trans_9 | Out Of Alignment [Closed] [After Beyond the Sea}

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Out Of Alignment [Closed] [After Beyond the Sea}

||Attention, Attention. The following personnel please report to the Observation Deck. Attention, Attention. The following personnel please report to the Observation Deck.

Billy Cranston
Jamie McCrimmon
Ron Stoppable
Lash
Kate Bishop
Punchy
Dustin Brooks||

On the Obs Deck, the following mission information was displayed, for any who cared to see:

Planet Designation: Kanpo Status: Terrestrial, H-class Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna Semi-sentient life: Yes Sentient life: Extinct Water: 70.7% of planet's surface Climate: Earth-like Landscape: Landscape at and around landing point is heavily foresred Air: Normoxic concentration: 31% oxygen, 60% nitrogen, 2% xenon, 4% trace gases, such as hydrogen, krypton, and argon. Air Pressure: 93.8 kPa (kilopascals) = 13.6 psi (pounds per square inch) Sky: Blue. Sun: Class G yellow star Warnings: Occasional poisonous plant life. Mission: Locate jungle temple. Disengage any defense measures temple might have and retrieve artifact.

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That was about as vague a mission briefing as someone could get. No directions to the temple, and no description of the artifact in question. Still, if anyone could pull it off it was probably the Rangers. Right?

That said, they still had time to figure out a plan before the Obs Deck descended to the planet below.

Billy was immediately suspicious of this whole plan. He'd run the names over and over in his head, immediately drawing up the link between them.

"We were specifically sought out. This could be bad news, guys."

A somewhat tired-looking Jamie joined Billy, eyes automatically flicking up to the mission readout at his words. After the mission with Sobek, and the more recent one on Nereus IV, Jamie'd been hoping for some time. Time to work on the house. Time to spend with Victoria. But it appeared he wasn't going to be so lucky.

His jaw tightened at the sight of the words 'jungle temple', uncomfortably reminded of Kalimba, and what had happened there. But he shoved that thought to the side, focusing instead on the list of names...with a gradually sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he realised who all was on there.

"Aye. That's a wee bit too much of a coincidence for my liking."

"Or it could just be a coincidence? Those've been known to happen." Ron piped up.

"Nuh-uh" Rufus squeaked, shaking his head.

"You don't think so either, huh pal?"

Kate shrugged as she glanced at the others, "Or our rep's getting that good? Whatever it is, looks like they need our special services."

She frowned as she read through the instructions. Sentient life was extinct, and they were to head to a temple. She wondered what had happened. Can't be the Ohm, they would have taken the whole planet down. So it had to be something either natural, or the life took its self out. Either way, not good news there.

"Think it's too much to hope it's a simple snatch and grab?" Chances are, it probably wouldn't be simple at all.

While Dustin was not usually the superstitious type, this was too big to be a coincidence. He sighed. If there was one thing he learned while on Stacy and being a Ranger it was things were never left to chance. Still...

"That doesn't mean that's a bad thing, though guys."

"Aw, come on." Punchy, despite being the new guy, has absolutely no insecurities about that fact. At least, none that he lets show. "Ain't no glory if we ice that shit easy. Let's hope we gets something that brings a little pain, at least."

"Well it's either a trap that we'll knowing go in, or it's because they know we can do the job," Lash said with about as much confidence as Punchy. She looked at both him and Ron. "Although considering..."

Hello Punchy, welcome to the world of 'Lash teases everyone on the team forever.'

"It'd help if we knew what these defense mechanisms were. It could be anything. I'll look for clues, I'm sure we will, but I'm worried."

He stubbornly locked onto a couch for the descent, waiting for the weightlessness to kick in. How should they divide themselves, how should this be tackled? Conflicting plans bumped around in his head.

"Aye, well, I daresay we'll find out once we're down there," remarks Jamie, getting himself in place and bracing for the inevitable jarring and shaking that always seems to take place when they start to head down to the surface.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll be something easily defeated," he says - although, frankly, he's already more than a bit convinced they won't be. That type of thing never is. "But I'd keep a eye on things all the same."

Turns out directions to the temple weren't really needed. As the Obs Deck neared the treetops, the top of the temple could be seen poking above them. Judging by the distance, it was maybe about an hour's hike away. An hour it hot, oppressive, humid weather, but still just an hour.

"I think I miss the desert," Billy quipped, pointing his scanner in the direction of the temple. The compass function showed him the direction, and he gestured toward it. "It was hot, but not like this. Drier, fewer insect swarms."

"Aye." Jamie replies, slapping the side of his neck in an attempt to squish a particularly annoying member of one of those insect swarms, only to see it dart between the gap in his fingers and fly off a short ways. Making a bit of a face, he goes back to helping to break a trail through the undergrowth.

"Or Pelau. A nice wee bit of cold weather would do the trick too."

Edited 2012-01-22 05:12 (UTC)

Ron...was not complaining at all. In fact, considering how many jungle missions he and Kim and been on, he was almost in his element.

"Man, you really think this is bad? Try doing it during monsoon season."

But where o where was Lash?

In the...trees actually. There were a number of plants and sticks stuck in her hair (and probably a bird too, come to think about it), but her natural movement in forests and defying gravity in general (as long as there was something to stand or lean on) was coming in handy right now.

"Sure beats anything cold related!" she pipped up from her position. "Geeze so many plants! If only I had brought a flamethrower..."

Like Ron, Dustin wasn't complaining at all. After all, he's been on several ninja missions back home for Sensei so this really didn't bother him too much.

"Relax guys. This'll be a piece of cake. We just get the thing and leave before trouble starts."

Punchy is making a bit of a squelching nose as he walks. That would be the sweat on the inside of his mask and suit. So not cool. He's going to be hitting the baby powder tonight.

"Sounds aces to me," he says, determined not to slow them up any. Even though his hand inside Puppet is all sticky and clammy. Grosssssss. "Was hoping for a little ruckus, though."

Hey look! Suddenly it's ~~spiderman~~ Lash decending near him, and she's frowning. "Knowing all the missions I've been in so far, I'm sure there's gonna be some sort of ruckus, genius."

"Och, of course there is," Jamie comments, with the resigned tone of someone who's all too used to the idea. "There's always something going wrong on these things."

There's a tangle of vegetation in front of them, and he pulls out his dirk, using it to slice through the mass of vines blocking the way. "Look, how much farther do ye think it is until we get there? I'd not mind getting out of this jungle."

Kate had run ahead a bit to check the path, and get a better lay of the land. Silently she thanked the years at camp so despite being a rich city girl, she could find her way around a forest. Or jungle as it were.

She jogged back to them and called out, "I saw a clearing ahead of here. Not much further."

The jungle did eventually open up, and, at the other end of the clearing was the temple. Carved into a large cropping of rock (http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a196/SamuraiSquirrel/0983.jpg), it could almost be mistaken for a cave, though the entrance was obviously man made.

"...is anyone else getting a weird sense of deja vu here, or is it just me?" Ron asked confusedly.

"I'm not," Billy answered quietly, eying the entrance. It could be a trap. They could have to pass a test. Many things could go wrong. But it seemed he'd have to rely on his instincts.

"...or, if I am, only in the vaguest sense. A vague notion that something of great power might be here."

Dustin wasn't paying a great deal to Lash, he was kind of used to her by now. He was ninja-streaking tree branch to tree branch to see if he could get a better look at the cave. He then dropped down and gazed at the cave before speaking. "Think this is one of those 'if you're worthy' tests, guys?"

Punchy has zero idea what 'deja vu' means (sounds German to him!), but the idea of a test to prove their worth is...actually kind of exciting! And intimidating. There is a tiny, tiny little worm of doubt in Punchy's mind that they might not pass, and then what? How can they live with themselves, knowing they're unworthy of the approval of some ancient civilization they will never meet or hear of again?

"Let's try it, then."

Luckily, Jamie knows what 'deja vu' means...now. This was not always the case. But at least that means that he spares everyone from at least one round of confused questioning, instead remarking mildly, "I think it might just be ye, Ron."

He turns back to the entrance, wondering if maybe there would be some sort of a test. Given what they've gotten so far, he'd not be surprised to find out it's one. "Aye. Let's see what this place has in store for us."

"Well we ain't gonna get anywhere by just standing here. I'm gonna head in."

Ron walked up to the entrance, took a tentative step inward, cringed and...

Nothing. No traps, no boulders rolling down to crush him, no poison darts, no etcetera.

"Phew. Come on guys, it's fine." As the group entered, they'd see a staff standing on a dais. The staff, made of two lengths of black and white wood twisted together, held a floating glass sphere at the top that was half each color of the wood.

Carved into the walls of the temple itself were 28 statues of some sort of warrior.

"For now. Let's not let our guard down," Billy added, listening for the first sign of danger. Nothing appeared out of place for the moment. He searched and searched, attention naturally drawn to the center of the room.

"Do you think that's our target?" he asked, pointing to the staff.

Looking around the room, Jamie couldn't see anything else that would even come close to being this artifact they were looking for, unless there was something hidden somewhere. He studied the dias for a moment, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"Aye, it seems like it might be. I wonder what these statues have to do with it, though."

"So what's the big D? Let's just gank this shit." Punchy walks up to the dais and grabs the staff. Because that is the Smart thing to do.

"Wait, not yet!" Ron called out, too late. "It's probably-"

As Punchy's hand grazed the staff, the statues came to life. Stone gave way to figures clad in black leather armor, carrying an assortment of weapons. One might even call them ninja, for lack of a more culturally appropriate word.

"...trapped. Of course, the strange mystical object ALWAYS has a trap."

The ninja leapt from their perches, and landed in front of the group, 4 warriors for each member.

Did everyone hear that thump, just before the attack? That was Billy, connecting his palm and the front of his helmet. Fantastic.

Billy found himself cut off from the others, much to his dismay. This was going to be one hellish battle. He jumped up and whipped out his blaster for the first round, only to be smacked down by another. They got a few good hits in before he rolled his way out, shooting past.

The close combat called for his power lance. He summoned it, just barely blocking a nasty slice. At times like this, he really wished he had some other power like the others.

"Break them up!" Billy yelped, jumping and twisting around in an attempt to regain position. He managed two or three blows but spent far more time on the defensive. Not good.

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Out Of Alignment [Closed] [After Beyond the Sea}

Obs Deck Mingling

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Planetside

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Feel free to NPC your own statue warriors

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