7452/John's Return:: Shi'ar Raid

John's Return:: Shi'ar Raid
Date of Scene:	26 August 2021
Location:	Shi'ar Raptor Kanalath
Synopsis:	The plan unfurled, Jimmy undone.
Cast of Characters:	James Proudstar, Clarice Ferguson, Kitty Pryde, Illyana Rasputina, Tabitha Smith

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James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar has been poring over reports of ships in orbit, studying intelligence from Shi'ar snd Earth based sources. He calls you into the briefing room with a wounded Shi'ar cruiser on the tables holo projector.

    This is the raptor Kanalath, it is in a low orbit around Jupiter, on the edge of the theater. It was severely damaged in the battle, they're repairing the warp drive, skeleton crew. I think we can sneak on and make our way board and get to the bridge, get the information and get home."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    It was after Talia'd been hurt that Clarice found out about //any// of this - and she was happy to try to help. Those as James mentions their destination - she lets out a low, quiet whistle. "That's- wow. Okay. My portals don't go further than the moon. We're way outside of my range, if we need to evac." Which leaves, of course... Illyana. The benefits of having a teleporter who doesn't believe that distance actually exists.
    "And if they notice us...?" she asks. "Shi'ar weapons pack a punch," she remarks.
    She's dressed in some combat armor from the Brotherhood's armory - but somehow she doubts it'll do her that much good if a Shi'ar weapon lands a direct hit on her.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
A pair of legs sink through the ceiling above, followed by the rest of Kitty Pryde. She drops down to the floor, landing lightly and turning to see who is here. She takes a seat in one of the chairs then as James begins going over the ship.

"Be nice if they aren't expecting us. And specifically us, for a change," Kitty grumbles quietly. She rises from the chair, moving over to tap away on a keyboard and make some preparations for the mission.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The blonde Russian sorceress has a lean, hungry look to her. Some might call that poetic, but in her case, the hollows of her cheekbones are elevated and the faint glow to her eyes sears away any human standards. So too she has done away with street clothes, even from the get-go. Raven-black metallic armour darkly echoes her big brother's other skin, dark leggings and tall boots fit for some manner of belligerence. Illyana isn't particularly in a nice frame of mind, and the best she can muster for Kitty is a nod. "Maybe time to overrun their ship with something else. A legion of something else. Purple, black, red, generally mad."

There is no smile. She cannot afford smiles these days, and the very dark mood gets only mildly brighter when Clarice's concerns about weapons come to the fore. "Maybe party to sabotage the ship, diversionary tactic and all that."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith circles around the projection, "I think I kind of qualify as a blunt weapon on a stealth mission, but I am happy to be back up in case it hits the fan." She bounces on her toes a little. "Or I could play diversion. I'm good at smashing things up."

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar says, "kitty, you know the computer systems, Yana, I'm sorry to ask you to get us there and back again. Clarice you can get the info back to Talia and Tabs, your our door opener. I think this should go smoothly. Yeah, they don't have any reason to see us coming, especially out by Jupiter and they're running a skeleton crew most of the 'marines' have been pulled. We'll go in through the service corridor, here straight shot to the bridge. Jim nods, "All good ideas. Yana, can you drop a pack of demons in the hangar? The area lights up on the map. Tab if you can drop time bombs here, here and here" The indicated spots pretty tightly clustered close to engineering light up, "That will take out power to a chunk of areas traping people in their quarters as well as communications, abd trigger a false radiation alarm, causing the evacuation of the upper decks. Leaving Kitty snd Clarice alone on the bridge. Soubd good?""

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Sounds good," Clarice agrees as she studies the layouts. "Do we want me to blink doors away and leave the path completely clear? Or create portals that get us through them? How thick are these doors if so?" She wears a determined, focused expression on her features as they go over the plans, offering a few nods of confirmation as the roles of others on the team are detailed.
    "I'm also happy to remove as many of these guys from the fight as I can get my javelins on," she remarks casually.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde gives a nod of agreement after James has gone over the plan. "It'll be much better if Lilandra is able to take over," Kitty murmurs, frowning slightly at the thought of possibly having to fight the Shi'ar further.

Kitty doublechecks what she has on her, then pulls out her phone to transfer some of the relevant files over to it for easy access. "Alright, ready," she says, eyes going over to the Russian blond who is one of her closest friends. "Try not to miss. Tiny ship all that distance away," she teases.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith leans forward to study the spots James indicated then nods once, "If Yana can drop me in the area I need to be in, I can to the damage." That this is potentially going to make the the focus of some Shi'ar warriors does not seem to be a matter of concern for her. She's not smiling. She's not supposed to be having fun after all.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Illyana's blonde bangs dust across her brow, too long and something she does not bother to brush aside. Reading over the projected deck plans consumes her for the moment. Details pored over might include getting a snapshot or two with her own phone. It won't need a network connection to function at a distance, thankfully. Jupiter is well past whatever is in geosynchronous orbit. Maybe they can bounce off a Europan Justice League beacon.

"That was the plan," she asides to Tabitha, showing too much toothsome smirk and not enough smile. The edges on her are all too prominent, and so much for being a real girl. Still, no tail and she has feet, so the world is not that devolved to trouble quite yet. "You get a window or two, not so bad."

Her glowing eyes lift to Kitty. Some vestiges of humanity still hang on in there, but whatever's pushed the needle this far speaks to an iron gauntlet-grip on herself or absolute disaster hanging out in the background. "I can hit a crystal across universes? This is easy. Plus, I have to study solar system maps. Jupiter is a big well. It pulls. First, though, demons."

The demons are the practice, after all, and punting them into the radiation field of the largest planet is really quite a good sense of where bullseye is.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar frown to Clarice "Take out whomever you need to, they started this and until they surrender they're enemy combatants. Don't take out too many of the doors, it is a space ship."

    Jim nods to Tabitha, "I got your back, once we set up the diversion we'll gtfo."

    The ship is on lower power, the hallways empty.

     The hangar has a few shuttles but the full complement of fighters has been re-assigned. The are two squads of Shi'ar Marines playing cards.

    There are three officers on the bridge and one security guy. They are working on rewiring consoles as most of the ones there are non functional.

     Jim nods to Illyana, there is never any question from him whether it can be done, never a doubt. He meets her gaze, her mind is closed but her scents not so much but this is not that time, "Ready when you are."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Poor Shi'ar marines, their job description probably never involved 'deal with quasi-intangible demons who eat plasma' or 'a cascade of adorable tribbles with sawblade shark teeth.' Said violet and rubicund denizens of the realm of Limbo take their lead from the Demon Queen pulling open a rent in space via sapphire-rimmed stepping disk. The others, of course, can choose then to take their lead or await her return.

<<Go cause mayhem. Await my command to cease.>> Instructions that brief and infused by rage in the High Demonic tongue of the infernal courts is like giving a preschooler a box of cupcakes with no dinnertime restrictions.

The seconds count. Two, three, four. By the fifth, the awaiting masses gleefully dump through not one but two irregularly placed disks. One sits higher than the other, lending an advantage to any of her demonic servitors choosing that moment to spill out. Several leap into action or throw themselves over one another to reach the nearest target.

She awaits with that uncanny awareness for where the Limbo demons roam, and then reopens the portal if no one else opts to swandive through realities to meet her on a rocky promontory above lava-strewn rivers and the remnants of what honestly look like several space shuttles of varying futuristic antiquity, and a sign for a Japanese restaurant straight out of Harajuku or Ginza. "Next stop, spaceship down."

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar smiles and nods waiting for the rest to make the trip. The ship image shifts as the demons begin their work attacking marines and repair workers alike. They more than decimate the hangar crew. Triggering a red alert and pulling any remaining soldiers or security to the hangar level. He steps through the portal into Limbo and nods, "Great Job." He smiles to Illyana. "Okay everyone lets get this done."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    As the rent in reality opens, Clarice seems to take this as invitation to go. After all, she knows Illyana keeps her minions on a tight leash when her friends are nearby. She watches the demons gleefully leap to their task with a quirk of amusement and - quiet honestly, part of her wishes she was on 'team demon.' Their job sounds like fun.
    As another stepping disk appears, she and Kitty head for it - ending up on the bridge with the few remaining skeleton crew who hadn't already run towards the chaos in the hanger. "You handle the computer, Cat, I got these guys," Clarice declares brightly, as she reaches for the javelins she keeps just over her shoulder.
    One of the soldiers seems to be reaching for an alarm - and a moment later he blinks out of sight, to reappear in a flash of purple energy just outside the bridge's viewport.
    Sorry, buddy.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty gives Illyana a little salute, and a smile for her friend, as the disc takes them into the Shi'ar ship. She does a quick turn to get the lay of the land, including the crew members that are still on board.

<< We do not want fight,>> Kitty says, not knowing if Shi'ar is a bit crude on the grammar or not. Hint: It is. << Do not move. >> she tells them, and then nods to Clarice, trusting the Genoshan girl to handle them as Kitty goes for the computer.

Far from her first rodeo with Shi'ar technology, with the work Kitty does on the Danger Room. The phone of her own design is out, and being plugged in with leads made to connect the device to Shi'ar computers. Kitty's attention is on what she's doing, leaving Blink to handle the crew.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Moving through Illyana's teleports is never entirely pleasant but Tabby completely ignores the oddities involved on this occasion because she's focusing on the fun to come onboard the vessel. She trusts Yana to get her where she needs to go and follows her through the first stepping disk without hesitation. She moves through the second portal onto the ship when it's opened and immediately begins drawing out a ball about the size of a tennis ball in one hand as she moves quickly to the first target James indicated and shoves her little baby into place. She's counting down as she runs toward the next location. She may not have a lot of focus, but Tabby always knows when her bombs are going to blow.

The first bomb seems to be timed to blow as she sets the second and moves toward the third location. The others may not want to fight but Tabby would likely do so quite gleefully if necessary. She does love a good scrap. As the third bomb is placed she runs away. One doesn't really want to stand beside her bombs when they are larger than marbles... Okay it probably wouldn't do Jimmy much harm but the rest of them probably wouldn't be overly happy with the results.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Hot and ready to blow is advantageous when it comes to a tactical response. Illyana does not spare anyone the joys of swandiving in multiple directions, and there are whirling winds that scream a pandaemonium wail of grief before their departure ever quite finishes. She could pull a leaf from Logan's book and walk among the others, stabbing enemies and smiling the whole time. That might be somewhat creepy.

With the cavalry headed in, Tabitha and Clarice lead in two different directions and the temptation seethes at her fingertips to simply storm off and make work of a somewhat competent combatant worthy of her. But that way lies madness.

Her chin lifts, and she nods briefly to James. "Perhaps best to point this into the Jovian atmosphere, not have plane problems. Demons can learn to pilot ships quickly."

She doesn't particularly hesitate if any strays come forth from the hangar. There's a sword for that with 'Living' written on the blade, just for them. Perhaps not /exactly/. But close enough.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar follows Tabitha to the sabotage point. He goes in first, scaring away a pair of techs with his size and based what they perceive as they move away calling 'Tats-an'

     These are not warriors, they back away retreating even before the alarm is tripped, The repair crew has no interest in fighting. In fact they seem eager to flee.

    The computer system reveals its secrets slowly. The clones are a special project. produced by the dominators, homed on their homeworls. There's a tislly a lot of info on them, almost too much. Then Kitty seed why. A full platoon of Clones were transferred to the ship just a few days ago.

     Jim moves with Tabby but he knows something is wrong, the smells the sounds, they can hide them, cloak themselves but it lays down a blanket, a blanket Jim can feel it just takes him a moment to put it together. His face goes white, "Tabby, you need to run, run and don't look back. Go! They're here!"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    The sight of one of the techs floating by the window seems to be enough stop the other techs from trying anything, and they back away from their consoles. "Now we're communicating! Nice!" Clarice says in a bright tone. The one guard with them, though, dives for cover, and reaches for his weapon. He's decided to make things difficult.
    "Idiot," Clarice mutters.
    Rather than moving around the console to get at him - and give him a clean shot at her, she tosses her javelin at the bit of equipment that was in her way, and it reappears several feet from its current position. Even in his shock, the guard fires off a hastily aimed shot - which disappears through a portal, only to reappear aimed right back at him.
    "Just let me know when we have everything, yeah?" she asks Kitty in a conversational tone.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
As Clarice deals with the crew, Kitty digs into the Shi'ar databases. She's copying like mad, but reading what she can in the meantime. "Um," she murmurs as she reads something, and then moves on to another related file. Kitty pulls up the file in her phone, letting the translator that she and Doug wrote make the reading far easier than it is for Kitty to translate it herself.

After a brief foray through a few more files, Kitty touches her fingers over her earpiece to block out some of the sound in the room as she speaks over the X-men's comms. << There's a whole platoon of clones on here. A lot of data, I haven't found their capabilities yet. But there's a good chance if they are cloning something it's some kind of troops. Be on your guard.>>

Turning back to the progress, Kitty spots mention of another database. "Damn it, air-gapped," she says of the Shi'ar system that doesn't connect to the network she's on. "Blink, I'm going to retrieve data from another system. Will meet you back for the trip home," she says. The X-man checks her phone one more time and then sinks into the floor, heading for a compartment on the next floor down.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith immediately frowns at what James says. She stops as soon as she's far enough away from her final bomb to not be in it's blast. "I know you don't think I'm just going to leave you to face however many of them there might be." She summons up a handful of the small time bombs she was using to fight the night of the Shi'ar attack at the mansion. Then she looks at James' face and she grimaces. There's an animalistic growl before Tabby snaps, "You better not do anything stupid, Jimmy." Then she's summoning the image from the projection into her head and heading off at a run to find Illyana, handful a plasma marbles still in hand.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar blinks, "Did you say a platoon? Four kicked my ass.. I, we're done pull out. Yana push this ship into the atmosphere, and don't let anyone off- Shit! they're here!" the comm cuts off but the sounds of battle erupt, Jim is standing in the one passage leading from the lower decks where the clones had been waiting to the upper decks where the team had come in. The other transitions had been closed by debris but the explosions that rock the ship indicate that's no longer the case. The clones head into the ship in full force.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar is doing well using the bulwark to hold them back giving Tabby time to get away but if she looks back she sees the overwhelming numbers and then she sees the plasma lance erupt from his back and heard him fall bonelessly to the deck.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    <<"We're pulling out? Shit. Kitty just went to find more intel...">> Clarice eyes the technicians who wait under her watchful gaze, while the guard is fumbling for his weapon after dropping it response to, you know, accidentally shooting himself. Without Kitty here - and with the ship already being aware of their presence - these guys hardly matter.
    <<"I'm coming towards you guys, I can help thin the ranks,">> she adds as she blinks away - appearing on the other side of the bridge's bulkhead. She start running towards the fighting, javelins already in hand, and ready to teleport away anyone who gets in her way.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Illyana knows where her demons are. Communicating with them at a distance can prove useful, but she has no need as yet. Not when the wiser course of action is waiting for Shi'ar scientists and techs populating the front half of the skeleton crew to make better decisions like leaving Kitty Pryde well alone when she computes the nature of what lies here. Any bird looking sideways at her friend is bound to receive the flat stare of a glowing-eyed young woman with perilously little to lose.

Clarice's back thus watched means a lack of interference on Magik's part. The soldiers present in the ship are another matter to concern herself with, when the data reveals its presence. <<Time to go down with the ship, isn't it?>> A question in Russian may not have an answer from most. That can mean quite a bit here, though she nods at the violet elf defending her interests.

Kiss kiss, crash crash. Though there's a timer on all of that, especially with everyone's favourite Boomer -- the only good one -- rushing up a hallway. It's the fatal signal to play. Out comes the blade, and another: not made of her soul, real, deadly sharp in every respect. She kisses the air. "I thought you were never going to come. Let's start our countdown. How do we say it? Party like it's 1999?"

Midnight erupts around her as the armour ripples around her, crawling down to her toes, up to her throat. Fire plies its course, holes shredded in reality. There may be deadly clones afoot.

There also may be an engine about to be jettisoned into the Great Red Spot.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith's other hand fills with time bombs as well as a primal sort of rage fills her to nigh irrational. The only thing that keeps her from turning around is that she has zero chance on her own against anything that can drop James Proudstar. Both handfuls of short-fused bombs are tossed blindly behind her as she flees. She knows the clones can track her even if they cannot see her so there's no point in attempting stealth anyway so Tabitha makes no attempt to hold back the scream of rage that rips from her throat as she runs. When she hits Illyana's location she says, "Jim's down. He'd want us out of here, Yana. We GO!" No one ever thought of putting Tabitha in command of anything but be damned if she doesn't sound like someone did for just a moment through the emotions that are plain on her face. And at the same time this is clearly Tabitha about to explode and do something REALLY rash if they don't get out of here soon.

James Proudstar has posed:
The techs and scientists are fleeing abjectly now even the pretense is gone as the trap has been sprung and the quarry snared but which quarry? The clones flood up into the upper decks they give as good as they get against the denizens of limbo, pulling back only when they acknowledge a numerically superior foe. They pace the X-Men, the clones are mercs, fast, strong, durable and well trained, the switch from ancient weapons to modern smoothly. Keeping pressure with rifles and closing with blades always using their numbers to advantage.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice is forced to take cover in a doorway - after teleporting the door itself partially out away. There's just too many of them. //Shit//. She blinks clones one-by-one into the void of space, while trying to redirect incoming fire with her portals. But they just keep coming. A glance blow from a blast she doesn't quite manage to block her her hissing with pain through gritted teeth. Damnit. <<"There's just too many of them. Is Shadowcat clear? Is everyone clear? Magik - can you port me out from here, or you need me back on the bridge?">> She can, after all, blink back over there in an instant - since she already knows where it is. <<"We gotta go now. I can't take this many of them.">>

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
There's an old adage that might apply. "We are not locked in here with them," she purrs mirthlessly. "They are locked in here with us."

Super-soldiers of the Shi'ar Empire are not to be taken lightly, any more than Skrulls, Kree or those purple people from the back half of W2246-0526, as cannibalistic opportunities as their galaxy. She isn't treating them kindly. Moving between archaic weapons to energy bolts gives a fine reason to hide behind walls or lurk behind pillars. Let their numbers get close, which is where she wants them for Tabitha to fling explosive rounds. When they blow, it's lovely as can be.

Teleporting clones out of the way is superb enough, Clarice's precision to be appreciated later if they survive. It may be a near thing. "I am bad at my job if you cannot stay. Fall back. Goal is to put the ship into the planet."

That armour she wears closes over her almost entirely, the helm snapping into place without the benefit of horns. A mere silver phantom dancing among them will laugh, for those energetic blasts have about as much effect as hitting a koi with a French fry. Annoying but not unbearable. Which is the point, buy time. Ten of them, one of her, not fair, but the demons play far more rotten, dropping through ductwork or tearing through walls. They happily hurl things at the super-soldiers, hamstringing, clawing at wrists, groins, everything else in between. A mouthful of flesh is a good thing. Decoy Queen there uses angularity in a stepping disk to direct attacks into Limbo and anyone closing with her has to get through it. Which is not fun.

Tick, tick, tick. Oh, she's going to hurt. It will not be without a hell of a price, Hell the key indicator. Until Kitty is free, someone has to play knifey-spoony with the monsters.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
When it becomes clear that leaving right that second is not an option. Tabitha turns and begins summoning a ball of plasma between her hands. It is not small. She pushes it until it is the largest one she's ever made. She growls and throws the thing as far as her arms will send it. Yep. Tabby's pissed. Even if it doesn't take them out, it will keep them off her for the time Kitty needs to finish, she hopes.

James Proudstar has posed:
The clones curse in Apache at the witch. But they don't fall back keeping the pressure on. They amp up the pressure on Tabby and Clarice pushing for the team to Withdraw as Kitty rises from the floor sprite-like, "Got it! Where's? oh. There's more going on here, let's go, I set the auto nav to take it into planet.

The plasma bomb explodes clearing several of the clones away.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    <<"I've got our Cat - where's our evac?">> Clarice remarks as she tosses a few more of her javelins. Her arm isn't responding properly after getting splashed by one of the energy weapons, and one of her javelins goes amiss - prompting her to wince. Yeah, she's not going to be able to hold this position for long, at all. And there's only so far she can retreat on the ship.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Worse things have happened in life than Illyana replying in Apache with her own answer: <<No freedom for you.>>

The vicious wailing winds erupting from Limbo don't need much of a summons, just an angled portal to catch them and a bit of force to keep them blowing through. All for show. Kitty is back, and the others ready to run.

Tabitha might be willing to fight, but that presents its own risk, so she darts backward and breaks into a run to rejoin the parade of friends and kin. Though obviously, one is missing.

Houston, we have a problem.

The stepping disk rips a route open, her body buckling forward as she links place and time in short sequence. Always a cost, even for the Demon Queen. The portal might be no pretty tourism ad, but it works, leaving off on the rocky promontory where they departed from. Presumably through that, Xavier's.

"Go!"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith screams in rage again as another pair of bombs fly off her hands. She wants blood, but in the end she's not ready to throw herself away just yet. For one second it seems like she might not turn and run for the stepping disk, but then she turns and sprints for home like the cops were on her heels... or well something far worse really.

James Proudstar has posed:
The angular shape of the Shi'ar space cruiser heels over into the Jovian atmosphere leaking escape pods some of which are caught in planet's gravity. Wotb the heros gone the dominator craft jettisons itself and flees the solar system.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Kitty can handle herself, now that her attention isn't focused on computers, so Clarice doesn't hesitate to retreat to the disk, trusting her intangible companion to join her. She blocks the entire doorway she retreats through with one of her portals - forcing Kitty to go through the wall to reach their ride out. Once back in the Mansion, she breathes a sigh of a relief.
    "Well, we got the intel, so that wasn't so- ...where's James?"