Session 37

← Session 36 | Session 38 →

The party puts together UNITY's machinations, and breaks into UNITY HQ.

## Characters

* The Party
* Hollis Tucker
* Na'arisiel
* Zaida Loch
* Weston
* Legacy Byrnes
* Neera Guinn
* Catalina Adams
* Turret
* Naberius MacLaughagan
* Shax

## Summary

##### **Saturday, May 29th, 543:**

Having acquired information from Valencia Gray, Nyx calls the party together, and they meet at Kuno's apartment. There, Nyx explains what she learned from Gray, and the implications thereof: the amalgam is what Eldridge referred to as a superplane, or a combination of all the planes in the same place. This includes the Starving Plane, which is a terrible idea, since it's an all-consuming void. Eldridge needed Pax to be incorruptible so he could break the anchor, keeping the Starving Plane from being involved, but Pax was generally obstinate when it came to everything Eldridge did, so he brought Gray onboard instead.

Asa isn't impressed they're taking Eldridge as in the right, but Nyx assures him Eldridge is a terrible person either way, even if his science is useful. Nyx didn't manage to learn anything about the catalyst, or a way to get to the Starving Plane, but hopes she can ask Hollis about the latter. Kuno texts Hollis, to let him know they've gotten some information, and Hollis needs a day or so.

Sam brings up to Nyx that the rest of the party got attacked in the street by a few Dominions, as well as that MacLaughagan wants Romero's soul, and an excuse to go after the Host at UNITY, wondering if Neera might want to come along on those quests. Nyx thinks Neera would be on board, so texts her girlfriend with an offer. However, Neera is occupied right now, with something fairly intensive.

##### **Monday, May 31st, 543:**

A few days later, Hollis lets Kuno know they can come over. His apartment is still chaotic, but everyone is at least in the vicinity of the living room. Nyx mentions the Starving Plane will come up, and Hollis says it should be fine if she doesn't mention it by name. She relays everything she told the party a few days ago, and does slip up, referring to the Starving Plane directly.

Sam mentions he got tasked with delivering Romero's soul, which Zaida doesn't take well. She insists Romero wouldn't be doing anything unless she thinks it's going to keep people safe, and is more willing to believe people who've made their life's work of studying and predicting rather than the party's speculations. Kuno protests, arguing for the lives of everyone lost to the famine and krov, but Zaida is adamant that Romero is doing what she thinks is right, even if her methods are extreme. However, the party isn't sure Romero knows about the Starving Plane, which could mean she's making a huge mistake while thinking she's doing the right thing.

Hollis isn't a planar scholar, but thinks a superplane, conceptually, could work--though that isn't accounting for the Starving Plane's involvement, which is a recipe for disaster. Nyx underlines that getting it involved is a bad idea, and she doesn't understand why they would want to bring the Starving Plane. At this, Reis draws everyone's eyes by picking up and fiddling with Hollis's sword. He says they want to fix it--which he doesn't know if they would be able to. Hollis steps in to explain where Reis is going with this, telling him he doesn't get to say anything until Hollis has explained the situation--an explanation that Na'arisiel doesn't take very well.

This leads into a brief planar history lesson: the Upper Plane isn't particularly efficient, but rather than trying to fix the machinery they instead went to skim some energy from a disposable plane. Unfortunately, they picked a cardinal plane instead, and created a complete deficit of orgone where the Beast Plane used to be--and have since proceeded like everything is fine, since they don't like to mention their mistakes, but still haven't gotten enough energy. Partway through explaining, Hollis realizes this could all be an endeavor to fix the Host's energy problem. It would likely lead to subjugation, knowing the Host, but would at least not result in the universe being devoured by the Starving Plane. All this still begs the question of the catalyst, which would need to be capable of constantly producing energy without depleting, which Hollis doesn't know anything about.

Musings about the Host's machinations aside, Hollis needs to get Reis's eyes back so Na'arisiel can return to being functional. Once there's a fully-functional seraphim involved, everyone can reevaluate what they know and don't know. Sam still isn't sure what to do about Romero, since while he believes in explaining the situation to her and seeing if she can help, he also has to do his job. Zaida is against Romero's death, and leaves the conversation, with Weston following her.

Hollis doesn't know anything about extraplanar travel, but Reis might when he's functional. He's inclined to go after UNITY sooner rather than later, particularly with what's come up over this conversation. Reis isn't necessarily going to solve everything, but he's an impressive asset to have. Legacy is also supportive of getting Ollie back, and pushes for sending someone to look for him. Nyx and Kuno volunteer for that mission, and the protest organization is going well, so the UNITY raid is slated to be in a few days.

After visiting Hollis's, Asa and Kuno visit Cat, in search of a fast way to get through doors. She has what they need, at a steep price--one that Kuno pays anyway.

##### **Tuesday, June 1st, 543:**

Nyx texts Neera again, but she's still busy. This time, Nyx asks if she could swing by to talk about what she's doing. Neera agrees, though she has a guest over. When Nyx arrives, she's surprised to see Turret there, working with Neera on a project for Naberius. Neera doesn't provide any real specifics, but does mention it's a bit of an odd project, that it took her some time to get used to. There's a lot of paperwork involved, and not much violence. Neera acts very cheerful about the whole thing, and Turret is mostly putting up with it.

##### **Wednesday, June 2nd, 543:**

On the day Legacy's organized for the protest, the party meets Reis and Hollis once the crowd has had some time to pick up. An impressive crowd has been organized, with security keeping the crowd contained more than anything else. There's an obvious tension amidst the chaos of the crowd, though things are as calm as a massive protest can be. Kuno looks around for Jamie and her crew, but doesn't immediately spot them. Legacy has taken up position on a broken fountain, flanked by Zaida and Rain, and is obviously orating.

   The party pushes through the crowd to the door, which is guarded by four security droids. Sam and Hollis, as the melee fighters, are the first into the fray, though Kuno and Asa take a few point-blank shots, at which the protest escalates. Reinforcements from inside the building shoot out the doors, a few bullets of which graze the party, while the rest continue in the direction of the crowd--and are caught by Na'arisiel's splayed wings. He throws himself into the air, and lines up a shot on the security drones, which crackles over them and they fall, before Reis drops out of the air, looking mostly confused.

With the security drones out of the way, the party makes their way into the building. Nyx and Kuno peel off in the direction of the computer room, while everyone else looks to Colby. He recognizes one of the doors in the lobby as where Fells headed on his first visit to UNITY, and figures that's as good a place to start as any. It leads to a confusing mess of hallways, with a staircase. With little sense of where they're going, the five wander around office levels for a while, until they find a tram line underground.

It's a long walk through the tram tunnel, lit only by the intermittent light of alarms, to the next stop. This platform has three security guards on it, blocking the staircase. After a brief scuffle, there's a clear path to the staircase, though Asa made it up on the wrong side of the platform, where more security is heading down the stairs. Hollis crosses to Asa's side, telling everyone else to continue on. Sam, Colby, and Reis head on through the building, up the staircase.

Hollis sticks to the staircase door while Asa gets to work on the remaining security. With the room mostly cleared and the door holding, for now, Hollis urges Asa to go on ahead, assuring the fae he’s had lots of last stands in staircases and will be fine. Asa is skeptical, but does as he says, leaving up the stairs in search of the others.

Meanwhile, Nyx and Kuno have found their way to UNITY's computer labs. Kuno manages to locate a recognizable collection of computer parts, and while it's partially dismantled everything but the memory is accounted for. A thorough search of the room reveals nine memory sticks, of the twelve empty slots. Over the search, Nyx deduces that whoever works in this lab is working to understand what's on the memory drives. After the two are sure nothing else is going to turn up in this room, Nyx reaches for a vision of the location of the other three sticks. She gets a glimpse of a lab coat pocket, worn by someone moving quickly. Kuno and Nyx plug in the memory sticks they found and turn on Ollie's computer, before leaving in search of the final three memory sticks. They end up heading for the lobby, to meet up with the rest of the party.

Asa catches up to the group that went on ahead, in a long, dimly-lit hallway. While following Reis, who seems to have some idea where he's going, the three party members patch themselves up from the fights with security.

The hallway opens onto a catwalk overlooking a circular atrium of a room, lined with large screens around the edges. The room descends into the floor in levels, each level containing several computer desks staffed by identical suited figures. After the few seconds needed to take in the room, Na'arisiel throws himself over the railing, catching himself with his wings to land in the center of the room. The party members follow after, Sam tossing himself after Reis and landing by virtue of his demonic influence, while Asa ties off a rope and grabs Colby. From the center of the room, everyone has a good view of the four glass cylinders full of seraphim blood and dark shapes along the wall--as well as the thirteen cherubim all noticing them at once, accompanied by flashes of light as the cherubim summon their weapons.

With Reis and Colby, the four of them manage to put up a fight, though Sam's hellfire and Asa's bullets aren't the most effective against the cherubim's oil-slick shields. However, even with Reis picking off cherubim and catching halo fire on his wings, four on thirteen is terrible odds. The party members end up backed against the wall of screens by the seven cherubim left standing, with Sam and Asa held at gunpoint and Reis starting to drift.

There's a long moment of stalemate, while Colby tries to find any option at his disposal--and a knock rings out through the room. When it isn't answered, the knock rings out again, and then Naberius MacLaughagan enters the room. He's talking on the phone, but hangs up soon after arriving, to threaten the cherubim holding Sam. When said cherubim doesn't immediately provide him with an admin, Naberius shoots it in the head.

With this example made, a different cherubim leaves, returning soon after with another, identical cherubim. Naberius starts off by introducing himself as, among other things, the King of Hell--which has no effect on the cherubim admin, but Mac doesn't care, and announces this operation is being shut down for treaty violations, as well as infringing on his investments. He asks for any sort of justification, but the admin doesn't provide any, since Naberius doesn't have proper clearance.

To this stalemate, Mac suggests they play a game, while dumping bullet from his revolver until there's one left in the chamber, and brings the gun to his temple. The first shot clicks, as does the second, pointed at the cherubim, and the third, aimed back at the demon. Just before he pulls the trigger for the fourth time, Naberius grins, and proceeds to shoot the cherubim admin dead. When the administrator falls, the rest of the cherubim collapse as well.

In the calm after the cherubim fall, Sam brings up that Naberius introduced himself as King of Hell. The demon points out Sam wanted to stay out of demon politics, a decision he reverses. Colby heals Reis, which steadies the seraphim. Reis wonders who Naberius is, to which the demon gives his name, and mentions he's a fan of Reis's work--and Reis has no idea what he's referring to, but thanks him anyway.

Naberius takes the time to remind Sam he needs Romero's soul, reluctantly elaborating he sold off the rights to drag her to Hell when Samuel asks. This rekindles the discussion from Hollis's apartment, which doesn't have very long to go on until it's cut off by a familair heels-on-linoleum sound. The door Mac entered through is opened by a very tall, pointy, armored figure, whom Naberius greets as Shax. He is summarily, finally arrested, and dragged back whence he came.

Na'arisiel, unfazed by everything that just happened, goes to smash the columns of seraphim blood. A surge of light forces the party to cover their eyes, though they can still hear the sound of shattering glass. The glow fades slowly, until it's safe for the party to open their eyes again, and can see the seraphim is no longer bleeding from his eye sockets, and his wounds are being stitched closed by silver-blue wisps of energy. With their task completed, the four head back through the hallway towards the tram line.

The tram station where Hollis was left behind is trashed and filled with gutted android corpses. Reis crosses the room to where Hollis is leaned against a wall, dying, as the same bluish-white wisps of energy start stitching Hollis back together. When Hollis is slightly more alive, Na'arisiel apologizes to him, as he didn't factor in how him choosing to forget would affect anyone but him. Hollis accepts his apology, and Reis is overjoyed.

The five of them make their way back down the tram tunnel, with Reis supporting Hollis. They arrive back in the lobby soon after Nyx and Kuno do. Reis, as soon as he sees Kuno, goes over to the old man. Kuno is ecstatic to see Reis has gotten his eyes, and briefly explains the results of their search for Ollie. The party debates going to look for Romero and Ollie's other memory sticks, but decide it's better to head out with what they've accomplished already.

Outside, the protest has escalated massively to fully pitched battle. Asa leads everyone through the crowd, though he almost gets clipped by a stray bullet or two on the way out. Kuno texts Legacy to let him know they all made it out.

Back at Hollis's apartment, Ollie is still deactivated in a corner. Reis thanks everyone for helping him, particularly Kuno for taking him in off the street--on Hollis's behalf as well, since he won't admit it, and admits the two have known each other for ages. Hollis tries to kick the party out of the apartment, but Reis insists everyone stay for dinner, which they happily take him up on.

There is a brief discussion of next steps, which relies mostly on information from everyone ex-UNITY, as it would involve finding how UNITY is maintaining their connection to the other planes--which unfortunately the Host has gotten good at keeping him from seeing.

Reis threatens Hollis to start acting like a person or Reis will tell embarrassing stories about him. Hollis protests, but doesn't comply, so Na'arisiel launches into the story of how Hollis first proposed to him while drunk at a Christmas party about forty years ago. The evening continues much in this vein, and everyone goes home having had some well-earned levity amongst recent events.

## Quotes

**James:** “We formed our own little crime family.”

**Abby:** "...Valencia Gay called it a superplane..." | **Kellen:** "Was that a Freudian slip or a joke? I need to know."

**James:** “I don’t think Kuno could threaten Neera. She could snap him like a twig.”

**Abby:** “Leave your bones to Tressa Gillespie in your will and let the lawyers figure it out.”

**Kellen:** “Legacy and his overprotective aunts have entered the call.”

**Hollis:** “Listen, I’ve had a lot of last stands in staircases, it’ll be fucking fine.”

**James:** “Na’arisiel simply commits murder.”

**Kellen:** “Right now I wanna know what Colby’s doing.” | **Parker:** “Yeah, I want to know that too.”

**Abby:** “MacLaughagan, King of Hell, is an outlier and should not be counted.”

**Na’arisiel:** “I’ve never been proposed to so completely… tactlessly.”

**Na’arisiel:** “And of course we’re talking about the man who died of old age twice before he found out he was gay, so, I don’t know really where the rules are.”

← Session 36 | Session 38 →