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Stan The swarm stares at the mass of brain tissue as ripples pulsate through it. It's close enought to what Stan see in their collective nightmares that the little crickets are rattled by it, and that's clear in their buzzing voice even though they try to hide it: "Getting past the brains won't be an issue for us, of course, but - should we wait for our Guardians to chew through the nanoswarm? It would take some time. Comrade Alice could fry them with her plasma rifle in a matter of seconds, but it would probably damage the brains and any evidence therein. Thoughts, comrades?"
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| # ? May 21, 2012 06:47 |
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| # ? May 25, 2013 03:46 |
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Sashimi Joe Joe turns several interesting shades of purple and neon blue, free tentacles twining around each other. "I'm well at home in freefall myself. Best done quickly, I say. Get through and use the Guardians to clean up on the other side. Get at least a look, grab evidence if we see it." He realizes he's talking around a pipe that a tentacle just put in his beak, but decides to keep it. "Frankly disappointed in Synapase. Bit to literal for my taste."
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| # ? May 21, 2012 23:03 |
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 LABORATORY [19:52:16 LST] 01:07:44 left Well this is a loving mess. The entire laboratory has been remodelled by a lunatic. The interior has been stripped out and replaced with a chaotic tangle of pillars, metal panels and mesh walls which stretches off in all directions around you. Living tissue is all over the place here, with clumps of veinous brain matter clinging to the mesh walls and strands of neuronal and epithelial cells wrapped around pillars or just sort of stretching out across the room on their own. Much of the mass is encased in a hard carapace not unlike the shells of neurodes. Needless to say, this place smells awful. Stress Test time! (Willpower x 3), 1d10 SV on failure. With Clipperton's critical success, the Guardian swarm will continue to protect you provided you all stay within the 10 x 10 x 10 cube it occupies. Also, Sashimi Joe has successfully turned Quarko into a belt. He does not have an off switch. Ettin fucked around with this message at May 26, 2012 around 11:14 |
| # ? May 26, 2012 10:30 |
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Stan Woo, go Guardians!  The swarm draws itself into a tight buzzing sphere, drones orbiting tightly around it, so as not to touch anything gross. It draws a wireframe cube of light in AR, delineating the boundaries of the Guardian swarm, for its fellow Troubleshooters' benefit. [@comrades: Stay in the cube, please; step (or float) outside and we have no idea what kind of horrible poo poo you'll get infected by. Right, what now? What exactly are we looking for, anyway?] The tremble remains in the little crickets' collective voice as they view this literally nightmarish scene, but they seem to be keeping a lid on it (their AR meshcast reveals that the Committee have voted to devote some processing power to setting up voluntary counselling centres for traumatised subroutines). Stress Test vs WILx3 (ie 60) - 59. Clipperton fucked around with this message at May 26, 2012 around 13:07 |
| # ? May 26, 2012 11:17 |
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Sashimi Joe Joe is clearly very unhappy with all this, to the point it may well be impairing his judgement. You can hear him grinding on the pipe in his beak and he's turning some not-nice shades of reds and dark purples. But he soldiers on, as needs must. [Can't rightly say, old boy. Just keep pushing through as quickly as you, and give a shout if you see anything of interest. Ms Troid can burn it behind us once we're through.] Joe takes his own advice and keeps his eyes open as they move through. Stress, vs 45: 1d100 92 1d10 1 Perception, vs 65: 1d100 22 What do my mollusc eyes see?  pre:Phys.Damage: 10 WT: 6 DUR: 30 Wounds: 1
Ment.Damage: 1 TT: 6 LUC: 30 Traumas: 0
Armor: 18|14
Current Weapon: Rational Arms Allegrissimo Machine Pistols x2 [30/30x2; Biter SMG 180; Zap SMG 60]
Moxie: [x][x][x][ ][ ]{ }
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| # ? May 27, 2012 02:13 |
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Alice Troid will save TN60: 1d100 95 crazy: 1d10 6 Alice retches at the touch of the fleshy matter when stepping on it.
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| # ? May 30, 2012 04:22 |
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Rani Kaur Rani grimaces as she looks around, but manages to contain her revulsion. This is just normal Ugly Science poo poo rather then the kind that runs at her, screaming and clawing. The colorful lights that make up the 10x10 boundary also help. "Joe, hurry up and do whatever the gently caress it is that you're doing so we can blow this shithole and light it up. I'm going to need some R&R badly when we're done here, and the sooner we jettison and turn this place to dust, the better." Willpower stress test vs 45: 1d100 13
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| # ? May 30, 2012 04:27 |
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Thibault Jaurès Thibault steps onto the squishy flooring, eternally grateful his suit is thick and full of immuno-nanites and his brain full of emotional suppressants. 49 vs (45+30 for endocrine control) 75.
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| # ? May 30, 2012 05:34 |
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As Joe soldiers on through the brain rooms, he spies something! Above them, through a gash in the wall lined with tangles of cells, he sees.........  Dr Synapse's neurode morph has had some work done, compared to the brain's profile pic. The hard carapace shell has turned translucent, and the four legs and two manipulatory digits normally found on neurodes have been exchanged for a cluster of long cyber-tentacles hanging from the base. There are no fingers or hands anywhere, in fact. Part of the laboratory mainframe is visible through the gap, half-buried in brain tissue but still operational. In the dim light of cell-wrapped monitors Synapse is hard at work, with fractal-branching tentacles dancing over buttons at blinding speeds and cybernetic eyes blinking quickly over unseen readouts. Whatever Dr Synapse is doing, it is a step beyond normal transhuman speeds. With Gorbash's crit, you see Synapse in advance! Feel free to do whatever seems right - avoid him, talk to him, shoot him, whatever. You can start shooting now, but Synapse will be entitled to a Surprise Test - his Perception against your Infiltration. Those who beat him will receive a free Action Phase to attack without Synapse being able to react to or defend against it, and Synapse will suffer a -3 modifier to the next Initiative Test either way. You'll receive a +20 bonus to your Infiltration thanks to that crit, but watch out: You know neurodes have Oracles, meaning Synapse won't suffer penalties for distraction, and the doctor seems pretty fast too! Also, I am not rolling Perception in advance. You're going to have to gamble on this one! Also, Rani's Indecisiveness means she doesn't get that bonus. What are you going to do?
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| # ? Jun 4, 2012 13:52 |
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Rani Kaur Rani has a hard decision on her hand. She waffles back and forth between a few options, noting the size of the brain, it's potential danger, and, of course, what sort of incredibly scientific advancements it might have made. There is so much the doctor could teach us! Finally she decides on using the rifle over using the pistols. Now to just get close enough... Infiltration vs 20: 1d100 20 Goddamn, just barely made it on the nose
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| # ? Jun 7, 2012 01:58 |
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Sashimi Joe [Synapse!] Even over the mesh, you can sense a degree of anger at odds with Joe's usual absent-minded professor routine. Joe hesitates for just a moment, but seeing Rani start moving immediately hardens his resolve. His skin turns red and then adjusts to match the environment. He pulls his machine pistols free and pushes off, moving to get a clear shot on the floating brain. Infiltration, vs 75 (+20 chameleon skin, +20 crit, -10 wound): 1d100 71 pre:Phys.Damage: 10 WT: 6 DUR: 30 Wounds: 1
Ment.Damage: 1 TT: 6 LUC: 30 Traumas: 0
Armor: 18|14
Current Weapon: Rational Arms Allegrissimo Machine Pistols x2 [30/30x2; Biter SMG 180; Zap SMG 60]
Moxie: [x][x][x][ ][ ]{ }
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| # ? Jun 7, 2012 03:52 |
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Thibault Jaurès Thibault engages the chameleon systems in his suit before stepping into Synapse's chambers, plasma rifle at the ready. He's more than ready to torch this monster. Infiltration vs (60 + 30 CC + 20 Crit) 99, the dice finally smile on me with a 2. I think it is pretty safe to say I am the most hidden motherfucker.
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| # ? Jun 7, 2012 04:04 |
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Stan The Winstanley Collective is all for personal development and exhumanism, but after seeing the nightmare Synapse has made of the habitat, a quick General Assembly vote sees the noninterventionist bloc soundly defeated by the single-issue Intervention with Extreme Prejudice Party. The crickets strobe and fade as their chameleon skin kicks in, while their drones quickly hide around the end of the corridor out of Synapse's sight. They cautiously creep into the chamber after their comrades. Infiltration vs 75 (55 + 20 for Chameleon Skin): 80, oops. I'll spend a Moxie point to flip that to 08.
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| # ? Jun 7, 2012 04:33 |
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TatteredKing is travelling, let's just go! On the other hand, since I'm seeing some good rolls there and moxie was spent, gently caress it: if someone wins, Synapse is surprised by everyone! PERCEPT THAT poo poo, TN 90: 1d100 56 Also being literally a brain has its perks and you probably want a fast kill  With Gorbash's MoS 71 excellent success, it is surprise round time! Take those turns!
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| # ? Jun 10, 2012 12:46 |
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Rani Kaur At least this time, Rani doesn't hesitate. Target in sight, unaware. And Rani quickly decides on putting the rifle away to swap for another, more fun weapon. [ gently caress you, you goddamn giant brain!! ] Down goes the rifle. Up goes the HEAP. The missile's lock-on system swerves slightly at first due to the concentrated brain matter everywhere until making a lock-on. It waits until it fully penetrates the good doctor's shell before it explodes - and explodes it does. If she can, Rani takes out a joint and lights it after dropping the disposable launcher - now truly disposable - on the ground. She also turns away from the explosion as she lights it, as a matter of professional courtesy. HEAP vs 75: 1d100 95 Moxie'd into 59 HEAP damage, -16 AP: 6d10+29 73 pre:Phys.Damage: 14 WT: 10 DUR: 50 Wounds: 1 Ment.Damage: 10 TT: 6 LUC: 30 Traumas: 1 Indecisiveness Current Weapon: Disposable Launcher, Empty Biter Pistol: 11/18x2, 72 left AP Rifle: 45/45, 140 left Zap Pistol: 72 left Flamer: 18/20, 1 canister left Freezer: 20/20, 1 cannister left 2 Overload Grenades
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| # ? Jun 10, 2012 22:43 |
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Alice Troid Reimu, Alice's Muse, decides between two narcotics over the course of the day and seeing what science should not have wrought is quite enough for the fragile psyche of the lost. Alice is bombarded with ar distractions and pleasent conversation. She sits in brain matter, forgetting what it is, and talks aloud to someone who isn't there.
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| # ? Jun 11, 2012 20:19 |
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Stan As its comrades open up on Synapse, the Collective takes advantage of the confusion and streaks over to the mainframe, crickets fluttering around the monitors and keyboards, logging what Synapse is doing and looking for a way to interrupt it or throw the neurode off-balance somehow. Going on holidays this week so posting will be spotty. I'll make any rolls I can think of now and Ettin can tell me which ones are relevant: Infosec vs 75 to study Synapse's mainframe: 83, ouch. I'll flip that to 38 with another Moxie if I may. Investigation vs to take the data and figure out what Synapse is doing: 100, \m/ Finally, Infosec (Security speciality) vs 85 to prevent Synapse from somehow infecting Stan's collective robot brain from this process: 52, so at least something went right today
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| # ? Jun 11, 2012 21:35 |
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Dr Synapse looks up, just a little too late! "Do you mind? --" - - - 100? Nice.   Winstanley is able to sneak over with ease and, through insights gleaned from studying the rest of the base plus Suzume's password keys, can access Synapse's databanks and swipe everything instantaneously! He'll be able to find out what the doctor is up to with minimal risk to himself, though he might want to do it later because... - - - The missile buries itself into Synapse with the crunch of carapace and a wet slapping sound before detonating, spraying the neurode's brain-mass across the room. The remains of Synapse's cyber-tentacles twitch wildly at breakneck speeds, bouncing themselves across the microgravity room and through the mess of blood and tissue hanging in the air. It is super gross. With Synapse's death, the entire brain-module seems to react! Masses of living tissue begin to twitch and spasm, screens and other electronics covered in unknown fibers jerk and slide back deep within the mass, and somewhere in the distance you hear the groan of moving metal. That's not good. Ettin fucked around with this message at Jun 15, 2012 around 11:03 |
| # ? Jun 15, 2012 10:58 |
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It is time to leave! What happens once you're out of this module is up to you and something you can sort out later. I am calling for skill checks to get out of here! You can make multiple checks for different things if you like. The obvious skill to roll is Free Fall, but as long as you roll something I don't care if you skip that one. I will reward creative uses of other skills! Oh, and you should pick your exit! The Laboratory connects to everything except Habitation, and you are roughly equidistant from all exits from Synapse's chamber: 
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| # ? Jun 15, 2012 11:47 |
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Hey Ettin, if I blow a hole in the hull once all the non-vacuum sealed folks are out, can I get your assurance that those of us who can spacewalk will arrive in time for whatever climactic stuff happens during our getaway to the escape vehicle?
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| # ? Jun 15, 2012 20:17 |
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Sure, that sounds awesome!
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| # ? Jun 16, 2012 00:08 |
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Thibault Jaurès Thibault speaks up as he starts looking for a place to tie down. "If no one has any objections, I am going to blast a hole in the hull. I feel that what is left of Dr Synapse could stand to be exposed to hard vacuum and intense radiation, and it could not hurt to have a mobile reserve in the event we are attacked on the way back to the transporter. "If anyone would care to join me for a quick walk on the hull, I would not be adverse to company." Once everyone's situated, whatever samples Joe wants are collected and the leaky folks are out - Thibault finishes dogging down the lab hatches and makes for his spot of choice. The coolant pipe seemed like a promising brace. He wraps one arm around the pipe, then fires his plasma rifle one-handed. It's a good thing accuracy isn't required here, because the sudden decompression nearly tears the heavy weapon from Thibault's grip. He keeps squeezing the trigger, pushing the gun up to its heat tolerances, and then it's empty, there's a bunch of ugly holes chewed in the hab hull, and the roaring has stopped. Taking care to avoid the molten edges of the hole he's created, the neo-avian gingerly steps out onto the exterior hull. Now he was back in his element. Some practiced footwork and precise thruster taps make for a leisurely stroll back to the transporter garage. Sweet. Freefall roll is 10.
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| # ? Jun 16, 2012 16:51 |
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Alice Troid Alice grabs onto whatever she can when the vacuum kicks in, "Oh my! What a nasty draft faux turtle!" (I asked erring to do my freefall roll for me.)
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| # ? Jun 17, 2012 04:26 |
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Stan The Collective, seeing Thibault raise his plasma rifle, send their drones zooming out of the module so they're not blown into vacuum. Meanwhile, the crickets latch on to the terminal they're using with their grip pads and download what they can of Synapse's data while the wind's roar dwindles to a hiss and then the silence of vacuum. Finally, since the molten edges of Thibault's hole probably wouldn't be good for them, and flying with their wings is out of the question in a vacuum, they search for a duct or maintenance hatch they can use to exit the module themselves. Pilot (Aircraft) vs 45 to get the drones out, assuming I need to: 84, I hope I didn't need to ... Interest (Logos blueprints) vs 50 to find a way out: 39.
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| # ? Jun 17, 2012 08:20 |
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Sashimi Joe Joe pauses, and puts his suddenly inadequate seeming machine pistols away. [@Rani: Perhaps a bit too enthusiastic for my tastes, Miss Kaur, but decidedly effective.] Moving in towards the remains, Joe waves a tentacle at M. Jaurès to indicate he should go right ahead with the violent decompression, he'll be fine. Most of his attention though is on taking samples of a less data dependent nature. If possible, he retrieves Synapses' stack and puts it in a container that is mesh isolated and very secure. Disassembly and wrist tools are deployed and his pipe absentmindedly lit until its put out by the sudden departure of atmosphere.At that point he grabs a few last items and swarms his way out into space. vs Scrounging (60), vs Freefall (60): 1d100 38 1d100 89 Ouch, that second roll is unmoxiable.
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| # ? Jun 17, 2012 15:01 |
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Rani Kaur Rani, joint rapidly running out, stares at the others getting ready to slowly make their way back using the outside of the station, and decides a SPACEWALK would be really stupid. "Fuuuuuuuuuuck that. I'm going back to the shuttle the NORMAL way." She then runs out to do just that. Freefall vs 60, not 50, as the DANK DANK NUGS alleviate the penalties of the trauma pre:Phys.Damage: 14 WT: 10 DUR: 50 Wounds: 1 Ment.Damage: 10 TT: 6 LUC: 30 Traumas: 1 Indecisiveness High Current Weapon: Disposable Launcher, Empty Biter Pistol: 11/18x2, 72 left AP Rifle: 45/45, 140 left Zap Pistol: 72 left Flamer: 18/20, 1 canister left Freezer: 20/20, 1 cannister left 2 Overload Grenades Armor: 22/23 +10 vs Fire/Heat, +30 vs Liquid Based Attacks
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| # ? Jun 19, 2012 00:53 |
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Alice's Freefall was an excellent success! I am assuming she put her suit on and went spacewalking with the others if she stuck around for the vacuum but feel free to correct me. That is enough successes to get out of here!  While Stan worms his way out through a maintenance hatch (his drones will lag behind a little, but they can get out), the others leave! Joe gets a few things and has trouble exiting without shooting into space, but with Thibault's (and maybe Alice's) help he is saved from shooting out into space! The module is shaking violently as you leave. The ground twitches and shudders under your boots (or gloves, or whatever) and nearby screens start to flicker and output reams of what you can only describe as coloured static. An uncomfortable buzzing rings in your ears, like someone is shouting at you through a fan in the distance, and you're not sure if the sound is entering via your ears, your comms or somewhere else entirely. << ThiS iSn'T OVeR! >> - - - The SLOTV is still where you left it, docked with the Cargo Bay. Nobody has interfered! By the way, Joe set it up so the control systems will melt down if a code isn't entered every two hours - you still have about ten minutes left, though! Go, secret time limits! The Laboratory module continues to shudder as you scramble across to the Cargo Bay module. - - - Rani just heads back to the Cargo Bay through the connecting floatway! The creaking and groaning metal is mostly coming from here - the Laboratory is trying to completely disengage itself from the rest of the habitat, or at least shake itself free. Rani has little trouble bouncing up the floatway, though, and soon she is away from the danger zone and heading to the Cargo Bay! Ettin fucked around with this message at Jun 19, 2012 around 02:04 |
| # ? Jun 19, 2012 01:39 |
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 CARGO BAY [20:01:56 LST] Rani (and anyone looking at her feed) finds everything just as they left it - storage lockers and crates, nets, grab-loop pillars, ectos... yep, it's still a complete and total goddamned mess! Someone has disturbed the crates, though. There are definitely more of them loose, floating freely around the module instead of secured in their nets. A pair of dolphin-shaped shades floats past.
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| # ? Jun 19, 2012 01:48 |
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Rani Kaur Rani ignores all of this and just goes for the shuttle. Pffff whatever.
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| # ? Jun 19, 2012 03:39 |
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Thibault Jaurès The neo-avian keeps one of Joe's tentacles wrapped around his arm as he scampers toward the cargo bay. Habitats are not supposed to shake. At all. "Rani, I don't suppose you have another missile, just in case?"
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| # ? Jun 19, 2012 04:43 |
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For a brief second as she passes through the bay, Rani thinks she sees motion and a hint of purple behind some distant crates out of the corner of her eye! It's gone when she turns, but there's something else! It is red, and blinking. 
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| # ? Jun 19, 2012 08:07 |
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Rani Kaur Thinking fast, the olympian throws herself at the grenade, tucks into a roll as she grabs it, and throws it back! REF+COO+COO vs 70: 1d100 28 Throwing vs 65: 1d100 58
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| # ? Jun 19, 2012 23:55 |
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The others can start making their way into the Cargo Bay if they like, whether via the SLOTV, maintenance hatches, one of its unused airlocks or just trying to blow a hole in it! The grenade drifts back into the crates and explodes! Metal boxes start ricocheting around the room, bouncing off the walls and each other and generally making a mess. For the briefest of moments, as a pair of crates part, Rani sees Joaninha. The neo-cetacean-turned-splicer's face is set into a furious rock-hard stare, and her matching purple vacsuit is torn and bloody - not her blood. Guns and knives are strapped to her, and there's a dead octopus on her back, its tentacles tied in a belt and harness around her torso. Rani is pretty sure she's holding more grenades. Then another cluster of crates tumbles by in front of her, and she is gone.
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| # ? Jun 20, 2012 07:15 |
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Stan As the crickets crawl through the maintenance hatch looking for a way outside, they feel the habitat shudder as something explodes and things start thumping around. [@comrades: What was that? Is Rani blowing stuff up again? Anyone need any assistance?]
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| # ? Jun 20, 2012 23:58 |
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Oh! Also, I am assuming you guys are sharing video feeds so you can just look and see what that was. Eclipse Phase!
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| # ? Jun 22, 2012 07:49 |
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Stan The Collective reviews the footage from Rani's feed. [@rani - Okay, so it's not you blowing things up. @comrades - Do we need to worry about dolphin-lady? Synapse is gone, we've got all the data ... Your thoughts?]
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| # ? Jun 23, 2012 11:02 |
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Sashimi Joe [@All: I suspect she will make herself known no matter what. A this point use deadly force, retrieve stack, evacuate post haste. Hopefully she has not disabled or booby trapped the SLOTV.] Joe pushes for the docking bay, unlimbering a plasma cutter in case they need to get in the hard way. [Also do not forget the passcode.]
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| # ? Jun 25, 2012 03:59 |
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Rani Kaur "gently caress this." Rani ignores the insane neo-cetacean-turned-splicer and just keeps running for the SLOTV. [ She's got a backup. I'm not going for force or the stack. We're getting the hell out of here ]
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| # ? Jun 26, 2012 23:34 |
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Stan [Concur, comrade Rani!] The crickets continue to scuttle through the ducts and service lines, heading for a rendevous with their drones at the SLOTV.
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| # ? Jun 26, 2012 23:53 |
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| # ? May 25, 2013 03:46 |
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Thibault Jaurès Thibault says nothing over the communications net, but secretly he's glad to avoid another fight. Truckin' on toward the SLOTV, and if I have to jump for it, well, I got backpack thrusters.
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| # ? Jun 27, 2012 00:26 |
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