Return to “REKT”

Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#46
UPDATE TIME (it sure took long enough, right?)

Miles
Spoiler:      SHOW
Detritus wrote:
Fri Jul 07, 2017 10:15 pm
"Okay. Thank you, ma'am."

Take the ration bars and the water.

Carefully upright a table, and fix two chairs for it.
Sit at the table
Take a cautious bite of a ration bar, and if it is suitable, eat it and the others.
Wash the bars down with the water.


Look over the room, and assess the other inmates, but don't stare at any of them for too long.
You take the ration bars and water from the counter, leaving Brenna and the new character to talk about cleaning up the kitchens, or fixing them, or something. With your meager meal in hand, you head over to the toppled tables and chairs at the corner of the large mess hall. Then, setting your stuff aside briefly, you set one of them upright, noting that it looks like it used to be screwed to the floor, and then grab a couple of chairs. Sitting down, you begin to eat... starting with a very cautious bite.

It tastes like chicken. Except for the fact that it's dry as a bone and tough as nails, it's not half bad. You're glad you got that water, though.

Glancing over the room, you notice there aren't actually many other clearly-marked "inmates" around at the moment. Actually, you notice that the room is gradually filling up with people. Nemesis crewmembers are heading over to the counter, forming a line, getting their rations and sitting down at various tables. Most of them wolf down their ration bars with a ferocity that doesn't even seem human. They must have jaws of steel. You try not to stare at them.

Inevitably, it isn't long until someone comes to sit down next to you in the other chair you set up. You first notice her from across the room, as she approaches from the kitchen window. She's a pale-skinned girl roughly about your age - or, rather, what age you seem to be due to your cryostasis: about 22. Her light brunette hair that comes down just below her chin. She holds her meal-to-be, looking about shyly for a place to sit with her drink and ration bar, and, as mentioned, you have one of the few open seats at this point. She comes and sits down across from you, smiling in embarrassment.

"Hi," she says softly, neatly placing out a napkin, her drink, and ration bar on the table. She glances up, notices you staring at her, and giggles faintly as she looks back down. "You must be one of the people out of cryo, yes?" When you don't answer her rhetorical question, she swallows, seeming to feel mildly awkward, and tries to start up the conversation again. "I'm glad it wasn't me. I never was good with exciting things... I have a tendency to... well... faint sometimes," she admits, but then seems to internally question her reasoning for saying it. She picks up her ration bar - fruit flavored - and begins to nibble at it. "I'm Anelle, the chief librarian... or, I was the librarian," she giggles again, "before that portion of the ship got destroyed. Now, I'm... well, I don't know what I am."



Lemons
Spoiler:      SHOW
Triggerhappy wrote:
Sat Jul 08, 2017 5:22 am
(( Throughout this whole turn I am assuming that my +2 Gen Knowledge is alive and strong. Feel free to make a fool of me if it fails though :P (not like you need permission to do so either) ))

"Gladly."
Help the lady with the sample analyzer (probably just take it from her an put it wherever she tells me to).
Sample analyzer. Recognize series. DiUrt 7 series. Unknown gen. Must be new. I am out of date. In cryo too long.
"Home-brewed engineer. At best. Out of date with new equipment, sadly. Looks like a DiUrt 7 analyzer, but already don't know its generation. Sturdy thing. The sort I would expect to survive this."
Notice the damage on the analyzer.
"Check rear panel, under the radiator. Radiation unit comes loose in these DiUrt Sevens very often. Likely came loose. Easy fix. Everything else should be intact. Alexei. Nice to meet you."
Get acquainted with the lady, an continue helping her and the other lab people any way I can.
Make inquiry on mil-tech: "Big fight all around. Was was hoping wizard people here at labs have cards up sleeves. Anything I can help bring to action?"
Keep helping the people for a while. The labs, even ruined, feel more like home than the rest of this crash-landed bucket.
You quickly grab the sample analyzer from the woman, just before it slips all the way out of her hands. And it is heavy - but you're a pretty strong guy, and it's no trouble for you. "DiUrt 7 series," you mention, looking it over.

She's impressed. "Yes!" she exclaims. "You are an engineer."

"I'm home-brewed," you say, shifting the analyzer slightly in your hands to get a better grip on it. "At best. Out of date with new equipment, sadly. I can tell it's DiUrt, but can't tell the generation. Sturdy thing, though."

She nods. "It's 14th gen, type C. Designed to hold together if roughed around, though it loses a bit of accuracy on microscopic scales for it. I'm Sanya, by the way."

"Alexei. Nice to meet you." Then, "Looks like the rear panel took some damage. Might want to check the radiator. Radiation unit comes loose in these DiUrt Sevens, it may have."


For a time, you help out Sanya and some of the other engineers in the lab. Many of them are stronger than you might have expected in a typical lab setting, which almost surprises you. You imagine Tartarus keeps these people at least somewhat combat-ready, just in case you get boarded. You're still a step above most, though. Your assistance is frequently requested - you've become almost popular. This suits you. You're able to show off a bit of your engineering knowledge while helping them get things sorted, and many of them - not just Sanya - take a liking to you. Sanya, though, seems to like you more than most, going as far as to follow you around a bit as you assist her with cleaning up her section of the labs. After a while, she asks if there's anything she could help you with. You decide to make an inquiry on military tech. "I was hoping wizard people here at labs have cards up sleeves. Anything I can help bring to action?"

She looks at you, puzzled. "You mean, can I give you some of the stuff here for you to take on missions?"

"Yes."

Sanya looks very uncomfortable at this request. "I.. I don't know," she mumbles, twisting a bit of cabling in her hands and looking away. "We aren't supposed to let anything leave the labs without permission. I don't want to get in trouble...."
((Failed charisma roll. She likes you at least, and that's always good, right?))



Saoirse and Bob
Spoiler:      SHOW
Dinosawer wrote:
Sat Jul 08, 2017 8:08 am
"Thanks, I appreciate that... must be hard, keeping everyone equipped in this situation.
So, what I had in VR worked fairly well... a whacky spinny staff thing on a quick slot thingy, and a PSI pack with an electro, stasis and gravity amp. If you have that.
Actually, those might be handy to help around in the ship if anything needs to be moved forcefully, or electrified or something...
Oh, and do you happen to know what happened to our personal belongings? Or who I need to ask that? I know it's stupid right now but I kinda miss my bagpipes..."
Cha0zz wrote:
Sun Jul 09, 2017 3:57 am
During the conversation bob is staring at Saoirse and Hoffman with a glazed look.
But when Saoirse mentions bagpipes, Bob's eyes clear at once.
"Bagpipes? Does Saoirse-Boss play musics?"
"Bob loves musics, old Boss (the friendly one) always used to play music for Bob when it was dark ..."
A big smile starts to appear on bob's face as he remembers the time with his old boss
"Could Saoirse-Boss play some music for Bob and Jimmy?"
"Thanks, I appreciate that..." Saoirse says to Mr. Hoffman. "Must be hard, keeping everyone equipped in this situation."

Mr. Hoffman nods and laughs, beginning to say, "Well, lass, I do my best to -" Then he pauses, as though questioning himself.

Saoirse continues. "So, what I had in VR worked fairly well - a whacky spinny saff thing on a quick slot thingy, and a PSI pack with an electro, stasis, and gravity amp. If you have that. Actually, those might be handy to help around in the ship if anything needs to be moved forcefully, or electrified or something... Oh, and do you happen to know what happened to our personal belongings? Or who do I need to ask that? I know it's stupid right now but I kinda miss my bagpipes..."

Bob's eyes brighten; he looks at Saoirse curiously. "Bagpipes? Does Saoirse-Boss play musics? Bob loves musics. Old Boss (friendly boss) always used to play music for Bob when it was dark..." He grins widely, as he remembers the time he spent with his old boss. "Could Saoirse-Boss play some music for Bob and Jimmy?"

"Well, I need my bagpipes first," Saoirse replies carefully, "But... yes, after that, I could." She levels a meaningful gaze at Mr. Hoffman.

Mr. Hoffman was paying close attention to the entire conversation; he eyes first Saoirse and then Bob carefully - Bob being taller than him by a fair margin. "Well," he mutters finally, his lips twitching a bit, "I guess I could help you out. I'm under very strict orders not to hand out weaponry... but I could potentially get you some PSI packs." He seems mildly uncomfortable with this course of action, mumbling aloud to himself as he walks away toward the darker recesses of the armory. Then he executes an abrupt about-face. "It's this way," he chuckles, then resumes the same frown.

Minutes later he comes back with some equipment: an old, well-used PSI pack, painted with REKT colors, several amp cartridges, and - gloriously - Saoirse's bagpipes. "Now," he says sternly. "Remember you are not to use this on other people, lass. The amps, I mean. I'm forbidden to give out weaponry, remember, but if you use this to help us repair the Nemesis... well, keep in mind, this is on both of our necks." He sets the PSI pack and accessories down in front of Saoirse, and hands her the bagpipes. He's holding them the wrong way. "I also can't get you the kinetic battlestaff yet, but I'll mark it up as something to give you when they send you out." Then he hands Bob his teddy bear, Jimmy. "Had the stuff stored for you. We got it out of the nacelle around the same time as we pulled you out. I got sent some of the bigger things for safekeeping. Hope this is what you were looking for. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Just then, someone else walks in and starts announcing his name, and intentions, to Mr. Hoffman. Apparently, his name is Brom. "Greetings, Mr. Hoffman! It is I! Brom Keegan. Lord of Ermhelm's underworld, charming merchant and master assassin!" He seems an interesting fellow. Mr. Hoffman soon gets caught up in talking to him.



Frank
Spoiler:      SHOW
F4wk35 wrote:
Sat Jul 08, 2017 11:04 am
Brenna wrote:Brenna seems positively overjoyed. Her face lights up with an eager radiance, and even takes on a strong semblance of what must have been her younger beauty. "Do you mean it?" she asks, as though she's afraid to believe you. "Oh, FSM's sauce, I thought for sure this place would be in terrible condition for months! I tried getting an engineer - even just one - to try to help me set some of the equipment back up. I don't have much in the way of supplies, but we do have some food, though most of it has gone bad... SCAMPS wouldn't let me bring even one worker down here to try to get it fixed up - he said every second counts, and went on about... well, you know how SCAMPS is," she laughs, opening a little door in the side of the counter for you to pass through. Then, a finger to her lips, she pauses: "Well, actually, you probably don't, if you haven't been awake that long. And your muscles do look a bit thin still, but I can help set things back up," she assures you.
Just a bit surprised by her sudden enthusiasm, Frank gives Brenna a warm smile.

"Miss, Brenna, please! I'm no engineer and never been actually strong! But I've worked as a janitor at a number of companies and universities and I completely understand you here. Top-ups always had the opinion that they could put our situation on the back-burner for an undefined time. Well, of course they never had a situation like this on their hands..."

Frank's smile slips noticably as he motions to the mess hall's condition with one hand. Composing himself with a sigh, he continues:

"And I suspect that I won't be all that useful in the hangars or the higher-end engineering works anyway...So I'll rather stick to what I know."
Brenna wrote:"But if you really want to help here, there's plenty to do here," she offers hopefully. "I can't promise as much in return, but... I'd be very grateful, and I'd make sure you get the best servings if we ever get any real food..." Even as she says it, she seems to realize her offer isn't so tempting.
With a serious face, Frank nods to her.

"I really appreciate the offer, but I suggest we keep the food situation off the table for now. The engineers and fighter pilots need those more urgently than me! And I'll have to make up for all the time I didn't accomplish my duties for the great dust bunny! Just tell me where my help is needed the most here and I'll see about it. I can even jump in at the counter if you want?"

Offer Brenna my assistance with everything around the mess hall and the area behind the counters.
Assist with repairs and cleaning.
Also offer her to take over at the counter for a bit if Brenna deems it neccessary.
"I really appreciate the offer, but I suggest we keep the food situation off the table for now. The engineers and fighter pilots need those more urgently than me. And I'll have to make up for all the time I didn't accomplish my duties for the great dust bunny! Just tell me where my help is needed the most here and I'll see about it. I can even jump in at the counter if you want?"

Brenna seems absolutely shocked that you'd still offer to help you, but accepts it very gratefully. "Yes!" she bubbles joyfully. "I can handle the counter, but... the lights - " she turns halfway and points behind her. "Yes, you can help with the lights. There's some wiring under the counter I was trying to fix it with, but... well, I don't know, it's broken really badly or something. I'll handle the counter, if you can fix that? And then the refrigerator in the back isn't functioning for some reason - It's plugged into the wall and everything, too." Without a moment's hesitation, she opens the kitchen door and lets you around to the back, where she's standing. Someone else shows up at the counter just then, and you're left to figure out for yourself what was going on with the lighting. First, though, the fridge.

The "fridge" turns out to be a very large, long, deep box that undoubtedly used to contain frozen food - now it contains unfrozen food, and much of it is just beginning to smell. It's a freezer, essentially. Unfortunately, it slid away from the kitchen wall at some point. The power cable snakes across the room and plugs into the outlet at the other side - horrible design. Someone could trip over it - and undoubtedly has. It's definitely plugged into the wall, though. On a whim, you look behind the freezer and notice that it's not plugged into the wall. With some great acrobatic effort, you manage to get behind it, reach the cable, and plug it into the back of the freezer - which begins humming softly. With that fixed, you extricate yourself and head back to the counter to check out Brenna's "lighting problem".

As it turns out, it's a simple fusebox - which something has smashed into very, very roughly at an angle, leaving a sharp imprint with a broken, battered casing. Brenna's attempts at "fixing it" have left the wiring much more convoluted than before. It was a simple problem: the power shorted. Unfortunately, instead of simply replacing the faulty wiring and fuses, Brenna opted to rewire the whole thing from scratch, essentially, sans fuses. The box of replacement fuses is mounted right there next to it. Somehow she seemed to have completely missed the fact that it existed. There's several completely toasted pieces of wire scattered around as well - as though she tried to replace the fuses with them and they charred from the excessive flow of electricity. There's enough tools available, at least, so you get to work.

Before long, you have the entire wiring system for the kitchen and mess hall as a whole repaired. Some of the lights for the mess hall still won't turn on - this is likely because of broken cabling in the ceiling - but it's good enough for now. You stand up, brushing your smudged hands off on your jumpsuit. "Lights are fixed," you announce, and Brenna, having already noticed, greets you with an enormous hug.

"Thank you so much!" she exults. "What was wrong with it?"



Caleb
Spoiler:      SHOW
cuisinart8 wrote:
Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:08 pm
Well, this "Mama Lydia" may be a creepy old lady, but she certainly is perceptive. To a degree, of course- the orange jumpsuits are not very subtle.

"An outcast, huh? I guess you could say that."

I give her an appraising gaze. I don't exactly trust the old woman, but I probably won't get much done here now anyway. Hopefully the girl and the giant managed to throw something together. I guess I don't have much better to do than follow Lydia... By the pasta, I really am lost, aren't I?

"So we're outcasts. But who are you, really? You're not wearing a jumpsuit. Are you not a prisoner here?"

I follow Lydia as she walks through the bunk area.
"An outcast, huh?" you say, echoing Mama Lydia. "I guess you could say that. So, we're outcasts. But who are you, really? You're not wearing a jumpsuit. Are you not a prisoner here?"

Lydia laughs softly, a sort of muted chuckle. "We's all prisoners here, boy. But that ain't what you're asking now, is it?" She takes a few steps into the room, searching the walls for something. She seems to find it after a moment, heading toward one of the walls between two of the beds. There's some kind of panel there, jammed shut. She adjusts her mop handle, and the end becomes a sort of wedge-like tip, with which she begins trying to pry the panel loose. "What you're asking is, am I a criminal. And that, boy, I'm not supposed to tell you. It's that ol' computer-brain's doing." She grunts, and with a heave, the panel crashes to the floor. There's a mess of wires behind it - some of them look scarred. Lydia gives a pleased chuckle, feeling over the frayed cables with her hands.

"You keep your eyes open, you're likely to learn a lot more by yourself than you could ever learn from ol' computer-brain," she says, focused on her work. You step beside her and try to watch what she's doing. It looks like she's rubbing some kind of salve onto the cables. You assume it's nanobots, due to the strange shimmer. "Things aren't always as they appear. Mama Lydia... she look like an old fool, don't she? Bit shady, people say. Nobody trusts me, really, but sometimes... sometimes, boy... people change. You shouldn't be askin' me who I am, I might lie to you. Never trust who someone says they are, or what someone else says about them. Find out for yourself."

She takes out her mop again, and taps it gently among the cables, which have started to look a lot better. "And remember... If you ever feel lost, like you do now... let your questions light your way."

Suddenly, the room behind you lights up, positively aglow with light - not uncomfortably so, either. Mama Lydia then shuts them back off with a few switch flips, and replaces the panel. Then, she turns around to look at you, taking a step back, her head cocked to one side, hands resting on the handle of her mop. She's not remotely pretty - pockmarked, scarred, wrinkled, somewhat overweight, with wide lips pursed into a smile. You could see how someone could think she seemed shady, just from her appearance. "Mmmmmmhm. You're looking for answers now, aren't you, not riddles. So I'll answer your questions. SCAMPS can get mad at me if he wants, but he can't hear us right now. Yes boy, I was a criminal. But things can change. I'm not down here doin' my cleanup and fixing power because of my past. I'm here because that's where I'm needed." She pauses, then turns and starts to hobble toward the door, once more using her mop as a walking stick to pick through the rubble on the floor. "And where are you needed? What are you good at, boy? Where do you want to be needed? You don't always have to be an outcast, you know." She reaches the door - and this time, it opens for her without any intervention. Mama Lydia looks back over her shoulder with a pleased, toothy smile. "After all... things can change."

You get the feeling that she's been trying to tell you something deeper - more meaningful - than what it seems on the surface; that she's hinting at something she's not supposed to say out loud.



Buck
Spoiler:      SHOW
Hapchazzard wrote:
Tue Jul 11, 2017 11:40 am
Being bored, get up and leave the mess hall
Head towards the computer area
if I find a working terminal
-See what sort of data I am authorized to view
-Try and gather some more data about the solar system/planet we're in - distance from human space, factional allegiance, population, any points of interest, etc.
You leave the mess hall. There's nothing really to do here, and you don't feel like talking to anyone. Instead, you're going to find a computer. What you really want to do is find some data on the current star system you're in, and the planet you're on. And whatever else you're authorized to view. It could be interesting.

While you're initially headed down to the engineering section, figuring that's where most of the computer terminals would be, you soon find one in an alcove just off the central hallway - an easy access point. You sit down and start scoping out what you can view, starting with your authorization levels. It's a different OS than you're used to, but you've always had a knack for computers. This is no exception.

A lot of stuff is off-limits and requires a DNA scan from Captain Machellan to be decrypted. Among these are the mission Nemesis was on, contents of the cargo holds, engine schematics, SCAMPS information, just as a few examples. You're apparently being treated as an ordinary crew member. The public files are still quite accessible at least.

The Nemesis has crash-landed on a planet called Nanyej. That much you knew. As you pore over the maps, you notice a Hiltorel colony called "Huhoba Qitsit" a short distance away. This is notable mainly because Nanyej has something closer to Earth gravity - 0.92 Gs, according to the files. Hiltorel are more comfortable with 0.5 Gs. You flip a few more pages and start reading a list of statistics. Interestingly, Huhuba's population is roughly 25,000. It can't be a very old colony.

Scrolling back a bit, you start looking up other points of interest in the system. The Nanyej system is a disputed area, supposedly within the Hiltorel reservation, but also claimed by the Outer World League. It turns out there's a gas giant near the planet you're on, simply named Nanyej II, in an orbit fairly close to that of Nanyej's. It happens to be hydrogen-rich, and is a favored spot of hydrogen miners. Nanyej's official name is Nanyej Prime, while the single hot Jupiter nearer to the parent star is simply called Nanyej I. Nanyej Prime also has a relatively large moon in fairly close orbit - it seems there's a significant trading base built there, owned by Ganglion Industries, an alien-based, politically neutral company. There's also a smaller moon orbiting slightly father away - this seems to be purely rock and is largely barren.



Brom
Spoiler:      SHOW
Hema wrote:
Tue Jul 11, 2017 11:23 pm
"You have been most eager to help me, Mr. Schernz. I thank you.
Should you ever find yourself in need of assistance, be certain to let me know.
I'll be off now to grace Dennis with my presence. Farewell for now, Janus. I look forward to our next meeting.
I can already tell that we'll be good friends."


Wait around to see if Janus has anything more to say, and stay until he's finished speaking.
Once he's finished, make my way down to the armory, while displaying my best smile to brighten the moods of the crew. Also wink at any attractive women I happen to pass.

Upon reaching the armory, locate and approach Dennis Hoffman.
"Greetings, Mr. Hoffman! It is I! Brom Keegan. Lord of Ermhelm's underworld, charming merchant and master assassin! Mr. Schernz sent me. Seemed to think that we would get along well.
Great as I am, I was hoping to learn a bit about the recent advances in weapons tech."
When you get to the armory, you quickly locate Dennis Hoffman. He's just inside the room, and talking to a couple people. It looks like things are starting to wrap up, so you burst in and announce yourself. "Greetings, Mr. Hoffman! It is I! Brom Keegan. Lord of Ermhelm's underworld, charming merchant and master assassin! Mr. Schernz sent me. Seemed to think that we would get along well."

Mr. Hoffman is somewhat taken aback, and startled, and turns to you with a stern look, eyeing you up and down. "Ah, Brom Keegan, is it," he says, recovering from his momentary surprise at your grandiose entrance. He quickly walks over and shakes your hand vigorously. He's an older man with a tight face and well-manicured white beard, wearing a dark green ballpark cap. "I am he, as you know. Hoffman, Chief Armory Officer, at your service. Nice to make your acquaintance. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes indeed," you admit. "Great as I am, I was hoping to learn a bit about the recent advances in weapons tech."

"Ah, right," he mumbles, slightly crestfallen. His lips twitch a bit. "Recent advances... well, we don't stop by Tartarus often, so we don't regularly get new shipments of goods. Our tech lab can produce prototypes from schematics we have uploaded to us, but mostly they're not much different than they were fifty years ago. Our biggest advances over the past fifty years or so are in the areas of psionics and anomalous materials. A lot of our weapons are higher grade than those you'll see out in most of the galaxy, but this is usually limited to CASKET tech. Our infantry tech is mass-produced and cheap. If you don't have any piloting skills, you might want to learn some. They'll come in handy."
Have a question? Send me a PM! || I have a Patreon page up for REKT now! || People talking in IRC over the past two hours: Image
Image
Image
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#47
((Charisma -2 .... Failed a charisma roll? IMPOSSIBLE! CAN'T BE!))

Frown.
"We are in-combat. Stranded. On a damaged support vessel. And command does not give permission use the lab's magic?"
I value my life. These people might help me keep it. Void damnit.
Look up at the ceiling.
"SCAMPS! What is this? You want us to survive. Crash-landed. On a hostile planet. But these techno-wizards are not allowed to help us. For some reason, yes? Because their sophisticated help and wide knowledge is of no use to us? Or perhaps we should have permission to use any resources available to us to survive!"
Last edited by Triggerhappy on Thu Nov 02, 2017 10:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#48
What am i good at, indeed. I struggle slightly to get my cryo-addled mind to function well enough to parse Lydia's advice. Her cryptic tone doesn't help matters, either...

I follow the woman to the door as I ponder my response.

"Well, I'm certainly good at killing. About all I've done with my life until now. Then again, look where that got me. As to where I'm needed? I'm not sure. I don't think I have been for a while. I certainly don't belong in this shithole, but here I am."

I sigh. The conversation is straying a bit close to...dangerous territory.

"Listen, I'm not good with this interpersonal crap. I used to be, but now...hmph. I guess this is just starting to hit a bit close to home. You have given me some things to think about though, so thank you for that."

After our exchange ends, I decide to head over to the intel section. Perhaps I can still get something useful done, despite my snipe-hunt through the bunks.
Image
Image
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#49
((Somehow I imagine that last scene with Brenna as her more or less tackle-hugging Frank...))

Somewhat taken aback, Frank taps Brenna on the shoulder with a wheezy, "Just out of cryo, Just out of cryo!" before carefully extricating himself.
Brenna wrote: "Thank you so much!" she exults. "What was wrong with it?"
She's a mess with the devices here. I wonder if she ever did something aside from counter-work! It seems a good idea to keep her away from those things for now...

Hiding his thoughts, Frank gives her an uneasy smile.
"Not much actually. Just a bit of a problem with the cabling. You already started fixing it, but I guess things got hectic somewhat soon after, yes?"


Taking a short look around, he points over to the freezer.

"Unless you know more issues like that I could see what food has survived the warming and what needs to be disposed of. In that case, could you point me to where I can dispose off the unsalvageable things as well as gloves and a sanitary mask? Also..."

Looking around uneasily.

"Could you perhaps give me a rough run-down about what happened? We...didn't get much information after we woke up yet..."

Ask Brenna about what happened to lead to this situation with the Nemesis
Clean up the tools and pick them up
If Brenna has nothing else to do for Frank
- Ask Brenna for gloves, a sanitary mask and cleaning supplies for clearing out the freezer, as well as the location of a dumping location for spoilt stuff.
- Clear out the freezer, separate still good stuff from spoilt stuff and put the good stuff back into the freezer for later. Dispose of the rotten food.
Otherwise help Brenna with given issues.
Apparently, sometimes stuff might happen.
- - - - - - - -
Image
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#50
Then he hands Bob his teddy bear, Jimmy. "Had the stuff stored for you. We got it out of the nacelle around the same time as we pulled you out. I got sent some of the bigger things for safekeeping. Hope this is what you were looking for. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Just then, someone else walks in and starts announcing his name, and intentions, to Mr. Hoffman. Apparently, his name is Brom. "Greetings, Mr. Hoffman! It is I! Brom Keegan. Lord of Ermhelm's underworld, charming merchant and master assassin!" He seems an interesting fellow. Mr. Hoffman soon gets caught up in talking to him
Upon seeing his teddy bear Jimmy Bob cracks a wide smile.
"Jimmy!!"

Ignoring Brom, Bob starts to thank Mr. Hoffman,
"Thanks a lot Mr. Man, you save Jimmy from being lonely. ... Bob too"
then he tries to give Mr. Hoffman a hug (probably a strong hug, Bob doesn't really know his own strength, although it isn't his intention to hurt Mr. Hoffman).

Then he directs his attention towards Saoirse and holds Jimmy out for her,
"Saoirse, this Jimmy"
"Jimmy say hi to Saoirse" (Bob takes one of Jimmy's paws and makes a waving motion towards Saoirse)

Keep following Saoirse with a happy smile while toying with Jimmy
LT Wiki | IRC | REKT Wiki
Image
Idiots. Idiots everywhere. ~Dr. Cha0zz
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#51
Update already? no way, right?! :D But, I'm going to hold off on Cha0zz's until we have at least Dino's or Hema's post to go with it, so as to avoid things getting confusing. Plus, it's mostly interaction with other PCs, which I don't have to directly deal with.

Lemons
Spoiler:      SHOW
Triggerhappy wrote:
Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:11 pm
((Charisma -2 .... Failed a charisma roll? IMPOSSIBLE! CAN'T BE!))

Frown.
"We are in-combat. Stranded. On a damaged support vessel. And command hasn't give permissiono use the lab's magic?"
I value my life dammit. These people might help me keep it. Void damnit.
Look up at the ceiling.
"SCAMPS! What is this? You want us to survive. Crash-landed. On a hostile planet. But these techno-wizards are not allowed to help us. For some reason, yes? Because their sophisticated help and wide knowledge is of no use to us? Or perhaps we should have permission to use any resources available to us to survive!"
You look up at the ceiling. "SCAMPS! What is this? You want us to survive. Crash-landed. On a hostile planet. But these techno-wizards are not allowed to help us. For some reason, yes? Because their sophisticated help and wide knowledge is of no use to us? Or perhaps we should have permission to use any resources available to us to survive!"

Miraculously, SCAMPS comes on the intercom, muttering in undertones, "Fukc, not another one of these guys..." Then, louder, "Alexei Lemons, or whatever you're called, this is to you personally. I know the concept of cooperation, beneficence and working to a mutual advantage is probably too complicated for your simple little mind to grasp, but in the interest of getting you to shut the fukc up further on down the line, I'll give it a shot. Listen close, asshole, because I'm only going to say this once."

Everyone turns to look at you, surprised. For a moment, all motion halts in the lab as SCAMPS speaks - in a mock Russian accent. "Eat potato today, no potato next year. No vodka. Save potato today, can grow potato. Grow potato, have more potato. Can drink more vodka next year. In same way, labs keep equipment from stupid asshole, stupid asshole get more equipment when lab is fix. Stupid asshole only die in meantime if stupid asshole is stupid. Don't be stupid asshole."

The comms shut off, and you hear nothing more from SCAMPS. There's an awkward silence in the room. Sanya is looking at you a little strangely. So are most other people, but eventually they start moving and continuing their work as if nothing happened.




Caleb
Spoiler:      SHOW
cuisinart8 wrote:
Wed Nov 01, 2017 9:37 pm
What am i good at, indeed. I struggle slightly to get my cryo-addled mind to function well enough to parse Lydia's advice. Her cryptic tone doesn't help matters, either...

I follow the woman to the door as I ponder my response.

"Well, I'm certainly good at killing. About all I've done with my life until now. Then again, look where that got me. As to where I'm needed? I'm not sure. I don't think I have been for a while. I certainly don't belong in this shithole, but here I am."

I sigh. The conversation is straying a bit close to...dangerous territory.

"Listen, I'm not good with this interpersonal crap. I used to be, but now...hmph. I guess this is just starting to hit a bit close to home. You have given me some things to think about though, so thank you for that."

After our exchange ends, I decide to head over to the intel section. Perhaps I can still get something useful done, despite my snipe-hunt through the bunks.
Lydia laughs and starts to walk away. "You think you don't belong? You're wrong there, boy," she chuckles. "It's unlikely you've ever been among so many people like you. Maybe you don't feel like it yet, but... you will. You will." She speaks with a sort of smug conviction as she turns away and heads off down the hallway.

Perceptive she may be, and your opinion of her has improved a bit, but the whole exchange has made you uncomfortable. You decide maybe it's best not to linger down here. You want to get something useful done before your first mission, after all. As such, you decide to take a look at the intel/computer area, and head back toward the stairs.

~~~

The intelligence center is located to the back of the ship, under the now closed-off lifts that used to take people to and from the main bridge. The whole place has been bashed around a bit - a couple areas are still off-limits, closed off with shielding. Behind the shielding, you see a handful of engineers working to repair the destroyed ceilings.

The computer consoles themselves are, for the most part, nothing special. This isn't quite top-of-the-line equipment, such as you might see on Tartarus. Some of the newer units seem to be mentally controlled, but for the most part, they seem to work like any other you might've seen at an inner world bank or library. You touch the screen where necessary, and it responds intuitively to flickers of your eyes and pressure on the pad beside it. Alternatively, you can just give vocal commands - a few people across the room are doing just that.

You're about to go sit down and give it a shot when you hear loud voices behind you. Turning in that direction, you see a few people talking as they pass each other at the doorway. One of them approaches you - a sharp-dressed, ruggedly-handsome man with a clean-shaven face, a strong jaw, and a short dark haircut. "Hello!" he says, giving you a firm handshake. "I'm Havor Maluk, currently Acting Captain of the Nemesis. You must be one of the people we pulled out of cryo. How are you feeling?" ((The orange jumpsuit is a dead giveaway.)) Without waiting for a response, he continues, "I imagine it wasn't a very pleasant experience. I'm sure you have questions, too. I have... a couple minutes," he continues, checking the time on the wall behind you. "I'd be glad to answer any you might have, and I have a favor to ask of you and your people, too, if you're willing to listen."



Frank
Spoiler:      SHOW
F4wk35 wrote:
Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:47 am
((Somehow I imagine that last scene with Brenna as her more or less tackle-hugging Frank...))

Somewhat taken aback, Frank taps Brenna on the shoulder with a wheezy, "Just out of cryo, Just out of cryo!" before carefully extricating himself.
Brenna wrote: "Thank you so much!" she exults. "What was wrong with it?"
She's a mess with the devices here. I wonder if she ever did something aside from counter-work! It seems a good idea to keep her away from those things for now...

Hiding his thoughts, Frank gives her an uneasy smile.
"Not much actually. Just a bit of a problem with the cabling. You already started fixing it, but I guess things got hectic somewhat soon after, yes?"


Taking a short look around, he points over to the freezer.

"Unless you know more issues like that I could see what food has survived the warming and what needs to be disposed of. In that case, could you point me to where I can dispose off the unsalvageable things as well as gloves and a sanitary mask? Also..."

Looking around uneasily.

"Could you perhaps give me a rough run-down about what happened? We...didn't get much information after we woke up yet..."

Ask Brenna about what happened to lead to this situation with the Nemesis
Clean up the tools and pick them up
If Brenna has nothing else to do for Frank
- Ask Brenna for gloves, a sanitary mask and cleaning supplies for clearing out the freezer, as well as the location of a dumping location for spoilt stuff.
- Clear out the freezer, separate still good stuff from spoilt stuff and put the good stuff back into the freezer for later. Dispose of the rotten food.
Otherwise help Brenna with given issues.
((I was imagining the tackle-hug as well. :lol: ))
When Brenna leaps at you, it hurts. "Just out of cryo, just out of cryo!" you wheeze, carefully extricating yourself from the hug.

"Oh, sorry," Brenna apologizes, stepping back. "What was wrong with it?"

You hesitate. You don't want to make her feel bad, but she's really a mess with devices. You smile uneasily. "Well, not much, actually. Just a bit of a problem with the cabling. You already started fixing it, but I guess things got hectic soon after, yes?"

"Yes!" she nods in strong agreement. "Antez - from engineering - he told me to keep away from it, but I knew I was on the right track. I could've fixed it if I wasn't having to work the counter, too. If I had the tools, I could probably take care of anything else that went wrong."

That didn't exactly go the way you'd wanted it to.

"Unless you know more issues like that, I could see what food has survived the warming and what needs to be disposed of. In that case, could you point me to where I can dispose of the unsalvageable things, as well as gloves and a sanitary mask?"

She shakes her head. "It's probably already cleaning out the bad food. Listen -" You both fall silent for a moment, and you hear a faint whirring coming from the kitchen. "It cleans itself out. It'll send it to the ship's waste processing plant. We'll extract what water we can from it. I wish we hadn't lost so much, though."

You nod, kneeling to start cleaning and collecting the tools. She follows suit. "Could you perhaps give me a rough run-down about what happened, then? We... didn't get much information after we woke up, yet..."

"Well, keep in mind," she warns, "all I know is second-hand. I don't know why we're out in the outer world territories. I don't know why we're over a Hiltorel reservation world. All I know is, someone attacked us - the Outer World League, I think. They're a bunch of racist bastards that think all humans should die. Bunch of fickin' assholes, if you ask me." She scowls. "I don't know if we were going to bombard the Hiltorel base, or what, but they wanted to take us out - and they did. We got jumped."

She hesitates, and then puts the last tool into the box and leans back against the counter. "I was in the rec room when it happened. The ship shook. There were shouts - someone said to man battlestations on the intercoms. I barely made it out of the rec room in time. There was a hull breach - the blast doors slammed shut. Some of the other people in there didn't make it out. We were... it was just..." Her eyes glaze a bit.

You give her a sympathetic smile.

She looks down, abashed, and then composes herself. "Captain Machellan wasn't on the comms anymore. SCAMPS said that he would be giving orders for the time being - that Machellan had died, and the first officer, and the bridge was gone. He started giving orders. Everyone has jobs they're assigned in a combat situation, but this time, we weren't ready for it. Apparently our shields were even down - which is really weird, now that I think about it... Anyway, there was another huge blast that threw everyone to the floor. From what I gather, it was because someone rigged one of the nacelles to explosively detach - sabotage - an inside job. It didn't work, though. Nemesis can take more shit than that. Or I thought it could. That was what drove SCAMPS' decision to bail, I think.

"We had to attempt a crash landing," she finishes. "It was that, or stay up and continue to take a beating from the OWL ships. They weren't looking to take prisoners and they wouldn't accept our surrender. They simply wanted us dead. So... here we are." She shrugs and raises her hands in a defeated gesture. "I don't know who landed the ship, but they did a fine job if we're still alive. That's all that really matters, right?" She gets wearily to her feet. Telling the story seems to have dramatically deflated her mood. "I should get back to work. There's more that could probably use repaired - broken pipes, mostly. Our sinks aren't working down here anymore. I don't have the tools for that, though. Antez took them with him. I don't know why he has it out for me... I'd be perfectly fine with fixing things."
Have a question? Send me a PM! || I have a Patreon page up for REKT now! || People talking in IRC over the past two hours: Image
Image
Image
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#52
Holy shit, the acting captain himself?! This might turn out to be even more helpful than I'd thought. I find myself saluting the man instinctively- old habits die hard, after all.

"Of course, sir, that's what we're here for, after all."

I hear him out as he describes the favor he needs and once he's ready for any questions I begin my barrage. Poor guy.

"Could you give me a rundown of what happened here and where we are? They weren't exactly very detailed in their descriptions of our current situation. All I know is we got shot down in enemy territory. Also, what's your estimation of, uh, our chances?
Image
Image
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#53
((
Spoiler:      SHOW
Image
))

"I... got a response. Surprising."
Sigh. Look around. Meet any eyes still directed at me.
"Was worth a try."
Look at Sanya.
"I will not try to cause trouble. If you come up with something, however, we, I, would appreciate the the help. Now. Back to work."
Continue helping the lab people for a time.
Inventory the surviving equipment, seeing what survived that can be useful for some mission equipment RnD in the future.


After we finish the more critical repairs and transfer of equipment, realize that I am, in fact, quite exhausted.
"I shall now take leave. Anyone to join me for food break in cafeteria?"
Head to the cafeteria for some mediwater and food. If any join me, enjoy the social company of intelligent people from the lab.
Afterwards, head for the hangar to see what the situation is like there.
Last edited by Triggerhappy on Thu Nov 02, 2017 6:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#54
Do not under any circumstances maintain eye contact with Anelle for longer than two seconds.

"Chief librarian? That's a really awesome position! Hopefully they'll get the library fixed up... soon."

"I'd love to come by and read some of the books there. Where I come from, books were really difficult to come by. The rich people usually had about a dozen, and I was in the poor class... our book was one that had to do with the local flora and fauna. It was handwritten by my grandfather.
I am Groot.
Please don't take my advice. You will wind up in jail if you do.
For some reason, I feel obliged to display how many people have talked in IRC over the past 2 hours: Image :problem:
:ugeek:
Image
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#55
((Going to have to work my way back into Brom's personality.))
“I hope we've developed something for telepathy. I'd love to give my unfortunate enemies a chance to hear my exquisite voice before they die. I'm sure they'd feel honored to be given such a privilege.

I'm really more of a ground combatant, so I'd like to avoid the CASKETs when possible.
I can fly of course, it's just difficult boost morale when you can't be seen. Still, I suppose it couldn't hurt to learn about recent advancements in CASKET tech. Schernz told me that Mara was the one to see about that I believe. I'll be off to talk to her in a minute.

Thanks for the information, Mr. Hoffman. If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know."
Shake Hoffman's hand again and turn towards Saoirse.


"Hello there! The name's Brom Keegan. That's right, the legendary assassin from Ermhelm! I'd give you my card, but those seemed to have been confiscated. I'll get new ones a bit later. But enough of that for now, who might you be?
Image
Breaker of fortune cookies
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#56
Brenna wrote:
"Yes!" she nods in strong agreement. "Antez - from engineering - he told me to keep away from it, but I knew I was on the right track. I could've fixed it if I wasn't having to work the counter, too. If I had the tools, I could probably take care of anything else that went wrong."
While still smiling at Brenna, Frank thinks to himself with a small feeling of dread.

He sounds like he already knew this would happen...

"I'd say, we keep going with our major strengths here, yes? People already know you as one of reliable people who care for their wellbeing and morale! We shouldn't take that from them and replace it with one of the frozen batch, no?"
Brenna wrote: *Storytime intensifies*
Frank crosses his arms with a somber expression on his face.
"I-"
A sigh.
"I'm sorry to hear that. And you're right, the situation is bad. We'll focus on getting out of here."

Sabotage, moles and everything...not the first time to see that, not the last, I guess. Unless things took some unexpected turns, I can assume that they are still around somewhere. Waiting, hiding, planning. Not much I can do. And not sure how to even start something. They'll be on look-out for people who start sniffing around. Being buried somewhere on their stations. Friends, colleagues and such around them. Not easy to get in touch. Even harder to keep them from noticing. And here I thought I'd be rid of all this...
Brenna wrote: She gets wearily to her feet. Telling the story seems to have dramatically deflated her mood. "I should get back to work. There's more that could probably use repaired - broken pipes, mostly. Our sinks aren't working down here anymore. I don't have the tools for that, though. Antez took them with him. I don't know why he has it out for me... I'd be perfectly fine with fixing things."
Flashing her an encouraging smile and a pat on the shoulder, Frank gestures around the area.

"Piping and things, yes. See, I'll talk to Antez if you tell me where to find him. I'll talk some sense into him, get some tools, take care of the piping here and see what else I can help with, yes?"

Take the tools.
Take a look at the piping to get a clue on what's needed.
Ask Brenna where to find Antez.
Move over to where to find him and get a first impression of him treating other people.
Greet him.
Apparently, sometimes stuff might happen.
- - - - - - - -
Image
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#57
(( I'm too lazy to quote all the posts ))

I smile and take the PSI pack, assuring Hoffman
"Don't worry sir, I'm not planning on going on a rampage. I'm not exactly the violent type."

Then I grin and take my bagpipes as well
, when I get viciously mauled by a teddy bear.
Cha0zz wrote:
Thu Nov 02, 2017 9:43 am
Then he directs his attention towards Saoirse and holds Jimmy out for her,
"Saoirse, this Jimmy"
"Jimmy say hi to Saoirse" (Bob takes one of Jimmy's paws and makes a waving motion towards Saoirse)
"Hi Jimmy!" I shake Jimmy's paw.

So you wanted to hear music, right Bob?
I strap on my bagpipes and play Táimse im' Chodladh and King of the Pipers.
After that, I notice a very jovial fellow talking to me.
Hema wrote:
Fri Nov 03, 2017 12:29 am
"Hello there! The name's Brom Keegan. That's right, the legendary assassin from Ermhelm! I'd give you my card, but those seemed to have been confiscated. I'll get new ones a bit later. But enough of that for now, who might you be?
"Er, hi... Ermhelm? Can't say I've heard of that one. Then again, we didn't have much news on Poesis.
So, erm, my name Saoirse Fri'leth. Yeah I know it's spelled weird, it's Irish.
I'm an engineer in psionics, but the designing and using engineer, not the one that can actually make stuff. I suck at that. In fact the guys from the workshop kept me outside when they were working to make sure I didn't make anything explode..."
Warning: do not ask about physics unless you really want to know about physics.
The LT IRC / Alternate link || The REKT Wiki || PUDDING
Image
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#58
dinosawer wrote:So you wanted to hear music, right Bob?
I strap on my bagpipes and play Táimse im' Chodladh and King of the Pipers.
After Saoirse is finished start applauding for her.
Dinosawer wrote:Er, hi... Ermhelm? Can't say I've heard of that one. Then again, we didn't have much news on Poesis.
So, erm, my name Saoirse Fri'leth. Yeah I know it's spelled weird, it's Irish.
Interrupt with a "Meh Bob" while Bob stabs himself with his thumb
LT Wiki | IRC | REKT Wiki
Image
Idiots. Idiots everywhere. ~Dr. Cha0zz
Post

Re: REKT: The Nemesis (Battlecarrier)

#60
Update a day keeps the doctor away, right? This one is particularly lengthy, mostly because there's so many people asking big questions and going new places. If this was a game, all new areas would be introduced with a cutscene. :lol:


Bob, Brom, and Saoirse
Spoiler:      SHOW
Hema wrote:
Fri Nov 03, 2017 12:29 am
((Going to have to work my way back into Brom's personality.))
“I hope we've developed something for telepathy. I'd love to give my unfortunate enemies a chance to hear my exquisite voice before they die. I'm sure they'd feel honored to be given such a privilege.

I'm really more of a ground combatant, so I'd like to avoid the CASKETs when possible.
I can fly of course, it's just difficult boost morale when you can't be seen. Still, I suppose it couldn't hurt to learn about recent advancements in CASKET tech. Schernz told me that Mara was the one to see about that I believe. I'll be off to talk to her in a minute.

Thanks for the information, Mr. Hoffman. If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know."
Shake Hoffman's hand again and turn towards Saoirse.


"Hello there! The name's Brom Keegan. That's right, the legendary assassin from Ermhelm! I'd give you my card, but those seemed to have been confiscated. I'll get new ones a bit later. But enough of that for now, who might you be?
Cha0zz wrote:
Thu Nov 02, 2017 9:43 am
Then he hands Bob his teddy bear, Jimmy. "Had the stuff stored for you. We got it out of the nacelle around the same time as we pulled you out. I got sent some of the bigger things for safekeeping. Hope this is what you were looking for. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Just then, someone else walks in and starts announcing his name, and intentions, to Mr. Hoffman. Apparently, his name is Brom. "Greetings, Mr. Hoffman! It is I! Brom Keegan. Lord of Ermhelm's underworld, charming merchant and master assassin!" He seems an interesting fellow. Mr. Hoffman soon gets caught up in talking to him
Upon seeing his teddy bear Jimmy Bob cracks a wide smile.
"Jimmy!!"

Ignoring Brom, Bob starts to thank Mr. Hoffman,
"Thanks a lot Mr. Man, you save Jimmy from being lonely. ... Bob too"
then he tries to give Mr. Hoffman a hug (probably a strong hug, Bob doesn't really know his own strength, although it isn't his intention to hurt Mr. Hoffman).

Then he directs his attention towards Saoirse and holds Jimmy out for her,
"Saoirse, this Jimmy"
"Jimmy say hi to Saoirse" (Bob takes one of Jimmy's paws and makes a waving motion towards Saoirse)

Keep following Saoirse with a happy smile while toying with Jimmy
"I hope we've developed something for telepathy," Brom says, after Mr. Hoffman finishes describing in brief the technological accomplishments of the past fifty years. "I'd love to give my unfortunate enemies a chance to hear my exquisite voice bbefore they die. I'm sure they'd feel honored to be given such a privilege."

Just then, Bob gives Hoffman a huge hug, almost knocking the poor man off his feet. "Thank you Mr. Hoffman!" he exclaims. "You save Jimmy from being lonely! Bob too."

Visibly ruffled, the armory chief steps backwards, trying to straighten his cap. His lips twitch furiously. "Well... uh," he says, suddenly forcing a smile, "Glad to be of service, I guess."

After this interruption, Brom continues his conversation with Hoffman, ending with, "If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know." He then shakes hands a second time, and then turns to Saoirse to introduce himself. Hoffman, eyeing Bob warily, steps back and retreats into the depths of the armory, leaving the three prisoners standing in the entrance, alone but for a couple guards at the doorways.


Caleb
Spoiler:      SHOW
cuisinart8 wrote:
Thu Nov 02, 2017 12:02 pm
Holy shit, the acting captain himself?! This might turn out to be even more helpful than I'd thought. I find myself saluting the man instinctively- old habits die hard, after all.

"Of course, sir, that's what we're here for, after all."

I hear him out as he describes the favor he needs and once he's ready for any questions I begin my barrage. Poor guy.

"Could you give me a rundown of what happened here and where we are? They weren't exactly very detailed in their descriptions of our current situation. All I know is we got shot down in enemy territory. Also, what's your estimation of, uh, our chances?
Acting Captain Maluk smiles, giving a pleased, approving nod as he says, "Oh, definitely, definitely! I tend to be able to judge people fairly well from first impressions, and I like you. I haven't had time to read up on your background info, but we seem to be cut from the same cloth. You have the makings of a soldier." He pauses, looks around the room, and then turns back to you. "So, about what happened, where we are, why we're here. That's a bit of a long story." Maluk gives a long, drawn-out sigh, and begins.

"We've known for several months now that we've had some traitor or spy aboard. It's one of our own people, and we can't tell which. Whoever it is has had access to some highly classified Tartarus secrets, which is how we found them out. Even I was suspected. We did a thorough psychoanalysis on every one of the crew members, one by one, but came up with nothing. Whoever it is, they've either gone through extensive mental training, or, more likely, have very precise mental conditioning that keeps them from betraying their true goals. It could be anyone, so keep an eye out. That's not the favor I'm going to ask, though. I'm telling you this because - I don't actually know the details of the mission we were on. Not even SCAMPS knew, because most of what SCAMPS knows goes through the computers at some point. Everyone that knew died up there on the bridge." He points upwards with a finger. You remember seeing the taped-off lifts to the former bridge on your way here.

"Our enemies - mostly ragtag Outer League militants - dropped out of warp right on top of us. Normally our shields are at a minimum of 15%, which is enough to ward off the first few shots and give us time to react, but someone shut them down. We found evidence of tampering - they were actually disabled. We couldn't get them back up. It didn't matter anyway - whoever attacked knew the layout of the ship. First down were the comms. A few OWL suicide droneships rammed us and decimated our comm array. The shield generator fell soon after, and then they began to obliterate the front of the ship with heavy fire. There were six cruisers, three anti-armor gunships, and numerous smaller craft - smaller gunboats, corvettes, and especially fighters. They took down most of our turrets, and then quickly ripped through our hull, but they couldn't penetrate the hangar walls. Those are built tough. About a minute in, there were a series of explosions in engineering - someone meant to sever our rightmost nacelle, but clearly failed with their placement of charges. This coincided with the entire enemy force switching their attack to the rear - our engines, engineering, SCAMPS, the reactor - all our critical areas." Maluk gestures with his hands frequently as he talks. "SCAMPS then made the decision to enter atmo to escape. OWL wasn't looking to parley. They wanted us dead. And... now we're here. That's all there really is to say.

"Now, as to that favor..." Maluk checks the time again and frowns, seeming rushed. "SCAMPS, sooner or later, is going to send you out on a mission. He'll want you to focus on the objective to the exclusion of all else, but that's only because he's not thinking about the future. His only concern right now is getting us off the planet again. I need you to fetch some important documents that Captain Machellan entrusted me with, so they don't fall into enemy hands.

"The right nacelle crash-landed near us - and it survived impact. I don't know how, and frankly I don't care. Regardless of whether he sends you in that direction, I need you to visit that nacelle. If you search near the front of the primary cargo area, you'll find an old red-and-black crate with Captain Machellan's name printed on it, dimensions two feet by one foot by one foot. It should be sealed tight. Don't open it - bring it back directly to me. I'll reward you for it. And not a word to SCAMPS, understand? He's not interested classified documents. He just wants to get us home."


Lemons
Spoiler:      SHOW
Triggerhappy wrote:
Thu Nov 02, 2017 2:21 pm
((
Spoiler:      SHOW
Image
))

"I... got a response. Surprising."
Sigh. Look around. Meet any eyes still directed at me.
"Was worth a try."
Look at Sanya.
"I will not try to cause trouble. If you come up with something, however, we, I, would appreciate the the help. Now. Back to work."
Continue helping the lab people for a time.
Inventory the surviving equipment, seeing what survived that can be useful for some mission equipment RnD in the future.


After we finish the more critical repairs and transfer of equipment, realize that I am, in fact, quite exhausted.
"I shall now take leave. Anyone to join me for food break in cafeteria?"
Head to the cafeteria for some mediwater and food. If any join me, enjoy the social company of intelligent people from the lab.
Afterwards, head for the hangar to see what the situation is like there.
You shrug. "Was worth a try." Then, turning to Sanya, "I will try not to cause trouble. If you come up with something, however, we - I - would appreciate the help. Now... back to work."

~~~

A short time later, you decide to wrap up, and leave the labs, heading down to the cafeteria. You go over to the counter, order some mediwater and food from the lady working there, and finish it quickly. Then you head down to the hangar to see what the situation is like.

~~~

"Move it down! Move it down! No, LEFT! LEFT! There! Now, set it down gently! You two, grab the ends, and get ready to bolt it into place after it drops! I'll get the front. ...WHAT? - Ah, a visitor."

A woman stands in the seat of an open CASKET as the people behind her lower a grungy, recently-repaired engine into its open back end from a hovercrane. She slightly shorter than average height, with a grease-smudged face and equally-smudged blonde hair, tied behind her head in a tight ponytail. As she notices you standing there, she leaps down and walks over toward you, wiping her hands off on a grimy cloth. "Need something? We're trying to get your ships in order. I'm Mara."

"It's Meredith!" one of the workers behind her calls out. She clenches her fists and swings around towards him. "IT'S MARA!" she shouts forcefully, then calms herself and turns back to you. "We're pretty busy right now."

"I'm just trying to see what the situation is like," you say. "I don't mean to be in the way."

"Ah, right. Hmm." She looks around. "My hangar didn't sustain too much damage during the fight, or re-entry, but it was a lot worse when we landed." Mara gestures toward the front of the hangar, where you can see a lot of twisted metallic debris, crushed into the solid steel wall beneath the raised entrance to the launch tube. A large group of people are working over there, trying to pry everything apart from each other with high-powered torches. "A lot of the CASKETs broke loose from their mounting and hit the front. We're trying to get everything back in working order so you can get moving with your mission. I think we're the ones SCAMPS is waiting on right now, the bastard."

She looks up for a moment, as though expecting SCAMPS to make a retort. He does not. You follow Mara's gaze and get a good look of the ceiling. 15 to 20 meters above you, it's mostly metal rafters and piping, though in the very center is the heavy-built glass-and-metal protrusion of the battle bridge. You can almost make out people sitting at the windows from this distance, but the flicker of a flame in the corner of your vision catches your attention. Mara appears to be busily lighting a cigarette ((or, rather, 3152's non-damaging equivalent of one)) - a very rare practice in this day and age. You hadn't noticed it before, but she does smell strongly of cigarette smoke - that and engine grease.

"Anyway," she says, taking a puff, "Anything I can do for you? Keep in mind we're very short on supplies and manpower right now. We lost a lot of good people in the battle up there."

A voice echoes over the comms. "CASKET inbound, damage code 42A, ETA 30 seconds."

Mara starts shouting orders at the engineers around her, and they jog for bits of equipment, scurrying toward the center of the hangar, where a CASKET soon lands for repairs. "They're defending the ship from raiders. The nearby Hiltorel colony is harassing us," Mara explains.


Miles
Spoiler:      SHOW
Detritus wrote:
Thu Nov 02, 2017 4:17 pm
Do not under any circumstances maintain eye contact with Anelle for longer than two seconds.

"Chief librarian? That's a really awesome position! Hopefully they'll get the library fixed up... soon."

"I'd love to come by and read some of the books there. Where I come from, books were really difficult to come by. The rich people usually had about a dozen, and I was in the poor class... our book was one that had to do with the local flora and fauna. It was handwritten by my grandfather.
You avoid Anelle's eyes. She has pretty eyes - big, soft, doe eyes - but you don't want to look at them. It might make you nervous, and then where would you wind up? "Chief Librarian?" you ask. "That's a really awesome position! Hopefully they'll get the library fixed up... soon."

This seems to deflate Anelle's spirits a little somehow. Her shoulders droop almost imperceptibly, and she looks down at her little nutrient bar, unwrapping it more and taking a small nibble.

Of course, you want to cheer her up. "I'd love to come by and read some of the books there," you say, trying to sound encouraging. "Where I come from, books were really difficult to come by. The rich people usually had about a dozen, and I was in the poor class... our book was one that had to do with the local flora and fauna. It was handwritten by my grandfather."

Her lips twist, like she can't decide whether to frown or smile, and she looks up at you. For a moment, your eyes meet. You look away. "There aren't any more books," she says softly. "They're all gone. Most of them were destroyed when the hull was breached, and then, on re-entry... they..." She pauses, then looks at you earnestly. "Everything's gone. I don't know where my job's going after this. There's not much else I'm good at doing... I'm clumsy and I have a habit of... well..."

You look at her in askance when she hesitates. For no more than the two magical seconds, of course.

Anelle blushes slightly. "I tend to make a mess of things." She takes a slightly larger bite off her ration bar and dabs her lips with her napkin. "They won't even let me clean anywhere. I have nowhere to go. I don't... I don't belong anywhere, you know? I don't have any real friends. Machellan was good friends with me, while he was alive, and the first officer... but they're gone now. I don't have a purpose anymore."

She sighs, then giggles slightly with a bit of a smile. "I wish I had a purpose like you. Even if you may be new here, at least you have a purpose."


Frank
Spoiler:      SHOW
F4wk35 wrote:
Fri Nov 03, 2017 9:51 am
Brenna wrote:
"Yes!" she nods in strong agreement. "Antez - from engineering - he told me to keep away from it, but I knew I was on the right track. I could've fixed it if I wasn't having to work the counter, too. If I had the tools, I could probably take care of anything else that went wrong."
While still smiling at Brenna, Frank thinks to himself with a small feeling of dread.

He sounds like he already knew this would happen...

"I'd say, we keep going with our major strengths here, yes? People already know you as one of reliable people who care for their wellbeing and morale! We shouldn't take that from them and replace it with one of the frozen batch, no?"
Brenna wrote: *Storytime intensifies*
Frank crosses his arms with a somber expression on his face.
"I-"
A sigh.
"I'm sorry to hear that. And you're right, the situation is bad. We'll focus on getting out of here."

Sabotage, moles and everything...not the first time to see that, not the last, I guess. Unless things took some unexpected turns, I can assume that they are still around somewhere. Waiting, hiding, planning. Not much I can do. And not sure how to even start something. They'll be on look-out for people who start sniffing around. Being buried somewhere on their stations. Friends, colleagues and such around them. Not easy to get in touch. Even harder to keep them from noticing. And here I thought I'd be rid of all this...
Brenna wrote: She gets wearily to her feet. Telling the story seems to have dramatically deflated her mood. "I should get back to work. There's more that could probably use repaired - broken pipes, mostly. Our sinks aren't working down here anymore. I don't have the tools for that, though. Antez took them with him. I don't know why he has it out for me... I'd be perfectly fine with fixing things."
Flashing her an encouraging smile and a pat on the shoulder, Frank gestures around the area.

"Piping and things, yes. See, I'll talk to Antez if you tell me where to find him. I'll talk some sense into him, get some tools, take care of the piping here and see what else I can help with, yes?"

Take the tools.
Take a look at the piping to get a clue on what's needed.
Ask Brenna where to find Antez.
Move over to where to find him and get a first impression of him treating other people.
Greet him.
You gesture around. "Piping and things, yes. See, I'll talk to Antez if you tell me where to find him. I'll talk some sense into him, get some tools, take care of the piping here and see what else I can help with, yes?"

You pick up the tools, and start heading back to look at the pipes and such, as Brenna says, "Antez is probably back in engineering by know. Antez Escavar - just ask around, I'm sure somebody knows where he is."

~~~

The pipes are busted in a few different places, you soon find. Most of it seems to be stress fractures, but there's one or two areas in the kitchen complex where it looks like something actually caught fire and caused temperature stress. Portions of them are cracked or melted, some of them have snapped, others have come loose entirely. You can't quite tell what they're all for - some of them seem to be for water, others look like they might be for coolant. They're hidden along the walls, sometimes behind metal paneling - but at least none of them are actively leaking. The Nemesis's auto-shutoff features clearly do their job well. Regardless, it's going to take several sizes of wrench, some specialized sealant, and some decent repair skills to get all of it working again. And that, of course, means that you'll have to find Antez.

Leaving the tools in the kitchen, you leave the mess hall and head down the long, straight corridors toward the back of the ship.

~~~

It isn't long before, thanks to the signs and a few helpful crewmen, you're deep within the dark, dim, tangled recesses of Engineering. A man before you - presumably Antez, judging from the description you've been given - is supervising repairs on a large, nondescript pipe - one of the multitude that runs through this narrow corridor. They're lit dimly from above through a metal grate with a soft blue light.

"Right, move it around. Dave, you grab the other end." Antez is tall and lanky, with a thick, dark goatee that seems utterly out of place on his young, smooth skin. "All right, here's the cap. Lock it in place. - That was smoooooth. Didn't even knock it. Well done. Do we have the next length?" He glances around him, then does a double take as he sees you. "Dave, Ellis, one minute, let me see what this guy wants." He approaches you, wiping his hands vigorously on his clothes. He extends an arm for a handshake, but then seems to reconsider. "Right, let's see. I'm Antez," the man says. "You don't look famili - oh, a jumpsuit? Are you REKT?"

You nod. "I'm Frank," you tell him. "Frank Foster."

"Right. Antez Escavar, engineer. So, what can I do for you, Frank?"


Buck
Spoiler:      SHOW
Hapchazzard wrote:
Sat Nov 04, 2017 6:37 am
Determined to find out more about WTF we're doing in this backwater, start heading towards the battle bridge
Find out which person is the captain
If they don't look too busy, approach them and ask:

"'scuse me, you captain Michellin?"
You head toward the battle bridge from the mess hall, spiked mediwater still in hand. Things are starting to get a bit hazy, but that's fine. That's how you prefer it.

~~~

The battle bridge is located right above the very center of the ship - directly above the hangar. In fact, it even extends slightly into the hangar. It's built as a hollow cube, with crew stations all around the edges and a large, multi-floor holodisplay in the center. Right now, however, it's turned off. You step up to the balcony railing and peer downwards, and you can see people working at stations on the decks down below. They all seem to be keeping an eye on the hangar through the windows. You decide to head down one of the flights of stairs until you find someone to ask about the captain.

You soon do.

"Anabais, R2, there's a new set of three enemies on your nine o'clock, break off and head back under cover of our AA." The first person you come across is sitting in a spinning chair, in the alcove of a large U-shaped console covered with various screens and holographic displays. She manipulates them rapidly with her fingers as she works. "Kendall, R4, that last barrage nipped your right engine. R3 reports potential fuel leak and fire. Head back in and land, we'll get it repaired."

"Roger that," you hear someone say over the comm system in the woman's desk.

"CASKET inbound, damage code 42A, ETA 30 seconds." She looks up at you, pressing a hand to her mouthpiece. "Yes?"

You clear your throat. "'scuse me," you say, "know where captain Michellin is?"

"He's dead," she says curtly. Then, on the comms, "R4, cleared to land." Out the window, you see a smoking CASKET fly in through the launch tube and land in hangar. Far below, engineers swarm towards the CASKET like ants, opening it up and getting it repaired.

The woman looks back - you have her attention again. Her black-and-cyan ponytail braid swishes behind her as she turns. "I'm Reyha," she says briefly. "Reyha Sodhana, current Fighter Tactics officer on duty. Havor Maluk is acting captain now. Are you REKT? Is there something I can help you with?" Immediately after saying this, she turns away, checking her instruments. "Roger that, 9-9-5. We have them on our scopes. R3, try to group up with R2. Port nacelle, brace, three shots incoming." The ship rattles lightly beneath your feet. Reyha is very calm and professional about the whole affair. You don't feel like you're intruding at all, despite appearances.
Have a question? Send me a PM! || I have a Patreon page up for REKT now! || People talking in IRC over the past two hours: Image
Image
Image

Online Now

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests

cron