[IC]TotMG:V2 - Hyperdimension: Return of the Four Felons

[DragonRage]

"United States Ship, of course.  I'm not about to stop using my full name just because they decommissioned me," Iowa frowns, abruptly looking pensive, "I'm in good working order now.  I can move and fight on land; no ship's ever done that before.  They wouldn't just decommission me again..."

[AzyWng]

Lyra tried to play back the words in her head to make sure she'd heard them correctly.

 

United.

 

States.

 

Ship.

 

Of course.

 

That was what the woman before her had just said.

 

United.
 

States.

 

History wasn't a subject relavant to either maintenance or contract work, but everyone knew what the "United States" was - both Sovereign and Offworld traced their origins back to Earth and, with it, the nation that was the first to colonize the stars. Both companies claimed to uphold the values that had been so crucial to the nation's founding so many years ago, and both stated that they were building on a legacy that was hundreds of years old. Other propaganda - both corporate and pre-spaceflight - unequivocally portrayed it as a nation that while flawed, was built on a foundation of solid gold.

 

The stories told by Lyra's parents, her grandparents, her uncle... they all painted a much different picture than what the corporate netsites claimed.

 

The United States had a government that imprisoned and enslaved its own citizens, and the marks of such oppression never truly faded. People were murdered and raped for the sake of values that were happily ignored when the time to deliver justice came. The very kinds of people who had been critical to the nation's existence as a colony were barred entry due to everything from fears of competition to outright xenophobia. Representatives of the populace acted more out of self-interest than duty, beginning wars at their convenience and walking away unscathed. The public itself was reduced to a blindly flailing mob that certain individuals directed as they pleased, like a desert warlord opening the cage of a Tri-Jaw to unleash it upon his foes. The nation nearly brought the entire world past the brink of destruction, once through nuclear fire, once through toxic smoke. The promises and principles that the nation had been founded on were forgotten within the space of barely two centuries - when far older empires had endured for so much longer..

 

Perhaps the United States had once been a proud, vibrant nation like all the movies and books had claimed. However, by the time the North Star had launched, it had been worn away until it was nothing more than a self-destructive set of squabbling fragments. A set of fragments that had been left behind by her distant ancestors for a truly fresh start.

 

Of course, it wasn't long before the colonies expanded and established ruling systems of their own - inevitably creating room for their own flavors of hypocrisy, instability, and chaos. But the point still stood - the "United States" Lyra knew was... not a good one.

 

If Lyra decided to tell Iowa about this, she'd have to figure out how to deliver the news tactfully - if such a thing were even possible.

 

Ship.

 

Iowa's statement there was bullshit, of course. A ship was a large mass of metal, silently soaring to the stars... wait, no, that couldn't be. The first - and only - starship that the United States produced was the USS North Star, a colony ship that had gone to SC-299 - "New Columbia". Shortly after the launch, the controversy surrounding the government's choice of colonists and the discovery of a scandal that had caused the North Star to be woefully undersupplied had left the rest of the colonization program to stagnate until the federal government's eventual collapse.

 

That left the more traditional ships - "Seaslicers", for the way their hulls would cut through the water - and, as with planetside land vehicles, Lyra knew very little save for what she had seen in war films. Many of them were much larger than land vehicles, and made use of, depending on the design, either sails or an engine connected to propellers to move. They had watertight bodies - known as "hulls" - that were of vital importance to the ship's performance and continued ability to remain afloat. Ships used by the military were often equipped with cannons, though some of them instead carried airplanes that would spray the enemy with machinegun fire or drop bombs. Others were capable of sinking beneath the waves to deliver deadly strikes with missile-like devices known as "torpedoes". In the time before spaceflight, control of the sea was vitally important, and so were ships.

 

They were not women who walked and talked and wore cannons on their back. Not where Lyra came from.

 

However, responding with incredulity probably wouldn't end well either - and, as with before, there were perhaps more relevant subjects to ask about.

 

"Decommissioned? For what, exactly? I understand that you seem to be... troubled by that, but if we're going to work together, we need to know each other's strengths... and weaknesses." If Lyra remembered correctly, a decommissioning was when a model of equipment or vehicle was put out of use - and, presumably, discarded or destroyed. Perhaps in the world where Iowa lived in, where naval vessels were capable of speech and independent movement, decommissioning was instead more innocent - similar to retirement - or more sinister - a form of punishment or execution. Whatever the case, Lyra needed to know. Perhaps the response Iowa gave would help determine whether or not she was even telling the truth.

Edited April 5, 2019 by AzyWng
Finished an incomplete sentence.

[Powder Miner]

"Um, we... haven't been told much about them. All I really knew I guess was that Judge was big, angry, and liked smashing things... er, all of which were in fact true." Perlita kind of shrugged helplessly -- now that she thought about it, there really wasn't much that she could tell the newcomer at all about what was going on here. "Oh! I can't really say for sure, but it looked like he was, uh, possessed by a Trespasser, which we've seen happen before, since there was this dark energy thing he was talking to that consumed him when he dies. It probably sounds ridiculous I guess, but I think maybe it gives him new things he can do? That's how it was with the people we saw before... but I guess I don't really have anything to compare it to so... maybe that doesn't actually say all that much." Aaand back to shrugging helplessly.

 

"Oh, my name is Perlita Martinez Diaz though. This guy," she pointed now at one of the other teenagers, "is Gabriel Kowalski. Uh, we both can summon these things called Personas, which are like these weird manifestations which give us magical abilities whenever we summon them. Please don't be startled because I'm gonna do it:" Perlita moves her arm up in the air and grasped something invisible to all but her and Gabriel, and it abruptly caused... well, an eight foot woman to appear behind her, or at least what looked like one, with a glitzy cape, short dress, and eerie blank appearance, before it promptly disappeared. "Mine mostly lets me heal, so if you have any injuries, just talk to me."

[AzyWng]

Well, maybe the young lady wasn't the most helpful, but she was doing her best, young as she was. Lyra was still uncertain as to why people who were as young - not children, but still young - as she was back when... that... happened, were being brought into this fight, but the way the lady spoke made it clear to Lyra that she had at least accepted whatever offer she'd been given, even if the offer was suddenly thrust upon her the way it had been upon Lyra. That did a little bit to put Lyra at ease. Maybe the people who'd pulled her into this did care about who they chose after all...

 

The description of the things that the Trespasser possession had done to the "Judge" - who was, again, nowhere to be seen, alive or dead - seemed like it would make previous information on a target's powers and abilities somewhat irrelevant - each fight would have to be handled on a case-to-case basis, something Lyra had done before, though none of her targets were any tougher than the guards trying to protect them.

 

Then, after the introductions - Perlita and Gabriel - Lyra was confused at the mentions that they could summon "Personas". All of the summoners she'd seen were, again, from films - often wearing baggy robes, wielding a staff, extremely old, or any combination of the three.

 

Then Perlita summoned... it. It only appeared for a moment, but that was enough for it to be seared into Lyra's mind. A redhead in black, eight feet tall, and with blank white eyes.

 

Lyra immediately staggered backward, mind racing. What the hell was that? How could Perlita make it appear and disappear so easily? How could a creature like that heal wounds? Where did it come from? Was it hiding the whole time? How was someone so young capable of such power? This came forth as a burst of inarticulate stammering. "Wh-How-What is-Who-... How the hell can you do that?" Almost as soon as she said this, Lyra mentally slapped herself. Of course. People from other worlds - that much was obvious! And, of course, they'd have fantastical abilities far beyond the ken of man. Lyra had seen those kinds of films, too. That left the obvious question of... how could she compare to that? Lyra didn't have any special powers. Hell, most of her gear didn't even work properly anymore. How could she...

 

Lyra mentally slapped herself again. It wouldn't do to think like that! That's unprofessional, and the last thing you need to do is look even less professional than you already do! "A-all right, Perlita... I'll let you know..."

Edited April 9, 2019 by AzyWng

[rustytengo]

After finally getting enough strength back to actually move and not cough up blood well talking moved forward to the others "Ummm.....we should head back to the basilicom I think it was called. Uni and Nepgear look like they are about to collapse and umm.....I'm not doing to well either. I...umm... used a lot of energy during that llast fight and...it would be nice to rest before the next one.......if that would okay?" she said to the others rather meekly and strained.

[DragonRage]

"Why was I decommissioned?  The British launched HMS Dreadnought, and from the moment she hit the water all battleships built before were obsolete.  I served as a training ship for a time, before being fitted with a prototype radio control system and sunk as a target ship.  Without my crew aboard, it could not be said that I was truly alive at that point, and perhaps this was a kinder fate than rusting away in the reserves, or being broken down for scrap," Iowa sighs, "It is a... difficult topic to linger on, but to rest your worries I was not... human, or as close to it as I am now.  The United States Navy had no way of knowing I was anything other than an inanimate piece of steel, if one that deserved more for her decades of faithful service than being taken out to the training range and gunned down by her grandchildren.

 

"The next I knew, I awoke in the castle my new allies use as their home.  I don't know how I got there, or why I am now a person, as well as a ship.  This is all very... new to me.  But I assure you that while I might be outclassed by more recent designs, my armament and armor should be more than sufficient to deal with any land-based enemy."

[AzyWng]

Lyra shook her head a bit, trying to recover from both dealing with two conversations at once and the sudden appearance of... whatever it was Perlita had summoned - not to mention her shame at behaving in such an unprofessional manner.

 

"So, your cannons and armor are still functional even when you're... in that state?" Something about that made Lyra's heart sink even further. At least two of the kids had supernatural powers, there was a whole squad of battle-hardened veterans and their vehicle, and now Lyra was learning that Iowa here, outdated or not, had firepower she could never even hope to match. That raised the obvious question of what good Lyra could be to the team. "That's... wonderful..." She mumbled, shaking her head some more, too caught up in her own mix of jealousy, inadequacy, and outright self-pity to really comment on Iowa's past.

[StormLord]

Nepgear seems a little surprised at Lyra's sudden fall, but Uni doesn't even have the energy to react.

 

"I agree we should head back to the basilicom.  We're all tired and Histore will be able to give to better answers."

 

 

A hop, skip, and travel sequence later and the party arrives at the Basilicom.  Histore sends Nepgear and Uni to get some rest before leading the rest of the group off to a side wing of the Basilicom and into a conference room.  Here there are comfy chairs aplenty, some food and beverages, and bottles of something marked "Hero's Drink".  Histore makes he way over and takes a hovering "seat" at the end of the table and waits for everyone to settle down before speaking again.

 

"Since you've all returned I can only assume that CFW Judge has been defeated, if so that is probably the best news I've heard all day, and probably the last for a while."

She paused just enough for someone to correct her before continuing.

"While you were away three other sightings have been made, each telling of one of Judge's associates.  CFW Trick was spotted near an amusment park in Lowee far to the north, CFW Brave was seen approaching an industrial factory in Lastation to the east.  A large shield has appeared around the Gamindustri Graveyard, something telling of CFW Magic.  I'll try to answer any questions you have."

[AzyWng]

"Can you tell us more about each of the targets? What weapons and tactics do they use, what they've done in the past, and what they might be trying to do in each of those locations? For that matter, do you happen to have a dossier on each of these people?

 A photo of each of the targets would help as well. Might not be so useful if they try to hide in a crowd or out of sight, but it would still help identify them." While she wanted to know what "CFW" stood for, what planet she was on, or who this woman was, they probably weren't the most relevant questions regarding the task at hand. Once she had the answers to what the targets were capable of, she could ask her teammates what they could do. Iowa was, if she was telling the truth, equipped with powerful cannons and heavy armor. Perlita could heal others with that... "Persona" of hers.. Lyra wasn't sure about the others - or herself - but, again, she'd have to wait for answers to the other questions first.

[ElfCollaborator]

  Gabriel ambles up to Perlita, putting an hand on her shoulder, partially to hold himself up (that fight had taken a bit out of him) and partially to show solidarity. An easy smile shines across his face.
"Yeah, Perlita here heals. Couldn't really do it without her, you know? I just, uh....blow things up. And set things on fire. Or some combination. So if you reaaaaally need something blown up, I'm your guy."

[Yours Truly]

Atton strode confidently inside of the meeting chamber by himself, having sent his men out to collect some proper rations for what could prove to be a long and arduous campaign, "How far away are each of the sightings from each other? And are our targets known to take hostages or mind controlling civilians to do their bidding? I know that CFW Judge was a loner, but the others seem to be heading straight towards major population centers, and I'm curious as to why. Except for CFW Magic of course, who I certainly hope isn't an infamous necromancer or some sort."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Mira

 

As per usual, Mira stands off more to the side, arms folded as she stood in silence. She would've asked for more information on the other "CFW"s, but right now that was being taken care of. She'd inform of the... Well, strange occurrence with Judge, namely his arm, but only when the other things were taken care of. Better to let Histoire be satisfied with the good news before hitting her with the bad parts.

[StormLord]

"CFW Brave is...well we aren't sure if he's a man in power armor or simply a conscious robot.  Either way he is mostly robotic, the most likely to avoid collateral damage, and will bring drones or robotic backup."

She gestures and a small hologram appears in the middle of the table, it shows what can only be described as a transformer with a giant sword smashing through building after building.

"CFW Trick is easily the most strange of the Four Felons he...uh it?...well take a look."

The hologram shifts, this time showing a large yellow skinned beast dragging itself along with front claws and using a long prehensile tongue to grab someone and swallow them whole

"He's large, slow, and usually keeps normal size henchmen around to get into places he can't reach."

The hologram flickers again, changing this time to a huge dome over a city sized scrap yard.

"CFW Magic is a different story, she's the leader of the Four Felons and by the time the other two are defeated and her barrier is brought down there is no tell what she'll have been up to.  She's known to employ powerful monsters and wide area spells."

The hologram shifts again, this time to a continent like a large upside down "U" with a monstrous "Island" to the south.
"Trick was seen to the north in Lowee and Brave to the East in Lastation.  Magic is in the Graveyard in central Gamindustri."
Three blips pop up showing the various locations on the map.
"We'll use the same teleporter you arrived on to get you close."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Mira

 

Once the hologram sprung to life on the table, Mira shifted her attention to the CFWs, narrowing her eyes at both Brave and Trick. On one hand, there was Brave, a giant mech capable of smashing shattering buildings easily. Not too much of a problem, and then there was Trick, far more animalistic than both Judge and Brave. There was also Magic, but it didn't appear as if they could deal with her just yet. For the best she supposed, take out her backup before going for her specifically.

 

"CFW Brave seems to have the higher capacity for destruction. It would probably be for the best that we eliminate him first, before we eliminate Trick" she commented after the demonstration. Both were threats, obviously, but in a prioritizing sense, but Brave seemed like the more threatening target as of now. 

[AzyWng]

Between Trick and Brave, it was obvious to her that Trick was a priority target. Even as Lyra and her colleagues were speaking, it was killing and eating people, and they couldn't let that happen.

 

"You sure about that? I was going to suggest bringing down Trick first. He's clearly attacking civilians and stopping him is also an urgent matter. Though it seems like whatever it is we do, we'll have to let one of them proceed unhindered, unless we were to split up."

Regardless of the target, a series of new questions arose - and Lyra hoped there would be answers for those, too. Approaching problems without plans or intel tended to end poorly - or at least messily.

"What exactly are the nature of the backup these two targets have? Additional guns? Shielding or defensive capabilities? Flankers or ambushers? Are there any especially dangerous foes? Are they weak to anything in particular? What other powers or abilities do Brave and Trick have? Is there any other advice you can give for dealing with either one?"

Then Lyra turned to the rest of the team.

"Since we're going to be moving out soon, we need to make a plan of attack - and part of that means knowing what each of us are capable of. I'm a decent shot with a gun, know how to swing a wrench hard, and my Swapper does still work, although it does seem damaged. I'm also fairly good at dodging attacks. What about you people? What do you bring to the team?"

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Mira

 

"Yes, but..." Mira began, before shrugging, "Fine, we can go for Trick first, then Brave" she agreed, folding her arms again at Lyra continued to ask her questions... Until she turned her curiousity back to the group, eliciting a sigh from the mercenary, "What you see with me is what you get. I can take the brunt of attacks and deal with whatever I need to" she explained simply, barely moving from her spot.

[DragonRage]

"That 'Trick' creature is eating people!" Iowa exclaims, "We've got to hunt him down first.  That's not right.

 

"Mm.  A wise idea.  Leaping into battle unprepared could have backfired greatly on us against the so-called Judge.  It almost did.  Knowing what our allies can do should help with devising more effective strategies.

 

"Based on our last battle, I am certain I have the armor and firepower of my old hull.  I should be able to withstand any attack a ground-based opponent can bring to bear, but enough attacks can break through even the toughest defense, and I believe that only my vital organs are protected by my armor belt.  The rest of me would...  Well, I'd prefer not to have to take hits like the ones Judge was throwing around indefinitely.  My 12 inch guns should be impossible to match for any ground-based foe unless they have a railway gun or some sort of magic I suppose, but the accuracy and reloading speed are not the best.  And I can throw coal dust, smoke, and ash out of my funnels to produce a smokescreen."

[Powder Miner]

Perlita steepled her hands together, looking rather uneasily at the footage of CFW Trick -- that thing was weird, and while she was admittedly used to weird things she was less used to people getting literally swallowed whole and killed by long horrible tongues. She swallowed nervously, suddenly feeling a little bit nauseous, and took a few moments to fight that down before speaking.

"...yeah, we need to go for Trick. She did say Brave is the most likely to avoid collateral damage, so..."

 

"Anyway, um, as I think has been made pretty clear, I heal people, with my Persona. I can use Diarama, which heals one person a lot, Media, which heals a few a bit, or Patra, which will, like, get rid of poison or magic despair or things like that. I also heal a bit when I heal people, so I shouldn't need attention from anyone else. Uh, I actually DO have attack magic, but I'm really not that good at it. Kouha is a pretty basic spell of light magic and will do, well... pretty mediocrely really. Hama normally does slightly worse but has a chance to do a lot better and mess things up pretty well. You really should mostly be leaving me to healing, though, I mostly just sling attacks when there's noone to heal.

 

...oh yeah, and I have this crossbow, but I haven't used it in a long time really.

 

Psi attacks --or, uh, since I left my homeworld, mental attacks in general I think-- are... they're pretty bad when they hit me, so I'll need to be careful about things like that."

[rustytengo]

"Oh we are doing this again." Bridgett thought to herself as everyone started to explain what they where capable of. She could swear she had done this before but there was a bunch of new people she has not been around so it was probably best to explain things...again. Once there was chance Bridgett spoke up (though its her so its not to loud) "Ummm....I can blast things which most of you saw last battle though that much output...takes a bit. I can also put up a minor ward that heals a nit as it protects you. I can also use a binding though it doesn't last to long." Bridgett tapped her fingers together "I'm really not to useful for much else other then blasting...sorry."she mumbled as she finished her explanation. 

[StormLord]

"Well CFW Magic is the only of the Four Felons to match or surpass CFW Judge in raw destructive potential on her own.  Do not let this put you entirely at ease though, both CFW Brave and CFW Trick are likely to employ more advanced strategies than CFW Judge."

Histore shifted the hologram once again to show a small floating sphere shaped drone with a glowing eye and several antenna on top.

"CFW Brave has used these jammer drones in the past, some will interfere with you special abilities and others prevent you from making effective use of items.  He'll also most likely be accompanied by some number of other more generic demolition bots all of which are more often than not weak to powerful electrical charges."
The hologram flickered again and changed to show several generic looking thugs with various weapons such as bats, handguns, or submachine guns.
"CFW Trick as I mentioned likes to keep some small number of followers capable of reaching smaller areas he is not.  He has shown capacity for far more stealth than one might expect from someone his size.  He also has paralyzing saliva and a surprisingly long reach with his uhh...tongue."

Once more another change, this time the hologram started cycling through several images such as a huge fly plaid dolphin, a house sized turtle with a large tree growing out of the top of its shell, a shifting mass of colorful blocks each about two foot across, a small white creature vaguely resembling a cartoon bunny, and a large brown and dark red dragon.

"Also worth noting is that the Lowee wilderness is home to many varieties of dangerous monsters that usually avoid civilization, but may come to investigate the sounds of destruction.  For yet unknown reasons they often horde valuables, so if you must fight them they may leave behind something useful."

[AzyWng]

Lyra wasn't sure how she could even do anything to some of the foes that showed up - her bullets weren't armor-piercing, and her wrench would likely bounce right off of some of the tougher foes, like the massive turtle - but she couldn't let that stop her from fighting. She'd agreed to help out, hadn't she? And a professional didn't go back on her word.

 

"It sounds like Trick's goons will be easier to deal with, and that we'll only have to worry about Trick himself once they're done for. If we also take out some of those monsters if they show up to the fight, we might be able to leave stronger than we were before."

 

Lyra still didn't know what everyone was capable of - and not everyone was as forthcoming or specific as she liked - but she supposed that not everyone would be willing to tell a stranger about all their abilities. Again, she would simply have to bear with that for the time being.

[Twinwolf]

6D had been fairly quiet for a while, analyzing the combat data of the previous fight as well as repairing some minor damage that had yet to be taken care of. "I think Trick will likely be a priority target, as has been said, as well as perhaps the easiest to take care of. If they are of similar caliber to the Judge, I think we'll be fine." she said, nodding more to herself than anyone. She glanced over to the newcomer - "Oh, I'm sorry for not responding earlier, I was distracted. I'm YorHa No.6 Type D. Or just '6D' for short." She hadn't introduced herself to her, even though she was a human... that bugged her, a bit. Was she getting used to be around humans already? "Anyway. To answer your question about capabilities, the 'D' stands 'Defender'. It's exactly what it sounds like." 

[Yours Truly]

"More importantly as Iowa and others have already mentioned, CFW Trick is eating people as we speak, we can't just sit there and let such an atrocity happen can't we?," Atton chimed in seemingly out of the blue, before he realized something, and raised an eyebrow at their hosts as he went on to say, "And can we expect any level of support from this kingdom's military in our activities? Perhaps with keeping CFW Brave's mechanical minions from expanding his reach? Or securing the retreat of any civilians we find in the field of battle? We can't be in all places at once unfortunately. And do we have a way of keeping in touch with you two after we deal with CFW Trick? Back in my world we had radios, but I don't know if your world has anything like that yet, it could be useful for coordinating our activities, and for relaying any additional information you have on the other's activities."

Atton then turned slightly to face Lyra before he coughed and said, "And as for Ms. Lyra's question, despite my age I am a Major General in the UCAS army, a rank that I believe was obtained through meritorious military service as much as my strategical thinking, I have been blessed with a small squad from the engineering corps and the M9 Half Track we operate, I have received some praise for my inspirational speech work and quick thinking in battle, and while I am too happily married to become an ordained priest, the good Lord has blessed me with some...minor healing and empowering miracles."

[StormLord]

"The militaries of Lowee and Lastation have both mobilized for evacuation and containment of the situations."

 

Histore clicked off the hologram on the table and looked around waiting for any more questions.

 

"Since that seems to be everything, I will be going to oversee the teleporter calibration, destination Lowee.  It will take several minutes so if you need anything in preparation please ask the guard outside.  I'll also send someone down with communicators."

 

With that she left the room, a minute or two later a girl in a bright pink sweater steps in the room and speaks with a soft and timid voice.

 

"I was told to uhhh drop these off here on my way by.  Histore said something about them being communicators?  Something like that."

 

She reveals a small nondescript case and sets it on the table before showing herself out.

 

 

Everyone gets 3 Crafting Tokens to be spent on whatever.  Also some cell phones because reasons.

[AzyWng]

Lyra nodded at the delivery girl before she left, taking one of the cell phones for herself. She wasn't too familiar with these devices, but if they were what she thought they were, they would come in dead handy - provided they got a signal.

 

It sounded like the group was going to have some time before the group left to stop Trick. Time which Lyra could use to improve her equipment - particularly her more damaged pieces. Walking over to the guard outside, she asked, "You wouldn't happen to know where the workshops are? I need to repair some of my things."

 

Lyra attempts to craft:

 

Spoiler

Repaired Item Teleporter - Lyra will attempt to repair her Damaged Item Teleporter, hoping that she can use it more than once per battle. As an Ex-Glitcher, she's familiar with this kind of technology, so she should have an easier time than most.

Repaired Medium-Capacity Swapper - Lyra will attempt to repair her Damaged Medium-Capacity Swapper, trying to increase the speed at which it charges up so that she can use it as a free action. Same story as the Item Teleporter - the Ex-Glitcher is familiar with the tech and should be able to make the repair more easily.

Repaired Rechargeable Emergency Shield - Lyra will attempt to repair her Damaged Rechargeable Emergency Shield, trying to increase the speed at which the shield deploys so she can use it as a free action. She's not as familiar with this tech as she is with the Item Teleporter or Swapper, so it's likely she will have more trouble with this repair.