trans_9 | Hydroponics

Entry tags:

Hydroponics

Morgan had been in Hydroponics when the message first came over the comm system. He had exactly enough time to frown at his omnicomm before the power limiters engaged and the hyperspace compartments in his cloak failed. Like some outtake from a horrible collision of the Matrix and Harpo Marx, the entire contents of that space fell back into normal reality, leaving Morgan in a thigh-deep mound of guns, swords, and an electric guitar.

"Damn," he said, mildly, as he rolled his neck. He glanced off into the distance, quickly judged the amount of time he had till the robots he saw way out there reached him, then spent a few of those precious seconds tossing out a heads-up over the comms for his location.

That done, he dug out the multi-sheath he had made back when he used to carry weapons openly, slapped half-a-dozen blades through it, threw it on, then scooped up a pair of submachine guns.

"Why can't there be an army of good robots for once?" he muttered, flicking off the safeties.

(ooc: feel free to thread together to help Morgan defend against the evil robots. Also, evil robot NPCs are needed here!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Kaya nodded, at once back at Morgan's side. She was already starting to clear her mind, make sure that her movement kept them within their desired area of advancement. Once again, it was focusing on taking out close enemies, using the sword to cut at them.

With one coming pretty close to Azula though, Kaya acted instinctively. She grabbed at one of the pistols and took out the offending firing eye of the robot, then cut at it with the sword in a short arc, keeping her movement close to her body.

The closer the robots advanced, the more motionless Morgan became, until at the last he was practically a statue save for the sudden snaps of his arms as he aimed. Every shot was perfect, absolutely no motion wasted.

"I think that's all their weapons," he said, casually tossing the SMGs into his coat -- where they hit the inner lining, then fell to the ground.

Right. That didn't work any more. "Well, so much for impressing the ladies. I'm going to draw their attention. You guys, scout out the terrain when you have a chance and plot a course of retreat."

If Kaya was hoping for a thank you she'd be waiting for awhile.

"They'll sing of your bravery and sacrifice." She commented idly casting a quick glance to the area behind them. Didn't look like much unless they wanted to hide in the trees of try and convince the animals to attack.

Still if he was offering them a way out there really wasn't much reason not to let him die for it. She'd find her way back into battle one way or another.

Kaya was not crazy enough to think anything like that: this was Azula, after all. She might as well ask for it to rain on Stacy.

She did, however, take objection to Morgan sacrificing himself while they retreated into the woods somewhere. After all, this was getting pretty serious, and the idea of leaving Morgan to face those things was just wrong.

"The only way I'm doing that is if you follow us the moment we find it. Azula can be as selfish as she likes, but I'm not leaving you to the mercy of those things!"

"...who on earth are you guys used to that you interpret 'draw their attention' as 'suicidal sacrifice'?" Morgan asked. "I just intend to give you a moment to figure out where we can go more safely! And pick up some weapons in the process!"

"It's more in the way you presented it." Azula commented while dodging around a tree which was was shot with another laser. "After all I wouldn't wish it on you."

Of for a time for her illness to leave her so relaxed. While she talked though she was moving away from the battle, it seemed she really did intend on doing as he'd asked.

It didn't hurt that Morgan was one of the few people on the ship that didn't make her angry.

"I'll say," Kaya said, agreeing with Azula for once. She did move quickly to avoid a shot from the robots. "And don't underestimate what some heroes do in a tight situation. Azula would tell you."

She drew her sword near her chest. "In that case, we'll be as quick as we can. No reason to leave you dangling there for so long. Please, be careful."

With that, she turned and moved quickly, figuring for an escape route for the two of them. She didn't have high hopes Azula would be willing to help her out.

"No, no, if you find a place to go, tell me about it! Preferably, take me with you!"

He shook his head, laughed, then grabbed the nearest robot by its head. In a graceful leap he vaulted upwards, twisted neatly in midair, then landed on the other side of it. That robot dropped, its head popping neatly off its neck... but more moved in to surround the Akashic.

Morgan straightened slowly, hands spread open and by his sides.

Then the robots leaped forward and Morgan blurred into action. Circles within circles. He grabbed a wrist with his hand, turning smoothly to drive the robot's fist into another android's chest while at the same time intercepting a third strike with the robot's upper arm. At the same time he trapped an arm beneath his other elbow, twisted lightly all as part of the motion, and tugged the robot off-balance into yet another of his attackers. No excess movement. No wasted energy. For the first time since he got on the ship, no holding back.

Azula didn't much care if either of them were following her, there were only a few places in Hydroponics she even knew of to begin with and...

A familiar noise drew her attention and her eyes narrowed. One of Nima's Glow Sloths had gotten away from the heard and was being chased by some of the mechanized monsters. They were shooting at her (Was it a her? Azula had never learned to tell without looking directly)and she was making pathetic noises of pain.

After spending entirely too long cleaning, feeding and tending to those stupid beasts while Nima was trapped in her head Azula felt utter disgust churn in her stomach. Moving with frightening speed she spoke not another word and instead plunged her blade deep into the first machine she saw. When she ripped it free she back hand sliced it into another and sliced with her second blade with a third. Hacking and slashing her way into the group, drawing the attention of the robotic comrades...could it be Azula was actually saving something? Other then herself?

Kaya, meanwhile, DID know the ins and outs of Hydroponics bay: she had spent more than enough time here with Zhin to know what would be their best route, and once she cleared a few of the robots away, she proceeded to move West, darting through the fray and punching through enough of a path that it would be easier for the two to...

Wait, what on earth was Azula doing? She was hitting some robots, true enough, but why was she going in the opposite direction? When she saw the reason, she couldn't help but sigh. That was just going to make things harder, and why not? There were enough problems to begin with.

Kaya rushed forward to where Azula was and made a movement toward the sloths, and to her surprise Zhin was there, defending the sloths, growling and biting at the robots.

Sadly, that would be her undoing. Several shots blasted at the animal, and the space dog whined, then fell.

"ZHIN! NO!"

And now the robots were in for it.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She attacked without mercy, moving with a speed she should not have, crushing and ignoring slight burns at her arms.

Welp. So much for drawing their attention.

"Get to the woods!" he bellowed at the girls, fully expecting they'd continue to ignore him. He hooked a thumb under the crosspiece of the sword he always wore on his back, flipping it out of the scabbard and up into the air as he ducked under a pair of blows, then spun to sweep through the legs, such as they were, of his surrounding assailants. That calculated gamble paid off: his shin didn't snap like a twig. As the dull-gold blade reached the top of the arc and descended, he rolled to his back, shoved off the ground by snapping his legs straight into a robot's chest, flipped perfectly around in midair, then caught the sword as he shoved off another robot to take himself out of the middle of the pack.

Then he was running for the girls, hoping he could get there before a hail of bullets did.

Azula felt a flicker of pleasure at Kaya's pain but didn't let it distract her. She continued moving towards the Glow sloth and slapped it's hind quarters with the flat of her blade. "Move you stupid cowardly beast!"

The sloth needed no further encouragement, it was just as frightened of the woman who had cleared it's path. The dark haired former princess continued on after it for the trees.

Kaya was beside herself, but she didn't let it distract her from what they had to. Still, she did the one thing that she could for Zhin: she picked the space dog up, slung it over her back, and ran to the woods, far outpacing Azula. She just wanted to get out of here.

If something happened to Morgan, the thoughts she had for what she would do might even give Azula pause.

Girls, girls, you're both pretty, and you both went off and exposed yourself to enemy fire from non-neutralized forces out of concern for animals.

Which left Morgan covering the retreat, and frankly that was a lot closer to that whole 'suicide sacrifice' than he'd intended to get. And it left him with a pretty ugly choice, since the weapon stockpile had been left behind them.

These weapons might be their only hope at repelling an assault. As much as he hated to, he had to rate their importance -- the importance of arming enough of the crew to make a difference -- over his own immediate safety.

Hacking through a pair of the robots effortlessly -- Primium, after all, wasn't magic, just substantially more real than anything else -- he flung himself at the weapon stockpile, shrugging off his coat as he did so. He grabbed the garment, threw it on top of the pile, then wrapped his arms around it to scoop up as many of the loose armaments as he could.

Hey, no one told Kaya to copy me.

Now that the Glowsloth was hidden in the forest she remained on the edge of the forest watching Morgan's progress.

Now, a good person would rush out there selflessly to help him.

A selfish person would rush out there to protect the weapons.

"Ahem." As Kaya and her now probably dead creature drew close Azula pointed to Morgan. If the waterbender was so intent on risking her life why not provide her a direct path.

Kaya had no intention of forgetting about Morgan: she had only wanted a place to lay poor Zhin down, so she could give her a proper burial later.

She just gave Azula the dirtiest look she could muster and went off to help Morgan gather the weapons. It was a shame she no longer had her bag of holding, but she WOULD make sure that he had someone helping him.

Good thought, and the help is appreciated, but... Morgan had done such a clumsy and inelegant job of gathering the weapons specifically because those robots with weapons, the ones that had so cheerfully been firing into the animals, were now drawing a bead on him.

So turning to face Morgan leaves Kaya spotting the Akashic running like hell for shelter, with the wrapped-up coat in his arms and a storm of weaponry following in his wake.

And then suddenly....

Stones and knives came whirling through the air, uncomfortably close to Morgan and Kaya.

Azula was moving along the edge of the trees now using it for cover. She must have grabbed some of the knives from Morgan's pile and was proving that she had learned Mai's trademark skill.

Though honestly, as long as Morgan made it with the weapons she wasn't too concerned with what happened to Kaya.

Kaya was hardly concerned with a bunch of rocks and knives: she had been far too quick to be hurt by any of these. Although she make up her mind when give the chance that she was going to give the former fire princess a proper beating.

Her patience for this had long since run out. It happened the moment she lost her Zhin.

She followed Morgan to the woods, and when she reached them, she exhaled. She was already looking over the weapons now, seeing what was best.

"Sub-par at best," she remarked, not looking up. "Mai is much better than you. You'd do a good job to take lessons from her."

She didn't want to be bitchy: Azula just seemed to bring it out of her.

"Enough," Morgan said roughly, his jaw set in hard lines as he put his back to a tree, though not directly in contact. "This is only going to slow them down, not stop them. We need a bottleneck."

"A cave perhaps, or some kind of equipment building. Even another exit would be preferable. We could hold them at the door." Don't get mad at her, she's not even acknowledging Kaya at this point. It would just be detrimental to their survival.

Though for the record her suggestions were directed at the two of them who would know Hydroponics better then her.

Kaya was already racking her brain, thinking of where they could go. Zhin, after all, didn't always stay outside, and likely the animals weren't all going to stay outside all the time. She thought a moment.

"There isn't another exist, and no such building exists, save for the greenhouse where people get their gardening equipment. That would likely be the only place we can go for the moment. It might be best to get out of here as soon as we can."

"Or construct something," Morgan said. "There are a lot of valuable resources and supplies here. If we can save them, it'd be best if we did."

"Then using what cover we have we thin out their numbers and find a way to secure the entrance." There was enough plant life it might give the machines trouble in locating them right away, unless they just set fire to the area.

And by the way, Robots getting closer to the edge of the forest, probably should keep moving.

"I'm all for that," Kaya said, cracking her knuckles. "There's still plenty of debris around where we can fortify the place. I'll start gathering some things up. Hopefully we don't attract any more attention."

She was looking on the ground already, seeing what she could find, careful not to show either of them her face right now.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject