CHAPTER 10: PLANETFALL

[Tori]

Shingu wasted no time grabbing his pack and weapons, tucking his wooden sword into his belt, before slinging his massive, straight no-dachi type weapon. He helped Reika with her gear, and if the sun was still out, would put on his straw hat. If later, it would ride over his pack. He studied the reactions of the guards, then tried to assess the technology of the world. A child born before the Time of Rifts, he knew fantastic technology, but preferred the ancient ways of the New Empire. He listened for languages spoken, hoping to find one he knew. He also searched for other humans, or any species he might recognize.

Weapons recovered, he casually left the stockade, using overhangs and buildings for cover to assess the situation that riled the natives. A hoard of demons would be appropriate to trigger the chaos he witnessed.

Gazing at Reika, he said, still in Japanese, "Two gai-jin. An hour before, prisoners, now we walk free. Maybe we can be of service, though we must find where we are best employed to defend these people. Let's find allies, and learn what we can of this new enemy."

He pulled two onigiri (rice cakes) from his pack, and passed one to Reika. The second he bit thoughtfully as he continued to watch the scene unfold.

"We should keep our wits about us. This strange land promises strange enemies."

[sasqaricious]

Krystal turns, "Is there anything I can do to help Captain?" She states as she floats over to where Balus is as she is worried and he is right now the closest thing she has to safety. That and her forcefields.

[Dome]

Fegh looks at the screen. Turning to their hosts he says, "are their contingencies in place for something of this nature? I know that violence may be abhored here, but not beyond protecting your own people I am sure."

[doc]

(Shingu and Reika)

you get out onto the streets of the city, to find the sun blocked by above by a massive shape

(Krystal and Fegh)

Balus is with the other security officers as Captain Robhen overlooks the situation. "They're confused - they've never seen this before - it's a planetary bombardment." He looks to the others and to Von Carmyn. "Tell them they need to evacuate - now - they need to gather every force they have and prepare for ground assault."

Von starts to talk with the Vulpese delegates and security force officers, then turns to the Captain. "Sir....they..." She looks devestated.

"They don't have a militia, do they? All this time of enforced pacificism and they don't have any kind of lethal force other than orbital defenses which have been devestated." The Captain blinks, then looks to Fegh and Krystal. "Options. Now."

[sasqaricious]

Krystal not being a fighter says the best thing she can come up with on her mind. "I am a mechanic, not a fighter, but if they built those satellites they would have some form of weaponry here or ability to design and modify those weapons. I mean they must break down. If we can get to where these weapons are stored, perhaps we can help them rig something up on the ground!" Knowing she is not a fighter she offers the best solution that a mechanic can!

[Tori]

Shingu gazed into the sky. Before the Rifts, space was a place where satellites made for television to travel around the world. Japanese took the World Wide Web for granted. A flight from Narita Airport to LAX or JFK took at most an hour with suborbital airliners. He barely remembered the old JAL jingle before Hiroshima stood alone as the last bit of civilization in the world. He was fascinated, for just a moment.

The orb hung in a space, that as far as Shingu knew, was lifeless and empty over his home planet. The realization dawned upon him; this wasn't Japan or even Earth. He might not even be in his home galaxy or even the same universe. Something else dawned on him.

Long ago, he saw a classic movie. "Star Wars." The idea of a massive ship blotting out the sun stirred an ancient memory. "Death Staru!" he shouted to Reika, and pointed to the looming vessel. The thing was there to bomb the planet he stood on into rubble.

The prison building behind them would be reinforced, but would also be a good surface target. An underground shelter would be better. Residents of Hiroshima knew all too well of weapons of mass destruction. Between World War II and the long-standing threat of bombardment by an insane North Korea, people knew their best chance to survive was underground, in a reinforced shelter.

He looked to see if civilians were evacuating to underground shelters, or if he saw officers and VIP's making their way to an underground command post.

He asked anyone stopping to direct traffic, first in Japanese, then in Cantonese, "Which way is the shelter? Where can we find the command center? I believe we can help you."

If that didn't work, he switched to English, repeating his questions in a thick accent .

[Dome]

Fegh rubs his chin and thinks over the situation. "If they have any other defenses beyond the orbital batteries, now is the time to bring them online. They must have a police force, to enforce their pacifist policy. It is time they mobilize them. We can use any vehicles, although all we may be able to do with them is run them into the enemy lines."

[Janxi]

Rei didn't have to grab her weapons because the most deadly ones she had were already on her body out in plain sight. Pensive green eyes glanced to and fro still unsure as to what to expect. Somehow this felt like an ambush. She followed Shingu, but only because it seemed the only way to go. Reika was still very interested in the aliens and the culture around her. She also wanted to find out how they ended here, and exactly where here was.
Once outside she breathed a sigh of relief until her eyes lifted to the sky and saw that something rather large was blocking out the sun.

In her native Japanese "What the hell is that?"

[doc]

(Krystal and Fegh)

The Captain gives a grim smile. "Good call, both of you. Let's get to their command center and see what -"

He's cut off by the sound of the building collapsing. Balus steps in to grab a support beam. The captain looks at Krystal. "FORCEFIELD! NOW!"


(Reika and Shingu)

You are on the streets when a large explosive shockwaves hits you sending you flying through the air.

[sasqaricious]

Krystal does not hesitate and throws up the strongest forcefield she can manage, save of course the one wrapped around herself for armour. "Done!" Is all she says in response.

[Tori]

As the shockwave hit, Shingu hardened his skin with Chi Gung, and grabbed Reika, using his body to shield her. They rode the wave as well as possible, and when they encountered the inevetable wall, he tucked the taller woman beneath him, doing his best to take the full force of the impact.

Roll with Punch + 5 [dice=20]

With a grunt, Shingu took Reika by the hand, saying in Japanese, "Let's run!"

He sprinted for the prison, knowing any jailer would reinforce his cells Shingu sought the lowest levels, through stairs, ramps or elevator shafts. Being subterranean saved lives. Getting beneath ground level was all he could do to save his liege and himself. When stairs ran out, he searched out hard cement and steel walls, iron doors and whatever else could keep him and Reika from the bomb. Any further explosions, he would take with his chi gung flesh.

"Baka to bomb us! Come down and we'll have a fair fight!"[rand=74449222236922552849448303000049530243861898060254941929406424252]

[dakota]

Balus did his best to hold up the collapse, even though it had forced him to one knee before he had his feet set. "Captain, suggest you retreat to somewhere's safer." He gritted his teeth. " Wait.., Krystal, how quick could you modify that laser that caught outr descent to to repel someting instead, say fast enough to damage an enemy ship? You figure how to do it, and our guests must have their own tecjhs to teach how to do it, right?"

[sasqaricious]

Krystal while maintaining her thought tries to come up with some ideas on the fly.

Alien Technology Mechanic - [dice=100]/35%
Weapons Engineering – [dice=100]/40%

(Both Pass....how nice)

"I think it might be possible, if we act quickly." She smiles at the strained Balus before her face is replaced with a worried look at what he is going through. She herself probably fighting the battle to keep the forcefield in place.

[rand=2383570593017761582775635013051271422242745229753749995793135811]

[Dome]

Fegh thinks about the proposal, almost angry with himself for not thinking of it himself. "That is a good idea. If we can manage the calculations, and make the needed changes, then it is possible. Perhaps repulsing the ship may be far too difficult, however if we tune the laser slightly, we may be able to turn it into an offense weapon. A laser strong enough to slow a ships propulsion should be strong enough when attuned right to do significant damage."

[doc]

(Krystal, Balus, and Fegh)

Balus flexes his might muscles, and managed to lift the rubble, coming up to a once clear sky now under a dark fallout cloud. The buildings nearby are naught but rubble, and many of the Vulpese lay dead and dying.

Captain Robhen looks over the devestation. "It's the Tarlok invasion all over again." He blinks for a moment, his spider-web scarring seems to stand out more on his face. "Find survivors in uniform and get them patched up first. We may still have a chance to strike back."

(Shingu and Reika)

You manage to survive the blast relatively unscathed, as you see the only other group standing appears to be, of all things - humans! Or at least Humanoid - the one in the center, leading the group, seems to be a normal human, as do a few of his underlings -others are more monstrous and mishapen, almost appearing to look as Oni. Of all things, they appear to be speaking English!