained as she calls out, “Excuse me? Someone might want to go deal with that before they break through.”

She’s able to hold the wall there for ten minutes or so before sweat starts beading down her brow and she grimaces. But there’s no option of letting it drop, not when there’s vulnerable children behind it.

( c ) In between attacks, she climbs up one of the taller trees in the forest and tries to get a better look at the shoreline. Only now does her composure slip, and as she watches the planes and the lights of the battle, she bites down on her lower lip. She knows she could have helped there, too, but someone also had to hold down the fort, as it were. She’s about to climb back down when a particularly strong assault shakes the ground around them—Crystal loses her footing and grip on the tree and slips.

She makes a grab for the bark of the tree, trying to steady herself, but chances are she might fall.

C

[strategic_guile]

There wasn't a lack of things to do to keep him occupied, but Blaine had moved away from the camp to take a look around himself. His skill set wasn't one that was all that helpful without a designated area that belonged to him. The people who fought alongside the initiative weren't close to him, but they didn't deserve to die as collateral damage either, so Blaine kept his gun holstered and rifle packed away but ready in case there was a breech. For now though, he walked through the trees.

The shaking ground has him holding his arms out to steady himself, but then it's over. He hears a sound and looks up, ready to draw if needed, but instead spots someone in the tree. "You alright?"

He's really hoping she isn't about to fall, because he may try to catch her, but she's high up and it's going to hurt like hell.

Home Base | Distraction

[flightybookshrew]

A: Home Base - Before the fighting really starts, Rose can be found sitting out of the way, her skin grey and grimdark, her body still wrapped in the faintly unsettling glowing black aura. A week of not being able to speak to anyone has taken its toll, and she looks...almost lonely, really, behind the frustration in her eyes. And an edge of eagerness. If they were right, this should 'fix' her, even if she doesn't remember being fixed before. And if they were wrong, and least she was going to get to work off some aggression.

B: Distraction - Rose was not pulling any punches out there. Floating fifteen or so feet off the ground, she practically radiated dark energy, and if someone squinted, they might see a wall of twisted, vicious tentacles that seemed to hover, indistinct, in the air behind her. The cloud of darkness around her wasn't indistinct anymore, it was almost a physical thing, writhing as she moved, and her eyes were glowing, empty black orbs.

She was holding the thorns in her hands, and she raised one of them and a thirty foot chunk of rubble from nearby wrenched itself free of the ground and went hurling away, smashing into the enemy lines as if thrown from a catapult, rolling over men and machines before finally stopping. Okay. This was starting to make her feel better...

B

[gates_of_babylon]

The raw, unhindered oppression of Gilgamesh's anger seemed to give the illusion that the battlefield had become a land of death. The reality of it being exactly that came as Gilgamesh strode through the battlefield itself, stepping over corpses and raining dozens upon dozens of glowing, immensely destructive weapons on any and every soldier unfortunate to come within his range. He didn't think a thing for who he cut down. They were in his way and in the spotlight.

"Hm?" The King paused, watching the far corner of the battlefield as Rose tore through it with darkness, matching his cruel atmosphere with her own. He approached with interest, though he masked his irritation. Someone was soaking up his attention.

Haruto Souma | Distraction | Open to All

[ringwizard]

A

[If there's anything Haruto is good at, distraction is certainly one of them. In the black and green Hurricane Style, his wind powers both allow him to fly and to send troops flying. He doesn't seem to be having much luck against the planes overhead, though, and changes focus to ground troops for the moment, swirling between soldiers with kicks and swings of his sword. He doesn't notice he's bitten off perhaps a little more than he chew until he moves to use his Defend spell against more gunfire than he's really capable of dodging all at once and finds he doesn't have quite enough room for that. In a fit of panic, he instead summons a blast of air in the shape of a tornado without a spell, which doesn't stop but at least redirects the bullets.]

Well, this might be a problem.

[He jumps, supported by more wind under his feet. Just as he crests the top of his jump, he swaps rings, and after the blaring noise of the WizarDriver singing Lupacchi magic, touch to go, Copy plays through the air. Rather than one black-and-green Wizard landing gently on the ground, there are two.]

Looks like it's showtime.

[He jumps right back in. He'd never ask for it, but assistance would be appreciated.]

B

[Haruto had wanted to avoid using the Dragon's power lying dormant within him for as long as he could, but he's running out of mana. Turning into a Phantom isn't on his list of things to do before he gets home, so he steels himself, slides on an even more ornate red ring, and shifts forms to Flame Dragon. His new all-red coat and ornate dragon-head-inspired breastplate don't seem much different than his usual battle getup, though perhaps a little more eye-catching. What might be a little different is the way fire follows every swing of his doubled-up swords, every swing of his kicks, and the way the green eyes on his breastplate glow with light.

He's more reckless now, but he seems to take hits better. He's largely running interference, trying to keep the amount of mana he steals from the Dragon at a manageable level in order to not tempt fate, and if he drops in to help you out, he'll throw you a nod.]

Looks like we're coming up on the finale, doesn't it?

Home Base | Distraction

[deadelfwalking]

A: Home Base

[Koltira's his old, dead self again, though he's retained full memories of everything that transpired while switched with his earlier version. As such, he's even more keen not to look too long at anyone around him. He spends the time before the battle just pacing, agitated, his miasma-coated sword clutched in one hand. For those who saw him while he was alive, the resemblance between the two figures is obvious: same facial structure, same build, same hair style. But where his living self was whole and pure, Koltira's undead body is cracked, corrupted, darkened from years of violence and struggle.

He stares straight ahead onto the battlefield, his muscles tense. Waiting.]

B. Distraction

[Once the fighting gets underway, Koltira throws himself into the thick of it. Battle is his only true escape, and while ordinarily he would take care not to lose himself to it, he's going with full abandon. Best not to step too close or get in his way--the area in a 20 yard radius around him seethes with poisonous decay, and the rot advances under his boots as he moves forwards, striking down any soldier that crosses his path. Provided that soldier doesn't inhale Koltira's plague and collapse with a lungful of blood first, of course.

As the battle progresses, the black miasma clinging to Byfrost's blade thickens and writhes; bits of it seem to detach and fall to the ground, where they dissipate--or are absorbed, hard to say--into the earth. Nothing about the sight of Koltira in this conflict is pretty, aside from the usual rapid, merciless grace of his movements.]

A?!

[ino]

[waves cheerfully LMFAO HEY FIGHTIN' BUDDY]

home base - open

[ino]

A

[well, ino knows next to nothing about computers or programs or whatever, so she'll just be sticking around outside, looking around and twirling a kunai with one finger casually. the sooner this is over with, the better ... she's alert and ready to fight if necessary, but for now, she just looks kind of bored]

B

[and if your character happens to get injured, she's offering healing services! feel free to come on over if you need some medical assistance.]

A!

[accidentalrebellion]

[Nothing's happened in a while. Katniss knows, maybe better than anyone, that that's no reason to get complacent. Maybe it's not the Initiative's explicitly spelled-out mission, but she does have one here, an important one, and she can't dare to let her guard down. (Not that she can ever dare to let her guard down.)

Her feet, though, struggle to allow her to stay in one place for an extended period of time, so she's been moving around, bow in hand and quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder, an eye always kept out on the distance. Somewhere near the other girl, she takes a pause. For the moment, she doesn't provide any acknowledgement.]

Home base | open!

[charming_jerk]

[Older!Johnny is still around, and decided to stick to home base since he knows he's not sneaky and lacks flashy powers. So, he'll be patrolling and keeping a close eye on security on base. He's a little bored, though, so he might strike up a conversation with people., especially with the more tense-looking folk.]

So. Uruguay, huh.

[Okay, no one ever said he was good at conversation.]

[gamblinman]

[Nick's at least trying to take a little more interest in this mission than he had the last one; at least here there was the possibility that he might get to shoot something.

Currently he's standing idle near the outskirts of the base, rifle held casually in one hand as he keeps an eye on the perimeter. He's not much of a talker either, but he doesn't mind Johnny that much.]

It could be worse. Could be better, too. [The last place did have booze, after all.]

Home Base | Distraction

[wilder]

A: Home Base

[Zelos stands away from the rest of the group as he prepares for battle, since really he's had his fill of children and social interaction for a good long while. He watches ahead, being able to see the future battle site easily despite it being a mile away, as he does stuff like braid up his hair and check his fancy green sword to make sure it's sharp enough]

[And you know, slipping in some earplugs that he's hiding under his hair because the sound of guns hurt when you have super hearing ow.]

B: Distraction

[And once the battle starts, Zelos throws himself into the midst of it. Cause hey, seemed a whole lot better than sticking around the home base and talking. His style of fighting is practically made for crowds, so he has no trouble cutting down any robots or troops the try to get near him. Sometimes he'll throw a volley of fireballs or lightning bolts or simply throw people back with gusts of wind. Since hey- he's supposed to be a distraction right? Might as well make it flashy]

B, of course >:D

[skirtcladgunner]

[Tori tries to keep the few lessons Shadow gave her in mind while not pushing her own moral boundaries too far--she's been training for something like this. She still has a little bit of issue with raising her weapon toward people though, and with them she tries desperately to keep them a good distance away with her magic, careful to not overdo it in the process. After all, her own gusts of wind are from a considerably weaker magic source than Zelos', and overdoing it was what got her in trouble last time!]

Hey, Kaneis~! [She shouts over the moment she notices him, giving a wink before shooting down another robot.] You hanging in there?

Lena Duchannes | Distraction | Open

[claimyourself]

[Lena's standing in the rear of the battle, since this is her first time actually doing anything like this. She's holding her staff, though she's not sure if she can feel a difference to using her magic alongside it. Her hair curls and uncurls as she Casts, but otherwise, she looks the same.

She's trying to concentrate lightning bolts on the area in front of the ground troops, to stop them from moving forward, but she's nervous and a little scared, and that makes her magic unpredictable.

After taking a shaky breath, she looks around her. Maybe there's a more seasoned veteran of this who can give her some pointers.]

[spongetastrophe]

[speaking of seasoned veterans, Peter is perfectly in his element as a distraction. It's not that he actually cares about the Initiative or this mission. He's just been itching to cause trouble, so getting into a battle feels really good right about now.

He notices the girl's power, and her nervousness]

Hey, you think you can aim that lightning toward the ships? I can take care of the ground troops.

Homebase || Open || Set before teams head out to escort the techs

[marked_for_death]

[Elza stood away from everyone else after the instructions had been given. The only reason she was helping at all was because her Guild Master had ordered her to. She knew that Clive was still trying to decide how much they should offer their aid, and respected his decision either way.

Watching as the others moved about, the gunner huffed lightly to herself in amusement before glancing away from the crowd. Elza was never much one for social interaction when it wasn't necessary to her survival, and she was displaying that here as she turned to begin walking away from the gathering.]


[ooc: prose or action is fine! I'll adapt.]

[solitaire]

<sub>( Remy is preparing for the mission in his own way—which means standing against a wall, shuffling a deck of cards between his hands and looking on at everything with muted interest. He doesn’t really care about any of this, but damn, this is something he can do, something he’s good at. Being necessary and having purpose, who doesn’t like that? Even if it’s in the service of a group with veiled intentions who just dropped you and a bunch of children into a war zone.

He takes everything in with a slow, practiced eye. When he spots Elza, his lips curl into a smile. He crosses the distance between them in a few steps, cards still in his hands. )</sub>

Headin’ off ta war?

Jim Raynor - Distraction - Open

[goinbust]

[Jim had spent his time being the odd man out on three sided conflicts, getting one to chase the other around long enough to get his people in or organize an evac so this wasn't something too odd to him. Even in his power suit he was pretty good at moving across the terrain and keeping a low profile and frequently he would take a few potshots at the automated defenses with his hand gun and lead them towards incoming UE troops when he could or if there were just UE troops, he had a machine gun and power armor.]

"Well hell, I guess this is better than getting drunk all day."

homebase | before escort groupings

[diplomatique]

[ although he's one of the escorts for a techie, Larsa breaks away from the group for a moment or two to try casting the spells he knows will come in handy. for a moment, it likely looks like he's praying, gloved hands laced together, brought to his lips as his eyes close.

as a wind starts to pick up around his feet, however, and a light blue glow starts around him. in a second, he completely vanishes.

Vanish is a potent spell against humans. if all goes well, he should be able to use this to protect his group.

it's only when he starts to walk that there's a slight shimmer of a figure moving around. he dispels the spell a moment afterward, coming back into focus as the twelve-year-old boy he is.

that might cause some confusion for those in home base. ]

[miiracles]

[ Off to the side, Rika's observing everyone quietly and clinging to a large, ornate-looking plough, her sentient weapon which she had never brought out until now. She appears more subdued, unlike how she was back at Black Rock. She doesn't feel like doing much at all and has been sticking around the home base. Reverting back to her current self and getting a vision thrown at her was a bit too much for her.

She has been in a less talkative mood, but watching Larsa cast a few spells has her somewhat curious. ]

...

What did you do just now?

Maya Fey | Homebase

[acemedium]

[And here Maya is as a distraction.]

[Except it isn't a fighting distracting, it's a more like 'attempt to keep other people in the homebase occupied' kind of distraction. So expect to be approached and bugged by a (slightly restless) little spirit medium]

What are you up to?

[thebluepawn]

[And if Maya is a restless distraction, Phoenix is her stalker. He's been following her around wherever she's going, staying within sprinting distance in case something happens to her. He's not right behind her, but he's close enough that he can talk to her without yelling and keep an eye on her.

Why is she so calm?

Why are they here? Why can't they go home?]

Maya.

What's... going on?