Fire, fire.

[ceoqueen]

who. Anyone and everyone.
what. Fire. Varren. Pyjaks. Varren and pyjaks on fire. Everything on fire.
where. Zeta District.
when. Effective immediately.
warnings. Did we mention fire?

Needless to say, the station has been through some shit in the past week.

First, the water supplies went offline. Then, there was a pyjak infestation. Then, some well-meaning vorcha let loose a bunch of varren to take care of the pyjak problem.

Now, they're setting fire to the surrounding areas to take care of the varren.

The fire has started at one end of the living area and is very swiftly making its way through the district - but lo and behold, finally, the water comes back on! Now, this doesn't mean that everything is fine and dandy all of a sudden. Given the severe lack of engineers working on this problem, the fire can't be put out in its entirety, and will end up spreading far enough to render some of the buildings in the area uninhabitable. There will still be a scant few varren and space monkeys meandering about, but mostly, it's time to worry about not getting burned alive.

How your characters make it through is up to you.

Consider this post the end of the event - and use it as you like to to expand on any threads and CR you might have started. (Also, feel free to backtag as long as you want! We don't mind any of that 'round here.)

Comments

ahhh sorry this is late i didn't get the notif :T!!!

[neverknocks]

York finds it odd that the other guy doesn't chime in -- because she knows there is another guy -- but hearing Dun's voice is an actual surprise, and not an unpleasant one. She actually laughs, shaking her head as she navigates the water control system, surveying damage. Admittedly, she's only got half her attention on it at the moment, her other half focused on the conversation.

"Shit, Dun, is that you? I didn't know you volunteered for this too. How's it lookin' out there?"

[anarrowtotheeye]

There are some engineers around, but Dun doesn't consider them a threat. He and York are just having a casual, ordinary conversation; no need for any extra precaution.

"In the flesh. I am no tinkerer, so all these pipes and wires are lost on me. You will have to wait for my companion here to fill you on that."

Dun gives Kengo a friendly thump on the back; he's careful to make sure it's not too hard, but Dun's a strong man and he might've accidentally knocked Kengo a little. Nothing forceful enough to hurt him, but enough to push him a step forward. Dun's spirits just got a good lift though; York seems to be someone he might just get to like. Good skills and a seemingly good heart, she's looking more and more promising as a potential member of the guard.

"But in general, things are quiet on this end. I trust that all is well on your side too."

[mathemagician]

The friendly conversation makes him feel even more uncomfortable, especially since he didn't feel there was anyone on the station he'd been able to talk to like that since arriving. Ryusei had shown up, of course, but Kengo still didn't trust him and the events that had happened before Kengo's arrival made it difficult for him to relax. Dun was the only person who had gained his trust, which was exactly why he'd asked the other to come along with him on the mission. Kengo was simply back to being the cold-hearted person Gentarou had accused him of being when they'd first met.

At the smack on his back, Kengo stumbled slightly and then cleared his throat, turning to look back at Dun. If there was an expression on his face, it was hidden by his helmet. Really, breathing in this thing was a lot easier than he had expected it to be. It was starting to feel like this was a better idea than he had anticipated.

Finally spotting something that looked out of the ordinary ahead of them, Kengo initially started to speed his steps to rush towards it, but the first step he took forward made him pause. There was debris on the floor and black marks up the wall. The pipe a few yards ahead of them had a large hole in the side, as though someone had attached a small explosive. At the risk of running into a trap, Kengo reached over and nudged Dun's shoulder before pointing further down the hall.

"They're probably gone by now, but we should do a sweep just in case." Bringing up his omni-tool, Kengo tapped in a few things, holding it up and running a scan on the area around them. While his Kaban would have been just as useful, it was a lot clunkier. It didn't look like anything on the scan was standing out -- organic or otherwise.

"We found our first one. It looks like someone set up an explosive." Though his voice was still slightly muffled with his helmet, it was clear that he wasn't much older than his early twenties, if that.

[neverknocks]

"Things are all right over here," York tells Dun, but when Hayabusa starts talking she pays attention. He's the other repair guy, and the sooner they coordinate and get this together, the sooner they can get the fire out.

"Explosive?" York frowns, pursing her lips, and she returns most of her attention to the water control system, looking over the damage to the system. "From what I'm seein' now, I can't exactly say I'm surprised. This isn't a hiccup in the system. Somebody went in here and did some real damage."

Man, this is gonna take forever to fix with only three of them plus the Talons -- two, technically, with Dun just standing guard. She's glad he's there, but they really could use some other people on repairs. She starts cycling through the system, collating all the physical locations that've gone offline or reported physical damage. "How bad does it look out there?"

[anarrowtotheeye]

Dun quickly draws out his podao and snaps his focus onto the hall ahead. He's careful as he scouts the area ahead, taking extra caution just in case someone was hiding behind the columns or some of the fallen pillars. Eye and ears straining, he doesn't detect anyone else around other than those on the site working to fix the problem. But what he does find is worrying; a few feet away from the damaged area, he finds a small cylindrical object half-buried underneath the grime and dirt. He doesn't recognize it but he does call Kengo's attention to it.

"Hayabusa, over here. Do you know what this is?"

Dun picks it up, only to startle when the device starts emitting beeps. Unfortunately for this tech-deficient general, he's accidentally activated a grenade.

[mathemagician]

"Probably as bad as things look on your end." As Dun had moved forward, Kengo kept a few steps behind him, making sure to watch any place that Dun wasn't. As he had expected, there wasn't anyone who had decided to stick around, but that didn't meant there wouldn't be something else left behind for him. That was reason enough to keep his omni-tool up, scanning for anything that might be giving off heat. Would there be traps? That part certainly didn't seem far-fetched after everything else they'd gone through.

Kengo turned as he heard the man call to him, moving closer to the other. While he wasn't sure he would have known what the object was a moment ago, the second it started emitting beeps, Kengo's heart jumped into his throat. Without taking the time to say anything, he quickly moved forward and ripped it from Dun's hand. He hesitated only long enough to determine which area would cause the least amount of damage, turning his body and tossing the grenade so that it slid across the floor and would stop in an open area. Thankfully, when it detonated, it didn't cause anything more than a loud noise and black marks across the floor.

His hands wouldn't stop shaking, nor would his breath calm. The grenade had gone off before it had even stopped moving across the floor -- far too close for Kengo's comfort. As soon as his voice returned, Kengo turned and looked back at Dun. It was impossibly difficult to keep himself from leading into the sort of yelling rant Gentarou would have been subjected to. The tense tone in his voice let on how bothered he was, though it was a combination of worry that the other had nearly hurt himself, as well as frustration that the other had activated the item in the first place.

"Don't touch anything else, if you can help it." Kengo's snarky attitude always showed through, regardless of where it was, but it helped him feel like his true self wasn't as lost as he thought. As an afterthought, Kengo attempted to soften his words. Dun likely wouldn't have known what something like that was.

"... it was a grenade. A small, portable explosive device that is activated before being thrown towards the target." He shook his hand out at his side, his body still shaking. "There are different types suited for different things, but the main purpose is to cause as much damage as possible from a long distance. I doubt they left it here on purpose. It's not something that could be set to detonate from a distance. It has to be activated locally and the time before it explodes is always rather short."

Now that the area was clear -- or as clear as he hoped it could be -- Kengo slid the repair bag from his shoulder and crouched down in front of the damaged pipe.

[neverknocks]

York's only got an audio link with the two of them -- she needs her omni-tool screen for diagnostics -- so when the grenade goes off, all she hears is the explosion, she jumps. She hears Kengo snippily explaining the grenade to Dun, so she figures they're okay, but the blast had set her on edge a little.

"Jesus -- you two all right out there?" York gets out, most of her attention still on the control system. "That didn't do any worse damage, did it?"

[anarrowtotheeye]

Kengo's shaken; Dun's merely angry at himself for having fallen for the enemy trap. The last time there was a fire ambush and he'd lost three thousand men due to his impatience and short-sightedness. Clenching his fist tightly, his frustration bleeds into his voice as he snaps back at York.

"We're fine, woman. Hayabusa dealt with it."

[mathemagician]

"It detonated in an open area. I made sure that it didn't hit anything else. Don't worry about it." Kengo kept his head forward, trusting Dun to completely watch his back as he worked. It was a trust that he didn't give lightly and one he wasn't even sure he could give to Ryusei at this point.

As he removed the materials from his bag to patch the hole, Kengo had to pause a few times to take a deep breath or shake out his hands, his body still trying to recover from the sudden shock of what had happened. No... He needed to stay focused and finish as soon as possible. Omega was depending on them to get the station running again.

"The damage to the pipe isn't as bad as it looks. It won't be the best looking repair work since we're strapped for time, but I can make it work."

[neverknocks]

"Hey, it doen't have to be pretty as long as we can get that fire out," York says, a little tersely, and she swipes through a few screens on her omni-tool until she's found the nearest location with damage. "Once you're finished up there, I've got the next damage site lined up. I know you're only one pair of hands out there, but the faster you can do this, the better."

She pauses, her lips settling into a frown. "Hey, Dun? I got a name, and it's not woman. Use it next time."

[anarrowtotheeye]

He's definitely on guard right now. His senses are attuned to the environment around him as he scans every inch of the area for any more surprise grenades or even an enemy ambush. Not that he wouldn't welcome a chance to vent out some of his frustration and irritation, but he had Kengo's wellbeing to keep in mind and he's not had the best track record when it comes to making decisions when he's angry.

York's request though sets him slightly on edge, his pride already stung by his mistake. "What's wrong with being called a woman? That's what you are." A comment that might sound OK on pen and paper, but with his temper so riled up at the moment he just comes off as scornful and perhaps, even condescending.

[mathemagician]

Well, they certainly seemed to be getting along well. Kengo kept his attention on the pipe and his mouth shut, not wanting to contribute to the disagreement and figuring his chances were higher of getting snapped at if he bothered putting himself into it in any way. Digging through the bag, Kengo worked quickly to patch the hole up, knowing it would have been much easier to accomplish with a second set of hands, but having Dun at his back was more important than having the other help him.

If he wanted help, he needed someone he didn't have to talk through the process. It was faster to work on his own. Ryusei might have been a welcome addition, but he didn't know how he could have ever asked the other to help him. Not with the way things were between them now.

As soon as he was done, Kengo patted the pipe down, smacking his fist against the sides to make sure the compound would hold, before shoving the supplies back into the bag. "Next."