James EvanJames kind of just writhed on the ground, trying to regain any conscious thought.
[Soak 14+1] The pulsing in your brain recedes slightly. Moving your head quickly still makes you feel sick, but you have enough of cognitive functions back that you're capable understanding what's happening around you. This leads you to the realization that your cognitive functions have also been restored enough to feel panic.
"EARTH. TO. JAMES!" Hoke yells without looking up from his work. "Where the fuck is Tarran?"
Health: 74/88
Stamina: 67/100
Carried weight: 171/300
Attire: Exarch Dress uniform [8lbs] James' Light Body armor 40/50 (43/50) [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 3/7 -Frangible Rounds-)
.50 caliber Frangible pistol clips (7) x1
Irin Combat Shotgun 3/6 (15lbs)
Dybbuk Flechette Canister Rifle (1/2 35 lbs)
20 mm flechette canisters (x2, 1 lb)
Emergency VIP Drop Suit (30lbs, Armor 35/35) x2
Status: The Virtue, Cockpit. Concussion, next save [3].
---
Tyrin and AnnaTime for diplomacy and a little mental pressure with my powers to help him see things reasonably. If he says ok, head right past him and check the other side of the building for doors or windows, and then peek outside to get a look on what's going on. If he says no, then head back to the others and put some fire on the closest obvious trooper with the light rifle. Make sure to slide Tyrin's pistol back to him before either of these.
Continue past action of hoping the colonists would be swayed to reason.
Tyrin: 49+3-3 = 49 (locked with Anna)
Anna: 2+6-1 = 7
Jenna: 13+6-2 = 17
Trooper 1: 62+3-3 = 62
Trooper 2: 95+3-3 = 95
Sharpshooter 1: 85+6-3 = 88
[Trooper soak 9] The collapsed trooper remains unconscious, but he begins to recover from Anna's psychic attack.
The sharpshooter sits tight and continues to actively call up reinforcements. [Hidden Roll]
The nearest trooper, lacking the ammunition to run another full automatic sweep, fires a burst into the corner Jenna is hiding behind. [Quickshot 19-1-3+1] [Fire Control 1] [Weapon Stability 8+1] The first bullet clips Jenna's exposed shoulder (Armor -3, HP -8 (1 damage negates), but the Trooper's rifle jams badly as it chambers the next round.
Jenna, despite being hurt pretty badly, keeps the pressure on the trooper. [Quickshot 17-1-3, 1 shot at full power, 3 shots at -1 power, 1 shot at -2 power] (Armor -4, -3, -3, -2, -2 Hp -17, -7, -5, -7, -1) The trooper screams in pain as Jenna's lasers sear his flesh. His weapon is jammed, his armor his burned to near uselessness, and he seems to be on the losing end of a gunfight. Retreating until the reinforcements arrive seems like a good idea.
Tyrin makes a valiant (and foolish) attempt to win over the colonists, but Anna puts a very pragmatic end to it. Officially ousted from diplomacy, Tyrin turns back to support Jenna [p.empathetics 6+1]. She's gotten herself hurt again, and there's only so much good that bandaging can do.
Anna, meanwhile, takes over negotiations. [Diplomacy 22+1] [P.Empathetics 12+1] It's always difficult to pull off a gentle empathetic push, and harder still to tell if its actually doing anything, but Anna never really needed it here. There's something in her quiet, matter-of-fact assessment of the situation that does more to the colonist than Tyrin's youthful passion. He closes his eyes and shakes his head. When he looks at Anna again his expression is torn and his eyes are wet. "I can't..." he whispers quietly, glancing again to where his family his huddled. It's not a lot of warning, but it's enough for Anna to avoid being caught completely flat footed by the psionic's attack.
The older woman huddled with the unarmed colonists tenses, and both Tyrin and Anna are hit with heavy psionic assaults. [Technocrat Manipulator Surge 15-1-1-2+2 Vs Anna P.Empathetics 5. Two effects, Severe Pain, Double effect {Nothing, Nothing}] [Control 1, Cost increased 20%] (Manipulator -30 stamina) [Technocrat Manipulator Slam 20-1-1-2+1, Tyrin No Save Due To Surprise] [Control 1, Cost increased 20%] (Manipulator -30 stamina) The fleeting warning the colonist gave Anna isn't enough. [Anna soak 2] Pain overwhelms Anna, a feeling like every bone in her body is being bent to the point of splintering inside her flesh. (Anna stamina -20 [3]) Tyrin, meanwhile, is slammed against the far wall of the building. (Armor -9, 8 Negated).
The older woman's face shifts subtly. The family resemblance that connected her to the other colonists disappears, her hair darkens, and her eyes turn icy blue. "Boris," she purrs, "I honestly thought better of you than that. Did your really think these ragtag fools could stand a chance?" She sighs, feigning reluctance. "I made the terms of our arrangement perfectly clear, and now I have to waste a bullet culling another member of your family."
The leader of the colonists lowers his gun, his eyes pleading. "No, please, I didn't say anything. I was just weak-"
"Yes," The technocrat says simply. "You are weak." The Technocrat grabs the hair of the teenage girl beside her and twists her head back. The girl squeals and struggles to get away, but the psionic casually punches her in the throat. An act that triggers the high caliber pistol concealed in her right sleeve.
"NO!" The leader of the colonist screams as his daughter falls, bringing his pistol to bear on the Technocrat.
The woman, however, expected this. In the time it takes for him to swing his pistol up and around, she disentangles her left hand from the dead girl's hair and snags the youngest girl by the throat. "Careful now, haven't enough lives been lost?" The Technocrat smiles in bloody glee, her tone more than mocking.
[Colonist Leader Morale 12+2-4] [Armed Colonist Morale 4-4] [Armed Colonist Morale 2-4] [Armed Colonist Morale 4-4] [Armed Colonist Morale 12-4] The act clearly breaks the will of the remaining colonists. The father of the dead child lowers his gun and takes the rifle out of the hands of his son, his body wracked with a mixture of sobs and snarls. The other two adults simply seem to deflate, giving up all hope. The two armed teenagers simply stare in shock, unable and unwilling to believe what just happened was real.
The Technocrat beams at the colonists, then turns her attention to Anna. "Now, how do you want to do this? You can surrender now, or you can surrender after I've broken your mind and tortured your companions to death. Your choice."
Anna's mind is hazy with pain, but she recognizes the woman now. The presbyter's personal secretary. A woman who'd been written off as nothing more dangerous than a private assistant for a corrupt Technocrat's privates. A mistake, and one that will cost dearly.
Technocrat ManipulatorHealth: 118/118
Stamina: 76/130
Armor: Weapon: Punch Gun (2/3A)
Status: Fine, holding Colonist child by throat.
Ranges,4 RI to Anna
Obstructed to Jenna and Tyrin
Technocrat Trooper 1Health: 29/70
Stamina: 70/70
Armor: 8/115
Weapon: Jormungandr Assault Rifle (9A 44E, Jammed)
Status: Fine, behind partially flaming barricade. (Mid-Cover +3 defense against incoming ranged, -1 to outgoing attacks). Scared.
Ranges,Obstructed, Tyrin and Anna
9 to Jenna
Technocrat Trooper 2Health: 55/70
Stamina: 23/70
Armor: 90/115
Weapon: Jormungandr Assault Rifle (15A 15E)
Status: Unconscious. Prone behind rubble barricade (Light cover +4 defense against incoming ranged, can't attack)
Ranges, Obstructed, All
Technocrat Sharpshooter 1Health: 49/49
Stamina: 55/55
Armor: 90/115
Weapon: Kapre Light Rifle (11/15)
Status: Fine, behind barricade, in shooters nest. (Mid-Cover +3 defense against incoming ranged)
Ranges,Obstructed, Tyrin and Anna
21 to Jenna
Jenna, Unchained Psionic
Health: 28/65
Stamina: 42/70
Armor: 14/65
Weapon: Hellhound SMG (5/30 E)
Status: Broken Leg -Field set- (-2 to mobility), Wall corner. (Mid-Cover +3 defense against incoming ranged, -1 to outgoing attacks)
Ranges,
<= 1 to Anna
2 to Tyrin
Health: 79/79
Stamina: 85/85
Carried weight: 52/150
Attire: Colonist Worksuit, Limbo Medium Body Armor (115/115, 35lbs)
Inv:
Medical Kit (9/10, 5lbs)
Bandages (5/5, 2lbs)
Combat Knife (1lbs)
ALR Broadbeam (9/10 E, 14lbs)
Manticore (7/10 A, 6lbs)
.30 Cal pistol clip (10) x1
Energy Cell (Full) x1
Status: New Hensfield, South-east.
Health: 89/95
Stamina: 68/105
Carried weight: /130
Attire: Colonist Worksuit, Lethe Armored Infiltration Suit (45/50, 20lbs)
Inv:
Kapre Light Rifle (14/15, 16lbs)
Renfield SMG (10/30, 10lbs)
Combat Knife x2 (1ls)
.30 cal rifle clip (15/15) x1
.115 spike pack (30/30) x1
Status: New Hensfield, South-east. Severe Pain, up to -3 to most actions [3]
---
Dominique WakemanEnter Red Maintenance, attempt kinetic sonar again.
You split your flying monkeys up, sending one into each of the other maintenance sections. Thankfully, even their stripped minds are able to process the simple orders without issue. Ashley will probably be able to kill any one of them alone, but the sound of the firefight should pinpoint her location for you. You watch to make sure the immortals are actually following your orders, then jog over to the red maintenance door and open it the rest of the way.
You slip through into the red maintenance section. Within spitting distance of the maintenance hub, Red maintenance isn't so bad. The air is barely caustic and it hardly smells at all of heavy metals. [A. Kinetics 16+1] You push your mind out ahead of you, feeling along the hallways with invisible hands. The corridors branch and re-branch, moving through a maze of replaceable parts and maintenance panels, but the only motion you detect is repetitive and mechanical. Oddly, you feel something stir behind you.
You turn around just in time to see the heavy red maintenance door slide shut.
Should've trusted the more paranoid instincts.
Health: 128/128
Stamina: 119/120
Carried Weight: 166/210
Attire: Harlequin Uniform, Styx Assault Armor (137/150, 60lbs. Integrated Power cell charged 3/3, Internal Ammunition Supply [Cerico, 16])
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
Status: Floor 15
NOTE: A lot of regions are hilariously out of scale. When dealing with distances you should trust the things I say, not the map. The map is just there to give you a feel for where everything is.
---
Ashley Fey You wait in the maintenance locker, smelling year-old unwashed worksuit and trying to breath as shallowly as you can. Which, considering your anatomy, is pretty shallow. Dominique displays surprising control of the Immortals that follow her, ordering them to search the different sections of maintenance. You have no idea how
she got into this mess, but she certainly doesn't seem to be on your side. Though, honestly, you don't know if she's really on the Father's side either.
You relax slightly when Dominique goes into red maintenance. It has the strongest door, and the best chance of keeping her contained until you can figure out what to do. As soon as she's all the way in, you pulse a brief signal into the maintenance door systems. The heavy door responds immediately, closing and locking before Dominique can do more than turn around. You sigh in relief and step out of the locker. Jordan Grey did his wiring work well, you'll have to buy him a drink when he gets born out again. Assuming, of course, that you ever make it back to the conclave.
((You're up. Feel free to use all the systems I described to you by PM. Map is also in your inbox.))
Health: 91/91
Charge: 135/135
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
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]
.