2417/Shifty Salvage

Shifty Salvage
Date of Scene:	17 September 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Terra, Star Sapphire

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Atlee (1034) has posed:
    It's not often Atlee asks for help. She tends to assume other heros and heroines have their own issues they're dealing with, and she prefers to be self-reliant when she can. Also...she just doesn't know enough people well enough that she feels comfortable asking for help from. Star Sapphire is the rare exception...she at least 1) knows how to contact her and 2) is fairly sure she would be willing to help.

    So, she called the Daily Planet, and asked if Star could meet her just off the coast of Star City, near a little island in the bay. Mostly because it was a landmark. Also because it's away from the ships currently doing some cleanup after a recent powerful storm swept through the ocean nearby, with a large cargo ship being towed in that looks like it's seen better days. There's still quite bit of debris floating on the surface that suggests it wasn't the only ship that had issue. She's fairly easy to pick out from the air..white and black costume against dark stone, after all, where she's sitting crosslegged.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star City is a good ways away from Metropolis, but it matters less when you have a power ring capable of opening wormholes. Star Sapphire spots Atlee from inside the violet comet of her ring's aura and touches down in front of Atlee, offering a friendly smile. "Hi. I got your message. What's up?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee scrambles back up to her feet and beams. "Thank you for coming, I hope you weren't doing anything too important?" she says, clasping her hands behind her back as she smiles at you. "Um, well, I was asked to help with something, but I think I will need help to do it safely." She point to the water. "There is a ship that sank here, a small cargo ship. Everyone was able to escape it, but according to the company that asked me...the cargo may be dangerous. I could try to lift it up myself, but....I'm afraid it might break apart." She frowns. "And if the cargo really is dangerous, I don't want to make things worse."

    While Atlee is her usual outwardly bubbly self....the power ring would tell Star that inwardly she's emotionally hurting, though it doesn't appear to be attached to this situation specifically.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star listens to the ring but mostly ignores it. It's good to know to be easy on Atlee, but for now it's best to let Atlee bring up the topic herself rather than tell her, 'Hey, I was rummaging around in your head with my psychic ring powers and figured I should determine your level of comfort when it comes to talking to me.' That conversation rarely goes well. Instead she looks out over the ocean and invites, "Tell me more about it. What is it?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee frowns. "Well, the company works on chemical cleanup, apparently. From what I understand, it's a new type of a nanite based solution that's supposed to be used on areas that have been affected by flooding? Like...when chemicals and such are washed in by flood waters and soak into the ground, poisoning it. They're planning on a field test in a large area, but well...." She frowns. "...a storm sunk it out here. And they're not sure what would happen if it was allowed to leak out in the middle of the ocean. I don't think there are any leaks, yet, but water isn't my element, and I'm afraid if I try to float it up it might break the ship open and maybe the cargo too.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire purses her lips, nodding. "So we need to get the entire ship out in one piece, watertight in case it leaks dangerous cargo?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee puts her hands on the hips. "Or at the very least, the cargo out of the ship itself intact. I think the rest of the ship can come out at that point separately if needed, to save time on salvaging." She smiles a bit. "Um, I hoped you might be a little more experienced with this sort of thing than I am...or at least...you seem like your abilities are a bit more adaptable than mine for something like this?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "I've never done anything quite like this," Star Sapphire admits, "but I guess I have an idea of where to start. Where are we meant to deposit this cargo where it will be safe?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee points towards shore. "There's a recovery crew on site over there with a heavy truck that can take it safely to their lab where they can make sure there haven't been any breaches. Soooo....we just need to get it over there? Once it's up. I mean, we can get it up here, I can make a platform to float it over there safely, if needed!" She smiles a bit. "Actually, I could do that underwater, if you don't mind, um, making it so I can breath and see where the ship is down there?" She frowns. "I'm not extremely good at holding my breath, and it's pretty dark down there..."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "Hm... That changes things, but I think I can do that. Do your powers work through obstacles? If you were inside a submarine but could see the ship, would you be able to use your powers on the ship?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee tilts her head. "Yes...I can sense rock and earth all around me. But I can't see everything that might be lying on top of it, and I'm not as good with metal alloys as I am with rock. If I get closer I might be able to tell if there are any weaknesses though in the metal of the hull or where the cargo is?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "In that case..." Star Sapphire gestures grandly to the water, and a submersible vehicle begins to congeal in the violet glow issuing from her ring, growing upward like liquid crystal into a manta-shaped submersible fifty feet long and fifty feet at its widest, with one large, clear dome at the nose and two smaller ones on either fin. Through the domes, complex control panels full of old-fashioned pushbuttons like an eighties sci-fi movie's idea of high tech are visible. The low, sleek craft has a hatch open atop its back, a downward-leading ramp into the machine's guts.
    "After you," Star Sapphire invites.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee is all wide-eyed and delighted as it takes home. "Oh! Oh, that's wonderful!" She grins and moves over to walk down the ramp inside the submersible. "That's a wonderful talent to have..."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "I pretty mch stole it from a Star Wars movie," Star Sapphire admits as she follows Atlee inside. There's definitely something to that; the path to the front of the submarine is a straight hallway, with no apparent entrances to those stations on the fins, suggesting it's a vague memory conjured up. In the cockpit, Star Sapphire takes the helm and begins pressing buttons in a sequence almost surely meaningless except as a metaphor for moving the ship, which begins sinking slowly into the water as Star continues, "I always liked the design of it, though. Have you ever noticed how the things men build are always shaped like shafts? This submarine was so much more organic and flowing, and less violent-looking." Immense violet floodlights blare into the water, scaring the jebus out of nearby schools of fish. "It always stuck with me. But anyway, which direction are we headed? Can you tell?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    "People keep telling me these are good movies, but I haven't been able to watch them yet..." she admits thoughfully, settling into one of the seats as she watches curious as you manipulate it. "Oh? Well...I do think this looks very pretty, compared to other submarines I've seen." she admits with a smile, flushing faintly." She points down without hesistation. "That way. I can sense all the metal in the ship easily. I can guide you there?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire nods and follows Atlee's directions to the point of contention.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    As you descend into the dark depths, the gloom surround syou, until you close on the sharper slope near the edge of the bay where the water deepens noticeably down into the ocean proper. It's the bubbles you can see first in the light...still leaking from the freighter currently lying on its side. Up close, you can see where a rogue wave from the storm seems to have actually popped open rivets on one side...probably what caused it to sink so quickly, though the impact with the ground looks like it actually rolled when it hit, meaning that most of the superstructure is gone, scattered around. Air is still leaking from inside...also fuel, from the look of it, a oily black swirl flowing up into the water. Not much yet..but who knows how long it'll take before it starts leaking more heavily?

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire grimaces at the lazy French swirls of oil escaping into the ocean. "I'll have to do something about that," she mutters, but mostly to herself; holding on to one construct at a time is hard enough, at least when dealing with the size and complexity of this sub. She continues more loudly, "But later. Do you have everything you need to do your part, Terra?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    The violet-eyed girl reaches out with a hand, concentrating as you get closer. "Mmmmm...." She gets a considering look. "...I don't -think- it's broken open, though it feels...crumpled? There's other boxes that have fallen on top of it, from the feel of it....some have heavy metal pieces in them...mmm...equipment, maybe?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire nods. "I take it that's a problem. What can I do to help?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee considers. "Well....we could make a hole in the side of the ship that's facing up and see if we can lift things off the prototype, perhaps? I think I could float it up, if I was careful.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire nods, but dubiously. "Can you tell where any fuel would be? I don't want to hit an oil pipe and make the toxic leak any worse than it already is."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee frowns, then shakes her head solemnly. "I can't sense what's in the pipes, only where the pipes are? But I would think the fuel should be near the back of the ship, with the engines, not in the cargo. Unless there's an internal leak. Maybe..a small hole to see if any fuel comes out before we make a full sized one?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire nods slowly. "Hm. Okay. Let's..." She thinks visibly for a moment, and decides, "I'm going to have to let the sub go. I'll conjure protection for us both, which I don't think will be a problem--if the ring can handle the vacuum, it should be able to handle underwater, right?--but I don't know, the pressure might feel weird or make your ears pop or something." She gestures casually at Terra, and thick outfits of deeply plush material, at least as bulky as an astronaut's suit, begins to form around each of them. Large, bulbous helmets hiss cool oxygen pleasantly into each woman's face, and two powerful lamps mounted just above the full-face viewscreens blare what would be blinding violet light at one another were it not for the fact that the submarine is dissolving. The first rush of water pushes both women back in their seats, but the suits are sturdy and handle it easily, turning a crushing wave of water into nothing more than a forceful shove. Once the chairs are gone, turbines in the back of each suit activate, allowing for free propulsion, and high-tech laser rifles appear in each woman's handles. Star Sapphire swims over to the hull and activates her weapon; its continuous stream of energy burns through the metal and sets the water around her to boiling.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee grins big at the suit, and floats along after you as you start cutting into the hull. "Neat!" The metal takes a little bit to cut through..it is ship's hull, which isn't made to be easily punctured, having several layers to go through. But it's not too hard to cut a small hole in it. There's a little rush of bubbles when you do as some of the air left inside starts leaking out.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire continues cutting the metal until Terra indicates it's gone deep enough, working patiently at it.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Terra watches, then as more bubbles come out she says. "Okay! Wait a moment, let it fill up and see if any fuel leaks out. It's lighter than water, so it should come up through the hole." She tilts her head. "Is this the first time you've used your abilities underwater?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire nods, then snorts at herself as she realizes how useless a nod is in the giant helmet conjured for herself. "It is. I avoid large bodies of water when I can, honestly. It's just such an inimical environment." She speaks with terse distaste; a mask for a certain amount of dread.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Terra nods a bit. "I don't really do much with it either....I don't actualy know how to swim." she admits sheepishly. "I just sort of sink."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "A lot of people don't know how to swim," Star Sapphire agrees as she cuts. "I always found it very intuitive, but... in pools. Not in lakes and stuff."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    After a while the bubbles peeter out, then nothing seems to be leaking out. "Okay...looks safe. Um, if you cut it free do I need to lift it for you? Though I guess you could make just like a big can opener..." she says thoughfully.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "That wouldn't be a good idea right now," Star Sapphire explains. God, this suit really limits her body language. Hmph. "Working the ring takes a lot of focus. The more mental images I try to focus on, the hazier they get, and we don't want our suits getting hazy. You do the lifting."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee nods then focuses a bit. "Okay...cut away, I'll hold it and peel it back once you've got it cut?" She readies herself, letting you work without distraction for the next cuts.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire continues to cut the hull until Atlee has the room/material she needs to work with.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    There's a grinding noise that vibrates through the water as you get the hull cut free, before with a *SHRRRRAAAANK* sound it peels back, folding open like a tin of of sardines. Or at least partway, as a couple boxes come floating out, apparently empty. One spins lazily right past you. The label reads. "Meta Growth Hormone Batch #34".

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire squints at the boxes and frowns. "Um, did I misunderstand you about what was meant to be in this cargo?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    "What do you mean? They said it was a nanite solution to clean up poisoned areas..." Atlee says uncertainly.

    And that's where the giant crab claw suddenly comes out of the hole and grabs Atlee, then yanks her inside.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire gasps and focuses a little harder on the suits. She can't let the image of it go now. The need to focus delays her for a crucial second before she dives into the ship after Terra, but maybe that's not so bad. Even if Terra doesn't want to use the laser rifle Star Sapphire attached to her suit, she has her own powers.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Inside the cargo area, all of the cargo has shifted to the bottom of the ship, save for a few pallets here and there that are still secured to the floor (now the wall since the ship is laying on its side). There's what looks like a pallet that's cracked open in blue that has more boxes like the one you saw floating past, though apparently those are full as they're not drifting upwards.

    Crouched over the wreckage is a gigantic fiddler crab with a faint bluish green glow around it, with Atlee still caught in its smaller claw...which is still certainly big enough to hold a person. In fact, this crab looks like it was too big to get back out of the ship once it ate whatever made it grow like this....that is, until you opened the hull. It can probably get out now...and to the bay beyond. Atlee squirms, then remembers her laser apparently, trying to zap the claw that's holding her, the laser refracting a bit off whatever the shell is infused with now. "Leggo!"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire's first instinct isn't to fire. She's pretty intuitive and has already deduced that the crab is just an innocent animal mutated by the doubtlessly illegal content of the cargo; she doesn't want to hurt an innocent animal if she doesn't have to, but she has to worry about Atlee first. She already about at the limit of how many constructs she can maintain, so she goes for something simple to start with: a giant rubber band on the free claw, clamping it shut.
    Best she can do. She propels over to the creature's giant claw and seizes half in both hands, straining to pull it open, her suit's turbines whirring to thrust her backward. She's more likely to swing its arm than to open the claw at this rate, but no doubt Terra has a clever idea.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    The rubber band certainly makes it hard for the crab to open the larger claw, which at least keeps it from making a grab for you as you grab onto the smaller claw. It does try to swing, however, to try and knock you away. Atlee squirms, trying to get any leverage to help you push open the claw, giving up othe laser for a moment. "I..really...could use....a lever..." She mmmphs, looking around for something she can use as the crab tries to retreat with its prize a bit towards the other side of the cargo bay.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "Can't you make one from rocks, or something?" Star Sapphire grunts as she strains. No joy. She doesn't stop trying, but her strategy changes, waiting for the crab to quit thrashing long enough to use her own laser rifle as that lever Atlee wanted, jamming it into the crux of its claw and trying that instead.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    "Not inside the ship when the rock is...ungh...outside!" Atlee says a bit exasperatedly, then perks as you put the rifle in, then grabs hold with you to pull with you. Together, it loosens enough that Atlee can pop free, using her little jets to fly clear as it snaps shut again...sheering through the laser as it does, of course. The crab snaps the claw again, then swings its larger claw again like a battering ram at you.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "I'm sorry," Star Sapphire apologizes as she thrusts away from the swinging claw. "I thought you could lift rock in an arc, to get it inside from the outside. I didn't realize you can only do straight up."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee gapes, then snaps her mouth shut. "...oh. Right." She holds up a hand as the ground trembles bit, some silt rising from the bottom of the cargo bay, before a large shard of rock comes sailing in through the hole in the upper hull. "Sorry!"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire doesn't draw attention to it. "Can you encase its claws in rock so it can't snap? I think that would make it want to retreat, so we can cut it out of here."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee nods, the rock splitting in two then flying towards the crab, dodging the swing of its big claw again before they form into crude open rings that snap shut over one, then the other. "Um, but we can't just let it out into the bay, can we? It might try to go up on shore and hurt people..."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "I don't think it can go on shore any more," Star Sapphire says, not a hundred percent certain but pretty confident. "At this thing's size, I think it needs the water to provide pressure to hold it together. I think leaving the water would cause it to hemorrhage." She pauses, and looks at the crates. "Do your powers take concentration like mine? Could you encase the boxes in stone until I cut the hull apart, or would that take too much focus?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee considers. "I think so, yes. Give me a moment?" The crab has retreated at this point to the far end of the room from you, seeming to be uninterested in fighting further, so it's relatively easy for Atlee to float more stone in and start covering the vulnerable cargo in seamless stone.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "That's really useful," Star Sapphire murmurs as she watches the sarcophogi build themselves around the boxes. "Do you just move earth around, or have you ever tried finer control, like... I don't know, bringing up the minerals in soil to fertilize it?" This question is asked while she slowly circles around toward the hull breach she cut, ready to resume blasting. Man. Where's Aquaman when you need him?

Atlee (1034) has posed:
"It's harder to do that, just like it's a bit harder to pull pure metals out of earth." Atlee says as she works, a bit distractedly. "It's a lot easier to just pick up a solid piece than knitting it together like this though. Fusing stone or metal is a bit tricky sometimes, because different materials don't mesh well. Hmmm...I suppose I could do fertilizing a field though..." she says thoughfully. "Though usually you need organic materialt o do that properly, I could probably do a mineral version of it..." At least the hull is alreadybent back, so it's just a matter of trimming off the piece and letting it slide back to the ground next to the ship, leaving a large hole.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    As she cuts, Star Sapphire makes noises of meaningless assent at Terra's explanations (she can't nod meaningfully in this suit). Once that conversation is done, she muses, "I think extracting the illegal chemicals is top priority right now. Once they're somewhere safe, we can try to come back for the crab." Her concentration falters for a moment as she considers the giant crab's life; it will surely never find a mate now. Are crabs solitary? Can they feel loneliness? Will it live and die alone now?
    Her suit wavers. Star Sapphire forces herself to focus. "Anyway. Do you think that's a bad idea?"

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee looks thoughful as she floats up by you on the jets, blinking a bit as the suit wavers a bit. "Ah, are you okay?" she says worriedly. "Well...yes, getting the stuff out should be good. As for the crab..." She looks thoughful. "Well...I guess since Aquaman isn't around...maybe I could take it to a nice safe underground sea? There are lots with giant creatures in them, maybe it could find another crab its size?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "I'm fine," Star Sapphire says brusquely. "Just trying to keep my concentration." Which is true, as far as it goes. She continues cutting away the hull with her laser rifle until it's at the size Atlee needs.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    And once it's open, Atlee floats the mass, safely encased in stone, up and out, to deposit on shore. "Thanks for your help with this! It would have been really hard to deal with that crab with just myself..."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "You're welcome," Star Sapphire informs Terra. "Let's get out of the water before we test our luck too much." She takes position at Terra's back, watching behind them as they rise to the surface.

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    You can get out easily enough. And if you'd like you can always leave a message for Aquaman at the Hall of Justice about the giant crab...surely he can find a good place for it to live. Maybe with giant crabs of the opposite sex too. Atlee looks a bit relieved to be back on the surface. "Whew..."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire lets the diving suits lapse with a grateful sigh, and sinks with no particular dignity onto her butt on the beach to rest. "Well. This was terrible," she remarks to the sky. She pushes her hair back from her temples in a gesture of frustration; her latex gloves pull mercilessly at her hair, but she ignores it. "I don't know whom to turn these chemicals over to. Alpha Flight has jurisdiction, I guess. Do you know where they're centered? Are they in space? I feel like they have a space station."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee flops on her back, sprawling a bit as she sighs, enjoying being back on dry land again. "Mmm....SWORD. I know SWORD. I can tell them, though they deal more with aliens, I think. But they'd probably want to know about a company making something that makes giant glowing grabs too..." she says thoughfully.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "It seems like someone to keep an eye on," Star Sapphire agrees wryly. "Do you need help containing that stuff? I can construct something to help hold it together."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee smiles, peering over. "It should be safe now that I've formed the container around it. At least, long enough for the company to take charge of it again, they should have a transport that will keep it safe?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire struggles to her feet (it's more an issue of the boots she's wearing that of tiredness) as she says, "I don't think they should have it back. They told you it's a water-cleaning material, but it's a mutative agent. They lied about what it is, which means it's dangerous. It needs to go to an authority that can resist orders to return it, not to the people who are lying about it."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee looks unsure. "I...I guess it would be unsafe to give it back to them, until someone has made sure it's actually what they say it is, yes." she says after a moment of thought. She sits up, leaning back against her hands. "So...we should take it to this Alpha Flight? I could call the Director of SWORD too. She has a teleporter?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire nods, offering a smile. "Good. That sounds like a good direction to go in. I'm glad you have that information, Atlee."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee smiles, then pushes up to her feet, dusting herself off absently. "Thank you again for helping me today, I know I must have taken you away from important things you were doing already...."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire shakes her head. "No. I wouldn't have come if I didn't think it was important. And it was." Her tone is mild and instructive, like a teacher trying to relay a lesson. "But you're welcome. Thank you, too. I couldn't have done it without you. At least, not without hurting that crab."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    Atlee smiles a bit more at that. "Well...I'm a bit used to helping with giant creatures out of their element...just usually they're from under the ground, not under the sea. It's nice to find someone who thinks about trying to help them more than just blasting them or something."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Star Sapphire smiles and nods. "I agree, it is nice. I don't know if crabs can actually suffer, but I don't want to take the chance. Poor thing."

Atlee (1034) has posed:
    "Well, it's certainly not its fault that it got mutated." the other girl says thoughfully. "I mean, there must be a place around here somewhere with other giant crabs and stuff." She smiles. "Um....so...do..you need to head back, or...could I treat you to a pizza or something, after all that work?"

Star Sapphire has posed:
    "I'm a bit frazzled right now, but we could make a date for it," Star Sapphire offers. "How's tomorrow for you?"