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The Cornerian Complex


Fluxy

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The line started next to the brilliantly illuminated case of pastries and baked goods, spanned the length of the counter, and extended past the shelves of coffee mugs, CDs, those fancy Verismo single-serve coffee brewers, and an assortment of coffee and tea blends, traditional and exotic alike. Behind the counter, the barista released bursts of steam, as he prepared someone's espresso, in a rhythm that sounded vaguely like something from a hip-hop song. Amelia gazed upon the menu board, contemplating on what size and variety of expensive coffee drink she wanted. The cashier stood with her finger over the touchscreen, waiting or Amelia to make her choice.

 

Tall, grande, or venti? Mocha or caramel? Hot drink or a Frappuccino?

 

She gazed upon the display of baked goods, the lemon squares, slices of pound cakes in various flavors, and assorted cookies. "...I'll have a lemon square, and..." She looked back at the menu board. "...And a venti caramel Frappuccino. And can you blend chocolate chips into it and add chocolate drizzle on the whipped cream?"

 

The cashier keyed in the selection and told Amelia her total. "That'll be $6.97."

 

Amelia already had her credit card out, which she handed to the cashier for her to swipe. By that time, another employee had gotten her pastry for her and the drink was ready for her. She thanked them for their service, and with her drink and lemon square in hand, she navigated her way out of the crowded Starbucks to continue her day at The Cornerian Complex.

 

 

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Kimari, seemingly invisible to the crowds around him in the main lobby, takes a seat to examine his surroundings in greater detail. He reviews the area slowly catching all of the activity roaming about the Complex.

 

He thinks to himself, "Humans and foreign races gathering together...Why does that sight bother me so much here?" 

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It wasn't long before weaving the growing crowds while trying to have a serious thought proved impractical for Nora. As such, she made her way to the clearing of seats in the lobby but did not park herself there. She remained standing among the partially occupied seats and gave a sigh.

 

"Well, I'm certainly outta place here," she said, exposing her thoughts without a care. "I should maybe orient myself..in a minute." She flipped through a few more pages in her book.

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  • 2 weeks later...

(Introducing a new char. Profile: )

 

In the quiet of orbit, a massive TDIG rift opened, and a single vessel exited; a massive warship vaguely shaped on an arrow - a Predator-class Star Destroyer (http://postimg.org/image/azhaqxvsb/full/) with DMCS Iron Regent marked on the sides. The Iron Regent sat in orbit, with weapons not powered and shields not active.

 

Moments later, a crimson transporter beam deposited a lone figure on the floor of the complex; a red-skinned humanoid in black armored robes. Clipped to his belt were dual lightsabers. The man looked around, his crimson dragon eyes scanning the area.

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(New character: )

Pigleon lay crouched behind a large, temperate plant display, slowly finishing off a cigarette. He was well aware of the fact that he could be thrown out for it, but he was, frankly, too occupied with the thrill of hiding from the complex's security to care.

Satisfied with his little stunt, he got up and pressed the butt down against the mulch that the decor was growing in.

Pigleon began moving away from the display with a smirk on his face, slowly releasing smoke from his mouth. His pace slowed as he passed the robed figure. His outfit and height sticking out quite a bit compared to the everyone else in the complex, almost reminding him of a basketball player on a mission trip.

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"Excuse me, sir," the red-skinned humanoid asked Pigleon, "Could you tell me which direction the food court is in?"

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"Food court?" Pigleon responded. "That's…" The slate bird began to release a low "uh" as he tried to remember.

"…right around that corner near the watch kiosk..."

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The red-skinned humanoid raised an eyebrow, looking in the direction Pigleon said. He returned his attention to the avian, nodded, and said, "Thank you, mister..." he left room for an introduction.

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"And…" He continued, the pause in conversation giving him a chance to ask a question he had in mind. "Forgive me asking, but… those robes, are you cosplaying or something?"

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The red-skinned humanoid raised an eyebrow. "Cosplay? Hardly. General K'torr, Dragon'taan Marauder Corps," he introduced himself. "These... armored robes... I wear because, like General Indari himself, I like to stay prepared for anything that may happen, even while on shore leave. Speaking of which..." he accessed a comm unit in his right gauntlet. "General K'torr to Iron Regent - I'm safe. Find a safe LZ for my JX49, park it there, and send the coordinates."

 

"Actually, we may not have to, sir," responded a male voice with a British accent, "Your pals, Viktor and Kabier, are in the area - possibly in the complex itself; you could hitch a ride with them."

 

"You're certain they're here?" K'torr asked.

 

"Affirmative - I have their Defender corvette in a landing bay not too far from the complex... and I just got a reading on them," the voice said. "They're... hold on... in what appears to be the shopping area. Strange..."

 

"What's so strange about Viktor and Kabier shopping?" K'torr asked.

 

"No, sir, not them - I'm... getting intermittent readings indicitive of a PCD - but I can't nail it down," the British voice replied.

 

K'torr grumbled. "Never a dull moment in my life," he murmured. Returning his attention to his crewman, he ordered, "Stay on it - alert me if you find out anything else."

 

"Aye, sir - Commander Quinn out," Quinn responded. The radio cut out after that. K'torr frowned in concern. Looking to Pigleon, he said,

 

"If you know anyone in the security force in this complex, go get them - tell them they may have a potential infiltrator here. If he is who I think he is, things are about to get ugly."

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( i entirely forgot about this. o-o )

Du'tey had gotten lost in thought and before he realized it he was alone sitting at the table. He twiddled his thumbs a bit before standing and heading out the door. "Guess I should get back on the hunt for a job." He thought to himself walking back onto the street.

***

As Du'tey leaves, a young man, probably about 21, enters looking around. He walked over to the bar, taking a seat on the stool and looked around more.

 

(here is the new characters stuff  )

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The interloper watched the many people of the complex from his high perch. He worried not about being seen, as he was cloaked. He worried not he would be heard, as he had sound dampeners in his salvaged Yaut'ja armor, and he was well outside of earshot. He kept his eyes on the young man that just entered, sitting at a bar, as he hung from a support pillar, seemingly attached to it via an unnamed device that allowed for the climbing of walls and pillars like this.

 

There certainly was no shortage of prey on this hunting ground. So many individuals here - some armed, some unarmed. It was difficult to say. Security was a joke, considering he had seen one armed individual beam in with Lightsabers clipped to his belt, and two more entered beforehand, both armed. It made the interloper wonder: Is security here so lax or lazy that one could enter with ten pounds of high-yield explosives unchallenged? It was not for him to say. But, just to be safe, he activated his sensor and surveillance scramblers. He wouldn't register on sensors, and video and infrared surveillance systems wouldn't pick him up. Combine that with his Yaut'ja cloaking device, the technology packed into his armor, and his skills, and one had a potent mix.

 

However, while his armor hid him from view from passing tourists and electronic surveillance, it was ineffective against any telepaths that may be in the vicinity. But, the hunter had defenses against that. While telepaths would still be able to sense him, the most they'd get from him was a mix of anger, fear, rage and mistrust. They seemed to act as mental interference, keeping telepaths out of his mind - a trick the hunter learned from the Sith during the Jedi Civil War so many years ago.

 

He continued to observe the many inhabitants, intent on finding one to hunt...

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Max comes rushing through the main doors into the middle of the Complex and stops, rapidly tapping his foot to find the colored aura of Kimari within the crowd of people.  He quickly finds him and sits down with a upset look on his face. "Hey! I was looking for you! You had me worried when you left on your own!"

 

Kimari's only reply comes with a slight chuckle. <"And to think, i'm older than you by a mile. Wolf should be proud of his son.">

 

The two slightly converse about the ordeal until Max starts shaking his leg out of habit. Out of Max's blind eye, he notices a vibratial ping coming from a small area of the ceiling, and notices that the ping has an outline of a person, but it can't be seen from his normal eye. He points it out to Kimari. "Uh, is there someone there, or is it just me? Should we check?"

 

Kimari looks at the location and shrugs. The only visible answer is a nod.

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The young man flags down the bar-tender, ordering a beer. He turned on the bar stool and began to look around the corners of the room, his mind in security mode; looking for existing camera placements or places where there needs to be one. His three years of working for Dauntless HQ as security personnel really hardwired the basics into him, though his fighting was still fresh and clean in his mind; every move able to be used in a moments notice. He returned to facing the bar as his beer arrived, and he saw no flaws if any yet, and takes a swig of his beverage.

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Careful not to give away his position, the hunter moved to the other side of the pillar, keeping an eye on the ones who'd looked right at him, yet given no signs of alarm. Such curious creatures these were, not at all like the prey he'd hunted elsewhere. But then, those prey had been military personnel. The hunter continued to observe, until he noticed something new - the couple he'd been tracking earlier before he lost sight of them...

 

*     *     *

 

A human dragon-shifter and a young lioness walked into the bar, one armed with a worn MP340A3, the other with an MP5K with a extendable stock, sound suppressor, and extended mag. "You still owe me a drink," Kabier said with a smile.

 

"Like hell, I do," Viktor protested in amusement.

 

"You do, Viktor - I beat you fair and square," Kabier chuckled.

 

"Bullshit - you hid out behind a chimney with my Interdictor rifle and sniped me. Sniping does not qualify as 'beating me fair and square,'" Viktor stated.

 

"Just admit it, baby - you got your ass kicked by a woman," Kabier laughed as she and Viktor sat at the bar.

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Derek would be the first to tell you that nothing much seemed impossible on Corneria City's West Side. You could order a frankfurter from any vendor just the way you liked it--dragged-through-the-garden, which meant you got the works: sweet pickle relish, deli mustard, a dill pickle spear, sport peppers sliced thin, and topped with tomato slices--and you'd have it in your hand in less than sixty seconds.

 

You could take the monorail from the The North Loop to Westinberg and it wouldn't cost you more than a CR2.50 fare.

 

You could eat at that exclusive restaurant at the top of the world in The Spire, and watch the world go by nearly half a mile below. You could stand among the high-rises in the financial district at The Fountain, and know that you stood before the last pieces of artwork Nicoletto Donati ever created.

 

But there was one particular thing, Derek Ciriano had to admit, one impossible task, one single feat--only one--that couldn't be done.

 

Try as you may, this time of day on this particular day of the week, you couldn't find a decent seat in the food court in the Cornerian Complex. Not on a Saturday with summer in full swing, when everyone and their brother from far and wide came to run amok. And certainly not midday when the lunch hour was at it's peak.

"How about over there?" Amelia said, pointing to a newly vacated table with her freshly manicured index finger. She was dressed in an ensemble consisting of a black pinstripe halter suit vest over a salmon v-neck tee, a stonewashed denim miniskirt with knee-length leggings and black Bianca red-bottoms.

Derek was a strapping young chocolate Labrador gentleman; tall, with the build of a football player, and adorned with a red untucked dress shirt, black straight-leg jeans, and a pair of white high-top 'Forces that Amelia had gotten him for his birthday. He craned his head to see the booth his girlfriend was talking about, watching as a couple and their young child abandoned the table.

Amelia made a beeline towards the table to claim, her platform heels clicking purposefully on the marble flooring as she did so. Derek, with a tray containing their lunch: a barbacoa burrito for him, and a fiesta chicken bowl for her. Careful to watch his step, he kept pace behind Amelia, and arrived at their table before someone else took it. The previous patrons left a Sbarro cup and a used napkin on the table.

"Ugh. Can't people clean up after themselves?" Amelia scoffed.

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"Waiter," Viktor said from the booth behind Amelia and Derek, "A glass of Romulan Ale for the woman of the moment!" Kabier elbowed him gently.

 

"No need to announce it to everyone in the immediate area," she whispered to him. She looked back at Amelia and Derek. "Sorry if he startled you," she apologized.

 

All the while, the Hunter relocated his position to an area overlooking the restaurant Viktor and Kabier were at. His hunting helmet was zoomed in on Viktor and Kabier, and he could hear every word being said.

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"Hm?" Amelia turned around to see who just spoke to her. "No worries. We didn't even notice."

 

Amelia poured the rest of her vinaigrette dressing over her salad, while Derek peeled back the foil and took a bite of his shredded beef burrito. Amelia began detailing an anecdoted about a recent trip to the movies with a friend. What derek loved most about Amelia's narrations was her wild animated nature and her vivid descriptions. By the time she got to the part about a rude usher with dental problems of catastrophic measures, she had Derek rioting with laughter. 

 

"...I'm looking into his mouth, and I'm seeing plaque build-up, calcium build-up, gangrene, gingivitis--I'm seeing all kinds of mess... In his mouth!! So when he opened up his mouth to say 'TO THUH LEEEEEFFFFTTT', that is when I noticed that his teeth resembled a HAMMER. HEAD. SHARK. Mkay?" She was about to get to the part about how she wouldn't have noticed if the guy hadn't been a jerk when her phone chimed. "--Look out! Text message!" Amelia dug into her designer bag and pulled out an iPhone, which was sheathed in a flashy pink case covered in red and white rhinestones to make a Hello Kitty graphic. Reading the text, she smiled and snickered as she typed a sort response.

 

"Who's that?" Derek asked before peeling back the aluminum foil of his burrito and taking another bite.

 

"Amber," Amelia answered as she received another text from her friend, this one making her cock her eyebrow and think. "...Ya don't say." Amelia stared at the screen of her smartphone as she pondered a wholesome response. She absently looked around the surrounding area as if to seek inspiration for what to say. While doing this she just happened to look upward. Then something weird caught her eye... Derek though she was just staring into space until she knitted her brows together like she was face with some kind of enigma.

Looking upward, Derek tried to locate what she was transfixed upon. To his eye, there was nothing but roof trusses and skylights. "What are you looking at?"

 

Amelia got a little freaked out as the whatever-the-hell-it-was shimmered, vaguely presenting itself as a humanesque figure. Was she going crazy?

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The hunter looked over at Amelia, and, in an effort at intimidation, his eyes flashed yellow briefly. In a move so fast it would have seemed to be in the blink of an eye, the hunter leapt from the ledge and onto a support pillar, then another, quickly vanishing from sight.

 

Just then, the red-skinned humanoid that beamed into the complex earlier arrived at the scene. Approaching Amelia, he asked, "Did you notice anything weird a moment ago?"

 

(I assume you read over K'torr's profile? I actually posted it here on SFO.)

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Derek was getting a little concerned. He turned around and craned his head upward towards the high ceiling of the Complex, trying to locate the object of Amelia's interest. "Amelia, I'm not trying to be an ass when I say this, but have you been taking your meds--" Then he saw it. What looked like a pair of eyes flashed yellow briefly before the figure disappeared. "Oh." Derek didn't know what to say. Turning around, he locked eyes with his girlfriend.

 

"Did you...?" Amelia fixed her lips to ask.

 

"I--yeah..." Derek answered before she finished the question.

A myriad of different scenarios flashed through their mind. Was this some kind of game? Is someone screwing with them?

 

"...Did you notice anything weird a moment ago?" Some red-skinned guy asked as he approached their table.

 

Breaking her gaze with Derek, she turned to the newcomer and stared at him for a beat. Then she pointed at him and started laughing like this was some kind of joke. "Ahhhhh, okay! You got us! What, are we on a hidden camera show? Scare Tactics?"

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Derek was getting a little concerned. He turned around and craned his head upward towards the high ceiling of the Complex, trying to locate the object of Amelia's interest. "Amelia, I'm not trying to be an ass when I say this, but have you been taking your meds--" Then he saw it. What looked like a pair of eyes flashed yellow briefly before the figure disappeared. "Oh." Derek didn't know what to say. Turning around, he locked eyes with his girlfriend.

 

"Did you...?" Amelia fixed her lips to ask.

 

"I--yeah..." Derek answered before she finished the question.

A myriad of different scenarios flashed through their mind. Was this some kind of game? Is someone screwing with them?

 

"...Did you notice anything weird a moment ago?" Some red-skinned guy asked as he approached their table.

 

Breaking her gaze with Derek, she turned to the newcomer and stared at him for a beat. Then she pointed at him and started laughing like this was some kind of joke. "Ahhhhh, okay! You got us! What, are we on a hidden camera show? Scare Tactics?"

 

K'torr raised an eyebrow. "This is no game - if you saw something not commonly seen here, please tell me - I have reason to believe there is an infiltrator in this complex," he said. Behind him, that shimmering figure again appeared. It raised something, though what that something was wasn't clear...

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"...Infiltrator, eh?" Amelia took a bite of her salad, not taking her eyes off this stranger. She still thought this was a joke. First of all...--she looked him from head to toe--he looked like something out of a movie, exuding all kinds of 'Star Wars Episode Eleventeenth-and-a-Half Revenge of the Sith Clones II' realness, wearing what Amelia thought to be some get-up from said science fiction franchise. "...Riiiiight. Lemme guess: you're gonna use The Force? Okay, seriously, you got us. No need to--"

"Uhh--!" Derek pointed at something behind their visitor, eyes wide and mouth agape. "What the hell is that??!"

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A disruptor discharged. Not enough time to think, only enough time to act. K'torr grabbed one of his lightsabers, bringing it to life in the blink of an eye with a very audible snap-hiss! The crimson blade deflected the disruptor pulse and sent it back to the one who'd fired it. The hunter leapt out of the way, onto a ledge. Viktor raised his MP340A3 and fired a short burst. The burst was dead on, but instead of wounding the apparition, it merely disrupted his cloaking field, revealing his presence for a brief period. He was dressed in Yaut'ja armor, and looked almost Yaut'ja, but was too short for the average Yaut'ja hunter, and the armor had a few attachments that weren't typically seen on a Yaut'ja Hunter's armor.

 

But he sure as hell sounded like one as he let loose a shrill shriek: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

 

K'torr grabbed his other lightsaber, the crimson blade coming to life as Viktor and Kabier raised their weapons. Before anyone could make a move, the hunter was cloaked again and vanished into the depths of the complex.

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No sooner had Derek finished his sentence did the whole situation erupt. True to the genuine article, the red skinned guy pulled out a lightsaber--a bona fide lightsaber! In a flash he whipped around and deflected a projectile back to the cloaked perp who fired it.

 

Amelia sat, completely stupefied, unable to grasp the drama that was unfolding before her. One of the patrons in the next booth aimed towards the top of a ledge and opened fire with this crazy-looking assault rifle. That was Derek's cue.

"Get down!!" Derek yelled as he pulled Amelia under the table and enfolding her in a protective embrace. The guy with the rifle hit the whatever-the-fuck dead on, but instead of inflicting any real damage, it's cloak was disrupted. "...Holy hell, what the fuck is that thing?!"

 

The being then let out this ear-piercing wail that was sure to shatter the eardrums of every patron in the area. And that was the end of it. Just a s quickly as the action began, it dissipated, leaving a cloud of mixed questions of whos, whats, and hows.

 

Derek crawled from under the table, and helped Amelia to her feet. "Are you okay?" he asked.

 

Amelia addressed the pink elephant in the room, the question everyone wanted the answer to: "What in the hell just happened?"

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"You just witnessed a man I have never been able to catch before," K'torr said in response to Amelia's query. He extinguished his lightsabers and clipped them to his belt.

 

"Was that who I thought it was?" Viktor asked.

 

"Indeed," K'torr affirmed. "And I'm willing to bet that won't be the last we see of him."

 

"You think his employers have some interest in this place?" Kabier asked.

 

"Can't imagine why," K'torr admitted.

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