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On the Kree ship…
Moments ago, the Inhumans stood in the central hub of Akkad, an ancient site across the Tigris River from Mosul. Iraq was a dark, unwelcome presence rocked by the occasional fire from a burning building, not that the Inhumans got a view when they transported from Orkney. After a short, violent interlude with the Kree, Akkad itself seems to object to their presence — Kree and Inhuman alike — and jettisoned them somewhere else.
Somewhere else is a fully functional craft featuring fully armed Kree Accusers, the same unfriendly figures they were fighting and the three who commanded them to stand down in the alien tongue of that mighty interstellar empire.
And just in case anyone had really bad ideas, there's a seven and a half foot tall woman who jumped several yards straight down unhindered. The first words from her mouth are presumably aimed at the Inhuman procession, possibly not: "«This was unexpected. Account for yourselves. Sun-Yu, call Ronan!»"
In case anyone has really bad ideas, the tall, bald humanoid with a sleek cyan skull crest whistles sharply. That hacker was the one who elevated a barb with a high tune, and the arrow swiftly maneuvers around them at breakneck speeds to make highly, highly apparent that its master is not in the mood for threats.
Gorgon is still in a pretty intense defensive position, prepared to defend those around him to his last breath…as such, he displayed no fear…more like hesitation because one wrong move could mean the end of one of their number. he grips his battle-axe harder, clearly thinking. "This is -not- good… He looks to Triton, as if maybe gesturing to the arrow…could they get rid of it somehow?
Crouching on the ground, the aftermath of all the pain, he is able to endure it primarily by allowing his mind to settle upon and claim the ship as his own. Its not active control, only…cohabitating. Nexus's circuits flare to pure white as he closes his eyes, trying to search through the machine and find the mechanism to lock the ship down: ideally, lock all the doors that are lockable. If only to minimize how many foes they have to deal with at once. Reinforcements would be bad.
Triton was not moving from in between the world and Nexus right now. Nexus was Attilan, and his friend, but most importantly? Nexus was their ticket to navigate and escape wherever they were in a pinch. Also one of their citizens. The fish man squint at the arrow and said calmly to his cousin, "Gorgon, your ability to understate the situation always inspires me." He was faintly tired but the humor in the face of outnumbered odds was a comfort to him. "She's calling for reinforcements. And someone else." At least the blaster bolt to his shoulder cauterized the wound. It was a small mercy. He rolled it carefully and said, his Kree being far less polished than his cousin's, «We have come to discuss you leaving Terra. What is it you have come for?»
Chloe assumes a ready stance. She's itching to stab all the things, but that whirling arrow and the sheer outnumberedness of it all has her standing down. But ready. While Triton does his diplomatic duty, she studies their captors, or as she likes to think of them: living, breathing knife blocks.
A sharp cutting gesture from Hala brings up another of the guards emerging from the alcove, hammer fully at the ready. Count them: lots of hammers. None quite so impressive as hers, the sledge trailing a whisper of whiteness to its dense sheen.
"The honoured Accuser says to account for yourself!" says the man in… English. A blue-skinned Kree perfectly capable of expressing himself with a slightly Bostonian accent, who knew? Maybe the Red Sox will win a pennant this century. He repeats himself in Russian for good measure. "You have boarded this ship without consent in an act of aggression, and the Accuser will have a proper explanation."
Kree. Every child in Attilan grows up with stories of their oppressors, terrifying bogeymen used to keep bad children and Alpha Primitives in line. In the flesh, they're imposing figures, and every last one of them could turn Olympians into pretzels with a few easy moves. Hala hasn't pulled free the hammer from the cradle on her back, but the martial pose speaks to every story that ever was, legend or not.
Brilliant, strategic, remorseless; a martial culture that prizes exemplary abilities, and very capable. Also, surpassingly violent when provoked. "«I have come to see who initiated a /war/ protocol. The man who bargained, perhaps?»"
The little arrow spirals and spins in a dance that isn't comical in the least.
Gorgon glances to Triton, giving a bit of a smirk at his words. "I believe you once called me the grandmaster of understatement." he looks back to Hala, cold brown eyes awaiting the word of attack…but he was looking for every opening to get rid of that arrow and knock some heads together. But he lets those who are actually good at diplomacy…you know…be diplomatic. He does glance to Chloe, sighing a moment, then to Nexus, a similar form of communication…before he looks directly at Hala. Unyieldingly.
Gorgon you stubborn bastard.
The technopath rises, giving up on locking the place down, and instead looks to the immediate threat. He reconfigures his system; doubling his speed and halving his strength, and watches the menacing arrow with a narrowed eye. The glowing circuits in his eyes intensify as he reaches out to seize and try to disable the weapon. "We didn't come here by our will or choice; we were attacked and someone— something— transported us here against our will." But as he doesn't speak a word of Kree, and with a wince realizes he doesn't have access to a translation program, the second question goes unanswered.
Triton took a step forward and while bellicose, not making any sudden moves nor looking to Hala replying in Kree so that, if they were lucky, Black Bolt's identity could stay hidden a while longer. Saluting an officer in the field being a terrible idea and all. «The invasion was set upon Terra, our home, first boarding it without consent as act of aggression. Something else sent us here. We defend our home» Large dark eyes held on her and he translated. "The officer speaking is saying we have enacted an act of war boarding without permission. I have informed that Kree first did this to our world, and we are not responsible for this transport, but will protect our home."
The arrow spins to the steady chirp directing it, rotating about in a demented whirligig that dusts over shoulders and zips past heads. So far it hasn't collided with a single thing. The other Accusers don't in the least look bothered by it.
Chloe nods to Triton as he speaks. Not one word of Kree seems to ring a bell with her, so the translation is appreciated. Her gaze tracks the arrow as well, bouncing between it and the Kree surrounding them. Not a word from the murder-hobo-princess. She waits quietly with the patience of mountains, ready but not too eager.
Translation might be happening for the English-speaking Kree graduate of MIT, or whatever guise gave him the means to learn to sound like a native of Massachusetts. He listens and accordingly gives the others a fair translation. Some things don't go across perfectly. Their Kree is a dialect, as different from American as South Africans or Indian English at a remove of a few generations.
"Invasion is an accusation. This is our ship. You have no business here. Who are you?" he says to the others.
Hala runs her thumb down the shaft of the weapon held against her side, an extension of herself. Her glowing white-blue eyes flare briefly. Another of the Accusers already on the hold deck acquiesces with a bow and steps back to his post. Obvious who subtly defers to her: everyone alien.
She doesn't loose that easy promise of violence. "«Another step will be considered a hostile act by the Juventas Codex, section twenty-one.»" Her smile is bloodless, a thin stretching of lips over her teeth. "«This is a world in conflict and its dominant race embroiled in violence with every breath. But invasion by whom?»" A casual gesture indicates the wall. A wall suddenly alight in the battlefields of the Korean Peninsula, North Vietnam, bloody guerrilla battles run in the Congo and half a dozen other places. Snapshots in black and white for the most part. "«Not our doing. So do consider again. You came here, as you say, unexpectedly. What happens there is its own doing. Here, however? I have every right to defend my home, do I not?»"
|ROLL| Triton +rolls 1d100 for: 79
Feeling strange, Gorgon would straighten only a little as if noticing something "The pollution is…a little less here." hey..he wasn't the brightest, but at least he could do something like observe. He looks then to all the battlefields that Hala brings up, looking between Triton and Hala as his cousin attempts to be a diplomat. He didn't like this at all. Though he does glance to Nexus when he sees the arrow starting to act only a tad silly, but not overly so, his attention returning then to Hala, battle-axe still in hand, prepared to defend those he came with.
"This may be your ship, but you're at our planet. We are…" But at that, Nexus isn't sure what to answer. He narrows his eyes at the arrow; its not being threatening yet but its clearly a weapon. He tries to make it go zap again.
Triton tilted his head to the side and was doing his best to translate. He was not Maximus and was making a patient attempt to parse the verb forms properly. "I do believe she is denying involvement with what happened on Earth which leaves us in her vessel… unprompted. May explain why we're being asked to justify our existence which is, if this is true, very fair."
His brow ridge furrowed and in a slow gesture sheathed his weapon and slowly removed his hand from his sides. His next words were picked very carefully. «"There are Kree on Terra using machines to damage our cities. Many dead. We ingested that and were brought here by something else. We did not voluntarily come here."»
His translation… was imperfect.
Chloe murmurs to Gorgon, "Mind the hull. We're in low orbit." Her gaze goes to the arrow again, frowning at it. Triton gets another nod. "What is it going to take for them to let us go? Since we're not here to menace them any more than they brought us here to menace us?" She keeps eying the Kree, nice and calm. Just trying to keep an eye on who is where and doing what.
"«Kree damaging your cities. Evidence?»" Hala shifts, pulling herself up like a cat scenting water on the air… or blood. Her heel rests against the ground and the other foot is propped forward. "«I'm not sure I see how you ingested something toxic that brought you here as a reaction.»" She gestures at the wedge of three Accusers who have remained together at the back. They shrug, shaking their heads.
English-speaking guard proceeds to gesture at Gorgon's axe. "Put that down. We will allow ignorance for this time once as you clearly lack for understanding properly of our esteemed presence. The Accuser wishes to know these machines and this damage. Who can speak of it? I will translate."
Well, there's their opening. Hopefully a nice opening. Or else, you know, hammers.
Gorgon glances to that english-speaking guard, simply standing up straight and shouldering that large weapon, eventually placing the bearded axe down blade-first, resting his hand on the pommel. He scanned each of the Kree's stances….huh. few of 'em are sloppy lookin'…oh how he'd train them if they were actually friends. He appears generally unimpressed. "Their not hostile….it's like their waiting." he whispers -very- softly so only the royal family near him can hear. But his eyes are locked on Hala.
hey, his weapon is down…it's just him in a more relaxed position, and in quick reach should hostilities suddenly arise.
The blue-skinned Kree woman doesn't smirk, for that would be unbecoming of her. But the sense of waiting, judging, is strong enough to dress up and take home to Mom.
Nexus lifts a hand and gestures over to a nearby screen, reaching out to take it over, and then transmit into it the images of what was seen of Akkad. "Your relays are attacking us. The facilities are active and engaged in an attack against our systems, trying to overload and destroy our central computer. We came to disable the relays, not to get *here* or attack *you*. If not your will then machines you left behind started this conflict."
Triton asked Nexus, the room, and the Kree alike, "There were Accusers and 3 technicians in Akkad at the controls." He let the Kree translate as he could do so with better fluency. He did attempt correction, «Ingested, not the word is was looking for. Go-to-look.» He looked to Gorgon and Chloe slowly. the nod suggested: They out arm us anyways and we can't leave. Sooooo your call here, Captain.
|ROLL| Hala +rolls 1d20 for: 18
Chloe tilts her head as she watches the arrow, and her brow furrows in confusion. "What's the matter?" she says to it. "What has you in such a state?" She then regards the Centaurian, and her features soften. Still alert, mind — she's not that much of a softie — but the potential for hostility ebbs away quite a bit. She shakes her head, confused, and she lowers her knives. Outarmed, outnumbered. Hrm.
On said screen, the Centaurian wielding the arrow appears. Certainly that doesn't seem to cause any profound surprise. Only a few Accusers look that way. "«Your central computer»," says Hala slowly. That takes time to digest. Her head moves to the side, the long black sweep of her bunched ponytails swaying. "«This is unknown to us, that this planet had any sort of network with a central system. We need further information. If it is acceptable, we will as you stand down and allow a further discussion of your… computer.»"
It's like a beagle just stood up and announced it developed a machine to detect gravitational waves.
Gorgon looks to Triton, and it appears that Gorgon's choice is definately to fight if that's how grim this situation will be…but then when it's clear they want to do diplomacy, or at least looks like it, Gorgon looks to the others "We'll put our chance in diplomacy for now. If the situation looks grim, give 'em hell." he says once again softly enough for only those close to him to hear. he gives his orders as he rises to stand up straight, looking to Triton and Nexus as they apparently are running peaceful talks. his eyes narrowed on Hala and a few of the accusers…memorizing positions..preparing strategy.
"Look at us." Nexus gestures to Triton, to Gorgon, to himself as circuits throughout his skin light brightly. "We are not humans, we do not speak for the 'dominant race' of this planet. Our civilization exists unknown to them. You may be observing them, but you are using the ancient Kree sites— yes, we know all about the 27 of them and the nexus and what you were doing here— to attack *us*. Instruct your technicians to disable the relay and we may… talk. Your attack has intensified to the point I can no longer access the Core reliably." He's being careful with what he admits and what he doesn't: oh we're your ex-slaves the inhumans! …. no. But oooh we know about you! …. yes.
|ROLL| Triton +rolls 1d10 for: 5
The Accuser grits his jaw. He translates to Kree and restive positions among his companions in the Corps indicate Nexus' bitter pill is not exactly well received. "Obviously you're not human. We are not here for you. A war notice reached us and we are obligated to determine if it poses any immediate threat."
Another of the Accusers mutters from behind the group. It's one of the two who wielded stunning blasters to halt violence. In Kree, the soldier says, "«Who released the nuclear device?»"
Triton looked to Gorgon and Chloe who had blue-gooey Kree blood on them from the ground. He looked to nexus explaining the situation with the Core and that brought him up to a pause. That got a very slow arch of an eyebrow and as even swivel of his head. For everyone else it was attentiveness to the report. Those that did know Nexus that might be interpreted as 'You can't do what?' as the phenomenon just didn't register with the fish. How bad were things at home presently?
To the Accuser he dipped his head, "Honourably, we respect this. Whoever sent the message was not Terran; human or otherwise. There seems, then, we have a mutual adversary." And if this was Maximus playing God with the hammer and pushing buttons Triton decided he might have to push one too. To the airlock. Just… once. He sighed and shook his head, "We did not intend to come here and do not wish to be here. How can we amicably resolve this?"
Chloe continues in her confusion, regarding the arrow. She lifts a finger to it and says quietly, "Come here, little one." Her voice has a soft lilt to it, all kindness. Though she does regard the goings on with a healthy suspicion. Just the arrow, it seems she wants to be friends with it. Kree blood dries on her, but she pays it no mind. Come here, little arrow.
"As maybe you speak true," Hala says, halting at first, weighing the ponderousness of the situation, "you will stay here. Anything old has lost its stability. The lhazarr may kill as likely as help." Her hands are held in a formal position, palms facing outward in a triangle. The formality does not change the fact she towers over most and watches them with a hard, fixed look, the black lines painted across her face aligning to a frown. "We will offer quarters and attention to injury. It will be some… time, one turn of your planet, to complete this test."
"Scan, honoured Hala," says the translator.
The arrow wobbles around in circles, and a sharp /tweet!/ sends it shuttling back to the Centaurian hacker, who snatches it out of the air. That will be enough temptation of the precious, thank you very much.
"We do not want you here. But here you are. Our laws are clear on how we will give you proper places and food. You may keep your privacy." She gestures and one of the bay doors flanked by an Accuser bearing a green mark probably means something like 'guest rooms' or 'gory pit of hell.' "We do not welcome a lure to trap us, not on this backward rock. Something that does this will be ours to finish. You are not held to account when the act is not your own." She waits expectantly on them. "And if you lie, then you will face justice."
Gorgon would put his axe back on his back at that….apparently he wasn't expecting this to actually end somewhat peacefully. He looks to Nexus and Triton, giving them a nod in a 'good work' kind of way. He looks to all present, putting a hand on Chloe's shoulder as if silently saying 'worry about weird magic techy stick later.' "alright." he looks around….as seeing their odds…not looking to good if they fight. So he rolls along with it. "Play it safe." is all he says. taking the safety of the group into account.
"My people have never in our history gone to war, because we choose to be peaceful; do not mistake that for us being defenseless. The primitives— the humans, barely thinking animals themselves— pose no threat to anyone but themselves. My people will do whatever is required to defend ourselves." Nexus glances at Triton and nods his head, soberly, and shrugs slightly. "A day. After that we will do what we must. Do not attempt to scan us, though, or I will know and consider it an attack. This ship is only yours while you are in orbit of our planet because I allow it. I allow it out of respect so that we may come to peaceful understanding." He bows. Slightly.
Triton was tired, injured, and whacked like a golf ball by an Accuser. He checked with the team and addressed Hala, "We find this acceptable, and we respect your honour and hospitality." He looked up to Gorgon, tiredness working to not show but it was there. His skin went from green to being grey scaled to compliment the environs of the ship. There was gratitude. To Chloe he assured, "There will be time for more questions to be answered later."
Chloe starts at Gorgon's hand on her shoulder, and she blinks a few times. Then she nods to him. Right. No more making friends with the arrow. It's gone now, and that brings her back to alertness. She squares her shoulders and stands at the Captain's side, silent and in repose. Only with knives.
Peep peep. Is that a blinky red light? Yes it is. Maybe Chloe's feelings are sort of requited. Until next time on As the Arrow Turns.