There's 40 or so PRT officers, coin flip to see which of the randos lives or dies:
That's a binomial random variable with 40 'trials' and even chances of 'success' or 'failure'.
result: 18 'successes' out of 40 'trials'
For determining injuries among the protectorate we have six protectorate people: Armsmaster, Battery, Assault, Velocity, Miss Militia, Adamant Adamant has a 1 in 10 chance of being injured, Armsmaster a 2 in 10, Velocity a 2 in 10; everyone else a 3 in 10. Then roll again to see whether that injury is serious or not (if they fail the roll again its serious).
So this translates to a 10% chance of injury for Adamant, and a 1% chance of serious injury. Similarly 20% injury and 4% serious injury chances for Armsmaster & Velocity, and 30% chance of injury with 6% chance of serious injury for all other characters considered.
result: Miss Militia injured, not seriously
Eudaimonica's 9 demonlings have a 3 in 10 chance of being injured, her 3 demon legionaries a 2 in 10 chance.
This is a binomial random variable with 9 'trials' and a 30% chance each of being injured for the demonlings, and 6% seriously.
result: 3 demonlings injured, 1 seriously
Similarly the 3 legionaries each have a 20% chance of injury, and 4% chance of serious injury.
The banner says vote opens in 48 hours. It should say closes in 48 hours. I fail at clicking buttons apparently, and there doesn't seem to be a way to edit the scheduled tally. Press F for my stupid ass.
Edit: Issue now resolved
Scheduled vote count started by FreeWhisky on Oct 16, 2020 at 8:59 PM, finished with 6 posts and 17 votes.
[X]: Go with the autobots to meet Jetfire
-[X]: Convince Eudaimonica and Nightcaster to come with you so they can rest and recharge before heading into another fight.
-[X]: Convince the local primitive law enforcement the Protectorate to send a representative with you to the Autobot base to discuss what's going on and coordinate.
[X] Samus
- [X]: Fight a rearguard action to allow your allies to withdraw to a more advantageous position. This will require you to try and distract the Rikti long enough for your allies to flee rather than seek to engage them to destruction.
[X]: Have yourself and the autobots split up to engage different squadrons separately, holding down all their attention and keeping the less durable humans out of harm's way. Allow PRT and Protectorate to split up to engage as they will.
[X] Arne
- [X]: Engage Rikti in close-quarters combat to prevent them from being able to focus on allies. You are the most durable person in the group and would attract the most attention. This will keep your allies the safest.
[X] Arne
- [X]: Engage Rikti in close-quarters combat to prevent them from being able to focus on allies. You are the most durable person in the group and would attract the most attention. This will keep your allies the safest.
[X]: Go with the Autobots to meet Jetfire
-[X]: Convince Eudaimonica and Nightcaster to come with you so they can rest and recharge before heading into another fight.
-[X]: Convince the local primitive law enforcement the Protectorate to send a representative with you to the Autobot base to discuss what's going on and coordinate.
Samus
Subject is a sort of robotic mimic known as a Cybertronian named Bumblebee, presently taking the guise of a 1984 Volkswagen Beetle. Spatiochronal analysis suggests that he is not from either this universe or from yours but reveals an age of 5,379,129 Earth years. Analysis indicates that subject is powered by novel energy source referred to as "Energon". Energy readings are especially concentrated in the core region of the body within a spiritual analogue referred to as the Spark. Bumblebee is fully sapient and is capable of altering configuration between vehicular and bipedal mode. The presence of multiple concealed weapons has been detected, but overall systems are inferior to your own in efficiency and sophistication; compensated for by greater size. Further analysis indicates that subject is incapable of intelligible vocal speech due to relatively recent damage. Bumblebee's records indicate that he is a native of the colony world of Velocitus in the whirlpool galaxy.
Addendum: Scans of the subject demonstrate that Bumblebee has a similar technological basis to subversive signal but has not been compromised by it.
Samus' Notes: Aww, poor guy! Who hurt him like this? Maybe they're still around, and I could help out? Hopefully, he'll have some answers for us.
Arne's Notes: We must have spooked him pretty badly if he's disguising himself this poorly for someone who's five million years old. I don't think he's behind the signal though.
Target is a Cybertronian taking the form of a HondaJet referred to as Windblade. Windblade is capable of unusual psionic abilities referred to as "city speaking" due to quirks within her Spark. Windblade also demonstrates similar components to Bumblebee and is of a similar age at 5,382,764 Earth years. Cross-referencing between Distant Sight probing, electromagnetic scans, and signal interception suggests that Windblade primarily prefers to fight in close quarters combat with an energy sword over long-distance combat. Scan data confirms that subject would demonstrate capabilities well in excess of what her alt-mode should be capable of, allowing for vertical take-off and landing. The subject is also not the source of the attempted subversive signal.
Addendum: Subject is aware of scans.
Samus' Notes: A psychic fully mechanical machine not made by a Progenitor culture? That's really interesti-Oh blessed Spirits of the departed she knows.
Arne's Notes: I'm curious as to why it's called "city-speaking?" Might be a specific type of Cybertronian that takes the form of an entire city? That'd have to be an absolutely huge ro-oh. Uh sorry.
Windblade's Notes: Ask next time, please.
"We'll go with you then." You said, offering a brief nod to Bumblebee who gives you a finger pistol gesture.
"-An excellent choice!-" He played, probably from some game show based on the sounds before he started signing at you in a series of gestures your armour translated as soon as he made them.
"<You'll do great with us minicon. We just need to get you sorted with Jetfire, and Red Alert and everything should be good to go. What's your name though? I'm Bumblebee.>"
"+I'm Samus! Samus Eabha Aran. This is my bondsmatch; Arne Eriksen Skjoldr.+" You said back via text message to Bumblebee who seemed to have a moment of realisation.
"+You're not a Cybertronian?+" He texted back as you nodded and dismissed your helmet with a flash of light while everyone else was talking, Arne following suit.
The fade of yellow and blue exposed your young faces to the air of winter and the frost of an early morning blizzard, but you had suffered far colder. You stroked back your ponytail, the golden hair in its usual tomboyish, practical cut that so many people couldn't peel their eyes away from whenever they looked over you. After a year of mingling with your own kind again, and two years of socialisation practice, you were starting to become somewhat aware of how beautiful most people your age found you.
Arne's red eyes had, for the most part, lost the characteristic bags beneath them that you first saw him with two years ago. He had improved so much healthwise after starting to leave Zurvduat's care more often, and his everything seemed to improve after he left his auspices entirely. His platinum coloured hair blew slightly with the winds, and his slender, boyish face sucked in a breath of this planet's air for the first time.
He wrinkled his nose a bit though and muttered about the stench of air pollution that you found noxious yourself until you willed yourself to ignore it. Your suit had informed you that this planet had an overabundance of pollutants associated with primitive chemical fuel usage, but smelling it with your unfiltered nose was another thing entirely. You almost wanted to vomit; how could people live with a smell like that?
Bumblebee studied your face and made a beeping noise of wonderment before signing something that, thanks to downloading the relevant sign language into your memory you were able to decipher unassisted. "<You look great, Samus! You too, Arne!>" You beamed at that, you were quite self-confident regarding your appearance and had come to enjoy the compliments you got, as long as they were respectful of course.
"Thanks! So, I'm guessing a ground bridge would be some sort of terrestrially limited portal right?" You said it didn't take much to piece that together based on the way they talked about it. It seemed pretty self-evident to you. However, you could probably forgive the other humans here for not guessing it if they weren't used to regularly using teleporters.
"Which means you either want us to get there really quickly or don't want us to be able to figure out where the base is from the journey there. Right?" Arne added, getting a quirked metallic brow from Windblade that you found quite curious. Despite being so much older than humanity, they both seemed so oddly human. Fascinating...what could possibly drive this level of convergence you wonder?
"You two are clever. Reminds me of some of the kids we used to work with back on the Earth in our universe." She said with genuine praise, Arne gave a quiet but thankful nod and a bit of a bashful smile while you just widened your grin.
You had however, noticed that both Eudaimonica and Nightcaster were staring at the two of you; gobsmacked by your countenance. You didn't need to be a psychic to guess at their emotional state, though you cleared your throat briefly. There was work to attend to and things that needed doing after all. There'd be time to see if they were worth indulging the interest of later.
"Hold on, power armour or not, the two of you are still minors, and this is not in your pay grade to handle." Armsaster cut in; everyone quickly turning their attention towards him.
"They're not citizens of your country, relax. We're pretty good with taking care of other people's trouble anyway." You felt a bit miffed at that; you weren't anyone's trouble! You frowned and pouted, getting a look of realisationrealisation from the Autobot.
"It means we're good with kids! Don't worry. Bumblebee here's worked with thousands of human children over the years. You'll be in great hands." Windblade said before she extended a hand and kneeled down to something closer to your level, the ground shaking slightly from the movement of a large robot.
"We are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from the Planet Cy-" She started before you interrupted, not quite able to contain the urge to speak out.
"Cybertron, but Bumblebee wasn't created there because he was from the colony world of Velocitus, right?" You said, Windblade seemed to be slightly annoyed by you blurting out, but quickly got over it as her expression changed back to a neutral one.
"Yes. That's it. Though there's something rather interesting." She says as she looks at her left arm's vambrace and brings up a panel of some sort.
"What is?" Arne asks.
"The two of you aren't from this universal cluster or stream. Nor from theirs, or even from ours." She said, though to you it seemed mostly like declaring the obvious. This wasn't the 51st millennium after all. The stars were slightly wrong, and there were many anomalies regarding the planet's chemical makeup that didn't quite fit existing records of this period that you had access to.
"Mhrm, we fell in through a wormhole junction." You started explaining before Arne raised his hand to speak. Something you granted to him as he nodded in gratitude and started his explanation from the top. Tracking down some mysterious interlopers who were present at the facilities you were studying how to properly socialise within before finding both groups of interlopers were fighting for access to a wormhole station—one which was about to go supercritical and vaporise large chunks of the solar system.
"Sounds like space bridge tech to me. But we know groups somewhat matching that description. It's been a difficult time tracking them though. We're too used to tracking other robotic infiltrators to get our heads around organic espionage tactics sometimes." Windblade said, not quite sighing though the disappointment in her voice was evident. But then, could she even sigh to begin with? It's not like she had lungs.
"We could help locate them. We're...pretty familiar with how they work. Studied them in a lot of detail for," He paused, hesitating before finishing his sentence. "Personal reasons. The raiders took my homeworld; the Pirates took Samus'. But I'd think it'd be better to just...give you the data about them. It's not really," He steadied himself, making sure he was breathing properly. "Something that's fun to talk about."
Arne was hesitant to talk about the interlopers in too much detail. You were too. They were cruel, evil organisations who revelled in carnage and slaughter and had to be stopped; but focusing on the memories they left behind was painful. The feeling of the hot ash and the radiant warmth of a burning world lingered in your memory like a phantom, a raw nightmare.
Bumblebee looked with understanding and reached out a hand for the two of you to touch. "-You've got a friend in me-" He clipped, pulling the quote from a song to show his sympathetic nature.
"So why exactly are we putting this much trust in two traumatised teenagers?" You flicked your eyes over to the PRT Officer who overheard that statement and glowered at him.
"Come on, did you see them? They're already superheroes in my book!" Nightcaster said enthusiastically.
"Whatever their capabilities are, it's not wise to trust these sorts of negotiations to minors, it would be more efficient to get a proper governmental representative to handle this sort of diplomacy." Armsmaster said, exhaling with a sigh.
"They're not going to speaking on your behalf. Have you been paying attention at all to what I'm saying? They're not under your jurisdiction." Windblade said, palming her faceplate briefly.
"Apologies for interrupting. But given that these are unattended and stateless minors with clearly parahuman abilities; they would in fact, fall under our jurisdiction. I don't mean any disrespect, but you are an alien and a machine. We would be better suited to handle them and find them cover identities while they stay here." The patriotic one, Miss Militia you gathered, said, stepping up and rubbing at her arm.
"No way, I wanna go with the robots!" Eudaimonica said, folding her arms and stamping her feet into the snow and huffing.
"They are not unattended mortal! A Demon Prince of the Underrealm stands before you with a solemn duty to watch over at least one of them! And I will be happy to look after the other three!" Winterpyre snarls.
"We can make our own choices. And I'm going to choose to go with the Autobots. Come on Arne, Eudaimonica, Nightcaster. I want to see what they have waiting there." You say with a cheery and excitable grin.
Arne
You stifle an odd look thrown at Miss Militia's direction. She was clearly trying to be as nice as she could, but the American themed garb she wore put you off.
In the history texts you read, Omdynisch historians did not regard America's two hundred and sixty eight-year history kindly. A minor footnote in history mostly remembered by late pre-space faring human history students founded in genocide, built by slavery, empowered by empire, and then choked to death under its own failings decades in the making. Something remembered alongside other variably obscure mistakes such as Rome, the United Kingdom, the Third Reich, the Japanese Empire, Terra Prima, or the Hominid Domain.
All this made her seem suspicious to you, untrustworthy. Your distant sight didn't inform you of any immediate danger from her but you had your eye kept firmly on her at all times. A venomous snake would have set you off less, and you can tell Samus had some trepidations herself. While the Federation remembered the United States somewhat less bleakly, the Chozo had little regard for it.
But you were willing to give her at least a chance to speak.
"Would you not be willing to at least allow someone to speak for us to accompany these children and present our case? It would do a great deal to alleviate potential conflict." Miss Militia said, clearly insistent on getting at least a bit of her foot in through the proverbial door. A turn of phrase you were still not entirely sure about the meaning of, but the English engrams you had downloaded into your memory told you it was common now.
Bumblebee raised a pair of fingers to indicate that he recommended at least two people.
"Shouldn't they be someone actually authorised to speak at this level? Most of these people are just...police." You say, doing your best to avoid scorn in your voice and noticing that the officers gathered couldn't help but stare at your platinum hair and scarlet eyes. You academically knew your hair and eye colouration was exotic at best at this time, but you still felt uneasy with the way they were looking at you, talking as if you couldn't hear.
"(They're cute kids but the boy looks like some kind of vampire.)" You heard one of them say as you almost felt a twitch go down your arm.
"(They ever even get any sunlight in those suits? The girl would get sunburned to death and the boy would probably just burst into flames.)"
"(Knock it off, we're still here because of them.)"
"(Space shit, I'm telling you. Probably not even really human. Could be a hologram or some terminator shit. Both of them changed shape like one of them.)" You clenched your fist and seethed but Samus' anger always burned hotter than yours.
"I CAN HEAR YOU! We're not robots and he's not a vampire!" She shouted, snapping her head back towards them and then resting a hand on your shoulder and nodding at you.
"Yeah, please...don't talk about us like we can't hear you." You said, not quite shooting a death glare at them, but making it clear you weren't happy with the way they were talking about you.
"...Oh man that is some amazing hearing." Nightcaster said with a gulp, tugging at his scarf and whispering something about hoping you couldn't read minds too. You couldn't, not yet, the training for that had yet to commence. But you were able to get a read on his mood, nervous, excited, a bit at a loss of what to say.
"Hey, you two." You said, pointing towards the teenaged outverser heroes who looked towards each other and then nodded in acknowledgement. "Come here. It's probably better than standing out in the open like that." He said as the two made a quick teleportation jaunt right to where you were standing. Your eyes scanned over them, seeing the fatigued exertion in their movements and their quicker than normal breaths.
"You should come with us, get a bit of rest at the Autobot base." You said, Samus nodding enthusiastically as the two seemed to realise just how much taller you were than the two of them. Especially fully geared up; where the few extra centimetres of height added by the armour made the gap in height even more marked.
"<We were already planning on letting them do that, but thanks for getting them to get over here! I'd love to let them hang around the base.>" Bumblebee signed.
"Now, you all. When can your representative get here? I'd rather get the kids out of the cold as quickly as possible." Windblade said, resting her metallic hands on her hips and looking down at the PRT officials.
"Negotiators have been on their way since we first spotted you." Armsmaster said cooly as you were alerted to the sounds of distant movement. You hadn't regarded the PRT as a threat and so had largely ignored their presence in the causeways of destiny, and thus only now when they were in hearing range were you aware of the helicopters surrounding the area. Loaded guns clicked around you and orders to move out were given as a short, plain-looking and ungainly woman stepped out of the winding down blades of a Helicopter and the demons of Eudaimonia barked, snapped, and hissed at the sudden presences around them.
A handsome if a bit overly square-jawed for your tastes, clean-shaven brown-haired man in a blue domino mask also descended from the skies, seeming to carry a tremendous deal of reverence from the other protectorate heroes gathered here.
"Oh god oh fuck I don't wanna go to jail!" Nightcaster said as he backed up towards Winterpyre who snorted steam from his nostrils in apparent contempt.
"Yo, what the fuck dude you bring the entire precinct down on us?" Eudaimonica hissed.
"I've come to understand that this is a first contact situation yes? So please, take me to your leader." The man said as both you and Samus' helmets flashed back into existence.
Legend, actual name Keith serves as the overall commander of the Protectorate parahuman team and is considered to be one of the most important and respected parahuman heroes within the United States of America. Considered a gay rights icon and an upstanding paragon of all a hero should be, Legend is well known for his incredible resilience, speed, and luminokinetic firepower. Able to convert his body into light or bend the passage of his light beams to gain an advantage in combat situations, Legend is often referred to as a "flying artillery weapon"; though such statements belie the significant degree to which his firepower exceeds the standard of artillery weapons in this time period. Though well regarded, Legend upholds standard contemporary American viewpoints on criminal justice.
Samus' Notes: Oh, he can shift from matter to energy? Hrm, I'm wondering what mechanism that the symbiont taps into in order to let him do that. I'm disappointed in his views on Law and Order though. But I suppose the Orthodoxy here is what it is. I'm hoping to change that though.
Arne's Notes: So essentially he's the biggest policeman in the precinct and a glorified mascot. The less I have to interact with him the better.
Subject is an ordinary if unhealthy human whose genetic code fits into the norms of the current era, including a predisposition towards heart disease, stomach cancer, and low metabolism. While lacking in any abilities above the baseline human norm and possessing a physique poorly suited for combat or survival situations, Emily has significant influence as the Director of PRT affairs within the Eastern New England region. A survivor of an incident with a quarantined parahuman known as Nilbog, Emily is often regarded as spiteful towards parahumans whom she considers to be prone to grandiose showboating over getting actual results.
Samus' Notes: Oh, a bureaucrat that's...do I have to deal with her? I really don't like talking to stylus draggers.
Arne's Notes: So she's both prejudiced and a police bureaucrat. Gods give me strength.
"So is that your choice of representatives?" Windblade asked.
"At ease please, let's avoid an intestellar incident. Clean up whatever salvage is left." Piggot said as she looked at the situation with a quirked brow. Clearly trying to give the impression that she was maintaining her cool despite how bizarre everything was.
"Now hold on a minute, this tech is several grades above anything this planet mass produces. You can't just help yourself to it without thinking of the possible consequences." Windblade said, raising a hand as Piggot raised a brow.
"This isn't your country I'm afraid." She said somewhat coldly before a swirling green vortex opened up behind the two autobots.
"So, I guess we'll be riding in style. Take me to your leader." Legend said, getting Bumbelbee to palm his face and play a prolonged clip of groaning.
"Wow jeeze dude watch the cringe. How long did you wait to say that line?" Eudaimonica hissed after exaggeratingly recoiling away from Legend.
You didn't get it. You understood it was a reference, but you didn't comprehend how it was meant to be funny.
"Okay before the next attempt at comedy makes me want to offline myself, Jetfire's waiting." Windblade said, ushering those welcome to join through the groundbridge, taking you through a swirling corridor of...green.
Fascinating. You'd love to talk to the builder.
Samus
On the other side of the portal was an extensive base built to accommodate the varying sized frames of the Autobots. It seems like it had been here quite a while, and your scan visor identified the minerals in the still visible parts of the rock as common to the Arkhangelsk oblast of Russia, near the arctic circle.
"Heads up, humans." A slender feminine Autobot said, wheels on her feet spinning slightly as her blue frame shifted to turn her blue optics to you. You dismissed your helmet and arm cannon in flashes of light and offered an enthused wave, getting a smile back from her in return as she muttered "kids" in an appreciative tone.
"Bit busy Arcee, if I don't get the polarity of these couplings right I could do one of two things. Teleport a chunk of Mars on top of Arkhangelsk or form a black hole." A plaintive and somewhat scatterbrained voice shouted back over the intercoms.
"...Black Hole?" Eudaimonica gulped.
"That's just Wheeljack. Don't worry, if one of his experiments goes wrong we've got a spacebridge ready to dump it into infraspace." Arcee said. This put you at ease, at least proper safety protocol was being observed, but it certainly seemed to cause Piggot and Legend no small amount of concern.
"Bee! You creep, why did you reveal yourself in front of this many hum-" A blue and white female Cybertronian said before stopping when she got a look at the two of you and then at Eudaimonica, her Demons, and Nightcaster.
"...Oh scrap, a multiversal event. Perfect." She said with a prolonged sigh.
"Glad to see you too Strongarm." Windblade said as Bumblebee simply shrugged at her accusations.
"Alright, as much as I'd like to get the full procession of everyone in the base, I was promised a meeting with your leader." Legend said, dusting off his hands while Nightcaster whispered something to one of his shadows; a command for it to go scout around the base.
As if on cue, a red and white Su-57 flew through another swirling vortex before shifting into a bipedal form; standing tall amongst the other autobots who mostly took the forms of cars of various stripes.
"So anyway, as I was sayin', Iacon Dreams is fine an' all but if ya want proppa bloody banter ya gotta hit up Maccadam's; absolute ledge that one." He said as a humanoid figure popped out of the cockpit that had formed part of his chest. A figure that your scan visor indicated had technology it recognised.
Arne's eyes lit up as he made a realisation and then preformed a fist on chest salute that was recripocated by the figure in the apparent shape of a Russian fighter pilot. The ebony nanite shell around their robotic endoskeleton rippled and transformed into a more combat standard form to reveal a smooth plated robotic body; black, red, gold, and white plated with a crimson V shaped "visor" that formed its optics. The optic and solar corona symbol of Section 13 of the Commissariat of Public Security of the Omdyn of Democratic Omnipragmatist Council Republics decorated their pauldrons. A grilled mouthpiece glowed red as they spoke in a courteous, androgynous voice.
"Skjoldr? Certainly not the person I was expecting to see here. Miss Aran, a pleasure to meet you too." They said, pausing briefly before folding their arms behind their back. "I am Operative Kyrion, Section 13. I understand that you dealt with a Space Pirate Wormhole station? Certainly, you live up to my expectations for progenitor touched such as yourselves." They said, getting you to almost flush your cheeks with pride at his praise.
"Yeah! Then we ended up here, but well...how did you get here if you're from our reality?" You asked as Kyrion nodded and adjusted the antennae on the sides of their head into a flattened position.
"Similar methods, different goals. So I'd like to ask you, would you care to assist my erstwhile compatriots and I with something?" Kyrion said.
"Of course!" You responded.
"What do you need Urglik?" Arne asked.
"Are you keen on halting efforts at Imperial acquisition and expansion? These iterations of Earth have eyes on them. Dangerous eyes. Not just from our universe but others." They explained, and you nodded enthusiatically. This sounded like your chance to continue on your journey to be the hero the universe needs. Arne of course gave a nod as well, as well as an affirmative.
"Part of Section 13's mission directive is to halt all forms of imperialism, and to protect indigenous pre-FTL cultures from those who would seek to conquer them. We don't know why they're interested in these realities. We're not even sure on who all of them are. But we can't let them have it." Kyrion said.
"See, this chap's got the right bloody idea. Autobot priority is to ensure the liberation of all sapient life. So me an' Kyrie 'ere 've been busy. Then you dropped in and well, from the looks of it; you could 'elp out with our lack of lads." Jetfire said before Piggot finally harrumphed, tired of being outspoken.
"Aren't you forgetting something? You're all extraterrestrials on American soil and are going to have to go through the appropriate channels. You can't just d-" Piggot wasn't allowed to finish her sentence.
"Actually this is Russian soil!" Wheeljack cut in over the intercoms.
"...I'm going to need a drink." Legend sighed while you and Arne shared a laugh.
"Well...I suppose that we all need to begin some rather...involved talks. I could speak on your behalf if you'd like; though it's of course up to you." Kyrion said.
"Yeah, there's probably going to be a lot to speak about." You said.
"Though of course, you have a Rikti problem near Brockton Bay to deal with. Perhaps that would be best dealt with first?" Kyrion said.
"Well, I could show the kids around instead. Get them used to the place if they're going to work with us." Arcee said.
You then remembered something else, the Virus. "Excuse me, do you have any information about some malware going through the information networks on this planet?" You asked, Arne briefly looking towards you before turning to the Autobots as he dismissed his helmet and arm cannon.
"Maybe we should see what's the strategic situation first?" Arne said, always laser-focused on duty first. Something Zurvduat drilled into him for years.
Options:
[]: Participate in the talks under Kyrion's wing
[]: Participate in the talks as peers
[]: Hit the Rikti near Brockton Bay first
[]: Tour the base with Arcee
[]: Investigate the computer virus
[]: Take a look at the strategic situation on Earth Bet.
[]: Write in
Jetfire is an Autobot Aerial Commander and a trusted compatriot of the leader of the Autobot Revolutionary movement; Optimus Prime. The commander of the decorated Crimson Comet Wing of Aerialbots and the squadron leader for the Red Meteor Squadron, Jetfire is one of the most well regarded Autobot aerial aces. Jetfire is 286,989,731 earth years of age and has spent more than 225,733,127 years of that time fighting the Cybertronian Civil War. With an aerial victory count in the trillions, Jetfire is feared by his enemies and borderline worshipped by his allies. But to those who work directly with him, he is also fondly regarded as a surprisingly easy-going and understanding commander who works to help others improve; maintaining a down to earth attitude towards his soldiers and allies. Jetfire also is a highly dedicated scientist and works continually to keep his equipment up to date, improving his combat chassis continually with an ever-changing arsenal of equipment suited to the needs of his mission.
Jetfire is currently posted to this incarnation of Earth on the orders of Optimus Prime to monitor and counteract potential imperialist efforts not only by the Decepticons but by other powers. Due to choosing to base within the territory of the Soviet Union which his Autobot team has helped to stabilise to provide a safe operating area, Jetfire takes the form of a Soviet Su-57 jet to help blend into one of his primary fields of operation. This form suits his highly manoeuvre focused fighting style exceptionally well, and his ability to remain airborne in both robot and vehicle mode and fight with highly augmented reflexes gives him a crucial edge over many opponents.
Samus' Notes:
He doesn't initially give the impression of being that old, but there's a lot of wisdom hidden behind that image of just being a friendly face. Oh I can't wait to ask him all the questions I have in my head. He must have so many interesting experiences if he really is that old. And hrm, if he's intervened on Earth to preserve the Soviet Union, he's probably got a very developed understanding of what this Earth's politics are like.
Arne's Notes:
When I get the chance, I really want to talk to him about his thoughts on how I can improve the Sleipnir. I'm sure he'd have some opinions once he gets to have a look at it. Maybe he'll even like what I worked on? I just hope he doesn't find me to be bothersome. It shouldn't be too hard to get into his good graces at least; we'd probably agree on a lot of things.
Arne
Samus, of course, spoke up first, always the outgoing one. She cleared her throat and raised her hand, getting the attention of Jetfire who flicked his optics away from Piggot and Legend almost immediately.
"Ey, the twist and twirl wants ta speak up lads. So why don't ya put a sock in it fer a tick er two? Go on Samus; my receptors are open wide as the Channel." You were unsure of why an alien robot who was more than two hundred and fifty million years old spoke like a working-class east Londoner from the 21st century, but you at least were able to follow his words.
"We'd like to sit in on the negotiations, but as our own party. All due respect to you Kyrion." She said, looking towards the Section 13 agent who offered a nod and a fist on chest salute in acknowledgement. "It's just that; I'd rather we be free to voice our own concerns. We're not here officially or anything after all." She said.
"Of course Samus, Arne. It would do me a great deal of honour to listen to what progenitor-touched would have to say regarding our present situation." Kyrion said with a friendly but not overly formal salute.
"We just need to get our bearings. I think we'll be able to start figuring out what to do once we've got all the pieces." You say, getting some nods of approval from the gathered autobots.
"Well, we're kind of out of our like, depth here. But I guess as the Primal Earthers here we kind of have to speak for our dimension?" Nightcaster said with a shrug, having a hard time peeling his eyes away from all the technology on display. At the same time Eudaimonica was trying to poke at a console before a minicon arrived at its post.
"You are rather young however. Perhaps it would be best to allow me to handle such business until portal corps can send a representative?" Winterpyre suggested as Eudaimonica groaned in frustration in the background.
"As much as the four of you impressed in the frenzied AAR I was passed, you're all minors. With all due respect, and I do mean that; this sort of diplomacy is best left to adults. You should probably get acquainted with..." He paused, looking around for a second as if he himself was not quite sure what to say, finding all this to be about as overwhelming as you did.
"All of this." He finished.
"With all due respect, you have no authority over us. We're not here to represent any country or group. We're just going to be there to well...speak for ourselves." You said, laying a hand on your hip as you spoke.
"If you're going to make decisions that affect us, it's only fair to let us be involved with them!" Samus added, stepping forward a bit and puffing out her chest slightly beneath her varia suit.
"I don't know, just call me uncomfortable with the idea of letting kids sit through an alien contact scenario without supervision. Neither of you even have the proper papers for your legal existence." Legend said with a somewhat resigned sigh, clearly thinking that he was only trying to be reasonable in the face of a very unreasonable situation.
"We don't need supervision. We're able to handle ourselves." You say, cutting in. Legend gave you the impression of meaning well, but probably being too set in the ways of what he was familiar with to mesh all that neatly with you.
"Be that as it may, there are rules and protocols that still need to be followed, young man." He said placing both of his hands on his hips and looking at you with a pose you figured was meant to be heroic and inspiring. But to you, it came off as perhaps a bit patronising.
"We're not babies! We've dealt with things like this before!" Samus said, huffing and narrowing her eyes at Legend.
"Yes, you clearly do have a level of experience somewhat atypical for your age. Mayhaps we should be a touch flexible?" Piggot said, giving Legend a brief look before he gave a nod.
"Alright, I suppose this is out of my jurisdiction. I'm not even sure what jurisdiction means at the moment when I've got two kids who've fallen from space who sound like they tumbled out of Dublin and Reykjavik. Then a demon prince, two kids from the near future, and now apparently robot aliens have been among us since the Reagan administration." Legend admitted with a sigh, briefly rubbing his face and murmuring about how a warm mug of coffee would do him wonders right about now.
"...Who wins the twenty twelve presidential election?" Legend hazarded an ask, looking at you and then at Eudaimonica.
"...Barack Obama?" You say, shrugging. American history was a short-lived footnote over forty-eight thousand years of history; it didn't really command that much interest from you beyond it being held up as an archetypical pre-spacefaring dystopia in Omdyn history.
"Nat Brown." Eudaimonica said with an enthusiastic nod.
"...I have no idea who either of those people are." Legend admitted, shrugging.
"For what it's worth, our answer would be different too." Arcee said.
Bumblebee signed a message to the group, indicating his relief that the gathered parties here could be reasonable at the end of the day and offering his assurances regarding his experience with children. His movements were energetic, quick, but always easy to follow, fingers and joints moving with incredible flexibility for a machine to make every word discernable even for novices at sign reading.
"I mean if the Volkswagen says it's okay..." Legend said in a way that you thought was meant to be a joke based on his inflexion, but you weren't entirely sure on all the nuances of early 2010s American English. Especially when the English you downloaded into your memory was of the British variant due to its greater longevity and ease of availability.
The uncertainty made you nervous about possible responses. Was it alright to laugh? Laughing at the wrong time tended to make people give you weird looks, so you decided to hold off on it for now. So instead you decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"What are we going to do with Eudaimonica and Nightcaster?" You asked, looking to the two mages as they played around with some spellcraft energy to while away the time, a matrix of shadowy and pyronic magic weaved from tendrils of arcane energy. You weren't sure if they were forced to be as precocious as yourself or Samus, they seemed to be much more...like normal kids, chattering away and focusing their attentions on silly games.
"I can speak on their behalf for now." Winterpyre said with a polite tone, one hand behind his back and the other offering a surprisingly gentlemanly genuflection even as mystical energy crackled dangerously around him.
"Is it...he legally permitted to do that? Are we even certain that their claims of being from another reality are true?" Piggot said, dusting her coat off to push away some of the snow that had accumulated onto it while she was outside.
"Well, I know what's bloody what on their royal berth, so I'm giving it the jolly ol' plums' cup." He said while giving what was rather clearly a thumbs up and not a plums' cup. Based on his accent you figured "royal berth" was also some sort of rhyming slang...Earth? Strange way to express it but as long as he wasn't diving headfirst into incomprehensibility, you supposed it was fine.
"Well, if they're not going to be sitting in themselves, mind if I show them around?" Arcee asked, looking towards the two children who looked towards one another with excitement blazing in their eyes. An expectant, almost pleading sensation radiated from them like the sword of Damocles, almost choking you with how badly they wanted to poke around every nook and cranny. And the cheer they gave when Jetfire, Bee, and Windblade gave their thumbs up almost hurt your ears.
"Aww, look at how eager they are to explore! Ah, we're going to be such great friends I can tell!" Samus says, grinning like a maniac while you made your own coy look of appreciation for a fellow explorer's eagerness to dive into the unknown and uncharted.
"Yeah, we should probably well...do that too when we've got time." You say to her, making her tap her chin and nod energetically at you in agreement.
"Very good idea Arne! Probably after we've cleared some immediate priority missions? Then we should have enough free time to relax a bit." She said, giving you a thumbs up that turned into a shared fist bump and armlock between the two of you—your secret handshake.
"Now that's sorted. Come on then chinas we've got some biz ta sort out. Come on, off ya go then, chop-chop!" He said jokingly as he gestured to the door that had just slid open to let them through.
The walk down the hall was somewhat uneventful save for when you spotted some other human children in costume looking down from a walkway built to allow humans or minicons to access some higher up areas easily.
You offered one of them a wave as she looked in your direction and gave a bashful smile upon seeing your face after having dismissed your helmet. Though bashfulness gave way to pure interest, and you sensed a number of other emotions curling from her; coloured sensations tingling your mental senses.
"Hello." You said plainly, not trying to embellish your statements too much since all you were doing was offering a greeting.
"Privet tovarisch." She said with an interested, raised eyebrow expression and a wide grin. One that made you feel seen in a distinctly pleasant way that gave you a rather warm sensation inside. You figured her for about the same age as yourself, and if you had to guess she probably wasn't in full costume, especially given how poorly her outfit disguised her face.
The Russian girl was wearing some manner of domino mask and a colourful but practical looking military produced costume with green coloured inset plates, red trimmings, and the occasional gold highlights; she looked rather nice. She was definitely someone who spent a lifetime continually working out, with the armour padding of her suit giving a good impression of the contour of her musculature. Closer examination also showed that the outfit seemed to have attachment points, confirming your suspicions that it was meant to be worn with another outfit.
"Hi there!" Samus said with distinctly more energy, waving with enough force to create a whipcrack sound from her arm as she had a large grin on her face.
Shortly after making contact, the slender black-haired and green-eyed Russian girl whispered something to a nearby companion in a more red outfit as the blond set down his fighter pilot styled helmet and ran his hands through messy locks. He gave the impression of having recently been sweating quite a lot, and you could see a few beads still dripping down his forehead.
Another look at him confirmed that he was built for agility and finesse rather than raw power, and the insets of his suit seemed mostly to accentuate the muscle groups of his body in a rather flattering manner. Like her outfit, it had attachment points, and like her, he wore a small mask that covered part of his face but not quite enough to be likely to guise his identity from anyone who knew him. He shrugged off more of the plating of what you presumed was his full armoursuit, offering it to a drone who took it off of him as he wiped his brow and dabbed at his face with a cloth.
He said something to the girl as she called to him, waving to the both of you and giving a nod of acknowledgement to the man in the commissar cap.
Your armour immediately downloaded knowledge of the languages commonly spoken in the region into your memory, and you were able to pick up on what you heard.
"Jetfire must have found more aliens Molotok." The boy had said before you understood them, though with the knowledge of the Russian language you had now you were able to decipher it.
"Yes, though right now they look more like cute teens, no Serp? The girl's hair is like gold and the boy? Ah, Nichjose!" She said back with some excited chatter while a man in an officer's cap sipped at his coffee behind them and glowered at Piggot and Legend.
"Ah, da. They are easy on the eyes. But they're probably going to be busy with the Autobots for a while. Especially when they've got the Protectorate golden boy with them." He said in response. He said the word protectorate with notable scorn, and looked at Legend as if he were some roadkill a cat dragged into the house.
Legend muttered something about having fully expected a frosty welcome from this country while the Russian boy and girl giggled to each other.
"Fucking hell how are we going to keep this quiet." The man in the officer cap said before palming his face.
"I think we've got uh...some appreciators." You say to Samus who smirks with enthusiasm and a raised eyebrow.
"Mhrm. Which one do you like better?" She asks with a sly, cunning grin on her face as the two of you begin to flush.
"...Come on you know that's not a fair question." You say as you bashfully turn away from directly facing her.
"Yoohoo, snowhair! Welcome to the Rodina! Come see us when you have the time, da?" The girl said before blowing a kiss towards you and smiling. Samus giggled at you and pinched your cheek in a way that only made you feel more embarrassed.
"Maybe we could all get together hrm?" Samus said daringly while you made a little smirk and a scoff before wiggling your eyebrows at her.
"Ah, a salute to you is in order krasotka. I look forward to getting to know you both." The boy said, smirking and giving Samus a quick, informal salute that Samus grinned at, but met with a thumbs up rather than anything quite so stiff as a formal military gesture.
Actually named Irina "Irinushka" Vladimirovna Kuznetsov, Molotok is a young parahuman attached to the Soviet Otmolsoza (Special Protection Youth Division of the Soviet Union) and a native of the city of Arkhangelsk. Irina bonded to her extradimensional symbiont following an encounter with a rampaging tinker made robot of Swedish origin derived from the illicitly acquired corpse of a Decepticon slain in an aerial engagement acquired by the tinker Svartalfar before the Autobots could recover it. Originally developed with the hopes of helping to fight Endbringers, the lingering code from the fallen machine's repurposed Cybertronian components meshed poorly with its new programming when Svaltalfar thanks in part due to Gesellschaft sabotage; resulting in a monstrosity that rampaged across the baltic for two weeks. Due to the severity of its attack on Arkhangelsk, she has a double bond to her entity.
The incident gave her the ability to store, manipulate, and amplify kinetic energy for various purposes, such as absorbing incoming blows, forming shielding, significantly augmenting the force behind her impacts, move objects, enhance or drain speed, leech energy to accelerate natural healing, or even releasing them as impact blasts or shockwaves. Her status as a general-purpose take all comers melee combatant, and tremendous capacity for punishment has made her indispensable to the Sentinels at Arkhangelsk. However, Irina has been diagnosed with a martyrdom complex and a tendency of unnecessarily taking on the burdens of others and worsened mood if unable to offer assistance. All while she often refuses to ask others for help even when in need out of a feeling of not wanting to burden others.
Samus' Notes:
Based on the records that I can access she's done really well for herself even at a young age! I'm hoping her therapy is going well at least. I can emphasise with the pain of having so many people you know killed in a single moment. Maybe I should talk to her when I can?
Arne's Notes:
She reminds me of myself in a few ways, but I'm not sure what I can really do to offer help besides commiserating with her. And would that be what she needs? It works with Samus, but her circumstances are so different in a lot of ways. I think I'd need to get to know her better to say for sure.
Viktor "Vitya" Zinovyevich Pasternak js a parahuman member of the Otmolsoza and one of the Arkhangelsk division's foremost generalists. Vitya is able to "sharpen" objects, reshaping them at the molecular level for additional efficiency such as making a cutting edge a monomolecular blade and reinforcing them with extradimensional energy to prevent them from breaking; including himself. Also a double-trigger, Vitya can apply his sharpening and reinforcing to more esoteric effects, such as sharpening his senses, enhancing his accuracy, self augmentation, and getting more efficiency out of used objects. The sharpening effect ends briefly after he ceases having contact with the object, but lasts long enough to be used with projectile weapons.
Vitya was "triggered" in the same incident that saw Irina being bonded to her entity, albeit in a separate part of the city during the rogue machine's rampage. The Otmolsoza partnered the two, due to being the same age and having had a prior relationship before manifesting their abilities, thus leading to the aliases "Hammer and Sickle" under the tutelage of the experienced Soviet parahuman "Nakoval'nya" or "Anvil". Vitya's profile lists him as a brave but sometimes overbearing would-be classical hero and party loyalist who holds people to high standards. While well-meaning and making an effort to be kind, Vitya has difficulties with holding back criticism even when entirely unsolicited. However, his versatility and commitment have ensured that he commands a significant deal of respect within Arkhangelsk.
Samus' Notes:
Hrm, I think I can see why he's something of a local favourite! Very committed to his tasks and also pretty striking to look at. I wonder how aware he is of how his abilities work? There might be ways I could help improve on his process if he wants my help with that. I am, however, less sure on his commitment to party loyalty.
Arne's Notes:
His tendency to follow orders without exercising his freedom to question them enough aside, he seems to be somewhat reasonable to work with. I'm not sure I'm going to like hearing him needle me about perceived faults though, I've gotten more than enough of that over the years.
Commissar Nurzhan Maulenov serves as the political officer in overall command of overseeing the Arkhangelsk Oblast's Divzasovyuz division's morale, mental health, commitment, and ties to civilian life. Kept deliberately separate from the Divzasovyuz (Special Protection Division of the Soviet Union) Stavka in order allow him more freedom to operate, Nurzhan takes his work with a relaxed and understanding attitude and tries his best to ensure that the parahumans he works with remain happy and healthy. Nurzhan also holds the secret position of the Soviet Union's primary political liaison to the Autobots based in the outskirts of Arkhangelsk, a task that he feels overstretches his time between these two duties. However, the Kazakh officer remains determined to do the best he can with the resources he has at his disposal, even if he often regards the Autobots as less than sensitive to the possible geopolitical effects of their actions.
Nurzhan is also known for his deep-set hatred of the Gesellschaft organisation not merely out of ideological reasons, but also due to the suffering his Jewish matrilineal family has suffered at the hands of Nazi movements. He has long entertained dreams of one day destroying the entire organisation, which have only intensified as the Gesellschaft and its vassal organisations such as the Empire-88 have begun to militarise and expand their operations with the aid of unknown benefactors at ever-growing rates.
Samus' Notes:
...Nazis? Here? I...I hadn't thought about this possibility of such movements existing here...hurting people. I'm going to help him get what he wants out of this Gesellschaft. They're all going to pay.
Arne's Notes:
If he seeks Nakam, then I'm all for helping him. He doesn't need to offer me anything in return. This...if there was nothing else was on this planet to worry about I'd still help him with this.
Behind you, Piggot glared daggers at Nurzhan who responded with his own gesture of pointing both fingers at his eyes and then back at her. Clearly, while the records you were able to access say that the Cold War had, for the most part, faded into the background; there were still geopolitical rivalries of substantial intensity. A tension that you could feel in your bones and just about see making sparks in the air as Nurzhan stroked his moustache and said something to a dark blue and red minicon who tended to a terminal behind him.
"I'm hoping Jetfire has an amazing explanation for this." You hardly needed to be a psychic to tell that he was certainly not pleased.
It was rather like home, for all you and Samus enjoyed each other's company, your home countries were long at each other's throats with civility enforced primarily by the existence of more pressing mutual threats. Samus, despite her beliefs being quite close to yours, still believed in the Federation's potential to live up to the Chozo's dream for it. You, of course, were somewhat more sceptical.
"Alright loves, 'ere we are. Got plenty of seats sized fer all sorts and if ye can't find one well...they transform so there's that. Nifty innit?" Jetfire said as he opened a large door for all of you to go through. Kyrion had already found their way to a seat which shifted in proportions and configuration to let them ease into a seat without seeming overly tiny within it, something the two of you did shortly afterwards.
The seats raised themselves up to the level of a table-sized for Jetfire as he sat himself down in a far larger chair, waiting for Winterpyre and the two Americans to make themselves comfortable. At last, Nurzhan joined in, sighing as he folded his hands together and tapped his earpiece to make sure that if he needed to hear anything important, he would.
"Hrm, I noticed something interesting Arne." Samus whispered to you, your head turning towards her and tilting in questioning.
"Yeah?" You asked.
"We're the only two people here not representing anyone else." She says, swinging her feet in the chair and humming jauntily.
"Right, so first order fer today. We got ourselves a bit of a buggered situation. Got more possible extraterrestrial er extraversal problems rubbish bargin' their way into these earths. Now for the longest time, they kept all quiet-like. Working in the background, then you came in." He said, flicking a finger over to the both of you.
"So...us arriving caused things to escalate?" You asked.
"I did feel some sort of...presence when we first came here?" Samus added.
"Startin' with you takin' out the bell ends runnin' that bloody awful wormhole party function" More rhyming slang, probably Junction. "We got spikes of unusual energy. Gubbins that usually won't even turn on when we try ta muck around with the Primus damned things started flashin' on. Now we can't bloody use the damn things bu-" He said as he brought up a series of holograms that made Samus just about leap out of her seat and slam her hands into the table.
Samus
"I know what those are!" You shout as your expression transforms into a wide grin. You were positively ecstatic, your whole body almost alight with energy as the implications of what lay before you sank in. You were just about trembling with joy and excitement and had to calm yourself with a quick breathing exercise not to make quite as much of a scene.
"Young lady, perhaps it would be best for you to wait for your turn to speak instead of interrupting?" Legend said, less than impressed by your outburst only to be met with a sour look from you to inform him that you were less than appreciative of his demand. You weren't a baby, and you resented being treated like one when you could more than handle yourself.
"Tovarisch, perhaps you should consider the unusual circumstances of this meeting and assume that she has good reasons to speak up?" Nurzhan said in surprisingly fluent English, stroking his brown moustache and ruminating on the situation.
"He's correct Legend. Given her, unusual capabilities, we shouldn't treat her or her companion too much like other children." Piggot said, getting a look of concern from Legend before he sighed and nodded.
"Now, I think I didn't catch your name mister and miss?" She said.
"Samus Aran. Samus Eabha Aran. But just Samus is fine. Don't call me Sammy though, it's...weird when I don't know any of you enough." You say, perking up a bit and shifting in your seat.
"Arne Eriksen Skjoldr." Arne said, straightening himself to avoid slouching in his chair. A reflex you've tried to help him avoid after recognising exactly where his fear of not sitting exactly properly came from, and a tap from your hand onto his shoulder broke him out of the reverie and got him to relax just a bit.
"Irish and Icelandic, yet your technology is not of tinker origin from the report Bumblebee forwarded. You are from space or perhaps a different universe da?" Nurzhan said with curiosity.
"Yes! It's the year fifty thousand and fourteen where we're from. We turned fourteen just yesterday!" You said before you ran down the usual explanation for him, noting him quickly getting out a tablet and furiously writing down notes onto it with a stylus.
"He doesn't even need to look at what he's writing." Arne said, his voice a low whisper with no small amount of impressed awe at it. Especially for an unaugmented human.
"Forty-eight thousand years in the future...hopefully this is not time travel." He said with a look of concern, steepling his fingers.
"They do not taste of the sands of years to come from the time deserts of this realm. Their soulsong quivers in tempos unique to them, just as mine does yours and Jetfire's does to the rest of us." Winterpyre crackled as he clenched his skull like jaw and snorted out a gust of steam.
"I figured as soon as you mentioned the president. So, I suppose it would be useless to ask what is in store then. Shame, I was going to ask for lottery ticket numbers." Piggott said with a slightly mirthful smile.
"Well obviously, even if this were time travel our presence here would either ensure a stable time-loop or create a differing branch; it would take very specific circumstances to really alter his-" You make a realisation after blurting out once more that fires off in your brain like a fusebox having some switches turned.
"Oh that's a...joke...sorry...but uh...ahem." You clear your throat and flush a bit red, feeling embarrassed at having missed the humour in that sentence.
"But to ah, get back on topic. We do recognise those holograms." Arne said, gesturing to the vaguely avian, partly insectoid, all lanky but definitely humanoid statue holding something in its outstretched arms while a cyclopean monolith sheltered another prize in a humming field of energy. While you looked at the avian statue with enthused joy, Arne's expression was one best described as "emotionally mixed" as he looked at the cyclopean edifice and its teardrop-shaped head.
"Chozo and Alimbic artifice. And many other progenitor cultures too! They must have visited this place during some extraversal research and left behind some relics. Ah, I wish my papas and mamas were here, I'd love to show you them in person!" You said, looking wistfully at the Chozo hologram in particular, reaching towards it briefly and making a soft smile.
"Hahah, well guvnah Kyrion's given us some details but if yer keen on giving us the rundown." Jetfire said, a jovial laugh coming from the Autobot.
"Oh, of course, the two of you are outright Progenitor-Touched, raised even. I'm just a spy at the end of the day. On this, I defer to both of you." Kyrion said respectfully.
"Oh, the Chozo are fantastic. Wise, ancient, and benevolent beyond measure. When I lost my first family, they took me in even when I had nothing to give them. Just out of the kindness of their hearts." You said with a beatific smile. Warm memories washed over you like the golden rays of the sun on a pleasant spring day.
"Most have left the material realm for one reason or another. But the ones who stayed still watch over the stars, helping to stop conflicts before they can happen. They even formed the Federation to help bring different cultures together peacefully." You said wistfully, brushing a bit of hair away from your face. A splotch of blackness on the causeways of destiny however gave you reason to flash a look of concern towards Arne.
"The Alimbics were...an Empire, the Tetrarch Order. Allies, then rivals of the Chozo until they all disappeared fifty thousand years ago." He said, avoiding describing them in overly specific details. His face wrenched itself with confused emotions. Love and resentment clashed inside of his troubled mind, and you laid a hand on his hair and scratched at his scalp in a way that made his tension just melt.
"Thank you." He muttered to you before taking the offered hand in his own and giving you a quick smile before turning back to the gathered group.
"They were...extremely advanced, more militaristic than the Chozo, more dominating. Some were buried on my homeworld in a deactivated battlecruiser and chose to take me in after Cylosis was...Kyrion can tell you the details." He said, fearful of confronting those memories head-on.
"The Chozo raised me on Zebes; the Alimbics raised him on Sentus Primaris. They augmented us with their DNA and helped us design our power armour and ships. Though we had to do all the hard work there, really." You said, deciding to take up the speaking role for him as he tensed at having to talk about his adoptive family. You didn't blame him; you wanted to scream whenever you had to retrace the steps made on K-2L in anything but the vaguest terms.
"They even educated us in well...nearly everything. But when we finished learning about the sciences, philosophy, history, and combat a year ago; they sent us to get social education amongst our home countries. We're in our first year of it. I think we're doing pretty good! At least, I know I've had a lot of fun." You say, beaming a bit as the gathered group nods intently.
"Yeah it's...been pretty good to get away from Sentus Primaris. Hang around other children more. Learn what I've been missing." Arne added, smiling a bit and giving you a sly smirk.
"Oi, so how'd you two meet anyway?" Jetfire cut in.
"Oh. On our twelfth birthday our guardians thought it'd be for the best if we were introduced to each other. Cultural exchange, we got along uh...very well." He said, his knowing look towards you making the both of you glow a bit as you snorted and shared his flush, breaking down into a bit of a giggle.
"So the gist is that both of you are only partly human." Legend said, making you narrow your eyes at him. You didn't like being called "half" human or "half" chozo. You considered yourself both in equal measure. A child of two worlds but wholly of both. You were Samus Aran just as much as you were Aira-Sekh. Being called partly human felt...denigrating.
Arne's mood outright soured in response, and he muttered "says the man with a symbiont stuck to his brain" under his breath. His humanity was always essential to him, and the very implication that he might be less than entirely human made his spine crawl.
"Tovarisch, perhaps you should leave the American obsession with hyphens at home, da?" Nurzhan said, raising a brow and looking up from his tablet.
"Remind me again why we're letting the Soviets sit in on this when this conversation is about an American incident?" Legend said, looking towards Jetfire with a mixture of displeasure and demanding curiosity.
"Cuz' yank, we got this base 'ere on their permission. Yer government wasn't exactly keen on letting a revolutionary movement set up camp so we bounced off over and 'fore you know it bob's your uncle. We gotta liaison with your government though, guess you're just not wearin' a fancy enough hat to speak to 'em." Jetfire answered casually.
"...Wait are you saying that they?" Legend started.
"Area 51 china. Relations' kinda frosty though."
"...Of course." He said. He felt clearly troubled that his own government would decide to keep something like this a secret from him. You sympathised with him.
"Hrm, now I'm curious as to whether you have a similar presence in Primal Earth's Soviet Union." Winterpyre said, licking their teeth and smouldering in the corner.
"'Course we do." Jetfire said with a shrug before looking back over to you.
"Right, anyways. We popped off onto your planet in the eighties, followin' Decepticon Space bridges in our Primus-Damned forever scrap. Turns out this planet, like the version of Earth we're familiar with; soddin' full of energon and other sundry resources too. Absolute motherlode 'ere. Dark Energon too." Jetfire said, his robotic interface with the holographic table showing Jetfire's ship entering orbit, sending out shuttles to more than one incarnation of earth.
Then it cut to autobot prospectors finding all manner of ample resources; especially powerful looking red crystals and glowing liquid red ores. This must be the energy that you detected in Bumblebee and the other Cybertronians and based on how it was shown being used; their whole society must depend on it. You saw it being used for everything from making more of themselves to fuel, weaponry, and even blood transfusions; using seeds of naturally occurring Energon to create far larger batches of pure grade synthetics.
Then it cut to images taken of a dark purple and malevolent looking counterpart to that red substance, the necrotic energies of the twisted energy making your skin crawl even in holographic form. Your spirit recoiled at the very sight of a substance like this, an offence to the very soul itself.
Even worse were the images of clearly dead beings twisted back into a horrible unlife, mauled transformers pulling themselves back up hungering for sparks or changed into more...advanced undead monstrosities and even dead organics lurching to mutated undeath. Inanimate machines twitched into a dark parody of life and animus, transforming into fearful robots with purple eyes of malice. Living beings shooting themselves with its sinister power to gain a clearly unholy power from it that made you lay a hand on your chest and muttered a prayer while Arne made a knot symbol with his fingers to ward himself against evil.
Nurzhan had already seen this before, but Legend and Piggott whispered amongst each other with concern. At the same time, Winterpyre howled with hissing hatred at the sight of the Dark Energon, pulling back and making a sound like a disturbed crocodile.
"So why didn't you see fit to tell us about the presence of materials valuable to your civilisation before?" Piggot said with a soft but definitely displeased tone.
"Because Autobot Prime protocol is ta try an' fix up these cock-ups with minimal disruption. We just start blowin' all this wide-open an' they ain't gonna keep playin' all sneaky like. Then, of course, yer end; we act openly, and we flip yer whole bloody world topsy-turvy. We'd have every bell-end starting an arms race or worse." He started.
"Course that's startin' ta get damn near impossible as every smarmy git tries ta knick off with more and more dosh makin' a right fraggin' omnishambles out the whole planet. Then ye got the knock-on effects from all these wazzocks havin' a butcher's and blimey the whole thing's buggered."
There was a profound silence.
"...What?" Legend finally said.
"What I'm sayin' is that we're probably gonna have to shift to public knowledge soon, even if your governments want us ta stay secret. Efforts at keeping this contained are gettin' undoable. Activity's bein' stepped up all across the board." He said, folding his hands together.
"I 'aven't got a lot of lads 'ere. Stretched thin as is. I was 'opin' that you could put in a word and ask for us ta cooperate. We're not gonna share our weapons kit as a rule unless absolutely necessary. But maybe we could coordinate." He explained further.
"We will primarily seek to deal with...extraterrestrial and dimensional affairs rather than overtly interfere in your local business. Though as the scale of interdimensional and terrestrial contact continues to increase the sustainability of noninterference decreases." Kyrion said, gesticulating naturally and calmly.
"We are in the dark regarding much of what goes on in the shadows just as you are. But I think this breach in secrecy can be put to good use. Especially with some noted centers of non-native activity already afoot; much of which is clustered around Brockton Bay." Kyrion added.
"What about us? We're obviously not of this Earth." You ask, turning to Kyrion whose visored optics flicked over to you.
"For the time being, a cover identity will suffice. As for your armoured operations, well; falling from orbit wasn't that subtle. Especially when we probably won't be able to keep the answer to whether you are alone in the stars secret for much longer." Kyrion said as Nurzhan and Piggot both looked towards them with alarm.
"What exactly are you referring to?" Piggot said.
"That the Rikti were willing to commit two platoons to chasing after two primal earthers suggests they've built up a formidable presence. They're going to make use of it soon." Kyrion said bluntly.
"Yes, the altered bloods must be amassing an army from the local population. Tell me Piggot, has there been word of monsters in the sewers and the homeless disappearing?" Winterpyre said, tapping at his skeletal nostril pit and then flicking his blazing gaze towards her.
"Yes...but there's rumours of monsters in every sewer and the homeless disappear all the time." She said.
"Doesn't that concern you? Ever?!" You say, blurting out and standing out of your seat.
"It's...not a good thing if poor people disappearing is just a normal thing." Arne added.
"Missing persons is not my jurisdiction miss Aran and mister Skjoldr. We're as...Jetfire said, stretched thin enough dealing with parahuman problems."
"Well, we can help with that!" You said, thumping your fist against your chest.
"Ay, I can groundbridge in some support meself. Might 'elp the squishies avoid gettin' fragged." Jetfire added.
"Tovarisch, would you be open to some international support? This is a matter of the whole of the Earth after all." Nurzhan said, looking up from his tablet.
"I will...likely need to refer to my superiors on that." Piggot said.
"If it would please you, we are well aware of what the Rikti can do. We could help navigate their bases if it would please you, mortals." Winterpyre said.
"Course, Windblade says ye've got some fancy scan bitz there ye two. Might be able to 'elp with IT on trying to crack the virus programs disseminated through all our monitored earths. Then we've got some local stuff 'ere in Arkhangelsk ye might wanna look at. Finally, there's something over 'ere in Germany that might be worth yer concern. Been buggin' Nurzhan for ages." Jetfire said, forwarding your suit some mission data.
Options:
Asking for more info/assistance: Pick three (limited due to time-sensitive nature of available missions)
[]: Ask more about the Autobot presence on Earth
[]: Inquire more about the PRT
[]: Look more into the situation in Europe
[]: Ask for more information on the Rikti
[]: Ask if Jetfire can retrieve your ships for you
[]: Ask Kyrion about Section 13's presence on the planet.
Mission choices:
Pick one mission to undertake.
[]: Mission 1: Rikti Tikti Tavi
Enemy: Rikti
Location: Brockton Bay, New Hampshire, United States of America, Earth Bet
Mission Type: Search and destroy
Objectives: Determine scope, nature, and intention of Rikti presence near Brockton Bay, eliminate hostile Rikti forces.
Difficulty: Moderate
Rewards: 2 Chozo artifacts, 2 Alimbic relics, High quantity Rikti Salvage, improved relation with PRT and Brockton Bay characters, access to Brockton Bay PRT facility.
[]: Mission 1a: Computer Woes
Enemy: ???
Location: Various, Earth Bet.
Mission Type: Investigate and extract
Objectives: Find at least three clues on Unknown Computer Virus, will require multiple destination visits.
Difficulty: Unknown.
Rewards: 2 Chozo artifacts, 2 Alimbic relics, reduced ability for Virus disseminator to track movements and monitor activities, unknown salvage, improved relations with Autobots.
[]: Mission 1c: Nazi punks fuck off
Enemy: Gesellschaft, Empire-88, Mysterious Benefactors
Location: Munich, Bavaria, Federal Republic of Germany, Earth Bet
Mission Type: Party crash.
Objectives: Uncover nature of the Gesellschaft's newest benefactors allowing the organisation to operate at far higher threat levels than normal, interrupt scheduled trade deal between Gesellschaft and Benefactors.
Difficulty: Easy.
Rewards: 2 Chozo artifacts, 2 Alimbic relics, unknown salvage, improved relation with Divzasovyuz and Primal Earth, access to Divzasovyuz facilities.
[]: Mission 1d: Tundra Terror
Enemy: Unknown
Location: Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russian Federative Soviet Socialist Republic, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Earth Bet
Mission Type: Track and rescue
Objectives: Investigate monster presence and rash of disappearing persons; locate and rescue missing persons.
Difficulty: Unknown
Rewards: 2 Chozo artifacts, 2 Alimbic relics, unknown salvage, improved relation with Divzasovyuz and Section 13.
(Squad composition select is currently unavailable)
Last edited:
Arc 1: Fourfold Endeavour. Mission 1: Nazi Punks Fuck Off! Part 1
[X]: Inquire more about the PRT
[X]: Look more into the situation in Europe
[X]: Ask if Jetfire can retrieve your ships for you
[X]: Mission 1c: Nazi punks fuck off
Mission 1: Nazi Punks, Fuck off!
Headlines
Freak Snowstorm shuts down schools in New England
Students face an extended vacation from school as a result of the sudden January blizzard sweeping in southwards from Canada in what meteorologists are describing as a record-breaking polar vortex. Many however, are baffled by the polar vortex's sudden shift further southwards, diverting from a continued westward approach to sweep over the eastern seaboard. With temperatures continuing to hold well below zero, residents of the area are strongly recommended to avoid going outdoors.
UFO Sightings increase dramatically following meteor shower
After a sudden and unexpected meteor shower earlier tonight following an unexplained detonation in high-earth-orbit, the incidence of UFO sightings across the world has increased dramatically. UFO enthusiasts consistently and repeatedly cite a consistent list of UFO shapes in their sightings and have posted many attempts at categorising them. Authorities have continued to refuse to offer comment regarding the sightings or if they have anything to do with it.
Neo-Nazi paramilitary activity on the rise
Neo-Nazi paramilitary groups have increasingly exploded in number, aggression, organisation, and lethality over the past few years, showing ever-increasing dominance of middle-class white suburbs pressured by political and economic uncertainty and Endbringer attacks. Attacks on non-white communities, left-leaning groups, Jewish areas, Romani peoples, Slavic immigrants, LGBT organisations, and disability advocates have more than tripled in the past year alone. As these groups grow increasingly bold and have begun to seize control of a number of populated areas and hold more openly violent rallies, authorities seem reluctant to properly confront the growing menace of the far right.
Japanese far-right paramilitary launches coup
With the Japanese economy in ruins following the devastation of Kyushu and mass exodus from the home islands, the Kōtei no kaze; a recently formed Japanese far-right organisation that openly claims the legacy of the Empire has amassed its forces to seize control over what remains of Japan, moving soldiers into the capital and declaring that it will rebirth the Japanese nation as it prepares to confront the remainder of the Japanese government. The group's ability to rapidly build-up such numbers, organisation, training, and equipment continues to baffle experts who are still at a loss to explain where the Kotei no kaze had even originated from.
Scion's disappearance continues to baffle experts
Scion's disappearance shortly into the new decade continues to be one of the most vexing mysteries of the parahuman community. While his whereabouts have always been somewhat difficult to track, his complete absence over the course of the past twenty months has been a cause for enormous concern, particularly due to the Parahuman community's continued reliance on him to deal with Endbringer attacks. While Endbringer attacks have also been on the decline, the lack of certainty as to his location has been cited as a pressing worry for multiple governments and parahuman teams.
Strange wildlife continues to appear around the world
Unusual fauna never before encountered by biologists has only continued to increase in the frequency of sightings and appearances. While only some are hostile, many are considered to be extremely dangerous and are a matter of parahuman or military concern. Few patterns seem to exist that can serve as a predictor for when and where these creatures will appear, but the damage to the ecosystem caused by their appearance has heightened ecological worries by many scientists as they race to try and find answers.
New Religions continue to grow
New faiths such as the Cult of the Void Father, the Temple of the Changemaker, the Church of the One, and the Faithful of the All-Knowing have continued to grow alongside a rash of Satanic, Angelic, and Neopagan cults of varying size and openness. Few unifying trends can be found among the various new religions save for an eagerness to acquire more converts and a predilection towards mystery cult structures that keep certain secrets of the faith beyond the prying eyes of outsiders.
Disappearances among the Homeless spike once again
Once again, the rate of disappearances among homeless persons has increased substantially. With a lack of discernable cause or reason for these disappearances, authorities have found themselves unable to offer any theories and have generally declined to comment or speculate. Common theories often link them to the increased sighting of monstrous potential Case-53s rumoured to be seen in underground cavern or sewer networks in cities around the world.
Samus
You flicked your eyes over to Legend and Piggot who were busily whispering about what their superiors would likely think of the situation. It was clear they hadn't counted on you being able to listen in on their conversation so closely but you weren't in a rush to spoil the surprise for them just yet. As they started to finish up with a mention of how Eidolon would likely need to be informed of several of the going-ons here, you spoke up to catch them off guard. A trick that Ian had taught you, catching people mid-sentence with a question tends to interrupt their train of thought and makes it harder for them to formulate a coherent lie to you. And you never liked being lied to.
"You said you were with the Parahuman Response Team yes? How exactly do you carry out your duties and why do you want me to join you?" You asked, politely but plainly, getting straight to the point while you swung your legs beneath the table and leaned in to make it clear that you expected an answer soon.
"We act in full accordance to the law and to the constitution of the United States, miss Aran." Piggot's seemingly reflexive canned answer almost made you roll your eyes. So old fashioned, why single out your unmarried status?
"But what does that mean exactly?" Arne asked, clearly about to say something likely to make Piggot outraged. You could see it in the way he quirked his brow, emphasising his right one. That was usually a prelude to the Cylosian boy asking something he had a feeling was likely to make the other person uncomfortable.
"Yeah, the police of your country in this time period are already well known for brutality and a strong bias in enforcement! Are your police like that at all? I haven't seen...anything really to suggest they aren't." You added as Jetfire let out a robotic laugh while Legend's face formed a hard line.
"We can't not enforce laws if we want a stable and safe society. Especially when so many existing threats to the general peace would gladly take advantage of any lapses in security." Legend said calmly, clearly trying to avoid coming off as lecturing you out of his courtesy towards younger people.
"But why do people turn to crime in the first place?" Arne asked, clearly interested in the answer as he shifted a bit forward and rested his cheek on the palm of his hand, bent on top of a seat. Different societies would tend to give him different answers to this question, and he was always interested in seeing just how they differed. The look on his face was difficult to read beyond curiosity, but then Arne had a habit of flipping between easy as an open book to read to being outright inscrutable to people lacking in psychic empathy.
"There aren't enough resources to try and quash every incident of poverty, desperation, or emotional disturbance. People need to be able to function on their own merits once they've been put on their feet. I'm sorry but we don't live in the sort of ideal world where everyone's needs can be taken care of." Piggot seemed to already know of the sort of angle that Arne was going for, which you figured was from an experience with dealing with people who'd prod her about the system she represented.
"Do you?" You asked.
"I'm sure even your far flung future has crime to deal with." She said.
"And in my country, we try to treat those people too." Arne said coldly.
"We are rather technologically behind where you say your societies are at. We don't have the same sort of Star Trek means of providing for a Utopia. We're trying to work with what's realistically achievable. Even the Soviets have laws to enforce and peace to keep." Legend tried to explain in an effort to defuse the situation. You weren't so sure about that yourself. More could always be done to make a situation better. Anyone who said that things were good enough was either deluding themselves or had a vested interest in keeping them from getting better.
"I'm not here to enforce your laws though, I'm here to help people." You say.
"We can work together then, but you need to understand why the rules we have are there. We can't have loose cannons enforcing their own personal vision of justice as they see fit." He responded.
"Joining us would also likely mean fast-tracking you both into receiving American citizenship, finding caretakers for the duration of your stay here, and ensuring that you will continue to receive a top-quality education. Not doing so will mean you will need to handle the system on your own." Piggot said, trying her best to sound reasonable even if you were having a hard time believing a lot of what she was saying was necessary. Why would you want to become a citizen of any of the countries here? You already had parents who loved and cared for you, and you were probably better educated than nearly anyone on this planet.
Did they just want to have access to your abilities on demand?
"Tovarisch, in the spirit of international solidarity I must note that you would be asking them to commit to a single nation's priorities and defence when we face threats than endanger mankind as a whole. Not to mention that you are hardly the only person in this room who could offer such deals. The Soviet Union would be pleased to accept your residency here, should you desire it." Nurzhan said, straightening himself to add to his posture. It seemed almost petty, an offer made partly to counter the other one.
"Please...stop with the recruitment ads. I just want to focus on the mission." Arne said, rubbing at his temples with clear and visible irritation. You lay a hand on his shoulder as he exhaled and looked ahead, rapping his fingers against the table while Winterpyre once again proved to be a surprising voice of reason following one of his demonic bellows.
"Indeed, we are here to discuss matters of very dire importance that concern at least two Earths. Let the star child say what he needs to." The Demon said.
"Yeh, we're on somethin' of a timer 'ere. Got a lotta blokes muckin' about an' not enough manpower to deal with 'em all."
Arne
"What are things like in Europe? How did neonazi groups become such a problem at this point in time?" You decide to ask, attempting to form a picture of the situation in your head. Your mother was of the people, and thus by the law of the Talmud you were also of the people. Beyond that, the idealist, racialist, imperialist, fascist, and darwinist vision offered by the heirs of the NSDAP rankled at the very core of your worldview. So the threat of a forty-eight thousand-year-old ghost in the form of Nazism that even into your distant future refused to rest quietly in its grave clawing its way back into relevance disquieted you tremendously. Especially when this was rather sooner than Nazism started to crawl its way back into the mainstream in your historical recollection. But then, the Soviet Union had dissolved by this point too.
"After Scion appeared in 1982 and got rid of the world's nuclear weapons, the Cold war basically came to an end. NATO and the Warsaw Pact decided to focus on their ends of the table and let the other be. There were some bumpy snags here and there, but the onset of parahumans meant that both sides had more to worry about at home than abroad." Legend started, alright so far that all seemed to make sense. It would explain why the political map of Europe seemed to be in almost...stasis really. Nothing being allowed to really shift or change.
"There were even efforts at trying to broaden cooperation between both blocs to deal with parahuman threats. But a lot of cold warriors got miffed that their pet issues were being ignored, and many of them decided to form their own groups. One of the most commonly problematic is the Gesellschaft, Neonazi nationalist group that got its start in west and east Germany from people who wanted reunification at all costs."
Samus drew her eyes to a hard glare and stopped her fidgeting as her lips pulled into a frown. You yourself felt your fingers come to a stop, and you straightened yourself in your chair to let Legend know you had his full attention.
"They truly got their start following the first endbringer attack in Iran, in 1992. The chaos and havoc caused by the appearance of giant monsters like in the old movies made many people very anxious. Made them want to know someone was looking to protect them and would stop the refugees that many media sources were scaremongering about from disrupting their way of life." Nurzhan picked up from where Legend left off, but Samus blurted out the question that was already on your mind before you could voice it. Always quick to voice what she thought she was.
"Endbringer? I saw that on your news but I'm not sure what they are besides being overly large monsters." She said.
"You know of how the Japanese would say, Kaiju movies da?" Nurzhan said.
You both gave a somewhat blank stare at the Commissar who realised his mistake to the satisfaction of Legend and a slight smirk from Piggot.
"Ah, so the local giant monsters then. Primal Earth has many such creatures. Each of Paragon's boroughs has at least one famous for regularly rampaging through it." Winterpyre said, getting a nod of affirmation out of Jetfire.
"Bloody awful it is, dunno 'ow anyone stands it."
"...Paragon City sounds awful." Legend said, quirking a brow high over his mask.
"It has its charms." The demon snorted.
"We're getting off...topic, can we refocus, please?" You said, slightly annoyed at the adults derrailing into whatever they fancied talking about while you were still fixated on what you saw as important. You let the tightness in your chest uncoil, breathing out to let them know that you had calmed down.
"Of course. They are a group with many sympathizers with substantial resources, and this has allowed them to claim the ability to induce parahuman triggers, creating their own supersoldiers. Or so they say." Nurzhan said, stroking his moustache as he ruminated.
"And with their money and those kinds of assets, they came to dominate most other Neonazi groups, folding almost all of them into their hierarchy as subdivisions. Their leader keeps to the shadows, but many believe he is a parahuman with the ability to convince people who listen to him talk of just about anything he tells them. Of course, that's only a theory. He's clearly charismatic, but tries to avoid getting into the limelight." Legend pipped in.
"The Empire-88 in my district has often been a nuisance, but I don't really have the resources to spare to properly contain them." Piggot said with a sigh. You had your doubts on that, but you kept them to yourself. While you did not trust Piggot, you weren't going to make an incident here. But you did turn to Samus and whisper something into her ear.
Samus
"Can we take a look at their actual resources? See where their efforts are actually going?" Arne asked, getting a nod out of you. You were willing to extend some benefit of the doubt to the grown ups here, but you operated under the philosophy of trust but verify. If Piggot here wasn't forthcoming about how much effort she was putting into dealing with the troubles in her backyard you'd soon know all about it. This often made you a touch..annoying to many authorities due to your inability to leave well enough alone and insatiable desire to know more, but if it was the right thing to do; why keep it a secret?
"So...you basically have an ultranationalist problem right?" You said, taking a look at the data offered to you.
"That would be the long and short of it da. These groups have been increasing their numbers, organisation, and the lethality of their equipment tremendously these past few years and we're struggling to find the sources. We know that Bavaria is one of their major nests, Bavaria has long been a hotbed of the German far-right and if I had to guess, they're probably hoping to succeed where Hitler failed." Nurzhan said, flicking through a few files on his tablet to find the report he needed and tapping it to display the gathered intelligence on the holographic screen.
"Beer Hall putsch? Why haven't you warned us?" Piggot stammered.
"I have, but your government doesn't seem to think you have the clearance for it." He said bluntly.
"I know about it." Legend assured her, drawing a hard glare from Piggot. Secrets once again proving their greatest power is to spoil relationships.
"Well, can we stop it?" You asked. If they were really planning to try and march on Munich there really wasn't enough time to be dilly-dallying around with twenty questions. You had half a mind to just go out there and handle it yourself but well...you didn't have access to your starship at the moment. That drew a pout out of you. You were doubtful you could fashion anything to a similar standard with the materials available on this planet.
"'Course we can. Just a bit of a matter of having to slip into Germany an' getting an idea of what exactly is goin' on there. The bleedin' gits gone and got themselves a yummy mummy rollin' them in dosh and sneakin' them the flashest bits an' I'm keen ta learn who the silly sod is." Jetfire said, bringing up some scans of Gesellschaft Soldaten with clearly atypical augmentations and access to military grade or even beyond weapons that they should not have been able to access in the Federal Republic of Germany.
"Oh, Jetfire. Would you please be kind enough to allow me to request a favour?" You said with the utmost politeness, almost offering him a bow as the Autobot turned his head towards you.
"'Course ducky, go ahead."
"I'm not a duck..." You murmured before clearing your throat.
"Arne and I have our starships still in orbit but cloaked. If we give you the telemetry data for them, could you fetch them please?" You said, making pleading eyes at the autobot, having learned well the power of giving a stare like a puppy to the right person to make their hearts just melt. Jetfire let out a bit of a laugh and nodded.
"'Course, 'course. I'll have the spacebridge on it on the jiff." He said, your armour mentally sending a command to the ship to allow this transition to take place as you gave him a wide, cheerful grin.
"Thank you so, so so much!" You said excitedly while Arne flashed a small grin.
"Well, at least I won't have to wait to see what the damage is in person." He said, relaxing slightly before Nurzhan put down another file onto the computer, letting the projector demonstrate the profiles of Molotok and Serp.
"You will be travelling with Molotok and Serp in their civilian guises, given the nature of this operation you may find it wise to only make use of your power armour when necessary. The Gesellschaft's benefactor may flee if spooked too soon, or the fight you would end up drawing may cause heavy damage to Munich. As this country is a NATO member, the PRT will be providing you with chaperones and a trusted West German confidant will keep in touch." Nurzhan said as he seemed satisfied that his operation was the one you decided to go with first, a beatific smile on his olive-skinned face while he threaded his fingers through his moustache.
A few minutes were needed to discuss things between the various groups, plans had to be arranged and calls made. You'd have to go out first and wait for the designated chaperones to arrive after receiving some civilian disguise clothes that let you fit into the general populace of Munich. But with the rather ad hoc nature of this mission it'd take a bit of time for everyone to arrive, especially as at least one of the parties had to arrive on relatively short notice. But how bad could a few minutes of waiting be?
Arne, Munich Airport, 2 hours later.
The January air of Munich was cold but not overly so. Certainly not within the confines of the airport as you stared at the food they had on offer and couldn't believe how it almost seemed to assail your nostrils with low-quality ingredients. The meat probably even came from an actual animal. While not above hunting in the right circumstances, the thought of eating something raised for the slaughter rankled at you, and you pushed the pork on the plate to the side. Every moment of waiting was agonising and you were bored out of your mind. You fidgeted intensely, Samus occasionally laying a hand on yours to get you to stop shuffling your fingers before you'd eventually resume again out of anxiety. The seconds all seemed to stretch onto infinity and you've probably memorised every inch of the food court here by now, adjusting your blue hoodie and glaring at someone staring at your distinctive red eyes and white hair and then doubling the intensity of that glare when they saw Samus and began to leer.
"Fraulein, if you want a good time with a proper man instead of a boy look my way!" The boy said in German, probably two years older than either of you. Roughly shaved with dirty blond hair and dull blue eyes. Samus looked towards him and raised a brow before shaking her head. Even if he hadn't insulted you, she'd have turned him down based on his half-hearted attempt to look rugged and his noxious personality.
"When are they going to be here? I'm sick of waiting..." You said, hazarding a sip from the soda and sighing. Passable, not good, but passable. It would have been better if your tongue couldn't taste some of the less pleasant substances that went into it.
"The food is awful." You say with a pronounced sigh at the end, speaking in Federal Galaxan to Samus so that no eavesdropper would be able to understand either of you.
"I knoooow, right?" Samus says, making a face at the Pizza she had half-finished.
"I can taste the despair this cow felt when it was milked." Samus said with a displeased expression.
"Too much salt on everything. No seasoning." You mumbled until you sensed the presence of people approaching to your left, a blond young man and a black haired young woman pulling up the seats next to you with trays at the ready.
"Privet!" Irina said as she scooched in close with a grin.
"Aren't we supposed to be speaking English or German here?" You said as she laughed a little.
"It's only one word of Russian." Samus said reassuringly.
"Oh of course, of course, my bad. I am Irinia, this silly lad here is Viktor, but I'm sure he'll let you call him Vitya soon!" She said, offering the two of you watches pulled from her purple sleeve.
"Gifts from the motherland, special communicators that won't draw attention. Also tells time with atomic clock precision and can play some games." She said as Viktor straightened out his green coloured jacket and unbuttoned it a bit, murmuring about how he hated going from cold to warm weather so quickly.
"Where's the rest of the group?" You said, looking over at a man in sunglasses with his arms folded who seemed to be trying to read a newspaper but from your glances at the direction his muscles were twitching was clearly monitoring you periodically. His occasional coughs or brushing of his face to seemingly wipe it clear guises for when he had to lower his head closer to a communicator in his neck cuff.
"We're being monitored." You said frankly, gesturing towards the seemingly unassuming brown-haired man.
"Ah, that's the westie. Don't mind Hans. He's shy." Viktor said with a snort.
You still had your suspicions, but you decided to keep them to yourself for now as Samus spotted someone approaching and waved over enthusiastically. "Guten tag!" She said with a voice so energetic that it could be used to power every city in a star system if only its dynamism could be tapped into.
You recognised the red hair of the man and the way he walked from the outskirts of Brockton Bay and figured him to be Ethan. "Hello, dad." You said with your best effort to avoid sounding sarcastic. You weren't too sure if you succeeded given that you weren't really too sure on how people intoned things in this period. "Where's mother?" You said, taking a look around to see where your senses were pointing you towards and well, Battery was about who'd you guess would come if Assault was being sent your way. But there was a particularly serious problem that cropped up in your mind as you let out a sigh.
"...Who thought this was a good idea?" You said with an exasperated sigh.
"Something wrong there kiddo?" Assault said.
"We don't look related." You said flatly, palming your face and looking to Samus for backup.
"Maybe they could say we're adopted or are from a different coupling?" She said with a thoughtful expression.
"Yes, this could work. Stranger arrangements have existed, but there is one problem, genosse." Viktor said in flawless German from the years he spent in East Germany.
"Look, I don't really care about the whole Iron Curtain thing, I just came over because Piggot said you guys needed two people who had met you before and could pose as a couple...and could speak some German. So...not a very wide list admittedly." He said with an exaggerated shrug.
"You two are in your early twenties. We are mid teenagers. The ruse will be very obvious to an observer." He said bluntly.
"Look, Victor, son." He said, patting the Russian on the shoulder in a way that briefly made him flinch but got no further reaction out of him.
"...That is my alias, seriously?" He muttered in a tiny voice.
"The key to getting into places you shouldn't be in is looking like you belong there and acting confident. Just roll with it and I'm sure people will just pass me and Jamie here as having aged well, right?" He said, pulling Battery in towards her, rustling his red coat against hers as she made an "oof" sound.
"So. You'll be called Gemma." Ethan said to Samus who squinted a bit at the name. The crass anglicization of her Irish name kind of sat wrong with her. She was proud of her Celtic heritage, however distant she was in time and space from Ireland.
"You." He said pointing to you "Are now Arnold and I strongly recommend you do something about that hair and eye colour." You frowned at that, you were very...fond of the way you looked, it was one of the most consistently praised features of yours, and so you ended up taking pride in it as one of the few things nobody ever criticised you over. Sure it was...exotic in this time period but changing it felt so...unnecessary.
"And you miss, copycat powers, are just Irene." He said, thumbing to Molotok who looked around and did a faux-look of shock and gasped as if she were surprised that he would dare level such accusations towards her before putting on her best New Yorker accent.
"Why I oughta show you wise guy!" She said in a voice that got everyone to break out into laughter.
"So...you're all done with that food right? ...Can I have some? I got up on incredibly early notice and I could honestly eat a whole herd of horses." Assault said, rubbing his stomach and eyeing Samus' pizza like a starving beast.
"Believe me, he can. Especially when he's not the one paying for the restaurant bill." She said, elbowing him and raising her brows at him pointedly, getting him to raise his hands in mock surrender. She held that glare for a moment before looking both ways and sneaking a slice of pizza into her mouth anyway despite what she had just said. This whole relationship just struck you as very...odd. But once the adults were done snacking and stood up to summon you to get going, Samus stopped you to point out the way that Serp and Molotok's pants accentuated their features, prompting you to stare at them both and nod in approval.
"Do you want to try with them?" You asked her as she gave a wide grin and nod.
"Absolutely!" She cackled quietly, that impish grin so distinct to hers giving you the distinct impression of troublemaking in the future.
...
A blue and white SUV waited for you in the parking garage while a sleek yellow and black camaro rolled up to the agent behind you. The car door opening before you had even reached for the handle confirmed your premonition that it was one of the autobots as Assault and Battery slipped into the front seats and the four of you piled into the rear area. The seatbelts pulled themselves over you all automatically and the GPS screen on the dashboard flashed with Strongarm's face immediately after.
"Bumblebee's more the kind of 'bot to work with humans but he doesn't have enough seats for all of you even with the alt-mode change. And you do all have to ride together to maintain cover. I'm Strongarm by the way. Uh, still doing okay in class Irinna? Vitya?" She said with her tone going from professional to familiar in an instant as the two Russian teenagers gave an enthused thumbs up.
"Right, there's a hotel already booked in that will serve as our base of operations. Hans and Eva already have equipment set up there."
"Hans and Eva working together without either fighting or fucking?" Viktor said quizzically.
"Or fighting and fucking." Irinna said with a cackle.
"Hey come on, little respect for the professional staring contest champions." Ethan said, making a "whoa there" gesture as Strongarm pulled out of the garage and presented a ticket for Assault to punch in.
"Hey I mean, sometimes they don't completely hate each other despite the whole curtain thing." She said with a shrug.
"So how does this whole...robots in disguise thing work?" Battery asked.
"We keep out of sight when we have to exit vehicle mode. Or at least, we erase security footage, sometimes memories too. We've tried to avoid getting close to parahumans by tracking that extradimensional signal you all have in your brains. Jetfire doesn't want us too entangled in that mess." She explained with a bit of nervousness, clearly not being used to speaking to people before Bumblebee cut in over the comms with a few beeps and whistles.
"How much does Area 51 actually know?" Samus asks, leaning in with curiosity as Strongarm seamlessly merged into the traffic of the winding roads of Germany, the low buildings of Bavaria's capital stretching into the distance as far as the eye could see.
"Not really much. They're not even really aware that we're aliens and we'd prefer to keep it that way. The Soviets forced an answer out of us to get permission to set up bases in their territory but most countries that even know we're there just think we're tinker robots." She said with an exhalation of relief. Hrm, you conferred with Samus briefly as Strongarm kept on driving.
"You think we can trust them?" You asked.
"I think so! They seem to be good people. But I'm not sure why they need to keep things so secret."
"Yeah, I'm not entirely sure of Jetfire's explanation." You whispered, speaking as quietly as possible to avoid the Autobot from hearing.
You glanced away from her and towards Munich. A small city of only somewhat over a million people at this point in time, but there was an uneasy tension to it. People on the streets moved with either braggadocious swagger or with cowed intimidation. Your eyes caught a lack of people who didn't fit a certain aryan standard, even though you knew that in this time period Munich was supposed to have at least something of an immigrant community.
Samus pulled your eyes towards some odd-looking helicopters moving in formation overhead, buzzing ahead unchallenged despite not bearing any Bundeswehr marks upon them. They were clearly on patrol of some kind, and moved like they owned the city, one of them ferrying some manner of cargo held closely to its cage like body by means of winch and crane. When one person tried to raise their phone to take a picture of the procession while you were stopped in some traffic, a Policeman seemed to be on the scene immediately. Through the door you could hear them shouting that this was a matter of national security and they couldn't be taking those pictures, roughly snatching the phone out of their hand.
"Something's not right." Samus said, squinting at the scene as Battery tensed herself.
"I'll say, he was on that kid faster than Velocity on a coffee machine." Battery said wryly.
The teenager shouted something at the police officer about having rights only for the officer and his partner to corner her, the girl backing up and reflexively trying to shove back only for her hands to be snatched into the cuffs of the officers and body flung onto the pavement. "Striking an officer? You know where that gets you." He said as he dragged her up and towards his car. Your heart almost stopped and Samus positively radiated anger outwards like a star of seething resentment. You wanted to leap out there and crack some skulls, but you were held back by the need to maintain cover. You might not have any substantial ties to this planet, but the people you were with did, and you couldn't put them at risk with your recklessness.
Samus grabbed at one of the pillows and let out a muffled scream into them, frustrated and digging her nails into them as she tried to work her way through her rising choler. She counted down, she breathed, she seethed, but she didn't explode just yet, in...out...she sighed and exhaled with visible frustration.
Samus
You were Samus Aran and you were bloody fucking furious. Such a blatant violation of that person. Such brutal thuggery on someone merely taking pictures of a curious sight. Something here was rotten and you bet it probably flew Swastikas all day and night. But you couldn't let your temper erupt just yet. The quarry would be lost to the wind if you just let out your rage all at once, and then where would you be? But you had an idea, one that brought a modicum of calm to you.
"Can we track that phone?" You asked.
"Easily, think it's related to the mission?" Strongarm said.
"It has to be. They don't want people seeing that cargo, and its not marked by the local government. I think those policemen were agents for the Gesellschaft even. I don't think they'll be taking her to prison." You said, going down your fingers as you listed off your reasonings. But the oddities of Munich had yet to fully exhaust themselves even in this car trip.
"Hey, look at that!" Irina said, pointing over to a veritable herd of shapes going down the road and melting into the traffic of the city. Trucks moving close together, but not so close that they might immediately draw suspicion moved down the road, all hauling clearly heavy loads in their trailers as they sorted themselves out towards a number of destinations. Warehouses, storage facilities, all with rather large numbers of people waiting for them.
Many of the trucks in particular moved as if burdened with something significantly heavier than trucks would normally be hauling. Overpowered engines letting them haul weights that based on the way the vehicles were moving, had to be in the scores of tons. While an ordinary person might have missed such details it all seemed so insultingly obvious to you. Who did they think they were fooling? This has to be some kind of major weapons shipment. Vehicles, robots, power suits and heavy weapons no doubt. These people were clearly preparing for some kind of putsch shortly and this city seemed to be borderline asleep to the possibility!
"This place gives me the creeps. Something is about to happen." Serp said with a gulp.
"Yeah, I get ya. I've counted what seems to be a small army's worth of likely goons so far. It's like they're barely even bothering to hide anymore. Probably figure they already own the place." Assault said, scowling a bit as he got a read on the area.
"Then why aren't people doing anything!?" You blurt out, getting a few beeps and whistles from bumblebee over the comms in response. Though Assault and Battery were clearly baffled by it, you managed to decipher his warbling just fine. Most people were just afraid to act out, and the authorities were largely either cowed to submission or weren't overly bothered with the idea of what was about to h happen when they were focused on "more immediate concerns". That made your blood boil, you could almost feel your heart attempting to leap out of your throat and wanted to scream once again, but the car ride soon ended as you briefly caught notice of two people pulling into an alleyway to have a quick conversation with each other about how the weather was and the likely forecast, though you recognised that forecast as inaccurate. Likely some sort of code, and your suspicions only hardened as they raised their arms at each other, quickly making a salute that made you go cold before you dashed inside.
The check-in was relatively uneventful, and the relatively meagre possessions the two of you brought with you were easy enough to put away as you filed into the cozy but not really extravagant looking room.
"Home sweet home." Assault said.
"Don't grab from the mini-bar, the prices are high-way robbery." Battery cautioned as Arne looked at the drinks stored within and then shrugged.
"I don't see any robbers hidden there."He said to you, prompting a nod of agreement.
"Oh...right...expressions uh...they're very expensive." Battery said before the door knocked and a blonde woman dressed as Hotel service staff harrumphed and urged you all a little closer.
"We have a few targets of interest for you. If you are ready to move out as soon as possible. Things are accelerating quite quickly." She said with a rather flawless Bavarian accent. A bit too flawless, probably Eva in all likelihood.
"You've already seen the helicopter and the police infiltrators. The trucks a third. My best guess is that the Helicopters are bringing in some time-sensitive equipment that requires a rush-delivery, while the police infiltrators are looking for people they can...pressgang shall we say?" Eva said with a hurried, hushed voice as if she were perennially worried about the possibility of someone eavesdropping on her, though she wasn't too obvious with the fact that she was leaning in.
"The trucks are likely bringing in heavy munitions of all kinds, enough to drive out the Bundeswehr and non-compromised police assets with ease. I however, have some leads on where the trucks might be coming from, as Hans and I have determined that they use fake license plates to guise the fact that they were manufactured from a different timeline; the models being ever so slightly off from what is commonly available. All trucks seem to stop by this building here." She said, quickly passing you a phone and tapping on a marker on the map.
"Probably the primary loading point. Good odds of someone important being there. Hans has also pulled up records of the employees of the parahuman research facility being replaced steadily but surely. Likely looking to steal some important data. Finally, a large number of very expensive hotel suites close to the mayoral office were recently purchased en masse. They're likely gathering troops there. I'm not sure which one is likely to bring you to the benefactor the fastest, if I had to guess maybe the Trucks or the Helicopter, but once you have confirmed information on their intentions; we need you to act as soon as possible." She said, her serious and business-like voice almost never breaking its practiced monotone, revealing virtually nothing of her emotional state. Even with your psychic empathy she was hard to read.
"We should probably check on the mayor first. I'm not comfortable with letting them get that close to the municipal authority. Especially with what happened the last time Nazis gathered in large numbers at Munich's beer halls." Battery said before Vitya shook his head.
"Nyet, the munitions need to be stopped from reaching their staging areas above all other priorities. They are going to cause havoc if we let them get their forces into place." Serp said. He spoke with genuine concern, waving his arms and then folding them over. He looked out at the city and then back at the room. "There are more than a million people here at risk if they get their soldiers armed in time."
"I need to know what they're doing with the people they're dragging away. The Gesellschaft's file said they often experimented on people. We can't let that keep happening." Arne said, adjusting his jacket and looking back out at the city as he tried to imagine where they might have taken that girl, what sort of building would they stash her away in and what sort of fate she might be suffering. It was something you emphasised with. "I'm not sure if they're actually planning an invasion, it seems too obvious and too out of line with the trade deal initially suspected. But I know that they're going to do something awful to people like her they just...snatched from the street." You sympathised the most with Arne's position and his focus on the human scale issue. But was it really the most important target?
"You said that Helicopter had time-sensitive equipment yes? Or at least, think you did?" Strongarm asked over the comms.
"Ja." Eva answered.
"That seems to be the most important target then. Whether this is a planned attack or simply a trade show, whatever's in there is going to be something valuable enough to demand attention at the highest level. I'd bet my spark that we'll find what we're looking for there." Strongarm wasn't super committal to that answer it seemed, but she did have a certain logic to it. If it was an important rush job, they were likely to have someone who mattered look over it.
"Look, if we cut their supplies off at the head then we shut the whole thing down. Seems to be the easiest way to cut the knot. Whether its an attack or a sale, no merchandise, no operation. Seems simple to me." Assault shrugged. Ahah, you understood that reference. You'd cheer at that if you weren't already so busy with everything else going on.
"The Parahuman research is almost certainly going to be used to torture people tovarischi, we can't let them get away with it. We could probably rush in, take the data quick, and still have time for the rest." Irina said, seeming firm in her answer.
Bumblebee buzzed in to tell you that he'd back whichever play you'd go for, trusting your judgement which would make you the deciding vote. Though in his opinion, it didn't quite matter as he believed all of these were going to be interlinked, disrupting one event in the chain was likely to unwind the whole plan. And in his experience as a scout, they were likely going to converge their assets towards a more central area to maximise their chances of success. Probably in a space where they could assemble troops without being spotted like an emptied warehouse. Furthermore, the initial intelligence said that this was a financial deal, and he wagers that the appearance of preparing an invasion might be a ruse to intimidate most parahumans away from their operation by a show of overwhelming force when in reality they're probably planning something besides a second beer hall putsch.
"Once you make your choice, you'll need to scope out what's going on and shut it down."
[]: Arne is right, go for where the cell phone signal is.
[]: Assault is right: Hit the depot
[]: Battery is right: Look at where they're renting out hotels.
[]: Irinna is right: Check on the laboratories.
[]: Serp is right: Stop their munitions from reaching staging areas.
[]: Strongarm is Right: Track the helicopter
[]: Bumblebee is right, they're going to congregate into a recently acquired space to assemble everything for a big show and they're bluffing about how strong they actually are.
[]: Write in
Last edited:
Arc 1: Fourfold Endeavour. Mission 1: Nazi Punks Fuck Off! Part 2
The Gesellschaft is the largest and most well funded Neonazi and Volkische organization on this incarnation of Earth and its most prolific international terrorist group in size, frequency of attacks, scale of operations, and number of fatalities caused by its operations. Operating primarily within Europe but also controlling subsidiary organisations around the world such as the Empire-88 in North America (referring to the numerical position of the letter H in the German alphabet as a means of referencing "Heil Hitler"), the Southern African SVDV, the Oceanian White Guard, and the Legion Buitre in Latin America; the group is largely regarded as having global reach. With a network of wealthy sympathizers and controlled enterprises of both a criminal and legitimate network, the Gesellschaft's resources far outstrip those of most other similar groups, and the offers of its wealth, technological resources, and prestige have allowed it to subordinate most other similar groups.
The Gesellschaft violently advocates for German reunification and the reintegration of Austria and the "lost territories" Germany was forced to cede at the end of the second world war into a reborn Reich and the subjugation and eventual eradication of the "asiatic subhumans of the east" as well as the eradication of "undesireables" within Europe proper, particularly within the realm of what is seen as rightfully Aryan territory. These include, but not limited to Jews, Roma, the disabled, Black Africans, Slavs, East and Central Asians, Muslims, Queer people, the Neurodivergent, Indigenous Americans and Oceanians, Freemasons, Communists, Liberals, Feminists, "Racial Traitors", Anarchists, Pacifists, "Cultural Degenerates" and more. Attacks on these groups are seen as a vital step in progressing through the ladder of the Gesellschaft's hierarchy and its vassal organisations are expected to meet certain quotas of violence against these groups per year to ensure that the progress of the "Volkskrieg" continues unabated.
The Gesellschaft's leader bears the title of "Kriegsfuhrer" and is entrusted with the prosecution of the conflict until its completion, with the aim of complete revenge for Germany's defeat in the second world war and the triumph of the Herrenvolk being non-negotiable to its plans and aims. The Gesellschaft also commands the ability to artificially induce parahumanization within individuals, allowing it to produce "Ubermenschen" for its goals and seduce the simply power-hungry to its objectives and cause. This has likely been one of the principal causes for its dominance over the white supremacy movement, but another has been a surge in support from an unknown and likely extradimensional benefactor that has provided it with a massive influx of funding, material support, technology, and manpower that has allowed it to step up its objectives to an unprecedented degree.
The Organisation is principally based in Bavaria, German-speaking Switzerland, and rural Austria, where the traditionally reactionary countryside of the Catholic German-speaking areas has long proven to be fertile recruiting ground. It also has assets in other areas of Germany such as the Democratic Republic and parts of Hannover and the Netherlands left devastated by Endbringer attacks. It has expanded beyond these regions, though its anti-slavicism has left its presence east of the Oder river somewhat weak. With its aspirations for controlling all current and former Germanic territories however, it hardly shies away from attacks against the eastern bloc, particularly due to its virulent anti-communist rhetoric. The Gesellschaft's leadership however, is believed to primarily visit in London rather than its heartland in Catholic Germany.
Samus' Notes: I'm not going to let them keep on carrying out whatever operations they please. Or any at all even. This all comes to an end now. Then once we've dealt with them, maybe we can help these regions heal? I'm not sure how much I can do on that front, but I want to try.
Arne's Notes: The dispossessed with nowhere left to turn but told to crave leadership turn to people like these as they always have. Repairing that will take mending the damage already done. But in the meantime, we should smash them at every turn.
Samus
"Where did you say those laboratories were?" You asked, Eva's eyes flicking over to you behind her shades. She passed a data packet from her equipment to your watch, your eyes looking down and seeing where it was marked on the GPS. Easy enough to reach, you could probably be there in about ten minutes if you went with bumblebee or strongarm, sooner if you went on foot. But you weren't exactly keen on waiting that long given that they were probably ransacking the facility for all the research they could. Research they were doubtlessly hoping to use to augment horrific programs that would serve to hurt millions more in the future. Not on your watch.
"Should we all head there? It doesn't seem like their most important objective. Likely to be a secondary task honestly." Serp asked. Your attention fixed on him briefly as your lips drew into a hard line.
"You don't know their capabilities all that well, I don't think splitting up would be a very good idea. Instead, we should you know...go together as a squad and take it out fast. And besides, we should think about long term threats." You explained, Arne stopping and having a thought about your point before nodding and speaking up.
"They probably want to further their understanding of the source of your abilities. If they're producing parahumans, they probably want to get any information on them anyone else has." Arne said, getting an affirmation out of you. He was speaking sense, as he usually did.
"And what about all their forces elsewhere?" Serp asked.
Bumblebee cut in once more with a series of chips, chirps, and whistles. He spoke of how they likely didn't really need to make such an obvious show of force in a city that was already essentially the heartland of their operations in Europe. They were unlikely to need to use an army to take over Munich given that they essentially already controlled the city down to the mayoral authority being in their pockets. He said that in all likelihood; all the forces being gathered here were likely being prepared to be moved out elsewhere, possibly to efforts to try and secure a power base in the north or plan an attack to the west or east.
His words had a ring of truth to them, and it seemed to convince Strongarm at least.
"Right, I won't claim to understand human politics all that well, but I do know that trying to stage a takeover of a city you already have in the palm of your hand is a waste." She said.
"Alright, I'm convinced. But what can we expect there? I'm not exactly bulletproof so I'd like to avoid running face-first into machine gun fire." Assault said while you had a think about tactics. You and Arne were immensely durable, as were the two autobots. Molotok could shrug off most impacts but had a vulnerability to thermal DEWs, Serp was somewhat tough but still not remotely rated for taking heavy-duty firepower head on. Looking at assault and battery, blessed spirits of the sacred departed you weren't sure if they could withstand the pistols here.
"Well, we just need to get close to surprise them before they can try to cover their tracks. We will, as you westerners say; get the drop on them. We will just need a bit of Maskirovka." Irinna said with a daredevil look that you immediately took a shining to. Oh you think you would like her quite a lot, especially as she started to rub her hands together in eager anticipation and formed a particularly impish grin on her face.
"So we're not just going to kick down the door?" Assault asked.
"No, she's got the right idea. If we come in guns blazing they'll probably try to pack up and leave. But if we can sneak up on them..." Battery said before Arne finished her sentence for her.
"We could take in some for questioning before they have a chance to flee. With a proper cordon not a whole lot of the-" He said before Battery, who would already displeased at being interrupted glanced over at him as soon as she caught the word "some" and then harrumphed rather noticeably as soon as she deemed that she had heard enough. Arne paused and you sensed a fleck of trouble in the causeways of destiny, a tangled snarl of potentially difficult fates stemming from this particular moment.
"What do you mean "some", Arne?" She said rather pointedly, folding her arms and raising a brow as if she were speaking to her son rather than a stranger from the stars.
"...A lot of them will choose to fight to the death and will have to be eliminated?" He said, clearly confused at the line of questioning.
"Yeah, I thought that was obvious? They're going to use lethal force against us and most won't de-escalate." You say, a frown slowly creeping its way onto your face as you study Battery's transforming expressions and then a slow sigh escaping her lips as she palmed her face. Frustration, that was something you recognised pretty easily. The loosening serpent of tension being replaced with a malaise of disappointment that made you question what you had done wrong.
"Alright, kids. You two are guests on this planet, and all of us are guests in this country. That makes it especially important that we don't kill people we don't have to. It's not our place to decide who lives or who dies without first letting them have the benefit of their day in court." She started, this lecture almost seeming to come off like an automatic script as if she had given it a thousand times before. She very well could have even, given that she was often in contact with the Wards of her home city.
"You do realise these people have enough firepower to flatten large sections of this city right?" Strongarm said incredulously.
"Look, I'm all for protocol, but this seems to be more of a military situation than simply a criminal one. They're armed for a major conflict and they already have the city under control. You can't just treat them like street punks in need of resocialisation." Strongarm continued, clearly baffled by this line of thinking.
"This city doesn't even have enough prison capacity for the sheer number of people we would be arresting!" You blurted out.
"...H-how do you know that?" Ethan said before you resummoned your gauntlet in a fizzle of light and let out a stream of data from the green orb at the centre of the back of its hand Serp's phone which buzzed in his pocket briefly before he took it out; sliding out the mechanical keyboard and squinting at it as he input his passcode; Chekov413 if you were following where his fingers were going correctly.
His eyes widened and he almost dropped the phone. "Nichego Sebe..." He murmured.
"...What's up Victor?" Assault said with concern.
"Based on this data she pulled, the whole city's police force is compromised going by their internet traffic. Bundeswehr facilities too. The mayor? Attends their secret rallies. Every major corporate head? On secret electronic messaging lists. This -entire fucking city- is in the pocket of the Gesellschaft." He said with alarm, running his other hand through his hair and murmuring to himself rapidly in Russian.
"How did you get all that?" Assault asked.
"My armour is part of me, a piece of my soul." You started as if this was a completely normal sentence to make. "I can access some of its abilities even without it on. Scanning is one of them." You said, hardening your expression as you dismissed your gauntlet and let your normal hand show itself again, wriggling your fingers a bit.
Bumblebee cut in to confirm your report, having been running his own electronic reconnaissance while everyone was busy. Arne and Strongarm would add their own affirmations soon afterwards after thinking to double check your information.
"Hahaha so Munich, safest city in West Germany..." Assault said as if he was about to have a panic attack.
"Is basically completely overrun by fascists. Well, tovarischi, I think this makes our work simpler, nyet? We need not bother with cooperating with authorities." Irinna said, cracking her knuckles and looking like this was the best news she had ever received in her life.
"Right, but I still like that quiet approach idea of yours better, works better for us squishies." Assault said, sighing a bit as he didn't look forward to going up against groups armed to military standards.
"Wait...maybe the two of us and one of the autobots could pull their attention from the front and you go in with another one of them from behind?" Arne proposed, snapping his fingers in realisation. You rather liked that idea.
Arne
You summoned up your gauntlet and projected a hologram from the crystal at the back of its palm bringing up a map of the university's Parahuman studies wing attached to its Chemistry and Pharmacy facilities.
You had studied the floor plans in your mind after scrounging through the internet for them, vaguely annoying but not at all difficult work. Why so much of this information was restricted to students and faculty was beyond you, but it was a simple matter to slice in through the code.
"Okay here's the stuff I've got. tTe entrance to the parahuman studies facility is accessed through an entrance beneath building B of the LMU Fakultat fur Chemie und Pharmazie." You said, highlighting the structure and its modified floorplan, showing a tunnel into a subterranean facility where the city of Munich's premier university conducted most of its research on the parahuman phenomenon. It seemed kind of basic to you, but you guessed they may have run out of space for a proper above-ground building.
"So what sort of opposition are we up against then, kid?" Assault said, getting a bit of a glare from you as you rankled at the descriptor of "kid". You knew what you were doing, you'd been literally raised for stuff like this. You sighed, relented and let go of the annoyance, focusing on just presenting the data you had like you were supposed to.
"Based on the posted guard schedules sent through their internal messaging systems; they've established a perimeter around the red lines of roughly fifty groups of five patrolmen." You said, drawing a hard look of worry from Irinna as she stroked at her chin.
"Two hundred and fifty men?"
"I'm not done. Reserve patrols of another two hundred and fifty personnel are waiting to rotate in but would be called in if it gets serious. They've also got parahumans and "special assets" on stand by to deal with any hardcore resistance." You said flatly. "Based on this...they're not expecting a fight, but they're prepared for one. If they're moving around this many people in the open, they probably think nobody's going to stop them." You said with concern, rubbing a bit at your chin and shaking your head.
"So thankfully, we're here to make sure they don't keep believing that." You smiled a little.
"The local police department also would report anything suspicious to the Gesellschaft's command too." Samus added, showing a series of messages showing the precinct command of the police department reporting quite happily to the Gesellschaft's Gautier for the city of Munich and that their forces were at their disposal. "It's disgusting, but it's what we have to deal with."
"You know, when I came here I wasn't expecting to have to fight the cops..." Battery grumbled before shaking her head and trying to move past it.
"When German police and intelligence tried to infiltrate neonazi groups, they decided to infiltrate back. Now infiltration is one of their chief sources of money and organization. I've been trying to untangle the network of compromised double-agents fo years. Wish I had more luck." Hans' voice crackled over the radio link to Battery's concern, surprise, and no small amount of fear.
"I mean, it does make sense. Infiltrate the people with the most power to shut you down and turn them into assets. We see it a bunch back in the Bay with the Riot cops." Assault said, to which you nodded. Based on your studies of these kinds of extremists, law enforcement was nearly always the first target for their subversion.
"Meanwhile, a group of about fifty people are busy rifling through the information in the university to locate anything of interest. They've been waiting for an excuse to raid into the university for years now. Not sure what's been holding them back for so long, but it's no longer there." You added.
Bumblebee chimed in to add some more information pilfered from his cyberscouting; being almost as skilled at electronic reconnaissance as he was at conventional exploration and discovery. He informed you that motorised patrols were also present, generally distributed along the lines of a single car's worth of people per group. In the rough area there were about twenty two such groups who would likely come if called. Not to mention the "heavy assets" who would bring military grade force if particularly fierce resistance was encountered.
The Gesellschaft owned this city to the point of regularly holding rallies and expanding its operations from merely focusing on parahumans to trying to build a new brownshirt army of street fighters among unpowered individuals as well as a paramilitary outfit. But most concerning was that they were constantly getting supplies for military grade ordnance despite not making any discernable purchases from any known arms dealers. It was as if the weapons they were getting were just popping out of the ether. Which to bumblebee, indicated that their dealer was almost certainly not of this earth.
"So with that in mind...I think I could maybe, crack into their communications and divert some patrols to clear out a way for infiltrators to get in through? I'd want at least one of the Autobots to follow you though. Take the heat for you." You said, looking at the gathered group.
"Yeah, if you can't reliably survive low velocity munitions like these it would be horrible to ask you to jump in front of them. Even if you're all so brave to try it with your damaged genetic code and substandard armour." Samus said with an easy smile, the unknowing insult getting a tch out of Assault and a raised brow from Irinna.
"Damaged?" She said with a quirked brow.
"You people have so many genetic diseases...most of you won't even last a century." You said with a sad sigh, they looked like nice people too. It'd be a shame to have to see them age and die if they didn't accept treatment for their poor health.
"Wow, here I thought I was on the right diet and exercise plan. Thanks for that." Ethan laughed, seeming to be in good heart about it all to your immense confusion. With a risk of cancer like his and the extremely poor methods of treating such a trivial disease available to this world he shouldn't be laughing so hard about it. It seemed like a horrific way to die.
"Honestly, unless you have some magic gene editor doohickey to fix that in five seconds don't worry about it. Living to fifty in this line of work is enough of an accomplishment." Battery said, trying to blow it all off like a joke as she cracked her knuckles and thought of a plan.
"Well...with a restore station it wouldn't take five seconds...it'd take much less time than that." Samus said with a shrug to the confused staring of Assault and Battery while Serp and Molotok looked at each other and then simply shrugged and muttered something about people from space being very confusing.
"Primus don't get me started on organic life spans...you all act so weird when we tell you that five million of your stellar cycles isn't that long." Strongarm added.
"Five million years ago there weren't even any humans Strongarm! Perspective, please!" Irinna snipped at her.
"Okay, okay, please focus..." You said, disgruntled at the off topic derailing of this conversation and the lapsing into what you saw as annoying, childish bickering about stuff that didn't matter.
"We need a plan of approach. Once we're close, I can send you guys local camera footage for some additional intel, but we need to decide how to get there. All in on sneaking around, guns blazing, or splitting up?" You said, pondering the map's information like it was a holy text.
Options:
[]: Everyone go in and kick down the door, gives the Gesellschaft the least time to complete their theft but carries the most risk for more fragile members of the team.
[]: Go all in on stealth, everyone moves in to sneak in, only revealing themselves when fairly close. This will take the most time, but ensures that more fragile members of the team will be put at little risk.
[]: Divide team into stealthy and loud groups; even balance between prior two options.
[]: Write in
Suboptions:
[]: Keep team unified; Move as a single group (not compatible with Divide team)
[]: Divide Team; Specify who goes into which group
Free options:
[]: Request character profiles for Strongarm, Molotok, Serp, Assault, Battery, and Bumblebee.
[]: Local news headlines
[]: Additional scan logs (request three things that Arne or Samus have seen that do not have scan logs)
Arc 1: Fourfold Endeavour. Mission 1: Nazi Punks Fuck Off! Part 3
[x] : Go all in on stealth, everyone moves in to sneak in, only revealing themselves when fairly close. This will take the most time, but ensures that more fragile members of the team will be put at little risk.
My apologies for the massive delay with this post but I was initially thinking to create this whole magnitude-based stat system before I realised that this was delaying the post by an unacceptably long margin and decided to just stick with purely qualitative descriptors of strengths and weaknesses that would both be much easier on myself and also allow this post to just come out already. Maybe I'll keep working on the new stat systems in the background, but for now; we're not going to be touching that mess.
Especially because this has been holding up literally ever other writing project because of my perfectionist tendencies.
Stats aren't really equalised, especially at the beginning. Samus and Arne are far and away more your primary instruments in combat, while the Cybertronians are much tankier and hit harder than the Parahumans and Metahumans as a rule until you've put enough effort into helping them catch up. Parahumans and Metahumans have a wide variety of special effects though.
Samus and Arne will have their sheets redone in a style similar to this at some point.
Solar Cannon: Very High Rate of fire, Very Highly Chargeable, Great Armour Penetration, Very Good Shield Disruption, Very Good Damage, Very long Range, Targets are considerably more vulnerable to follow up damage, Strongly Incendiary. Charged Shots deal AoE.
Laser Cutter: Continuous Rate of Fire, Incredible Armour Penetration, Very Good Damage, Strongly Incendiary, Very Long Range.
Stinger: Continuous Rate of Fire, Very Good Armour Penetration, Good Damage, Extreme Shield Disruption, Extreme Stunning Effect, Very Long Range, Chains between multiple targets, Extremely Electrified.
Scatter Blaster: High Rate of Fire, Good Armour Penetration, Extreme Damage, Good Multi-Target
Multi-missile launcher: Low Rate of Fire, Great Armour Penetration, Great Damage, Extreme Range, Large Area of Effect, Great multi-target
Mini-missiles High Rate of Fire, Great Armour Penetration, Great Damage, Very Long Range, Large Area of Effect
Grenade Launcher: Medium rate of fire, extends Grenade range.
EMP Grenades: No Armour Penetration, High Shield Disruption, Very High Base damage, weaker against biological targets, stronger against mechanical targets, Very Strong EMP effect, throwing range, large area of effect.
{*]Plasma Grenades: Very High Armour Penetration, Very High Damage, Throwing Range, Very Large Area of Effect
Gamma Grenades: High Armour Penetration, Very High base damage, Weaker against Mechanical targets, Stronger against Biological Targets, Throwing Range, Highly Sickening, Large Area of Effect.
Detonation Hammer: Medium Attack Speed Penalty, Great Armour Penetration, Extreme Damage, Great Concussion, Large Area of Effect, Long reach
Energon Blades: Melee Weapon, No Attack Speed Penalty, Very good armour penetration bonus, Good Damage Bonus, Highly Energised, Highly Superheated, Short Reach, x2
Armour:
Light Type Cybertronian Armour: Powered, Good Strength and Speed Enhancement, Good Self-Repair, Highly EMP resistant, Shielding generating, Easy to repair, Incredibly Durable, Great Armour Save, Great Damage Reduction. Facemask protects against blinding, deafening, and atmospheric effects,
Miscellaneous Gear:
Traits
+: Expert Scout: Bumblebee is tremendously good at finding out things that he shouldn't and has a critical success range for scouting on a roll of 70 or higher on the D100 and on the confirmation roll.
+: Ancient Warrior: Bumblebee is an extremely experienced combatant and is quite literally built for conflict. Bumblebee rerolls all failed combat-related rolls and has his critical hit range increased doubled and needs to triple confirm to critically fail.
+: People's Champion: Bumblebee is one of the most empathetic and kind autobots around and naturally gels well with the dispossessed, meek, young, or disadvantaged. Bumblebee gets strong bonuses to positively affecting these people. He also gets this bonus in dealing with mental health issues thanks to his long experience with comforting others who are down on their luck. He also rerolls any failed morale check twice if someone more vulnerable than him would be endangered by him failing that check.
+: Goldbug's Luck: Bumblebee is one of the luckiest autobots whom fortune tends to favour. In background rolls, bumblebee gets an additional 3d10 rolled to be added to each dice except when he gets a natural one and a second natural one on the confirmation dice.
+: Everyone's Friend: It is very easy to build platonic friendships with bumblebee, with the threshold of positive interaction needed to improve a platonic relation with bumblebee being significantly lower than average, he also gives improved cooperation benefits for friendships.
+: You don't seem right: Bumblebee is very good at picking up possible imposters and his success range for picking out any possible infiltrators amongst the ranks is never lower than a roll of 50 or above on a D100 rolled during every social interlude or mission.
=: Robot in Disguise: Bumblebee is a Cybertronian and is thus given a robot's list of built-in capabilities, resistances and immunities as well as some particular vulnerabilities, as well as some particular to Cybertronians. For the sake of the Manton Effect and similar limitations, Bumblebee is considered to be partly between life and machinery, making him resistant but not quite immune to powers that only affect organic or inorganic material. He can also transform into vehicles relatively close to his robot mode in overall size.
-: Mute: Bumblebee lost his voice box in the Great Cybertronian Civil War and cannot speak conventionally, being limited to sign language, text messages, or soundbite clips. If these are not available or cannot be interpreted by the person he is speaking to, he is incapable of communication and at times he will be incapable of getting across his exact meaning if the other person cannot receive a text message or signage from him.
-: We're Here to Protect People!: We're here to Protect: Bumblebee is adamant about protecting people who are in need of defending and will not agree to any plan that will unnecessarily leave people who can't help themselves at risk without a difficult diplomacy check and will insist on accompanying people he sees as more vulnerable and are lacking in other guardians.
-: You're my friend, and I want to be there for you: Bumblebee can accumulate stress points at a high rate if someone he has bonded with goes out of contact with him for a long period of time. Especially if he has reason to worry for their safety. He will also be likely to intercede in social complications out of a protective urge.
Subject is a sort of robotic mimic known as a Cybertronian named Bumblebee, presently taking the guise of a 1984 Volkswagen Beetle. Spatiochronal analysis suggests that he is not from either this universe or from yours but reveals an age of 5,379,129 Earth years. Analysis indicates that subject is powered by novel energy source referred to as "Energon". Energy readings are especially concentrated in the core region of the body within a spiritual analogue referred to as the Spark. Bumblebee is fully sapient and is capable of altering configuration between vehicular and bipedal mode. The presence of multiple concealed weapons has been detected, but overall systems are inferior to your own in efficiency and sophistication; compensated for by greater size. Further analysis indicates that subject is incapable of intelligible vocal speech due to relatively recent damage. Bumblebee's records indicate that he is a native of the colony world of Velocitus in the whirlpool galaxy.
Relationships:
Strongarm: Bumblebee and Strongarm are close friends, and as such can roll a diplomacy check with full modifiers to relieve stress points twice between missions and once during a mission. They also gain a strong bonus to cooperative checks when working together and can use a few special techniques when working in tandem.
Windblade: Bumblebee and Windblade are best friends, and as such can roll a diplomacy check with full modifiers to relieve stress points thrice between missions and twice during a mission. They also gain a Magnitude very strong bonus to cooperative checks when working together and can use special techniques in tandem.
Physical Health: Great
Stress Levels: Healthy
Experience: Incredible
Training: Phenomenal
Leadership: Great
Morale: Impeccable
Combat Skill: Fantastic
Intrigue Skill: Very Good
Diplomacy Skill: Very Good
Administration Skill: Great
Academic Skill: Good
Tech Skill: Great
Vehicular Skill: Great
Esoterical Skill: None
Esoterical Potential: None known
Esoterical Resistance: Decent
Strength Category: Phenomenal
Durability Category: Phenomenal (Phenomenal Shielding, Phenomenal Armour)
Resilience Category: Phenomenal (Incredible Shielding, Phenomenal Armour)
Speed Category: Very Good/Excellent (Vehicle mode)
Cleverness: Very Good
Perception: Incredible
Weapons:
Neutron Assault Rifle: Incredible Rate of Fire, Very Good Armour Penetration, Very Good Damage, Very Long Range, Targets become moderately more vulnerable to follow up damage
Path Blaster: Medium Rate of Fire, Incredible Armour Penetration, Extreme Damage, Phenomenal Range
Scatter Blaster: High Rate of Fire, Good Armour Penetration, Extreme Damage, Good Multi-Target
Subsonic Repeater: Absurd Rate of Fire, Good Armour Penetration, Good Damage, Medium Range
Magma-Frag Launcher: Low Rate of Fire, High Armour Penetration, Incredible Damage, Long Range, Huge Area of Effect, Very Highly Incendiary
Mini-missiles: High Rate of Fire, Great Armour Penetration, Great Damage, Very Long Range, Large Area of Effect
EMP Grenades: No Armour Penetration, High Shield Disruption, Very High Base damage, weaker against biological targets, stronger against mechanical targets, Very Strong EMP effect, throwing range, large area of effect.
{*]Plasma Grenades: Very High Armour Penetration, Very High Damage, Throwing Range, Very Large Area of Effect
Gamma Grenades: High Armour Penetration, Very High base damage, Weaker against Mechanical targets, Stronger against Biological Targets, Throwing Range, Highly Sickening, Large Area of Effect.
Energon Blades: Melee Weapon, No Attack Speed Penalty, Very good armour penetration bonus, Good Damage Bonus, Highly Energised, Highly Superheated, Short Reach, x2.
Armour:
Medium Type Cybertronian Armour: Powered, Very Good Strength Enhancement, Good Self-Repair, Highly EMP resistant, Shielding generating, Easy to repair, Phenomenally Durable, Fantastic Armour Save, Fantastic Damage Reduction. Facemask protects against blinding, deafening, and atmospheric effects,
Miscellaneous Gear:
Traits:
+: Memorised Protocol: Strongarm gets and gives a strong bonus to any checks revolving around protocol, legal codes, rules, regulations and other such structures.
+: Autobot Elite Guard Training: As part of the Autobot Elite Guard, Strongarm has received training from a military tradition honed over millions of years of combat. She doesn't need to roll to confirm criticals and never critically fumbles combat rolls.
+: Ancient Warrior: Strongarm is an extremely experienced combatant and is quite literally built for conflict. Strongarm rerolls all failed combat-related rolls and has her critical hit range doubled with any weapon and needs to triple confirm to critically fail.
+: Made of Sterner Stuff: Strongarm can roll a d100 whenever hit and on a 70 or above she simply ignores the hit entirely even if she otherwise failed to save.
+: Cool Head: Thanks to her Elite Guard training, Strongarm keeps a firm head on her shoulders and can never automatically fail a morale check and doesn't take stress penalties to morale or leadership checks.
+: Enduring: Strongarm takes three times as long to risk getting stressed from overwork as other characters.
=: Robot in Disguise: Strongarm is a Cybertronian and is thus given a robot's list of built-in capabilities, resistances and immunities as well as some particular vulnerabilities, as well as some particular to Cybertronians. For the sake of the Manton Effect and similar limitations, Strongarm is considered to be partly between life and machinery, making him resistant but not quite immune to powers that only affect organic or inorganic material. She can also transform into vehicles relatively close to his robot mode in overall size.
-: Bad at improv: Strongarm takes moderate penalties to most types of rolls if forced to act without any sort of plan in mind or if something completely unexpected and unforeseen comes up.
-: There are rules for this! Strongarm requires diplomacy checks to convince to do actions that go outside of standard Autobot protocol.
-: Underconfident: Strongarm has confidence issues when it comes to working on her own or taking her own initiative without orders and will take a morale penalty if operating without guidance.
Strongarm has been active for about three point three million years, young by Cybertronian Standards, but has spent virtually all of that time in combat or covert duties. As such she is considered a young but dedicated soldier; rather by the book and a stringent observer of protocol. She is one of the most promising newer members of Jetfire's crew and is a stickler for making sure that all protocol is followed, particularly those relating to secrecy and ensuring that the disruption done to Earth's societies isn't overly extreme. Though empathetic, her focus on combat training means that she's not the best negotiator unless she has a rigid system she can navigate and take advantage of. However, her experience in the Elite Guard means that there's rather few combat situations she can't handle, and she's decently well-read. However her inflexibility regarding protocol makes her somewhat poor at stealth operations. While stubborn and willful, she's reasonably humble and always has a mind for making sure that the job is done right.
Relationships
Bumblebee: Bumblebee and Strongarm are close friends, and as such can roll a diplomacy check with full modifiers to relieve stress points twice between missions and once during a mission. They also gain a Magnitude +3 bonus to cooperative checks when working together.
Molotok
Description (In Lieu of Image):
Passage said:
" The Russian girl was wearing some manner of mask and a colourful but practical looking military produced costume with green coloured inset plates, red trimmings, and the occasional gold highlights; she looked rather nice. She was definitely someone who spent a lifetime continually working out, with the armour padding of her suit giving a good impression of the contour of her musculature. Closer examination also showed that the outfit seemed to have attachment points for added plating".
Irinushka wears her black hair long and straight down to about the midsection of her back, her features are slender and agile rather than powerful; clearly built for moving as quickly as possible. When relaxing but in uniform, she wears a mask that can cover most of her face save for her hair with a removable mouth-filter and eyepieces and adjusts her hairstyle with a hairband to keep her identity protected. Like most Soviet bloc heroes, her uniform is meant to be primarily practical with some concessions made to fashion and individual preference within reason. When in battle gear, she attaches carefully weight distributed semi-powered armour designed by the "Spetsproizpo" (Spetsial'noye proizvodstvennoye podrazdeleniye: Special Manufacturing Division), Tinkers with access to the resources of the whole of the Soviet Bloc divided into teams based on speciality.
Her armour is meant to cover her weaknesses without impeding her or requiring too much in the way of intense maintenance. Made with special materials highly resistant to most forms of energy transfer and fitted with semi-powered systems that allow it to carry itself, the plating added to the armour is styled off of Soviet "Ratnik" infantry patterns. A military-style helm fitted with an eyeshield and filtration guard protects her head, keeps her up to date with the OGASnet and communications sent her way, and wards her from atmospheric poisons. The hermetically sealed plated body armour helps screen out radiation, electricity, cold, and heat, and keeps her at a comfortable temperature. Its colouration is largely the same as her underlying uniform, and her helm fits her hair by unknown means.
The insert nature of the plating also makes it easy to repair, simply slotting in replacements for damaged or destroyed portions of her outfit. and stitching up any tears in the dura-fiber construction of the fabric. She wears a service patch on her arms, the Soviet Red star in the midst of her helmet's forehead section, and her personal symbol of a golden rocket carrying a platinum coloured hammer to the stars lies at the midsection of her uniform and on her chestplate. She also usually has an infantryman's backpack on her back to carry supplies when on long missions likely to take her far away from the usual lines of support. Like most Soviet heroes, she rejects wearing actual capes as pointlessly exposing herself to a potential hazard.
Real Name: Irina "Irinushka" Vladmirovna Kuznetsov
Aliaes: "Hammer", Molotok, Probzhen (Short for "punching woman"), Tovarishch pushechnoye yadro (Comrade Cannonball),
Gender: Female
Species: Parahuman
Orientation: Bisexual
Age: 14
Ethnicity: Great Russian
Affiliation: Soviet Union (Otmolsoza)
Height: 5'7/171 centimetres.
Mass: 59 Kilograms
Eye Colour: Green
Hair Colour: Black
Physical Health: Great
Stress Levels: Healthy
Experience: Decent
Training: Very Good
Leadership: Good
Morale: Great
Combat Skill: Good
Intrigue Skill: Good
Diplomacy Skill: Very Good
Administration Skill: Good
Academic Skill: Very Good
Tech Skill: Decent
Vehicular Skill: None (Doesn't know how to drive)
Esoterical Skill: None
Esoterical Potential: None known
Esoterical Resistance: None
Strength Category: Moderately superhuman
Durability Category: Moderately Superhuman (Augmented by kinetic absorption and redirection, decently durable armour and variably strong shielding)
Resilience Category: Very Good (Shielding can be bled through by energy attacks but is extremely effective against kinetic attacks, low-grade armour)
Speed Category: Great
Cleverness: Very Good
Perception: Decent
Weapons:
One Handed Kinetic Hammers: Melee weapon, moderate rate of attack penalty, low armour penetration bonus, low damage bonus, short reach, moderate concussive, x2.
Two Handed Kinetic Hammer: Melee weapon, Moderate Rate of Attack Penalty, Low armour penetration bonus, medium damage bonus, medium reach, moderate concussive, two handed
Containment Foam Grenades: N/A armour penetration, N/A damage, Strong Restraining Effect, Medium Area of Effect, Long Duration, Throwing Range.
Flashbang Grenades: N/A armour penetration, N/A damage, Strong Blinding Effect, Strong Deafening Effect, Medium Area of Effect, Throwing Range.
HEAT Grenade: Low Armour Penetration, Low Damage, Incendiery, Small Area of Effect, Short Range.
Frag Grenade: Weak Armour Penetration, Weak Damage, Medium Area of Effect, Throwing Range.
Armour:
Otmolsoza Thermal-Armoured Costume; Semi-powered, Low Armour Save (improves to medium against energy attacks), Low Damage Reduction (Increases to medium against energy attacks), Highly EMP resistant, Effortless to repair, Helmet protects against blinding, deafening, and atmospheric effects,
Collapsible Riot Shield: Offers cover, increases armour save and damage reduction, can be used as a weapon with somewhat increased melee damage.
Miscellaneous Gear:
Traits:
+: Energetic: Irinushka loves being part of the Otmolsoza and the opportunity it gives for her to feel powerful, accomplished, and like she's making a real difference in the world. She always rerolls failed saves against Stress Gain and takes two missions without a break to have to save against Stress gain.
+: Star Pioneer: Irinushka is a well-beloved part of the Otmolsoza and gets a significant bonus to diplomacy within the Earth Bet Soviet Bloc.
+: Charming: Irinushka gets a moderate bonus to diplomacy checks with people in her age group who are orientation compatible with her.
+: Momentum Shard: Irinushka has the Momentum Shard and can absorb, manipulate, and generate kinetic energy in large quantities, she can absorb most kinetic impacts and store the energy inside of herself for usage for nearly any physical purpose, basically storing energy points such as regenerating her shielding, healing some injuries, augmenting her speed or hits, using some special attacks, or giving some boosts to her comrades; making her extremely flexible. However, she needs to consciously absorb energy, otherwise relying on simply passively deflecting incoming energy or imparting it into herself. She also does have a limit to how much energy she can store at once due to her physiological limitations.
+: Ready for action: Irinushka never needs to make a morale check to fight a new and unheard-of enemy or situation with confidence.
+: Familiar with non-human combatants: Thanks to working extensively with the Autobots, Irinushka does not take inexperience penalties when it comes to fighting non-human enemies.
=: Otmolsoza member: As part of the Soviet Union's principal party-aligned hero team, Irinushka has certain special access privileges within the boundaries of the Soviet Bloc. However, she does draw suspicion outside of the Earth bet Soviet bloc, especially within more anti-communist areas.
-: Carrier of Burdens: Irinushka needs a diplomacy check to dissuade from taking actions that may cause herself harm when she believes that others would benefit from putting herself at risk.
-: I want to help!: She will have to save against stress point accumulation for every mission she is benched without being sent off on side-tasks or joining the main mission.
-: I can do this: Irinushka will require a diplomacy check to convince her to accept aid if she feels like she can succeed at a task without it and if helping her would take up significant time or resources from that person.
Actually named Irina "Irinushka" Vladimirovna Kuznetsov, Molotok is a young parahuman attached to the Soviet Otmolsoza (Special Protection Youth Division of the Soviet Union) and a native of the city of Arkhangelsk. Irina bonded to her extradimensional symbiont following an encounter with a rampaging tinker made robot of Swedish origin derived from the illicitly acquired corpse of a Decepticon slain in an aerial engagement acquired by the tinker Svartalfar before the Autobots could recover it. Originally developed with the hopes of helping to fight Endbringers, the lingering code from the fallen machine's repurposed Cybertronian components meshed poorly with its new programming when Svaltalfar thanks in part due to Gesellschaft sabotage; resulting in a monstrosity that rampaged across the baltic for two weeks. Due to the severity of its attack on Arkhangelsk, she has a double bond to her entity.
The incident gave her the ability to store, manipulate, and amplify kinetic energy for various purposes, such as absorbing incoming blows, forming shielding, significantly augmenting the force behind her impacts, move objects, enhance or drain speed, leech energy to accelerate natural healing, or even releasing them as impact blasts or shockwaves. Her status as a general-purpose take all comers melee combatant, and tremendous capacity for punishment has made her indispensable to the Sentinels at Arkhangelsk. However, Irina has been diagnosed with a martyrdom complex and a tendency of unnecessarily taking on the burdens of others and worsened mood if unable to offer assistance. All while she often refuses to ask others for help even when in need out of a feeling of not wanting to burden others.
Relationships
Serp: Irinushka and Viktor date each other rather openly and have a strong and healthy romantic relationship. As such can roll a diplomacy check with doubled modifiers to relieve stress points four times between missions and thrice during a mission. They also gain a great bonus to cooperative checks when working together and can utilise a great many powerful cooperative techniques.
Serp
Description: (In lieu of picture)
Passage said:
a nearby companion in a more red outfit as the blond set down his fighter pilot styled helmet and ran his hands through messy locks. He gave the impression of having recently been sweating quite a lot, and you could see a few beads still dripping down his forehead.
Another look at him confirmed that he was built for agility and finesse rather than raw power, and the insets of his suit seemed mostly to accentuate the muscle groups of his body in a rather flattering manner. Like her outfit, it had attachment points, and like her, he wore a small mask that covered part of his face but not quite enough to be likely to guise his identity from anyone who knew him. He shrugged off more of the plating of what you presumed was his full armoursuit, offering it to a drone who took it off of him as he wiped his brow and dabbed at his face with a cloth.
Viktor wears his messy blond hair down to the midsection of his neck, his sharp blue eyes usually highly attentive as he looks around the room. He's a sharp-looking, handsome young man who fits all the ideals of the Soviet Union's youth, almost seeming to have crawled out of a propaganda poster at times When in uniform but not in combat, Viktor wears his red, khaki, and black uniform-costume as well as a mask that can cover his entire face, including with ski-style goggles, or have parts removed to expose his hair, mouth, eyes, nose, ears and the like as needed. When in combat however, he utilises custom-fitted power armour produced for him by the "Spetsproizpo" (Spetsial'noye proizvodstvennoye podrazdeleniye: Special Manufacturing Division), Tinkers with access to the resources of the whole of the Soviet Bloc divided into teams based on speciality.
His armour is meant to take advantage of his ability to improve equipment to greater performance level, thus while it might seem to be somewhat standard as he doesn't have a dedicated Tinker following him around constantly; he is able to force it into capabilities well beyond its designed parameters. Significantly more durable, with a greater degree of augmentation, improving the modular equipment able to be fitted into it as per mission requirements, and far better at absorbing incoming hits without harming his body in his possession, Pasternak is able to function as one of Arkhangelsk's most versatile heroes, who can take the fight without fear or concern of harm in most engagements and taking on most challenges that get in his way.
The armour also helps to store the large number of grenades he uses for many situations, though in the case of operations with the autobots, he swaps out many of the nonlethal instruments he has for devices more likely to cause at least some damage to Decepticon opponents. Though so far the autobots are somewhat resistant to the idea of giving humans their weapons technology, the coming crisis might finally break Jetfire's reluctance as a crisis on many worlds begins to brew. Something he is actually looking forward to.
Real Name: Viktor "Vitya" Zinovyevich Pasternak
Aliases: Serp, "Sickle", Rezhumal (Short for "Cutting Boy"), Tovarishch khvatayushchiy (Comrade Grabber, after his tendency to help himself to other people's personal belongings to see how his power works with them)
Gender: Male
Species: Parahuman
Orientation: Bisexual
Age: 14
Ethnicity: Great Russian
Affiliation: Soviet Union (Otmolsoza)
Height: 6'0/182.44 centimetres.
Mass: 71 Kilograms
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Blond
Physical Health: Great
Stress Levels: Healthy
Experience: Decent
Training: Very Good
Leadership: Good
Morale: Great
Combat Skill: Good
Intrigue Skill: Good
Diplomacy Skill: Very Good
Administration Skill: Good
Academic Skill: Very Good
Tech Skill: Decent
Vehicular Skill: None (Doesn't know how to drive)
Esoterical Skill: None
Esoterical Potential: None known
Esoterical Resistance: None
Strength Category: Significantly Superhuman
Durability Category: Significantly Superhuman
Resilience Category: Decent (Decent armour, no shielding)
Speed Category: Great
Cleverness: Very Good
Perception: Decent
Weapons:
Okhotnik Pistol: Medium rate of fire, Dismal Armour Penetration, Dismal Damage, Medium Range, X2
Wrist Mounted Submachine Guns: Great Rate of Fire, Dismal Armour Penetration, Dismal Damage, Short Range, x2
Wrist Mounted Sawn off Shotguns: Weak Rate of Fire, Weak Damage, Weak Armour Penetration, Very Short Range, x2 (Can fire slugs which have Very Low damage, Very Low armour penetration and short-range, or taser shells which have minuscule damage, moderately electrified, mediocre stunning)
Ballistic Knives: (Counts as a melee attack with slightly increased armour penetration and damage and medium range)
Gauntlet Chain-Bayonets: Melee weapon, Moderate attack rate penalty, low armour penetration, low damage, more effective against inorganic targets, point blank reach, x2.
High-Frequency Sickle: No attack rate penalty, mediocre armour penetration, mediocre damage bonus, short reach.
Collapsible High-Frequency Scythe: Significant attack rate penalty, medium armour penetration, medium damage bonus, medium reach.
Containment Foam Grenades: N/A armour penetration, N/A damage, Strong Restraining Effect, Medium Area of Effect, Long Duration, Throwing Range.
Flashbang Grenades: N/A armour penetration, N/A damage, Strong Blinding Effect, Strong Deafening Effect, Medium Area of Effect, Throwing Range.
Napalm Grenades: Very low Armour Penetration, Very Low Burn Damage, Large Area of Effect, Spreading, throwing range.
Thermite Grenades: Mediocre Armour Penetration, Mediocre Burn Damage, Mediocre Incendiary, Small Area of Effect, throwing range, Short Duration
HEAT Grenade: Low Armour Penetration, Low Damage, Incendiery, Small Area of Effect, throwing range.
Frag Grenade: Weak Armour Penetration, Weak Damage, Medium Area of Effect, Throwing Range.
Smart Grenade Launcher: Extends grenade range to medium and allows for rerolls to hit.
Armour:
Otmolsoza Augmented Suit; Powered, Okay Armour Save and Damage Reduction, Improves strength noticeably, EMP hardened, Helmet protects against blinding and deafening effects and atmospheric toxins, Easy Repair.
Collapsible Riot Shield: Offers cover, increases armour save and damage reduction, can be used as a weapon with somewhat increased melee damage.
Miscellaneous Gear:
Traits
+: Grindstone Shard: Vitya has the "Grindstone" shard which allows him to improve things that he has in his possession or on his person, including himself. He works from a budget of "improvements" he can dole out to increase overall performance. This effect ends shortly after he lets go or stops having contact with the object, but lasts long enough to apply to projectiles or short delay explosives.
+: Star Pioneer: Vityais a well-beloved part of the Otmolsoza and gets a strong bonus on all diplomacy checks within the Earth Bet Soviet Bloc.
+: Charming: Vitya gets a moderate bonus to diplomacy checks with people in his age group who are orientation compatible with him.
+: Soviet New Man: Vitya loses stress points at double the normal rate as he has managed a good deal of control over his own emotional state.
+: Friends on the other side: Vitya is actually quite well regarded on the other side of the Iron Curtain and receives a moderate bonus to diplomacy outside of the Soviet Bloc on Earth Bet.
+: Familiar with non-human combatants: Thanks to working extensively with the Autobots, Viktor does not take inexperience penalties when it comes to fighting non-human enemies.
=: Otmolsoza member: As part of the Soviet Union's principal party-aligned hero team, Viktor has certain special access privileges within the boundaries of the Soviet Bloc. Though of course, as a child such privileges are limited.
-: A bit hidebound: Vitya sticks close to Soviet protocol and ideals and to the party line of the VKP(B), substantial deviation from protocol will require a diplomacy check to convince him away from with the difficulty being determined by the magnitude of deviation asked of him.
-: Overbearing: Vitya has high standards for everyone he meets and can induce stress in others by his consistent insistence on improvement form just about everyone he meets and is exceedingly difficult to satisfy. This also makes it harder to improve relationship grades (romantic or platonic) with him.
-: Please stop Talking: Victor has a bad habit of saying stuff he shouldn't and can cause strain in relations when he voices unneeded and unsolicited criticism that his partner might not take well if he sees something he regards as substandard.
Viktor "Vitya" Zinovyevich Pasternak js a parahuman member of the Otmolsoza and one of the Arkhangelsk division's foremost generalists. Vitya is able to "sharpen" objects, reshaping them at the molecular level for additional efficiency such as making a cutting edge a monomolecular blade and reinforcing them with extradimensional energy to prevent them from breaking; including himself. Also a double-trigger, Vitya can apply his sharpening and reinforcing to more esoteric effects, such as sharpening his senses, enhancing his accuracy, self augmentation, and getting more efficiency out of used objects. The sharpening effect ends briefly after he ceases having contact with the object, but lasts long enough to be used with projectile weapons.
Vitya was "triggered" in the same incident that saw Irina being bonded to her entity, albeit in a separate part of the city during the rogue machine's rampage. The Otmolsoza partnered the two, due to being the same age and having had a prior relationship before manifesting their abilities, thus leading to the aliases "Hammer and Sickle" under the tutelage of the experienced Soviet parahuman "Nakoval'nya" or "Anvil". Vitya's profile lists him as a brave but sometimes overbearing would-be classical hero and party loyalist who holds people to high standards. While well-meaning and making an effort to be kind, Vitya has difficulties with holding back criticism even when entirely unsolicited. However, his versatility and commitment have ensured that he commands a significant deal of respect within Arkhangelsk
Relationships:
Molotok: Irinushka and Viktor date each other rather openly and have a strong and healthy romantic relationship. As such can roll a diplomacy check with doubled modifiers to relieve stress points four times between missions and thrice during a mission. They also gain a great bonus to cooperative checks when working together and can utilise a great many powerful cooperative techniques.
Battery
Gender: Female
Species: Parahuman
Orientation: Heterosexual
Age: 22
Ethnicity: English-American
Affiliation: United States of America (Protectorate)
Height: 5'4/162.56 centimetres.
Mass: 61 Kilograms
Eye Colour: Blue
Hair Colour: Brown
Physical Health: Great
Stress Levels: Troubled
Experience: Very Good
Training: Acceptable
Leadership: Great
Morale: Great
Combat Skill: Very Good
Intrigue Skill: Decent
Diplomacy Skill: Good
Administration Skill: Good
Academic Skill: Decent
Tech Skill: Good
Vehicular Skill: Good
Esoterical Skill: None
Esoterical Potential: None known
Esoterical Resistance: None
Strength Category: Variable (Peak human to substantially superhuman)
Durability Category: Variable (Peak human to excellent)
Resilience Category: Variable (Peak human to excellent)
Speed Category: Variable (Peak Human to excellent)
Cleverness: Good
Perception: Very Good
Weapons:
Unarmed
Armour:
Unarmoured Costume
Miscellaneous Gear:
Traits:
+: Charging Up!: Battery can take time to build up a reserve of energy for up to twelve seconds to spend it on various needs and abilities such as strength, speed, impact, resilience, and durability. Each second spent charging translates to six seconds of usage for a total of seventy-two seconds at maximum power. She can also expend the energy in a large electromagnetic burst whose power is dependent on how much energy she has stored up. This can be used to infuse objects with energy, repel objects sensitive to electromagnetism, shut down electronics, or magnetise targets. As the limitation is physiological, improvements to her physiology would allow her to store more energy.
+: All in-worker: Battery is significantly more resistant to stress than most and takes at least two consecutive missions without downtime to start having to roll against stress.
+: Dedicated to the Cause: Battery can reroll failed morale checks if failing puts her mission at significant risk of failure.
+: Role Model: When working in Earth Bet's United States, Battery is an inspiration to many young heroes, giving her a diplomacy bonus with younger American parahumans.
+: In the Know: As an adult member of the Protectorate, Battery is given access to certain classified information that most people aren't privy to, including materials still recorded purely in paper format to prevent hacking.
+: Former Ward Leader: As a former leader of the Brockton Bay Wards as well as a former member of the New York Wards, Battery starts off with strong relations with members of other organisations.
=: Protectorate Member: As part of the Protectorate Battery has special access privileges within the territorial boundaries of the Earth Bet United States of America and to a lesser degree, other NATO or American aligned countries. She also gets a diplomacy bonus in interacting with military, governmental, or law enforcement personnel within these areas and commands a degree of respect from other heroes in the area. However she also draws the ire of the less than law-abiding and draws suspicion from those outside of the American bloc.
-: Ties to Cauldron: Battery's powers originate from her contacts with Cauldron and making a bargain with the proverbial devil means that she owes them three favours, she has already completed two, with the last one still to be called by the organisation.
-: Guilt: Battery feels guilty for receiving her powers through such an illicit source and this doubt weighs on her mind, every arc it goes unresolved, the Guilt will threaten to consume her entirely.
-: Unfamiliarity with Inhuman Opponents: Up until very recently, Battery had no idea that aliens were amongst us or that at least one Earth from an entirely different multiverse was in contact with Earth Bet. Battery's combat skill and to-hit bonuses are reduced against alien opponents.
Battery received her abilities from an underground organisation known as Cauldron that works behind the scenes to engender the formation of Parahumans and guide the Parahuman community along certain lines of development that suit its endgoal. The daughter of a Police Detective who wanted to stop Madcap from breaking out villains from prisons that they worked hard at putting away, she was contacted at an early age by the organisation while looking for equipment that might help her provide assistance to the police. In exchange for three favours, she was given her current abilities; the ability to store energy up to her body's limit and then release it for whatever purpose she could need. This made her a versatile combatant capable of rapid movement or extreme force while still having a tremendous deal of control. While initially working with the New York City Wards, she eventually was transferred to Brockton Bay in her later teen years and eventually grew up to be a fully-fledged member of the protectorate where she has served with distinction. Following a long and difficult courtship by the claimed to be reformed Madcap, the two would marry at a young age as well.
Relationships:
Assault: Assault and Battery are married and seem to have a healthy relationship. As such can roll a diplomacy check with 50% increased modifiers to relieve stress points three times between missions and twice during a mission. They also gain a very good bonus to cooperative checks when working together and can utilise a great many powerful cooperative techniques.
[SLIDE]
Assault
Real Name: Ethan
Gender: Male
Species: Parahuman
Orientation: Heterosexual
Age: 22
Ethnicity: English-American
Affiliation: United States of America (Protectorate)
Height: 6'2/187.96 centimetres.
Mass: 94 Kilograms
Eye Colour: Green
Hair Colour: Orange
Physical Health: Great
Stress Levels: Healthy
Experience: Very Good
Training: Passable
Leadership: Decent
Morale: Great
Combat Skill: Very Good
Intrigue Skill: Good
Diplomacy Skill: Great
Administration Skill: Decent
Academic Skill: Low
Tech Skill: Good
Vehicular Skill: Good
Esoterical Skill: None
Esoterical Potential: None known
Esoterical Resistance: None
Strength Category: Moderately superhuman
Durability Category: Moderately Superhuman (Augmented by kinetic absorption and redirection, decently durable armour and variably strong shielding)
Resilience Category: Very Good (Against kinetic attacks)
Speed Category: Great
Cleverness: Good
Perception: Very Good
Weapons:
Unarmed
Armour:
Unarmoured Costume
Miscellaneous Gear:
Traits:
+: Kinetic Shift: Assault's powers are quite similar to Irinushka's, though more limited. On the other hand he can make use of his abilities much more quickly and to a greater degree of fine-tuning. Whereas Irinushka needs to consciously keep up a barrier, Assault reflexively transfers energy attempting to move into him away and he's able to shape the energy he imparts in such a way that he can avoid hurting someone even if he launches them across the room. He can also use energy that he comes into contact with to quickly give himself a boost. Though his greatest limitation is that he needs to be grounded to properly use his abilities.
+: Great with Kids: Assault has a Great diplomacy bonus when it comes to interacting with underaged characters under virtually all circumstances and can easily establish positive avuncular relationships with most children he's allowed to interact with for long durations.
+: This is Fun: Assault has significant resistance to stress accumulation due to greatly enjoying his job, needing at least three missions without a break before accumulating stress.
+: Streetwise: As a former villain, Assault has a perspective of how life is like at the bottom that most of his colleagues don't. He's got a great bonus to checks relating to figuring out how the underworld might work or what might be going on at the street level.
+: In the Know: As an adult member of the Protectorate, Battery is given access to certain classified information that most people aren't privy to, including materials still recorded purely in paper format to prevent hacking.
+: Slippery as an Eel: Assault needs at least two successful checks in a row to restrain or immobiliser and can always reroll attempts to escape from such attempts.
=: Protectorate Member: As part of the Protectorate Assault has special access privileges within the territorial boundaries of the Earth Bet United States of America and to a lesser degree, other NATO or American aligned countries. He also gets a diplomacy bonus in interacting with military, governmental, or law enforcement personnel within these areas and commands a degree of respect from other heroes in the area. However he also draws the ire of the less than law-abiding and draws suspicion from those outside of the American bloc.
-: Criminal Past: Assault's reputation is predicated in large part to his past as the villain madcap remaining buried in the past. If his past is uncovered and revealed, he will take a substantial reputation hit and be forced to give up many of his current privileges.
-: No Energy for me Please: Assault's powers do not work against directed energy attacks, even those of a purely kinetic nature due to only being a single trigger.
-: Unfamiliarity with Inhuman Opponents: Up until very recently, Battery had no idea that aliens were amongst us or that at least one Earth from an entirely different multiverse was in contact with Earth Bet. Battery's combat skill and to-hit bonuses are reduced against alien opponents.
Formerly the Villain known as Madcap, Ethan has the ability to manipulate the transfer of kinetic energy towards his own ends as long as he's on the ground. This gives him a tremendous deal of versatility as he can impact foes with significantly above normal force, move at constantly increasing acceleration limited only by his reflexes, and shrug off the vast majority of hits. After encountering Battery however, he decided to reform in order to win her over and spent much of his time trying to earn forgiveness from the law and her affection. After some time, he managed to succeed to get her to start dating and the two young heroes would form a close affiliation that would see them transferred through teams together and ensured that he would remain close by her side. Considered to be an expert with working with children, Assault is also considered exceptional at needling people into certain responses that he finds amusing.
Relations:
Battery: Assault and Battery are married and seem to have a healthy relationship. As such can roll a diplomacy check with 50% increased modifiers to relieve stress points three times between missions and twice during a mission. They also gain a very good bonus to cooperative checks when working together and can utilise a great many powerful cooperative techniques.
[X]: Divide team into stealthy and loud groups; even balance between prior two options.
[X]: Divide Team; loud team Arne + both Autobots stealth team Samus + humans
Samus
"Why don't we split up?" You propose after taking a look at the information offered.
Arne's eyes flicked over to you with concern at the idea of splitting up given how well the two of you worked together and your lack of familiarity with most of the other combatants here. He already knew that you were proposing for the two of you to spin off apart from each other, something that made him a touch anxious. Just a touch, his anxiety was still manageable for now from what you could sense of the pulsating currents of emotion inside of him. The pale blue of worry and concern, the coiling serpent of not being sure if he can handle being in a past that never was.
Especially in an area crawling with Neonazi groups that stretched all the way up to Franconia and into deindustrialising cities in the north. He could handle himself physically, but socially...this was a supremely hostile set of circumstances. Especially from someone used to societies that had answers to many of the social ills that plagued this country that he already knew wouldn't be accepted at this moment in time. You felt that anguish too, of knowing that there are answers but also that people won't listen to them; so much of your experience with the Federation was coloured by disappointment by its refusal to fully follow the Chozo's example for one reason or the other. And now, even the Federation and Omdyn for all their warts and flaws seemed paradisical.
"I think we'll be fine. I just need to keep the other humans here safe. Someone needs to take hits for them, right?" You said to reassure him as his expression softened and he gave a nod of understanding. You understood the unwillingness to part from you, even for a brief while, in an unfamiliar setting. The two of you were each other's anchors. But there was logic in what you said, and that seemed to be accepted by him as he defaulted to the mindset of a warrior considering his options in battle.
"That makes sense. Are you sure you want to be the one to take it for them though? I have more equipment for regenerating shielding than you...and I favour close range combat more. It'd be more logical for me to..." He started before you stopped him in the midst of his mind's wondering with a hand to his shoulder, a glance into his eyes and a firm nod.
"Arne, I'll be fine. Don't worry. The Autobots will need someone human-sized to help them out anyway." You assured him, feeling the pale blue start to shift in colour towards something warmer as he accepted your answer and let go of his doubts and fears, even if only for a moment. You were happy to see that you could help, happy to take another step towards feeling more like the champion of the downtrodden and the defender of the meek you so dearly wished to be. If you could help him, you could surely help anyone right?
He gave you a thumbs up and you beamed back at him, returning it with gusto before you two traded your usual secret handshake of clasping your arms together, pulling each other in until your elbows touched and then giving a gentle headbutt before parting ways.
"So I'm guessing that the autobot team will be for the less stealthy approach?" He asked.
"Yep!" You chirped.
"Probably for the best. Arne's...distinctive appearance would make him grab attention without a change in hair and eye colour." Eva said, writing something down onto a paper clipboard. Clever, she was probably aware of the impoverished state of cybersecurity around here. So many backdoors that were so trivial to exploit with anything capable of wireless communication.
"I...alright, fair I guess." Arne said with a sigh.
"I'll accompany the other four. Once we're in, I'll fire up my suit and we'll try to meet up inside." You said, it seemed like a fairly simple and therefore good plan. You'd work out the specifics once you got closer and your distant sight and scan visor could give you a better read of what to expect. That tended to be more useful in your experience than just trying to draw out every contingency well in advance...besides...that was always pretty boring. It was fun to think about the possibilities but a strict plan for every response was just so constricting. Bleh.
"Okay from my scans, all of you can move faster than baseline humans but to get there as quickly as possible without being noticed we'll need to take the autobots." He said, rubbing a bit at his chin and then threading some fingers through his silky white hair as he thought, pacing slightly. He had restless energy he needed to work out, and you couldn't help but pace yourself, walking a bit back and forth to try and shake out some of the tension in your legs. You hated standing around, you hated that slow build-up of lethargy that came with just keeping still.
"Everyone in Strongarm right? Seems like the most efficient setup." Battery said before Bumblebee cut in.
Bumblebee's chirps and whirs over the communications suggested that Arne go with him if he's to accompany the autobots. Thus not giving anyone paying attention reason to wonder why one of the passengers in the SUV decided to stay in the car. It seemed reasonable, you'd assume that the guards would have control over the Campus' security footage systems and would probably wonder why they left one person in the vehicle unattended. Though you stopped to think, wouldn't they notice Strongarm dropping you all off and then moving to rejoin Bumblebee?
"Actually we can handle transport for the quiet team." Hans said, nibbling a bit on his thumbnail that made you briefly aware that it was rather short; likely out of habitually biting off the edges of his nails. You should recommend him some meditative exercises to break that habit at some point, it's a bit unhygienic and there's far better ways of getting keratin into your system.
"This way Strongarm will be able to move into position without having to drop you off. Much simpler you'll find." Hans' answer was more than satisfactory to you, though you were kind of curious as to what vehicle you'd be using. It couldn't be quite as mechanically fascinating as Strongarm was...could it?
"Ah yes, going from a car that can hear everything you say to a car bugged by spooks to hear everything you say." Assault said, making you briefly wonder where in this conversation did Stirner's sociological concepts creep in, or why he was suddenly so concerned with the insect problem. It was a bit hard to keep track of all the period slang of a long-dead language swimming around in your head after a neural download. It was annoying to say the least, but you were determined to overcome the challenge.
"There's insects with proboscises in nearly every motor vehicle here." Arne blurted out to the raised eyebrows of Irina who slowly tilted her head at the white-haired boy. There was a silence, and you suddenly felt bad for Arne as he realised he made a faux pas and shyly looked away from the gathered humans staring him down, Eva confiding in Hans in German about how he was definitely not suited for infiltration ops. That seemed a little rude in all honesty.
"...It's true." He said before Viktor shook his head and muttered a complaint about cultural compatibilities.
"+Hey I don't listen in all that closely.+" Strongarm protested, only for Bumblebee to cut in with a reminder that she recorded everything that went on inside of her to her stammering and plaintive embarrassment.
"You two, how are you going to get your gear on in short notice?" Battery flicked her thumb towards Irina and Viktor.
"Yes, that's a very important question. I haven't seen anything to indicate either of you can teleport your equipment onto your persons!" You said, raising a finger to interject with your point.
"+Oh we'll just groundbridge them in the equipment, shouldn't be that much of an issue.+" Strongarm said almost dismissively, getting a nod out of you before Arne looked at Assault and Battery and sized them up.
"Do you two have any way of protecting yourself from small arms fire?" He asked, his expression was concerned, eyebrows raised in questioning.
"Our abilities should keep us safe, don't worry too much about us kid." Battery said, folding her arms and giving him a confident smile.
"If you say so." Arne said, less than convinced. Of course, you also shared his doubts. Even though you could easily shrug off any of the small arms used in this time, and many of those used in your own time, you wouldn't go unarmoured and unshielded habitually anyway. It just seemed like taking unnecessary risks.
"So I think we are ready then...come with me." Eva said, gesturing the group to follow her.
"Except for you, genosse Skjoldr. Head down to the garage to meet up with Bumblebee. I'm sure you'll be able to find your way." She said, stopping Arne and getting a brief frown out of him before you looked over to him and gave him a hug for good luck, feeling his arms wrap around you and a bit of warmth being shared between the two of you. For a moment your sight seemed to catch a glimmer of an apparition of things to come, the blue and green bifurcated mask almost seeming to flicker over his face as doubt crept into his mind. He was still afraid, and you were too. You squeezed his hand, hoping that you two could reassure each other that everything was going to be alright. And then the figure's visage faded from the unreal sight of your mind's eye and all you could see was his smile, returning one you had given him.
"See you there Arne." You said gently as the two of you gave each other some distance and you moved to catch up with the group.
...
You stopped before some sleek-looking Van with a Volkswagen logo about where you'd expect cars of this era to have. The silver and yellow Kombi vehicle looking nice, but striking you as perhaps difficult to clean. From a glance, you guessed that the engine was a battery-combustion hybrid. Probably meant more to subsist in situations where diesel might be a bit difficult to come by than for any major concern for the environment. You delicately laid your fingers on the door, making sure to not squeeze too hard lest you tear through the metal like sheets of paper.
Suitcases were put into the storage spaces of the van while Battery got onto the carseat and took a look at the manual stick drive and tensed briefly.
"God I'm hoping the manual lessons I took at driving school are still somewhere in my memory." She said as she gulped and caught the keys tossed to her by Eva while she got into her own vehicle with Hans and chatted to him about her expectations for the operations. Hopeful but not wanting to dismiss the possibility of something going wrong just yet. Sensible you figured, but on the other hand, you were you, you could do this. You had to if you wanted to stop this plan from being carried out.
"Relax it's like riding a bicycle. Once you learn you'll never forget." Ethan said, folding his arms behind his head and easing himself into the seat after placing his seatbelt.
"Do you know what west German traffic laws are like?" Viktor asked, Battery paling slightly.
"Oh fuck...I uh..." Battery said as she gulped a bit before wiping a bead of sweat off of her face and setting the car into reverse gear.
"I can help!" You said, beaming. You had memorised the entire legal corpus of the Federal German Republic, this should be easy enough for you to assist with.
"Well...alright, I'll follow your lead then." Battery said, calming down slightly.
"Why could we not just take the metro..." Irina grumbled to herself.
"Aw come on, think of this as a road trip. It'll be fun....I think." He said, shrugging.
"It's not going to be that long of a trip anyway." You said, swinging your legs a bit in the passenger seat and tapping on the suitcase containing assault's costume to your left.
"Nobody has to go to the bathroom right?" Battery asked. Luckily, everyone answered no.
Arne
You inserted your seatbelt as you got into Bumblebee's passenger seat and looked out the window of his Camaro form. His motor vehicle mode pulled out of the garage and checked out seamlessly after manifesting a holomatter avatar. A young blonde man with messy, barely brushed hair that formed a few spikes with a yellow and black coat and nicely fitting jeans. Someone who looked like they'd be about the right age to attend a university actually. You sighed a bit at the sight of the buildings passing you by, your eyes catching sight of Samus hanging by the window of her van and the two of you passing a wave to each other before you went separate roads.
"Earth looks a lot less impressive than I thought." You said, to no one in particular before Bumblebee responded with a few radio clips.
"*There's no place like home!*"
You weren't quite sure you agreed. Nothing about this really felt like home. It was all so dirty, noxious, full of want and need that went by without anyone making more than a token effort at answering it. So full of people who simply just lived without ever getting to go for what they really wanted to do. So much...melancholic acceptance of life just being the way it is without aspiration for anything better. The grey melancholy weighed heavy on your mind, and you pulled your eyes from the sight of dour office buildings to look dead ahead. A stick of gum was extended out of the glove box of the vehicle, held by a mechanidrite to ensure that it was in front of your face.
More of the droidspeak from Bumblebee met your ears. He said that this might help keep your mind off of things, and not wanting to be rude you accepted the offer and placed it inside of your mouth and started chewing.
Hmm...strawberry.
"How do you just stay here and see all these people with so many problems and...not help them with the day to day stuff?" You asked.
"*I try where I can*" Bumblebee responded, splicing in a few clips to make that sentence work with the tone he wanted to give. Melancholic, upset that he couldn't do more and that he was so laser focused on more extranormal problems rather than the mundane stuff that affected the most people.
"That never gets frustrating? Only getting to help a few people at a time?" You ask.
"*Every day.*"
"I, yeah that must feel awful. Sorry for poking into it." You said, deciding to be quiet now rather than continuing to bother him around stuff that only really mattered to you. You probably shouldn't have even brought all that up. You were being inconsiderate of whether he wanted to talk about that.
"*You have nothing to apologise for!*" He seemed to be jovial, as if he liked just having someone to talk to. That felt nice actually, that you hadn't in fact, made another mistake. You almost didn't believe it for a moment, but you came to accept it. You smiled a bit, unsure of whether to look at the dashboard or the holomatter avatar.
"How did you lose your voice exactly?" You asked, hoping you weren't prying into anything too personal. You knew all too well how uncomfortable a lot of probing could be when the questioner didn't mind their space.
Bumblebee's droidspeak was frank, he lost it in the war. Not just any war, The War. The thing that had defined his entire existence, a concept so all-consuming that it had encompassed virtually the entirety of his thoughtspace, his culture, even weighing on his language. It was not simply a conflict, it was the very bedrock of existence to him. And the way he spoke added a weight to his words, one that made the air feel heavy with an overbearing presence while you swallowed slightly, wondering you misstepped for real this time.
He assured you though, that it wasn't your fault. He had come to terms with his injury and didn't really want to bother Ratchet or Red Alert with having it repaired when there were others who needed replacement parts like that more than he did. Though to be honest, you weren't sure that he would have accepted such a transplant even if he were offered. Some people disabled by injury just preferred to learn to adjust to it rather than accept treatment, and while you didn't fully understand that mindset, you didn't really have an issue with it.
"Are you feeling confident about this plan?" You asked.
"*Hell no I ain't scared.*" He said.
"Is that a yes?"
"*You bet!*" You kind of wished he'd stick with the droid speak at times, the clip splicing made it a bit distracting to determine who was speaking as his voice kept on changing with every clip he pulled. Still, it got the point across so you supposed that you couldn't fault it too much as long as it worked.
"+Bee, Arne, we're getting close to the facility. Are you guys ready?+" Strongarm said as her vehicle form followed close behind Bumblebee's, racing down the roadways whenever the traffic would permit Bumblebee to accelerate a bit more. You almost felt like this was likely to get more attention than was really necessary, but it seemed that most people saw how nice Bumblebee's current vehicle mode looked and decided it wasn't their problem. People were really weird sometimes.
Bumblebee chirped and whirred a bit, his speech rapid and information-dense as he went over what he wanted to do. He wanted to scout out the area as best as he could before allowing the others to go forward. As the Scout, it was his job to head in first and pull out only once his mission had been accomplished and everyone would be able to head into the combat zone armed with the optimal information. And even then, depending on the mission, such as one like this; it might still need his direct involvement even after reconnaissance had ended. He'd check over every detail he could and then from there, the group would be able to descend on the weaknesses and critical points he had found.
"Aren't we meant to be the distraction though? All we need to do is find an entrance route for them, make some noise and head in." You said, shrugging as the buildings of the university loomed in your sight as Bumblebee drove ever closer to it. As you had expected, patrols were moving around, trying their best to not draw too much attention to themselves but clearly moving in rough sync. They had some degree of military style training you figured, but their armaments weren't designed to repel anyone of your caliber. Even entirely unarmoured you could take a place like this on without ever worrying about your safety. Though on the same token, it never paid to be reckless.
DC Check of 50
Roll of 46 on D100.
Arne's superhuman senses reduce DC down to 5, contextual bonuses not counted due to roll overkill already providing the best possible result.
You took a quick glance over at the procession and spotted something that might be of interest. A vulnerable point in their patrols through which Samus' group could easily slip on by. Funnily enough, it was the front entrance that they had largely neglected to patrol, believing nobody would be so brazen as to simply try and slip in through the front. At least, nobody who wasn't supposed to be there anyway. Their mistake. But for you and the autobots however, it would be better for you to find a different route to draw even further attention away.
It wasn't that hard for you to pick up on however, they were many things but they weren't particularly invested in trying to hide in a town they figured they essentially owned. The proverbial troops were gathered towards the cargo entrance where a truck was driving into a procession area for its cargo to be processed and handled by the personnel who were currently occupying the university. Just a bit out of sight for most people, but most had seemed to just learn to accept that this was their new life. Well, things were going to get loud shortly. Especially with the reconnaissance data that Bumblebee was gathering and sending to the other team so the two groups could build an entry plan. Though you'd need to get inside to actually decide how you were going to approach the fight for the interior.
It seemed that they had set up a teleportation network that would quickly move reinforcements to the area if they were engaged. And had already begun moving in fresh troops to reinforce their positions as if they were expecting a fight. If you had to guess, they had someone there who had some degree of clairvoyance or precognitive awareness who had told them to expect a much more serious fight than they had initially anticipated. You didn't think it would be enough, but you were now getting a bit worried for Samus' group.
"+Samus, they're bringing in a lot of extra soldiers. I think they're expecting us to be arriving soon.+" You said over a private communications link. You took another look and saw that what were rather clearly armed attack helicopters making use of some kind of holographic disguise to merely appear like civilian aircraft making the rounds, sweeping ominously overhead as they tried to search for what might be causing their seers so much worry. New soldiers also caught your eye, stepping out of the building to man the barricades set up around the university and discourage any interlopers from snooping around.
"+I know, I can see it too. Can you do something to make sure that as few of them are in our way as possible? I don't think most of my team mates can withstand the kind of firepower that they're going to be bringing.+" She said back. Of course, she already had the safety of others in mind, that was the most her thing to do. You couldn't blame her of course, your thoughts on the issue were more or less the same.
"+The front door's the least defended point. Just a conventional checkpoint there, if you want to go in quietly; that will be your best bet. Don't think you should bother with the disguises to get inside though.+" You said to Samus. Of course, you weren't super big on the idea of trying to sneak in at all, especially since it seemed like the soldiers had tightened up security. But if Samus thought it could reduce civilian losses it might be worth a shot.
"+Thanks. But Arne, try to make sure nobody who doesn't have to get hurt does.+" She said with a soft tone.
"+...I, yeah, I'll keep them out of harm's way. You take care with your team, alright?+" You said gently.
"+Thank you, Arne. See you soon.+"
"+See you.+" You said back.
"+So, how do you want to do this?+" Strongarm said before Bumblebee began to beep and whistle with his cunning but simple plan to make as much of a mess as possible.
...
"Halt! Sie benötigen eine Erlaubnis, um zu bestehen!" One of the guards shouted, a blue and white van approaching him at high speeds. The mask clad soldier's stahlhelm glimmered a bit in some of the city lights while the goggles on their mask gleamed with menace, hiding the face of the monster behind. But it didn't take mind reading to know that he was growing rapidly more alarmed as the van approached ever faster without any sign or hint of slowing down.
"Scheiße! Sie wird nicht langsamer! Ausweichen!" His companion shouted as the two bailed out of the checkbox they had set up to monitor incoming traffic before the gleaming white beams of light from Strongarm's headlights started to narrow as she approached at a velocity that should have been unattainable by a car of her make. Engines seeming to roar and the rubber-like substances of her tires gripping the road fiercely before she ramped a bit up an incline and smashed into the checkbox, bouncing just a little once she made contact with the ground again and drove ahead.
"Eröffne das Feuer, du Idioten! Töte das verdammte Auto!" The bark of ETC assault rifle rounds drowned out the frantic commands in German, bullets bouncing off of the chassis of Strongarm before she opened up some speakers on either side of her vehicle and released an ear-piercing shriek in either direction. A horrific assault on the ears that most humans couldn't withstand for all too long without shutting down. Weapons fire stopped and heads were clutched by screaming and groaning men who fell to the ground one by one, but some had enough sense to fire up their helmet's mufflers and cancel out any further noise before heavier weapons fire started raining down on Strongarm.
A heavy machine gun clearly not of NATO make, seeming to have been more something that would have been produced by the Third Reich had it endured past its historical death date than anything NATO would have considered using, started to tear at the pavement with what your visor helpfully noted were depleted Uranium slugs. Someone clearly went hard for the equipment these clowns were making use of, but as Bumblebee ramped over a truck's trailer and slammed into the ground, his vehicle mode unfurling his stinger in the form of a top mounted turret to let loose a stream of nonlethal electricity, you couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for them with how outgunned they were.
"Sie sind keine normalen Autos, hol die Panzerfausts!" No sooner was that order given than a barrage of anti-tank rockets was sent forth by some of the soldiers popping out of cover while others fell to the ground sparking with electricity and gurgling as they twitched with pain. Bumblebee swerved around two and took one head on without a scratch, his shielding glimmering briefly until he transformed and ejected you out of the passenger's seat, your blizzard subweapon venting a stream of anti-energy over some of the Gesellschaft troopers popping out to toss grenades in your direction. The blue-white gout of frostflame encasing all caught within it in a delightful sheathe of ice.
Strongarm transformed shortly after, her subsonic repeater thrumming with one shot with every oscillation of the weapon's internal mechanisms, Bumblebee's shoulder pods opening up to reveal a series of missiles that went flying out to seek their targets. Whatever hope the people of Munich had for a quiet day was definitively shattered as they were met with the "pom-pom-pom" of an autocannon going off, your hand catching one of the shells as it moved towards you in slow motion to let you take a better look at it.
55mm recoilless round. Quite decently heavy artillery for a paramilitary group, definitely not any type of ammunition that should be made in this era either. Another look confirms an earlier suspicion you had; Rheinmetall-Borsig make. Supposedly produced in Strassburg which also made little sense.
"Must be from a different timeline then." You said, already forming a theory in your head. The supplies of the Gesellschaft had to be from a nightmarish timeline where Nazi Germany was triumphant to a far greater degree than it historically was, and against all odds; lasted long enough to develop technology that would be considered useful in the early 21st century. But there was something else also interesting, the materials used to make the shell were not found at all on this planet. The atomic structure in fact was something that shouldn't quite be able to form in this universe under normal conditions. Not with a nucleus layout like that. That likely meant a reality with somewhat divergent laws of physics, which largely eliminated most possible branching timelines.
Hrm, you'd need to think about this later, right now you were being accosted by snipers. Not able to harm you, but the fact that they had snipers posted here at all told you that they considered the security of this operation to be deadly serious.
They were fighting quite well, with coordinated calls to action going across their lines as they set up their defensive positions or moved into preplanned avenues of counter-attack. Automated turrets popped out of deployable hatches and roared out with the buzzsaw ripping sound of rotary guns sending large amounts of lead downrange, the ETC flash of
The red lance of energy that spat forth from a wall that exploded outwards with the clanking form of a five meter tall robot however, certainly was rather more concerning. Especially when it was followed by the thunderous sounds of a large number of other machines that had been shunted into the area via teleportation to respond to the threat that was now facing them. Ah, well at least you got their attention.
Analysis of the Wachroboter's construction confirms its extraversal origins. Manufacture and datalogs suggests that this particular machine was assembled in "Reichskomissariat Neu-Deutschland" in what was once Detroit, currently renamed "Kruppstadt" to service the needs of the so-called "Reich-Earth" in its continual wars of expansion with other dimensions to satiate the Third Reich's unending need for more resources and fresh conquests to smooth over internal political difficulties. Analysis of datalogs suggests that this unit is on loan to the Gesellschaft to serve in a capacity that the unit is not privy to beyond that it is to follow the orders of local commanders. Likelihood of transdimensional invasion is very high. Wachroboters are armed with high energy particle cannons and a laser cutter and fitted with high strength reinforcement fields to augment their hyperalloy construction for greater durability. In close-quarters combat they make use of ultra-intensity hydraulic systems to rapidly exert enormous amounts of force. Target the central optic for the most efficient results.
Quick Stats (Relative to Samus and Arne):
Durability: Low (Shielded, Armoured)
Strength: Low
Firepower: Low
Speed: Slow
Combat Skill: Low
Type of Combatant: Ranged firepower
Samus' Notes: An entire timeline...won't be for much longer. Not if this is what they're going to use to fight.
Arne's Notes: Large, bulky, inefficient and unsubtle. I see some things don't change. Good.
Mechanical caniform combatant devised by KUKA Aktiengesellschaft as per the orders of the Wehrmacht Roboter-Kampfkorps to scout out areas with known resistance organisations or infiltrate into cramped conditions and outflank enemies. The Panzerhund makes use of high-intensity flamethrowers augmented by systems designed by superengineers to enhance temperature, spray reach, and fuel efficiency to allow for burns at temperatures high enough to rapidly melt steel. Panzerhunde are most vulnerable to attack against the head, though damage to their fuel tanks will usually prove sufficient in lowering their offensive capabilities. Panzerhunde are incapable of engaging foes at long range, and as such preventing them from closing into melee will suffice in avoiding unnecessary risk. Keeping them away from more fragile team members is highly recommended.
Quick Stats (Relative to Samus and Arne):
Durability: Weak (Shielded, Armoured)
Strength: Weak
Firepower: Weak
Speed: Low
Combat Skill: Low
Type of Combatant: High Speed Melee fighter
Samus' Notes: Many team members aren't going to be able to withstand heat like this. If any of them get close to them, I'll need to jump in. With my current equipment, withstanding the heat shouldn't be an issue.
Arne's Notes: Like poorly built copies of Geri and Freki, dangerous to less durable allies but I should be alright. Seems almost insulting to pattern them off of an animal as nice as a dog though.
Stahlwalküre were originally designed by the Fascist Scientist by the alias of Vandal during the second world war on both the "Primal Earth" timeline that Nightcaster and Eudaimonica hail from and both the "Reich-Earth" timeline that appears to be supplying this operation. These models of the concept of a fast-moving, missile-equipped drone are of course, a great improvement on their counterparts from the 20th century and are capable of high-speed manoeuvres and carry a versatile load-out of missiles for usage against most conceivable types of opponents. However, they are vulnerable to virtually all of your weapons and lack the ability to move quickly enough to evade your seeking weapons. They will, however, come in very large numbers with reinforcements frequently being teleported in as soon as they are manufactured to augment existing forces; viewed as utterly expendable.
Quick Stats (Relative to Samus and Arne):
Durability: Dismal
Strength: Very Weak
Firepower: Very Weak
Speed: Acceptable (Flight capable)
Combat Skill: Dismal (Negligible melee capability)
Type of Combatant: High Speed Aerial Ranged Attacker
"Feinde entdeckt: beseitigen!" Boomed a deep metallic voice, full of completely unguised killing intent as the lead machine approached the three of you. Here we go.
Samus
The car dropped you off at an apartment a reasonably short distance away from the university where you saw that the patrols had been intensified just as Arne reported. The Front entrance was the least guarded of course, simply checkpoints as the Gesellschaft clearly regarded the idea that anyone would just go in through the most obvious route as ridiculous. But they also seemed to keep the rooftops a bit less defended than the rest. There were some people watching the skies of course, but it seemed that most of them expected enemies trying to sneak around through less obvious routes.
"Huh, no use trying to sneak in now. We should wait for some of the patrols to be redirected to Arne's group, then slip in. Easy, keeps us out of trouble." Assault said, sighing as he drew a hand over his face and sighed.
"Nyet, that would take too much time. We should just suit up, rush in, take out the guards from the distance and then storm into the main room. Then we will have a beachhead. We could explore further from there I think." Molotok said, drawing her index finger and thumb over her slender chin.
"From above might be better if you want to go so quickly. Just have Samus crash through the windows, then we follow. Little time to respond, we might get spotted but I think it won't matter." Serp said.
"And expose yourself to all the guns here? No dice. We should just force open a hole in the barricade and cut our way through from there, straighter path, less likely to have guards in places they don't expect people to use as entryways." Battery contested.
Hrm, seems like you'd have to be the tie-breaker here.
Situation:
Arne's group is facing a group of Sixteen Wachroboter, Twenty one Panzerhunde, and eighty-four Stahlwalküre split into three groups each. At least nine platoons of Gesellschaft Soldaten are moving to confront Arne's trio.
This is a medium intensity encounter, with VERY LOW injury risk but HIGH RISK of further reinforcements arriving and GREAT risk of collateral damage.
The objective is to advance deeper into the university while ensuring no or minimal civilian casualties and ensure that Samus' group encounters as little difficulty with enemies capable of posing a HIGH INJURY RISK to its more fragile members.
The enemy is SURPRISED and will take SIGNIFICANT penalties to organising a response.
You are EXPECTING this encounter and thus gain bonuses to combat rolls for the initial two rounds of engagement.
ROBOTIC COMBATANTS are advancing head-on and do not gain flanking bonuses, Soldaten are moving into cover, assuming high ground, and are attempting to both vertically and horizontally flank.
Gesellschaft Parahuman reinforcements are en route and will arrive the next round.
Wehrmacht combat aircraft have been notified and will divert from patrols to provide air support.
The Bundeswehr is unwilling to engage Gesellschaft, 5th Column, and Reich-Earth forces due to numerical disparity.
The Police are CONFUSED and will not respond.
Samus' objective is to uncover the plans of the Nazis at the university while minimising loss of civilian life and to prevent as much of the enemy from escaping with valuable research information as possible. Uncovering secondary Gesellschaft priorities will increase the rewards given.
There are multiple avenues of entry for Samus' group. One is from above, going through a window or a rooftop. This will give the enemy the least time to respond but is also the most visible route. The other is simply kicking in the front door, which will cause the most alarm but will neutralise the largest number of enemies in the initial attack. The next is barging through the barricade, circumventing the most enemies and giving the shortest route to the objective but carries a higher risk of collateral damage as the enemy will likely respond with heavier munitions in areas less likely to be cleared of civilians. The last is just waiting for the enemy to reroute patrols to deal with the chaos Arne is causing. This will take the most time, but carries the least risk to the civilian populace.
Enemy patrols are moving to the opposite end of the university from Samus, resulting in their defences being at under half strength due to assuming that Arne is the primary threat. Primary opposition will be Infantry, Lighter robots, Light Parahuman/Metahuman response teams, and minimal vehicular support.
The Civilian populace in the area is 75% evacuated. The Student body and faculty is 90% expelled, but some might be still on the premise to assist the Gesellschaft with finding what they desire.
Local parahumans are focused on EVACUATION and are UNLIKELY to interfere.
No major known parahumans seem to be involved.
Actions:
Arne:
[]: Go for a highly aggressive approach, draw as much attention to yourself as possible to minimise risk of collateral damage. More likely to take hits and be pressed into melee, but will also give Bumblebee and Strongarm the most freedom of action. Given that you are small however, you will need to take more aggressive action to read as a higher priority threat than the autobots than you would with the humans. You will also need to trust the autobots to deal with stragglers.
[]: Hang back and Support: Let Bumblebee and Strongarm draw the most attention due to their greater size and seemingly threatening nature. This keeps you safe and allows you to move around to eliminate smaller enemies that the two autobots might have issues with, and allows you to eliminate threats at your leisure and also puts you in a position to deal with reinforcements directly. However the Gesellschaft will use heavier munitions on the autobots, increasing risk of collateral damage. The Autobots also suffer from size based manoeuvre penalties and so the engagement will mostly happen in larger spaces.
[]: Balanced approach: Do not favour any particular subset of the team in who draws the most aggression. While not quite having the drawbacks of either, it also lacks the particular strengths of either approach. It will generally require the three of you to move as a group and thus packs the advantage of maximising firepower against enemies, but also minimises your ability to cover a larger area.
[]: Mixed approach: This will require military skill rolls to ensure that the three of you can properly coordinate, with a SIGNIFICANT penalty due to the lack of any existing relationship between you and the two autobots. If successful however, it will allow you to swap between the three approaches as the situation calls for, but if failed you will be locked into one of the prior approaches with a SIGNIFICANT penalty to further military checks for two rounds due to poor coordination.
Target priority (Rank from highest to lowest);
[]: Panzerhunde first: Deals with the enemies most likely to start widespread fires and most able to slip by unnoticed into more populated areas as well as the principal melee threat.
[]: Wachroboter First: Deals with the enemies with the largest amount of firepower and durability first as well as the primary ranged threat.
[]: Stahlwalküre first: Deals with the enemies most able to manoeuvre around the battlefield and attack other characters.
[]: Infantry first: Deals with the most numerous and versatile threat who are most able to control the field of engagement.
Samus:
[]: Assault's Plan
[]: Battery's Plan
[]: Molotok's Plan
[]: Serp's Plan
[]: Write in plan
Last edited:
Arc 1: Fourfold Endeavour. Mission 1: Nazi Punks Fuck Off! Part 4
Sorry for the delay, from now on I'm going to shorten the voting duration to avoid getting distracted. Also trying to experiment with the dice lead me to conclude that I was overcomplicating the stats and will be returning to a wholly qualitative stat system that I can abstract a lot more with less dice. I'll adjust the already written character profiles to account for this later. Next posts will be shorter I swear to make the combat flow better.
[X]: Highly aggressive approach
[X]: Panzerhunde
[X]: Assault's plan
Arne
Time to get dangerous then, you reasoned as you sidestepped the missile fire of some of the Nazi drones, grabbing one of the warheads as it passed you by, giving yourself a spin and throwing it back at the sender's exposed warhead racks to explode the machine all at once. Nothing too fancy and hardly the most impressive use of your reflexes, but it certainly seemed to put the Soldaten at unease.
"The short one moves fast!" You of course understood what they were saying just fine, and they didn't know the half of it. ETC launched rounds screamed towards you at speeds far in excess of what normal bullets could manage, augmented by flickers of unknown and dark energy after the Soldaten slammed home new magazines with purple marks. Whatever those energies were, it didn't really matter when their bullets all seemed to move in slow motion to your eyes.
The crack of weapons fire told you they had other marksmen trained on you with disciplined volleys; the tearing sound of machine guns loud as ever in an attempt to pin you down. Their snipers were well trained, but simply not good enough at what they did to land a bead on you, with every round going wildly off the mark without you once having to trust your shielding against the impacts. Almost like showing off really, your precognition told you not to fear the blows, but demoralising them was always good.
You shot back while dashing around their clumsy retaliation fire; stretching out your arm and taking aim. A lesser combatant would have found these shots difficult to make while darting around faster than a bullet, but you were trained for this from an incredibly early age. Letting yourself get into the battle zone, you marked your enemies in your sight and got ready to fire.
Your cannon shifted into beam mode and spat out a refracting beam of white that split into a burst of different colours on impact. And then another and another and another at rates to surpass their machine guns; your cannon's barrel disappearing behind the stream of white energy as you walked it into positions of cover; angling the bounce so that the rainbow light would deflect into anyone in cover or between targets.
The scalding light of the prism beam combined with your power beam's kinetic force vaporized men and armour alike with contemptuous ease, mediporter flashes working frantically to try and pull the Soldaten out of harm's way before they could finish crumbling into ash as the light just about breakdanced amidst their ranks.
Even the refracted pulses were overkill against human targets such as this; reducing everything men to clouds of dust and scattered electrons and ionising weapons and armour plating into an electron haze. The soldiers certainly seemed to realise that you were a greater priority and redirected more of their effort towards you, trying to corral you towards their street thug auxiliaries who brandish pistols, shotguns, carbines and other basic weapons that you don't even bother to avoid.
You sweep your beam fire over them for a few shots and turn away, letting the dust billow away from you without a second thought, your mind shutting itself off to the severing of the connection between their souls and disintegrated bodies. Ninety gone in an eyeblink, they probably didn't even know what they were being asked to fight before you simply killed them; but they could have threatened combatants who couldn't have just ignored them; which you couldn't have allowed.
Fifteen try to get close to you as you vaporise a machine gun position with a single shot of your prism beam, you flick your eyes towards one of them, shouting curses and damnations at you; rapid firing a large number of slurs at you before you simply lurched your hand forward and ripped his heart out with the ease of pulling tissues out of a box. His flesh and bones yielding as if they weren't there and his organ imploding with a brief squeeze of your finger.
The next got his entire body reduced to a smear by an elbow from you, the other broke a pipe over you without getting you to so much as flinch before you extended your blade and stepped back, letting them all rush towards you in a semi-circle and try to jump at you at once. With a single motion you decapitated them all, not letting the Soldaten feel any less pressure as you kept on bombarding them with the prism beam without quite looking at them.
The remaining street toughs looked at the thirteen headless bodies you had produced and got understandably cold feet; running away when you cast a glance towards them before continuing on. One of the platoons was gone to the last man, another was wavering, one though; seemed to cheer at the prospect of such a bold fight and urged themselves further into the fray, determined to fight to the bitter end with a grim sort of courage that would have been mildly respectable had it not come from people who thought the Holocaust was a great idea.
The Panzerhunde are upon you soon enough, seven of them breaking off to try and take the heat off of the Soldaten while the drones overhead sought to pound at your position with an endless rain of missiles; your beam fire shredding through them with each shot and your body twisting and alternating between forms to dodge out of the way of the homing rockets thrown your way in ever greater numbers. Weapons fire continued to bark in your direction in greater numbers, but none of it was able to quite land a shot on you.
They ran alongside the walls, jumped onto platforms and tried to engulf you flames that were melting the concrete they brushed against in dramatically rapid fashion. Sidestepping out of the way and firing off your grapple beam, you dragged one of the Panzerhunde as it sought to leap towards you into the path of the incoming rounds of the emboldened platoon and the Stahlwalkures trying to get you pinned down.
Based on the scratch marks the rounds left in the Panzerhund's armour, you surmised that you could safely take impacts from the dark energy augmented rounds without worrying too much and rushed into the Panzerhunde before gravity could reunite it with the ground. Checking it with your shoulder, you launched it into the next Panzerhund before it could recover its bearings, outpacing the rate that its neural processors could register your movements. The two exploded into scrap metal from the velocity of the impact, the thunderclap of shattering machinery muffled in your ears by your helmet before another machine leapt at you, your hand swinging to grab jaws trying to clamp down with the force of a mountain's face collapsing downwards.
You felt a brief surge of resistance, the jaws trying to push with force meant to overcome most metahumans that the Panzerhund was likely to encounter, but this was a contest you'd win with ease even in civilian clothing. With your current armour; you pulled back and the machine's head tore off in a spray of metal and sparks before you tossed the shorn piece into the next Panzerhunde as it opened its mouth to spit out its fire; giving the top half of the head a spin like a discus to smash into and through large sections of the Panzerhund. Damaged but not quite disabled, which reminded you of the other one.
Knowing that the other one could function with only half its head, you let your beam spark out; prismatic energy bounding around the machine's body and rendering it so much molten ejecta. Easy enough, though you felt your senses warning you of something coming from behind, turning on your feet with a step and lashing out with your left hand balled into a fist. The thunderclap of the impact caved in the damaged Panzerhund and reduced it to shrapnel, raining onto another that you clocked with a pair of missiles to tear to pieces with a loud click and bang. So far, so good.
Missile Count: 153/155
Your shock coil erupted to life, spewing energy into the next Panzerhunde to approach while your armblade shivered out of your gauntlet and swung in a wide arc to bisect the last one in a single sweep. Steaming halves of the machine flying in separate directions while your blade glowed with the energy sent running through the ferrochitin structure, suit withdrawing it back into the gauntlet as soon as you no longer needed it to prevent it from interfering with your movements. The sizzling halves of the panzerhunde jerked slightly, but came to a halt soon enough, letting you move on to other targets.
And you'd need to move soon; as the final Panzerhunde of the group was already and roaring before it disintegrated as neutrino flow tore apart its atomic structure in a burst of electrons and protons freed from its atoms with carefully aimed impacts. A process charged by your universal ammo feed and arm cannon with a power output to make the thunderbolts of Zeus seem like playground static sparks next to a weaponised tesla coil in comparison.
Atomic soup crumbled around the shock coil's path and energy flowed back into your shielding. The process of disintegration was quite painful in the brief time it took to disintegrate a foe; at least, so you were told; which is why neutrino-disintegrator weapons like the Shock Coil were banned in many countries, but to you, a weapon was a weapon. Battle is not a pleasant or pain free process, and at the end of the day, all methods of dealing out death sever a thread of life.
Universal Ammo Count: 239/240
Something you reminded the remaining enemies of with a burst of no less than seven missiles from your cannon to shred through the remaining Walkures and soldaten that had decided to stick around and fight to the bitter finish. Missile plumes raced over the heads of the soldaten and then erupted in contained detonations that simply reduced the soldiers to so much mush and ash; while Stahlwalkures that tried to evade them were simply obliterated in a storm of steel. Then the bouncing beams of death pinged between their formations; shattering their lines and ripping open ragged holes in their defences against you.
Missile Count: 146/155
Your allies weren't unbusy either, as you turned to see Bumblebee grabbing two of the panzerhunde, one in each hand and then smashing them into each other with a loud thundercrack and an explosion of metal before he spun around on foot to smash a Wachroboter into the ground with his hammer; unfurling it out of storage and rupturing the Teutonic Tin Can like foil. Weapons fire skipping off of his shielding, he skipped an EMP grenade downrange to neutralise much of the remaining Wachroboter force, letting them fall to the ground.
Two of the large machines sought to strike him from behind, and already being in a position to h elp him you charged up and released a missile to strike between them; the shiver of the missile's release going through your arm while you grabbed at the trusted bayonet of a Soldaten with your free hand and casually flicked the rifle and the soldier attached to it up into the sky, the increasingly distant screaming of the Soldaten fading from your attention.
Bumblebee's cannon charged up with a loud whine before the ping of the charged solar energy resounded in your ears, coring three of the Wachroboters in a spray of plasmafied ejecta that annihilated a nearby Panzerhunde with the wash of heat and vaporising some of the Steel Valkyries. His shoulder pods extended out of their containers and a burst of warheads streamed out, redirecting themselves to strike at the decloaking gunships that emerged to the sides with shadow energy cannons snarling to life.
Produced by the Focke-Wulf GmbH for the requirements of the Waffen-SS on Reich Earth, the Kolibri is extremely agile and capable of stealthed operations, crucial for deploying small commando teams or sudden surprise attacks. Extremely manoeuvrable with the amazing ability to make upwards of 45 full rotations per second should the Pilot have a death wish or not be particularly attached to their lunch; the Kolibri is able to move like a hummingbird and can thus make extremely sudden manoeuvres limited primarily by the pilot and copilot's ability to endure them.
The extremely modular design also allows for the Kolibri to have its armament switched out to a wide array of possible configurations and to be upgraded as the situation demands, a crucial factor in allowing it to keep pace with more potent metahuman opponents and the evolution of technology. Its typical armament will include a nose-mounted rapid-fire weapon, homing missiles, and precision rocket pods; and many will carry small teams of soldiers to important locations. However, the Kolibri is not a particularly durable craft, and the loss of a single tail rotor will typically send the craft into a death spin that few pilots are skilled enough to recover from before crashing.
Quick Stats (Rated by Low end Gunship Standards):
Durability: Fragile
Strength: Weak
Firepower: Acceptable
Speed: Acceptable (Flight capable, Great Manoeuvrability)
Combat Skill: Decent (Negligible melee capability)
Type of Combatant: High Speed Aerial Ranged Attacker
Samus' Notes: That rotor configuration seems like it's asking for trouble with how close the blades are to touching each other. Just jamming them a bit should cause problems, but I think I should freeze them before impact to make their descent more predictable.
Arne's Notes: The grapple beam should be good enough to yank off their rotors and send them crashing; or just pull them into the ground. The only concern would be the possibility of collateral damage.
With a deft roll, he evaded the stabbing lances of corroding negative energy and brought himself into position to catch one of the falling gunships before it could fall out of the bounds of the walls and onto some children who had yet to take a hint and leave the area. Shooing them out of the way, Bumblebee interposed himself into the path of some anti-tank missiles, shrugging them off as they impacted his shielding and then throwing the helicopter wreck into another of the chopper pack of six that remained from his initial attack.
Though the pilot to his credit managed to dodge out of the way of Bumblebee's throw, you were already on the case; jumping off of a Panzerhund as it sought to bite you, backflipping and firing off your grapple beam to yank the Kolibri into its wrecked counterpart to collide in a fiery detonation.
Bumblebee smashed his fist into one of the Wachroboter that sought to teleport into closer range of him, the Autobot scout's hand crumpling the Teutonic war machine like foil and sending it crumpling to the ground a good distance away. You danced below his feet, cannon sparking with star beam fire to suppress the Soldaten who were trying to move to regain their flanking positions around you, soldiers flying back or flinching behind cover to escape your wrath right before your eye caught sight of a series of blurs just as Bumblebee grabbed a Wachroboter thrown his way by Strongarm and smashed it into the ground hard enough to shatter most of it.
The infernal metal howl of the german machines told you that the hunt was on, and the scampering of metal claws on the ground let you narrow down their avenue of attack. The remaining Panzerhunde packs had clearly identified you as a threat, and were already converging rapidly towards your position with surprisingly agile motions, running along the sides of walls to get better angles of attack. Jets of fire leapt out towards you, the ground boiling away. Your arm cannon clicked and released an ice missile, a shiver going through the appendage as the rocket detonated amidst the cloud of superheated debris to annihilate the heat and produce a thick layer of frost.
Missile Count: 145/155
A punch to the ground from Strongarm was enough to while the Valkyries swarmed around; trying to overwhelm the wall of fire represented by Strongarm's subsonic repeater and neutron assault rifle to funnel you and bumblebee into a more confined space; Kolibri rocket pods lighting up with red flares of released projectiles and crimson energy beams stabbing downrange with a riotous piercing noise towards you.
You barely even noticed the clink of grenades being rolled towards you as you vaulted into the air and took a few of the rockets head on to give you more room to manoeuvre. Not the hardest impacts you've ever had, but definitely a surprise to the Kolibri pilot when you smashed through the autocannon resistant cockpit back first and smashed your elbow into his skull hard enough to reduce his upper body to paste before your free hand grabbed the gunner and crushed his throat.
You were sure that the mediporters would find some way to put them back together. Something you had mixed feelings about, on one hand taking life was something you had to exercise caution about. On the other hand, these people had more than forfeited their right for you to really care whether they got a second chance or not.
The frantic manoeuvring of another Kolibri reminded you had other priorities; charging up and then firing off a star beam shot to vaporise most of the helicopter to prevent it from crashing into anything, firing off another ice missile to drop the mass of gaseous metal on top of some of the Panzerhunde. Your star beam shot out again, destroying another Kolibri as it sought to indiscriminately bombard your position with rockets.
The machine erupted in a flash of plasmafying matter that split it into pieces, its crew reduced to dust in the process. Seeing its front half spiralling out of control, you whipped forward with your grapple beam to prevent it from falling down on top of some cars outside the barricade to the awe of the children inside. You smiled briefly, turning towards them despite their distance to you so that you could give a little nod of acknowledgement to before vaulting upwards.
One more target, this Kolibri moving fast and furiously to avoid your movements, but you simply fired off your thrusters again mid air, correcting your course and landing atop one of its missiles launched out towards you. You grimaced a bit at the scourging sensation of its nose cannon pushing you back, but you redirected its second volley into the turret with your blade before jumping beneath. Spinning around with an arm extended and slicing off the remaining Kolibri's tail section before twisting it rotor first back into the ground.
Missile Count 144/155
Energy Count 07(95)
One Panzerhunde managed to get around to your side as you tried to dodge out of the way of a volley of dark energy missiles, flipping out of the vortexes they generated and then grunting as the Panzerhunde snapped its jaw onto your arm. Your shielding count ticked downwards a bit as the Panzerhund sought to worry you with shakes of its head in either direction. But despite the Panzerhund applying the sort of pressure that would be best expressed in "kaiju per square nanometre" you were able to push your arm free by wedging it downwards until the Panzerhund's jaw broke, getting your legs into a position to kangaroo kick the next Panzerhund to leap at you hard enough to shatter it into pieces.
You weren't about to let some half-rate mechanocanine be the one to reunite you with your parents. Preferably nobody would ever get that honour.
Energy Count 07(89)
The wounded panzerhund's ignition chamber sparked to life while Bumblebee's cannon fire sent two more Wachroboter falling to the ground and Strongarm flung a car through a mass of Soldaten like a frisbee; men and machinery flying in all directions while you turned your prism beam onto the Walkures. You sidestepped, moving out of the way of the tongue of flame, then found more and more of the heat being thrown your way. Your armour didn't give you a heat danger warning, but the glare of the fire was making it hard to see, especially for your sensitive red eyes.
You grit your teeth and fired off a charged ice missile, just in time as three more Panzerhunde leaped into the inferno to try and pin you down; engulfing them in the blue-white wave of frost and rewarding you with the satisfying sound of their bodies shattering against the ground. The ruins of Nazi artifice were a pleasure you never thought you'd get to see in person, but it was immensely gratifying to watch all their toys crumble away.
Missile Count: 141/155
Another managed to reach you, clawing at your side while you reduced a Wachroboter to slag and spun out of the way of a missile, a grunt coming from you as you slammed into a wall. You let the highlights of your cannon shift into a blue colouration and let it extend its subweapon chamber before your shock coil erupted outwards and lashed through the machine. Your energy tanks refilled and every machine you exposed to a taste of the shock coil disintegrated to ash shortly afterwards.
Energy Count: 07(99)
Looking around you, all you could see were the scrapped remains of aircraft and machinery. You shook your head a bit and saw Bumblebee dusting the remains of a Helicopter off of his hands before he flashed you a thumbs up, getting a small smile out of you.
This was hardly the end of the affair however, as the Gesellschaft and Reich-Earth were now increasingly aware that they had quite the serious situation on their hands and would need to deploy greater force to contain the bulldozing trio of hyper-advanced aliens rummaging through their defensive line.
Your visor detected heat signatures moving around in the building while additional forces were moving around outside. From what you could see, outside would be the heavier troops, while inside would be an assortment of lighter but more mobile units, likely some of their superhuman help too.
You paused a bit, trusting your ears. There was definitely the rumble of vehicular wheels and treads and the heavy footfall of more robots outside. They were definitely mad, but inside you could hear them shouting frantically about not having expected this sort of extraterrestrial intervention this soon. Two voices told them to not worry, they would take care of it. Bumblebee and Strongarm hardly looked worse for wear, though you hadn't managed to coordinate all that well; not having much in the way of a rapport with each other. They wouldn't be able to support you inside the building, but taking their more esoteric reinforcements out of the equation might not be such a bad idea.
You paused and considered; looking through the window of the building and launching a scan of the two figures. One a figure with the appearance of a black, white, and red mechanical skeleton with a multitude of reinforcing augmentations to enhance his durability and prowess, the other a woman fitted with some sort of heavily segmented plating and a series of tubes that fed into body to pump what was clearly a chemical into her.
Born as Reinhardt Vogl, Stahlschadel was bonded to his extradimensional symbiont at an early age following an accident in Norway that left him and his parents trapped in a cave in with a thirty-two strong hiking expedition. The symbiont gave him the ability to devise things that could help him or others survive scenarios that he could think of as well as fed into his conviction that the flesh was weak; seeing it fail so many people before he managed to device a blaster that freed the group. From then on, Reinhardt progressively replaced more and more of his body with machinery to become an impenetrable fortress of metal, plastic, and composite. Following Reich Earth and the 5th Column's acquisition of the Gesellschaft, he was given a more advanced technological base to work with and soon upgraded himself to fit newer standards.
In combat, Reinhardt is a swiss army knife with a large variety of survival tools including rapid repair nanites, multi-layered shielding, teleportation devices to move out of the way, energy absorbers, holographic decoys to distract foes, uberalloy and super-composite construction and armour plating, and an extensive array of life support systems including a miniaturised biopod to take care of what few remaining biological components he has left. An extensive arsenal is also built into him, including plasma casters, quantum guns, a fusion torch, electrolasers, grenade launchers, and micro-missile launchers all fitted into various components of his body. He is most vulnerable to attacks in the abdomen where his primary power systems are located, and energy drain should also substantially reduce his ability to fight.
Samus' Notes: I almost pity him, but given the choices he's made, there's nothing we can do but try to stop him.
Arne's Notes: The Shock Coil should be my most effective weapon against him, especially aimed towards his centre of mass.
Quick Stats (By Mini-Boss standards):
Durability: Resilient
Strength: Good
Firepower: Acceptable
Speed: Acceptable (Flight capable, Great Manoeuvrability)
Combat Skill: Good
Type of Combatant: Jack-of-all trades combatant.
Born as Evangeline Schwarzkopf, Nektar was a brute given powers by the Gesellschaft able to engage armoured fighting vehicles and withstand anti-tank weapons fire of only modest note. While difficult to deal with, her ambitions were limited and her grab bag power set of enhanced physicality and being able to store and then release energy imparted into her was easy enough to grasp and counter. This changed following the acquisition of the Gesellschaft as she was given access to a serum that the 5th Column had acquired from other sources on Primal Earth. The serum allows her to massively bulk up in rapid succession, making her a far more difficult opponent to deal with; escalating her strength, durability, and reflexes immensely while also charging her with kinetic energy she can release at will. She was then given a suit to allow her to maintain contact with command and control assets, augment her protection, and synergies with her energy based powers; though to ensure she cannot turn against her creators; should the flow of the serum be stopped for any reason she will crash out and fall unconscious.
In combat, she is difficult to harm, heals extremely quickly, possesses tremendous physical strength and durability, and is able to absorb energy and then release it back in various forms; including shockwaves, blasts, or even bolts of electricity or explosions. However she is a borderline irrational fighter with little skill or finesse, largely attacking to intimidate and is unused to the very idea of being met with anyone who could possibly match her in strength. She responds poorly to insults, being extremely irritable and will focus her efforts on the last person to hit her to the exclusion of most everything else unless actively prevented from retaliating.
Samus' Notes: Hardly seems fair for Arne to get to have all the fun with her, but I'm a bit concerned that this 5th Column seems so set on upgrading the threat the Gesellschaft poses.
Arne's notes: I still have the edge in strength against her, but playing into her game of fisticuffs seems like a poor idea with her energy absorbtion. On the other hand, the Shock Coil should work well against her. I just need to tear out the tubing afterwards.
(Rated by Miniboss standards)
Durability: Great
Strength: Great
Firepower: Mediocre
Speed: Acceptable
Combat Skill: Feral
Type of Combatant: Brute type melee combatant.
"We'll be able to take care of these creeps. You should probably head inside, you're small." Strongarm said over the comms before Bumblebee looked towards her and then back at you and then shook his head.
"-A house divided cannot stand.-" Bumblebee said as the enemy patrol rounded the corner. It seems that the vehicles had yet to arrive just yet, but in addition to a fresh wave of Panzerhunde, Kolibri, Wachroboter, Soldaten, and Stahlwalkures were adeptly moving soldiers in threatening dark grey uniforms whose bodies disappeared with shimmering cloak fields; lithe frames vaulting onto fvantage points to try and encircle the Autobots as they stood ready to engage the newly enlarged enemy force. Thus leaving you with the important choice of whether to assist the autobots, draw the parahumans out for a fight on your terms, or split off and take them on your own.
The 5th Column is well known for its extremely extensive supersoldier programs and its strict hierarchy divided by rank, section, and enhancement grade. The higher the rank, section, and enhancement grade of a 5th column soldier; the more superhuman capabilities they possess. The Nacht section forms the 5th Column's special forces unit and the Elites are those given middle stage supersoldier enhancements. Those of soldat rank may lack the more developed powers of the Unteroffizers and the Obersts, but Nacht Elites still possess the strength to shatter steel plating with their fists, withstand explosive weapons even unassisted by their advanced shielding capable electromesh powered fibril-armour, and dodge automatic weapons fire. Armed with special "Werwolf" weapons that can transform between rotary ETC machine guns firing specially treated hypervelocity armour piercing rounds; smart guns with incendiary, chemical, electric, cryogenic or explosive round options; ultra-high temperature flamethrowers; or grenade or rocket launchers, the Elite are also extremely capable melee combatants for a mass-trained formation, making use of many esoteric martial arts to augment their striking power and movement beyond their strength. Like all Nacht troopers, Nacht Elite Soldaten are capable of multi-spectrum cloaking, silencing their movements, and are well trained in stealth and marksmanship.
Samus' Notes: It seems that the 5th Column is the most elite part of this alliance. These soldiers have decent equipment and enhancements for this time's standards. I'll need to put more focus on the 5th Column then. They must be up to something.
Arne's Notes: A lot of these soldiers seem to be clones or at least vat grown. Possibly a sign of recruitment not turning out as many potentials as they hoped for? They're nearly all brainwashed to a fault though, can't expect many of them to surrender.
(Rated by minion standards)
Durability: Decent
Strength: Decent
Firepower: Decent
Speed: Decent
Combat Skill: Good
Type of Combatant: Special Forces Commando
The Unteroffizers of the 5th Column's Nacht Elite formations are stronger than five of their subordinates put together and have similarly improved reflexes, durability, endurance; and access to higher grade weapons and equipment. Each one is a master of death and has killed dozens of high-value targets on both Primal Earth and Earth Bet and all other dimensions in which the 5th Column operates. Their techniques and equipment are simply a superlative on that of their lower-ranking counterparts, and it is their duty to coordinate much of the ground-level tasks of the Nacht segment of the 5th Column. Each is not only a well trained elite combatant, but also a skilled small unit tactician and an expert in stealth assaults.
(Rated by Lieutenant standards)
Durability: Decent
Strength: Decent
Firepower: Decent
Speed: Decent
Combat Skill: Good
Type of Combatant: Special Forces Commando
The Obersts of the Nacht Elite are a further fivefold improvement on the prior unteroffizers. Elite Obersts are able to deal crushing blows with nothing but their bodies, but also carry high powered weapons perfected for dealing with metahuman adversaries of the 5th Column that have proven to be extremely effective against Earth Bet's parahumans. Though you maintain the absolute advantage in all physical and mental fields, Nacht Elite Obersts are also dangerous for their mastery of special operations warfare and their skillful handling of their soldiery. They will coordinate their fellows with deft precision and are well trained in dealing with significantly more powerful enemies than themselves.
(Rated by Officer standards)
Durability: Decent
Strength: Decent
Firepower: Decent
Speed: Decent
Combat Skill: Good
Type of Combatant: Special Forces Commando
Samus
"We'll wait." You say as the thunderclap of distant explosions and the rumble of fading detonations rings in your ears. People are clearly fleeing the area in a hurry, not wanting to be caught up in the maelstrom of sudden high impact violence, and you make a small prayer to the sacred ascended ancestors pleading for everyone there to be alright.
"Shto?! The entire force is probably going to be busy brawling with your boyfriend!" Molotok said, shaking her head as she quickly slipped on her costume and armour via groundbridge portal. She clearly was going to need some kind of justification for your choice of action.
"If we rush in, they'll draw forces back here where the evacuation hasn't finished and put people in danger." You said, standing up with more confidence as you let your armour manifest around you, letting your shoulders sink a bit as the red, yellow, and orange varia suit surrounded your body.
"I'm not going to put people at risk when I can do something about it." You said, watching closely as the guards began to shift their position; forming a perimeter to watch the movements of Arne and his group.
"She's right." Assault said as a Soldat thrown into the air by Arne finally started to descend back towards the ground with a prolonged scream of "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" as he fell back down from a height best expressed in kilometers.
"...Good throwing arm, he play baseball?" Assault said before the Soldat hit the ground in front of the window with a pronounced and slightly sickening crunching sound.
"...I'm going to have a long talk to that kid about lethal force." Battery said with a sigh while Serp took a second look at the corpse on the ground to confirm that he was dead.
"This is a combat situation though?" You said as a Helicopter exploded in the distance, its missiles being shot down by rapid fire projectiles from Strongarm's weapons suite. The shorn halves of the helicopter being caught by Bumblebee before they could make impact with the ground; prismatic sprays of light bouncing around the embattled area, each carefully aimed to avoid even the slightest chance of an improper bounce.
"These are soldiers who chose to fight to the death. Not criminals. And I know Arne, he'd never shoot anyone who was surrendering." You said as everyone suited up, taking a second glance towards the entrance and noting that the last of the guards in that direction had made themselves scrace.
"The kind of firepower you two use is something I'm not sure I'm comfortable with children having at their disposal." Battery said with a shake of her head.
"Hey, hey, let's put that on hold for a bit. We've got our opening now, don't know how long it's going to last." Assault said.
"Finally, getting tired of watching others have all the fun." Irinna said, cracking her knuckles.
"I'll lead." You said, not waiting for anyone else to contradict you as you rushed to the exit as a blur of motion.
...
You rushed through the opened door where the sounds of heavy combat kept on reverberating through the air, impacts felt as much as they were heard. Some computer terminals were plugged into the facility, and not being able to help yourself you turned your scan visor over to them eagerly, looking for anything that might be of interest. Firewalls and failsafe designed by cunning minds were broken into with ease; with not even the Synthetically Conscious guardian software meant to combat superhuman hackers able to stop you from getting what you wanted once your suit pacified it.
As has been directed by the command of Fuhrer Requiem, we have intensified efforts to understand the Parahuman phenomenon and what sets it apart from our own metahumans. We conclude that this cluster of dimensions has no equivalent to our Well of Furies, nor does it have any inherent sources of magic or many of the cosmic energies we have come to associate with various forms of superpowers. Instead, all powers seem to stem from a single extradimensional source. Our mystics have traced this source to fragments of a large transdimensional entity; fragments which bond to a select host after detecting certain forms of traumatic duress. The host then grows a special organ able to properly channel the energies that the symbiote channels through it, though it rarely seems to provide any working knowledge of how the abilities it offers function. Our Gesellschaft acquisitions have figured out a reliable means of artificially inducing this bonding, even tailoring the circumstances to encourage a select set of powers.
These powers appear to typically have limitations programmed into them to avoid or minimise backlash. Which typically reduces or eliminates their ability to directly affect organic matter. These limitations can often be removed through a second triggering event to redouble the powers granted by the shard; but efforts to triple trigger our subjects have usually resulted in gruesome and painful demises or uncontrollable insanity with no evidence of further power gain. Due to the necessity of trauma in inducing these events; we must unfortunately report that the incidence of these events is lower in those of Aryan racial stock due to the superior civilization developed by our extradimensional kin. Concerningly, as efforts by the Gesellschaft and its associates to combat the Judeo-Bolshevik menace increase; so too does the rate of Jewish or Bolshevik parahumans. Efforts to combat this have been deemed of high importance to the command of the Gesellschaft and the Weltreich.
We also have noted that as the contact between our two multiverses increases; the incidence of parahuman triggering in our own dimensions seems to be rising, while a number of metahumans whose powers operate according to the loose rules we are more familiar with has been growing. We have also demonstrated the possibility of mixing parahuman and metahuman abilities, though we await your permission to test with incarnate empowered volunteers. From this, we can determine that the efforts of our organisation as well as those of our rivals to exploit this bounty of dimensional contact are accelerating the already existing trend of more and more of the population displaying superhuman abilities. A trend that we will be able to exploit to our advantage and ensure the domination of a Reich of all humanity and the downfall of all our enemies. Only then, will ourselves and our Nictus allies be able to save the worthiest of the human species from the Coming Storm.
Coming Storm was bolded for a good reason, but what exactly it referred to was not kept on the network; as if the 5th Column simply expected everyone to automatically know what it referred to and felt no need to record it. The term filled you with a sense of worry and dread, the sort of pensive fear that you imagined people felt when the risk of human extinction due to nuclear war or climate change hung heavy over everyone's heads in the 20th and 21st century. A shadow over your thoughts and a strangling python of unwanted anticipation whose coils fixated your attentions on catastrophes. What could go wrong, what would happen if you couldn't save these people. What would happen if you weren't strong enough to save them...like back in the.
...The memories of fire and smoke drifted around you, the wraith of nightmarish recollection circling around you as you froze briefly. Your breath hitched, and your attentions briefly drifted from reality to what your powers of vision were able to pluck from the strands of fate. Devastation, apocalypse, and the unfathomable heat of destruction.
Everything was burning...
Your suit sensed your alarm and quickly administered corrective procedures, drawing your attention back to reality as your spacing out had made you miss that you had lost the advantage of surprise. Nothing too shocking given how visible your armour was, but you now heard chatter in german and your suit sliced into the radio feeds going between Soldaten who were investigating what was all the ruckus from your end of the room. You started to walk away from the terminal, raising your cannon and checking your suit's radar and motion trackers as well as trusting your body's own senses.
You sensed someone nearby who had hostile intentions and stopped, turning to confront them with your cannon raised.
Soldats are soldiers pressganged into the ranks of the Gesellschaft as part of its recent efforts to expand following contact with the 5th Column and Weltreich. While only possessing basic augmentations and relatively simple equipment, if advanced by the standards of this planet, they are numerous and thanks to hypno-indoctrination programs and cloning technology; are endlessly expendable. Armed with a large assortment of enhanced conventional weaponry, they do not pose a substantive threat to yourself, but are a danger to civilians and less durable allies. Efforts however, are being continually made to improve their equipment and augmentations at low cost.
Samus' Notes: It feels sick to throw people this poorly equipped into battle. So many of them have debilitating genetic conditions, long-term health risks, and they're sending them into a fight with basic tools while filling their heads with so many lies! I hope there's something I can do to save them.
Arne's Notes: I feel bad for them in a way. They're being sent to die for causes they barely understand. But they've been filled with so much hate that they're going to die for them all the same. Best I can do is take apart the Gesellschaft so nobody else suffers like this.
(Rated by Underling Standards)
Durability: Mediocre
Strength: Mediocre
Firepower: Mediocre
Speed: Mediocre
Combat Skill: Mediocre
Type of Combatant: Basic infantry
A Soldat armed with a shotgun fired at you, the pellets incinerating on your shielding without a single shield point lost before your cannon extended and set to the white highlights of the cryolyte. A single shot went out from your cannon and engulfed the Soldat in a wave of anti-energy that turned the very air around them into a solid sheet of ice.
Universal Ammo Count: 239/240
Assault was quick behind, absorbing a bit of the kinetic energy you were leaving behind yourself to rush into the next Soldat with a shotgun, a fist swung out and catching the Nazi by his gas masked face and throwing him clear through the wall.
"So, not even going to bother asking how many of you guys are dimensional transplants or locals." He said as he took a rifle butt to the face without so much as flinching before retaliating with a knee tot he gut that sent the offending Soldat head over heels.
An ETC weapon erupted to life, spraying plasma coated lead downrange before a fully charged Battery rushed downrange, letting the rounds bounce off of her fully charged form before she tackled him into the next room and tossed him into the closet before twisting a metal bar over the door to lock him inside.
"Guten Tag." Molotok said as she tapped on a Soldat's shoulder, prompting him to turn around with an angry burst of German ranting about not wanting to be bothered unless it's by the Kommandant just before he got a fist to the face and got tossed out a window by the hallway.
"Intruder alert!" One of the soldiers shouted before a bouncing grenade detonated amongst them, pink foam erupting outwards and sealing up the squad who had started to wheel their weapons around.
"Where is that teleporter bringing in all these Fritzes?" Serp said with a hint of irritation in his voice as the soldiers groaned in protest in an attempt to break free of their containment.
"Couldn't tell you, they're using something to obscure scans." You said, your suit analysing the interference that was in the air. You didn't tarry for too long however, launching yourself into a kickflip as a snarling hulk of metal rushed down towards you, claws extended and jaws snapping with shockwave inducing force as they just missed you.
The Panzerhund howled with frustration, having just missed you while its robotic mind turned its thought processes towards your allies, its jaws opening up and the nozzle of a flamethrower extending outwards before letting a river of fire out.
Your eyes widened and you shot your cryolyte into the river of fire just as Battery tackled Assault out of the way; frost overcoming the burning superfuel and turning the stream into a frozen sculpture connecting the Panzerhund to the wall. It took only a second for it to break free, but Serp struck at the machine's exposed fuel tanks with a HEAT warhead, the eruption of burning fluid engulfing the war machine and drawing a high pitched roar from it.
"Thanks, now, lemme see if this dog's housebroken." Assault said, standing himself up and throwing a blow into the panzerhund's face to knock it to the ground.
Already on the move, you flinched at a nearby panzerfaust detonation, not harmful but definitely an annoyance as it filled the room with smoke and debris. A burst high-energy blue laser fire skidded off of your shielding from a volley sent down range by Soldats marked with blue highlighted uniforms. However you weren't overly concerned, deciding it was more important to start dealing with this formation than to try dodging.
Energy Count: 07(97)
Easily acquiring them through the smoke, the hallway ahead of you with spazer-split cryolyte fire. The soldiers let out a series of shouts as they ducked out of the way, though plenty failed to make it as the sheets of cold encased not only their bodies but the very hall in sheets of frost to provide your allies with cover; letting them advance safely into the sides to flank the Soldaten trying to blockade the room.
Universal Ammo Count: 235/240
A soldat setting up a machine gun to try and suppress your position was grabbed by the throat by Assault before he could set the bolt into firing position.
"Sorry, gun show's over." He said before tossing the trooper out an already broken window to crumple onto the ground below; dazed but not seriously hurt. A bayonet thrust towards him, skidding off of him as he redirected the energy away from his body and grabbed the soldier into a hammer toss through several more of his compatriots.
Molotok launched out a wall of kinetic energy, bowling over a six more of the soldiers and barely even flinching when an ETC shotgun erupted in her chest. The energy flowed into her body, her armour scorching slightly from the heat of the plasma sheathed rounds before she threw her hands together and shaped the resulting thunderclap forward to sweep through the room; overwhelming the hearing of the soldiers caught in it.
Battery had moved around as fast as she was able after taking the requisite time to charge; borrowing containment foam grenades to take down the Soldats by the dozens from Serp as he duelled with a squad trying to pour down through the staircase, standing in the open and letting impacts glance off of his armour while his submachine guns rattled out lead down range.
"So how many of these krauts are there?" Serp said, punting a grenade tossed at him back to its senders and ducking out of the way of laser rifle fire.
You were about to shout out your estimation, revised for the clear presence of some teleporter letting more enemies move into position before you got a sense of warning. A sharp red sensation of imminent danger for one of your companions and jumped in front of him, taking a barrage of crimson bolts of energy for him and skidding back slightly.
Energy Count: 07(93)
You saw that the 5th Column had not been idle, dispatching Nacht Elites accompanied by Mek Men to support the outmatched Soldaten. From your point of view there were at least ten mekmen and ten elites moving into position; accompanied by a pair of Unteroffizers. There were more of them coming; you could feel it and their heavy weight on the causeways of destiny compared to the fodder you had so far been mowing your way through.
Derived from designs first conceived in Primal Earth's second world war, Mekmen serve as all-purpose infantry combat units and an invaluable aid to the 5th Column's combat efforts. Deceptively durable despite their slender construction, Mekmen are equipped with a cyclotronic cannon and a power claw as well as ultra-high-strength actuators for multi-ranged combat. Shielded and well armoured as well as fitted with self-repair nanites in newer models; the Mekmen also have an advanced A.I that allows them to think and reason as any other infantryman in the 5th Column. This intelligence is, however, designed from the ground up to be utterly subservient to the ideals of Nazism and Volkische ideology; believing its place; as a merely artificial being; to be at the service of the Aryan Herrenvolk.
Current models of Mekmen are also fitted with frag and concussion grenade launchers and can set their cyclotronic cannons to stun through feedback inducement should the 5th column require someone to be captured alive and need to be disabled first before taser net-grenades can be used. Their claws are also able to run a stunning charge through themselves to allow for disabling rather than outright killing, and all evidence suggests that the 5th Column has been working to capture Earth Bet parahumans for comparative analysis with their stock of Primal Earth metahumans. Countering Mekmen is a simple matter of overwhelming their defences, electrical or concussive weapons are particularly effective.
Samus' Notes: The thought of creating life capable of thinking and reasoning just to throw it away like this is obscene. How could these people just create something with wants and needs and twist them towards wanting to die for something as awful as the Reich?
Arne's Notes: There's a lot of ugly hacks made to ensure the subservience of the synthetic consciousness' personality and that it can't develop past a certain way. Ugly hacks for an ugly work I suppose. I guess they're afraid of the Mekmen questioning who's on top or whether anyone should be at all?
(Rated by Minion Standards)
Durability: Good
Strength: Good
Firepower: Good
Speed: Mediocre
Combat Skill: Mediocre
Type of Combatant: Robotic Infantry
There were likely at least two more groups like this; moving around; using the Soldaten as cannon fodder to distract your team from their motions and pick at the more vulnerable sections of the team. One was setting itself up for a dynamic entry from above to ambush Battery while she slugged three more Soldaten to the ground and berated them for not living up to the ubermensch standards, the other was likely to move into a bathroom whose walls were right by where Molotok and Assault were to hose them down with weapons fire as soon as they breached the door.
But the highest concern was not more elite grades of fodder; it was what they had decided to send after you specifically.
The floor beneath you exploded just as you moved out of the way and shoved Serp aside, getting a protest out of him as stone exploded all around the room. A pair of figures emerged from the ground below, one a man in power armour; the other a woman encased in an organic chitinous armour that extended wicked looking bone like claws from her wrists as she pulled herself free of the mess that their entry had made.
The first one caught your attention a bit, his power armour's gauntlets and boots being rather enlarged in a way that suggested that they had special weapons fitted into them. Power fists and boots for especially augmented kicks and punches you surmised. Their feldgrau, Prussian blue, and stark white armour had a smooth; shell-like helmet with two obnoxiously bright spotlight like lenses where his eyes were, the way the facemask fitted over the rebreather adding to the illusion of the blue and grey helmet giving a severe frown. A powerful array of thrusters and a rather agile construction suggested that this was a suit meant for speed as much as power; likely explaining the reliance on power gauntlets and boots over raw strength.
The woman's carapace was quite similar to a mixture of an insect's, a mollusc's shell, an armadillo's scutes, and a coral's mineral layer. Scaled and segmented, even flexible where bending was needed, bony and rigid and menacing where such movement wasn't required. Spiralling horns emerged from her temples, while her eyes were shielded by some manner of film-lens that gave her glare a bioluminescent blue colouration. Bone white and mottled green made up the colouration of her armour, with bioluminescent blue patches here and there. A lash like tail coiled out from behind her, ending in a serrated tip that whipped around back and forth as she exhaled through the semi-permeable grille around her mouth.
A native of Primal Earth named Maude de Martin who had once been a registered superhero in France named Sauveur Rapide; he defected to the 5th Column out of a belief that immigration by those who could not assimilate into French culture was the primary cause of the crime he battled. Dispatched to Earth Bet to help monitor the 5th Column's efforts to combine and distill the best of both multiverseS' superhuman abilities into a new breed of ubermensch; Maude takes with him the engineering talent that allowed him to develop the "Mars" armour. Developing his armour around an extraterrestrial power source; continued exposure to the power source is also gradually mutating him, a process that the 5th Column promises a method to not simply cure, but to neutralise the negative side effects thereof while maintaining the benefits it has given him. So far, the treatments have been effective in maintaining morphological stability while retaining the greatly enhanced physique and neurology the mutations have given him.
In battle, Maude is fast and highly mobile; making use of a wide variety of combat techniques downloaded into his memory by his armour to keep his opponents off-balance. However, he primarily prefers to fight at melee, dodging around efforts to keep him pinned in place or absorbing attacks not strong enough to harm him through his shielding or composited armour plating. He channels energy through his armour to greatly augment his striking power. At a distance, he primarily relies on channeling this energy at range outside of focusing points on his suit, though he has some built-in weapon systems such as micro-missiles, coilguns, and acid sprayers. His armour's primary weakness is a lack of resistance against cryogenic weapons and a need to diminish offensive capability to boost self-repairs without a source of energy that it can drain should the armour start to receive component damage.
Samus' Notes: The power suit is reasonably sophisticated for what they have to work with, but there's plenty of flaws as far as I can tell. The suit's overly dependent on a central power source, any part of the suit severed from it loses all power. Not like the distributed power systems in my armour. I think I might just have to rip his armour apart by hand.
Arne's Notes: As much as that would appeal to me, I think it'd be better to just tear out the power source and disable his suit all at once. While he's still superhuman without it, he'd be a much smaller concern. You'd be able to do this bare handed; with your armour it should be overkill.
Quick Stats (Relative to Samus and Arne, as a miniboss character all categories are more meaty than for standard enemies):
Durability: Good
Strength: Good (Great Striking power)
Firepower: Middling
Speed: Good (Flight Capable)
Combat Skill: Great
Type of Combatant: High Speed Melee Striker
Once Jennifer Wentworth; Wildes Kind used to be the self-appointed "lethal protector" of Paragon City, infamous for her resorting to lethal force repeatedly in virtually all scenarios even when not warranted. Stripped of her hero license by the Superhero community and forced into vigilanteism; Wildes was picked up by the 5th Column who reported an "appreciation" of her talents. A mutant with the ability to radically alter her own biomass and generate additional biomass in violation of mass-energy conservation; Jennifer is able to adapt to differing forms of trauma on command and shift her precise set of strengths and weaknesses. However emphasising one ability and form of defence will usually come at the expense of other; contradicting capabilities. For Example: becoming faster comes at the expense of bulk, mass, and durability, resisting heat through ablative plating makes her more vulnerable to concussive impacts, and so on so forth. She also has a greatly accelerated healing factor, though to make the most of it, she requires additional biomass to absorb. Shielding or armour will block her ability to absorb biomass, and your own progenitor genetic coding would be impossible for her to consume or assimilate, causing cell-death within her feeding spores on contact.
In combat, Wentworth relies primarily on a combination of biologically generated spines, claws, combat usage of the spores she can generate, and biochemicals. She possesses greatly augmented strength, durability, and reflexes, though still inferior to your own by a large margin. A vicious and often savage combatant, Wentworth will typically maul opponents to tear open flesh to absorb biomass from the viscera she leaves behind to augment her own abilities. Finally, she will leave behind a cloud of defensive spores to refract incoming energy attacks or prematurely intercept projectile weapons in an effort to force melee conflict, where she has the greatest ability to cause damage. However parts of her body severed from her nervous system will die if not reattached and cauterizing or cryonically rupturing her cells will permanently remove biomass, making the power blade, pyronic, or extremely cold weapons such as the pyromissile and cryolyte an effective means of removing biomass from her body; particularly when she isn't adapted to such impacts. She is also capable of cloaking herself; though simply switching between visors will foil her present means of stealth and she cannot fully disguise her sound.
Samus' Notes: Okay, I just need to separate her from the rest of the combat and keep her from absorbing extra biomass. And deal with everything else happening at once. Maybe I should contact Arne and rejoin our efforts? There's so much to keep track of to make sure nobody gets hurt.
Arne's Notes: All she needs to do is to alternate between regular and pyromissiles and add in some cryolyte shots. Step in a few times with the power blade and some tearing motions...It's going to be a pain to deal with her and keep everyone else safe, but I think Samus might be able to use her cold-based weapons to create some cover.
Quick Stats (Relative to Samus and Arne, as a miniboss character all categories are more meaty than for standard enemies):
Durability: Resilient (Extreme regeneration)
Strength: Acceptable
Firepower: Acceptable
Speed: Acceptable (Morphable)
Combat Skill: Good (Savage)
Type of Combatant: Hyper-adaptive jack-of-all trades.
Situation
Arne, Bumblebee, and Strongarm have successfully breached the most defended point of the Campus without taking any substantive damage.
Most of the initial enemy forces have been wiped out.
The enemy is bringing in additional reinforcements totalling triple the original strike force plus three platoons of Elites lead by three Obersts each to deal with Arne, Bumblebee and Strongarm.
They are moving in a triangle formation to try and enclose the three from three sides to prevent withdrawing.
Civilian population is 90% evacuated from the danger zone.
Two parahumans and a Nacht Elite Squadron are ready to engage Arne, directly in front of him; and will try to separate him from the two autobots.
Arne is in a MODERATE RISK, HIGH INTENSITY engagement.
Arne is 30% of the way to the objective.
Samus' group has successfully entered the university.
Additional enemy patrols were rerouted to deal with Samus' team after reaching 50% of the way to the objective
No injuries have been recorded on Samus' team.
A Nacht Elite and Mekman platoon have been dispatched to engage the Parahumans; splitting into three groups; one to deal with Serp, one to deal with Battery, another with Molotok and Assault.
Samus' team stands at SUBSTANTIAL risk of injury from a HIGH-INTENSITY engagement and will require intervention to ensure nobody gets hurt.
Arne and Samus' groups can MERGE COMBATS with moderate difficulty, increasing engagement intensity but allowing for supporting actions.
Two metahumans are ENGAGING Samus for a miniboss battle.
The Munich Police has not responded.
Local Parahumans are focused on evacuation.
The Bundeswehr has not responded.
Additional enemy reinforcements en route.
CHOZO ARTIFACT NEARBY
Actions
[]: Write in plan
Due to the complexity of this engagement the distant sight (I.E my G.M recommendations) is a bit fuzzier. Ergo it will be up to you to write up a plan, which I will mark in colours (Green, Yellow, or Red) to give you a gauge on how good of an idea it is. Specify which of the two characters will do what.
Your priorities are:
Ensure your squishier team mates aren't harmed.
Defeat the mini-boss characters.
Defeat the deployed enemy formations.
Ensure no/minimal civilian casualties.
Secure the objective (central data repository)
Locate Chozo Artifact (Alimbic artifact has not yet been approached).
The usual recommendations are as follows:
Aggressive point-blank strategies will prevent enemies from focusing on nearly anything else, but also narrows your focus onto the engaged group of enemies.
Ranged attacks let you support more people of your choosing but makes it harder to intervene and block shots when needed.
Scattering your team is good at covering multiple objectives, but can make it difficult to support each other and protect them.
Your human team mates are vastly less durable than you are and cannot be expected to take heavy duty firepower for long. While Assault and Molotok can take kinetic impacts, directed energy weapons are much more of a problem for them.
The Autobots will generally speaking, be fine with any punishment thrown their way.
The Autobots cannot fit indoors without damaging the structure.
Due to Samus' stealthy entry, most of the enemies In her route will be bypassed, but more of the enemy reinforcements will be targeted towards Arne.
The enemy has realised that Samus and Arne are the greatest individual threats and are focusing their firepower on them.
You can give NPC allies recommendations, but they might not necessarily follow them.
The follow up posts will come out sooner and be a lot shorter than this. This one got way longer than expected to make up for the delay.
@Renu drew this bit of cover art for me on commission! Here's our two protagonists out doing what they do best; making a lot of stuff explode while looking really cool while doing it.Samus being the bolder and brasher one while Arne tries his best to remain cool under pressure.
Arc 1: Fourfold Endeavour. Mission 1: Nazi Punks Fuck Off! Part 5
[X]: Priority arrangement Samus (Luper):
Ensure no/minimal civilian casualties.
Ensure your squishier team mates aren't harmed.
Secure the objective (central data repository)
Locate Chozo Artifact (Alimbic artifact has not yet been approached).
Defeat the mini-boss characters.
Defeat the deployed enemy formations.
[X]: Priority arrangement Arne (Luper):
Ensure no/minimal civilian casualties.
Defeat the mini-boss characters.
Defeat the deployed enemy formations.
Secure the objective (central data repository)
Locate Chozo Artifact (Alimbic artifact has not yet been approached).
Ensure your squishier team mates aren't harmed.
Tactics Arne:
[X]: Furious assault: Close in and make use of short range subweapons combined with melee tactics, short ranged beam and missile fire and other high damage techniques to simply destroy everything in your way; you will do the most damage this way and probably command the greatest amount of attention as you fully unleash the frightful breadth of your firepower. However this is likely to make your enemies scatter to get out of the way without having as much chance to lock them down as melee and lacks the command of the battlefield of firepower or the speed of alt-mode and hit and run.
Tactics Samus:
[X]: Alt-Mode combat: Use your alt-mode to surprise the enemy with bombs/pulses, boost impacts, dashing in and out of areas only your alt-mode can fit into to cause trouble with pot shots or sneak attacks, lower damage output but very frustrating for enemies and has good AOE due to the heavy emphasis on explosives. This keeps the enemy from being sure who you're going to assist and allows you to frequently gain the benefit of surprise or move to suddenly block shots.
Samus
Wildes Kind was the person who posed the most substantial possible problem due to her unpredictability and the lack of protection most of your allies had against her biological consumption abilities. However, you couldn't exactly neglect the other threats facing your team; especially with the powerful Nacht Elites and Mek Men on the way or Metallrakete's power suit-clad firepower to handle. So much to do, yet you couldn't be everywhere at once.
The sensation of a nearby Chozo reliquary was a touch distracting, you so desperately wanted to see what your caretakers could have left behind for you and Arne, but you needed to focus on the here and now. Wildes Kind was about to speak, some sort of declaration of intent if your brief visions of the future were anything to go by. You weren't going to let her even start talking.
You curled into the morph ball with a flash of orange light, her words dying before they even left her throat as she started on a "What the fu-" before you finished charging up a mass of kinetic energy until the sphere started glowing orange-yellow. Then you launched forward like a railgun projectile and smashed into Wildes Kind before she could process what happened.
The impact made a loud thunderclap, Jennifer just barely moving in time for your form to smash into her arm rather than her midsection. The loud crack of splintering bone and a broken carapace from a glancing hit accompanying the spray of toxic blood as she cried out with a voice your armour's vibration analysers translated into audio inputs to make up for moving too fast for the sound to catch up to you. She was already regenerating though, her bio-armour was hurt, but her limb remained intact as she adjusted her body to withstand further kinetic impacts.
Maude brought up a shield as you careened towards him, skidding backwards as you smashed into his defensive screens and sent him into a spin; a loud cry of "Merde!" coming from him as you skidded up a half-pipe and launched yousefl again with the spring ball to drop between the Nacht Elites about to drop down on Assault.
A corrosion bomb was dropped from your morph ball, green energy lashing out and eating away at the defenses in its path. The ordinary soldiers mixed in with the Elites dissolved instantly; elite and mekmen shielding sputtering briefly before you transformed in a flash.
From the left; a snap kick came towards you, strong enough to crush an armoured car. You chose to absorb the attack, a minor impact.
Energy: 07(096)
Your cannon clicked and the offending soldier ate a three-shot burst of spazer-wave blasts from your cannon; scattershotted electric-purple bolts leaping outwards and reducing the soldier to dust as the electric and spazer energy brought him to a shuddering standstill, his body convulsing with electricity that would have reduced an ordinary person to ionic ash countless times over. But he and the others near him who were also struck pushed themselves to their feet while a rotary gun spat forth hundreds of hypersonic rounds at you per second.
Dodging between the individual rounds as the gunner sprayed them towards you, you caught the gunner in a cryolyte blast before the nearest Mekman's charged particle cannon struck out at you with a stream of protons at near light speed. Knowing where they were aiming, you twisted out of the way then allowed yourself to take the follow up shot from their compatriot before responding with five missiles in one burst to annihilate the Soldaten and the Panzerhunde who accompanied them.
Universal Ammo Count: 234/240
Missile Count: 150/155
Energy 07(94)
Your power blade extended and arced with electricity and the spazer effect before you swung it in a wide arc and met brief resistance from its shielding and then its clawed hand. Then you pushed forwards and snapped its power fields in twain before carving through its armour and cutting it into nine pieces with one swing. Rapid-fire proton packs were thrown down range at you, but you had already disappeared with the morph ball and latched onto another, rapidly dropping bombs to reduce three of the mekmen to scrap. Every bit of nazi artifice reduced to scrap metal made you feel a little better about today, that your time on this planet had a reason as you absorbed the scrap metal to create more missiles.
Missile Count: 155/155
You unfurled again, your boot slamming into the head of another Nacht Elite with a thundercrack and their body going limp as something snapped rather loudly; their body flopping around on the ground as Wildes Kind smashed their way through the floor with claws extended; raking towards you. You ducked beneath her and shoulder checked her, throwing her back as she let out a roar of frustration and regurgitated a stream of corrosive at you. Your shielding absorbed the puke, and your cannon clicked once to fire a super missile that threw Jennifer clean out of the building; the shockwave reducing nearby elites and mekmen into paste and dust while Jennifer's limbs were shorn from her body.
You'd perhaps feel bad for the carnage inflicted on them, but you remembered what the Swastika they wore proudly represented and all thoughts of pity for them vanished. You remembered reading about Babi Yar, and your hand reached towards the throat of an Elite in a red rage and crushed it with a squeeze; almost feeling disappointed when the thunderclap of displaced air informed you he was no longer there.
Super Missile Count: 29/30
"What is this? A Striker 50?" One Elite snarled before you grabbed at the nearest Mekman as it sought to smash an energy sheathed claw into you. Moving it into the path of ETC Rifle fire, you shot a charged blast at the Unteroffizer leading the Elites, his body convulsing as he was tossed out the same hole Jennifer went through; armour particulates wafting away from the shrieking charge of nine electrowave spheres crashing into him. Tossing the damaged Mekman away, you rolled back into the morph ball and shot back down, dropping bombs in your wake while Battery smashed a table over the head of a Soldat just beside you.
"Doing alright?" Battery said with a grin, her body sparking as Soldaten emptied clips into her to no avail before she kicked another table through the lot of them. Her confidence melted as an Elite dropped down, checking her punch with a quick parry and then rolling her into a knee to the gut and an over the shoulder toss.
You let out a missile to hit the Elite, the canny superhuman moving just quickly enough to evade the warhead's lock-on thanks to some repulsion device to give him a dash of speed; but not fast enough to stop the shockwave from knocking him on his ass.
Missile Count: 154/155
"Yeah, I'm fine." You said as you found Metallrakete jetting towards you with a power fist swung in your direction; trying to push you towards the direction of the Oberst who rocketed downwards with a jumping crane kick. You flinched slightly forwards from the supersonic impact of the Oberst and; busy trying to line up a cryolyte shot to freeze two of the mekmen that had arrived to target Battery while she was trying to recharge; weren't able to avoid the power uppercut into your stomach that sent you back a bit farther.
Universal Ammo Count: 234/240
Energy 07(88)
Martin's follow up blow never connected though, as you had already transformed and used the spider-ball to grip onto him and hit him face first with a full volley of three regular bombs followed up with a corrosion bomb before boosting off of him to smash into the Oberst to throw him through the wall, uncurling and letting your grapple beam yank Metallrakete into a wheel kick that smashed him headfirst into the ground. More bombs greeted him before you rolled away, disappearing from his sight as the frustrated 5th Column Warrior charged a great burst of energy into his gauntlets and released them in a massive cone; erupting in an all consuming flash that could have levelled this complex if it weren't so focused that forced you to uncurl and move in the way to stop it from consuming Serp.
Energy 07(79)
His shoulder pods opened up and released a spray of bunker buster missiles, much of which were shot down before they could reach anything of import, but the others were aimed towards Serp as he ducked out of the way of Mekmen fire. You swatted some out of the way, cut more in half, and intercepted a half dozen more with your body, letting the impacts rumble through you but remaining standing.
Energy 07(75)
"You think you've mastered the metal around you? I built this suit myself! I know its every feature and limitation! I have features for every occasion and weapons for every contingency! Your scrap-iron can't hope to match my ingenuity! So prepare to meet your maker!" He shouted, clearly full of confidence as his helmet's optics erupted with laser cutters that you moved once again to prevent from hitting anything else, not letting the energy cut its way into the street.
Energy 07(72)
"I am an epitome of Aryan mechanical ingenuity and genius! And when Requiem sees my talents I'll no longer be troubled with wastrels like you!" He ranted as you decided to let him exhaust his options, moving closer to him as he rapid fired his proton pulses before rushing in to clock you with a power fist with a deafening thunderclap.
Energy 07(68)
"And now, you're finished!" He said, smashing down into you with double hammer fists charged with energy, releasing the stored up power into your armour with everything he could build up at the moment a blow to shift mountains and lay out foes who could stand up after an impact form a tactical nuclear missile.
Energy 07(54)
And you were still standing, rising up to your full height and glaring at him through your helmet. You had let him vent his fury and found it desperately wanting. Now you were going to show him the difference between you and some jumped up Nazi in a tin suit.
"...Oh, Merde." He said, his voice getting very small as he realised his mistake before you grabbed at one of his arms casually and pried them open. There was a rush of triumph as you pushed him back, relishing in his realisation that he made a terrible miscalculation.
"Neither your speeches nor your power armour are worth a damn." You said, having had about enough of toying with him before you pulled him in for a brutal knee to the stomach that got a sharp cry of pain from him before you swung him around and slammed him through the cavalcade of 5th column troops threatening Serp as he let volleys of shotgun fire from his suit go down range; the young Russian stepping out of the way before the screaming french neo-nazi rocketed past him.
"Serp, you need to rejoin the others. You guys are too spread out!" You said as he sent grenades down range towards the Mekmen, thrown clean on his ass by a bolt from a Mekmen and groaning from the impact. Your heart briefly faltered, you let him get hurt. You shook off the feeling of guilt, no, he was still in the fight.
"Bit busy. Gonna lie down here a bit. Regret life choices that lead me here and all." He said, the score of protonic energy dug into his suit glowing hot before you grabbed at him with the grapple beam and swung him into the room where Battery was at, crushing a wave of Soldaten beneath him as he let out a wailing cry followed by a distant "...I'm okay..." Followed by a cough as he stood back up.
"Battery, can you get with Assault?" You asked before Assault was thrown down onto the ground by the vicious tackle of a Panzerhund, its jaws snapping at his head and its flame thrower extending outwards while Molotok tried to pull back on the metallic canine.
"Bad dog! SIT! HEEL!" Molotok shouted as she yanked on its tail while Assault tried to keep its jaws from snapping around his head with his kinetic energy manipulation. Were it a contest of raw strength, his head would be pulp; he wasn't physically strong enough to contest the hydraulics of a machine that could bite with the force of triple digit tonnes per square millimetre. But he could cheat, pushing the energy of the machine's jaws back into itself to prevent it from closing.
Battery had fully charged by this point, and slammed into the opened jaws of the Panzerhund to spark its internal fuel system with an electromagnetic wave that cooked its internals and let Molotok grab and fling it into an Unteroffizer before it exploded, flincing away and bringing up a shield to block a tank smashing impact from the now back in the fray Oberst. She dropped to a knee and took a deafening cracking punch to the face from the superhuman nazi, followed by at least six more punches before she could blink as you found yourself beset by multiple Panzerhund leaping from the background, all trying to bite down at you while you darted around in morph ball mode.
Assault had recovered and intercepted a thunderkick from the Oberst, flincing and grunting at the impact before a headbutt forced him to put his redirection powers into overdrive; cracking the ground as he pushed the energy into the earth. Serp stabbed at the Oberst's back with his sickle, making the superhuman Elite flinch forwards and letting Battery clasp her hands together and swing them in a diagonal double uppercut that smashed the Oberst through the wall, panting a bit as she was then forced to intercept a magazine of fire from an elite; whom Assault treated to a fateful reunion with the hulk of a ruined Panzerhund that bowled over three of the elites and half a dozen mekmen as he absorbed the needed kinetic energy and released it forwards.
You rolled through while evading the Panzerhund, dropping a few toxic bombs in the midst of the elites before transforming and releasing a quick burst of missiles to eliminate the elites hosing down your friends' position just before you moved out of the way of Molotok releasing her charged kinetic energy in a hammerblast. The remaining minions were scattered like bowling pins and Serp had just finished cleaning house with the Soldaten, letting emptied magazines click to the floor as the last of the soldiers mediported out with ragged holes in them; multiple mekmen in ruins around him while his armour plaintively requested repairs as he slunk down.
Missile Count: 150/155
Bouncing between the remaining panzerhunde with your boost ball like the world's deadliest pinball, you racked up an impressive array of smashed machines for your effort before you spotted your quarry once again and bounced off of the broken open jaw of another panzerhunde to smash into the earth in the direction of Wildes Kind.
Jennifer had recovered by this point and was ready for your boost charge, moving out of the way of your impact but taking a few bombs to the face for her troubles. She snarled with frustration and let her barbed tail reach towards you, your boost ball ramming into Metallrakete as he tried to intercept you and tossing him aside, letting him bounce across the courtyard like a ball before you transformed, grappled off of a column and swung around to kick right into the adapter.
Her body quivered as you threw her into and through a mass of lockers and walls, landing on the ground with a skid and firing another grapple beam from your arm cannon to rope her into a headbutt to smash her into the ground.
She was by now, thoroughly used to blunt force trauma and stood up, lashing out with a volley of spines coated in vile chemicals that hissed their way through the floor and walls that managed to resist their hypersonic impact. With the wide area burst, it wasn't quite possible to dodge them, but you weren't overly concerned with the impacts.
Energy 07(52)
She extended long tendrils, roping out of her back and lashing towards you to try and grab onto you and pull your arm out of firing position, wiping her face as she made a reptilian growl beneath her carapace helm, clicking as her boots extended raptor like claws. You smirked as you yanked her towards you with a harsh pull of your arm, throwing her off her feet and putting her directly into the path of a fully charged electrowave-spazer beam that flooded her body with a massive quantity of electricity.
"Gonna k-kil-killlllll youuuyoyouyou!" She jittered as her whole body spasmed from the dumping of an utterly obscene quantity of lightning into her body, her biocarapace disintegrating immediately and her scales flaking away while her spines burnt off. Beneath the carapace she was just about naked, a woman whom you figured the 5th column allowed to rise in their misogynistic ranks at least partly because of her appeal to some of its kommandants. But she was a bit too old for you and you had work to do. The electricity continued to spasm through her as her cells broke down into ash, but you didn't finish it there; you charged up your cryolyte and smirked beneath your helmet.
"That doesn't seem very likely right now, does it?" You said as you unleashed a torrent of anti-energy that enveloped her now unarmoured frame before she could start regenerating before your cannon clicked once more and a super missile flew out; striking at her hard enough to immediately force her to mediport out to avoid dying right there on the spot as her cellular structure broke down.
Universal Ammo Count: 228/240
Super Missile Count: 28/30
That only left Martin, who predictably tried to fly at you from behind for a flying tackle, only for you to deflect his arm with a shoulder check and rope him into a fist to his face that shattered his shielding, his armour sparking as he was thrown backwards with a thunderclap only to be pulled back in with the grapple beam; your grapple voltage tearing his suit's power reserves out of his armour. His armour shut down with a fading whir, his movements becoming more sluggish as his suit no longer carried its own weight while your shielding shot back up to full.
Energy 07(99)
"W-what is th-this!?" He shouted as he tried to restart his armour suit, sparks flying out of the now encumbering armour as systems tried to reignite deactivated fuses.
"Let's see what's under that." You said as your hand crunched through his power suit and grabbed at the man beneath before you pulled back hard enough to pull him out of his coverings, letting a blond french man with a military buzzcut squirm in your grasp as his armour tore open for your pull with the shriek of violated metal. You could have beaten him in just your zero suit; even unarmoured honestly, it wouldn't have been that hard if you could focus him down, but right now?
You twisted your thumb and he and the remains of his suit were forced to teleport out; save for some components left behind, along with what your suit had managed to compile from the DNA of the recently defeated Wildes Kind. You were sure that when they next met you, they'd be better prepared for you, getting the feeling that they hadn't expected anyone of your fighting caliber to be present here. Indeed they seemed to not have expected people with substantially superhuman durability combined with agility to have arrived here at all. All the better for you; your allies would appreciate not having to take those kinds of hits and you hadn't brought any shielding or armour resilience upgrades so your durability was a bit under par. You had some in your ship but of course, you couldn't reach it just yet.
But on the matter of your spoils of victory well, you were always interested in that sort of thing; you reached over and touched the upgrades.
Their energy sources and missile feeds were combined into an energy tank and a bonus of about 15 missiles, 40 Universal Ammo, and four super missiles each as well as a resilience upgrade. As you and Arne have a semi-linked pool; these upgrades will pass onto him as well as soon as you have access to either of your ships.
Energy 08(99)
Missile Count: 170
Universal Ammo Count: 280
Super Missile Count: 34
Resilience modifier 1 (Take less damage in general)
Quite the bounty from a single fight if you do say so yourself, but what interested you more was what your armour deemed of sufficient interest from their ability sets.
From him, you received something quite intriguing; the Seeker missile.
The Seeker Missile allows the missile module to fire multiple missiles at a time in a single burst, each capable of independently tracking their own targets with augmented homing capabilities. The initial seeker missile upgrade allows for upwards of five missiles at a time to be fired and may be used with charged missiles, super missiles, elemental missiles, beam combos; or any mixture thereof. Be warned of ammo consumption when utilising this function.
From her, you got something just as intriguing.
The armour and zero suit will adjust its strengths to counter repeated stresses of a specific nature. If continually forced into contests of physical strength, they will augment the user's physicality further. If speed is repeatedly proven necessary, they will add to the user's speed; and if repeatedly impacted by a specific damage type, they will increase the user's resilience against that sort of impact. While only a limited number of adaptations at a time can be deployed or stored, this significantly increases user versatility.
Nice...
"Hey, uh...do you have a codename?" Serp said, shouting down into the hole in the ceiling above you while the others dropped down towards you.
"...Uhm." The thought never occurred to you what sort of codename to use on this planet. Aira-Sekh still felt like giving out a name after all.
"...Eh, we'll figure that out later." Serp said, dropping down after everyone else while Battery patted you on the shoulder.
"Nice work kid." She said with avuncular pride as you smiled beneath your helmet at her while Serp raised his hand.
"Going to need to fix up this suit, give me a moment please comrades." He said, using some autorepair systems and applying some sealant to help fix up the dings in his armour.
But your attentions were called down the hall by the top secret barred door ahead of you, the sounds of everyone's chatter fading away.
"Shh." You said, walking forward and pushing open the locked doors, stepping through to see the Chozo Statue simply sitting there with its claws opened and its hand holding an orb. It was in the midst of a cold laboratory; surrounded by instruments with the boards filled with readouts that indicated that the people studying it had absolutely no idea what to make of it. You barely needed to look at their theorems to know they were wrong. They knew it was not of this earth, but try as they might they couldn't make the statue live.
But you knew, you understood the old magic of the ancients, and you were all too eager to go ahead.
"Samus, are you sure you should be touching that thing? It's got to be behind reinforced glass for a reason." Battery said, trying to reach out for you before you slipped past her grasp.
"I think she recognizes the thing." Molotok said, squatting down and relaxing a bit, exhaling through her helmet and peeling it off to let herself cool down a bit, wiping her plated hand across her brow and grabbing for a flask of water on her pouch to take a big sip.
"Personally, eh; always wanted to poke the stuff in museums that say do not touch." Irina said with a coy smirk as she whipped her hair back.
"I like this kid." Assault cackled.
You smiled at the sight and rushed towards it while Serp caught up, forcing the plexiglass open to shoot at the statue's containment field for its treasure and reaching for it like your birthright. The armour analysed what it had been offered and then through a combination of sorcery and science, melded it into its systems as if it were always part of it.
Your armour received a few seamless attachments to it of golden colour, mostly at points such as the seams between the chestplate, at the edges of your pauldrons, at the sides of your boots, and other similar points. This was an upgrade you realised was quite familiar to you, something seen on Zoran.
You looked through the plexiglass next to where Assault was, and then time and space's distances were eliminated as you took a step and ended up right next to him; a simple blinking flash being the only warning that you had moved.
The Blink Pack is useful for allowing the user to teleport to any place they can perceive or have sufficient data about to enable them to transit safely. The device works through warping the fabric of spacetime to eliminate all distance between two points and circumventing most forms of obstacles, with the transition being instantaneous. Momentum will still be carried through when teleportation commences and is finished. If teleportation is made into a solid object or a dangerous environment; the user will be shunted to the nearest safe distance. However, if the target lacks sufficient Vitae, they will instead be destroyed by the teleportation, allowing the Blink Pack to be used offensively to finish off weakened opponents.
"Whoa, since when could you teleport?" Assault said, almost jumping back as you straightened yourself up.
"Since now actually." You said as your suit pinged you with a notice that you were quite close to the heart of the 5th column's operations here based on the degree of radio traffic.
Arne
You exploded into action without thinking very much. Battle was something automatic to you. Exciting, exhilarating, but something you worked on by reflex and instinct almost as much as by plan and tactic. Nektar was the most immediate danger, having the strength to contest many of your allies due to her 5th Column augmentations bolstering her parahuman abilities to a degree far beyond their norms. You smashed into the window the two parahumans were in and already opened up with beam fire to fry their help, forcing the two to scatter as you fired at a rate so fast it seemed continuous.
She was already bulking up, her body expanding in defiance of mass conservation until she was a hulk of muscle as tall as strongarm and as wide as a small dump truck with arms like the trunks of oak trees. Her musculature rippled beneath her armour plating as the titanness slammed her fists into the ground to try and catch you before you could close the distance with her, but you punched your arm cannon into her left arm to give her a jolt of pain before releasing a missile into it.
Missile Count: 140/155
Then you pulled her back out of the building with your grapple beam, spinning her around to choke slam her into the ground and then jumping off to evade her meaty fist. She stood herself up and you dodged out of the way of the Cyborg's lasers, keeping your eye on the hulking foe and catching her hammer blow with your free hand; shoving it back towards her to make her stumble.
She lurched back and gave you an opening to flip kick your boot into her head and knock her overboard; Bumblebee and Strongarm forming a defensive formation behind you as the ground behind you erupted into a series of explosions.
You flipped out of the way of a homing missile fired by a gunship, grabbing at the helicopter with your cannon grapple beam and slamming the aircraft into Nektar before she could regain her bearings, nodding at the explosion left behind before you shot off an ice missile to temporarily take her out of the fight. With her engulfed in a sheet of frigid matter released by the anti-energy field, you were now free to turn your attention to her companion.
Missile Count: 139/155
Stahlschadel's right arm transformed into a cannon and hummed before vomiting out a discharge of plasma, missing you as you flipped to the side and then curled into the psychomorph to boost into the cyborg and throw him off of his feet. You didn't let him fly away though, transforming back into humanoid mode to grab him by his feet and smash him against a Panzerhund trying to jump at you, throwing the machine back into the ground while your shock coil stabbed out like a tether of lightning into a mass of Elites trying to close with you.
Three disintegrated into subatomic dust, the Oberst forced you back with a punch to the stomach as you turned to fire off a missile at a Kolibri whose field of fire would have endangered apartments outside the battlezone, the aircraft erupting into shrapnel while you skidded backwards. Your fault, you were careless, slow. You shouldn't have taken a hit like that.
Missile Count: 138/155 Energy Count: 07(96)
You looked up and dug your heels in, bringing out your arm blade to intercept a crackling power zweihander from an unteroffizer swung down at you from the cover of a cloaking field. The muffled sounds he made giving him away even if you weren't prescient. Stahlschadel emerged again, his arms transformed into power fists and managing to clock you backwards into the grasp of a waiting Nektar as she broke free of her icy prison; your attention focused on kicking panzerhunde out of the way, shrapnel flying from your boot as the machine's head ruptured.
Energy Count: 07(90)
Nektar tried to crush downwards into you, squeezing at you to try and pulp you. You flexed outwards to force open her grip, swinging your power blade in a wide arc that sliced through her composite armour and enhanced flesh, drawing blood from her as she staggered backwards and held at her chest to let flesh, bone and armour knit back together.
Energy Count: 07(87)
"-You guys ever heard of baseball?-" Bumblebee quipped from the radio as he tossed a crumpled up Wachroboter into Nektar while Strongarm punted the Oberst trying to fix on you with his missile launcher through a window; her maul sweeping around to send Elites bowling into the sky like pins.
You were already moving to a Wachroboter, your shock coil lashing out to sap energy from it and crumble it into ash before you leaped into the next one behind it, smashing your cannon down into its head to rupture its optic and blasting open its core with a prismatic star-beam burst, absorbing its materials to refill your missile count as you batted a particle blast back into another one of the five meter robots, coring out its optics and vaulting back to slice it in half.
"You are fast, but how fast can you move in containment foam?" The Cyborg shouted at you as his chest opened up to let loose a volley of grenades that erupted into pink foam. The foam did manage to catch onto you, trying to hold your movements down. It was a good ploy, leverage was a necessity for most forms of strength and he was pouring it on to prevent you from moving freely.
But your shielding prevented it from properly latching onto you, and even if it had; the ice missile you fired would have frozen it into something far more brittle for you to shatter your way out of, pulling the surprised Cyborg with your Grapple Beam to swing him into Strongarm's fist with smashed him into an indentation on the ground.
She gave you a nod of acknowledgement. "Not bad human." She said as she stabbed the rotor blade of a fallen kolibri into a panzerhund trying to snap its jaws around her hand, her neutron assault rifle ripping another panzerhund in half while you darted between the Elites trying to plant charges on her.
You elbowed one, grabbed his explosive and planted it on his head; then you sidestepped the power dagger of another, took his knee without flinching and gutted him with your own power blade after shifting it into a sword grip, letting him mediport out while you twisted the arm of an Unteroffizer trying to coldcock you with a jab. They were good, you were born and bred for war when you were a child under the tutelage of those who had conquered so much of the known universe.
You let your contempt for them and everything they stood for guide your next move, you pulled the Offizer's arm off with a tug and gazed into his gas mask clad eyes with cold fury. To still believe what he did after everything someone like him had participated in, had done with his own hands, and had heard from the cries of the dying he had left behind. You didn't even need to question whether he was worth vaporising the lower half of with your beam weapon.
He disappeared, and you felt frustrated. Cheated almost. You were sure you'd be madder if you saw first hand what atrocities they were doing, your imagination was already running wild and you had to fight to retain focus and remember that you were in an incredibly bewildering firefight. You sidestepped out of the way of a crashing aircraft that slammed into the ground as Bumblebee shot off its rear with his solar cannon, your grapple beam yanking a Stahlwalkure around and slamming it into Soldaten who were trying to move into cover; the missiles still inside detonating and sending men flying in all directions.
Seemingly sensing your desire to keep the fight contained, a Kolibri rotated around towards the nearby apartments and your eyes shot wide open as you dropped your current engagement tasks. You threw yourself into a flying leap to take the incoming volley of missiles that would have ripped the bloc to dust and ash in the stead of the buildings. You were rewarded with a feeling of getting kicked in the gut, flying back and having to space jump to right yourself before vaulting back into the machine. Extending your blade and spinning around, you sliced open the helicopter and kicked it into another of its kin; firing off an ice missile and then a regular missile to shatter both into harmless shards.
Energy: 07(94) Missile Count: 153/155
You landed near some awestruck children and looked back at them.
"Whoa...what kind of hero are you?" One asked.
"Not important, get out of here now!" You said, looking at the Stahlwalkure drones approaching and then looking towards the two children and their parents. You remembered for a moment the sights of Cylosis; of men in armour with their terrible weapons cutting down everyone in Stygna city. Hot blood on your face from the dead of the planet, your mother running so furiously to get you to safety and that horrific monster chasing after you to the ends of the earth.
They knew they couldn't beat you, but they could pull your attention away by killing these people. They were going to die and it would be your fault. Like mom and dad, whom you could do nothing but watch as they fought without hope before being snuffed out.
You were not a helpless three year old caught in the end of his homeworld. You were a proud knight and squire. A posthuman warrior and the shield and sword. You jumped directly into the path of the Stahlwalkure as its missiles began to fire, taking each impact before you smashed your fist into the robot's face and yanked out its core to throw into the next one's missile bay; causing it to erupt into shards.
Energy: 07(92)
Shards that would have caused injury had you not pulled the next drone into the way of them, riding the sputtering machine into the ground and stamping down onto its engines to kill it while your beam ripped out, sawing dozens more into puffs of vaporised metal. A falling helicopter sputtered down towards you, its tail shot off by one of bumblebee's missile and its pilot killed by Strongarm's subsonic repeater.
The helicopter spiralled towards the family who panicked as it loomed over them, but you were there; and the machine's descent was stopped cold by your raw strength. You tossed the helicopter back into the battlezone and looked back at the family; shrugging as Bumblebee could be seen trading blows with Nektar, dancing around her fists and drubbing her with a lightning quick series of jabs.
"...What...What's your name? What can we call you?" The mother hesitated to ask as the youngest of them; a girl of about eight, approached you hesitantly to offer you her lollipop.
You turned around as Strongarm suplexed a Wachroboter behind you, bleating commands in german being silenced while some kind of tank shot at the autobot and made her lurch forwards from the impact. You inquired as to her status, but she assured you that she had a handle on it. Having a bit of time, you kneeled down towards the curious girl and took the offered candy in hand.
"You'll find it out later. But right now, this city isn't safe. Is there anywhere you could hide? Where you know there aren't any Nazis at? Somewhere lots of people can hide?" You said, letting your visor go transluscent to let them see that beneath the armour wasn't some kind of robot, but very much human eyes; caring and worried.
"Some of the old raid shelters are here. Are you saying this whole city's at risk?" The Dad said.
"Yes, I am. Tell everyone you can to find cover." You said, working on automatic; simply giving the information they needed to hear, not adding your own opinion. Nobody really wanted to hear it unless they were your close friends anyway. Zurvduat always made that clear to you, often painfully.
"What's going on? Why is there so much shooting?" The mother asked.
"The organisation you call the Gesellschaft is preparing a take over. They're bringing in an army. We're trying to stop them. Please, tell everyone you can that this place isn't safe." You said.
"Is that what the safety advisory was about? Why was it so coded?" They said, and then you felt a bit of outrage. You were under the impression that the civilians would have been told exactly what was about to go down. That they would have been told why it was so important that they get out of here as quickly as possible. Instead you...
You looked at the advisory warning with your armour.
"Heightened risk of parahuman violence at Munich due to gang activity. Please refrain from utilising the university until the situation is resolved."
That's it? Just...something that happens every other day? So many gawkers and passerby trying to investigate all the noise when this was an actual warzone? What the fuck are they thinking? Is their precious normalcy really that important to them? Do they think that the populace is just so compliant they'd all heed a mild warning and a long but vague list of advisories attached to that warning?
You choked back anger and blinked away angry tears before shaking your head.
"It's much worse than they say, please. Don't stick around here. Can you do that for me?" You said, looking down at the family as your visor became one-way once more.
"I...yeah." The older son said as you gave him a nod.
"Thanks, if you really want to know what we're like well...I can give you some video footage of my companion and I in action?" You said.
"...Comapnion huh?" The son said with a sly smirk as you flushed and realised you said a bit too much and jumped back into the fray. Right, still need to work on the opsec thing. You reflexively cringed at the thought of the hide tanning Zurvduat would have given you were you still under the Old General's tutelage. But you landed back into the fray after space jumping to make sure you had crashed onto Nektar's back.
"INSECT!" She shouted with a loud and hostile voice.
"Ogre." You said back in a fairly lame attempt at wit as you flipped her head over heels and then piledrived her head into the ground.
Bumblebee was busy spinning around, hammer extended as smashed up robots piled around the tornado of destruction his hammer produced as he rotated his upper torso like a top; somehow managing to carefully aim his solar cannon while rotating as fast as a circular saw. You smiled at the sight, but the Obersts were soon on you, one smashing into the ground like a meteor feet first, the other throwing up a wall of cryogenic rounds from his super-rifle to try and catch you in an icy prison, and the last showering the area in sonic grenades.
The grenades reverberated through you, causing your shields to drain a bit while you ducked underneath the volley of lead. You caught the Oberst's fist with your own hand and spun him around, letting him take Stahlschadel's incoming rocket punch and doubling over in pain.
Energy Count: 07(86)
"You are getting very annoying!" The Cyborg shouted in a bestial voice as his skull like head opened up and let loose a plasma vent of heat towards you.
You pushed through the heat and simply tackled him into the ground, pushing off and grabbing his head to slam him face first into the ground before running forwards in the direction of some of the wheeled tank destroyers the Gesellschaft had brought up to the field. Your suit began to flash cyan and then you erupted in the energy of the speed booster, still dragging the cyborg with you and grinding his faceplate into the ground. The comet of energy you were surrounded by shredded through the armoured vehicles and their retinue like nothing; incoming projectiles vaporising before ever touching you before you stopped suddenly and dumped the speed booster's energy into your suit.
Impressively Stahlschadel's chassis was still functional after his ride, but the Elites who had come to surround you had failed to account for your shinespark as you rocketed backwards away from Stahlschadel before he could recover his bearings. Dust was all that was left of the nazis who had come at you, and only when you deemed nothing else to be in your way did you stop, bringing your blade in a wide arc to decapitate two Unteroffizers harasshing Strongarm as she held back a mob of Panzerhunde.
Nektar had since re-emerged, smashing the wreckage of a vehicle on top of you while you were too busy dodging around laser fire from beam weapon armed elites to get out of the way. She smashed another onto you, detonating its ammo on top of you in a fireball. The plasma munitions cooking off in a brilliant fireball. Stahlschadel arriving to dump missile fire into it along with the Kolibris and the Obersts; explosives raining all around you as Nektar kept on piling more and more wreckage onto you. A barrage that could have given many of Paragon City's very most veteran heroes a stay in the hospital.
Energy Count: 07(68)
You stood up out of the wreckage and dusted yourself off, now quite thoroughly sick of this woman. You cracked your neck and met her next punch with one of your own, your smaller fist colliding with hers and smashing her back right before you extended the power blade and cut into her hand. She let out a snarl of pain before you let the Shock Coil sing.
Energy leeched from her into your suit, drawing energy from her body into your own as her hand regenerated. The neutrinos tore at her atoms, guided by the shock coil's energies into her atomic structure to plink apart nuclei and electron shells in an electric storm of ions. She let out a scream as she felt her body being pulled apart at the subatomic level by the storm of particles, but you kept walking relentlessly; letting everyone else fire as you simply recovered any energy lost.
Energy Count: 07(99)
Universal Ammo Count: 230/240
You stopped, her body smoking and large chunks of it little more than ash as she wavered, stumbling forwards as her drugs tried to regenerate the lost tissue before she fell forwards; trying to regrow her incinerated arms and midsection. You walked towards her calmly, your cannon clicking into super missile mode and then charging up a projectile before releasing it into the midst of the Kolibris; the warhead seeking the middle of the pack before erupting in a brilliant, blinding fireball whose shockwave swatted the remaining aircraft out of the sky.
Super Missile Count: 27/30
You kept walking, those whose organs and bones were reduced by dust by the overpressure wave teleporting out around you as you turned briefly towards Stahlschadel as the Cyborg lashed out at you again; his skull like head a partly self repaired mess of damaged metal. He had thrown a rocket fist at you, you caught it with your hand and glared at him.
"Fall already you worthless degenerate!" He shouted.
"What do you think I am?" You said.
"Does it matter? You are scum in the way of the glory of our racial destiny!" He growled as you twisted his arm and made him fall to a knee.
"My mother was Jewish by blood. You wear the swastika proudly. Forty eight thousand years may have passed; and you're still scum. You can't beat us, so you target civilians. What kind of warriors are you then?" You said coldly, you weren't like Samus. You didn't tend to engage in Samus' cold death glares or fiery ragesunless you had already lost your composure before hand. Your anger was just as disruptive to your normal pattern of thinking, but it was something a more invisible except in the bursts of violence. Coiling electricity building up waiting for something to discharge into or wind about to be riled into a sudden tornado rather than her roiling maelstroms or her continual raging blizzard like furor. Anger could come and go for you as suddenly as the Breeze.
"Juden? Future Juden at that? What's the matter, trying to change the past for your race of k-" You knew what he was going to say and didn't let him finish as you froze the top half of his body with an ice missile. He wasn't going to say anything worth listening to anyway, none of these people were going to say anything you were very interested in listening to.
Missile Count: 152/155
Nektar was about regenerated, you rushed at her; sweeping your blade in an arc to sever her arm at the elbow and then jump over her other swing as she let out a gasp at the sight of her cauterised limb. You grabbed at one of the tubes feeding her drugs and yanked it to sever her connection.
"No!" She shouted as you stabbed her through the chest and shot into her back as her body began to become unstable, letting the shock coil work on her once again until she at last vanished with a the green flash of a mediporter. The cyborg had emerged with the Obersts, grunting and straining to reach towards you as you cracked your neck.
Universal Ammo Count: 226/240
The first oberst tried to get in your reach again, but Bumblebee and Strongarm had eliminated the last of their assistance, so you simply jumped over them and swung your sword down into his head. He disappeared in a flash and your cannon clicked and released a supermissile into the second; not even breaking your stride as he disappeared.
Super Missile Count: 26/30
The last emptied his clip into you, but your shock coil proved the deadlier weapon, and his screams were the last to be heard before he disappeared after Bumblebee shot him in the back with his Solar Cannon.
Universal Ammo Count: 223/240
The cyborg stepped forward, you sidestepped and punched your head into his chest and tore out his power core; ripping back and stepping backwards to let Stahlschadel fall to the ground, lifeless and empty before he too teleported out; leaving damaged components behind as you examined the power core in your hand.
The battlefield was a mess of carnage, but you had come out on top, and with some judicious usage of ice missiles and concentration missile regeneration; you put out the fires started by the fight. You couldn't fix the structural damage with your current tools, but for now the fighting was over.
You looked over the defeated remains of the nazis and collected anything that might be of value before you let yourself be drawn in by the distraction of an Alimbic Artifact nearby in a part of the university's underground exposed by the fighting.
Mostly minor things, but the two parahumans had left behind things of interest.
Minor Upgrades: one Energy tank, three missile expansions, two super missile expansions, one universal ammo expansion, one resilience booster.
Energy 08(99)
Missile Count: 170
Universal Ammo Count: 280
Super Missile Count: 34
Resilience modifier 1 (Take less damage in general)
From Nektar you got about what you expected. The drug wouldn't really have that kind of an effect on your physiology, and you wouldn't want to be shooting yourself up with it anyway even if it did, but the armour could understand how that drug enhanced the user, and synthesised a way to tap into that principle for temporary augmentations for critical moments.
(More in universe desc to come) Allows the armour and zero suit to augment physicality in a massive rush of energy, while this function does draw on a store of Adrenal power that needs to be restocked over time; it does not come with any drawbacks while active. Initial Berserker Booster functionality offers thirty seconds of massively augmented strength and resilience and significantly enhanced speed, and reflexes. Once used, the Berserker Booster will need to recharge. The Berserker Booster will tend to heighten user confidence and aggression not out of chemical effect, but due to the user's bond with the armour and zero suit imbuing them with the same sense of heightened physical power.
Stahlschadel you were surprised to have actually gotten something from given how you weren't particularly impressed with his tinker technology; given that he was a glorified low grade flunkie for the Gesellschaft and the 5th Column. Nevertheless, your armour determined there was something worth extracting from him.
(More in universe desc to come)
Elemental Beam
Derived from 5th Column and Council Technology. Allows for the user to fire a special negative quantum globule of energy that is especially destructive against beings that rely on a transdimensional energy bond to link between a symbiont and a host such as Kheldians, Nictus, and Parahumans. The beam deals extremely enhanced damage against these targets and causes numerous debilitating effects that will take some time for the targets to recover from; slowing them down and weakening them for many seconds. As a negative energy weapon, the Quantum Beam also is effective against any target that lacks resistance or has a special vulnerability to negative energy; but is generally less effectual against those inundated in such energies.
The charged shot fires the Quark Tornado, which explodes into a swirling Maelstrom of negative energy that will persist for some time after impact and wander around the battlefield damaging enemies caught in its path.
Very nice. You're sure Samus would like to get her hands on this too once you have access to your ships again and can share the gear you've acquired with each other.
Now, the Alimbic Artifact was contained in a lab that had clearly seen better days before a Kolibri crashed through an open door, leaving sparking ruins in all directions and more than a few fires that you walked through without trouble. Alimbic statues lacked the humble gift giving posture of Chozo statues, the arrogant knightly warrior holding the relic in one hand like a prize rather than an offering, contemplating its glories with its monocular eye.
Bumblebee and Strongarm dropped down with you, finding more than enough space and looking up at the tall Alimbic statue that towered over them; Bumblebee warbling in surprise once his scanners gave him feedback on just how advanced the thing he was looking at was.
"Primus blessed..." She said as you jumped into the hands of the statue and cracked open the shell of the relic.
Bumblebee asked if you were sure if this was safe.
"These are...sort of my people. I've got...very complicated feelings about them, but I've got a feeling that this was put here for me." You said, sighing as you steeled yourself. The Alimbics had given you as much pain as they had given you love and care. You envied Samus' ability to just...uncomplicatedly love her alien foster culture. You were only here because of their generosity, yet you fear the sight of authority figures raising their hands at you for good reason.
You exhaled and touched the trophy offered to the victor, and your armour recognised the heritage it had claimed and absorbed it in a flash of blue light that prompted you to curl into your alt-mode and then lit up with electricity in all directions, coiling arcs of energy stabbing out of your psycho-sphere as if you were a living tesla coil. The electronics in the room howled and went on the fritz as lightning curled around you, but you unmorphed and stood up, nodding in appreciation for what you were given.
In your alt-mode, release a continual discharge of omni-directional electricity that can be used to power objects, eradicate large numbers of enemies surrounding you, stun and continually damage more powerful enemies, or even be used to magnetize objects or pick-ups to draw them into your alt-mode. The Lightning Sphere has a reserve of energy that will build up rapidly when not in use, but will not recover while being discharged; this reserve can be increased with further upgrades that the user discovers.
"...Okay, I'm jealous now." Strongarm said with a smirk while Bumblebee blurted out with a clip referring to Santa Claus. You didn't quite get it.
"+Samus, is everything alright on your end?+" You asked.
"+Oh hey Arne, yeah, we've cleared out just about everything here.+" She said back.
"+I was thinking, should we meet back up? We can hold position here a little bit while you guys get here. Or we could meet half way.+" She said.
"+Hey, not to interrupt but we're not exactly human sized here. We'd need to find some alternate routes.+" Strongarm said.
"+I kind of want to know what this university is even doing with alien artifacts. Let alone Progenitor ones. How did they get here?+" You said.
"+Oh, you want to do some fact finding?+" She said.
"+I mean...yeah, the logs here might give some hints, and now that the Gesellschaft's troops are scattered we could find some more of their logs.+" You said.
"+Hrm, that's a decent idea, though we are kind of on a timer here. They're probably getting ready to leave after we've trashed a small army's worth of them.+" She said.
"+True...How is your team holding up?+" You asked.
"+Regretting not having armour that can survive a fall from orbit.+" Assault said in what you think was a joke. After all, he did laugh at the end of it. You weren't sure why that was funny, but he did laugh.
"+Well, based on the caliber of opposition here, this is probably their main objective. We should probably move quickly to stop it.+" Battery said with a sigh.
"+Honestly, this is very fun. We should do it more often.+" Irina cut in.
"+She's...like that. You get used to it.+" Strongarm said. You felt like you were missing out on context that you might never get and were not sure whether to be at peace with this.
Choices
[]: Arne's team should rejoin Samus' and move together towards the objective, Samus' team should hold position, only Arne's team will gather clues beyond their immediate area.
[]: Arne and Samus' should meet up half-way; gathering what clues they can on the way.
[]: Arne and Samus' teams should continue to be divided to cover more ground and head to the objective immediately. Clues will be gathered en route.
[]: Arne should split from the Autobots but rejoin Samus' team because he's human sized. Clues will be gathered en route.
[]: Arne should split from the Autobots but rejoin Samus' team who will meet him half-way. Clues will be gathered en route.
[]: Arne should split from the Autobots but go Solo so they can move in three groups.
[]: Write in
