Tarran SmithOpen dat door to the east.
Turning to the door on your right you fumble across for any means of opening it, the glowing red light of the door control indicates that the door is locked. Taric already tried his card on it when you came through so it was a little too much to hope that it had become unlocked in the meantime. ...Of course, now that you think about it, it probably would be a bad thing if you'd just found it ajar, doors rarely open without some stimulus.
[Observation 4] From down to the south you can hear a repetitive sound, a slight swish followed by a whump, then a two second delay before it repeats. [P.kinetics 3+1] Pressing your 'vision' to the limits you can see that there is something moving down there, more than that is difficult to make out.
---
Dominique WakemanDom, unaware she was doing so, attempted to enter a lucid dream state through her dormant passive empathic abilities. "Are you lost?" she called out to the child, attempting to follow it from one odd place to another and see if she could find out what was so important about it. She didn't even know if it was a boy or girl, or how old it was, or anything; just a shape in the distance being guarded by some of the things meandering through her rest.
[P. Empathetics 5] The fitful bubble realms of half-dreams roil beneath your eyes for long moments before stilling into something more normal... Trees, green grass, flowers and little stone waterfalls abound before you, bringing back bittersweet memories. You remember this park very well from your dates with your husband, its familiarity though is tarnished by the ghastly sensations you felt in your dreams. Turning away from the old memory you call out to the child you sensed. Nothing answers, but you feel a peculiar tug from off to your left.
Following it on impulse you walk through the vibrant foliage of the artificial garden, following the tenuous cord of the half-felt feeling from a dream that skittered on the edge between sleep and consciousness. It doesn't take long however for you to find what you were being lead to, and as you circle around the last of the squat trees you pause to take in the size of it. It's a memorial slab, a common sight in these gardens, but its scope is something that could have only come from a dream. The impossibly large stone is covered with names that shift as soon as you try read one, but the names are not the striking feature of the monolith, the graffiti artwork that covers it from top to bottom is.
At the center is the child, younger than you would have imagined, she's maybe a year old and lies on a carefully made bed. A hollow cheeked woman with empty eyes and only the faintest of sad smiles to her lips stands over her and caresses the child's head. Around them in circles are armed men and women, their backs are to the child and mother and their weapons held ready to engage some unseen threat. Even the faces of the youngest bear the lines of weariness you've come to associated with the undermost class of people, and the emotions on faces of these soldiers seem no different. Hopelessness and dread emanate softly from their parts of the mural, but the underlying cord is resignation. [will 2] The sheer bleakness of it overwhelms you and you turn away from the mural, turning your gaze away from the happy young child and the dead-inside wall of men and women fighting to protect it.
That's when you notice the other figure. It looks like what would happen if you told something that had never seen a person that humans had two arms, two legs, a torso and head before you asked it to sculpt one. The figure is perfectly proportional, but its skin is as white as snow and it lacks all additional features. You sense amusement coming from it.
"Well, I must say I'm quite glad you decided to doze off... I owe you quite a bit of thanks." The voice comes from the being, but it does not move as it talks.
"I had my suspicions when I tried in the forest to subdue you, but ants have terrible eyesight and very little ability to recollect events. Again in the gardens something happened that made me suspect, but the disturbance could as easily have been made mechanically. But you... you showed me to my own eyes." The thing's shoulders shrug mechanically in a parody of human emotion. "
Or close enough as makes no difference. And just between us, I harbor you no ill will for it, the sensation of being crushed against the ceiling was... exquisite. I simply must thank you."You stare at it for a moment, caught between the horror of the graffiti behind you and the sheer alien presence of the thing that speaks with you. You really can't think of anything to say back to it though, 'Your welcome' doesn't fit the occasion and 'up yours' might not be anatomically possible considering its form. Perhaps fortunately for you though the newcomer seems content to do the talking.
"Well I'd start off by asking you how many others of your group are like you, but you seem quite out of tongue... So I think Ill just reach in and take what I need." [The Father A.Empathetics 3-3-1 Vs Dominique P.Empathetics 4] The white faced man goes completely still and silent, and after a moment you feel a slight pressure on your thoughts as you did when you trained with Trol, except this pressure never develops into the mind rending spikes you've come to associate wit psychic conflict.
This is more like being attacked by a small dog than actually being assaulted by something dangerous. You flick aside its feeble probe with some caution, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Instead of attacking with real force however the thing reels backwards from some invisible blow, and its voice is filled with surprise when it speaks.
"Amazing... A real touch, just a prick, but a real touch..." Okay. You're now officially getting on the first goddamn bus to depart crazytown.
---
Taric SizierGo to Tarran
Purple hair wants to hog her precious Russian computer, meh, you'll get it when snooty McPrincess gets into trouble she can't solve without the help of yours truly. As for now... it's been awhile since you pestered Tarran on his ineptitude and poor leadership skills, can't let him think you've started to approve of him being in charge.
James' light helps a lot when you're finding Tarran in the dark hall, abominably bright though it may be. Tarran himself seems to be listening to something intently. Without anything better to do you join him in quiet reflection.
---
James EvanJames briefly attempted to cover the name or something- his name wasn't Simone Taggart, and he assumed the owner had died when the Immortals presumably came in to kill everyone-, before going to show Tarran- who really seemed like someone who would know about weapons extensively- his find, after also punching the remains of the box to test the thing.
[Strength 2] After a brief attempt to deface the metal plate you give it up, your hand is going to cover it anyway when you put it on. Pulling the ballistic weave and alloy gauntlet on you give the box it was in an experimental punch. Nothing happens to the broken box whatsoever. Hmm, must be out of ammo. Luckily for you the gauntlet's box also contained a pair of cartridges designed to slot into the gauntlet and you slide one in and prime it as soon as you realize what the problem is.
While you're loading it and testing the weight and feel of it on your hand Taric walks out of the adjoining hall and down the corridor to Tarran. Hmm... Come to think of it Tarran did say he was a freedom fighter, and he seemed to know a hell of a lot about guns... maybe he could tell you something about this piece, worth a shot anyway.
Grunting you lug your lamp down to where the two of them stand, apparently lost in in concentration. Not wanting to interrupt whatever the hell they're doing you join them in focusing on your environment.
---
Ashley FeyAshley Searches the whole thing for any more references to argos, then logs off because taric was still being a creepy SOB
[Mechanics 3] You do a couple of general sweeps through the system for the Argos and a couple other keywords from the file, you get a couple hits on Arbiter Winston, but only passing reference to him as a complete and total iron ball bastard. Deep scanning the system could take hours in the normal way, far more time than you can spare. You're about to log off in frustration when you realize Taric isn't breathing down your neck anymore... You didn't even notice him leaving.
Any of them could still walk in on you but you've got a short window to do this while he's gone. Your fingers stay hovered to crash the prism as you decide. [Regen 6-1=5]
Relevant ItemsRelevant Items
Memory Stick (Dom)
Broken Pad (Taric)
Ident Badge (Taric)
Disruptor Pistol 3/4
Light Body Armor 27/50
Light Body Armor 9/50
Light Body Armor 11/50
Letters (On Top of Cabinet)
Health: 100/100
Charge: 125/150
Carried Weight: 96/200 (-25%)
Attire: Plain gray under-armor padding. [10lbs] Heavy Combat Armor, 116/150. [45lbs]
Inv:
Leanashe Assault Rifle [22/30 18lbs]
4.73 mm Caseless box mags x2
Cirri Light pistol [20/20 4lbs]
Energy cell x5
Manticore Pistol [9/10 6lbs]
Mechanical Bypass kit 4/5 [3lbs]
Arc implants, Planerian Implants
Stormcrow implants
Javelin Implants, Duelist Implants
Status: Primary Staff quarters, North Wing.
Harry Nakamuno
Health: Damaged
Charge: Half Charge
Description: 6'3", weighing three-hundred and fifty pounds Harry is the frontline muscle. Generally calm but a man who dislikes doing nothing, slow to anger he's been friends with Jordan since the Conclave gained their freedom.
Personality Complication: Just cause. Harry Believes in the work he does, and he believes hard. He won't hesitate to put a hole through anything in the way of his duty.
Skills: Melee 2, Soak 2, Brawling 2, Marksman 1
Attributes,
Strength (Str): 6
Dexterity (Dex): 3
Endurance (End): 6
Charisma (Char): 3
Intelligence (Int): 3
Willpower: (Will): 3
Staggershock implants,
Aegis implants, Lazarus implants
Samson Implants, Duelist Implants
Equipment: Heavy Combat Armor 111/150, Wolfkin SMG 15/18, Disruptor Pistol (4/4 4lbs), .50 cal drum clips x3, HE grenades (2), Thermal Paste (1), energy cell x4
Jordan Grey
Health: Damaged
Charge: Almost Full
Description: 5'9'' Jordan is a slender blond man with the red scraggle of beard perpetually encroaching on his chin. Part of his memories were lost during translation, and all hope of recovering them lost in the second battle. His name is a combination of earth history and the book Grey's anatomy. His medical expertise remains intact along with his sarcasm and combat skills, but most of the rest of his life is hazy.
Personality complication: Hatred, he might not show it much of the time but Jordan holds a grudge against the... thing that robbed of the chance to ever recover his memories. He is determined to kill it, if it's the last thing he ever does.
Skills: Mechanics 2, Marksman 2, Dodging 3,
Attributes,
Strength (Str): 1
Dexterity (Dex): 6
Endurance (End): 1
Charisma (Char): 3
Intelligence (Int): 6
Willpower: (Will): 6
Javelin implants,
Spider implants, MD. Ande Suite
Toxicology and hazard recog, Arc implants
Equipment: Combat Armor 76/100, Laelaps Laser rifle 9/12 (15lbs, short range barrel unusable), Disruptor Pistol (4/4 4lbs), energy cell x5, Field Surgery kit 1/5, Advanced medical kit [4/5], basic medical supplies [3/5] , ORS pack 3/3.
Health: 110/115
Stamina: 100/115
Carried Weight: 143/200 (-25%)
Attire: Arbiter dress Uniform, pristine [10lbs] Standard Body Armor, 74/100. [35lbs]
Inv:
Abassy Heavy pistol -laser sight- [2, 8lbs]
Chimera Pistol [15, 5lbs]
Chimera Pistol [15, 5lbs]
Stun club (50/50 11lbs) x4
Fuath Riot suppression carbine [7, 13lbs, Caustic load]
.50 caliber pistol clips x8 (7, 2lbs)
Jormungandr Assault Rifle (A30, E65, 16lbs,)
.220 gauss slugs x2 (35)
Smoke Grenades x1 (neg)
Field rations x2
Basic medical kit (2/5) (5lbs)
Data storage drive [Romance novels]
Status: Primary Staff quarters, North Wing.,
Health: 27/70
Stamina: 65/70
Carried Weight: 138/170 (-25%)
Attire: Technocrat Commander Dress uniform [11lbs] Standard Body armor, 66/100. [35lbs]
Inv:
Energy Cell x8 (3 lbs)
Frankenstein Versatility Rifle (A29, E57, 31lbs, in hand,)
.220 gauss clip x4
Basilisk pulse rifle 4/5 (13 lbs)
Piru Gauss Rifle (4/5 4/5 16lbs)
.45 Gauss slugs x2 (5)
Disruptor Pistol (4/4 4lbs)
Saun's Helmet (Quarter full of ants, enclosed.) (3lbs)
Box of terrible scrap components (20lbs)
Short Range Radio, (Off)
Memory Foam centerfold
colonist rations x5 (5lbs)
Tripwire emitter
Status: Primary Staff quarters, North Wing.
Health: 35/75
Stamina: 68/75
Carried Weight: 133/150 (-25%)
Attire: High-prelate Uniform [8lbs] Standard Body Armor 60/100. [35lbs]
Inv:
Ichneumon Anti-Armor Rifle -Scope- (1, 20lbs, 1 rounds in speed loader)
1' sabot packs x3 (2)
Chimera pistol (15, 5lbs)
Combat Knife (1lb)
Sleipnir SMG (A5, E35 9lbs,)
Sleipnir SMG (A5, E35 9lbs,)
3 energy cells
8 .220 gauss clips (35)
Basic First Aid Kit 5/5 (5lbs)
1 .220 gauss clip (25)
Jormungandr Assault Rifle (A35, E70), 16lbs, in hand)
Status: Primary Staff quarters, North Wing.,
Health: 38/75
Stamina: 52/75
Carried weight: 140/200 (-25%)
Attire: Exarch Dress uniform [8lbs] Light Body armor 40/50 [25lbs]
Inv:
Renfield SMG (10, 10lbs, in hand)
Orb Lightstand (35 lbs 19/20)
Riot shield (10lbs 30/30)
Piru Gauss Rifle (E5/5 A5/5 16lbs)
.45 Gauss slug clip (5)
Simone's Song (6lbs 7/7 -Frangible Rounds-)
.50 caliber Frangible pistol clips (7) x1
Dybbuk Flechette Canister Rifle (1/2 35 lbs)
20 mm flechette canisters (x2, 1 lb)
Status:Primary Staff quarters, North Wing. Incredibly Smelly.
Author
Topic: Deviation-22. The End of All Things. (Read 529809 times)