Mechanical Maiden Quest [Persona x Shin Megami Tensei]

Nyxistence · Apr 20, 2014

MECHANICAL MAIDEN QUEST

Initial boot successful.

Timestamped: 8/4/1999 5:33:09

Optic inputs flare to life. Light floods into your vision, overwhelming your sensors for all of a half-second. A pair of black silhouettes crowd around you draped in pristine lab-coats. They gaze at you appraisingly, their spindly fingers grip cork clipboards and dance around aluminum pens. The lapels at their breasts identify them as research personnel. They whisper amongst themselves, though your audial receptors appear to be out of order. A cursory observation indicated that you were not a priority amongst these individuals.

That was fine. You could wait.

You glance around your surroundings, and quickly come to the realization that glancing is all you can do. Your head is pulled taut against the chair you rest on. Warm, sterile light radiates above, casting a clinical glow over the banks of computers stationed just across from you, and the motley crowd of boxes littered at your feet. A researcher delicately steps around the cardboard ocean, and reaches out to the side of your head. You lose track of what exactly they're doing, but the results are self-evident. Audio cuts in abruptly.
"--llo, and welcome." Male voice. Detached, from what vocal patterns suggest. "You are Test Unit #043. Please register and confirm."

You immediately oblige, repeating the number back and register the designation. #043. It's quickly written into your identification protocols.

"That's a good girl." He says. You thank him mechanically, and he snorts derisively. Another researcher steps forward, leaning over to meet you in the eyes. You gaze back, unblinking.

"Nishimura, you could stand to hold your horses," she warns, "this isn't the usual hardware, need I remind."

"Yeah, yeah," he replies dismissively, "I know what I'm doing, Miki. Pretty sure these things could crush someone's skull effortlessly. I really don't think we'll risk breaking it by rushing it a little too much."
"We still don't know how the test evoker's installation has affected #043's artificial ego," she says as she makes gingerly makes her way back to the computer bank. Her fingers dance over the keys, though there's little you can make out from the angle.

"If the evoker affected anything." Nishimura retorts as he tapes a magnetic lead to your neck.

"Doesn't matter. We should be playing it safe," she says, a word between each keystroke. "There's a chance that the psyche might have been damaged in some way. We can catch it now, or we can catch it later. Your pick."

The man sighs, throwing up his hands in concession.

"Unit #043, please begin a self-diagnostic. Report abnormalities upon reawakening. Identify your mission, model, and the current timestamp."

You comply immediately, wordlessly. Your optics shutter, and your visual feed cuts out. The world falls away.

Initializing self-diagnosis…
All sectors undamaged.
Plume stable.
Commencing database review.

You are an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, colloquially identified as a Mechanical Maiden. You, and your sisters, are developed by the Kirijo Group as an autonomous platform to engage and eliminate the otherworldly entities known as Shadows. You have been equipped with the first generation of a device known as an Evoker. An artificial means of triggering an avatar known as a Persona - the physical manifestation of an aspect of your ego.

Identify your model type:
[x] Fifth Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, 'Labrys'-type
The heaviest amongst the maiden types, though less mobile than its' counterparts, the fifth generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon more than makes up for it in endurance and armament, the Labrys-type is equipped with a massive battle axe fitted on both ends with independently propelled thrusters to add momentum to attacks. But while they're not fast or dextrous, fifth generation maidens come equipped with an extendable chain arm, and the axe serves as a limited flight-pack. That said, the series has a dark past, distrusted as mentally unstable among researchers.
[x] Sixth Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon,'Cestis'-type
Lithe, acrobatic, and remarkably spartan, the sixth generation is unconventional among the maidens, foregoing the massive and often unwieldy weaponry of their predecessors in favour of a lightweight, exceptionally mobile platform designed to engage Shadows at close quarters. The Cestis series has no onboard armaments, instead utilizing its' bare fists, considerable agility, remarkable strength, and suite of dynamic thrusters installed over its' frame to outdo any opponents.
[x] Seventh Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, 'Aigis'-type
The most technically advanced mechanical maiden there is, the seventh generation of Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon is an agile, well-armed weapon platform with keen instincts and keener sight. While previous generations were limited in terms of assigned weapons, limited to melee weapons if they were assigned anything at all, the Seventh Generation is the only maiden of its' kind to utilize inbuilt ballistic weaponry - namely, fully automatic guns fired from all of the maiden's fingers, fed through drum magazines at the wrists. Onboard targeting computers and compensators allow these weapons to be fired with a considerable degree of precision. That said, the Aigis-type is ill-equipped for engaging at close quarters, its' ballistic suite lending itself poorly towards any situation where its' onboard weaponry is inconvenient to utilize.

Identify Papillion Heart personality package:
[x] Strength
[x] Hermit
[x] Star
[x] Magician
[x] Sun
________________

Rules:

For this quest, we're using Aberrant 2.0 rules, slightly modified to accommodate the titular feature of Persona and the implementation of magic. I'll explain that in more detail when it comes up. That said, the rolling will mostly be invisible and handled by myself. Options may be weighted during the quest, depending on the circumstances, though expect very little of this while the character is ill-defined.
All posts are assumed to come with one stunt dice, though you may earn more (up to 3) with a sufficiently impressive write-in. I'll inform you of any other benefits that might come with a write-in or plan as quickly as I can, so people may vote accordingly. Some pre-written options may come with their own bonuses, which I will clearly indicate beforehand.

Have fun.

Character Overview:

Cestis [UNIT #043]
Sixth Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon
Magician Arcana

Techniques:

Finesse: While physically unremarkable compared to the Fifth Generation, Cestis more than makes up for it in technical skill. The sixth generation's combat intelligence prioritizes identifying and taking advantage of physical vulnerabilities in its' opponents, crushing bone or steel in quick, precision blows.
Flurry of Blows: Surgical precision betrays total relentlessness in the Sixth Generation's combat patterns. Cestis matches precision with brutal agility.
Rocket Fists: A bit of a misnomer, as magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters are installed all over the Sixth Generation's frame, rather than just the fists. These microthrusters are designed to drastically improve mobility and reaction speeds - but also add a critical element of momentum to its' strikes. Every strike it performs rides the thrust of these rockets, applying brutal force and penetration to its' attacks.

Augmentations:

Armor Implants: While the Sixth Generation's design specifications meant inevitable compromise to structural integrity, ensuring that the Sixth Generation would not crumple like a wet paper bag filled with soaked tissue papers would prove to be a considerable design concern. As such, the frame is subtly reinforced and more than capable of taking a handful of hits.
Unliving: As much as she looks the part, Cestis is not trapped by organic limits - she does not need to eat, she does not need to breathe, and what others would call exhaustion, she defines her limits by how much her frame can physically take.
Enhanced Movement: The dynamic thrusters installed on Cestis allow her to quite literally rocket ahead and over its' competition.
Enhanced Memory: Computers rarely forget anything that they aren't made to forget, and what is remembered is recalled in perfect clarity. The sixth generation's memories are cold hard data, and thus uncompromised by the unsavoury tint of rose.
Device Link (PCs): A basic feature of every single mechanical maiden, while generally used to access information from the maiden - as such, a convenience for researchers collecting combat data from them - this uplink can certainly move against the presumed current, allowing them to quickly access information from local computers or mainframes.

Aberrations:

Aberrant Appearance: While mechanical maiden frames approximate the appearance of, well, a maiden, they were solely expected to be approximations. Maidens resemble mannequins more than anything, almost there at a glance, but uncanny and even eerie when seriously observed.
Electronic: What you are is defined by the Personality Module installed in your core - your brain is a highly developed computer, your veins are circuits, your eyes are cameras, your sense of smell is nothing but a series of olfactory sensors cross-referencing a database of catalogued odours.
Obvious Enhancements: Undisguised, the inhumanity of a maiden is self-evident in the exposed mechanical joints and hooved feet.
Unhealing: If there's anything that puts you at a disadvantage to your organic contemporaries, it's the fact that steel bone and plastic muscle cannot knit themselves together without a few tools and some technical knowledge. While you can supply a little bit of both, simply sleeping off a wound is simply not an option. You are, after all, a machine, and there were few machines as complex as you that do not demand maintenance.

Psyche:

[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Consequences:

Table of Contents:

Prologue
Self-Diagnosis Complete
Friend Computer
Visitors
This is Why Nametags Are Useful

Nyxistence · Apr 20, 2014

Those of you whom were following this quest earlier may have found that it was not actually active for... uh, two weeks. That would be because of finals ambushing me and creative lethargy in equal measure. But fear not, for I'm writing an update at this very moment, and you can expect it to come Soon (tm). Once I've got it cranked out, then rest assured, we're returning to a semi-bidaily schedule. Hopefully. Maybe. Something like that. Don't hold me to it. Either way, this quest still lives.

If you've never seen this quest, welcome! Hopefully you can catch up if Spacebattles' servers are done unscrewing themselves.

I can, as well, say that Shockzs' (Shockz'? Shocks'?) stunt (which was worth an extra stunt die) was the pretty clear and obvious winner of the last vote that was called, so no voting is, ah, necessary from the last update.

This is also technically a reserved post in case I, uh, need it. So this may be edited in the future or something.

Anyways, expect updates. Apologies, and thanks!

Alectai · Apr 20, 2014

Oh hey! This is back! Hurrah!

Havocfett · Apr 20, 2014

Brilliant, you're back!

I look forward to this continuing.

TheGreatFluffy · Apr 20, 2014

Sweet, this is back.

Hopefully, now that finals aren't kicking you in the dick as well as other real life bullshit. Updates will be much more freuquent.

MJ12 Commando · Apr 22, 2014

Excellent! This is back!

Hugs will proceed apace.

Nyxistence · Apr 22, 2014

Once again, sorry for the wait. Here is the update!

...oh, and if someone could move this to the Quest subforum (since that's where these things go?), I would appreciate it.
____________

THIS IS WHY NAMETAGS ARE USEFUL

A dumb AI would recognize the intruders as such, immediately catalogue them as threats to the secrecy of the project, and terminate them with extreme prejudice.

You are not a dumb AI. It's clear from the state of the facility and the security camera footage that something went terribly, terribly wrong soon after you last went into diagnostic mode, and that far more time has passed than the five minutes indicated by your internal clock.

Furthermore, it's clear that this facility has been abandoned for some time, and that these people are the first to enter and discover you. Given that they are armed with crude, primitive bladed weapons, they are of little threat to you, and may well be of assistance in helping you locate the nearest non-abandoned Kirijo Group facility to report in for orders. The only question that remains is... how to do so? You have no pre-programmed protocols for addressing an entity that is neither Kirijo Group-affiliated nor hostile. As such, the only solution that remains is to fall back on basic conversational routines. First step: greet them and introduce yourself!

You wait for Ishikawa to briefly face you in the process of moving from one musty box of files to another, then seize the brief instant of eye contact to speak up, turning your head to follow hers but otherwise remaining motionless.

"Hello. I am Unit #043. Who are you? What happened here?"

Ishikawa goes stiff, and glass baubles and frayed bits of paper scatter where her fingers seize up. One arm reaches for her spear, the other holds her up, shaking - from burden or simple fear, it's hard to tell. Ever impassive, you stare at her, taking in every detail of her face - eyes wide in shock, pupils almost appearing to shiver in her sockets. Long face, caked in dirt and ash and dust and framed by greasy black hair. She's young, you quickly put together. In her teens, though there's little frame of reference to place specifics.

Dead air sings as a blade is drawn. The time for study has passed. The man looms over you, and dull gray steel hangs perilously close to your neck. A tapestry of nicks and gashes run its' length. You could crush it in an instance, render impotent whatever threat the implement registers. Behind the man, the woman has her pistol drawn. Her face is hard, creases on her face thin as she raises her firearm between you and her. The safety is on, you notice, a gloved thumb brushing the catch. The maintenance chair you rest on is more than adequate cover if necessary, and the woman finds little friends in the cramped walls and dim light. Not unless she would risk harming her allies. You could cross in an instant, tear it from her hands in another. Step on the spear, then kick it away.

Threats neutralized in under a minute.

Yet that was counterproductive.

You are not a dumb AI. You are certainly not stupid. But you are not, precisely, smart. What frame of reference you have for conversation is limited and limiting. However, opportunity still presented itself between the tip of the blade and your throat. It was, after all, going no further. And while your conversational routines are rudimentary, it's still worth another shot.

"I repeat, I am Unit #043. Who are you? What happened here?"

Words that break the spell. Ishikawa collects whatever composure had fallen amid the long-neglected microscopes and pens and her fingers wrap around her spear.

"We're... we're--"

She's quickly cut off by the woman.

"--nobody. And we should be asking you the same questions."

The man jostles the older woman, though his eyes still bore into you as he murmurs through a corner of his mouth. "You think... it's a demon?"

"Don't be an idiot. You said it yourself, we've seen plenty of these things already. They're..." she frowns, then her attention circles back to you. "What are you?"

An easy question. A simple question. One you've answered before and, you imagine, one you expect to answer again. "I am designated as Sixth Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon Cestis, Test Unit #043. My primary directive is the discovery and elimination of Shadows."

They stare at you for a few moments, as if to digest what you've said. Ishikawa, once again, takes initiative. "Shadows? Like... demons."

Twice now, that's come up. Demons. A colloquialism for Shadow? A definite possibility. Though if you risked confusion as one, perhaps not. Perhaps was a good word. And so you say it.

"Perhaps."

"Can't have been very good at your jobs, then." The man says, a note of good humour infecting his tone. The blade still hangs at your throat, though it's less steady now; more relaxed.

It's an encouraging sign, though the sentiment isn't what you would call accurate. "We were designed and tested for engaging and exterminating Shadows. We were very good."

Eyebrows raise, and Ishikawa opens her mouth as though to say anything. Then the older woman wrests back control of the conversation; her words still behind the barrel of her pistol.

"Look," you look. "I might have asked the question, but I really don't need us to get hung up on all this. Not a lot of time we can afford to waste."

Curious. Perhaps an external threat to consider.

"Demons?" You ask.

The woman frowns. You get the impression it's something she does often. "A handful."

You pause. Purpose seems to call at you from those words. Demons. Shadows.

It occurs to you that you haven't actually had your questions answered. You make another effort. There's so much that doesn't make sense. But there's something comforting in imagining an invisible threat. Something that you can make sense of. Something simple.

"May I engage them?"

It's a question greeted with a few blank stares. The armoured man shakes his head. "Not a very good idea, uh... Forty-Three. Not while we're here. Might attract the wrong kind of attention."

A reasonable concern. Reasonable logic. "Very well."

It's a flat point of punctuation to the conversation. An awkward silence descends over the room. You study their haggard faces again; glance between the visitors, waiting for anything to change. And finally it does. Ishikawa, now on her feet, speaks up.

"...look, I don't think it's going to hurt us. Probably."

"I have not recognized you as threats." You add.

"Probably," she says again. "You said it yourself, we don't have a lot of time to waste. Can we like... put down the weapons?"

"Getting a bit tired of holding this thing up," the armoured man admits, waggling around the blade.

Both look back on the woman: the leader, if it wasn't already clear. The lines on her brow grow thin again, and after a few moments, she sighs.

"Someone keeps an eye on it." The older woman finally says. The pistol slides back into its' holster. The others follow suit. You take that as good a cue as any that whatever situation threatened to develop has been defused, and slowly remove yourself from the chair. The others glance at you, then each other, then their feet. You step forward, and the others step back. While this situation was dealt with - to a satisfactory extent, it was too early to tell - there remained much to consider. Where to go. What to do. What happened, and who these people were.

A question that had not been answered, you realize. Perhaps now would be a better time for it. You make another effort.

"Can I ask who you are, and what has happened here?"

Questions that are met with a few heavy shrugs. "I figure what happened everywhere." The older woman says, her attention now on the floor. "The demons that attacked Tokyo."

Ishikawa chimes in. "As for us, we're Hunters."
_____________

[ ] Insist on engaging the 'demons'. 'Demons' are a threat better dealt with sooner than later, after all. [1.4x]
[ ] Ask about an exit. The outside world remains a total mystery, and you would like to explore it with all haste. [1.2x]
[ ] Ask to join them. There exists a certain safety in numbers. [1x]
[ ] Ask about something else. [1.1x]

[ ] Write-in. Who do you ask about what?

As an aside, the target of this update's roll was 3 successes. You rolled 2. You are, sadly, not very charismatic.

Havocfett · Apr 22, 2014

Nyxistence said:
Once again, sorry for the wait. Here is the update!

...oh, and if someone could move this to the Quest subforum (since that's where these things go?), I would appreciate it.
____________

I did it thirty-five minutes ago.

(OK, closer to twenty. Still.)

Dekutulla · Apr 22, 2014

[X] Ask about an exit. The outside world remains a total mystery, and you would like to explore it with all haste. [1.2x]

LupineVolt · Apr 22, 2014

[X] Insist on engaging the 'demons'. 'Demons' are a threat better dealt with sooner than later, after all. [1.4x]

The less of a threat in the area, the more time we can take to chit chat later. Plus, it will help gain their trust.

Candesce · Apr 22, 2014

LupineVolt said:
The less of a threat in the area, the more time we can take to chit chat later. Plus, it will help gain their trust.

Uh. We just were informed that attacking the demons is likely to bring down more trouble than can be handled. So, this vote will almost certainly do the exact opposite of what you intend.

Havocfett · Apr 22, 2014