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Dolash posted:##Start Log [Supplemental 2]## I think it'll be fine, as long as Quin didn't get too bitey.
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Sep 22, 2013 20:22
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 00:17 |
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 ##Begin Log## Captain’s Log, entry #053 Stardate: Looking into tinfoil hats This day got off on a good start but got weird fast. Checking yourself for signs of hypnosis weird. Let’s start with the good stuff, that was probably the most luxurious night of my life – even if I did get woken up half-way through to explain I’m not a rakghoul carrier. If this is how the galaxy’s rich and powerful live, sign me up.  quote:Quinine: This was great, but it’s time for me to go. If you figure it out, let me know. In the meantime I'll keep looking the old-fashioned way. quote:Cedonia Teraan: This datapad contains your payment for delivering the droid. It’s the schematic for a powerful anti-radiation shield invented by House Teraan.  The one time somebody explaining what’s going on and what I’m supposed to do again would be useful, and I miss out. Risha’s mystery plan’s gotta be close to complete by now, and all she’s had me doing is upgrade my ship. Does she need me to do something with it? Go somewhere? quote:Cedonia Teraan: I also have your reward for recovering our family’s heirlooms. I’m especially grateful for those.  So long, lady Cedonia. For an aristocrat, she was actually pretty okay. Here’s hoping her and her brother get that money they’re owed back instead of getting assassinated the moment they stick their necks out. Okay, maybe Lenn can eat it.  But anyway, that’s all for now at castle Organa, which is good because it was only a matter of time before someone important got sick of us stinking up the place. We’d got Risha’s plans from the Teraans, but she had one more delivery for us on Alderaan.  When we got back, turns out she was already getting ready to build and install the shield. She must be gaining confidence in my ability to get the job done. We swapped reports and cargo. Recommended for not losing your head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etnY3WBaGRU  quote:Quinine: That Cedonia was really something. We-hell, claws come out. Although drat if this isn’t the lightless void between stars calling the kettle black.  quote:Risha: Peema is at House Alde’s estate. You’ll have to sneak through some tough battle zones to get there. To be honest, I was just relieved to find out the drat thing was one of Risha’s swap-meet trinkents and not something super-creepy, like her dad’s head. I’m not the only one glad to see the back of it, either.  Corso saying what we’re all thinking, plus having nightmares about. Whenever it’s around I keep feeling like somebody nearby’s whispering, and I’ve had too many run-ins with the Force lately to ignore that kind of warning sign. The last thing I need is another Vaverone coming after me.  And that’s that. I loaded up the head in my speeder and we took off for House Alde. It’s a long trip, though, and what with the civil war we’ve had to inch along one outpost at a time. Our first stop’s just outside of Organa home territory, the “Alsakan Lowlands”.  The Organas and some Republic forces have a base in the area we used for a rest stop and to figure out the next leg of our trip. As always, though, I went wandering around and stumbled into someone who could use a blaster - or in this case, maybe a big can of bug-spray.  quote:Skohani Ren: Please, I need your help. Uh, no, that’s what unconscious means. I should know, I’ve been knocked around enough. quote:Skohani Ren: If this man is joined to the Killiks, he’ll share their thoughts, their feelings… all at the cost of his own. Like I could leave this poor guy hanging, waiting to get his brain mushed into the bug collective.  Funny how when you hear about glamorous, sophisticated Alderaan in the rest of the galaxy, they always leave out the Killiks. I’ve been from one side of the galaxy to the other and seen a lot of strange stuff, but getting forced to join an alien hive-mind is probably one of the scariest.  The war’s probably let the Killiks get out of control, too. We found ‘em overrunning an Alderaanian estate – looks like they’d popped out of a nearby hive and taken the place over one day, and nobody had the troops to spare to push them back.  Well, me and Corso didn’t let them have everything their own way. They made for a weird fight, since some of them were bugs that walked like us and fought with blasters, while others were basically huge slugs. They must’ve been distracted, too, since our raid seemed to go unnoticed for a while even with Corso whooping and hollering.  Kicking their eggs over, now that made them mad. They started coming up out of the ground, so we decided that probably meant mission accomplished and got the hell out of there before our brains got gunked up with Killik goop.  quote:Skohani Ren: The hive mind was distracted. The Killiks lost their hold on him, with my help.  Glad this story has a happy ending, and not just for that Organa guy’s sake. It means if I have another run-in with Killiks on this planet there’s a way to reverse getting my brain messed up on pheromones. Admittedly I’d have to find a Jedi, but now one of them owes me a favor. Still, the whole encounter made me and Corso pretty uneasy. How’re you supposed to know if you’re being brainwashed, anyway? Does it feel anything like having a whispering severed head in your glove compartment? Ugh, let’s wrap this deal up quick. ##End Log## Dolash fucked around with this message at 09:19 on Sep 24, 2013 |
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Sep 24, 2013 09:13
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I wonder if the Kilik would have any use for a preserved head. Gaining memories and all that.
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Sep 25, 2013 00:00
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There's something kind of skeevy about the way it's commonly depicted as being perfectly okay to slaughter unborn or infant members of sapient arthropodal species in lots of fiction. Like, I'm not deeply disturbed by it or anything, but District 9 is pretty much the only thing that comes to mind that treats murdering bug children as being hosed up.
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Sep 25, 2013 03:53
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In some Dungeons and Dragons forums "orc babies" is shorthand for the furious argument that crops up about that sort of topic. It kinda comes out of having an Alien Other to feel justified killing, once you start thinking about some of the repercussions.
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Sep 25, 2013 03:56
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Bruceski posted:In some Dungeons and Dragons forums "orc babies" is shorthand for the furious argument that crops up about that sort of topic. It kinda comes out of having an Alien Other to feel justified killing, once you start thinking about some of the repercussions. It gets much creepier in sci-fi settings though, since those don't usually have the excuse of Always Chaotic Evil. Well, except Star Wars, I suppose.  Edit: Also, I've never seen anyone successfully argue on the pro-killing-orc-babies side without coming across as a creepy authoritarian grognard. I Killed GBS fucked around with this message at 04:11 on Sep 25, 2013 |
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Sep 25, 2013 04:08
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I had the exact same thought when I got the quest to destroy the eggs, there's definitely a failure to understand one another for being too alien between the Killiks and the other sentients that allows both groups to commit atrocities due to a lack of empathy. Even the Jedi and Sith never get "murder each others' children" quests (kidnap and indoctrinate, sure, but that's for their own good). The fact that the Imperial Agent has a Killik-joiner companion just complicates the matter even further - is he a victim of brainwashing? A bridge between races who could enable understanding? Quinine's not exactly the sort of character to get contemplative about different standards of intelligence and empathy gaps, though, so he kicked those eggs over like it weren't no thang. Fuckin' bugs. He might not be able to defend his actions if anyone called him on it, but honestly, how many moral philosophers are there running around the galaxy at the moment?
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Sep 25, 2013 04:17
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Dolash posted:Even the Jedi and Sith never get "murder each others' children" quests (kidnap and indoctrinate, sure, but that's for their own good). Balmorra. The Sith get a quest to do just that. Mort let them go. PoptartsNinja fucked around with this message at 04:22 on Sep 25, 2013 |
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Sep 25, 2013 04:20
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PoptartsNinja posted:Balmorra. The Sith get a quest to do just that. My memory's a little foggy, wasn't the objective to capture them so they could report for Sith training? That would fall under my "kidnap and indoctrinate" stipulation - Jedi and Sith both see their way of life as the right way for those kids (even if Sith training would kill most of them), while Killik young are just freaky monsters and you can destroy them all you want. Certainly, the Killiks are alien enough that the writers feel comfortable giving you missions to destroy their eggs, while I don't think they'd ever dare give you a quest to attack an enemy maternity ward.
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Sep 25, 2013 04:28
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Dolash posted:My memory's a little foggy, wasn't the objective to capture them so they could report for Sith training? No, not even a little. The nascient force-users on Balmorra were too weak for the Sith to bother to train, which is pretty much a death sentence. Your options in that mission are: "Let them go and tell the Imperials the caves are empty," "pretend to let them go but tattle to the Imperials," or "murder everyone."
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Sep 25, 2013 04:31
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Well poo poo, nevermind. Guess I forgot about that one, that's pretty grim.
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Sep 25, 2013 04:36
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So, this whole discussion of the morality of killing baby bug people and eggs and such reminds me of a relevant WoW thing. At one point in MoP you are assisting a group of bug people in an effective civil war against their queen, and they themselves send you on such a quest. To them it's not really a thing because they're an incredibly prolific race that is also surprisingly long-lived with limited resources, and they intentionally send the entire youth of their race in a brutal suicide rush on the rest of the continent every century or so with the idea that the small percentage of them who actually return are the only ones hardass enough to deserve to still be alive.
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Sep 25, 2013 05:44
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Feinne posted:So, this whole discussion of the morality of killing baby bug people and eggs and such reminds me of a relevant WoW thing. At one point in MoP you are assisting a group of bug people in an effective civil war against their queen, and they themselves send you on such a quest. To them it's not really a thing because they're an incredibly prolific race that is also surprisingly long-lived with limited resources, and they intentionally send the entire youth of their race in a brutal suicide rush on the rest of the continent every century or so with the idea that the small percentage of them who actually return are the only ones hardass enough to deserve to still be alive. That's not especially relevant, honestly! I think you were just looking for an excuse to talk about WoW.  Edit: I mean I can understand the desire to sperg out about stuff you like, I'm hardly one to talk there, but let's be honest. I Killed GBS fucked around with this message at 05:54 on Sep 25, 2013 |
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Sep 25, 2013 05:52
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Small Frozen Thing posted:That's not especially relevant, honestly! I think you were just looking for an excuse to talk about WoW. I think it was pretty relevant, because the question was 'is it dick to be killing baby bug people' and the answer is 'it depends on the circumstances'. It doesn't help that the Killiks also look like the bug people in question. Feinne fucked around with this message at 06:02 on Sep 25, 2013 |
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Sep 25, 2013 06:00
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You know, low-res Quin has some sort of charm to it, Dolash. You can almost play this off as intentional. Of course, it also brings into sharp relief how really ... not much better this game is at higher res. Aside from Mort's angry particle effects, it sure doesn't seem like you're missing much. How does it affect actual gameplay and combat? Harder to see things happen or just uglier?
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Sep 25, 2013 06:00
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Feinne posted:I think it was pretty relevant, because the question was 'is it dick to be killing baby bug people' and the answer is 'it depends on the circumstances'. I think you've got Warcraft on the brain, but whatev. I'll concede.
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Sep 25, 2013 06:14
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PoptartsNinja posted:No, not even a little. The nascient force-users on Balmorra were too weak for the Sith to bother to train, which is pretty much a death sentence. Your options in that mission are: "Let them go and tell the Imperials the caves are empty," "pretend to let them go but tattle to the Imperials," or "murder everyone." Uh, everybody in that quest was an adult; I don't remember going all Anakin Skywalker when I did the DS option. Not quite the same thing as killing children (though still obviously evil as hell). Dolash posted:I had the exact same thought when I got the quest to destroy the eggs, there's definitely a failure to understand one another for being too alien between the Killiks and the other sentients that allows both groups to commit atrocities due to a lack of empathy. Even the Jedi and Sith never get "murder each others' children" quests (kidnap and indoctrinate, sure, but that's for their own good). The fact that the Imperial Agent has a Killik-joiner companion just complicates the matter even further - is he a victim of brainwashing? A bridge between races who could enable understanding? On one hand, I get the obvious moral argument. On the other hand, even the nice Killik-joiner companion's bug group was cheerfully prepared to slaughter a compound full of (at least some) innocent people and/or use them as egg incubators. I'm pretty sure Vector is the only Killik-related person to even consider, y'know, TALKING instead of just "singing the Song of Swarming" and taking what they want, and his group was still prepared to indulge in the aforementioned slaughter of a compound of innocents (though to his credit not him). So if you have a race that kills/eats/turns into Aliens-style "babysitters" people and steals your territory, or at their nicest brainwash people into helping commit said acts, AND you can't apparently negotiate with them, I'm not terribly shocked even the "good guy" Republic has concluded they all need to get wiped out. Atrocity begets atrocity, after all.
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Sep 25, 2013 06:17
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Yeah, but they smash Geonosian eggs in other Star Wars stuff too, and those guys are just kinda douchebaggy.
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Sep 25, 2013 06:20
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MadDogMike posted:Uh, everybody in that quest was an adult; I don't remember going all Anakin Skywalker when I did the DS option. Not quite the same thing as killing children (though still obviously evil as hell). Yes, but the implication is unchanged. If there were children, you'd be killing them too. No MMO will ever allow child-murder (except League of Legends, and they don't even get an M rating for it).
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Sep 25, 2013 06:21
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Psion posted:You know, low-res Quin has some sort of charm to it, Dolash. You can almost play this off as intentional. Particle effects slow things down something fierce due to this computer's poor specs, but otherwise it's just as playable. I have to admit, the game might not look as good but there is still some charm to it. Catsworth joked about it being cel shaded, but it does kind of remind me of that. Still, I wouldn't want to end the chapter like this (or fight a particularly demanding battle, what with the lag-spikes). And the child-murderin' point might be relevant in that even though we know your average Sith Lord would be okay with literally murdering babies, the writers know not to have them do that onscreen since that's just a little too egregious. Killing weird bugs, though, doesn't offend anybody's sensibilities, so that's okay. As for the Killiks, it's hard to say if diplomacy would work with them, but it wouldn't definitely fail either. They express some intelligence and can communicate, but it's hard for a hiveminded society and a society of individuals to understand each other's mindsets, cultures and desires. It's not impossible to imagine that with some risk and hard work you could negotiate a peace with them (or at least some hives, it seems at times they don't all belong to the same one) and learn to respect each others' boundaries. Thing is, overcoming these sorts of culture gaps and gaining an appreciation for different forms of intelligence and life isn't really Star Wars's bag. If this was Star Trek I'm sure we'd have the Federation in here trying to figure them out while the Klingons figure out the Killiks are good eatin'.
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Sep 25, 2013 07:10
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Small Frozen Thing posted:It gets much creepier in sci-fi settings though, since those don't usually have the excuse of Always Chaotic Evil. Well, except Star Wars, I suppose. Fantasy settings just go "hey, look, here are some humanoids* who act just like people in X stage of society, except their society is automatically brutal and horrible while your own is mysteriously perfectly acceptable to the sensibilities of a Modern." *: Sometimes they aren't even humanoids; orcs are actually a race of humans. They are capable of interbreeding with humans and the offspring of such unions can reproduce. This means that orcs and humans are the same species, just with some variations in phenotype, psychology, etc.
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Sep 25, 2013 19:52
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Dolash posted:If this was Star Trek I'm sure we'd have the Federation in here trying to figure them out while the Klingons figure out the Killiks are good eatin'.
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Sep 25, 2013 20:26
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Earthdawn actually does the whole "evil races" thing pretty well, although that does tie into the meta-idea of it having justifications for RPG cliches. Orcs have triggers that send them into rages, and trying to suppress those rages will probably lead to a fatal heart-attack eventually. (They are generally shown as being otherwise reasonably "good", although having a thirty-year lifespan makes you not think much in the long term.) Trolls, on the other hand, are bound by a ridiculously complicated code of honour that means it's really easy to mortally offend them, so they get a reputation for being unpredictable and violent. (And of course, it would be a tremendous sin to explain the code of honour to outsiders...)
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Sep 25, 2013 20:33
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I rather like the Glorantha method of "everyone is basically right, but that doesn't mean that people aren't dicks". It means that even things like trolls, who want to eat everything, elves, who want to cover everything in trees, and dwarves, who want to stop the world and "fix" it, seem almost reasonable.
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Sep 25, 2013 21:33
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Josef bugman posted:I rather like the Glorantha method of "everyone is basically right, but that doesn't mean that people aren't dicks". I was about to say "The Broos can go gently caress themselves, though" and then I realized that they probably do.
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Sep 25, 2013 22:15
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Dolash posted:As for the Killiks, it's hard to say if diplomacy would work with them, but it wouldn't definitely fail either. They express some intelligence and can communicate, but it's hard for a hiveminded society and a society of individuals to understand each other's mindsets, cultures and desires. All you need is one horrible misunderstanding and bam, forever war.
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Sep 26, 2013 03:09
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 CHAPTER 40: WEAK RISTS Previously posted:JOLUNE MOL'NEUX has secured the support of ASTAR VOX and his mercenary army for HOUSE TERAL, in order that the marriage of FASHA TERAL and LEW ORGANA may proceed, to ensure that an alliance between HOUSE ORGANA and HOUSE TERAL be secured, so that LORD TERAL can approve JOLUNE as his delegate to the ALDERAAN PEACE CONFERENCE, where MASTER SIDONIE GAREN may need to be stopped from doing SOMETHING EVIL that we haven't found about yet...   : The good news is, everyone's heard how you impressed Astar Vox and broke the siege-- including Organa. They've agreed to the marriage-alliance. : I just did that five minutes ago. How do you propose marriage in five minutes?: By signing the appropriate documents in the presence of a notary. Takes thirty seconds. : And they say romance is dead.: Now, the bad news: Lew Organa has been kidnapped!: Then we have to get him back.  : An Organa-Teral alliance would be disastrous to Ulgo. They must have ordered Rist to kidnap Lew Organa to stop the alliance.: Surely Organa has planned a reprisal. I mean, people on this planet have started wars for passing the port the wrong way, never mind abducting an heir.: House Organa is planning to attack House Ulgo, and if they do, casualties will be great and peace impossible. The entire peace summit will collapse and with it, our hopes of an alliance. : I will do my utmost.: I have come to expect nothing less. Rist's assassins are uncanny, and you'll be going right into their nest. : Understood. What's the fastest route to House Rist?: The roads are a battlefield now, and the Rist defence systems would shoot down a shuttle in seconds. Fortunately, there are other ways to travel. Older ways.: ?AND SO...   : Mmmeeeehh! :   : This thranta will take you to Wardpost Landa. From there you may travel by speeder to Rist territory. :   :   :   :    : Enjoy thranta ride?: It was possibly the greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life. I would put up with all the bugs and inbred aristos on this planet forever, if I could have my own lizard bat fish.  : I can't tell if that's a military bunker or a holiday home. Probably both, knowing Alderaan.   : Many statues here. Rist base more ornate than expected.: Assassination is a pretty high-stress job. I guess the artwork helps maintain a relaxing work environment. : Hey, there's our guy! [VIDEO: Lewser]   : House Teral sent you, didn't they? They called about an alliance--I was riding to meet them and--well, thank goodness you're here.: I'm glad I was able to make it in time.: Thank you-- ouch-- I'm still a little sore, but I'll live thanks to you. : I woke up here. But were they trying to prevent the alliance? Who would want to do that?: Without the marriage-alliance, I can't get to the summit. Maybe someone doesn't want me to go.: It's not all about you, you know.: The Force says otherwise. Unfortunately. : As I lost consciousness, they were talking about Master Sidonie.: That famed Rist discretion.: But how could she be involved? It has to be a frame job. It must be.: I believe Master Sidonie is very ill, but if I can get to the summit, I hope to help her. : I can't leave here until I know if Master Sidonie was involved.  There is a short escort sequence here, as you and Lew walk to the next room and get attacked by Rist assassins along the way. It is boring and stupid and there's no tension as Lew is invulnerable. It's just there to force you into several dull fights.  : That looks like a comm panel.: Let's try last number redial...  : But I am extremely busy right now. I can't afford interruptions.: You hired the assassins who kidnapped Lew Organa. Why?: I would be careful about making such outrageous accusations against a Jedi Master.: That's not actually a denial. *bzzt* : Wait-- Master Sidonie! I don't understand. What was her frequency doing here?: I assure you-- Master Sidonie's not herself.: Should she be leading the summit, then? She could do something terrible!: Of course she could! That's what I've been saying since I got here! Haven't you been paying attention!?: No, not really. But in my defence, I am very rich. : I'll see that the Organa-Teral alliance is finalized and that you get to the summit.: OK, let's go.: The Rist have thranta stables outside. They should get us back to House Teral.:  :   : Wheeee!MUCH GIGGLING LATER...  It's a nice touch that on your return to House Teral a lot of the battle damage to the buildings has been repaired, and there's scaffolding up around the broken statues.    : Lord Teral, without risk, there can be no glory. The only way to avoid risk is to avoid war, but that's not very effective or fun, is it? : No, I suppose it isn't.: Then Operation: Naked Maniac is greenlit? : We haven't stood this proud since our house was young and building its first alliance with House Panteer. Thank you, Jedi.: It was your plan, I merely executed.: But we couldn't have done any of it without you. Lew Organa and my daughter Fasha are getting acquainted as we speak. : Now I need to get to the summit and find Master Sidonie. : I have the packet the last delegate was supposed to use, but I don't understand its contents-- some coordinates and a data spike. It appears that you need to go to those coordinates and do something with the data spike? : Just one moment, Jedi. If I may... we would like to ask one last thing. There will never be peace for House Teral as long as House Ulgo exists. : I don't want to do anything that will destabilize the peace. : Please, Jedi. House Teral has security now, but we still required justice. NEXT TIME: We find Master Sidonie well and it all goes smoothly. Ha ha, fat chance. BONUS CODEX CONTENT: Thranta posted:Thrantas are a species of flying animals indigenous to Alderaan. Their powerful wing muscles and internal air sacs allow them to stay aloft while carrying large amounts of weight, making them perfect aerial mounts. Early Alderaanian colonists made extensive use of thrantas, using them for personal and military transport. Their popularity on Alderaan generated an enormous demand for the animals on Coruscant; thousands of thrantas were transplanted, but they were unable to survive the city-world’s heavy air pollution. Since that debacle, the Alderaanians have refused to export the thrantas offworld and hunting them on Alderaan is strictly forbidden. This has only made thranta smuggling and thranta poaching more appealing in certain circles. Inferior fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Jan 14, 2014 |
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Sep 26, 2013 19:27
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Poor House Rist, pretty much everybody takes a turn murdering their way through the place. Also, it's kind of odd the Terals are so worried about Organa retaliating against Ulgo and how it might mess up the peace conference when every other quest on the planet (as well as the other class quests) are dedicated to fighting said war.
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Sep 26, 2013 22:08
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Alderaan makes no sense.
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Sep 26, 2013 22:17
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I kinda like the overall Alderaan politics. I'm pretty sure I mentioned this in the other thread but here's the history: --Alderaan opinion starts forming to resist the Treaty of Coruscant (not sure if just for "screw the Empire" reasons or if Alderaan would end up in their hands) or secede if it passed, headed by Gaul Panteer, the crown prince. --To prevent this and support the Treaty, House Ulgo kills Panteer. --The Queen dies in a shuttle crash (no idea who was behind it but it happened a few days after the assassination so I'm sure SOMEBODY did) and with Panteer dead there's no heir. --Alderaan's nobility winds up in chaos as everyone jockeys for position and starts making a case for being king. --The Empire brings House Thul back from exile and gives them secret support, intending to rule through them as a puppet. --Ulgo warns everyone this is happening, but nobody cares. --Ulgo seizes the crown and attempts to unite Alderaan in fighting Thul and the Empire. --This goes about as well as can be expected, and everybody instead turns against Ulgo, with the Empire and Republic fighting a little war on the side with their puppets/"allies" depending on who you ask. So Ulgo basically did all the wrong things for the right reasons. Plus a bit of power and greed on the side, I'm not calling them saints.
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Sep 26, 2013 23:12
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Bruceski posted:I kinda like the overall Alderaan politics. I'm pretty sure I mentioned this in the other thread but here's the history: Pretty sure they did secede actually (hence why the Empire is there without it restarting the war right then in Chapter 1) and I thought it was implied Ulgo took out both the prince and queen, but otherwise that's about it. It's fairly coherent really, it's just with all the annoying backtracking one has to do on Alderaan quests being mainly justified by various noble plots, most people would rather be able to play cut the Gordian Knot instead of wandering here, then way over there, then way over there... My, Jolee is certainly Ms. Friend to all Animals, isn't she? Wonder if you can get her a tauntaun or varactyl mount, it'd be perfect for her. Assuming she's tall enough anyway; I grabbed the tauntaun for my smuggler and it looks like she'd have no way to actually see things when using it.
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Sep 26, 2013 23:53
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I was trying to get a Varactyl for Mortiferous, but then they nerfed them so they no longer play their cry at full volume every time they enter someone's range.
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Sep 27, 2013 00:01
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I like that House Teral goes from powerless to warmongering in the space of like two missions.
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Sep 27, 2013 02:48
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MadDogMike posted:it's just with all the annoying backtracking one has to do on Alderaan quests being mainly justified by various noble plots, most people would rather be able to play cut the Gordian Knot instead of wandering here, then way over there, then way over there... In that sense, it's an accurate representation of being an errand-boy for nobility and helps explains all the revolutions and rebellions.
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Sep 27, 2013 03:14
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Dolash posted:In that sense, it's an accurate representation of being an errand-boy for nobility and helps explains all the revolutions and rebellions. It's more an issue how they lie to you then come clean; if they'd bothered to not be secretive THEIR time wouldn't have been wasted either. Ah well, at least during annoying Alderaan quests there's always one comforting thing to keep in mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djZFHTa6TfA
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Sep 27, 2013 23:10
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If you like Alderaan politics (and who doesn't?) then you're going to love my next update by golly. Wall to wall political action.PoptartsNinja posted:I was trying to get a Varactyl for Mortiferous, but then they nerfed them so they no longer play their cry at full volume every time they enter someone's range. And thank god for that. It was getting so you couldn't walk round the Fleet without hearing an endless chorus of their weird yelping.
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Sep 27, 2013 23:34
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 Alderaan Update 1: R'andayn has the death mark in twelve systems. Begin Recording Aboard the RSS Galt in orbit around Alderaan   : You wanted a word? : You're not like most Jedi. That's a compliment. No offence to the council but if I stood around moralizing all day I'd need a padded zero-g cell. : I'd rather be out in the galaxy making a difference. : All I'm saying is, using the Force can be fun. The order needs to lighten up. : Being a Jedi is more than just rules and regulations. : Someday, I'll put a shock buzzer on Master Satele's chair, just to liven things up. You better have my back.: Better get on the comm. and find out what went wrong this time. : General I'm on Alderaan. Have you heard from Master Orgus? : Negative. Considering the chaos there, it's a wonder any messages get through. Alderaan's a war zone. The nobles are fighting to decide who's in charge--and whether this world aligns with the Republic or the Empire. : We could crush any Imperial-aligned factions if we committed troops here. : The Senate wants a diplomatic solution. I don't think there is one. My people developed the Death Mark weapon to end this conflict with surgical precision.  : Extraordinary device. It marks targets with a microscopic tag. Undetectable. Tracks targets anywhere on the planet. Feed the target's coordinates to a focused-beam laser, and it can kill them from across a continent. : A weapon like that could take out enemy leaders without risking troops. : Generals, tacticians, Sith Lords... eliminate them, and the enemy collapses. : The Death Mark has one regrettable disadvantage. The targeting device's range is extremely limited. Twenty meters or so. Once a target is marked, however, the laser can hit it from any range. : I fear efforts to guard the weapon have failed. Master Orgus's last transmission came from Organa Palace. After that... nothing. : Could someone in the palace have betrayed Master Orgus? : House Organa is the Republic's strongest ally. Something's happened, but not on their end. Count Alde was the last to see Master Orgus. He co-funds the Death Mark project with us. I tried informing the count of your arrival, but communications there have been crippled. : Reports indicate multiple holorelays destroyed. Standard Imperial battle tactic. : House Organa can't spare the troops to get their holorelays online. Maybe you can help? : I'll restore communications and then meet Count Alde. : Transmitting holorelay coordinates. If you get them up and running, it'll tighten House Organa's defenses. You'll find Count Alde at the embassy near Organa Palace. Good luck Var Suthra out.  : Pretty, Which part can I blow up first? : Jedi+T7 = fix communications// Blowing up = reserved for later Aww, you're no fun. Fine, where is the nearest comm tower?  : If this is the best the Empire can do we shouldn't have much to worry about.  :Right let's go and talk to the count of whatever. :Ooh nice place. These nobles really know how to live.Video Version  : Count Alde? I'm an associate of Master Orgus Din. I'm here about the Death Mark project.  : Yes. Much gratitude for restoring our communications. Aleyna, tell the Jedi what you told me? : I worked at the Death Mark research facility. We were conducting routine tests when imperial forces breached our security doors. There was a...hideous little man with them. A Sith, I think. : People usually know a Sith when they see one. What makes you unsure?: He just seemed... different. He barely spoke. Let the Imperials do all the fighting--until the Jedi came. Before anyone knew what happened, a single Jedi wiped out all the Imperial troops. : Master Orgus = one tough Jedi!: I'm sorry but the Jedi... he didn't survive. The Sith was deadly. He'd vanish, then leap out of the shadows. He surprised your friend. Stabbed him in the back it was horrible. : Oh great now I have to fight Nightcrawler. Why do I always get the lamest X-men? : X-men?: Nevermind. Not my fault if these guys don't know high art You're sure Master Orgus was killed?: No one could survive that. When the Jedi fell, the Sith summoned reinforcements. But not Imperials--Killiks. : Intelligent, man-sized insects living underground. Flesh eaters, Ghastly things. :Time to break out the bug zapper! If they've allied with the enemy, they're dead. : Easier said than done. They're frightfully efficient killers. Some grow quite large. : Those things poured into the facility. Started tearing everyone apart. I ran. : There was nothing you could've done. Thank the stars you survived to give us this news. The Sith now controls the Death Mark. No telling who he's targeted. : Is there evidence this weapon has killed someone?: With war raging around us, how would we notice? Wynne Organa is organizing peace talks with the other houses. It's possible the Sith... : I don't want to go to school today daddy.: That was the Death Mark laser. It killed Count Alde.: And the award for stating the obvious goes to...: Attack trajectory = untraceable // odds of locating laser = zero:Have to get out of here. It's not safe. We're all going to die!  : The count... you there, hands up! Men, take their weapons. Lock down this building!: The count was killed by a long-range laser, not a lightsaber. : You can explain after you surrender. Back against the wall and put your hands up. This is your final warning!: Are you insane? She's a Jedi Knight! We had nothing to do with this. : We'll verify your identies and alibis. If what you say is true, you'll be released. Long-range communications have been restored. Should only take a few days to sort this out. :*Waves hand* Lives are in danger. You'll do anything to help me save Alderaan.: Lives are in danger. I'll do anything to help you save Alderaan. Men, secure the building. I'll contact Organa security and inform them of the situation. : You've got to find the Death mark before that Sith kills again. Here are the coordinates to the research facility--what's left of it. I hope you find something useful. Take care, Master Jedi.    : Hey, slow down, Wait, there's no kind of tech that could take a Jedi down. Could use your help. Names Aza. Or Private Gundo, if you prefer. On guard for House Organa with the rest of the Republic. Got word House Thul is smuggling in CryoBan weapons. Very illegal. Freeze you in three seconds flat. : How did you acquire such knowledge: Used to run with a bad crowd. But I'm trying to go legit, with the Republic you follow? We squashed the smuggling ring a few days ago. But House Thul's got plenty of CryoBan weapons already. We don't destroy what's left, they'll keep moving in on Organa territory, one frozen guard at a time. : This is beginning to sound like a suicide mission. : I sympathise, but if we don't handle this now, it's only going to get worse. Lots of those frozen come back from the Vinerium. Best lead we have on where to find the CryoBan weapons. : Now you'll get to see how a Jedi handles things. : Long as you don't come back in a block of ice, I'll be impressed. Bring me those CryoBan weapons quick. Thul doesn't need another edge. :Right then droid let's go and kick some Ice.: :facepalm: : Allow me to break the ice. : Time for a trip to the cooler: T7 = will shoot jedi // Puns = will not continue: Hey T7 do me a favour and strip those coolant packs from those rifles I have a cunning plan....A cunning plan : Revenge is a dish best served cold.   : CryoBan weapons. Those Thul soldiers are empty-handed now. : Dead, too, from what I hear. Good work. Not like they were going to hand them over by asking nicely. I'll make sure Organa knows what you did. And these'll go in the first trash compactor I find. : To the weapons lab!  : I should probably check that Republic base at some point  : Time for a good old fashioned bughunt.click to watch my glorious victory*    : Let's see what's behind door number three.   : Hey... what took you so long?: Sorry, Master. All the speeders were taken. : I'll let it go, but only this once. : Master Orgus = wounded // Medical evacuation = recommended.: Relax, Teeseven, I'm still in one piece. Blasted Sith almost killed me. Was all I could do to save Doctor Parvux.  : The enemy left us here as food for the Killiks. : Taking down that Killik leader must have been quite a fight. Thing was huge.: Master, I don't know what you're talking about. : The giant Killik leading the others. You didn't see it? : If that thing eats us... you're fired.    : You alright, doctor?: Don't worry about me. The Death Mark is in enemy hands... you must warn Count Alde.: Err... about that... The count was just killed by the Death Mark. : The targeting device was taken to Organa Palace....: Have you met a woman calling herself Aleyna Hark? : There was a survivor from this facility with Count Alde. : We're the only survivors. The girl's an assassin. Alyena's a spy. She helped the Sith steal the Death Mark, and now she's targeting people with it. : She could've marked dozens of people by now. The weapon's laser can kill them at any time, anywhere. : Not if we cut its power. The laser's still tied into the local energy grid, right?: Several power stations supply the laser. Deactivating them would take the laser offline, at least temporarily. : Isn't there a central computer controlling the laser? Can't we just shut it down from here?: The Sith took everything with him. We'll have to do this the hard way. I'll get Doctor Parvux to safety. You deactivate the laser's power stations. : I have coordinates to every station. Deactivate them in the order I've described. Don't leave even one functional. : We'll head to the closest Republic-friendly camp. Meet us there. May the Force be with you. End recording. *victory not at all glorious. Ferrosol fucked around with this message at 14:03 on Sep 28, 2013 |
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Sep 28, 2013 10:49
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So, the Republic has built a weapon that lets them kill anyone they want any time they want with no chance for self-defense and no way of telling if you've been marked?
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Sep 28, 2013 12:30
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1. "The Death Mark lets you kill anyone at anytime. Its one weakness is it must be aimed by someone at most twenty meters away" 2. "Count Alde is dead! Killed by the Death Mark!" 3. "Aleyna and I were the only ones with him at the time, in an enormous room that is over twenty meters wide." 4. ... 5. ... 6. "Aleyna's a traitor?! What a twist!" Out of all the superweapons that show up in this game (and there are a lot), the Death Mark is my favourite. An orbital sniper rifle is something you could almost imagine existing in reality.
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Sep 28, 2013 12:57
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In fairness, they seem to be suggesting that you only have to tag someone once and then you can kill them later without being that close. So it didn't have to be someone actually in the room right then. (References: "It marks targets with a microscopic tag. Undetectable. Tracks targets anywhere on the planet." "She could've marked dozens of people by now. The weapon's laser can kill them at any time, anywhere.")
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Sep 28, 2013 13:41
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