James Evan"No!" James backed away. "Ya know what? Maybe I could have bloody revolted! Or tried to. You seem to forgot that I was on shaky grounds anyway. And you know how the Technocracy deals with those who break its rules. WE WOULD HAVE BECOME A BLOODY SMEAR! WOULD THAT HELP ANYONE?! NO. IT WOULDN'T! Maybe you need to be frickin' patient. Going out in a blaze of glory won't do a thing! Maybe the way to do it is patience and stealth, eh? You know I was getting the parts f- Nevermind... If you really know it, I don't need to tell you. Maybe, you're just a psionic figment made by the Technocracy!" James quickshotted a round at the other him. "But anyway, if you try taking the reins and going on your suicidal method, we won't live to see the Technocracy toppled. We'll be a corpse. And do you really prefer that?! Do you?! Anyway, I won't let you. You're not me. I'm me. And I'll do what it takes to banish you." James quickly drew and fired his other gun.
You monologue back at yourself for a moment before firing your pistol again from the kneeling position. [Quickshot 1][Luck 1] The revolver misfires, turning your hand into star of pain. [End 4] Gasping in agony you manage not to black out while clutching your hand, hot blood seeping through onto the barren earth. The shadow of you considers carefully before crouching down with you, looking almost sad now.
"Yes, I would prefer to be a corpse than to continue living this lie, and in your darkest hours so do you. Die for what you believe, or live for nothing. We've done things your way, and it got our friends captured and worse here. Now it's time to try my way, live or die, the only people we'll put in harm's way will be ourselves." The infected arm reaches out to you, and you lunge your good hand into your duster drawing out your other pistol and firing on the diseased appendage as fast as you can pull the trigger. [Dex 4, three shots] [Quickshot 4, 4, 4] At this range you don't miss once. Gore spatters the ground as you amputate the fungal appendage at the shoulder with hot lead, everything suddenly goes all bendy, hazy and noticeably dreamlike for the first time on its own. The shadow of you howls, raising his gun arm and firing repeatedly.
Not at you though.
More bullets smash into the severed appendage, blowing little bits of twitching... stuff... everywhere before it blackens and shrivels. The world jogs again and a subtle hum intrudes on your senses. As everything else fades away the shadow looks at you directly one last time.
"This isn't over." It states simply, and then the dream abates at long lost.
You're reclining, bound to a chair. A surprisingly comfortable chair. You can only look straight up, but what you can see is strange. The ceiling has a soft light emanating from it, not a single light, just a sort of ambient glow. A soft and computerized female voice interrupts you as you test your restraints.
"Would like to listen too some music or view a more pleasant sight while you wait? We have an extensive library of soothing images that you may wish to view before you procedure." Alright, now this is just weird. You're pretty sure you aren't still dreaming though.
Perks added.
Shadow: You got exposed to an experimental unchained piece of bio-tech used in interrogations, you survived but it had a lingering effect on your subconscious. Your subconscious is self-aware now, a second and more primal version of yourself.
Effect: Even without psionic training the shadow can block an incoming empathetic attack on a roll 4 or better. The shadow however will also increase your aggression and can occasionally warp your actions unless you can make a will save.
Harrowed: You endured torture, repeated, nasty, brutal, and thoroughly unconventional at the hands of the Technocracy. You lived, and what does not kill you makes your stronger. No dumb punk with a gun and an ego has a chance of staring you down now.
Effect: +2 to will saves against intimidation, +1 to intimidating people. You can't stand, or take part in, any form of torture however.
---
Taric Sizier"Anything else we need to do boss?"
Talking to Tarran over the intercom you discover that you had forgotten to open the doors before you get here, he tells you he's going to shoot them open. You have vague misgiving about this entire plan. Meanwhile Nathaniel has finished downloading and you query him on his status.
"That thing you took me out of tastes funny, my feet itch, I haven't been laid in God knows how long, and Hot Damn I love this ship!" Holographic menus scroll and activate on their own, moving at eye-blurring speed even for you. After a couple seconds of frantic movement Nathaniel speaks again.
"I should have control over the engines in a couple minutes after they heat up... Sit Co-pilot for me would you? If anything turns red and blinking hit it repeatedly until it stops."---
Tarran SmithShoot the EM canisters.
You need a path out of here, sliding your hands into the holographic gauntlets you aim the turret at the canisters. [Marksman 1] [Luck 6] Oh yeah, safety. Disengaging the safety mechanism you fire again, [Marksman 2+2+1] the turret is very new to you but the targeting system is great and your own skill with guns helps too. As hoped the EM canisters explode. Oh wait, SHIT THEY EXPL- [Explosion power 3+2] The antimatter waste combines energetically with the wall of the canisters, exploding incredibly and blowing out a section of wall twice the size of the ship. [Hit Area 4, Left hind VTOL engine, right hind VTOL engine, Reactor and main engine, Virtue Armor 2+3] High-velocity superheated shrapnel sprays into the hull, the shielding isn't up yet and it lays scars across the armor, stripping into the ablative sheets over the primary engine. (Armor LR VTOL engine -73, RR VTOL Engine -82, Main engine/reactor -58)
---
Dominique WakemanDom shifted slightly in her sleep. The couch was really comfortable.
You sleep the dreamless sleep of the truly exhausted, your wounds recovering rapidly.
---
Trol GraneGet in the bed, hurr durrrr
Washing somebody else's body is just weird. You exit your very nearly military shower and plop down on your bed. Oh. My. God. You've never felt anything like thi- ZZZZZzzzzzzz
---
3:00 Seconds until the Shields fold,
2:15 seconds until the reactor is online. Engines and shields will be up at the end of next turn.
Author
Topic: Deviation-22. The End of All Things. (Read 535605 times)