"Cthunkan, presumably an infirmary aboard the Paracelsus Sword, and my life story is slightly convoluted. As for planted memories, let me check a moment."
Check if I can remember things that don't relate to any of the six people I've happened to absorb. Anything about eaters of stars, mayhap?
"I'd say no. I feel no more alien and unlike myself than usual."
You remember what you just experienced, but it doesn't feel odd in your mind. Little hazy maybe, but not like biting down on a pebble or anything.
At this point they're ready to release you back out into the world so long as you don't have any more questions. Though they warn you that there have been counter measures installed in your body and that you shouldn't mess with them.
use the monoatomic razor to cut off my toe, watch how the green stuff reacts then go to the infirmary and get a robo toe
You try to cut off your toe but find that you simply can't. Your arm locks up.
Eddie felt a sudden, inexplicable aversion to his brain market scheme. Something, something ineffable, told him it was a Very Bad Idea. "Ah, never mind that. I do have another question, though: when do we get basic training? I know UWM operatives are highly trained, and we're fighting them, so I'm sure it must be pretty extensive, yeah?"
Ask about this place's training regiment. Must be pretty good, right?
((Purchase potion #50 from Player Market))
((Also, send 1 token to team fund, to be put back towards the loss of the machete. More tokens later.))
(Wiki dat stuff)
"Training? We generally just let you fend for yourselves. Trial by fire."
The teleport system of aresteve uses exponentially more energy the larger the transported object and the distance transported. If we drained the power of heph into the system (and managed to not melt the thing) then we could probably teleport you a good distance. Though...if we fucked up the calculations we'd just end up with a mile and a half wide molten glass crater.
Well, as my old mentor used to say, "Son, whatever you do, try to avoid being turned into a molten glass crater, and stay away from timeshares."
So yeah, no thanks.
Jumping stilts might let you hop around pretty well.
How well, exactly? And what kind of craters would it leave behind? Would it help only with a better 'top speed', or also increase dexterity/maneuverability/ability to dodge?
For M24, what's the cap on people we can take (not including Sean)?
Well, that depends on what you land on. But it would increase top speed. The problem is that I think it might reduce dexterity overall. Feet might not have the best elastic index compared to jump stilts, but those Tarsal, Pedal, phalangeal, Hallux and Dorsum systems are hard to replace with just a bit off springy metal in terms of versatility. There's a reason we aren't all getting our legs cut off and replaced with them.
Yet.
((I'm assuming that we fall out of cryo tubes in our rooms these days, please correct me if I am wrong.))
Robert flops out of the cryo tube into his personal room, coughing up all manner of fluids and shivering despite the climate control.
"...oh god, it feels like I just ran thirty kilometres on my eyebrows..."
He looks up for a moment in confusion.
"...since when does the HMRC issue private quarters?"
Talk to our favourite wetware AI, get cleaned up and dressed, try to set my room ID to 1729 if it's available.
((Is the text colour okay? Also, I'll be joining the Heph mission when that gets going. Just give me some forewarning so I can get equipped.))
>Since we went to war with the UWM. Also hi, we went to war with the UWM and you're now part of the glorious ARM rebellion. Unless you don't wanna be. In which case we'll dump you on the next planet with some cash and you can fend for yourself from then on. "Arbiters and Avatars use the same cloak? Odd, I'd expect them to use some specialized thing but what they have is effective, I suppose."
resting her head in her hands
"Are you alright, Armory Master? I doubt that you are within my capability to assist given my suspicions that you are not fully physiologically human, but if I can help you in any way...? The gap in your memory is certainly disconcerting."
Talkings!
"Just a bad day. If thats it, you can shoo."
Wake up.
Ugh. What happened? Did we succeed back there?
Wait. What happened to my stutter?
Look at self.
Oh. I'm a robot now.
State the obvious. Then get up and wander over to the briefing room.
Would being a robot fix that? I'm pretty sure thats a mental thing, not a physical problem. I mean, Monster Study and all.
Oh and you go to the Briefing room.
>It seems they wanted to silence an annoying proponent of ours and also potentially wipe out a group of us as well. The good news is that they're certainly taking us seriously. The bad news is that they're gonna be throwing much worse things at us now. The pleasant days of sods may be long past.
Flint started pacing around, while talking quickly and loudly.
"Grah, that makes sense. Why would they deploy a weapon like that instead of merely bombing the colony? To make us investigate, to ambush us. And possibly to scare others or use it as propaganda. We're lucky they didn't target the Sword when they had the chance."
"Who else knew that we were going there? Could there be a traitor somewhere in your chain of command? Or a worm in our QEC-net? Or did they just get lucky or had someone in the colony talk too much? If that's the case we might need to make our future dealings more covert."
"And how are we doing on the propaganda angle? UWM could say we bombed the colony because we disagreed or something like that. We need to get our side of the story out first. Say how the fucking bastards slaughtered everyone! How there was nobody left! Say that we got the bastards back! Made them pay for what they did! ... We did make them pay, right?"
"And we also need to warn other colonies. Without causing a panic. Tell them we can protect them and take steps to do so. If the UWM has the capacity to deploy that weapon en mass, then entire planets could be in danger, entire armies could be taken out in an instant. We might not be able to protect the smaller colonies fully until we develop a way to negate the effects of whatever they used, but we can protect our more important worlds. We need to get Hephaestus and Q'Baja to build a customs station, some space station close to the jump point that can scan incoming cargo or something. And it needs to be protected against stealth technology. And people sticking on the hull. And-"
Flint tripped on a chair and fell.
Damn lack of depth perception.
He wiped something wet below his nose. When he looked at the metal-covered hand of his MK2, there was blood on it.
Wait. What am I doing here? How did I get here? What am I saying?
"Fuck. I... I think I need to go to the infirmary." Flint said with a hand on his forehead.
More yelling near Steve.
Presumably because it was weird. Bombing is mundane and we'd just avoid it. But we are helplessly drawn to the weird, aren't we?
Well, they knew we were coming so thats probably where it falls apart. My networks among my operatives are impenetrable. Mostly because I'm always sitting there in your brain stem, listening and watching. You start leaking info and I'll know. But once the info leaves my network, it's only a matter of time till it gets intercepted.
We're broadcasting the images we got of it as we speak. Have to wait and see how that develops. But the UWM wasn't even known for being forgiving or using reasonable force. It may have less of an effect then you'd think.
I've got warnings out to all our allied colonies as well as neutral ones. It appears they were using some sort of modified automanip that caused lysosomes to rupture and spill digestive enzymes throughout the cells of the body. Very effective on cellular mater like our own. Dangerous. Sir Jackson would put on the crown and cape and then sit there and marvel at the glowing tablet thing he just noticed on his wrist, poking it and acting like a child with a new toy when ever something cool happens
Does finding out that it can play snake count as cool?
Status check on Lars? He'd prefer to remain fleshy, if possible. Missing mission is okay; Toaster thinks there's enough fresh meat that wants in that he wouldn't want to take up a slot.
Also status check on battlesuit.
Well then you're the upper half of a torso in a nutrient tank, slowly getting regenerated.
Your battle suit is gone, about all thats left of it is the ejection system. We'll replace the suit and any ammo for it, but any items it was carrying are toast.
No mean pun intended there.
Also status check. Is my equipment still good? Do I need to spend money on repairs? I know I have to get my lower body replaced, does that mean my exoskeleton is toast?
Well you brought half your exoskeleton back, so we'll replace it. And we can assume your gear was with your upper body.
So you're fine.
(that -2 gen knowledge may well cause issues, or so I have been told)
((luckily, that is a deficiency I am keen on trying to RP. It also makes good in-character sense, given his origins. Important question though, given that you're critiquing: do my skill and stat points add up fine (separately ofc)? The rules on the charsheet designer page are a bit inconsistent))
Well. I am clearly somewhere. Probably in one of many identical somewheres, actually, heh. Which implies the stuff here is probably mine to take. Well, with plausible deniability at least.
Search my room for things, particularly for pamphlets, info packages, wall panels that might summon helpers of some sort, and electronics that might have data on them. Also check if there's anything I could use as a walking stick.
Mutter: "We thank you for choosing our service to facilitate your exit from stasis. Please do enjoy our complimentary propaganda and breath mints. Where are the breath mints? Dammit."
There's no convenient pamphlet labeled "This is whats going on" (Note to self, get heph boys to make said pamphlet, might help)but you do have a wrist pad that seems functional. And there's a keypad on the door out of here.
Whistle and walk away nonchalantly(ish).
((@Moopli the thing is, if you put a stat at -2, every time you roll it there is a 1/6 chance of Piecewise murdering you horribly. So... be warned.))
Nothing to see here, folks.
Status Report! Am I fleshy or robo? If robo, is the skinsuit gone forever?
Well the skin suit got borked, but you can choose if you want to be robo or flesh. Depends on if you want to go on the heph mission.
Awaken.
Pray to the great Chal-thul that I still remain in my original body and not a mechanical one.
Well...we could keep you in it if you want, but we'd need to keep you in a tank for a while. You'd miss out on the mission that is being set up right now.
Can I go in a robobody but keep my fleshy body in storage for a later date? If so... I think I'll do that.
Install my spare cam-eye somewhere on my robobody (possibly on the tip of my robowang, think of the pornos we can make!) and purchase some enhanced mobility feet if I have enough tokens. All this whilst bemoaning the loss of my body, naturally. Or being unconscious.
If I wouldn't be able to keep my beautiful human body whilst gallivanting around in a robobody, just give the mission a miss and recuperate.
Either way, once I am able, go to the kitchen and check on my pizza.
Sure.
Installing cam eye, and Wiki those feet if he has enough cash, friendly Gnomes.
We'll say your pizza is fine and available.
Even though it should be pretty damn old now.
"Eh, enough TV for now. Time to test this fancy new gun out. And maybe I'll bump into Thaddeus on the way there."
Wander around a bit looking for Thaddeus in the returning team, if I don't find him, go to the firing range and test out my fancy new Spektr. Test at different ranges and modes, see if there are any hidden modes without breaking the gun.
I don't think there are any hidden modes. At least none that I remember. These heph boys never hide easter eggs in their guns.
Yeah, let's go with the ol' human body. Wiki'd off the volunteers.
Alright. You can do stuff after they get into the mission.
There is a disturbance in the electromagnetic force, as though a few dozen personal messaging devices beep out in alarm, and are suddenly made to beep again.
Anyone who cares to look at their wristcomps or the general announcement board sees this message appear, marked as high-priority:
ATTENTION. PRIORITY MISSION.
All ARM personnel, be advised. Due to a developing anomaly situation, the Paracelsus' Sword is being redirected to Hephaestus.
Volunteers required for exploration of a large hazardous area and containment/recovery of underlying cause.
Experience handling alien artifacts and/or psychokinetic amplifiers is highly appreciated, but all volunteers shall be accepted on account of being better qualified for the task than remotely operated robots.
Expected combat low. High environmental hazard - anomalous cold, insulated suits required. Potential for further anomalies. Standard mission pay plus artifact recovery.
Volunteers report to Anton Chernozorov, Administrator of Hephaestus' Department of Defense. Full mission details upon arrival at Hephaestus.
EVERYONE LOOK HERE LOOK AT HIS POST DON'T MISS IT, IT MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOUAlright then.
I volunteer. Don't have any experience or amps, but I've got a Mark II suit and desire to have these in future.
Stop exercising.
Way ahead of you.
be revived in infirmary?
If yes then...
collect gear then search for a large bottle of alcohol, then proceed to lock myself in my room and drink the booze until I forget I was just dead
Well, reviving now means being a robot, which means...well you can still get drunk but in different ways.