Red Sands (Closed, IC)

[bowiespoon]

21 hours ago, bowiespoon said:

Abigail slumped to the ground, panting. The air in the room was swelteringly hot due to the void fire, and even though the room had air conditioning, it still wasn’t enough to prevent turning the place into a furnace. Sweat ran down Abigail’s forehead, stinging her eyes. Though her limbs screamed in protest, Abigail managed to get back on her feet. She looked down at her hands, covered in blood and fresh burns. This practice wasn’t about drawing out their void energy - no, it was about keeping it contained.

Abigail held in a scream as she carefully let out a trickle of energy, keeping the rest bottled up inside her. It was like trying to limit the water gushing out of a fire hose, but Abigail gritted her teeth and pushed back harder. She would not be bested by this force - she refused. With great effort, she was able to hold back the tide. She fell back onto her knees, gasping for air, even as she kept the force contained. With trembling hands, a few sparks of void fire danced on her fingertips. A weak smile stretched across Abigail’s face. She had done it.

Trestin walked over to her, offering her a hand up. Abigail took it gratefully, still breathing heavily. Trestin, for whatever reason, had never had the same difficulties as the others. Perhaps it had something to do with the severity of the burns he sustained?

“Thanks,” Abigail said between gasps of air.

“No problem.” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Abigail looked around. None of the other children were nearly as successful as Trestin, or even Abigail. Rather than a handful of sparks, massive tongues of void flame spewed out of their bodies, wild and uncontrolled. The Inquisitors had constantly stressed how control was far more important than raw power with void energy. If that was the case, then Trestin and Abigail were the strongest of the group.

Abigail and Trestin walked over to where water was waiting for them, the Inquisitors grudgingly letting them drink. Neither of the two children spoke, instead falling into a companionable silence. What was there to talk about, anyway? Simply savoring the company of the other child, Abigail gave a faint smile. Life was hard, yes, but it wasn’t entirely devoid of humanity.

It was the last time that Abigail would smile for a long, long time.

The next several weeks went by in a blur. Abigail barely saw Trestin, the Hierarchy kept them all occupied with their training. In addition to developing mastery over her void energy, Abigail was taught the rudimentary kendo, hema, Lausatök, and glima. Abigail threw everything she had into learning the various martial arts, but ultimately her true skill lay in her void energy. She wasn't the worst at hand to hand combat, but she was far from the best. Merely Average. This grated on Abigail, who was competitive by nature.

Strangely enough, as their training went on, the presence grew ever more distant, as if something else was demanding its attention. This meant that Abigail was able to think more about her past. Her mothers smile, her father running his hand through her hair. Memories of warmth and laughter. And then.....

"I'm getting distracted." Abigail thought abruptly. The presence was focused elsewhere, but not gone, and there were some subjects it did not want her thinking about.

Abigail exhaled a cloud of pitch-black smoke, watching it fade into the air. The Inquisitors had been alluding that they'd soon be required to complete some sort of test. They'd been tight-lipped about what it was, but from the way they were talking it would be big.

Discarding the spent roll of fume, Abigail donned the pristine-white set of robes laid out for her every day. She was nervous about this test, but also eager. Maybe completing it would prove that she was trustworthy, and the Hierarchy would give her some sort of reward - nicer room, better food, maybe even an extra allotment of fume.....

"But is that really what you want?" a quiet, rebellious part of her mind asked.

"Yes" the presence replied through Abigail's mind, and that was the end of it. When the time of this mysterious test came around, Abigail would make certain to throw everything she had into winning.

[bowiespoon]

51 minutes ago, Sharpstriker said:

Zaben monitoring the surroundings cautiously: "sure, we'll help as long as you keep your end of the bargain. Rakan, I'll take point, and you cover the rear, should something not seem right, don't hesitate for a moment to deploy your shields."

Rakan nodded also keeping an eye on their surroundings with one hand under the cloak on a grakata, and the other ready to materialize a shield.

((No problem, how was it?))

"Well then!" the leader said cheerfully, "Let's get to work."

He motioned for two of the crew to step forward, and they began to cut open the doors.

But something was off... a sound could be faintly heard beyond the door. it almost sounded like a cross between a whimper and a moan, with something inhuman mixed in.

[souldrive11]

44 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

((Pretty intense. Lot of hilarious landmarks. This daredevil guy had tried 4-5 times to jump the river in a wide assortment of cars and motorcycles. Each time he failed, parachuting out of the vehicle as it crashed into the cliffs on the other side. The exploded remains of his cars litter the cliffs for about a mile.))

(maybe he could spring for the optional drill attachment next time :s)

[Sharpstriker]

59 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

"Well then!" the leader said cheerfully, "Let's get to work."

He motioned for two of the crew to step forward, and they began to cut open the doors.

But something was off... a sound could be faintly heard beyond the door. it almost sounded like a cross between a whimper and a moan, with something inhuman mixed in.

Zaben: "well that doesn't sound good. Rakan get a shield up in front on me, once we open the door I'm going in."

Rakan nods and does so. 

[bowiespoon]

1 hour ago, bowiespoon said:

The next several weeks went by in a blur. Abigail barely saw Trestin, the Hierarchy kept them all occupied with their training. In addition to developing mastery over her void energy, Abigail was taught the rudimentary kendo, hema, Lausatök, and glima. Abigail threw everything she had into learning the various martial arts, but ultimately her true skill lay in her void energy. She wasn't the worst at hand to hand combat, but she was far from the best. Merely Average. This grated on Abigail, who was competitive by nature.

Strangely enough, as their training went on, the presence grew ever more distant, as if something else was demanding its attention. This meant that Abigail was able to think more about her past. Her mothers smile, her father running his hand through her hair. Memories of warmth and laughter. And then.....

"I'm getting distracted." Abigail thought abruptly. The presence was focused elsewhere, but not gone, and there were some subjects it did not want her thinking about.

Abigail exhaled a cloud of pitch-black smoke, watching it fade into the air. The Inquisitors had been alluding that they'd soon be required to complete some sort of test. They'd been tight-lipped about what it was, but from the way they were talking it would be big.

Discarding the spent roll of fume, Abigail donned the pristine-white set of robes laid out for her every day. She was nervous about this test, but also eager. Maybe completing it would prove that she was trustworthy, and the Hierarchy would give her some sort of reward - nicer room, better food, maybe even an extra allotment of fume.....

"But is that really what you want?" a quiet, rebellious part of her mind asked.

"Yes" the presence replied through Abigail's mind, and that was the end of it. When the time of this mysterious test came around, Abigail would make certain to throw everything she had into winning.

[Mars, one month ago]

Abigail crept quietly into the town, several other children dispersing into the night. They each had to find their own target.

This was their test: without being caught, eliminate anyone within the town, with anything you can find. No void powers were permitted - this had to be done with conventional means.

"Can... can I really do this?" Abigail thought nervously. She could barely bring herself to hurt her partners in sparring, let alone-

"I must" the presence responded through Abigail's mind, and Abigail's doubts were quelled

Abigail skulked past a tired salvage crew blearily stumbling into town, then froze. These crews would quickly go their separate ways for the night - tailing one would give her an easy target. Turning back, she watched the crew walk off, laughing and joking with one another. She picked one near the back, not talking to anyone. He looked exhausted, and he didn't so much walk as he did stumble - perfect.

Her target wandered away from the others, presumably heading home. Tombstone wasn't large by any means, but it was compact. Plenty of alleyways and side-paths for her to ambush her prey. He rounded a corner, and Abigail bit her lip, silently dashing forward to keep up. There was a distinct possibility that another of the children was following the same target, and if they made the kill instead of Abigail, she'd receive no credit. Let her prey out of sight for too long, and she might just find it taken from her. So when she found him unscathed and unaware of his plight, she nearly let out a sigh of relief. Nearly. The hard part was yet to come.

Abigail wasn't a great judge of how sound would carry through the town, but she was fairly certain that if this man started yelling, at least half the population would wake up. She needed to do this silently - and for that, she needed a weapon. Fortunately for her, her target had provided one for her -  a knife hung loosely from his belt.

Nobody was watching him, and he had stopped to look at something on the ground. Now was her chance! She ran over to him, fumbling for his knife. Her hands slipped, however, and brushed against his arm.

"Wha-" the man began, but Abigail had clamped a hand over his mouth. Months of training in martial arts had built up her muscles and honed her reflexes, which she now used. Before he could react, she grabbed his knife from his waist. Raw terror was visible in his eyes, and for a moment, Abigail's resolve wavered.

"No! I don't want to do this! I-" the presence smothered this train of thought, and redirected her mind to the task at hand.

Rather than stab the knife in a spot where it would be a guaranteed kill, she had instead plunged it into his stomach. The man tried to cry out, but Abigail kept her hand held firm over his mouth. Again and again she plunged the knife into his stomach, intestines spilling out. There was no skill, no finesse involved here. Blood coated her hands, making her grip on the knife loosen, but she kept stabbing. Eventually, she had enough sense of mind to stab him through the heart, and her fingers dropped from the blade as she lodged it into his chest. The man fell forward, his corpse pinning her to the ground. Blood poured from numerous wounds, and something squishy had spilled onto her. Abigail emptied the contents of her stomach, and rolled the corpse off of her. She slowly staggered to her feet, leaning heavily against the wall.

She wept softly as she made her way back to the ship that had dropped them off.

"What have I done?"

"What I must."

[EscortAlpha]

On 3/12/2017 at 10:44 PM, souldrive11 said:

 

5 hours ago, EscortAlpha said:

"Nice guy..." Svytoj said as his dropship touched done. He wired the coordinates to Ymir and Fenrus's ship.

"See you two at the wreck." He said as he entered his ship.

On 3/14/2017 at 8:07 AM, Daakjenaar said:

Tarnas read the message, and pulled out his Tigris shotgun, waiting.

Svytoj speed towards the downed fomorian, watching as the martian landscape passed below him.

As he went, he tried to ping Mia's or Aria's landing craft, hoping to confirm the fate of his comrades.

[ENTRY-04]

[Priority shifted to fomorian wreck. While its value as an information source is unknown, it may still be relevant to catalog its current state.
A Tenno by the name of Tarnas has contacted me. This individual was responsible for the death of Vlad, Rebel leader of New Moscow, and an attempt to destroy the cities main thermal generator. I can only assume that his contacting me is only an effort to try to kill me; and here I am, heading towards the man himself
I have also attempted to contact Aria and Mia after their Warframe self-destructed. Still unconfirmed it they perished in the explosion, or were operating their platforms via transference.
As for Hierarchy activity, I so far have only managed to record one notable group. Hopefully, after my initial survey of the area is complete, I may be able to continue my investigation.]

[END OF REPORT]

Edited March 16, 2017 by EscortAlpha

[(PSN)SuperShadic445]

3 hours ago, bowiespoon said:

((Pretty intense. Lot of hilarious landmarks. This daredevil guy had tried 4-5 times to jump the river in a wide assortment of cars and motorcycles. Each time he failed, parachuting out of the vehicle as it crashed into the cliffs on the other side. The exploded remains of his cars litter the cliffs for about a mile.))

((WTF? Did you take any pictures?))

[(PSN)SuperShadic445]

The two mercenaries looked at the coordinates provided. 

"Let's hope he wasn't lying" Fenrir sighed taking a seat in the cockpit

Ymir followed him, sitting in the seat across from his. 

"I doubt it" He replied

The ship roared to life and lifted into the air. A brief shimmer was seen before the ship and all noises related to it, vanished into thin air. The machine flew silently over the rough, desert terrain of the planet heading towards their destination. Upon arrival, the two Animals dropped out of the cloaked, hovering ship onto the ground below

"He wasn't lying after all" The wolf smirked "Now let's see if this is the right one." 

The duo headed toward the ship to find any means of entry.

Edited March 16, 2017 by (PS4)SuperShadic445

[EscortAlpha]

6 minutes ago, (PS4)SuperShadic445 said:

The two mercenaries looked at the coordinates provided. 

"Let's hope he wasn't lying" Fenrir sighed taking a seat in the cockpit

Ymir followed him, sitting in the seat across from his. 

"I doubt it" He replied

The ship roared to life and lifted into the air. A brief shimmer was seen before the ship and all noises related to it, vanished into thin air. The machine flew silently over the rough, desert terrain of the planet heading towards their destination. Upon arrival, the two Animals dropped out of the cloaked, hovering ship onto the ground below

"He wasn't lying after all" The wolf smirked "Now let's see if this is the right one." 

The duo headed toward the ship to find any means of entry.

Svytoj's ship pulled just as the two creatures did. He exited his ship as he made his approach, beginning  to record his entry into the crashed battleship.

He kept his eyes open for Tarnas.

[bowiespoon]

11 hours ago, Sharpstriker said:

Zaben: "well that doesn't sound good. Rakan get a shield up in front on me, once we open the door I'm going in."

Rakan nods and does so. 

The door groaned audibly as the two men forced it open. The Interior was pitch black, and another man pulled out a powerful flashlight, illuminating the room. It was empty, save for a large coating of dusts with several sets of footprints leading in. None led back out.

[Sharpstriker]

29 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

The door groaned audibly as the two men forced it open. The Interior was pitch black, and another man pulled out a powerful flashlight, illuminating the room. It was empty, save for a large coating of dusts with several sets of footprints leading in. None led back out.

Zaben: "well this is… lovely, alright time to get this sh*t show on the road. Rakan, that shield ready yet?"

Rakan points to the blue hexagon on Zaben chest.

Zaben: "Oh, so it is."

Rakan messaging Zaben: "it will expand should the need arise, and I still have enough energy for shields to protect the rear."

[souldrive11]

10 hours ago, EscortAlpha said:

Svytoj speed towards the downed fomorian, watching as the martian landscape passed below him.

As he went, he tried to ping Mia's or Aria's landing craft, hoping to confirm the fate of his comrades.

[ENTRY-04]

[Priority shifted to fomorian wreck. While its value as an information source is unknown, it may still be relevant to catalog its current state.
A Tenno by the name of Tarnas has contacted me. This individual was responsible for the death of Vlad, Rebel leader of New Moscow, and an attempt to destroy the cities main thermal generator. I can only assume that his contacting me is only an effort to try to kill me; and here I am, heading towards the man himself
I have also attempted to contact Aria and Mia after their Warframe self-destructed. Still unconfirmed it they perished in the explosion, or were operating their platforms via transference.
As for Hierarchy activity, I so far have only managed to record one notable group. Hopefully, after my initial survey of the area is complete, I may be able to continue my investigation.]

[END OF REPORT]

The airwaves were filled with nothing but quiet static. Whatever happened to them, neither Mia nor Aria were in a position to reply to Svytoj. 

Instead, a simple message in small text appeared on Svytoj's HUD, partly to avoid possible prying eyes, and partly because of the pair's current condition.

"Recovery in progress"

 

Down at the epicenter of the previous explosion, a Huras Kubrow quietly decloaked, her jaw dragging the last of Mia's retrieved loadout over from their crash site. Meanwhile, a Raksa had finished digging out an impromptu hole through the dirt and rock to avoid the worst of the elements. Flipping the Orthos P like a stick over her head like a stick, Celeste (the Huras' name) drops it back into the dimensional gear storage currently under her control. The pair settled inside the hole big enough for the two kubrows, and with their eyes and noses trained outwards, they waited.

 

In the hot air, the remains of the Valkyr P`s frame drifted, mist floating like a diluted white cloud. One might normally assume that the frame was a lost cause, but then, the tiniest of movement. Pieces began to grow hairs, microscopic lines of white energy trailing out them like a jellyfish on the sea. As they wafted around, they latched onto each other, and slowly pulled themselves towards each other. The pieces melded and grew, and when they eventually became heavy enough, they fell down onto the hardened baked ground like a biometal drizzle; too miniscule to notice without cause, but active nonetheless. Like a hive mind, they continued their journey with purpose, slowly crawling towards the epicenter. 

 

On the outer edge of the crater a white and green hand laid upside down, littered across the circle alongside the rest of it's parts. Though it's effectiveness was greatly diminished, the energy siphon aura was still functional. Finally when enough was finally collected the hand twitched, minutely, then a bit more. Eventually, all the parts lifted quietly off the ground, as if defying gravity. Silently they began to move, tumbling and rolling through the afternoon air like tumbleweeds in the wind. A shoulder joins a knee, a left breast united with a right foot. As if being poured down a drain the pieces continued to float downwards, gathering towards the middle of the crater. 

 

The kubrows quietly waited.

[Daakjenaar]

11 hours ago, EscortAlpha said:

Svytoj's ship pulled just as the two creatures did. He exited his ship as he made his approach, beginning  to record his entry into the crashed battleship.

He kept his eyes open for Tarnas.

Tarnas was nowhere to be seen outside of the Formorian. However, close to a hole in the ship's hull, there seemed to be what looked like a Loki, collapsed, face down in the sand.

[EscortAlpha]

3 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

Tarnas was nowhere to be seen outside of the Formorian. However, close to a hole in the ship's hull, there seemed to be what looked like a Loki, collapsed, face down in the sand.

Svytoj's eyes immediately zeroed in on the Loki. He made his approach, hand hovering over his sidearm as he scanned the area for hazards: Sniper positions, trip wires, buried pressure plates.

He knelt next the Loki, looking it over as he kept an eye out for Tarnas.

[Daakjenaar]

1 minute ago, EscortAlpha said:

Svytoj's eyes immediately zeroed in on the Loki. He made his approach, hand hovering over his sidearm as he scanned the area for hazards: Sniper positions, trip wires, buried pressure plates.

He knelt next the Loki, looking it over as he kept an eye out for Tarnas.

It definitely wasn't Tarnas. It was wearing an Essence Helmet, and almost all other distinguishing features had been worn away from years of exposure to sandstorms. Additionally, it seemed it's neck had been broken. A lack of scratches and other damage  to the Tenno made it very clear that this Loki had been murdered before he had a chance to fight back.

This Loki had obviously been dead for quite a while. Probably several years.

[EscortAlpha]

5 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

It definitely wasn't Tarnas. It was wearing an Essence Helmet, and almost all other distinguishing features had been worn away from years of exposure to sandstorms. Additionally, it seemed it's neck had been broken. A lack of scratches and other damage  to the Tenno made it very clear that this Loki had been murdered before he had a chance to fight back.

This Loki had obviously been dead for quite a while. Probably several years.

poor bastard...

Svytoj stood up and made his way into the damaged ship, still keeping his eyes open for traps or Tarnas.

[Daakjenaar]

1 minute ago, EscortAlpha said:

poor bastard...

Svytoj stood up and made his way into the damaged ship, still keeping his eyes open for traps or Tarnas.

Nothing happened upon him entering the ship. There was theoccasional bloodstain, but that was it.

[souldrive11]

4 minutes ago, EscortAlpha said:

poor bastard...

Svytoj stood up and made his way into the damaged ship, still keeping his eyes open for traps or Tarnas.

(just to double check, did you (and svy by extension) see my earlier reply? just making sure that he's not left wondering and waiting for a response from the landing crafts)

[EscortAlpha]

2 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

Nothing happened upon him entering the ship. There was theoccasional bloodstain, but that was it.

Svytoj huffed as he looked around the area.
<Do I have to speak with the concierge or something? Where are you?>
The message few across Tarnas's HUD.

3 hours ago, souldrive11 said:

 

[ENTRY-04-b]
[Message received from landing craft: 'Recovery in progress'. Will continue monitoring for updates
Tarnas continues to play mind games.]
[END OF REPORT]

6 minutes ago, souldrive11 said:

(just to double check, did you (and svy by extension) see my earlier reply? just making sure that he's not left wondering and waiting for a response from the landing crafts)

((Yep, everything's good.))

[(PSN)SuperShadic445]

9 minutes ago, EscortAlpha said:

Svytoj huffed as he looked around the area.
<Do I have to speak with the concierge or something? Where are you?>
The message few across Tarnas's HUD.

[ENTRY-04-b]
[Message received from landing craft: 'Recovery in progress'. Will continue monitoring for updates
Tarnas continues to play mind games.]
[END OF REPORT]

((Yep, everything's good.))

The duo looked at the Loki and just shook their heads. Then they both stepped into the hole of the ship. Fenrir's hands ignited, giving off a soft glow inside the dark area. The ship was a little too quiet for either of their liking. 

"Could it get any quieter?" Ymir muttered looking at a gash in the wall.  
 

[Daakjenaar]

3 minutes ago, EscortAlpha said:

Svytoj huffed as he looked around the area.
<Do I have to speak with the concierge or something? Where are you?>
The message few across Tarnas's HUD.

[ENTRY-04-b]
[Message received from landing craft: 'Recovery in progress'. Will continue monitoring for updates
Tarnas continues to play mind games.]
[END OF REPORT]

((Yep, everything's good.))

"Allow me to give you a hint."

A moment later, there was a scream a few rooms ahead of Svytoj, followed by a shot from a Redeemer.

[EscortAlpha]

27 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

"Allow me to give you a hint."

A moment later, there was a scream a few rooms ahead of Svytoj, followed by a shot from a Redeemer.

Svytoj shook his head as he walked towards the sound.

"it's like this guy's native language is murder.." He said to himself. He paused mid thought "Probably the last person who should comment on that..."

28 minutes ago, (PS4)SuperShadic445 said:

The duo looked at the Loki and just shook their heads. Then they both stepped into the hole of the ship. Fenrir's hands ignited, giving off a soft glow inside the dark area. The ship was a little too quiet for either of their liking. 

"Could it get any quieter?" Ymir muttered looking at a gash in the wall.  
 

Svytoj looked over at the two creatures, wondering if they heard the screams and shots.

[Daakjenaar]

3 minutes ago, EscortAlpha said:

Svytoj shook his head as he walked towards the sound.

"it's like this guy's native language is murder.." He said to himself. He paused mid thought "Probably the last person who should comment on that..."

Svytoj looked over at the two creatures, wondering if they heard the screams and shots.

The noise had come from the room immediately ahead of Svytoj.

[EscortAlpha]

1 minute ago, Daakjenaar said:

The noise had come from the room immediately ahead of Svytoj.

Svytoj banged on the wall of the room.
"If you murder pre-gaming in there, I'm gonna be seriously pissed!"

[Daakjenaar]

1 minute ago, EscortAlpha said:

Svytoj banged on the wall of the room.
"If you murder pre-gaming in there, I'm gonna be seriously pissed!"

There was no response from Tarnas. All things considered, this was unusual for Tarnas.