We Are Our Avatars IX: Act V: The Sabotage of the Scandolous Saurian Scoundrels (Open)

[Chungus]

Retracing its steps, then following the scent of the oribi the bug had bitten, it having run off once the bug chased after the other two oribis, the bug eventually found its prey some way from where it had bitten it. Walking up to it, the bug lowered its head and began biting away at its hide until it picked up a new scent.

Raising its head, the bug saw a small pack of wild dogs approach, five in all. At first, it didn't pay them much mind and lowered its head again to resume its meal, only keeping a weary eye on them. Once they got too close for comfort, though, the bug raised its head again and turned towards the wild dogs. Assumimg a threatening stance, the bug spread its legs while lowering its head and raising its tail, and rappidly clacked its mandibles while buzzing with its wings a little.

Being quite a bit bigger then it was and having numbers on their side at that, the wild dogs weren't bothered by the bug's display and began circling around it. Surrounded, the bug began feeling very nervous, but still wasn't eager to let the wild dogs take its meal.

The bug continued staring the wild dogs down, turning to face whichever one drew closest, until one made its move and tried to snatch the cadaver of the odiri out from under the bug's nose. Swinging its tail stinger at the wild dog. The wild dog pulled its head back with a yelp, avoiding the sting, but was forced to drop the odiri in doing so. Soon after the bug swung its tail, a second wild dog but at the bug's side. Unable to evade it so soon after going on the offensive, leading to it being bitten, the wild dog's powerful jaws piercing the bug's exoskeleton without effort, a crunching noise sounding when it did. Once the bug's blood spilled into the mouth of the wild dog, however, it shrieked and threw the bug aside, shaking its head with its mouth open while backpedalling.

Wounded, the bug began crawling away once it landed, moving slowly and with a severe limp.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

[color=ff9966]"I'll try. Do you know what language they speak here?"[/color] Phaesan asked.

Spoiler: OOC

Off for a bit

 

[Drakmorg]

"I know some of 'em speak English like I do, but a whole lot more don't and talk in this language I haven't heard before. Kinda weird."

Victoria replied. She held her left hand over her mouth as a yawn started to escape from it.

 

[Slenn]

"My sisters and I were born from the same womb at the same time. But it wasn't our mother that gave us this gift. It came from a race that had yet to exist, called the Tethen'gahni. They delivered it, or so they said, during our conception" She shrugged and rolled her eyes at the thought of her parents having procreation, "When we and our parents first discovered it, we were 7. And it came soon after our dad, a scientist, started to explain basic physical phenomena to us. Whenever we understood the concept and could imagine it, we felt something. The surroundings just seemed to speak to us in different ways. At the time, two Tethen'gahni from the future revealed they were the ones responsible for our gift, all they said was 'They will know their future in the natural course of time.' They didn't relay anything towards what we would do or what were our powers for. And soon enough we did."

OOC: @Gear. Sorry that took a while. Problem lasted longer than expected.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

Samus was intrigued by EMily's story, seeming to relax a bit and lean back in her chair. Not so different then... "What happened?"

 

[Slenn]

"When we were 12, there were three extraterrestrials of the same species that came to our planet, unbeknownst to the population. With our senses of the forces of nature, we tapped into the mystery of how they got here and what they planned on doing. These beings planned on sabotaging MARKUS, the psychic human linked to a quantum supercomputer. He is responsible for remembering all of our human history, all of our mistakes, and looks after every one of us. From hacking into MARKUS, they found out about us and our superhuman abilities. They realized that if we were to grow up the way we did, we would be a threat to these saboteurs. And even more so, to what they wanted to bring to this planet."

 

[Gearhead mk2]

"So you used your powers to stop these sabouters, I presume?" Samus asked, sounding hopeful.

 

[Slenn]

"Indeed we did stop them from taking over MARKUS. We helped him force the saboteurs away from him and capture them. From them we obtained a few things. One was a data packet, that we had yet to decipher. And the other were their bodies in suspended animation. They were not shown to the public, and we and our family were the only ones to know that there was life elsewhere beyond our planet. From MARKUS' insight into the minds of the enemy we were able to slowly decode their data disk. It revealed that there was a massive object headed towards Earth in 9 years. It had said that it had come to worlds to devour. Its shade was that of the black of space. Its appendages know no equal match to its strength. We dubbed it the 'Dark Being'. " She took another deep breath.

"But 'why?' we asked. Why was it doing the stuff that it was doing? Fortunately, there was a lead on the disk, although the data regarding the impetus was damaged and irrecoverable. It revealed the other planets it had consumed, and had yet to consume. But we were too young to go into space that far just yet. But we wanted to solve this mystery ourselves using our skills and imaginations as scientists. We grew up as normal humans, and our knowledge of physics grew greatly. At the age of 18 we were ready to set out."

 

[Chungus]

With the wild dogs more interested in the oribi cadaver then it, the bug managed to get away from the pack without further confrontation, it slinking away in the high grass. When it had moved far enough away from the pack that it could no longer smell them, the bug laid down with a thud, and began covering its wounds, from which dark yellow blood dripped, with the material it made its cocoon with, it serving as a bandage. Once it was done with this, the bug rose to its feet, a little shakily, and moved on, eating its way through the grassland.

Due to its wounds preventing it from going hunting, the bug was forced to stick to eating vegitation, with the occasional lizard on times it was lucky enough to be able to snatch one up. While it took it a whole lot longer then normal with a reduced movement speed, the bug eventually ate roughly eight times its body weight, then dug a shallow hole, using only its right foreleg, and cocooned itself inside.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

"Heading into unknown space with no training or combat experience at eighteen?" Samus sounded incredulous. "Even with your abilities, that sounds extremely dangerous. What did you find?"

 

[ShindoL Shill]

[color=ff9966]"Okay. I'll try to get you a nurse."[/color] Phaesan said, before going through the curtain. Victoria may notice that there was a second visor on the rear of Phaesan's helmet, around eye-height.
Phaesan slowly exited Victoria's room, and her suit began picking up on the speech of nearby people. After recognising the language as Japanese, translation files were installed. Phaesan approached a nurse, quickly attracting attention for obvious reasons, and informed her that Victoria wanted to leave.

Soon after, a doctor entered Victoria's room to check on her. Satisfied, though confused, by her recovery, the doctor allowed Victoria to leave.

 

[Slenn]

"We weren't meant to be trained as soldiers. And there wasn't much severe combat until much later. At that age we knew enough physics to get us by. Our training, if you can call it that, involved us using our intellects to communicate with the survivors and the targets of the Dark Being. In addition to this, traveling across their worlds, learning about the dangers they faced, learning about their culture, their methods, their philosophy, their goals, and fighting off the saboteurs that landed on their planet. And we even helped solve some of their terrestrial conflicts they had. In the course of 4 years we grew a lot, both physically and mentally. As we flew across space, getting closer and closer to the Dark Being's home planet, we realized we longed for the company of an extra-terrestrial, and yet there was nothing. The first one we found consumed had survivors, but not the planet after that. Not even a virus or anything like a bacteria. When we reached our final destination, on the opposite side of the Milky Way, we had realized that the first planet the Dark Being consumed was its home planet."

OOC: Ames, IA is a deluge outside.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

"So what was it? A kind of parasite? And what happened to those survivors?"

OoC: @Slenn: Huh? You OK mate?

 

[Slenn]

OOC: @Gear. I had trouble traveling back to my apartment due to severe weather. I came to work on bike. But thankfully I carried an umbrella, so I walked by bike home.

"The survivors on the first planet had created a safe haven underneath the planet. We relayed the information we could to them, letting them know that the threat that came to them was gone. However, they decided to remain in their subterranean shelter as they were in the process of regrowing."

"When we reached the planet of the Dark Being's origins we finally found out the impetus behind its goals. In fact it originally was meant to be benevolent; its purpose was to obtain a sample of the chemistry that describes every species of life that was in the galaxy. But our saboteurs were part of a plan to take over this project, and they took control over the Dark Being. Instead of taking a sample, their fanatical tribe wanted every being to be one with it. With the knowledge of the other species obtained by quantum entanglement, they set the Dark Being out on a quest to consume life. By the time we had encountered it, it had consumed two planets worth of biology."

"At this point I'll leave the last part as an epilogue until you meet my other sisters."

 

[Gearhead mk2]

"Glad to hear they were OK." Samus said, simultaneously mentally damming EMily for leaving the story off there. "Thank you for all that. It was interesting to hear about your world."

 

[Outisakanobody]

At this point Yorick came strolling in while whistling a little tune. He raised a hand to Samus and EMily in greeting, though either might pick up on a slight glare he was giving Samus. After his meager greeting he sat in a comfy chair and started shuffling a deck of cards.

 

[Slenn]

"It's no problem. I'm sorry to leave you off there. But my story continues for quite a while." She made a guilty smile. "Plus you haven't met my other sisters! Hopefully you'll get to meet at least one more of them."

"Hello there Yorick!"

 

[Gearhead mk2]

"True. I hope to meet them too. " Samus sounded excited. When Yorick walked in and gave her a glare, she looked at him confused, but didn't npress the matter.

 

[Drakmorg]

"Hahah! Sweet. Gettin' out of here ahead of schedule."

Victoria happily said to herself as she stood up off the bed.

"Thanks a ton for the help Phae. What're ya gonna do now?"

"...Aaaaaand I just remembered that I left my clothes with those other guys."

She reminded herself and sighed as she recalled the circumstances of her hospitalization. She turned to the nurse and asked,

"You guys have any, like, loaner clothes or something? Don't really feel like roaming around the city in my skivvies until I find who has mine."

 

[Outisakanobody]

"Eh. Hi." Yorick said as he seemed to focus on shuffling his cards. He seemed to notice Samus was not in her armor, so he asked. "So about that card trick?"