It began with the Series Black morpher.

Tenaya had hacked her way past the genetic lock binding it to her brother, studying its powers to create new weapons for the crew, using it in battle against the Ohm invasion of Lirath. But she'd forgotten one thing.

Venjix.

The computer virus that had all but obliterated her world--she should have known better than to think that he would die so easily. Of course he would have downloaded himself into the morphers to escape his fate; he had access to the biofields, after all. He'd taken control of Dillon enough times to prove that he was definitely interested in getting control of at least one of the Rangers.

She should have known. And now, if she and Will didn't do something fast, the entire ship could be in danger.

A claw reached into the attackbot generator in Venjix Palace brought up a few Nitro Blasters and Engine Cells. Taking them, Tenaya cross-referenced information on her omnicomm before looking at Will.

"Looks like I matched up to most of Dr. K's blueprints, but I'm still missing something in the programming for the Engine Cells. And I need that if we're going to deliver the antivirus."

There was a Grinder in the City.

A dangerous, world-conquering Grinder. A footsoldier in the machine army that had nigh-obliterated humanity on an Earth.

And it was apparently taking a casual stroll throughout the City.

It was certainly looking for something, but what?

This was it. Endgame. The crux of the battle, the turning point, those crucial moments that would decide if the crew won or lost, that would decide if the Ohm would reign victorious or go running with their chitinous tails between their legs.

Did the crew have enough grit to win? Could they defeat a full Ohm fighting force?

With the flagging confidence of the GIA forces, it'd be up to the crew to turn the tide.

And one of the crew would pay the ultimate price to make sure the others walked away alive.

[ooc: everything is up!]

 After dropping off some of the crew at Balisair, it was time for the crew to set course for Lirath. The situation greeting them wasn't the most promising.

The cracked surface of the moon called Lirath was one of its most unmistakeable features. One of the three moons of the planet Kehoe, it had been terraformed and served as a settlement for a hundreds of different species, some humanoid, some not. Despite occasional class struggles, environmental issues, and speciesism blocking their way, the darker parts of Lirath's past were largely left behind, and an era of peace and tolerance had reigned for quite some time. The only problems they'd had recently were with a terrorist group whose cause for their actions had been a mystery, but they weren't tied to any particular species or social group and had been likened to a cult and had largely gone quiet in recent years.

Now the peace on the moon of Lirath had been shattered by the invasion of the Ohm.

The capital city had been destroyed. Now, all that was left of the peoples of Lirath was evacuating from one of its smaller cities, one known as Smyteval. A desert city, existing in a valley in between a rocky range of canyons and mountains, even though it was in the low ground, the natural channels of rock served as bottlenecks for any Ohm attacking from the ground.

GIA squadrons patrolled in space, locked in explosive warfare, protecting the Bleed-gate that had been activated to see the evacuated ships to the refugee world, and a shield created by massively-powerful shield generators extended around the city and up into the atmosphere, creating a shielded tunnel so ships could escape.

Word had come that there was a vital weapon to be deployed on Lirath, one that needed to be destroyed, hence why the Transmigration 9 had been called in. Given the diverse crew, and the ships that were in its hangar, there was at least someone or something on board that could blow the weapon up if it did show.

There was no sign of it yet. Right now, there was just chaos, streams of evacuees boarding ships, armies of Ohm engaged with GIA soldiers outside the shields, and forcefields that everyone hoped would hold out just a little bit longer.

The crew would be following Leon's orders but finding themselves fighting side-by-side with GIA platoons, full of various species that were currently all getting their asses kicked severely.

[ooc: STAGE 1 is now open! Please do not tage STAGE 2 until it's announced as open as well.]

[ooc: STAGE 2 is now open!]

At some time during the night, while some were still sleeping, and some were awake and wandering around the hotel common rooms--a massive explosion rocked the hotel the group was staying in.

Simultaneously, perhaps by lucky chance, or perhaps on purpose, a number of the group was mysteriously teleported away. Specifically, the ones missing were: Fate, Jr., Kang, Superboy, Zouichi, Howard, The Doctor, Lash, Nightwing, Zetta, Dr. Henderson, Rory, Ruffnut, and Sakura.

The problem was that the group likely wouldn't be able to tell from the vaporized common rooms and bedrooms that those particular individuals hadn't been in them when the explosion hit.

[ooc: All subthreads are open.]

A large group of crew members was gathered. In fact, given the mission briefing provided, it was curious that there'd be such a large number for a diplomatic mission.

Planet Designation: Galilee
Status: Terrestrial, H-class.
Non-sentient life: Extensive flora and fauna.
Semi-Sentient Life: Yes.
Sentient Life: Homo Sapiens. [Various translations of "human" appear here so everyone understands it]
Water: 69.5% of the planet's surface.
Climate: Earth-like [Click here for cultural equivalents for non-Earth cultures.]
Landscape: Varied.
Air: Normoxic concentration. Slightly elevated levels of carbon dioxide.
Air Pressure: 101.3 kPa (kilopascals) = 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch)
Sky: Blue. Often overcast.
Sun: A class G2V, yellow star.
Warnings: Wildlife and plant-life can be hazardous. Humans can be hazardous. A human cultural and legal database is available. [click here]
Mission: Successfully negotiate with the Galileeans in exchange for their advanced medical technology.

It was very little to work with, so the crew gathered there possibly had a lot of questions.

At the Obs Deck, a small group of crewmembers had gathered for one purpose - to ask Stacy what she knew about the strange melting clock that they now knew had caused some of the crew to starting losing their time.

Hay Lin hadn't been to the Observation deck in a long while. (Wasn't the last time she was here when people were being unpodded? She couldn't quite recall.)

Much as she would've loved to head back to the Sensoriums, the Guardian felt like she needed a breather from the place just for a brief time. And what better place to be at than at a seemingly deserted area of the ship!

Smiling happily, she stuck out her arms and...appeared to float in midair within seconds! Her way of using her powers while at the same time able to quickly land back on her feet if someone were to creep up on her unawares.

Still...can't shake the fact that something's amiss... the girl thought to herself, closing her eyes and feeling the air around her at the same time.

Contrary to belief, Phillip wasn't about to just throw Will onto a bike. Thus being said, he had asked for her to come to the sensoriums for a little bit of practice, remembering how he learned how to drive.

A series of pylons in a large open lot were set up and a RideVendor stood to the side, idling quietly as he leaned against the HardBoiler, looking all for the world like he was debating on the course about to be undertook.

For that matter, he had dragged an assistant out, one Ren Akiyama for the part of the course.

Ren could stand to get some more friends going.

Somewhere near the hub, GLaDoS is returning crew members to the main portion of the ship.

“For your participation, cake and therapy may be obtained in the lobby.”

Mulan springs to her feet. “What lobby?”

Zuko, who looks the most singed of the group, picks himself up and brushes off the front of his plantsuit. “I never want to hear a word about cake again as long as I live.”

“Really?” Biff is adjusting his kilt, which, unfortunately for the rest of the group, has had more than a few wardrobe slips during their runs through the mazes. “Because I’m going to the Sensoriums right now to find out what it is.”

No one shows any signs of accompanying him. Allen, frantically checking his Omnicom, has gone paler than usual. “Motherfuck. I need to talk to Chief, like right now.”

“Why, what day is it?” Will starts to ask, but he has already taken off. She calls after him, brow knitted with confusion. “How long were we in there?”

“Too long.” Goliath leans against the wall, looking more irritated than usual. This may have something to do with the fact that he appears to have been functioning as the group’s meat-shield, judging by the amount of injuries he’s sustained, all hastily bandaged with the remnants of Mulan’s oversized men’s shirt. “I think –”

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence before he turns to stone.

Will looks relieved. The remaining two just look confused. “Good. He said sleep would make him feel better.” She yawns . “Speaking of sleep, it would probably make us all feel better.”

“Uh –“ Mulan is still staring at the stone gargoyle. “Maybe we should move him first?”
“He should be all right.” Will tucks her hair behind her ear. “I don’t want to accidently break him or anything.”

“Then I’m going to find out what’s been going on. And how long we were gone.” Zuko stalks away from the girls, swords still drawn.

Will looks at Mulan again. “So . . . that’s probably a good idea. Do you want to go to the cafeteria first? I’m hungry, even for slop.”

“That does sound good.” She looks down at her exposed plantsuit – “maybe I can find someone who’ll let me have another shirt on the way.”

The turnout ended up being better than expected. Kang stood with his arms crossed over his chest in front of the bar of the tavern, looking over his and Ronon's students; he knew that several of them wouldn't stay, once they realized how brutal this training was going to be. He glanced over at his fellow instructor, and nodded slightly, getting a nod and grin in return.

Sons-of-bitches voice was go.

"Welcome to Warfare Training. For those of you who don't know us, I am Kang, and this"--he pointed at Ronon--"is Ronon Dex. We are going to be your instructors." His wings rustled slightly, and he grinned. "I'm going to tell you right now: this is not going to be easy. You will get hurt. You will be sore in muscles you didn't even know existed. We are going to make you give us everything you have, and more."

He placed his left hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. "You will be learning hand-to-hand, various melee weapons with an emphasis on swords and knives, firearms, and for those interested, I will be giving private lessons with the axe. You will also be learning strategy and tactics, and will be facing off against many different types of nonhuman foes. Our goal is to make sure you have a chance of surviving, no matter what situation you happen to find yourself in."

Pointing to the door, the bozak's expression turned serious again, "If you feel that you can't handle this training at any point, the door is right there. We only want those who are serious about learning, and we won't put up with whining or half-assing. We also won't put up with any sort of discrimination based on age or sex, so be respectful to your fellow classmates, and to your instructors." He meant it, too.

"Classes will be Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1600 to 1800, and mostly optional on Saturdays from 0900 to 1200. We'll let you know which Saturdays are required at least a day ahead. Questions?"

[Things to be covered!

Basics of hand-to-hand, proper knife and sword handling, and for those interested in axe, message me and we'll work out the private lessons. :3]

Irma was probably more stubborn than she could admit. Probably why, after spending a few days asleep, she opted to start walking again. Yeah, Reinforce would probably snap at her, but she wasn't going to let that thing bother her much.

She had every intention on trying to see how Sheffield Academy was, to see if it was still standing after the Nightmare King's madness and Aang's outburst. But, something else caught her eye as she wandered. Something she didn't want to see.

"No... no, not that..." Irma muttered, her jaw dropped. In front of her was the Citadel of Kandrakar. The massive fortress in the center of the universe was on board the ship. She hesitatingly climbed its steps and began scouring its halls. Its quiet, looming presence easily unnerved Irma. Most of the time, she was usually with the rest of the Guardians and a handful of others. The place was usually filled with the members of the Council of Kandrakar.

As she wandered, she easily saw that she was the only one in here. It looked like this place had barely picked itself up after Nerissa and Phobos' assaults on the castle before it was picked up here.

"HELLO?! Anyone here?!" Irma called out, her voice echoing through the building. A moment. Two moments. Nothing. No response. It was more than likely that the council, especially the Oracle and Halinor were in the pods, asleep, but it didn't matter much.

This was more than enough proof that things had definitely changed. In the empty Council room, Irma sat on the floor and curled herself up into a ball.

"We really blew it..." Irma muttered.

Nightmare becomes reality....

[roster: leader - Claire, Kala, Rein, Sparhawk, Will Vandom]

It's no secret that Will loves the W.I.T.C.H. bus. It's a bus, and part of it's hers! A very large part, at that, large enough to train and practice and spend time in well-decorated comfort. In her room on the bus, it's harder to be afraid of the Nightmare King, and easier for Will to feel like she has a home again. A real one that she doesn't have to visit only for a few hours a day in the Sensorium. It's bolstered her spirits immensely.

She's in there now, stretching, humming quietly to herself as she does. The door is open for visitors, and she turns around when she hears the sound of somebody walking in.

The Sensoriums were full of music once again that evening when most of the crew had gone to bed. Matt was leaning back, playing on his guitar. While he preferred to make his own music, there was the rare few times that he played from other people's productions.

The holographic band were idly playing along and he rose his voice in song.

You could say I lost my faith in science and progress
You could say I lost my belief in the holy church
You could say I lost my sense of direction
You could say all of this and worse but

If I ever lose my faith in you
There'd be nothing left for me to do

Some would say I was a lost man in a lost world
You could say I lost my faith in the people on TV
You could say I'd lost my belief in our politicians
They all seemed like game show hosts to me

If I ever lose my faith in you
There'd be nothing left for me to do

I could be lost inside their lies without a trace
But every time I close my eyes I see your face

I never saw no miracle of science
That didn't go from a blessing to a curse
I never saw no military solution
That didn't always end up as something worse but
Let me say this first

If I ever lose my faith in you
There'd be nothing left for me to do

The day after the Hannukah celebration, Katara had time to think about the last twenty four hours. The idea of a challenge, the training Sheeana was taking about, was still fresh in her mind. There was no avoiding it: she WANTED to be a Bene Gesserit, wanted to be trained well enough that she could move as the Mother did. She didn't know how enthusiastic she had seemed then, but she had even replaced one of her usual Yoga practices with trying to move a limb independent of all other: to no avail, sadly, but she was getting closer, she knew that well enough, but it wasn't enough for her to do the exercises, she wanted to know more about them too. So naturally, the Media library was the best place to go.

She made her way to the place and poured through the material, avoiding several interesting books about martial arts and looked up specific sisterhood paths. There were several interesting goddess ones she wanted to research later, and one called "Dianic Wicca" that would probably have bothered Sokka, but she was finally at the Bene Gesserit, and engrossed herself in her readings.

Thus spoke St. Alia-of-the-Knife: "The Reverend Mother must combine the seductive wiles of a courtesan with the untouchable majesty of a virgin goddess, holding these attributes in tension so long as the powers of her youth endure. For when youth and beauty have gone, she will find that the place-between, once occupied by tension, has become a wellspring of cunning and resourcefulness."

"Interesting," Katara said to herself aloud, reading on.

Slobo either didn't know or didn't care the racket he was making in W&P. Things were flying about until he found what he was looking for. A large selection of single articles of clothing that could easily cobble together something, a jar of hair gel, and a mirror. He wasn't happy with the mirror, he had hoped for a full-length, but beggars can't be choosers. He sat there, going through the collected clothes. First, there was a really nice red leather trench. Unfortunately, it was made for someone easily 6'5". He tossed it aside and decided to work on his hair first, since finding male clothing in his size was rather... difficult. He's so obsessed on this preening that he can, for once, easily be snuck up on by people other than ninjas.

As promised, Zuko has set up one of the Sensoriums as a perfect replication of the city of Ba Sing Se. Inside the open door is a wide, well-swept street, the sun low in the sky, the shadows long in the twilight just before sunset. The scent of plum blossoms is on the air. A cool spring breeze wafts the scent through the quiet, unpeopled streets.

Because there are no people in the simulation, it is easy to see where the tea social is taking place. Up a twin set of steps and across from a fountain is an attractive building of medium size. The light of candles glitters within.

Inside the tea shop, tables and chairs are already set up, the windows open to take advantage of the soft breeze, and warm light illuminates the room from green paper lamps. Elegant tapestries adorn the walls and floor. Green and gold seem to be the colors of choice.

Zuko is inside, putting the finishing touches on a sign, which he is painstakingly copying from his omnicom. His translation program has given him the means to write "Tea Night: Welcome, All Guests" in as many languages as the device tells him the crew reads. He writes the welcome with ink and a brush, brought from the Possessions locker, for the purpose of putting on the open Sensorium door. When it is completed, he hangs it, inspecting it for a moment before returning to the tea house that was his uncle's joy.

He breathes out, picking up the broom to sweep the shop, an automatic gesture born of force of habit. He waits quietly for guests to arrive, wondering if this will work after all. It would have worked for his uncle. Iroh might have even been proud of him for taking the initiative to do this on his own, and Zuko sweeps very hard, to drown out all thoughts that he might never get the chance to see if this is so.

In the cool Ba Sing Se evening, he waits for guests to arrive. When they do -

"Hello, welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. It is my honor to serve you this evening."

Li the Tea Boy is an easier persona to fall into than he'd like, it would seem.

((ooc: Okay guys, it's a party, so do what you do at parties - mingle, talk, start some shenanigans, get the ball rolling! Zuko will be trying his best to get to everyone, but he is a busy boy, so you should talk to each other as well. A good way to start is to demand tea!)

Will was not in the best state of mind.

Her planet destroyed, her family dead, if they weren't on this ship . . . and a whole bunch of people she didn't know, who'd just died what had to be the most horrible death it was possible for a person to have.

Zombies. Will was not equipped to handle zombies. Emotionally OR . . . well, superheroically. Especially not without the rest of her team.

What she COULD do, now that it was over, now that everybody was more or less reeling from the terrible things they'd learned, was put a little sunshine back into the people of Transmigration 9's lives. And so she waited in the Statuary, heart of Kandrakar out, trying not to be put too much on edge by the statues as she waited for anyone to take her up on her offer.

She hoped they'd come soon. Some of the ever changing statues were looking especially angry today, and they were kind of giving her the creeps.

"Maybe I should have picked somewhere else to do this."



[ooc: not a closed thread, but I do ask that everybody who tags on try and tag as a single thread rather than starting multiple ones.]