Reassembly II: Creatures of Light and Darkseid (M&M 3e)

[CandyLaser]

Sarah-α

"Director Brand, before you do anything with Ronin, you should know you've got saboteurs in the weapons bay, using Shi'ar technology to hijack one of the station's guns. Rather than confine Ronin, he should be dispatched to assist me in capturing the saboteurs." For the moment, she refrained from mentioning the Bricklayer, Fire Road, or any of the other obvious code phrases in the dialogue she'd captured. First, she did a quick trawl of her mental archives, aiming to figure out what those terms might mean.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Well-Informed Investigation: (1d20+20)[24]

Sarah-β

This Sarah smiled brightly. "It looks like you're trying to take over the station's armaments, but really, you're doing it all wrong. Perhaps I should be helping you? Oh, and by the way, I've already notified SWORD and my teammates about all this, and I have a photographic memory, so your faces will be all over the station in just a few moments. Basically, if you drop what you're doing and run now, you might have a chance. Otherwise..." She hefted her portal gun, menacingly.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Let's try to Intimidate, using Polymath to get a better chance: (1d20+10)[20]

Sarah-Prime

Back with Jonn, Sarah-Prime muttered a curse under her breath. "Sabotage on weapons deck confirmed. Let's move." Through Shared Awareness, she added, ~Do the terms Fire Road, the Sunglasses, Seashell, or the Bricklayer mean anything to any of you?~ She briefly filled in the rest of the team on what she'd uncovered in the encrypted data stream.

[SuperCracker]

A lot of things were happening in a short amount of time. First, Ronin pressed the issue enough to figure out one thing. She’s following orders. Who gave those orders was a question he couldn’t answer. And once Brand has her agents pointing guns at him, it was unlikely he’d have the opportunity to press the issue and get that answer. He turned towards Brand and her agents. He wasn’t exactly worried about the agents with guns. He was worried about where Brand’s agenda laid. Was she in on it? He looked at her for a sustained moment. He couldn’t tell.

As for being confined… nope. He had several plays to make here. Disrupting SWORD might be a good idea if they are involved in this. Something crazy would fit the bill. But if they aren’t involved, then it would do more harm than good.

“When I’ve committed myself to a cause, I do not waver. I will see to it that the Martian Manhunter makes it through this day alive.

You should keep an eye on your own, Brand.”

Now was a good time to relay what he’d learned over the Shared Awareness. ~It’s an inside job. Someone from Earth wants the assassination. One of the SWORD agents is following orders from a legitimate Earth authority.~

And lastly, Sarah-alpha was requesting that he help with saboteurs at Beta’s location. He didn’t particularly care if he received Brand’s approval or not. “On it.” He lifted his right arm and looked into the small mirror affixed there. There was a ripple in space as he vanished. At that same instant, another ripple appeared at a location close to Sarah-Beta in the Weapons Bay.

“So… what do we have here?”

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Only as a last resort," Katie agreed with a serious look on her face. But it was shortly replaced by a sincere smile. "Thank you."

~Okay cool,~ she sent back at Rene's mention of an escape route. So, in the event of an attack, they could bring J'onn's defensive powers online, send the SWORD agents to "go get reinforcements" (really, to get out of the way of a superheroic battle without insulting their pride; SWORD was a powerful organization, but she doubted a mere two of their operatives would provide anything more than a messy speedbump against a Kryptonian) and Rene could get him out of immediate danger, while she and Sarah held off the attacker with their powerful combination of science and magic. Sounded like a plan to-

And then Sarah found saboteurs in the weapons systems.

"You go," she said. This could be a misdirect, and she didn't want to risk leaving J'onn. Also, staying out of direct combat allowed her much more operational flexibility, allowing her to focus on her scrying, sensing, and sharing spells. Of course, that didn't mean her presence couldn't be felt. "Sorry for the mindy stuff," she said (she knew Sarah wasn't a huge fan of the spells that made mental adjustments, even when they were enhancements) as she tapped Sarah's temple, her wormhole generator, and her gravity gauntlet with her wand each in turn, speaking a quick spell over Sarah herself and a second over her devices.

Both of them were basic enhancements cast with limited power - she couldn't do much more without breaking concentration on her scrying. However, what they lacked in potency, they made up with in finesse, borrowing some tricks she had picked up from the Talisman when they had been working together. The Mage of Bindings had provided some useful insights into connecting disparate energies to each other, and while Katie couldn't bind on the level that she could, her grounding in thaumaturgic principles had given her a good enough foundation that she had been able to work out some simple binding spells.

The first spell took the mental link that connected Sarah with her counterparts and tied it to the psychic structure of her Shared Awareness spell. While this disabled the existing link, Sarah could still communicate with them using Shared Awareness. In return, the burden of concentration required to keep them up was divided out through the link. Divided among all the people currently connected (especially when one of them was the mentally powerful Martian Manhunter) that mental effort was reduced to trivial levels for any one person, enough to maintain subconsciously.

The second spell created an energy connection between Sarah's wormhole generator and her gravity gauntlet, allowing the former to power the latter. Now, the wormhole generator's power source wasn't as strong as the one that fed Sarah's arsenal, but it would be enough for the gauntlet to work at a lower, though still appreciably superhuman, strength. Together, the bindings would be sufficient for Sarah to make a modest personal contribution to combat even while maintaining her summons.

Although as she finished the spells it...did occur to her that the plan she was putting together in the event of an attack now kinda left her holding off the attacker alone. That thought sent her heart fluttering a bit for sure, and her wand lingered a moment on Sarah's wormhole generator even as her hand slipped unconsciously to the mirror tucked into her sash. Shared Awareness was up, after all, and as long as those two objects were in play, she'd never really be alone, now would she?

Spoiler

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Concentrating on the scrying still, which means she can only take a move action to place a 10-point Augmentation on Sarah.

10 points to remove the Concentration Flaw from Temporal Duplicates.
-1 point to remove Mental Link from Temporal Duplicates.
1 point to partially duplicate Gravity Gauntlet as an alternate power of the Wormhole Generator array. The initial duplicate is four ranks lower, so Damage 8 (Accurate 4) Linked Affliction 8.
-4 points to add Limited Degree to the Affliction (making it only Dazed/Stunned).
2 points to raise the Damage to rank 10.
1 point to raise the now-Limited Affliction to rank 10.
1 point to add another rank of Accurate.

Final Gravity Gauntlet alternate is Damage 10 (Accurate 5) Linked Affliction 10 (Dazed/Stunned; Fortitude; Limited Degree). In the Wormhole Generator array, so while it's mutually exclusive with teleporting the same round, she can still maintain her summons while using it, and since they're no longer Concentration, she'll have a standard action to use it to attack with. Note that the augmentation only lasts five rounds.

[Starsign]

Rene had been, as usual, silent amidst escorting J'onn across the station. His mind had been all too occupied by his own conversation with J'onn in addition to what had been going around everyone's minds; and Rene did not like what he was hearing. Sabotage, inside job... This whole trial feels like it's a set up, or at least designed to kill off J'onn. Rene cannot believe all this; how was he supposed to help a situation as ****ed as this? The whole thing stresses his mind and taxes his ability to remain calm. Most of this seems to be, or will be, sorted out by the Misfits and their friends. All he really is here for is to just keep J'onn safe. It's the most Rene can really do at this point.

...Well that and talk.

Spoiler: Mental Conversation

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...And boy, did Rene have things to say. J'onn's shockingly defeatist attitude is just about crossing the line for the otherwise quiet and timid reptilian.

~J'onn, stop.~ His voice suddenly intrudes into the super-skrull's mind. Rene had been patient with J'onn, even understanding. Rene knows how it is to feel hopeless in a hopeless situation. He's had it happen to him too much to it happen to anyone else. It's to the point where he can't stand listening to one of his closest friends feel like they're in the exact same situation that he was once in. All of this mess happening around the station makes the despair brought by J'onn too much as something clicks in Rene. ~Shut up and listen to me, because you ****ing didn't the first time.~ The sudden venom in Rene's thoughts speak both of frustration and compassion.

~J'onn I didn't come all this way just so you could depress me. I came because I want you to live. If you die, it will be for nothing! If I watch you die, I watch the death of one of the few people in this universe that cares about me. If either of us die, then one of us will be nothing more than some nameless casualty while the other mourns and suffers. J'onn, losing you would be like me losing one of my family. And the fact that you still want to die despite that is just telling me how selfish you are!~ Rene's anger comes off more as anguish and worry than it does pure fury; words spoken of desperation rather than ones of rejection.

~And y'know what? I've felt like that before. And you've seen some of them.~ Immediately images flash through the minds of the two as brief-yet-significant and bleak moments in Rene's life.

He lies in the empty sewer, bloodied, broken and alone. His brother gone; his allies gone.

He lies in the duct pipe, hunted by all on an alien ship. His spirit destroyed; his mind manipulated; his sanity breaking.

He lies in bed, safe but hated and doubted by all. His every being traumatized; his tormentor still haunting him.

~There were horrible times of my life. It felt like there was no hope for me then. Had it not been for the others: the Misfits, the Secret Warriors... and you, I don't know if there had been any. But I did get out. I recovered, and now I'm here with you.~ The anger in Rene's thoughts cool off, leaving his concern to be heard by J'onn. ~So I don't care how hopeless you think it is right now. I can't let you die. None of us want you to die! This isn't a matter of what you tell the skrulls and kryptonians, as they're going to listen. It's a matter of whether you get there and what they do to you after.~

~We're going to get you to that court J'onn. You need to show them what you want them to. And when that is done, I will be as loud and as vocal as I can if they call for your execution. Because I won't let my friend or family die in front of me, even if they're trying to save me. I can save them because I'm alive, then I will! And I'll do so without getting myself killed so I can save someone else later!~

Rene's mental thoughts, full of sound and fury, signifying compassion, trickle down into a quiet, soulful question, one he hopes J'onn understands. ~...Wouldn't you do the same for your friends and family J'onn?~

Spoiler: OOC

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Not sure whether Rene should roll Persuasion or Intimidate. Herod do you want to give me a confirmation on this please?

[Thokk_Smash]

Zach's head perks up at the sound of clattering boots. Breathing slightly heavier than before, he hurries back to the secondary docking bay. As he does, he continues the performance in his mind.

Spoiler

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So, the Raoists' reaction brings him a pause. And, a bit belatedly, he realizes that perhaps rattling the cage of a cornered beast wasn't the best idea. The lock hasn't given out yet, but the restraints are loose. They're practically chomping at the bit to do something that'll erase their failure in their own eyes.

Well, Zach can't very well let their anger run amok, can he? Rather, he can't let them run amok without proper direction.

~"Just you wait"~

Through the restless murmurs Zach's voice cuts through.

~"Just you wait"~

Lightning splits the air, drawing the attention of all within his mindscape.

~"Just you waaaaait!"~

~"I've been where you are, I know how you feel"~
~"Been kicked down so long under life's damned heel"~
~"My father was killed right in front of my eyes"~
~"Been blinded and deafened and fed goddamned lies"~

~"But I've risen up, and so you can too"~
~"To rise, take the prize and make it on through"~
~"Through the pain life threw your way"~
~"Wade through the pain and you can make it pay!"~

~"You want to act, spring into action, make right"~
~"And me and my friends want to lend you our might"~
~"Might might make right what has gone wrong"~
~"But if rewritten wrong then it's the end of your song"~

~"This song is one of hope, and I want you to sing it"~
~"But since we're still writin' we're gonna have to wing it"~
~"I fought beside the Talisman, freed her from her cage"~
~"Humans and Skrull all on the same page"~

~"I helped to liberate her, don't underrate"~
~"The help I can give you 'gainst your fate"~
~"There is a plot 'gainst your people, or so I've been told"~
~"Let me help you, bring you in from the cold"~

~"You say you want sentries? Let them be sent"~
~"Pick out a few of you whose strengths should be lent"~
~"Lend me your strength and take back your agency"~
~"Agents of Rao, of your people--a step towards being free"~

Spoiler

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Routining a Expertise (Musician) for 30
Persuasion roll: (1d20+20)[37]

Possible Second Chance re-roll if allowed and/or needed: (1d20+20)[32]

When he gets to the docking bay, he turns to the closest female officer. "What is the commotion here?" he asks.

[Lizard Lord]

Howard does a double take on this moron. "Wha tha @#$% are ya taklin' about? Supes ain't workin' wit tha Skrulls. That's tha whole point. Tha plan is ta give them a chance ta redeem themselves by lettin' them work fer Superman. I don't know where you gots yer infor from pal but-"


Howard's rant is interrupted by the new engineers and well their whole story just doesn't make sense given current events. Why would Brand choose now of all times to do mystery upgrades on the propulsion (okay so they explained what it is, but even if they where telling the truth is just sounded like technobabble to Howard) without letting her main engineers there know about it? That's when Ronin thoughtspeaks to them about how there are Sabotuers aboard and Howard has made up his mind.


"Take it up with Brand, all right? But do it later, we're on a schedule. Get!"

"Nothin' doin' toots. This whole thing smells fishy ta me so I'm gonna take it up wit her right now. Someone get her on tha line, cause I ain't leavin' 'til this is cleared up."

[herodofcows]

Potence, Sarah-Prime, Builder

Spoiler: Builder Mental Conversation

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J'onn remains silent as you read him the riot act. His eventual reply is measured, as one chewing over his words carefully before speaking.

~I . . . Thank you, Rene. Thank you.~

His tone becomes musing as he continues.

~It's disturbingly easy to become fatalistic, isn't it? To assume that pessimism is rational, that the world is a hair's breadth away from catastrophe and to only prepare for the worst?~

~And for all that, it becomes clear with the benefit of hindsight that nothing ever gets better through cynicism, does it? Despair is never productive, and resignation never changed anything beyond making peace with the worst possible outcome.~

~It is infinitely easier to die for a cause than it is to live for one. I had forgotten. Thank you for reminding me.~

~Nevertheless, I must ask that we continue forward, regardless of the peril. While this trial is primarily institutional, I care just as much for the court of public opinion. I would speak, and hope my words reach the world at large even if they do not reach my judges~

Spoiler: Potence's Scrying

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You're able to sense everything below, and you're also able to sense as far ahead as the Shield Generator shortcut that you're slated to take. The way seems clear once you get into the generator walkways. No guards, no techs, no nothing.

As the group proceeds forward, the two S.W.O.R.D. guards have fully locked and loaded. They approach the door to the periphery of the Command Center as though it's wired to blow. One of them urges you back as the other opens, gun at the ready . . .

Immediately a wall of noise and hubbub breaks through into the previous tranquility. S.W.O.R.D. agents and techs are running back and forth like chickens with their heads cut off. Even without Katie's scrying or Shared Awareness, it's possible to hear Brand's barking.

Sarah-α

Brand sputters as Ronin vanishes off, and then rounds on the nervous agent, who has turned back to the computer and begun typing feverishly.

"Agent, stand down from your station. NOW."

The agent continues to type for a single second too long, but is abruptly interrupted as Brand's fist connects with her head.

"Take her to the brig," she snarls at the two security agents as the renegade slumps over, and then raises her voice as she begins typing on the agent's terminal.

"As of right now, I want us at Condition Orange, silent. I want all maintenance personnel to suspend any work that they're doing and check in at their locations. I want a security sweep throughout the Peak, with special emphasis on vital systems. Lock down the courtroom. Nobody leaves, only the package goes in with the approved guards. Other agencies are compromised, no calls in or out. Go!"

She backs away from the terminal as the entire Command Center springs into action. She continues to speak into her earpiece.

"Brand here. Keep the Secondary Docking Bay locked down. Agents stay at your . . . Damn it, fine, set up a perimeter and prepare to breach. NON-LETHAL FORCE ONLY."

Orange lights begin to flash throughout the station, but the alarms are silent.

Spoiler: Sarah-α

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Your backdoor into the chat logs allows you to look into the conversation that just happened.

-Peak: Reroute Bricklayer. Compromised. Seashells.
-Watchtower: Sunglasses moving to position, ready to lock down.
-S.H.I.E.L.D.: Bricklayer to Checkpoint Unnatural.
-Peak: Belay previous. Can salvage. Bricklayer not flagged.
-Peak: Fire Road in an hour. Confirm.

Thunderstruck

The Secondary Docking Bay is a warren of activity. The security forces that were previously standing along the periphery have sprung into action. Security forces are locking and loading. Temporary force barriers are springing up along the periphery of the docked ships, and various heavily-armed agents are huddling behind them. Heavy ordinance is being assembled at lightning speed, and agents in riot gear are loading up into troop transports.

From the ships, you can hear chanting and stomping going on. The noise, while muffled by the hulls, is still room-filling. Several agents (including the one you approach) are looking mighty apprehensive.

"Aliens've gone bugf***, sir!" the agent barks in return, clearly not paying too much attention to you as she readies her firearms, "We've been given the order to pacify!"

Spoiler: Mental Conversation

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Within your mind and with Sarah's translator, you can hear and understand the prayers within. It has a decidedly different tone from their earlier prayer: joyous, almost, laced with a kind of prideful zealotry. For all that, you can tell that their energy is not imminently aggressive. They're not about to come storming out of the ships. This is, if anything, a pump-up jam.

"I hear the beat of flaming wings
And my heart beats as an echo
I see your camp, torn asunder
Yet you stand proud within its walls
For you are Kly'bn, unchanging
You are the wall that guards the soul

"Let the Thing-That-Corrupts tempt us
Let Him assault our bark with blight
The Flamebird burns away the rot
Kly'bn protects the wood within."

Ronin, Sarah-β

Spoiler: Opponent's Powers

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This gentleman's powers are entirely mechanical, given to him by some kind of mechanical pseudo-symbiote he's wearing under his clothes. The device grants him superhuman strength, speed, durability, and senses, as well as the ability to fly and project extradimensional energy in blasts. However, you can tell that each of these abilities have the potential to be enhanced remotely. Only one can be "enhanced" at a time. Currently, the "senses" portion is enhanced.

As Sarah hefts her gun and Ronin teleports onto the scene, the lead tech's face goes briefly slack. A suit begins to blossom from underneath his uniform, like a white version of Spider Man's symbiote. He spins around to the other technicians and begins to yell something in an unknown language.

"Unknown", but really that's a formality. Now that Ronin is present, his ability to pierce concealment helps the others see what truly is. The maintenance techs are human, but the one in the lead is Shi'ar.

Spider Man, Howard

The blue-skinned alien woman rolls her eyes as Howard begins to posture up. Spider Man's danger sense starts going wild.

"Well, if that's how it's got to be . . ." she smirks, and then her eyes begin to glow purple.

Everyone's skull begins to vibrate, as though someone had shoved a miniature earthquake into their cerebral cortex. It feels as though it's building up to something dangerous.

Spider Man finds his reflexes kicking into overdrive, even as the symbiote begins to respond.

Apprehension. Adrenaline. Oh HELL no . . .

[Quellian-dyrae]

Katie took a breath, let it out with a long, tight exhalation. Much though she wanted to project confidence, she could already feel the familiar pounding in her heart. Here we go.

Despite her reason, her heart was kinda screaming at her to go help her friends, to protect and support them as the battle began, but she quelled the urge. This was where she needed to be.

They could have rushed ahead, the way appeared clear, but the last thing they needed to do was add any further chaos to the situation, or blunder into an ambush. A calm, measured, professional advancement was best.

Brand's orders regarding the maintenance crews brought her some concern. The ones they had passed had checked out, which was fine for clearing unfounded suspicions. With an inside job confirmed, though, having the right papers didn't necessarily confirm their authorization.

Katie did one more, more thorough, sweep of the area ahead, just to make sure she hadn't missed anything, and then sent her Helping Hand back the way the came, to where they had left those workers, to make sure they were complying with the cease-work order.

"If we get attacked, I think the best strategy will be for you guys to go for backup," she said. "You'll know better where to go to get the biggest guns the fastest, and Rene and I can hold off the threat until you get back." There was not an ounce of question as to whether or not Rene would be capable of it. She had seen him defeat the Totem and knew full well what he was capable of.

Spoiler

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Perception to make sure I haven't missed anything in the area ahead: (1d20+20)[37] for sight/hearing scrying, reduce by 15 for tactile sense. Then sending the Helping Hand back to check on those workers we passed earlier, just in case.

Persuasion to try and convince the guards to get out of harm's way go for backup in the event of an attack without offending their pride: (1d20+22)[33], -5 if Attractive doesn't apply.

[SuperCracker]

“Shi’ar,” Ronin said a split second before the lead tech began to cover himself in a technologically enhanced suit. The Shi’ar are basically bird *ssholes. They love to mess with mutants; particularly those with the surname Grey and/or Summers. They have their own supervillain squad. They have a far-reaching space empire sometimes ruled by d*cks and sometimes ruled by humongous evil d*cks. Either way, he would be happy to cut this one down.

Ronin drew Starsoul with a quick slash which missed the mark.

“Nice dodge, bird-boy; but we’re gonna clip those wings.”

That was as good of a quip as any to transform. After all, the Shi’ar had done his own little power-up. Ronin let out a sharp, crystal clear kiai shout and transformed with a booming sound. Gold hair, gold glow, mirror shades. He took a stance, holding Starsoul out ahead. “Surrender or die. Only chance I’m giving you.”

[Lizard Lord]

Howard's rules on killing is basically only when lives are immediately on the line, including (or rather especially) your own. A duck has a right to defend himself, but killing for any other reason is basically murder. (Unless you're a soldier, but Howard's not). Right now, with a crazy blue broad trying to melt his mind (or whatever it is she is trying to do) in order to further an assassination plan that could lead to the destruction of earth, definitely qualifies as one of those times to use potentially lethal force.

So when Howard is shaking as he aims his BFG at the telepathic saboteur it is safe to it is because of the supernatural headache he is getting and not because he is hesitating about shooting someone that may not be bullet resistant.


"Okay....you....need....ta cut....that....out....right @#$%^&* now!"

Spoiler

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Attacking the Blue Shi'ar with the BFG. (1d20+10)[14] DC 25 damage if I hit.

[TheIronGolem]

As his Spider-Sense slows down his perception of time, Jimmy roots around in the dusty attic of his memory, searching for anything related to the blue lady. He can't quite place her personally, but he's pretty sure she's one of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. Though she might not be an actual Shi'ar herself. Or is she? Were those the bird people, or the orange-skinned ones? Jeez, how does this one planet see so many alien species? Is Earth like, the Ellis Island of the universe or something? How is it-

Alarm. Impatience. Focus, please!

Yeah, Olsen. Fight now, Andy Rooney routine later.

Hoping that the psychic attack means nobody's paying attention to him at the moment, Jimmy sheds the jumpsuit in favor of his black duds. Seeing Howard go for his gun gives Spider-Man an idea. He hops onto one nearby large machine, then another, and finally lands with his feet planted on the ceiling. Pointing both fists at the blue lady, he fires two web-lines at her, intending to pull her up into the air to give Howard a clean shot.

"I hear station is above Russia today", Spider-Man says in a cartoonishly bad Russian accent.

"And in Soviet Russia," he adds, "duck shoot you!"

Spoiler: OOC

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Move Action: Leap to ceiling
Standard Action: Feint vs. Blue (using Agile Feint), using Set-Up to transfer benefit to Howard: (1d20+12)[26]

[Starsign]

From the perspectives of everyone who can see him, Rene's reptilian posture calms down from his former, shaky self. A very small look of relief seems to wash over his face as if he had just passed a dire moment in his life, despite nothing of any seeming importance has happened.

That is, among many other things about Rene, all in his mind.

Spoiler: Mental Conversation

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J'onn can feel Rene's relief more than anyone, having switched from a frustrated and compassionate anger to a happy exhaustion in Rene's thoughts. ~Thank you J'onn... Thank you. I don't want-~ He cuts himself off, realizing an echo of worry within his choice of words. ~I won't let this be the end for any of us. I've had to deal enough with my brother's fatalism. I don't want everyone to start feeling that way.~ If Rene know how to mentally hug someone, he would've given one to J'onn now.

~We're gonna get you to that court,~ he repeats. ~Not you; not me; we are getting there. And then we'll-~

Rene's body shudders in concern as he hears Ronin's one, simple line suddenly speak into everyone's minds. Now normally the mention of a shi'ar would have Rene just respond in confusion, having no idea what they actually are or look like. However, trudging through a warship, getting mind****ed by a dozen or so beings and having the memories of a super-skrull flowing through Rene's mind is anything but normal.

~Shi'ar? What?!~ His thoughts are pulled into shock and confusion as he mentally speaks through Katie's shared awareness. ~But they were helping Earth last time Darkseid invaded! They fought him! What the **** are they doing here?!~ To say that Rene did not want more complications is an understatement and it makes him wonder just how many different factions are working against each other by this point.

Immediately Rene's reptilian nose begins sniffing out the room he and J'onn are in, primarily in case he smells anything or anyone who is particularly "off" or hostile. By this point he's expecting a surprise attack.

Spoiler: Mental Conversation Cont.

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Rene thinks through the mental link again, somewhat in a panic trying to reassure J'onn of their overall goal. ~Alright, alright we should've expected the, um, unexpected.~ A part of Rene feels very guilty of thinking of that particular cliche, but it is fitting. ~Let's just stay close and keep moving. If we really gotta, Katie can take off those binds, **** the regulations. But we're just gonna get you there. Because I don't...~ He finds himself repeating himself again as flashes of fear tore through Rene's mind briefly. In an instant he stops trying to think of the worst, just as he taught J'onn to forget the same. After a silent pause, Rene nervously chuckles as he considers how he's been treating and what he thinks of J'onn.

~Sorry, we've already talked this before but sometimes I can't stop thinking of you like... an uncle, y'know?~ There's no denying it, he likes to think of people close to him almost as family, and in the case of Croc and J'onn, absolutely like family. This is in spite that Rene and Croc are only related by virtue of the Totem and J'onn is a shapeshifter. ~I must be crazy thinking that.~ He may be crazy, but simply thinking about it and even confronting it seems to somewhat Rene down. If there's anything he likes, it's being true to himself and expression his compassion while doing so.

Spoiler: OOC

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Gonna make a Perception check as per Rene using his senses. He's in Evasion Instinct so all traits from that and of his normal Sense powers apply: (1d20+11)[22]

[herodofcows]

Ronin, Sarah-Beta

The Shi'ar zooms out of the way of Ronin's blade as a white, black, and red suit forms around him. Both Ronin and Sarah will recognize the uniform as belonging to Shi'ar Imperial Guardsman designate Smasher. He barks something at the techs as he swings wildly at Ronin, who parries . . .

KABOOM

There's a brief confusion of heat and noise as the shipbuster gun explodes, sending shrapnel and flame across the area. Sarah's mass field holds against the pummeling flames, as does Ronin's innate durability.

The technicians are gone as the explosion subsides, but Smasher stands tall still. Around our heroes, the superheated metal, fuel, and primer within the gun has created an inferno. It's not immediately dangerous, but there's a real possibility of the other guns going off or suffering some kind of further damage . . .

Smasher is saying something in Shi'ar, but the meaning is lost.

Spidey, Howard

The purple-skinned woman grins nastily as Spidey's web lines fly at her, only to be swatted aside by purple blasts of force.

"Oh, I haven't seen one of YOUR kind in a while, Klyntar!"

Her eyes pulse purple, and suddenly everyone in the vicinity gasps or yells as a wave of concentrated pain crashes over them. The symbiote immediately floods Spider Man with enough endorphins to counter the psychic assault. Howard weathers the worst of it, but the pain is just enough to unfocus him slightly, causing his aim to be off as he blasts at the purple-skinned woman.

The propulsion technicians are all reeling or down entirely. The human-looking intruders continue to bring in more of the alien devices, pressing them to walls or available sockets.

"And . . . Where the hell are YOU from?" asks the purple woman to Howard, clearly genuinely curious.


Potence, Builder, Sarah Prime

The two guards hesitate for a moment, but there's a certain logic to Potence's request. Both give a nod and tacitly accept that, in times of weirdness and unexpected calumny, the wizard might be the best person to lead the party.

As Potence scries and the Builder sniffs, they both come to be aware of different things.

Potence will notice something bizarre about a new officer that has just walked into range. They appear to be wearing a bulky vest beneath their uniform jacket, with several very blocky patches layered throughout. The officer is heading purposefully to the Command Center, which is still in the process of coordinating the lockdown.

Builder, meanwhile, will be able to smell a new something within the vents. It's behind them but approaching at impressive speed. It's strange, it's bizarre, but apparently there's something humanoid, furry, and mammalian crawling through the vents towards the stationary party?

Spoiler: Builder Mental Convo

Show

~The fondness is reciprocated, Rene, I assure you. We are far from dissimilar . . . although, from what I'm understanding from you and Potence, perhaps we would do best to discuss this later . . .~

Martian Manhunter chimes in from Shared Awareness, consternation evident in his voice.

~I don't understand. Why are the Shi'ar attacking now? They fought HIM! Alongside the Justice League and the Kree! There must be some kind of mistake or misunderstanding here! We must talk to them!~

[Thokk_Smash]

Zach's dismay and frustration at the agents' actions is easily hidden. His mind works quadruple-time to think of something to say to get these guys to back off. The fact that it was his words that got him into this mess is, of course, summarily pushed to the back of his mind to never be thought again.

Well, it seems things are kicking off outside, if Shared Awareness is anything to go by. A Shi'ar infiltrator, maybe two. That's really, really something these guys oughta know. Those guy are probably way more dangerous than the Raoists, and bonus points: they're another alien race for the SWORD agents to vent their prejudiced tensions against! Everybody wins!

"Everybody listen up!"

Zach's voice cuts through the air, even through the rowdy chanting of the Raoists. It isn't just Zach's physical voice, though: his mental voice rings through his mental link like rolling thunder, drawing the attention of everyone in the Secondary Docking Bay--including the Raoists below.

His physical form is still dressed in his borrowed SWORD uniform. In everyones' mind's eye, however, his body is overlaid with his mindscape's form in all its glory. The agents can see each others' mindscape forms overlaid with their physical form; and through the hulls of the ships below, they can see the Raoists in all their motley glory--as the Raoists can see the SWORD agents.

And wait, that's not all! Even as far off as Propulsion and Weapons Bay, SWORD agents and Misfits alike can see Zach and everyone else in their mind's eye. And far, far off, if they squint, they can see Director Brand.

He begins by speaking directly to the Secondary Docking Bay agents. "I'm Thunderstruck of the Misfits. I know, you're probably outraged that I'm dressed like this, but not as much as you're freaked out by the aliens chanting and stomping. And yeah, you could go after them, who aren't doing anything except be loud--or you could hold for orders on what Director Brand wants to do about the Shi'ar infiltrators who've shown up."

Through Shared Awareness, a rapid amount of information comes within a short amount of time for him. He allows himself a grimace of dismay. Directing his attention to Director Brand, he says/thinks, "One of them just smashed a shipbuster gun, and another just assaulted the techs in Propulsion. They've got helpers putting stuff everywhere; explosives, maybe? Probably not good for us, whatever it is."

His gaze turns serious, deathly so; and it's as if everyone he's connected to can see it as though he is standing in front of them. To every agent on the ship, he speaks/thinks, "The Peak is under attack from Shi'ar forces, and the Misfits are engaging them now. I think it'd be safe to say that subduing prisoners who are not assaulting us ranks far lower on the priority list than fighting against a hostile alien force."

Switching to a more private channel, he says/thinks, "What do you think, Director? We don't even know how far this goes--oh, by the way, Potence says there's a new officer heading for the Command Center who's wearing a bulky vest with bulges under their uniform--a suicide bomber, maybe? Might wanna do something about that. This mental speech goes dozens of times faster than normal speech, as it happens; it'd be great to use for issuing orders and receiving. I'd just really like for you to tell your agents to hold off in the Secondary Docking Bay, please."

Spoiler

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Persuasion on the agents in the Secondary Docking Bay: (1d20+20)[32]

Persuasion on Director Brand: (1d20+20)[35]

[SuperCracker]

After the explosion, he stood amidst the fire and wreckage of the weapons deck, holding his stance against Smasher. He stayed laser-focused on Smasher, but he was well aware of the risk of cascading explosions ripping through the weaponry. Thanks to Katie, he and Sarah could have a brief chat about it in the space between heartbeats.

~These flames could set off more explosions. If you can take care of the fire,~ portals are magic, after-all, ~I can keep him at bay.~

Ronin leaned forward and stepped towards Smasher, crossing the distance like a bolt of lightning (gimmick infringement for Thunderstruck, I know) before he unleashed a furious storm of strikes at the Shi’ar saboteur.

Spoiler

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Going for another quick slash. All-Out Attack for 2, Power Attack for 2

(1d20+10)[21] DC 27+Multi toughness, DC 22 fort vs. affliction

Since Ronin is moving around, he has partial cover vs. visual. -2 to strike him.

And a retroactive assessment, since I have been bad at rolling those. (1d20+10)[25]

[TheIronGolem]

"Oh, I haven't seen one of YOUR kind in a while, Klyntar!"

Klyntar?

Klyntar?

Whatever that is, it'll have to wait. Spider-Man isn't in a hurry to test the symbiote's ability to hold off the blue lady's psychic attacks. She's tougher than she looks, but she's not the only thing he can attack here...

The webslinger drops down from the ceiling and onto one of the carts the "technicians" brought in. "Oooh!" he shouts in mock excitement. "Didja bring me a present, Auntie Indigo?"

He starts forcing his super-strong fingers into gaps and crevasses on the surface of the presumably-alien machinery, intending to tear away panels like wrapping paper and get to the delicate mechanisms inside.

"I hope it's a Transformer!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I assume this can be resolved as an attack against the machine, so Spider-Strike DC 23: (1d20+12)[14]

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Ooh! Fun," Katie said a bit unconsciously as Zach connected them to his telepathy. Her mental image looked the same as normal, except she was dressed in just her regular tanktop and pants, rather than her costume. Katie didn't really have much of an idealized self-image - while she may not have been completely free of all of her self-esteem issues, they ran more towards the mental anyway. She was comfortable with her own appearance, but she still considered Potence to be the mantle that she donned, a tool used to achieve a purpose. Deep down, she hoped for a world where there would be no need for Potence. In the meantime, there was no question that Katie Alden was her true and preferred self.

Telepathically, Katie ran through a quick, more thorough physical description of the officer. ~Not sure if that's someone who's legit or not, but he's heading your way. We won't engage unless he comes after us, but I have to echo Zach's request as strenuously as possible. We've got a few threats aboard this station, but the skrull and kryptonian prisoners are not among them, and hostility against them is what this operation is trying to provoke. This is how Darkseid works, Director. He preys on our fear of unknowns and uncertainties to get us to conflict with each other, and that gives his operatives the room they need to act. If we let our differences become a source of conflict, Darkseid wins. The defense is to recognize the real threats and work together to overcome them - and my bet is that if we can just manage that, we'll find our world is in way less peril than he wants us to think!~

She was speaking to Director Brand primarily - but it absolutely did not escape Katie's notice that both SWORD agents and Raoists were able to overhear. If her words could bring them even one step closer to peace, even better!

Still heading steadily towards the courtroom, Katie brought her Helping Hand back to them. She wanted to have her full attention on her immediate position, especially what with whatever Rene was smelling, so she wasn't caught off-guard. To J'onn, she replied (over the more private Shared Awareness link) ~Howard had found evidence that the shi'ar were involved in some manner in the destruction of both Krypton and Tarnax IV. Now, this could mean that the shi'ar were working with him originally, then turned against him to help Earth, and then turned or were compelled back. But I think the more likely information is that they've just got some people, or maybe even a cohesive faction, working with Darkseid for whatever reason, and others working against him.~ Sometimes the simplest explanation was the best, and when you're talking about a large group of people - be they human or whoever - the simplest explanation was usually "they don't all agree with each other".

Spoiler

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Persuasion Team Checks for Zach (including +5 for Teamwork): (1d20+22)[41], (1d20+22)[27].

[CandyLaser]

Sarah-α

Sarah-α briefly interrogated Potence telepathically, getting all the details she could on the incoming 'officer' who'd made such unusual sartorial choices. An oval portal, limned in red light, formed in front of her as she swiftly teleported over to the door he'd most likely be entering. There, she lay in wait. ~I think our new friend should get a trip to the brig, don't you? I'll be ready to send him there as soon as he comes through the door.~

Spoiler: Actions

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Readying an action to use the wormhole projector to teleport the incoming unknown when he enters the command center. Also relaying info as described OOC.

Sarah-β

Taking care of the fires was an excellent idea. Sarah-β opened up with her portal blaster - but she didn't target the Shi'ar, or the humans. Instead, she performed a variation on a trick she'd used before. When Arlington's shop was set ablaze, she opened up portals to the vacuum of space. That seemed unwise here, where there were likely sensors, protocols, and security measures in place designed to detect and respond to the presence of vacuum in pressurized parts of the ship. There were other ways to attack the oxygen leg of the fire triangle, though, and this time, Sarah went with nitrogen. She pulled the trigger, and a cloud of frigid smoke billowed out of the resulting portal as a jet of liquid nitrogen hit the flames. The cold wasn't really the point - the real purpose was to smother the fires with nitrogen, instead.

Spoiler: Actions

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Extra Effort to power stunt a Nullify Fire effect, as follows: Nullify 10 (Cloud Area, Effortless). Opposed check: [roll]1d20+10[/roll]

[Lizard Lord]

"And . . . Where the hell are YOU from?"


"Me? I ain't from 'round here. I'm from anotha dimension. But 'nough 'bout me, cause yer 'bout ta get anotha challenger @#$%."

Howard retorts as he blows on the whistle around his neck and fires another volley at the Shi'ar all while trying to shake off the headache he is having.


I hate fightin' telepaths.

Spoiler

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Move action to activate Jesus and a standard action to shoot the Shi'ar with the BFG. (1d20+10)[13] DC 25 toughness save vs. damage if I hit.

[Starsign]

Rene attempts to make sense of the situation as he is pulled into Zach's big mental scene. The reptilian didn't exactly have a great idea of his own mindscape image. In fact he really just appears as his physical form does: a large reptilian figure in a set of worker's overalls. He didn't like the Secret Warriors outfit that he had been wearing in the past, even if it was overall better to wear in battle. He'll need a proper suit if he ends up in these situations but as is, everyone in this mindscape sees him for what he really is: a meek, reptilian monster.

Wow... Rene thinks to himself in awe as he sees all these Raoists in the mindscape. So many kryptonians; so many skrulls; how many of these people does J'onn consider part of his family? All of them, perhaps. Their numbers have been reduced so much that perhaps the only thing to do is to bond together like one big, adoptive family, related by more than just their race... Maybe that's even partly why Rene thinks of Croc as his brother. There's not much left that can call "family" and he wants to protect his family because it's among the few things he has left that's personal to him.

And looking at all these Raoists, looking at every single one here, gives Rene an idea.

Spoiler: Mental Conversation

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~J'onn? J'onn do you see this?~ Rene's thinks in wonder to the Martian Manhunter through their private mental link. The sheer sight of the mindscape is something Rene hopes J'onn can see. Even if the binds may keep J'onn from seeing this mindscape, he may hopefully see through Rene's own vision via their mental link. ~I can see them all, so many Raoists here. I... think I can interact with them, talk to them, maybe even show them my memories.~

There is a mild sense of fascination in Rene's thoughts, and also one of hope, as he prays that J'onn may consider this idea. ~J'onn, I know you wanted to save it for the court but... I think you can show them all here too, can't you? Can you show them the truth? Show them what you wanted to show the court? If there's a misunderstanding, like you said, we can show your people now, and then let the court see after.~

In the physical world, Rene's nose sniffs out in a hurry as he finds his head looking upward at the vents. ~Something, er, someone's coming from the vents,~ he warns J'onn, Howard, Spider-Man, and the Misfits. ~Kinda smells... furry and human, like a mammal. It's moving quickly this way.~ He keeps moving across the room, making sure J'onn and Katie are close to him, as he tries to move them away from places where the vents end. Last thing they need is this strange figure to literally pounce on J'onn from above... Just in case, however, Rene is ready to respond and jump at the call.

Spoiler: OOC

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Lemme know if I need to make another persuasion check to J'onn.

Meanwhile, Rene will try and maneuver himself and J'onn to avoid the vents ends. Rene will also prepare a Standard attack on this enemy in the vents should it attack J'onn and Rene will interpose for J'onn as needed.

Here's an attack roll for preparation: (1d20+10)[24] DC 25 Toughness on a hit.

[herodofcows]

Secondary Docking Bay

Thunderstruck's words fill the bay and beyond, drawing the eyes of every nearby S.W.O.R.D. agent and briefly deafening them to the loud and potentially-threatening nature of the chanting. For just a moment, everything looks as though it's going to be resolved with a minimum of tension! It's going to be okay!

And then . . .

"Director Brand, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with that assessment."

One of the officers is speaking up over the comms. It's difficult to see WHICH one, but they're coming in over S.W.O.R.D. channels.

"Additional alien invaders might be targeting the prisoners, or they might be moving to assist them in an escape. Either way, we have what sounds like a riot coming out of their ship JUST as the Shi'ar are supposedly attacking? I'm strongly going to suggest that we stick to protocol on this."

A loud creaking sound makes itself heard over the radio signals/divine communication. A quick inspection shows that the hatches on several of the ships are starting to buckle in response to some tremendous internal strain . . .

Brand's voice crackles over the communication.

"Thunderstruck, let my agents do their jobs. Move to secure the courtroom, if you can. The rest of you . . ."

Weapons Bay

Sarah's portal chicanery works like a charm: within moments, the worst of the plasma flames have been dealt with, and the area has been secured of the worst of the potential MASSIVE chain reaction that would have rendered the Peak toothless (and, incidentally, killed just about EVERYONE within the Weapons Bay).

". . . I'm sending a distress signal out. The Watchtower appears to be compromised, as is the White House and the Pentagon. Evacuate the Weapons Bay, I'm going to open it up into space . . ."

Smasher touches his cheek and grins as he feels the horizontal cut that Ronin has left on his face.

"Mutant," he booms out jovially, "I'm going to urge you to stay out of my way."

His counterswing misses Ronin by a hair, smashing (ha!) a large hole through the floor of the Weapons Bay.

"This does not have to end in any Terran deaths."

Command Center

". . . just as soon as we finish locking down the Command Center. Everyone, brace for-"

FFFFWINK!

It happens far quicker than the telling: a sudden pounding of footsteps as (from Potence's scrying) the S.W.O.R.D. agent begins running for the closing Command Center blast doors. He dives for the entrance, barely misses getting crushed by the closing doors . . . and then falls into the portal that Sarah-Alpha had waiting for him.

Director Brand looks for a brief moment as though she's about to thank the inventor, when . . .

BOOOOOOOOM

"Damage report!"

"Getting reports that the brig just took massive damage! Some kind of explosion!"

Brand actually snaps a chair with a frustrated kick.

"Dammit . . . Section it off and divert a security force to secure it! Get that Peregrine kid out of Life Support and send him over too, we need muscle!"

She shoots a glare at Sarah, and then resumes talking.

"Secure J'onnz! Prepare to evacuate the courtroom as soon as we've verified clear skies . . ."

J'onn's thoughts bounce through Shared Awareness with sudden force, using his link to the Builder for all it's worth.

~Thunderstruck, Builder, Potence . . . I am going to need your help for this. Please, maintain your links and try to include the people in the courtroom! If I can get my message to them psychically, perhaps we can keep them from silencing me! Humanity HAS to understand! About Darkseid, about our mistakes, all of it! They cannot be caught unawares!~

In the split-second that this speeds through everyone's head, the presence in the vents abruptly explodes forth from a nearby duct. It pounces, a blur of snarling fur, teeth, and-

SLICE

"Hnarr!"

The lanky beast-man that had been springing toward J'onn shrieks in a gravelly tone as the Builder's claws catch it under the stomach and send him flying. He attempts to turn his ungainly sprawl into a pounce at J'onn, but one of the two heroes intercepts his blow.

Limping and gasping, he spits something out in Kryptonian. J'onn provides translation.

"Sorry, Skrull . . . Never had no problem with you, but it's the end of the line."

J'onn looks confused and outraged in equal measure.

"I don't understand. WHY are you doing this?!" he roars, straining against his bonds with every appearance of apoplexy. His psychic voice, however, is quite calm.

~This is Fang, one of the Shi'ar Imperial Superguardians. I recognize Smasher and Oracle as well. Beware, Misfits. There are likely more in the wings. Perhaps Stuff is infiltrating. We might have to face Mentor, or Plutonia, or Titan . . . Rao above, I hope Gladiator is not with them . . .~

Meanwhile, Fang has the decency to look half-ashamed.

"Take it up with the bosses, Skrull. Mine and theirs," he shrugs, indicating Potence and the Builder, "This's above my pay grade."

Propulsion Bay

"What are you . . . HEY!"

The device comes apart in Spider Man's hands like spun sugar, leaving azure and purple sparking electronic fragments scattered all over the cart. He feels rather than sees the sudden onrush of telekinetic force blasting assorted metal things at him like an oversize shotgun, and dodges handily.

The purple-skinned woman begins yammering in Shi'ar as she sidesteps Howard's next shot. Her techs continue to work as best they can amidst the battle conditions, moving robotically as they continue to affix the smaller alien devices to the walls.

Suddenly, one of the techs rips off his clothes and fake not-mustache and draws a lacrosse racket from below the cart. It is Jesús!

"You called, Señor Duck?" he asks, examining the scene with tactical impassivity.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Katie couldn't believe that Brand was ignoring them. She honestly had to wonder for a moment if the director was completely stupid. It was one thing to be swayed by a persuasive argument - but it was quite a different thing to ignore a mountain of evidence based solely on someone's word.

Katie felt the urge to deliver an Alden Earful rising, but flame-blast if she would give Darkseid an inch. She sent back swiftly, intently, but without heat, ~Director, you are taking tactical advice from an unidentified SWORD officer not two minutes after learning that your ship, your systems, and your personnel have been compromised. He could be working with the enemy, under threat, mind controlled, a hostile speaking into stolen comms, or half a dozen other things. Now, one of the hostiles just told Fred, and I quote 'this does not have to end in any Terran deaths'. Even if he is lying, that makes clear that the enemy is targeting aliens. If your people breach the cells, that creates an opening for the enemy to target them, and creates the possibility for additional chaos while also forcing the people who are still acting under your orders to divide their efforts. Even if I'm wrong, is it really your protocol to engage contained prisoners who might be a potential threat, when your base is definitely under attack by a powerful force of superhumans?~

~You've been infiltrated, Director. I'm not blaming you. You're up against a team of powerful superhumans getting their orders from a god. You didn't know. You did your job precisely as you should have based on the information you had. What has happened so far is not on you.~

~But now you know what is going on. We told you an attack was coming. We told you your people were acting suspicious. The only reason you have an opportunity to react to this threat at all is because we were here and expecting something like this to happen. Now you can help us fix this, or you can keep following protocol. But if your people breach those doors, and the enemy uses that to get in there and commit genocide, that will be on you.~

~I need you to trust us, Director. We haven't steered you wrong yet. Please. Do not let them in!~

Thanks to Zach's telepathic link, sending all that took a fraction of a second. While Rene held off the attacker, Katie hastily disabled the defensive suppressors on J'onn. Even so, that plan had not really been account for the heaping truckload of manure that had just been tossed into every flipping industrial exhaust fan in this entire space station. (Whether or not space stations actually had exhaust fans was neither known nor relevant). "New plan! Disable J'onn's suppressors completely!" she commanded the guards with all the authority she could muster. "We'll keep the hostile off you!"

Then her Helping Hand flew over to lay on Rene's shoulder as she chanted a shamanic spell. It was the same basic enchantment she had placed on him back in Castle Doom, opening his mind to the beast within while maintaining his human will. But both of them had grown a lot since then. Katie's spell opened Rene's mind to the two outside bonds within it - the primal power of the Totem, and the awesome will of the Martian Manhunter. But just as before, her magic buffered his own will from those powerful forces, allowing him to tap them to a limited degree without losing himself in them.

Spoiler

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Not sure if I need to spend an actual action speaking to Brand what with Rapid 2 and all, but if so I'll Extra Effort it (but let me know if I do need to so I can mark the fatigue). Persuasion: (1d20+17)[18], although I would hope any counter from the opposing side gets a substantial circumstance penalty, because while I do respect the value of social skills and high rolls, Brand was really badly ignoring some obvious hard evidence of who is more trustworthy right now, I think. Oh for the love of...you know, whatever, I'm not rerolling that. Don't have enough HP to burn, and if Brand decides to continue making things easier for the enemy after all this, it's on her.

Move: Release J'onn from the defensive suppressors.

Standard: 20-point Augmentation on Rene.

10 points to create a variant of his Strength Damage as Weaken Toughness 10 (resisted by Fortitude) and Link it to his normal Strength Damage.
10 points to create a variant of his Strength Damage as Affliction 10 (Dazed+Vulnerable/Stunned+Defenseless; Resisted by Will) and Link it to his normal Strength Damage.

Current Status: Normal.

Shared Awareness is ON.

Current Augments

Katie (20 Points) [Indefinite]:

10 points to duplicate the Remote Sensing and Enhanced Perception of Finding Hand outside of its array.
5 points for Enhanced Perception and Persuasion 5.
5 points for Enhanced Senses 5 (Counters All Concealment) to the Senses function of Floating Hand.

Rene (20 Points) [5 Rounds]:

10 points to create a variant of his Strength Damage as Weaken Toughness 10 (resisted by Fortitude) and Link it to his normal Strength Damage.
10 points to create a variant of his Strength Damage as Affliction 10 (Dazed+Vulnerable/Stunned+Defenseless; Resisted by Will) and Link it to his normal Strength Damage.

[Thokk_Smash]

Zach gives a small grin at the sound of the interrupting voice. It has anger in it, sure; but also competition, and a viciousness that comes from a promise of retribution. Someone's trying to talk their way through this situation? 'Bout time someone else practiced the fine art of bullsh*ttery.

Still, he can't let this guy do whatever he wants. He can't tell who said it, but that he knows they're here does give him another angle. He just has to more finely use his soul's filaments when he thinks.

And so, the invisible threads of his soul thicken on his tie to Potence and Brand.

Spoiler: Potence, Brand

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And only they can hear him when he thinks, ~"I mean, I can see why you want to stick to protocol on this. You know where you stand with protocol. It's tried and true, it's solid, it's the walls holding you up when everything else is crumbling away. It's what you can fall back on when the sh*t hits the fan. 'I was only following protocol!', you can say when the dust settles."~

~"History doesn't exactly look favorably on people who hide behind protocol, who blindly follow orders. You might've heard of 'em--the Nuremberg Trials?"~

His astral form appears within arm's reach of Brand's, his eyes staring into hers. In the mindspace, a melody begins to flow around them as he continues. ~"You brushed off our warnings and called us Cub Scouts. Now we're the only ones engaging the enemies that have infiltrated the Peak. You blasted J'onn as a "traitorous ex-JLA member". Now you have at least two people in SWORD uniforms that have subverted your command: one of them even tried to blow you up, and would've succeeded if we hadn't noticed him."~

~"It's like Potence said: it's a terrible pill to swallow, but you have concrete evidence that SWORD has been infiltrated. This random SWORD officer wants your agents to forcibly subdue a group of immigrants who have yet to do anything against your men. There are two members of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard here; one of them's a shapeshifter, and they may already be here."~

~"I know I'm just a schmuck to you. None of us Misfits have gone through the training, the combat, the experiences that you have. But we're real. I am Zachary Wattson, with all my quirks and failings. You must know how painfully selfless Potence is; Ronin would probably cut his own stomach before he betrayed the Earth. Can you say you know exactly who it is that's encouraging you to order your men to assault non-hostile aliens?~"

~"You do what you've gotta do, Director,"~ he says with a shrug. His eyes hold obvious disappointment in her as he continues, ~"Follow protocol that's meant for ordinary situations, when you are in a very extraordinary situation. Listen to a voice on the intercom. Just be prepared to own up to it when we get through this. History has its eyes on us, Director. How do you want it to remember you?"~

Now, he restricts his words only to the Misfits and those agents in the Secondary Docking Bay. "Tiananmen Square. The Kent State shooting. Jackson State. The 16th Street Baptist Church. Incidents where people in positions of power used that power to assault peaceful protestors, citing one reason or another. You're freaked out 'cause they're chanting gobbledygook and stomping their feet, right? Lemme translate for ya."

He links his mind with the Raoists and the agents, translating for them. "Y'all've never been to a Southern, Gospel-singin' church? They're basically holding an impromptu church mass in there. And you guys are the ones holding heavy artillery aimed at them. If they try to break out, don't you have the clear advantage between all your weapons and positioning?"

"Please, guys...don't give in to your paranoia. Don't fire first. This is the time stories will be told of for centuries to come. When the stories are told, please, let them say you were the better men."

More openly, he thinks/sends to J'onn, ~"Can do, Em'n'Em! Gimme a sec, and try to stay alive, 'kay?"~

Zach casts his mental net up to the courtroom, linking to as many people as he can. ~"Ladies and gentlemen, sentient beings of all denominations! Please remain calm while SWORD takes care of your safety; they'll get you outta here in no time. In the meanwhile, please, give it up for the main event, the man of the hour: the one, the only--J'ooooooooonnnn J'oooooooonnnzzzzzzz!"~

Spoiler: Tali

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An invisible thread of lightning snakes down near the brig in search of a familiar, green-skinned figure. ~"Yo, Tali! How's it?"~ he thinks to the Skrull Talisman. ~"Any chance I could ask your help in getting your flock to settle down? I can connect you to all of 'em mentally. Their chanting and stomping's got the SWORD agents ascurred, and I think a Shi'ar shapeshifter's goading them into assaulting them."~

Spoiler

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Persuasion to Brand: (1d20+20)[33]

Persuasion to the agents in 2nd Docking Bay: (1d20+20)[38]

Persuasion to set the mood for MM: (1d20+20)[29]

[SuperCracker]

A lot was happening ship wide, but Smasher was proving to be a tougher combatant than most. Ronin focused his attention on the enemy in front of him. He shifted stances, holding Starsoul high as he prepared to alter his style of attack. Smasher grinned, but Fred’s face stayed stoic.

“Mutant, I’m going to urge you to stay out of my way.”

The Shi’ar warrior swung. Ronin flickered with a rapid dodge, moving counter-clockwise to get around his side.

“This does not have to end in any Terran deaths.”

“It won’t.” Ronin slashed downwards at Smasher, striking a solid blow against the Shi’ar with his gleaming blade. Fred kept his sword held low, ready to react in defense. He was approaching this fight more cautiously than most.

Brand said that they were about to open the Weapons Bay up to space. With his right hand, Ronin reached up to a button near his neck. “My name is Ronin. If you want to hurt the Martian Manhunter or anyone else on this station; human, Skrull, Kryptonian, whatever… you are my enemy.” He pressed the button and, because this is Saturn Inc. space gear, a sleek helmet materialized. Spacefight incoming!

Spoiler

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26 to attack. Dc 25+Multi (likely 27) vs. Parry damage on that attack. And he’s moving, so partial concealment is still up. -2 on attacks if it applies.

[Starsign]

Rene is getting rather good at these act-on-instinct reactions he's been having every now and then. He had been expecting something to come out of the vents and, behold, he had been ready for it. Rene watches the furred creature get thrown back as blood smeared over the reptilian's right claw; the sight of shedding blood is normalizing in Rene's mind given how nightmarish some of his other experiences have been. For a brief, a very brief moment Rene thought he had just stabbed and struck Wolverine of all people, before the intruder spoke in some alien language that required J'onn to translate.

Rene is quiet for a moment, mouth and sharp teeth raised open as he watches Fang's janky and lumbering movement. ~I think I've heard of this guy,~ Rene communicates with the others through Katie's shared awareness. ~I think some people in Gotham confused him for Wolverine. Kinda has the same powers although he is, uh...~ Rene didn't quite have it in him to say that Fang is an idiot, based on what Rene has heard in the past. Mostly this comes down to Rene being the crazy guy among the Misfits' friends and probably doesn't have a right to make that sort of claim when he's out of touch with reality about a third of the time. Instead he derails off to a slightly more concerning question through his mental link with J'onn. ~He's probably not going to stay down if I knock him out, is he?~

To Fang, Rene had been quiet all the way through. Outside of the lack of confidence in Rene's face, the reptilian appears like a silent predator guarding J'onn from danger. Rene sure has a lot he wishes he could answer; between the station taking an explosion and seemingly everyone turning against J'onn, there isn't much Rene can actually make sense of. The most he can figure is following the suggestion J'onn had given. Though ready to attack Fang again, Rene feels the comfort of Katie's Helping Hand as a familiar spell is cast on him.

For a moment, Rene then feels a shadowy grasp on his body, like the hug of a being from beyond the mortal world. He feels overtaken by darkness, a familiar darkness; not the unconscious darkness in his sleep or the dark domain of the Totem. Instead he feels imbued by a dark shadow drawn from himself, words thrusting in his mind.

She blesses us again. The young mistress gives me to you. Let us show them what we can do. Let us protect the young mistress as we will the alien.

As the embrace leaves Rene, he finds himself infused as he looks down at his claws. To him, they've changed. In one sense, his claws have been sharpened to the extent that it could cleave metal walls in half; each slice weakening one's flesh into paper tissue. On the other, his claws possess a strange astral-like aura. His mind connects with that of J'onn's to the degree that his mental powers are empowering Rene's claws. Rene's own mind had also shifted slightly, feeling like some comforting thing within him is now giving his mind confidence and bravery.

"Stay away from them!" His voice reeks of a snake-like hiss as he suddenly charges outward, suddenly upon Fang in an instant. Rene's claws swing out wide on Fang's face, aiming to deliver a very distracting and mentally-disorienting slice before returning to J'onn's side. It isn't exactly inaccurate to say that Rene's has temporarily changed to be slightly less... human and a little more animalistic.

At least, that's what it appears to be.

Spoiler: Mental Conversation

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~J'onn, I'm ready to spread out the message,~ Rene communicates on his mental link. Though Rene still has the more snake-like tone, his mind and thoughts are the same as ever. ~Thunderstruck's given you the call. Show them now and I'll do what I can!~ Rene isn't exactly sure how he can help spread the visions and message, but he's going to try his best at it. His mind will be following J'onn's command for the moment.

Spoiler: OOC

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Alrighty, Rene will be attacking Fang again, this time with an All-Out Attack +5/-5: (1d20+15)[18] DC 25 Toughness + DC 20 Fort for Weaken Toughness + DC 20 Will for Affliction (Dazed+Vulnerable/Stunned+Defenseless). Aw crap, really?

Rene will also be interposing for J'onn, like before.

[TheIronGolem]

A series of twisting leaps guides Spider-Man through a storm of hurled debris, and he lands safely on the floor. Looking around, he sees that there are way too many of these machines - and too many techs installing them - to do this one at a time.

As luck would have it, he's landed more or less in between two of the machines on opposite walls. The webslinger flings his arms outwards, firing a web-line from each to snare an installed device.

"Guys, look", he says, "you can't just plug these things in like that! These outlets are European. It's a whole different, like, voltage or something. You need an adapter or they might get damaged."

He snaps his arms together, ripping the whatever-they-ares out of the walls and sending them flying towards himself. At the last second he backflips away, letting the machines smash together.

"See?"

The techs' robot-like movements make Spider-Man wonder if they're really in control of themselves. He doesn't really want to hurt them if they're just being mind-controlled by the alien lady (Do I somehow ATTRACT colorful mind controllers?), but he can't let them install these machines either. He's going to have to try to split the difference.

Bounding acrobatically from tech to tech, he does his best to incapacitate them without doing any permanent damage. Where he can, he simply shoves them to the floor and keeps them there with a short blast of webbing. Others he knocks the wind out of with a quick jab and an apology. The last one, though, brings out some kind of staff weapon. Spider-Man is halfway to grabbing it out of the man's hand when he hears:

"You called, Señor Duck?"

He aborts the jab he'd been starting to throw at the man's solar plexus, but can't decide whether it should turn into a wave at the apparent ally or some kind of cool victory gesture. His arm settles on a careful blend of the least graceful aspects of each, and ends up making something that probably counts as a hideously offensive gesture in at least two of the cultures represented on this station.

"So, uh, who's the new guy?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Move Action: Drop back to floor
Standard Action: Web Pull Multiattack against two installed machines: (1d20+14)[26], DC 25 due to auto-crit if hit
Extra Effort: Spider-Strike against techs with Takedown 2: Routine check of 22, DC 23, fluffed to be as "nonviolent" as I can manage will still putting them out of action
Spider-Man is now Fatigued

[Lizard Lord]

"Jesús, Shi'ar are tryin' ta kill tha Martian Manhunter and this one is mindcontrollin' folks inta putting weird tech on tha walls. Ya can either help me take down tha blue broad or help Spider-Man here stop the tech from doing whatever its suppose ta do. My bets on it being bombs though."

As Howard tries to yet again fire another volley at the telepath (apparently he is having a bad aim day) he also shoots a quick answer to Spider-Man's question. "That's Jesús. He's my assistant. He assists me. Jesús Spider-Man, Spider-Man Jesús."

There that ought to clear everything up about that.

[herodofcows]

Secondary Docking Bay (Thunderstruck)

There's a hush that falls over the crowd of guards. Many of them are now looking at one another, dubious expressions on their faces. You can tell that you'd just flipped a rock in their subconscious and exposed something ugly lying beneath. Weapons remain hefted, but with reluctance. All eyes are on you, and with a lot more sympathy than what you'd be expecting from someone wearing a stolen uniform.

It's so quiet that everyone hears it echo through the Secondary Docking Bay as Brand gives a new order.

". . . Belay my last. Everyone, weapons down. Treat this as a demonstration. They are not permitted beyond the Secondary Docking Bay, but they can demonstrate in peace. I'll want one squad relocated to-"

k-k-k-k-K-K-K-K

The director's transmission is half-interrupted as all of the ship hulls begin to creak and strain under some unseen force. Glances pass between the agents, and weapons are brought halfway-up again . . .

"-the prison ward, we've had a-"

KA-KRUNCH

All of those enormous ships all rupture at once, large tears and chunks flying outwards as their hulls all breach at once. In the distance, you catch a brief impression of Kryptonians and Skrulls tumbling out of the ships like water from broken gourds . . .

. . . Before you're abruptly thrown forward, ending up on one knee as something white hot sizzles against your back.

You look around wildly. The source of the shot is impossible to locate among the yelling S.W.O.R.D. agents. The chanting has stopped as the Kryptonians and the Skrulls are looking around in confusion. You're distantly pleased to see that the agents aren't pointing their weapons at the aliens, instead looking cautiously around and barking orders around establishing a perimeter. The flow of bodies further obfuscates your search.

Someone in the crowd just took a shot at you.

Command Center (Sarahs Alpha and Prime, Potence, Builder)

"-containment breach," Brand continues as the agents swarm around her, "Lock down the prison as soon as Peregrine is through. Prepare to evacuate the civilians in the courtroom. What the-"

She stares at her readout for a second, a snarl plastering itself to her face. She turns to Sarah once again, scowling deeply.

"We're being jammed! No distress signals outgoing. Can you get us a signal?"

Outside, Fang spins around and paces around the Builder briefly. There's a mildly condescending look on his face as he appraises the reptile. You can see his wounds healing as he speaks.

"Nice try, cub, but I'm a Superguardian. There's nothing you can-"

SLASH

Fang goes down in a spurt of blood and flesh, head lolling on the ground as his wounds begin to stitch themselves back together. It's to be noted that, while his healing factor is pretty good, he's got a LOT of damage to repair . . .

"Get down, Rene! I'll-Ah!"

The Martian Manhunter floats out of his restraints, ignoring the double-takes from the guards as he comes to a rest beside the Builder and the fallen Fang.

"Well! Never mind then. Now, let me see . . ."

He stares briefly at Fang, and then turns to the two heroes.

"Fang was awaiting a second wave of attackers to assist him. More are coming. Be ready for that. For now, we must proceed to the courtroom."

~Thank you, Thunderstruck, for an introduction worthy of Ol' Stone Cold himself! Now then . . .~

~Ladies and gentlemen of the press, justices, S.W.O.R.D. agents, comrades alike . . . My name is J'onn J'onnz.~

~I come before you of my own free will, to plead your vigilance in light of Darkseid's coming. I know you distrust me, as you distrust my people. I know we have done much to earn that distrust. I do not ask for clemency, but I do ask that you listen.~

~What I am about to show you is a mosaic of memories, cobbled together from all of the Skrulls and Kryptonians that came to your planet. It shows us as we were: our follies, our triumphs, our losses, our crimes. It shows what Darkseid has done to us, and what he aims to do to you. I hope that it will help you, if not forgive, then at least understand.~

J'onn trails off and closes his eyes. Through Shared Awareness, it is possible to catch glimpses of what he is projecting: the grandeur of Tarnax IV, of Krypton, the hubris of their empires, the pride, the factionalism, the first inklings of Darkseid's presence . . .

But your heads remain mostly clear.

"Don't want . . . distract you . . ." he grunts, speaking in half-sentences just as Sarah-Prime does. He begins to walk around the Command Center, heading slowly along the pre-planned route. The agents around you give him a wide berth . . . but don't stop him.


Weapons Bay (Sarah-Beta, Ronin)

Smasher gives Ronin a snarl, even as both heroes can see that the techs have secured themselves for the impending explosive decompression. The Superguardian is clearly a little wobbly right now, owing to the number of slashes that have sliced up his lovely white uniform.

"If that is so, then-!" he begins, lunching at Ronin for another haymaker when . . .

WHOOOOOSH

The bay doors open up, and the ensuing gale of air sends him flipping out into space. Unsecured as they are, the two heroes are thrust out with him.

Now, it's a given that in space, no one can hear you scream. However, in space, people CAN see you if you're up to some shady s***. Thus it is that Ronin and Sarah are able to see that the Shi'ar are being shady sneaky sons of s***s right now.

The entirety of the Peak stretches on before the two heroes as they drift above Earth's atmosphere, staring down into the blue-green immensity of the planet below. From their present position, it's possible to see a vast expanse of the Peak's hull, and a few things stand out:

There are about a half-dozen humanoid figures floating in close proximity to various segments of the hull, all without visible spacesuits. It's difficult to tell much about them from this distance, but it's immediately apparent that they are all wearing multiple different uniforms and color schemes: much more on the "superhero" scheme of uniforms than "soldier".

This . . . does not look right.

Spoiler: OOC

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Y'all might want to do some Perception checks!

Propulsion Bay

Spidey's rampage is ridiculously efficient: within moments, the various techs have been smacked around to the point of blissful unconsciousness. His webline doesn't manage to smash BOTH machines, but one of them is cracked and sparking. Overall, the wall-crawler has managed to disable nearly half of the mysterious machines that Oracle was so intent on keeping intact.

And, BOY, is she not pleased by that.

"You little-!"

BLAM!

Of course, she is even LESS pleased about getting shot in the back of the head. The bullet hovers there, half-embedded in her force shield, but still managing to penetrate enough to leave a deep purple wound.

She slowly turns to glare at Howard. Her eyes glow purple and a spear of pure psychic energy goes flying at the P.I., who manages to du- . . .

. . .

. . . to evade it narrowly. A quick flip sends him behind a bulky-looking apparatus, and the spear flies over harmlessly.

"That's IT!" she roars, and begins rattling off words in Shi'ar that neither of you understand. Around you, the remaining machines begin to light up blue and pulse slowly, but with increasing frequency.

Crack

She is half-interrupted as Jesús charges at her and smacks her across the face with his lacrosse racket. A line of purple blood appears upon her nose, and she scowls at him.

"He oído de tí, cabrón . . ." she hisses at him, "Los Kree aún cuentan del Milagro de Guanajuato . . ."

Prison (Peregrine, via Shared Awareness)

Peregrine's impressions are a confused mass of noise and sound as he makes his way into the prison bay. He's flagged down the corridor in the company of multiple heavily-armed S.W.O.R.D. agents, towards the sealed hatch that now blocks the doors to the penitentiary. On the count of three, the doors open in multiple stages and the entire group is rushed inside.

Within, it's a bloody warzone (bloody here meant both as an emphatic and as an accurate descriptor).

Alien criminals of all shapes and sizes are running wild. They're attacking S.W.O.R.D. agents, each other, the walls, the cells . . . it's pandemonium. Ciaran immediately launches into the thick of the fray, tearing a large hairy crustacean off of an impendingly-decapitated S.W.O.R.D. agent.

After a moment of combat, he is abruptly lifted from the ground and sent flying into a nearby bulkhead. Turning around slowly, you can see Mial-Zod (former Fist-of-Nightwing, eternal kidney stone in the urethra of life) zooming towards him.

Meanwhile, the Talisman's thoughtspeak echoes back to Thunderstruck, clearly strained but still jovial.

~Ah, Zachary! I would that I could, but I currently find myself in the midst of a prison riot! I'd happily lead my people in propitious prayer if I could, even from here, but I fear I'd be quickly felled by one of these ruffians! And that is to say nothing of the Zod family acting like a bunch of younglings right now! Is it urgent?~

[Quellian-dyrae]

Katie didn't even have time to give a breath of relief that cooler heads (one wonders how often Zach has found himself classified in that group) had prevailed before the ships in the Secondary Docking Bay started ripping apart.

Too much was going too many kinda of wrong for Katie to grin, but she gave Rene a solid pat on the back as he casually dropped Fang. The healing was problematic though. She remembered the Winter Soldier; last thing they needed was for him to get up later.

Okay. First thing was first. They were being jammed. Through Zach's telepathy, but shared via Shared Awareness, she sent to Brand, ~No problem Director, tell me what message you want sent out, and to whom, I'll get it there.~

See, Katie's work on improving her spells wasn't limited to the combat ones. She'd been practicing with Shared Awareness too. Before, she had been able to share within, you know, a few states. That was fine for most strategic purposes, but with Project Tomorrow on the horizon, greater range was desirable. And beyond that, well...

...

Okay, yeah, Fred could teleport a lot further these days than he had been able to when they first teamed up.

Point was, she had refined, streamlined, and reworked the thaumaturgic spell until she could reliably maintain contact with anyone on the same planet as her. Or, well, the same planet as she was geosynchronously orbiting, in this case. Close enough.

'Course, it was still a thaumaturgic spell. She couldn't just link to anyone she wanted. Fortunately, once you got a message to Earth, there were plenty of modes of communication to get it where it needed to go.

~Kayla, hey! Okay, don't freak out, but I need some help real quick. I'm going to send you a message and some people who need to receive it. Can you see that they get it like ASAP? We're being jammed up here.~ She'd follow up by relaying whatever message Brand wanted to send. Once it was finished, ~Okay, that's it. Gotta turn off Shared Awareness for a few to do some combat casting, I'll get back in touch soon as I get a breather. Love you!~

To the team, she sent, ~Need to drop Shared Awareness for a few guys. Relay all party communications through Zach's channel.~

She summoned her Helping Hand back under her, floating off the ground but not actually moving herself. Instead, she gripped Rene's shoulder, so she'd float along with him when he moved. Her scepter, though, she laid upon Fang.

Back in New York, she had considered the possibility of placing the Joker into an enchanted, persistent slumber. It wasn't a spell she had ever really cast before, and she wasn't even sure how comfortable she was about doing it, but as she had started taking her hero work more seriously, she'd looked into it. End of the day, such curses were a big responsibility, but they remained infinitely preferable to either allowing a superhuman to wreak more destruction, or killing them outright.

Placing lasting curses upon people was doable, but it was complex; you had to kinda tie the curse into their own personal energy to keep it running. It was a lot like her personal wards, in that, although those had taken a long time to build up. Structuring magic like that wasn't something she had any experience doing on the fly.

It was a challenge she had mentioned to Kayla once. And her sister - with some help from Mr. Arlington - had figured out how to build the structure right into the energy network of her new super-suit. And that network was still there, even collapsed into scepter mode - it just took a bit more energy to bring on-line.

So as Katie laid her scepter on the unconscious Fang, she cast a tactical transmutation intended to disable all of his superpowers - and pushed it through the energy network of her scepter to refine it, stabilize it, and tie it to whatever source of energy normally served to power those very abilities. Unless he resisted the effects, then until she reversed the spell, or some other mage countered it, Fang would be reduced to the physical, mental, and supernatural ability of a baseline human.

"Starting to wonder if heading for the courtroom is like...actually important anymore? Maybe we should go assist Zach or Ciaran?" she asked the group around her out loud. Priorities may have kiiiinda needed some reshuffling here.

Spoiler

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Free: Getting Brand's message out to Kayla with Shared Awareness. Delaying a bit as necessary, but since both forms of communication are Rapid 2, should be easy enough to handle. Persuasion for Connected advantage and/or keeping Kayla from freaking out despite the message that I expect I'm sending to her at (1d20+17)[26].

Free: Swapping to Tactical Transmutation and Floating Hand. At this point, all of Katie's scrying, social buffs, and stuff is down, and Shared Awareness is off.

Free: Grab hold of Rene's shoulder so he can drag her along if he moves.

Move: 20-point Metamagic on self. Basically just straight duplicating the Super-Suit augments of Tactical Transmutation.

Standard: Tactical Transmutation on Fang, Power Attacking for 5, +5 since he's Prone, at (1d20+10)[28]. This is a Finishing Attack with intent to kill trigger the Feature of Tactical Transmutation. As long as she doesn't roll a 1, he has to roll Fortitude DC 35 vs. Sleep Damage, Will DC 30 vs. Cumulative Impaired/Disabled/Transformed Affliction, with a Transformed result negating all superpowers, and lowering all Abilities to a maximum of 4. Further, if he fails against the Damage by three or more degrees, rather than being killed, he loses his powers indefinitely until either Katie reverses the effect, or it gets Nullified.

I will also note, Fang did get Disabled by Rene's Linked Affliction, so unless he recovered from that on his turn, he'll be at -5 on the saves. Nevermind! Forgot I changed that from Disabled.

If he's immune to crits, reduce the DCs by 5, and since he wouldn't be subject to Finishing Attacks, the Feature wouldn't apply, though he could still be Transformed for regular third-degree Affliction duration if he fails the save by enough.

Current Status: Normal.

Shared Awareness is OFF.

Current Augments

Sarah (10 Points) [1 Round]:

10 points to remove the Concentration Flaw from Temporal Duplicates.
-1 point to remove Mental Link from Temporal Duplicates.
1 point to partially duplicate Gravity Gauntlet as an alternate power of the Wormhole Generator array. The initial duplicate is four ranks lower, so Damage 8 (Accurate 4) Linked Affliction 8.
-4 points to add Limited Degree to the Affliction (making it only Dazed/Stunned).
2 points to raise the Damage to rank 10.
1 point to raise the now-Limited Affliction to rank 10.
1 point to add another rank of Accurate.

Rene (20 Points) [4 Rounds]:

10 points to create a variant of his Strength Damage as Weaken Toughness 10 (resisted by Fortitude) and Link it to his normal Strength Damage.
10 points to create a variant of his Strength Damage as Affliction 10 (Dazed+Vulnerable/Stunned+Defenseless; Resisted by Will) and Link it to his normal Strength Damage.

Katie (20 Points) [5 Rounds]:

Straight duplicate the Super Suit buff to Tactical Transmutation.

[SuperCracker]

Good thing he was prepared to go into space. Atmosphere rushed out of the station into the vacuum, and one mutant samurai with it. Starsoul laughed with delight as they went flying out towards the infinite dark. “Hey boss! Samurai in space! Musashi never did that shii----“ it trailed off as even a metal sword’s voice can’t carry when there’s no medium to carry it. Ronin tumbled for a moment before flipping and using his ability to air-walk to create a flat plane to stop himself. He wasn’t worried about Saturn, she was a teleporter and the person that made his space suit. What he worried about was the number of possible Superguardians dotting the station below.

Ronin stood at an angle perpendicular to Smasher’s orientation (because space) and decided to end this fight quickly. He broadcasted through the suit, though whether Smasher could hear or not was another story.

“I can’t waste anymore time with you. I’m going to fight you with my full power.”

Ronin tapped into the great fiery bird within and used it to power his magic, the Elder Form spell. He let out an iai shout (it made it easier to channel massive amounts of magic… or he just thought it looked cool) and transformed again. The image of the Firebird erupted from his aura then faded. The glow around him intensified, burning brightly in the otherwise cold void. Crackles of lightning sparked occasionally.

He didn’t make another comment. He sheathed his sword then zoomed towards Smasher with an earth-shattering iaijutsu strike. Starsoul shared the golden glow, producing a flash where the sword had struck.

Spoiler

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Standard to transform (again) into SSJ2. Move to get to Smasher. Surge to take an attack.

Full all-out+power attack. (1d20+10)[23] for DC 30+Multi Parry damage and DC 25 Will vs. Dazed/Stunned.

I will use an HP if need be to ensure it hits.