Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - [Interlude] Young Justice: Martian Mixer (Fin)

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko closes her eyes for a moment, then seems to look like she forgot her glasses in response to the thought. "Guys... scratch that base idea... The Moon is easily doable but... I'm not sure if I can sign off on that. I don't know the safety of doing multi-warps, particularly if I don't have any way to thrust myself into the next gate. And what if I lose the paper I'm using... I don't really have any way to signal anyone if I need a rescue. I mean... I can file a "flight plan" with Star but... the though of being lost out there with no way to get home scares me... alot."

She holds herself, as if she's cold... even though her suit's temperature regulators are running normally.

"Sorry... there I go being paranoid again." She says with a giggle to try to lighten the mood.

[Adrian Moss]

Zephyr

"It cuts both ways. We can be over-thinking this. Caution is good, but our best armor now is their ignorance of our intentions. Dead drops and pre-arranged scheduled meetings our our best courses of action."

"Starseed - Janeway, it would actually be an asset to keep an 'public' presence with me and my team. Not every recruit jumps in with both feet. A few need extra courting, and that is part of my job. We should work on this."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"Will do Zephyr. How does two or three meetings a week sound? Or is that too frequent? I would want to parallel the patterns of others in "Janeway's" place. Just let me know when we all settle on drop points."

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko thinks deeply for a moment. "The only logical place I can think of for a drop-point is the Hideyoshi compound where I live, but as Dan taught me it is not very intelligent to take care of... private matters near where you sleep. So, I know of a place. I have a friend in Jimbocho. He's reliable enough to use as a contact. If I tell him I and a couple friends are "playing a game" he could leave drops alone. Depending on how into things we want him I could tell him more about the drops so he knows to contact me when one has arrived. Of course I would be checking the area as well. He is very trustable... I think he's actually in love with me. Too bad he's a few years my senior... 23 to be exact... but he's made no advances." She states that last bit with emphasis to Dan, just in case he feels like defending her. "He's aware... and patient."

She adjusts her suit. "I'm sure the bookstore can be a good drop location. Place the note in a book, particularly one he keeps that he "reads". Don't use the shelves. The books there circulate quickly. If you want him out of the loop, there is an throughway nearby with a little cranny you can use behind a pipe. No one really bothers with that small walkway between buildings. It's long forgotten. No windows, real dark at night, and too awkward to dig through. About as out of the way as you'd like it. Trust me, I know that neighborhood like I know my own face."

[SalmonMax]

"You know," Genesis said casually. "I have twelve satellites in geosynchronous orbit right now. They're mostly for surveillance purposes, but they have the ability to route communications too. If you guys had a tight beam transceiver that had the satellite positions built into it, then we'd have secure communications anywhere in the world. The trick is that you could not lose one. An enemy could find the satnet's positions and hack into its network if they got access to one."

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan looked to Kamiko. "We wouldn't be here if she was not."

He looked to Genesis. "Why not create an enhanced security protocol that would blank all com protocols and fuse the uplink's circuits without the proper access key? i realize that can be a time constraint, but it would help with security."

[Sailor OOC]

"Well... I was thinking more my ability to Warp on my own, Dan-Sensei. But I fully admire Star... a thing to aspire to."

"Well... I have access to my Mom's transmitter at the compound. Well, only in times of disaster where I have to help Nippontai coordinate relief efforts. I think I could use it for other things as long as I use channels not used byJSDF or Nippontai resources."

She adjusts her glasses. "That sounds like a very good idea, Genesis."

[Adrian Moss]

Shaman

"Okay. I'm not to share the satellite access with anyone - got it. Are there any chances of being tracked though?"

'Not likely, but asking ain't bad.'

'Alex = Smartest Gal in the Room.'

'Always ask. I can afford to look stupid. I can't afford being dead.'

'Hard to argue with that.'

Zephyr

"I'll do without the satellite up-links for now. Too many of my people are vulnerable. Besides, I can pick it up from Coraline or Starseed if necessary in the future. "

"There is something I would like to add. A few years back I heard a rumor floating around that Utopia either had, or was close to having, a system that could track warps and teleporters. Try not to be making any location a hub of your activities if you can help it."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"Genesis - I could rig masers for my comms systems. Tightest beam there is - so long as I had some coordinates to aim at, sidelong interception would be near impossible and the range would be great - maybe upto to 10 light-secs. I can deploy some pretty simple segmented radial dipole antennas in space for reception ... will provide a very sensitive receiver with near zero detectability at even a tenth that range ...just being long thin radial wires in space."

"Zephyr, thats why it is important we all have separation in points. So drop points are only one way, the points you drop your messages at are not the ones I drop to you at. Likewise, they aren't the ones I drop to Kami at, and so on. Likewise, drop points are not transit points - we don't do our travel from a dead-drop point, we have other points for that."

"And of course, we rotate locations over long cycles. Kamiko, I might drop messages to you at the bookstore for a little while, but not for too long. No permanent points."

"The effect of all that is to make tracking us a task that also involves not tracking every other warper or porter on the planet. Their signatures will be mixed in with ours - and all spread over an immense cubic volume of very chaotic terrain. Lots goes on in and around the planet - one of the reasons that even casual Terats with outstanding warrents, for example, don't tend to get caught."

"These snakes also prevent the sort of tracking you speak of. Though I am not wearing one, my person and powers are masked by a very similar effect. I imagine at least some of those here part Apotheosis must also have similar masked signatures ... given successful avoidance of mother hunters. Warpers who can't 'Blank' themselves, should do as little of the work as possible."

[Sailor OOC]

"Hmm... Looks like I'll have to do some more scouting for drop points that are out of the way."

She strokes her chin. "I assume these snakes are switched off after a while, and we cannot keep them? Although these would be a dead give-away on a visual record as us being part of something." Adjusting her glasses she walks over to the dome itself, looking at the material of the dome.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"Kamiko - The snakes are maintained by myself, like the shuttles, industrial yards, and even the energy hulls of the large ships .... they are all projections of my quantum energy. Without maintenance via my non-localized quantum pattern it dissipates. Most of what I do is not technology."

"They can be cloaked for use in public, like the shuttles. Its a simple matter of transferring the patterns for it in - like my own invisibility".

"I think we have to look to Genesis for some actual persistent technological solutions ... but tech that operates on the quantum level like this is rare and intricate. Not to mention-squarely on Utopia's restricted tech list. All reasons why all my technology is utterly mundane."

"Genesis - If these bees are any indication, you might have something like that?"

[Sailor OOC]

"I'm aware, Star... was just wondering if there were times these snakes were offline and when we should expect them to go offline... so we can schedule around your needs. After all, you are providing a lot for this effort."

She fixates on one crystal in the dome and looks closely. Looking at it like a curious crow.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"Sorry - was explaining more for the group" Star said, smiling again - seems she had gotten overly serious again for a bit - but was now smiling again. "Sometimes I get a little computer like. Call me Spock."

"No time limit necessarily, though my overall operation is subject to an active energy budget. For example, I could provide many of these, but might have to put mining operations in the belt on hold for the duration - or dip into emergency reserves. I try to never go below 'half' ... to use a very subjective measure."

[Sailor OOC]

"Oh I see... I always get a little worried about pushing you too far, Star. I just want to know we're not going to tax your limits."

She smooths out her suit and turns back to the group, deciding to pull some paper out near where the majority of the group is situated and makes a chair for herself. "If... anyone else wished to take a seat, I am more than willing to provide."

[SalmonMax]

"Something like what? Quantum tech?" She grimaced slightly. "I can, yeah. I kind of have a thing about q-tech...it's not 'real.' It's just an artificial way to give a nova a power they don't ordinarily have. But I've been known to make exceptions, like Shen's stupid time accelerators and so on. The bees aren't q-tech. They're just really advanced 'normal' machines. A baseline could build one if he had the schematics and access to the right equipment and materials to make the parts."

"As for the communications, give me a day or two to iron out a good, reasonably secure design for the satellite uplinks. They'll basically work a lot like satellite phones, only they'll be smaller, disguised in appearance, and use my private sats so there's no records or listening in. I'll figure out a way to tie them to your biometrics with a self-destruct for unauthorized usage...so don't loan them out."

She raised an eyebrow at Kamiko's chair. "Paper? That's new." Curious, she leaned down and poked at it. "Well, why not? Cram enough quantum jiggery into something and you could blow up a star with a bit of pie crust."

[Sailor OOC]

"Yep... just paper. Sort of embarassing... when I fly I use a paper airplane. It's pretty fun though. Tell you guys what..."

She gets up, tossing down some cubes of paper that flatten out into regular sheets. She claps her hands together, brushing them off then touches the pile on the ground, forming it into a set of chairs and a table, making sure that the structure didn't form in a awkward way and hit anyone in it's formation. "Table and chairs... if you guys are thinking lunch... here's your chance."

She sits back down at her chair now at a table. She grabs her dufflebag which she brought over a shoulder and starts pulling out her lunch. Typical MRE. "I know... all that and all for just something as simple as this... at least it's portable."

[Adrian Moss]

Zephyr

He smiles at Kamiko; a warm, friendly smile.

"Talk about embarrassing, how do you think I felt when I discovered I was going down the same Quantum path as Ceastus Pax? I can tell you, that doesn't do wonders for one's self esteem."

"We each go our own way in the end. Paper is as good as still, if the edge is placed properly, and the target understood. Kamiko, paper is both a tool and an art form. It is something I find fascinating. Maybe one day you can teach a class on your individual expression."

Shaman

All this talk about Quantum tech vs. Normal tech was lost on him and Shaman knew it. That is until he understood the flow of life and lightning through all things. Everything had a cause and reaction. You just had to see it. Tiny electronic bees weren't alive, but they existed and had a purpose. That opened up the door to even more understanding, but he had to set that aside for the moment. There was work still to be done.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"So its been a great meeting thus far ... maybe we can recap quickly? We've been doing some goal setting ... but perhaps we should all have some measurable, quantifiable goals to work towards between this meeting and next."

...

"Measurable, quantifiable goals will also help us define what sort of time frames we need to meet. At a minimum, we need to give Genesis enough time for the comm links. ...

"Question on that - will the comm links work from moderate interplanetary range?"

[Sailor OOC]

"Well, from what I see Genesis offered her Sub for use as a meeting spot if I gather correctly, we got multiple different drop spots, and... we're getting communicators? That's what I've gathered."

She smiles innocently. "Oh, and I got good interior design taste." She says with a giggle.

[SalmonMax]

"I can build them to work at that kind of range, though the sats themselves will have to be reconfigured a bit if they're going to receive signals from outside the Earth. They're pretty much facing...down. Still, it's not much effort...maybe a good hour or two's work, when Warren's free."

"And I was more offering the Primus as a hiding place for people who need such a thing...but yeah, a meeting spot would work too. Bearing in mind I should run it past the others, and get their thumbs up on it too. Especially Warren, since he does the heavy lifting. Though I guess Starseed could help with that too now."

[Karren Gaunt]

"Feel free to consider myself voluntered as the link between my family, Zephyr, and the Congo. You'll all know within a day anything of importance that we all need to know to keep this going until Alex can put up her upgraded coms," Coraline volunteered, one finger on her lips and looking out over the Martian landscape and getting an idea, "Alex, Butch. I think I'll be making my own way home long as we're breaking up so early. Got some people I want to talk to about something since I'm out here."

[Sailor OOC]

"The Submarine sounds way cool, Genesis... What is it about me knowing all these folk who got ships? Starships... Submarines... I really need an airship I'm feeling left out."

She pouts a little, in jest, before getting up and stretching out. "Oh, Genesis, what sort of material is this dome made of?" She says with a smile.

[SalmonMax]

"Titanium-steel frame and what is essentially quartz crystal, made without flaw or impurity so it's clear. I did work in some lamination so it'd hold together on a micrometeor strike or whatever. Nothing too fancy."

[Adrian Moss]

Shaman

The boy nods, trying not to make it too vigorously.

'We get to see Cora on a semi-secret, regular basis!'

'Wow. When you say it like that we REALLY DO sound like some pathetic stalker type.'

'Sigh'

'Either she'll come around or she won't.

'No. We need to figure out a way to get her to notice me.'

'Without getting killed?'

'I'll keep that in mind.'

'Oh ... great.'

Zephyr

Zephyr couldn't help but notice. He doubted Coraline missed it either. Poor kid had it bad. Unfortunately, this was neither the time nor the place for such things.

"Okay. We are setting up drop sites and contact points. No one ... vulnerable should know everything, or everyone, involved. Alex, since you appear to be the most intangible member of the group, I'll give you a contact or two inside Utopia that I have put in the know about some of the things that are going on. We should arrange a point were I can pass on that information. If I should become unavailable, you will still have access to my resources."

"As for the rest of this meeting, I think it's been a good one. We now know each other and have multiple contacts should something happen to any one of us. This allows us to bring much more power to bare if needed. All in all, not too shabby. Is there anything else that we need to discuss?"

[Sailor OOC]

"Titanium-steel frame and what is essentially quartz crystal, made without flaw or impurity so it's clear. I did work in some lamination so it'd hold together on a micrometeor strike or whatever. Nothing too fancy."

Kamiko adjusts her glasses, a smile on her face. "Really?"

She's no Doryoku, but she is smart enough to know that sort of material... is quite well crafted.

She turns to Zephyr. "I actually am not seeing anything important to further add..." She says, starting to munch again on her warmed MRE. "Unless there is a important detail someone sees we've neglected."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"So next meeting in another, say 7 days?"

"Gives us time for general preparation, but maybe - Coraline - could you come up with some sort of mission planning for the group?"

"Maybe for next meeting generating some missions profiles to start? Small objectives we could all work on ... get our coordination going."

"My idea is getting us to start achieving objectives. With the talent assembled here, we should start doing that."

[Karren Gaunt]

Coraline blinked. She wasn't used to being regarded as the idea person of a group. That social or mental expetise wasn't an area she wasn't truly practised in, her first taste of heavy thinking being her four month hermitage in Uncle Shen's valley, everything else since leaving the island being, wait, listen, and *then* leap if it looked safe.

"Sure. I'll ask around and put something together some ideas by the next time we meet. If you think I'm the best one for the job," she ventured, white-on-black gaze scanning the group for objecters or encouragement.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"I was thinking you were going in that direction ... after all, you gathered us here. Its been a good set of first steps." Star replied to her, smiling warmly.

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko blinks. "Look like Coraline is fearless leader." She says with a funny russian accent. Hoping someone gets the reference.

"Umm... no one seen Rocky and Bullwinkle?"

She smiles and scratches behind her head. "Sorry, just lightening the mood a little... I feel us... together... can do something amazing if we can pull this off. We came together for the greater good of our species and for humanity's as well. That is something to be proud of. That, and I can't think of a finer team to have been assembled. I mean that."

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan looked to Kamiko and sighed. She always made little references like that. "I can handle that schedule. It gives me time to make some things happen on my end."

[Adrian Moss]

Shaman

'Seven days before I can see Coraline again?'

'One: that's a good thing. We keep drooling like this and everyone will suspect I'm crushing on her really bad.'

'Really, really bad.'

'Besides, we need to talk this over with Morri and Dad. Things are gelling together and starting to roll.'

'Slowly.'

'It's what we should expect. Everything takes time.'

'Coraline's pretty.'

(slap)

'Owww.'

'Priorities Man! Save the World, then tell Coraline I love her.'

'Life sucks.'

'It usually does when you are a teenager.'

"Seven days works for me."

Zephyr

"Alex, I'll send word through Coraline to verify that I have the bees in place. I'll also look for other areas were they might prove useful. Beyond that, I'm ready to head back. Even my personal time has its limits. I'll make it in seven days, and hopefully with more information from the inside."

"Star, we will keep our meeting schedule as normal and I'll start the more active recruiting of Janeway as well. Maybe I can get you a tour of Talmud Island and/or Addis Ababa if we are feeling particularly ballsy."

"Coraline, you know my routine and were to find me if needed. I'm going to be starting a four-day retreat into the Outback tomorrow with my students, so I won't be able to stay away too long, but I'll still be there."

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko sees the momentary wince from Dan. "Sorry... Trying too hard."

She scratches her head, stretching out a little. "If anyone has any suggestions as to how I should go further I'll follow those to the letter, otherwise I will defer to Dan since I am under his watch for the time being. You can contact him and he can relay anything to me if I am unreachable as needed."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"Well, I suggest we all get to work. We've got motherhunters to find, training to do, and all that. It has been another great meeting."

"Now who wants to be dropped off where? Remember, secluded spots we haven't used yet are best. ... Gate train is departing the station soon ... unless there is something else?" Said asked, happy that things were looking up.

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko andjusts her suit and preps it for travel. "Actually I want to practice a orbital warp. Think you could place me in a open location at Geo-stationary over Tokyo? I can handle things from there... wait... Dan will wanna come along..." Kamiko grunts in disappointment. "Just send us to wherever Dan wants... I should ask Dan first before I try space jumps unsupervised. That, and Sonja is more important."

She stretches out a little. "At least I got to try on the space suit..." She says. "Oh, the weather forecast in Tokyo is calling for rain... I sorta prepped for that for Sonja. Nova or not, being wet doesn't look cool. Unless you're swimming or taking a bath."

She pulls out a traveller's umbrella. "You know, the usual spot we go to..." Kamiko says, smiling to Dan.

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan nodded. "I'll keep Sonja with me awhile longer, then we can arrange for her to be brought aboard the Primus." he looked to Genesis and Cora, "Of course there are some other things I would like to discuss with you both at a later date, perhaps we can arrange that when it's convenient."

[Sailor OOC]

"I'll come along. I should get to know that ship in case I ever have to run to her in an emergency. Best to know where the bolt holes are, right?"

She smooths out her suit before deciding to put the hood back on, keeping it baggy, making it look like an actual, clear hood. "Nice thing about this suit... makes a good raincoat."

She looks at Dan with a bit of guilt. Then gets an idea. "I can form a second umbrella for us if we need it as well."

"But I digress, I've nothing more here and looks like Dan-Sensi is ready to leave... thank you, everyone." She says, bowing politely. "Dial her up, Star."

[Adrian Moss]

Zephyr

"You're my ride back. I am ready to go now. I've got some things to put into motion because of this meeting. Minutes could equal lives."

There really wasn't anything else to say. There was no reason to say that he could contact his net now if he needed to, but they had a schedule to keep to unless there was an emergency. Contact would be in less than two hours.

Shaman

"Thanks. My ride will pick me up in five or so. I really didn't want to be a burden, or have one person being the focus for so much activity. If something happens on the Congo, I'll pass it along ASAP."

He knelt down and began running his hands along the barren Martian soil, tipping over rocks and stretching a vein-like system along the surface.

'The rivers can flow here once again. There is atmosphere and water. With these, a world can be reborn.'

[Sailor OOC]

"Poor Starseed... everyone's chauffeur." She says with a giggle.

"Thank you, Starseed for being Jane on the spot, as usual."

She adjusts her glasses and waits for her turn.

[Karren Gaunt]

"Heh," mused Coraline aloud, gaze betraying the smallest measure of hurt that Alex and Butch hadn't said a word when she was elected improptu leader of this endeavor before being subsumed into her general good mood, "In seven days then. I'll probably be dropping by some of you to tap your knowledge before then, so don't be surprised. Alex, Butch, I'll be making my own way home, so expect a call in a few hours for coordinates home."

The young metamorph smiled at all the gathered novas, at the hope of the next generation, and became light, a tracery of evershifting colors playing over her vaguely female energy form before she nodded and blurred though the crystal dome like a living rainbow and out of sight, vanishing with distance and sheer exultant speed.

Bodymorph (Light) and Enhanced Movement

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Star beings opening multiple gates, saying "I am happy to help. Taking people places is going to be much of what I do in the conflict too ... I suspect that the war will create refugees. Plus, troop deployment is a key tacticial advantage."

"So all the practice I get is great ..." She smiles, adding as people step through gates "Remember your security protocols. Stay safe."

The azure gates stayed open only long enough for transits ... quick and efficient.