Topic: Deviation-22. The End of All Things. (Read 536051 times)

SeriousConcentrate · « **Reply #8820 on:** June 12, 2014, 03:05:03 am »

(No suggestions, but I do think D is trying to kill a lot of us off.

* SC has no faith in his allies against upwards of 100 regenerating enemies and is pretty sure Harry's character is both willing and better able to kill Dom than vice-versa.

)

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #8821 on:** June 12, 2014, 05:27:06 am »

Quote from: SeriousConcentrate on June 12, 2014, 03:05:03 am

(No suggestions, but I do think D is trying to kill a lot of us off.

* SC has no faith in his allies against upwards of 100 regenerating enemies and is pretty sure Harry's character is both willing and better able to kill Dom than vice-versa.
)

((Oh no, Toomas doesn't kill people mostly. It's just that this is a bit of a special case, given how he has to eat and food resources are presumably highly limited in this place, so a bit of moral flexibility, particularly toward these asshole scientists, is quite permitted. He kind of sided with the violent escape people for that reason, since Dom's hubby seemed pretty deluded in terms of what the Technocracy would do with the residents of the station. But if they don't really prevent him from doing anything too important, he shouldn't have any problem with the Technocrat personnel.))

Draignean · « **Reply #8822 on:** June 12, 2014, 08:37:00 am »

Quote from: Zako on June 12, 2014, 02:42:32 am

((Holy shit...

Well... I may have just screwed myself over here... Shit. I completely forgot about probing first. Now I got all this power, but no stamina to use it...

Any suggestions as to what I can do here? And does energy drain key off of A. Empathetics?))

((It does.

Now, I'd like to point out that there are three psionic individuals within spitting distance who have full, or nearly full, stamina. Just an observation.))

((EDIT: SC, of course I'm trying to kill all of you. I'm the GM. It's sort of a Wile E. Coyote kind of thing.))

Draignean · « **Reply #8823 on:** June 12, 2014, 09:39:16 pm »

Dominique Wakeman

Quote from: SeriousConcentrate on June 09, 2014, 10:03:55 pm

Dom immediately took point, keeping her shotgun up and ready and attaching the needle launcher to it, and advanced forward cautiously.

You take the lead in your group, Taiya trailing just to your right. She, thankfully, has the complete set of directions mapped out on her pad. It's not hard to sneak a peak now and again to get your bearings. [Intuition 13] In fact, judging by the way she's holding the device, that may be exactly what she intends. It's entirely possible that the Arbiter sent her with you to make you look better at your job, bolstering your position with the other soldiers in the process. Considering that you appeared to have killed their CO, that isn't a bad thing. [Auto-Succeed due to ability: Fortress of Will] Little fingers of tentative will brushing against your mind, however, hint that Taiya's presence might not be so wholeheartedly benevolent. She's not going to be able to do anything to you, not without breaking out much heavier artillery, but the attempt is enough to put you on your guard.
You take the east route out of the diamond shaped junction, walking with quiet speed. The station is oppressively silent, the Wax that covers everything, deadening sound and lending a tomb-like atmosphere to the empty halls. By contrast to the dead soundlessness, light continues to pulse away from you in waves. It flows up the walls and curls up the ceiling, ruining any advantage that the muffling effects of the Wax might have granted you. It might just by the cadet's continual attempts to test your psionic defenses, or it could be the fact that this station is clearly a place where no sane human would be, but you constantly feel as if you're being watched. That feeling never grows beyond a feeling, but it's annoying nonetheless. The click and hiss of one of the engineers dropping a comms spike behind you is the loudest thing in the entirety of your journey.
[Hidden Roll] Instinct makes you halt at a random intersection, four turns back from where you started. The same prickling barfight sense that has saved your ass in the past is breathing down your neck. Ahead of you, the corridor ends in a pair of double doors. To your right, the corridor continues. The only thing that's at all unusual are a few largish lumps in the wax, nestled right where the while meets the floor. Each lump is about six or seven feet long, a foot to a foot and a half tall at their apex, and slightly irregular. There's three lumps in the corridor ahead, but only two lumps on the rightward corridor. Your route calls for you to stay the course and walk right past those three lumps.

Spoiler: Dominique Wakeman (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

---

Ashley Fey

Quote from: wolfchild on June 11, 2014, 08:36:47 am

Travel towards Harry while asking him how many possible hostiles are left near the dock

Harry's response is a long time in coming. [Hidden Roll] "Difficult to say," he sends at last, his tone frustrated. "They calmed the worst of the disturbances, but power is still in flux. It could be that there's nobody out there. Could be that there's a full team left behind and they're just being careful. You need me to pop the door and put eyes on?"
You respond with a noncommittal grunt, crawling back across the surface of the ship and cycling your way back through the airlock. You doff our spacesuit just outside, closing the chapter on the most non-productive space experience of your life.
You make your way back up to the door that leads to the boarding tube, as close as you can get to Harry without actually walking back out onto the docks.

Spoiler: Ashley Fey (click to show/hide)

---

Toomas Amk

Quote from: Harry Baldman on June 10, 2014, 04:05:12 am

"The sooner the better, obviously."

Allow my brain to decrease in size and get to work as directed.

You stop willing the changes to be and let our body return to normal. The sudden plunge in intellect is momentarily terrifying, parts of your brain dying and being reclaimed, but it's a sensation that you grew used to long ago. You slide back behind your computer and finish unlocking Rob's ability to use the periphery systems. You expect him to give you additional instructions, but none come. Rob taps his terminal constantly, flicking through screens in his search for something.
You leave him to his work for the moment, scanning what this computer gives you access to. It is, as expected, mostly cameras. The list is hundreds long, and all of them appear to be inactive. You locate the one for this room and tap the screen, selecting the camera. A waiting light appears on the screen for a moment, then waves of light pulse out from the ceiling above you. A small pod, almost invisible under the wax, shifts and breaks through its semi-solid covering. Your screen immediately shows the camera's view angle, complete with the camera's status. Aside from being overdue for diagnostics, it appears perfectly preserved.
Rob snorts from above you. "One camera doesn't do a lot of good, and the damn things go offline the moment you stop actively controlling them." He shakes his head and looks back to his screen, his voice pitched for his own ear as he continues. "Need to get them all up at once and transfer control to the military systems, but it isn't happening... Where oh where can you be..."
You shrug and keep flicking through various cameras, working outwards from the substation. [Roll not shown] Even if it won't help him get the system back online, one camera can mean a lot of a difference if you catch it at the right time. You don't, however, see anything through your fleeting glimpses of the nearby rooms and halls, everything appears serene, and the cameras appear to be in working order.
"Goddamnit," Rob snarls suddenly from above you. "Were going to need to reboot the entire security system and work from there. Sending the joint request now. Key it in as soon as you get it, we need to be done fast."
True as his word, a request appears on your screen immediately, and you grant the system permission to reboot. You screen stays on, but your access to the security cameras disappears. Seconds tick by, and you consider the possibility that Rob's move may have permanently severed the now tenuous connection between this terminal and its core systems.
Control does return after a minute have waiting, but it returns along with another error code.

Error Code: #E000004
Insufficient power to activate system to full capacity. Please reallocate power from current systems or reactivate system in low power mode. System will automatically reactivate in low power mode in one-hundred twenty seconds.

Rob curses again. "Alright, Toomy boy, let's see if that second access code the bitch gave us is any good. Unless you've got a brighter idea." You get the distinct impression that the last statement is a rather dismissive afterthought, not something that he actually thinks you're going to be able to provide.

Spoiler: Toomas Amk (click to show/hide)

SeriousConcentrate · « **Reply #8824 on:** June 12, 2014, 09:51:34 pm »

Dom held up a hand, then closed it into a fist to indicate she wanted everyone to stop. "...I don't trust those lumps. Everyone, get ready to open fire." She took a knee so the others could fire over her if need be, then fired a needle at the closest lump, ready to open fire with the shotgun if it turned out to be one of those things.

Zako · « **Reply #8825 on:** June 13, 2014, 02:44:12 am »

((Ah right, linking! It may just be our best shot, and the mirror mind should help pull it off! Can you remind us about the rules involving linking and the kind of rolls we need to make?))

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #8826 on:** June 13, 2014, 08:19:30 am »

In the words of the immortal bard, let's see if that second access code the bitch gave us is any good. If not, try to think of a brighter idea.

Tiruin · « **Reply #8827 on:** June 13, 2014, 05:05:49 pm »

((Can I overclock the Railgun?
What does E and A mean? Is there any informational page I can check for the weaponry?))

"Anna, I'll do my best to keep him suppressed--only you psychics can take care of him!"

Aim with the Railgun and try to get a clear shot.

Draignean · « **Reply #8828 on:** June 13, 2014, 05:47:41 pm »

Quote from: Zako on June 13, 2014, 02:44:12 am

((Ah right, linking! It may just be our best shot, and the mirror mind should help pull it off! Can you remind us about the rules involving linking and the kind of rolls we need to make?))

((If you're going for a link to subordinate (Only you get an action) the other individuals in the link, there is no roll needed. At least, assuming the other individuals are willing. If you're going for a tandem link (Both can act independently) with a single other psionic, then you both need to make a P.Empathetics roll, with bonuses based on familiarity.

One thing you should be aware of. When you initiate the link, you will contribute 0 stamina, not -13. When the link ends, you, along with all the others, will take stamina damage. You're not going to get any stamina back out of this link when you break it, and it's possible that the additional stamina damage may kill you.))

Quote from: Tiruin on June 13, 2014, 05:05:49 pm

((Can I overclock the Railgun?
What does E and A mean? Is there any informational page I can check for the weaponry?))

"Anna, I'll do my best to keep him suppressed--only you psychics can take care of him!"

Aim with the Railgun and try to get a clear shot.

((A = Ammunition. E = Energy. Rail weapons, like gauss weapons, use both a solid projectile and a crapload of electrical energy when they fire.

Yes, you can tweak Railgun to use more charge per shot, but, as before, that's an extended mechanics roll that's slightly difficult while in the middle of a life-or-death situation.

Informational page for guns, armor, etc, is here: Equipment))

wolfchild · « **Reply #8829 on:** June 13, 2014, 06:24:47 pm »

Carefuuly check the path for hostiles

Zako · « **Reply #8830 on:** June 15, 2014, 07:52:53 am »

((Right. Thanks for clarifying the rules for me! It seems like the most viable way forward right now.))

Anna's mind reeled from the massive load of information that was suddenly injected into her consciousness. She knew that this was probably the most ideal way to fight back, but she knew that she was running on empty and needed to fix that as quickly as possible.

"Tyrin, I'm going to need to link with you in a bit. Be ready! Hickie! I need a stim, right now! Throw one up!"

Call for Hickie to throw a stim to me and if he does, inject it. Then crawl into cover with Tyrin and get my breath back. Make sure to take deep breaths and hide from the sight of the technocrat as much as possible, to make it hard for him to nail me.

Draignean · « **Reply #8831 on:** June 15, 2014, 04:01:32 pm »

Tyrin, Anna, James

Quote from: Zako on June 15, 2014, 07:52:53 am

Anna's mind reeled from the massive load of information that was suddenly injected into her consciousness. She knew that this was probably the most ideal way to fight back, but she knew that she was running on empty and needed to fix that as quickly as possible.

"Tyrin, I'm going to need to link with you in a bit. Be ready! Hickie! I need a stim, right now! Throw one up!"

Call for Hickie to throw a stim to me and if he does, inject it. Then crawl into cover with Tyrin and get my breath back. Make sure to take deep breaths and hide from the sight of the technocrat as much as possible, to make it hard for him to nail me.

Quote from: Powder Miner on June 12, 2014, 03:03:27 am

Lie there and ponder the folly of attacking the presbyter when already slashed up by a Wight.

Quote from: Tiruin on June 13, 2014, 05:05:49 pm

"Anna, I'll do my best to keep him suppressed--only you psychics can take care of him!"

Aim with the Railgun and try to get a clear shot.

Spoiler: Initiative (click to show/hide)

Jeremiah flicks the fire selector on his assault rifle all the way down, steps carefully out of cover, and holds the trigger down. The attack depletes the rebel's magazine, [Fire Control] but the gamble pays off. Slugs slam into the Presbyter's shield, generating a sudden storm of shield flashes that all but obscure the Technocrat. (Technocrat Shield -1,-5,-3,-10,-3,-11,-10,-9,-1. 45 Absorbed.)
The Presbyter, dark eyes still betraying no real change in emotion, focuses on Jeremiah. [Forced Link 15+5-4-1. A.Empathetics 19+5, 7+6, 6+6, 22+5 Vs P.Empathetics 5, 20+1, 1, 6, 12+1. 76 Vs 46. Link Forged] (-35 Stamina) The attack is unseen, but the dampening field seems to weaken as the Presbyter draws up raw energy and inhuman will to create an unstoppable psionic force and direct it at Jeremiah. The weapons strikes so fast and hard that the younger psionic doesn't even have a chance to cry out. His expression slackens and his body loosens for a moment, his heart skipping a beat as it syncs with the Presbyter's. The presbyter gives a curt nod as the other man's nervous system falls completely under his control, then raises his hand to attack the only remaining active rebel that he can still see: Hickie. [Acceleration Beam 20+6-3-1-1] (-20 Stamina) The beam strikes the unchained high in the side, burning bright against his armor before punching through the medic. (Hickie Armor -12, HP -36. 2 Negated.) The hole is arrow straight through the man's side, but the way Hickie is hunched over James prevents it from piercing any vital organs.
Feuer, meanwhile, finishes the charging cycle on the laser cannon. [Marksman 11+2+1] His aim isn't flawless, but it doesn't need to be. Unlike before, the weapon doesn't fire a burst laser pattern. It fires a singe beam. (Presbyter Shield -146 5 absorbed.) The light as the beam strikes the Presbyter is blinding, the Technocrat's shield transforming into an opaque shell of burning white. The Presbyter is still standing after the light fades, [Gather information 14] but not as he once did. There's a wariness to his stance, a flicker of fear in those determined eyes. [Feuer Passive Empathetics 22] (Feuer's psionics are no longer restricted)
Tyrin crawls over to the edge of the roof, unclipping the railgun from his back and sighting it in on the presbyter. 'Covering fire' is difficult to provide against something that doesn't even appear to care about getting shot, but he could at least distract the thing.
Hickie, despite the pain of his injuries, continues ministering to James. [Medical 22+1+1-4, 14+1-4, 5+1-4, 12+1+1-4. Luck 14. 129/96] (James HP +36) It doesn't take much effort to finish getting the man fit enough to stand. His body would regret it later, and the drugs would probably wreak havoc on his kidneys, but he'd live through the next ten minutes. Assuming he didn't get shot again. [Hickie Observation 20] Hickie rolls over onto his less damaged side as he finishes with James, fishing his last remaining Stim out and tossing it to Anna.
Wigs [P.Empathetics 18], like Feuer, breaks free of the dampening field's effects in the Presbyter's moment of weakness. [Observation 6] He doesn't notice the sudden change in Jeremiah as he prepares a lance of kinetic energy and drives it towards the presbyter. [Blade 16-5+2+2] (-50 Stamina) The flash of energy as it contacts the shield is almost as brilliant as the one Feuer's laser created. (Presbyter Shield -110, 5 Absorbed) The presbyter remains as the flash fades, but his determination is far less calm.
Anna [Dexterity 1] attempts to grab the stims that Hickie threw, but her body doesn't work quite right. The stresses, psychic and physical, slow her reactions, and the syringe bounces of her knuckles. [Luck 6] The glass reservoir breaks as it strikes the metal roof, turning its contents into nothing more useful than a slick chemical smear. [Stamina 16] Anna flinches at the loss, but forces her body to remain conscious. This isn't the end, not yet.

Total Damage Dealt to Presbyter's Shield: 502
Total Stamina Lost by Presbyter: 161

Spoiler: James Evan (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Anna Withheld (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Tyrin Laveros (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Allies (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Map of ground level (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Map of roof (click to show/hide)

---

Dominique Wakeman

Quote from: SeriousConcentrate on June 12, 2014, 09:51:34 pm

Dom held up a hand, then closed it into a fist to indicate she wanted everyone to stop. "...I don't trust those lumps. Everyone, get ready to open fire." She took a knee so the others could fire over her if need be, then fired a needle at the closest lump, ready to open fire with the shotgun if it turned out to be one of those things.

The group halts at your command, quickly assuming firing positions that will allow them to focus on your target and protect the engineers and scientists. It's an impressive amount of firepower, all brought to focus on one point. You raise your shotgun, aiming the dart launcher carefully at the nearest mound. You're confident that you press the firing stud and be in a position to fire before anything could react to being shot, even considering how fast these things can move.
The launcher makes a sharp hiss as it fires, sinking a single dart half its length into the nearest wax mound. [Roll not shown] Nothing happens. The lump remains inert, and, while the dart appears to have discharged its fluid, there is no reaction from the mound. If there is something in there that's alive, it has amazing self control or very few nerves.

Spoiler: Dominique Wakeman (click to show/hide)

---

Ashley Fey

Quote from: wolfchild on June 11, 2014, 08:36:47 am

Travel towards Harry while asking him how many possible hostiles are left near the dock

"I don't know, that's what I've been telling you! Everything is still so fuzzy that there could be a half-dozen or none at all! The max possible that could possible be left behind is say, max of ten or fifteen as long as the spread out. All I can tell you is that there aren't clusters of people." You grunt again and key open the first airlock door, walking quickly down the length of the boarding tube. You can handle a couple soldiers, but any more than four will be tricky, particularly if they spread out. You key the second airlock door, preparing to take a look at the dock, but nothing happens.
You frown and punch in the command again. A small red light flashes, but nothing happens. Apparently they locked their ship up after Dominique joined them. [Failed roll not shown] This could be a problem.

Spoiler: Ashley Fey (click to show/hide)

---

Toomas Amk

Quote from: Harry Baldman on June 13, 2014, 08:19:30 am

In the words of the immortal bard, let's see if that second access code the bitch gave us is any good. If not, try to think of a brighter idea.

You type the next code in when prompted, and the computer system takes some considerable time to respond. Eventually, something clicks inside the electronics bank, and both computer screens flash green. Rob face takes on that partially feral grin again, and he starts muttering again. You don't have the same control authorization that his console does, but you can see what he's working on. He's diverting power to the surveillance system, trying to give it enough energy to activate despite being encased in wax.
From what you can see, he's sacrificing life support and internal security systems to do it. You would guess that he's gambling on being able to get off the station before the life support matters, and deactivating security turrets and force fields in this section might help as well, but those some security lines also power door locks. There are some doors that should not be allowed to become unlocked, particularly when they abut the military section.
A flicker of motion at the rooms entrance catches your eye, and you turn with some surprise to regard the woman you cut. She standing in the doorway, both hands covered with blood, and she's smiling. Her body seems to shake from the effort of remaining standing, a feat which she only accomplishes by leaning against the open door, but she smiles nonetheless. It's a suicidal smile, one makes you think that the logic of Rob's plan might have been poorer than even you initially thought.

Spoiler: Toomas Amk (click to show/hide)

SeriousConcentrate · « **Reply #8832 on:** June 15, 2014, 04:04:16 pm »

Dom glanced over her shoulder, then drew her stun baton with her left hand, creeped forward, and whacked the living hell out of the punctured lump to see if anything would happen.

Tiruin · « **Reply #8833 on:** June 15, 2014, 04:05:34 pm »

"C'mon Anna, you can do this." Tyrin whispered as he controlled his breathing. With one steady shot, this would be a disrupting show of force.

Fire.

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #8834 on:** June 15, 2014, 04:55:30 pm »

"Would you look at that. It seems that crime does not, in fact, pay. Perhaps we should get a move on," Toomas observes, then turns to the lady. "Deeply sorry about the circuit diagram. Got carried away. But you have gotten something out of the experience, at least. Enjoy your triumph."

Try to detach the vent cover to clear an escape route, as this may get rather hairy soon.

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Author Topic: Deviation-22. The End of All Things. (Read 536051 times)

SeriousConcentrate

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Harry Baldman

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Draignean

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Draignean

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

SeriousConcentrate

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Zako

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Harry Baldman

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Tiruin

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Draignean

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

wolfchild

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Zako

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Draignean

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

SeriousConcentrate

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Tiruin

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.

Harry Baldman

Re: Deviation-22, Ch. 3: This is why we probe first.