Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Ah, I see.
XCOM: Agent of F.I.X.F.I.C.
- Thread starter Canas Dark
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- xcom xcom (2012) cyoa
Canas Dark
Living comfortably in his own head
- Location
- Elsewhere
If I was playing this the way Charmed Life was truly intended, instead of having it wreck the Aliens' background rolls and give +25 to lots of XCOM rolls, then Agent Smith would probably not need to roll dice under most circumstances and could solo a number of encounters here just blundering through. The downside is that the Aliens would lose a lot of the debuffs they're suffering from in other places on the planet, so maybe the trade off is equivalent. I'm not sure how much the audience wants a Mary Sue always wins type of set up. I mean, if the audience votes that way, sure...
Also: most objectives have some overlap, but one of the things that was agreed upon was that free will would need to be returned to the aliens. If their mind-chip things are required for them to take action to do things like get out of bed in the morning, because the Aliens have turned off their basic abilities to think, then it's a little more complicated than simply killing all the Ethereals. Doing that would probably free any species with less restrictions on their minds, sure.
Also: most objectives have some overlap, but one of the things that was agreed upon was that free will would need to be returned to the aliens. If their mind-chip things are required for them to take action to do things like get out of bed in the morning, because the Aliens have turned off their basic abilities to think, then it's a little more complicated than simply killing all the Ethereals. Doing that would probably free any species with less restrictions on their minds, sure.
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Terran Imperium
[French]
- Location
- Southern France
Its possible to write a lucky character without making him a Gary Sue in this case. A Gary Sue is a character that's completely perfect and the world itself bend over to fit his needs, he's got armies of crazed women chasing after him, there are no jealous men, they all respect him as a brother or see him as a god. You get the gist of it.
A lucky character as in make him stumble more often into useful things, more likely to succeed, more likely to do A or B. But it's not a guaranteed win, even supernatural luck has its limits. Like a range limit? Like he's always lucky but his friends, his loved ones, and overall the ones surrounding him are not, they just got a normal average luck.
A lucky character as in make him stumble more often into useful things, more likely to succeed, more likely to do A or B. But it's not a guaranteed win, even supernatural luck has its limits. Like a range limit? Like he's always lucky but his friends, his loved ones, and overall the ones surrounding him are not, they just got a normal average luck.
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Canas Dark
Living comfortably in his own head
- Location
- Elsewhere
I'm trying to think of how best to explain what I'm going for without spoiling some plot points and losing some of the twists I was hoping to add along the way.
I'll go over some of my notes and see about putting together some more visible changes to the formula in the next few updates. It may take a little time, and I'm up for Jury Duty next week, so I'll do my best to keep updating along the way.
All thoughts and feedback on the story are helpful, so if anybody is looking for a different experience, let me know. Thanks again, all!
I'll go over some of my notes and see about putting together some more visible changes to the formula in the next few updates. It may take a little time, and I'm up for Jury Duty next week, so I'll do my best to keep updating along the way.
All thoughts and feedback on the story are helpful, so if anybody is looking for a different experience, let me know. Thanks again, all!
Canas Dark
Living comfortably in his own head
- Location
- Elsewhere
Alright, I've been kicking around a couple ideas for more visible options for Charmed Life to have an impact on the story.
First: Rather than simply telling you, "the background rolls here were terrible," you get to see them, even if they're locked behind a "???" Invisible roll to prevent spoilers. Every time a luck-based perk activates from now on, it will be shown with the results under the name of the perk in question. With the vote for me to show rolls, having bonuses along with them will showcase the impact of your choices.
Second: I have prepared a number of perks for your consideration, and will await their review to see which, if any, would be appropriate to add for the rest of the quest. These are intended to better show the ludicrous luck that is supposed to be represented by the power Agent Smith has. If any perks below feel too weak, then please note which so they can be buffed. If you want bits of each, some can be weakened and all can be put into play.
Write In options are strongly recommended here, if you have a cool luck-based idea that would fit in line with these kinds of things.
Note that some rolls will be against difficulty checks (DCs) higher than 100, some by a considerable margin, so keep that in mind.
Charmed Life (already in play): All d100 rolls directly impacting Agent Smith automatically swing 25 points in the Agent's favor, applied after all other bonuses are tallied. Aliens' aim rolls, chances an alien pod is in an inconvenient location, chances of the aliens finding XCOM's base, etc. Rolls not directly impacting Agent Smith swing 5 points in XCOM's favor. An "even fight" is NEVER in the Aliens' favor.
Praise RNGsus!: Agent Smith will no longer make basic rolls for "easy" situations, but will instead take 75 as his roll. If he would roll below 75 at a critical time, he instead takes 75.
When It Hits, It Crits: All critical hit rolls made by XCOM automatically succeed. Whoever or whatever made the roll gets a +1 to all future rolls, cumulative.
Winds of Fate, Change!: Whenever a result goes poorly, roll a d20. Add (or subtract) this value in XCOM's favor. On a 19 or 20, ignore the numerical value of the challenge; XCOM automatically succeeds.
Those are a few I came up with while trying to fix some spreadsheets to streamline the rolling process, even after the perks have been decided on.
I'll be working on the chapter while you guys discuss things, so this doesn't slow down progress any more than my impending jury duty already will.
First: Rather than simply telling you, "the background rolls here were terrible," you get to see them, even if they're locked behind a "???" Invisible roll to prevent spoilers. Every time a luck-based perk activates from now on, it will be shown with the results under the name of the perk in question. With the vote for me to show rolls, having bonuses along with them will showcase the impact of your choices.
Second: I have prepared a number of perks for your consideration, and will await their review to see which, if any, would be appropriate to add for the rest of the quest. These are intended to better show the ludicrous luck that is supposed to be represented by the power Agent Smith has. If any perks below feel too weak, then please note which so they can be buffed. If you want bits of each, some can be weakened and all can be put into play.
Write In options are strongly recommended here, if you have a cool luck-based idea that would fit in line with these kinds of things.
Note that some rolls will be against difficulty checks (DCs) higher than 100, some by a considerable margin, so keep that in mind.
Charmed Life (already in play): All d100 rolls directly impacting Agent Smith automatically swing 25 points in the Agent's favor, applied after all other bonuses are tallied. Aliens' aim rolls, chances an alien pod is in an inconvenient location, chances of the aliens finding XCOM's base, etc. Rolls not directly impacting Agent Smith swing 5 points in XCOM's favor. An "even fight" is NEVER in the Aliens' favor.
Praise RNGsus!: Agent Smith will no longer make basic rolls for "easy" situations, but will instead take 75 as his roll. If he would roll below 75 at a critical time, he instead takes 75.
When It Hits, It Crits: All critical hit rolls made by XCOM automatically succeed. Whoever or whatever made the roll gets a +1 to all future rolls, cumulative.
Winds of Fate, Change!: Whenever a result goes poorly, roll a d20. Add (or subtract) this value in XCOM's favor. On a 19 or 20, ignore the numerical value of the challenge; XCOM automatically succeeds.
Those are a few I came up with while trying to fix some spreadsheets to streamline the rolling process, even after the perks have been decided on.
I'll be working on the chapter while you guys discuss things, so this doesn't slow down progress any more than my impending jury duty already will.
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The basic charmed life seems like enough at a local level for dealing with the small challenges, but I agree that just hearing 'oh, background rolls go somewhat worse for the aliens also." Is a bit unsatisfying.
He could use more... 'scenario' based luck, in that things just tend to pile up in ways that favor him, though I might just be feeling that due to the short timescale of stuff as of yet.
Many 'lucky' characters tend to have the ability to improvise in a way that the world accommodates, so that might be neat? Like, ideas he comes up with just happen to be oddly easy to implement, someone nearby just happens to have just the right tool etc.
Winds of fate, change feels like it should just be a larger bonus on charmed life for better bonuses for things less directly involving him.
When it hits it crits makes me nervous that sort of thing is usually either never relevant, or becomes overwhelmingly relevant but... eh.
Praise RNGesus could maybe have a function for XCOM (e.g. XCOM may 'take 50' for downtime rolls, or XCOM may substitute a roll of ten for most rolls after rolling).
Does Praise RNGesus stack with Charmed Life?
A few other ideas include his luck leading to teachable moments that accelerate his progress learning, An ability to conciously surge or turn it off, and some sort of uncannily accurate gut feeling perk.
Canas Dark
Living comfortably in his own head
- Location
- Elsewhere
I'm considering just asking you guys to choose 2 or 2 and a half or something. That's why I'm asking what people think of the balance, based on what's shown here.
Yes, if you keep charmed life and take Praise RNGesus, your standing roll is 100, with the ability to roll to 125. Regardless of what you guys pick, there will be other things that give aim bonuses and the like over time, like SCOPE tech or Lasers, which will help when you (and your team) are up against natural defense bonuses and the like.
Yes, if you keep charmed life and take Praise RNGesus, your standing roll is 100, with the ability to roll to 125. Regardless of what you guys pick, there will be other things that give aim bonuses and the like over time, like SCOPE tech or Lasers, which will help when you (and your team) are up against natural defense bonuses and the like.
When you say to take 2 perks, you mean two additional perks, right?
Getting a standing roll of 100 seems like perhaps a bit much, but my lack of knowledge of what your DC's look like makes it hard to judge.
A 1/10th chance to autosucceed definitely seems a bit much to me personally.
If it was to be a vote right now without write ins, I would probably vote for Praise RNGesus and When it hits it crits.
I can't say I feel particularily satisfied with that. I feel like the luck should be about opening up new possibilities than adding a bonus to existing ones. But others may not feel the same.
Getting a standing roll of 100 seems like perhaps a bit much, but my lack of knowledge of what your DC's look like makes it hard to judge.
A 1/10th chance to autosucceed definitely seems a bit much to me personally.
If it was to be a vote right now without write ins, I would probably vote for Praise RNGesus and When it hits it crits.
I can't say I feel particularily satisfied with that. I feel like the luck should be about opening up new possibilities than adding a bonus to existing ones. But others may not feel the same.
Hmmm, not a lot of discussion going on sadly but I will endeavor to add my two cents on the matter.
Now, regarding the number of perks to choose from, I think that when say "choose 2 or 2 and a half" you mean that we will choose 2 of the perks you have given here. So far, I will choose from the selection you have here as I can't really think of any write-in perks that may or may not be fair enough.
This one stays. it is already in play so I an inclined to leave it as is. so that is 1 perk slot filled. another on to go.
To be honest, this was suppose to be my second choice in the first place as this further emphasize the theme or narrative that while Smith is lucky, the rest of the team are only marginally so in comparison. One of the perks can change that however and after thinking about it, it would probably be a better choice.
These two perks allow XCOM to share in the luck we have due to the fact that THEIR success is to OUR benefit. "When it hits, it Crits" is good but I find "Winds of Fate, Change!" a MUCH better perk as this can be a saving throw depending on the poor results made. This can potentially save XCOM from a catastrophe so I am incline to choose this.
In the end, among the perks given here. the things that I want are
Charmed Life (already in play)
Winds of Fate, Change!
Praise RNGsus! (Half)
These perks are what I would choose. Charmed Life is a good perk and is already in play. I am inclined to leave as is. adding "Praise RNGsus!" at its half capacity will only make it stronger, For Smith at least.
Winds of Fate, Change! can potentially save XCOM from a possible disaster from bad rolls. I choose this because a lot of our objectives we want to accomplish rest in XCOM's shoulders. We are primarily a soldier, our job is to kill or capture the aliens and bring back as much loot as we can for the science and engineering teams to work on. Once we are out of the battlefield, everything else is essentially up to them and to the commander. Giving some of our luck their way to avoid disasters or casualties will certainly help us in regards to finishing our objectives.
07-We Have The Technology
Canas Dark
Living comfortably in his own head
- Location
- Elsewhere
[X] Yes, we're ready to debrief.
[X] If we had more suits like the one I'm wearing, or an early start on laser weapons, or anything else, then the mission might have gone differently. I knew how to maintain my equipment, how to put it together and take it apart in moments. It was time to go down to see Dr. Shen and get all of my equipment taken apart, including the Gremlin he was already working on. He could build almost anything? I wanted to put that to the test.
[X] Have the Quest Master throw all the dice
-[X] ...and show the results.
I was a little tired and cranky after the mission, and part of me wanted to mourn the dead I'd barely known. Even so, every mission needs an after action report, something others can look at to know what happened beyond just a review of helmet cameras or whatever else might be available.
Like we'd been told earlier, Central wanted to speak with us in the Rec room. I don't know if it was because he wanted us to relax, or to be in earshot of the other soldiers, or if there was some other underlying motive. We stopped off at the armory first, and I noted that there were a number of lockers interspaced between the racks of weapons and armor, possibly for personal items you had to ditch while getting ready. I unhooked my many grenades and the plentiful ammo I'd taken, putting them all back where I'd found them, ready for the next soldier to use.
Eventually, it was down to my Exo-suit, laser pistol, Psi-amp and formal combat suit.
I looked over at the others soldiers, unstrapping and unhooking velcro and clipped together combat fatigues, then down at myself. I looked like I belonged at a formal dinner party, and it was only that much more obvious to see the differences between myself and the other soldiers when we'd taken off the combat gear. Even now, my formal suit was rated for, at the very least, small arms fire.
I recalled a thought on superheroes, on the difference between Batman and Superman: it's easy to stand up and fight when you're bulletproof. It takes courage to do it when you're vulnerable.
The quartermaster was an old Irish fellow, and he was taking stock of everything when I approached him at his station near the armory entrance. The station itself was a walk-in, and he was behind a desk with shelves and military odds and ends around him. He noticed me immediately, and finished what he was doing in the moment it took to approach.
"Agent Smith," he greeted me with a nod. "If you're worried about taking off your equipment there, don't be. I can have it delivered wherever you like soon as you're done here, don't even fret."
"Perfect," I smiled a bit. "You mind having it all taken down to engineering, and letting Dr. Shen know I'll be down sometime soon to take it all apart a few times?" I gestured to the others. "It's done me some good. It'd be better if it could do the same for everyone else in XCOM."
He grinned. "I've heard talk of more than a few wanting to get their hands on it. I'll spread the word around a bit, if you like, let 'em know you've heard 'em asking."
"I appreciate it. So, any chance you've got fatigues in my size? My suit," I held up my arm and pulled at my sleeves a bit, "is bulletproof, at least against smaller calibers, and maybe some larger ones. I figure if I'm sharing my gear, it should be as much as I can."
"Aye," he agreed, then gave me a quick look up and down. "I'll suspect that's tailored. Ours won't be, but…" he pulled a set of off-duty fatigues down for me. "These should do just fine, unless I miss my guess. If they fit, I'll mark you down for a large."
I quickly stripped off the rest of my gear and swapped myself over into the fatigues. I wasn't self conscious about the body I had, not least of which because it wasn't really mine. It wasn't a moment of effort to switch into my new clothes. Now I looked like I belonged on base, instead of like I was observing it from the sidelines.
I offered the quartermaster my hand. "You apparently know me, but it's Jon, if you need anything."
He shook it. "Shawn Walsh, just call me Walsh. Everybody does."
The rest of the team was comfortable, and I noticed Silva eying my discarded gear. Vasiliev, even out of the bulky uniform, was still androgynous and muscled enough that I wouldn't have even trusted a coin to inform me whether it was a man or woman. The bald, dark-skinned Russian winked at me and I put it firmly in the "not something to ask, ever" category.
We got moving.
The Rec room was a simple affair, a place for the soldiers to wind down and take time to themselves or with their friends on base. There was a small bar in the corner, with a sign reminding soldiers not to go overboard without leave, and a couple soldiers were there, trying and failing to be discreet about the looks they kept sending our way. There was a pool table not far from there, and a small library with a few armchairs a little further along. A big flat-screen TV took up a chunk of one of the walls, and another, smaller TV had a couple game consoles hooked up, with a few chairs pulled around it. The walls had pictures of a few sports teams, a couple images of nature and cityscapes, and even a few not-quite-risque pictures of men and women at beaches and elsewhere. For being a military base recreation center, it actually felt kind of cozy.
The center of the room had a big round poker table and a couple couches, and they'd been pulled around to let the team sit comfortably. The Commander was already there, face serious and suit impeccable, and the table had apparently been requisitioned as a workspace for his printed file folders. I noted a small, fruity-looking drink with an umbrella, and it stood out completely from the man who picked it up and took a small sip as we joined him around the table. I took my seat, and the Commander greeted us.
"Alpha Team," he rumbled. He gestured to the couches. "Make yourselves comfortable. In the future, you will be required to write reports for your experiences and actions in the field. Today, I want to hear your impressions of the mission directly, first. Are there any objections?"
There were none. We all took our seats while Central remained standing, at least at first. The Commander waved to him, then began looking through the folders.
"At approximately 10:57 local time," Bradford began, "we received an urgent message from our benefactors, who will hereafter be referred to as the Council. They requested that we look into reports of alien activity near, and then in, a trainyard in Mumbai. Shortly thereafter, Strike Team Alpha, or Alpha Team, was equipped and sent out to investigate those reports under the mission code name Glass Hymn. At 11:31, the mission officially began, with the Skyranger enroute."
He paced for a moment, looking away. He glanced at the soldiers at the bar, then away, ignoring them. They remained where they were; surely if they weren't supposed to be here, they'd be told to leave.
He turned to us. "And at 12:35, our Skyranger, codename Mujina, began dodging fire from ground forces amid strong winds and a dust storm. Our communications signals were weakened, but not interrupted, as the Strike Team, your team, exited the Skyranger onto the roof of a wearhouse." He looked at the Commander, who took over.
"Based on your helmet cameras, you exchanged fire with the alien ground forces, and Strike 6 was wounded." The Commander looked at Vasiliev. "Are you alright, soldier?"
The Russian nodded. "Yah. Only stung a little."
"I want you to get checked out in the infirmary anyway," Commander Williams insisted. "Not just for your sake, but so our doctors will be better able to treat plasma burns in the future."
Vasiliev agreed, so the debriefing continued.
"Descent from the building was accomplished by use of a large chain," The Commander nodded at me, "and a grappling hook."
The Commander took out a picture from one of the folders he had set on the poker table, a still image from my own helmet. It showed the point where two trains met, and Strike 7, Aarons, was walking away past them. Behind him, a blurry silver and black figure was floating in the air, with two tentacles visible; most of the figure was hidden behind the train.
"While descending the building himself, Strike 2 noticed that Strike 7 was breaking away from the group, and not under orders. He called out a warning. Unfortunately, it was not sufficient to save the soldier's life."
The Commander pulled out another still image, this one from somebody else's helmet; I didn't know who it belonged to. The image itself showed the blurry figure from before, now clearly a Seeker, on the ground, riddled with holes and little dents from the gunfire. Of its five tentacles, one had been more or less torn off, and it bled that same dirty golden blood as the other aliens we'd seen.
"This creature, which we're referring to as a Seeker, took the opportunity to assault Strike 7 when he was separated from the group. After it was taken down, Strike 2 ordered the group to remain in teams, even while scouting." Silva glanced at me, while everyone else focused on the images. There was no picture to be revealed of Aarons' corpse. "It is unfortunate that we lost a soldier to learn that lesson. It isn't one any of us will forget."
He put his hand on another folder, drawing it closer.
"Several minutes were spent going from car to car systematically, looking for the bomb or any other signs of alien activity. Eventually, near to the bomb's location, Strike 8 was attacked and killed by a Sectoid, one Strike 1 suspected escaped from the earlier exchange from the warehouse roof. In anger, Strike 2 struck a nearby train car, which Strike 6 discovered contained an alien device. It was suspected to be a bomb. Strike 4 prodded the device, which promptly shut down. Several new contacts…" he pulled out a couple pictures of the Thin Men; I remembered what I could from my briefings on them. "...attempted to ambush the squad as soon as it was deactivated."
He gestured to the pictures on the table.
"They were killed in short order, save the last, which Strike 2," he glanced my way, "knocked out and chained up. With the mission objective completed and no further alien activity in the area of operations, the mission ended.
"Did I miss anything?"
Nobody spoke, and I looked at the others.
"May I ask a question about the Op?" I asked the Commander, who nodded. "What was going on with the lines of communication during the mission? I heard Central a few times, and you once or twice, but that was it."
"Unfortunately," the Commander huffed, "My station is currently set up for only six soldiers at a time. I don't know what kind of oversight led to that, but I guarantee it'll be fixed within a few hours. I spent most of the mission connected to everyone except Strike 1 and 2, while Bradford managed your and Ceathya's comms until the unintentional restrictions could be bypassed. In all future missions, I'll be communicating with the team as a whole as much as possible."
I nodded.
There were a few other details that the Commander wanted to check over, and Bradford jumped in from time to time, but it was mostly questions on why a soldier went one way instead of another, until Bradford put a question my way.
"Strike 2," he got my attention, which had wandered back to the bar; more soldiers had come in to listen to what was going on. "Our forces in the area found several P90 magazines near where you and the others dropped off the rooftop. Do you know how they ended up there?"
I thought back, then grimaced. "Yeah, that was a mistake on my part. I thought things were going to be as hectic as they were during our first encounter with the aliens, so I loaded up on as much gear as I could carry, and a little more besides. I figured, I can handle a couple hundred pounds, so a little extra weight wouldn't be a problem. The problem was that I ran out of pocket space. I used telekinesis to stick the extra ammo to my back. They wouldn't have fallen off if I hadn't lost my focus trying to get a shot at the Seeker."
The Commander shared a glance with Bradford, then looked back at me. "In the future, make sure to grab an extra bandolier if you're going to carry that much. It's a distraction at best to lose gear in the middle of a fight."
"Of course," I agreed.
There were a few more clarifications, until the Commander finally pushed the folders to the side.
"For all that happened, today was a success," he told us. "You saved a lot of lives with your actions today. We will hold services for those lost, and will review everyone's efforts for bonuses and promotions in the coming days. Dismissed."
Alpha team stood with the Commander, and we exchanged salutes. The rest of the team started on their various ways while I circled the table to speak with Williams before he got back to running the base.
"What is it, Agent?" he asked.
"Sir-" I stopped. "Actually, may I ask why everyone calls me Agent? I mean, I get why, but I'm asking… I mean-"
He held up a hand, forestalling any further blathering. "Walk with me."
We moved away from the Rec room, and he led me to a conference room just down the hall, shutting the door behind us. He pulled out a pair of chairs and I sat down next to him. He clasped his hands and gave me his answer.
"Agent. Jonathan. Smith," he enunciated. "It's your name and rank. Not sergeant, not colonel, but Agent. It's a title that lets our people know you fall outside of our normal ranking system. Technically, you're not even a soldier on XCOM's official roster. You're listed on paper as an independent agent, or Agent, from an organization dealing with the aliens from another angle. Those in the know, which at this point includes everyone on base, are aware that you've come from a different Earth to offer your services in saving our own. In practice, you have the authority to override any orders but my own, and are free to leave our organization to pursue victory as you see fit. In the event that something should happen to hinder XCOM's mission, or in the event that we somehow fall, your status will ensure that you can take over any and all assets we have left, in order to lead whatever of Humanity remains in XCOM's absence."
I blinked. Several times.
"You informed me that if enough Council Members decide we're not good enough, and they try to pull the plug, then after the aliens take over, we're all dead." His eyes burned, talking about it. "I will not allow that to happen. Ever. The fate of the Earth will not be left in the hands of a bunch of bureaucrats throwing everything away to save themselves. Is that absolutely clear?"
"Y-yes, Sir," I agreed.
He nodded, letting out a huff. He leaned back, the tension in the room falling back to tolerable levels. "Good. Now," he waved at me, "what did you actually want to ask me about?"
I shook my head, bringing the topic back to mind. "I, uh, was wondering if I could spend the next couple days working with the Engineering Team, instead of the Science Team. All my gear is wonderful, but I know for a fact that I'll be lucky enough to pull through without it." I clenched my fists. "Aarons and Michaels didn't make it today. If I'd been thinking, had used my grapnel to get on top of the trains to scout things out better, then maybe the mission could have ended with no casualties. If everyone could have had grappling hooks to get off the building quickly, or laser pistols to shoot the Seekers with at close range, or my armor-" I grit my teeth, cutting myself off. I took a deep breath, calming down. "I'm one man. I believe that it's worth the time for me to take apart my equipment and put it back together with the Engineering team, so that they can start trying to build copies of my equipment for everyone else. Even my suit, not my exo-suit but my suit, is armored enough to save lives as soon as Dr. Shen can reverse-engineer the cloth into something light the teams can wear. With your permission, I want to take everything apart but my Psi-amp. Sir."
He nodded slowly. "Like I said, you have the authority to do that. I'll let Dr. Shen know to expect you. Do us a favor?" he smirked a bit. "See if you can't get your luck to rub off on some of the work they're doing down there?"
"I'll do my best, Sir," I agreed. "Thank you for your time."
"Don't even worry about it," he waved me off. "If you need to talk, I'll make time to listen. You've got more perspective right now than anybody else. If you've got something to share to make our lives a little easier, don't hesitate to speak up."
We exchanged our goodbyes, and I started walking, slowly, down toward Engineering.
I had a lot to think about. On the one hand, I could apparently almost run the damned place so long as I didn't get in the Commander's way. On the other, I had no idea how people were going to respond to just how strange I really was, even if they believed the whole mess, Psionics and aliens notwithstanding.
Variable DC, roll d100
ROLL d100: 57+25 (Charmed Life)=82
Great Result
"Agent Smith," a member of the support staff nodded to me as they passed. I nodded back, still a little lost in thought.
"Agent Smith," a soldier saluted me. It startled me out of my musings.
"At ease," I told him, a little bemused. He nodded and kept moving.
I shook my head and glanced back at the soldier. Hmm. Maybe they'd just treat me like an officer, then.
I walked into Engineering, taking in the room at a glance. There were several stations for working on smaller or more delicate work, and there was a bit of an assembly line area where robotic arms and workers both could put together the pieces to a greater whole of something large or that needed to be mass produced. One wall was filled almost to the top with shelves of various boxes, most labeled as holding some element or another, with plenty more apparently full of nuts and bolts of various shapes and sizes. Like the Science Labs, there were several computers in an area set aside, and I guessed that they were for 3D design and controlling the room's hardware remotely. For all the space, only three people were in the workshop right then, and one of them was Dr. Shen himself.
The good doctor was working in the computer area, looking at a 3D modeled set of armor, my exo-suit, and he was sipping tea while staring at the screen. He looked up when the doors opened to admit me.
"Ah, Agent Smith," he said in a kindly voice. "Welcome to Engineering. I was wondering when you'd stop by. We've already started looking at your equipment. Thank you for sending it along."
"No problem," I said, approaching him. "Would you like me to take it all apart and put it back together for you? I had to learn how to maintain it before I left, so I should be able to share what little I know."
"That would be wonderful!" He stood up quickly, setting his tea down. "I'll call everyone back in. Please, wait here for a moment."
He walked to the wall, where he tapped a screen I hadn't seen because it was off. It was apparently a large touch screen, with the base layout shown. I couldn't interpret it, unfortunately, so I instead looked at the other two guys in the room.
A large man, easily six-foot-six or six-foot-seven, around 2 meters tall, had my Gremlin in pieces on a workbench. He was scratching around his impressive brown beard. Another man, skinny and blonde, was drawing up a blueprint. I walked over to join them.
"Y'see, what I don't get is how the software manages to make it almost as smart as a dumbass chihuahua using only a chip that small," the larger man griped. "I've run the numbers, and either the software is above and beyond anything we have, which honestly I wouldn't doubt, or we're seriously missing something with the computer chips this is running on. And for the life of me, I don't know which it is."
"Just give me a minute…" the blonde man said in a muffled voice, and I noticed he had a pen cap in his mouth. He finished drawing the lines he was working on, then plugged the pen into the cap and dropped the pen on the table, stepping back to look it over. "Alright, that'll work. What were you saying?"
The bigger guy scrunched his shoulders, moving his whole body while he spoke, "The frickin' software!" he pointed at my Gremlin like it had pissed the carpet, "Doesn't make any goddamned sense!" He threw his hands up dramatically. "What the hell are we even supposed to do with this?! Just replicate it! Yeah, let's just solve AI real quick, no problem, pencil that in for this afternoon, then we'll go out and build a spaceship in my garage!"
"You know," I cut in, "before the end of the war, you guys will be building space worthy craft. Just a heads up."
"Oh, and who is this?" the big guy asked. "Hello, I'm Dave, nice to meet you, welcome to the workshop," he offered his hand without turning to greet me, which I shook, and kept speaking all the while, "sorry if I don't stop for story time, I'm just a little focused on a pain in my ass at the moment."
"Adam," the blonde man offered his own hand, which I took. "You're Agent Smith, right?"
"Oh, hello?" The big guy turned his body and attention to me all the way. "You're the guy whose crap we're trying to make gold out of. Quick question," he gestured at the Gremlin, "how the hell does that thing work? Because we're either close or we have no idea what the hell we're doing. One of the two."
DC 25, roll d100
ROLL d100: 56+25 (Charmed Life)+25 (My Equipment)=106
CRITICAL ROLL! 85 (+25), 110, CRITICAL SUCCESS!
"You mind if I put this back together?" I asked, and the big guy shrugged. I walked over to my Gremlin and, in maybe twenty seconds, had the whole thing put back together. "You have a laptop or something I could plug the Gremlin into? It would probably help if you actually, y'know, had access to the code that Sparky here is built out of."
The big guy blinked. "Oh, right, total dumbass here, we were so focused on the machine that we forgot to see if we could see the code. Wait, no, we tried that, couldn't get the tech to interface with our stuff." He gave me a thumbs up. "I'll get that laptop anyway, give me a second."
Adam shook his head. "Sorry, we've been at this for a few days too many and our Mister Commander hasn't been happy that we haven't built a fleet of these things yet. We're close, but there are a few things that just haven't clicked yet."
"Don't even worry about it," I smiled. "The rest of my stuff came up not too long ago, right? Because there should be a connecting wire with my exo-suit."
Adam looked confused, then surprised, then tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling and put his hands on his face. "You know how sometimes you've done something for so long you forget what you're actually doing? We really should have just asked you about this stuff, no matter how busy you were with the Science Team."
I shrugged. "You'll at least have me to explain a few things now."
Dave came back with a rolling platform and laptop while Adam walked off to get my suit. After the machine booted up, Dave bowed and stepped out of the way theatrically. I pulled the connecting wire from my suit and hooked up the Gremlin to the machine's USB port.
The machine's anti-virus freaked out, and was promptly bypassed.
"Uh, that's not connected to any grid, is it?" I asked as a command prompt popped up and lines of code started racing across it.
"Not a chance, we're better than that," Dave muttered, staring at the lines as they passed. "What are you doing, little Robbie?"
"Robbie?" I asked. He waved a hand at me, distracted by the lines of code.
"Asimov."
I nodded like that explained anything. If he wanted to name my Gremlin, more power to him.
Eventually, the command prompt lines stopped. A new folder had appeared on the otherwise empty (except for the recycle bin) desktop. Dave looked at me, and I shrugged. He double clicked, and the folder opened, revealing a list of files.
"Holy- Jackpot!" Dave shouted. "Instructions, programs- hang on, I need to be sure."
I shared a glance with Adam, who looked at the newly christened Robbie, then back at the screen.
Dave had apparently liked what he found as he quickly navigated through whatever had been added to the computer. He clapped his hands together and held them up. "Thank you, God, for this wonderous bounty." He turned to me. "I would kiss you, but my wife would kill me. Do you know what this is?"
"Uh, enlighten me. Please."
"This," he gestured grandly, "is the holy grail. This is not only a copy of the software that was used to build the so-called 'simple AI' that your machine is running on, but also the software that was used to build it. We just got our cake, were handed the recipe, were given the cookbook to make more kinds of cakes out of, and have the hand-written notes of the chef who invented cakes. So… yeah, we did pretty well here. Oh, and there's the blueprint to make more Gremlins with. So… the worst thing that happened was, we lost a few days doing work we didn't have to. ...Who's 'Lily Shen?'"
"My daughter," Dr. Shen cut in, joining us with two more Engineers flanking him. "I take it you've had some measure of success?"
"Oh Shen, baby, we're swimming in success," Dave smiled. "You know that Super Heavy Infantry Vehicle you were telling me you wanted to try building someday, to take the fire so our soldiers don't have to? Bam," he double clicked another file in the folder, and a sketch popped up. "So glad that was what I thought it was, I would have looked dumb otherwise. Anyway, we'll need something like a heavy forge if we want to build it out of alien alloys or anything, but we could probably put one together in a couple days based on this. Hell, programming it'll be a breeze with this software."
"Is that so?" Dr. Shen smiled at me. "I'm glad you were able to take the time to show us this."
"Just doing my part," I said, a little dazed. My handlers from F.I.X.F.I.C. wouldn't be upset they'd sent me the extra toys, not when it was helping to complete my mission, but I was going to have to thank Otto a whole hell of a lot more for letting me borrow his old stuff when I got back. Who knew what else was hidden in the machine's databanks? This was gold.
"Well, if that's squared away, could you perhaps help us take a look at your other equipment now?" Dr. Shen asked eagerly. "Perhaps your powered exoskeleton armor kit?"
"Yeah, yeah, here, let me take it apart here…"
DC 100, roll d100
ROLL d100: 77+25 (Charmed Life)+25 (My Equipment)=127
CRITICAL ROLL! 43 (+25)=68, No Critical Success.
It took me a few minutes to pull everything apart. The engineers had grabbed their notepads, save for Dave, who was so engrossed in his work at the computer that I probably couldn't have pulled him away from it with a crowbar. A few questions were asked, and I answered them as best as I could. I focused in on the ease of access, and on how the lighter alloys and powered systems allowed me to do even more than my upgraded human body could do alone. I also went over what I knew about the alloys themselves, as best as I could remember. In the end, I knew they'd understood what I'd talked about, and Shen had a little smile and was drawing something under his notes.
"Having fun, Doctor?" I asked him, pointing to his work.
"I think I am, yes," he agreed. He turned his work around, showing me the beginnings of a suit of armor unlike my own. "We may not be able to build something like what you have there, but it should not be too much trouble to better defend our soldiers in the near future. The first new suits based on this design will not take long. It will take… perhaps a two weeks, perhaps a little more or less, until we could build a grappling system like your own. I will inform the Commander of all of our predicted success in the near future…" he glanced at the wall where the base management screen was. "Provided, of course, that it does not inhibit our ability to excavate the lower levels."
"I can help with that, too, probably," I assured him. "I mean, I'm built like a linebacker. I can help out with some heavy lifting while I practice my Psionics."
"That would be appreciated," he bowed a little bit. "If we can keep our engineers, including the new recruits we have been promised in the wake of your recent mission, all working around the clock… we will be able to arm our soldiers in no time at all."
I grinned. "So, two down, two to go. What're you feeling? Under armor, or laser weaponry?"
Adam raised his hand. "I think it'd be great if we saved the best for last."
"Agreed," Dave cut in, not turning away from the computer. "I want in on the laser doohickey presentation."
"Alright," I agreed. "Who has my suit?"
DC 75, roll d100
ROLL d100: 42+25 (Charmed Life)+25 (My Equipment)=92
Great Success
"May I present the last word in comfort combined with battlefield utility?" I asked with a smirk. I unfolded my suit jacket and showed them the tag. "As you can see here, the basic component of this particular item is focused around nanotubes. The insets are made of a special kind of Kevlar plating, which unfortunately is a part of the suit that I can't adequately explain. Even without them, this baby is rated to handle .44 magnum bullets at ridiculously close ranges without doing any more, or less, than giving the wearer a nasty bruise. With the armored inset, and with a couple thin layers of gel to reduce impacts? Even armor piercing rounds are only as strong as their kinetic striking force."
"Nice," Adam reached forward to feel the suit's texture. "It might not stop plasma, but we can probably put together some nano-fiber vests, using Shen's equipment. We'd have to rip apart your suit if we wanted a peak at whatever the gel and armor plates are made of."
I paused, taking a moment to weigh the pros and cons of losing my suit. On the one hand, it made me bulletproof, more so than anything else XCOM had available that wasn't also mine. It was also a bit of a symbol. People recognized my suit. On the other, the engineers could probably whip something up for me in nano-fiber, and it would help out the team even if I lost my armor for however long.
[ ] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
[ ] Don't destroy my three piece suit.
[ ] Just the jacket? Is that enough?
"And for the grand finale…" I picked up my laser pistol, and was promptly interrupted.
"Yeah, right, like that's the finale." Dave joined us. "Not the AI that'll totally replace us in twenty or thirty years. Just the laser pistol, real impressive." He pursed his lips and raised a hand. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. Thanks for waiting, please, yes, let's see what it's made of."
"Uh, yeah," I agreed. "Here, let me pull it apart…"
DC 75, roll d100
ROLL d100: 38+25 (Charmed Life)+25 (My Equipment)=88
Great Success
I pulled the gun apart, taking my time and going over the way the powerful batteries combined with the top of the line the refraction system, and trying to offer what advice I could on how it all came together. I don't think I succeeded in expressing all the secrets of the universe, but they were definitely following me, right up through when I put it back together.
"The only problem right now is that I don't have a way to reload it," I admitted. "It was designed to give us a leg up, and as a last ditch defensive weapon. If something like a Seeker tried to get the drop on me, I'd be pretty sure I could cut into it with the laser before it did any real damage."
A few confused faces at the term "Seeker." I guess they hadn't reviewed the combat footage yet.
"This is in line with what we have already been looking forward to, studying the alien technology," Dr. Shen admitted. "It is just unfortunate that the final steps between us, and that, are just a little longer than we might have hoped. Still, you have given us a great deal to consider, and I am certain that we will have some kind of new technology prepared based on what you've shared thus far. Thank you again, Agent Smith, for taking the time to join us here today."
The good doctor gave me another bow. The other engineers also thanked me, save for Dave; the large man had already returned to the laptop, and was typing something up at remarkable speed.
Dr. Shen nodded lightly at Dave, the huge man hunched over while he worked. "Please, don't mind our resident programmer," he said quietly. "He is responsible for helping set up all our computer systems, our servers, and even several flight simulator programs for our pilots."
"And Adam?" I asked, just to fill the air. I figured I'd meet him over time, if nothing else.
"Apparently, he used to be on a television show. His expertise is in building things and then blowing them up," he joked. I chuckled politely. "Yes, but don't let that fool you. Adam is a remarkable chemical engineer, and is also an expert in helping turn the blueprints the science team sends us into working technology. And, if they ever make a mistake, even in the smallest ways, he would be the one to catch it if nobody else does."
"Good stuff," I told him. I clapped my hands together. "So! I've given you guys an overview of my tech. If you're all going to be focusing on it, I can help bridge any gaps while you're breaking it apart yourselves. Failing that, I can always lend an extra set of hands in building new rooms, while you guys are building the stuff the soldiers will be using. Where do you need me?"
"Well, now that we have you, first I'd like for you to go over your exo-suit for me again…"
Battle Scanners have been added to the Armory!
A Gremlin Drone (simple) has been added to the Armory!
Nano-fiber Vests have been added to the Armory!
SCOPE targeting systems have been added to the Armory!
A suit of Carapace Armor has been added to the Armory!
Skeleton Suit tech bonus received!
SHIV technology unlocked!
I went over the things that had been put together by the engineering team, recommending what we needed more of (Choose 2):
[ ] Put resources into getting a SHIV or two built, even without the foundry required to really make more of them, or better ones. They couldn't handle ladders, but they had tons of ammo and were more expendable than our soldiers.
-[ ] Bring a SHIV (or two) on our combat outing (if applicable; does not cost an option, merely states intent).
[ ] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[ ] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
[ ] Heavy chains aren't a real option to capture aliens. Full stop. How long until you can build those lightning guns? What else can we hold them with?
[ ] Write In.
Several days passed. I trained my Psionics, still spending my evenings in the Science Labs so they could run passive scans on me while I slept. The technologies I'd helped the Engineering team put together would certainly help us in our next ground battle, and people were getting used to me around the base. It was almost relaxing.
I might have been lucky, but not that lucky. The aliens had to have been preparing something. We just didn't know what. It was unnerving. Worse, waiting around for their next attack was a reactive play. We needed to do something proactive instead.
CHOOSE ONE:
[ ] We might not have been hearing anything on the coms regarding overt alien activity, but we were worried about their long term gifts eating away at our wildlife. If they wouldn't come to us, we'd have to go to them. We had bugs to hunt.
[ ] I couldn't believe it. Propaganda? The aliens were releasing fliers? That couldn't be right. But who else would be crazy enough to advocate our new alien overlords? We needed to investigate this mess before somebody got hurt.
[ ] Attempts to cover up the alien activity had been subpar, at best. Humanity, for all its flaws, wasn't stupid, and the aliens sure weren't subtle. Fine. If they wanted a war for the hearts and minds of the people, we'd give them one. Humanity had only ever needed an enemy to fight, to unite our whole world against to fight. Guess who offered themselves up for target practice?
[ ] The Commander sent the other teams out to handle things. I, in the meanwhile, needed to get back to studying Psionics. Not just training, studying. The faster I could start teaching a generation of Psionic soldiers, the faster the war would end. I was confident that XCOM could handle everything else for a few days.
[ ] WRITE IN! (A write in event of sufficient depth and reasoning will knock off at least 1 of the problems above in addition to whatever else it does, chosen at random)
[X] If we had more suits like the one I'm wearing, or an early start on laser weapons, or anything else, then the mission might have gone differently. I knew how to maintain my equipment, how to put it together and take it apart in moments. It was time to go down to see Dr. Shen and get all of my equipment taken apart, including the Gremlin he was already working on. He could build almost anything? I wanted to put that to the test.
[X] Have the Quest Master throw all the dice
-[X] ...and show the results.
I was a little tired and cranky after the mission, and part of me wanted to mourn the dead I'd barely known. Even so, every mission needs an after action report, something others can look at to know what happened beyond just a review of helmet cameras or whatever else might be available.
Like we'd been told earlier, Central wanted to speak with us in the Rec room. I don't know if it was because he wanted us to relax, or to be in earshot of the other soldiers, or if there was some other underlying motive. We stopped off at the armory first, and I noted that there were a number of lockers interspaced between the racks of weapons and armor, possibly for personal items you had to ditch while getting ready. I unhooked my many grenades and the plentiful ammo I'd taken, putting them all back where I'd found them, ready for the next soldier to use.
Eventually, it was down to my Exo-suit, laser pistol, Psi-amp and formal combat suit.
I looked over at the others soldiers, unstrapping and unhooking velcro and clipped together combat fatigues, then down at myself. I looked like I belonged at a formal dinner party, and it was only that much more obvious to see the differences between myself and the other soldiers when we'd taken off the combat gear. Even now, my formal suit was rated for, at the very least, small arms fire.
I recalled a thought on superheroes, on the difference between Batman and Superman: it's easy to stand up and fight when you're bulletproof. It takes courage to do it when you're vulnerable.
The quartermaster was an old Irish fellow, and he was taking stock of everything when I approached him at his station near the armory entrance. The station itself was a walk-in, and he was behind a desk with shelves and military odds and ends around him. He noticed me immediately, and finished what he was doing in the moment it took to approach.
"Agent Smith," he greeted me with a nod. "If you're worried about taking off your equipment there, don't be. I can have it delivered wherever you like soon as you're done here, don't even fret."
"Perfect," I smiled a bit. "You mind having it all taken down to engineering, and letting Dr. Shen know I'll be down sometime soon to take it all apart a few times?" I gestured to the others. "It's done me some good. It'd be better if it could do the same for everyone else in XCOM."
He grinned. "I've heard talk of more than a few wanting to get their hands on it. I'll spread the word around a bit, if you like, let 'em know you've heard 'em asking."
"I appreciate it. So, any chance you've got fatigues in my size? My suit," I held up my arm and pulled at my sleeves a bit, "is bulletproof, at least against smaller calibers, and maybe some larger ones. I figure if I'm sharing my gear, it should be as much as I can."
"Aye," he agreed, then gave me a quick look up and down. "I'll suspect that's tailored. Ours won't be, but…" he pulled a set of off-duty fatigues down for me. "These should do just fine, unless I miss my guess. If they fit, I'll mark you down for a large."
I quickly stripped off the rest of my gear and swapped myself over into the fatigues. I wasn't self conscious about the body I had, not least of which because it wasn't really mine. It wasn't a moment of effort to switch into my new clothes. Now I looked like I belonged on base, instead of like I was observing it from the sidelines.
I offered the quartermaster my hand. "You apparently know me, but it's Jon, if you need anything."
He shook it. "Shawn Walsh, just call me Walsh. Everybody does."
The rest of the team was comfortable, and I noticed Silva eying my discarded gear. Vasiliev, even out of the bulky uniform, was still androgynous and muscled enough that I wouldn't have even trusted a coin to inform me whether it was a man or woman. The bald, dark-skinned Russian winked at me and I put it firmly in the "not something to ask, ever" category.
We got moving.
The Rec room was a simple affair, a place for the soldiers to wind down and take time to themselves or with their friends on base. There was a small bar in the corner, with a sign reminding soldiers not to go overboard without leave, and a couple soldiers were there, trying and failing to be discreet about the looks they kept sending our way. There was a pool table not far from there, and a small library with a few armchairs a little further along. A big flat-screen TV took up a chunk of one of the walls, and another, smaller TV had a couple game consoles hooked up, with a few chairs pulled around it. The walls had pictures of a few sports teams, a couple images of nature and cityscapes, and even a few not-quite-risque pictures of men and women at beaches and elsewhere. For being a military base recreation center, it actually felt kind of cozy.
The center of the room had a big round poker table and a couple couches, and they'd been pulled around to let the team sit comfortably. The Commander was already there, face serious and suit impeccable, and the table had apparently been requisitioned as a workspace for his printed file folders. I noted a small, fruity-looking drink with an umbrella, and it stood out completely from the man who picked it up and took a small sip as we joined him around the table. I took my seat, and the Commander greeted us.
"Alpha Team," he rumbled. He gestured to the couches. "Make yourselves comfortable. In the future, you will be required to write reports for your experiences and actions in the field. Today, I want to hear your impressions of the mission directly, first. Are there any objections?"
There were none. We all took our seats while Central remained standing, at least at first. The Commander waved to him, then began looking through the folders.
"At approximately 10:57 local time," Bradford began, "we received an urgent message from our benefactors, who will hereafter be referred to as the Council. They requested that we look into reports of alien activity near, and then in, a trainyard in Mumbai. Shortly thereafter, Strike Team Alpha, or Alpha Team, was equipped and sent out to investigate those reports under the mission code name Glass Hymn. At 11:31, the mission officially began, with the Skyranger enroute."
He paced for a moment, looking away. He glanced at the soldiers at the bar, then away, ignoring them. They remained where they were; surely if they weren't supposed to be here, they'd be told to leave.
He turned to us. "And at 12:35, our Skyranger, codename Mujina, began dodging fire from ground forces amid strong winds and a dust storm. Our communications signals were weakened, but not interrupted, as the Strike Team, your team, exited the Skyranger onto the roof of a wearhouse." He looked at the Commander, who took over.
"Based on your helmet cameras, you exchanged fire with the alien ground forces, and Strike 6 was wounded." The Commander looked at Vasiliev. "Are you alright, soldier?"
The Russian nodded. "Yah. Only stung a little."
"I want you to get checked out in the infirmary anyway," Commander Williams insisted. "Not just for your sake, but so our doctors will be better able to treat plasma burns in the future."
Vasiliev agreed, so the debriefing continued.
"Descent from the building was accomplished by use of a large chain," The Commander nodded at me, "and a grappling hook."
The Commander took out a picture from one of the folders he had set on the poker table, a still image from my own helmet. It showed the point where two trains met, and Strike 7, Aarons, was walking away past them. Behind him, a blurry silver and black figure was floating in the air, with two tentacles visible; most of the figure was hidden behind the train.
"While descending the building himself, Strike 2 noticed that Strike 7 was breaking away from the group, and not under orders. He called out a warning. Unfortunately, it was not sufficient to save the soldier's life."
The Commander pulled out another still image, this one from somebody else's helmet; I didn't know who it belonged to. The image itself showed the blurry figure from before, now clearly a Seeker, on the ground, riddled with holes and little dents from the gunfire. Of its five tentacles, one had been more or less torn off, and it bled that same dirty golden blood as the other aliens we'd seen.
"This creature, which we're referring to as a Seeker, took the opportunity to assault Strike 7 when he was separated from the group. After it was taken down, Strike 2 ordered the group to remain in teams, even while scouting." Silva glanced at me, while everyone else focused on the images. There was no picture to be revealed of Aarons' corpse. "It is unfortunate that we lost a soldier to learn that lesson. It isn't one any of us will forget."
He put his hand on another folder, drawing it closer.
"Several minutes were spent going from car to car systematically, looking for the bomb or any other signs of alien activity. Eventually, near to the bomb's location, Strike 8 was attacked and killed by a Sectoid, one Strike 1 suspected escaped from the earlier exchange from the warehouse roof. In anger, Strike 2 struck a nearby train car, which Strike 6 discovered contained an alien device. It was suspected to be a bomb. Strike 4 prodded the device, which promptly shut down. Several new contacts…" he pulled out a couple pictures of the Thin Men; I remembered what I could from my briefings on them. "...attempted to ambush the squad as soon as it was deactivated."
He gestured to the pictures on the table.
"They were killed in short order, save the last, which Strike 2," he glanced my way, "knocked out and chained up. With the mission objective completed and no further alien activity in the area of operations, the mission ended.
"Did I miss anything?"
Nobody spoke, and I looked at the others.
"May I ask a question about the Op?" I asked the Commander, who nodded. "What was going on with the lines of communication during the mission? I heard Central a few times, and you once or twice, but that was it."
"Unfortunately," the Commander huffed, "My station is currently set up for only six soldiers at a time. I don't know what kind of oversight led to that, but I guarantee it'll be fixed within a few hours. I spent most of the mission connected to everyone except Strike 1 and 2, while Bradford managed your and Ceathya's comms until the unintentional restrictions could be bypassed. In all future missions, I'll be communicating with the team as a whole as much as possible."
I nodded.
There were a few other details that the Commander wanted to check over, and Bradford jumped in from time to time, but it was mostly questions on why a soldier went one way instead of another, until Bradford put a question my way.
"Strike 2," he got my attention, which had wandered back to the bar; more soldiers had come in to listen to what was going on. "Our forces in the area found several P90 magazines near where you and the others dropped off the rooftop. Do you know how they ended up there?"
I thought back, then grimaced. "Yeah, that was a mistake on my part. I thought things were going to be as hectic as they were during our first encounter with the aliens, so I loaded up on as much gear as I could carry, and a little more besides. I figured, I can handle a couple hundred pounds, so a little extra weight wouldn't be a problem. The problem was that I ran out of pocket space. I used telekinesis to stick the extra ammo to my back. They wouldn't have fallen off if I hadn't lost my focus trying to get a shot at the Seeker."
The Commander shared a glance with Bradford, then looked back at me. "In the future, make sure to grab an extra bandolier if you're going to carry that much. It's a distraction at best to lose gear in the middle of a fight."
"Of course," I agreed.
There were a few more clarifications, until the Commander finally pushed the folders to the side.
"For all that happened, today was a success," he told us. "You saved a lot of lives with your actions today. We will hold services for those lost, and will review everyone's efforts for bonuses and promotions in the coming days. Dismissed."
Alpha team stood with the Commander, and we exchanged salutes. The rest of the team started on their various ways while I circled the table to speak with Williams before he got back to running the base.
"What is it, Agent?" he asked.
"Sir-" I stopped. "Actually, may I ask why everyone calls me Agent? I mean, I get why, but I'm asking… I mean-"
He held up a hand, forestalling any further blathering. "Walk with me."
We moved away from the Rec room, and he led me to a conference room just down the hall, shutting the door behind us. He pulled out a pair of chairs and I sat down next to him. He clasped his hands and gave me his answer.
"Agent. Jonathan. Smith," he enunciated. "It's your name and rank. Not sergeant, not colonel, but Agent. It's a title that lets our people know you fall outside of our normal ranking system. Technically, you're not even a soldier on XCOM's official roster. You're listed on paper as an independent agent, or Agent, from an organization dealing with the aliens from another angle. Those in the know, which at this point includes everyone on base, are aware that you've come from a different Earth to offer your services in saving our own. In practice, you have the authority to override any orders but my own, and are free to leave our organization to pursue victory as you see fit. In the event that something should happen to hinder XCOM's mission, or in the event that we somehow fall, your status will ensure that you can take over any and all assets we have left, in order to lead whatever of Humanity remains in XCOM's absence."
I blinked. Several times.
"You informed me that if enough Council Members decide we're not good enough, and they try to pull the plug, then after the aliens take over, we're all dead." His eyes burned, talking about it. "I will not allow that to happen. Ever. The fate of the Earth will not be left in the hands of a bunch of bureaucrats throwing everything away to save themselves. Is that absolutely clear?"
"Y-yes, Sir," I agreed.
He nodded, letting out a huff. He leaned back, the tension in the room falling back to tolerable levels. "Good. Now," he waved at me, "what did you actually want to ask me about?"
I shook my head, bringing the topic back to mind. "I, uh, was wondering if I could spend the next couple days working with the Engineering Team, instead of the Science Team. All my gear is wonderful, but I know for a fact that I'll be lucky enough to pull through without it." I clenched my fists. "Aarons and Michaels didn't make it today. If I'd been thinking, had used my grapnel to get on top of the trains to scout things out better, then maybe the mission could have ended with no casualties. If everyone could have had grappling hooks to get off the building quickly, or laser pistols to shoot the Seekers with at close range, or my armor-" I grit my teeth, cutting myself off. I took a deep breath, calming down. "I'm one man. I believe that it's worth the time for me to take apart my equipment and put it back together with the Engineering team, so that they can start trying to build copies of my equipment for everyone else. Even my suit, not my exo-suit but my suit, is armored enough to save lives as soon as Dr. Shen can reverse-engineer the cloth into something light the teams can wear. With your permission, I want to take everything apart but my Psi-amp. Sir."
He nodded slowly. "Like I said, you have the authority to do that. I'll let Dr. Shen know to expect you. Do us a favor?" he smirked a bit. "See if you can't get your luck to rub off on some of the work they're doing down there?"
"I'll do my best, Sir," I agreed. "Thank you for your time."
"Don't even worry about it," he waved me off. "If you need to talk, I'll make time to listen. You've got more perspective right now than anybody else. If you've got something to share to make our lives a little easier, don't hesitate to speak up."
We exchanged our goodbyes, and I started walking, slowly, down toward Engineering.
I had a lot to think about. On the one hand, I could apparently almost run the damned place so long as I didn't get in the Commander's way. On the other, I had no idea how people were going to respond to just how strange I really was, even if they believed the whole mess, Psionics and aliens notwithstanding.
Variable DC, roll d100
ROLL d100: 57+25 (Charmed Life)=82
Great Result
"Agent Smith," a member of the support staff nodded to me as they passed. I nodded back, still a little lost in thought.
"Agent Smith," a soldier saluted me. It startled me out of my musings.
"At ease," I told him, a little bemused. He nodded and kept moving.
I shook my head and glanced back at the soldier. Hmm. Maybe they'd just treat me like an officer, then.
I walked into Engineering, taking in the room at a glance. There were several stations for working on smaller or more delicate work, and there was a bit of an assembly line area where robotic arms and workers both could put together the pieces to a greater whole of something large or that needed to be mass produced. One wall was filled almost to the top with shelves of various boxes, most labeled as holding some element or another, with plenty more apparently full of nuts and bolts of various shapes and sizes. Like the Science Labs, there were several computers in an area set aside, and I guessed that they were for 3D design and controlling the room's hardware remotely. For all the space, only three people were in the workshop right then, and one of them was Dr. Shen himself.
The good doctor was working in the computer area, looking at a 3D modeled set of armor, my exo-suit, and he was sipping tea while staring at the screen. He looked up when the doors opened to admit me.
"Ah, Agent Smith," he said in a kindly voice. "Welcome to Engineering. I was wondering when you'd stop by. We've already started looking at your equipment. Thank you for sending it along."
"No problem," I said, approaching him. "Would you like me to take it all apart and put it back together for you? I had to learn how to maintain it before I left, so I should be able to share what little I know."
"That would be wonderful!" He stood up quickly, setting his tea down. "I'll call everyone back in. Please, wait here for a moment."
He walked to the wall, where he tapped a screen I hadn't seen because it was off. It was apparently a large touch screen, with the base layout shown. I couldn't interpret it, unfortunately, so I instead looked at the other two guys in the room.
A large man, easily six-foot-six or six-foot-seven, around 2 meters tall, had my Gremlin in pieces on a workbench. He was scratching around his impressive brown beard. Another man, skinny and blonde, was drawing up a blueprint. I walked over to join them.
"Y'see, what I don't get is how the software manages to make it almost as smart as a dumbass chihuahua using only a chip that small," the larger man griped. "I've run the numbers, and either the software is above and beyond anything we have, which honestly I wouldn't doubt, or we're seriously missing something with the computer chips this is running on. And for the life of me, I don't know which it is."
"Just give me a minute…" the blonde man said in a muffled voice, and I noticed he had a pen cap in his mouth. He finished drawing the lines he was working on, then plugged the pen into the cap and dropped the pen on the table, stepping back to look it over. "Alright, that'll work. What were you saying?"
The bigger guy scrunched his shoulders, moving his whole body while he spoke, "The frickin' software!" he pointed at my Gremlin like it had pissed the carpet, "Doesn't make any goddamned sense!" He threw his hands up dramatically. "What the hell are we even supposed to do with this?! Just replicate it! Yeah, let's just solve AI real quick, no problem, pencil that in for this afternoon, then we'll go out and build a spaceship in my garage!"
"You know," I cut in, "before the end of the war, you guys will be building space worthy craft. Just a heads up."
"Oh, and who is this?" the big guy asked. "Hello, I'm Dave, nice to meet you, welcome to the workshop," he offered his hand without turning to greet me, which I shook, and kept speaking all the while, "sorry if I don't stop for story time, I'm just a little focused on a pain in my ass at the moment."
"Adam," the blonde man offered his own hand, which I took. "You're Agent Smith, right?"
"Oh, hello?" The big guy turned his body and attention to me all the way. "You're the guy whose crap we're trying to make gold out of. Quick question," he gestured at the Gremlin, "how the hell does that thing work? Because we're either close or we have no idea what the hell we're doing. One of the two."
DC 25, roll d100
ROLL d100: 56+25 (Charmed Life)+25 (My Equipment)=106
CRITICAL ROLL! 85 (+25), 110, CRITICAL SUCCESS!
"You mind if I put this back together?" I asked, and the big guy shrugged. I walked over to my Gremlin and, in maybe twenty seconds, had the whole thing put back together. "You have a laptop or something I could plug the Gremlin into? It would probably help if you actually, y'know, had access to the code that Sparky here is built out of."
The big guy blinked. "Oh, right, total dumbass here, we were so focused on the machine that we forgot to see if we could see the code. Wait, no, we tried that, couldn't get the tech to interface with our stuff." He gave me a thumbs up. "I'll get that laptop anyway, give me a second."
Adam shook his head. "Sorry, we've been at this for a few days too many and our Mister Commander hasn't been happy that we haven't built a fleet of these things yet. We're close, but there are a few things that just haven't clicked yet."
"Don't even worry about it," I smiled. "The rest of my stuff came up not too long ago, right? Because there should be a connecting wire with my exo-suit."
Adam looked confused, then surprised, then tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling and put his hands on his face. "You know how sometimes you've done something for so long you forget what you're actually doing? We really should have just asked you about this stuff, no matter how busy you were with the Science Team."
I shrugged. "You'll at least have me to explain a few things now."
Dave came back with a rolling platform and laptop while Adam walked off to get my suit. After the machine booted up, Dave bowed and stepped out of the way theatrically. I pulled the connecting wire from my suit and hooked up the Gremlin to the machine's USB port.
The machine's anti-virus freaked out, and was promptly bypassed.
"Uh, that's not connected to any grid, is it?" I asked as a command prompt popped up and lines of code started racing across it.
"Not a chance, we're better than that," Dave muttered, staring at the lines as they passed. "What are you doing, little Robbie?"
"Robbie?" I asked. He waved a hand at me, distracted by the lines of code.
"Asimov."
I nodded like that explained anything. If he wanted to name my Gremlin, more power to him.
Eventually, the command prompt lines stopped. A new folder had appeared on the otherwise empty (except for the recycle bin) desktop. Dave looked at me, and I shrugged. He double clicked, and the folder opened, revealing a list of files.
"Holy- Jackpot!" Dave shouted. "Instructions, programs- hang on, I need to be sure."
I shared a glance with Adam, who looked at the newly christened Robbie, then back at the screen.
Dave had apparently liked what he found as he quickly navigated through whatever had been added to the computer. He clapped his hands together and held them up. "Thank you, God, for this wonderous bounty." He turned to me. "I would kiss you, but my wife would kill me. Do you know what this is?"
"Uh, enlighten me. Please."
"This," he gestured grandly, "is the holy grail. This is not only a copy of the software that was used to build the so-called 'simple AI' that your machine is running on, but also the software that was used to build it. We just got our cake, were handed the recipe, were given the cookbook to make more kinds of cakes out of, and have the hand-written notes of the chef who invented cakes. So… yeah, we did pretty well here. Oh, and there's the blueprint to make more Gremlins with. So… the worst thing that happened was, we lost a few days doing work we didn't have to. ...Who's 'Lily Shen?'"
"My daughter," Dr. Shen cut in, joining us with two more Engineers flanking him. "I take it you've had some measure of success?"
"Oh Shen, baby, we're swimming in success," Dave smiled. "You know that Super Heavy Infantry Vehicle you were telling me you wanted to try building someday, to take the fire so our soldiers don't have to? Bam," he double clicked another file in the folder, and a sketch popped up. "So glad that was what I thought it was, I would have looked dumb otherwise. Anyway, we'll need something like a heavy forge if we want to build it out of alien alloys or anything, but we could probably put one together in a couple days based on this. Hell, programming it'll be a breeze with this software."
"Is that so?" Dr. Shen smiled at me. "I'm glad you were able to take the time to show us this."
"Just doing my part," I said, a little dazed. My handlers from F.I.X.F.I.C. wouldn't be upset they'd sent me the extra toys, not when it was helping to complete my mission, but I was going to have to thank Otto a whole hell of a lot more for letting me borrow his old stuff when I got back. Who knew what else was hidden in the machine's databanks? This was gold.
"Well, if that's squared away, could you perhaps help us take a look at your other equipment now?" Dr. Shen asked eagerly. "Perhaps your powered exoskeleton armor kit?"
"Yeah, yeah, here, let me take it apart here…"
DC 100, roll d100
ROLL d100: 77+25 (Charmed Life)+25 (My Equipment)=127
CRITICAL ROLL! 43 (+25)=68, No Critical Success.
It took me a few minutes to pull everything apart. The engineers had grabbed their notepads, save for Dave, who was so engrossed in his work at the computer that I probably couldn't have pulled him away from it with a crowbar. A few questions were asked, and I answered them as best as I could. I focused in on the ease of access, and on how the lighter alloys and powered systems allowed me to do even more than my upgraded human body could do alone. I also went over what I knew about the alloys themselves, as best as I could remember. In the end, I knew they'd understood what I'd talked about, and Shen had a little smile and was drawing something under his notes.
"Having fun, Doctor?" I asked him, pointing to his work.
"I think I am, yes," he agreed. He turned his work around, showing me the beginnings of a suit of armor unlike my own. "We may not be able to build something like what you have there, but it should not be too much trouble to better defend our soldiers in the near future. The first new suits based on this design will not take long. It will take… perhaps a two weeks, perhaps a little more or less, until we could build a grappling system like your own. I will inform the Commander of all of our predicted success in the near future…" he glanced at the wall where the base management screen was. "Provided, of course, that it does not inhibit our ability to excavate the lower levels."
"I can help with that, too, probably," I assured him. "I mean, I'm built like a linebacker. I can help out with some heavy lifting while I practice my Psionics."
"That would be appreciated," he bowed a little bit. "If we can keep our engineers, including the new recruits we have been promised in the wake of your recent mission, all working around the clock… we will be able to arm our soldiers in no time at all."
I grinned. "So, two down, two to go. What're you feeling? Under armor, or laser weaponry?"
Adam raised his hand. "I think it'd be great if we saved the best for last."
"Agreed," Dave cut in, not turning away from the computer. "I want in on the laser doohickey presentation."
"Alright," I agreed. "Who has my suit?"
DC 75, roll d100
ROLL d100: 42+25 (Charmed Life)+25 (My Equipment)=92
Great Success
"May I present the last word in comfort combined with battlefield utility?" I asked with a smirk. I unfolded my suit jacket and showed them the tag. "As you can see here, the basic component of this particular item is focused around nanotubes. The insets are made of a special kind of Kevlar plating, which unfortunately is a part of the suit that I can't adequately explain. Even without them, this baby is rated to handle .44 magnum bullets at ridiculously close ranges without doing any more, or less, than giving the wearer a nasty bruise. With the armored inset, and with a couple thin layers of gel to reduce impacts? Even armor piercing rounds are only as strong as their kinetic striking force."
"Nice," Adam reached forward to feel the suit's texture. "It might not stop plasma, but we can probably put together some nano-fiber vests, using Shen's equipment. We'd have to rip apart your suit if we wanted a peak at whatever the gel and armor plates are made of."
I paused, taking a moment to weigh the pros and cons of losing my suit. On the one hand, it made me bulletproof, more so than anything else XCOM had available that wasn't also mine. It was also a bit of a symbol. People recognized my suit. On the other, the engineers could probably whip something up for me in nano-fiber, and it would help out the team even if I lost my armor for however long.
[ ] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
[ ] Don't destroy my three piece suit.
[ ] Just the jacket? Is that enough?
"And for the grand finale…" I picked up my laser pistol, and was promptly interrupted.
"Yeah, right, like that's the finale." Dave joined us. "Not the AI that'll totally replace us in twenty or thirty years. Just the laser pistol, real impressive." He pursed his lips and raised a hand. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. Thanks for waiting, please, yes, let's see what it's made of."
"Uh, yeah," I agreed. "Here, let me pull it apart…"
DC 75, roll d100
ROLL d100: 38+25 (Charmed Life)+25 (My Equipment)=88
Great Success
I pulled the gun apart, taking my time and going over the way the powerful batteries combined with the top of the line the refraction system, and trying to offer what advice I could on how it all came together. I don't think I succeeded in expressing all the secrets of the universe, but they were definitely following me, right up through when I put it back together.
"The only problem right now is that I don't have a way to reload it," I admitted. "It was designed to give us a leg up, and as a last ditch defensive weapon. If something like a Seeker tried to get the drop on me, I'd be pretty sure I could cut into it with the laser before it did any real damage."
A few confused faces at the term "Seeker." I guess they hadn't reviewed the combat footage yet.
"This is in line with what we have already been looking forward to, studying the alien technology," Dr. Shen admitted. "It is just unfortunate that the final steps between us, and that, are just a little longer than we might have hoped. Still, you have given us a great deal to consider, and I am certain that we will have some kind of new technology prepared based on what you've shared thus far. Thank you again, Agent Smith, for taking the time to join us here today."
The good doctor gave me another bow. The other engineers also thanked me, save for Dave; the large man had already returned to the laptop, and was typing something up at remarkable speed.
Dr. Shen nodded lightly at Dave, the huge man hunched over while he worked. "Please, don't mind our resident programmer," he said quietly. "He is responsible for helping set up all our computer systems, our servers, and even several flight simulator programs for our pilots."
"And Adam?" I asked, just to fill the air. I figured I'd meet him over time, if nothing else.
"Apparently, he used to be on a television show. His expertise is in building things and then blowing them up," he joked. I chuckled politely. "Yes, but don't let that fool you. Adam is a remarkable chemical engineer, and is also an expert in helping turn the blueprints the science team sends us into working technology. And, if they ever make a mistake, even in the smallest ways, he would be the one to catch it if nobody else does."
"Good stuff," I told him. I clapped my hands together. "So! I've given you guys an overview of my tech. If you're all going to be focusing on it, I can help bridge any gaps while you're breaking it apart yourselves. Failing that, I can always lend an extra set of hands in building new rooms, while you guys are building the stuff the soldiers will be using. Where do you need me?"
"Well, now that we have you, first I'd like for you to go over your exo-suit for me again…"
Battle Scanners have been added to the Armory!
A Gremlin Drone (simple) has been added to the Armory!
Nano-fiber Vests have been added to the Armory!
SCOPE targeting systems have been added to the Armory!
A suit of Carapace Armor has been added to the Armory!
Skeleton Suit tech bonus received!
SHIV technology unlocked!
I went over the things that had been put together by the engineering team, recommending what we needed more of (Choose 2):
[ ] Put resources into getting a SHIV or two built, even without the foundry required to really make more of them, or better ones. They couldn't handle ladders, but they had tons of ammo and were more expendable than our soldiers.
-[ ] Bring a SHIV (or two) on our combat outing (if applicable; does not cost an option, merely states intent).
[ ] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[ ] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
[ ] Heavy chains aren't a real option to capture aliens. Full stop. How long until you can build those lightning guns? What else can we hold them with?
[ ] Write In.
Several days passed. I trained my Psionics, still spending my evenings in the Science Labs so they could run passive scans on me while I slept. The technologies I'd helped the Engineering team put together would certainly help us in our next ground battle, and people were getting used to me around the base. It was almost relaxing.
I might have been lucky, but not that lucky. The aliens had to have been preparing something. We just didn't know what. It was unnerving. Worse, waiting around for their next attack was a reactive play. We needed to do something proactive instead.
CHOOSE ONE:
[ ] We might not have been hearing anything on the coms regarding overt alien activity, but we were worried about their long term gifts eating away at our wildlife. If they wouldn't come to us, we'd have to go to them. We had bugs to hunt.
[ ] I couldn't believe it. Propaganda? The aliens were releasing fliers? That couldn't be right. But who else would be crazy enough to advocate our new alien overlords? We needed to investigate this mess before somebody got hurt.
[ ] Attempts to cover up the alien activity had been subpar, at best. Humanity, for all its flaws, wasn't stupid, and the aliens sure weren't subtle. Fine. If they wanted a war for the hearts and minds of the people, we'd give them one. Humanity had only ever needed an enemy to fight, to unite our whole world against to fight. Guess who offered themselves up for target practice?
[ ] The Commander sent the other teams out to handle things. I, in the meanwhile, needed to get back to studying Psionics. Not just training, studying. The faster I could start teaching a generation of Psionic soldiers, the faster the war would end. I was confident that XCOM could handle everything else for a few days.
[ ] WRITE IN! (A write in event of sufficient depth and reasoning will knock off at least 1 of the problems above in addition to whatever else it does, chosen at random)
Canas Dark
Living comfortably in his own head
- Location
- Elsewhere
This past week has been some definition of fun. I spent way too long trying to build a spreadsheet that would help me calculate things like defense bonuses from cover, aim for soldiers and aliens based on their rank, and the full base layout. Way, way too much time was wasted trying to reinvent the wheel. I also spent a ton of time having a panic over the Luck powers not being strong enough compared to what they should be.
For reference, the same amount of pre-game points spent on Luck here could have gotten the character a pet adult dragon from DnD. One that comes back in an hour if it ever somehow dies. His luck was intended to be pretty strong, overall. Still, there's a difference between powerful and overpowered, and I don't want to completely throw tension out the window because the character is capable of rolling over the competition, so I've done some back and forth on how to try to handle it. As I said before, the luck options I gave were merely examples, and yes, you can write in other ways you think Luck could or should help out on our adventure.
As you can see, the bonus (and later, penalty) system is currently in Jon's favor without much tweaking. This may change in the future, so anybody who disagrees with how it's being used now, please continue to discuss what you think on how things have gone thus far.
Thank you all for stopping by, and please have a wonderful day!
P.S.
The other luck hax powers previously discussed would not have had much of an impact on this chapter, including those regarding crits.
I rolled to check. The results stayed much the same.
Just in case anybody was concerned about losing a free bonus here somewhere.
EDIT: In case anybody missed it, most votes will now end in around 24 hours. Votes can be extended if they're contested or a Write In needs further consideration.
For reference, the same amount of pre-game points spent on Luck here could have gotten the character a pet adult dragon from DnD. One that comes back in an hour if it ever somehow dies. His luck was intended to be pretty strong, overall. Still, there's a difference between powerful and overpowered, and I don't want to completely throw tension out the window because the character is capable of rolling over the competition, so I've done some back and forth on how to try to handle it. As I said before, the luck options I gave were merely examples, and yes, you can write in other ways you think Luck could or should help out on our adventure.
As you can see, the bonus (and later, penalty) system is currently in Jon's favor without much tweaking. This may change in the future, so anybody who disagrees with how it's being used now, please continue to discuss what you think on how things have gone thus far.
Thank you all for stopping by, and please have a wonderful day!
P.S.
The other luck hax powers previously discussed would not have had much of an impact on this chapter, including those regarding crits.
I rolled to check. The results stayed much the same.
Just in case anybody was concerned about losing a free bonus here somewhere.
EDIT: In case anybody missed it, most votes will now end in around 24 hours. Votes can be extended if they're contested or a Write In needs further consideration.
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[X] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
These are the best 'safe team options' due to the defensive bonus and the disposable combatant angle.
[X] The Commander sent the other teams out to handle things. I, in the meanwhile, needed to get back to studying Psionics. Not just training, studying. The faster I could start teaching a generation of Psionic soldiers, the faster the war would end. I was confident that XCOM could handle everything else for a few days.
I feel comfortable doing this to some extent, but... I am very open to being persuaded otherwise.
[X] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
I agree with 'I am am guarenteed to be lucky enough to not really need it'. We'll be fine, if a bit less useful in combat if it is required.
As for perk ideas, the luck being just a always applicable bonus on rolls, or a buffer against failure is a bit unsatisfying.
Ideas include granting a batman style utility belt where he can go and say 'luckily, I prepared for exactly this eventuality', 'Gut feeling' perks, and an extra bonus for the ability to improvise improbable stunts and gadgets. I can't say I have any ideas with numbers.
Other options for being a mid-high level wizard, 10x superspeed, a Giant mecha, the gamer power so...
I kinda feel like you could just use this power as the 15 point version, and maybe restructure choices? I don't know.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
These are the best 'safe team options' due to the defensive bonus and the disposable combatant angle.
[X] The Commander sent the other teams out to handle things. I, in the meanwhile, needed to get back to studying Psionics. Not just training, studying. The faster I could start teaching a generation of Psionic soldiers, the faster the war would end. I was confident that XCOM could handle everything else for a few days.
I feel comfortable doing this to some extent, but... I am very open to being persuaded otherwise.
[X] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
I agree with 'I am am guarenteed to be lucky enough to not really need it'. We'll be fine, if a bit less useful in combat if it is required.
As for perk ideas, the luck being just a always applicable bonus on rolls, or a buffer against failure is a bit unsatisfying.
Ideas include granting a batman style utility belt where he can go and say 'luckily, I prepared for exactly this eventuality', 'Gut feeling' perks, and an extra bonus for the ability to improvise improbable stunts and gadgets. I can't say I have any ideas with numbers.
Other options for being a mid-high level wizard, 10x superspeed, a Giant mecha, the gamer power so...
I kinda feel like you could just use this power as the 15 point version, and maybe restructure choices? I don't know.
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Terran Imperium
[French]
- Location
- Southern France
[X] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
These are the best 'safe team options' due to the defensive bonus and the disposable combatant angle.
[X] The Commander sent the other teams out to handle things. I, in the meanwhile, needed to get back to studying Psionics. Not just training, studying. The faster I could start teaching a generation of Psionic soldiers, the faster the war would end. I was confident that XCOM could handle everything else for a few days.
I feel comfortable doing this to some extent, but... I am very open to being persuaded otherwise.
[X] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
As good as any of a plan. If a better one comes up, I might change.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
These are the best 'safe team options' due to the defensive bonus and the disposable combatant angle.
[X] The Commander sent the other teams out to handle things. I, in the meanwhile, needed to get back to studying Psionics. Not just training, studying. The faster I could start teaching a generation of Psionic soldiers, the faster the war would end. I was confident that XCOM could handle everything else for a few days.
I feel comfortable doing this to some extent, but... I am very open to being persuaded otherwise.
[X] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
As good as any of a plan. If a better one comes up, I might change.
Canas Dark
Living comfortably in his own head
- Location
- Elsewhere
I've drafted up a few posts regarding the idea of a perk change, and I've deleted them and started over a couple times. The short answer is, even opening a vote to consider changing the perks Agent Smith has would very possibly destroy this story outright. It would take a unanimous vote for a mid-story change like that, and I would need to speak to Sun Tzu just to consider it. In the event that such a vote passed, I would probably end up taking a week or two off trying to rebuild everything, assuming I could at all.
Please. I request that people consider different methods of helping me make Luck more interesting, before a character reroll (however small) is advocated. It doesn't need to be something as blatant as a perk, or something as boring as a stat boost. The utility belt of fun, literal or otherwise, is one option; a mysterious stranger a la Fallout is another. If people would be happier seeing Mr. Magoo wander into and out of a war zone, tossing grenades out like candy, I can make that happen, too. I just need to know what people want to read, or at least that what they've seen thus far is interesting enough that they want to continue.
That's part of why I didn't open a vote on the luck powers, merely asked for opinions, when I asked how things could be made more interesting. At worst, the soldier simply doesn't die, and the war is in the bag. It's a hard fight, but an interesting one, with real stakes other than the Agent's life (and most hero stories do that anyway!). At best, I learn something new and interesting for my future projects and people have fun on the journey.
Vote, participate, let me know what you think. I appreciate the feedback, as well. Hopefully I'm not overthinking things too hard, though I sort of expect I am.
Thanks again to everyone for stopping by! Cheers!
Please. I request that people consider different methods of helping me make Luck more interesting, before a character reroll (however small) is advocated. It doesn't need to be something as blatant as a perk, or something as boring as a stat boost. The utility belt of fun, literal or otherwise, is one option; a mysterious stranger a la Fallout is another. If people would be happier seeing Mr. Magoo wander into and out of a war zone, tossing grenades out like candy, I can make that happen, too. I just need to know what people want to read, or at least that what they've seen thus far is interesting enough that they want to continue.
That's part of why I didn't open a vote on the luck powers, merely asked for opinions, when I asked how things could be made more interesting. At worst, the soldier simply doesn't die, and the war is in the bag. It's a hard fight, but an interesting one, with real stakes other than the Agent's life (and most hero stories do that anyway!). At best, I learn something new and interesting for my future projects and people have fun on the journey.
Vote, participate, let me know what you think. I appreciate the feedback, as well. Hopefully I'm not overthinking things too hard, though I sort of expect I am.
Thanks again to everyone for stopping by! Cheers!
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The proposal for rewriting the perk choices wasn't that serious, though I could imagine a 'oops, there was a technical error, and we gave you the wrong power' happening, though that would be very stretchy and not what I would go for.
My 'vote' goes out for the utility belt idea, and a improvising made easy perk.
Otherwise, I am happy with what he has now, and look forward to whatever he does next.
Canas Dark
Living comfortably in his own head
- Location
- Elsewhere
If it were somehow voted for, the in-story reasoning would be two-fold: one, the unexpected difficulty of the opening attacks and the chryssalid forces being unleashed in that particular way across the planet were expected from a higher tier challenge, even if the remainder of the war doesn't appear to reach that high in difficulty. Two, a large chunk of F.I.X.F.I.C.'s resources are about to be tied up taking down the godawful mess that is the Nightmare Hellscape, so everybody else is getting a check up before their potential backup gets cut down by an order of magnitude.
While sending in one Agent for that would be "sufficient," they'd rather actually go for a full clear. They're only going to have to deal with it a few times ever (or just once, period), so they might as well get it done right. Or something, it'll only really matter if my story is falling apart anyway.
Also: McGuyver powers are awesome and I'm jealous I didn't come up with them first. That could indeed be a luck and skill based super power!
While sending in one Agent for that would be "sufficient," they'd rather actually go for a full clear. They're only going to have to deal with it a few times ever (or just once, period), so they might as well get it done right. Or something, it'll only really matter if my story is falling apart anyway.
Also: McGuyver powers are awesome and I'm jealous I didn't come up with them first. That could indeed be a luck and skill based super power!
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KnightDisciple
Brotherhood. Unity. Peace.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
[X] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
[X] The Commander sent the other teams out to handle things. I, in the meanwhile, needed to get back to studying Psionics. Not just training, studying. The faster I could start teaching a generation of Psionic soldiers, the faster the war would end. I was confident that XCOM could handle everything else for a few days.
[X] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
[X] The Commander sent the other teams out to handle things. I, in the meanwhile, needed to get back to studying Psionics. Not just training, studying. The faster I could start teaching a generation of Psionic soldiers, the faster the war would end. I was confident that XCOM could handle everything else for a few days.
[X] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
Great update! looking forward for more and I want to make a comment on this.
Anyway, on to voting
[X] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
Forget about this being our symbol in XCOM base. If tearing it up and having the engineers have a look-see on the gel and armor plating to make nano-vest even better, I say go for it. The greater the equipment we will be giving our team, the better. Besides, if we really want one, we can always ask them to make another suit. I am sure that the bulletproof suit is well within the Engineering Teams are to fully replicate considering all the other alien tech they can study and reverse-engineer.
[X] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
At first, I wanted to have the heavy chains gone ASAP and have the Arc Thrower made so that we can ditch the heavy chains and used the extra loss in weight for other equipment. But this was assuming that we were going to go to another mission. Instead, there was an option to skip this one out in favor of improving our Psionics to better ourselves, better teach any future psionic soldiers, and better the understanding the Science team has on Psionics (I am pretty sure we are doing this on their lab so that they can study us as we study psionics ourselves and learn this shit together). Anything that can Further improve the tech/psionic Trees within XCOM is a major boost since they are essentially how we can fight back against the aliens. Plus, seeing the votes, I don't think any other option would win unless I was REALLY convincing but even I can see why these votes were chosen.
With all that said, these two gets my vote. The carapace Armor to immediately increase the odds of survival among our team and the drones will act as scouts and air support within the team and disposable units if need be. I can definitely see the potential that these drone can have. If we need an area scouted, send these guys. They check the area out and either spot the enemy and alert the team or be destroyed but essentially have the enemy give their position away, better these disposable drones than a soldier. equipping them with guns would make them flying air support units since having more guns firing against the enemy is like having another soldier on the field when it comes to firepower. Their durability sucks but distracting or suppressing the enemy could save lives. Hell, if they are piloted well and have some decent firepower on them, they could possible help kill the enemy as well rather than just be good for scouting and distracting.
[ ] The Commander sent the other teams out to handle things. I, in the meanwhile, needed to get back to studying Psionics. Not just training, studying. The faster I could start teaching a generation of Psionic soldiers, the faster the war would end. I was confident that XCOM could handle everything else for a few days.
Seeing the votes, this might as well be it. I can see why though, we are the only psionics available and if we are going to be teaching any future psionics, we need to better ourselves in doing psionics. Plus, this will further help the Science team in understanding psionics as well since I am pretty sure that we will be doing most of our psionic training/studying within their lab so that we can all help each other understand psionic better.
[X] We might not have been hearing anything on the coms regarding overt alien activity, but we were worried about their long term gifts eating away at our wildlife. If they wouldn't come to us, we'd have to go to them. We had bugs to hunt.
Edit: After some persuasion and new info coming to light, I have decided to change my vote to the bug hunt.
I see what you did here. With our luck and various bonuses, some rolls are more or less, guaranteed to succeed. It was smart to have a Critical roll that determines not how good the critical roll is but to see if the success is a critical success With our luck being the only added factor because its luck and it suppose to work like that. Its good balancing as it means that we are not constantly getting critical success all the time due to bonuses, as awesome as that would be.
Anyway, on to voting
[X] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
Forget about this being our symbol in XCOM base. If tearing it up and having the engineers have a look-see on the gel and armor plating to make nano-vest even better, I say go for it. The greater the equipment we will be giving our team, the better. Besides, if we really want one, we can always ask them to make another suit. I am sure that the bulletproof suit is well within the Engineering Teams are to fully replicate considering all the other alien tech they can study and reverse-engineer.
[X] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
At first, I wanted to have the heavy chains gone ASAP and have the Arc Thrower made so that we can ditch the heavy chains and used the extra loss in weight for other equipment. But this was assuming that we were going to go to another mission. Instead, there was an option to skip this one out in favor of improving our Psionics to better ourselves, better teach any future psionic soldiers, and better the understanding the Science team has on Psionics (I am pretty sure we are doing this on their lab so that they can study us as we study psionics ourselves and learn this shit together). Anything that can Further improve the tech/psionic Trees within XCOM is a major boost since they are essentially how we can fight back against the aliens. Plus, seeing the votes, I don't think any other option would win unless I was REALLY convincing but even I can see why these votes were chosen.
With all that said, these two gets my vote. The carapace Armor to immediately increase the odds of survival among our team and the drones will act as scouts and air support within the team and disposable units if need be. I can definitely see the potential that these drone can have. If we need an area scouted, send these guys. They check the area out and either spot the enemy and alert the team or be destroyed but essentially have the enemy give their position away, better these disposable drones than a soldier. equipping them with guns would make them flying air support units since having more guns firing against the enemy is like having another soldier on the field when it comes to firepower. Their durability sucks but distracting or suppressing the enemy could save lives. Hell, if they are piloted well and have some decent firepower on them, they could possible help kill the enemy as well rather than just be good for scouting and distracting.
Seeing the votes, this might as well be it. I can see why though, we are the only psionics available and if we are going to be teaching any future psionics, we need to better ourselves in doing psionics. Plus, this will further help the Science team in understanding psionics as well since I am pretty sure that we will be doing most of our psionic training/studying within their lab so that we can all help each other understand psionic better.
[X] We might not have been hearing anything on the coms regarding overt alien activity, but we were worried about their long term gifts eating away at our wildlife. If they wouldn't come to us, we'd have to go to them. We had bugs to hunt.
Edit: After some persuasion and new info coming to light, I have decided to change my vote to the bug hunt.
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[X] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
[X] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
[X] We might not have been hearing anything on the coms regarding overt alien activity, but we were worried about their long term gifts eating away at our wildlife. If they wouldn't come to us, we'd have to go to them. We had bugs to hunt.
Keeping soldiers alive in the field is incredibly useful, and I want the chrysalids contained early on.
[X] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
[X] We might not have been hearing anything on the coms regarding overt alien activity, but we were worried about their long term gifts eating away at our wildlife. If they wouldn't come to us, we'd have to go to them. We had bugs to hunt.
Keeping soldiers alive in the field is incredibly useful, and I want the chrysalids contained early on.
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[X] Tear it up. I'll wear regular combat gear.
[X] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
[X] We might not have been hearing anything on the coms regarding overt alien activity, but we were worried about their long term gifts eating away at our wildlife. If they wouldn't come to us, we'd have to go to them. We had bugs to hunt.
[X] One suit of Carapace Armor does not a safe team make. Build at least a few more, preferably enough for a squad if at all possible. Try really hard if it isn't possible.
[X] Robbie is the first of many. I want a lot of drones, and I want weapons on those drones. They might go down in a shot or two, but air superiority can never be underestimated.
[X] We might not have been hearing anything on the coms regarding overt alien activity, but we were worried about their long term gifts eating away at our wildlife. If they wouldn't come to us, we'd have to go to them. We had bugs to hunt.
Canas Dark
Living comfortably in his own head
- Location
- Elsewhere
Seems like it's 4-2 in favor of studying over personally helping take down a Chryssalid nest. Unless a bunch of people swap votes here after the last minute, that'll be the play. Alright, I'm going to try out the poll feature to see if I can't take a litmus test on what people want in Psionics for the next round of study. I could have it be random, and may still end up needing to go that way. Let's see how this works...
EDIT: Alright, so for the Poll, you're free to hit as many options as you want to spend time studying. The harder your choice, the more time it'll take to learn. The most difficult stuff on the list may require total dedication, whereas something simple might not be any trouble to learn. If I see every option selected, I'll assume Smith merely studied whatever came to mind, rather than attempted to learn a specific skill. If only one option is a clear winner above the rest, he may get a chance to learn it immediately.
If an option isn't listed that you wanted Smith to learn, do a Write In. If it's interesting enough, you may receive a Psionics credit for your efforts.
Get your votes in while you can, the poll closes in around 20 hours. I'll see if I can get some work done without the details in the meanwhile.
EDIT: Alright, so for the Poll, you're free to hit as many options as you want to spend time studying. The harder your choice, the more time it'll take to learn. The most difficult stuff on the list may require total dedication, whereas something simple might not be any trouble to learn. If I see every option selected, I'll assume Smith merely studied whatever came to mind, rather than attempted to learn a specific skill. If only one option is a clear winner above the rest, he may get a chance to learn it immediately.
If an option isn't listed that you wanted Smith to learn, do a Write In. If it's interesting enough, you may receive a Psionics credit for your efforts.
Get your votes in while you can, the poll closes in around 20 hours. I'll see if I can get some work done without the details in the meanwhile.
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I am iffy about actively taking on chyrssalids in large numbers without some better firepower. At the very least, I want us to be packing lasers before we start going on bug hunts. As nice as the guns are, they are first-tier tech in the grand scheme of things in XCOM.
Problem is, letting the bugs alone to grow makes them a massive larger problem later if the first action without us fails. Since those guys are really tailor made for the whole zerg rushing things considering how fast they can breed and move.
hmmm, I can see your point but my fear here is that going in with just guns instead of lasers would only get our team slaughtered. The last time we dealt with the Chyrsallids, we had a small army backing us up. Now we only six men in a team per mission. We could probably handle up to three chrysallids if they suddenly showed up in a mission but going against an entire nest without reaching laser weaponry? It sounds suicidal to me.
...But the more I think about it, the more I start wanting us to go do the bug hunts. The psionic training could probably wait since we are not getting any psionic troops to teach anytime soon until they built that psi lab. Plus, when it comes to things like firepower, I am thinking of this quest with XCOM game stats as a point of reference. So far, this quest has added some realism that MAYBE, we could take a chyrsallid nest on with just kinetic guns provided we get some of the best firepower we can bring with us.
hhmm, I dunno. I am for the psionic training but I am starting to get swayed with the idea of a bug hunt but only if we bring in some serious firepower. you DO have a point about them being a big problem if they grow big enough size. but I just really worry that we would only get slaughtered without some laser weaponry to back us up.
Say Canas Dark. Like, we are essentially Captain America right? Can we go around shooting with a .50 Cal Machine gun with our bare hands without too much difficulty? Kinda like what you can do in the CRYSIS games? I was thinking that we probably have the engineering team make some sort of backpack filled to the brim with .50 cal bullets connected to the .50 cal machine gun we will be carrying. Picture Fallout 3 with the player equipped with a minigun. The backpack is kinda like that only instead of a minigun, we are carrying a .50 cal machine gun instead. I look it up if we already have some backpack ammo feeders tech available and we do. I figure that the engineering team can whip up something like that real quick for .50 cal bullets.
Is that possible? If not, what is the biggest heavy machine gun that we can use that uses the next best thing besides .50 cal bullets when it comes to rapid fire and serious firepower? ( I would probably carrying a grenade launcher and bring a shit ton of grenades on top of that)
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