[Taocow PBEM] [Koba, Carlos, Lyle, Talas] Book 3 - Chapter I - Engine Room

Aaron Clausen mightymartianca at gmail.com
Thu Dec 3 03:24:11 GMT 2009


> > [GM]
> > The rest of the team follows Carlos through.  Lyle can tell pretty quickly that
> > none of this is normal.  The green vapors are backlit by the emergency lights,
> > giving the whole area a sort of dreamlike quality.  The vast hulk of the reactor
> > can be barely made out, though it can't be more than twenty feet away.  Voices,
> > like those of the fish-men they had encountered a few moments before, can
> > be heard, some to the right, and some straight ahead, by or on the reactor.
> >
> > Beside the door are oxygen masks and small tanks for anyone who doesn't
> > have environmental armor.  Beside the masks is a large blinking red display
> > with "Danger - Potentially Lethal Gas".
> >
> > It's hard to tell, but it looks like the fish-men may be modifying the reactor.
> > There's the light of an arc welder, as well as some tubes or pipes that may
> > very well be made out of the same strange fleshy material that had closed
> > the engine room hatch.  A more disturbing sight can be seen to their left,
> > where several fishmen are using blow torches to cut into the hull, making
> > a circular opening about ten feet in diameter.
> >
> > Then the mists clear ever so slightly and reveal a truly bizarre and revolting
> > sight; a giant floating brain, three eyes on venous neural-like stalks.  Organic
> > tubes poke into various points along what must the frontal lobes and cerebral
> > cortex.  A strange black orb is shoved between the two hemispheres, and out
> > of it comes a booming voice that is clearly in the fishman language.
> >
> > It does not appear that anyone has noticed the four adventurers... yet.
> > [/GM]

> > [Carlos]
> > "Alright boys," Carlos whispers, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask,
> > "what now?"
> > [/Carlos]

> [Koba]
> Quickly donning the mask just to be sure the breathing spell cast on
> him won't run out, Koba moves into the room. "Whatever we do, we
> need to stop those fish from opening up our hull or else we will surely
> drown quite quickly.  That brain may be in charge of everything that is
> going on in this ship. We need to stop it now. If either of you can take
> out those pipes leading to the brain it may limit it's control or maybe
> that orb. I'll try to get to the control panel and see if  I can control the
> ship's function from here."
>
> With that, Koba will try to prowl his way to the closest control panel and
> try to gain control. He would want to sever all the controls from the
> bridge. If there is any way to lock any bulkheads or doors from the bridge
> or this engine room, he will try to do that as well.
> [/Koba]

> [Talas]
> On hearing Koba's plan, Talas holsters his pistol and draws his katana.
> Talas will then try to sneak up to the pipes. And sever them with the sword.
> [/Talas]

> [Lyle]
> Lyle gives Koba a quick run down of where things are in the engine
> room as best as he can. He keeps his pistol handy in his off hand, he
> is ready to pop his sword a moment's notice. "Let's go, if we need a
> distraction, shoot the tanks with the arc welders, that should make a
> hell of a boom."
> [/Lyle]

[Carlos]
"Um, I'll hang back." Carlos says.  "I'm a little vulnerable now right now."
he points to his demolished armor.  "I'll hang back, and cover you guys."
With that he carefully moves behind the only real cover here, a large
container that looks like it holds some sort of pressurized liquid or gas.
[/Carlos]

[GM]
Koba attempts to sneak towards where Lyle has explained the controls
are [Prowl: 63%].  Unfortunately he manages to stumble, and makes a
loud clanging sound on the deck.  A fishman looks up from what looks
like some sort of a rewiring job and sees Koba.
[/GM]

[Carlos]
"Damn!" Carlos mutters, aims his rifle and fires an aimed shot at the
fishman's head [Strike: 19 Honest!!!], hitting it dead on [Damage: 9MD].
The shot blows the fishman's head clear off, and the body slumps to the
floor.
[/Carlos]

[GM]
Amidst all the gas and the arc welding, no one seems to notice the
fishman go down.

While Lyle and Koba continue towards the controls, Talas makes his
own way towards the brain creature.  Talas proves more adept at sneaking
[Prowl: 11%] and manages to get within striking distance of the brain thing.
With astonishing skill [Natural 20!], Talas's Katana sweeps through the pipes
and tubes with the ease only a master of the weapon could possess
[Damage: 34].

The brain spins around, it's three eyes concentrating on Talas [Strike: 24].
Talas cannot dodge the energy attack that erupts from the black orb
[Damage: 17MD].  The brain, however, does not look very good.  It's
greyish-white color seems to darken and it begins to noticeably
shiver as the surface begins to throb, almost like a fish out of water.

The engine room has erupted in chaos.  The fishmen have stopped trying
to cut a hole in the hull and begin squawking out.  Some pull out weapons
and prepare to fire.
[/GM]

[Carlos]
Carlos takes Lyle's advice and fires a burst into the welding tanks
[Strike: 13, Damage: 25MD].
[/Carlos]

[GM]
The tanks explode, taking several of the fishmen with them, and
knocking and burning a number of others.  Pounding can be heard
on the other side of the hatch that Koba barred shut, and then
gunfire.  Even a reinforced bulkhead can only stand so much energy
weapon fire before it gives way.

Despite this another fishman who had apparently been in the shadows
leaps out at Lyle, trying to strike at him with some sort of plasma wand
tool [Strike: 8]
[/GM]

[Lyle]
Lyle's psi sword appears and parries [Parry: 19MD] the fishman's
makeshift weapon, knocking it out of the fishman's hands.
[/Lyle]

[GM]
The fishman, looking absolutely terrified, simply turns and runs
back towards the shadows.

Finally Lyle and Koba reach the engineering control panel.
A rather dizzying array of screens, buttons and sensors present
themselves, and it doesn't help that all hell has broken loose.
Koba stretches out his senses, trying to shut everything else
out as he snakes his way through the sub's circuitry looking to
shut down bridge control.

Meanwhile, the sickening brain, its feelings and intentions
all but impossible to read, changes tactic, and turns towards
the partially cut piece of hull and begins moving in a halting
but still rather fast fashion towards it.

Behind them, the hatch to the rest of the sub is now glowing
white hot, and metal is beginning to melt and flow like butter
in a microwave.
[/GM]

[Carlos]
Carlos shouts "Talas, get that brain!  I'll try to hold whoever
or whatever comes through the door.  Might need some help,
Lyle!"
[/Carlos]


-- 
Aaron Clausen
mightymartianca at gmail.com


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