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Post by emeralddragon on Mar 10, 2018 4:40:40 GMT 10
As the Kokuyouseki Shinjitsu and its companion ships sped through this far rarer version of Open The Way, the crew were clearly nervous. It was one thing to know that Space and time was being bent by the Water Kami....the readings of that were typical and familiar. There were still rules to that, even if they were bent. What the scanners were showing now made no sense. Instead of stars lines stretching, or bending or vanishing, according to the sensors, stars were at times splitting into multiple pieces, and flying off in random directions. Other times, even through the thick shielding, brief flashes of light were visible. And at least on one occasion the sensors seemed to imply the ship had somehow passed through a region of incredible heat and density....and then passed through what every sensor declared had to be a lake not two seconds latter.
At least two sensors were not responding at all.
The ships and the drone the Obsidian Truth was only occasionally getting a signal off, remained completely undamaged despite the chaotic and contradictory information.
Finally the Drone ahead of them seemed to slip back into stable reality and data was passed back.
Detection: Early stage Nebula, Tsuzumi type. Quad protostar system. 3 Toturi type, one unknown. Use of Gravitational and Microwave scanners strongly advised. No Planetoids detected.
The Radar officer quickly states, "Diagotsu-Sama, assuming this information is accurate, we should be safe. However we will be lucky if we see all 4 proto stars in the sky, let alone the stars outside this primitive solar system. This Nebula is extremely dense. Fortunately it means its unlikely we can be detected by anyone else either."
((OOC: Upon entering real space I will need the following rolls: All Shugenja: Spellcraft/Int Anyone else: Either Lore: Spirit Realms/Int or Lore Astronomy/Int Shinjo Ketaan: Roll Willpower.))
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Post by Kasuga Naosuko on Mar 10, 2018 5:52:33 GMT 10
Raw Int for Lore: Astronomy, 3d10: 3d10 24 ((Still out of Void lol)) The Tortoise stood near the drone console, watching closely as the results came in. An unknown star type? They wouldn't have much time to figure out what that was.
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Post by Daigotsu Enshiro on Mar 10, 2018 11:23:19 GMT 10
"Thank you, officer." Daigotsu says with a nod. "Be prepared to utilize Gravitational and Microwave scanning." Spellcraft/Intelligence: 5d10o10k4 39
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Post by The Wake Angels on Mar 10, 2018 14:03:35 GMT 10
Aboard the cruiser, Tai-Wen does not look up from her space in the engineering bay as the information echoes along the hull of the military vessel. Muttering to herself about the culinary uses of certain invertebrates, she almost carelessly flicks through the raw data of the drone's feed, pushing anything that she thinks of interest to the console where the Kasuga can see it. At least she has her head screwed on straight.
Tai-Wen, Unskilled Int: 20Aboard his Baurunghar, Ariel wiles away the moments before the Void is breached by flicking through an old paper novel he keeps tucked under his seat. The archaic format is calming somehow, and he is caught with clear and easy mind when the familiar tickle of the kami's presence re-enters his awareness. He thumbs the bookmark to its new home, then sets the novel back down as the spirits begin to sing in the dark shell of the opaque shielding surrounding his vessel. Ariel, Spellcraft/Int for the taste of unknown stars : 29
For his part, Ketaan's trip is spent in forced indifference. He doesn't mind the dark. Dark is an old friend for a stardancer like he. He simply removes his earphones, auto-syncing his pad to the ship's interior audio, and fills his cockpit with song. Still, something is... not quite right. Something tugs at old, familiar, and entirely unwelcome cords... Ketaan, Willpower (Uh oh. -5 if relevant to disadvantage): 12
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Post by The Wake Angels on Mar 10, 2018 20:08:33 GMT 10
((Apologies for Double Post, but relevant actions due to GM messages.))
There is a soft click as the pad stops transmitting, the bubble on top of the Unicorn fighter falling silent. A much softer click comes as a flightsuit-covered finger haltingly depresses the coms button.
"Hey. There's... something I should check out. Hang tight."
"KETAAN, WAI..."
Whatever Ariel was going to say, it falls on deaf coms as the finger is languidly removed from the button. The hand instead grasps the controls, dialing down the shields to visible levels of transparency while its silver-gloved companion eases on to the throttle, giving it a light twist.
****
"TAI-WEN,"
"I KNOW!"
The engineer, wide-eyed, explodes into a furious burst of movement, tools knocked carelessly about the engineering bay as she blows past the tables and consoles. She bodily throws a bewildered junior engineer out of her way as she rushes for the corridor, pausing only to slam a fist against the comlink to the bridge.
"We're not alone! Call general quarters! Move it, bugbites!"
Without further explanation, she dashes down the halls of the Spider vessel towards the nearest lift, calling up the remote warm-up sequence on her holotool as she does.
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Post by M'thack-kir on Mar 10, 2018 21:13:37 GMT 10
(OOC: we aren’t calling for initiative yet. Will see how this plays out.)
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Post by M'thack-kir on Mar 11, 2018 8:44:09 GMT 10
(OOC:...just in case this is being waited for...)
An alert is sent to Enshiro on the bridge that the Koshuud guest aboard is acting as though there is something or someone hostile aboard or outside the ship. She urged the Spider in earshot to enact “General quarters” combat ready protocol.
“What are your orders, Daigotsu-sama?”
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Post by emeralddragon on Mar 11, 2018 12:35:39 GMT 10
((OOC: Awesome, everyone who rolled, succeeded. And I can't really wait for the Loremaster. He was likely to succeed anyway. STILL, when you get here, Asako-san, please remember to roll))
To our non Shugenja: There is a known fact in space travel that most, if not all worlds are tied to one spirit realm or another, or favor an Element. Rokugan's balance as pure Ningen-do is incredibly rare and believed to be linked to Lady Sun and Lord Moon's actions. However given that their are no planets or even Planetoids in the system, the Spiritual energy is still in the dust in the space. This is why Nebula's are avoided for the most part. Its effects can be mundane, and mostly are, but sometimes can be quite unpredictable.
Some say that knowledge of the color of the Dust can in turn tell you the Spirit realm that dominates Nebula.
To our Shugenja: As soon as you return to real space you can feel the energy of this Nebula all around you. Its young...its VERY young, but more importantly, its very spiritually active. If and when this coalesces into planets, these worlds will almost certainly remain sparsely settled and most likely be places to study the Spirit realm in question.
As for which realm it is...you can't tell just yet. It feels ethereal, as if it energy would slip through your fingers if you tried to grasp it. You can eliminate the more hostile realms...Jigoku, Toshigoku and Gaki-do were very Jealous realms and you felt them try to smother you the instant you stepped into a place strong in their spirit energy.
As the blast shielding begins to be raised, first by Ariel, a beautiful sky of twisted clouds of gas and dust becomes visible. As reported, the stars are all but invisible, blotted out by the bright colours of Aqua gas, with thin filaments of gold, green and pale blue. Three of the Stars are as reported, standard Toturi protostars. The fourth is further from the fleet , but clearly the largest, has become a true star. However instead of the typical colours of a star, it shares the Aqua colour of the system's gas and dust, although a slightly darker shade.
Meanwhile the officers on the bridge activated the Gravity and Microwave scanners, increasing detection range to neighboring systems.
Still, nothing....they were alone. As alone as could be.
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Post by Kasuga Naosuko on Mar 11, 2018 14:37:53 GMT 10
That data is interrupted briefly as Tai-Wen bolts from her post and calls a general alarm. Naosuko studies what she was last sent for any clue as to what has the Unicorn so worried. She moves to take the place that the Unicorn left, studying raw data instead of the filtered information.
She had yelled at her comm system first, so something that the other fighters detected? Naosuko turns the drones focus to the friendly ships as they emerged from the void.
((OOC: Do you want a roll? I could roll Water/Computers but I'm not sure what the ring value would be.))
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Post by Daigotsu Enshiro on Mar 11, 2018 15:16:57 GMT 10
Surely, there is a reason for this panic. Though our scans detect nothing yet, the Void did send us here.
The Spider commands, "Make haste to your battle stations, crew, and be ready for anything. Our scans do not currently detect any activity, but we must remain vigilant while in such a spiritually active area."
Enshiro patches into Tai-Wen's comlink. "Is there a reason for this outburst, Tai-Wen-san?"
He turns to his radar officer, "Our gravitational and microwave scanners should be able to pick up activity, despite the density of the nebula, yes?"
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Post by M'thack-kir on Mar 11, 2018 15:35:56 GMT 10
(OOC: no roll needed, Kasuga-san.)
At her terminal, Naosuko notes that the drone has detected Shinjo Ketaan’s fighter to have lowered the intensity of its shields, ahead of receiving any “all clear” regarding potential radiation danger that scanning may yet to identify, if any. Otherwise, the ships are as normal.
”In theory, hai, sir,” the radar officer replies. “The sensors which were non-operational during the journey through the Void are functioning again, so there should be no malfunctioning as such. But as yet, scanners, even deep range ones, report nothing. Unless...” he pauses, then musters up the courage to share his last thought with his commanding officer.
”Unless, it is something the Empire has yet to be exposed to? If that’s the case, there is nothing we can do without more data.”
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Post by Daigotsu Enshiro on Mar 11, 2018 16:34:13 GMT 10
"Certainly a possibility, given who we are up against. Still, we have no choice but to rely upon what we have, for now."
Unless the Angels know something more...?
"As you were, officer."
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Post by The Wake Angels on Mar 11, 2018 21:20:39 GMT 10
Tai-Wen taps her coms to respond as she fidgets uncontrollably, wishing the damn lift would go faster.
"Ketaan went quiet. He NEVER goes quiet. Hard-and-fast, no exceptions."
A buzzing crackle heralds Ariel patching in to the shared channel.
"I'll keep pace. But we need failsafes."
"Right. Daigotsu-san, you've my permission to attempt to grapple Ketaan's ship if this goes south. Wait for my signal though, no hair-triggers, got it?"
"Tai-Wen, Daigotsu-san, I can't pick up anything on my sensors. The kami are blind as well. But Ketaan seems to be drifting on a straight path."
"DAMN IT, can't this lift move faster?"
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Post by emeralddragon on Mar 12, 2018 0:37:43 GMT 10
((OOC Tai-Wan and Ariel, Investigation/perception))
As the crew continues their duties and the filiments flicker across the sky, a question does remain....
Was their a trail to follow from here....did the Sassathif theives stop here? And where is here exactly?
The Navigation officer fortunately can answer the third, "Daigotsu-sama we have picked up a signal from the Miya network. Even taking into account the interference from the Nebula, we are much further out then planned or charted for. Given time I can triangulate our exact position... but we are almost certainly off Spider tactical Charts." He glances briefly at the Tortoise, "I am switching to our Astronomical charts now...perhaps the Shinomen Nebula is larger then we estimated. Regardless it will take us a full day to return to Imperial Space based on current estimates."
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Post by The Wake Angels on Mar 12, 2018 3:18:10 GMT 10
"Come on, come on, COME ON!" Tait-Wen realizes the true evil of the Spider: Constructing faulty ship lifts specifically to hinder guests upon their vessels. They truly should have been wiped out back in the days of sticks and 4-foot razors. So concerned she is with watching the floors tick by as the hanger approaches, that she misses what could be a glitch, or could be important. Her holo-tool neither knows nor cares. *** As Ariel's shields lower to visible levels, he notices... something out in the deep. Something that the kami would not touch, that instruments would not identify. What could it be? *** Numbly, the shaken being in a Unicorn fighter thumbs a certain deadly sequence into his ship's weapon systems. The Koshuud modifications whine in protest of the cold-start, but start they do. *** "Ketaan, your energy levels are spiking. What in Jigoku's name are you doing? Ketaan, answer me!" *** As the system gathers fury and force, the pilot depresses the coms button again. He tries to speak, but only a dry croak emerges. He coughs, wets his lips, and tries once more. " Seogka... SEOGKA." ***
" Oh SHIT. EVERYONE. FLARE."
The weapon fires. Ariel, eyes like a completely untrained hawk: 31Tai-Wen, stuck in an elevator, what the heck is going on: 13Ketaan flips out, Daisutchis the darkness, Attack: 60 , Probably irrelevant damage : 84, screw that one piece of nebula in particular
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