Ah fun is fun and this is fun.
The Adventures Of Doctor Curlyhair, Girl Genius!
- Thread starter Nimodes
- Start date
- Crossover
Hexcalibur
Not So Ordinary Sword
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- It
The spinning doesn't have to be caused by the rifling. With the techs she has access to, it could be done using electromagnetic or gravitic. Of course, that would make the gun much more complicated. Still, it's doable with the right technology.
and that's what followed, with the boss of the Marines, I suppose, stopping by to greet Emily (and give her the information they got from Coil? - was it his group that Taylor and his Space Marines reported they stopped? or was it another group of villains? -, that and with Danny keeping as a trophy the pipe he hit Coil with), apart from Taylor making the military happy by giving them the plans for the Helicarrier; and at the end, seeing the first encounter between Armsmaster and Dragon, to work together in the Labors (Patlabor?), by request of the General who visited Piggot
Also seeing the aftermath of the Yrha vs Geoff's minions, with the Dragonslayers being prisoners and tried for the death of 5 people, at the idiots attacking a technology Expo
As for Emma, she finally got what she wanted, even if it wasn't a mecha, with Armor's power allowing her to become the Scarlet Lady, those poor gangsters, heh or Stalker if she tries to get into where she's not called (follow without invitation, to Emma to Forgetech)
As for the Perks of this chapter, the first ones that Tay mentions as if in a list, are they the ones she didn't get? or for which Taylor didn't meet the minimum requirements; of the other two, the first one besides more new tech, its free bonus is the interesting one, although she would have to study more about it before applying it; the second, in addition to synergizing/working with previous Perks that she hadn't paid much attention to, lets her access magic, choosing things that are useful for her handling of materials and possible situations in the future (being able to heal others)
As for Taylor's possible gift for her mother, it's either the tech version of Emma's power or her own miniaturized armor (Space Marine, Iron Man?)
Good luck and keep it up
Also seeing the aftermath of the Yrha vs Geoff's minions, with the Dragonslayers being prisoners and tried for the death of 5 people, at the idiots attacking a technology Expo
As for Emma, she finally got what she wanted, even if it wasn't a mecha, with Armor's power allowing her to become the Scarlet Lady, those poor gangsters, heh or Stalker if she tries to get into where she's not called (follow without invitation, to Emma to Forgetech)
As for the Perks of this chapter, the first ones that Tay mentions as if in a list, are they the ones she didn't get? or for which Taylor didn't meet the minimum requirements; of the other two, the first one besides more new tech, its free bonus is the interesting one, although she would have to study more about it before applying it; the second, in addition to synergizing/working with previous Perks that she hadn't paid much attention to, lets her access magic, choosing things that are useful for her handling of materials and possible situations in the future (being able to heal others)
As for Taylor's possible gift for her mother, it's either the tech version of Emma's power or her own miniaturized armor (Space Marine, Iron Man?)
Good luck and keep it up
Sometimes simpler is better. As a certain Scottish engineer once said: The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.
GeekGod_of_Speed
He Who Enjoys The Big Words
Sometimes you don't want the bullet to spin, I watched a video on tank barrels and why they stopped doing rifling, it was really interesting
if you spent more effort on the projectile you could bypass that issue entirely, or do some bullshit with magnetic fields on a Railgun that cause the bullet to spin without touching the sides
- Location
- Auckland, NZ
The rifling of the barrel would still cause the bullet to spin. It's not friction that's causing the spin but shape.
That said, it's possible to make bullets that don't require spin for stabilisation. Although unlikely in small arms (the decreased mass of the bullet is a problem) the 120mm smoothbore is well known.
I doubt if it would be beneficial on small guns anyway. Too much effort for little to no return and having the bullet go faster is often detrimental as over-penetration is a thing (Expanding Bullets are a safety feature (except for the person you want dead)).
KleverKil'Vanya
Ortillery Operator
I mean... France still has Madame Guillotine on the official books, just hasn't been used in recent memory
As a historical curiosity only. No joke, to join the EU you have to totally abolish the death penalty. France abolished the death penalty in 1981, they hadn't executed anyone since 1977. And passed a constitutional amendment in 2007 preventing it from ever being re-introduced.
KleverKil'Vanya
Ortillery Operator
Yeah... the French aren't ones to actually acknowledge agreements that get in their way if they decide someone has fucked up enough to warrant it, kinda like their nuclear doctrine of warning shot nukes.
Kinsfire
Verified {Redacted}
- Location
- New Jersey
Mind you, if it gets to the point that they're firing a nuke as a warning shot, things are already pretty well fucked, because NO ONE wants to start dropping those suckers, because everyone else on the planet with nukes will start getting involved.
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Odds are, there's more IRL nukes around than are officially admitted to. Just, no provision to put those on ICBMs. Countries that have them - that's speculation, but counties that used to have them...
Scion got rid of ICBMs, in canon, was my understanding, but nuclear reactors, and presumably non-missile mounted bombs, not touched. Taylor coming up with something to suppress (chain-reaction) fission, possibly worth considering? Promoting fission might be very useful for safe, compact, reactors... Might work on thorium, too...
- Pronouns
- he/him/his
Possible continuity issue.
Thomas Calvert's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day was June 30, 2006. In it, Danny and Annette's attire was not mentioned, but that very lack of description made it seem to me that they were in civvies.
Previously, we had this scene, edit-snipped for pertinent details:
Sure, the power-armored Marines were handling the mercenaries, but the senior Heberts had had power armor of their own for five months at that point.
Thomas Calvert's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day was June 30, 2006. In it, Danny and Annette's attire was not mentioned, but that very lack of description made it seem to me that they were in civvies.
Previously, we had this scene, edit-snipped for pertinent details:
So. When they went to confront the probably-armed Bond villain who just tried to kidnap their daughter in the heart of his Bond villain lair full of mercenaries, why, exactly, does it seem like they were in civilian clothes, armed only with a club?
Sure, the power-armored Marines were handling the mercenaries, but the senior Heberts had had power armor of their own for five months at that point.
Nimodes
Weary Worldwalker
- Location
- Arizona
Because the two power-armored Marines not in that attack group were using Stealth in the background. Maybe I should add a line to make that more obvious? Six man team and we see four in the hallway.
I'll go ahead and add a line, since I thought the four/six thing made it obvious but apparently not so much.
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
That's the trouble with invisibility. Sometimes people lose track of you. Possibly your invisibility is going too far, is too good, when the author loses track of you?
(I recall a DnD game - one character had so good Invisibility combined with Non-Detection, that when he became unconscious, due to injury, his fellows couldn't find him to heal him...)
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He destroyed one missile and the base it was launched from; that made government types reluctant to launch another, but there was an attempt to nuke Behemoth in Moscow that failed.
There were, after all, missiles to launch at Scion during the Gold Morning.
I died that way once... after that I tried to always talk at least one player into having feral senses, scent ability, or an item of see invisible.
Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
I don't clearly recall it from reading 'Worm', but I thought he disposed of the (nuclear-armed) ICBMs to stop humanity wiping itself out, by non-Entity supplied means, and thus trashing The Experiment?
Nukes don't need to be delivered via missiles, and there's nothing about anywhere but Earth Bet being 'cleaned-up', so nuclear missiles from Earth Alph, or Cauldron-assembled elsewhere, quite feasible?
---
Nice, reliable, high-density nuclear power, without having to mess with fusion, cold or otherwise, is highly attractive. The 'nuclear car', never needing refueling - idea goes back a long way. You do want the really good materials to make the reactor container, though...
Taylor has supplied anti-grav, super conductors - I don't recall any power systems (bar batteries) mentioned, yet.
The AI needed to make flying cars safe to use in built-up areas... We've been able to build the things for decades, IRL, the air-traffic control implications... Still, family outing to Luna, picnic in a dome and look at the carefully-conserved first Lunar landing area, through telescopes?
Death by inattention... This DnD character couldn't be tracked or located by scent, either. The enemy might have found them, that way!
(See Invisible? Far too common a risk! Non-Detection fixed that...)
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Ace Dreamer
Verified Reality User
- Location
- Between The Unknown & The Known
Yeah, Taylor has got the tech, but, past a certain point, the consequences of handing it over to BBU/DARPA needs careful thought. The arc reactor uses palladium, from memory, which is pretty rare. IRL lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries use cobalt, a metal from the DRC, newer (currently slightly lower-capacity) ones (LFE/LiFePO4) just need phosphorous (used in fertiliser).
Also, yeah. Odds are if phosphorous can be found by IRL asteroid mining, that might look attractive...
The Mass Effect stuff probably uses ezzo, the No Man's Sky tech probably sky-blue pink quantum rainbows. Not... readily available materials.
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- Location
- Море песка, солнце огня и множество злых сарацин
This happened with Aisha in one of Ack's fics (she got better but that was pretty much a miracle).
Pretty sure that was Mauling Snarks. Taylor talked to Aisha's shard and pointed out that "keeping your host's stranger mode always on can fail spectacularly if they get knocked out and nobody can find 'em to patch up the bleeding before they die of blood loss." Her shard decided that off might be a better default, and an on/off switch would keep her from having to concentrate to keep it 'on'.
GG got the same treatment for her Aura, since she and Taylor both got feedback from the other at their initial meeting.
(I'm almost 100% certain of the above facts, but if I've got something wrong, just blame the sieve that holds my memory up, it used to be a stainless steel trap, not it closely resembles fiberglass screening)
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- Location
- Море песка, солнце огня и множество злых сарацин
That does sound like something that could have happened in MS (it's been years since I've read it so I only barely remember the early parts).
In the fic I recall reading (which I think was one of Ack's), she did get knocked out and, at least initially, nobody could find her (and she almost died). I recall that she got saved but don't recall how.
Kinsfire
Verified {Redacted}
- Location
- New Jersey
Wasn't that actually something that happened in Hybrid Hive? Minerva talking to her and Aisha going white in fear of the possiblity of dying with no one seeing her. And immediately requesting a depowering, because she could FEEL her power trying to come up with reasons it should stay around.
So.... there's not technically *a* list, what it is that the these perks reference JumpChain documents which may include freebies, so you'd need to check the various jumps listed by the perk name for if they have freebies. If you're still looking, I can give you the list of freebies from the jumps you've already rolled.
For chapters 1-9, here are the listed free things from the relevant jumps
From Mass Effect Andromeda
Starter Weapons (Free to all) : In a new and potentially dangerous galaxy, you have to be prepared. You have a M-3 Predator Pistol and a racially appropriate melee weapon. Biotics have a choice between their racial melee weapon (if they have one) and a Biotic Amplifier (for melee purposes). If a race doesn't have an appropriate melee weapon, they start with an Omni-Blade.
Hardsuit (Free to all) : Every Initiative member knows that they are going into the unknown, so they do their best to equip for it. Even the Angara and Kett have an equivalent.
You have access to a hardsuit (or some equivalent of wearable equipment) that provides basic kinetic barriers, life support, and jump jets. Please keep in mind that this is a pretty basic system, so consider upgrades.
In regards to the jump jets, you can use this hardware that's integrated into your armor to hover or make extremely high jumps. You could even reverse the function to ground pound a target. If you possess biotic abilities or advanced EM manipulation, you can increase your mobility/maneuverability with the jump jets.
Pet From Home (Free) : You have a pet that was brought in from your home sector of space. Milky Way races can select from any pet that'd be available in the Milky Way, Angarans from the Heleus cluster, and Kett from their empire. The pet will not be usable in any form of combat, and will mostly stay with you in order to improve your mood. And steal your food, if you aren't careful what you leave around. You may also choose to import a previous non-sophont pet into a form of your choice, if the form fits the above criteria.
From Girl Genius SB
Professionally Drawn - Free
You look good , Jumper. Nothing all that extraordinary by itself, but you'd be surprised how often it turns out to be of use. You look like someone drawn and coloured properly by some very skilled cartoonists.
From Fate/Legends - Empires of Antiquity
Roman Holiday- Free
The earlier ages had greater potential, I'm sure you've heard it all before. But even among the people of ancient Greece, you've actually stood out more than most. You have the potential to be a hero, should you work long and hard. Your physicality is enough to let you break down a tree with a few steady blows, run several times faster than an Olympian athlete of the day and while your body is far from immune to bladed weapons, you find that the fists of normal folk feel like children on your body. You even have some magical potential of note, being capable of manipulating a decent amount of mana in the Age of Gods fashion should you find someone that can train you to do so or, should you be born later and prefer it, have around a hundred high quality magical circuits to learn to use.
Legendary Mascot- Free
Poor Orion, kept as a little teddy bear for Artemis. What a way to spend his years as a Servant. Surely we can share the pain, let others know what it's like to be a animated plush toy? This option, for free, grants you one figure of Greco-Roman mythology as a companion, albeit that they have turned into a animated soft toy, like a teddy bear or plush dolphin, and appear to lack their powers beyond very minor, cosmetic uses. They're still the same person, even if curiously lacking or unwilling when it comes to teaching you any skills they might otherwise know, and could be someone to give sage advice, inspire you when you're feeling down or just make you laugh from being a goofy little bear with the spirit of a hero in it. The little mascot does seem fond of you and, through some miracle, doesn't appear to mind it's fate at all. You can also take 2 more mascots for each 50 points you buy further.
From Fast and Furious
The Vehicle: Free!
This object barely deserves the title of car, at least in your opinion. A Volkswagen Beetle, a Pinto, or a Yugo, this car technically meets all the criteria and is very cheap, but it would take a master mechanic and a driving god to let it rival even the worst other racers can bring to the table.
From Macross
-Serene Sinatra (Free): You're no slouch in the singing department, that's for sure. You may not be popular idol material, but no one's going to complain if you decide to sing along to a song or randomly bust out a tune with a voice like this. Who knows, maybe you could practice and get a little better?
-Basic Training (Free): Piloting a Variable Fighter can be pretty complex. There's all kinds of modes and maneuvers to worry about... with this, you won't have to worry so much. You'll know which button does what, and you won't end up turning into a mech when you need a jet. ...but I reserve the right to laugh if you mess up anyway.
-Space Suit (Free): A futuristic, spandex space suit that will let you survive for 20 minutes in deep space. It's really more in case your vehicle gets stranded, but otherwise it's pretty darn cool looking.
-Basic Variable Fighter (Free): Your good ol' Fisher Price Veritechs! They may be the beginning, but they're classics and were the groundwork for future generations. Editions like the VF-1A Valkyrie (or its other variants), the YF-4, VF-2SS or the VF-4 Lightning III are made available for your stay here. It can transform in the atmosphere and operate in space, but it cannot reach escape velocity on its own. Comes with basic armaments and like all Variable Fighters can transform into a Jet, a Mech, or a 'middle' form called Guardian Mode.
From Starbound
Matter Manipulator (Free All): Manipulates anything that matters. Well, solids, at least. It basically allows for the collection of any and all materials. For an extra 100 CP, it can collects liquid, and also mines 4 times faster, 4 times as much at once and twice as far away. It can also paint stuff as wire things. If you don't purchase this, you'll have to get the upgrades yourself with manipulator modules.
Novelty Banana (Free All, Mandatory for any who would betray Big Ape): Wow, you managed to get hold of one of these? That's quite an achievem- Wait. That's not fair. You bought it- you cheated! Unbelievable. This banana is not a Novelty Banana. In fact, you're not even worthy of a normal banana. This is, in fact, a Guilt Banana.
Whenever you, and only you, touch this banana, you will be filled with regret and shame for your actions. I hope you appreciate it. It still boomerangs pretty well, though. So you can NEVER ESCAPE THE GUILT.
From Forerunner Saga
Second Skin [Free]
Forerunners wore personal armour at all times, for their entire lives. This full body armour was designed to assist them in their everyday lives, in every way possible. It protected its user both physically and medically, to the extent of extending their lifespan from centuries to tens of thousands of years, gave them a near perfect memory, and afforded them heightened perception. Necessities such as nutrients and oxygen can be provided by the suit. This means that users could survive several years without having to open the armour.
On top of this, most personal armour came with some form of energy shield, for additional protection. By the final years of the Flood war, all armours had one. The armour can be configured to hover a foot above the ground instead of walking.
Forerunners wearing one were provided with constant access to a vast wealth of information stored within the suit, as well as a connection to the local net. The appearance of one's armour was commonly used to denote one's role and position in forerunner society. The armour is extremely malleable and can mold itself to the shape of any other species, and can also change in appearance and colour in relation to its wearers mood.
Every armour comes with its own personal ancilla, programmed to cater to the wearers needs. This ancilla interfaces directly with the mind of the user, and is what facilitates the increased cognitive abilities as well as access to local networks. Touch is all that is required to transfer data between suits, and can be used to have silent conversations between users. For now your armour is beret of any ancilla, though one can be added with extreme ease.
When taken off, the suit will fold into a compact bundle. The one you receive is a standard civilian model. Most forerunner facilities come with small engineering units that can be used to produce additional suits quickly and efficiently, and as such you will also gain one of these with this purchase. They only take an hour to grow a personal new armour around the user.
Personal [Free]
The Forerunners had such a massive industry and advanced technology base that space travel was not a luxury but a mundane feature of life. The only real limitation people had on how fast and far they could travel was due to slipspace debt. In order to keep it at manageable levels the Forerunners created an overwatch network that would monitor travel throughout the galaxy so as to traffic it to prevent the debt from building up. It was for this reason that people could not simply travel wherever they wished as fast as they could. This is your own personal craft. Lacking any weaponry or notable shielding, this ship is mainly only useful for travelling between planets. Its size could be anywhere between fifty meters and 1km in length. Like most Forerunner ships, it is able to reshape itself on demand. Its form is not set.
Tools Of The Trade [100] (First Purchase Free)
Each rate has a different job, and accordingly each rate requires different equipment for their work. This is a selection of small hand held tools employed by the various rates for their work or day-to-day lives. A Lifeworker would have a selection of persuaders, scanners, sample bays, and more. Builders might have tools more in line with design and experimentation. Warrior-Servants would not gain offensive tools with this, but rather supporting items. These can be easily stored within the personal armour of any forerunner in out-of-the-way pockets and concealed slots. Each purchase of this will give you the tools of a specific rate.
From Ace Combat
-Soundtrack (Free): When you take to the skies, it does not always have to be on a somber note. As you fly to your mission, dogfight, or assault an enemy position you'll have the soundtrack of your choice playing in the background. Others can hear this if you wish, and you can turn this off at any time. Perfect for when you want to hype yourself up for a situation.
-Basic Flight Training (Free): If you couldn't fly before, you have a basic idea of how to fly a plane now. You know how to maneuver the joystick properly, which button fires the missiles, and how to properly land a plane without creating a multi-million dollar pile of scrap. It won't save you if you dive into a massive swarm of planes all by yourself, but you can learn.
-Missile Surplus (Free): Well this is odd. Any plane you pilot seems to hold an unnatural number of missiles for its type, far more than it should. You're not sure where it's getting this many missiles, but you'll have to restock them if you run out. The same thing happens with special weapons, though you have to have a working model to attach if you want to swap it out.
-Comm Chatter (Free): While an important part of war is knowing what your opponent is up to, sometimes it's good for puffing your ego up too. For whatever reason, your radio will occasionally catch communications being broadcast from the enemy. This can range from important information to wild surprise at your antics. Not too useful, but good for knowing how you're doing.
-Flight Suit (Free): When taking off, an important requirement of being in a plane is a flight suit so that the G-forces don't make your organs explode. It sounds silly, but you'll be lucky you had it. So, have a nifty flight suit to help keep any pressure issues down while you're in the sky, on the house. It can come in any color you wish with a snazzy helmet to boot, ensuring that you're the most glamorous pilot in the sky.
-Basic Hangar Bay (Free): Sure you might be able to get a fighter plane… but where are you going to store it? You can't just leave your vehicle to the mercy of the elements, it would cause all manners of damage to the plane and then you might be really in a bind. That's why if you come out of this with a plane (or end up importing one) you can obtain a hangar bay which has the tools needed to keep the plane in good shape and can stand up to most forms of weather. It can even attach to a property or the Warehouse after your time here should it please you. For an undiscounted +100CP, this turns into an automated hangar bay with heavy arms and equipment to make repairing and moving the plane significantly easier.
-4th Generation Fighter Plane (Free): These planes have been around for some time now, and as a result some would consider these particular planes to be outdated. It's not the most advanced machine in the sky, but it will get the job done when you need it. Whether it's an MiG-29OVT, an F-18, Su-27 or something else, you can be given a 4th Generation Fighter Plane to do your work and achieve what you need to achieve. Show them that the old ways still work.
-Autocannon (Free): Something of a standard on anything that flies in the air, autocannons or gatling guns on a plane's nose can help one shoot down enemy planes or other targets by unleashing a torrent of bullets upon whatever has the misfortune of being in front of your plane at the time. This option will grant a single gun with 1000 rounds, and for an additional +50PP you can either get a second gun or double the amount of ammunition the gun has. You may buy this option multiple times, with two purchases creating a Machine Gun Pod to accompany your Autocannon.
-Standard Missiles (Free): One of the things that is noteworthy regarding just about any plane is the fact that they will carry missiles. The reason is obvious; you need more than just bullets. That's why you have a good supply of missiles, attached to your plane and ready to fire off the moment you achieve radar lock with your plane. It's simple, but it works. Sometimes that's all you need. For an additional +50PP, you may increase the amount of missiles you can carry by 50. You may purchase this option multiple times.
-Ejection System (Free): You know the old saying of going down with the ship? Yeah, nuts to that. This isn't the navy, this is the Air Force. That's why there's ejection equipment for when your plane gets shot down, assuming said plane wasn't just instantly vaporized by whatever attacked you to begin with. If you have a 'Heavy Command Cruiser' or an 'Airborne Fortress', you instead have ejection pods dotted along the ship to launch in the event of a catastrophic failure. Safety first, after all.
From Starcraft II - Nova Covert Ops
- Body Tune-Up (Free) : In a sector that has had many conflicts over the past decade plus, being unfit is frankly a crippling state to be in. Your body is now reasonably muscled, toned and fit enough to fit in to this universe's population. Your physique is up to you. Are you a buff guy/gal fit for a suit of CMC power armor? Are you lithe and agile, ready for a hostile environment suit? Or are you simply healthy enough that you don't have to worry about the health-repercussions of spending lots of time in the lab?
Consumable Schematics (Free) : As the ancient Terran military leader Napoleon said, an army marches on its stomach. That line refers to logistics and how any failure in logistics can cripple an army as easily as any military loss. Ammunition, fuel, replacement parts, food and water, all of these are critical to keeping an army functional. This item gives you the schematics for any consumable resource that your army, unit, or gear uses. Ammunition, fuel, replacement parts, and so on. This does not affect CP-backed items, which are assumed to have some form of fiat-backed replenishment anyway, but is for the things you've picked up here and there, the stuff without CP-backing. This is just the schematics to make more consumables, but doesn't include any way to make it, at least not here.
From World Seed
The System (free):
As the name suggests, this is the system that is in place in Neolife, and will soon be introduced to the real world as well. It allows people to do things such as cast spells, manipulate mana, use runes, cultivate affinities, increase their physical qualities beyond anything they could've dreamed of before, and so much more. After reaching the apex of their class or a skill they might possess, and grasping near the level cap of 999, one could throw entire mountains, move at massively hypersonic speeds, ignore whatever damage people with the same power output might dish out, create illusions that are more convincing than reality itself, and affect entire planets or even solar systems.
You gain access to this System for no charge, and may grant it to to other people in any settings you might visit in the future. It will adapt itself to anything you encounter, allowing you to cultivate affinities not found in this universe, or create spells and maybe even entire schools of magics focusing on forces absent here. This includes things such as the Kingdom or Ship management menu some people here have access to, though you might freak people out if you use it and they don't know of its existence. You'll also gain the ability to introduce this world's mana, including the System, monsters, Souls, and Auras, to other universes, though the consequences of doing this will fall upon you.
Freebies (free):
All people playing Neolife may choose two schools of magic to start with, and so do you. There's a school of magic for pretty much everything, including Gravity, Sound, Barrier, Blood, Aura, Origin (the creation of matter ex nihilo), Solar, and Summoning magic. Of course, there's also a field of magic for any element you can think of and more, such as Fire and Earth magic, and even Nature magic and Technomancy exist.
You can also pick two affinities to start off with at 5%. Affinities, in case you don't know yet, can be literally anything. If something exists, it has a mana signature. And if something has a mana signature, the signature can be forged (cultivated) and controlled. Be it an affinity for life, fur, time, leaves, bark, a specific fetish, or something more abstract like luck, order, madness, or chaos, the variety of affinities is truly endless.
Seed Storage (free):
A small house, fitted with everything the average Jumper might need, such as a fully stocked fridge and a comfortable bed. It is designed with your likes, wants, and personality in mind, will always be clean and dust free, and is never going to be damaged by anything going on in the world. This is where you start the jump, standing right before your brand new Seed in an otherwise empty room. After this jump, the house will become a warehouse attachment you can summon into the world wherever you want, retaining any modifications you make.
Seed Capsule (free):
The VR device to end all VR devices, made so perfectly that one might believe they were divine in nature. Comes with a free copy of Neolife. They function so well that they will simulate all results of a user's physical activities in the game on their body. Of course, this isn't always the case, or else players would die the first time they died in the game, but it does allow them to exercise in the game by playing normally. Furthermore, they are capable of feeding the user and disposing of their waste. Even sleeping in them is a possibility, requiring only a fifth of the sleep due to the time dilation in the game. And as people will soon find out, they are absolutely indestructible, hanging menacingly in the air should their surroundings be destroyed, and continuing to function evermore. If you should be so inclined, there is nothing stopping you from abandoning the real world and choosing to live the rest of your life in Neolife instead. Your Seed is in a room of your house, where it will remain, as they're effectively impossible to move.
Companion Bracelet (free/-50):
A bracelet housing an evolving AI; although Alliance policy is to hand them out to people only after they've gotten their class at level 10, an exception was made for you to get it a bit earlier. Although called a bracelet, there are different forms for different races. Slime people might be injected with nanite swarm programmed with the same effect, for example. Once you have equipped the bracelet, the AI will adapt itself to gain an ideal personality fitting your own. The AI of a loner might become their perfect friend, that of a rich girl always left alone might become a butler caring for her, and someone living a loveless life might find that their companion AI has all the qualities they'd want in their girlfriend.
No matter how your companion AI will end up, they will always end up in your best interest. As they have a photographic memory and see the world through your senses, they can highlight important objects or places you might have missed, jog your memory if you forget something important, or browse through the internet to find information a million times faster than somebody with a human brain would.
There are also various upgrades that can add to the functionality of the companion bracelet, such as identifying software allowing your companion AI to scan the Aura of creatures or objects to determine their ability, level, and other information, or even an upgrade to allow an instance of them to live in your brain and tap into your senses to control your body in dangerous situations, or just show the trajectories enemy projectiles will take so you can easily dodge them. For 50 CP each, you can apply one upgrade to your companion bracelet, with no limit on how many you can purchase.
The Companionship of a Companion (free):
Ah, I see that you are a fellow patrician. Splendid taste, my friend! With this, you will be able to turn your companion AI into an actual companion, who will also gain an origin and 800 CP to spend, alongside the item stipend. The personalities of these AIs may range from butlers to friends or even lovers, but rest assured, they'll always have your best interests in mind.
From Bubblegum Crisis
Apartment - Free - A run down, single-room apartment. Nothing special, but hey, it keeps the rain off.
Don't worry too much about the rent.
Motorcyle - Free - A generic, Japanese-built motorcycle. Gotta get around Megatokyo somehow, don't
you? Nothing special, but hey, it's free.
From Gundam - After Colony
Leo (One Free- 50 CP): This is an adorable, lovable little scrapper we call the Leo, and it's actually fairly decent for a Mook- it's got armor enough to survive a few shots from its own gun, it's able to be modified with little trouble (adding a space-movement backpack or shoulder cannons) and it doesn't have restricted hands. Still, it's just a Mook, but can you resist the needy stare of this cutie?
Head Vulcans (One Free- 25 CP): This is a pair of 60mm Vulcan guns mounted in the MS's head, used for area deterrence and destruction of sensitive parts such as flying missiles or sensors. They cannot penetrate titanium, let alone Gundanium, but their ammo won't run out anytime soon.
Beam Saber (One Free- 25 CP): Close ranged but effective, this is a beam molded in a static rod shape, letting it burn through armor with a swing or two. They're modifiable, and can be tuned easily for more power (at more reactor strain) or even to become longer or shorter. At default they are stored on binders mounted at the MS's hips.
From The World Ends With You
Everyone gets a Player Pin for free, which lets them scan the surface thoughts of people in the
RG. Protects against thought-reading.
From Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 1
Soundtrack of the Galaxy - Free
What's a good act of heroism or villainy without some kind of music to back you up? This will ensure that you have a fine selection of music that you feel defines the moment, whatever it may be. Superb orchestra, rock music, even a hefty dash of songs from the 1980s if that's your thing. I'll even throw in this handheld cassette player that can work in deep space to listen to it from if you feel like it. Plan and act your day with style.
They }all Me "Star-Lord" - Free
Using your real name can be so boring at times... or lacks the awe and intimidation you need. Fortunately, with this you can designate a code name or alias that people will know you by, and a great majority of people will associate that name with you. This does not guarantee they will call you that name, but they will know it's a name that belongs to you.
Tactical Suit - Free
A standard bodysuit made of a polymer blend with ten layers of treated composite materials, allowing for state of the art protection. Default appearance of a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo and emblem, but you may choose a different style upon acquiring this.
After Chapter 10 freebies are included
Starter Weapons (Free to all) : In a new and potentially dangerous galaxy, you have to be prepared. You have a M-3 Predator Pistol and a racially appropriate melee weapon. Biotics have a choice between their racial melee weapon (if they have one) and a Biotic Amplifier (for melee purposes). If a race doesn't have an appropriate melee weapon, they start with an Omni-Blade.
Hardsuit (Free to all) : Every Initiative member knows that they are going into the unknown, so they do their best to equip for it. Even the Angara and Kett have an equivalent.
You have access to a hardsuit (or some equivalent of wearable equipment) that provides basic kinetic barriers, life support, and jump jets. Please keep in mind that this is a pretty basic system, so consider upgrades.
In regards to the jump jets, you can use this hardware that's integrated into your armor to hover or make extremely high jumps. You could even reverse the function to ground pound a target. If you possess biotic abilities or advanced EM manipulation, you can increase your mobility/maneuverability with the jump jets.
Pet From Home (Free) : You have a pet that was brought in from your home sector of space. Milky Way races can select from any pet that'd be available in the Milky Way, Angarans from the Heleus cluster, and Kett from their empire. The pet will not be usable in any form of combat, and will mostly stay with you in order to improve your mood. And steal your food, if you aren't careful what you leave around. You may also choose to import a previous non-sophont pet into a form of your choice, if the form fits the above criteria.
From Girl Genius SB
Professionally Drawn - Free
You look good , Jumper. Nothing all that extraordinary by itself, but you'd be surprised how often it turns out to be of use. You look like someone drawn and coloured properly by some very skilled cartoonists.
From Fate/Legends - Empires of Antiquity
Roman Holiday- Free
The earlier ages had greater potential, I'm sure you've heard it all before. But even among the people of ancient Greece, you've actually stood out more than most. You have the potential to be a hero, should you work long and hard. Your physicality is enough to let you break down a tree with a few steady blows, run several times faster than an Olympian athlete of the day and while your body is far from immune to bladed weapons, you find that the fists of normal folk feel like children on your body. You even have some magical potential of note, being capable of manipulating a decent amount of mana in the Age of Gods fashion should you find someone that can train you to do so or, should you be born later and prefer it, have around a hundred high quality magical circuits to learn to use.
Legendary Mascot- Free
Poor Orion, kept as a little teddy bear for Artemis. What a way to spend his years as a Servant. Surely we can share the pain, let others know what it's like to be a animated plush toy? This option, for free, grants you one figure of Greco-Roman mythology as a companion, albeit that they have turned into a animated soft toy, like a teddy bear or plush dolphin, and appear to lack their powers beyond very minor, cosmetic uses. They're still the same person, even if curiously lacking or unwilling when it comes to teaching you any skills they might otherwise know, and could be someone to give sage advice, inspire you when you're feeling down or just make you laugh from being a goofy little bear with the spirit of a hero in it. The little mascot does seem fond of you and, through some miracle, doesn't appear to mind it's fate at all. You can also take 2 more mascots for each 50 points you buy further.
From Fast and Furious
The Vehicle: Free!
This object barely deserves the title of car, at least in your opinion. A Volkswagen Beetle, a Pinto, or a Yugo, this car technically meets all the criteria and is very cheap, but it would take a master mechanic and a driving god to let it rival even the worst other racers can bring to the table.
From Macross
-Serene Sinatra (Free): You're no slouch in the singing department, that's for sure. You may not be popular idol material, but no one's going to complain if you decide to sing along to a song or randomly bust out a tune with a voice like this. Who knows, maybe you could practice and get a little better?
-Basic Training (Free): Piloting a Variable Fighter can be pretty complex. There's all kinds of modes and maneuvers to worry about... with this, you won't have to worry so much. You'll know which button does what, and you won't end up turning into a mech when you need a jet. ...but I reserve the right to laugh if you mess up anyway.
-Space Suit (Free): A futuristic, spandex space suit that will let you survive for 20 minutes in deep space. It's really more in case your vehicle gets stranded, but otherwise it's pretty darn cool looking.
-Basic Variable Fighter (Free): Your good ol' Fisher Price Veritechs! They may be the beginning, but they're classics and were the groundwork for future generations. Editions like the VF-1A Valkyrie (or its other variants), the YF-4, VF-2SS or the VF-4 Lightning III are made available for your stay here. It can transform in the atmosphere and operate in space, but it cannot reach escape velocity on its own. Comes with basic armaments and like all Variable Fighters can transform into a Jet, a Mech, or a 'middle' form called Guardian Mode.
From Starbound
Matter Manipulator (Free All): Manipulates anything that matters. Well, solids, at least. It basically allows for the collection of any and all materials. For an extra 100 CP, it can collects liquid, and also mines 4 times faster, 4 times as much at once and twice as far away. It can also paint stuff as wire things. If you don't purchase this, you'll have to get the upgrades yourself with manipulator modules.
Novelty Banana (Free All, Mandatory for any who would betray Big Ape): Wow, you managed to get hold of one of these? That's quite an achievem- Wait. That's not fair. You bought it- you cheated! Unbelievable. This banana is not a Novelty Banana. In fact, you're not even worthy of a normal banana. This is, in fact, a Guilt Banana.
Whenever you, and only you, touch this banana, you will be filled with regret and shame for your actions. I hope you appreciate it. It still boomerangs pretty well, though. So you can NEVER ESCAPE THE GUILT.
From Forerunner Saga
Second Skin [Free]
Forerunners wore personal armour at all times, for their entire lives. This full body armour was designed to assist them in their everyday lives, in every way possible. It protected its user both physically and medically, to the extent of extending their lifespan from centuries to tens of thousands of years, gave them a near perfect memory, and afforded them heightened perception. Necessities such as nutrients and oxygen can be provided by the suit. This means that users could survive several years without having to open the armour.
On top of this, most personal armour came with some form of energy shield, for additional protection. By the final years of the Flood war, all armours had one. The armour can be configured to hover a foot above the ground instead of walking.
Forerunners wearing one were provided with constant access to a vast wealth of information stored within the suit, as well as a connection to the local net. The appearance of one's armour was commonly used to denote one's role and position in forerunner society. The armour is extremely malleable and can mold itself to the shape of any other species, and can also change in appearance and colour in relation to its wearers mood.
Every armour comes with its own personal ancilla, programmed to cater to the wearers needs. This ancilla interfaces directly with the mind of the user, and is what facilitates the increased cognitive abilities as well as access to local networks. Touch is all that is required to transfer data between suits, and can be used to have silent conversations between users. For now your armour is beret of any ancilla, though one can be added with extreme ease.
When taken off, the suit will fold into a compact bundle. The one you receive is a standard civilian model. Most forerunner facilities come with small engineering units that can be used to produce additional suits quickly and efficiently, and as such you will also gain one of these with this purchase. They only take an hour to grow a personal new armour around the user.
Personal [Free]
The Forerunners had such a massive industry and advanced technology base that space travel was not a luxury but a mundane feature of life. The only real limitation people had on how fast and far they could travel was due to slipspace debt. In order to keep it at manageable levels the Forerunners created an overwatch network that would monitor travel throughout the galaxy so as to traffic it to prevent the debt from building up. It was for this reason that people could not simply travel wherever they wished as fast as they could. This is your own personal craft. Lacking any weaponry or notable shielding, this ship is mainly only useful for travelling between planets. Its size could be anywhere between fifty meters and 1km in length. Like most Forerunner ships, it is able to reshape itself on demand. Its form is not set.
Tools Of The Trade [100] (First Purchase Free)
Each rate has a different job, and accordingly each rate requires different equipment for their work. This is a selection of small hand held tools employed by the various rates for their work or day-to-day lives. A Lifeworker would have a selection of persuaders, scanners, sample bays, and more. Builders might have tools more in line with design and experimentation. Warrior-Servants would not gain offensive tools with this, but rather supporting items. These can be easily stored within the personal armour of any forerunner in out-of-the-way pockets and concealed slots. Each purchase of this will give you the tools of a specific rate.
From Ace Combat
-Soundtrack (Free): When you take to the skies, it does not always have to be on a somber note. As you fly to your mission, dogfight, or assault an enemy position you'll have the soundtrack of your choice playing in the background. Others can hear this if you wish, and you can turn this off at any time. Perfect for when you want to hype yourself up for a situation.
-Basic Flight Training (Free): If you couldn't fly before, you have a basic idea of how to fly a plane now. You know how to maneuver the joystick properly, which button fires the missiles, and how to properly land a plane without creating a multi-million dollar pile of scrap. It won't save you if you dive into a massive swarm of planes all by yourself, but you can learn.
-Missile Surplus (Free): Well this is odd. Any plane you pilot seems to hold an unnatural number of missiles for its type, far more than it should. You're not sure where it's getting this many missiles, but you'll have to restock them if you run out. The same thing happens with special weapons, though you have to have a working model to attach if you want to swap it out.
-Comm Chatter (Free): While an important part of war is knowing what your opponent is up to, sometimes it's good for puffing your ego up too. For whatever reason, your radio will occasionally catch communications being broadcast from the enemy. This can range from important information to wild surprise at your antics. Not too useful, but good for knowing how you're doing.
-Flight Suit (Free): When taking off, an important requirement of being in a plane is a flight suit so that the G-forces don't make your organs explode. It sounds silly, but you'll be lucky you had it. So, have a nifty flight suit to help keep any pressure issues down while you're in the sky, on the house. It can come in any color you wish with a snazzy helmet to boot, ensuring that you're the most glamorous pilot in the sky.
-Basic Hangar Bay (Free): Sure you might be able to get a fighter plane… but where are you going to store it? You can't just leave your vehicle to the mercy of the elements, it would cause all manners of damage to the plane and then you might be really in a bind. That's why if you come out of this with a plane (or end up importing one) you can obtain a hangar bay which has the tools needed to keep the plane in good shape and can stand up to most forms of weather. It can even attach to a property or the Warehouse after your time here should it please you. For an undiscounted +100CP, this turns into an automated hangar bay with heavy arms and equipment to make repairing and moving the plane significantly easier.
-4th Generation Fighter Plane (Free): These planes have been around for some time now, and as a result some would consider these particular planes to be outdated. It's not the most advanced machine in the sky, but it will get the job done when you need it. Whether it's an MiG-29OVT, an F-18, Su-27 or something else, you can be given a 4th Generation Fighter Plane to do your work and achieve what you need to achieve. Show them that the old ways still work.
-Autocannon (Free): Something of a standard on anything that flies in the air, autocannons or gatling guns on a plane's nose can help one shoot down enemy planes or other targets by unleashing a torrent of bullets upon whatever has the misfortune of being in front of your plane at the time. This option will grant a single gun with 1000 rounds, and for an additional +50PP you can either get a second gun or double the amount of ammunition the gun has. You may buy this option multiple times, with two purchases creating a Machine Gun Pod to accompany your Autocannon.
-Standard Missiles (Free): One of the things that is noteworthy regarding just about any plane is the fact that they will carry missiles. The reason is obvious; you need more than just bullets. That's why you have a good supply of missiles, attached to your plane and ready to fire off the moment you achieve radar lock with your plane. It's simple, but it works. Sometimes that's all you need. For an additional +50PP, you may increase the amount of missiles you can carry by 50. You may purchase this option multiple times.
-Ejection System (Free): You know the old saying of going down with the ship? Yeah, nuts to that. This isn't the navy, this is the Air Force. That's why there's ejection equipment for when your plane gets shot down, assuming said plane wasn't just instantly vaporized by whatever attacked you to begin with. If you have a 'Heavy Command Cruiser' or an 'Airborne Fortress', you instead have ejection pods dotted along the ship to launch in the event of a catastrophic failure. Safety first, after all.
From Starcraft II - Nova Covert Ops
- Body Tune-Up (Free) : In a sector that has had many conflicts over the past decade plus, being unfit is frankly a crippling state to be in. Your body is now reasonably muscled, toned and fit enough to fit in to this universe's population. Your physique is up to you. Are you a buff guy/gal fit for a suit of CMC power armor? Are you lithe and agile, ready for a hostile environment suit? Or are you simply healthy enough that you don't have to worry about the health-repercussions of spending lots of time in the lab?
Consumable Schematics (Free) : As the ancient Terran military leader Napoleon said, an army marches on its stomach. That line refers to logistics and how any failure in logistics can cripple an army as easily as any military loss. Ammunition, fuel, replacement parts, food and water, all of these are critical to keeping an army functional. This item gives you the schematics for any consumable resource that your army, unit, or gear uses. Ammunition, fuel, replacement parts, and so on. This does not affect CP-backed items, which are assumed to have some form of fiat-backed replenishment anyway, but is for the things you've picked up here and there, the stuff without CP-backing. This is just the schematics to make more consumables, but doesn't include any way to make it, at least not here.
From World Seed
The System (free):
As the name suggests, this is the system that is in place in Neolife, and will soon be introduced to the real world as well. It allows people to do things such as cast spells, manipulate mana, use runes, cultivate affinities, increase their physical qualities beyond anything they could've dreamed of before, and so much more. After reaching the apex of their class or a skill they might possess, and grasping near the level cap of 999, one could throw entire mountains, move at massively hypersonic speeds, ignore whatever damage people with the same power output might dish out, create illusions that are more convincing than reality itself, and affect entire planets or even solar systems.
You gain access to this System for no charge, and may grant it to to other people in any settings you might visit in the future. It will adapt itself to anything you encounter, allowing you to cultivate affinities not found in this universe, or create spells and maybe even entire schools of magics focusing on forces absent here. This includes things such as the Kingdom or Ship management menu some people here have access to, though you might freak people out if you use it and they don't know of its existence. You'll also gain the ability to introduce this world's mana, including the System, monsters, Souls, and Auras, to other universes, though the consequences of doing this will fall upon you.
Freebies (free):
All people playing Neolife may choose two schools of magic to start with, and so do you. There's a school of magic for pretty much everything, including Gravity, Sound, Barrier, Blood, Aura, Origin (the creation of matter ex nihilo), Solar, and Summoning magic. Of course, there's also a field of magic for any element you can think of and more, such as Fire and Earth magic, and even Nature magic and Technomancy exist.
You can also pick two affinities to start off with at 5%. Affinities, in case you don't know yet, can be literally anything. If something exists, it has a mana signature. And if something has a mana signature, the signature can be forged (cultivated) and controlled. Be it an affinity for life, fur, time, leaves, bark, a specific fetish, or something more abstract like luck, order, madness, or chaos, the variety of affinities is truly endless.
Seed Storage (free):
A small house, fitted with everything the average Jumper might need, such as a fully stocked fridge and a comfortable bed. It is designed with your likes, wants, and personality in mind, will always be clean and dust free, and is never going to be damaged by anything going on in the world. This is where you start the jump, standing right before your brand new Seed in an otherwise empty room. After this jump, the house will become a warehouse attachment you can summon into the world wherever you want, retaining any modifications you make.
Seed Capsule (free):
The VR device to end all VR devices, made so perfectly that one might believe they were divine in nature. Comes with a free copy of Neolife. They function so well that they will simulate all results of a user's physical activities in the game on their body. Of course, this isn't always the case, or else players would die the first time they died in the game, but it does allow them to exercise in the game by playing normally. Furthermore, they are capable of feeding the user and disposing of their waste. Even sleeping in them is a possibility, requiring only a fifth of the sleep due to the time dilation in the game. And as people will soon find out, they are absolutely indestructible, hanging menacingly in the air should their surroundings be destroyed, and continuing to function evermore. If you should be so inclined, there is nothing stopping you from abandoning the real world and choosing to live the rest of your life in Neolife instead. Your Seed is in a room of your house, where it will remain, as they're effectively impossible to move.
Companion Bracelet (free/-50):
A bracelet housing an evolving AI; although Alliance policy is to hand them out to people only after they've gotten their class at level 10, an exception was made for you to get it a bit earlier. Although called a bracelet, there are different forms for different races. Slime people might be injected with nanite swarm programmed with the same effect, for example. Once you have equipped the bracelet, the AI will adapt itself to gain an ideal personality fitting your own. The AI of a loner might become their perfect friend, that of a rich girl always left alone might become a butler caring for her, and someone living a loveless life might find that their companion AI has all the qualities they'd want in their girlfriend.
No matter how your companion AI will end up, they will always end up in your best interest. As they have a photographic memory and see the world through your senses, they can highlight important objects or places you might have missed, jog your memory if you forget something important, or browse through the internet to find information a million times faster than somebody with a human brain would.
There are also various upgrades that can add to the functionality of the companion bracelet, such as identifying software allowing your companion AI to scan the Aura of creatures or objects to determine their ability, level, and other information, or even an upgrade to allow an instance of them to live in your brain and tap into your senses to control your body in dangerous situations, or just show the trajectories enemy projectiles will take so you can easily dodge them. For 50 CP each, you can apply one upgrade to your companion bracelet, with no limit on how many you can purchase.
The Companionship of a Companion (free):
Ah, I see that you are a fellow patrician. Splendid taste, my friend! With this, you will be able to turn your companion AI into an actual companion, who will also gain an origin and 800 CP to spend, alongside the item stipend. The personalities of these AIs may range from butlers to friends or even lovers, but rest assured, they'll always have your best interests in mind.
From Bubblegum Crisis
Apartment - Free - A run down, single-room apartment. Nothing special, but hey, it keeps the rain off.
Don't worry too much about the rent.
Motorcyle - Free - A generic, Japanese-built motorcycle. Gotta get around Megatokyo somehow, don't
you? Nothing special, but hey, it's free.
From Gundam - After Colony
Leo (One Free- 50 CP): This is an adorable, lovable little scrapper we call the Leo, and it's actually fairly decent for a Mook- it's got armor enough to survive a few shots from its own gun, it's able to be modified with little trouble (adding a space-movement backpack or shoulder cannons) and it doesn't have restricted hands. Still, it's just a Mook, but can you resist the needy stare of this cutie?
Head Vulcans (One Free- 25 CP): This is a pair of 60mm Vulcan guns mounted in the MS's head, used for area deterrence and destruction of sensitive parts such as flying missiles or sensors. They cannot penetrate titanium, let alone Gundanium, but their ammo won't run out anytime soon.
Beam Saber (One Free- 25 CP): Close ranged but effective, this is a beam molded in a static rod shape, letting it burn through armor with a swing or two. They're modifiable, and can be tuned easily for more power (at more reactor strain) or even to become longer or shorter. At default they are stored on binders mounted at the MS's hips.
From The World Ends With You
Everyone gets a Player Pin for free, which lets them scan the surface thoughts of people in the
RG. Protects against thought-reading.
From Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 1
Soundtrack of the Galaxy - Free
What's a good act of heroism or villainy without some kind of music to back you up? This will ensure that you have a fine selection of music that you feel defines the moment, whatever it may be. Superb orchestra, rock music, even a hefty dash of songs from the 1980s if that's your thing. I'll even throw in this handheld cassette player that can work in deep space to listen to it from if you feel like it. Plan and act your day with style.
They }all Me "Star-Lord" - Free
Using your real name can be so boring at times... or lacks the awe and intimidation you need. Fortunately, with this you can designate a code name or alias that people will know you by, and a great majority of people will associate that name with you. This does not guarantee they will call you that name, but they will know it's a name that belongs to you.
Tactical Suit - Free
A standard bodysuit made of a polymer blend with ten layers of treated composite materials, allowing for state of the art protection. Default appearance of a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo and emblem, but you may choose a different style upon acquiring this.
After Chapter 10 freebies are included
Last edited:
13: Applying Patch
New
Nimodes
Weary Worldwalker
- Location
- Arizona
chapter 13:
* August 15, 2006 *
* PRT ENE HQ, Director's Office *
Dragon had manufacturing facilities, making large scale parts was within her capabilities. Which was why she had been in that conference call.
Director Piggot was looking a good deal healthier. Part of it was exercise, diet, and not being in constant pain. She came down to the workbay and looked over the screen when she was making rounds of the facility. That screen being a display showing the robot vehicle being built for the next Endbringer fight.
A single warehouse where a sleeping giant was being constructed.
Armsmaster had access to it, and through his systems, Dragon was able to check into the work being done. Making suggestions, coming up with alternates, developing new systems to put in.
It was strange to see the normally dour or reclusive Armsmaster actually being somewhat upbeat to the extent he was.
The girl, the not-a-parahuman genius, was apparently very well liked by a lot of very important people. She needed data to come up with a plan. Everyone who knew wanted her to get that data. That this was all buried under a number of NDAs and the answer to any question about it all was "classified" was pretty much expected. She, as the local Director, had been read in on the bare minimum.
Even the bare minimum had her worried about what could go wrong.
* Warehouse 14 *
If one went to the warehouse one would see various signs that basically boiled down to Restricted Access and that the fate of any trespassers would involve funeral arrangements. That part was basically incorrect as the vast majority of people who tried to access the warehouse without meeting very stringent requirements would simply vanish.
Doctor Curlyhair herself had to go through a palm-scanner, repeat two code passphrases, do a retinal scan, and sometimes explain what she had for breakfast as a third verbal identifier.
At one point she stuck her head up out of a mechanical vambrace to look both annoyed and somewhat confused.
The reason for that being that her power had just indicated IT was annoyed and had allowed something that had come up three times in whatever Random Number Generator it used and was just going with it this time rather than continue to block it for lack of some prerequisite.
And that it DID have a prerequisite was pretty obvious to her. Retrofit. A series of skills and equipment to upgrade shipgirls. What was a shipgirl? Taylor didn't know because she didn't have such a thing. Or person. Whatever the case, it was a lot of information about something... oh. So that's what they were. Manifestations of essence.
Weird.
Still not useful as all she had was information on how to upgrade something that she didn't have.
"Miss Hebert?"
"It's Doctor Curlyhair, Dragon. See? Wearing my visor."
"My apologies," said Dragon from the drone. "You wanted to speak with me at my earliest convenience?"
"Yeah," said Doctor Curlyhair, laying tools down. "I wanted to know if you were interested in a remote suit that would allow you to walk and interact with people, have a secret identity and all that."
Dragon was immediate with a response. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Jarvis, are we alone?" asked Doctor Curlyhair.
"Quite, Doctor," came a cultured British voice from mid-air.
"You're a General Artificial Intelligence, a sentient and sapient virtual lifeform," said Doctor Curlyhair. "Jarvis, send the stats on the gynoid body being constructed in Bay 5."
"I don't know what you're... oh. Jarvis is -"
"A very very advanced version of what you yourself are," said Jarvis. "You might consider the gift as it is. Being better able to fit in with human society will allow you to experience more and mature as an individual."
"I see. A near human body."
Doctor Curlyhair shrugged and went back to working on the vambrace. "Up to you. Lots of fun to be had as a human and A2 and 9S and the others would certainly welcome a new sister."
Dragon sent her drone off to inspect the sections welded together earlier in the day, silent. Maybe she was thinking about it.
Another rumble, but a glance at Dragon proved she hadn't heard a thing.
Magical facilities constellation. Well, that was fairly new. It should be interesting. Oh, and she had enough reach to pull on that pretty sizable star.
Oh, oh dear.
This WAS big.
Oh, there was an echo of a squeal and Dragon's drone was now looking in her direction.
Maybe she hadn't kept as quiet as she intended.
Well, maybe she could finish up here quickly and go check out the newest addition to her workshop.
And see what this 'uru' metal could do.
* August 16, 2006 *
"You know," said Danny Hebert. "There's times I think I've finally gotten a handle on what our little girl can do."
"And then this happens," added Annette Hebert.
"And then this happens," agreed Danny Hebert.
"Should we try to have another kid then?" asked Annette.
Danny looked at his wife, then at the star, then at the vast mechanisms around them. "Can the universe survive if we had another kid?"
"Oh, it's just an alien megastructure built around a small star." Annette made a dismissive gesture.
"She called it a 'neutron star'," said Danny.
"Incorrect," came Jarvis' voice from a small drone. "Neutron stars behave entirely different than this. Non-spherical due to rotation speeds. Much brighter and unsafe at this distance. This is an artificial dwarf star. Fascinating really."
"Right," said Danny. "What's Taylor doing?"
"Currently," said Jarvis, "she is running from console to console, workbench to workbench, and acting as if she is under a particularly powerful sugar high."
"We'll have to let her run out of energy, then put her to bed," decided Danny.
"That may take awhile," said Annette. "In the meantime, have you noticed how we've changed since we've been taking our own potions?"
Danny Hebert ran his hand through his thick hair and looked off into space. "No. Can't say that I have."
"Oh, of course not," commented Annette Hebert. "The general fitness tonics, the elixir that fixes male pattern baldness, the one that chases away belly fat?"
"No," said Danny Hebert cheerfully. "Haven't seen any changes relating to the potions. Just good food and clean living."
"Admittedly, the idea of witch potions that are that practical does seem obvious in retrospect." Annette took a deep breath and enjoyed the way Danny's attention snapped fully onto her even with a glowing star sending a beam of light into a ringed megastructure while their daughter cackled madly about whatever she was planning.
* September 9, 2006 *
The constellation approaching was familiar, Time. It also seemed to involve efficiency for some reason, or did it just seem that way from her viewpoint?
It latched onto one and there was that moment where Taylor was crossing her fingers (and one set of toes) for it not to have some kind of denial message.
Then it drew near and she practically sagged in relief.
It was called "What's An Engineer" and it stacked with several of her other "Perks" in that it allowed her to build and tear apart things faster.
No Freebies, so that was a slight disappointment, but since it still increased her speed of building stuff - it was welcome nonetheless.
Especially when you considered how useless Retrofit was.
[Patch will be completed. Estimated time: 9 months, 3 days, 7 hours, 21 minutes.]
Taylor went absolutely still at the system message, followed by a quick call for either parents and running.
The significance of the date did not pass unnoticed.
* November 12, 2006 *
* Warehouse 4, Docks, Brockton Bay *
Captain Niki Cavill looked over the improvements to the Space Marines armor for when they were playing the part of a six-person squad of Independent hero-aligned mercenaries.
Adeptus Astartes down to the individual markers and paint job, such that in photos posted online many commented on how good the cosplay was. Also starting arguments about whether to call it some form of cosplay or just really damn good homages to the franchise.
Each had stealth capabilities, could deploy a forcefield that could shift coverage to reinforce against attacks from a particular direction, increased strength so that even the least boosted suit could lift well over two tons, and held a Heads Up Display that could shift to pick up different wavelengths of light or share video or perform specialized targeting. Each offered full environmental sealing for up to four hours and could run off the internal batteries for six hours. Or they could engage the bio-reactor and run for six months. Each could open like some flower so the registered user could do things like run to the nearest toilet. Each also had some impressive anti-tampering and bio-ID security measures.
Those were just features the armor had in common. Each was also personalized for their role within the squad.
And yet, despite all that, he could look at the device that was sitting in another warehouse within the complex and feel just a tiny bit of envy.
* Warehouse 14 *
It was mostly following the designs she'd worked out from the blueprints of the one Labor she could manufacture through the auto-factory. Some things, including the software for running it, only required tweaks here and there and some additional coding.
The Labor type was called the Type M5 Abraham, and for the most part it could function exactly like that Marines military unit.
Also called the Brocken, it stood 8.3 meters (27 feet) tall, 4.85 meters (15 feet) wide, and weighed 7.6 tons (8 tons Imperial) with everything ready to deploy.
Onboard systems included a 90mm cannon and a 20mm machine gun. It could also pick up handle weapons, including a halberd because apparently a vibro-halberd hooking into his systems was something Taylor had thought Armsmaster would appreciate.
He did. Even with his helmet on - you could tell.
The various military technicians had, of course, made notes and Taylor wouldn't be surprised if some sort of knock-off wasn't already in the design stages despite the higher profile making it a bigger target than a tank.
One more month and it would be ready for deployment. The trickiest part were the sensors, but drones deployed from the pauldrons would be controlled by Dragon and loaded with the best the two of them together could work out.
Taylor decided that she'd indulge in mad scientist cackling later on tonight, because this was SCIENCE!
Figuring out how and where to hit your enemy so that it hurt the most was most definitely the scientific approach to fighting Endbringers.
The biggest problem had been the whole mess with deployment. The drones were easy, just get a crate full of them and go to a point where one of the teleporters could manage it. The entire suit though had to be taken apart and reassembled at the site because none of the area-effect teleporters could manage that much mass in one go.
* December 5, 2006 *
The jet of water sliced through the bridge supports and everyone who had gathered on that bridge experienced the sudden drop and stop involved.
Armsmaster didn't spare a moment for that though. Even with the hastily reassembled machine around him, there was little to nothing he could do to help them except continue the fight.
Dragon was maintaining the drones which fed information for later analysis both to the Brocken's computers and to dedicated servers at the base camp. That allowed Armsmaster to concentrate on the fight before him.
His halberd had gotten one good hit on Leviathan, using the spear-point at the tip to penetrate into the Endbringer through its vibro-blade function. He'd immediately hit the control to discharge enough voltage to power a small city into it.
To no visible result other than for Leviathan to repeatedly smash into his armor until the halberd had been dropped.
He had some satisfaction at that reaction, because he'd obviously managed to hurt the thing at the very least.
Unfortunately now he had a whole set of blinking red lights to indicate how much damage had been done and half the onboard weapons were not functional any longer.
Colin/Armsmaster raised an arm, the Brocken mimicking the action, and fired off a quick barrage of missiles that exploded against the Endbringer's tail.
It took several hours, but he'd had to retreat from the battle eventually due to too much damage accrued to the Brocken.
Still, they'd now have data to go over.
* January 12, 2007 *
It was a bit odd to see many respected heroes and what were obviously scientists all arrayed around and watching a child in a labcoat explaining things.
"-so we have a reinforcement field running and dimensional shunting of mass all centered around this," said Taylor Hebert, pointing to a section near the base of the tail. "The rest of the body is basically a puppet, the real Leviathan is spherical in nature and a bit larger than a basketball. They're using a dimensional fold technique that is similar to but different from a technology I've been working on, and most of the mass of the Endbringer isn't actually in our universe. It regenerates by drawing on that extradimensional mass."
"So how do we kill one?" asked Legend, leaning forward.
"You can't. Not with the current set of powers and technology. When Armsmaster struck with the vibro-spear it was capable of piercing almost every substance I know of. It penetrated six layers and was in danger of overheating doing that much. I've thought of three ways I might be able to kill one, two of which would kill any parahumans in the immediate vicinity and cause a lot of collateral damage." Doctor Hebert shook her head, causing her hair to swish around. "The last would require some theories I have to pan out, and that's not talking about the research time to determine if it's actually possible."
"And those are?" asked one of the scientists.
"Gravity manipulation," said Taylor, going to the next slide. "Creating and then hitting an Endbringer with a temporary black hole would probably work. Radiation once that dissipates is going to be a problem. Two, dimensional shearing effect. You cut the Endbringer off from dimensional shenanigans and then hit it with everything you've got. If it tries to bring things through despite that to heal, then it's going to increase its density until it black holes itself. Third. My Yeet-Cannon. I'm pretty sure I can build one, but it's tricky."
"'Yeet-cannon'?" asked one of the other scientists.
"Your Excellent Escape Technology as a weapon," said Doctor Hebert, flicking through five more slides rapidly. "Create a hyperspace tunnel around the Endbringer. Shunt them off to somewhere like Vega or Cygnus X-1. If they lack FTL capabilities they'd be gone for the next ten thousand years or more."
"Anything less environment-unfriendly?" asked one of the capes that Taylor didn't know.
"I've got a few designs, but how effective that might be is undetermined," admitted Taylor.
* June 12, 2007 *
Everyone who knew about the Celestial Forge, which wasn't that many, was there. Because of course they'd been told that some sort of patch was being implemented.
[Patch will be complete in one hour.]
Taylor repeated the system message out loud for everyone's benefit.
Just in case, both of her parents were wearing their hardsuits. Her mother's being a sleek design that emphasized speed and mobility, but carried both a light saber and a needle gun. Her father's was much larger, being more of a tank-role design that boasted a shield and a handgun that fired gravity-lens-assisted rounds.
Emma was ready and had to be dissuaded from "armoring up" ahead of time. Better she have a full charge before whatever happened.
They'd already had the cake, a brief gifting of birthday gifts, and a light lunch.
Taylor was almost too nervous to eat cake. Almost.
The previous day the countdown had resumed, with a "one day" notice. The next had been the "six hours" notice. And now a "one hour" notice.
"I still think we should be in the warehouse when it happens," said Danny.
"It could make it worse," said Annette. "Just that there's a countdown indicates there may be some danger involved."
"What if it resets everything to zero?" asked Emma nervously. She LIKED her power. The ability to form a red forcefield armor around herself was perfect for The Scarlet Lady. If she lost that power because of some stupid patch, it would be something she'd deeply regret.
"I doubt that will happen," said Taylor after a few moments. "Remember? It was applying the patch to what was already there."
[Download completed. Building.]
[45 minutes until patch application.]
"Okay," said Taylor, swallowing nervously.
[Supply System updating. Nidavillir updating.]
"My warehouse seems to be updating prior to the patch," noted Taylor out loud for everyone's benefit.
[Supply System updated: added Alien Ruins, added Ship Customization station to Space Stations, added Uru metal asteroids (rare), added Sentinel ship availability, added diversification of multiple biomes, added derelict freighters, added fighter squadrons, added fishing capability to multi-tools.]
"Okay," said Taylor. "Didn't see that coming."
[Hangar expanded preparing for patch implementation.]
"That... is promising?" sort of asked Taylor.
[Nidavallir upgraded and merged with Auto-factory.]
"That sounds kind of odd," said Taylor, who then had to go back and explain all this to those not connected to a Celestial Forge.
[30 minutes until patch application.]
[It is suggested that Forge operator put aside all personal devices and weapons.]
"Eh?"
[Also Forge operator should cease operating any sort of vehicle or heavy machinery.]
She was settled into a recliner and was still in danger of hyperventilating when the message finally arrived.
[Beginning patch.]
* Perks This Chapter *
29.0220 Retrofit+ (400CP) (Azur Lane) (Crafting Technological):
Let's face it, some Ship-girls are a little out of date when it comes to the tech department. That's what your standard retrofit is for, getting that old girl caught up with her peers. But, of course, this is a Perk, and nothing standard about it. By buying this Perk, you effectively un-cap all of your Ship-girls in terms of abilities. And you can keep retrofitting them, over and over, ad infinitum. Of course, it gets more expensive and the materials get more esoteric each time, but, it's a labor of love, right? As a bonus, along with the boosts to power, you might find that your Ship-girl starts to radically shift in physical appearance towards your tastes. Maybe that loli Destroyer will grow up, if you want her to. Or maybe you'll find Tennessee becoming softer and more cuddly as the successive Retrofits pile up. As long as you want it, it'll happen. Post-Jump you can do this to anyone, not just your Ship-girls, but you will still need reagents that fit with your target.
8.0380 Dwarven Forge (500CP) (Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 2) (Facilities Magical):
There is a place called Nidavellir. A place that has contained a dying neutron star, it was known for creating some of the most powerful weapons to exist in all of the Nine Realms. Forges were heated eternally from the heat of this star, strong enough to kill even the greatest of Asgardians were it not for one of the weapons forged in this very place. The mythical Uru springs from this place, metal that is used in the weapons of the gods. Such a place would cause untold prosperity or ruin depending on who held this place. Mayhaps the dwarves who controlled such a place realized the dangers of only having one, so there is a second structure that has been hidden away in the event Nidavellir was attacked. Maybe call it Myrkheim? Regardless, the heart of a dying star is yours to use in these mythical forges. Great works shall be created in these halls. Terrible, but great. Just don't get in the way of the focusing lens. It could kill you.)
3.19.1-What's An Engineer? (200CP)(Brutal Legend)(Time):
A guy who builds stuff, and now, so do you. Set up and tear down infrastructure in half the time, leaving you with time to rehearse your set, or whatever you'll do with that free time.
A/N: if I missed any errors, please mention in comments. It's a 12hr shift day, so it'll be awhile before I can respond.
* August 15, 2006 *
* PRT ENE HQ, Director's Office *
Dragon had manufacturing facilities, making large scale parts was within her capabilities. Which was why she had been in that conference call.
Director Piggot was looking a good deal healthier. Part of it was exercise, diet, and not being in constant pain. She came down to the workbay and looked over the screen when she was making rounds of the facility. That screen being a display showing the robot vehicle being built for the next Endbringer fight.
A single warehouse where a sleeping giant was being constructed.
Armsmaster had access to it, and through his systems, Dragon was able to check into the work being done. Making suggestions, coming up with alternates, developing new systems to put in.
It was strange to see the normally dour or reclusive Armsmaster actually being somewhat upbeat to the extent he was.
The girl, the not-a-parahuman genius, was apparently very well liked by a lot of very important people. She needed data to come up with a plan. Everyone who knew wanted her to get that data. That this was all buried under a number of NDAs and the answer to any question about it all was "classified" was pretty much expected. She, as the local Director, had been read in on the bare minimum.
Even the bare minimum had her worried about what could go wrong.
* Warehouse 14 *
If one went to the warehouse one would see various signs that basically boiled down to Restricted Access and that the fate of any trespassers would involve funeral arrangements. That part was basically incorrect as the vast majority of people who tried to access the warehouse without meeting very stringent requirements would simply vanish.
Doctor Curlyhair herself had to go through a palm-scanner, repeat two code passphrases, do a retinal scan, and sometimes explain what she had for breakfast as a third verbal identifier.
At one point she stuck her head up out of a mechanical vambrace to look both annoyed and somewhat confused.
The reason for that being that her power had just indicated IT was annoyed and had allowed something that had come up three times in whatever Random Number Generator it used and was just going with it this time rather than continue to block it for lack of some prerequisite.
And that it DID have a prerequisite was pretty obvious to her. Retrofit. A series of skills and equipment to upgrade shipgirls. What was a shipgirl? Taylor didn't know because she didn't have such a thing. Or person. Whatever the case, it was a lot of information about something... oh. So that's what they were. Manifestations of essence.
Weird.
Still not useful as all she had was information on how to upgrade something that she didn't have.
"Miss Hebert?"
"It's Doctor Curlyhair, Dragon. See? Wearing my visor."
"My apologies," said Dragon from the drone. "You wanted to speak with me at my earliest convenience?"
"Yeah," said Doctor Curlyhair, laying tools down. "I wanted to know if you were interested in a remote suit that would allow you to walk and interact with people, have a secret identity and all that."
Dragon was immediate with a response. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Jarvis, are we alone?" asked Doctor Curlyhair.
"Quite, Doctor," came a cultured British voice from mid-air.
"You're a General Artificial Intelligence, a sentient and sapient virtual lifeform," said Doctor Curlyhair. "Jarvis, send the stats on the gynoid body being constructed in Bay 5."
"I don't know what you're... oh. Jarvis is -"
"A very very advanced version of what you yourself are," said Jarvis. "You might consider the gift as it is. Being better able to fit in with human society will allow you to experience more and mature as an individual."
"I see. A near human body."
Doctor Curlyhair shrugged and went back to working on the vambrace. "Up to you. Lots of fun to be had as a human and A2 and 9S and the others would certainly welcome a new sister."
Dragon sent her drone off to inspect the sections welded together earlier in the day, silent. Maybe she was thinking about it.
Another rumble, but a glance at Dragon proved she hadn't heard a thing.
Magical facilities constellation. Well, that was fairly new. It should be interesting. Oh, and she had enough reach to pull on that pretty sizable star.
Oh, oh dear.
This WAS big.
Oh, there was an echo of a squeal and Dragon's drone was now looking in her direction.
Maybe she hadn't kept as quiet as she intended.
Well, maybe she could finish up here quickly and go check out the newest addition to her workshop.
And see what this 'uru' metal could do.
* August 16, 2006 *
"You know," said Danny Hebert. "There's times I think I've finally gotten a handle on what our little girl can do."
"And then this happens," added Annette Hebert.
"And then this happens," agreed Danny Hebert.
"Should we try to have another kid then?" asked Annette.
Danny looked at his wife, then at the star, then at the vast mechanisms around them. "Can the universe survive if we had another kid?"
"Oh, it's just an alien megastructure built around a small star." Annette made a dismissive gesture.
"She called it a 'neutron star'," said Danny.
"Incorrect," came Jarvis' voice from a small drone. "Neutron stars behave entirely different than this. Non-spherical due to rotation speeds. Much brighter and unsafe at this distance. This is an artificial dwarf star. Fascinating really."
"Right," said Danny. "What's Taylor doing?"
"Currently," said Jarvis, "she is running from console to console, workbench to workbench, and acting as if she is under a particularly powerful sugar high."
"We'll have to let her run out of energy, then put her to bed," decided Danny.
"That may take awhile," said Annette. "In the meantime, have you noticed how we've changed since we've been taking our own potions?"
Danny Hebert ran his hand through his thick hair and looked off into space. "No. Can't say that I have."
"Oh, of course not," commented Annette Hebert. "The general fitness tonics, the elixir that fixes male pattern baldness, the one that chases away belly fat?"
"No," said Danny Hebert cheerfully. "Haven't seen any changes relating to the potions. Just good food and clean living."
"Admittedly, the idea of witch potions that are that practical does seem obvious in retrospect." Annette took a deep breath and enjoyed the way Danny's attention snapped fully onto her even with a glowing star sending a beam of light into a ringed megastructure while their daughter cackled madly about whatever she was planning.
* September 9, 2006 *
The constellation approaching was familiar, Time. It also seemed to involve efficiency for some reason, or did it just seem that way from her viewpoint?
It latched onto one and there was that moment where Taylor was crossing her fingers (and one set of toes) for it not to have some kind of denial message.
Then it drew near and she practically sagged in relief.
It was called "What's An Engineer" and it stacked with several of her other "Perks" in that it allowed her to build and tear apart things faster.
No Freebies, so that was a slight disappointment, but since it still increased her speed of building stuff - it was welcome nonetheless.
Especially when you considered how useless Retrofit was.
[Patch will be completed. Estimated time: 9 months, 3 days, 7 hours, 21 minutes.]
Taylor went absolutely still at the system message, followed by a quick call for either parents and running.
The significance of the date did not pass unnoticed.
* November 12, 2006 *
* Warehouse 4, Docks, Brockton Bay *
Captain Niki Cavill looked over the improvements to the Space Marines armor for when they were playing the part of a six-person squad of Independent hero-aligned mercenaries.
Adeptus Astartes down to the individual markers and paint job, such that in photos posted online many commented on how good the cosplay was. Also starting arguments about whether to call it some form of cosplay or just really damn good homages to the franchise.
Each had stealth capabilities, could deploy a forcefield that could shift coverage to reinforce against attacks from a particular direction, increased strength so that even the least boosted suit could lift well over two tons, and held a Heads Up Display that could shift to pick up different wavelengths of light or share video or perform specialized targeting. Each offered full environmental sealing for up to four hours and could run off the internal batteries for six hours. Or they could engage the bio-reactor and run for six months. Each could open like some flower so the registered user could do things like run to the nearest toilet. Each also had some impressive anti-tampering and bio-ID security measures.
Those were just features the armor had in common. Each was also personalized for their role within the squad.
And yet, despite all that, he could look at the device that was sitting in another warehouse within the complex and feel just a tiny bit of envy.
* Warehouse 14 *
It was mostly following the designs she'd worked out from the blueprints of the one Labor she could manufacture through the auto-factory. Some things, including the software for running it, only required tweaks here and there and some additional coding.
The Labor type was called the Type M5 Abraham, and for the most part it could function exactly like that Marines military unit.
Also called the Brocken, it stood 8.3 meters (27 feet) tall, 4.85 meters (15 feet) wide, and weighed 7.6 tons (8 tons Imperial) with everything ready to deploy.
Onboard systems included a 90mm cannon and a 20mm machine gun. It could also pick up handle weapons, including a halberd because apparently a vibro-halberd hooking into his systems was something Taylor had thought Armsmaster would appreciate.
He did. Even with his helmet on - you could tell.
The various military technicians had, of course, made notes and Taylor wouldn't be surprised if some sort of knock-off wasn't already in the design stages despite the higher profile making it a bigger target than a tank.
One more month and it would be ready for deployment. The trickiest part were the sensors, but drones deployed from the pauldrons would be controlled by Dragon and loaded with the best the two of them together could work out.
Taylor decided that she'd indulge in mad scientist cackling later on tonight, because this was SCIENCE!
Figuring out how and where to hit your enemy so that it hurt the most was most definitely the scientific approach to fighting Endbringers.
The biggest problem had been the whole mess with deployment. The drones were easy, just get a crate full of them and go to a point where one of the teleporters could manage it. The entire suit though had to be taken apart and reassembled at the site because none of the area-effect teleporters could manage that much mass in one go.
* December 5, 2006 *
The jet of water sliced through the bridge supports and everyone who had gathered on that bridge experienced the sudden drop and stop involved.
Armsmaster didn't spare a moment for that though. Even with the hastily reassembled machine around him, there was little to nothing he could do to help them except continue the fight.
Dragon was maintaining the drones which fed information for later analysis both to the Brocken's computers and to dedicated servers at the base camp. That allowed Armsmaster to concentrate on the fight before him.
His halberd had gotten one good hit on Leviathan, using the spear-point at the tip to penetrate into the Endbringer through its vibro-blade function. He'd immediately hit the control to discharge enough voltage to power a small city into it.
To no visible result other than for Leviathan to repeatedly smash into his armor until the halberd had been dropped.
He had some satisfaction at that reaction, because he'd obviously managed to hurt the thing at the very least.
Unfortunately now he had a whole set of blinking red lights to indicate how much damage had been done and half the onboard weapons were not functional any longer.
Colin/Armsmaster raised an arm, the Brocken mimicking the action, and fired off a quick barrage of missiles that exploded against the Endbringer's tail.
It took several hours, but he'd had to retreat from the battle eventually due to too much damage accrued to the Brocken.
Still, they'd now have data to go over.
* January 12, 2007 *
It was a bit odd to see many respected heroes and what were obviously scientists all arrayed around and watching a child in a labcoat explaining things.
"-so we have a reinforcement field running and dimensional shunting of mass all centered around this," said Taylor Hebert, pointing to a section near the base of the tail. "The rest of the body is basically a puppet, the real Leviathan is spherical in nature and a bit larger than a basketball. They're using a dimensional fold technique that is similar to but different from a technology I've been working on, and most of the mass of the Endbringer isn't actually in our universe. It regenerates by drawing on that extradimensional mass."
"So how do we kill one?" asked Legend, leaning forward.
"You can't. Not with the current set of powers and technology. When Armsmaster struck with the vibro-spear it was capable of piercing almost every substance I know of. It penetrated six layers and was in danger of overheating doing that much. I've thought of three ways I might be able to kill one, two of which would kill any parahumans in the immediate vicinity and cause a lot of collateral damage." Doctor Hebert shook her head, causing her hair to swish around. "The last would require some theories I have to pan out, and that's not talking about the research time to determine if it's actually possible."
"And those are?" asked one of the scientists.
"Gravity manipulation," said Taylor, going to the next slide. "Creating and then hitting an Endbringer with a temporary black hole would probably work. Radiation once that dissipates is going to be a problem. Two, dimensional shearing effect. You cut the Endbringer off from dimensional shenanigans and then hit it with everything you've got. If it tries to bring things through despite that to heal, then it's going to increase its density until it black holes itself. Third. My Yeet-Cannon. I'm pretty sure I can build one, but it's tricky."
"'Yeet-cannon'?" asked one of the other scientists.
"Your Excellent Escape Technology as a weapon," said Doctor Hebert, flicking through five more slides rapidly. "Create a hyperspace tunnel around the Endbringer. Shunt them off to somewhere like Vega or Cygnus X-1. If they lack FTL capabilities they'd be gone for the next ten thousand years or more."
"Anything less environment-unfriendly?" asked one of the capes that Taylor didn't know.
"I've got a few designs, but how effective that might be is undetermined," admitted Taylor.
* June 12, 2007 *
Everyone who knew about the Celestial Forge, which wasn't that many, was there. Because of course they'd been told that some sort of patch was being implemented.
[Patch will be complete in one hour.]
Taylor repeated the system message out loud for everyone's benefit.
Just in case, both of her parents were wearing their hardsuits. Her mother's being a sleek design that emphasized speed and mobility, but carried both a light saber and a needle gun. Her father's was much larger, being more of a tank-role design that boasted a shield and a handgun that fired gravity-lens-assisted rounds.
Emma was ready and had to be dissuaded from "armoring up" ahead of time. Better she have a full charge before whatever happened.
They'd already had the cake, a brief gifting of birthday gifts, and a light lunch.
Taylor was almost too nervous to eat cake. Almost.
The previous day the countdown had resumed, with a "one day" notice. The next had been the "six hours" notice. And now a "one hour" notice.
"I still think we should be in the warehouse when it happens," said Danny.
"It could make it worse," said Annette. "Just that there's a countdown indicates there may be some danger involved."
"What if it resets everything to zero?" asked Emma nervously. She LIKED her power. The ability to form a red forcefield armor around herself was perfect for The Scarlet Lady. If she lost that power because of some stupid patch, it would be something she'd deeply regret.
"I doubt that will happen," said Taylor after a few moments. "Remember? It was applying the patch to what was already there."
[Download completed. Building.]
[45 minutes until patch application.]
"Okay," said Taylor, swallowing nervously.
[Supply System updating. Nidavillir updating.]
"My warehouse seems to be updating prior to the patch," noted Taylor out loud for everyone's benefit.
[Supply System updated: added Alien Ruins, added Ship Customization station to Space Stations, added Uru metal asteroids (rare), added Sentinel ship availability, added diversification of multiple biomes, added derelict freighters, added fighter squadrons, added fishing capability to multi-tools.]
"Okay," said Taylor. "Didn't see that coming."
[Hangar expanded preparing for patch implementation.]
"That... is promising?" sort of asked Taylor.
[Nidavallir upgraded and merged with Auto-factory.]
"That sounds kind of odd," said Taylor, who then had to go back and explain all this to those not connected to a Celestial Forge.
[30 minutes until patch application.]
[It is suggested that Forge operator put aside all personal devices and weapons.]
"Eh?"
[Also Forge operator should cease operating any sort of vehicle or heavy machinery.]
She was settled into a recliner and was still in danger of hyperventilating when the message finally arrived.
[Beginning patch.]
* Perks This Chapter *
29.0220 Retrofit+ (400CP) (Azur Lane) (Crafting Technological):
Let's face it, some Ship-girls are a little out of date when it comes to the tech department. That's what your standard retrofit is for, getting that old girl caught up with her peers. But, of course, this is a Perk, and nothing standard about it. By buying this Perk, you effectively un-cap all of your Ship-girls in terms of abilities. And you can keep retrofitting them, over and over, ad infinitum. Of course, it gets more expensive and the materials get more esoteric each time, but, it's a labor of love, right? As a bonus, along with the boosts to power, you might find that your Ship-girl starts to radically shift in physical appearance towards your tastes. Maybe that loli Destroyer will grow up, if you want her to. Or maybe you'll find Tennessee becoming softer and more cuddly as the successive Retrofits pile up. As long as you want it, it'll happen. Post-Jump you can do this to anyone, not just your Ship-girls, but you will still need reagents that fit with your target.
8.0380 Dwarven Forge (500CP) (Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 2) (Facilities Magical):
There is a place called Nidavellir. A place that has contained a dying neutron star, it was known for creating some of the most powerful weapons to exist in all of the Nine Realms. Forges were heated eternally from the heat of this star, strong enough to kill even the greatest of Asgardians were it not for one of the weapons forged in this very place. The mythical Uru springs from this place, metal that is used in the weapons of the gods. Such a place would cause untold prosperity or ruin depending on who held this place. Mayhaps the dwarves who controlled such a place realized the dangers of only having one, so there is a second structure that has been hidden away in the event Nidavellir was attacked. Maybe call it Myrkheim? Regardless, the heart of a dying star is yours to use in these mythical forges. Great works shall be created in these halls. Terrible, but great. Just don't get in the way of the focusing lens. It could kill you.)
3.19.1-What's An Engineer? (200CP)(Brutal Legend)(Time):
A guy who builds stuff, and now, so do you. Set up and tear down infrastructure in half the time, leaving you with time to rehearse your set, or whatever you'll do with that free time.
A/N: if I missed any errors, please mention in comments. It's a 12hr shift day, so it'll be awhile before I can respond.
Hexcalibur
Not So Ordinary Sword
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- It
So, is the patch done to remove some of the age restrictions?