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[Well, this has been a hell of a day...couple of days? Emile's not entirely sure, since his mission clock isn't synching with anything. He's completely out of his element here, especially after the little white fuzzy bastards put him in some kind of stasis a couple times. The idea of those things controlling everything here--which they clearly do--isn't comforting in the least to him. He's also not entirely sure what to make of this little snake...thing that he supposedly "made" from those weird pieces.

At least there was something to fight here, and a few battles with Nightmares had done a lot to calm him down. So now he was poking around with the communicator, and wonder of wonders there do in fact seem to be other people here. Might as well see what kind of afterlife he's landed in.

The video clicks on to show armor that might be familiar to anyone who's been paying attention to the Freelancers, but there's a very distinctive skull pattern carved into the domes gold surface of his smooth EVA helmet.]

This is Noble-Four requesting contact from any UNSC-friendly forces in the area. This don't make any goddamn sense.

--And are those little white bastards shitting me or is it really called "munny"?

Comments

[guerriera]

[ There's a simple nod in return. ]

I was in the middle of a mission when I was pulled here. Sounds like they were more prepared for dealing with that consequence when you arrived.

[Because shooting something white coming out of nowhere at you when last you knew, you were neck deep in enemy territory, is apparently frowned upon by some people.]

You don't have to like them, but they're the ones with a monopoly on resources here.

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[That would explain why they were prepared for him. A Spartan really should be able to get the jump on a situation like that, even if he is badly wounded and out of ammo.]

They the ones who bring us here?

[Cause the more he thinks about it, the more this seems like some kind of munny-laundering scheme.]

[guerriera]

[ You'd have thought they'd have expected someone to react badly prior to her arrival. But apparently not. ]

Not according to the people who've been here longest. The Moogles live here, in this dream world, but they're not responsible for us being taken. And they don't know who's responsible for that, either.

If we want to go home, we have to find our own way back. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done.

[spaceracist]

[Everyone else was from a Disney canon.]

Huh. So they can get supplies, but they can't tell us how to get back? How's that work?

[He's...not really sure how he feels about going back. Sure, he could take out a few more Elites, but the planet was gone and his team with it. The best he could do is try to find Jun and Dr. Halsey again, but who knew where they were going?]

[guerriera]

It's their world. Guess they've never seen a need to leave it.

[ Unlike humans, always reaching for the stars, and beyond. ]

People do leave. There've been some who appeared for a time, then were gone, if the older recordings on the communications network are anything to go by. A few others have left and returned again, but they don't know how. [It's frustrating, to say the least, a vexed edge to her neutral tone evident.]

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Lucky them. [To be so satisfied with a place that they never had to leave it? They should all be so lucky.]

And those ones that come back, they say for sure they went home first? So we can go back?

[guerriera]

[ Shouldn't they all. ]

The ones I've spoken to have. How long they stay, and how long they're gone from here when they do leave before coming back, doesn't seem too consistant, though. [A slight shrug] But we can go back.

[ Can does not mean want, in some cases, however. Carolina certainly believes she wants to. ]

[spaceracist]

And how often does it happen? People leaving? Or is it pretty random.

[Not that he doesn't know what the answer is, considering how things have been going so far.]

Cause if so, we gotta set up like we're staying here long term.

[guerriera]

I don't know.

[ Which also annoys her. She's quick to clarify, however: ]

I've only been here a little under two weeks, give or take. You'd be better off asking other agents from Freelancer - they've all mostly been here for at least a couple of months.

So far, most people reside at the hotel, but a few have set up businesses here. [There's a pause.] And not everyone's a human. Or a moogle.

[spaceracist]

Met some ponies already. It get weirder than that? [Please tell him he doesn't have to make nice with Covenant. Because that's not going to happen.]

Any reason I gotta stay at the hotel? Or is it just what's convenient?

[guerriera]

I've seen a large white wolf around in Twilight Town. And there's a platypus. [With a fedora.] The ponies seem the most common non-human so far, though.

[ Faaaintest hint of disdain. Luna didn't make a good impression, but then again, neither did Carolina. ]

Somewhat convenient, while you find your bearings. If you got that welcome pouch, there's enough money provided for a night or two. But I'm told that if you see a particular place you want to make your own, you'll likely have to go through the moogles for rent.

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Platypus? Little brown thing, looks like someone put a duck bill on a huge rat? [Natural animals should look different enough from Nightmares that he won't attack them on sight.]

I got a bit more munny than that. Had to test out how this little Spirit did. [Spikes the Hebby Repp jumps up onto the display.]

[guerriera]

I haven't met it in person, but you'll know it when you see it. [ Perry is certainly unique, even for his species. ]

[ He can't see the tug at the corner of her lips; given she spent most of her arrival fighting, she can appreciate the methods to his madness investigation process. A lizard head pops up immediately over her own shoulder, Dax the hebby rep carrying an icecream cone shaped treat in his mouth. ]

They're pretty handy in a fight.

A kid named Sora posted a document on the network, explaining a few more details about the things we might meet here. The ones like ours here breath fire.

[spaceracist]

Long as it don't look like one of those Nightmares.

[Spikes chirps a little in greeting! He's a new guy, but he's very much enjoying things so far.]

Saw a little of that. You got a link? Might be somethin' useful on there.

[guerriera]

[ Dax gives a toothy smile around his treat, bobbing his head in greeting to Spikes and Spikes' Person. He was the new guy once. Don't worry, you'll have lots of fun with your Person! ]

I doubt you'll have much to worry on that score, Noble-Four.

[There's a nod in answer to his request, and for a moment the video feed disappears as she accesses her own device; a text link pops up blinking on Emile's screen soon after.]

Not all the spirits listed there have appeared yet, but given new ones seem to show up when new worlds appear, that probably means it's only a matter of time.

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[Spikes bobs his head back. He's looking forward to having a lot of fun!]

Good.

[Emile reads over the document carefully, nodding to himself a little as he does. He'd already run into a few Nightmares and picked up some munny and Dream Pieces, so that part made sense to him.]

New worlds? Like how?

[guerriera]

[ Oh, you will! Your Person seems pretty strong! His Person is strong and fast, and he always ends up with lots of treats because of it. ]

'World' is pretty much the closest description anyone's provided for this place. Each location within this dream is referred to as a 'world'. The locations appear unique. There are portals that allow access between them, and from what I'm told, a new place appears each time a set of requirements have been met in the previous one.

[ The grimace is audible in her voice. ] A new world opened just before my arrival, so I can't be more specific than that. And what I was told is something I'm still having trouble processing.

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[His Person is very strong! Spikes is sure he'll become strong too, if he stays with such as good Person.]

Requirements.

[Yeah, Emile's thinking on all of this. But what's obvious to him, given the previous conversation he'd had with York--]

Like that invisible hunter? Getting rid of it?

[guerriera]

[That is awesome. Dax radiated his approval between treat crunching.]

That's what I'm told. It's one hell of a dream. [Behold that utter lack of enthusiasm.]/small>

[ ..Who told the Spartan about that? Damn it, York. ]

[Her tone flattens] As far as anyone's been able to ascertain, that's probably the most likely action needed in this scenario. I've been gathering more details on what's occurred on the Mother of Invention, and I can't say I like what's been learned so far.

[ Or not, as the case may be. ]

[spaceracist]

Hell, I'll fight the damn thing if we put together a task force. Assault was always my specialty on the team.

[He tilts his head to one side inquisitively.]

Mind sharing the intel?

[guerriera]

[ There's a moment of silence on the line. He would not be the first with an assault speciality she's worked with. And it may well be exactly what's needed here. ]

..Not at all.

What have you been told so far?

[ No point in her covering ground he's already tread, after all. ]

[spaceracist]

Seems to only be on the frigate. Invisible or cloaked, prefers melee attacks, can attack individuals or groups. And fast.

[Which is pretty much all so far, really. He isn't sure what kind of melee attacks or weapons it uses, how fast is fast, or why it apparently hasn't killed anyone yet.]

[guerriera]

[ Carolina's head nods. That's a start. She doesn't bother activating a filter for the conversation - if she had something to hide, she simply wouldn't say anything. ]

Whatever we're dealing with here doesn't match anything in the dream eater files. It also doesn't seem to be anything like what those who've been involved with dream worlds previously have encountered. With that as a starting point, we're working on the assumption it's something from our world specifically.

It's smart. Knows the difference between a dummy target and a live one. Can take out a single target, whether or not they're grouped, without anyone seeing the attack itself, just the aftermath. A few claim to have heard a noise, like a growl; artifical or organic is unknown. Unfortunately, we don't have any recordings. Doesn't appear to care if the target is an adult or a kid. [Setting aside the fact civillians shouldn't be aboard the Mother of Invention to begin with.] If there's a motive, no one's been able to determine what it is yet.

[spaceracist]

[He nods; this is all good information, whether or not kids should be there in the first place. Though he can't argue too badly about that, having once been a kid who wanted to fight.]

Does it stay in one place, or we gotta be on our toes any time we're in there? What kinda injuries, and can we tell anything about its weapons from them? And does it go after the Spirits, too, or just the rest of us?

[guerriera]

[ Admittedly, these are definitely not "normal" kids, even by the standards of their universe - Carolina simply hasn't seen them in action yet. ]

The target has yet to appear on the bridge, but the rest of the ship is fair game. The majority of attacks appear to have taken place in the corridors, though we've had one confirmed attack in the locker room. Those who've been attacked seem to be on the receiving end of purely physical attacks.

No magic, no bullets, no sign of handheld weaponry involved. Hits hard enough to leave targets unconscious and bleeding. I don't know if it consistantly takes out spirits too. No ID means we've no way to tell if it has spirits of its own, but no nightmares appear in its vicinity, that I know of at this time.

[ What else is relevant? ]

There's a sense of.. [A pause. How to explain it?] From the moment you're on the bridge, it's as though you're under constant surveillance. As far as we can tell, FILSS -- the ship's AI -- doesn't appear to have come with the dream, or if she has, she's not running under enough power to respond to us. I do not believe that's caused by her.