THE INFINITE BROOD (Starcraft/Supreme Commander Crossover Quest!)

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THE SWARM SHEET
  • Informational
    • The Brood of Blades
    ​
    Cerebrate Prime: Samantha Clarke
    LEVEL: 5
    XP: 205/210
    TRAITS
    Strategic Genius: Once per structured encounter, Sam can create a piece of the environment that is in her favor as a sticky spark. Roll a d3 for its value.
    Empathetic: upon meeting an NPC, learn their motivation!
    Legendary Commander: Gain 4 Command sparks at the beginning of each mission/combat. Command sparks may be spent to give NPCs orders, which they may either obey or refuse to obey (doing nothing instead.) Command sparks may not be regained via skills or powers.
    Hunted: Something wants her - but for what? +1 Danger to all scenes​
    SKILLS
    CLOSE COMBAT (2): Brawling, Edged Weapons
    PERSONAL (2): Awareness, Resilience
    SOCIAL (4): Charm, Empathy, Leadership, Taunt​
    MASTERY
    ACU Pilot (2): Nanofabrication [Mass], ObSat Operations [Range]
    The Hilt (4): Biomorphic Spawning (People), Regeneration (Durability), Physical Perfection (Speed), Telepathic Dominion (Range)​

    POWERS
    The Living Swarm
    Vent: 4-0
    Effect: Gain 1 Living Swarm spark, +1 per vent reduction.​
    The Living Swarm: While this swarm exists, move in three dimensions and through anything smaller than a keyhole, reforming at will. You may expend these sparks to cause 3 Hit Sparks in a Area 2 radius.​
    Area Upgrade: +1 to Area Characteristic​

    Biomorphic Reinforcement
    Vent: 4-0
    Effect: Create 1 Biomorphic Reinforcement spark, +1 per vent reduction, which can be given out to anyone within Range 2, or to yourself
    Biomorphic Reinforcement: +1 to Damage or Mass characteristic for the purpose of raw physical strength/feats.

    Back to Back
    Vent: 4-0
    Effect: Choose 1 ally (+1 per vent reduction), within Range 1. Each can take one action using one of your skills, any of them that you wish. Once they have done so, you may make a free attack with your melee weapon, getting +1 to your skill per ally that acted.​

    Adaptation
    Vent: 4-0
    Effect: Create a number of sparks equal to the enemy's difficulty, narratively based on turning their abilities against them. Works on enemies of Diff 2>, +2 per vent reduction.​

    Just as Planned…
    Vent: 6-0
    Effect: Vent 6 heat and create 1 Planning Spark for her or an ally, +1 Spark per vent reduction.​
    Planning: The person holding this Spark can expend this to get +1 to a skill check as a free action. Using this Stack counts as you are helping for the purpose of relationships.​

    GEAR
    Zeratul's Psi-Blades
    Adds: +0 (Edged Weapons) | Characteristics: Damage [Speed] (4)[1]​
    Shadowstep (3): Can expend as a free action to move without crossing intervening space.
    Guarded Space (3): Can expend to use Damage as a secondary characteristic for Durability, reducing incoming Damage characteristics.​

    GALACTIC WAR
    Victory Points: 5    ​
    RESOURCES​
    TERRAN DOMINION [Background] (1)​
    The men and material of the Dominion - limited, but they're mustering as we speak. ​
    ALLIANCE EXPEDITIONARY FORCES [Mastery] (1)​
    While you have access to several ACUs of every faction, they lack economic and technological support to be fully effective. ​
    ZERG HIVE [Mastery] (1)​
    The scant few Zerg you control that are free of Amon's influence. Mostly Zerglings. ​
    AEON FLEET [Background] (1)​
    While half a dozen CZARs seem impressive, they're not actually well made for ship to ship combat. ​
    ALLIED COHESION [Motivation] (1)​
    The alliance is fragile and weak.​

    FRONTS​
    Trade Sector-34-51 [Pirate Activity]
    Pirates Raiding 6 (Supply Lines in Disarray 1)
    COMMAND: Jim Raynor | ARMY: Raynor's Raiders
    RESULTS: Pending

    Braxis [Zerg Invasion]
    Borealis Siege 6 (Zerg Rampage1)
    COMMAND: General Samantha Clarke | ARMY: Brood Clarke
    RESULTS: Pending

    Typhan II [Active Xel'Naga ACU]
    Typhan II Occupied 6 (Xel'Naga ACU Spotted 1)
    COMMAND: Lt. Colonel Mathew Horner | ARMY: UEF Armored Command Unit
    RESULTS: Pending

    Deep Space Sector 981 [Hive Fleet Identified]
    Zerg Hive Fleet Spotted 6 (Kerrigan? 1)
    COMMAND: Citizen-Commander Dostya | ARMY: CN Armored Command Unit
    RESULTS: Pending
    ​
    ENEMY ASSETS (Currently Known)
    ​
    THE GOLDEN ARMADA
    ACTIVITY: Unknown | Threat Level: 6​
     
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  • Informational
    • [X] Make a deal with Valerian. As much as he may try to say otherwise, the story he's been given regarding the origin of the Queen of Blades troubles him. Offer to give him access to the Confederate adjutants you recovered from Tarsonis and the data they recorded during the planet's fall. In exchange he has to share everything he learns with you
     
    [X] Make a deal with Valerian. As much as he may try to say otherwise, the story he's been given regarding the origin of the Queen of Blades troubles him. Offer to give him access to the Confederate adjutants you recovered from Tarsonis and the data they recorded during the planet's fall. In exchange he has to share everything he learns with you.
     
    [X] Make a deal with Valerian. As much as he may try to say otherwise, the story he's been given regarding the origin of the Queen of Blades troubles him. Offer to give him access to the Confederate adjutants you recovered from Tarsonis and the data they recorded during the planet's fall. In exchange he has to share everything he learns with you.
     
    Just finished binging this, and I don't know what I was expecting from a SupCom/SC crossover but it wasn't yuri. (Not that I'm complaining, mind)

    [X] Make a deal with Valerian. As much as he may try to say otherwise, the story he's been given regarding the origin of the Queen of Blades troubles him. Offer to give him access to the Confederate adjutants you recovered from Tarsonis and the data they recorded during the planet's fall. In exchange he has to share everything he learns with you.
     
    [X] Make a deal with Valerian. As much as he may try to say otherwise, the story he's been given regarding the origin of the Queen of Blades troubles him. Offer to give him access to the Confederate adjutants you recovered from Tarsonis and the data they recorded during the planet's fall. In exchange he has to share everything he learns with you.
     
    [X] Make a deal with Valerian. As much as he may try to say otherwise, the story he's been given regarding the origin of the Queen of Blades troubles him. Offer to give him access to the Confederate adjutants you recovered from Tarsonis and the data they recorded during the planet's fall. In exchange he has to share everything he learns with you.
     
    Mailstrome said:
    And I say that because even the Aeon & the Cybrans (and the UEF) don't use armies of people as soldiers.
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    Why is that counted as something ethically questionable?

    Avangelion said:
    I should clarify I changed my vote after some people wrote out the idea, not me.
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    Ahh, okay; sorry about the confusion, and thanks. :)

    And thanks also to whoever did come up with that one, then!

    Hm, would we be playing the Zerg (Sarah maybs) or the Cybran (someone new/not yet introduced here) character? Mrrrp
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    Well, for the first, it could be the Zerg and also still Sam. :D For the second, or for Cybran accompanying us or the like, I don't know if it's someone new, but if it isn't, we do have a known (well, believed by UEF Military Intelligence, at least... as far as Sam was told, at least...) at-least-sympathizer in Ariel Hanson.


    [ ] Ask him who he thinks the Queen of Blades is - he clearly doesn't trust his father (Charm check, diff 5 - 3 heat)
    Eh, I mean it's not like the name would mean anything to us, right? Might be useful to ask about later, maybe, when we're actually heading to Char, but even then, would it really be important to know about whatever random Confederate the Zerg turned into the Queen of Blades? :D

    [X] Push him on the defenses: How can the Terran Dominion protect humanity better than the UEF? (Charm Check, diff 5 - 3 heat)

    Whereas that one seems much more important to ask about now. If he actually does have a good answer, that could be very useful to our shared goals -- and if he doesn't, that could be very useful to the UEF and Sam's goal's here.

    Spart117MC said:
    If the adjutants in the quest picked up everything the one in Starcraft 2
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    I thought we'd already gotten confirmation they hadn't, though?
    ...Looking back, I'm failing to find the explicit confirmation I remember there being, but still, wouldn't we have found it by now, if it was there?

    zang269 said:
    You know I'm kind of surprised they don't have a loyalty-program installed in their generals. You'd think the single human point of failure on a robot army would have that kind of safeguard.
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    In addition to what DragonCobolt said, I'd guess that it's partly for the same reason it was said, IIRC, they put humans in the ACUs at all: they provide a local point of command that can't be hacked or jammed. If they added a loyalty program, how long would it take, or at the very least would they be concerned it would take, for some hostile hacker to remove or outright redirect it?

    ...And, eh, doesn't look like what I'm voting for is going to win at this point, but I think I'll stick with it.
     
    Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on Dec 10, 2023 at 10:50 AM, finished with 26 posts and 15 votes.
    • [X] Make a deal with Valerian. As much as he may try to say otherwise, the story he's been given regarding the origin of the Queen of Blades troubles him. Offer to give him access to the Confederate adjutants you recovered from Tarsonis and the data they recorded during the planet's fall. In exchange he has to share everything he learns with you.
      [X] Ask him who he thinks the Queen of Blades is - he clearly doesn't trust his father (Charm check, diff 5 - 3 heat)
      [X] Push him on the defenses: How can the Terran Dominion protect humanity better than the UEF? (Charm Check, diff 5 - 3 heat)
    Click to expand...


    That's 0 heat!
     
    DragonCobolt said:
    Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on Dec 10, 2023 at 10:50 AM, finished with 26 posts and 15 votes.
    • [X] Make a deal with Valerian. As much as he may try to say otherwise, the story he's been given regarding the origin of the Queen of Blades troubles him. Offer to give him access to the Confederate adjutants you recovered from Tarsonis and the data they recorded during the planet's fall. In exchange he has to share everything he learns with you.
      [X] Ask him who he thinks the Queen of Blades is - he clearly doesn't trust his father (Charm check, diff 5 - 3 heat)
      [X] Push him on the defenses: How can the Terran Dominion protect humanity better than the UEF? (Charm Check, diff 5 - 3 heat)
    Click to expand...


    That's 0 heat!
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Cool update then :V
     
    ACT ONE, MISSION SEVEN: Smash and Grab the Uraj (0.3)
  • Threadmarks
    • You tapped your fingers on the table, considering.

    It all came down to the Zerg, didn't it? The Protoss were only a threat to humanity insofar as it seemed they were willing to burn out Terran planets to obliterate the Zerg. They could be talked too. Reasoned with. There could be diplomacy. But there couldn't be diplomacy with something like the Zerg. Without the Zerg pressure, could the Dominion even exist? There had been enough states in Earth and galactic history that had primarily survived only because of their ability to formulate an identity against an enemy - and none had had the advantages that the Zerg brought as an enemy: Uniformity, inhumanity and endless numbers were all real factors, not fascist imagination run amok about people with a different melanin count or a subtly different religious creed.

    Which meant it was all about the Queen of Blades...

    It was oddly comforting, in a way. It sounded almost like the Zerg had decided to get their own ACU, rather than muck around with a distributed intelligence. You knew how to fight commanders.

    And you thought you had something that might just help give this little Princeling the clues he needed.

    "Do you know how to access Confederate era Adjutants?"

    "Uh...yes, we have their old codes, why?" Valerian asked.

    "We have access to an old Confederate Adjutant - she was deployed on Tarsonis, during the attack that took the planet down. It..." you paused. "Well, it was encrypted by something roughly on par with a UEF encryption system, give or take a few decades. We could crack it, but not easily, and our science team has been so busy studying the Zerg and the Protoss. But if you have the codes...and...well..." You leaned forward, clasping your hands on your lap as you grinned at him. "I also want to know everything about this Queen of Blades."

    "So you can kill her?" Valerian asked.

    "The Zerg are just as much a threat to my people as they are to yours," you said.

    Valerian searched your eyes.

    Subtly, he nodded.

    ***
    ​
    Lt. Stukov spoke into the microphone. "Of course, General. The Adjutant will be packed and sent right away." His fingers tapped along the keyboard - allocating the automated units. The bridge had its normal amount of officers and techs, busy keeping their eyes on the streams of data coming into the E1's command and control systems for this level of operational activity: Three. Technician Talian of them got up to head for the door - probably heading for refreshments. Stukov watched as the auto-shuttle dropped away from the bottom of the E1, adjusting its orbit with a short burn. He leaned back in his seat, tapping on his coms.

    "The auto-shuttle is on its way, General. It will be there in under ten minuets."

    "Very good, TacCom."

    Stukov smiled. Though some days, he missed his family quite dearly, he would not have traded this place in history for anything. It was what he had joined the UEF armed forces for in the first place - to protect humanity against the threats between the stars.

    The shuttle reached the planetary surface.

    And with a rippling cascade of distorting space, a massive blip appeared in the L3 point, directly opposite from the planetary observation station and docked wing of Wraith fighters. It was large enough to almost be seen by the naked eye, even from orbital distances - a pale dot of glistening chiten and muscle. It showed up clearly on E1s sensors, but was occluded from the Terran Dominion's sensors by where it had landed. Stukov's eyes fell on it, and the flashing red indicator

    ALERT ALERT
    ZERG BIOFORM DETECTED
    ALERT ALERT

    Stukov tried to speak. He tried to lift his hand up to touch the communicator.

    Nothing moved. His eyes swiveled, wildly - trying to see something, anything. He saw, just barely out of the peripheral of his vision, tech Gamen, his throat bent backwards, blood soaking his screen and his eyes empty. Where was Talian? Stukov's hand twitched as he tried to lift it. It was like he was in a nightmare - but it felt so hideously real.

    ALERT ALERT
    ZERG BIOFORM DETECTED
    ALERT ALERT

    "The Adjutant has arrived, very good Stukov," the General's voice, warm and confident, came into his ear. "How's the Terran Dominion's orbital elements looking?"

    Very softly, a male voice whispered in his ear.

    "Everything is fine up here."

    "Everything is...fine, General," Stukov's voice spoke, dully.

    The comline clicked off as the General returned to her business.

    Stukov raged inside his mind. His hand couldn't move towards the communicator, to the alert. His right hand was locked in place. And he could feel the fingers, pressing gently against his skull. His body trembled from within - muscles clenching and jumping as he struggled.

    ALERT ALERT
    ZERG BIOFORM DETECTED
    ALERT ALERT

    His left hand slipped an inch. An inch more. It crept slowly...slowly...towards his service pistol as tears burned in his eyes and his lips skinned back in a fierce snarl.

    The red dot on the screen vomited up a mist of drop-pods, tracked by the E1 - plunging towards the planetary surface.

    ***
    ​
    You watched as the Adjutant was set up in the technical room by Valerian's rather scrubby looking technicians. "How long, Eugene?" Valerian asked.

    "Well, I don't reakon it'll take to long, ya hear?" the drawling man said, his unlit cigarette bouncing as he leaned in behind the snyth-organic combination, the wires and leads running into her shoulder-blades and the back of her head. The organic components had long since shriveled up, but Adjutants were built to store their memory on the computerized components in case...well, in case of situations like this. Your arms crossed over your chest as the Adjutants eyes glittered to life and her head lifted up. She opened her mouth, shut it again, clicking and whirring. It was an oddly robotic display for the normally more lively Adjutants you were used to interacting with back in the UEF - the millions of eager volunteers who made the UEF possible.

    Literally, they made the fabricators run, they managed the economic and communication network that let nearly a thirty billion people spread across half a dozen planets have a meaningful government at all, they made it possible for stable point to point quantum gates to be built on every street that wanted one. Without them, it'd take weeks or months of space flight to use the deep space gates that were used for large scale mass transport and reaching new, uncharted worlds to move between the planets of the Federation. It was kind of pathetic to see just how limited the Terran Dominion's use of them was - managing outlying colonies and serving as command assistants for their generals?

    "Adjutant, data request. Do you have any communication traffic between Ghost operatives in sector 21 by 24 on February 17th, 3842?"

    The Adjutant's eyes turned on and off as she was blinking. "Confirmed," she said. "Log 23. Partial recovery. Playback."

    "-waiting on you."

    Your spine stiffened. Your eyes widened.

    "I know, move to the old storefront. I want that photon cannon locked down." A tired sounding female voice came back.

    "I gotcha!"

    No. There has to be another Ghost operative in the area. There has to be.

    Gunfire. Crackling sounds. A screeching thump sound - then a low roar.

    "That's one blown up base, Commander. It looks like we've cleared out the Protoss."

    "Very good, return to base."

    Quiet.

    Valerian had his arms crossed, frowning slightly. Your heart was thumping in your chest.

    "Incoming transmission...this is Kerrigan..." the Adjutant's head twitched. "We've neutralized the Protoss, but there's a wave of Zerg approaching on our position. We need immediate evac!"

    "Belay that order," the Adjutant's head twitched and a different voice came out of her mouth - and one you and Valerian recognized.

    Mengsk.

    "We're moving out," Mengsk continued.

    A furious new voice broke in. "What? You're not just gonna leave her?" Male, fierce.

    "All ships, prepare to move away from Tarsonis on my mark," Mengsk said, his voice grim.

    "Uh...boys?" Sarah. Your Sarah. She sounded chipper, like it was just a communication error. It wasn't a two way call. The realization hit you like a punch to the stomach. "How about that evac?"

    "Damn you, Arcturus!" The other voice, the male one. "Don't. Do. This!"

    "It's done. Helmsman, bring us about. Signal the fleet to take us out of orbit. Now."

    "Commander?" Sarah sounded actually frightened now. "Jim? What the hell is going on up there?" The sounds of gunfire was getting stronger now, shouts, cries. A weapon fired - close enough to blat out the speakers. "Jim? Arcturus? Anyone? Does anyone...read..."

    You could see it, blazing in your eyes. The flickering in the skies of New Gettysburg as the ships vanished into their quantum jumps. Sarah, alone.

    "Oh my god," Valerian whispered.

    ---
    You are in combat, and you don't know it thanks to Duran and Sarah's machinations!

    HEAT: 1/6

    [ ] Immediately attempt to contact the ship (Use your Leadership skill to try and batter down the control Duran has over Stukov's body - 7 heat, lightly overheats you)
    [ ] Interrogate Valerian as to the abilities the Queen of Blades has - if Sarah and her are one in the same, you don't want to play into her hands. (Talking is a free action, will not end your turn.)
    [ ] Write In

    XP VALUE [26] | DANGER: 16

    GEAR: Pistol (Damage 2, Range 1)

    FRIENDLY SPARKS:

    ENEMY SPARKS: Blinded by Betrayal (10)

    STICKY:

    ENEMIES: The Queen of Blades (Diff 10), Consort Duran (Diff 10), Swarm of Hunter Killers (Diff 9, Damage 2, Range 2, People (Size) 3[1]

    the sticky "Dominion Intelligence" was provided by Duran, as was a lot of the intelligence on the ghost program. Thus, those 6 stickies and the Colonial Girlfriend stickies have been turned into Blinded by Betrayal as Duran and Sarah stab the E1 in the back. So long as Blinded by Betrayal exists, you don't know you're even in a battle, or what the shape of that battle is.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Well... crap.

    Curse her sudden but inevitable Betrayal?

    [X] Immediately attempt to contact the ship (Use your Leadership skill to try and batter down the control Duran has over Stukov's body - 7 heat, lightly overheats you)

    No idea if this is a good idea, but narratively I think this sort of quasi-panicked action makes sense.
     
    In truth, gaining access to the Adjutant through Valerian forced Kerrigan's hand. I mean, propose another viable course of action for her to take the moment the secret was out, there really wasn't one. The result would have been much safer and likely to end without betrayal with the direct confrontation pre-mission, since at least there she wouldn't be forced to come to her own conclusions.

    Not to mention the whole 'yeah, we'll kill the Queen of Blades' aspect here doesn't help her emotional state here, which was already delicate.
     
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    [X] Immediately attempt to contact the ship (Use your Leadership skill to try and batter down the control Duran has over Stukov's body - 7 heat, lightly overheats you)
     
    [X] Interrogate Valerian as to the abilities the Queen of Blades has - if Sarah and her are one in the same, you don't want to play into her hands. (Talking is a free action, will not end your turn.)
     
    [X] Immediately attempt to contact the ship (Use your Leadership skill to try and batter down the control Duran has over Stukov's body - 7 heat, lightly overheats you)
    Attempting to contact Stukov makes more sense
     
    Can we spend Matt's leadership buff to avoid overheating? Or spend the Mira's Marauders resource for some help? Then maybe follow it up with Rapid Defensive Emplacement to vent?

    Possible write-ins:
    [ ] When Stukov starts responding strangely, we try contacting Matt, who sees what's going on and takes over command.
    [ ] The E1 is compromised, but Mira's battlecruiser is not. When she sees the Zerg entering the atmosphere, and nobody on the E1 is responding, she takes the initiative, sending her flagship on an intercept course.
     
    [X] Immediately attempt to contact the ship (Use your Leadership skill to try and batter down the control Duran has over Stukov's body - 7 heat, lightly overheats you)
     
    [X] Interrogate Valerian as to the abilities the Queen of Blades has - if Sarah and her are one in the same, you don't want to play into her hands. (Talking is a free action, will not end your turn.)
     
    [X] Immediately attempt to contact the ship (Use your Leadership skill to try and batter down the control Duran has over Stukov's body - 7 heat, lightly overheats you)
     
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    []Well, at least we know coexistence with the Zerg is possible, since copopulation is

    Do not actually say this, I'm sure there's a better joke in there anyway, and either way I don't actually think Sam would make it :V

    [X] Immediately attempt to contact the ship (Use your Leadership skill to try and batter down the control Duran has over Stukov's body - 7 heat, lightly overheats you)

    May go back and change this (or approval vote it?) - it makes sense as a panicked action, but I also want to go back and refresh myself on Sam's interactions with Sarah and decide what she might make of them now that Things Are Suddenly Recontextualized, in case that informs a writein???
     
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