Richard's Animorphs Forum
Animorphs Section => Animorphs Role Playing => Topic started by: jmnar4 on July 14, 2008, 02:21:10 PM
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Storyline: Lets say that the original animorphs never went to the construction site like in Megamorphs 4. Its a different group of kids that come across Elfangor and are given the power to morph and learn of the Yeerk invasion.
Rules:
1.None of the original animorphs can be used; remember, this is a new group of animorphs
2. Third person only. You can do first person, only if you are good at writing. And put loads of emotion. Other than that, third person.
3. One player per person. Lets start with four humans, up to six. All other existing beings in the book will be added on later. There will be no god play or super morphs. You can play as a controller. You have to play both yeerk and host.
4. New aliens and allies are encouraged.
5. We'll keep the original enemies from the books but add a little twist.
5. Age will be 13-19. If you want a pre-existing relationship with another character you have to talk to the other author first. Lets have some variety in personality.
6. There is no leader. That is up to the kids to decide whose going to call the shots.
7. Also if you want to RP, make sure you can post at least every other day.
8. If you wish to get out of the RP please send notice so we won't be left hanging. (We'll find some way to kill your character if you wish to leave.)
9. More than a sentence when posting. Please. I don't have to say this but I will.
10. No perfect characters. No Mary/Gary-Sues.
11. No stealing Andalite technology unless discussed and agreed upon by the GROUP
12. we will decide on who wants what morph as we get through the story.
So, have fun and enjoy.
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For your character:
-Name
-Age
-description of appearance
-personality
-a brief bio
I'll start it off.
Name: Jason Warrick
Appearance: 5' 8", athletic build, good looks, brown hair done in a buzz cut, and brown eyes that seem to have a intense, determined look to them.
Age: 19
Personality: Jason is always up for a challenge, and never backs out on helping a friend. He knows when is the right time to do something and when not it isn't.
Bio: Jason is the third oldest of four children with a older brother and sister in college and a younger brother in high school. His dad is a doctor and his mom is a teacher. Jason lived a average, everyday life until he becomes a animorph. He accepts the choice because he felt he could make a difference, fighting not only for the people he cares about but for the entire human race. Strong-willed and determined, Jason never backs away from a challenge.
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"One player per person. Lets start with four humans, up to six. All other existing beings in the book will be added on later. There will be no god play or super morphs. You can play as a controller. You have to play both yeerk and host.
New aliens and allies are encouraged."
does this mean that if you want to play an alien character you have to wait till later?
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we will start as soon as we have at least two more people. as for your question, your character can be a alien if you want. Just be sure to state what kind of alien you are.
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Name Yarin
Species Nyac (see http://animorphsforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=528.0 for species information)
Age 19
Appearance: 6’ 6” bald thin muscular build.
Personality Highly curious about the unknown non confrontational would prefer to talk his way out of a situation rather than fight but is always ready to lend a helping hand (or four)
Bio born in the Northern City of Geptul on Nya the only child of Paval and Laclab like all Nyac they were scientists.
When he was 18 the yeerks tried to invade his homeworld but failed due to the Nyac being highly telepathic. after that he became bored with his life and took a small ship into space on a ship searching for the unknown after receiving a transmission from an andalite scout ship about the yeerks being on earth he fired his zero space engines and headed for earth.
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I think I want to try this out.
-Name: Cody
-Age: 16
-description of appearance: Cody wears plain shirts and jeans. He has a kind of ragged look. His hair is brown, and his eyes are green. He is athletic, and has a muscular look.
-personality: He cares about himself more than other people, but he's more or less friendly to other teens and kids. He distrusts adults, police, and the like. He is soft spoken, but rarely lies. He is the least willing to fight the Yeerks, but he envies the others who have families that are important enough that they'll risk their lives for them.
-a brief bio: Cody is a homeless drifter that had been staying in the construction site for the past few days. He was coming back to the site after spending the day walking around town, when Elfangor landed. He was drawn to it all for the mystery of what was going on.
He accepts the gift because he figures he has nothing to lose. He stays because he likes morphing, and would feel bad about using the power, but not using it for the reason it was given to him.
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welcome....now all we need are at least two more people to start.
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i'll join in later whenever you add the alien characters
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I notice our characters are rather muscular. I put mine as muscular because he spends all his time outdoors and travels a lot. I think I might have him be an estreen, if no one minds. I haven't decided if he's going to be a good thief or anything like that.
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-Name: Nichole (Nick or Chole)
-Age: 18
-description of appearance: She has short. curly, brown hair, which currently has blond highlights and red bangs. She's about 5'2" and built like a brick-house. This slightly overweight girl is stronger than most girls her age, simply because that's just how her bone and muscle structure came together.
She is often seen wearing two-week old jeans and a clean wrinkled t-shirt.
-personality: On the outside she is a caring, calm, and painfully shy person. On the inside she's mostly a caring, calm person, but there are times when she really wants to let some anger and frustration fly. Something always seems to stop her, though. Except for certain times...She also breaks down if she gets too frustrated.
She enjoys sports to a point, though she likes to play them more than watch them. She hates board games and video games.
-a brief bio: A Georgia girl by birth and a Pensylvania girl by heart, she has recently moved to _____ (We going with California?) to attend college and has found that adjusting to the place itself isn't hard. It's adjusting to living without her parents and friends.
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its good to see you all. we can get started whenever everyone is ready, and to see if anyone else is interested in joining.
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Okay. So far there's Nichole and Jason taking a shortcut through the site on their way home, and Cody going back to the site because that's where he's been sleeping for the past few days. I will start.
In Character: Cody often prefered to think of himself as a freeroaming drifter, but many people he met just called him homeless. He didn't really care. Half the time he didn't even regret that he had no parents or guardians. Adults just talked like they knew everything anyway, and felt like kids and teens needed their lives lived for them.
He came into town a few days ago, and settled in an abandon construction area. It was alright, and had some other freeroamers to talk to. He was coming back to his place one evening when he saw some other teens passing through. They didn't look like they belonged, and seemed slightly tense as they walked through.
He decided not to cause trouble, and just watch them pass, but one of them looked into the sky and pointed at something. Cody thought it might be a plane at first, but it was weird. It was also heading straight for the site. He couldn't believe what was happening, but we was witnessing an alien spaceship landing on Earth!
He found himself drawn to the ship as it landed, and kind of stood behind the other people as they all watched in awe.
Out of Character: It's actually kind of late, and I have to go to bed. Someone else can pick up from here, or whatever.
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((I'm assuming this means we're starting.))
Nichole sighed to herself. She wasn't just a little lost. She was completely and totally turned around. She had gotten directions from her roommate, but she could barely remember them. And on top of that, her roommate wasn't answering the phone. So, instead of turning away from the construction site, like she was suppose to, she had wandered into it.
She was beginning to show the signs of breaking down, despite her desperate attempts to hold it in. But all the same, her chest tightened and tears started rolling from the utter frustration of being completely lost in a new town.
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Out of Character: I have two questions. Should we keep the Escafil Device for our group, assuming it survives again? Should we skip part of the beginning because most people are probably familiar with the part where Elfangor gives Humans power, and Visser Three comes down to eat him?
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ooc
ok just let me know when you'll be adding the alien characters cause right now im heading for earth
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OoC: Would you like to be captured and rescued, Yarin, or meet us in the middle of the battlefield?
"Hey, there's another alien fighting the Yeerks. He's surrounded. We must help him!"
Here's a suggestion. The Human group eventually makes it to the pool. There they meet Yarin, who helps them get out.
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-if you are going to speak out of character use parentheses (,).
-Daphnes, i like your idea about how we will meet Yarin. we'll go with it.
-and could someone refresh my memory what the Escafil Device is.
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((The Escafil Device is the blue box. I'm almost positive of this fact.))
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yes it is and i like that idea about me being captured and rescued
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(Yes, it's the blue morphing cube. I can put that Cody goes back to the construction site, and sees the cube. It's now Jmnar4's turn. Or Yarin can post something. Go!)
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(im confused, i feel like i missed something how are you suddenly in a battle also am i captured at the moment and am i able to fight back or am i subdued?)
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(hang on everyone. we just can't go to the construction site and find the morphing cube. we have to do the whole sequence with Elfangor so we learn about the Yeerks and the morphing)
Jason was bored. Nothing exciting was happening at the mall so he decided to head home. Leaving the mall, Jason considered which way he should go, the long way just to be safe or take his chances and cut through the construction site. "What the heck," Jason thought, "I need something to happen." He cut across the road and headed for the construction site.
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(im confused, i feel like i missed something how are you suddenly in a battle also am i captured at the moment and am i able to fight back or am i subdued?)
(No battle right now. And you're not captured unless you want to be, or until you want to be. I was just saying that when the group eventually egts down to the Yeerk Pool, that's where we could meet Yarin. You decide how your character gets there. You can post stuff about getting to Earth and everything.)
(One more question. Are we allowed to control the other characters in any way, or are we restricted to having only our own characters do things?)
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Yarin burst out of Z-space a few hundred miles from the planet below, Earth. With a population of roughly 6 billion if the Yeerks conquered this world they would become unstoppable.
As he entered the Earth's atmosphere he engaged the automatic pilot and instructed his ship's computer to reduce speed and begin standard landing procedures.
Nothing happened, he tried again. "Computer reduce speed!" he said forcefully. Still nothing, he was rapidly approaching the planet's surface there was nothing he could do he was going to crash. Yarin braced himself as he hit the planet's surface, luckily the forcefield activated in time or he would have been destroyed, as it was he only had a mild concussion and his upper left arm was broken. Quickly he exited his damaged ship and surveyed his surroundings, some empty or decaying buildings, heaps of twisted metal and wood, no humans within the immediate area. He would hide out here until his injuries could heal.
(I made him land in the construction site a few days before all of your characters get there if that's not ok i can change it.)
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(So Yarin is going to be at the site? That's cool with me.)
The alien ship landed, but after it did, Cody noticed it had been attacked. Part of the hull was melted, like something else had blasted it was a laser. The door opened, and out stepped a blue haired alien. It was like a centaur, but the head was wrong. It had no mouth, and there were extra eyes on stalks. It had a muscular, flexible tail with a blade on the end.
<I am Elfangor Sirinial Shamtul. I will not harm you.> He said as he walked slowly down a ramp. Then he stumbled and fell, and Cody noticed he was injured. For a moment, fear was replaced with concern.
"You're hurt. We have to get you somewhere safe." Cody said as the group gathered around the alien.
<There is no time. I am dying, and the Yeerks are coming. Parasitic beings from another planet have come to invade your world. We tried to stop them, but there was an ambush. There is no time.>
"I don't believe this." He said.
<There may be a way to help you still. Go into my ship and find a small blue cube. Bring it out here to me.>
Cody went in and brought out the device. He then gave it to the alien.
(Ok, I'll end my post there.)
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As he walk through the construction site, Jason looked up at the sky and noticed a strange light in the sky, almost like a shooting star. Looking harder he saw that it wasn't a shooting star but some kind of space ship. "Ok," Jason said to himself, "there's something you don't see every day." Suddenly, the ship seemed to slow down and descend to the ground below, about 100 yards right in front of him. The ship came to rest on the ground and its lights went out. Just when he was considering running away, Jason heard, or thought he heard, a voice say <Do not be afraid. I mean you no harm.> A arch of light appeared in the side of the ship, revealing a doorway through which stepped a creature like nothing Jason had ever seen.
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Nick took off her glasses, wiping both her eyes and her glasses with a part of her shirt. She had lifted them up to check for more spots about two seconds before the light had flashed. By the time the light had passed, she was back to looking at her glasses, and by proxy, the ground. Which is why she jumped and shrieked when the voice said, <Do not be afraid. I mean you no harm.> Her glasses slipped out of her hands, and she squinted in the darkness, crouching down to find her glasses. She knew that whomever had spoken hadn't used actual speach, and her sci-fi addled brain told her that the culprit was most likely an alien. So, since her glasses had fallen on the ground, her first impression of everyone was that anyone there could have been an alien, since her nearsightedness made everything fuzzy and gave people black holes where eyes belonged. However, she was leaning towards the large, blue thing as being the most likely candadite for an alien.
And once the glasses were in place, she realized that she was right.
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Yarin watched from his hiding place as Elfangor spoke to the young humans. Yarin decided that if the Andalite trusted them then Yarin could to. He ran towards the ship. Elfangor looked startled by his presence but not worried. The humans on the other hand, looked mildly frightened to say the least what with a 4 armed 6 eyed alien who just burst in on them without provocation. Yarin started at Elfangor and telepathically told him that he meant no harm and that he was here to help.
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"This is a dream," Nick muttered to herself when a freaking four-armed, six-eyed alien ran up. "I fell asleep at my computer chair, and I'm dreaming. Oh, well. Lynn'll pro'lly wake me for that stupid Sharing thingie she was ranting about. Yeah, that explanation sounds really reasonable." Suddenly it occured to her that the Andalite was bleeding. She had missed most of the conversation about the aliens and the blue box--plus the stumble--when she was fiddling with her glasses.
"Hey, are you alright? Do you need help?"
Elfangor swiveled a stalk-eye in her direction and responded, <No. I will die. The wound is fatal.>
"****," she said automatically. "Oh, sorry. And, um, I'm sorry about," she cleared her throat, indicating the wound, "that."
((I figured I'd just go ahead and sensor myself. I wanted to keep it clean, but to be honest, the character would curse when faced with a response like that. However, she won't be constantly cursing or anything.))
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"Aah! Yeerk!" Cody yelled when the multi-limbed creature came forward. "He said they were coming, and now one of them is here."
<No.> Elfangor said calmly <The Yeerks are parasites that live in a host's brain, but this creature is not a Controller. He is not a Yeerk.>
"Oh. Ok." Elfangor told them all to touch the cube, which they did and felt a pleasurable tingling sensation.
<You now possess morphing ability. You can absorb the DNA of any animal you touch, and can morph into it with concentration. However, you must never stay in morph for more than two hours. That is the limit in which you will be trapped forever. A nothlit.>
More lights appeared in the sky.
<Those are the Yeerks. All of you must hide! He is coming for me!>
Elfangor gave Cody back the morphing cube, and they all headed for a low wall and hid behind it. Two other spaceships landed next to Elfangor's ship, followed by a much larger ship. Then creatures scarier than the one they were hiding with came out of the three ships. Followed by what appeared to be another Andalite.
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Jason huddled with the others behind the low wall and watched as the Yeerk ships touched down, surrounding Elfangor's ship. A hatch on the larger ship opened and out came two kinds of creature, things out of a nightmare. The first creature stood about seven feet tall, stood on two T.Rex-like legs, had a beak like that of a falcon, and had blades coming out of its wrists, elbows, knees, tail, and the top of its head. <Hork-Bajir Controllers.> them heard Elfangor say in thought speech. <The Hork-Bajir are a peaceful race despite their appearance> "Who would have guessed that," Jason muttered sarcastically. The second kind of creature looked like a giant, mutant centipedes that walked with part of its body held upright and supported by dozens of legs. Its head, if you could call it a head, were four eyes that looked like globs of JELL-O and a circular mouth that was full of tiny needle like teeth. <Taxxon Controllers. The Taxxons are a evil race allied with the Yeerks.> "Why am I not surprised," Jason muttered to himself. Suddenly the Hork-Bajir and Taxxon stopped and turned to face the larger ship, as a figure appeared at the hatch.
(To avoid copying the book we should come up with a different Visser and not Visser 3. Any suggestions?)
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(Not using Visser Three? ??? What if the new guy has a host that can change its body shape, but just not quite like morphing. Kind of like Venom in Spiderman? Or somewhat like the Veleek in Megamorphs #1?)
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(lets have the visser we face be a human, but is someone none of us have never seen before.)
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(lets have the visser we face be a human, but is someone none of us have never seen before.)
(A Human controller? That's about as nonthreatening as it gets. It would ruin his character.)
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The figure walked off the ship Yarin studied its form it was bipedal with dark shiny skin that seemed to flow like a viscous liquid, and two large eyes that reflected light. Suddenly Yarin realized what it was. "it is a Calveroid they are a semi-solid species with the ability to alter their physical form."
"You mean they can morph?" one of the humans asked. "No not exactly, from what I understand about them, they simply loose cohesion, change shape and resolidify as something else. They are normally peaceful and friendly only using this ability for entertainment." Yarin said. <That is Visser 5, he wants to enslave your people quickly leave before you are destroyed.> Elfangor said.
Visser 5 stared at the doomed Andalite prince and laughed evilly then he began to change shape, growing larger and larger until he towered over Elfangor. Yarin and the young humans ran from that awful scene but no matter how far he ran Yarin knew he could never forget what he just witnessed.
(i can change this if needed i just made up the Calveroids)
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((Ooh, I like these Calveroids. Very interesting. And, yes, much more interesting than a human Controller. And I just realized who they sort-of remind me of. Sort-of.))
"You mean they can morph?"
The second that question had flown out of her mouth, she immedietly wanted to hit herself. Of course it didn't mean they can morph! Had Star Trek taught her nothing? Had Odo? She was about to take the question back when one of the aliens explained. Then the other mentioned Visser Five. Something about the name itself sent chills down her spine.
However, she couldn't let him just die. She stood her ground, tears bluring her eyes, ready to defend Elfangor. The rest of the world seemed to vanish, though, as Visser Five approached. Her mind went blank, relaying only basic instructions to her body. Stand your ground.
A few seconds before Visser Five was upon them, Elfangor finally managed to shove her hard enough with the side of his tail-blade to get her to move. <GO!> He shouted, wheezing a bit from both the pain of the wound and from the exertion of having to try and shove her.
Reality returned, and she reluctantly ran, going faster than she had ever moved it seemed. Her main thought was focused on finding some sort of weapon to attack the alien with. Something. Anything. Tears streamed down her eyes at the fact that the only weapons were either hand-to-hand or rocks that she knew were either too light to do any damage or too heavy to throw.
Then she looked back and almost wet herself. If the fact that it wasn't a dream hadn't sunk in before, it sure as heck was alive and well now. The creature towered over Elfangor, looking more menacing than anything she had ever seen on TV or otherwise.
She turned back and started running towards her school before she could witness any more.
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Any concern Cody felt for that poor Andalite vanished as a small army of dangerous aliens came out of those ships. Plus that Visser 5 character that the nicer alien called a Calveroid. Cody ran and ran down the allyways and across streets. He had no real place of safety to run to, but his mind screamed to run and save himself!
Finally he passed out in some dark, secluded part of town. There he lay, curled up and crying from all the fear.
The next morning we woke up, screaming. He found himself still alone, and wondering if any part of last night was real.
"Okay Cody," He said to himself. "You have two choices: You can leave this horrible town and never look back, or you can stay and try to make sense of what was happening."
He patted himself over to make sure he wasn't injured, and found the blue morphing cube was tucked in his pocket. The Andalite had given them the power to morph any creature they touched, in the hopes they would be able to save their people. If Cody left everything, he would feel a little guilty. Especially with this box serving as a constant reminder of things.
He decided to walk around town, and see if he could find those people again. If they all agreed they were too scared to fight, then he could leave without feeling guilty. He wrapped the box in some foil he found in a trash can, and put it back in his pocket. Then he went for a walk.
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Jason stared in horror as Visser 5 began to change its shape. It became a creature straight out of one's worst nightmare, and made the Taxxons and Hork-Bajir look like nothing. He knew what was going to happen next, and as if reading his mind, the others took off running, Jason wasted no time in following. Jason ran through the construction site, dodging obstacles of every kind and didn't look back, and didn't stop running until he was distance from the site. The rest of the way home, Jason kept looking all around him, half expecting something to jump out of the darkness at him, but nothing did. He finally reached his house and let himself in. After making a convincing excuse to his parents about where he had been, Jason went to his room and tried to fall asleep, all the while going over the events of the past few hours and kept wondering if it was just his imagination or if it was all real.
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Somehow, Nick made it back to her dorm room. Her roommate was no-where to be found, but she honestly didn't notice, nor would she have cared.
She barely had her basic undergarments out from under her clothes when her knees buckled and she landed on the bed. Not even bothering to remove her jeans, she slid under the covers and curled up with her stuffed animals. Her glasses were lobbed at the nearby desk, but she didn't bother to see if they had landed safely.
She finally fell asleep about an hour later, the scene still playing in her mind. Surely it had to be a dream.
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Yarin quickly crawled into the room sensing only one human present he spoke to it <You are the female identified as Nicole?> he asked. She woke up a bit confused. "Who's there." she asked. <It is I Yarin, the alien you met tonight I have acquired this small mammal but I need revert to my original form soon.> Then he began demorphing soon he was back in his own body. "I need you to gather the other humans, I need a human morph there is a morphing technique I know of called the Frolis Maneuver it will blend each of your DNA giving me a unique individual human morph." Yarin said.
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"This is stupid. I'm never going to find these people in the middle of a city. I've never even seen them before, especially that spider alien with too many limbs." Cody mumbled to himself after hours of walking. What was he supposed to do? He found himself back at the site where the Andalite died, but he couldn't tell where the others fled to from there.
Then the idea came to him. He went to a room further in the site where he had slept before, and uncovered a small hiding place he had made. He stuck the box in, and took out some cash. He used to money to take a cab to the nearest pound. In the pond he found a bloodhound and acquired its DNA through touch. He then went back to the site.
Making sure no one was around, he began concentrating on the dog. He watched his body as fur grew all over his skin, and his insides rearranged themselves. He shrugged off his pants and shirt soon before it was complete.
Then his entire world changed. Sight was no longer of much importance, especially compared to smell. And oh, the things he could smell! Humans, aliens, roadkill, trash, and about a million other things from here to halfway down the road. He had been worried before about morphing, but now all that worry vanished. He was optimistic and happy. The world was his smelly playground, and he knew that when he found the others it would be time to play.
He started with the scent of the Human male from last night. His scent was very clear, and Cody followed it. Everything would be fine now. The day was bright and warm, and all his energy was pointed towards the hunt. Far in the back of his mind, though, something nagged at him. Something about time? Oh, who cared. He was having fun!
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"Oh, lord. It's not a dream." She flopped back onto the matress, yanking the covers over her head and screaming. "Sorry," she said when she pulled the covers off her face. "Now, your plan sounds great, and everything. There's just one problem. I have no clue who those other people were." She rubbed her eyes and made a motion with her hands. "I need a bit of privacy. You mind?" She squinted in the darkness at the alien. This was going to get a bit of getting used to. "Seriously. Privacy. Now."
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Yarin turned away and shut his six eyes not sure why. After a little while Nicole told him to come back in and they began to discuss their situation so far. "We haven't been properly introduced." he said "My name is Yarin and I am a Nyac."
"How are we going to find the others?" Nicole asked. "Well I found you by scanning your brainwaves I’m from a telepathic species." Yarin said.
"Well if we're going to search for them you'll need a disguise. Here put these on." she said handing him some clothing, a long coat and head covering. “Hold on.? He said as his skin change color from normal gray to match her skin tone. “How do I look?” he asked. “Great.”, she said as the went to find the others.
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(Jmnar4 is late.)
After sniffing around for a while, across streets and through yards, Cody finally found a house with a lot of Jason's scent. This was it! But now what to do?
Cody was vaguely in control of the morph, and was aware that there were animal instincts in his dog brain. He also knew that demorphing could be a problem. What was he supposed to do about clothing once he demorphed? Was it possible to morph some clothes?
He walked into an open garage and rested after all that walking. He began demorphing, and also tried to focus on a shirt and jeans. The end result was tattered and torn, but he managed to come out with some semblance of a red shirt and blue jeans.
"Not much worse than what I usually wear. Now to go see if that guy wants to talk." Cody said as he made his way to the front door.
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(i was waiting for the rest of you to make a post.)
Jason awoke to the sound of knocking on his bedroom door. "Jason," his mother called, "there is a boy named Cody here to see you." "Cody?" Jason got up, nearly tripping over Max, his german shepard, who had somehow got into his room. "What a way to start off the morning," Jason muttered. After a quick change into jeans and a t-shirt, he went downstairs to find Cody standing outside. It was then that Jason recognized him, one of the people who had been with him at the construction site the night before. Some luck for that being just a dream. "What are you doing here," Jason asked Cody, going outside and shutting the door so no one could hear them, "And how did you find my house?"
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"So...Yarin, was it? Just how telepathic are you? Can you read every thought that comes my..." She paused for a second, staring at something. "Er...way. Yeesh, it's a good thing I don't have classes today. But seriously. You said you scanned my 'brainwaves'. Can you tell me about that some more?" She wasn't just making conversation. Her interest was science, marine biology in particular, and this was probably the only time she'd get to speak to an actual alien.
Plus, she wasn't sure where they were going, beyond the fact that they were going to find "the others". Whoever they were.
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Cody spoke softly. "It works. The morphing ability that the Andalite gave us works. I morphed a bloodhound from the pound, and tracked you here by scent. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It would be the coolest thing in the world, were it not for the invasion of the body snatchers. So now we either have to just fend for ourselves, or play Mighty Morphing Power Rangers and save the world."
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Jason thought about what Cody had said but it wasn't his choice to make, he wasn't the leader type who could make decisions for others. "I can't speak for the others who were with us last night, but I know for sure that what happened was real and we can't ignore it. Lets try and find the others and hear what they have to say." Deep down Jason was hoping that they would all agree on something, just to see if this morphing was as great as Cody said it was.
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"Yes I scanned your brainwaves. I scanned for key words and thoughts and found you. It is how I wil find the others. "But how?" Nicole asked. It is all part of my species telepathy. We begin life as class 5 telepaths only able to pick up stray thoughts and emotions. When we reach adulthood, approximately age 20, we become class 4 able to receive and project thoughts and emotions " After our 25th year we enter the narcon gleesh or great change where we gain complete control over our mental facilities and become class 3 telepaths."
Yarin said as they walked up to a house. "We will find them in there." he said.
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Cody and Jason heard Jason's dog barking at something around the corner of his house. They went around and found Nichole and someone wearing a hooded jacket.
"Hey, it's you." Cody said.
They all went into the garage for further privacy so they could talk.
"Ok, we have to decide. We have to vote on whether or not we fight or flee. Personally, I'm ok with fleeing. In fact, I have no family or house in this town. There's no big reason for me to stay. I'm just waiting for everyone to confirm that this is way over our heads. I'm not even old enough to join the military, much less stop an invasion."
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"I think we should fight i'm stuck on this planet for the time being I might as well put my time to good use." Yarin said.
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"Well, I don't know about you," she said, indicating Jason, "but I'm sure as heck old enough to die for my country. I just can't have a drink while I'm doing it. To be honest, my goal in life is to go to college, get a PhD., get laid at least once before I die, and live out the rest of my days either a married cat lady or a crazy one. Getting involved in a war was definately not one of my plans. Hence why I never joined the military." She sighed, sitting on the garage floor. "Then again...Who else is there to stop this, besides us? The military? They'd lock us in the nuthouse for even suggesting it! Plus, I've seen both 'The Wrath of Khan' and that TNG episode that deal with mind-controlling aliens. In the end, the good guys win. So maybe...I don't know. I'm not making a final decision yet. I need time to really think about it."
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"I agree with you guys." Jason said. "We have to do this because we are the only ones who can. We can't tell anyone because they'll either think we are crazy and will have us locked up or they might be a Controller." Despite what he said, Jason was still unsure about what he really thought about the whole thing. How long could he keep this a secret from his friends and family, and how would it affect them. He didn't want to put those he cared about in harms way but he would be doing this to save them. "I'm for it."
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"I can't believe I've been out-voted. Do you people not fear pain and death or something?"
Cody thought for a moment as an awkward silence filled the room.
"Hey Yarin. You know about Yeerks, right? How do we get the Yeerks out of people's heads? That's the key to winning, right? Freeing hosts?"
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"Unfortunatly there is no way to remove the Yeerks from thier hosts with out killing them." Yarin said. If I am going to fight the Yeerks with you I will need a human morph to blend in. Give me your hand so I can aquire you all and produce a unique individual."
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"Ya know, that sounded much less creepy when I was still drowzy." She sighed a bit, but held out her hand. "Is this going to hurt, or anything?"
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"It won't hurt. I've already morphed before, though I haven't thought about blending more than one DNA strand together." Cody said as he held out his hand.
"I guess if we're going to be a group, we'll need a leader. I will be it. Jason will be my second in command. Yarin will be the tactical officer. Nichole will be the one who takes orders from Jason. She's still very important, though, as Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn."
(I wanted to have Cody say that because I thought the last part would be funny. He's also self serving, so he'd at least be tempted to lead. Jason can be leader if you want, since Jmnar4 started the thread. It's all fine by me.)
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"You got that right," Nick said with a bit of a grin. "And I'm fine with whomever wants to lead. I'm very good at following orders. Leading...well, let's just not get into that. Just one quick question: why am I the only one who has to follow Jason's orders?"
((I liked the last line. Very funny. Though it does remind me that I'M THE ONLY GIRL SURROUNDED BY BOYS!!! I MUST BE IN...Well, I guess it depends on how cute the guys are. >:D ;D Oh, and my character's serious about not being in charge. Though I did have a quick question. Assuming this rp is around when we reach book 4, or earlier if ya'll want--assuming everyone wants to do that book--, who's going to "fall unconscious and hear a mysterious voice calling from the ocean"?))
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(Jmnar4 said none of the main characters from the books will be in this RP. That means no Ax at the bottom of the ocean.)
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((Pitty. I liked Ax. Ah, well. Just checking.))
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(what should my human morph look like i Mean hight hair/eye/skin color i assume its an average of all of yours)
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(Well, Cody is white. I never specified that, but since I'm white then Cody will be too.)
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(ok im going for the androgynous look)
Yarin aquired his team mates after making sure nicole left the room and began to morph, his lower arms retracted into his body and his fingers merged together becoming 5 instead of 6, his skin became a pale pink color he felt his vision dim as 4 of his eyes disappeared. Hair grew on his head short redish brown with specks of blonde. he was fully human now and naked, "I do not understand how do you see past the visible light spectrum with only two eyes? And how do you express emotions without changing your skin color? And what," he asked looking down and pointed between his legs, "Are these."
(I can change this if needed)
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"We don't see past the visible light spectrum. Whatever that is. We express emotion by talking and body language. THOSE are things you never show a woman unless you are seriously in love with her, and what you never show a man at all." Cody said after covering his eyes. "Jason, please go to your house and bring the man some pants. Why couldn't he have morphed a female?"
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(just to clearify Nyac don't have testies in the traditional sense theirs are on the inside arranged like a human females reproductive system. oh and by the way the questions i was asking are a reference to the first time Ax morphed human in the tv series.)
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(Cody can be the leader. i personally am not the leader type.)
Jason slipped back inside and brought back jeans and t-shirt for Yarin. It took a few minutes for Jason and Cody to help Yarin with his new clothes til he looked normal, for a alien in a human morph. "Ok," Jason said when they were finished, "what do we do now?"
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"Now we need something to fight with that's better than dogs. We need morphs that will strike fear in the hearts of our enemies. Bears, tigers, crocodiles, wolves, rhinos, and whatever else we can acquire. Unfortunately, just doing that will be dangerous. We can find animals at the zoo area of The Gardens."
After making arrangements, they went to The Gardens and paid admission.
"We need to find a way to sneak into the back area and acquire some mean morphs. Then we start practicing and get ready to hit the enemy's base of operations. That is, assuming the Yeerks have a ground base somewhere."
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"The Yeerk's base will most likely be hidden, just where it is we'll figure out later." Jason said. "Right now we have to figure out a way to sneak into the back area, anyone got any ideas?"
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(are we sneaking into the animal habitats at the gardens? if so which habitat first cause i have an idea but its a real long shot.)
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(It doesn't really matter which habitat first. To make it quicker, I say all of us split up and find which battle morphs we want to use. Then meet back up later. I also have an idea about how we find the pool area. Nichole's roomate is a controller, since she was invited to The Sharing. At some point Nichole should mention the invitation to The Sharing.)
"I have an idea." Cody said after they found one of the doors to the back area. "Yarin. Try using your telepthy to open the lock from the inside. Try turning the part of the knob on the other side to unlock the door."
"I wonder if Yarin even needs a battle morph." Cody said absentmindedly.
(I don't know if Yarin can actually do that, but it would be a quick way to get in without having to find keys.
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((I was actually thinking of having her mention her intention to go to the meeting, instead of just making a comment about it.))
"One quick question...How do you plan on touching the dangerous animals?!" she asked, trying to keep her voice quiet. A part of her had already figured out what she wanted to have as her first morph, but the other part of her wasn't so sure about breaking into the Gardens.
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(lol thats telekinesis not telepathy I could use my telepathy to influence the guards by planting a post hypnotic suggestion Actually I have some dna samples from a creature on my homeworld with me on my crashed ship I could use it)
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(lol thats telekinesis not telepathy I could use my telepathy to influence the guards by planting a post hypnotic suggestion Actually I have some dna samples from a creature on my homeworld with me on my crashed ship I could use it)
(Well, go ahead and post that. Make one of them forget to lock the door back or something. And my bad about the wrong word. Telekenesis, not telepathy.)
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Yarin decided he couldn't go through with it himself, he wasn't in complete control of his human morph and he didn't feel safe, but he had another idea after tricking the guards into letting the others in he ran back to his ship, demorphed and unthawed the specimens he had brought along he accuired them, remorphed to human and met up with the others.
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After some sneaking around, they came to a crocodile exibit. "Will you look at how big that thing is? I'll bet it could really mess up some of those bladed aliens." Cody said.
"I'll show you how it's done." He got inside the enclosure and creeped up to a croc that was sunbathing. Very slowly he reached out and touched the very end of its tail with one finger. After acquiring it, he made it out. "See? Easy!"
"I don't know." Nichole said.
"Just find something that won't rip you apart immediately, and get out while the animal is in the aquiring trance." Cody said.
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As they continued along, Jason went over what animal he should acquire. He narrowed it down to tiger, wolf, and lion. "Hmm," he said to himself, "all three would make a good battle morph but I think I'll go with the animal I know best, the tiger." They reached the enclosure where the tiger was kept. Jason peered in to see where the tiger was and how he could get in without being seen. The tiger lay in the shade of a tree at least ten yards from the door but there were alot of people looking at it, Jason knew he would have to be careful not to attract attention. He went in, using the available cover to get near the tiger. Reaching out, Jason placed his hand on the tiger, acquired it, and slipped back to the others. "Wow," he said after closing the door, "that was something."
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Cole stood at the door of the habitat, psyching herself out. She tried to relax, telling herself that it was just like going on a roller-coaster. "Only I'm not strapped in," she muttered to herself. "And this has nothing to do with heights."
Finally, after what seemed like ages, but was only about half a minute, she opened the door. The black panther was laying on a rock, sunning itself. Asleep.
Or so she thought.
She crept towards it, trying to keep her breath steady. CRRACK! went a branch. The panther raised its head lazily, looking at her sleepily. She froze, and murmured, "Nice kitty, kitty. Pretty kitty." The panther flicked its tail and laid its head back on its paws. Slowly she reached out and stroked it. Its breath slowed as she aquired it. A part of her was sort of surprised that it didn't start purring, like her cats would.
Once she was sure she had aquired it, she turned and ran out of there as fast as she could. Throwing open the door, she slammed it shut, laughing wildly. "Wooh! What a rush!" She grinned widely, panting a bit.
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"Now that we have our morphs, we need to practice with them. We'll need a remote spot to get used to our morph's instincts and abilities."
They hiked into the woods and stopped in a meadow.
"I'll get things started. Just give me a lot of space because crocodiles are known to eat people."
Cody began to morph. His skin turned to scales, his face bulged out, and a tail grew from his rear. His arms and legs shortened, and he grew fatter and heavier than any Human.
After the morph was done, the instincts kicked in. It was slow, and very old. Crocodiles are as old as the dinosaurs, and have changed little since ages past. He was big and bold, but was uncomfortable with no water near. There were also others near, and he gave a loud hiss to warn them off.
<Are you in control of the morph, Cody?> A voice asked.
He didn't care for the voice in his head, but one word stuck out. The word Cody had some meaning. He then realized, that was his name.
<Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, I used telepathy like you and Elfangor! Cool.>
Cody began walking, and swishing his tail around. He grabbed a rock in his mouth that weighed half what his Human body did, and hurled it far.
<This is a cool morph! I'm strong, tough, and don't take sass from anyone!>
He then demorphed. "Ok, who's next?"
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Cole waved her hand. "Um...don't you think we should have someone else in morph? Just in case, you know, we try and EAT PEOPLE?!"
((Does anyone care if Cole can morph in at least half the time of everyone else?))
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(You want Cole to be an estreen too?)
"If we keep our distance and depend a little on Yarin, it will hopefully be fine." Cody said.
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((Not exactly. Estreens are more known for making pretty pictures and being able to sort-of contol their morphs to a point. Now, yes, they are a bit faster than normal morphers, but I'm not trying to make her an estreen. Her morphs are just as disgusting, if not more disgusting, than everyone elses. She just happens to do it fairly quickly. One of the few things she can do fast. The others includes reading and typing.
((Ooh, I just realized something...I'm gonna have some clothes issues here...Did we even have the "clothes conversation"?))
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Cody has managed to morph some clothing before, but I guess the others might have problems. What if we pretended clothing wasn't much of an issue?)
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((That would definately save me and Cole some embarrassment. But about the faster morphing? Any thoughts? Anyone?))
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(It's fine. I have no objections.)
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"I will morph next I have chosen two morphs from my homeworld my pet Udglok, a small pink amoeboid creature named Ubi and a large male Devashi, they are large predatory reptiles they are pack hunters much like your wolves."
Yarin demorphed and began to morph the Devashi. His skin changed from gray to brownish green. He grew larger dropped down on all sixes his 4 arms becoming legs. He grew a tail with small spikes on it, scales, armor plating and a small sail on his back. His face elongated and rows of sharp teeth grew in his mouth, he developed heat sensing pits on his face. <I have completed the morph.> He said.
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"I'll go next," Jason said. Calming himself, Jason thought about being the tiger and felt the morph begin. The orange and black fur spread over his body, his muscles bulged, felt the teeth and claws grow in place of human teeth and nails. He fell on to all fours, the morph slowly completing itself. Jason felt the tiger apart of him come alive, its instincts and senses taking in his surroundings. Jason tried to keep the tiger part under control, remembering how Cody acted when he morphed the croc. <Ok,> he said in thought speech, <I think I have it under control.> He moved around the meadow, letting the tiger part guide him, getting a feel for the morph. <Aww man, I think I'm gonna like this morph.>
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((I'm going to take that as no one has objections to her speedy morphing. Don't worry, I'm going to make her more suseptable to fatigue due to morphing, though.))
Cole stood quietly, watching the guys morph. When everyone else had finished, she had a sense of what she was getting into. She tried to calm her shaking hands by shoving her glasses farther up her nose. Then she focused on the morph, closing her eyes so she didn't have to really see it. The first thing she noticed was that she fell onto all fours almost immedietly. Then everything seemed to fall into place faster than she expected it to. <Woah!> she shouted with surprise before the panther's mind took over.
The panther was fairly calm. It wasn't terribly hungry, so fortunately the strange smells weren't exactly appetizing. She streached, letting a bit of sunlight bathe her. Then she began washing herself.
A part of her frowned mentally. There was something odd about what she was doing. Something not...<Woah,> she said again as her mind surfaced. <Did not expect that.>
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"Wow, that was fast. I think this is turning out pretty well so far. Now if only we knew something about the Yeerk operation, we could do something. We should take a look around town. If either Jason or Nichole have a vehicle, we can ride around and see if we notice anything."
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Nichole demorphed, blinking as the world resumed its natural look. Her glasses were still shoved so high up the bridge of her nose that her eyelashes were hitting them when she blinked, so she adjusted them. "I have a car. I just...have no idea where it is. But I can't stay out too late. I promised my roommate I'd go to some Sharing thing tonight. And what did you mean when you said 'that was fast'?"
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"I just meant that you seemed to morph faster than the rest of us. Just a casual observation. If you have things to do, then maybe you should go ahead and do that. In fact maybe we should all go do that. I've been hearing about how fun The Sharing is, and that they have a bunch of free food. Maybe you should bring your three new friends." Cody said in excitement over the prospect of a free meal.
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After demorphing Jason rolled his eyes as he figured Cody would about the free food. "We'll think about food later. Lets see if this thing with The Sharing gets us anywhere. We go to The Sharing, look around, and see what there is to see." Suddenly a idea came to him. "I got a plan. I'll get a small morph and sneak around The Sharing meeting and get some info so we don't attract any unwanted attention. What do you think?"
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<It is a good plan.> Yarin said, as he demorphed. "However I think I will go with you to the meeting, I already have a small rodentia morph."
-
And so they went to the Sharing meeting. Cody went with Nichole, while Yarin helped Jason get a morph and the two went separately.
The meeting was on the beach, and several people played volleyball by the light of the setting sun. There were people in the water, and others eating food at the buffet tables. Cody kept his eye out on what was happening as he munched on various foods, while Nichole hanged out with her roommate.
They soon found out the Sharing was divided into two groups. There was the smaller full member group, which was very nice to everyone, and kept order. Then there was the larger group of regular members.
"Is it just me, or do the full members seem to go out of their way to make you feel comfortable? That kind of thing makes me suspicious. Not that I get the impression that this place is connected to the Yeerks." Cody said to Nichole while they were somewhat alone.
"Jason and Yarin should be snooping around about now. I wonder if I should do the dog thing and look around myself. Or would you like more company? I'm undecided."
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(what morph are yarin and i using to spy on The Sharing)
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(how about rat i already have one.)
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(what morph are yarin and i using to spy on The Sharing)
(You decide what Jason is going to be. A mouse or lizard or insect or whatever.)
(Jason or Yarin, just post something.)
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Yarin morphed to rat and with Jason infiltrated the Sharing. <I do not like this form.> Yarin said. <Well its not my favorite animal either.> Jason said as they crawled across the floor of the beach house, <hey what is this device?> Yarin asked. <It looks like an elevator, its a machine that moves people from one level of a building to another.> Jason said. <Someone is coming.> Yarin said. <Let us get on.> As they got on and it went down, and they entered a huge cavern. <Oh Paox.> Yarin swore.
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Yarin morphed to rat and with Jason infiltrated the Sharing.
(You're supposed to post more than one line. It needs to be something that leads the group to believe the Sharing is connected to the Yeerks. I'm sure you can think of something good.)
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(how was that?)
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As Jason's rat eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that the elevator had opened on to a huge cavern, big enough for a few football stadiums to fit in. Along the edges of the cave were numerous buildings. In the middle was what looked like a massive lake that looked like molten lead. Rats eyes weren't the best for seeing things from a distance but the rat's keen sense of hearing told Jason that something was doing on down here. He was hearing all kinds of screams, cries, and pleas, human voices from the sound of it. <Lets get out of here.> he said to Yarin. <We found something big and have to tell the others.>
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Yarin and Jason exited the elevator and found Nichole. <Nichole, where is Cody?> "He's over there talking to some people. What did you guys find." <We found a very large cavern that is being used by the Yeerks.> Yarin said. <Go tell Cody while we find a place to demorph.> Jason said.
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(ok its up to you guys now lol)
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(I'm going to see if Traycon posts soon. If not, then I'll post. Good job on your posts, guys.)
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((Sorry. Work plus my dad without his car kinda made things a little screwy here in t3 land.))
"I'm fine if you wanna go," Nichole replied. "I'm used to standing alone. Plus, I should probably see where Lynn went. So, go ahead and do your dog thing." She smiled, trying to hide the fact that she was terribly uncomfortable in a situation like this, and would in fact rather not be left alone.
-
Just then, two mice scurried under the buffet table.
<Cody. Nichole. It is us, under the table.> Yarin said. <We have found an entrance to what seems to be a Yeerk pool in the Sharing Building.>
Cody bent down and scooped up the two mice, hiding them in his shirt. He and Nichole left the crowd and headed for an isolated area.
"Ok, we need to get inside. The full members are likely Controllers, and they may be our ticket in. One of us can morph into one of the Controllers, and sneak the others inside. Then we morph our battle morphs, and free the hosts. That is, if no one minds morphing another Human. I don't have any problem with it."
"If anyone has a problem with that, we can sneak in as ourselves when the building is closed. Let's vote for plan A or plan B."
(For the record, I've never been a fan of the "no morphing sentient creatures" rule. I don't see any comparison between morphing Human and infesting one.)
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"Plan A sounds most likely to work. We just have to hope no one asks us important questions. Plan B just sounds...I don't know. Stupid. We're probably more likely to get caught with Plan B." She smiled, face turning a little red. "Um, that speal was suppose to let you know that I'm voting for Plan A. Did everyone get that?"
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"I agree with Nichole" Yarin said after he morphed to human. "No offense to you or your species but a human is just another animal to me."
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"Okay, plan A it is. The most convenient thing to do may be for Nichole to aquire Lynn. You're roommates, so just aquire her while she's sleeping. I'm going to need a small morph, but that shouldn't be too hard. We'll do this tomorrow, as long as no one has plans. Now let's get back and have some fun."
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"I do not think I have plans but I will have to check." Yarin said with a slight laugh. As for small morphs I might have some you'd be interested in Cody. Meet me at my ship in an hour I'll see what I can find."
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(I'm going to go ahead and post. Jmnar4 can post when he gets time.)
They all went back and played some games. Eventually people started leaving, as the meeting was over. Cody had come with Nichole and Lynn, but he said he'd find his own way home. He met up with Yarin, who escorted him to the ship.
He got the DNA and had a look around the ship. He wondered if he should ask to start staying with Yarin as roommates, but wasn't sure how he would respond to that. Instead he left for the construction site, mentioning to Yarin where he was going so someone would know where he was.
The morphing cube was still safe in the hiding spot, and Cody lay down to get some sleep. Soon they would be going down to the Yeerk Pool.
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"You got that right," Nick said with a bit of a grin. "And I'm fine with whomever wants to lead. I'm very good at following orders. Leading...well, let's just not get into that. Just one quick question: why am I the only one who has to follow Jason's orders?"
((I liked the last line. Very funny. Though it does remind me that I'M THE ONLY GIRL SURROUNDED BY BOYS!!! I MUST BE IN...Well, I guess it depends on how cute the guys are. >:D ;D Oh, and my character's serious about not being in charge. Though I did have a quick question. Assuming this rp is around when we reach book 4, or earlier if ya'll want--assuming everyone wants to do that book--, who's going to "fall unconscious and hear a mysterious voice calling from the ocean"?))
((Pitty. I liked Ax. Ah, well. Just checking.))
((Im more than willing (and ready) to provide an honor-obsessed, slightly egotistical, food loving, crash-landed alien in need of help....
So long as theres room and so long as you dont have your heart set on any species youve ever seen in Animorphs before.))
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(Sure, you could join as another alien. Just no main character from the show.)
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((Yay! ...Though that still doesn't help the boy to girl ratio. Not that you have to play a girl, Kelran. I'm just saying.))
Nichole couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, but still her mind remained conscious. Finally, she got up and stood over the sleeping body of her roommate. It felt...awkward knowing that she was going to morph her friend. "Come on," she urged herself quietly. "It'll just take a moment."
That didn't cut down on the awkwardness as she reached a hand out and touched the other girl's tan skin. When she thought the proceedure was done, she lifted her hand from the girl and walked back over to her bed.
Pulling out her laptop, she proceeded to watch an episode of Star Trek under the covers with her head-phones in.
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(i'm excited you decided to join Kelran-Isthinar. I'll be the one to hear your voice yarin is highly telepathic already so it makes sense.)
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((Yay! ...Though that still doesn't help the boy to girl ratio. Not that you have to play a girl, Kelran. I'm just saying.))
(I'll be introducing a female character that Cody saves from the pool. I'll control her, and have her be a love interest for Cody. That should even out the Human boy/girl ratio.)
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(fine by me, but you will have to be the one who controls her)
As he walked home, Jason went over in his head what he had seen and heard down in the Yeerk Pool. The thought of all those people suffering made him sick. They had to do something, the hard part being getting down to the Pool again, without getting caught. "But then what?" he wondered, "What will we do once we get down there, we can't fight all those controllers and get all those people out. How can we do it without getting ourselves killed or captured?"
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((Ok, if you dont mind Ill start making his intro posts, :) he lives some 52 billion parsecs from the Milky Way, so we have to start explaining how he got to Earth. And he's not telepathic, but his race has dealt with telepaths, so their communications transponders can broadcast in thoughtspeak (but that has limitations), and his Recovery Beacon is sending out distress calls on all availible channels once he crashes.
But that does mean that anyone else with even the slightest telepathic perception, or a half decent slispace comms array, or an AM radio on 106.5 will hear him. So its up to ya'll how you want to discover him......))
((Ill start with his bio, then I have 5 or six cutscene style intro posts full of tertiary one time use characters and inssuferable technobabble :D ::) ))
-Name; Kelran-Isthinar
-Age; 18, to his race this age has a similar meaning as to humans, but his race generally live to 500 years or so, so ages are also not quite the same for them
-Race; Gryphon (they live in another galaxy in our cluster.)
-description of appearance; Ever seen a Gryphon?
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g180/NCC-12290/GRFN3.png a picture I did a while back, its a Gryphon in mideival style armor, but its a pretty good pictoral description, and as a bonus is basicly how Id like my character specifically to look. Also; http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g180/NCC-12290/Griffins/GRIFFINT.png
-personality; strong willed, stubborn (never refuses a challenge, a dare, or an adventure), and loyal, but *brutal* and totally unreserved in a fight, very emotional, extremely unforgiving of backstabbers, betrayers, or manipulative people, he can deal with leadership when its coming from his own kind, but likely wouldnt take too well to anyone else giving orders. Also very brooding deep down inside, he tends not to show any of his emotions that he thinks would make him look vulnerable, so they become pent up and dangerous from time to time when he doesnt have a trusted person to vent them to.
-a brief bio; Born on the outer colony of Pandion VI, he grew up almost from his hatching with Festhar-Kilsirim as his one and only friend, he became like family to him.
His Father is a high ranking and decorated officer in the SFC (Strategic Fleet Command)
His mother was killed by the Kelbrid in a very early attack, they supposedly surrendered when he was still fairly young and they were given a second chance at peace though many never forgave them. (shameless alteration of the Kelbrid's location there ::) )
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Yarin stayed in his ship after Cody left. He had shown Cody a few small creatures, like the Bokrix, a small primate 3 inch long body with 4 long arms and 2 long legs and a long tail. And the Nucogt a vicious little insect with transparent wings and a stinger. As Yarin entered his rest phase he wondered which one Cody would use.
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((Ive done alot of the prolouge posts for Kelrin already, so Im copy pasting them in every so often to kill time until you guys decide its an opportune moment. :) How often Ill post depends on how far you guys get and how quickly.
Now, I apologize in advance for the amount I write, but most of my posts are long. I also apologize for the technobabble.))
“Comms systems…….?” “Affirmed”
“Basic Processing……?” “Online”
“Main Power Grid….? “Energizing….. Main Engineering systems are amber across the board. Go for full startup sequence.”
“Affirmed SA-14, initiating full startup. Gravitic coils going into pre-start. Verteron Generator spinning up,
Targeting running resolution diagnostics. SIF running hot-diagnostic…..”
“SA-14 to GVG-Control, results nominal. Go for Gravitic coil pre-test.”
“Affirmed, Initializing Gravitic coil pre-test, Verteron Generator has spun to 470 terra-skelrans, leveling off at pre-test levels.”
“Command to control group Iskil, cleared for test.”
“This is SA-14, affirmed, undocking in progress.”
“This is GVG-Control, affirmed, SA-14 diagnostic test-bed craft is away, we are on our own maneuvering thrust. Positioning Vector into test range”
“Rcon-3 here, affirmed, test range is clear”
“Control acknowledges, Gravitic coils have begun pre-test sequence.”
Kelran felt a shiver of excitement run down his spine. This was a historic moment for his people.
If the Gravitic Vector Gate test was a success, his species would be able to explore many of the surrounding galaxies in their cluster, reaching out to new worlds…..
The Gryphons were in many ways a race of contradictions, to a human they would be almost exactly as earth mythos describes. 7 and a half feet on their hind legs, 6 or so on all fours, ambipedal. You’d just as soon see a Gryphon on all fours as on their hind legs, and by virtue of their unique biology, they looked majestic either way.
The Gryphons were a proud race, fiercely loyal, and sometimes brutally unforgiving, moral to a fault, but sometimes borderline unethical in battle where saving their own were concerned.
Kelran was a sub-leftenant 3rd class in the SFC, or Strategic Fleet Command, academy.
Not a particularly high rank, even for a cadet, but his father’s status as Knight and Fleet Commander of 2 bars earned him the right to witness this moment, and he was not about to let guilt over a few favors called in mar the moment.
Especially not when he could witness it aboard the SCS Legacy.
The latest starship to come off the design boards.
Tri-cycling Slipspace Drive Manifold capable of propulsion factor 12, Multi-spectral plasma shields, level 9 disruptor particle beam matrix weapons, 15 of them, and tri-cobalt warhead launchers.
And MVAM.
Multi-vectored Assault Mode. When the enemy least expected, the Legacy would split symmetrically into 5 fully functional ships, the equivalent of two frigates and three corvettes.
All with their own separately usable Slipspace drives, and extra weapons mounts made possible by their separately operating power cores.
And as if all this was not good enough, he had been given honorary command of the forward ventral section. The smallest section, and his position wouldn’t have any function, but this, along with the lack of a full crew, meant that Kelran and his spirit-brother, his friend beyond a friend, Festhar, would have the sections sophisticated command center to themselves.
It was like winning the jackpot lottery, and bragging rights for the rest of their junior officer careers would be part of the bargain.
-
Cody woke up early. He was worried about what would happen in their very first mission. Would they show the Yeerks who was boss, or would they wind up dead? It's not like Cody had experience in this kind of thing. Normally when the going got tough, Cody found another path.
He had decided to take the bug morph, simply because it had wings. He decided to try it out, and began the morph. The process was as disturbing as he thought it would be, but he found it was very maneuverable. The instincts were territorial, but he handled it alright. He flew over to Yarin's ship, demorphed, and waited outside for him to get up.
-
Yarin awoke to a loud buzzing outside his ship instinctivly he knew it was the Nucogt and that being the case that it was Cody in morph. Yarin morphed to human and stepped outside into the sunlight. "Oh Qraj" how long was I out for?" he asked.
-
(People are taking too long. I will post again)
"Good morning Yarin. Early morning, anyway. I came over to hang, but just had the thought of getting some breakfast."
Cody went with Yarin to get some money out of a stash, and then headed to McDonald's.
"McDonalds has some cheap, healthy food, though some of the food is bad for you. I've got plenty money to buy us some food. Most of it I got legally."
They got their food and sat down, but there wasn't much talk at first. They both knew where the day was heading, and Cody was nervous. To break the silence and lighten the mood, Cody talked about things they might do the next day.
"I could take you to the theme park. That's a lot of fun. The park is not as fun, but it is free. I'll help you get used to being here tomorrow, so you don't have to be cooped up in your place most of the time."
-
(good to know someone else shares my enthusiasm for keeping up a pace :) )
“Simply brilliant. How are the coils looking?”
Festhar sighed and threw his talons in the air, “Kelran, that’s the 8th time in 5 revolutions you’ve asked that”
“And?”
“And no change, the Graviton coils look like they’re functioning perfectly…. Huh. Now that’s peculiar”
“What?” Kelran crossed the space between the section commander’s chair and the helm station in half a second, Festhar pointed, “that.” Kelran blinked, blinked again, and looked at Festhar, he nodded.
“Sub-Leftenant Kelran to Main Section bridge…”
“What is it Squire?” Kelran winced at the term, which was a clear snipe.
“Sir, Sub-Leftenant Festhar and I are getting some strange Gravitic readings”
Suddenly the Officer of the Deck was all attention, “From the GVG?”
Festhar studied the readout and tapped the panel, “No sir, from co-ordinates 21-beta 6 by alpha 42.”
The derision was evident in the officer’s voice, “Do you Squires not know a garden variety spacial distortion when you see it?”
Kelran closed the channel in disgust. And apprehension.
-
"Yes the theme park might be interesting." Yarin said after he finished eating his meal of charred bovine flesh, sliced vegetables and carbonated sucrose liquid. Just one question what is it?" "Also I am aware of your lack of a proper dwelling and if you wanted to stay with me that would be acceptable."
-
Morning light broke through the window. A few rustling sounds, plus a chortle could be heard coming from her roommate, but Cole didn't stir. It wasn't until Lynn shut the door that she stirred from under her cocoon of covers.
"Ooh, God. My back," she muttered, streaching and complaining to the empty room. "Mmh. I really don't feel like cafeteria food today." So getting dressed, she headed for the bus stop that would take her near a McDonalds. She dreaded walking the rest of the way, but a McGriddle was calling her name.
She walked up to the counter, completely missing the fact that Cody and Yarin were even there, and placed her order, stiffling a yawn as she did so.
Finally her food came, and she scanned the place for an empty table.
-
Yarin stood up and walked over to Nichole "Greetings Nichole would you care to sample grilled animal flesh between two disks of compressed wheat?" he asked her. He breathed in through his nose and with that came a curious sensation, "what is this feeling? it is as if i am tasting with my nasal cavity, is this normal with humans?" Nichole laughed, "Its called smelling its one of our senses its works in combination with taste."
-
(*dies laughing at Yarin's description of a Big Mac* Nice one! ;D )
“SA-14 to GVG-Control, pre-test sequence complete….. results nominal, ready for probe-injection test”
“Affirmed SA-14, all ships clear the pre-launch vector. Initializing probe…. Bringing to launch position, maneuvering gate….. complete, vector set to grid 21-beta 2 by 4 theta. Charging Graviton coils, saturating Verteron matrix. 30 seconds to test.”
-
She smiled, balancing her tray in one hand, while holding her newly filled drink in the other. "And really. Sometimes it's amazing just how well smell and taste coinside. You mind?" She slid into a spot next to Yarin and turned to him. "Actually, one time I took a sip of my mom's water when I was aiming for my rootbeer. It tasted like rootbeer for two seconds before it hit me that it was water. Talk about a shock."
It was then that she realized just how close she was to Yarin. And even more surprising, her personal space didn't feel invaded, like it usually did when she sat near new people without a chair or at least something in between them.
And, she thought to herself, he was kind of cute. Sure, she could pick out things that were hers, if she felt like focusing that hard, but still...
She shook her head slightly and took a sip of her soda. "Ew! Here, does this taste off to you?" she asked, extending the drink to Yarin. "I think I got Coke instead of Dr. Pepper."
-
"Don't you two look cute together? Of course, he looks a third like you." Cody said.
After they got through eating, they went to Jason's house.One of his brothers was outside, and they asked him to bring Jason out. Once again, they met in the garage.
"Okay, Nichole has a Lynn morph, and the rest of us have small morphs. I suggests she sneaks us in with a purse or bag, but not anything of hers. Once we're in, we need to find where they put the hosts, and get as close to them as possible. Then we morph battle morphs, break them out, and use surprise to rush out of the nearest exit. The four of us will be behind the Humans, trying to keep the controllers at bay. For good measure, we may even free the involuntary Hork-Bajir and Taxxons."
"It's kind of a rough plan, but I'm hoping some details will become clearer once we're inside."
-
"It's kind of a rough plan, but I'm hoping some details will become clearer once we're inside."
"It may be rough but it is the only plan we have so I say we do it. Is there a place where I can demorph I have been a human for almost two of your hours. I say your hours because I measure time differently than you do." Yarin said as he ducked behind a large personal transport craft and demorphed, a few minuets later he morphed back to human.
-
“Command! This is Rcon-13 enemy Slipspace openings forming in grids 4, 18, and 21!”
“Battle alert! SA-14 ordered to exit the battle zone, Legacy Defiant and Constitution prepare for combat stances. Protect the GVG!”
“Legacy here, confirmed enemy contacts, 13 Kelbrid cruisers, we are outmatched requesting backup, and permission to engage”
“Command here, affirmed Legacy you have the Amber to Engage, reinforcements are on the horizon, 12 rotations out”
Kelran was stunned, but not nearly as stunned as when 5 Kelbrid trinium warheads slammed into the legacy.
“All crew to battle posts!”
Festhar wrestled with the bridge hatch, “Locked, there must be a breach somewhere in this section, looks like force fields are down. We’ve been hit hard.”
Kelran nodded, much as he and Festhar were eager to help in the battle, there was no way for the moment.
-
First they stopped at a store and bought a bag for Nichole to use, then they all made their way back to where the Sharing building was, and stopped quite a distance from it.
Nichole morphed to Lynn, which was certainly not as dramatic a change as turning into a mouse or insect. The others morphed their small morphs and got into the bag.
<Okay Nichole, just walk purposefully to the door and act like you're kind of in a hurry. Once we get in the elevator and inside the pool, it will be up to you to find somewhere to let us out without being seen. Also,m you need to find the cages where the hosts are. It will be scary for all of us, but we need to push that fear out and do what Elfangor hoped we would do.>
Getting past the doorman wasn't too difficult, and they got to the elevator. Soon the doors opened to the Yeerk Pool. They were officially in.
-
“Legacy! We’ve taken heavy fire, hull has been breached on Alpha, Gamma, and Theta Decks….. Initiating Procyon maneuver”
The defiant slammed into the Kelbrid right flank ship, and the two vessels went up in a Zero-point energy fueled blaze of glory.
“Legacy to Constitution, hit the right flank, all torpedoes, were coming in on the ventral line”
The Legacy commander was in a serious dilemma. The GVG was a powerful piece of technology, if the Kelbrid got hold of it, their lust for conquest would be given free reign over a massive area of space, they would be able to put ships behind blockades instantly without warning, but the Kelbrid had already set up a blockade of their own, and he couldn’t even engage his MVAM, not enough crew, and the automates weren’t ready yet….. they weren’t scheduled to be installed for another 5 Siderials.
“Cons…..we…heavy da…”
And that was the end of the constitution. In the commander’s mind there was only one solution.
It rankled him to his core, but a tactical retreat was necessary.
“All hands, prepare for Slipspace, set vector 22 mark 44 well rendezvous with the Kisthiri attack group and try to retake the gate from there.
-
(sorry everyone, i've been kinda busy.)
"Back to this hell hole." Jason muttered to himself. Scanning the area, he took in position of the cages where the hosts were held while the Yeerk that controlled them was in the Yeerk Pool, and the number of Controllers that stood between the cages and the nearest exit. "This won't be easy." he told the others, "we have to have a spot to morph without being seen, get to the cages, release the people inside, and then haul our butts to the nearest exit. And deal with any Controllers that get in our way."
-
"Maybe we should make a distraction. Set fire to one of the storage buildings around here, or something. We need something to get as many controllers away from the cages and the nearest exit, for as long as possible."
-
"How are we going to incite combustion?" Yarin asked in his human morph. "Can anyone's morph breath fire? I do not know that much about Earth creatures." "No," Cody said. "None of our morphs can do that." "Well what ever we do I think we have to do it quickly." Jason said. "I believe I should morph first, Devashi's aren't native to this planet and it will catch the Yeerks off guard." Yarin said as he begin to demorph and morph into the Devashi.
(How was that guys? you can post any time. lol)
-
(ok guys what's the deal? did my post ruin continuity or something?)
-
Jason went over in his head how they could start a diversion. "How can we start a fire?" he wondered. He considered every possibility, most of which he had seen in movies. "We could find something flameable and set it alight. Any one want to give it a try?
-
(should yarin still be morphing or should i change that if we're going in a different direction)
-
"Maybe just hold a lighter to a sprinkler system?" "Lynn" suggested. "And should I remain as Lynn? It feels...awkward."
-
"Nichole, you can demorph if you want to. It's probably best if you do that, in fact. Yarin, keep morphing. Your morph can sense heat sources, and that's part of what we need."
They looked around until Yarin sensed something warm. They opened a door to a building, and found a power generator.
"That's it. I have a plan. Jason and Nichole, go into battle morphs and get to the cages. Be ready to bust the prosoners out when the time comes. I'm going to break this generator."
Cody began morphing the insect while the others morphed. He flew around the generator until he found an opening, and went inside. After chewing up some wires, the generator started shutting down and caught fire. After that, Cody started throwing stuff around that would burn, and soon the whole building was on fire. He then beat a hasty retreat.
Outside, the lights dimmed. There was enough light to see, but once the hosts were free no one could tell which ones were free Humans and Hork-Bajir, and who were controllers. The guards were now trying to stop the fire, but it was hard to say when they'd find out the prisoners were escaping.
Fortunately, tigers and black panthers are night hunters. Cody was certain they would be able to see fine. Cody found an isolated place, did his morphing, and began making his way to the piers to free the captives there.
-
<I will move towards the cages.> as he crawled to the captive humans and Hork-Bajir. he quickly demorphed and ripped the cage doors off, then remorphed and led the freed people to the nearest exit. then he went back and saw Nichole and Jason helping the rest of the caged people escape.
-
(hey guys what year is our rpg set in)
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(2008. Might as well make it present time, right?)
-
(i'm gonna be away for a few days so feel free to control my character until i get back)
<Good thing tigers can see in the dark.> Jason thought, <time to kick some Yeerk butt.> He helped Nicole and Yarin with the free humans and Hork-Bajir, taking out any Controller who was dumb enough to try to get in his way. <We have to hurry,> he called to the others in thought-speech, <the Yeerks are sure to block the exits.>
-
<Really?> Her thoughtspeech seemed to raise a bit. <I mean, come on. As if we don't have enough problems, now we may have to actually fight?!> She wasn't exactly handling things well. She felt tired, scared, nervous, and, well, terrified. Fighting was definately not her thing.
-
((I will control Jason, until Jmnar4 gets back.))
<Don't panic, Nichole. Just target Human Controllers instead of Hork-Bajir Controllers. You don't have to kill them, just knock one down and smack him or her in the head. That should knock them out. I'm heading for the pier to rescue those who are being reinfested. Jason and Yarin, go around the sides of the crowd and keep the exit from being blocked. Nichole, you stay behind and wait for me to catch up.>
Cody wondered where all this was coming from. He had never led anyone before, and when he offered to be the leader he didn't really expect them to agree with him. He had been in a few gangs, though, and had witnessed leaders take action during shootouts and such.
In crocodile morph, he reached the pool. He let out a roar that got the attention of the Hork-Bajir controllers. Each involuntary Human was being held by one Hork-Bajir, but the involuntary Hork-Bajirs were being held by two. There were some voluntaries that went there themselves, and were merely helped by a Hork-Bajir at the end of the pier.
The pier was wide enough for three Hork-Bajir to easily walk past, so the reinfested hosts wouldn't have difficulty getting past the line. He hit the back of the line, and yelled in thought speech for the prisoners to join the crowd. The controllers that weren't trying to control the fire were beginning to try and stop the crowd from getting farther. He couldn't see the far exit, but he hoped it wasn't already blocked.
He knocked the Controllers off the pier into the water, and the freed prisoners fought their way out. Unfortunately, some controllers wanted to be stubborn. One Hork-Bajir jumped on Cody and grabbed his tail, and another swung at his head. It was hard for Cody to get a good bite in while also trying to avoid the knee blades. He turned, and lashed with his tail to swing the other Hork-Bajir around to hit the one in front. Then he found an opening to bite and crush the enemy's legs.
One Human female was almost grabbed by another Human, but she fell into the water. She screamed for help as she tried to keep the Yeerks from getting into her ears. Cody hit the water.
<Don't be afraid. Just grab on to my back.>
even though crocodiles are very dangerous, and known to eat people, she eagerly got on his back. He swam to shore, and fought his way to the crowd. For some reason, though, it had stopped short of the exit.
Jason's POV
Jason and Yarin both took opposite sides of the crowd as they came around to go to the front. Some others were making their way into the crowd, and the only way to tell who was a controller, and who wasn't, was the controllers would try to pull others away from the crowd. He let out a roar, and nailed some controllers. Taking the advice Cody gave Nichole, he just swatted the Human controllers, and they lay unconscious. It didn't take much effort for a Tiger.
When they both got to the front, they knew there was trouble. A wall of controllers blocked the crowd from going right or left, and directly in front of the exit stood Visser Five.
<Cody, we have a problem. They have us surrounded, nd we have to get past Visser Five to get out.>
<How big is the crowd right now?>
<We had around two hundred to start with, but I think we're down to about half.>
<Andalite survivers!> Visser Five yelled. <Your fleet is destroyed. resistance is futile. You will accomplish nothing by fighting now.>
<He thinks we're Andalites?> Cody asked no one in particular. <Okay, let me think...I got it! All Free Hork-Bajir! Make your way to the front of the crowd! We have to charge him. Full force. He can't stop one hundred people by himself. Jason and Yarin. One of you get to the right of the crowd, and the other to the left. Hold off the controllers on the sides for as long as possible. Everyone Charge!>
Yarin and I went around the sides as the Hork-Bajir took the front and the Humans were in the back. Visser Five was the only thing that stood in our way, but he was a Calveroid Controller. How strong or fast was a Calveroid. <Yarin. Do you think we can get past a Calveroid with a hundred Hork-Bajir and Humans plus us "Andalites" in morph?>
-
<It is possible, Calveroids are a physically weak species while they are solid it is only when they loose cohesion that the can not be attacked, also Visser 5 can only spread his body so thin before he looses containment and if we rush at him he might get confussed and we could escape.>
-
Festhar slammed his fisted talons against the helm in rage. “There is NO WAY in Valhalla that we will be able to retake the GVG if we abandon it now! Better destroyed than in Kelbrid paws!”
Kelran thought for a moment….
“Festhar….Gravitic science is more your field than mine…. What would happen if a ship engaged Slipspace during a launch injection sequence?”
Festhar thought then gave the answer as though it were a matter of fact thing, “well the gate would surely be destroyed…”
Kelran nodded, “and the ship?
“There is no precedent for this I have no… oh no. no no no. no way, its suicide!”
Kelran nodded again, “maybe so. Maybe so.”
-
<Do you need any help up there?> Nick asked. Three humans laid unconscious at her feet. Er...paws. However, this didn't make her feel any better about attacking people.
-
Cody's POV
<I need you back here, Nichole.> Cody said as he fought off another Hork-Bajir controller. <You know, to make me feel safer.>
The crowd had started pushing forward, but it wasn't going as fast as he had hoped.
Jason's POV
Visser Five expanded his body, and his arms turned into tentacles as he prepared for the wave of Hork-Bajir. When the first ones came, he wrapped his tentacles around them, and threw then towards the controllers. He couldn't keep it up for very long before the crowd pressed against him. His body hardened against the blades of the free Hork-Bajir, which helped keep him from being sliced up. They began crawling on him, and grabbing his limbs to pull him down.
Then his skin turned spiky, and the Hork-Bajir were forced back. <Stay back slaves! Obey your master!> Visser five began trying to get away as he was wounded and trampled. Soon the Humans got there, and began running past as the Hork-Bajir fought the Visser.
Dozens of Humans ran up the steps to the exit, and Jason began to wonder where they would end up when they got through. Soon the Hork-Bajir also ran through the passage instead of fighting Visser Five.
Cody's POV
Everyone ran through after the crowd. Soon there was no one in the cavern but Cody's group and the girl who was still on his back.
<Let's bolt now!> He yelled.
When they finally made it to the top of the passage, they found themselves in a cabin. Cody wasn't sure why they'd put an entrance in a cabin in the middle of the woods, but perhaps it didn't matter. Most of the Human crowd had kept on running, but the Hork-Bajir stood around wondering what to do.
<We need a way to keep from being followed.> Jason said.
<Yeah.> Cody replied. <Everyone start wrecking this place! Reduce the cabin to rubble and bury the entrance!>
The Hork-bajir slashed through walls, and broke beams while Cody threw stuff against the entrance like shelves and such. The others demorphed and helped Cody once they had hands to carry with.
The Hork-Bajir then ran for the trees, and disappeared into a nearby mountain. The Humans ran off, though whether they would return to their families or disappear was unknown. The one girl thanked Cody, and left as well.
-
Yarin morphed to human and made his way back to his ship, he demorphed inside and settled down for a rest.
He awoke hours later feeling awful, he scanned himself and found that his metabolic functions were being accelerated. He was going through his final stage of puberty, the Narcon-Gleesh. But how? he thought, then the realization dawned upon him, It must have been that temporal anomaly i passed through on my way here. But I thought that was nothing all it did was set my journey back a few days. He needed to find his friends he couldn't be left alone lest he hurt himself. He quickly morphed to human and went to find them.
-
Cody demorphedafter leaving th cabin. Things had gine pretty well for the first mission. He was tired, but also restless, so he took the long way back to Yarin's ship. Eventually he noticed he was being followed. It was getting dark, but a streetlight shown on Emily.
"Um...hi." She said sheepishly.
"You know, when the superhero leaves, you aren't supposed to follow him." Cody said as they walked up to each other. "There's that whole secret identity thing."
"What am I supposed to do now?" She said with a cracked voice.
"To be honest, I didn't really plan that much. If everyone goes around shouting about Yeerks, they'll round up the more vocal ones. You'll just have to keep a low profile and hope for the best. Maybe leave town."
"I can't leave without my parents, and there's no way they'd listen to me. They'd think I was being disobedient again, and send me back to the Sharing. That's how they got me the last time. They told my parents they had a program to make their child more obedient. My parents are obsessed with me being the perfect little girl, but what they really want is some biological automaton. You don't know how horrible that is!"
"Let me get this straight. You et a nice house, three square meals a day, and education, and good healthcare, and you call that horrible? There are people who would sell their souls for that kind of life."
"I don't care about some poor people in third world countries. Don't give me that story."
"Who's talking about a third world country? I'm talking about people that live in this town."
"Please let me join you. I could help. I could do something...better than just sitting around waiting for the Yeerks to win or lose."
"Okay. I'll keep an eye on you for a few days while you return to your life. If the Yeerks don't come for you again, I'll come and get you."
"Thanks." She said. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then left.
Cody stood there, thinking that a girl just kissed him, when Yarin found him.
"Something is wrong with me, Cody." He said.
"Really? Not feeling well, Yarin? I'll get you some medicine for you to take in Human for tomorrow. Let's go back. It's been a long day." He said as they left for the ship.
Cody had a lot of things on his mind. Nichole being hesitant to fight, Jason worrying about things, the problem with the Yeerks, and now Emily. On top of that, it was his first night with Yarin, and something may be wrong with him. Hopefully some of that stuff could be delt with in the morning. He then drifted off on the alien bed.
-
Any onlooker would have said Kelran’s motivations were born of a desire for glory and combat, but deep down, the only emotions in his heat were honor and valor. And love for his brother. He knew what he was going to do, and he knew he was capable of doing it. Emotional repercussions aside, he could deal with those if he survived.
Festhar practically read his mind, having known him since he hatched, he wasn’t about to let him go through with it.
“Lets at least leave it to chance Kelran” Festhar withdrew a glist from his pocket.
The coin sparkled, an engraved stylized talon on one side, a beak on the other.
Festhar tossed it, Kelran called it. “Beak”
The glist landed talons side up.
Festhar retrieved it and slid it into his sash.
Kelran sighed, “You know Festhar, I never could trust to luck. You know me, and you know I make my own luck. And you know that despite what comes next, I love you. My brother.”
Festhar knew it was coming, but Kelran still caught him off guard.
A quick thwack to the back of his neck, and Festhar slammed into the tactical console, falling unconscious.
Kelran dragged his only true friend to the bridge hatch, surprisingly it opened, apparently the force fields had come on line at last.
Kelran slung Festhar over his broad back between his wings and trotted on two legs.
It seemed like ages, but in reality it was only moments, Kelran reached the junction point between the fore ventral section and the main section, he gently deposited Festhar on the other side.
then stepped back into the fore-section.
He began to manually pump the lever to seal the port.
Festhar moaned, rolled over and looked up…
“Good bye.”
With that, Kelran delivered one last vicious pump to the handle, sealing the door.
Festhar threw himself against the bulkhead. He screamed, he cried, he pleaded.
Kelran never heard. But he knew.
-
Yarin sat down as Cody slept, he had given him the extra gel bed. The large gelatinous sphere was designed for maximum comfort for any species that used it. It grew and reshaped itself to conform to human comfort standards. He ran one more scan on himself he was trying to find a way to slow down the process but to no avail. He knew no human medical treatment could help him. Neither could his own people even if they were here. He sighed and tried to fall asleep.
-
Nichole made her way back to the college campus. She was a bit too wired to sleep at the moment, so instead, she headed for one of the cafeterias. She grabbed a smoothie and a few cookies before heading to a table in the almost empty seating area.
Frowning slightly, she stared at the cookies. "What should I do, huh? I mean, I'm not exactly violent. Far, far from it. But I agreed to do this. Maybe...should I try mixing it up a bit with my meds? Maybe that would help a bit. I'd definately be able to consentrate on stupid things. But, that might make things worse. Maybe I should just drop the other pill, but that'd make me hormonal for a few weeks. Like I want to be hormonal around the guys." Frustrated, she placed her head between her hands.
About two hours later, a member of the staff approached her. Shaking her lightly, she finally roused Nick. "Sweetie, I hate to say it, but we're about to close this cafeteria. But you can take the cookies, if you like."
"Huh?" Nick replied, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. Thanks, for, ya know, letting me take the cookies."
She walked out and went back to the dorm. "I really should get a morph for traveling across campus," she mused to herself as she drifted off to sleep.
-
Cody's POV:
Cody woke up later in the morning than he usually did. The alien bed was the most comfortable thing in the world. He would be inclined to stay until noon, except Yarin said something about not feeling well. He left his room and went to Yarin's room.
To his surprise, Yarin was floating in the air. His skin was changing colors like some kind of disco ball. His body was stiff, and there was a pained expression on his face.
"Yarin! Are you ok?" He said, but Yarin didn't give an answer. Cody rushed over, and took him to the bed. However, now he was just hovering over the bed. If he fell, it would be a softer landing, though. He really didn't know what to do. Going to get Yarin medicine depended on him being in Human form, but giving it to him in his natural form could make things worse.
So he just sat there by his alien friend, and hoped he would get better.
(Due to the feedback pulse, this would be a time when Yarin learns of Cody's memories. It could be part of what helps them bond more as friends, once he finds out everything about Cody.)
Jason's POV:
Jason spent the night relieved that things had gone well, considering there situation. He got some rest so he could be ready for school the next morning.
The school day was pretty much the same. There weren't a lot of people running through the streets yelling about the Yeerks. Maybe they were too scared, or knew that way wouldn't help much. Or maybe they had already left town or been rounded up by the Yeerks. There was no way to tell, but he knew that somehow their group had to get better. They had to save the world.
-
Nichole counted her blessings that she had meds. It forced her to consentrate, despite the fact that her mind wanted to wander. And, fortunately for her, the class she was able to consentrate best in was Spanish.
Unfortunately, this wasn't true for her Chem lab. She forgot to add an important ingredient and nearly caused a violent reaction. Fortunately, her partner caught her mistake and fixed it.
This just was not her morning.
She thanked her stars when it turned out her History of Rock class was canceled due to teacher illness. She couldn't take another class at that point.
So, instead she headed for the park. She really needed a bird morph and short of sneaking back into the place where she had gotten her panther morph, the park would be the best place.
So, off she went, after picking up some birdseed.
After a few trial and errors, she finally managed to get her hands around a seagull. She aquired it and sat there, staring at it for a few seconds. Then it came out of the trance and began squaking and pecking at her and trying to get away. Shreking a bit, she dropped it, and it flew off.
"Well..." she muttered. "That was random."
However, she didn't want to try the morph until the others were around.
So, she went to the mall. Specifically to the book store. Where one of her favorite mangas had been updated. She bought the books she needed to catch up on and went to Starbucks.
Coffee in one hand and a book in the other, she began reading.
-
Even as he lay there near unconscious, Yarin knew what was happening to himself. First, a sickly orange light visible only to him came streaming out of every orifice. Then the rest of his body began to glow. Then the first energy pulse came, it was relatively weak. It dissipated four feet away from him in a circle. However, Yarin knew the worst was yet to come. Soon his body became ridged and he fell to the floor, only to find himself hovering a foot off the ground a few moments later, unable to move as the excess psionic energy wracked him again. Then came what some of his friends back home called the Torrent, a cascade of mental white noise consisting of the thoughts and emotions of every person within two miles. Had he been on Nya Yarin would have the support of his friends and family plus trained doctors to help him in the event of a feedback pulse.
Oh Paox! He thought. The feedback pulse. He was not sure if it would happen but if it did then Cody would be in for some rough times ahead. The second pulse hit him with the force of a Dracon beam His skin began to change color as he lost all control of his pigment cells, slowly at first then faster and faster until he looked like a flickering strobe. Then the torrent came at him. A metaphysical wave of Terran sky blue energy. It collided with his latest pulse and over powered it. He felt his skull about to split. It was too loud coming at him too fast. He cried out in pain "Arrrg!!!" and with that scream he felt a new sensation. Most who entered the Narcon-Gleesh were weak in mental faculty.
The psychic scars he had received during his time fighting the Yeerks had strengthened his resolve.
The pulses erupted from him faster than before increasing in intensity. They reached the Torrent and pushed it back. Oh no. He thought. I just created a feedback pulse. He still could not move, but at least the Torrent had stopped.
Then he looked into Cody’s mind he saw memories and what witnessed made his heart grow heav, with sorrow. It would all be over soon. Finally after a few minutes he was lowered to the ground all signs that anything out of the ordinary had happened were gone save for a slight headache. He opened his six eyes and just stared at Cody, neither of them said a word, there was no need to.
-
It only took Kelran a few moments to over-ride the control sequencers and reverse the clamp polarization. The fore section blew away from the Legacy with a loud KACHUNK.
“Legacy to fore section! Stop what you’re doing now!”
Kelran ignored the communiqué.
The fore Ventral section of a Legacy class ship is one of its smaller sections, to that end it is one of the most agile warships you’ll find in a three galaxy radius, being the smallest of the small sections it’s also a mere 240 feet long.
Kelran never knew, to his dying day, how he evaded the Kelbrid ships, maybe it was some unseen guiding force, innate piloting skills, the much speculated upon Gryphonic sixth sense, of which Kelran was unusually well endowed.
Or maybe it was dumb luck.
Once in range the array responded easily to his authorization codes, Verteron generators began to spin wildly generating a particle matrix that would deform zero-space properly to allow the jump.
Until this day, no one in the C-535 Galaxy had even thought of using Z-space as anything but an energy source.
But today would change all that.
The graviton emitters began to charge deforming the Z-space aperture, forcing a coherent conduit to form out of chaos…..
Kelran smiled grimly, Gryphons, despite having beaks, are oft one of the most expressive species in existence. This is because they are one of the most emotional species.
Kelran said a final prayer, set the gate’s vector for 21-alpha prime by 442 beta, steeled himself, and tapped the panel.
Kelran’s last thought was “Ohhhhhh…. Skritht!” Which, in Gryphonic, is not a very nice word.
And the Kelbrid 5th attack wing, the GVG, and Kelran’s world, went all to pieces.
-
Cody's POV:
After Yarin recovered, Cody told him about Emily. They got themselves some bird morphs, and flew to the rich part of town. Cody flew as a Golden Eagle, and Yarin flew as a Falcon. On the way there, Cody spotted a squirrel and made a meal out of it. After eating, the Eagle morph was easier to control than before.
<That was cool. Talk about fast food.> Cody said.
<What about fast food would you like to talk about?>
<It's just an expression. Look, that's Emily's part of town up ahead. I've seen her out and about before, though I never knew her. Her part of town is a gated community, and people aren't really allowed in unless they make six digit annual incomes. Some people like to sneak in and grab stuff to sell on the black market.>
<And you have seen her while sneaking around this gated community?>
<Yeah. Her house is up here. Remember to keep a good distance between us, so no one wonders why a Golden Eagle and Falcon are hanging out together.>
Emily's POV
Emily had gone home to her parents house. It was about the same time she usually came home, except now there wasn't a Yeerk in her head. She really didn't know what to do. She went to supper, and ate in silence, then washed her plate and silverware and went to her room to study.
Eventually she went to bed and got some sleep, and woke up the next morning for school. She wondered if the boy was watching her or not. He actually looked like the kind of guy her parents warned her against, but he had gone down to the pool and helped save a bunch of people. As she drove to school, she noticed a Golden eagle flying over head. She actually noticed it twice more during school. It made her feel a little better.
Jason's POV:
With school in session, Jason and Nichole would be busy with classes and school work, and wouldn't have much time to go on a mission. They would have to wait until the weekend. After school, he went to Nichole's campus dorm, but her roommate said she had gone to the mall.
He found her there, sipping on coffee, and reading. "Hey Nichole. You want to hang out?"
-
"Yah!" she yelled, jumping a bit. "Jeeze, don't scare me like that!" She tore herself from her book, as much as she wanted to continue, and looked up at him. "Ok. Now, what was that? Hanging? Uh, sure. Just give me a second. Kinda engrossed in the book." She smiled sheepishly and held it up.
"So...where do you wanna go?"
-
“Penetration Vector achieved….. Penetration Vector Achieved…..”
Kelran groaned and sat up, taking stock of his limbs and bones as he went. Satisfied that he wasn’t severely injured in any way he stumbled to the helm console and smacked it into silence.
Then he looked out the view screen.
The Ship was surrounded by nothing but whiteness… yet it almost seemed like the emptiness had shape, volume, and velocity. No matter how many times he blinked he couldn’t shake the impression that he was moving very very fast.
Numbly, almost like an automaton, he tapped the helm controls. According to the computer, he was very close to coming out of the Z-Space conduit…. But he wouldn’t know where he was until he did.
If he did. No one had ever tried traveling through Z-space before, much less a Z-space vector conduit.
He slumped back into the Commander’s chair and stared as the chronometer counted down the rotations, pings, and milli-pings to vector penetration point.
5… 4….. 3….. 2…………… 1.
The noise was deafening, a screaming howling of massive energies as the ship hurtled back into normal space, Kelran’s vision blurred as the resulting optical illusion produced a triple image of the ship around him.
When the maelstrom of motion light and noise finally ceased…. Kelran looked up.
The first thing that caught his eye was the slew of red status indicators that advertised he had lost more than half the ship’s systems. But his attention was almost instantly riveted on the view screen.
Below him, a beautiful planet spun lazily on its Axis. He was between the night-side and day side, and the view was spectacular…. It reminded him of his home, and for a brief moment, he felt a deep pang of loss. But this like the magnificent view was again swiftly driven from his mind by several a-tonal piercing alarms.
His talons flew over the panels, his instincts and training kicking in to bring him the information he needed…..
The ship was damaged, main drives offline, thruster quads at 47%, shields drained, ablative hull armor burned off in several patches, two hull breaches, one from the Kelbrid attack one from the Z-space exit….
And then the proximity alerts.
First and most obvious was that this alluring planet had him deep in the grip of its gravitational field, a crash was therefore inevitable.
Second, was the ghostly half-sensor image of a huge ship… somewhere in orbit near him.
But there was no time to deal with that. Kelran set the sensors to attempt to determine his position, then turned to the task of making a survivable crash-landing.
-
Jason's POV:
"Sorry." Jason said as he sat down. He looked around, and saw that no one was near them. Then he spoke in a low tone.
"I know we don't have much time for missions on school days, but I was thinking maybe we could go find a new morph or two. It would make us more ready for weekend missions, which would be our major window for missions. Then again, if we only go on missions on weekends that may become suspicious."
"Regardless, I'd like to go out and get a new morph or two. Do you want to help? We could practice some new morphs together."
-
After watching Emily, Yarin and Cody flew for a bit more, getting a handle on controlling thier morphs. Then when they were finished they went back to Yarin's ship to demorph and take a quick rest, when they woke up 30 minutes later Yarin morph to human and they went out looking for Nichole and Jason, they found them at the mall and Yarin asked what the next mission was.
-
Cody's POV:
"I say the next mission we need to do is figure out who our enemies are. Visser Five should have some important people running things around the city, and he'll have them infest important people. The Chief of Police, the Mayor, The guy in charge of the newspapers. Those kinds of people."
"For now, though, we need to get some morphs. We'll spend some time getting morphs, and come this weekend all five of us will be out in force."
Cody explained everything with Emily. Afterwards, Jason figured he needed a bird morph, since he was now the only one who didn't.
(I don't really have much to do with Emily right now.)
-
The Z-space exit may have been louder, but an atmospheric re-entry on thrusters only in a 6000 metric ton starship is much more terror inducing. It was a tribute to Kelran’s fortitude that he saved his emotions for the post-landing.
He wrestled with the manual controls, the computer had long since gone into low-power mode, and besides it had no precedent for an autopilot re-entry with thrusters only.
It was suicide in a ship this heavy.
Finally the flames of atmospheric friction began to fall off and as the clouds parted Kelran could see a dazzling sight….
Miles of coastline spread out before him, with the glinting lights of cities and villages spread out across it.
Keeping one eye on his proximity detector, he noticed many dozens of small aeronautical transport craft, seemingly based out of a sort of landing field, he steered clear of those and most of the city lights.
He wanted to land close enough to civilization to facilitate easy travel, but far enough away to take stock before making contact.
Carefully maneuvering the stick he aimed for a forested area separated from the closest town by some foothills, but also not too deep into any mountains, or deserts.
He picked his target by sight, a medium sized lake that looked to be uninhabited.
Only then did he realize that his entry trajectory had taken him over the outskirts of the town he had just passed. So much for low profile.
WHAM! The ship slammed into the surface of the lake with incredible force, crumpling the fore part of the hull and scraping the remaining armor off the bottom, the ship skipped across the water and finally skidded to rest on the opposite shore in a stand of trees, a mangled, burned, soaked, shredded mess.
Kelran was brutally slammed forward by the inertial forces and his head connected with the base of the view screen producing a disturbing cracking noise, especially disturbing to someone with such a hard head.
And as Kelran passed out for the second time that sidereal, he used an extremely vulgar expletive for the second time that day.
-
"We should probably work in pairs when we do morphs. I got a bird morph earlier today, but I've been kinda waiting to try it out. I can go with Jason or whatever, unless you feel like going with someone else." She didn't add the fact that she'd honestly prefer to go with Yarin, since aliens fascinated her to no end. Plus, there was something about him that she couldn't quite place. She was hoping more interaction with him would reveal what she was missing.
-
(Okay, we'll pair up Nichole with Yarin, and Jason with Cody. One of our groups will find Kelran while flying around, unconscious in his ship. I say let it be Yarin and Nichole, since it's Yarin's turn to post anyway.)
-
( plus i can sense alien brainwaves and no i can't sense yeerks within hosts the two are to close together to be distinguished easily.)
-
( I can arrange for him to be unconcious... I have another post but Ill work it out.... There are medical supplies aboard that are standard enough for Yarin to figure out how to use. You should know that he is wearing light armor and a sword and I want him to keep both (the armor is no huge advantage but I like it, the sword is something he wont hesistate to use))
When Kelran re-awoke he was ignorant for a few blissful seconds…. Then the events of the day came rushing back into his head along with the stabbing pain in his skull and the throbbing of his right ribs.
He groaned, he tried to stand, groaned again, and settled for dragging himself into the commander’s chair and falling forward into a reclining position.
Gryphons do not recline on their backs, as it drives their wing joints into uncomfortable positions.
“Computer” Kelran rasped, “Status?”
The computer displays around him flickered, a sign of heavy damage and low power, lights were mostly out except for the emergency deep blue lights along the floor, and one of the bridge support beams was down leaving a gaping hole to the outside.
The hum of the ships power core was so low it was nearly absent.
“Life support system offline, Slipspace drive destroyed, Hyper-impulse sub light destroyed, main processor offline, weapons offline, defensive shield destroyed, ablative hull armor compromised, hull compromised….” Kelran cut the computer off, “I get the idea”
Kelran paused long enough to wish he had something to drink, “Computer… status of the sensors and communications array?”
“Sensors functioning at reduced efficiency, Main communications offline, backup transponder functioning at 60% capacity”
“Computer, prepare the sensor grid to act as a proximity alert, if anything above 100 kilograms in weight approaches, notify me.”
“affirmed”
“Computer, prepare to record a distress call to transmit on all frequencies.”
“Ready”
“This is Kelran-Isthinar of the SFC starship Legacy, my ship has sustained damage and I require medical attention, please assist…..”
Kelran cut the channel there, not wishing to give out too much information, in case he was discovered by unfriendly natives.
He then set the beacon to transmit this and a standard rescue beacon code of tones across all available Slipspace, z-space, thoughtspeak, and radio bands.
After it was apparent no help would be immediately forthcoming Kelran staggered to all fours and crept out of the hole in the bridge wall to get a drink.
The lake water was pure, unsoiled, and incredibly refreshing.
After taking a moment to look around, to pinpoint the glow of the town’s lights, the direction of the mountains, and other landmarks, Kelran returned to the ship, and fell into a fitful semi-concious fevered sleep.
-
Yarin went flying with Nichole, he in falcon morph she in seagull. he enjoyed her company she seemed fascinated by his alienness and he could always appreciate a fellow scientist even if human sciences were remarkably primative by Nyac standards. They decided to get some flying practice in, Yarin having already gotten some in with Cody was better at it than Nichole but he didn't mind teaching her what he knew.
-
It was a love-hate relationship, Nichole decided, when it came to flying. She enjoyed being up in the air, and fortunately, the seagull had taken off almost immedietly, but it had sure jolted her consciousness to the surface. No worrying about instinct for her in this morph. Well, maybe not immedietly.
<So tell me--OMG fries! And they're Micky D's fries too! Can I go see if that nice man will give them to me?> Admittedly, half of the conversation had been riddled with these comments. Being a seagull hadn't exactly helped her mild ADD tendencies. <Aww...he's mean,> she said after watching him shoo off another seagull. <So...um....Oh, yeah. Tell me, do you have any aquatic life on your planet?>
-
<Yes we do, nearly all flora and fauna on Nya has been genetically created to serve a purpose. We have large Zigroths they are multi-tenticled bivalvel creatures that clean the seafloor, also Barih a long limbless animal with two heads and one body it lives near underwater vents eating the poisonous chemicals that leech out. there are also many types of fish and sea birds.>
-
<Wow, sounds like a xenobiologist's dream. Or, maybe a marine turned xenobiologist's dream.> She would have grinned at that point. But a beak isn't exactly great for smiling. <So...what do y'all do if you wanna get married or something? What's that like?>
-
<Married? I am not familiar with this term.>Yarin said confused. <You know, married, spending you're life with someone special.> <You mean becoming life-mates, well there is no official ceremony like on your planet when two Nyac wish to live together they ask the council for a family home instead of two single homes. thier possessions are removed and thier houses are recycled for anothers use. Now if you wish to know about our mating practices then i will gladly tell you, first we grab each other arm above the elbow and bellow the shoulder, then we touch foreheads and this begins the Voap Tusreen or Blessed union. this creates a free flow of thoughts and emotions , to enhance the experience. then the actual act of mating begins, I only know this from what my Zictarv'Saroat friends Zictarv'Saroat means one who has lain. I am still a Gos'bractow. What you would call a virgin.>
-
((*Slowly destroys the internet* Stupid thing booted me off before I could post. Let's try this again.))
<Ditto. Me too. I'm a virgin, but I'm not exactly planning on being laid until I'm married. Er...become a life-mate.> She paused, glad that birds didn't blush. <So...um..do you have anyone special on your planet?>
-
<Well there was this one female, Qodon we grew up together. At one time I may have considered starting something with her but that was long ago. I have moved on I can only hope she has to. So what about you any special males?> Yarin said.
-
<Well, there was a guy, who I had my first kiss with, but it really didn't go anywhere beyond a few kisses. Plus, he joined the Army Reserves and was shipped off to who knows where.> Though she didn't like to admit it, she still sometimes missed him. Though she wasn't sure if she'd actually want to get back with him. <But beyond that, no.>
-
(Do you guys want me to be the one to find Kelran while you have a bonding conversation? I kind of figured one of you would post about it, but if you want to do something else then I'll have Cody and Jason be the ones that find him.)
<Wow, this is great!> Jason yelled after he aquired a bird and taken flight.
<Yeah, for the most part. You do have to be a bit careful, though. There are birds who eat other birds, but I'm about the biggest thing in these skies.> Cody said. As he flew, he started to notice something strange. It looked like some kind of meteor had crashed through the trees near a lake or something.
-
Yarin and Nichole passed by a lake, <we have been in morph for nearly two of your hours. let us land by that large body of water and demorph.> Yarin said. they touched down and began demorphing. Suddenly Yarin heard something, a thoughtspeak voice coming from near the lake.
-
Nichole, who had reached human when the voice spoke, glanced around. "What was that?" A part of her mind wondered if whomever it was was dangerous and that part of her mind decided that morphing panther was a good idea. So, she started on her not so merry way to panther morph.
-
As Nichole morphed to panther Yarin ran out to the forest. His six eyes scanned the forest floor searching for... something. at last he found it a large ship he ran back and told Nichole what it was. Then he ran back and found the survivor, he was unconscious Yarin found some basic medical suplies and treated his wounds. Then Yarin gently carried the alien to Nichole.
-
<What, um, what is that?> Nichole asked, her morph yawning a bit. She was starting to feel fairly run down, though she wasn't quite sure why.
-
Kelran slowly began to drift back to conciousness.
He became dimly aware first of the light, indicating the time of day....
Then the sounds.... voices.....
Then the sensation of being carried... juding by the way his body fell by a creature smaller than him, but mid-sized, strong enough to lug him away from the ship. Having hollow bones and being a winged species Gryphons are light for their size, hence why Yarin could carry him with no difficulty....
His senses came fully to life!
Ignoring his nagging exhaustion and the dull throb of his still regenerating wounds he sprang out of the arms of the creature holding him, pivoted around and drew his sword in one smooth motion.
If you have ever seen a Celtic long-sword, Kelran's sword was nearly twice that size in length and bredth. And Kelran could wield it with no small degree of precision and speed. It had been sheathed in the scabbard at his back, between his wings, most Gryphons in any form of military service carried one, and most male Gryphons owned one or more of them in the first place.
He stared at his opponents, sizing them up.
A mid-sze black quadrupedal feline life form with teeth and claws, and a humanoid... both unknown species but not terribly uncommon biological baseline charecteristics...
Kelran dwarfed them both, standing on his hind legs he looked like some collosal myth from ancient Norse stories...
He stood there taking in Nichole and Yarin, sizing up combat strengths and weaknesses....
-
(hey everyone, i'm back. Daphnes, thanks for your help with my character. bring me up to speed on what is happening)
-
Everyone has bird morphs now. Kelran has landed, and Nichole and Yarin have made contact. Cody and Jason are flying around in the general area, but are more or less unaware of what is going on. Oh, and my internet has been out at my place for the last few days, and I haven't been able to get on much. I hope to get things fixed sometime today, but I haven't been able to get in touch with an actual person at my internet provider. Just go on without me until further notice. Someone can control my character for a bit.)
(Oh, and one more thing. I was thinking of having cody start to let his role of leader go to his head. Maybe have a time where he gets too bossy, and something happens during a mission where Cody gets captured due to him being a jerk. Something along those lines. What does everyone think of that?)
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(sounds like an ok idea)
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((*Grins and laughs maliciously* Cool.))
<Th-that is a very big alien.> Nichole said, worry evident in her voice. <Uh...we come in peace?> she told it, trying not to shake too badly. Or giggle like an idiot.
-
"Greetings I am Yarin of Nya, We do not wish you harm but we are prepared to defend ourselves should the need arise."
-
Kelran slowly lowered his sword, "Well hopefully it won't."
Seeing that neither life form meant him harm, for the moment, Kelran finally sheated his sword.
"I am Kelran-Isthinar...." he paused and momentarily debated how much to tell these people about his rank and status...
Hr decided against revealing too much at first, he wanted information before he gave it in turn.
"I assume you are here in answer to my distress beacon?"
-
"Yes we are, what are you doing here on this planet?" Yarin asked. "Nichole I think it is safe you can demorph now."
-
(My internet is back, thankfully, so I won't need anyone to control my character here.)
Cody's POV:
Cody and Jason were flying overhead when they noticed the ship and the Gryphon.
<What the heck? That looks like a Gryphon! Those are supposed to be fictional creatures. Hey guys! Ask it where the planet of the Dragons are! I'd like to see a Dragon.> He said in private thought speech.
He floated down and landed on a branch.
<On a more serious note, we should get him away from here. He's beat up, and the Yeerks may have detected his ship. It's not safe around here.>
Emily's POV:
Emily hadn't seen the Golden Eagle in a while. Maybe her new friend was on a mission or something. The Yeerks hadn't sent the police controllers after her or anything, so maybe things would be ok as long as she didn't make a scene. She finished doing her homework, and got ready for supper. She opened her window to take a look outside one last time before the sun went down, then went downstairs to eat.
-
Kelran shrugged, a peculiarly amusing gesture since he did it with his wings.
"I can tell you how I got here, but in truth I have no idea where 'here' is......"
Then Kelran noticed Nichole demporphing...... his sword was back out faster than the eye could see, "Chameloid! you're a Chameloid!"
((No obviously they arent, but its the only race he knows of that shape changes. theyre nasty people so convincing him they arent Chameloids will be important ::) :P ))
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<Yarin. Try to explain to this guy that we aren't Chameloids, but don't give away too much info. We don't know if we can trust this guy. Since you can't tell if he's a controller or not, we don't know where his allegiance lies. Tell him...you're Andalites. Jason and I can watch from above, but he doesn't have to know the two of us are up here yet.> Cody said privately.
-
"We are not Chameloids, I am a Nyac and she is an Andalites." Then Yarin telepathically told Nichole to stop demorphing
-
Fortunately, Nichole had stopped demorphing the second she saw the sword and really didn't need to be told twice. However, she wasn't really sure what to do and since the process had stopped when her mouth was about half-way to human, leaving her thoughtspeech down, all she could do was make an odd sort of noise to indicate that she wasn't sure what to do next.
-
Kelran raised one 'eyebrow' or what would have been an eyebrow...
"Andalite? Nyac....?" Kelran peered at Nichole, midway through morph, then back at Yarin.
"I need proof that you are not Chameloids. I cant take any chances... they are rare, true enough, but every one ever encountered has been malicious in its intent and nearly impossible to capture.... And considering whats happened I could be on their homeworld for all I know."
Kelran pondered for a moment...
"I need to see your blood. Chameloids only mimic the outer form of a creature, the insides become some sort of gelatinous matter....
show me that you can bleed, both of you... and Ill believe you."
-
Cody flew over and landed on the ground. He needed to get this over with quickly, before any Yeerks showed up. The Gryphon kept his sword raised as Cody demorphed.
"You're on Earth. The Yeerks are invading this planet. We need to get you somewhere that's safe enough for you to heal. Since you didn't react with hostility over the thought of us being Andalites, I take it you aren't a controller. Now, if you want someone to bleed, then cut me with your sword."
He walked over and held up his arm. the sword made a small nick, and red blood seeped out. He didn't react much, as he had a good tolerance for pain.
"I know you're hurt, and you don't trust us. The truth is, that we aren't sure if you're trustworthy. Now all of us are going to leave before trouble comes. You decide if you'd rather come with us or wait for the Yeerks to show up.
-
Kelran was satisfied that Cody bled, but after his mention of hostile forces, he decided against sheathing his sword.
"Apologies, but I could take no chances. Whomever your 'Yeerks' are its not likely that theyre half as bad as Chameloids...."
Kelran winced as a throbbing ache re-asserted itself in his ribs.....
"...and if I were in your place I wouldnt trust me either." Kelran glanced at the hulk of the ship....
"that vessel contains technology that I am obligated to either salvage or destroy, I do not know what technology level you posess, but if these... Yeerks, have launched a planetary invasion they must have space travel, and so it is doubly imperative that I remove what I can from my ship, then set the auto-destruct. You can help me if you like, it will speed the process, but if you wish to leave now you may feel free. You are not my enemies, and as such I have no desire to detain you."
Kelran began walking back to the Legacy, "And lets be clear on this... when this ship explodes none of us will survive if we remain within half a klik. You arent chameloids but you can bio-mimick. I suggest you bio-mimick something that flies. fast."
-
Nichole continued demorphing. When she regained her full height, she swayed a bit, rolling her head and rubbing her eyes. Dark circles that hadn't been there before were evident under her eyes. "I don't know if I can even begin to get into the sky." She stiffled a yawn.
-
Kelran closed his eyes and pinched the 'bridge' of his beak mumbling something under his breath....
"Then either one of your comrades will have to bio-mimick something that can fly and carry you, or you will have to remain with me until I finish setting the self-destruct and I will carry you."
-
"That might work," Cole said, tilting her head to the side and half closing her eyes. "Either one, I'm not," yawn, "picky."
-
"I will carry her" Kelran said "No I will." Yarin said a little too forcefully. "Morph something small and let us depart quickly." Yarin said as he began to morph.
-
"Allright then... anyone want to volunteer to help? the self destruct requires two people at two separate terminals for the fast activation sequence, if I do it alone we risk leaving the ship long enough for these.. yeerks did you say? to deactivate the sequence."
Kelran finally sheathed his sword and shifted to all fours... still taller than all but Yarin, he grinned ever-so-slightly, "who will it be?"
-
"Cody, Jason you help him i'll get Nichole out of here." Yarin said as he morphed into the Varkas, this large 4 winged bat like creature had a 3 foot wingspan and was diurnal it was strong enough to carry a small animal and fast enough to escape the blast range. He had just recently aguired this creature from his ship and he was eager to try it out.
-
Nichole waved an arm in Yarin's general direction, not really paying attention to the form Yarin was taking. "Smallest I have is a seagull, 'member? Can you carry that?"
-
<Yes i can climb aboard as you humans say.> Yarin said as he finished morphing hoping he didn't frighten Nichole with his appearance.
-
"Mmmmk," Nichole said, closing her eyes and beginning the morph. She began morphing, going sluggishly for her, which was about the same speed as everyone else seemed to morph.
-
Once Nichole morphed and hopped on his back Yarin said to the others <I will meet you at my ship, This creature leaves a distinctive sent marking you all should be able to pick it up and follow it to me.>Then he started flying away. <Once I get you back to my ship I can diagnosis you to see what is wrong.> He said to Nichole.
-
<I'm just,> yawn, <tired.> She paused, trying not to fall off his back. <I'll be fine.>
-
<That may be so but I would still like to take a look at you> Yarin said reasuringly
-
<Yeah, sure. Whatever,> she mumbled. <Just so long as I can take a nap.> A small part of her realized that this was unnatural for her, napping, but the other part that had used up too much energy while morphing really didn't care.
-
Kelran escorted Cody and Jason in through the hole in the bridge...
"I need to get anything together worth salvaging..."
He pressed several flickering touchpads and a display lit up with a circular graph-like symbol..
"Cody... is it? if this indicator starts to fall off, rather than increasing, you depress these touchpads in this order...
Kelran demonstrated the simple sequence....
"Jason and I will see if theres anything worth saving besides the emergency Medkits and Tech kits...."
((Oh I can see some great friction between Cody and Kelran later ;D >:D ::) can you say 'duel of the macho men?' ))
-
Jason followed Cody through Kelran's ship, looking for anything of use. "Just what exactly are we looking for?" he asked, "Everything in here is of alien design, how are we gonna know whats worth saving?"
-
(Oh, I expect Cody and Kelran to butt heads.)
Cody wondered if Kelran was implying that Jason was stonger than him. He thought about imforming Kelran that he was from the "street", but he was in a hurry to leave.
"Grab a container or something, and let Kelran put stuff inside." He said. He said that mainly to show Kelran that he was the boss. He was starting to enjoy being the boss of a group of people more and more. Kind of like the gangs he used to be in, where everyone figured out fast who the boss was around there.
The indicator was holding steady, with a gradual rise in lights.
"I'll stay with Kelran to activate the destruct sequence, then we'll lead him to Yarin's ship afterwards. I need to get back to Emily's place to watch her. I've been gone too long, and I don't even have a night morph yet."
-
Kelran took a breakneck pace through the ship, sliding down ladders and weaving in and out of access tubes, since the lift system was quite badly damaged.
"You wont need to know whats worth saving, I know what everything on this ship is, where it is, and what it does"
This was an exxageration, but only a slight one.
It was all Jason could do to keep up, much less find a container or crate.
They first stopped in what Jason assumed to be a medical ward, as he quickly rifled through the damaged and broken medical instruments Kelran confirmed this suspicion, "This was the medical bay... for this section anyhow...."
Jason didnt have time to ask what 'this section' meant before Kelran apparently found what he was looking for, a small grayish attache case with a green leafy shaped symbol on it.
He passed it to Jason, "This case has several useful medical implements, dont drop it if you can help it"
Then it was off to the engine room.
It was by far the biggest room on the ship, and still somewhat small all things considered.
The power core glowed with a piercing light and throbbing sound, all along the consoles the same indicator Kelran had called up on the bridge was counting up....
It was fairly obvious that the self-destruct consisted mainly of overloading the reactor core. Though Jason could only guess at the substances inside the core or their relative destructive force.
Kelran leafed through a pile of heavy looking metal beams, almost effortlessly, until he came to an attache, similar looking to the first, but much larger, far heavier, and stamped with a red and gold traingular symbol.
"Engineering toolkit." Kelran offered by way of explanation. "Its not much but its something..." Kelran clipped the case to the back of his armor, between his wings and beside his sword.
He stared wistfully at one of the nearby consoles. All the ships comuter inerfaces were hardwired in, no 'laptops' or mobile computers of any sort.
Most ships did have them, but this was a prototype section of a prototype ship that was not even fully outiftted when it left port.
Kelran turned his attention to entering some console commands, they surely had enough time to perform a diagnostic of the core. After all, if the self destruct malfunctioned there would either be a fine prize for these 'yeerks' or... Kelran decided not to think about, or mention, the other possibility.
While he swiftly entered instructions into the computer he spoke to Jason,
"Your friend Cody... he talked about 'having a night morph' you need to somehow aquire the genetic imprint of the creature you wish to 'morph'?"
-
Yarin flew to his ship and after he and Nichole demorphed, he got her inside and ran some tests, it was descovered that she simply had low blood sugar. Yarin gave her an energy suplament and told her to get some rest and she should be fine.
-
"After your nasty energy suplement, I don't think I'll ever get to sleep," Nick muttered under her breath. "I'll be brushing for a week just to get the taste out of my mouth." She sighed. "Abot how far am I from my school?"
-
"Not far aproximetly one of your miles away." Yarin said. "Why, do you wish to go there?"
-
"My school equals my dorm. My dorm equals a place that I can take a nap. Me plus a mile, though, doesn't seem to be adding up." She sighed, leaning against the side of the ship. "Well, I guess I'd better get going."
-
"You could stay here if you wish I have extra room. Cody has been staying with me you can take his resting space." Yarin said his skin turning bright gold with embarrassment.
-
"As long as you don't think he'll mind, sure. Lead the way." She paused, realizing the change in color. "Are you ok?"
-
Cody's POV:
From the way Cody heard Kelran moving around the rooms of the ship, it didn't seem he was as injured as Cody first thought. Either that, or he was tough enough to brush pain aside in order to get important jobs done. That would be useful in battle. That is, if Kelran joined them. What would he think if he offered morphing ability to Kelran? Who knew?
When everything was done, Cody took flight and left Jason and Kelran to follow Yarin's scent back to his place. It was dark, but his Golden Eagle morph could still see well enough. He flew to Emily's neighborhood, where he saw a large cat.
<A cat might be good. Beggers can't be choosers, in any case.> Obviously the cat was too focused on a nearby rat in a bush to notice the eagle bearing down on it. Cody hit the cat just ard enough to stun it, then quickly demorphed to aquire it. The cat wound up scared out of its mind, but more or less ok.
Once cody was in cat morph, he made his way to Emily's place and squeezed through the gate. He found her room, which had a tree growing next to it, and climbed up to the open window. Inside he saw Emily laying calmly on her bed, but awake.
<Hey Emily. It's Cody. Your superhero.>
"Hey! I was hoping you would come back tonight."
<I stayed out a bit longer than I originally planned to, but something came up. I am, however, here to watch over you tonight.>
"Would you like to come in?"
<Come in? Um...sure. Why not?> He leaped into the room and got up on the bed.
"It must be nice turning into animals." She said. She reached over and started stroking Cody's fur. Was it just because he was a cat, or was she trying to be friendly towards him? She had kissed him before, but he admitted to himself that he didn't know much about relationships beyond one night stands. This wasn't a one night stand kind of situation.
<Well, it does have downsides. One being that it takes a lot out of you if you morph repeatedly.> He said as he stretched out. <Another thing is the time limit. Two hours.>
"After two hours you turn back into a Human?"
<After two hours you get stuck in morph forever.> He said sleepily. It had been a long day for Cody, but at that moment he lay on a nice bed with a girl gently stroking his side. He then started to purr.
"I'm really glad you're here." She said as she laid back down. Before she seemed restless, but soon she drifted off to sleep. He got up and went outside onto the tree. Then he demorphed and took a nap himself.
His nap was later interrupted by three thuds near the wall surrounding the estate. Someone inside the house, sound asleep, wouldn't have heard it. However, Cody was outside and much less dead to the world. He woke himself up, climbed down from the tree, and began morphing a dog. He would likely need more power than a cat, but more subtlety than a crocodile.
He couldn't see them, but he could smell them. They were three male teenagers, but he wasn't absolutely certain that they were controllers. That is, until one spoke in a low voice.
"As soon as we get in, we grab whatever money we can stuff our pockets with, and whatever else we can stick in our bags. If any trouble shows, I'll use the gun." One said as he neared the back door.
Cody could smell the gunpowder in the gun. He strode up inches from them, and none of them knew he was even there before he stuck. He grabbedthe one guy's gun, and part of his shirt that concealed it, and ripped it out. The guy let out a stifled yelp.
"What the...! A dog just bit me!"
"Use the gun. It has a silencer, right?
"I dropped it. I can't find it. Stupid dog!"
"Hey, don't dogs usually do a lot of barking before they bite people?"
Cody put the gun down and growled menacingly. He didn't want to make a lot of noise, but he wanted them to get the message.
"There he is. Somebody kick him or something."
"Man, that dog sounds big. I'm not going over there."
Cody sprang forward, and bit into the nearest warm flesh he could find before jumping back again. That got them running back for the wall. They had a rope, and started climbing, but Cody gave the rope a good tugging to let them know he was still there.
<So much for those thugs.> Cody said softly after they were gone. <Maybe we don't have to worry too much about the Yeerks after all.> Cody went back to his tree to finish his nap before he left at dawn.
Emily's POV:
Emily was very happy that Cody came back. She didn't know if she's be able to sleep without him being around, because of Yeerks. She was so happy that she forgot to tell him that he needed to leave before dawn. The gardener usually got up right before dawn to start his chores, and this morning was no exception. She was woken up by loud shouting outside her window.
"Hey you!"
"Aaugh!"
Theodore noticed Cody outside her window and yelled up angrily at him. She leaped up and rushed over just in time to see him fall out of the tree. By the time he recovered, Theodore came up behind him and hit him in the back with the rake. That got him up and running.
"Hooligan! Peeping Tom! Scoundrel! Vagrant! Barbaric offspring!" He yelled as he chased Cody around the corner of the building while swinging the rake.
"Aaaahhh!"
She got on some respectable clothes, and ran outside to help. She found Theodore whacking some bushed with the rake outside.
"I know you're in there, you devil child! You dare tresspass here and stalk Miss Emily! You need a sound beating and a night in jail. Now come out!"
"Mr. Theodore, please. It isn't good for you to get worked up at your age." Emily said. Theodore was old enough to be her grandfather.
"Hmph! I'm calling the police. You go back inside, Miss Emily. Don't let that hoodlum near you."
He stormed off, and she felt a cat rubbing against her leg.
<Man, that was rough. I always thought I was an early riser, but old people have that early bird thing down. He was mean! I'll bet he was the kind of guy that beat his kids to discipline them.>
She picked him up. "I'm sorry I forgot to warn you. Mr. Theodore is like a third grandfather to me, and about the closest thing I have to a good parent."
<Well, I have to go. Get ready for school, and I'll see you this afternoon. If you still want to join, then this afternoon I'll make you one of us.> Cody said after she carried him to the front gate. He then left for Yarin's place.
-
Yarin lead Nichole to the spare beds explaining to her the concept of the Gel beds. He was glad she decided to stay with him.
-
"Ok, thanks," she said smiling and turning to him. "Night." She pressed a button on the wall, hoping it would close the door. She was right. What she didn't know was that she had accidentally locked it also. Then she took off her bra, frowning. Finally she just threw it on the floor and laid down, kicking off her shoes and keeping her jeans on, just in case Cody came back while she was napping.
At three am she got a frantic call from her roommate.
"Hello?" Cole mumbled tiredly, a bit of annoyance evident in her voice.
"Oh, thank goodness! I just got back to the dorm, and when I didn't see you, I panicked."
"Oh, yeah. Um...about that. I'm, uh, staying over at a friend's. I'll make it to class and everything, don't worry."
"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Uh, huh." With that, Nick hung up the phone. Then she glanced at the time and groaned. "I'm never going to get back to sleep," she mumbled, laying her head in the gel bed.
Sighing, she got up and dressed herself propperly, raking what she could only assume was her red bangs across to the left side, where they were normally.
Then she tried to open the door. It wouldn't open.
She tried again, pushing harder on the button. It remained stubbornly closed.
Finally she knocked on the door. "Yarin?" A little harder. "Yarin?" Then she beat on the door, yelling as loud as she could, which was, admittedly, fairly loud for someone as quiet as her. "Yarin!"
-
Yarin woke up suddenly his skin changing to a deep blue momentarily due to his surprise. He regained his composer and walked over to where Nichole was staying. "Yarin!" She yelled. "The doors locked." "Do not panic I will open the door, are you encased in your senthetic fibers?" What? she replied confused "Oh you mean am I dressed, yes I am." And with that Yarin opened the door. "I think I'll stay out here." she said.
-
She paused, glancing at the time on her cell phone. "Well, that was interesting. Sorry for waking you, by the by. I didn't realize I had accidentally locked the door." She paused. "Not to be rude or anything, but do you have food here?"
-
"I have food but I am not sure if it is safe for you to eat, I am not a expert on human eating habits. But I believe I have something that won't cause you any physical discomfort." Yarin said as he spoke to his ship's computer in his own language. a few seconds later a plate with a variety of foods apeared he handed it to Nichole. "Here try this." he said.
-
Cody's POV:
Cody trotted towards Yarin's ship in cat morph. He stayed a cat because he wanted more experience with it. The best thing that came from learning of the Yeerks was getting the ability to morph. Or bio mimic, as Kelran said. Like the eagle, the cat took and interest in rodents and small birds.
There were some ducks in a pond, but they were a bit big for Cody's cat, and they were swimming in the water. The cat didn't want to go for a swim. There was a shrew wondering around in the early morning light, but it managed to escape when Cody tried to catch it.
Breakfast came in the form of raccoon roadkill. It was pretty fresh, and Cody dragged it to a ditch and started eating. After killing the hunger craving, he started feeling bad about what he was doing. It was odd, since he never cared if anyone caught him dumpster diving or anything before.
<Maybe it's because my new friends might not understand.> He said. Yarin read his mind during the time that he was becoming an adult, but the others would probably be revolted. Would they understand that food is food, and that beggars can't be choosers? Or would they feel it better for Cody to leech off of them when his money got low? Would they lose respect for him as their boss if they saw hm eating roadkill?
<Dead is dead, and meat is meat. Whether you drag it off the road, or buy it at the market.> He said as he left the raccoon to the crows. Soon he made it to Yarin's place and demorphed.
((I hope Kelran posts soon. We need to figure out if he would spend the night near Yarin's ship, or do something else.))
-
((righto... its ironic, despite head butting Kelran and Cody have alot of things in common :P ))
Jason didnt have time to explain the morphing and aquiring process, at the exact moment he was going to open his mouth am a-tonal sound began broadcasting throuought the ship.
"Its time...."
Without any other explanation Kelran practically dragged Jason back to the bridge.
"On my mark, you take this..." Kelran produced a small metal capped plastic glowing rod and pressed it between Jason's thumb and forefinger, "And you insert it into this slot" He pointed to one of several slots of circular shape embedded into one of the rear consoles.
Kelran withdrew another similar tiny cylinder holding it between two of his talons with remarkable precision.
"Computer, recognize authorization access 11386. Confirm critical system damage and confirm that I am the last ranking member of SFC aboard"
The computer broadcasted a reply tone. "Working...... verified. authorization confirmed, critical system damage confrimed, rank confirmed. ready"
"Computer, begin auto-destruct sequence Beta. Set countdown for 2 deci-rotations, no further audio warnings."
"Affirmed, awaiting final code and simultaneous isolinear rod insetion."
"Final code, Iskithari-Gamma-2247. 10 pings to rod insertion"
Kelran poised his rod over the slot, motioning for Jason to do likewise... "10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."
Kelran and Jason jammed their rods into the slots simultaneously.
"Rod-data recognized, authorization confirmed, 1 deci-rotation and 99 pings to auto-destruct. there will be no further audio warnings"
"Time to make an exit... you had better do whatever it is you animal morphers do....."
-
((I speak his name, and he comes! I wish Katherine Applegate would post on the forums soon...))
((Since I wanted to go ahead and post about Cody spending the night with emily and everything, maybe you can go ahead and fast forward past the ship exploding and all.))
-
((It leaves poor Jason in quite a haze of action.. but oh well, explosions are my specialty >:D ))
Jason began to morph... Kelran was, in truth, more than a little put off by the process. But he had seen some nasty things once or twice, and the change from a humanoid to an avian was not the worst.
If Jason's 'morph' was any indication this planet certainly had bird life....
The two took flight, straight out the hole in the side of the bridge.
Kelran's wingspan was absolutely immense and awesome to behold when he finally took full flight.
"Quickly quickly QUICKLY!" he shouted down to Jason who as about 4 feet below him....
Back on the Legacy the computer continued to silently wind down...
==7==6==5==4==3==2==COMMIT==1==..........
Inside the reactor core matter and anti-matter in the form of Cirillium slush mixtures had been colliding and anniahlating ever since the reactor was brought online, now the reaction controls and the thermionic conductor field that mediated the reaction had reached their peak, well beyond the redline. An explosion was inevitable, but still controllable providing ships systems ensured that the antimatter exploded properly rather than totally.
In the milliseond after '==1==' The computer shifted the focus vertex of the field to just the right vector.
The reaction tipped just slightly, even as the computer opened the fuel pods all the way and deactivated the backflow failsafes. Then the Computer ceased to exist.
Matter and Antimatter collided and anniahlated, transcending into pure energy, as light and force.
If one could have gotten a time lapse view of the engine room the core would have appeard to brighten then dissolve into pure light.
Jason and Kelran turned to watch from far above....
The ship seemed to brighten and glow with a piercing force.... visible at this hour of the evening from miles and miles away no doubt as a glow in the sky.
then for a split second there was nothing but a tiny point of swirling crackling blue sparks... the ship was gone, leaving only the marks of its passing.
All of this lasted approximately 0.68 seconds.
Then the explosion came.
All the matter of the ship, its fuel, and everything in it and a bit of the surrounding landscape were suddenly reorganized into energy and released.
If the light had been blinding before, it was solar-like now. And deafening, later news reports claimed the sound was heard as much as 18 miles from the site.
The entire Lake-bed area simply blew apart. Atoms collided, transcended into energy, regressed into basic elements, altered charge wildly.....
The shockwaves actually produced a small earthquake tremor, and for a short while Kelran and Jason couldnt even fly straight through the turbulence.
When the effect dissipated there was nothing left. The Lakebed for a full square mile was nothing but a perfectly round, perfectly smooth perfectly scoured carbonized crater.
"Thank heavens it worked properly..." Kelran said in a subdued voice.
<What would have happened if it hadnt worked properly?> Jason asked.
Kelran turned to look at him, fixing him with a dead serious gaze, his wingbeats didnt falter, he didnt miss a beat,
"The same thing, only it would have wiped this entire continental formation away, and split the planet halfway to its core, instead of wiping out a mere square klik or so. We wouldnt have had time to realize what was happening before our atoms ceased to be atoms and became anti-protons."
-
<Great,> Jason muttered to himself in private thought speech, <why does everything happen to me. First the Yeerk Pool and now alien ship blowing up. Just what I need.> Jason wondered what Cody was up to that he got left with helping Kelran. <Next time, I get to leave and he does the work.> He turned his attention to Kelran. <I think we better find a place for you to take cover so no one finds you.>
-
((I didn't mean to write it out that cody ditched Jason and Kelran. I tried to write it out so we could skip that part. I wanted to post about him getting back to Emily, so I figured we'd skip the posting about the ship blowing up. But you guys wanted to post about it anyway. Now I've got nothing to post because as far as Cody is concerned it's already morning.))
-
((I'll try and catch Yarin and Nick up in this post, but no promises. Plus, it's only like 3 am in their little world. And Kelran needs a place to stay. o.O))
Tentatively, she reached out and tried something. "It's...not bad. You mind if I take this to my room?" Yarin didn't seem to, so she went back and fell asleep about an hour later.
She finally woke again when it was morning, and fortunately didn't lock herself in the room.
((Ok. Nick's caught up to Cody, or there about.))
-
Cody opened the hatch to Yarin's ship, and started making his way to what he liked to call the super bed of ecstasy. However, he saw Nichole in the main bridge area first. Yarin soon came out of his room, and began turning a tinge of gold when he saw Cody.
"Hey Nichole. You spent the night with Yarin? How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. I was really tired last night. I think morphing takes more out of me than the rest of you."
"That's good to know, for future reference."
<Nothing of interest happened between us last night. We merely slept in separate rooms.>
"That might be for the best. You two are from different worlds. Literally. I however, was in the same bed with Emily for a few minutes. I was a cat at the time, but I was a male cat. She made me purr." Cody said before heading into his room for some real sleep.
-
"How on earth do you combine cute, sexy, and horribly perverted into one phrase?" Cole mused, shaking her head as Cody left. "Well, I should probably head off to school. Call me if anything of interest happens."
With that, she departed from the ship and morphed seagull, since it would be faster than running. She just hoped she'd have enough time to swing by her dorm before class.
-
After Nichole left Yarin turned to Cody, "So what actually occurred between you and Emily?" Yarin said switching to vocal communication. Cody stared at him incredulously. "What, I am a young male you are a young male is this not what we talk about?"
-
After Nichole left Yarin turned to Cody, "So what actually occurred between you and Emily?" Yarin said switching to vocal communication. Cody stared at him incredulously. "What, I am a young male you are a young male is this not what we talk about?"
"Yeah, actually. Guys often talk about girls." Cody said. "I found a cat and morphed it, and went to Emily's place where her window was open. She invited me in, and we laid on the bed until she kind of drifted off. Then I got up, went outside, and demorphed. She likes my company, but I'm not sure if it's because she's into me or if it's because she's just afraid of the Yeerks."
"Two teenagers of the opposite sex don't usually spend time in one bed together unless they're intimate, or siblings. You know? But it was ok. I'm a man of restraint."
"In your case, it seems Nichole is into you. I'm not sure if it's because she thinks you're sure, or if it's just because you're an alien. I don't know anything about long term relationships, especially inter-species ones, so you and her being together could go bad or good as far as I know."
-
All this while Jason was busy helping Kelran find a place to hide. He finally found a suitable place, a rocky area on the side of a hill, full of hiding places large enough for something the size of Kelran to hide. <This should do for now.> Jason said to Kelran, and to himself he muttered <I hope.> Jason landed and demorphed. He sat down, exhausted from the morphing, working, and flying. "I've been meaning to ask you Kelran, why and how did you end up here anyways?"
-
((I think Ill pull an Ax maneuver and not divulge everything at once.... ;) ))
Kelran Pulled his sword and sash off his shoulders, un-fastened and shed most of his armor, and flopped down on one of the sunniest rocks, looking much the same as a lion on one of those Discovery channel shows, but at the same time looking like an eagle on his perch.
"You know, for a mammal you have a good instinct for habitat." Kelran chuckled.
Then he sighed and seemed distant for a few moments... "I'm exhuasted, so Ill make this brief and tell the whole story later when we have everyone else..."
He ruffled his feathers and re-positoned his wings slightly.
"I don't suppose you've ever heard of the Kelbrid? no? nasty brutish people... there are two subspecies of Kelbrid, Kelbrid-thane and Kelbrid-nas. The Kelbrid-Thane are huge, imagine one of your kind, but twice as tall, immense musculature, and a red-granite-like rough gravelly armor tough skin. Their intelligence factor is renown for being extreemly low.
The 'nas are a different story entirely, a very rare strain of Kelbrid, they are thin, wiry, angular faced, soft skinned, and incredibly intelligent. As you might Imagine, the 'nas rule, the 'thane serve and fight. We have never known a 'than to command a starship, or a 'nas to fight hand to talon."
Kelran sighed... "But if you meet one, either one, youll be doing the universe a favor if you gut it in the most painfully efficient manner possible. The 'thane are blood-lusting un-scrupulous killers, living only to make others die, and the 'nas are even colder and far more calculating.... Id like to think I killed at least 800 of them the last time we met...."
Kelran's voice had been getting lower and lower... Even Jason, who didnt know him especially well, could see that he was angry at the Kelbrid. very angry.
The Gryphon relaxed a little and continued... "Despite being a warrior race, we are also a race of curiosity. One of our latest projects was the Gravitic Vector Gate, a device that would use a graviton saturated verteron matrix of particles to foce a co-herent z-space tunnel and..." Kelran stopped, ****ed his head, "You have no clue what I just said do you? Very well, to put it simply, it would cataplut a ship as much as half a galaxy in little less than an hour. And it would do so undetectably and unstoppably. Needless to say its a technology with many applications. Normal Slipspace drives are fast, but not 1/300th *that* fast."
Kelran ran one claw through his head feathers, much the same way any person runs their hand through their hair, the sun glinted slightly off the iridescent patterns on his head, making him look for a split second like some character of a new fantasy video game...
As he continued, he stared off down the mountainside into the thick trees and underbrush, far away he could hear the sounds of some kind of vehicle traversing a road.
"While we were performing tests of the GVG, the Kelbrid launched a surprise attack, with numbers far in excess of ours. I was.... assigned to a ship called the Legacy. Another prototype, it uses Multi-Vectored assault technology..." Kelran paused to see if Jason knew what that meant, he sighed and explained, "It allows the ship to split into several differently sized sections with independant weapons and power, effectively tripling the firepower provided by the unit.
As I said, there were still simply too many Kelbrid, at least a full attack wing. But I knew I couldnt let them get hold of the GVG, if they did their tactical assaults would be undetectable and unstoppable, and they could reach every corner of every galaxy in our cluster...
I... erm.. stole the forward section of the Legacy. I docked with the GVG, and used my slipspace drive at the same instant.
I was fairly certain that the tachyon grid of the drive would produce an explosive reaction in the gate's verteron matrices. Turns out I was right. I didnt even expect to survive, but somehow the gate's z-space corridor and my slipspace field merged and actually worked... well.. somewhat. When I arrived in orbit I was too damaged to even discover where I was, and so I crashed."
Kelran desperately hoped Jason wouldnt wonder why there were apparently no crew in the section of the Legacy he stole, and that he would ask more about the SFC, or Kelran's 'rank'
The Gryphon yawned, an oddly amusing sight, "So tell me about this world... what is it called? and how long have you had Faster Than Light space travel?"
Jason got an odd look on his face, and somewhere deep in the pit of his stomach Kelran knew what the answer to his question would be.
-
"What should I do about Nichole?" Yarin asked Cody. "Should I take things slowly?" He was not exactly sure why he was asking Cody who had never been in a long term relationship. "How long should I wait before mating? Should I mate in my own body or in my human morph?"
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"The first thing I'd do is try to figure out if she's interested in you because of who you are, or if it's just because you're an alien. Personally, I like you so far. It's possible she really likes you too. You could go on a date with her. Take her out to dinner, or to a club and dance. That would require some money, but Jason and I could think of a way to get you some cash."
"I could also teach you how to dance. Dancing is very important when it comes to dating."
"As far as mating goes, you should probably start in Human form. Maybe after getting used to it, you could do it in your own form. I doubt Nichole is the type to want to have sex early in the dating process, though. Actually, she could get pregnant if you do it in Human form. Might want to stick with your own form."
"To be honest...I've never actually had sex before. I usually do it by myself when I get the urge, if you know what I mean. I don't want any STDs or kids to worry about. You'll both have to decide on when the best time is to have sex, if it even gets that far. It should be a mutual agreement."
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"I do not understand, why would consent not be mutual. On my world one does not mate without consent. As far as monitary units are concerned I have a solution." Yarin opens a component on the wall and inside is gold, silver, and other precious metals, and rare jewels. "Whoa," Cody exclaimed. One of you colony planets had very rich metal deposits. Here take these." Yarin said handing Cody a large container full of gold and silver "Exchange these for about 800 monitary units. You may retain the surplus."
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"If she doesn't really like you enough, it's likely she won't consent to having sex. That's why the agreement may not be mutual." Cody said, as he looked at all the stuff Yarin gave him. He found it hard to take his eyes off of it. "That's what we need to find out. It will be our little side mission, besides the saving the world stuff. Getting you and Nichole together, or seeing if Nichole really wants to be your girlfriend."
"For now, let's go out and find Jason and Kelran. I'm not tired anymore."
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"Alright but do not forget about what I gave you Let us find Jason and Kelran, should we morph?"
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"Just put the stuff back where you got it. I'll get it later after I've talked to the right people. You go bird, and I'll go bloodhound."
They retraced their steps until they got to what used to be the lakebed.
<That is one big crater. Couldn't he have made a smaller explosion? Certainly this wasn't necessary.> Cody said.
He managed to pick up a scent in the air, and followed it. Yarin kept watch for anything, while Cody managed on the ground. Soon enough they came to a rocky area where the scent of Gryphon was strong.
-
Before Jason could answer Kelran's questions, movement caught his eye. From his vantage point on the hillside, Jason could see anything coming towards them. He was about to dive for cover when he recognized Cody and Yarin's morphs. "About time." he said when Cody and Yarin reached them. "What do we do now? Personally, I would like you two to handle things with Kelran so I can get home so I don't get my parents all worked up and call me in as a missing person."
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"I would gladly stay with Kelran, it will be a good opportunity for xeno-biological study."
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<Thank you very much, Jason. You've done plenty.> Cody said before demorphing.
"Sure you can stay with Kelran, Yarin, if he doesn't mind. That would give me time to go out and spend some money towards your date with Nichole."
"Kelran, you're the third alien that has crash landed on this planet in a week. I've almost gotten used to it."
"This planet has been invade by parasitic aliens called Yeerks. They live in the brains of their hosts, and completely control them. They have an underground facility that is their base of operations. Currently we are Earth's best hop in defeating these Yeerks. I'm the boss, and you've met the other members of the group. Soon there will be another, named Emily. I'd like you to join our cause, if you're interested. We could also give you the ability to morph. What do you say?"
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(Is it too late to add another character to the fold? I have one that I've been kicking around . . . and I'm still reading the posts. This what I get for coming in late -- registering and all, I mean.)
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Kelran gave a dry sort of laugh.. "The third crash landed 'alien'? Well, I hope Yarin can tell me the whole story... your planet must have some intrinsict strategic or resource oriented value. Why else would so many of us be visiting?"
He stood and paced,
"So Let me get this perfectly clear, no one has really told me everything Id like to know, but Ive made some inferences."
Kelran stopped, turned, and faced Cody.
"As it stands from my point of view, you are all fledgelings, thats simple biological observation. This is a barely post-industrial world, I havent witnessed anything to indicate high speed transit, space travel, or even primitive fusion based energy, much elss anti-matter.
All I have seen is a ridiculous amount of internal combustion vehicles.
Your general populace has no idea that you are under invasion by a superiorly numbered superiorly armed race of parasites...
why else would a group of fledgeling warriors be the vanguard of the planet's defence?
And your only weapon is the ability to become... some kind of..." he paused and groped for a word,
"some kind of ...Animorphs. And you want me to join this cause. Am I right?"
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(well I'd enjoy having you here cloakedfigure I don't know about the others though)
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(The more the merrier :) )
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Alrighty, then I give a brief biography of this character, if I have time (I have to share this computer):
Name: Hu Tyger
Gender: Male
Home Planet: Aruten
Species: Smilodite (lives about eight to ten Aruten years)
Age: One year (one Aruten equals about 23 Earth years)
Occupation: Mage apprentice
Description: Eight foot tall on average, bipedal, orange furred with large saber teeth, Wolverine-like claws made up of bone, keratin, and cuticle. Feline tails which becomes tufted when they become masters of their guilds. Head similar to a tiger, with males being larger, and possessing the ruff around their head. Clothing similar to Mideval humans, where master mages wear dark cloaks. All apprentices where watch-like devices which carry an encyclopedic database within it using a hard-light tech and can function as translators.
History: Hu (pronounced the same as "Hugh") comes from a planet somewhat similar to Earth, called Aruten. He dwells within the Ood Forest, among the ancient and long-forgotten temples. He had a gray cloak and the watch device called an "Encarta" bestowed upon him by his master, his father, at the beginning of his training. It turns out that this temple is hiding a secret, a secret so terrible and unpredictable that the temple was built to conceal and seal it away. Eventually Hu is betrayed, his wife and children (he is of the age that his expected have them) are slain.
Personality: On Aruten, Hu was a normal young adult, happy to be a family man, and dedicated to his magical training, but this changes when he's betrayed by someone close to him. When the terrible secret hidden within the temple is unleashed, he is transported to earth.
I suppose that's all the necessary info, up front. Next post, (well the one after the one immediately following this) I'll start the backstory up.
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((I object! Why? Because I've always wanted to shout that out for no real apparent reason. I'm with the guys. The more the merrier. So, come on in and join the madness! ;D ))
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Alright, but I'll need more info . . . I'll modify the last post and put an asterisk (*) next to new info. By the way, when he comes to earth, I think I want him to be a bit Batman-esque -- brooding and untrusting, at first. You'll see why later.
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((I don't know about him having magic. This is a science fiction story. Otherwise, I'm happy to have you along CloakedFigure.))
"We are a fairly primitive race, as far as space travel goes. We have never seen anything outside of our solar system, and for some odd reason the general populace of America doesn't believe aliens exist. Their god never mentioned anything living outside of this planet when he instructed the ancient people to write the holy book called the Bible, and some people believe that if it isn't in that book it isn't true. It's sad, really."
"We don't have much in the way of spacecraft, though we can send a few people in a rocket up to the moon."
"We were visited by an Andalite that was part of a military force that tried to defeat the Yeerks in orbit, but they failed. He gave us a box that allows us to morph into any animal we can touch, and that's our weapon. Even if we tried to tell anyone about alien parasites, half of them wouldn't believe us and the other half would be controllers. That's what we call an infested Human or other creature."
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(It's not really magic. It's basically their term for technology and medicine. And Mage is basically a political figure. It's not Potter magic where they wave wands or such. Oh, and I almost forgot --)
It was a quiet day. Hu looked up at the monochromatic sky, and saw that dark clouds were rolling toward the west. Toward home. He had taken his wife, Lilas, and his twin boys (multiple births were common on Aruten) to see the most recent Sage-approved launch.
Hu really didn't see the reason why there were so much interest in the stars. He was never much of an Explorer. He was perfectly happy to discover the surprises and secrets of his own world. And he was only too happy to remain on his planet with his family. He was happier then he could ever remember.
Little did he know that this happiness was all about come to an end.
-
((Oh, good. No psudo Latin, right? 'Cause I would know. I would know like I know my way around campus. *Proceeds to get lost for an HOUR about 5 minutes from where she needs to be* < Sadly, that did happen Monday. It wasn't exactly my best moment.))
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(No, Traycon, no dog latin, pig latin, or even pseudo latin (maybe some deep-throated purring-like noises) -- except you're talking about the names of some of the creatures on their planet . . . I mean Smilodite --> Smilodon. And, BTW, they believe they live nine lives before moving on, with no memories of it, though.)
A few days after the spectacle that was the launch, Hu was returning home from the market, when he noticed that his house, which was primitive by other sentient species that had visited the planet in the past, had the air of something wrong.
The door was barely clinging on by one hinge. Hu cursed himself for leaving his wife and children alone -- he should have taken them to the market with him. He immediately dropped his purchases. And dashed inside, shouting his family's names.
"Lilas! Tylos! Felios!"
Then Hu saw something that he wished all his lives, if he had more then one, that he could forget.
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(lol no offense cloakedfigure but now im lost i don't know where we left off.)
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(I was afraid I killed the thread. . . . Why would I take offense yarin? You've said nothing offensive.)
(Hu is still on his planet/dimension or whatever. You guys are, I think, doing something with Kelran. Hu hasn't exactly come into the picture yet. When he comes, he'll be angry, untrusting, and stubborn.)
(Remember, for Smilodites, the term "magic" is synomous (sp) with "technology".)
Hu cradled his loved ones for some time before he recognized the slashings on their bodies being Smilodite in origin. This was serious. Whoever commited this act broke Langon's Law, which explicitly forbids the using of claws in such a manner.
Suddenly, he sensed that the Temple where a terrible magic is held. It had been his tribe's duty to protect the secret. Hu didn't know what the secret was, but apparently it was dangerous enough that his family, sans his father -- who was also his Mage Master -- to be murdered.
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((I'm currently waiting for Kelran to reply to what Cody said before posting. I'm fine with magic being synonymous with technology, as far as Smilodites go. I have no more nitpicks to pick.))
((If Kelran takes to long, then I'll do something with Emily. Oh, wait. *ahem* I wish Kelran would post soon. Okay, he should be here shortly. :)))
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((*Giggles* I'm gonna die laughing if he posts before me.))
The second Cole's class let out, she was back at the dorm, practically throwing her stuff on the floor before running outside to a secluded area to morph. She scanned the area a few times before beginning the morph, taking to the skies before the part of her brain that usually freaked out over this matter could stop her. She had about five hours until her next class, and she hoped it didn't take her that long to find the boys.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Cole could not keep the bird on track for more than a few minutes and ended up flying in a different direction than from the crash site. And ended up around where Yarin, Kelran, and Cody were. <Coming in for a landing,> she said, her voice mixed with both fear and excitement.
She landed on the ground in a sort of crumpled heap. Bones cracked and straitened themselves as she demorphed, ending up with her legs touching the ground above her head. She swung her legs back so she was laying on her back and blew hair out of her face. "Hey, guys. Did ya miss me?"
((A few minutes ago: *Glances to see who's online* o.O Kelran's listed as being online. Oh,mighty Daphnes. I worship thee and thy mighty power. XD.))
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(ah thank you traycon i remembered where yarin was)
"Hello Nichole, Kelran and I were just exchange biological information on our species."
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"Cool, cool," she said with a grin. "You mind if I listen in?" She brushed her hair back with her hand, suceeding in making her red bangs mix with her brown/blond hair. Some of the bangs were sticking up, while other parts had fallen back into place, settling over her left eye. She sighed. "I really need to get a hair cut."
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"Why would you release your Cranial fibers would that not cause you pain?" Yarin asked. he turned back to Kelran "As I was saying my people evolved from small arborial mammals. we have chromonetic blood that changes color depending on atmospheric content and males have chromatophores they used to be for mating before we fully evolved now they are just decorative."
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Cole's eye twitched as she listened to this conversation. She felt a bit awkward simply lying on the ground, so she sat up, brushing her hair into place and began drawing in the dirt with her index finger while she listened. What she hadn't realized was that she was crudly drawing the last time they saw the Andalite. Plus the blue box. At least that looked like a box.
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(I guess I didn't kill this thread. Cue relief. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but Smilodite senses are similar to that of the big cats -- you know, excellent night-vision, sensitive olfactory and audiotory senses . . . but maybe that's a given.)
Hu grabbed his cloak -- which was the cloak every apprentice wears -- and his Encarta -- a small watch-like device that functions as both an encyclopedia and a translator, though Hu never needed to use this feature. Then he ripped himself away from what days ago had been his family.
Hu stopped at nondescript part of the forest. He kneeled and swept away some debris away from three grooves in the ground. He unsheathed his claws, and stabbed his right ones into the grooves. Then he made deep-throated, purring-like noises.
Suddenly, the ground before him fissured. The password had been accepted. The fissure opened wide enough for him to enter. Hu leaped down, and landed hard, but on his feet. He looked up and saw the fissure close. Some loose rocks tumbled down and hit him on the head.
Why does that happen to me every time I come down here? Hu thought, rubbing his head as he proceeded forward.
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((This is supposed to be an Ax like thing, where he doesnt plan to get in too deep, until he finds out just how far from home he is, and the longer he stays the more attached he becomes to the cause))
Kelran chuckled at Nichole's landing. "You can morph a bird, and you can morph a feline, now if you could just do both you could do a decent approximation of a Gryphon, though admittedly genticaly speaking you would be at least 90% off."
He turned to Yarin, "speaking of which, our species has an incredibly dense and complex genetic code, as I mentioned, while we look something like a combination of the avian and feline life on this world, our genes probably, mind this is only a guess, but probably share only 10% of entirely identical markers.
Originally our species had an entirely feline skeleton and much bulkier talons, we could fly just as well, but we could not stand on two legs.
But over the centuires we evolved ambi-pedal skeletons, and more precision talons."
Kelran glanced back and forth, seeing that no one but Yarin fully understood what he was saying. "Well, Yarin, we should continue this later when we have more time on our claws, Id certainly like to discuss relative tehcnological points as well.
Moving along...." he sighed and stretched his wings slightly,
"Honestly... Im still not sure about this. I mean no offence, but I do not intend to stay here, as soon as I can aquire a working spacecraft somehow I intend to return to my people."
Kelran could see that some of them were dissapointed, others, especially Cody, kept their faces intentionally blank.
"However... while I am here, I wish to aid you in your fight. I dispise evil, and injustice, and Im not about to see it go unchecked in my prescense."
Kelran threw up a claw, "But let us be clear on a few things; firstly, I want to know more, alot more, about this bio-mimetic morphing technology before I begin using it. IF I begin using it. and secondly..."
Kelran stared straight at Cody, as if daring him to challenge his next sentance,
"I am not familiar with the term 'boss' but if its in any way synonymous with leader, then I congratualte you on earning the repect and right to lead your peers. But I am not one of you, and while Im glad to help, while I am here I acknowledge only one leader." Kelran tapped his chest with a single talon.
"Help you? yes. Work with you? yes. Accept direct orders? no. As long as thats not going to be a problem...."
Everyone but Kelran shifted uncomfortably waiting for Cody's response.
-
(I probably should note that Hu's Mage Master was the youngest to achieve that rank in thirty some Aruten years or about 490 Earth years, achieving it at two and half years old -- about 37 1/2 Earth years.)
Hu entered the major atrium of the temple, and found his Mage Master -- his father -- laying on his back. He was dying. The last member of Hu's family was slowly leaving him. Hu was shocked -- he though his Master was invincible.
"Hu," he spoke as Hu approached him. "You must take my satchel . . ."
Master Tygris forced his small satchel on to him. It was small enough to tie onto his belt. Hu was hesitant. Such a thing was for a Mage Master . . . and he was at least three years away from such a thing.
Sensing his hesitation, Master Tygris said, "You must. You must use it against the betrayer. He's . . ."
But what this betrayer was, Hu never heard from his father, as his last breath left him. Hu was now completely orphaned, widowed, and childless. Hu could not bare the pain of it all. He felt that he would break Langon's Law gladly should he meet this betrayer.
-
Cole looked between the two of them, still sprawled out on the ground. She had grinned at the thought of trying to approximate a Gryphon and hadn't stopped grinning until Kelran had begun his little speach. She was beginning to feel a bit awkward, her natural shyness coming out in full force. So, she pulled out her cell phone and checked the time. She still had over four hours. But just to be sure, she checked it again, going through the math, ect. She still had over four hours until her next class.
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Kelran had challenged Cody's supremecy. The last time Cody saw some new guy in the gang challenge the boss, that challenge was swiftly dealt with. Sometimes painfully. However, this was not a gang. He wasn't sure how Yarin or Nichole would react if tried to set the Gryphon in his place. He decided to let it slide, for now. Especially if Kelran wanted to leave, anyway.
"Well, if you want to leave, we'll have to steal a Yeerk spacecraft. Human rocketships won't do you any good.We can help you get one."
Cody explained all they currently knew about morphing technology. He then left Kelran in the care of Yarin.
"Oh, Nichole. Before I leave, when will you have a free night? You know, to go out to eat or something else? It's kind of important." He said, and glanced brefly at Yarin.
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"Um Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are good...Why?" Cole asked, confusion evident on both her face and her voice. She was hoping that Cody wasn't asking her out. Yes, Cody was a cool guy, but he just wasn't her type. And plus, didn't he like that girl Emily?
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Yarin noticed Nicholes discomfort, that was good it meant that she did not wish to mate with him. He waited for the time when he could get to his ship and hear Codys information.
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"Excellent." Cody said, and then turned to Yarin. "I'm going to go make preparations. You hang with Kelran for a while, and I'll see you tonight."
He left for Yarin's ship, and got out some of the stuff. He used a small container to carry the valuables to a guy downtown who would buy anything, and ask no questions. Soon he had a large amount of money to buy suits for Yarin and himself. He also bought a dress for Nichole that matched Yarin's suit. Finally, he bought one red rose that Yarin would give to Nichole Thursday night.
He took all that back to Yarin's ship, and headed for the school that Emily and Jason went to. He found her at a lunch table at lunch period.
"Hey Emily, how goes things?"
"Hi Cody. I brought food from home to eat. Do you want some?"
"Sure." He said, and took half an apple. "I was hoping we could do something Thursday night together."
"Are you asking me out?"
"I'm hooking up a friend of mine with a girl he likes, and plan to go as well. Would you be up for a double date?"
"That would be awesome. I'd have to sneak out, though, since my parents wouldn't approve of my hanging out with anyone that they haven't known for at least a month and done a thorough background check. I'm not joking. I can get out Thursday evening, though. The maids can cover for me."
"Thank you very much. If you will excuse me, I must continue my preparations. Oh, and I'll see you later about the thing."
"Right. The thing. I look forward to them both."
Cody looked around until he found Jason. He then explained what was going on, and invited him.
((Jmnar4 did say Jason was in highschool, right? So him and Emily could go to the same school.))
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((o.O The world is going on their date...And how does Cody know Cole's dress size?! O.O))
"Wait, what preperations? And why did you ask when I was...Oh, never mind. He's a man, of course he's not listening." The last part was, of course, mostly to herself.
"So, what was your name again?" Cole asked Kelran.
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((He's going to estimate. Just like he'll estimate Yarin's dress size. And it will all happen to fit. I don't want to make him out to be the fashion king like rachel, but he does have experience in observing people. He's been close enough to both of them to closely estimate their clothing sizes.))
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((I know logically what you meant by "Yarin's dress size" but that still brought up a mental image of him in a dress.))
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((suit size, then. I figured Cody would want to have a date too, since he's planning to be there for security reasons. Plus it's polite for him to invite Jason.))
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(I'm feeling that I'm going out on a tangent here. Hu still isn't there. But let's rectify that shall we?)
Hu proceeded through the temple. He was sure the murdering sac of gonard gizzards was here. But the question was where? He knew this temple quite well, it was like his second home. He entered a small ampitheater-like room, found nothing, and backtracked.
Then he noticed a room that was always locked with the usual claw-locks. Only this time it wasn't. That was the only room that Hu had no idea of its contains. Feeling a noxious mix of fear and adrenaline, he proceed to enter the room.
There was a large gate like device on the opposite wall. Then, before the mighty gate, was the betrayer who was somehow unlocking it. Hu couldn't believe his eyes. Surely, he wasn't it. Couldn't be.
"Bened! What're you doing here? . . ." Hu said, breathlessly.
"'Bout time you got here, Hu."
"I ask again, Bened, what are you doing in here?"
"You don't know? Good Sky Tyger, you must be stupid. The interplanetary/interdimensional wormhole is through this gate."
Hu brushed off the insult, as he immediately knew why it was sealed away. The unpredicability of the wormhole. The inherent dangers that came from it. Hu said, with sudden realization, "It is you. You killed your own father. Your own nephews. Your own sister-in-law. . . ."
"Yep." he said with no remorse. "What are you going to do about it, big brother?"
Hu, in a fit of rage, attacked Bened, which is what he wanted. But, paradoxically, Hu had always been superior in claw-to-claw combat. As such, Hu was the victor but when it came to the final blow . . . he found that he didn't have the heart to deliver the blow that would finish his brother. He could not kill him.
"You fool!" Bened shouted, as he attempted to stab Hu with claws and he managed to make a tenth of inch penetration. But Hu managed to deflect most of the attack. Bened hit the gate, which started to eek open. With no known destination on the otherside.
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(hey i was thinking you could appear in the reasturant or wherever we are having our group date then we could all get into battle morphs)
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(I was considering a nearby forest, but you know what, yarin, that's far better.)
The gate opened wide, and there was a surprising suction. Bened was sucked in immediately. Hu had an instinct to dig his claws into the ground, but it was far too late. He was in the air and through the portal, expecting to be crushed into nothingness.
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((I think that Kelran will accept the offer of morphing technology but only aquire a human morph, and reluctantly at that, for the sake of learning about Earth and the yeerks. When he has to quire future morphs in order to 'get small' or go aquatic hes going to be very unhappy about it. :P ))
The Gryphon smiled genuinely for one of the few times since arriving, "Im Kelran, Kelran-Isthinar. Its not much of a spot but why don't we go inside." he gestured to the cave-like apreture in the rockface.
When he and Yarin and Nichole were inside Kelran took a reclining positon on a rock slab, leaving his guests to 'perch' sit or stand wherever they wished.
Much to both Yarin and Nichole's surprise, Kelran directed his first questions at Nichole, "So, tell me more about Cody. He doesnt strike me as the type who has had definitive leadership experience or training. And I think he percieved what I said as a challenge.
The last thing you want as a small attack unit is infighting or an untried leader."
He preened the edge of his wing thoughtfully for a moment, "And the last thing any of you want as friends is to feel betrayed or used."
-
(By the way, when Hu first sees humans, he'll think of them as giant Prosims, a species on his home planet/dimension, which look like unclothed humans with rat-like tails and glossamer wings. Just so you guys know. Of course, yarin, Kelran, Hu probability won't know what heck you guys are -- unless you guys want it to be otherwise.)
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Cody decided to let Jason mull things over before making a decision, as the bell rang for lunch to be over. He waved good bye to Emily and snuck off. He still had some money left over, so he went to a resteraunt for what some people would call "real" food. After eating, he also purchased a boom box for music. He didn't know if Yarin's ship could pick up radio waves, but he wanted to be prepared.
There was a nice club where people could get in, provided they wore nice clothes and paid a small admittance fee. That's where he planned the date for. It had a place to eat, and a dance floor. Perfect for a nice night Thursday, and since it was Monday afternoon he had time to teach Yarin about Human expression and dancing.
((I'm fine with the idea of Hu and Bened falling in at the club, though we could also have some date time before things go bad. Yarin and Nichole can decide what the suit and dress will look like that they will wear.))
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"Honestly, I don't know that much about Cody. I only recently met him. But from our whole one battle, I think he's fairly qualified. Plus, he's got the whole Kirk complex going for him, what with finding a girl out of the blue and all. And about the whole thing about perceiving what you said as a 'challenge', well, we sorta picked him as the leader because, well, I don't really know. I just know that I'm not leadership material. I'm back-up. Like waay in the back back-up. Though you did sound like you were challenging his authority. Sort of. I guess." She fell silent and flushed a bit, completely flustered. She didn't really like talking about Cody to someone she had just met. Complain about him--or anyone else for that matter--fine. But it almost sounded like Kelran wanted her to say he was an unfit leader or something. At least, that was her interpretation. Her mind was racing, trying to think of something else to say to fill the growing silence. Finally her mind latched onto the last thing he said. "Hey, what did you mean by that? The last thing you said. About being used or betrayed or whatever, by your friends?"
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Kelran sighed deeply, it seemed he was doing alot of that today.
"In a group like yours, especially in a position like yours, change or addition or removal of group members can upset very fine, very important balances. Believe me, Ive seen it happen, its happened to me. twice.
Friendship, and family, and love are the most valuable things you can ever have, and my arrival can concievably threaten damage to that, especially if I catalize or cause changes in Cody for the worse. I must admit, Im not averse to leadership, but Ive never been under the command of any but my seniors, and none but my kind. We are taught from the earliest of ages to respect other races as equal, but to avoid allowing them to command us."
He shifted uncomfortably, "I want to help, I want to be an extension of your group, but... I cant.." here Kelran's voice took on an almost apologetic, albiet very firm tone, "and I wont accept leadership. I neither want it over me, nor do I wish to be one.
I simply wish to be regarded as an equal by everyone in the group, including and especially its leader.
I do not wish to sound... arrogant. but I have much to offer you. I have several years of tactical and survival training and experience, technically I outrank everyone here. But thats doesnt matter to me."
Kelran shifted again, and hoped no one would actually ask about his rank "I simply want to avoid confrontation. I do not wish Cody to percieve me as a challenger to his authority. Even, no *especially* because he is a natural leader. I will react badly, he will react badly, and we risk changing who we are when its not worth it."
Kelran dearly wished Festhar was there, instead of who-knew how many lightyears away.
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"Maybe you should try telling him that," Cole said with a small smile. Then she frowned slightly. "Wait...what time is it?" She grabbed her phone. "Oh, great I've got only...three and a half hours left until math. I really need to stop worrying." She sighed.
-
Kelran laughed, "I am not fond of math myself. So, I think I might wish to aquire this morhping technology, if only to mingle with your species for a time. I detest the idea of becoming something different than what I am already... but if I am to have a better look at the enemy, and have something to do all day, I had best get used to short bursts of being human."
He ****ed his head, "What do you think of it? either of you? what kind of reaction does it provoke? morphing I mean."
-
"Yeah, math isn't exactly my favorite, so of course it's part of the requirements for my major." She sighed, leaning against the wall. "Mostly, too much of it makes me rather sleepy. Plus there's the instincts that you have to watch out for. Which are not at all fun, especially when you're dealing with fatigue. Or are we talking about what people do when you morph in public? Which, by the by, is not suggested."
-
((I'm fine with the idea of Hu and Bened falling in at the club, though we could also have some date time before things go bad. Yarin and Nichole can decide what the suit and dress will look like that they will wear.))
Ok but does that mean that we'll have a few days before the date?
-
(That's what I'm waiting for you guys to decide. After all, it's your guys date -- Hu and Bened (Bened=Benedict, if this interest anyone) just happen to drop in. Literally.)
-
((After we go through a few posts of Kelran and Emily getting morphing ability, and Cody teaching Yarin how to dance, we can skip Wedensday and Thursday morning to go ahead for the date.))
After Cody took the boom box to Yarin's ship, he also went back to his old place to move all of his things from the construction site into his room in the ship. That included the morphing cube that would soon be used on Emily. There was still a little time before her school let out, so he flew to Kelran's place.
"Hey guys. I'm back." Cody said as he entered the cave. He found a spot and reclined, as he'd been running around practically all day.
-
By that point, Cole had been forced to say her goodbyes and fly back to her campus, whereupon she was in class for the next couple of hours. It was all very boring, but it meant that she was gone by the time Cody had arrived.
-
Kelran nodded to Cody, "Greetings."
He considered speaking to Cody as Nichole had suggested, but he didnt think it wise to do so just yet, he thought it best to wait until a moment when Cody was more relaxed and open.
"So, if you're willing Id like to aquire the morphing technology if for no other reason than to join you in human social activities and observe the enemy up close. I hear you're also thinking of adding someone else to your group? perhaps it would help him or her if we aquired and practiced together. to take the edge of anxiety off?"
-
Cody's POV:
"Sure." Cody said. "We can do that once she gets out of school. It won't be too long."
Emily's POV:
After classes ended, Emily went out to the parking lot. She had told her parents that she planned to hang out with friends before coming home for dinner and homework. Sure enough, she saw the familiar golden eagle. She hopped on her bike, and followed it to a place near an old construction site. It wasn't exactly the part of town she was familiar with, but there were worse parts of town.
She wasn't surprised when she saw a spaceship, though it was definitely different from bug fighters or the blade ship. What she saw inside was what really surprised her.
"Ok, are you ready to go in and join the other side?" Cody asked.
"You bet! I'm ready for payback."
They went inside, and she came face to face with two aliens.
"Is that a Gryphon?"
"Yep. His name is Kelran. This other guy is a Nyac named Yarin. And this is a morphing cube." He said, holding up the cube.
"Wow, a real Escafil device."
"Uh, yeah."
She guessed he wasn't entirely familiar with the terminology, but that was fine. She touched it, and the power to morph flowed into her. Kelran also touched the cube, and took the power.
Cool. I'm kind of used to aliens by now, but I never expected to see a Gryphon." She said. "Is there a planet of the unicorns?" She asked Cody quietly.
"Dragons is what I'd rather see." Cody said with a smile.
"So when is the first mission?"
"We're going to help Kelran get home this weekend. We need to steal a bugfighter. Any ideas?"
"Most bugfighters are stationed in the docking bays of the Blade and Pool ships. It may be possible to send a distress signal through a device, and then take one when it lands. It's risky, but possible."
"Cool. What kind of guy is Visser Five, anyway. I've been curious."
"Well, he's got a sneaky and patient personality. He chose to start a front organization to slowly infest Humans, instead of choosing open war. He's not overly volatile, but he can be merciless if really ticked off. He's sometimes willing to negotiate, but always makes sure he gets the better part of any deal."
-
Kelran jumped in, "Typical type 4 errant personality. The only way to get the upper hand is through use of the unexpected, trickery, and small unit hit-and-fly tactics. If he is as you describe him, and I dont doubt it, then he relies on a very scientific view of warfare, which means we need to take up an instinctually driven method."
He shrugged, "Tactics was a required major at SFC academy. So, tell me about these 'bug' fighters. What kind of range, weapons capability, and faster than light drives do they have?"
-
"Bug fighters have a standard Zero-space engine with a mounted Dracon Canon." Yarin said
-
"Whats the travel time of a standard z-space drive-core relative to a parsec?"
Kelran asked, then thunked the wall lightly in mild irritation. "Well its not even going to do us any good until I know what kind of travel time were talking about in the first place, and for that I need stellar cartograph charts...."
-
"We could go somewhere to look at charts. The police station has a hidden meeting room with a computer system. I we can hack into that computer, then we could find some charts." Emily said.
-
(could we get Cody to do some 'boss work' and kabosh that idea? I want Kelran to break into a human observatory similar to how Ax did)
Kelran rubbed the back of his neck, "Im not really after resolution in a chart, or details, I need as much size as possible, for reference. Even a primitive optical telescope could provide a large enough image to pin down something...."
-
"You suggest we sneak into a Yeerk run police station? Yeah, I'll say that's risky." Cody said. He didn't want to totally sqash Emily's ideas, but the police station was low on the list of places he was willing to go to. "There is an astral observatory outside of town. It would likely be less guarded than a police station. Let's try that first."
"Aye aye, captain." Emily said.
-
"So it is decided, we will go to the observatory when will this be taking place and should I bring any equipment?" Yarin asked.
-
(whats going to happen first, the club or stealing the bug fighter?)
After school was over, Jason headed home, thinking over Cody's plans for Thursday. "Hang out with my fellow fighters, two of whom will be on a date, one of them a alien in human morph, and Cody will probably show up with that Emily girl." Jason didn't mind that he would be the only one going alone, he preferred to be the loner, much more his style when it came to his social life. He did like the idea of kicking back and having some fun, his only worry being what to do with Yarin when he would have to demorph and remorph without attracting any unwanted attention. The Yeerks could be anywhere, even be at the club at the same time Jason and the others would be. "We'll deal with that problem when the time comes. Now all I have to do is get my suit ready for some partying."
-
(I vote club first ;) )
"Right. All I really need is images if the 5 nearest galaxies, so a simple data recorder of some kind would suffice..."
Kelran yawned, "And now, Im going to get some sleep, because I havent had any in three days.
-
((Yes, club first. Mission the following weekend. I thought I had made that clear in previous posts. Besides, we don't want cloakedfigure waiting longer than he has to to drop in.))
"By Kelran. We'll get you a Human morph tomorrow. Yarin, start morphing Human." Cody said as he went to get the boom box. "I will now teach you how to dance."
He placed the boom box on a table, and turned on some rock and roll. "Dancing and music go hand in hand. In order to dance properly, you must find the rhythm in the music. Once you have it, you must flow with it to create dancing."
Cody began to dance a bit with the music, and Emily started as well.
"We can start simple. Snap your fingers to the beat, then move your feet to the snapping. In no time You could stride across the dance floor, wooing all the ladies therein."
"And how many ladies have you wooed?" Emily saked.
"I have wooed my fair share. I've never taken it as far as a bed, but I've had my fair share of fun with the ladies."
"Right now, Yarin, I will teach you how to dance. Once you have that down, I will teach you how to dance with someone else."
-
((Yes, club first. Mission the following weekend. I thought I had made that clear in previous posts. Besides, we don't want cloakedfigure waiting longer than he has to to drop in.))
(That's okay. Just you let you guys know, Hu will be obsessed with getting Bened, and consider the plight with Yeerks not his problem. He will be very prideful, and resisent to accept the morphing tech, or any help. And he would be violently allergic to the morphing tech. Unless anyone has objections to these. Just give me a nudge when you're ready for them to fall in.)
-
Yarin morphed human "I do not understand the point of this ritual." He said "Then again many things humans do confuse me." He tried to imitate Cody movements but found them dificult to emulate.
-
Kelran returned to the cave Jason had spotted.
Flying high above the human visual range, he made several sweeping arcs around the square mile surrounding the cave.
The cave itself was virtually invisible, and opened onto a small plateau of rock, surrounded by a rock outcropping englufed in beautiful trees of several varities both alien and almost familiar.
The mountain was very steep on all sides near the outcropping, it would be very hard to climb to on foot.
Further down was a small two lane flat surface for vehicles to navigate by. It was apparently only sparsely used.
On the other side of this another quarter mile away was a peculiar and similar traveling way consisting of two metal alloy rails on cut wooden supports sunk in a crushed rock bed.
Closer to the mountain, in the direction of town was a large area consisting of a few well kept buldings, small paths, large areas of green turf cut very smooth intersperced with sandy areas and pools of water. Kelran puzzled over this for a few moments, but after observing some men radically propell small white ridged balls into flagged holes, he inferred that it was the course for some sort of game.
He made a note to avoid being to close to the area during the day.
Landing in the cave Kelran took stock of his provisions.
a Hyper-spanner welding tool, a non-conductive pair of claw coverings, (to prevent electrocution when dealing with 700 volts or more)
A vibro-incisor tool, a tortional multi-tool, and an EM-omni-current generator.
The medical kit contained some dermo-plast patches, 4 injections of anabolic protoplasmers, 500ccs of pain killer in various strengths, materials for a splint, and sanitizing fluid.
All in all very mediocre fare by Kelran's standards. Even by Yeerk standards in some cases, though Visser 1 himself likely couldnt have figured out the EM-OCG.
First Kelran decided he wanted some light incase he should wish to stay up after dark.
Gryphons can see much better than humans in the dark, though their visual abilites are reduced by the lack of light, and it would be more comfortable to simply have all the light desired.
Kelran had the tools necessary to make a lighting fixture, but he would need a mount for several and some sort of simple crystalline material.
He chipped at the rocks around the mountain until he unearthed a cloudy crystalline rock, which would suit his purposes just fine.
He later found out that this mineral was locally known as 'quartz'
With several dozen kilograms of it, he set out to the mroe difficult task of finding a metallic mount.
It was getting on towards evening, and the gaming course below the mountain was largely empty.
After scouring the area, Kelran decided the best material would be the struts from the roof of one of the small vehicles used to covey the players around. Some had a flimsy roof supported by metallic stanchions, and Kelran swiftly removed several of them, dropping the roof itself into one of the water features.
Returning to the cave, Kelran stripped the paint from the metal, galvanized and triaxilated it to make it suitable, then used the Hyper-Spanner to weld and cut and merge the pieces into four quarter-circle 'donught' sections.
Inside each section he mounted the crystals, which after subjection to several types of radiation from the EM-OCG were capable of producing a nearly exact replica of any mood color and type of light visible to normal eyes, though admittedly anything fancy would require a more complex control circuit, and Kelran hoped he wouldnt be here long enough to make one.
-
((Yes, club first. Mission the following weekend. I thought I had made that clear in previous posts. Besides, we don't want cloakedfigure waiting longer than he has to to drop in.))
(That's okay. Just you let you guys know, Hu will be obsessed with getting Bened, and consider the plight with Yeerks not his problem. He will be very prideful, and resisent to accept the morphing tech, or any help. And he would be violently allergic to the morphing tech. Unless anyone has objections to these. Just give me a nudge when you're ready for them to fall in.)
((That's all fine. Shall we have Bened join the Yeerks? Either infested, or not infested?))
"I'll try to explain. Dancing requires coordination and stamina. Sex also requires this."
"So says the virgin." Emily chided.
"Whatever. You want to show the woman that you are physically fit, and dancing is a good way to show it. It's also a form of entertainment. Dancing is something that many, many species on this planet do for the opposite gender, and Humans are no exception. Let's try something slower."
Cody found a slow song, and hoped that it would be easier for Yarin to handle.
"Well, I must be getting home for dinner. I'll see you guys later." Emily said. Watching them fast dance was kind of amusing, but slow dancing was sometimes a bit more personal and intimate. It made her blush a little, at the thought of Cody asking her to slow dance with him.
"Don't worry about catching everything at once. We have a fair amount of time until Thursday evening." Cody said.
-
(I want Bened to be responsible for his actions, though I admit I was playing around with the idea that maybe he was infested on Aruten, but let's leave him uninfested. Though teaming up with the Yeerks sounds about right. Bened would have make sure that they wouldn't infest him though. Maybe by ingesting a certain Aruten herb or something. . . .)
-
After many hours of practice and subsequent demorphings Yarin could finally dance properly. He could not wait to show Nichole what he could do.
-
Cody and Yarin helped Kelran aquire a Human morph, and buy him a suit. Emily set up the limousine, since neither Cody nor Yarin had a car. They picked up Jason at his house, and made their way to Nichole's dorm on Thursday evening.
"Okay, this is it. Here's the dress, and the rose." Cody said as he handed them over. "The single red rose is a symbol of love, and will be given upon asking her out on a date. The dress is just to make sure she has one to go with your suit. Now Yarin, go up to the door and knock. When Nichole answers, ask her if she will go out on a date with you. We'll be back here watching you shine."
"So what do we do about security?" Emily asked as Yarin went up to the door. "You know there's a good chance controllers will be there. Some Yeerks like to party as much as Humans."
"We'll use the bathroom for them to demorph and remorph. At any one time, one of us should be within eyesight of a clock, if you don't have a watch on. At an hour and a half, one of us will go in with Yarin and Kelran, one at a time, and help them our of their suit. They demorph, remorph, and we help them back in." Cody said. "I'm a tad worried about Kelran, because he's a big guy, so I'm thinking we'll find a safe place outside for possible demorphing as well. Nichole and Yarin will be going for lots of fun. The rest of us will be there for a little fun, and security."
-
Nichole sat in her dorm, typing away on the computer, hoping in vain to find something interesting. Something entertaining. Anything that would provide more entertainment than sitting at the computer, staring at the blank screen. A part of her was half-tempted to search weird things like "Yeerk" if she didn't find anything good to read/look at in the next few minutes.
-
"We should also remember my.. unique circumstances" Kelran said.
During the course of practicing the human morph, they had discovered that for whatever scientific and mental reasons it took far longer and was infinitely harder for him to morph than the others.
It could take as much as 2 minutes depending on circumstances.
But, almost as if in answer to this, Kelran could de-morph to his original self, literally almost instantaneously.
Cody had timed him at 2.68 seconds once. And because of his faster metabolism, he needed almost no time to rest between a de-morph and a re-morph.
Kelran suspected this was all because of his highly dense genetic structure, but he guessed that Yarin was the only one with whom he could hold a full fledged intelligent conversation about the theory. And Yarin was otherwise occupied at the moment.
"It is a great achievement that your species has survived so long" he mumbled, "Lack of post-industrial technology, impossible-to-live-with biological charecteristics, unbelieveably cramped transportation, and mating rituals that begin far too early in life.
And let us not neglect to mention the fact that you have no taste whatsoever in weapons or any sort of social graces."
Kelran was very angry upon learning that his human morph neither had the strength to even swing his sword, nor was he even allowed by law to bring it into a public place.
"Do you mean to tell me this sort of gathering involves no duels? no physical trials? and of course no flight.... At least there will be some sort of food I assume?"
-
"If you want to see fights, and possibly engage in them, I can take you to another place. Guns, knives, and other weapons. You'll probably get killed, though, but you'll have fun while dying." Cody said. Kelran had been rubbing him the wrong way practically since they met, but he'd soon be gone. Though there was also something about him that Cody liked. Maybe in time he might get used to Humans, and be fun to hang out with. Not that any of this mattered, since he'd be gone after the weekend. "Just remember that this is about Yarin and Nichole. I'll take you somewhere tomorrow night that may be closer to your tastes."
"And bring him back out again in one piece." Emily said firmly. She could somewhat tell they didn't get along, but actually wished Kelran would stay longer. She was well educated, but feared even her schooling wouldn't impress the Gryphon.
-
Yarin knocked on Nicholes door She answered it and he gave her the decorative floral piece and the dress. Then she told him to wait outside so she could put it on.
-
The second the door closed, Nichole flipped out. "Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Haha!" She threw up her arms, laughing and grinning from ear to ear. Then it suddenly dawned on her that Yarin was probably still outside her door. She just hoped that the alien hadn't heard her extremely odd reaction. She took a deep breath and caught a glance of herself in the mirror. "Oh, no!" she moaned. "I look horrible!" While it was true that her hair had been windblown and there was a distinct lack of make-up on, she didn't look "horrible". However, she stuck her head out and said to Yarin, "It might take a bit longer than expected." Then, she grabbed a spray-bottle full of water and proceeded to tackle her hair. Only suceeding in making it worse, in her opinion. Frustrated, she turned to the make-up. Something she wore...once in a blue moon, and usually that was stage make-up. She took a breath and tried anyway.
Finally, after about twenty minutes of attempts to make herself look presentable, she stepped out of the door, wearing the dress.
((Um...I have a quick question. Exactly how fancy are we talking? Are we talking like prom wear, with a full-length dress, or more of a tea-length--about knee high. I kinda need to know for the description of the dress. Then again, I am asking a bunch of guys, so the response should prove to be interesting... ;D))
-
((I said earlier that I'd let you and Yarin decide what the dress and suit would look like. I don't want to give a description that you don't like, so I'll let you describe it. The club they're going to is kind of in between casual and high class fancy. Just think of something nice.))
Soon they were at the club. The middle of the floor was a wide circle, where people danced. Around the sides were tables, and windows to two kitchens where servers got food and drinks. In the far back was the band, playing for the dancing crowd. Yarin and Kelran demorphed and remorphed in the limo, so they had the next hour and a half to have fun before time to demorph and remorph again.
"Let's have some fun!" Cody yelled over the noise of the crowd, as he took Emily's hand and led her out on the floor.
-
((We didn't actually talk about it because SOMEONE didn't check his messages. *coughyarincough* Lol, I'm kidding. I'll describe my dress and let Yarin figure out his based on my response. However, I reserve the right to yell at him if he messes it up. XD))
Nichole shifted her weight, listening to the music. She felt a bit awkward. It had been a while since she had worn a tea-length dress, but she had to admit. Someone had good taste. It was black with deep purple trimming and laced up in the back over top of the zipper, in the same deep purple. It was strapless and poofed out in almost a tutu style, but not quite, since most tutus shoot strait out, while this one was still pulled down by gravity to just below her knees. She stood on black heels with silver inlay and was clutching a small silver purse, the two things she actually owned and had brought just in case she did go on a date while at college. She just didn't expect it to be quite this fancy.
"So...wanna dance or something?" She asked over the music.
((WEE! You have unleashed a monster.))
-
"Yes I would like to dance." Yarin said in his semi-formal mating ritual Earth clothing, consisting of two pieces, a loose black jacket and black pants "You look acceptionally aesthetically pleasing tonight Nichole." Yarin said, as they began to slow dance.
-
Nichole smiled back, blushing a bit. It was nice, she mused, dancing with someone her own age. The last couple of times she had slow danced, it had either been with her dad or really old guys who were part of a community ballroom dancing class. "You look nice too." After a moment, she asked, "Where'd you learn to dance so well?"
-
Emily was nervous and blushing a bit as she danced with Cody. The hero worship she felt after being saved had worn off, but she still blushed when she was around him. After all the sophisticated learning she had gone through, she didn't expect to fall for someone like Cody. He did have a nice smile, and confidence, though.
"Having fun?" Cody asked.
"Yeah. It's nice being in a place where I'm not being judged by instructors, or under the eye of my parents." Although she was having fun, in the back of her mind she had already identified three controllers in the room. Subconsciously, she moved closer to Cody.
-
(Is it too early for the two Smilodites to drop in and . . . well, brawl?)
-
((I was thinking we should give Kelran and Jmnar4 time to post, but if they don't post soon then go ahead. *Conjures over-the-internet summoning ability* Jmnar4 and Kelran, come to the thread and post please. What seems to work on Kelran might work on Jmnar4.))
-
Jason watched the others go off to the dance floor. "Great," he muttered to himself, "once again I'm stuck with keeping a eye on Kelran." He scanned the crowd, trying to detect if anyone acted like he or she might be a Controller. As he did so, Jason noticed a group of girls looking his way. Jason gave them a grin. The girls smile back in turn. "Well, can't let everyone else have all the fun," he said to himself. Turning to Kelran he said, "Stay out of trouble and don't attract attention." He started over to girls.
-
((I was thinking we should give Kelran and Jmnar4 time to post, but if they don't post soon then go ahead. *Conjures over-the-internet summoning ability* Jmnar4 and Kelran, come to the thread and post please. What seems to work on Kelran might work on Jmnar4.))
((I guess it worked, Daphnes.))
All Hu saw was darkness, with a bizarre sensation of spinning. He could not tell were Bened was, but knew that he was someplace below him. Suddenly, he saw a bright light . . . then he saw Bened clearly.
-
Kelran spent most of the limousine ride trying not to have spasmodic fits of laughter about Cody's comments on his own possible death.
He could see that this 'ticked' Cody off immensly.
But all the same it was funny.
When not in morph it was doubtful any human had the finesse to even place a sharp edge or bullet within a hundred feet of him.
Hence Kelran did not like human morph, or the club, in the slightest.
"No tactical advantages, no..." he gave up mumbling to himself, and decided to attempt to find something palatable on the buffet, since after all he needed no looking out for, and there might be some culinary advantages in addition to the tactical and cultural points at work.
He had only just begun to enjoy something referred to as 'shrimp' in '****tail sauce', and a refreshing liquid known as 'cola' when he spied several controllers. It had taken some time to get used to human's vastly dulled senses, whereas a general sense of clarity and awareness was natural and unavoidable for a Gryphon, it required some peculiar effort in a human.
But once Kelran discovered this, he was able to identify every controller in the room before he finished his first batch of shrimp.
He also noticed a weapon of some kind, but he wasnt able to see enough of it to even make a cursory guess as to its type and power.
As he surreptitously observed each group of controllers and consumed the shrimp voraciously he noticed a girl, about his age, watching him.
He ensured that she was not a controller by quietly observing her mannerisms for a moment, then returned to eating and observing.
"Hi"
Her words took him by complete surprise and he jumped, were it not for years of training and reflexes he would have spilled shrimp and ****tail sauce everywhere. As it was it ended up a near miss because he was still slightly clumsy by his standards with a human body.
"Greetings" he said slowly, realizing it was the same girl who had been watching him earlier.
It suddenly occured to him that by human standards his morph was decently handsome, especially in the type of suit Cody had chosen for him. The morph was a combination of several young men approximately his age in human years combined with enough of his DNA to make it something completely new.
"You want to dance?" the girl asked, but much to Kelran's satisfaction and relief he never had to decide how to answer, he didnt have to learn a hard lesson in human socialization, and he didnt have to stay in the horridly cramped dimly percieving morph.
Because all heck dropped in. literally.
-
Suddenly, a loud crash sounded above the noise. Screaming ensued as a group of people fled from the dance floor. Two large feline aliens had somehow fallen into the room, but out of thin air.
"Nichole!" Cody yelled, then located her. "Get Yarin to the bathroom for emergency demorphing. Emily, find Kelran and help him get to safety."
"What are you going to do?" Emily asked.
The two aliens seemed confused, but soon stared angrily at each other. They were getting ready to fight.
"I don't know." Cody said.
"One of the controllers is talking on a cell phone. Cop controllers are bound to be here soon." Emily said.
"Just go get Kelran and be ready to fight."
"I don't have a morph that can fight."
"Then do what you can."
-
Bened leaped for Hu's throat, but it didn't go as planned when Hu leaped to the side, unsheathed his claws as Bened did and slashed at him. Bened managed to escaped most of the power of the blow. He bullrushed Hu into a nearby table, breaking it in two. Bened impaled one half on his claws and threw it at Hu, who used his own claws to turn the table into smaller bits.
Both of their tails thrashed angrily as they paused the battle momentarily to take notice, with teeth bared, of their surroundings. Of the "giant Prosims" that surrounded them. But then they broke into the brawl yet again, with Hu unaware that his Encarta was currently absorbing the new language of the "tailless Prosims" -- humans.
-
Yarin quickly demorphed and assessed the situation. Two large felinoid aliens, they looked confused and ready to fight. "What are you doing here?"
-
By the time Emily reached Kelran not only had he demorphed, he had forcibly aquired the metal leg from one of the now overturned buffet tables, had layed a controller out cold, and was dodging energy weapons fire from three others in an incomprehensibly amazing display of acrobatics.
-
Bened and Hu were too engrossed in their battle to notice the larger fight around them. Hu thought he heard someone pose him a question, but he ignored it. His hatred for his own brother had manifested to its peak. Hu's full rage was upon Bened, which caused Bened to laugh raucously.
Suddenly, their battle spilled onto the street. Bened took off in one direction, and Hu followed him without hesitation. Still unaware of the strange place where he was, Hu found that he really didn't care. As long as Bened paid for what he did.
-
Yarin took a cue from Kelran and fashened himself four makeshift weapons he quickly joined Kelran in the fray
-
Hu and Bened made it to a nearby forest, leaving the giant Prosims far behind. Darkness was falling, surprisingly early to the two Smilodites, though darkness was no barrier to them. They continued their battle.
Hu had refrained from using the items within his Master's satchel, for reasons of personal honor and for the fact that he wasn't sure of the long-term of effects of many of them.
Hu knew dimly that killing Bened wouldn't bring his Master, his wife or his children back, but he felt that it would make him feel better. The flame of hate was still burning within him. He wanted to kill Bened, and he wanted to do it on his own.
But before he knew it, he had lost Bened. Both in physical terms and scent trail. Frustrated, Hu roared to the darking sky. The roar would be heard two miles round, but Hu didn't care. He had just been denied his vengence!
-
Kelran swung his table leg in an arc, braining one controller, then on the back-swing he caught two more a blow across their backs.
"You Nyac certainly know how to skirmish." Kelran said with some degree of awe, he had in truth pegged Yarin as likely to be only a mediocre fighter, but he was certainly holding his own.
The controller in charge seemed to be a man barricaded behind one of the upturned tables, he was laying down constant fire.
Kelran swiftly snapped his table leg in half, delivering a vicious gut-check with a back paw, and knocking another man over with a tremendous clout from his wing, he lobbed one table-leg-half end over end towards the controller in charge.
Now the table legs werent especially heavy, but they were very sturdy. And Kelran had thrown at what would register as about 92 miles an hour. The table split in two, and the man behind practically lost all his left ribs and arm.
Kelran smiled. it was brutal, vicious, ruthless. Exactly like he wanted it.
Only the occasional rememberance that the human body belonged to someone besides his enemy kept his actions toned down.
He would, given the ethical opportunity, have simply killed all the controllers. But that for sure wouldnt be right...
-
Hu slumped against a tree, and decided to take inventory of the satchel, with the help of his Encarta. This was more to stave off the painful memories that struggled to make themselves known. Then he thought about that battle that took place at their arrival. He wondered . . . then shook his head, and told himself reproachingly, "It's not your concern. Bened is the only one you need to worry about."
And despite himself, Hu managed to sleep, where he dreamt of happier times.
-
"I'm surprised those controllers brought dracon beams to a club." Emily said as she hid behind Kelran. She had ducked down there since the shooting started, and wished she could be more useful. Yarin got into the action, and she hoped they didn't resent her uselessness.
The controllers backed behind a bar, and held their ground. That is, until Cpdy flushed them out. He had morphed crocodile, and with a mighty roar he chased them out from the bar. They were subdued shortly afterwards.
Sirens wailed, which was their cue to leave. Cody demorphed, and they all ran out the same way the two cat aliens went.
"That was wild!" Cody yelled after they made some distance between them. Everyone was accounted for. "Happy now, Kelran?" He asked with a smile.
"Should we follow those two aliens that came out of nowhere?" Emily asked.
"I could morph a bloodhound and track them easily, though it's best if we head back to the limo. Your driver will be anxious." Cody said. "Unless you want to split into groups. Yarin, Kelran, and I can go after the cat people, and the rest of you can go home for the night."
((Shall we have the controller cops find and capture Bened? I could play Visser Five if they grab him and take him to their leader.))
-
((They'd have to make something worth his while, and he'd go with them willingly. Otherwise, he'd resist and he wouldn't exactly hesitate with killing them, I think that's clear. He has several potion-like items, but not to the extent that Hu has, though most of what Hu has is for concealment (such as Disorientation Dust and his cloak can reflect natural -- artificial light reveals him -- light away from it -- though he has yet to realize such) and healing draughts. I also imagine he has some blast-root and vine bolas (which incapacite foes) with him. But, yeah, I think that a Bened-Visser Five meeting are in the cards.))
((You guy do remember they have Smilodon-like fangs, or did I neglect that tidbit of information? And you can tell their emotions by their ears and tail.))
-
((I think we all probably got the idea that they had fangs. Maybe the controllers would be more willing to talk than just draw dracon beams and fire, but either way, I'll control Visser Five. Unless anyone else really wants to. When dealing with controllers, though, you're dealing with people wielding beam and semi-automatic weapons. And vehicles, of course.))
-
((I was afraid that I was giving an incomplete picture, that's all. That the fangs actually protruded from their mouths. Oh, and that the females are more yellow in color, as opposed to the male's orange. And I'd like Hu to be the first one to meet Bened after this goes down. Then he realizes that he can't do this alone.))
-
"Oh most exhilirated! the timely intervention saved me from having to learn how to dance... Speaking of which, that sounds like a plan. I would think that despite a decent sense of smell that your 'bloodhound' is likely better.
Perhaps you and Yarin could trail him planetside, and I will follow above in order to give you a better picture of your surroundings overall."
As they all split up, Kelran paused, "I know that for some of us our identity is no secret, but shouldnt the rest be somewhat more careful to ensure they arent identified? especially those of you with family?"
-
(you can control visser 5 Daphnes i don't know why im mentioning it but just incase any of you decide to picture this in your minds Visser five's calveroid voice would be a rich baritone its just something to think about.)
-
"Kelran could be right about the identities thing. We need to be more careful." Cody said as they split into two groups.
"Be careful, all of you." Emily said.
"We will." Cody said before finishing his dog morph.
<Ok, unless those guys teleported again, I'll find them. Kelran, you're our eyes in the sky. Yarin, you're with me.>
They took off at a fast pace. It wasn't hard tracking the strange feline scent, into the woods through the darkness. Soon it became very strong.
<He's definitely around here. I can't see him, but he can't be more than fifty yards away. Kelran, can you see him through the trees? It seems they split up. Maybe for the best, since they seem to hate each other.>
-
((AH! I missed the whole fight?! Now, I'm just confused...Oh, well. I know how to take care of Cole.))
Cole woke up, lying in the remains of the club. Her dress was smoking slightly from a Dracon shot that had caught her in the chest before she could even reach the bathroom to morph out of sight. Her brain was a little fuzzy on the details. All she really knew was that she couldn't spot Yarin, Cody, Kelran, Jason, or Emily. However, she did notice that a few other Controllers were gaining consciousness. She pulled off the heels and stood up, darting out of the club as fast as she could, actually leaping over one fallen table, arms outstreached in a basic ballet move.
She ran outside, squinting in the darkness to see if she could find anyone. She was actually a bit pissed at the guys. Emily she could at least understand, since they had just met, but the guys were her teammates. They had arranged this date and then abandoned her. She was going to have words. Hopefully before her anger simmered down and she better assessed the situation.
-
((I'm sure I posted that everyone was accounted for outside, but I suppose it's possible to overlook someone.))
Emily's POV:
Emily and Jason went back inside the club to go through and find the limo. There they saw Nichole. "I'm sorry Nichole. Did we overlook you? This was supposed to be all about you and Yarin, but it got ruined. Let's get to the limo and get out of here."
((May I ask how Kelran identified any controllers earlier? How the heck would anyone but Emily know who were controllers before all hell broke loose?))
-
((Oh, really? Woops. My bad...Oh, well. I'm too lazy to fix it, because I don't know what else I would say.))
Nichole opened her mouth to have afformentioned words with Jason, but when Emily appologised, it was like all her anger evaporated, leaving her with a deep feeling of sadness that seemed to sit like a rock in her stomach. It had, in all honesty, been her first real date ever, and it had gone from being the most fun thing she had ever done to the worst thing that had ever happened. All she wanted to do was slump down on her knees and cry. But that was what limos were for.
-
"Hu . . ." a ghostly voice said. "Hu . . ."
"Father?" Hu muttered.
Then a sound. It was faint, but it alerted Hu all the same. And the smells. All unfamiliar, but so eeriely similar. He jerked awake as it occured to him that someone might be looking for him . . . he wasn't exactly subtle at that Prosim inhabitation. He pulled some blast root and the Disorientation Dust pouch from the satchel, and prepared himself (by going through his Encarta's articles on both) to use them if need be. His claws were sheathed but he was easily prepared to use them. His tail was thrashing around worrisome, and his ears were flat against his skull. He was frightened, but ready to do what he must to survive.
-
((Use the force, Huke...))
Using a bit of Kelran's guidance, they finally found one of the aliens. He was battered, and Cody smelled adrenaline pumping through his viens.
<Alright. We found you.> Cody said happily. The joyous dog brain was very excited about the chase. <Explain yourself, alien. Who are you? How did you get here? Why are you here? Why were you attacking that other guy?>
-
(( Simple sherlock holmes style observation :P ;D Remember, hes actually been taught at least a couple years of tactical training and part of that is learning to identify a covert enemy. Its kind of accepted that as smart as controllers might be they are always inevitably 'off' in a human social situation ))
Kelran tooke a few moments to tune his communicator pin to thoughtspeak. The device could translate several languages into and out of standard basic, including thoughtspeak. But its range was severely limited as opposed to actual thoughtspeak, and while on standard bands it had good reception, even minor obstacles could obscure its neuraleptic-transciever.
When he finally managed to tune it, it was a relatively simple process to direct Yarin and Cody into cornering the alien.
During the moments he spent fiddling with the transciever nodule slots, Kelran had a chance to observe the Aliens movements,
"<((Cody, he seems prepared for a fight, but I dont think he will atttack you directly. He has no idea Im here.))>"
-
((I doubt that someone who doesn't know much about Humans or Yeerks could tell the difference between someone acting strange because s/he's a controller, or someone acting strange because s/he's just a weird person. But whatever. If no one else minds, I'll let that be. Now for CloakedFigure or Yarin to post. Maybe Jmnar too, though there's not a whole lot he can post. He's as left out as Traycon is. :P))
-
((Use the force, Huke...))
((Thanks for the laugh, Daphnes!))
Hu growled at the strange quadruped. He didn't care that he didn't "hear" him with his ears. He became really obstinate. "I don't not answer to the likes of you. Who I am is none of your concern. My battles have nothing to with you or your kind, therefore are none of your business, thing."
But a though occured to Hu. Why would this creature be so demanding? It is clear that he could slice him up three ways to Lapin Lines. There must be something else. Hu reached the conclusion that he must have allies somewhere in these woods. He didn't know if they were giant Prosims or possibly other animals.
Hu reached into his pouch and spread the Disorientation Dust into the air, which turned into a stationary purple cloud, and then ran. He had no idea the effectiveness of the Dust on an alien species -- it might not affect them at all -- but he'd have to take his chances.
-
(oh that gives me an idea)
Just before the purple cloud appeared Yarin switched to infrared vision and began tracking the alien's heat signature. "I will be able to find him." Yarin said as they began running again after the alien.
-
The cloud was messing with Cody's nose. He couldn't track the scent anymore. Now he was basically running blind, and all he could do was track Yarin as he ran. He began wondering why they did go after him, besides just curiosity.
<Maybe this really isn't any of our concern.> Cody said as he chased after Yarin. <Does this really matter to us?>
-
((Dont forget, he noticed their weapons. If theres one thing that would stand out to even a half observant housefly its an advanced alien gun worn under a 21st century human suit ;D ))
"Bha. drat." Kelran snorted, the cloud of rapidly expanding purple gas was nearly impossible to see through at this time of night, but it didnt especially matter. Kelran could see everything in greater scope, and it wasnt long before he saw the alien taking flight in an entirely new direction.
"<((I think anyone who is a potentail ally or enemy matters))>" Kelran said, "<((I see him too now that he's left the cloud, but I cant pick up as much about what else he might have up his sleeve as I would like at this time of night. Sufficet to say he has more in that pouch of his than one would first think))>"
Kelran decided to let Yarin do the talking, but if the alien ran again he would simply attempt to tackle him and pin him until they could get answers. That tactic would rely on total surprise, the life form was felinoid and definitely very agile, far more so than a human.
-
((This is getting interesting . . . my adrenaline (sp?) is pumping, as is Hu's, let me assure you.))
Hu looked around and saw that his pursuers had been left behind in the dust. Literally. But something nagged him. That was too easy. He gripped his blast root, thoroughly hoping he wouldn't have to use it.
Why did they want him so badly? Did he and Bened interrupt some kind of ceremony or ritual? Didn't matter. His honor rested on getting Bened, but down deep inside, Hu hoped that Bened would repent for his crimes. He really didn't want to kill his brother. As no brother would, Hu thought, but Bened would have killed me given the chance. Maybe I could . . .
Then he shook his head. No, Bened was his responsibility. He should have seen this coming and prevented it. Then he realized he was being watched. By six eyes, it seemed.
"What do you want?" Hu said in a low, dangerous voice. But his claws were sheathed.
-
Nichole took about five minutes in the limo to compose herself and sniffed, looking at Emily and Jason. "I'm sorry," she mumbled before looking up at the roof of the limo. "Do you think we should go help them?" she finally asked, lowering her head to look at Jason.
-
Yarin was suddenly filled with an intense anger towards this alien, it was because of him and his companion that he had to end his date with Nichole. Quickly he slammed the alien up against a tree pinning him there with his four arms he stuck his face close to the aliens face and in a low angry whisper said "What I want is to know why you are here and why you appeared during my pre-mating ritual?"
-
"You made a mistake," Hu growled. Then he unsheathed his claws, ignored the furious desire to plunge them into this alien. Hu twisted out of the hold, his fur making him slippery, and then he said. "Don't make me use this blast root -- it will cause an explosion with a diameter of a few feet, but it will be quite painful."
Then he registered what the alien said, and he was astonished. He relaxed, he didn't realize his true exhaustion before now. "I did not mean to interrupt anything. . . . You think I'm here on purpose? That I had any choice in the matter? To land in world ruled seemingly by unusually large Prosims? . . . Do what you wish to me, alien, you could not do me more pain then I already feel."
-
Yarin's anger was suddenly replaced by pity. "I apologize for my actions a moment ago I was angry, please tell me of your problems I am a scientist, perhaps I can help."
-
"My name is Hu Tyger. I am a Smilodite, and we call our planet Aruten." Yarin gave Hu the necessary introduction as well.
"The method by which I arrived on this world is a mystery to me, in its workings. But the term I believe is an interdimensional/interplanetary wormhole. So, naturally, I don't know if I'm even in my home dimension. The one I hunt down is called Bened."
Hu heaved a sigh. It felt like he had a thousand-pound weight upon his chest that was loosing with every word. But he didn't want to admit that Bened was his brother.
"He's commited . . . horrible crimes. It's my duty to either bring him before the Smilodite Council for sentencing, which is not looking very likely . . . or to . . . to kill him. To eliminate him before he harms anyone else. He's a traitorous piece of work. He's backstabbed me, and my father, . . . quite literally."
Hu really didn't think he could talk about his wife or children, that was wound that was still very fresh and very painful.
"On my home world, I was a mage apprentice. Learning the plants and animal husbandry was easy for me, but preparing them into the various draughts and powders -- you probably noticed the Disorientation Powder I used back there -- and then there are more offensive uses. Blast roots. Vine bolas. And the like."
The Hu sheathed his claws, feeling embarrissed having not done so earlier -- on Aruten such things were seen as rude, as it demonstrated hostility.
"I really need to find Bened again. But I have to do it alone. He is my responsibility."
-
Cody's POV:
Seeing Yarin's emotional outburst also made Cody edgy. If Yarin was mad, then Cody felt slightly angered for his friend as well. But Hu seemed to have been betrayed by the other Smilodite. Bened.
<I understand if you want to take responsibility for something, but you're on a different and dangerous world. Perhaps we can help you find Bened. When we do, we'll let you decide what will be done.> Cody said.
He wasn't sure if he should demorph or not, just in case any cop controllers were following him. He felt confident that if they were followed that Kelran would spot them, though. He also wondered how long such a big guy could soar up there before getting tired.
Emily's POV:
((You said Tia instead of Nichole, Traycon. Try not to mix up your RPG names.))
"We need to keep our identities secret. We're safe to talk here because of the glass between us and the driver, but if we disappeared after the party the controllers would figure things out. Besides, I know I can't do anything yet. I did managed to catch a finch in a net near one of our bird feeders, though. Unfortunately, even that is useless at night."
-
"It will be difficult to locate Bened, especially if he doesn't want to be found," Hu said, more civilly to the strange four-legged creature that apparently came. "His knowledge of Aruten herbs and potions are probably second only to my own, which is in turn second to my master's. But there may be something I can do through him off . . ."
He opened his satchel, and took out a small, springy, moss-like broccoli stalk. "I have ten of these Colibro herbs. They will protect you from the Disorientation Dust -- well, if you were a Smilodite. I don't know your alien biology. It could very well be toxic -- or cause you to smell like a rotting Marse carcus . . ."
He held the herb out to the quadroped animal -- the six-eyed alien had already proven impervious to the Dust.
-
Kelran decided to drop in,
"<((we are clear for a half mile radius, Im coming down, I dont think well be staying here too much longer anyways))>"
He wasnt really tired, but he was very curious.
As good as the life-form's hearing seemed to be, Kelran chose to glide in, of course Hu heard him the moment he hit the gound behind him, and turned in time to see Kelran shake of a bit of dust and ruffle his folded wings into place.
-
((*Uses Jedi mind trick* You did not see me screw up like that. By the by, thanks...I can't believe I did that. *Shakes head* But it's fixed now...))
"Which means by the time it's all said and done, we're gonna miss the action with the weird feline alien because we're stuck in a limo, which is very comfortable, by the way, so as not to be caught by Controllers. I think I can live with that." She sighed, leaning back in the limo. "Though I'm a bit miffed that this dress got messed up.," she commented, picking at the spot where it had gotten burned. "It was rather pretty."
-
Hu turned to see a large creature drop down. Hu wasn't feeling hostility, but he couldn't suppress the cubbish ((Smilodite term for "childish")) curiosity at a new creature. He had always had taken most interest in non-Smilodite animals, though this wasn't necessarily the same thing. He was still holding the blast root and Colibro herb. He decided to put them away.
-
Cody demorphed and took the herb. He gave it a cautionary lick, but it didn't taste bad. He took a small bite, and waited, but nothing bad happened. Then he ate the whole thing.
"I guess if something goes wrong, I can morph the toxin away." He hoped.
They all started walking in the direction that Bened had gone off to. Hu was getting a bit tired, so uless Bened had much higher endurance he should be getting a bit tired too.
"He shouldn't get too much farther before we catch up to him. Maybe."
-
Kelran shrugged,
"Well, Im not tired, I consumed an inordinate amount of seafood at the 'club' and if you like, Ill fly ahead and catch him."
He tunred to Hu, "By the by, forgive my lack of manners, I am Kelran-Isthinar. and you are?"
-
Hu gave a curtious bow to the one called Kelran-Isthinar, and said quietly. "I am Hu Tyger. A mage apprentice Smilodite from Aruten."
Then as they walked, Hu proceeded to fill Kelran, as well as the others in on everything, except his wife and children. He didn't want to recall up those memories. He didn't mention that Bened was his little brother, either, because he was trying to distance himself from that fact and the feelings of betrayal that would undoubtingly accompany it.
-
As Hu talked Kelran saw that he had a great deal of emotion attached to all this, but just why and exactly how much, and precisely what emotions were a mystery. It was however safe to guess that Hu hated Bened for the crimes he had commited, and hated him bitterly.
Kelran could identify with that feeling. He hated the Kelbrid and now the Yeerks fairly passionately. The Kelbrid especially.
"Sometime Id like to get you and Yarin to my cave for a long discussion on our species cultures and teachnology. Its not often one gets to make first contact 4 times on behalf of ones species" Kelran was of course lumping the yeerks in there, but by ;contact' he meant smashing their skulls.
-
When he arrived at Kelran's cave, he felt this was far more civilized then those odd boxes that the Pro -- humans, as they were called -- dwelled in. After all, Smilodites made their homes in caves, though adding doors or whatnot.
It was this, more than anything else, that reminded him of the happy life he used to have.
-
"I would enjoy that." Yarin said, I am sure there is a lot we can learn from each other. Shall we begin now?"
-
Kelran said goodnight to Cody, it had apprently been decided that pursuing Bened was fruitless until the next day at least.
He flicked on his new lighting fixture, and pulled some rocks back into the cave that he ahd left out all day.
They were very warm and made good seats for him and Hu, who both used a very feline laying down position to relax.
"So, who wants to start?"
-
Cody introduced himself during the walk to the cave, since the other two had already done so. After they got to the cave, he left to go find the others and fill them in on what happened. Then he went to Yarin's ship, and went to sleep. He wasn't really interested in listening to the others talk about their cultures, since half or more of it would likely be over his head anyway.
-
"I will begin my people are masters of genetic manipulation nearly all the flora and fauna on Nya has been designed with a purpose. We also have two moons both of which are colonized." Yarin said.
-
"My kind evolved from hunters, predators." Hu said, unconsciously rubbing his fangs, which were little more then vestigel ((sp?)) structures. "We honor the planet, the forests. We have, as you pretty much have seen, a variety of herbs and powders for offensive, defensive, and restorative properties. Smilodites, on average, live only eight to ten years. . . . But that is in our terms. I do not know what terms it was on this planet, whatever it is called."
Hu wondered if he should tell them about the dangers of the Devolution Draught he had with him, but one vial of. He decided against it . . . he hoped to never use it, as he was sure of the long-term effects. He had been made a Master Mage even though he felt that he knew so little.
"Smilodites make our homes in caves, such as this, though we usually adapt a door to it. And our sky is the purest white imaginable. Also, female Smilodites have fur more yellow in color than we males. Our marriage ceremo-- er, never mind."
-
((The Devolution wouldnt work completely on Kelran unless he was in morph, at which point it would kill him. when not in morph it would make him very ill, possibly for months, but nothing more. His genetic code is too dense to be decomplied o altered by anything but the absolutely most powerful energy. certainly its impossible chemically. besides Gryphons have very little devolution anyways.))
"Well, our species is cnetered aroound the warrior culture, despite technology when planetside we prefer to integrate it into the organic of the planet as seamlessly as possible. no doors, little perma-glass to speak of.
We never really had evolution. We keep good records, but they just stop, as does every bit of evidence of our existaence exactlly 17,000 years ago.
We did however microevolve more versatile skeletons with the introduction of technology.
Our wolds are usually like this one in principle, but often more.... 'fantastic' by human standards.
So, tell me about your technologies, how do you travel faster than light usually? and explain this z-space drive...."
-
((Kelran, Hu was planning on using it on himself, if he needed to. I probably didn't make that clear, though.))
-
Cody got up in the morning, though it wasn't as early as he had been getting up the past week. "I guess the lack of sleep caught up with me." He said to himself.
He decided to fly out to the observatory and do some checking. The owners built the building outside of town so the city lights and such wouldn't get in the way of their star gazing. There were guards standing and walking around, but it wasn't Fort Knox tight. In golden eagle morph, he took note of the security cameras. He also morphed his insect and went through the ventilation shafts in order to find one of the workers and grab a Human morph.
Some of the doors needed key cards, but Cody figured if he stole one that they'd upgrade security until they found it. <This shouldn't be too big of a job. Kelran, Yarin, and I can do this without the other's help.> He thought as he lfet the place.
((I've been wondering. Would it be possible for the others to thought speak to Yarin in their default forms? Yarin should be able to use thought speak in Human form. If they're all in a group as Humans, then anyone could possibly project their thoughts to Yarin, and he can relay the message around to the rest of the group. Since he has mind reading powers, can the rest of the group use a kind of thought speak to him, by prompting him to read their thoughts?))
-
"Z-space or Zero-space is a state of non-existence in a different but accessible plane from our own. it does not seem to be relative to real space, though it is navigational and is used for extensive space travel. Special Zero-space engines are needed on a ship for it to travel though it." Yarin said.
(that could work it wouldn't exactly be thoughtspeak though)
-
Nichole had been pacing around her dorm worried when Cody arrived and told her what had happened. After he left, she sat down on her bed, not sure whether to be furious with Yarin for not telling him herself or relieved that he was alright. She settled on a bit of both. So, she caught a bus to a spot where she knew she could at least walk to where she wanted to be. Alone. At night. After about half a mile, she decided that a panther would be easier to work with and morphed.
Finally she reached the cave. <Hey, Kelran, is Yarin still there?> she called.
-
((Daphnes, remember that Hu can't become a human via morphing, he's violently allergic to the tech. Of course, we haven't found that out, in-story.))
Hu noticed a slightly familiar, but all the same alien smell wafting nearby. He went out to investigate, and saw a black creature not too different in form from his evolutionary ancestors . . . only with significantly smaller fangs and no armor plating on their back. . . .
Hu gazed at the creature with Smilodite curosity.
-
((I think Cody is going to be more hesitant about inviting Hu into the group than with Kelran. Since Kelran isn't falling in line, he'd worry that Hu wouldn't either. I'll remember about the morphing alergy. There was an Andaile in the Animorph series that couldn't morph because he was allergic to the tech, but I don't think it explained what happened when they tried to give it to him. We'll have to make up something to happen to Hu.))
-
((Oh, that makes sense. BTW when I said violently allergic, I meant if Hu tried, he'd be zapped by the cube. It may not be realistic, I realize. Hu would be hesistant to leave to forest, anyway. He finds the human world of buildings far more alien. If he needed to become more dangerous, he could always down the Devolution Draught and become a very large, dangerous creature. . . . He also needs to discover his cloak's ability to become invisible in natural light -- though that's not infallible, in and of itself.))
-
<Woah,> Cole commented, turning her head to face Hu. She could tell both by scent and by sight that he was definately not from Earth. And something about him looked a bit familiar. <What are you? Who are you? Whatever.>
-
"I am Hu Tyger, a Smilodite," he said cautiously. Was this a friend or foe? He couldn't be sure. He'd have to ask Kelran, or Yarin. But he still didn't unsheath his claws, it seemed to be a bit excessive in this scenario. He was very unsure of what course of action to take.
-
<Nice to meet you. You wouldn't have happened to see any odd looking aliens would you?> She wagged her tail a bit, her ears constantly in motion.
-
"Er . . . Define 'odd-looking'." Hu said, carefully. He still was unsure of this new being's affliation. He didn't want to give away too much information.
-
<One's multi-eyed and multi-limbed and the other looks like a gryphon,> she replied dryly, getting a bit annoyed with the alien in front of her. All she wanted to do was find Yarin. Or Kelran, who could probably tell her were Yarin was. Then she wanted to have a nice, violent chat with the alien.
That should have been her first clue. But she ignored her body's warning sign.
-
Hu was hesitant . . . could he somehow signal Kelran or Yarin? Hu decided to take the chance, and turned his back on the creature to talk to them about the creature.
-
Kelran was just leaving the cave to see what was keeping Hu,
he just caught the tail end of Nicholes sentance and lauged, "I believe she is referring to us, and especially Yarin."
He turned back to the cave and called, "Yarin! Nichole is here!"
-
Yarin could sense Nicholes emotional state he could tell that she was upset with him. "Greetings Nichole." he said his skin turning light blue because of the slight fear mixed with trepidation he was feeling. "I am very relieved to see that you are unharmed."
-
Hu suddenly had an urge to run for cover. He could see that something -- something unpleasant -- was going to happen. But he was afraid to be seen as a coward, so he stayed still.
-
Nichole's tail thrashed back and forth. <Uh, huh.> She licked her nose, a subtle way of showing Yarin her teeth, while waiting for more of an explanation as to why he didn't at least try and seek her out after whatever had happened had blown over. She had kind of spaced during Cody's explanation of things.
-
"I wanted to find you I really did but things occurred so rapidly there was no time to think only act." Yarin said. "However you are correct I should have made certain you were safe I apologize I do not deserve you attention."
-
She thrashed her tail for another few seconds as if contemplating not forgiving him. Then she demorphed. "I'll forgive you. But just this once," she said with a smile. "And who knows. Maybe we can try this dating thing again. Without random aliens dropping in from nowhere, that is," she said shooting a glance at Hu. She glanced at Kelran, a thought popping in her head from out of nowhere. "Does anyone have any chocolate? Cause if not, I need to get some. My dorm is lacking in it." And then the pieces of the puzzel fell into place. "Oh, lovely," she muttered, rubbing her temples.
-
Hu watched this human called Nicole "demorph" as they put it. He found it rather disturbing, but yet fascinating. He heard Nicole mention a substance called "chocolate", but he had no idea what such a substance was.
-
"Come back to my ship perhaps I can replicate some." Yarin said.
-
((Hey Kelran. Are you ready to go with Cody on the mission to the observatory? I can't really think of anything to post besides that.))
-
After Yarin and Nicole left, Hu remembered that all Smilodite were to add any new species they encountered into the Encarta database. Hu was unsure about this. Would his new allies see this as a betrayal of their trust. Hu could as Yarin later or ask Kelran right now.
This new world was ripe with new species to study, to attempt to understand. Hu and Bened were the first Smilodites to see such a place. But Hu knew that Bened cared nothing for this beauty, this place littered with life.
Had he teamed up with the enemies of his allies? That, to Hu, seemed likely by now.
-
(ooh Yarin would like that he's a scientist after all actually can the encarta be removed so yarin can download some new information from and two it?)
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((Actually, Yarin, it would be difficult to remove it, but I think Hu would allow info into and duplicated from it -- that's really the point of it. It's Smilodite tutorial thing. Hu, like myself, has zoological interests, but unlike myself, he also has botanical interests as well. Encartas are, actually, quite similar to PokeDexes, only they show a fully rendered, three-dimensional hologram above it much like that thing in that "Future is Wild" show.))
((And Aruten has it's share of monstrous creatures. . . .))
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(oh my god i actually own the future is wild dvd and love it and watch it regularly also i was thinking of a 3D holographic imagery system
we must compare animal species sometime.)
-
((And, here I was, afraid you wouldn't know what it was, yarin . . . ;). Now just add in the PokeDex thing, and you have an Encarta. Hu happens to be very attached to his -- like the Omnitrix is attached to Ben in Ben10.))
As apprehension consumed Hu, he absent-mindedly scrolled down the Aruten species list, looking through the various species, some of which are quite monstrous by human standards.
-
(I watch ben 10 and ben 10 alien force to lol)
At the same time Yarin was at his ship's computer reviewing all the non sentient animals on Nya, and comparing them to Earth animals.
-
((Ready whenever Cody is ;D ))
Kelran noticed Hu scrolling rapidly through a massive amount of images and informaitonal alphanumerics he couldnt read.
"Thats got an awfly large datacore for something so compact, especially considering it has a holoplate"
-
Cody went to Kelran's place that afternoon to talk to him about the observatory.
"Hey Kelran. I checked out the observatory, and know how to get in. We just need to get you a small morph, like the one I've got. We can get the DNA sample at Yarin's ship."
They went there, and Cody showed him the insect morph that he used to get through the vents into the building.
-
((I probably should mention that Hu and other Smilodites are plantigrade (foot design similiar to humans), not digigrade (sp?; foot design were the ankle is raised when walking.))
Hu had the cave to himself when Cody came for Kelran. Apparently, for some mission at something called an observatory. Hu had no idea what such a place is, but he felt that it didn't matter for him to know at the moment.
-
As Kelran glanced down at the small insectoid life form Cody was showing him, he very rapidly changed his mind.
"No offence, but I refuse to become some sort of bone-less chitin covered milimeter long disgusting creature.
Mammals of your kind without any sort of natural skin covering, tail, or talons and beak, much less wings, were worrisome enough."
-
((I think the bug is kind of big, though still small enough to hold in one's hand. I don't really remember, though.))
"But it flies. It has a stinger, and a nasty attitude. It's a stinging bug of death." Cody said, trying to show off the insect. He knew he liked it. He didn't want to push too hard, though, as he was well aware that Kelran didn't like being ordered around.
"There might be another way, though a bit riskier. I have a morph of an adult who works there. If you come with me in Human form, I may be able to convince the guard that you're an intern or new employee of some kind. You talk about your interest in stars, and it might work. Or we could go there and I can help you think of a plan that suits you better."
"I wonder if Yarin is around. He could come as well." He said absentmindedly.
-
((To Kelran its smaller by perspective and attitude :) ))
"I much prefer the idea of bluffing our way in. It was not one of my majors, but I belive I have sufficient Stellar Cartographical knowledge to appear to be a new employee or 'intern'"
Kelran turned, then turned back, "I must agree, it does look rather vicious and well equipped for something of its relative size"
Which was about the best compliment Kelran ever gave an insect.
-
So they went. They stopped a good distance away, then Cody left Kelran to have a quick look around. The Human he had the DNA of was nowhere near the front door, which was excellent. He returned to Kelran, and they morphed Human. Cody used a lab coat as clothes for the man.
"Ok, once we get past the guard we can start working our way to where we want to be."
They approached the guard, who barely glanced at Cody but gave Kelran a look.
"He's with me. I'm giving him a look around, so maybe he'll take a job here."
Soon they were in. Cody found a place where the cameras wouldn't see them, so they could talk. "Okay, what do you want to look at exactly? If we find the proper room, we'll know which keycard to 'borrow'."
-
Kelran thought for a moment, "All I need is acces to a terminal wired to the building's mainframe computer, from there I can control the telescope if need bem and acces any previously recorded charts and images. I may actually have to position and use one of the apparti depending on the scale and scope of the charts"
-
"Alright, the main computer room is on the upper floor."
They went upstairs, and Cody asked one of the workers if he could borrow her keycard. He said he lost his, so she let him have hers. They then made it into the control room.
"Let's see if we can hack this thing." He said as he sat down in the chair. He started running through some numbers, attempting to get in.
Unfortunately, the guard had done a check up on anyone wanting jobs at the place. They were beginning to see that something was wrong, especially when they found the real guy, and he had no memory of bringing anyone inside to show them around.
((Ok, things should start going bad soon. I haven't decided if there will be any Human controllers working there yet.))
-
(where are Nichole and Yarin at this point? will you guys need backup?)
-
(where are Nichole and Yarin at this point? will you guys need backup?)
((I'm planning for things to go wrong. If you want to supply backup, that would be cool. I'm not sure where Nichole and Yarin are right now, but I think they were together the night before. You can improvise on that.))
-
((After getting chocolate from Yarin and talking for a bit, Nichole probably flew back to the dorm. She may or may not be in class. Depends on the time/day. ^.^'))
-
((I dont want Kelran to get what he needs so that he can come back 'without permission' later to get it ))
Kelran gently moved Cody aside and started typing in a series of characters. He didnt know human language, but he had taken time to study human numbers and so began giving instructions to the prompt in trianary standard.
This promptly crashed the mainframe.
"What?! You still use BINARY?!?!" Kelran practically shouted as he tried to cajole the system into rebooting....
-
((I dont want Kelran to get what he needs so that he can come back 'without permission' later to get it ))
Cody's POV:
Kelran gently moved Cody aside and started typing in a series of characters. He didnt know human language, but he had taken time to study human numbers and so began giving instructions to the prompt in trianary standard.
This promptly crashed the mainframe.
"What?! You still use BINARY?!?!" Kelran practically shouted as he tried to cajole the system into rebooting....
"What did you do? Of course we still use binary. What other kinds of numbers are there?" Cody asked. "You're too smart for our own good."
Cody tried a few more things, but the whole thing had shut down. Soon there were footsteps outside the room. Cody had locked the door earlier, so at first the workers could only bang on it while shouting until someone brought the key.
"We have to go. Mission aborted for now." He went to a window and opened it. Kelran demorphed and Cody morphed a bird to get out. The window was large, so even Kelran had little trouble getting through.
<Okay, that was full of fail. Next time try not to use your fancy non-binary hacking skills. Not that we'll be going back there any time soon. There are probably controllers at a somewhat important place like that, and someone probably saw a Gryphon and an eagle launch out of the window to escape.> Cody said as they flew away. <We'll have to find another way. Since the weekend is practically here, we can all meet up later and discuss things. Just go back to the cave and wait, and the rest of us will handle things for you later.>
Emily's POV:
Emily met up with Cody after school, to get his help at gaining some morphs. They went to The Gardens and she acquired a cape buffalo battle morph.
"It should be good for clearing a path if we get surrounded, or can't afford to be slowed down." She said. "It also has better eyesight than a Rhino, and a thicker skull than an elephant."
-
((I was thinking that during all this observatory thing with Kelran and Cody, Hu decided to take a little walk to observe the native fauna and flora -- but eventually meets Bened and discovers he's linked up with the Yeerks. Since I'm a little late on this, I let this happen "off-screen", so to speak, unless anyone has any objections.))
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Kelran returned to his cave, and immediately began to plan a repeat visit to the observatory.
He was quite upset at Cody, how was it his fault that humans used a language he didnt understand for alphanumerics, and used a computer system, the only thing that he could possibly easily learn, that was at least 2,000 years out of date.
Of course, Kelran had absolutely no itentions of 'letting the others handle it' They had tried it with him as a member of their little group. It had failed, obviously because he had depended on someone who had no military training. Even a brainless pre-cadet knew that you never held back mission critical information even if it was assumed to be widely known.
'But isnt that what youre doing by not telling them your whole story?' 'Shut up' he told himself, and set about his next project.
He needed some kind of human technological base to work with, so he filched a small hand held computer off of one of the outdoor tables at the gaming course.
Normally Kelran wouldnt do something like this, but he was iriitated not only with what he percieved as Codys inferior arrogance, but at being marooned on an inferior world in general.
Having aquired this device, Kelran spent a few hours tapping in crude binary hacks till he broke its password, then he promptly entered a binary command to decompile everything on it.
It was going to take a few days to build a basic new system for translating binary to trinary and vice versa, but luckily it was nothing like making an operating base-code (operating system) or interface, the human computer would provide that.
All he needed was a simple command prompt that would accept trinary basic and convert to binary, then show the results as trinary again.
The catch was programming the entire system in an odd mix of the two, and figuring out the hardware integration.
-
After getting a battle morph for Emily, the two split up to find the others. The plan was to gather at the cave where Kelran and Hu stayed to talk about options.
((Does anyone object to using the cave as their usual meeting place for missions? Much like the Anis used Cassie's barn most of the time for meetings.))
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(( I like the idea, and as time goes on once Kelran learns hes well and truly marooned he will start to slowly improve and make changes to it as ebst he can.
Also, I suppose Hu would stay with him? since first theyre most culturally and biologically similar out of the group, and second Yarins ship would be cramped for a nature dweller like Hu.
Whatcha think Cloak?))
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(I like it, sounds like a good idea.)
-
((Sounds perfectly fine to me, Daphnes. Clearly Kelran and Yarin agree as well. Hu is far more comfortable there then in any conventionally technological place.))
Hu meditated a bit roughly two Earth hours after Kelran and Cody left. During this, he had a disturbing vision which consisted of nothing but violently bright colors flashing rapidly. Hu only knew that this meant danger was in the near future, but nothing else.
To ease his mind, he decided to catalog some of these Earth creatures. Hu then realized that he wouldn't be aware of their proper names -- but he assume he could scan there forms into his Encarta, observe them, then ask for the proper names later.
-
((It's a good thing that there's a bus that goes somewhere in that general direction...if you squint...So, Kelran's place sounds like a good meeting place, yes. Plus, Cole can fly if she feels up to it.))
Cole stood outside of the cave and shouted. "Kelran! Or what's your name! Anyone?" She had a math book in one hand, and a notebook in the other. Calculus was giving her grief, and she was coming rather close to tearing out her own hair if she didn't get some help. Plus, she was going to rip the book to shreds soon, and somehow freaking out like that in front of Yarin didn't seem like a good thing to do. Especially if they were going to try and date. So, she decided to go to the other advanced species to ask them for help. "You know you want to help out a lower lifeform," she proclaimed in a sort of sing-song voice.
-
Kelran emerged from the cave with a bundle of sparking wires in one claw and a fizzing dangerous looking tool in the other,
He was tempted to simply throw the charged wires at Nichole for a moment, but then thought better of it.
She wasn't like Cody, and she was genuinely asking for his help.
"Come on in, Ill just be a moment," he angled his head at the sparking wires to indicated he needed to finish his business with them.
Nichole came in and watched as he converted the wires from copper to niobium.
Kelran gave a very abridged explanation of the process, then set down his tools.
"So, whats the trouble?"
-
"Honestly? I've run this equasion at least ten times, and each time I get a different answer. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, why it's wrong, or what I need to do to fix it. I was hoping that I could ask for your help with it, since I'm about ready to tear the book to pieces, which would only result in my having to go and buy a new book." She held up the book and the notebook, which had lots of work and x's and scribbles over useless material. "I know I'm probably overthinking it greatly, but I honestly can't think of what I'm doing wrong..."
-
((Has Jmnar4 even posted since the date? Where is that guy? Is Hu in the cave at the moment? I'm not sure.))
Cody and Emily managed to find Jason and Yarin, and go to the cave. They were wondering where Nichole was, but it turned out she was at the cave already.
"Hey guys and girl. Wow. What is all that?" Cody said as he looked at Nochole's work."
"Looks like mathematical equations. College level math might be a bit over my head, though. Even though I get straight A's." Emily said.
"I'm calling a meeting." Cody said. He explained what happened at the observatory, and opened the floor to suggestions. "Though, I guess we can wait until Nichole gets her math problem straightened out. I'm glad I don't have to learn that kind of stuff. I'm happy with just knowing basic math."
-
((Hu isn't in the cave at the moment, but he's on his way after a brief skirmish with Bened -- which happens "off-screen", I guess.))
Hu approached the cave, with his cloak a little rougher. Just as he suspected, Bened had joined the Yeerks, but Hu was certain that he wasn't infested. But uncertainty was starting to creep in. At the vary least, Hu managed to damage Bened's Encarta beyond repair. His Yeerk allies would not be able to repair it.
To his surprise, the humans and Yarin were there. Hu was wondering if it meant that something happened within their boxy inhabitations. He wondered if there will be another battle.
-
"Hey Hu. You look like you've been in a fight. You're just in time for a meeting regarding Kelran's mission to go home." Cody said.
"And Nichole's mission to finish her homework. You know Hu, if you had morphing power you could morph away injuries. I had this scar I got from a fall when I was younger, but when I first morphed and demorphed it disappeared." Emily said.
-
Hu told the others about his skirmish with Bened, how he allied himself with the Yeerks and how Hu, himself . But Hu was unsure about accepting the metamorphic magic they had. He hadn't seen anything similar to it before coming here. Sure there where species that undergone metamorphisis on his home world, but it was always permanent -- they couldn't return to their previous forms. But Hu's curosity got the better of him.
"You can give away such an ability?"
((Hu's gonna get zapped by the cube . . . talk about curiosity killing (well, not in this case) the cat. . . .))
-
Kelran gave a cursory glance to the rest of the arriving group, paying much more attention as Hu told of his fight, all the while absently working Nicholes problem on a sheet of paper.
When he was done he showed it to her, she looked at it like it was written in an alien language, and Kelran realized he had written it all in Gryphonic. "Apologies. I understand your numeral system fairly well but I havent had time to assimilate your written language in its entirety, let me convert it...."
Kelran proceeded to re-convert the equation to something resembling human standard.
"You see, in this case the prcuilar interaction of the operations, the negative/positive sinage, and the parenthetical offsets (parentheses) require an intense amount of thought to discern. Its much easier to see if you convert the whole thing to this format first..... Kelran quickly did some conversions of number characters and symbols in his head, then wrote out a peculiar expression.
"Its actually based in a complex mathematical shortcut I dont fully understand having to do with sub-space matrices, but the point is, it works and while it doesnt eliminate the work itself, its alot simpler and less error prone than what your teacher or your text-book are telling you to do."
He turned to the others, "Perhaps you could demonstrate which of your alphanumeric characters stand for each sound in basic so that I can make a conversion plot and memorize your full written language. Its fairly simple, our spoken dialects seem to be almost precisely alike, so its just a matter of different alphanumerics and their phonetic conversion rules. Id guess you have... 24? 26? 28? characters in your alphabet?"
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"26." Emily said. "This is very cool. Learning advanced ways to do math in a more simpler fashion. I wonder if there are other things that could be made clearer by advanced technologies, like language or science? Well, of course science."
"Try not to make it too obvious that you're being tutored by an advanced race, though." Cody said.
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"I won't. Er...I will. What I'll probably do is I'll probably use this to double-check my work, but other than that, I'll get this way figured out. I figure trying to explain how in heck I figured out this equasion isn't exactly something I'd look forward to..." She bent over her paper, scribbling a bit, making sure she could work it out. Now that she had the answer, she found it much easier to work backwards to the original goal. "Ok, thanks." She smiled genuenly relieved to have gotten it worked out. And relieved that she had managed to get through the whole ordeal without a huge episode. "So...what's up?"
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"Okay, on to business. Kelran and I went to the observatory today to get some info, but the system got crashed. For now, the observatory is out of the question. We now need a plan B for figuring out which way Kelran's home is. That way, when we try to steal a bug fighter he'll know which way to go to return home." Cody said.
"Do you have a plan B?" Emily asked.
"Not at the moment. Unless we want to sneak into the police station and hack Yeerk computers."
"Maybe if Kelran tried with Yeerk computers, he would be able to use trinary without crashing the system."
-
Hu listened to this impassively. He was never really understood computers, either from his own world or this one. But he was aware that a plan was formulating.
"Better have a Plan C, D, E, F, and G, too. Just in case something goes wrong -- as it inevitably will, as stated by Aphrym's law and such." he said calmly and coolly.
((Aphrym's law = Murphy's law))
-
"Aphrym's law? sounds like the expletive theorum. Anything that can go wrong, will, and youll need an extensive vocabulary of expletives to compensate. As for trinary in Yeerk machines, Im not sure.
Id need several minutes to examine one of their devices.
I know for example that while most races weve run across use trinary, that some slightly less advanced ones use a bridge system that sits between the two called tetra-decimal.
But Im totally unfamiliar with it. Binary is required pre-educational information, like an alphabet, trinary is a standard low-level schooling course with more advanced elective courses at all other stages of schooling and even in the academy.
Tetra-decimal is more like a foreign language. Ive actually taken a decent amount of trinary, but not as much as some people I know."
Kelran hoped to stall any plans long enough to get his device finished and get back to the observatory. He quite frankly didnt feel like explaining the myriad reasons and justifications for all this. Better to ask forgiveness than permission.
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(hey guys sorry i haven't been posting recently. I'll post something later today)
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"Tell you guys what? Let's all think some more about it, while we move on to Hu's problem." Cody said. He didn't have numerous ideas like Hu suggested, but he wanted to sound proactive. Bened has joined the Yeerk side. We need to figure out what he's up to, and see how much of a threat he is. This will be a simple recon mission, so if any volunteer can come along. Otherwise, you can continue with your own thing."
Cody noticed offhand that Kelran had some kind of machine he was working on. Maybe it had something to do with the cave, but he couldn't tell. Cody, Hu, and Emily started to leave for Yarin's ship t grant him morphing ability.
"It would be good for you to get a bird morph like the rest of us, and possibly a Human morph." Emily said.
((Ok, this will be Kelran's opportunity to stay and do his own thing instead. When we get to the ship, I'll let Cloak describe what happens to Hu.))
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"Wait, I'm coming," Cole replied distractedly. She gathered up her papers. "Thanks again, Kelran," she said with a warm smile.
((Lol, do you think Yarin'll be jealous or something that she went to Kelran instead of him?))
-
((Well, Yarin has no reason to worry, Kelran is practically allergic to the idea of romance in any fashion. ::) :P))
Kelran went back to his work as everyone else filed out of the cave. As Cody left Kelran noticed him shooting a glance at the hand held computer he had now almost entirely dis-assembled. He seemed intrigued by the odd half bitten fruit shaped logo stamped onto the back in brushed aluminum. (The apple logo, its an iphone) but mercifully he didnt ask Kelran where he had gotten it or why.
Now, 'to convert the matrices of the programming chips to accept trinary based voltages....' Kelran thought to himself....
-
Hu arrived at yarin's ship with the others. He personally disliked the overly-technological feel of it, but said nothing. He didn't want to offend Yarin. Or the humans. He wasn't very enthused (sp?) about getting a human morph -- but a bird he wouldn't mind. He offend wondered what it was like to fly.
Some the technician mages back on Aruten achieved space travel, but Hu decided that he never had the stomach for such a thing. But thinking of this made him miss his home, and the life he used to have.
Eventually, the others presented him with a cube. "What is this?"
They explained to him that it would grant him the ability to morph. All he had to do was touch it. His curiosity got the better of him, and he did. A few seconds later, Hu wish he hadn't.
ZZZZZZZZAP!
He unsheathed his claws in reflex, as he roared. A blue mist rose from the hand he used to touch the cube. The mist turned to orange and then vanished.
Hu panted, "I guess morphing and Smilodites are a no-no."
((Sorry if I skipped ahead. By the way, Smilodites are a very curious species -- curious to a fault. I think the wormhole thing proves this, though . . .))
-
"Aah!" Cody yelped in surprise when the cube zapped Hu. "That didn't happen the last two times."
"Do you think something's wrong with it." Emily said, as she looked at Hu's hand.
"Who knows? Forget the cube, then. Emily, can you tell us where an entrance to the pool is? Bened might be in the Pool area."
"Of course. There's an entrance at the school."
After getting to the school during the evening, Cody used his bug morph to get inside and unlock the door. They then proceeded to the janitor's closet, where Emily manipulated a number of items to open the way.
-
((if we have their pool break in occur at the same time as Kelran's observatory break in, maybe the two incidences will be enough of a distraction to ensure that both suceed.))
At about the same time as Emily was pusing coat hangars and pulling locker handles, Kelran was fitting the wiring of his new device back into the case.
The iphone now sported several external cable connectors and no longer looked quite as sleek as it used to.
Kelran flicked the power switch, and recieved a prompt. He entered a few trinary tester instructions.
The device beeped atonally several times.
Kelran smiled.
-
Hu felt a bit useless, as he could help the humans as he was. He couldn't very well waltz into the area littered with those boxy inhabitations of humans. Being one of the only two Smilodites on Earth, he knew he'd attract attention.
He looked at his hand where he touched the box, only the tips of the fur hairs bore any visible damage, which would be eliminated when the hairs would be molted off. There had to be a way he could get down to the Pool. Hu was certain that Bened would be there.
But it was too late . . . they were already off. He fiddled with the clasp on his gray cloak, and discovered that his body had disappeared. He continued to fiddle with the unseen clasp, and his body wobbled into sight again.
Apparently, his Master granted him a very special cloak. . . .
((I imagine that Bened would be the Yeerk's version of Vile (from the Mega Man X series) -- only without the weaponry. If anyone objects . . .))
-
Cody noticed Hu disappear and reappear as he fiddled with his cloak. It appeared that Hu didn't quite understand everything about the stuff he had. Invisibility would surely help, though.
As they neared the end of the steps, Cody took notice of his surroundings. Everything looked pretty much the same as before, except there was tighter guard around the holding cages. There were also groups of Hork-Bajir with dracon beams patrolling the area that Cody hadn't noticed before.
"Security has been beefed up." He said quietly. They made their way around to a small building, which was better than standing out in the open. "Do they have any offices around here, Emily?"
"There's a central command building on the far side, away from most entrances and the pool."
"Ok. Emily, you morph your finch, and I'll go as an insect. We'll try to stay out of sight, and look around the building. Yarin, you can morph Human and go with Nichole and Hu. Try to look for Bened around the general area, but don't attract attention. Stay away from the patrols as well."
-
Nichole nodded, trying to relax. She was scared out of her mind, and she felt like her whole body was noticibly shaking. She hoped she was wrong, though, since it would be a sure sign that she wasn't a Controller. She closed her eyes, breathing slowly. She was hoping she'd get lucky and no one would notice.
-
((Is Hu with Cody and 'em? I thought you guys had already left. Oh, well. My error. Anyway, the cloak isn't as effective in artificial lighting, otherwise it might be too . . . um, what's the word I'm looking for?))
"Remember," Hu said in hushed tones, "Bened may have just as many tricks and potions and whatnot as I do . . . except for an invisibility cloak."
Cody reminded Hu that Bened was probably given Yeerk weaponry.
"Oh," Hu said, with mild surprise. "I hadn't considered that."
-
Kelran snapped the last of his armor into place.
He hoped it wouldnt come to a fight at the observatory, but he was not going to morph or deal with this the way Cody would.
he would rely on his natural abilites and few pieces of technology one and all, and if it came down to it he would knock some people into next week with the flat of his sword.
-
Cody and Emily stuck to the shadows as they made their way to the office building. The vent shafts all had tough netting around them.
<It's almost like they don't want some Andalite in bug morph sneaking in through the vents.> Cody said.
<I see Visser Five through a window.> Emily said.
Cody went over and saw him sitting at a computer desk. Bened was not with him.
<At least we know where Visser Five is. That's good to know.>
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(hey guys sorry i haven't been on as much as i'd have liked, so what did i miss?)
Yarin was in human morph with Nichole and Hu he noticed that Nichole was shaking, Yarin placed his human arms on her shoulder to sready her "It will be alright, we will find Bened and make it out of here." he told her.
-
(Hiya Yarin. Kelrans goin' to the observatory again and, apparently, the rest of us are going after Bened. I'm think this would be the area where Bened lets it slip about Lilas and Hu's boys. But Hu would be hesistant to admit it to the others, being in tears when he does)
Hu saw Yarin comforting Nicole and it made him feel awkward. It also brought up memories of Lilas . . .
Hu wanted to bring up the fact that Bened might not be present or somewhere hidden. Hu decided he couldn't withhold this information, feeling it to be dishonorable. "Bened might not be at this pool place. On the other claw, he might. I cannot ask you risk yourselves for this slim possibility. For me, it's a question of honor. Something I must do. You have no need to risk life and limb for this . . ."
-
She took a shakey breath, but felt a bit more relaxed. It was nice...having someone comfort her. She turned her head to Yarin, plastering on a false smile. "I'm fine. I just had a bit too much caffine earlier and it just hit. Let's get this done." She took another deep breath, finally feeling her body stop its vibrating. "Let's go, shall we?"
-
<What if he isn't here?> Emily said to break the silence.
<He might be at the main Sharing building. Or he might be on a ship in orbit. If he's up there, then I think he may be out of reach.> Cody replied.
<How much of a threat do you think Bened is?>
<I think what he has on him may be in limited supply, unless the Yeerks can mass produce the stuff. I'm also worried about how those two teleported in. Does Bened have a way to do it again? What if the Yeerks gain access to something like that?>
<Only Hu would know something like that.>
Since there wasn't a lot going on around the main building, Cody decided to find the others. He and Emily searched around, and found Nichole and Yarin.
<Hey Yarin.> Cody said. <We didn't see Bened in the building, though that doesn't guaruntee he isn't in there. As Bened about that device he and Bened used to get here.>
<Nichole looks a bit nervous.> Emily said to Cody.
<Nichole's kind a wimp. Afraid to fight. Those who fear are the one's that get stepped on. Understand, Nichole?>
<Some people might interpret that statement as more rude than inspirational, Cody.> Emily said quietly.
<I tell it like it is.>
(Still planning on having Cody get too big for his shoes. The part where he ticks most everyone off and screws up will probably be while they're trying to steal a ship for Kelran. Since that's meant to be a failed mission anyway. Then he'll learn his lesson and be less bossy.
-
"Tell Cody to **** off," Cole snapped, uncharacteristicall y. She thought about taking it back, but then shook her head. "Just tell him." After a second, she added, "And tell him that only fools are without fear."
((I know that's from something...I don't think I pulled that out of thin air...))
-
((Okay, I'm a bit confused. Sorry, but is Hu still with them? Have they gone into the pool yet? If he isn't, disregard this rest of this post and I'll modify it.))
Hu fiddled with his cloak clasp again, and went invisible. He was preparing for battle with Bened. He hoped Bened would be in this complex the others were talking about.
Hu noticed the one called Cody seemed to be calling the shots. He didn't like being under the command of a human -- he still associated them with the pestential (sp?) Prosims of his world.
He rubbed his right fang anxiously. Then he heard the one called Cole's response, and the proverb she quipped. Hu couldn't suppress a smile.
((I couldn't supress a smile, either, traycon.))
-
((Hu is walking around the pool area with Yarin and Nichole. They are all in the pool, and as of now they are all in the same spot. You can have them find Bened at the pool, or not. I'll let you decide how this goes.))
-
(you changed your name huh)
-
((I noticed that too, yarin. ;) Okay, then, here we go. The -- you know what -- is about to hit the fan. . . .))
Hu watched the activity at the pool's edge. It sickened him. But Hu never did like parasites of any type. But this seemed . . . horrible beyond reason, to Hu.
Hu was beginning to this this entire mission was pointless, as he had yet to sense Bened's presence anywhere. But that all changed when he caught a familiar scent in the air, amongst the unfamiliar smells of this world.
"Bened," Hu snarled quietly. He was still quite invisible, and he knew that Bened had no such cloak -- he didn't have any. . . . He didn't deserve a Master Mage cloak.
Neither did he, he felt, but that didn't matter now. His claws were unsheathed, but he wouldn't use them until his found Bened and became visible again.
Hu began to track Bened. . . .
-
(you changed your name huh)
((Yes, I changed my name to the middle name of the Daphnes character so people won't think I'm a girl. I probably won't ever change it again.))
Cody and Emily followed as Hu seemed to have found something.
<Nichole and Yarin, if something goes down you watch Hu's back. Emily and I will be with you afterwards if things get hairy.>
-
((Good choice, Da -- I mean, Nohensen. ;) . . . I didn't know you could change your user name . . .))
Hu sniffed furiously and saw, with a savage delight, Bened. He was standing bold as brass near some caged humans, eyeing them strangely. Had he become so savage that he would eat humans?
"Bened! Prepare yourself!" Hu roared, as his cloak billowed behind him.
"You!"
"No, it's Hu, and you know it!"
((Bad joke, I know. Sorry, I couldn't resist!))
Bened unsheathed his claws, and sneered, "I knew it was only a matter of time before you found me, or teamed up with the bunch of losers that these guys fight, big brother!"
Then, with an evil snicker, Bened coldly and remorselessly replied, "Or is this about Lilas? Or those two little punks of yours?"
Hu's teeth were clenched, and then he lunged!
-
((Im going to throw in, if there are no objections, what I call a drode point. A wildcard plot point that can be used later for anything. It could be they just set up a trap assuming the 'bandits' would come back, or it could be that there some bigger thing involving the observatory))
Kelran's optomistic plans were very quickly turned to a full blown snafu.
First, upon arriving at the observatory, he disovered the area covered in security.
The men seemed to be wearing uniforms of some kind, but did not look well armed enough to be military. (National Guard, or Police, you guys pick)
They had decently well equipped vehicles, in the human sense.
And they had Yeerk energy weapons. Controllers.
But Kelran was not deterred.
He circled until the setting sun was in the right spot, then dived.
The solider he hit had time to squeeze of a shot with his primitive human weapon. But it was silenced, and missed Kelran by 4 feet.
The man soon lost all semblance of conciousness. Even the most inept observer could see that was probably due to severe trauma to the head. undoubtedly a result of Kelran's fisted claws. painful.
Kelran slid over the lip of the telescope aparatus and into the building....
-
Yarin watched as Hu and Bened began to fight, he wanted to help Hu but he was not sure how he could be of assistance. He demorphed and ran to help Hu.
-
Nichole saw this too and swiftly began her morph. She shot past Yarin and barreled towards Bened, determined to knock the alien right off his feet.
-
Cody got Emily to a hidden place, and covered her as she demorphed, and remorphed. Then he did the same. He could see Visser Five come out of the building as the commotion began to get louder.
<The Andalites have come again!?> He shouted above the noise.
"Yes sir! They seem to be after the Smilodite."
<Call in additional troops.>
"Some of our troops are responding to something at the Human observatory."
<Multiple attacks?>
Emily plowed through Human and Hork-Bajir controllers, followed by Cody. There was a crowd forming around them, but most controllers seemed curios about Hu and Bened's fight. Cody and Emily attempted to perform crowd control, to help keep the controllers at bay while the ther three went after Bened.
-
Bened threw some purple powder at Hu, but it had no effect. Hu reproachfully informed Bened that the Disorientation Powder wouldn't work as he already ingested the Colibroc herb. Bened charged forward with a slash, but Hu excuted a perfect somersault to dodge. Hu then slashed himself, three lines of blood the color of rust appeared on his right shoulder.
Hu was only vaguely aware of Yarin and Nicole's approaches to help. He could not allow Bened -- could not allow his little brother to harm them. Bened took notice of this cackled sinisterly. "That has always been your weakness, big brother. You actually care. You even care about these lesser creatures."
"Whereas you kill until you get what you want." Hu countered. "That wormhole didn't grant you the power you so ardently desired, did it?"
-
Cole haulted her attack for a second, as the two jumped around. She was relying too much on her own mind, and she knew it. This was the panther's job. Finally, she let go, and the panther watched until there was an open line of attack. Claws extended and teeth bared, human and panther lept at the alien, aiming to tear out its neck.
-
Hu noticed that similiar bodied morph of Cole's approaching as he threw Bened over his shoulder. Cole pounced on him, and Hu worried horribly that Bened might skewer her with his claws. Bened wouldn't hesistate to use them.
Then, suddenly, TSEEEEW! TSEEEEW! Hu had forgotten that he wasn't the only one with allies.
-
Cole felt a Dracon beam hit her shoulder and smelled burning flesh. However, the panther would not be deterred. This was his prey. He wanted to feel it's last heart-beat as he clamped his teeth down, crushing the spine. The panther pounced, landing on Bened and immedietly aiming for his throat.
-
If things hadnt been going Kelran's way before, they defenitely weren't now.
An alarm was sounding, and now the gryphon knew he had been seen.
Taking no care for stealth he swiftly incapacitated three humans, took the energy weapons off of two of them, and the keycard from the other.
As he rounded the next corner he realized it was too dangerous to use the weapons until he knew what settings they used...
And thats when he ran into another human.
Thinking fast he simply brought the weapons blunt back end down on the mans head. Either the material was flimsy, or he had almost killed the guy, because the weapon cracked and several pieces of circuitry fell out.
Tossing the now useless gun aside, Kelran slid past the inert body, over to the door that lead to the mainframe room, and entered using the keycard...
-
(oh just to clarify visser 5 wouldn't be using thoughtspeak his host body has a mouth)
-
While Cody and Emily tried to keep any Hork-Bajir controllers at bay, some controllers had brought the beam weapons.
<Things are going bad here! Grab Bened already, and let's haul!> Cody said.
<Foolish Andalites!> Visser Five yelled from behind the crowd. <The battle for Earth ended when my Blade ship sliced your Pool ship in two, and I hunted down your hero Elfangor. Surrender now, and I will end your lives quickly. There is no hope for you. You only delay the inevitable. I have already won this planet, and its class five species!>
<Class five? What does that mean?> Cody asked Emily.
<There are five classes of host species, as degrading as it is to be considered such. I can explain later.>
((Cody isn't really thinking that Hu will try to execute Bened here and now, but he wouldn't be appalled if that did happen. Does anyone else notice I use a lot of short sentences when I write?))
-
((Oh, Hu will try to execute Bened -- who, naturally try to avoid this -- but it probably never happen. Capturing Bened might prove dangerous though, if he ever discovers morph-capable humans . . . though perhaps Hu could use those Cryo Crystals of his to temporarily freeze him solid . . .))
Hu was positioned perfectly to deliever the killing blow . . . but he, no matter how angry or rageful he got, he just couldn't take the life of his little brother. So, instead he pulled out a vine bola, and threw it at him. It wrapped around Bened's feet, and grew, entwining his arms, tail and fangs to make him horribly rigid, but alive. He couldn't use his claws to slash his way out.
It would be so easy now . . . too easy . . .
TSEEEW!
A burn hole appeared in Hu's shoulder, but it wasn't a lethal hit. But it hurt like hell.
-
Meanwhile Kelran's device was functioning well. Too well.
There was a wealth of data and controlls here, too many for something as simple as an optical and radio telescope....
Kelran started two operations. At the risk of loosing time he began isolating and downloading any data that wasnt contained in what he guessed to be human standard.
He then began to try and pull up maps, images, anything to give him a clue....
-
Soem of the Dracon beam wielding enemies had come close enough for Cody to take down, and steal their weapons. When he had four, he through them Yarin's way.
<Yarin, grab those beams and hitch a ride on emily! Emily, once he's on you're our battering ram! Hu, grab Bened while Nichole and I cover you!>
<Do not let them take the Smilodite before I get my wormhole generator!> Visser Five yelled.
((Best escape plan I could think of. Of course Visser Five would want the worm hole technology, and Bened is his beast means of getting it.))
-
((and if thats so the observatory with its massive highly conductive dish could be one of several in the area whos dishes are being linked to produce the wormhole itself. ;D but Kelran isnt one to leave anything to chance.... bye bye dish >:D ))
Kelran continued to leaf through the terminal, until he came upon an image. Familiar... so familiar... NO!it couldnt be!
The image was his own galaxy... and if he understood the human numerals correctly.... it was over 6.2 billion lightyears away.
74 years of standard slipspace travel, much less a z-space drive.....
Kelran sagged. he felt all his hope, his energy, his plans draining out of him.
All he could think of was Festhar. and how he might never see him again.
He felt so cold... so alone...
And gradually as he sat there, the coldness became a void. the void bred fury.
The controllers who broke through the door found him sitting as if staring off into space.
One placed an energy pistol to the back of his head. "Dont move Andalite"
Kelran laughed, "Have you ever seen an Andalite with a bio-mimick pattern like mine?"
The controller seemed confused... "Im a Gryphon. And you are dead."
Before the yeerk could even process the thought Kelran had the man's dracon pistol in one hand, and his sword in the other.
He shot the man point blank, slicing the arm from the other one.
As his fury cooled he realized the weapon had been set to its lowest setting. Providing they didnt remain unfound indefinitely, they would both live.
And Kelran didnt have it in him to kill them now.... not when it would mean the death of their hosts.
But he could still hurt them in a different way...... one that wouldnt affect their hosts as directly...
Kelran pulled the now full to busting portable computer out of the terminal.
Viewing the data in basic trinary revealed nothing interesting, except a few hardware interface protocols. What they were he didnt know, but it seemed obvious that any hardware protocols stored at an observatory were made for the observatory.
And anything the yeerks wanted it for couldnt be good.
The optical telescope was dangerous in no way.
So that left the radio dish. significantly more versatile.
Kelran decided it would be wise to ensure the dish wouldnt be used by the Yeerks. Ever.
-
Yarin grabbed the drakon beams and got on Emily. He fired back while she ran for the door.
-
Nichole moved into position to cover Hu. <Hurry it up! There's only so long that I'll be able to hold them off.> She lunged at a few Hork-Bajir, biting down hard enough to make them think twice about attacking. Then pain like fire errupted on her back. She turned and lunged, ripping out the throat of the Hork-Bajir that had dug it's blade into her back. She was bleeding heavily.
-
Visser Five came through the crowd, lashing out with tentacle arms. One of them grabbed Cdy, but he bit down and rolled. Visser Five was pitched forward and off balance, and /cody slammed him in the head with his tail.
His thick scales were giving way as more and more Hork-Bajir blades dug into his armor and dracon fire singed him.
<I'm starting to think coming down here looking for a fight isn't a very good idea.>
Emily kept on charging. Hork-Bajir tried grabbing her horns to slow her down, but she kept on with Yarin firing from on top of her. Her thick horns and fur provided good frontal protection, but dracon fire was catching her fur on fire.
<When we get to the steps, Yarin, I'd like you to blast the walls and ceiling. Cause a cave-in behind Cody and Nichole.> Emily said.
((Hey Traycon, did you read the personal message I sent you? I'd like to know if you're interested in the date suggestions I mentioned therein.))
-
Kelran had run into a new problem.
He didnt know what they were, but they looked like reptillianoid mammals with blades on every inch of skin.
One was a relatively easy fight, but two or more was a real fight.
Kelran was outside by the main dish, a group of confused and frightened human controllers looked on as he crosssed his sword and talons with the blades of his enemy.
Slshing own on ones arms, he forced him into his comrade, gutting both on their own blades.
Smoothly he reached down and snatched the energy weapons from the holsters of both, flinging his sword straight up into the air.
In one swift motion he rolled, fired twice at the human controllers, then threw both guns at two more of the aliens, and caught his sword.
He ran full out for the dish...
-
(Aw congratulations you two)
-
((I echo yarin on that, you two.))
Hu had captured Bened, but he's was having a tough time deciding whether to execute him, or take him away from the Pool to interrogate him. Then he noticed the being the others called a visser. Normally he'd be frightened -- but there were bigger, more intimidating creatures on his world and its moons.
After Hu sprinked Sleep Spore on Bened, effectively knocking him out, he turned to the Visser and began to pull out the Cryo Crystals. When he was close enough, he threw it onto him, it, whatever. He was temporarily frozen.
"Hurry," he instructed the others as he seized his traitorous, but unconscious brother on to his back. He had already relieved him of his concealed light-based weapon and his undeserved satchel. "The effects of the Cryo Crystals will not last on one his size very long!"
Even as Hu spoke, the Visser was breaking out of the icy prison the Crystals had conjured. . . .
-
((I don't think Hork-Bajir are at all mammalian. That's just what I believe, though.))
They made it to the steps, and Yarin blasted the walls and ceiling. Up they ran until finally they were near the top. Cody, Emily, and Nichole demorphed their injuries away, and Yarin morphed.
Out through the Janitor closet they went, helping Hu carry Bened.
"Alright Hu. I said I'd let you deal with Bened your way, so let's get started."
-
((Yeah, but Kelran is working from Gryphon based methods of classification, and they've never seen anything like a Hork-Bajir, so the nearest guess for him is a mammal))
Kelran was now about to remove the last existing anti-matter from earth.
All armor, standard, heavy, or light like his own, was equipped with a small detonator packet antimatter charge.
This packet was a last resort weapon in critical situations, and so was not veyr large, even for antimatter, but by removing it he could plant it like a charge on the joint between the dish and its base and do some extreme damage.
He had just set the charge, and twisted the timer to 30 pings, when he heard the distinctive rumble of a combustion engine and noticed a large thickly plated beige four wheeled vehicle with a large projectile gun.... He decided not to find out how fast the hummer's gunner was.
-
((Sorry I didn't respond earlier, Nohensen. My best friend--who sometimes acts like my jealous girlfriend--came over. Oh, and she told me to tell you that if I end up spending more time with you than with her, she's gonna track you down and kill you. Her words, not mine. Oh, and I'm about to shamelessly do a Cassie thing over here.))
"Do we have to watch this?" Cole asked, trying to pick something out of her teeth. "Because, while I understand why you're going to do it, I just don't want to..." Her voice fell silent as she stared in revulsion at the thing between her fingers. She darted over to the nearest trash-can and hurled. Her whole body was shaking again, but that was what always seemed to happen when she threw up. Her head still in the trash can, she asked, "Happy now, Cody?"
-
Back at the forest, Hu heaved Bened, none too nicely, against the bark of an old, gnarled tree. There he waited for the Sleep Spore to wear off, with his arms folded. The vine bola tightening just enough to ensure discomfort and immobility.
"Why, little brother?" Hu mumbled, oblivious to almost everything else around him and knowing Bened couldn't yet answer. "Why?"
-
Zero. BOOOM!!!
The explosion from the detpack wasnt nearly as spectacular as the ship, it was in fact little better than a half dozen sticks of dynamite, but what followed next was truly spectacular.
The massive 80 yard wide dish simply crumpled and fell cutting a swath of destruction through the observatory building.
Kelran didnt care. didnt look back.
He never understood how he found his way back to his cave, the next thing he remembered was how the others found him the next day. He had not slept, moved, eaten, spoken, or even cried, the entire time.
-
Bened began to stir. Hu was prepared for this, but he still waited. The vines would remain for at least for a quarter an Aruten month ((about three months)) before dying and wilting into nothingness.
Bened's eyes opened, and he saw he was still trapped. He struggled, but only ended up with his face in the dirt.
"Give it up, little brother," Hu said, coolly.
"What do you want from me?" he snarled.
"What do I want?" Hu echoed in a dangerous tone. "What do I want? I want to know why Bened. I want to know why you betrayed me. Killed Lilas. Killed my boys. Killed our own father!"
-
Cody was slightly preoccupied with Hu and Bened when Nichole asked if he was happy now. He would have continued watching Hu, if Emily hadn't pinched him hard in the side and given him a nasty look.
"No, you don't have to watch. Let's get out of here." Cody said as he walked towards Nichole. He looked over to gesture to Yarin, when he heard a sound. It wasn't a loud sound, but it was peculiar. He looked up, but didn't see anything in the night sky.
"That sounded kind of like an explosion."
"What's in that direction?" Emily asked.
"Nothing much besides the observatory....oh no. He wouldn't have."
"Who wouldn't have what?"
"Come on guys. We need to go see Kelran. Hu, deal with your brother and meet us when you get back." Cody said.
"Who would kill his own family?" Emily asked as she began to morph.
-
Hu glanced at them, and gave a grunt of acknowledgement. Then he turned to Bened, and growled "I asked you a question . . . I expect an answer!"
"Temper, temper, Hu. What an example you've set." he sneered. Hu couldn't get over his flippant attitude, even when Bened is at his complete mercy. "You want to know why, Hu? You really want to know? They were in my way. They shouldn't have tried to stop me. And, dear father, who fawned all over you, denied me what I was due! I deserved the power of the wormhole."
"You are a royal fool." Then Hu growled an Aruten obscenity (sp?) which would only sound like a bestial snarl to those not enlightened into Smilodite linguistics.
-
Cole wiped her mouth with her arm, before wiping the remainder of the mess on her shorts. Cole glowered at Cody and waited until he was at least half-morphed. Then she shot a glance at Hu before morphing herself. She was still a bit shaken by the fact that she had just killed, but she kept that feeling to herself.
-
Hu unsheathed his claws and pressed them against Bened's throat. Bened had no fear, as he taunted Hu, "Go ahead, Hu. Kill me."
Hu hesitated, blinked, wiggled his fingers nervously. He killed your father. He killed Lilas. He killed your cubs. Hu told himself. You must do it, Hu.
Bened cackled, and sneered, "You can't do it, can you? Even with nothing to lose, and everything to gain, you still can't do it! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Then Hu realized that something was blinking around Bened's waist. A tracer! He activated it before the vine . . . he'd let Hu capture him! He had let Hu capture him in hopes of leading his new allies to Hu's allies!
Fortunately, Hu was wise enough not to interrogate Bened near Kelran's cave. They were very far from that area. Hu quickly and astutely sprinkled the Sleep Spore over Bened until he succumbed again. Then he "accidentally" plunged his claws into Bened's right leg. A flesh wound. Bened would survive.
Then Hu left Bened, making sure to take a long, roundabout way back to Kelran's cave.
-
((*waits for the others to find him* and oh yes, Kelran would do alot worse than blow up a massive dish in his current state...))
-
Cody morphed a cat so he could tell where he was going, and Emily followed by scent as a buffalo. Eventually he and the others made it to Kelran's cave, where they found him resting. He definitely looked like he had been in a fight, and he sat under one of his lights.
"You went there by yourself, didn't you? Even when you knew they would be on alert!" Cody fumed. "You could have been captured, and we wouldn't know because we were busy elsewhere. Then everything would be over, once they put a Yeerk in your head and tell all of our secrets. You did this just because I said to wait, didn't you? You don't like that I'm in charge here, but I was voted leader. You're the only one who has a problem with me."
Emily was a bit calmer. "You aren't too injured are you, Kelran? Did you get what you were looking for?"
-
Hu approached the cave, thinking whether he even could kill his brother. Hu wasn't as fratericidal (sp?) as his little brother, but even now he wasn't sure that he would ever be able to take his little brother's life. They were roughly two months ((roughly equal to one Earth year)) apart in age.
As he approached the cave, he noticed a ruckus coming from it. With his ears flat against his head in apprehension, he entered.
-
<Well, now that we know that Kelran's ok, I suppose that it's a good time to come to a decision. I quit. I'm not a fighter, after all, I'm 'too scared' to fight, so I'm a hinderance to the team. Have a great life, guys.> Privately, she added to Yarin, <Look me up if you want.> With that and a rustle of feathers, she took off, glad that birds couldn't cry. It had taken a lot for her to say that, but she just wasn't cut out for it. Her main goal in life was to finish school and hopefully start a career as a marine biologist. Assuming there was still a world left. All she knew was that she was through with fighting. Especially after having a taste of death.
When she got to the dorm, she went into the bathroom and dry-heaved, breathing heavily into the toilet.
-
((oooh! Cody ticked off the physically powerful and emotionally unstable species.... :P ;D :D dun dun DUN))
Kelran just sat for a moment after Cody's Tirade, Hu's entry, Nicholes exit....
Totally unresponsive. Then he stood.
Stood. on his hind legs, suddenly making everyone except Hu feel very very small.
He drew his sword, slowly. It came out of its stylized leather-like scabbard with a soft rasping hiss.
Its immense size and cold harsh light were even more apparent in the tension of the moment...
quicker than the eye can see, he brought the tip over to Cody's throaght. Within milimeters.
Before Cody could quite react to that, he lofted the sword, spun it around and stopped the blade even closer to his own head, drawing a pinprick of blood that tainted his neck feathers.
"I doubt if your Yeerk enemies are fast enough to capture one of my kind alive. no one has ever done it. no one ever will."
Kelran sheathed the sword, then made as if to sit down. Again he spun unexpectedly, this time placing his face directly in Cody's,
"Cody, leader of the human resistance to the Yeerks, you have two options.
You can accept my prescence on my terms, and I won't interfere with your leadership of *your* people, and I will place great consideration on your opinions and your orders to them in battle....
But my decisions will be my own."
the pitch of Kelrans voice dropped several octaves, to a dangerously low level,
"I do not care that I am little more than a senior cadet among my people, I still have more training than all of you put together can muster, I still know more of war, of death, of pain, of spilling blood, than any of you can *fathom*. I have lived a war for the past 5 years."
His next words were shouted at a thunderous volume, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA?! WHAT ITS LIKE! TO KNOW YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR HOME AGAIN?!?! TO HAVE ALREADY LOST YOUR MOTHER TO KELBRID SCUM?!?! TO HAVE A FATHER WHO ISNT THERE?!!"
His voice dropped again, and he sounded almost as though he would cry, and somehow it was just as painful as his shouting.
"Do you know what its like to have to decieve your brother, the only person youve ever really had there for you, knowing your actions will separate you forever... from *all* that you know and love?"
Kelran continued to stare at Cody, his voice deceptively normal again. at first.
"If you continue to act towards me as you have so far, entering my prescense again for the purpose of insulting, or ordering me... will be met with lethal force. I. Will. Kill. You." he gritted each word through his clenched beak.
He and Cody stood there for what seemed like hours, Kelran's distinctive golden raptorial eyes drilling into Cody's human ones, and vice versa.
At this point, no one dared to ask what Kelran had found, and the answer seemed self evident anyhow. If Kelran's venomous tirade hadnt been indicative enough, the image left running on his modified itouch summed the distance up pretty well.
((its going to be fun introducing Kelran to a dirty war. the kind of war he is used to is very bloody but all cast in terms of black and white ethically))
-
Hu looked at Kelran, struggling to keep his claws sheathed. But his voice betrayed his emotions. He only really picked up one thing in Kelran's tirade.
"Kelran, you're not the only one who's lost their family. The only one who may never see their home, their kind again. You may have lost your loved ones to some faceless alien species, but my family's blood came from a familiar face. I envy your closeness with your brother -- mine wishes for nothing but my corpse! He killed my father. My wife. My cubs!"
Hu took a deep breath to steady himself. Then he turned his back to the Gryphon, and, over his shoulder, said, "So, Kelran, know this. You know, at least, if this is even your home reality. I do not."
Hu paused, thought, and replied, "We may have more in common then we know."
Then Hu walked a few feet out of the cave, sighed, and looked at the unfamiliar sky.
-
(wait im confused traycon3 are you leaving the rpg?)
-
((No. I'm pulling a Marco/Cassie. You know, the whole, 'I quit the Animorphs. This was my last mission. Oh, wait. There's something that makes me go back to the Animorphs' thing. I'm probably gonna have her have a conversation with her parents in her hometown in my next post. I'll probably have at least one of them infested, giving her a reason to fight. Plus, she needs to calm down. She just had her first kill.))
-
((It's time for Cody to open the gates to his soul, and reveal his background.))
Cody's POV:
"Home? Home!? At least you have one. You have a family that loves you. You actually have a purpose in life. Me, I've just been living because I don't feel like killing myself. My parents acted like I was more of a hinderance than anything else. Between my mother drugging herself with anything she could get her hands on, and my father partying every cent the family made away."
"I never had a real family, or a real home. Ever since I was born, it seems, people have been kicking me around. The only reason not so many people kick me arund nowadays is because I started kicking back! The only kind of friends I had were thugs, and I guess that makes me a thug too. I've been leading the only way I know how to lead. I didn't really expect them to choose me as leader, but they did."
"I know what it's like to have parents who aren't there, and I never want to see them again. You've lived through a war for the past five years? I've been fighting to stay alive for my entire life! At least you have the convenience of being able to tell who the enemy is, and who might help you. Whenever anyone ever tried to reach out a hand to me, I couldn't tell if it was to help me up or rip my arm off."
"I see suffering and death on a daily basis, and I've sen fights break out just because someone looked at another wrong."
Cody was breathless. He had never just opened up like that, and when he was done he felt very embarrassed. He knew that if he got into a fight with Kelran, that he'd lose. The guy was better than his croc, even without the sword. So he left. He turned and walked out, and just kept walking. He wanted to be away from people, and he didn't even know where he wanted to go. Not to Yarin's place, and not after Nichole. His speech had unearthed all the memories of his life that he didn't want to remember. Kelran's words almost made him laugh. That guy thought he had it hard?
Emily's POV:
Emily started to give Cody another look when Nichole left, in the hopes that he'd go after her, but then Kelran started whipping his sword around and going into a tirade. After Cody's speech, she felt very uncomfortable. She left and went home. She didn't really know if she should go after Cody, Nichole, or anything. The group had just been torn apart, and she didn't know what to do.
-
Kelran almost laughed. Cody's life sounded hard, but he lived among his own kind. He had no clue what real war was. what it was like for sparks, shrapnel, claws, teeth, beaks, and trillions of bolts of disruptor energy to be flying all at the same time.
The noise, the explosions, the gallons of blood.... killing again and again and again... watching entire planets stripped bare in seconds...
No. these 'Animorphs' had no clue and no experience. They had practically perfect lives compared to Kelran's situation, including Cody who had the luxury of living among his own kind.
'not for much longer. if these Yeerks have their way' he thought.
Kelran suddenly felt exhausted. he was far from home. So was Hu. Cody didnt have one, and all of the race he was now stuck with wouldnt in a few months or years time.
And there was no longer any organized resistance. at all.
Kelran stepped out to see Hu. They stood staring at the sky together for a long time.
"Youre right you know" Kelran said breaking the silence. "We are very much alike. our peoples, our situations. our personalities."
He sighed, "I say my brother... hes my adopted brother, we have gone through a blood-sharing bonding ceremony, so we share blood now, but we werent born to the same families."
they lapsed into silence again. "I think were going to be spending alot more time together. Youre erm... welcome to stay.. with me." Kelran said awkwardly. "I know we both prefer a more natural environment and neither of us are too attached to these 'animorphs' and... eh.. well... its lonely. here, among this new race."
-
Hu sighed and accepted. Then he spoke with much sadness in his voice.
"You know, I can't stop thinking about Lilas, Felios, and Tylos. My father." Hu's heart felt like it was being horribly squeezed and twisted and torn. "I know that I will never see them again, in this life, but the pain will not fade. . . . I also miss Aruten. The familiar smells and sounds. That wormhole, for all I know, is gone, closed. I do not know how to reproduce it. No modern Smilodite does. That's a secret that died with the ancients."
Hu gazed out into the forest. "I should have seen Bened for what he was months ago. But I didn't . . . didn't want to believe that . . . that . . . that he could be capable of such a thing." Hu sighed again. "But you're right. You're the only Gryphon on this world, and I am the only Smilodite -- with a conscience -- on this world. It would be lonely. Lonely enough to drive any sentient being insane."
-
Cody walked through the darkness until the break of dawn. When the sun finally rose, he found himself in the middle of nowhere. He sat down in the grass from exaustion, and watched the sunrise.
He knew he blew it. He had pretended to be something he wasn't, and now Kelran hated him and Nichole was gone. Once again he wondered why he didn't just leave everything. Nichole left because she had dreams of her own. Cody supposed he stayed because he had nothing left to do. No higher dreams or ambitions.
Kelran was a warrior, but he was used to big battles with high numbers on both sides. This wouldn't be that kind of war. This would be a covert war, with guerilla tactics. Cody wasn't fit to lead anymore than anyone else. But then what would he do? Go it alone like some superhero or something? He didn't have Superman's powers, or Batman's money and connections.
He needed to figure out how to hit the Yeerks where it hurt the most. They needed Kondrona radiation, so there had to be a generator somewhere. They had to get it into the pool, possibly through pipes. If he went to the pool itsself, and found some pipes, he could follow them to the generator.
A roach would be the answer. Something small, that could survive radiation. He morphed to bird, and flew to an abandoned building to search out roaches. After getting the bug, he went to Yarin's place.
"Hey Yarin. I've got a mission for us."
-
((Now we have to figure out how to strike up a slowly growing friendship between Cody and Kelran :P :D ))
Kelran sighed and thought. Thought about Cody, Nichole, Yarin, Hu and his brother, Emily....
thought about what would be possible if Cody didnt have such a huge chip in his wing (chip on his shoulder) if they could get past their differences...
it was apparent thy both had natural leadership skills, the important and ever elusive issue would be finding a balance between their skills and personalities that didnt involve killing eachother. Kelran started to think out loud,
"Well, I am of the opinion, that anything is possible. We might never see home again... but that doesnt mean we have to give up. Even if we never get there... isn't the attempt and the journey something worth living for?"
-
Hu thought about that for a minute. "Well, I don't exactly have anything else to look forward to. I know now that I probably will never be able to kill Bened. I've already broken Lagon's Law. I used my claws to harm another Smilodite."
-
((Cody still thinks Kelran is leaving soon, which would make him hesitant to try to patch things up. Why patch things up with someone who plans to leave? I don't have any ideas on how they can become closer just yet. Cody is still in the "I'm going to avoid my problems and move onward" stage, what with going on a new mission instead of finding Nichole, or talking to Kelran.))
-
((Well, its no rush... its going to take time to even reach that point... meanwhile...))
Kelran grunted, "Well if you want to borrow my sword......"
he left it at that.
"And meanwhile.. we might as well try and find out where you are in relation to your world."
Kelran yawned. "Tomorrow that is."
-
Hu's Smilodite pride caused him to refuse Kelran's offer to use his sword. As Kelran left, Hu remained, pondering over many things. Could these Yeerks somehow taint his planet with their evil? Bened would have no qualms about assisting them. Bened only cared for himself.
Hu didn't say anything to Kelran that they may not be able to find his world. He didn't because Kelran's words gave him comfort, and he desired that comfort.
-
Kelran hadnt expected Hu to accept the offer of his sword. Among cultures and hearts like theirs, what mattered was that the offer had been made, the refusal was both necessary and irrelevant to the main point.
Meanwhile, Kelran figured he might as well begin his next project. He needed a human computer.
He had given the problem some thought during the construction of his original bi-to-trinary translator...
Since he could learn the human alphanumerics with relative ease, if he could aquire a computer, perhaps he could put the translator in as an intermediary between the central processor and the rest of the device, then convert the processor to trinary. It would speed the whole device up considerably without necessitating a conversion of all its software...
-
When she got home, Nichole pulled her laptop to her bed, and then grabbed her cell phone. She was frustrated and angry as hell, and she needed to talk to someone. Her parents had said she could call them at any time, and she planned on taking full advantage of this. However, she was surprised when her father answered the phone and didn't sound sleepy at all. In fact, he sounded wide awake. "Hi, dad. It's me."
"Hi." She smiled, as her dad's deep baritone voice greeted her. "How are you doing?"
"Fine," she replied. "I'm sorry for calling so late, I just needed to talk to someone."
"That's fine. We're up, anyway. Well, we were. Your mother went to bed about an hour ago."
"Shocking," she said, her voice full of sarcasm. She glanced at the clock and did the math. Her father usually wasn't up that late, let alone her mother. "Why were you guys up so late?"
"Oh, your mother and I recently joined a group called The Sharing a few weeks ago."
Cole felt her mouth go dry, and stammered into the phone, "Like joined, joined? Or are you just going to get a feel for it."
"Actually, we became full members yesterday. It's a wonderful group. I hear they even have a big group where you are. Have you considered joining?"
"No, dad," she replied, barely able to speak. "It-It's just not my thing. You know that."
"True. But you should give it a try. Put yourself out there, you know?"
"I'll think about it." She paused. "Dad, I gotta go. I've got an early class, you know? I just needed to hear your voice, is all."
"Ok. Talk to you later."
"You to," she replied hanging up and dropping the phone on the floor. It clattered loudly and the back fell off, but she didn't care. She placed her laptop back on the desk and cried into her pillow.
She fell asleep, wondering what she could do. Who she could talk to. And where the hell had she put her calculator...
((Hey, Kelran do you care if she left her calculator at your cave? I can let you play with her laptop if she did. ;D ))
-
Emily's POV:
The next morning, Emily decided to go to Nichole's college and see her. She felt like something should be done, and was worried about Cody's insensitivity. She knoscked on Nichole's door, and she answered.
"Hi Nichole. I'd like to talk to you about last night, if you have a few minutes."
((Probably should have put this in my last post, but I didn't think about it until later.))
-
Nichole stared blankly at Emily for a second, rubbing her eyes. She had just gotten up a few minutes ago and her head was pounding. She knew she shouldn't have gone to bed crying, but she couldn't help it. She grabbed a Diet Coke out of her mini-fridge and took some tylenol. "Yeah, sure. Come on in. Lynn's already at class, and mine was canceled. Oh, you want one?" She held up a Diet Coke. "What do you want to talk about?"
-
Hu scrolled through his Encarta's articles on all the Smilodite-known species, including Hu's own additions. Hu decided to continue to add articles to it, knowing that Bened would be unable to access them, Hu having destroyed Bened's own Encarta.
Then Hu stopped on the entry of Yeerks that he, himself, wrote. Then he wondered, as he powered down his Encarta, if he was infested with a Yeerk by now. Or was that impossible? Smilodites are unable to procure the "morphing", as it was called. Perhaps we are immune to Yeerk infestation as well, Hu thought, but I won't test out this hypothesis. . . .
-
Emily sat down in a chair. "Cody's had a rough life, and that's left him somewhat insensitive. I know it's hard on you, and you've likely led a peaceful life. I don't want you to do anything too rash, like leave the group without thinking about it. We're all dealing with personal problems, as well as the Yeerks, but we have to stay together. If we don't do something, everyone will be controllers. I know what that's like, and it's a horrible experience. Being a slave inside your own body, and watching as the Yeerk in your head plots the infestation of everyone around you."
"Cody saved me from that, and I want to help him. I just need him to realize that he's doing things wrong, and needs to have different priorities. If you ever need to talk to someone, I'd like you to know that you can come to me."
-
((Oooh! he would have lots of fun with windows >:D ))
Kelran idly watched Hu manipulate his Encarta, then glanced at his own pitiful computer. Suddenly he noticed that Nichole had left her small mathematical processor. She would be wanting that back...
-
"I want to go home." The words just fell out of her mouth, but she knew, in her heart of hearts, that this was the root of most of her problems. "I want to go home so badly, especially now. Especially when--" she stopped, feeling her voice catch in her chest. She was going to lose it again, and she knew it. She knew that crying wasn't the answer, but it was just so hard for her to express herself that she usually ended up in a fit. She sniffed, trying to blink back tears. "Now that they took my parents." She sat on her bed, which was next to the chair, and wrapped her arms around a pillow. "Oh, God, Emily, I just don't know what to do!" Now the tears were coming full force. "My parents are just like them. The Controllers. States away, Emily!" She made a motion with her hand. "And I've just blown off the only people who can help me even begin to get them back. I mean, what am I going to do, huh? Steal the blue box and go form my own troop of Animorphs? I mean, there's no way I can even begin to try and fly there. First off, how far can a seagul really travel in an hour and a half, huh? And don't even get me started about heights. I mean, it really takes a lot for me just to morph bird! And I hide it from y'all because I apparently can't show any weakness at all. Selectively dependent, that's me. God, I'm so f***ing stupid!" She fell sideways onto the bed and screamed into the pillow.
"Oh, God Emily. What am I suppose to do?" she asked, her face still in the pillow. "Short of smacking Cody right across the face." She snorted at this consept.
((Lol. It's Vista, too. Maybe he can figure out its major malfunction.))
-
"What to do? That's the million dollar question. You don't have to keep your feelings bottled up, or become a ruthless killing machine in order to save the world. But you do need to fight. I won't look down on you for letting your feelings out, and if Cody keeps it up I'll slap him myself. That sound good?"
-
She pulled her head from the pillow and grinned. "I guess that'd work. And thanks. For listening. I needed that release. Of emotions. Emotions. Don't go putting your head in the gutter, now, ya hear?" She sighed, glancing around the room. "You wouldn't happen to see a calculator around here, would you? I need it for tomorrow. And I've got class soon, so either you can stick around and watch me change, or I'm gonna have to kick you out for the day. I'm not saying I'm going to immedietly join back up with Cody. I might be back to my good old self, but that doesn't mean I'm not pissed as hell at Cody anymore. I think I need a few days to decide what I'm doing. Or at least I need him to think I do." She waited for Emily to either decide to leave now or to leave after she was done changing.
-
"Well, I know you had it at Kelran's cave. You did remember to grab it from there, right? I'll go ahead and leave. Probably go see what the others are up to. It's the weekend, so I don't have classes." Emily said as she was leaving.
-
Cole opened her mouth and closed it again. "It's the weekend? Jeeze, no wonder Lynn's not here. God, I'm with it. At least I know I can sleep in on Monday then. Well, I'll go see if Kelran has it. But first, breakfast. I'll see you later, Emily." With that she changed, grabbed her laptop, went to breakfast, and then caught the bus up near Kelran's.
She trudged up towards Kelran's, thanking her lucky stars that she had had the foresight to bring her rolling backpack. When she reached the cave, she sort of knocked. "Kelran?"
-
Kelran was tapping at the crude little keys of Nichole's device when she called, "Yes, come" he said, simply so accustomed to the military phrasing that he couldnt bring himself to say otherwise. "I found your.. erm... crude calculating device by the way."
Kelran passed it back to her, and as he did so his attention shifted to Nichole herself. She seemed like she had been crying recently.
It wasnt something any human, besides one familiar with Nichole, would immediately notice...
But Kelran was incapable of *not* immediately seeing the minute traces of red in her eyes, and the dried and fading traces of tears.
He was simply thankful his feathers and more strongly colored eyes hid his own traces of crying, for he had spent most of the night silently crying to himself. Something he hadnt done since his mother's death.
"You didnt like it. did you."
it was much more a statement than a question.
"The fight. When you went wherever it was you went, you all had to fight. and you didnt like it. did you?"
This time it was more a of question, Kelran's voice was much softer, less judgemental or calculating than it had been since he arrived.
Regardless of how he viewed these humans' flaws, he felt almost a protective instinct for some of them.
Something akin to what an older brother feels for his younger more innocent sister or brother.
It was a feeling almost as alien to Kelran as this world. After all, his own adoptive brother was a companion, not a protectee.
-
She grinned a bit when he said, "Yes, come," her mind going to Star Trek. She took the calculator. "Thanks. You saved my life, figuratively, of course."
She was debating whether she should ask if she could do her work there or if she should just go, when Kelran asked her if she liked the fight. Sort of. She gave him a half smile, remembering her outburst yesterday. "How could you tell?" she asked, her voice a bit sarcastic. Then looking at him, she realized he wasn't being sarcastic or judgemental. "No. I didn't. I-I'm just not cut out for fighting. But I have to." She stopped, trying to keep the tears from rolling again. "Why do you ask?"
-
((Yarin is certainly not posting as often as he used to.))
Cody had gone to Yarin's ship to talk to him, but it seemed he wasn't there. When he left the ship, he ran into Emily.
"Hi Cody...why do you have a roach in your hand?"
"It's part of the plan. I was going to get Yarin to help me, but he isn't around." Cody explained what he was going to do, and asked if she would help him. "I'd like to have someone along for backup. Hu can't morph, Nichole left, and I don't see eye to eye with Kelran right now. He wouldn't want to morph something this small, anyway."
"Don't you think maybe you should focus on keeping the team together. You have a nice side, and we like that side. Yu went on that one mission with Kelran, and weren't clawing each other's eyes out by the end of that. You also got Yarin and Nichole together, and we had a really nice double date. Until Hu and Bened crashed the party, that is."
"Yeah, they really crashed it, all right. I just really don't know how to do that. Are you going to help me, or not?"
"Do I have to morph the bug?"
"Yes."
"...Fine. I'm with you."
-
Kelran sighed, "Because.... war is a reality. A reality my mother hated, but my father and I practically live for.
Ironic then isnt it that those who lived by the sword live still, and those who renounced it are dead."
Kelran placed one claw on Nichole's shoulder, the same way a father does when he is saying something of utomst importance. He was careful to keep from slicing her with his talons.
"I am not many years older than you, but I have fought a war for years.
And those who renounce the sword will not escape it.
It may not mean much to you, your disposition is kind, you hate to see suffering or killing....
But as long as you know you are fighting for what is right... and as long as you know that you can do so within your morals,
then you should fight. and yes kill. with a clean concience. I understand its harder for you. Youve been raised in a world of relative peace. Even in times of peace our culture has always been that of the warrior.
But you can learn. You can learn not to balk at the blood, the sparks, the chaos.
You can learn to fight with a clean concience without becoming desensitized.
You can learn new ways of fighting even, but for the sake of your people, you must also learn the most basic ways."
-
Nichole nodded. She was mildly surprised that her "bubble" of personal space wasn't absolutely throwing a fit because Kelran was standing near enough to lay a claw on her shoulder, but there was something comforting about it. Or maybe it was that he was an alien. "I planned on it. To learn to fight. And, if necessary to kill. I-I have to now. But I don't think I will ever grow to live for it." She paused, grinning a bit. "That didn't sound melodromatic at all...But, and please don't take this the wrong way, because I've already asked you for so many favors, can you teach me? To fight with a clear conscience? Can you teach me the...um..." She snapped her fingers, "basic ways, was it? It's just...it's been years since I've had any formal training in any fighting style, and even then...I was never very good at sparring."
-
"The more often they find us at the pool, the more they'll upgrade their security. If I keep telling you about different entrances, they'll figure out you're getting info from somewhere." Emily said.
"Then we'll use an entrance we've used before." Cody said. They morphed bird and flew off to the destroyed cabin.
<So, how do you know Kelran doesn't like morphing small animals?>
<I wanted him to get the same alien bug morph I had, but he threw a fit about it. So I came up with another plan.>
<You compromised.>
<Yeah, I guess. It's not really something the gang leaders I knew would do.>
<We're not a gang, though, and those leaders aren't the kind of leaders you should look up to anyway. You could learn from leaders like Geirge Washington or Abraham Lincoln.>
<Who are they?>
<Leaders and presidents of our country's past. Better than some stubborn ruthless gang leader. Kelran is a good warrior. I've seen him fight. He can be a great asset if you learn how to get along with him. Compromise more.>
<Asset? What's an asset?>
<A benefit. I think he may fight a kind of war that's different than the one we'll be fighting, but he's brave and strong.>
<He wants to leave, though. And not just because I ticked him off.>
They reached the cabin, and morphed roaches to get through and find the entrance. It was tricky trying to find something with different senses, but they did. Once they made it, they demorphed and remorphed before making the descent.
<I will try to teach you how to compromise and find middle ground. That's what's going to get the team back together. Not being all manly and "telling it like it is".>
<Ok. We should be pretty safe as roaches, right?>
<Hork-Bajir eat bark, and Humans dislike roaches. We should be safe from them as long as we steer clear of them. I do worry about Taxxons, though. They eat anything, and have an excellent sense of smell.>
-
Kelran smiled. "I would be honored to teach you as much as I can while Im here. You dont have to love the war to be able to win it."
He thought for a moment, "I admit, this will also be something of a learning experience for me. Im well versed in many forms of combat, but the more specific aspects of how to fight in different morphs will be... interesting.
Yes, for as long as I am here, then I will teach you all I can"
-
(sorry guys my computer is on the frits i have to use the kocal library computer) Yarin returned to his ship the external sensors had told him that Cody had been there he had spent most of that day perfecting how to be human and he thought he had it down to a science. he went to Kelran's cave to to see if the others were there.
-
"Ok. But first, tell me you get a wireless signal up here. Because I needed my calculator to finish my math homework." She smiled and leaned over, pulling out her laptop from her bag. Through her legs she saw Yarin at the enterance of the cave. "Yarin!" Her face broke out into a grin.
-
Kelran smiled too. "Yarin! perhaps you can help us... Nichole needs.. what did you call it? a wireless signal? Is that anything like a neural-net linkup?"
Nichole proceeded to explain the concept of the internet and viruses and wirless networks. Kelran nodded and in turn told her what a neural-net was. Eseentially a faster internet with more feautres.
"Sounds like you havent developed net-runners yet. Programs that wait at the interlink terminals and kill off malicious programs before they can uplink. And you certainly dont have com-sat planetary signal blanketing. But its not a lost cause, we might still be able to boost the range of your machine's antenna by 2, to 3,000 percent.
Yarin.. What do you know about room temprature superconducting antennae?"
-
Kandrona radiation was being beamed to the pool from a machine in the ceiling. Using roach morphs, Cody and Emily got to the machine, and managed to get inside. There was a kind of casing between the pipes that ran to the machine, and the dirt, which made it simple to crawl through.
<How long has it been?> Emily asked after a while.
<I don't know. I kind of hoped the generator wasn't very far from the pool, but if it takes us more than two hours to crawl through here we're screwed.>
<I swear we are over if you get me stuck as a roach!>
<What other intelligent roaches are you going to get with if we get stuck?>
<Just keep crawling.>
Finally they made it to the end. They crawled out of another machine, and demorphed in a shady spot where they couldn't feel any vibrations.
The room was quite plain, and the only way out was through one door. There was a window in the ceiling, but it didn't open.
"That's probably to let sunlight in to the generator. The generator converts our sun's energy into kandrona radiation, and pumps it to the pool." Emily said quietly.
"We'll need help to get in here with force and destroy something that big."
They remorphed roaches, and left was appeared to be a heavily secured tower, then made for Kelran's cave. When they arrived, they found Nichole and Yarin there as well.
-
((I'm not going to be able to post as frequently as I usually do, unfortunately. My internet really has decided to screw me over. I won't go into details.))
Hu continued to examine Earth plants, figuring that some might have similiarities to his home world's flora, and there by being able to create more of his powders and potions. He knew how to make more of the Devolution Draught . . . but he really didn't want to use it, on himself or others.
When he arrived back at the cave, he discovered that Kelran was speaking to Yarin and the human called Nichole. Hu proceeded to process the plants he collected into experimental powders and potions, unsure if the substitutions would work.
-
"Well," Yarin said to Kelran "I am only versed in the basic mechanics and installation of such a device. My field of study is genetics but I could make it work."
-
"Hey guys." Cody said as he and Emily walked in. "We know where the kandrona generator is. If we destroy it, we could really hurt the Yeerks. We will need some help, though, so does anyone want to come along?"
-
Kelran turned suddenly stony, though not hostile. "Kandrona generator? I don't follow.
Kandrona's are a kind of intensely rare energy produced by type R secondary sequence stars.... theyre very rare, deemed unsuitable for colonization because the radiation causes co-dependancy over generations.... Oh. Dont tell me." He turned to Emily,
"The Yeerks come from a Kandrona star system?"
She nodded.
"That makes them dependant. No wonder they need a generator. But unless they're even more advanced than my people it would be quite a large device.... wouldnt we need some serious fire power to render it inoperable?"
-
"I believe I can help with that. My ship can replicate very powerful weapons." Yarin said. "What weapons do you require? I have small hand held energy weapons and large scale ship based armaments.
-
"So, you think you can boost the signal on this?" Nichole asked Kelran, pointedly ignoring Cody and the conversation. "That'd be great. I just need to connect for a few minutes to finish up my math. Oh, hey Emily. How are you?"
-
"Oh, I'm fine. I just got done running around a piping system as a ****roach." Emily said dryly. "Not a very wondrous second date."
"You, Hu, and Kelran are the only ones that have hands while in battle. My croc and Emily's buffalo can't hold weapons." Cody said to Yarin. "We'll be fighting inside a building with small rooms and narrow halls. I say we go in with light firepower, and once we get to the generator we'll use some kind of explosive to tear it apart."
"Anyone who wants to go, can." Cody said, looking at Nichole and Kelran. "I won't be leading this mission, though. I need as much help as I can get, and acting like I'm the big honcho around here just built up friction. So no more boss. No more orders. We'll have..something else. Um...something like..."
"A democracy? Where the people vote, instead of just obeying one person." Emily said.
"Uh, sure. A demo-thingy. We'll go with that for now."
-
Kelran smiled slightly, acknowledging Codys efforts to rectify his mistakes.
"Cody's suggestion is likely the wisest. In a confined space agility and precision will serve us better than brute force. of course that doesnt mean it should be left out of the equation either.
Speaking of which, you two were there, how big an explosion would we need to not only damage the generator beyond repair, but if possible, make removal of the wreckage and installation of a new one more difficult?
A rough guess will do fine... we just need to know how many iso-krens (one is about half an iso-ton) of charge to push for."
Kelran spent the time he was talking working over a coil of leftover copper wire from his bi-to-trinary converter, and some bits of quartz and excess aluminum from the golf cart roof.
He coiled the copper wire into a triple helix shape, then used his tools to apply delta radiation until it stiffened and turned a faintly luminescent blue. Then he melted the aluminum into a cylinder around it, packed the quartz loosely into the cylinder with the helix of copper-turned-niobium, melted the alumin into a cap, then applied intense gamma radiation to the whole thing until it glowed white hot.
"I really need a water basin for cooling my projects. Well have to wait ten minutes for it to return to room temprature, lets see what kind of connection jacks you have on your computer."
The new antenna only needed to be wired to a conductive part of the computer that produced electricty in order to work. No special drivers software or complex hookups necessary.
Kelran settled on the USB ports since they produced power according to Nichole, and he quickly fahsioned a crude but workable connector.
-
"The machine is about twenty by twenty feet square, with plating two feet thick. I'm guessing if anyone got to it, they wouldn't want to make it easy to wreck it. We will want some explosives that can easily punch through the best Yeerk steel. Since Yarin has fought Yeerks before, I'll let him be the judge of what we'll need to blow it. If we want to take the whole building down to make it harder to set another up, then we'll want to lay some bombs along the inside of the foundation. It won't need to be as powerful as the stuff we use against the generator, but we'll likely need more of them. They will need to be able to break Human steel and condrete, though"
"It would be best if Yarin and Kelran place the bombs, and possibly go in two teams. One goes up and one goes down. Yarin and Kelran will be in separate teams, with Me, Emily, and Hu backing them up."
((Cody doesn't really mean to leave Nichole out. He just thinks she won't want to come because she quit earlier.))
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Kelran nodded. "We also need to use shaped charges if possible for the auxiliary devices. If the building implodes as its underground support explodes the resulting mess will leave even the best Yeerk engineers scratching their mucus for at least a few weeks.
The building will be the trickiest since we want to cause an implosion. I can do an overflight and make some guesses."
Kelran snapped the new antenna into a USB port and 2 dozen wireless signals, about half of them unsecured, appeared.
"Ah. there you go. I dont suppose that computer was very cheap was it? not that I have any human currency at all...."
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"Thanks. It was...kinda expensive, I guess. My parents bought it for my graduation present. Why do you ask?" She looked at the computer, frowning. "I don't like the odds," she said suddenly. "You only have two people to place a bomb and three for back-up. What if it takes both of them to set it up? You should really consider sending at least three in to set up the bomb, especially if one team's going up, while the other's going down. You'll need people to guard whomever's setting up the bomb, and even if it only takes one person, one other person as a guard just isn't enough." She bent over the computer and began typing in the website she needed. "Plus, you guys'll need to provide a distraction to buy them some time, which depending on the distraction will depend on the number of people." She clicked a few times, picking up her calculator. She plugged in a few numbers and frowned, typing in the answer and smiling triumphantly. "Six probably the minimum you'll need."
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"Well, you could come along if you want." Cody said. "That would make two teams of three. We can go check the place out, and should designate a rondevu point for when each team completes their assignment. Under no circumstances, though, are any of us to be seen before we strike. We need surprise."
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Kelran nodded. "I would go so far as to say that if we are somehow detected that we abort immediately no matter what, as for the bombs, a larger charge like the one for the machine usually needs two people to set at optimum speed. For the small charges it will take the setter less tjan 30 pings a charge"
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"Exactly how big of a bomb are y'all talking? I know ants can carry ten times their own weight, but...I don't know if that'll do the job y'all need," she replied, neither affirming nor denying her intentions to go. The statement was again followed by a few clicks on the calculator.
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"We won't be going in as bugs. We'll need to use battle morphs to rush in, do the job, and rush out before reinforcements get there. Actually, maybe someone should go in and do something to make sure they can't call out. We could cut the power to ensure no phone calls, but that won't stop cell phones and possibly not Yeerk transmissions. Maybe if we built a device that could scramble calls and frequencies going out of there."
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Kelran interjected, "Jamming is a very exact science. We need to know everything there is to know about the frequencies and carrier waves employed by any Yeerk or Human communications devices they might be using. Such a device would get exponentially larger, heavier, and more difficult to build with each type of band it has to supress."
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"So you'll need a distraction," Nichole said flatly. More clicks on the calculator, followed by pensive typing. "I've always wanted to pull the fire alarm." She clicked on the "submit" button and stared at the computer.
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"What kind of distraction? One or two of us might go to the pool or something, but that would mean fewer people at the tower. Two teams of three is a safe number, but we don't have a seventh individual. What kind of distraction could we make, that doesn't require any of us to be away from the tower?" Cody said.
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Nichole looked at him, arching an eyebrow. "Are you really that dense? I just told you. Pull the fire alarm. It'll case enough of a panic to take advantage of, which'll buy us a few minutes. At least until the fire department arrives. We just need to make sure that the bomb goes off before then. Plus, that assures us that we have minimal loss of life."
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Kelran raised one 'eyebrow'
"What does Cody's molecular density have to do with his understanding of your roundabout reference to a conflagration-alert system as a viable distraction?"
-
Nichole looked at him, arching an eyebrow. "Are you really that dense? I just told you. Pull the fire alarm. It'll case enough of a panic to take advantage of, which'll buy us a few minutes. At least until the fire department arrives. We just need to make sure that the bomb goes off before then. Plus, that assures us that we have minimal loss of life."
"We want a distraction that will lure people away from the tower, or make them less willing to go there. You want to do something that is sure to bring more people to the place? I didn't know you meant that seriously." Cody said.
"On the other hand, if we blow up the building, the fire department will already be there to make sure any fire doesn't spread to other places. Minimal lives lost, as long as we don't run over any firefighters on our way out." Emily said.
"Okay. Let's go to Yarin's ship and start making bombs."
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"What?" Nichole asked Kelran as she reached to put away her laptop. "Ooh, the dense comment. I wasn't referring to his density. It's a coloquial term meaning thick-headed. Dumb. Not that Cody's necessarily dumb. More that he was being dumb. Make sense?"
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"ah" Kelran nodded.
"Then.." he leaned over and quietly whispered to Nichole, "I would venture that it would be wise of us to assist Yarin in ensuring he does not cause an explosion as he 'starts making bombs' "
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"She's got a thing for aliens." Cody whispered to Emily.
"Apparently, seeing how she gets along with both Yarin and Kelran." Emily whispered back.
"It's only a matter of time before she starts getting friendly with Hu." Cody whispered again. Emily nodded. Giggles ensue.
"Okay." Cody said normally. "Yarin and Kelran can start making bombs. Nichole can help out. I'll see if I can convince Emily to come with me into the building again, to check things out in further detail."
"****roaches again?" Emily said with disgust.
"Yes. Unless you think flies would be more appealing."
"No thanks. I'd rather not handle anymore bugs than I have to."
-
"Makes sense," Cole whispered back. She paused, hearing the giggles. Something told her that she knew what they were talking about. Cody's comment kinda drove it home, but she didn't say anything about it. She just nodded. However, when Cody and Emily spoke about the bombs, she couldn't resist replying, "Ok you two. But I don't want to see you two making any human-****roach babies due to your 'handelings'."
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Kelran rolled his eyes and pointedly diverted the subject. "So Yarin... what kind of explosives have you got?"
((Are we going to have everything go exactly as planned or not?))
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((I don't like it when things "go as planned". Its no fun for me. XD So, I vote no.))
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"It's only a matter of time before she starts getting friendly with Hu." Cody whispered again. Emily nodded. Giggles ensue.
((*Smirks* Hu would be very off-standish on that -- in his mind, he's still married. But it got a giggle or two from me.))
Hu listened to this half-heartedly. He knew innocents could be harmed. He had never been a very violent Smilodite, until he had this weight thrusted upon him. He couldn't help but think about the power Kelran mentioned, and couldn't help but wonder . . . would the large, savage evolutionary ancestors of the Smilodites be powerful enough? It was possible. All one would have to do is get a Smilodite to drink the Devolution Draught. But Hu was uncertain of the permancy of its effects. Or the extent of those effects. Would he be able to keep his mind? Would he lose out to the savage instincts?
Hu realized then that he was so wrapped up in his thoughts he was left alone, and that he neglected to mention the defenses that Bened might have placed on this machine, this Kandrona thing. Wait a minute, Hu thought, Bened wouldn't care if the Yeerks lacked their Kandrona, if he could use it to his advantage. And he would certainly find something to use to his advantage . . .
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((Things don't need to go exactly as planned, though I would like the Kondrona machine to be destroyed. The change with Cody seems to have heppened prematurely, so I'm no longer planning for him to be captured. I will make a post tomorrow.))
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((well the heat of battle does things to people. maybe things go south, and Kelran argues to leave, and Cody says no, so Kelran has Hu MAKE everyone else skitter, and he tries to get Cody to leave.. and they both get captured and have to endure some imprisonment and torture, and the others have to figure out how to save them >:D just an overly long thought)))
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((I wouldn't be opposed to that.))
There were five floors in the tower. The Kondrona was held in a sort of attic space. There was a basement just below the first floor, but it was heavily guarded as well.
<There's probably a Yeerk pool entrance down here that they don't want people seeing any more than the Kondrona generator.> Cody said.
<Yeah. It will be quicker getting to the basement, but there's a direct entrace to the pool complex.>
There wasn't a whole lot of security, but there seemed to be hidden rooms scattered around. Rooms normally blocked off, that could hold Hork-Bajir troops in case of an Andalite attack. There were fire alarms in the hallways.
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((I have no qualms about that, Kelran. Only I think Bened would go out of his way to be the one to do the torturing -- at least to Hu -- because Bened gets off on it. Besides, he knows what would really torment Hu: his wife and children. You know, pretending that they're alive (that the corpses Hu saw were clones) when they really are dead or something like that.))
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((Cody will be surprised that Bened is still alive, since he figured Hu killed him instead of dragging him to Kelran's cave. I haven't decided yet if I'll have Cody try to kill Bened, or just say that the fact that Hu still cares for Bened after all that is really deep. Simply put, I can't decide if I want Cody to admire Hu, or think he's stupid.))
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Yarin was in his ship 'building bombs' as Cody put it, he was working very fast for a Nyac and incredible fast for a Human, his twenty-four fingers and four arms were moving like blurs as he assembled he weapons.
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((Cody will be surprised that Bened is still alive, since he figured Hu killed him instead of dragging him to Kelran's cave. I haven't decided yet if I'll have Cody try to kill Bened, or just say that the fact that Hu still cares for Bened after all that is really deep. Simply put, I can't decide if I want Cody to admire Hu, or think he's stupid.))
((Perhaps Cody could admire Hu at first, then learn of Bened's survival, and come to think of Hu as stupid. Of course, the other way around would work too . . .))
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Cody and Emily went to Yarin's ship to see how the bombs were going.
"You know, I've been thinking about Hu. You can't morph, and with Bened dead Visser Five might try to capture you to complete what Bened was doing for him. I assume he's dead, since I haven't seen him tied up in Kelran's cave or anything. You'll need to be careful. Maybe more than the rest of us." Cody said.
"How are the bombs going, guys?"
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Nichole slid down from where she had perched herself next to Yarin's work. She had been watching him with fascination, shocked at how fast he could move. She had given up the idea of even beginning to help beyond simply handing him tools when he asked for them a while ago. "I honestly have no idea," she replied.
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Hu took his time alone performing the ancient arts of claw fighting ((think Smilodite martial arts)). Hu didn't want to forget. After finishing practicing that, he went over his inventory, hoping he had enough supplies and the Earth plants he had manufactured into similar powders and potions were similar enough to authentic Aruten plants.
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((So is Hu still back at the cave, instead of at Yarin's?))
"I wonder if we could get someone onto the roof of that place without anyone seeing? It would be faster to smash through the skylight than have to fight through the floors to go up." Cody said. "I also believe Yarin should be the one to arm the larger explosives. Since he has more arms, and the larger ones require more effort to place, then it makes sense. That leaves Kelran going to the basement. Which two people should we send with each of them?"
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"Yes, also I am at least four times as strong as your average human." yarin said, as he continued to make the explosives.
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Cole crossed her arms, leaning against the thing she had originally been sitting upon. "I'll cover Yarin," she stated, as if it needed to be said. She raised both eyebrows, as if daring someone to make a comment about it.
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"Yes that would be acceptable" Yarin said, not understanding the connotation in what Nichole said. "I have just finnished the last expolsive what shall I work on next?" he asked
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"It might be best if Cody goes with Yarin too." Emily said. "Hu and I can go with Kelran."
"Okay. We'll need someone to go into the tower and pull the alarm. Most people should start filing out. It might even be good if we could use smoke bombs to help them think there's a fire. While everyone leaves, we can go in and plant the explosives. The timer starts once the alarm is pulled. We'll try to tear the building down before the firemen charge inside." Cody said.
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Kelran nodded. "We need to maintain communications at all times. My comunicator will work with thoughtspeech but its range is more limited than the real thing."
He leaned over one of the small charges.
"What did you put in it?"
-
Hu continued the steps to claw-fighting, but he was rapidly losing interest. He wondered when the mission would come. Wondered if he would be ready. Wondered if Bened would make an appearance. . . .
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(oh I would like to see what would happen if we all accadently got sprayed with hu's de-evolution drought we could all devolve exept for one of us that might be interesting.)
"That is a simple cellular destablizer, it breaks down specific gene patterns destroying them." Yarin said. "This here," he said pointing to a small cylidrical device. "Is a inhabition canceler it causes the higher functions of most sentient brains to seise to function resulting in a state of intoxication. I will be carrying that with me along with my Tovreet," he motioned to the four 12 inch long three pronged daggers hanging on the wall.
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((Oh, man, that would be funny! We should totally do that! I want to devolve, myself.))
"So, that thing makes you drunk? Is this drunken state transfered by touch?" She grinned, realizing that probably no one would recognize the "The Naked Time/Now" reference, but she figured that she'd remedy this situation soon enough...
(( >:D I will turn all of you into Star Trek lovers, mark my word...))
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"I usually stay away from drugs." Cody said, while walking to another part of the room.
"That's good to know." Emily said.
"I'm going to go grab Hu." He said, and left.
He went to Kelran's cave to see Hu exercising, but looking rather bored. "Hey. We're almost ready for the mission. Stock up on supplies, and get geared up. This is going to be the one where we go from being a thorn in their sides, to showing how threatening we really are."
-
((I love, love LOVE Star Trek. We are the Trek, your life as it has been is over. Your characters lives and plots will adapt to service Trek. Resistance is futile. >:D))
Kelran simply gazed awkwarldy at the array of weapons at their disposal. He had qualms about allowing young fledglings to do what they were about to go through with. He had to remind himself forcibly that he was not much older.
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(As am I traycon but you already knew that actually I was thinking of the tng episode genesis when I posted.)
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((You will be assimilated. So, I guess that means you got my reference? Now for the ultimate question: Which one goes with which series?
To Yarin: Hehe. See, my mind went to both of them at almost the same time, since it is the same virus. Just mutated a bit. But Yarin didn't answer Nichole's question. EDIT: Um...Genesis? Which ep was that?))
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(its a 7th season episode where the Enterprise crew de-evolves due to a virus. Troi turns into a phychic frog which i thinknis where ka got the idea for leerans from lol and no its not contagious by touch the bomb explodes with a mortom of ice and techila lol.)
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((OH! That one! Ok. Sorry, my mind was still on TNT/N. But I remember that one. With Spot, the iguana. Lol.))
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(yeah that was a good one we should definatly have something like that happen to us)
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Once Cody returned, they all went to a place near the tower.
"Okay, we need to decide where to meet up after the fighting is over. We also need to decide if we want Yarin's group to get onto the roof before we start, or just begin on the ground and work their way up. Kelran, Yarin, and Hu have beam weapons, while the rest of us will do what we can with our morphs."
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((Sorry I didn't post soon. I had a surprise visit from my favorite sister and my favorite (okay, my only) neice. Smilodites have distain for beam weapons, going so far as eschewing them from their entire culture. As for the devolution thing, devolution is confirmed in Smilodites. Who knows? In other species, they might get boils in sensitive areas . . .))
Hu accepted the weapon Cody gave him, albeit reluctantly. He found such a weapon distasteful. What could be better then going claw-to-claw? He also decided that he wouldn't take the Devolution Draught unless absolutely necessary. He was unsure that he could control himself as a Gigantofatalismilodon, as the evolutionary ancestors of Smilodites were called. He resigned himself to the worst, but swore to himself not to use it if the situation did not necessitate it. His ears were folded flat against his head as a sign of his apprehension and anxiety.
He flipped his cloaks hood over his head. He was prepared to use his invisibility, if need be.
-
Nichole crossed her arms, watching Hu accept the weapon from Cody. She also noted his ears. They were flat against his head, kind of like what her cats did when they were mad. She walked over to him. "Can I see that for a second?" She smiled and held out her hand for the weapon. "I just wanna see how heavy it is." A little known fact about her was that she was actually fairly decent with a .22.
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Kelran hefted his own disruptor... a large heavy highly lethal and intensely accurate pistol weapon... with a very very limited range.
He preferred his sword for close quarters or heavy combat. It could deflect energy and projectile weapons fire, something his own pistol certainly wouldnt do.
((Im going to be out of town for the next week so the posts may be very sporadic... I think you guys know enough to RP Kelran for me if you need to. ;) ))
EDIT turns out we DO have internet ;D
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((Glad to hear, Kelran.))
As Kelran hefted the large object which was obviously a weapon, Hu fiddled with his cloaked casp and faded from view. Hu realized in hindsight that he should have warned the others that he was doing this. He had to tell them that he hadn't run out on them and he was still there, but invisible.
Hu fingered the Devolution Draught within his satchel nervously. Only in case of an emergency. Hu told himself again.
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"Does that cloak of yours make you slightly deaf?" Nichole asked Hu, raising her eyebrows. The tone of her voice was a bit sarcastic. "I was wondering if I could see that for a second." She motioned at the weapon.
-
((Traycon, I thought Hu already gave the weapon to -- oh well, moving on.))
"You have it," Hu said, voice appearing to come from nowhere. "As I do not."
Apparently, the miscommunication had ended up with the vile weapon, as Hu thought of it, on the ground. Hu felt a little ashamed of this assumption of this as Nichole picked up and seemed to be examining it with a rather relaxed ease. Hu still had his claws sheathed because of his apprehension, but naturally they couldn't see this.
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((*Frowns* Erm...I didn't read you giving it to me, and I only asked for it...Sorry for the miscommunication, though.))
Nichole turned away from everyone and looked down the sites calmly. It felt about as heavy, in her opinion, as the .22 her father had. "Does anyone care if I find out how much of a kick-back this baby has?" she asked with a bit of a smile. Her right eye was already sliding shut as she took aim at a spot on the wall. Granted, she wasn't stupid enough to fire in the cave, but still.
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Kelran chuckled. "Apparently someone needs no tutoring from me in shooting skills. You have excellent form... dont point it at that plasma conduit."
Nichole was aiming at a section of bulkhead containing a plasma line.... the explosion would not have been pretty had she fired.
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Yarin turned to Kelran "Have you got your sword with you? I need to practice with my Tovreet."
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Kelran nodded, "I think its easier to count the times I dont have it than the times I do. Careful, its no small or light thing..."
He unsheathed the massive object. It was doubltful that any human could even heft it efficiently considering it weighed the equivalent of 35 pounds.
-
"Oh, sorry," she said with a bit of a smile. "I'm going to go take this outside for a second. I want to get a few shots off, see how it works, ect." She lowered it towards the ground, sort of at an angle, careful to keep her trigger finger on the side of the weapon. "Back in a sec."
Walking outside, she took a deep breath. It had been getting just a bit crowded in there. She prepped her stance, remembering with a smile shooting at the gun range with him. And now...would he still do it? She clenched the beam tightly. The Yeerk in his head would probably continue to practice, to get better with this new weapon. Well, with practice she could get just as good as he was.
"Clear your mind," she mumbled to herself. She fired off a shot. The kickback wasn't too bad. Somewhere between a .22 and a 9 mm. She adjusted the weapon and went to aim at...the charred hole in the tree she had aimed at. That wasn't good.
She looked at the weapon, moving so that it was still facing the tree, while she stood beside it. Then she noticed the power level. She moved it down a bit and took aim at another tree. She squeezed the trigger and found that there was less power in the shot, but it still left a burn.
After about five minutes and 10 shots, she stopped, satisfied. Then she fired off another 10 shots on level 4 before heading back in. "Probably want to keep these somewhere between one and four," she said. "They seem to cause the least amount of damage."
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Yarin unleashed his tovreet, the foot long 3 pronged daggers gleamed in the dim cave light. "Okay let us begin" Yarin said as he advanced.
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"Okay. Yarin, Nichole, and I will morph bird and fly to the roof so we can bust in from down there. I'll morph roach and pull the alarm, which will be Kelran's team's cue to advance. Once we set off Yarin's charges, we'll make our way out and Kelran can set off his charges."
Cody began morphing golden eagle.
-
Kelran smiled, "You know this isnt fair to either of us, these weapons are unsuited for direct combat"
he slung a probing glacing blow anyways.
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<We want the beams so we have ranged attacks. We know the Yeerks will be firing beam weapons, or Human firearms, so it would be good to have them. This is a big, important mission. If we fail, we may never get another shot at it.> Cody said.
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"Yes this is true." Yarin said as he parried with his lower arms and struck a blow on Kelran with his upper arms.
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Kelran smoothly flipped behind Yarin allowing his blow to pass right over the tips of his folded wings, turned, and waited for Yarin to come again. "Leave the heavier fire to me, if you make a single mis-step in a heavy fire-fight youll get shot. You get shot on level 8 which is what they tend to use if I read their indicators right, then youll be reduced to component atoms. Painfully."
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"Which explains why you're missing a few trees." She smiled, watching the two fight with fascination. It was almost like an improvised dance. Finally she scooted around them, giving them a wide berth, and handed the beam back to Hu. "Like I said, keep it around Level 4. It seems to do enough damage without actually killing anyone. Anything above will cause bodily injury." She watched them fight for a few more seconds before asking, "So, we gonna leave soon, or are you boys gonna keep fighting? Not that I'm particularly opposed to it, I just think Cody's looking to go."
-
(So is it confermed are we going to do the de-evolution thing later? and is jmnar4 still in the part of this?)
"I have practiced enough now if someone will kindly remind me of what i am suposed to do we can get on our way." yarin said his skin turning white to cool himself off
-
Hu hesistantly thanked Nichole -- who accidentally hit his nose while handing him the weapon. But Hu, naturally, didn't make a big production of it. He was invisible, after all.
Hu swore to himself not to use the weapon, preferring his claws and his satchel. He knew that he could use the Cryos Crystals to freeze the floor, make it slick. He knew he had plenty of vine bolas, Vanishing Powder, Disorientation Dust. . . . But he couldn't help but feel unease, knowing that Bened probably would be there.
Was he a Controller? Or was Smilodite physiology so alien that their brains couldn't accomadate the Yeerk or something? Hu knew none of the answers to these questions. He remembered the Devolution Draught. And what his master told him about it. . . .
"Remember, Hu, my son," he had said, "this potion is probably the most volatile of all. Its danger doesn't lay in its production, but its consumption. Devolving is a nasty process. It is important to remember that you must force your mind to remain present. Control the savage instincts, do not allow them to consume you. Many a Smilodite thought they could handle this, and, as a result, become quite literally monsters to themselves and others. Its permancy is varible, but it does rely on emotional triggers or stress. But take heed of this warning, my student, the effects are known to be long-termed, so don't take it lightly. . . ."
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(this story is really getting good so what's next?)
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<We need to get to the roof, so you can get in and plant the boms. How could you forget. Now let's get moving!> Cody said as he went to a bomb. Emily tied it to his back with some string, so he could fly it up without it being conspicuous.
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"It is easy to forget when you are a level two telepath I have to constantly filter out excess thoughts to avoid a mental breakdown, it is a drain on my cognative abilities so forgive me if I occasionly forget things" Yarin said.
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<Sorry. I'm getting a bit edgy.> Cody said, and took off. He flew high about the tower, and landed down. He found a good place to lay the bomb down, and undid the string. Then he made his way back for another trip.
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"You need any help?" Nichole asked Cody. As fun as watching the two fight, she was growing a bit bored and had begun contemplating a crack in the wall.
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(oh i just had an idea i remember reading this in a fanfiction where marco got all anti social after being infected with an andalite disease what if Yarin got infected by a common earth disease and got his personality changed temporaraly.)
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(YAY for the anti-social extra-terrestrials anonymous help group! :D )
Kelran was even edgier than Cody. Standing within view of the tower made him eager to attack.
But he had never given into the weakness of a false start before and he wasnt about to blow their cover now.
Rip someones head off if they scared him or rubbed his feathers wrong? that was a different story.
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<You and Yarin need to morph birds. Possibly help with bomb carrying, if you're strong enough.> Cody said to Nichole. <When we're in, either you or I will set off the fire alarm while the other guards Yarin. Yarin will be the one to plant the bombs. We set off the alarm, and after everyone files out we set off the bombs. Kelran's team will head for the basement, through the opposite entrance from where everyone else goes.>
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"I'll pu--Gafsdsak." She finished morphing before replying, <Sorry. I'll pull the alarm. But I don't know how strong this seagul is. I might not be much help in retrospect.>
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(oh i just had another idea but we need to do the deevolving thing in order for it to work i was thinking that after Yarin re-evolves back a side affect could be a temporary personality change)
"I will carry the larger expolsives however to do that I will need a morph bigger than a falcon." Yarin said and with that he began to morph the Varkas. "Do not worry I will not be detected i will fly in the upper troposphere."
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Once all the bombs were on the roof, they had some final moments before they started. "Ok. Once we bust this skylight and drop down, we need to move quickly. I'm a little wirrued about dropping down in croc morph, on top of broken glass. I may jump down as Human, and morph after I land. we need to get nichole to the fire alarm with as few morphs as possible, since morphing wears her out faster than the rest of us. Yarin, you'll be the one to break us in." Cody said.
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<It should be easy enough to do in this morph without sustaining injury, the window is simply heated silica correct, I assume you have not developed force field technology yet.> Yarin said as he flew up to get a better diving range
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"We don't have force field technology, and I didn't notice anything the Yeerks may have put in. Go for it."
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Yarin flew up and screeched, diving and aimed for the window he hit it hard enough to smash it and tumble to a landing below. <I am in.> he said. <I do not see any humans in the immediate vicinity, I am going to demorph.>
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Kelran wordlessly vaulted over the edge of the broken apreture and landed on all fours beside Yarin, he drew his disruptor and established a line of cover for him, alert to any sighn that they had been detected...
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"What the **** are you doing here!?" Cody said under his breath after he landed. "You aren't supposed to try getting to the basement from the roof. You're supposed to wait. I thought I explained that perfectly outside!"
"Nichole, fly down as a gull and demorph. You may want to morph Lynn to pull the alarm. Morphing another Human shouldn't wear you out as much as morphing another species. Then get back here in case any Horks show up. Yarin, start planting those bombs."
He began morphing croc and shifting the debris towards the walls as he heard footsteps coming.
((What the heck are you doing, Kelran? Don't tell me you were confused about what to do? I decided to have Cody say a cuss word, but didn't want to actually type it out. So just insert four letter word of your choice.))
Emily's POV:
"Hey Hu. Where's Kelran?"
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Yarin placed the ordinary explosives in the designated locations on his person he carried,his Tovreet a few cellular destablizers, some inhabition canceler, and a couple nano-binding polymer bombs to get them out of sticky situations
-
((no, but I simply couldnt let Cody think things would actually go as he planned :D After all we did say we wanted to slow down their reconcilliaton.... just assume Kelran explained all this to Hu shortly before this.... ))
"Things arent going as simply as planned. There's a forcefield down there over the entry apreture, and we cant sacrifice our ordinance to forcibly open it."
He drew his sword in his other claw,
"We need to find an internal power relay and cut it so Hu and Emily can get in, Ill simply fight my way from the access port down to the entry and we will plant the charges as planned. Don't panic."
((It makes perfect sense that they would guard the entry points closer to the deivce... theres probably also a forcefield checkpoint inside the building hence why the skylight was reletively unguarded. this also gives Cody a nice opportunity to blame Kelran for the snafu even though its both their faults in the end.))
-
((I've been thinking of having there be more fristion between those two, but somewhere during the fight Kelran gets in big trouble. He's really close to being killed, but Cody reflexively jumps between Kelran and the enmy. This wounds him, and leads to his capture. Even after angry words are said, Cody does this without thinking. Showing that subconsiously Cody is more worried for Kelran than angry at him.))
Human controllers came bursting into the room, and were swatted aside by Cody in croc morph.
"No! Not the generator! Stay away from that!" One said as he flattened himself against the wall.
<Fine. We're aborting the second part of the plan. Just blow the generator and let's bail.> Cody said while knocking out the two controllers. <Nichole, just stay put on the roof. Keep that part secure so we can exit out of there when we're done.>
((Kelran should disagree with this, of course. It was his idea to destroy the tower in the first place.
-
((I'd like Bened to show up in a rather Azula fashion -- er, that's an Avatar reference, if anyone's unfamiliar with the series. . . . Anyway, I think he'd take delight in all the chaos that's bound to ensue.))
"Actually, Emily, I'm over here." Hu said, as Emily was talking to air to his right. Hu deactivated his invisibility momentarily, and replied. "To answer your question, Kelran's decided to go with Cody and 'em. He mentioned a lot of technical jargon unfamiliar to me."
Hu decided that he had to say something. His tone was dark and foreboding. "Emily, I'm sure that Bened will be here. His allies will be too. If things get desperate -- if I have to take . . . just -- if I get out of control, you and the others must stop me. By whatever means."
((I intend for Hu to have full control -- but not without effort -- of his newer form if he ever devolves. Of course, then he would be a Smilodite version of the Hulk. . . .))
-
Emily's POV:
"Oh, really? I kind of thought you...not that I have a problem with that, but I figured we wouldn't be seeing Bened anymore. That could be problematic. Not as problematic as Kelran being with Cody. I was hoping we could keep those two on separate teams. So what are we supposed to do? Our job was to cover Kelran so he could plant the explosives, and we can't do that by ourselves."
"Kelran has been a bit reckless. Surely his superior officers on his homeworld didn't encourage behavior like that."
-
"True. But we don't really know much about Gryphon military to make such an assumption. At least, I don't. And I can't fly -- I know of no powder or potion to enable me to do such either. And I can't morph. So, we're pretty much at the other's mercy at the moment." Hu said.
Then he glanced up the building. "I could possibly climb up there using my claws, but we're suppose to be discreet. It would be glaringly obvious that I had been here if I do that. The holes."
Hu didn't mention that's how his great-grandfather lost a fang, climbing a cliff on a bet, earning him the derisive nickname of "Old Half-Tooth".
-
"I'd be tempted to give Kelran a talking to, but I won't be standing around watching him waving that sword around. I'm not like Cody. My nerves are more like bricks than steel."
"Maybe if I morph a bird, you could use the invisibility cloak to get us close to the buildings."
-
"Possibly," Hu said slowly, aware of potential disaster. But then he heard an irritating sound, like claws scraping against . . .
"Emily, get out of sight!"
-
Emily ran behind a door inside the building, and hunkered down. They had stayed in one place too long. Things were falling apart. What could she do? Morph? What if she was seen mid-morph. What if she was seen at all in her normal form? She wouldn't go back to that. She couldn't go back to that! She didn't make a sound. She barely even breathed.
-
((sounds good, and Kelran can sacrifice himself for Cody during their simultaneous capture, since the Visser would be more eager for the stuff about technology in Kelran's head, and Kelran has a biological stopgap that means his infestation can only be voluntary. So he would allow himself to be infested ont he condition that cody isnt and then fight with this yeerk for control of his head playing a game of keep away with his body control and memories.... that would prove that Kelran truly cares for what happens to the animorphs and humanity. that and its the only way I can see to keep visser five from infesting cody or having checkmate information))
Unbeknownst to Emily and Cody a certain level of recklesness and daring-do was forcibly taught to Gryphons in the military, though it didnt take much doing considering their nature. Gryphons were expected to question their officers orders to a certain appropriate extent and take intiative even when the risk was great.
Having never fought guerilla type wars extensively this system was quite an asset to them.
But in an environment like this.. Kelran couldnt know it would lead to disaster.
Kelran stabbed a Controller non-fattally through the shoulder, then dented a Hork Bajirs head with the return swing from the butt of the sword. He fired off three quick shots and screeched, "No! Emily and Hu are going to be expecting that field to come down, and if we dont remove the building then they will simply ship in a new generator!"
He threw himself into a dive roll, towards the door to the lower level came up and slammed his wings into two human controllers.
He was so upset, that he lost control. he didnt see the Hork Bajir raising a Dracon to the back of his head.
-
<That assumed they would even return a generator to this place at all!> Cody yelled as he bowled over another Hork-Bajir.
Cody saw the Hork-Bajir raise a dracon beam to the back of Kelran's head. In his head, he wondered if it was best to just let Kelran fall, but he found his body moving of its own will. He pushed forcibly against the wall with his tail, which catapulted himself at the Hork-Bajir. He was going to bit its arm clean off, but he pulled back.
TSSEEEWW!!
Cody crumpled to the ground, and two more Hork-Bajir jumped on top of him. They threw a heavy tarp over him to bind him, and yanked him down the hall. He couldn't see or move, but the dracon beam had sliced his upper and lower jaws clean off. He couldn't breath, and as his consciousness began to fade he forced himself to begin demorphing.
-
((this is getting very good >:D))
Kelran was stunned by Cody's sacrifice, but not nearly as stunned as by what he found himself doing.
"NOOOO!!!!!" he screamed, it was more of an eagle like screech than a real word.
Some part of him knew. Knew what awaited Cody, knew that he was an honorable human. Knew that he was integral to the future of a very race. Knew the right thing to do.
He snatched up a dracon twisted it to full power and vaporized one hork-bajir.
He then leapt on the other and cut it to bloody shreds.
But by then it was simply too late. Cody was unconcious and demorphing, and despite his superior physical assets, Kelran was now surrounded by hundreds of human and hork-bajir controllers.
He tried his best... but in the end, a smart and opportunistic human controller shot him twice on full stun, and he blacked out...
-
"About time, big brother," Bened said, leaping down from the wall as if it was a normal day excursion. Which it probably was. "I was wondering when you'd show up. They were aware of the potential attack on this building."
"So, it's another fight you want, is it?" Hu said, trying not to betray Emily's presence to Bened. "Another stalemate?"
"No," Bened answered, leveling up a beam weapon called a Dracon Beam to Hu. "This time, I'll deliver you these Yeerks. They've agreed to allow me to do -- literally anything -- to you."
Hu noticed where Bened was aiming. "Have you no honor, Bened? You use one of those overly-flashy weapons instead of going claw-to-claw?! Have you no decency! You betray everything Aruten stood for!"
"So?" he said remorselessly in a careless way.
Has she morphed yet? Hu wondered. Was she captured? I cannot let that young one go the way of Lilas!
"RrrrrrrrrOOOOOOOWWW WWWWrrrrrrrrr!!"
"Tsssew."
((Okay, Hu is captured. How about Emily retrieving the cloak that will be left behind? The satchel is very much like a mokeskin bag from Potter, in that only Hu can open it and pull out its contents. Oh, and Smilodites potentially can die when a Yeerk tries to infest them from their basic physiology.))
-
((so my guess is that this is what happens... Visser 5, Hu, and Kelran strike a deal. If Kelran submits to infestation, and Hu submits to torture, they wont allow Bened to kill Hu or over-permanently damage him, and they wont infest cody.
What the Visser's thinking is, is that after Kelran is totally infested they can fully torture and kill Hu, and infest Cody anyways.
What they didnt count on is Kelran's neuro-physiology, which gives him a vastly increased line of internal defense.
So what they plan to do is keep switching his Yeerk in shifts near the end of each three day limit until his control is broken. But right near the end of the three days, the others show to save the day, and the Yeerk dies of starvation in the battle, and Hu carrys unconcious Kelran outta there.
This lets us have great torture scenes between Hu and Bened, and great moments between a Kelran whos phasing in and out of partial infestation, and Cody whos really p'oed. and Hu gets to save Kelran wich strengthens their friendship. Good? :)
EDIT I also have an explanation for why his infestation must be voluntary. When he flattens his ears a certain way it brings a thick piece of bone down inside his ear canal. Ordinarily the Yeerks would drill through it, but because of its density if you applied enough force to do so, you would shatter his whole braincase and kill him ))
-
Cody's POV:
Cody was jarred back to consciousness when he was dropped into some sort of container. He managed to peak out of the tarp to see nothing but darkness. Could the Yeerks see in, or were they as blind to the inside as he was to the outside. Stupid Kelran. He thought. All his fault.
He got out of the tarp by morphing ****roach, then demorphed and remorphed the croc. Soon he heard footsteps, and part of the darkness gave way to light. On the other side of a force field stood the Chief of Police. His interrogator.
Emily's POV: Emily flew out from behind the door in her small bird morph, after Bened had come. He had stunned and kidnapped Hu. She grabbed Hu's satchel and cloak, and put them in a hiding place. Then she flew up to the tower to warn the others.
<Cody! Cody! Bened is still alive, and he took Hu. What are we going to do?>
She noticed there had been a battle, and Kelran was injured. She couldn't see Cody. Judging from her friends faces, she feared the worst.
<No. Please no! where's Cody? Kelran! Why!? You were supposed to wait. You were supposed to be there, for us!> She flew erratically around the room. If she were Human in that instant, she would have cried. Her cried fell on deaf ears upon the stunned Gryphon.
-
((Yeah, Kelran. :happy34: Sounds good to me. Possibly Hu, feeling weak and frail, takes the Devolution Draught to become a Gigantofatalismilodon and wreak havoc until he gets control. And shrinks down to Hu's version of Bruce Banner. ;)))
-
((Sweet! ;D))
Kelran began to stir... he opened one eye in time to see Emily and hear the tail end of her cries.
He rasped "Go. out. now. find.... yarin..."
Words that Emily heard.
Words that the Hork Bajir who again stunned him and 'handcuffed' him did not hear.
***********
Kelran's world slowly began to come into focus. He was dimly aware that he was lying on a cold flat surface... stone or something of the like.
There was a faint tingle in the spicules of his feathers... a forcefield nearby....
And the dim hum of voices...
Then there was light. and his eyes snapped open.
He was apparenlty inside a cell, contained by a forcefield inside a circular room. The cell was one of several that lead off the room, and a hallway and some sort of office also seemed to be attached to the chamber.
Then he noticed his cellmates. Across from him a man stood infront of another active cell, and to the left in the only other active cell was a heap of Smilodite. Apparently Hu. Which meant the other prisoner was Cody. Assuming the others had escaped.
Kelran groaned. his head still rang and throbbed from the triple stun he had recieved and he was cut and bleeding in a dozen small spots.
And thirsty. so thirsty.
-
"Get up! Hu, get up!"
"Too tired . . ."
"Listen to me, my son, you must rise! Continue to lie down like this, and you will be truly dead!"
"Too . . . much . . ."
"My son, you must do the right thing! Acceptance of death at this point would be easy and dishonorable! Do not take the easy way out!"
"No, please."
"Hu, you must help the humans. It is your duty now. You must hang on to your inner strength -- you're stronger than even you know. But you . . . MUST . . . GET . . . UP!!"
Hu stirred. His vision was blurred. Suddenly he felt energy manicles grasp his wrists, ankles, neck and tail. He was pulled, spread-eagle, to the wall. When his vision cleared he saw Kelran on his right, and the gloating, sneering face of his little brother.
"Not yet, you obstinate feline!" a human voice cracked. "Wait for the Visser."
Hu saw disappointment on his brother's face, mixed with fury.
-
Kelran forced himself to all fours at the sound of the other, previously un-noticed controller.
Then he saw Bened.
Then the comment about the Visser sunk in.
"Oh. Skirlcht. (extreemly nasty word in old Gryphic) I swear... if we get out.. Im not showing you scum any more mercy...."
-
Emily's POV:
Emily found Yarin finishing setting the explosives, and Nichole nearby. <They're captured! Cody and Kelran are Captured! Hu too!> She yelled as she began demorphing. She was going to go buffalo and break them out. Also, break anything and anyone who stood in her way! <Make sure you blow the charges. We can at least do what we came here to do.>
Cody's POV:
Cody hadn't noticed Kelran.
"So, Andalite survivor. You think to ally yourself with other alien lifeforms and defeat us? How did you find our Kondrona generator? How many of you are there?"
<You'll get nothing out of me. You can't infest me in this morph, either. This crocodile has flaps to prevent water from getting into its ears, and it will keep Yeerks out too.>
"You are not a threat to us. We have but to take a few small precautions, and any effort you make will be futile." He said as he grabbed some sort of handheld device. When he pressed the button, the force field began to shrink. It pressed down on him, so he was no longer able to stand on his short legs. "We already have three of your kind. Soon we will have you all, dead or alive."
-
((dont forget we need to end up stuck for three days.... which also ensures that Cody demorphs to set all this in motion.
Though to keep them from learning his secret he can demorph and morph human at a lag point when the guards are changing. Then claim to have demorphed and remorphed.))
-
The force field began crunching Cody's spine, and prevented him from breathing. He groaned in pain as his bones began to snap.
After a few minutes, A guard came in and announced that the Visser was on his way. The Chief, Bened, and Hork-Bajir were called into another room to report. Luckily, the Chief extended the field slightly to prevent Cody from being killed. After they were gone, he demorphed.
Soon the Visser strode in and took a look at everyone. <Attempting to hide your identity behind a Human face, are you Andalite? Trying to protect your brethren out there in deep space? I've told you before that resistance is futile. The only thing your morphing will do is exaust you, which works better for me than you.>
-
Hu couldn't move an inch, but still his limbs -- even his tail -- felt heavy and full of metal. He couldn't put up a descent fight in this condition. And he was without his cloak and satchel . . . but wait a moment! Bened was clutching something greedily. It was Hu's satchel! But Hu told Emily to take it away!
But he didn't have the cloake -- Emily must have activated the invisibility mechanism on it. It was unfortunate that Bened had the satchel, but he would not be able to open it.
((I was thinking that Bened, inbetween bouts of torturing Hu, could try to get into the satchel -- which is important to have it there, because the Devolution Draught was in there. Or it could be a fake satchel . . .))
Hu saw the Visser. "Perhaps you would release me and show me how brave you are, parasite! Or better yet, how well you bleed!"
-
Kelran snorted. "Better to die fighting than live infested. And identity is the most precious thing a person has. Fool."
He stared at the Visser, trying to discern whether he was rock or liquid or skin or cartilage or some combination thereof...
and trying to size up his mind... his psychology...
He was failing miserably. How could a blob have no body language?
Kelran turned to Hu, "I dont think he can bleed. He has no blood, and no spine. No honor and no courage." Kelran spat, the saliva sizzling into the forcefield.
-
((You guys are really making this addictive! ;D))
"I vaguely aware of that, Kelran, but I couldn't think of a better insult." Hu said, glaring at the being known as Visser 5. But a vicious smile plastered his face as he snarled, "But everyone knows that parasites are the lowest forms of life."
-
<Lowest forms of life, are we? Then what makes the tools? Less than Life? Yes, objects should be seen and not heard, tool.> Visser Five said nonchalantly. <Who is the leader among you? Or do the new allies not serve well under Andalite commands? Is it you?> He gestured to Cody. <Take this new tool to its new master.>
The force field went down, and two Hork-Bajir grabbed Cody roughly. He lashed out, but it did little against the tough Hork-Bajir hide.
-
Hu thrashed against his restraints, for all the good it did. He couldn't move. Bened, of course, would have designed this device himself.
"Let him go. Take me instead!"
The visser laughed, and told Hu that he knows that infestation is potentially lethal for Smilodites. And a dead host is really of no use to them. Hu let out a Smilodite curse which sounded like a mere hiss to those not versed in the language.
-
(ok im all caught up should Yarin try to save you guys? and where are nichole and Jason?)
-
((Jason is gone. I kind of forgot to retake control of his character, so he's been out of the story for some time. Unless Jmnar4 comes back, consider jason nonexistant. Michole is with Yarin, and they should definitely try to save the others.))
-
(Does Emily know where they are? how heavily guarded are they?)
-
Kelran fought down a massive heave of panic, and plastered a false half smile to his face.
"Visser.. Are you not forgetting something?"
The visser tunred to him, "Now that I have your attention. How do you suppose I got here? You've never seen anything like my kind before. No Yeerk or host a yeerk has had in all of history ever has. Imagine what sort of technologies I used to get here. To obliterate my damaged ship. To destroy your new toy at the observatory so easily."
It was a long, long, long shot, but Kelran was counting on the Visser's one defning trait that he had seen. A Greed for knowledge.
-
((Emily doesn't know where they are exactly, but it's inside the tower. All she knows is that they are a few floors down at least, and there are several Hork-Bajir at least.))
<Put the Andalite back in its cage, and grab the the Lion Eagle thing. We can use him to expand to his world and take it. Unfortunately, it seems the Smilodites will go the way of the Arn: target practice.>
"It looks like a Gryphon from Earth mythology." The Chief said.
<Duly noted. Perhaps they've been here before. Stay with the Andalite and pump it for information some more. Bened, you may gather information from the other Smilodite. Do not kill it until I return.>
Visser Five and four Horks left with Kelran. Cody wasn't much more happy about this than being infested himself. Once either of them were taken, it could well be over. He wondered where Emily, Yarin, and Nichole were. He wanted to ask Hu, but since they had all been taken to the same place he hoped she hadn't been captured.
-
After Emily told Yarin where Visser Five had taken Hu, Cody, and Kelran, Yarin found Nichole she was in a corner unconsious he woke her up. "Nichole, Hu, Cody, and Kelran have been captured we need to save them."
-
Cody and Hu were now alone, with the Chief and Bened. The torture had not quite begun.
"So, tell me why that guy is still alive? He betrayed you, and killed your family, and you let him go? I don't know whether to admire that fact that you can feel that deeply for someone, or just call you retardely stupid for not ending his life painfully. Given my current mood, I'm leaning towards the second option."
Surprisingly to Cody, he felt worried about Kelran. He didn't really want to admit it at the moment, though, in case the feeling went away. Which is likely would. He was also worried about their secrets, that the Yeerks would likely find. Lastly, he wondered why Kelran wanted them to take him instead. Did he think he was stronger than cody? Maybe he was, but Cody remembered him implying it a week ago when he was at Kelran's ship. The nerve of that guy.
((What if Bened starts to like Cody after hearing him talk? And starts tempting Cody to join him. Not so much the Yeerks, but him in particular.))
-
The Hork Bajir, 12 in all, dragged Kelran at dracon point to a much much larger chamber.
They then strapped him down onto a cold metal table, and proceeded with the infestation.
As the Hork Bajir contuned to stand guard, since Kelran was psossibly strong enough to break the table restraints, a human controller came along side Kelran's head with a vile slug-like being in a oair of tweezers.
Kelran flattened his ears.
The fustrated controller grabbed a fistfull of Gryphon ear and yanked up to find...
A bony plate covering the ear canal.
((Ill let you gents run the Visser and well have a lovely little repartee here...))
-
Visser Five came over to see what the problem was, and saw the piece of bone in the way. After looking at it curiously for a few moments, he reached over and grabbed Kelran's head. Using his Calveroid's ability, he managed to get between the bone and force it back. This allowed the Yeerk to slide through and past the bone.
<We may have to have a discussion with our surgeons about having that removed, or having some muscles cut that control the flap.>
-
((ok so everyone is infested for the rest of their lives. checkmate. bye bye. or....))
But the visser didnt see the second barrier.
The Yeerk came sliding and oozing back out just as quickly as it had gone in.
Kelran smiled.
"Something you should know Visser. A species evolved for intense combat, often has hidden defensive traits.
These plates are specifically for defending the brain by stabilizing the bone structure during severe head trauma, their ability to stop entry into the head cavity via the ear is merely a fortunate sideaffect.
Even if you manage to open the first one again, Ill simply slice off your appendage with the other, and we could go at this for days."
The Visser motioned to another human controller who came over with what looked like some sort of cutting tool.
But just as Kelran expected to hear the whine of the tool followed by a snap, crunch, and instant death, the surgeon stopped.
He removed what Cody would have said looked like a Tricorder from Star Trek and began waving it over the outermost plate.
"Visser... erm... We.. ah.. we cant. cut. the plate. The bone mass is so dense and its braced against the brain case, its probably like he says, a defensive bracing mechanism. But we can't cut through it without shattering his braincase. The power-to-cutting ration confined in such a small space and applied to such a large structure of bone... " the surgeon stammered into terrified silence.
The Visser was not happy.
Kelran smirked, "So you can kill me and loose acces to the my technical knowledge, a prime host body, better than your own I daresay, and the co-ordinates of my home sectors and a vast supply of such bodies and resources... or.... we could make... a deal."
-
<Fine.> He said to the Human controller. <Return to Yeerk to a liquid container, then dismiss yourself.>
<I'm even more interested now. What is it that you would like me to do in order for you to give yourself freely to us?> He said to Kelran.
-
Kelran sighed, "I thought you might be interested in that. I will allow you to implant the Yeerk...
As long as I retain some control of myself you will neither permanently harm, kill, or infest either Cody or Hu.
If you do, I will kill myself, and with me all the knowledge you seek.
What do you say? are you confident enough in your comrade? that he will suceede in wresting control from me evenetually?"
The Visser had one more question, <but why? surely you know you won't last more than a moment...>
Kelran smiled, "Dont be too sure. If you knew anything of us Gryphons, you'd know that we will take any chance to fight. Especially where saving our comrades is involved. Are we in agreement?"
-
<Very well. Guards, bring the captives here.>
The Horks quickly went to the holding cells, and brought Cody and Hu. The Chief and Bened also came along, looking quite disappointed that their fun was over. Everyone was led outside.
<In exchange for the willing infestation of this Gryphon, I now free the andalite and Smilodite.>
"What!?" Cody yelled. "Kelran, I don't know what you're doing, but when I find out I'll do...something!"
The Horks threw them out, and they watched from a distance as Kelran was infested.
<Once I have both Humans and Gryphons under my command, the Council will empty a seat at their table for me. Welcoming me into their fold as someone who combines skill, cunning, and a dash of luck to dependably succeed where others fail.>
Cody and Hu ran for cover. Once safe, Cody spoke. "The others are still inside. Kelran is a voluntary now. We have to get the others and figure out what to do."
-
The pain was intense. Vastly beyond anything Kelran had dealt with. But not yet beyond his tolerance.
He struggled, he writhed, he fought for control of his neurons. The battle was pitched evenly and it became a dull spike and counter spike of pain based trench warfare.
Then the Yeerk spoke to him. And it got harder. much much harder.
-
((Kelran (The RAF member) should be the one to control the Yeerk character. Just like how I control Cody and Emily.))
After Emily finished morphing the Cape buffalo, she went tino a room and took a look around. Through a window, she noticed the others outside. <What is going on here? Cody and Hu are running for the trees, and Kelran is kind of spasming. Now he's heading back inside with the others. We need to go outside, guys.>
Soon, everyone was reunited in the same building as before. Emily returned Hu's invisibility cloak, and apologized about the satchel.
-
Hu heard Emily's apologies, but brushed them away. "Accidents happen, and activating the cloak's invisibility to hide it was a stroke of genius. But Kelran . . ."
Hu let it hang. He ignored the torture that Bened put him through, and the jabs that Cody made at him. Did he really believe that Hu hadn't tormented himself through all those accusatory questions a hundredfold?
But other questions swirled around his head. Why did Bened serve the Yeerks? Hu knew the humans had no choice -- their bodies were not their own. Hu felt the tiniest bit of selfish comfort knowing that Aruten was possibly untouchable, possibly being in a different realm, a different dimension, altogether.
"If Kelran loses his battle, desperate measures may need to be taken." Hu said, again brushing the horrors Bened showed him aside. Along with the graphic tell of how he murdered Hu's family.
-
"what should we do about the generator now? They'll find the explosives soon enough. Should we blow the generator, or maybe try to use it as a bargaining chip to get Kelran back?" Emily said.
"We're going to have to kill him." Cody said.
"I can't believe you would even think that! Kill Kelran!? He's our friend! He gave his body to free you guys, and you dare consider killing him!?" Emily yelled.
"I was talking about Bened, but I'm glad to know where your vote lies as far as Kelran goes. Bened has Hu's satchel, which sucks. If the Yeerks actually find out who Nichole and Emily are, and discover the location of the morphing cube, that would suck so much more. We have to get Kelran away from the Yeerks, by any means necessary. Every second counts."
-
"I concur," Hu said, thrashing his tail about uneasily and axiously. "Bened cannot open the satchel though, Cody. Only it's true owner can. And that would be me."
Then Hu who had been gazing toward the direction of the building, looked at Cody, directly into his eyes. "And Bened will not be so easy to kill. We both have the same training under my father. I always performed better than he on the tests, but he still has the knowledge. He's a survivor -- just as I am. We really should be going, now. But we mustn't be too impulsive."
-
((right ;) Oh boy... time to play a villain...))
<Greetings. Kelran the weakling. I am Kresillet-4482, you and I are going to become very very close...>
<GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD.>
<Oho! such a fiesty mind! Oh? whats this? you have an extra line of neuro-chemical defense? impressive...
but not impressive enough..
do you know what they call me in my pool Gryphon? They call me the death's hand. Dont you want to know why?>
<no> Kelran was being more conservative with his energy now. Digging in for a long fight.
<Well its a shame then, because Im going to show you...>
<AAAAAAAAAAAGHGHGRHG G> Images flashed across Kelran's mind, pain seared his limbs, his heart, his lungs.
<I was once a shocktrooper for the Yeerk empire. I have experienced Host death 14 times, and somehow survived.
Apparently its due to a genetic defect. Most Yeerks die if they are inside the host at the moment of neurological termination, but I have cheated this fate 14 times. What you are seeing and feeling is an exact recreation of each death.
I use these images to break non-cooperative hosts so that they can be given to other Yeerks.
Every time you deny me access to a memory, we will play through one of these little mortality scenarios randomly. Lets begin...
shall we?>
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(wait am i in trouble for not stopping the infestation?)
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((No, you're not in trouble.))
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((no no, we NEEDED it to go ahead. :) >:D ))
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(Ok I can't very well save you guys now so what should I do?)
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((AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH H!!!!!!!WTF? Huh? Ok. So, let me see if I can get this strait, since I MISSED THE WHOLE BATTLE?! :'( That's no fun! Ok, so Cody, Hu, and Kelran were captured. Now Cody and Hu have escaped and Kelran's infested? And Cole was knocked unconscious in a corner? (Ok. I can figure out how to deal with that fact.) But, huh? Yeesh, this is what I get for deciding to spend some time with my parents, isn't it? Oh, did I miss anything in my random rant/attempt to catch-up with y'all?))
Nichole rubbed the back of her head. It still hurt from where she had been hit. The details were a bit fuzzy. All she remembered was pulling the alarm. Then there was a bit of a mad panic. She had ducked into a nearby room to demorph, figuring that in the panic, no one would realize she wasn't one of them. As she stepped out, someone had brushed into her and caused her to slam her head against the wall. After that all she remembered was stumbling up towards where Yarin was suppose to be before her world went black. She woke up to Yarin and a pounding head-ache. Now, there was a big knot in the back of her head.
"So, what are we doing?" she asked, trying to focus on Cody. She closed her eyes, trying to make the pain subside. Or at least ebb a bit. There were still a few lights dancing in her eyes.
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"I am not sure I suggest we regroup and come up with a plan somewhere safe." yarin said "Let us go back to my ship." as he started to morph the Varkas.
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Nichole nodded, not really thinking strait, and began morphing herself. She was moving slower, due to the headache, but sped up the second her headache seemed to disappear. She barely beat Yarin in morphing, this time, though.
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((Sorry. Kelran, Cloaked, and I seemed to be hanging out at the same time, and went wild with the thread. It was fun.))
Everyone made it to Yarin's ship, and no one was happy. Cody was pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. He wondered how long Kelran would hang on. They would be expecting an assault on the pool, and rushing in there was not something they needed to do.
"Hu. Your invisibility cloak is our only chance to get through the defenses. That's the one thing they won't expect. The rest of us can morph small, and you can carry us inside." Cody said. He went to get the insect morph in Yarin's storage so Nichole could have a small enough morph.
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((It's no problem. It was just kind of...overwhelming when I came on and had missed pages and pages of stuff...o.O))
"A bug. Did he just say he wanted me to morph a bug?" She asked Emily increduously. "That's so...disgusting!" She made a face. "I mean, I'm ok with bugs around the house, but I have to touch it? That's just EWW!"
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"I do not understand your hesitation however if you require another form I have others." Yarin said.
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The sound of dracon fire was overwhelmingly loud, the screams of the dead and dying, and the whine of ion thrusters were the only noises louder.
Bug fighetrs screamed overhead as thousands of Hork Bajir elite shock troops poured over the final command post of the Arn homeworld.
Suddenly there, in the shadows. An Arn scum. He raised his dracon and ruthlessly exterminated the foul being... but wait... another, right behind...
THWOCK!!! PAIN SEARING PAIN! A KNIFE THROUGH THE CHEST....
Kelran's body was deep in the throes of anaphylactic shock, for the 30th time in as many hours. He had experienced this particular death 4 of those times, and it never got any easier. Had he been human his body would be effectively dead long ago. As it was his incredible metabolism was barely keeping him alive.
Kressillet knew this. And Kelran knew that he knew. There would be no more deaths for at least 20 minutes.
Kelran began counting down mentally, even though he knew Kressillet could see, and would start ahead of his countdown just to spite him.
The Gryphon had given up protecting all but his memories and bodily control. His stray thoughts were such a mess now anyway that there was little to glean from them.
<You miss him. Dont you?>
Kelran was mortified. Kressillet knew about his brother... that alone was an endgame.
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"I'm a girl; it's a bug. It's one of those things. But I'd much rather touch a human bug than an alien bug, because at least I know where it lives. I'd rather not end up with some anal dwelling butt bug or something equally revolting."
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Hu had his arms crossed and his head was down. He couldn't help but remember those holograms . . . those horrid holograms that showed his wife and children . . . showed them as living carcuses. Smilodite zombies. It wasn't an image to shake easily. And what they said . . .
"Cody, that may not be true." Hu said, voice unusually hoarse. "Bened is aware of the legend of the Gray Cloak. But he never put much stock into such legends. . . . So maybe it would work after all. . . ."
Hu felt weak and hollow, but he tried hard to conceal it. Part of Hu wanted his satchel for the Devolution Draught, and, try as he might, Hu couldn't squash that part.
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Nichole noticed something was...wrong with Hu. But she didn't want to call him out in front of everyone. Instead, she said, "Listen, Cody, I think Yarin, Emily, and I can handle getting Kelran back. You two have done more than enough today. I don't know exactly what happened in there, but you two look bad. Real bad. You two need to rest." She crossed her arms, indicating that she wasn't going to back down easily. "And the more you argue, the more time we waste that we could be helping Kelran."
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Hu gazed at the human girl, and shook his head gently. "It's kind of you to offer that Nichole that, but I must go. Bened has purloined my satchel. I want it back. I need it back. I cannot allow my fears and my past to dominate and control me."
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Kelran was fighting with every ounce of strength now...
barely cognizant of his part in the waking world he was heaving pieces of equipment around the medical bay and denting the concrete walls. The Visser was mildly amused, most of the other controllers were terrified.
No host had ever shown such extraordinary resilience with a Yeerk inside his head.
Kelran didnt feel extraordinarily resistant however.
<You want to go home dont you? but you cant. you will never be home again, not in your body, not in your mind, not with your family, not even with these foolish humans.>
<I may never see my world again... but I LIVE for the moment when Ill see you die... You say you have fought hard wars? Youve survived death and thats impressive... let me show you how I cheat death!>
Kelran siezed in his most vivid memories. The battle of Proceryon VI. And though he didn not know it, he had siezed his greatest weapon.
Death was an impressive experience to live through, but Kressillet have never been involved in battles as large dangerous and bloody as the ones Kelran had seen even as a cadet. For a being who had survived death so often, Kressillet was remarkably afraid of it... as are all who have cheated it at the expense of others.
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((Kelran, I was thinking that perhaps that Hu and Kelran eventually meet while the Gryphon is still infested. Then he attacks Hu against his will, which gives Hu incentive to use the Devolution Draught. For it? Not?))
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((It's been previously agreed that Hu will use the Drought, and save Kelran. However, Hu will go later than the rest.))
"I know, right?" Emily said as Nichole talked about not wanting to touch a bug. She also agreed with Nichole that Cody and Hu should stay. Yarin got Nicho,e a morph, and they left.
Now Cody and Hu were alone in Yarin's ship. Silence filled the room.
((I'll let you guys decide if they take the cloak or not. Hu will convince Cody that they need to go help Kelran, and they'll find a way in.
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((Alrighty, then.))
Hu remained within the ship, but he wasn't a happy cat. An nagging voice kept telling him, You're a dirty coward. Allowing others to face dangers while you wile your time in safety. Coward!
"Cody, I can't take this anymore. We've got to go." Hu said, breaking the silence from the room, fastening his cloak fast. It had been about two earth hours since the others left. Hu was riddled with guilty feelings of cowardice and the fact that cold metallic surfaces of yarin's ship made him uncomfortable. "We cannot stay here! At least, I cannot."
((Hu will take the cloak with him, but will have to discard it when he -- changes.))
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"Yeah. They're taking too long. Let's go."
Using the cloak, they managed to get into the pool. Once there, they began searching for Kelran and Hu's satchel.
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It took about an hour, but Kelran nor Bened, who Hu was sure was still in possession of the satchel, were seen. But then luckily, Hu saw Bened overlooking the viscous fluid of liquefied filth that he was told was the Yeerk Pool. He was watching humans and other such creatures being dragged to the pool. Gaining a Yeerk.
He was holding the satchel rather tightly. And he was smiling.
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The roar of the impacting rounds of particle cannon were dronwed out by the scream and sonic thud of the cruisers that had just delivered them. The great ships, while graceful, were hardly designed for subtlety inside a planets atmosphere, but then again Gryphons were seldom subtle in battle.
Milling around the cruisers by the thousands were fighters both theirs and the enemy, the sky was lit up like noon despite the fact that it was evening. The stray weapons blasts and falling debris cut huge irregular swaths into the ground, a danger to all troops from both sides.
If there were thousands of fighters, there were millions of troops.
Kelran was one of the few still flying just below the morasse of weapons fire from the ships, he spotted a target, dived, took of his head in a slash, targeted with his disruptor, and fired just in time to kill four more.
He swung back with the butt of the pistol and cracked open another Kelbrid's head, then brought his sword down into another.
Pivoting he slammed his wings into more of the scum, breaking every single bone in their bodies with the force of the impact.
He was in it very very deep now. Turning he ripped the throagt out of one of the scaly creatures with his beak, slashed another to ribbons with his back talons, and took aim at another group.
The blood, sweat, and screams.. the whine of hyper-impulse engines, the searing heat of nearby cannon impacts...
Then his brother was there. As always. to pull him out..
This time it was Kressillet's turn to break the memory...
<yes you loved your brother.. very much>
Was that a note of.. fear? that Kelran detcted in his voice?
<Oh yes, that was quite the battle eh? Aside from the fact that you died, your's pales in comparison. I know I risk showing you some things inadvertently, but now do you see why I do not fear the so called might of the Yeerks? in comparison to our own enemy who we have defeated time and again, your weapons are childs toys, your troops are fools and children themselves, your leaders are lumps of black clay with no tactical skill, and your military prowess is laughable at best.>
..........Silence.. ..
<but you are alone.. but one single Gryphon. You are all mine...>
<oh. I dont think so. not yet.>
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"We have to isolate Bened. If we could knock him out somehow, I may be able to aquire and morph him. He's likely stronger than a Hork-Bajir, and we'll need brawn to drag Kelran out." Cody said.
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<Ok, so what's our plan of action?> Nichole asked. She was still a bit grossed out by the fact that she was a bug, but she was dealing with it.
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<We need to find Kelran without getting seen. Then we somehow bring him down without killing him, and take him out. Preferably without being seen on our way out. I guess it will be kind of like when we went after Bened that one time, except with possibly less fighting.> Emily said.
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"Cody, you're forgetting what happened when I tried to acquire the morphing magic," Hu whispered. "Acquistion might be different, might have ths same consequences, or be reversed. All I know is that morphing magic and Smilodites don't exactly mix."
Hu gazed at Bened intently. "Besides, I have an idea."
Hu snuck up behind Bened, invisible. Making sure not to get shoved or pushed or do anything to give himself away. Tapped Bened on the shoulder opposite of the arm holding the satchel, he relaxed his grip just enough for Hu to snatch the satchel away, underneath the cloak.
Of course, this wasn't Hu's brightest idea. Bened now knew something was going on.
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Cody saw Hu snatch the satchel. Bened began swiping the air viciously, but noo strike connected. He then sniffed around. Meanwhile, Cody hung in the shadows. Since his face had been seen, it wouldn't be good to show it in public anymore. Especially not the pool area.
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Hu checked his mental inventory of his satchel, and decided that the Disorientation Dust would do. So he sprinkled minute amounts into Bened's face. Bened's movements became more wild and frantic, and eventually he fell and held his head, as if to clear it.
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((*NUDGE* :P ::)))
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((I was waiting for someone else to post, Kelran. Can't double post, and all. And I thought that the Gryphon Kelran was going to attack Hu or something. :P *looks at the others* :poke: You alive guys?))
Hu did not expect what happened next. Bened roared, "Intruders! Intruders in the complex!"
That caused a shift of frantic energy amongst the parasites. Hu thought that he might take the possible attention away from the others. He became visible again, and sneered, "Very clever, little brother. Took you long enough."
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((Maybe they're all visiting their parents. ::) I didn't want to post, for fear of doing again what we three did before. Even though that was plenty fun.))
In the frenzy, Cody grabeed someone and pulled them around the corner. He knocked the guy out and took his Dracon beam, then acquired him. He melded into the crowd that was forming, until he got close to Hu.
"We have an intruder. But we can't shoot him, because of the Gryphon's agreement!" Cody said loudly. Everyone kind of stepped back, and was unsure of what to do. They didn't want to anger the Visser, but they couldn't just let Hu stroll through the pool complex.
Subtely, he began demorphing everything but his head. He stood near Bened, and acted like he was trying to pick the guy up. What he was really doing was acquiring Bened. He just hoped trying to morph the guy wouldn't go wrong.
He then yelled at Hu to run, while keeping up the act of being on the other side.
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((Well, might have as well have something new for them to read. It's been at least three days since . . . huh? Hmmm, nah. Couldn't be.))
Hu didn't like to run, and leave Cody there alone. But he knew that Cody had nothing but his best interests at heart. Hu was hesitant also, in part, because the look on Bened's face didn't indicate that he was going into the so-called "acquiring trance" that Hu noticed on the other animals that the others have acquired.
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Cody planned on running after Hu, but he noticed something strange with Bened. He was more alert than he should have been. Instead of being dazed, he just looked annoyed.
"What do you want?" He growled, menacingly.
Cody started running towards Hu, while some controllers began running as well. Somehow, he lost Hu, though. He turned a corner into the medical area, and noticed...Kelran! The guy did not look good, which indicated internal fighting. Cody stood there, in another Human form, wondering what the heck to do now.
((If Yarin and Traycon3 are posting every three days, it can only mean one thing. The Pool has internet access! The voluntaries must be allowed to surf the net while there.))
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Hu was noticing a distinct hesitation of these parasite-loaded beings to use their beam weaponry. This suited him just fine. He reached for his satchel, but his ears twitched the slightest movement at a noise. He did not think, Hu just reacted.
Hard elbow met Smilodite stomach, back hand met face -- and cracked a fang. Hu seized his brother's head and brought his knee up. It was powerful blow but not a lethal one. Then Hu through some Vanishing Powder down, which he had to be careful about as Vanishing Powder is not very easily made compounded by the fact the plants are very rare, and he faded quickly from the area.
Hu had focused his thoughts on Cody and, if he was within a 350 feet radius to Hu, the Powder would take Hu to him.
((And Traycon participates in that Sharing Rebellion role-play thing, doesn't she? Hmmm . . .))
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((Yeah, she's Tia there. And doesn't that girl talk about Traycon4 sometimes. That may be her Yeerk's username. Or maybe it's the other way around. What am I going to do, man? I'm dating the woman!))
Cody wandered off from the room, without saying anything. He was pretty sure he had acquired Bened, but the acquisition trance hadn't come. He didn't really know anything about what Yeerk was controlling Kelran, and that info could be important. He decided to ask around a little to see what rank the guy had, and what kind of personality he had.
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(Sorry my internet was down its still weak so i don't know when i'll be on again)
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((Ooh, been there, yarin. Good luck to you. Nohensen, run. Run away -- though that might tip her off. . . . j/k))
Hu landed in a rather small and constrained area. His nosed picked up two familiar, friendly scents. Human and Gryphon. He decided to, as the toucan says, follow his nose.
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(so where is Yarin in all this)
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((You or Nichole need to decide where the other group is. I'm tired of dragging you people along, coming up with ideas. I'm sending you falling out of the nest like Sparrow chicks. Now fly or die.))
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((oh ouch! :D >:D errr if you need flying lessons... I happen to be an avian. office hours 10-5, not counting yeerk days))
"So you would say that you have an overwhelming need for revenge and a sense of ruthlessness?"
"More than you know...."
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Kelran knew the memory well. After his mother had died in the Kelbrid attack, he had been forced into a series of psychological evaluations. He knew he would pass, but they had been trying.
His defenses were wearing thin...
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((That may have been a bit harsh, but it feels like this has been going on for a while. Yarin's going to have to stand on his own four feet now.))
Cody had found out something a bit frightening. The Yeerk in Kelran's head was some expert in breaking the wills of hosts. Kelran had been fighting hard for a while, but he was bound to break completely. After that, it was only a matter of time before their secrets were revealed. Cody didn't really have a plan, but he did have a dracon beam. One clean hit could be all it took. He held the weapon in his hand, but as he stared he noticed his hands were shaking.
Why were his hands shaking? Why would he even hesitate to kill that loose cannon Kelran? They hated each other. Right? Why had he moved to save Kelran before? He believed it may have just been the croc in him, wanting to sink its teeth into something. But was it more?
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Hu managed to track Cody and Kelran down -- though being able to do so worried him. Bened has the same, acute senses that all Smilodites have and are trained to use at a young age. ((Similiar to PE and humans, by the way. And Nohensen, that was blunt, but, I think, effective.))
Hu worried about the Gryphon, who seemed to look ruffled and some feathers looked out of place. Hu could not imagine what he's going through. Hu found Cody and related his worries to him, about both Kelran and the fact that Hu could track him here with little difficulty.
Then he noticed Cody's quadry (sp?). "Cody, what exactly are you planning on doing with that?"
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(lol its two feet im bipedal quadramanded perhaps yarin could form a telepathic link to strengthen kelran's resolve?)
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((Sorry, I thought you had four feet as well as four arms. My oopsie. Yarin could do something like that, but it may give away the fact that he's near.))
Cody didn't really say anything after Hu asked him the question. He just kind of stared at the settings switch. Lower for stun, and higher for kill. "I don't know, Hu. I...don't know myself anymore. Does that make sense? I'm not going crazy, am I? Do you think I'm going crazy?"
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"Bened is crazy." Hu said. "You? Not so much."
Hu folded his arms, and continued, "This war is a lot to handle. But we all must. You are a young, less than an Aruten year old. This I understand. It may be very hard, but you must know who you are and who you aren't. You do not strike me as one who kills in cold blood. You are not a Bened."
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"Right." Cody said, and set the beam to the fourth setting. "We don't have the force necessary to drag him out of here in front of everyone, like we did Bened. We'll have to have some kind of cover. Knock him out or stun him, then put him inside something. Then get that out of here."
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Hu thought. The Cryos Crystals would freeze him, but it wouldn't last very long and it would make Kelran heavier. The Disorientation Dust would be futile and useless. The Euphoria Elixir would be just as useless, besides Hu didn't have any in stock. The Devolution Draught? No, Hu thought, too dangerous.
But the Vanishing Powder! That could work. But it would only work for a 350 mile radius. And their would be the danger of reappearing where solid matter already exists.
((Kelran, attack me! Yeah, you heard me, attack! ;)))
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((HA! I'm finally on at the same time as you nuts!...Now I just need to figure out what's going on...By the way, sorry about the late posting, ect. I've come down with a lovely cold. And I'm multi-tasking, too. Isn't that lovely. So, going be posting a bit slowly for multiple reasons over here. But considering I can usually string myself along after a short leave of absence from the internet, thank you very much--assuming someone would let me--, I'll figure out where I am in a few. Yarin may be strung along with me, depending.
And I am not, repeat not a Yeerk. Hold on. Hork-Bajir needs to use the computer for a second.))
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(So is Yarin physically with you guys cause I want to post about something about helping carry Kelran but if i'm not there it won't make sense)
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((Yarin, I'm pretty sure you're with Emily and I. And I has idea to make up for the fact that they weren't there. If you don't mind, that is.))
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((Yarin isn't right there with Cody and Hu, that they know of. Though they should be in the pool area by now. Kelran needs to post, and attack Hu after noticing him. By the power of my summoning ability, I call you Kelran!))
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((Ok, since there have been no objections--or affermations, but that's beside the point--, I shall begin my odd recounting of the tale as to why they're taking so bloody long. ^__^ This is a perfect example as to why you should always stop and ask for directions. Do not rely on your girlfriend as a navigator, especially when the words "I think" preceed or follow "it's ____ way".))
Nichole felt the thermals fill her wings as she said for the millionth time, <I'm sorry guys! I told you, I'm a horrible navigator. I don't care how good my eyes were in comparison to y'alls, you still shouldn't have trusted me! Now we're probably all--OOH! Fry!> Finally, she saw what she thought was the correct building that wasn't halfway across town. <Tell me this is it. I don't know how many morphs I can do.> It had been her fourth morph of the day, and she was getting fairly tired. Granted, it had been kinda funny to see the drug-dealer's face when an alien, -insert Emily's battle morph here?-, and a panther had burst in, but it wasn't doing much to help Kelran. When Yarin and Emily confirmed her suspicions, they all landed, demorphed, and remorphed to battle morphs. They busted into the Yeerk Pool.
<...Um...What the hell?>
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((Nohensen, you might want to try that "summoning Kelran" thing again. I'd try, but the only thing that I seem to summon is rain. ;)))
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((*ahem* I wish Kelran would come and post!))
Emily's POV:
Finally, they arrived. Emily expected they'd get chewed out for taking so long. Unfortunately, soon after entering the place they noticed there had already been a ruckus going on. <Please don't tell me those two actually came here.>
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<They're men. Did you expect something different from them?> Nichole asked.
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<They're men. Did you expect something different from them?> Nichole asked.
((Lol. I hear this all the time from my mom. My aunt. My elder sister. ;) Its hard being basically the only male in your family.))
((Kelran! Yoo-hoo! We need you here, pally!))
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(i'm here i know that doesn't mean anything but still...)
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((here at last!! ;D ))
Hu was so busy that he didnt see Kelran coming. Hu was likely the only being inside the complex with the reflexes to see him coming on a good day, so this was saying something.
Kelran snatched the dracon right from Cody's hands and aimed it at Hu, but then he hesitated....
His words to the Yeerk came out, even though the others couldnt hear Kressillet's response...
"<You... get... out... of... my... HEAD!!!>"
Kelran forced his claws together harder, harder, harder... the dracon crushed in his claws. He let the shattered fragments drop to the floor.
Then Kressillet siezed control again as Kelran vied to keep his vital memories away from him. And he went right for Hu's throaght......
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Cody couldn't believe he let Kelran run up and snatch the beam out of his hand. Then he crushed it. As he lunged for Hu's throat, Cody did the only thing he could think of: He leaped on Kelran's back and grabbed his neck.
"We need something, and we need it now!" Cody yelled to Hu. He held on for dear life, trying to distract Kelran while Hu did something.
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Kelran siezed control of his voice... "Get.... off... out... NOW! Before he... kills you!"
Then Kressillet siezed control back, but Kelran got ahold of one foot, and pruposely unbalanced himself, he Cody and Hu went down in a tangled stuffy fuzzy feathery heap.
Kelran was getting desperate... and angry.
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There was only one thing left to do. Hu didn't like it. Hu reached into his satchel and pulled out the dreaded green liquid. He deftly uncorked it and began to drink . . .
Hu whirled his cloak off, activating the invisibility function, as he grew larger. Larger. Larger still. As he grew plates the color between brown and rusty red grew from congealed hairs on his back. His tail lengthened to a whip-like structure. He was forced down on to his arms, and his hands and feet were become large paws as his retractable claws were becoming non retractable. His head took on a shape very similar to that of Battle Cat from those old He-Man cartoons.
Strangely, his Encarta, a near-biological construct itself, migrated up from what was his wrist, to his neck and became sort of a collar device.
Suddenly it stopped. Hu was now his ancent evolutionary ancestor. Hu was now a Gigantofatalismilodon. And the savage instincts began to overwhelm Hu. But Hu barely managed to stave them off.
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Kressillet wouldnt willingly admit it, but he was now good and scared. Kelran's original resilience had vastly unnerved him, and Kelrans own memories and thougts had more effect than he credited, add to that his extra neurochemical defenses, and the fact that Hu had just transformed into a creature actually capable of taking Kelran down... especially in his weakened state...
<scared... Yeerk? let me tell you something. you are all alone in there. and soon youll be all alone out here, and shortly after that, all alone and dead. one way or another...>
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Cody still had a hold on Kelran, but wasn't so much on his back anymore. All three of them stared at what Hu had become. "That's either really good or really bad." Cody said.
He then began to morph a golden eagle. It would get him into the air, so he could take a look around. <Hu. If you're still in there, this would be the time to grab Kelran. We've got to book it out of here, Now!>
Suddenly, a Cape Buffalo came around the corner of the medical unit. <I am so mad right now, at both you and Hu! Where, is Hu, anyway, and what is that thing?>
<Yes, we came. You guys are also hours late. Right now, we need to save Kelran.>
((Ok, this is where the two groups meet up and save Kelran.))
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((Logically...))
Nichole shot past Emily, figuring she could yell at Cody, and skittered to a halt in front of Hu. <Woah. That's a big...um...Is that Hu?> He was the only member of their team that she couldn't see. Plus there was something about the creature in front of her. It smelled like Hu.
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<Yep, that's Hu. How are you holding up there, buddy?>
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"he is fine I can sense his consiousness in there however it is shrowded in a mist of animalistic instincts" Yarin said.
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((Since Smilodite language consists of growls, roars and snarls . . . Hu can speak in this form, with translation via the Encarta. Oh, and Hu is roughly the size of a small Bug Fighter.))
"I'm . . . fine." Hu said, voice strained, barely suppressing the animal instincts. It was getting easier the longer he dealt with it. But it was still an effort not to give in to his instincts to attack and kill and eat all of these smaller, delictable (sp) morsels. "It is difficult though. It wont . . . be easy to get me out of here though. But my new strength will . . . will be sufficent enough to escort Kelran out."
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(( :o That's big!))
<If you can't easily get out, how do you plan on getting Kelran out?> Nichole asked, calmly. Admittedly, it was a bit scary to see a giant Hu, but at the same time, she trusted that he wouldn't have done...whatever he had done without knowing that he could control it. Or so she hoped.
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((Yes. Yes, it is. Aruten wasn't a very nice place to live when these beasts roamed about. Think of this kinda like a Dinosaucers Dinovolving thing.))
Hu looked Kelran. He thought, while keeping the animal fury of his evolutionary ancestor at bay. "Random mayhem and destruction? . . . Providing you a cover to leave. . . . The Devolution Draught . . . effects don't last long . . . but this is permanent. Whenever I am . . . stressed . . . Hork-Bajir cannot hope to harm me with their blades. Dracon Beams cannot penetrate the plates, being far too small. . . . I hope they have nothing a cannon beam or something. . . . It is difficult keeping this beast under control."
-
Kressillet was making use of Kelran's vastly superior agility to dodge Hu, Kelran knew he had to do something, and do it quick...
So he gave KRessillet what he wanted, he let him in.
And in that moment, he managed to gain enough control to simply stand still.
"Hu... please.. for the love of life... hit me and drag me out of here."
He began to trmble with the effort as Kressillet sifted through all his memories and thoughts. If Hu didnt act now, their lives werent worth a spent disruptor power cell.
-
"Perhaps I can try to overload the mental connection between the Yeerk and Kelran, it would only last a moment so Hu would have to act expediently." Yarin said.
-
"Well, hurry, yarin. I can't repress the violence of this monster. It wants to attack something! Anything!"
Hu noticed that his paws were worming eagerly. Claws trembling to be used. But Hu had to remember not to use all of his strength -- it could be fatal. Gigantofatalismilodons were use to hunting elephant-sized prey, but they were pleased to hunt anything smaller then they, themselves, were.
-
"Alright," Yarin said as he let down his mental guards and tranfered all the thoughts he heard in to one powerful blast, and aimed it at Kelran. THUD. The Gryphon went down like a rock, soon after that Yarin fainted.
-
Hu realized how much he missed his opposable thumbs. He wrapped the Gryphon in his tail and placed them on his back. Then repeated the process with Yarin. Then he looked at the door.
"Looks like the door is too small . . . too bad!" Hu roared as he smashed through the door into the open area of the pool. Hu quickly said, "Everyone get out, I'll give you cover. Grab my satchel and cloak, please."
Hu was aware his was attracting many looks. He saw Bened, and saw with pleasure that he was scared stiff. Hu was about to indulge partially into his instincts. Hu unleashed a roar that caused the pool itself to jump and lose about a half pint of liquid.
-
<What the hell was that?> Nichole asked, shaken by the roar. Even the panther was a bit worried, which only added to her fear. She scooped up the cloak and satchel in her mouth, throwing the cloak over her back and carrying the satchel in her mouth. <I'm ready to leave when y'all are!>
-
Cody had been overhead, and happy that he was out of reach of that thing. He soared overhead, providing a bird's eye view of what was going on. When he heard that roar, he practically lost control of his morph and smacked into the wall. The noise left him deaf for several seconds.
((Hey, weren't we going to have the dev drought effect us too? So we sould change to something else. Cody would turn into a dinosaur, since birds evolved from them.))
-
((Oh, yeah. But I was thinking that we'd end up doing it when we demorphed. Otherwise, I don't know what the effects of the devolution draught and the morphing technology would have on people.))
-
((Hu didn't drink the entire bottle -- well, flask. It's been returned to his satchel, after he changed. I must have forgotten that. But then again, its permancy and effects varies with the species. Yeah, Nohensen, but drinking Devolution Draught just might prevent morphing or further complicate it somehow.))
"Looks like the little Yeerkies won't let us go so easily." Hu said, baring his teeth eagerly. "They have a death wish."
Hu was waiting for the others to escape. He decided to unleash another massive roar, as he begun to attack. He leaped onto a Bug fighter, and it worked about as well as trying to set a safe on an empty cardboard box.
-
<We can't leave Hu. That would defeat the purpose of the mission. Even as big as he is, he's not invincible. Then there's the fact that this stuff could wear off that the worst time.> Cody said.
<Yarin, you stay ahead and hold onto Kelran. Emily, you help him carry Kelran, or push from behind. I'm staying behind with Hu. Nichole, you can do whatever you want.>
He was tired, and his thought speak was showing it. This had been a big day, and he was wearing down.
-
Yarin carried Kelran he was struggling to do so. It wasn't so much that he was to heavy it was more that Yarin was also trying to get his mental defenses back up.
-
Hu heard Cody's orders, but Hu was going to make sure the others escaped. He knew that the permancy of this state was tied with his emotions and stress level. He was feeling plenty angry and plenty stress. And then . . .
Tssssew!
"Little bladed thing," Hu said with more irritation then pain, "you are so dead."
So Hu sunk his right fang into him. Hu looked up and noticed that Bened was gone. That coward. Then he looked over his shoulder and saw that all but Cody were gone. "Go. I'm right behind you."
Hu roared again to paralyze the crowd with the sound. Then he turned tail, shrinking as he did. By the time everyone was out, Hu was fully Smilodite again.
((Hu will now have a Bruce Banner syndrome, if you will.))
-
(that's cool so how are we gonna work it so we all get affected?)
-
((Hmmm. . . perhaps Bened tries cooking up his own batch, but botches it, and it spills on you guys? If that doesn't work, Hu still has some in his flask. I'm not sure how an austreopithecine (sp) would be useful (if a human takes it) . . . but . . .))
-
(how far back does the de-evolution go is it to its most primal form?)
-
((Depends on the dosage really, yarin. With enough of the stuff, you'd go back to being a single-celled organism -- but that would take a lot of the Draught and it is notably difficult to make. Of course, some species may be immune to the effects. Gigantofatalismilodons are to Smilodites what the first mammals were to humans. That's why it's so dangerous. Well, one of the reasons.))
-
Everyone made it out and high tailed it away. Finally, they made it back to Kelran's cave.
"Okay." Cody said after catching his breath. "We have about two and a half days until that thing in Kelran's head dies. I'm about to pass out. Someone else take first shift." He then found a spot and laid down. Emily sat down with him and stroked his hair.
-
"I'll take up that responsibility." Hu said, assured of becoming the savage, hulking beast again if need be. "You go. Rest up. I have a feeling that this isn't over yet."
-
Yarin laid down to rest it had been a rough few hours and it wasn't going to get any easier from here.
-
Kelran sat up and groaned. He knew, somewhere inside him that the Yeerk was still in him, still attached, but for this fleeting moment, it was still 'unconcious' and he was not.
The others, those that were awake, tensed visibly. "Its me, for now. Whatever Yarin did knocked Kressillet for a loop. I had to let him in all the way, in the end, to get the access I needed to stand still. He knows *everything* you can NOT let me escape, my life sanity and health are secondary... do you understand?"
-
Hu nodded. But he wondered if he would really be able to do whatever was necessary . . . Hu, by nature, wasn't a killer. He couldn't even kill Bened.
((Is it me, or is Hu starting to become the Cassie of this RPG?))
-
((Yeah. Hu is Cassie. Cody is Tobias. Emily might be like Cassie too, since I portray her has being kind. However, she's not as mature or at one with nature as Hu. Jason may have been the Jake of the group, but I really don't know what happened to Jmnar. Kelran is the Rachel of the group, since he's fierce and reckless. Yarin is Ax. We don't have a Marco, though I originally intended for Cody to have some Marco traits in him. Now he's more like Jake than Marco.))
"Yarin, do you have some kind of force field generator you could bring here?" Emily asked. "Something strong enough to hold Kelran? We'll definitely need to keep him grounded."
((FYI, I'm having Cody be unconscious for now. All narration will be dne by Emily for the time being.))
-
((Yeah, I see that, Nohensen. I originally intended for Hu to be a lot like Wolverine, as cliched as it may sound, but he has evolved into his own character, as have yours, I believe. I assume you guys put a little of yourselves in your characters too?))
Hu turned his thoughtful gaze to Emily, and suggested Sleep Spice. But it shouldn't work for more than a couple of hours on someone Kelran's size, and Hu wasn't sure that he could manufacture more with Earth plants.
True, he had seeds in his satchel, but how could he be responsible for a mass invasion of Aruten plants ((think of kudzu in North America)) -- he knew they would grow well here, the soil being much like Aruten's.
Half his mind was on Kelran's ordeal. Moreso then the others, Kelran and Hu had the most in common. Alone. Trapped on this strange, yet familiar world. The only decent representatives of their species on this planet.
-
((well Kelran has some *very* Ax and Marco like moments as well, he has sardonic humor and his deadpan geek moments :P
He Got Rachel's reckless black and white gung ho, a partial dose of Marco's sardonic humor and all his ruthlessness, and he got Ax's morals and geekyness. :D))
Kelran waited for Kressillet to re-waken. He was not going to waste effort on him this time. He would simply let him have his way unless he attempted to hurt someone....
-
Yarin nodded to Emily. "Yes I do, I have some small generators on my ship I will be back with them in ten of your minutes." Yarin said as he morphed to falcon. Ten minutes later he came back with four small disks, he demorphed and placed them 10 feet from Kelran on all sides, it formed a large dome around him.
-
((Nichole might rival Hu for the position of Cassie. She's a marine bio major (not quite a vet, but still working with animals) who doesn't tend to like violence. Plus, she's the only one so far who's quit for a very Cassie reason. Then again, she's got a bit of Rachel thrown in there with the fascination with guns. She's not quite at the same humor level as Marco, but that's because I haven't had a chance for her to be in a "funny" mood, and I think my humor's much dryer. Though I think she is the geekest here. I also put a lot of myself into her character, because I didn't want a carbon copy of my other character without the Yeerk. Which is why I didn't turn Cole into the "ooh, I luff violence" type.))
Nichole tried to sleep, but it just wasn't coming to her. Her mind was too hyped up to even begin to sleep. A part of her wondered if she should go track down some Star Trek or Stargate Atlantis, but that might induce strange, sci-fi like dreams that shouldn't be repeated in polite and/or male company. So, instead, she rolled over and stared at Kelran. Then looked at Yarin. Emily. Cody.
She rubbed her eyes, groaned, and grabbed her glasses, shoving them on her face. "Do you think if I lay here long enough, I'll actually fall asleep? Or should I just go on a groceries run?" She wasn't hungry, exactly. She just wanted to do something. Anything that might be deemed slightly useful.
-
"Some food would be nice. We'll definitely need to feed Kelran while he's here. I'm sure he eats meat." Emily said. She felt uncomfortable sitting in a cave. Surrounded by dirt and rocks. The force field made her feel a bit safer, though. A bit of dust fell down from the ceiling, and she brushed it out of her hair with disgust.
-
"Ok. Anyone got anything to write on or write with? I'm not gonna remember a whole lot." She stepped up close the forcefield, practically touching it. "Kelran, what do you want?"
-
Hu remained silent this entire time. He was watching Kelran carefully. Hu was in a very pensive mood. He knew that he could have been proud in managing to control the beast he became, but he knew better then that. He was now a much wiser cat.
Hu swissed his tail passively, keeping his ears alert for unfamiliar sounds. Sounds of possible intruders. He felt that the safety of this cave had somehow been compromised. He felt very exposed, though he was wearing his cloak again, and was clothed. He felt vunerable with all of the group nearby in this one isolated spot.
What the others didn't know was that Hu had already put safeguards around the cave that only they were immune to. He did it the first time he came to this planet or realm. Whatever. Or any Yeerk that managed to control them. . . .
-
Kelran began breathing more heavily, "These mobile generators will not last long one hes back in control... he may say things... terrible things... you should know that its not really me...."
And then the Yeerk took full control.
He threw Kelran's body against the forcefield. If his body hadnt been exhausted from his ordeal, the entire field would have overloaded. As it was one of the generators sparked menacingly.
-
"Perhaps," Hu said, breaking his silence. Hu was kept his voice deliberately emotionless. "But there are more safeguards here than those generators. Then there is me, my mutation. My satchel. Yarin. Cody. Emily. Nichole."
Then Hu shut his eyes, folded his arms, and bowed his head, as he whipped his tail around a little aggressively. "That should be sufficient."
-
Emily began morphing her buffalo, and took a position near the mouth of the cave. <Don't be too eager to break that field, Kressilit. The moment you do, I pile drive you. Nichole, you should go. It would be best to go out now, while he's weakest.>
-
Nichole had jumped when the generator sparked, sticking the bit of her hand that had been hit by the flying sparks in her mouth. She nodded to Emily. "I'll hurry." With that, she morphed, despite the fact that her body was already running extremely low on energy. But bird was her fastest mode of transport for the time being. She didn't want to leave her teammates alone, but she knew that everyone was tired, and fuel was the best thing for everyone.
It took thirty minutes.
Cole ran, panting, the bags of food and energy drinks in her mouth. She had already drank one to get her body up to speed and then had aquired a fairly large dog nearby.
She practically flew, the dog's natural giddyness taking the edge off of her panic, but not completely smothering it.
She raced back to the "camp", praying that nothing had happened.
-
Yarin sat down and closed his six eyes and began to meditate, opening his mind to all the minds around him he needed to concentrate lest he be called upon again to overload the yeerks connection.
-
Hu's left ear twitched. He didn't flinch or move any other part of his body. He just said, "Nichole's coming."
-
Nichole finally came. She began demorphing, saying "Mmmf hfffmm." She took the bags out of her human mouth. The now drool-covered bags. "Ugh. Sorry. Food's here. I have energy drinks, pre-packedged sandwitches, some chips, and some candy bars. Take what you want, I got plenty."
-
Kressillet/Kelran simply stood on all fours staring at the animorphs across the barrier.
He was lethal even in his wekened state, and had Kressillet himself not already begun to feel starvation, and had he some knowledge of how to truly use Kelran's body, he would have killed them all, with the exception of Hu, almost instantly.
The truth was that Kressillet's brain actually could not fully interpret the information Kelran's senses were sending to it, nor could he control Kelran's body very well, his motion control and sense centers were vastly underdeveloped when compared to Kelran's.
But Kressillet knew he could still do a great deal of harm before the starvation took him. If he could sow the seeds of pain and discord and strife now, it might give his superiors the opening they needed.
And so he spoke... It was Kelran's voice, but the inflection was vastly different, it didnt even take effort to realize it was;nt the Gryphon speaking.
"So. While were all here... lets talk? eh?"
-
"Well, it's got to be more intersting than just sitting here," Nichole replied. She knew her shift was coming up soon, and figured that she'd be more alive if someone was talking. She turned to face him. "So, what do you want to talk about? Oh, hey, real quick, you want something to eat?" It probably wasn't too smart to offer the potentially dangerous being a sandwitch, but she trusted that the rest of the guys wouldn't let anything happen to her.
-
Hu snapped his head over to the thing using his friend, ignoring Nichole's words, and snarled, "How about we don't, filthy parasite?"
Hu still had his arms frozen and had not moved from his position. He had not accepted any food or anything. He was not hungry. But he was angrier than he had been in his life. He supposed that his tranformation had changed something deep down inside. Hu continued to glare at the Yeerk using Kelran, perfectly prepared to attack, but also prepared to keep his emotions controlled. He had to -- lest he become a Gigantofatalismilodon again, and literally give away the location of the cave. And potentially deactivating some of the safeguards he placed around the place.
-
Emily had woken Cody so he could take something, and he was sipping an energy drink when Kressillet spoke.
"You know, Kelran's not too bad a ride. All he needs is a good saddle." He said, trying to mask his concern for Kelran. One of his hands was resting on the ground, and Emily stepped on it with her hoof. "Ow!" He yelped, as she glared at him as best as a buffalo could.
He continued as he rubbed his hand. "I've never actually talked to a Yeerk, but I figure you can't be too different from other aliens. What do you want to talk about?"
-
"There's no harm in just talking," Nichole said gently to Hu. "Here. Have a sandwich." She took one out of the bag and held it out to Hu, waiting for Kelran's reply. She snorted when Cody made the comment. "Want to ride him again, eh?"
-
Hu thanked Nichole, but refused the sandwich. He had no desire for food at the moment. He still didn't move from his spot, just outside the cave, where he stood standing. His ears were flat on his skull though, and his tail was twitching hostilely. Hu was still suppressing turning back into the beast, and he could control it, to a point.
-
"Anyone else want a sandwich?" she asked. She was already mostly done with her first one, but she didn't want feel like the only one really eating.
-
((Should we add that it starts raining during this? I think it'll fit the mood -- or at least, Hu's mood.))
-
Cody took not of Hu's behavior. Was he still stressed over the torture and all, or did turning into that thing affect his personality? He couldn't ask Hu to go take a walk and try to calm down. He was the one person there that could go head to head with Kelran alone and win. He would just have to take the chance, and try to focus on Kressillet.
Outside, the clap of thunder could be heard. Soon after, a light rain started to fall.
"Yeah, I'll take one." He said.
-
"Ugh, I hate the rain sometimes," Nichole said. "What about you?" she asked Kelran/Kressillet. "And, seriously, you haven't told me if you wanted a sandwich."
-
Kresillet shook his head. "Oh no.. that sort of food will not save me from the starvation I am fated to suffer."
He sounded ALMOST fleetingly like an innocent man resigned to his fate.
His next words shattered the illusion.
"Why so serious Hu? you have in effect saved Kelran.. OH! thats right... you could save your comrade, but you didnt have it in you to kill your own flesh and blood when he chose the opposite side. Pity. I wanted his promotion slot."
-
"Kelran. Is Kelran hungry then?" she asked, smiling calmly. "I didn't buy all this food for nothing. Someone's gotta be hungry."
-
Yarin opened three eyes and said calmly "I could stand to eat except I do not know what your food will do to me"
-
"Are you allergic to anything?" she asked, scanning the ingredients list.
-
"Not that I know of, however there is no way to be sure."
-
Hu continued to glare at the Yeerk. "You know, we don't have to wait for you to starve you know. I can cut you out of there at any time. . . . This just seems the most painful for you, you filithy parasite."
Hu then turned to his right and glanced outside of the cave. Then shut his eyes, resigned to his duty. Truly accepting the fact that nothing could be as it was on Aruten. Accepting the fact he may never be able to go back. The only other Smilodite he would be able to see is Bened, but this did not please him.
-
Kresillet laughed, "Oh let me remind you, you can not cut me out for the same reason that the Visser could not cut IN.
You would kill Kelran, instantly.
As for him wanting to eat? Oh he would quite literally kill for food and drink, but if I have to starve, so should he.
If I have to die, he should be forced to feel and see what I have to feel and see, and you should all be forced to deal with my words. Or are you all to cowardly for even that? Im afriad I have to warn you... Kelran does not place much confidence in your little resistance.
The words that come to his mind are 'under-trained, and under-manned, and in-experienced'."
-
Yarin began to eat the terran food, keeping his mind on the connection between Yeerk and host.
-
"'Kill Kelran instantly,'" Hu echoed. And for the first time in hours, Hu smiled. "Maybe. . . . Or maybe not. Unlike your beloved Vissy, I have far more powerful means at my desposal. I have a shrewd idea of a powder or draught that could prevent that. Or deprive you of your oh-so-precious Kadrona. You just never know. But still, this is the most painful way for you to get what you deserve."
Hu was, of course, basically blowing smoke, for the most part. He would have to be incredibly lucky that anything he did, didn't harm Kelran. But saying this made him feel better. And, Hu hoped, instill fear in the Yeerk.
"Oh, under-trained we may be in battle, but we -- at least, I have been trained in other areas. And yes, we are certainly under-manned, but this force is sufficient, I assure you. I am also far more experienced in battle than you realize. Ever felt a Smilodite claw in you? No? Well, I have. From my own brother, no less." Hu smile had long since faded and his eyes narrowed as he gazed at the Gryphon. "And we do not know that Kelran himself is thinking this. You could be lying to us, for all we know. I don't trust you, parasite." Hu spat the last word.
-
"I suppose if you came out now, we could give you a quick death. However, you'd likely want Kelran to suffer as much as possible while you die." Cody said. "However, there are multiple ways to feed someone. Yarin, do you have needles in your ship? We could give Kelran nutrients through his bloodstream."
<I'm surprised you know about doing things intravaneously (sp?).> Emily said.
"I've been in a hospital before. They had tubes in my arm giving me blood. That could work for other stuff too. We know Kelran doesn't think highly of us. We can't even control the guy. He'll come around, though."
-
"My people have not used needles in years but I believe I may have something that will work." Yarin morphed to human and ran back to his ship he came back with hypo sprays full of nutritional supplements.
-
Kresillet laughed even harder, "Oh you do well not to trust me Smilodite. You would do even better not to trust anyone at all on this world."
He turned to Cody, "Come around will he? This Gryphon stood for a day and more against a constant onslaught, I have been used in the past to break non-coperative hosts, but that is defined as a single gesture or word spoken out of control, or uncomfortable effort required of the Yeerk inside.
There is not a known being in this galaxy that once infested could resist that well for that long.
You honestly think that you can bend such a creature to your will?
You can not even lead your own kind well enough to accomplish a simple raid, do not meddle with a creature who is far above you.
And what does that say about your chances in this war? In the end I have bent this creature to my will, I could bend that Smilodite or that Nyac twice as easily, what would your resistance be without them?"
Now it was Kresillets turn to blow smoke, he had no idea whether or not Yarin was infestation compatible, Yeerks had encountered Nyac before, but their biology and military files were classified to all bu Vissers. It was an open secret that it had to do with their immense genetic capabilites or some such thing. And as they had learned with Bened, Smilodites were totally infestation incompatible.
-
"I'm not going to try to force Kelran to do anything. I've already learned that he's too stubborn for that. There are more ways to get someone to do something than with blunt force, though." Cody said.
"I don't know if it's possible to defeat the Yeerks as we are, but I have no greater purpose in life. I have nothing else to do."
-
Hu actually laughed at the Yeerk's bolstering. "You think you can break me? 'Bend me to your will'. You saw what begat us. You saw my ancient, evolutionary ancestor. They were well known for their savage natures. That beast is now a part, an extension of myself. I can call on it whenever I should have need for it. Not all Smilodites have been able to accomplish such a feat, very few have. They are legends, of course, but not a one has existed for 493 Aruten years ((roughly 11,359 Earth years)). Bened is the only Smilodite you know, Yeerk, and he is a weak specimen. In both scruples and morals." This rant was direct towards the Yeerk, but it was also Hu's way of revealing that fact to his allies.
"I've had enough of this," Hu said. "With everyone's agreement, I would like to dowse Yeerky here with some Sleep Spice. I have plenty."
-
"Fine by me." Cody said. "We'll need him to be still so Yarin can get nutrients into Kelran. Yarin, you'll likely need to remove the barrier. Emily can help you hold him while Hu throws sleep spice on him."
-
"You need not endanger yourselves." Yarin said. "I have only need one hand to inject him with and I can hold him with the other three. Are you ready Hu? I will begin to lower the forcefield now."
-
Kresillet chuckled and unsheathed Kelran's sword. "Care to loose some of those limbs Nyac? This fellow may be very light for his size, but his muscle mass accounts for an unimagineable component of his weight. I can now hit you with this sword with enough force to shatter a duracrete block. You would do well to do as the Smildote says, but dont forget, a metabolism this big needs a double dose.
OH! Im forgetting.
You are Yarin, the scourge of Benthos Prime.
Why dont you summon another of your genoformed demons now?
To handle the situation in your preferred fashion. Murder IS your preferred mode of operation isnt it? Certainly if the Benthons were any indication..."
Kresillet turned Kelran to face the others, "Oh? he didnt tell you? This is the Nyac who did our job for us. He set loose a geneticly anomalous creature on the world of Benthos prime. After the level of destruction it wreaked, the Benthons were a ridiculously easy target."
He raised one of Kelran's 'eyebrows' "Something tells me you lot don't trust eachother very much eh? even Kelran here has held alot back. Would you like to hear?"
-
((He still has his sword? No way!))
" I didn't notice he still had his sword." Cody said as he picked up another energy drink.
<Is what he says true, Yarin?> Emily asked.
"Focus on Kelran, Emily." Cody said, as he began shaking the drink. "I don't care if he has his sword. He's not getting out of here." Then, he popped the cap on the can. Soda sprayed Kelran's eyes, blinding him, and Emily took that opportunity to charge.
-
"I don't believe him," Hu said brusquely. He had to stop himself from transforming however. Hu snapped at the Yeerk, "If the Sleep Spice doesn't stop you, I have plenty of Cryos Crystals. Freeze you into a block of ice. Disorientation Dust to make you think up is down, left is right, and short is long."
Hu pulled the out the Sleep Spice with one hand and unsheathed the claws on his other hand. "Don't make me hurt you." he threatened idly. "Your sword doesn't protect you from the claws or fangs of a Gigantofatalismilodon. Such a thing will be an annoyance."
Hu knew perfectly well that the cave was too small, but he didn't care at the moment. With his emotions as they were it was difficult not to regress. "Don't make me angry, Yeerk, you won't like me when I'm angry."
((Sorry, couldn't resist the Hulk thing.))
-
"Unfortunatly yes Emily, there was an virus on Benthos prime that wiped out an entire species of animal the Benthos hired me to create an animal to fill the niche. Something went horribly wrong in the creation prosess and a hulking mutated behemoth was created instead. It ravedged the land killing hundreds before it was finally destroyed." Yarin said. his skin changing dark purple mixed with red from the regret and shame he was feeling.
-
Nichole walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "We all make mistakes," she murmured. "Even Kelran and, I'm sure, his new little friend." She smiled at Kelran.
(("Don't make me...hungry. You wouldn't like me when I'm...hungry. Wait." From the second movie.))
-
((Well I wasnt going to let that get left, its his most important prop item. by faaar. Sure it would only be a pittance to a ginganta-hulk-smilodite.... if hes a very smart one. It only takes one inward thrust..... >:D Not that Kelran has plans for that.
IS the field still up? If so how did soday spary in his eyes....?
and is the whole comforting Yarin thing going on BEFORE or after the soda can goes pop? providing that the field is down...))
-
peter darkstone's ship flew out of z-space faster than normal.
"Captain! pool ship dead ahead." yelled his pilot.
"all systems funtunal? we need to make sure we can take it out if we can." peter said.
"all systens funtinal sir."
"full speed ahead. battle stations every one.peter answered.
he turned his head in time to see a blade ship zoom into view.
"D*mn visser 5," he cursed under his beath.
"sheilds at maximum."
<Peter my old friend how many times must I tell you not to get in my way?>
the vissers voice rang out through his mind like a death sentence.
The dracon beams smashed into their left engine. they spiraled down to earth.
-
when he awoke peter's ship was an exploded shell. all his crew were dead and he was stuck on this planet.
"at least it has my species on it." he said to himself where am I? he thought.
-
(ok first thank you for choosing our rpg to join second add a back story what's Peter doing in space since humans haven't exactly conqured the galaxy at this point it doesn't really make sense. personaly i'd go with him being captured but not by the yeerks maybe the skrit na and then sold to the yeerks later at least that way it gives him an excuse to be in space.
Third whatever you decide delete your posts that are about what you choose.
fourth wait for some of the others to get here and tell you more about it and we'll help you determine when and what the best way to introduce your character will be.)
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((I think I may have created a plot hole. For the sake of continuation, let's say the Yarin comforting happens before Cody sprays Kelran, and that the shield is already down. Sorry for confusion. As for Humans in space, maybe he could be someone who was captured by Skrit Na, and escaped.))
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Kresillet had absolutely no idea how to really use Kelran's body, and because of his neural connection Kelran's reflexes were being blocked.
All the same, Kresillet flailed with the sword in one claw, and with Kelran's outstreched other claw.
Something connected quite forcibly with someone, and there was a large spurt of blood and a loud scream of pain.
((You all can decide who was unfortunate enough, and how badly))
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Emily charged in to pin him to the wall, but when he started swinging the sword, she didn't have enough room to maneuver. The sword sliced through her left horn, and dug into her shoulder through the thick fur. She could feel blood coming down her leg, and couldn't hold her front left leg down for the pain. Kelran was stuck, though.
<Hu. You might want to get over here with the sleep spice before he starts slicing me like a turkey dinner.>
"That sword really is hardcore." Cody said.
-
Kressillet shouted in rage, "IF I HAD FULL CONTROL!!! IF ONLY!!! You would all be DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD..."
Then mercifully Hu hit him with the sleeping spices.
It took three times the usual dose, but with the last one Kelran fell to the floor like a rock, the sword hit the floor of the cave, went right through the solid rock like it wasnt there, and stuck.
Kelran's last thought about Cody's last comment had been, <dang right its hardcore.>
-
Emily began to demorph shortly afterward.
"Now. Someone help me yank this sword out of the wall. Kelran is losing his sword wielding priviledges as of this moment." Cody said as he began wrestling with the lodged sword. "He who pulleth this sword shall be king of all England."
-
"I do not understand your reference but here," Yarin braced himself against the cave wall with one arm and with the other three pulled the sword out.
-
"I'm going to take you to see some classic movies soon." Cody said.
Yarin got the nutrients administered, and put the force field back up. The blade was taken to Yarin's ship, where it should be safe. While he was there, Cody brought more field disks and some furniture to sit or lay on.
-
((If Cody gets any ideas about not giving the sword back after the Yeerk is out, Kelran won't need any extra weapons except those already biologically endowed to turn him into dinner or worse. ;) ))
((Ill let yall talk and such before he wakes up again. Once the Yeerk enters the final stages of strvation no amount of sleeping spice or anything else will put him down...))
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((Oh sure, he's still quite dangerous. He's just slightly less dangerous without his sword.))
"So you've finally learned to be nice? You said there were multiple ways to get someone to do what you want, so you're going to try the kindness approach?" Emily asked Cody once he came back. she hadn't immediately remorphed since Kelran was out.
"No. I was talking about poking and prodding him like you've been doing me. With Kelran, though, we may need a cattle prod."
"Argh! You never stop, do you!?"
"Baby steps, Emily. Baby steps."
"More like launch you out of the nest like a Sparrow chick."
"You say that, after I brought you a chair and mat to be more comfy while you stay here?"
"Well...maybe now would be a good idea to move him. Somewhere more hospitable and man made."
"Don't be dissing Kelran and Hu's crib now."
"I wouldn't wish these accomodations on anyone, and I use that term loosely."
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((I was referring to *after* Kresillet is a carcass in a cyldiner on Kelran's shelf... IE Cody and Yarin better have plans to give back what's his unconditionally once he's yeerk free or he will take it and a good deal more in a most fatal manner. :P He feels... strongly. about his sword.
PS; Kelran thanks Cody for defending his 'crib' and would like to point out that its better than alot of silly cramped over-pricy human houses ::) :D ))
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(lol pimp my cave)
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((Oh, ok. Of course Kelran will be told where it is as soon as Kressellit is gone.))
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(We now return you to your regularly scheduled rpg)
-
((*Sighs* This RPG is so boring. *Changes channel*
Lol, I'm just teasing guys.))
Nichole was lying on the ground, trying to get some sleep. Still it seemed to illude her. Or so she thought.
She opened her eyes again, rolling over on the ground. She had the oddest sensation that someone was watching her. She rolled over again, to see Kelran awake and staring at her. "When did you--" she started to say when Kelran somehow stepped through the forcefield. It was then that she noticed that everyone else was asleep.
She tried to scream, to wake them up, to move. But it was like her body was made of lead. She watched in horror as her friends were torn apart before the Griffon tore open her stomach.
"YAH!" Nichole yelled, sitting up with a start. She wiped the remnants of drool off her mouth with the back of her hand and looked around.
((I don't know who's awake, who's asleep, and who's on guard, so I'll let everyone else react to her sudden outburst accordingly. The italicized words are, obviously, part of a dream sequence.))
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"Aaahh! What? Who? Cody!" Emily yelled as she jerked up from dozing on a mat beside Cody.
"It's ok Emily. Nichole's having some kind of nightmare about the pool or something." Cody said. Her scream had startled him, but he had been awake and staring at Kelran. He began to stir slightly when she screamed, but still seemed to be more or less out of it.
-
Yarin woke with a start at all the noise *"Victua sycorax mapta vishual?"* he mumbled
Translation *May I clone your finger?*
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(my guy had gotten captured by the skrit na and escaped with some others into a ship and became space pilots. he has had quite a few clashes with visser five thats why their familiar. He is also friends with the andalites and as such has the morphing power. can be changed. he has a sword insted of a right arm. can be changed. and I was thinking in a battle someone could be in trouble and I save him. Is it okay for me to be round 20 or 21? he lookes 11 but is an adult. by the way where are you guys?)
as his shredder arm gleaming in the sun. he had had the unfortunate luck to land in a desert. He saw some building ahead.
"ahh good." he said as he entered a tavern.
"I'll have a..... a flaming venus juice please."
"Say what?" asked the bartender.
"Oh uh bud light please." peter answered cursing his forgetfullness.
"fine" said the bartender eyeing him suspiciosly.
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((A very isolated and overly-protected cave, jake. Sorry for not posting sooner, but busy getting house clean. Planning on movin' to Houston sometime in the near future -- but no date pinpointed.))
Hu glanced at Nichole, face emotionless, but he decided to finally sit down. "Calm yourself, we're safe." Then Hu heard Yarin's murmur and ****ed up an eyebrow. His Encarta had translated the language. "Sorry, but the ten digits I already have are just fine with me, Yarin."
Hu intended it as a joke, but his voice tone didn't really convey this. Then Hu returned his glare at Kelran, keeping his ears alert. His safeguards around the cave were holding up, he knew -- he would be able to sense when one was compromised. The Forgetfulness Fog would be the first one to penetrate. . . .
((Of course, Hu had already innoculated the others with the antidote so that they are immune to it.))
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(Jake you got a fairly decent back story but you need to clarify somethings like how old was he when was he captured if he was 11 and got stuck in a cryostasis for like 10 years then I could understand why he still looks 11 but other than that it makes little sense alsoalthough a sword for an arm sounds impressive in reality it would be more of a hinderence than a benifit how about a prostetic that can be transformed into some kind of weapon and no offence but you cant just apear out of the blue and save someone it seems too formulaic)
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(thanks for being honest and I'll take your suggestion about the age and arm. but his favorite weapon is a sword. suggestion for my intro? should I just somehow wander towards the cave? or come in captured by yeerks? or be in "hand tho hand combat" with visser 5? probably too..... Impossible.)
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(lets think of something a little more conspicous like we rescue you or something)
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(cool with me. but couldn't I use my morphing arm/weapon to wipe out the yeerks or blast out of me prison? and how about my morphing arm looks silver especialy when it's in hand form? ;) should there be a like poisen that incapcidates my morphing arm and gets it stuck in hand form.)
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((I don't think a fake arm can be morphed. You might make him a cyborg, where he's part machine. Then you'd either get rid of his ability to morph, or just have him be able to do partial morphing. ))
((One idea could be that he fights in a battle, and escapes, then the group hears about him. So they track him down without having to rescue him or be rescued.))
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(I'll go for the intro and he drank like a potion or something for the arm. I want the weapon arm but I want him to hane a hand too.)
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((If youve ever seen the movie Treasure Planet, Captain Silver's prosthetic arm can do some wicked cool things))
Kresillet woke the same instant Kelran did.
The first thing Kelran noticed was the pain. His own starvation and blood loss, exhaustion, sleep spice aftereffects, and borderline psychosis, combined with Keesillet's infinitely worse need for Kandrona particles.
<Who's going to die all alone now... Yeerk?>
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(yeah I'm kind of hinking like that only it can't be metal or he could'nt morph it. and he can only make it a shredder, hand, and sword, and they all look like silver including his hand so you know its not natural. but can I do a duel with visser 5 sometime?)
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((I have seen treasure planet. It was a cool movie. Kelran shouldn't be starving, because of the nutrients. Unless they aren't doing the job they're supposed to do.))
Cody noticed Kelran was looking bad, but he wasn't sure what to do. Then he thought of something.
"Hey Kressillet. I've got a way out for you. You could continue living, and I could even get rid of your need for Kondrona radiation. If you agree to my terms, you won't have to die. You won't have to bother with three day schedules, or involuntary hosts, or even be ordered around by anyone. What do you say?"
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(lol your confusing me so he's human with morphing ability and an cybernetic arm that hides a sword and shredder?)
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Hu gazed at Cody, dumbfounded. "Surely you're not suggesting -- Cody, do you have any idea what this creature tried to do to us? To me? Death is the best fate for him!"
Hu had to regain his composure or risk transforming again. He managed. Barely.
-
when peter had finished drinking he went out and bought some more "down to earth" clothes.
thats when he noticed that the tailor was nowhere in sight. he saw a note on his desk.
"They are coming!" it said.
"oh Sh*t" he cursed. he walked out to find visser 5 in morph.
<hello peter> hesaid the last word with distaste.
Peter morphed his arm into a sword and said.
"visser"
<you've meddald with my plans for the last time!>
peter rolled out of the way as dracon fire exploded all around him.
-
(no his arm isn't cybernetic but peter somehow made the morphig power ablev to morph into nonliving things. he activated it but it only made his arm that way and then it just desintegrated. and the new version has no time limet. but remember it desintegrated. and peter forgot how to make it.)
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"I cant trust you! and even... " Kelran/Kresillet groaned. A Gryphon's metabolism needs meat badly. Without that, any other nutrients will keep them alive barely, but are essentially otherwise useless and impotent.
And Kresillet needed his dosage even worse.
"Even if I could trust you, your Gryphon friend here promises me he would kill me the second I exit his ear."
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he leapt at the visser slshing downward as he did so.
visser 5 roared in rage and pain more the former then the latter.
dracon fire exploded missing him by an inch
-
Hu huffed his approval of Kelran's plan. "As he should! You want sympathy, filthy Yeerk? Well, look elsewhere! You don't deserve sympathy. You shall never crawl back to that slime you call a pool."
((I think it's clear that Hu associates Yeerks of any kind with Bened.))
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"If you don't leave, he will die. I can make you a nothlit. Any earth animal you want. I doubt you'd go running back to Visser Five, though, since he'd be really ticked that you lost your Gryphon. Also, you'd be useless for breaking hosts without being a Yeerk."
"I'll have my hand on his ear to help you out. If he rips my arm off to kill you, I'll sell off his precious sword. You can choose to definitely die painfully, or you can choose to possibly live a full life as any Earth animal you want. Your choice."
((At the moment I'm tempted to have Cody double cross Kressillet. Kill him as soon as he's out, then coldly state that he was lying. It would introduce a darker side to him. Like he's stated, this war is his main purpose in life. He has the potential to go to the dark side. I may or may not do this, though.))
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((I say go for it, that it will introduce a darker connection between him and Kelran too. That or you could let him out, then hand him to Kelran for him to kill and stand by coldly and state that you kept your promise by not killing him and by getting him safely out of Kelran's ear))
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((Hu would approve, I think. ;)))
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((Maybe let Emily and Yarin and Nichole be their concience or something.... say have them get really upset and suchlike. Sound good?))
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peter sliced at his head and hit his mark. visser 5 was not dead but he was wounded and that was enough. ;D
<I'll be back> he cried as he drove away.
peter gopped in a car and drove after him.
(could I find the cave and see you guys as I'me following visser5?)
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((It won't be that easy, jake. Hu's put protective safeguards around the place, including a Forgetting Fog -- which temporarily wipes the memories for those lost within it. Unless, of course, you're a cyborg or something. Visser 5 isn't though.))
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((Besides unless youre already approaching this specific California(isnt it?) town of ours and go off the road and up a non-existant path.... you would never even find the cave. Its not a visible thing unless youre almost inside it, or flying relatively low.))
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( so how avout I'me heading in the general direction and we run into each other?)
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((No, that's too coincidental. Our group will hear something about it the next day or whatever, and begin looking for you. That's the best way. You can be sure Emily would be upset that Cody did something like that. Nichole and possibly Yarin too. I may not do it, though.))
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((Let me warn you, if that Yeerk comes out, its dying. If it stays in its dying.
Whether you kill it, it dies of starvation, Kelran kills it with your blessing, or you underestimate him and he has to throw Hu, yarin, you and a cape buffalo across the room and spear the slug himself... thats immaterial. :D
And yeah, this is about am 8 hour drive from Death Valley. at the least. and as I said, approaching the cave via vehicle (exception of bug fighter) = impossible.))
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(yeah but I'm ust going in that direction.) ::)
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(you seem to be needlessly complicating your story)
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(It'll get simpler when I join the group) 8)
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((Then I'll go ahead and have him crush the slug. I'm actually a big fan of heroes that have a dark side, like Batman. So having Cody exhibit a dark, ruthless side would deapen his character. It will be ultimately up to Emily to bring his light side out through love. BTW, how upset wuld Kelran be if Cody killed the thing instead of him?))
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(oh that would be good lol im getting an image in my head oh all of us sitting in the cave oh if only i could draw)
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(oh that would be good lol im getting an image in my head oh all of us sitting in the cave oh if only i could draw)
((I would like to see that to -- but I have no artisitc talent (unless writing counts). Nohensen, it would also make it more realistic, I think, we all have dark and light sides. . . .))
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(He's right i mean look at me a calm collected scientist one minute a creator of horrible monsters the next lol)
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((Now all I need is for Kressellit to take the bait.))
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((Meh, Kelran wouldnt be directly upset. Slightly miffed that he didnt get to claim the prize of killing it after he struggled so hard, but he would comend Cody's actions in swiftly gettin rid of it. Your choice any way it falls))
"Can you reall retain this creature? He's immensly larger than you... And I still must ask.. Why? why trust..." Kresillet momentarily lost control, and Kelran stumbled, then the Yeerk took over again. "NGH!" he grunted, "Why should I trust you?"
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((Hu won't be very happy, because he thinks that Cody really would give the Yeerk the morphing technology, and he is very opposed to that.))
"I cannot be a party to this," Hu said, standing, and walking outside. But He did not go out of sight of those in the cave. He would not abandon them when the Yeerk turned on them, as he felt sure that it would.
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"Why trust me? Because I'm your only hope for survival. Hu and Kelran have condemed you to death. Maybe Nichole or Emily might spare you, but I'm the only one with the box."
He got up and walked over to the field. "Of course, I want to save Kelran too. However, in war I'd like to save as many lives as I can. Even those that would otherwise be my enemy."
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"The Yeerk is very near death I can sense it, his control overKelran is waning I suggest an alternative to destroying the Yeerk give it to me this is a rare opportunity for me to study it maybe discover a way to defeat them quicker." Yarin said
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"Yarin wants to put you under a microscope or something. You want that instead?"
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Nichole chewed on her lower lip, watching Cody negotiate. Her mind was still trying to process the fact that she was awake and alive. The scientist in her was sparked when Yarin said something about studying the Yeerk. She hadn't really paid much attention to the rest of what was going down, but she tapped Yarin on the shoulder. "What about studying a Yeerk?" she asked quietly.
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Hu had his arms fold and head bowed yet again. What would Lilas think of me now? he wondered. Would she like what I've now become? Would she see me as hero . . . or a monster? Would she have given the Yeerk such a chance, if she were here and knew what it had done?
-
Emily had been sitting quietly this whole time. She wondered if it was right for Cody to do this. She also felt that something was a little...off. Cody's voice was a bit too calm. Too smooth. Maybe it was intuition, but she felt that something more was going on here. Cody had a friendly smile on his face, but it just didn't seem completely genuine. Still, she kept on sitting quietly.
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"Yarin turned to Nichole and said "If given the opportunity I would like to study it learn more about its biology and its strengths and weaknesses would you care to help me?"
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She sort of grinned. "Well, it would definately make a hell of a thesis paper," she replied. Then added, "That means, yes. It sounds fascinating."
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"Guys, he's a sentient lifeform. Not a project for a thesis paper. Or a research specimen." Cody said, turning to them.
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Kressilet and Kelran were now definitely struggling for power again...
"Allright. Ill do it!!!" The Yeerk screamed. The agony that was setting his very nerves on fire was too much for him to bear.
In a trickle of blood, neurochemicals and water he came tumbling out of Kelran's ear.
-
The moment when Hu decided to return to the cave, he saw the evil, sludge slug slip out of Kelran's ear. Hu unsheathed his claws. . . .
-
Cody shut down the forcefield and scooped up the Yeerk before he hit the ground. Kelran tryed to reach over and kill him, but was too weak. Then the smile on Cody's face vanished. A coldness came over his eyes. Before anyone could react, he smashed Kressillet against the wall. Nothing remained but a stain.
"Cody. What have you done?" Emily asked in shock, as she stared at the stain.
He wiped the residue off of his hands as he began walking towards the entrance of the cave. "Kelran is in serious need of some meat. I'm sure you guys can tend to that. I'll go bring Kelran's sword back." He said calmly as he left. Emily rushed outside after him.
"You said you'd make him a nothlit. You said he could live." her voice began to crack. "Cody, you lied to him. With a straight face, you lied to a desparate Yeerk."
He turned to her. "I saved kelran's life. The debt is repaid, and the danger is over."
"I...I believed you were becoming a nicer person. But if you could do something like that, how do I know anything you say to me is the truth?"
"Because I love you." Cody said as he stepped closer to her. "You can see it in my eyes."
"I don't know you, Cody." she said as she turned away. "How can someone be so warm one moment, and so cold another? There is something inside of you that makes me nervous."
"Some time later we'll talk. Right now, I'm getting wet again. Kelran's going to want back what's his. I want you to know that I'd never hurt you, Emily, but I have different views about my enemies."
"They're sentient lifeforms too. Just like us."
"They're not like us. They're parasites. Any Yeerk who takes an unwilling host is an enemy to us. It's that simple." He said, and walked away.
"War is never simple." Emily said, alone. She then returned to the cave.
-
Nichole sat on the ground, peeling meat off of some leftover sandwiches for Kelran. "Sorry this isn't much. If you need more, I can hit the store again," she said, glancing over at Kelran. She seemed unaffected by everything that was going on at that moment. Unpreterbed by Cody's actions.
-
Hu huffed fierce approval at Cody's actions as he sheathed his claws.
Then he turned to Emily. "Emily, those things wouldn't think twice about obliterating you, given the chance. That's what attacted Bened, I know. What's more, it's clear that this Yeerk isn't one of the more docile ones -- if they exist. It was a cold-blooded killer. It left me with no further option but to take the Devolution Draught in desperation. It turned out well, but it could have gone so, so, so wrong."
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Emily returned, and sat on the mat as she dried herself off. She looked at Kelran with concern, and avoided looking at the stain on the wall. "Does that really justify cold blooded murder and deception on our parts, though, Hu? Shouldn't we live by higher standards than that?"
Cody came in a few minutes later with Kelran's sword, and cleaned it off after he got inside. "Emily and Nichole should probably go back to their parents and dormmate respectively. The rest of us can look after Kelran until he gets back in his feet. The Yeerks have probably moved the Kondrona generator, or at least upgraded security a hundred fold. Since we don't have any other missions yet, we should probably start doing recon."
-
Yarin just sat there, his mind had still been connected to Kressilet when he left Kelran. Yarin still hearing his mental screams as Cody killed him.
-
Nichole nodded, passing the meat to Kelran. "I guess you'll have to get one of the guys to get you more meat if you need it," she told him. "Later, dudes!"
She turned to go, and caught sight of Yarin. She walked over to him. "Yarin? You ok?"
-
"Hmm. He may be worn out from being mentally linked to...uh oh. Sorry dude. That must have been unpleasant for you." Cody said.
-
"It is alright." Yarin said. "My people view death as an opportunity for study, still I have never linked with a dying being before. It was unsettling but I have have just gone through an experience few of my people have been through and I am thankful for that ."
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Kelran grunted and sat up fully for the first time,
"You are simply lucky you did not have to go through what I did. I experienced death so many times I lost count."
Kelran didn't immediately explain to the others what Kresillet had done to him, instead he took the sword when Cody passed it to him.
As Cody turned away Kelran put a claw on his shoulder. He was weak but his grip did not waver,
"Cody... thank you. Kresillet may have taken a great deal from my mind and layed it out.. but he was certainly lying about a great many things. You and the rest of the Animorphs... the rest of... us. We have alot to learn... but you have shown that you in particular posess the one vital innate leadership quality that can not be learned."
He pulled himself shakily to his hind legs, "You have what is necessary to make the hard choices, to see the enemy as what they truly are. To not allow the sadistic deceptions of pacifism to ensare you. And to value your comrades and your people above all else.
Im not about to follow any direct orders but...."
Kelran paused and looked around at the others, "I will help you fight them. And whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, one day, we will sit here in this very cave and toast victory."
Once he said his piece he slumped onto one of his favorite rocks, "But right now I desperately need one thing and one thing only. Sleep.
The second worst thing about having an honorless slug in your head is that you can never rest."
-
"Thanks Kelran. Sleep well." He said, and began morphing golden eagle. The rain had stopped, and he was fed and rested. He felt ready to move on to the next objective, and began patrolling the city. Emily had left the cave for home.
-
Hu heard Emily's questions impassively. But he had said nothing, he felt his glare said it all. She never had to live in the shadow of monsters . . . on this planet, Hu discovered earlier, all the monsters died out in a catastrophic mass extinction. Aruten had no such event. It had various species of what the humans would call "dragons". The Smilodites developed these various Draughts, Dusts, Powders, and especially the Forgetfullness Fog to protect themselves from such beasts. Yeerks may have been small, but Hu saw the same monstrocities within them.
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(can you guys finally find out about me?!?! ??? >:(
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((Yes, Cody will hear about you during his patrol. Keep your pants on, and find something to do.))
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(when? Tommorrow? don't do like three page like last time mI logged in. >:()
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((Calm down and please don't double post. Especially if it's just a quote of what you said two minutes before. Not everyone is on at the same time. Sometimes two or three people just happen to be on at the same time, and they end up playing off of each other for a while. Other times, it's dead. You just have to learn to go with the flow. And as Nohensen said, "Keep your pants on".))
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As I drove along I ran ou of gas. I lept out and fired a couple of shredder beams in the general direction.
( haha. so. In have no idea what to post to kinda ya know wait. you wat to find me and we can play off each other?)
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As Cody flew along, he saw some park rangers among the rocks and trees. Then he saw some more. Soon it seemed like way too many people around the area to not be suspicious. Upon a closer look, he saw most of them had automatic weapons. After that, he wasn't at all surprised when he started seeing a few carrying dracon beams. They talked abou a particular Human that went by the name of Peter. They said he needed to be found, but was dangerous because of modifications to his body. Also because he had morphing power.
When Cody heard that, he immediately wheeled around and bolted back to Yarin's ship. He frantically rushed to his room, but found Elfangor's box safely inside.
"This is weird. Better get the others." He said to himself. He then went to Kelran's cave to tell Yarin and Hu. After telling them what he found, he asked them what they thought should be done.
-
(I won't be posting all day today so if you need Yarin one of you should post for him.)
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((Fine by me.))
"This is very strange. We must investigate." Yarin said.
"Yeah. Kelran should be fine here by himself. Hu, you can use your cloak to get around discreetly. I'll fly as a golden eagle. That's about the best thing in the woods. Yarin, you can go either way." Cody said.
They took off for the area cody had been to. From the air, he could still see Park Rangers. <We're looking for a Human that may not be completely Human, and goes by the name of Peter. He may also be in morph, in which case Yarin may have to mentally probe around to find him. On a different note, I am in need of more morphs. I'll have to make a trip to the Gardens some time and grab some different DNA.>
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Hu went along with this plan but he thought it was foolish. Now they were following mere tales of a creature that surely doesn't exist? But, Hu thought, who on Aruten would believe him about giant Prosims, winged bird-cats, six-eyed four-armed two-legged creatures, blade lizards, and parasitic sludge slugs?
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(yes! ;D)
Peter hid behind some trees. He saw the controllers were looking for him. He aquired a turkey that happened to be walking by and morphed. as the conrollers walked by he went off in a run.
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((How old is Peter again? I'm too lazy to look.))
Cody noticed one guy that wasn't in a ranger uniform. He grabbed a turkey, and morphed it, then took off running.
<I found our guy. He's a certain turkey that I'm hovering over.> He told the others privately. Then he spoke to the guy.
<Greetings. I am an Andalite. I will help you evade the controllers if you agree to speak with me once we are clear.>
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(nice one. he's 21.)
Suddenly I heard a vioce.
<Greetings. I am an andalite. I will help you evade the controllers if
You agree to speak with me once we are clear.>
<Okay. about the evading thing? HURRY UP!!!!>
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((Hu's going to have a "little brother" sydrome with Peter, if he joins the group. Any objections?))
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(nope I like it.)
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((That's fine with me.))
<Okay. Yarin and Hu, you help our new guy. I'm going to go pull a Kelran and distract some people.> He then swooped low, and made a scene in front of some controllers. Soon he was playing dodge the bullets while weaving in and out of trees. <There's a river nearby. I'll dive in when I'm ready, and let the current take me!>
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((I'm not sure Hu even knows what a turkey is, but . . . in the words of Kel Mitchell, "here we go".))
Hu heard Cody's commands and he looked along with Yarin, before Hu realized he had no idea what he was looking for. Yarin had to point Hu in the right direction.
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Peter was running as dracon fire exploded around him. he turnd a sharp turn and hid behind a tree.
-
Yarin ambuched a controller, and took his dracon beam. With it, he was able to stun other controllers that weren't following Cody. <I have found a turkey, Hu.>
<I will aid you while my friend draws others away.> He said.
-
Hu looked at the strange bird Yarin indicated. It looked like a ball with a neck, legs, wings and feathers. To say the least, Hu was a little shocked. "You got to be kidding me, Yarin."
-
"It is not a very impressive looking bird. Especially compared to raptors. I believe they are a food item for Humans, since our other friend mentioned being sliced up like a turkey dinner."
"I am Yarin, and this is Hu. We will take you to a safe place."
-
((in the words of Kel Mitchell, "here we go".))
actually what Kel says is "Aw here it goes."
-
((Sorry, yarin, I haven't seen it in a while -- Nickelodeon is one of the channels that was axed. That is to say, one of the channels we pay for but our satellite says "Error" or some other such nonsense.))
-
(oh no need to apologize i just watch way too much tv lol)
-
Cody had led a couple dozen controllers away, and towards the river. Some of the bullets had hit his wongs, and he was making a trail of blood, but the river was ahead. At last, he could dive into the water, and began to demorph. He came up behind some rocks so he could breathe without being seen, then morphed crocodile. The controllers combed the river, and a few went in, until Cody came up in battle morph. Then they decided to go somehwere else. Quickly.
Later, Cody demorphed again and morphed a bloodhound. That way he could easily retrace his steps and find the others.
-
(I'm grounded. You guys can play my charecter.)
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(Aw dude that sucks sorry)
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((It seems like there's not enough creativity going around this thread to keep it alive. It's a shame, because we were getting into some interesting stuff. I could imagine Cody and Kelran having a relationship where they bicker and fight all the time, but have each other's back during battle. Cody is developing a dark side.))
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(NO!!! :o don't kill the thread i'll think of some new ideas)
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((We should go to space.))
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((Crap -- I don't why but for a minute there I thought you said "myspace", traycon. Maybe I need to wake up more . . .))
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(The space idea could work for a little bit like but we would have to return so visser 5 won't just take earth over while we are gone)
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((Yeah, I know. But it would give us a different idea. And then we could get sucked into the computer and go to myspace.
;) Just teasing, Cloaked. Drink some coffee.))
-
((Hu wouldn't like to go into space, though. That's one reason he didn't go for that sort of thing on Aruten. . . . Oh, traycon, I don't drink coffee -- don't like the taste -- I use caffinated soda. I doesn't help that I'm trying to watch Mythbusters, but have to sit through the Error screen on my satellite for 95% of the time. . . .))
Hu waited with Yarin and horrid, hideous bird called a turkey. Then he heard, rather than see, something. He turned around and it was bloodhound. Hu knew they were a domesticated species, so either this one was lost or . . . "Cody, you didn't run into any trouble did you? And random mayhem and destruction?"
-
<Mayhem, certainly. Destruction, not so much. I don't attract quite as much collateral damage as Kelran. Let's get out of here.>
They went back to Kelran's cave. There they introduced themselves, and learned of Peter's story.
"Any enemy of my enemy is my friend. Heck, I even got used to Kelran. You can spend the night with Hu and Kelran if you'd like. I haven't moved the mats and stuff out, so you can use those."
Peter said it was fine for now.
"We need to start working on our next big plan of action. The Kondrona generator is out of the question, at least for now. I think we should take a break from sneaking into the pool. We need to find out more about our enemy, and we know the Chief of Police is a controller. I say we spy on him. I also need to find some time to talk to Emily. Honestly, I'm not sure what to say to her."
"I'm sure she comes from a sheltered home, so she still has that innocent, naive mindset. Of course, I'd love for life to be some never ending thrill ride of joy and happiness from birth to death. That's not how life is, though. I guess I'll think on it during our spy mission."
-
"Some never ending thrill ride of joy and happiness from birth to death. That's not how life is, though."
Cody's words hummed through Hu's head. He had learned this in a fast and hard way. It would be nice, Hu thought, but the very nature of nature itself cannot allow such a thing.
On top of that, Hu felt perturbed, annoyed and irritated at this new arrival. He knew nothing about him, and Hu wasn't sure he wanted to.
((Hu's gonna be a little hostile towards Peter for a bit, but think of it as Marco-Rachel hostile.))
-
As Peter took a look around, Cody spoke privately between Hu and Yarin. "This is the safest place he can spend the night, besides Yarin's ship. I think he'd do less potential damage in here if he tries anything bad. Although, I wouldn't want to leave him here alone with Kelran while the guy is still sleeping."
-
Hu nodded his aggreement. He still didn't completely trust this newcomer, but Hu hoped he was just being paranoid, and that this new strange human wouldn't be traitorous. Bened's betrayal was horrible to Hu, and he felt that he could not take another one.
-
(This is just a quick post. I'm still grounded but I annoyed my sister enough to let me on. Don't stop playing my charecter and remember how old he is! ;))
Peter Looked around for a bit. He chatted a bit wit the others. " I think we might use a little recon. check things out. But that's just me. I don't know what you guys would do sinc I'm "new"."
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(By the way I personaly don't know what hu realy is or looks like. Couple hints at least? ???)
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((Page 18 of the RPG, Jake. Top of the page. And don't double-post. If you have something to add, modify your previous post. That's why the "modify" button's there.))
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(traycon and I were thinking that it might liven things up if we all went for a short jont in space using Yarin's ship)
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((It might, yarin, as Hu would be extremely unhappy going into space. But we can't always get what we want, can we? ;)))
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(and then we could all with maybe the exception of hu contract a space virus that devolves us)
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"Yeah, we need recon. It might be slow going, though. Hey, wait. Yarin, your ship still runs, right?"
"Yes." Yarin said.
Cody grinned. "Then let's take it for a spin. I say we wake Kelran up, go get the girls, and do recon in style."
((I don't know if having all the Humans turn into apes would be all that interesting. Unless for whatever reason we morphed different creatures. I really want to do the bird to dino devolving. Traycon could become a Smilodon. I don't know what Emily would turn into in buffalo morph.))
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(oh that would be awesome i hadn't thought of that yeah lets do it. I'll wait untill we wake up kelran to go into further detail)
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((heh, and Kelran will be the only person who can still fly the ship, and one very sick birdy. :P ))
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Hu stayed with Peter and Kelran while Cody and Yarin went to get the girls.When they came back, Kelran was up and walking around.
<I'll bet Nichole would love a ride in a spaceship.> Cody said while in morph. <What about you, Emily?>
<Well, I've been in a bugfighter before. I haven't been beyond Earth's orbit, though.>
((I was wondering if I should type out Cody and Emily's relationship talk, or just have it implied that they did at some point. I don't want to bore anyone.))
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((Your choice. I don't care either way. This plot should prove interesting. XD))
<What would Nichole love?> she asked, swooping in and landing on the ground. She immedietly began demorphing. "Oh, are we talking about the space-ship?" She paused for a second. "Erm...who's the kid?"
If Yarin had explained anything to her, she hadn't really paid attention. She was too busy getting prepped to take off or actually enjoying the flying. It was getting a bit easier for her, since she was doing it more.
-
"This is Peter. He's the new guy. He's kind of a cyborg, I guess, that can morph." Cody said, after demorphing.
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"Are we all ready to depart?" Yarin asked. "I will go to my ship and make the final preperations for our voyage including replicating human nutriance. Kelran Hu what do your species primaraly eat?"
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(um. since I'm A cyborg either I wouldn't get the virus or I would be an ape with a mecanical arm. That would be kind of comical wouldn't it?)
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(well technically you would devolve into an ape with a real arm)
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(um. since I'm A cyborg either I wouldn't get the virus or I would be an ape with a mecanical arm. That would be kind of comical wouldn't it?)
((At least you won't devolve into an Abicus like Data did. Ah, Sev Trek, you make me smile. Though the mechanical arm ape would be funny to see. Or at least a Neanderthal with one.))
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(traycon is right your human componants would devolve. so are we all on Yarin's ship yet)
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((Yeah, consider us all on Yarin's ship. Yarin's at the helm. You're in charge, now. Be creative.))
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(Oh I will though i may need you guys to take the side controls for a bit.)
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((I'm assuming Hu's on board, too. He's not a very happy cat . . . and I'm assuming, that he would be immune to that virus, due to having already devolved and re-evolved in fluctuations with is mood and stress levels.))
Space-travel. Hu never saw what was so intriguing about it. Hu never had an urge to leave Aruten, until that choice was made for him.
-
Yarin was at the controls of his ship flying through the upper atmosphere of the planet suddenly his ship detected a distress call on long range sensors. *Sorga brof rezoc wreol Partel verf mora tyroq* then the message cut out "What did it say Yarin?" Nichole asked Yarin's skin turned green with concern "It said help please anyone the Partel is in distress then it cut out." Yarin said grimly.
-
"Partel?" Hu questioned. "What, by the fiery pits of the Dracus Graveyard, is a Partel, Yarin?"
Hu was sitting, arms crossed, back agains the wall. He was feeling anxious and cooped up. He was mastering his transformation into Gigantofatalismilodon, but it was not easy.
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"I was planning on us doing recon on the planet, but I guess we should go check out the Partel. If not us, then it will be the Yeerks that respond to the distress beacon." Cody said.
Emily had rummaged through the rooms for a bit, and came back with something. She hadn't really heard anything about the Partel. "I found a hologram projector." She said, and started going through images. Soon she came upon the image of a blue sky, with white clouds. She manipulated it, to make the image appear on the ceiling. "Here you go, Hu. A little piece of the outdoors. Maybe I can find something to make it look like we're sitting on grass."
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"The Partel is a ship sent by the Nyac expolration instatute on Grazal, one of our colony planets my best friend back home Delmin was on that ship." Yarin said. "Changing heading and speed it will take a few hours to get to the point of the signal while we tunnel through Zero space. I suggest we all get some rest. We may need to take shifts I will take first shift obvously."
-
Hu thanked Emily for her kindness, but he was still on edge from keeping his inner beast at bay and his surliness continued. Perhaps if there is a battle, he would get to let it out. But no, Hu realized, if there was a battle it would be from the ship.
Hu heard Yarin impassively. Hu knew he wouldn't sleep, he was far too restless. But, despite himself, Hu dozed. Where he had a frightening vision -- a vision of his friends melting, congealing, reforming into creatures he could not see properly or recognize. It was obvious they weren't morphing. . . .
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Kelran felt quite exhilarated to be back in space again. Especially considering they might soon be in battle, and might even gain contact with another free vessel.
"So," he said to Yarin, "Tell me about the Partel. what class? armaments? power source? tonnage?"
-
Hu jerked awake. His vision was quite vivid, though difficult to decipher. Should he tell his friends about it? No, Hu decided, it would just worry them. Emily, at least. The others might scoff at it, and complete disreguard it. No, it should be kept secret.
Hu's thoughts turned to Lilas and his boys. They seemed very keen about exploring space -- which caused Hu some parental stress back then. Now, he was living their dream, and he hated it. Then Hu wondered what Bened and his bloodthirsty allies were doing to the planet. It seemed, to Hu, that they were abandoning the planet, abandoning the fight.
-
"It is a Nevox class 150 tons, all of our ships are science vessel so minimal tritonic based energy weapons, and a nuronic signal. I do hope Delmin has survived" Yarin said to Kelran.
-
"I'm sure he is," Hu said quietly. Judging from Kelran and Yarin's reactions, they were only vaguely aware that he had awakened. Hu proceeded toward the two, still feeling his uneasiness about space-travel.
-
Kelran peered over Yarin's shoulder at the sensor grid and noticed the other readouts, "Your drift is under 1500k. Thats much better than the last fellow I flew with in a small craft... Oh Hu.. sleep well?"
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"Well I have had practice I trained for five years on ships like this doing scientific reasearch" Yarin said without turning around. "Hello Hu how are you? I sense something is troubling you."
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"I'm fine, just -- I'm fine." Hu said repressively. He was now starting to dismiss the vision as nothing more than a nightmarish dream. "So . . . what's goin' on?"
-
"Kelran and Hu have started talking fancy talk that's a bit over my head." Cody said. He was standing next to them, watching the screen and various buttons. He had been around the console before, but had never messed with it. He normally didn't touch other people's stuff, as he expected the same of others.
"I could talk to you about some things you might understand better." Emily said to Cody, as she began leading him into another room.
"Oh, you mean about earlier?" Cody said before the door was shut.
-
Hu, despite himself, heard Cody and Emily's discussion before the door was shut -- Smilodite hearing can be a little too acut, Hu decided. Knowing the closeness of the two reminded him of Lilas, which still brought a pang of pain, but Hu managed to ignore it.
-
Yarin closed his mind to all the thoughts around him as he needed to concentrateon the task ahead. "We will be making the jump to Zero-space now. We will arive at the Partel in about two Earth hours." Yarin said as a ship wide announcement.
-
Cody and Emily got done with their talk, and walked out while holding hands. Cody looked out the view, and saw whiteness. Yarin said they'd jump through Z-space, so this must be it.
After two hours had almost passed, Cody posed a question. "Does anyone think we should morph? We may want to hide our identites, and be somewhat ready to fight."
-
"Yes you should morph I however should remain in my true form so I can convince the Partel that I am there to help." Yarin said. They exited Zero-space and there they saw a ship "It is the Partel. I will try hailing them"
-
Cody began morphing golden eagle. He wasn't sure how well the croc would do on a ship, and the bloodhound had limited use in battle. Emily morphed the buffalo.
((I did a quick search on the ancestor of the buffalo. Apparently the pelorovis isn't a whole lot different. Just longer in horns, legs, and neck. So she'll just turn into a different kind of buffalo. I assume that once we're changed, we will lose all self awareness. Cody will turn into a velociraptor. I didn't really look up what the ancestor of an eagle is, but I want badly to be a dino.))
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"Huh?" Nichole had been deep in a fairly good book, some sci-fi book where people could shape-shift. Her mout had been quirked into a smile since the beginning of the trip, and she had been so engrossed that she hadn't exactly paid much attention to what everyone else was doing, and obviously, no one had paid attention to her. She realized everyone was morphing and began morphing too. <Why are we morphing, exactly?> she asked, her voice sounding a bit spacy.
((I miss so much...Darn you school! *Shakes fist*))
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Hu unsheathed his claws -- realizing full well that they were going to be of little use in a space battle. It made him feel better. He had his satchel and cloak on. Hu also realized his alter ego wouldn't exactly be of much use in a space battle, nor would his satchel or cloak, but it made Hu feel better to prepare.
((Just don't make a big cat a Smilodon fatalis -- all my research says they aren't their ancestors. But something called a miacid or something like that, it's been a while.))
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(I'll control the Nyac on the Partel. and all languages will now be translated into english for the sake of convenience.)
Yarin looked at his sensor logs, the scans he took had shown Nyac life signs he hailed the Partel again. "This is the NSV Zelpon responding to your distress call. Do you read me? What is your status?" When no answer came Yarin turned to the others "I am going over there." he said.
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(can I have my mecanical arm stay anyway? and by the way I'm copying this and printing it is that okay? just for reading.)
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(sure both are fine just as long as you don't intend to sell this)
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"oooho... not alone. Take Hu with you... he will be better off in a tight spot than at the controls of this thing, I think I can handle her if something untoward surprises us. By the by , what can your scanner grid tell us about the internal state of the Partel? Atmosphere? non-Nyac lifesigns.... biotoxins?"
Kelran was concerned, considering that it was a good possibility that something was amiss over there.
A Science vessel does not simply appear lightyears from its zone of ops, in a war zone, near a pre-FTL planet, then refuse to respond to hails from a ship bearing its own IFF transciever.
Oh yes... something was amiss, and Kelran said as much, "...And..err... would you terribly mind arming the weapons and whatever you use for a defensive grid? what DO you use? deflectors? armor? polarized hull plates (the Creator forbid)?"
-
Hu nodded his approval, then while Yarin explained the things to Kelran, he bowed his head and said a silent prayer to the great Sky Tiger for success. Hu found himself even more anxious and edgy. There would be a possiblity of a battle, he knew. Hu wondered how Yarin would react if he was betrayed by one of his own . . . even more reason for Hu to go with him.
-
"I trust Kelran's instincts. Take backup." Cody said. "Hu would be a dependable person to have keep an eye on you. We all know Kelran isn't, what with the recklessness and all."
"I swear, you do that on purpose." Emily said angrily.
-
Hu heard Cody's jab at Kelran, but he was paying far more attention in Yarin. He was still wondering how Yarin would take it if those Nyac . . . if they were traitorous or -- already taken. He did not voice these concerns, because it would only make things worst.
"You ready, Yarin?"
-
"Yes I am Hu." Yarin said as they stepped onto the platform of the teletransporter and Yarin's world dissolved into nothingness. Moments later Yarin found himself on the Partel's main bridge with Hu. Yarin looked around and could not believe what he saw. All around them there was chaos and disarray. Consoles were smashed and occasionally shot out sparks, there was a thick haze in the air, that obscured Yarin's vision. Yarin could hear a high pitched chattering echoing from somewhere high above . "Let us separate and search for any survivors, I will be within communication range." Yarin said to Hu. Yarin then left the main bridge and began walking down a side corridor, scanning for life signs as he went. His scan results were irregular, some were Nyac and some weren't this didn't surprise Yarin Nyac vessels regularly employed the services of other species on for tasks that they themselves were not suited for. But it was the ones that Yarin could not identify that worried him. Suddenly his scanner lit up and began beeping he followed it to the ship's mess hall the fog was thick in here as well. "Hello is anyone in here," he called out in Nyish. He heard a noise coming from inside a large storage unit and went over to investigate. He opened the door and found two low ranking Nyac crewmembers, a male and a female huddled together, Yarin could see by their skin pigmentation that they were scared and confused by his discovering them. "I answered your ship's distress call, tell me what has happened here." before they could tell him anything, his communicator beeped. It was Hu, he told Yarin he found something important. Yarin acknowledged Hu then turned back to the two frightened crewmembers and told them to follow him.
-
Kelran smirked and gestured to Cody,
"See this control here? 4.6 BILLION ISO-joules of your power.
In a directed energy packet.
See the Partel? minimal deflectors, no engines.
If someone surprises us, which is evry likely considering this sector is likely full of Yeerk patrols, your lives and theirs are entirely bound up in my ability to fly this ship and make judgement calls.
I am holding more firepower in this control stick than 13,000 hand held Dracons. Care to restate what you said?"
Kelran smiled.
It was only half-way a retallitation, Cody knew that Kelran was likely the best pilot inside a parsec's range, unless of course Yarin was better, no one had seen him fly combat. And Kelran knew Cody only half meant it.
Kelran had navigated and landed a 60,000 ton brick in a damaged state after a massive fight which he won, and a trans-galactic trip. No one was questioning his flying skills. Or his intentions of using the respectible, if relatively small firepower of Yarin's ship.
Whether he would exhibit any sanity in doing so was another question..... even more frightening was that Kelran took pride in that fact,
-
<I haven't said anything that wasn't true. Still, I'm about as out of my element as I can get. I'm sure you're deep within yours.>
-
Kelran shrugged his wings, "One of my elements. Not really my natural one unless you count the danger and difficulty, but that doesnt make it any less part of my world."
He paused and stared at Cody, "You're well on your way to becoming a reckless and honorable warrior you know. I may have particular new skills instincts and methods to develop in order to fight this war, but you would do well to work on relaxing your death-grip on 'the plan' The concept that somehow if things change or go awry that the mission can not be completed."
-
((Would the Nyac be afraid of Hu, Yarin? I mean, Smilodites aren't a familiar species to them. Especially since he has his claws unsheathed.))
Hu was currently trying to hack his way through debris with his claws. He knew his alternate form could do so easily, but it would barely fit in here, and he didn't want to terrify any innocent Nyac.
-
( I was thinking that we would find some devolved crewmembers of different species hanging around and the may try to attack us also they wouldn't be very afraid more curious but weary)
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((Ah. Would it be safe for Hu to devolve -- with his immense size -- on the ship? Is it big enough?))
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(yeah sure Hu can devolve its a fairly large ship they need room to perform experaments and research so what has Hu found)
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Yarina arrive with the swiftness Hu had come to expect. "What have you found?"
"Several strange creatures. They scurried away before I could get a good look at them. There was a . . . eerie quality to them." Hu answered quickly, and succinctly.
-
Yarin turned to the two Nyac beside him "where are my manners, we have not been properly I am Yarin and you are?" "I am Delmin and she is Qodon." the male said. "Delmin and Qodon from Geptal I did not recognize either of you." Yarin said. "Hu these are my friends from Nya we grew up together." Their reunion was cut short by a loud roar heard around them. "Let us get out of this room to somewhere safe." Yarin said. They left the room and went to sickbay where Qodon assured them that they would be left alone. Once they got there Delmin explained what happened. "Some crewmembers were doing a survey of a nearby planet that we were scaning for colonization and we must have brought back a virus with us. At first everything seemed fine then the infected and anyone they came in contact with began to change, they began to devolve into the more primal forms of thier respective species. We were on the other side of the ship when it happened, that is why we were not affected. When they started becoming violent Qodon and I hid in the mess hall."
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"Go," Hu said, "I'll bring up the rear. I am prepared to -- I am prepared, in case."
Hu hoped Yarin would get the insinuation that he would transform if he needed to. But he didn't want to say it in front of the other Nyac. Hu wasn't in the most trusting of moods after that vision . . . which he constantly told himself was just a dream and nothing more.
-
<I'm afraid that's mainly how I operate.> Cody said to Kelran. <I make a plan A, but if it goes wrong then plan B is usually an escape plan.>
<What if escape isn't possible?> Emily asked, remembering the last mission.
<I think that may be Kelran's point. The method I have does have its drawbacks.>
((That is actually how I do in real life. When I played war with my friends as a kid, I'd make a detailed plan before the battle. If it went wrong, odds were my team would lose. However, I paired up with someone who was good at thinking on his feet. He'd butt heads sometimes, but were also an effective combination. I would make an overall plan, and he would improvise during the battle as necessary.))
((Oh, and happy one-year-older-day Traycon3. I don't have a present like I said I might have, but happy birthday nonetheless.))
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"So Hu shall we return to the Zelpon or remain here and try to figure out how to stop this problem? Yarin asked"
-
"Get the innocents to safety," Hu said immediately. "That's the first priority."
Hu glanced at the other two Nyac. They looked so similar to Yarin, yet so different. Then Hu said, "There are bound to be more of them around, but let's get these two -- I'm afraid I will have difficulty pronouncing your names," Hu interjected at the two hoping that the Encarta was translating, then he turned back to Yarin, "to safety first."
((Oh, it's traycon's birthday? Happy birthday, then -- that is, if you visit the RPG on this day. . . .))
-
Delmin and Qodon both made gutteral sounds that Yarin knew was them saying their names in Nyish Yarin then translated the names into english. "The male is Delmin and the female is Qodon. You can tell the difference because as male Delmin and I are genuinly taller and we can change our skin color to desplay our emotions." Yarin then switched back to Nyish and told Qodon and Delmin to transport back into the Zelpon.
-
As the two left, Yarin and Hu remained. It was all very stressful, but Hu managed to squash his alter ego. Then, suddenly, there was a gigantic BOOM behind them.
"Great." Hu muttered. "What now?"
-
Cody heard the explosion loud and clear. <That didn't sound good. We should go. Kelran, see if you can lock the ship so no one but uss can enter it. We're going to check on Hu and Yarin.>
-
Hu cough and gagged on smoke. It obscured his vison, dulled any sound, and completely masked scents (which were all alien to Hu anyway). "Yarin, perhaps we should -- Yarin? Yarin! Where are you?!"
-
(I'm going to have peter kind of ... held back scince I rarely can go on)
Peter had bin on the ship a while now. he had looked at the ship, which wasn't new to him. there was an explosion. Cody announced that he and kelran were going aboard.
"May I come along?" He asked.
(What will The "Devolving" be like?)
-
(its like, have you ever seen the star trek the next generation episode genesis. First we'll start to get moody then we'll develope secondary physical charateristics of our devolved species oh and another thing I think that when you guys change in morph that the two hour morphing limit should be done away with for the time being cause its not technically morphing.)
"I am over here Hu." Yarin called out. Next to him on the floor was an unconscious creature "What is that?" Hu asked. "I believe it is one of the crew members an ancester of the Tychros species if i am not mistaken." Yarin said.
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(I'm going to kind of be... not immune but it moves slower in me then you guys. And can one of my parets be alien? It would explain the immunity)
Peter entered the other ship cautiously. He could smell alot of smoke( Can he have like really sharp senses?)coming from a particular direction. He walked in that direction.
He came to hu and yarin.
"What Is that?" he said pointing at a strange creature.
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(its your creation you don't have to keep asking for our permission just keep retconing it)
"That is a Tychros crewman he attacked me but i made swift work of him" Yarin said
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(Kelran's DNA is too dense to devolve, but he will become violently ill so at least one of us will be around to put a leash on the zoo :P )
"Cody..." Kelran said as he checked his sword and the one dracon he had salvaged from their battles up to that point,
"I think we should take Peter. I dont entirely like the concept of leaving him here, even if Emily stays, his style is too.. too much like mine. I can encrypt the systems so that anyone who boards can not acces critical functions...
but that would only be a stopgap, and if anyone did come along Emily would likely be unable to pilot the ship well enough to evade capital ships or multiple bug fighters. In short, if anyone comes along...."
He rammed the power cell into the butt of the Dracon for emphasis, "We are... what is the human colloquialism? toast?"
EDIT; (how in the world did Peter beam over there without the access codes for the transporter?)
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(wasn't the transporter left on in case of an emergancy?)
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((Clever, Yarin. ;) ;D I know you had Tychros in that let's play, I think it's called.))
"Ancestor?" Hu replied. Yarin's response didn't thrill him. Hu knew immediately something must be undoing the evolution process. The Devolution Draught did the same thing to him, but it was temporary and controlled. This was neither of those things. "I have a very bad feeling about this, Yarin."
Hu barely registered Peter's arrival, as so many thoughts and worries and concerns filled his head he though it would burst.
-
"Hm" Peter said. "Ah now I see. an ancester of the tycros speices. very interesting."
(He has a code hacker in his arm? Or would hat be taking to much of an advantage?)
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(yay 1000th post)
"Yes." Yarin said "Let us get him to the medical bay so I can run tests on him. Do any of you have any medical training?"
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"I have just a bit. I had to kind of be my other crews medical officer as well as captain" peter said.
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"Alright begin the tests." Yarin said to Peter once they were in the medical bay.
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"Okay." Peter said as they reached the medical bay.
"Just like you nyac to keep the same ship and use new technology. some of the thing are new to me. what does this do?"
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((Yarin, what are -- oh, never mind. I understand now. Oh, and Kelran, remember that Hu won't be affected -- he's already devolved and, more or less, has control over when he does and doesn't devolve. . . . Things are about to get very hectic for him. . . .))
"The training I have wouldn't be much use on a non-Smilodite individual." Hu said blandly.
Once inside the medical bay, Hu allowed Peter and Yarin to do there stuff. He stood by the door, thinking. Something was making this happen, Hu was sure, but he was actually frightened what could happen. He knew that it would affect him, but it was more of a fear of his friends -- and Peter.
((Just a playful jab, Jake.))
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(So what happens next? Do we just start arguing?)
Peter was a little wary of hu staring at him. He was more than a little scared of hu's claws. he hadseen how fast they were.(not hu'spersonaly but his species in general)Peter was sharp and fast but not to that extent. As he finished his work he put the results on the screen.
"Well they're,the nyacs, on this ship devolving."
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(No we should let it draw out a little bit longer so the others can post)
"I believe they were, I heard high pitched chattering from up above and saw things gliding up past the haze. i believe it was the living Nyac crewmen? And what do you know of my species what is your lineage?" yarin said sounding very mildly offended as they performed thier analisis.
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(thanks. thanks whoever smote me >:()
"and I don't know why. They're dna is like devolving first forcing he body and mind to follow. the virus is very... interesting."
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((Oh, wait until Hu choses to devolve, Jake. Peter will be plenty intimidated, I'd wager. He's the only one who hasn't seen Hu in his Gigantofatalismilodon form yet. And Yarin means give the others a chance to put their view points in the RPG. I do remember that one time where traycon hadn't posted for three days, and Nohensen and I begun to suspect . . .))
"What did Nyacs evolve from, Yarin. You know what might kind evolved from, but I have been curious about you and the other's to be honest." Hu said, conversationally. Then he heard Peter's analysis impassively. "A devolution virus, you say? Well, it's not unheard of. Smilodites have the Draught, but few actually ingest it. . . ." Hu deliberately didn't mention that he was one of them that have.
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((I guess Cody should start coming under the influence of the virus.))
He was flying around, and keeping an eye on everything. However, he began to feel hungry. Like he wanted to hunt something. Now. He could also feel his skin starting to itch.
<Is there anything around that we can eat? I'm hungry, and kind of restless.> cody asked absentmindedly.
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"My people evolved from smaller gliding mamals we had hollow bones and small compact bodies with a thin membrane of skin streched across our six limbs." Yarin said.
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"Hmmm . . ." Hu said, putting his hand to his left fang and rubbed impassively. "Sounds similiar to an aeroherp, a creature from Aruten. Only they're reptilian, four limbs, long tail. They raise ribs to glide, though some species are thought to be capable of true flight. They were about as big as your foot, Peter. How's the analysis coming?" Hu added, glancing out the door. The corridor was empty.
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(I'm going on a youth group trip untill sunday. could you cover me till then? Keep peter talking. I know I said he's with drawn but once he gets going he really talks. and is jason warwick still in the group?)
"well. now that cody mentioned it i'm hungry, too." (not a reaction. as I said before it is slow to react in peter so he won't have reactions for awile.)
He found some food capsules.
"Got any beer? oh back to the analysis. This is a virus with" he flipped a jack out an plugged it in.
there was a faint whirring soung as he searced the ships data.
"no cure known in any data banks whatsoever."
he chomped noisely and found some water but little else for drink he contented himself.
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"Generally my species does not imbibe alcohol exept for religious reasons, however I have been known to ingest to occasional glass of red wine when the situation calls for it. (lol i just referenced my star trek story)
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(nice one ;) what did the devolved nyac look like? I'll have it be sort of rat size.)
"Religeous reasons?" What kind ok spiecies uses good beer for religeous reasons?" Peter scoffed.(Thats not how I feel in real life so no offense if you do)
Peter sighed. "Can I at least have the wine?"
He walked over to the strange creature.
He had noticed a small change. Then It's eyes opened.
Peter didn't know why, but this creature felt...farmiliar.
The creature looked up and leapt on him licking his face.
Peter decided, against yarin's protests, to keep it.
It was cute and if we had to abandon thee ship yeerk patrols would just destroy it any way.
I'll name you...aldon. It's a good name and it fits. aldon crawled up on his shoulder. I t crawled and sniffed around till it found a needle. he began to swing it like a sword.
(am I going too far with this creature? I have a problem. since I had an alien parent and a human parent howv would I devolve? Would it be like a mix of ape and something else?)
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(They are about the size of a monkey amd by the way what is the creature you found? was it the devolved Nyac cause none of them are on the zelpon only the two that didn't get affected unless you found one that i didn't hear about your last couple of posts don't make sense unless we're still on the partel then nevermind. and it depends on what species your alien parent was)
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Hu wasn't sure about the creature that Peter was getting all buddy-buddy with. But Hu's had many bad feelings before, and he other worries on his mind at the moment, so he merely glance pensively out the door and said nothing. The corridor was still quite deserted.
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((I don't really know what to post until we start changing. Should I have cody start changing now, or wait?))
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((Well, Hu and me are ready for a little action right about now. Hu is getting antsy and bored at the same time. Nohensen, I'm assuming you guys have boarded already.))
Suddenly, Hu felt a slight shuttering beneath his feet. The tiniest of vibrations. Something was happening. The vibration increased to the slightest degree. Oh, yeah. Something was going down.
"Guys, we have to move. Guys! Guys?"
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(Wait so whats going on)
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((It's about to hit the fan, Yarin. But I was waiting for one of the others, on the "outside" so to speak, to post. I was thinking that perhaps you and Peter would be exihibit some signs of being infected with devolution virus. Yay or nay?))
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(Yay verily I could have Yarin develop the thin membrane under his arms for starters and have someone else notice it so i can get yarin's horor just right lol)
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Cody began to feel heavy as he tried to fly, so he landed to see what was wrong. His feathers were turning into scales!
<Guys. Something's wrong. I'm morphing without demorphing here!>
His noticed he was a bit bigger, and could feel his bones thickening.
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Hu looked a Yarin and Peter. Peter was getting somewhat hairer and stockier. Yarin was growing something under his arms. Hu knew immediately that this could be only one thing.
"Guys! You are devolving! You must have caught the virus!" Hu roared. Perhaps taking the Devolution Draught was the best thing because he seemed not to be devolving as well. Made sense, as he could devolve and re-evolve at will -- or close enough to will.
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Yarin looked down and saw the membrane attaching his limbs together soon he would no longer be bipedial. "I must find a way to reverse this." Yarin said
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"Assuming there is a way," Hu said, pessimistically. Hu would suggest the Devolution Draught -- he still had some -- might counteract this virus. Or make things a million times worse.
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(oh lets do that it could accenerate things)
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((Sounds okay to me, but we're still separated from the others. Perhaps we should wait for them to find us, and every gets hectic from there.))
Hu pulled the flask of the green substance from his satchel. True, its effects may not mesh with the virus, so much so that it counteracts it. But Hu didn't have all the information necessary on either the Draught or the virus to make such a decision!
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(How about Yarin be the first on be to change) "I will be the first test subject" Yarin said as he drank the draught, almost instantly the membrane on his skin grew and he started shrinking.
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((Of course, it might make it more controllable -- but less so than Hu because Hu drank the drought before being introduced to the virus. . . .))
"Yarin, I don't think --" Hu began, but Yarin had already ingested some. Hu didn't know the ramifications of this and so, naturally, he was worried for Yarin. Though he harbored some curiosity about what would happen. . . .
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a few moments later Yarin began was about 2 feet tall and began gliding and chattering around the ship
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((Ok, refresh my memory, exactly who is where and with whom?))
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((As far as I know Kelran, Yarin and Peter are with Hu, while you are with the others -- which I presume have already boarded the ship. I suspect that we'd be meeting up soon. Oh, and Yarin, I do find it a little funny (funny ha-ha) that you shrink when you devolve while Hu grows when he does.))
When Yarin's devolution plateaued, Hu had only one thought: Oh, great.
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((I started thinking Kelran and Cody were with Hu and Yarin.))
Soon Cody was looking more reptilian. He was a velociraptor. He began wandering around, sniffing at things. He looked at Kelran, but had forgotten who he was. The only thing that passed through his mind, was deciding whether or not Kelran was food or a threat.
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"This is just perfect," Hu muttered. "Yarin and Peter have devolved into . . . creatures I don't recognize. Can't we just get one single break?! Does everything we try to do have to go wrong?!"
Suddenly, Hu noticed a reptilian creature in the corridor . . . with Kelran! Great. One of the humans must have fallen under the influence of the virus too. This thing was more virulent then Hu initially thought.
"This just gets better and better . . ." Hu complained.
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(I just reilised maybe Yarin can still communicate telepathically)
Yarin hopped on to Hu's shoulder and began chewing on a peice of rubber tubing he had found chattering away happily.
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((So, Yarin's now Hu's very own parrot? Lol. ;D Pirate Hu . . . Either that or Hu's somehow became a Pokemon Trainer. . . .))
Hu put his head in his hand, and laughed. It was a mirthless, why-me? laugh. Then Peter came closer to Hu as well, and Hu thought, He'd better not get too friendly. . . .
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Cody saw more creatures. One was the size of the bird beast, and the other was about his size. Then there was a smaller one, but it was on the large creature. He wondered what it would taste like. If only it wasn't on top of that larger creature.
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Hu looked at the reptilian creature again. It didn't take a genius to realize those claws were for needlepoint. And if Hu wasn't mistaken, there was a hungry gleam in his eye. Hu uttered an Aruten curse.
((Hey, BTW, is Traycon goin' to post?))
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Suddenly Yarin jumped off Hu and started gliding up above them to get away from the danger
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Hu unsheathed his claws, and snarled, "Nice one, Yarin. Abandon me at your earliest convinence."
The Hu snapped back to the strange herp, and stated, "Cody, Emily, Nichole -- whoever you are, you do not want to pick a fight with me . . ."
((Clearly, Hu has misinterpted Cody's target.))
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Suddenly Yarin flew down and landed on the Raptors face temporarly blinding him the Raptor ripped him off and threw him where he landed in a crumpled heap in a corner
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((So Yarin can fly?))
Cody shook his head after he threw Yarin, and hissed menacingly. He began stalking, but eventually became frustrated as Yarin kept flying around. All that left was Peter. He began eyeballing Peter, and circling around behind while Peter was unattentive.
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(Well glide, think like a flying squirrel)
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The creature seemed to have forgotten Hu. Hu knew he could use this to his advantage. With nary a sound, three gashes each appeared on his neck, flank, and tail. Hu roared over Peter's gutteral sounds and primate hooting. "Don't make me hurt you. Get control of youself! Now!"
Then it occured to Hu that perhaps they could no longer understand him. . . . They must have devolved into creatures with no real spoken language. Hu cursed again, which was beginning to be come a habit.
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Kelran had been maneuvering behind Cody with total silence up till this point, Hu could now see that he was holding a large hypospray of relaxant, perhaps enough to temporarily daze Cody into a less kill-and-eat state.
Kelran held up a talon, pointed it at Cody, then at the vial.
The idea was a simple, 'keep him busy with your claws until I can inject him'.
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Peter had slipped away from Cody with his mechanical arm. However, now he was wounded. He started to chase some more, but the large beast got in his way. His claws were unsheathed, and he looked like he was challenging Cody.
He roared in defiance and beared his teeth. It was his prey. Not the larger creature's.
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"Kelran," Hu said, voice strained. "Who is this?"
The creature lept at Hu, but Hu was a great deal bigger, so he easily knocked him away. Hu gritted his teeth, and growled, "I can slice you up quite easily, give it up!"
Hu had long realized that it may not have been able to understand him, but trying to reason with it made Hu felt the smallest bit better. Of course, Hu also realized the spray thing Kelran's claws may do nothing to this creature -- he was sure that it was unfamiliar to him as it was to Hu.
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(so is Yarin still lying in a crumpled heap?)
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The beast was just too big. Cody turned away, feeling dejected, and noticed the other one. He more or less ignored the other one and made like he found something else that interested him. He began wandering into another room to explore, and find something to do.
He found something round and shiny, and began playing with it.
((Just think of some kind of reflective ball or portable light source. When Kelran comes over to spray him, he'll become possessive of his new toy. I had Yarin get up and fly away from Cody a few posts back.))
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Kelran placed the vial in his beak, and tip-taloned on all fours to a spot just behind Cody. Despite his size as a reptillianoid, Kelran stood a good 3 feet taller even on four legs. Kelran just hoped he seemed less menacing this way. All too son he would risk coming off as provocative.
He began to gradually stand on two legs slowly and smoothly dropping the vial back into his right claw.
"Cooome on.. be a good reptillianoid now and take your cytoplasmic relaxant hypospray..."
he said aloud in a sing-song voice.
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Oh, yeah, Hu thought snidely, that'll work.
Hu watched axiously and somewhat awkwardly as Kelran slowly approached the creature. Hu really hoped this would work. But that was before there was a loud crash behind him. It seemed like the ship was falling apart from the inside out.
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Cody heard a crash, and stopped playing with his toy. Yet again, he saw the bird beast standing next to him. He was annoying. Cody growled and snapped at it, and it sprayed him with stuff. He tried to run away, but he couldn't get very far. He layed down with the ball in his mouth and drifted out of consciousness.
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"And that is the art of hunting reptillianoid pre-avian species" Kelran said as he turned to see what had caused the tremendous crunching noise.
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The ship seemed to have stabilized briefly. But Hu had enough. He turned to Kelran and said, as there was a slight throb in floor beneath his feet, "Nice one Kelran, but I have a funny idea. LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"
Hu quickly devolved himself, retaining control and his mind, unlike the others. Then laying down a bit, saying "Through Yarin, Peter, and that other thing one my back. That way we can abandon ship and figure this thing out.
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((Let's have Emily not devolve. That way I'll have a character that can talk and stuff.))
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(Have I already devolved completely? I was thinking that since I have an alien parent I could like still think and controll my body.)
peter woke up. he hadn't really been asleep but his subconciousness had taken over. now peter could seen it had been into something nasty. he was all hairy. he was an ape.
"oh perfect" he said suprised the words had come out.
he found his way to the medical bay and put his history knoledge to work. the crumpled heap must be yarin, the velocarapter cody.
(and the creature was a devolved alien i had met. it remembers me in some distent memories. i was thinking it could be my brother that took after my alien dad. of course i don't know it's my bro)
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((I was assuming we were back on Yarin's ship by now -- Emily possibly would be in for a surprise then. Unless you were talking about the medical bay there, Jake. Of course, I could be mistaken.))
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"Great! You're back!" Emily said as she saw Kelran and Hu in devolved form. "Why is there a velociraptor, a chimpanzee, and some little thing on your back, Hu?"
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(I guess it followed us or something. he's with you now too. oh and by the way peter will randomly switch between devolved human brain and alien brain.)
Peter woke up again.
"why do I keep switching??!!" he cried aloud. the others were startled.
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(the transporter bio-filter likely removed the virus itself, so we are no longer contagious, but its up to us to figure out how to reverse the effects)
Kelran groaned and collapsed into a chair. "I think your de-volution virus doesnt agree with my densly compacted DNA."
There was a low rumble from his chest, "Or my gastrointestinal systems for that matter. Oh. emily.... the reptillianoid is Cody, and the simian is Peter. And Yarin is..... something. Small and odd looking."
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"Can they control their bodies, or should we lock them in a room? Seeing as Cody's starting to move." Emily said.
Cody had been placed on the floor, and was waking up. He was in a smaller space, and there were new smells. He crawled into a corner so no one would take his toy. He wasn't hungry anymore.
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"Yeah," Hu said, placing everyone down, the re-evolving back to his normal form. "Yarin took the Devolution Draught -- against my better judgement, I might add -- and it exacerbated the virus's effects. It didn't affect me because I have the ability to consciously devolve and re-evolve at will, due the Devolution Draught. I don't know if I can reverse its effects though."
Hu heaved a sigh, as he sat down and heard Emily's concerns, whipping his tail feverishly. "Don't worry, you're not in danger as long as Kelran and I are here." They were the large and stronger then they currently-devolved others. Hu was aware of the reptiles movements.
"This a subject that the Smilodite Mages may have looked into in the past, but if they did, the archives were wiped long before my time." Hu looked through the bridge's window and saw the ship heavily deteriorating. "I still don't understand how a virus could do all this. . . ."
((By the way, I don't know if I mentioned it before, but Smilodite feet are orientated like humans. Their heel and balls of their feet touch the ground. Occured to me that I might not have elaborated. Thought you guys might want to know.))
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"Well Kelran, you'll have to fly us home. We'll figure out what to to with Cody and the others. Including our other two Nyac guests." Emily said.
((You know, one of the two rules at the start of this thread is that everyone should post within a couple of days at least. We may have to have Nichole disappear like Jason did if Traycon3 doesn't post more often. I feel guilty saying that, though. It just doesn't do anyone any good if Tray only posts once a week.))
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And Yarin is..... something. Small and odd looking."
<I heard that.> Yarin thought to them. <Yes it is I, apparently the addition of the Devolution Draught caused me to retain my higher brain functions>
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Hu nodded. "It appears to affect Nyac in such a way . . . I didn't know the reaction it would have in a non-Aruten species. Yarin, can you re-evolve back, or it is the virus counteracting that or . . ."
Hu stopped his questioning, because he realized his vision came true. Why did he dismiss it? If he acted by it, Yarin, Peter and Cody wouldn't be devolved into their forms. If he hadn't second-guessed himself . . .
((Oh, I had forgotten that rule, Nohensen -- though it was never a problem for me (though it might when I move -- eventually). Perhaps she will post soon or perhaps something has happened that requires her full attention at the moment. She might post soon -- and I'm not usually optimistic about such things.))
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<No I can not I am stuck in this form although i do enjoy gliding around the celling.> "Chaek Chiik." Yarin said using his devolved vocal cords.
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((*Headdeskheaddeskheaddesk followed by groaning* Sorry, once again, but it's kinda hard to juggle THREE tests, a birthday, and going home to see family with friends spending the night.
So, I'm just going to drop out now, so I'm not impeding anything.))
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(NO!!! dont leave)
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((I knew you had a good excuse. And Traycon, I wouldn't want you to leave the RPG, but you must do what you feel you must. I accept that.))
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Kelran was feeling worse and worse but he managed to keep his balance, and his stomach, all the way to the ****pit.
He began manipulating the controls with a surprising degree of alacrity considering his throbbing head and rebellious stomach.
"Hold onto your tail-feathers back there.... I don't have a feel for the accelleration vectors of this ship..."
Despite his gloomy warning the initial accelleration to cruise speed was fine. It was the Z-Space part that worried Kelran.
Firstly he had no idea how to calculate a Z-space vector, second his last brush with the concept had blown up his ship.
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Yarin was feeling much better although he was still stuck in this primative form he jumped on Kelran's back and gave him instructions telepathically on how to run the ship.
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Hu stretched and leaned against wall. He had crossed his arms in a surly way, and had his head bowed in thought. Hu was actually pondering over the events since his abrupt arrival in this universe, assuming it was not his own, of course. Hu said nothing. He let his satchel drop to the floor. Before Hu realized it, he began to doze.
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Kelran glared over his shoulder at Yarin, "Yarin... your hands... paws...claws... whatever they are... off of my wings please. now"
He didnt mean to be rude, but a Gryphon's instinct for keeping things off his wings, is similar to a human's desire not to have peoples hands around his neck.
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(Remember I am still more or less able to think. and traycon you could just have us play your charecter until you can. don't forget my bro! the... rat monkey thing. and can the rule about only one charecter? I'm gonna have a problem when he devolves.)
Peter was lying on the deck of the ship. he got up warely. he was tired. he had to lug that arm around all the time! his friend came over. peter studied it.
<What's your name?> it said kind of sweetly.
peter jumped.
<uh, uh, peter, peter darkstone.>
<I'm aldon darkstone.>
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Cody was getting bored with his new toy. He had been hearing the others making sounds, and was beginning to realise that he could almost understand some of the sounds. ((Thought speech)) He also realized that no one was watching him. The large winged creature had left, and the largest creature was falling asleep. There was a small creature behind the largest one, watching him intently. He got up and walked around.
At some point, he came to some sort of hole, and there was another of his kind staring back at him. It moved when he moved, and when he tried to go through something stopped him. It also stopped the other think. Whenever he made a noise, the other thing moved the same but made no sound. It was weird, and he started thinking maybe it was actually just himself.
((Velociraptors were thought to be intelligent, so they possibly have self awareness like dolphins.))
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(yeah i could see that happening)
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((Just remember that velociraptors aren't as big as Jurassic Park makes them out to be, Nohensen. Barely two feet high at the hip, about six feet long . . . accordin' Wikipedia. . . .))
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(ok lets get back to the story)
<Hu please take me back to my labratory I need to do some experiments to try and solve this virus problem I would walk there myself but it would take me too long. Kelran I will be monitoring your thoughts regarding the ships controls just think a question and i will try to give you an answer.> Yarin said.
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((Oh, so they don't stand a little higher than an adult Human. Hollywood makes everything seem bigger or worse than it really is. Still, I could kill a Human girl, a chimpanzee, and whatever Yarin is. Also a rat-monkey. Once the ship lands, Cody is going to make an escape.))
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((*smirks* That is going be interesting, Nohensen. Panic and mayhem. Oh, and Jurassic Park used Deinonchyus (I think that's how it's spelled) -- and called them velociraptors though they are merely the larger cousins of Velociraptor. Of course, accordin' to the Discovery Channel, Velociraptors were feathered. . . .))
Hu was uneasy about leaving Kelran alone. But Yarin might be able to synthesize a cure for this viral devolving disease. So, Hu agreed to take Yarin to the laboratory, and within moments arrived.
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<Hand me that cellular sample.> Yarin said to Hu as he adjusted his imaging device.
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Cody started walking around again. He felt an urge to go out. He was tired of the hard walls, ceiling and floor. He felt caged, but he didn't know how to leave. He saw the largest creature doing something with the small creature, who was making the sounds he could almost understand. It was more like a feeling than speech.
He still felt threatened by the large creature, but he curiously came over to inspect what they were doing.
-
Hu did as Yarin instructed. All the while, Hu consulted his Encarta for more about the Devolution Draught. Perhaps there was a way an antidote could be made if he researched . . . but no, Hu realized. These plants and minerals would be an impossibility to find here, even with Yarin's collection with specimens. Substitution of anything could be not only very dangerous but quite disasterous.
-
(Should Yarin make an antidote now but before he can give it to the others they escape. how does that sound)
-
((Perhaps it should be drawn a bit longer -- but I am open to whatever happens. Since Yarin took the Devolution Draught he should be able swich back if need be, unless it somehow interacted with virus to prevent that.))
-
((At least let Cody escape. I want to have more fun with him before it's over.))
Emily had stayed with Kelran, watching him. She felt better being near someone she could trust.
-
(I'll just let Yarin take it so he can get back to normal)
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Peter wandered around the ship with his brother. he talked to him too. <so.. what do tou look like in like devolvedness?>
(my bro has a monkey's mouth and the rats sharp teeth. he has gray fur, monkey hands and feet but a rats claws and red eyes.>
<I am Quite tall, as far as four legged animals go. I look like.. cheetah with wings. some times when I'm mad this weird aura surrounds me. it looks red.> They wandered into the labratory where yarin and hu had gone and watched for a while.
Peter said
<No don't do that!>
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<Do what.> Yarin asked as he moved a vial of blood from one container to another
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Kelran glanced from the Z-Space Vector readouts to Emily. "So... I percieve you are uncomfortable about what Cody did to Kresillet?"
He darn well knew it was a loaded question, but this was one of those issues that couldn't entirely be fixed between Emily and Cody.
If someone had to get a dose of her displeasure in order to pound the concepts of war into her head, Kelran wanted it to be him, not Cody.
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"I know what you're thinking. Emily's parents keep her shut away from everything they feel she doesn't need to know, so she's ignorant and naive. I can't help that. I'm trying to save the world and become my own person. It just seems that certain standards should be kept to insure we don't become desensitized and apathetic."
"I'm taking baby steps, here. It's been a little much, but I'm trying to deal. I guess it just startled me more than anything else. I try not to judge anyone I don't know. To call Kresselit evil just because he follows the orders of people who control his supply of kondrona rays seems a bit hasty. Now I've been a controller. Heck, I've been one for months longer than you have. I still try to hold onto some standards, even if it just winds up being naively idealistic."
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"Yarin, how long do you think this'll take? Give me a rough estimate." Hu asked. He was feeling like there was something that they were missing. Like the answer was hidden by a thin veil, that they were having difficulty moving aside, but knew it lay on the otherside. They could not risk landing on this planet and unleashing the virus onto populace. They have all seen how extremely communicable this virus was.
((This would be another danger of Cody getting free of the ship. I think it'll play well.))
Hu could not take the waiting.
Hu was also concerned about Kelran. He looked somewhat weary and battle-worn. Hu didn't know if he contracted the virus as well. Hu remember what he said about his genetics being to dense or something to that effect. But Hu wondered if maybe, just maybe, he produced some sort of devolution field around himself when he drank the draught, and that rendered Kelran immune to such viruses.
After a moment, Hu shook his head. No, that's ludicrous. he thought.
-
(I don't know. it was something random.)
<Well be carefull thats my bro's blood.>
-
((I thought you would say something about Cody being in there.))
Cody had been startled by the noise of the one at the door. He felt angry, and gave half hearted chase to the intruder. Hissing and growling and he came.
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"Yarin, you keep working on it," Hu said, after a long, and somewhat awkward silence. "I'm going to walk around a bit. Feelin' a bit antsy."
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<I have done it it was so simple Why did I not figure it out before.> Yarin said as he took the formula and instantly returned to normal.
-
Hu was barely out the door, when he heard Yarin's exclaimations. "That's excellent, Yarin, but I think we have a slightly more important problem."
When Yarin's six eyes met Hu's, he explained. "Cody's gone."
Hu watched Yarin's eyes widen when he came to the same realization that Hu had. They both knew the possible implications of that.
((Sorry if that wasn't what you imagined Nohensen. I can change it if you wish.))
-
((That's ok. I'll assume we've already landed.))
Cody had chased the creature with a weird arm around the ship, and eventually he opened something which took them to another world. Then all was forgotten in this new world of sights and smells.
The ground was soft under his claws, which made him feel better already. Air brushed against his scales, and brought fresh scents to his nose. Just then he was hapier than he had ever been all day! It was huge and waiting to be explored! As so he did.
-
Kelran looked at Emily, "What did yours do to you? To keep you submissive? Do you know what Kresillet did? He forced me to relive death and murder. Hundreds and hundreds of times untill...." Kelran paused and sniffed, a tiny trickle of freash air was flowing into the cabin.
"Oh no. Come on! someone opened the Hatch!!!"
-
Emily and Kelran ran to the hatch to see Cody running off into the distance.
"This is bad on multiple levels."
Cody ran around sniffing at things, and sometimes chasing small animals and insects. All of this was much more interesting than the other place.
-
"Hi, Kelran. Hi, Emily." Hu said, as he blowed by them. "Bye, Kelran. Bye, Emily."
Whatever creature Cody turned into, Hu was sure that it could not keep up with a Smilodite. Much less a Smilodite who had his scent. And an invisibility cloak.
-
Yarin morphed into the Varkas and flew after Hu antidote in claw.
-
Kelran glanced at Emily, "Think fast Emily.. coming or no?" he offered her a claw, with the other he set a password lock on the spacecraft door.
-
Hu sniffed here and there, tracking like he was always trained to do -- it was essential for obtaining some potion ingredients on Aruten. Hu slammed the blunt ends of his claws into a creature he wasn't sure were modern or devolved, but there was no time to delay. He noticed what could only be Yarin in morph, and he motioned him forward as Hu took off.
((Pray that Cody doesn't make it to the ocean -- Megalodons and Liopleurodons. . . . I may have mistaken somethings there.))
-
Emily ran inside to get the thing Cody had been playing with earlier. "This could help." She said as she ran after the others.
Cody had wandered into some deep brush, and could smell the larger creature trailing behind him. He was having a lot of fun, and didn't want to be caught. However, this could be a fun game. He wanted to know how far he could get before he got caught. He picked up speed, and weaved through trees. Ocassionally he bumped into some other things, but he didn't stop.
-
Kelran rocketed right over Emily, Hu, and Yarin propelling himself forward on the immense power of his wings.
What he did not count on was the intense vertigo. The virus was still making him ill, and that was affecting his sense of balance.
He had to slow himself considerably, and in doing so he all but lost Cody.
-
(I just had an idea for a storyline what if there is some super powerful being like the elimnist or cryack shows up but it turns out its just a normal human who is writing our story i know that does'nt make much sense but I could make it work.)
<I see him he is running towards a town we must stop him before he murders innocent humans.> Yarin said as he flew faster.
-
((I say nay to that idea. We should start on the storyline with Yarin's fronds next. Qodon and the other Nyac.))
"Don't overexurt yourself, Kelran!" Emily yelled.
Cody came to a new place with new smells. He could also smell some of the same creatures that the one female smelled like. He wasn't feeling hungry yet, though, and just kept moving around so he didn't get caught.
-
(Oh yeah i forgot about that sweet)
-
"Yarin, don't forget he carries the virus!" Hu roared up to him. "He could easily infect every other creature on this continent!"
Hu had a notion to devolve into his larger counterpart, but decided against this when they came to a place with a nearby human habitat. "Sky Tiger, help us." Hu muttered.
-
Cody was starting to get tired, and hungry. There were rats scurrying around, but they were quick. He found something that smelled good in a trash can, and ate some of it.
-
Hu looked around and saw an overturned trash receptacle. An animal certainly came through this area. Hu realized that he can't go strolling through this habitation, he might cause one of this humans heart failure or something. He fiddled with his clasp, and became invisible, then he was back on the trail.
-
Emily continued her previous conversation with Kelran as they walked together.
"I'm not as strong willed as you are, so the Yeerk in my head certainly wouldn't have to fight as hard to control me. Actually, the thought of one of those things going inside me horrified me so much that I would have thrown up if she didn't control my body. I was quite frightened, but tried to resist being taken to the pool every three days. However, she threatened to do...humiliating things that will not be mentioned if I resisted too much."
"However, as days turned to weeks I realized something. The Yeerk was saddened by war, and wanted to go home more than anything else. The recruiters on her world came and took her away without even asking if she wanted to. Those Yeerks that speak out against the war are called Andalite sympathizers, and those that speak out against taking involuntary hosts are called host sympathizers. Sympathizers are dealt with rather harshly."
"There are good Yeerks and bad Yeerks, and those that would normally be good are brainwashed by the corrupt government. Getting a high rank is the only way to really be treated as a person for them, and the only way to do that is to become a Kressillet. I feel sorry for them."
"That said, I am going to help. I'd rather not get into a debate about which one of us had a worse experience, but I want to help end the war. I'd also like to keep from being swallowed up by it. I don't want the war to become my life."
-
Kelran nodded, "Ironic. War is my life, and that is an accomplishment I have worked for. When one ends I can always find another conflict to embroil myself in. Somewhere, somehow, some evil is always opressing innocents, and so someone has to fight. Always."
He paused for a moment, "While I understand your feelings about Yeerk sympathizers... somewhat... I can assure you two things; Kresillet was planning to kill you all as soon as Cody gave him the morphing power. And if Cody had not killed him, I would have.
In far slower far more painful ways that do not bear discussing."
-
"You may be right about one thing. There will always be conflict. From full out wars to petty crimes. If you want to make that your life, and find enjoyment in it, then good. That's not really for me, though. On the other hand, I'm just starting to get out from under my parent's shadow and search for my own identity. That's something I'd like to find."
Cod started feeling that maybe he had gooten too far ahead of the others. He began backtracking a little until he found two of them.
"Oh my gosh, there he is!"
The chase was back on now.
-
(how long do you want to stay devolved? cause we can take it slow or kelran hu and yarin can slam cody against the wall and pour the antidote down your throat. lol)
-
((I'm ready to get caught now. Let's do it.))
-
<Kelran, Hu I need you to coordinate your motions on cornering Cody. I will draw his attention.> Yarin said.
-
Cody started running away from the other two, but then saw some kind of bird. The bird looked like it wanted to play, and Cody tried puoncing on it. It kept flying just out of his reach, though. Soon, he was grabbed by strong talons! He wrestled with the other creature to get free, and the bird came over and poured something in his mouth. Then his mouth was held shut and he was forced to swallow.
Soon something horrible and frightening began to happen. His skin started peeling off, and his insides began melting. It was so terrifying that the other creature had to put him down to keep him from hurting himself. Within seconds, a new instinct began bubbling up. Fly! Fly away from danger! He spread his wings and flew, screeching, to the top of a roof.
"Cody! Cody, can you hear me? It's Emily! Can you understand my words?"
More sounds. Still more sounds that he...wait, he did understand those sounds. He understood the name Emily, and who he was.
<Woah. Where am I? How long have I been in morph?>
"Well, you kind of devovled into a dinosaur. You've been that way for over two hours."
<Holy crap!> Cody flew down and tried to demorph. Once again, his insides liquifies and his feathers pressed down and turned to skin. "I don't remember what happened, but it's good to be me again." He said as Emily gave him a kiss.
-
Kelran sighed as he took his own dose of the antidote which acted more like a pepto-bismol on steroids than anything else.
The relief was night instant and he clacked his beak appreciatively, "It may taste like uncooked vegitaion," a grave insult to any food or drink for a Gryphon, "But it certainly does its job."
-
"Now that Cody is back to normal we have another problem on our hands." Yarin said. as Delmin and Qodon appeared from inside the ship.
-
"Well Yarin, I'm worn out. I feel exausted. You can deal with your two friends while I take a nap." Cody said as he reentered he ship and went to his room."
(This will lead Delmin and Qodon to realize that Cody is Yarin's roommate.))
-
Delmin walked over to Yarin "What is that Human doing in your ship? Is he your lifemate?" he asked in Nyish. "What? No, Cody does not have a living space of his own so I offered him my ship to stay in." Yarin replied.
-
((sorry I didn't post earlier -- technical complications that I don't care to go into. And I might not post over the next three days, because my neice is coming to visit for my mother's birthday on Friday.))
Hu headed back to the cave, to tend to some of the plants he attempted to grow there. But before he did he handed Yarin two vials so that the other Nyac could penetrate the Forgetfulness Fog. In case they joined the cause.
Hu was pleasantly surprised when he found the plants were still thriving, but not overtaking native flora. The measures he took to prevent such a thing apparently had worked successfully.
-
(Ok we wont kick you off for not posting for 3 days)
-
(Sorry I was HANGING WITH MY FRIEND AND HE HA no internet. could you not kick me off? mom says I can't go on the computer till i get my grades up. I can only rarely get on.)
Peter wandered what the fuss was. soddenly his other conciousness took over and he blacked out.
When he awoke he was fully human again.
"What happend?" he asked. they seemed to be ignoring him.
-
(Thanks)
"Yarin whats going on? did you cure my brother?"
-
(I have no idea)
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(We'll just say you did and he's in the b-room right now. any Idea's for next mission? kondrona generater? yeerk pool? police chief? ???)
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(lets wait until the others post)
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(ok
come on! somebody post! can we attack the yeerk pool? what defences does it have.)
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(I don't know aperantly everyone is busy)
-
((I can tell you boys missed me. So much.
But I've decided to come back, if only because I enjoy role-playing with Yarin, Cloaked, and Kelran. Nohensen's currently on my list, and I haven't really rped with Jake enough.
Cloaked: Thanks for understanding my reasons for leaving.
Yarin: Thanks for actually missing me. I'm coming back only because you asked.
Nohensen: I have a life filled with fairly hard courses and times where I need to actually sleep or study. So, if I come on and between Monday and Tuesday, there has been over a page in posts, I'm probably going to have to play a bit of catch-up, which sometimes can take a few days. So, back. Off. If I miss something, I'm able to make up some bull as to why Nichole missed it. If you have a problem with my posting, bring it to me first. Not to everyone else. Otherwise, I'm leaving for good, and no amount of pleading from Yarin to actually get something moving again will bring me back.
Kelran:...Eh, you didn't seem to care either way...I have nothing to yell at/thank you for.
Jake:...Uh...Haven't really rped with you long enough. My advice to you is to focus on keeping those grades up. Don't worry about the rp so much. If Nohensen gives you a hard time, I'll be sure to yell at him for you.
If you have a problem with my return, state it now, or forever hold your peace.))
Wreching sounds could be heard coming from whatever Yarin called his bathroom. Most of the antidote had managed to enter her system fast enough to devolve her, but for some reason, she had a bad reaction to it, and coupled with the taste, it had resulted in a big mess.
When her stomach was finally empty, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Do you have any cups or something? Or Sprite? Warm Sprite would be wonderful." She leaned in the doorframe, looking pale, and shaking, the remnants of her reaction being wiped on her pants. She could still taste the antidote, but it was coupled with a rather disgusting acidic taste.
((Oh, and if I'm back, I might not post from Thursday to Monday, since I'm going to go and attempt socialization with my parents. My internet time depends greatly on whether or not my friend accompanies me and/or the time I spend with my parents/cats. Assuming the basement no longer smells like something died down there...>.>' ))
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(Yay your back and now that Delmin and Qodon are with us we can finally do that idea we were talking about)
-
((Yup. Now are you going to actually respond to Nichole's question about the soda or just sit there? :P ))
-
((I'm glad you're back, traycon. I didn't know Yarin was that persuasive . . . okay, I know I misspelled that.))
Hu had spent his time cultivating his plants and producing more powders, combat spices ((okay, I know that sounds weird)), and various draughts -- though not the Devolution Draught. That has caused enough trouble already. The time came when he decided to go on a little walk. He passed through the Forgetfulness Fog, and when he reached a good distance away from the cave -- to examine a species of bird very similar to the antacynus species on Aruten ((a duck)), when he was assaulted by Bened.
Hu expertly dodged the attack. But noticed immediately that something was very different about him. His claws and fangs . . . they were coated with some sort of metal. His maniac eyes were now different somehow. He couldn't have been infested -- that would be lethal.
"Noticed have you, brother?" he said, with a calm cool in his voice. "When you became the Gigantofatalismilodon, I decided that I was in need of an . . . upgrade."
"You're still a fool, Bened." Hu retorted. "A little metal coating on you claws and fangs, and you believe yourself to be invincible."
"You're the fool, Hu!" Bened sneered. "This metal is pure animadmantium! The strongest, most-durable metal in the universe! Completely unbreakable! And it runs through my entire skeleton!"
Hu refused to believe Bened's assertions that the metal's properties was as he described.
-
"I do not have any Bicarbonate of soda I appologize. However I may have something else " Yarin said as he went to his food replicator and produced a Nanander "Here drink this." he said handing Nichole the bright yellow foaming drink.
-
((It is? ...Great...now it's gonna drive me crazy. Thanks, Cloaked. :P Both for the warm welcome, and for creating a desire to go look it up in Word now...Must...Resist ...))
She smiled, taking the drink from Yarin and taking a sip. The taste was...bearable.
"It appears that this creature is unable to consume a simple mixture of..." The alien said a few words that Nichole couldn't even begin to understand. Then laughed. "Perhaps it is a flaw of their species. May I ask why you insist on staying on this planet, Yarin? Are they such an interesting study?" The alien had a femanine quality to her voice.
Nichole felt her temper flare a bit, but tried to stay calm. She breathed heavily through her nose, closing her eyes. The deevolution had caused her to become more violent, reacting on instinct, and she could feel some of that still sturring within her. She clenched her teeth and breathed out.
"I should probably head back to school, soon."
"It still attends school?" Slight laugh. "How sad."
Breathe. Breathe. Do not punch Yarin's friend into the wall. Breathe.
She took another drink of the yellow concoction, this time tossing it back to the point where it barely touched her tounge, drinking about half of it in three gulps. She just hoped that this wouldn't have her running back to the bathroom.
"Thanks, sweetie," she said, giving the female Nyac behind Yarin a look.
"Sweetie?" Qodon asked Yarin in the Nyac language. "What is the significance of that?"
-
(Nice ;D)
"It is a term of affection on this world." Yarin said to Qodon in Nyish. "They may be a primative people however they do have potential."
-
"Affection? Is it attracted to you?" She smirked. The idea was ludicris. Yarin. With that. Ha. Even though technically they had stopped the mating process, she would still have him back sooner or later. "What a silly idea."
-
"Now, Hu," Bened said silkily, then he lunged, "prepare to die!"
Hu dodged, but Bened managed to slice off part of Hu's left ear. The damage was purely cosmetic. Hu could see that Bened was now profoundly much more dangerous. Hu could not see any other alternative. To survive this confrontation, he must devolve.
Hu became his ancient evolutionary ancestor again. When Bened came to attack, it was clear that he was lying about the metal as it could not penetrate Hu's armored plating. Hu gave a huge roar and took his huge paw and tossed Bened into the horizon. But Hu knew he would survive.
He quickly made his way back to Yarin's ship. Hopefully the others would be there. If not, he would go to the cave. Hu's ego was also mortally wounded.
-
((The new computer I got from my brother in law had problems with the sound card. In my attempts to fix it, I somehow broke the computer. Now I don't have one. I'm sorry if I made you upset, Nichole, but really how much time does it take to post a paragraph or two every couple of days? Well, I didn't intend to make you genuinely angry. I have a busy life as well, but as long as the place I'm staying in has internet access I make time for my addictio--I mean hobby!
As for the next mission, we'll currently have a drama regarding Yarin's friend. Qodon will scoff at Nichole for dating Yarin, and one or both will hesitate to accept that cody is living with Yarin.))
Cody rose after a while and told the others he was going to the zoo to acquire new morphs. He needed some more variety.
-
Hu made it to Yarin's ship, a little hot under the collar, but otherwise reasonably fine. The shift of forms reconstituted Hu's ear. Once Hu entered, he remembered that there were two more Nyac other then Yarin.
"Yarin, are the others here?"
-
((I'll try and be on, but sometimes it's hard to even write a paragraph that doesn't sound...rediculous or just wrong within the context of the rp. Especially if I missed a bit and need to catch up.))
Qodon watched Cody leave out of the corner of her eyes, taking her eyes off the human for a second. She adjusted herself so that she was sort of blocking the alien's view of Yarin.
Nichole turned when Hu entered, blinking until her eyes adjusted. She had been glaring daggers at the other Nyac. Even though she had no idea what Yarin and she were talking about, she could tell it wasn't very nice. And judging by the tone of the other Nyac's voice, it was either about her or her race.
"Cody just left. And I don't know where Kelran ran off to. Is something up?"
She'd honestly be doing anything else right now. She needed to get some steam out before she blew up. And hopefully it would help get whatever was left of the antidote to finish up. Hopefully.
-
((That's perfectly understandable, traycon.))
"Met Bened in the forest," Hu said, roughly. "He's had an upgrade. His claws and fangs are laced with something called animadmantium. Supposed to be unbreakable and able to slice through any solid matter, apparently. He overestimated the material -- it could not slice through the armor plates of a Gigantofatalismilodon. He sliced off my left ear. Had to devolve to beat him."
Hu heaved a sigh. "This could be problematic, especially if the Yeerks can use this kind of thing on any of their hosts."
((I just realized there is some similiarity between the relationships Hu and Bened have to the one that Wolverine and Sabertooth have. . . .))
-
Cody met Emily on his way to the zoo, and they went together. She said she could do with more morphs as well. They decided to go in as Human and stroll around first.
"Do you think you want to make this war your life? Like Kelran does?" Emily asked.
"I'm not sure. I haven't found many options. Legal ones, at least. What about you?"
"Oh, I'd like to be some kind of artist one day. Painting, music, or perhaps something else."
They went to the snake exhibit.
"A black mamba would be cool. It's one of the most venomous, and can travel faster than a horse." Cody said.
"I think the faster than a horse part is a myth."
"You know, we could easily test that out."
They snuck around and got a better variety of morphs, also enjoying some quality time together. Eventually, they came back to Yarin's ship to mingle with the new guys. Delmin talked to Cody.
<So, you're living with Yarin?>
"Yep. He's cool."
<Are you...mating with him?>
"What? No. I'm a guy. We're both into girls."
<But you both live under the same roof? That is rather odd in my culture.>
"I'm converting Yarin to my culture."
<I doubt that would happen.>
-
Kelran over heared the last of Hu's statement as he loped in, "animadmantium?" he shrugged, "We used it about 10 years ago as second generation hull plating. That is, if the translator means the same metal I think it does.
We replaced it with tribnotanium, but only because tribnotanium had better energy resistance, in terms of strength its rougly like tritanium to the 3000th degree. tribnotanium is actually an animadmantium/polycarbide alloy. What of it?"
-
Hu explained to Kelran. But he couldn't hide his contempt for his brother, and he didn't even try. "However, it means I have to go Gigantofatalismilodon if I want to go claw-to-claw with him. Bened has no honor . . . being made into a freak of nature. Allying himself with monsters. Sadistic . . ." Hu trailed away in the Smilodite language, which basically sounded like growling to non-speakers. Which was good -- Hu wasn't using polite language.
Hu realized that being able to devolve and re-evolve at will wasn't natural or normal, but he didn't say anything about it. He had his arms folded and his tail was thrashing around almost angrily.
-
Kelran glowered, "Well, I certainly doubt his additional plating will do him any good. You simply have enough strength to tech him his place by brute force. And regardless of the materiel, I doubt it can stand up to my sword. We havent met the material yet that could withstand a monomolecular blade of selenium. We would use it for ship hulls, but its rare enough to make human gold look like dirt."
He withdrew and examined his sword, "This is old... at least 1000 years. Its been in my family since before generations unpon generationf of grandfathers could remember..."
Kelran seemed to become momentarily lost in thought as he studied th eplay of light on the massive blade...
-
Hu nodded curtly to Kelran, and causally mentioned, "This cloak is centuries old. It was my ancestor's. It is said to hold some deep magic. And the power to fade from view -- as you probably have already noticed. Each satchel every young pupil gets is sensitive to their mind, heart, and soul. It learns it, and then will not open for anyone else. Every master prepares their pupil's satchel. Fortunately, Bened never recieved one."
Hu sighed deeply. "And Kelran . . . it's not so much that he added the plating, it's just that he preverted everything he was taught. Betrayed everyone around him. He sacrificed his honor and his soul for the neverending quest for power. I never imagined a Smilodite would go down the path he did. He's lost himself so far on that path, I'm beginning to believe he can never come back."
-
Yarin turned to Qodon and began speaking rapidly to her, he was not trying to exclude Nichole he just rarely got a chance to speak his native language.
"What news have you from the homeworld?" Yarin asked.
"Nya is prosperous the council of elders have recently entered into a cultural exchange with the Mantos a race of tripedal monocular winged cephalopods. A group of them living on Nya they are friendly enough however odd their appearance might be." she said.
"Do not break the second rule of interspecies conduct never point out another species physical differences".
How are my mother and father? Yarin asked.
They are in good health and keeping active within the community. On a more personal note I reached the Age of Significance and completed my apprenticeship as a pilot. Have you reached the Age of Significance?" Qodon asked.
Actually I have already passed the Narcon-Gleesh. Yarin said.
"How is that possible? You are not yet old enough." She asked confused.
My ship encountered a temporal distortion on my way to Earth. It accelerated my metabolic prosses whiched caused me to experience the Narcon-Gleesh early."
"What was it like?" Qodon asked.
"It is difficult to explain, first there was the energy discharges then the torrant came and then I experienced a feedback pulse." Yarin said.
-
Kelran shook his head, "We can never place limits on the perversion of a betrayer.... or the power of loyalty.
You have the advantage because you are better than he is, and I imagine that even that knowledge carries some pain with it.
But he has already placed you within his killing zone if you succumb to that."
Kelran looked for some way to shift subjects as this was obviously bothering Hu, he gestured at the Nyac, "Now what do you suppose they are on about?"
-
Hu lifted his Encarta so Kelran would notice it. "My Encarta can absorb languages after a few moments and provide instaneous translation. That's how you and the others can understand me and how I can understand you. Yarin is questioning the other two on how things are going on this home planet. And some other cultural things, as far as I can tell."
Hu tried to mask his own curiosity on what was happening on Aruten. He never knew if he would be able to get back there, or if he would fit in anymore. He has changed a lot from the foolish cub he had been.
-
Yarin finished his conversation with Qodon and walked over to Hu and Kelran. "I have something for you Hu." Yarin said handing Hu a small device. "It is a holograph emiter contained in a small wrist device I have also programed in a forcefield so that it feels real to the touch you can set it to anything you wish."
-
Hu thanked Yarin and placed it on his other wrist -- the one not occupied by his Encarta -- but he determinedly decided that he would not use it except in cases of emergency. His cloak's invisibility was enough, he felt, at the moment.
((Perhaps the Yeerks will come up with some sophisicated heat-sensing technology which would make the cloak's usefullness moot.))
-
(oh that would be interesting since humans have heat vision sensors the yeerks have them to.)
-
((and thus, as star trek once predicted, the cloak is replaced by the holo-cloak ;) ))
-
(Yay my to obsessions come to connect)
-
((*Opens mouth* ... *Closes mouth* Eh...stuipid question: When did it say that?
EDIT: Forgot the word "say"...I'm so with it, aren't I?))
Nichole moved over to look at what Yarin had given Hu. "It's like X-Men Evolution and Star Trek had a crazy love-child," she commented, having heard the conversation. "Now, does it tell time, too?" She lifted a hand. "I'm only joking."
She was starting to get hungry, now, and nudged Yarin gently with her elbow. "You wanna go hit a burger joint with me? I'm starving, and as much as I appreciate what your ship has to offer, nothing compares to a good burger with cheese, bacon, and katsup." She grinned firtaciously. She was, admitedly overdoing it just a bit, but she was staking a claim.
-
(Oh another of my favorites come to tribute in this story sweet)
-
((Naturally, I have no idea what you guys (and gal) are talking about. Not much of a trekkie over here. Of course, Hu also has no idea . . .))
Hu had no idea what Nichole was referencing, but he nodded all the same and flicked his tail in a casual way. "My Encarta tells Aruten time, but I have calibrated it for this planet's time. It is unusual, because apparently twenty-three of your years equal one Aruten year. We don't so much as have months as the hot, rainy, cold, and dry seasons. . . ." Hu said nothing more. He felt that perhaps he was talking too much, and was unsure that the others were even interested in such things.
((Too bad we can't get this story published with the fee going to all of us or some sort of charity ;) . . . I really think it would sell. Oh well. ;)))
-
((cody and Emily are both at the ship, but I don't have any good ideas about what to post. Unless someone starts talking to either of them.))
-
Hu noticed Cody and Emily, and queried, "Oh, Cody. Emily. Anything new to report? Or nothing new?"
-
"We got some new morphs, and spent some time together." Cody said.
"Yeah. We'll be more prepared for recon and battle missions in the future." Emily said.
-
((Too bad we can't get this story published with the fee going to all of us or some sort of charity ;) . . . I really think it would sell. Oh well. ;)))
(that sounds like a good idea i was just thinking that I could print this and take out all the non story elements and correct spelling and make a little book.)
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((As long as I get a fair share of the money, and get full rights to both of my characters, I'm ok with it.))
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(theres no money involved i was just gonna share it with my friends but first I gotta find some)
-
((Hmmm . . . I intended that as a bit of joke. Anyway, back to the story, I was playing around with an idea. Perhaps by some freak accident a portal opens up to Aruten and Hu is faced with a decision of going home or something else involvin' you guys (and gal).))
Hu nodded toward Cody and Emily. Then he relayed to them Bened's unnatural change, again not concealing his contempt for his brother.
-
(Hey I've been copying it! But It's only my part and beyond. and cwe have to split it into books too and I've been thinking. is nicole going out with yarin? If not could she and peter be boyfriend and girlfriend? don't get p.o'd if not. )
-
"Bened is dangerous. We know what Visser Five wants, but we don't know what his goals are. Maybe we should try to figure him out." Cody said. "Some of us could go find him and keep an eye on him, but at least one of us needs to hang around with Qodon and Delmin."
-
(I was also thinking could I have some like power when I'm mad like the hulk exept I don't mutate or would that be overboard?)
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((No, Jake, you're too late. Hu, more or less, has that ability.))
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(with or without mutating? I was thinking not mutating just like fireball throwing or something)
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(yes Yarin and Nichole are going out)
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(Dang. :'( ackkk! nobody gave me the stuff to get through the forgetness fog! :o and with the mutation it's from my dad. Hey I don't know what that speicies looks like! can we go there for a mission? ;) And when I get the power this wierd red caura goes around me. and can we do the selling thing? each one of us can take a part. since like 59 I have been recording everything story wise. that means 59 devided by 5 right? okay. but can we still go to my home plant and I can get an alieen item or something?))
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((I think your character has enough going for him already, Jake. Man, we're getting to where there are more alines than Humans.))
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( 59 devided by 5 is 11.4 so we each do that many. decide who does which pages amongst yourselves if we're doing it. and I want a girlfiend!!! >:( but I can't do two people.)
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(your confusing me jake)
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((Yeah, I didn't understand the first part. If you want a girlfriend, but don't want to control another character, then one of us can. Yarin already has Qodon and Delmin, at least for now. They may not be staying permanently. One of the rest of us could work something out.))
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((Directed to Jake: Huh? Jake, it seems to me that you're overcomplicating things a bit. Nohensen is right, Peter has enough going for him. About the Forgetfulness Fog, I thought it was because Peter was supposed to be some sort of cyborg.))
Hey I don't know what that speicies looks like!
((You're the character's creator. Make somethin' up.))
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(he's right you can't just keep adding on things to make your character cooler)
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(I cant decide for ya Jake, but Id Reccomend you try the method I used when I first started writing, :) (long ago on another forum)
Try to break your character's basic abilites and traits down like a unit in a balanced computer game. Obviously he is a hero, as we all are, so he gets a certain bonus.
For example, my character has a very sharp technologicaly and tacticaly oriented mind, thrives on a sense of canraderie in battle, practically lives for the kill, and has strength and skills to back that up.
But he pays for that in that his emotions can have dire consequences when he lets them run amok, he doesnt relate well to people like Cody and Peter, he isnt much for bio-technology/genetics and he has a darker side that his morality must be careful to keep in check.
He is an immensly gifted creature in terms of having what amounts to 'perfect biology' but in turn that only works for him in a limited amount of situations in a world like the animorphs universe. Morphing also carries extra issues and a sense of revulsion for him.
So for each attribute he somehow pays somewhere else.
I also take alot of time to define his personality and thought process, my RP is nothing more than a balance of what Kelran the character would do + serving the needs/desires of the story arc, placed inside carefully thought out descriptors and settings to make the world he lives in seem real to the reader.
Translation for you = the more you know about Peter, the better you can write, and the better a character he will become.
To know more about him you have to sit down and come up with a dedicated definition of who he is now and his past, and a basic framework for how he develops as a person.
What is his personality? strengths and weaknesses both biological, mental, and personality-wise?
How does each weakness relate to each strength and vice versa? (remember that as people, our greatest strength is also often our rgeatest weakness somehow)
another tip is not to set his development in stone all at once.
I could have amde Kelran a commando or shock trooper, the perfect military officer. While he is a better soldier than any normal human by a mile, in the framework of the more advanced races like Gryphons, Smilodites, Andalites and Yeerks, he isnt superman.
He has a prodigy's worth of potential, he could be an absolutely unstoppable fighter, but it hasnt all been developed. What makes him fun to read during war moments (I hope) is how he is developing and learning things from his experiences.
IE, its more fun to read about a persons path to becoming a super-hero than it is to read about them being one who can simply always save the day.
I have already changed Kelran or begun to change him in logical ways that follow through on the interplay of what kind of person he is, his relations to those around him, and the world he lives in. I can do that because I have a framework for his development thats just rigid enough to give me a guided track but just flexible enough to suit the unpredictability of the story. That unpredictability emulates to some degree the real world which in turn combined with my framework and his development makes him seem more real as a person.
Finally, If nothing else I said makes any sense this is a simple way to tally your characters skills.
He should be good enough to blow right through what normal people consider difficult, and good enough to make an account of himself in a fight, and to be able to save the day in the end as part of the team....
But if;
A: he could save the day relatively easily
or B; finds fighting the antagonists of the story easy
then he has gone too far.
The point to being a hero is to face Villains. When we confront the Visser, for example, or a massive force of Hork Bajir bluebands, but for all our abilites, they still outmatch us for raw power, so it should be a skin-of-our-teeth win or escape based on a combination of our raw power, our morality, and our ingenuity.
If its too easy, then youre too powerful.
IE if you could easily pwn the Visser, youve got a few too many aces in the hole.
Ok, Im done giving tips for tonight :P As I said before, just suggestions based on my past experiences. Think of it, if nothing else, as a peek at Kelran's behind the scenes. ;) )
Kelran ****ed his head, "You must show me this 'Star Trek' Sometime. It sounds fascinating, and when Im not occupied with bolstering the cave and its quality of life, I would enjoy something to give me a better cultural reference for Earth."
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((Jake I don't mean to be a jerk but you can't keep adding things to your character's history (like saying oh by the way... or i forgot to mention...) it needlessly complicates the things and throws off the flow of the story. Ok lets get back to the story))
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((Yes, well, it'd be helpful if you at least answered Nichole's question. And let me know when to do the thing we talked about. Otherwise, I may just have to spring it on you randomly.))
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(What was her question again i looked back but i couldn't find it lol)
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((Re-post: ))
Nichole moved over to look at what Yarin had given Hu. "It's like X-Men Evolution and Star Trek had a crazy love-child," she commented, having heard the conversation. "Now, does it tell time, too?" She lifted a hand. "I'm only joking."
She was starting to get hungry, now, and nudged Yarin gently with her elbow. "You wanna go hit a burger joint with me? I'm starving, and as much as I appreciate what your ship has to offer, nothing compares to a good burger with cheese, bacon, and katsup." She grinned firtaciously. She was, admitedly overdoing it just a bit, but she was staking a claim.
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"Yes I would gladly join you on your venture to injest bovine products." Yarin said turning orange with happiness
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Hu nodded to Cody, "Yes, I concur. But Bened will be dangerous. I suggest that I go myself -- I'll use my cloak or this auxillery device Yarin constructed. I also advise whoever comes along too have a small morph accessible."
Hu stood silently for a moment, then said, "Perhaps we should find Bened first."
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Kelran piped up, "I despise morphing, but my flight abilites and eyesight mean I can spy on anyone unseen while they are out of doors, transport people to and from drop and pickup points, and provide backup if things sour. If Yarin and Nichole can mind our new arrivals, Emily could doubtless provide assistance as well."
It seemed to Kelran like the perfect plan, Emily who was their best mind on Yeerks and their technology and protocol, Cody who was the best fighter they had who was also morph capable, himself who could quite obviously fly and deal great amounts of damage in battle, and Hu who was the resident Bened expert and of course therefore in charge of this mission after a fashion.
At least, in Kelran's mind.
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"When do you wish to depart." Yarin asked Nichole.
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Hu knew that Yarin was addressing Nichole, but he answered anyway, "We should leave immediately. Give Bened no time to regroup with the Yeerks. I threw him a good distance away while in my devolved state, but that is not to say that it was far enough away from his allies."
Hu said nothing as thought about it some more. Then he spoke in an unusually wary voice. "Bened isn't exactly the subtle sort. He'd leave a trail."
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"Actually Nichole and I were leaving to get some proper nurishment for her" Yarin said to Hu. Delmin walked up to Hu "I have been meaning to ask you what is your planet of oragin and is it in an alternate quantum reality or in another dimension seperate from this one? I only ask because i am a quantum physicist apprentice." Delmin asked.
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Hu replied, in a rather surly manner, "I have no idea where Aruten, my planet, is in relation to this one. All I know is Bened and I got sucked into a whirling vortex, and suddenly we were here. I'm a mage apprentice, not an explorer. . . ."
Actually, Hu was made into a master mage, but he didn't want to confess that. He still didn't feel like a master mage. And his tail wasn't tufted, as it would have in the ceremony that would accompany his rise to a master mage status.
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"Whirling vortex,was it blue or red in color I ask because you may have just discovered transdimentional travel?" Delmin asked
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"I paid no attention to color." Hu said, still surly. "It happened in seconds. Besides, I was sort of engaged in a life-or-death battle with Bened."
((The vortex, as I see it, was more of a black color. This may be a retcon, though. . . . I believe I'll go back and check.))
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(it doesnt really matter I was just trying to make a reference to Sliders lol)
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((Checked anyway. Turns out I was somewhat vague on that. And I had forgotten that Sliders dealt with that. . . .))
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(you know of sliders?)
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((Vaguely.))
Hu was starting to get impatient. He knew Bened was going to head for his allies. If he managed to contact them, it would be harder to get to him. They'll send out those bladed reptiles, possibly some of those worms, and Sky Tiger knows what else.
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((if we all split up it would be harder them to find us)
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((Yeah, but let's let the others post before we get up and going again. Give them a fair crack at it, so to speak.))
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A thought needled the back of Kelran's mind. If the Nyac posessed superior quantum manipulation technology, perhaps his knowledge of slipspace physics would be sufficient to help them design their first drive. And just maybe, he could persuade them to give him a ship...
But no. His homeworld was still millenia away even at slipspace.
He forcibly wrenched his mind back to the present issue.
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Yarin turned to Kelran "It will be alright Kelran we will find a way to get you home. do you know your planet's spacial coordinance? " Yarin asked.
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Kelran chuckled dryly, "In 5 different systems of co-ordinate based stellar cartography. yes. I doubt that even the Nyac, or anyone else could find a way to safely hurtle me over 860 trillion parsecs. Besides, we have more pressing matters. Such as how to permanently incapacitate Bened."
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Hu heard Kelran talk about permanently incapacitating Bened, and a small part of him was pained at the thought. But Hu knew that Bened wasn't the cub that he thought he knew. But Hu sincerely wished it didn't have to be this way.
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((I'm back to a computer again. My own should get fixed Friday, and could be back shortly aftwerwards.))
"Okay, Hu will be in charge of this mission. Even though I'd love for Bened to die, his punishment should be dealt with by Hu. Though this time let's not just hit him and run off." Cody said, recalling the first time they had Bened at their mercy.
"I'll use my bloodhound to track through the ground. Kelran can handle air travel. Emily can follow in a more covert manner."
((I'll have Emily morph a snake, with the intent to sneak up on Bened while he's distracted.))
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((*Raises hand* So, are Yarin and I still heading out for burgers, or do you want us with you?))
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((No, go do burgers.))
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"Let's get going then," Hu said, feeling anxious and apprehensive. He was not a future-gazer, not that he put stock in such things, so he didn't know what was to come. But he had an ominous feeling about this whole mission.
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(yay i'm ready when you are traycon i might not be on later today because i got to set up for halloween and train dogs)
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Even though Bened was catapulted through the air, a bit of trajectory calculations got them close enough to his landing point for Cody to start tracking. Emily was in snake morph, silently creeping along to get around behind Bened when the time came. They did not have any antivenin handy, but if Hu wanted him to live maybe he could fix an antidote potion of some kind.
The trees were dense enough that Bened probably wouldn't see Kelran flying overhead, but Cody urged him to try not to let Bened see him before he saw Bened. It was pretty obvious, though.
After things got started, Cody would have to demorph and remorph again to be useful in battle. He would decide what to use depending on the situation. It would be a chance to try thinking on his feet, like Kelran encouraged him to do, instead of making a plan ahead of time and hoping it worked.
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Hu went directly to recently felled trees and those that were horribly splintered and mangled. "See? Subtle as as a Noixu. But he probably has defenses elsewhere. . . ."
They came by a tree stump that looked like was used as a scratching post. "Okay, maybe not."
As we proceeded, Hu thought he saw several figures rise from the ground. . . .
((My line of reasoning here is that Bened obtained a holographic projector from a Yeerkish source to produce zombie-like corpses, including Hu's old family -- anything to torture him. But they do not project a scent and have not tactile capabilities. Objections?))
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((I don't object.))
Cody saw movement, but it had no scent. His eyes saw bloody Smilodites staggering towards them, and also some Humand and Hork-Bajir. His nose smelled nothing, though.
<These are fake. Just holograms. The young Smilodite looks kind of like Hu, though.> Cody said as he continued forward.
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"He should." Hu said, voice hoarse. Hu's voice broke, though he tried to conceal it. "He's one of my sons -- was of my sons. This is clearly an attempted diversion, to distract us from our goal."
Hu could not bear to look at the images, but they looked real enough. Nobody would like to see their mate or progeny in such a way. Hu could feel anger bubbling up, but he had to control himself. He would not be able to render his alter ego invisible with his cloak.
((*plays "Terror Time" from that Scooby Doo movie with the zombies* Appropriate for Halloween, I think.))
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Yarin went in human morph with Nichole to get food for her. While they were there they talked about Qodon and Delmin among other things.
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<Try not to let it get to you, Hu. I'm sure it's painful, but he's just trying to slow us down.> Emily said. It was annoying her that Bened would do things like this. She didn't understand what would cause someone to want to torment and destroy their own family.
They all pressed forward, and Bened's scent became stronger. <Keep on guard, guys.> Cody said. < If we get upwind of where Bened is, he'll get our smell.>
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Hu knew this, but Hu didn't say anything to Cody, though he did thank Emily for her kind words. Soon, they came upon his despised brother. But . . . something wasn't right. He was just standing with his back to them. Making no effort to flee. No effort to confront them. This wasn't like Bened.
Suddenly, a flash of foresight caught up with Hu, who held out his hands to prevent Cody and Emily from proceeding further. "It's a trap." Hu snarled quietly. "He's waiting for us to trigger something. . . ."
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<Okay. I'll begin demorphing and hang back. Emily will go around and try to get near him. Kelran will fly overhead and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. That includes cloaked bugfighters. Hu, get just within earshot and get his attention. Just say something, and get him talking.>
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"Should be easy enough," Hu muttered. He stepped closer. "Bened. We really should stop meeting like this."
Bened looked over his shoulder, smirked, but said nothing. Hu found this odd. Since when had Bened been unwilling to taunt or somehow torture him? This was definately a trap. Hu felt a desire to step forward, but thought better of it. Maybe if he just waited long enough, Bened would get impatient. . . .
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((I'm baAck! And sick. Joyus.))
"So, what's the deal between you and that chick?" Nichole finally asked Yarin between bites of the hamburger. "I mean, she seems a bit..." She took another bite, carefully choosing her next words. "Posessive of you."
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"She never accepted that we never became life-mates. At one time we might have but I have moved on and she has not." Yarin said.
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Hu surprised himself in the fact that it was he that was becoming impatient and not Bened. Of course, Hu thought bitterly, he has all the time in the world with some trap.
Hu seized a small stone and tossed it between him and Bened. Nothing happened. Then a thought occured to Hu. He walked boldly toward his brother, and his claws passed through him. As if he was nothing but a ghost.
Hu unleashed a snarl of the most profane Smilodite words. Fortunately, the others would only hear a snarl. "It's a trick! He used a hologram combined with a scent marker! Another pointless distraction!"
Then suddenly Hu was aware that he was surrounded by bladed reptilian creatures that were called Hork-Bajir. "Oh no. Not again."
((On another note, I might not post tomorrow as it is my birthday and election day -- again. If I do, it'll probably be later at night. Don't hold me to this though.))
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<A hologram combined with scent? Didn't think of that.> Emily said. The Horks moved around Hu to capture him, but she sprang through the grass to strike faster than the eye could see. The Horks became disoriented, and it allowed Hu to escape. <Hopefully they didn't see Cody demorph. Let's press forward quickly! The poison will slow these guys down.>
((Poor Tray. Get rest and drink fluids. If the medicine you regularly use doesn't take effect quickly, try changing medications.))
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((*realizes he was being an insensitive wart for ignoring tray's ailment* Sorry, tray. Get well, soon.))
"Just one problem with that," Hu growled as he deftly downed several Hork-Bajir with a well-executed Aquilatigris Strike. "Bened probably left more of those scent trackers to lead us astray. We'll have to find another way to track him . . ."
Hu noticed a crudely slashed pathway through thick grass. No, he thought. It cannot be that easy.
Then a Hork-Bajir with a death wish charged him, and Hu impaled his claws into the creature and tossed him aside. Not that this is easy.
Hu harbored some worry for Kelran, as he had yet to report in, as Hu and Emily made a made dash for the thick grass, landing in shallow ravine. Had something happened to him? Hu knew the Gryphon would not miss a battle.
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((At least you aren't already on her list for a previous offense.))
Cody realised that since they hadn't seen the Horks, and the scent of Bened had been false, it was time to try something else. He began to morph a bat from a nocturnal exhibit.
<Echolocation, do your stuff! Emily, try to rely more on your heat sensing ability than scent for now.>
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Kelran was entirely preoccupied with staying alive. He had run into two cloaked bug fighters, and he was clinging as unobtrusively as possible to the back of one as they twirled and dived searching for him.
He knew it was only a temporary solution. As soon as they gave up on him, they would go after his companions, or if one got smart enough to pull behind the other he would stand out like a sore thumb against the background of.. well.. nothingness.
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<Bugfighters!> Cody yelled as he detected him with his echolocation. <We don't have anything to fight them with, unless Hu devolves and manages to grab one. Kelran, try to slice the engine with your sword!> Cody yelled, trying to be helpful.
-
Hu pulled his claws from the Hork cadaver, and ran, devolving into a Gigantofatalismilodon as he went. Then he leapt up and landed atop a low-flying one. His weight caused it to be crushed like a human jumping atop a soggy cardboard box.
Hu looked up and saw the one Kelran was riding was far too high for him to do anything about. Hu snarled an Aruten profanity.
-
Cody's attempts at help actually did provide Kelran with inspiration.
He felt his way down to what he was sure was the front of the ship and hacked hard with his sword.
Sure enough, the ****pit transparent aluminium (glass substitute, much stronger) shattered before the force of the blade.
He rolled inside the ****pit to be greeted by a most unpleasant flight crew.
He recognized a couple of Hork Bajir who were apparently acting as Gunners or some such thing, but the foul abomination at the helm of the craft was like nothing he had ever seen.
It stood almost as tall as a small horse, and it looked like an overgrown greesith worm (Gryphon equivalent of a centipede) with massive red globes for eyes.
And it was hissing angrily.
-
Hu looked up and thought that Kelran had everything well in hand. His thought was to press forward, toward his brother. He slipped back into the ravine to make sure that there wasn't an entrance to the Yeerk Pool somewhere down here, but through the trees, Hu thought he saw a familiar, unfriendly figure.
It wasn't Bened. It was his master.
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((Is this going to be another illusion, or the real thing?))
<Emily, cover Hu. Keep going, and we'll catch up!> Cody said as he dived into the ship. With the addition of Kelran, things were very crowded in the bugfighter. The two Horks were trying to hold him down without getting killed, while the Taxxon tried vainly to keep the ship airborne. He started pushing random buttons on the control panel to keep the ship from taking off with Kelran.
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((I was thinking it would be the real deal, but if you guys prefer it to be an illusion. . . .))
"You're behaving more like a lapdog than a Smilodite, Bened!" Hu sneered. Bened seemed not to care. Did the Yeerks put him under some mind control process to guarantee his loyalty?
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((Let it be the real thing if you want. That might be interesting.))
Emily wasn't sure about the other Smilodite. She could smell him, and he even gave off heat. Was it real? She felt Hu yelling for Bened, possibly, but wasn't sure what he was saying.
<I need more practice in this form if I'm going to figure out how to understand spoken speech.>
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Without warning the dracon of the left Hork Bajir simply seemed to materialze in Kelran's back paw. While not especially dextrous, his back paws could still grasp things, and the dracons the Horks carried were specifically designed for bulky appendages.
His captors had not thought to have to deal with a creature who could grasp with all 4 of his appendages.
He simply pulled the trigger without bothering to change the setting, vaporizing one of the Hork Bajir.
Kelran looked almost comical as he dropped to the floor, but there was nothing comical about the firerce look on his face as he transitioned to all fours, and simply went beak and claws for the other one.
Within moments there was nothing left of it but a bloodied and unrecognizeable carcass.
Kelran was upset at having been caught off guard by the centipede alien, and even if the Hork Bajir had not really restrained or captured him, he would have preferred simply dispatching them both before they knew what hit them.
He turned to the centipede who was now making a rapid series of extremely angry clicks and hisses.
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<Alright! You rock Kelran. Now what say we throw the Taxxon out and hijack this thing?> Cody said. He had been dodging around as the Taxxon tried to eat him, but too much had been going on for it to put in very much effort.
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Kelran smirked, "With pleasure"
He poked out the Taxxon's eyes, and held it wriggling in his talons over the windows edge. The sharp prongs on its legs scraped at him a bit, but he didnt mind, so long as that mouth full of teeth stayed away from his head.
"Would you do the honors?" he said to Cody.
-
The visser commanded Bened to attack, as if he were some guard dog. Hu found it atrocious, his Smilodite pride directing his emotions. Smilodites were not to be commanded like lesser beings! The insult of it fueled Hu's already steaming anger. But Hu could not tell if this was just an elaborate illusion, but he found that he did not care.
Hu's size increased as the plates began to ripple down his back. . . .
((Hu still harbors hostility to Peter, yes.))
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(wishes traycon would post so we can get fighting but realizes we need the alone time lol and jake don't post your ideas in the open forum pm someone)
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Cody rammed the button to open the hatch, and Kelran threw it out. Its body burst apart when it landed. <They must not be very durable. Okay, let's go find Hu and Emily.>
((So Visser Five is there with Hu?))
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((Yes. Using Bened as a mindless Pokemon, so to speak.))
Bened slashed, tearing up a tree trunk, but missing Hu, his intended target. Hu fully devolved and began his charge.
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<Guys. We've got Visser Five here.> Emily thought spoke to Kelran and Cody.
<We've got a bugfighter! As soon as Kelran figures out the controls, we'll fry them both.> cody replied.
Emily creeped up behind the Visser, and delivered three doses of venom in a second. She then high tailed it away. Visser Five cried out, then began coming after her. Tearing up grass and limbs as he came.
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(wishes traycon would post so we can get fighting but realizes we need the alone time lol and jake don't post your ideas in the open forum pm someone)
((Sorry. Massive cold of death is still trying to kill me with phlem...But at least the meds are working! XD Oh, and Happy Late Birthday, Cloaked!!!))
"So, she's your ex?" That explained a lot. "She seems a bit...posessive of you." She tossed her hair idly, taking a sip of her drink.
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((Thanks, Tray! I only wish my sister and neice could have gotten here for it . . . but oh well.))
Hu saw that Emily was in danger, but Bened was managing to keep him at bay. He was like a very persistant mouse, a mouse with sharp, sharp, sharp claws.
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Yarin and Nichole finished their meal, "We have to get back to my ship I have to demorph." Yarin said quietly.
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(I'm just posting here to remind people that this story is still here)
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(I was just waiting for a reply :P)
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((I was waiting for others to reply also.))
Emily finally lost Visser Five in some thinck brush. He was slowing down as the poison continued seeping through his system. However, he didn't seem too concenred about it. Surely he realised by now that he was poisoned? She wondered if Calvaroids had immune systems that could neutralize poisons.
-
Hu realized quickly that battle with Bened was now one of life and death. Bened would not be deterred now. He will keep on fighting until one of them was dead. Hu realized what he must do.
Great Sky Tiger, Hu prayed silently, forgive me for what I am about to do.
With his tremendous power, Hu finally managed to snuff out Bened's life once and for all. Would Hu ever forgive himself for this? He did not know.
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(The poison wouldn't kill a Calveroid with them being a semi-solid species but it would slow them down and causes them pain
but it would pass over time.)
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(Ouch. Yarin? Traycoon Can we vget out of the burger joint? I can't think of anything so I'm wating for u guys.)
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((Sorry! Computer's been more of a spazz than usual...>.>; Gotta take it by the IT peeps tomorrow or Tuesday.))
"All right," Nichole replied with a smile. "Let's head out. I'm full anyway." She stood up and deposited her trash, waiting for Yarin. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jake. Her brow furrowed, but she didn't say anything, just waited for Yarin.
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<Hu, I'm going out of sight to demorph and remorph. I need something else to deal with Visser Five.> Emily said, while purposefully not bringing up what Hu just did to Bened. <Cody! Where are you guys?>
<Having trouble hacking into the system here! There are security codes to bypass! I'll be there shortly!> Cody said and left the ship.
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"Ill finish here and back you up as soon as this.... excuse for a fighter is operational"
Kelran continued to type madly at the rudimentary keyboard like object that was clearly designed for Taxxon use.
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Emily decided to try out her Gorilla morph. Once she was ready, she went back to help Hu. Visser five had managed to leap onto his back, and transform his arms into tentacles to stay up there. He seemed to be looking for a way to get past the plates and sever Hu's spinal chord. She grabbed a stone the size of a Human head and chucked it at him. She then continued to find other stuff to throw.
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(Hang on Did we get the girlfriend thing. ??? In case yes This could be a start ^-^. if not could be an accident :-[. I thinkpeter will start to like her ;). If It amounts to anything Is kind of traycoon's disision :).)
Peter caught Nicole staring at him. He felt uncomfertable and looked away. He felt A feeling he had felt only once before, When he had had a crush on someone in Fourth grade. He finished his burger and left. He decided he needed A little alone time so he went to the bathroom. He saw yarin demorphing in a stall but let him be. peter morphed a peragrin falcon and flew out the window.
He did't Know why he had felt awkward. I mean What Wrong with that? But, He was still wandered.
<Not that I could go to a syciatrist anyway.>
Suddenly He saw a battle.
<Just the thing to Get my mind away> He started to demorph. jusT as he was about to hit The ground He completed his hyena morph and swung around the tree by his claws. It suprised even him. <Cool!>
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(for the last time Jake Nichole is with Yarin)
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((Jake, you best be careful. You might alienate yourself from the rest of us.))
Hu re-evolved to heal the damage, and went invisible with his cloak. For the lot of good that did, as the Visser seemed to be using some sort of heat-tracking magic -- or tech as the others would say. To survive, he will have to use that image inducer Yarin built for him. . . .
-
Emily noticed Visser Five could somehow still detect Hu through his cloak. She grabbed a tree limb and charged him with it, but he split the limb in half. Then they wrestled each other, and she tried to use all four hands to get the upper edge. Meanwhile, Cody had morphed an elephant.
<The croc may be more versatile, but the elephant is overwhelming!> He yelled as he charged through the brush.
-
((I'm fine with Peter having a crush on her, but she's with Yarin. Plus, he looks like twelve, right?))
-
Hu was apprehensive about using the image inducer, but eventually realized that Yarin made it so simple to use that a Smilodite cub could have handled it. He meant programmed it to give him the appearance of a large rock -- but it gave him the appearance of an old oak. Hu assumed he misprogrammed it or something.
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(Ok so we left the burger joint and now what do we help the others?)
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Hu used the image inducer to sneak up on the Visser, but to only realize that he had no idea where the creature went. He didn't know where Emily, in her large morph, was either. Hu let out a Smilodite curse, realizing he's been doing that a little often.
-
The console beeped repeatedly, and Kelran found that the flight stick now responded to his control.
He pulled the trigger experimentally and accidentally roasted a 12 foot hole in a hillside.
"Perfect." he murmured to himself as he coaxed the throttle up and began to bring the fighter around.
"Too bad the windscreen is cracked." he sighed as he wiped out three Hork Bajir almost casually.
He tapped his communicators frequency over to thoughtspeak.
"Oh Visser..... where are yooou? I have a new friend of mine I would like to introduce you to. Surely you have met before, you had him built afterall..... come out you cowardly no good excuse for Kelbrid excrement..."
-
<All forces regroup.> Visser Five said in private thoughtspeech. The new toy Bened had been killed, which set back the wormhole experiment. One of the enemy seemed to have stolen a bugfighter. Fortunately the poison was wering off.
Emily was soon backed up by Cody, and the two of them were attempting to corner him. However, more Horks began showing up from around the area. Cody didn't know if they were positioned here beforehand, or if they were coming out of an entrance to the pool. If they found one, that's where the bugfighter would be most useful.
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((*Was hoping one of the other guys would say if they needed help or not* @Yarin: Erm...I have no idea...I'm a bit confused on what they're doing/where they are.))
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((I don't think we need help right now. You guys could do something with Delmin and Qodon. Now that Bened is dead, we may wrap up the battle soon. We won't be killing off Visser Five, obviously.))
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(oh good idea Traycon you can get all up in Qodon's face)
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((Hehe...XD Time to get to work. But first we must get back. Hey...I'm still NPCing Qodon, right?))
Nichole walked to the back of the place. She glanced around and then began to morph bird. <You mind if I hang out with you, Yarin? My Controller roommate scares me...>
-
(yes you are still controling her now let yourself have it lol)
"Yes you may stay here with me if it makes you feel safe." Yarin said.
-
Hu heard the Visser's orders, and saw that Cody and Emily were have Hork-trouble. Hu waited with baited breath as one of them carelessly approached him in his holographic tree disguise. When he was close enough, Hu deactivated his image inducer and let loose full fury on them.
But, in the end, it didn't extinguish the feelings of anger and self-loathing he now had for killing Bened. Hu tried to bury them, but it was obvious they were still there. Hu could not look Cody or Emily in the eye.
-
Yarin and Nichole were in Yarin's ship suddenly Qodon walked up to them even to Yarin's weak olfactory sense she smelled of female pheromones.
-
Nichole raised an eyebrow as Qodon approached them. She could smell the pheromones coming from the alien, and her nostrils flared. "Ugh, what is that stench?"
Qodon glared at the alien for a second before turning her attention to Yarin. She could tell that he at least smelled the pheromones, and knowing most males, Nyac or otherwise, he was most likely turned on. At least, that was what she hoped.
"Yarin," she said calmly. "I require your assistance for a few moments. I was studying some plant life, and the results are puzzling."
-
"I will return momentarily." Yarin said to Nichole as he went over to where Qodon was.
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(Really sorry to double post again but just thought i'd remind the guys to post lol.)
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((Got two tests coming up this week, so I might be a little slow-go on the posting. I'll try and post later today, though. In class now.))
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(ok i understand)
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((That's perfectly understandable, tray.))
Hu stalked back to, not Yarin's ship, but the old cave. It seemed not be used much now, except for growing Hu's potion ingredients, powder ingredients, and a variety of offensive Aruten's spices. Hu wished that he could have more Cryos Crystals, but they were mined by the Eskamur tribes of the extreme northern and extreme southern regions of Aruten. Only they knew the location of the Cryos Crystal Caverns.
Soon, Hu felt a shadow with a familar friendly scent attached to it. "What is it, Kelran?"
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((I guess the battle is over, then?))
Cody and Emily went to Yarin's ship after the fight. After entering, Cody smelled something odd. It kind of turned him on. He began trying to figure out where the smell was coming from.
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((Uuuuh... Kelran still *lives* in the cave, most of it would be devoted to being his home since its all he has.... :P I don't mean to put Hu out, but he couldn't take up more than 50% of the space, especially since aside from living space Kelran stores his projects here. ;) ))
"Well, I might not have had alot of time to spend here, but it *is* my home too." There was no reproval or irritation in his voice, simply amusement.
He shook his head as he surveyed the disorganized state of the cave, "Hu... I really don't mean to come across as rude... but you need to consolidate your potions and such..."
Kelran lifted several things off of the slab that had served as his workspace. there was some rock dust on his tools, but they seemed otherwise unharmed.
"Considering we probably won't be going back to space any time soon we have to make this place more live-able. I would actually like to expand it, but we have to clean it first. And then we have to construct some sort of drilling implement, after that we will both have more space."
Kelran was already hammering out plans in his head. The bug fighter had survived the end of the battle. It would likely never be space-worthy again, but one dracon cannon still worked, its shield generator might be reparable, and its computer core was 90% intact.
'With a little bit of work..' he reflected to himself, 'the cannon could become our drill, the shield would make an effective scattering field, and the computer core might be salvageable as well...'
-
((I didn't mean to offend, Kelran, I just meant that it seemed that Yarin's ship became the new HQ. The plants only line one wall and double back around to make a small alcove large enough to accommadate Hu. Barely taking up a twentieth of the space -- I've always assumed the cave was fairly large. None of the plants really are all that large, though. They're still fairly young.))
Hu nodded at Kelran, noticing that some of his plants may have already germinated. He apologized to Kelran, and said, "I wish I had a supply of Cryos Crystals though. But, even on Aruten, they're rare. For good reason, I suppose."
Hu did not mention his slaying of Bened to Kelran, as all Hu wanted was to forget it ever happened.
-
((Actually I always thought of the cave as cramped... *chuckles* regardless, I had always intended to make it large enough in the end to suit a greater degree of freedom for them both. :) and hopefully those plants will grow ;) ))
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((Considering the similarities of Earth and Aruten soil, Kelran, they should -- unless something happens. . . .))
Hu decided to put the thing with Bened behind him. He didn't want to speak of it again, but a part of him knew that was not possible, that he should bottle up his feeling and push them aside.
Hu saw that one of the Somnus plant's leaves were maturing nicely as he heard Kelran tinkering about with something. The leaves would be soon be ready to be sliced and crushed up, and mixed with the pollen. Hu smirked at this, as his Sleep Spice reserves were getting low.
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Cody managed to find where the smell was coming from, and it was Qodon. She looked like she was trying to get Yarin's attention. He decided that if there was a problem between yarin and the two girls, then he'd stay out of it unless asked.
"Hey Qodon. Is that perfume you're wearing? You're kind of giving off a fragrance."
"No, I do not use perfume."
Cody finally managed to put two and two together, and felt it a good idea to leave. He went looking for Emily.
"Yarin has the two Nayacs who I'm sure will stay with him. Qodon is putting off pheremones, so I think it would be wise for me to spend the night elsewhere."
"If we're descreet, you could stay at my place." She said.
"I'll be quiet as a mouse."
-
Hu sprinkled some water onto the plants, as Kelran continued with his tinkering. Growing the plants was a nice distraction from Hu's slaying of his brother, but the memory of it still lingered in the back of his mind. And try as he might, Hu couldn't forget it -- though he deeply and sincerely wished that he could.
Why am I doing this to myself?! Hu demanded of himself. He would have killed me without a second thought. So why . . . why do I feel such guilt? Such remorse?
-
Yarin followed Qodon to another section of his ship. He looked at the plant samples she was having trouble identifying. Suddenly she grabbed him and pushed him against the wall and initiated telepathic contact.
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Hu was floating in a dark void. Blackness everywhere. But then, quite suddenly, a portal -- a temporal apuncture in space/time appeared. It was perfectly round, and had what seemed to be flames as borders. Within the portal, Hu saw . . . Aruten -- the grasses, the trees. Everything. Then portal shut like an eye. Forever gone.
Hu sat upright abruptly. He didn't even remember going to sleep. He ran his hand through the fur on his head, reflecting on the dream.
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Tray now would be a good time to post lol
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((Sorry, told you guys I had two tests coming up. Well, actually, make that three, but one's over. Plus, now that I've realized that my computer has a virus, it seems to be moving SLOWER than ever! >.>; Stupid piece of crap. So, still slow on the posting over here. XP))
"Hey, you b***!" Nichole snarled, grabbing Qodon roughly by the shoulder. "He's mine!" She was more furious than she could ever remember being, and actually slugged the alien across the jaw, or whatever it was called.
Qodon stumbled back, staring at Nichole. Before her very eyes, Nichole turned around and kissed Yarin.
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(1980's studio audiance WooHoo)
Yarin broke from his embrace with Nichole he turned to look at Qodon and saw her clear blood dripping from her mouth
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"This is the basement slash party area." emily said after she snuck Cody into her house. "If you stay down here and keep quiet, no one should notice you're here."
"Wow. This is a nice place." Cody said, admiring the furniture, large screen TV, and other stuff. "Now that I think about it, I want to live with you."
"No. You live with Yarin. Actually, I wonder where Peter will live. I'm not sure if I trust him enough to let him live down here."
"Why him down here, and not me?"
"Because I'm not attracted to him, for starters." she said, blushing.
"I doubt Peter would move in with Nichole, and I don't know how long Qodon and delmin will be here. Maybe he could stay with Hu and Kelran."
"I hope Hu gets over killing Bened. Can you imagine the pain he must feel at killing his own brother?"
"To be perfectly honest, no I can't. My family relationships were nonexistant, and the level of betrayal Bened commited is intolerable. I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but I can't empathise."
-
Kelran laid a claw on Hu's shoulder, "Are you well Hu?" he asked, knowing full well that he wasn't.
One does not lightly kill ones own family regardless of what they have done, and Kelran had the distinct feeling Hu was having even more trouble forgiving himself for killing Bened, than forgiving Bened for what he had done.
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Yarin brought Qodon to the medical bay and began scanning her. "She has a broken jaw" Yarin said. "How is your hand?" he asked Nichole.
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((Hey, guys, I'm back! I should be able to most more this coming week, since I'M OFF!!!! YAY!!! And I'll be on my parents' non-virusy computer.))
Nichole shook her hand, looking at it. There was a bit of blood from where she had connected with Qodon's jaw, but other than that and a bit of pain, she could still feel and move her apendages. "I'm ok. Just haven't punched anyone like that in years..." She paused, staring down at her hand. "Can you scan me to see if that deevolution stuff worked?" She had to admit, most of the anger had bubbled down, but she wanted to make sure. She didn't want a repeat if someone else ticked her off.
((It's out of her system, now, by the way. But because she threw some of it up, it just took a little longer to work.))
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Cody was watching TV with the sound off and captions on when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. At first he figured it was emily, but he noticed the steps were too heavy for her. He turned off the TV and hid in a hall closet, and he heard someone come in.
"Master Cody?" A woman called softly. "Miss Emily asked me to bring your food."
He peeked out of the closet to see a woman in a maid's uniform.
"I didn't expect her to tell anyone I was down here." He said as he came out.
"It is all right Master Cody. I also act as her cover when she goes out to see her friends."
"Does she say what she does when she leaves?" He asked, think this woman might know of the group.
"No Master Cody. As long as she comes home safe, I am happy to serve."
"I like how you keep calling me Master. Ma'am"
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"You want to watch silent TV with me?" He asked as he took some of the fancy food. Especially fancy to a guy that often got his food out of a dumpster.
"No sir. I still have work to do before I take a break." She said, then left after bowing slightly.
"I get the feeling I'll enjoy the married life after the war is over. Assuming we win." He said as he sat down to continue watching TV.
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Yarin scanned Nichole and found that the formula had indeed passed through her system. What was that thing you did to me with your lips? Yarin asked.
-
(are people still alive out here?)
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((Traycon has given high hopes that she will post more often. I'm not really sure how to continue from where my characters are at without fast forwarding to the next day.))
There were a few small windows that light from the outside came through, so Cody could tell that night had fallen. Emily came down, and they sat with each other in a somewhat intimate moment. Watching TV and talking about unimportant things. After a while, Cody began to wonder what their next move against the Yeerks should be.
((I'd like to have visser get close to completing the wormhole that he was using Bened to create. The group will try to stop him, ad we'll decide if he actually finishes before he's stopped or not. Or maybe Hu will do something to help it along so he can see aruten again. A slight betrayal brought on through depression.))
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(you can fast forward if you want Yarin is just sitting in his ship with Nichole Delmin and a slightly injured Qodon
and i like the idea of the worm hole thing.)
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Emily had to go upstairs eventually, and cody fell asleep on the couch. When morning came, he used a morph to sneak out. They got everyone together in Yarin's ship, as Cody had a new mission plan.
"We need to find out exactly how far Visser Five's wormhole project is. We know he's working on one, and between destroying the sattelite dish at the observatory and disposing of Bened we have slowed him down. We need to make sure it stops, though. I don't know exactly where the main stuff is being done, so I need ideas on where to start. If we can avoid going to the pool right off the bat, it would decrease the threat level of the mission. We might try other places that have sattelite dishes, like radio stations and such." He said.
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((Yeah...My high-hopes for this week were dashed to pieces when some...issues...cam e up. Just girl things that make me less than willing to move and deal with people...>.>'
Response to Yarin:))
Nichole smiled at Yarin. "It was called...well, a kiss. It's something humans...Er, that is human couples or families do to symbolize affection." Her face was a bit red. A part of her wondered why she had kissed Yarin in the first place, out of the blue like that.
The other part knew.
((Fastforwarding now:))
"Remind me again...what exactly is Visser Five actually doing with this worm-hole project of his anyway? I mean, couldn't we technically use it to our own advances? Like, contact an alien race that might be willing to help us?" She was drawing from her knowedge of worm-holes via sci-fi, so she wasn't sure how accurate her idea was. Or if they could even find allies out there.
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"We could, but I'm not sure how to get people to trust us enough to jump through an experimental wormhole." Cody said. "The aruten people likely won't want to come, but the Gryphon people might. That is, if a low ranking person in the military can convince the big wigs to come."
"We really shouldn't try to tamper with things that we don't understand. Better to destroy it." Emily said. "Everything Visser Five does is to gain power. Having influence is what separates the Yeerks with glory from the Yeerks who don't. He'll likely use it to transport military from one place to another for instant transportation and deployment. Between attacking enemies billions of lightyears away, to calling reinforcements from billions of lightyears away."
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"I can call my people to help in the fight you might have to give them some skin or hair samples to study to make it worth their while." Yarin said. "But they will be glad to help defeat the Yeerks."
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"Yeah, it's the possiblity of being examined and such that made me not mention the Nyacs, Yarin." Cody said. Emily snickerd a little. "We just need a good lead without having to put ourselves in too much undo danger. Somewhere we can go, or someone we can follow. Maybe the police Chief. I get the impression that he's high up."
((I actually forgot about the Nyacs, but I think what I posted is a good coverup for that. :P))
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"Just as well." Yarin said. "Delmin and Qodon can help us, they may not be able to morph but their Nyac bodies are formidable in a fight."
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"I think Delmin could help us once we find the wormhole machine." Cody said. "He mentioned he knew about that stuff."
((Can't remember if Cody was around when Delmin spoke about that or not.))
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((Are we actually going to succeed in bringing in re-enforcements? or just end up being forced to totally destroy the project so that the 'isolated and alone' idea continues?))
Kelran nodded, "My people would jump at the chance to fight a just war. But its all an open question until we know how or even if the device or system works.
There are many many ways of generating a space-time portal, or what you call a 'wormhole' and they all have individual characteristics, strengths, drawbacks and rules."
He gestured, "A transwarp fold, for example, has infinite range, but a defined travel time. A spacial flecture is an instantaneous portal of infinite range, but highly unstable and prone to.... adverse side-affects. For all we know the Visser is working on a form of space-time folding none of us has ever concieved of."
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((No permanent characters can come along unless one of us controls them. Temporary characters like Qodon and Delmin are fine, but they will eventually leave. Welcome back Kelran.))
"Which goes back to me saying we shouldn't try to use something we don't understand. Better to just keep Visser Five from creating one." Emily said.
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(I won't be on till sunday going away for the weekend)
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((Then we need to somehow preclude/limit/erase the possibility of 'gating-in' any of Kelran's people as there is no reason they wouldn't simply gate-in the entire naval force of 2000 ships and knock the Yeerks for a loop inside a week. Maybe a range limitation?))
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((Maybe we could have the group try this, but Hu has other plans. He gears it towards Aruten to go home. We have some adventure in Aruten or whatever, and by the time we're done the gate gets destroyed. Not so much it being too limited to allow the Gryphon army from coming. Just that the opportunity gets wasted somehow. Or maybe the group gets control over the gate, and threatens to send the Gryphon army to the Yeerk homeworld. forcing Visser Five to destroy it himself.))
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((Theres obviously plenty of great ways to do it.... now the question is which one? :P))
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((I've been waiting for suggestions. We could follow/capture and interrogate the chief of police. We could spy out buildings that have large sattelite dishes. We could do something else.))
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((Or split the team and do both.... Kelran could take someone and scout for installations with large dishes, then get that person to help him use the internet to research their purpose/capabilities(IE is it just a receiver dish or could it generate a field...) And everyone else could track down and/or capture/interrogate the Police Chief))
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"Maybe we could split into two groups." Emily said. "I can morph bird and go with Kelran to check out the sattelite dishes. The two of us combined should have no problems working a Human computer. The rest of you could find and track the police chief. Or interrogate him, if possible. What do you say, Kelran?"
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Kelran nodded, "Efficient, well thought out, swift, and potentially rewarding on two fronts. I like it. Cody?"
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"That sounds fine to me." Cody said. "Let's move out."
Most of the members made their way to the police station. Therin they found the police chief, and began taking note of things that were going on. They needed to wait until he was alone before making a move.
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After the others had gone Kelran turned to Emily, "Well then, do we have a map? I don't really need it for navigation, but it would be nice to lay out a defined search pattern. It would save time and in case something should happen to us, if we leave a copy here it will lead the others that much closer to our last known position."
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"a map would be a good idea." Emily said. She found Qodon and Delmin, and with their help used Yarin's ship's computer to construct a map of the city. The map would be displayed on screen so when the others came back they would see it. "We'll start at the largest radio station in the city" Emily said, and marked that spot. Then they were off.
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(sorry! I got banned cause I got a d in math. You didn,t kill me off did you? :o I saw like a three sword thing in a magazine and thoght i might do it. the swods are like thouse one sided chinese swords.)
Peter woke up in a forest.
<Ohhhhh. my head hurts.> He looked down he was in hyena morph. < oh crap!>
He emmediatly demorphed.
"Whew." he said with relief. he morphed into his falcon morph and flew.
<I'm in the mood for a tour. How much money do I have?> Suddenly he got hit by something. <Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!> he shouted as h fell.
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((Not dead. Just apparently not mentioned. We were hoping you and Coaked would come back.))
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((>.>; There is a logical explanation as to why I keep getting SICK at my parents' house...I'm sure of it...
Sorry for the random disappearance. Again. I just got a sore throat and allergies attack at the same time which left me tired, drained, and in horrid pain. Gotta catch-up later today on what's going on, but I figured I'd alert you to the fact that I'm still alive over here. Barely...))
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(hey im back what did i miss and where am i in the story)
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((That's a good question...A re-cap would actually be really, really helpful guys... ;D))
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((Just go back and read what's been written. It's that simple.))
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((You obviously don't understand the simple concept of lazyness. Plus, every time I try and do that, I miss something...Or I get just plain confused. But I'll try re-reading later today and actually putting up a post.
EDIT:
So, I actually read it, and I still don't know what the hell is going on. So far, everyone who is not Kelran and Emily are sitting on their butts at the police station. But I couldn't really figure out why...But I'll just go with that. Also, I'm gonna pull a Visser One/Marco not-exactly character death but sort of soon.))
Nichole shifted in her bird morph. <How long are we going to have to sit out here?> she complained. She wouldn't care so much if she at least had something to do besides watching a police station.
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<Untile the Chief goes somewhere private, or starts talking about the portal. However, all he's been doing is paperwork.> Cody said. He decided to do something more proactive. He noticed the Chief's coffee cup was emptying, so he had a plan. He managed to acquire one of the employees, and find some laxatives in a cabinet. He mixed a bit of laxative in the coffee, and got it to the Chief. Soon, he would be going to the bathroom.
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<What is he doing?> Nichole muttered, mostly to herself, as she puffed her wings and began preening out of nervousness.
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((*Waves arms* Hey, guys...You know this is still alive, right?!))
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(Yes sorry i have been busy being a controller >:D)
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(I'm Baaaaaaack ;D Are you guys there?)
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(yes and jmnar4 is coming back)
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(Im here :) )
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(I'm waiting patiently for Yarin or Tray to pull their weight, creatively speaking as far as Cody's group goes. I know you're probably busy, so I can wait. I'm glad Jmnar4 is coming back. Maybe we could say he had to leave town or something.)
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((I'm waiting for Yarin to respond to Nichole's question. Then when Mr. Police Man comes, I'll be ready. Or, anyone to say anything, actually. I didn't want to double-post, because it'd be as useless as her observation.))
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(Jmnar coming back??!! As in Jason Or new charecter? I'm boned on I deas here. as of now my guy is silently sleep ing in a chinese ship so ya know tell me when something happens.)
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(i'm back, sorry that i've been away for awhile....whats happening right now)
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(Visser Five is constructing a wormhole, and we're trying to figure out hiow far along it is, as well as where it is. Emily and Kelran are in one group, while Hu, Cody, Nichole, and Yarin are in another. Hu, Kelran, and Peter are new members. For more specifics, just read through the last few pages.)
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(i'm going to wait for the right moment to get back in the action..feel free to suggest when is a good time)
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Yarin peered at the Human with his bird eyes <I do not know much about human physio anatomic functions but I do believe he will be leaving is post soon.> Yarin said Moments later the human left for the bathroom and the room was empty.
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As Peter got up from his bed he did a little shopping. He had found A translator guy who gave him a chinese-english dictionary and alot of yen. Peter got two swords he had liked. Hoe took out the dictionary and asked where they were headed. He found out they had just docked in california so he headed towards Kelran's cave.
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(what is jake_berenson doing and how does it go with what the others are doing)
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(I got knocked out, woke up, flew somewhere, got knocked unconconcious again and landed on a chinese ship.)
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(whats does that have to do with what the others are doing)
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(Idk. He's headed towards the others anyway so ya know.)
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<Shall we?> Nichole asked, as the air spilled from her wings. She landed, and then had a thought. <Erm...What are we doing again? I forgot...I mean, besides sneaking into his office. We going bugs or something? Or just plain-Jane old humans?>
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<Yarin, let's go small. Nichole and Hu, you stay out here as backup. We're about to get some info out of the Chief.> Cody said.
They snuck inside and made it to the bathroom. <Yarin, you demorph and grab the guy. Use telepathy to peer inside his mind, and get some info. That would be better than beating it out of him. I'll watch the door.> They finished demorphing about the time the Chief was done. Cody walked to the door as Yarin stood outside the stall.
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Nichole made an annoyed sound at having to gain altitude again, but started taking off. <Fine. Just...watch your backs, ok? Make sure he's not armed or anything.> She flew back up to better watch the window.
-
After several hours of buzzing radio dish observatories, Coast Guard installations, and radio stations, Kelran and Emily were still coming up dry.
They landed for Emily to de-morph, while she was busy doing that Kelran studied the mental pictures in his head. He could remember every detail of the map, and of everything they had flown over.
He ****ed his head, "Maybe we are going about this all wrong, perhaps we should be searching for dish installations that are layed out in opportune patterns since regardless of the technology he is using, he would need to construct a uniform pattern of interplexing devices....
If we assume that the dish I knocked out was part of the pattern that cuts our search in half."
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"Yes. We can go back to the observatory, and check for dishes that are in a straight line from there. Though, I'm not sure what shape they would need to be. Square, diagonal, Pentagonal, Octagonal, ect."
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The Chief walked out of the stall, quickly Yarin turned and grabed him. He made telepathic contact and after he had the information he needed he told the human to sleep
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(Idk. He's headed towards the others anyway so ya know.)
(get with the program pal...we can't have people doing their own little adventure while the others are doing something important
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Kelran thought for a second, "I suspect a straight line to be inefficient. Its more likely to be a closed circuit shape with more sides than a square and a focal point that all the dishes have a clear line of sight to."
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Yarin morphed back to human and met the others outside. "I have the information we need." he said
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(Sorry, guys. Verizon decided that I might go over MB alloted. So they suspended my account. Couldn't get on -- and I was going through RAF withdrawl. At least, my new black DS distracted me enough . . .)
Hu said nothing. Hu was not feeling much of anything anymore. He knew that his people would never accept him back now that he could become a Gigantofatalismilodon. He would be considered a monster. Hu wasn't even sure that he would want to go back to Aruten, but a part of him sang a different tune.
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(this tread is still going right?)
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(No, I think it's dead. I ran out of ideas, and not a whole lot else is happening.)
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(sad. but it was ratherly good while it lasted :) )
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(true i say we tie up any loose end and put this to bed)
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(cool! but even so lets wrap this up with a boom. awww man I never got to use my swords. :'( this sux. :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( wow. poor jmnar. he just got here and already we're closing up shop. any ideas how to end this. I was thinking my guy could sacrafice himself to kill visser 5. ya know old rivalries. Did we actually figure out if we would nmake this a book series? i think most people are getting kind of worn out by the war. lets just end it with a bang and be done.)
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(I'd rather just leave it open in case we want to restart later. However, I guess we could wind up pushing Visser Five through the portal. Then it's destroyed, and the Yeerks leave because they lost their leader. The andalites come in before the Council can send another Visser.
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(that sounds good lets make it epic lol)
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I think i may have blown my chance with peter anyway. I think I might do another charecter if we do that. ::) still can We make it a book? It could probably make mucho money.
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(ok)
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(the only thing is, we need to make narraraters.)
::)
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(what do you mean?)
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((Do you think my roomie would notice if I self-imploded from stress?
Sorry, I've got finals today, and I'm nervous as all hell. <= With a strong Southern accent no less...
Anyway, I think we could probably make this into a decent book. We'd have to change Visser Five's name/rank/thingy. Otherwise that would be copy-write infringement. And I'd have to cut down on the Star Trek references with Nichole. Maybe just generalize it to simple sci-fi. Plus, we'd have to do a whole lot of overhaul. Like actually put in more action to explain when one of us--often times me--disappeared at random. Or when two people got on at the same time and just kinda ran with the story. Or when Jmnar4 left. Stuff like that. Plus, I don't know about y'all, but I've got to do some over-haulin' for some of my writing.
And we'd need someone to move it to a word-document or something similar.))
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((And accurate credit is given where it's due. I mean you can use "J. Young" for me instead of "Cloaky" . . . but all in all, I think tray has really said it all. Of course, my short absence might have to be explained away, but I digress.))
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((Oh, yes, credit given where credit is due is always a good thing.
Plus, I don't know about you, but I'd use a pseudonym for my name as a author. Als, we'd have to figure out how to get a pic of all of us together for the inside cover of the book. ;D))
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(i'll be Yarin Daniels i always liked that surname lol but we got to finish this)
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(hey...are we still doing this or what)
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(what do you mean "do this"? and by narrators I mean the person that says I.)
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I'd rather just not do any more. Leave it open, in case we want to come back to it.
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I'd rather just not do any more. Leave it open, in case we want to come back to it.
Ditto.
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yeah if we get some new ideas then we'll continue it
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((Makes sense to me.))
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((here's an idea . . . how about the Yeerks capture Hu to try to extort the wormhole tech from him, oblivious to the fact that Hu knows nothing about it. Yay or nay?))
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(i better then nothing. I'm totally bored. ) :-\
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(yeah lets do it)
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((In the words of Jim Carey, "alrighty then". I'll start.))
Hu stood out in the forest. Ever since he killed Bened, he has become very moody and dispondent. Hu knew he would likely never forgive himself for what he's done. Hu really should have been paying more attention.
Suddeny, metallic cuffs leaped out from a bush and closed themselves around his wrists, ankles, and neck. Hu fought against the cuffs, but it was no use. They brought him to the ground. The Visser then stepped into view, with a swaggering gait.
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(lets do a recap cause its been a while where is everyone?)
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((The way I see it, yarin and those other two Nyac are at their ship, Kelran (I haven't seen him post elsewhere -- I hope nothing's happened to him) is at the cave, while Cole, Nicole, and anyone I've forgotten are going on with their human lives. Feel free to correct me, if I'm mistaken.))
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(No that is good and it makes sense so its like we had a brief falling out but how will we know about Hu?)
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((Well, the way I see it, Hu deliberately left evidence. And told Kelran roughly the area that he would be in . . . though this will only work if Kelran posts. Hu would be gone too long Kelran begins to wonder if something happened.))
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(Yarin Delmin and Qodon could sense telepathically that something is wrong)
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((That works better.))
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(ok then lets do it)
Yarin was working at his ship with Delmin and Qodon they were trying to find a way to disrupt the Visser's Calveroid body so they could remove the Yeerk from its host Since Yarin had taken a month's forced leave on Calvera after what he had done on Benthos Prime. Suddenly he pitched forward and grabbed his head "Ahh." he yelled "What is it Yarin." Delmin asked. It's "Hu he's been hurt, not bad but enough for me to sense it, we have to find him go get the others these are the locations they will most likely be. take these holographic projectors so you will not be discovered. I will go after Hu send me a telepathic message when you have found them all."
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Emily's parents had gone out to some kind of business thing, leaving Cody with the opportunity to roam freely through the house. At one point, he decided to head for Emily's room, but got lost.
"This place is way too big. Why do three people and their assorted servants need to live in a place this big?"
"May I help you?" A maid asked.
"Promise not to laugh if I say I'm lost?"
"Where are you trying to go?"
"I'm trying to find Emily. I need some kind of GPS just to get around this place."
The parents wouldn't be back until morning, so Cody planned to spend the day snooping around the house. Even if it did get him lost three times over.
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((*steeples his fingers in a Mr. Burns's way* Excellent))
Hu tried to right himself, to struggle, but his bindings decided to constrict painfully. He did not allow any pained whimper escape him. He would not allow this parasite to witness that humiliation. But he locked his eyes, fury so close to the surface. Hu began to shift, his body began to melt into his feral Gigantofatalismilodon form.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAH!"
The bindings emitted a powerful electrical shock that forced him back to his Smilodite form, and left his body smoking. It was quite painful.
". . . What do you want from me?" Hu growled with his voice hoarse.
"You know what I want," the parasite said, his stolen voice laced with malice. "The wormhole technology."
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(this is good and thanks for remembering that calveroids have mouths and dont use thought-speak.)
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((I actually forgotten that, yarin. . . . :P))
"I don't know anything about the wormholes," Hu snarled.
"Don't lie to me," the Visser snarled back. "Bened told me that every Smilodite knows of it!"
"Bened lied to you," Hu replied angrily. No Smilodite enjoys restriction of movement like this. It was then that Hu realized that they were no longer in the forest. They were in some dark room that even his feline eyes couldn't penetrate. "That was one of his specialities. . . ."
Hu could see the Visser beginning to get quite violent. "You will tell me what I want to know."
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(straped to a metal table with a crotch laser closing in do you expect me to talk visser? No mr. Hu i expect you to die. lol bond.)
Yarin went to the forest Hu's psionic energy was strong here he could sense that. it left a trail leading away from here with multiple signatures these were odd hu's aura was a single line but the others were a faint one and a stronger one outlining it Controllers he said and followed the trail.
(Yeah apperently yarin can sense aura's but he cant tell who are controllers when they're in his presence)
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((lol, yarin.))
"Stop being so obstinate, fool." Visser snored. "This punishment will end once you tell me what I want, need to know."
"I told you I know nothing." Hu said. Then he chuckled. "You going to kill me Visser?"
"If you don't --"
Hu let out a loud rap of laughter. "And you call me a fool! You won't kill me. You think I have information you desire. You are oblivious to the truth! You can cause me all the physical pain you want, but in the end, it will do very little."
"Pain makes the body the master of the will."
"You've never dealt with a strong Smilodite, then."
WHACK! WHACK!
Hu taunted, "That's the best you got?"
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Yarin picked up the pace of Hu's trail he mentally told Delmin and Qodon for one of them to go back to the ship and get the device he had been working on and bring it to him. Delmin was going to Emily's house for her and Cody and Qodon was going to get Nichole and Kelran.
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((Oh, hey, sorry, didn't really process that this was starting up again. Yay!
...is at the cave, while Cole, Nicole...
Since when where there two Coles? Nichole's the only Cole I remember.
Anyway, I'm in a bit of a rush, so I'll have to do some reading to figure out what's going on. I'll post later, if I can.))
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((Sorry Tray, I meant Nohensen's male character. Cody, isn't it? My memory tends to be a chaotic mess at the best of times . . . ))
"You will talk," the Visser said. "I think I have the trinket to loosen your tongue."
The monster turned from view and returned quickly with a silver disc that had a red, blue and yellow circle on it. Hu had a notion that it was some kind of torture device. The Visser adhered it to Hu's chest, then pressed a red button. All the pain receivers in Hu's body were on fire, but he would not allow a sound of pain escape his mouth.
"Don't bother pretending you're not in pain," the Visser said sadistically. "I know you are. Every cell of your being feels like it's being ripped apart."
((Blue button is pleasure, and yellow button -- well, I'm not sure.))
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(yellow button plays dramatic villain music lol)
Qodon got Yarin's message, as she made her way to the educational facility where the human Nichole lived. She mentally scaned the inhabitants until she found the thought pattern she recognized. Qodon ran through the hall until she was at a door she opened it. no one was there. Suddenly she heard a voice behind her exclaim "Who are you, and what are you doing in my dorm?" Of course Nichole didn't recognize her with her hologram still active. She turned it off and spun to see the look of anger on the human female's face. "What do you want?" She asked. "We have to find the others quickly Hu is in trouble where is Kelran?" Qodon asked
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((Blue button is for pleasure, eh? Hm, I should have asked for that for Christmas...))
"What? I don't...Wait, did you say Hu was in trouble?!" She bit her lip as Qodon nodded. "Fine. If Kelran's not at his cave, then I don't know where he would be." She started pulling off her pjs, not bothering to be modest. "You'll have to forgive me; I wasn't expecting guests." She grabbed her leotard and yanked it on. "Come on, let's get moving. You can morph, right?" Already feather patters were sweeping across her body as her mouth hardened into a beak.
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"No my people lack that technology. However my body was made to survive on a planet with gravity four times as strong as Earth, so I can run for long periods without rest and am quite swift." Qodon said as she turned the holo emiter back on.
(Nohensen Delmin will be coming to get Cody and Emily.)
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((Blue button is for pleasure, eh? Hm, I should have asked for that for Christmas...))
((I just walked into that one, didn't I?))
The Visser had left Hu, but he clearly didn't see Hu escaping at any time. Hu felt close to tears. This was far more pain than any Smilodite has had to endure. The Visser had somehow set the device to go off every half hour on the dot. Hu could no longer mask the pain. His roars echoed horribly through the area and Hu's rage was growing.
((And I was thinking that during the inevitable battle, that some machinery backfire or something causing a portal to Aruten to open, and Hu has to chose whether to go back or stay. He'll stay, of course, but it isn't a decision that's easily made.))
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(That's a good idea and I was thinking how about a sonic device (No one say screwdriver or pen lol) to defeat the visser since he's basically like venom and sonic vibrations at the right frequency should destabalize his Calveroid matrix.)
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((Now we're throwing "Doctor Who" into mix? . . . Why not? We've basically already thrown "Sliders" (Hu's arrival), a bit of "Avatar" (Bened and Hu's relationship, only Hu actually killed his sibling), "Star Trek" (I guess -- the whole devolution/space travel thing we did way back), and who knows what else. ;)))
Hu continually tried to devolve, but each time he tried, the disc was activated. It activated even if Hu attempted to unsheath his claws.
It's no use, Hu thought, feeling weakened. I cannot do this myself. But . . . there's no way the others would know I'm here. . . . I didn't specify where I would be. . . .
Hu struggled weakly a bit more at his bindings, and then started berating himself, HOW INCREDIBLY STUPID OF YOU, HU. You SHOULD have been more specific. You SHOULD have KNOWN that this was a possibility. ESPECIALLY after Bened's fate.
((Clearly, Hu has temporarily forgotten about Yarin's psychic ability.))
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(pain will make you forget such things just have to wait for the other's to post)
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(Will do.)
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(I'm waiting for Delmin to show up, unless I should just control him.)
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((Go ahead, Nohensen, unless Yarin has any objections . . . ?))
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((Blue button is for pleasure, eh? Hm, I should have asked for that for Christmas...))
((I just walked into that one, didn't I?))
((Yeah, pretty much. ;D And don't even get me started on Yarin's "sonic vibrations" theory.))
Nichole made a comment, but it was lost in the morphing process and came out more like "Squroet!" After a few seconds, she was fully bird. <Let's roll,> she said, flying out the open window.
((I'm not going to post again until I wake up. Try not to jump too far ahead of me, please...))
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(You can control Delmin. and whats wrong with my sonic vibrations theory lol if it worked for spiderman it can work for us)
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((I'm was just teasing, yarin! Besides, are we sure that we want to do away with the Visser -- we'd just have to get another villian . . . unless we're just wrapping this up. . . . Or unless you have something up one of those sleeves of yours, yarin. . . .))
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Emily's PoV
One of the butlers taold her that someone was at the door. She went there and saw someone she didn't recognise. "Shall I evict him, madam?"
"No, let me talk to him alone for a moment." she said. "And go get my friend, who's wandering the halls."
"Yes Mam."
"So may I ask your name?"
"It is Delmin. One of Yarin's people."
"Oh, hi. Come on in."
"No. Hu is in great danger. I fear he has been captured. Please get Cody and bring him to Yarin's ship. Hopefully he will know what to do."
Cody and Emily got to Yarin's ship, and were ready to go.
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((I'm was just teasing, yarin! Besides, are we sure that we want to do away with the Visser -- we'd just have to get another villian . . . unless we're just wrapping this up. . . . Or unless you have something up one of those sleeves of yours, yarin. . . .))
(Well I do have four of them lol and I know you were just teasing also I may have a few replacment Visser hosts just give the species limitations)
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(come on guy's post. lol)
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(Post what? You're the one who knows where Hu may be.)
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(Oh yeah your right i'll post in the morning after I've gotten some sleep)
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((Sleep is for the weak minded...Thankfully, I'm amongst them.))
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(awesome GIR avatar invader zim rocks)
Yarin continued to follow Hu's trail he could tell where it was going to end but he needed the others and his device to help him.
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((XD Thanks!))
Nichole flew as fast as her wings could carry her. She didn't want to admit it, but she was almost racing Qodon to their destination.
However, her thoughts were still with Hu. She hoped he was all right. Or at least alive.
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((I was waiting for you guys to find Hu before posting, I mean, I don't think I need to make it any clearer that Hu's being tortured for the wormhole tech. . . .))
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(sorry I haven't posted. I just don't know what to have my dude do. :-[ :'()
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(yeah but i dont wanna just go gung ho and mount a rescue mission with out some other people posting)
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((I don't remember if we were heading back to Yarin's ship. Plus, I don't feel like NPCing Qodon. There's only so long that I can fight with myself.))
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(lol yeah they're all meeting back at Yarin's ship he needs to get the sonic agitator.)
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((...I just read that as the sonic alligator...))
Nichole flew as fast as she could, but she knew better than to fight the bird's instincts when it came to flying. This was his world, and she knew it. However, she wasn't against giving it a small shove in the right direction.
Finally, Yarin's ship was in sight.
She had lost track of Qodon, but whether this was because she had gone faster than Qodon, slower than her, or the alien had simply taken a different route, Nichole did not know.
<Olly, olly oxen free!> She said, landing on a fallen tree branch.
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"What do non domesticated bovine have to do with what we are doing?" Qodon asked? "What? Nevermind," Nichole said. they went into the ship just as Yarin Delmin Emily and Cody showed up
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"Okay, tell me you know where he is, and that it's not on the mother ship or something." Cody said.
"We'll save Hu! They can't do that to our friend! I'll mow over anyone who gets in my way with my new rhino morph!" Emily yelled. "Let's do it."
(Yeah, I went there. ;))
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((Ah. So Emily's our Rachel.))
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(Right at the moment. She knows Hu must be being tortured for infomation, and torture would be intolerable to her. Especially after Hu has already been suffering emotionally enough.)
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(We still have no word from Kelran lol)
"I have something that I believe will defeat Visser 5." Yarin said as he got pulled out a small cubeish device. "When I push this button, an intense wave of sonic energy will be emitted it should disrupt the Visser's Calveroid body long enough for us to get Hu and get out alive. Just follow me. Yarin said.
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((Perhaps Kelran lost his Internet access, or perhaps he has lost interest in RAF. There is a worst case scenario that I don't care to think about . . .))
The Visser checked in every five or ten hours to see if Hu's tongue had loosened. He was furious every time when Hu repeated that he had no idea how the tech worked. Hu had forgotten what it felt like not to be in pain. Hu was beginning to have hallucinations, but Hu's will had not diminished. Smilodites were known for being stubborn and willful.
((Unless I'm mistaken, this RP has the most replies and views on this board -- I'm just realizing this. :o))
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(Yay we're popular take that high school lol kidding)
Yarin lead them to a large abandonded building where Hu's Psionic trail had lead him "He is in here, does everyone remember what to do." Yarin asked.
( I was thinking that we'd just attack with some form of order and hope for the best.)
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<I'm ready.> Emily said as she pawed the ground in rhino morph.
<Let's get this started.> Cody said. He was in gorrilla morph, as he wanted to try it out. Not that there was a lack of opposable thumbs on this particular mission.
<I am prepared to do combat.> Delmen said.
Emily rushed through the bushes, and met with the front door security. She felt a slight thud as the wall slightly slowed her down, and while the guards were distracted Cody and Delmen took them from the sides.
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<I'm ready,> Nichole said, having morphed panther.
((Did we actually have a plan plan or are we winging it?))
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(i was planning to wing it lol.)
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((I just want to say I think Kelran isn't going to post. I hope that I'm proven wrong . . .))
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(Don't you have a power to pull him on the board)
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(I can only do so much, yarin! I'm just one energy-wielding being! What about you? You are my peer in terms of power. ;))
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aw thanks man however my power focuses on bringing fiction to reality im no help with real people
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you didn't kill me off did u? :o I totally forgot to check this. :-[
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hey guys... sorry... i just found this site, found this thread, and thought it looked rather interesting. wondering if there's room to squeeze in one more... if not, that's cool.
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Welcome to the board. This thread is dead, though.
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Its not dead yet It's just pining for the fjords
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(in other words we need ideas. ??? we could just have the yeerks do am all out battle against humanity..and how come i have -3 karma. i'll say my guy got like delayed or something. last I saw he was on his way back from china. some how. :-[) Peter got in to the harbor. he climbed off the ship and went to the bathroom. he opened a window and morphed into a bird. He flew back to the cave.
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(You can see who changed your karma in your profile.)
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( annoyance? srry.)
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Listen, I'm new and was wondering if I could join this rp? It looks like fun
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sure you can join. as long as you have new ideas. we're fresh out. :'(
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well,let me create my character
Name: Alex
Battle Morph: Black Panther
Raptor Morph: Harpy Eagle
Bio: Alex is a rambunctious little eight year old who likes to have fun and is a littel jokester
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I want to try and join too with a version of my character from other RPs
-Name Melanie
-Age 16
-description of appearance Slight build and on the short side. Brownish hair that she often puts blond streaks in. Wears glasses and has blue eyes.
-personality Smart and a little stubborn at times, also can be slightly impulsive. Awkward around other people sometimes. But she doesn't give up easily once she starts something.
-a brief bio She and her family came to the area a couple years ago. Her sister is YPM with her yeerk Arlin. The two are a little at odds but there's a tentative truce for the moment.
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Alright this is a good start people im not sure where we are in the story though
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(I'm probably the newest person so could I get them started I mean like introduce their charechters to the animorphs & stuff?)
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im not sure if the other guys are playing still
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(me neither.)
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(lets keep this thing in cold storage)
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(maybe we should raid the yeerk pool. or try anyway.)