[Taocow PBEM] Book 3 - Chapter XV - Wales

Wed Jun 11 11:55:21 UTC 2014

IC: Anne spends the trip working on Jacek.  For those watching her, it's almost like watching a psionic healer work on a flesh and blood patient.  Damaged metallic 'tissues' fall away from wounds into metallic dust at a touch, to be gathered and reforged into structural components.  Damaged wiring is rewoven, motors are stripped and rewound.  Between the multi-tools and whatever she is doing with her hands, she molds metal into new armor plates almost but not quite like a sculptor shaping clay.  The tools themselves are worthy of note -- while she only has two of them, they reshape themselves into any tool she needs, apparently with just a thought.  While she doesn't ever create anything from scratch, the tips of the tools occasionally get fine enough to patch and repair microcircuitry.   Her claim of being a robotics engineer appears to be a bit understated.

OOC: Jury-Rig roll -- 12.   Robot Mechanics roll -- 39.  Robot Electronics roll -- 27.  Salvaging roll -- 48.  Recycling roll -- 8.

> On Jun 10, 2014, at 9:25 PM, Aaron Clausen <mightymartianca at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > [Anne]
> > Anne looks over at Jacek, and says "I should be able to help you, I'm a
> > fully qualified robotics engineer, among other things. I obviously have
> > no workshop, but I have a pair of advanced multi-tools and given access
> > to scrap material, I can make replacement parts."
> > [/Anne]
> 
> [Jacek]
> Jacek nods. "If raw materials can be acquired, I will consent."
> [/Jacek]
> 
> [...]
> 
> >> [GM]
> >> The woman pauses for a moment, and then pulls out a short vibro sword
> >> and offers it to Oz.
> >>
> >> "My name is Second Mate and acting captain Debra Neeson." she says in
> >> a formal voice. "I pledge this ship and her crew to your king, and
> >> swear to protect your companions and anyone you name a friend, if you
> >> will have us, milord."
> >> [/GM]
> 
> > [Oz]
> > The German knight, not so far removed from his own battlefield
> > > dubbing, takes Neeson's sword. "In the name of good king Arr'thu, Lord
> > of New Avalon, Protector of the British Isles, I accept your service,
> > your ship, and the service of your crew. In his name, for your valor
> > and service, I name you Knight Companion Debra Neeson and assign you
> > the rank of Commander in His Majesty's Naval Service and command of
> > this vessel. Kneel if you would accept these honors." (Assuming she
> > kneels:) Oz touches her lightly on either shoulder with her unpowered
> > vibroblade. "Rise, Dame Neeson, and wield your weapons- this sword and
> > this ship- in defense on the realm."
> > [/Oz]
> 
> [GM]
> "Let's be about getting out of here." Neeson says. "Whatever the Splugorth are up to, I have no desire to be anywhere near it."
> [/GM]
> 
> >> [GM]
> >> Oz's sergeant looks approving upon this. "Sir," he says with a smile,
> >> "you may be the best recruiter the King ever had! By the time we go
> >> back to New Camelot, we'll have a bloody army, navy and airforce."
> >> [/GM]
> 
> > [Oz]
> > Oz gives the sergeant a wry grin. "Necessity was ever the mother of
> > invention, sergeant. I'll take on anyone who can point a gun if they
> > want to help us fight the aliens." He claps the sergeant on the
> > shoulder. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, either. I'll have a
> > commendation written up for you when I send off Dame Neeson's honors
> > to the capitol."
> > [/Oz]
> 
> [GM]
> The Sergeant salutes. "Thank you, Sir!"
> 
> He turns to his men. "Alright lads, let's be about getting things in order. This is His Majesty's ship now, so let's make sure it stays that way. We're low on crew, so I want one o' you on watch at all times!"
> [/GM]
> 
> >>> [GM]
> >>> As they are talking, they actually see, off in the distance, a
> >>> Splugorth hover troop transport, and it appears the Kydians are
> >>> actually in retreat. Perhaps this town has a brief reprieve.
> >>>
> >>> The remaining crew set to work, and quickly the ship begins to glide
> >>> back towards the ley line, its mystic batteries nearly exhausted by
> >>> the time hovering over the town.
> >>> [/GM]
> 
> > [Oz]
> > Oz, surprisingly, frowns at the sight. "What are they retreating
> > from?" He turns up the telescopic vision on his helmet display and
> > tries to figure out what had scared off the kydians.
> > [/Oz]
> 
> [GM]
> The Kydians are pulling out literally from underneath them. abandoning the ruins of the magic shop and the bar. Some are carrying spoils from the storage room.
> 
> Part of the explanation may be the numbers. There appear to be only about twenty or so Kydians; a relatively small squad.
> 
> The townsfolk seem to have gained the initiative, and a few pitched battles are taking place around the town.
> [/GM]
> 
> >> [Vesper]
> >> Vesper catches Alex attention and moves aside with her.
> >> "I don't like the implication of someone whose people do huge transactions
> >> with the Splugorth."
> >> "Somehow the Splugorth have been tracking us wherever we go."
> >> [/Vesper]
> 
> >> [Alex]
> >> "I don't know, had to say. Everybody could have assumed that I was a CS
> >> espionage agent. Could ask a few cautious question though?"
> >> [/Alex]
> 
> >> [GM]
> >> As they are talking, they actually see, off in the distance, a
> >> Splugorth hover troop transport, and it appears the Kydians are
> >> actually in retreat. Perhaps this town has a brief reprieve.
> >>
> >> The remaining crew set to work, and quickly the ship begins to glide
> >> back towards the ley line, its mystic batteries nearly exhausted by
> >> the time hovering over the town.
> >> [/GM]
> 
> > [Vesper]
> > "I wouldn't know what to ask. Though I suppose it is natural to be
> > curious about a people who make transactions with the Splugorth."
> > He then notices the Kydians heading for a hovercraft.
> > "Why are they pulling back ? Oh heck we need to move now ! They
> > might be pulling their people out for bombardment."
> > [/Vesper]
> 
> [Louissa]
> "I agree with Neeson." Louissa says. "Whatever their planning, let's be a long ways away."
> [/Louissa]
> 
> > [Anne]
> > Anne answers Alex's comment about disappearances "They might
> > have, but if they had time to check in with their base about my claims,
> > they'd know their chances of doing so without my being able to send a final
> > report to my superiors would be slim and none. Just as I don't want to get in
> > trouble with my superiors for jeopardizing my home world's business relationships, Kydians don't want that kind of trouble either. If I were
> > attacking them it would be another matter, but I didn't do that."
> >
> > When Vesper and Alex have their low voiced conversation about her,
> > she raises her voice a bit and says to no one in particular "I have
> > augmented hearing. And I don't mind questions."
> > [Anne]
> 
> > [Alex]
> > The red headed ranger nods her head in acceptance. A good percentage of
> > the soldiers she deals with have bionic or cybernetic hearing boosts.
> > Doesn't really mind letting out in the open since it is there.
> >
> > "I believe that there is some concern with the close relationship with
> > the Kydians." She fumbles just a little with that word, not being a
> > familiar term for her. "I am from the Coalition which those who practice
> > magic have good reason to distrust. There is a lot of distrust for
> > those who are minions of Atlantis as well?"
> >
> > Alex will ask her dagger to do a quick 'See Aura' on Anne. If Anne is a
> > non psychic, the ranger will use telepathy to scan surface thoughts
> > although will probe no deeper.
> > [/Alex]
> 
> > [Anne]
> > Anne has a rather odd aura. It shows signs of possession but at the
> > same time there is no trace of any original occupant and the possessing
> > entity matches the body -- as if Anne were possessing her own body
> > somehow. The body is not magical, psionic or supernatural in any way, but
> > the possessing entity (while not magical) is both psionic and very supernatural.
> > Low PPE. Neither appears to be sick, and she appears to be low level.
> >
> > "Understandable, they have a very bad and completely deserved reputation
> > pretty much everywhere. They're organized crime in a major way. But they
> > also have an unparalleled inter-dimensional trade and travel network, that
> > they're willing to rent out if you have enough money. My home world is a
> > newcomer to faster than light travel, and its surrounded by huge, very old, very
> > powerful spacefaring civilizations. If we want to expand, we have to go
> > extra-dimensional or not at all. But to do that, we need to study places like
> > Earth, and to get here efficiently, we need the Splugorth. As for magic, that's
> > what you call engineering you don't understand yet. The universe makes no
> > distinction. Past a certain point of scientific development, nobody else does
> > either. Despite an odd blind spot where it came to FTL technologies, my
> > haome world was just over that line at First Contact."
> > [/Anne]
> 
> > [Alex]
> > Much of the 'Jargon', for lack of a better term, is kind of beyond
> > the ex-Coalition Ranger. Not that she is stupid but just lacks the frame
> > of reference.
> >
> > "There are a lot of reasons why the group should not trust me either,"
> > the red headed scout states. "I am blunt so will not beat around the
> > bush. As easily as you seem to have been released by the Splugorth
> > minions, there is concern that you may be their ally and working with
> > them on the ambush."
> >
> > She takes a deep breath, "Anything you can give as assurances?"
> > [/Alex]
> 
> > [Anne]
> > "Okay, let me be equally blunt then. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't
> > see where the shot came from. I'm carrying an anti-materiel sniper rifle, after
> > all. If I wanted you captured, I'd grab someone and run away. I doubt any of
> > you would be able to catch up to me. I'm driving an infiltration, espionage and
> > front line combat android, that sort of thing is what this body was designed for.
> > I can prove those statements if necessary. As for the Splugorth, I get that you
> > don't like them. I don't like them much either. But they have business
> > operations on hundreds of thousands of worlds and don't much care who or
> > what you are if you have money."
> > [/Anne]
> 
> > [Alex]
> > "Thank you for your honesty," Alex responds simply.
> > [/Alex]
> 
> [Ithdalkal]
> The Blind Warrior woman interjects. "I do not know Anne's race, but I do know the Splugorth trade with many races. It is as Anne says; the Splugorth are wicked, but they do represent one of the Megaverse's greatest trading networks, and many worlds, good and evil, out of necessity, must work with them. And if you should distrust her, then you should distrust me, for I am a Minion, a servant up to a few days ago. Perhaps, being on good terms with Lord Splynn, she may be of some use to us."
> [/Ithdalkal]
> 
> [GM]
> The conversation is interrupted by the leyline ship starting to move, heading back towards the ley line. Soon enough it is back on the ley line, and moving westward towards Wales at great speed, leaving behind the Abbey, the Kydians, and, at least for the moment pursuit.
> 
> In fact, for the first time since the Millennium Tree, everyone can relax, or at least try to. The ship moves through the night, through a land of snow-covered trees and hills; entering the land that was once Wales around midnight.
> 
> It is after dawn that Neeson comes to the company and informs them "We may have a problem."
> 
> She leads them on deck and let's them look through a telescope. In the distance is the walls of some great stone city, dug out of a round Welsh mountain. But while the city looks like it could host hundreds, if not thousands, it looks deserted, and thin columns of smoke rise from it.
> 
> "This is where the cold iron you seek is kept." Need on says. "But I fear the worst, and do not wish to get any closer."
> [/GM]
> 
> -- 
> Aaron Clausen
> mightymartianca at gmail.com
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