185/A Starr at the Wakandan Embassy

A Starr at the Wakandan Embassy
Date of Scene:	29 February 2020
Location:	Wakandan Embassy
Synopsis:	T'Challa and Karen discuss the Genoshan incident and form a new alliance.
Cast of Characters:	Karen Starr, T'Challa

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Karen Starr has posed:
    It has been a few hours or so since Karen had made her way to Genosha... Or what was left of it. Fighting two sentinels wasn't particularly difficult, but she had arrived far too late to make the kind of difference she's comfortable with. Without the Boy Scout, Power Girl has decided that she can't focus only on Metropolis, nor can she get absorbed in the interdimensional tunnelling operation to home.

    This is why, seemingly from nowhere, the white-clad blonde form of Power Girl arrives at the Wakandan Embassy. Unannounced, of course- after all, Karen isn't about to phone in from her civilian identity. She steps confidently into the embassy proper, and makes her way to the front desk.

    She has a... Mood about her. She might not be the best known of the Metropolis crew, but seeing -any- of them at Resting Angry is certain to be at least a little unpleasant.

T'Challa has posed:
The entrance to the embassy is a brownstone like most every other one on the block. The only thing that really makes it stand out is the Wakandan flag out front. When Power Girl decides to make her grand entrance, the receptionist glances up from behind her desk and frowns. She's seen that expression before on several people's faces. "Wamkelekile kwi-embanda Wakanda." she offers in Wakandan. (Welcome to the Wakandan Embassy) "Do you have an appointment?" she asks in English, smiling politely.

In the meantime, she's reaching beneath a small desk, pressing a small button to transmit an alert that appears on T'Challa's Kimoyo beads. He pulls up the camera feed from the security system and tilts his head. "Let Power Girl know I will be down in a couple of moments, please."

The receptionist nods and looks up at Power Girl. "If you'd like to have a seat, the King will be down in a few moments."

It takes about a minute before the elevator dings, and T'Challa steps out, dressed in a well-tailored suit of black, with tribal markings along the lapels and sleeves, with leather shoes, and he gives a nod of his head. "Power Girl. This is unexpected."

Karen Starr has posed:
    There are some matters of ceremony that don't get observed when you're an irate alien. She makes a note to add Wakandan to the translation array in her earrings. However, she's not without her tricks.

    "No. I don't have an appointment." she responds, curtly if lacking in direct aggression. She's angry- but she's not angry -at- the secretary. It's the kind of general bad mood that somewhat can't be diffused. She hears, too, the noise of the alert being raised, as the button sends its signal right to T'Challa's wrist. Her mood doesn't sour any further- she half expected some sort of alarm being raised.

    When T'Challa responds to the secretary, Karen responds as well, before said woman can relay the message. "I'll wait for him here." To some, it might seem presumptuous. In truth, she'd just overheard, and wasn't in the mood to stand on ceremony and filter out things that aren't -here-. When T'Challa arrives, Karen returns his nod, respectfully... But she's right to business. "T'Challa. I want to talk to you about Genosha."

T'Challa has posed:
Crossing his arms over his chest in the traditional greeting of his people, T'Challa considers the woman's request. There was no masking of signal, it went to the third floor, the chambers for the King when he is in town. "It has been a rather active subject the last few days." he offers, gesturing to a nearby room. "If you would not mind?"

Leading Karen to one of the meeting rooms, it is rather plain, with a table, chairs and a small monitor. He moves to take a seat at the head of the table, the invitation for her to join him offered with a gesture of his hand. "Please, feel free to speak you mind. I can tell you are angry. You have been there recently?"

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen follows along. She doesn't give the traditional greeting, though- it somehow seems disingenuous coming from a foreigner. Instead, she just walks behind him and when he takes a position in the room, she does the same. Sitting herself down in a chair on the opposite of the table, Power Girl ponders momentarily exactly how to tackle this particular conversation.

    "I'm sure it has been." she offers, reaching for the forearm portion of her gauntlet. From this, she pulls a small, crystalline sphere. Technology unseen on Earth except for one massive fortress in Antarctica springs to life, displaying a perfect, three dimensional image of the combat that took place the previous evening.

    "I could have excused a war between nations. This was an attempt at extermination. Worse still, this was an attack on a very capable foreign entity. This leads me to believe that by taking in refugees, Wakanda is going to suffer some sort of reprisal."

T'Challa has posed:
As the crystal comes to life and transmits, T'Challa lifts a brow. He's rarely impressed by new tech, but this is something new to him he's only heard about and now gets to see first hand. "How much storage does that crystal hold?" he asks curiously, the scientific mind coming alive before he culls his though to focus on the task at hand. "May I?" he asks.

Swiping a hand over the pendant at his neck, the room shifts and changes, taking on a true to life holographic quality that brings up the war room of the Wakandan Palace. "If you do not mind sharing your information, we can offer it to SHIELD so you do not not have to worry about your technology." It's a valid concern in T'Challa's mind.

But he is digesting the rest of the information. "I have no doubt that whoever was responsible for this was determined to send a message to the world that mutants would not be safe anywhere. They will be safe in Wakanda, until we are able to find them new homes and locations." So they won't be staying in Wakanda, clearly.

But a small country with so little known about it, Power Girl's worries are valid, considering what is on record about the small country. "It was a genocide, pure and simple. And there will be those that will cower from it. But Wakanda will not."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Power Girl's impassive expression doesn't shift. The only response she has to his question regarding her Kryptonian tech is a resounding "Yes." before she rolls the marble of crystal towards the King at the head of the table. "You can have what I have, which is prescious little. I was only able to do a small bit of math regarding the strength of the material they're made of while tearing one apart." There is a pause, then.

    "I'm not fond of this kind of message. Truth be told, I know that you won't cower from it, but I'm certain that they'll deploy these things to Wakanda, and soon. It's their best chance to get a large number of mutants, perhaps even the whole of the survivors from Genosha, in one area for extermination. I'm not saying that you can't weather the storm." There is another pause, then, as the crystal has finished transferring what data it has. She allows T'Challa some time to examine it, but truth be told, the crystalline technology of Krypton is not only from a dead society, but from a dead -alien- society. With time, some manner of understanding could be gleaned- but any more than that would take -years.-

    "I'm also not saying that they're not safe in Wakanda. Really, what I -am- saying is that I'd like to make a statement of my own."

T'Challa has posed:
It will take years, and as much as T'Challa would like to work with it, for now, his attention is on the crisis at hand. He might throw his little sister at it later. Shuri loves a challenge, after all. He draws in a breath, and he glances up. And in Wakandan, he comments, "Archive, bring up footage of Alien Alliance attack."

"What you are about to see, Power Girl, is footage that has never been released to the public at large. And it will most likely never be released. I just want you to understand why I am confident of being able to repulse a similar attack."

And what Power Girl gets is footage from 2012. It is the first time that Wakanda made their power known. And the technology used -- is far more advanced than American technology, and is on the same level as Latveria's best.

Even if it involved armored Rhinos, and warriors with vibranium enhanced weapons. And there is a lot of that vibranium ehancement. Instead of the small villages on the news, the true nature of the True Green metropolis that is hidden behind holograms is shown. Forcefields defeat direct assault and by the end of the assault, the damage is light - and Wakanda has held strong.

"I have spoken with Agent Natasha Romanov of SHIELD, they are looking into the attack, to try to figure out how this happened. I will share that information with you when I have it. As far as defending Wakanda... I could allow such." he offers, "As long as you understand that this is our secret to maintain." He waits for her to make her decision before making his next move.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Normally, someone viewing this video feed would most assuredly be impressed, and more. However, adding to the perplexing qualities of the blonde at the other end of the table, Power Girl does not seem to be impressed, as such. In truth, it's almost as if she already knew- which, honestly, ought to be impossible.

    "I understand that you're already taking action about this. I'm not asking you to stop. Again, I'm sure you could weather the storm. This isn't about surviving. This isn't about making sure the mutants are merely -safe.-" There is a snap of her fingers, and the crystalline sphere moves back to her hand, on its own accord. It ceases glowing, and she places it back in the compartment of her gauntlet.

    "It's about sending a message. It is one thing if you repel the assault. They'll just wait. But if those of us who care show up in legion to completely obliterate the assault, that sends the message that they're safe -everywhere.- That we won't put up with it. That's what I want to do."

T'Challa has posed:
"Wakanda is not going to declare war." T'Challa decides to put a finality to the thought. "We will protect those in our care. We will feed and provide them with what they need and release them to where they want to go when they are ready. That is our position on this." He shakes his head.

"For it's entire existance, Wakanda has remained to itself. And only defended ourselves when provoked. By the Dutch, the Nazis, by Aliens. We will continue to rely on that policy. We are not the country in position to police others. That is what the United Nations is for. That is what the United States would consider doing. But it is not our way."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen furrows her brows. There is a moment where she brings one hand up to pinch at the bridge of her nose. "I'm not asking you to declare war, or go on the offensive. I'm asking you to reach out to some people. The Avengers. The League. When the attack comes, and honestly, I think it -will,- just push a button. Call for help. Maybe you're not the person making the statement, but you have to allow it to happen. You have to reach out. I'm sure there are more people that want to help, that want to make sure that something like this never happens again."

    She folds her arms, and leans back in the chair, at that point. Now, the ball is in T'Challa's court. It seems like Power Girl wants to punch robots because of the message it sends- and, frankly, the challenge might be in actually -stopping- her.

T'Challa has posed:
Okay, now that she's made that clear, the relief that touches the Panther King's features is palattable. "Yes. I had already had plans on that." he admits. "I have spoken to both the Captain and Black Widow on it. However, as you are being sincere..." reaching up to his necklace, he removes a bead from it and offers it to her in his palm. "This will allow you to have a instant communication with me. And through that to the other Avengers."

It's a small ball of pure Vibranium, with, if she peeks with her X-ray vision, has a nano-tech communication suite built into it. High tech stuff. "My team on the ground in Wakanda is linked to this communication and will contact me should the need arise."

Karen Starr has posed:
    Not only does Power Girl take the bead, she does look at it- and boy howdy does she -really- look at it. X-ray, microscopic, she's actually impressed by the ingenuity of the vibranium technology, but she never hasn't been. Even back home- when she was introduced to it for only so long, near the end. Stowing it away, she gave a nod or two.

    "I had something for that, too." she states, reaching into the compartment of the opposite gauntlet. From it, she retrieves a simple looking watch. How -plain- it looks. A leather strap. A simple faceplate. A stylized red and yellow P. An extra button. "You set it with the dials. It keeps perfect time. When you need to, you press the extra button." There's a pause, then, as Karen slides the watch across the table. "It'll be faster. It doesn't allow for any higher form of communication. Think of it as a silent alarm. Sometimes you need a radio." Karen taps the portion of her gauntlet where she stored the vibranium bead. "Sometimes you need an Oh Shit button." she then points at the watch.

    If he has it analyzed, there is nothing within that even resembles human technology- instead, there is an intricate latticework of crystal plates. What it actually does is transmit a thought. Faster than any form of transmitted communication, but primitive in what it can express. It sends one message, and nothing else- which makes it less flexible... But when you only need to say the one thing, and to make sure that the one statement gets where it's going as fast as possible, it's perfect.

    Power Girl moves, then, to stand up. "Until we have to call to action. Maybe we'll find them first."

T'Challa has posed:
Accepting the watch, T'Challa considers it. Shuri may appreciate it, and that's probably dangerous. He does however, chuckle. "I believe that Tony would say that since we exchanced gifts we are going steady." That is said with amusement as he puts a watch in one of the pockets of his suit, which is actually his Black Panther habit in a more relaxed form.

"One can hope. But outside of the two giant sentinels and the twelve that were on the Island, none have been seen." he admits, frowning. "May it remain that way. But thank you for visiting, Power Girl. I am always warmed to welcome a new ally." With that, he's dismissing the holographic tech to bring the room back to it's normal form as he moves to open the door.

Karen Starr has posed:
    There is a frown that crosses her features. "I haven't met Tony," she begins, "Which is probably a good thing. I don't need the Avengers questioning why I punched him." Then, she looks towards T'Challa directly. "That said, you're not my type, so don't worry about that." Regardless, she makes her way out of the room as the images are dismissed.

    "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. Those things were too similar to one another to be anything other than mass-produced. I sincerely doubt that they only had a dozen. I don't imagine the next attack will be as small, especially since this one, technically, -failed.-"

T'Challa has posed:
"Either that, and this was an all or nothing gambit. They were just machines after all." And that's what worried T'Challa the most. The comment about not being her type doesn't even draw a shrug, after all it's a pretty safe bet that Alien disqualifies Karen as potential 'Queen' material. "I'll keep in touch with what we find out. Thank you again." There's a smile as he sees the woman out and lets out a breath.

This is getting far more complicated.