(???)

As the armory was the prime target of a slave uprising, it was the most heavily secured part of the station.
Drobot watched as his cobbled together computer struggled to break the encryption on the lock. It was an incredibly crude machine made of whatever electronics he could scrounge up but it worked...albeit not fast enough. His ears pricked up as he heard footsteps approaching. He narrowed his eyes as he prepared to fight. Even without his exosuit, he was still a dragon with sharp teeth, sharp claws and substantial strength.

-------------------
(Spire of Winter)

As it was impossible to close off Winterville for the Autumn Festival, compromises had to be made. Namely, large signs normally used to warn of assorted issues in the town had been modified to display the words, "Please keep noise to a respectful minimum during the Autumn Festival".

The deep beats of Mawashiian drums, the slow, steady ringing of gongs as well as prayers and hymns in Old Mawashiian served as Winterville's soundtrack.

-------------------

(Pottermore)

"Very well, Minister. Ms. Pinkstone's trial is set to begin very shortly," Chief Witch Alder said.

The Auror cleared their throat. "Fetch me a pensieve and I will show you what has been witnessed."

One of the wizards did so. The Auror tapped their wand to the side of their head and a silvery gossamer strand stuck itself to the wand. After winding up the coalesced memories and depositing it in the silvery depths of the pensieve. The Auror then tapped their wand on the edge of pensieve's bowl.

"This is the most recent encounter. We encountered this wizard near Gallymeade, a wizarding town known for its production of boutique potions reagents. Of note is that this wizard is always accompanied by at least two Muggles."

"Are they under the effects of the Imperious Curse?" a witch asked.

"No. Perhaps you should view the pensieve."

A silvery mist swirled forth from the pensieve and it showed a scene of Chong — with this retinue of guards — entering Gallymeade. None of the wizards and witches strolling by paid him any heed.

The scene then showed the Aurors arriving after it was reported that he had performed magic in front of a Muggle. Then it was utter chaos as the two sides clashed.
Spells and gunfire ripped through the air. A massive explosion shattered a shielding charm before an unknown spell that took the form of several "darts" of orange light skewered a hapless Auror.

"As you can see," the Auror said. "The Muggles are clearly helping this new wizard of their own volition. Spell traces show that he had managed to cast some sort of spell that rendered the Muggles with him immune to the Disillusionment and Muggle Repelling charms around Gallymeade."

Chief Witch Alder scowled as she watched the battle. "Have the Aurors searching for him. As Minister Fudge stated, a curfew will be in place. All non-essential travel by Floo, Portkey and Apparition is to be suspended until further notice. We may have to step up security in Hogwarts or possibly even cancel the school year."

(RIMCS Spire of Winter)

Both the motor pool and medical bay had been alerted to the arrival of Rainbow and Sly. As a result, both teams were on standby.

Sly was quickly hustled into the receiving and triage room of the medical bay to be observed and any injuries treated.

Rainbow was quickly scanned over by a team of mechanics. Thanks to the volcanic ash choked atmosphere) she had been forced to fight in (and utter disregard for the work required to maintain her stealth coating and composite airframe) her entire airframe would need to be replaced. Finally, the tracking implant and remote control circuitry would have to be removed. All in all, it was an intense process that would likely take days, if not weeks to complete.

----------------------------

As it was the start of the  Autumnal Sumo dance Festival, the main park in Winterville was bustling with Mawashiian vendors hawking everything from foods to mawashi and other sumo related goods. The temple of Ozai was also busy with worshippers preparing offerings and getting reading for the bowing. Thanks to the work of the Mawashiians, a relay system had been made so the mana generated by the veneration of his followers could reach the immortal god-king. Of course, the artificial weather was set to mimic a cool autumn. There were also some cultural events such as sumo wrestling as well.

The temple interior was decorated in cool, autumnal colors with plenty of autumnal foods including an enormous bag of shinmai, the first harvest of rice from the gardens of the Spire (which was capable of simulating nearly every season). A portrait of King Ozai overlooked an an enormous pyramid of persimmons, the traditional autumnal fruit of Mawashi and of course matsutake mushrooms (grown by Mawashiian farmers in one of the corners of Winterville where a pine forest had been planted).

The centerpiece was a massive bowl of steaming hot oden — a mild Mawashiian soup that was popular in the cooler months as light lunch or dinner — along with bottles of hiyaoroshi and akiagari sake. Normally, this sake was prepared in the previous winter but environmental chambers were used aboard the ship as to avoid subjecting the Wintervilleians to harsh climate conditions.

There was also the inner sanctum where a great golden statue of the immortal god-king of Mawashi overlooked the heya, where sumos would compete for King Ozai's honor and benediction. Currently, the ring was being tamped down and purified with salt as the priests lit massive sticks of incense and placed them in front of the statue alongside the persimmons, sake and shinmai rice. As it was, non-Mawashiians were not permitted inside the inner sanctum.

----------------------------

(Mawashi)

As was usual, offerings were made to the immortal god-king of Mawashi. Most of the offerings were of course, the finest delicacies the planet had to offer.

(Ikusis VII)

Rainbow quickly looked around the arena. It was incredibly hilly with the flat spots being either actively flowing lava or unstable newly hardened lava flows. The one safe spot was her airstrip that had been provided so she could refuel and rearm (and prolong the bloodshed demanded by the crowd). Obviously, that was well within the arena. Seeing as there was no safe space, she opted to flee.

Vertically.

The living F-22 lit her afterburners, accelerating past the sound barrier with a sonic boom that elicited roars of approval from the crowd. Then she pulled into steep climb (in a manner that would have likely killed an organic pilot) with her afterburners at full power. A trail of fire marked her path as she rocketed high into the volcanic atmosphere.

-------------------------------------

(Cuorola)

A flash of light from the icy planet was visible from the virtual windshield as the massive iron slug from Spire of Winter's railgun utterly erased one of Vox's arenas. All that was left was a large crater gouged in the planet; a permanent reminder of those who fought against Vox's cruelty and ambition.

-------------------------------------

(Pottermore)

Carlotta Pinkstone, the witch most known for her anti-Statute of Secrecy campaigns was standing at Rowling Square, the main hub of Esbenshire, a Muggle town that overlapped with the Wizarding farm town of Kornacs. Of course, Kornacs had been made Unplottable and was protected with Muggle Repelling Charms as per Statute regulations. Despite that, many Esbenshirians noticed that their electronic equipment tended to malfunction at unusually high rates and pictures taken in the area often had unusual features in them. And of course, there was the spotting of magical flora and fauna.

The red haired Witch had a table with a banner reading "Kornacs: The Secret Right In front of You!". The table had all manner of magical items as well as flora and fauna on display as well as copies of The Daily Prophet. And there was a large crowd.

Carlotta smiled and started to speak. "I'm sure everyone knows of Esbenshire's reputation as a center of weirdness."

Murmured agreements rippled through the crowd.

"What if I was to tell you the cause?"

Silence.

With a flourish, she whipped out her wand. "Magic!"

Uproarious laughter came from the crowd. "Ah, skeptics?"

With a quick flourish of her wand, she Conjured as safe next to her table. "You may inspect the safe to determine it is real."

Before she could show off her next magic ability (Transfiguring a stapler to a chicken) a group that she immediately recognized as Aurors pushed through the crowd.

"Carlotta Pinkstone, by the authority of the Ministry of Magic, you are under arrest," one of the Aurors said, holding out his badge.

She chuckled. "What going to throw me in Azkaban again? This'll be my--"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Carlotta immediately became still and with a flick of the wand, her inert form and an Auror Disapparated.

Shouts of "Obliviate!" were heard as the remaining Aurors attempted to wipe the memories of the Muggles present. Satisfied that everyone had been Obliviated, the Aurors Disapparated.

In their haste to arrest Carlotta, the Aurors had forgotten that camera footage and electronic recordings were not affected by the Memory Charm.

(Pottermore)

Chief Witch Alder looked around the room and spoke. "So far from what our sources from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement have told us, they can safely say that is not the work of Pureblood extremists or the Death Eaters. While most of the dead appear to have been killed by spells, there are quite a number who have been injured or killed by guns. I fear that Carlotta Pinkstone may have taken her anti-Statute campaign to more violent levels."

An older wizard visibly paled. "You mean to say that Muggles may be collaborating with this new magic user?"

Chief Witch Alder scowled. "I did not say that. All I said is that some of the victims have been killed by non-magical means. Right now, I recommend we find Carlotta and interrogate her...under Veritaserum. Furthermore, I suggest we monitor anti-Statute of Secrecy groups."

---------------------

(Ikusis VII)

Thanks to the modifications that Vox's crew had done to her avionics, Rainbow was only partially in control of her own body. The living F-22 was allowed to turn her weapons on her competitors but she was physically unable to do the same to Vox or any of his lackeys; if she tried, the modifications would block her weapons from firing. Same if she tried to escape the arena; her control surfaces and thrust vectoring capabilities would be moved so she would be forced out of her path.

Needless to say, the battle that was set up was between Sly Cooper and Rainbow. Machine vs living being. Stealth vs stealth.

Despite the choking atmosphere of ash and corrosive gases, the crowd was perfectly ensconced inside the controlled atmospheres of their ships. It would be contestants who would have to suffer the heat and deadly atmosphere.

(Ikusis VII)

Rainbow was located on Ikusis VII, a heavy industrial planetoid that manufactured all sorts of goods for Polaris. Metal rich lava oozed from small volcanic vents, providing a handy source of power and valuable metals to the many factories that dotted the planetoid.

The living F-22 had been stored inside a warehouse that held numerous vehicles in various states of repair, hoping that they'd mask her from sensor readings. Of course, unlike the other vehicles, she was firmly secured to steel anchors set deeply into concrete and rock by massive steel cables wrapped around her landing gear. Her fuel had also been drained and all her ammunition removed. Of course, her emergency transponder had also been removed...by cutting into her airframe. This left a sizable patch of grey, bare composite material on her back where they removed the transponder.

There was the sound of the doors opening. Several men with rocket launchers stood by ready to fire while a nattily dressed but unarmed man entered.

"What do you motherf---ers want?" the living F-22 snapped.

"It's time for the show." The unarmed man was surprisingly chipper about it.

"Go stick your head up my afterburners. I'm done performing for your sick entertainment."

"Oh, don't be like that, girl. You're the star of the show!" The man's tone was similar to one that would be used with recalcitrant performing animal. He held a remote in his hand.

The living F-22 turned her baleful gaze upon the man. Even unarmed and shackled, the sheer size of the plane made the glare quite impactful. "Do you not understand 'no' or is your head too far up your ass to hear me?"

The man with the remote scowled. "I didn't give you a choice." He pressed a button on the remote to undo the shackles of the living F-22. Another button apparently knocked out the living F-22 as armored shutters closed over her eyes and she became still. "Good girl," he said, petting the now suddenly docile living machine's flank.

------------------------------------------

(Space formerly occupied by the Dreadzone)

"Will do. Zanasiu out." He leaned back with a bag containing what little booty could be swiped from the station before it crashed into the moon. The ODIN trooper was piloting the small shuttle back to the Spire. He opened the bag and looked inside. Two nearly identical USB drives. Both of them had timestamps on them, which suggested they may be security or arena camera footage.

------------------------------------------

(Cuorola)

The arena at Cuorola had finally been taken and all opposition neutralized. It was a vicious, long battle that cost the lives of over fifty Spirarian soldiers...no thanks to the gladiators who were all too willing to attack the soldiers simply for one last taste of unfettered combat and Vox's surprisingly well-trained and well-equipped guards. Blue and red lights played over the parking lot as law enforcement from wherever they could be summoned had arrived to arrest all the staff, take all the macabre trophies as evidence (and repatriate them so they could be properly and respectfully disposed of).

The commander sighed as they took of their helmet and breathed in the air. The once luxurious arena was now more or less fit only for demolition as the fancy decorations and carpeting had been torn apart by weapons fire. Scorch marks, bullet holes and flat out missing chunks marred the fancy walls. They ignored some of their own soldiers helping themselves to the few valuables that escaped damage. "Captain Carson, the arena at Cuorola is now under our control. Local PD has taken all staff into custody and is removing evidence. Request permission for railgun bombardment."

Several seconds later, Captain Carson replied. "Request acknowledged. Send location and coordinates on planet when bombardment is required. Return to the Spire. A medical team will be on standby. Over."

"Acknowledged. Out." The commander then turned to the other soldiers "All right, we're leaving this iceball behind! Take anything you want as a trophy of our liberation and head back to the shuttles! Move it!"

(Cuorola)

Gunfire and explosions echoed over the howling blizzard that whirled around the building. While many of the contestants were not soldiers, they were hardened gladiators with access to some of the best weapons available. And they were all too willing to use them on the Spirarian soldiers as they chose to experience one last rush of unfettered combat.

"Can't these people see we're trying to help them!?" a soldier screamed as they fired a burst of explosive tipped rounds into a charging gladiator that had already quite literally torn one of their fellow Spirarians in half, the armored spacesuit proving little tougher than tinfoil to the cybernetically enhanced armored gladiator.

"Help? Help!?" the gladiator snapped as they backhanded the soldier's rifle, sending it flying into a wall. "Vox kept me out of Zardoom! What do you have to offer?" The armored alien gladiator picked up the soldier. "Nothing!"

The helpless soldier was then thrown into an onrushing group of Spirarians, sending them sprawling on the carpeted floor in a brutal game of bowling.


----------------------------

(Poyara)

Of course, the contestants were not to be outdone by the planet's fierce wildlife.

A flock of the contestants shot up from a forest and pursued the glider. Due to their hiding place, their method of flight consisted of exoskeletons with integrated jetpacks.

And weapons. Automatic gunfire and explosive energy blasts indiscriminately filled the air and shredded the ground as the opponents all jockeyed to be the one to land the first hit on the mage's glider.

Stripetail's next destination was Poyara, a remote planet on the fringes of the Polaris Galaxy that was set aside as a nature reserve...and was also a popular spot for wildly illegal activities such as due to its remoteness and lack of attention from the authorities.

As it was, the "arena" chosen by Vox for the battle was an enormous tract of land with rolling plains and forests. Of course, with there being no infrastructure, all the spectators had arrived on their own personal starships, including Stripetail's "news anchors".

"And here we are on Poyara," the announcer exclaimed. "Not only will our contestants be battling each other to the death, they'll also have to contend with this planet's vicious wildlife!"

-------------------

(Dreadzone)

The ODIN trooper kicked the door clean off its hinges, sending it flying into the control officer's chair, tearing it from its mountings. "Change of plans," he said as he laid eyes on the console.

"What do you mean?" Dr. Zanasiu entered and his eyes widened upon seeing the ominous warning flashing on the console:

WARNING: ORBIT DECAYING.

Dr. Zanasiu felt his heart sink as he saw the warning. "S---t, they beat us to it! Think we can reverse it?"

The ODIN trooper looked at the panel. "No, it's locked and they deleted the encryption keys."

Dr. Zanasiu sighed. "How much time we got left?"

The ODIN trooper looked at the declining timer. "Maybe ten minutes tops."

"What!? The orbit can't be decaying that fast!" Dr. Zanasiu looked at the timer again. There was no mistaking it, the timer displayed ten minutes.

"That's because it's not naturally decaying." The ODIN trooper pointed to the controls of the station's positioning thrusters. They had all been activated and placed on full power for the past few hours to push the space station into a decaying orbit...and they were starting to pick up speed. The monitor showed the moon was approaching distressingly quickly.

Dr. Zanasiu sighed. "Change of plan. We steal as much as we can and then we book it." He immediately started opening drawers and throwing assorted office supplies on the ground as he searched for either valuables or intel.

(Cuorola)

Captain Fairchild had accompanied the group and was hanging back when he received orders to destroy the elevated towers that the guards were using to snipe at the invading forces. "Acknowledged," he said. "Missiles inbound."

Four HE-Frag missiles dropped from his wings and streaked off into the distance. The towers were invisible to his eyes but they stood out quite well on his radar.

--------------------

Four massive explosions ripped through the driving snow as the missiles slammed into the tower and reduced them to piles of rubble. Alarms could be heard ringing.

"This is Captain Fairchild, air support is inbound."

Almost immediately after that radio message, an utterly horrific mechanical howling roar split the air as red tracer fire rained down from above. Vehicles, buildings and ground alike were torn apart as the living A-10 strafed the entrenched defenders.

After another run to ensure that there was absolutely no resistance left, he sent a radio message letting them know that the path was open.

And the Spirarians took it as they charged forward, flooding in through the now destroyed main gate.

-----------------------------

(Dreadzone)

There were surprisingly no guards present.

"Something's not right," Dr. Zanasiu muttered as he walked down the deserted hallways. The control room was just up ahead and the door was slightly ajar.

(Dreadzone)

"Folks, it looks like we've had an unexpected guest appearance!" the announcer said.  "But we'll simply schedule this as the pre-game show! Afterwards, Lord Stripetail will face the Galaxy's fiercest bounty hunters: the Narexa!" The announcer was referring to a bounty hunting guild of the same name, notorious for their very liberal use of violence and their cybernetic enhancements.

Roars of approval thundered out from the crowd as drones flitted over the arena.

A massive lightning strike obliterated the first oncoming wave. The shockwave was so powerful that some of the camera drones were actually knocked out. Cheers broke out at Stripetail making a fierce opening.

-----------------

Ms. Swimmer and her crew were interviewing some of the guests in the stands. One of them was an ape-like alien with pink fur.

"Vox has announced that this is the final Dreadzone season, what are your thoughts on it?" she asked, holding the microphone to the alien's face.

"Well, the tickets here are incredibly expensive but there's no way to get anything like this back home," the alien replied. "I mean, there's always the arenas that the Miniknog throws rebels, failed experiments, disgraced soldiers, prisoners and the like into but this...this is something else."

(OOC - The Miniknog and Apex are from Starbound.)

-----------------

(Cuorola)

The shuttlecraft landed in the arena and the soldiers immediately began filing out. At first, no one paid them any attention, assuming them to be contestants or hired guards.

Until an alert valet immediately recognized the Spirarian shuttlecraft. He was quickly silenced with two shots to the chest and then a finishing shot to the head but it was too late. A siren rang out, telling all patrons to head to the emergency bunkers.

"This can't get any worse," a soldier muttered as they took cover behind someone's luxury spacecraft.

"Do not say that," her partner replied.

"Very well," Vox said. "Allow me to personally show you to your quarters and the press box."

He then led the group down an equally opulent hallway. After several twists and turns, they arrived at what was presumably the back of the space station. Despite it being restricted to the staff and fighters, it had the same opulence as the lobby of the arena. Albeit without trophies. Armed guards stood at the ready in the event of a "contestant" changing their minds...or an attack.

Vox then pressed a key card to a reader next to an ornate wood paneled door. With a beep and a surprisingly loud click, the door opened and Vox opened the door. "Your quarters, Lord Stripetail," he said with a theatrical flourish.

The quarters could only be described as opulent. The bed had freshly ironed and cleaned linen. A holovision set was in the rear with an ornately carved wooden sofa with luxurious cushions facing it. There was also an attached bathroom with granite tiles and a shower with gold plated fittings. A basket of the finest soaps and grooming products available was on the marble counter.  A fully stocked bar and refrigerator with a variety of alcohols and luxury foods flanked the holovision.

"Now then," Vox said as he opened the bar and pulled out a bottle of troport, imported from Cruithne Crest III. "Why don't we toast your arrival?" He cracked open the bottle, filling the air with a melange of tropical fruits. He then poured out some tumblers for himself, Stripetail and the crew.

"Cheers!" Vox said, picking up his tumbler and drinking the golden-orange liquor.