Gently, but with undeniable will divesting myself of the holds that would hold me. (Pt. 5: Chances)

[cityship]

The plan was...well, it wasn't simple, but it sort of was.

While the CLF attacked multiple Clone Processing centers to distract the government, the group with the CLF would target one particular one in the region that'd once been New Jersey. The group with the government would offer their services in putting down their own people.

In the center, they'd split up into several groups. One would fight a fake fight, create a massive diversion, and blow up the room where the samples their DNA were being kept in the process. Another group would secure a teleporter pad. That team would teleport out other teams to steal a ship, steal some med tech to teleport to said ship, and steal a medical database. Another team would go to the main command center and hack into the government mainframe to down the sensornet around the planet so they could escape. And Nightwing himself would accompany the clones to upload the harvested memories to the Mother Brains, left unguarded because of the diversionary fighting, and make sure that was all they did.

Meanwhile, there'd be a standing order for all teams to avoid killing other crewmates, and avoid killing guards unless absolutely necessary.

It was a complicated plan. If a single part fouled up, they might find themselves dead, trapped, or worse. But if it worked, it'd work pretty spectacularly and leave them with medtech, a medical database, the clones helped, and possibly a grateful Council depending on how the fight went, because of the ones seemingly aiding the government.

In some worlds, things that were a million-to-one-chance (exactly a million-to-one) by their nature had to work. Let's hope this world is one of them, eh, mission crew?

[ooc: Only comment to threads if it says they are open here. All threads: OPEN. Characters may get injuries up to and including 7 on the Injury Scale (scroll to the bottom). Any higher, and they must ask permission of the plot-runners, just to make sure everyone isn't immobilized without enough people to help move them.]

Comments

[governorkang]

Kang was immensely grateful that his clones only had the potential to cast spells; he highly doubted anyone on this planet knew exactly how his kind's magic worked. He hoped they died the way they were supposed to, at least. He remembered the dunderheads back on Krynn. In this case, it wasn't souls being split, though, just straight DNA replication.

To test it, he took the stun setting off of his gun and shot one directly in the chest.

It fell, and five seconds later, all the scales and flesh disappeared and the bones exploded, catching two others nearby and causing their subsequent explosion as well.

He grinned.

[encourage]

Sakura quirked up an eyebrow, landing temporarily in Kang's general area. Her hair was black, along with her eyebrows; her voice was still readily recognizable. "That's a genetic trait?"

Goodness, this was just like being back at home fighting in the war!

[governorkang]

"Unfortunately for Galilee, yes," Kang aimed at another clone, one in the middle of a group, and shot. The entire group was nothing but ash and bone fragments within seconds.

[encourage]

"Did anything happen to our no kill order?" she asked, ducking down and kicking out at a clone that came at her from the side, thinking to take her on with her general smaller size. They doubled over, and she was back up and slamming interlocked fists down on their back, knocking them to the ground.

[governorkang]

Kang shook his head, "Not that I know of, but I'll be damned if I allow them to have any copies of my DNA, and even an injured draconian is dangerous. Best to take them out permanently."

Quarters were getting a little close for guns, so he pulled his sword out of its sheath in one smooth, well-practiced move.

[encourage]

Sakura could understand. Her genetics were nothing in the long run. A color perk for hair, but nothing else. Even if they had the literature for shinobi, they didn't have the teachers. She personally knew what kind of training was necessary to create an effective fighter of her sort.

"Understood," she said, if she frowned. It was her tacit way of saying she wouldn't interfere, without agreeing with the practice. She was here to fight and make sure everyone made it off this world, not pass judgment on how people handled sudden clone selves.

If it did make her consider dragging her clones off to the sidelines. "How much of a delay after death?"

[governorkang]

"Five to ten seconds." Kang made quick work of one, kicked it into the middle of another small group, and grabbed Sakura, dragging her several feet away. "About a ten foot radius, so be careful."

[encourage]

She could handle that, erring on the side of five seconds or less from a kill. When she felt Kang grab her, she did her best to move with him, vocalizing that she'd heard. "Got it. No bone shrapnel?"

It hadn't looked like that first one had anything approaching remains. Still, it was the difference in guarding against an explosion, and guarding against what else that explosion propelled outward.

[governorkang]

Kang let go of Sakura once they were a good distance away and carefully watched the rest of the clones. A number of them had apparently figured out that the explosions were due to their deaths, not anything he was using, and were trying to space themselves out a bit.

"Only if you're within about five feet." He considered for a moment, reached into the pouches on his belt to grab a pinch of dust and sprinkle a few drops of water on it, and then began to recite the words to another spell; a second later, hail stones fell from the sky, directly on top of a group of clones that hadn't gotten the hint yet, causing deaths in a twenty foot radius.

[theboywhowaits]

"You explode when you die? Is that in your medical file?" Rory fired, hitting a human clone in the chest and dropping it to the ground, nearly casual despite the chaos surounding him. It was obvious that the clone was only stunned, but Rory didn't quite seem bothered, still following the no-kill order. He had his sword in one hand and one of the plasma pistols he'd lifted off a guard in his other, holstered belt that didn't quite match the rest of the uniform strapped around his waist. He was covered in a layer of white stone dust, a small cut gone pasty just above his eye. "Seems like the council can be trusted to keep its word, don't you think? I'm so glad the GIA decided that they're trustworthy." The words were dry, not heavy with sarcasm, almost ironic as he fired again, sending another soldier to the ground.

[governorkang]

Kang nodded, dropping another small group of his clones, "It'd be rather stupid of me not to. I don't like the idea of accidentally killing the people that are only trying to save my life." A plasma blast grazed his upper arm, and he cursed, ignoring the small amount of greenish blood that stained his scales.

"The GIA has yet to win any points with me," he growled, putting a neat hole into the forehead of the shooter. His aim had drastically improved with the Fairplay memories.

[theboywhowaits]

"Well, people have hidden things from medical that might be relevant to our treatment methods since this entire thing started." There was a snort, faintly amusement coloring his tone. "How can a group that keeps sending us into traps win points with anyone, really?"

He dropped three more clones, almost relaxed with as tense as he'd been all day. This at least made sense. This didn't involve robbing a hospital or putting patients and medical personnel at risk. This didn't involve violating everything he'd been taught about the sanctity of a place of healing.

This was just shooting, and fighting, an economy of movement that was dropping surrounding army to the the ground. He'd forgotten he was a descent shot, but his body remembered and was already adapting for a gun held in his hand, rather than sprouting from his hand.

"How long until they pull us out? Have you seen Conner?"

[governorkang]

"Rory, do I really seem the type?" Kang shot him a quick look, somewhat amused himself. "Hell if I know. I wish the Captain could just tell the GIA to shove it."

He spotted armored vehicles coming up one of the streets and cursed again. Just what they needed. Then, he saw a group of his clones standing right by a supporting pillar for a building. That gave him an idea.

"Cover me."

He found a spot of slightly higher ground, and reached into one of his pouches for the necessary components for a spell, only to find that he was out. Shit.

Fortunately, he had a few other magical tricks up his sleeve. Taking a deep breath, he focused, letting sparks dance around his mouth and the scent of ozone to fill the immediate area. He let loose a bolt of lightning, striking the pillar right above the clones' heads and utterly destroying it. The building teetered, and fell as the chain reaction of the dying clones caused more damage to the base.

Now the street was blocked. The armored vehicles would have to find another way through.

[theboywhowaits]

"Not at all, I rather hope you won't start. I'm hardly one to judge hidden things." He snorted. "Yeah, that's about as likely as Luthor with hair, I think. Would rather he did. Or at the very least make them speak to us. If I'm to follow a military leader, I'd rather know what he looks like. That way if he turns out to be rubbish at it, I know who needs to be assassinated."

He turned, snapping off three shots in quick succession at men intending to come over the broken walls around them. He glanced only once, catching what Kang was doing and making an approving noise. "Smart, no bridges but if we can close the roads it will prevent them from bolstering their numbers beyond what they already have. The teleporteres are iffy at best, being as the field is full of newborns with guns."

He glanced at the doorways surrounding them. "Think I walked through here yesterday, it was nicer without blokes libel to take a shot at me."

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

Jr. was backing up from another clone when the draconian exploded nearby. Far away enough to not hit him, but close enough to cause him to spin around instantaneously at the shock of it.

"Woah! What the--?!"

[governorkang]

Kang snorted, dropping a few more clones, "Yes, my kind explode when they die. Try not to get too close to them." He worried sometimes that he might accidentally kill someone because they didn't know; he'd been targeting clones of his that were a good distance away from the others for that very reason.

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

He raised his eyebrows, considering that. "Some reaction."

Unlike Kang, however, Jr. was doing a little less attacking and a little more maneuvering to try and avoid having to use his guns. As much as loved the things.