Tyrin Laveros, Anna Witheld, James Evan"So we put down our weapons and confirm the illusion of the technocrats actually having power and then die, or we fight and we die. That's a brilliant suggestion. I like that man's ego! It's like he's blaming us for the deaths of everyone else they killed!
"Bloody technocrats can't even aim correctly."
Fire with the Broadbeam.
Open up with a -2 Neural Feedback at +15 Stamina. Then open fire with the rifle!
Prepare the flechette gun on account of it being the heaviest weapon I have. If the Presbyter moves into the spot from which the Marshall intended to start the ambush (assuming he's not already there), try to peg him with it. If I get a warning that he's trying to do some massive psychic attack or he turns his back to me as he attacks others, try to peg him.
Anna Withheld: 32+3-3 = 32
James Evan: 19+0-1 = 18
Tyrin Laveros: 44+3-3 = 44
Marshal Feuer: 79+6-3 = 82
Hickie: 37+6-3 = 40
Jeremiah: 55+6-2 = 59
Wigs: 55+6-3 = 58
The Presbyter: 32+2-6 = 28
Feuer [mobility 18] squeezes out of the crack in the wall, preparing the heavy laser weapon and moving north along the outside of the west wall.
Jeremiah leans out from the door, lending some support from the ground floor. [
Quickshot] [Finesse 2 Vs Soak 11, Critical not confirmed] [Weapon Stability 14+1-3] The spray of slugs strikes the presbyter twice, each blow accompanied by the flare of the Technocrat's psionic shield. Jeremiah's rifle jams on the last slug, forcing him to duck back behind cover and work it free. (-40 to next initiative roll) (Presbyter Shield -1, -2, 10 absorbed) The Technocrat doesn't even flinch.
Wigs takes his shot from the rubble as soon as Jeremiah gets out of the door, firing a pair of twinned pulses at the presbyter. [Marksman 16-1-1, 20-1-2+1] Both pairs strike, burning into the Technocrat's shield. (Presbyter Shield -6, -19, -2, -5. 20 points absorbed)
Tyrin leans off the roof, trying to get a decent shot in with the ALR broadbeam. [Quickshot 21+2] The beam, unfocused though it may be, strikes down from above a second after Wigs' attack hits. (Presbyter Shield -10, 5 negated) It isn't nearly as effective as it would be if the beam had been calibrated, but it succeeds in keeping the Technocrat under fire from two directions.
Hickie [mobility 6] tries to clamber up onto the roof, struggling to climb up the jagged section of fallen ceiling and carry the heavy rifle at the same time.
Anna reaches out with her mind to attack the Presbyter. There is a brief moment when the sheer raw
power of his defenses is overwhelming, but Anna attacks anyway. She wouldn't be a member of the rebellion if she didn't have the will to fight hopeless battles. [Neural Feedback 9+1+1+1-1] [Control 10] (Stamina -20) (Presbyter Stamina -31) Anna strikes at the Presbyter's defenses, but, as far as she can tell, doesn't so much as dent them. A flicker of awareness stirs behind the Presbyter's mental armor, and the psionic barriers thicken as he diverts more of his attention to keeping them up. Which gives Anna an excellent opening to take the more direct tactic of physical violence. [
Quickshot [Finesse 16 vs Soak 10, Critical confirmed!] [Finesse 12 vs Soak 20, critical not confirmed] Three rounds slam into the already distracted Presbyter. The first glances off his shield, but the second very nearly penetrates it. It gets within a handspan of his chest before he catches it in the shield, guiding it away from him with a spray of sparks and a squeal of metal. He's ready for the third round, and punts it into the earth with the others. (Presbyter Shield -6, -59, -9. 15 points absorbed)
The presbyter shakes his head, looking at the marksman that came close to hurting him.
"So be it. The words echo in the minds of the assembled unchained, carrying a dreadful finality. [Disintegrate 15+6-3-4-1] (-20 Stamina) A storm of psionic energy engulfs the roof of the of the building, striking the two gunners raining hell on him from above. [Acceleration beam 9+5-3-4] (-20 stamina) Even as the disintegration field blooms above him, the Presbyter points two fingers at the wall Jeremiah ducked behind. A tiny section of the wall, the size of a coin, goes from cold to white hot in a split second, then bursts into the building with the force of a thermal penetration round. Thankfully, it misses Jeremiah's head by a few scant inches.
James [Mobility 20] wisely skirts around the disintegration storm before finding another piece of cover to shoot from around. He sights the heavy launcher on the Presbyter, settling the targeting laser straight on the man's chest. The Dybbuk's safety clicks off as soon as the laser settles, and the trigger guard releases.
The disintegration storm rages around Tyrin and Anna both, [9, 22] but, by shear bad luck, Anna gets the worst of it. [3 projectiles hit Tyrin, 15 hit Anna] (Tyrin armor -7, -3, -4) (Anna Armor -7,-3,-3,-8,-6,-3,-4,-4,-5,-4,-5,-3,-8,-4,-6. Anna HP -1, -2, -3) Anna's armor is almost completely stripped away by the maelstrom of unfocused energy, the plating burning away to keep her from getting ripped bloody.
Total Damage dealt to Presbyter's Shield: 134
Total Stamina Lost by Presbyter: 71
Health: 15/88
Stamina: 71/100 (+3)
Carried weight: 171/300
Attire: Exarch Dress uniform [8lbs] James' Light Body armor 19/50 (50/50) [25lbs]
Inv:
Renfield SMG (10/30, 10lbs)
Riot shield (10lbs 1/30, in hand)
Piru Gauss Rifle (E5/5 A5/5 16lbs)
.45 Gauss slug clip (5)
Simone's Song (6lbs 2/7 -Frangible Rounds-)
.50 caliber Frangible pistol clips (7) x1
Dybbuk Flechette Canister Rifle (1/2 35 lbs)
20 mm flechette canisters (x2, 1 lb)
Emergency VIP Drop Suit (30lbs, Armor 35/35)
Irin Combat Shotgun (3/6, 15lbs)
Status: New Hensfield, Mindbarred (Anna). Medium Cover, -4 to incoming attacks, -2 to outgoing attacks.
Health: 40/95
Stamina: 34/105 (+6-3)
Carried weight: /130
Attire: Colonist Worksuit, Limbo Medium Body Armor (8/115, 25lbs)
Inv:
Kapre Light Rifle (11/15, 16lbs)
Renfield SMG (10/30, 10lbs)
Combat Knife x2 (1ls)
.30 cal rifle clip (15/15) x1
.115 spike pack (30/30) x1
.225 Convention magazine (25/25) x1
.220 Gauss Magazine (5/35)
Combat Blade (8lbs)
Jormungandr Assault Rifle (25/35A 35/70E, 16lbs) -Reflex Sight-
Satyr Light Pistol (25/25, 4lbs)
Status: New Hensfield, South-east. Mindbarred (controlling)
Health: 57/79
Stamina: 85/85 (+3)
Carried weight: 95/150
Attire: Colonist Worksuit, Limbo Medium Body Armor (54/115, 35lbs)
Inv:
Energy Cell x1 (Full)
Artemis Railgun (1/3E, 1/3A, 18lbs)
Kapre Light Rifle (8/15, 16lbs)
Medical Kit (9/10, 5lbs)
First Aid Kit (10/10, 5lbs)
Bandages (4/5, 2lbs)
Combat Knife (1lbs)
ALR Broadbeam (4/10 E, 14lbs)
.30 Cal pistol clip (10) x1
Field Surgery Kit (9/10, 5lbs)
Satyr Light Pistol (25/25, 4lbs)
Technocrat Tags
Status: New Hensfield, South-east. Mindbarred (Anna)
'Hickie', Unchained Psionic
Health: 61/65
Stamina: 62/70
Armor: 59/65
Weapon: Kapre Light Rifle (14/15)
Status: Fine
Jeremiah, Unchained Psionic
Health: 59/65
Stamina: 65/70
Armor: 26/65
Weapon: Sleipnir SMG (Dual, 25/25 A, 50/50E. 25/25A, 50/50E) [holstered] ; Jormungandr Assault Rifle (30/35A, 65/70E)
Status: Fine
'Wigs', Unchained Kineticist
Health: 57/109 (MHD = 40)
Stamina: 115/115
Armor: 71/115
Weapon: Basilisk Pulse Rifle (6/10)
Status: Fine
Marshal Feuer
Health: 126/130
Stamina: 121/135
Armor: 43/100 (Half Cell)
Weapon: Hellhound SMG (30/30), Sol Laser Cannon (50/100)
Status: Fine
---
Toomas Amk"Time we had best use optimally, unfortunately."
Cut open and fix. All or nothing. I assume that's a Mechanics roll, so utilize Enhance Attribute and bring up my Intelligence enough for a +5 bonus (81 points, presumably, which costs 30 HP, yes?).
Rob grunts and turns back to his console. "Just get it done."
You focus on your task, getting out the welding kit and feeling over the wax covered metal, focusing on... something you're not sure of. It's a very unusual sensation, becoming what you need to be. It's almost as if there's something else in your body, something that can understand what you're thinking and then interprets those thoughts biologically. The change isn't precisely something that you
do, but it's something that you start. You focus, and you feel your mind begin to accelerate, the cool burn of hyperactive cells thrumming through your body. [Restructuring 1, bonus negated. Cost +30%] (-35 HP)
Everything is more intense in this state. Everything. Your mind is changing, becoming malleable, receptive, powerful. You can smell the wax in the air, a bitter, toxic smell mixed with the blood of the researcher you cut. You can hear Rob's breathing, irregular and strangely ragged. The wax covered metal under your fingers is alive with sensation, the subtle changes in the wax's luminosity and color as you touch it, the faintly cold feeling of it killing the outermost skin cells on contact... This is a dangerous state to hold. The benefits of it are great, but they are tempting to hold onto. The only consolation, twisted as it is, is that you won't be able to grasp the immensity of what you've lost after you let it go.
[Mechanics 6+5+1, 6+5+1, 16+5+1, 20+5+1. Luck 13. 86/70] It takes you a few minutes to warm to the process, but, after you get the cut the cover off, everything falls together. The entirety of the inside is encased in wax, the close knit pattern of surfaces allowing the residue to flow together and fill the voids inside the electronics bank. That would have been a severe hindrance under normal circumstances, but not to your augmented mind. This is what you were made to work with: The pattern of circuitry and parts, binding together and springing apart again, elegant tapestries based solely on the rules of nature. You damage a few circuits in the cutting process, but you patch them back together almost as quickly as you severed them. Locating the mechanical security, you clean it and set it in place rapidly. Simplicity itself.
The console behind you flashes green, and Rob gives you thumbs up and an appreciative grunt. "Alright, you've proven you're good. Now get back over there and let's finish this job."
Health: 553/590 -[1,6]
Degeneration: Near Nil
Carried Weight: 57 /120
Attire: Plain Technician Uniform, White. Annwn CFUS (50/50, 15lbs)
Eldjotnar Shotgun (4/4 A, 12/12 E, 10lbs)
Energy Cell x3 (Fully Charged)
20 gauge gauss canister x12
Portable Welding Kit (20lbs, Plasma, 100/100)
Mechanical Bypass Kit (10 lbs, 10/10)
Mechanic's Utility Knife (1lb)
Pad (Charged, significant free space, 1lb)
Status: Fine
---
Dominique Wakeman Fennec nods. "Good. Break up into your teams, and get moving."
The soldiers, even if some of them might be having morality issues, are well trained. Your squad ends up with six infantrymen, a pair of engineers, a pair of scientists, and Taiya. You're not entirely sure why she's with you, considering the Arbiter's steadfast desire for her safety.
For the first part, the Arbiter leads. Everyone leaves the dock after the ships get locked up. The entire group of twenty-four pauses briefly outside the destroyed blast door while the Arbiter's team heaves it back into place, spot welding it to keep it from budging. If anything comes back this way, they'll have to cut back through those welds. Not time consuming with the right equipment, but hopefully enough to prevent any nasty surprises from getting into the docks while everyone else is out on search and rescue.
After the door is sealed, everyone heads back to where you killed the first test subject. Interestingly, there's now a thick coating of the waxy substance on the gooey bones that he left after dying. The Arbiter breaches the door at the far end of the hall, leading everyone out into a large set of hallways, shaped like a large hollow diamond with a smaller, solid, diamond in the center. Everything is coated in the wax, and the collective movement of the remaining soldiers sends ripples of light across every surface.
"This is where we split up," Fennec says calmly, locking the dart launcher to the underside of his rifle. "Left fork is mine, right fork is the Harlequin's. The center diamond holds the elevators, but there isn't enough juice to get those things going, so stick to the path outlined. Move out."
Health: 101/128
Stamina: 120/120 (+14)
Carried Weight: 124/210
Attire: Harlequin Uniform, Styx Assault Armor (150/150, 60lbs. Integrated Power cell charged 3/3, Internal Ammunition Supply [Cerico, 14])
Inv:
Dominique's Abassy Heavy pistol -laser sight- [6, 8lbs]
.50 pistol clip (7 0.2lbs) x5
Artemis Railgun (3/3 A, 3/3 E 18lbs)
Size S-3 rail spike pack (3, 0.6lbs) x2
Cerico Shotgun (24/8 A, 16lbs)
12 gauge shells (8, 0.3lbs) x5
Stun club (50/50 11lbs)
Advanced Medical Kit (10/10) (5lbs)
Energy Cell (Full, 0.5lbs) x5
ORS (3) x2
Chitin Nodule
Status: Fine
---
Ashley FeyWell then, check for a route back on the inside, don't feel like getting fried, if there is no route, might have to do this the hard way
[Intuition 11+1] Well, if you were back inside the ship, you could theoretically sabotage the shield core and then do the space jump. Granted, that would leave the ship vulnerable to debris, but the odds of significant debris hitting the ship in the time it takes you to get in and out is several thousand-to-one against.
Of course, you could also try this the simple way and just bluff your way past any dock guards that got left behind. Or join with Harry in a two-pronged attack and just kill everyone who they left.
Health: 159/159
Charge: 159/159
Carried weight: 115/150
Attire: Plain gray under armor padding. Midguard Hardened Armor (112/140, 60lbs)
Inv:
Garou Repeating Cannon (9/12) (19lbs)
15 MM bonding charges x1 (12)
Ashley's Leanashe Assault Rifle [10/30 18lbs]
4.73 mm Caseless box mags x1
Cirri Light pistol [20/20 4lbs]
Energy cell x2
basic medical supplies [1/5] (5lbs)
Manticore Pistol [9/10 6lbs]
Mechanical Bypass kit 1/5 [3lbs]
Author
Topic: Deviation-22. The End of All Things. (Read 526207 times)