[Taocow PBEM] [Ted, Raven, Owen, Alex] Book 3 - Chapter I - Bridge

[Aaron Clausen]

-OOC: I know not everyone has posted yet, but to keep everything
between the two halves of the party synchronized...

> > [GM]
> > ...
> >
> > Suddenly, behind the party there comes the smell of ozone, and a
> > sharp bright flash.  It appears the device Brian gave Owen has opened
> > a doorway in the side of this pocket dimension, leading, so far as they
> > can tell, straight into the sub's bridge.  There are crew members manning
> > the stations, as well as four armed fish men, but instead of a captain, a
> > giant floating brain with three eyes on venous neural-like stalks floats
> > in the midst of the bridge.  Organic-like tubes poke into and out of various
> > points on what would be the frontal lobes and cerebral cortex.  There is
> > a black orb shoved between the two hemispheres.
> >
> > On the sub's view screens can be seen the ocean floor and what appears
> > to be a series of domes and connecting tubes.  Most of the domes are
> > cracked and clearly filled with water, but one has a few lights on.
> >
> > At that moment, one of the fish men notices the door way and shouts
> > out in a strange, croaky language.  "Kwaakhaaarssssaaaa!!!"
> > [/GM]

> [Owen]
> Seeing the open doorway and the large Brain, Owen moves quickly move to
> get on the Bridge, casting a Mind Bolt at the brain as he moves.  [Strike: 18,
> Damage: 40MD].
> [/Owen]

> [Ted]
> Ted targets the brain as well with a quick burst from his rifle. [Strike: 13,
> Damage: 20MD].
> [/Ted]

[GM]
Before anyone else can react, Owen and Ted (stepping through first),
blast into the brain.  It spins around like an out of control top.  The
shots strike it in the mid-brain with a sizzling sound, and the brain
falls to the floor quivering, though the quivering light seems to brighten
around the black orb and Owen and Alex, both with psionic powers,
can feel the brain's formidable psionic powers somehow aiming at them.

There's no time to guess at the nature of the attack.  Pandemonium
has broken out on the bridge, with fishmen leaping behind chairs
for cover and crewmembers suddenly strangely confused, hands moving
to controls, then away, then to, then away, as if stuck in some sort
of loop.

And then the real surprise, an vaguely electronic voice in a light
Scottish accent begins speaking.

"Warning... warning... hull breach in engineering.  Lowering
blast doors and emergency bulkheads.  Engineering and
Section One being sealed off in thirty seconds...  29... 28..."

The brain, still smoking, seems to right itself.  "Kalzak um!"
it says through the black orb, and then, in American, "Continue
procedures, ignore intruders."  With that the crewmembers again
begin moving purposefully.

A beam shoots out of the brain at Owen [Strike: 4], missing
him, but doing a troubling amount of damage to the bulkhead
behind him.

And then the crew begin looking confused. All the screens
in the bridge have gone dead.  All the monitors, sensors
and controls go dark, and even the lights switch off, leaving
only red emergency lights.

"Akzak!" the brain shouts in a distorted roar.  "You will
pay, intruders!"
[/GM]

-- 
Aaron Clausen
mightymartianca at gmail.com