in the shadow of the skyline

[thespaceopera]

[ The Drift Fleet and the Interceptors are an overwhelming force when combined - they may look like a ragtag bunch of ships, but they sure do pack a punch, and the Vieziri are feeling it... Especially the flagship.

It explodes gloriously, nothing but scraps and shambles and metallic debris left in the wake of so much combined fire and heavy artillery. From there, it isn't long until the Vieziri retreat - unorganized. Panicked. Easy to pick off, should anyone choose to not let them get away. Those on the surface find out very quickly what's happened to their warlord, and they flee as well, deep into the jungles and far out of sight. With no leader, they have no plans, and they stand no chance. They won't be a threat anytime soon - or really, for a long while, if ever again.

=========

The Interceptors land on Lato'li, just outside the largest city their scanners can find, and they set themselves up for a short stay. They can help here, and so they will. They also know that those in the Fleet still have so many questions... and after all they've been through, well, maybe they can figure out how to answer some of them - if they even have the answers at all. No reason not to try, right?

And Zhade? Alive, against all odds - and grateful. To all of you. Stop by and see them before they find their way off this rock. Hell, maybe you can help them convince a certain fleet of crazy ships with crazy guns and crazy people to take on another passenger...~ ]


(( ooc: The battle is over, and the plot has come to an end. ♥ There are some more details for the aftermath at the bottom of the previous info post - if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask us!

You may use this post as an aftermath mingle! All ships are back in orbit (unless you really want to still be stuck and require a tractor-beam tow) and the Vieziri have been driven off! They are still out there in the jungles, lurking, but they will be leaving the Fleet alone. It is safe to visit the planet freely.

There will be top-level comments for The Interceptors - Namely, Angel and Monarch - as well as Zhade, if anyone wishes to speak with any of them in a non-rushed setting, face-to-face. Now is your chance to ask questions, get answers, swap information, anything at all! Dig, dig, dig! There is no time limit - we will continue the threads as necessary. ))

Comments

Dr. Mrs. The Monarch

[queenmonarch]

[ She'll be mostly helping with organizing the chaos around here - but she's also very interested in talking with the Fleet about many, many things: Singing planets, what everyone knows about Atroma, any theories - working or otherwise... It's time to collaborate.

She still has her secrets she's obligated to keep, but she's going to be a lot more open now than she ever has been before.

Or, you know, ask her about her shiny, shiny guns. And other awesome weapons. She's so very happy about her creations~ ]

[alwayscomeback]

[Hey there, M'am! Sokka is here, as promised. His arm is still bandaged up and tied in a sling but he's otherwise in good spirits. None of their own died this time, at least. ]

Hey. Thanks again for the assist. I don't think we would have got through that without you guys.

[It's done a lot to ease Sokka's general mistrust towards the Interceptors. Which is why he's here to talk at all. ]

[queenmonarch]

No problem. Glad we could make it in time at all.

[ she nods at that sling. ]

Is that the worst of it? Need any more medical supplies?

[alwayscomeback]

[He waves her concern off with his free hand.]

Nah, it'll be fine. We're pretty good for supplies. I was hoping I could ask you some Atroma-based questions, if that's okay? I mean...I get you got to keep some secrets but it'd be better than working with nothing.

[queenmonarch]

Sure, while we've got the time for it. I'll answer what I can.

[ She's glad he understands that she can't reveal absolutely everything - especially out in the open, where Atroma surely knows they're all here - but she's determined to do what she can for now. ]

[alwayscomeback]

Great, thanks.

I guess my first question is, how did you get free of Atroma in the first place? I mean...my first guess would be something to do with the augments? Reverse engineering them maybe?

[queenmonarch]

[ Man, he had to start there... She winces a little, knowing he's not going to like what she has to say, and sighs. ]

Okay, so that's one of the things I can't afford to get incredibly specific about. I'm sorry. Just... It took a lot of time, and a lot of planning. And you're right, we definitely... messed with the augments. Not exactly reverse engineering, but close enough. And it was not easy, and it did not go smoothly at all. We ran into so many problems - and we... definitely paid a huge price for it.

[ She looks more and more tense as she speaks, and then... sad. She sighs again, shakes her head in an attempt to not get so melancholy while they're trying to have a productive conversation. ]

So - long story short, we messed with the augments, waited for cover and interference from a massive nebula, found a way to cut communications, Marsiva safety protocols, and control, and got the hell out of there as fast as we could with everything and everyone we had left.

[alwayscomeback]

[That's...considerably worrying. ]

I guess messing with things attached to people's heads that we already know does some bad stuff when you so much as touch them was always going to go badly. I figured there'd be..casualties.

[He feels for her, he does. He offers an encouraging smile/ ]

Well, that explains why you guys shoved us in that Nebula once. Cuts us off completely from them, huh? That's...handy to know. Thanks.

I... I don't suppose you know what happens to the people who vanish? The popular theory is they go back home, but the vibe I'm getting from Atroma is that it's...not that.

[queenmonarch]

Yeah, some from that, some during the actual escape. Our fleet used to be much larger than it is now.

[ She remembers every single person lost, and she's going to make Atroma pay for each and every one of them. At Sokka's smile, she brings her tone back to something more even, at least - especially at the memory of when they knocked them into said nebulas that one time~ ]

No problem. Nebulas are annoying as hell to fly through, but they've got their advantages, that's for sure.

As for people who vanish... We don't have any definitive evidence that they go back home, and I don't think it'd be possible to get any. But from what we've seen, that's gotta be what's happening. They're not just keeping them on the flagship, that would use resources they don't want to waste. And anyway, sending 'em back home means they can just grab 'em later, if they feel like it. That happened to some people in our fleet a few times.

And anyway, Atroma's the only way to get back home. They're the only ones with that power and technology, and they can use it very freely.

[alwayscomeback]

[He files that away for the future. Nebulas ARE a pain in the ass, but if it means they absolutely get under Atroma's radar, well...that's useful. Never know when they might need THAT trick. ]

Oh. So...you guys have never found another way to get out of here? I mean, I've been collecting star charts, hoping that maybe someone will recognise something at some point. But I'm guessing it takes much greater tech than the Fleet has access to, to actually travel to people's home galaxies?

[At least he can be glad that it seems they really ARE going home. That's...something. ]

[queenmonarch]

Believe me, if we found another way back home, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you right now. [ No offense, man, 100% nothing personal, just true facts. ] Whatever fancy-pants trans-dimensional tech Atroma's got, that's everyone's ticket back home, end of story.

[alwayscomeback]

...Ugh, I was worried you'd say that. So, the question is now, how do we get it from them?

[Because as fun as this flying around space thing is, he has no intention of doing it forever. ]

[queenmonarch]

[ S a m e, pal. Hard same. ]

Well, I'm in favor of storming into whatever place they're keeping it and forcing our way through. But realistically, we should probably have some sort of plan for that. [ Beat. ] And we should figure out exactly where - and what - it is. Kind of important.

[ Details...... ]

[brainiest]

[ Hermione recognises the woman who had been on the other end of the line and she stops in her path to put her things down, stepping around the people milling here and there to go up and greet her. It seems only polite, given how kind and helpful she had been. ]

Excuse me? I just wanted to thank you, for the supplies. They were incredibly helpful.

[queenmonarch]

[ And she recognizes Hermione's voice! She smiles when she sees her. ]

Hey, no need to thank me. Just helped out where I could. Glad you made it out in one piece - is the rest of your crew okay?

[brainiest]

I think we're all very tired and could use a few weeks of rest, but we're fine otherwise. [ It's nice to have someone who understands, at least, and Hermione relaxes a little, some of the tension falling from her shoulders. ] What about your people? Do they need anything?

[queenmonarch]

I think you guys deserve a few weeks of rest. Here's hoping your next drift is a long one.

[ She waves a hand, dismissive. ] Nah, my people are fine. All our crews are intact, and we took pretty negligible damage, all things considered. It helped that the Vieziri had no idea we were there, you know? [ Maybe she's got a bit of a smug, mischievous grin tugging at the corner of her lips. Maybe. ]

[brainiest]

I don't think we're going to be quite that lucky. While the drama must have been thrilling to watch... There's always room for more.

[ She frowns, shaking her head, but at least it allows her to venture into talking a little more about her crew. ]

Have you been anywhere like this before? It seems like you all have a lot more freedom.

[queenmonarch]

Ain't that always the way.

[ She sighs, sympathetic. ]

Nowhere like this, specifically. We've been to our share of dangerous places, all in the name of ratings, I'm sure. But cannibals? That's new.

After we got away, we were too busy running to stop many places, then when we found out you guys had launched, we started following after.

[brainiest]

You'd think we'd be used to it by now.

[ But that's not really how it works, is it? ]

Is it safe for you to come and help us like this? If you managed to get away from the Atroma isn't there a chance you could get caught again?

[queenmonarch]

I'm sure Atroma knows all about us being here. We haven't exactly been subtle this time around. [ Haaaahaha. Ha. Whoops. ] We're not too worried about getting caught again. Atroma appears to have much higher priorities than recapturing us. That, or they must have a seriously good thing going with you guys. Maybe a little bit of both.

[brainiest]

We must be entertaining. [ Frustrated, Hermione crosses her arms, getting irritated now. ] We need to figure out a way to get away from them. Whatever entertainment we're bringing them is going to run out eventually and I don't want to know what they plan to do to us when they're done.

[queenmonarch]

Neither do I. I'd rather us all find a way back to our homes sooner rather than later. If we could just manage some kind of breakthrough, we'd be golden. Too bad our last breakthrough with the AI didn't exactly pan out...

[brainiest]

What was your last breakthrough? [ It comes out quickly, mostly because Hermione is desperately curious. ] Maybe there's something we can do to help try again.

[queenmonarch]

[ Ahh, she didn't mean to get the girl's hopes up, but... ]

Sorry, I meant... back at Dreadhorse's ball. That AI. We got you guys some vague answers, but it doesn't help that Atroma snatched the AI before we could study it at all.