EV #81 - "Another Place, Another Time"

[GM Mad]

Eternal Vigilance #81 - "Another Place, Another Time”

Roll Call: Blackout & Lavender


In Downtown San Diego, the duo of Blackout and Lavender has come across the Phoenix during their evening patrol. The fiery woman flies closer to speak to the pair, asking if they are local heroes.

"That we are, Phoenix," Blackout replies, still a bit wary. "I'm Blackout and this is Lavender. I'll help if I can, who are these friends of yours? Local heroes too? Were you supposed to meet up somewhere?"

“They’re not exactly local heroes,” Phoenix casually answers. “Nor are they crooks either. I suppose some explanations are in order.”

Phoenix flies closer and lands on the roof. As she does, the flames around her die down and then fade.

“I was the mentor to a small group of young supers back in El Paso,” Phoenix explains. “Mainly just trying to do some local good and get the kids to come to grips with their powers. Unfortunately, we had some unfortunate misunderstandings with the Superior Six and that didn’t help.”

(Editor’s Note: Such as in Troubleshooters #23-24)

“Later on we had the misfortunate of being stuck in the middle of a confrontation between the Young Champions and the Thugmaster’s Elite.”

(Editor’s Note: An untold story in the Young Champions’s future. This would have been where the rosters got shaken up. Turbo went from the YC to the Elite, while Psi-Lad went from the Rat Pack, Phoenix’s group, to the YC. Flex and Wild Wind left the Rat Pack and joined the Elite.)

“We got word that the Elite was coming to San Diego, so I followed in hopes of getting my kids back. Wild Wind and Flex may not end up as hardened criminals if I have anything to say about it. But things have gotten worse. One of current charges who came with me, a lad with the code name of Hi-Q, seems to have vanished. I understand from the local newspaper that Wild Wind was captured by the Vigilant and is being held by PRIMUS, but Flex got away with some of the other Elite.”

(Editor’s Note: Actually, it was Blackout who took down Wild Wind back in EV #60.)

“So, in a roundabout way my question is have you seen or know the locations of either Hi-Q or Flex?”

Before Blackout can answer, his Vigilant Com-Link chirps. A text message in brail is displayed on it and it’s from Edgar. It’s alerting Blackout to the break in at ADT, which stands for Advance Design Technology a high-tech corporation.

[GM Mad]

Roll Call: Backlash, Eldrich, Sea Guard & Powershift

Speaking of the ADT building, Powershift, Sea Guard, and Backlash are already en route. Powershift carries the other two heroes and is streaking across the sky towards their destination.

“ADT… Why does that sound so familiar.. Isn’t that where the large robot came from that tried to trample the city? Or am I losing it?“ he says scratching his head.

“For the last few days, I’ve been feeling that almost everyone else on the team has been ‘losing it’” Powershift notes. “Accepting total stranger like long lost friends. Something strange is going on and I don’t like it.”

“Goldstar’s been straight with us all along,” Sea Guard counters. “I trust her judgement and if she says their okay, then their okay with me.”

“Something’s not right,” Is all Powershift says in response.


As the heroes close in on the ADT Building in the Golden Hill district of town, they note another flyer approaching it. It’s Eldrich, the strange mage who Goldstar had join the group.

“This just gets better and better,” Powershift groans.

The heroes land on the roof of the ADT building. There’s been no sign of an attack and all seems quiet and in order.

“Maybe we should go look inside,” Sea Guard suggests.

[GM Mad]

Roll Call: Everyone else

The rest of the Vigilant and their allies are out in space, on the far side of the sun in fact! They are in the Vigilant short range spacecraft, the Star-V. The group is waiting for something to arrive. A ship will soon be appearing due to the actions of other agents of Tesseract. This ship is intended to be used as the nerve center for Project Starwatch, a surveillance system designed to cover the entire solar system.

The heroes are impatiently counting down the last few seconds before the ship arrives.

“Any second now,” Goldstar notes as she watches the ships scanners.

Everyone moves closer to the cockpit of the Star-V to get a better look out the windows. There’s a small flash and something appears a short distance away! It seems to be spherical in shape and blue in color. There are no lights on inside the ship.

Goldstar notes the ships arrival with a glance and not paying any further attention to it, turns to the scanners.

“Scanning now. Ship is spherical in shape, approximately ninety feet wide. No energy readings. No life signs. The hull has been pierced and the whole ship is open to the vacuum of space. You’ll definitely need your spacesuits.”

“No way!” The Scarlet Sabre finally manages to utter. The heroine’s jaw had dropped upon seeing the ship appear, as did many of those present. “I had hoped to never see that thing again!”

Goldstar turns towards Scarlet, a confused look on her face. “You’ve seen this vessel before?”

“That’s the Crimson Claw’s ship! I almost died there!”

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

The Crimson Claw was the being that ran the Great Supervillain Contest back on the story site. In our revised timeline, the Vigilant played a role in that battle. Powershift had been captured during the contest and the team arrived when all the hero groups were summoned and participated in the final battle in X-Factor #4.

Of those present, this would include Flux, Tesla, and Menagerie. Goldstar, Stargirl, and Frostbite were not involved in that.

Lastly, the title of this issue was taken from the last line in XF #4.

And in another place, in another time, a strange blue dome appeared...

This solves that particular mystery!

Now what?

[Menagerie]

Menagerie:

Goldstar announces that the mystery ship should be appearing soon, so Lily puts away her V-PDA and joins the others at the view portal. Not long after, a bluish spherical ship appears in a flash of light not far away. Menagerie cranes her neck for a better view; in Quasar's form, she has much better vision than she does naturally.

Even as Goldstar reviews her findings via the scanner, an ominous feeling overcomes Menagerie. There's something very familiar about this spherical ship...

“That’s the Crimson Claw’s ship! I almost died there!”

With these words, Menagerie's dread comes crashing down. For a moment, she can only stammer nonsensically.

"You and me both, Sabre," Menagerie finally utters. "Last I saw of that ship, it was swarm with those black flying things. I fought as long as I could, but something or someone got me from behind. By time I regained consciousness, we were at the Carstairs Estate."

Lily pauses for a moment, letting the whole situation sink in for a moment.

"Goldstar? Would you like me to fly over for a closer look while you maneuver the ship closer?"
__________________________________________________
You know, I never really noticed that line in XF #4.

[Bruce]

Flux

The space suit fits like it was tailored to me. Hmm of course it probably was. Now about this PDA . . .

Flux boards the craft, settling in for launch. The liftoff goes smoothly. The arrival point is reached so swiftly it's anti-climactic. Waiting for the 'ship' to appear gives Flux time to work with the PDA but when the vessel does arrive it is no strange new class of ship. In fact it is too familiar.

That . . . is going to be problematical for some of us.

Some of the others recognize it too and say so. Loudly.

"Ok people. Settle in. What it was is no longer relevant. What it is, is ours to make use of."

And it keeps it out of the hands of any hostiles. Smooth move Tess.

Scarlet Sabre wrote:“That’s the Crimson Claw’s ship! I almost died there!”

With these words, Menagerie's dread comes crashing down. For a moment, she can only stammer nonsensically.

"You and me both, Sabre," Menagerie finally utters. "Last I saw of that ship, it was swarm with those black flying things. I fought as long as I could, but something or someone got me from behind. By time I regained consciousness, we were at the Carstairs Estate."

Lily pauses for a moment, letting the whole situation sink in for a moment.

"Goldstar? Would you like me to fly over for a closer look while you maneuver the ship closer?"

"Any personal recon will be done in pairs at minimum. Myself Included. Volunteers sing out."

[Frostbite]

Frostbite

“That’s the Crimson Claw’s ship! I almost died there!”

“Not to be a spoil sport but… What happened on that ship?” he asks curiously having no utter clue what they are talking about.

Volunteer's are soon called for, "I'll go, could also see to sealing some of those holes in the hull when the time comes." looking to the others. "Least till the they can be repaired."

[Backlash]

Backlash

“This just gets better and better,” Powershift groans.

“It’s another pair of eyes and hands, Besides with the others gone we are shorthanded.” he says more so to Powershift. “Eldrich is it? What brings you here?” he asks curiously. (not sure if he was present when commlinks were given out )

As they are inspecting the disturbance, Lash Radio’s Edgar, “Any chance you can narrow down where the alarm originated or get a hold of their security..” Oddly Backlash doesn’t like the idea of going in blind as the images of the television showing large robots crowd his memory.

[Goldstar]

Goldstar:

Goldstar notes the ships arrival with a glance and not paying any further attention to it, turns to the scanners.

“Scanning now. Ship is spherical in shape, approximately ninety feet wide. No energy readings. No life signs. The hull has been pierced and the whole ship is open to the vacuum of space. You’ll definitely need your spacesuits.”

“No way!” The Scarlet Sabre finally manages to utter. The heroine’s jaw had dropped upon seeing the ship appear, as did many of those present. “I had hoped to never see that thing again!”

Goldstar turns towards Scarlet, a confused look on her face. “You’ve seen this vessel before?”

“That’s the Crimson Claw’s ship! I almost died there!”

"You and me both, Sabre," Menagerie finally utters. "Last I saw of that ship, it was swarm with those black flying things. I fought as long as I could, but something or someone got me from behind. By time I regained consciousness, we were at the Carstairs Estate."

Goldstar vaguely recalled the names from the reports Edgar had forwarded to her. However, just reading about it didn’t have the same emotional impact of actually being there.

"Ok people. Settle in. What it was is no longer relevant. What it is, is ours to make use of."

“Flux is right,” Goldstar adds. “We’re not picking up any energy or life signs. That ship should be deserted and is dead in space. However, caution is certainly warranted given the circumstances.”

Lily pauses for a moment, letting the whole situation sink in for a moment.

"Goldstar? Would you like me to fly over for a closer look while you maneuver the ship closer?"

"Any personal recon will be done in pairs at minimum. Myself Included. Volunteers sing out."

“We definitely move in groups until the craft is secured,” Goldstar agrees. “Stargirl, why don’t you go with Menagerie and check out the outside of the ship before moving inside. Meanwhile we’ll move closer and then pair off to explore.”

Volunteer's are soon called for, "I'll go, could also see to sealing some of those holes in the hull when the time comes." looking to the others. "Least till the they can be repaired."

“We secure the ship and once that’s done, we’ll concentrate on the repairs, Frostbite. Don’t worry, everyone will have something to do.”

Once close enough, Goldstar will say, “Everyone activate your spacesuits. We’ll pair off and get to work. Scarlet and Starguard will make their way to the computer core. Tesla and I will go for the bridge. That leaves Flux and Frostbite to secure the ship, along with Menagerie and Stargirl. Once the ship is explored and secured, we’ll try to restore power and seal the hull. Let’s move.”

[Stargirl]

Stargirl:

Stargirl sits there, chatting at times with Frostbite while trying to conceal her boredom. She’s not one of those at the front of the ship when the other ship arrives. It holds no meaning to Gloria, but upon hearing that some of those here nearly died there does give her reason to pause. What are we getting ourselves into?

“We definitely move in groups until the craft is secured,” Goldstar agrees. “Stargirl, why don’t you go with Menagerie and check out the outside of the ship before moving inside. Meanwhile we’ll move closer and then pair off to explore.”

Talk follows and at one point, Mom says my name, snapping Gloria back to reality.

“Uhm, sure thing.”

Stargirl will follow Menagerie in the quiet handsome form of the angelic Quasar. She tries not to staring, knowing that it’s really a girl in there! Or is it? Just who is Menagerie really?

“Doesn’t that ever get confusing?” Stargirl will ask. “I mean do you ever forget who you really are?”

Once out in space, Stargirl will match Quasar/Menageries pace if she’s able as they fly along.

“What are we looking for anyway?”

[Blackout]

Blackout:

“They’re not exactly local heroes,” Phoenix casually answers. “Nor are they crooks either. I suppose some explanations are in order.”

Blackout can understand the fine line sometimes between hero and villain, so he patiently listens to Phoenix's further explaination.

“We got word that the Elite was coming to San Diego, so I followed in hopes of getting my kids back. Wild Wind and Flex may not end up as hardened criminals if I have anything to say about it. But things have gotten worse. One of current charges who came with me, a lad with the code name of Hi-Q, seems to have vanished. I understand from the local newspaper that Wild Wind was captured by the Vigilant and is being held by PRIMUS, but Flex got away with some of the other Elite.”

“So, in a roundabout way my question is have you seen or know the locations of either Hi-Q or Flex?”

Before Blackout can answer, his Vigilant Com-Link chirps. A text message in brail is displayed on it and it’s from Edgar. It’s alerting Blackout to the break in at ADT, which stands for Advance Design Technology a high-tech corporation.

Blackout remains silent as he remembers taking down Wild Wind. She seemed pretty villainous to him at the time, but if Phoenix believes that can be turned around, then she's more than welcome to make the attempt after Wild Wind has served time for the crimes already commited.

Before any further conversation can begin, Blackout hears his communicator chirp. He reads the message and then returns to the conversation at hand, "I don't know the current whereabouts of either of them. There was quite a lot of mayhem and confusion going on here, and only part of it had to do with some of the individuals mentioned. If I do see them, is there some way to get into contact with you?"

Having a way to contact Phoenix would be beneficial, especially if she turns out to be someone that should be watched or apprehended as well. Regardless of what she provides, if anything, Blackout will excuse himself. "We need to go check out the Advance Design Technology building," he explains to Lavender. "Apparently a break in is in progress."

Once a distance away, he will use the com-link, "Edgar, I am en route to ADT. Anything more you can tell me about the situation there?"

"Also," Blackout will add, "do you have any files on a woman going by the name Phoenix?" He will briefly explain the encounter if Edgar presses for more information.

[Tesla]

Tesla:

“That’s the Crimson Claw’s ship! I almost died there!”

With these words, Menagerie's dread comes crashing down. For a moment, she can only stammer nonsensically.

Tesla doesn't add anything to that, keeping those memories in the back of her mind. She has much more important things to focus on at the moment with the arrival of the ship then recall that so-called contest.

"Ok people. Settle in. What it was is no longer relevant. What it is, is ours to make use of."

“Flux is right,” Goldstar adds. “We’re not picking up any energy or life signs. That ship should be deserted and is dead in space. However, caution is certainly warranted given the circumstances.”

"There could be something designed to hide from our scanners," Tesla adds, "so nothing should be taken on appearances alone."

Once close enough, Goldstar will say, “Everyone activate your spacesuits. We’ll pair off and get to work. Scarlet and Starguard will make their way to the computer core. Tesla and I will go for the bridge. That leaves Flux and Frostbite to secure the ship, along with Menagerie and Stargirl. Once the ship is explored and secured, we’ll try to restore power and seal the hull. Let’s move.”

"Understood," is all Tesla says, her spacesuit activated and ready. She knows this could be a walk in the park, but no reason to not be cautious. She will be ready to go with Goldstar when the time comes.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

Roll Call: Flux, Frostbite, Menagerie, Tesla, Goldstar, Stargirl, Scarlet Sabre & Starguard

On the far side of the sun, a blue spherical space ship just appeared out of nowhere before the Star-V. The sphere is damaged and open to the vacuum of space. No signs of life are detected. While the vessel is unknown to most present, to the others it is chillingly familiar. It was the vessel used by the extra-dimensional entity known as the Crimson Claw as part of his ‘Great Supervillain Contest’.

The contest itself was a just a shame, a ruse to locate the most powerful villain so that they could be bonded to the Greater Emerald Eye of Azog. In a raid, several villains tried to circumvent the contest and claim the Lesser and Greater Eyes for their own. Dr. Destroyer claimed a Lesser Eye, as did the malevolent Black Paladin.

But the Greater Eye ended up in the possession of Borealis, who became a living portal to the dark dimension where ancient demonic creatures had been imprisoned in the distant past. Shadow Demons emerged through the portal in ever growing numbers, like a tide of darkness they washed over the ship sweeping under all in their path.

But the invaders did have a weakness. Light based attacks could destroy them and that gave the heroes hope. Lead by the supercharged Quantum, the heroes fought their way to the battle arena. There, Quantum erected a light-based force field around the portal temporarily blocking the invaders. The Archmage Vincent Dimitrios then settled the matter by teleporting the gate itself back to the dark dimensional prison. There, the Shadow Demons who passed through the gate found themselves right back where they started.

The battle took a tremendous toll on the Claw’s Ship. It appeared on the verge of catastrophic failure and everyone evacuated. From the outside, the ship appeared to implode and vanish. However Agents of Tesseract had planned all of that. Instead, they had transported the ship to another place, to another time where the ship could be used for a good purpose and kept out of evil’s hand.

The Greater Eye was safely out of Earth’s Dimension. The Lesser Eye taken by Black Paladin was used extensively. It was first used to enhance the dark knight’s abilities. Then it was used to restore Lady Bale, who had been nearly killed by the Shadow Demons. The process bound Bale to Paladin as his slave, an unintended side affect of the evil artifact. Together, the two joined forces and had many battles with both X-Factor and the Superior Six.

But this all ended when the pair raided, along with several other villains who had the same idea, an exhibition of ancient artifacts recently found in England at the Overstreet Museum. Paladin had recognized one of the exhibits from his days in Camelot. It was the Philosopher’s Stone, a magic item of great power. He had to have it.

Black Paladin and Lady Bale came into conflict with X-Factor once more, but still managed to gain the Philosopher’s Stone, but with unforeseen consequences. The Philosopher’s Stone cleansed Black Paladin and Lady Bale, and in the process the Stone and the Lesser Eye were destroyed. The pair was no longer evil, having been turned to the side of goodness. Taking the name of Paladin and Lady Virtuous, they began their own war against the forces of evil.

But, alas, the transformation was not permanent. They fell into conflict with the Magus and the White Witch and where captured. With their powers boasted by a dimensional incursion triggered by the extra-dimensional conqueror known as Morjok, the White Witch restored the Black Paladin and Lady Bale to their true states. Together, the four formed an alliance called the Dark Masters. Their first goal was to usurp Morjok and lay claim to his realm, but this was thwarted by the Vigilant. With that plan ruined, the four them departed to begin new plans.

And what became of the last of the Emerald Eyes? It hasn’t been seen since Dr. Destroyer claimed it.

(Editor’s Note: A brief recap of numerous tales on the stories site and some of the Vigilant exploits. The story with the Philosopher’s Stone was slated to start in X-Factor #27. Some of the actions of the Agents of Tesseract can be seen in Troubleshooters #11 and Avengers #19.)

Having overcome the shock of seeing the Claw’s ship, the heroes pair off to explore and begin salvage operations.

[GM Mad]

Roll Call: Blackout & Lavender

In Downtown San Diego, Blackout and Lavender were on patrol when they were approached by the fiery Phoenix. She’s searching for former members of her group, the Rat Pack. Several of them left with the Thugmaster’s Elite, the group many of the Vigilant encountered and fought a few days back. Blackout isn’t sure what to make of Phoenix, but a message on his Comlink interrupts the conversation.

Before any further conversation can begin, Blackout hears his communicator chirp. He reads the message and then returns to the conversation at hand, "I don't know the current whereabouts of either of them. There was quite a lot of mayhem and confusion going on here, and only part of it had to do with some of the individuals mentioned. If I do see them, is there some way to get into contact with you?"

“That’s understandable,” Phoenix answers. “I’ve got a cell phone number that you can reach me at. Thanks for the help!”

Having a way to contact Phoenix would be beneficial, especially if she turns out to be someone that should be watched or apprehended as well. Regardless of what she provides, if anything, Blackout will excuse himself. "We need to go check out the Advance Design Technology building," he explains to Lavender. "Apparently a break in is in progress."

Phoenix over hears the conversation between Blackout and Lavender. “Advance Design Technology you say? Of course, how could I be so stupid! That must be where Hi-Q’s gone! That might be why he wanted to come to San Diego, to get his hands on high technology. He wasn’t trying to help the others at all!”

Phoenix is visibly disappointed from her conclusions. You can almost feel regret coming from her.

“Where is this place at? If it involves high tech, then Hi-Q is probably the thick of things there. I might be able to stop him from doing something incredibly stupid.”

(Editor’s Note: Hi-Q is short for High IQ, he’s a technological genius type.)

San Diego is the home to many high tech, cutting edge technology firms, including many defence related industries as part of the strong Armed Forces presence in town. ADT is best know for the design and construction of super-prison cells, such as the ones used in the Stronghold holding facilities.

If she’s given the location of the ADT Building, Phoenix will fly off in that direction. Otherwise, she’ll follow Blackout.

Once a distance away, he will use the com-link, "Edgar, I am en route to ADT. Anything more you can tell me about the situation there?"

“Nothing at the moment, just that a silent alarm was triggered there about twenty minutes ago. Backlash, Powershift, and Sea Guard are already on the scene.”

"Also," Blackout will add, "do you have any files on a woman going by the name Phoenix?" He will briefly explain the encounter if Edgar presses for more information.

“There are outstanding warrants for the arrest of Phoenix in the South West portion of the country,” Edgar will relate. “Some are for minor destruction of property and clashes with both the Superior Six and the Young Champions. These ones seem to be fallout from violent encounters involving drug runners and other unsavoury types. The worse ones involve what seems to be her campaign against the Jensek Medical Institute. There are numerous charges of destruction of property and other forms of vandalism.”

[GM Mad]

Roll Call: Scarlet Sabre & Starguard

Once suited up, the others on the Star-V move into the Claw’s ship. The largest opening is by the receptionist area where the entire entryway is wide open. It was blasted apart by the personal battle between Ripper and Firewing during the final siege. Starguard files along, cradling the Scarlet Sabre in his arms. His Starguard Armor allows him to function in space, thus he does not need a space suit like Scarlet.

“You’re tense,” Starguard says. “I can feel it through my armor.”

“This place was almost my grave,” Scarlet quietly answers. “That’s not easy to deal with, even for someone as happy and go lucky as me. If I had known what this mission entailed, I might not have agreed to come.”

“Fear not, my dear. I’m here to protect you this time.” There was a wide smile behind Starguard’s featureless armored faceplate.

“That reminds me,” Scarlet says, regaining some of her usual spunk, “where the heck were you when all of this was going down? I sure could have used a guardian angel that day!”

“Off planet, preparing for my up coming assignment,” Starguard answers. “Had I been here, rest assured that I would have been involved in an event like this.”

“It’s that way,” Scarlet points out. She had been directing Starguard through the Claw’s ship towards the Computer Core. It was part of her mission along with Muskateer and Ace, to reach the Computer Core and shut down the ship’s ability to dimensionally shift, locking it into once place so that the heroes could launch their final attack.

Starguard altered his course as he flew through the dark ship.

“It’s times like this that I wish I didn’t have a computer-like memory,” Scarlet said. “There are some things that I’d like to forget. Okay, this is it. Set me down.”

Starguard complied and set the Scarlet Sabre down on the deck. There was a great deal of blood here. Scarlet tried to ignore it and moved into the core. Starguard just took in the seen, his fists balled in silent anger.

At the Computer Core, Scarlet pulled out her interface and connected it to the system like she had those many months ago. However, there was no power, so nothing further could be done.

Touching her Comlink, Scarlet contacted Goldstar.

“Goldstar, we’ve reached the Computer Core. It seems intact, but without power there’s not much I can do here right now.”

[GM Mad]

Roll Call: Backlash, Eldrich, Sea Guard, and Powershift

And at the ADT building, Backlash, Powershift, and Sea Guard are joined by the enigmatic Eldrich. Thus far there has been no telltale signs of criminal activity at the building.

“It’s another pair of eyes and hands, besides with the others gone we are shorthanded.” he says more so to Powershift.

“We’ve got enough power here to take one whatever’s going on here,” Powershift angrily retorts.

As they are inspecting the disturbance, Lash Radio’s Edgar, “Any chance you can narrow down where the alarm originated or get a hold of their security..” Oddly Backlash doesn’t like the idea of going in blind as the images of the television showing large robots crowd his memory.

“I’ve been trying to, Master Backlash. ADT’s central computer seems to be down, or at least blocking outside contact. The initial alarm was triggered on the ground floor. Perhaps that would be a good place to start.”

While conversing, Backlash and those with him note a noise in the background rapidly becoming louder! It sounds as if an aircraft is approaching your location! Those looking in the direction of the noise catch a glimpse of an aircraft right before it slams into the side of the ADT building! The aircraft looked very familiar and can be recognized as a VIPER Flying Serpent, an airborne troop carrier!

Those looking down can see just the back of the craft sticking out of the hole the Flying Serpent made when it flew into the side of the building. Smoke and fire can be seen starting around the Flying Serpent. There was a minor rumble in the building upon impact, but nothing to suggest that a collapse is immanent.

“That was unexpected,” Sea Guard notes.

“Edgar, summon the fire department and ambulances to this location,” Powershift says into his Comlink. “We just had a VIPER aircraft crash into the ADT building. I’m going to investigate and see if I can get the fire under control. Powershift out!”

Turning to Backlash and Sea Guard, ‘Shift will add, “I’ll take the high road, you guys take the low road. We might have serpents on the loose and injured civilians.”

[GM Mad]

Roll Call: Menagerie & Stargirl

While the Star-V moves closer to the Claw’s ship, Menagerie, in the form of Quasar, and Stargirl go forth to explore the ship. Both heroines can survive in the vacuum of space, so space suits are not needed. They fly out of the airlock of the Star-V and begin to scout. The outer hull of the ship shows numerous signs of damage, including places where the hull was actually breached. All seems quiet and dark on the outside.

After completing their outside investigations, the pair move inside the ship. Moving in through the receptionist area, the pair finds even more damage from the fighting that took place here. There are numerous blood splatters here and there, and even a few floating. Fortunately, there are no bodies present, as it is believed that almost everyone made it off the ship before it vanished.

The terrain starts to become familiar to Menagerie. An elevator shaft is reached and the pair goes down. They emerge in the cellblock area. The elevator door to this level has been ripped apart and the hallway shows more signs of the carnage that took place here.

Other that the signs of battle, and the splattering of blood, the inside of the ship is deathly quiet. Almost like a tomb.


Roll Call: Flux & Frostbite

Elsewhere, Frostbite tries to keep up with Flux. His power to generate ice slides doesn’t work very well in the vacuum of space and there is no gravity to keep him on its surface. Flux, being able to fly, has an easier time of it.

The pair exploring, finding that the ship heavily damaged from the fighting that took place here. There are pools and splatters of blood here and there, some on the deck and walls, and others floating in the vacuum of space. But thankfully there are no bodies.

Flux makes his way down to the combat arena, where much of the final battle took place. It was the place where the gateway to the dark demon dimension was opened. Thankfully, there is no trace of the living gateway that Borealis had become, nor any signs of the Shadow Demons. No bodies remain here either. It’s just a vast and dark chamber now.


Roll Call: Goldstar & Tesla

Goldstar and Tesla fly towards the bridge of the ship. It’s located on the uppermost deck of the vessel. This level served as a combination of Bridge and Observation Deck, at least to those who originally built this vessel. The Claw ‘remodeled’ extensively, ripping out the equipment that he had no use for. What does remain does seem usable, provided there was any power.

Unlike the rest of the ship, the bridge does not show signs of the fighting that took place here. It seems that the claw added plush carpeting to this level, as there is no other carpeting on the ship. There is also a dark and mysterious mirror on one of the walls.

Much like the rest of the ship, all is quiet here.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

The Claw’s ship hold 9 decks and they are broken down as follows. The middle of Deck 5 & 6 is open to the great Arena that occupies level 7, so only the outer edges make up those decks.

Deck 1: Bridge/Claw’s Aerie.
Deck 2: Laboratory/Hospital area.
Deck 3: Reception Area/Vehicle Hanger.
Deck 4: Living quarters.
Deck 5: Library/Research areas.
Deck 6: Observation Deck/Cell Block
Deck 7: Arena.
Deck 8: Computer Core.
Deck 9: Engine Room/Power Plant.

And since a 90 foot wide sphere ship seems a tad small, let's make it 90 yards.

Now what?

[Bruce]

Eldrich Arcane

Eldrich has brought himself to the appointed place via the Step spell and guidance from the Voice of Edgar only to be greeted with hostility by the demon-ridden man known as Powershift.

“It’s another pair of eyes and hands, besides with the others gone we are shorthanded.” Backlash says to Powershift.

“We’ve got enough power here to take on whatever’s going on here,” Powershift angrily retorts."

An interesting statement to make: a belief of sufficient power to handle a situation unknown to him. As if power is the answer to any and all problems.

A strange noise starting in the background but rising in volume attracts everyone's attention.Those looking in the direction of the noise catch a glimpse of an aircraft right before it slams into the side of the ADT building! The aircraft looked unfamiliar to Eldrich.

Those looking down can see just the back of the craft sticking out of the hole it made when it flew into the side of the building. Smoke and fire can be seen starting around it. There was a minor rumble in the building upon impact, but nothing to suggest that a collapse is imminent.

“That was unexpected,” Sea Guard notes.


Turning to Backlash and Sea Guard, ‘Shift will order, “I’ll take the high road, you guys take the low road. We might have serpents on the loose and injured civilians.”

Serpents? What sort of serpents?

Eldrich does not ask Powershift any questions. Anything he might ask will most likely annoy him further. Like what does 'high road' and 'low road' mean? Instead Eldrich will Step his way to the opening made to view the damage made by the missile like craft. Based on Powershift's comments he believes it to be an attack craft or transport. If so then it will contain hostiles(serpents??) and Eldrich will act accordingly.

[Menagerie]

Menagerie:

"Any personal recon will be done in pairs at minimum. Myself Included. Volunteers sing out."

“We definitely move in groups until the craft is secured,” Goldstar agrees. “Stargirl, why don’t you go with Menagerie and check out the outside of the ship before moving inside. Meanwhile we’ll move closer and then pair off to explore.”

“Uhm, sure thing.”

"That works for me," Menagerie replies. Looking over at Stargirl, she asks, "You ready?" then begins moving toward the airlock.

“Doesn’t that ever get confusing?” Stargirl will ask. “I mean do you ever forget who you really are?”

Hearing Stargirl's question as they approach the airlock, Lily/Quasar smiles. "Not really, though it's sometimes kind of a surprise when I look in a mirror while in another form. Since I can't normally see myself, it's more just an odd feeling of being in a body that doesn't quite feel like mine. Fortunately, I have a pretty strong sense of who I am. Plus, I've been doing this for several years now, so it's less disorienting than it used to be."

They fly out of the cycling airlock together. Both being space-worthy, neither of them need space suits.

“What are we looking for anyway?”

Menagerie taps her communicator to reply. "Two things, really. First, we're looking for any kind of danger or threat that may be present. With the history of this ship, it's impossible to know for certain what it's current status is. Also, we should try to get a feel for the basic condition of the ship and relay that information to the rest of the group. Let me know if you see anything you think is noteworthy."

On their approach, Menagerie will pause about 50 yards out from the ship and fly circuits around it, both horizontally and vertically. Once that is done, she will call in to Goldstar and relate their findings regarding the condition of the ship - including all hull breaches.

Afterwards, she and Stargirl head inside the derelict ship. They enter through the large hole in the reception area. Lily can still remember what this area looked like when they entered it all those many months ago. From there, they descend down an elevator shaft into the cell block. This area, too, is familiar as Menagerie was part of one of the rescue teams. As she goes, memories float through her mind, but they seem dim and fuzzy, with less emotional affect attached than one might expect. The frequent spatters of blood, though, provide a grim reminder of the violence that flooded this ship for a time.

Once again, Menagerie will radio in their location and status. Nothing of note to report so far. After they have circled the entire deck, Menagerie will lead Stargirl up to level 5 via the large Arena space. They will then circle that deck as well, looking for any evidence of danger or useful information.
______________________________________________________________________
"And since a 90 foot wide sphere ship seems a tad small, let's make it 90 yards."

Yeah, even that seems kind of small.

[Goldstar]

Goldstar:

Once in position, the Star-V is set to autopilot while the rest of us move to explore the ship. Paired with Tesla, Goldstar makes her way through the unknown ship, occasionally checking her PDA to see the deck layout that the scans generated. She’s never been here before, so the layout is unknown to her. Tesla’s electrical discharges provide some lighting, but Goldstar will generate a low-level light from her hand to help further illuminate the dark ship.

“It certainly looks like a tremendous battle took place here,” Goldstar will say to Tesla. “The reports I read don’t do it justice.”

The bridge is soon reached and it seems that the Crimson Claw was using it as his living quarters. He ripped out some of the machinery and added very ugly plush carpeting.

“First things, first. That carpeting has got to go!” Goldstar states, trying to bring some levity to the situation. “I just hope that what he ripped out wasn’t too important.”


Not long after that, reports start to come in.

“Goldstar, we’ve reached the Computer Core. It seems intact, but without power there’s not much I can do here right now.”

“Understood, Scarlet. Stand by.”

Menagerie reports in as well with her findings. Goldstar responds back to everyone.

“The vessel seems secure enough. Once Edgar has completed his scans, he’ll start sending you information on our PDA’s. We’ll need to restore ship’s power and seal the hull breaches. The PDA’s will guide you through these tasks.”

[Stargirl]

Stargirl:

"That works for me," Menagerie replies. Looking over at Stargirl, she asks, "You ready?" then begins moving toward the airlock.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Stargirl answers, but she doesn’t seem particularly confident.

Hearing Stargirl's question as they approach the airlock, Lily/Quasar smiles. "Not really, though it's sometimes kind of a surprise when I look in a mirror while in another form. Since I can't normally see myself, it's more just an odd feeling of being in a body that doesn't quite feel like mine. Fortunately, I have a pretty strong sense of who I am. Plus, I've been doing this for several years now, so it's less disorienting than it used to be."

“I guess that makes sense,” Stargirl replies. “You seem to really have your act together.”

Menagerie taps her communicator to reply. "Two things, really. First, we're looking for any kind of danger or threat that may be present. With the history of this ship, it's impossible to know for certain what its current status is. Also, we should try to get a feel for the basic condition of the ship and relay that information to the rest of the group. Let me know if you see anything you think is noteworthy."

“Okay,” Stargirl answers. “I’ll do my best, but you’ve got to remember that I was just a normal girl a few days ago. I was more concerned about the current fashion trends, keeping my car nice and shiny, and spending time with my boyfriend. Now here I am with super powers, out in space without needing a space suit, and exploring the set of Alien 3. I’m not even sure what would be noteworthy!”


The inside of the ship is gruesome and it makes Stargirl feel anxiety. She’s glad that she wasn’t here when all of this happened! For now she’ll keep her eyes open and try to help as best she can.

[lavender]

Lavender:

Having a way to contact Phoenix would be beneficial, especially if she turns out to be someone that should be watched or apprehended as well. Regardless of what she provides, if anything, Blackout will excuse himself. "We need to go check out the Advance Design Technology building," he explains to Lavender. "Apparently a break in is in progress."

“Okay,” is all that Lavender has to say on the subject. “If that’s what you want. My way or your way?”

She’s unfamiliar with the people and places that this Phoenix woman is speaking of, so has nothing to really add.

[Blackout]

Blackout:

“Where is this place at? If it involves high tech, then Hi-Q is probably the thick of things there. I might be able to stop him from doing something incredibly stupid.”

While Blackout weighs the issue about letting Phoenix know where the building is, Edgar reveals some information that he was hoping he would not hear.

“There are outstanding warrants for the arrest of Phoenix in the South West portion of the country,” Edgar will relate. “Some are for minor destruction of property and clashes with both the Superior Six and the Young Champions. These ones seem to be fallout from violent encounters involving drug runners and other unsavoury types. The worse ones involve what seems to be her campaign against the Jensek Medical Institute. There are numerous charges of destruction of property and other forms of vandalism.”

"It seems you have a bit of a temper," Blackout says cooly to Phoenix. "I think it would be wise for you to disappear for a while as I don't really want to have to turn you in. You seem to want to do good which is why I'm not going to do anything unless you provoke me. I can contact you later if you still want and we can talk more."

He'll wait and see what her response is, ready to go full defense in case Phoenix goes psychotic on him. If she does nothing or at least doesn't attack him outright, he'll prepare to go since time is important.

“Okay,” is all that Lavender has to say on the subject. “If that’s what you want. My way or your way?”

"Your way," Blackout will say simply, not wanting Phoenix to be able to follow them.

[Tesla]

Tesla:

The bridge is soon reached and it seems that the Crimson Claw was using it as his living quarters. He ripped out some of the machinery and added very ugly plush carpeting.

“First things, first. That carpeting has got to go!” Goldstar states, trying to bring some levity to the situation. “I just hope that what he ripped out wasn’t too important.”

"Planning on moving in?" Tesla asks lightly. "No way of knowing how vital that machinery was until we can get things up and run a diagnostic."

“The vessel seems secure enough. Once Edgar has completed his scans, he’ll start sending you information on our PDA’s. We’ll need to restore ship’s power and seal the hull breaches. The PDA’s will guide you through these tasks.”

"Do you figure I could jump start it?" Tesla asks aloud as she thinks about how and where would be the best way to do just that, and whether it's even feasible.

[Menagerie]

Menagerie:

“I guess that makes sense,” Stargirl replies. “You seem to really have your act together.”

"Thank you, Stargirl," Menagerie replies. "Must go along with being old," she says with a wink.

“Okay,” Stargirl answers. “I’ll do my best, but you’ve got to remember that I was just a normal girl a few days ago. I was more concerned about the current fashion trends, keeping my car nice and shiny, and spending time with my boyfriend. Now here I am with super powers, out in space without needing a space suit, and exploring the set of Alien 3. I’m not even sure what would be noteworthy!”

"Don't worry, Stargirl, you'll do fine. It was only a few years ago that I got my powers, and I remember how disorienting that was. It seemed almost like the entire world had flipped on its head overnight."

“The vessel seems secure enough. Once Edgar has completed his scans, he’ll start sending you information on our PDA’s. We’ll need to restore ship’s power and seal the hull breaches. The PDA’s will guide you through these tasks.”

"Got it," Menagerie replies over the communicator.

"We should move back toward the outer hull," Menagerie says to Stargirl. Can you pull out your PDA and watch for that message from Edgar?" Menagerie will lead the way back toward the main entrance, trying not to take too much notice of all the gore splattered about. She does keep her eyes peeled for any danger that might appear.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

Roll Call: Blackout & Lavender

In downtown San Diego, the duo of Blackout and Lavender have been chatting with Phoenix, a fiery woman with a checkered past.

"It seems you have a bit of a temper," Blackout says coolly to Phoenix. "I think it would be wise for you to disappear for a while as I don't really want to have to turn you in. You seem to want to do good which is why I'm not going to do anything unless you provoke me. I can contact you later if you still want and we can talk more."

Phoenix’s demeanor doesn’t change all that much. Rage does not come over her, but rather a kind of sadness.

“Corporations who try to kill me and knowingly dump dangerous chemicals into the water supply will do that to me,” Phoenix answers. “Jensek is just a front for Cell 13, their black op’s division. Chemicals they literally dumped down the drain and into the water supply mutated hi-Q and the other kids. These kids mothers drank that water while they were pregnant and once their children hit puberty they changed dramatically.”

“Look, I make no apologies for the things I’ve done. We have robbed drug dealers and taken money from other criminal scum. But not to get wealthy, just to have money to get by. I’m not rich, and neither are any of these kids. It was victimless crimes.”

“And whatever reports there are of me are created by the PR department of Jensek. It’s their job to make me look like the bad guy when it’s really them who are the criminals. I may not be a hero, but I’m not criminal either. I’m just trying to protect people from greedy corporations.”

“If you don’t want to trust me, that’s fine. I’ll find my own way to ADT.”

[GM Mad]

Roll Call: Backlash, Eldrich, Sea Guard, and Powershift


At the ADT building, a Flying Serpent, a VIPER airborne troop transport has just crashed into the building! The heroes split up, each taking their own route to reach the impact site. Powershift just flies down to the opening and enters that way. Eldrich magical transports himself closer, leaving Sea Guard and Backlash to take the stairs.

Eldritch arrives and finds the strange craft nestled in some kind of laboratory. The overhead sprinklers go off, filling the area with water. The door to the Flying Serpent is open. Inside he can see the bodies of men in colourful yellow and green matching costumes strewn about the floor. At first glance Eldrich can’t tell if they are unconscious or worse.

Powershift flies in through the opening the Flying Serpent made. He looks around, trying to figure out what is going on.

“Someone had to pilot this thing,” he states rhetorically. “I’m going to find’em!”

With that Powershift flies off.

Not long after that, Backlash and Sea Guard arrives. Sea Guard uses his elemental ring to help control the fires by generating bursts of water. Those looking inside the Flying Serpent will find that all the VIPER agents are dead.

“Maybe you two should take a look around,” Sea Guard will suggest. “I’m going to check out the ship’s computer. Maybe I can find out what happened. Perhaps even locate its point of origin.”

[GM Mad]

Roll Call: Frostbite, Goldstar, Stargirl, Menagerie, Flux, Tesla, Starguard, and the Scarlet Sabre


On the far side of the sun, the rest of the Vigilant and guests have boarded the Crimson Claw’s dimensional ship. It just appeared here out of nowhere. There is no life on the ship and no power either. Portions of it are open to the vacuum of space.

With the vessel seemingly secured and Edgar’s scanning complete, jobs are dispatched to the heroes via their PDA’s. Menagerie, Stargirl, Flux, and Frostbite are given the task of sealing up the hull. Spare hull panels are stored on the bottom level of the ship. Flux and Stargirl are needed to move the panels with their super strength, while Menagerie and Frostbite use welders to secure them to the hull.


Starguard leaves Scarlet for a time to activate the ship’s power generator. The power source for the vessel is a type of reactor completely unknown on Earth. Starguard, however, does recognize it as an Element Zero Fusion Reactor. Surprisingly, the reactor is in good shape in spite of the carnage that occurred down here. The reactor was just shut down and Starguard goes through the procedure to restart it, following the data on his PDA.

After a few minutes, the generator is back online. Lights flicker to life all over the ship and the hum of power can be heard. The ship’s engines, however, were damaged and Starguard cannot be sure if they can be repaired. Gravity is restored and anything floating suddenly comes crashing down.


In the computer core, Scarlet goes to work exploring the system but not in any obvious manner. Her cybernetic companion Jaime does the work while Scarlet mentally keeps watch. A look of concern comes to Scarlet’s face as she works. Finally she touches her comlink.

“Scarlet to Goldstar,” she says. “There’s something that’s been nagging me. Both now and when I was here before. I almost get the feeling that this system interface was set up by me. I know that’s not possible, but I know my own work when I see it. Can you explain that?”


Up on the bridge, the control panels flare to life around Goldstar and Tesla. The heroines begin to work on the systems, running diagnostics to determine what’s working and what is not.

Power is readily available, but Life Support is offline while the breaches in the hull remain unsealed. The ship has regular hyperspace engines, which are damaged but repairable. The special trans-dimensional engines are so far gone that it’s impossible to say if they can be repaired. Edgar recommends that no attempt be made to repair these engines. Tesseract wants this vessel locked into one place in time, space, and dimension.

Work proceeds smoothing and an hour later the hull has been sealed. Life support is turned on and heat and air fill the ship. Space suits are no longer required. Access to the ships shuttle bays is now possible and the Star-V is moved inside the larger ship.

Everyone has gathered on the bridge at the request of Goldstar.

“So far, so good. Most of the important systems have been restored. The Trans-Dimensional Flight engines are nearly a total lose, but we don’t need them anyway. Parts of it will be cannibalized to create the cloak we need to conceal this vessel once we reach its final position. We’ll need the hyperspace engines to reach our final destination, before they too are disassembled for parts. We’ve done good work today.”

Before Goldstar can say more, Edgar sounds an alarm. “Pardon the intrusion, but I’m detecting an strange form of energy coming from the ship’ arena level. It is transdimensional in nature. I can only surmise that something from another dimension is forcing it’s way into ours.

Now what?

[Goldstar]

Goldstar:

"Planning on moving in?" Tesla asks lightly. "No way of knowing how vital that machinery was until we can get things up and run a diagnostic."

“No,” Goldstar responds, “but then again I wouldn’t want to keep the arch villain décor either. Although, it would make a nice place to slip away to for some personal time.”

"Do you figure I could jump start it?" Tesla asks aloud as she thinks about how and where would be the best way to do just that, and whether it's even feasible.

“Unless your powers have changed dramatically since we last meet, I doubt you could kick start it,” Goldstar answers. “The tech doesn’t exist on Earth and won’t for quite some time. It’s an Element Zero Fusion Reactor.”

Seeing the obvious look of confusion, Goldstar follows up with, “That’s what the Starguard call it. It’s also known as a Dark Fusion Reactor. It’s powered by Dark Energy.”

“Scarlet to Goldstar,” she says. “There’s something that’s been nagging me. Both now and when I was here before. I almost get the feeling that this system interface was set up by me. I know that’s not possible, but I know my own work when I see it. Can you explain that?”

Goldstar listens to Scarlet’s question and then mulls over just what to say in response. “I might be able to explain it, Scarlet. I’m just not sure if you’re ready to hear the answer. Tesseract’s agents are drawn from other timelines that she’s nipped. Dimensions where things went horribly wrong and individuals fought to make them right by altering the timeline. When things are put right, the bad dimension ceases to exist. But Tesseract spares some of those individuals and they are her silent operatives in time and space. Literally men and women from dimensions that never really existed. It is entirely possible that there is a version of you who does work for Tesseract and that she’s the one who had the ship do what it did to reach us. It looks like your work because it is your work. Or rather, the work of another you.”


Power is restored and we begin to run diagnostics on what controls remain on the bridge.

“Thankfully, it appears that nothing critical was removed. What we’re missing here can be operated from other places on the ship.”

Work proceeds smoothing and an hour later the hull has been sealed. Life support is turned on and heat and air fill the ship. Space suits are no longer required. Access to the ships shuttle bays is now possible and the Star-V is moved inside the larger ship.

Everyone has gathered on the bridge at the request of Goldstar.

“So far, so good. Most of the important systems have been restored. The Trans-Dimensional Flight engines are nearly a total loss, but we don’t need them anyway. Parts of it will be cannibalized to create the cloak we need to conceal this vessel once we reach its final position. We’ll need the hyperspace engines to reach our final destination, before they too are disassembled for parts. We’ve done good work today.”

Before Goldstar can say more, Edgar sounds an alarm. “Pardon the intrusion, but I’m detecting an strange form of energy coming from the ship’ arena level. It is transdimensional in nature. I can only surmise that something from another dimension is forcing it’s way into ours.

“That cannot be good,” Goldstar mutters to herself. “Let’s check it out team.”

Goldstar will fly off to the arena level to see what their uninvited guest is.

[Stargirl]

Stargirl:

"Thank you, Stargirl," Menagerie replies. "Must go along with being old," she says with a wink.

“You’re not that old,” Stargirl answers. But then realizes when dealing with someone who can look like anyone, apparent age doesn’t mean much of anything. “Are you?”

"Don't worry, Stargirl, you'll do fine. It was only a few years ago that I got my powers, and I remember how disorienting that was. It seemed almost like the entire world had flipped on its head overnight."

“Yeah, that describes it pretty well,” Stargirl agrees. “At least Mom and I share the same powers, so my learning curve isn’t as bad.”

"We should move back toward the outer hull," Menagerie says to Stargirl. Can you pull out your PDA and watch for that message from Edgar?" Menagerie will lead the way back toward the main entrance, trying not to take too much notice of all the gore splattered about. She does keep her eyes peeled for any danger that might appear.

“Sure thing.” Stargirl pulls out her PDA and keeps an eye on it while the two wait. After a time, there is a message. “Something’s coming through now. Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! That’s like work!”

With the vessel seemingly secured and Edgar’s scanning complete, jobs are dispatched to the heroes via their PDA’s. Menagerie, Stargirl, Flux, and Frostbite are given the task of sealing up the hull. Spare hull panels are stored on the bottom level of the ship. Flux and Stargirl are needed to move the panels with their super strength, while Menagerie and Frostbite use welders to secure them to the hull.

Gloria isn’t particular enthused about this task, but tries not to complain too much. She’ll shift into Neutron Star form and lug the panels around as needed. The job seems to take forever, but it’s finally finished.

“So far, so good. Most of the important systems have been restored. The Trans-Dimensional Flight engines are nearly a total loss, but we don’t need them anyway. Parts of it will be cannibalized to create the cloak we need to conceal this vessel once we reach its final position. We’ll need the hyperspace engines to reach our final destination, before they too are disassembled for parts. We’ve done good work today.”

Before Goldstar can say more, Edgar sounds an alarm. “Pardon the intrusion, but I’m detecting an strange form of energy coming from the ship’ arena level. It is transdimensional in nature. I can only surmise that something from another dimension is forcing it’s way into ours.

“Wait is it?” Stargirl wonders. “What’s going on?”

“That cannot be good,” Goldstar mutters to herself. “Let’s check it out team.”

Goldstar will fly off to the arena level to see what their uninvited guest is.

“Hey, wait for me!”

Stargirl will carry Frostbite with her, if he’s gong along.

[Menagerie]

Menagerie:

“You’re not that old,” Stargirl answers. But then realizes when dealing with someone who can look like anyone, apparent age doesn’t mean much of anything. “Are you?”

"You know, sometimes I wonder that myself - especially with some of the odd experiences we've had lately" Menagerie replies with a smile. "Still, as far as I know, I'm not really old enough to be your mother, so I guess you're right."

“Yeah, that describes it pretty well,” Stargirl agrees. “At least Mom and I share the same powers, so my learning curve isn’t as bad.”

"That's handy. Wish I'd had someone to guide me along early on. Pretty much had to figure my new powers out on my own. At least they weren't uncontrollable or anything. I've heard of that happening, and it's a pretty rough road for all involved."

“Sure thing.” Stargirl pulls out her PDA and keeps an eye on it while the two wait. After a time, there is a message. “Something’s coming through now. Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! That’s like work!”

"Work is why we came out here..."

With the vessel seemingly secured and Edgar’s scanning complete, jobs are dispatched to the heroes via their PDA’s. Menagerie, Stargirl, Flux, and Frostbite are given the task of sealing up the hull. Spare hull panels are stored on the bottom level of the ship. Flux and Stargirl are needed to move the panels with their super strength, while Menagerie and Frostbite use welders to secure them to the hull.

Frankly, Lily has never used a welder, so she goes with a different option. "To make the work easier," she says over the comm system, "I'm going to shift into the form of Firewing. Please resist the urge to attack me on sight. Okay?" Then, looking over at Stargirl to make sure she's ready for this, Menagerie proceeds with the form change. Tightly-controlled bursts of Firewing's power should work quite well for welding.

As they finish up, Menagerie tells Stargirl, "Good job. I think we made a pretty good team on this."

Returning inside once the holes are patched, Lily is both surprised and pleased to find that the lights are on and the life support is working. Even so, she's not sure she won't be going back outside, so she shifts back to the form of Quasar. She listens as Goldstar fills them in on the ship's status; it's a bit technical, but Lily can follow the basic concepts.

Before Goldstar can say more, Edgar sounds an alarm. “Pardon the intrusion, but I’m detecting an strange form of energy coming from the ship’ arena level. It is transdimensional in nature. I can only surmise that something from another dimension is forcing it’s way into ours.

“That cannot be good,” Goldstar mutters to herself. “Let’s check it out team.”

Apparently things had been going to smoothly, as an emergency crops up almost immediately. Menagerie has been in the superhero business long enough to not be terribly surprised by this. Remembering her last experience with "transdimensional" creatures on this ship, Quasar seems like the perfect form, so Menagerie stays with it as she flies toward the arena.

[Bruce]

Flux

The Claw's ship was far from space-worthy. Never mind what the sensors said. Flux could see it from his own view through the suit visor. And his memories of the battles there. Not a surprise really. That comes a bit later. According to the data coming over the PDA's this ship was not built or owned by the Crimson Claw to start with!

So who did own it first? And will they be coming back for it?

Flux has no difficulties with the patch job. The repair panels are weightless in space and there is limitless room to expand his size and maintain his flight power too. The welds are completed shortly and with no hitches.

The others chat back and forth over the com-links. Flux would have too if not for the view. Marvelous, breath-taking vista of sparkling diamonds on black velvet spread out like a jeweler's treasure trove, taking up all the idle moments between placing and holding panels. Like an Arizona sky at night magnified hundreds of times over above, beneath, and all around.

In due time the hull is sealed and life support is restarted. Evaluation of the ships two engine sets gives scant hope to the inter-dimensional drive. But the maneuvering engine is salvageable.

“So far, so good. Most of the important systems have been restored. The Trans-Dimensional Flight engines are nearly a total loss, but we don’t need them anyway. Parts of it will be cannibalized to create the cloak we need to conceal this vessel once we reach its final position. We’ll need the hyperspace engines to reach our final destination, before they too are disassembled for parts. We’ve done good work today.”

Before Goldstar can say more, Edgar sounds an alarm. “Pardon the intrusion, but I’m detecting an strange form of energy coming from the ship’s arena level. It is transdimensional in nature. I can only surmise that something from another dimension is forcing it’s way into ours.

"Don't assume hostile intent automatically. The previous owner might be coming to reclaim their property. If we can talk first, let's."

And yet somehow I don't think Tesseract would be that sloppy. If the rightful owner were still around she wouldn't have taken it and sent it to us-I hope.

"Keep your suits and helmets ready. If we have to vent atmosphere or get punctured hull problems you will need them!"

Flux uses his patented system for recon. Shrinking, desolid flight to the point of contention, with an eye toward evaluation of the threat.

[Frostbite]

Frostbite

Moving the welder over the plates he can't help but chuckle at the irony, An Icicle pop holding a torch. But the work soon gets done and gravity and pressure are soon returned. But then an alarm sounds causing several to move off towards the arena...

Frosty will appreciate the lift from Stargirl and follow. "You know this is supposed to be reversed.. I should be carrying you." he says with an icy smirk.

[Backlash]

Backlash

Not long after that, Backlash and Sea Guard arrives. Sea Guard uses his elemental ring to help control the fires by generating bursts of water. Those looking inside the Flying Serpent will find that all the VIPER agents are dead.

"Well guess that makes part of our job easier." as he takes his hand from the neck of a dead viper agent. Looking at Seaguard. "If you find anything keep in touch. Come on Eldrich, there is work to be done." he says as he moves off in search of the unknown crash and run.

[Bruce]

Eldrich Arcane

Eldrich can see into the craft that impacted the building and that it is
occupied by men of this realm not serpents. Further inspection shows them to
be dead.

Powershift flies in through the opening the Flying Serpent made. He
looks around, trying to figure out what is going on.

“Someone had to pilot this thing,” he states rhetorically. “I’m going to
find’em!”

With that Powershift flies off.

A failed attack? To what purpose? They have the look of raiders about them.
What here is worthy of their attention?

“Maybe you two should take a look around,” Sea Guard will suggest. “I’m
going to check out the ship’s computer. Maybe I can find out what happened.
Perhaps even locate its point of origin.”

"I am at your service."

Eldrich goes with Seaguard to reconnoiter.

[GM Mad]

Post Closed