RP: 188604 [188604] 16: The Storm

Since Dumont has a villain NPC, Aries gets to have some fun:

Aries found that this was not a good situation, as she found herself propped into the back of a wagon. Outside there was nothing but a brown haze as the sandstorm ripped at the city. There was nothing to connect to, no way to reach out to Ace or move to any other device. The first thing the Ragnarok techs had removed from the power armor had been the communications suite, every part of the suit which could connect to something wirelessly had been torn out. The only way to connect to it at all was with a direct cable connection.

Yet she was still able to see, and hear, and even try and shout over the roar of the wind: But not much else.

The bounty hunters had expected they would have had to scale the walls of the palace to try and bypass the aliens' defenses. They didn't expect this would have gone so well that there was a convenient breach. What few of Lewis' men they had found shouted that they had even scored a direct hit on the enemy leader, triumphant as the thunder across the sky... That wasn't good for McLewski. She had the biggest price. Stepping in through the breach, they had found signs of a fight. Some of Lewis' men dead on the ground. In one cell with a broken wall there was crumpled portions of armor... And then McLewski spied the two alien guards crushed under rubble from the cannon fire.

And then Aries had spied McLewski spying her. Hanging there in the cell across from Ace's. Trapped in the disembodied torso of a semi-dismantled suit of power armor. The holy grail of alien technology on this planet. Two of McLewski's gang grabbed the weapons from the dead Ragnarok guards, while their apparent leader unlocked the cell door using their keys, and Aries had found herself dragged outside and dumped into a commandeered covered wagon. Two of these attacking locals loading her in the back.

"General's going to want to see this thing." One shouted between blasts of lightning, as the blindered horses started to pick their way through the storm.

Back in the Palace:

McLewski's gang was down to three men now. Two had left to escort their new sack of gold coins that was still in armor form. Two had gathered alien weapons, leaving the leader with his own shooting irons... And they were inside the palace now, without even having to fight or climb their way in. Making sure they were alone, McLewski directed his men.

"You two, go back out and start plan two." He said. Grabbing a sandy bag from under his coat and sticking his hand inside. "Their leader isn't dead, that's two big hauls in this shithole left..."

His two men left to head back to the cells and out of the breach in the walls. A handful of buttons clattered onto the floor of the palace hallway. McLewski pulling out a long strip of cloth from his bag: Corgan, Rubi and Arccos had been out of the city to investigate the death of a Brigadier when this all began. McLewski had cleaned up the dead man's uniform very well, the roughspun poncho stained only with Arccos' six pointed star in a half circle was slung neatly over the bounty hunter's shoulders.

A loyal deputy made his way through the palace. It was the duty of a royal subject to make sure their liege was escorted to safety.

Over at the old Courthouse:

It was hard to move through the city for Arccos. Dirtdwellers never seemed to talk about when the dirt would come up to attack you. It had taken some finagling, but by loading memory of the city's layout to her mindware she could overlay an AR image of how the streets were laid out into her cybernetic eyes. The end result was that she didn't run into walls. She just ran into everything else on the way here.

When pounding on the courthouse doors didn't work, Arccos put a composite fist through the damn thing before her fist opened to show her badge of office in an open palm. The gathered Brigadiers hadn't wanted to open the door to the storm, but a lot of them snapped to attention when a towering alien encased in sand blasted power armor really knocked. Someone would be sweeping those floorboards later. Or maybe not.

The Brigade's headquarters were sort of a mess of controlled chaos. The courtroom had been converted to something like a feasthall for townspeople to retire to after a public trial, the chambers of judges pillaged for books of Osman law to be used as kindling, the statue of Justice pushed to one side and replaced with a mural of crossed chicken drumsticks. Generally it was what you got when you made a Freespacer the leader of law enforcement.

"We're under attack. Cannons in the city." Arccos boomed to the Brigade. "Storm gear on, we have work to do."

Soon, groups of Buttonless Brigadiers were inching their way through the city. Arccos using her AR overlay to lead them towards rows of houses surrounding the palace, knocking on doors and offering shelter away from cannons. Further incentivised with an offer of non-algae based food and drink for any seeking shelter with them.

Wagon
Aries tried to move but found that only the skeleton parts were left and would require power to be rerouted and time to warm up before they could have a chance of moving the suit so instead she decided to start up a conversation with her 'drivers'. "Umm...excuse me but could you explain to me what's going on and could you return me to my friend Ace he was being held captive by Uso so I'm sure that with some talking he would help you he looks like you people as well though he is not entirely human he's augmented and I need him to function. Also he would probably kill you all once he finds me if you don't talk to him first."

City Exterior

The rebar bouncing off of the windshield was enough to send Rubi sprawling out of the car, barely being able to get the Styrling Muur helmet on before sand and wind began pounding away at the armor. As terrified as she was, she glad the suit was protective against the storm for right now. Now began the business of the dog.

With the storm raging around, Rubi felt that trying to yell at the dog would be pointless. She moved to simply try and pull the dog out as he shrank back into the corner of the seat. After a few moments of swearing to herself and struggling with Ragnadog, she managed and pull him out and keep him mostly covered from the storm. "Come on boy, we're heading the hopsital!" She tried yelling to Rahnadogdog before taking off, trying to keep him covered from the hellish storm.

AI Wagon Ride:

"Well I'll be a sonuva bitch!" One of the two bounty hunters exclaimed. His voice muffled from the scarf covering his face, as he peered through goggles at the armor. "'ey said these things could gittup an' walk, but they talk atcha too."

The second man, the one driving the covered wagon just looked back over his shoulder for a second. He obviously hadn't heard anything over the storm. He was more concerned with keeping the horses calm and moving through all the sand, sticking to the wind shelter provided by the houses of the city to retain as much visibility as possible. Rather than try and keep conversation, the man in the back hunched forward a little, seemingly trying to make sense of Aries' words.

"...Sorry whatever ya are. But ya friend were gone. An' I don't know what no Oo-so is about. Weren't nothin' in that jail but you an' dead men. We." He said, pointing between himself and the other man, "We taking you ta see a man who will know how to deal with all this. If ya friend can track us down? If he alive? Then we can talk about his help. But no sense seein' you get blowed up by them General's men."

AI Wagon Ride
"Uso is the 'empress' or the boss of us aliens that arrived first. Also my friend is very much alive otherwise I wouldn't be online right now." Aries had done enough to be able to move at least one arm. "Do you have anything electronic that was brought here that would be the same kind of tech that this armor is?"

Palace Interior>

The I'ee commander let out an infuriated hiss when she was shoved to the ground, buzzing her wings in an effort to ward her assumed attacker away and scrambling to her feet in time to find a rifle shoved into her grasp. Perfect! Rising back to her feet, the I'ee held her new gun aloft with one arm, aiming it squarely at Ace's back, and fired it. She pulled the trigger again, only to hear a click.

At this point, she had lost the patience and composure for careful, rational thought, and tossed the weapon aside before running at the nearest soldier with a furious screech. Without her heavy shield, Gut-Stripe was protected solely by her armour, which was a simplistic, but heavy suit of archaic plate metal. Most weak points were covered, such as the petiole that joined her abdomen and thorax, the coxae of her limbs and to a lesser extent, her neck.
Her weakest point was her mouth, which, aside from the razor-sharp, metal grafts upon the mandibles, was left bare to better facilitate biting.

On that old AI trail:

"An Empress? Y'hear that Pickett?!" The bounty hunter in the back of the cart shouted, nudging his friend in the back. The driver, apparently named Pickett didn't hear. It took him a few more nudges to get him to pay attention.

"What is it you fuckin' nonce?!" Pickett shouted back, urging the horses to pick up just a little speed.
"Their leader's a woman!" The man in the back added with a little laugh.
"Th'shit should I care, Will? They from space, f'r what we knows they all wimmenfolk, b'just look like that! Don't matter t' Burgess wha' tackle it's swingin' anyway, th' state o' th' palace he'll blast whoever's in charge's head off like he did that Sheriff."
"But he--"
"I don't fuckin' care Will. I'm tryin' t' get us through this killin' storm!" Pickett cut off the one in the back.

So the man in the back was Will? They'd apparently come to kill Uso but didn't have all the information, or possibly any at all. Sensing an end to conversation with his ally, Will started to scrabble around the back of the wagon. Sifting through disembodied parts of power armor, including Uso's speaker-modified helmet they'd found discarded in the cell. Still stained with blood. Apparently Uso had been wounded despite the armor, and by the sound of things Arccos was dead.

"What'a 'lect-tron-ick mean? An' tekk?" He finally asked. Whatever these people were good at, it clearly wasn't anything involving any technology whatsoever.

AI Wagon
"If you could just keep sifting through that pile and I'll tell you when I see a suitable piece." Aries watched as Will sifted through the parts and finally settling on a data-jockey. "There that should do for now. Could you hand it to me?" Aries reached out the working arm of the suit.

What bounty hunters are good at:

No sooner than Aries had identified something Will held as something she wanted, the Datajockey was tossed forward to be snatched from the air by Pickett. Just out of reach of Aries' lone hand.

"What's 'is you idjit?" Pickett asked, looking over the datajocket a moment.
"It wants it!" Will shouted forward. Pickett's reply was to tuck it securely underneath his poncho, somewhere around the vicinity of his chest. Will didn't seem to know the word technology, but he seemed to know reasonable paranoia.

"I'm fine with keepin' this gracious, 'twixt you an' me. Wh--" His words were drowned out by a crack of thunder. "Whate'er y' are, all we know's you says you got a friend what's in jail. There weren't no friend in jail. Y'say he wants t' talk, an' mayhaps help. So we c'n talk if he turns up. But I'd have'ta not know dif'rence 'twixt m' own asshole an' Pickett's sister t' trust th' word a' some sorta killer tux-e-do what drop'd from the sky soakin' up nether-sweats offa fuckin' space invader."

"We got nuthin' but your word this fella exists. We got nuthin' but your word that whatever th' hell that thing is won't bring down th' arrowhead what kill'd the entire war. Pers'nally I'd like t' live m'life wit' more friends than enemies. An' maybe if fortune abides, I can one day call you a brother. But y'all came here t' take our home. Remember?"

AI Wagon
"True we did but most of us were promised pay if we helped also if my friend is alive I can contact him if I can connect to that device that you just kept from me. If you do I can tell my friend that I'm fine and to not murder you two once he sees you. He is very hot headed." Aries was able to get the head motors to work finally so she could turn her head. "Also I would be classified as female." Aries turned here head to look at the driver. "You can see what I look like if you hand me that device. Or I could allow you to use the suit once I get it operational again I do have all the parts here to make a full repair."

Queen's Slave

Zack said:

“Why are we out in space?” She asked, concerned, and just a bit shaken up from the abrupt launch,”Was the storm so bad we couldn't remain on the surface?”

Click to expand...

"Cannon concealed in a wagon," Both Errowyn and Daniel spoke at the same time in reply. They both paused and looked at each other with a giggle and chuckle. Errowyn continued, "within the ship's shield field. Which makes the cannon a very useful item to breech the ship with all of its high tech toys, weapons and armor."

"The Rags know how to fight without the high-tech toys. If they stayed awake during Boot Camp." Daniels glanced at Ivory. "You might want to hang on. After the worse of the storm has pasted. We're going back into that shitstorm to see if there are any survivors worth supporting." He glanced at Ivory. "You might want to secure stuff, yet have it ready when we touch down, Miss Ivory."

"Let me go to the Palace. Take the Queen's Slave to Cyrus fortress and hole up there for now. I'll see if I can't find and rescue Uso. I've my Daisy still onboard." Errowyn spoke softly.

Daniel nodded as he flew at the edge of space, ready to make the drop when the winds dropped after the main force of the sandstorm had past.

Errowyn scrambled from the bridge to her cabin and suited up. She was thankful that Daniel hadn't made the move into her cabin and moved her stuff. She moved through the Queen's Slave and unsecured her Daisy from the hold downs and climbed into it. She ran checks as she powered up the heavy main battle armor. Her first priority was to get Uso, whether dead or alive on the ship. By now whom-ever was at the Palace would've moved her to the Infirmary. If Uso wasn't recoverable, then it would be Rapheal next on the list to recover.

Mt. Gleipnir

Cyrus sighed as he turned to his two escorts. "Get inside!" He called over the squad channel. He looked back at towards the carts just in time to watch as the enemy soldiers threw the torches into the wagon...

"Run!" Cyrus screamed as he turned and sprinted into the cave and dove for the ground as the cannons all went off at once. The cannons all fired and struck the lip of the cave Cyrus and his men had been hold up in. The explosions rocked the mountain side and the ground beneath everyone's feet began to rumble. Cyrus turned in time to watch as rocks began falling from the lip of the entrance. The one of the enemy soldiers smiled sadistically as the rocks began tumbling down from the entrance.

"No...NO!!!" Cyrus screamed as larger and larger boulders fell and tumbled over each other as the entrance caved in...

The Palace

The Ragnarok soldiers sprang into action as the fighting broke out. Each of the Company commanders attempted to raise Cyrus to no avail. "This is Captain Leon, all company commanders report in on the command channel!" The commander of Alpha company ordered.

All of the companies reported in: Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. The commanders all began giving their current status reports, and things weren't looking good.

"Damn, alright..." Leon spoke, calmly and evenly. "Since no one can reach Cyrus I will assume command for now. Alpha will and Beta will move down and secure the palace grounds. Gamma, set up on the palace roof and support us. Delta move out and find these wagons. Destroy them before they can get near our positions. Epsilon, move to secure the building and guard the empress!" Leon ordered, and each of the commanders assented to the new plan. "Where are you Cyrus..." Leon muttered as he turned and stormed down into the raging battle.

Mt. Gleipnir

"Damn it!" Cyrus yelled as he laid there on his back. One of the ID-SOLs moved and offered Cyrus a hand which he accepted. He pulled himself up and stared at the former entrance to the cave. "Well isn't this just bullshit..." Cyrus grumbled. He turned around to his men. "Is everyone okay?"

Nobody had been hurt. The techs had all been inside and the ID-SOLs had been moving inside just before the cave in.

"Good... At least everyone is okay..." Cyrus muttered as he walked around the large cave. "So, what to do now?" Cyrus asked himself as he began pacing. "We are trapped in here and our only contact to the outside world is..." He looked over to the Hammer cannon which had been set up. "The cannon..." Cyrus smiled in his helmet. "Hey! What is the status of the cannon?" He called out to his techs.

"Sir the cannon is operational, but it hasn't been tested yet." One of the techs replied.

"Good enough. Now we get to stress test it." He said moving to a table. He cleared it with a sweep of his arm to the dismay of the techs. He layed out a map of Ragnacity and looked between. "Okay. So we need to get back to the city, but we can't leave the cave, and our only tool that can help us is the cannon. Any ideas?" He said looking between everyone. Everyone was silent until one of the ID-SOLs spoke up. "Sir... um this is just a thought, but why don't we use the cannon and fire ourselves out of it..." the big man said looking down, as if waiting for a reprimanding. The techs began yelling immediately about how stupid it was. That was at least until Cyrus raised a hand to silence them.

"I like it soldier." He said smiling. Everyone looked dumbfounded. "Alright quit gawking! We need a drop pod that can be fired the cannon, so get to work."

The Techs began talking amongst themselves and after a lot of grumbling had an idea. "Okay, so if we fired a normal person out of the cannon as is they would be ripped apart. However, your cybernetic enhancements might allow you to do this without dying, plus we can send you two as well." The tech said pointing to the ID-SOLs. "We will fire you out of the cannon using this emptied casing. We will fire you from the cannon at a reduced speed. At the height of your arch you will need a rocket assist to get you three into the city." The tech said looking at the three. "This plan is stupid, but it is better than sitting on our asses."

Cyrus smiled. He clapped his hands together. "Alright!" He said with a wide grin. "I all ways wanted to fly like a superhero. Let's get to work men!" He ordered as they all got to work on the makeshift Soldier Delivery System...

Palace Interior
The bullet that Gut Stripe fired missed Ace by a few feet. While he wasn't harmed Ace did feel thankful that the musket only had one bullet in it and that muskets were the least accurate firearms in existence. Ace shouted over his shoulder. "Hey why did you shoot at me!? Also could you help me fight these guys forty on one isn't very fair even if I'm augmented."

After bashing a few skulls Ace decided that he would make much better progress saving Uso or contacting someone than trying to calm down the I'ee soldier. Ace decided to use the walkie talkie he had lifted from one of the jail guards dead corpses'. "Hello can anyone read me. I am Ace and Uso is with me along with an I'ee warrior we are engaged in combat but Uso has a very severe looking wound I needed her in the med wing fifteen minutes ago. I am outmanned and outgunned and need help NOW!" Ace said this while still fighting. Any response would not get through as the walkie was smashed soon there after.

White Lament

Sulfur was being sprayed in a continuous arc from a food processing system that was once directly in the path of the violently ejected power cell, sparking with exposed power lines to create a continuous exothermic blaze of sulfur dioxide. Carbon filaments from the nanotube crafting assembly had gotten into a cracked air vent, and were now being sprayed as a fine black powder from half of the grills on the starboard section. Steams and waterfalls of dayglow blue cooling fluid now completed the idyllic effect of the untamed corridor moss and mushroom gardens, except that it was all even more hideously toxic than the background radiation was dangerous.

On the other hand, the internal systems finally had power once more. Recharged by the constant lighting strikes, nine starlight cells out of ten had proven themselves at least workable in their stability.

Truffleclub rebooted to all of this, and could only ponder how it was the radiation shielding in their head that had saved them from the worst of the EMP. Checking a nearby junker confirmed they were much the same way.

Still, there was no telling when an even bigger lighting strike was going to come their direction.

Heavy footfalls echoed the smoldering corridors as Cloudy hastily repaired the connections to the point defense system, and put out as many of the fires as they could reasonably manage. Water from the refinery systems would only make a chemical fire even worse. Dry powder would oxidize. Nothing to do but cut off all access to that entire section, and vacuum-pack all of the surrounding rooms.

Point defense system was for the locals. The automata didn't know what they were armed with, but the boron-lensed laser turrets were designed to stop small asteroids travelling at seriously high speeds. Wouldn't stop them from just walking right in, of course, but if the current toxicity of the interior compartments didn't stop them, Truffleclub wasn't really sure what would.

Another lightning strike against the surrounding foothills reminded them it wasn't all that safe for freespacers, either... No, they needed to make an exodus of their own. They needed to find Arccos.

"...This why planets... bad idea, is." Was all they could express, grumbling to themselves whist they set to work in preparation. "No dirtball... ever good, Ar-cuss..."

Palace

The locals knew that a storm could uproot a tree or toss an animal many feet, but none of them had ever seen it deposit a giant iron suit of armor squarely onto the palace's doorstep.

Skirting eleven foot tall, with a horned mushroom-helm the size of a greatsheild, the entire statue moved on its own with a clumbsy doll-like shambling. Burning with an unnatural light that seemed to dissuade even the wind-strewn sand from touching it's unholy carapace, truly, this must have been the work of some ancient devil.

"~UUUUSSSOOOOOO~" A low, resonant voice bellowed out, dragging along a crude two-handed axe alone the size of a man. "~WHEREEE ISSSS UUUUUSSSSOOOO?~."

Along it's back, one of the giant metal spiders had been strung, spools of wire and chain imprisoning the sleeping thing.

The apocalypse had come. Terrible gods of old had come to smite the alien invaders, and this was their messenger.

In Palace:

As Ace became increasingly overwhelmed, the wasps proved to be dangerous to friend and foe alike, and Ragnarok's mercenaries took a while to rally and some sort of terrifying machine beast from the skies descended... As all hope seemed lost, a window on the far side of the courtyard away from the line of enemy soldiers crashed open with a shattering of glass.

One of the Sheriff's deputies had cracked it open from the inside, using the butt of his gun. Two clunky local rifles in sheathes slung over his shoulder, and dressed in the makeshift uniform of the Buttonless Brigadiers, it was like the heavens had sent a protector almost. Or at least Arccos?

"Your highness, this way! Th' Sheriff sent me to get you t'safety! An' a doctor!" McLewski shouted out to Uso, firing a few shots of covering fire. His gun seemed high-quality for a local weapon. Lever-loading repeater, looked like Arccos had sent her best in lieu of herself.

"You too big guy" He added to Ace, "Stop shouting at your own head, git your ass inside and follow me!"

Out of Palace:

That was five houses. Five houses with no one inside... Had the soldiers warned the people of the city beforehand? No, that didn't make sense. The house were all battened down, two of them still had uneaten meals on the table. Doors weren't kicked in, though... So it didn't look like anyone had forced their way in. Still, by the looks of things there was no one immediately in danger. These guys weren't using fire, and their fighting was directed at the palace.

Tossing a spare communicator to one of her men, she sent them back to the old courthouse to be on call if needed. It was hard as hell navigating all this, so it was easier to move alone in full armor. Even if the paint was getting stripped in the sand. Arccos stomped her way steadily through the storm, dodging anyone she could barely make out as fast as she could. At least once she narrowly avoided a team of horses and clattered into the side of a wagon before quick-stepping away.

She faintly heard the sound of Ace's call over the comms... But couldn't make out the message due to the storm's electrical interference. If she'd tried she probably could have worked it out, but she really didn't have the energy to talk with Ace of all people right this second.

This was dangerous... But in time, Arccos found herself facing stone walls. The palace! At last! Arccos took a few steps along the perimeter before snagging a foot and once more losing balance... Collapsing straight into a cluster of I'ee engineers and diplomats who had come to answer Gut-Stripe's call but wound up huddled together against the storm.

There were worse things to fall into than a pile of wasps. Not many, per se. Sitting up amongst them, Arccos raised her hands and did a quick head-count of I'ee. Giving each one a little reassuring pat on the head in the process before a great booming shout calling for Uso cut across the roar of the storm...

If she talked to herself a few months ago, and told past Arccos that one day she would be in a pile of wasps, listening to a voice from the gods calling for a Nekovalkyrja despot. One who had spent the last few weeks aggressively flirting with her, at that? Past Arccos have ran for the hills.

"This planet is fucking weird..."

Palatial Wagonload of AI:

The wagon suddenly jerked sideways, Pickett pulling the reins to get them to swerve away from something that approached. Aries could make out the sound of whining servos, and a loud thunk as something collided with the side of the wagon. But then the sound was gone as fast as it could.

"Th' hells was that, Pickett?" Will shouted.
"I think it was one'a them! Had one o' those suits on." Pickett gestured vaguely to Aries' current physical container.

Will just cursed, looking out the back of the wagon but coming up nothing. Whatever or whoever that was, they were gone as fast as they came. The wagon moved along unabated in silence. Will checking that his shotgun was clear of debris from the storm and settling back down. He didn't bother to reply to the last thing Aries had said. The statement of this thing's friend coming along and killing them was a slim chance under normal circumstances, but in this storm? Tracking them was impossible. And they didn't seem the sorts to be cowed by threats...

But then, from the vicinity of Pickett's stomach there came some confirmation that Ace existed in the form of his transmission. The two exchanged glances before Pickett tossed the datajockey back to Will.

Ace got a reply.

"This's Ace, y'say?" The voice definitely sounded local. Aries could see that while she wasn't trusted have something plugged into her, these guys were perfectly willing to talk. "We rescued y'friend, an' are on our way t' somewhere safe."

"It... Wait, no, she, sorry ma'am." Will gave a little nod of acknowledgement to Aries, "Ain't bin harm'd, and won't come t'none from us. 'an I'll hold this thang up in a mo-ment so she c'n confirm all'm sayin'. But she also says some other innerestin' things, now... Things like y'all ain't bin paid. Thing like y'bin in prison 'cause'a this Oo-so, an' y'just might be willin' t'help th' good folk'a this planet. An' if I'm hearin' it right, ya'll got Oo-so right there an' wounded."

"Gen'ral promised us twenny thousand for th' royal head'a this Oo-so... An' we confirmed th'payment with our own eyes. Y'all jus' gotta take it offa her shoulders'n y'can have... Let's say half since y'doin' all th' heavy liftin'. Y'get that, an' them Gen'ral's men'll stop shootin' right quick. Don't givvit to th' gen'ral's men, mind. Y'wanna meet up with us, an' we c'n give 'ya back y'friend an' cash that bounty t'gether."

To finish, Will held the data-jockey out. Obviously ready to snatch it back if Aries made a grab, but close enough so she could speak. Seems they wanted some proof that this Ace guy was on their side...

AI Wagon
Aries had gotten all of the upper parts of the suit functional all that was left was the legs then she'd be golden. She took one look at the data jockey before saying. "That isn't transmitting to anything. Which means either Ace turned off the device which I doubt or it was destroyed. There is only one way to reach him but I would need to link with the device. Before you even ask no he isn't dead since I can still read his life signs."

AI Wagon:

The two bounty hunters exchanged what seemed to be a meaningful glance, before Will handed it back to Pickett. The data-jocket was re-stowed, and the shotgun was double checked. From what they'd heard, this Ace guy was pinned and outgunned. There was nothing for them to lose in doing nothing, but everything to risk if this suit could call the aliens to them.

"Sorry, but no." Will said gregariously. "We'll be gittin' ya to th' Gen'ral's scientists an' sayin' our goodbyes."

AI Wagon
"I beg to differ you have a lot to lose." The suit began to make a humming sound which was drowned out by the storm and the suit began to get hotter. "What powers this suit is something called a reactor and if I over heat it which I'm doing right now eventually the suit and anything within a certain distance go boom that means you two as well. The funny thing is that I'll be fine since I'm not actually here I can jump to another suit like the one you just hit and be perfectly fine you on other hand can't do that so if I were you I'd hand the death machine the device." In truth Aries was just trying to bluff her way out by increasing the suits exterior temperature in hopes to fool the bounty hunters which seemed like an easy task since they weren't even smarter than a rock it seemed. Aries was able to get the left leg online and began working on the right if she wasn't able to bluff then she'd crack some heads.

Palace

The voice of some Ragnarok commander he'd never heard of in his ears told Corgan and the others what to do. The plan sounded reasonable, except once he got there he'd be taking command of the palace counterattack. His attempts to communicate with this Leon guy failed. Most likely that was because of the storm causing interference.

Ace's voice surprised him, but he could only hear bits and pieces. "Ace and.. Uso is.. along with an I’ee.. in combat but.. severe looking wound.. Med wing… outmanned and.. Help NOW!” He could hardly believe that Ace would help Uso, but nothing surprised him anymore on this planet. That is, not until he almost crashed into a giant mushroom-headed robot wielding an axe bigger than him, apparently yelling for Uso.

"What the.. What are you?"He said incredulously. The dim light coming from the thing illuminated the Junker on its back. It dawned on him that this could be what Arccos had been talking to. "You're Arccos's uh. friend right? I'm her friend too. She wanted me to get some guys together and get to the Palace. That's where Uso is. Follow me, I'm headed that way. Be ready for people to attack you, though." He hoped the thing understood Trade. If not he was about to get murdered by a fungus.

Corgan tried getting a message to Ragnarok command again. "Leon, this is Corgan. I'm not far from the Palace, can't see much but there are some enemies guarding the entrance. If you see a big mushroom man with an axe, don't shoot, he's a friend of Arccos. Let's form up at the gates and take back the palace. Careful of the I'ee, they get hard to reason with when their leader is threatened."

Palace Interior
Ace turned around just long enough to see the deputy before he grabbed a man from the group and held him while he backed away. "Right behind you." Ace dumped the man before picking up the wounded Uso and sprinting after the deputy. "Hey don't mind me asking but who are you?" Ace looked at the man's weapons. "Hey got a spare?" Ace pointed to the man's guns.