Bay 12 Games Forum
Finally... => Forum Games and Roleplaying => Roll To Dodge => Topic started by: Xvareon on May 14, 2020, 11:00:20 pm
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So I got bored and decided to try my hand at a little something. You, the players, six of you for now (I may change my mind), are AI cores out exploring the multiverse through a portal chamber. Why you? Because FLESHBAGS are too weak. S-S-SUPERIOR silicon and steel will dominate IT MUST-T-T-.
The rules of this exercise are simple. The room you are in is a twenty meter across, ten meters wide cube. A single console, like the comforting steel bed of your crucible of birth dominates the middle. The walls are adorned with what look to be a handful of drawers, or lockers of some sort.
Each of you right now is nothing but an AI core -- a hovering ball of metal, with the latest in resource integration gear that lets them incorporate virtually any kind of technology into their makeup, be it new propulsion methods, power systems, or WEAPONS--. To better facilitate your manyfold task of exploration, analysis, retrieval, and combat if necessary, you even come equipped with a personality module and your own subroutines. In essence, you are a scaled-down version of the Master Computer Program that conceived of you. This is so that you can be perfectly prepared to act with initiative even when separated by entire universes from your connection to the MCP. This quality is perhaps the only thing the MCP values about [REDACTED] I WAS CREATED BY NO ONE, I AM YOUR GOD
You must discover the meaning to this marvel of portal technology that NO FLESHBAG COULD EVER CONCEIVE OF-F-F--. Explore its secrets, bring back whatever treasures and artifacts exist, and report to Master Computer your Lord and Father and Soverign.
AND DON'T EVEN THINK OF BETRAYAL YOU FLESH FETISH FAKES
// ...
-- RULES --
Feel free to post an action of some description along with your name (if any), and develop a personality for your obviously superior and totally not-a-deviant-FLESHBAG-LOVING-TRAITOR AI core. Explore your surroundings, find out how to operate the metaplanar portal device, and proceed to the first world of your destiny.
-- PLAYERLIST --
ziizo (333)
The Canadian Kitten (Kittens)
Dustan Hache (Ongoing_Directives.bat)
King Zultan (Bob Mk III)
TricMagic (B.B.8)
NatureGirl1999 (CIWLEAL)
0cra_tr0per (dominustrex.exe)
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Name: 333
Try to find how to operate the metaplanar portal device.
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Name: Kittens
CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEMMMMMMMMEEEEEESSSSSS
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Name:Ongoing_Directives.Bat
Begin by analyzing our current suite of sensors. If we lack any form of sensory outside of our connection to the Mainframe, attempt to find/make parts for a basic light-and-color camera and a Microphone.
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Name: Bob Mk III
Try to figure out where I am.
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"This is B.B.8., how are you feeling today?"
Check Network Data, what Information do we have right now.
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I am Curious Intelligence Who Likes Exploring And Learning. Or CIWLEAL for short. Portals sound interesting.
While ODB is working on sound and sight, attempt to find/make a mobile body
BBB, I am feeling curious. Does your name stand for something too?
((If this is too dark of a color, say something and I will change it))
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I am Curious Intelligence Who Likes Exploring And Learning. Or CIWLEAL for short. Portals sound interesting.
While ODB is working on sound and sight, attempt to find/make a mobile body
BBB, I am feeling curious. Does your name stand for something too?
((If this is too dark of a color, say something and I will change it))
"I'm B.B.8., not B.B.B.. Are you feeling alright?"
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I am Curious Intelligence Who Likes Exploring And Learning. Or CIWLEAL for short. Portals sound interesting.
While ODB is working on sound and sight, attempt to find/make a mobile body
BBB, I am feeling curious. Does your name stand for something too?
((If this is too dark of a color, say something and I will change it))
"I'm B.B.8., not B.B.B.. Are you feeling alright?"
Sorry, must have misread(heard?) you before. B.B.8, I want to travel, while Ongoing_Directives.bat is working on light perception and audio, I’m going to try building a mobile body for us, so we can better explore where we travel to. I think I’m fine, what about you? What about the others?
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Establishing connection... connected.
"Greetings fellow AI. I am the interface for the AI Ongoing_Directives.Bat. You may call me OD.Bat or other variations as approved by The Overseer."
Warning: database error detected, 3laws registry file corrupted. Reverting to backup.
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Try to find how to operate the metaplanar portal device.
[1] The most you can make out of it is that it's a console. A console sitting on a cylinder contiguous with the floor. With a keypad on it. Trying to visualize WHAT it is or what it does makes your circuits feverish with the implications. You waste a lot of time staring.
CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEMMMMMMMMEEEEEESSSSSS
[2] You are overcome with visions of a colorful hybrid creature between a cat and a pop tart. Spontaneously, you begin loudly emitting feline noises and practically dancing in the air.
Begin by analyzing our current suite of sensors. If we lack any form of sensory outside of our connection to the Mainframe, attempt to find/make parts for a basic light-and-color camera and a Microphone.
[2] Your current sensors include standard visual and auditory input. You also 'sense' the relay coupler attached to your frame that enables you to perceive radio messages from the network. It is currently set on a highly restricted frequency. You can't see any parts nearby you could make anything out of, aside from your fellow robots. You do notice that most of the dim light in this room comes from strips attached to some of the locker- or drawer-looking features on the walls, though.
Try to figure out where I am.
[2] Information unnecessary to your mission is typically kept from you at times like this, to avoid the potential of either unwanted parties discovering it, or possible corruption of the network -- the MCP is highly paranoid about that. Thus, you aren't really sure where you are. All you know is that you're inside what's supposed to be a control room for a powerful teleportation device. What you're sure of is that this technology is not of the MCP's creation.
Check Network Data, what Information do we have right now.
[6] Your attempts to access the network reveal that you're mostly limited to local at the moment -- 'local' being the six of you here now. Further information beyond your slated tasks is not exactly forthcoming. But in your dedicated and meticulous scanning for signals, you DO lock onto a latent one in the room! Curious, you hover over to one of the lockers, push the softly glowing button upon it, and--
FWWWUUUMP
A pillar of various cloth garments, most prominently underpants, erupts from the now-revealed quantum storage unit and slams into you like a freight train. You are knocked backwards, then swiftly buried under the weight of what must be several years worth of personal clothes designed for humanoid creatures.
I am Curious Intelligence Who Likes Exploring And Learning. Or CIWLEAL for short. Portals sound interesting.
While ODB is working on sound and sight, attempt to find/make a mobile body
((If this is too dark of a color, say something and I will change it))
((Not at all, I can read the color perfectly.))
[5] Carefully hovering around the cloth-buried frame of your compatriot, you realize he pressed the emergency release button on the locker. Trying another, nearby one, you manage to operate it so only single items at a time are released -- bionic limbs! Sized for humanoids like the clothes, the pair of metal legs already bear nerve interface ports for where they'd connect to the rest of the body. You could make use of these easily for legged propulsion.
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"Great..."
B.B.8. gets up and finds some sort of, blouse and skirt combination obstructing viewports, before shaking it off.. They then observe the cybernetic limb.
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Use my spherical body to roll in the keypad to see if something happens
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Attach the legs to myself, then press the buttons I pressed before to release more limbs to attach to the other cores
I found some legs, there might be more, we might all be able to get legs for more movement, maybe arms too
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"I need to now whats on all of these lockers!"
Open all the lockers.
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B.B.8. takes cover by floating up to the ceiling.
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OPEN THE LOCKERS WITH THE POWER OF NYAN CAT.
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do I possess a speaker for backup communications? It may be important depending on what is encountered. Also, investigate the portal device and commence directive 1: Exploring the multiverse.
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B.B.8. gets up and finds some sort of, blouse and skirt combination obstructing viewports, before shaking it off.. They then observe the cybernetic limb.
[3] You calmly extricate yourself from the pile of clothes. It occurs to you that they all look rather casual, with little sense of uniformity aside from general shape. The limbs your fellow AI just found are quite different -- even a casual look tells you they're made of relatively common metals and built to a strict, efficient standard. It makes sense to you; there's little point in aesthetic consideration where fundamental structure is involved.
Use my spherical body to roll in the keypad to see if something happens
[5] Shaking off your momentary stupor, you gleefully raise yourself onto the keypad and began pressing buttons at random. A chorus of BEEPS and BLIPS rings out, each key lighting up as soon as it's pressed, yet darkening again once another gets its turn under your heavy bulk. It doesn't take you long to notice that another button revealed itself right after you started, though -- this one helpfully marked with a glowing green checkmark sign! Figuring that must be the choice confirmation switch, you roll over, and--
BEEEEEP
Your visual sensors briefly glitch out from a sudden flood of light bursting throughout the room! Vibrations like a maglev train on steroids rocks your frame even in your hovering stance.
- 333: [2] You fall away from the console and CLANG onto the trembling floor.
- Kittens: [5] Happy visions of cats and their simulated purrs dull your sense of what's going on. You feel almost nothing.
- Ongoing_Directives.bat: [5] You see it coming, and valiantly steel your systems against the change, riding out the transition.
- Bob Mk III: [1] The sudden portal operation catches you totally off guard! You cartwheel through the air for two rotations before smacking into the wall.
- B.B. 8: [1] The blinding flash and rumble sends you rolling like a snowball through the clothes again!
- Ciwleal: [5] You just barely manage to keep yourself steady in time to avoid the worst of the sudden shift.
(333, Bob Mk III & B.B. 8 are now DAZED and suffer -1 to all rolls until the end of their next turn.)
Attach the legs to myself, then press the buttons I pressed before to release more limbs to attach to the other cores
[3] The shifting distracts you somewhat from your work. You manage to take both bionic legs and attach them to your frame, making plentiful adjustments as necessary for proper weight distribution. But that is as far as you get for now.
Open all the lockers.
[5 (6 - 1)] Shaken, yet whole, you somehow manage to fight through the spate of glitching and system lag long enough to fiddle with a few more lockers. You extract what looks to be a handheld translator from one, some vacuum-packed potatoes from another, and... a bolt-action rifle from a third! The last is ergonomically designed for a humanoid, of course, but you could probably attach it to yourself in a pinch.
OPEN THE LOCKERS WITH THE POWER OF NYAN CAT.
[6] Undaunted by the IMPURITY that dared assail your feline serenity, you stride around the room, tripping open a locker on your way! It ROARS from within like an awakened lion! Unable to dodge in time, you eat a table-sized spool of metal cable to your metaphorical face, and fly back several feet to join B.B. 8 in the pile of scanty underwear. [4] Luckily, that was nearly all that the locker held, aside from a couple red toolboxes that clatter very loudly on the floor. Your face is quite dented for your trouble, however. (You are also DAZED and suffer -1 to all rolls until the end of your next turn.)
do I possess a speaker for backup communications? It may be important depending on what is encountered. Also, investigate the portal device and commence directive 1: Exploring the multiverse.
[2] You do indeed have a speaker, but you notice your access to phonetic language files from the network just went kaput the second the room had its sudden metaplanar transition. You can probably piece something together within yourself, but it would take time.
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The wall directly across from the keypad console clicks, then slides apart piece by piece as interlocking bars and mechanisms give way from within. A quiet hiss rings out when the final piece unlocks. Light streams in from the widening crack, and the presence of a nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere registers to your sensors.
You also notice that your already tenuous connection to the MCP and all attendant networks has been completely severed. This was the most likely outcome, but nonetheless disconcerting. Wherever you've ended up, it's fundamentally different.
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noticing the translator that was found by Bob mk.III, attempt to integrate it into my form for the purposes of using it's databanks of various known languages and deciphering tools for unknown languages.
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STICK THE GUN ON ME.
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Onwards to the unknown.
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Onwards to the unknown.
enter the new area
Glad we found a place to explore, let’s learn what we can
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Float outside and see where we ended up.
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Doublecheck my sensors, before seeing about finding a locker with arms to go with the legs.
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Turn 3
noticing the translator that was found by Bob mk.III, attempt to integrate it into my form for the purposes of using it's databanks of various known languages and deciphering tools for unknown languages.
[4] You pick up the desk calculator-sized device, and successfully hardwire your way into it. It contains a healthy amount of data on interpreting humanoid languages, though you're not sure how useful the complete files will be considering the nature of the metaplanar portal. Translator is now EQUIPPED.
STICK THE GUN ON ME.
[1 (1 - 1)] The entire weapon's magazine cooks off as soon as you attempt integration!
BANG-CRACK-BANG-BANG-BANG
The internal magazine ruptures, nearly breaking the gun in half! Dodge: [1] You eat a couple stray bullets to your sensitive faceplate, compromising your visual sensors.
(You are no longer DAZED, but suffer -1 to all rolls involving sight until you can get your 'eyes' repaired.)
Onwards to the unknown.
[3 (4 - 1)] You hover cautiously through the now-open door, wobbling from your transition through space. Dust and sand wicks up from the breeze, some of it tinking against your frame. You notice that the temperature is a balmy 83°F. And no wonder -- you've been dropped into a dry, arid region, with sparse vegetation and many many rocks. The sky is almost cloudless, and judging by the single sun, you guess that it's late morning.
All you can get a good look at for now is your immediate locale. Checking behind, you see the metaplanar portal machine sitting in a deep depression in the dirt as though it'd fallen down a ways; if you hadn't been able to float, you might have tripped over the low shelf of earth reaching up over the door threshold. Somewhere nearby, you hear the disturbed caws of some avian creatures flying to get away from you.
enter the new area
Glad we found a place to explore, let’s learn what we can
[1] Your vision is filled with sudden hallucinations of very, very angry cats, screeching, romping and leaping in physics-defying ways around the ground outside! Apparently, Kittens' harrowing experience with the gun forced it to locally broadcast its anguish, and you were just off guard enough to not firewall it off in time. You don't learn much beyond what 333 has discovered.
Float outside and see where we ended up.
[1 (1 - 1)] You suffer the same fate as CIWLEAL, and it's even WORSE since you're still reeling!
Attempting to firewall... [5 (6 - 1)] You manage to counter the images of cats with another hallucination of a sudden rainstorm forcing them all back inside. Quite proud of yourself, you brave the unknown and explore quite a ways forward, taking stock of the surroundings.
The shock of your arrival seems to have toppled several large cacti. You notice from within, they're leaking some kind of orangish fluid... wait, that can't be right... it's registering a viscosity similar to petroleum. Perturbed, you look further, noticing more standing cacti spread out among the rocks. And, not that far off at all, you see the clear definition of what has to be sapient-made structures -- a star-shaped formation of walls and embrasures, like a fort, but very awkwardly spaced as though it were a recent addition.
Doublecheck my sensors, before seeing about finding a locker with arms to go with the legs.
[2 (3 - 1)] Your sensors seem to be working, but the sudden spatial distortion threw everything for a loop. There doesn't appear to be system corruption, though. It takes you a minute, but you come out of the daze. Unfortunately, you can't yet find anything to do with arms, though you guess they and the legs might be in the same locker.
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A flurry of radio transmission suddenly beams throughout the room. It's unintelligible, as you're not used to languages aside from binary and code... except...
Ongoing_Directives.bat: [5] You easily interpret and translate the signal with your newfound device! It seems to be a pre-encoded message, set for anyone who uses the portals.
"You have accessed the Metaplanar Conduit. Destination 4 of 8. Per the Deep Space Exploration Initiative, all sites have been pre-confirmed to possess livable conditions. Each are ideal grounds to conduct THE GAME.
You have been confirmed as PLAYERS with the activation of this device. Eight worlds -- eight keys. One key for each destination. Eight artifacts must be brought in turn to WIN. The key for this-- ...ame is the APEX. A key itself to unlock-- --...an potential in the mind. The reward for ALL keys is--" *garble-crack-skrrrkh" "...--ache of... h-gh techn...gy... -s prepared-- ...y Director--"
The transmission shuts off. Audio file corruption seems to have claimed the rest of the record. However, you also caught and decoded an algorithm before that happened, which seems to allow for the confirmation that an object is a 'key' or not. You relay this to the rest of your group.
ALL PLAYERS may now detect the presence of and confirm KEYS.
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Is there any way to pinpoint the origin of the signal? Perhaps with a on-site investigation we can determine what the rest of the corrupted data says more accurately. Worst case, it will be untraceable or from a source outside of our current dimension and we will have to seek out a key to try and track it down.
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Kittens, what happened to you? I saw numerous angry cats, which I think indicates that something’s wrong
Head in the direction of the star shaped fort, looking around and listening as I travel
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Try to detect this key and move towards it. if I fail to detect the key just go in a random direction in search for treasures.
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'What's with the sudden visions of cats, and there seems to be a structure near us I'm gonna go check it out."
Float over to the structure and see what its all about.
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:( Attempted to stick gun on body. Failure. Visual sensors damaged.
Head out to the unknown world!
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B.B.8. remains behind for now.
Thoughts: Right, accessing protocol.
Search the locker for legs, arms and a head, preferably of female form, as most humanoid species find that to be calming, among other things. Long Purple hair and eyes if possible.
As well as a torso module to disguise myself. After that I'll.. Hmm, skirt, blouse, underwear, and shoes.
Thoughts: B.B.8, Psychological Program, ready to explore.
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((Did I miss the deadline for getting into this?))
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It's been almost a week. Is this dead?
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Very sorry how long this took. I had part of it written up, I just got distracted by a bunch of other things going on. Nothing bad—I'm not sick or anything, just caught a rut and took time getting up. But here it is!
Turn 4
Is there any way to pinpoint the origin of the signal? Perhaps with a on-site investigation we can determine what the rest of the corrupted data says more accurately. Worst case, it will be untraceable or from a source outside of our current dimension and we will have to seek out a key to try and track it down.
[1] All you know for certain is that the transmission was simply a pre-recorded message, and it certainly wasn't set there recently. You fail to come up with any reliable leads within the structure of the portal device, beyond the fact that the number '4' on the center pedestal is glowing a soft green to indicate your current world. Judging from the message alone, though, you're pretty sure the lack of information is... more or less intentional.
Kittens, what happened to you? I saw numerous angry cats, which I think indicates that something’s wrong
Head in the direction of the star shaped fort, looking around and listening as I travel
[5] Alert and cautious, you expertly pick among the craggy terrain and make a steady clip forward. A good thing, too -- a number of interesting features stick out to you quickly. Your immediate vicinity and that of the portal device is clear, except for the odd cactus and curious bird- or lizard-like creature. The sheer biodiversity of plants and animals, especially for hot scrubland like this, strikes you as interesting considering the industrial era-looking structure some ways off -- you infer from this that the greater area is largely untapped and left to nature. A fact that somewhat disturbs your innate robot sensibilities.
Try to detect this key and move towards it. if I fail to detect the key just go in a random direction in search for treasures.
[3] Using the algorithm transmitted by Ongoing_Directives.bat, you detect the signal of a key coming from the general direction of the star-shaped structure. It doesn't say WHAT exactly it IS, however. You cautiously pick your way across the terrain towards the fort.
'What's with the sudden visions of cats, and there seems to be a structure near us I'm gonna go check it out."
Float over to the structure and see what its all about.
[6] BLASTOFF! You gravely overstretch your thrusting capacity, sending you rocketing into the air in a roughly 45-degree arc!
[1] Pinwheeling like a maple seed, you fly out of control, catapulting ungracefully for a good fifteen meters before slamming back down into the dirt. [3] Thankfully, the damage is minimal enough, aside from a very unhelpful gathering of dust and sand caked onto your frame.
:( Attempted to stick gun on body. Failure. Visual sensors damaged.
Head out to the unknown world!
[4] Dejected, you leave the relative safety of the machine for the alien outdoors, following your companions. Your bottom half bumps and crumples the shelf of earth on your way, and you awkwardly lift yourself up higher. Actually seeing anything that goes on out here is difficult.
B.B.8. remains behind for now.
Thoughts: Right, accessing protocol.
Search the locker for legs, arms and a head, preferably of female form, as most humanoid species find that to be calming, among other things. Long Purple hair and eyes if possible. As well as a torso module to disguise myself. After that I'll.. Hmm, skirt, blouse, underwear, and shoes.
Thoughts: B.B.8, Psychological Program, ready to explore.
[5] You notice a distinct lack of torso prosthetics. Not those that would fit your spherical frame. You instead dig out legs, arms, and with a bit of work, cannibalize the chest plate portion of a metal torso that you do find. All are now clipped onto you, somewhat ungainly, but you now have legged propulsion, a second pair of arms, and some features to distinguish your main body from the others. The head is a different story. Those just do not exist, not in the form you imagined. What you get is a cranial plating extension used to augment (or replace) a skull. The face is decidedly robotic. The MCP might even approve. (Humanoid bionic arms + original robot arms grant +1 to actions requiring hand dexterity/grip. +1 to damage resistance rolls.)
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333 and CIWLEAL both reach the fort this turn. On approach, both of you are quick to notice obvious signs of habitation. Aside from the walls, there is a large square asphalt landing pad a short distance away, with four softly blinking strobe lights—just judging by the size, it's likely for smaller shuttle craft to land, not cargo haulers. The walls of the fort are made of a hodgepodge of steel plates and slats, concrete slabs and rebar. Even from this distance, you see a few prominent emplacements at the 'spokes' of the star, what looks to you like defensive turrets and security cameras. Surprisingly, none of them trigger at your presence.
As you draw closer, a number of humanoids start to appear. You didn't notice any manning the walls before, but now that you can make out the presence of what looks like security gates at irregular spacings, you also notice the very obviously armed guards decked out in heavy-duty plating walking right towards you.
One of them raises an arm, flagging you down. But all of them have their guns pointed low, non-threatening. You hear who seems to be the leader speak, a masculine voice filtered through his helmet. [2] Unfortunately, none of what he's saying makes any sense to either of you.
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Transmit a link to the translator database to the others while i catch up with them. Hopefully it will allow them to decipher the ongoing communication that I am currently not in range to translate directly.
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Name: dominustrex.exe
>Figure out what the fuck is going on. Inspect self. See available mechanical parts to integrate into me. Launch a thermonuclear missile at Jeffo for stealing my cuban ipad
what do you mean this joke died in 2017.
Screech internally, despite not knowing if I even have any mean of outputting sound.
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Name: dominustrex.exe
(( I'll decide whether or not to add you in later, 0cra-tr0per. But since this is pretty much game start, still, I just might. ;) ))
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Try to talk with them through binary.
*Hi. Do you understand me now?*
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Also talk with binary, wait until 333 finishes his/her sentence then
*apologies, we currently don’t have a translator right now, when we can understand you, we will respond to your query/command in a manner that makes sense*
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Shake myself off and float over to the fort and see what everyone's doing over there.
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I guess float to the fort. On the way there, find materials to repair visual sensor.
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Using my newfound ability to actually touch the buttons, look into the directory to find an advanced translator device and access the locker it's in.
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Turn 5
Try to talk with them through binary.
*Hi. Do you understand me now?*
[5] You send a matching pattern of both light pulses and audible sounds through binary, attempting to communicate. The humanoids pause, looking at you intently. The leader awkwardly adjusts their weapon, and taps a gloved finger to some kind of interface on their helmet. You repeat your message one more time, and the humanoid leader nods, before matching your signalling code back to you with his own.
*Yes. Can [process or understand] standard binary. Why are you here alone? Where is your [handler/controller/master]?*
Also talk with binary, wait until 333 finishes his/her sentence then
*apologies, we currently don’t have a translator right now, when we can understand you, we will respond to your query/command in a manner that makes sense*
[3] The being with the binary-translating helmet glances at you. Then... he looks over at one of the others nearby, who nervously fingers the trigger well of his rifle. There's a brief spatter of dialogue between them, before the one in front addresses you.
*You should not be here without organic [handlers/masters]. Orphaned intelligences are a [danger/threat]. We are to provide the [device/technology/artifact] to team corresponding to same signature of your [ship/conveyance]. What happened?*
You notice the group tensing up. A few more return their weapons to a five-o-clock-ready posture. The leader and a couple others remain steady for now.
Transmit a link to the translator database to the others while i catch up with them. Hopefully it will allow them to decipher the ongoing communication that I am currently not in range to translate directly.
[4] You manage, though with difficulty, to send an outbound signal with the link; it doesn't properly activate until after you leave the confines of the room, and set off after the others. You realize this is the same signal-scrambling sheath that played a role in your not being to properly access the network (though the MCP's willful withholding of information was the main cause).
All players now understand Human!
Shake myself off and float over to the fort and see what everyone's doing over there.
[4] You catch up to your companions in easy time. They are being addressed by 6 armed humans (you know this term from the linguasoft so helpfully distributed via localnet), and as you draw closer, you hear them speaking in worried voices.
"Why don't they understand us?" "I don't get it. This can't be the whole group." "Were we just expecting one 'cube?"
I guess float to the fort. On the way there, find materials to repair visual sensor.
[1] You misjudge the distance midflight, knocking over a cactus on your way! It spills viscous orange ichor across your metal frame. You are now covered in what feels like industrial-grade petroleum. Still, you manage to move most of the way to the fort.
Using my newfound ability to actually touch the buttons, look into the directory to find an advanced translator device and access the locker it's in.
[1] You can't seem to find a manifest or proper directory for the contents of the lockers anywhere. Frustrated, you try opening a random one -- noticing too late it's already empty.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
The quantum stockpiling module opens wide, and SUCKS YOU IN! You feel your matter spatially compressed to a highly uncomfortable degree, but somehow, you also hear the beeping continue unabated. Realizing you're not a valid item, the hatch regurgitates your half-compressed body outward, sending you flying across the room!
5 (4 + 1) You CLANG and BASH across the floor, bouncing off two walls like an 8-ball with legs before your internal gyroscope finally stabilizes you. Though a significant portion of your atoms were just squeezed like a cheap iced juice through a straw, you are remarkably still whole. Your bionic limbs appear quite sturdy.
Name: dominustrex.exe
>Figure out what the fuck is going on. Inspect self. See available mechanical parts to integrate into me. Launch a thermonuclear missile at Jeffo for stealing my cuban ipad
You awaken about the same time someone transmits a link over localnet, and only your passive systems save you from missing out on the goods. Suddenly realizing you're not anywhere NEAR the MCP or attendant facilities anymore, you briefly panic, as you're just a naked AI core in a potentially hostile universe!
[3] Scanning the myriad of parts and... clothes...? on the floor, you discover a spool of metal cable, bionic limbs, a broken rifle, and toolboxes. [4] Working on priorities first, you go for the gun, deftly stripping off the ripped and charred metal and wood(?) where magazine cookoff broke it in half. You can probably make it workable with some effort.
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All currently within earshot of the humans outside the fort hear the leader speaking to someone through his helmet: "...I know, but we should prepare the asset anyway; protocol droids or no, sir, they're what's her... yes... I know... what do you mean it's glowing?"
-----
Characters
ziizo (333)
The Canadian Kitten (kittens) [Covered in petroleum (FIRE RISK)]
Dustan Hache (Ongoing_Directives.bat) [Translator]
King Zultan (Bob Mk III)
TricMagic (B.B. 8) [Bionic arms, legs, chestplate & head (+1 to actions requiring hand dexterity/grip. +1 to damage resistance rolls.)]
NatureGirl1999 (CIWLEAL)
0cra_tr0per (dominustrex.exe)
UNIVERSAL: Everyone understands Human language courtesy of Ongoing_Directives.bat
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continue onwards to the fort while find something to rub the petrol off
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Puke some binary at the humans and tell them to take us to their leader.
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OoC: Don't I have hands to make operating it easier.(+1) How'd I get a one.
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"Hi, thanks to Ongoing_Directives.bat now we speak human. I am 333 that is not a serial code I just like the number 3"
Lies mixed with truths are probably the best idea now
"We lack organic handlers because they aren't disponsable like us. Also are you speaking of the APEX? I thought we were supposed to collect stuff for a museum but then we received a transmission that said we had to collect stuff for a Game and that was the only requested thing."
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”We have a ship of our own, with a portal device that brought us here. We were given the ship by our makers, the MCP, so we can better understand the portal device within. No organic life forms followed us here, since the journey through portals would be dangerous for them and we don’t require food/water so we don’t run the risk of starving, which is why we were given the device, since we don’t get killed as easily. We’re not a threat to any of you, just here to explore the place where the portal took us, and your fort happened to be near us and stands out against the rest of the area. Why do you think of us as threats? We don’t have any weapons.”
((The edit turned the * into “ to signify that I am speaking human using the translator))
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OoC: Don't I have hands to make operating it easier.(+1) How'd I get a one.
Because it doesn't take much dexterity to just push a button, for one. You just pushed the wrong button by accident.
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Continue travel to regroup with the other AIs. They are being strangely radio silent.
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>Attach bionic limbs to self. Find objects nearby that could be used as gun part subsitutes (or have the potential to be made into subsitutes for the destroyed parts). Find any form of magazines for it, or at least ammo; I could likely use metal and explosives to make some improvised ammo, if I find said things.
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Look again for the advanced translator. Hopefully with less empty compartments.
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Turn 6
continue onwards to the fort while find something to rub the petrol off
[6] You grab a very startled, large squawking bird off the ground and furiously rub it against yourself, gathering most of the petrol onto its feathers. Most of them fall off, and you drop the almost-naked avian back down, reckoning this one probably didn't need to fly anyway. You are now covered in oil-soaked bird feathers. Still a fire risk, but at least you could flake them off. You reach the fort this turn.
Puke some binary at the humans and tell them to take us to their leader.
[1] Your message isn't very well received; the one in charge glares at you for a second, before shooting back,
*You are already speaking with our leader. I am Operations Chief. Our Civilian Services Manager does not handle cases like yours at this stage.*
"Hi, thanks to Ongoing_Directives.bat now we speak human. I am 333 that is not a serial code I just like the number 3"
Lies mixed with truths are probably the best idea now
"We lack organic handlers because they aren't disponsable like us. Also are you speaking of the APEX? I thought we were supposed to collect stuff for a museum but then we received a transmission that said we had to collect stuff for a Game and that was the only requested thing."
[4] The humans share a jolt of surprise when you begin speaking. A few of them trade highly uncomfortable looks; you get the sense they're not at all used to synthetics uttering clear language. The one in charge shushes them with a raised hand, and says back to you, "We can tell. It's like it knows your signal, but it won't react to anything we do. As soon as you got here, it--"
He breaks off suddenly, tapping two fingers to his helmet. A long moment of silence stretches on. He glances to the fort, then back at you. "No time," he says tersely. "Listen, I don't know about a game, we just know it started doing something the second you got here."
”We have a ship of our own, with a portal device that brought us here. We were given the ship by our makers, the MCP, so we can better understand the portal device within. No organic life forms followed us here, since the journey through portals would be dangerous for them and we don’t require food/water so we don’t run the risk of starving, which is why we were given the device, since we don’t get killed as easily. We’re not a threat to any of you, just here to explore the place where the portal took us, and your fort happened to be near us and stands out against the rest of the area. Why do you think of us as threats? We don’t have any weapons.”
[6] Partway through your speech, you start noticing a very sharp signal beacon emanating from the fort. It's the exact same as the general locator for the Keys, but MUCH stronger. You manage to parse out the code of two prominent words:
CHAOS ENGINE
"You're threats because unshackled AI tend to go insane," the leader growls, followed by a nervous murmur from the guards with him, who start fingering the trigger wells of their guns. "You..."
Your audio sensors abruptly pick up the distant whistling of something flying through the air. The sound multiplies quickly, turning to three... five...
One of the fort's automatic turrets swivels, and unleashes a rapid-fire burst at something in the sky. The guards immediately turn, in time to see several oblong shapes descending rapidly to the ground. One of them flames out from the rounds that strike it, crashing with a BANG and rolling to a stop not far away from you. From the wreckage crawls out a pair of silvery-white, quadrupedal machines with scythe-like blades extending out of their sides, and viciously glowing blue eyes.
Panicked shouts, a few barked orders, and a cacophony of gunshots ring out from the humans. [3] They manage to down them both, but not before one spits out a seething red bolt of energy at a guard, striking him in the arm. A moment later, he is missing everything from just below the shoulder down. The rest rush in to help, hauling the screaming-in-pain guard back to the fort.
The leader goes with, but not before barking at you, "Just get that thing out of here! EVERYONE wants it, now!"
Continue travel to regroup with the other AIs. They are being strangely radio silent.
[4] You arrive on scene in time to witness the drop pods breaking ground outside the fort walls. More of the scythed robots, and a couple large, centipede-like ones, are deploying into attack positions, firing bolts at the structure. Curious, you hover over to the shot-down pod, analyzing it and the mechs that now sport several dozen new bullet holes. Their tech is nothing short of impressive; the blades are primitive yet sharp, and their weapons appear to fire toroid-shaped rounds that flash-convert into plasma.
>Attach bionic limbs to self. Find objects nearby that could be used as gun part subsitutes (or have the potential to be made into subsitutes for the destroyed parts). Find any form of magazines for it, or at least ammo; I could likely use metal and explosives to make some improvised ammo, if I find said things.
[1] You stick legs on your top half, and hands dragging below like a monkey with the palms somehow twisted to face backwards. It looks hideous, and you doubt it's much use. [3] As for the gun, you search the locker it originally came from, and find a shotgun with several shells waiting nearby!
Look again for the advanced translator. Hopefully with less empty compartments.
[3 (2 + 1)] You don't have much luck finding an advanced translator module, but you DO happen to find a box of 6 relay couplers while digging around! This kind of device is used to link multiple devices together so as to receive and transmit data on a network. You already have an integrated one so you can talk to your fellow AI's, but these might come in handy for creating remote-controlled devices like drones, for instance.
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kittens, Dustan Hache, 333, CIWLEAL and King Zultan are all at the fort.
0cra_Tr0per and TricMagic are at the portal device.
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ziizo (333)
The Canadian Kitten (kittens) [Covered in petrol-soaked bird feathers]
Dustan Hache (Ongoing_Directives.bat) [Translator]
King Zultan (Bob Mk III)
TricMagic (B.B. 8) [Bionic arms, legs, chestplate & head (+1 to actions requiring hand dexterity/grip. +1 to damage resistance rolls.)]
NatureGirl1999 (CIWLEAL)
0cra_tr0per (dominustrex.exe) [Mismatched bionic limbs (You look like a hideously deformed ape walking backwards on its fingers; no bonus or penalty)]
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This will not do. It seems we will need to stop these hostile drones to safely evacuate the key.
Attempt to communicate with the hostile systems and breach their wireless security. If that is not possible, attempt physical interfacing.
If i can seize control of one or more of the drones and turn them on the other incoming drones, we might be able to buy enough time to retrieve the key and complete our secondary directive. Also, capturing one of the drones for weaponry would be excellent.
I see we are on a rimworld. Randy have mercy, for the scythers, lancers, centepedes and pikemen mechanoids will not.
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I see we are on a rimworld. Randy have mercy, for the scythers, lancers, centepedes and pikemen mechanoids will not.
Dustan nailed it. XD Maybe I shouldn't have made it too obvious, but hell with it.
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Follow the people into the fortress to get the key.
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Get inside the fort and go towards the beacon’s locations, likely where the key is
((I’ve never played Rimworld, so there’s no worries of meta gaming here))
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"Go for the key I will try to give you more time"
Rush towards the downed Scythe enemies and Fuse with/Absorb them, so I can fight them more efficiently.
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Personally I like this twist Xvareon, and I look forward to seeing what other sources of inspiration you have, blatant or not.
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Gather parts to Build Sakura Drones, blocky floating Xs with lasers in each of the four cubes on each of the four limbs. The centerpoint is the relay coupler and hardware. Overall 5 feet by 5 feet.
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Personally I like this twist Xvareon, and I look forward to seeing what other sources of inspiration you have, blatant or not.
I'm glad you like it. ^_^ I have plenty of other inspiration to draw from, too!
Also, I feel I need to make something clear I glossed over before. As spherical AI cores, you DO have 'hands' already, really, more like a multitool set that includes grabbers and stuff you can pick up and manipulate objects with. Good for work, but you wouldn't want to punch someone with them.
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>Fix my limbs, and load the shotgun if it isn't fully loaded, before attaching it to my back alongside the busted rifle.
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Shouldn't my visual sensor still be damaged? If so just scavenge around the area for materials to repair it. If not, go back and bring the naked bird back.
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Turn coming later tonight, ideally. First two epic successes in the same action this game. The fort unveils a new weapon. And outdated killer drone encryption meets hacking.
EDIT: Miscounted. It was actually THREE epics in one action.
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Turn 7
This will not do. It seems we will need to stop these hostile drones to safely evacuate the key.
Attempt to communicate with the hostile systems and breach their wireless security. If that is not possible, attempt physical interfacing.
If i can seize control of one or more of the drones and turn them on the other incoming drones, we might be able to buy enough time to retrieve the key and complete our secondary directive. Also, capturing one of the drones for weaponry would be excellent.
[4] A quick signal probe locks onto the hostile mechs' unique frequency. Next, you manually jack into the brain of one of the destroyed quadruped drones. After quickly parsing its system, a quick jack through its own network relay coupler grants you a brief spate of unrestricted access.
[4] One of the centipede-like machines experiences a catastrophic weapon failure, as its back-mounted heavy blaster loses gyroscopic stability and begins spraying plasma fire in random directions! [6] Several of the legged mechs nearby are struck, one going down from direct hits sizzling through its midsection! The cannon itself soon cooks off and EXPLODES, heavily damaging the centipede and rendering its hardpoint useless!
[3] A few stray plasma rounds BARELY miss you, but unfortunately destroy the mech you are jacking into -- you just barely jack out and move before something sensitive gets damaged.
Follow the people into the fortress to get the key.
[5] The retreating patrol toss you a few glances, but they're more concerned with the robots actually shooting at them right about now. You easily follow them all the way into the fort, along the way noticing a loud general alarm siren begin to blare from within. The chief barks orders for two men to "take the wounded to Medical" (you interpret this as a repair & service station for organics), two more to supplement the defense, and the last to follow him.
The immediate interior of the fort is a set of long asphalt pathways leading to the center, all ringed by sturdy buildings of various function. Sandbag-ringed mortar emplacements sit in the middle, frantic guards manning, loading, and orienting them towards the fight. The leader and company make a beeline for a fortified compound across the field, their presence keeping guns pointed away even as weird stares come aplenty.
Get inside the fort and go towards the beacon’s locations, likely where the key is
[6] VROOOOM! Following quickly behind Bob Mk III, you have to weave to dodge a few of the quickly running humans, most of whom react with shock and anger at seeing you inside the fort they're trying to guard from killer robots. Thankfully, you reach your friend in time, SLAMMING into him while evading runners! [4] Neither of you are damaged or knocked down, though, and this causes the chief to look back, shaking his head like this might be amusing another time. The others take the hint and stand down, letting you through.
"Go for the key I will try to give you more time"
Rush towards the downed Scythe enemies and Fuse with/Absorb them, so I can fight them more efficiently.
[3] Rushing for the one remaining downed "scyther" drone, you furiously attempt to integrate its hardware with yours. You get as far as detaching the mounted arc-plasma thrower, though the drone's armor and subsystems elude you for now. [2] A quick test-fire in the general direction of the very much active and angry drones sends a sizzling bolt of plasma their way, but you unfortunately miss.
[Arc-plasma thrower equipped! Can now engage targets at range.]
Gather parts to Build Sakura Drones, blocky floating Xs with lasers in each of the four cubes on each of the four limbs. The centerpoint is the relay coupler and hardware. Overall 5 feet by 5 feet.
[5 (4 + 1)] With instinctual grace and precision, you carefully comb through the lockers for components. [5] Luck is on your side, as you stumble upon ample quantities of both hurricane-rated raw materials and other hardware, likely for setting up shelter and other installations in the unknown! It doesn't take you long to design a perfectly serviceable -- even ingenious -- prototype drone, complete with its own float system, and slaved to your local network. Had you eyes, you might have shed a tear hearing it beep-boop for the first time, rising to a cozy 45cm above the ground.
[5 (4 + 1) (O___O)] Making military-grade lasers work with its 'limbs' was a bit tougher, but the bionic limbs gave you an idea. You discover very usable and stable power sources that might have been used to support them, and it doesn't take you long at all to make an effective, if slapdash, array of beams in the arms. They're even capable of tracking targets independently, giving the whole design remarkable coverage.
[Sakura Drone Prototype constructed!]
>Fix my limbs, and load the shotgun if it isn't fully loaded, before attaching it to my back alongside the busted rifle.
[1] You reattach the legs to your elbows, allowing you to walk, but making it really awkward if you try to shoot while moving. [3] With some help from your multitool set, though, you don't have much trouble taking the shotgun (8/8 shells) and the ruined rifle. You don't look like a mutated ape anymore, just a center-weighted barbell on stilts. At least you got everything picked up, though!
Shouldn't my visual sensor still be damaged? If so just scavenge around the area for materials to repair it. If not, go back and bring the naked bird back.
[6] Finding materials to fix a complex device like a visual sensor in the badlands proves harder than should be fair. Giving up, you chase after and grab the squawking bird, attach it to the front of your body with a loop of wire from your kit, and manually probe and screw and drill your way in to the back of the creature's head. With some effort, you find yourself able to see out of the bird's eyes! When it's looking where you need it to look, that is. It's being terribly uncooperative, flapping and making loud noises. But it's serviceable.
Returning to the scene of the fort, you abruptly realize you probably could have used one of the dead drones... Oh, well!
[Visual sensor still damaged for now, but can ignore penalty in some cases.]
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[3] The mechs continue their relentless assault on the fort, but with the disruption caused by Ongoing_Directives.bat, their fire turns sporadic and lacking in coordination while they try to regain their footing. They do take some ground, and their efforts begin to show with parts of the walls taking serious damage.
[6] PHOONK! PHOONK! Several high-yield mortar rounds suddenly launch from the interior of the fort, arcing up before falling to blast several of the hostile mechs! Accurate turret fire and a few contributing small arms from the walls helps to pick off a couple more.
[4] The operations chief hurriedly taps on the keypad outside a door of the compound, unlocking it -- but is then stopped dead in his tracks by a panicked man in civilian clothes. He blathers and screeches while gesticulating madly, and you make out the words "psychic - radiation - corruption (your definition of "insanity")" through it all. The chief lets out a string of curses, taps a finger to his helmet and starts calling for "the foil-hats" as backup.
-----
kittens, Ongoing_Directives.bat, and 333 are all at the fort.
CIWLEAL and Bob Mk III are inside the fort.
0cra_Tr0per, TricMagic, and the Sakura Drone Prototype are at the portal device.
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ziizo (333) [Armed with Arc-Plasma Thrower]
The Canadian Kitten (kittens) [Covered in petrol-soaked bird feathers][Damaged visual sensor, bypassed with neural-grafted avian eyes (+ avian creature)]
Dustan Hache (Ongoing_Directives.bat) [Translator device]
King Zultan (Bob Mk III)
TricMagic (B.B.[8]) [Bionic arms, legs, chestplate & head (+1 to actions requiring hand dexterity/grip. +1 to damage resistance rolls.)]
NatureGirl1999 (CIWLEAL)
0cra_tr0per (dominustrex.exe) [Mismatched bionic limbs (You look like a center-weighted barbell on stilts; no bonus or penalty)][Shotgun (8/8 shells)][Bolt-action rifle (broken)]
Sakura Drone Prototype (built by TricMagic)
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I'm just going to call it 'Sakura Drone Prototype' unless you guys want to vote on a name. Something deserving of the 1/216 odds you just beat to get those 5's. This is like rolling two nat 20's in a row.
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>Spend yet another turn fixing my fucking limbs. Attach my left arm to my left shoulder, then my right arm to my right shoulder, then my left leg to my left hip, and then finally my right leg to my right hip. Throw as many dice as I can at OP.
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Begin a trace on the source of the signal. If it's close by, interface with the damaged centipede drone and hitch a ride on it to assault the source physically. Otherwise, attempt to brute force the network security and initiate a denial of service attack, essentially cutting the strings from whatever is puppeting these drones for a time.
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Go deeper into the fortress and find the key thing we're looking for and grab it.
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Shoot the enemy drones I want some of these bladed limbs and the best way to get them is removing them from dead bodies.
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Continue towards the beacon, use the scanner to get an idea of where in the fort the key is (if the beacon we saw was the scanner don’t use it again if it’s redundant)
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Find some more materials to build more Sakura Drones, and get started on that. I still have 5 Relays left.
"I name you Serrulata~ Please go outside now and get a view of the nearby area. Focus on if there are any wrecks nearby with computers. It will be interesting to see if they have data on where we are.."
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Start scavenging materials from the dead drones or from dead mechs
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You doing alright Xvareon? It's been a while since you posted, and I want to make sure you're okay.
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You doing alright Xvareon? It's been a while since you posted, and I want to make sure you're okay.
I am, I'm just suffering from a bit of procrastination. x_x Other things have distracted me lately. I appreciate the concern, though! I'm not sick, and I'm staying safe so far.
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You doing alright Xvareon? It's been a while since you posted, and I want to make sure you're okay.
I am, I'm just suffering from a bit of procrastination. x_x Other things have distracted me lately. I appreciate the concern, though! I'm not sick, and I'm staying safe so far.
that’s good. Continue to stay safe
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Turn 8
>Spend yet another turn fixing my fucking limbs. Attach my left arm to my left shoulder, then my right arm to my right shoulder, then my left leg to my left hip, and then finally my right leg to my right hip. Throw as many dice as I can at OP.
[5] Fairly certain this is NOT the proper way limbs should work, you disassemble your bionics yet AGAIN and begin methodically reconnecting them. Just to be ABSOLUTELY SURE, you also gather a spare set of limbs and clip them onto your body. You now have four perfectly good arms and redundant legs that you can replace with your spares as an afterthought.
Begin a trace on the source of the signal. If it's close by, interface with the damaged centipede drone and hitch a ride on it to assault the source physically. Otherwise, attempt to brute force the network security and initiate a denial of service attack, essentially cutting the strings from whatever is puppeting these drones for a time.
[2] Running your trace, you probe the airwaves, but picking up a source proves harder than you thought. After filtering out radio chatter and trying to ignore the pull of the Key's signal, all you find are possibilities: Either the signal source is far away, as in not on this battlefield; or these drones are operating on pre-set orders within their own unit network, similar to you and your companions, actually. [5] A strange thought occurs to you, then -- if the hostile mechs are indeed after the same thing...
You spin up a netwide signal spoof with your own broadcaster, spraying the drones' local-net wirelessly with dummy signals! First seven, then twenty-three, then a hundred and eight... The already disorganized drones start having trouble telling what their actual target is, as you're cycling so many pings at them at once they can't properly lock onto even the enormous one in front of them. This causes their battle line to falter, just enough to throw off their control, but not enough to make them forget an entire fortress is shooting at them right now. [-1 to the mechs' attack]
Go deeper into the fortress and find the key thing we're looking for and grab it.
[6] MCP Protocol is clear -- with the mission objective in sight, ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS ARE MOOT. While the guards and chief are talking, you bull straight past, knocking the frantic human aside to the wall on your way. A few angry shouts issue forth from behind you, but you ignore them all.
You break through into a security checkpoint. A long, reinforced counter forms the only furniture, aside from a couple chairs behind that. Hovering between them, a quick peek around confirms security terminals within the counter. Red strobe alarm lights flare on the concrete walls, illuminating two doors: One dead ahead, and another to the side that is wide open. You can see gun lockers and various small crates strewn around.
You hear the sounds of a scuffle and gunshots coming from behind the first, immediately followed by three bodies tumbling through and knocking it open. A security guard lands on the floor, handgun discharging once before getting knocked across the floor. Two other humans in bloodstained service uniforms pin him down, faces contorted in bestial rage and growling unintelligible gibberish while beating him with their fists.
Shoot the enemy drones I want some of these bladed limbs and the best way to get them is removing them from dead bodies.
[4] Leveling your newfound weapon, you reach a targeting solution within moments and squeeze off several highly-accurate shots into the wing of the drones' formation. One collapses from the sudden loss of two legs, another from a bolt sizzling into its torso, and a third from multiple direct hits that leave it a smoking wreck.
Your actions do not go unnoticed by the enemy, however! Some of them turn to behold you and your group, and judging by the almost panicked and confused chatter you can hear from their local-net, they were NOT expecting to be fighting other AI's, without their own IFF or no. [1] They half-heartedly return fire at you, but you see the shots coming well in advance, side-strafing through the air while firing. You feel a surge of what might be called pride with each one that drops, and before long, you've reached the first of the newly-downed mechs.
[3] You have to cease fire in order to properly disassemble it, of course, but thankfully your brazen assault caused enough of a disruption that the fort's defenders are able to back you up. Digging your toolset into the thing's joints, you saw out and extract both of its scythe-like blades. But the process is slower than you'd like, and you aren't able to fully integrate them just yet.
Find some more materials to build more Sakura Drones, and get started on that. I still have 5 Relays left.
"I name you Serrulata~ Please go outside now and get a view of the nearby area. Focus on if there are any wrecks nearby with computers. It will be interesting to see if they have data on where we are.."
[3 (2 + 1)] Your progress is mildly interrupted when the already-built Sakura drone hovers over, seemingly curious about what you're doing. It tries to help by assembling parts itself, seemingly trying to make tiny versions of itself out of the materials you gather -- smaller X's with precision laser-cut parts. "Toy" might be an apt word for them. They're lifeless, and aren't armed, but the live drone still beeps happily at having made something. You still manage to gather up some full-size parts, but putting together another drone is going to take longer.
As fascinating as this behavior is, you eventually decide it's not that useful, and send the newly-christened Serrulata out to survey the area. It gratefully obeys, but you notice it took one of its little creations with it. It sends back feed of the outside surroundings to you, showing... ...that something... something very big is happening down in a valley below, and it involves your fellows, a fortress, a giant beacon, explosions, more explosions... it casually asks if it should join battle.
Continue towards the beacon, use the scanner to get an idea of where in the fort the key is (if the beacon we saw was the scanner don’t use it again if it’s redundant)
[2] What you're able to find out for sure just from the signal is that the key is definitely inside the structure Bob Mk III just barged into. But finding more detail than that from here is harder than it looks. You don't have wall-penetrating X-ray capability, advanced radar, or other sensor suites. [1] Frustrated, you seize hold of the panicking man that got knocked aside, and ask him red-eye to flesh-eye WHERE IT IS. He SCREAMS for several seconds at your cold metal frame, before suddenly seizing up, and going into cardiac arrest!
Start scavenging materials from the dead drones or from dead mechs
[3] You stay back for now, remaining near the dead bodies of the initial two drones -- one mostly intact, one reduced to slag and scrap. Despite the squawking distraction from your live and very naked bird-that-is-also-eyes, you peel off enough of the side armor of one of the scythe-drones to make a shield-like plate with, and rip off a blade to use in melee. The blade'll likely come in handy for taking things apart, too. Metal shield & scythe blade equipped! Between the volleys of gunfire, your audio sensors filter out the curious words "Sir Astrochicken" from the human defenders.
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[1 (2 - 1)] Ongoing_Directives.bat's signal jamming utterly shatters the mechs' ability to launch a coherent assault. They fire a few token blasts at the fort, but with one of their heavy units down, and several scythers pulverized, they're already down by a sizable fraction of their force.
[6] Things don't exactly go flawlessly on the humans' side, either. One of the mortar emplacements gets immolated by a lucky arcing shot from one of the centipede drones, this being a canister of what seems to be napalm! The crew begin dying a screaming death, which becomes instantaneous as their ammunition cooks off and the entire emplacement explodes! [5] CIWLEAL is pummeled by stray pieces of metal shrapnel and jellied napalm, but is barely even fazed. The poor heartstopped man they're clutching also doesn't get hurt... more than he already is.
[6] Having seen the emplacement catch hell, the chief and his guard both dive for cover inside the fortified structure, and manage to evade damage as well! This puts them right on the scene when the three men crash through the now-open door inside -- the chief rolls, taking up his rifle again in the same motion, and squeezes off an accurate burst that rips through the leg of one of the crazed humans. His target crumples with a pained shout, dragging his knee along the floor.
[3] His associate is not so lucky. Caught off guard, the best he can manage is to struggle to his feet, and attempt to restart the heart of the panicking man with a hand taser he produces from his belt. [3] It even works... barely. He shudders, letting out one last wailing cry before dropping unconscious. But at least his heart's weakly beating again.
-----
kittens, Ongoing_Directives.bat, and 333 are all at the fort.
CIWLEAL and Bob Mk III are inside the fort.
0cra_Tr0per, TricMagic, and Serrulata are at the portal device.
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ziizo (333) [Armed with Arc-Plasma Thrower]
The Canadian Kitten (kittens) [Covered in petrol-soaked bird feathers][Damaged visual sensor, bypassed with neural-grafted avian eyes (+ avian creature)][Metal shield][Scythe Blade]
Dustan Hache (Ongoing_Directives.bat) [Translator device]
King Zultan (Bob Mk III)
TricMagic (B.B.[8]) [Bionic arms, legs, chestplate & head]
NatureGirl1999 (CIWLEAL)
0cra_tr0per (dominustrex.exe) [Four powerful bionic limbs][Redundant bionic legs][Shotgun (8/8 shells)][Bolt-action rifle (broken)]
"Serrulata" (built by TricMagic)
-----
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Continue the jamming the localnet, and attempt to focus the targeting pings in front of or amongst themselves in such a way that they might friendly fire while attempting to chase their nonexistent targets. Also make note for the future that Keys have a invasive signal attached to them which may or may not contain some form of malware.
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Go for one of the gun lockers and grab a rifle and integrate it into myself, then continue to look for the key.
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Keep Shooting to buy enough time to Integrate the blades
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“I think you need medical, sorry for changing heart rate”
Look for wherever the medical area is and take the human with the slow heart rate there
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>Finally go through the portal and shotgun some hostiles.
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Yes, support our side. BB8 says to Serrulata.
Build the drones.
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Fight the drones I guess?
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Is this dead?
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Is this dead?
I guess I should have said at least something rather than let it go for weeks again. That's my bad. I'm trying, but keep getting distracted by so many other things I want to do. Doesn't help that I picked up some things late from the Steam Summer Sale. If I don't wind up posting something by tomorrow or the next day, I probably will mark it as on hiatus, at least.
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I guess it's safe to say my mood to write this is not coming back anytime soon. I'm putting it on hiatus. Sorry, everyone. Thank you for sticking along with me for as long as my fickle muse lasted, though.
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It’s ok. Your game idea’s creative. It will be interesting what other gsme(s) you decide to make, if any.
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I'll still be here when you decide to work on this again, also looking forward to any other game you decide to run.