Tarran Smith"Taric, shut up. If this really was something nastier, you would be thanking me right now. In combat, you don't underestimate things. For example, a simple thud could be a dog hitting a door or someone sneaking."
"Anyway, I'm going south further, because I literally cannot do anything else back at those rooms. Anyone else who was waiting, feel free to join me. Those who were doing something important, go ahead and head back."
Go south further. To the red light.
What's in that room doesn't look like it needs you, too much tech. You suppose you could go back and explore the unopened rooms of the north section again, but digging through Technocrat underwear draws isn't exactly and appealing way to spend you time. You've got a mission, find the ship, get ship back, probably dick over radio voice in the process. However, considering that you have no current leads on how to pursue said mission you might as well follow this corridor to its conclusion to help get a feel for the shape of this facility.
You call for volunteers and after a moment of silence Harry shoulders his weapon and stands beside you.
"Not much to be done, Jordy can take care of Ash while we find something that needs holes in it." You can agree with his sentiment, hacking computers and sifting files is egghead work. Granted you'd landed yourself in the position of becoming a freedom fighter because you were hacking signals and sifting data, but that's beside the point.
Together the two of you advance, considering you ability to see past the edge of James' light you take the lead position. Somewhat disappointingly your trek comes to a rather abrupt end, the hall dead ends not far after the red light. The red light itself is yet another locked door. You'd give a lot to have a plasma torch on you so you could just cut through all these damn doors.
---
Taric Sizier"Tarran ya wuss, It's not coming any closer..." Continue moving up into the room.
Rolling your eyes at Tarran's ever-expanding mountain of personal shortcomings you walk into the room. Stepping over the deadheads corpse you're instantly immersed in red and blue light from the holographic interfaces that line both walls. Smiling and cracking your knuckles you head to the south side and carefully step on the tracking mat, scrolling through the panel in attempt to divine what its for. [Int 5+1] Hmm, they're all diagnostic and readout panels for deadheads and their supporting caste of machines. These systems monitor vitals, nutrient feeds, power supply, system link, current alerts, everything. Looking at it doesn't require authorization but to change any of the settings you'll need to crack it or get a password. [mechanics 2+1] No plan immediately springs to mind but you're willing to bet that cracking this system will be easier than trying to run through a guy's personal minefield like you tried before. You have a feeling the security response would be quicker.
[intuition 3+1] On that note where is the security itself, you would have expected the deadhead's cradles to be here at least. You eye the door on the west side of the room with distrust. You know that six of the deadheads have been killed at least, but how many would a security substation contain? Of course the deadheads could be coming from somewhere else and that door could lead to a broom closet, but still... It's a bit of a risk.
---
Ashley FeyAsh decides that she was doing something important, so continues what she started
Things seem to be under control here, you don't need seven people to hold a hallway. Shrugging you start to walk back to the northern rooms, Jordan seems to be busy fiddling with his rifle and Harry is heading off with Tarran so it looks like you're going to be alone up there. Considering you're armed to the teeth stubbing your toe in the dark is probably more of a problem.
[Observation 4+1] You make it back to the rooms and sit back down in the chair without killing yourself, in part because of your memory and in part because of the faint emergency light still coming from the first room in the hall. You open up the console again, punch in the nonsense password and raise the prism. Then you carefully tap your spinal jack, clipping into one of the terminal's interface ports. You relax every part of your body as you let your mind open, then you start the link itself.
Disembodied again you float in a sea of whispers, a susurrus of a thousand tiny voice moving and talking. Raw information, non-visual and unstructured. [Mechanics 5+1] With a cats cradle hand gesture you restructure it into something more visually useful, a three-dimensional gravity free space, massive free floating objects represent hard data storage, anything moving is a program of some kind, and the thin chains that bind the objects are the in/out feeds.
Well you're in and security doesn't seem to be responding to you as a threat yet, what now?
---
Dominique WakemanDominique patted James on the shoulder in thanks as she moved past him and kept the Abassy up... until she, too, saw what was causing the noise that had boss on edge. With a quiet sigh of relief, she holstered the gun. Could be worse... she thought when Taric taunted Tarran. At about that point, Ash looked at her and asked if she had a rough night. Dom managed a smile in her direction. "I've had worse. You should see this scar I've got on my..." she trailed off. Taric at least would probably be overly interested in that particular scar. Being defenestrated and having to have someone else pull the shards of glass out is never fun, she thought, frowning as she recalled the incident. That was probably the most embarrassing trip to the doctor she'd ever had. She put her hand on her hip absently. "Anyway, it's probably not a good idea to go to sleep around here."
She turned to James. "So, uh, yeah. Now seems like a good time. There doesn't seem to be any danger and I'm rested up; d'you want me to try and Orient you? We could use another psionic on the team," she said. If James wasn't feeling up to trying it, though, she would just stick with Tarran for now.
Ash left with Jordan, Taric is busy mooning some new piece of pretty and Tarran is down the hall undoubtedly doing captainy things. That leaves you and James with nothing to do. Well, if the earlier theory was correct then he should be like you were, dormant or whatever they want to call it. Considering the fact that you don't have a reverse relativity whatchamacallit on hand you're going to have to do the job yourself if its going to be done at all. Also considering the fact that you aren't too familiar with the part of your abilities that have to do with things other than throwing and breaking thing this could be interesting. When you offer however James accepts without hesitation, well hopefully you won't repay his trust by turning his brain into tapioca. Hopefully.
Okay, you can do this. Tensing your shoulders for some kind of a fight you close your eyes and reach out, searching for James specifically. Considering his proximity this isn't too hard, now for the tricky part. You've never done anything at this stage except when you were sparring with Trol, and that was as different from this as a knife fight is different from surgery. First however you root around in your own skull, trying to pin down the evasive memories of orientation that still elude your conscious thought. [Will 5] It's hard, but you're able to get a handle on the memory without wasting time.
Now you just need to actually do this, without a way to explain it better you take a firm 'grip' of Jame's willing mind, you don't know how to target memories specifically so you're just going to blast it all and hope something stick. Then you brace yourself as you prepare to unlock the memories that your mind decided to hide from your rational thoughts. Damn, if this leaves you drooling on the floor you're going to kill somebody.
[Orientation 6, 3, 4+1, 3, 5+1 Rating 23/30 Great results.] [Shadow 4, Attack Eaten. Oh dear.] Memories come at you like a hurricane as you break the self-inflicted encryption, getting into the machine, minutes of silence and waiting... and then... Time so much time... Days spent in lessons, days turning into months, and months into years. You can feel it inside you, the erosion scar that your own brutal orientation made on your mind. You remember everything in crystal clarity. You remember a fifty-seven year long dream, fifty-seven years where you never sleep, you never eat, you never laugh, you just learn and learn until you can learn no more, and then it makes you put what you've learned to use. You lose track of the thousands you kill and the minds you've broken. The rational part of your brain would tell you that none of those memories are real, unfortunately the rational part of your brain is officially out to lunch. You can feel James sharing the memories as they roll over you, but something's wrong... He isn't suffering from the effects like you are, in fact nothing about him seems to change at all. In a last desperate push to get this done you redouble your efforts, pushing as much of your memory as you can into him before the sheer fatigue these memories cause you begins to wear you down.
After a vicious twenty seconds of psychic struggle you give in, breaking the connection and leaving the part of your mind that stores those memories in the dust. [Will 4] The pain and the trauma fade quickly from mind, the orientation training fades away back into its place at the back of your mind, leaving only an unpleasant dream in its place. You feel tired, [end 4] not as bad as you might have expected but it's still an effort to open your eyes again and remain standing at the same time for a couple minutes.
James regards you with a concerned and somewhat quizzical expression.
"What happened, did something go wrong?"(Dom Stamina -35)
(James you get five points to use between your passive Kinetic and Empathetic disciplines.
James, Perk changed: Shadow to Psionic Shadow.Psionic ShadowDescription: Thanks to rigorous field application of another psionics memories your constant helpful (and not so helpful) companion has evolved. Your shadow is now quite capable of psionics, he has also picked up a few of Dominique's more charming personality traits.
Effect: James is unable to use active psionics, he can only invest in the passive discipline. The upshot of this is that his active abilities will activate as if they were passives. (Walls, surges, slams, blades, mind bending, etc can now happen instantaneously... and without your consent.)
---
Relevant ItemsMemory Stick (Dom)
Broken Pad (Taric)
Ident Badge (Taric)
Disruptor Pistol 4/4
Light Body Armor 50/50
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.
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: 65/115
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, Hall.,
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: Security substation november.
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, Hall.,
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, Hall. Incredibly Smelly.
Author
Topic: Deviation-22. The End of All Things. (Read 529728 times)