Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[filiusenox]

"I thought you were cute and it was worth it." Emmanuel shoots.
Say the above.

[10] She blushes, rubbing awkwardly at her forearms, before offering, hesitantly,
"Uh...your kinda cute...too...Got a name? Besides Poker?"
[3] Then she blinks, once, before turning and lunging for the pipe, snatching it up dexterously and rolling away, swinging it around an arc to try and bash your brains out.
[10 vs 7] You duck under it, reaching up to grab it mid-swing and throw it to one side, all in one, fluid motion.
[9] She backs away then, but doesn't run, watching you with wide eyes and raising her hands into fists to guard herself.

Freeze myself before I die of this plague. My people should remain loyal to my frozen corpse for a few months before finding a new king.
In that time, they will spare no expense finding a cure. By any means necessary.
Post something to the Interfeed, looking for anyone who knows about these Atlaca.
Take the staff of the medical ship as well, have them work on a cure. Kill them if they refuse/fail.

[4] You enter a makeshift cyro-pod, slipping into a deep sleep. A tentacle grows from your arm-stump while your asleep, barbs, spikes and claws forming at the end as it twists and writhes on your shoulder, scales slowly forming...
[2-5+1]The search for a cure fails, the genes replicating, mutating too fast to find an antidote for, making it simply impossible to cure, despite the best chemists working over-time to produce something, anything to fix you.
[?] Your post in the Interfeed is deleted the moment it arrives, censored by someone who doesn't want others to hear.
[8-5] They fail, miserably, and are summarily executed in turn, the final scientist makes a breakthrough, but dies of starvation before he can finish whatever he was working on.
[8 =/= 10]
[10] When you awake, you notice the power-cord to your cryopod has been severed, and are surprised to notice that...well, you can 'see' again, a thick tentacle still hangs from your shoulder, but it writhes and moves to your will, instead of one of it's own.
The lights flicker on and off, and your ship is deadly silent.

Head with the other Party governors and dignitaries to the council at Voandrath.

[10] Your party welcomes you to the before-election meeting and gifting with a bottle of rare New Lunar's Italy Brandy, a very expensive and very hard to find brand, considering the Distillery was crushed by a meteor.
[2] But others who don't belong to your political party shoot you dirty looks and mutter to their friends and allies.

"I hardly see how her chances were ruined, as the material does not count for a legal disqualification from the elections. Damaged, I can see due to the sociological impact of such material released, even if I don't understand the base motives behind it."

Attempt to get a private meeting going with Maxwell Hayes.

"It's quite silly...but the 'people' expect decorum or some such nonsense. By the way, I was wondering if I c-"
Then the large man in a jagged crown interrupts, Maxwell's grin grows a little, but he nods politely, gesturing to a wooden door.
[10]"Excuse me, Prime. We'll have to speak later..."

At the private meeting
"How can I help you, High King?"

[Shootandrun]

Magnus sat down in front of Hayes, and removed the crown he was wearing, placing it upon his lap - it was well known that it was a formidably heavy object (Black Titanium, after all), which was why no one ever wore it outside very official ceremonies. Then he cleared his throat and spoke with assurance, despite the strange situation.

"There is nothing you can do to help me at this time, Mr. Hayes, nor do I believe I am in need of help. I wished to speak of what happened to Mays, and more precisely to explain exactly why I did what I did - there is no reason to pretend you do not know I'm the one who caused the trouble with the candidate."

[NUKE9.13]

"Janetco? Simonx? What happening? Still sick, I. Why awakening? Who cutting..."

Markactl leapt out of the way of... nothing. The ship was under attack. Given the state of the place, it had probably taken heavy damage- which suggested that the rest of the fleet was out of action as well.

His people... if the hiveship was compromised, they might as well be extinct. There were a few other Tapalcayo fleets out there, but none of them had a decent hiveship. Without one, they had no place to raise their children- no children meant no Tapalcayo.
Ozomatli. He should've known their words meant nothing. They attacked first; they always attacked first.

Still. He was alive, even if his arm had apparently been replaced with some sort of fleshy worm-limb. If the Tapalcayo were to go extinct, they would at least go out in style.

He stalked over to an intercom, and hesitantly pressed the call button with his... tentacle.

"Anyone living?"

[Caellath]

[10] She blushes, rubbing awkwardly at her forearms, before offering, hesitantly,
"Uh...your kinda cute...too...Got a name? Besides Poker?"
[3] Then she blinks, once, before turning and lunging for the pipe, snatching it up dexterously and rolling away, swinging it around an arc to try and bash your brains out.
[10 vs 7] You duck under it, reaching up to grab it mid-swing and throw it to one side, all in one, fluid motion.
[9] She backs away then, but doesn't run, watching you with wide eyes and raising her hands into fists to guard herself.

Well, at least his basic training had kicked in...No, wait, that had been instinct...Or maybe those systema classes he watched. He really didn't want to resort to violence, but she was asking for it...And once again she could actually win a tangle with him if he was unlucky or she happened to be better than what he had seen so far.

"Woa, woa, why the sudden violence? I thought we were being nice to each other. My name is Emmanuel by the way. What is yours?"

Try to calm her down, prepare to climb the mech and stay out of her reach if an opportunity is presented.

[filiusenox]

"There is nothing you can do to help me at this time, Mr. Hayes, nor do I believe I am in need of help. I wished to speak of what happened to Mays, and more precisely to explain exactly why I did what I did - there is no reason to pretend you do not know I'm the one who caused the trouble with the candidate."

"I'm listening...and you might need some help. Perhaps from a professional defense attorney."
Hayes slips something from his pocket, and throws it over to you. A blonde, young woman speaks slowly into the camera about [8] minor crimes you committed, most of which can be dodged easily or dropped and in fact would add to your stature and charisma, if played right. [1] But one thing that sticks out, which is really quite damaging; the murder of four of your brothers and sisters, as well as your parents in an 'unlawful' coup.

"Anyone living?"

[1] Silence, pure and simple, before there's a shuffling from outside the door to your room, followed by a rough hiss.
[5] It stumbles in, shell twisted off, dragging behind it as it lopes along, tentacles writhing from a number of places on it's body, carved, sickle like claws hanging from it's paws. It doesn't seem to notice you, yet.

"Woa, woa, why the sudden violence? I thought we were being nice to each other. My name is Emmanuel by the way. What is yours?"

Try to calm her down, prepare to climb the mech and stay out of her reach if an opportunity is presented.

[8] "Aren't you going to kill me...or sacrifice me to false gods...or whatever it is you terrorist do to people?"
[7] She seems to relax a little, despite her words, but she still stays a distance away.

[NUKE9.13]

Markactl does not hesitate. He leaps at the intruder, instinctively lashing out with his left tentacle, before grabbing the thing's head with his right paw and pulling with all his might.

Attack the thing.

[Taricus]

Hack into the sercurity feeds in the private room Hayes and his guest have gone into...

[Caellath]

[8] "Aren't you going to kill me...or sacrifice me to false gods...or whatever it is you terrorist do to people?"
[7] She seems to relax a little, despite her words, but she still stays a distance away.

"Really? ...They really could try to disseminate better lies, my organization was created to fight for freedom. I'm not going to hurt you, but I still wonder why you're here...And I may actually have to leave soon, even though this conversation happens to be pleasant. The feds are coming after me and I have to escape before their ships arrive." he says, trying to make a point over the fact he has to scramble.

"But I'm curious. If you were assigned to guard duty, why were you climbing the mech?"

Still talking.

[Shootandrun]

Magnus frowned as he watched the video, and his frown grew deeper as there was a mention of the little family incident that had happened when he was in his thirties.

"An interesting story. Many charges of murder and conspiracy right there... All of which are planetary offenses, to be dealt with by the governor. The only one which I could be attacked over by anyone is the preposterous story of a supposed hand I had in the murder of my family members by terrorists. Killing a planetary governor is indeed a federal offense, if the planet in question judges that it needs federal support over the matter... But the Asgardian Constitution makes the High King the only man responsible for justice, and he cannot be accused of usurping the throne if he got it by inheritance - no matter how he got it by inheritance.

Of course, you are aware, if you did your research, that the Asgardian Constitution was edited by nearly all the High Kings who ever came in power, and that last addition was done by one of my ancestors, who I believe had killed his older brother and father. The fact is, Mr. Hayes, that my ancestors were just as dishonorable and backstabbing as I am - but they ensured the job would be easier for their descendants.

Evidently, releasing this footage would cause me much trouble in public and with some of the people I share the Vanaheim system with, and although I am golden from a judiciary point of view, I would deeply appreciate if all this information was not, in fact, released. Now, usually, this is the moment where I start haggling with your demand of payment in order to remain silent, but you have made none, which brings me to my point. What do you intend to do with this?"

[filiusenox]

" What do you intend to do with this?"

"Send it, of course. You slandered Regina, so I'm going to do the same to you. I wanted a clean election, Magnus. One without the same old scandal and libel that plagued every president before...I sent you a warning, don't send the message. Don't try it. You didn't listen. But I'll give you twenty minutes to explain, before the video is sent. If you can convince me otherwise, I'll turn it off."
[1+2]Hayes simply presses a button on it and throws it into your lap.
MSG SENDING TO HAYES MEDIA SOLUTIONS IN TWENTY MINUTES.
150 channels, est.

Attack the thing.

[4+2 vs 7] It throws you off it's tentacle scoring a large, bleeding gash across your face, the hook on the end of it's tentacle ripping through your flesh with ease.
[5+2] vs 4] However, once you get a tentacle around it's mutatated, grisly head, and squeeze, it pops like a rotten watermelon, brain and goo sluicing to the ground.
[7] "Under attack! Lower decks! Ce-" the com blares out, the sound followed by gunfire.

Hack into the sercurity feeds in the private room Hayes and his guest have gone into...

[6] You manage to hack into the feed, just as Hayes offers his ultimatum, and for a moment, you see his eyes flick up to the camera, tie shifting once more to a green one etched with gears.

"But I'm curious. If you were assigned to guard duty, why were you climbing the mech?"

Still talking.

[10] Your question seems to make her less withdrawn as she admits, in a soft, worried tone of voice.  She doesn't seem to want to stop you, although she watches you as you climb.
"I'm going to be stuck on this station until I die...I just wanted to see the outside 'verse, instead of grimy grey metal walls and stuff. Mechs can travel in outer space and stuff."
[5+1] "So, what I'm asking is...can I come with you?"

[Caellath]

[10] Your question seems to make her less withdrawn as she admits, in a soft, worried tone of voice.  She doesn't seem to want to stop you, although she watches you as you climb.
"I'm going to be stuck on this station until I die...I just wanted to see the outside 'verse, instead of grimy grey metal walls and stuff. Mechs can travel in outer space and stuff."
[5+1] "So, what I'm asking is...can I come with you?"

Emmanuel almost fell from the ladder upon hearing the request as he climbed the mech, quickly recovering and staring at the girl. She just seemed too quick to trust on other people...
"Well, I may die, and you may die too, you know."

...Unfortunately, he also seemed to be as weak as her in that regard.
"But you can come with me. Here, the cockpit has enough space for two people or even more if you are willing to feel trapped inside a can. I'd still like to hear your name, though." he answered with a smile. Taking her was actually the best option, since they were probably recorded by the security. The girl would be interrogated and probably tortured and killed, depending on how "enthusiastic" were his pursuers. She would only be one more life lost to the machine he hated, forgotten in a bigger war.

Emmanuel just hoped the friend he had for a long time - and hadn't seen for some time already - would never discover what had just happeened. She could get a little miffed about his way of dealing with the situation, even if he saw as the right thing to do

Accept taking her and escape the station with the Godsplitter. Avoid entering combat with enemies.

[Shootandrun]

Magnus looked at the candidate, and his frown grew deeper and deeper.

"Do you know why scandals like these always appear during all the elections, Mr Hayes? Because no matter what happens, if a candidate or a Lord President fucked up in the past, there will be someone, somewhere, who figures it out. No secret is absolutely safe - not in today's era. The media want to know everything, the public wants to know everything, the politicians want to know everything. They want to know if they're voting for honest, decent people and not to a liar with a good facade.

That is why the thing with Mays spread so fast and so far. Regina had built an image of a stern, serious business woman who had no life but her job and medicine, an example to us all. The people felt they were being lied to, Mr Hayes, when they discovered she was in fact a woman like everyone else and she used simulations instead of more... Puritan ways, which certainly angered her more conservative following. That is why the people reacted that way, but it could have been much, much worse. There are several reasons I chose to release this information instead of keeping it to myself - only one of which you considered before.

I am not a scrupulous man, Maxwell, and when I found out about Mays' past affairs I chose to use them to the best of my powers. I did not attempt to blackmail her into doing me a favor other than dropping out of the elections - I tried to do this cleanly and efficiently, so that her political career would end but she could remain a public figure. Of course, your suppression of my messages somewhat bound my hands. She was splitting the vote, and because of her Versen had too many chances of winning. And while I do not believe any of you three have it in you to be a perfect Lord President, I am certain Versen is the worst possible choice for our star nation at this time. That is why I released it to the public, despite your warning.

The second and much more important reason is that while I am not a scrupulous man, there are many men in the nation who are much less scrupulous than I am. Do you have any idea how many people knew about this, if I managed to find out? Granted, I have better equipment to do research than most governors, but I am not the only man who did his homework and checked the background of the candidates - and I am not the man who had the best stuff to do so, either. Can you imagine what a disaster it would have been if someone decided to use that knowledge? What a disaster it would be if someone blackmailed the Lord President into becoming a puppet? or at the limit it might have caused a scandal early in her term, which would mean that she'd lose any credibility she had and become unable of ruling efficiently without the support of the people voting on her motions!"

Magnus shook his head.

"If you hadn't wanted her to be slandered, you should have stayed out of the goddamn way. Now don't blame me because I did what made the most sense and use your head! You might become Lord President soon enough, or at least Leader of the Opposition. I know how the game is played, Mr Hayes, and so do a lot of men in the other room who are about to decide who is going to rule for the next years to come. If you want to stand a chance, you'll have to at least know who are the players and who are the pieces - and you're a damn fool if you think that Regina Mays, even as Lord President of Voandrath, would have been one of the players."

[filiusenox]

He snorts, shaking his head and brushing his sleeves, before crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hmm...very interesting, but you said nothing about why I shouldn't...in fact you pretty much encouraged me. After all, I am a scrupulous man. And, not to brag, I fancy myself a good man. I actually care about people...and as they say? Truth will out."

"And don't ever blame me for something you did. I asked you, politely, quietly to not send the message, not to drag someone who I could have talked into folding without blackmail or bribery. To not send anything, and you just went and did it, regardless."

"As a great poet once said, If you think that your a player, you already lost."

[Taricus]

The intercom came to life in the private room where Hayes and Magnus were having a "Meeting" of sorts.

"So, king Magnus, do you tell everyone you meet about every one of your fetishes, about every sexual encounter whether virtual or physical you've had? Would you have prefered to have someone leak every iota of detail about those encounters?

The video of Mays did not spread as fast as it did for what her reputation was, it was only because she had a reputation large enough for the tabloids to notice. And, a VR simulation of those activities happens to be no more egregious than her having a partner for sexual relations behind the scenes.

And claiming that releasing such private information was the best use of your powers, I find that very egotistical. The best use of your powers there would to have to have deleted those files altogether, both the copies you have obtained. While your opinion on whom may be the the best lord president is of your own matter, eliminating one of the candidates though blackmail is illegal under federal law.

Anyone who didn't do a background check on the candidates could be considered reckless, foolish or perhaps not caring about the election in general. However, the data you supposedly leaked had no connection whatsoever to the election itself. Anyone else that would've tried will have been found and dealt with in the appropriate manner, within the laws of the federation.

...You speak as if you should be lord president yourself, King Magnus, though you have yet to display any qualities that put you onto an even block with any of the candidates, let alone above them. And I'd advise you that what passes for politics on your world will not necessarily apply within the federation parliment."

Set up a connection to Mays, send her a video of the previous events in the room since Prime arrived (To be viewed later at her own discretion), and set up a livestream for her to continue watching the current conversation.

[NUKE9.13]

Well, what did it expect? No shell, no safety.

Markactl cautiously opened the door and examined the corridor for more of the mutants.

If the coast is clear, he makes his way to the nearest weapon station.