Wasteland

[Darklord]

Valerios

To say the least, he was stunned. First the area becomes jungle, the girl is bereft of clothes, and then the Lucian becomes a puddle of gelatin. His mind raced as he saw the Lucian Noble hovering a mere 20 meters ahead of him.

As he watched the male human turned and began firing the primitive projectiles called, bullets. They came nowhere near the noble, but some sang by his ferns. Watching in amazement as the two figures tried to run from the noble. "Fools, they don't stand a chance when a fairly powerful Lucian himself couldn't even stay in form. Thank my progenitors this suit is psyche shielded." as the two figures ran off, he decided to move.

Loping to the right from where the action was just taking place he launched himself halfway up the cliff and clawed his way to the top, his suits servos whirring in protest at the sudden movement in humid air. All the while the suit tried to keep blended into the surronding rock and foliage. Reaching the top he saw the two figures running for the nearby taller hills and figured one must have a lair nearby.

Considering for a moment, and then deciding he put the suit into overdrive and quickly outpaced the racing pair along the cliff tops. Reaching a point just beyond the pairs sight he dropped to the floor of the way and reaching into his pack pulled out another breathing mask. Leaving it in a very noticeable spot just ahead of the fleeing pair he quickly scaled the walls again. Reaching the top he watched as they reached the mask. Smiling he thought "Let's see what they do, besides, I might get some info from them.."

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

Her body was well suited to this environment and although the heat was unpleasant it didn't slow her. Her eyes were stinging with tears against the harsh climate though, as she scanned the ground before her. It was when the landscape was as bland as this that you had to be most careful.

Deadly creatures survived in this terrain now and they were extremely adept at hiding themselves.

Breathing too was becoming harder, so it was indeed startling for her gaze to encounter the mask ahead. She stopped abruptly.

She was used to the concept of illusion, although she had no name for it. She had had the misfortune to travel further than she ought once, in the search for food. An accident had taken the last of her water supply and delirous with pain and dehydration she had continuiously seen visions of her cave and of water as she struggled to drag herself home.

Now she was almost frightened by the vision before her. There was no explanation for it though she looked around frantically for sign of any. This entire process took only seconds before she reached down with a fluid motion and snatched up the equipment.

It was solid in her hand. She almost sighed with relief. She didn't take time to think further on it, thrusting it quickly over her face she inhaled raggedly. However it came to be, it was a blessing not to be questioned. She changed direction now veering South whistling shrilly over her shoulder to her new companion. She ducked between two large boulders which to the passer by looked much like any other two rocks but to her were like clear postmarks of a well used route.

 

[bobo_daclown]

DENOITNEM:

Now that I am underground, my gelatin form absorbs the heat from the sand. Although I doubt that the Yumans know that I am not really a Lucian, I know that the royal knows that I am pretending to be one. Since the layer of sand protects me from any psychic energy, I find that becoming a ghost crab aids my speed. I follow the two Yumans, pushing the sand around my shell.

Glad that the Lucian cannot tell where I am, I am aided by my increased hearing; and, I can tell where all the creatures are for miles in every direction. I follow the footfalls of the Yumans until they reach a rocky area of the landscape. I am faced with a hard decision: either follow on foot and risk the psychic drain, or depart from my Yuman companion and attempt my mission alone.

I choose the option that is more safe and resume my tunnelling toward the Martian city.

 

[bobo_daclown]

OOC but important

OOC:

Although some characters such as Lucia can probably sense it, I thought it would be helpful to broadcast to the actors: My character (Denoitnem) isn't really a Lucian. He lied to the humans and will eventually tell citizens of Zion his true purpose. I'll see you guys who are in Zion soon. But first Denoitnem is off to the Martian city of ***Althemidy (my bad before the edit)*** Anyhow, see you guys later... ciao for now!
Bobo

 

[poohlive]

Terrin began fusing a cable boz back into the main console when someone came into the cabin, screaming widly.
"You will never guess what happened," he had a print readout in front of him. It showed a few coordinates, and some frantic writing.
"What is it?" he looked at it. Didn't seem very interesting. Those coordinates were in the desert if he wasn't mistaken. Nothing out there but some wild animals.
"A lucian ship crashed. Not thirty minutes ago."
Terrin's eyes grew wide. He couldn't believe it. A lucian ship had crashed? That was the best news he had heard in ages.
"Any survivors?"
"The scout tracker sensed life signs, but they were probably just part of the desert. The latest checks were of things running away. More than likely not."
He cursed, well that was only a minor setback though.
"How about equipment? Who else knows about this?"
"It landed right next to the martian city Althemidy. They haven't detected it yet, but they should soon. Reports say that some sort of change has appeared all over the landscape."
Time was of the essence.
"Ok, we need to get there first. With any luck we can salvage some computer memory. Get the codes to the Lucian battle cruisers. That will make this rebellion a whole lot easier, let me tell you. Saddle everything up. I want this ship up and running in ten minutes," he called out to everyone, "You hear me, ten minutes."
The paper was thrown lightly to the head console, as he continued his work. Lightening speed, everything fit into place. What would have taken them an hour, was being down at a fraction of a fraction of that speed.
8 minutes and 34 seconds later, the ship slowly lurched to life, going out from the main hatch. He didn't bother with subtleties in this mission. He had to be there before anyone else.
With any luck the Lucians couldn't pinpoint the crash. That would buy them at least another half hour. Not a long window, but it would have to do.
Within a short time, he saw what had become of the desert. It had been replaced, with a desert of green. It looked like an emerald that had been left on the ground to reflect the sun. He wasn't interested in fantasies of things though, he needed to find that ship.
Ahh...
A smouldering heap not too far from the emerald desert itself. He made an asset of things, landing as close to it as he dare.
"Ok," the hatch opened, revealing his men with equipment already in hand, "Grab anything that will be useful. From dilode light bulbs, to computer memory processing units. I want it all, but of course, memory. Search for it everywhere. Remember, it will more than likely be encrypted."
They ran inside the smoking pile of metal. Terrin watched them leave before turning to the scene.
Tracks, if he wasn't mistaken, human tracks. Hell, even tracks of body suits. There was the Zion logo right there. All be damned. Someone was here, but who?
He looked off to where the tracks went. Nothing, just a whole lot of desert. The tracks were spaced far apart. That suggested running, but from what? Another set of tracks, this time without a body suit. Who went into the desert without a suit?
Terrin retraced the stapes, finding they went into the green forest. Plants and trees sprung up, as if they were common weeds. He looked at it all in fascination. It was a wonder that more things like this weren't out there? It sure beat the desert, anyday. Wasn't even that hot in here, a tad cooler.
There were no footprints that he could see. There was some sort of growing sand coming out of the old sand. This was much thicker, and green as well. Everything was green.
What was it with green?
Terrin opened a com link on the radio.
"Hurry up. We haven't got all day."
His curiousity to discover though, was already working as he began to step deeper into the forest.

 

[Chelsea_Rose]

Lucia:

She almost giggled as the humans ran frantically from her, swatting the primitive projectiles that flew at her with ease. It was good to see they recognized her superiority. If all humans were so cowardly, she truly did not understand why it had taken the Goliaths so long to eradicate them. No, she corrected herself, she wondered why it had been so long and the Goliaths hadn't eradicated them.

Almost playfully she drew in the remains of the globe's energy. She sent the thought shooting out through the desert, a bubble of oxygen to surround the two fleeing humans. She felt somewhat possessive of them, and did not want them to run away. The bubble would would bring them back to her. It would perhaps be interesting to converse with a human after all.

She was a little confused over the melting tree. Obviously the creature had psychic power as well. Denoitnem. It had tried to tell her that it meant no harm. She sensed that it feared her greatly, and yet, why? Lucians were a peaceful race, only humans really had anything to fear from them. She was intrigued by its blind fear. What did it have to hide? She was also interested by the creature's shapeshifting. She had not been able to detect any energy source- fascinating, a species with psychic powers not dependant on energy.


She had sensed an Andromedian also, trying to shield itself in a suit. She smiled. Andromeda was dependent on Lucian for all its technology. It had suited Lucian very well to encode a certain vulnerability in all such technology. Lucian royals had absolute power over anything Andromedian. Whilst it would require a great deal of energy to do so, if she chose, Lucia could command every piece of equipment under Andromedian control. Her hand itched for another globe.

Only three left in her small shoulder bag. Lucia decided collect the rest from the craft, while she waited for the two humans to be delievered to her.

Moving through the tangle of vines and trees, Lucia was startled to hear a ship land. More humans. She heard shouts as they disembarked and started moving towards her own craft.

Scavengers! The very scum of the galaxy. Lucia felt rage sweep through her. How dare they violate a Lucian Princess's craft? Perhaps this was all part of a grand conspiracy- after all, the craft had crashed due to sabotage. Lucia paused for a moment, uncertain what to do. She did not have enough energy to slay them all with her mind... but perhaps...

She activated another globe. She pushed her mind into her craft, winding intimately through all the circuits she knew so well. She set in motion the Implosion sequence. No human would scavenge from her ship. And if any were caught on board during the explosion, they would die for their presumption.

She was so focused that she did not sense the human creeping through the greenery behind her.

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

Sage felt the ball of oxygen surround them before her companion did. She gasped in surprise as she felt it envelope her. She felt the tug and knew it to be alien. She frantically tried to hold onto something. Her hands floundering for a purchase on the rocky surface nearest her.

She cried out in frustration when her nails scratched the surface uselessly and her body moved as if locked in a current pulling her unwillingly back towards that strange oasis.

Her body ebbed and bouyed with the unknown force surrounding her and still she tried to grasp something, anything to stop her unerring travel back to that magic place. In her desperate attempt to stop her movement her gaze caught that of her companion who looked equally confused. For some reason, when her eyes locked with his she felt comforted. Still she realised their peril as being immediate and it was then that she saw something inches below her.

A vine-like plant that was the only real vegetation that survived out here... that was until that strange figure had appeared with all that green.

Desperately she reached for it's gnarled branch. Her companion seemed to see what she was attempting to do and flailed his arms as if to push himself closer to her. His hand brushed her thigh and on the next attempt he managed to push her. Her fingers reached within inches of it. She strained her body forward and felt his hand push her again. Finally success!

Her finger tips pinched a hold on the vine and it seemed that with sheer force of will alone that she reached over with her other hand to grip on it better. She tried to see her companion afraid she would lose him. She looked over her shoulder he was close. Quickly she manouvered herself so that she used her feet, tangling them around the vine so that with both hands now free she could reach for him.

 

[Darklord]

Valerios

His eyes tightened as he watched the pair of fleeing humans be grabbed by a sphere of air. Leaping over the walls to the chasm he landed nearby. As he landed he saw the female grab a vine and seize it to be kept from being dragged away from her destination. She then reached for the other.

Sighing he made up his mind. He knew that the Noble could seize control of his suit at any time. The Andromedians weren't idiots, so they always set Psychic traps for Lucians who tried to do that. It was in all reality a very simple mechanism, the Psychic Amplifier. They try to seize the suit, and the suit acted like a resonator, causing the psychic energy to be bounced between the Lucian and the suit, all the while doubling the enregy till both the suit and the lucian were destroyed.

Finally he decided to act, even though it might mean his life, but he had a mission. Dropping down next to the struggling pair, he pushed his arms through the bubble, and seizing the girl in one arm and the man in another he pulled, servos whining in response to the stress. A few moments later the Chameleon field failed as the energy of the suit was nearly drained just as the pair were released from the shield. Falling backwards, Valerios saw only the two figures falling towards him. "Shit" was all he thought.

 

[poohlive]

"Oh my..."
He whispered to himself, seeing the being in pure sight. It was hunched over something, as if concentrating. Cautiously, he took another step, trying to see if it wasn't human.
Someone did survive the crash. A lucian survived. He saw it now, tall and lean, gangly, pearly white skin. A thing of beauty if an artist could capture it on canvas.
It was a shame he didn't have an canvas, all he had was a rope stunner. Primitive weapon, a gun that shot out a simple rope, that stunned the victim for several seconds. Very effective, especially with body suits.
Taking it out, he aimed carefully. The shot rang out in the forest, a rope now binding itself to the Lucian's suit. He ran after it, watching the effects of the rope already occur. Patiently he waited until it's effects were done. The rope now held her tight.
He kicked away what little supplies the Lucian had, looking down at the thing. The certain curves over the suit made him think female. It didn't matter though, male or female, it had codes that he needed to begin his plan.
Terrin kneeled over her, looking down at her face. So subtle, and so innocent. Didn't look capable of all the horror stories he had heard of Lucians prisons.
A loud static pop happened.
"Terrin, something happened in the ship. Someone pulled a countdown of some sort. It's going to blow in a matter of minutes."
Not good.
"Ok," he replied, "Everything you have now, get it back to the ship. I need two hands down here in the forest, and lots of rope. I've captured something myself."
He looked at the Lucian, and then over at the small globes she was using. It didn't take a genius to figure this one out.
"Wanted to blow up your own ship huh? If you can't have it no one can. No matter, I don't need the ships parts now that I have you."
Two young men entered the scene. Terrin nodded over to her.
"Tie her up tight, and put her in one of the holding tanks."
Taking out the rope they went to work. Terrin glanced down at the small globes. They seemed to glow with energy. He made a small scan, it looked like almost pure engery in them. Two full globes of energy. What would she want with those? He decided to take them with him. Honestly, he couldn't use them on his ship, but he was certain that they would be useful later.
Scientific research if nothing else.
Following his prisoner, he made his way back to the ship.

 

[bobo_daclown]

Denoitnem:

Too far from the craft to detect the commotion, I finally emerged from the sand as a side-winder, speedily moving toward the Martian city of Althemidy. The warm desert sun provides me with much energy, yet soon I would need to go into the city. Unlike the Andromedian cities which radiate cold, the Martians seem to like it a few degrees more tropical. Indeed, since my very essence is held together by heat, my pace in the Martian city would be greatly increased.

As I am lying down to sleep as sand on the desert ground, I reflect back on this long day. I will miss those two Yumans: they are undoubtably long dead due to that Lucian's immense power. Indeed, she must know about my need for heat--at least subconsciously--as she had tried to freeze me in place when she first realized my form. This is much to think about as I fall into a deep slumber.

Luckily, like my ancestors, I am inpenetrable in this sleep, as I present no target, physical or mental, for any being to latch onto. Tomorrow, I will enter the city.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

Photographs.
How hard could that be?
GO to Althemidy, take out a camera, a snap shot or two from each side fo the city, then tuck it away and head back.
Photographs.
I'd get two thousand credits for the images stored on the nearly minute camera stored in my suit.
Just for photographs, two thousand credits, compliments of a small band of Andromedian terrorists who took their war with the Martians a little more personally than the rest of us. THey intended to set up an attack on the city, a series of explosions, destroying not lives, but equipment, that which protected the city from the environment. The shield failed, letting the environment in, and the Martian population is mostly decimated. The few that are lucky enough to gather some supplies and head out into the desert are met by soldiers, who slaughter them there and cover the bodies with sand. THe city is overtaken...ta-da! New rule in Althemidy, a New Republic rule.
But that was all after I gave them the photographs, after I got paid, after I was long gone.
Like I said. Photographs.
Just photographs.
Funny how things worked out, isn't it.
I get to the city, take the photos, get attacked by a mutant, find a Lucian who, unlike any Lucian I'd ever heard of, can change form. THen, I stumble upon a human girl, then an oasis suddenly and unexplicably shoots up into the air around us, then another Lucian comes along, apparently steals the girl's clothes, kills our new companion Denoitnem, who, by the way, is apparently some sort of tree at the time, the girl and I run into the desert, her unprotected as she is naked and without a oxygen mask--I intended to share mine, but I'll be damned if she isn't faster than a scared cheetah--we get picked up by a bubble of some sort and are then tackled to safety by some creature in a large suit.
All over a few photographs.
Laying on the sandy ground, running my hands over the suit to inspect it for any damages, I came to a long-sought, well-deserved, and highly educated conclusion.
Thus far, my day sucked.
We'd fallen at least twenty feet, whoever or whatever had tackled us landing first, then myself landing hard on my left shoulder, and the girl landing half on me and half on the other. The sand had softened the blow as it was thick here, but the momentum of falling so far had definitely made contact difficult.
But we were alive...for now. The way the day was going, who knew how long that would last.
Immediately, I thought of the girl. I raised my head and scanned her over. SHe didn't appear hurt, nothing looked broken and I saw no blood. And she was moving already, dazed but alive.
I glanced over to see who had helped us and saw...an Andromedian?
I hoped he was from the New Republic, or at least a faction like it, someone who would understand that no harm needed be done to the two of us.
THe girl sat up, moving carefully, no doubt aching all over as I did. I looked up and thought, 'a naked girl on top of me...something good came out of this.' That couldn't even distract me, as when I finally found the chance amid all the distractions, to give the girl a good once over, I noticed her skin beginning to dry out in several places. She needed shelter.
I sat up, easing her to one side, away from where the Andromedian lay, also gaining his sense.
Worse still, I noticed the sun was beginning to go down. In minutes, the temperature would begin to drop, and the girl would be doomed to freeze to death, unless...
I shook my head. I wouldn't make that decision unless it was entirely necessary. Not until then.
I got to my feet and reached down to help the girl up. Once she was to her feet, I grabbed my weapon from the ground nearby, reattaching the feeder tube into the back of the weapon, then looked down at the Andromedian. His suit was drained completly, useless to protect him now. He looked directly at the weapon in my hand.
'Faith' I thought, holstering the weapon on my thigh and holding a hand out to him.
"We need shelter," I explained, "Or the girl will die. Will you come with us?"

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

Photographs.
How hard could that be?
GO to Althemidy, take out a camera, a snap shot or two from each side fo the city, then tuck it away and head back.
Photographs.
I'd get two thousand credits for the images stored on the nearly minute camera stored in my suit.
Just for photographs, two thousand credits, compliments of a small band of Andromedian terrorists who took their war with the Martians a little more personally than the rest of us. THey intended to set up an attack on the city, a series of explosions, destroying not lives, but equipment, that which protected the city from the environment. The shield failed, letting the environment in, and the Martian population is mostly decimated. The few that are lucky enough to gather some supplies and head out into the desert are met by soldiers, who slaughter them there and cover the bodies with sand. THe city is overtaken...ta-da! New rule in Althemidy, a New Republic rule.
But that was all after I gave them the photographs, after I got paid, after I was long gone.
Like I said. Photographs.
Just photographs.
Funny how things worked out, isn't it.
I get to the city, take the photos, get attacked by a mutant, find a Lucian who, unlike any Lucian I'd ever heard of, can change form. THen, I stumble upon a human girl, then an oasis suddenly and unexplicably shoots up into the air around us, then another Lucian comes along, apparently steals the girl's clothes, kills our new companion Denoitnem, who, by the way, is apparently some sort of tree at the time, the girl and I run into the desert, her unprotected as she is naked and without a oxygen mask--I intended to share mine, but I'll be damned if she isn't faster than a scared cheetah--we get picked up by a bubble of some sort and are then tackled to safety by some creature in a large suit.
All over a few photographs.
Laying on the sandy ground, running my hands over the suit to inspect it for any damages, I came to a long-sought, well-deserved, and highly educated conclusion.
Thus far, my day sucked.
We'd fallen at least twenty feet, whoever or whatever had tackled us landing first, then myself landing hard on my left shoulder, and the girl landing half on me and half on the other. The sand had softened the blow as it was thick here, but the momentum of falling so far had definitely made contact difficult.
But we were alive...for now. The way the day was going, who knew how long that would last.
Immediately, I thought of the girl. I raised my head and scanned her over. SHe didn't appear hurt, nothing looked broken and I saw no blood. And she was moving already, dazed but alive.
I glanced over to see who had helped us and saw...an Andromedian?
I hoped he was from the New Republic, or at least a faction like it, someone who would understand that no harm needed be done to the two of us.
THe girl sat up, moving carefully, no doubt aching all over as I did. I looked up and thought, 'a naked girl on top of me...something good came out of this.' That couldn't even distract me, as when I finally found the chance amid all the distractions, to give the girl a good once over, I noticed her skin beginning to dry out in several places. She needed shelter.
I sat up, easing her to one side, away from where the Andromedian lay, also gaining his sense.
Worse still, I noticed the sun was beginning to go down. In minutes, the temperature would begin to drop, and the girl would be doomed to freeze to death, unless...
I shook my head. I wouldn't make that decision unless it was entirely necessary. Not until then.
I got to my feet and reached down to help the girl up. Once she was to her feet, I grabbed my weapon from the ground nearby, reattaching the feeder tube into the back of the weapon, then looked down at the Andromedian. His suit was drained completly, useless to protect him now. He looked directly at the weapon in my hand.
I'd come for the photographs, not to kill anyone, especially someone who'd helped us.
'Faith' I thought, trying to reinforce my intentions with confidence, holstering the weapon on my thigh and holding a hand out to him.
"We need shelter," I explained, "Or the girl will die. Will you come with us?"

OOC: I know DEnoitnem is still alive, but Thallon isn't aware of that, to clear up any confusion I may have caused. And, by the way, I'm also sorry if I write too long...literary elephantitis I think is the proper term. I tend to do that. I like detail.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Ooopss...

I clicked the stop buton on my browser, thinking it wouldn't transfer it if I caught it in time. Turns out, I was wrong. Sorry. LOL

 

[bobo_daclown]

OOC:
Quiet_Cool: ingenious... i understood.
Sorry, I'm moving around in the timeline.
Also, could use a martian right about now?!?!

Denoitnem:

The sun had set and my form basked in the heat radiating from the sand. Under the midnight moon, I awaken, suddenly aware of an acute sense of hunger. It has been nearly a moon since my last meal and that is a couple of days longer than I am used to.

Just outside of the bubble that is the Martian city, I am faced with a dilema: few animals live this close to the city, but, I would waste energy venturing into the cold desert.

I thought to myself:

If I was a droid, I would be equiped with all the latest gadgets for these amazing transformations. Instead of drinking in heat, I would have thermal panels and solar panels to charge a battery. On my arm, I would wear an indicator panel with varying lights to identify my battery life. Right now, I know that my battery is one yellow tick above red.

It was time to move into the city. Under the midnight moon, I walk upright as a true Sseccatsaf should--on all three legs. I near the airlock that gates the city. The title of this airlock reads, "Airlock C-21" and that indicates that I will enter the industrial sector of the city.

At the gate, I push the large red button that will allow me into the outer airlock. The swoosh of the doors opening warms me momentarily. Invisible, I walk into the airlock. The windows on two sides contain tens of Martians peering into the empty room--empty that is, except for me.

Standing there, I incorporate their bodies into my mental database. Then, I walk back outside and form a composite of the beings I saw. Slowly, I reenter with a slow, dragging pace. Pulling at the scrawny throat that supports my exageratedly large head, I push the green button to close the outer door and open the inner door. The Martians see their peer suffocating in the desert air and immediatly authorize the entry.

I am glad to see that the inner doors open and heat claims my body. The arm indicator that my droid imaginings would see would be almost depleted, yet the small LEDs would begin to move back toward green in the warm Martian atmosphere.

I walk into the complex, glad that my entry had been so easy. As I walk down the street, I turn to see what is making the scraping sound behind me.

 

[Darklord]

Valerios

He was hurting, even in the battle suit a twenty foot fall hurt, alot. He was pleased to see though that the girl and male were alright. But his suit wasn't, it was out of power. Then the male, stood and brandished it's gun. "damn monkey's still hate us even though some of us are now trying to help them." he thought angrily which quickly turned to surprise as it put the gun away then offered him a hand.

Getting to his feet with the help of male, he quickly thought through the limited human volcabulary he knew. It was hard speaking human, it really was when you had no real tongue when your designed to eat your food in extremely large chunks. Bowing slightly he rumbled "Pleased to... to.. meat u? Naaoo, Pleased to meet use? Argh! Pleased to meet you? Yes, pleased to meet you humens! Yes I will yelp you. Erg... Yes I will help you." he struggled out. Then motioning to the man and woman to follow him he headed for a sheltered spot of rock and kneeling by it, unslung his camp pack.

Waving the two over he began pulling out the materials to make an efficient camp. First came a tent, then a portable heat source, some Long Care ration packes, and finally a set of clothes. Holding the jump suit up to eyeball it to the girl, he could only laugh, she only had TWO ARMS, pitfull compared to an Andromedians four arms! He laughed even harder at her blank look at him for his laughter. Finally he waved to the male to give it to the female as he went about inflating the tent...

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

Sage had a different view of her day.

She found it had been exciting thus far. Not that she had a proper word to define excitement, but over the years she had come to enjoy those life defining moments that were filled with the thunder of her own heart beat and the rush of adrenaline.

She had just had one of those moments.

If she had been curious about these things, she would have wondered at the fact that she so easily was becoming accustomed to the companionship she had recently found.

She was not curious about such things however.

She was curious about this new strange creature with it's even stranger sounds offering to her what seemed to be a strange animal skin which came from something that had too many limbs.

She looked blankly at it before the new one handed it to her companion who now offered it to her. She wasn't one to pass up something freely offerred. Especially when she was in dire need. She felt the tell-tale itch on her skin. Already it was blistering from the intense sun and harsh dryness of the landscape.

She looked over this strange skin, much like the material of her suit but with tell-tale differences. The six limbs being the most obvious. She managed to struggle into the thing, leaving two flapping arms protruding from her armpits. She was not one who had a problem with looking ridiculous but she did recall what laughter was. She remembered laughing once with her parents. It had been... nice.

She smiled at the strange new one, nodding her thanks.

She was extremely interested in the new things he was producing from his person. Things that seemed to grow rapidly. She recognised the shelter for what it was but was amazed by it's colour, shape and sturdiness. Next came fire. Easily. So much more easily than she could have produced it. But this fire didn't smoke like hers always did. She blinked watching him intently. Turning to her companion to see if he was equally surprised by it. It seemed he wasn't. She turned back to watch the camp taking shape.

Finally when it seemed no more curiousities were forthcoming she seemed to relax. Resting back on the balls of her feet and making strange patterns in the sand with her finger. She was tired from trying to understand the strange sounds they made. She recognised the sounds... but not the meanings... and dark was almost apon them.

She was afraid to sleep... what if her new found companion left? Left before she had the chance to find out more about him? To find out if there were more like them both somewhere. It seemed reasonable. Why hadn't she thought of it before? That there were others like her parents. Like her? Truth is... she hadn't considered it. She'd been too busy surviving. Today's encounters made her realise how dangerous the 'others' her parents spoke of were. She felt now woefully ill prepared for any future encounters... unless... unless her companion came with her? He seemed to understand so much more than her.

She looked at him shyly now, taking this time to examine him closer.

Suddenly she remembered her other friend... she would have to seek him out once she was sure the two she was with slept. She didn't want them disappearing on her. She would wait till they slept and seek out her friend. Once she was sure he was okay she would be able to travel with her new companion.

In her mind... she had already decided she would accompany him wherever he might be going.

He needed her... he clearly couldn't survive this terrain without her.

She shuffled closer to him... drawing her knees up to her chest. She rested her chin on her hands.

She must have been more tired than she realised. Soon her head fell to the side so it rested against his arm.

 

[bobo_daclown]

Denoitnem:

Wondering if the scraping sound had been a mere imagination, I turn back in the direction of the nuclear plant which powers the city--and more importantly, the shield.

I continue down the dark street, between the odd-shaped buildings. I read the Martian signs, mainly out of boredom. On my left, a gizmo factory hangs like a bird-cage from a curved pole. A company calling itself New Hellas Basin: Desert Outfitters occupies a lot on my right; and, that store resembles a lollipop--a spherical building seated on an elevator shaft, several stories up.

Directly in front of me, another half-mile down the road, one building dominates the skyline. Imagine looking at a huge Hershey's kiss (chocolate candy). This structure, like the chocolate begins on the ground in the center of a highway loop. It would be a pyramid if the sides were sides, yet the concavity of the sides lends the structure a Martian aura.

Still walking toward that destination, I turn suddenly because I again hear a scratching noise.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

The girl was sleeping within minutes, her head resting on my arm before i realized she sat down next to me. I let her rest. She was no doubt exhausted, her body most likely spent from her exposure to the environmental extremities. I looked her over, wondering where she had come from that she would wear animal hides and how she knew so little english. I smiled when I noticed the extra arms laying unoccupied on the sand to either side of her. The Andromedian's suit wasn't quite an exact fit.
And speaking of the Andromedian...I'd misjudged him greatly, and resented having raised a weapon to him. 'Threatening a friend...not a good first impression,' I thought.
He'd not only saved us from the bubble, but had also saved her from the environment and made us a shelter, which I hoped was a safe distance from the oasis we'd encountered earlier.
As the sun set and we put off sleep, we made light conversation the way two travelers do these days, words that meant nothing but were a good choice next to total silence, words that told nothing of who we were and what our purpose was...
They were words that could be easily forgotten, you see. Being remembered was often bad for your health if the wrong information got out.
AS the conversation died down, which never took long under those circumstances, I lay back, carefully repositioning the girl next to me. His heat source was effective, but I still felt a slight shiver, and I knew the we would provide on another sufficient heat. I guessed that the Andromedian's body temperature was slightly higher than a human's.
Easily remedied.
I lay there, thinking, 'Photographs...they better not stiff me my...'

The town was a small one, where the alien invasion that would eventually destroy an entire civilization still seemed too distant to be real. The war had begun, and we were losing, but it hadn't touched home yet. Life went on as usual, without care or worry other than those of everyday life, without domes that held oxygen because the atmosphere couldn't or shelter beneath the surfaces of lakes and seas to hide from the enemy. I was seven, running through the field behind my Uncle's barn, chasing rabbits with a slingshot. It was mean yes, but I never actually hit them anyway...they were far too fast, and I too uncoordinated.
I was seven, and still eight years away from the time when I'd be taken as a slave by the Martians, implanted with a homing device that could find me anywhere, preventing me from escaping. THe notion of what I would spend my life doing was unimaginable. For a living, I wanted to race horses and own a pet store and be a colonist on Venus and possibly an artist and maybe even cure a few diseases that would save humanity. The latter only if I had the spare time, of course. I never would have imagined fighting as a Zion Loyalist, attacking Martian cities and defending our own Zion; couldn't have seen myself, at age 17, escaping the Martians who held me captive and, with a stolen knife, cutting deeply into my own arm to remove the homing device they'd buried there; seven, sixteen years away from scavenging the desert to take a photograph for a group of New Republic Andromedians who intended an act of war against the Martian city of ALthemidy, photographs the pursuit of would lead my life into an entirely new direction, with new companions, into a new adventure that no human could have imagined.
There, in the field, there was nothing to threaten me, or to take my mind off being seven. IT was just me...and the rabbits.
Say your prayers, Bugs, you're going down...

 

[Quiet_Cool]

OOC:

You probably can tell this, but he's dreaming about when he was seven...just a flashback to begin a little prestory characterization...bear with me...humor me a little...hopefully you won't regret it.

 

[Darklord]

Valerios

Sitting down and talking with the human the nonsense words of two men not wanting ot give anything away for fear of the future, Valerios studied the two travelers across from him. The female was tough, and that wasn't surprising to him. Afterall, Andromedians were predators and the females the tougher and more viscious in defense of their young. After a while the two fell asleep.

Standing up he walked over to his kit and pulled a vapor condensor, and set it up outside to catch what little moisture the night bore upon it. After doing that he set the source to a higher temperature to keep the two humans from freezing in the night. After that he walked outside to look at the stars.

Sighing after a moment, he opened the shield of his helmet and pulled it off. He breathed deep of the air around, his senses not catching anything. Rolling his shoulders, he slowly removed his body armor. Then sitting down he watched as the stars came out, and his body suit slowly cooled from it's high temperature...

 

[bobo_daclown]

OOC: Since there were no new characters added in the martian city, I'm gonna skip the boring details of most of the night.



Denoitnem:

As I plod across the sands, I remember how interesting the night has been:

First, I remember how easy it was to fool the Martians into letting me into their city by assuming the form of a Martian. Then, a Martian police officer tried to tail me; I had to kill him. After the kill, I assumed the shape that rendered me invisible and walk right past the Martians who stand guard at the power plant. Inside the plant, I made my way to the Sub-nucleaic chamber and saturated myself with heat--enough to last several days. Radiation indeed quenches my thirst and does not harm me as it would the Martians, and the Yumans, and the Andromedians.

I left the city, battery charged, so to speak. I used my telepathy to locate the Andromedian that I was to notify. Finally, I started walking over the hilly dunes toward the telepathic beat that I knew so well.

I feel the beat of mental prowess grow with each step. Just over this hill, I should find my Andromedian contact. I assume the shape of an Andromedian who I have named Liclakle. That is the only me that the Andromedians know of. The body suit that surrounds me is marked with the rank of ES-9: the highest rank of a spy agent. Any field officer would recognize the mark and know that I am to be trusted.

Before I enter the camp, I listen carefully to my telepathic insight. I hear or see or smell an interesting array of scenes. First, I see a young Yuman with a 'Y' shaped stick. Then, scores of beasts rush before my inner eye. These monsters are unlike anything I had seen before. They wear a dense fur and have large teeth projecting from below their whiskered lips. Their powerful legs propel them at a speedy pace. They have horns that stand erect from behind their eyes and when they run, the horns lay back. These are hideous monsters from hell, if I know estranged beasts.

Suddenly, thoughts change and I watch the force-field drop at the end of a cave. The scenery changes as I see the desert throught a bio-mask. Then, through the eyes, I see myself and the Yuman I had met conversing over the dead animal. That scene repeats itself until I block it out.

Finally, I grasp the weapon firmly in my two left hands and jump to the top of the dune, ready for anything. Instead of a dense military encampment, I find a small shelter and three beings: two Andromedians and the Yuman man I had met earlier.

The Andromedian sees me and raises his weapon toward me.

"Hail our progenetors! I am seeking the one called Valerios. I am Liclakle, ES-9. My assignment is complete and I must brief Valerios."

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage

ooc: Quiet_Cool... flashbacks are a great way to flesh out your character... I for one saw your dream for what it was


Sage...

Sage woke maybe 5 hours later.

The night was still apon them. Her body remained still as her eyes adjusted to the night and to the strange position she found herself in.

She felt warm. The clothes she wore felt strange. She felt a heat source that was not fire. And a body that was not Jarra's. She reached a hand forward and felt the solid body so close to hers. Instantly she remembered her new companion. The one so much like her. She looked around for the 'kind other' that had provided her new skins but she couldn't see it nearby. They were in some strange shelter of sorts. She recalled the 'kind other' making it from aparantly nothing but a small skin of sorts. It had grown magically under his hands to this small but sufficient shelter.

She truly had much to learn.

Carefully she sat up, taking the chance to look down at her companion. She wondered if he had a word for himself... she remembered her word... she remembered that much. She stretched carefully before easing herself away from him. She needed to collect some things if she were to go with him. Would he allow her time to gather them first? He may be in too much of a hurry. She considered her options.

She still needed to tell Jarra of her intentions or he would track her and possibly get himself hurt. She nodded to herself. This must be a priority. She crawled silently out of the shelter and saw the strange being seated there. She crouched at the entrance of the shelter and tried to determine if it was the same 'kind one'. She glanced over at the suit and then back at the figure. He must have been wearing that, she decided.

She crawled forward and sat beside him, glancing over once to take in the strange features and extra limbs. She wasn't horrified by his appearance. She was used to seeing new creatures. The desert expance was littered with them.

She wasn't even sure if he was awake.

She tapped the large shoulder... one of them... to get his attention. He turned to watch her curiously. She pointed at herself and then out at the desert. Then she pointed to his belongings, then back to the desert, then back at herself.

She hoped he understood her intentions. She wanted to collect her things and then she would return. She pointed to the horizon where the sun would rise. With a fist that she used to make the sun she made it rise and shine from the horizon. Then she pointed to herself... the horizon... back at the camp. Her intention to return before sunrise.

She tilted her head to the side wondering if he understood her sign language. She smiled at him and patted his shoulder before standing to leave. She looked around to get her bearings, sniffing the air once or twice before heading towards the rocky outcrop they were camped beneath. She scrambled easily over the rocks and was soon hidden from sight.

It took her an hour over the terrain to get to her cave. Before she even reached it she heard Jarra's howl. She howled back. His howl interrupted she barked quickly twice. The sound amazingly accurate. He barked excitedly and she was attacked by his furry embrace before she rounded the boulder which brought her to her home.

They had a strange way of communicating. She did not realise it, but she had managed to learn Jarra's language and had in turn taught him some of the remaining words she still remembered. The finished product was a strange mix of the two, plus made up words they had created between them.

Jarra was one of the new natives of the dessert. Normally Sage would have considered him food. He was part dog part human. A mutant of the sand. He walked predominantly on all fours, his structure that that he found it quicker. Fur dominated his skin but for his hands and face. The face strangely elongated to incorporate human eyes and a strange elongated nose, sharp teeth. Sage had found him crying and suckling on his murdered mother. He wouldn't have survived more than a couple of hours... and some strange instinctive feeling had overcome her... she'd fed him and watered him. After than she'd just gotten used to him... and him to her. He'd hit puberty not long ago and now spent more time with a pack he'd found.

She told him she'd found her own pack. He nodded in understanding. Quickly she gathered her few possessions, throwing them into the old backpack her parents had brought with them. She changed into her remaining suit, while burying her parent's suits and her childhood suit together under some loose rocks. Finally she was ready to leave. She rested her hand on Jarra's shoulder and they touched noses. Sage felt a strange emotion come over her. Saddness. She smiled bravely and then she took her leave.

Making her way back over the rocks back towards her new pack.

 

[bobo_daclown]

Denoitnem:

{Past}
Valerios had treated me with all due hospitality; and, as a host should, he did not ask for information straight away. Instead, he merely chatted with me about unimportant topics. Sitting outside the shelter I was able to study my surroundings more closely. The second Andromedian was actually a Yuman in an Andromedian body suit. The other Yuman was indeed the one I had met earlier. I was amazed that the two of them had survived the Lucian royal.

When I heard-or more appropriately felt--the female Yuman start to awaken, I told Valerios that I did not want them to see me. He instructed me to hide behind the tent. Until the female Yuman was gone, I stayed behind the tent, not moving, not breathing, not obvious.

 

[bobo_daclown]

OOC

OOC:
Sorry Darklord: I just wanted to merge the two stories of what I saw and what she did. I don't mean to manipulate your character at all. If I have overstepped my bounds, let me know and I'll edit.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

THe field was gone, hazing out and giving way to the desert. I was nineteen then, retreating from Althemidy with a group of Martian soldier following us, weapons blazing, energy surges exploding around us as the weapons charges struck the sand.
We climbed the dune before us, six of us remaining, and started down it, not looking back. And that's when the rabbits appeared again, like phantasms seeking retribution from my early childhood attacks. THey were mutants, not actual rabbits but half-human ones, racing around in panic. We ran toward them, thinking they would run from us as we did the Martians. Instead, they charged us, three of them seeming to have their eyes on me alone. I was carrying a rifle then, not one like I carried now, but a more powerful one, an automatic, the largest I could carry. I raised it and fired, a spread of pellets striking the beast in the forehead and sending it to the sand in a heavy lump of white fur and blood. THe others scattered then, beating their paws past us and across the desert toward the Martians behind us.
Then the rabbits were gone and the Martians were gone, and I was alone with Andidria, laying comfortably in her bed, sprawled out across it with her still resting soundly on top of me, both of us naked, covered in a sheet.
Andidria, who'd treated me so well for so long, then turned on me in what seemed an instant, stabbing me in the back and taking off with Coulter to Filda. I shouldn't have said stabbed me in the back, when in actuality, she'd stabbed me in the ribcage, witha small two inch-bladed knife that sank between two ribs and puntured by lung. She'd cried as she'd done it, then ran her fingers over my face as I lay on the floor, bleeding and barely able to move and whispered, "I'm sorry, Honey, I still love you," and exited at a jog, weeping, sniffling.
Then I was in Filda, the last human city to fall, leaving Zion only to remain, looking for Andidria, and more accurately, looking for COulter. I'd managed to look for three days and find a few traces before the attack hit. Martians again, as the Andromedians had long since ceased in active competition with humans, and the Lucians were busy fortifying their already existing cities. I was asleep when the attack happened, and actually slept through the first wave of the attack, as the security system that should have alerted the city to the attack had failed, or been disabled by a previous Martian attempt to infiltrate the city, which had been the case was never determined.
When I finally awoke, it was to the sound of footsteps in the halls outside my sleeping quarters and people shouting to retreat down the corridor. A few sets of feet stopped at the door to my quarters. I reached my hand out from under the blankets, retrieved the shotgun I'd found so trusty and pulled it beneath the blankets, then lay still as if still asleep.
The door opened and the two Martians entered the room, their heads seeming to float above their necks, oversized to begin with and armored in helmets making them appear even larger, thin bodies beneath their heads like a small collection of balloon strings, weapons held as if to fire at me in two of them. I raised the weapon, pointing the barrel at the enemy and firing, the shell burst throgh the blankets covering me and tore their bodies to shreds as the pellets were propelled through the air. Both fell at once, and I rolled out of bed and grabbed my semi-automatic rifle. Another group came to the door and stuck their head in. I started to fire.

------------------------------------

then they were gone, as well. I was sitting before I realized it, pulling the rifle from its sheath on my leg and aiming it across the room at nothing.
I glanced around. Nothing moved, in fact, there was nothing to move. I could hear voices talking outside the tent, but other than that nothing moved or made a sound.
THe dream, the MEMORIES, slipped away and reality slowly sank in. I lowered the weapon and placed it back in its sheath. My hands shook, I was sweating, my heart was racing, more now in fact than it had during any of those situations as they happened. I guessed it hadn't had time to then, I hadn't hadtime to feel these things. I just went forward, did what had to be done and didn't think about it.
I folded my legs indian style and rested my face in my hands, trying not to cry. Once the feeling had pased, I raised my head again and looked around.
My companions were both gone. THe Andromedian's voice echoed in from outside, but the girl...
I got up, unable to shake the feeling that those things had been recent, had just happened moments ago. Unable to get Andidria out of my head. They dealt with the injury, and it healed at a fantastic rate, as I usually did, but broken hearts did not heal so quickly.
I wandered outside to see the Andromedian sitting there, no longer wearing his armor and not alone.
I'd caught them off guard, as his new companion looked startled at my prescence. THis Andromedian still wore its armor, and I wondered if I should ready myself for defense.
It made no aggressive moves, just remained with that surprised look on its face.
I looked down at Valerios and asked, "Where'd she go?"