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] Try talking your way into the Detection Chamber (Diff 8 Deception - 8 heat, light overheating)
    -[X] Actually sir, today we're here under orders. Duke is worried that with Raynor's band of Podunk terrorists in system, his ninja Protoss buddies or Sar- the Queen of Blades will try to sneak in and go after the emitter, with this being their first stop to make things easier for them. He sent us to stop them, but with how much of rush order it was, the tech idiots gave us the wrong key cards, and I doubt the general will be happy with anyone on this tub if we can't do our jobs do to internal error.
     
    Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on Mar 24, 2024 at 10:31 AM, finished with 10 posts and 8 votes.
    • [X] Plan: Write In the Fascist Skull
      -[X] Use Telepathic Dominion to make him accept what we are about to tell him as truth.
      -[X] "Sir, we are under your orders. With Raynor's band of Podunk terrorists in the system you felt that the strategic risk would be his ninja Protoss buddies or Sar- the Queen of Blades trying to sneak in and go after the emitter to remove the metaphorical gun from the head of the zerg and that this would be their first stop to make it easier for them to operate. You needed some Ghosts to try to place some mental blocks in so whatever alien mind tricks they have won't work on them, even if just temporary, and you decided on us as a team building exercise as we have been tormenting the detection teams when bored, also since you knew Crone has been getting a kick out of it and it would annoy them to be forced to help them out after. You didn't trust the techs to issue the right cards on the rush job since you revoked access because of the teasing, so you met us here to assuage those concerns- since we are to be meeting up with you for the briefing after and never even acknowledge that this operation was a thing so you could present it to Duke for recognition of how much you deserve a promotion. So if you could open the door for us then you can rush off to prepare the briefing and we'll meet you there later."
      [X] Try talking your way into the Detection Chamber (Diff 8 Deception - 8 heat, light overheating)
      -[X] Actually sir, today we're here under orders. Duke is worried that with Raynor's band of Podunk terrorists in system, his ninja Protoss buddies or Sar- the Queen of Blades will try to sneak in and go after the emitter, with this being their first stop to make things easier for them. He sent us to stop them, but with how much of rush order it was, the tech idiots gave us the wrong key cards, and I doubt the general will be happy with anyone on this tub if we can't do our jobs do to internal error.
      [X] ...follow him!
    Click to expand...


    Hmm

    A bit verbose, lol

    EDIT: in the future, try and keep things more...in character for Sam, okay?
     
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    ACT TWO, MISSION SIX: To Open the Way (0.5)
  • Threadmarks
    • You frowned at the man, then focused. Your brow furrowed. The Dominion officer's eyes went a little fuzzy. His mouth opened, then he blinked and nodded. "I understand..." he said, a bit woozily. Then he walked to the door and slotted his keycard in. The door rumbled open and he turned on his heel, then walked off - growing more confident with every step.

    As he rounded the corner, Sarah chuckled. What did you send him?

    Just...kinda reached into his brain and found a big mash of concepts and...like...squished them his brain. You know how, uh, humans kinda see what they want and expect to see?     You looked at her, then grinned behind your mask. I kinda...asked his brain to come up with a reason why we should be allowed in through the door. Then I told him to go away and do something that'll keep him busy.

    Sarah paused for a moment. Humans, hmm?

    You frowned, then looked back in through the door. How we humans see the world. What we want to see.

    "Mmmhmm," she says, aloud.

    You frowned, then stepped through the doorway. You'd worry about a slip of the...mind later. For now, your eyes swept through the detection room chamber - and you had to let out a slow, soft whistle. The room stretched out far more than you thought it would, the door opening onto a thin catwalk that ringed around the immense circular space in the center of the science vessel, taking up what had to be a quarter of its total volume. The floor swept away from the catwalk, creating the bulbous bottom to the ship you'd seen from the outside, and then in the middle of this sphere of empty air, there were four orbs of black metal suspended in wires and crash-webbing, swaying ever so minutely in their harnesses. Support struts ran from the webbing to the ceiling and the floor, while some classic colonial 'kludged' together technology started to show itself in the way that each orb had dozens of connection ports that were hooked into blue and yellow cables that were duct taped to every metal surface that ran between the orbs and the control rooms on the left and right side of the bay - those cables, you saw, looked like they were all being fed straight into massive computer banks that were in the control rooms. Thin glass windows separated the control rooms from the rest of chamber, and you could see the tiny stick figures of human beings in them.

    A thin gridwork of catwalks spread between the orbs, and you could see a few technicians were actually at work on one of them - the orbs weren't perfectly smooth. They had paneling, and one of the panels was open and a small ladder had been propped from catwalk to the inside of the orb, with safety lines hooked up and extra support from two other technicians holding the ladder down. The tech in question was up to his shoulders inside of the orb, adjusting something with a wrench.

    You frowned. "Stuff like this should be a hundredth the size, based on the specs I read," you said.

    "Yeah, but then you couldn't fix it with a wrench. You'd need one of those nanolathes you have," Sarah murmured back. "So, we got two options here. Go for the control room or try and break one of the orbs." SHe paused. "We could cut some cables..."

    You were both so distant from anyone else that the chances of your voices carrying was nill to none. You rubbed your chin, regarding the cables. Cutting them would be harder than it looked. They were durasteel - the colonials might not have the same production capability Earth had, but they still had the same material sciences to work with. You pursed your lips behind your mask, then murmured. "The question is can we do it without getting noticed?"

    "Maybe..." Sarah said, cocking her head slightly to the side.

    You rolled your shoulders.

    Disabling this place - and doing so quietly - meant working quietly and quickly. You didn't have infinite time. Fortunately, the current threats weren't too pressing...

    ---
    HEAT: 0/6

    [ ] Use your psionic powers to cloak yourself from the technicians, then hop up onto one of the orbs and quietly slice the cable with your superhuman strength. (3 heat, but seems the most like a true accident)
    [ ] Use your psionic powers to trick the technicians into breaking one of the orbs. Easy peasy, and it lets them take the fall. (0 Heat, will get technicians in serious trouble)
    [ ] Sneak past the technicians using cloak, then quietly spawn, oh, nine to ten banelings into the orb and give them a delay trigger. Surely, no one will mind nine to ten banelings... (0 heat, will make it clear zerg are on the ship)
    [ ] Write In

    XP VALUE: 5
    DANGER: 0
    ENEMIES: Technicians at work (Diff 5), Orbs (Diff 3, Durability [Size] 4[2]

    This is one of those fights that's so easy you can do it all in one turn without breaking a sweat - hence why it's 5 XP. What matters more is not "will you succeed" but "how" you succeed. Also, reminder for future dragon: XP is not additive! (If you fight a 10 XP battle later, you get 10 XP, not 5 XP, you only count the highest of all XP values!)

    Plan One uses Telepathic Domination to take the techs down for 1 heat, then edged weapons vs diff 3+1 for 2 heat.
    Plan Two: Uses telepathic domination twice for 1 heat, then for 0 heat - using your Range as a seconday characteristic versus durability - narratively justified by using the technicians to do it.
    Plan Three: Same as the second, but using biomorphic spawning to bap the orb down.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Hmmmm, can we find a way to make them think that the Zerg on the ship are part of Dagoth's brood? Idk if different broods have any kind of markers that indicate who they are part of, but this could be rather useful in sowing distrust between the two "allies".

    Alternatively we could use a Command Spark to try and give an order to have the scientists run a lengthy recalibration/maintenance process on the scanner array, which should have decent odds since we are ghosts and would both keep the scientists out of the worst trouble as well as maintaining the functionality of the science vessel in the medium term, which Jim asked as to try and do, since they'll hopefully eventually be pointed towards benevolent goals.
     
    Alright, since nobody else has stepped up let me suggest the following:
    [X] Approach the technicians and declare that InOps has ordered a full diagnostics and maintenance cycle to be run on the scanning array before battle commences in preparation for anti-infiltration operations
    - [X] mechanically: use a Command Spark to cause the technicians to voluntarily take the scanning array offline for an extended period, follow up with a Leadership skill roll to sell the "orders" if needed
     
    I'll take it, I can't think rn ndfnh

    [X] Approach the technicians and declare that InOps has ordered a full diagnostics and maintenance cycle to be run on the scanning array before battle commences in preparation for anti-infiltration operations
    - [X] mechanically: use a Command Spark to cause the technicians to voluntarily take the scanning array offline for an extended period, follow up with a Leadership skill roll to sell the "orders" if needed
     
    [X] Approach the technicians and declare that InOps has ordered a full diagnostics and maintenance cycle to be run on the scanning array before battle commences in preparation for anti-infiltration operations
    - [X] mechanically: use a Command Spark to cause the technicians to voluntarily take the scanning array offline for an extended period, follow up with a Leadership skill roll to sell the "orders" if needed
     
    [X] Approach the technicians and declare that InOps has ordered a full diagnostics and maintenance cycle to be run on the scanning array before battle commences in preparation for anti-infiltration operations
    - [X] mechanically: use a Command Spark to cause the technicians to voluntarily take the scanning array offline for an extended period, follow up with a Leadership skill roll to sell the "orders" if needed
     
    [X] Approach the technicians and declare that InOps has ordered a full diagnostics and maintenance cycle to be run on the scanning array before battle commences in preparation for anti-infiltration operations
    - [X] mechanically: use a Command Spark to cause the technicians to voluntarily take the scanning array offline for an extended period, follow up with a Leadership skill roll to sell the "orders" if needed
     
    "Surely no one will mind nine to ten banelings" made me chuckle.

    [X] Approach the technicians and declare that InOps has ordered a full diagnostics and maintenance cycle to be run on the scanning array before battle commences in preparation for anti-infiltration operations
     
    [X] Approach the technicians and declare that InOps has ordered a full diagnostics and maintenance cycle to be run on the scanning array before battle commences in preparation for anti-infiltration operations
    [X] Sneak past the technicians using cloak, then quietly spawn, oh, nine to ten banelings into the orb and give them a delay trigger. Surely, no one will mind nine to ten banelings... (0 heat, will make it clear zerg are on the ship)
     
    [X] Approach the technicians and declare that InOps has ordered a full diagnostics and maintenance cycle to be run on the scanning array before battle commences in preparation for anti-infiltration operations
    - [X] mechanically: use a Command Spark to cause the technicians to voluntarily take the scanning array offline for an extended period, follow up with a Leadership skill roll to sell the "orders" if needed
     
    [X] Sneak past the technicians using cloak, then quietly spawn, oh, nine to ten banelings into the orb and give them a delay trigger. Surely, no one will mind nine to ten banelings... (0 heat, will make it clear zerg are on the ship)
     
    Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on Mar 27, 2024 at 9:45 AM, finished with 11 posts and 8 votes.
    • [X] Approach the technicians and declare that InOps has ordered a full diagnostics and maintenance cycle to be run on the scanning array before battle commences in preparation for anti-infiltration operations
      - [X] mechanically: use a Command Spark to cause the technicians to voluntarily take the scanning array offline for an extended period, follow up with a Leadership skill roll to sell the "orders" if needed
      [X] Approach the technicians and declare that InOps has ordered a full diagnostics and maintenance cycle to be run on the scanning array before battle commences in preparation for anti-infiltration operations
      [X] Sneak past the technicians using cloak, then quietly spawn, oh, nine to ten banelings into the orb and give them a delay trigger. Surely, no one will mind nine to ten banelings... (0 heat, will make it clear zerg are on the ship)
    Click to expand...


    Using your command sparks...I'm so proud of you!

    ...for some reason I decided I'd start writing this before work, but then realized I had no time to actually do so if I wanted to get to work on time, so you get to wait until my first shift is done. Be patient! Imagine girls kissing while I type.
     
    ACT TWO, MISSION SIX: To Open the Way (0.6)
  • Threadmarks
    • I have an idea... you said to Sarah. She gave a subtle little nod. You took the lead - if only because you knew you had a different style of command then Sarah. Sarah was arresting. You were intimidating. And that's the way you liked it. As you walked towards the techs, you let your shoes clang loudly against the deck - hitting the heels just right to add a ring to them, making the technicians glance over, then do a double take. You wondered how common the stereotype of the svelt, slender Ghost was and how strange it would be to see a woman in skintight black latex, with half a meter of muscular shoulders and muscles drawn by stencil and protractor. You...had to admit. It was thrilling to see their jaws drop. Exciting to see their eyes widen.

    ...heartening when the one girl in the group whispered, loudly enough that you could hear her in the silence as you came to a stop: "Goddaymn."

    One of the techs coughed. "Can we help you, uh, ma'am?"

    You cocked your head, letting the goggles on your facemask catch the light. Then, taking full advantage of the voice modulation in the helmet, you said: "That scanning array needs to be offline."

    "...we just got it online!" One of the techs said. You noticed the blushing girl had hastily put her cap back on and was trying to look more professional, even as she fiddled with her zipper. "What the fuck is command think-" He stopped as your gaze fell back on him.

    "It's an order straight from InOps. That's enough. Isn't it?"

    The techs grumbled - well, save for the girl - and started to get back to work. The orb went silent, a faint, subliminal hum vanishing from the air. This prompted a shouting match between the tech's leader and someone over the communication. He thrust his headset to you, and scowled. "The eggheads are asking me, and I'm saying you said they needed it done and-"

    You took it. "The order's straight from InOps. Stop asking questions."

    "W-Who is this? Uh...oh. I see. Uh..." The faint sound of the shocked voice matched the person peeking out of the window in the control room, gaping at you from a distance. You handed it back as the techs grumbled and started to head to the next orb. The girl hung behind, glancing at you. She kicked one of her feet against the ground, steel toed boot clanging.

    "...so, um...what's your name?" she asked.

    You looked at her. Goggles met her eyes and her freckles stood out like stars as her blush shot up from her pale neck to the bottom of her blond curls.

    "Nevermindbye!"

    She turned and ran off.

    ...I could infest her, you know.

    Don't even joke about that.

    Sarah's chuckle was wicked. Cause you're tempted?

    You shook your head.

    The two of you walked out of the detection array. Sarah's eyes were closed and her head ducked forward as she focused - and her voice spoke aloud, softly. "The Swarm feels the detection array going down - there's now a hole in Duke's defenses." She grinned, slowly, her voice a hungry croon. "Now. How to slide that knife home?" SHe looked at you. "It just hit me, we're in the perfect place to..."

    You arched an eyebrow. Do I feel a note of personal animosity there?

    Duke was a bastard and a pig before he left me to die - and he's been sucking at Mengsk's toes since the Dominion was founded - before even.     She clicked her tongue. Rubbing him out of the universe would be doing the whole galaxy a favor. And if we pin it on Daggoth, it'll be even better than fucking up the Psi Disrutpor.

    You knew that you'd have the time to do one or the other - ensure Duke was dead, or ensure the Psi Disruptor was aimed the right way. You could see the advantages...and the disadvantages of either...

    And you had to admit, a deep part of you, aware of just what it felt like to wake up...changed...to feel your body alienated and different, to feel that tearing sensation between expectation and reality, to know that someone had forced you into this, tricked you into it...that awareness transmuted dislike to a kind of feral anger. The idea of ripping Edmund Duke's head off for doing that to Sarah was...strong...

    Even though another part of you was muttering: Yeah, you know that cause she did it to you.

    Fuck.

    The angles and probabilities were getting snarled. Desire and relationships. Betrayals and wrongs. They were tangling everything up - the smooth arrows and timetables of a properly planned operation turning into thoughts of licking blood off Sarah's tits.

    "This is why I prefer fighting with robots, you know?" you muttered to her.

    Sarah actually giggled.

    Bitch.

    ---
    HEAT: 0/6

    Current XP: 5 (this is mostly to remind me that you made this much XP so far, don't worry about it)


    [ ] Go after the disruptor (Stealth Diff 5)
    [ ] Sneak aboard the Norad III (Stealth Diff 5)
    [ ] Write in (you can't do both, but you can do a third thing if it's clever!)
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Grab that one tech and see about discreetly using her to mess with the disruptor, then sneak onto the Norad.
    -[X] If anyone's watching, try to make it look like a kiss.

    This is pretty morally dubious, yeah, and I'm not sure it's totally in character, but it sounds fun anyway? So I'll put it out there.
     
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    I mean, is it out of character to pin a girl against a wall and kiss her, then slowly let a parasite wriggle from your mouth and down her throat while she squirms and wriggles, then slowly acquiesces to it, her mind filling with the glory of the swarm?

    A little!

    ...Sam's still tempted, at least part of her.
     
    DragonCobolt said:
    "...so, um...what's your name?" she asked.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Look, look, she's the only one in the room with a spine, clearly she should get the opportunity to prove herself by getting her own rendition of Enemy Within.

    DragonCobolt said:
    Some might consider it a violation of Sam's morals, but desperate times, desperate measures...
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    There are yet unkissed lesbians on this ship, the situation could not be any more desperate.
     
    DragonCobolt said:
    [ ] Write in (you can't do both, but you can do a third thing if it's clever!)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Clever things to do
    [] Head to the CIC instead, and acquire the FoF codes for the ships. They'll hold up for a moment, but that's long enough to slip a volley of nukes through the fleet, making it appear as if it has decided to start nuking the surface
    [] Go talk to the girl. Engineers love griping about their job, and if there's one boondoggle that has been giving them hell for the last few months, it'll be integrating a high power psi disruptor into the ships powergrid. With inside knowledge, it shouldn't be hard to arrange a catastrophic failure once something does go wrong.
    [] You're Ghosts. Elite operatives, one of the few groups imbued with sole discretion to launch tactical nukes. Head into the lion's den, acquire access to the launch codes, and open fire on the Nomad III. The Disruptor will be caught in the return fire.
    [] The Girl
    [] Start using infestation, your natural charms and regular Ghost powers to organize a mutiny. After all, aiding the Swarm, bringing back the overmind, that can't be all that popular among the ranks.
     
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    [X] Grab that one tech and see about discreetly using her to mess with the disruptor, then sneak onto the Norad.
    -[X] If anyone's watching, try to make it look like a kiss.
    -[X] Temporary flavor parasite, for safety!
     
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