[Taocow PBEM] Book 3 - Chapter XV - Wales

[Aaron Clausen]

> [Anne]
> Anne answers Jacek's suspicion "I don't know enough about your system architecture to do much sabotage or subversion even if I were so inclined.  I can repair what is obviously broken without needing to know what it does, and with a bit of educated guesswork I can replace missing pieces with things that logically belong there.  Every machine has a pattern that you can extrapolate from.  You may notice a few oddities, as the replacement parts I'm building are from my tech base rather than yours, but I can at least guarantee that nothing will be weaker or less functional than you're used to.  Technology-wise, our inorganic systems seem to be about a thousand years apart, give or take a century, but on somewhat divergent developmental paths."
>
> She holds up a broken piece of metal, and it appears to melt in her hands, into a handful of metal powder.
>
> "My body has a nanite swarm incorporated into it as part of a self-repair system.  Normally, the little guys just keep me in perfect condition, but they have secondary functions for scavenging materials if I get badly damaged, which is what I'm using to break down irreparable damage to you.  I'm just skipping the part where they bring the raw materials 'home'.  There's no worries about a rogue colony setting up shop, as they're all drones without individual minds, and they rely on proximity to me for power.  Once they lose power, they can't be reactivated and if I get more than two feet from them, they fall out of effective broadcast range.  Unless we get interrupted, I'll be recovering as many of them as I can, since every one I recover doesn't need replacing."
> [/Anne]

[Jacek]
"As I am likely not going to encounter many chop shops," Jacek says,
"I agree to your proposal with reluctance."
[/Jacek]

OOC: How operational will Jacek be at the end of this?

[...]

>> [Oz]
>> Oz looks through the telescope for a while, eventually giving up the
>> scope to someone else. He looks at Vesper and Alex. "A small team to
>> scout the city first? If we keep running through transports like we
>> have been eventually we're going to end up walking."
>> [/Oz]

> [GM]
> Oz's sergeant nods. "I'd like to come along, sir. I know you're
> looking for a small team, but I'd like to be up close to this one."
> [/GM]

> [Oz]
> "I'd much rather have you here in case things go bad. Keeping you in
> reserve will make me feel better. I'll take my 3," he says, referring
> to his trio of bodyguard/assistants, "and Ithdalkal. You stay here
> with a ready force in case we need to be extracted. Or in case the
> ship is attacked. Leaving it unmanned last time was a mistake I don't
> intend to repeat."
> [/Oz]

[GM]
"Aye Sir." the sergeant replies. "We'll man the ship's weapons and
offer as much cover as we can."
[/GM]


>> [Ted]
>> Ted volunteers for the cold iron retrieval team.
>>
>> Meanwhile, he seeks out Alex as soon as he is able.
>> [/Ted]

> [Louissa]
> Louissa also volunteers.
> [/Louissa]

>> [Vesper]
>> "I will go with you on the scouting mission I absorbed plenty of energy from
>> the line to help out."
>> [/Vesper]

>> [Alex]
>> "Do you have any magic that would allow us to be hidden?"
>> [/Alex]

>> [Vesper]
>> "A number of spells, Chameleon which is best when still or moving slow,
>> shadow meld which will make us like shadows, Invisibility though there are
>> so many things that can see the invisible it isn't the cool spell it used to
>> be." Vesper smiles. "Still yes I should have us covered for stealth."
>> [/Vesper]

>> [Ted]
>> The lizard man listens carefully to the plans being made.
>> [/Ted]

>> [Alex]
>> "Ted, do you have any suggestions?"
>> [/Alex]

> [Anne]
> Anne calls out to Oz "If you need someone to stay on the ship, I'd like to point out that my rifle has a range in excess of a mile, and I can provide sniper overwatch for most of the town without leaving the ship. Depending on what those buildings are made of, I might be able to provide fire support through multiple buildings as well."
> [/Anne]

[Louissa]
"I count five of us so far." Louissa says. She looks to Anne "Are you
saying you will stay here, or are you coming?"
[/Louissa]

OOC: Regardless of Anne's answer, I'm assuming the following team is
going out: Alex, Ted, Oz, Louissa and Vesper. If anyone changes their
mind, I'll work it in, but we push on now.

[GM]
Former Second Mate, and now Captain Debra Neeson, orders the pilot to
move the ship into as much cover as possible, not wanting any
potential enemies to see them any more than they might have.
Unfortunately, it means another half mile through some fairly dense
forest.

The company is forced to use ropes to get to the ground. It is going
to be a difficult hike; the ground is deep in snow, the forest floor
is almost outrageously unkempt, with brambles, low lying bushes, logs
and every other manner of ground cover that will slow them down.

It's the better part of an hour before they have the dwarf settlement
in view. Now that they are closer, they can clearly see that it has
been attacked. The high and well built walls are still standing, but
at various points it looks like they've been blasted; leaving gaping
holes big enough to allow enemy soldiers through. Here and there in
this breaches can be seen the bodies of dwarfs.

Atop the city walls they see Kydian guards. Splugorth flags have been
unfurled. From within there are cries of sorry and pain; women
weeping, men begging, children crying. As the company watches, three
Splugorth slaver barges with dozens of captive dwarfs each, are taking
off.

And yet within lies the cold iron the company has come for.
[/GM]

-- 
Aaron Clausen
mightymartianca at gmail.com