Re: The Grand Battle S2G1! [Round Two: Sk'va!]
09-19-2010, 03:07 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.
"Search Sk'va, he says," Arkal grumbled. "For what?" The smith absentmindedly stopped to pocket some of the more useful-looking rubble as he and Maxwell wandered the now-ruined city.
They'd planned to start their search by questioning fleeing citizens, but as it turned out, most were still running for the cathedral if they hadn't yet learned of its destruction. The Sk'vans who had escaped the cathedral were largely milling around outside it, desperately hoping for some kind of direction, save for a few who had simply run off in a panic.
"I guess they didn't expect the cathedral to collapse, so they never planned for it?" Maxwell offered helpfully. Sikarius hissed something at him; though Arkal couldn't understand it, he presumed the Bio Wyrm was chastising its host for stating the obvious.
"They probably had some plan. The cathedral wasn't supposed to be open, after all, and if there's one thing I know about politics, it's that the guys in charge always have some way to save their own skin. We just need to figure out where they kept it. Probably somewhere they could keep the rabble out of."
The smith suddenly felt a stirring on his shoulder.
"Oh, right! What with one thing or another, I forgot I was still lugging this guy around. Guess he's comin' too." Arkal carefully lifted the Sk'van guard off of his shoulder and placed him on the ground. "Maybe he knows somethin'."
"Ugh." The officer rubbed his head. "You! You're under arrest..."
His voice trailed off as he noticed the ruined buildings all around the city.
"What the hell did you do?" he asked Arkal accusingly.
"Look, the place is going to fall, and Ck'nyl with it. The cathedral's a wreck. As a police officer, you'd be part of the emergency response. Do you know what the plan is now?"
The officer looked at the smith nervously. "I... I don't know. We never expected the cathedral to..."
"Don't try to hide it!" Maxwell shouted, smacking the insectoid officer with a modified arm. "You're hiding something from us, aren't you?"
"Now, calm down," Arkal interrupted. "Maybe this is something only the really high-ranking officers are told about. This guy's, what, a sergeant? Probably still counts as 'rabble' as far as the rats looking to leave the sinking ship are concerned."
The officer wasn't amused.
"You know, if you guys are going to play 'good cop, bad cop', you might want to consider trying it on somebody who isn't a cop."
In response Maxwell smacked him again. Arkal pulled out his scrubot mace.
"If you'd like," the smith replied calmly, "we can play 'bad cop, worse cop' instead."
The officer weighed his options, sighed, and held up his upper limbs in defeat. "Okay, okay. You win, I'll tell you what I know, but it's not much."
"We're listening," Maxwell growled.
"I don't actually know what's there, but there are strict orders not to let anyone near the Museum of History during a disaster without explicit orders." The sergeant pointed in its general direction. "It's that way. Don't know why we're supposed to keep people away, but it's what they told me."
"Well, I guess it's a lead," Arkal shrugged. "Thanks for the help." He then punched the Sk'van in the head and slung him over his shoulder again.
"Why'd you do that?" Maxwell asked, as they started walking towards the museum.
"We might need to ask him questions again later. Hopefully it won't take him as long to wake up next time."
---
Kracht stood before the Museum of History. Around it, all the buildings were reduced to rubble from the quakes.
But this one alone had been reinforced. Every possible disaster that could have befallen it had been considered. Even the tremors that had destroyed the cathedral were no match for its walls.
"Either Sk'va places a high value on preserving records of its history," Kracht mused, "or the leadership has hidden something here that is of great value to them at a time like this. I wonder which it could be?" He laughed. "You don't need to have gone through this before to answer that question."
He wandered into the museum, taking a look at the exhibits. He hadn't had many opportunities to visit; even on his return trips, the museum had inevitably been looted by the time he arrived. Kracht knew it would be some time before Arkal and Maxwell (or possibly Arkal and Jen) arrived, assuming they even survived that long. For now, he had an opportunity to relax, and perhaps to learn some history that would prove relevant the next time he went through the battle.
"Search Sk'va, he says," Arkal grumbled. "For what?" The smith absentmindedly stopped to pocket some of the more useful-looking rubble as he and Maxwell wandered the now-ruined city.
They'd planned to start their search by questioning fleeing citizens, but as it turned out, most were still running for the cathedral if they hadn't yet learned of its destruction. The Sk'vans who had escaped the cathedral were largely milling around outside it, desperately hoping for some kind of direction, save for a few who had simply run off in a panic.
"I guess they didn't expect the cathedral to collapse, so they never planned for it?" Maxwell offered helpfully. Sikarius hissed something at him; though Arkal couldn't understand it, he presumed the Bio Wyrm was chastising its host for stating the obvious.
"They probably had some plan. The cathedral wasn't supposed to be open, after all, and if there's one thing I know about politics, it's that the guys in charge always have some way to save their own skin. We just need to figure out where they kept it. Probably somewhere they could keep the rabble out of."
The smith suddenly felt a stirring on his shoulder.
"Oh, right! What with one thing or another, I forgot I was still lugging this guy around. Guess he's comin' too." Arkal carefully lifted the Sk'van guard off of his shoulder and placed him on the ground. "Maybe he knows somethin'."
"Ugh." The officer rubbed his head. "You! You're under arrest..."
His voice trailed off as he noticed the ruined buildings all around the city.
"What the hell did you do?" he asked Arkal accusingly.
"Look, the place is going to fall, and Ck'nyl with it. The cathedral's a wreck. As a police officer, you'd be part of the emergency response. Do you know what the plan is now?"
The officer looked at the smith nervously. "I... I don't know. We never expected the cathedral to..."
"Don't try to hide it!" Maxwell shouted, smacking the insectoid officer with a modified arm. "You're hiding something from us, aren't you?"
"Now, calm down," Arkal interrupted. "Maybe this is something only the really high-ranking officers are told about. This guy's, what, a sergeant? Probably still counts as 'rabble' as far as the rats looking to leave the sinking ship are concerned."
The officer wasn't amused.
"You know, if you guys are going to play 'good cop, bad cop', you might want to consider trying it on somebody who isn't a cop."
In response Maxwell smacked him again. Arkal pulled out his scrubot mace.
"If you'd like," the smith replied calmly, "we can play 'bad cop, worse cop' instead."
The officer weighed his options, sighed, and held up his upper limbs in defeat. "Okay, okay. You win, I'll tell you what I know, but it's not much."
"We're listening," Maxwell growled.
"I don't actually know what's there, but there are strict orders not to let anyone near the Museum of History during a disaster without explicit orders." The sergeant pointed in its general direction. "It's that way. Don't know why we're supposed to keep people away, but it's what they told me."
"Well, I guess it's a lead," Arkal shrugged. "Thanks for the help." He then punched the Sk'van in the head and slung him over his shoulder again.
"Why'd you do that?" Maxwell asked, as they started walking towards the museum.
"We might need to ask him questions again later. Hopefully it won't take him as long to wake up next time."
---
Kracht stood before the Museum of History. Around it, all the buildings were reduced to rubble from the quakes.
But this one alone had been reinforced. Every possible disaster that could have befallen it had been considered. Even the tremors that had destroyed the cathedral were no match for its walls.
"Either Sk'va places a high value on preserving records of its history," Kracht mused, "or the leadership has hidden something here that is of great value to them at a time like this. I wonder which it could be?" He laughed. "You don't need to have gone through this before to answer that question."
He wandered into the museum, taking a look at the exhibits. He hadn't had many opportunities to visit; even on his return trips, the museum had inevitably been looted by the time he arrived. Kracht knew it would be some time before Arkal and Maxwell (or possibly Arkal and Jen) arrived, assuming they even survived that long. For now, he had an opportunity to relax, and perhaps to learn some history that would prove relevant the next time he went through the battle.
There's no reason for this | Or this | Death is inevitable | You can't challenge fate | The smallest change | I'm overwhelmed
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse