KZZHROOOM!! The gate
closed behind them!
Vanguard found
themselves back home in the Special Projects Room of Vanguard Vault with
Mystic, Archimedes, Oracle, Shelley Harper, Nanite, Doc Rocket, Sgt. Stone and
CHESS Agent Drake.
At Vanguard’s feet were a half
dozen severed Dino Man arms in a small pool of blood.
“Cutting it a little close, huh
kids?” said Sarge.
Slingshot said, "Tell
me about it! But that was way easier than seeing the ground coming at you at 60
miles an hour and you're human again. I have to say that put things in
perspective."
He fist-pounded, gently, Symbiote,
"But Symbiote saved my, then, skinny bottom. So I'm more than happy to
pull his bacon out of the fire. Same goes for everyone." He surveyed the
rest of the team.
Then, "Sentinel, that was
inspired. Well done."
Slate had rolled to
the ground falling atop his father in a tangled mess, along with half of
Vanguard. He crawled out of the tangle
as his father pulled himself together.
Pulling his mask off, he looked around at the rest of the team, no one
looked damaged or hurt, but they did look tired. Moving off to the side, Slate waited for them
to determine their next steps.
Doc examined a
reptilian Dino-Man limb, “Fascinating.”
Clone handed the Stone
Idol of Cthulhu to Mystic.
Sentinel said, “It seems
to nullify magic in certain circumstances. Not now, clearly.”
Archimedes said, “Not ‘nullify.’
Absorb.”
Slingshot embraced
Nanite and Slate. He turned his head around and said to Sentinel, “Huh? What do
you mean? I must have missed the whole "nullifies magic only" part. I
thought it nullified all super powers.”
Sentinel replied, “Slate’s
powers were unaffected within the Ruin. Clone’s also. But Strike's powers
projected successfully into the Ruin. Avatar's powers projected and failed to
work within the Ruin. Menagerie, Sentinel, and Slingshot lost powers within;
Sentinel and Slingshot regained powers once outside the Ruin. The height of the 'field' over the ruins was
measured by Symbiote when he raised you high enough to revert you back to
superhuman form. That was the evidence I used to reach that conclusion. At this point it is only a theory but it makes
sense to me.”
Nanite looked up at her
husband. “Wait. What?”
Embarrassed, Slingshot scratched his head. "Sorry, Nan. Ethan dug up some
books that seemed to point that I had more than a passing resemblance to some
sort of Cthulhu freakazoid, but that was after this mess started. We kept
looking into it, but we didn't find much. I figured it was just a coincidence.
We've been jumping from one thing to the next and, well, I didn't want to worry
you, honey. If my powers are actually magical in nature, then there might be
more to it than it appears."
Sentinel said, "That
adds up. I noticed some of the Dino-men
reacting toward seeing you and pointing; their reaction seemed to be more of
recognition and astonishment. I also get
the feeling that you or your origins will play a much more significant role in
events than perhaps we anticipated."
Slingshot looked at
the reflective glass of the cabinet and he saw the family picture: Scott
looking back, Nan looking up at him and Ethan leaning close to his mother. He
laughed, "Sounds like we each have a part to play with some disaster.
Three's a charm!" He hugged them both again.
Nanite gave Slingshot
a look that said, “We’ll so discuss this later.” She kissed the top of her
son’s head.
It was 2am and the cable news reports had few developments.
The world storm still raged on, plunging 90% of Earth, and all land masses,
into darkness.
Global panic, riots and blackouts spread as all financial
markets crashed. The internet was down in most areas. The governments of the
world appealed for their citizens to remain calm, even as martial law was
declared. People turned to their houses of worship in the certain knowledge
that they were living in end times.
CHESS Castle remained locked down in the wake of prison
riots.
CHESS was overwhelmed, like all law enforcement and military
branches, and all known superheroes, attempting to handle the global crisis and
protecting life and limb.
Vanguard Vault was still powered by its emergency
generators.
Mystic wanted to gate
the Idol of Cthulhu to his pocket dimension for safe keeping.
After doing that, and recovering from the exertion to do
that, Vanguard will be ready to target the next artifact in two hours – leaving
only two days and 19 hours until the end of the world! Vanguard gates next at
4am.
Vanguard now had three
artifacts: the Splinter of the True Cross from Black Bat the Mayan Sacrificial
Dagger from the Crimson Coven, and the Stone Idol of Cthulhu from the dino-man
denizens of the Lost lands.
Six Artifacts remained, and
Vanguard knew their locations, thanks to the invention of the Janus Chair:
• The middle of the Atlantic Ocean
• Northern France
• The Nevada desert
• Moscow (This is assumed to be the
Spear of Destiny, in possession of the SSS)
• Northern California
• China
Sentinel said:
“Atlantic Ocean should be our next target. We may as well hit the most hostile
environment at our strongest. I think we might be talking about Atlantis, one
of the two places that Cthulhu’s last entry was thwarted. So perhaps we may
learn something we can use.”
Avatar asked, “I vote for the Atlantic too. Do we have any watercraft that we could use for this? While some have powers to allow some movement and survival in an aquatic environment, not all of us do. Even those who might be able to support several others, like Sentinel, might be needed in other capacities once a fight or some other plan begins.”
Slingshot said, “The last time we went there, we used the Manta Craft if I recall properly. There were also pressurized suits available.”
CHESS Agent Drake said, “They still are. Both are accessible here in Vanguard Vault.”
Sentinel said, “Not
sure the Manta Craft can fit through the gate. Or whether there’s some way of
knowing if we are porting into water or an area of air under the water.
“I used the pressurized suit last
time because once we go too deep, the water pressure begins damaging my
constructs... and also, if I’m rendered
unconscious in battle or exhaustion, they dissipate.
Likely we'd all enter in the Chess
environmental suits without the craft since we should be porting close to the
object. If we're fortunate we enter into
an air environment. In addition to the
suits I also recommend that each of us carry an extra small handheld type extra
container of air with a couple minutes supply of air - since someone's
protective suit always gets punctured in these sort of situations and it will
buy them some time.”
Slingshot said, “As
per the last time, I won't need a pressure suit, but I'll need a re-breather.
I would like to have a few handy
in case we run into underwater problems.”
Clone said, “My gut tells
me that the Atlantic might be a good choice, but with so little time to get all
the artifacts, we may want to consider "Base Raiding" the group(s)
that are also collecting artifacts. With that in mind, we may want to prepare
for the possibility of getting "Base Raided" ourselves - they may be
thinking the same thing.”
Symbiote agreed with
the Atlantic as the next target. “If we go there I'll take Inhuman's power set.
Anywhere else, I'll take
Accelerator.”
Slingshot said,
“Inhuman. Nice.” Then he tabled the topic of sleep. "I think the best
course of action right now is to have a short rest. If it wasn't for Sentinel's
quick thinking and his illusion, we wouldn't be here and we would be neck deep
in dinomen right now. We need to stay sharp. I propose we go down for a 4 hour
sleep. It will let the magus rest and we will be ready. It's only a two hour
delay, but it'll give us a great boost for the next set of teleports."
Menagerie agreed.
Sentinel said,
“Resting sounds fine.” Kirk would try
meditating as it tended to have good results and Kirk had some training from
his mental discipline. Also in case of encountering the Star Giant again - that
might prepare his mind.
Slate was good with
the Atlantic. His unique physiology protected him from lack of sleep, but he
went along with the team, and would try to work in some research time on
Atlantis, as well as read the logs of the teams encounter with the Star Giant,
which seems reasonable that this would be related as he recalls some
non-Euclidean designs from those logs, that might have been similar to the
writings he found in the book from Swastika's lab, or on the temple in the Lost
Lands.
He wanted to request a DPV (Diver
Propulsion Vehicle), some kind of communication devices for the team that will
work above or under water, and he'll trade in his Indy outfit for diving gear
and a spear gun with grapnel. He'll
still be carrying his bag of tricks and supernatural defenses, ensuring he has
water proof bags for anything that should stay dry (salt, garlic, etc...) but
he'll forgo the flash bangs.
He also wanted to try to spend
some down time with his mother.
Lightning Strike said,
“I’m also OK with the middle of the Atlantic Ocean,” as he wondered if their
underwater craft could be configured so he could fire electrical blasts
underwater similar to an electric eel.
“But I want to use what little
downtime we have to investigate Atlantis and any other mythology about lost
civilizations so we understand what kind of artifact we might be looking for.”
With the internet down,
investigations into Atlantis would be limited. Fortunately the room was
practically filled with historians, archaeologists and students of occult
history.
Avatar said, “The
story of Atlantis first appears in Greek mythology in 360 BC in the works of
Plato who described it as a technologically advanced, peaceful, prosperous,
island utopia of demigods loyal to Poseidon; as virtuous as Plato’s idyllic
“ancient Athens.” Poseidon’s eldest son,
Atlas, was born of a human woman and made rightful king of Atlantis in the
Atlantic Ocean, both of which bear his name.
“Warmongering, corruption and forsaking
the teachings of Poseidon brought ruin upon Atlantis, submerging her forever in
floods, earthquakes and fires in 9,000 BC. This advanced, prehistoric, lost
civilization’s exact location was never found. But Plato describes it as larger
than “Africa or Asia,” although the true size of those continents was unknown
to the Greeks of Plato’s time.
Mystic continued, “In the 16th century, some scholars believed the newly-discovered Mayan and Aztec civilizations were descended from Atlantis. Interest resurged again in the 19th century when scholar Ignatius L. Donnelly attempted to establish that all known ancient civilizations were descended from Atlantis, which was a technologically sophisticated, more advanced culture. Donnelly drew parallels between creation stories in the Old and New Worlds, attributing the similarities to Atlantis, where he believed existed the Biblical Garden of Eden. He also believed that Atlantis was destroyed by the Great Flood mentioned in the Bible.
Clone said, “The
Russian mystic Helena Petrovna Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society in
the 1870s with a philosophy often cited as the foundation of New Age and other
spiritual movements. She maintained that the Atlanteans were cultural heroes
who tragically destroyed themselves through internal warfare brought about by
the dangerous use of psychic and supernatural powers.”
Sentinel said, “She
believed in a form of racial evolution (as opposed to primate evolution), in
which the Atlanteans were the fourth "Root Race", succeeded by the
fifth and most superior "Aryan race.” Her theory would later provide the
Nazis with a mythological precedent and pretense for their deranged ideological
platform of superiority.”
More recently, (Issue 183 to be
exact) the Warlock told Vanguard that Atlantis was really destroyed during an
incursion of Cthulhu and his mad pantheon upon our plane of existence.
CHESS Agent Drake
stood before a thermographic still image of the world, on the wall-sized
screen. It was no longer live. CHESS
satellites were down. Temporarily, it was hoped.
Drake looked at the serpentine
ridge in the floor of the North Atlantic, turned to Vanguard and said, “The ‘wizards’
aren't going "blind" anymore, since the invention of the Janus Chair.
The Chair revealed the exact location. There are no land masses charted at
these coordinates. Satellites are down, but if they weren’t, they couldn't see
the location anyway due to the cloud cover of the World Storm.”
Mystic said, “I think
it best to gate Vanguard in, a few feet above sea level so you'll have oxygen.”
Drake said to
Vanguard, “Your current plan is to nap and then gate to the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean in your pressurized scuba suits. But once there you have no
transport (or shelter) because the Manta Craft can't fit through Mystic's gate.
“What about this instead? Vanguard flies to the middle of the Atlantic
Ocean in the Manta Craft. CHESS pilots
fly it there while Vanguard naps on the trip. The trip will take about 5 hours,
so Vanguard can count on 4 hours of sleep, flying above the turbulence of the
World Storm. This way, you get the nap, you're close to the same schedule, but
now you have the amphibious Manta Craft with you at the hostile environs of the
artifact site.
After the mission, Mystic can gate
Vanguard back home to save time, while the CHESS pilots fly the jet back.”
Vanguard agreed
unanimously and made final preparations before they disembarked in the Manta
Craft.
Slate, after a short
conversation with Nanite, logged in to
his computer and started a search on the Star Giant, and any information he
could find on Atlantis… all the while listening to the wind howling against the
Vanguard Vault. Rain virtually coated
the tower as he looked out the window, peering into the darkness punctuated by
lightning followed by thunder. He turned
back to his room, taking in the contrast… immaculate, clean, warm, and bright,
he began to see how life could be changed if they failed, and a grim
determination came over him. “We cannot
fail,” he thought to himself.
With the internet down, he found
little in Vanguard’s archives about Atlantis.
They had never been there, or encountered evidence of its existence. But
the Freedom Force (Earth’s greatest super team of the 1980’s) once had an
amphibious member named Aquon, who was rumored to come from an undersea city.
But Vanguard’s archives had plenty
on the Star Giant.
[Flashback from Issue #12!]
Lightning Strike swam down, deeper and deeper to the bottom
of the Atlantic Ocean in his enviro-suit. He swam down for what might have been
an hour, and with each stroke, the sensation grew stronger. The light mounted
on his pressurized suit illuminated little. At times, vertigo threatened to
overtake the electrical avenger. But the electricity he detected became his
true north, a compass point he followed onward and onward, deeper and deeper
down into the fathomless depths.
Lightning Strike was exhausted. He thought his eyes were
fooling him at first, but then it was clear there were lights beneath him. He
slowed and continued.
Then he found the light source, and his mind couldn’t take
it all in. Below him was a colossal leviathan! A monstrous, star-shaped mass
that might have been bigger than a city block! Impossibly, the thing was
moving… slowly through the depths. The light source was violet organic
phosphorescence!
Stranger still, Lightning Strike could tell that the
mammoth starfish-behemoth had electricity somehow within it! IT was the
electrical source he had tracked! Not bioelectricity, but industrial “man-made”
electricity! Yet not nearly enough to power it. If this alien, otherworldly
wonder was a machine, it had some other energy source fueling it. Could it be
some kind of underwater spaceship?! But… it seemed to be alive!! Its true
nature was concealed by the endless layers of barnacle and coral that had built
up on its surface over unknown years.
Strike stared in wonder. Then, moving shapes caught his
eyes and they refocused. Impossibly dwarfed hammerhead sharks orbited the
starfish leviathan. They were almost without number. To reach the strange, star
giant, Lightning Strike would first have to navigate his way through the
sharks!
Strike approached the awesome Star Giant. It undulated and
quivered, mollusk-like, as it propelled itself forward through the water. As he
drew near he saw technology layered upon the thing, as thick as the coral and
barnacles that encrusted the giant’s skin. It was some kind of hellish aquatic
cyborg!
Some of the technology was recognizably human. Some was
not! The latter employed some form of non-Euclidean geometry and physics that
turned Strike’s stomach, disturbing him as a scientist and, on a more
primordial level, as a human being (Imagine the Death Star broken up,
redesigned by M.C. Escher and fused into a gigantic Lovecraftian, insane
mollusk creature).
Its scale was hard to take in. Strike saw windows, ports,
and doors within the human-ish constructions as he swam within the thing’s
terrible shadow. He also felt a palpable sense of psychic dread!
[End flashback!]
Slate had memorized
all he read, and then pulled a list of supplies he would need, and slipped out
of the apartment. He could hear Slingshot and Nanite talking softly behind
their door. [see below]
He headed to the basement, to the
Quartermaster to requisition his equipment.
Stace, the young agent that had helped him before was working late, sitting
before his computer inside the cage that surrounded the storage area. “Hey Stace, I need to get a few things,”
Slate said smiling. His smile was short
lived… Stace practically snarled at him, “I’m not giving you anything.”
Slate’s smile disappeared…
“Why?... you helped me before.”
“Are you kidding me,” Stace slapped
his hand upon a book on a nearby counter.
“I nearly lost my job over that flash bang fiasco. I thought you had gone through the channels,
your forms looked legit. How did I know
you created them yourself off of historical documents? You’re not even an official member of the
team.”
“I thought we might need them,”
Slate responded. “Menagerie showed me
how to use them, you saw him he was right here with me… I didn’t know I
couldn’t just copy the forms… I wasn’t trying to trick you,” Slate stammered
trying to defend his actions. “I wasn’t
trying to cause any trouble.”
“Well you sure did. I’ll be lucky if I ever get off clerk duty.
Let alone graveyard shift! You know I didn’t join to sit behind a desk all
day,” Stace said less aggressively.
“Look kid, I know you didn’t mean any harm, but I’ve got to do things by
the book. You are going to have to get
an official Vanguard member to requisition this stuff, or you’re going to have
to be added to the team. I can’t help
you anymore.”
Slate folded the form he had laid
on the desk and turned slowly away… “Thanks,” was all he said as he trudged
back to the elevators and up to his room.
“All right, all right,” said
Stace. “Come back, kid. I can get you all this except the harpoon
gun. But this is really the last time.”
[Reply, Slate?]
Slingshot and Nanite
were in their apartment. “Wait, tell me
this again,” said Nan as Scott packed.
“I thought you were in some kind
of industrial accident that transformed you. How can your powers be “magical” in
nature? And just when did that “magic” take place? I mean, how old was that
book with your picture in it?”
[Reply, Slingshot? and
eavesdropping Slate?]
Symbiote found Doc
Rocket in the special projects room.
Symbiote had come to charge the Harper Harness. Doc was looking at the remains of the Janus
Chair.
“You know, of course,” said Doc,
“that your invention, the Janus Chair, gave us the artifact locations at one
moment in time. With each passing hour,
the likelihood increases that one or more artifacts will move… to locations we
haven’t divined. What then, my boy? What then?”
[Reply, Symbiote?]
Lightning Strike went
to the jet hangar to invent a way for his electrical blasts to fire from the
Manta Craft.
[OOC: This attempt will cost a
Luck Point. You have Intx3% chance of
succeeding in this One-shot invention.
Want to try it?]
Then Strike went to his old
quarters and used his superpowers and skills to retrieve what email had come to
all his various identities before the internet went down. There was an
anonymous message, sent to a secret account that Lightning Strike only used to
send from. It could only have come from one person: Lightning Strike Omega.
It read: “This world is done. I
don’t plan to live through another apocalypse. I’m leaving this dimension. Come
with me. Save yourself.”
[Reply, Lightning Strike?]
Sentinel and Shelley
Harper said their goodbyes in Sentinel’s quarters. In an hour they would part again.
Shelley said, “I wish I could come
with you and help. But I know now the whole Zephyr thing was just some crazy
sibling rivalry that got out of hand.
I’m not cut out to be a superhero, like you… or Hal. But with the world
on the edge, when I feel like we’re about to lose everything, there’s been this
sudden realization that there’s something I want to be, more than anything
else. A mother. I want to bring life into this world, even in the face of
Armageddon. Kirk, let’s make a baby… right now. Cthulhu can go to hell.”
Her eyes were wet. “Because love
conquers all.”
[Reply, Sentinel?]
[Clone, see private email]
Avatar meditated in
his Spartan quarters before he set out once more to war. He drifted to sleep
and the eternal champion found himself in the familiar broken landscape that he
had come to learn was the City of Dead Gods. He was dreaming, and he dreamt
that he met Penumbra there.
“Don’t look so surprised,” she
said. “Of course I survived our last encounter.
Did you ever doubt it?”
In her hand she held the iron mask
of the Dark Avatar.
“Cthulhu must be stopped,” she said.
“If I regained the powers of the Dark Avatar, I could stop him. I could save
the world. You know that to be true.
Will you help me, old friend?”
[Reply, Avatar?]
Menagerie met with his
spirit guide Archimedes to meditate. Afterwards,
the two observed Central Park from their skyscraper aerie. Central Park was
burning. Specifically, the grove of the
Lady of the Lake.
Menagerie wanted to rush into
action.
“Wait, boy,” commanded Archimedes
in his thick Scottish accent. “Ye’re about to embark on the next leg of yer
quest. THAT is yer destiny.”
Archimedes used his mystic vision
and observed the arsons of the sacred grove. “Baron Samedi… Jack Lantern… Le
Fou… The Fly. Nihilistic fools, all. They’ve come to dance at the end of the
world. Leave them to me.”
[Reply, Menagerie?]
It was 3am. Vanguard was ready and they boarded the sleek black amphibious
vessel, the Manta Craft. At 50’ by 100’, it held them comfortably. Onboard were
pressurized suits and personal micro air canisters in case of emergency. There were also two one-man Diver Propulsion
Vehicles onboard, and wrist radios for everyone as CHESS satellites were still
down. The radios had a radius of one
mile.
CHESS Rook Larry Manetti would
pilot for Vanguard as he had during the CHESS Castle jailbreak, and for the
Freedom Force before. He introduced his copilot, CHESS Rook Danielle Ortiz. The
30-something woman looked up from her systems check in the cockpit to nod hello.
Then, to Manetti, “With GPS out,
we’re plotting our course old school.”
Manetti grinned. “Yeah. Awesome, ain’t it?”
VROOOOOOOOM! The Manta Craft
rocketed out of the hangar bay on the 85th floor of the Empire State
Building and started climbing up hard. Vanguard saw the city was blacked out
and dotted with burning fires and then the city disappeared as they climbed
through the clouds.
“Hang on!” yelled Ortiz
KRAKA-BOOM!! Lightning flashed as
the turbulence of the World Storm rattled the Manta Craft and threatened to
tear it apart.
The jet burst out of the cloud
cover into the night sky and kept climbing until it reached its cruising altitude
of 25,000 feet.
Vanguard settled into
their power nap, except for Slate,
whose unique physiology didn’t require sleep.
The scion of cyberspace observed the pilots and read the manuals to
learn how to fly the Manta Craft… above the below water [OOC: via Heightened
Comprehension, adds skill: “Pilot Manta Craft”].
Four uneventful hours later, the
Manta Craft was beginning its descent over the Atlantic, and Slate woke up
Vanguard [OOC: Team is rested, and
staves off the effects of sleep deprivation].
“Strap in!” Ortiz called as the
jet descended through the whirling thunderstorm.
KRAKA-BOOM!! Lightning exploded off the starboard side.
The Manta Craft lurched violently. Sirens blared from the cockpit.
“We’ve been hit!” said Manetti.
“Damn it,” said Ortiz. “Lost an engine!”
“Stalled or gone?” asked Manetti.
Ortiz looked back at the smoking
metal fin. “Gone.”
The jet was starting to fall.
“If we spin we’re dead,” murmured
Ortiz.
The plane began to spin.
Slowly at first and then faster.
G force and nausea kept Vanguard
pinned in their chairs.
Sentinel knew his energy
constructs couldn’t come close to supporting the weight of the Manta Craft…
Slingshot knew he couldn’t carry
the jet if he formed himself into a parachute shape…
Menagerie was trying to think of a
predator big enough…
They’d need to abandon ship. But
the jet was spinning too quickly.
“We’re caught in a death spiral,” said
Ortiz. “That’s it.”
“Don’t say that,” said Manetti. He
pushed the stick in the opposite direction of the spin with all his strength.
“Straighten out. Straighten out, god damn you.”
“Mayday! Mayday! This is CHESS
five zero six niner…”
“Straighten out…”
“I repeat, mayday…”
“Straighten…”
“Our coordinates are…”
“…OUT!” The Manta Craft stopped spinning and was now hurtling
straight down at the ocean that was rushing up at them in the cockpit window.
Ortiz yelled back, “Everyone, your
parachutes are under your seats. PUT THEM ON!”
KRAKOOM!!!
“7,000 feet and falling. 6,000 feet. 5,000…”
Manetti pulled back on the stick
with his entire body, to pull out of the dive.
Menagerie and Sentinel could
suddenly detect the energy signature of next Artifact of Power! They were
plummeting straight towards it!
“Pull up! PULL UP!”
“Something won’t LET IT!”
VRASHHHH!
Light flared through the cabin,
longer than a lightning flash and without the sound of thunder.
Manetti started pulling the Manta
Craft out of the dive and began to straighten her out.
“Can’t keep her up! I’ll put her
down in the water! Brace for impact!’
SPWOOOOSHHH!!!!!
The Manta Craft crashed across the
surface of the ocean a few times before its momentum finally gave out. The
craft settled atop the ocean waves and rocked like a boat. Manetti said a silent prayer. Then he opened
the hatches.
Vanguard and the pilots climbed up
out the hatches and stood on the wings of the craft as it floated atop the calm
waves. Something was wrong. The storm had lessened in strength. No rain or
lightning, just cloud cover. The sky was lighter. It should be noon, but it
appeared to be afternoon. And it was too warm for the season.
“What the…” Manetti said, looking
at the sky.
“Engine’s gone,” Ortiz confirmed
as she crouched near its smoking remains. “We’re dead in the water.”
Manetti reentered the cockpit. “Satellite’s
still down. No GPS. Nothing.”
Menagerie and Sentinel could still
detect the Artifact of Power. It was somewhere below them.
“Radar’s picking something up,”
reported Manetti from below. “From the
east. Something big. Slow. A few miles out. “And three little bogeys from
the same direction. Coming faster.
Coming our way.”
Ortiz stood up and looked at
Vanguard, “What should we do?”
Slate glanced as his watch.
8am on the east coast. Two days and 14 hours until the end of the world.
To be continued!
OOC: Actions please, plus any
replies any of to the above.
Thanks,
Jeff
--------------------------
Current Conditions:
Avatar: Hit Points: 49, Power
Points: 85, Manifestation: None
Clone: Bodies: 1, Hit Points: 22,
Power Points: 67, Hit Point Pool: 22
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 39,
Power Points: 85
Menagerie: Hit Points: 14, Power
Points: 66, Form: Man
Sentinel: Hit Points: 21, Power
Points: 70, Creation Points: 140
Slate: Hit Points: 31, Power
Points: 73
Slingshot: Hit Points: 79, Power
Points: 92, Invulnerability: 8
Symbiote: Hit Points: 62, Power
Points: 83, Charges: 14, Activated: None
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
Avatar meditated in his Spartan
quarters before he set out once more to war. He drifted to sleep and the
eternal champion found himself in the familiar broken landscape that he had
come to learn was the City of Dead Gods. He was dreaming, and he dreamt that he
met Penumbra there.
“Don’t look so surprised,” she
said. “Of course I survived our last encounter. Did you ever doubt it?”
In her hand she held the iron mask
of the Dark Avatar. “Cthulhu must be stopped,” she said. “If I regained the
powers of the Dark Avatar, I could stop him. I could save the world. You know
that to be true. Will you help me, old friend?”
[Reply, Avatar?]
"And how would I help you to
do that, even if I thought it were true?"
Avatar knew this was a trap of some sort but he also knew that the enemy
of one's enemy could be a friend...at least for a time.
OOC: Jeff....we've never encountered this issue
but the character write-up says "or" by the powers and skills
associated with the Olympian gods. Can
Avatar take a power AND a skill or is it truly an "or"? I was thinking of taking Water Breathing AND
Swimming.
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
Menagerie met with his spirit
guide Archimedes to meditate. Afterwards, the two observed Central Park from
their skyscraper aerie. Central Park was burning. Specifically, the grove of
the Lady of the Lake.
Menagerie wanted to rush into
action.
“Wait, boy,” commanded Archimedes
in his thick Scottish accent. “Ye’re about to embark on the next leg of yer
quest. THAT is yer destiny.”
Archimedes used his mystic vision
and observed the arsons of the sacred grove. “Baron Samedi… Jack Lantern… Le
Fou… The Fly. Nihilistic fools, all. They’ve come to dance at the end of the
world. Leave them to me.”
[Reply, Menagerie?]
Menagerie stared at his friend. He
wanted to argue with Archimedes that this wouldn't interfere with his destiny.
He wanted to plead that he take Sgt Stone and others with him to help. He
wanted to debate the odds and how 2 to 1 was better that 4 against 1. He wanted
to remind Archimedes that they were a team.
At the end of it Archimedes was
his mentor, his guide. This wasn't his destiny and the risk of injury was too
great. Menagerie didn't say anything. He simply nodded that he would obey.
As Archimedes flew away, Menagerie
unleashed an anguished howl of rage and frustration which could be heard all
across New York, especially in Central Park.
OOC: You are a cruel, cruel GM,
Jeff. I so wanted to bash those 4 arsonists but Menagerie just won't defy
Archimedes.
Great Issue!!!
Tom
IC: In the Atlantic:
Menagerie will turn into a
Hammerhead shark and swim to the artifact. Can he tell how far away it is?
Menagerie thought sends to the
others "Lets get the artifact as quick as possible. We can teleport out
taking the our CHESS friends with us."
Viva Vanguard
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
Slingshot and Nanite were in their
apartment.
“Wait, tell me this again,” said
Nan as Scott packed.
“I thought you were in some kind
of industrial accident that transformed you. How can your powers be “magical”
in nature? And just when did that “magic” take place? I mean, how old was that
book with your picture in it?”
Scott scratched his head in
confusion, "That's exactly it. I was at the job site and there was an
accident. I was doused in chemicals, several of which were tar based and the
cocktail somehow gave me my powers." He continues with a shake of the
head. "Yeah, I know how it sounds. I always figured there was something
else, but I have to say that, for myself, this was the best thing that ever
happened to me. I was a superhero! I could do things! Amazing things! I was
recruited by CHESS?! On my first outing, I met you! If it hadn't been for this,
I wouldn't be here holding your hands."
"Some time ago, we figured
out that my body was completely and irrevocably changed and I was much closer
to a one-celled organism than I am a man. Now this news that my powers are
magical in origin, possibly Chtulu-esque? I don't know what to say. Could it be
that it was magical in nature all this time? Or that accident triggered my
powers to save me from certain death? I can't say, although it sound a more
likely scenario than a chemical exposure changed me into a one-celled
creature." Scott kept holding his wife's hands as if the physical touch
will reassure her more than his words.
"I'm still Scott. I love you
and Ethan. I love my job, although I could do without the doomsday
scenario." He says with a smirk. "I don't know how old is the book,
but it's not for the faint of heart. If you want I'll see if Ethan can pass it
on for you to research. I wasn't keeping this from you. We hadn't found anything conclusive and I
just didn't think there was anything to this information that was
serious."
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
Hi everyone,
IC Replies:
Avatar said: "And how would I help you to do that,
even if I thought it were true?"
Avatar knew this was a trap of some sort but he also knew that the enemy
of one's enemy could be a friend...at least for a time.
Penumbra replied softly, gently:
"By sacrificing your power to me."
Softer still, and slowly: "It
would be a noble sacrifice. One for which you shall be remembered for eternity,
as the savior of the world. You would become as myth, at long last. Your
weariness and toil finally done."
She placed her small hand on
John's broad shoulder and looked up into his eyes.
"You will be the honored and
exalted god at the center of a new pantheon... that will last forever. The god
who willingly sacrificed his life, so that all men should live. No longer an
avatar of the gods... but a true god yourself. What better fate could be hoped
for, by one such as we?"
[Reply Avatar?]
-----------
IC:
Slate heard through the door of
his parents’ room:
Scott scratched his head in
confusion, "That's exactly it. I was at the job site and there was an
accident. I was doused in chemicals, several of which where tar based and the
cocktail somehow gave me my powers." He continues with a shake of the
head."Yeah, I know how it sounds. I always figured there was something
else, but I have to say that, for myself, this was the best thing that ever
happened to me. I was a superhero! I could do things! Amazing things! I was
recruited by CHESS?! On my first outing, I met you! If it hadn't been for this,
I wouldn't be here holding your hands."
"Some time ago, we figured
out that my body was completely and irrevocably changed and I was much closer
to a one-celled organism than I am a man.Now this news that my powers are
magical in origin. possibly Cthulhu-esque? I don't know what to say. Could it
be that it was magical in nature all this time? Or that accident triggered my
powers to save me from certain death? I can't say, although it sound a more
likely scenario than a chemical exposure changed me into a one-celled
creature." Scott keep holding his wife's hands as if the physical touch
will reassure her more than his words.
"I'm still Scott. I love you
and Ethan. I love my job, although I could do without the doomsday
scenario." He says with a smirk. "I don't know how old is the book,
but it's not for the faint of heart. If you want I'll see if Ethan can pass it
on for you to research. I wasn't keeping this from you. We hadn't found anything conclusive and I
just didn't think there was anything to this information that was
serious."
Nanite tightened her grip on
Slingshot's hand. "And I love you."
She tried to sort it all out,
thinking out loud: "But Scott, if your powers, your entire physical
makeup, was already in place before the accident... lying dormant and awakening
only to save you... then... have your origins been "magical" from the
beginning? I mean... that heinous book predates your birth."
Nanite was quiet for a moment.
Then: "Scott, I think you're
going to have to call your father."
-----------
OOC Replies:
John, Avatar can manifest skills
AND powers together. The number of skills that can be manifested simultaneously
is the same as the number of superpowers he can manifest simultaneously.
Tom, thanks, and sorry! Perhaps
your paths will cross again. ;-)
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
"We are going to have to call
to your father"
[ooc] :). That's exactly where I
was going next. amazing how that one worked out. We hadn't really gone into
the detail of why my father had such a hate on for me. Now we know, sort
of.[/ooc]
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: What do you mean? I had that planned for years! ;)
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
OOC: Stellar issue as always, Jeff
- I absolutely loved all the "guest villain appearances". Loved the
part with the "ghost of psycho's past" coming to visit Avatar - I
didn't see that one coming!
Great IC response for Avatar!
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
OOC: Slate ain't dropping no
eaves... jk, nice tie in. Nice editing
on my piece.
IC (at the vault): Slate turned
back as Stace's face softened, "I really didn't mean to get you in
trouble," Slate said as he walked back to gather the supplies he could
still get. "I'll talk to my dad and
see what we can do regarding making things official after this mess is over."
IC (At the downed Manta Craft):
Slate looked around, he'd never seen so much water, and it was almost
overwhelming. He took off his gauntlet
putting his hand in the water... the temperature was 65 degrees Fahrenheit,
warmer than he had expected with the storms, and as he pulled his hand out, he
licked his fingers, fascinated by the saline content. He pulled on his glove, the body suit he wore
had no helmet, Slate didn't really need the swimsuit, but thought it looked
cool. He turned back to the team, to
see what the plan was, as Menagerie jumped into the water becoming a Hammerhead
as he hit the water. Slate watched in
awe as he circled the craft... now that was cool.
Slate thought to Menagerie,
"well, things didn't work out so well last time, care to try again?"
OC: Slate will attempt to piggy
back on Menagerie. He'll stick with the
group as much as possible, He'll watch them and try to learn to swim, but his
skills would be basic at best, as he's never really been in water, but he has
no fear of it.
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
Penumbra replied softly, gently:
"By sacrificing your power to me."
Softer still, and slowly: "It
would be a noble sacrifice. One for which you shall be remembered for eternity,
as the savior of the world. You would become as myth, at long last. Your
weariness and toil finally done."
She placed her small hand on
John's broad shoulder and looked up into his eyes.
"You will be the honored and
exalted god at the center of a new pantheon... that will last forever. The god
who willingly sacrificed his life, so that all men should live. No longer an
avatar of the gods... but a true god yourself. What better fate could be hoped
for, by one such as we?"
[Reply Avatar?]
Avatar gazes into her eyes, a
smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"Wouldn't that be grand?
Well...except the sacrificing my life part. While I'm up for that if I think the
situation might require it, I don't think that sacrificing my power to you is
such a situation. Why not sacrifice YOUR
power to me? Would you not want those
same honors?" He places his hand
over hers and gently removes it from his shoulder. "Do you think me such a fool? After the whole 'Dark Avatar' thing, why
would I think that you had anything but your own elevation in mind?"
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
Nanite was quiet for a moment.
Then: "Scott, I think you're
going to have to call your father."
Scott looked at Nanite then nodded
pensively. "That's what I was thinking too." His demeanor showed
clearly that he was dreading it.
*****************
“Radar’s picking something up,”
reported Manetti from below. “From the east. Something big. Slow. A few miles
out. “And three little bogeys from the same direction. Coming faster. Coming
our way.”
Ortiz stood up and looked at
Vanguard, “What should we do?”
Slingshot looked at Menagerie and
Sentinel: "Are you saying that the artifact is directly below us or from
the east where these", pointing at the radar screens," are coming
from?".
"How long do we have before
the bogeys get here?"
[OOC]
I should have a few rebreathers,
in case one breaks - I requisitioned a few last ish.
Regarding travelling: I'm planning
on doing transforming in a manta-like shape (if available) to try and make
myself as aqua-dynamic as possible. Assuming we will all do so, I can extend my
feet/legs in such a way that everyone can grab a hold and be pulled - assuming
we don't have a faster solution.
Do we have a way to figure out
what they are? (I imagine that we should be able to hear if it's a machine vs a
creature?
Stephane
[/ooc]
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
Slingshot looked at Menagerie and Sentinel: "Are you saying that the artifact is directly below us or from the east where these", pointing at the radar screens," are coming from?".
GM OOC: Artifact is directly below. Unknown bogeys are coming from the East.
"How long do we have before the bogeys get here?"
Manetti replied: "The three small ones could be here in 30 seconds if they hold their course and speed! The large one might be here in 5 minutes."
Do we have a way to figure out what they are? (I imagine that we should be able to hear if it's a machine vs a creature?)
GM OOC: They are a few miles out. Right now you don't hear anything. How long do you wait to hear the small ones? :-)
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
OOC: Some general situational
questions:
1- What are the weapons on board?
including the ship's weapons? Torpedoes? rockets? guns? None? All? Can they be
used?
2- Manetti and Ortiz have a suits
or are they stranded with the mantacraft?i.e. if the bogeys are coming we can't
very well dive and leave them there unless we split up
3- Assuming they have suits, are
they ok with coming with us?
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Hi,
Everyone has rebreathers.
1- What are the weapons on board? including the ship's weapons? Torpedoes? rockets? guns? None? All? Can they be used?
GM: The Manta Craft has been recently modified to include torpedoes and air to air missiles. They're mounted under the "wings." So, dead in the water as it is, the missiles can't be used. Manetti and Ortiz have been trained in the ship's weapons. They also have CHESS-issue sidearms, and the ship has a flare gun.
2- Manetti and Ortiz have a suits or are they stranded with the mantacraft?i.e. if the bogeys are coming we can't very well dive and leave them there unless we split up
Both have suits, and SCUBA training. Both suited up before the ship's final approach.
3- Assuming they have suits, are they ok with coming with us?
Given the alternative, yes.
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Hey everyone.
Stephane - thanks for covering
many of the questions that came to my mind too already.
Jeff - how far down is the
artifact and how quickly approximately for us to reach it. Any other energy readings we get other than
the artifact or anything on what to expect as we descend?
Does the Mantacraft have any self
destruct sequence that could be activated remotely or directly if needed? (possibly as an unexpected weapon or possibly
to keep the tech out of wrong hands if needed?)
At this point since Manetti &
Ortiz have the suits and training I say we don't separate and we all dive for
the artifact. The three smaller faster
bogeys will undoubtedly follow us below and I get the feeling we are going to
want to do all we can to get the object and port out before the large bogey
arrives.
Very cool on everyone's handling
the water (Avatar assuming water breathing and swimming, Symbiote assuming
Inhuman's powers, Menagerie becoming a sea creature ... awesome). Kirk manifests his shields naturally.
My money on Inhuman type creatures
showing up.
On the pre-transport scene... wow!
blind sided me there Jeff. I do think I
figured out how Kirk would handle and will try to pen it tomorrow morning
hopefully.
A good evening to all.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: Thanks Seth.
"Jeff - how far down is the artifact and how quickly approximately for us to reach it. Any other energy readings we get other than the artifact or anything on what to expect as we descend?"
GM: It is beyond the ranges of your senses (120 feet for Sentinel, 550 feet for Menagerie). So Sentinel and Menagerie can only detect direction right now, not exact range.
"Does the Mantacraft have any self destruct sequence that could be activated remotely or directly if needed?"
GM: Yes. This is CHESS after all. :-)
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Kirk will be sure he has things rigged as securely as
possible if to transmit the self-destruct code?
What is the timing between transmission and explosion? Not looking to do - but somehow it seemed
like something that having available may prove valuable.
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: You can't self-destruct the
Manta Craft remotely. Too easy to hack.
You set self destruct manually from the cockpit, and choose the length
of the timer.
Best
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: What is the Chess protocol
for this sort of situation. Would the preference be to abandon and hopefully
recover later or would it be to not allow it to fall into enemy hands? If we can't do it remotely then seemingly
wouldn't want to set at this point since we don't know circumstance of the
enemy yet.
Any chance myself or Slate could
set the system to think it was being done manually due to our superior computer
skills? Or is it an old school 'push
here to self-destruct' mechanism?
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: You could try. You've got 30
seconds. It is more mechanical to prevent remote detonation by hostiles.
CHESS protocol is don't let it
fall into hostile hands.
Best
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
Since he has no long range
attacks, and it looks like the team is about to abandon ship - Clone will
simply don his deep sea diving suit and say in coy yet questioning manner,
"let’s get wet?"
--------------------------------------------------
Lightning Strike:
OOC: Sorry for the delay but I
have a question that will determine my action.
Since Lightning Strike is not great under water he would prefer to act
as a delay which would allow the rest of Vanguard to find the object of
power. Given that the craft we came in
on can detect the large and small crafts(whatever) coming in, can Strike use
that as a carrier wave and transmit himself to the largest blip?
If that is feasible than that is
my action.
Thanks
Tony
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: Gotta check if radar is a
carrier wave.
What will you do if it isn't?
Thanks
--------------------------------------------------
Lightning Strike:
OOC: I am pretty sure it is as
that is how I deactivated one of the nuclear warheads that was sent by Dr. Swastika
when he mentally took over the head of chess.
(OOC: One of the single digit
issues I think!)
Anyway if that does not work, then
Strike will suit up and go underwater. I
hope it works because I think Vanguard needs as much of a delaying tactic as
possible.
I will respond to the other
Lightning Strike eventually but there are more pressing needs at the time.
Thanks.
Tony
PS: I did not know this until I was clearing out
comic bins to see recently but there was a DC Comic in the early 1990’s called
Chess and it was basically about non super powered people doing undercover
work. They called people Rooks, Pawns,
Bishops, etc. The comic kind of sucked
but it is interesting to see all of the parallels.
--------------------------------------------------
Symbiote:
In Character: Hal turned to Doc Rocket with a tired
smile: "Doc, I honestly don't
know," he said. "That's one of
the many reasons I'm glad you're around.
An extra first rate brain to think of the things the rest of us may
overlook.
"The short answer--I don't
know. We're headed out to the
mid-Atlantic, which I think means we will encounter the Star Giant creature
that Vanguard encountered during their very first adventure. I get the idea that thing doesn't move around
too much," Hal continued.
"After that? I guess we use
the chair again, no matter what."
Upon splashdown, Symbiote
activates Inhuman's powers and prepares to swim out to meet our underwater
bogies.
Viva Vanguard,
Greg
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Tony and Seth:
Can you guys get me your replies
to the side stuff (Shelley and Lightning Strike Omega) in 48 hours?
I really don't want to have to
drop it in as a flashback three issues from now. I could just be a paragraph.
Also:
Tony:
Here’s your post from way back in
Issue 23:
“Lightning Strike turns to Drake.
"Where is the radar array on this ship?
I need to get to it and make some modifications but I don't have much
time. If I can make the necessary changes,
I should be able to reach those missiles and disable them before it is too
late."
…My goal is to modify the array to
allow it to transmit me to the missiles acting as a carrier wave. With some
luck, LS could reach the missile, disable it …
Hope this doesn't violate any
rules of the game or the laws of physics.”
So, likewise, what you’ll need to
do in the present is modify the radar and communications systems of the Manta
Craft, a one shot invention. It’ll cost
you a Luck Point, and then you’ll roll vs. your Intelligence x 3 on d100 to see
if you succeed. When inventing, there's always a 5% chance of critical
success/scientific breakthrough, and a 5% chance of a critical failure/
accidental disaster.
Whether you succeed or fail, the
ship’s radar and communications will be (at least) temporarily disabled on the
Manta Craft.
Do you want to attempt this?
Seth:
Sentinel can likewise attempt a
one shot invention to modify the self destruct to operate remotely. It’s a one shot invention that’ll cost you a
Luck Point, and then you’ll roll vs. your Intelligence x 3 on d100 to see if you
succeed. When inventing, there's always
a 5% chance of critical success/scientific breakthrough, and a 5% chance of a
critical failure/ accidental disaster.
Do you want to attempt this?
Thanks,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Lightning Strike:
OOC:
Finally getting a chance to
respond to LS Omega.
I will write the following.
“You have little faith on how much
we can change in this universe! Just
because your Vanguard failed does not mean we will. You are a wild card in our world which means
you can change anything. Don’t give up
but hold out until everything looks as bleak as it can be. You have a chance to be the man you were
called to be. Don’t miss it for a second
time.”
Let’s go with the invention. No reason to hold back when the end of the
world is coming.
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
Shortly after the Manta Craft
takes off towards the middle of the Atlantic; careful to avoid detection, Clone
stealthily makes his way to towards Mystic ( OOC: I'm hoping his espionage
related skills and knowledge of the buildings security and surveillance systems
will help him accomplish this ). As he entered the room where the powerful mage
rests, he looked at him confidently and said, "I won't try to dazzel you
with some convoluted tale or insult you with a complex lie . . . because I
would imagine you already know why I'm here." The look on his faced
changed slightly and with a strong sense of urgency in his voice he said,
"You and I both know that at our current rate of recovery; not to mention
the fact that there are other groups out there competing against us, Vanguard
may not be able to accomplish the task at hand in the amount of time we have
remaining. I think we both know that its time we stopped playing it safe and
started thinking a bit more proactively . . ." The look in Clone's eyes
suddenly got a bit darker as he concluded his thought, ". . . I think its
time we send me back to Moscow."
OOC: How's that? Is that enough or
did you need more? Oh, and feel free to modify any of that to fit the story
better - I'm sure working out two separate stories is going to be challenging.
Again - no need to role play this side story if you don't want to - I'm totally
cool with whatever you come up with - I'm definitely not looking to make extra
work for you.
Talk you soon, bro ;)
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC:
Hey Jeff. One heck of a matzo ball
you lobbed at Kirk here so turnabout is fair play and I’ll throw one back at
you. This was kind of tough since although the two of them have been together
in a relationship a bit now (perhaps you can tell me how long in game time) and
we have established that neither jumps into bed quickly this is a major step
that Kirk hadn’t even considered at this time. And we never did actually
establish whether Shelly’s ‘move’ on Kirk was spontaneous or something she had
considered a bit.
I wanted to flesh all this out
more and did the below paragraph last week but haven’t had time to get it and
options done as ‘solidly’ as I’d like, but since you’d prefer to have it to
keep things rolling I’m just going to outline my thoughts without further
adjustments and proof reads and you handle as you see fit.
IC:
Kirk took her cheeks softly into
his hands and looked deep into her beautiful eyes and felt he could happily be
lost there forever. Tenderly he said, "Shelley Harper, my Shell, my love
and my life, for you I would do anything; anything to make you happy and
complete. I know you would make an absolutely unbelievable mother, and there is
with no one else I would even consider starting a family with. And if this was
just about the two of us, I wouldn't hesitate. Not for a moment. But this goes
beyond us. This decision involves another life, the life of a child. Our
child," and as he said that his eyes glanced away from hers a second
imagining in an unbelievable way the possibilities and he smiled even further
and looked even more intently and deeper into her eyes in a way that didn't seem
possible. "But as much as I adore your vibrant free spirit and the way you
bring out the spontaneity in me that I never knew I had, for this... for
this... there is so much we need to consider together; I need some time to
think.”
OOC:
Options for you to proceed
depending on true situation and how Shelley handles:
(1) This really isn’t something
Shelley has thought through and is spontaneous due to the whole end off the
world thing and trying to take back some power and control of life and this can
be considered later when level heads prevail and his reaction may shock her to
her senses or make her very upset with him.
(2) This really is something she
has thought about and is looking for a deeper and more committed and permanent
relationship with Kirk and the ‘end of the world’ has just helped her to truly
realize what she wants (and something this permanent and life altering
certainly could be a hard call for a more freedom loving spontaneous person to
make even if desired). My first thoughts on this were all option one above but
then I thought it could really be this option.
So here is the only way I see Kirk
actually proceeding... and I’d have to assume that Shelley is truly close
enough to Kirk by now to realize all this stuff otherwise they aren’t ready for
this step anyway. And although it certainly isn’t anything he would have
expected of her at this time, it is the level of committment he would need
given both his old style raising by Lancaster (and his commitment to love via
example already established in back story) as well as Kirk losing his parents
at a young age.
For Kirk to have a child it would
have to be with his ‘soul mate’ someone he is committed to moving forward and
is equally committed to him. The societal arrangement of marriage isn’t a
necessity to him - the bonding and exclusivity between the two of them
absolutely is. Again, if this is all genuine this is something Shelley should
know about him and also desire.
That being the case she would
prompt Kirk to bring their intimacy to a new level so he would know how she
feels and what she truly wants moving forward. She wants him to share her
thought and feelings via his mental powers (aka a sort of mind-meld - although
technically he is only trained to pick up thoughts right now we have
established he has latent abilities and on occasion you’ve already has him do
stuff beyond his training when it suited the game).
We’ve also established (at
Slingshot-Nanite’s wedding) that Kirk had tuned in to Shelley via his energy
sense beyond his norm (he immediately felt her within his range without trying
to do so or physically seeing her) - so this would all be sort of an extension
of that.
I see the scene as a permanent
bonding, their commitment to each other here and now being the equivalent of
their being wed, with an intimacy beyond what other people get to share. That
initial mind read she invites ‘locks’ and goes both ways and leads to their
love-making naturally and (hopefully) becomes an even more permanent and deeper
link moving forward(perhaps as an extension of his power)... and it will make
her death in his arms at some game point in the future that much more poignant
and powerful (that’s me, always seeing the ultimate evil end in any plot device
to be used against us in the future - hopefully I’m wrong).
So there you have it. The
possibility that Kirk could proceed here against his instincts.
Again, this isn’t something Kirk
would have expected anymore than being asked to become a father... but it what
he would need to proceed.
Enjoy the matzo ball back at
you... anxiously looking forward to Shelley’s actions and what you had in mind
here originally as I really was blindsided totally by this one.
Best,
Seth
PS: Re: Self destruct:
Hate to take such an action (ie
using a luck point) without really knowing the threat yet...
but since it is Chess protocol
which really falls on him at this point and he did think of it let's give it a
shot as long as whatever he can do can be done by far reasonable distance from
where they believe they are descending.
I figure at this point we have gotten out of each these situations just
barely so we likely won't be making back up here once descending... and the explosion may be a much needed edge
against that last giant figure...
If you need anything more on
anything from me that I somehow missed, let me know.
Again, sorry for the additional
delay.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Thanks Seth!
If you succeed in your one shot
invention, how long do you plan to wait until you blow up the Manta Craft?
Fyi: Once you're off the Manta
Craft, you can't track the bogeys via radar. Once you submerge deep enough, you
may not even see them.
Thanks,
Jeff
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Sentinel:
OOC: Hi Jeff.
As mentioned, tough to determine
since no clue what is happening here or what the bogeys are at this point.
Kirk would like to save the
MantaCraft if possible and hopefully its destruction isn't just to keep it out
of enemy hands. It has been with
Vanguard longer than most members... our first mission. This is a major sacrifice here so not wanting
its loss to be in vain.
I thought perhaps it might be a
fail safe against the large bogey to perhaps keep it from preventing us from
the mission if we don't have the item retrieved by its arrival.
We do have the possibility of
Strike giving us more intel at this point so I'll leave it in your hands. If it appears that there is no way to save
the MantaCraft or its destruction is integral to our mission then make its
sacrifice valiant and worthy.
At this point we only have the
five minute time table before its arrival as our info... if you want to give me
more if... then scenarios to work with for you that would be fine but that is
Kirk's mindset at this point. It's loss
is a major sacrifice in my mind so hopefully it will count for something if it
happens.
Seth
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Slate:
OOC: Slate should be able to
easily calculate the intercept time between the Manta Craft and the bogeys, but
are we certain these are enemies? I'd say leave the Manta Craft set to blow if
it's molested, which is probably the intent of the self destruct.
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Sentinel:
OOC:
Jon -
Kirk would be fine having the ship
set that way if it can be to follow Chess protocol regarding having it fall
into enemy hands and then use the remote self-destruct only if prudent to
assist our situation.
Best,
Seth
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Lightning Strike:
Is Vanguard debating protocol
while the world is ending? You guys
should be playing violin on the Titanic!!
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