School House Rumbles 3: Act 3. Warriors and Liberators.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Cas had expended most of his energy in his last attack, but that didn't mean he was finished with it yet. Once the most recent barrage was finished, he picked himself up and walked over to the now crumpled form of the Other. Once he was standing next to it, he bent down and placed his hand on the ground, transmuting enough diamond to turn the ends of his fingers into sharpened points. Then without a word he picked the Other up off the ground and let it struggle for a minute before, pulling it close and saying calmly; "I told you I would."

With one smooth motion, he forced his hand into its chest cavity and tore out its heart. Turning around he casually tossed the body aside and nodded to Rivia.

Watching Casimir rip out the Other's heart makes Maxana feel...complacent, for some reason. She has taken a stance against killing in the past, most notably with Rana, but... not this time.

Surely, it must be because Other is such a bastard.

[Eternal Torment]

Cammy bit the inside of her cheek, "Carmen can already teleport, anyway! We don't have any way to pin them down!"

She crossed her arms, "We'll go inside invisible, find our families, his Volkov, take our families, and then come back for Carmen and Sergei. If we do get our families first, we should at least go to the Gulag and see if Vokov has any empowered political prisoners that can help."

"Yeah, Carmen can teleport. But I've got a little power that can slow that down, if not stop it completely. She'd just have her speed, which some of us could counter." Sloane clenched his hand for effect. "I suppose your plan's workable, although we should put it to a vote."

He remembered a related point.

"Oh, and keep in mind that not everybody in the Gulag is there because Volkov wanted it so. There are genuine freaks in there, too."

"We could send three people to scout out the ship while the rest regroup and speak with Tabia... Maybe Iriesia, Eisen and myself." Casimir suggested.

"Eh... Well, now that you mention it, if we had some communication device or power to update the investigators while Queen Tabia talks to the others, then we don't have to worry about an even divide." Sloane suggested.

[FarBeyondC]

"Well, what's it going to do? Fly from and back to Eden at a precise time interval? That thing seems to be scheduled, so we have more than one chance to catch the darn thing." Sloane added.

"Unless something- like say, a ship coming from space- causes them to have reason to change their plans. I mean, they wouldn't be cloaking unless they had something they need to hide from an outside presence."

[Eternal Torment]

"Unless something- like say, a ship coming from space- causes them to have reason to change their plans. I mean, they wouldn't be cloaking unless they had something they need to hide from an outside presence."

"And why wouldn't we be cloaked, too? The Dauntless has the capability, and better tech. I'd be really surprised if they saw through our stealth." Sloane countered.

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

"Yeah, Carmen can teleport. But I've got a little power that can slow that down, if not stop it completely. She'd just have her speed, which some of us could counter." Sloane clenched his hand for effect. "I suppose your plan's workable, although we should put it to a vote."

He remembered a related point.

"Oh, and keep in mind that not everybody in the Gulag is there because Volkov wanted it so. There are genuine freaks in there, too."

"I bet you the Gulag is what he's using to power the sphere." Casimir spoke up.

"Eh... Well, now that you mention it, if we had some communication device or power to update the investigators while Queen Tabia talks to the others, then we don't have to worry about an even divide." Sloane suggested.

"Well, I'll leave it up to Iriesia and Eisen, but I really wouldn't mind scouting out the ship. It's not as if we'll be trapped on the ship either, seeing as how we'd be able to teleport out when we found what we're looking for."

[FarBeyondC]

"And why wouldn't we be cloaked, too? The Dauntless has the capability, and better tech. I'd be really surprised if they saw through our stealth." Sloane countered.

"Better tech? Are you sure about that?"

Iriesia points all around her.

"The people we're dealing with have access to technology that, in Mithisar's own terms, was impossible in her time. Who knows what else they might have?"

[Eternal Torment]

"I bet you the Gulag is what he's using to power the sphere." Casimir spoke up.

"Well, I'll leave it up to Iriesia and Eisen, but I really wouldn't mind scouting out the ship. It's not as if we'll be trapped on the ship either, seeing as how we'd be able to teleport out when we found what we're looking for."

"Not a good thing if that's true. As for the ship exploring, having the link's just to keep you appraised of interesting stuff to look for when you and the others are inside."

"Better tech? Are you sure about that?"

Iriesia points all around her.

"The people we're dealing with have access to technology that, in Mithisar's own terms, was impossible in her time. Who knows what else they might have?"

"That was Requiem's work, though. And just because they have one really good piece of tech doesn't mean all of their things are equally advanced."

[FarBeyondC]

"That was Requiem's work, though. And just because they have one really good piece of tech doesn't mean all of their things are equally advanced."

"True. At the same time, I'd rather act as if they had something- even if they actually don't- than assume they don't have something- that they actually might possess."

[Eternal Torment]

"True. At the same time, I'd rather act as if they had something- even if they actually don't- than assume they don't have something- that they actually might possess."

"Alright. It's not a bad sentiment, given how they've been able to surprise us in the past." Sloane agreed. "Like I said before, we need to figure out a way to communicate what we find out from Queen Tabia to you and the others exploring the ship as we learn it. Do you have anything that could help with that?"

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

"Not a good thing if that's true. As for the ship exploring, having the link's just to keep you appraised of interesting stuff to look for when you and the others are inside."

"How else would they be getting the power they need to keep the thing going. As for the exploration of the ship, I'm sure it can wait until we've spoken with Tabia. It's not as if we're going to be landing the exact day it's travelling its route, right?"

[Eternal Torment]

"How else would they be getting the power they need to keep the thing going. As for the exploration of the ship, I'm sure it can wait until we've spoken with Tabia. It's not as if we're going to be landing the exact day it's travelling its route, right?"

"Well, I'm just saying that Empowered people would have to carry a lot of juice in 'em if they could power some kind of physics warping device even the Pre-War Humans couldn't make a power source for."

Just how much are we packing, really?

"And as for the ship part, it doesn't even really matter. First or second, we'll know all we need to know by the time the exploration starts." He shrugged.

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

"Well, I'm just saying that Empowered people would have to carry a lot of juice in 'em if they could power some kind of physics warping device even the Pre-War Humans couldn't make a power source for."

Just how much are we packing, really?

"And as for the ship part, it doesn't even really matter. First or second, we'll know all we need to know by the time the exploration starts." He shrugged.

"Mm. Well, one hundred plus empowered added to the already sizable list of Gulag inmates would make for an insanely high amount of energy. The fact that he's had the last few months to round up even more and it's not as far fetched as one would think. As for the 'exploration'. Sooner is better than later."

[FarBeyondC]

"Alright. It's not a bad sentiment, given how they've been able to surprise us in the past." Sloane agreed. "Like I said before, we need to figure out a way to communicate what we find out from Queen Tabia to you and the others exploring the ship as we learn it. Do you have anything that could help with that?"

"I might. Do you remember the thing I tried back on Mars with you and Cas? I've actually gotten it to work better now. Whether it'll reach as far as it might need to is another story."

[Ghost]

"Is there any reason why we couldn't do both at once? It's not as if we'd need everyone to accomplish either task."

"We could drop off a recognizance team in Wolf while the rest of us take the Dauntless to Tabia's palace," Eisen said. "However, they would be on their own until we returned for them, and I'm not sure I like the idea of splitting the team up unless the matter is genuinely urgent."

"We could send three people to scout out the ship while the rest regroup and speak with Tabia... Maybe Iriesia, Eisen and myself." Casimir suggested.

"If we do send a recognizance team, then Mack should be a given member," Eisen pointed out. "His abilities make him the ideal infiltrator."

[Eternal Torment]

"Mm. Well, one hundred plus empowered added to the already sizable list of Gulag inmates would make for an insanely high amount of energy. The fact that he's had the last few months to round up even more and it's not as far fetched as one would think. As for the 'exploration'. Sooner is better than later."

"All those people, turned into batteries. What a fucking terrible thing to do." Sloane shook his head.

"I might. Do you remember the thing I tried back on Mars with you and Cas? I've actually gotten it to work better now. Whether it'll reach as far as it might need to is another story."

"Well, we can try. Link up with Eisen and Cas, plus anybody else who's going to Queen Tabia's. It'll be a good test run, I'd think."