<!--sizeo:3--><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><!--fonto:Verdana--><span style="font-family:Verdana"><!--/fonto-->Planet Paril
Team Compound, City of Pranth
Arcology 12-9
Arestan 13, 498 CY
Participants: Smite, Kara, Chronos, Allison(?), Whisper, Rama, Richard

The past couple of years on Planet Paril have been productive in all the good ways for the team. Chronos and Jack even counted as separate are bringing in enough resources to support the teams foundation personnel in a fine style while still diverting most of the funding to various causes. Chronos is more of the people person and has many ties with organizations and political parties and Jack is more of the dash and grab type; he doesn?t have many people contacts but his electronic tendrils (now handled through Eve) reach into many of the areas that Chronos could not yet.

Smite has taken over or converted what can be guessed as about 30%-40% of the worlds Black Market and used crime against crime in most of the cities on the planet. Smites name may or may not be known but his organization, especially after key personnel of his are trained and conditioned by Kara, is counted as one of the most feared familes out there but not as far as the law enforcement goes; Smite has likely gone through some steps to make sure he is not making the problem worse on the planet and thus has not drawn more than the usual attention to his thug network.

The Mage guild called Echerton, Muri, Talos, and Dering (some of the 13 guilds on the planet) are good strong contacts with Chronos and through that relationship the team base may even have some magical wards and such in the form of defenses and sensors but the mage guild has also benefited from the relationship in the form of clout of influence with various political entities through Chronos.

The team as an organization, at least its public side, is regarded in high esteem by the political powers in the know and nothing is said negatively about them. Although it has taken almost the entire 30 months to really get a good infrastructure set up where you can finally start making a big difference on the planet, the past two and a half years have not been without positive fruits. Crime rates are down a few percentage points, economy is up a few points here and there, and the city-division of Pranth where you are based has drawn more citizens simply because the teams public organization is there.



It has been nearly 5 months since the War Council thread with Jack and he has not been seen since then but has been contacted now and then. He is slowly reverting back to his old self it seems and is likely going to die alone somewhere in hiding. Fortunately he has transferred most of his holdings and codes to Eve so his work is not undone. BY now, a orbital shipyard can be assumed to be completed if tat is the route you wanted to go. (discuss it OOC in TABLE TALK) and a small fleet (3-6) of cruisers or 100-man ships can be had. Eve and Jack have also developed cloaked long range sensors and launched them into the system. These sensors can sweep the entire system and its planets. This sensor network is keyed to Pultyte activity, Dark Fae, and anything Unlife. It is believed it will detect any Ban spark and thus is a warning system should Fae get seeded anywhere. Stranger things have happened.

SO far, the orbs are still locked up in the abdomen of Eve and Chronos and her have talked rather convincingly about the reasons they are not ready to come out.

There has also been talk of locating StarHaven without the help of any of the Rathien allied houses so as not to stir up suspicion. Kara has been away the last week and half and has finally returned with some positive information. It will be a long journey but she can get a ride into StarHaven when the time comes.


Three weeks ago Smites thug-network reported to him that one of their raids on an enemy holding of drugs and various illegals was thwarted in the near total rout of Smites men. It is not only disturbing to note that Smites men rarely if ever fail. The disturbing part was that the enemy men were outnumbered more than 6-1 and most of the killing was done by 2 men. Reportedly one of them can teleport and one seems to be able to move at blinding speeds nearing the instantaneous. They both were also impervious to harm.
Smite had a sensor scan run there after the fact and nearly 30 minutes after the fight and detected quantum residuals that only a Nova could leave. All the Nova?s you know of are working for the team and none have the capacity reported of the 2 enemy thugs. Eve reported this fact to the team when she ran the scan for Smite and a search for their patterns has only yielded minimal results so far, until today.
One of the patterns showed up only 5 minutes ago in the city of Tsana some 300 miles away. It seems it is browsing one of the many shopping arcologies there. (Think a swap-meet the size of Manhattan). Smite is likely already packing up and getting ready to move out.



<!--coloro:#FF6600--><span style="color:#FF6600"><!--/coloro-->{{As this is a moderated post let me remind you of a few things..
? Please wait at least two other persons to post after you do before you post again, unless it?s a conversation in which only the two of you are participating. Anyone else however can butt in at anytime.
? Please observe the socials under the Avatar to the left and react accordingly.
? Do not post RESULTS of your actions, post INTENTIONS OOC, and I will resolve. It helps sometimes to underline the OOC intentions so everyone knows I need to resolve something before the scene moves on.
? Keep all posts strictly IN CHARACTER and stay on topic. Posts will be deleted if they are too filled with unnecessary fluff.
? Be as descriptive as you like with the results of your declared intentions (I will PM results to you for you to post in your next topic sometimes. Otherwise, always feel free to elaborate on non-essential descriptions of the area in your post. (for example; I might say you are in a room with modern conveniences in it and leave it at that. On your post you might say something to the effect that you start taking apart the Microwave and toaster to make your death ray.)
? NEVER, NEVER, assume the results are going to be automatically in your favor and NEVER make your posts force other players into a position contrary to what they have already posted.
? Observe the <a href="http://aberrantprime.com/rules.html" target="_blank">full rules here </a> but please note, I am not a stickler on the third person post. I don?t mind a first person post if that?s how you regularly post.
Have FUN!! }}<!--fontc--></span><!--/fontc--><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

(Assuming that Richard and fellow n00bs are informed of Smite's problem: )

Richard would ask for the information Smite has on the men who routed his forces and look it over. He might be getting used to his new powers, but he still hasn't gone up against someone else, and if they're helping drug runners, this might be a good time to start. "So, Smite, I'm guessing you'll want a little bit of backup for your guys to nab this guy before he gets away, right? I'd like to come along, if that's ok."

Assuming they attend the weekly security meetings, than yes they would be aware that this is a problem. He makes sure everyone is kept up to date on major events.

"No time, I'll have to do a brief in transit. Grab your gear, we are at the door in two minutes. "

((At the meeting, when it is revealed that the nova was detected a scant 5 minutes past))

Rama, still in his human form:
<!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->
"...then we have no time to lose. It sounds like you may also need our assistance as well, Lord Smite. I can also provide instantaneous trasport for the entire group, and I recommend we bring every able warrior. If I had known you had rogue aberrants to deal with I would have asked to conduct tactical seminars on the subject...I'll have to put that on my calender. If we survive."<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

{{edited for accuracy and the ramblings of my exhaustion.}}

Whisper enters just after Rama and says, "If there's room for one more, I'd like to go too. I can either stay in the aircar or find some out of the way place to give you guys some support."

She taps her temple. "Lets see if this guy can outrun thought."

{{{ Chronos???......Chronos.......Bueller....?}}}

Just thought I'd chime in as well....

The attacks was some three weeks ago. But one of the assailants that Smite detected there was again detected 5 minutes ago.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Three weeks ago Smites thug-network reported to him that one of their raids on an enemy holding of drugs and various illegals was thwarted in the near total rout of Smites men. It is not only disturbing to note that Smites men rarely if ever fail. The disturbing part was that the enemy men were outnumbered more than 6-1 and most of the killing was done by 2 men. Reportedly one of them can teleport and one seems to be able to move at blinding speeds nearing the instantaneous. They both were also impervious to harm.
Smite had a sensor scan run there after the fact and nearly 30 minutes after the fight <!--coloro:#FF6600--><span style="color:#FF6600"><!--/coloro-->(Three weeks ago)<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> and detected quantum residuals that only a Nova could leave. All the Nova?s you know of are working for the team and none have the capacity reported of the 2 enemy thugs. Eve reported this fact to the team when she ran the scan for Smite and a search for their patterns has only yielded minimal results so far, until today.
One of the patterns showed up only 5 minutes ago in the city of Tsana some 300 miles away. It seems it is browsing one of the many shopping arcologies there. (Think a swap-meet the size of Manhattan). Smite is likely already packing up and getting ready to move out.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

You all were very likely engaged in morning activities or getting ready for a work shift, etc; when you heard this new news...

(OOC: Sorry, I'll be better now that I've flagged this as a topic to follow)

Chronos thinks for a bit and says,

<!--coloro:#3333FF--><span style="color:#3333FF"><!--/coloro-->"Eve, would we sense a new eruption? For that matter any reports that could be new eruptions?"<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

(If Allison is present) <!--coloro:#3333FF--><span style="color:#3333FF"><!--/coloro-->"Allison, could you gain insight by going to the incident site and looking back?"<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

Eve, sitting at a small comfortable chair gazing out a window as she snacks on a crumpet-like morsel turns to Chronos and says;

"I am sure we should be able to sense a new eruption, it is theoretical however, but energy sensor settings are such that we should indeed...{ short pause in her speech as she links up to the sensors and main computer hub}... No the energy was not a new eruption, not on this planet anyhow, but is also not one of the 94 refugees of our compound. I also confirmed that we are absolutely setup to detect new eruptions when they happen."

Awaiting Smite's response to Rama's offer of transport...

"Alright that will definitely cut down on travel time. When we have everyone collected we need to move. Is everyone here who is going? And does everyone have a communicator on them. We will need to split up to track our quarry and I want at least two bodies on him when we make a move.

Another fun question, do any of you new guys have any kind of law enforcement or similar?"

Richard holds up one of the cell phones he got from Chronos.

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Another fun question, do any of you new guys have any kind of law enforcement or similar?"<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> He shakes his head. "I was a college fencing instructor before I landed here. My Jedi memories are sadly lacking in the areas of law enforcement."

{{Has Rama been given a communications device?}}
<!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->
"I have worked as both an elite mercenary and as an independant peacekeeper," <!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->Rama replies in his soft voice. He suddenly looks reticent but then steeles his resolve. <!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->"I need only a moment to prepare."<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

Rama then closes his eyes in meditation. Everyone in the room can feel a tingling that soon grows into a throbbing audible hum. As this happens, his feet slowly begin to lift from the ground, levitating as crackiling arcs of white electricity arc around his body and a rush of air seems to gust from out of nowhere. His skin flushes and darkens into a blend of blue and indigo, illuminated from within like an azure jack-o-latern. Suddenly, his eyes snap wide open, white light pouring out around a glowing blue iris. He gives a scream as if in pain, and those close can see the veins on his neck and head pulsing and his forehead starts to bulge. The bulge splits vertically like a seam of light, forming eyelids which open to reveal a sparkiling diamond orb that glows with white radience. The wind dies, the glow subsides, and before you stands The Singularity. His Eufiber has formed into an intricate articulated armor made of golden overlapping plates in a sort of neo-futuristic corinthian design. A circular emblem (apparently using eufiber's optical properties) on the cuirass displays a luminous hologram of a galaxy, slowly spinning with arms spiraling out to form a stylized "S."

His feet again on the ground and the quantum disturbance settled, Rama looks around at his companions as if for the first time. Despite his striking appearance he is far from grotesque. If anything he is more beautiful and alluring than before, and any baselines around will feel a painful ache of longing (unearthly beauty) unless he is actively emanating a soothing presence...which he does now so that the gathered warriors may feel centered and at peace before battle.

<!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->"My freinds," <!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->he intones, and in his voice there is not a trace of the shyness once present. <!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->"There is one more warning I must give. I am able to power-up to even greater ability, but doing so will drain most of the quantum from a wide area around me. In most cases I will fly into the sky for this, as I would not want to cripple our team, however, this ability could be quite useful when engaing our foe. If the rest of you will hold back, I can take the initial engagement and, should fortune smile, we may end the fight before it has begun..."
<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
He waits for the others to be ready and then asks to be shown the coordinates of their destination. Calculating with lighting speed, His node-eye begins to pulse with light and his now blue eyes dilate. As they do, so too does a black hole in reality grow from a point into a wide opening. The blackness it contains is palpable and those present are aware at the back of their minds that Rama has somehow opened and contained a miniature black hole. Within the unfathomable darkness a tiny point of light then appears and grows to fill the entire circumference until it has become a portal of light as intense as its antithesis. As the light dims, the groups' destination can be seen.

{{so, undorm, activate warp}}

When it appears that the group is starting to get serious, Doc glances at Eve and snaps his fingers. His bodyguard Crumble appears.

Crumble is dressed identially to Doc but after a moment his eufiber shifts so that they are not.

[Rama Transforms]

Doc observes Rama's transformation with interest and watches with all of the senses he can bring to bear. This continues when he forms his 'warp gate'.

(Doc will stay. Crumble will go).

As they move for the gate, Richard asks conversationally, "So are you the good twin or the evil one?"

Whisper seems impressed at Rama's transformation, but eyes the portal with some distrust.

"Doesn't this count as a bad thing, by the Ban?" she asks. "Is it safe to use?"

She eyes Rama. "You did shield this thing, right?"

Planet Paril
Market Arcology,City of Tsana
10:45 hours
Arestan 13, 498 CY
Participants: Smite, Chronos, Whisper, Rama, Richard

The team gathers in the atrium where a near 360 degree view of the morning lights can be had. The sunrise this morning was spectacular, as usual. The various gasses and mists let off by the arcologies below cause a colorful refraction of the rising sun and it nears the beauty of Earths Aurora Borealis. This is the most likely spot the team would assemble so early, or where most of the people would be as the morning meal is served. Various tri-vid terminals (Holographic televisions) are playing as well. The Atrium is littered with trees and plants and ponds and fountains and as Rama?s Warp opens, static electricity charges over tree limbs and coalesces on the edges of ponds making the light display even more interesting for the morning diners.

The rooftop of an arcology in the middle of the giant bazaar shows through the portal at the moment and off in the distance the sides of the pyramid shaped arcology slope downward seemingly forever to the ground below where so many vendors and ?great deals? await the unwary buyer. The sun is casting odd reflections on the ornage-golden surface of the sloped roofs of the nearby arcologies and lighting here is certainly not a problem.

The open warp is causing a similar disturbance on the arcology side; static electricity runs down the railing some distance before fading and the metal roof top arcs and sparks non-threateningly as the team steps through. The few little warps covering only hundreds of yards opened by Rama in practice under controlled situations never yielded such results but the algorithmic situation program of Eves warned about a possibility such as this. It is not a result of the Ban rearing its head so much as it is simply a reaction of the local paradox; holes in space like this just can?t happen.

Once through the portal the smells of thousands of meat and spice vendors assault the senses of all present. No other person is near by, none that any can detect anyhow, and you are all sure you are undetected as you arrive. The team is now all standing on a 50-foot wide edge some 1200 feet up the slope of a pyramid shaped building that houses millions inside (called an Arcology). You are all about half way up its total height; the walk down looks like it might take a little while.

It doesn?t take a mega intellect to know that below you in the bazaars and local area surrounding your quarry is easily nearing a million people population. It?s not going to be easy.
[attachment=29:attachment]

Crumble answers with a smile,

<!--coloro:#3333FF--><span style="color:#3333FF"><!--/coloro-->"The young one."<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->


Planet Paril
Market Arcology,City of Tsana
10:45 hours
Arestan 13, 498 CY
Participants: Smite, Crumble, Whisper, Rama, Richard

Crumble concentrates on his node for a moment and listens for a ?ping?.

(Assuming no surprises)

He says, <!--coloro:#3333FF--><span style="color:#3333FF"><!--/coloro-->"So which do we search, the rich sector? The underbelly? Find the local security and ask if anyone "paranormal" as shown up in public?"<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

Rama looks upon Whisper with an admiring eye. She can sense a similar phenomenon to her own emanating from him, as he seems to almost imperceptibly change into that which is most seductive and alluring. He seems to do this unconsciously however... Skimming his surface thoughts shows a very different personality matrix and a *extremely* enhanced intellect. Even just touching his mind feels like a hurricane and threatens to overwhelm. Just a little deeper inside, however and it is the eye of the storm, calm and serene. Before they step through the portal he replies, <!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->"Not this time. I have other ways of hiding from the Ban..."<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

Once through he flies into the air like a slingshot, stopping abruptly several hundred meters up. He will open his node-eye, sending out a powerful ping-pulse and scanning through his quantum sense for any sign of their quarry...

Whisper shrugs and passes through. On the other side she looks down at the teeming masses and smiles, seeming rather pleased.

"Unnecessary, young Chrono," she says. "Give me a moment before attracting attention to ourselves. The more people there are down there, the harder it will be for oddities to hide."

She closes her eyes then and falls from her body, from the sky, like some kind of ghostly rain. Filaments and streams of consciousness that deftly spread from mind to mind, until she couldn't subdivide her attention any further. Surface thoughts from a multitude of people whispered in her skull, and sifted them quickly for any reference to phenomenon of interest. People disappearing and appearing. People moving too fast to explain.

If she finds nothing in the first crowd, she quickly withdraws her probes and spreads to another group, seeking the same memories as before.

Smite takes note of this ability, as it may come in handy later. Should this fail, he still had the orb that he had been given by the Lord. But best to leave that as an ace in the hole, especially if he wasn't sure how well it would work in this case.

High in the Sky, Rama's golden armor glints in the light of the Sun. After a moment he starts floating diagonally down the side of the Arcology towards the plaza and then stops. His voice come over the communicator. <!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->"I'm getting a very strange reading here. My node isn't picking up anything except us.<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> {{um...who exactly came with? So far its just Smite, Crumble and us noobs. Did Allison or Kara make it?}}
<!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->Combined with my Quantum-Sight however and it appears that there are over a dozen signitures within the crowd below. I can't seem to get a solid fix however...they seem dispersed, diluted, somehow spread out over hundreds of yards. Could it be the residuals left by the telporter? Or something else...?"<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

Crumble answers,

<!--coloro:#3333FF--><span style="color:#3333FF"><!--/coloro-->"Considering the ranges involved, you are probably reading us, or more specifically, me."<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

Richard looks at Smite, who is probably a better tactician than he is. "Could this guy have some sort of quantum dispersal device, so that we can't track him by his aura?"

<!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->"Except these readings are coming from the masses below. I can sense you there just fine, unless you are doing something that would alter my percetions..."<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

<!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->"Except these readings are coming from the masses below. I can sense you there just fine, unless you are doing something that would alter my percetions..."<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

(OOC note - Allison is not here, nor has she returned. Yet. )

Whisper opens her eyes. "About half a mile away, thirty levels down. Making plans to buy something called 'hyperwave weapons,' then kill the seller and get lucky." She lifts a hand and points. "That way. Seems like they'll be a handful too. I'd suggest moving before they buy those weapons."

"Oh, and I should mention. He's in a large crowd of people, so be careful or you'll get your hero licenses revoked." She smiles.

<!--coloro:#3366FF--><span style="color:#3366FF"><!--/coloro-->"Understood. Can you send me a mental image of the target so I know who to pin down? I'll zoom in quickly, put him in a gravity well and then drain as much juice as I can. I recommend staying pretty far back until that happens and it will be obvious when it does. After that hit him with as much as you can and watch out for the civilians. To all points, let me know when you are in position and give me the all-clear to engage."<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

Richard quickly looks for a map to pick the fastest way down - even (or perhaps especially) if that involves 'borrowing' a vehicle. (He'll give it back, honest!)

Planet Paril
Market Arcology,City of Tsana
10:50 hours
Arestan 13, 498 CY
<!--coloro:#FF6600--><span style="color:#FF6600"><!--/coloro-->Participants: Smite, Chronos, Whisper, Rama, Richard<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

The easiest route is down the many ramps that circle to the various levels. But this way could take you half an hour to get that far down. The quickest route would be the various elevators but the lines are all long, perhaps 10 minutes to get to the elevator and then travel to the level in question. There are no vehicles to "borrow."

Flying to the location is out fo the question save for using the ramps as you are only 15 levels above ground and still have 15 floors to go below the surface. If flight is the option, the ramps have a 14 foot ceiling so the clearance between the sea of bodies. This route miget take 5 minutes or so.