nexus_crossings | The Start of the Storm

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The Start of the Storm

The god hosted Yule party left the Nexus in the state of beautiful Winter Wonderland. With the snow falling softly and steadily, and the beautiful festive lights twinkling in the darkness, the Nexus is left with a sense of serene nostalgia hanging in the cold air. This peace and joy clings to the streets for several weeks, buoying everyone’s mood as they look back on the past year and forward to ringing in the new one.

It starts in the Wilds, and the outskirts. The cold air suddenly feels like it freezes everything it touches in an instant. Light doesn’t quite pierce the gloom. Gentle snowfall becomes thick and falls hard. One or two people looking for shelter from their uninhabitable homes isn’t too noticeable. People can still enjoy their pretty Winter, blissfully unaware. Pipes freeze solid, paths become impassable, power cuts out, simple walks become baffling in the poor visibility. Soon it’s not one or two people, it’s many, it’s families. There are people coming in, bloody, bruised and scared, saying they were chased. Eventually the kindness of friends and strangers becomes strained. Spare rooms are packed to the brim and the storm that stays just shy of the bizarre torches somehow seems to have a slow, but unmistakable march closer towards a point where the Plaza, Industrial sector and Downtown meet. On top of that, people are complaining about PINpoints acting up or portals freezing over.

Streets are becoming packed full of people with far more problems than solutions. Huddling together and whispering about ghosts and monsters moving about in the shadows. In a place with no government, no organisation, no collaborative emergency services, chaos and confusion reigns supreme. And with chaos, comes panic. With confusion, comes frustration and anger. The Nexus is a powder keg waiting to blow.

That’s certainly how one Durant sees it. As a manager, Isidor is keen on organisation and order. Both things that are lacking in the Nexus at the moment. Groups pop up to help, but struggle to communicate effectively, or work together. Some people get free food twice, some people are still waiting for some at all. It’s madness, and Isidor can’t stand it. Particularly because she, her brother and sister-in-law are stuck here. So, when nobody else takes the mantle, Isidor Durant takes it upon herself to inject some order into this scrum.

In her fur hat and long coat, leather gloves and thick boots, Isidor can be seen directing people this way and that. There’s something about a confident person taking charge that means people instinctively defer to them. She becomes the point of contact quite easily, with people soon taking her direction regardless of whether or not they know her. Under her instruction, people are directed to a building that has tables set up, queues in front of them, and volunteers behind them taking names and telling people where to go. It might still be chaos, but at least now it’s organised chaos.

The question is: Where will your character go?

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((Below are comments for each desk. Tag any of them, threadhop, or post with your own character. I suggest putting your character’s name in the subject to help keep things clear. Comments marked with a snowflake ( ❅ ) have been coordinated with the mods and I as official event comments. The OOC Post is here! If you have any questions, feel free to message me or one of the mods!))

Threads of Note
Medicine/Illness | Shelter/Heat | Food | Security/Crime | Lost items/people | Misc resources/Donations | Volunteers | Expeditions | Planning Table/The woman in charge | Drulb's Deelz | A Ship in the Outskirts

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"Oh, dear!" The droid shouts over the sounds of combat, but he's quick to start following the path, trudging through the snow with a renewed need for, well. Survival. He's not a battle droid (although right now, he's wishing to the Maker that he was, maybe then he'd be much less terrified at the moment).

Nevertheless, he's careful in his movements, he's not designed for this sort of travel, and as such, he could easily lose control of this situation and slip on the ice and snow.

Harley has fought larger opponents before. This one is more difficult than others... evading or blocking her attacks. And then that second pair of arms makes an appearance.

She smiles as the sounds of gunfire fill the air. It must mean that Palmer and Furiosa are far enough away to get in good shots.

Her eyes narrow. And she speaks to the creatures around her. "A lot of things were just plain wrong with Mistah J. But ya know what... he had a point when he said always leave with a bang!"

With quick motion, her ice dagger is returned to her belt and the button on the exploding yoyo is pressed. She drops the little present in the midst of the large group of creatures that had surrounded her. And flips backwards, away from the entrance of the ship.

BOOM! The explosion will occur very quickly. And it will be big. Hopefully it will take out as many of those creatures as possible. And even reach the ones who are at the sides of the ramp.

Harley will land several feet away from the explosion with her flame sword at the ready... just in case she still needs to defend herself.

Edited 2019-02-01 13:51 (UTC)

Well, this is rust. The numbers they're facing are overwhelming, they've got limited ammunition, and now the three of them are in the open and their enemies have rifles. Furiosa has to admit all of that would bother her less if she were in a vehicle rather than on foot.

It's minimal mental effort to transpose what's happening around her to her own world. A downed rig, a minimal crew, dunes of sand instead of snowbanks, a group from a rival roadgang--scavs or Buzzards--and incoming fire. Turning to run would be poor strategy. There's no way they could run fast enough on flat, solid ground to get out of rifle range in time to not be picked off like tin cans on a fence post. Standing and fighting is the only option, but standing where they are will not make them any harder to shoot down.

"Eyes right! Circle, circle, put the ship between us and them!" She yells at Palmer and the droid, "Try and stay low!"

Doesn't look like bullets coming at them, but she's pretty sure a direct hit would kill them nonetheless.

Following her own advice, she takes a couple running steps to the side, then drops into a crouch to aim. The Glock barks out three times before suddenly there's Harley flipping through the lot of them, with fire in her wake.

Furiosa appreciates a good explosion, and while she'll wait until the debris settles to decide whether they're about to die or not, she lets out a cry of approval, a wordless, bloodcurdling whoop like a predatory bird's shriek. Nice one!

Palmer is heartened when he sees the creature who laughed at him take the hit, giving a cry of excitement. That serves it right, he thinks as he aims for another shot. He'll make them afraid before he's done.

At least that's what he thinks before the creatures reveal themselves to have guns of their own.

Well, that's just great. They're clearly intelligent, which revives Palmer's questions about why they were so hostile before, except now he knows better than to try and ask.

Palmer mutters an expletive as he drops to the ground, following Furiosa's advice. He fires off a couple more shots before Harley lets the explosion loose. Palmer is startled, but it was a good call on Harley's part. That should give the creatures something to think about.

"Not laughin' anymore, are you?" The mechanic shouts in the creatures' direction after Furiosa whoops. "I know you can understand us. I dunno who or what you are. You're smart enough to build guns and laugh in my face when I offer you a chance to talk things through. Well, that chance is up. I dunno why you want to kill us, 'cause we didn't do a thing to you. We ain't gonna be your prey. Leave us alone, or you'll lose more."

Though the creatures on the ramp are already scattering under gunfire, there are enough left that the explosion knocks flat several bodies and sends others tumbling, Harley’s dueling opponents first of all. Those who do pick themselves up after are going to have more tattered body armor to show for it. Another precious few moments bought for the team, and Furiosa’s swiftly got them moving again.

Circling the ship gives them a chance to break contact with their regrouping opponents. Either the ship’s bulk or the warmth from when it still had heat have left the snow around it thinner for some radius. They can make a quick run for it. Still, the ship won’t protect them for long, considering how those things clambered over it. There are more pouring out from the smoking ramp now, and those who scattered off it in time are still up and moving. Rifle shots will follow them as they break around the hull. Worse, there are deep shouts from behind… and then a roar booms out from within the ship.

They can’t outfight a small army. Running into open ground isn’t attractive, either, but if they get a head start the terrible visibility will work in their favor… and at least nothing can drop on their heads there. Just as important, the Nexus buildings are tantalizingly close. Get back to the streets and they’ll have cover to work with.

Having no real tactical systems or simulations to work with? 2V is already regretting every second of his life right now. But the buildings seem to be about the wisest course of action, "We should head that way!"

Cue pointing and already heading in that direction. Dia was going in that direction, so logically, if they can reach the plaza, they can reach her.

Nonetheless, the whole experience is terrifying to the droid.

He was not designed for this!

"Yes we should..." Harley drops her shoulder a little, and then grabs 2V by the waist to lift him up over her shoulder, so she can run with him. She has extraordinary strength. And can move fast -- even with him in her arms.

"If you still got that gun... shoot behind me. Take your time and aim."

She glances at Furiosa and Palmer, to make sure they are doing alright. "Look for cover. And stay together as much as possible!"

They have no choice but to make for the buildings. They can't stay where they are without being overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and running in the open snow for long will be a disaster.

Furiosa is glad Harley's grabbed the droid, although later on she might want to laugh at that mental image. She nudges Palmer with her elbow. "Follow 'em, go fast and don't stop to shoot unless someone goes down or until you get to cover."

She'll bring up the rear, and she's not a martyr or a fool, she's not looking to sacrifice herself, but she's done plenty of shooting moving targets while being a moving target, and she's not carrying anyone, so she's the obvious choice for cover fire. As the others rush for the buildings, she follows, but turns and fires every few yards. Enough to slow their pursuers, she hopes.

Palmer lets Harley take care of 2V, and takes Furiosa' advice not to shoot. He's showed the creatures that he can defend himself, which is what he wanted to do anyway.

He follows Harley and 2V as ordered, letting Furiosa cover them. She can handle herself, he thinks as he keeps his gun close. He still has a few shots left in case he'll need them. They have to prepare for anything. Those creatures are still after them.

"What I wanna know is how they got a hold of those guns."

It’s harder going as they plunge into the thicker snows. Out in the open, exposed, they angle through the freezing wind that buffets at them, numbing exposed flesh and throwing snow into unprotected eyes. They have to shout to be heard over the gale as they angle through it, toward the dark storm-shrouded humps of the buildings ahead. Turning to fire back, Furiosa and perhaps Palmer will glimpse the creatures spreading out in pursuit. Some seem to split right, or left, but in a minute or two a pack of them reappear, clearly on the team’s trail. The bigger ones fire a few rounds at them, but Furiosa and Palmer’s fire isn’t wasted. One of the smaller ones tearing for them jerks back- it might be a trick of the snows, but for a moment there’s a white blur of light above it before the creature falls. There’s a bellow from the mist behind, and the others seem to pause…

Then the wind drops, just a little, and the team besides Harley has the chance to realize they’ve made it to the streets. Empty and dark as they are, the streets offer a little shelter, a little more cover from the pursuers out there. There are side streets and shortcuts they can duck through, overhangs that hide them from hunting eyes. The pack on their tail has fallen behind, and the creatures seem to have trouble finding their quarry again. Sometimes there’s a scrabble of claws on rooftops, a flump of dislodged snow. The whiff of a strange, bitter scent when the wind shifts. Sometimes there are guttural shouts from the streets nearby, or a deep howl from another direction, forcing the team to veer their course aside. They pass smashed windows, gutted shops, a family restaurant where scorch marks and a stink of burned flesh and plastic are the only testament to the lightsaber duel that took place there in the last hour.

It feels like hours more before there’s a tinge of color ahead. A warm glow that resolves itself into two of the boundary torches. They stand sentinel at either side of the street, their light dancing over the walls as the team staggers past them, harried but victorious. Or at least, safe, as is the droid they’ve rescued. The moment they pass the torches the wind drops to a sharp breeze, the snow ceases to be a blinding swirl and drifts tamely down around them. There are voices down the street, and a couple of startled refugees who eye them warily until it’s obvious they aren’t monsters themselves.

They’ve made it.

Although they haven’t seen Dia herself, for better or worse…

To be fair, only two of the five individuals present would probably even know who Dia even is. The droid, and Furiosa, who might have trouble recognizing the exiled Sith who's bundled up to try and weather the storm elsewhere at the moment.

Being hauled up by Harley, however, surprises 2V, he yelps, as this is NEW! and TERRIFYING! And something else he wasn't designed for. He weighs a little more than a person his size would, being made of metal, circuits, and various complicated mechanical bits from the retro-esque future aesthetic a certain Galaxy Far Far Away always maintains, regardless of when you're there.

For his part though, he's been Force lifted by Dia several times, so he at least knows enough not to flail and panic, instead, he goes limp except for watching his Mistress's ship disappear in the distance, now damaged worse than when they arrived, and will likely have to be dug out of the snow given how the storm seems to be burying it further as they flee.

Or at least, that's what it looks like.

For all he knows, his sensors could be malfunctioning.

Knowing his luck, on this most unfortunate day, it could very well be true. "It doesn't matter how they got their hands on weapons, the more important thing is if they know how to use them effectively!"

When they make the safety of the torches, Harley finally ducks a little to place the droid back on his feet. And breathes a slight annoyed sigh... at the fact they were not able to reclaim anything else. Plus, the extra damage to the ship ain't going to do them any favors.

"There is a lot of mystery about those creatures. We report what we saw... and hopefully someone can find some answers."

Furiosa is 100% on the droid's side, for the moment. They can worry about where the guns came from once they're well out of reach of them. It's still a valid question, though. These monsters are strange; they don't operate quite like a trained military unit. The strategy they're employing is very basic. And yet, they're well-armed, and very, very tough.

She's wheezing subtly when they finally reach safety, although she's taken no injury and probably managed to pick off a couple of their pursuers. She had a collapsed lung a couple years back and while it's healed shockingly well considering the lack of medical facilities and antibiotics, a long rush through the snow on high alert makes it act up a bit.

She clears her throat a couple times, then pats Palmer's shoulder and gives him a nod of approval. Rational obedience is what you want in a mechanic on a risky run. He's done well as far as she's concerned.

A couple steps brings her closer to Harley and she exchanges glances with the other woman, wondering if she's interpreted that attack the way Furiosa has. "You're good," she says. "Very good. Better than me. But they could have surrounded us in the ship and we'd have never broken through without someone getting hurt. I don't think they were trying to kill us. What's your take?"

Edited 2019-02-23 17:15 (UTC)

"If they weren't trying to kill us," Palmer says in a huff, "why'd they laugh at me when I was tryin' to negotiate with 'em? Couldn't bother to tell us what they wanted. They would've saved themselves and us a lotta trouble if they'd listened to what I had to say." He brushes the tears in his jacket. Palmer's not usually like this, but his optimism had been roughly thrown back in his face.

He's physically unhurt, but the same can't be said for his pride. Palmer feels foolish. He actually thought he could stop the fight. It's a good thing he hadn't gotten himself killed.

He thinks the creatures are intelligent, all right, smart enough to set traps and use complex weapons, but they were clearly not interested in explaining what they were or what they wanted. He just doen't understand why, if they were smart enough to understand what he was saying, they just laughed his offer of peace off and continued attacking.

"That was too close. I'm gonna stay in the safe zone for a while."

Edited 2019-02-23 20:59 (UTC)

"Yes, staying in the safe zone might be wise at this point," 2V agrees, as he's set down. He's thankful, at this point, he's note human, so his fear of this whole situation isn't as obvious as it would be. Although he does anxiously tap the tips of his fingers together for lack of anything better to do with his hands.

"They seemed at least. Somewhat organized. But very dangerous. And I was not capable of translating anything they were vocalizing." He tilts his head, "Which is ... mildly odd, given my language database is extensive, but the Nexus is an unknown variable."

"Organized, but relentless. Ready to attack, but they didn't seem to take advantage of surrounding us. It was almost like they just wanted to push us away from the supplies. They didn't seem to be sticking around the ship to claim the supplies for themselves either..." Harley bounces on her feet for a moment as she thinks.

"There is more to those creatures than meets the eye."

"If their whole purpose was to try and prevent us from retrieving supplies," Furiosa says grimly. "That implies orders from someone or something higher up."

What does anyone have to gain by trapping them, making them desperate? Unless the whole point is just to sit back and watch everyone in the Nexus fight one another for survival.

"Well," she says with finality, after considering for a moment. "Chances are we'll see them again. I guess we'll learn plenty more about them before the season's out."

"If that's what those critters are like," Palmer says, "I'd hate to see the big boss." He thinks over Furiosa's suggestion and what he observed in the field.

A leader makes sense. Well, taking out the leader would throw the creatures into confusion, he thinks. Let's see how they like it for a change.

"Y'know those little fish that follow sharks around? There's gotta be a big one somewhere. I say we gather our numbers and take down the boss, whatever it is. Not before we know what we're up against, but we're gonna have to take the fight to them sooner or later. Killing or wounding the leader would show we mean business."

Edited 2019-02-27 00:53 (UTC)

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The Start of the Storm

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