10/18/2010

Airy:

NEXUS CHARACTERS OPENING:

"All right everyone!" A massive Testasodo dragoness positioned herself at the dropship’s doorway. "Form up, and quiet down! We will be boarding the Smok ship in 5." She waited for everyone’s attention and then spread her great, feathered wings before continuing.

"You have two objectives," she informed the waiting soldiers and mercenaries. "Find the Apidae queens, or the Skala herd. In either case, you are here to escort members of these species from the ship before those damned Sevar Skai rip it apart."

"You will be inserted into the outer corridors. Our schematics of the ship are sketchy at best, but head down and you will find the subject species," the drop ship shook as it attached itself to the Smok craft. "The Apidae hives will be most dangerous, as they are known for their extreme loyalty to the Smok, but we have primed several queens for extraction, and once reached, they can offer protection to any of you that make it to their hives."

"The colony room itself is located just above the Skala herd, but unlike the herd room, you will find that it is separated into several smaller compartments. These contain the queens, their eggs, and whatever members of the hive that haven’t been called away by the Smok. Hives 2, 8, and 11 contain the primed queens, and these are your primary targets."

"Extract the queens and their children, and return here," the Hyre roared over the sound of the drop ship’s doors opening. "And if you aren’t up for the fight, head down to the Skala; I’ve heard tell that they will follow you like sheep if you just let them know that you know how to get them to safety. The Skai have certainly stirred the Sta up enough for everyone aboard to be frightened enough."

"Last thing," she said. "Negotiate with the Smok if you can, but shoot to kill if they try to pull anything on you. You may be hired help around here, but the Federation would like to see you all out of this alive."

"Now go!"

APIDAE OPENING:

The colony room had grown silent as soon as the Pameic Sta had been engaged by the aliens that had been pursuing the ship through it’s jump portal. Many of the guards had been called away from their queens to look after the Smok matriarch, and there had been no word from above since those summons had come. This was not like the Smok, and that worried the Apidae.

Left without news from the world above, there seemed to be little to talk about and less to do. Most of the queens had stopped laying, and more than a few had fallen into half-conscious states of over-stress. Most of the drones had gathered around them to comfort and look after them, while the foragers, uncomfortable with the lack of work, were clustered around the entrances to the hives.

As tense as the Apidae had become, none of them were expecting the massive explosion that tore through the ship. As the ear-shattering boom tore its way through the colony room, the floor dropped out from everyone’s feet for a long moment, before the antigravity systems calibrated themselves. The ship continued to shudder and shake, even as the surprised and panicking Apidae were getting to their feet, and a high-pitched alarm had begun to scream somewhere off in the distance.

Several of the queens let out terrified roars, and their sounds were soon joined by a chorus of distressed drones. The adult Apidae were unharmed by the ship’s drop and subsequent shuddering, but many of the hive’s eggs were not so lucky. The youngest had broken open on impact with the floor, and as the drones were dismayed to find, even the older ones had been tipped and torn.

Any effort to clear up the eggs ends abruptly, as the ship’s shuddering becomes violent again, throwing many off of their feet. At the same moment, the warning bells sounding in the rest of the ship become notably louder, as the hive room’s massive steel doors are forced open. A wave of panicked sound washes throughout the room, as the Apidae realize that they are being attacked.

Only one queen remains calm, the mother of the Ri’ line. Washing her children with calming pheromones, and flaring her wings for silence, she calls their attention to her.

"The ship is being pulled out of the sky," she said. "The Smok are about the fall..." The Apidae gathered around her grow still in disbelief.

"If you care for your mother," she continued. "Some of you must go and find the aliens, and you must bring them here. They have come to save us from this destruction, and they have promised freedom to all of us."

SKAI OPENING:

As the Fenda:soans and their companions filed off of the ship, those few Sevar Skai that had traveled on the Federation drop ship, and not in the Skai craft that were razing the Smok cruiser, had gathered along one wall. A lanky Smok-form Breed 15 stood at the head of them.

"You, have a third objective," he intoned. "Get to the matriarch and sever the Smok’s head from her shoulders..."

"By decree of the Skai council, you are the only warriors here sanctioned by the Federation to kill the matriarch," he said. "The blood of the sisters and brothers that we lost to these attackers demands retribution... from all of us."

"If you are up to the challenge," he turned so that the ship’s entrance into the Pamiec Sta was open. "Then answer the call." With that, he swept an arm back and invited the Skai around him to follow the others into the dim recesses of the Smok ship.

cacopheny:

Staying in orderly ranks wasn't something Netahiln was any good at. Neither, for that matter, was Natron. Only Rusaleon, not quite full grown and glaring balefully at them both, kept them both from fidgeting too much. When the Testasodo finally shut up, Netahiln got up and stretched her wings, yawning widely. ~Let's just get this over with so we can get paid. Habithi won't wait forever.~

~He's waited this long,~ Rusaleon said primly, and nudged Natron-- who was "disguised" in a humanoid sort of shape, rather than a dragon one, for now; she claimed it was easier to keep from glowing, when she was smaller-- and crouched down so she could climb on.

~Whatever,~ Netahiln grumped, and trotted off the transport, and into the Smok ship, glowing red eyes searching around and mind guardedly open, scanning for danger or their targets, or both. Rusaleon stalked after her. ((done ^^ ))

Dray:

Ez'de Ri' knew that she had been away from her Hive for too long when the sight of the Pameic Sta filled her with a sense of mixed dread and longing. Once their own ship had docked, as it were, she slipped out along with the other mercenaries. She fretted: what if they shot down her brothers and sisters before she had a chance to get ahead and warn the others? She didn't think that she completely trusted the Federation people to clearly explain the situation, at least, not in a way that her own people could immediately grasp. The Pan Smok had ruled them for too long for a sudden change in the order of things to be easily swallowed. Those thoughts, and other stressful ones, were passing through Ez'de Ri's mind as she fanned out with the others. She immediately listened for the sounds and currents of her people, searching for any that might have gone to investigate the explosion.

Delta was listening to the Breed 15 who had been speaking with her ears turned back. Similar to Ez'de, she had been away from her own people for some time. Delta, though, was not on a mission to defend and evacuate. She had fought the Pan Smok in a brief battle that had left her spaced for several days, and nearly died, before she had been found and sent to recuperate for many days more. Now, she finally had a chance at revenge. With a roar that was echoed by at least one of the other Skai, she plunged forward into the ship, looking for action!

Airy:

(( cacopheny )) Almost as soon as Natron, Rusaleon, and Netahiln had made their way off of the ship and away from the imposing hole that had been blown into the Sta’s wall, a thin Smok female made herself apparent to them. Her clothes torn, and her body covered in a thin layer of grime, the draconic creature seemed far from imposing.

::Money?:: Her telepathic voice was loud and weirdly awkward, but she was understandable, nonetheless. She stumbled towards them, and as she shifted out of the shadows, it could be seen that there were thin green tendrils running down her arms and legs. The stink of infection drifted up through the air. ::You’re here for money? I can pay you double... no triple... whatever your employers have offered you! Take me to my ship, and I can get you off of here with a fortune... and the eternal gratitude of my matriarch. The Smok will be your allies!:: She stretched her thin arms towards the outsiders, and desperation shone in her eyes.

StarFyre:

(( Airy )) Reno was fiddling with his beatin' stick, flipping it up into the air, where it spun end over end, and thumped back down into his palm with a heavy thwock. He was waiting with as much patience as he ever did (which honestly wasn't that much) for the signal to move, growing more antsy with every second that passed and every 'cautionary' word that left the dragoness' mouth. He was a professional. This sort of work was his bread and butter. He didn't need to be reminded about basic protocol. Just. Let. Him... GO!

At his side, Rieno kept flicking his electro-rod open and snapping it closed again, just as restless as his brother, and just as eager for the leash to be dropped. Really, the only one of the trio at ease was Liukari, who stood with her hands clasped calmly behind her back as she absorbed the briefing, flipped it through her mind, then kept the pertinant bits at the forefront. Not that she didn't trust Reno and Rieno - they were paying more attention than they let on - but it wouldn't be a good idea to go into this mess unprepared. Not because she could get hurt, but because... well... the brothers would try to convince her of things that were just borderline improper at times, and if she didn't want to stammer unsupported protests, then she needed to know everything possible.

As soon as the dragoness released them, the three were off like greased lightning, the brothers sliding through the crowd and into the ship with a practiced ease. Liukari glanced up at them as they paused for a moment and did that creepy-brother-thing that was like telepathy without the telepathy.

"Apidae, yo," Reno finally spoke with a wink, as he sauntered off down the corridor in the direction of the hives, bat over his shoulder, a jaunty tune on his lips.

Liukari sighed and fell into position, walking a bit behind Reno, while Rieno fell into step behind her. It never ceased to amaze her exactly how frightening the brothers could be -- Reno, despite his jaunty tune, had that look in his eyes again. Death would come to any who got in his way, and he wouldn't mourn in the slightest. Rieno, who had joined his brother in singing jauntily, was still playing with his electro-rod, his fur slightly bristled, teeth worrying at one of the candy cigs he'd stolen from Reno who'd 'stolen' them from Cid, perfect image of a rogue.

cacopheny:

((Airy)) While Rusaleon stopped short, compassion in his eyes and a large, clawed hand already extended with every intention of trying to heal away some of that infection, Netahiln eyed the creature with disgust. She wasn't lying-- but she wasn't telling the whole truth, either. ~Hold off a sec, kid,~ she told him sternly, opening one furry wing between him and the Smok. ~There's a catch, and I wanna know what it is before you go all kumbaya on her.~ Rusaleon glared at her, but she was used to that. ~Out with it, Smok. What's the catch? If you don't tell me of your own accord, I'll yank it out myself, and you won't like that one bit.~

Phoenix:

Ac’ve was used to having baaaaad feelings about the ship she lived on and the tiny little bipedal creatures that ran it and ordered her people around, but they were nothing compared to the frightened bewilderment she felt when the Pameic Sta was attacked and the hive guards were called away to protect the Smok of all things, which in turn was completely overwhelmed by panic at the explosions, the tumbling, the screaming and broken eggs and overwhelming scents and sensations in the air of all her kith and kin feeling the same terror as she. Bad feelings, thinking something was somehow wrong, were one thing. This chaos and destruction was completely another!

And La’ro, for once he actually looked like he cared. Even in his own fear, choking on the panic in the air, he seemed equally angry as he flitted among the eggs with all his brother-drones. Every mournful lament at another ruined egg and snuffed young life was matched by an angry, helpless growl from the little blue drone. He doesn’t know who or what is to blame for the deaths of so many of his tiny siblings, but someone out there has a lot of boiling hate being thought at them right now.

Their mother-queen’s calming presence and demand for attention was eagerly, even desperately responded to by both of them: La’ro close at wing, Ac’ve far off at the entrance, milling with her forager-sisters. To Ac’ve, her mother’s words are a sudden and unexpected conformation of what she’s always felt but never known, and the thought of freedom from the Smok is irresistible! To La’ro, his mother’s words are something productive to do, a task to channel his otherwise useless anger into.

"I’m going, mother!" Ac’ve shouts, perhaps not the first voice but at least one of THE first, and rushes out of the now-open doors with no more than that. La’ro says even less, himself -- he simply growls, turning away from the children he mourns but can no longer help, and rushes through the crowd of his siblings to hurry after his larger, bolder-colored sister.

Airy:

(( Dray ))As the first wave of Federation warriors made their way off of the drop ship, many quickly found their ways blocked by Apidae guards. Ez’de Ri’ was one of these, but the dragon that came at her pulled up short, and even held itself so as to protect her from the other attacking Aipdae.

"Clutch sister?" The guard said, and washed Ez’de with a mix of pheromones meant to arouse here, to call her back to the hive, and to inspire honesty. "What are you doing with these aliens? Do you not know that your own mother is being attacked here?" Protective as the guard was at that moment, her body language was enough to hint at the shortness of her patience. She was here to fight... and fight she would, even if one of her mother’s own stood in her way.

Meanwhile, Delta and the other Skai were also faced by the guard Apidae. None stopped to chat with them, however. Instead they charged forward, side-by-side with their heads lowered so that the spikes growing on their backs faced forwards, towards their enemies. The floor shifted and rippled under the Sevar Skai’s feet, as the guards used their abilities to try to throw the other creatures off balance.

(( StarFyre )) Rieno, Reno, and Liukari had wandered off the direction opposite of the attacking guards... but even as the sounds of battle erupted behind them, they didn’t have time to disappointed, because five armed Smok males came racing around the corner. Those at the front of the group skidded to a surprised halt in front of the trio, and they were nearly knocked over by their brothers as they all struggled to stop themselves.

Clearly, these soldiers had been after something other than a fight with Federation hired help, but the strange blue tint to their uniforms wouldn’t have meant anything to the three mercenaries. At any rate, the Smok would have been shamed should they give more than a moment’s pause when met by anything besides other Smok. They quickly brought their weapons to bare on the trio and began firing.

Dray:

((Airy)) Ez'de, replying with a wash of sincerity, but edged with a plea to hold for a moment, replied, "These aliens are attempting to free our mother, and I have come with them! They mean our people no harm; I have returned from my travels with important information that must be transferred at once!" For once, she was not quite so reserved as she had been. It felt good to exchange scents with one of her own... she didn't think that all the time in the world would be enough to savor it, and she certainly did not have enough time right now! If she could prevent even one of her clutch-siblings deaths due to misunderstandings, she would seize that opportunity.

(( Airy, for Delta & Co )) Did Delta worry much about those down-turned spikes? Not so much, at least not at the moment. Roaring again, the little Sevar Skai (she was nearly half the size of the Guards!) made a hideous noise, then hocked up a searing hot stream of acid which she sprayed in their faces! A second Skai of the same breed was mimicking the guard who was headed for him, curling up into a ball as he aimed low, hoping for his own ragged line of spines to impact the guard's rubbery looking flesh. No such thing as bargaining with an ugly, eyeless alien!

Airy:

(( Phoenix ))

The colony room outside of the hives is utterly empty as Ri’s children emerge from their own nest. But the queen’s assumption that the doors had been pried open by the creatures of the Federation, her new allies, had been wrong. It was the Smok who stood at the massive chamber’s doors.

Male soldiers, with their guns aimed straight at the Apidae had formed up across the wide opening, and in front of them stood the Apidae commanders. These were the Smok that all the Apidae knew. They were the males who came into the hives to monitor the eggs and queens, they watched over matings, and trained the guards. Any weak minded Apidae among those that Ri’ had sent out to seek help, balked at the sight of these creatures.

"Stop there!" One of the men roared at the Apidae. "You are not authorized to leave the hives. Return now, or you will be shot." In response, the soldiers behind the herders clicked the safeties off of their weapons and tightened their fingers around their triggers.

StarFyre:

(( Airy )) "Guns. I hate guns," Liukari grumbled as she pressed herself against one wall, and licked her lips absently. This definitely called for 'extreme prejudice'. "Raoldin, lord of fire, grant your child the gift of your strength, that my enemies may fear me and my allies rejoice in my presence!" she growled out, one hand raised towards the ceiling with a small florish of delicate fingers. The heat that rushed through her body set her runes to glowing with a fiery brightness, even through her clothes, with wisps of foxfire dancing over her skin and in the air around her. When her hand came down and pointed towards the guards, it left a glowing trail in the air. "Firestorm." She said as she sent her will out through the runes, calling fire down on the group before her.

Reno had gone into motion the second guns had been raised in his direction, launching himself across the gap with legs and wings, bat gripped tight in both hands as he aimed for heads, torsos... anything, really. The pain of several shots clipping him was registered, acknowledged, then ignored in favor of dealing out every bit of damage he could. Magical electricity danced along his weapon, called forth by his killing intent. A huge grin plastered itself across his face, all teeth and danger and adrenaline. This day was getting better and better.

Rieno, on the other hand, had followed in his brother's shadow, paw flicking the switch to set his electro-rod on max power, but otherwise not making a huge show of himself... at first. As soon as they got close enough, he darted out and brought his electro-rod down on every hand he could, trying to make sure that these guards couldn't aim those damn things at Liukari. He practically giggled (though Rieno would later swear it was a cackle) as he fought, high on both adrenaline and the candy cig he was worrying furiously at.

Airy:

(( cacopheny )) ::Catch?:: The Smok shook her head, and a few bits of fur fluttered down from her mane. ::There is no catch. You are here to fight, are you not? You can fight for me, or your can fight for your weak friends...:: She waved one of her hands in the direction of the Federation drop ship.

::In one case you get paid more,:: she said with a cough. ::And in the other you get paid less...:: She coughed again, and then twitched a few times. One of her hands had started to shake uncontrollably.

::They’re coming...:: She said more to herself than to Netahiln. ::The infection is spreading... I’ll give it to them too... if I have to. Matriarch be damned.:: Again, the creature’s words were honest, but a tinge of insanity would have been apparent to anyone who could look in on her cloudy thoughts.

cacopheny:

((Airy, for Smok woman)) Netahiln recoiled a little. She'd touched insanity before... it always made her feel... disgusting. This wasn't as bad as it could have been, but still. Gross. And even if the creature wasn't lying, who knew what was true, when the insane believed it it? ~Okay, kid. She's all yours. Do whatever healing you wanna do, then we're going.~

Rusaleon flicked an ear, frowning at her with tightly-closed mandibles, but he did reach out again with a forepaw and his general ability to heal. Natron, less gifted than he was but with more precision, added her own touch of magical healing, trying to burn out the infection. ((done))

Airy:

(( Dray - for Ez'de ))

"They are attacking the Smok," the guard replied, and twisted her body so that her spiked tail was angled better for a strike against her sister. "And if they attack our protectors, then they are attacking us. You must know this." The guard’s tail twitched, and she flashed her tongue out at Ez’de to get a good look at her.

"A true clutch sister would know that," she continued. "So, you must be a Skai spy. We were warned of such abominations." Without further pause, the guard washed Ez’de with an alarm pheramone, marking her for all the other Aipdae who might come on her, and then she dove at the forager, mouth open wide, teeth extended.

(( Dray - for Delta and co)) The floor straightened and righted itself as the attacking guards were distracted by the acid that was burning its way through their flesh. One of the younger creatures, less trained, and equipped with thinner skin, collapsed to the floor with a terrible shriek. The others pressed their attack, but gave Delta a wide berth.

The other Apidae, though larger than the Skai attacked it, was slow, and the attacking Skai managed to drive its spines into the soft flesh of the guard. Unlike the acid that Delta had spattered several of the Apidae with, the poison of the Skai’s spikes was not instant in its effect, but the Apidae was experienced enough to know that it hadn’t simply suffered a flesh wound.

With a roar of rage, it pressed down on the Skai and tried to pin the other creature to the ground.

Phoenix:

(( Airy )) All the Apidae knew these Smok, but Ac’ve thought she might especially know these Smok that were her kin’s "keepers". A few probably knew her specifically, too, and not kindly. Back before now, when things had been wrong-but-normal, sometimes when she tired of playing tricks on her siblings and cousins, she played tricks on the Smok instead. Usually she was caught, and always she was punished, but that had never stopped her. It was the only way she’d had to act out against keepers that she, perhaps instinctively, had known had not right to keep them.

She had balked with the others, briefly, at the sight of all the armed Smok, but the indecision lasted only a moment. "Oh stuff it down your beaks," she snorted. Ac’ve lunged back into her run to bolt over and through -- literally, intangibly through -- the barricade of Smok soldiers. She was tall enough to simply run over the little humanoids, but even if she’d been small, shifting intangible meant they could fire at her all they wanted, since it wouldn’t bother her a bit.

La’ro, though far smaller and lacking such a ghosting ability, on the other pseudopod was a lot angrier and looking for someone to hurt as his unhatched siblings had been hurt. When Ac’ve bolted forward, he reacted quickly, in hopes that her great red form would serve as a distraction and lunged at a different part of the line, himself. He gathered an ability of his own and flashed a great, hopefully blinding light ahead of him, meaning to gain a moment’s advantage on the nearest Smok before he sunk his teeth, flooding off every kind of fear-alarm-rage-helpme!!! pheromone he had to rally the rest of his kin.

Dray:

(( Airy, for Ez'de)) Ez'de exclaimed, voice raised, pheromones battling with the Guards, and electrical currents raised. She shifted to an intangible state, leaping through the guard, coming up on the other side and regaining some of her corporeality. "These aliens are barbarians, they only know that the Pan Smok are imprisoning our mothers; they don't know how to help us best! Take me under full guard to our mother and I can prove what I have learned, or I will seek her on my own!" Her mouth was half-open, peering at the Guards around her. Truly, she didn't want any violence -- even if she was attacked again, she would simply spirit away. How to convince these loyalty-bound servants that she was right?

(( Airy, for the Skai)) The trapped Skai snarled, infuriated by the attempt to crush him -- aided by that fury, he slashed and clawed in a rage that his breed was well known for. Delta, noticing that one of her compatriots was in danger, leapt upon the Guard's back and dug in with her claws, attempting to distract it long enough for the other Skai to slip out from underneath.

Airy:

(( StarFyre )) The fire that washed down over the guards gave them pause for a moment, and one of the Smok fell to that first attack outright. His light skin was blackened and smoking. The others, however, were well trained. One of the remaining four, waved the flames away with a glowing hand. The other three ignored the pain of their burns to take on the other two attackers.

Reno caught one of these with his weapon, but even as the Smok convulsed and fell from the blow, he grabbed at Reno. It became clear almost immediately that the dying dragon’s intent was to hinder the mercenary so that his companions could take him out.

However, help would be slow in coming for that brave warrior, because Rieno was more than a match for two Smok that had focused their attention on him. One of them had lost their gun, and the other, though still armed, had backed off in an attempt to regroup. He tugged at the bottom of his weapon, hoping to reload before Rieno could attack again.

The last Smok twisted its hand through the air, and disappeared with a magical crackle of electricity.

(( Phoenix )) The gathered Smok ignored Ac’ve. They weren’t here to keep every single Apidae from leaving the colony room. That just wouldn’t be possible... they were here to make it clear to any and all of the creatures trying to leave that they were acting against their masters. That’s all that their matriarch wanted of them, and it would have to be enough. Fear, not physical strength would hold most of the Apidae back, and the rest... well the rest would get through.

La’ro, on the other hand, was something that the Smok were more prepared to deal with. They fired off their weapons as quickly as they could, and they might have killed the brave drone, had his pheromones not summoned his brothers and sisters to him. Frightened though the Apidae might have been, there were few among them who could resist such a call for help. The wave of attacking dragons pressed an opening through the Smok line for La’ro.

On the other side of the Smok, where Ac’ve easily got herself, and to where La’ro could have found his way through the Smok as well if he chose, there stood a single drone. It bowed its head to Ac’ve, but sent no pheromone signals to the other Apidae. With an inviting flick of its tail it disappeared down a dark service tunnel that branched off of the wide, biway that led up to the colony rooms.

(( cacopheny )) If the Smok had an inkling that the intruders were trying to heal her, she did a good job hiding it... in fact, as soon as the magic touched her, she started to scream. More than scream, she started to tear at what was left of her mane, and then fell to her knees.

::WHAT ARE YOU DOING?:: Her telepathic voice was painfully loud then, and more controlled than before. ::You mustn’t kill the infection! No, no, no... I NEED it! You’ll need it too... you’ll want it!:: The Smok opened her beak wide in a silent exclamation, and ceased her screaming.

::I’ll give it to you, :: Her voice hissed. ::If you help me... I’ll give it to you too. It will make you see.:: She started laughing for a moment, and then she digressed into a coughing fit. At that moment a single male Smok rounded the corner. He drew to a quick stop and then raised a weapon and pointed it at the Smok female. He didn’t seem the least interested in Netahiln or her friends, but he was most certainly ready to kill his fellow Smok.

StarFyre:

(( Airy )) Liukari pushed herself away from the wall as soon as she was sure the threat was (mostly) neutralized and began walking towards the brothers. Her left hand flicked out to side, palm down towards the ground, and she spoke, "Kisan, lady of plants, lend your child the gift of your steadiness, that my allies be healed and my enemies bound." Her runes flashed once, incandescing to white, then settled back into a steady, soft green glow, much gentler in appearance than that of the red. "Really, Reno, did you have to barrel head on into the group?" She tisked as she sent a wash of power out over him and watched as his wounds healed cleanly. He'd pay for the forced healing with the appetite of a dozen bears just out of hiberation, but for now they were good to move on again. A casual flick of her powers brushed over Rieno, checking and caring for the scrapes and thumps that such a swift, brutal fight always left.

Reno flashed her a vicious grin, even as he brought his stick down on the dying Smok again and pulled himself free. "Well, why not, eh? Ain't like they wanted t'chat, y'know?" He commented as he stalked from one Smok to the next, making absolutely sure that those downed were now out, and not about to fall on their backs when they moved on. He was nothing if not efficient, this sort of job calling no emotion to the fore, even as Liukari turned away in disgust.

While his brother was making sure of the downed, Rieno was bouncing on the balls of his feet, excitement in his eyes as he watched the last standing Smok for a moment, then darted forwards with a battle-cry, his rod gripped tight in one paw. While he could respect this warrior, who'd managed to evade the first rush and remain standing, it was time to bring this to an end and move on.

Airy:

(( Dray - for Ez'de)) "Do you really think us so stupid, invader?" The guard snarled. "That we would lead you straight to our queen?"

Suddenly, the guards around Ez’de moved away from her, and without warning, their combined concentration brought the walls and ceiling screeching down around the forager. They knew that they couldn’t killed her face to face, but if caught by surprise, her body was no less "crushable" than their own.

cacopheny:

((Airy, for Smok woman)) ~We are helping you!~ Rusaleon tried to tell her, his mental voice pained, as he moved to her side, putting one hand on her shoulder-- a shoulder free from the visible signs of infection, at least. It was a ridiculous, when he towered over her. He didn't notice the Smok male with his gun, but Natron did. Natron's response was to launch herself, her legs turned monkey-like to give her the power to leap a huge distance, right at him.

"Stop!" she cried as she leaped, and Rusaleon yanked his hand back in surprise and reared back, flaring his wings, looking for the source of the trouble. "Don't shoot!"

Netahiln snarled, ready to just chomp them *both* in half. This wasn't helping anyone, and they had a mission to get on with. The more of those idiots they got out, the better they'd get paid, and this wasn't getting those idiots out. ~Natron, dammit!~ she mentally spat, keeping half her attention on the crazy lizard-woman. ~Get your glowing ass back here!~ ((done))

Phoenix:

(( Airy )) Laro was no guard, he was not built for battle, but he sure as hell was trying. He wasn’t exactly riddled with gunfire, but he was far from unscathed. Gunfire grazed him, streaking his hide with blood and pain, and in places it bit deep where bullets lodged, but maddened rage and mourning and the desire for revenged pressed him on with what little ability to fight and blind that he managed to improvise.

The scent of La’ro’s desperate pheromones and the sounds of battle erupting behind her made Ac’ve’s stomach twist, but her mother had commanded them all with a task...and it seemed Ac’ve was the only one who had pushed through the Smok to continue to pursue it, at least for now. Her thoughts and heart stayed back with her family but her feet carried her onward until she encountered the solitary drone, which started off almost before she could even acknowledge he was there. She peeked at him curiously through her half-open mouth but gave his silence very little thought before following after him, asking, "Do you know where the aliens are?"

La’ro, meanwhile, finally becomes aware of the gaps made in the Smok line and remembers his mother’s given task and starts to really feel how badly he is hurting. With one last parting snap, wet with Smok blood as well as his own, he peels away from the bedlam and limps into the byway beyond. He arrives too late to actually see Ac’ve be led away, but he smells her trail and follows it at his slow, limping pace. He hurts too much to strike off on his own, but he can’t just collapse in a corner, either. Not until he just can’t help it.

Airy:

(( Dray - Delta and co)) Delta’s attack, coupled with the poison that was already weakening the Apidae, caused the creature to let up on its attack. But rather than allowing the other Skai to escape outright, it forced the bigger dragon down onto him. The Apidae’s body did as good a job pinning the Skai as its concentrated attempt to grab at him had, but now the guard only clung to consciousness by a thread. If Delta could get its body off of her fellow Skai before the other guards were able to regroup, the two of them would be able to escape down the now empty hall behind them. It was unclear if they would be pursued by the Apidae, who seemed to mired down in the other Federation warriors that had come off of the drop ship, but haste was needed either way.

Dray:

(( Airy, for Ez'de)) The Apidae had been away from her own for too long; she hadn't expected their joint act of destruction! Though she could not shift to an intangible state before the detritus fell upon her, she did manage to thrust the artificial gravity of the ship upwards, enough to soften the fall of the ceiling so that it didn't immediately crush her. Snarling, trapped under the weight for a moment, Ez'de took a very uncomfortable moment of distraction from the guards to ghost through the waste, leaving it to settle inwards. 'Hopeless fools,' she thought, hurrying down the corridor, listening and scenting for other Hive members, but not daring to confront them now.

(( Airy, for the Skai)) It became clear to Delta soon enough that she was only doing so much good on top of the Apidae as she was, so she slipped off of it, landing with a clatter of claws upon the deck and grabbing at the second Skai with her mouth. There was no way that she could shove the Guard on her lonesome, but... "C'mon, soldier, on your feet! Let's move!" she was tugging at his ruff like a persistent mother, and he was struggling to squirm out from under the nearly unconscious Guard. His tines were buried deep in its skin, and ripped the skin as they came free (some breaking under the force of the weight, much to his chagrin!)

Airy:

(( StarFyre )) The last remaining Smok had had time to reload its weapon, as its enemies chatted with one another, but it didn’t fire this time. Instead, it turned tail and ran. If the three thought that this act was out of fear, than they simply didn’t know the Smok. There was no male among them that would turn from a fight with lesser beings such as they... not even if they were outgunned, or outclassed.

However, the meaning of this retreat was not apparent, even when the Smok had created enough distance between himself and the intruders to turn a corner down the hall and disappear. In fact, everything was pretty quiet at that point, besides the sounds coming from the fight between the Apidae and the other Federation soldiers just outside of the drop ship.

The way forward was left open, as was the doorway through which the escaping Smok had turned down. For the moment, it seemed that no more attackers were willing to make themselves present... if there were any yet lurking there.

(( Phoenix )) "Shhhhh!" The drone hissed at Ac’ve, and then giggled. It kept up a fast pace for a while, though not so fast as to lose either of the Apidae that it was well aware was following it. It lead them on through the darkness for a few more seconds, and then, when it had reached a branch in the tunnel, it stopped and turned to face Ac’ve.

"I DO know where the aliens are," the drone said. Again, its words were oddly unsupported by pheromones or electric currents of any kind. Besides this, however, it looked, smelled, moved, and sounded like an Apidae drone. "I am taking you to them." It further explained.

"I know a short cut," it added after a moment. "If you don’t want to fight any more of those Smok, I know the best way!" It flicked its tongue at Ac’ve, and then trotted off again. However, the tunnel that the drone was making its way through was headed downwards...

StarFyre:

(( Airy )) Rieno skidded to a halt rather than pursue the Smok further and get himself separated from his team. "Keep goin' or follow th'gun-totting creepy, yo?" He asked as he trotted back to Reno and Liukari. His electro-rod dangled from its strap on his wrist, current turned off, just an inert piece of metal at current. He watched as his brother and 'sister' exchanged looks, Liukari's challenging, Reno's eager.

Liukari jabbed a finger towards the direction they had been going, "We've got orders."

Reno just grinned.

"We're being paid to follow those orders."

Reno's grin spread.

"I'm not going to be able to convince you, am I?"

Liukari sighed as Reno's large hand reached out and ruffled her hair, as the merc winked and walked past her, resuming his jaunty song as he started walking down the hallway that they had been following, completely passing up the door, to Liukari's surprise.

"D' virgins taste better'n those who're not? 're they salty, 'r sweeter, more juicy 'r what, yo? D'ya savour 'em slow? Gulp 'em down quick? D'virgins taste better'n those who're noooooot?" Reno sang in his deep voice, amusement lacing his words as Rieno joined in with a high falsetto voice for the funsies.

Airy:

(( cacopheny )) The chaos that had suddenly erupted all around her didn’t seem to bother the Smok female in the least. In fact, now that the efforts to heal her had lessened, she seemed entirely content. She got to her feet again, and turned to look at the male that had been trying to kill her.

"Your Matriarch is a stupid one," she growled at him in the language that they shared. "To send you here alone." She burst out laughing and extended on of her bone thin arms towards the male, her fingers held wide. Then, in one quick motion, her drew her fingers into a fist and brought her arm back towards herself. At the same time, the male Smok’s eyes bulged and he dropped his weapon so that he could clutch helplessly at his heart. Without a sound, he was dead.

The female Smok continued to laugh.

::See?:: She said. ::It’s a gift.:: With that, she took one long, tottering step towards Netahiln. Her hand was outstretched, and in that hand was a single syringe, filled with a dark, thick looking liquid.

cacopheny:

((Airy)) ~Fucking hell. Natron! Rusa'!~ Netahiln leapt into the air, beating her wings hard, half to get herself away from the drug that this lizard-woman was peddling, and half aiming to knock her over with the wind from it. She didn't trust needles with goo in them, not after years of dealing with drug lords and their toys. Natron was scrambling away from the dead Smok, looking disgusted, and Rusaleon was growling, apparently displeased with the threat, or the betrayal, or the drug, or the *something*. ~Let it go, kiddo, back off,~ she barked at him. ~The last thing we want is you getting stung with whatever's in that shit!~

Rusaleon wasn't listening, though. He charged the Smok, for once in his stupid life giving into his temper, and swamped her in his own magical darkness as he came. ... well, okay, *that* wasn't quite so stupid. Though then he disappeared into it, too, which was a bit of a problem.

~You wanna fry someone, Natron?~ Netahiln asked, hovering heavily, with the help of a little supporting darkness, herself.

~Be glad to,~ Natron grumbled, and disappeared, turning spirit to seep into the darkness. Netahiln just hoped she did her frying before anyone got stung. ((done))

Airy:

(( Dray- for Ez'de))

Ez’de’s hall ended abruptly in a dead end... though the wall would do little stop her from making her way downwards through the ship. What might have given her pause, however, was the little figure that was standing at the end of the hallway.

It was a young, Smok... very young. Ez’de would have recognized him as a male by the characteristic curve of his beak and budding horns... but he was yet too small to have passed through either of the ceremonies that determined the path of every male Smok’s life. His innocence was as apparent in his face as it was in his stance. He didn’t fear Ez’de in the least, and, in fact, seemed drawn to her.

"Please," he said in the syrupy Smok language. "Help me, Apidae. The others left me... I-I don’t know where to go. I don’t want to be eaten by the aliens."

(( Dray for Delta and friend )) The guard shuddered one more time as the two Skai pulled away from the collapsed creature. Then it became still. The other Apidae were focusing their energy on the other soldiers now, having thought that the Skai had been crushed under their comrade. Down the hall from the two of them, a door slide open on its own, and the small space of an elevator became apparent. Inside, two female Smok stood in their decorated gowns. They looked out of place in the midst of the chaos, but they both swept out of the elevator and towards the Skai pair as though they were simply on a stroll through a park.

Phoenix:

Ac’ve was vaguely aware that something was rather off about this drone -- when everyone in your family talked with words AND scent AND electric pulses, you noticed when two of those three were missing -- but this had also turned into a day full of trauma and danger and a lot bigger things on Ac’ve’s mind than a drone who wasn’t emoting very much. She tilted her head at him as he spoke, shuffling her wings and flicking her tail restlessly, and made ready to follow after him...but just then, realized that a set of scents weren’t just lingering around her senses, but coming up from behind! "La’ro!" she yelped, turning and homing in on his feeble currents and the blood-heavy stink of him.

"Keep moving, keep moving," the little drone grunted, having become aware of the third party she was following. "Mother gave us a job and apparently we’re the only ones out to do it, so let’s do it."

Well, he was right, but-- "Well then just hold still," Ac’ve told her smaller brother, shuffling about over him. He hissed at her for a moment, slightly perturbed as she crouched down and wrapped him up in her array of secondary appendages, but then did his best to pull his legs close to his body and accommodate her as she scooped him up. It was a little awkward, but she was just big enough to manage it, before trotting the both of them off after the strange other drone.

Airy:

(( StarFyre )) At the end of the hallway, Reno, Rieno and Liukari found themselves outside of a rather odd door. There was a great metal wheel on the outer side of it, and this appeared to control a thick set of bars, which could slide into notches on the inside of the wall, locking it closed from the outside. Thick and securable as it was, this particular door had been left open.

On the other side of said door, had any of the trio tried to take a look at what lay on the other side without opening it, it would have seen a set of smooth stairs spiraling down into the darkness. Had they stepped through the doorway, they would have noticed that this darkness wasn’t quite complete. There was a light on at the bottom of the stairs... far down.

It flickered invitingly, and the sound of an Apidae queen floated up through the murk.

(( Phoenix )) Luckily for both Ac’ve and La’ro, the strange drone was not leading them into a trap... or nothing that was very apparently trap-like. And it HAD led them to some aliens, so it hadn’t really been lying either. But then, these weren’t the aliens that either of the Apidae had been hoping to meet.

The drone had led them into one of the Smok laboratories situated just above the Skala herd room, and here there were several "aliens." Several of them were Sevar Skai, but one looked to be an odd mix of Apidae and Hyre... though neither Ac’ve nor La’ro would have known the creature to be either. Mixed bloods weren’t something that one found in Apidae hives often... if ever. Each of the creatures was confined to small holding pens, and all of them began babbling at the two Apidae as soon as they emerged into the room.

"See," the drone said. "Aliens." It nodded to itself.

"You should help them," it continued. "Then they will help you. That’s what you want, isn’t it?" It cocked its head at the two Apidae, and the room fell into a sudden silence.

"You can open the pens," it prompted. "The computers here will listen to the Apidae."