Turn 3
Note of the Day: Cults are, to many, an unseen threat. It seems unlikely that some would aid the Return on the eve of mankind's extinction, and, understandably, it is seen as more imperative to defend against the more obvious and far more terrifying forces of the Ancients themselves.
---
Calla"As long as we continue to not be attacked, I am more useful on that helicopter with you, and I want those men back alive too" Go with Ribero
Ribeiro nods and the sergeant acknowledges his orders with only a bit of hesitation. The lieutenant strides off and Calla follows, through the humid corridors of the station. They ascend the levels in silence towards the helicopter pads. The rain seems to be picking up even more outside, but Ribeiro has no intention of calling off the flight.
The pilot is ready at the chopper. Calla tunes out after strapping herself in for the flight check, casting her senses out again. On top of the facility, the alien vastness of the ocean and the unnatural silence of the jungle seem to press down on her. Hard rain hammers down on the chopper, cold seeping into her bones and permeating the air. She suddenly feels tired, stolen from her sleep, and closes her eyes until the nimble scout helicopter is in the air.
They move out into the flickering light of the flares. The dark waters rush to fill the world beneath them and Stillwater Station becomes little more than a speck of concrete on the rocks. Calla focuses her mind and begins sweeping the area with the searchlights and scanner equipment on the aircraft.
[6+1=6] They've carried on for what seems to be an eternity - though never leaving out of sight of the coast - when Calla becomes aware of the presence. It's a far cry from the distant, indistinct echoes she picks up at the base. When this one comes, it fills her mind, pressing down on her barriers with its sheer, mind-numbing existence. [6+1=6] Calla flares her mental barriers, enveloping the mortals in it before they can be affected. Closer by, keeping them from being affected by the aura will be impossible - though normally the effects don't begin at this range yet in any case. This one must be strong.
Calla reaches out with her powers once more, hunting for echoes of the Abyssal's form and location and any sign of the submarine. She finds both. The images surge into her mind, vivid, incomprehensible to someone with eyes of flesh only.
The Deep One is a form they've never seen before. Calla catches glimpses - twice the size of the sixty-metre submarine, with a body hidden underneath layers of shield-like circles of carapace. Silvery tentacles erupt from the body, hundreds of them, wrapped around the submarine just under the ocean surface. Streaks of white glowing with inner light run through the circles and the tentacles, pulsing rhythmically. The Abyssal is locked perfectly around the submarine, which seems unharmed... but there's something else.
The Deep One's presence isn't quite right. The core is there, dark, impossibly ancient, but it echoes with mirror images, flashes of something else - the concepts to explain it are not there. To Calla, it's as if the creature exists in more than one place. The mere physical shell is dead, inert, while the Deep One's real consciousness rages on unbound linked to it by the feeblest of tendrils. The being's full attention is on the submarine, engulfing it like the storm above. With a start, Calla realizes the crew are still alive - but their minds cannot be unchanged.
Calla draws back from her trance. Ribeiro is looking at her expectantly. She can see they're approaching the Abyssal's position, perhaps unknowingly. The pilot is having trouble keeping the helicopter steady as the rain gets more and more intense.
Calla - Abyssal Hybrid
Health: Unharmed
Inventory: Empty
Traits and Powers:
*Beyond Human (As an Abyssal half-breed, you possess incredible physical and mental capability. You are capable of mental 'psychic' warfare and considerable thought suggestion, and of easy genetic manipulation by touch on-the-fly, even to fatal extremes. +1 to mental power, +2 to mutation and genetic alteration)
*Aura of Terror - INACTIVE (You share the Deep Ones' incapacitating presence, which causes deep fear and anxiety in the mortal psyche. You are currently suppressing your aura.)
Current Effects: None
Location: Stillwater Station, Colares
Throw more shit at monsters like a boss.
[1] Alex heads back for the car for more parts to weaponize. The moment he turns his back, he hears the shriek, [1] sees Theo stumble and fall, and feels more than sees the flier turn down for an attack. [3+1=4][Dodge:5] He throws himself and the ground comes up to meet him at the same moment that the flier swoops past him, its claws reaching for the car and [2] finding their mark. There's a sound of something stronger than metal on metal and the car goes tumbling, [6] rolling back and not forward to crush Theo. There's no time to breathe a sigh of relief - Alex rushes past him and to the car, going for another door.
[2+1=3] The form's shadow falls on him moments before it does [Dodge:2][BP:5][Damage:5-1+1=5] and its full weight comes down on his lower body, throwing him straight on the ground. He barely has time to recognize what's happening before the snapping jaws are lunging for his neck, glistening flesh and bat-like wings blocking out everything. Alex throws up his arms to deflect the blow, but the creature doesn't stop, its jaws find his leg and each biting down deep.
Alex screams, [4][Dodge:3-1=2] swinging his fists blindly, his vision blurred by pain and rage. [BP:2][Damage:5+1=6] He slams both into the creature's chest, feeling the flesh tear and crumble in, feeling bones shatter, feeling his arms sink into the creature's purplish flesh and muscle, feeling the beating of its vast, alien heart before it abruptly ceases. Alex pulls back and the mutation form takes a staggered step back, its legs failing, and falls over. He feels absurdly good with his first kill tonight.
---
Theo
*Stunned, on the ground
*Unharmed
*Heavy Pistol [3/5 - 3] (Fires one shot per turn, -3 to Damage)
*Frag Grenades (2)
*Veteran Agent (+2 to all Combat Rolls, +1 to Dodge, +1 to Hit)
*Squishy Mortal (+3 to all taken Damage, -3 to physical Damage)
Flier Mutation Form
*Out of Sight
*Unharmed
*+1 to Damage
*Flier (-1 to Dodge when on the ground)
*Hunter Mind (+1 to Combat Rolls)
Alex Vondgas - Imprisoned TitanHealth: Right Leg:
Heavily WoundedInventory: Empty
Traits and Powers: *
Immortal Prisoner (In the back of your mind, ever-raging, ever-moving, lays 'the Fae', a Titan from before the dawn of history. By tapping into its power, you can take on incredible physical and mental capability. The more of yourself you give in, the more powerful you become, but the higher the risk of losing control is. Your current control level is High. +1 to physical damage, -1 to all taken damage)
*
Slow Regeneration (Your control over the Titan grants you slow wound regeneration. Heal all wounds by 1 on a 3-6 when out of combat.)
Current Effects: None
Location: On top of a military jeep on the outskirts of Poznan
The soldier narrows his eyes before lowering his head and sighing deeply as if exasperated. He then turns his back and casually takes his coat from the nearby chair, putting his military cap on and glancing back at the general. "The fact it has disappeared in first place is not exactly a testament of competence, general. You may order investigations to start when you please, but I am not subordinated to you either. I will have my own line of pursuit started. Do as you wish and try to beat me to the prize if you are so certain of success."
Without any further words, Alexei simply leaves the base, putting his greatcoat on and checking the map he had snatched somewhere in the building. The next stop would be the local of the disappearance, the slow investigation procedures of morose old men be damned.
Go check the area where the corpse was "kidnapped", interview any guards found there.
'I tried to be reasonable...' the general says. 'Lieutenant, please escort Mr. Zielkov out of the premises. Make sure he understands this is a restricted military area.'
With that, the general marches off. The officer stays silent for a moment - Alexei doubts his authority surpasses the general's for anyone here, whatever the Society might think - and then coughs politely.
'At your own pace, sir,' he says, with a smirk. There's disdain in his eyes as he looks at the general's back.
Not entirely sure how to deal with him, Alexei takes a moment to get a good understanding of the area. The makeshift base is a square of hastily-erected fence and residential or warehouse buildings converted into barracks. The whole island is restricted, but the guarded area is a strip of industrial dockside. Stacks of containers litter the outside of the base, bearing signs of damage from the battle. The Angel was kept close to where it fell, between the container area. Kronstadt Bay begins beyond, the waters home to scattered husks of wrecked ships. It occurs to Alexei it would have been easy to leave by boat - if you'd find a way past the fence separating the dockside from the sea now, and the patrolling military ships.
The officer follows on Alexei's heels as he marches over to the Angel's holding area. There's a single guard, looking out towards the sea. There's little sign that there ever was an Angel here, except to the trained eye.
[6] Alexei was a soldier first, but he still has his superior senses and recent training. The supersoldier walks across the holding area, noting the walls, the places where they kept containers in the past, and the half-collapsed crane in the corner. It's the end of the dockside, which continues to the east, and the end of the small base. He can easily see where the trucks drove in and waited. They must have cut the being up before loading the pieces into the trucks. It seems unlikely that something like that could go completely unnoticed. Especially with the power required to cut through the alien being in the first place.
Yet there are few signs on the ground that would match such an event. Alexei suspects the area might have been scrubbed clean afterwards, though why, he can't fathom.
The officer waits patiently (which, given that he received orders to escort Alexei out, is odd on its own) while the lone guard looks at Alexei with a wary expression from the corner.
Alexei Zielkov - Experimental Superman
Health: Unharmed
Inventory: Automatic Pistol [12/12 - 4] (Fires 3 times per turn. -3 to Damage.)
Traits and Powers:
*Genesculpted Superhuman (Your extensive genetic modification and training have made you superior both physically and mentally to any other human being alive. The Shackled, on the other hand, are another matter entirely. +1 to all Damage taken, -2 to physical Damage, +1 to Dodge.)
Current Effects: None
Location: 'Angelfall' Military Zone, Kronstadt Island
"Well this ought to be fun, I'm gonna love testing out these matchboxes, so lets get started shall we?."
Says Wulfric as he pulls the the pack of cigarettes from his pockets and looks at how many is left.
Onward, time to kick some matchbox ass
With no further questions, the group is shepherded over to Williams. The soldier looks amused at Wulfric and Bannon's enthusiasm but says little. They move out into the chilly outside air and to a Humvee waiting by the roadside. The forest spreads out outside, the snaking roads and occasional houses the only signs of human habitation... well, that, and the USMWs looming over them. Wulfric studies the Rainbows for the few moments he gets. They look like smaller versions of the big boys, stocky, clad in angled plates of armor and recognizable as humanoid. They look to be around six metres tall, which, granted, is still fairly impressive.
Then the Humvee is moving through the forest, leaving the staging area behind. They see other vehicles headed the same way - atleast they're not making up the entirety of the 'OPFOR' by themselves.
'So... they're not gonna actually try to kill us, right?' Bannon asks a little while in. 'And we don't get to break them, either?'
'Don't be ridiculous,' Liz says. She seems worried, but Wulfric puts that down to the 'fighting giant robots' bit.
'Yeah, I guess that would be kinda insane,' Bannon says. 'Shame. I'd have loved to put a few of them down. I'm sure I can write a few down to 'accidents', still.'
Liz doesn't respond, even to put him down. The ride continues in silence in an oddly charged atmosphere. When Williams finally stops the car - in the middle of nowhere - the group seems to almost breathe a sigh of relief.
'Alright, kiddos,' Williams says, despite being not much older than some of the group. 'You have a half an hour before the bell rings, so to speak. Don't leave the area and don't kill anyone and you'll do fine. The General'll be watching.'
With that, he gets back in and drives away.
'Right... it's about time, too,' Bannon says after a moment. 'We'll show him and everyone we're worth much more than these tin cans.'
'No,' Liz says. 'Or maybe we will. It doesn't matter. Daniel, don't you see? This is all for the benefit of the Walkers. They don't want or need us to show our worth - the whole purpose of this exercise is to see how well the Walkers can do against our kind. To see how to fight us - to kill us.'
Bannon laughs, with a touch of nervousness. 'Oh, come on, that's paranoid, even for you. If they wanted us dead, they'd-'
The girl cuts him off. 'Obviously not us four specifically, not now. But they think they're gonna be fighting our kind, us half-breeds, and soon. They don't want to use us as their main weapon, or at all, because they
do not trust us.'
Bannon looks like he's about to say something, but to their surprise the normally silent Clay speaks up.
'How are we going to handle this?' he says. 'There will be four of them at most. We should have a plan of attack. Or a plan to keep away from them, but why would we even bother?'
Alfonz Wulfric - Imprisoned ReaperHealth: Unharmed
Inventory: Empty
Traits and Powers: *
Immortal Prisoner (Drawing from the Reaper in your head, you are physically and mentally superior to any normal human on the planet. You have innate power over the life forces of living beings, and can draw, give and imbue it at will. Your current level of control is high.)
*
Life Force [6/6] (You can imbue objects and living beings with life force to create more potent weapons and combat constructs. You will regain spent life force automatically over time, and by devouring others - though this bears the risk of harmful energy damaging you. You can also draw the life force of others and imbue it as long as you also include some of your own.)
Current Effects: None
Location: USMW Field Exercises, West Virginia
"Look, all I know is... if there's anything here, and we're not, you all are probably dead. Or insane, whichever, doesn't matter. We can help." He glanced at the car as he spoke, 'Did she really have to dent the door?', before looking back to the soldiers. "I know for a fact we don't have clearance. We're civillians. But I will say one thing. I've been in a scientists enviroment all my life... labs, wards, you name it. Have you ever been held in captivity like that before? Twenty-six years. That's how long I've lived, that's how long I've been trapped. I know more about what I can do, though. I've been a test subject for all that time, and I know that... well, we're not all the same. These two... well, they're strong yeah. But they can't do what I can do. If I wanted, I could reach into your mind... just like the enemy... and snap it, just like the enemy. But, as you can see, and hopefully as you can tell, I'm not. If you need clearance for us so badly, contact your commanding officer and get it. If you can't, well... say we resisted. I doubt you could stop us even if you WERE trying your hardest, so they won't blame you for it, and we'll continue on helping... with or without clearance."
Speak to the soldier. If he can't secure us clearance, move on through. Do hope he doesn't take offense at the "I could snap your mind" bit.
[3] The soldier takes an involuntary step back after Aaron's outburst. He frowns. 'Wait, are you threatening us?'
With an exasperated sigh Alex steps in front of Aaron, smiling. She spreads her hands, presumably to show she means no harm, but given that she just used them to smash in a metal door the effect is not all that calming. Thomas gives Aaron the look.
'What he meaaaans is,' Alex says, dragging the words, 'that we really could help you and make sure you get through this without anyone getting killed or worse. Granted, he's right about the 'we'll go on through regardless' bit, but what's a little implied violence between friends, right? And you do want us to be your friends.'
'Jesus, Aaron,' Thomas mutters. 'She's supposed to be the crazy one. You know how people don't like to be reminded about you being able to rummage through their minds and whatever? Yeah, you did that again.'
The soldiers seem unsure of what to do. Atleast they don't seem to want to shoot them, so that's good.
Alex continues up ahead. 'So, how about it? Call your commander, tell us he's got help on the way. We all want this town safe, right?'
[3] The soldier gathers his wits. 'Look, I believe you,' he says, seeming very uncomfortable with the fact. 'And I can let you through, but my commander would never agree. So I'm just gonna pretend I never saw you, and you'll go on and not do anything stupid, okay? I mean, we don't even know if the attackers remain in here, so-'
At that moment, there's an eruption of distant gunfire and the soldiers rush into activity. In the blink of an eye they've moved into defensive positions around the jeep. In contrast, the three half-bloods don't seem too worried. Your perspective on life does change dramatically when you realize you're unlikely to be hurt by most common dangers. The trio follows the soldier to the jeep, where he's already at the radio.
'Contact up the hill,' he says quickly. 'Probably just humans, thank God. If you want to help, that's where you need to go. I can't move without orders, so just-'
Again, he's cut off, this time by a low boom and a flash of white. A fireball erupts into the sky in the distance. The trio's superhuman eyes spot movement among the houses on the top of the hill. If there's nothing else here, no questions they want to ask - they might want to get a move on. The main road goes straight there, but it could be safer to head around.
Aaron Gray - Abyssal Hybrid
Health: Unharmed
Inventory: Empty
Traits and Powers:
* Beyond Human (As an Abyssal half-breed, you possess incredible physical and mental capacity. You are capable of mental 'psychic' warfare and thought suggestion, as well as easy genetic manipulation, especially for war. You have also been blessed with extraordinary toughness and mental fortitude. +1 to physical Damage, -1 to taken Damage, +1 to mental defense.)
* Aura of Terror - INACTIVE (You share the Deep Ones' incapacitating presence, which causes deep fear and anxiety in the mortal psyche. You are currently suppressing your aura. -3 to Combat Rolls around you, fear checks every turn.)
Current Effects: None
Location: In a 'borrowed' jeep, Western Australia
"S-Katcha! Katya! Can you hear me? I'm going back for you!"
Any aviator could relate. Alessa's heart was pounding in her chest; adrenaline rushed in her as she saw the enormity of the situation. The Mother, or whatever anyone else called this spawn-monster, was more than any threat. It was an infestation on the land, as far as she could see.
And continuing on objective was futile in retrospect. Lightning was too much of a direct thought to say otherwise.
Head back to Katya's location, provide assistance
It takes several, heart-wrenching moments for Katya to answer.
'I'm fine, Alessa,' she says, barely recognizable through the static.
'But I think we've overstayed our welcome. Hang on, I'm-'Static washes out the rest, [1] but Alessa sees Katya's plane being chased by flocks of rapidly-gaining flier forms. She turns to help her, [6] but Katya is already firing her own missiles. They streak forward, then snap back and head into the swarm. A few explode, sending dark, burned forms tumbling down, and the rest disperse the fliers. They begin to approach again, [3] and lightning lances down again nearby, barely missing her.
[2] Alessa turns with her, electing not to fire her own missiles. They form up and begin to make race out from Danzig with all the speed they can muster. Alessa scans Katya's plane while they go, and the damage doesn't seem bad enough to prevent them getting back to base. The fliers now filling the air behind them begin to fall behind, until only a handful remain, able to keep pace with them. With a start she realizes three of them are gaining instead.
It's still a long flight to the border and Russia. They might be better off dealing with the creatures now - or keep leading them away and not risk their data and fuel. Atleast the storm is not following them, the cloud cover thinning, if not disappearing, ahead of them.
---
Status: Unharmed
Location: Polish Airspace, near Danzig
Equipment:
*Nexus Cannon [-] (Fires once per turn. -1 to Damage.)
*RUS SmartBombs [12] (Fires three per turn. -1 to Damage. +1 to Hit.)
*Firefly Air-to-Air Missiles [6] (Fires one per turn. -2 to Damage.)
Special Traits:
* Field Booster (Capable of co-opting and considerably enlarging a pilot's Nexus Field.)
* Heavy Fighter (+1 to taken Damage)
Alessa Tairon - Star God HybridHealth: Unharmed
Inventory: Empty
Traits and Powers: *
Beyond Human (As a Star God half-breed, you carry within your veins incredible physical and mental capability, but more importantly, innate knowledge of Star God technology and powers, including rudimentary control of your Nexus Field.)
*
Nexus Field - DEFENSIVE MODE (You have the power to control a personal force field that can be used to redirect and turn away attacks, supercharge fired projectiles, energy weapons and physical attacks, or knit together wounds or mechanical damage. Only one mode can be active at once. Defensive: +1 to dodge. Offensive: +1 to damage. Regenerative: Heals all wounds/damage by 2 on a 3-6.)
Current Effects: None
Location: Inside the cockpit of the KOSCHEI Modified Jet Fighter, above Danzig
---
Whatever you do, adwarf, it is imperative to the plan that you
put out your goddamn cigarette. No this won't become a running gag what do you mean?
I feel like I'm terrible with place descriptions even when I base them directly on RL through Google Maps. Oh well!
Author
Topic: Their Coming Is At Hand II - an Eldritch Invasion RTD (Turn 9!) (Read 23715 times)