I throw a ROCK at a WINDOW

>>15178
That would be a terribly bad idea! All the WINDOWS are usually for star or planet gazing, and breaking them would result in critical atmospheric loss.
Not to mention you have no rocks, anyway. This is a satellite, after all, why would there be rocks? Except in the simu-halls, anyway...

The satellite shakes again.

Find intercom and ask for status report, from other crew members if available, or computer if not.

>>15192
You stumble towards the work intercom and press the button, once, twice, three times. Oh dear. The power seems to have been lost. You know there is an auxiliry battery and powering panel in the SURVEILLANCE ROOM, however.

This is very bad, though: Long enough without power, typically about 48 hours, and the atmosphere scrubbers start to fail. Longer, and then the orbit will degrade, sending you and your daughter plummeting to the once-red planet!

First off: remain calm. There is no indication that this is anything more than a simple meteor shower. Satellites (and their crews!) have survived much worse, and panicking can only hurt a situation, regardless of its severity. No matter how bad, we will make it through this.

Now, let's figure out what's wrong. Is there anything blocking our path to the SURVEILLANCE ROOM? Are the doors open/receiving backup power? Can we see? Are the emergency lights on?

Also, a thorough inventory of our skills and equipment would be useful, although not immediately necessary.

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/27(Mon)15:18 No. 15251 ID: 6faa8c
File 124873310126.jpg - (60.33KB , 560x584 , 1245811320076.jpg )

>>15230
A capital idea.

First off, a quick overveiw of John's skills:
Johnathan is skilled with several types of firearm and is especially trained to use them in SENSITIVE ENVIRONS. (such as satellites!) He knows how to BASIC SATELLITE EQUIPMENT, such as intercoms, doorpads, some kiosks, and several other peices of equipment. He is very good at PROBLEM SOLVING (represented through you guys) and is decent at WORDING ORDERS TO SUBORDINATES.

He quickly gets dressed. He considers, then dons his CERAMIC/KEVLAR ARMOR.
He has on his person:
1 FLASHLIGHT with FULL BATTERIES
1 HANDGUN with 50 BUILLETS.
1 FAMILY PHOTO (pictured) from a ren fair
1 WALLET with 20 DOLLARS inside.


Your front door works fine.

You do a quick survey of your apartment, and find not much out of place.

Your daughter appears to be missing.

You know from experience that it is highly unlikely the path to the SURVEILLANCE ROOM is blocked, since you are directly next door.

This likely doesn't matter, but how much is 20 dollars worth? Inflation and all that...

Move to SURVEILLANCE ROOM. Examine room for anything out of the ordinary. Determine to what extent the surveillance system is working. See if we can get the computer powered and start it running diagnostics.

>>15263
Due to excellent economic factors, 20 dollars can currently get you what 50 can these days.

Thank god for President Door.

You move on into the Surveillance room. It's not very well-kept, as the operative here preferred not to clean. It seems to be in mostly working order: the only thing even slightly damaged is MONITOR 7, and that shows the JUNGLE SIMUHALL.

You plug this into that, and successfully restore power to the following:
CAMERAS SATELLITE-WIDE
HUB

Huh. Well, at least you can now look through the cameras!
What area do you want to veiw?

RESTAURANT
VIEWROOM
SIMUHALLS
CONNECTION HALLS
DOCKS
TEMPORARY LODGINGS
HUB

You also attempt to run the computer into a diagnostic:

HULL UNDAMAGED.
POWER LOST- 10 PERCENT RESTORED: ATMOSPHERE SAFE, ORBIT IN THREAT
UNIDENTIFIED LIFEFORMS IN SEVERAL AREAS: LOCKING DOWN SURVIELLANCE ROOM. CANCEL? Y/N

<<I'll be leaving for a few hours. apologies!>>

Our answer depends on the answers to several questions: can the lockdown be ended at a later time of our wishing? Can individual doors be opened without compromising the security of other doors? Is there no way to lockdown the areas where the lifeforms have been detected instead, so that we can isolate them and prevent them from moving to other areas?

Presumably our daughter is not in this room, or you would have pointed it out. I'm extremely hesitant to lock the doors considering that'd lock her out there with unknown beings that may mean her harm.


Finally, ask computer for size/biomass of unidentified lifeforms, amount aboard, if there is any correlation between damage to satellite systems and presence of lifeforms, and to alert us if additional lifeforms come on board (and where).

Oh, and make sure handgun is loaded and safety is off.

>>15285
No worries. We can pick it up later. I quite enjoy text-based games. =)

<<False alarm. I may leave unexpectedly, however....>>

>>15287

can the lockdown be ended at a later time of our wishing? Can individual doors be opened without compromising the security of other doors? Is there no way to lockdown the areas where the lifeforms have been detected instead, so that we can isolate them and prevent them from moving to other areas?
Yes, Yes, No. You can lock down the following areas: HUB, DOCKS, and SURVEILLANCE ROOM. It seems the last one was programmed in by the last operative.

You ask for a report on the size of the creatures:
VAIRABLE.
LARGEST IS THE SIZE OF A SMALL ELEPHANT, SMALLEST ARE THE SIZE OF SMALL RODENTS.
None have been captured on surveillance, either.

Very good. CANCEL: N

Attempt to use computer to scan for lifeform with the same biomass as our daughter (what's her name, by the way?).

>>15305
Your Daughter's name is Elaine.

You do not cancel and several steel bars block the already closed door to the main hall.

Computer:
NO SUCH LIFEFORM FOUND.
ADD: LIFEFORM MAY BE IN AN AREA ENCLOSED BY LEAD OR ANOTHER MATERIAL THAT BLOCKS SENSORS.
SUCH AREAS ARE BATHROOMS, PRIVATE VIP BOOTHS, AND OTHERS DESIGNED FOR PRIVACY.

The intercom crackles to life. A feminine voice filters through noticable static.
"Hello?! Hello, is anyone there?! Oh god, there's so much blood! Is anyone there at all!?"

Sorry, got pulled away unexpectedly myself.

>>15327
Bathroom! Of course! Head for the bathroom dedicated to the Chief of Security and fami-

Intercom? This woman is obviously panicking. We need to assure her that authorities are around, even if we aren't exactly in control. Respond, "Unidentified voice, this is Chief of Security Johnathan Tower. Please give name and location."

>>15499
"Oh, oh thank goodness. Not everyone is dead. I'm in the Restaurant..." he says quietly, calmer now that she knows someone else is aboard the satellite and moving.

The voice activation of the monitor system catches this and one of the screens crackles to life.
The first thing you notice is that there are a lot of dead bodies. There aren't a lot of folks aboard at this time of year, but there is some one or two hundred crew. You can count maybe ten or eleven of them in that one room. There's bullet dents in some of the walls, and long, parallel gashes in the metallic paneling.
There's a small menu in the upper right corner of the screen:
STANDARD VEIW
INFRARED
MOTION
SOUND
ANGLE/PAN < ^ V >

And behind the small bar, next to the intercom, you see a young blonde woman. She's not covered with blood, probably ran in here because she knew where the intercom was. After all, she is one of the cooks here, and you recognize her in passing, though her name eludes you at the moment.

>>15553
Almost forgot:

"M-m-my nme is Meiko." she manages.

>>15553
Use Infrared view to see how long the bodies have been dead, based on body heat, and see if there are any heat anomalies, like small beings that may have burrowed into the corpses.

Using regular view, check to see if there are guns near the bodies. Switch to motion and sound to make sure the room truly is devoid of life besides the woman. Check for any non-human/non-authorized personnel corpses on the ground.

Reassure the woman while doing so, "Hello, Meiko. You can call me Johnathan. I currently have access to the security cameras. I'm going to make sure you're safe in that room and then find a way to get you to my location. For the time being, just stay calm. We'll get out of this together, alright?"

>>15571
The bodies have been dead for... oh, about ten, twenty minutes, by your guess. Coincidentally, John remembers, that's when the shaking happened. There's plenty of guns in the room, but ammunition might be an issue, if the damage to the room itself is any indicator. You spot one nonhuman body: It's small, almost looks harmless, like a larger, stouter pill bug. It's a deep, russet red, with one large blue eye.

There's no worms or any of the like in the corpses.

"Alright sir... whatever you- er, I'll do my best." she says.

Okay, the bug is disturbing, but it couldn't have caused the gashes in the walls. The amount of blood would seem to indicate they died due to serious lacerations, not minor ones or poisoning.

What is the route from the restaurant to the surveillance room? Switch to camera views for these rooms to see if the route is clear.

Additionally, do we have any emergency training for these kinds of situations? The large number of weapons might indicate that the station requires plenty of security, are there pirates that sometimes prey on these satellites? Is there a PA/loudspeaker system we can use? If so, is there an emergency code we can issue to the entire ship so the crew knows to stay safe?

>>15611
There IS a PA system... but there's no power for it. The security in that room.... that was essentially all there was. Maybe three or four more, but there isn't much criminal work in space. It's simply not profitable.

You switch the cameras to see if the path is clear, and mostly it is. There's more bodies, though. Newer bodies, still bleeding, mostly janitors.

You hear a loud crash in the entrance to the HUB. There's heavy footsteps, a loud sniffing noise, and then something rams several times against the door to the Surveillance Room. After three tries, it seems to become disinterested and wanders off to break down the other door into the HUB.


You know basic first aid, but you have little training for emergencies of this scale.

Is there any way we can get a map? Like, done in MS Paint? Just to show the layout of the rooms, even if it's just a series of lines connecting the names of the rooms. For instance, is the hub between the restaurant and the surveillance room? I'm guessing there's a connection hall between the hub and the surveillance room?

>>15628
Crap, I knew my lack of creative tools would get in the way. Hold on while I try to get something together.

>>15630
It's not... 'in the way,' per se. But having a map would save a lot of 'no you can't do that' posts and needing to get clarification. ;)

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/27(Mon)18:49 No. 15657 ID: 6faa8c
File 124874577372.jpg - (50.03KB , 640x480 , Ergo4.jpg )

>>15632
Alright: Meiko is that yellow dot and you are the green one.

Awesome, thanks! =)

Switch to camera view of the Hub. Initiate Hub lockdown. Open the door the creature is trying to break down, then lockdown that door once it's out. After making sure there are no other creatures in the Hub, of course.

Alright, we need to figure out an escape plan. The satellite has been infiltrated by dangerous unknown beings with obviously hostile intents against whom bullets do not work. We need to find our daughter and get out of here, rendezvousing with Meiko somewhere safely along the way. Presumably (and hopefully), Elaine's in the living quarters. So we should search there after we're completely done here and just before heading to an exit.

Which brings me to my next question. Are there any hangars with escape ships? Preferably an escape pod in the hub, but also larger ones, maybe in Parts and Storage?

Also, can the battery be used to power the PA system? Either while powering surveillance, or instead of powering it?

>>15676
Well done! The creature is now wandering around in Lodging. There is no one in Lodging, anyway, it being for the 'tourists'.

Holy cow what a mess. This creature does not like order it seems, or it's really angry. Your door (the one leading into the SR) has a huge dent in it. There are tiny white puddles along the floor. Blood, probably...

There are no ships docked at the moment. Escape pods are coordinated with computers that are in their area: You'll have to restore power to at least one section if you want to escape and live. And then there is that matter of decaying orbit...

If you restore one section and escape, the sat could crash into a populated area.

Make your decision now: Escape as soon as possible?
Or make the sat stable and leave?

>>15676

>Also, can the battery be used to power the PA system? Either while powering surveillance, or instead of powering it?

That's a good question!
It's not a great idea. If you unplug here, powering the PA may or may not restore enough power to the system as a whole to keep the atmohphere breathable.

What is involved in stabilizing the satellite? Restoring power to all four sections? Whereas launching an escape pod requires restoring power to just one section?

There are so many risks involved... if I stay to fix the orbit, I might not even successfully do so. I could die before it's done, it might be impossible with my level of skill, something could happen to Meiko or Elaine. On the other hand, if I don't stabilize the satellite, there's only a chance that it will crash into a populated area.

Can the computer make an estimated area of impact with Mars? Does it have information on populated areas of Mars' surface? Is there any way to split the four sections and the center so that more of the satellite burns up on re-entry? Granted that'd probably require power anyway...

>>15702
You are smarter than expected.

The computer expects that the orbit wil land the station somewhere in New Seattle. The rigged p the orbit so it would be easier to access and cheaper on feul.

There's three things you must do to repair orbit:
1: Restore power to four sections.
2: Restore functionality of correctional thrust.
3: Run the Sync program from this computer.

Each sector has a battery + socket like the Hub did. However, you aren't sure where the two are in other sectors. The computer suggests that if you restore half, it can possibly dump the sat into the peninsula instead. However, the likelihood of this working is pretty low. (30%)

>>15712
Ohhh... fuck. New Seattle sounds like it'd be heavily populated. Dammit!

Alright... alright... I can do this. I'm going to try to stabilize the satellite. But the two aren't mutually exclusive! If I can find Elaine, I can get her and possibly Meiko onto an escape pod after restoring power to one section, then remain here to finish the job. I wouldn't want to live with myself if anything happened to her anyway, and I can always take an escape pod from the last section in which I restore power.

Okay... there's... a lot I need to know if this is going to work. Does the computer have any files that might be helpful? The location of batteries and sockets in other sections, for instance? Also an inventory of what's in the Parts and Storage section would be super.

Do the surveillance cameras have any memory banks that wouldn't have been wiped by the power outage? Is there any way I can check the logs to see what happened? The cameras in other sections are working now, so I'm hoping they have some sort of separate power source and aren't being fed from the Hub.

Also, do I have any kind of personal communicator device? Are the intercoms in other sections working now?

Finally, how old is Elaine? Has she been to any kind of technical or security school? Any skills I should know about?

>>15735
The computer states that it can give you the 'slots'. Otherwise, the batteries have been moved and replaced and changed so often as to obscure their location. Fixing the correctional boosters is rather easy and is done with a different terminal in the Parts sector.

That picture was taken when you were roughly 25. Elaine is twelve now. You've taught her some basic things, but that's really it. Johnathan would prefer she get involved as little as possible.

The computer also states that there may be other survivors in other sectors, most likely in Training. It suggests that if you try anywhere, you try there first.

End lockdown on SR?

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/27(Mon)20:01 No. 15740 ID: 6faa8c
File 124875006223.jpg - (53.72KB , 640x480 , Ergo4-2.jpg )

Updated map

Red = slots
blu = booster terminal

>Also, do I have any kind of personal communicator device?

Derp.

I forgot to mention: You have a headset, and so does Meiko. She's already put hers on and started to make her way to you.

Intercoms in other areas may or may not work, depending on several factors. Computer says that the only onw not working is in Lodging, due to heavy damage.

>>15743

Excellent. Then yes, I'll end the lockdown and tell Meiko to meet me in the living quarters. Then go out into the Hub and enter the living quarters, weapon drawn. Oh, and ask Meiko if she thought to bring along a weapon from the restaurant? I'm hoping her survival instincts kicked in and she armed herself.

Once in the living quarters, I'll search for Elaine (check restrooms), and try to meet up with Meiko. Not to mention praying that nothing has infiltrated the living quarters.

>>15749
You enter the command and the bars slide back, And the door opens...

All the way, you lucky bastard! Seems that dent wasn't going to trap you in there after all. Meiko get in with little trouble. She's armed with a bread knife in her hand and a small pistol in her hand.

You search the living quarters, and... no dice. Damn! Seems she might have run off into some other area...

At least nothing got in.

You tell Meiko your plan and she nods in understanding.
"I'll help as long as I'm here." she says.

Not one to have missed out on all the fine drama holos out there, I give Meiko my best reserved crooked smile and a reassuring speech.

"Don't worry, Meiko. We'll get through this. We're just going to do what we have to do, then we're out of here. If you want to take the first escape pod we get working off this tub, I fully respect that. But while we're in this together, I really appreciate the help.

"Now, I'm not going to lie to you; this is going to be dangerous. We might even die. But if we watch each others' back and keep our cools, we stand a much better chance of saving not only our own skin, but the lives of hundreds of thousands of people on the surface below.

"First thing's first. Do you know how to use that?" pointing to the pistol. If not, I'll give her a basic course in firearm handling and marksmanship. And I do mean basic.

Also, are there any first aid kits in the living quarters. There may be wounded, so I'd like to get one before heading into the training area.

After that, we go back into the Hub and stop by the SR to check the connection hall leading to the training area.

>>15770
"I know how to hit a target." she says quietly. As you reach for the first aid kit, she sighs. "I... I almost don't think you should bother." she mumbles. "That.... monster... it didn't really care whether you were alive or dead, it looked like. It tore you apart wither way." she shudders heavily. "I used to work as a detective before I lost my badge and ended up here." she said. "I can tell... some of those bodies were destroyed postmortem. A lot of the blood wasn't human, though...." she adds as you head out, pointing at the pinkish-white puddles. "It's so strange..."

You notice that the hall to Training is entirely untouched! Glory be and thank the heavens...

Detective skills, those could be useful.

I still take the first aid kit, responding to Meiko, "There are other ways to get injured though, and there might be more types of monsters than the one, potentially smaller, less deadly kinds. Might as well be prepared, even if we don't need it.

While we head to the training area, I ask Meiko about the creature. Did she see it fighting?

"No, thank god." she replies. "Everyone who fights it dies, seems like. I seemed to have been accidentally following it, in fact. It's bleeding. Injured. And it's very angry. Likes to break things." she shrugs. "Oh the little guys? They're almost harmless, even a little cute. All they do is follow you around and stare."

The other door opens, and again, the training all seems to be very, very clean. No corpses or blood.

From the entry point, to the 'east' (or counterclockwise) is the tech/customer service training, and to the west (or clockwise) is the militant training.Directly in front of you, clearly labeled, is the 'slot'.

"Alright, we need to locate the backup battery for this section. I don't recommend splitting up until we have a larger group, so let's check the militant training first. There might be some security personnel we can meet up with."

As I head toward militant training, I teach Meiko a few hand signals that might be useful in case we have to stay quiet. Raised fist is freeze, raised flat hand is stop (less urgent than freeze), wave forward means move up, wave backward means move back, wave down means take cover, hand to the ear is listen, hand to the brow means watch or look. It's all pretty self-explanatory, but good to make sure we're both on the same page.

>>15817
She smiles and nods, following behind you at a safe distance.
At first everything goes very well. Nothing seems wrong as you progress. It's very quiet, very... peaceful in the area.

Until you reach the target hall. A gruesome stench wafts into your nostrils, like scented propane and garbage rot all in one. As you come fully into the room, you see a large shape hunched in the gallery. It's at least twice as tall as you are, and you can hear loud slurping and crunching noises coming from it. It's dark, so you can't see it that well, but it seems to be eating something.
It spits something away and into a pile and grabs another thing from a seperate pile. The slurping starts again. In the discard pile, you can see the faint glow of one of the AUXILERY BATTERIES.

Intuition tells you that it might be a bad idea to fire a gun here.

Raised fist. Backwards wave.

Intuition is referring to the smell of propane in the air and potential for igniting it? Or the size of the beast and stupidity of attracting its attention in general?

>>15837
Both.

Closer inspection reveals that the 'discard' pile is all inorganic material. The beast IS feeding, but the 'food' pile is growing smaller and smaller.

To the left of the actual shooting range is the weapons locker, It's been ripped open by the beast, but it had no interest in the guns inside.

Meiko nods and backs up, holding her nose.

Um.... um...

Use amazing MacGuyver skills to fashion an exploding tripwire mine out of flashlight, gunpowder from three bullets, and strips of clothing. Then yell, "hey doofus" and run like hell.


No, don't do that. I dunno. Need to sleep. I'll think about it. I wish I had some other people giving ideas. -_-

>>15865
Yes, we defenitely need more folks in here. YOU! YES YOU! I KNOW YOU CAN SEE THIS!

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/28(Tue)00:54 No. 15911 ID: 6faa8c
File 124876764742.jpg - (74.80KB , 640x480 , cutiewatcher.jpg )

Well, I'm not going to get any good at this... program... unless I practice using it. So, during this downtime, I'll do some scribbly.

Here, a 'Watcher' alien, the first you saw in the game.

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/28(Tue)02:55 No. 15926 ID: 6faa8c
File 124877490134.jpg - (61.15KB , 640x480 , PAUSE.jpg )

I suppose this brings us to the end of Log One.

Log Two will be running as soon as I wake up.

WE SHALL BURROW INTO THE HULL AND TAKE IT OVER FROM THE INSIDE!!!!

Funny that you called them 'Watcher's, because I'd already come to the conclusion that it'd probably be best to kill any of them I come across.

You would mention if there was one following us, right? Or would I have to say, "I look around for alien bugs"?

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/28(Tue)10:53 No. 16102 ID: 6faa8c
File 124880363176.jpg - (46.41KB , 640x480 , unpause.jpg )

>>16051
Since she called them... mostly harmless, you haven't shot them.

ANYWAY.
Part duex!

I decide that discretion is the better part of valor, and quietly follow Meiko out of the shooting range. When we get far enough away, I quietly explain the situation to her while we head toward tech/customer service training.

"The auxiliary battery was back there, we'll have to go back for it later. That... thing was eating, but it was running out of... food." ohgodpleasedontletElainebeinthere "It'll probably leave to search for more food, and when it does we can get in there. But we don't want to be around when it leaves."

A random thought strikes me, a sudden realization. Meiko's comment about the bug aliens staring at her... I make sure to keep an eye out for the things so I can stomp them if I see one.

>>16103
She nods. "Perhaps... if we can lead it?" she says, thinking aloud. "I'm not sure. It smelled like that thing was putting out a lot of natural gas, though. If only we could ignite it remotely."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Only I don't have an ignition source. Except maybe if I wired my flashlight batteries together... Do you have something that we can toss in there that'd spark or start a fire? If not, we can see if we can find something in the tech center."

>>16111
"There should be some detonators in Supply." she said. "It's hard to get electricity to arc, so..." You can almost see the lightbulb go off in her head.
"A grenade! Five seconds is plenty of time..." she smiles. "All we have to do is get to that weapons cabinet!"

... they keep GRENADES... in a space station... and they store them in the shooting range?! Just in case anyone feels like tossing a few downrange? *facepalm*


"Good thinking. I'll sneak back to the weapons cabinet and get some. I want you to stay by the entrance and distract it if necessary." I hand her my flashlight. "Try to stay out of sight, but if it looks like its noticed me or hears something, or if you hear three rapid clicks over your headset, I want you to turn this on and throw it as hard as you can in the opposite corner."

I am a watcher! RIP AND TEAR MY WAY TO VICTORY! Alternately, John GET SOME MATCHES.

>>16121
It's advanced enough to the point where the compression blast from a grenade is harmless to the whole station. Also, these aren't fragmentation, just incendiary, and (insert technobabble)

Meiko nods quietly.

>>16126
Matches would be inadvisable, unless you can find some sort of fireproof somethingorother.

>>16126
Watchers have nothing to rip and tear with. They can only watch and look cute.

Hmm, how about flashbang grenades? Those'd ignite the gases in the air and would make sense in the setting, in case of riots or whatnot.

Proceed with plan! Let me know if anything happens or goes awry so I can scream and bite my nails. ;)

>>16181
You slowly, carefully make your way to the cabinet. There's all sorts of munitions here, A lot of useful stuff. I will list the weaponry and 'stuff' below:

200 PISTOL BULLETS.
10 FLARE ROUNDS FOR A PISTOL.
SILENCER
LASER SIGHT
FLASHLIGHT ATTACHMENT

SMALL AUTOMATIC WEAPON.
100 ROUNDS FOR AUTOMATIC
STOCK FOR AUTOMATIC

CATAPULT GRENADE LAUNCHER
10 FLASH GRENADES (10 SECOND TIMER)
5 SMOKE GRENADES (3 SECOND TIMER) (WHITE)

ROPE, 20 FEET

GUN MAGAZINE (NEW THIS ISSUE: LASER WEAPONS AND THEIR USES)

1 LONG STEEL PIPE (3 FEET)

You hear something clatter in the darkness, and light glances over the cabinet.
"J-j-john! It doesn't care!" Meiko yells.
You feel wet warmth on your neck and a low rumbling.

Sneaky motherfucker for being so big.

Failed that awareness roll...

Let's see if I can pull this off. Stealthily pocket a flash grenade before activating two smoke grenades. Drop one, and throw the other into the thing's mouth. Then run like hell for the exit, activating the flash grenade along the way. Toss the flash grenade into the shooting range and then get Meiko and myself to cover.

Alternatively: die a violent and horrible death.

>>16355
The thing screams at you, then is suddenly inturrupted by the small round object in its neck. It immediatly begins hocking and coughing, lumbering after you as the timer on the flash grenade ticks down. As you exit, the smoke grenades go off, and the creature roars in agony, falling to the ground, its carapaced hulk lurching and shaking. Just as you get out, the flash grenade goes off, and a gentle whunpf noise greets your ears, a sheet of heat flowing over your heads.

"Too bad you didn't get any am-...

oh, shit." Meiko mutters, and as if the creature hadn't suffered enough, the rounds in the cabinet cook, and you hear intermittent bang like a giant's popcorn bag. 305 bullets tear across the range, most of them into the hulk of the creature, the flare rounds setting it aflame again.

It rises, takes three steps towards you, then warbles quietly and falls to the ground.

It doesn't move anymore.

Luckily, the AUXILIARY BATTERY could survive almost anything short of a nuclear bomb, so it is unscathed.

>>16386
SUMMARY OF CREATURE WOUNDS:
DISTENDED DIGESTION SYSTEM
BLINDED
BURNED
289 BULLET WOUNDS
SCORCHED

I'll work fast to make sure nothing is attracted by the commotion. If there's still smoke in the air, use an oxygen mask from the first aid kit, or just cover mouth with a cloth.

Check weapons locker to see what survived. The grenades didn't go off, so see if they and the grenade launcher are alright. Plus the weapons and weapon attachments.

Then grab the battery and see if there's anything recognizable in the... refuse as something that might have been worn by or belonged to Elaine. Leave as soon as possible and head to the battery slot.

"I didn't even think about grabbing any ammo, I just had to stay alive. If I'd stopped to get some supplies, I don't think I'd be alive right now," then add quietly, "sorry..."

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/28(Tue)16:41 No. 16445 ID: 6faa8c
File 124882448582.jpg - (29.58KB , 640x480 , Gundiagram.jpg )

>>16431
She chuckles. "Don't worry. Jesus, is that what it takes to kill just one?!" she asks, walking up to the corpse and giving it a harsh kick.

9 FLASH GRENADES
3 SMOKE GRENADES
CATAPULT LAUNCHER

SUBMACHINE GUN + STOCK

HANDGUN ATTACHMENTS

PIPE

are all that survived.

Currently, you may attach all three additions to your gun. However, further attachments will require you to remove one of the others.

The flashlight is a TOP ATTACHMENT.
The scope is a BARREL ATTACHMENT.
the sight is a BOTTOM ATTACHMENT.

>>16445
There's nothing in either pile that suggests any prescence of your daughter.

"What are you looking for?" Meiko asks as you remove the BATTERY. It's heavy: you'll have to set it down if you want to use your hands, and it has bad heft for combat.

A watcher scurries away from the scene.

>>16445
>Scope
Er, silencer. Derp

Dammit.

Answer Meiko while lugging the battery to the slot as quickly as possible.

"I'll tell you later. I think we have to get out of here now. I don't trust those bug-things. They've got giant eyes and all they do is stare... and they arrived at the same time as these monsters. I have a feeling they act as some sort of scout or surveillance for the other aliens. If you happen to notice one, it'd probably be best to just shoot it, so long as we're not in a stealthy situation."

>>16482
"If you say so, sir." she says simply as you make your way back. You don't see any watchers on the way, and you make it back to the panel and insert it without any problems.
The sector hums into life, the lights turning on again, monitors coming to life in several places along the walls. A cumputer that is beside the panel, a split from the one in the SR, hums to life:

DAMAGE REPORT:
NO HULL DAMAGE
POWER LOST: 33 PERCENT RETURNED. FUNCTIONS RESTORED: ATMOSPHERE SCRUBBERS, EMERGENCY LIGHTING STATIONWIDE, WASTE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS, PLUMBING, AND FOOD STORAGE.

ESCAPE PODS IN THIS SECTOR ARE OPERATIONAL.

Sigh in relief.

Time to level with Meiko. "I'm searching for my daughter. I didn't find her anywhere in the living quarters, and the computer couldn't locate her. I- I have to find her and get her off this satellite." Almost choking up, I change the subject. "Speaking of which, we've got an escape pod working now. If you want to use it, I won't hold it against you. You don't have any obligation to stay. If you do want to help me keep the satellite from crashing into New Seattle, I'd greatly appreciate. But the choice is yours."

>>16510
Meiko thinks for a moment.
"I'll stay. When you find your daughter... Ill leave with her." he says with a grin. "Can't have her launched out all alone." she thinks for a moment. "For now, let's head back to the camera room and make some plans."

I'm getting all these hints that Meiko is actually a guy. Mistakes, or ominous foreshadowing? =P


"Actually, the computer said there are most likely to be survivors in this section. I'd like to check the tech/customer service training portion before we head back to the Hub. We could definitely benefit from some more eyes and hands. That sound alright?"

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/28(Tue)17:59 No. 16555 ID: 6faa8c
File 124882917194.jpg - (93.05KB , 600x845 , anime_girl_tough_drawing.jpg )

<<Call it finding females hard to write convincingly, a weakness of my writing I will probably never wring out.>>

>>16532

"Sure." she says simply. "Let's go." She seems hesitant to enter the area, for one reason or another, but she'll follow you anyway.With the lights on, however, you can finally see her better. "I'll go with you, but... That's where I saw the little guy run off to."

<<Oh, I'm not talking about the voice, I mean the 'he says quietly' and 'he says with a grin' ;P>>

"We don't have to go far. First sign of something amiss and we'll head back."

I arm myself with the grenade launcher, loaded with the flash grenades, and keep the silenced pistol. Give the submachine gun to Meiko. Can the pistol ammo work in the SMG? Some modern SMGs use pistol ammo, so hopefully by 3001 they'll have mastered inter-changeable ammunition.

Head off toward the tech training area, keeping an eye out for watchers and general signs of destruction or alien presence.

<<...

FUG.>>

>>16572
What have you added to your pistol?

"Alright." she responds simply. You head into the tech office and find it trashed. Clearly this is where the beast actually attacked. It used to be full of cubicles, but now it's just a sea of knocked over temp walls. In one corner, you hear a simpering, shivering noise, but other than that, the place is silent.

>>16572
Oh, and yes, the bullets work fine. They're a little more prone to jamming, but it shouldn't be an issue, really.

>>16589
Oh, sorry. I thought they were auto-attached to be removed later if some other attachment comes along. I attach all of them.

I try to see into the corner where the voice is coming from without getting too close. If that's impossible, call out, "This is Chief of Security Johnathan Tower. Who's over there?" The monsters haven't displayed any duplicity as of yet, but that doesn't mean they can't set traps or mimic human noises.

>>16624
A rather large, rotund head pokes itself up. You recognize him right away: He's the one in charge of Surveillance, Larry Albertz. Seems he scarpered when the panic hit, this is the room with the escape pods. His skills could be invaluable: He's uncannily good at repairing broken systems.

"Oh, John, it's just you." he says in relief. "Good lord, hve you seen what's going on? Look out the window!"

I... hadn't even thought about that. Look out the window.

Suggestion 2009/07/28(Tue)18:56 No. 16637 ID: 6faa8c
File 124883255932.jpg - (69.74KB , 640x480 , ohfuck.jpg )

>>16633
What you see baffles you.
The computer said there was no HULL DAMAGE. Yet there's a huge ass hole there on the opposite side!? And that orange, huge mass... it's... breathing.

"It's growing, too." Larry says quietly. "That hole leads into the Simuhalls..."

Simuhalls are areas that simulate various Earth biomes, each about a football feild in size.

The simuhalls are in the recreational area? Hmm...

I lead Larry and Meiko back to the surveillance room, explaining the situation to Larry along the way. How we need to get at least two of the sections powered up so we can keep the satellite from crashing into New Seattle. If he hesitates, point out that we can use the SR to check on the simuhalls and hope his curiosity does the rest.

>>16643
Larry nods. "Keep those headsets on." he says as he waddles towards the HUB with you. "I'll be able to speak to you through them. I'll be your eye in the sky. Oh, and I'll keep an eye out for the brat, too." he adds. "I just hope she isn't in Rec." he shudders. "It's whole clockwise end is shot. I had to break the monitor from the sight of it, it's disgusting." he sighs heavily.
"Luckily, you probably won't have to go there..."

>_> Why do I get the feeling I'll be going there? -_-

"Alright, the first thing we should do is figure out which of the sections looks clearest. I trapped one of the monsters in the lodging section, and recreational area doesn't sound good either. I'm thinking that leaves parts and storage. Do you happen to know where the battery is in there, Larry?"

<<Ye been playan' too many of dem dere vidja gaems, son>>
>>16671
"Can't be sure... no one bothers to keep track of the damn things..." he grumbles. "If I had to say, it's in one of the storage crates. Head over there and I'll warn you. It'll probably be better to run unless you can avoid making a ruckus killing them."

Look at him quizzically. "Killing what?"

>>16784
"The alien bastards." he replies simply. "Look, they all got one thing in common, that bigass blue eye. Stab or shoot that and they drop dead pretty fast." he shrugs. "I saw one of them get dropped before another tore into the same guy, so... yeah. It'd probably be a right pain otherwise, getting through all that muscle and shell..."

"Wish I'd known that before I blew up the firing range..." I winced. "Fortunately I got a silencer from the weapons locker, so I think that covers everything. You spot 'em, and I can stealthily take 'em out with a shot to the eye. Only problem is, I only have 50 bullets. Is there any extra ammo in the parts and storage area?"

>>16808
"Probably." he said. Should be clearly marked on the side of most carts what's in them." he smiles. "Now you and the girl git. We're on a schedule here, can't keep talking till the sun goes down." he shoos you from the SR, initiating lockdown.

"Alright, ladies and gents, the path is clear. No uglies. Lights are back on, but I'm having trouble seeing into the actual rooms... it's grey like fog. Be careful."

"Easy to be impatient when your job is to sit in the saferoom," I mutter under my breath. "Infrared and motion not working?" I ask as we head to the connection hall. I keep the silenced pistol out and the grenade launcher ready, just in case, with the lead pipe holstered somehow? Maybe tied up? We might need it.


How many rounds is in a clip? Do I have a couple clips and can give one to Meiko?

>>16817
Thirty rounds a clip for your pistol, forty-five for the SMG. You each take 25 rounds. Hopefully that'll be enough...

"Seems like the... obscurement is heat dampening." he grumbles. "Motion's not so great either, still working on that function, too sensitive at the moment."

The door opens.
Well, god damnit!
There's a weird sort of webbing all over the place, big sheets of it. It's rougher than spidersilk, like coarse rope. But just as sticky: It takes a lot of effort to remove a testing finger. You're gonna need something sharp...

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/29(Wed)00:25 No. 16842 ID: 6faa8c
File 124885233876.jpg - (67.36KB , 640x480 , overkillpause.jpg )

END OF PART TWO

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/29(Wed)02:40 No. 16872 ID: 6faa8c
File 124886044923.jpg - (61.08KB , 640x480 , FORESHADOWING.jpg )

>>16842
<<special note: I will be away for the majority of wednesday. Expect me back then. Until then, Teaser.>>

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/30(Thu)13:53 No. 18094 ID: 6faa8c
File 124898722040.jpg - (74.82KB , 640x480 , Unpau-FORESHADOWING.jpg )

<<Goddram bud service.>>

And, we are back in action!

Woohoo!

>>16826
"Hey, Meiko? Do you still have that knife from the kitchen?" I ask as I pull some adhesive tape out of the first kit and get the lead pipe out.

>>18114
>"You have that knife from the kitchen?"
"Yeah, sure." she says, pulling the long knife out. It is serrated and about a foot long. "I hate spiders..." she mumbles quietly as she hands it over to you. She quickly loads the bullets from you into the gun, but she seems hesitant to use it. She has no silencer, after all.

>>18154
I attach the knife to the lead pipe using adhesives from the first aid kit, either creating POLEARM, or (if the handle doesn't fit in the pipe) LEAD PIPE WITH BAYONET. Then I look over my weaponry.

"Hmm... I've got the grenade launcher and this, why don't you use the silenced pistol and all the ammo to shoot any watchers we come across?" I suggest as I hand her the upgraded pistol.

>>18229
Your POLEARM is good for slashing and large areas. It's awkward to stab things, since the blade was designed to saw through things. You must use BOTH HANDS to use it in combat, so you hand the FLASHLIGHT to Meiko. She takes what you offer, nodding.

"When this is all over, John..." she says quietly, "We should meet up again."

You carefully saw through the barrier, and as it parts, you feel a chill sweep over you. You can hear whirring fans, and distant chittering.

You have:
LEFT HAND: POLEARM
RIGHT HAND: FLASHLIGHT
BELT: G LAUNCHER

Meiko has:
LEFT HAND: TRICKED OUT PISTOL
RIGHT HAND: FLASHLIGHT
BELT:-----

You can see the cameras covered with webbing as well. The cold feeling is slowly dissipating.

>>18282
Pose as a team, 'cause SHIT JUST GOT REAL!

I'm gonna assume our inventory status meant to say that my RIGHT HAND is also using the POLEARM. Plus, why wouldn't Meiko just use the flashlight on the gun? That way she can use both hands to shoot better.

While I try to clear away the webs from the surveillance cameras, I ask Larry if he knows any reason why'd there'd be a chill in this area.

<<We need to find an artist for the characters... and you're correct.>>

>>18298
Larry responds:
"The webbing crap seems to act as a heat sink of pretty impressive porportions." he replies. "In essence, it could be said that each one takes in the heat in the area. Kinda like the heatsink in a computer, except this stuff seems to be incredibly efficient. Grab some on the way out, would you?"

>>18306
"Wonder what they need it cold for," I think aloud as we head through the connection hall. I try to keep an eye out for any spider-aliens, especially coming from ventilation shafts or hiding on the ceiling.

>>18335
You don't see them, you just... hear them. The coldness is almost gone now. You hear the muffled 'phwink' of a silenced firearm, and a tiny squeal.
"These watcher things are everywhere..." she grumbles, as you make your way between the boxes. They're huge and stacked high, making the place almost a maze. Several have been forced open, foods spilled out on the ground. These piles have a rime of frost around the edges.
"Eerie." she mumbles, looking around.

"Yeah, this is extremely creepy," I agree. "Let's move fast, but keep an eye out for boxes labeled 'ammo,' 'weapons,' or 'auxiliary battery.'

Considering the kind of enemy I'm likely to face down here, I holster the polearm and take out the grenade launcher, loading it with the flash grenades.

Larry crackles in again.
"Hey. I've grabbed a dead watcher nearby, and I've been looking it over. You guys should probably know someth-" the connection abruptly shorts out briefly.
"Fucking old equipment. Anyway, it'd be best if you step lightly. These critters... Well, it's weird..." he mumbles some techno-babble, you catch things like 'mutation', 'restructuring', and various other organic and hard to understand words.
Meiko blinks.
"You can't be serious, Larry! Nothing in nature can do that!"
"I'm looking at it happening even though this bugger's dead!" he replies. "These things wouldn't be able to survbive anywhere unless they could do this!"
they continue to argue using all sorts of weird terms you can't really understand, in hushed voices.

It's cooling down again.

>>18384
I think you underestimate my intelligence. Either that, or I overestimate it...

"So, they can adapt themselves in real-time to fit their environment? But then why would they need to change their surroundings? The atmosphere in the firing range, the temperature in here..." I turn to Meiko and address her directly, "Speaking of which, we need to make this quick. The cold is back, and whatever made those spider webs is probably close behind it."

>>18396
Meiko blinks and Larry sighs.
"That's a really simple way of putting it. It's better to say they mutate."
Meiko nods at his statement, then thinks.
"The door to the Hub, Larry?"
"Webbed again, from the outside. Cold as ice, too." he replies. Meiko swears quietly. "Okay. Okay. We need to find weapons or something to warm this place up..." she looks around. thinking.
Just above her, you see a huge furred beast. Its eye is hidden under all the fur. It has four legs and enourmous, oversized jaws. The hair on its back is white with frost and sharp like quills at the end.

>>18401
Enormous, oversized jaws equals an enormous, oversized target. Without exaggerating my movement, I squeeze off a flash grenade aimed right into the thing's hideous maw. The grenade launcher makes a satisfying 'foomp' noise as it fires.

Only then do I grab Meiko and start running, keeping an eye on the box labels for something like a flamethrower (I wish) or maybe something more practical like oxygen or fuel tanks.

>>18422
This creature is not nearly as sluggish as the other you met. It snaps, and the grenade falls to the ground in halves. It drops to the ground and bounds after you, keening in a high-pitched tone as it runs in long galloping leaps. More come out of the woodwork, most smaller or thinner... Seems you met up with the top dog.

Meiko turns in your grip and squeezes off some rounds at the creature, only to have no discernable effect other than knocking the creature back slightly. She swears.
"I fucking HATE spiders!" she says aloud.

Ahead of you is a crate marked Extinguishers / Sprinkler Water. Beside it is Food, which has been already prid open somehow. Interesting...

<< I'm gonna need some time to think about this. There don't really seem to be many good options available to me... besides the really stupid one of throwing a bunch of food in the air to distract the spiders... Are there airlocks in this area? You know, those convenient ones you trap things in and then flush them out of?>>

>>18512
<<Take your time, and remember: Very few things can survive suffocation or immobilization for long.>>

>>18512
Extinguishers to the face?
Spray and then as WEPON?

>>18656
Quickly, you begin to open the Extinguisher / Water box, prising it with the non-blade end of your handy POLEARM. You manage to get it open and pull out an extinguisher as it leaps forth and bites at your arm, and you pull away and dodge in the nick of time as it bites a hole in the side of one of the water barrels. It is DOUSED.

You then spray it in the face, the cold and the EXTINGUISHER flash-freezing a rime of water around the critter. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but the hair is soaked and thus frozen solid. The beast is now FROZEN SOLID... but you have several more to deal with.

Larry statics in.
"John, JOHN! The sprinkler system, the sprinkler system!"

The sprinklers, of course!

I activate a smoke grenade and hold it up over my head, smoke emitters pointed toward the closest sprinkler.

While I wait for it to go off, I make sure to say half of a badass line: "If you can't stand the cold..."

>>18865
"If you can't stand the cold..." you mutter, atop the box. They are swarming onto it, Meiko kicking them away and shooting them alternatively. The sprinklers go off, dousing the creatures, and she sprays the ones nearby with an extinguisher. They freeze solid, falling off and landing on the floor with hollow thunks.
"....Stay out of the meat locker." she finishes for you, grinning as she walks from one to another, finishing them off one by one.

"Good job, John!" Larry says with a grin. "This time you didn't even have to blow up anything!"

"Which is a shame," I retort with a nervous chuckle, "because I have a really good one liner for the next time I blow something up." I laughed, but knew it sounded forced. Once again, we lucked into surviving; I didn't know how much longer we could keep being lucky. Best not to think about it.

Before we leave, I make sure to stab the giant spider in the eye with my polearm, just to make sure we won't have any unpleasant surprises later. Then I continue the search for useful supplies like ammo, weapons, the auxiliary batter, maybe a tank...

>>18934
About that arm...

>>19238
There's three boxes in particular: One with HOLY SHIT THAT'S A LOT OF AMMO, one with high quality medical supplies (sadly, most of them are beyond your expertise) and the last one holds various magazines and the AUXILARY BATTERY. The place is warmer now.
Meiko shoots another Watcher, but cringes again as it squirms and whines its final breath.

You see a young girl run between the boxes. Something is in her arms.

>>19239
The arm holding up the 'nade? It's fine. These grenades don't issue any heat at all, really.

"Elaine?! Elaine is that you?"

Ammo and battery be damned, chase that girl!

>>19294
You give spirited chase!
Your stride is far longer than the girl's, and you catch up with her quite quickly. You grab her shoulder to turn her around...
For a moment, it seems everything will be alright...

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/31(Fri)19:18 No. 19322 ID: 6faa8c
File 12490931174.jpg - (61.60KB , 640x480 , OHGODWAT.jpg )

DAD-DY!

You pass out.

>>19322
This is why they make condoms

You wake up some time later in your HOME. Meiko is nearby, looking quite worried, and presumably Larry is still in his office. She has not noticed your awakening, and there's no camera here.

You can see from your bed to the desk, where there are stacks of ammo lined up neatly. They're stacked five high and take up half the desk. Your pistol is also there, as is your armor. You notice there's some blood on it.

You know one thing for certain, that... thing you saw, it was definitely not your daughter. That was a thing from a nightmare.

>>19334
Try to sneak over to the desk to get the gun.

>>19337
You try to slip over to your TRICKED OUT PISTOL, but fail miserably.
Oh god.

STATUS:
YOU ARE CURRENTLY INJURED.
YOU ARE STABLE.

INJURIES:
RIGHT LEG: SEVERE GASH
LEFT LEG: IMPACT FRACTURE AND HEAVY BRUISING
NOSE: GASH

It appears quite a lot happened after you were out.

Presumably Meiko knows we're awake by now. Either way, announce with a bit of ironic arrogance, "And this is why we need a medkit." Smile through the pain.

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/31(Fri)19:55 No. 19392 ID: 6faa8c
File 124909534390.jpg - (78.89KB , 640x480 , 13hours.jpg )

>>19352
"Oh my god, you're awake!" she manages, rushing to your side. "I was so worried... You ran off after something I couldn't see, and then you passed out, and... and there were more bugs. I managed to finish them off, plug in the bat and get you back here. I've set your bones and applied what medical aid I could, but..." she looks nervous. "Well, I suppose I should show you. It's been thirteen hours since you passed out... so...15 since you last saw this."

>>19392
"Of course it has been." I try and think of something else to say, but my mind is still hazy. "Did... alright, the batteries in? We can leave if- but, my daughter... oh god, my daughter."

The memories come back now, and with them a painful, sinking feeling. "I thought I saw my daughter... but it wasn't her. Or at least... I dunno. It called me 'daddy'... like Elaine used to. How did it know Elaine was my daughter? Was that thing... oh god!"

>>19423
The woman hugs you.
It's short, but it calms you considerably, There was no way that thing was your daughter. There's any number of things that could have happened, after all, people experiance stress-based hallucinations all the time!

"All that's left now is the other two batteries." she said, sitting beside you and ministering your worsened broken leg. "Larry says that for the most part he can finagle the fall to land in the ocean, but..." her eyes twitch notably towards the window.

"There is one... other thing. The other stations... when I plugged in the battery... I restored communication channels to short range. So when we passed another satellite, I sent out a call. All I got was... was this."

She plays a casette, but all you hear is static, with occasional grunting and slurping noises.

"I'm scared, John. We all are scared. But you're still alive, so... so that's a comfort."

>>19437
The hug did help. I certainly could have mistaken what I saw. But what I heard... Doubts swirl in the back of my mind. I push them away.

"I was worried this might not be contained to just this satellite. I'm afraid that this might be happening on the surface as well, which would be catastrophic when we manage to get off this tub."

I look over at Meiko and stop talking for a second. Then I shake my head. "But that's not pertinent to the situation at hand. What... what all systems were restored when you plugged in the battery? Was there anything in the medical supplies that might be able to help out my legs?"

>>19458
Meiko thinks.
"Let me print out the list." she says simply.

SYSTEMS RESTORED:
SHORT-RANGE BROADCASTING
HUB SECURITY SYSTEM: ALARMS
STATIONWIDE LIGHTING

OVERALL POWER RESTORED: 55 PERCENT

"As for medical supplies, I searched as well as I could, and did my best."
To be honest, you can't do much better than she did. Hell, you being alive is a testament to her skill and strength. She must have fought off the last of the bugs in Storage.

"Larry says they are getting smarter. Cameras are being destroyed." she looks at the floor, tears welling in her eyes.
"I don't want to die, John. I... I wanted to be a policewoman. I wanted to work on Mars... I was j-just putting myself through college!"

>>19468
I know I should be giving her a motivation speech... but I also know that if I tried, it'd sound hollow even to me.

"Meiko? I owe my life to you. You've done more than enough already. How about we get you to an escape pod, and you can put all this behind you. The crisis has been averted; at the very worst we can crash this thing into the ocean. You don't have any more reason to stay." I give her my best grateful smile and struggle to stand, carefully this time. "Whaddya say? Time to get you off this old bucket and back on track."

She looks conflicted.
"John... I..." she looks away. "I told you I wanted to see you again after this was over, I wasn't kidding." she says softly, blushing. "I'm staying. If this thing crashes on Mars, then all the people there are doomed. Whether or not we hit a city isn't important anymore." she wipes her eyes. "The orbit is more stable now. It should last a week. I can get you a wheelchair. Do want to rest more, or should we fix Residential?"

Give her a cripple hug and then wince and sit back down really fast. "Thanks, Meiko. I'm serious about you leaving whenever you want to... but I'm also pretty sure I'd be toast without you." I laugh, just to cover my relief.

"A wheelchair... would be a great idea. I can still use the pistol and grenade launcher, and maybe the SMG now that we have ammo for it. I'll be a mobile weapons platform, heh. Let's get to work immediately. The longer we wait, the worse things'll be when we finally get going."

>>19496
She returns the hug, leaving the room to get the chair.

"Good to hear you're back in action, John. I got some intel about the biggun you trapped back in Residential. It seemed to have developed in the Arid Simuhall. It's fast, cold-blooded, and cunning. But it's just as wounded as you are. Thank god for the hidden cameras." he sighs through the intercom. "There is one last resort I have... Once we get two-thirds power, we can jettison a whole section. If I time it right, I can launch the infected area into the sun."

>>19501
"Two-thirds? You mean three-quarters? Hah! Who's the dumb one now?" I thoroughly avenge my earlier biology-based humiliation.

"First off, that's great to hear. Second, what'll that do to the rest of the satellite's orbit?"

>>19502
"No, John, I do mean two-thirds. Siddy-six percent, though one more section will do that and more." he thinks for a moment.
"I'm not entirely sure. If things decay, though, we'll have several hours to get out. If not, well, that's several hundred thousand the Company won't see again." you can almost hear the shrug.

>>19511
"Oh." Dammit, foiled again! "Well, if that does come into play... our lives are more important than the company's money. Speaking of which, have you made contact with the surface at all? Can you see down there, maybe see if there's any smoke or signs of... destruction?"

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/07/31(Fri)22:30 No. 19529 ID: 6faa8c
File 124910461514.jpg - (103.09KB , 640x480 , thecall.jpg )

>>19520
"Planetside seems peachy to me. The exterior cameras don't see any issues."
"I'm back!" Meiko says, wheeling in a chair. She helps you onto it (you notice her touches linger just a bit) and you get another peek outside.
Meiko shudders. "Oh god..."

>>19529
<<what does that one on the bottom right say? 'Hombless'?>>

"Ohh... That's... great. Don't worry about that, Meiko. They're just trying to get to us... or maybe set a trap for any rescue ships in the area. Thanks a bunch for the chair." I roll myself over to the desk and look over the ammo.

"Larry? I recommend putting the Docks on lockdown. And keep the short-range comms open and monitoring for outgoing or incoming messages, will ya?"

>>19535
They're color coded:
GREEN BANDS mean that the bullet is ANTI-BIOMATIC.

RED BANDS mean that the bullet is a FLARE ROUND, like a tracer, but much hotter.

BLUE BANDS mean that they will discharge an EMP upon impact, a very small one.

But the ones she got the most of are regular rounds. Your inventory:

BACKPACK: 3000 NORMAL PISTOL ROUNDS
50 GREEN
50 BLUE
50 RED
G. LAUNCHER

10 FLASHBANG
10 SMOKE
15 INCENDIARY

MOUNTED ON CHAIR:
FLASHLIGHTS
INTERCOM

Yes, you are a certifiable platform of death.

"I-in either case, we might want to watch that more closely from now on..." she mutters quietly. You recall her reluctance to kill Watchers.

"Locking down docks now." comes the reply. "I'll have the bands open, but I doubt there'll be anyone dropping by."

You are wheeled out towards Residential.


She also managed to find some BANG GRENADES, which make incredibly loud noise, stronger than a flashbang.

<<Homeless>>
>>19535

>>19541
Well, flash bangs work by dispensing an explosive powder then igniting it to create a wave of pressure and a loud sound and bright light. They're also called stun grenades and bang grenades... so I propose we call the new grenades Sonic grenades.


I load the grenade launcher with the incendiary grenades, and both the silenced pistol and SMG with normal rounds. I give the regular pistol, loaded with normal rounds, to Meiko. "Alright, team death-on-wheels-chair, move out!"


<<also, why do we need an intercom on the chair? Do we not have the headsets anymore?>>

>>19552
Your HEADSET was destroyed. It fell off when you passed out, sadly.

You make your way quickly to Residential, opening the door from Lockdown. Several barriers open, one at a time. This slides back those trundle into the wall, that thing irises open.

There's no sign of Big and Ugly anywhere. It's a well lit lobby with the PLUG dead ahead, and apartments to either side.

>>19560
Okay, I use the intercom to ask Larry, "Can you direct us to the nearest utility closet? I figure that'd be the best place to start."

I keep an eye out for Watchers and shoot them in the eye with my silenced pistol.

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/08/01(Sat)00:23 No. 19583 ID: 6faa8c
File 124911140016.jpg - (31.86KB , 640x480 , pause3.jpg )

<<Getting sleeeeeppy.>>
>>19580
You make your way through the area towards the closet, killing two Watchers on the way. Meiko shudders as she steps over the bodies. She's about to say something, when she looks up and gasps.

Something drips onto your shoulder, thick and warm.

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/08/01(Sat)10:02 No. 19616 ID: 6faa8c
File 124914614321.jpg - (21.05KB , 640x480 , UNPAUSE.jpg )

You hear Meiko let out a little whimper as she pushes your wheelchair as fast as she can. There's a loud thump behind you, and a gurgling hiss.

>>19616
Heft the grenade launcher and turn to see what's behind us.

Also, what's the time on those incendiary and sonic grenades?

>>19683
Incendiary is impact detonated, Sonic is two seconds. You turn to see a lean, black-chitined creature, its eye red, not blue. It's slowly catching up, and Meiko is tiring. It suddenly trips on a Watcher, and at the speed it's going, plows into a wall, knocking itself unconcious. A door opens, and a feminine hand beckons to you.

>>19696
Get the SMG ready and point out the door to Meiko. "In there!"

If that thing isn't entirely human, I'm ready to pump it full of 9mm fury. No passing out this time.

>>19708
You rush inside and a medium sized humanoid bug shuts it behind you, holding it in case Big and Ugly. It's eye is blue. You feel a light impact around your chest as a girl hugs you tightly.

"Daddy... Daddy..." she murmurs, then looks up at you. It's your little girl after all. "Don't shoot these ones!"

>>19716
"Elaine! Thank god you're alright. What... why not? What's going on?" I manually turn my chair so I can keep a gun trained on the door, just in case.

>>19720
"It's hard to explain..." she mumbles, picking up[ a watcher. "But when the bad things happened and I ran, they helped me. They've been keeping me safe. Telling me you were still alive. Telling me where you were, telling me why I couldn't go to you." she looks at the Watcher and pets it, her eyes distant. "They tell me a lot of things. They lived on Mars."

Shoot them both, it's a trap.

>>19762
You raise you gun to fire on the bug-man's eye, but... okay, that's weird. You really don't remember putting the safety on. Or letting out the clip.

The man-like bug has been leaning down next to you. He holds up the clip and then tosses it aside. He goes back to gaurd duty silently.

Elaine sighs.
"You remember how you used to say that spiders are just as scared as I am of them? It's... it's the same with my friends. We don't want to hurt you, daddy."

>>19777
"That's a good point, dear," I give her a disarming smile. "I hadn't thought of it like that."

"So who are your friends? Why aren't they on the same side as the bad monsters?"

>>19850
"The way they told it to was like, like, they used to live on Mars, but inside it. Like, caves and unnerground and stuff. And then the people came. There was a lot of noise they couldn't take, so they left to a moon. But only a few of them liked it there. Only some of them didn't dislike the people." she sighed.
"So the majority sees people coming in through these big things that circle the planet. And one of them, a big leader guy, says that if they destroy the big thingies, then no people will come and then they can have the big planet back."
But a few of them, Like Nova and my Watcher buddies," she gives the little thing a squeeze, "we know that the people deserve to live there as much as they do, because they changed the planet, and all they can do is change themselves. So's they tell this to the mah, mahr, majority, but they go an' kick out my friends!"
She pouts. "They ended up here. Some of 'em are so scared and sad because they're so used to being with the rest they get borken." she says quietly. "Blood fills them and their eyes go all red-like, Nova says."

>>19864
This is a lot to take in. "Honey... how do these... things... speak to you?"

I look Elaine in the eye and put a hand on her arm. "How do I know you aren't being mind controlled to say things you don't want to? How do you know 'Nova' isn't lying to you to tell you want you want to hear?"

I don't want to distress her, but we're in a dire situation, and considering what I'd seen earlier... "It's not that I don't trust you, but I have a hard time trusting these creatures. They're killing people, sweetie. I've seen them do horrible things. I want to make sure this isn't a trick..."

>>19883
The man-bug touches the back of your neck and you feel a light shock.

"Elder Tower." says something... in your head. "We wish your kind no harm. That is, the more civilized part of us. I am Nova. I have watched your daughter with care. She said her father was a reasonable man, and you are, if not slightly paranoid. You have every right to doubt us. But if we had wanted to, we would have killed and eaten your daughter. The less civilized does not think, plot, or scheme. They want only two things, territory, and food. As a gesture of goodwill, I will make you stronger, so you may aid us better, or take your daughter and leave, as I believe your plan was."

You feel sudden pain replaced by... nothing. The pain in your legs is gone!

STATUS:
+ OPTIMAL
+ STRENGTH
+ SPEED
+ ALTAN RESONANCE

You can now hear whispers of thought from other beings. You think if you focus, you can try to read the minds of others.

This is all so strange.

"See, Daddy? They don't want to hurt us."

>>19890
"I am reasonable," I agree with Nova, "But the problem is I have one very good reason to doubt you." I proceed to convey to them my earlier encounter with the faux-Elaine in Parts and Storage who turned out to be something else... something much worse.

"So you can see why I'm so hesitant to take this at face value. What was that? How could they have created such a... disturbing likeness of Elaine?"

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/08/01(Sat)18:26 No. 19969 ID: 6faa8c
File 124917641029.jpg - (46.57KB , 640x480 , Achilles.jpg )

>>19950
Nova thinks for a moment.
"Perhaps it is ___*&*__*^&^%__." he says. "Er... Your kind would call him Achilles." he states. "We had watched mankind for ages. We thought them an interesting mirror to ourselves. As your daughter puts it, you change things around you. We can only truly change ourselves. Not all of the unthinking are stupid. One is incredibly cunning, and he leads the rest. His name is Achilles. (ah-SHEELs)"

He is the only one among us to have two eyes. He is... cunning. Brutal. Smart."
An image flashes briefly into your mind. "And also incredibly dangerous to both our kinds."

Nova sighs.
"If you cannot trust us, we will part here. Me and mine will do our best to lure Achilles into our home, which your freind will then launch into the sun. You and your daughter will land on Mars."

>>19969
I remained silent for some time, thinking it over. The point that they could have killed Elaine didn't sway me because they could just be using her as bait. But if that was the case, they would have killed Meiko and me by now. Unless they had some even more elaborate scheme in store... but that would have to be incredibly far-reaching and toward what end goal? The extermination of humanity on Mars? I doubt that the lives of three or so humans could effect that.

But all the same, something doesn't seem right with Elaine. 'We don't want to hurt you, Daddy.' That phrase echoed around my mind. Why would Elaine say that? Why choose them over her own father? Pushing aside what I assumed were the standard fears of being an inadequate father, I consider the fact that these beings are obviously psychically gifted. I still can't rule out mind control.

The larger implications of this meeting aren't lost upon me either. This is, I'm pretty sure, first contact with alien beings. And, apparently, I've been made a psychic now too. This is... so much.

"I'm not... going to bother asking how you know our plan. I..." I give a sigh of- I don't even know what. Frustration? Confusion? Reluctance? "You kept my daughter safe, and for that I'm extremely grateful. I want to trust you, but it's going to take time. We just met, and surely you must recognize these conditions are far from ideal."

I strayed off topic. I paused a moment to collect my thoughts. "I'd... I'd like to help you. To work together, humans and, um... your kind." I give a shaky smile, then remember something, or rather someone. "Oh, and can you do whatever you did for me to Meiko? It'd be good if she can be a part of this conversation."

Nova nods and touches the base of her neck. She grunts, then blinks, looking at her hand. Her eyes change color, and she jumps.
"I gave her a different set of... gifts." Nova states.

Meiko gains:
+ OPTIMAL
+ LEG POWER
+ ALTAN RESONANCE
+ EYE SPECTRUM CHANGE

"You can call us the Altan. Just like humans, we have good and evil among us. You may take as long as you need to decide. Feel free to ask your friend to review his security tapes, he will find all the aggresive ones were either in self defense, Achille's kind with the red eyes, or both."

>>20023
"I believe you," I can't believe I'm saying those words, but it's an easily verified fact, if he was lying I could find out without difficulty. "I'm... sorry about all those Watchers I killed. I didn't know they were good guys.

I stand up from my wheelchair and am immediately surprised at how different I feel. Stronger, faster, the change is impressive. I look over to make sure Meiko's okay. "You alright, Meiko?

>>20067
"Yes, I'm fine. Be-" she pauses, turns around, to check something, then whispers to Nova. You catch a whisper from her head: 'Did they get... yes, they got bigger!'

She turns back to you. "Yes, I'm fine. I feel... better than ever, actually."

Nova smiles. "Now, one last thing before you leave: Will you be taking Elaine with you? She has been so kind to us."

>>20076
I do my best to avoid snickering. "Good. That's... good."

"That depends. What's the plan? Ours no longer seems appropriate. What can we do to help you? What are your goals?"

A sudden thought occurs to me. For the first time, I decide to try and focus my new found psychic powers on my daughter.

>>20113
Focusing on someone brings their mind open, but human minds are hard to read unless they are focused intently. Keep this in mind.

'Daddylovedaddydaddyissafehappy
wakwakishealthyhappynewladynewmom?
NovasmartNovaleavingdaddyleaving?'

Meiko sighs and rolls her eyes.

Nova smiles.
"My original plan was essentially yours, without ejecting my home from this satellite. After power is restored, we may call for more armed forces to properly take care of Achilles."

>>20122
Kids think the darnedest things, hehe.

I nod to Nova in agreement. "That sounds good. Can you take care of restoring the power in your home?" I describe the battery and what needs to be done with it. "Speaking of which, what is with the words on the hull of your section? 'Help us'?"

>>20164
"I was hoping to... prevent further loss of Waks. Er, Watchers, as you call them. I was also experimenting with pigment changes and such." he shrugs. "We will do our best." he states, walking towards the door. "That thing you speak of? It is in room 101 in this area, in the closet. I would prefer you handle our enraged brother first, though. He likes to break things so very much..."

"I see."

I kneel down in front of Elaine to talk to her eye to eye. "Honey? This is Meiko. She's been helping me fight the broken ones and even saved me from Achilles. We have to get the power back on to keep this satellite from crashing, but it's going to be dangerous. I want you to go with Nova for now so you stay safe, but don't worry about us; we'll be fine. I love you very much, sweetie, and I'm so happy that you're okay. We'll come get you after we're done, alright?"


<<bed time for me. I'll pick it up in the morning.>>

>>20198
"I will take her to the Hub. My own area is somewhat infested itself." he takes her hand in his slightly clawed three-finger appendage and leads her out.

It's a weird sight, but by now you trust Nova. You sense he's a nice... alien.

"Well, let's head out." Meiko says, handing you your pistol and taking the SMG. "I wonder about that other satellite..." she mumbles, but you both leave the room, eyes wary for Big and Ugly.

<<erg, fine. one more post.>>

>>20206
I use the intercom to BRIEFLY explain the situation to Larry (I'm assuming he couldn't have heard the psychic parts even if it was left on the whole time), mainly the part about blue-eyed aliens being friendly. Then I try to work out a plan with Meiko.

"This... Altan... is extremely clumsy and injures itself, but bullets don't seem to do much against it. I think our best bet is to make it hurt itself by running into walls, and shooting it with the grenade launcher. If it's charging at you, wait until the last minute possible, then dodge 90 degrees to the side, perpendicular to its trajectory. We should try and lure it into charging us with a wall right behind us, so there's a better chance it can't stop in time. Then when- if it's stunned, we can shoot it with the SMG and grenade launcher till it recovers, then run away and repeat. And hope it doesn't learn before we can kill it."

<<heheh. Don't feel obligated, now.>>
>>20217
Larry says he understands, and that he hears a knock at the door. He opens it and takes Elaine in. He's a little confused, but he says it all adds up.

He then says BAU is headed your way.
"By the way, bullets don't work, but... maybe something else will?"

<<I think I'm addicted...>>

"Dammit, Larry! This is no time to be cryptic!"

Can I get a complete, thorough inventory please? That way I can think about my options in the morning.

>>20238
You have:

CHAIRBAG:

AMMUNITION (3000 NORMAL, 50 RGB, GRENADES, 10F 10S 15I)
POLEARM
ONE EXTINGUISHER

ONE FLASHLIGHT
ONE MOBILE INTERCOM

Meiko:
ONE HEADSET
ONE SMG (WITH AMMO)

You
PISTOL + AMMO

EXTRAORDINARY ABILITIES
TACTICAL SENSE (RESONANCE IN COMBAT)
STRENGTH

>>20238
"That's al-" he pauses.
"Kill it with fire." he says quietly.

>>20254
"That is my M.O." I respond, hefting the grenade launcher (still loaded with incendiary grenades).

"Since bullets don't do anything, just shoot it to attract its attention, then jump to the side. I'll light it on fire with this."

The creature lunges for you and you both get out of the way, sending it ramming into the CHAIR instead. There's a ruckus of noise as it knocks it over, and they both tumble down the hallway. As soon as they seperate, you launch a grenade at it, lighting it ablaze.

It gets up, flames all over its body, and rushes at you again. You dodge again, the heat rushing over you as it lands...

And doesn't get up.

>>20669
I take this opportunity to PUMP THE MOTHERFUCKER FULL OF INCENDIARY GRENADES!

As the flames rage, I yell out giddily, "I hope you brought your wallet, 'cause the rent in hell gets paid in advance!"

>>20674
You do so, but by the third nade it's quite clear it's dead.

Meiko looks a little disturbed.

>>20676
I smile embarrassedly. "Eh... hehe. Just makin' sure." My expression changes to confusion as I eye the dead carcass. "I thought it'd be much more difficult than that. This thing seemed really resilient."

I go back to the intercom and check in with Larry. "Hey, how's it look over the cameras? Are we clear now?"

>>20680
"Yeah, everything looks fine." Larry says with an audible shrug.

"It was almost dead in any case. It was either us or bleeding to death, really..."

"Oh... well... okay then. Let's get that battery."

I head to room 101, keeping an eye out for any more funny business. On the way, I decide to try out my psychic powers on Meiko.

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/08/02(Sun)11:48 No. 20704 ID: 6faa8c
File 124923891690.jpg - (105.27KB , 640x480 , Achilleshithere.jpg )

>>20700
You hear her hearing your thoughts hearing her thoughts...
OW.

Best not to do that anymore.

As you move through the place, you see occasional Watchers, There's really not much of note, the area seems to have been cleared out beforehand. You find the AUX BATTERY with ease an-

HELLO.

RECURSIVE MIND SCREW!!! What she gets for being so nosy. =3


Respond psychically (if I can, verbally if not), "Hello, Achilles."

>>20704
SO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?
EEEEHEHEHEHEH.
HEHEH.
THIEVING PINKIES. THIEVING MONSTERS. LEAVE. LEAVE. GET OUT.
OR
OR
OR

OR

I WILL THROW YOU OUT.

You notice there's a window in this room.

>>20713
Of course there is.

"Fine, you want Mars? You want this station? You can have them. It was wrong of us to take the planet from you and if we'd known you were there, I can assure you we wouldn't have done it. However, this station is going to crash and be completely destroyed unless I can plug in this battery. Search my thoughts... you know it to be true."

"Let me and the other pinkies get off this station, and we'll tell all the pinkies on the planet," I point out the window at Mars below, "and we'll all leave, giving you back what is rightfully yours."

>>20720
YOU ARE BLUFFING. YOU ARE LYING. LYING PINKIES, LYING PINKIES.
YOU CAN'T COMMAND THEM, YOU HAVE NOT THE POWER. NOT LIKE ME.
NOT LIKE ME.

You hear Meiko slump to the floor. You feel a strong pressure on the back of your neck, pushing you forward.
You can feel Achilles move closer, his smoking red eyes close to yours.

YOU WILL BOTH DIE HERE. THEN I WILL KILL NOVA. THEN THE PINKIES HERE. THEN THE SATELLITE WILL CRASH, AND I WILL KILL THEM THERE, TOO. AND THEN... AND THEN THEY WILL TRY TO TAKE 'BACK THEIR PLANET. AND THEN...

EEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!

>>20723
I gasp in pain and let him talk. He obviously likes to hear himself talk. But this time... he's said to much.

I focus my entire mind on one thing. Not my revenge, not the lives of the crewmembers that've been murdered, not even the millions of people on the surface of Mars. No, the only thing I keep in my mind's eye is my daughter's face. Elaine, so young... so innocent... and I will not let her be butchered by this monster. I will not lie down and accept this fate.

I will die on my feet.

I fight the torrential force and reach a shaking arm out to snag Achilles' neck, forcing his eyes even closer. I don't break off the stare, instead I unleash all the burning psychic rage I can muster against the being that wants to kill. my. daughter.

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/08/02(Sun)12:43 No. 20733 ID: 6faa8c
File 124924223043.jpg - (83.42KB , 640x480 , Achillespain.jpg )

>>20728
PINKYSTOPITITHURTSPINKYSTOOOPIT!

you hear the creature scream in your mind and with your ears.

KILLHIMSAVEMESTOPHIMKILLHIMHIMSTOPHIMGETTHECHILDFINDTHECHILD!


KILL

THE

CHILD!

>>20733
That is it. Pull out the pistol and shoot him twice: once in each of those damn eyes.

Then get Meiko and tell Larry he's got company on the way and that he needs to hold tight until we can get there to back him up. The battery can wait.

>>20736
Achilles flies back onto the bed. He's not actually all that big, and he's rather weak-looking, physically.

IT'S NOT THAT EASY....

You feel a twinge in your mind...
And then he's gone.

You book it like crazy, taking Meiko with you. Larry responds, calmly.
"Restore the power to that sector first, John. Trust me. We need that. Or at least it will make things easier.

You hear hammering on the SURVEILLANCE ROOM door.

"Hurry, John."

>>20738
Larry's calm voice helps ease the storm in my mind and realize he's right. I agree and grab the battery, using all my newly granted speed and strength to get that thing into its slot.

"Meiko, run on ahead to the hub. If there're too many, wait for me."

>>20740
You slam the battery into place, and the computer beside it hums to life:

POWER RESTORED: 77%

FUNCTIONS RESTORED:
MEDIUM RANGE COMMUNICATIONS ARRAY
HUB SECURITY AUTOMATED DEFENSES
ARTIFICIAL GAVITY SWITCHES IN DOCKING AREAS

Larry lets out a sigh of relief as the bugs are gunned down.
"Alright, John. Come back, and let's discuss things properly."

>>20742
"Yeah, we have a lot to talk about..."

I head back to the hub and then the surveillance room.

>>20745
You return to find that the Surveillance Room doesn't have a door anymore. There's bodies piled in front of it, though, and the guns retract just as you arrive.

Elaine runs up to you and hugs you tightly again, Meiko finishes bandaging Larry's arm.
"Seriously, why did you think it was a good idea to punch that thing?!" she mutters at Larry, who shrugs.
"It woulda gotten the brat, otherwise..."

>>20746
I give Elaine a big hug and then walk with her over to Larry. His situation brings a bemused smile to my face, but my respect for him has risen tremendously.

"Has Uncle Larry been a good babysitter for ya?" I give Elaine a conspiratory wink.

>>20755
"The reason I called you back with such seriousness is because... Nova said he had someone he wanted you to meet. Someone he forgot to tell you about. She should be on her way now." he says. "With 77 percent restored, we're almost done here. Nova and his people will escape with us after I arrange everything, but Nova's holding off inserting the Aux until we meet this... person."

>>20761
"Nova... 'forgot' to tell me about someone?" That sounds suspicious. I don't really have any choice but to wait till he gets here, I suppose. In the meantime, I decide to listen in on Larry's thoughts.

>>20775
Donttrustnovabutthenagainnovahelpedus
twoofthemwithtwoeyes?
evilbastardevilmonsterredeyesnecvergood
elaineisokaynewcomerissupposedtobereallyimportant

>>20780
"Hey Larry, I've been thinking about something... do you have any reason to think there might be more than one Altan with two eyes?"

>>20786
"Nova said something about 'opposites and parrallels.'" he replies. "It's appaerantly a big thing in thier culture, a large part of their aesthetic is symmetry and opposites." he shrugs. "I'd also appreciate if you didn't use your 'gifts' on me, John."

>>20790
Shrug back at him. "Gotta check for mind control. None of this is makin' much sense at the moment."

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/08/02(Sun)14:04 No. 20803 ID: 6faa8c
File 124924705398.jpg - (156.77KB , 422x577 , 1249242855613.jpg )

>>20794
"True. We can ask about that sorta thing when No-oh."
Nova stands in the doorway with... another little girl?
"Hello again, Tower." Nova says with a bow. "I heard what happened with Achilles. You are quite talented, it seems, with an aspect of phsychic might I myself am not talented with... but he is. So I sought out and found our Hermit."
The girl nods.

>>20803
Ooooooookay. "Hello, Hermit, pleased to meet you." Hopefully she's Achilles' opposite, and not so much his parallel.

"I lucked out against Achilles, I'm not so sure things would have turned out the same if he hadn't been off guard. So... are we ready to go? Have you restored power to your section?"

>>20809
There's a loud humming sound.

"Yes." Nova says. "Larry, if you would?"
"Working on it."

hello.
i am tyka.
i'm gonna teach you how to hurt achilles permanent. you're special, nova says, so i'm gonna help you.

>>20812
if i hurt achilles permanent, what will that do to you?

>>20814
i'm only his opposite in terms of personality, we are not connected in the slightest. now, push back.

You feel a gentle, yet absurdly strong force push against your forehead, as if a silverback gorilla had his palm there and you could feel the power in his arm without him using it.

>>20818
oh goo-Holy fuck!

Rrrrrrgggghhhh- hee...

I feel my mental focus snap, as though I'd strained a muscle in my mind and my psychic presence was left to flap about in an overwhelming river. I almost call out in defeat for fear of hurting worse if I tried again, but first I decide to attempt something else. Concentrating is tough, but this time instead of trying to push through the mental barrier all at once, I lean my own mind against it, accepting its force and feeding it back into itself to form a comfortably supported wedge. The foreign weight doesn't lessen any, but somehow now it feels less intrusive, less threatening.

I suddenly realize I had stopped breathing and start again, gasping slightly at first.

<<Watch yourself. Suggestion + result + one post = >:C ))

>>20822
Tyka smiles, although it's hard to see.
good. good. maybe you will be ready...

The push increses tenfold.

<<I don't really get what you mean. =/ >>

>>20825
The supported wedge collapses with a nearly audible *pop*. That's when I fell over.

I'm sure it's not very dignified moaning on the ground holding your head, but dammit there are some situations where it's entirely appropriate.

>>20852
The girl stands over you.
this will take a while.
she mumbles something to herself.

>>20861
"You gotta... start off slow..." My voice is as quiet as a whisper at this point. Why are those damn lights so bright? I massage my temples with a hand as I sit up.

"It's like gaining another limb and not knowing how to use it. I'm sure it's second nature for you, but I feel like I need some lessons or something."

>>20886
that's what i'm giving you. we don't have a whole lot of time... and i need to be certain of our power before we destroy achilles, lest he simply return again.

>>20892
"I... I don't think I can-"

this is all so much this is insane there is not enough time i just started this is no lesson there is nothing to learn i have no practice

"I thought we were going to-"

i have done enough my part is over i have elaine i should be able to leave

i should... i... I? I can't just think about myself. There's Meiko, who's given her all just to get me here. There's Elaine, who's unwavering love and faith I can feel even without psychic abilities. There's Larry, who... umm... forget Larry.

It's so easy to focus on myself, on the negative, on the failures. But there's more at stake than that. This isn't about me, this is about us. Humans and Altans, working together. Achilles has to be stopped, before any of us are safe. And if I'm the one in the position to stop him, then who am I to refuse my assistance?

"Alright..." I get up slowly and take a cleansing breath to clear my mind and calm my body. "Let me try again."

>>20934
Tyka seems pleased.
good. the reason i am training you rather than facing achilles myself is because there would be no result, a zero sum. but with you...

The push comes again, harder this time, against your whole body.

you will stay with me and meiko if you wish, but your daughter will be taken to safety elsewhere, under our care.

>>20938
I couldn't manage a response.

As soon as the force came, my entire body tensed up. The pressure was staggering, muscle weakening, bone aching... Pushing against it would be more futile than climbing a waterfall. So I didn't even try it.

It's hard to describe, but I let my body relax. I reached out and took back the part of my brain tensing all my muscles. I knew I would fall over as soon as I did, but I managed to avoid caring. Instead, I accepted the pressure, the energy, and I took it, and I let it float my mind to a higher level. My body, the satellite, my friends and family, they all faded away into nothingness.

I let the force fill me until I felt ready to burst. Then... I pushed. If I had to describe it, it would be like inhaling till my lungs were full and then exhaling in one strong burst. I redirected all of that energy and added in some of my own, projected in a blunt spike right up the center of the stream. I pushed and pushed, without stress or strain or worry of inadequacy, just exhaling as strongly as I could.

I kept it up until a severe sensation of drowsiness slowed down my thoughts and dragged me back to my body. The first thing I noticed were the black spots in my vision, then the pain in my chest, and a horrible sinking feeling in my gut. I coughed and gasped for air, at which point my concentration failed completely. I dropped to one knee and grunted under the onslaught. This wouldn't work. I couldn't just abandon my body when I wanted to use my mind. I had to use them together... somehow...

>>20984
close, you're almost there! dig deeper, think harder! you're the only one who could do this, psychic altans have to give up body to use their mind, but you don't!

>>20986
Agreement of mind and body. I unclenched my teeth and stood back to my feet.

Unity of the mental and the physical. My limbs shivered as psychic energy bounced off them.

Harmony in thought and in action. My lungs kept working, in short, steady bursts.

Cooperation between the ethereal and corporeal. I looked Tyka in the eyes and pushed with all my being.

>>21012
She flinches.
almost but not quite. remember how you stunned achilles? remember how scared he was? why would that be? he could have crushed your mind like a grape, pinkie!

but he could not.

why?

>>21031
he couldn't win, because that would mean death for elaine.

and i can't. let. that. HAPPEN!!!

>>21040
Tyka giggles in your head, even as she takes a few steps back.

mind and body, pinkie. force of mind and force of body. remember? remember the look in his eyes as you fought back? come on, it's what you've always done, this last bit!

I kept my thoughts on Elaine. That's really all I can say about what happened next. I focused on Elaine and Achilles' frantic command to kill her... and everything went red. I might have passed out, or maybe something in me was unlocked and took over my mind, kicking the rational part out.

All I know is that I'll never forget the sight that awaited me when I regained awareness, my muscles burning in protestation and my eyes clouded with tears.

>>21050
Tyka suddenly moves close.
your body is strong. use it.

She looks up at him, grinning.
don't you get it, pinkie? you won because you grabbed his neck. it wasn't your family or anything like that, although they certainly helped.
no, it was your physical might that knocked him off balance!

<<Hey, I never said he didn't use it his body. I just said he didn't remember what happened next. I was hoping you'd fill in that part. =P >>

>>21054
"Ugh... I don't know how I'm supposed to push and walk at the same time... I can barely stand up at the same time, heh."

I sat down to rest for a moment. "Besides, I didn't wanna start throttling you. I thought the point of this training was to work my mind; I'm already pretty good at choking people out." I couldn't help but chuckle at that.

>>21071
Tyka laughs, and uses her normal voice. It's clear she's not really a full Altan.
"Don't worry! When things get really tough, you'll learn everything. For now, try to carry things with your mind. Once you can do that, you can use your mind to attack with your body... like... um..." she thinks for a moment. "Oh, right, ki."

>>21072
"Lifting things with my mind now? Man, this day keeps getting weirder and weirder. Okay, let's give that a shot."

I pulled out my pistol and ejected the clip, laying the gun on the ground. Then I placed the clip in my outstretched hand. I looked at it carefully, and then took a second look. A look more of emotion than data. I could feel the cold of the metal, both in my palm and my mind.

Using the same technique as before, only much less, I pushed against the clip. It twitched in my hand, and I almost laughed. I nudged it again, and again it moved. Then I decided to lift it, and put all of my effort into pushing upward until I overcame the tremendous force of gravity!

The clip flew out of my hand, only stopping when bounced off the ceiling. Unfortunately, the straight upward trajectory lent itself to a straight downward ballistic path, and the danged thing clunked me in the elbow. Good thing I had hid my head under my arms...

>>21128
Tyka giggles.
"Well, you won't need that much control anyway." she says, reloading the gun and sliding it into your holster.
"Nova will be leading Achilles into our home. That is our next destination."

>>21131
"Oh man... I'm ready to take a nap, heh." I stood up wearily from sitting. "Alright, let's do this. Meiko? Are you coming with us, or would you rather go with Elaine?"

>>21138
Tyka looks at Meiko, and there's silence.

"Too dangerous." Meiko says at last. "Listen..." she pulls a small figurine from her pocket. It's a little boy with a striped shirt, baseball cap, and hat. "Bring this back to me and come back alive, okay?"
She almost turns to leave, then hugs you and kisses your lips, briefly. "I'll see you on Mars." she says with a smile, leaving the room.

Tyka's a little annoyed.
let's get moving, then.

>>21147
...
Why did we get a Ness figure?

>>21154
Because we just gained PK Fiyah!!!

>>21147
Wow... that's quite the good luck charm. And the figurine is pretty nice gift too.

I give Elaine a goodbye hug (assuming she's still in the room) and then head out after Tyka. "Sorry for the delay."

>>21160
"I apologize for my ire. My ability to use power came with stunted growth. I'll look ten until the end of my days." she walks down the hall to
Recreation.

>>21163
"Oh... ohh." Well shit, now I feel like an asshole. "I'm sorry," I offer feebly.

I'm not looking forward to heading into Recreation. It's so foreign looking... alien.

My pace falters. "Hey, Lyka... how come the Recreation area was changed so much? Nova told me the Altans can only change themselves, not their surroundings."

>>21176
"This stuff?" she asks, poking a rather alive-looking wall, "It is Altan. Literally, just a big one that made itself into a home." she reaches into the folds of that big cloak, and tosses something into one of many mouths. "And don't worry. Most folks don't understand anyway."

>>21179
"Wow! So... we're going inside of a giant Altan? That's amazing. And... a bit weird, haha. Altans seem far more diversified than humans. I'm sure we can learn a whole lot from each other once this is all over... I sure hope we can come to a peaceful agreement..."

>>21187
"Assuming Nova survives and is allowed to speak at the UN, everything will turn out all right. He does well with crowds." she speaks slightly differently about Nova.

>>21189
Odd that she knows about the UN, but okay.

"Well then let's do our best to make sure he survives."

I gotta admit, the scenery and our approaching battle is making me nervous. I take a few deep breaths to calm down.

"Indeed." she replies.
"He's coming. Prepare your mind, he won't waste time with chat."

>>21215
Mind... and body. I picture Elaine, and Meiko. Actually I try not to picture Meiko too much.

But I can do this for Elaine. I bounce in place to limber up and continue breathing deeply.

>>21227
You do so, When a sudden force pushes harshly against your brain. Just as strong as Tyka, but with none of the suppresion of 'training'.

SILLY HUMAN
SILLY PINKIE SILLY
SHOULD HAVE LEFT SHOULD HAVE RAN
NOW YOUR DAUGHTER WILL BE AN ORPHAN
YOU WILL DIE HERE LIKE YOUR WIFE

>>21434
FFFFFFF-

No, he wants me angry- ugh this hurts- well he can't have... it.

I relaxed my screaming muscles and lifted my chin to look forward. Every joint in my body felt gummed, and the pressure on my chest made even breathing difficult. All of my mental energy was going into just diverting the force, and it still wasn't enough.

this is too much what was i thinking i cant fight this and win

At least... not with just my mind. I took a tortured step forward, and then another. Don't fight it, accept it, use it, wield it. I let the energy fill my mind, its overwhelming volume quickly threatening to tear my thoughts asunder. And then it's out, pushing forward, taking a few more treacherous steps.

This is taking far too much out of me. I need to distract him. Let's see how he feels if I turn the tables.

that's it?! that's all you got? you're an outcast amongst the outcasts, achilles. you're a leader of an army of none. you have no home and no hope, and you're trash talking me because my wife died? you're not even worth a witty comeback.

>>21523
EEEEEEEEEEHEHEHEHEH
I KNOW YOU DID IT. I KNOW
I KNOW.
SHE WENT BEHIND YOUR BACK BACK
AND YOU YOU TOOK HER LIFE IN ANGER
ANGER ANGER
THE LITTLE RED MONSTER! EEEEHEHEH!
The strain grows, then lessens.
Tyka stands between you and the monster. He has warped your senses, seeming bigger than is.

>>21527
My convenient AMNESIA keeps me from knowing what the fuck he's talking about and therefore getting enraged and/or depressed. However I'm still pretty pissed about that killing-my-daughter thing...

Oh thank god Tyka's here. Okay, physical... that monster likes to hear himself talk? Let's see how he does when he can't hear at all.

I pulled a sonic grenade from my pocket and activated it. Ignoring the protests from my muscles, I chucked that thing as hard as I can in Achilles' direction, then diverted all my psychic attention into pushing it at him. As soon as I did so I began to fall over, but I figured a few bruises would be work it once he's bleeding from his ears.

>>21541
There is a pause, and a -
A nothing.
You can't hear anything. Assumably, none of you can, and Tyka and Achilles are matching minds.

>>21545
Dammit, forgot about the psychic noise dampening. Another crippling blow against physics.

Fine, up close and personal it is. I got up and half-ran/half-crawled forward and to the side, staying out of the middle area between the two. Along the way I added my meager psychic strength to Lyka's considerable repertoire; no need for this to turn into a stalemate before I even make it to Achilles.

>>21557
Achilles flinches, taking a step back. Tyka steps forth, and glances at you.

justlikethefirsttime

>>21560
I nod. The first time. The time when Achilles yelled out to his evil bug minions to kill Elaine. Loving, sweet Elaine who'd never hurt a bug. And he wanted to kill her. No. Fucking. Way.

I bum-rushed Achilles, fists flailing madly, seeking alien flesh to crunch. A part of me knows this is idiotic, but I don't care. I'm taking this motherfucker with me.

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2009/08/02(Sun)23:01 No. 21584 ID: 6faa8c
File 124927927435.jpg - (128.25KB , 1079x525 , 1249243241307.jpg )

>>21571
Achilles is taken by complete surprise. bones snap, muscles bruise, eyes pop with ease, but...
But he's laughing. His mouth is wide open, his chest shaking, you can't hear a word, but you know he is laughing.

Something is deeply wrong.
He throws you back with sudden force, your defenses crumbling like paper.
He's floating in the air in front of you.

I'LL BREAK YOU NOW
NOTHING NOTHING WILL REMAIN
NO MEMORIES
NO EMOTIONS
NO NOTHING
A SHELL A SHELL
YOU WILL DIE ALONE, AND FORGOTTEN.

Tyka stands in his way. An immense, barely visible blast rockets at her, and she skids along the ground towards you. She grunts, both audibly, and mentally. Her ears begin to bleed.
Her hair pins zing off, flying into the flesh of the walls. Her cloak is ripped away, revealing simple clothing from when she was found.
Memories flood into you.

A farm
A light
strange creatures
talents you never had
far away lands
war
war
so much pain
love
unknown love
and now...
loss.

You can feel it in your bones, she's going to die here.

Iwillsendhimaway
faraway
prepare
beready
andtellNova
TellNovaIalwayslikedhim

There's a flash of brilliant light, and both Achilles and Tyka vanish, her clothes, of 1920's make, flutter to the ground quietly.

I stand, slowly. My clothes ripple as I meticulously brush the dust off. I should be feeling some emotion. I should be feeling something.

So why aren't I? It's simple math. Anti-matter and matter. No one sheds a tear for the proton. And yet a part of me is drowning in sorrow. But I stopped being that part a long time ago. Or maybe now is a long time ago and I will be that part later. Or maybe it doesn't fucking matter.

I walk away from the battle site without a glance back. Another notch in a long list of such lonely walks. Something in my screams at me angrily and I shrug. As I leave, I repeat the phrase that's kept me going for so long: 'c'est la guerre.'

C'est la guerre.

>>21596
You make your way back to the HUB and then the Ports with ease. Meiko and Elaine hug you, and Nova approaches you.

Where is Tyka? he asks.

>>21598

"Tyka's gone," I informed him flatly. "She died sending Achilles 'faraway.' She said to tell you she liked you."

Even as my mouth worked, my thoughts despised the words. shes always been dead but you already knew that how can you be so cruel kindness is weakness

"Something happened..." The words jumped out before I could stop them. A part of me took the excuse of needing to finish the sentence and ran with it, "to me back there. I... remembered... I don't know what. I'm not sure who I am anymore."

>>21743
A watcher walked up to Nova, and he touched its back. It then skittered on to Elaine you swept it into her arms, giggling.

"Achilles was destroying her mind." Nova said, emotion heavy. "Her memories, her emotions, flowed into you... out of her. I suppose that explains how you feel right now, as well..."

Meiko looks... worried.

>>21744
>you swept
>who swept

dyerp

<<oops, I think I interpreted that one wrong...>>

>>21744
Meiko worried? I don't want to worry Meiko, but I can't remember why. Elaine, so innocent, in need of protection. Ugh... but why should I care? Why do I care? I do care... I care very much.

"This is so confusing. I just... need some time. I'm sorry... about Tyka. I don't get what happened. I got to him, I made contact... but it's like it didn't even matter. They just canceled out anyway. I thought... I thought my presence was supposed to tip the balance."

oh god tyka im sorry

>>21747
"But you did." Nova said. "Normally, the two of them would be against one another and tied, neither making nay headway. But with your help, she managed to have a victory."

>>21748
"Some victory..." I shuddered and shook my head. "What now? If we're done here, I think we oughta get off this satellite."

Elaine nods and walks up to you, taking your hand... and then Meiko's.

"Yeah, daddy. Let's go home."

You walk with Nova onto a ship, bound for Mars.

AGE ONE COMPLETE