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Saturday, 22 November 2014, 1400 It was a cold winter's day in Freedom City. And across the city... two phones were ringing. Catherine sighed as she sat in the hotel room she was using, resting in her wheelchair. Hopefully, she'd be able to get out of the dammed thing soon enough- her recuperation from her injuries was coming along nicely, although she'd likely never be able to walk unaided again. Well... powers aside. And Dad was working on a powered frame, now, which should let her fight for extended periods of time... Now, though, her concerns were different, although related, as she called the other two heroes involved in that particular series of events, as a pair of medals glinted from where they were laid out on the bed. "Well, let's hope things go well..."

Saturday, November 15th 2014 Two figures slipped into existance in the quiet woods, as if they appeared out of thin air. But nothing in this place was as it looked, as this was the mysterious, ever-shifting realm of the Fey. Truth told, a keen eye would spot the faint shimmering air that signalled the portal the girls had walked through. Again, the same observer would notice that one of the figures brought only a general resemblance to a woman. While the general shape was right, human girls didn't have the large, luminous eyes and the unnatural grace this woman possessed. Nor the strangely resonant voice she spoke with, as soon as the portal closed behind them. "And this is it, the Fey realm," Angie said, staring around. Even if she'd been here many times before, each of them had felt subtly different; bizarre and strangely familiar at the same time. "As much as I've been told, it's a sort of limbo that exists close to our reality, and yet a little out of synch with it. I can travel through here to any other place in the material plane, and open a portal back through a door or archway on the other side." A ginger cat - or at least, that's what it looked like - strut along with grace, slightly preceding Angeline. "I wil take a look around and check for any danger, milady." the cat said. It spoke with a voice that could only be described as... well... sly and cunning, and it looked extremely pleased to be able to roam the place freely. "Thank you, Oliver. But don't get too far away," Angie told her feline bodyguard, as Oliver sprinted ahead into the undergrowth. "So, what do you think of it? Isn't it beautiful?" asked Angie, twirling around and looking at her companion, her roommate Haukea.

Claremont Academy, Front Entrance to the Quad. November 16, 2014, 4pm Sakurako rolled out her orange colored plastic case out on to the sidewalk outside the claremont academy. Adjusting the blazer of her favorite yachting outfit, she looked over the front of the building. "Ah... nice archetecture... looks better in person. Far more... well sophisticated." She nodded to the driver of the minivan she was in, after grabbing a red colored vest from the back seat and what looked like a reddish orange waterproof bag. She sat on her case as the van drove off as she made a quick call on her cell phone she pulled from the vest. "Hey, Mom.... yep made it to the Academy okay." "Yeah I'm gonna miss things. But... I might enjoy this place. Looks like a legit castle." "No.... I've not harassed any of the boys yet." "Okay, I should go I gotta lug my case inside here... the light dusting of snow isn't making things easier." "Bye bye!" She smiled, turning off her smartphone and sliding it into the pocket of the vest, before laying it on the case. She pulled up a handle on one side and started to move the case. It was obvious the scrawny, yet determined pink haired girl wasn't into giving up very easily. Getting the case inside the main foyer, she sits on it again to catch her breath. "Okay... mental note... hit the gym." She looked around at the old wood hall, taking in the sights of her new home for now...

GM Monday, October 20th... AEGIS Headquaters, Federal Building, Downtown... Agent Kawene left AEGIS in a nervous state, dressed innocently in a non descript suit and nondescript tie, but perspiring more than he should now the heat had left the city with the fall. He had a look, that could not be concealed, of concern. He tried to put it out of his mind, tried to think of his family, and his daughter who would be visiting. But his concerned lined his face and could not be ironed out. Hailing a cab, he made his way back home, drumming his suitcase... As the Cab headed home... Agent Huggit was briefing Argonaut deep below the Federal building of AEGIS, and was just as concerned. "The man's name is Henry Hand. Ex military, joined AEGIS a year ago. Not the best agent, but not the worst. We had some..concerns...about his psychological profile. Impulsive, poor empathy, thrill seeking. Still, an effective man" Huggit was an older man, grey haired, thin, a face of experience and caution. Whilst concerned, he had weathered worse in AEGIS. He had seen more crisis that most men had had hot dinners. "He was exposed to a Daka Booster. We don't know where the technology came from, and where it came from...thats a story for another time and a higher clearance level. A device that extracts the energy from Daka crystals in fast and unpredictable ways. It bends space, bends dimensions. And, it seems, had bent Agent Hand..." "Hand has since been acquiring a multitude of devices. We need to stop him, before he gets his hands on anything truly dangerous..." He flicked through to the file on Agent Kawena. "And here is our bait. Agent Kawena. He knew Agent Hand, was even friendly with him. And we have arranged for Agent Kawena to look after our special items. We hope Hand will make his move on his friend. And we hope you can be around to stop him. And protect Agent Kawena..."

GM New Genesis Inc ( A Grant Clonglomerate Subsidiary) The North End, Freedom City, New Jersey Monday, November 3rd, 2014 4:14 PM Nestled squarely between Freedom City University and the many upstart tech properties lied the newest startup lab. Headed by Dr. Francis Newman, New Genesis Inc is a biongengineering firm. Dedicated to "providing a better tomorrow, today" as the words on the lobby say. The building was a dome shaped testament to architectural advancement. Appearing much like a sleek metallic lotus flower from the outside. The inside dug below the surface of the city. Secure access making a break in a difficult task. In reality, the building was a repurposed supervillain lair from the 1950s. Each floor filled with its own scientific think tank. Scientists are actively rotated among the floors depending on the need of a particular project. Leaving very few people actively aware of any projects that they weren't personally involved in. As part of Claremont's Work Study extracurricular program. Thaelia and Cho had been chosen to shadow Dr. Cassandra Steel for a week. Just as she was selected to join a developmental study on the lowest floor of the New Genesis labs.

Outer Reaches of Contested Space 38 Hours After Destruction of Lor-Van It was a truism that any seasoned spacer could have sworn upon: the heart of galactic civilization could be on fire, the proverbial wolf could be at the door and everything anyone knew could be turned upside down but there would still be someone willing to pay hard coin to make sure somebody else got what was coming to them. Since energy cells and starship parts hadn't suddenly become free, the crew of the Voidrunner had made their way out to the raggedy edge of known space, far enough out that nobody bothered to argue if it was technically Republic or Khanate territory, looking for a scumbag with a price on his head. Only this time the heart of galactic civilization really was on fire and the rush of reentry outside the airlock was starting to sound an awful lot like that proverbial wolf growling. Orbital traffic was ten times over denser than it should have been, packed with the ships of refugees who'd either thought they could avoid what was coming by running far enough away or who just didn't have anywhere more attractive to go than the dustball known as Ke'Pinree. Many of the vessels looked barely space-worthy; it was doubtful their passengers would be able to make it to the next closest habitable world if they were turned away. Once properly assured that they were there on business, a harried sounding woman with a thick provincial accent had cleared the bounty hunters for landing, directing them to was passed for a spaceport on her world.

Aboard the Nomad The edge of the Lor Republic 19 Hours After Destruction of Lor-Van Aya K'zan, also known as Corona, had received a transmission about the attack on Lor-Van far too late for her to be able to try to get there aboard the Nomad. After learning of the destruction of the capital of the Republic at the hands of some new enemy called the Communion, she had contacted two of the few allies she had made since her arrival on Earth, a human Emily Stenford, also known as Mechanized; and another off-worlder, Memorial, formally of Belran. As it turned out, Memorial knew a good deal about the Communion, making it an even easier decision for Corona to bring her along. The three had been heading to try to rendezvous with the Lor fleet on the Nomad when they had received a transmission from Lor Fleet Command. With the chaos the Communion attacks had brought, and the Star Knights shifting their forces to help address the threat, large sections of space had been left unpatrolled or defended. Reports had come in from systems just along the spinward boarder of the Republic about increased pirate activity, capitalizing on the chaos and absence of Star Knights. Command had ordered Corona to alter course to investigate the activity and deal with it, noting that it was the sector assigned to one of the Star Knights that had died trying to defend Lor-Van. Corona had also been directed to make a stop to pick up an additional passenger from a system along the way, a Tempestian known as Galvanic, who had been known to provide help to those in need since leaving Tempest. Now with Galvanic aboard, the Nomad was well underway towards the sector of space that had seen the worst increase in pirate activity.

Outer Edge of the Lor-Van System 17 Hours After Destruction of Lor-Van The previous solar cycle's worth of hours had been among the worst in the lives of either Seikahi’ino or Ana Plonsky. On shore leave from the Xeno, the human woman had chosen to spend it on the shining crown jewel of the Lor Republic with the more worldly Kahi'iru agreeing to tag along as a favour to their mutual acquaintance to make sure she didn't get herself into any trouble. There was no way either of them could have been prepared for the Communion's sudden, merciless attack on Lor-Van. There was no way anyone could have been prepared. They'd been among the lucky ones, making it to a spaceport and squeezing their way onto a mid-sized cruiser just as the bay doors closed and it made for orbit. They'd sat on makeshift benches formed from empty cargo containers while a panicked young man had asked over and over if anyone had seen his sister among the crowd and a frail grandmother had been unable to stop an infants plaintive wailing for even a moment. They'd been in the windowless hold when word had filtered down that the Star Knights had arrived in force, a moment of sudden hope and relief before learning that the armor clad champions had sacrificed themselves to give them and the other fleeing vessels time to break orbit. They'd been there when the air had begun to taste just slightly stale and those familiar with starships had begun muttering that the engines didn't sound quite right. There when a crewman had let slip that they'd fallen behind the rest of the extant fleet and wouldn't be able to jump to FTL until repairs had been effected. There when the panicked young man from before had to be restrained before he could hurt himself or anyone else. There when someone asked aloud what was stopping those terrible silver sliver ships from coming to finish them off. On the ship's bridge, Samran-86 ran a hand through her tightly shorn red hair and reminded herself to keep her breathing calm and steady. The Lor officer had assumed command of the vessel from it grateful owner, a cargo hauler with no experience with emergency situations. The clone mentat known to her fellows as Eject was beginning to think he'd had the right idea. "Any friendly vessels, this is the freighter Either Ore. We are venting plasma and require immediate assistance. Repeat: we require immediate assistance. Is anyone out there listening?"

0.5 LY from Stellar Khanate Borders November 2014 (Terran Calendar) Even under the best of circumstances, this was probably the last place most people in galaxy wanted to be. And then, somehow, it had gotten worse. With the knowledge that the Star-Khan had been made the new mouthpiece of the Communion, that raised an obvious question - what had happened to the worlds of the Khanate, that great cluster of wild, despotic states held so tight by Kinan Khan? Nobody knew. All state-run media, which at times could have made the North Korean press corps look like The Daily Show, was down. Traffic in and out of the sector, already sporadic, seemed to be shut down entirely. With half the galaxy on defensive footing, nobody really wanted to spare the resources or manpower to figure out what had happened within the Khanate. But just because nobody wanted to didn't mean that nobody should. Cavalier was blazing through the empty sector, keeping his eye out for surveillance satellites and Khanate drones. Intelligence said that they would be lightly cloaked but still discernible, providing minimal challenge but serving to signal the guys with bigger guns. But as far as he could tell, there was nothing watching this part of space. Which just meant he'd have to deal with the inevitable when it came. After the push at Lor-Van, he'd had... well, he could be charitable and call it "a rough time." Once Seven had managed to drop him off somewhere near Citadel, he'd made it back to the planet for debriefing. The next twelve hours after that were... mixed. There had been screaming. There had been desperate attempts to sleep, the images of broken armor and blinding light seared behind his eyelids. There had been drinking to forget, and then glasses thrown against the wall because the drinking had done nothing. Somewhere after those twelve hours, he'd actually managed to pull himself out of the void and focus. He couldn't just curl into a ball while the galaxy bled. And that was when Mentor had come to him with orders - preceded by more bad news. "What do you mean the intelligence is gone?" "The attack that compromised my systems during the assault of Lor-Van left several prevalent agents within my system. They have been quarantined in order to prevent further damage. Until these agents can be purged, the affected data cannot be accessed - and, in what was likely planned, one of these subsets is all files pertaining to the Communion entity." Cavalier bit his tongue. The very fact that Mentor had been compromised was not a happy thought. He did not want to yell at the intelligence for trying to work around the cybernetic equivalent of an embolism. "So we need intelligence. Where do we gather it?" "What little we have unflagged makes tertiary references to machine gods and cybernetic archaeology - potential resources of note for down the line. As of right now, however, the best possible resource would be beyond Khanate borders. If the Star-Khan has been claimed, odds are several of his worlds have followed." Cavalier shook his head. "This really is the best idea, isn't it?" "I am examined several permutations, and this one yields the best results. Sri Steward. Your background has been extensively catalogued in my banks. I know you have some experience on border runs. With the Knights regrouping, we must make use of unorthodox talents, wherever they may lay." And the worst part was, he knew it was true. All of it. "I'm likely going to need backup. And not the kind trained to knock nicely before entering contested air space..." "We have already isolated potential assets. A meeting has been arranged..." And so, some time later, Cavalier was flying outside of the Horizon, maintaining vigil while the ship soared across the stars. He patched into the ship's comms. "All clear out here so far. How's it looking on your end?"

The Lighthouse November 10, 2014 The transportation platform of the Lighthouse flashed, as an incoming transport arrived from Earth. Velocity materialized on the platform, fully dressed in her costume, although she was still feeling the lingering effects of sleep. The alert that had come over her League communicator had awoken her well before her alarm was set for. But she had wasted little time in getting up and responding, getting over to Freedom Hall and then beaming up to the Lighthouse. Standing near the pad, awaiting her arrival was the cloaked form of Dr. Metropolis. "Good morning Velocity." The enigmatic figure stated in his deep, rumbling voice. "The others have already started to gather in the main meeting room." "Morning, Doctor." Velocity stated with a small smile. "Thanks. I'll get right over there, but first will want to make a small stop for some coffee." The speedster was then off in a blur of yellow, heading towards the space station's galley. A few moments later, she had coffee mug filed with the hot liquid and then made her way to the main meeting room. As Dr. Metropolis had indicated, there were already some League members gathered. Captain Thunder was there, looking a bit tired and worn and seated at the center seat of the large table that was at the center of the meeting room. Johnny Rocket was also sitting along one side of the table, doing his best to patiently wait for everyone to arrive. Standing off to one side were Daedalus and Star Knight talking. Maria had her helmet off at the moment, and looked rather upset. "Good morning Velocity." Captain Thunder said in greeting. "Please have a seat, hopefully the others will not be too long."

Kestevan 79 Magnetar 23,000 LY from Terra November 2014 (Terran Calendar) Why are we here? It was a hard question not to ask as the Praetorians' starship approached the world Moon-Moth had designated as the next target of the Communion. Kestevan 79, and its companion magnetar were a long-dead supernova remnant - the nebula, the neutron star inside, and its magentar companion both had been classified as navigational hazards by the Delaztri and generally avoided by their fleets, something that as far as they could tell had remained the same for Lor and Grue both. After all, what could possibly live in the wash of gases and X-Rays produced by nebula and burning magnetar alike? But there was, as far as the Curator had been able to tell, life on the sole world orbiting Beta Kestevan - life that was by all accounts a target for the Communion. For his part, Solar Sentinel found conditions equally grim as he headed out into the remote space near the Kestevan system, a system so remote and so irradiated that it had remained largely unclaimed in all the space wars he had ever heard of. There was no debris in the system, no asteroids or other planets - just the invisible at this distance neutron star that was Beta Kestevan (for all that it howled like a dead god on the radio) and the single white orb beneath the brilliantly burning shape of the Kestevan nova that floated over the system like the ghost of a dead star. Kestevan I - the only life-bearing world for light-years. Kestevan I; the next target of the Communion. A small collection of older, disreputable-looking starships were in orbit as Sentinel and Praetorians took up their positions in the vast depths of space; the wash of radiation in the system making whatever signals they might be sending to each other impossible to read. The planet was cold and desolate even from space, frozen nearly from pole to pole. Down below, on the icy surface of Kestevan I, a small handful of city lights twinkled at the equator, the planet's only source of free water. They had no idea what was coming.

November 10, 2014 A hyperlight signal crossed the vast interstellar network, ricocheting off Lor communications stations a moment before the stations were deluged by word of the apocalypse that had befallen the homeworld. Further and further out into the Orion Arm it went, passing by the populated worlds of the galaxy as it headed into a remote galactic backwater that held one insignificant yellow dwarf and a small system of eight planets. It hit the unmanned station the Lor had left in Pluto orbit decades earlier and headed in one last burst for Earth, passing by the Lighthouse and heading straight for its source - Archetech. In a darkened laboratory, Sharl Tulink arrived on his hands and knees, screaming. "NO!" Instinctively, he reached out mentally into the surrounding network, both the building's power grid and the computers all around him. The lights flared up at his command and the computers came to life, the primitive technology and raw naturalism of Terra a sharp contrast to the sterile, doomed world he'd left behind him. As the Terran computers booted up, Sharl fought the natural urge to dive directly into their systems and not stop running through that primitive wireless network until he reached the familiar confines of Tronik - but of course that wouldn't really solve anything, would it? Instead, he raised his head and got up off the floor - though of course being a holographic projection he'd only barely been on it in the first place. He reached out into the surrounding network of the city and called a familiar number. "Gina!" he called, remembering old distress signals easily enough. "Code 404!"

Lor Space The Unseen Ocean - interstellar transport vessel All was quiet on The Unseen Ocean - and, really, it had better have been for what people at this end of the massive vessel paid for the trip. The middle-class got the midship and the proles got pods and benches back by the engines, but this section, near the bow, was all high-rollers and corporate contracts. In fact, even the halls outside the multi-room suites were silent and nearly empty - a lone few employees, impeccably dressed, made their way through the smooth metal and plastic archways to keep everything invisibly supplied and anonymously clean. All of which, unfortunately, made the woman who stepped out of one of the corporate suites stand out like a sore thumb. A bellhop stopped cold, fins along the side of his head extending in surprise as he stared - her already unacceptably-dyed hair was disheveled, her would-be faultless uniform torn in places and discolored near the shoulder in what could have been her own blood if she'd had any visible wounds. A slow clicking sound drew his attention downward, to the segmented tail that was slowly curling out from between the door and its frame as she flashed a winning smile and tried to close the door. The door stopped short of its frame, stuck on the arm of someone who - at the sudden sensation of their limb getting hit by a closing aperture - made a disoriented and not-quite-conscious groaning sound. "Ah - no tickets," the woman explained, flashing her smile again and none-too-gently kicking the hand out of the way so that the door would shut. She picked up a heavy, ornate case from where she'd set it down, quickly brushing past the young man on her way aftward. The bellhop reached for his commlink. "I've got the cabin package, Rock, but we're probably blown. We've only got a few minutes before an alarm gets hit and security starts crawling out of the walls." Eclipse tore what was left of the uniform off, exposing a far more practical jumpsuit underneath and putting some extra energy in her stride as, all around her the lights went red and a low klaxon sounded. She reached up to her ear with her free hand to adjust the volume on her communicator. "....maybe less. Please tell me things went cleaner on your end."

GM Train Station Mystery, New Hampshire 2:24 PM Saturday October 11th, 2014 Amddiffynnwr O Lleu Llaw Gyffes has eyes where it is needed. All members of the order understand this simple principle. Perhaps none more so than Cerys Pfer, whose cover at Claremont has gone through it's own series of trials over the years. An agent for the order had been tracking rumors of a lost artifact in a small town in New Hampshire known as Mystery. Until suddenly the order lost all contact with him. As such, it befell on their closest contact in the area Cerys to perform her duty and recover the artifact. Thaelia, princess of Atlantis known to her peers as the boisterous Glamazon, had no stakes in the matter. In fact she had no idea where her friend was going when she snuck off from the Claremont grounds early in the morning. Just that when she saw Cerys leaving the campus grounds early in the morning, Thaelia took it upon herself to tag along. Even after finding out they were in for a six hour train ride with three transfers in between. Lynn Epstein, the veteran shapeshifting fey touched hero known as Grimalkin, had her own reasons for heading to Mystery, New Hampshire. Having purchased a rare book in an online auction, Lynn had found herself required to pick up the book in person. The book being a touted as genuine fey article was of utmost interest to Lynn. Just before the train reached its final destination it shook violently. A woman's panicked yell followed soon after. Those with a keen enough eye would have turned their heads in time to look out the window. In the distance stood a massive mastiff with baleful breath and blazing red eyes. It's wispy dark black fur moving like living shadows. All three of the heroines on board were quick to spot the creature. Before it disappeared without a trace. The train arriving in Mystery shortly thereafter. Mystery is in the shadow of Mystery Mountain, the largest peak in the southern New Hampshire area, situated some distance from a spur of the White Mountains. “The sun sets early in Mystery†the locals say, given the vivid sunsets over the peak of the mountain as its shadow spreads eastward over the town in the early evening.

GM 1st September Evening time, with a red sun in the horizon... The Hanover Institute of Technology was well guarded at night, but it was hardly a military complex. Five men, in balaclavas and with all the usual tools of the trade, were breaking in. Wire cutters first, then lock picks. They looked professional, or at least a cut above a tweaking crack addict desperate for some quick bucks. However, they were notable for having good equipment. Excellent equipment, in fact. Power wire cutters, electronically controlled lock picks, remote controlled grenades, and perhaps most surprising, what looked like sci-fi blaster pistols for defence. The Van they had come in was large, black, and silent, looking equally cutting edge, with filed off number plates and a number of antenna and dishes, subtle but present, on the roof...

GM 70 Miles South of Japan Monday, October 13, 2014 3:20 PM At 11:00 AM a scientific expedition to the ocean's depths uncovered what they thought was the lost ruins of an abandoned civilization. They sent two divers to explore the ruins. What they discovered instead was a dimensional rift to an undersea society of Shark Men. The Sharkpeople immediately attacked the scientists and stormed the vessel. For whatever reason, the leader of the Sharkpeople broadcast a ransom demand for the world to see. Requesting a sum of sixty five million dollars. As well as for the waters surrounding a five mile radius from their rift to be declared foreign lands under their control. Demanding that even Atlantis had no claim to their waters. A concession that the Sea King found both odd and insulting before refusing. Leading the Japanese Government in a bit of a bind. Desperate for a solution the Japanese Government reached out to Glamazon, Temperance, Tsunami, and Myrmidon. Their exploits with the >Sea Cruise Magnificent had given three of the heroes a bit of a reputation in the nautical community. Myrmidon's own reputation of quality assurance preceded even theirs. Whether well earned or not , the four were eager to help out. Greeted by the locals as they arrived one by one, the Japanese Coast Guard provided a Tsurugi Class Patrol ship as well as a small crew to close the distance. Trusting that the shark men could not utilize the delicate instruments aboard the ship, the skipper allowed them to get within fifty feet of the much larger ship. The crew all lined up once the ship came to an abrupt stop. More than one curious eye glancing with binoculars at the interesting sight in front of them.

Continuing from >here. Amara Val-Ren had followed after Vince as the hologram led her from the room in which she had been awoken and into the vast chamber beyond, where seemingly endless rows upon rows of cryogenic tubes were stored in the cold air of the room. The cold no longer was bothering the Naram, as she moved over towards the nearest row of tubes, around which lights had just activated and the faint forms of her friends and comrades could be seen behind the frost on the tubes. She carefully counted the tubes as Vince moved over to a nearby control panel and began the awaking process for the other Praetorians. Just about two dozen tubes, the number of survivors she remembered from after their final battle with the Communion. And yet now they were being awoken to face the Communion once again. Amara stepped back from the tubes as she waited for the others to begin to wake. "We will want to see all information you and the Curator have regarding the Communion's advances. As well as that on any power groups that are there to oppose it."

JAL First Class Cabin, 40,000 ft above the Pacific Despite what people thought the life of a music journalist was not a glamorous one. Many nights in grotty bars and clubs listening to mediocre to downright bad bands. But today was not one of those day for the “lucky†Carmen Canto as she sat in First Class enjoying all that it had to offer. The reason for this lucky break? It seems that the reclusive Japanese Idoru singer Sanshain KinpÅge had suddenly agreed to give an interview. But she insisted that it be in person (if that counted with an AI) and had asked for Carmen by name. Yeah Sanshain’s bubblegum pop might not be Carmen style, but who would turn down a first class flight to Tokyo?

The North End Freedom City, New Jersey Wednesday October 22, 2014, 10:23 PM Coiled Lightning Charlie Stevens was crouched in the shadows on the roof of one of the low buildings in the North End neighborhood of Freedom City. He was in the costume he wore as Coiled Lightning, the strange electrical whip he had discovered in one hand as he looked out over the streetlight lit street below. Charlie was here because he had received information from a Sergeant Turner of the North End precinct of the FCPD about a string of recent thefts at some high-tech companies in the area that had been committed by the costumed criminal Slice and a group of hired thugs. Tonight was the second night he had been staking out the area north of the Freedom City University campus in the hopes of running into Slice and his goons once again. Last night he had managed to stop a mugging, but otherwise had not caught any sight of his quarry. Liquify Matt Sol was in the shadows of an alleyway in the North End, looking out at one of the high-tech companies situated in the area near the FCU campus. He had read about some of the recent break-ins at some of the high-tech companies near the campus, apparently carried out by a costumed criminal and some henchmen. It seemed like a good opportunity to try to uses his powers to be a superhero, like so many others in Freedom City.

Pier 13, Saturday, October 18th, 2014. 10:00 am GM A lonely construction trailer sat in the middle of a small sea of concrete at the base of the pier; beyond it stood the long enclosed shed which thrust some eight hundred feet out into the river. The shed was three stories tall and stoutly built, with a dark metal roof, and a concrete walkway some thirty feet wide went all the way around it. In front of the trailer stood Grimalkin, looking somewhat out of place in her domino mask and black-and-midnight blue leathers at this hour of the morning. Next to her was parked a man in a wheelchair, wearing a black bandana mask similar to the Dread Pirate Roberts from Princess Bride; he had a long salt-and-pepper ponytail and trim beard, and wore an old denim jacket, flannel shirt, jeans and paint-stained work boots. The wheelchair has covered in various rock band, leftist and union bumper stickers. "This is insane." "Best idea you ever had, if you ask me." They both drank their cups of Starbase coffee at the same time.

Silberman's Books. Saturday, October 25th, 2014. 5:01 pm Kiki, assistant manager extraordinaire, escorted the last customers out the front door, and then thankfully locked it; with her best friend and boss Lynn 'Grimalkin' Epstein being so focused on her big charity haunted house on Pier 13, most of the day-to-day operations of the store were resting firmly on her shoulders until after the 31st, and to be honest it was exhausting. When Lynn had mentioned closing early for an office Halloween party, Kiki surprised even herself with her excitement at the idea. "The customers, they are no more." That would be Gretchen on the intercom. Kiki adjusted her artistically-damaged thrift shop jacket and primly marched to the middle of the sales floor; she'd decided to go with a scarecrow for her costume, primarily because it was cheap and would allow her to wear a hat. "Boys and girls, we are closed; let the party begin!" There were whoops of delight, and Gretchen started up her new playlist, which started with a special spooky remix of 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' she'd put together. Lance the barista, dressed as one of the zombie football players from Beetlejuice, was serving up punch behind the bar. "Hey, where's Boss Lady? I thought this whole thing was her idea?" Kiki rolled her eyes as she scratched at the straw poking out of her sleeves. "I think she's working on a dramatic entrance..." She indicated the door to the owners' office with a nod; there was a strange mist creeping out from under the door...

Aboard the Xeno Syl'n System, inbound to Syl'n V Oskar was in the Xeno's cockpit, having recently dropped the vessel out of lightspeed and began its approach toward Syl'n V. Oskar had been hired by Kazzack Biogenetics, a corporation within the Lor Republic that was heavily involved in biomedical research and the pharmaceutical industry. While much of the corporation’s operations were on heavily populated Lor worlds, it did have one small, but important operation on Syl'n V, where it had teams that harvested rare plants which had incredible medicinal properties. Recently, some members of the harvesting teams had been killed by what appeared to be some sort of predatory animal. So Kazzack had contracted Oskar, and one of his associates, Seika, to travel to Syl'n V and see if they could track down what was attacking the harvesting teams. According to the information Oskar had received, Syl'n V was a lush tropical planet, with no native sentient species. The only inhabitants of the planet were the Kazzack harvesting team, who operated out of a small outpost on the central continent. Oskar had been provided the comm frequency for the outpost so he could make contact as they approached the planet.

Rita Kord Dormitory, Claremont Academy. Saturday, October 18th, 2014, 4:05 pm Casey Blankenship stood in the third floor hallway, surrounded by three suitcases and hefting a huge backpack; her blonde hair was practically up and out of the way, and she wore a red flannel shirt, jeans and light hiking boots. She adjusted her glasses out of habit as she looked up and down the hallway; each door looked exactly like the next, other than the cork-boards used for leaving notes or adding decoration. She fidgeted with her brand-new school ID with its magnetic stripe; the RA had been very specific about the rules if you ever lost your ID. Just get it over with, Case; you'll be fine. She swiped the card through the lock, the little light went green and she pushed the door open; inside, the room looked comfortable but quite barren without any personal belongings in it yet. Without any real preference, she unslung her pack and dropped it on the left-hand bed as she pulled in her wheeled suitcase, leaving the rest out in the hall for now. A quick peek out the window revealed a view to the northwest; the back of the Carter Dorm, a few trees and the athletic field off in the distance. I guess when I'm bored, I could always watch a game from here...assuming we actually get to play any sports...

GM Kingston, October 12, 2014, 10:30 P.M. The case was only a day old, and already it had achieved a certain level of notoriety- partially due to the bureaucratic tangle that had piled up in the past 24 hours. The FCPD had called in the Federal Bureau of Investigation fairly quickly... and then, unfortunately, once the media had gotten a hold of the story, information that the police had only just found out- that the girl had recently developed superpowers- got onto the media. And her name, Haruko Miyamoto. That, and new facts being discovered, necessitated bringing in AEGIS. And, after further investigation, the three agencies managed to determine that they needed even further outside assistance. Namely, some sort of mystical assistance, but that would take time. And time, quite often, was in short supply during cases like this. Which lead to the Miyamoto residence, late at night, with two cars parked outside, and a fairly-heavily build man standing outside, waiting to see if any heroes would investigate the story. It wasn't ideal, but... Well. In cases like this, any competent help would be appreciated.

August 30th, 2014 The Fens, Freedom City Morning The morning was crisp and cool, just enough of a tang in the air to drive one to wear a coat. The battered coup idled outside the building for the Bloodhound Investigative Agency. It was a humble building, for a humble organization, and at the moment that humility wasn’t earning it any brownie points with the car’s driver. Necessity won out over disdain, though, and the car was parked properly. The driver popped out and strode up to the door of the building, stepping neatly aside when a mob of school-age children rushed down the street. They turned and shouted insults at him; he made a rude gesture back and they walked off, hooting and hollering. He walked up the door and reached over his head for the button marked “BLOODHOUND INVESTIG,†and the rest of the label had flaked off. There was a loud buzzing from the intercom system, and when the door didn’t unlock immediately he stabbed the button several more times. “Hey, wake up,†he shouted into the speaker grill. “Is anyone working in there today?â€