Tarran Smith"Well, at the very least, they aren't shooting at us yet."
"James, you okay?" Tarran says as he pokes James' head. "What's wrong James?"
Poke James in random spots on his head unless he wakes up.
James may be having yet another episode in his award winning series of strange problems but at least nobody decided to put holes in you, it might not be much but you'll take your victories where you can get them. Counting your blessings by name and number you kneel beside James and -for lack of a better option- poke him in the head repeatedly. [Luck 3] Aside from getting cold sweat mixed with the residue from the lake that James went scum-diving in on your finger, nothing happens. You're not unduly surprised.
---
Ashely Fey"Tarran, we need to talk, this THING, that offered you a deal, will keep that deal until it get'[s what it wants, and then it will screw you over, probably to put you into one of those suits or whatever, trust me, it breaks it's word, but only when there is an advantage for it in there" While saying this, ashley calls the doc over to see if he can figure out what is wrong with james
You raise in eyebrow in a mild state of what-the-hell as Captain Smith begins poking his collapsed teammate in the head. Before he can do something actually harmful to the poor man you tap Jordan on the shoulder and ask him to look James over again while you have a word with Tarran. He grimaces but nods anyway, surprising, you would have expected him to make some disparaging joke about treating the same patient twice for a problem that isn't there.
While Jordan is occupied with James you draw Tarran aside, he at least needs to know something of the massive goddamn danger this thing poses. That and the fact that you have zero intention of honoring the truce in the long run.
---
Jordan GreyGrumbling inclemently under his breath Jordan activates his medical implants and begins the tedious process of attempting to pinpoint exactly what the non-existent problem was. [Perception 4+1] Beyond what should be a painful burning throb from his current injuries as well as minor secondary infections there isn't anything wrong with him, sure he needs some R&R but then again who here didn't... wait a moment...
All the reads for his brain chemistry were askew with no good reason, but that was nothing new and there was no injury to suggest that it could be treated. The weird thing was that the implants were noticing erratic changes in the weight of the patient, no greater than three percent but still quite noticeable.
---
Taric Sizier Replace the current power unit in the rifle with a new one, then look over the Piru to see if there's any improvements I could make to it.
Mildly irked and the weapon's behavior you replace the power cell, you don't really need to see right now anyway. While Dom is busy blowing the knees off random strangers you can think about making some upgrades to your gear... Unable to see you mull the designs for the Piru rifle over in your head... [Mechanics 4+1] Working from memory you slot components in and out, theorizing wildly as you go. Hmm, in theory it would be possible to adjust the rail bore and chamber size dynamically with each shot, you'd need to look at the innards of one to see if you could actually pull it off but it might be worth it.
Design Notes: Gauss weapons are fitted for maximum efficiency with a single caliber of round, smaller rounds result in tumbling and damage to the interior of the weapon. Taric however believes it possible to design a chamber that could adjust it's magnetic field to allow for the firing of smaller and perhaps even larger rounds, making the weapon capable of firing most any form of ferric projectile.
Components required: More research required
Next step in research: Disassemble a Piru Rifle
---
Dominique WakemanDom had to almost physically restrain herself from breaking this guy's nose so hard it would rip the cartilage off his face, and counted to five silently. It didn't help. Finally, after another moment she shoved him off and drew the Abassy on him, taking a step back to get even more distance as she flicked on the laser sight. She didn't need it to know where he was at, but she wanted him to see that she was armed. "I have a heavy pistol aimed at you. Tell me every-fuckin'-thing right now. Who are you, what is this place, what the fuck happened with those bio-suits, the lot." She moved the pistol down slightly. "Or I'll blow your goddamn knees out for starters. I'm not fucking around." She might have been a bit kinder towards him had he not taken a shot at her earlier, but between the ants, the meteor wreck, and almost getting killed by an Immortal before this shit even happened... saying she wasn't happy, cook lunch for the crew Dominique was an understatement.
Enough of this clingy bastard's antics, he'd just tried to shoot you, something that kind of exempts him from the list of people that get to hug you. [Str 3+2] Driving your fist into his stomach you slam him back up against the wall and point your gun at his chest, delivering your ultimatum as he staggers and wheezes for breath. [Jake Will 6] Despite probably having been pretty severely traumatized recently and being a crying huggy type he's actually able to pull himself together speak fairly intelligibly.
"My name is... Jake, Jake Fern." He wheezes out as he clutches his stomach in pain.
"This is the research facility Delphi, please don't kill me... need to breathe..." You grunt your assent in the dark and lower the laser sight to rest on his knees, giving him a moment to recover from you punching him in the gut. He's at least trying, that much at least merits you shooting him somewhere non-vital first.
It takes him a couple seconds before he can stand up straight and breathe normally, but he continues speaking as soon as he is able.
"I don't know what happened, was at a party, baby shower. They came at us without warning; I'd never seen anything like them before... I just worked cleaning detail, made sure the labs were scrubbed and sanitized after the researchers were done for the day." The man wiped his eyes and peered into the darkness, missing the approximate location of your head by about six inches as he attempts to look at you in the dark.
"After the attack it was chaos, the survivors banded together. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it got bloody." His hands clench it tight fists and his voice takes on a tired note of bitterness.
"It got very bloody when we found out that the researchers made those things... It wasn't an attack, one of them just fucked up their experiments..." "That's nice," you say, your voice conveying the very antithesis of nice.
"But why the fuck are you shooting at me?" He cringes slightly at your tone.
"Thought you were one of them, coming to get me... I've been locked up with the others in a dark hole for more than a year now" he says, his voice growing ragged and tearful again
"we gave up hope of rescue months ago. Never expected to find anyone when I was sent up here to scout... but you..." He drops to his knees and starts crying again.
---
James EvanJames distracted her by talking about how his being conscious would help her, then jumping three-quarters of the way through the talking into the conscious spot.
Okay, plan: start talking to her the instant she appears, promise much, give little, and get out as soon as you can. Yeah, nothing can go wrong with this, it can work, it
has to work.
"You have a plan for this?" Your shadow asks as it eyes the odd room apprehensively.
"I'll distract here with a few promises and then run away." "Attempt charm her and flee? Good plan. Ha ha, everybody laugh." he says, looking at you somewhat worriedly now.
"Now what's your real plan?" "That is my real plan." "We're screwed aren't we?"You're saved from answering that question honestly by Her arrival, somewhat unspectacularly bursting in through the door. You're briefly distracted by your mind wondering why she bothers to use the door if this is a dream.
"What have you DONE?!" she yells at you as she approaches, outrage and hate etched in her every feature and movement.
Okay, get her off balance somehow and then flee. [Diplomacy 2+1 Vs Blight Will 2]
"I called you here to discuss a peace, and perhaps an exchange." She stares at you for a moment, clearly surprised by this turn of events.
"What exchange?" You think for a moment, your plan really hadn't gotten much in depth than charm.
"If you don't do anything that I would object to while using it I will allow you partial use of my body." Yeah right, when pigs fly. If she appears to actually consider this you're getting the hell out of Dodge.
"I..." She stops and thinks for a minute, the rage dying for a moment. And a moment is all you need.
[Will 5 Vs Blight Will 5+1] You release the coiled spring of will that should shoot you straight back into the captain's chair of your skull, and for a moment if feels as though it just might work. Then She realizes what you're trying to do and clamps down on you like a white hot mental vice grip, grabbing you by the collar and lifting you up off your feet even as she anchors you to your lower brain.
"I almost believed!" She screams at point blank range.
"I will tear you apart, stake you down, and burn you until you cry for me to save you. You will beg for me to let the darkness devour you!" Plan B would be really good here if you'd bothered to plan that far ahead, as it stands however it looks like Dom-You is- [Intuition 5] That's it. That's the master plan.
"Ha! Tear me apart? You couldn't even beat me when I was surprised, what hope can you possibly have against a man like me? You're just little girl pretending to be all big, now put on a dress and make me a sandwich." [Blight Will 1] Her eyes bug out of her skull as your words percolate through to the part of her brain donated by Dominique's personality. Roaring incoherent profanity and wrath she hurls you thirty feet into the other side of the room, smashing your back against the wall hard enough to make you doubt the intelligence of this course of action. She advances on you the instant you start to pick yourself up, giving you enough time for one fervent prayer before she deals you an uppercut that you can feel splintering both sides of your jawbone before it drives you unconscious.
You wake up to Jordan inspecting you again, it's getting mildly creepy to wake up to his face every time you fall unconscious but right now you don't really care. You're back in control of your own body and your incredibly painful plan without planning worked. You look around for Tarran and find him occupied talking to Ashley, damnit. Lacking a more readily available person you grab Jordan's arm and apprise him of your situation. He looks at you like you're insane.
---
Turn Recap Taric might be back in his groove
James knocked himself out... again.
Tarran is talking with Ash
Dominique is threatening to kneecap a janitor
Ash is talking with Tarran
Jordan is listening to James Speak Madness
Harry is patched
James has regained control of his body
Your Escort will arrive next turn
Relevant ItemsMemory Stick (Dom)
Broken Pad (Taric)
Ident Badge -Pyotr Ivanov- (Taric)
Ident Badge -Kira Masse- (Tarran)
Unpowered Pad (Tarran)
Health: 48/100
Charge: 125/150
Carried Weight: 96/200 (-25%)
Attire: Plain gray under-armor padding. [10lbs] Heavy Combat Armor, 74/150. [45lbs]
Inv:
Leanashe Assault Rifle [30/30 18lbs]
4.73 mm Caseless box mags x1
Cirri Light pistol [20/20 4lbs]
Energy cell x5
Manticore Pistol [9/10 6lbs]
Mechanical Bypass kit 3/5 [3lbs]
Arc implants, Planerian Implants
Stormcrow implants
Javelin Implants, Duelist Implants
Status: Primary Staff quarters.
Harry Nakamuno
Health: Badly Damaged
Charge: Three quarters 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 52/150, Wolfkin SMG 12/18, Disruptor Pistol (4/4 4lbs), .50 cal drum clips x3, HE grenades (2), Thermal Paste (1), energy cell x3
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 7/12 (15lbs), Disruptor Pistol (4/4 4lbs), energy cell x4, Field Surgery kit 1/5, Advanced medical kit [3/5], basic medical supplies [3/5] , ORS pack 3/3.
Health: 91/115
Stamina: 30/115
Carried Weight: 160/200 (-25%)
Attire: Arbiter dress Uniform, pristine [10lbs] Standard Body Armor, 47/100. [35lbs]
Inv:
Abassy Heavy pistol -laser sight- [7, 8lbs]
Chimera Pistol [15, 5lbs]
Chimera Pistol [15, 5lbs]
Stun club (50/50 11lbs) x4
Fuath Riot suppression carbine [6, 13lbs, Caustic load]
.50 caliber pistol clips x7 (7, 2lbs)
Jormungandr Assault Rifle (A30, E65, 16lbs,)
LR Jormungandr Battle Rifle (13/35 A, 8/15 E, Damaged, 17lbs)
.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, D wing, tired
Health: 27/70
Stamina: 16/70
Carried Weight: 138/170 (-25%)
Attire: Technocrat Commander Dress uniform [11lbs] Standard Body armor, 66/100. [35lbs]
Inv:
Energy Cell x7 (3 lbs)
Frankenstein Versatility Rifle (A4, E70, 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: South primary staff quarters, Exhausted.
Health: 35/75
Stamina: 71/75
Carried Weight: 133/150 (-25%)
Attire: High-prelate Uniform [8lbs] Standard Body Armor 48/100. [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 (A0, E25 9lbs,)
Sleipnir SMG (A0, E25 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: 29/75
Carried weight: 140/200 (-25%)
Attire: Exarch Dress uniform [8lbs] Light Body armor 32/50 [25lbs]
Inv:
Renfield SMG (10, 10lbs, in hand)
Orb Lightstand (35 lbs 17/20)
Riot shield (10lbs 30/30)
Piru Gauss Rifle (E5/5 A5/5 16lbs)
.45 Gauss slug clip (5)
Simone's Song (6lbs 4/7 -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.