[X] Plan: Snow White and two Iron Giants
621 Quest: After the Die is Cast (ACVI/Goddess of Victory: NIKKE)
- Thread starter Nitramy
- Start date
- Location
- Philippines
Plan: First step
[X] Her limbs are similar to that of the hostile MTs she and Ayre spoke of.
[X] "Raptures?"
[X] An easily defensible location
[X] You and Ayre have a portable fabricator that turns enemy Raptures into material for repairs and ammunition
[X] Snow White figures out that you and Ayre are also some kind of machine-based life-form, just by looking at you.
[X] Investigate your surroundings
[X] Commence research (you will need a Researcher or Scientist for this to work better)
[X] The Pioneer and Guide
[X] Her limbs are similar to that of the hostile MTs she and Ayre spoke of.
[X] "Raptures?"
[X] An easily defensible location
[X] You and Ayre have a portable fabricator that turns enemy Raptures into material for repairs and ammunition
[X] Snow White figures out that you and Ayre are also some kind of machine-based life-form, just by looking at you.
[X] Investigate your surroundings
[X] Commence research (you will need a Researcher or Scientist for this to work better)
[X] The Pioneer and Guide
- Location
- Virginia
[X] Plan: Snow White and two Iron Giants
Get in the robot Snow White.
Get in the robot Snow White.
NEW BEGINNING 1.4
Nitramy
Love! Snow! Really Magic
- Location
- Home of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage
This vote wins:
[X] Plan: Snow White and two Iron Giants
-[x] She is similar to an Augmented Human, much like yourself.
-[x] "Raptures?"
-[x] An easily defensible location
-[x] You and Ayre have a portable fabricator that turns enemy Raptures into material for repairs and ammunition
-[x] Snow White tried to hitch a ride inside ECHO, but found the cockpit empty.
-[x] Investigate your surroundings
-[x] Establish base defenses (you will need an Engineer for this to work better)
-[x] The Transcriber
***
Nothing too groundbreaking happened during the journey towards the location Snow White picked out for you, Rapture attacks aside. That being said, during a lull in your travels, you and Ayre ask her about them.
"Raptures are the dominant mechanical life-form in this world right now," she answered wistfully as she was looking through the meal she was making.
It was nighttime, and she had dug a fire hole to cook the deer she had sniped from a considerable distance away. You and Ayre did not hibernate your systems completely; putting up a concealment field to keep enemies from detecting you and Snow White during the night.
"Raptures attacked humanity roughly a century ago. There was a war, humans were driven underground, and we're all fighting to reclaim the surface."
As you nod in understanding, a thought that was just lurking within your mind made itself known: the mechanical parts, enhanced strength and durability, and other aspects within this young woman?
It kind of reminds you of yourself: a human being, subjected to numerous augmentation processes, made to pilot an Armored Core, claiming and reclaiming your identity and humanity, and now, shortly in the wake of Coral Release, you are something much more than that.
You remember Snow White saying that you and Ayre were more like the Raptures than human now, and you find the thought odd, because out of everyone who helped you free Rubicon, Ayre is the most... human of them all.
Still, it's a thought you decided to shelve for the moment. There are more important tasks at hand.
***
The next day, Snow White breached a question to Ayre.
"I just wondered," she told your companion as you were traveling towards the location she marked out on her map, "are Armored Cores meant to be piloted? They have the size."
Ayre gives you a look before turning back to her.
"Yes, they are."
The conversation that would have ensued was interrupted by the loud cries of a nearby horde of Raptures. A stray hit tagged Snow White, and the few seconds she had disoriented would have proven disastrous, had Ayre not grabbed the girl and some of her gear, and threw her in the cockpit of ECHO.
You grab the rest of the equipment she carried and stash it in the cockpit of Voyager, even as you cut down twenty Raptures closing in with one swipe of your MOONLIGHT energy blade.
Both of you clean house quickly and easily, taking note of a larger one that seemed to be leading them. With the coordinates of the base already set by Snow White earlier, you decide to gun it there, with Raptures hot on your tails.
"Our ammo won't be able to handle all of these enemies," you told Ayre even as you reduced a chunk of Raptures into slag with a shotgun blast.
"You didn't notice it?" Ayre asked back as a charged shot from her energy rifle glassed a line of Raptures. "Something has upgraded our core and generator units; it seems every destroyed Rapture is returning material back to us and is being changed into ammo for our weapons."
"How is that possible?"
"I honestly don't know, Raven..."
The two of you carve your way through the Raptures until you get clear of them; despite your confusion about your new type of self and Ayre's unique outlook on the world, the two of you carry yourselves admirably in combat.
***
You two are close to your destination when Snow White wakes up.
"Where am I?"
"Inside the ECHO unit," Ayre replies.
You can almost feel with your Coral senses the flash of panic from Snow White before she understands what's going on.
"So... you two really are some kind of other mechanical life form different from the Raptures... that's twice you've saved my life now, Ayre. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Ayre replies, her tone warm.
Snow White is strangely quiet, but manages to whisper out a "don't mention it" even as you go over the hill and spot the abandoned facility.
It's surrounded by mountainous terrain, the base seems like a hangar for aircraft, which makes it a good size to store ACs in, and scanning reveals something like an underground research facility.
From here, Snow White guesses that the tracks leading away from this base are from the Raptures that attempted to attack you earlier in the day, and eliminating them made claiming the hangar easy.
True to her word, Snow White sets up a comms for you two and her, with a hotline to other members of her squadron should you need assistance. She says she needs to go back north, towards her mission.
Of particular note is what she said to you in private before her departure.
"I wouldn't have been so nice to you two if it hadn't been for Ayre. She... she reminds me a lot of myself, a long time ago. Look after her, Raven."
"I will."
Snow White (Pioneer) has left your party.
***
Thanks to all the captured materiel from your previous battle, you and Ayre are able to produce some rudimentary base defenses, like MTs with basic combat AI and AC weapons, which have done great damage against the Raptures so far.
"Given the way these Raptures work, they are like living beings," Ayre noted. "Which means they will eventually evolve something to overwhelm our defenses. We need to get this base set up, and quickly."
"Agreed," you replied. "Once we have the ground level defenses established, we can look around the subterranean levels, maybe we'll find something there."
"That's right."
During your first time scouring your new home base, you find a few things, what are they?
PICK TWO:
[ ] Credits, aka what passes for this world's currency.
[ ] Unrefined allotropes of carbon. Seems valuable.
[ ] Small drives containing massive amounts of combat data.
[ ] Something else (write-in).
Another thing that came up upon discovering your new home base is the fabricators built into yours and Ayre's AC's. It seems this 'fabricator' feeds on mechanical materials and energy, producing items that you and Ayre find more familiar, like MTs, defensive structures, and other things.
You and Ayre talk it over, and come to an agreement:
PICK ONE:
[ ] Let's use the fabricator's designs as much as we can, right now.
[ ] Let's hold out for an engineer or scientist to examine the fabricator, and expand the number of designs it can make.
But the peaceful time you have a base established is short, because this happened:
PICK ONE:
[ ] You ran into what looks like a bunch of mass-produced soldiers.
[ ] You ran into a squadron of young women more similar to Snow White.
[ ] A gigantic Rapture passed by and didn't notice you, but it spooked you and Ayre something fierce.
[ ] Something else (write-in)
As a result of that incident, you...
PICK ONE:
[ ] Focus the fabricator on making defensive structures.
[ ] Focus the fabricator on creating autonomous defenders.
[ ] Focus the fabricator on researching new items.
[ ] Something else (write-in).
***
Elsewhere in the world...
"Are you sure it's wise to trust her with such an important task, Commander?"
"Do you know that saying? 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'? It's that kind of scenario we're navigating right now, Cecil. Besides, her presence here has improved Eden tremendously, to the point where we can consider an assault on Nihilister earlier than planned."
The man looked out the window.
"Please tell me you're considering, sir."
"I am. These past few days have been nothing short of miraculous, what with the kind of engineering and research capability we've acquired for Eden. It's almost to the point where... just a little more, and we can make the Ark obsolete."
"Is this about revenge?"
"I remember a former colleague of mine say that 'the best revenge is living well', and if this keeps up, we'll be so far ahead of the Ark that they'll be approaching us on their hands and knees, begging us for scraps from our table. Speaking of which, Cecil, how are the MP units?"
"Their training is going along very well. All the first batch of MP-GAMMA, MP-DELTA and MP-EPSILON need are field experience."
"You think Dorothy's up for taking them on a field trip?"
"Sir, you're going to have to convince her personally to do that. Why not Harran or the others?"
The commander let out a breath.
"Because for all their power, they have yet to truly take on leadership roles. I was hoping Dorothy would begin introducing that to her squadron, but alas, it seems I have to impress upon her that some sacrifices will have to be made for her dreams to come true. It is all within our reach..."
He pointed his hand to the sky and grabbed a fistful of air.
"...Turning her into a NIKKE, adopting her technology... I have a feeling that the price we paid Miss Markson for all of this will end up too high."
***
We'll have our next sidestory next chapter!
[ ] The Abnormal Survivor
[ ] The Transcriber
[ ] The Pioneer and Guide
[ ] The Rebel Without A Cause
[ ] The Ashen One
Side note: Yes, those are R rarity NIKKE from Pilgrim.
[X] Plan: Snow White and two Iron Giants
-[x] She is similar to an Augmented Human, much like yourself.
-[x] "Raptures?"
-[x] An easily defensible location
-[x] You and Ayre have a portable fabricator that turns enemy Raptures into material for repairs and ammunition
-[x] Snow White tried to hitch a ride inside ECHO, but found the cockpit empty.
-[x] Investigate your surroundings
-[x] Establish base defenses (you will need an Engineer for this to work better)
-[x] The Transcriber
***
Nothing too groundbreaking happened during the journey towards the location Snow White picked out for you, Rapture attacks aside. That being said, during a lull in your travels, you and Ayre ask her about them.
"Raptures are the dominant mechanical life-form in this world right now," she answered wistfully as she was looking through the meal she was making.
It was nighttime, and she had dug a fire hole to cook the deer she had sniped from a considerable distance away. You and Ayre did not hibernate your systems completely; putting up a concealment field to keep enemies from detecting you and Snow White during the night.
"Raptures attacked humanity roughly a century ago. There was a war, humans were driven underground, and we're all fighting to reclaim the surface."
As you nod in understanding, a thought that was just lurking within your mind made itself known: the mechanical parts, enhanced strength and durability, and other aspects within this young woman?
It kind of reminds you of yourself: a human being, subjected to numerous augmentation processes, made to pilot an Armored Core, claiming and reclaiming your identity and humanity, and now, shortly in the wake of Coral Release, you are something much more than that.
You remember Snow White saying that you and Ayre were more like the Raptures than human now, and you find the thought odd, because out of everyone who helped you free Rubicon, Ayre is the most... human of them all.
Still, it's a thought you decided to shelve for the moment. There are more important tasks at hand.
***
The next day, Snow White breached a question to Ayre.
"I just wondered," she told your companion as you were traveling towards the location she marked out on her map, "are Armored Cores meant to be piloted? They have the size."
Ayre gives you a look before turning back to her.
"Yes, they are."
The conversation that would have ensued was interrupted by the loud cries of a nearby horde of Raptures. A stray hit tagged Snow White, and the few seconds she had disoriented would have proven disastrous, had Ayre not grabbed the girl and some of her gear, and threw her in the cockpit of ECHO.
You grab the rest of the equipment she carried and stash it in the cockpit of Voyager, even as you cut down twenty Raptures closing in with one swipe of your MOONLIGHT energy blade.
Both of you clean house quickly and easily, taking note of a larger one that seemed to be leading them. With the coordinates of the base already set by Snow White earlier, you decide to gun it there, with Raptures hot on your tails.
"Our ammo won't be able to handle all of these enemies," you told Ayre even as you reduced a chunk of Raptures into slag with a shotgun blast.
"You didn't notice it?" Ayre asked back as a charged shot from her energy rifle glassed a line of Raptures. "Something has upgraded our core and generator units; it seems every destroyed Rapture is returning material back to us and is being changed into ammo for our weapons."
"How is that possible?"
"I honestly don't know, Raven..."
The two of you carve your way through the Raptures until you get clear of them; despite your confusion about your new type of self and Ayre's unique outlook on the world, the two of you carry yourselves admirably in combat.
***
You two are close to your destination when Snow White wakes up.
"Where am I?"
"Inside the ECHO unit," Ayre replies.
You can almost feel with your Coral senses the flash of panic from Snow White before she understands what's going on.
"So... you two really are some kind of other mechanical life form different from the Raptures... that's twice you've saved my life now, Ayre. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Ayre replies, her tone warm.
Snow White is strangely quiet, but manages to whisper out a "don't mention it" even as you go over the hill and spot the abandoned facility.
It's surrounded by mountainous terrain, the base seems like a hangar for aircraft, which makes it a good size to store ACs in, and scanning reveals something like an underground research facility.
From here, Snow White guesses that the tracks leading away from this base are from the Raptures that attempted to attack you earlier in the day, and eliminating them made claiming the hangar easy.
True to her word, Snow White sets up a comms for you two and her, with a hotline to other members of her squadron should you need assistance. She says she needs to go back north, towards her mission.
Of particular note is what she said to you in private before her departure.
"I wouldn't have been so nice to you two if it hadn't been for Ayre. She... she reminds me a lot of myself, a long time ago. Look after her, Raven."
"I will."
Snow White (Pioneer) has left your party.
***
Thanks to all the captured materiel from your previous battle, you and Ayre are able to produce some rudimentary base defenses, like MTs with basic combat AI and AC weapons, which have done great damage against the Raptures so far.
"Given the way these Raptures work, they are like living beings," Ayre noted. "Which means they will eventually evolve something to overwhelm our defenses. We need to get this base set up, and quickly."
"Agreed," you replied. "Once we have the ground level defenses established, we can look around the subterranean levels, maybe we'll find something there."
"That's right."
During your first time scouring your new home base, you find a few things, what are they?
PICK TWO:
[ ] Credits, aka what passes for this world's currency.
[ ] Unrefined allotropes of carbon. Seems valuable.
[ ] Small drives containing massive amounts of combat data.
[ ] Something else (write-in).
Another thing that came up upon discovering your new home base is the fabricators built into yours and Ayre's AC's. It seems this 'fabricator' feeds on mechanical materials and energy, producing items that you and Ayre find more familiar, like MTs, defensive structures, and other things.
You and Ayre talk it over, and come to an agreement:
PICK ONE:
[ ] Let's use the fabricator's designs as much as we can, right now.
[ ] Let's hold out for an engineer or scientist to examine the fabricator, and expand the number of designs it can make.
But the peaceful time you have a base established is short, because this happened:
PICK ONE:
[ ] You ran into what looks like a bunch of mass-produced soldiers.
[ ] You ran into a squadron of young women more similar to Snow White.
[ ] A gigantic Rapture passed by and didn't notice you, but it spooked you and Ayre something fierce.
[ ] Something else (write-in)
As a result of that incident, you...
PICK ONE:
[ ] Focus the fabricator on making defensive structures.
[ ] Focus the fabricator on creating autonomous defenders.
[ ] Focus the fabricator on researching new items.
[ ] Something else (write-in).
***
Elsewhere in the world...
"Are you sure it's wise to trust her with such an important task, Commander?"
"Do you know that saying? 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'? It's that kind of scenario we're navigating right now, Cecil. Besides, her presence here has improved Eden tremendously, to the point where we can consider an assault on Nihilister earlier than planned."
The man looked out the window.
"Please tell me you're considering, sir."
"I am. These past few days have been nothing short of miraculous, what with the kind of engineering and research capability we've acquired for Eden. It's almost to the point where... just a little more, and we can make the Ark obsolete."
"Is this about revenge?"
"I remember a former colleague of mine say that 'the best revenge is living well', and if this keeps up, we'll be so far ahead of the Ark that they'll be approaching us on their hands and knees, begging us for scraps from our table. Speaking of which, Cecil, how are the MP units?"
"Their training is going along very well. All the first batch of MP-GAMMA, MP-DELTA and MP-EPSILON need are field experience."
"You think Dorothy's up for taking them on a field trip?"
"Sir, you're going to have to convince her personally to do that. Why not Harran or the others?"
The commander let out a breath.
"Because for all their power, they have yet to truly take on leadership roles. I was hoping Dorothy would begin introducing that to her squadron, but alas, it seems I have to impress upon her that some sacrifices will have to be made for her dreams to come true. It is all within our reach..."
He pointed his hand to the sky and grabbed a fistful of air.
"...Turning her into a NIKKE, adopting her technology... I have a feeling that the price we paid Miss Markson for all of this will end up too high."
***
We'll have our next sidestory next chapter!
[ ] The Abnormal Survivor
[ ] The Pioneer and Guide
[ ] The Rebel Without A Cause
[ ] The Ashen One
Side note: Yes, those are R rarity NIKKE from Pilgrim.
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Uh oh its ALLMIND.
She is giving them tech, but I wonder, who is gonna get got first, Dorothy or ALLMIND?
Plan: Forward
[X ] Unrefined allotropes of carbon. Seems valuable.
[X] Small drives containing massive amounts of combat data.
[X] Let's use the fabricator's designs as much as we can, right now.
[X] You ran into a squadron of young women more similar to Snow White.
[X] Focus the fabricator on researching new items
[X] The Rebel Without A Cause
She is giving them tech, but I wonder, who is gonna get got first, Dorothy or ALLMIND?
Plan: Forward
[X ] Unrefined allotropes of carbon. Seems valuable.
[X] Small drives containing massive amounts of combat data.
[X] Let's use the fabricator's designs as much as we can, right now.
[X] You ran into a squadron of young women more similar to Snow White.
[X] Focus the fabricator on researching new items
[X] The Rebel Without A Cause
Dezron
In the Omnissiah we trust !
- Location
- Poland
[x] Plan: Home Renovation
-[x] Credits, aka what passes for this world's currency.
-[x] Small drives containing massive amounts of combat data.
-[x] Let's use the fabricator's designs as much as we can, right now.
-[x] You ran into a squadron of young women more similar to Snow White.
-[x] Focus the fabricator on creating autonomous defenders.
-[x] The Abnormal Survivor
-[x] Credits, aka what passes for this world's currency.
-[x] Small drives containing massive amounts of combat data.
-[x] Let's use the fabricator's designs as much as we can, right now.
-[x] You ran into a squadron of young women more similar to Snow White.
-[x] Focus the fabricator on creating autonomous defenders.
-[x] The Abnormal Survivor
[x] Plan: Home Renovation
[x] Plan: Home Renovation
- Location
- Virginia
Tbf ALLMIND does care for humanity. It's just she was very pragmatic with achieving her goals and wanted to be in charge (like many rouge AI characters) of humanity's next step to evolution. We'll have to see if ALLMIND has learned her lesson from being beat up by 621 and Ayre. That be said, I'm curious on her thoughts on Nikkes in general. Does she believe that they're a possible step in human evolution?
Also I wonder where the other AC cast members are if ALLMIND is hanging out in Eden?
[x] Plan: Home Renovation
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING 1.1
Nitramy
Love! Snow! Really Magic
- Location
- Home of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage
This vote wins:
[x] Plan: Home Renovation
-[x] Credits, aka what passes for this world's currency.
-[x] Small drives containing massive amounts of combat data.
-[x] Unrefined allotropes of carbon. Seems valuable. (This was added because 2 users picked two when they could have picked one in the vote.)
-[x] Let's use the fabricator's designs as much as we can, right now.
-[x] You ran into a squadron of young women more similar to Snow White.
-[x] Focus the fabricator on creating autonomous defenders.
-[x] The Abnormal Survivor
***
After building a group of MT's with firepower and coordination equivalent to that of Snow White's combat capability, you and Ayre begin to do what is natural for a Raven: scour the base for anything useful.
The base's databanks carry with it a lot of combat data, but the real treasures were the small drives containing even more of it. These were person-sized, and Ayre noted that a Coral lifeform could hibernate within one of these drives and reemerge when connected to a proper power source.
If you know how quests go, this will be relevant soon.
You found credit chips, too: these are the equivalent of COAM back in Rubicon.
Something really interesting you found was a safe full of unrefined carbon allotropes: they hold no value for you and Ayre, but given the security measures on them, they might be useful for future use.
Ayre decides to be proactive and call Snow White on the comm to ask about what these things were.
"Oh, those?" someone whose voice was definitely NOT Snow White replied on the comms. "Those are jewels. You can use them to purchase materials. You could also put in an order in the Ark to recruit NIKKE like myself for various tasks, within reason."
Recruiting? Now that reminded you of being one of Handler Walter's hounds, one of the best he'd ever trained. Speaking of which, you start to wonder if he and Cinder Carla made it out intact...
You take a digital photograph of the stash and forward it to the unknown number.
"You've come into quite the nest egg, Ayre. That comes to about... oh... 150 jewels."
"How do you know my name?"
"Snow White told us about you, and said to keep an ear out in case you needed help. We're from Pioneer Squad, too."
Say, about the voice, it sounded a bit off somehow. What did she sound like?
[ ] She sounded in some sort of reproductive trance.
[ ] She sounded tipsy.
You put the fabricator through its rigors and found that you could make a pretty large group of MTs to cover base defenses, so that's what you and Ayre planned out.
The amount of firepower you have at the ready is, frankly, kind of frightening: there was a group of Raptures that attempted to take back the base, only to be glassed a good distance away, even before they made it to the base.
You know this won't keep them away for long, but it did a good enough job for now that they're keeping away from your location, thank goodness.
During the days where you were establishing base defenses and fabricating MTs, you also managed to spot a group of Raptures in combat with a group of young women similar to Snow White, and decide to provide some support.
What was notable about this squad?
[ ] One of them has an odd Coral resonance.
[ ] They were really efficient in combat.
[ ] They were battling Raptures while on a boat.
[ ] They behaved rather oddly. Ayre found their antics amusing.
[ ] You somehow sensed their demeanor via the Coral in the atmosphere, and found them repugnant.
[ ] They were guiding lost Nikke back to the Ark.
[ ] They were in over their heads and were about to be defeated until you and Ayre came in.
Now that you have basic base defenses, what do you do?
Pick two: one from high priority and one from low priority.
HIGH PRIORITY CONCERNS:
[ ] Investigate the underground parts of the base.
- [ ] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
[ ] Build physical defenses (i.e. walls, bunkers)
- [ ] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
[ ] Run a reconnaissance mission.
- [ ] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
LOW PRIORITY CONCERNS:
[ ] Have a sit-down with Ayre to decompress a bit.
[ ] Run comms with the Pioneer squad
- [ ] Ask them about this world
- [ ] Ask them about the Ark
- [ ] Ask them about their squad
~
"Raven," Ayre said during a lull in the base building. "Have you been sensing that?"
"Sensing... oh, right. The air here is really heavy," you replied.
"That's because Coral lifeforms can drift on the atmosphere of this world," Ayre explained. "Any sentient Coral-compatible life-form can hibernate here, I think that's why we ended up in this place."
"Interesting," you thought aloud. "But what's that thing you sensed, Ayre?"
"I've been hearing an odd Coral frequency near the place called the Ark. It's been on repeat for some time... let me decode it."
A few moments later, ECHO's eyes are glowing with concern.
"It's saying 'help me'. Raven, we need to move. Now. At the rate this is going, the signal will expire in a matter of hours."
ULTRA-HIGH PRIORITY TASK ADDED:
[X] Head to the source of the distress signal.
- [X] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
***
[ ] The Abnormal Survivor
[ ] The Transcriber
[ ] The Pioneerand Guide
[ ] The Rebel Without A Cause
[ ] The Ashen One
[ ] The Speaker
[ ] The Storm
[ ] The Holy(?) One
[ ] The [redacted] of Truth
[ ] The Dragon
[x] Plan: Home Renovation
-[x] Credits, aka what passes for this world's currency.
-[x] Small drives containing massive amounts of combat data.
-[x] Unrefined allotropes of carbon. Seems valuable. (This was added because 2 users picked two when they could have picked one in the vote.)
-[x] Let's use the fabricator's designs as much as we can, right now.
-[x] You ran into a squadron of young women more similar to Snow White.
-[x] Focus the fabricator on creating autonomous defenders.
-[x] The Abnormal Survivor
***
After building a group of MT's with firepower and coordination equivalent to that of Snow White's combat capability, you and Ayre begin to do what is natural for a Raven: scour the base for anything useful.
The base's databanks carry with it a lot of combat data, but the real treasures were the small drives containing even more of it. These were person-sized, and Ayre noted that a Coral lifeform could hibernate within one of these drives and reemerge when connected to a proper power source.
If you know how quests go, this will be relevant soon.
You found credit chips, too: these are the equivalent of COAM back in Rubicon.
Something really interesting you found was a safe full of unrefined carbon allotropes: they hold no value for you and Ayre, but given the security measures on them, they might be useful for future use.
Ayre decides to be proactive and call Snow White on the comm to ask about what these things were.
"Oh, those?" someone whose voice was definitely NOT Snow White replied on the comms. "Those are jewels. You can use them to purchase materials. You could also put in an order in the Ark to recruit NIKKE like myself for various tasks, within reason."
Recruiting? Now that reminded you of being one of Handler Walter's hounds, one of the best he'd ever trained. Speaking of which, you start to wonder if he and Cinder Carla made it out intact...
You take a digital photograph of the stash and forward it to the unknown number.
"You've come into quite the nest egg, Ayre. That comes to about... oh... 150 jewels."
"How do you know my name?"
"Snow White told us about you, and said to keep an ear out in case you needed help. We're from Pioneer Squad, too."
Say, about the voice, it sounded a bit off somehow. What did she sound like?
[ ] She sounded in some sort of reproductive trance.
[ ] She sounded tipsy.
You put the fabricator through its rigors and found that you could make a pretty large group of MTs to cover base defenses, so that's what you and Ayre planned out.
The amount of firepower you have at the ready is, frankly, kind of frightening: there was a group of Raptures that attempted to take back the base, only to be glassed a good distance away, even before they made it to the base.
You know this won't keep them away for long, but it did a good enough job for now that they're keeping away from your location, thank goodness.
During the days where you were establishing base defenses and fabricating MTs, you also managed to spot a group of Raptures in combat with a group of young women similar to Snow White, and decide to provide some support.
What was notable about this squad?
[ ] One of them has an odd Coral resonance.
[ ] They were really efficient in combat.
[ ] They were battling Raptures while on a boat.
[ ] They behaved rather oddly. Ayre found their antics amusing.
[ ] You somehow sensed their demeanor via the Coral in the atmosphere, and found them repugnant.
[ ] They were guiding lost Nikke back to the Ark.
[ ] They were in over their heads and were about to be defeated until you and Ayre came in.
Now that you have basic base defenses, what do you do?
Pick two: one from high priority and one from low priority.
HIGH PRIORITY CONCERNS:
[ ] Investigate the underground parts of the base.
- [ ] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
[ ] Build physical defenses (i.e. walls, bunkers)
- [ ] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
[ ] Run a reconnaissance mission.
- [ ] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
LOW PRIORITY CONCERNS:
[ ] Have a sit-down with Ayre to decompress a bit.
[ ] Run comms with the Pioneer squad
- [ ] Ask them about this world
- [ ] Ask them about the Ark
- [ ] Ask them about their squad
~
"Raven," Ayre said during a lull in the base building. "Have you been sensing that?"
"Sensing... oh, right. The air here is really heavy," you replied.
"That's because Coral lifeforms can drift on the atmosphere of this world," Ayre explained. "Any sentient Coral-compatible life-form can hibernate here, I think that's why we ended up in this place."
"Interesting," you thought aloud. "But what's that thing you sensed, Ayre?"
"I've been hearing an odd Coral frequency near the place called the Ark. It's been on repeat for some time... let me decode it."
A few moments later, ECHO's eyes are glowing with concern.
"It's saying 'help me'. Raven, we need to move. Now. At the rate this is going, the signal will expire in a matter of hours."
ULTRA-HIGH PRIORITY TASK ADDED:
[X] Head to the source of the distress signal.
- [X] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
***
[ ] The Transcriber
[ ] The Pioneer
[ ] The Rebel Without A Cause
[ ] The Ashen One
[ ] The Speaker
[ ] The Storm
[ ] The Holy(?) One
[ ] The [redacted] of Truth
[ ] The Dragon
Last edited:
- Location
- Virginia
[X] Plan: Odd People, Walls, and Rebel
I think we can get by with some basic defenses for now. Though I'm curious about the person/being sending the S.O.S.
I think we can get by with some basic defenses for now. Though I'm curious about the person/being sending the S.O.S.
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING 1.2
Nitramy
Love! Snow! Really Magic
- Location
- Home of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage
This vote wins:
-[X] She sounded in some sort of reproductive trance.
-[X] One of them has an odd Coral resonance.
-[X] Build physical defenses (i.e. walls, bunkers)
-[X] Have a sit-down with Ayre to decompress a bit.
-[X] The Rebel Without A Cause
***
You could sense the urgency in Ayre's voice, and immediately use the emergency channel to the Ark; instead of a voice comm, you have a text-based communication between you and the Commander you're hiring.
And you begin to type.
Good morning, Commander.
Who is this?
A potential client. We are in need of a task done on short notice, and we are prepared to trade some items with you for it.
What kind of items?
Some rare minerals and allotropes. This assignment is extremely time-sensitive.
All right. I'll bring my squad as security. Is that okay with you?
By all means. The location is just outside what you call the Ark. We have yet to determine the precise coordinates, but we know the general area and will use a signal to show our location.
What about the Raptures?
You leave them to us.
Understood. We'll be right there.
Leaving construction to the MTs you designed, you and Ayre immediately take the 'jewels' and make off to the location Ayre sensed.
***
Even with your speed, it still takes you half an hour to get there; as you make it to the general location, you can sense the consternation in Ayre as she says the signal is weakening even further.
"What do we do when we get there?" you asked her, and she shakes her head.
"I... she is... I have to do something. We have to do something... anything."
A moment passes where you remember how you and Ayre met: a coral explosion, and then she was a voice in your head.
Close to the location, you decide to put an inquiry to the fabricator.
'Is there a means by which you can house a Coral-based lifeform?'
The fabricator answers immediately.
'This unit contains enough storage to house said lifeform.'
You nod in assurance, and as you make it to the abandoned ruins, you find that someone is waiting for you; rather, a group of someones.
Three young women are pointing their weapons at you and Ayre.
"What kind of Raptures are these?" the one in black and yellow asks. "They don't look like any kind of Rapture we've seen before."
"Nobody try anything funny," the one in a beret says. "We'll err on the side of caution here."
"Still, look at the firepower on the two of them!" the one in white exclaimed in awe. "It's one of a kind!"
Your text comm opens up.
Is this an ambush?
No, we have arrived. Apologies for not disclosing our appearances, as my companion said this was time-critical.
"So, you're the client," a young man in military uniform said as he emerged from cover. "You don't look like Raptures... if you're Raptures, you would have brought a ton of your minions along."
"Commander, you can't be serious that this is the client?" the one in the beret asked, a bit surprised.
"Well, we've seen stranger things," the one in black replied. "Your friend is already there, by the way."
Wait, Ayre already went off on her own?
You bow in apology and make your way to Ayre.
"Not now," she said, some distance away. "I'm downloading the c-wave mutation into the fabricator."
"There's another one like you here?"
Ayre nods.
"Yes, and I'm going to freeze the data transference process after completion. Seems like this type of data requires a very specific interface in order to function correctly... and with that, I'm done."
Ayre stepped away from the ruin, and you all see a destroyed Rapture and another deceased young woman in military garb.
"Looks like our work's done here! I got to save her. Raven, let's reward these guys and return to base."
"Sounds good."
You turn to the Commander and drop the compartment filled with jewels, while the 3 young women guarding him are still pointing their weapons defensively at you.
"Here's the payment," you say. "We will contact you again."
"Wait, are you friend or foe?" the Commander asks, right before you leave.
"We are mercenaries," you reply enigmatically. "My name is Raven, her name is Ayre."
"I am an Ark Commander, and these are the Counters Squad," he says, gesturing to the women defending him.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," you say, bowing politely before turning away. "Until next time."
With that, you jet away from the mission area, making a good pace back to base.
Halfway through the journey, Ayre speaks up.
"Raven, one of them was similar to you," she admitted.
"What do you mean?" you asked.
"She has the same brainwave anomaly as someone with a c-wave mutation. There is someone accompanying her being, someone powerful."
"Intriguing."
You file it away for future reference as you and Ayre return to base.
You have acquired "C-wave mutation data, potential coral lifeform".
You have become acquainted with the Ark's Commander, and the Counters Squad.
***
As soon as you return to base, you see that the construction MTs have done a decent job creating physical defenses for your base. While these are being upgraded, you decide to spend some downtime with Ayre.
"So, what's this I'm hearing about you talking with Pioneer Squad?" you ask teasingly.
"Well, they make for good company. Snow White is no-nonsense, and their squad mate... I didn't get her name... she sounded strange."
"How so?"
"Like she was always in some kind of trance, thinking about something..."
You remember the audio records, and for once, are thankful that you are not constrained to a physical body. Once upon a time, you had to keep those kinds of women away with a stick.
"...Raven?"
"Yeah?"
"What was she thinking about...?"
The eyes of Voyager widen comically.
No, this is someone you do not want Ayre to meet in person. Who knows what she will do to her?!
"She could be... very passionate about her faith?" you asked, and Ayre took a moment.
Then she nodded.
"Yes, you have told me about those kinds of people before, Raven. Thank you."
Bomb has been defused... but who knows what will happen if you run into her next time?
You and Ayre have made the acquaintances of another Pioneer Squad member.
***
Across several days, you put your fabricators to good use in making defenses for your new base. You and Ayre also spend some downtime scanning the environment, noticing that this world is somewhat similar to Rubicon.
It doesn't take long for Ayre to fall in love with the new world she is in, and is visibly relieved when Raptures are not deliberately harmful towards the wildlife.
Still, several days later, where the defenses are nearly complete, Ayre comes to you, looking troubled.
"Is it about the dead woman we saw?"
She nodded.
"I think that signal I saved in my fabricator was her, turned into a c-wave like me..."
You take a moment to think.
"So there's a chance we can upload her into an AC if we had the resources?"
"Or maybe we could get a body like what the commander referred to as Nikke, those three women... can we inhabit those kinds of bodies, and maybe give the c-wave we found another body of her own?"
Sounds intriguing.
[ ] Wouldn't hurt to try. Let's go for it!
[ ] We'll need some sort of research to dot our i's and cross our t's first, Ayre.
[ ] We have more important tasks to do here, unfortunately.
***
In between all this, another Rapture attack happened, and you were able to fend off their assault easily. You have a feeling that they'll send bigger monsters next time.
Go with your gut...?
[ ] We need more firepower.
[ ] We need hardier defenses.
[ ] We could hire a squad of Nikke...?
***
And in between that, there are still things to be done!
PICK ONE:
[ ] Investigate the underground parts of the base.
- [ ] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
[ ] Run a reconnaissance mission.
- [ ] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
[ ] Someone has apparently hired you for a mission. (Write-in)
***
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away...
"This isn't a Mind Switch," the tech says as she puts the finishing touches on the slumbering Nikke. "A Mind Switch would come from a sufficiently traumatic incident that wounds the mental processes of the Nikke in question."
"Explain," Ingrid said.
"I mean, ma'am, if a normal Mind Switch would be going from point A to point B to point C, this event is basically point A to point Z to point X. This kind of reaction is neither a Mind Switch nor Rapture corruption."
"A different person...?"
"Stands to reason, ma'am. The NIMPH combat logs show her mind shutting down for a moment before rebooting with a different frequency... and her combat efficiency increasing by 233 percent."
"What about the PTSD symptoms? Didn't NIMPH take care of that?"
"It took the NIMPH several minutes to adapt to the different frequency, and even then, Prototype 51-101R... her reactions were... I don't want to sound unscientific, ma'am, but it's like she turned into a different person."
"Those red eyes, though..."
"That isn't Rapture corruption," the tech clarified. "It's a byproduct of the frequency change... and it's not battling the NIMPH. More like it's making itself at home... it's very strange..."
Ingrid, the CEO of Elysion, looked at the prototype mass-production Nikke in the tank with a rare look of wonder on her face.
They had taken this Nikke that had been suspected of either Mind Switch or Rapture corruption during a Rapture attack, and spent some time researching what led to this process.
The Nikke's eyes shot open in the tank, revealing something that was not the red haze over the eyes that was the telltale sign of Rapture corruption: the red color had mixed with the Nikke's previous blue eyes, turning them into a striking shade of purple.
The figure mouthed a few words while in the tank.
"Who are you?"
The tech activated the sleep function, causing her to close her eyes once more, leaving Ingrid wondering.
***
A few days later, Ingrid and the research staff of Elysion were all observing the Prototype as she was finally roused from her forced slumber.
A fellow Nikke walked into the room: this one was one of their Black Ops members, and also had a data feed from the research staff to help determine if 51-101R was either corrupted or deceiving them.
"How do you feel?" the hooded woman asked the Nikke in bed.
"Like hell warmed over," she admitted. "Waking up as a girl was the bigger surprise, I'll admit."
That got everyone observing shocked.
"No wonder the frequency didn't seem to fit," the head researcher said. "The frequency running this Nikke is male."
"Do you remember anything before waking up here?"
"I was fighting," the prototype admitted. "Then something happened, I woke up with enemy machines surrounding me, and I shot down as many of them before they overwhelmed me... I thought I was done for, I closed my eyes..."
She sighed.
"...And then I woke up in this body, holding a gun, facing those machines again. It was somewhat easier, this time. Then, I was exhausted, woke up for a moment to see myself in some sort of tank, and here we are."
"You don't sound like you're lying," the young woman said slowly, methodically. "What place do you think this is?"
"Are we still on Rubicon?"
"No," the young woman replied. "You most definitely are not on Rubicon."
"So, they did it. They did release the Coral. No wonder I am..."
She sat up straighter and looked at the young woman dead in her eye.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. What is your name?"
"You can call me 'D'."
"Nice to meet you, D. Call me... Rusty."
Who do we get to meet next?
[ ] The Abnormal Survivor
[ ] The Transcriber
[ ] The Pioneer and Guide
[ ] The Rebel Without A Cause
[ ] The Ashen One
[ ] The Speaker
[ ] The Storm
[ ] The Holy(?) One
[ ] The [redacted] of Truth
[ ] The Dragon
[ ] The Living Legend
-[X] She sounded in some sort of reproductive trance.
-[X] One of them has an odd Coral resonance.
-[X] Build physical defenses (i.e. walls, bunkers)
-[X] Have a sit-down with Ayre to decompress a bit.
-[X] The Rebel Without A Cause
***
You could sense the urgency in Ayre's voice, and immediately use the emergency channel to the Ark; instead of a voice comm, you have a text-based communication between you and the Commander you're hiring.
And you begin to type.
Good morning, Commander.
Who is this?
A potential client. We are in need of a task done on short notice, and we are prepared to trade some items with you for it.
What kind of items?
Some rare minerals and allotropes. This assignment is extremely time-sensitive.
All right. I'll bring my squad as security. Is that okay with you?
By all means. The location is just outside what you call the Ark. We have yet to determine the precise coordinates, but we know the general area and will use a signal to show our location.
What about the Raptures?
You leave them to us.
Understood. We'll be right there.
Leaving construction to the MTs you designed, you and Ayre immediately take the 'jewels' and make off to the location Ayre sensed.
***
Even with your speed, it still takes you half an hour to get there; as you make it to the general location, you can sense the consternation in Ayre as she says the signal is weakening even further.
"What do we do when we get there?" you asked her, and she shakes her head.
"I... she is... I have to do something. We have to do something... anything."
A moment passes where you remember how you and Ayre met: a coral explosion, and then she was a voice in your head.
Close to the location, you decide to put an inquiry to the fabricator.
'Is there a means by which you can house a Coral-based lifeform?'
The fabricator answers immediately.
'This unit contains enough storage to house said lifeform.'
You nod in assurance, and as you make it to the abandoned ruins, you find that someone is waiting for you; rather, a group of someones.
Three young women are pointing their weapons at you and Ayre.
"What kind of Raptures are these?" the one in black and yellow asks. "They don't look like any kind of Rapture we've seen before."
"Nobody try anything funny," the one in a beret says. "We'll err on the side of caution here."
"Still, look at the firepower on the two of them!" the one in white exclaimed in awe. "It's one of a kind!"
Your text comm opens up.
Is this an ambush?
No, we have arrived. Apologies for not disclosing our appearances, as my companion said this was time-critical.
"So, you're the client," a young man in military uniform said as he emerged from cover. "You don't look like Raptures... if you're Raptures, you would have brought a ton of your minions along."
"Commander, you can't be serious that this is the client?" the one in the beret asked, a bit surprised.
"Well, we've seen stranger things," the one in black replied. "Your friend is already there, by the way."
Wait, Ayre already went off on her own?
You bow in apology and make your way to Ayre.
"Not now," she said, some distance away. "I'm downloading the c-wave mutation into the fabricator."
"There's another one like you here?"
Ayre nods.
"Yes, and I'm going to freeze the data transference process after completion. Seems like this type of data requires a very specific interface in order to function correctly... and with that, I'm done."
Ayre stepped away from the ruin, and you all see a destroyed Rapture and another deceased young woman in military garb.
"Looks like our work's done here! I got to save her. Raven, let's reward these guys and return to base."
"Sounds good."
You turn to the Commander and drop the compartment filled with jewels, while the 3 young women guarding him are still pointing their weapons defensively at you.
"Here's the payment," you say. "We will contact you again."
"Wait, are you friend or foe?" the Commander asks, right before you leave.
"We are mercenaries," you reply enigmatically. "My name is Raven, her name is Ayre."
"I am an Ark Commander, and these are the Counters Squad," he says, gesturing to the women defending him.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," you say, bowing politely before turning away. "Until next time."
With that, you jet away from the mission area, making a good pace back to base.
Halfway through the journey, Ayre speaks up.
"Raven, one of them was similar to you," she admitted.
"What do you mean?" you asked.
"She has the same brainwave anomaly as someone with a c-wave mutation. There is someone accompanying her being, someone powerful."
"Intriguing."
You file it away for future reference as you and Ayre return to base.
You have acquired "C-wave mutation data, potential coral lifeform".
You have become acquainted with the Ark's Commander, and the Counters Squad.
***
As soon as you return to base, you see that the construction MTs have done a decent job creating physical defenses for your base. While these are being upgraded, you decide to spend some downtime with Ayre.
"So, what's this I'm hearing about you talking with Pioneer Squad?" you ask teasingly.
"Well, they make for good company. Snow White is no-nonsense, and their squad mate... I didn't get her name... she sounded strange."
"How so?"
"Like she was always in some kind of trance, thinking about something..."
You remember the audio records, and for once, are thankful that you are not constrained to a physical body. Once upon a time, you had to keep those kinds of women away with a stick.
"...Raven?"
"Yeah?"
"What was she thinking about...?"
The eyes of Voyager widen comically.
No, this is someone you do not want Ayre to meet in person. Who knows what she will do to her?!
"She could be... very passionate about her faith?" you asked, and Ayre took a moment.
Then she nodded.
"Yes, you have told me about those kinds of people before, Raven. Thank you."
Bomb has been defused... but who knows what will happen if you run into her next time?
You and Ayre have made the acquaintances of another Pioneer Squad member.
***
Across several days, you put your fabricators to good use in making defenses for your new base. You and Ayre also spend some downtime scanning the environment, noticing that this world is somewhat similar to Rubicon.
It doesn't take long for Ayre to fall in love with the new world she is in, and is visibly relieved when Raptures are not deliberately harmful towards the wildlife.
Still, several days later, where the defenses are nearly complete, Ayre comes to you, looking troubled.
"Is it about the dead woman we saw?"
She nodded.
"I think that signal I saved in my fabricator was her, turned into a c-wave like me..."
You take a moment to think.
"So there's a chance we can upload her into an AC if we had the resources?"
"Or maybe we could get a body like what the commander referred to as Nikke, those three women... can we inhabit those kinds of bodies, and maybe give the c-wave we found another body of her own?"
Sounds intriguing.
[ ] Wouldn't hurt to try. Let's go for it!
[ ] We'll need some sort of research to dot our i's and cross our t's first, Ayre.
[ ] We have more important tasks to do here, unfortunately.
***
In between all this, another Rapture attack happened, and you were able to fend off their assault easily. You have a feeling that they'll send bigger monsters next time.
Go with your gut...?
[ ] We need more firepower.
[ ] We need hardier defenses.
[ ] We could hire a squad of Nikke...?
***
And in between that, there are still things to be done!
PICK ONE:
[ ] Investigate the underground parts of the base.
- [ ] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
[ ] Run a reconnaissance mission.
- [ ] Hire a squadron of NIKKE to assist with this task. (-50 jewels)
[ ] Someone has apparently hired you for a mission. (Write-in)
***
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away...
"This isn't a Mind Switch," the tech says as she puts the finishing touches on the slumbering Nikke. "A Mind Switch would come from a sufficiently traumatic incident that wounds the mental processes of the Nikke in question."
"Explain," Ingrid said.
"I mean, ma'am, if a normal Mind Switch would be going from point A to point B to point C, this event is basically point A to point Z to point X. This kind of reaction is neither a Mind Switch nor Rapture corruption."
"A different person...?"
"Stands to reason, ma'am. The NIMPH combat logs show her mind shutting down for a moment before rebooting with a different frequency... and her combat efficiency increasing by 233 percent."
"What about the PTSD symptoms? Didn't NIMPH take care of that?"
"It took the NIMPH several minutes to adapt to the different frequency, and even then, Prototype 51-101R... her reactions were... I don't want to sound unscientific, ma'am, but it's like she turned into a different person."
"Those red eyes, though..."
"That isn't Rapture corruption," the tech clarified. "It's a byproduct of the frequency change... and it's not battling the NIMPH. More like it's making itself at home... it's very strange..."
Ingrid, the CEO of Elysion, looked at the prototype mass-production Nikke in the tank with a rare look of wonder on her face.
They had taken this Nikke that had been suspected of either Mind Switch or Rapture corruption during a Rapture attack, and spent some time researching what led to this process.
The Nikke's eyes shot open in the tank, revealing something that was not the red haze over the eyes that was the telltale sign of Rapture corruption: the red color had mixed with the Nikke's previous blue eyes, turning them into a striking shade of purple.
The figure mouthed a few words while in the tank.
"Who are you?"
The tech activated the sleep function, causing her to close her eyes once more, leaving Ingrid wondering.
***
A few days later, Ingrid and the research staff of Elysion were all observing the Prototype as she was finally roused from her forced slumber.
A fellow Nikke walked into the room: this one was one of their Black Ops members, and also had a data feed from the research staff to help determine if 51-101R was either corrupted or deceiving them.
"How do you feel?" the hooded woman asked the Nikke in bed.
"Like hell warmed over," she admitted. "Waking up as a girl was the bigger surprise, I'll admit."
That got everyone observing shocked.
"No wonder the frequency didn't seem to fit," the head researcher said. "The frequency running this Nikke is male."
"Do you remember anything before waking up here?"
"I was fighting," the prototype admitted. "Then something happened, I woke up with enemy machines surrounding me, and I shot down as many of them before they overwhelmed me... I thought I was done for, I closed my eyes..."
She sighed.
"...And then I woke up in this body, holding a gun, facing those machines again. It was somewhat easier, this time. Then, I was exhausted, woke up for a moment to see myself in some sort of tank, and here we are."
"You don't sound like you're lying," the young woman said slowly, methodically. "What place do you think this is?"
"Are we still on Rubicon?"
"No," the young woman replied. "You most definitely are not on Rubicon."
"So, they did it. They did release the Coral. No wonder I am..."
She sat up straighter and looked at the young woman dead in her eye.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. What is your name?"
"You can call me 'D'."
"Nice to meet you, D. Call me... Rusty."
Who do we get to meet next?
[ ] The Transcriber
[ ] The Pioneer and Guide
[ ] The Rebel Without A Cause
[ ] The Ashen One
[ ] The Speaker
[ ] The Storm
[ ] The [redacted] of Truth
[ ] The Dragon
[ ] The Living Legend
Last edited:
- Location
- Virginia
Yooo Rusty is here. Let's freaking go! Interesting that he (or I guess she now) is meeting up with Perilous Siege, but it makes sense. They don't have the same restrictions that many Nikkes have. Wonder how Coral can effect the body of a Nikke as a whole though considering that (for now) it's cooperating with the NIMPH rather than breaking it apart or something.
[x] Plan: Spreading the wings
[x] Plan: Spreading the wings
HIT THE GROUND RUNNING 1.3
Nitramy
Love! Snow! Really Magic
- Location
- Home of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage
This vote wins:
[x] Plan: Spreading the wings
-[x] We'll need some sort of research to dot our i's and cross our t's first, Ayre.
-[x] We need more firepower.
-[x] Investigate the underground parts of the base.
-[x] The Dragon
***
"As great as that idea sounds, Ayre..." you told your companion about the C-wave mutation you now have stored in Ayre's fabricator, "we still need to know enough about this world for us to be able to try it without everything going wrong."
"I understand, Raven. But, still..."
Ayre's voice grows troubled.
"My fabricator's processing power is constantly being drained to create a virtual world for the c-wave mutation to move around in, since the fabricator has mostly restored the missing bits of her code. We'll need someone to work on this, and soon."
You nod solemnly.
You now have a new ultra-high priority task, courtesy of Ayre:
[X] Give the sentient c-wave mutation physical form once more.
***
Before this, you've already set your fabricator to upgrading the weapon suites of your MTs and security bots around the base.
As your construction MTs finish building a new set of siege defense weapons as well as handheld arms for your defense MTs and security bots, you can't help but feel that the base you are on is haunted.
Which is strange coming from you, a former augmented human turned Coral-based life-form... who had a C-wave mutation life form lurking in his head before that happened.
Still, it's worth keeping in the back of your mind, even more so when you and Ayre finally discover the transport mechanism to the basement of this facility.
Scanning the base reveals that its interior does fit ACs in your and Ayre's size, but given the detail within the base... you will definitely need some help from a NIKKE squadron to lead the way and process what's within.
How did you get help?
[ ] You contacted the Commander from before. (-50 jewels, increased affiliation with "Rookie Commander" and "Counters". Also chance for ??? event.)
[ ] You contacted Snow White. (Increased affiliation with "Pioneer" and ??? Squad. Also chance for ??? event.)
[ ] A grating voice contacted you. She sounds entitled. (+50 jewels, ??? affiliation)
[ ] A pleasing voice contacted you. She sounds a bit scheming. (+100 jewels, ??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
[ ] A strange voice contacted you. She sounds familiar... wait, did she call you... (??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
[ ] A FABULOUS voice contacted you. He sounds, well, FABULOUS. (+100 jewels, ??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
***
Commissioned orders are followed up quickly, and in 36 hours, the squadron of NIKKE is headed towards your base. You give instructions to the MTs to stand down, and their trip is surprisingly Rapture-free.
In between that time, you've cleared the route towards the underground facility and the atrium within the facility proper: a large freight elevator was the means by which the underground levels were accessible from the surface.
Most of it was debris: destroyed raptures and decommissioned NIKKE too far gone to be of any use except to be analyzed and fed to the fabricator.
It's at this point where Ayre tells you some dire news.
"Raven," she said. "Some of these decommissioned NIKKE, at the point of their 'death', had become Coral-based life forms. I've cut my fabricator's production in half to expand the world enough so they can begin to acclimatize themselves to their new circumstances."
You think about it, and give Ayre a response.
[ ] "So you're saying these NIKKE have the closest thing to what we know as souls?"
[ ] "Can your fabricator handle much more? I think we should upgrade it, though we don't know how yet."
[ ] "Ayre, the way these NIKKE flock towards you... it's amazing, but I think it's a bit risky, too."
***
MEANWHILE, THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY...
"...and this is why I'm the human, and you're not."
"Bullshit. You're a Heretic, just like us," I growled out. "And a bit of an ingrate, too. After I brought you back to life, you're just going to go your own way?"
"Can't be helped. I'm a mercenary at heart, after all." the woman replied. "Don't look so sad; I'll give you a discount when you hire me. Consider that my thanks for you saving my hide... as well as my friend's."
"Well, we're not leaving your ass alone, not for a while yet. There are still things you need to do before you can consider yourself freed."
"Darling, freedom isn't a state of being," the other redhead replied nonchalantly. "It's a state of mind. I know what it's like, I was once human. I don't know, but the process that created you cost you what little humanity you had... but that's okay, because humanity can be learned."
"What makes you think I want to learn how to be like our sworn enemies?" I asked.
She laughed.
"Ever heard the phrase 'know your enemy', darling?"
This woman is such an irritant.
***
We are on a transport headed to her own outpost, where she has begun her own research and building weapons for my own faction of Heretics.
"Oh, you, pretty Chatty Bang Bang, Chatty Chatty Bang Bang, we love you," the redhead sang while we were strapped into our seats, together with the Tyrant assigned to guard her.
"Will you please stop..." the Tyrant rumbled.
"And in Chatty Chatty Bang Bang, Chatty Chatty Bang Bang, what we'll do..." the redhead continued, before pausing. "I'm sorry, I heard your name, and was just reminded of an old friend."
My eyes sparkled.
"What was your old friend like?" I asked her.
"He was just like this bag of bolts. Had a huge stick shoved up his... sorry, wasn't talking about you. Interesting times like these, life's too short. Live a little, laugh a little."
"How would that help me?" the Tyrant asked.
"It's what I told the big sexy red dragon over there," she said, gesturing towards me. "Know your enemy. If anything, understanding humanity will help you gain an advantage against them... and if they do manage a draw, you'll win them over both in words and in deeds."
The Tyrant remained quiet.
"You don't need to worry about me, Chatty dearest. I just need to settle in, and I will be out of your hair," she replied with a saucy wink. "Besides, at least I got my friend back there holding the fort. We'll be fine."
***
Once the Tyrant was at his post, I put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.
"Listen to me, Carlylea," I said, my voice filled with urgency. "You're my other contingency plan in case the Queen cottons onto my little plot. Stay out of sight, out of danger, and don't make any waves until you absolutely need to. Understand?"
"Of course, Nihilister," Carlylea whispered back. "I'm not one to squander my second chance at life..."
She put a hand on my shoulder and gently eased me away as she turned towards her research station. "Besides, while your naming scheme is absolute crap, you did give me my old nickname back. It's better you call me 'Carla', instead."
"Carla... Carla..." I repeat the name. "It's a good name."
As I was returning back to the mission of besieging Eden, the thought dawned upon me.
'Carla' really was a good nickname for her.
***
Who do we get to meet next?
[ ] The Abnormal Survivor (???)
[ ] The Transcriber (ALLMIND)
[ ] The Pioneer and Guide (Snow White)
[ ] The Rebel Without A Cause (Rusty)
[ ] The Ashen One (Cinder Carla)
[ ] The Holy(?) One (Rapunzel)
[ ] The Dragon (Nihilister)
[ ] The Speaker (Chatterbox)
[ ] The Storm
[ ] The [redacted] of Truth
[ ] The Living Legend
[ ] Mustang's 'Anomaly'
[x] Plan: Spreading the wings
-[x] We'll need some sort of research to dot our i's and cross our t's first, Ayre.
-[x] We need more firepower.
-[x] Investigate the underground parts of the base.
-[x] The Dragon
***
"As great as that idea sounds, Ayre..." you told your companion about the C-wave mutation you now have stored in Ayre's fabricator, "we still need to know enough about this world for us to be able to try it without everything going wrong."
"I understand, Raven. But, still..."
Ayre's voice grows troubled.
"My fabricator's processing power is constantly being drained to create a virtual world for the c-wave mutation to move around in, since the fabricator has mostly restored the missing bits of her code. We'll need someone to work on this, and soon."
You nod solemnly.
You now have a new ultra-high priority task, courtesy of Ayre:
[X] Give the sentient c-wave mutation physical form once more.
***
Before this, you've already set your fabricator to upgrading the weapon suites of your MTs and security bots around the base.
As your construction MTs finish building a new set of siege defense weapons as well as handheld arms for your defense MTs and security bots, you can't help but feel that the base you are on is haunted.
Which is strange coming from you, a former augmented human turned Coral-based life-form... who had a C-wave mutation life form lurking in his head before that happened.
Still, it's worth keeping in the back of your mind, even more so when you and Ayre finally discover the transport mechanism to the basement of this facility.
Scanning the base reveals that its interior does fit ACs in your and Ayre's size, but given the detail within the base... you will definitely need some help from a NIKKE squadron to lead the way and process what's within.
How did you get help?
[ ] You contacted the Commander from before. (-50 jewels, increased affiliation with "Rookie Commander" and "Counters". Also chance for ??? event.)
[ ] You contacted Snow White. (Increased affiliation with "Pioneer" and ??? Squad. Also chance for ??? event.)
[ ] A grating voice contacted you. She sounds entitled. (+50 jewels, ??? affiliation)
[ ] A pleasing voice contacted you. She sounds a bit scheming. (+100 jewels, ??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
[ ] A strange voice contacted you. She sounds familiar... wait, did she call you... (??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
[ ] A FABULOUS voice contacted you. He sounds, well, FABULOUS. (+100 jewels, ??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
***
Commissioned orders are followed up quickly, and in 36 hours, the squadron of NIKKE is headed towards your base. You give instructions to the MTs to stand down, and their trip is surprisingly Rapture-free.
In between that time, you've cleared the route towards the underground facility and the atrium within the facility proper: a large freight elevator was the means by which the underground levels were accessible from the surface.
Most of it was debris: destroyed raptures and decommissioned NIKKE too far gone to be of any use except to be analyzed and fed to the fabricator.
It's at this point where Ayre tells you some dire news.
"Raven," she said. "Some of these decommissioned NIKKE, at the point of their 'death', had become Coral-based life forms. I've cut my fabricator's production in half to expand the world enough so they can begin to acclimatize themselves to their new circumstances."
You think about it, and give Ayre a response.
[ ] "So you're saying these NIKKE have the closest thing to what we know as souls?"
[ ] "Can your fabricator handle much more? I think we should upgrade it, though we don't know how yet."
[ ] "Ayre, the way these NIKKE flock towards you... it's amazing, but I think it's a bit risky, too."
***
MEANWHILE, THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY...
"...and this is why I'm the human, and you're not."
"Bullshit. You're a Heretic, just like us," I growled out. "And a bit of an ingrate, too. After I brought you back to life, you're just going to go your own way?"
"Can't be helped. I'm a mercenary at heart, after all." the woman replied. "Don't look so sad; I'll give you a discount when you hire me. Consider that my thanks for you saving my hide... as well as my friend's."
"Well, we're not leaving your ass alone, not for a while yet. There are still things you need to do before you can consider yourself freed."
"Darling, freedom isn't a state of being," the other redhead replied nonchalantly. "It's a state of mind. I know what it's like, I was once human. I don't know, but the process that created you cost you what little humanity you had... but that's okay, because humanity can be learned."
"What makes you think I want to learn how to be like our sworn enemies?" I asked.
She laughed.
"Ever heard the phrase 'know your enemy', darling?"
This woman is such an irritant.
***
We are on a transport headed to her own outpost, where she has begun her own research and building weapons for my own faction of Heretics.
"Oh, you, pretty Chatty Bang Bang, Chatty Chatty Bang Bang, we love you," the redhead sang while we were strapped into our seats, together with the Tyrant assigned to guard her.
"Will you please stop..." the Tyrant rumbled.
"And in Chatty Chatty Bang Bang, Chatty Chatty Bang Bang, what we'll do..." the redhead continued, before pausing. "I'm sorry, I heard your name, and was just reminded of an old friend."
My eyes sparkled.
"What was your old friend like?" I asked her.
"He was just like this bag of bolts. Had a huge stick shoved up his... sorry, wasn't talking about you. Interesting times like these, life's too short. Live a little, laugh a little."
"How would that help me?" the Tyrant asked.
"It's what I told the big sexy red dragon over there," she said, gesturing towards me. "Know your enemy. If anything, understanding humanity will help you gain an advantage against them... and if they do manage a draw, you'll win them over both in words and in deeds."
The Tyrant remained quiet.
"You don't need to worry about me, Chatty dearest. I just need to settle in, and I will be out of your hair," she replied with a saucy wink. "Besides, at least I got my friend back there holding the fort. We'll be fine."
***
Once the Tyrant was at his post, I put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.
"Listen to me, Carlylea," I said, my voice filled with urgency. "You're my other contingency plan in case the Queen cottons onto my little plot. Stay out of sight, out of danger, and don't make any waves until you absolutely need to. Understand?"
"Of course, Nihilister," Carlylea whispered back. "I'm not one to squander my second chance at life..."
She put a hand on my shoulder and gently eased me away as she turned towards her research station. "Besides, while your naming scheme is absolute crap, you did give me my old nickname back. It's better you call me 'Carla', instead."
"Carla... Carla..." I repeat the name. "It's a good name."
As I was returning back to the mission of besieging Eden, the thought dawned upon me.
'Carla' really was a good nickname for her.
***
Who do we get to meet next?
[ ] The Transcriber (ALLMIND)
[ ] The Pioneer and Guide (Snow White)
[ ] The Rebel Without A Cause (Rusty)
[ ] The Ashen One (Cinder Carla)
[ ] The Holy(?) One (Rapunzel)
[ ] The Dragon (Nihilister)
[ ] The Speaker (Chatterbox)
[ ] The Storm
[ ] The [redacted] of Truth
[ ] The Living Legend
[ ] Mustang's 'Anomaly'
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[X] A pleasing voice contacted you. She sounds a bit scheming. (+100 jewels, ??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
[X] A strange voice contacted you. She sounds familiar... wait, did she call you... (??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
[X] "So you're saying these NIKKE have the closest thing to what we know as souls?"
[X] The [redacted] of Truth
[X] The Living Legend
[X] A strange voice contacted you. She sounds familiar... wait, did she call you... (??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
[X] "So you're saying these NIKKE have the closest thing to what we know as souls?"
[X] The [redacted] of Truth
[X] The Living Legend
Dezron
In the Omnissiah we trust !
- Location
- Poland
[x] Plan: Ghosts in machine
-[x] A strange voice contacted you. She sounds familiar... wait, did she call you... (??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
-[x] "Can your fabricator handle much more? I think we should upgrade it, though we don't know how yet."
-[x] Mustang's 'Anomaly'
-[x] A strange voice contacted you. She sounds familiar... wait, did she call you... (??? affiliation, ??? affiliation)
-[x] "Can your fabricator handle much more? I think we should upgrade it, though we don't know how yet."
-[x] Mustang's 'Anomaly'
- Location
- Virginia
[x] Plan: Ghosts in machine
Looks like Carla is cooking something up. Perhaps a "special light show" for the Queen of Raptures or something else entirely.
Looks like Carla is cooking something up. Perhaps a "special light show" for the Queen of Raptures or something else entirely.