Log:New Starguard Adventures, Scene 1

New Starguard Adventures 2016/02/08 	 Chen Victory Malcolm Showdown 1

Malcolm Gibbs sits at a monitoring station somewhere deep inside of the Starguard building. He sighs quietly to himself, reaching for another handful of pretzels from the bag he has on the edge of the console. It has been a reasonably quiet shift thus far, but Malcolm's never been especially happy to sit in front of a monitor...

He could, after all, be playing with the multi-million dollar machines in the motorpool. Or he could be karate*ing some Yakuza street soldiers. Malcolm frowns a little bit and shakes his head, trying to clear the images of adventure and mechanical engineering from his mind's eye.

knows what martial art the Yakuza may or may not be training their members in these days!
 * - Karate not guaranteed. Malcolm certainly doesn't know actual karate. Who

A radio message comes in over an emergency channel. "Starguard Colonial Bay, come in. Come in Starguard!"

CRUNCH!

Malcolm blinks, still in mid-chew, as the emergency channel lights up with activity. He tips his head and reaches out to hit the transmit button as he hurriedly swallows his pretzels.

"Hrrk. Err. Special Agent Gibbs, Colonial Bay Starguard. Please identify yourself and the nature of your emergency?"

"This is Admiral Wolfe from the Naval Air Station at PAX River. We have a situation here. Our experimental air-ground unmanned weapons system UCAV-779 Wraith has gone off course and stopped responding to input from it's controllers. It's armed with live ammunition and it's attack programs appear to have been activated. It appears to be heading to Colonial Bay. We have fighters in pursuit, but it's already shot one of ours down, and it's stealth systems are making it difficult to engage."

Malcolm looks left.

He looks right.

Releasing the transmit button for a moment, Malcolm comments to the air in the monitor room, "Universe just likes shooting me when I can't fly, don't it?"

Turning back to the comms, Malcolm hits the transmit button again and responds, "Forward its last known vector, Admiral, I'll rally some air support."

The admiral forwards the information.

Malcolm, in the meantime, swivels to another section of the monitoring console. He quickly starts hitting the buttons to page available Starguard Gamma members. Inwardly, Malcolm prays that one (or more) of them can actively fly better than he can.

"The Wraith could be in Old Town in a matter of minutes," the admiral says. "I'll see if my guys can buy you some time."

Chen grows a third arm and hand to extract her beeping PDA, two hands being used to hold and eat a carton of spiced rice with chopsticks. Reading the message displayed she whoops in delight and punches the air with the hand holding her PDA. "Yes. Finally!" she exults. Pushing the rice carton and chopsticks into a passerby's hands she transforms into a racehound and spints off towards Starguard to see what's up.

"I appreciate it, Admiral. We'll be moving to intercept quickly," replies Malcolm. He turns off the transmit button again, flagging down an NPC to take over the board whilst he hustles off toward the motorpool to collect some kind of military aircraft for what Malcolm is already mentally calling Operation: Daylight Wraith!

Dorian ends up getting the message from Malcolm. He responds back to the agent using his PDA, "I'm in Europe for a conference. I'll never make it back in time to deal with the issue. Gather whomever you can to intercept."

"Roger, sir, already gathering the troops. So to speak."

Malcolm tries not to sweat bullets at accidentally trying to rally the boss. He also remembers to collect his tactical visor from his locker on the way to Starguard's on-site air field. Jogging out onto the tarmac, Malcolm looks around for back-up whilst trying to figure out which craft is already prepped for takeoff.

"C'mon! C'mon! We've got an aerial emergency. Give me something that'll survive a dogfight."

Kyle Strong was currently working on his motorcycle, tightening up a few bolts and checking the hovering system to make sure it worked in his garage at home. He was listening to the news, too, and well... a dogfight. Outside of Colonial Bay? That definitely gets his attention. Not many can handle taking on a jet at high speeds. But, a dogfight? And it's not some sort of air show? The college student stands up, wiping his hands before stepping out to his back yard and pulling out his gauntlet. Placing it on, he is enveloped in the green and gold light that forms into his armored costume before he takes off into the air, his poncho and then his cowboy hat appearing as he places it on his armored head. He sends a message over HeroNet that he's on his way to the dogfight before a green barrier appears under his feet followed by a blue in front of him and he takes off like a rocket after passing through it, trailing gold sparks behind him.

Chen bounces off walls, cars, and sometimes people, as she makes for Starguard at a very fast flat out run. Bursting into the reception area she calls out, "Where's the fire? What's up?" to the first Starguard person she sees.

On hand is the typical complement of Starguard aircraft, mostly consisting of the standard SGG flying vans. There are also larger, slower transport planes.

Wade gets the message via HeroNet as well. He changes into costume and heads over to the SG base. He can't help but wonder if he's going to run into Casey. It's been a while.

Malcolm offers a grunt and makes for one of the SGG flying vans, popping the door and sliding into the pilot's - driver's? - seat before he starts lighting up the boards for pre-flight. Between flipping toggles and pressing buttons, Malcolm cues his visor's radio to transmit to the SGG board.

"Let people confirming they'll be joining this case to meet up at the airfield. I'm warming up a flying van as we speak. Liftoff in 2 minutes."

Star Girl shows up from the cafeteria, bounding out from the main compound to meet up with Malcolm on the airfield. "Hey, Forge. I'll help with coordinating emergency services from back here. Happy hunting."

Victory is let through to the landing field and he jogs out toward the craft in question. He pauses only a moment when he notices Star Girl is there. He smiles, "Star Girl. Good to see you again."

Chen spots Star Girl and follows her, having waited impatiently a whole second for a reply to her question. That takes her to the landing field and Malcolm. "Hi. For the third time of asking, what's up? Someone paged me. Was it you?"

Star Girl is turning to head back to the main building when she spots Victory. "Heya. Be careful out there!" she says with a nod, staying just long enough for him to acknowledge the glance before racing back inside.

"Glad to hear it, Star," calls Malcolm to Star Girl. He looks over to Chen and Victory, waving them on toward the flying van as he finishes up the pre-flight sequence. Its engines turn over with a dull rumble and Malcolm replies to Chen, "Yes, I paged everyone to try and get a response team. We've got a malfunctioning or hacked drone inbound on the city with live weapons. It's already taken out a Navy jet and the damn thing's headed for Old Town."

Victory climbs on board and straps himself in. "We have no idea why it's headed that way, I'm assuming?"

Chen nods, "Got it." she says, and then adds, "Time for a Paragon manoeuvre. I'll ride outside." Reaching up she shifts, flowing in a inch thick layer over the front exterior of the flying van and adjusting her flesh to maximum toughness.

"No idea. It stopped responding to controls and its combat programs came online," replies Malcolm as he gets the flying van into the air. He shoots a thumbs up at the Chen over the hull, bringing the van around toward the proper coordinates before he starts accelerating toward Old Town and the Wraith!

Star Girl reports in with an update. "Navy fighters are still engaged with the Wraith outside of the city limits. We' re clearing the airspace. Apparently, the Wraith is programmed to take out anything in the air. If you want, I can patch you through directly to the admiral."

"I'm hit! Going down!" Over the SG radio, heroes can hear one of the pilots as they arrive on the scene. The last of the Navy fighters is streaking down to the ground in flames. Luckily the pilot is able to eject. The Wraith aircraft is flying low, just 100 m above the ground. It banks and turns towards the incoming heroes.

The Wraith aircraft brakes and turns as it slows to combat speed. Its nose is pointed directly for the incoming SGG aircraft as it closes.

"This is going to get pretty extreme, guys! Everyone brace for combat maneuvers!"

Malcolm grips the steering yoke hard as his feet operate some other controls. Who really knows how a flying van works? The flying van aerobrakes, slowing to combat speed as it closes with the Wraith. Gritting his teeth, Malcolm opts to pull up and roll hard to starboard to keep from running directly into the Wraith's main guns.

Hopefully such a maneuver puts the van into position for the other heroes on-board to attack.

Victory looks at the incoming jet. "I'm...not going to be a huge use in here unless I open the side door. Fair warning."

"Go for it, man. I'll worry about keeping us in the air, you worry about shutting that thing down," replies Malcolm.

Wraith

A sleak ultramodern fighter aircraft, armed with twin machine guns and twin missile bays built into the hull. The contoured design is composed of smooth lines and curves, with forward swept wings, canards and twin tail stabilizers. The jet has twin jet engines with vents for vertical thrust.

Chen flows fluidly over the hull of the flying van keeping herself interposed between the SG vehicle and the out of control Wraith fighter as she clings tight against the gee-force of the maneuvering. One hand emerges from her blanketing form to raise a single finger to the wraith.

Victory unbuckles himself and moves over to the sliding door, where he attaches his harness there to the handy framework. For just such an occasion. He then pauses, waiting to open the side door to get a shot at the Wraith.

Showdown looks over at the SGG van, gives a brief salute before taking off at the jet quickly as a brief green field appears beneath his feet and he seems to 'jump' straight for the jet. Pulling his hands up, he spins as a red glow comes from his gem before making a large hand gun made of red energy appears that he takes aim at the jet. The shot, however, is definitely NOT bullets. It's more like an overgrown laser.

Inside the cabin of the SGG flying van, warning alarms and lights flare. "Warning! Warning!" a computerized voice states as the Wraith achieves missile lock. It zooms straight foward, lifting it's nose so that it's arcing just above the van and flies past it, dropping an air to air missle in its wake. The missile snakes towards the van!

Chen sees this is going to be a bit harder than she expected due to the nimbliness of the Wraith but managed to flow over the targeted area of the van.

Chen winces. That stung a little. Lucky it hit her, she thinks, and not the van.

Victory slides open the side door of the van. Despite the lurching movement of the van in its attempt to dodge the missile, he's still okay, for the time being.

Chen speads herself out further and thinner to cover even more of the van... and wonders how many of those missiles the wraith has left.

Malcolm grits his teeth as he sees the Wraith coming up on the van. He tries to maneuver the flying van out of the target lock, but such a maneuver is difficult when you're flying a van. The tall man offers an unsettled noise as he hears the bullets/missile sputtering and spanging off of the Chen on the van's hull.

Victory leans out of the door, holding onto the frame, while he releases an energy shield toward the Wraith from his bracer.

Victory's blast nearly clips the fast-moving jet fighter.

Victory grimaces, "I'm going to need to wait until it's a bit closer."

Chen calls out to Victory, "Need to be closer? Tell me when you're ready and I'll see what I can do."

Victory says, "I can just try to time it. It's going to come back."

Showdown flies in closer to the Wraith, twisting to put himself between it and the van. The hand gun turns a violet color as it expands into a shotgun that he aims one handed. A larger, wider beam flares out as he tries to at least hit the jet to get it's attention off of the van.

The Wraith is knocked from it's line of flight by the blast. It starts spinning out of control. It's largely undamaged by the blast, save for a single small hole in the hull.

Showdown looks at his energy made rifle, then at the plane. He shakes his head. "Well, at least I can hit it." He says to the open air.

The Wraith corrects it's course in midair and banks, preparing for another pass at the SGG van.

Chen says, "It's coming in for another run, Victory."

Victory says, "I'll take a shot on its way in. I think I can time it right, as long as the deflection isn't too bad."

Chen shifts again. Having seen, and felt, one missile's attack she has a better idea where to move to protect the SG van.

Victory leans out again, waiting until the Wraith is close enough to get a good shot.

Showdown flies in closer again, trying to keep himself between the Wraith and the van. The shotgun disappears to be replaced in a gold coloring a large rifle. And then he fires what's basically one big, large beam of that same gold. At the jet. "Let's see you dodge this!"

The blast knocks the Wraith from its line of approach sending it tumbling through the kicks. However it does no damage.

Wraith spins gracefully out of its tumble and streak forward for the flying van.

Victory tries to time his launch as the Wraith closes in, waiting until it's just about 15m from the van before he releases another energy shield at the craft.

Chen shouts, "Yay! Way to go, Victory. Take that you metallic moron."

"Hey! I resemble that remark," shouts Malcolm at Chen.

Victory chuckles, "Only if you're a moron, which I doubt."

Victory's blast hits the wraith and knocks it off it's strafing run.

Chen laughs, "Sorry, Malcolm. I'm talking to the jet with the attitude."

Malcolm "Forge" Gibbs may be bantering with his fellow superheroes, but that doesn't mean his attention has wandered from the Wraith. As the heavy metal drone sails by, its strafing run momentarily forgotten, Malcolm twists the steering yoke hard. He sweeps the van around and attempts to get it into line behind and above the Wraith for the ease of his comrades' targetting of the wayward drone.

To Be Continued!