[Stars Without Number] Glory in the Black game thread

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Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 8 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

Plot posted:

Listening to the Prime Minister and diplomat talk is extremely boring, unless you happen to be an enthusiast of trade deals, joint ventures and tariff arrangements. The only way you could draw their attention to the imminent danger is through closing the window shutter or triggering an alarm.

He actually was a rather significant enthusiast of trade deals, joint ventures, and tariff arrangements. More specifically, he was a huge fan of being the first person on the planet to learn about them, outside of the Prime Minister and the Holst representative. If he could manage to avoid all-out war between the two cultures in the next few minutes, that information would come in quite handy. He could piece together which industries and companies were likely to benefit and which were likely to suffer, and predict the impact to their stock prices accordingly with a relatively narrow margin of error. A little bit of insider trading never hurt anyone.

pre:

Business/Int 9
Listening in on the trade policy talk in order to facilitate insider trading.
Will act on it if we manage to avert the risk of all-out war with Holst.

Plot posted:

This quickly becomes a moot point as an explosion rocks the building. Rhyne's men at the eastern wall planted charges, a plausible entry point that washes Holst's hands clean of collaboration. You watch through the cameras as the corridor outside the meeting room becomes hell, fire from mag rifles intersecting with spike thrower rounds fired through the floor. Half of the Prime Minister's security team and the Holst marines get cut to ribbons before they can react. Only those stationed in adjacent rooms survive, a total of four.

He probably should have warned the security teams sooner. In his defense, he was busy committing fraud, though. He was rather likely to leave this part out of the debriefing.

Plot posted:

Rhyne's men inside the building split into two equal sections, each taking a separate staircase up. Grenading the one Rhyne's taking is unlikely to yield much of a result, but the other one is a different story.

He knew the score well enough. Making a play on Rhyne was tempting, but the odds would ever be in the man's favor. The General had chosen to split up his team, though, which created an opportunity. The decision made sense tactically, of course: covering his own flank and allowing for a pincer attack on any remaining security forces. It also, rather unfortunately, placed them outside the range of Rhyne's psychic warning system. Plus, they'd been kind enough to start making use of explosives in order to fake their breach. That meant he could use explosives with wanton disregard for public safety or property laws, and all the blame would get pinned squarely on Rhyne.

pre:

I'll rig up my four fragmentation grenades to blow the stairwell
that contains the group of men that split away from Rhyne.  As noted
the intent is to drop the stairwell on them, acting as a force multiplier
for the damage of the grenades.

__________________________________________________________________________________________^{Passive: Intelligence (+2) / Constitution (+0) / Wisdom (-1) / Charisma (-2)

Skill (+0): Combat (gunnery) / Culture (traveler / Weltraum Zwang) / Security / Vehicle (space)

Skill (+1): Computer / Navigation / Perception / Science / Stealth / Tech (maltech / medical / postech / pretech)

Inventory (ready): Compad⁰ / Stealth Field Uniform⁰ / Gravity Pack¹ / Bioscanner¹ / Dataslab¹ / Metatool¹ / Mag Pistol (silenced, 6/6 shots remaining)¹ / Fragmentation grenade¹ (x1)

Inventory (stowed): Grenade launcher³ (3/3 shots remaining, tear gas) / Flashbang grenade⁶ (x6) / Fragmentation grenade³ (x3)

Inventory (back at base): Instapanel (x5) / Lazarus patch (x1) / Medkit (x1) / Type A cell (x6)

Inventory (warehouse): Armory (frigate) / Stealth Suit Cache^x / Assault suit² / Argus web¹}__________________________________________________________________________________________
^{Unit 4 (outside): Sniper / Rifle / Rifle}
^{Unit 4 (inside): Rifle / Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Rhyne}
^{Unit 4 (inactive): Bitterhold Chumps (x8) / Gala Chumps (x7) / Captives (x3)}

Waador fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Aug 13, 2016

# ? Aug 13, 2016 07:02

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# ? Apr 28, 2024 16:16

Successful Businessmanga: Mar 28, 2010

Cyril Cavil
_{HP: 4/4 AC: 3 Strain: 0/12 PP: 0/2

Argus Web: Recording

Active Camo: On

Mag Pistol 5/6 shots remain}

Cyril's fingers flex on the grip of his mag pistol, his eyes drawn to the splatter of blood across the rock the sniper had been braced upon. Fingers clench and unclench I should probably feel bad about this huh? Cyril spins on his heel and faces the remaining targets before sending off a text burst.

pre:

Sniper down.

A long exhale and Cyril prepares to draw a bead on the next enemy, in the meantime he makes a mental note to look up the effects of torching on a psychic's mental state, willingly causing yourself brain damage was probably something to keep an eye on.

quote:

Cyril definitely has a murderhobo as his spirit animal. Privileged rich kid whose entire life has been nothing but high octane stunts and psychic magic powers, the logical next step is hunting THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME. Fast sports cars get replaced with grav tanks and mechs haha.

Successful Businessmanga fucked around with this message at 16:14 on Aug 13, 2016

# ? Aug 13, 2016 07:03

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 8 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

Cyril Cavil posted:

"Sniper down."

He responds to Cyril with some positive encouragement!

pre:

588 >>
Good work Cyril!  (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
Think you can make quick work of those
two assholes in the garden?  ᵔᴥᵔ

Waador fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Aug 13, 2016

# ? Aug 13, 2016 07:13

Zeppelin Insanity: Oct 28, 2009; Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn

588

The conversation is derailed by the explosion before anything more than preliminary generalisations are discussed. Nothing useful there, particularly considering that the embassy is currently under terrorist attack.

Wait.

The embassy is currently under terrorist attack. That will be quite the kick to the markets. Security companies, arms, aerospace, mining conglomerates all stand to spike as soon as the news breaks. You have minutes to make a profit; seconds to act. There's brokerage accounts to make, funds to transfer, research on companies to be done, tracks to be covered. It will take all your focus and processing cycles to act fast enough. The grenade trick is the other option, but with your limited hardware, you can't do both at the same time.

You can either rig up the grenades and eliminate two hostiles, or try to do some trading on the side. If it's the latter, put up as many credits as you want. A roll below 6 is a 10% loss, 6 is 10% gain, 9 is 20% and so on. Feel free to name some investments.

# ? Aug 14, 2016 12:58

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 8 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

Plot posted:

The embassy is currently under terrorist attack. That will be quite the kick to the markets. Security companies, arms, aerospace, mining conglomerates all stand to spike as soon as the news breaks. You have minutes to make a profit; seconds to act. There's brokerage accounts to make, funds to transfer, research on companies to be done, tracks to be covered. It will take all your focus and processing cycles to act fast enough. The grenade trick is the other option, but with your limited hardware, you can't do both at the same time.

It was a rare opportunity, and any investor worth his salt would have certainly taken advantage of it. With a little bit of luck, he rather suspected he could earn ten, maybe even twenty thousand credits. Not a princely sum, he supposed, but for two minutes of work? It wasn't a bad return for the time required. Unfortunately, there were three other factors at play. The first, rather obviously, was that Voight might literally kill him. It was one thing to skim a bit off the top, and another entirely to let terrorists pursue their agenda while playing with the markets. The second, rather correlated, was that he was an opportunist, to be sure, but he was also a professional. There was a job to be done, and he valued his successful track record on missions far more than he did the number of credits in his wide array of financial accounts. The third, also related to that line of thought, was that he didn't really value money all that much. He simply drew far more enjoyment out of the process of identifying the opportunity for the illicit gains than he would from actually earning the credits. It was enough to know he could have done this.

There was also the fact that he was pretty sure the Prime Minister would end up dead if he didn't bomb this stairwell. The friendly security team still had four men able to put up a fight, but they would be slaughtered in a pincer attack against five armed and dangerous terrorists. Four against three, though, especially considering Rhyne was only armed with a pistol and was a bit less likely to put himself in the line of fire? Those odds provided a fighting chance, especially if he was able to lend a bit more behind-the-scenes assistance.

Also, quite honestly, he hadn't bombed an embassy in a long, long while. That experience was worth far more than the ten or twenty thousand credits he might otherwise stand to make. In truth, if he were to place a value on it, he would probably be willing to pay two or three hundred thousand credits for the privilege of blowing up government property on this grand a scale, especially with the Prime Minister of the planet inside the building. It truly was an honor.

pre:

I'll rig up the grenades.
For tracking purposes do the two in that group both have spike throwers?
Or is that a mix of spike thrower and mag rifle?

Waador fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Aug 14, 2016

# ? Aug 14, 2016 16:11

Rhyos: Jan 2, 2006; It's probably my fault.

G^en Chatham

Wheeling around and unholstering his tranq pistol, he rather nonchalantly aims at the head of one of the guards. "C'mon now, guys. We had a moment together. I really, really don't want to have to do this. Put 'em away and walk off, and we can act like none of this ever happened!"
Hooking his thumb toward the explosion, he tilts his head. "Do you really want to be a part of the shitstorm that's about to ensue? Can those things even put a dent in me?"

Really, guys? 2d6+0=12 to talk them into giving up and leaving. Any motion that does not correspond with it leads to a trigger pull.

# ? Aug 14, 2016 22:31

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 8 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

pre:

588 >>
Chatham, Cyril, Gordon, what's the status out there?
I don't hear the telltale sound of people being executed.
Though I suppose you all have silencers.

# ? Aug 16, 2016 23:36

TheTofuShop: Aug 28, 2009

Gordon
HP 5 / 5 | AC: 7

The concrete floor of the parking garage pressed against his face as Gordon took a moment to thank his stars that he ducked in time. Too close. Then he noticed something nearby on the floor of the parking garage.

A Black duffel bag. 588 had thrown it to him in the dropship, but whether it was the sound of the engines or his own distratction, he couldn't remember what it contained. **zzzziiiipppp*** Gordon smiled and took off his jacket while he shimmied into the stealth suit.

Zeppelin Insanity posted:

Popping back up over the edge, you see the chaos of the developing situation. Conveniently, a section of wall is now gone, giving you a clear shot at two of Rhyne's men equipped with mag rifles. They had too much faith in their sniper handling you and haven't taken cover from your direction.

Armor Class: 2
HP: 6
Saving Throw: 14+
Attack Bonus: +4
Damage: 2d8 mag rifle
Morale: 9
Skill Bonus: +2

You have initiative.

He checked his rifle once more, then engaged the thermal camoflauge on the suit.

Shoot the dudes in the garden!: 1d20+1+2+0+0 10

The mag bullets whizzed by the two men in the garden, close, but no cigar.

"588. Thanks for the suit, sorry it took me so long, this thing is harder to get into than a tuxedo. Still two in the garden, I'm re-positioning now."

Gordon ran towards the southern end of the structure, trying to find a new firing position while keeping the Prime Minister in sight.

Sorry for the delay work has been insane lately and I've been pulled real thin with time and junk.

# ? Aug 19, 2016 21:02

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 8 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

Gordon Zhang posted:

"588. Thanks for the suit, sorry it took me so long, this thing is harder to get into than a tuxedo. Still two in the garden, I'm re-positioning now."

Nobody ever accused the hacker of being classy.

pre:

588 >>
You obviously forgot to lube up.

# ? Aug 22, 2016 06:54

Zeppelin Insanity: Oct 28, 2009; Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn

Sorry for taking a while, guys!

Gen

The two men look at each other. Their body language clearly indicates that they would rather not pick a fight with a walking ton of chrome, but they don't like the alternative, either. After a second, one of them speaks up.

"Third option. The east wall was breached. By the time we got there, you were already in the embassy building. Deal?"

588

You quickly run to the staircase and examine it for any structural weaknesses. The delicate, elegant and airy style preferred by Holst is, tactically, a nightmare - and you're the boogeyman.

Triggered with machine precision, three grenades create a horrific killzone of high velocy shrapnel. Maimed, they do not have time to scream before the collapsing stairs crush them.

Checking on the other staircase, you see Rhyne and two of his men engaged by the remaining marines. It's a good effort, but superior training and equipment is bound to prevail soon.

They had spike throwers - only the two hostiles outside have rifles.

Gordon

Rifle hostile 1 -2 for cover\stealth: 1d20+4+4-2 15
Rifle hostile 2 -2 for cover\stealth: 1d20+4+4-2 10

Rounds begin to punch holes through the concrete barrier at the edge of the car park where you just were. After a moment, the hostiles switch tactics and try to predict your movements, but they're way off. Being invisible is quite the advantage.

You settle into a better firing position. The shutter in the negotiation room's window has now closed, but you've got a good view of the corridor outside now that the dust from the wall breach has settled. You can see a rapidly dwindling contingent of Holst marines shoot down into a staircase, and be thrown backward when hit by sprays of flachettes from the spike throwers. There's nothing you can do to help them. You have to be content with being a nasty surprise when Unit 4 reaches the top of the stairs.

# ? Aug 23, 2016 14:19

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 8 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

Plot posted:

You quickly run to the staircase and examine it for any structural weaknesses. The delicate, elegant and airy style preferred by Holst is, tactically, a nightmare - and you're the boogeyman. Triggered with machine precision, three grenades create a horrific killzone of high velocy shrapnel. Maimed, they do not have time to scream before the collapsing stairs crush them.

The best thing about grenades was the ragdoll physics that tended to accompany their use. The thunderous sound of the explosion was a close second, of course. He spent a brief moment appreciating the view of the men being thrown into the air from the force of the blast, only to meet the falling staircase on its way down. The whole affair was artistic genius, in his opinion. There wasn't much time to admire it, though, and he quickly made his way across the third floor to the other staircase, to get a better view of Rhyne and his men.

Plot posted:

Checking on the other staircase, you see Rhyne and two of his men engaged by the remaining marines. It's a good effort, but superior training and equipment is bound to prevail soon.

Along the same artistic vein, it occurred to him that the current situation was a rather detailed perspective piece. Depending on how you looked at it, things were either going very well, or extremely poorly. On the one hand, nearly half the hostile force had been taken out, and his presence hadn't been detected. On the other hand, the only thing standing between the Prime Minister and a literal firing squad were a few outmatched marines. Problematically, he'd used his cache of grenades to drop the staircase, so would likely have to resort to more direct measures going forward. He assumed the explosion explained itself, but decided to loop the team in anyway.

pre:

588 >>
Not that I'm keeping score or anything, but the two hostiles on the 
south-western staircase have suffered a tragic accident.  If only the
Holst embassy took preventative maintenance more seriously, this could
have easily been avoided.

You folks might want to head to the south-eastern staircase in short
order, though.  Rhyne and his two companions are waging a particularly
successful land war against the remaining contingent of marines inside
the building.

In truth, the success of this mission likely now hinged upon the actions of Chatham, Cyril, and Gordon. Barring a lucky shot or two from the marines before they got torn apart by Rhyne's assault, he gave himself ten percent odds at best of being able to stop the advance of three well-trained and heavily armed hostiles before they reached their target. His success ratio would have certainly been improved if not for the implicit escort mission involved in keeping the Prime Minister alive, but there was no avoiding that one.

On the bright side, the enemy force was currently involved in a very loud and rather indiscriminate firefight, and the defending marines were following the same course of action. That would make it rather difficult to hear the sound of a silenced mag pistol firing from the top of the stairwell ...and it would also make it rather challenging to see a flashbang coming from above. He supposed his course of action would soon be dictated by that of his comrades.

pre:

Will update with my action after the team takes their turn.

__________________________________________________________________________________________^{Passive: Intelligence (+2) / Constitution (+0) / Wisdom (-1) / Charisma (-2)

Skill (+0): Combat (gunnery) / Culture (traveler / Weltraum Zwang) / Security / Vehicle (space)

Skill (+1): Computer / Navigation / Perception / Science / Stealth / Tech (maltech / medical / postech / pretech)

Inventory (ready): Compad⁰ / Stealth Field Uniform⁰ / Gravity Pack¹ / Bioscanner¹ / Dataslab¹ / Metatool¹ / Mag Pistol (silenced, 6/6 shots remaining)¹

Inventory (stowed): Grenade launcher³ (3/3 shots remaining, tear gas) / Flashbang grenade⁶ (x6)

Inventory (back at base): Instapanel (x5) / Lazarus patch (x1) / Medkit (x1) / Type A cell (x6)

Inventory (warehouse): Armory (frigate) / Stealth Suit Cache^x / Assault suit² / Argus web¹}__________________________________________________________________________________________
^{Unit 4 (outside): Sniper / Rifle / Rifle}
^{Unit 4 (inside): Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Rhyne}
^{Unit 4 (inactive): Bitterhold casualties (x8) / Gala casualties (x7) / Captives (x3)}

# ? Aug 23, 2016 16:32

Rhyos: Jan 2, 2006; It's probably my fault.

G_en Chath^am

Reholstering his tranq pistol, Gen tilts his head. "Thank you for your cooperation."

Taking a sharp turn, he makes his way into the embassy proper. With armored targets, he'd need something with a bit more bang, so with a flick of the wrist, he unsheathes his thermal pistol.
"Time to go to work."

pre:

The guys at the gate are currently assessing their dry cleaning
options. If you'd like, I'll run obvious decoy/meat shield.

# ? Aug 23, 2016 18:06

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 8 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

pre:

588 >>
Rhyne is armed with a mag pistol, and his two remaining
support units are loaded up with spike throwers.  That sort
of firepower is capable of piercing your armor plating, so
that is likely something to keep in mind.

I would recommend you book it double-time to the stairwell,
and try to get a bead on one of the hostiles.  We need to take
these guys out before they manage to put down the last batch of
marines, as there's precious little standing between them and
the Prime Minister.

You may want to borrow from their playbook, and shoot your
thermal pistol up through the floor of the stairwell.  You
should be able to target your shots reasonably well using the
cameras and tactical overlay that I'm patching through.

Waador fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Aug 23, 2016

# ? Aug 23, 2016 18:36

Successful Businessmanga: Mar 28, 2010

Cyril Cavil
_{HP: 4/4 AC: 3

Strain: 0/12 PP: 0/2

Argus Web: Recording

Active Camo: On

Mag Pistol 5/6 shots remain}

Ruffling off through the bushes, Cyril skims through the communications flying back and forth and makes his mind up. Rhyne was getting closer to succeeding by the second and the group didn't exactly have much of a presence in the man's locale. Breaking off at a dead sprint toward the intact stairwell with the intent of catching up with the sociopath attacking the embassy.

It's almost an afterthought as he runs by the soldiers engaged with Gordon, but a grenade his casually heaved toward the one nearest him, the explosive sailing much further than he'd intended. Clicking his tongue in irritation, Cyril snapped off a quick message across the comms and settled into his frantic run.

pre:

Going for Rhyne, I've got a backpack full of grenades with his name on them.

quote:

Tossing a grenade at the nearest of the two courtyard goons

_{To hit: 17 misses 15 misses, I forgot the -2 for throwing from long distance.

Scatter and Distance: The grenade flies 7 meters further in the direction I threw. Using directions relative to where Cyril is facing since we're doing this ToTM.

Damage: 7 damage after AC damage reduction. Anyone hit gets to make a luck save for half.}
The grenades hit anyone within 5 meters of the impact point, so I might still hit the second soldier in the courtyard after the grenade scatters.

I imagine even if I spend multiple turns just running I'm gonna have a hard time getting to Rhyne, having to make my way through the courtyard and then up multiple flights of stairs is gonna be rough .

# ? Aug 23, 2016 22:15

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 8 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}
It was rather clear to the hacker that his team would need a bit of time to get into position. Whether Chatham made his assault from underneath the stairs or simply charged up to face Rhyne directly, he would also need a bit of a distraction to avoid being torn to pieces by a pair of spike throwers. He wasn't entirely certain what Cyril and Gordon had in mind for themselves, but it seemed likely that throwing the enemy off balance would be of benefit to them as well. There was, as well, the factor of the marines still defending against Rhyne's assault. They were in a tactically compromised position, but they might be able to capitalize if an opportunity presented itself.

With a shrug, he drops a flashbang down the stairwell, timing the drop so that it would explode directly in front of Rhyne's head as it falls. The calculations weren't terribly complex, with a known fuse delay on the grenade, and stable constants when it came to the aerodynamics of the grenade, and the gravitational pull of Caerleon. Step one, pull the fuse on the grenade. Step two, wait precisely 3.2942 seconds. Step 3, drop the grenade from the top of the stairwell, angling every so slightly to account for ventilation system airflow. Step 4, carefully observe Rhyne's face for the psychic warning he was about to receive as a grenade is literal milliseconds away from exploding half an inch away from his eyes.

pre:

Not sure how you want to treat stun grenades.  Is it non-lethal hit
point damage, or is it a saving throw?  I suspect tear gas grenades
won't work since they're in assault armor with self-contained air
supplies, but a flashbang will probably still have an effect if it
goes off half a meter away.

Attack roll (stun grenade) 20
 > I will drop a flashbang down the stairwell.
 > The intent is to include Rhyne and his two men in the blast.
 > For added flavor I will try to get it to blow mid-air right in
   front of Rhyne's eyes.  I imagine his precognition might warn
   him, but I still sort of want to see his face when he realizes
   it is about to happen.

With his payload dropped, he takes a few careful steps back away from the edge of the balcony. There wasn't any guarantee that Rhyne or his men would have seen where the invisible grenade came from, but there was at least a decent set of odds they would fire blindly towards the balcony on the assumption that it had been launched from above. With the risk of enemy fire, a randomized zigzag pattern is taken to obscure his final position from his starting point near the balcony.

pre:

I'll move 13 meters away from the stairwell after dropping the grenade.

__________________________________________________________________________________________^{Passive: Intelligence (+2) / Constitution (+0) / Wisdom (-1) / Charisma (-2)

Skill (+0): Combat (gunnery) / Culture (traveler / Weltraum Zwang) / Security / Vehicle (space)

Skill (+1): Computer / Navigation / Perception / Science / Stealth / Tech (maltech / medical / postech / pretech)

Inventory (ready): Compad⁰ / Stealth Field Uniform⁰ / Gravity Pack¹ / Bioscanner¹ / Dataslab¹ / Metatool¹ / Mag Pistol (silenced, 6/6 shots remaining)¹

Inventory (stowed): Grenade launcher³ (3/3 shots remaining, tear gas) / Flashbang grenade⁵ (x5)

Inventory (back at base): Instapanel (x5) / Lazarus patch (x1) / Medkit (x1) / Type A cell (x6)

Inventory (warehouse): Armory (frigate) / Stealth Suit Cache^x / Assault suit² / Argus web¹}__________________________________________________________________________________________
^{Unit 4 (outside): Sniper / Rifle / Rifle}
^{Unit 4 (inside): Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Rhyne}
^{Unit 4 (inactive): Bitterhold casualties (x8) / Gala casualties (x7) / Captives (x3)}

# ? Aug 23, 2016 22:56

Zeppelin Insanity: Oct 28, 2009; Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn

Cyril

Moving at full sprint now, you have no time to look at the results of the grenade. The blood-curdling scream is a fairly good clue, though. If not dead, one of the hostile is certainly out of the fight.

Time to make a choice: door, or hole in the wall?

If you go by the front door, it will take you one more round to get to Rhyne. If you go by the hole in the wall, you'll be in fighting range by the start of next round, but that involves running close enough to the other rifleman to be in danger.

Gen

27.34 metres. 27.33 metres. 27.22 metres of open ground. [Hostile, threat assessment: high] within line of sight. 27.21 metres.

The optimal entry method is clear. It's the actions between then and now that are the question. The tactical subroutines present options, but it's up to you to pick them.

1. Maintain current speed, engage on the move.
2. Engage from cover.
3. Re-allocate power to maximise speed.

If you go with option 1, you'll get a -2 to aim at the hostile while you run, and he'll have an additional +1 to aim at you. You'll arrive in one more turn, same as Cyril. Option 2 is regular combat rules, but will delay you by one turn. If you pick option 3, roll an Athletics/Con, difficulty 9 to push yourself and get in combat range with Rhyne at the start of next turn, like Cyril if he goes that route. Whether you succeed or fail, you don't get to fire and the hostile gets the +1 to aim. He can only shoot either you or Cyril if he gets the opportunity, and I'll decide that with a weighted roll.

588

Flashbangs I think I'll resolve narratively and have them affect the enemy AC and fighting ability. In this case, I'll go with +1 to AC and -1 to hit going forward, with no chance for saving throw because they're not expecting it.

The weapons of the marines cannot penetrate the carapace armour, but kinetic energy doesn't just disappear. The hailstorm of fire is taking its toll, the armour of Rhyne and his men visibly ablating.

Moving to a safe distance, you watch your handiwork on the camera feed. Rhyne doesn't even twitch before the detonation. He didn't see it coming. The implication is significant. You and your new crew of wetbrains have pushed him hard the last few days. He must have been torching, a lot. Statistically, psychics running on the ragged edge of sanity tend to resort to hyper-focusing their powers on a singular issue, factor or concept and shut off everything else in a last ditch attempt to hang on. That's the most likely conclusion, at least. There's always outliers, and of course those who simply go crazy or die.

The flashbang detonates mere centimetres from Rhyne's eyes. He, and his two bodyguards stagger backwards into cover, then rip off their helmets in frustration. The sudden burst of light in such close proximity must have fried the optics.

With the marines' fire taking its toll, and the flashbang, their AC went from 2 to 4. Their hit bonus is also now +3 rather than +4. They'll get through the marines in one more round.

# ? Aug 24, 2016 00:54

Rhyos: Jan 2, 2006; It's probably my fault.

Gen.Chatham

Ultimately, Gen's priority is to save any lives involved. Therefore, if he were to act as any sort of distraction, he'd have to be fast. Corresponding with the camera feeds and his own tactical processing for the quickest route and the right angle to keep those marines alive, Gen puts 588's odd machination through its' paces, pumping as much reserve into speed as he can.

Athletics/Con: 11

With pistons for legs, Gen quite literally hauls rear end across the embassy grounds. Hoping that the flashbang did its job, he makes a beeline for their target. Rhyne had to go.

# ? Aug 24, 2016 01:16

Successful Businessmanga: Mar 28, 2010

Cyril Cavil
_{HP: 4/4 AC: 3

Strain: 0/12 PP: 0/2

Argus Web: Recording

Active Camo: On

Mag Pistol 5/6 shots remain}

Lacking a seemingly basic self preservation instinct, Cyril flits past the soldier he neglected to blow up, heading for the freshly made hole in the wall.

quote:

Danger Danger Danger! Right to the hole!

# ? Aug 24, 2016 01:25

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 8 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

Plot posted:

Moving to a safe distance, you watch your handiwork on the camera feed. Rhyne doesn't even twitch before the detonation. He didn't see it coming. The implication is significant. You and your new crew of wetbrains have pushed him hard the last few days. He must have been torching, a lot. Statistically, psychics running on the ragged edge of sanity tend to resort to hyper-focusing their powers on a singular issue, factor or concept and shut off everything else in a last ditch attempt to hang on. That's the most likely conclusion, at least. There's always outliers, and of course those who simply go crazy or die.

That was certainly an interesting piece of information. He hadn't expected a single stun grenade to be such a valuable research tool.

Plot posted:

The flashbang detonates mere centimetres from Rhyne's eyes. He, and his two bodyguards stagger backwards into cover, then rip off their helmets in frustration. The sudden burst of light in such close proximity must have fried the optics.

Things just kept getting better. He really hadn't expected the flashbang to damage the circuitry of their helmets. He supposed that was the price they paid for bringing gear to the field that was at least a generation past its prime. Removing their helmets compromised their internal air supply. He was excited to find out if they loved tear gas as much as their friend back at the warehouse.

# ? Aug 24, 2016 01:25

Zeppelin Insanity: Oct 28, 2009; Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn

Who gets shot at? 1-7 - Gen, 8-10 Cyril: 1d10 6

Gen

Rifleman to hit: 1d20+4+1+1 12

Your tremendous speed makes it difficult to get a good shot, and the rounds hit at awkward angles, harmlessly glancing off your armour. As the wall approaches, your mind wanders to entertainment vids from centuries ago, ninja jumping through paper walls. The concrete doesn't pose much more of a challenge for you now.

Cyril

As you run past the hostile, your heart skips a beat, your mind wondering if you're about to feel mag rounds slicing through your heart and lungs. A moment later, you hear the rifle go off, now behind you. The corridor is messy and the floor slick with blood. Mag weaponry is not gentle if you're not wearing equivalent body armour. A moment later, the hulking mass of Gen crashes through the wall next to you. The staircase and your quarry is just around the corner.

588

Rhyne slumps against the wall suddenly. When he recovers, he grabs lieutenant Driscoll by the shoulder, spins him around roughly and shouts in his face. It's inaudible over the gunfire, but reading the lips easy enough: "working". When Driscoll pushes his hand off and returns his focus to the fight, Rhyne's nose bleeds and his eyes are wild. Whatever disciplined, logical mind sat behind them is gone. That final reading of the future has cost him the last shred of his sanity.

# ? Aug 25, 2016 17:55

Rhyos: Jan 2, 2006; It's probably my fault.

G e n Ch a tham

Physics is a funny, fickle thing. In nearly every circumstance, conservation of momentum is the difference between catastrophe and success. He'd have time to be impressed with breaking through a wall later. For now, momentum had to be conserved. Crossing the line of fire, Gen continues the charge into the now-crazed former general, hoping he can absorb some of the fire headed toward the marines.

Not sure if I need a roll to continue the momentum, but just in case, Athletics/Con: 10

# ? Aug 25, 2016 18:13

Zeppelin Insanity: Oct 28, 2009; Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn

No, but if you want to do damage you should roll a melee attack. They're all AC4. The two bodyguards have 8 hp and Rhyne has 12, because he's the antagonist.

# ? Aug 25, 2016 19:57

Rhyos: Jan 2, 2006; It's probably my fault.

_{Gen Chatham}

Everything feels quiet for a moment. It's slightly expected, since a thousand-pound robot just came hurtling through the wall. Everything feels slow, especially as their target, the one who scuttled Bitterhold, the one who slaughtered so many on Unification Day, the one who sacrificed his very soul for his purpose, stands once more.

Targeting indicators, tactical readouts, and threat assessments barely even register as the raw, cosmic force of momentum, mass, and kinetic energy collide.

1d20+4+1=24

Not sure if I have any particular damage bonus - an unarmed attack is supposed to be 1d2 damage, but I'm also a hulking robit that's cruising at a high rate of speed, which I think would do more than a punch-worth of damage.

# ? Aug 25, 2016 20:40

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 8 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

Plot posted:

Rhyne slumps against the wall suddenly. When he recovers, he grabs lieutenant Driscoll by the shoulder, spins him around roughly and shouts in his face. It's inaudible over the gunfire, but reading the lips easy enough: "working". When Driscoll pushes his hand off and returns his focus to the fight, Rhyne's nose bleeds and his eyes are wild. Whatever disciplined, logical mind sat behind them is gone. That final reading of the future has cost him the last shred of his sanity.

Well, that was just great. What he really needed right now was a space wizard with unlimited power at his disposal, and the special kind of crazy necessary to actually deploy that space magic in an irresponsible manner.

Core Rulebook, pg. 25 posted:

Most people on worlds with active psychic academies understand the basic facts about psionic powers, including the inability of psychics to target things they can�t sense. Police forces on these worlds will be familiar with the necessary steps of blindfolding and restraining psychics to minimize the dangers they present.

Thankfully, this wasn't his first take-down of a rogue asset ...or his first time being an rear end in a top hat in a professional capacity. Blindfolding Rhyne at this precise moment in time would be a challenge. Blinding him in general, however, was achievable. Unlimited space wizardry or not, it's rather challenging to strike out at that which you can't see. A grenade full of tear gas directly into his mouth would probably do the trick. Rhyne really shouldn't have removed his helmet.

pre:

Attack roll (tear gas) 28
 > Going to slam it right down Rhyne's gaping mouth while he speaks.

It was a trick shot of the highest caliber. He bounced the grenade off the ceiling, into the wall opposite the staircase balcony, and then off of a few of the railings on the way down, sending it on a circuitous but ultimately collision course, hurtling at twenty miles per hour directly towards Rhyne's mouth. Even if you were a psychic, you might not believe this was about to happen to you when you saw the warning. It was, though.

"[sub posted:

Gen Chatham[/sub]" post="463571029"]Everything feels quiet for a moment. It's slightly expected, since a thousand-pound robot just came hurtling through the wall. Everything feels slow, especially as their target, the one who scuttled Bitterhold, the one who slaughtered so many on Unification Day, the one who sacrificed his very soul for his purpose, stands once more. Targeting indicators, tactical readouts, and threat assessments barely even register as the raw, cosmic force of momentum, mass, and kinetic energy collide.

It was hard to miss Chatham bursting through the wall, though admittedly he hadn't entirely expected that. The grenade was already in transit, though. It ...sort of looked like Chatham might punch Rhyne in the face, while traveling at what he estimated to be about thirty or forty miles per hour? He hoped the timing worked out such that his grenade would slam into Rhyne's mouth, and Chatham could punch it down into his throat before it popped. That would be loving hilarious. The man would be spewing tear gas from every hole in his body within about ten seconds.

pre:

Tech(medical)/Int 12

The medical ramifications of that possibility were terrifying.
__________________________________________________________________________________________^{Passive: Intelligence (+2) / Constitution (+0) / Wisdom (-1) / Charisma (-2)

Skill (+0): Combat (gunnery) / Culture (traveler / Weltraum Zwang) / Security / Vehicle (space)

Skill (+1): Computer / Navigation / Perception / Science / Stealth / Tech (maltech / medical / postech / pretech)

Inventory (ready): Compad⁰ / Stealth Field Uniform⁰ / Gravity Pack¹ / Bioscanner¹ / Dataslab¹ / Metatool¹ / Mag Pistol (silenced, 6/6 shots remaining)¹ / Grenade launcher³ (2/3 shots remaining, tear gas)

Inventory (stowed): Flashbang grenade⁵ (x5)

Inventory (back at base): Instapanel (x5) / Lazarus patch (x1) / Medkit (x1) / Type A cell (x6)

Inventory (warehouse): Armory (frigate) / Stealth Suit Cache^x / Assault suit² / Argus web¹}__________________________________________________________________________________________
^{Unit 4 (outside): Sniper / Rifle / Rifle}
^{Unit 4 (inside): Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Rhyne}
^{Unit 4 (inactive): Bitterhold casualties (x8) / Gala casualties (x7) / Captives (x3)}

Waador fucked around with this message at 21:49 on Aug 25, 2016

# ? Aug 25, 2016 21:13

Successful Businessmanga: Mar 28, 2010

Cyril Cavil
_{HP: 4/4 AC: 3

Strain: 0/12 PP: 0/2

Argus Web: Recording

Active Camo: On

Mag Pistol 4/6 shots remain}

Cyril slides to a stop behind Gen as the pair enter the scene, the telltale kthunk of 588's grenade launcher sending off what would turn out to be a tear gas grenade into the scene deterring Cyril from bearing down on the power hungry Rhyne.

Seeing Gen break off in a dead sprint toward the opposing force, Cyril does his best to support and snaps his body into a perfect firing stance, if only he wasn't invisible and people could actually see it! One of the guards makes a move to intercept the charging robotic cop and with only a muffled pop to signal the end of his life, he falls to the ground, any chance of a happy ending flowing out from the new hole in his brain case.

Cyril's mind isn't even on the act of the murder at this point, he's just playing back the amazing scene of Gen bursting through the wall over and over in his head, praying to whatever deity might exist in the cosmos that his Argus Web caught that heavenly moment, it would make an excellent promo shot.

quote:

21 to hit one of Rhyne's spike thrower guards for 13 damage, because hooboy Rhyne's in a bad position, but I don't want dudes with spike throwers to start shooting Gen for 3d8 damage, those things are dangerous haha.

Successful Businessmanga fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Aug 25, 2016

# ? Aug 25, 2016 22:42

Zeppelin Insanity: Oct 28, 2009; Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn

The staircase is certainly not meant to accommodate this many people. It's complete and utter chaos. Everything happens in a split second.

Rhyne turns out to be a telekinetic as well, and uses Kinetic Shield on the gas grenade, forcing a reroll of the hit and damage rolls. Gen, I'd say roll twice the regular damage.

The great bulk of Gen slams into the general who is sent flying into a wall, knocking chunks of masonry out of their proper place. The kinetic absorption padding within the armour soaks up some of the impact, and the ceramic plates of the carapace crack. Enraged, he draws his monoblade sword, and with the voice of a madman roars out the Bears' battle cry "Rend!"

Let's see if the grenade lands in his mouth.

The last marine falls at the same time as one of Rhyne's men falls to the ground. The second to last remaining member of Unit 4 and Rhyne's second in command sprints up the stairs... running straight into 588.

Spike thrower 2 vs 588: 1d20+3+4 24 hit
Spike thrower damage: 3d8 4

Recognising the tell-tale visual artefacts at close range - not to mention the faint trail of smoke from the grenade launcher - he wastes no time bringing his weapon to firing position. The projectiles tear large chunks out of the shoulder area of the armour and decorate the wall with a spray of blood analogue.

I'm going to take over for Gordon to move things along. He has a shot on the upper level corridor, and takes aim at the spike thrower hostile.
Gordon vs Driscoll: 1d20+3 9

Gordon takes a shot at centre mass, but the round ricochets off the armour.

The rifleman runs inside and is, momentarily, stunned by the camouflaged figure before him.

Rifleman vs Cyril: 1d20+4+3 9 miss

The faint haze proves a difficult target, and the rounds fly well clear of Cyril.

# ? Aug 28, 2016 00:21

Successful Businessmanga: Mar 28, 2010

Cyril Cavil
_{HP: 4/4 AC: 3

Strain: 0/12 PP: 0/2

Argus Web: Recording

Active Camo: On

Mag Pistol 4/6 shots remain}

Cyril's surprised voice echoes out as his assailant runs up behind him "Oh poo poo!" lashing out with a poorly placed kick and scampers up the staircase hopping over the dead guard, crouching down and propping the bleeding man up against his shoulder Cyril braces the dead man's arm, still clutching his spike thrower, against his own chest and uses the dead man's hand to pull the trigger down flat.

As it would turn out firing a high powered shotgun requires a firm grasp on the weapon, the majority of the flechettes that burst forth from the mag weapon end up piercing their way through the walls instead of his target as Cyril bucks wildly under the recoil of the autofire.

quote:

Progression of events I'm going for:
Move Action: Move to dead spike thrower guard.
Free: Drop Mag Pistol
Free: "Pick up" Spike thrower? The spike thrower isn't exactly a readied item, but I'm trying to circumvent that with what I'm doing by trying to take cover behind the guard corpse and firing his gun without actually taking it off of his body. In exchange this'd give Crazy Rhyne the idea of where Cyril is, but I imagine he's crazily preoccupied with Gen haha.
Combat Action: Fire Spike Thrower full auto at the stairwell goon.
Full Auto-Spike Thrower vs Rifle Goon: 7

If the above isn't kosher we can roll it back to his starting point and Cyril will draw his Monoblade and try to go to town on the rifleman without moving.

# ? Aug 28, 2016 01:10

Zeppelin Insanity: Oct 28, 2009; Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn

The answer to "can I do a cool thing?" is usually yes.

# ? Aug 28, 2016 01:23

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 4 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

Plot posted:

The staircase is certainly not meant to accommodate this many people. It's complete and utter chaos. Everything happens in a split second.

He follows the bouncing grenade on the camera feeds, confident in the angles of his shots.

Plot posted:

Rhyne turns out to be a telekinetic as well, and uses Kinetic Shield on the gas grenade, forcing a reroll of the hit and damage rolls.

Perhaps foolishly, he hadn't factored telekinetic intervention into his model. It didn't matter much given the tight space of the staircase, but it definitely wasn't very sportsmanlike of Rhyne. He supposed he really couldn't throw stones in that regard, though, having brought a spaceship to a tank fight and all.

pre:

Attack roll (reroll: Kinetic Shield) vs. Rhyne - 13
The grenade misses, bouncing 3 meters from the intended target.
It has a a 5 meter dispersal radius, so still captures Rhyne in the blast zone.

Plot posted:

The last marine falls at the same time as one of Rhyne's men falls to the ground. The second to last remaining member of Unit 4 and Rhyne's second in command sprints up the stairs... running straight into 588. Recognising the tell-tale visual artefacts at close range - not to mention the faint trail of smoke from the grenade launcher - he wastes no time bringing his weapon to firing position. The projectiles tear large chunks out of the shoulder area of the armour and decorate the wall with a spray of blood analogue.

He was reasonably experienced in close-quarters combat, but he wasn't a wizard: it simply wasn't possible to dodge a shotgun blast in a confined space at close range. Driscoll had him dead to rights by any measure, so he found it terribly funny when his shot only grazed a shoulder. Perhaps the suit's camouflage caused him to misinterpret where centre mass was located? There was no way to know for sure. In any event, the spike thrower definitely did a bit of damage, but it was a small price to pay to be a hero.

In response to the assault, he levels his grenade launcher and aims a blast directly at the man's face. The shot goes ever so slightly wide, but still explodes mid-air in close enough proximity to do its job.

pre:

Attack roll vs. Driscoll 18
This grenade also misses, also bouncing 3 meters from the intended target.
It also has a a 5 meter dispersal radius, so still captures Driscoll in the blast zone.

At this point there was tear gas loving everywhere. The grenade had missed Rhyne's gaping maw, but he was still vulnerable after removing his helmet, and well within the radius of the gas. Driscoll wasn't yapping at him, but had also removed his helmet, and also had a cloud of tear gas to contend with in his immediate vicinity. He wasn't sure the man would be able to go back downstairs, given the cloud of gas down there, and he certainly couldn't loop around and take the other staircase down, for rather obvious reasons. He wasn't sure what the man's play might be, but sticking around to find out didn't make a lot of sense. He decides to do the only sensible thing, and disappear into the tear gas where his quarry would be hesitant to remain or follow.

pre:

I'll use my movement to vanish into the cloud of tear gas, since I don't breathe.
Navigation/Int 6 to do so with impaired visibility.

__________________________________________________________________________________________^{Passive: Intelligence (+2) / Constitution (+0) / Wisdom (-1) / Charisma (-2)

Skill (+0): Combat (gunnery) / Culture (traveler / Weltraum Zwang) / Security / Vehicle (space)

Skill (+1): Computer / Navigation / Perception / Science / Stealth / Tech (maltech / medical / postech / pretech)

Inventory (ready): Compad⁰ / Stealth Field Uniform⁰ / Gravity Pack¹ / Bioscanner¹ / Dataslab¹ / Metatool¹ / Mag Pistol (silenced, 6/6 shots remaining)¹ / Grenade launcher³ (1/3 shots remaining, tear gas)

Inventory (stowed): Flashbang grenade⁵ (x5)

Inventory (back at base): Instapanel (x5) / Lazarus patch (x1) / Medkit (x1) / Type A cell (x6)

Inventory (warehouse): Armory (frigate) / Stealth Suit Cache^x / Assault suit² / Argus web¹}__________________________________________________________________________________________
^{Unit 4 (outside): Sniper / Rifle / Rifle}
^{Unit 4 (inside): Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Driscoll / Rhyne}
^{Unit 4 (inactive): Bitterhold casualties (x8) / Gala casualties (x7) / Captives (x3)}

# ? Aug 28, 2016 03:06

Rhyos: Jan 2, 2006; It's probably my fault.

Double damage? I'll take it. Still only a whopping 2 damage.

_Gen ^Chatham

The armor may have been old news, but it certainly verified Voight's statement that Caerleonians knew ground combat. The force of a Mack truck served to give him a bloody nose. Or was that from his own mental- "REND" - this wasn't the time for that.

Having acquired a visual on his target, tracking software could create a nice colored outline in spite of the cloud of choking tear gas. He'd seen how folks blazed on Nuke could chew pepper spray like a pizza topping, so he didn't bank on it having much effect. Fortunately, he didn't need to breathe, so that was a plus.

Close combat was always a messy affair. Long ago, there was a 21-foor rule established. If someone with an intent to kill has a blade within 21 feet of the average gun-toting user, the blade had a very, very good chance at winning. This did not take into consideration combat armatures, or integrated weaponry.

In any close combat situation involving a blade, immobilizing the threat is of the utmost importance. Arms must act in concert, but independently to isolate, then disable. This usually involves entering corps-a-corps with the assailant.

Not sure if a roll is required, but Gen's going to try to enter a grapple with Rhyne, focusing on his sword arm.

While swords and even knives are extremely short-range weapons, there is still a minimum effective distance. Wrist power alone is not enough for the average human to cleave through steel. Quite literally attempting to get face-to-face with Rhyne, Gen does his best to maneuver his thermal pistol to the least armored component of Rhyne's body.

Thermal Pistol attack:10

This might not end well.

# ? Aug 28, 2016 04:19

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 4 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}
One of his grenades had gone off in the stairwell below a few seconds prior, and the thunderous 'pop' and subsequent 'hiss' was all the fanfare his latest explosive provided upstairs on the third floor. It was a beautiful thing, though he probably would have spent a bit more time appreciating it if he hadn't just miraculously dodged the brunt of a shotgun blast at point-blank range.

That said, shotguns weren't the only thing that were preposterously difficult to deal with in melee. In their previous encounter with the guy in the van, he'd been kind enough to target the man's ribs in an attempt to take him down without killing him outright. He'd taken a decidedly less kind approach with Driscoll, aiming the launcher directly at the man's face. While tear gas was technically a 'less lethal' weapon, being struck in the head by a grenade at thirty miles per hour from six feet away would almost certainly give you permanent brain damage, even if it didn't kill you outright. The laundry list of other associated risks included severe bruising, loss of eyesight, skull fractures, and nerve injury, to name a few.

It seemed luck favored the both of them, however. He'd avoided the brunt of the shotgun blast, but Driscoll had managed to avoid taking a retaliatory grenade to the throat. Thankfully, that didn't matter, as the shell burst in the air a few meters behind him, propelling the gas forward and encapsulating him almost immediately. Like Rhyne, the lieutenant had removed his helmet a few moments prior, when his flashbang had seemingly fried its optical receptors. That would very likely prove to be a costly decision, as the vapors rushed around him and inevitably towards his lungs.

"[sub posted:

Gen[/sub] ^Chatham" post="463649085"]Having acquired a visual on his target, tracking software could create a nice colored outline in spite of the cloud of choking tear gas. He'd seen how folks blazed on Nuke could chew pepper spray like a pizza topping, so he didn't bank on it having much effect. Fortunately, he didn't need to breathe, so that was a plus.

There was, of course, another side to consider. Driscoll was a member of Unit 4, and they were a highly trained black ops unit. It was very likely that they'd had at least some training when it came to tactics for dealing with chemical agents. He doubted the entire unit would have built up any sort of immunity-like tolerance to the gas, but in truth its physical effects were only part of its efficacy. A fair amount of the weapon's usefulness was derived from the panicked response that most civilians had when exposed to its effects for the first time. After the tenth, or twentieth, or fiftieth exposure, it still generally had unavoidable physical effects, but the recipient would be far less likely to lose their mental composure.

That was the funny part, though. Driscoll probably did think the gas wouldn't be a problem, precisely because of his training. The interesting thing about tear gas was that its effects were exponentially amplified in enclosed spaces. As a riot control device, it was intended to be used almost exclusively in outdoor environments for that reason. In that same vein, military training tended to do its best to mirror real-world scenarios, so tear gas exposure would be done, generally speaking, in one of two ways: either directly in the field, outdoors, where the grenade would dissipate quickly into the surrounding atmosphere as wind patterns dictated, or in an enclosed tent with a controlled amount of gas. As far as he knew - and admittedly, he might be wrong, though he would be astounded to learn otherwise - there wasn't a military unit on the entire planet that would ever consider a training regimen that involved hot boxing highly concentrated C₁₀H₅ClN₂.

pre:

Fun fact: tear gas exposure inside a closed space
is far more intense than exposure in the open air.

The effects of the gas on a person were generally fairly predictable, barring any medical conditions that amplified the results, or in rare cases genetic conditions that imparted varying levels of innate resistance. Exposure would almost immediately cause a burning sensation and tearing of the eyes to the extent that the subject cannot keep their eyes open, followed within a few moments by a burning irritation of the nose, and a reaction in the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat, causing profuse coughing, mucous nasal discharge, disorientation, and difficulty breathing, partially incapacitating the subject. It was unpleasant, to say the least, and that was how it tended to go down within normal operating parameters of an outdoor dispersal.

'588' posted:

He decides to do the only sensible thing, and disappear into the tear gas where his quarry would be hesitant to remain or follow.

Charging into the gas was a bit of a risk, as it actually took him closer towards Driscoll at the outset. It was the best option, though, as he was gambling on the man's disorientation peaking immediately following the loud noise of the grenade exploding, and the subsequent dispersal of the gas rushing into his lungs causing him to reflexively close his eyes in an effort to keep it out. That probably wouldn't work, but it was better than keeping them wide open and embracing blindness, so it tended to be what any career soldier would do. His next move, almost certainly, would be to try to get out of the gas. With there also being a cloud of gas below him, that meant Driscoll was heading forwards, which was precisely where he didn't want to be.

Slipping quietly into the gas also had an added benefit: the thick plumes of white vapor would conceal him at close range, even if his stealth suit would fail him at that distance. In combination with even a limited exposure to the gas, Driscoll was unlikely to be in any position to get a bead on him, and would be reduced to firing blind, at least in the few heated moments that were likely to follow. That would probably give him enough time to get out of the man's immediate range, and lessen the risk of the spike thrower being effectively deployed.

pre:

For clarity, I will use my movement to try to
get as far away from Driscoll as possible, since
I suspect he'll use his movement to exit the cloud
of gas.  In combination that will likely put us
>20m away from each other, dropping his spike
thrower into a range beyond its normal capacity
(typically 20m normal and 40m maximum).

I'm gambling that he won't be willing or able to
charge into the gas to get a bead on me, assuming
he isn't blinded and leaking from every orifice
shortly after exposure.  Between that and the impact
to visibility caused by thick white smoke enclosed
in the stairwell, plus the cover of the stairwell
itself if positioned well, it seems to be my best
bet to offset the danger he poses.

All things considered, it wasn't a terrible strategy on his part. Not bad considering he'd had less than a second to prepare it, with limited resources at his disposal. The cherry on top was the fact that he had access to the ventilation controls, having hacked into the embassy's systems earlier. With a wireless access point already set up, it would be trivial to ensure the gas remained concentrated precisely where he wanted it, rather than dissipating harmlessly into the ducts.
__________________________________________________________________________________________^{Passive: Intelligence (+2) / Constitution (+0) / Wisdom (-1) / Charisma (-2)

Skill (+0): Combat (gunnery) / Culture (traveler / Weltraum Zwang) / Security / Vehicle (space)

Skill (+1): Computer / Navigation / Perception / Science / Stealth / Tech (maltech / medical / postech / pretech)

Inventory (ready): Compad⁰ / Stealth Field Uniform⁰ / Gravity Pack¹ / Bioscanner¹ / Dataslab¹ / Metatool¹ / Mag Pistol (silenced, 6/6 shots remaining)¹ / Grenade launcher³ (1/3 shots remaining, tear gas)

Inventory (stowed): Flashbang grenade⁵ (x5)

Inventory (back at base): Instapanel (x5) / Lazarus patch (x1) / Medkit (x1) / Type A cell (x6)

Inventory (warehouse): Armory (frigate) / Stealth Suit Cache^x / Assault suit² / Argus web¹}__________________________________________________________________________________________
^{Unit 4 (outside): Sniper / Rifle / Rifle}
^{Unit 4 (inside): Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Driscoll / Rhyne}
^{Unit 4 (inactive): Bitterhold casualties (x8) / Gala casualties (x7) / Captives (x3)}

Waador fucked around with this message at 06:01 on Aug 29, 2016

# ? Aug 29, 2016 05:52

Zeppelin Insanity: Oct 28, 2009; Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn

The gas' nasty effects make everyone affected have another +1 to AC and -2 to hit - so the hostiles (except the rifleman) are AC5 and +1 to hit now. This does affect Cyril as well, however!
Rhyne still had an action left from last round, so he rolls an attack.
Rhyne vs Gen: 1d20+1+1 12

Choking with gas, Rhyne seems to opt for fighting with his eyes closed, relying on precog powers to determine how to move without sight. This is a significant challenge even for a master psychic. Rhyne is far from that, and even in his torched state it's a crude solution to the problem. A competent close combat combatant, in armour and a monoblade sword, versus a hulking machine. Dexterity, finesse and training versus brute strength. Even at the best of times, it would be unpredictable - the chaos, compromised armour, tear gas and psychic powers don't so much tip the odds as put them in a centrifuge. Gen repeatedly gets close to capturing Rhyne's sword arm in a hold but must back off to avoid having his own arm chopped off, while the pistol arm is far too busy protecting against strikes to the chest to be brought into firing position. The struggle would be an enthralling display of strikes, parries and counter-attacks... if anyone could see it through the thick clouds of tear gas. Some liberties might have to be made with the film adaptation.

Rifleman vs Cyril: 1d20+4+3 27 uh oh
Mag rifle damage: 2d8+2 9 uhhh... looks like you're going to cash in your "close scrape with death" goal

The other member of Unit 4 fires back at the cloud of smoke. Thanks to uncompromised optics, skill or luck, a round hits it's mark. Later, the medical investigation would conclude that the round sliced through the dead man's armour and body, slowed but not stopped. Passing through the front and back of one armoured suit, as well as the front of another one, caused it to splinter into multiple fragments. Most passed right through, but three pieces, along with a handful of bone fragments embedded themselves perilously close to Cyril's heart. What Cyril experienced at the time, though, wasn't pain or surprise or adrenaline. It was simply nothing. What his comrades saw was that the vital status monitoring and suit telemetry on their feeds suddenly stopped, the circuits shattered.

Since we've already had some old-timey references, might as well go full Tony Stark. Cyril's definitely not dead-dead, but out of action for now.

Driscoll does, indeed move away from the smoke cloud, and gets a -2 to hit for range. He balances that out by using burst fire, for a +2.
Driscoll vs 588: 1d20+1+4+2-2 19

588's prediction was absolutely correct. The tagged hostile moves away and attempts to exit the smoke cloud. Although effectively firing blind into smoke, a corridor does not leave much arc to cover. The burst of fire saturates the corridor, very nearly clipping 588 once more. There is a further complication - his path to the prime minister is now clear, and the door only a few minutes away.

Gordon vs Driscoll: 1d20+4 10

Without the benefit of cybernetic eyes, Gordon fires a blind shot just before Driscoll emerges from the billowing smoke cloud. It is, unfortunately, ineffective.

To clarify initiative: Rhyne had a leftover action. It's Gen's turn now. Driscoll acted last turn, then 588 acted, then Driscoll, so now it's 588 again. Rifleman acted, Cyril acted, Rifleman acted again. 588 and Gen are up next, basically, then the hostiles, with Gordon squeezed in wherever narratively appropriate.

# ? Aug 30, 2016 21:36

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 4 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

Plot posted:

588's prediction was absolutely correct. The tagged hostile moves away and attempts to exit the smoke cloud. Although effectively firing blind into smoke, a corridor does not leave much arc to cover. The burst of fire saturates the corridor, very nearly clipping 588 once more. There is a further complication - his path to the prime minister is now clear, and the door only a few minutes away.

He'd fully expected Driscoll to lay waste to the entire corridor, and had dropped to the floor almost immediately after seeing the man turn around. It proved to be just enough vertical distance to avoid the otherwise generous heaping of buckshot tearing through everything in the area.

It was clear to him that he had a problem of relatively significant magnitude ...and the only solution was more tear gas. Levelling his grenade launcher at Driscoll from his position on the ground, he aims directly for the man's throat: the sort of angle that might tear his head clean off if he isn't lucky. His pull of the trigger is calm and calculated. The thwunk of the projectile is quite possibly the last thing the man will ever hear.

pre:

Attack roll vs. Driscoll - 23
Kapow.

There was no way to know if Driscoll would survive the assault or not, and he didn't intend to stick around to find out. The last thing he needed was a retaliatory shotgun blast to the head after revealing his position with the last round loaded in his riot gun. Thankfully, there was already a perfectly serviceable place to be nearby: the ventilation system. He'd get to realize his dream after all.

pre:

I will use my movement to enter the ventilation system.
It seems wise to get out of this rather dangerous corridor.
Especially before anyone can see where I have gone.

Once inside, he checks the feed from the video cameras, trying to determine if Driscoll survived or not. If so, he suspected it would be helpful to start playing with the ventilation system controls in an effort to push as much tear gas into his lungs as possible by adjusting the air flow of nearby vents. If not, he'd very likely start doing the same thing to Rhyne.

Plot posted:

What his comrades saw was that the vital status monitoring and suit telemetry on their feeds suddenly stopped, the circuits shattered.

He belatedly notices Cyril flat-lining ...which suggested Chatham was alone with Rhyne.

pre:

588 >>
How's it going down there?

__________________________________________________________________________________________^{Passive: Intelligence (+2) / Constitution (+0) / Wisdom (-1) / Charisma (-2)

Skill (+0): Combat (gunnery) / Culture (traveler / Weltraum Zwang) / Security / Vehicle (space)

Skill (+1): Computer / Navigation / Perception / Science / Stealth / Tech (maltech / medical / postech / pretech)

Inventory (ready): Compad⁰ / Stealth Field Uniform⁰ / Gravity Pack¹ / Bioscanner¹ / Dataslab¹ / Metatool¹ / Mag Pistol (silenced, 6/6 shots remaining)¹ / Grenade launcher³ (0/3 shots remaining, tear gas)

Inventory (stowed): Flashbang grenade⁵ (x5)

Inventory (back at base): Instapanel (x5) / Lazarus patch (x1) / Medkit (x1) / Type A cell (x6)

Inventory (warehouse): Armory (frigate) / Stealth Suit Cache^x / Assault suit² / Argus web¹}__________________________________________________________________________________________
^{Unit 4 (outside): Sniper / Rifle / Rifle}
^{Unit 4 (inside): Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Driscoll / Rhyne}
^{Unit 4 (inactive): Bitterhold casualties (x8) / Gala casualties (x7) / Captives (x3)}

# ? Aug 30, 2016 22:07

Rhyos: Jan 2, 2006; It's probably my fault.

Gen Chatham

For all Gen's near-misses, he was fortunate that this sort of fight was not entirely unlike a grapple in a vacc suit. The added benefit was that this had armor, and he had a far, far smaller vital target to protect. The quirky analysis stops, however, when one of the names on his team readout goes red.

Thermal pistol attack: 9

Emotion gets the better of Gen. Swings go wild, a misguided headbutt punches a hole in a wall. An attempt at a knee to the gut leads to a stumble on Rhyne's toes. For all the machine, there's still a human brain inside, and his inability to save the lives of those marines, and apparently those of his own team, has him forgetting the basics of coordinated tactics. No responses. No communiques. Just smoke, gas, and blood. Blood. How much of it had Rhyne spilled? And for what?

# ? Aug 31, 2016 00:03

Zeppelin Insanity: Oct 28, 2009; Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn

588, roll me a damage. Since it's a blunt object hitting an unarmoured part of the body at respectable velocity, I think the damage profile for kinesis wraps is fair - 1d2+2.

The grenade hits Rhyne's second in command in the head and causes him to fall to the ground backwards. It's a testament to both his physical conditioning and his luck that he hasn't been knocked out. He was, however, a dead man who just didn't know it yet. It would have been a miracle if the blow didn't cause massive internal haemorrhaging, and lieutenant Driscoll has just burned through his last miracle by staying concious. Unfortunately, it would take him a few minutes to die. The blow has, however, delayed him from reaching his objective.

Operating on instinct and muscle memory, he fires another retaliatory burst from his supine position, filling the empty corridor with more supersonic flachettes. Of course, he has no way of knowing 588 is not there anymore.

Gordon vs Driscoll: 1d20+4 17 Gordon, you suck at this whole shooting thing. Also I just realised that I've been missing another +1 for projectile weapon skill all along, but it wouldn't have made any of the rolls a hit.

Another shot by Gordon hits the man, once more glancing off the tough armour due to the awkward angle. Having to scramble to get back to his feet.

Back in the staircase, the rifleman considers the situation for a moment. The outdated optics of his suit struggle with the thick cloud of tear gas. He catches only glimpses of Gen and Rhyne engaged in their contest. The mag rifle could easily bring down the hulking figure, but the risk of hitting the General is too great. Quickly, he double checks the helmet is set to recirculation - it lacks appropriate filters for prolonged exposure, but this would be over in minutes one way or the other - drops the rifle and draws his combat knife. The design is classic Caerleon, its short, stubby appearance brutal in its simplicity and it's edge a fine monoblade.

He's unaffected by tear gas, but I'm going to give him and Rhyne a further -1 for trying to not get in each other's way. So now rifleman's got +3, AC2 and Rhyne's got +0, AC5.

Rifleman vs Gen: 1d20+3+1 23
Damage to Gen: 1d8+1 8 uh oh

How about you describe the difficulty of fighting two trained soldiers in close combat at the same time, in an armature you're not fully used to to boot? I'm imagining it as more a gradual wearing down rather than a single strike, but it's up to you where you want to take it!

Zeppelin Insanity fucked around with this message at 02:21 on Aug 31, 2016

# ? Aug 31, 2016 02:08

Successful Businessmanga: Mar 28, 2010

Cyril Cavil
_{HP: -5/4 (Dead at -10) AC: 3

Strain: 0/12 PP: 0/2

Argus Web: Recording

Active Camo: On

Mag Pistol 4/6 shots remain}

Cyril's focus is all on the situation in front of him, and then without warning he is on his back; bleeding out slowly from multiple puncture wounds to the chest. There's a brief moment where he wants to laugh at himself and quip "Well I didn't see that coming" but only a feeble gasp escapes his mouth as he falls unconscious in the midst of a cloud of tear gas pinned under the corpse of a man he had just shot in the head moments ago.

quote:

Hit my two goals of "Get in a real fight" and "Survive a close scrape with death" let's see if we can't find a mech in the Prime Minister's private collection that they'd be willing to donate to Cyril's personal property to make it the hat trick .

Successful Businessmanga fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Aug 31, 2016

# ? Aug 31, 2016 02:28

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 4 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

Plot posted:

The grenade hits Rhyne's second in command in the head and causes him to fall to the ground backwards. It's a testament to both his physical conditioning and his luck that he hasn't been knocked out. He was, however, a dead man who just didn't know it yet. It would have been a miracle if the blow didn't cause massive internal haemorrhaging, and lieutenant Driscoll has just burned through his last miracle by staying concious. Unfortunately, it would take him a few minutes to die. The blow has, however, delayed him from reaching his objective.

The video from the camera feeds as the grenade slams into Driscoll is comedy gold.

pre:

Damage roll vs. Driscoll 4 blunt force trauma

The way he slams backward head-first into the floor is probably the best part. He couldn't even begin to imagine how badly that must have hurt.

Plot posted:

Operating on instinct and muscle memory, he fires another retaliatory burst from his supine position, filling the empty corridor with more supersonic flachettes. Of course, he has no way of knowing 588 is not there anymore.

Everybody always knocks the classics, but the ventilation system was already proving its worth.

Plot posted:

Back in the staircase, the rifleman considers the situation for a moment. The outdated optics of his suit struggle with the thick cloud of tear gas. He catches only glimpses of Gen and Rhyne engaged in their contest. The mag rifle could easily bring down the hulking figure, but the risk of hitting the General is too great. Quickly, he double checks the helmet is set to recirculation - it lacks appropriate filters for prolonged exposure, but this would be over in minutes one way or the other - drops the rifle and draws his combat knife. The design is classic Caerleon, its short, stubby appearance brutal in its simplicity and it's edge a fine monoblade.

The feed of tactical information from Chatham's chassis was not painting a particularly promising picture of the melee below deck, especially when he considered that Cyril had already flat-lined. Thankfully, he still had one card up his sleeve, and he'd been dying to play it. More accurately, he'd been waiting for everyone else to die so that playing it could be justified.

Durandal (the past) posted:

Computer/Int 12 (or Security 11 if preferable).

Plot posted:

The security system is a disappointment. Apparently embassies aren't build to withstand an actual attack. There's cameras with facial recognition software, locks on doors, fire suppression and window shutters, that's about it. The doors don't seem like they would slow a determined attacker by more than a few seconds, either, being made of synthwood rather than anything designed to withstand bullets or forceful shoulders.

Technically speaking, it was more of a full house. Literally, actually. Control over the doors and windows could slow down the progress of Rhyne's team. On the surface, that in isolation wasn't particularly valuable. However, he also had control over the fire suppression system. Now, a lesser man might say: so what? You can't stop an assault team with a fire suppression system. That was true, of course.

You can, however, stop an assault team without a fire suppression system. He knew the path they were going to take, and could force them to have to earn every inch with locked doors and barred windows. He knew that two of the three men didn't have functioning respirators, and had control over the ventilation system such that he could easily ensure every room was filled with tear gas before they got inside. He also had control over the wiring that fed into each of the cameras, and the circuitry run throughout the walls, floors, and ceiling ...which meant... well, there was no easy way to say it. Thankfully, he didn't have to: he still had access to Rhyne's encrypted communications network, and there was no further point in masking his presence. He begins to transmit a soundtrack to all of the remaining receivers on Unit 4's network at maximum volume in the hope that he might permanently deafen them.

:killdozer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfmhEIBBseU
:killdozer:

That was, of course, hardly the point. A mental switch flipped readily, slamming the doors shut throughout the facility and locking them tight. A second switch flips, directing the ventilation system to maneuver the tear gas about the facility wherever Rhyne and his little band decide to wander. In combination, the need to break down every single door they wanted through while breathing in tear gas was pretty likely to wear them down rather quickly. It might not halt their progress, but it would definitely slow them down.

Another switch primes the circuitry in all of the light switches, data ports, and other spare wiring in the rooms between Rhyne and his objective with a dangerous level of overclocking, readying them to burst into flames on a moment's notice and just a little nudge further on the overclocking scale. Yet another mental switch flips, disabling the fire suppression system in pretty much every room inside the facility, except for the room containing the Prime Minister, the room where Cyril was located, a few areas with key load-bearing beams, and his preferred path to the Prime Minister in the ventilation system.

Best case scenario, Rhyne would burn alive trying to get to his goal as the rooms suffered from wholly inexplicable spontaneous combustion mere moments after he set foot into every single one of them. Worst case scenario, he was going to have to battle through the fire and flames and earn every inch of ground against locked doors and windows, while his adversary made his way to the Prime Minister and spirited her away through safe zones only he could control.

pre:

I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but here we are:
 1 > Will use my control over the security system to lock doors and windows
     as Rhyne and his team approach each room.  The intent is to delay his
     progress and make him waste time in every room to his objective.

 2 > Will use the ventilation system to ensure the tear gas is vented into
     every room he tries to enter by the time he actually gets into it.  I
     hope he has a good time with the physical exertion of breaking down doors
     while breathing in nothing but tear gas.

 3 > I will overload the circuits on the doors, window shutters, light switches,
     data ports, and other electronics in each room that is connected to the
     internal network, in an effort to set rooms on fire before he enters them,
     and ensuring there's a five-alarm blaze on his heels at all times.

 4 > The fire suppression system will be disabled whenever it is opportune to
     cut off his path forward, or alternatively to try to burn him alive.  The
     only 'safe zones', such as they are, will be the room with the Prime Minister,
     the general area of Cyril's nearly lifeless form, and the ventilation system
     parts that I need to get to the Prime Minister, and then effect an escape to
     the roof.

With the field set, he begins to crawl towards the Prime Minister at maximum speed, locking the vents behind him to prevent Rhyne or his team from following.
__________________________________________________________________________________________^{Passive: Intelligence (+2) / Constitution (+0) / Wisdom (-1) / Charisma (-2)

Skill (+0): Combat (gunnery) / Culture (traveler / Weltraum Zwang) / Security / Vehicle (space)

Skill (+1): Computer / Navigation / Perception / Science / Stealth / Tech (maltech / medical / postech / pretech)

Inventory (ready): Compad⁰ / Stealth Field Uniform⁰ / Gravity Pack¹ / Bioscanner¹ / Dataslab¹ / Metatool¹ / Mag Pistol (silenced, 6/6 shots remaining)¹

Inventory (stowed): Grenade launcher³ (0/3 shots remaining, tear gas) / Flashbang grenade⁵ (x5)

Inventory (back at base): Instapanel (x5) / Lazarus patch (x1) / Medkit (x1) / Type A cell (x6)

Inventory (warehouse): Armory (frigate) / Stealth Suit Cache^x / Assault suit² / Argus web¹}__________________________________________________________________________________________
^{Unit 4 (outside): Sniper / Rifle / Rifle}
^{Unit 4 (inside): Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Driscoll / Rhyne}
^{Unit 4 (inactive): Bitterhold casualties (x8) / Gala casualties (x7) / Captives (x3)}

Waador fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Aug 31, 2016

# ? Aug 31, 2016 03:29

Rhyos: Jan 2, 2006; It's probably my fault.

Gen_*Ch▒┤ha░

Melee combat with one opponent is generally an all-or-nothing affair. Melee combat with a crazed psychic is something completely different. Emotional situations give one tunnel vision, never mind the flood of tear gas. It would be hard to fault anyone for not seeing it coming.

Tangled with Rhyne, Gen's vision suddenly ▒▒▓░░ as ░░▒. Every armature has a weak point. The prolonged struggle allowed Rhyne's man to stick a monomolecular edge between the control circuit and the power distribution link. Cold and efficient, just like placing it between the 3rd and 4th vertibrae, Gen goes down. Failsafes kick in, the rather flatulent emergency disconnect system fires up, and with nothing but static before black, Gen
bbb

k

░▒▓░▒▒▓

:ovr:

The combat robot still rolls poorly in combat.

# ? Aug 31, 2016 17:44

Waador: Sep 11, 2001; Smashin' down the light.; Pillbug

^{'588' > 4 / 8 HP > 4 AC > Cloaked}

"Gen[sub posted:

*[/sub]Ch▒┤ha░" post="463762434"]Failsafes kick in, the rather flatulent emergency disconnect system fires up, and with nothing but static before black, Gen

He hadn't really expected Rhyne to be on the receiving end of Chatham's ejection system. He supposed Rhyne saw it coming, though, precognitive and all. That probably made it worse.

Durandal (the past) posted:

"As for the extraction process, well, you nailed it. If 'poo poo goes to gently caress', just clench those butt muscles, and let poo poo do what it does. There's an array of pressurized tanks of liquid nitrogen, lubricant, and inert gas to act as a propellant. In combination they should be able to squeeze you out like artificial diarrhea. I bet you could probably clear fifty meters if you aim properly."

It was almost too good to be true.

Durandal (the past) posted:

He decides not to mention that of the three tanks that comprised the emergency ejection system, the lubricant was a viscous brown coloration, and the 'inert gas' that acted as a propellant had a truly foul smell to it. Depending on the ventilation wherever he eventually ejected, it might well cause a few people to throw up in response. That was a defensive feature, though. He wouldn't want any hostiles fishing around for his companion.

It was true, though. As if the tear gas wasn't bad enough, now Rhyne would have to wade through literal poo poo vapours to get to his objective as well.

He couldn't even really comprehend how a human mind might cope with what was about to happen to Rhyne, even if he could see the future. A visible cloud of noxious gas, stinking of human poo poo, was going to seemingly intelligently follow him through a building, alongside a triad of eye-burning and throat-closing clouds of tear gas. While this was happening, doors were going to close as he approached them, locking themselves shut and forcing him to breathe deeply of the air in order to perform the physical exertion necessary to break them open. Meanwhile, the walls and floors were going to light themselves on fire as he wandered, threatening perpetually - and again, intelligently, as if living flame - to burn him alive. All while an unbearably loud soundtrack inflicted permanent hearing damage upon him.

It would be as if the planes of existence had converged upon this point, and that Hell itself had manifested inside the embassy. Perhaps drawn like an evil spirit to the flame of a psychic torching brightly in the metadimensions. He wondered, was he an instrument of divine will? Did Hell exist? Was he giving it a foothold on Caerleon, here and now? What would Rhyne, even now a madman, see and feel when this harsh new reality forced itself upon him?

He looked forward to finding out. The irony was that he didn't even disagree with what the man was trying to accomplish.
__________________________________________________________________________________________^{Passive: Intelligence (+2) / Constitution (+0) / Wisdom (-1) / Charisma (-2)

Skill (+0): Combat (gunnery) / Culture (traveler / Weltraum Zwang) / Security / Vehicle (space)

Skill (+1): Computer / Navigation / Perception / Science / Stealth / Tech (maltech / medical / postech / pretech)

Inventory (ready): Compad⁰ / Stealth Field Uniform⁰ / Gravity Pack¹ / Bioscanner¹ / Dataslab¹ / Metatool¹ / Mag Pistol (silenced, 6/6 shots remaining)¹

Inventory (stowed): Grenade launcher³ (0/3 shots remaining, tear gas) / Flashbang grenade⁵ (x5)

Inventory (back at base): Instapanel (x5) / Lazarus patch (x1) / Medkit (x1) / Type A cell (x6)

Inventory (warehouse): Armory (frigate) / Stealth Suit Cache^x / Assault suit² / Argus web¹}__________________________________________________________________________________________
^{Unit 4 (outside): Sniper / Rifle / Rifle}
^{Unit 4 (inside): Shotgun / Shotgun / Shotgun / Driscoll / Rhyne}
^{Unit 4 (inactive): Bitterhold casualties (x8) / Gala casualties (x7) / Captives (x3)}

Waador fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Aug 31, 2016

# ? Aug 31, 2016 17:54

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# ? Apr 28, 2024 16:16

Zeppelin Insanity: Oct 28, 2009; Wahnsinn
Einfach
Wahnsinn

General Aran Rhyne no longer existed. The man, his memories, ideals, and his mission were all gone, burnt away by the torching, the exertion and the trauma. Rhyne had intended to die. What was left, however, was a bundle of animal instincts - self-preservation being at the top of the list. After Gen was brought down, the things that was Rhyne struck out at his former subordinate, comrade and friend. Then, he took off at the highest pace he could manage, a limping walk, trying to get away and experience fresh air once more.

The soldier's wound was minor. The suit was breached, allowing the tear gas to enter, but neither hurt as much as the lack of recognition in his General's eyes. The man, whose identity would later be confirmed as sergeant Lloyd, felt betrayed. He felt hopelessness as he looked around at the destruction, his dead comrades and the bodies of innocent men he killed for a cause that was now abandoned by his own leader. With that, he simply gave up, discarded his weapon and slumped to the ground next to his latest two victims. He thought it appropriate that tears would stream from his eyes.

In the next few days, former sergeant Lloyd fully co-operated with the investigation. He revealed the names of a number of co-conspirators as well as the location of equipment caches. Interrogated, he revealed that in recent years Rhyne and Unit 4 have grown increasingly unhappy with perceived slights against Caerleon by Holst and were attempting to spark a war between the two nations.* One week after the incident at the embassy, Lloyd and the rest of Unit 4's survivors tried by a joint Caerleon-Holst tribunal in sessions broadcast in both nations. Two days later, a public execution was carried out. Lloyd and his comrades had no last words.

If there was a human mind left in Rhyne, it would be broken by the hell he was experiencing. He did his best to isolate himself from the heat, stench and tear gas through the use of telekinesis, but there was no fresh air anywhere in the confined spaces. The Scarab shell pumped oxygen-filled blood substitute and every combat drug available into his veins. With that, he managed the inhuman feat of working his way through two sets of doors before finally collapsing and dying. Unbeknownst to 588, one of the reasons the Scarab shells were retired was that the internal shock absorbent membrane was found to melt into the skin under intense heat conditions. The screams were chilling. This even affected 588. Although designed to be calculating rather than emotional in order to not compromise performance, a small amount of empathy was essential in order to fulfil the purpose as protector of humanity. Few things awakened it.

This left only Lieutenant Driscoll. While he was affected by tear gas, the hole in the wall and proximity to the Prime Minister made 588's manipulation of the system ineffective. At this moment, he was getting up to his feet, attempting to wipe the irritants from his eyes and getting ready to breach the final door.

*Internal CID note
CLASSIFIED LEVEL TEN - director access only
Based on psychological profiles correlated with field agent evidence, it appears that along with all other living member of Unit 4 Lloyd has attempted to conceal his true aims. Evidence suggests that Rhyne and Unit 4 believed that a war between Holst and Caerleon was highly likely, and a precisely executed series of incidents was the best way to prevent it. The likelihood of this is highly debatable, although it appears that all of Unit 4 firmly believed this to be the case. As such, it is plausible to conclude that Unit 4 believed its mission accomplished, but that revealing their motivation would sabotage the result. This is called into question by the lack of discrepancies in the detainees' stories, as well as their commitment to them under torture-assisted interrogation. The combination of significant physical and emotional trauma, combat drugs and memory blockers make psychic interrogation inconclusive.

# ? Aug 31, 2016 22:15

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [Stars Without Number] Glory in the Black game thread

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