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 harm 0:00 hunger 3:00 | XP 2/5 Armor systems// armor 2 damage 0:00 charge 3:00 ammo 3:00// 1-resupply I follow along with Profit.
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Jan 18, 2018 03:34
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Petrescu You take stock of your situation, and your tools, all of them. At this point there aren't many smokes left, but you saved a few and you have your father's lucky lighter. He had a story once of how it saved his life. Maybe it will save yours too. It's real hard to get your bearings in this cave, but the air isn't too stale. There must be a draft. The flickering flame shows you the way. If you follow the drafts you're sure you can get out. But the light also reveals more of that blue stuff in the air, it might be the moss? It shies away from the fire, but it's swirling thickly at the edge of the light. What do you do?
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Jan 18, 2018 03:47
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 Cool +1 | Hard +2 | Hot -1 | Sharp +1 | Weird +2 Harm: 3:00 | Experience: ○○○○○» | 6-barter Alright, alright. Play it cool, Reine. Nobody needs to be chunky salsa... well, except that gently caress Leroy. He's in for a world of pain once I figure out where he is. I hold Jenkins tight, mostly so he doesn't make a run for it and kick off the shooting, but a little bit so he can serve as a human shield. These fuckers are all sorts of crazy and, y'know, a shotgun blast probably won't do much more than make me angry... but have you ever gotten shot? I sure haven't. God willing I'll keep it that way. As I hold Jenkins, I say, "C'mon, Leroy, the jig is up. You can make this easy on all of us, or you can loving answer to Profit when I let her in on where you're holding one of her Shrikes. Give me Jen, I'll leave Jenkins with you, and you get a head start before Profit's on your rear end. Best offer you're gonna get, I guarantee it." Now, I'm maybe a little crazy, but not crazy enough to think he'll serious go for it. Nah. What I'm waiting for is him to slip up. If I figure out where he is... man, the dude's hosed every which way. I got a glorified box-cutter, sure, but with all the mess in here and the dark? He won't be able to get a bead on me before I get on him. quote:SidekickBOT - Today at 8:50 PM
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Jan 18, 2018 07:09
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 Cool: +3 | Hard 0 | Hot +1 | Sharp +1 | Weird -1 No weapons. The gently caress? "The gently caress?" I say, without quite intending to. God drat do I not have patience for this bullshit. Been, Profit, now Zee. Did everybody forget who the enemy was? "Zee," I say over the radio, "I don't give two shits about whatever personal crap you're up to. I've got bugs to murder, and they were behaving strange in that fight. Not normal swarming. Thought they were actually chasing Sideways, like he's pissed them off. Want you to do your psych stuff on some of the dead bugs, see if we can learn anything." Most important thing in a fight is information - where the enemy is, what their intention is, their goals... SidekickBOT - Today at 9:06 AM @Casino (Platonicsolid): 2d6+1 Read a Person (Zee) = (5+5)+1 = 11 Holding 3, spending 1 to ask how I can get your character onboard with intel gathering.
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Jan 18, 2018 15:07
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 Cool+1 | Hard=0 | Hot+1 | Sharp-1 | Weird+2 Harm: 0:00 | 1-armor | 4-barter | 2/5 XP Ah, I get it. Casino has seen what I've seen, at least on some fractional level. Probably still hasn't grasped the full magnitude of it. I take a deep breath and speak through the radio again. "Look, Casino. poo poo's bad. I know poo poo is bad. I've seen it, no no, I've seen it. I'll come and read a bug if you want me to, but... brass thinks I'm a problem. I'm not, truly and honestly, I want to survive same as you all. I need two promises, ok?" "First promise: tell me where to meet you, and I'll be there. No funny business. You gently caress with me, this working relationship is over, you hear me? You don't need to join my crew, but you need to prove to me that you're not an enemy. And you can do that with the second promise. No. Weapons." Casino: the best way to get Zee onboard with your plan is exactly what she says. Don't gently caress with her.
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Jan 18, 2018 16:14
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Sideways poo poo. I come up with a masterful plan to muddy the waters enough to not get shot and the Major just... moves on. Ordinarily I'd take the win and scurry back to the Motor Pool, but it sounds like the Major has A Plan. And maybe someone should be there that can fill Zee in on the deets. From a respectable distance. Which is why Thumper and I are bringing up the rear of Major Profit's convoy back to Command. Ears up and ready to peel out, as whatever's going on can still go south.
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Jan 19, 2018 18:09
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 Cool: 0 Hard: +1 Hot: +2 Sharp: +1 Weird -1 XP: 4 Alright, a draft. At least I might be able to get out of this drat tunnel. What the hell is up with that blue moss. It kinda looks what got to me in the first place. Some kind of drugging. Or is Zee behind this? Is this perhaps how she does mind control? gently caress, none of this makes sense. How the hell did I get removed from all the other soldiers, and if this affected everyone, how are none of them nearby. gently caress it, all of this is clearly above my paygrade. I just gotta focus on returning to base. I start walking in the direction the draft is coming from, letting the lighter guide me. Not really stealthy, but I'm not sure I'll outstealth these bugs, and without it, I might well miss some tunnel out of here and get completely lost. I try to carve in the wall whenever I come to any kind of crossing, just so I can tell which way I've been going. @Sgt. Vasile Petrescu (Shogeton): 2d6 Act Under Fire = (6+6) = 12 Shogeton fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Jan 20, 2018 |
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Jan 19, 2018 23:51
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Reine The darkness doesn't matter to you, as soon as he speaks you can locate him. Leroy is kneeling in a pitch dark side office, using the desk as a stand for his rifle. He can shoot through the window at you, but he doesn't have a bead, instead he's holding a little box in his off hand. So what's with the chunky salsa comment? And both of you? All the computers here are shut down, but you can feel a low buzz of electricity. You think he set up some explosives with a remote detonator. For the first time since your pipe adventure you also take stock of yourself. People aren't usually so aggressive when a pretty and non-threatening girl stumbles somewhere she shouldn't be. But your clothes are torn to poo poo, you've got this weird mix of slime and blood on you, you look like something from a horror movie. So Leroy will not fall for a nice girl act and he thinks he has the upper hand for threats. But, Jenkins is his friend so he's going to hesitate to push that button. Come at him fast and get close so he can't use the explosives, use the darkness and cubicles to avoid fire, then tear him apart in hand to hand. What do you do? Petrescu It isn't far at all. You make your way to the draft and use your rifle as a lever to open the whole. You pop out... In your garden? An easy exit point since the gardeners have been digging and tilling here. But that means these tunnels run under the base and if you fell into them from the battlefield they probably run back through the jungle. This is a way past the Line. When humans fights bugs in a field with discipline and ranged firepower it's an easy win. But if they attacked at night, from the garden, with the way discipline has deteriorated? It would be a slaughter. What do you do?
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Jan 20, 2018 00:44
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 Cool+1 Hard+2 Hot=0 Sharp+1 Weird-1 | 0:00 Harm | 2-Armor | XP ●●●○○» | 0-Barter RLS-4B Dagger Speed+1 Handling=0 Massive=0 0-armor | Shrikes 3-harm gang medium savage 1-armor I dismount my speeder and walk up to the door of Huan's bunker. I look around, find the intercom button, press it. "Major Huan. This is Profit. We need to speak. Now."
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Jan 21, 2018 04:36
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Profit "The Major is indisposed, can you leave a..." The first voice in interrupted by a slurred baritone, someone has been drinking: "Ahhh... Yes. Of course. You must suspect. Yes, we must protect what is most precious, and what is more precious than our own bodily fluids? Tainted. Corrupted. We are the walking dead. Our only task left is to spite our killers. You have done well Major, such courage, such spirit, such stubborn refusal to see the truth. You are a good soldier. They will surely lay a purple heart on your grave. Glory to Humanity!" Mr. Prokosch fucked around with this message at 08:04 on Jan 21, 2018 |
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Jan 21, 2018 05:35
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harm 0:00 hunger 3:00 | XP 2/5 Armor systems// armor 2 damage 0:00 charge 3:00 ammo 3:00// 1-resupply I step forward and catch the Major's eye, asking quietly: "You want me to -open- that door, ma'am?"
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Jan 21, 2018 07:33
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Cool +1 | Hard +2 | Hot -1 | Sharp +1 | Weird +2 Harm: 3:00 | Experience: ●○○○○» | 6-barter It's pretty drat clear that Leroy is crazy, but the bad kind of crazy. The kind of crazy where he's got the place rigged to blow and a hell of a lot of gun on his side. Alright, okay, I can make this work. Jenkins is going to be my ticket in. I'm fast as hell, and with the moment of hesitation that Jenkins is gonna get me... I can make this work. Working things down to hand-to-hand is going to hurt a lot less than charging in through a hail of gunfire. I already look like someone tried to throw me in a blender — gotta find a towel or something, get that goo off before I head back out... — and I doubt that Leroy's prep would do anything to help my complexion. I take a deep breath, then burst into action. I can feel the electricity humming. The detonators... lining the approach. Gotta be. I twist Jenkin's arm behind his back and push him forward like a battering ram. I just gotta clear the killzone before Leroy decides that he's more important than his buddy. I can do! I know it! quote:SidekickBOT - Yesterday at 2:53 PM ...Unfortunately, Jenkins decides to be difficult. It's like trying to wrangle a loving cat. He zigs and zags before I tug him back into position, but it's long enough that I can feel him push the button. drat good thing I had Jenkins between me and the killzone. The shrapnel drat near tears him apart, but I make it through without much more than a bit of splatter. And, really, given how much goop I've already got on me, nobody's gonna notice. Still, despite that little bit of unfortunate business, I'm through and into the cubicles. And now? Now Leroy is hosed. The plasma edge heats up, leaving a glowing trail as I cut through the dark office, and I go to work. quote:SidekickBOT - Today at 9:46 PM
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Jan 21, 2018 09:10
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Cool+1 Hard+2 Hot=0 Sharp+1 Weird-1 | 0:00 Harm | 2-Armor | XP ●●●○○» | 0-Barter RLS-4B Dagger Speed+1 Handling=0 Massive=0 0-armor | Shrikes 3-harm gang medium savage 1-armor I hold up a finger to Aboah - one moment - and jam the intercom button down again. This time I don't bother keeping my voice down. I want everyone around to hear this. "Huan, and whoever the hell is playing secretary in there. I'm coming in to talk, and it's happening now. I don't give a poo poo how drunk he is. Pop this hatch." @Profit (Comrade Gorbash): 2d6 Manipulate = (3+1) = 4
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Jan 21, 2018 20:24
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Cool: +3 | Hard 0 | Hot +1 | Sharp +1 | Weird -1 "Lot of poo poo's going wrong here, Zee. You might get hosed with, won't be by me," I say. Last thing I need is having to play tapdance with a pissed off psychic while bugs try to eat me. No weapons...that's tougher. "Not sure you'd want me unarmed if things go to poo poo," I say. "Tell you what, I'll give you my rifle, but you have to bring it along, give it back if we need it."
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Jan 22, 2018 04:48
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Cool+1 | Hard=0 | Hot+1 | Sharp-1 | Weird+2 Harm: 0:00 | 1-armor | 4-barter | 2/5 XP I think for a second, but to be honest my initial suspicion that this is a trap is fading away. At the very worst, if it is a trap, my crew outnumber one single soldier, no matter how good she is. I hold the radio back up to my mouth. "Alright you have yourself a deal. Name a place and I'll be there."
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Jan 22, 2018 15:56
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Reine Leroy and Jenkins are dead. You can see Jen strapped to a medical gurney, she has a gag but she saw and heard most of what went down. She's struggling against her bonds. That explosion was loving loud, it won't have gone unnoticed. What do you do? Profit, Aboah, Sideways "Is that an order I hear? It seems you are ready. Thank you. I see Aboah on the cam. Perhaps you can each carry half of my burden. Aboah, as the last living man, it seems right that you should hold my secrets. Major, to you I give up my charge of our denouement... I formally relinquish command to you. May your next life be filled with beauty." You hear a scream, two gunshots, and then the cackle of a blaze. Aboah You receive a transmission from Major Huan. It appears he lead a unit into Lifelabs early in the conflict. The report is too detailed to do anything but skim at the moment, but it indicates that they were researching a way to bond humans with some kind of locally discovered substance that would boost cellular regeneration to an absurd degree. So long as the host was regularly stimulated with high density electrons they would be effectively immortal. They also seemed to become mentally unstable and developed psychic capabilities. The first test subjects revolted, killing the scientists and escaping into the jungle. The first military actions on this planet were to hunt them down, but they somehow subverted the dangerous but disorganized wildlife into an army to protect themselves. Major Huan was under strict orders to secretly recover key data and materials to continue the research, the same data and materials you are supposed to recover. But his unit turned on itself as soon as they reached the facility. Men he had known and trusted for years became monsters, spread confusion, and systematically murdered their friends. Huan sent a report on the incident to high command. In that report, he recommended that all communication be cut off from the planet and no one be allowed to leave until a cure or test could be established. High command listened. Major Huan effectively stranded every soldier on New Eden. - Casino, Zee Meet up and say what you have to say, but in the distance you hear an explosion. Came from around the abandoned TacSim offices. Mr. Prokosch fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Jan 22, 2018 |
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Jan 22, 2018 21:50
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Cool+1 Hard+2 Hot=0 Sharp+1 Weird-1 | 0:00 Harm | 2-Armor | XP ●●●○○» | 0-Barter RLS-4B Dagger Speed+1 Handling=0 Massive=0 0-armor | Shrikes 3-harm gang medium savage 1-armor Of all the things I had considered, this was not one of them. "Huan! Goddammit - Aboah, open this loving door!" I turn back to the train of troops that have been following along. "Petrescu! Where the gently caress is Petrescu?" The sergeant doesn't appear, and all I get back are confused looks and shrugs. We've managed to misplace the man somewhere between here and the armoy. "God loving dammit! Doc, Fang, on me, now." The two medicos are still here at least. I'm only totally hosed, not irrevocably.
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Jan 22, 2018 22:08
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harm 0:00 hunger 3:00 | XP 2/5 Armor systems// armor 2 damage 0:00 charge 6:00 ammo 3:00// 1-resupply "Yes, ma'am!" I amp up my suit servos, and throw the entire weight of my armor against the door, my boots pushing furrows into the ground as the metal squeals and begins to give way... Force an Entrance 6 On a miss, mark 1 charge countdown segment, and you’re hung up somewhere midroute or on some difficult threshold.
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Jan 22, 2018 22:16
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Aboah You slam into the door with full boosters once, twice, third times the charge. On the last hit the door gives way too easily and he goes flying across Central Command, smashing into a computer bank that's in the middle self destructing through a current overload. Electricity arcs throug the suit, overwhelming its capacitors and grounding. Your suit takes 4 harm! (-2 for armor, 1 blows through to you). You smell burning rubber as your screens flicker and die, leaving you blind in the middle of an inferno! What do you do? Profit Aboah blasts through the door and a backdraft from the blaze bathes everyone in intense heat. It would take nerves of steel to rush in there. You spot him on the other side of the room, his suit frying in an electrical storm. The Major is clearly dead, he shot himself in the head. His secretary is struggling on the ground though, looks like he was shot but not killed. Seems Huan didn't want you to get at something he knew, since the room is in full scuttle mode. But there's likely still valuable intel that hasn't been scrubbed yet. What do you do?
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Jan 22, 2018 22:34
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harm 0:00 hunger 3:00 | XP 2/5 Armor systems// armor 2 damage 10:00 charge 6:00 ammo 3:00// 1-resupply As my HUD flickers and I'm left in the dark, I smell burnt plastic and ozone, gently caress. short circuit. I feel fine though, so whatever it was I took it on the armor, like I'm supposed to. "ok, my HUD's out, but my comms are still up, can somebody talk me out of here? I'm gonna need to hit the shop after this." harm 4
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Jan 22, 2018 22:46
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Cool +1 | Hard +2 | Hot -1 | Sharp +1 | Weird +2 Harm: 3:00 | Experience: ●●○○○» | 6-barter I let out a satisfied sigh as I drop Leroy's head to the floor. Man, this adrenaline stuff, the whole combat high, is wild. No wonder the Shrikes were like how they were. Maybe I can ride along next time they go on patrol. I mean, really, I'm already part of the extended family. Jen and Ivan are cool, or will be, and Profit's gotta be happy with me getting them back for her. Safe and sound, hell, better than ever! Pity about Tex, but that wasn't my fault. Stripping out of my now-ruined uniform, I start pulling Leroy's off of his headless corpse. I figure I grab his gun, no use letting something like that sit in the dark, and his clothes are way less messed up than mine. As I sop up the worst of the goo and blood caking me with the last clean bits of my jacket, about to change into Leroy's kit, I hear Jen still struggling against her bonds. Oh, right. I should probably do something about that. I don't know if I'm just getting more in tune with all this craziness or if I'm hallucinating, but it looks like she's got all these little tendrils of Light branching out of her head. They look angry and sad and... scared, maybe? I don't want to deal with another Jenkins when I let her out. I pull on the Light, straightening all those sad-looking branches out, and make my way over to her on the table. I say, "Shhh, don't worry, Jen! I'm here to help. I already rescued Ivan. Sorry about Tex, but..." I shake my head, then run my hand across her cheek. "Well, you're fine. That's good. I'm going to untie you, but I need you to be nice and calm and quiet. Can you do that for me...?" Taking whatever Leroy had that's worth taking, figure Jenkin's stuff is a loss after getting exploded. quote:SidekickBOT - Today at 2:27 PM
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Jan 23, 2018 01:02
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Cool: 0 Hard: +1 Hot: +2 Sharp: +1 Weird -1 XP: 4 poo poo, poo poo, poo poo. Good news, I'm back at the base. Bad news, there's a goddamn tunnel that goes straight into our garden. Which is double bad, because even fixing that is gonna wreak havoc on our food supply. And who knows whether this is the only exit? But how... who put me here? Without any kind of watch over him, pretty close to the exit? He was unsure of whether this was the action of an enemy, an ally or something else. Kidnap a soldier only to alert him to a massive security breach and let him escape? What the hell was going on? gently caress it, this is above my paygrade. I need to report this. Now. I run towards the command bunker, where Major Profit was likely going to? If my clock is right, I shouldn't have lost too much time. poo poo, what the hell is going on there? Arriving near the command bunker if that's possible, though I don't know how you see the timeframes?
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Jan 23, 2018 03:53
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Cool: +3 | Hard 0 | Hot +1 | Sharp +1 | Weird -1 When Zee emerges I hold out my rifle and turn it over. The magazines are in my belt, and I've still got my sidearm. I'll turn it over if she asks. "Back up at the skirmish site," I say, starting the hike without any further fanfare. Act confident, treat everything as normal. Why wouldn't I? We're all on happy happy team human here. "Like I said, couple of us noticed the bugs really had it in for sideways. Usually they go after the closest warm target. Not this time. Hoping you can pick up residual psych stuff off the corpses." They do it in the vids, at least, and even if it's mostly propaganda, should be something to it. Just as we're getting to the site, I hear the explosion. "Oh gently caress me," I hiss. It looks like it came from the old tactical offices. "You probably want to give me that rifle back, "I tell Zee.
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Jan 23, 2018 04:10
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Cool+1 Hard+2 Hot=0 Sharp+1 Weird-1 | 0:00 Harm | 2-Armor | XP ●●●●○» | 0-Barter RLS-4B Dagger Speed+1 Handling=0 Massive=0 0-armor | Shrikes 3-harm gang medium savage 1-armor "Get that man out of there!" I snap at the medics, pointing to the downed secretary as I move in myself. I need to know what Huan knew. It might well decide who lives and who dies on this hell hole. So I push into the flames, intent on grabbing some intel before it all goes up in smoke. @Profit (Comrade Gorbash): 2d6+1 Do Somehting Under Fire = (5+2)+1 = 8 SidekickBOT - Today at 10:38 PM @Profit (Comrade Gorbash): 2d6+2 Pack Alpha = (3+1)+2 = 6
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Jan 23, 2018 04:41
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 Hard =0 | Cool +2 | Hot +1 | Sharp +1 | Weird -1 Barter=4 | Harm=3:00 | XP ●●●○○» As soon as I see the backdraft shoot out the door I’m up and out of Thumper, my brain taking shotgun to a dome-dweller’s instinctual fear of fire in enclosed spaces. I see the Major rallying the Shrikes to do what they can, but its happening too slowly. I start grabbing at anyone in the vicinity, babbling in a mixture of Anglic and Lojban, trying desperately to get them moving faster SidekickBOT - Today at 10:44 PM @PFC 'Sideways' Thompson (PG): 2d6-1 Helping the Major by Yelling Alot = (3+1)-1 = 3
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Jan 23, 2018 04:53
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Cool+1 | Hard=0 | Hot+1 | Sharp-1 | Weird+2 Harm: 0:00 | 1-armor | 4-barter | 3/5 XP An explosion? Ok yeah Casino can have her gun. "Yeaaaah alright here you go. No funny business, deal?" I look down at the bug corpse. It's a gross thing, and I haven't seen one this fresh since... ever. Back offworld they'd bring corpses to use and make us practice our probing, but this is something else entirely. This thing might technically be dead, but its psychic energy is still just as alive as ever. This could go very, very bad. "Stand back!" I bark at my followers. I could have them link up like before and probe that way, but if this goes wrong, the last thing I need is a dozen fried cultists. Better just to risk myself. I plant my hands firmly on the bug's head, close my eyes, and reach... [11:26 AM] BOTSidekick: @Zee (quiggy): 2d6+2 Open Your Brain = (6+5)+2 = 13 Highlighted stat, marking XP.
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Jan 23, 2018 17:26
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Zee Hey Zee, what does it feel like to touch the mind of a dying bug? Anyway, you do it. You remember some speculation about their intelligence, but this bug? Dumb as a stump. It didn't understand it was going to die, didn't understand the ambush. It didn't even have bloodlust or hunger how a human would understand it. It was just running on thoughtless instinct. But there was something behind it, a more familiar kind of mind directing the entire swarm. That's why it moved like one, there was only one reasoning mind. That mind didn't die, it was controlling them from afar. It's likely still watching. You get a touch of what it wanted. They were after Sideways but only as a stepping stone. It wants you. It wants you bad. Not dead though, something else. It gets blurry there, something between enslaving and marrying. What do you do? Profit You give the order and rush in, but a blast of flame causes the medics to hesitate behind you, and you can feel yourself being singed. Any further in and you will be burned. You can get the intel, but it's going to hurt The medics try to push in again. Then you hear a shot fire from the crowd. People pull away from the shooter, some guns come out. Is that Crazy Ivan? He was reported missing. It looks like he just finished off the secretary the medics were trying to rescue. The medics duck back out of the fire. He's saying something but you can't hear it over the flames. What do you do? Sideways You're running around and shouting at these people to do something! There's a lot of chaos, a lot of movement, and a lot of heads turned towards the fire and the shock of Huan's death. When you hear the gunshoot, people press around you so tight you can't move. Then you feel a sharp pain in your back. You hear a whisper in your ear. "I saw everything, freak. Every one of you traitors will bleed." You take 2-harm, roll harm. What do you do? Aboah All you can hear is the roaring of flames. You free yourself from the computers but you have no clue where you ended up besides in a fire. When you make orbital drops it's with a heat shield for entry. The suit can take heat and you have an air tank, but it's not like you can stand in something like this for long. You aren't a BBQ Jacob yet, but the temperature inside the suit is rising, and that means the outside is likely red hot. If you just stand here for too long waiting for a helpful hand that isn't coming you'll end up as yet another in the long line of "LM thinks he's hot poo poo and then dies stupidly" stories the army passes around. What do you do? Casino You hustle towards tactical. The source of the explosion isn't hard to find, what with the dust plumes. When you get to the offices you spot a weird scene. A gooey specialist (do you know Reine?), obviously wounded, in a badly fitted uniform is caressing a tied up Shrike. The specialist then unties the Shrike and they embrace. There are some corpse chunks in with the wreckage, and a naked corpse at their feet. What do you do? Reine You take some time to get changed. Leroy has some poo poo 1-barter and a nice scoped rifle (3-harm far) and then saunter over to Jen. She's tense and struggling, filled with rage and fear. But you keep eye contact, and you can feel yourself glowing with love for all living things. She struggles a little more, but when you gently stroke her face something breaks in her. Her grunts turn to sobs. When you untie her she goes straight for a desperate hug. Then you see fear and surprise as she sees Casino behind you. What do you do? Petrescu You arrive at central command and find that it's on fire. People are mulling around, murmuring, and generally not being much help. Then, you see Crazy Ivan stumble towards the fire, pull out his side arm, and shoot into the blaze. "I know that wound. He would have died anyway. And why should we risk Shrikes for these gently caress ups? There are too many of you worthless fuckers taking up our food supply." A lot of the good men you gathered to fight Zee (who is not here) have their weapons up. But the Shrikes seem to be backing him up. And the Major? She's in the fire. What do you do?
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Jan 24, 2018 23:45
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Hard =0 | Cool +2 | Hot +1 | Sharp +1 | Weird -1 Barter=4 | Harm=9:00 | XP ●●●○○» Pain It cuts through the panic clogging my brain, but I can’t get this together before I fall into the crowd, jostled and shoved until I can’t tell which is where and who is what. Some animal instinct to lash out has me grasping at my sawed-off, but I override it. There’s far more of them than me, and I’d rather live to see tonight. I know the Major had the Shrike’s medics with her, but I can’t tell where they are, and it sounds like poo poo’s about to pop. And there’s the fucker with a pigsticker to consider. Fuckit, I’m out. I’ve played good soldier-girl today, but I ain’t going to die for this bullshit. Everyone’s already looking at Crazy Ivan, time to just crawl the opposite way as quick as possible. Infirmary is close, and even if they’ve already hosed off I can score some bandages and meds. (Eye on the Door to get out of the crowd: @PFC 'Sideways' Thompson (PG): 2d6+2 Eye on the Door to get out of the crowd = (3+3)+2 = 8 -On a 7–9, you can go or stay, but if you go it costs you: leave something behind or take something with you, the MC will tell you what.
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Jan 25, 2018 00:35
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Cool+1 Hard+2 Hot=0 Sharp+1 Weird-1 | 3:00 Harm | 2-Armor | XP ●●●●○» | 0-Barter RLS-4B Dagger Speed+1 Handling=0 Massive=0 0-armor | Shrikes 3-harm gang medium savage 1-armor I push through the smoke, knowing that the main records will be wiped, but Huan's PDA might still be active. I just have to find it. The heat is overbearing, but I sweep my hands over the desk, and feel it bump the edge of my hand. I snag it before it can fall, then turn and get out as fast as I can. As I go, I shout at the Marine. "Aboah! Goddammit get your rear end in gear, I'm not done with you! Aboah!" The smoke and flames are getting too intense for me to stay though. I burst back out actually smoldering, with the searing pain telling me my arms are burned. @Profit (Comrade Gorbash): 2d6-1 Help Aboah = (1+6)-1 = 6
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Jan 25, 2018 02:07
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Cool: 0 Hard: +1 Hot: +2 Sharp: +1 Weird -1 XP: 4 Why the gently caress did the hole world turn upside down while I was gone? Am I having some really loving bad trip or something? One of the Shrikes murders a fellow soldier. Rest of the Old Guard is ready to fall on him, the Shrikes seem ready to defend him, but the Major is in the fire and what the gently caress is going on? First order of business, prevent these guys from opening fire on each other. Odd as it sound, the fire right next to us might actually be helpful there. "Someone mention food supply?" I call out, a little reminder who's been keeping all of them fed these last months. "The gently caress is going on? Stop pointing your guns at eachother. Deal with the murder later! There's a fire in our loving command post and everyone's standing around like a bunch of civvies. You're soldiers! Act like it! Get a triage ready, get people out where you can, save equipment, try to reduce the fire by the entrance. Get your loving asses in gear!" @Sgt. Vasile Petrescu (Shogeton): 2d6+2 Manipulate the Old Guard into assisting iwth evacuation = (2+1)+2 = 5
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Jan 25, 2018 02:19
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Cool: +3 | Hard 0 | Hot +1 | Sharp +1 | Weird -1 "Zee," I say, taking my rifle back, checking it and then loading it. "I've survived too much poo poo to worry about anything beyond getting off this planet, and that means killing bugs, not humans." Even Earthers, I finish in my head. Huh. I actually believe that. Weird feeling. "Let me know what you find, I'm going to check out tactical," I say, giving a raised fist Martian salute. Also a weird feeling. Today's the day for unusual, it seems. I head to the Taccom double time, rifle on my back and hand hovering near my sidearm. Smoke and dust make it clear where I'm going, and make a proper survey impossible. In we go, then. I come up behind a Specialist, who's got a pretty shaken Shrike in her arms. The rest of the areas is...not great. Poor fuckers. "Specialist," I say, dropping my voice into the commanding tone Earthers expect from a Lieutenant. I take my sidearm off them, but keep it in my hands. "Situation report. Other casualties? What caused this?" SidekickBOT - Today at 9:43 PM @Casino (Platonicsolid): 2d6+1 Reading a charged situation = (6+5)+1 = 12 Casino would like to know -Who's in control here, what should I be on the lookout for?, and What's my enemy's true position?
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Jan 25, 2018 03:46
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Cool +1 | Hard +2 | Hot -1 | Sharp +1 | Weird +2 Harm: 3:00 | Experience: ●●○○○» | 7-barter I hold Jen close, turning to face the LT, and just shake my head wordlessly. Part of it must be the adrenaline crash, part of it the fact that I may well need to up my body count to get out of here. Can't I just be a loving hero in peace? poo poo. Well, I'm not gonna say this looks great, but there's a little moral high-ground on my side. Depends what the LT makes of it. I take a deep breath, then say, "...Ma'am, this is it. Jenkins and Leroy—" I gesture at their bodies. "Possibly with others, took three Shrikes hostage. Something about a prosthetic, I think. Tex, now deceased, Crazy Ivan, and Jen. I'd stumbled on Jenkins holding Crazy Ivan in an office complex and, with a little persuasion, got him to show me where Leroy had Jen. Leroy is... was... unhinged. He'd wired the place to blow and was going to shoot me. I—" My voice falters a bit, then I finish. "I had to protect myself, and..."
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Jan 25, 2018 04:04
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Cool: +3 | Hard 0 | Hot +1 | Sharp +1 | Weird -1 I frown. Well poo poo. More dead humans. Last thing we need. This Specialist...doesn't look like a threat. I put my sidearm away and come closer, crouching down next to them. "Specialist...Reine, right?" I think I've seen her in the mess, probably traded some words or played some cards. It wasn't that big a place. "'Course you did," I say. "First priority's always to stay alive. Not the only, but the first. You don't do that, none of the others are gonna happen." Saw plenty of wild-eyed kids in the Rebellion who looked down the list a few steps and went a did suicidal poo poo. Good gauge too - any plan that gets you killed is probably stupid in other ways too. And my kids I mean I had a whole year on them. "Nothing we can do for them anymore," I say. "Best if you tell me everything you know. No surprises. You don't want me not knowing poo poo when Profit finds it."
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Jan 25, 2018 04:19
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harm 0:00 hunger 3:00 | XP 2/5 Armor systems// armor 2 damage 10:00 charge 9:00 ammo 3:00// 1-resupply Ok, so no-poo poo there I was, standing in the middle of a fire, comms are lit the gently caress up because somebody shot somebody, everybody's panicking and talking over each other-no loving discipline on the wire, and I make out the Major hollering for me. Feels like a monday in the MI, ooh-loving-rah, I love the corps. Heh, bullshit. I'm so turned around I don't know which direction I came from or even which way I'm facing. With my HUD down I have no external temp readings, but my legs are feeling...warm. uh-oh. gently caress it, Go Time Force an Entrance 8 7-9, mark charge "HEADS UP I'M BLIND AND COMING OUT!" I shout into the radio cacaphony, hoping I don't end up squishing some poor rear end in a top hat. I put a shoulder down and kick myself into gear, I don't know what I'm crushing, and anything I kick I only notice as a quick thud on my shell, I push on until I feel a little jolt that I assume is another door, or a wall...
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Jan 25, 2018 04:35
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Cool +1 | Hard +2 | Hot -1 | Sharp +1 | Weird +2 Harm: 3:00 | Experience: ●●○○○» | 7-barter I look a bit lost and, honestly, it's not really an act. Was there anything else...? I mean, past the specifics of how I got into where Ivan was, which... Well. Maybe if the LT proves trustworthy. Profit already has an inkling of that, anyways, so I don't need to widen that circle right yet. Especially not with Zee on the loose. I say, "Um, I took Leroy's clothes...? Mine got shredded when all the charges went off." Again, true enough. It was more squeezing through the vents, but the shrapnel definitely didn't help. "...do you think I could take a shower before we report to the Major?"
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Jan 25, 2018 04:53
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Cool+1 | Hard=0 | Hot+1 | Sharp-1 | Weird+2 Harm: 0:00 | 1-armor | 4-barter | 3/5 XP Oh gently caress no. No no no no no. No. No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no. I pull my hand back in horror and sever the connection with bug's brain. Whatever is out there, it wants... me? Absolutely not. I will kill myself before I let that come to pass. Looking around I see Casino has already rushed off to put out some other fire. Probing a brain has a way of disconnecting me from reality for a bit, so I'm not certain where she went. What I am certain of is that I still have my radio, and unless Casino has messed with hers, we're still tuned to the same frequency. I hold mine up to my mouth and speak. "Come in Casino, this is Zee. I, uh, I saw into the bug. I saw the swarm. I saw the mind controlling it, and I saw what it wants. We need to act, all of us. Think you can help me unite this place?"
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Jan 25, 2018 15:48
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Cool +1 | Hard +2 | Hot -1 | Sharp +1 | Weird +2 Harm: 3:00 | Experience: ●●●○○» | 7-barter I stiffen as Casino's radio crackles with Zee's voice. It's no surprise that she seems suspicious as hell. This is a suspicious scene. But if she knows, if Zee told her... What should I do? Rip her open? No, no. That would just give Zee the kind of credibility an intel asset doesn't — hopefully — have. I need these people. I need them to understand. I'm not the enemy. Hell, we're not the enemy. It wasn't any of us that caused this. It's those drat people in space. Dropping marines out of nowhere, stranding us to die... It's not like they're giving us much hope. I can give that hope. I can give that hope to everyone. I just need them to listen. Listen like Jen did. I reach for the LT, more mentally than any physical gesture, and say, "Trust me, okay? I just... I just want things to keep working. Ask Jen, ask Ivan. Hell, ask Profit." My new uniform keeps slipping, it's all I can do to keep from baring it all. Despite that, a few flashes of flesh manage to slip through my tugs on fabric. quote:SidekickBOT - Today at 9:51 AM
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Jan 25, 2018 21:00
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Cool: +3 | Hard 0 | Hot +1 | Sharp +1 | Weird -1 Something feels off. Something about Reine...the way she's looking at me isn't normal. She should be relieved, more emotional. Instead she's giving me a look of assessment. She's already admitted to blowing things up, and I'm suspecting the situation isn't quite what it appears. I back from Reine and circle her, taking in the area. The explosion was there. Blast came this way. Bodies there and there and there and...that decapitation is not a usual explosion fatality. I take a glance - there oculd have been a piece of metal, some wildly unlikely random thing that made it happen. Nope. Which brings me back to Reine, and issue I'll have to put off thanks to Zee crackling up on the radio. Say what you want about weird psych types, she's come through. "Casino here," I say. Part of me groans. Of course, it took psychic powers to tell her we all need to work together. Great. "Understood," I say. "I'm at Taccom with Specialist Reine. Bad situation with the Shrikes, hostages, explosions...messy and confused, like you'd expect. All over now." Reine's asking me to trust her, to let her work. Trust. I could count the people I actually trusted on about one hand. Reine may be cute - rather quite attractive. At another moment... I flip the key on my radio and change to broadcast frequency. "Casino to all points. Don't know what crazy bullshit you all are up to. Drop it or we're all dead. I've got Specialist Reine with me, be back at Command in 30 and we'll put together a plan." With that I switch off. "Let's go."
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Jan 26, 2018 16:52
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Casino You get a bit of fuzz and then a chuckle, "Yeah, uh, this is Been. I read you loud and loving clear with that. I advise anyone listening to not proceed to Command as it is a clusterfuck of legendary proportions and the entire base is FUBAR. Casino, Zee, whacked out cultists, loving anybody else with some sense of self preservation on this frequency I am offering safe harbor and teamwork and poo poo down at the Pleasure Dome. If you got grudges I'll buy them off because I for one still like living." What do you do? Reine Looks like she's going along with it. Jen limps over, "Ivan is still alive? We gotta tell the Major what happened." What do you do? Zee If you're listening to the open broadcast frequency you get Been's message. Your cult is still with you and heavily armed. Brother Issah offers some insight, "I think there are a lot of people around here who have lost confidence in the military and its command structure. I know you never had it, a lot of us never really believed in it, we were broke, in trouble, or stupid in the right moment." What symbol you have on your shirt matters less everyday. But people are bereft, they need new leadership and new symbols to go with it. That's why we've been using these family terms. You can unite more under you, but they need to be re-oriented. They need hope and family. If people are gathering peacefully somewhere in this moment of crisis, they can hear your message and be inspired." What do you do? Petrescu You walk between the standoff and try to reason with them. It looks like you're getting through to a lot of people, though Crazy Ivan who always seemed like a reasonable man (the nickname was ironic) just stares at you with empty eyes. Then, you see a spark of recognition. His eyes flick over the Old Guard and then settle on Boya, "You loving MURDERED TEX AND JEN OVER A LEG!" He points his gun at Boya, but before he can get the shot off he's riddled with bullets. The Shrieks retaliate and there's a second where automatic fire tears through both sides. That second, caught in the crossfire, is the moment you should have died. But, miraculously, not a single bullet touches you. Then, with a wave of ash and rubble, a marine in a robot suit blasts through the entrance, bowling over and burning some Shrikes before landing in the middle of the firefight. The dust cloud that washes over the two groups is a blessing, as it turns what would have been a complete bloodbath into a chaotic brawl. Momentarily blinded, the two units exchange wild fire, close ranged violence, and isolated moments of combat that seems to spread out far beyond the entryway as people run, take cover, and gun each other down. You yourself are left standing in the middle of a dusty killing field filled with screams. What do you do? Profit You direct Aboah to come towards your voice and he does, rather aggressively. A burning hot suit of metal barrels right for you! You manage to jump out of the way with just a few more burns and bruises. But then you get out of the frying pan and into a firefight. By the time you step outside things have markedly deteriorated. You can barely see poo poo with the ash Aboah kicked up, but from the gunshots it sounds like fireteams of Shrikes having it out with Petrescu's gang in a royal clusterfuck all around command. What do you do? Sideways You scramble out and that instinct probably saved your life, as just a few seconds later it devolves into a loving close range automatic weapons firefight, i.e. the worst poo poo ever. You're bleeding bad, and making a beeline for medical. Sometimes one of the still-living medics will take mercy on the wounded, and you might make it there before all the other wounded who were three seconds behind you on the whole bleeding out thing. Your tank is on the other side of the firefight though, and Rosa never got out of the thing. "Every one of you traitors will bleed." Whatever crimes this guy blames you for, Rosa might also be complicit. What do you do? Aboah You call out your warning and barrel out, using Profit's voice as a guide. You run into a few things on the way, but they're no match for the suit. When you finally stop you feel the distinctive ping and push of small arms fire on your suit. It's coming from multiple points, and you're still blind. For now you think your suit is fine, but a concentrated burst of this kind of fire can do damage if it manages to hit the right spot. What do you do?
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Jan 27, 2018 00:26
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 07:55 |
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Cool +1 | Hard +2 | Hot -1 | Sharp +1 | Weird +2 Harm: 3:00 | Experience: ●●●○○» | 7-barter I say, "Yeah, we gotta figure this out." Partly because, despite it all, I am feeling pretty proud of myself for helping out Profit like that. Maybe she'll even be happy enough with me to let a case of fuel cells go 'missing.' Partly because that's what I said I'd do to Casino. I mean, god knows getting in with Been's crew would Light this place right up, but... I need the sort of order Profit can offer if I want to get working on that shuttle. Been's hedonistic wasteland is always waiting, anyhow. "You coming, Casino?" Reine is going to go with Jen to command unless Casino strenuously insists otherwise. Tricky fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Jan 27, 2018 |
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Jan 27, 2018 00:46
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