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Chapter 43 (Original Archive)

wolfhaven75 5/7/2007

Davred

Will the next victim... err, crewmember... please stand ...

Hi there people! Hope I'm not jumping the gun here or anything - I've been discussing with SA about joining up after stumbling across the archive site, as I've been wanting to try out a PBEM for ages and anything MA/GW is right up my alley, so I've signed up and am itching to jump into the fray :)

Just wanted to say hello to my soon-to-be-shipmate s, and to ask that you be patient with the newbie who's got one heck of a lot of rust around the role-playing cogs... umm, better make that *calcium deposits* around the role-playing cogs!

I won't be putting in anything about my character for the time being, as I think that Supreme_Arbiter, Sith Lord of All He Envisions, has got a nice introduction story cooking, and I don't want to mess with his groove... yet :>

So for now, I'll leave you all to it and will look forward to when SA gives me the green light for making my first in-game post. I've been going right through the archive chapters and you guys and girls are sounding like an awesome crowd. Can't wait!

Cheers

gammaben 5/9/2007

Percy

Welcome, white (for calcium deposits) warrior!

Looking forward to your contributions to our little corner of the irradiated PBEM (or if you submit your game moves through the web interface to the group, PBP=Play By Post) universe.

Adaptingly,

gammaBEN / Percy

supreme_arbiter 5/9/2007

Welcome, white (for calcium deposits) warrior!
Was that a Gauntlet joke? LoL
Sith Lord of All He Envisions
Nice, I think I'll put that on my business cards
I don't want to mess with his groove... yet :>
Heh heh...

Expect the next turn this Saturday.

gglassdr 5/10/2007

THX-1492

Welcome to Calcium Deposits! I'll be sure to help you clean up those gears!

supreme_arbiter 5/13/2007

[OOC: Restarting the turn counter at significant junctures became problematic for me. I'm not the world's greatest archivist to begin with... So now we're in this GM's turn number...]

IAS turn 44 - Warden Wranglers

In Davred's dream he was weightless. It was dark. He smelled plastik, like the inside of a familiar facemask. He heard the roar of a distant crowd. He saw flashing cameras.

When he woke, he was in a zoom womb. One of many. The canopy was open. He climbed out and noticed a drawer beside him. Inside he found a uniform. A blue patch said 'Warden - Lt/Sr'. Another said 'Warden Wranglers'. He saw the name Davred 'Deathblow' Knight embroidered on the back.

He wondered if the name was his.

Davred put on the uniform and noticed there were other objects in the drawer. There was a webbing gear vest and a wooden sword, a bokken made of Australian hardwood. Beneath a well worn grey and black bandana, Davred found a small arms repair kit, two full clips and a pistol, a 9mm Savalette Guardian.

He donned the vest, stashed the repair kit, spare clip and loaded the pistol. He holstered it in his webbing gear's shoulder strap, tucked the bokken through his belt and walked around the room. He walked past rows of zoom wombs. Some were open. He came across the body of a man lying on the floor between two of the wombs. Judging by the damage done and the size of the mess, Davred figured a power tool had eviscerated him.

A door opened and a medical robot entered the room with a vibro saw. It buzzed to life. The robot advanced toward Davred. He shouted for it to stop, but it ignored him.

Davred fired 10 rounds into the robot but it kept on coming. He loaded the other clip and unloaded on the robot. A lucky shot penetrated its brain and the robot thudded to a stop. The vibro saw ceased its buzzing.

He examined the robot. He tried to dismantle the vibro saw, but it was too well connected to the robot's chassis. The door opened again and two security bots entered the room. They started firing at Davred.

He pocketed the empty clip and ran for his life. The security bots chased him out of the room and through an enormous indoor residential area. He ran through a maze of corridors lined with locked doors. He stayed one step ahead of the robots but they had reinforcements. He spotted them down the corridor before he ran into them. He was trapped!

He found himself in a corridor filled with escape pods. Many were already missing. Davred jumped into one and closed the door behind him. Through a small window, he watched from the shadows to see if the robots would pass him by.

They headed straight for his pod! Davred saw a button flash beside him. He pushed it. The pod's rockets threw him against the hatch. Davred picked himself up and found his balance as neutral gravity returned. Through the window he watched the Warden tumble away.

-end transmission-

OOC: Welcome Davred! BTW new characters generally get a fast pace intro to the game for the first several turns. Once they've been introduced to the other characters the pace will slow down. That's just the way it goes. I have no intention of abandoning this game, however. I find the more I put into it, the more I get out of it :^)

BTW I haven't forgotten about Shlitzee's DNA sampling. I will soon post the results. Here's a teaser until then. Shlitzee said this privately to Nike as she left for Eden...

[Shlitzee:] "I don't have an old sample from Arkady to compare anything to, but I'll have the DNA results within an hour." (OOC: which in real time is another turn or two :^)

wolfhaven75 5/13/2007

Davred

[OCC: Thank you all for the welcome wagon people - Heheh, reckon I'm not going to live down the "Calcium Deposits" for a while :) Now SA, with me being a rather typical Aussie, I'm going to jump in and throw a post in right now - hope I don't make too much of a hash of things! Catch you all in the Mad Zone]

Davred hastily strapped himself into the crash-seat, growling under his breath "Well, this is just bloody *colourful*" as he watched the Warden becoming smaller and smaller through the hatch window and thinking back to the body spattered across the tube room "Whole ship's gone American McGee's Alice on me, and I STILL haven't had my morning mug of Caff!". Feeling his heart still racing from his escape he closed his eyes and willed himself into a state of calm, through old techniques that he'd - in his 'previous life', he supposed with a wry smile - used to lower his rate down to his regular rate of 42 beats-per-minute while unconciously pulling the bandanna over his head and tying it at the back. He quickly scanned the myriad of buttons and readouts across the console and punched a finger at the one he hoped/prayed was a comms system "Mayday! Mayday! This is... Lieutenant Knight of the Starship Warden - I'm in a pod that's ejected from a whole ton of FUBAR and outbound to..." He quickly craned his neck and watched a brown-yellow planet looming into view "One HUGE dustbowl of a planet! If anyone is recieving, please acknowledge this transmission. ..!" He grit his teeth and waited pensively through the silence.

supreme_arbiter 5/15/2007

Davred listened for a response but heard only static. If anyone could hear him on the Warden, or anywhere else, they weren't responding.

OOC: sorry to make you wait so long for such a short response :^) BTW I liked your description of the planet. I'll post something else for Davred in a couple of days.

animefanzeth 5/17/2007

Devon

You guys are great but I simply can't get into it. Plus I'm kinda Pressed for time. So I'd like to make Devon an npc and leave the group. Sorry.

gpfarm 5/17/2007

Chelydra

Sorry it didn't work out for you.

supreme_arbiter 5/17/2007

Me too. No worries. Thanks for letting us know :^)

supreme_arbiter 5/18/2007

Davred fell through space for many long, boring hours then his pod rang like a bell. The pod shuddered. Gravity returned momentarily. Davred held onto his seat as the escape pod stopped tumbling. Through the window, the planet no longer spun. It was now as stable as the escape pod.

OOC: I owe you guys a picture of the planet. Until then, it looks something like this: slightly more water surface than Earth, there are some green temperate zones, but most of the landmasses are either desert or covered by ice.

wolfhaven75 5/20/2007

Davred

Davred scowled at the terminal "So much for getting in contact with other escapees... if such things exist..." and secured his gear for the inevitable impact...

OOC: Slighty more water surface than Earth, you say? Whoops - so much for my dustbowl comment :>

supreme_arbiter 5/27/2007

The escape pod fell slowly toward the planet. It was soon very warm in the cabin. Davred clutched his seat harness. A rocket fired, the window foamed up. Davred hoped the parachute would open successfully. He didn't know how he knew the pod had a parachute, but he did. He heard the chute deploy above him, felt the snap. The pod rapidly decelerated. An eternity later, the pod hit something and tipped over. It came to rest on something soft but solid.

---------------------------------------------

"Nike," Bailey said over the comm, "an escape pod just landed near us!"

Nike responded, "We're nearly there. Hold on a second." She sent a private message to Arkady. "Can I trust you to fly the Pandora?" she asked him.

"Of course you can," Arkady said. "Where to?"

Nike shook her head. The paranoia was getting to her. She hoped Shlitzee had the DNA results for her when she got back. She wanted to put her fears to rest. She sent a message to the Pandora's crew. "Arkady's flying the Pandora to the escape pod that just landed. We'll meet you there. Bailey, make sure there aren't any of those sandstar things around when you land."

"Sikalas," Bailey explained.

"Whatever, Nike out."

Elizabeth 5/26/2007

Irsa

Irsa is bored with waiting. Listening to the comm, she decides to go see who has come in the latest escape pod from Warden as the ship lands. Also she needs to replenish her cheek pouches supply of snacks. So she makes a trip to the mess area before heading for the landing bay.

supreme_arbiter 5/28/2007

She discovered the cupboards were bare! There was no food left in the kitchen. Disappointed, she took her pack and went to the gangplank. She opened it, stepped outside and closed it behind her. She remembered the direction the pod had come down, she had seen it on the holoprojector on the Pandora's bridge. She headed off in that direction.

OOC: A few kilometers to go. A 1 or 2 on a d6 indicates she encountered a Sikala...

supreme_arbiter 5/28/2007

I rolled a 1! Irsa, you have the initiative!

Elizabeth 5/28/2007

Irsa

What's a Sikala? And Irsa has 2 spears and 2 knives with her. She readies the spear for defence.

wolfhaven75 5/28/2007

Davred

Davred unbuckled himself from the harness and stretched out the post- crash woes with audible clicks and cracks. "Well, that was a fun ride" he grumbled to himself, and quickly gave the pod the once-over for any portable survival or communications gear that he could take with him before opening the access door, bokken held loosely in his hand as the voice of an old instructor came through the haze of memory *Dere's only 2 kin's of warriors kiddies - prep'ed ones an' dead ones*. He cautiously checks outside, eyes roving everywhere for movement/trouble before stepping out...

supreme_arbiter 5/30/2007

OOC: A Sikala is a beast with five tentacles. It lives beneath the sand and waits to ensnare unsuspecting victims...

A Sikala erupted from the sand in front of Irsa. She jumped back, the beast's tentacles narrowly missed her.

----------------------------------------------

Davred removed the pod's bright yellow flight recorder. There was nothing else of value to remove. Outside the pod he saw a great stretch of sand. Beyond the dunes he saw a mountain range on two sides of him. A short distance away he heard a thrashing sound, but he didn't see anything. Someone or something was on the other side of a sand dune.

Elizabeth 5/30/2007

Irsa

Oh those things Irsa encountered just before meeting Pandora's crew. Not her favorite memory. Irsa takes to the air, flies around and considers diving straight into the center of the Sikala.

"I am not your next meal, desert starfish!" Irsa yells at it. "Hey I can just fly to the pod. So I'll do that."

Irsa then flies to where the pod came down. "Hello, I come in peace." she says as she lands near the pod.

wolfhaven75 5/31/2007

Davred

Davred heard a faint cry from over the other side of the dune and set off towards the sound at a jog... maybe it's another survivor in trouble! Then felt a light wind buffet as a shadow passed overhead.
Irsa then flies to where the pod came down. "Hello, I come in peace." she says as she lands near the pod.
A gobsmacked Davred blinked at Irsa, Twice. *A flying... hamster? That talks?!?* then gave a mental shrug *Ah, what the heck - I've woken up in a clone tube with a headache that makes a hangover feel like bliss, been chased by psycho-bots acting like they're out of one of those ancient horror vids... reckon I can handle an airborne hamster that says G'Day. Besides, she's kinda... cute, in a 'I have a sharp spear and know how to use it' kind of way...*

He tucked his bokken away under his belt and gave the friendliest broad grin he could muster "Umm, hi there! Are you a native of this area? Or... are you from that Mad House that used to be The Warden, like me?"

Elizabeth 5/31/2007

Irsa

"I escaped from the Warden just like you did. Was a crazed robot trying to kill you too? Not good, Master Kyvu said the robots were supposed to obey humans but they must be broken inside. Wonder if there's any left that will still obey properly on Warden?" Irsa says rambling a bit. She then takes a deep breathe and slowly exhales. "My name is Irsa. If you follow me, I can lead you to the Pandora. Its a dropship and the crew is friendly. And I'll help you avoid the desert starfish thing. What's your name? Shall we go?" Irsa finishes talking.

wolfhaven75 6/1/2007

Davred

Flashback: walking along a busy corridor of Residential Block 1012 with his Number One Fan (self-proclaimed) scampering alongside him with his techpad in hand "Mister? HeyMisterthatwasagreatgamecanyoupleaseautographmypadagainhereSir? Pleasepleaseplease? "

A sudden blinding pain pierced Davred's skull as the memory passed *That kid was a motormouth too, but was equally as cool. I wonder what happened to him...?*

He shook his head to try and clear the haze in front of his eyes "Sorry for zoning out on you there Irsa - my head's been killing me since I woke up. A dropship eh? Glad to hear that some of the crew made it out in something better than a flying tin can" He grimaced meaningfully at the escape pod "Gah, where are my manners? I'm First Lieutenant Davred Knight, Team Two, Alpha Security Group, under direct command of Captain Margulis... and it seems my memory is improving as we go along here..." He thumbed back towards the direction that Irsa had flown in from "How about we start heading back and talk while we're moving? Avoiding these... desert starfish, or anything for that mater, would go down well, at least until I can get some more ammo. Shall we?" He started to head off slowly, scanning his surroundings warily "So, how many survivors are there in your group? Anyone of command rank?"

OOC: If I'm turning these messages into too much of an epic novel gang, just give me a poke! Oh, and Paul? I think Elizabeth/Irsa stole the fire from under the dramatic introduction you seemed to have planned. And I was so looking forward to using my entrance line of "Stop eating her, you Sarlacc wannabee!" :>

Elizabeth 6/1/2007

Irsa

"I'll take you to the Pandora. I think Nike is in charge of some stuff. I don't remember off hand most of the crew." Irsa says as she leads Davred to the Pandora, skirting the area where the desert starfish came out of the ground. She also looks for edible plants and seeds.

supreme_arbiter 6/4/2007

OOC: I rolled 4 on a d6, Davred and Irsa avoid meeting anything else (for the time being...)

Irsa couldn't find anything edible in the dunes. She started to wish she had brought some water with her. The sun was very hot and there was no shade. [OOC: Irsa has no food, either. The Pandora's kitchen was empty when she visited it.]

Irsa and Davred walked over the dunes in the direction of the Pandora. Davred knew they were heading in the right direction when he saw the giant lifeboat liftoff. It was enormous, 110 meters wide, 90 meters long and 40 meters tall! The crisp, rumbling sound of her jets blew quickly in the hot desert air.

supreme_arbiter 6/4/2007

OOC: If I'm turning these messages into too much of an epic novel gang, just give me a poke!
Heck no! Keep 'em comin' :^)
Oh, and Paul? I think Elizabeth/Irsa stole the fire from under the dramatic introduction you seemed to have planned.
Irsa *IS* my dramatic introduction LoL

I only plan the backstory. I try to get out of the way so players can unravel the plot :)
And I was so looking forward to using my entrance line of "Stop eating her, you Sarlacc wannabee!" :>
It's not too late... Muwahaha

wolfhaven75 6/5/2007

Davred

"I'll take you to the Pandora. I think Nike is in charge of some stuff. I don't remember off hand most of the crew."
"Nike eh?" Davred's brow furrowed as he tried to remember a list of names and faces of the crew that he once knew and came up with a blank. "Name's not ringing a bell, but mind you, The Warden isn't exactly what you'd call a small..."
He saw the giant lifeboat liftoff. It was enormous, 110 meters wide, 90 meters long and 40 meters tall! The crisp, rumbling sound of her jets blew quickly in the hot desert air.
...boat... Well-well-well, certainly looks like your shipmates spent a bit more time 'requisitioning inventory' before making a mad dash for freedom like I did!" He nodded in thoughtful, determined satisfaction "This certainly changes things in our favour, but... uhh... do you have a way of getting hold of them? We might want to stop them from jetting off and making us chase them across the desert or DEAFEN US TO PIECES!" He shouted the last to Irsa over the escalating roar of the engines.

Elizabeth 6/5/2007

Irsa

Irsa thinks. Comm unit, on switch, press on. "Um Pandora crew wait! This is Irsa! I found the person from the escape pod! Could you not leave just yet! And I'm sorry I forgot to tell you I was leaving the ship to check for the pod!" Irsa yells into her comm unit, getting very scared.

supreme_arbiter 6/9/2007

IAS turn 45 - Opening Pandora
"do you have a way of getting hold of them?" [snip] ...escalating roar of the engines.
OOC: Nice! Yes, the Pandora's engines are getting louder, and thanks for the edit "what you'd call a small... [Pandora description] ...boat!" Very nice, 3 exp!

-------------------------------------

The Pandora flew toward them and descended. It landed on a dune above the escape pod. A gangplank lowered and two figures stepped down. When they emerged from the ship's shadow, Davred saw one of them was a female robot. The other was a meter and a half tall, bipedal snapping turtle. He carried a shotgun, pointed at the ground.

"You from around here?" Chelydra asked. "Know any good bars?"

wolfhaven75 6/10/2007

Davred

OOC: Glad to be of service young Padawan... err, young Sir! Thanks Paul :>

Davred couldn't help but chuckle at the turtle-man's greeting as he tried to wiggle the swan-song screeching in his ears from the engines with his index fingers. "Heheh, judging by your method of transport your Kansas is mine as well Toto, and boy is it a real circus lately... so when that mess is cleaned up I'll be certainly getting the first round of drinks when we get some decent R&R;!" He walked up towards the gangplank, taking note that the turtle-man's stance was of a relaxed, almost laid-back pose, but his eyes were constantly roving for trouble - the same as the robot with the spunky hair-do... Signs of true professionalism at work. He nodded politely to them both as his foot touched the ramp. "I'm Lieutenant Knight of Alpha Security. I assume you'd like me to surrender my side-arm before boarding...? " He smiled back at Irsa. "I hadn't got around to checking with my young friend here about what procedures you had in place - we kinda got sidetracked."

supreme_arbiter 6/17/2007

"Yes," Chelydra said, "please hand over your weapons. I don't suppose you have a security passcard, do you Mr. Knight?" Chelydra took Davred's bokken and pistol and secured them in his webbing gear.

[OOC: Davred doesn't have a passcard. Insert his reaction here :]

"No worries. My companion here can check your identity. Please bare your arm and show it to her."

"We're approaching your position," a woman's voice said. Davred looked around but didn't see anyone else. Her voice had been clear as a bell, as if she had whispered the words into his ear. Davred's keen eye noticed Chelydra was quietly muttering something.

Elizabeth 6/17/2007

Irsa

"He's from the Warden. You're gonna check the Warden's crew records, Chelydra?" Irsa asks.

(OOC: Irsa is next to Davred.)

wolfhaven75 6/18/2007

Davred

"Yes," Chelydra said, "please hand over your weapons. I don't suppose you have a security passcard, do you Mr. Knight?" Chelydra took Davred's bokken and pistol and secured them in his webbing gear.
"Awww Hell... didn't even think of that!" Davred quickly pats down his pockets, just in case he missed it and finds nothing. "Blast. I must've missed it in the rush when I got my gear from the tube tray... or the Mark One Version of me forgot to leave a spare for me. And uhhh, please call me Davred - Mr. Knight makes me sound like an old codger past his prime or something."
"No worries. My companion here can check your identity. Please bare your arm and show it to her."

"He's from the Warden. You're gonna check the Warden's crew records, Chelydra?" Irsa asks.
"Crew records? Whoa, you guys got the optional extras package with that boat as well! Here we go, this should clear everything up" He rolls up his sleeve and presents his arm to Schlitzee, giving her the flight recorder as well. "Something tells me you'd be able to put this to better use than I can.". *I wonder if these guys have had infiltration problems* He wonders to himself. *They sure have the reception committee down-pat for security detail*.
"We're approaching your position," a woman's voice said. Davred looked around but didn't see anyone else. Her voice had been clear as a bell, as if she had whispered the words into his ear. Davred's keen eye noticed Chelydra was quietly muttering something.
Old memories suddenly hit Davred as he watched the turtle-man's mouth barely moving and he put two-and-two together. *Sub-vocal com- systems? That's a welcome sign - they're supposed to be restricted to Special Forces and command staff from memory... and as if that's reliable at the moment...*. He pondered hard about revealing this to his new companions as he was still not sure if he was being accepted as a compatriot or a prisoner, then took a trusting gamble and whispered a quick reply "Reply Comms. Ma'am, your broadcast also came through my channel, and I assume that you are in command... reporting for duty Ma'am... Over ". He exhaled slowly and gave Irsa a wry twist of his mouth "Hope I didn't just scare ten year's growth out of your boss just then..."

stacinator 6/19/2007

Nike

"Reply Comms. Ma'am, your broadcast also came through my channel, and I assume that you are in command... reporting for duty Ma'am... Over ". He exhaled slowly and gave Irsa a wry twist of his mouth "Hope I didn't just scare ten year's growth out of your boss just then..." "Hello, glad you're hearing me loud and clear. Now who the hell is this?"

OOC: Welcome to the new guy!

wolfhaven75 6/20/2007

Davred

Welcome to the new guy!
OOC: LOL! Thank you! :)

"Hello, glad you're hearing me loud and clear. Now who the hell is this?"
"Apologies ma'am - Davred Knight, Lieutenant, formerly of Captain Margulis' personal security team. And now... well, I'm at your front door and looking for a few good people to help clean up the Warden with. Given what I've seen so far of your crew, I think I've come to the right place. Will look forward to greeting you properly when you arrive... Err, I don't mean to jump the gun here, but may I know your name? Something tells me that calling you 'ma'am' constantly will result in me having a shiner instead of an eye."

Davred had been watching Chelydra intently as he communicated with Nike, and his head began to pound again *Chelydra... Chelydra - unique name, but I could swear that I've heard it bef...* Then it hit him, and he gaped open-mouthed at the turtle-man and seeing an umkempt security uniform pulled across a well muscled frame, a shotgun that was a constant companion, deeply piercing eyes and no nonsense, tight- lipped expression of an old friend...

"JACKSON!?! Jay-sus, is that you?" He grunted in pain and dug taut fingers into his temples, his brain feeling like it was just about to explode.

MORE OCC: I might be hamming up the memory headaches a tad, but I'm just putting myself in my char's shoes - if my brain suddenly had to start sorting through 30 years worth of memories in 10 seconds flat, I'd be kinda sore too :>

supreme_arbiter 6/20/2007

SA: Does Nike have any memory of Davred?

"Captain Nike Thomason, Marines. Glad to have you. I look forward to news from the Mother Bird. Out." She paused, rubbing the ridges between her eyes and temples. She needed a nice tall margarita--or hell, at this point, a vodka and tonic would do. With a deep, cleansing breath she closed her eyes for a moment, and rested while she could.

supreme_arbiter 6/22/2007

Shlitzee sampled Davred's DNA and stepped back. He gave her his flight recorder. "Something tells me you'd be able to put this to better use than I can."

"THX," Chelydra said over the comm, "I need you to analyze another flight recorder."

OOC: [Does Nike have any memory of Davred?] Sure, why not :^) There's certainly precedence for it. Maybe Nike took martial art classes "by the lake on level 9" with him (from Bud's recollection of Nike in chapter 20). Maybe they took a Dim Mak or Krav Maga class together? (or something else suitably sci-fi sounding :^) Will Chelydra remember Davred? I'm not sure yet. Maybe Dave will post for him, otherwise I'll post some dialog on Saturday when I post another turn.

publius1024 6/22/2007

Arkady

Chapter 40: The Lizard King

The villagers from Sigai arrive to try and make trouble for the crew of the Pandora. Percy and Nike get paranoid about Arkady, for good reason? Stay tuned...

BTW - I've moved the chapter about Janus (35: Forgotten Chambers) to chapter 39. Also, during chapter 40 Percy revealed some things about John Galt that the crew would have already known, so I added a few NEW details. Here they are...

"John Galt's on the Alexandria's manifest! There's not much here that wasn't mentioned in the captain's log. He's from New Plymouth on Eridani, heavily gene-modded at birth, graduated from New Alexandria University with a doctorate in cyber-genetics. He was a volunteer on the Alexandria, thawed on November 24th, 2555."

wolfhaven75 6/22/2007

Davred

The villagers from Sigai arrive to try and make trouble for the crew of the Pandora. Percy and Nike get paranoid about Arkady, for good reason? Stay tuned...
OOC:

Couldn't help myself :D

supreme_arbiter 6/26/2007

Chelydra vaguely recalled Davred's face, but under the circumstances, he wasn't going to take his word for it. Chelydra glared back without saying anything. He watched Davred hold his head in pain and wondered if it was a trick.

"I've got a match," Shlitzee broadcast to everyone on comm. "Davred Knight, nickname Deathblow, Lieutenant in the Alpha Security team, star athlete in the Warden Wranglers gravball team."

Chelydra relaxed his gruff demeanor. He lowered his shotgun as he remembered where he'd seen Davred's face before. "Welcome aboard, Deathblow. I think I remember you now. We trained together in a dojo by a lake on the Warden, didn't we? Krav Maga I think it was... Sorry if I can't remember much more, most of us here are clones and our memories aren't all there."

--------------------------------------------

Nike piloted the aircar toward the Pandora. Amanda had been uncomfortable during the entire trip. Every time she tried to get comfortable, Bud enjoyed her squirming in the seat they shared. Amanda scowled at Nike for ignoring her discomfort.

"Nike," Shlitzee said on a private comm channel, "I have the results of the DNA tests."

"Good, what did you discover about Arkady," she replied quietly.

"His DNA matches pilot Arkady Dmitrivich."

"Oh, that's a relief. I thought he might have been replaced by something that wasn't human. I don't believe a word of all this demon talk, but there's probably some grain of truth in it."

"Arkady's not human, he's a bioroid."

"What!" Nike bit her lip and glanced at her passengers to see if they'd heard her. They had. "What in the hell is a bioroid?" she whispered.

"They're biologically grown androids raised in a zoom womb to an arbitrary age."

"Are you sure Arkady's a bioroid?"

"As sure as I can be of anything. His DNA has a copyright and 'property of the UWSC' clearly written in it."

"Thanks Shlitzee, hold tight. We're almost there." Nike turned off her comm and said, "Arkady's a bioroid."

"Yeah, I know," Bud replied. Amanda and Nike stared at him.

"And you didn't warn me?"

"Warn you of what? Both of you two are bioroids. Percy, Arkady and Chelydra are too. You said you woke up in zoom wombs, right? Clone pods, I think you called them. Well, those pods created you from your original DNA. Nanobugs built your bodies like conventional robots except with bone and flesh instead of metal."

"I'm a robot?" Amanda said. She looked Horrified. "I don't feel like a robot."

"No sweet cheeks, you're human--an artificial human, but no one could tell the difference without reading your DNA."

"No difference at all?" Nike said.

"Well, almost. You won't have a monthly cycle."

"Menstruation? " Nike asked.

"Yeah, that won't happen, but you can get pregnant. Arkady, Percy and Chelydra, on the other hand, they're probably sterile. Just shooting blanks, I'm afraid," Bud said with a wink to Amanda.

Amanda stared out the window. Of all the clones on the Pandora, she'd been alive the longest. She'd been wondering when she'd start menstruating. Now she knew.

Nike saw the Pandora sitting in the sand below them and began their descent.

-end transmission-

wolfhaven75 6/26/2007

Davred

Chelydra relaxed his gruff demeanor. He lowered his shotgun as he remembered where he'd seen Davred's face before. "Welcome aboard, Deathblow. I think I remember you now. We trained together in a dojo by a lake on the Warden, didn't we? Krav Maga I think it was... Sorry if I can't remember much more, most of us here are clones and our memories aren't all there."
Davred straightened up somewhat and tried to focus on Chelydra through the red-hazed blur and whispered "Know the feeling well old friend - my brain hasn't exactly been cooperating since I woke up, and has been getting grumpier every time I try to remember something to the point where it feels like I'm swimming through a fog-of-war. Permission to come aboard and... get some heavy-duty painkillers?"

gglassdr 6/26/2007

THX-1492

THX states in its mechanical voice, "Acknowleged Chelydra, input specific information for this unit to analyze" The robot begins to analyze the second flight recorder.

gglassdr 6/26/2007

THX-1492

Listening to this conversation over the com, THX-1492 remarks, "Reminder to all human females with reproductive potential: UWSC Alpha-Omega command authorization mandates survival of the human race over all other considerations. Reproduction must commence as soon as biologically possible. This unit stands to assist!" It snaps its grappling arms in anticipation.

gpfarm 6/26/2007

Chelydra

"Welcome aboard, Mr. Davred," said Chelydra with a wry chuckle. "We can fix you up with some sort of 'cocktail', but what happened to the old 'No blood, no foul' Deathblow? The does clear somewhat with time. Though as you can see I haven't been quite myself lately. Sure could have used this shell back in the dojo..."

cheers

wolfhaven75 6/28/2007

Davred

Listening to this conversation over the com, THX-1492 remarks, "Reminder to all human females with reproductive potential: UWSC Alpha-Omega command authorization mandates survival of the human race over all other considerations. Reproduction must commence as soon as biologically possible. This unit stands to assist!" It snaps its grappling arms in anticipation.
Davred aimed a wince towards his new compatriots "Hooo boy... anybody want to place bets on how quickly that 'bot gets turned into spare parts by said female gender of the species?"
"Welcome aboard, Mr. Davred," said Chelydra with a wry chuckle. "We can fix you up with some sort of 'cocktail', but what happened to the old 'No blood, no foul' Deathblow? The migraine does clear somewhat with time. Though as you can see I haven't been quite myself lately. Sure could have used this shell back in the dojo..."
Davred relaxed somewhat with a long sigh and echoed Chelydra's chuckle. "Hey there Leonardo, stop using my old game policies against me, or..." He thumbed back at Irsa "... I'll sic my friend Miss Splinter on your tail! Besides, I haven't had a good cup of Joe since I woke up - everything becomes an exception to the rule until that happens. Heheh." He came closer and inspected Chelydra's carapace, even going so far as rapping his knuckles on it, giving off a hollow clonk-clonk- clonk as he did so. "Nice... sure beats having to gear up combat armour when the fit hits the shan, so to speak. And speaking of gear..." He pat the kit on his webgear. "Has anyone thought to give whatever weapons you have the once-over yet? I'm not sure about the rest of you, but the idea of using X-centuries old guns that haven't been maintained properly makes me a ^tad^ antsy. I'd be happy to check them, after I've checked out this cocktail mix that you were discussing. Waaaay after..."

Elizabeth 6/28/2007

Irsa

"I'm glad I'm a mutant female hamster. Davred? Could you check this gun weapon I found. It used to belong to a human before he became a skeleton." Irsa says as she shows off her gun. "I hadn't thought to check it out before."

wolfhaven75 6/29/2007

Davred

"Sure thing." He takes the gun from Irsa, ejecting the clip just to be on the safe side, checking the ammunition type and magizine capacity with a cursory glance before handing it to Irsa and concentrating on the rest of the gun. "Whoa - seems to be in surprisingly good condition from what I can tell so far. Not even a hint of corrosion around the barrel, the trigger's all good... and you say you found this with a skeleton? Weird... I've seen this gun type before, but..." He keeps muttering to himself, absent-mindedly walking up the ramp into the ship as he puzzled away.

[OOC: I'll let you fill in the blanks about what type of gun it is SA :D]

stacinator 6/29/2007

Nike

Nike sat the Pandora down in the sand, shich had stopped its shifting just in time for the craft to stir it back into a frenzy. When all was still, Amanda stormed off the ship, clearly annoyed with something. Bud sat quietly, thinking. And then, Nike's training disengaged. She leaned forward and put her head in her hands--she needed a moment. She could feel her emotions beginning to break through the wall of discipline that she had so carefully built all of these years... "Ha-- it's only really been an couple of frikkin' days..." She reminded herself bitterly. And then, despite her best effort, she felt the tears come. They slammed into and through her wall, and more little cracks popped open, allowing them to pour and pour and pour.

"Shit shit shit shit shit!!!!!" She muttered to herself through her tears. The last thing she wanted was for these guys to look at her as a "girl", but dammit, there was only so much a person could take before needing a good cry, and finding out that she was a bioroid after everything else...

supreme_arbiter 7/1/2007

Reproduction must commence as soon as biologically possible. This unit stands to assist!
[OOC: The conversation about bioroids was private, only Shlitzee, Nike and Bud know for now. We're moving toward a crew meeting of sorts when much will be revealed and I will interject THX's comments (and Davred's response) at that time.]

----------------------------------------

Shlitzee gave the flight recorder to THX and the robot analyzed the device. Like the first flight recorder, this one was blank. THX found nothing but 23 hours of static.
Permission to come aboard and... get some heavy-duty painkillers?"
"Would you like a margarita," Shlitzee said, "or an analgine meatie- tenderizer? Perhaps something a little stronger?"

----------------------------------------

Davred took the gun from Irsa. He ejected the clip just to be on the safe side and checked the ammunition type. It had space for 20 9.1mm rounds, but the clip and the chamber were empty. He dismantled the weapon and examined the insides. "Whoa," Davred said. "Seems to be in surprisingly good condition. It could use a good cleaning, but nothing's corroded and the trigger's all good... And you say you found this with a skeleton? Weird."

"What is it?" Irsa asked.

"It's a Giscard 615 assault pistol," Davred replied, reading the make and model from where it was etched into the handle. "I can also tell you this weapon wasn't cast, it was compiled. No sign of flash anywhere around the edges."


----------------------------------------

Chelydra led the way into the Pandora, past the storage room, the central corridor and the mess hall. He stopped at the entrance to the crew quarters. He flashed his passcard over the door's lock and opened the passage. Davred saw a corridor beyond lined with over a dozen shut doors, each with a small security device in the wall beside it.

"Pick yourself a room someone hasn't already locked and make yourself at home. I'll be back in a minute. Seems we haven't got any food left on board. Are you hungry?"

Davred was famished. He hadn't eaten anything in 24 hours, or ever for that matter!

-end transmission-

Elizabeth 7/1/2007

Irsa

"How do I clean it and find ammo for it, Davred?" Irsa asks him. And then to Chelydra, "When will you get more food? I'm hungry and so's Davred, very likely."

wolfhaven75 7/2/2007

Davred

[OOC: The conversation about bioroids was private, only Shlitzee, Nike and Bud know for now. We're moving toward a crew meeting of sorts when much will be revealed and I will interject THX's comments (and Davred's response) at that time.]
[OOC: Whoops - when THX was listening I was asuming that he was doing a broadcast across the board. My bad.]
"Would you like a margarita," Shlitzee said, "or an analgine meatie- tenderizer? Perhaps something a little stronger?"
"That there margarita mix is sounding good to me - I only just got up, so don't want to knock myself for six already..." He grinned suddenly. "Unless you guys consider me such a pain in the ass that you want me to emulate a monorail gridline, that is!" Davred was feeling like he was on a high since meeting this rather motley crew, and was loosening up now that his robotic wake-up-call in the cloning chamber was way behind him. He was still berating himself about going trigger-happy like that instead of pinpointing his target, especially given the circumstances at the time, and intended to keep his game up from here on in.
Chelydra led the way into the Pandora, past the storage room, the central corridor and the mess hall. He stopped at the entrance to the crew quarters. He flashed his passcard over the door's lock and opened the passage. Davred saw a corridor beyond lined with over a dozen shut doors, each with a small security device in the wall beside it.

"Pick yourself a room someone hasn't already locked and make yourself at home. I'll be back in a minute. Seems we haven't got any food left on board. Are you hungry?"
A loud protesting gurgle from Davred's stomach answered Chelydra's query. "Uhh, yeah just a tad, but I'll be all good until we can get stocked up again. Running around with an empty stomach is the least of the problems on the mind at the moment." He took a look down the corridor,longing to have a nap along with the painkiller cocktail arranged by Shlitzee, then shook his head. "Nah, later after I've checked in with the Captain might be better. Besides, I need to hear what the plan is so far." He indicated at the passcard that Chelydra was sticking back in a pocket of his webbing. "Any way I might be able to get a spare one of those? Would save people escorting me all over the place."

wolfhaven75 7/2/2007

Davred

"How do I clean it and find ammo for it, Davred?" Irsa asks him. And then to Chelydra, "When will you get more food? I'm hungry and so's Davred, very likely."
Davred frowned in thought as he followed Chelydra through the corridors. "Cleaning's not too much of an issue if the team is happy with me being the local Gunsmith for the time being. Replacement parts and ammo will be an issue until we can get some gear that will let us fabricate what is needed, plus the basic products for supply. I wouldn't bank much on that until we got back to the Warden. Might want to hold off on using it unless it's as a last resort, except for a shot or two for experimentation."

supreme_arbiter 7/14/2007

Shlitzee's internal systems whirred and a moment later she excreted a small plastik cup filled with a frothy liquid. She handed it to Davred. It smelled of lime and tequilla.

"We'll get a passcard for you soon," Chelydra told Davred. "You don't need one to select a room, just use your thumb. By the way, here's your weapons back. Hopefully you won't need them soon but you never know."

Davred entered the crew quarters hall and the door slid shut behind him. He walked past several doors. Each had an identical device attached to the wall beside it, a metal plate with a small LCD monitor above it.

--------------------------------------------------

Nike looked around to see if anyone had seen her vulnerable moment. The villagers had long since departed. She was alone in the sand dunes outside the Pandora. Nike wiped the tears from her eyes and composed herself. She cleared her throat and sent a private message as she climbed out of the aircar. "THX," she said, "secure your aircar and prepare to follow us to our next destination."

"Everyone prepare for departure," she broadcast to everyone. Davred heard her too. "Arkady and Bailey, keep our native guests confined to their quarters but prepare them for flight. Everyone else assemble on the bridge."

OOC: Davred, what room will you choose to make your own? Here's a direct link to the ship's map.

The yellow doors are locked/occupied. I neglected to 'lock' the two rooms the natives are confined to, rooms d and m. The only quarters available at this time are c, e, f, g and l.

-end transmission-

Elizabeth 7/13/2007

Irsa

Irsa wishes she hadn't given all her food to the horned rabbits. Her tummy is rumbling a little. She does a quick search of the sand dunes for edible plants or seeds. She will gather any she finds. Then she heads to the bridge to meet with the others. She is getting hungry.

(OOC:Which is Irsa's room?)

wolfhaven75 7/14/2007

Davred

Shlitzee's internal systems whirred and a moment later she excreted a small plastik cup filled with a frothy liquid. She handed it to Davred. It smelled of lime and tequilla.
Davred saluted Shlitzee with the cup and tossed it down in one gulp, savouring the warmth and the light buzz it provided. "Heh, my first dose of the good stuff in this lifetime. Cheers!"
"We'll get a passcard for you soon," Chelydra told Davred. "You don't need one to select a room, just use your thumb. By the way, here's your weapons back. Hopefully you won't need them soon but you never know."
Davred took his gear back with a solemn thank-you nod. "I'm outta ammo for the pistol anyways, so here's hoping that I can get outfitted before the crap hits the fan. Might check out the armoury later and get myself something with a bit more kick..." Nike's broacast came across and he gave Chelydra a light thump on the shoulder. "Mom's calling the kids to dinner - I'll see you at the bridge in a moment."

He entered the crew quarters hall and the door slid shut behind him. He walked past several doors. Each had an identical device attached to the wall beside it, a metal plate with a small LCD monitor above it.

After picking a room at random (OOC: Room C for everyone's info) he dumped his items on his bed for later sorting, keeping his bokken at his side, and hustled towards the bridge - he was looking forward to meeting the rest of the crew.

stacinator 7/15/2007

Nike

"Davred, when you've wrapped up the issue of quarters, I need to see you on the bridge."

"Percy, got all that stuff done like I asked you? Report when I arrive on the bridge."

"Amanda, while we are taking off see if you can find out from our guests where a good place would be to find some grub."

And, muttered under her breath to no one in particular, "Enough Bullshit. We've got to get this situation under to control and we've got to do it fast." And with that, she headed for the bridge.

gglassdr 7/16/2007

THX-1492

THX answers Nike and configures the aircar to follow, stating "By Your Command!"

wolfhaven75 7/17/2007

Davred

"Davred, when you've wrapped up the issue of quarters, I need to see you on the bridge."
"On my way now Cap." He cranked up the gears from Hustle Speed to Not Quite Ludicrous Speed and jogged up the corridor to the bridge.

supreme_arbiter 7/24/2007

RL has struck me down. I will arise again, but please forgive me if I take a breather for a couple of weeks. In the meantime, please peruse these two maps of Rho Cancri :^) They will be featured in IAS turn 46.



OOC: The Pandora will be traveling from Eden to the Excavation.

gammaben 7/25/2007

Percy

I am WAY behind in posting for Percy--yes I'm still here for those of you who have (or haven't) missed me. And a hearty welcome to the relatively new folks in the game. If the SA declares a two week breather then I've no more excuses not to post since I've taken a much longer RL breather. Stay tuned, I'll try to assimilate the last couple months of posts and get something out there for everyone's favorite middle-aged werewolf hopefully before the SA returns!

By the way, the world map and rotating globe ROCK! I hope RL lifts you back up soon, P!

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