13995/Brood Invasion: The Moments Between

Brood Invasion: The Moments Between
Date of Scene:	29 November 2021
Location:	Milano - Lower Deck
Synopsis:	Star-Lord and Starfire discuss the ongoing Brood war
Cast of Characters:	Star-Lord, Starfire
Tinyplot:	Brood Invasion

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Star-Lord has posed:
Interstellar War. Most of the time, it has a semblance of rules depending on the cultures involved. There are some things that sentient races tend not to do to each other.

This latest Brood invasion just reinforces that the Brood in general... do not care about rules. Whoever is directing the war is going for overwhelming force; as is typical of Brood wars in the past.

Raken 3 seems to be the major focus point, though skirmishes along the border into Shi'ar space have popped up across the galaxy.

It's an overwhelming tide that is slowly eroding the defense of the Raken system. The Shi'ar have the Imperial Guard and advanced technology... but the Brood don't kill their victims, typically: Every Shi'ar that is implanted with Brood symbiotes is another foot soldier that must be killed or cleaned... and the process takes days at most.

The Shi'ar are fighting their own converted half the time now, and the tide just keeps coming.

So it is that Peter, Kori, and others are taking a break from the war. Mostly, Peter has them doing guerilla style hit and runs on stragglers or lone Brood ships... though when he can't find any worthwhile targets, he sends the team to the ground war on Raken 3... the expanding ground war. That contained zone is glassed beyond belief at this point, but several orbital victories have given the Brood a chance to launch flanking pods to break out. Those pod assaults have been a focus for The Guardians lately.

Having just came back from helping the Shi'ar to break up another flanking attempt, the crew is just getting into the Milano landed nearby one of the fortification camps along the northern warfront on Raken 4.

As Peter walks up the ramp from the grassy plains, he isn't even winded from the days activities. "They're getting too much ground down here. I think we might need to switch it up and start going after their ships as they enter the system more. I might be able to get the Shi'ar to give us some support to net some." He muses aloud as he replaces his element guns in their holsters with a flourish.

Starfire has posed:
Chaos, bloodshed, combat, all of it was horrific even if her time with the Warlords has prepared Kori for such things. The way their enemies numbers spread though, the danger of implantation and what it could do if those who had powers were caught was a whole other worry. Even Starfire herself had to be more cautious than she might otherwise have liked.

With the 'downtime' in operations and the end of their last mission, the alien princess made her way down the ramp, her hands lifting to smooth her hair as close to 'in place' as it ever got while they walked. Peter's words earn a nod, a slight frown on her usually jubilent features. "It would give us an advantage, even if their numbers would be thickest on first arrival."

Star-Lord has posed:
Peter sits down on a crate in the cargo hold and brings up a foot, checking on the Jetboot as he brings up a toolkit and starts to replace the power cell of one. "I'm not worried about their numbers." Peter informs her, his finger trying to prod out the cell, "I'm more worried about letting their transports into Shi'ar space at this point. We simply can't afford it."

The cell is tossed to the side and Peter takes out a new one from the crate he's sitting on, a flap opening as he sticks his hand inside, "At the rate they're going, they'll overwhelm the planet in a month. This entire ground war is just a delaying tactic."

Starfire has posed:
Kori herself makes to touch down by the crate, resting her back against it as she sits on the floor, only a glance over her shoulder back to Peter as the pair continues talking. "Is there nothing we can do? No heart to strike at or key target to shatter their offence? Or at the very least to slow them down a little more till the Shi'ar forces can regroup and resupply?'

Star-Lord has posed:
"They work by a psionic link." Peter tells her as he snaps the cell in place and starts to close the maintenance panel. "I suppose we could trace it back when the Queen relays orders, but I don't know any telepaths, do you?"

Starfire has posed:
"Surely the Titans, the League, someone would know someone..." Starfire muses from her seat, hand falling away from her hair now before looking to her hands, a glow dancing across her fingertips as she looks back to her own hands and lets the solar energies dance in her palm, fueled by those brighter thoughts. "There is always hope. Always something that can be done."

Star-Lord has posed:
"Oh, I'm sure there are telepaths out there." Peter tells her, "I just don't know them. Honestly, I'm not sure it's a good idea to bring them in though." Peter looks to her and leans over to look to her eyes, "The Brood are natural psionics and have technology around it. You really think they won't have thought about someone disrupting their hive mind?"

He taps the side of his head, "If I were their Queens, I'd make that my focus."

Starfire has posed:
He has a point, that much she knows. Turning to face Peter, Kori floats a little to match his height even in her reclining state.

"Then if they bring their soldiers close, maybe we do not need to hit the queen as much as break their means of communication somehow..."

Star-Lord has posed:
"From what I've learned about them... it might or might not work." Peter explains as he starts walks over to another crate and opens it. Inside is a small armory of various weapons. his personal collection, and he starts to rummage through it. "From past accounts, their hivemind only compels them into action. They still have intelligence."

There's a brief pause, before Peter looks up, musing to himself as he looks at the wall with a distant look in his face, "Disruption might not be a good idea, but I would definitely love the information. Tapping into their hivemind would let us predict where they are and where they're getting orders from."

Starfire has posed:
Koriand'r nods, "The less organized they can be, the more we can reduce their advantage," she agrees. She's comfortable in her floating state, her hair rising up to frame her almost she's aflame, contrasting perfectly with her tawny skin.

She wraps her arms around herself, "I try not to be fearful about the possibility of infection. I'm a rather potent target for them, energy rich and strong. But I will not allow my fear to overwhelm me."

Star-Lord has posed:
"From what I've heard about them, it's not about energy for them." Peter counters as he watches her, "It's about the host body itself. I've been looking into that matter though, and I'm pretty sure that a hardsuit would do the trick... though I haven't actually tested how strong those things are." Peter taps the back of his neck, then. "I'm sure someone somewhere tested their parasite things."

Starfire has posed:
Koriand'r gives a faint smile, "You don't think they'd want my body?" she says, almost teasingly.

"It is against my custom to wear such confining garments, but if it is what is necessary to preserve my safety - and my ability to help in the mission - then I will, of course, do what must be done."

"I know it goes against the code of many of my Earthling friends and allies, but I would be most comfortable to expunge the entire species of the Brood from the universe, given the opportunity."

Star-Lord has posed:
"We have enough problem with the Skrull-Kree war." Peter agrees, "The only thing the Brood are good for is making the rest of us suffer." He clucks his tongue, "unless someone manages to find a way to hijack their hivemind thing at least."

He shakes his head, then, he looks to Kori's eyes, "Anyone attracted to women would want your body, though."

Then, he stands up and walks over to Kori, a hand moving out to cup her chin as he stands to her side, and moves her head towards him, "I'm sure we can find something that fits you /and/ works for you." Peter leans down and brings his lips to her own in a kiss.

Starfire has posed:
Koriand'r returns the kiss, reaching a hand up to lay it against Peter's cheek as she inhales deeply. Always a reminder that she is alive, that she is Tamaranean, that she is a warrior and a princess.

"And then we shall burn them all to ash," she smiles predatorily as the kiss is broken, her eyes glowing faintly with the echoes of her power.

Star-Lord has posed:
Pulling back, Peter grunts a bit, "I'm not sure about burning them all, but the Shi'ar do love their plasma weapons." Peter quips as he moves to head for the cockpit of the Milano, "come on, Rocket should be done with maintenance by now. I need to check on our status."

Starfire has posed:
Koriand'r flexes her fingers and heads back towards the deeper areas of the ship while Peter handles the piloting, "I'll check the communications array and make sure everything's in working order," she says, her blood stirring at the thought of war on the horizon - and maybe not only that.