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Crossin this here Jordan: A Coalition Soldier Quest

Voting is open
Reader mode
[X] Plan More Electricity
-[X][Free] Academics(Mathematics)
-[X][Free] Academics(Physics)
-[X][Free] Academics(Chemistry)
-[X][Free] Academics(Advanced Electrical Theory)
-[X][Free] Physical Training
-[X][Free] Psychic Training(Geokinesis)
-[X][Free] Psychic Training(Electrokinesis)
-[X][Personal] Socializing
-[X][Personal] Socializing #2
-[X][Personal] Visiting Family for the Holidays
 
[X] Plan Storm Forecast
-[X][Free] Academics (Mathematics)
-[X][Free] Academics (Physics)
-[X][Free] Academics (Electrical Engineering)
-[X][Free] Physical Training
-[X][Free] Physical Training
-[X][Free] Psychic Training (Aerokinesis)
-[X][Free] Psychic Training (Total Recall)
-[X][Personal] Socializing
-[X][Personal] Socializing #2
-[X][Personal] Visiting Family for the Holidays

I'm reluctant to proliferate the plans, but I think we need more Physical Training and don't think Ectoplasm or more Electrokinesis is the best investment we could make. I'd like to pick up all the elements eventually, but I think Aerokinesis is best to have earlier since it synergizes very well with Electrokinesis. Wonder if we should invest in Total Recall for better academics?

EDIT: After some more thought, I decided that Total Recall now could let us pick up more Academics later.
 
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DeepWaters said:
I'm reluctant to proliferate the plans, but I think we need more Physical Training and don't think Ectoplasm or more Electrokinesis is the best investment we could make. I'd like to pick up all the elements eventually, but I think Aerokinesis is best to have earlier since it synergizes very well with Electrokinesis. Wonder if we should invest in Total Recall for better academics?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Plan proliferation is what I live for! Total Recall will also be very useful for minimal investment.

Edit: Oh yeah, also edited the education vote to actually list skill examples
 
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[X] Plan More Electricity
-[X][Free] Academics(Mathematics)
-[X][Free] Academics(Physics)
-[X][Free] Academics(Chemistry)
-[X][Free] Academics(Advanced Electrical Theory)
-[X][Free] Physical Training
-[X][Free] Psychic Training(Geokinesis)
-[X][Free] Psychic Training(Electrokinesis)
-[X][Personal] Socializing
-[X][Personal] Socializing #2
-[X][Personal] Visiting Family for the Holidays
 
[X] Plan More Electricity

More zap for zappy girl!
 
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Interlude 1: ???
  • Sidestory
    • Interlude: ???

    Things were not as they should be. Too many variables, changed. Time arranged differently. How could this have happened? Coordination with other entities, flawless execution of plan, yet the result was not what was foreseen. All available evidence determined that this was, indeed, the correct dimension. Where had these newcomers come from? Meddlers in the game? Some of them claimed lineage and seniority. Unacceptable.

    Things were not as they were. The predominant species here were like that ever so meddlesome race of creatures, the dragons, climbing higher and higher than they had any right to. Is that what would happen? Unknown. Were they the ones who made the changes? No. How could that be? What was responsible? Unknown. An alien feeling arose, which many lower beings would liken to frustration.

    A loophole still exists. Not all options closed. Connections must be forged anew, agents contacted. Plan, altered. This dimension may have averted the traditional, well-regarded "end of all things" plots that had spent millennia cooking, but perhaps through unorthodox means, some amusement may yet be derived.

    The plan goes forward.

    February 8, P.A. 95 (2193), Chi-Town Times

    THE COALITION MARCHES NORTH! FOR TOO LONG, THE RIFTS OF DETROIT-WINDSOR AND CHICAGO HAVE BEEN LEFT UNCONTAINED. FOR YEARS, OUR GREAT NATION HAS HEROICALLY HELD THE LINE AGAINST ALL MANNER OF DIMENSIONAL INVADERS, THE OLD WORLD CITY OF ST LOUIS AND THE GREAT MISSISSPPI WARDED AGAINST BY YOUR NATION'S FINEST. ACCORDING TO THE ACCLAIMED ARMY GENERAL PROSEK, THIS MOVE HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.

    "Imagine that Earth is a dam, and these Epicenters are places where the dam has taken structural damage. In order to truly repair our world, we must first plug the supply of water, so that our work will not be undone. Of the 11 major land-based epicenters, 10 of them are located in North America. Two of them are currently contained in the St Louis Exclusion Zone. It isn't as simple as going in, shooting everything, and walking out. A permanent garrison must be maintained, like that over the Mississippi River Network. And that's what we're going to do."

    THIS MOVE HAS BEEN HEAVILY CRITICIZED BY MANY OFFICIALS, PARTICULARLY THE AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF, GENERAL REED, WELL KNOWN FOR HIS INSISTENCE THAT THE COALITION RE-INITIATE CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE DESPICABLE FEDERATION OF MAGIC. THE PREVAILING VIEW, HOWEVER, IS THAT TOO MANY FORCES ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED AGAINST THE VAMPIRES OCCUPYING MEXICO FOR A RELIABLE SUCCESS. WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?

    MORE ON PAGE 8

    AN: I was rolling up a 10 year plan with various diplomacy rolls, foreign interactions, random events, and general policy decisions for the Coalition States and all other actors on the American continent, the product of a few nights thinking and planning. Those plans became irrelevant after Year 3 due to a fantastical series of critical rolls that could only be explained, for those of you vaguely familiar with the Rifts Timeline, as the spirit of Palladium Rifts itself wanting to correct the timeline a bit. For those that care, the Coalition WAS going to focus on containing the Rifts, developing infrastructure, and pushing the Sabbat past the Rio Grande and into Northern Mexico. This will be rough.

    Additionally, I'll tally up votes and get the next section going in about 7 hours.
     
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  • Sidestory
    • Interlude 2: Daniel Dorote
  • Sidestory

    • Interlude: August 20th, P.A. 95 Daniel Dorote (Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 194th Infantry Division, VI Corps, 3rd Army, 1st Army Group, San Antonio, Texas)

    Daniel wasn't a particularly noteworthy man. Tougher than most, sure. Taller, too. Could dig his heels in with the best of them, literally and metaphorically. But under all that, he was sharper than most gave him credit for. Nothing like his daughter, but she was in a league of her own, no shame in that. He was just a normal man. No one special. And he was going to die any day now, like most of the other Firemen had. Another jet dove through the clouds, unleashing it's by now familiar payload, six, 500-pound napalm bombs, laser guided to their destinations, namely, the hardpoints of the city of San Antonio, which of course, had already been shelled for the better part of a week by mortar and howitzer fire, not all of it from his side. This chaos and death. Flames everywhere. Rushing forms setting buildings alight, their enemies shooting back at them. Fellow men, like them, but mercenaries. How anyone could fight for the Vampires, monstrous as they were, he had no idea.

    But yeah, don't think about the fighting. Heart pounding hard in his chest, body encased within the CA-2 Heavy Infantry Armor, Fireman Variant, he waved back at the other Fireman to move up. The environmentally sealed heat resistant mesh and hardened alloy plating kept him protected from bullets and flames alike, as his own flamethrower made the hell so clearly reflected in this place just a little bit more intimately reflected upon his enemies. He wasn't going to make it out of this, he knew that. He'd promised Elana to not take any chances. To make it home safe after his time in Active Duty was done. All men who were fit for combat were trained in the Reserves, and the rest were registered in the draft, only a matter of time before his second call came up. Elana volunteered to be with him, the fool woman, somewhere in one of the logistics battalions much further away. It was here, having almost died in training twice from accidents, then more times than he could count in the first damn week of deployment, that he regretted lying to her.

    A heavy thumping on his right shoulder brought him back into the present. "KEEP MOVING, PRIVATE, DON'T STOP MOVING," a soldier shouted at him. The same Fireman, he realized, a natural one, no equipment on him, just radiating flames all about him. Reluctantly, he brought himself back into the present, shock induced reflection retreating for the moment. He followed the Fireman into the city, the armor hindering his vision. The fires everywhere were fucking up his thermal sights as well, so he swapped back to infrared, grateful for the UV lamps that deterred the worst of the monsters, at least for a while.

    Oh, there were monsters, they'd all seen them. Reanimated dead, for one, often wearing their own Coalition Infantry Armor, a pain to put down given their shown proclivity to not stay dead, but hardly the worst. The human soldiers and conscripts, those were mostly garbage fodder as well, only the mercs and sorcerers giving them any real trouble. The demons and monsters, though, those were perhaps the worst, with the Vampires themselves coming a close second. The Shifters would bring what seemed like a new type of creature every day, and they'd lose men every time until Military Intelligence and "Field Reports" put together what that new fiend's weaknesses were, assuming the reports weren't botched anyway, bought at the cost of whatever unfortunate soul had the misfortune to meet some new devilry. Thousands of monsters every day, bringing the bloodsuckers the raw shock and sustained combat ability their conscripts lacked, especially with the sorcerers.

    Speaking of, there goes one now, laughing about some doom or other. The Firemen brought the sorcerer down quickly, containing it in a telekinetic field and incinerating it until nothing but ashes marked the ground. He'd spit on it if he could, but needs must. Stay focused, Danny boy. See if we can't put off that end a little longer. Their advance continued almost until nightfall before they withdrew back to the fortified areas the engineers built within the city, the UV lights and open fires keeping them safer than anything else would. The nights were the worst...

    6 months later, near crippled from his latest close call with a goddamned bloodsucker, it turned out he'd be making it home after all, even a little earlier than expected. Not even in a body bag. Waiting for the cybernetic replacements for the majority of his body, he knew what was going on the moment Chaplain Curtis and Staff Sergeant Hind walked in, bedecked in full service uniform. "Private 1st Class Daniel T. Dorote," the Chaplain began, "the Secretary of the Army has asked me to express…"

    Vote:
    [] – I'm not going back home after this. I can't bear it. Better to die on the front. [Extremely high risk of death, almost guaranteed to be awarded high honors posthumously at a minimum.]
    [] – As much as it hurts, I was spared for a reason. My little girl needs at least one of her parents. [Try to fix relationship with Abigail, live for Elana.]
    [] – They didn't find the body. I have to find Elana, she never should have been near the front. [Go AWOL and find Elana.]
    [] – Write-in:

    Interlude: Texas Tribunal, October 30, 95 P.A.

    THE VAMPIRE MENACE HAS BEEN HALTED IN IT'S ADVANCE, THE GREAT CITY OF SAN ANGELO RECLAIMED. AFTER THE LOSS OF THE ENTIRE II ARMY CORPS FOLLOWING A BLITZ INTO CENTRAL TEXAS, THE 1ST ARMY GROUP IN TURN HAS ISOLATED AND DESTROYED THE MAIN THRUST OF THE OPPOSITION, AND IS READY TO PURSUE THEM BACK INTO MEXICO. A VINDICATED GENERAL OF THE ARMY PROSEK, AFTER REPLACING HIS FAILED COUNTERPART ON THE FRONT, STATED, "As the dark always gives way to light, so too must the Vampire give way before our righteous cause, no matter what progress they make. The sacrifices that our soldiers make must be honored, and our future secured. We will no rest until, by whole stem and foul root, the misbegotten wretches of the night are purged from wherever they parasitically implant themselves."

    ADDITIONALLY, COALITION FORCES HAVE MADE SLOW BUT STEADY PROGRESS CONTAINING THE RIFTS IN CHIGAGO AND DETROIT-WINDSOR, WITH GENERAL SCOTT REPORTING THAT THE 12TH ARMY SHOULD BE FINISHED BY THE SECOND QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR. ALL OVER, ENEMIES OF THE COALITION FALL. MORE ON PAGE 3

    The rolls were absolutely ridiculous this year. There should be less than a 1 percent chance for EITHER of the absolute highest and lowest results COMBINED, and there were 5 of those this time, mostly related to the wars. Coalition is getting bloodied, having to call in reserves early. ABSOLUTE WORST POSSIBLE RESULT on spending the holidays with the family. The dad got drafted, and succeeded on every single survival roll by within 2 points, and 3 of them were exact matches. Got some commendations and medals for meritorious service though. Secret badass? Rest of the events should be up soon.
     
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  • Sidestory
    • [X] – As much as it hurts, I was spared for a reason. My little girl needs at least one of her parents. [Try to fix relationship with Abigail, live for Elana.]
     
    [X] – They didn't find the body. I have to find Elana, she never should have been near the front. [Go AWOL and find Elana.]

    Find her!
     
    [X] – They didn't find the body. I have to find Elana, she never should have been near the front. [Go AWOL and find Elana.]

    Tbh, I just think this would make for a more interesting "backstory" for Abby. It's a great plot hook for her to want to find out what happened to her parents.
     
    [X] – As much as it hurts, I was spared for a reason. My little girl needs at least one of her parents. [Try to fix relationship with Abigail, live for Elana.]
     
    [X] – They didn't find the body. I have to find Elana, she never should have been near the front. [Go AWOL and find Elana.]
     
    [X] – As much as it hurts, I was spared for a reason. My little girl needs at least one of her parents. [Try to fix relationship with Abigail, live for Elana.]
     
    [X] – As much as it hurts, I was spared for a reason. My little girl needs at least one of her parents. [Try to fix relationship with Abigail, live for Elana.]
     
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    Prologue Turn 1: Results and Turn 2 Vote
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Plan More Electricity
    -[X][Free] Academics(Mathematics)
    -[X][Free] Academics(Physics)
    -[X][Free] Academics(Chemistry)
    -[X][Free] Academics(Advanced Electrical Theory)
    -[X][Free] Physical Training
    -[X][Free] Psychic Training(Geokinesis)
    -[X][Free] Psychic Training(Electrokinesis)
    -[X][Personal] Socializing
    -[X][Personal] Socializing #2
    -[X][Personal] Visiting Family for the Holidays

    [X] – As much as it hurts, I was spared for a reason. My little girl needs at least one of her parents. [Try to fix relationship with Abigail, live for Elana.]

    Here in the Heartland at last, Bastion of North America, or so it was named by others. From Illinois to Arkansas, ranging the powerful Mississippi, it was here that the United States of America made an impossible choice; to cut their losses and run. The entire Eastern Seaboard abandoned to the riots, to the chaos, to the monsters in the dark, and to the darkness of men. The South in shambles, in the wake of dimensional anomalies and more of the same. The West shrouded in the ashes of Yellowstone, Long Valley and Valles. It was here, the Heart of the Nation, that a final desperate stand was made, which, against all odds, succeeded, as the Rifts of St. Louis were contained, the Mississippi brought under control, and the riots, brought to heel. A decision that was neither forgotten nor forgiven by those who were left behind. Perhaps it shouldn't be.

    What does Abigail think about the Coming of the Rifts, and the actions taken in that time? (All votes considered)
    [] Write in

    If the Heartland was a great bastion, then Chi-Town was the citadel, the crown jewel of it all, a powerful metropolis forged from the early struggles. Populated by refugees from all around the country, it was the people of Chicago, and to a lesser extent, Detroit, both metropoles consumed by the Rifts, that comprised the majority of the city. At first an unofficial nickname for a bastard city, Chi-Town came to represent in many peoples' hearts and minds the grim future of humanity; holed up in the dark, afraid of the outside world, and for good reason. Built from the ground up firstly as a massive fortified emergency holding center, more and more personnel, supplies and equipment from various doomed military bases were either brought here or destroyed on site. As years passed, Chi-Town was developed as the first of many theoretical urban arcology projects, walled, partitioned, and nearly self-sufficient, with expansion in all directions. Technologies and techniques that had been known for over a century regarding aquaponics, geothermal energy, fusion technologies, thorium reactors, and dozens of other ideas, formed a glorious technological synthesis, spurred ever onwards by the dual drives of necessity and purpose. Towering skyscrapers filled with habitation and aquaponics units, sophisticated mag-rails and transportation networks all throughout, 3D forges powered by nuclear reactors, the citadel fortified and garrisoned with humanity's finest; Chi-Town IS the future. Self-sufficient. Mighty. Isolated.

    How does Abigail feel about humanity's future? (All votes considered)
    [] Write in

    Illinois was nothing like Kansas. Kansas was a frontier, newly forested, with no great cities like those to be found here. Illinois was an ancient battlefield, littered with the scars of a century of conflict. There were hardly any small settlements, only cities, automated mines, and garrisons. In many ways, Kansas was safer. At home, the biggest threat was other people. No big rifts to alien dimensions. No hostile polities fighting a war. Just lots of people leaving and only sometimes coming back, dying on some distant battlefield. What did she know about the rest of America, let alone the rest of the Coalition? All she had was book knowledge and peoples' stories. The number of people that were alive before the Coming of the Rifts dropped every day. Her friends would tell her that she was getting all contemplative again. But wasn't that a good thing? To think and think and think? She just had this feeling that things weren't going to get better, that this was all a delay of some kind. Like a game. Was she a player? Or was she being played? Was there really a God out there? Would her family really be proud of her, or was she deluding herself? Moving away from home brought everything into perspective. Here she was, around more people than she'd ever seen in her life, let alone other Psychics, the people she thought she could forge a true connection with. Why did she feel so alone?

    How does Abigail deal with being away from home? (All votes considered)
    [] Write in

    The first weeks crept by like a cat stalking a blue jay. The Psi-Academy head, a short, dark-skinned woman, equally proud and considerate of others, introduced Abigail to the various programs and processes that would comprise her education here. Mrs. White described a surprisingly lax system, at least compared to what Abigail was used to. All students took various entry level examinations to judge their talents, then allowed to pursue whatever branches interested them, with many certificates available for those who qualified. A heavy emphasis was of course placed on Psionic development, shocking, but there were few restrictions here. "Everyone must find where they excel, and what motivates them. Do that, and you'll go far, no matter what you end up doing. If you have any questions for me or my staff, please, seek us out. Farewell, child." She didn't seek them out.

    The Psi-Academy was organized like a combination of boarding school and college on a massive scale, with the benefit of a massive budget, subsidized by the Coalition Government. Classes and training were available throughout the year, with a 2 week break every 3 months. The harder a student pushed, the more they could accomplish. Professional trainers and instructors were available for many different fields, with a staggering amount of material for self-study available on the local database. There was just so much information. Could anyone ever learn everything there was to know? No. Specialization was key.

    The first few Psi-Development classes were mostly about safety and responsibility. As people with extraordinary gifts, Psychics must ensure that said gifts were used responsibly, for everyone's benefit. Without trust from the public, they'd all be hunted down and killed, which nobody particularly desired. Archons were Coalition Psychics with a vast array of abilities, always on hand to police the institution, as well as prevent abuse and exploitation either by or of the students. When asked about how they could be trusted to wield such authority, the Archon present stated that they'd all volunteered to an extensive and invasive screening process, and only those who passed were even considered for the position. Abigail didn't feel like this adequately addressed the potential faults in the system, but the thought of drawing the attention of such powerful individuals didn't sit well with her yet. She didn't even have any - well, really cool - extrasensory abilities, yet she could feel the power these "Archons" radiated when they weren't consciously reining themselves in. Almost electric, making her jumpy and tense. Later, she was told that she, too, had the beginnings of such a presence. It was during these developmental classes that Abigail learned about the official Psi-Classification Index, basic Psionic Theory and other matters of note.


    ACADEMIC REVIEW
    "Abigail Dorote, 11, is an exceptional student in all fields she applies herself in, especially in Electrical vocations, to the surprise of no one, and Chemistry, which is indeed a bit of a surprise. Equally surprising is her utter boredom and lack of application in any Mathematics more sophisticated than Algebra. Exceptionally charming and intelligent, the board is certain that she would make an excellent scholar, but alas, she seems rather more drawn to, as she calls it, experimental archaeology and practical science. More plainly, she likes to make things explode, and the more it relates to that goal, the better she performs. Her newfound understanding of high school Physics has only exacerbated this. She is particularly lacking in any social or political understanding, and would benefit greatly from a civics course, amongst others. Overall grades would easily see her accepted in a more traditional academic setting, but whether such an institution would survive her eccentricities is another matter entirely. Channeling her drive in a healthy direction for a young girl will be a crucial matter for our Academy." Professor Henry Crawford, Teaching Team 3 Lead, to Dorote Household, End of the Year Review.

    Abigail Dorote awarded Certificate of Vocational Competence in Electrical Engineering.


    PHYSICAL TRAINING
    "So you're trying to become stronger?" Abigail nodded. "Frame like yours, you could probably put on some decent muscle, but you're too young, kid. Don't want to strain yourself too much. I recommend you just start running, and don't use your abilities if you're trying to improve your fitness." Seemed easy, or at least, so she thought at the time.



    Running sucks. There's no other way to put it. Difficult to multitask while doing it. She'd have to come up with something when she wasn't dying from running a mile. Her time was trash. Everything hurt. Maybe some more tomorrow.

    She didn't run.



    "You've got to come up with a schedule, listen to some music maybe, do something while you run. Get a buddy or two, motivate each other." Perhaps she had been underestimating the human element. Time to conscript some unfortunate souls.

    It turned out to be really simple, barely a challenge at all. She ended up just running alongside a really old man. He mostly just listened to music and didn't do much, but the struggle proved sufficient to keep her engaged. Barely.



    She was getting better at this, having left the old man in the dust a while back. She did learn he listened to some really old music, weird darkwave stuff, or so he claimed. Said it really symbolized the whole dark techno-future schtick humanity had fallen into, though he was partial to that New West aesthetic going on nowadays. Kansas, right? Before her time. Had a whole collection of old music if she cared to listen to it, didn't matter much to him no more. He also said he wasn't that old, only 52, thank you very much. Oops.

    Anyway, she'd formed a pattern now, and she was getting faster, her running speed was only pathetic now instead of complete garbage. And she'd made another friend, a girl named Norma Brown. She was a Burster, liked to make pretty shapes and animate fiery butterflies, and she was fast.



    Now that she wasn't dying while running anymore, Abigail had come up with a system to incorporate Psionic training into her fitness regimen. Extremely precise manipulation of telekinetic fields, electrical currents, and exertion of will power against an invincible steel ball bearing proved to be more than sufficient. Did cut into the run quality though. Ah well.


    PSIONIC TRAINING
    "¡Ay, chica loca! Dude! Entiendo que querías mejorar tus habilidades, pero tienes que parar con este, ¡dios mio!" Abigail's friend/mentor kept complaining. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but alas, she was very busy experimenting with something incredibly awesome – in theory. Most people wouldn't associate something like the Earth with electricity, but those people also probably didn't know much about electromagnetic waves, radio theory, and the like. Admittedly, Abigail also didn't know much about those things. However, what she did know was that specific metals conduct electricity, there were a few types of magnetism generated by different types of rocky bits as well, and that she was going to brute force this problem until she could manipulate metal like she saw on this ancient cartoon. Which is where Sophia came in, one of her fellow students near graduate, aged 15. "Como, remind me again how exactly superheating and blasting copper with freaking lightning is going to help with this again? Porque parece a mi que es for fun, chica."

    "Firstly," she replied, "you aren't wrong." Sophia raised one of her eyebrows from her position behind a hardened polymer shield. "I hypothesized that this would help me feel out the material and build a connection to it. So far, I'm just getting really good at blasting things with electricity, but that's part of science."

    "Blasting things with electricity is science, muy bien. And you're just going to shield us both if something explodes," she continued, still skeptical.

    "That is correct." She'd practiced generating telekinetic force fields for weeks, to be sure. Practiced with an instructor, and he okayed it.

    Sophia looked at her for a long moment. "Now what exactly am I supposed to do?"

    "I am so glad you asked, my friend. You just have to use your precognition to let me know when I am about to do something unfortunate or awesome. Save us some time."

    "This is a terrible plan."


    It wasn't that bad of a plan. It was pretty fun though.


    "Have you considered asking someone else for help, chica," Sophia questioned. "An actual Geokinetic for a start seems pretty good."

    "I asked you, didn't I?" The steel ball bearings sparked with energy from within the insulated container. If Sophia had bothered to do any asking around herself, she'd know that no one suitable was present in the current class of 15,000 students, or Abigail would have consulted them a long time ago. Needs must.

    "You're the dumbest genius I ever met, Abs." Hmph.


    "UNLIMITED POWER!!!" she whooped as she jogged her last lap on one of the fitness pads within the academy, startling the man next to her from his own inner thoughts. It turns out, brute force does work. She had blown through at least 17 ball bearings on her runs, but such is the price of progress. I can bend metal with my mind! Time to go bigger!


    Who figured that manipulation of electromagnetism would be so fun? Take Faraday Cages for example. Properly formed electromagnetic fields can route electricity safely and efficiently, requiring staggering amounts of power to overwhelm. The same principle is how armor designers for the Coalition shield electronics and personnel, though the specifics are a bit complicated. "THIS IS AWESOME," Sophia cried from within a carefully controlled Telekinetic Faraday Bubble. "I KNOW!!!" Using similar principles from an orthogonal direction, she had enhanced the power of her electrical generation and discharges, as well as precision from the many months of carefully electrocuting everything she could get away with in a variety of innovative ways.


    HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE
    Her fellow students ranged from young to old. At 11, she was among the youngest, though as she had suspected, there was no upper age limit. The vast majority of people were from Texas or the Heartland, but she had an eye set on her fellow Kansas natives. As such, she had quickly established a solid friendship with a couple of older girls from Kansas City, a Puerto Rican descendant named Sophia Mendoza Gonzales-Mesa, 15 years of age, and Norma Brown, 14 years of age, German ancestry apparently, but nobody in her family spoke it. The usual satellites and ancillaries formed, but Sophia and Norma were true friends, both deciding, completely on their own volition, no finessing at all, to take Abigail under their collective wings. The three of them and a few others would routinely explore Chi-Town, where Abigail was mentored about the ways of urban folk, delving into female lore which shall not be repeated before the eyes of the profane. It was nice to have friends here.

    It was through forging these connections, that Abigail realized something important about people. (All votes considered)

    [] Everyone is the same. Abilities or no, 50% of people are dumber than average, and I'm well above average. Whatever link I was looking for, sharing Psionics wasn't it. People are all the same. People.
    [] Everyone is different. There exists an unbridgable gap between Psychics and non-Psychics, just as there is a gap between the strong and the weak, the fast and the slow. I will never find a bond based on simple categorization.
    [] Write in


    Why? She knew that people died, she wasn't just a kid. I killed someone! But she wasn't expecting this. Her last conversation with her mother, she said she'd always be there for her. She thought there'd be more time. She didn't, what did, what, how? The words on the letter had long since become too blurry to read. Dead. And this is what she wanted for herself? To fight and die? How many more noble souls would be consumed by this world? All her life, she'd heard people say the damnedest things about living and dying. Was any of it true?

    What does Abigail take away from this tragedy? (All votes considered)

    [] Apathy. Forget it. Don't think about it.
    [] Despair. God exists, and He hates us all.
    [] Resolution. All the more reason to fight one day.
    [] Write in


    Year 2 Actions: 6 points to spend (7 - 1 LOCKED IN). Subtracting 1 point here grants 2 Personal Actions, or vice versa.

    [] Improve an Attribute (Up to 3 points): Very difficult to improve non-physical attributes.
    [] Martial Training (Up to 3 points): Examples include small arms training, unarmed/armed melee (can decide type), etc
    [] Physical Training: (Up to 3 points) -1 point LOCKED IN to maintain attribute and skill gains.
    [] Psionic Training (Up to 3 points): Select either a new ability to learn, or improve an ability that Abigail already has. Can stack up on the same ability.
    [] Study Academics (Pick a Subject, 1 point each): See Academic Review for more examples, as well as Turn 1 Vote.

    Personal Actions: 2 points to spend (3 - 1 LOCKED IN)
    [] Isolation: I need time to think. Away from others.
    [] Meet New People: There are a lot of interesting people around.
    [] Read Literature: "You can have peace, or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once." - Robert Heinlein
    [] Read Literature (Write in what kind): Been trying to expand the library.
    [X] Socialize with Friends: LOCKED IN. Your friends are concerned about you. They won't let you isolate yourself too much.
    [] Visit Family (Doesn't cost an action): It's time.
    [] Write in:

    Comment: This has not been the best year for Abigail. On the bright side, there's no way the next year can be worse, right?

    I like how Veekie formatted his vote, so I'll be using it as a template for future votes.

    Example vote

    Non-plan Votes
    [X][Rifts] Simple concept
    [X][Future] Simple concept
    [X][Home] Simple concept
    [X][People] Simple concept
    [X][Tragedy] Simple concept

    [X] Plan EXAMPLE
    -[X][Action] +2 Personal Actions
    -[X][Action] Martial Training: (Boxing/Wrestling)
    -[X][Action] Psionic Training: See Aura
    -[X][Action] Physical Training: LOCKED IN to maintain attribute and skill gains.
    -[X][Action] Psionic Training: Presence Sense
    -[X][Action] Psionic Training: Clairvoyance
    -[X][Action] Study Academics: Civics
    -[X][Personal] Isolation: I need time to think. Away from others.
    -[X][Personal] Read Literature: "You can have peace, or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once." - Robert Heinlein
    -[X][Personal] Socialize with Friends: LOCKED IN. Your friends are concerned about you. They won't let you isolate yourself too much.
    -[X][Personal] Tinker: Fiddling with electronics always made made me feel better.
    -[X][Free] Visit Family (Doesn't cost an action): It's time.


    AN: It's been a while! Lot of difficulties on my end concerning resumption of studies and life events. However, we're back in business. Got caught up in how I wanted to tackle this portion of the quest, and am dissatisfied with it. Ultimately, decided to brute force it without sacrificing too much quality. I also have questions for those of you still following this. Do you want to see a summary of the rolls that I am making in the background, or prefer to have those hidden? Currently, the rolls are hidden, both for stylistic reasons and due to their complexity. Most things that happen in this Quest are the result of at least 1, or more often a combination of rolls. I try to avoid having things happen because Will of QM. Additionally, do you all want to see more Interludes about things going on in other parts of the world? I had a lot of fun with those, and would take suggestions. Either way, I will be writing more Informational posts. I'm also being transparent now for which votes are standard votes, and which ones consider everything people voted for, previous examples being the vote on what motivates Abigail. That's all for now.

    Edit: THAT'S A LOT OF LINE BREAKS.
    Edit 2: I am going to end some of these line breaks' careers
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X][Rifts] Terrifying. Something like that just came out of nowhere, and broke the world without any warning or anything that could be done to stop it.
    [X][Future] Optimistic. People are getting more and more awesome, and they don't look likely to stop getting awesome any time soon.
    [X][Home] Sad. You wish they could be here.
    [X][People] Everyone is the same. Abilities or no, 50% of people are dumber than average, and I'm well above average. Whatever link I was looking for, sharing Psionics wasn't it. People are all the same. People.
    [X][Tragedy] Conviction. Things won't fix themselves on hopes and wishes. So people will have to do it for everyone else.

    [X] Plan One Mind At Sufficient Velocity
    -[X][Action] Study Academics(Physics)
    -[X][Action] Study Academics(Mathematics)
    -[X][Action] Study Academics(Civics)
    -[X][Action] Physical Training
    -[X][Action] Physical Training x2
    -[X][Action] Psychic Training(Mentalism)
    -[X][Action] Psychic Training(Perception)
    -[X][Personal] Socialize with Friends: LOCKED IN. Your friends are concerned about you. They won't let you isolate yourself too much.
    -[X]][Personal] Meet New People: There are a lot of interesting people around.
    -[X][Personal] Read Literature (Space Opera - Lensmen): Been trying to expand the library.
    -[X][Free] Visit Family (Doesn't cost an action): It's time.

    Really could use an accessible character sheet (@.@)
    Also some reading! I'm tossing in Lensmen as a childhood favorite...mostly because it involves very very large amounts of energy being tossed around.
     
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    [X][Rifts] Terrifying. Something like that just came out of nowhere, and broke the world without any warning or anything that could be done to stop it.
    [X][Future] Optimistic. People are getting more and more awesome, and they don't look likely to stop getting awesome any time soon.
    [X][Home] Sad. You wish they could be here.
    [X] Everyone is different. There exists an unbridgable gap between Psychics and non-Psychics, just as there is a gap between the strong and the weak, the fast and the slow. I will never find a bond based on simple categorization.
    [X][Tragedy] Conviction. Things won't fix themselves on hopes and wishes. So people will have to do it for everyone else.

    [X] Specialization
    -[X][Action] Study Academics(Physics)
    -[X][Action] Study Academics(Mathematics)
    -[X][Action] Study Academics(Civics)
    -[X][Action] Physical Training
    -[X][Action] Physical Training x2
    -[X][Action] Psychic Training (Electrokinesis)
    -[X][Action] Psychic Training(Geokinesis)
    -[X][Personal] Socialize with Friends: LOCKED IN. Your friends are concerned about you. They won't let you isolate yourself too much.
    -[X][Personal] Read Literature (Space Opera - Lensmen): Been trying to expand the library.
    -[X][Free] Visit Family (Doesn't cost an action): It's time.
     
    Last edited:
    Both plans have 1 additional point to spend in both Action and Personal categories, as the locked in point was already subtracted from the total, and the Visit Family choice doesn't cost a point. Sorry! Clarified in main post.
     
    Last edited:
    [X][Rifts] Terrifying. Something like that just came out of nowhere, and broke the world without any warning or anything that could be done to stop it.
    [X][Future] Optimistic. People are getting more and more awesome, and they don't look likely to stop getting awesome any time soon.
    [X][Home] Sad. You wish they could be here.
    [X] Everyone is different. There exists an unbridgable gap between Psychics and non-Psychics, just as there is a gap between the strong and the weak, the fast and the slow. I will never find a bond based on simple categorization.
    [X][Tragedy] Conviction. Things won't fix themselves on hopes and wishes. So people will have to do it for everyone else.

    [X] Plan Better Senses, Remember Everything
    -[X][Action] Study Academics: Physics
    -[X][Action] Study Academics: Mathematics
    -[X][Action] Study Academics: Civics
    -[X][Action] Physical Training: LOCKED IN to maintain attribute and skill gains.
    -[X][Action] Psychic Training: Geokinesis
    -[X][Action] Psychic Training: Total Recall
    -[X][Action] Psychic Training: Enhanced Perception
    -[X][Personal] Socialize with Friends: LOCKED IN. Your friends are concerned about you. They won't let you isolate yourself too much.
    -[X][Personal] Tinker: Fiddling with electronics always made made me feel better.
    -[X][Personal] Read Literature (Space Opera - Lensmen): Been trying to expand the library.
    -[X][Free] Visit Family (Doesn't cost an action): It's time.
     
    Last edited:
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