2007/X-Changing Ideas

X-Changing Ideas
Date of Scene:	21 August 2017
Location:	X-Men Base
Synopsis:	A meeting is called between the X-Men and New Mutants on various threats, including Starro, and Mojo.
Thanks to:	Jean Grey
Cast of Characters:	Phoenix, Cypher, Boom-Boom, Jubilee, Cannonball, Moonstar, Cyclops, Black Rose, Wolfsbane, Colossus

---

Phoenix has posed:
Team communicators began activating at 8 a.m., the coloured field set behind their emblematic 'X's pulsing in time a shrill chirping that doesn't quit until responded to. Activating the devices from there triggers a message:

"3 p.m.," says the little holographic Phoenix that pops out of the center of the 'X's to hover just above them. "Today; war room. We have a lot of business to cover, and not a lot of time to do it in. Be punctual."

By the time 3 rolls around, Phoenix has been in the semicular space beneath Xavier's for about an hour, and is already seated at the the far end of the table, facing the door. Bottles of water and a barebones snack arrangement have been set out on a tray beside a central table practically strangled with chairs. There are a lot of X-Men and New Mutants; they may not all make it, but circumstances demand that she be ready in case they do.

Hovering above the table are three sets of images, slowly orbiting the table and each depicting their subjects from a variety of angles and accompanied by points and text blurbs: one of the unnamed, star-shaped parasites that recently plagued Pennsylvania; one of the extradimensional entertainment executive, Mojo; and one of his six-armed agent, the enigmatic Spiral.

Cypher has posed:
Doug had the night terrors again -- so he was awake when the comm signal went off. He's fine. Really. He slapped his hand down on it to quiet it and then went to get some coffee. When he enters the war room, he's out of uniform, in his Xavier's School hoodie. And then he's staring at Starro the Star Conqueror. "...Huh."

Boom-Boom has posed:
Boom-Boom has made an apperance. Though she's often abrasive and usually flippant, she really does care about her team and so she's not about to ignore a call to duty. She sits on one side of the room, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of bubblegum. She's even brought a notepad and a gel pen with her. She writes and doodles there while she waits for the meeting to begin.

Jubilee has posed:
Standing in back of the many others, a petite Asian in a pink tanktop with black cargo pants and leather boots stands leaning back against the wall. Hand guns are holstered and strapped at the thighs. Arms crossed in front of her, she is wearing black fingerless gloves and chewing pink gum. She blows a bubble, pops it, and reaches up to adjust the brass goggles set amidst the array of curls as her hair is put up in a lazy updo, with tendrils of ebony hair trailing down the back of her neck. Jubilee blows another bubble, and quietly watches the others as they file in and take their seats.

Cannonball has posed:
    Transferring some data to a tablet for study at a later time,S am looks a little tired. Others might be able to just work here, he cannot. Sam needs to do prep work. The tall blond is leaning against the wall, staring at the tablet in his hands. His roommate has night terrors; it creates stress. The young man looks at his tablet. "Gambit was either an accident or a provocation." His tone is very quiet. "Ah cannot help but think that he is trying to provoke us into well, a series finale." His tone is musing and thoughtful. "A sort of sweeps week stunt?" His blue eyes look up seeking other thoughts.
    His cheeks blush red as he realizes he might have spoken out of turn.

Moonstar has posed:
Dani arrives, with Yana in tow, apparently having been talking to her as she then says, "... we'll finish later." With that, she moves over to the snack spread, grabbing a bottle of water before taking a seat. Then she blinks at the starfish-looking thing, eyes narrowing as she sees Mojo and Spiral on display there.

Cypher has posed:
Doug is still staring up at Starro. "There's something not right about this." He says, "Not the starfish, that's just strange. I mean Mojo. He might put together a gladitorial game but not on such short notice. He goes for the long-term, for mind control, for violations and alterations. Just grabbing us and dropping us in the middle of it..." The corner of his mouth quirks. "This isn't over, no."

Phoenix has posed:
"Thank you--

-- for coming,}} ripples through the room and much of the mansion's secure floor in psimulcast. "For some of you, this may be your first time here; others" her eyes shift towards Jubilee, briefly "the first time in a while. Some of you basically live here. Absolutely none of that matters right now, because we're staring down the barrel of two extraterrestrial threats right now, and one of 'em has the potential to end life as we know it out of biological necessity. So:"

The orbit halts. All three imagesets rise until they're about halfway to the ceiling, as a map of the world flickers into being atop the table. Lines connect Starro to two points in Pennsylvania; more link Mojo and Spiral to Paris.

"Right now, while some of us have seniority, and will be responsible for making the final decisions on, as well as actually running whatever field ops we wind up undertaking," a now-standing Phoenix continues as green eyes fix on Sam, "we're all here for a reason. Everyone will be heard; not all ideas will make it out of here today, but they will all be considered equally. So, with that in mind, while I originally called this meeting to talk about our cy-- " Half a beat. "-- possibly aquatic friend up here" a gesture towards Starro "recent events have pushed these other two jackasses way up the priority list. Since I wasn't in Paris, and I've only got Cyclops and Boom-Boom's perspectives to go on, I'd appreciate it if someone who was there for everything that went down could-- "

Those eyes snap towards Dani and her +1, narrowing upon the latter for a moment before shifting towards Doug.

"-- debrief the rest of us, so we're all on the same page."

Cyclops has posed:
     Of course, Cyclops himself had made a point to show up. Having both a vested interest in the New Mutants and the X-Men. The field leader sat watching the holograms in front of the group, making note of who was in the meeting. He looks to Doug, giving a nod in agreement. He lets everyone speak up however.

Black Rose has posed:
    Following Dani, Yana also grabs a bottle of water, nodding to the other girl and taking a seat beside her. She stares, at all three pictures, having heard 'stories' from a few of the others about both Spiral and Mojo, and speculated abou the 'purple starfish' after the odd blood on her car, and the various news reports.
    She can tell, just from the way various people are watching, that most of them have been through this, or something like it before here. She's certainly the new girl in more ways than one. She looks over to Dani, curiously, as the trip to Paris is mentioned, but she doesn't say anything yet. It's not her place.

Boom-Boom has posed:
Boomer pops a bubble thoughtfully as she writes. She dots one last thing and smiles in satisfaction. The page is torn off and folded in half. She looks up as things begin in earnest. "Hmm." she mutters, popping another bubble audibly. She gives a grim smile as Jean mentions her, just in case anyone looks in Tab's direction after.

Jubilee has posed:
Jubilee looks from Doug, to Sam, and Dani, as Jean looks them all over, then returns her gaze to Jean. She doesn't stop chewing her gum. It's the only thing keeping her sane at the moment. The images and scenes from that night in Paris rage inside her head, and her eyes are tumultuous and stormy grey. There is a cold anger that has grown and frozen over hard inside her gut. She tries to remain quiet, let the others speak, unless they just can't remember the events well enough to convey them. She's not here for her own agenda. She's here to ensure that she is a part of the plan to end all this shit, in short order.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane is a quiet presence toward one side of the room, having slipped in without a sound somewhere along the way. She's got her arms wrapped around herself in a sort of solo hug, her right thumb rubbing slowly and rhythmically against her left bicep. There's a sense of concern that bubbles to the surface, which telepaths and a certain Cheyenne may catch, but also a feeling of familiarity where Mojo comes into play. This isn't the first time they've experienced...that thing.

Moonstar has posed:
Dani looks back at Jean, and nods, no smiles there as she recounts the events of that evening. "The wedding ceremony was going as planned, when the priest overseeing the ceremony revealed herself to be Spiral in disguise. Before we had a chance to react, the entire wedding was transported to an arena in what was presumably Mojoworld, thanks to Spiral." She bristles a bit at the memory, just one of many X-peeps that would like to get some payback on the six-armed sorceress.

    Then she continues, "Cyclops and I tried to form a defense, as Illyana was locked out of teleporting us back, probably because of something Spiral did with her magic. The more experienced X-Men took on Spiral directly while the rest of us fended off the demonic hordes that were coming after us. However, Spiral was able to get to Gambit..." She pauses, coughing a bit, before she continues, "Killing him before we could stop her. Then she abandoned the fight, which allowed Illyana's stepping discs to work again. So we were able to come back. Ah, there's more detailed tactical debriefs attached and on the network drive." She keeps her voice steady, barely, but her voice is pretty strained as she recalls the fight in question, though at the end she notices Rahne come in, and she flashes the wolfgirl a smile.

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana is paying careful attention, to everything being said. Observing behavior, body posture around her person, but apparently aware enough to realize that she's best suited, presently, to sit, listen, and take everything in. A faint nod as Dani retells the story she heard from Alexia, and others who were present after the affair. She'd missed the wedding in Paris by minutes, do to some car trouble for the after-wedding car she'd rented.
    Gently, her hand moves to Dani's shoulder, to squeeze, supportively.

Cypher has posed:
Doug's voice is quiet. "I noticed that Rogue touched Gambit before he -- died. It struck me as an important detail. Have you been able to find her since she took off?" He looks away from the starfish, and at Phoenix and Cyclops. "I'm worried about her."

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "That seems like a nice way of puttin' it. Good job tryin' to make it sound like it was all a bang-bang operation." Boomer says, speaking up after Dani. "But I already said my peace to Grey. No need to go over it again."
    She rises, then and wanders over to Yana, giving her a folded piece of paper... the one she was writing on earlier. Boomski doesn't look at the blue-haired girl, but instead turns on her heel and goes back to her seat.

Cannonball has posed:
    A very gentle hand reaches out n a gesture of comfort to Rahne as she walks past. Sam will brush his fingers over her shoulder as she passes, if she will allow it. "Turn our intelligence on the starfish?" Sam looks at his tablet, making sure he read that right, "The Starfish, we give that to the Justice League." Sam says quietly. His back is against the wall and he considers his tablet, looking up to speak to be heard. "They have space based assets, as ah understand it? We should coordinate with them, and be ready to assist on that end. We can fight, and we can be prepared to meet them at their landing site, we are very poorly equipped to fight in space." He obviously does not like what he says. "But being prepared to meet them at landfall, should that happen? That is something we are very well prepared for. That should be our stance. Lend assistance where we can. Colossus comes to mind immediately. Any others we have who can operate in space. Maybe Nightcrawler or Cyclops if they need pilots." Sam says it quietly. It is funny that he checks with Dani first before making eye contact with the others.
    "Again, seems to me that this is a global problem, and we should coordinate globally. Being all lone cowboy on it just leaves us more room to mess it up."
    His shrug. "But if we are discuss'n Mojo? Well that requires some intelligence. We should find out what is going on there, and really all that needs is a small team there watching. He will advertise it to his... customers before he does it? I mean... live tv needs advertise'n?" His gaze flicks through out the leadership folks, Doug and Dani especially. His discomfort is profound. "We have faces he dunno. We should use them." As to Rogue, well Doug quietly says, "I wasn't exactly pleasant after Lila died. Or you, for that matter, Doug. But, she is family. Someone close to her might remind her of that. Ah cannot say ah would want to be on the Dyson sphere without Lila on it. Cannot say Rogue wants to be here without Gambit." His shoulders give that shrug, and Sam leans back up against the wall, his lips drawn into a tight, hard line. His shoulders hunch a little.

Cyclops has posed:
     Scott acknowledges the Mutants with nods to each. It isn't until Dani begins to recount what exactly had occurred in Paris does his demeanor change. The X-Man puts on a frown to replace his normal deadpan expression. Those who knew Scott would know it spoke volumes concerning his emotions.

  In retort, Cyclops speaks up for the first time. "She said she needed some time to herself, her voice had Remy's...style to it. She was going to go in the honeymoon trip that they had been given. She would contact us in seven days."

  Scott's semi sullen expression does turn back to serious as Tabitha speaks.

Jubilee has posed:
"We found her shortly after...Scott and I." Jubilee states matter-of-factly, in agreement with Scott. "She was atop the Eiffel Tower. The bracelet she was wearing was a gift for the wedding. It contained technology to negate her mutant powers, and allow her to toucch another human being without comatizing him. However, by the time Remy expired in her arms, she was no longer wearing the device. She has absorbed not only his powers, but his personality. His psyche. Even his accent." Jubilee shakes her head, looking at nothing in particular. "Something about this whole thing isn't right. There's something we're sorely overlooking. And if we don't find it soon enough, it could be too late for Rogue, and for the rest of us."

Colossus has posed:
Of course, Piotr is there on the time, although as usual strong and silent mostly defines his approach to things, and he's not overflowing with commentary on the incident. He was, of course, there for the would-be wedding and all the chaos that followed, but there is only so much he can meaningfully add. Well, add beyond his own official reports, which were likely filed quite promptly on their return from France. In fact, he mostly just lifts a large (though human!) hand toward Dani as she goes through her own explanation of the events.

"Da, is how saw things, also. I was sitting back from front of ceremony, and many creatures came down upon us immediately. I fought through them, but was not fast enough to be reaching my comrades at the front before the woman struck comrade Gambit." He pauses, and then offers, "Mostly, was chaos. Of course, was also being ambush, so this was plan of enemy. Most reacted as fast as was possible, but Spiral was impersonating priest, so she struck before any of us could intercede."

Glancing at Sam, he gives a slight nod, "I have not experience of meeting star-fish creatures, but have seen reports. In space, I do not know. I would need, mmm, what is called in english. Jet-pack? But I am not afraid to face them, if help is neded. I am thinking the small ones, they are probably having difficulty... attaching to me?"

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane nods slowly toward Dani, indeed allowing Sam's touch, brief as it is. Other than that, she keeps to a spot that is neither close to nor far from anyone else. It's as if she's on the periphery of the group, a part of it yet not. When she speaks, all she says is, "I remember Mojo an' Spiral. They messed wi' us before, but we made it oot. Nasty, they are. I dinna ken much about these star..things, though. But, I'll help whitever way I can."

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana looks over at Rahne, as she speaks, and on the heels of her words, Yana adds her own, stating quietly, but firmly, "A lot of you don't know me yet, and I didn't know Gambit. Or Rogue, for that matter. But, I do know that in my short time, my friends were hurt. I came here to learn to use my abilities. And, if I can't use them to protect my friends, then I shouldn't have them. I'll help however I can."
    It's enough, for now. There are others, with more years of experience, and matters at hand to address. She gives each person a quick exchange of her eyes, a smile, or nod if such is cast her way, before looking towards the next speaker.

Phoenix has posed:
Green eyes return to Dani as she recounts Rogue and Gambit's wedding story. Phoenix nods once or twice to keep her going, and by the end, her jaw is visibly clenched.

"Okay," she exhales in a carefully managed voice afterwards. "So, everyone's got homework waiting for them on the secure server - if you've already been through the report, you can fine-tooth it. I generally agree with Sam and Doug's assessments that this doesn't really sound like Mojo's MO: maybe if he was super desperate for ratings, or, I dunno, ads, or whatever, maybe it'd be worth making a move as big as he did - as effectively as he did, given his timing and our readiness - and letting nearly everyone go, but it'd still be stupid. If he is just trying to goad us into a counter-attack, we'll have to find an angle to approach it from that he won't be expecting."

When Scott and Jubilee answer the question of Rogue's whereabouts, her shoulders visibly sag a little, relieved that someone has had contact with the girl. And since Rogue is accounted for - sort of - this leaves her free to turn her gaze towards Sam.

"The Justice League is aware of the situation, and I'm confident that they'll be confronting the parasite threat, too. I-- have some experience in dealing with it, though, and so do a few of the other X-Men; I'm personally not planning on taking a backseat on it, but you're definitely right that we shouldn't be trying to handle it alone, Sam. I also do get that this Mojo garbage has fucked things up around here, to say the least, so I'm not gonna force anyone to drop it in favor of the Starfish-- no more than I would've forced anyone to help me with it before Mojo."

Exhaling, she begins to sweep her eyes across the room while wondering, "So, probably an obvious one, here, but: how many of you got yourselves checked out by Hank or Dr. Milbury once you got back from Paris? Had your minds scanned for gaps? In other words: how sure are we that we know everything that went down over the weekend?"

Phoenix has posed:
Green eyes linger on Yana a little longer than the others as Phoenix speaks, in lieu of a response to her offer of assistance.

Depending on how much time she's spent with her father and his associates, she may well be able to recognize the wariness and shaky trust hidden beneath her even, professional veneer.

Cypher has posed:
"Mojo is cunning." Doug says, "But he a glaring weakness of ego we can take advantage of -- he is absolutely unable to resist a spectacle. If you offer him something he thinks will put butts in the seats, it will have all of his attention. He also films everything. Pathologically. I want a chance to review the footage of that fight, becauase my powers might help me to spot anything out of the ordinary. Anything further out of the ordinary."

He walks to the table and sticks a flash drive into a port, which brings up an image -- it's the Mojoworld Doug remembers, the Wildways... his HQ. He remembered all of it. "These floorplans may be somewhat outdated. I did my best. My proposal is this. We send an assault team to Mojoworld to create the appearance of a punitive raid, that the X-Men have come to shut Mojo down for good. Big. Splashy. Loud. Irresistable. If they can take him out for good, so much the better, but it's not why we're there." He taps a button, showing a forward assault -- "Which is guaranteed to arrest his attention."

He taps another, and now another arrow appears. "Meanwhile, a stealth team will raid Mojo's broadcasting room, and steal the footage. Then we retreat."

Moonstar has posed:
Dani blinks, then flashes a grin over at Doug, "Steal the master tapes? Oh, that would hit the bloat where it hurts him the most." She glances back to Yana as she says her support of the X-Folks, and places a hand on her shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze.

Jubilee has posed:
"No one's checked me out, and no one's going to," spat Jubilee in a visceral response. "There's nothin' wrong with me other than the obvious." Her eyes flash a brilliant blue as she continues. "However, stealing the master tapes?" She looks to Doug. "That's going to require a master theif of epic proportions. Do we know anyone up to the task, who's reliably on 'our side,' so to speak?

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana's blue eyes meet Jean's stare, and the 'new' girl nods, either determined to earn that trust, or unable to read Jean clearly and simply reaffirming her commitment.
    As Doug suggests his plan, from what little she knows of Mojo, which is little enough as she puts pieces together from what others have said, are saying, and had told her previously she nods in approval of the idea, "Not a bad tactic," she murmurs to Dani, flashing the Cheyenne a brief smile at her physical show of support to Yana.
    She settles back then, to listen to the ideas put forth, and the discussion over them. She has, for the most part, contributed what she can - her efforts. Committed them. The rest is just figuring it out as she goes.

Phoenix has posed:
"Say we get a team that close to the heart of his operations:" Phoenix says after giving Doug's plan a few seconds of preliminary, chin-stroking thought, "is there any value in letting them continue? Maybe we can't take Mojo himself with a feint, but giving him something else to worry about after the fact besides whatever damage said feint does could be useful, for buying us time to analyze, strategize, et cetera."

A beat.

"It could also piss him right off and put him on our collective asses for something other than ratings, but. You're the Inner Life guy, so you tell me; I've tried real hard to forget any time spent in his head."

Once that point is made, she shifts her gaze to Jubilee and notes, "Yeah-- but you saw her off on her honeymoon/mourncation a few days ago, so we may need to wait a little while."

Boom-Boom has posed:
"Big, splashy, loud, irresistable?" Boom-Boom echoes after Doug makes his proposal. "Sounds like me. A job for me." she corrects herself. "I owe the slug a couple of black eyes anyway."

Colossus has posed:
Listening to Doug's propsal, Piotr crosses his arms over his broad chest. It's a foreboding sort of gesture, at least given his generally imposing stature, combined with a somewhat unreadable expression as the other man outlines his plan in all its details. It's very easy for the big man to look disapproving. For one thing, he's Russian! No one is ever happy in the icy land of cold and sadness that is Russia, right?

But Piotr really isn't that sort, and the truth of it becomes obvious, when at the conclusion of the plan, he gives a deep, booming laugh. "Hah!" In fact, he slams a hand down on a nearby piece of furniture with an appropriately loud, pounding sound, to show his approval. "Yes! Yes! I am liking this. We do not cower after he is hurting one of our comrades. We take fight to him! I volunteer for big and noisy!" Big, well, he's got that on lock.

Cypher has posed:
Doug says, archly, "I went out and bought a palette of 2-liters of mountain dew for just this plan, Moonstar." He puts his hands behind his back. "I remember what Mojo did to us, making us think we'd killed Bobby -- I *really* despise Mojo. Which is also part of my point. Mojo has faked the deaths of X-Men to cover his crimes before." Then he says, "I think I might be dating her, Jubilee. I think, X-Men, I can bring in a specialist on this job. I... have... been spending some time... with the Black Cat. She seemed to know Remy; she might be willing to help us. I can't make any promises there. But I can ask her if she'd be willing to work with us." He coughs, once.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane frowns right around the time Jean says a certain word. It shouldn't be hard to figure out, given her sheltered existence. Nothing is said, whether to anyone's plans or the question of being checked out mentally. Attentiveness shows in the form of looking toward each person who has something to say, then she jumps slightly in place when Piotr makes a sudden noise, catching a breath. "We just need tae be careful an'.." Then there's a pause and a questioning glance Doug's way as he mentions someone called Black Cat. The name is mouthed toward Dani, a brow raised.

Phoenix has posed:
Now, people whose fathers weren't Russian gangsters very well may notice Phoenix's body language stiffen after Doug's suggestion.

Some variation on 'Doug, you are like half a teenager, why are you dating a master criminal with a pseudonym' sits right on the tip of her tongue before being swallowed.

"Yeah, well, that'd be a decent alternative," she lowly says, nodding slightly, "if she's willing to, you know. Go to a foreign dimension and risk being plastered across alien cable if we screw up."

Cyclops has posed:
     Scott watches with anticipation to Doug's proposal. He had asked him specifically for this exercise. "Very well thought out, Doug." Cyclops smirks with approval, joining in with Colossus as he approves.

  Onto more serious matters. "I had Hank look at myself, I suggest everyone at that wedding do the same. It's important, if there's anything missing it needs to be addressed." Scott offers to all, of course his turn to be the heel.

Moonstar has posed:
Dani blinks at Doug, but just files that under the 'LATER' category, "Well... she should definitely be aware of the risks. But um, haven't had any sort of exam yet. I think I'm pretty much okay, but it's a good point to get checked." She doesn't seem to have a problem with it... and she might be kicking herself for not even thinking of that.

Cannonball has posed:
    "ah think it is reckless." Sam answers quietly. "But Ah think we all knew ah would." Bobby is just about Sam's best pal. He just rolls his shoulders, a hand stroking his forehead. He's less enthused, but Sam is cautious with the lives of his friends.
    "That be'in said? It is a good operation. The lack of solid intelligence on the lay out is problematic, but if we only operated when we were certain, well..."
    Sam shrugs. Quietly, Sam says, "Doug can read body language. New Mutants grow up fast. If he says she is solid, she is solid." He gives his roommate a confident nod.

Black Rose has posed:
    "Thieves of her caliber," Yana speaks up in regards to the Black Cat, "Tend to be in it more for the challenge, than the prize. Prestige." She looks to Dani, suggests, "I'll go with you. I wasn't there, but, ...," she trails off. Maybe there was a -reason- she wasn't there? Maybe someone messed with -her- head to prevent her from going? Who knows?
    She adds, "I'll gladly go and provide distraction." What her abilities are, though? Well, Jean and Scott may know some. Colossus, Dani, and Tabitha have seen her in action even if her abilities in that simulation were on the subtle side.
    She glances to those she doens't know so well. Or at all. Like Doug, whose idea this was. Sam. Wolfsbane. She settles back in her seat, opens the note she got from Tabitha, her eyes scan it before she folds it, and cups it in her hand, hiding it.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "I'm ready to kick Sluggo's butt whenever." Boomer says, enthusiastically. "You worry too much, Sammie." and she blows a bubble to pop. "What about the starfish things, though? Somethin' we should worry about? What do they do? Where do they come from?"

Phoenix has posed:
"Right." Phoenix's volume comes back up to full moderator volume with a glance towards Scott. "Remember what Cypher said: Spiral and Mojo's MOs normally include mind control and body alteration-- this isn't a 'get checked out if you feel a sore throat or dreams of gladiatorial glory coming on', it's 'you could be a walking security hazard and not know it.'"

Before she can stress the point further, Yana speaks up, prompting her to seal her lips into a thin line. By the end, her head is beginning to shake as she says, "Yana," emphasizing her civilian identity, "you're a new-- you've been here for a few weeks; the loyalty and enthusiasm are appreciated, but you shouldn't even be here to volunteer yourself for a combat mission with zero training."

Her gaze returns to Dani towards the end of that response, laden with disappointment and questions.

"I can't sign off on taking an untrained minor into a combat zone-- certainly not one in a hostile, alien dimension."

Cypher has posed:
"I am not detecting any stutters or fluctuations or variations in my own mental narrative that would indicate a telepathic intrusion," Doug says, "And I haven't detected any idiosyncracies or interruptions in anyone else's behavior that would suggest a telepath at work. Even Professor Xavier is not that good that his alterations don't show up to studied observation. Also, while I appreciate him coming here to help, something about Dr. Milbury gives me the De Palmas. I'll talk to Hank."

Then he nods, to Sam. "It is reckless." He frowns, thoughtfully, and then says, "But I think with the right gear I should be able to coordinate the stealth and the assault actions, and with good field leaders, get us out before Mojo traps us or turns the tables."

Cyclops has posed:
     "We will need a plan B in case Black Cat decides she's not up for it, romantic interests notwithstanding." Cyclops offers, looking to Doug, putting a note on that.

  "I'd have to agree with Phoenix here. It's one thing to be caught up in dangerous circumstances, it is an entirely different one to allow it to happen voluntarily." Cyclops adds onto Jean's statement. "The school's focus is on training powers and defense. This is an offensive mission."

Colossus has posed:
"The plan for other team, for stealth group, is to only send one woman who is stranger to most of us?" Piotr wonders, sounding about as dubious of this half of the plan as he was enthusiastic for the 'Colossus and some other people charge the gates and make a ruckus' portion of the plan. "I am not sure of this. Both for danger to her, and for trusting the result." Generally, he nods along with Scott. "I think we must act, but we most not be reckless. If we are to be making distraction, then we have plan, hit and go, not simply 'hit and maybe keep hitting,' should be one or other. And the other team must be real team."

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani wilts under Jean's look of disapproval, then looks over at Yana, "They got a point, Yana. I mean, you should definitely be here for the brief, but this type of strike is something that is going to be really dangerous. As in, if this goes south we'd be better off dead than otherwise." She speaks softly towards Yana, looking more than a little awkward at the moment.

Cypher has posed:
Cypher puts his finger over his mouth, and then shakes his head to Piotr. "No, she wouldn't be going alone. Nightcrawler would be ideal to send with her, if we could spare him. Wolfsbane. Betsy. Magik... though Illyana might be best held in reserve, as she'd be our means of entrance and escape--"

Black Rose has posed:
    For her part, Yana seems to take the disapproval of Jean, and the affirmation from Scott and Dani, all, that the mission is 'too dangerous' in fairly good stride. She does not debate it, or even contest it, at least, not openly and not in the heat of more important discussions. Instead, she tells Jean, "Then, I'd like to talk to you after this is over." She looks to Dani, indicating she'd like Dani to be there too. And, she's said her peace.

Cannonball has posed:
    "Starfish? Well, Let's take Phoenix's memories, and code up a few simulations in the danger room. A few sessions a day for a bit to get us on point?" Sam's answer to everything. Prepare for it.
    "Ah can account for all of my time. Regardless, Ah will make an appointment with Doc McCoy." He adds, to Doug. "Put me where you need me. Sounds like ah need to be stealthy." He quietly murmurs, "Ah have to respectfully disagree. Technically, Doug and ah are minors. He has already been killed. Ah dated an extra-terrestrial master thief who lived in a Dyson sphere. Ya'll took Kitty Pryde into space? Dani saved the world from a Demon bear. Kinda too late to put that particular genie in a bottle." Sam crosses his arms in front of his chest.

Wolfsbane has posed:
"It's less a matter o' age, but rather experience," Wolfsbane points out quietly. "She's never seen anything about Mojo or Spiral before, so she'd a' least need time in th' Danger Room tae have an idea whit he's all about. But we may no' have th' time for tha'." It's someone else's decision, though she adds, "But we've all been in th' place before where we had tae deal with th' unknown."

Boom-Boom has posed:
"I think Phoenix's point wasn't that any of us are minors..." Tabby says, speaking up. She pops a bubble and continues. "... but that some of us aren't trained. Some of us are newbies. Can't have people like that underfoot, even if they think they know everythin'. Some of us have proven we want to be here and are willin' to sacrifice, and some of us haven't." she lets that sink in a moment. "'sides, _someone_ has to be here in case our usual enemies attack the school or there's an accident. Somone's gotta rally the babies."

Phoenix has posed:
"The starfish," Phoenix says as Starro's imageset grows a few notches larger, "is-- are? Parasitic, alien entities existing in a hive mind. The X-Men encountered a small number of them aboard a Starcore vessel last October, but we were able to neutralize them" 'because I blew them and myself up,' she declines to add, "with minimal casualties."

A viral piece of Instamedia depicting a woman wearing a monoeyed starfish over her face and offering an identical organism out to the phone-holder flickers into being between the orbiting imagesets and the map.

"They're able to dominate the motor functions of sentient beings by attaching themselves to their prey's faces; if you're wearing it, it's wearing you. They're psionically active, which is probably how anyone ever puts one of them on to begin with. They an emit lasers from their tentacles, and absorb non-kinetic energy and send it back out the same way. They reproduce at a terrifying rate, and I dunno how long their lifespan is meant to be, but the largest of them are hundreds, thousands of miles across," she rattles off, eyes shifting just so to stare straight ahead rather than at any particular X-Person. "A few landed in Pennsylvania a little more than a week ago; way more of 'em are en route to our solar system."

Once that's all out, her eyes fix firmly on Scott, to whom she reiterates, "Asking Rogue is gonna have to be our Plan B. So we're probably also gonna want a C and a D--"

Sam speaks his piece, drawing her attention his way.

"Untrained minor," she reiterates with an arching brow. "Nor did we get together to make a plan for how we'd deploy you into the arms of an extra-terrestrial master thief, or a Demon bear-- me not wanting to put a brand new student's life at risk isn't remotely the same, Cannonball."

Jubilee has posed:
Jubilee continues to chew her gum almost ravenously. This is all moving too slowly for her, but she knows that there's nothing to be done for that. It has to move at the pace of progress. She looks to Jean, and then to the starfish images. "Do we know the effects of these bastards on those who aren't quite human?" She half-smiles. "And ARE they flammable?"

Cypher has posed:
"It makes me wish Warlock was here." Doug says, looking back at the Starfish. "Not only would he probably know more about it, he'd also be ideal for helping us fight it." He frowns, and then shakes off that thought. If wishes were fishes... "Anyway, that's my plan. I submit it to you, Cyclops, to be implemented -- or not -- or changed however you see fit."

Then he says, "I wish I had trained harder, before. Magneto was right to hold me back from the field."

Cannonball has posed:
    "Ah ain't afraid of your disapproval, Phoenix." Sam says it out loud. He was uncomfortable before? "Ah was afraid when ah got caught in a cave in and had to fly my daddy out. I mean absolutely no disrespect." Sam lifts his left hand. "But it seems to me if we are going to plan three operations that turning down someone is the height of hubris." Give a guy a promotion and the doofy, sometimes awkward guy finds a spine. "We have a lack of stealthy folks. We just train her up for this operation, and judge it from there on out on an operation to operation basis?"

Cyclops has posed:
     Scott looks to Sam, everyone else having made his point, Jean especially.

  "C and D, that's the next step then." He offers to Doug. "We can get together and run simulations later, get a bead on all the variables. If Phoenix doesn't mind the advanced tactical training." Not wanting to step on Jean's toes.

  Scott then looks to Sam. "In regards to pilots...I'm game." It's been a good while since he's had a challenge of that magnitude. "What's their ETA?" Hoping these two missions can be staggered in a way that they won't be spread too thin.

Black Rose has posed:
    As Sam actually speaks up for her, Yana smiles, just a little. Smiles, specifically at Sam. That smile stays on her face a few moments longer, slipping into something more thoughtful and attentive then anything else as information about the extra-terrestrial threat is brought to light.
    And with Tabitha speaking, and Jean again clarifying, Yana feels the need to speak. Afterall, this discussion -is- about her, now. In part. "I'm not untrained, Ms. Grey. As I told you when I toured here. I came to Xavier's to finish it. I understand your concerns." This -was- a conversation she was going to have afterwards. But, it's been brought to the forefront. "Put me in one of your simulations. Of your choosing. Judge my performance, off actual data, and ability. Then decide."
    She's said her peace. She watches Jean, after giving Sam another brief, but honestly appreciative smile for supporting her.
    

Colossus has posed:
Nodding at Doug, Piotr seems satisfied to leave any other planning of this Mojo-op to the others. It's pretty obvious how he fits into it. This turns his attention toward the discussion of the Starfish creatures, and thus his attention toward Jean, now looking perhaps somewhat less enthusiastic about the sound of the creatures. "Do we know what is... range of power, to be convincing hosts to give up defenses? Must they grab on first, or do they lure people into allowing them on from further range?" He chuckles. "Perhaps, even if I can go in space, I am not good choice, if they can control so easily."

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani looks over towards Yana, "Alright, well, we're going to get you as much training as you can stomach. But it's not my word for the final call. You might not be ready yet, but I'll do my best to get you there."

Wolfsbane has posed:
"She deserves th' chance tae help if she's capable o' it," is the only other thing Wolfsbane says before she grows quiet again, brows scrunching together as the matter of the Starros is gone into further. Face-hugging starfish? That's just creepy.

Cypher has posed:
Doug thinks. "I have a unique connection to him. I don't know precisely where he is--but... hnh. I wonder if it would work." He looks up to Jean and Cyclops, and says, "Magneto once called my powers meta-psionics. I don't know how the computer would interact with my powers, or if it would work at all -- but I'd like to use Cerebro to try to contact Warlock."

Phoenix has posed:
"I don't need you to be afraid of me, Cannonball; I need you to take a step back and think about what it might be like to tell someone's family that their child won't be coming home because your clandestine strike force was down a few hands for its revenge op," Phoenix fires back without missing a beat. There's a definite edge to her voice, given the circumstances, but no venom. Before she can continue making her point, Yana speaks up, drawing green eyes her way.

"-- Fine," she determines after giving the proposal a few moments of thought and a sigh pushed through her teeth, "if I like your performance, I'll consider letting you train for the op; you can kiss your free time 'bye' if it comes to that, though."

Following another small exhale, she glances sidelong towards Cyclops to say, "A week-- maybe more. Maybe less. I haven't been able to get in with anyone from Alpha Flight, yet-- they'd have better instruments for gauging that than we would. I haven't seen anything to suggest that they'd be unable to control, y'know-- us, mutants; I don't think Earth is the first place they've ever been, so. I would be surprised if they were limited to humans, y'know? We don't have any data on their effective ranges-- or, honestly, on the capabilities of the big ones; all I could get for study was a couple of face-sized ones, and they were already dead."

Finally dropping into her seat, Phoenix takes a moment to massage her temples before murmuring, "It isn't much to go on, I know-- but it's what we've got. Hopefully, Alpha Flight and the League have more; not sure if either has samples, dead or alive."

Cannonball has posed:
    "Miss Grey. Ah meant no disrespect. I already put someone in the ground." Sam says far more delicately. His eyes drift to Doug. "Ah will start in on the simulation programming straight away." Because it is best to do. "And it'll be tough." He warns Yana, shooting her a look. "You ask any of the rest of the New Mutants. Ah will train you hard. Report when you can." He gives a respectful nod to Jean, Scott, then a wink at Dani and Doug and turns to get to work.
    In the hall, he lets out a too long breath. "Shooooot." He swears, and then starts off towards the Danger room at a run. Work to do. He needs a pot of coffee!

Jubilee has posed:
"Well then." Jubilee rocks back on her heels and tugs at her gloves antsily. "Have your guys crunch some numbers on the probability of their having the ability to control someone--something--that's also 'already dead.' I'm down for a fish fry. I just hafta know what they can do if they get too close."

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana smiles some to Dani, nodding her head at the suggestion of the training. Even to Jean. She doesn't seem to mind the idea of her freetime going away, by her expression. A final nod to Sam Guthrie, an affirmation. She watches him, thoughtfully as he disappears, thoughts going through her head until she turns her attention back to the meeting continuing to go on. A brief look is exchanged with Dani, though.

Phoenix has posed:
To Doug, Phoenix says, "Once Cerebro's operational again, we can arrange that," with a small nod.

Cyclops has posed:
     "I'll talk with Logan and see if he can help out on the Alpha Flight route."

  He keeps his lenses on Jean for the moment. "Perhaps we send an envoy to the Justice League, worldwide threat calls for cooperation."

  The mutant puts a hand to his chin. Cerebro wasn't his area of expertise, so he would leave it to Jean.

Cypher has posed:
"He's a complete martinet, a relentless slave-driver in the Danger Room. Every joint in your body will hurt." Doug says, thoughtfully. "The roots of your hair will hurt. The tips of your hair will hurt."

"And that's when he'll tell you to do it again. And the worst part is, you'll dread disappointing him most of all. I used to get out of it because I'm better at programming Danger Room scenarios than he is... I escaped to the control booth when I could." Then he looks to Jean. "I'll take a look at it. If I can figure out how it's built, how its components communicate within the harmony of the structure, I think I can help fix it."

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani looks over at Doug, "Well, we're going to need some seriously good intel to pull this off. Illyana might be able to help that, if she can send a... minion or something in there for infiltration. Because it all sounds good to do that kind of strike, but pulling it off we're going to need more than justice." She glances over at Scott, "As far as the Justice League goes... well, I wouldn't mind coordinating with them if you needed someone."

Black Rose has posed:
    "Good," Yana says, to Doug, and she means it. It wouldn't be hard for Doug to read her honesty, or her conviction, and competitive spirit.
    Yet, when Dani advertises being a liason to the Justice League, her surprise at her fast-forming friend is readily apparent. Slightly shocked, but then, her smile gets pretty sharp. She says nothing else, because it's not her place. But she'll certainly be talking to Dani about it, and perhaps other things, later.
    She takes another sip of her water, eyes flickering back around the various people.

Phoenix has posed:
"Okay," Phoenix exhales as her vision makes another sweep through the War Room. "I think we've got a contact in the League," a lingering look at Doug before moving on, "so we can pursue that angle ASAP. Everyone needs to be training: for the Starfish, for Mojo and Spiral-- doesn't matter; you live in the Danger Room for the next week or two, as far as I'm concerned. Pairs or more, wherever possible. We'll nail down specific team assignments for Mojo in a few days, once we've had a chance to see where some of our newer additions are at; everything else is pending contact with Alpha Flight and the League."

After a momentary pause, she adds, "There are already some 'worst case' scenarios related to the Starfish problem," in a slightly lower voice. Possibly because said scenarios exclusively involve pitting the trainees against other X-Folk, as well as other heroes. "More would be appreciated; I banged 'em out as quickly as I could. Does anyone have any questions, before they train 'til they puke?"

Cypher has posed:
Doug puts his finger over his mouth. "I just ask that you bring me in on any changes or refinements to the Mojo assault plan. I'll leave the tactical decisions to the field leaders, whoever they turn out to be, but if I'm going to be providing Overwatch--" He lets his hands drop to his sides from behind his back. "I will--" he thinks, "Talk to the Cat and if she's willing to pitch in, I'll set up a meeting." Then, before he has to face any questions about one of two of the world's most notorious cat burglars, he says, "In the meantime, I'll go take a look at Cerebro!" Then he scoots!

Colossus has posed:
If there's one person who reacts to the idea of 'constant training until you're ready to die' with at least spirited enthusiasm, if not glee, it's Mr. Russian Fitness Instructor, aka Piotr. At Jean's pronouncement, he brings his hands together, one curled into a massive fist, and smushed into the open palm of the other. "Da, tovarishch Phoenix!" he announces, with a note of militaristic determination. "It will be so. If any students are needing instructor, I am happy to be volunteering, also."

In turn, he turns his own gaze to sweep the room, no doubt looking for further future comrades-slash-victims!

Jubilee has posed:
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other anxiously, Jubilee takes a deep breath and sighs deeply. "Well whatever. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Logan knows where to find me. Chuck won't be able to." She shoulders a black backpack, and stalks from the room. "Peace."