[GRO] Engrav Setlar - Teen

[Hivestuck]

A fine mist had settled on New Hemisect’s city streets. It was deep into the night – cool humidity coated every surface, fuzzing out street lights and the headlamps of scuttlebuggies. Trolls walked through the ghostly mist with a buzz, however – if the gossip was to be believed, tonight was a particularly wicked and exciting night. The unveiling of a new military vessel was about to parade through the streets, accompanied by a crew of Imperial officers fresh from the training grounds. The exposure of a land-based vessel wouldn’t cause such a fuss normally, but this particular build was heads and horns above the rest. With advanced communications technology at its helm, satellite data previously unmined could be restored. The consideration that they could be remotely re-activated was breathtaking. Not to mention the hype that rose from the considerable effort put into advertising the parade.

It was only unfortunate for Aerona that the Queen wouldn’t be present. A shadow, the redblood climbed down a fire escape from the upper tiers of a hivestem. This was her fourth trip down – a rebel’s job was never done. She was armed to the teeth with the outer appearance of an enthusiastic tourist. Face painted up expertly to disguise her freckles, Aerona wore a simple grey scarf over her face. The rest of her features were hidden – black turtleneck with some vague symbol (check), black jeans (check), black boots, (check) black beanie with hair tucked in (check), body armor (check). Thank gog for troll dress codes favoring uniformity. The only feature setting her apart was the thickly stuffed backpack she wore on her shoulder.

Aerona headed a few blocks down to the parade route. There was a hefty crowd now. Trolls of all ages and bloodcolors lingered and milled about, military enthusiasts and curious passerbys alike.

Only Buzzwulf can post in this thread; please quote the mule when you're ready for the next post!

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

It was a cold night. Engrav had known it would be, but his expectation hadn’t fully prepared him for the reality of the chill. Maybe it was nerves making the cold worse, maybe it was the crowds. That dull roar of a thousand duller minds taking up the causeway. Even with his double layers of clothes he could feel the shivers running up his spine.

Engrav sat in an alley along the parade route, making sure he was well out of sight before checking his kit again. He’d checked already, before leaving his hive, but he couldn’t get rid of the horrible feeling of pure anxiety that had plagued him all day. Nothing had changed. Nothing was different. The simple, mechanical steadiness of pulling each item out of his bag of tricks and checking it was calming. Soothing even. Stopped the shaking for a second at least.

Engrav mulled for a moment over his bag. Did his assets ever feel like this before a mission? The nerves, the dropping of the grub-box in anticipation. The yellowblood licked his teeth. He wasn’t ready for this. Clearly he wasn’t. But he couldn’t trust something like this to an asset, not when they’d failed him so many times before.

This satellite uplink was too important. Truly important.

It would be his.

He ran over the plan again.

The distraction from the upper windows of that hideous rust-colored hive would make the imperials think they were under attack. During that confusion, it would be easy for a troll - say, one that had spent a week painstakingly faking a military uniform, and was wearing it under his clothes - to slip into the vanguard and plant his radio device on the vehicle. Then, it was just a matter of timing and pre-placed caches in order to slip away and pick up a new disguise. Only seconds exposed to the street. It would be simple. In and out.

Why was he so nervous, then? What could go wrong?

It was a parade. Everything could go wrong. There were too many trolls to account for, too many hive and windows and he knew that if he tried to account for all the variables, he would go insane. Enough. At a certain point, he just had to get the thing done.

If only he could stop shaking like this.

Hivestuck

 

[Sypon]

“You’ve got this, Aerona.”

This would be her first solo mission. Not deemed pressing enough for Byakko to send one of the veteran members of the Initiative, and too dangerous for a troll in their right mind. Aerona would get that gog damned tech or it would kill her. Her advancement in the initiative was too important.

Aerona watched her breath fog in the crisp air. Only minutes now, and the first of her charges would go off. She scanned over the crowd. No particularly intriguing faces, and no trolls she couldn’t handle. At last, an electric sound heralded the coming of the vehicle. Fanfare. The parade was a glittering spectacle of cherry red and chrome. Some drones donned full Imperial regalia, while others wore simpler military uniform. Aerona clutched her arms close to her at the sight of them. Slaves to the queen.

Her eyes flickered over to her drop-points, as though she was making sure the subtle backpacks she’d planted had been undisturbed. She’d have to hope. This plan would work, as deadly as it could be.

The vessel moved forward, inching. Pulling near to the street where Aerona and Engrav lay in wait –

BOOM.

Buzzwulf

It's up to you whether the loud noise is from Engrav's distraction or Aerona's! Her explosives are not near where he is currently, by the by.

 

[Buzzwulf]

Engrav's head snapped around, along with pretty much every troll on the street. That was his cue. Everything he'd set would tick along on a timer, with the next stage coming right about...

NOW.

Cleverly disguised dummies holding what looked like weapons popped up to the windows of the deserted hive. Engrav heard simulated gunfire as he mocked diving to the street. He'd set up the dummies to look threatening at a distance, and make sure that everyone's attention was diverted. They were on small oscillating platforms, so it even looked like they moved around and fired their plastic weapons if you weren't looking too closely.

All of the imperial troops had ducked into cover, except for the drones, who were closing quickly on the base of the hive. He'd filled the damn thing with enough traps and tripwires to keep them busy for a while. Long enough at least to get close to the vehicle.

Engrav palmed his transceiver with one hand and ripped off his overcoat with the other, revealing a full military uniform underneath. The transceiver he'd built was a thing of beauty - truly inspired. He couldn't directly hack into military hardware, not with the time he had on the street. Instead, it would log radio signals and access codes, and allow him to interface with the vehicle remotely.

Engrav would have access to those satellites one way or another. He was patient. Or at least, he liked to think so.

While everyone was distracted, he crawled forward slowly until he was behind the vehicle, then sat up against it. Another officer lay there with him, and turned to him as he leaned against the wheel well. Engrav looked back at him. He hadn't counted on anyone else being here.

The officer nodded at him.

Engrav paused. Then nodded back, hesitantly.

The officer spun from his hiding place, fired a few shots at the hive from his sidearm, and collapsed back further down the street, into more cover. Engrav's eyes were wide with fear.

That had been way too close.

He pressed a button on his transceiver and it began glowing red. It would glow until it managed to pair with the vehicle, when it would shut itself off. He slipped the radio device into the wheel well quietly, pretty sure no one had seen him do so, then covered his ears and hit the dirt. Now he just had to wait for the device to pair.

hivestuck

Up to you if Aerona is fooled or not, I would guess probably not. Also, if she's actually paying attention, Engrav is not even a little bit sneaky. Everyone is just really distracted.

 

[Sypon]

Aerona practically jumped out of her boots when Engrav’s distraction went off. For a split second, she nearly detonated her own – and then gasped a sharp intake of breath that hit her with all the chill and exhilaration of the evening. Someone else was pulling off a job. She knew what a warzone was like. If she wasn’t jacked up on adrenaline, she’d have laughed. The redblood shot towards the vehicle, hesitating only for a moment on the change of plans. No, this would have to do. She reached into her pocket and thumbed the on-switch of her transceiver. Lucky for her she’d had a handy head-start.

Pockets of shrapnel and fire erupted from the blocks surrounding the parade route. A secondary distraction that compounded the first. Trolls shrieked and scattered that weren’t already scrambling away from the perceived gunfire. The move ensured pure chaos. Under the fog of smoke and false gunfire, Aerona made her way to the side of the machine and launched herself over the top. Her hood was up, scarf over her face and fortunately shielded her from the acrid explosions. There was no time for finesse, and the plans she’d received on the communications device was rudimentary at best. But, if anything was clear, all she needed to do was find the brain and cut it out. Fortunately, it was built like a tank but presented like a shiny new scuttlebuggy ready for a test drive. Not to mention that it was piloted remotely – no bloodshed required.

Aerona palmed around, seeking a machinist’s hatch and finally locating it with a huff. She slid the heavy door open, peered inside with a slim light. Bingo. Admittedly, she didn't have the time or resources to take anything but the most important piece of tech. As far as Aerona was concerned, coming back with a piece of the puzzle was better than letting the royalists get closer to space supremacy. Even if she left empty handed, she'd make sure this little project was nothing more than a smoldering husk in the ground. From her backpack, Aerona produced a heavy piece of machinery – crude and clunky, but the rebellion’s finest for now. A huge, industrial grade cutter that she’d grifted from the swamp (hopefully no one would need it back before she returned). “Come to Mama.”

She peered out of her hiding spot. "********." A couple of uniforms were hidden behind the vehicle. Hopefully they hadn't spotted her. It would only be a few more moments now.

Buzzwulf

Engrav's finesse meets Aerona's dumb "just jump in it and jack it" system

 

[Buzzwulf]

Engrav sat pressed against the cold steel of the vehicle's backside, thinkpan swimming. It felt like he was sitting in cold, thick sludge. He shook his thoughtnode slowly, hoping to escape the feeling of nausea that threatened to overwhelm him suddenly.

Slowly, the yellowblood's head cleared, although with clarity came questions. Why was there all this smoke around? Easy - someone else was also attempting a daylight heist. Who could that possibly be? Who would be dangerous enough to try to steal from royal parades? Also easy - rebel factions would clearly want both to capture the tech and send a message. What was that warm, copper-y smell in the air?

He tried to not think to hard about that, but he thought he knew the answer.

He was surprised when a hand fell on his shoulder. An officer was pressed against him, trying to support him. Words came from the royalist trolls mouth, but it was difficult to hear them over the ringing in his ears. They sounded... reassuring, though? He concentrated, and could barely make out the sounds. "-And we'll alright. We need to make sure that the package is still secure, though. Are you with me?"

Engrav hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. The royalist grinned, and pressed a weapon into Engrav's empty hand. "This is nothing. You should have seen the fighting when we were in the swamps. We'll look back on this little scuffle and laugh at the stupid rebels who thought this would work. Now, don't drop your sidearm this time, and keep me covered!" Engrav held the weapon in his hand at arm's length, like it was a spider. He'd never used one before, and he didn't plan to start now.

The yellowblood glanced down at his transceiver. Off. It was fully paired. Then, suddenly, it turned red again, flickering back to life.

What?

That could only mean that the pair had been unsuccessful, and THAT could only mean one thing.

Someone was messing with the vehicle's radio equipment.

"L-Lead the way, sir" he managed to choke out. He held the gun in front of him like he knew what to do with it, and followed the royalist to the side of the car.

Hivestuck

Finally crunch time! Up to you how Aerona would like to deal with the "royalist" forces. Feel free to be willfully brutal. That industrial cutter sounds like fun though WINK WINK

 

[Sypon]

There wasn’t time. Aerona slowly shifted to check her bearings, and lo and behold the two uniforms were advancing. A cutting curse under her breath, and she was furiously checking on the progress of the cutter – ducking down and smacking her palms into the sides of her head.

“Okay, Aerona, okay. C’mon.” She muttered, biting through her lip. She took a deep breath through her nose and adjusted her bandana. Aerona unzipped her backpack and extracted a compact box, which she popped open with quaking fingers. A slim, cylindrical piece of equipment was removed. She flipped it over in one hand, spinning it on her palm. Steeling and distracting herself from what was to come with the smooth, cold metal. Aerona flicked a slim, capsule-shaped button and a red light popped on. Out of her jacket pocket she produced a trigger.

Things were about to get messy. The world went into bullet time as the redblood raised her head just enough to spot her targets – a young adult officer and a much smaller one. She couldn’t look at them for more than a few moments, almost losing her composure and hiding back in the vehicle. She couldn’t do this. No. If she didn’t do this, she’d be the dead one. What did it matter? What did… It matter? With her jaw in a vicegrip and knuckles ghostly white, Aerona dropped the explosive over the side of the vehicle and closed herself inside of the armored hatch. Lit by the glowing trigger and the industrial cutter, Aerona tightened every muscle and flipped the switch.

The cutter finished its task. The trigger’s light clicked out. She sat in darkness as the vehicle quaked in the small explosion that followed.

Engrav's supporting officer had taken the brunt of the damage, having taken the lead. He was crumpled on the ground, blood pooling - its color indiscernable below the black smoke that poured overhead.

Shouts from the street drove the block into chaos. A second round of explosions had gone off - this time with very real effects. Fortunately, the parade route had been all but evacuated due to Engrav's first distraction. Aerona's smokescreen had ignited, thankfully without... Greater casualty.

Buzzwulf

 

[Buzzwulf]

Engrav panicked as he approached the vehicle, pulsethumper pounding his yellow blood through his entire body. He could hear it rushing through his pongeclots like a river. What was he doing here? This couldn’t possibly have gone more poorly, but here he was, trying to help royalists retake what he’d come here to steal in the first place. “Wait”, he heard himself say quietly. “This doesn’t seem right”.

The officer ahead of him gave him a glance just as a small head poked up from the roof of the vehicle. The troll there looked just as surprised to see them as they were to see her. Engrav caught a good look at the troll’s face, disguised by a long gray scarf, and his eyes widened. Then, there was a sharp report from the other side of him, and he turned just in time to see the royalist officer squeeze off a second shot, sailing well over the rebel’s head.

He saw a short, cylindrical object sail towards the two of them slowly, as if the air was thick. As if it was in slow motion, the officer reached out and caught it in a single smooth motion, more reflex than anything else. Engrav only got a moment’s glance at the thing, but he knew instinctively what it was. A small red light on the top, flashing slowly. Both him and the officer stared at it for a second as the hatch on the top of the vehicle slammed shut. Then, finally, as if walking though a bad dream, Engrav reached out towards the cylinder. “You should-” was as far as he got.

THUMP.

The ground was gone. No, it was right there. Rough and wet next to his face. What was he doing on the ground? The yellowblood tried to push himself up, failed, and glanced to the side. Gog, who was doing that screaming? It sounded like a wounded thing, all high-pitched and whiny. Mental note to find that troll and shut them up.

The officer to his right was a mess. Actually, he was pretty sure he was a mess too. Wasn’t registering all the way. He could hear the officer’s quiet wheezy breaths. Something there was broken. He tried to push himself up again, couldn’t quite get there. That scream. It was too much.

One more time. He pulled himself to sitting, and realized he was covered with blood. Absolutely covered. Not his color. Wait, no, some of it was. He could feel his face burning like a blush but it felt wrong, like something was missing. His throat hurt. Everything hurt. Why did his throat hurt?

Oh gog. That scream was him.

His eyes rolled back in his head.

Nothing.

Hivestuck

 

[Sypon]

As the haze clears, the mumbles of drones and other military officials echo through your thinkpan. The world is in and out, in and out. But what you can hear, and see, is enough to connect the dots.

The explosion – you were fortunate. Sounds like the loss of the other troll with you is hard one one of the military trolls questioning someone just outside the room. The wreckage of the vehicle was practically unrecognizable; it’s being investigated. Finally, your condition.

You’re a yellowblood. This is no medical professional’s business, after all – however, leaving you in the street was unconscionable given the nationalistic atmosphere of the parade. As you view the room, you’re able to tell that you’re in some kind of hive – probably near the blast site. You’re cleaned up, and you’ve been re-dressed. The clothes you’re wearing are much too large, as the significantly older troll taking care of you comes into view and you piece things together.

“Ah! Rest, please rest…” They mutter. “You’ll be out of here soon. I saved as much as I could. Please, rest, or you’ll feel more pain.” The blurry shape of the troll – looks to be a greenblood in sanitary gloves and a mask at the very least, but covered in yellow blood – comes into focus. Their brow is etched with worry and covered in sweat. A volunteer.

You’re swimming around consciousness, but something is wrong. The foreign clothes are odd, uncomfortable. Noteably, one of the arms has been tied off.

Buzzwulf

So, so sorry for the error in posting! Please feel free to play Engrav as a teen, but when finish I will be able to update his journal and portrait for realsies. Quote the mule when you're done!

 

[Buzzwulf]

The pain came back to Engrav first, although slowly. Lying in some kind of rigged up medical bed, he could feel a wrongness all about his first side, as though there was something missing. A web of blinding, throbbing, burning pain that began at his hip and extended all the way to the top of his head. He couldn't open his right eye. It felt stuck. The second thing to come back was the sense of danger. He needed to leave, or he'd be blamed for all of this fallout.

The greenblood was saying something about how fortunate he was. He didn't feel fortunate. He felt ruined. He wanted to scream or yell or hit something. Tears began to leak from the yellowblood's eyes. The right side stung like acid. he tried to ask the greenblood to go away, to leave him here.

The only sound that came out was a croak, like something from a wounded animal.

Pathetic.

Just like him.

"Water?" said the greenblood. The older troll helped Engrav sit up in the bed, his hands supporting him as he was propped up. Engrav could feel every agoinizing inch. When he looked down at where his right hand had been, the tears came back harder. "Relax," intoned the older troll, moving across the room to a cooler and coming back with a disposable cup. "Drink this. But carefully." He held the cup to Engrav's mouth, and he drank a sip of cool water.

He choked. It hurt like nothing else ever had. liquid fire ran down his throat. When he finally got it down, though, he felt just a little bit better.

He could hear outside, the voices had reached a quiet crescendo. There were the muffled sounds of temporary violence, and then someone was dragged away. The voices grew quiet, then disappeared entirely.

Engrav grabbed at the arm of the improvised bed. "Steady" said the older troll. "Just sleep. You're going to hurt yourself, and then they'll hurt me. Just... I had to dig a lot of shrapnel out of you. There wasn't enough time. You need to rest and heal." Engrav didn't let the frame, his fingers digging into the cold metal like a lifeline. "Let me get you something." intoned the greenblood. "Just something to help you sleep." He turned and rummaged in a bag near his feet.

Sleep was tempting. He hurt so much and he was so tired.

Instead, he hit the greenblood in the head with a stool.

The older troll fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, syringe in hand. Engrav grabbed at the edge of the medical bed again, and managed to flip himself onto his front side, mostly. He almost blacked out from the pain of twisting his injured side, but managed to end up kneeling on the bed. Gingerly, Engrav stepped onto the floor of the hive. The room spun wildly, but he managed to keep his feet.

Wobbly but possible. He looked at the room, taking in what he had to work with. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror across the room.

Oh.

So that's why his eye felt stuck.

There wasn't... much face left there, honestly. He was rooted to the spot, staring at what was left. Engrav could feel the tears building back up, and he didn't have time for that. He sneered at his reflection and continued around the room.

The older greenblood was groaning, so Engrav gave him a taste of his own medicine. The syringe clattered to the ground when Engrav was done with it, and the greenblood quieted. Without time to lose, he pulled the medical mask from the greenbloods face and put it on, then rooted through the unconscious troll's supplies. Not much useful there. He refilled the syringe and stuck it into his oversized sleeve, just in case.

Looked like there was a back door to this room as well. Maybe that led out of this hive? Engrav peeked through the window with his good eye. A small hallway that looked like it opened to a back door. There was a troll in uniform watching from the back. Engrav steeled himself, then called out, sticking out his head so just the good side showed.

"Hey, could you come help me with the prisoner? I need someone to hold him down." The troll looked up, huffed, and slowly sauntered over. As he entered the room, Engrav slammed the syringe into the troll's headstalk and pressed the plunger. The military troll dropped with a gurgle.

Engrav found a duststick from a closet that was just a little shorter than him, and tested his weight against it. Sturdy enough, he guessed. He'd have to be careful. This was all too much. He just wanted to go back to his hive and rest.

He wobbled slowly but carefully down the hall. The door at the far end opened smoothly into the chaos of the night. Pausing just for an instant, Engrav wobbled down an alley. He could hear shouting and perhaps the pop of gunfire away, on the street. He hoped Morrimom could pick up his scent quickly, because this walk could easily be the end of him.

This was a good lesson. Painful, but good.

His way didn't work.

He'd have to try something else.

hivestuck

done unless there's anything else to add?