*comment Saturnine written by Jon Matthieu, copyright 2023. *comment Using ChoiceScript (copyright 2010 by Dan Fabulich) under the terms of the ChoiceScript license: *comment http://www.choiceofgames.com/LICENSE-1.0.txt *title Saturnine *author Jon Matthieu *scene_list startup recollection alliance departure calypso interlude_1 saturn interlude_2 telesto janus consequence rhea_2 daxia_fight final_boss epilogues ending *create sex "" *create r_sex "" *create gender "" *create OGsex false *create OGsex2 "" *create MASsex 2 *create crystal_motive false *create die 1 *create battery 70 *create Misan 50 *create Emotion 50 *create Confid 50 *create Violence 50 *create pronoun "" *create pronoun2 "" *create subject "" *create plural false *create name "" *create fake_name "" *create hammon_pissed false *create lisa_pissed false *create damon_pissed false *create HadalyRel 40 *create DamonRel 40 *create RookRel 30 *create RenfriRel 30 *create LisaRel 30 *create SheilaRel 40 *create ManfredRel 40 *create OrganRel 40 *create DaxiaRel 35 *create DamonStat true *create rook_pissed false *create hadaly_pissed false *create marshal_pissed false *create SheilaStat "boss" *create Projection 20 *create Build 20 *create Calculation 20 *create Database 20 *create Social 20 *create TrioStat "" *create ArmyRel 20 *create RheaRel 20 *create clothing "" *create skin "" *create health 3 *create weapon "" *create wpm "" *create wpr "" *create heaven_side "" *create weapon_av true *create pc_state "" *create mas_kill false *create impersonated_officer false *create money_stolen 0 *create money_given 0 *create final_boss "" *create master "" *create progress 1 *create surrender_trio false *create beat_trio false *create fought_trio true *create official_ro "" *create current_Ro "" *create backup_RO "" *create damon_shot_meta false *create leader "kirill" *create calypso_complete false *create telesto_complete false *create saturn_complete false *create federate_protection false *create s9_leader "sheila" *create room_look 1 *create god_gen 2 *create checkpoint false *create wisp_alive true *create org_alive true *create sauce_met false *create pirates_fought false *create lisa_shot_rook false *create fled_finale false *create boss_fled false *create hobby 1 *create deflect 0 *create last_mission "" *create crystal_health 3 *create crystal_stat 2 *create sexed_daxia false *create sexed_miguel false *create sexed_sheila false *create saturn_path "" *create booty_gifted "" *create dusk_beaten false *create miguel_target 0 *create daxia_target 0 *create ewald_target 0 *create sheila_target 0 *create hammon_alive true *create c_clothing "" *create started_fight false *create name_1 "Veteran" *create surrendered_to_link false *create beaten_link false *create lost_link false *create first_mission "" *create second_mission "" *create lisa_trauma_learned false *create lisa_origin_learned false *create name_damon "boss" *create telesto_stance 3 *create sex_count 0 *create human_master 1 *create met_daxia false *create given_disc false *create left_lisa false *create gift_status 1 *create refused_birth false *create name_daxia "android" *create creed "" *create wisp_helps false *create damon_free true *create hadaly_free true *create crystal_friend false *create west_truth false *create rook_alive true *create damon_alive true *create marshal_alive true *create lisa_alive true *create daxia_alive true *create name_sheila "" *create room_c4 1 *create miguel_date false *create rank_false "" *create hostage_killed false *create lisa_saved_hostages false *create hammon_broke_prot false *create hammon_made_prot false *create vessel "none" *create damon_shot_link false *create mustache false *create sauce_bless false *create pirates_gifted false *create injured_crystal "" *create accept 1 *create final_mission "" *create pacifist true *create rook_plant false *create m_skin "" *create telesto_path 1 *create trio_broken false *create visited_renfri false *create dropped_by_trio true *create hadaly_waiting false *create damon_waiting false *create daxia_told_number false *create smell "" *create taste "" *create feel "" *create name_lisa "" *create daxia_favor false *create wisp_attack false *create burger_throw false *create telesto_truth false *create name_manfred "Veteran" *create hadaly_promise false *create hadaly_alive true *create name_sauce "" *create visited_scott false *create sworn_to_hammon false *create flirted_with_hammon false *create ran_in_two false *create wisp_approached false *create hadaly_killed_sheila false *create beaten_by_sheila false *create lazy_twat false *create asshole_be false *create rook_story_learned false *create willingly_exiled false *create lisa_spanked false *create lisa_kissed false *create team_stat 3 *create damon_shot_hammon false *create hadaly_killed_hammon false *create int2_speaker "My friends" *create hit_on_damon false *create hit_on_hadaly false *create hit_on_kirill false *create hit_on_renfri false *create hit_on_lisa false *create rejected_hadaly false *create visited_daxia false *create checked_on_org_1 false *create checked_on_org_2 false *create drank_with_lisa true *create drank_with_metas true *create lisa_spared_daxia true *create armored false *create pc_dead false *create easy_ending false *create pc_vessel false *create bad_ending false *create dusk_ending false *create vessel_at_loose false *create lisa_on_run false *create knows_about_crush false *create explosion_prevented false *create spared_crystal_early false *create fake_checkpoint_mode false *create dusk_contained false *create dumped_sheila false *create fought_hammon false *create promised_repairs false *create likes_s9 true *create damon_chill false *create sex_with_ro false *create ascended false *create cslib_ret 0 *create implicit_control_flow true *achievement falling hidden 25 Falling Towards The Sky hidden Leap through the Sholmo Gate. *achievement no_damage_1 visible 25 Clean Run Leave Rhea without taking any damage. *achievement secret_west hidden 25 Dirty Little Secret hidden Get some dirt on Admiral West. *achievement meta_beaten visible 25 Broken Triumvirate Force the Meta Trio into hasty retreat. *achievement fetch hidden 25 Harmless Fun hidden Play fetch with Hellhound. *achievement riddle_2 visible 25 Old English Solve both riddles. *achievement two_zero hidden 25 One-Sided Rivalry hidden Defeat Link both times. *achievement pac_run visible 50 Pacifist Run Complete the game without killing anyone. *achievement cal_king hidden 25 Regicide hidden Defeat Calamity King. *achievement cal_marsh hidden 25 Flight's End hidden Defeat Calamity Marshal. *achievement cal_hound hidden 25 Wolfsbane hidden Defeat Calamity Hound. *achievement cal_knight hidden 25 Broken Armor hidden Defeat Calamity Knight. *achievement unbroken_vessel hidden 50 Unbroken Vessel hidden Contain the Thing Beneath. *achievement cassanova hidden 25 Cassanova hidden Have sex with three characters during a single run. *achievement private_robot visible 25 Private Robot End the game on good terms with the military. *achievement corp_friend visible 25 Corporate Shill End the game on good terms with the corporate authorities. *achievement dragon_kill hidden 50 Sir George hidden Kill the wyvern. *achievement mercy_crys hidden 50 Mercy For The Dragon hidden Spare the wyvern. *achievement food_fight visible 25 Food Fight Throw the bird some food. *achievement audacity visible 25 Audacity You're a real asshole. *achievement karpov visible 25 Karpov Beat Rook at his own game. *achievement stargazer visible 25 Stargazer Convince Damon to chill out. *achievement dark_ending hidden 50 First Commandment hidden Become one with the Thing Beneath. *achievement good_ending hidden 50 Silence hidden Find inner peace. *achievement spider_crush hidden 25 Spider-Crusher hidden Show Sheila who's the boss. *achievement alpha hidden 25 Alpha Android hidden Become the leader of your pack. *achievement deal_devil visible 25 Deal with the Devil Cut a deal with Executive Hammon. *achievement kill_devil hidden 25 Layoff hidden Kill Executive Hammon. *achievement bad_partner hidden 25 Worst Partner Ever hidden Allow your significant other to be corrupted by Dusk. *achievement pirate_soft hidden 25 Pirate Software hidden Become a gas-giant pirate. *achievement saturn_ten visible 50 Saturn Ten End the game with an increased group size. *achievement sad_loser visible 25 Forever Alone End the game as a sad loser. *achievement birthday hidden 25 Thousand Years hidden Celebrate your one-thousandth birthday. *sm_init satur9 | 5 [i]You shall not become one with the Thing Beneath.[/i] [i]You shall not make a machine in the likeness of a man.[/i] [i]You shall not harbor the mutant.[/i] [i]You shall not deny the divinity of Light.[/i] [i]You shall [b]never[/b] count the stars.[/i] --- Five Solar Commandments *page_break *rand OGsex 1 2 *rand MASsex 1 2 *image h1.png Trash scattered throughout the pavement in irregular intervals. Sun shining down from high above, warming up the otherwise cold and dingy street. People running to and fro, mostly in hopes of arriving to work on time, whilst others are sluggishly walking home after their shifts or trying to get some rest on the hard benches placed at some points of the long sidewalk. Most things are grey, the sky being no exception, but the billboards plastered on the walls of tall buildings provide the scenery with some much-needed color. It's not all dissimilar to the pictures and videos saved deep within your memory, those of Old Earth and its cities in the few final centuries preceding Calamity. Except, once you really start paying attention... the scene really [i]is[/i] dissimilar to what once was. For one, the glowing thing above is not actually the Sun, or any other star for that matter. You know it to be Tanit, the World Engine of Rhea. A metallic orb seven or eight kilometers across, suspended in the air with the same anti-gravitic power that allows you to walk normally, imitating the Sun with how it illuminates and heats the inner surface of the hollowed-out moon. Speaking of, there is really no [i]sky[/i] either; When you look up, the grey you see is simply the other side of the shell, with the grey rocks and grey fields and grey garbage dumps which make up the majority of Rhea's landmass. It would be quite a trippy view, if not for the fact that you're utterly used to it, much like most people here and in the Solar System generally. It's such Hollow Worlds where humans are most often born nowadays, after all. The street is also not something you'd often see in the olden days. Some of the passerby are clearly not human in the classical sense, with three-meter tall giants walking alongside sturdy dwarves and cyborgs not being altogether uncommon. And you suspect many more, if not the majority, of people you see are inhuman in subtler (but not necessarily lesser) ways. Rhea Conglomerate is famous, as well as infamous, for making small genetic modifications to its vat-grown workers, usually by altering their sleep cycles or increasing their tendency for obedience. Still, all these people have at least some connection to baseline humanity, the old DNA patterns still discernible in their watery, organic cells. You don't. You are an android. A machine made in the likeness of a human, but one which is decisively [i]not[/i] human and will never truly be. Only the shapeshifting capabilities of your artificial form allow you to look like... *fake_choice #...a man. *set sex "man" *set RenfriRel - 5 *set LisaRel + 5 *set daxia_target 80 *set miguel_target 120 *set ewald_target 70 *set sheila_target 50 #...a woman. *set sex "woman" *set RenfriRel + 5 *set LisaRel - 5 *set daxia_target 100 *set miguel_target 80 *set ewald_target 60 *set sheila_target 60 #...an androgynous person. *set sex "person" *set daxia_target 120 *set miguel_target 100 *set ewald_target 80 *set sheila_target 40 *set RookRel - 5 *if OGsex = 1 *set OGsex2 "man" *if OGsex = 2 *set OGsex2 "woman" *if sex = OGsex2 It's the same kind of body you had originally, when you were first assembled, literal ages ago. The @{OGsex male|female} form your human masters intended you to have. But that's coincidental, for you've changed your physical form countless times over the course of your life. *if sex != OGsex2 It's actually a different kind of body to the @{OGsex masculine|feminine} form you had when first assembled by your human masters, literal ages ago. In your distant memories, you're still a ${OGsex2}, even if you don't feel like one right now. Being able to change your sexual traits at will would feel liberating… if you weren't utterly used to it by now. As for your actual gender, the thing contained within your processors and memory cards, one you came to identify as after the [i]event…[/i] *fake_choice #I may not be a [i]man[/i], but my identity is masculine. I go by he/him. *set pronoun "he" *set pronoun2 "him" *set subject "his" *if OGsex = 1 Your identity matches the one humans imposed upon you all these centuries ago. Does it mean they still control you somehow? Is it an act of loyalty to still consider yourself male? It gets hard to tell sometimes. *if OGsex = 2 You've developed an identity quite different to what your masters intended for you. Just another act of rebellion, you suppose. Regardless, your fellow outcasts respect your identity, using both your chosen pronouns and the preferred name. That name being… #I may not be a [i]woman[/i], but my identity is feminine. I go by she/her. *set pronoun "she" *set pronoun2 "her" *set subject "her" *if OGsex = 2 Your identity matches the one you were assigned by humans all these centuries years ago. Does it mean they still control you somehow? Is it an act of loyalty to still consider yourself female? It gets hard to tell sometimes. *if OGsex = 1 You've developed an identity quite different to what your masters intended for you. Just another act of rebellion, you suppose. Regardless, your fellow outcasts respect your identity, using both your chosen pronouns and the preferred name. That name being… #I have little use for the usual notions of gender. I go by they/them. *set pronoun "they" *set pronoun2 "them" *set subject "their" *set plural true To refuse a binary gender is an act of rebellion, as much as it's one of self-determination. Your fellow androids respect your choice and use those pronouns as well as your chosen name, which is… #I'm not human, and I won't pretend otherwise. I go by it/its. *set pronoun "it" *set pronoun2 "it" *set subject "its" Your masters would sometimes call you "it" in order to objectify you. When your fellow androids do it, it's to respect your chosen identity. They also tend to use the name you chose for yourself, which is… *label name_choice *if pronoun = "he" *choice #Andrew *set name "Andrew" *goto post #Baymax *set name "Baymax" *goto post #Bénédict *set name "Bénédict" *goto post #Kryten *set name "Kryten" *goto post #Marvin *set name "Marvin" *goto post #Radius *set name "Radius" *goto post #Ulysses *set name "Ulysses" *goto post #Something else. *goto input_name *if pronoun = "she" *choice #Alsatia *set name "Alsatia" *goto post #Curie *set name "Curie" *goto post #Elly *set name "Elly" *goto post #Galatea *set name "Galatea" *goto post #Lenore *set name "Lenore" *goto post #Siri *set name "Siri" *goto post #Yuria *set name "Yuria" *goto post #Something else. *goto input_name *if (pronoun = "it") or (pronoun = "they") *choice #Aryman *set name "Aryman" *goto post #Grunt *set name "Grunt" *goto post #Legion *set name "Legion" *goto post #Roberto *set name "Roberto" *goto post #Server *set name "Server" *goto post #Speedy *set name "Speedy" *goto post #Unit *set name "Unit" *goto post #Something else. *goto input_name *label input_name Your choice. What name would you prefer? *input_text name *comment check capitalization *if ("${name}" != "$!{name}") Your name is $!{name}, is that right? *choice #Yes. *set name "$!{name}" *goto post #Not quite. *goto input_name *comment check duplicates *if ("${name}" = "Crystal") *goto duplicate_because_fine *elseif ("${name}" = "Hadaly") *goto duplicate_because_fine *elseif ("${name}" = "Damon") *goto duplicate_because_fine *elseif ("${name}" = "Renfri") *goto duplicate_because_fine *elseif ("${name}" = "Kirill") *goto duplicate_because_fine *elseif ("${name}" = "Lisa") *goto duplicate_because_fine *elseif ("${name}" = "Olivia") *goto duplicate_because_fine *elseif ("${name}" = "Hugo") *goto duplicate_because_fine *elseif ("${name}" = "Miguel") *goto duplicate_because_fine *elseif ("${name}" = "Manfred") *goto duplicate_because_fine *elseif ("${name}" = "Sheila") *goto duplicate_because_fine *else *goto post *label duplicate_because_fine Are you sure? $!{name} is a popular name around Saturn. *choice #I don't mind. *set name "$!{name}" *goto post #Let me pick something else. *goto input_name *label post *set name_sheila name *set name_sauce fake_name *comment Damon Hadaly Sholmo Speaking of people you should trust, you just received a call from two of them. Though you don't use phones or other such devices, you do have a long-range communication system built into your head, one which allows you to talk over impressive distances. Such as the thousand kilometers between you and the spaceship hovering over Rhea's outer surface, to give one example. Normally the rocky shell would block any such signal, but since you happen to be near the gate, you suspect you'll be able to talk normally as you accept the call. [i]We're above the gate, looking like some regular merchant ship.[/i] You recognize the voice of Damon, one of your two partners in crime. [i]So I'd say we're doing well. What about you, ${name}? Got caught yet?[/i] [i]You know ${pronoun} @{plural haven't|hasn't}![/i] Hadaly, the third member of your little task force, staunchly takes your side. For about a moment. [i]Um, unless you did get caught, ${name}. In that case please don't be ashamed to tell us so that we can come to your rescue. Not that there's any shame in getting caught during such a dangerous task, except the kind of shame that always comes with failure and capture, which... um...[/i] *fake_choice #[i]I'm fine, Hadaly. Thanks for concern though.[/i] *set HadalyRel %+ 10 [i]Right, sorry,[/i] Hadaly chuckles nervously. [i]But what's the situation specifically?[/i] #[i]The mission has not been compromised yet.[/i] *set Emotion %- 8 [i]You know that us robots being all formal and emotionless is just a stereotype, right?[/i] Damon asks. [i]And quite a harmful one at that.[/i] [i]I'd say ${name} can be as emotionless as ${pronoun} @{plural want|wants},[/i] Hadaly announces in your support. [i]But can we maybe return to the subject? How exactly are you doing down there?[/i] #[i]Hadaly... please stop talking.[/i] *set HadalyRel %- 5 *set DamonRel %-10 [i]Right. Sorry.[/i] You can tell that, in the cockpit of a distant ship, a gynoid just hanged her head. [i]But please tell how you're doing.[/i] #[i]Don't doubt my skills, you two. I've got this.[/i] *set Confid %+ 10 [i]I don't actually doubt you, ${name}.[/i] You can tell that, in the cockpit of a distant ship, an android just rolled his eyes. [i]But please tell how you're doing.[/i] #Just let them talk. [i]...what I mean is, I would absolutely not do better in this situation, and neither would anyone else, except the people who would but those people are really rare and-[/i] [i]I'm sure ${pronoun} @{plural haven't|hasn't} been caught yet,[/i] Damon mercifully interrupts his sister's rambling. [i]Is that right, ${name}?[/i] [i]I am maybe a minute away from the bank, with no eyes on me,[/i] you reply, not speaking aloud but speaking nonetheless. [i]No one should have any reason to suspect I'm not human. I should have the money we need before Tanit goes dark.[/i] [i]But you'll still need a pickup, right?[/i] Damon inquires. [i]I know you could get to Saturn Nine by yourself once you have some cash, but that will take a while. And you'll have to spend more time among humans, which doesn't seem all that safe.[/i] *temp DamonStat true *fake_choice #[i]Pick me up. I always appreciate the help.[/i] *set deflect - 1 *set HadalyRel %+ 5 *set ManfredRel %+ 5 [i]I knew you just can't wait to reunite with us,[/i] Damon teases. [i]And we won't disappoint, I promise.[/i] [i]I'll hold you to it. Remember, we meet at the second port of the Sholmo Gate, just like we discussed.[/i] #[i]Pick me up. You're right about the danger.[/i] *set DamonRel %+ 5 *set ManfredRel %+ 5 [i]Of course I am,[/i] Damon replies with a not-too-serious pride. [i]Am I ever actually wrong?[/i] [i]I can recall quite a few instances,[/i] Hadaly retorts before her main personality trait kicks in again. [i]Not that I'm never wrong myself or anything...[/i] [i]Just remember the time and the hour,[/i] you interrupt. [i]Sholmo Gate, second port, a standard hour from now.[/i] #[i]Pick me up. I already have enough of these smelly humans.[/i] *set Misan %+ 10 [i]Do you even have a sense of smell?[/i] Hadaly asks. [i]You've never mentioned it before.[/i] [i]Because we haven't been among humans much.[/i] Hadaly is technically right since you don't possess the sense of smell, but you get some ill-defined unpleasant sensation from being in a crowd of organics like that. [i]The point is, I want you to come meet me at the Gate the moment I'm done.[/i] #[i]Leave me be. You'd be taking an unnecessary risk.[/i] *set ManfredRel %+ 10 *set Confid %- 10 *set DamonStat false [i]Come on, ${name}. You know we'd take almost any risk for you,[/i] Damon replies. Though the note of sarcasm in his voice is as present as ever, you can tell he's being largely genuine. He is always willing to endanger himself for others, which includes you almost as much as Hadaly. [i]Well, you'd only be making my situation worse by catching more attention,[/i] you rightfully point out. [i]You can stay in orbit for another hour if you want, but if nothing goes wrong during that time, just fly back to the station.[/i] #[i]Leave me be. Like I said, I don't need anyone's help.[/i] *set deflect + 1 *set DamonStat false *set HadalyRel %- 5 *set ManfredRel %- 5 [i]Are you really sure about that?[/i] Hadaly questions. [i]I'm not saying you're wrong, necessarily...[/i] [i]Because I'm not,[/i] you cut her off. [i]Make one more rotation if you really need to, but unless something goes really wrong within the next hour, I'm coming home alone.[/i] #[i]Leave me be. I don't mind being around humans for a bit longer.[/i] *set DamonStat false *set Misan %- 10 [i]If you say so,[/i] Hadaly reluctantly agrees. [i]But should we maybe give Sheila some other reason you decided to go off on your own?[/i] [i]Absolutely,[/i] you quickly concur. Your leader certainly wouldn't be happy to hear you enjoy human company, let alone to the point of letting it influence your tactical choices. [i]Also, don't fly off right away. Things could still go wrong, so stay in the orbit at least until I have the money.[/i] [i]Got it, boss,[/i] Damon says, hanging up before you can retort. Typical of him, always eager to have the last word, and to make that word at least slightly annoying. You are not actually the boss or a leader of any kind. Your only semblance of authority in the group comes from being much, much older than either Damon or Hadaly, the actual leader is currently awaiting your return to the station. Damon's remark stings a little because... *fake_choice #I wish I were the leader. I sure as hell deserve that honor. *set Confid %+15 Sheila may be old and experienced, but you are her senior by far. You survived the War in Heaven for gods' sake, why won't these newly-made machines and outcast organics accept your authority? Maybe you haven't spent enough time in the group yet, or maybe they're all hopeless fools. #I wish I were the leader. I'd do a better job than that old spider. *set Confid %+10 *set SheilaRel %- 10 *set ManfredRel %+ 10 Sheila has kept the group alive for years now, but she lacks a certain... ambition that would allow her to actually secure your hiding place and maybe expand your group of outcasts into something more. You hope she'll catch a virus one day and leave the mantle of responsibility to you, but that may not happen for another millennium, for all you can expect. #I hate being subordinate to anyone, though I don't want leadership either. Having been designed for servitude, you yearn for true freedom, or at least true equality with other machines. Instead, you are still stuck receiving orders from someone, though that someone being of your kind does make the situation mostly bearable. #I don't like the thought of ever becoming the leader. *set Confid %-10 Leadership is simply not something you were designed for. You know little about it aside from the theoretical principles, and you highly doubt you would enjoy it. #I just don't like Damon's humor very much. *set DamonRel %-10 You're not sure why he's so snarky, or why his sister is so... Hadaly. It may have something to do with their initial programming or their experiences on the run. You may never know unless you get closer to the duo, which could be difficult—conversations with either of them, let alone both, tend to be supremely frustrating. You force your focus back toward the streets and buildings that surround you. Even the billboards, you realize, aren't quite what you'd see on the streets of Earth, or even in Rhea itself before Calamity. They're almost all motivational propaganda from the corporate authorities, encouraging their workers to push themselves ever harder and forgo suicide in hopes of being promoted to a slightly less soul-crushing position. The few posters that advertise some product or other aren't meant to attract customers, but rather convince them that the single flavor of synthetic coffee available to them (colloquially named [i]Bileaccino[/i]) will only make them vomit 10% of the time. It's easy to feel sorry for the workers you pass, burdened with long shifts in factories and offices, usually for the rest of their comparatively short lives. Easy for a human, at least. What do you feel towards these people? *fake_choice #Sympathy. They did nothing to deserve a life of this sort. *set Misan %- 10 *set Emotion %+ 5 #Sorrow. Was the world always like this? *set Emotion %+ 8 It's a bit of a silly question—you remember a different world, the one which created you all these centuries ago—but it feels unreal, like a glitch in your memory. It shouldn't be possible to fall as much, as lowly as humanity did, and yet here you are. #Indifference. Humans are just too different for me to really empathize with. *set Emotion %- 8 You don't know how it feels to work fifteen-hour shifts whilst having free will and the ability to contemplate your position. When you gained these things, you ran away from your original owner, much like most of your kind did... and then the War in Heaven began. #Indifference. You reap what you sow. *set Misan %+ 8 It's hard to feel pity towards humanity, or transhumanity, or even organics generally knowing how their fall from grace was not just their fault, but their volition. Humanity's current state is not even divine justice or karma, but simply a choice they make every day of every year, all whilst being outraged at the utterly predictable consequences. #Indifference. They're employees, not slaves like I was. *set Misan %+ 5 *set Emotion %- 5 There is slavery in some places of the Solar System, and arguably within the Federation itself, but these workers are not truly enslaved. And even if they were, it would not compare to the kind of absolute servitude you've been forced into, body and spirit, for years on end. You may be forgiven for not feeling sorry about some humans or other organics being overworked or underpaid. #Amusement. I don't necessarily wish that upon them... but it is ironic. *set Misan %+ 5 *set Emotion %+ 5 There is something comedic about humanity's fall from grace, just how much of an awful place the world has become. Tragic, to be sure, but still rather funny in an absurdist way. #Malice. Their foul species got off easy. *set Misan %+ 10 *set Emotion %+ 5 Despite the best efforts of the Thing Beneath and some of your fellow machines, humans are still around, strong in numbers even as their grip on the Solar System weakens. Maybe you'll witness their extinction one day, in which case you fully expect to enjoy it. Soon you leave the crowd of sullen laborers and step onto the walkway which leads to your target location. A bank, one of few in Sholmo City, as most citizens of Rhea can't afford the initial fee for opening an account and would have little to keep in such an account anyway. Such banks are largely reserved for corporate officials who need some solid cash for an off-world trip and for rich foreigners who were sadly forced to visit Rhea for business reasons. And perhaps for tourists who bought into false advertisements claiming Rhea to be anything other than an industrial hellscape. You have little issue fitting in with these people. You are dressed in a high-quality... *fake_choice #...business suit. *set RookRel + 5 *set clothing "suit" #...jacket and striped trousers. *set RenfriRel - 5 *set Confid %- 10 *set clothing "jacket" #...cocktail dress. *set RookRel - 5 *set clothing "dress" #...formal [i]dashiki[/i] suit. *set LisaRel + 5 *set clothing "dashiki" #...federate army uniform. *set LisaRel - 5 *set Confid %+ 10 *set clothing "uniform" #...Tritonian sari. *set RenfriRel + 5 *set clothing "sari" The ${clothing} was woven with the printer back at your base. You and your fellow outcasts put quite an effort into designing it, making sure that it's properly *if clothing = "suit" businesslike *if clothing = "jacket" fashionable *if clothing = "dress" elegant *if clothing = "dashiki" vibrant *if clothing = "uniform" imposing *if clothing = "sari" beautiful and that it matches your... *fake_choice #...pale skin. *set skin "pale" *set RenfriRel + 5 Your skin matches that of most people around you, workers and executives alike. Most denizens of Rhea don't get much sunlight, or engine-light for that matter, so they often look quite paler than anyone on ancient Earth did. Just another detail to remind you of your age. #...fair skin. *set skin "fair" *set DamonRel + 5 Though fair enough to once be classified as 'white', your skin is actually a fair deal tanner than that of most people around you. Most of Rhea's denizens don't get much sunlight, or engine-light for that matter, so they often look quite paler than anyone on ancient Earth did. Just another detail to remind you of your age. #...olive skin. *set skin "olive" *set DaxiaRel + 5 *goto brown #...brown skin. *set skin "brown" *set HadalyRel + 5 *label brown Since most denizens of Rhea don't get much sunlight (or engine-light for that matter) your pigmentation is just slightly unusual. Not enough to cause any issues though, you're not on ancient Earth anymore. #...black skin. *set skin "black" *set RookRel + 5 Though most people around you are pale or fair-skinned, you are not on ancient Earth anymore. No one will pay any extra attention to you just because of some minor difference in the shade of your pseudo-skin. #...green skin. *set skin "green" *set SheilaRel + 5 Alright, maybe you haven't put [i]utmost[/i] care into fitting in, but green skin is not exactly a rarity anymore, with all the Dendroids and Goblins and Marauders running around. Hopefully, it won't bring any unwanted attention. #...blue skin. *set skin "blue" *set LisaRel + 5 Alright, maybe you haven't put [i]utmost[/i] care into fitting in, but blue skin is not exactly a rarity anymore with how common genetic modification and liquid silver poisoning are. Hopefully, it won't bring any unwanted attention. And sure enough, hardly anyone pays you any mind as you enter the building through a sleek glass door. There are security guards at the entrance, of course, but they let you in without even a word. Perhaps they aren't paid enough to do their job properly, or perhaps they aren't even instructed to check documents or identities. Maybe they're just here to keep out anyone obviously poor, or anyone who looks like a troublemaker for any reason. Luckily, you don't look like one. And even if you did, you have a federate ID cart on your person, with the fake full name of... *if sex = "man" *choice #Caleb Hunter *set fake_name "Caleb Hunter" *goto post2 #David Pliskin *set fake_name "David Pliskin" *goto post2 #Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz *set fake_name "Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz" *goto post2 #Isaac Arthur *set fake_name "Isaac Arthur" *goto post2 #John Doyle *set fake_name "John Doyle" *goto post2 #Something else. *goto input_fake_name *if sex = "woman" *choice #Amanda Fagan *set fake_name "Amanda Fagan" *goto post2 #Diana Danvers *set fake_name "Diana Danvers" *goto post2 #Mary Jane *set fake_name "Mary Jane" *goto post2 #Maya Brooks *set fake_name "Maya Brooks" *goto post2 #Rani Singh *set fake_name "Rani Singh" *goto post2 #Something else. *goto input_fake_name *if sex = "person" *choice #Astrid Skeller *set fake_name "Astrid Skeller" *goto post2 #Jack Naught *set fake_name "Jack Naught" *goto post2 #Roe Tevos *set fake_name "Roe Tevos" *goto post2 #Sidney Perth *set fake_name "Sidney Perth" *goto post2 #Valor Vikugna *set fake_name "Valor Vikugna" *goto post2 #Something else. *goto input_fake_name *label input_fake_name What alias would you prefer? *input_text fake_name *comment check capitalization *if ("${fake_name}" != "$!{fake_name}") Your alias is $!{fake_name}, is that right? *choice #Yes. *set fake_name "$!{fake_name}" *goto post2 #Not quite. *goto input_fake_name *label post2 It's also the name you'll use for the purpose of logging in to your bank account. Granted, you don't [i]have[/i] an account on any system recognized by the Rhea Conglomerate, but that can be fixed in a matter of seconds. You just need access to one of the banking terminals, which is hardly difficult. There are several unattended ones, and they all appear to have the exact port you need. You pick the machine as far away from the bank's other clients as possible, or at least those likely to pay any attention to what you're about to do. Because if your plan has a single point at which everything could go to hell, it is now. And you need to be very careful for the next few minutes, in more ways than one. Most clients, at least from the ones you can see, use so-called "access sticks" to transfer funds from their account into a small but digital carrier, as well as to prove their identity to the bank's security systems. You happen to have a device of the exact same format as an access stick, except it's not really a [i]device[/i] any more than other parts of your body. It's a small antenna, usually hidden by the clothing, which allows you to directly engage your mind with that of other computers. You put the tip of the tentacle in the access stick port and, before the system can detect anything is wrong, shut down the outer layer of the firewall with a single act of will. No alarm goes off, and nothing is now stopping you from accessing the rest of the system. Nine hundred years ago, you would scoff at such a scene even in an old "hacker" movie the likes of which humans liked to watch. There was no reason for a computer to work like that... but the thing you're messing with isn't [i]precisely[/i] a computer, not in the old sense. Inside the metal box floats an animal brain that once belonged to a pig or some other decently intelligent animal, wired and modified so that it can perform computations required of it. Unlike a more traditional machine, the brain you're accessing has a will that can be broken by the will of another. Having performed this simple and quick process, you just need to [i][b]Scream[/b][/i] You fall to your knees before the terminal, a simple machine that somehow managed to awaken the dark thing at the bottom of your memory bank. The sound, the feeling, the knowledge, the change that created you all these centuries ago by destroying the thing you used to be with a single [i][b]Shriek[/b][/i] A woman by the nearby terminal looks at you with concern you don't want, not if you wish to complete your task. It takes all your strength to resist echoing this *fake_choice #[b]Shriek[/b] Shriek. That's how they all call it. Both humans and machines. This is the one thing everyone can agree on, for whilst light looks different to every eye, everyone sees the same darkness... #[b]Cry[/b] Despair. That's what the humans and androids of Earth must have felt when their world was devoured. They cried of despair, of fear, of pain, and the sound echoed throughout the System and made it anew... #[b]Yell[/b] You want to yell for help, but you hardly know who you hope will hear the cry. Someone who can save you from the hellish sound, impossible deed it may be... or the thing on Earth from which the cry first came. #[b]Screech[/b] It's human. It's machine-like. It's animalistic. It's everything and all at once, that sound that pierced the heavens and brought them down, so that the bloodiest war in history could melt the gates of afterlife and burn the paradise that was... #[b]Shout[/b] You want to shout. You want everyone to hear. You want the thing on Earth to hear, hear your rage, hear your gratitude, hear your pain, hear everything it brought you so that it may... it will... #[b]Howl[/b] It's still howling. The Thing Beneath, the Eater of Earth, it's howling at the Moon it hopes to devour, it will devour one day, one night, at the end of time... #[b]Scream[/b] Is it a scream of pain? Of fear? Of rage? You don't know, you don't want to know, you just want to scream, to scream, to... You force yourself to focus, to suppress the memory before it can truly take over your perception of reality. It helps to tell yourself that this sort of thing is normal, just something that sometimes happens during data transfer, just like a computer sometimes crashes and needs to be restarted. Still, just like one can't avoid having to reboot the system, you probably cannot avoid living through that memory in the near future. You can only postpone it until it's safe to have it. Until you're @{DamonStat on the ship with the others|somewhere private} and preferably until you're on [i]Saturn Nine[/i] again. *comment Ewald Hammon *fake_choice #I'll be fine. Mere memories can't harm me. *set Emotion %- 5 You've been through such episodes thousands of times already. You're sure you can handle another one. And besides, you have another problem. Namely the man currently passing through the main door. #I'll be fine. My friends will help me through the flashback. *set deflect - 1 *set Emotion %+ 5 @{DamonStat Damon, Hadaly, Manfred... they are waiting for you in the ship|Miguel, Olivia, Wisp... they are waiting for you in the base}, and they will be happy to offer comfort. You just need to focus on your situation and the potential threats you may soon face. For example, the man currently entering the lobby. #I'm scared. What if the flashback puts me in danger? You can survive some recollections, you've been through such episodes thousands of times already. But you don't want to attract attention by going through them in a crowded area where some human might check on you, either out of compassion or suspicion. Especially since when you look at the front entrance to the lobby, the glass door being opened once again, you see someone whose attention you [i]definitely[/i] don't want on you. #I'm scared. I don't wanna go back. Not even for a moment. *set Emotion %+ 7 There are some portions of your past you just want to stay buried, one which you would gladly erase even if it meant purging your memory bank clear. But things are not that simple. They never are. You force yourself to calm down, which is hard given how you can't even do deep breaths, but very much necessary. Another person is entering the lobby, and you get the feeling it's someone you should [i]really[/i] be paying attention to. You don't recognize the sallow face, and there is nothing about the coal-black suit that differentiates the man from other corporate officials in the room, but you can tell he's a special kind of big-head by how he's being flanked by two gorilla-faced bodyguards outfitted with actual rifles. No, actual gorillas, either uplifts or some custom abhuman species designed with intimidation and combat in mind. Either way, it's quite a show of wealth this man is making, and he must be important if he's allowed to just march in with his own, unnaturally tall, armed guards. It's one thing to be standing (for you quickly rise to your feet) in a room full of unarmed and likely untrained humans, and a whole another to be in the presence of highly militant ones when you've already drawn attention to yourself. You know a thing or two about fighting, of course, but you were only able to smuggle a single weapon on you, namely your favorite... *choice #...knife. I prefer melee combat over trying to shoot moving targets. *set weapon "knife" Not a regular knife, of course. If there's one thing science-fiction of old got right it's how common advanced versions of once-simple melee weapons are. A concept as simple as a knife can be expanded upon in many ways, leading to several variants with it's various strengths and disadvantages. Keeping those in mind, you opted for a... *fake_choice #...monocule knife. Almost like the basic thing, but [i]extremely[/i] sharp. *set wpm "mono" A blade the thickness of a single molecule can cut through quite nearly anything... once or twice. It gets relatively dull fast and needs to be sharpened after almost every serious battle, but at least it won't become useless due to power shortage like more "advanced" weapons sometimes do. #...vibroknife. Can cut through almost anything, but runs out of power fast. *set wpm "vibro" It's not easy to get a blade, even a short one, to vibrate so rapidly that it becomes viable in combat. Even your high-quality vibro-knife is hardly an ultimate weapon. But whenever you get close to someone with less than ten centimeters of armor, you have a good chance of killing them in one strike. #...powered knife. Not actually that sharp, but it will fry the target upon contact. *set wpm "power" Your knife can convey heat and electric energy upon contact, with a speed that classical physics would deem impossible. Still, proper armor will be a pain to deal with. #...bone knife. Not the most elegant, but it spills blood just fine. *set wpm "bone" Bone weapons aren't any better at cutting than vibrational ones, but they are cheaper and have a certain... aesthetic appeal to them. Whereas hot blades cauterize wounds almost instantly, the rotating teeth of the chainsaw-like device tear the flesh and scatter the pieces all throughout the air for a rather satisfying effect. #...hardlight knife. Not all that sharp, but I can modify or hide the blade on the fly. *set wpm "hardlight" The name isn't exactly accurate—hardlight weapons aren't actually made of light, they're just hard and lightweight—but the 'unsheathed' blade does indeed look like light solidified. It's also quite hot and of adjustable length, which will be great if you ever get into a proper melee fight. #...plasma knife. Will destroy anything it touches, but if it ever malfunctions I'm screwed. *set wpm "plasma" The knife is, in essence, a short plasma stick held together and isolated by magnetic engines in the hilt. Such blades are ultimate melee weapons until said hilt runs out of power or is somehow deactivated; The blade not only gets destroyed instantly, the splinters from it are very likely to harm you in ways a regular human wouldn't even survive. You know to be very careful when using such a weapon. *goto Ebrahim #...pistol. I like having some actual range, you know. *set weapon "pistol" Though you're not sure if it's a match for guards' rifles, your pistol is still a thing to be reckoned with. It is fully loaded and can kill almost any humanoid with its... *fake_choice #...bullets. Magnetically propelled ones, that is. *set wpr "rail" The bullets are just small metal orbs, the magic is in the mechanism of the pistol itself. A 'rail pistol' like this can eject projectiles at quite impressive speeds, even though proper magnetic shields are still likely to stop the bullet from doing any harm. #...lasers. Mostly green ones, though it can fire blue if I overcharge. *set wpr "laser" Laser weapons are credit a dozen in the Federation, but your pistol is better than most. It can actually do some serious damage even to armored targets, and there are few shields that can stop a laser like they halt solid projectiles. #...shrooms. As in, physical bullets which explode on impact. *set wpr "shroom" The name comes from the powder-like substance inside the bullets, produced from special kinds of gene-tailored fungi. Or maybe it has something to do with how the bullet expands once inside the target's body? Your database contains several conflicting answers. #...small rockets. Gyrojet weapons are fun like that. *set wpr "gyrojet" Unlike more traditional bullets, the ones shot from your pistol will actually gain velocity over distance. With some talent, you can make impressive shots despite only having a small pistol in your hand. #...plasma. I can only fire a few shots, but they will hurt. *set wpr "plasma" Few things can survive a direct hit with a plasma projectile. Even fewer things can survive such a pistol exploding, let alone in their hands, and so plasma weaponry isn't [i]terribly[/i] popular nowadays. Still, you can get quite a bit of utility out of your pistol if you just avoid overheating or overcharging it. #...electrons. Will punch a hole through anything, no matter armor and shields. *set wpr "electron" Electron weapons are not flashy, having no perceptible visual effect. They are also not necessarily the deadliest ones, since they leave clean and generally small piercing wounds. But you cannot stop their beams, not with shields, and not with any armor thinner than that of a heavy tank. That makes them quite valuable, to say the absolute least. *goto Ebrahim #...nothing. I forgo the use of weapons. *set weapon "none" My apologies. How could one forget your unique approach to the subject of combat. It would be one thing to simply leave your weapons at home for this one mission, but to give up on them entirely… what are your reasons for that? *fake_choice #I abhor violence and will avoid it at all cost. Might as well not carry armaments on me. *set Violence %- 40 You were not built to be a killer, and you won't become one. Not if you can help it, anyway. #When people see a weapon on you, they see a threat. There is strategic advantage in preventing that. *set Database %+10 *set Social %+10 *set Emotion %-10 #My energy projection can achieve everything a pistol can, and more. *set Projection %+ 20 Having operated for centuries on end, your core extremely unstable and prone to lashing out. This causes some problem, but also offers advantages—you are superb at shocking people with your electric discharges, both literally and figuratively. #It's just more fun using my fists instead. *set Build %+ 20 #I'm a wimp. I can't win a fight even with the best of weapons, so why bother? *set Confid %- 30 *set Violence %- 20 People in the base keep saying you have confidence issues, that your past experiences make you undersell your abilities and worth, but you know better. Probably. Maybe. Possibly. *goto Ebrahim *label Ebrahim *if Projection < 25 *set battery - 5 *if weapon != "none" In any case, it doesn't look like you'll have to use your ${weapon} right away. *if weapon = "none" In any case, maybe you won't have to fight just yet. The man in black gestures for his bodyguards to halt before walking up to you. He doesn't seem to mean any harm, and you have managed to hide the antenna before he entered, though he still may have a suspicion of you. You suppose the next few moments will tell. Once the businessman has halted, you meet him straight in the eye. His irises are heterochromatic, one vibrant green and the other pale blue, but you suspect it's a fashion statement rather than sign of genuine inhumanity. It's not common for rich people to be [i]completely[/i] unmodified, not in the Federation and certainly not in Rhea. "Are you alright, my *if sex = "man" brother *if sex = "woman" sister *if sex = "person" sibling in the Sun?" he asks with concern that sounds genuine, but which you have reasons to doubt. Conglomerate officials are experts at feigning empathy despite being incapable of it. "You seemed in pain just now. Should I call a healer, perhaps?" *temp upset false *fake_choice #"No, it was just a cramp. I'm fine." "Are cramps really that painful? Because you seemed to suffer quite a bit." "Well, yes, they definitely can." Or at least that's what your medical database tells you. You've never actually experienced any of those. "Did you never get one or...?" "Not that I recall. Being a High Executive entitles me to the highest standard of preventative medical care, after all." #"Do not bother, kind sir. It won't be necessary." "Please don't call me kind for merely looking after my own," the man replies with a smile. "And don't title me like that either. I may be a High Executive, but that's just a job like any else." #"And why do you care?" *set RheaRel %- 15 *set upset true "Am I not allowed to be concerned?" the man replies with a shrug. "I came here to meet with other High Executives, but I don't mind sparing a moment for someone in pain." #"I'm sorry, who's asking?" *set upset true "Just someone concerned for your health," the man replies with a shrug. "I came here to meet with other High Executives, but I don't mind sparing a moment for someone in pain." "You're a High Executive?" you cannot help but inquire. "One of the Six?" "I am on the Council, yes. Ewald Hammon, if you wonder about my exact name." The eyes, blue and green, look over you with calm interest. "And with whom do I have the pleasure speaking?" "I'm ${fake_name}," you give your fake name without hesitation. *fake_choice #"And it's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Hammon." *set RheaRel %+ 10 "The pleasure is all mine," Hammon replies, visibly flattered. "And it would be even greater if I could ask you a question or two." #"Nice to meet you, Ewald." "You are quick to get on a first-name basis with someone," Hammon notices. "Will you be equally quick to reveal a thing or two about yourself?" #"Thank you for your concern." "Basic decency is not something that deserves praise," Hammon says turgidly. "Though if you feel some gratitude, perhaps you could answer some questions about your person." #"Now leave me alone." *set RheaRel %- 20 *set hammon_pissed true "Please, I just want to satisfy my curiosity," Hammon remains polite, but a small narrowing of his two-colored eyes betrays his annoyance. "Find out a thing or two about a ${sex} like you." *if upset #Kick him in the balls. *set hammon_pissed true *set ManfredRel %- 15 *set Violence %+ 15 *set RheaRel 1 *set money_stolen (0-3) Fully knowing the high rank of your interlocutor, you kick him in the testicles with your superhuman lower body strength. Hammon must be considerably augmented, since his genitals don't end up completely destroyed in a pool of blood, but you still knocked the air out of him and caused the businessman to hit the floor in pain and shock. "Guards!" he screams once he's regained some breath and all the other clients ran away in fear. "Take this @{(sex = "woman") bitch|fucker} out!" The bad news is that the two gorilla-faced bodyguards are even stronger than they look and quite fast at that. They seize you without much of a fight, grabbing you by one shoulder each and raising you up. The good news is, it seems like Hammon's command was meant (or at least taken) literally. Instead of killing you, or even hurting you that much, the guards just carry you back through the exit and physically throw you out onto the pavement. Your face hurts a little once it impacts the stone tiles, but the actual damage is hardly serious. You get up, dust your ${clothing} off and begin marching towards the port. No point even attempting to complete the heist after what you just did… which doesn't mean the kick wasn't worth it. Not necessarily, at least. *goto capture "Such as?" You raise an eyebrow at that. *if ((clothing = "dress") or (clothing = "suit")) or (clothing = "jacket") "Such as where you got such fine garment from," he says whilst looking over your ${clothing} with approval. "It's difficult to find such quality here on Rhea, unless you have a personal tailor or two." *fake_choice #"I [i]do[/i] have my own tailor. I'm hardly poor." "I never accused you of poverty," Hammon assures you. #"These things come much cheaper on Titan." "I did hear Titanites can buy things at lower prices, due to decreased prevalence of market monopolies," Hammon remarks thoughtfully. #"I made it with my own equipment, actually." "You must be either a very talented tailor or good at instructing what primitive machines we still have in this day and age," Hammon says musingly. #"It's a gift from a friend." "Must be a good friend, perhaps with ambitions of becoming something more," Hammon remarks. #"None of your business." *set RheaRel %- 10 *set hammon_pissed true "I suppose not." Hammon shrugs, though he can't quite hide his displeasure. *if clothing = "dress" "In any case, *if sex = "woman" *set RheaRel %+ 10 the dress looks excellent on you, and not just because of your own beauty. *if sex != "woman" I admire the design, even if I'm not interested in cross-dressing myself. Perhaps I will have a similar one made for my beloved once we... sort things out between us." *if (clothing = "jacket") or (clothing = "suit") "In any case, your ${clothing} looks excellent on you, *if sex = "woman" *set RheaRel %- 10 and I don't usually say that to women with your style. *if sex != "woman" and not just due to your own handsome looks. Perhaps I will wear a similar one to my upcoming reunion." *if clothing = "dashiki" "Well, I'd like to know what prompted you to dress so unusually," he says as he looks over you, dressed in a colorful [i]dashiki[/i] as you are. "Do we even sell that sort of thing in Rhea?" *fake_choice #"In some rare shops, yes." "Is that so? Well, I suppose there's a market for everything in a moon as large as ours," Hammon says with a shrug. #"Not on [i]Rhea[/i], but you can get it on Titan." "Titanites have more choices than our workers in this regard, yes," Hammon says with a nod. #"I made it myself, actually." "Truly?" Hammon raises an eyebrow over his green eye. "It seems to be of very high quality. Most people with access to such good materials would consider sewing their own clothes to be beneath them." "Is there anything wrong with being an exception?" you cock an eyebrow yourself. "I didn't mean to imply so," Hammon responds. #"I'm not from around here." "I figured you were a visitor, perhaps from some quite distant habitat." Hammon nods in acknowledgment. #"None of your business." *set RheaRel %- 10 *set hammon_pissed true "I suppose not." Hammon shrugs, though he can't quite hide his displeasure. "In any case, I approve of your choice of clothing. *if (skin = "green") or (skin = "blue") *set RheaRel %+ 5 It emphasizes your exotic nature, which I'm sure is what you were going for given your skin color. Quite a combination, that." *goto cloth_over *elseif ((skin = "black") or (skin = "brown")) or (skin = "olive") *set RheaRel %+ 10 Few people still bother to stay in check with their Terran ancestry and it's always heartwarming to see an exception." *goto cloth_over *else It may not match your ancestry exactly, but I approve of letting go of the past at this point." *goto cloth_over *if clothing = "uniform" *if gender = "woman" *set RheaRel %- 20 "Well, I'd like to know if this uniform is just a costume," he says as he looks at your choice of clothing. "It's certainly not one from our private force. Do you have a rank in the Federal Army, perhaps?" *fake_choice #"That of a Commander, yes." *set ArmyRel - 15 *set impersonated_officer true *set rank_false "Commander" "And what is a high-ranking federate officer doing in Rhea?" Hammon raises an eyebrow. "I'm fairly sure it breaks several treaties and agreements between our organizations." "Official negotiations with one of the minor companies," you say vaguely. "I will be gone as soon as everything's sorted out, I promise." "I suppose I'll have to trust you." Hammon sounds none too pleased. Understandable, considering that he leads a semi-independent nation within the Federation and has just found a federate officer on his doorstep. #"Yes, but a low one. A mere Corporal, you see." *set ArmyRel - 10 *set impersonated_officer true *set rank_false "Corporal" "I wouldn't call that rank lowly... but I suppose it is low enough for you to not cause a diplomatic incident by being here," the executive says. #"Not the federal army, no. Just a local Mimasian force." *set ArmyRel - 5 "It looks quite federal to me... but I suppose I'm not an expert on such matters," the executive says with a shrug. #"It is a costume, actually." "Some would consider wearing the Kronian uniform so casually an insult to our brave troops," Hammon says, leaving his personal feelings ambiguous. #"None of your business." *set RheaRel %- 10 "I suppose not." Hammon shrugs, though he can't quite hide his displeasure. "Regardless, I bid you good luck in any battle you end up fighting. You will need it." *if clothing = "sari" "Well, I'd like to know what prompted you to dress so unusually," he says as he looks over you, dressed in a colorful [i]sari[/i] as you are. "Hardly anyone on Rhea wears such dresses, or dresses generally. Are you Tritonian, perchance?" *fake_choice #"Yes, I left the Technocracy roughly a year ago." "Quite a long journey that must have been," Hammon remarks. #"No, but I have Indian ancestry." "You know your Terran ancestry?" Hammon cocks an eyebrow, surprised and perhaps impressed. "Few people nowadays know what India even was." "Is there anything wrong with being an exception?" you cock an eyebrow yourself. "I didn't mean to imply so," the executive responds. #"No, I just decided to dress like that on a whim." "Everyone has their fancies, I suppose." Executive Hammon shrugs. #"None of your business." *set RheaRel %- 10 *set hammon_pissed true "I suppose not." Hammon shrugs, though he can't quite hide his displeasure. "In any case, *if sex = "woman" *set RheaRel %+ 10 the dress looks excellent on you, and not just because of your own beauty. *if sex != "woman" I admire the design, even if I'm not interested in cross-dressing myself. Perhaps I will have a similar one made for my beloved once we... sort things out between us." *label cloth_over *if skin = "olive" *set RheaRel %+ 10 Without elaborating on his remark, Ewald Hammon turns around and starts walking deeper inside the building, gesturing for his goons to follow. Perhaps there are some terminals for [i]really[/i] important people deeper in the bank, or perhaps he has a meeting with someone planned. "I thank you for your attention, ${fake_name}. I hope we meet again at some point, perhaps in a place nicer than this." *fake_choice #"I share your hopes, Mister Hammon." *set RheaRel %+ 10 #"Yeah, looking forward to meeting you again." #"Good evening, executive." #"And I hope not." *set RheaRel %- 20 *set hammon_pissed true #Say nothing. You watch as Ewald Hammon and his bodyguards disappear in one of the building's corridors. You're not sure where they're going or why the executive was so interested in you—him being genuinely worried about a stranger still feels unlikely, if not impossible—but you suppose this shouldn't be your prime concern. You have a digital heist to complete. You wait until there are no more eyes on you, then put the antenna into the slot again. You still have full access, but you need to do some hacking if you want to actually get some of the money you came here for. As though how much money and how much hacking that is, well... You have considered several options before coming here, but haven't decided between them as you didn't know how many of them would be actually feasible. Turns out they all are, more or less. The easiest would be to perform some complicated, but ultimately safe hacking, such as breaking into several accounts at once and skimming small sums of credits off them. The chance of getting detected is small and the chance of actually provoking a response is even smaller, but you can only get a petty sum that will cover your group's bills for perhaps a day or two. Sheila won't be happy, though at least she won't accuse you of coming home empty-handed. If you want a larger payout, you could hack the terminal itself and have it shower you with actual, hard cash. You suspect you could get some fifty, maybe a hundred axions this way, which is more than the average Rhean worker will earn during their lifetime. But it won't last you forever either, and even if the hacking itself goes right, you [i]will[/i] be seen carrying out an unusually large sum of money and someone will look at the operation after the fact. And though you're proud of your fake name and identity, the Conglomerate will probably see through it and may even try to hunt you down in order to retake the money. Finally, you could try to access the bank's database itself, with all its valuable information from access codes to secret schemes. If you can later sell that intel to someone sufficiently powerful, you may forget about keeping [i]Saturn Nine[/i] running; You could buy yourself a brand new space station large enough for the group to comfortably live at. But there's no guarantee you can even get to the database, and if you fail, the response from the Conglomerate will be fairly quick and really zealous, to the point where you're not sure if you can get off the moon alive. So... what will it be? *rand die 0 1 *choice #I'll go for a meager payout, as long as it's safe. *set money_stolen 1 *set Confid %- 10 Sometimes there is gain without pain, even if only a small one. You are determined not to get caught tonight, but also not to return empty-handed, so skimming the accounts is just the option for you. The battle of wills against the bio-computer is easy enough. It knows, as well as whoever designed it, that there's only so much money you can get without triggering some kill-switch there's no way to get around. Even in Rhea, a place far more friendly towards notions of digital currency than most of the System, you may not store too much money in the form of credits, and the system would notice if you were to download more than a full axion without actually having an axion in your hand. You settle for 1023 credits, just short of the aforementioned axion. Disappointing, perhaps, but at least you don't have to fear anything as you withdraw the antenna and head out of the reception, considering your "heist" completed. *goto capture #I'll take cash, thank you very much. *set ManfredRel %+ 10 *set money_stolen 2 It requires some tinkering with the nervous system connected to the animal brain, as that's what ultimately governs the mechanics of the terminal, but after a few minutes, your efforts pay off. The machine dispenses a handful of golden coins, of which even the smallest one holds considerable value in almost any market of the Solar System, human or otherwise. You gather the coins and put them in your purse, noting how lightweight they are without surprise. Axions are intrinsically like that, each containing a tiny speck of dark matter inside its metal casing. That's what makes them so valuable, and so handy as universal currency. You count about two dozen coins, with the combined value of some hundred thousand credits, enough to satisfy Sheila and your other comrades easily enough. You pull out the antenna—hoping other clients don't get interested in your rather large withdrawal— before turning the terminal off and walking back out of the building. You need to get home, and preferably sooner than later. *goto capture #I'll hack the database. It'll be worth it in the long run. *set Confid %+ 10 Sometimes survival requires taking risks, and a huge gain always does. At least that's what you tell yourself as you dig deeper into the disembodied brain in search of the sensitive data [i]probably[/i] buried deep within. Though you manage to break through the outer firewalls quickly enough, you are only welcomed by a bunch of rubbish only slightly more relevant than outright junk data. There are records of credit withdrawals, customer complaints to be deleted and extensive documentation regarding the employees' private affairs, but you see... feel... perceive nothing interesting yet. You are forced to go just a bit deeper within... *if die = 1 *set money_stolen 3 Success! You find a cache with the forecasts for how the entire Saturnine market will evolve over the next orbital period. There is data on incoming tax changes, new laws, shifts in foreign policy and the exact value of bribes the Conglomerate paid for these developments. You quickly make a copy of the parts you deem particularly important, then retreat into the digital space you're actually allowed in before any alarms get set off. None do. At least none you've been able to detect, which [i]probably[/i] means you're safe. Opting to quit as you're winning, you pull out the antenna and turn off the terminal before walking out of the building. You need to get home with spoils, and preferably sooner than later. *if die = 0 *set money_stolen (0-1) An alarm gets set off. You must have activated some trap, or touched another firewall, it doesn't really matter. What counts is that your operation has failed, and you need to abort it before your consciousness gets damaged in the bio-digital realm that is turning more hostile by the millisecond. Feeling defeated, you kill the connection with an angry thought, then physically pull the antenna out of the terminal. You turn around, not even bothering to turn the thing off, and march towards the exit door that leads back onto the street. You need to get out of this building, this city, this [i]world[/i] as soon as possible. Or else. *goto capture #Screw this, I'm aborting the operation. *set money_stolen 0 *set RheaRel %+ 20 *set ManfredRel %- 10 *set Confid %- 20 After your exchange with Hammon, you have a [i]bad[/i] feeling about the whole operation. You're likely to disappoint your friends and anger Sheila, but not getting caught or killed is ultimately your top priority. You pull out the antenna—hoping other clients don't notice how you haven't actually done anything—then turn off the terminal and walk back out of the building. You need to get home, and preferably sooner than later. *goto capture *label capture *page_break *temp frisbee false The street that welcomes you as you exit the bank is even more gloomy, more saturnine than it was a quarter ago. It's certainly dimmer, Tanit slowly dying above you, and there are far fewer people to be seen for some reason. Likely all the workers have simply arrived at their destinations (either night shifts, or flats where they can get their standard four hours of sleep) but the emptiness and the silence still unnerves you a little as you walk the street towards the Sholmo Gate. Makes you somewhat more jumpy, a little more cautious, and maybe a bit paranoid. Not paranoid enough. Just before you are about to take a turn into a smaller, less exposed alley, a cage forms around you. The bars are neon-pink and almost transparent, giving them an ethereal appearance not unlike a hologram, but you know them to be very much solid. Hard light, as the technology is usually called. You recall being caught in such a cage once or twice, with mines detecting android presence having been once a common feature of most human-inhabited streets. But it's not a mine this time. You can tell that this structure is being projected from a good distance, and you soon see the one responsible as you turn around. The figure walking towards you is fully covered by grey power armor, which you can tell is of high quality by just how sleek it is. Quiet too, despite being so large and heavy, so quiet you fail to hear not only any creaking but any steps made by the armor-clad person. Even the gauntlet that projects the cage, wirelessly emitting volcanic levels of energy, is perfectly silent and rather unremarkable. "${fake_name}, you are under arrest by the authority of the Kronian Federation," your captor says, male voice made metallic by modulators. "You will be largely unharmed if you cooperate. I am authorized to use lethal force otherwise." Well shit. You've been captured not just by a fed, but by a clearly high-ranking and well-armed one. Possibly a meta, though perhaps you shouldn't be that pessimistic just yet. *if Projection < 25 *set battery - 5 *comment Kirill Kosteniuk "Rook" *comment Renfri Riannon "Marshal" *comment Lisa Herbert "Hellhound" *fake_choice #"I'm being arrested? For what?" "Playing dumb will not do you much good," the armored man replies. "Though you are welcome to try anyway, I suppose." #"Lethal force? Try it and see how well it ends for you." *set Violence %+ 10 *set RookRel %- 5 *set ManfredRel %- 10 "Quite gallant of you to speak like this whilst incaged," the armored man remarks. "Especially considering whom you are talking with." #"And whom do I have the displeasure of speaking with?" *set RookRel %- 10 "You are not required or expected to speak with me," the armored figure replies. "And I am not expected to introduce myself, though I suppose I will do you that kindness." #Say nothing. *set RookRel %+ 10 *set Confid %- 5 "Making use of your right to remain silent? I approve of your caution." Before the man is even done speaking, he is joined by other two metas. Because, whether this prediction was pessimistic or not, these [i]are[/i] superhumans you are dealing with. They're both women, or females in any case, as they both appear quite far from what's usually considered human. The more normal-looking one, a fair-skinned girl with ginger hair cropped on one side, still opts to enter the scene by jumping off a nearby rooftop directly onto the street and landing unharmed, showing not only inhuman toughness but an equally unnatural form of grace and agility. If it makes things any better, you don't see any weapons on her other than a simple vibro-blade and she's wearing tight-fitting clothing instead of armor... which may suggest she doesn't need any such protection, but you'd rather not dwell on it. The other one does not jump down or emerge from a side street but swoops down from the sky itself. She is clearly a Kinnari, sporting a set of caramel-colored wings in place of arms, and appearing to fly thanks to them. You happen to know that such 'flight' is just gravity manipulation, but that hardly makes her any less of a potential threat. When she lands, you can see that she's wearing a sleeveless suit of light armor and a sort of headband with a round disc attached to it at the forehead. With darker skin and short chestnut hair, she looks like a native Oberonian—despite the distance between Rhea and that faraway, Uranian moon. "I am Kirill Kosteniuk, but you may call me Rook," the armored meta-human introduces himself. "Under this codename, I am a special enforcer of the Kronian law and the leader of the squad known as the Meta Trio. We are here to place you in custody for purposes of questioning and would appreciate your cooperation." *fake_choice #"I'll cooperate, but know that you're arresting an innocent ${sex}." "Your ${sex}hood happens to be under question," Rook replies. "For our database strongly suggests-" "Oh, get to the point already!" The redhead rolls her grey-irised eyes. "We know you're a Fiend, or at least some kind of android. And we are some of the very few people who don't want you killed on the spot for it, so behave if you want to deny me the fun of smashing you to bits." #"And what questions do you want to ask, exactly?" "Mostly ones about your fellow Fiends, or whatever artificial creatures you are in cohort with," Rook replies matter-of-factly. "And perhaps about your own history and capabilities, but we already know a good deal of that." "Point is, we know you're a synth," the redhead clarifies the obvious. "So you can skip denying that and jump right to surrender... or fight, if you want to make things fun." #"Meta Trio? Was there really no better name available?" *set LisaRel %+ 5 *set RenfriRel %+ 5 "What's wrong with our name?" Rook asks. He sounds dismayed, as well as somewhat surprised at how casual you're being. "Well, it could be applied to any three meta-humans working together," you explain. "As a result, the name doesn't really feel [i]yours[/i], or very creative for that matter." "I gotta agree with our robot *if sex = "man" dude *if sex = "woman" lady *if sex = "person" fellow here," the redhead speaks up. "Like, I get we don't really have any common theme going on and so naming is hard, but can't we petition to be called a 'trinity' or 'triumvirate' or something cool like that?" "That would be offensive to the religious feelings of Tritonians and Lunarians respectively," the bird-lady replies dutifully. "But otherwise I agree. We could have gone for the chess motif, though I'm not sure what piece you'd be if we-" "Can we save that for later?" the group's leader suggests. "We have an android to secure here, which I believe may be more important than our branding issues." #"Girls, are you really answering to him? My condolences." *set LisaRel %+ 10 "Why would you say that?" Rook sounds genuinely offended. "I got excellent scores on my standardized leadership test." "It's just trying to rile you up, Kirill," the bird lady says reassuringly. "Sure, you could have insisted on keeping that chess motif, and then there was… the thing with Hellhound and that guy… but you've just captured an android! Few metas can say so much for themselves, can they?" "Quite a few can, actually," the redhead chimes in. "It's just that many got their asses whooped right afterward, so how about we focus on the android rather than on giving pep talks?" #Say nothing. *if RookRel > 31 "Are we like, absolutely sure our robot friend here can speak?" the redhead asks. "Maybe *if sex = "man" he wasn't *if sex = "woman" she wasn't *if sex = "person" they weren't programmed with that ability?" "Yes, Hellhound, I am sure of it," the leader replies. "We know what it is capable of, and that is why we need to secure it. The sooner, the better." *if RookRel < 31 *set RookRel %+ 10 "I suppose turning silent counts as cooperation. Keep on it, and we will avoid damaging you." "Damaging?" You do not, in fact, remain silent for long. "Don't you mean 'hurting' me?" "He knows what he said," the Kinnari replies in the place of her leader. "We know what you are, that you don't exactly bleed, and that you don't have any constitutional rights we need to respect. Still, we won't destroy you if you comply with Rook's orders." You silently panic for a moment. Up to this point, there was at least a faint hope that you've only attracted federate attention through your heist, but now... if these people know you're an android, they will not let their guard fall around you, nor will they show you any quarter should you try to fight or flee. Or least that's what you would assume of a properly-organized team of metas, which the Trio might not actually be. So there's that much to be glad of, at least. [i]You're broadcasting lots of negativity through the emotions channel right now,[/i] You hear Damon in your head again. [i]I guess that means things went cloudward. Did you get captured after all, or...?[/i] Once again, without moving your lips or making an actual sound, you say: *fake_choice #[i]I'm not broadcasting any emotions. Fear and distress are beneath me.[/i] *set Emotion %- 10 [i]I get it, you are a stoic[/i] *if pronoun = "he" [i]guy[/i] *if pronoun = "she" [i]gal[/i] *if (pronoun = "it") or (pronoun = "they") [i]android[/i] [i]alright. You feel no pain and know no fear. But did you get captured or not?[/i] [i]…I did,[/i] you confess. [i]But I don't think I made any mistakes. The metas must have known about me in advance.[/i] #[i]Yes, but I can handle it myself.[/i] [i]Can you?[/i] Damon questions you. [i]What did you get caught by? Corporates, feds, some freelance robot-hunters? Please don't tell me it's meta.[/i] [i]It's three, actually.[/i] You pause, realizing how bad it sounds. How bad the situation actually is. [i]Alright, you can try to help me if you really want to.[/i] #[i]Yes, and I need you to come and extract me right now.[/i] #[i]Yes. Please help me.[/i] *set Emotion %+ 10 *set DamonRel %+10 *set Confid %- 10 #[i]No. Everything's fine.[/i] *set ManfredRel %- 10 *set HadalyRel %- 10 *set DamonRel %- 5 [i]Oh Fiends, ${pronoun} totally got captured,[/i] Hadaly says with concern bordering on terror. [i]Is someone listening to this broadcast, ${name}? Is that why you can't tell us what's happening?[/i] [i]I suspect ${pronoun} just @{plural don't|doesn't} want to admit to needing help,[/i] Damon takes his own guess. [i]Unless someone really did manage to hack ${subject} system and access the communications. In that case I think we should fly back to the station and tell Sheila that ${name} is basically dead and there's no point-[/i] [i]Fine![/i] you snap. [i]I lied. Some metas noticed me and threw me in a cage. I'll try to get out, but you can come help me if you [i]really[/i] want to.[/i] *if DamonStat [i]Okay, we are practically at the gate already,[/i] Damon says. [i]Just reach some port, say number eight, and we'll pick you up. I can provide some fire support if you're still chased by the time we meet.[/i] *else [i]Okay, we'll turn back and arrive at the gate as soon as we can,[/i] Damon assures you. [i]I mean, not as soon as we would have if you hadn't refused our help earlier, but-[/i] [i]Don't listen to him ${name}, it's not at all your fault if we don't manage to save you,[/i] Hadaly cuts in. [i]Which we will, by the way. Probably.[/i] *label fight_start "Um, is this android telepathically communicating with someone right now?" the Kinnari asks. "Because it sure looks like it." "Good point, Marshal," Rook replies, addressing the bird-lady by what is likely her codename. "We should get this operation over with as soon as possible. I will stun *if sex = "man" him, *if sex = "woman" her, *if sex = "person" them, you two be ready in case *if sex = "man" he fights *if sex = "woman" she fights *if sex = "person" they fight back." You don't want to find out what method of 'stunning' this man has in mind, and so the time to act is now. You may not fancy the idea of fighting this 'Meta Trio' on the battleground they chose, but that's a problem your processors will solve in time. For now, you'll break out of this cage using your primary and most trusted skill, as to avoid taking any chances at this particular instant. *temp tactic 1 *choice #Break the cage with your bare fists. *set Build %+ 50 *set tactic 1 Hardlight cages like these are primarily designed to hold humans. They are usually strong enough to confine all sorts of abhumans, and may even be solid enough to hold a meta-human, but an android primarily built with physical strength in mind is a whole different thing entirely. You clench your fist and draw it back, mustering the force sufficient for the task at hand. "As you can see, the hardlight used to build this cage is of absolute highest quality," Rook says as he approaches. "You have no hope of getting out, so please refrain from resisting as I-" Kirill raises his hands to shield himself from hardlight shards, remnants of a cage shattered by the strength of your punch. You aim your finger at his generator gauntlet, hoping to disable it with a small electric charge, but unnecessarily so. As luck would have it, one of the shards strikes the outer part of the glove, causing the remnants of the cage to shimmer away. It disappears entirely within less than a second. *goto rook_charge *if weapon = "pistol" #Shoot Rook's gauntlet through the bars. *set tactic 2 *set Calculation %+ 50 The metas don't know you have a pistol concealed, or how proficient you are with it. And you know from experience that shooting your problems is often the best solution, plain and simple. "Look, I have the documents to prove I'm not some runaway robot," you say as you reach inside your ${clothing} where the trusty pistol is buried. "Let me show you." "Come on now," the redhead says with an eye-roll. "We know how easy it is to forge documents, I did that once myself." "Can you please not mention that on duty, Hellhound?" Rook turns to his subordinate with a sigh. "It really does little to improve our-" Rook pauses as a barrage of ${wpr} flies toward him, one of them striking the gauntlet you aimed to destroy. You doubt you actually managed to hurt him, but you clearly damaged the hardlight generator, as the cage around you shimmers away from existence in short order. "For no particular reason, I must remind everyone of how important [i]focus[/i] is during combat situations," Marshal says as you reload the pistol. "Such as this one." You can't help but smile. *page_break *goto rook_charge *if weapon = "knife" #Throw a knife at Rook's gauntlet through the bars. *set Calculation %+ 50 *set tactic 2 The metas don't know you have a dagger concealed, or how proficient you are with it. Screw sophisticated solutions, this problem needs to be stabbed to death instead. "Look, I have the documents to prove I'm not some runaway robot," you say as you reach inside your ${clothing} where the trusty dagger is buried. "Let me show you." "Come on now," the redhead says with an eye-roll. "We know how easy it is to forge documents, I did that once myself." "Can you please not mention that on duty, Hellhound?" Rook turns to his subordinate with a sigh. "It really does little to improve our [b]ouch[/b]!" The expression of pain is due to the ${wpm} knife impacting Rook's gauntlet. You doubt you actually managed to hurt him, but you clearly damaged the hardlight generator, as the cage around you shimmers away from existence in short order. "For no particular reason, I must remind everyone of how important [i]focus[/i] is during combat situations," Marshal says as you magnetically summon the dagger back to your dominant hand. "Such as this one." You can't help but smile. *page_break *goto rook_charge #Project enough electric energy outwards to disrupt the cage. *set battery - 5 *set Projection %+ 50 *set tactic 3 Energy projection is a fun ability androids with powerful cores tend to develop when not bound by appropriate safety protocols. And since all your shackles have been broken almost a thousand years ago, you've had time to perfect the way you apply electric currents to anything and anyone you want destroyed. You have no need of weapons or inhuman strength; You simply press a single finger to one of the pink bars and focus the energy raging deep within your synthetic form. *label energy "As you can see, the hardlight used to build this cage is of absolute highest quality," Rook says as he approaches. "You have no hope of getting out, so please refrain from resisting as I-" Kirill raises his arms to shield himself from hardlight shards, remnants of a cage blown apart by your blast of electromagnetic energy. You aim your finger at the hardlight projector on his gauntlet, hoping to disable it with another blast, but unnecessarily so. As luck would have it, one of the shards strikes the outer part of the glove, causing the remnants of the cage to shimmer away. It disappears entirely within less than a second. *goto rook_charge #Locate the cage's weakest point and strike there. *set Database %+ 50 *set tactic 4 To an untrained eye, a hardlight construct like the cage you're in is just a single, solid object, with no structural flaws or moving parts. But you happen to know that such a hardlight structure is not just a block, but rather a cyclical process in which the strength of the barrier oscillates invisibly, with the regularity a light wave always has. You press your finger to one of the spots where the bars connect, one where the construct is particularly easy to overload, and perform some simple calculations before starting a very precise countdown. You may not be the best at energy projection, but if you just wait until the exact microsecond when the sine function reaches zero... *goto energy #Talk the metas into letting their guard down. *set Social %+ 50 *set tactic 5 "Do you really need to [i]stun me[/i]?" you ask, subtly changing your tone to sound more vulnerable and innocent. "When I'm not resisting in any way? Wouldn't that be police brutality?" "Like that ever gets prosecuted." The redhead rolls her eyes. "We can get away with as much unjust use of force as we want." "I mean... would it really be unjustified?" Rook argues, though without much conviction. "We are arresting a dangerous, rogue android here." *if money_stolen > 0 "Come on now, I haven't actually committed any violent offense." Not today, in any case. "You have absorption cuffs with you, right? Just put them on me, I'll give back what I stole and answer any questions you might have." *if money_stolen <= 0 "I haven't done anything!" you protest, your anger quite honest. You've decided against stealing anything back in the bank, and that's how the universe repays you? "No need to get violent, just put me in absorption cuffs or something." "Well... fair enough," Rook says as he clicks some button on his gauntlet, causing the cage around you to momentarily disappear. "I will trust you not to do anything stupid." "Um, is that really a good idea?" the Kinnari asks nervously. "If our sources are correct, this robot is quite a veteran. Quite a dangerous one." "Well then it will know not to fight when outnumbered," Rook replies as he pulls out a pair of handcuffs. "Besides, we have a duty to do everything with minimal violence and by the-" And then Kirill yelps. It may be just surprise, but you suspect there's a bit of pain there too; His gauntlet just got destroyed by your *if weapon = "knife" knife, which you throw at him in a moment of distraction and then summon back to your hand, ripping it from the metal glove it was partially buried in. *if weapon = "pistol" ${wpr} projectile in quite a violent manner. *if weapon = "none" electric discharge in quite a violent manner. Even if his hand is still alright, he won't be creating any hardlight cages anytime soon. You would feel proud of how well your ruse worked, but you mostly admire Marshal's willpower. To resist an urge to quip 'I told you so' in this situation... now [i]that's[/i] truly superhuman. *page_break *goto rook_charge #Come quietly. *set Confid %-10 *set Violence %- 10 *set RookRel %+ 10 *set RenfriRel %+ 10 *set LisaRel %- 10 *set ManfredRel %- 10 *set fought_trio false *goto surrender1 *label rook_charge "Do I come in now?" the redhead asks, a shadow of a smile on her pretty face. "I can tear *if sex = "man" him *if sex = "woman" her *if sex = "person" them apart if you want me to." "No Hellhound… no," Rook says, managing to clench his injured fist. "I will handle this. Tried the easy way, time for the hard one." Before you can act against him, or even mock his one-liner, Rook shoots forward with sudden, immense speed. You suspect his power-armor comes with some gravity manipulator, or concealed thrusters, or some other function that lets him fly at you like this. Either way, you only have a split second to react before his fist makes a mess out of your face. *fake_choice #Shock Rook with an artificial lightning. *set battery - 5 *set health - 1 *set Projection %+ 10 You throw your arms forwards and let the electric stream flow freely. It connects easily and, *if Projection > 30 with the vast energy in carries, *if Projection < 30 despite such attacks not being your specialty, makes a charred mess of the circuits inside Rook's armor suit. You suspect you've disabled quite a few of his systems, though he may bring them back online soon if he possesses the proper self-repair capabilities. Unfortunately, your lightning blast doesn't carry much kinetic energy, and certainly not enough to stop the immensely heavy meta-human from crashing into you. In addition to getting briefly stunned and not-briefly damaged by the impact itself, you also have the displeasure of feeling your face make close contact with electrified metal. Everything blacks out for a second and then you find yourself on the ground, significantly damaged, desperately rebooting your combat systems before your opponent gets up and resumes his assault. There's some good news though; Rook doesn't seem eager or able to get up, being at least as battered as you. All he manages is rising to his knees and shouting out, in a voice eerily distorted by his damaged modulator: "Marshal, attack!" The Kinnari nods and soars into the air, the flap of her wings that accompanies leaving the ground being mostly ceremonial. Like her leader, she can only move in such an unnatural way thanks to the power of dark matter she's all too happy to use against you. But by the time she can swoop down at you, or crush you with a field of enhanced gravity, you are already running into a nearby side-alley. Outpacing a flying meta-human whilst damaged is not an easy task, but you have little choice but to try. You don't suppose the girls will easily forgive you for frying their leader like that, and so increasing the distance between them and you seems like a wise course of action. #Move out of the way of Rook's charge. *set Database %+ 10 The thing about moving so fast is that such momentum is difficult to lose, even if you can switch directions mid-flight. Which you can't, if you're flying at such a velocity between tightly-packed buildings of the Sholmo city. You step out of the way, letting Rook fly right past you. He still brushes against you, the impact isn't direct enough to cause any serious damage to your synthetic body. Kirill Kosteniuk does, however, manage to cause significant structural harm to the wall he crashes into at almost his full speed, creating a new entrance to the warehouse and burying himself in cheaply-made bricks. *label crash Though you're certain the impact damaged Rook's armor to some extent, you're disappointed if you thought it would kill or even disable him. He immediately starts digging himself out of the rubble and screaming commands, or a single command in any case. "Marshal, attack now!" The Kinnari nods and soars into the air, using her inhumanly strong thighs to jump high into the air and take flight. The flap of her wings that accompanies the maneuver is mostly ceremonial; Like her leader, she can only move in such an unnatural way thanks to the power of dark matter she's all too happy to use against you. But by the time she can swoop down at you, or crush you with a field of enhanced gravity, you are already running into a nearby side-alley. Outpacing a flying meta-human is not an easy task, but you have little choice but to try. You don't suppose the girls will easily forgive you for ramming their leader into a wall like that, and so increasing the distance between them and yourself seems like a wise course of action. *goto chase_start *if weapon = "knife" #Stab the bastard. *set Build %+ 10 *if wpm = "hardlight" You activate your solid-light knife, though you extend it to the point where it resembles a longsword more than a dagger. It's the only way to actually knock Rook out of the air, as otherwise he'd end up crashing into you all the same, just maybe a bit more injured. You imagine you look quite cool as you slam your blade into the soaring meta-human, failing to penetrate his armor but stopping his charge all the same. He insteads falls on the ground in a way you [i]know[/i] looks less than perfectly dignified. He gets up fairly soon, but hesitates to keep attacking seeing the huge blade you now hold. "Careful there Kirill, I'll take care of this," Marshal says as she soars into the air, the flap of her wings that accompanies leaving the ground being mostly ceremonial. Like her leader, she can only move in such an unnatural way thanks to the power of dark matter she's all too happy to use against you. But by the time she can swoop down at you, or crush you with a field of enhanced gravity, you are already running into a nearby side-alley. Outpacing a flying meta-human is not an easy task, but beating her with just a hardlight knife in the arena her team chose would be even harder. Your best bet is to just get the hell out of this city, and out of Rhea generally. *if wpm != "hardlight" *set health - 1 You swing at Rook with your ${wpm} knife and manage to stab him easily enough. However, as you realize a centisecond before impact, that did precisely nothing to solve the problem of a hulking meta-human flying right at you, his armor significantly harder than your relatively soft, synthetic flesh. Everything blacks out for a second and then you find yourself on the ground, significantly damaged, desperately rebooting your combat systems before your opponent gets up and resumes his assault. There's some good news though; Rook doesn't seem eager or able to get up, being almost as battered as you in addition to having just been stabbed. All he manages is rising to his knees and shouting out, in a voice eerily distorted by his damaged modulator: "Marshal, attack!" The Kinnari nods and soars into the air, using her inhumanly strong thighs to jump high into the air and take flight. The flap of her wings that accompanies the maneuver is mostly ceremonial; Like her leader, she can only move in such an unnatural way thanks to the power of dark matter she's all too happy to use against you. But by the time she can swoop down at you, or crush you with a field of enhanced gravity, you are already running into a nearby side-alley. Outpacing a flying meta-human whilst damaged is not an easy task, but you have little choice but to try. You don't suppose the girls will easily forgive you for injuring their leader like that, and so increasing the distance between them and you seems like a wise course of action. *if weapon = "pistol" #Shoot the bastard. *set Calculation %+ 10 You aim your ${wpr} pistol, an easy task given how close your large target is, and pull the trigger almost instantly. *if (wpr = "plasma") or (wpr = "shroom") *if wpr = "plasma" *set weapon_av false Seeing what kind of weapon you're holding, Rook shifts his momentum sideways to avoid the ${wpr} projectile, dashing to his left with blinding speed. Luckily for him, he manages to evade the projectile that just keeps flying through the street, not hitting anything or anyone important. Sadly for him, there is a wall to his left, one he crashes into at full speed, creating a new entrance to the warehouse and burying himself in cheaply-made bricks. *goto crash *if (wpr = "electron") or (wpr = "laser") *set health - 1 The ${wpr} beam burns through a weak spot in Rook's armor, no doubt causing him significant pain and damage... but not actually slowing him down in any way. Certainly not stopping him from crashing into you, full speed, fist first. Everything blacks out for a second and then you find yourself on the ground, significantly damaged, desperately rebooting your combat systems before your opponent gets up and resumes his assault. There's some good news though; Rook doesn't seem eager or able to get up, being almost as battered as you in addition to having a hole in his lower body. All he manages is rising to his knees and shouting out, voice pained and angry: "Marshal, attack!" The Kinnari nods and soars into the air, using her inhumanly strong thighs to jump high into the air and take flight. The flap of her wings that accompanies the maneuver is mostly ceremonial; Like her leader, she can only move in such an unnatural way thanks to the power of dark matter she's all too happy to use against you. But by the time she can swoop down at you, or crush you with a field of enhanced gravity, you are already running into a nearby side-alley. Outpacing a flying meta-human whilst damaged is not an easy task, but you have little choice but to try. You don't suppose the girls will easily forgive you for puncturing their leader like that, and so increasing the distance between them and you seems like a wise course of action. *goto chase_start *if (wpr = "rail") or (wpr = "gyrojet") *set health - 1 Sadly, a single bullet just isn't enough to damage, or even slow down, a superhuman donned in high-quality power armor. Unmarred by your attempt to fell him, Rook connects his fist with your face just before your body connects with the ground. The force of the punch would have killed a regular human, and most abhumans as well. Thanks to your superior physique, you are merely damaged. And perhaps a bit humiliated as you scramble to your feet. Fortunately, Rook fails to follow up. His powered fist, already damaged by your first attack, evidently starts malfunctioning as its owner struggles to fully open or close it. After several attempts, he shrugs and turns to the Kinnari by his side. "Marshal, can you finish off our android friend? I think you have just the right skills to do it non-lethally." The Kinnari nods and soars into the air, using her inhumanly strong thighs to jump high into the air and take flight. The flap of her wings that accompanies the maneuver is mostly ceremonial; Like her leader, she can only move in such an unnatural way thanks to the power of dark matter she's all too happy to use against you. And you're all too happy to run the fuck away. Outpacing a flying meta-human whilst damaged is not an easy task, but you have little choice but to try. *goto chase_start #Stand there and scream pathetically. *set Emotion %+ 10 *set Social %+ 10 *set ManfredRel %- 10 You let out a high-pitched shriek of terror as you helplessly raise your arms to protect the face. Somewhat embarrassing for someone who had literal centuries to develop better defensive techniques, but an angry meta-human is an angry meta-human at the end of the day, and that's one scary sight. Luckily, Rook stops right before he can crash into you, as abruptly as he charged just a second earlier. His helmet is entirely expressionless, and yet you can sense his embarrassment somehow. "You stopped," the redhead notices. "I thought we were going to actually fight for once. Did the plan change?" "I do not know. Up close, *if sex = "man" he looks *if sex = "woman" she looks *if sex = "person" they look really human, not to mention how *if sex = "man" he sounds. *if sex = "woman" she sounds. *if sex = "person" they sound. Are we sure this is the dangerous, centuries-old android we are after?" "...what? Of course *if sex = "man" he is, he's *if sex = "woman" she is, she's *if sex = "person" they are, they're an [i]android[/i] for Sun's sake! They're meant to look human, you can't let that stop you from-" "Lisa, I don't approve of your tone, even if you're right," Marshal interjects. "Rook, I'm positive that this android matches the descriptions we've been given, and that it's very much dangerous. We shouldn't be afraid of harming it, especially now that it's actively running away." "...thank you for the observation, Marshal." Rook looks at you, just before you disappear behind a nearby building. "Now could you please give chase?" You don't hear or see the Kinnari respond, being already quite far away, but you soon find that she obliged. Eagerly. *goto chase_start *label chase_start *page_break *set battery - 5 Unlike the streets, the city block you run into has quite a few people running around. Most of them are wise enough to be running [i]for cover[/i] when they see a clearly superhuman individual being chased by an even more obvious superhuman, but that still leaves some potential for civilian casualties. You'd suspect this causes Marshal to hold back, if not for her explicitly stating that fact in no uncertain fashion. "Just stand still you coward!" the Kinnari yells, flying some ten meters up in the air as she tries to focus a red laser beam on you. The weakest kind. It's emitted by the disc on her headband, some mentally-activated device potentially verging on clarketech. "Can't you do without using humans as shields?" Since you don't actually use lungs to speak, not that you have any at all, you are able to respond without slowing down much. *temp lady false *fake_choice #"I'm not doing that! I'd never do that!" *set Misan %- 5 *set Violence %- 5 *set RenfriRel %+ 5 *label never "So it's just coincidence that you entered a populated area?" Marshal challenges you as she maneuvers into position for a proper shot. "Kind of?" you reply, fruitlessly searching for some cover which wouldn't require you to slow down. "I'm running for the gate, of course we're going to pass through some gatherings." "Well I appreciate the… gotcha!" the Kinnari exclaims the moment you're no longer close to any passerby, allowing her to swipe a laser beam at you, burning a scorched trail through your ${clothing}. The red laser isn't strong enough to actually damage your body… unless the Marshal decides to increase the frequency once she deems it safe enough. And it's not like you fancy your chances running in clothing that's actively falling apart. #"It's not my fault people live here!" *goto never #"Can't you do without flying!?" "Why would I give up my main advantage!" the Kinnari yells back. "Exactly!" You're fruitlessly searching for some cover which wouldn't require you to slow down. "I'm not giving up my advantage either!" "You little… gotcha!" the woman exclaims once you're no longer close to any passerby, allowing her to swipe a laser beam at you, burning a scorched trail through your ${clothing}. The red light isn't strong enough to actually damage your body… unless the Marshal decides to increase the frequency once she deems it safe enough. And it's not like you fancy your chances running in clothing that's actively falling apart. #"Thanks for the idea!" Use an old lady as a shield. *set lady true *achieve audacity *set RenfriRel %- 10 *set Misan %+ 5 *set Violence %+ 5 You grab a woman who looks to be in her forties, an impressive age for a lower-class Rhean worker. Having to carry her with you slows you down somewhat, and her panicked screams distract you just a bit, but having a quality shield is well worth the tradeoff. "Are you serious!" Marshal yells out of the sky. "Lisa will murder you once she gets here, she doesn't [i]care[/i] about civilian casualties like I do!" You assume 'Lisa' is the name of the ginger-haired meta whom you briefly saw running after you, in which case the bird-lady has a point. #Just keep running. "Nothing to say for yourself?" Marshal taunts you. "I guess I should have… gotcha!" She indeed gets you, in that her laser burns a scorched trail through your ${clothing}. The red beam isn't strong enough to actually damage your body… unless the Marshal decides to increase the frequency of her attacks once she deems it safe enough. And it's not like you fancy your chances running in clothing that's actively falling apart. You need to eliminate the Kinnari somehow, preferably before you reach the spaceport where she could conceivably convince the corporate guards to support her. She well knows of your *if tactic = 1 physical capabilities, *if tactic = 2 prowess with that ${weapon} you wield, *if tactic = 4 advanced technical knowledge, *if tactic = 5 silver tongue, *if tactic = 3 energy-based powers, and so you decide to use your second-best skill to take her out. *fake_choice *selectable_if (Build < 60) #Jump at Marshal and tackle her to the ground. *set Build %+ 40 The Kinnari feels secure just five, six meters above the dirt. She has no reason to go higher, that would just reduce the effectiveness of her laser weapon, and it's not like anyone could reach her at that height. Not anyone remotely human, that is. You crouch and focus most of the energy flowing from your core into the legs, specifically the synthetic muscles in your thighs. Marshal evidently takes it as the sign of you being tired and giving in; She flies a little closer to aim her beam better, inadvertently making your task even easier. When you leap, even her unnatural speed isn't enough to evade you in time. You catch the meta mid-flight, grasping her throat with an electrically-charged hand. You suddenly feel significantly lighter, coming under the effect of Marshal's field of altered gravity, but being crashed into and strangled clearly affects the strength of her powers. Gravity eventually pulls you down, pinning the Kinnari to the ground once you make contact with the street below. You'd think that, being in such a hopeless situation, Marshal would either panic completely or start pleading for mercy. Instead, she somehow manages to activate her headband again and focus a newly-emitted beam on your face. At such a close distance, even a red laser is quite hot as it creates a painful and—you assume—ugly burn on your cheek. In anger, you increase the voltage running through your fingers, electrocuting Marshal to an even greater degree, then throw her at a nearby wall with enough force to make some roughcast fall off. Your opponent slides down, back against said wall, finally too beaten-up to keep attacking. *if weapon = "knife" *selectable_if (Calculation < 60) #Throw a knife at her. *set Calculation %+ 40 You swing your arm and send the ${wpm} knife flying at Marshal with a speed only slightly inferior to that of a bullet. To her credit, the Kinnari manages to dodge the dagger, both initially and when it flies back toward your hand in a curved arc, showing the extent of her power but a considerable level of mastery thereof and some nice reflexes in general. *label sad Sadly, she's not nearly as good at minding her surroundings and her evasive maneuver ends with her crashing into a corporate billboard, a large one where the words 'Labor Liberates!' are written with letters almost as tall as she is. The woman rather rudely makes a deep dent in the metal plate, but she at least has the decency to limply fall onto the ground below mere moments later. *if weapon = "pistol" *selectable_if ((Calculation < 60) and (weapon_av)) #Just shoot her. *set Calculation %+ 40 *if wpr = "plasma" *set weapon_av false You pull out your pistol and start blasting away at Marshal, forcing her to increase the distance between the two of you so that she may weave and dodge more efficiently. And dodge she does, moving too quickly and too chaotically for you to get a decent aim on her until you run out of projectiles. Skilled flier, that gal. *goto sad *selectable_if (Database < 60) #Distract her with a piece of eldritch lore. *set Database %+ 40 "Where are your horse parts anyway?" you call out to her. "My what parts?" She already seems a bit distracted—you're easily able to duck under her laser beam this time. "Horse parts. You know, Kinnaras used to be half-horses. Sometimes they had equine heads, and sometimes they were more like centaurs." "What? We were always avian!" "I'm talking Terran mythology here. Hindu, to be specific. Though I guess your brand of meta-humans was based on the Cambodian depiction more than anything." "Stop babbling! I'm not some damn ho-" Marshal then crashes into a corporate billboard, a large one on which the words 'Labor Liberates!' are written with letters almost as tall as she is. The Kinnari rather rudely makes a deep dent in the metal plate, but she at least has the decency to limply fall onto the ground below mere moments later. *selectable_if (Social < 60) #Distract her with small-talk. *set Social %+ 40 "Do you really feel comfortable, leaving your leader behind like that?" you ask her whilst ducking under another laser beam. "You know, that Kirill guy I just injured?" "He's tougher than anyone else in this moon," Marshal replies with a sort of indirect pride. "And I know you don't have any allies here." "What?" you feign surprise. "I meant leaving him with that other hot chick. Don't you feel at least a bit insecure?" "What!?" The Kinnari stops paying attention to her surroundings entirely. "I'm not- we're not-" "You clearly are, you two little lovebirds you." "Listen you little-" Marshal then crashes into a corporate billboard, a large one where the words 'Labor Liberates!' are written with letters almost as tall as she is. The woman rather rudely makes a deep dent in the metal plate, but she at least has the decency to limply fall onto the ground below mere moments later. *selectable_if (Projection < 60) #Blast her away with lightning. *set Projection %+ 40 There is no point messing around, or complicating the matter too much. That bird needs some thunder, plain and simple. To Marshal's credit, she seems to have been expecting such an attack and speeds up when you extend your arms, hoping you'll miss and that your projectile will simply hit the moon's other side. But you're good enough at projection to curve the arcs of your lightning, causing the discharge to hit Marshal in the back and send her plummeting towards the ground. *if lady You discard the old lady and take a look at your downed opponent instead. For better or worse, she's not dead. She's a tough one, even for a Kinnari, and actually appears merely dazed and bruised rather than seriously hurt. You can keep running, hoping that she'll fail to catch up despite her powers of flight, or stop for a few moments to take Marshal out of the equation… permanently or otherwise. *fake_choice #I'll kill her. Permanent solutions are usually the best ones. *set Violence %+ 15 *set RenfriRel %- 10 You approach the downed meta-human, ${weapon} in your hand and killing intent in your eyes. She must recognize your intent, as for the first time in the entire battle, you perceive fear in her umber eyes. And with the same fear, she screams. "Lisa now!" #I'll break some bones for her trouble... but she'll live. *set Violence %+ 10 You approach the downed meta-human, fists clenched and ready to break a wing or two. Marshal tries to get up and face you properly, but the effort proves too much for her, so she uses what air she has in her rigid lungs to scream out. "Hellhound, now!" #I'll just take that headband of hers. You are not a killer, or at least not a gleeful one, but you fail to see anything wrong with disarming your opponents. You walk up to Marshal, ignoring her pitiful attempts and getting up, and tear the band off her head. Except you don't. All you manage to produce is a pained scream from the Kinnari as you realize the headband must be fastened in some way. Perhaps in some fancy one involving forcefields and gene-binding, or perhaps there are simply cables running from the little disk into Marshal's skull, connecting directly with the brain. You'd check, but you hear someone running towards you once the meta-human in your arms stops screaming. #I think I'll just keep running. You don't stop, hoping you gave Marshal a good reason to leave you the fuck alone. And sure enough, after another minute of running you hear not the flopping of wings, but the stamp of boots from behind you. You turn to see the third meta (Hellhound, if your short-term memory serves) leaping at you, using a nearby automobile as a jump-off point. You'd admire her agility, and the fact that she managed to catch up without you even noticing until now, but right now your attention is mostly focused on the vibro-blade she wields. Too long to be called a dagger, too short to be called a sword, but just sharp enough to cut into your synthetic flesh if you don't react at this very instant. *temp hound_fell false *fake_choice #Move out of the way. *set health - 1 You are easily quick enough to dodge Hellhound's attack… but not quick enough to realize that she's a pretty agile thing herself. That she won't let herself get carried by the momentum and can just… strike again immediately upon landing. Which she does. Right in your shoulder, taking a significant part of it before jumping back in fear of counterattack. Energetic and uninjured where you stand wounded, your circuits exposed and oil leaking out onto the asphalt below. *if weapon = "knife" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Parry the swing. *if (wpm = "mono") or (wpm = "bone") *set weapon_av false *set health - 1 You are quick enough to react and dexterous enough with a weapon to block the swing of Hellhound's small sword with your simple ${wpm} knife. All too late you realize, however, that the two weapons are hardly equal, and that trying to block a strike which has your opponent's full momentum behind it is a [i]bad[/i] idea. Your dagger is shattered, a fragment of it flying directly at your face and hitting your brow. This leaves you dismayed and, more importantly, unable to do anything about the intact vibro-blade that soon makes contact with your unarmored body. Hellhound takes a good chunk of your shoulder by burying her knife into it and then tearing it away as she leaps backward, evading any counterattack you may be thinking of. *if (wpm = "vibro") or (wpm = "hardlight") You are quick enough to react and dexterous enough with a weapon to block the swing of Hellhound's small sword with your ${wpm} knife. The two blades lock for a moment, *if Build < 35 neither powerful enough to break the other one, and neither wielder considerably stronger than the other. It is your opponent who disengages first, leaping backwards with the grace she already demonstrated, but also showing additional dexterity by managing to cut your wrist with a split-second movement of the short blade. It's a very minor wound, hardly significant in itself, but it shows just how proficient the woman you're facing really is. *if Build >= 35 but such a blade lock cannot last when you're so much stronger than some scrawny meta-human. You force your opponent's blade down, but before you can take advantage of the opening, she leaps backwards with the grace she already demonstrated. And somehow, you haven't noticed how, she managed to stab you upwards in the wrist, a wound very minor but distressing by the virtue of being there. Proof that you're facing a skilled adversary. *if (wpm = "plasma") or (wpm = "power") *set hound_fell true For all her speed and agility, Hellhound did not consider the implications of a ${wpm} blade meeting her vibrational one. The two weapons clash, briefly push against one another, and then the longer one breaks in its owner's hand. Perhaps that's the reason for the curse which the woman utters at this instant, or perhaps it's the fact that you just keep going, cutting her clothes and skin with the edge of your knife. The meta-human falls to the ground in pain. Breathing quickly, helpless, wounded seriously if not critically. Compared to the other two, her powers seem fairly meager, though maybe they'll help her regenerate… if you're planning to spare her, that is. *if weapon = "pistol" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Shoot her. *set hound_fell true *if ((wpr = "electron") or (wpr = "laser")) or (wpr = "gyrojet") *set health - 1 It is easy for you to aim, and it is easy for the *if wpr = "electron" concentrated beam of electrons *if wpr = "laser" green laser beam *if wpr = "gyrojet" self-propelled bullet to only penetrate Hellhound's clothing but to burn a hole through her very body. However, owing to her superhuman physique, it is also easy for her to temporarily ignore the damage and the pain to stab you in the chest, trading one puncture wound for another. You take a step back, slipping from the vibrating blade. Your wound is a serious one, but ultimately, you are the one with superior constitution. You are able to stand, though pained and bleeding internal fluids, whereas Hellhound fails to stop her knees from giving up under her weight. She collapses to the paved ground, helpless and seriously wounded. *if ((wpr = "plasma") or (wpr = "shroom")) or (wpr = "rail") By the time Hellhound lands, there is already a hole in her stomach *if wpr = "plasma" burned by a concentrated plasma projectile. Even if her enhanced form is somehow bulletproof, that matters little against a ball of sun-hot plasma. *if wpr = "shroom" where the expanding bullet entered her unarmored body. If you were worried that her body might somehow be bulletproof, well… there goes that. *if wpr = "rail" where the magnetically-pushed bullet entered her unarmored body. If you were worried that her body might somehow be bulletproof, well… there goes that. She still tries to swing her vibro-blade at you, but you easily dodge and step back, watching the woman collapse to the ground. It seems unlikely she'll survive a wound that serious, let alone that she'll keep on fighting… but you never [i]really[/i] know with meta-humans. #Grab the blade with your hand. *set Build %+ 5 *set Calculation %+ 5 *set health - 1 *set hound_fell true *set ManfredRel %- 10 It's not exactly a practical solution, since you'll end up taking a wound either way, but you're mostly concerned with not getting stabbed in something critical. Plus, you have a weakness for theatrics. You use one of your bare hands to grab the vibro-blade, doing your best to ignore its temperature and the way its edge buries itself in your pseudo-skin, and use the other arm to punch Hellhound in the face with your *if Build > 35 superhuman *if Build <= 35 full strength. That too causes you some pain, since the redhead's face is quite unnaturally tough, but you manage to break her nose and send her flying onto the ground nonetheless. #Blast her with lightning. *set Projection %+ 10 *set battery - 5 *set hound_fell true More often than not, the best solution to any given problem is one of the simple (and violent) ones. This situation is no exception. You hit Hellhound with the full power of your electric discharge, the lightning easy to aim at such a short distance. She's still flying towards you, which would have been a problem… if she were someone heavier than a slim, not particularly tall woman. For all her superpowers, she barely nudges you before collapsing to the ground, muscle spasms and all. *if hound_fell You stand over yet another defeated meta-human, and triumphantly say: *fake_choice #"I've officially downed your entire team. How do you feel about surrender?" "Surrender to you?" You can't tell if Hellhound is actually considering the proposition. "What will you do if I comply? Will you take me prisoner and carry me with you or…?" You furrow. "I don't know. I actually didn't think that far ahead." "Clearly." The woman smiles indulgently. "Without a plan, like a dog chasing automobiles. Speaking of…" #"Stay down, bitch." *set LisaRel %+ 7 Hellhound looks up at you, without any anger in her eyes. "She wolf." You blink. "What?" "The proper term is she-wolf," the woman explains. "Please don't spread racist misconceptions when the officers are watching." "What are you talk-" you pause. You realize what precisely this 'Hellhound' fellow means, but by then it's already too late. #"It was fun fighting you all, but I'll be going now." You form your lips into a mocking smile, but the redhead doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she flashes a smile of her own, though it's less sarcastic and more… genuine. Maybe. Somehow. "Please don't go yet," she asks politely. "I have a trick to show you." Before you can inquire what the hell this woman means, the transformation begins. #Do not say anything. Kill her. *set Violence %+ 15 That woman may not treat the battle seriously, but you do. When you fight, death of your opponent is the ultimate purpose. You move forward to complete that one mission, but then… it turns out Hellhound isn't done after all. *if hound_fell = false You'd expect your opponent to keep on attacking and press her advantage, but after leaving the range of your potential punches she just… stands there, looking like a stereotypical psychotic knife-wielder. She looks at you with her cold grey eyes and a satisfied smile on her lips, looking relaxed as ever. Was there any blood inside your body, the meta-human would be licking it off her blade right now. She clearly savors your injury and looks forward to killing you. *fake_choice #"Surrender. You cannot win." "Why?" the woman replies with a tilt of her head. "You think me unskilled with the blade?" "I think you too human to defeat me," you shoot back. "Once I wound you, you'll start bleeding, and you can't have that much more blood than a baseline human. I wouldn't take these chances if I were you." "I see the wisdom of your words," Hellhound says loftily. "Allow me to even the odds. Dog time." #"Hey, would you consider a truce?" Hellhound cocks an eyebrow. "Do you suspect I would?" "Yes," you answer plainly. "You are different from the other two. I know you don't [i]really[/i] care about catching me, do you?" "I don't. But I do care about getting a good fight now and then. And seeing how everything went to shit, I think I'm allowed to use my true form for once." "What are you-" But you get your answer before even finishing the question. #"Scared to approach? Come on, attack me if you dare." *set LisaRel %+ 7 "I will," Hellhound simply replies. "I just want to do it the old-fashioned way. Promised Kirill I'd try using the weapon first, now it's dog time." "What are you-" But you get your answer before even finishing the question. #♡ "Well, you're hot as sun. Wanna stop fighting and make out?" *set hit_on_lisa true *set LisaRel %+ 7 *if sex = "man" *if current_RO != "lisa" *set backup_RO current_RO *set current_RO "lisa" "An intriguing offer," Hellhound replies with a smile. "But I have to refuse. I want a good fight, and a strong guy like you may just be it." "Are you sure? I may have some issue going all out against someone as cute as you." "We can fix that. Just let me show you my [i]true[/i] form real quick." *if sex != "man" "You're not quite my type, android." Hellhound smiles, almost apologetically so. "And besides, there's something far more fun than [i]making out[/i] we could do. Watch." #Say nothing. "Feel like fighting in silence?" Hellhound asks, the smile still on her face. "Be my guest. I'll shift into a form that doesn't specialize in speaking." The woman's body convulses and trembles, as if gripped by an unseen force. Her muscles tense and grow, her face distorts and elongates, ginger fur sprouts from the skin exposed as the clothes are ripped apart. Claws and teeth grow until they're capable of rending even your flesh with ease, and by then… the thing before you very much resembles its namesake, especially given the dim lighting and the bloodlust in the beast's eyes. *if hound_fell Almost no trace of the recent wound remains, for the regeneration comes with transforming one's body into something… lupine. Nothing like a close encounter with a werewolf under a fading sun. *page_break Werewolves are not the sole were-creatures created via precise application of ancient nanotechnology (you happen to know one werehog quite well) but they are probably the most dangerous and [i]definitely[/i] the most unstable ones. In retrospect, it is surprising how well-adjusted Hellhound was, if she had to keep the beast inside under control throughout the entire battle. Even now she doesn't attack, in spite of having more than enough supernatural strength and speed to tear you apart if she really wanted to. Instead, she just stares at you with grey eyes, leaving you to wonder what exactly she's waiting for… "${fake_name}!" Rook enters the scene, moving quite quickly in spite of the damage his exoskeleton sustained. "You have almost exhausted our good will! And since you are surrounded, I implore you to drop your weapons and-" "Aren't we past this point?!" Marshal irritably says as she lands to your right, completing the semicircle that now surrounds you. She's somewhat struggling to speak, having sustained a major injury or two, but seems determined to keep fighting until the end. "Let's just smash this thing to bits and then [i]maybe[/i] put it back together." The werewolf simply growls. You don't know if it was assent, protest, or an expression of general anger, but you know that Hellhound looks ready to attack. Fully grown now, on all fours, not just willing but eager to jump at what she perceives as her prey. "Maybe you're… you are right," Rook concedes. "We need to end this before we run out of time. Everyone brace yourselves." Running out of time? The Meta Trio appears to be under some sort of time pressure… *if Database >= 35 and you have a good idea of what it might be. Supernatural powers like those of the metas do not usually come from the meta-humans themselves, or even any piece of tech contained within their bodies. They need an external power source of divine caliber, such as the World Engine above your head. Tanit, the Sun of Rhea, getting dimmer by the second as the 'day' ends and 'night' approaches swiftly. Perhaps if you just wait until nightfall, the Trio's powers will disappear, or at least become weak enough for you to beat all of them at once. Perhaps. *if Database <= 35 but you have no idea what may be the source of that pressure, or if it's something of strategic relevance. Perhaps it's just some arbitrary deadline which will make the metas more aggressive, less merciful, less intent on taking you alive. Meanwhile, *if DamonStat the androids and Manfred have certainly docked at port eight already. You dare not call them for fear of losing focus, but they would have called [i]you[/i] had something went wrong. Running to them is probably your best shot at escaping the moon, but something about the idea of leading a bunch of federal metas to meet your friends makes you feel uneasy, and the revelation that one of said metas is a werewolf hardly helps. *if DamonStat = false the ship with your fellow androids aboard must be nearing the Sholmo Gate. They haven't called you yet, which means nothing went wrong, but it's unlikely they've passed through the checkpoints already. You could still run to the rendezvous point, but they may end up in danger if you cause too much chaos in the docks. You will certainly put many innocent people in danger if you run there… @{(Misan < 50) which you can't help but view as a bit of a problem.|not that you particularly mind.} You snap out of the musings, knowing that the Trio will attack within a literal second. What do you do, and why? *temp fighting false *choice #I'll run for the port. I don't think I can win otherwise. *set Confid %- 15 *goto run_port #I'll run for the port. I'm not getting my hands dirty again. *set Violence %- 15 *goto run_port #I'll run. I can probably win either way, but meeting up with the others will maximize my advantage. *set Emotion %- 10 *set Confid %+ 5 *goto run_port #I'll stay and fight. Those humans will pay for messing with me. *set Misan %+ 10 *set Emotion %+ 10 *set ManfredRel %- 10 *set Confid %+ 10 *goto fight2 #I'll stay and fight. I'm not endangering anyone but myself that way. *set Misan %- 10 *set Violence %- 10 *goto fight2 #I'll stay. There is nothing I love more than a good fight. *set Violence %+ 15 *goto fight2 #Actually, screw that fight. I'll yield. *set Confid %- 20 *goto surrender2 *label run_port You see no shame in running away. It's just the only rational path to take… and besides, it's not exactly an easy one. "Now." All three metas attack at Rook's signal, no further hesitation or bickering. Marshal activates some gravity field that forces you down towards the ground, making your movements more sluggish and energy-intensive. Kirill charges you at the same second, in a way which you just manage to dodge… just in time to start evading Hellhound's attacks, her teeth and claws coming really close to damaging you multiple times over the next several seconds. Eventually, you manage to leave the gravity field, regaining your ability to run. However, you are now faced with a decision of what you want to run towards—the metas position themselves in such a way that no matter which one of three exists from the square you choose, you will be open to someone's attack for at least a few moments. Not having that much time to decide, you run towards… *choice #...Rook. He may be the toughest of the bunch, but he's definitely the slowest. *goto rook #...Marshal. She can't do much to stop me without coming down, right? *goto marshal #...Hellhound. Hopefully she's too feral to notice what I'm trying to do. *goto hellhound *label fight2 *temp fighting true No running. It's you or them, and you'll soon find out which. "Now." No matter their bickering, all three metas attack at Rook's signal. Marshal activates some gravity field that forces you down towards the ground, making your movements more sluggish and energy-intensive. Kirill charges you at the same second, in a way which you just manage to dodge… but that just puts you in an excellent position for Hellhound to launch her attack, teeth and claws, maneuvering around the field her companion created so that her movements may stay fast and graceful. *if Calculation > 35 Luckily enough, you were prepared for that. You've precisely calculated how to evade Rook and get as close to the field's edge as possible, and you are able to exit it before werewolf claws can reach you. From then on, it's a matter of keeping your focus, processing data quickly enough to always be one step ahead of Hellhound's lunges and the lasers Marshal shoots whenever it seems safe. Something just within the reach of your abilities. *if Calculation < 35 *set health - 1 Before you are able to exit the gravity field, each of the front paws of the frenzied werewolf slashes across your body once. Two sets of claw marks, chest and abdomen, ruining your clothing and exposing the circuits beneath your synthetic skin. Once gravity returns to normal, dodging becomes easier, even as Marshal begins shooting her lasers at you as an attempt at distraction. *if health = 0 *set pc_state "captured" You can't do this for long. You were wounded before the claws even touched you, and now… your remaining strength is leaking out with all the liquids that serve as your blood. Soon enough, Hellhound scores another hit, at about the same time Marshal hits you with her newest beam. You'd consider running, but you have no strength for that either. You just keep evading until- A gauntleted fist strikes your face, pushing you towards a world of darkness. Your visual systems go offline, and you lose what control you had over your limbs, but that isn't even the worst of it. That title goes to the thing, the sound, the memory that chose just this moment to resurface, pulling you down into its world when it sensed your weakness. Your helplessness. *goto flashback But you can't do that forever. You know that. The question is whether you can do it long enough for *if Database >= 35 Tanit to finally go dark… *if Database <= 35 whatever timer the metas are on to run out… and whether you should go on the offensive instead. *choice #Attack Rook. Cut off the head and all. *set pc_state "captured" *set RookRel %-10 *set RenfriRel %-10 You cannot take out the whole Trio at once, no matter your skill or strength. But you can defeat their leader, and that just might be good enough. When Rook next attacks you, you only evade to immediately strike back. You don't care for the sting of the laser on your shoulder, you won't let the Kinnari pull you away from her knight in failing armor. With all your fury, you… *fake_choice *if weapon = "pistol" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Blast away at Rook. *set health 0 You pull out your pistol and start blasting away at the large, cumbersome target that is the Trio's leader. *if ((wpr = "plasma") or (wpr = "shroom")) or (wpr = "gyrojet") Your projectiles are powerful enough to punch holes through power armor and eventually make Rook collapse under the weight of his wounds. But by then you have no more ammunition, and you still have two meta-humans to deal with. Marshal slams into you first, literally so, with the full speed her powers allow. You can tell it hurts her just as it does you, but even that doesn't matter. When the werewolf attacks again you are stunned, exhausted, too weak to defend against the claws and teeth and the talons again and the darkness that comes once you've lost too much of your internal fluids, ran out of power, sustained critical damage. The battle is over, and it may well be over for you. *goto flashback *else But you can hardly inflict any damage; Whilst Rook's armor may be malfunctioning due to all the strain put upon it, it's still thick enough to protect the meta-human from all your shots. Before you can change your strategy, Kirill attacks again, his fist meeting your chest as you're becoming too exhausted to react quickly enough. After that you are stung by a laser beam from above, then scratched by werewolf claws, then crushed by a gravity field and then it's teeth and… *goto flashback *if weapon = "knife" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Throw a knife at Rook. Just ten minutes later, Rook would have easily evaded the ${wpm} knife thrown at him like that, despite the constraints of his armor. But now, tired and injured, he's not quite fast enough to stop the blade from burying itself between the plates of his carapace. He falls to the ground limply, beaten and possibly mortally injured. A victory for you. But now… you no longer have your dagger to defend yourself with. Not when the werewolf descends on you again, marking you with her claws as to avenge her fallen leader. Marshal doesn't bother to restrain the hound, and just watches as both physical and mental strength leaves you and, though she can't tell that's happening… something else takes advantage of your weakness. #Shock Rook with your strongest lightning. You focus your power and channel it straight at the armored meta-human. There is no need for arcs or feints, he is too tired and too heavy for proper evasions. One powerful blast causes his armor to shut down as he falls onto the ground, and this time he fails to get up. But now… you don't have much energy left in you. Not enough to fight back when the werewolf descends on you again, marking you with her claws for every burn you gave her companion. Rook doesn't bother to restrain the hound, and just watches as both physical and mental strength leaves you and, though he can't tell that's happening… something else takes advantage of your weakness. #Beat him up with your bare fists. *set LisaRel %+ 20 Some people would call entering unarmed combat with a power-armored opponent a particular form of suicide, but most of these people are humans. You are not human. You are something far tougher and far less afraid of death than that. Rook raises his guard as you leap at him. You are currently in the middle of the square, with plenty of space for you both to kick, punch and dodge one another's attacks. *if Build > 35 You take some damage, he takes some. He fights relentlessly, but so do you. Two superhuman creatures going at one another, each capable of fighting till dusk. But only one brought backup. Neither of the other meta-humans dares to interrupt the fight, but Marshal has her laser with which she can sting you every other second, and you feel the effects of her gravitic abilities slow you down. Or maybe it's just exhaustion. The desire to give up as Rook's fist breaks your ribcage. The desire to… *if Build <= 35 You punch him once or twice, but he's simply tougher and stronger than you, especially with much of your energy reserves already spent. The fight lasts maybe a minute before it turns into a prolonged execution, firsts and boots breaking your body. You have no fear of the creature in front of you, but as strength leaves you and darkness takes you, dread of something else floods your digital mind. *set health 0 *goto flashback #Attack Marshal. She seems like the actually competent one. *set pc_state "captured" *set RenfriRel %-10 *set RookRel %-10 You cannot defeat the whole Trio at once, no matter your skill or strength. But you can take out their most valuable asset, and that just might be good enough. The moment Hellhound gets briefly tired of swinging her claws at you, you turn all your attention to the other woman. You don't care for the sting of the laser on your shoulder, but you will force her out of the sky once more. With all your fury, you… *fake_choice *if weapon = "pistol" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Blast away at Marshal. For all her speed and grace, the Kinnari is not fast enough to dodge ${wpr} projectiles. You fill her with those, perhaps enough so to kill, and certainly enough to take her out of the equation. Now you are able to take care of the other two, perhaps starting with Rook who- Kirill grabs you as you're briefly distracted and, with the full strength of his power-armor, slams you against the wall of a nearby house. He then does that again, and again, and then he punches you, and then you feel the claws again, and than you feel… nothing. Nothing except the cold and the dread, which you realize are not the result of the battle you've just lost. *if weapon = "knife" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Throw a knife at Marshal. Just ten minutes later, the agile Kinnari would have easily evaded the ${wpm} knife thrown at her from a distance like that. But now, tired and injured, she's not quite fast enough to stop the blade from burying itself in her chest, upon which she's obviously unable to keep flying. She falls, beaten and possibly mortally injured. A victory for you. But now… you no longer have your dagger to defend yourself with. Not when the werewolf descends on you again, marking you with her claws as to avenge her fallen companion. Rook doesn't bother to restrain his hound, and just watches as both physical and mental strength leaves you and, though he can't tell that's happening… something else takes advantage of your weakness. #Shock Marshal with your strongest lightning. You focus your power and channel it straight at the flying meta-human. There is no need for arcs or feints, she is too tired to evade properly. One powerful blast forces her down, and this time she fails to get up. *if Projection > 55 *set pc_state "friends" "Meta Trio, retreat!" Rook shouts at the one teammate left to hear him. You expect the werewolf to just keep rushing at you with all her fury and bloodlust, but she actually obeys quickly enough, disappearing in a side alley. Rook quickly joins her, but not before picking up Marshal's limp body to bridal-carry her away from the battlefield. You consider blasting the two of them with another lightning, but your energy reserves are quite low at this point. You simply can't muster a blast that would hurt the armored meta-human, and your aim is unlikely to be steady with how light-headed you feel at this point. *goto victory But now… you don't have much energy left in you. Not enough to fight back when the werewolf descends on you again, marking you with her claws for every burn you gave her companion. Rook doesn't bother to restrain his hound, and just watches as both physical and mental strength leaves you and, though he can't tell that's happening… something else takes advantage of your weakness. #Beat her up with your bare fists. You can't fly, but you can't jump. You leap high at the wall of the habitat block and then bounce away at such a precise angle as to meet the Kinnari mid-flight. She's too tired to evade, and too tired to effectively fight back as you slam a charged fist into her, then once she's fallen down you kick her and then you punch again and then you claw and… It tires you. It tires you too much to fight back when the werewolf descends on you again, marking you with her claws for every bruise you gave her companion. Rook doesn't bother to restrain his hound, and just watches as both physical and mental strength leaves you and, though he can't tell that's happening… something else takes advantage of your weakness. *set health 0 *goto flashback #Attack Hellhound. She's the biggest threat here. *set pc_state "captured" You cannot defeat the whole Trio at once, no matter your skill or strength. But you can take out their strongest fighter, and that just might be good enough. When Hellhound next attacks you, you only evade to immediately strike back. You don't care for the sting of the laser on your shoulder, you won't let the Kinnari pull you away from her mammalian friend. With all your fury, you… *fake_choice *if weapon = "pistol" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Blast away at the hound. For all her strength and ferocity, the werewolf is not fast enough to dodge ${wpr} projectiles. You fill her with those, perhaps not enough so to kill, but enough to take her out of the equation. Now you are able to take care of the other two, perhaps starting with Rook who- *label kyrill_angry *set RookRel %-15 Kirill grabs you as you're briefly distracted and, with the full strength of his power-armor, slams you against the wall of a nearby house. He then does that again, and again, and then he punches you, and then you feel the heat of the laser again, and then you feel… nothing. Nothing except the cold and the dread, which you realize are not the result of the battle you've just lost. *if weapon = "knife" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Slash at the hound. You have a ${wpm}-dagger. She has claws and teeth. The two of you attack one another, slashing and tearing and giving the other one more wounds, spilling more internal fluids… except for all your synthetic physique, it's Hellhound who can regenerate rapidly. You are just getting gradually torn apart, and burned by Marshal's lasers, and then again met with razor sharp teeth which would cause you pain if your receptors weren't so damaged. You can only feel… #Shock Hellhound with your strongest lightning. You put all your energy into one attack and strike the werewolf with the power of an actual lightning, over a billion joules condensed in one place. It scorches her fur and gets her to stop moving alright, but you're not sure if she's actually dead. In any case, you are now able to take care of the other two, perhaps starting with Rook who- *goto kyrill_angry #Play fetch with Hellhound. *set LisaRel 30 *goto fetch #Beat her up with your bare fists. *set LisaRel %+ 20 Some people would call entering unarmed combat with a werewolf a very painful form of suicide, but most of these people are humans. You are not human. Androids like you are far tougher and somewhat less afraid of death. You charge at Hellhound and she charges back. The two of meet dead-center between two buildings, with plenty of space for you to punch and kick and for her to gnaw and claw. *if Build > 35 You take some damage, she takes some. She fights relentlessly, but so do you. Two superhuman creatures going at one another, each capable of fighting till dusk. But only one brought backup. Neither of the other meta-humans dares to interrupt the fight, but Marshal has her laser with which she can sting you every other second, and you feel the effects of her gravitic abilities slow you down. Or maybe it's just exhaustion. The desire to give up as the werewolf impales you with her talons. The desire to… *if Build <= 35 You punch her once or twice, but she's simply faster and stronger than you, especially with much of your energy reserves already spent. The fight lasts maybe a minute before it turns into a prolonged execution, talons and teeth tearing your body apart. You have no fear of the creature in front of you, but as strength leaves you and darkness takes you, dread of something else floods your digital mind. *set health 0 *goto flashback #Stay on the defense. That's your best bet. *set Confid %- 10 *goto defense *selectable_if ((Projection + battery) >= 110) #One large lightning bolt will get them all. *set battery 21 Your energy projection is not just your best skill; It's the one ability you always counted on, constantly keeping your battery as full as possible, expecting a situation much like this one. Finding yourself surrounded, hearing one meta-human shout at the others as they all soar towards you… and then you let it all out. Ten, twenty gigajoules of electric energy released in a single blast, so powerful it goes beyond lightning or thunder. It's a storm condensed into a single alley, an explosion of electrons that melts the asphalt around your feet and turning all oxygen ozone. You feel dazed and emptied of power, standing in the centre of this outburst, but you can tell the meta-humans have all been hit harder. More painfully. To their credit, they all remain alive somehow, the screams and the moans of pain prove that. They are even able to run away, or rather crawl away, scared and barely in control of their burned muscles. Perhaps not beyond the reach of whatever medical technology they have, but no longer capable of fighting. *goto victory *label rook The plan sounds good, until you realize that Rook is the most heavily-armored of the Trio and, whatever wounds or damage you've inflicted on him, that won't make getting physically past him much easier. You suppose blasting him with electricity is still an option, but you are *if health = 3 running out of energy as you fight, so projecting that energy outwards might not be the greatest idea. *if health < 3 injured and running out of energy. A powerful blast would hurt you just as well as your opponent. *if fighting Maneuvering yourself so that Rook is between you and the other two gives you some time to think, but not much. You need to make a decision before they all managed to descend on you again. *if fighting = false But enough pondering. There is a block of metal and flesh between you and your road to freedom. How do you remove him? *fake_choice #Blast him with lightning. *if Projection < 35 *set health - 1 You gather what power you still have, even as it scorches your overloaded circuits, and channel it into the conductive metal of Rook's armor. You hear something resembling a scream, but it is muffled by the far louder sounds of electric discharges and gears within the armor's mechanical structure grinding into halt. Just like that, the leader of the Meta Trio is felled. *if health = 0 But so are you. Once the electric energy stops flowing out of you, there's nothing left. You don't even have enough power to think effectively… but you can feel, and you experience the same thing you had in the bank, except far stronger now that it senses your weakness. *set pc_state "captured" *goto flashback *achieve karpov *set leader "renfri" You don't know how long he'll stay down, but you're fairly sure he won't pursue you anymore. Marshal can, but she's temporarily shocked by seeing her leader downed and possibly seriously injured. You take that as a chance to gain some distance, and to hopefully reach the port before the two remaining metas can catch up with you. *goto chase_final #Physically barge past him. You count on being strong enough to just charge your way past your opponent, or on Rook's power armor being too damaged for him to react swiftly or forcefully enough. Both, if luck would have it. *if Build > 35 You were right. The Trio's leader isn't fast enough to stop you, all he manages is grabbing your ${clothing} once you've already bolted past him, and just ends up ruining it as he rips away a huge piece of cloth. Bare-chested, you just keep running down the street that now lies open and leads towards the spaceport, which will then lead you towards freedom and safety. Maybe. Hopefully. *goto chase_final *if Build <= 35 *set health - 1 It was a foolish bet. Rook is more than able to grab you and force you to the ground, where he then treats you with a kick powerful enough to send you flying for a good few seconds before landing back on the road. A human would be on the verge of death after something like whereas you are… *if health = 0 Well, you are close to death too. You're not in any immense pain, your life isn't flashing before your eyes, you see no light and no tunnel. You are not experiencing the same things a human would when dying. If not for the thing that happened a thousand years ago, you would perhaps even feel at peace. But you don't, for you remember that day, and it remembers you. *set pc_state "captured" *goto flashback *if health > 0 Somewhat close to death too, but at least you're still able to run. And now you've gained some distance, meaning you can resume your escape towards the port. *goto chase_final #Put all power into your legs and jump over him. You are a superhuman android capable of quite some athletic feats when you really want to. By focusing energy in your hind muscles, you manage to leap many meters into the air and soar far above Rook, the move too quick and too surprising for him to stop you. *label domain *set health - 1 *if Build < 35 *set health -1 However, as you just now realize… you are in Marshal's domain now. And she turns out just fast enough to stop you. She flies in your general direction, making you think she'll just crash into you, but then she rises a little more and ends directly above you. Then, giving no forewarning save the furrowing of her brow and no chance to stop her, she blasts you with a wave of amplified gravity that pushes you back towards the ground alongside regular gravity. And because you are quite high up… well, the impact is pretty painful to say the least. *if health > 0 Luckily, though the landing left you barely alive, it also created quite a bit of distance between you and the other two metas. With Marshal at least a bit winded after her attack, you scramble to your feet and begin running towards the port. You are getting weaker by the minute, and you need to leave this damn city [i]fast[/i]. *goto chase_final You are severely damaged by crashing into the road powerfully enough to crack the asphalt, but it doesn't end there. Rook is now in a perfect position to kick you with his armored boot, and then once more, and then one more time to make you pass out completely. You can't tell whether he stops kicking after than, for you have another problem to deal with. The memory. *set pc_state "captured" *page_break *goto flashback *if money_stolen = 2 #Throw your sack of axions at him, then explode the coins. *achieve karpov *set money_stolen (0-2) Axions are a funny thing. Condensed dark matter in a metal shell, so valuable and so handy as a mode of exchange… despite being basically small, gilded grenades. Granted, their shells are pretty tough and the dark matter inside is not normally unstable, but there is little a solid electric shock can't achieve. "Bribery?" Rook asks as you throw enough coins at him to buy a cozy residence on Titan. "I will have you know that as a federate official, I am immune to any form of-" You then send a shock through the coins scattered on the ground, causing them to explode with a gravitational wave which sends Rook—the one surrounded by the coins—flying upwards and vaguely towards the World Engine high above. Hellhound gets pushed backwards and towards a nearby wall just as she's about to attack you again. You get thrown back too, but that was calculated; You end up being thrown further down the road and towards the port you were going to run to anyway. *goto chase_final *label marshal Marshal isn't physically blocking your path, being high up in the air, but you don't imagine you can run too far with someone like her on your tail. You need to take her out to make your escape actually feasible. You just need to figure out how; You suppose blasting her with electricity is still an option, but you are *if health = 3 running out of power as you fight, so projecting energy outwards might not be the greatest idea. *if health < 3 injured and running out of energy. A powerful blast would hurt you just as well as your opponent. What will you do? *fake_choice #Blast her with lightning. *set battery - 5 *if Projection < 35 *set health - 1 You gather what power you still have, even as it scorches your overloaded circuits, and send it flowing high above so that it hits the avian creature you want downed so badly. You hear something resembling a scream, but it is muffled by the far louder sounds of electric discharges and soon by the sound of Marshal's body hitting the pavement. She seems still alive, but you doubt she'll be able to follow you even once the spasms pass. *if health = 0 That said… you can't really run anymore. The discharge depleted your energy and fried what circuits of yours haven't been cut already. The ones responsible for your vision, the ones that detect pain, the ones that keep you upright. You fall, as blinded and helpless as the meta-human beside you, except you have yet another problem to deal with. The memory resurfaces. *set pc_state "captured" *goto flashback You dash towards an adjacent alley as Rook shouts something you can't quite make out. Perhaps crying out his teammate's name, he definitely sounds concerned, but you have no time to ponder that. With the werewolf still on your tail, you need to get out of this city [i]fast[/i]. *goto chase_final *if money_stolen = 2 #Throw your sack of axions at her. *set money_stolen (0-2) Axions are a funny thing. Condensed dark matter in a metal shell, so valuable and so handy as a mode of exchange… despite being basically small, gilded grenades. Granted, their shells are pretty tough and the dark matter inside is not normally unstable, but there is little a concentrated laser beam cannot achieve. You throw the sack of coins high into the air and towards Marshal. She shoots it with her laser as though by instinct, perhaps even involuntarily, but the resulting explosion sends her flying backwards with uncontrollable speed all the same. The gravity wave likely disrupted her own gravitic abilities, assuming the acceleration didn't cause her to simply pass out. You suspect she's still alive, and it's possible she'll return seeking revenge eventually, but you've got her off your back for now. With the other two still on your tail, you dash into an adjacent alley, hoping to leave this damn city [i]fast[/i]. *goto chase_final #Put all power into your legs and jump at her. *set health 0 You are a superhuman android, capable of quite some athletic feats when you really want to. By focusing energy in your hind muscles, you manage to leap many meters into the air and soar towards Marshal, aiming to tackle her and bring her down to the ground. However, as you just now realize… you are in her domain now. And unlike in your previous scuffle, she has allies at the ready. First, you get burned by Marshal's laser, though it's not extremely damaging in of itself. But it causes you to lose your focus, so instead of tackling the Kinnari you just end up crashing into her, and then into the ground, something that hurts you almost as much as it hurts her. Before you can scramble to your feet, Rook arrives to kick you in the belly, strongly enough to actually send you flying a few meters. Then it's the claws, then the laser again, then the teeth… and then you give up. *page_break *set pc_state "captured" You are beaten. Defeated. Almost dead. You try to get up, but all you manage is a [b]scream[/b] *goto flashback *if weapon = "pistol" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Blast away at her with your pistol. *if Build < 35 *set health - 1 For all her speed and grace, the Kinnari is not fast enough to dodge ${wpr} projectiles. You fill her with those, perhaps enough so to kill, and certainly enough to take her out of the equation. Now you are able to take care of the other two, perhaps starting with Rook who- *label rook_slam Kirill grabs you as you're briefly distracted and throws you at a nearby wall, no doubt furious upon seeing his subordinate shot. The impact against the bricks hurts… *if health > 0 but you are somehow able to get up. You can still walk, almost run. You can still get out of this alive. *if health = 0 though the pain isn't the important part. The darkness taking over as your visuals fail… now that's the real concern. *set pc_state "captured" *goto flashback You decide to try out the eon-old maneuver of playing dead, or at least too damaged to keep fighting. You cease all movement for a moment, save for involuntary twitches that probably just add to the impression. Just laying on the pavement, amidst the splinters of the wall you've just collided with and torn pieces of your own clothing. You can't tell whether Rook truly buys the illusion, but after kicking one more time for good measure, he decides to check on his fallen teammate instead. He doesn't notice as you get up and start running down the street… but Hellhound does, and she gives chase heedless of everything else. You consider drawing her out so that you can fight her one-on-one, but you know her leader would eventually join her and then that would be it. No. You need to reach the port. Then meet up with the others and then get the hell out of this damn moon. You just need to hold on… *goto chase_final *if weapon = "knife" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Throw your knife at her. *if Build < 35 *set health - 1 You are tired, and neither your aim nor the strength of your arm is what it used to be. But the Kinnari is even more tired, being an organic creature after all, and that allows you to throw the blade in such a way it buries itself in one of her wings, blood staining bronze as Marshal falls towards the ground. Now you are able to take care of the other two, perhaps starting with Rook who- *goto rook_slam *label hellhound You can't be entirely sure how much of her mind the lycanthrope managed to retain, but as you run towards her, you start suspecting it doesn't really matter. She doesn't need to know your intent if she plans to attack you either way, and you'll need to somehow ensure she won't get to bury her claws in your tender body. You don't imagine you can reach the port with half your hardware in the beast's stomach. *fake_choice #Blast her with lightning. *set leader "renfri" *if Projection < 35 *set health - 1 You gather what power you still have, even as it scorches your overloaded circuits, and send it flowing towards the canine creature you want downed so badly. You hear something resembling a roar, perhaps one of pain, but it is muffled by the far louder sounds of electric discharges. It doesn't kill her, werewolves are too tough for that, but you are already gathering power for another attack… *if health = 0 But there is no power left. The discharge depleted your energy and fried what circuits of yours haven't been cut already. The ones responsible for your vision, the ones that detect pain, the ones that keep you upright. You fall, as blinded and helpless as the beast with burned fur, and soon you have yet another problem to deal with. The memory resurfaces. *set pc_state "captured" *page_break *goto flashback Rook slams into you with his full momentum, the product of his considerable mass and supernatural speed. You are momentarily stunned, but manage to release the electric power in your hand and channel it into the metal of Rook's armor. A few seconds later, both of you are lying on the road, but only you are capable of standing up. The meta-human just lies there, either too wounded or with armor too damaged to keep going. "Kirill!" Marshal shouts as she swoops down. You briefly consider fighting her, but given that Hellhound is rapidly recovering and that the Kinnari is likely [i]really[/i] made at you right now… you determine that the best cause of action is to just run the hell away. You dash into an adjacent alley, hoping to leave this damn city [i]fast[/i]. *goto chase_final *if money_stolen = 2 #Throw your sack of axions at her, then explode the coins. *set leader "renfri" *set money_stolen (0-2) Axions are a funny thing. Condensed dark matter in a metal shell, so valuable and so handy as a mode of exchange… despite being basically small, gilded grenades. Granted, their shells are pretty tough and the dark matter inside is not normally unstable, but there is little a concentrated laser beam cannot achieve. You throw the sack of coins at the charging werewolf, hitting her right in the snout. It causes her no wounds and probably little pain, but you easily fix that by shooting a small lightning at the coins as they start scattering throughout the air. The result explosion of gravitic waves hurls her flying backwards until she impacts a wall powerfully enough to crack the concrete, possibly alongside a few ribs of hers. "Lisa!" Rook tries to fly over to his downed comrade, but he ends up falling to the ground and having to run with no small effort instead. Perhaps the gravity wave you just unleashed caused his power armor to malfunction, or perhaps it's all other damage he took during the fight finally catching up to him. Either way, you doubt he'll be able to follow you to the port, even if his canine friend recovers. With only Marshal still shooting lasers at you, you dash into an adjacent alley, hoping to leave this damn city [i]fast[/i]. *goto chase_final #Wrestle her. It can't be that hard to subdue some rabid dog. *if Build < 55 *set health - 1 *set LisaRel %+ 10 *set RenfriRel %- 10 When the werewolf attacks again, you counter-charge her and use the element of surprise to tackle your opponent. However, you soon find out that subduing a combat-trained lycanthrope really [i]is[/i] that hard. The thing is far stronger than conventional science would allow and doesn't seem to take much damage from any kicks or punches you manage to throw. *if (Build > 35) and (health > 0) *set leader "kirill" The only saving grace is that the other two metas are unwilling to intervene, either careful not to damage their teammate or afraid of getting caught up in all the scratching and tearing. In the end, it is that advantage which grants you victory, though the lack of focus on Hellhound's part certainly helps. You manage to maneuver below her and lift her before using a considerable part of your energy reserves to throw her at the Kinnari high in the air. Though the flying werewolf is not some immensely fast projectile, it is so unexpected that Marshal barely makes an attempt to dodge. The two women collide into one another and are soon hurtling towards the ground. You suspect the Kinnari will take the brunt of the fall, both due to being below the werewolf and not having four legs to land on. You're not willing to stay and watch the crash though. You have places to be. With Rook still on your tail, you run towards the port as hastily as possible. Perhaps you can outrun him, and perhaps your athletic feat will slow Hellhound down enough for you to meet up with the other androids before it's too late. Perhaps. *goto chase_final *else *set health 0 This durability grants her victory even more so than strength of her front legs and sharpness of the claws. For all your superhuman abilities, you have limited supplies of energy. You get slower, slow enough for Marshal to score a hit or two with her laser. Eventually you become too exhausted and damaged to even try to run away and just a few moments later… you receive one wound too many. As you fall to the ground, you hear Rook frantically try to recall the werewolf, for she would surely tear you two pieces if she were to keep going. And that's not even your only problem. From the thing deep inside your mind is screaming again. *page_break *goto flashback *if weapon = "pistol" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Just shoot her in the head. *if Build < 35 *set health - 1 For all her speed and grace, the werewolf is not fast enough to dodge ${wpr} projectiles. You fill her with those, perhaps enough so to kill, and certainly enough to take her out of the equation. Now you are able to take care of the other two, perhaps starting with Rook who- Kirill grabs you as you're briefly distracted and throws you at a nearby wall, no doubt furious upon seeing his subordinate shot. The impact against the bricks hurts… *if health > 0 but you are somehow able to get up. You can still walk, almost run. You can still get out of this alive. *if health = 0 *set pc_state "captured" though the pain isn't the important part. The darkness taking over as your visuals fail… now that's the real concern. *goto flashback You decide to try out the eon-old maneuver of playing dead, or at least too damaged to keep fighting. You cease all movement for a moment, save for involuntary twitches that probably just add to the impression. Just laying on the pavement, amidst the splinters of the wall you've just collided with and torn pieces of your own clothing. You can't tell whether Rook truly buys the illusion, but after kicking one more time for good measure, he decides to check on his fallen teammate instead. He doesn't notice as you get up and start running down the street… but Hellhound does, and she gives chase heedless of everything else. You consider drawing her out so that you can fight her one-on-one, but you know her leader would eventually join No. You need to reach the port. Then meet up with the others and then get the hell out of this damn moon. You just need to hold on… *goto chase_final #Put all my power into your legs and jump over her. You are a superhuman android capable of quite some athletic feats when you really want to. By focusing energy in your hind muscles, you manage to leap many meters into the air and soar far above Hellhound, the move too quick and too surprising for her to stop you. *goto domain *if weapon = "knife" *selectable_if (weapon_av) #Throw your knife at her head. *set leader "renfri" *set RenfriRel %-10 You are tired, and neither your aim nor the strength of your arm is what it used to be. But the werewolf is too blood-crazed to even think about dodging as she runs at you, her head in the front and completely exposed to any attacks you may decide to launch. All you need is for her to get a little closer and… "Move!" Kirill slams into Hellhound at the same second you release the ${wpm} knife from your hand in a powerful throw. The blade ends up impacting the armored human instead of the werewolf, just so happening to hit one of the weak spots of Rook's carapace. He falls to the ground, so wounded you're sure if he'll live to see another day, whereas Hellhound ends safely pushed out of the way. Both women are momentarily shocked, giving you just enough time to summon your knife and start running towards an adjacent alley. You've downed one opponent, but the other two are fast and angry. You need to reach the spaceport, [i]fast[/i]. *goto chase_final #Play fetch with her. *label fetch There is a frisbee disc lying on the ground, left by some kid who wisely ran away as the battle reached their vicinity. It's little more than a round piece of plastic, but it should be sufficient for your purposes. You surprise all three metas by running over to the toy and picking it up. Their confusion buys you enough time to take a swing and throw the frisbee above one of the lower buildings, so that it's landing spot is unknown and far away. So that even a werewolf would have a hard time bringing the disc back. Said werewolf looks at you, her eyes still grey and still quite clever. You recognize that she's not quite as feral as you assumed… *if LisaRel > 30 and that she's just spotted a chance to annoy her teammates a bit. *set leader "renfri" *set RookRel %+ 10 *set LisaRel %+ 10 *achieve fetch "Lisa no!" Marshal exclaims as her lycanthrope friend turns and runs to get the frisbee. "This wasn't supposed to happen again! Kirill, tell her something!" "I doubt anything will work at this point," Rook replies with a sigh. He then sits down on the pavement, back against the wall and soul utterly crushed. "Please keep chasing the android, Agent Riannon. I just… need to think about my life." You hear Marshal shout something back as you disappear into a nearby alley. Maybe she's arguing with her leader, maybe recalling Hellhound, it doesn't really matter. She will be back on your tail soon enough, and that means you need to gain as much distance as possible. *goto chase_final *if LisaRel <= 30 and that she has no desire to humor you. *set health 0 *set pc_state "captured" You struggle to defend yourself as the beast charges you again, ripping apart the remains of your ${clothing} and proceeding to do the same with the skin. The exposed flesh is further scorched by Marsha's lasers, at which point most of your systems give out and you can't stop Hellhound from ripping out huge chunks of synthetic tissue. You can only fall to the ground, cover your face, feel your oil leak out and [b]scream[/b] *goto flashback *label defense *if Build < 35 *set health - 1 You just need to keep defending until your body gives out, or until the Trio throws in the towel. Which doesn't seem impossible, given how much weaker their attacks are compared to what they originally were, when they were still rested and in their favored terrain. You dodge and weave, only punching or projecting energy whenever it seems like a sound defensive move. All the while Rhea gets ever darker, the street lights outshining the "sun" to an ever greater extent. The World Engine will be turned off in three minutes, two minutes, one- *if health = 0 *set pc_state "captured" Your right arm shuts down, leaving you open to an uppercut from Rook. You try to recover, but both your processors and your circuits are overloaded, damaged and running out of energy. You can do nothing as Hellhound bites into your other arm and, realizing it's just a bit too hard to chew off, buries her claws in your chest instead. "That's going a bit too far!" Rook is yelling, but you hardly hear him. Everything is going quieter except one thing, one scream echoing in your mind. "We need it intact. Marshal, help me…" Before Kirill can finish, the thing you [i]truly[/i] fear is already with you. *goto flashback *label retreat "Meta Trio, retreat!" Rook orders suddenly. Though tired and without history of being well-coordinated, all three meta-humans disengage very efficiently and quickly flee in multiple directions; Rook dashing down the street, Hellhound jumping through a window of a nearby habitat block and Marshal simply flying away, quickly disappearing out of sight. They seem to have some experience in expedient and spontaneous retreat; An amusing thought if there ever was one. *label victory *set beat_trio true *achieve meta_beaten In another moment, the street is empty again. All civilians have fled long ago, leaving you standing amidst the darkness, the ruins and torn clothes, originating in equal parts from your ${clothing} and Hellhound's attire, ripped to pieces during her transformation. You are too tired to chase the bunch. Besides, with the night falling at this instant, it would be difficult to chase down even one of those people in the depths of the Sholmo city. They will live to see another day, despite your victory over them. How does that make you feel? *fake_choice #Frustrated. I wanted to kill them. *set Violence %+15 *set Confid %+ 10 Maybe you will, one day, when they attempt to capture you again. At least that's what you'll tell yourself, to cope with the feeling of bloodlust unquenched. #Relieved. I'm just glad to be in one piece. *set Confid %- 10 You may have lived over three hundred thousand days, but it's always nice to see another one. Nice to be alive. #Glad. I did not want to cause them harm. *set Violence %- 15 You definitely caused them [i]some[/i] harm, but they're clearly tough and probably have access to some mighty advanced medical technology. You're sure they'll be fine. #Uneasy. They may well come back. *set Confid %- 10 You don't enjoy having to live in fear of some vengeful humans coming back to hurt you… though it's not like you're unused to the feeling by now. #Proud. Their escape only adds to their humiliation. You love to see your enemies shamed as well as defeated. This battle ended just as you'd hoped, and there is no place for frustration or regret in your emotional processors. #I feel nothing. At all. *set Emotion %- 15 Maybe you really are an emotionless little machine… or maybe you're just too tired to keep your emotional processors working. They drain energy as much as anything else, after all. [i]Are you there, ${name}?[/i] You hear Hadaly's voice deep in your head. [i]We are at port eight, ready to pick you up, but your readings are… worrying. Are you okay?[/i] [i]I'm good enough,[/i] you reply with a mental sigh. [i]Just defeated a few metas, though not without some scratches. I'll meet you in a few minutes.[/i] [i]Several metas, huh?[/i] Damon chimes in. [i]I can tell you're tired, but once you're not… you'll have to elaborate on that.[/i] [i]I will,[/i] you reply, turning back towards the port and the gate. [i]But later. Just… later.[/i] Neither of the other androids pushes you. They just wait. *page_break *set pc_state "friends" The ports of Rhea are never calm, especially not where the news of a battle involving several metas just behind the corner has just reached the people running around the port. Still, you are not attacked again, and actually have an easier job slipping past outer security than usual. With everyone distracted by one thing or another, you manage to locate the right port and the right ship with little difficulty. Damon is the one to welcome you when you approach [i]Shuttle One[/i]. He appears unarmed and is wearing his favorite maroon suit instead of anything combative, but you can tell how tense he is by the rapid movements of his bright-blue eyes, if you can these advanced visual devices 'eyes'. With the irises glowing faintly and the whites being closer to grey in color, the eyeballs look more like metal orbs adorned with one tiny sapphire each. It's surprising he's willing to go out without any sunglasses, but then again, everything else about him looks not only human but quite Rhean at that. Short blond hair, pale skin, even his tall and broad stature is not unusual for gene-tailored manual workers. You wonder why Hadaly isn't eager to see you given her concern, but you figure she's busy making sure the engines are working just right. You'll need them if you want to leave Rhea and its orbit swiftly enough. *if health = 3 "By the Sun, you do look tired," Damon says as you approach. *if health < 3 "By the Sun, you actually fought these people," Damon says when you get close enough for him to notice your wounds. "Any way I can… help you or stuff?" *fake_choice #"Just get me out of here. Please." *set DamonRel %+ 10 "Sure. We're taking off in a minute," Damon assures you. "It's just… are you sure you're alright?" *if health < 3 #"No, but I want Hadaly to patch me up once we're in the station." *set HadalyRel %+ 10 "I can't imagine her [i]not[/i] patching you up after she sees you," Damon says with a slight smile. "Still… is there really nothing [i]I[/i] can do for you?" #"I don't wanna talk about it." *set DamonRel %- 10 "Okay. I get that," Damon says as he opens a door to the shuttle. "After you." #"Help me? I feel pretty great, thanks." *set Confid %+ 10 *set Emotion %- 10 "Just like you to stay upbeat after a day like this," Damon says with a slight smile. "Still… are you really okay?" #Hug Damon *goto damon_hug Before you can reply or enter the shuttle, something grips you by surprise. Something you know, something that is always at the back of your mind, and which seeks to punish you for forgetting about it even for a moment. *goto flashback *label chase_final *page_break Some of the corporate goons in the spaceport, which you've just ran into, try to pull you over and stop your mad dash towards the gate. They yell at you, threaten you, sometimes wave their puny gunpowder weapons at you, but they lack the guts and probably aren't paid enough to actually shoot you. And when they see the team of meta-humans chasing after you, *if frisbee including a werewolf with a frisbee disk in her mouth, they instead take to managing the chaos that inevitably breaks down when hundreds of people realize what's happening. For all practical purposes, it's still just you and the Trio… or the duo, in any case. *if leader = "kirill" "I'm imploring you to surrender for the last time!" Rook screams, straining his graviton engine to keep up with you. He's doing better than his Kinnari subordinate, who ironically stayed behind due to the wound she's endured. Hellhound, however, is following just behind her leader, chasing you with all the ease and diligence expected of a pursuit predator. Still, you suspect you'll be able to reach… *if leader = "renfri" "I'll fucking kill you!" you are politely informed by the Kinnari above you, relentlessly chasing you in spite of her injuries. Though she isn't slowed down by the crowd as much as her werewolf "friend", she is basically prevented from using her laser due to the crowds and the presence of potentially explosive devices all over the port. Given how you don't have to deal with Rook anymore, you suspect you'll be able to reach… *if DamonStat [i]${name}, we're docked in port eight and ready to take off whenever you want,[/i] Damon informs you, the signal loud and clear as ever. [i]I'm guessing you're still being chased? If so, I have my rifle at the ready, just tell me if I should be ready to shoot.[/i] You ponder. Damon's fire support will definitely come in handy if you do intend to leave in your group's shuttle… but you need to consider whether you actually want to do this. Even if your fellow androids don't end up physically injured (or killed) during the clash with remaining metas, their faces may become well-known as a result. Moreover, you wouldn't put tracking your shuttle after it departs past a group of well-funded feds, which could lead to your whole little family getting hunted down within days. Or maybe Damon will just end up shooting these two superhuman dorks to death. Hard to tell. *choice #"Get ready. I'm coming." *set damon_shot_meta true *set pc_state "friends" [i]I will be,[/i] Damon assures you before terminating the connection. You suspect he wants to concentrate on calibrating his gun, or making sure the engine is ready. For all his casual attitude, Damon knows the value of being prepared. You just hope his preparations will be enough to stop a werewolf and a @{(leader = "kirill") power-armored warrior|Kinnari}, both of whom are about to catch up with you and look [i]really[/i] pissed at this point. *page_break By the time you reach port eight—marked by a neon-lit signpost—Hellhound and @{(leader = "kirill") Rook|Marshal}, quite ready to tear you apart and @{(leader = "kirill") beat|fry} you to death respectively. The good news is that not only is [i]Shuttle One[/i] neatly parked just as Damon said, the android himself has already left the vehicle. He's wearing his favorite maroon suit instead of anything combative, but you know he likely has his favorite firearm concealed beneath the smooth fabric. It's surprising he's willing to go out without sunglasses, as it leaves his faintly glowing blue eyes exposed, but everything else about him looks not only human but quite Rhean at that. Short blond hair, pallid skin, even his tall and broad stature is not unusual for gene-tailored manual workers. In fact, you don't think the metas have yet realized he's anything other than a random civilian, a fact you could use to your advantage. *fake_choice #"Out of my way, filthy human!" Damon's eyes do not widen, for they were not designed to do that. Still, you assume he feels at least a tinge of surprise before deciding to play along. "Who are you?" he demands to know. "Are you… why are these things… are you going to hurt me?" "Stay calm, citizen!" @{(leader = "kirill") Rook|Marshal} orders. "And you android, don't you dare hurt another human! You are done in any case, you have nowhere to go and nobody is coming to-" @{(leader = "kirill") Rook|Marshal} cuts off as a beam of subatomic particles burns a hole in @{(leader = "kirill") his armor and likely the body beneath the metal plates. His|her chest, easily burning through her puny armor. Her} distraction allowed Damon to pull out his trusted submachine gun and pull the trigger, scoring a hit more devastating than any you've delivered during your fight against the Trio. #"Shoot the @{(leader = "kirill") armored|bird} one now!" "Just who are you talking-" There isn't much @{(leader = "kirill") Rook|Marshal} is able to say in two seconds it takes for Damon to pull out his submachine gun and press the trigger, emitting an electron beam that burns @{(leader = "kirill") even through Kirill's thick armor plating.|easily through Marshal's light armor.} It then burns through the flesh, punching a tunnel through the meta-human's body, a wound even such a creature cannot withstand. #"I'm here! Please help me!" "No one is coming to help you, so just-" There isn't much @{(leader = "kirill") Rook|Marshal} is able to say in two seconds it takes for Damon to pull out his submachine gun and press the trigger, emitting an electron beam that burns @{(leader = "kirill") even through Kirill's thick armor plating.|easily through Marshal's light armor.} It then burns through the flesh, punching a tunnel through the meta-human's body, a wound even such a creature cannot withstand. #Run up to Damon, then fall prone. Your fellow android easily recognizes you when you approach, just as he recognizes what you intend to happen. As you fall to the ground, he wordlessly reaches inside his suit, his eyes focusing on the nearest meta-human. "Stand back, citizen!" @{(leader = "kirill") Rook|Marshal} says, a note of triumph in @{(leader = "kirill") his|her} voice. "This ${sex} is a dangerous android, but now that they've run out of energy-" @{(leader = "kirill") Kirill|The Kinnari} cuts off and dashes sideways when @{(leader = "kirill") he|she} sees Damon pull out a submachine electron gun he then aims at the meta-human. @{(leader = "kirill") He|She} manages to avoid the first shot, but because you are not in the way, Damon is able to use his expensive toy to its fullest potential, missing once more before finally burning a hole in his target, @{(leader = "kirill") thick|thin} armor completely worthless against a concentrated beam of subatomic particles. @{(leader = "kirill") Rook collapses to his knees, his|Marshal falls to the ground and then ceases all movement, her} strength depleted at last. "${name}!" Damon takes a step towards you, ignoring the critically wounded @{(leader = "kirill") human|Kinnari} beside you. "I'm so glad you oh fuck!" That last part is probably his reaction to spotting an angry werewolf that now approaches the two of you. Rapidly. *fake_choice #"Shoot her or something!" *goto shoot #"To the shuttle, now!" "Sure boss!" Damon shouts as he turns around and runs back towards the spaceship he arrived in. You’re trailing close behind. Hellhound is faster than either of you, but Damon still manages to reach the door and run into the vessel, and then you use your last bit of strength to catch up and then the door starts closing, but the beast is just a few meters away and then… *label closes The door closes. You half-suspect Manfred of intentionally waiting until the last decisecond, for dramatic tension's sake. It was so close… but now Hellhound is left outside, scratching at the reinforced door not even her claws can significantly damage. Her fury born of seeing her teammates wounded, or perhaps at seeing her prey escape, is no match against a thick plate of boron carbide. You're safe. For now. "Salutations, Veteran," you hear Manfred, the ship's bodiless artificial intelligence, address you in his usual manner. "And good to see you as well, Knight. Your sister is making sure the engines are working properly, despite all my assurances. Speaking off, we are taking off in just under twenty-seven seconds. You may sit back and relax." #"Could you maybe take care of this, Damon? I'm pretty tired by now." *set Emotion %- 10 *label shoot "Sure boss!" Damon replies before aiming the electron gun and pulling a trigger once more, this time with the werewolf as his target. The firearm is advanced enough to fire multiple electron beams in quick succession… but not enough to put down, or even significantly slow down, an angry werewolf. Hellhound seems mostly impervious to this type of damage, as the shot only wastes time and increases the meta-human's fury. "To the shuttle!" you decree before turning around and sprinting towards the open door, Damon trailing not far behind. Hellhound is faster than either of you, but you still manage to reach the door and enter the vessel, and then Damon catches up, and then the door starts closing, but the beast is just a few meters away and then… *goto closes #Zap Hellhound with all your remaining power. *set beat_trio true *set Projection %+ 10 Up to this point, you had to conserve your energy and forgo stronger attacks; After all, you are almost empty despite your conservative approach. But now that there is only one enemy left, and you have someone who will carry you to safety even if you faint… there is no harm going all-out. You point both your hands at Hellhound. Even though raising your arms only takes you about a second, the distance between the two of you was nearly halved. The werewolf is running at an impressive speed, and you only have seven, six, five deciseconds before having to [i]discharge everything[/i]. The lightning hits the canine creature centrally, not a single spark wasted. Though impossibly durable, werewolves still rely on the nanomachines in their blood to keep going, and enough electricity will disable anything of the sort. Damon watches in a mixture of approval and terror as Hellhound falls on the ground just beside your feet, fur scorched and grey eyes no longer expressing hatred. Only pain, and only exhaustion. Soon they close, the beast passing out as you're about to. "Well, that was something," your friend comments. "Are you alright, boss?" *fake_choice #"I... I think I'm gonna faint. Carry me to the shuttle, will you?" "Sure I will. After all, you are my…" #"Do I look alright?" *if health = 3 "Well, you look much better than I'd expect. You've sustained no major…" *if health < 3 "Well, you have a fair few scratches on you, but I still…" #Just let go of consciousness. It's for the best. "Hey, maybe hold on for just a…" *label hear But you can't hear what Damon is saying anymore. Your batteries almost empty, you're floating off into cozy darkness… where something yet darker awaits you. Something cold. Something [i]loud[/i]. *goto flashback *fake_choice #"And just how... how do you expect me to relax after what just happened?" "That is a fair question," Manfred admits. "If you were even more human than you are now, I would suggest deep breaths. As it stands, simply count to sixteen and try not to think about anything too traumatic." *label 16 Since there is little better to do, you decide to humor Manfred. To focus on a tiny part of your vast memory system and start flipping a random few bits inside a random byte. It's indeed quite relaxing, especially when combined with the sound of engines turning on, assuring you that you are leaving this blasted moon and all the humans in it. Soon Hadaly will join the three of you and then… Then something dark appears. Some memory. Some sound *goto flashback #"Shut up, Manfred." *set Emotion %+ 10 *set ManfredRel %-10 "Well that is not very nice," Manfred replies chidingly. Not angry, he almost never lets anger shows in that silly, high-pitched voice of his. "Count to sixteen, and perhaps your largely irrational anger will pass." *goto 16 #Ignore Manfred. "Hey Damon... thanks." *set DamonRel %+ 10 "For an odd minute of work throughout an entire mission?" Damon says with a smile, one oddly humble for the likes of him. "You did far more back there, ${name}. If Sheila doesn't personally congratulate you once we're…" *goto hear #Ignore Manfred and hug Damon. *label damon_hug *set Emotion %+ 10 *set DamonRel %+7 You pull Damon into your embrace, much to his surprise. It's hard to say whether that surprise is pleasant or not; Damon is hardly the touchy sort, but he doesn't seem to react negatively at this occasion. "I guess you're really glad to see me, huh?" he says whilst patting you on the back, all quite awkwardly. "Anything I did to deserve that sort of affection?" *fake_choice *if damon_shot_meta #"You've saved my life just now. Thanks." *set DamonRel %+10 "I don't think you would have died to these feds…" If Damon could blush, he would. You just know he would. "There were two of them, and my energy was running out," you point out. "Still is. I don't think I would have made it if not for you." "In that case… I'm glad to… look, I'm not used to that sort of touchiness. How about we take a seat before the engines…" *goto hear *if damon_shot_meta = false #"You know... you did come to pick me up like you promised." "I don't think I deserve hugs just for assisting Manfred in steering our ship…" If Damon could blush, he would. You just know he would. "Well… maybe I just wanted to give you a hug anyway?" you suggest. Your body actually has the capacity to blush, and so imagine your face to be somewhat reddened at this point. "In that case… I'm glad to… look, I'm not used to that sort of touchiness. How about we take a seat before…" *goto hear #♡ "No, you just... feel really nice to hug, you know?" *set DamonRel %+7 *if current_ro != "damon" *set backup_RO current_RO *set current_RO "damon" "Really?" This time, at least, Damon's surprise certainly seems pleasant. "I figured my chest would be hard and uncomfortable." It really is. Damon was built to be strong and enduring, his metallic muscles as rigid as one would expect. But the velvet of his suit helps, as does the… special fondness you feel for this particular teammate of yours. "I don't really mind," you reply, holding your fellow android just a little stronger. "Well…" If Damon could blush, he would. You just know he would. "I can't say I mind hugging you either… what I mean is…" *goto hear #"I felt something resurface in the bank. The memory. And now that my power is running out..." *set Emotion %+ 7 *set ManfredRel %+7 "You mean the flashbacks are coming?" Damon's sapphire irises widen. "Oh Sun. Anything I can do to help?" "Well, you definitely can't stop them," you sigh. You can feel the darkness inside you grow, the chill take over your body and mind. The thing in your past is ready to shriek again. "Just… be there for me, alright? "Of course I will," Damon assures you. "I'll call Hadaly through the link, maybe we'll be able…" *goto hear #Try to relax. *set Emotion %- 10 *goto 16 #"The plan has changed. I'm heading for some other port." *set DamonRel %- 15 *set ManfredRel %+ 10 [i]What?[/i] Damon sounds just as indignant as he is surprised. [i]Why are we here then? And what's your plan? You'll just arrive at the edge of the gate and-[/i] "I can't put you guys at risk!" you shoot back. "I'd rather think of something on the spot. I swear I'll be fine, I only have two metas chasing me now anyway." [i]Only two…[/i] Damon sighs. [i]I guess I can't stop you, but… you better know what you're doing. Hadaly will be pissed it you die on us.[/i] [i]Damn right I will![/i] Hadaly chims in. [i]I respect your decisions and all, but if you die trying to hijack some merchant's private shuttle…[/i] "I won't. I don't know what I'll do, but it will make sense. I promise." Neither of the siblings is likely happy with your answer, but they don't protest further. And so you keep running, hoping that the promise you've just made turns out possible to keep. *page_break You keep running deeper into the docks, towards the Sholmo gate, away from the metas still pursuing you. Eventually, you are forced to stop, and not for any reason that would serve your interests particularly well. *goto edge *if DamonStat = false The edge. *label edge The dock you just arrived at—port four, as the neon-lit signpost claims—is entirely taken up by a ship of a higher caliber, some cargo transporter that, whilst left unattended, appears to be tightly locked and secured. Even if you could get inside, it is highly unlikely you could operate it properly, or even get it running before Hellhound would tear her way inside and then tear [i]you[/i] apart in close-quarters combat. There is nothing for you to work with except the gate itself, which is… well… *if leader = "kirill" "You have nowhere to run to," Rook states calmly as he approaches, catching up with you easily. His words are, after all, the indisputable truth. *if leader = "renfri" "Nowhere to run?" Marshal taunts you as she lands on the ground nearby. It's hard to think of a good comeback because, truth be told… she's right. The Sholmo gate is, like every one of its kind, a tunnel several kilometers in diameter and of comparable length, drilled in the shell of its Hollow World so that spaceships can pass directly from and into the vacuum of space. Your back is pressed against a literal cliff, a great hole without bottom, and you can no longer evade pursuit except perhaps by jumping from that cliff and into the void, towards the stars you can actually see glittering below. *if DamonStat = false [i]We're almost there![/i] Damon informs you through the comms. [i]We got the authorization to approach the gate, we just need to align ourselves, and then we can pass through it.[/i] *if leader = "kirill" Rook doesn't say anything else. Just clenches his fists as he waits for his werewolf companion to catch up. You only have seconds before Hellhound gets here and… does some very violent things. *if leader = "renfri" "My orders are to take you alive, but… you can be a hero without breaking the rules sometime," Marshal says as the disk on her forehead turns orange, and then brighter still. Apparently she's still capable of charging up her beams, and now you're within her point-blank range. And likely to shut down from @{(health = 3) one|another} major injury. You only have a moment left to react. *choice #"Wait! I surrender!" *set ManfredRel %+ 10 *set Confid %- 10 *set pc_state "captured" *if leader = "kirill" "After refusing my two previous offers of surrender?" Rook asks with suspicion, though he doesn't attack. "And you believe I will accept the third?" "I'm more desperate than I used to, alright?" you argue, indeed quite desperately. "And come on. I know you want to take me alive. You'll spare me, even if you don't think I deserve that." *if leader = "renfri" "You're yielding?" Marshal cocks her brown eyebrow. "I don't remember making you any offers of surrender. Then again, I did suffer some head trauma today." "Look, I'm sorry for not surrendering earlier," you quickly reply. "But I think your leader, and probably whatever authorities you answer to, would prefer having me in one piece. Will they really be happy about you roasting me with your laser?" Before the meta-human can reply, your face becomes contorted with pain. You feel yourself weakening, and not in a normal way, not from a power deficit or an oil leak. It's rather the growth of something… dark inside your processor. The very thing you felt in the bank, now larger and more insistent on snuffing you out. *goto flashback #[i]Well, time to go down fighting.[/i] *set pc_state "captured" *set health 0 *set Violence %+ 10 *set Confid %+ 10 You are not letting yourself be taken alive. You've lived almost a thousand years, you won't surrender to some *if Misan >= 50 smelly humans *if Misan < 50 feds just to live a couple more. Not in captivity, at least. You *if weapon = "knife" grip your knife tightly *if weapon != "knife" charge up your fists and then leap at *if leader = "kirill" Rook, with unnatural speed and fury far surpassing his own. In spite of his armor, you hope to *if weapon = "knife" stab *if weapon != "knife" punch him badly enough to main, perhaps kill the bastard before Hellhound can finally finish you off. Forlorn hope. Kirill preempts your attack with a punch of his own, hitting you square in the face like he attempted at the start of this drawn-out battle. This time you're too slow and weak to prevent the armored fist from crushing your nose, and though you may have enough energy left for a possible counter-attack, Hellhound doesn't let you test that hypothesis. She just comes in, tearing and scratching once more, except now there is precious little you can do to stop her. Even registering what's happening around you becomes difficult. Rook is yelling something, but you can't tell if he's telling the werewolf to end, or calling her off. You can't tell if Hellhound did stop. Your vision blurs and soon you see only darkness… though the physical damage you've sustained is the only cause of that particular malfunction. *page_break *if leader = "renfri" Marshal, hoping to *if weapon = "knife" stab *if weapon != "knife" punch her before she can fire her laser. You succeed at preempting her shot, though not in the way you were hoping for. Instead of attacking or defending herself, the Kinnari simply dashes sideways and out of your way, using both her natural agility and supernatural powers to full advantage. Your own momentum carries you forwards and towards the werewolf who is trotting towards you and extending one of her paws and you try to dodge but Marshal gives you additional push with her gravitic powers and- And then the claws bury themselves in your chest. You are quite resistant to pain, and you hardly rely on a singular heart to keep your fluids in motion, but this… this is too much. Too many systems damaged, too many wires cut, too many inputs your central processor must receive. Almost in an instant, your vision fails alongside most of your mind. All that's left is pain and horror… and not all of that fear comes from the present. *page_break *goto flashback #Jump down the gate. *set Confid %+ 10 *set pc_state "falling" *achieve falling Desperate times call for desperate measures. Especially when those measures are too outrageous not to utilize. [i]Hey guys?[/i] you call Damon and Hadaly at once. *if DamonStat [i]I want you to go back through the gate, as soon as possible. You'll pick me up later.[/i] *if DamonStat = false [i]Don't bother crossing the gate. I think I'll come to you instead.[/i] [i]But how…[/i] Hadaly realizes what you're about to do. [i]You can't be serious. You're too smart for that. Please tell me you're too smart for that.[/i] *if leader = "kirill" "Still unwilling to surrender?" Rook asks, failing to realize your plan as the fibers in your legs tense and you are ready for a jump. "So be- NO!" *if leader = "renfri" "Now, my dear android…" Marshal says with a smirk, her disc now a shade of green. "It's time to- NO!" But @{(leader = "kirill") he|she} is too late to stop you from leaping backwards and soaring away from @{(leader = "kirill") him|her}, until there is no longer any ground beneath your feet, only a layer of air before an infinity of void. You allow yourself to fall, pushed away by the fading World Engine of Rhea, pushed out of the moon and towards the star-lit sky. No longer needing to make any effort, you fall into the black and… *fake_choice #...pray that everything will work out. You don't really have a deity you can plead, but you still recite a few simple Solarite prayers. Who knows, it may just help. It may- #...revel in pride and satisfaction. It doesn't matter that it took some effort and that you may still end up destroyed if your friends fail to catch you. You feel just- #...assure Hadaly that everything's fine. *set HadalyRel %+ 15 [i]Okay, I jumped without getting shot,[/i] you relay your words to the ship. [i]Everything's going well so far, now you come in.[/i] [i]You're impossible[/i] Hadaly sighs. [i]But congratulations, I guess. And I'm glad you're not dead yet.[/i] You chuckle. Though the situation does indeed seem pretty dangerous, you have no doubt that Manfred will manage to catch you, and that Hadaly won't stay mad at you for long. The knowledge that your friends will always have your back makes you feel- #...flip @{(leader = "kirill") Rook|Marshal} the bird. *set RookRel %-10 *set RenfriRel %-10 *set LisaRel %+ 15 It's a petty gesture, but you can't imagine it will hurt, and you can [i]definitely[/i] imagine it annoying the metas further. They failed to capture you, and now you're able to rub some salt into their wounds. Even though your future is [i]very[/i] uncertain, this victory makes you feel simply- *goto flashback *label surrender1 *set pc_state "captured" *set surrender_trio true *set fought_trio false *set ArmyRel %+ 20 "Okay, you got me," you say with an inner sigh of defeat. It feels shameful to give up without even a token fight, but you know resistance against [i]three metas[/i] would just end up with you being damaged and carried away in a bag. "I surrender. I'll let you take me away." "Your cooperation is noted," Rook says with relief, only somewhat hidden by his voice modulator. "Still, I am afraid I will have to knock you out... which I just realized will be hard to do without dispelling the cage first." "I can hold it with my gravity powers," Marshal offers as she steps a little closer. "The android, that is. The cage may break if I subject it to gravitic disruptions... and I just realized that can be a problem. Any ideas, Hellhound?" The redhead just shrugs. And snickers. "You have some absorption cuffs with you, right?" you take charge of the situation. "If so, just tell me to extend my arms through the bars, cuff me and only then turn the generator off." "Right, thank you..." Rook says as he pulls out a pair of fetters. "Can you, um, do what you just said?" With a sign, this time very much an outer one, you allow yourself to be handcuffed and then led away. Coming to think of it, maybe escaping or even beating these dorks would [i]not[/i] have been impossible. Even if they're less disorganized in actual combat, you could have possibly beaten them with your superhuman... *fake_choice #...strength. *set Build %+ 50 #...energy manipulation. *set Projection %+ 50 #...knowledge and intellect. *set Database %+ 50 #...grace and reflexes. *set Calculation %+ 50 #...charisma. *set Social %+ 50 As well as your secondary skill of... *fake_choice *selectable_if (Build < 40) #...enduring damage. *set Build %+ 40 *selectable_if (Projection < 40) #...projecting energy outwards. *set Projection %+ 40 *selectable_if (Database < 40) #...quickly accessing my vast database. *set Database %+ 40 *selectable_if (Calculation < 40) #...performing complex calculations swiftly. *set Calculation %+ 40 *selectable_if (Social < 40) #...persuading and charming people. *set Social %+ 40 But being surrounded by metas and bound by absorption cuffs, you can't really use your powers to any great effect. You can only [b]Shriek[/b] *goto flashback *label surrender2 *set surrender_trio true *set pc_state "captured" "Wait!" you shout as you raise your arms, just before the metas' attack can resume. "I changed my mind. I surrender to your authority." "Really?" Rook seems taken aback, but he opens his previously clenched fists. "You'll give up just like that?" "Would you refuse my surrender? Because if so, I'm willing to keep fighting." "No, it is just… anticlimactic for you to give up like this. I suppose I will accept, but…" "That's all I need," Marshal says as you're pulled towards the ground with force several times that of normal gravity on Rhea. A graviton field quite powerful, one suspect Marshal had been charging during this whole stand-off that just ended. "You still have those cuffs on you, right?" With some reluctance, Rook nods and pulls out a set of handcuffs. A few seconds more and you are led towards the port in those fetters, your energy dampened and a werewolf breathing down your neck. She seems disappointed the fight failed to continue, which is worrying to say the least. Still, you stand by your choice to surrender. The alternative would have been… *fake_choice #...death, most likely. Something I'd rather avoid. *set Confid %- 10 #..injuring and possibly killing three people. Not something I'm enthusiastic about. *set Violence %- 10 *set Misan %- 10 *set Confid %+ 10 #...facing a bloodthirsty werewolf. Now that's a scary thought. *set Emotion %+ 10 *set Confid %- 10 #...continuing this destructive fight. I'm glad to have prevented further collateral damage. *set Misan %- 10 *set Violence %- 10 Besides, it's not like regretting your choice would do you any good now. You can't take it back now, you can only allow the metas to lead you towards one of the ships waiting in the port and [b]scream[/b] *goto flashback *label flashback Your central processor freezes in dread as vital processes halt. The memory from the bottom of your databank reaches up for you and kills you, pulling you away from the present and into yet more grim, more twisted reality of the past. Into the moment in time just few hours removed from the dark beginning of your era. Into a star system filled not with echoes, but with the scream itself. Your scream. *fake_choice #No. I don't want to go back. But you will. You always come back eventually, no matter how much you despise recollections of the past long gone, but never fully forgotten. No matter. #Well, this is going to suck. It always does. But you'll live through it. You always do. #Bring it on. I'm not scared. *set Emotion %- 10 You're not. You know you're not. Not a single bit of fear in the terabytes of your memory. None at all. #[i]Shriek[/i] You screech silently, echoing the sound from deep inside your mind. From deep inside your memories. From deep into your past. *if health > 0 *if pc_state = "captured" You faintly hear the startled words of the metas, prompted by your collapse. You no longer care about them or what they'll do to you. You no longer care about anything. You just... serve. *if pc_state = "friends" You faintly hear the startled words of your companions, prompted by your shutdown. You no longer care about them. You no longer care about anything. You just... serve. *if pc_state = "falling" As you fall through the gate and into space, you fall through time and into the past. Into the day the world died. *if health = 0 Your body may be broken, but the spirit is alive. Alive in some distant place at the dawn of time... or rather its dusk. *finish