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Dark Rain 2.0  |
| Distant Stars | |
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| Topic Started: 26 Dec 2008, 01:45 (7,075 Views) | |
| TheZamboniKnight | 30 Sep 2011, 22:40 Post #451 |
I am Nathan Fillion.
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Oriana eyed Seth's hand for a brief second before taking it. She sometimes saw common courtesy as either people being sexist or sizeist, but the commander was firmly on her good side now and thus she didn't feel the need to point out that despite being a woman and short she could in fact do things for herself. How does this girl make any friends, honestly. But anyways, she dusted the back of her pants off and hooked them up by the belt loops while she was at it. She looked at Seth, a joke on the tip of her tongue. That's right, a joke. Once you got past the booby traps and spikes of her exterior, Oriana could actually be a fairly pleasant human being. Besides, look at the opening he'd left. Show me your equipment? Some things I've only read about and it'd be spectacular to see them running? That was just too good to pass up. The young Holloway did enjoy a good engineering innuendo, though only if they were in jest. Or if she was drunk but that's another matter. Oriana was susceptible to all manner of things drunk, just sayin'. God, what is this post. When Seth got the call on his communicator thing Oriana was forced to put her brilliant joke on hold, watching him as he sprinted away. 'Safe.' What was she, five? Honestly. She knew the risks of serving on a war ship. Why did everyone assume that, as a young, small woman she couldn't take care of herself? That was a small issue, though. Oriana didn't actually have any problem with staying where it was safe. That's some hypocrisy for you. She hmm'd to herself and looked around the huge expanse of space that was her domain. She wished her father was here, or Rex. If something was going down it'd be nice to have a little help; she knew what she was doing, but she was only one person. If things got real crazy she'd be hard pressed to see to everything, but she could work with that. That's what temporary fixes and retrofitting were for. Having the presence of mind to grab a communicator (she'd neglected it after her earlier mud bath) the deadlocked young woman set to work going over the core systems, making sure everything was running the way it was supposed to before things got hectic. Something occurred to her, then, and she paused to fiddle with the communicator. "Commander, if you're takin' the Sword off y'might wanna leave someone over here 'sides me. I can take care'a things down here, but I don't got any idea how to pilot this thing." |
 "Drug induced awesome is not awesome, but a pretender to awesome. True awesome comes naturally from within oneself." Doc | |
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| Hyede | 3 Oct 2011, 23:09 Post #452 |
Resident Shirtless Bishonen
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As Seth was picking his way through the various bridge consuls with a steady eye on one that looked like his best bet, he detected a subtle change in the ambient noise in the control room and then heard the commanding, digitized voice call out his rank. Drawing to a halt and looking about the control center, Seth could see no other occupants, nor any person’s images on any of the monitors. Then the disembodied voice spoke again, this time calling him by name and rank. Seth was about to question aloud as to whether it was Oriana picking an impossibly bad time to horse around with the communications system when the immaterial person, be it a person at all, continued to speak. He found it audacious that who or what ever this thing was, would assume it could give him orders, especially when he was now responsible for the fate of so many. Still, the fact that what ever was addressing him knew the tactical situation gave some small modicum of merit to what it had said. He stood and mulled it over for a few moments and while thinking about the best course of action to take, Oriana’s voice chimed in, in the more traditional method of the intercom system. Reaching the nearest station, Seth tapped the appropriate key to talk to engineering and replied without delay. “Don’t worry, I thought it best not to leave you alone here so I’m up on the bridge.” He stated and then continued, coming to the decision to heed the disembodied voice’s suggestion. “I’m going to need you to run Achilles’ reactors as hot as you can get them. We’re going to be running around the opposite side of this planet as fast as we can but I’m not sending out the Sword. I just got a message… If you can call it that… What ever the Captain’s doing on the surface is about to begin and I don’t want us caught in the middle of it. So throw all available power into the engines and shields, if I have to take this thing down into the atmosphere I want ample protection.” Concluding his instructions to Oriana, Seth switched to his communicator and continued to relay orders to his crew. “Styles, Barns here. Change of plans, stand down your launch and reconnect to the hanger’s umbilicals. We might need to do some fancy maneuvering and I don’t feel confident that I can handle this ship in an atmosphere when not familiar with the controls. We’re still going to make a run around the other side of the planet to get away from their fleet but that’s all. If they pursue, we’ll dive into the atmosphere and pick off any that follow us in.” the Commander ordered and took a seat at the station he assumed was the helm consol. “Understood sir, applying thrust now.” Seth’s first officer replied over the communicator. Thankfully the wireless connection was still in effect and the Sword was able to command the Achilles’ systems remotely, saving Seth from having to scramble over the controls. He was doing so anyway, not wanting to wait for a possible lag in commands. As he was looking over the station, spotting some familiar and unfamiliar controls, the Commander could feel the great ship starting to accelerate for a moment until the artificial gravity system compensated for the output of the engines. Within seconds the battleship had a tail fire that would look like a new star in the sky, where it night and not completely covered in thick clouds on the planet bellow, as she started to lumber around the world and draw closer to the atmosphere to cut the orbiting time by as much as possible. Edited by Hyede, 3 Oct 2011, 23:19.
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“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” “I've never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a 'fat cat' and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a 'public-spirited philanthropist'. Ronald Reagan Remember, I'm watching you... and I know what you've done.  Dark Rain, Dark Rain über alles, Über alles in der Net … 
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| Hydro14 | 14 Oct 2011, 20:28 Post #453 |
Captain Switzerland
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The chaotic retreat across the impossible causeway had bought a brief respite, but only brief. Naiava's weapon had landed a few direct hits before she sprinted after the others, blocking the bridge with a morass of snared beasts. There was barely even time enough for the alien to catch her breath; dimly it registered in the back of her mind that if their attackers weren't following them it probably meant that the creatures feared something even worse than themselves, but she was too exhausted to entertain the possibility for more than a moment. That moment was the passing of the eye of the hurricane; a single instant of tranquillity amid a sea of madness. Still pumped on adrenaline, Naiava saw it for the picture-perfect freeze-frame that it was. Tiny rivulets of water ran down the weathered stone of the ancient pyramid they stood on. Across unsettled waters whose foamy waves shattered into diamonds as they met architecture as ancient as the stars, the canines of a thousand ravenous monstrosities dripped with saliva while barbed talons shifted restlessly. Hearts beat, water fell, the moment became past. The fury and hunger of the horde overcame whatever unseen force had held them at bay and they surged forwards. They anatomy shouldn't have allowed them to swim, swim they did though, and that wasn't all. Naiava's fears became reality as the beasts on the ceiling began to move in as well, their intent clear. This was it then; no lines of retreat left. Limbs already fatigued by furious battle, the alien prepared to make her final stand. Again. Her first shots were aimed upwards. Reliant on their hooked appendages to overcome the main force of gravity, the beasts above them were vulnerable. A single shot impeded their ability to climb and sent them plummeting to the depths. In a hissing explosion of scalding steam a creator rifle discharged into the water, but as before their ordinance wasn't up to the task of turning back the tide of flailing limbs that approached. As the first ranks reached the foot of the pyramid Naiava moved upwards, watching their motions and waiting for the moments when her shots would be most effective; not simply staggering her foes but causing them to tumble back down to the water below. With the beasts drawing closer though the situation was untenable. However many were thrown back it was not enough. The alien's precise actions deteriorated into a panicked mass of shots, only a few of which found their mark. Her fate sealed in all but formality, Naiava for the first time began to question the reason why the council would send the creators to their deaths, what the benefit could be. She guessed she would never know. Abruptly, impossibly, the battle shifted yet again. A sudden tremor reverberated across the cavern, sending the horde once more into panicked flight that this time they did not rally from. Though thoroughly exhausted by this point, Naiava forced herself to stay alert, ready for a new threat to present itself. She kept her gun trained on the widening gap in the cavern roof, blinking furiously as daylight assaulted eyes grown accustomed to the dark. For once though it seemed her caution was unnecessary. The pyramid came to a halt, it's bulk sealing away the cavern below. Blissfully unaware of the situation unfolding in orbit, Naiava relaxed the iron discipline that she had been using to force herself onwards and sat down on the edge of the dais. "So you knew this was here?" she asked after she had got her breath back enough to speak. |
 Tyvm to Synical for sticking this signature together for me. My loyalty is a double edged blade: I will stand by you while what you do is right and just, but I will never support you when doing so would force me to betray what I believe. If you're waiting for me to apologise for being who I am, you'll be waiting an eternity. "Sandbars - because who drinks sand anyway?" | |
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| Arius Daemonis | 16 Oct 2011, 00:24 Post #454 |
Guardian of the Dark Rain
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Carl drew a deep, shuddering breath to steady his trembling body. His arms hung heavily at his sides, and his shoulders were hunched as his chest heaved. He looked sidelong at Naiava, barely hearing her question through the pounding of his heart in his ears. He shook his head, his lips struggling and failing to form about words. Dane stepped forwards and unburdened Carl of his weapons and backpack, carefully returning the artefacts, the keys, to their secured places. The older man nodded gratefully, and half fell, half sat upon the dais. In all directions about them, light fell like water spray through the half-illuminated skies. Then something else fell. Comets. Trailing lines of thick smoke and fire, strewing debris in their chaotic descents, dozens upon dozens of meteorites began to burn through the surely engineered atmosphere and plummet to the surface in the grips of an equally artificial gravity. Except they weren't meteorites. Carl had seen their like before, as had the rest of the crew, during the invasion of Cax. Geratzul drop craft. Without even time for the sigh he could feel rising in his chest, Carl struggled to his feet, drawing on an energy he simply didn't have. 'Rex, get on the comms to Barns, now,' he ordered, and the android did so, not needing elaboration on the contents of the message. The Captain turned to face Naiava, as he unloaded his weapons from Dane. 'Your people are under invasion, Naiava,' he said, more matter-of-factly than he meant to, but in his state of exhaustion, sympathy was an energy he couldn't muster. He looked back to the sky, as more and more of the craft appeared, wreathed in flame. 'Against numbers like this, I'm not sure how much we'll be able to help you. I suggest you return to your people and warn them. At this point, if you have no where you are certain you'll be able to hold against the enemy, evacuation is your only chance of survival.' 'Sent, Captain,' said Rex, uncharacteristically sober in the face of this new drama. The android had sent a communiqué to the Sword in orbit, via the focussed receivers on the Achilles, requesting immediate evacuation from their new location. As they waited for a response, the alien craft began to land, or rather, crash. They fell over a vast area, in a seemingly arbitrary pattern, but for the sheer number that were coming down the force of Geratzul wouldn't so much be fragmented and cut off as they would be achieving land superiority through sheer numbers alone. Many fell in and around the area identifiable to Naiava as the City. Ship-scale projectiles tumbled past the manoeuvring Achilles as it turned about to escape the considerable Geratzul fleet. Many of the ships, if such crude constructions could be called so, had moved into low orbit of the planet, and were taking up geosynchronous positions. Great orifices had opened on their flanks, and they seemed to be disgorging hundreds of tiny black shapes upon the enigma world. A few grazing shots tore across the venerable warships hull, and one ripped along the dorsal section, buckling the thick armour. Many others missed, flying wide as the alien ships fired at maximum range. Many ignored the Achilles entirely, focussing on the planet instead, but what could be recognised as a focused group of enemy ships kept up the pursuit. |
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Roleplays I am in: Distant Stars Proximo Cowards and Fools: Civilisation The Ghosts of Altressa The Awakening Odin IV | |
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| Syaoran | 30 Oct 2011, 11:45 Post #455 |
Why are you such a sour puss?
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Such wonders is oblivion. The way it caresses the soul and restrains the torment. Its as if everything turns to ice, pulverised by what was once, become nought and null. The project sat in such nothing, staring off into its everlasting distances. His ears gave a small turn, moving his head with them at the sound of a church bell some leagues away. “MY DAVID!” Came a cry, footsteps paralleling the bell. As if some angel from the heavens, along the floor came Her. In hand she swung a tool chest, one not dissimilar to a combat medics. Joy flooded his heart and yet he still felt so cold, attempting to get up by finding his limbs welded to the assumed ground. He tried to cry, and yet all that came was steam. Flinging herself, she slid along her knees to be next to him, cracking open the chest and pushing him down to the floor, his arms just moving to her will. “Oh David...your body...its dying...” The project didn't understand. “I...” He choked, her hands peeling away parts of his armour. “...I can't..die...” He finally spluttered. But then he just wanted to anyway, for she turned to his face and shot him the coldest of looks, those hazel eyes piercing his own with molten lead. “Not YOU! Just stay quiet!” The beast was all the more confused. “David, your host is failing on you...too much...well I don't know what, I can't actually see his injuries...” She leaned in to be in his gaze, her eyes soft, but some how the dying boy knew it wasnt for him. “...This is a message I wrote a long time ago...I put it in the project's spine...your data core...just in case this happened...the nervous system is shutting down...you don't have enough of your to repair the damage before your power just disappears...” Her hand seemed to slip past the project's skin, and with a sharp tug, ripped from his flesh a small orb etched circularly. It slowly dripped away his life blood. “...I...stole this for you...from a cruiser...they didn't notice since they had four...but...I...they think his heart is too big...that its defective...but that isn't true...its being condensed by this...behind it in the cavity. I am uploading you the code now...just activate it...and...fix your host. With this power you can activate your others in the axillary...with nine million...you can fix the Emperor Himself...” David understood, Ghost did not. With a soft whirr and a hiss, the engine slowly began to spin into drive. His body softly shaking from its power and the fact he was limp in unconsciousness. Nanites flooded from the base of his cord, emptying into his capillaries and over muscle. Each had a job and sought to fix every tare and replenish red blood cells, replicating using reserve iron in the liver. The brain was indeed closing off, dying at the fact it had been revived so many times before, but now, with so many, everything was being fixed in an instant. His body pulsed with energy, non-harmful radiation poring out of his chest, his eyes suddenly opening as his sleep dissipated before the nanites had finished, feeling the pain and horror of each fix and twinge. The engine being felt so strange and awkward that it nearly killed him from the fear of the awkward. And just as sudden as it started, it stopped. The engine spinning down, the extra bots retreating to his spine base. Breathing slowly, he sat up, his vision filled with light and glory, yet his insides descended into darkness. With his voice to himself, in the cold of the armour, he spoke his realisation. “She...never loved me...” |
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Had sex, undressed, saw her boobies and the rest! Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: whats to say im not an idiot now Bri: I love you, Gavin says: o.o The lack of penguins. Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: so to be an idiot, you must have penguins Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: ? Bri: I love you, Gavin says: >> Bri: I love you, Gavin says: << Bri: I love you, Gavin says: Yes. --- Bri: To you, I pledge my eternal soul says: You are the.. genuinly good nature show on my public broadcasting line up.  Codemaster of Teal's CD | |
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| TheZamboniKnight | 11 Nov 2011, 14:35 Post #456 |
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I am Nathan Fillion.
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A sigh of relief left Oriana's lips when she heard Seth had stayed on the bridge. Thank god. She knew a bit about the technology used to pilot a ship but nothing about the actual action. If push came to shove, she could probably manage it, but knowing what all the controls did and knowing how to use them were two very different things. Seth's bit about a message confused her. If she could call it that? What the hell did that mean? Either he got a message or he didn't, Oriana didn't see any middle ground in that. Whatever. She had a job to do right now, she'd ask about his phrasing later. "Yessir," she drawled when he was done, setting about what he'd asked of her. It was times like these she wished she had longer legs. It'd make getting around so much easier, especially on a beast like this. She scurried over to the required panels, taking a moment to consider how she was going to go about this before getting to work. When she was done she tapped into the com system again. "Everything's set," she informed the commander. |
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"Drug induced awesome is not awesome, but a pretender to awesome. True awesome comes naturally from within oneself." Doc | |
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| Hyede | 15 Nov 2011, 02:42 Post #457 |
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Resident Shirtless Bishonen
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As Achilles rocketed around the planet, probably faster then she’d gone in ages, Seth could feel the artificial gravity system compensate for the G forces and stabilize the inertia within the ship. The system compensated again a few moments later as Oriana boosted the output of the massive ship’s reactors. Then the bombardment started, the bridge shook as the titanic vessel started to descend down to upper most reaches of the world’s atmosphere, roughly sixty miles from the surface. Shots crashed into the hull periodically, setting off warning indicators and claxons, both of which Seth could have done without. He was well aware they were being shot at and he was sure the only other person on the ship was as well. Thankfully the bombardment wouldn’t last long as at the speed the vessel was travelling, it would very quickly be out of the attacking enemy force’s field of fire. At least that’s what Seth was hoping. Unfortunately the continued pounding on the vessel’s exterior told him differently. “Commander, we’re about to hit ‘atmo’ and we have several craft astern giving chase. Orders?” the Lieutenant Commander’s voice rang in over the intercom. “I didn’t want to waste power by firing back but it looks like we’re going to have to if they’re following it. Bring all of the ship’s batteries up, link in the Sword’s computer and fire at any targets of opportunity. Be prepared for atmospheric insertion once I’ve got these controls strait.” Seth replied. “Aye sir.” came the response and with that a few moments later, Seth could see the tactical consuls operating themselves or rather being directed remotely by the AI onboard the Sword. Seth was glad they hadn’t launched the slender missile boat; she had the most advanced mobile computer known and was probably better suited to coordinate the battleship’s impressive armament then even his tactical officer. Seconds after the screens started to display images and targeting data, the Commander could hear the thudding sounds of the ship’s guns firing. His attention wasn’t on that now however as he’d turned back to the flight controls. With the Sword simply sitting in the hanger it was very possible that tumbling cargo could damage the data link cables, or worse, that the Sword herself could slide down the length of the hanger and rip out the cables on her own. In the event either of those two possibilities occurred, Seth wanted to be able to handle the Achilles himself. So focused was his attention on the controls that he hardly heard Oriana’s reply when it did pipe through the intercom, registering only as the young woman’s voice but not what she said. It wasn’t until Styles’ voice rang back in through the intercom that his wandering eyes and hands halted. ‘What was that? Did he say the Captain?’ Seth thought and looked up. “Say again Lieutenant, I didn’t catch that.” the Commander replied, resting his hands gingerly on the ship’s control yoke. “Sir, we received the tail end of a transmission before we moved out of line of sight. The Captain is requesting immediate extraction. I don’t think they can contact the drone shuttle on their own sir.” the Lieutenant Commander responded as another enemy pot shot rocked the ship. “Understood. With all of the drop ships there’s no way a shuttle is going to get down there in one piece anyway. We’ll have to go in and pick them up ourselves. Have Pots standing by to launch in the shuttle to pick up the Captain and his party.” Seth responded. “Sir, with respect… The Achilles isn’t a drop ship, she’s not built for that kind of maneuvering, especially not in an atmosphere… hell, I wouldn’t even want to attempt that in our ship.” Styles replied, not a minutia of insubordination in his voice, just simple concern. “Noted mister. But no shuttle is going to get through that mess without escort and we’re the only escort around, unless the natives have anti air batteries they haven’t told us about… Just prepare for a rough ride. I’m going to take control in a few moments, we’ll make another half orbit and then I’m going to bring us down right on top of the Captain’s location. At five thousand feet I want Pots to launch and stay within the ship’s field of fire at all times so we can cover him.” “Aye sir.” came the obedient reply. Moments later Seth’s eyes had traced from the controls at his finger tips to the display screen in front of him. Operating by a combination of touch and periodic glances to make sure his hands were in the right place, the Commander took over helm control as the Achilles careened around the planet just above the atmosphere. Eventually as they approached the point where he planned to enter, he’d go to all touch control as it was critical he keep an eye on the display at all times with the impending, critical maneuvers. Edited by Hyede, 5 Dec 2011, 23:11.
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“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” “I've never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a 'fat cat' and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a 'public-spirited philanthropist'. Ronald Reagan Remember, I'm watching you... and I know what you've done. Dark Rain, Dark Rain über alles, Über alles in der Net …
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| Hydro14 | 30 Nov 2011, 17:50 Post #458 |
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Captain Switzerland
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No explanation was necessary of the events unfolding in plain site; it was the first days of the invasion all over again. Exhausted, drained from the battles before, Naiava felt cheated of a victory well earned. She waited only long enough to heard the creator captain's resigned diagnosis before setting off down the pyramid. She knew something he did not: those pods that landed in the marshes would instantly be submerged by their velocity; their exits would jam in the muck and for every hundred Geratzul that landed only one would join the battle alive. The remaining question was whether those few left would be enough, or if the result would be the same bitter stalemate that had persisted for months. Naiava resisted the urge to run as she made her way back to the forest floor, picking her way around the craters smashed into the pyramid by falling stalagmites. She was on the edge of collapse already and getting to the city too weak to lift her gun she'd be no use to anyone. She wasn't aware whether any of the creators followed or not, if they chose not then their people could pick them up from the pyramid, it was easy enough to spot. |
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Tyvm to Synical for sticking this signature together for me. My loyalty is a double edged blade: I will stand by you while what you do is right and just, but I will never support you when doing so would force me to betray what I believe. If you're waiting for me to apologise for being who I am, you'll be waiting an eternity. "Sandbars - because who drinks sand anyway?" | |
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| Arius Daemonis | 10 Dec 2011, 22:54 Post #459 |
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Guardian of the Dark Rain
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Naiva’s estimate was fatally flawed. The pods plummeted to the surface, savaging the ubiquitous canopy in their clumsy descent. They drove into the swamp like nails beneath the hammer, and simmered as the mud squelched around them. Those pods lucky enough to land on ground of a constitution that could with generosity be called solid burst open at once, and armoured Geratzul trudged into the jungle. The majority however sunk into the mud, the mechanisms of their exit hatches jamming. It was an impediment of seconds to the battle-hyped monsters within. With brutal strength they tore their way out of the pods, their elongated and armour sheathed fingers bursting from the crude contraptions like the spindly legs of parasites emerging from a ripe fruit. It would take more than mud to kill these beasts. Solid shot burst from the tree line, knocking chunks of rock from the flanks of the pyramid. Dane took aim at the sight of an armoured creature moving behind the trees, and send a fizzling bolt of plasma in that direction. Rex stepped forwards and followed by example, sending plasma streaking into the woods with a rifle in each hand. ‘Naiava!’ bellowed Carl, stumbling forwards, his hand outstretched as though to drag the alien back himself. ‘Get back here!’ The alien glanced over her shoulder at the summons, and though it was from afar, Carl saw the resolve in her eyes. She wasn’t coming back. Then came the thunder. At first it was the deep howl of a far off but approaching aircraft, and as the crew members turned their heads skywards, it grew into the bass roar of something much vaster. The Achilles dropped from the heavens like a falling god. Carl’s heart skipped more than one beat. His ship wasn’t designed for that! He could hear the groaning of its superstructure as the vast and incomprehensible g-forces sought to tear it apart. For a fleeting moment Carl though the battleship had been shot down, but there wasn’t nearly enough damage to its hull for that to be the case. There was only one alternative. ‘Barns,’ growled Carl, as the sky itself was eclipsed by the descending ship. They were engulfed in a storm of harsh winds and deafened by the bellows of a starship’s engines. Even the Geratzul had given pause in their attack. ‘Captain, a drop ship!’ called Rex, pointing to something that only his super-enhanced vision modes could perceive against the vast backdrop of the battleship’s bulk. ‘We’re getting out of here then,’ he cried, rallying the group back to him. He regretted not being able to save their erstwhile guide, but she clearly had obligations of her own. ‘How do we know that we’re done here though?’ called Dane over the howling winds. It was a good question, and one Carl had no logical answer to. It just seemed as though enough had been done. They had never set out with any clearly defined direction as to what they were looking for or what they would do when they found it, but drawing up an ancient pyramid from a subterranean cavern on a planet that didn’t make sense seemed as though they were on the right track. ‘We’ve got no choice now but to get out of here,’ he cried back. That seemed to gather a general consensus. The drop ship came into sight for those without mechanically precise optics now, and in seconds was beside the apex of the pyramid, its hatch opening as the pilot struggled to keep the ship steady. Rex gathered up the seemingly comatose Ghost, and the group pulled themselves aboard the swaying shuttle. As it drew away, Carl cast one last glance back towards Naiva, but she was already lost to him against the dense swathe of trees. He stumbled into the cockpit as the ramp sealed and the team strapped themselves in. He fell into a chair beside Pots, and thumbed the communication key back to the ship. ‘Barns, I don’t know what the hell you were thinking, but you better see it through,’ he said, still shouting slightly as his ears struggled to adjust from the ferocious torrents outside. ‘We’ll be aboard in minutes! Get ready to get us out of here!’ |
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Roleplays I am in: Distant Stars Proximo Cowards and Fools: Civilisation The Ghosts of Altressa The Awakening Odin IV | |
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| Syaoran | 18 Jan 2012, 13:43 Post #460 |
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Why are you such a sour puss?
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It was as if the world had gone silent and fallen into a pit of shades. The slow breathing inside the cold shell was all that echoed the universe and wrought the mind. Nothing was real, nor was it imaginary. Everything was as void. A breaking heart befallen a shattering soul, crashing through a dying humanity, destroying what little control that kept a restraint in place. It was as if one was held in a vice, and then suddenly was released into the reality of the world. His essence sucked in air as if it never had the chance to do so before, taking it unto itself to realise its own potential of death and destruction. She never loved him. She who he cared for and wanted nothing else, did not want for even a memory of him. He just did not move as he was lifted and shifted into the craft, sitting with blank eyes through a dead face, his mind reshuffling and reprogramming his needs and wants. How could he exist, if purpose was lacking? Love thy keeper, despite their hatred of him? How can this exist, and thus, how can he? Orders? Why? To what end? Loveless? Death? For the sake of killing? Slowly his paw gripped down on his rifle as slowly each piece of parcel became fruition. Life as he knew it, had ended. |
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Had sex, undressed, saw her boobies and the rest! Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: whats to say im not an idiot now Bri: I love you, Gavin says: o.o The lack of penguins. Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: so to be an idiot, you must have penguins Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: ? Bri: I love you, Gavin says: >> Bri: I love you, Gavin says: << Bri: I love you, Gavin says: Yes. --- Bri: To you, I pledge my eternal soul says: You are the.. genuinly good nature show on my public broadcasting line up. Codemaster of Teal's CD | |
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| Hyede | 2 Feb 2012, 16:31 Post #461 |
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Resident Shirtless Bishonen
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Bringing the Achilles down practically on top of the pyramid with just under a ship length to spare under her massive hull was a fete that had left Seth in need of another new uniform, not from soiling himself, but from sweat. If the Captain thought the stress on the ship was bad, then he could have seen the Commander as he was piloting the hulk in. Seth was sure he’d left the permanent impression of his fingers in the control sticks during the harrowing descent. Although the ship was technically capable of landing, it was not intended to perform the kinds of maneuvers Seth had put it through. Lesser craft would have been torn to pieces by the torque of their own engines, but the Achilles bulk made her just underpowered enough not to tare herself apart during the maneuver, but the rate at which she decelerated was alarmingly slow. The worry as to whether she’d complete the maneuver without crashing had passed though and the massive vessel had come to a steady hover over the pyramid, her vertical lift engines pillowing out massive exhaust streams that were now kicking up even more massive clouds of muddy steam from the swampy ground bellow. The shuttle had been safely dispatched and by now was returning while Seth prepared to take the ship up the moment the shuttle was in the hanger. He’d even thrown a security camera feed from the main hanger up on one of the viewing plates so as to know the exact moment the shuttle was on the deck. Captain Beshtock’s voice rang in over the communicator, telling the blonde man what he already knew, the shuttle was on approach and thankfully unmolested so far. Meanwhile the Sword’s computer had redirected the battleship’s weapons to fire in every direction possible, throwing up a shroud of weapon’s fire that would hopefully keep any more pursuing craft at bay. Dividing his attention now between the main screen showing alternating gun camera views and the other monitor showing the main hanger, Seth watched the shuttle’s approach and the fireworks display the ship was putting on. A minute later and the shuttle was gliding into the hanger, touching down near one of the Sword’s hanger ramps. As soon as Seth saw jets from the shuttle’s vertical lift engines burn out, he shoved the main throttle control to the wall and gently pulled back on the battleship’s controls. The result was a massive, near explosion of glowing exhaust from the Achilles’ main engines and the gradual acceleration of the giant ship. The vessel’s entire structure rumbled as the engines were pushed to their operational limits, and if Oriana had followed his instructions, beyond. Their ascent had to be fast so as to escape the enemy guns and although the Sword was faster and the crew would likely be plastered to the rear walls, she had not the durability of this great hulk. “Captain, we’re on ascent. We’ll have vacuum in two minutes and be ready to jump shortly after.” ‘…I think…’ Seth stated into the intercom and then added the last bit silently. He’d been so preoccupied with getting the ship down and then back up again he’d not spent any time figuring out the FTL drive controls. “If you could get mister Luck up to the bridge though it would help matters greatly.” He finally decided to add, seeing no shame in asking for a little help in guiding a ship that was meant to be crewed by thousands, not two. |
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“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” “I've never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a 'fat cat' and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a 'public-spirited philanthropist'. Ronald Reagan Remember, I'm watching you... and I know what you've done. Dark Rain, Dark Rain über alles, Über alles in der Net …
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| Arius Daemonis | 22 Feb 2012, 15:09 Post #462 |
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Guardian of the Dark Rain
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Streaks of fire cascaded down from the Achilles’ dorsal as it rose into the heavens. Alien drop pods screeched down all around it, some even colliding on its hull, but these were no boarding craft, and they simply burst apart like ripe fruits, disgorging their payload of Geratzul warriors to tumble and thrash into the air and disappear into the carpet-forest far below. They had made it safely back on board, and Carl had never been happier to have the familiar panels of the Achilles beneath his boots once more. There was no time to relax though. From the constant reverberations running through the ship, and the dulled rumble of impacts, the dive into atmosphere and hasty withdrawal, not to mention the punishment being meted out by the alien fleet was taking its toll on the old war-horse. ‘Rex, get Ghost to the medi-bay, keep him safe,’ called Carl over his shoulder, as he rushed in the opposite direction alongside Dane. The android was already wheeling a comatose Ghost towards the medi-bay on a portable gurney. Bursting on to the bridge, Carl realised just how exhausted he was. His head rushed, and a curtain of black rose up over his vision, forcing him to lean against the wall. Strong hands guided him into the reassuring embrace of his command chair, where he buried his head in his hands, struggling to regain his composure. Dane nodded to Seth, and threw himself into the helmsman’s module. He tore off his helmet unceremoniously, shrugging his weapons and pack from his shoulders as he harnessed himself into his chair. His hands went into a flurry at the controls, snapping back levers and flicking switches. The deep space travel systems of the Achilles began to rouse. As Carl’s vision cleared and his head calmed, he looked up to watch from the viewport as the ship punched through the thick smog of fumes that had gathered in the planet’s atmosphere from the presence of so many ships and the descending drop pods. As they gained height, and the deep blues of the sky turned to the smothering blacks of space, the Geratzul fleet came into view. It was a sight to make even the most stoic of fleet commander’s baulk. What must have been over a hundred ships of all sizes and shapes clustered in about the world, each one vomiting what appeared to be an endless stream of drop pods, while the vast and crude guns of the closest ships spat ordnance at the Achilles. Hull integrity indicators gave only bad news. ‘Captain! We’ve got two ships on collision course with us! Closing fast!’ yelled Dane, apparently fulfilling more than his designation as helmsman. ‘I think they’re trying to ram us.’ ‘Time to impact?’ ‘Estimate at seven minutes. The FTL won’t be ready by then!’ ‘Target and destroy then! Full broadsides!’ barked Carl, his mind sharpening to the situation. The brutal weapon batteries of the Achilles belched house sized rounds and blistering laser salvoes from either side. Chunks of the enemy vessels were vaporised or blown clear to spin away in space. Clouds of rock debris and venting gases poured out into the void, but still the two alien vessels came on towards the warship, one on each side, to crush the Achilles between them like a fly amidst palms. And crush it they would. Carl’s ship was a veritable juggernaut, but the Geratzul craft were hulking monstrosities of steel and stone, like meteorites given malign purpose. They would most likely destroy themselves in the impact as well, but somehow Carl didn’t think the aliens would mind. ‘Again!’ stressed Carl, and the guns roared silently into space once more. Rubble and fire, but the Geratzul craft were unrelenting in their advance. Carl could see the damage dealt to the enemy ships, the metal infrastructure that had been revealed beneath the layer of meteor-like rock, the electrical fires that were bleeding out into space, the venting oxygen. And he knew it didn’t matter. The speed they had built up now was unstoppable. Even if the formidable firepower of the Achilles had achieved critical damage on the enemy vessels, ruptured power cores and destroyed engines, the sheer momentum would carry them into collision nonetheless. The only way to stop them would be to obliterate them entirely, and while his ship had that capacity, it didn’t have the time. ‘Four minutes Captain!’ Carl could hear the urgency in the young man’s voice, and it chilled his blood. Then inspiration struck in the haphazard and serendipitous way that it does. A glancing impact from enemy fire sent a tremor through the bridge, and the artefact sphere tumbled from Carl’s satchel. He watched it as it rolled along the deck. It reached the diagonal curve of the control panel stand before his chair, and followed it, clearing the stand to roll on a little before coming to a halt at the lip of the command dais. ‘Turn us around!’ he shouted suddenly, the force of his words carrying him to his feet. ‘Bring the prow to face that ship!’ he stabbed a finger at one of the enemy ships as he spoke. Dane set to work even as he protested. ‘Captain, whatever you’re planning they’ll hit before we’re fully about.’ ‘I’m counting on it,’ he said, retrieving the sphere from the floor and buckling himself in. ‘Commander, I suggest you buckle up.’ And the Geratzul ships did hit. The Achilles was in the process of swinging round, so instead of slamming into the flat of its flanks, they caught at an angle and like marbles rolling along a ramp, were carried clear by their momentum. Hull integrity warnings blared, and a dozen damage indicators screeched as the entire ship was shook as though in the grips of a violent seizure. ‘FTL primed!’ came Dane’s voice in the madness and it was all Carl could do through the rattling of his teeth to scream ‘Go!’ With a groan of protest, the Achilles’ FTL activated, and ripped the venerable battleship away from the enigma world, away from Naiava and the tree people, away from the chitin-sheathed nightmares of the catacombs and away from the Geratzul invasion fleet. As Carl resigned himself to the blaring of warning klaxons, he wondered whether they had achieved what they had been supposed to at that world. They have left an entire species to what was very likely a death sentence, and come no closer to unlocking the mystery of the secret weapon. Had there been more to that pyramid? Had they left the job half done? He couldn’t know, and there was no returning now. He would just have to hope that more was revealed at the next destination. ‘Captain, damage levels are in the extreme,’ came the voice of Dane from the helm-console in front and below of the command dais. The man seemed considerably calmer now, despite his report. Carl held up a hand to quiet him. ‘We’re alive. The Achilles will hold. We’ll make what repairs we have to when we drop out.’ Dane nodded, and returned to monitoring the ship’s status, doing his best to curtail what damage he could while they were in hyper drive. They hadn’t been rammed into oblivion by the Geratzul ships, but in their passage they had ravaged vast sections of the hull, destroying many weapon batteries and scything off sensor domes and communication arrays. Carl had no doubt that he had severely wounded his ship, and the disquieting prospect that it might not make it through this mission occurred to him for the first time. The ship had always been indestructible in his eyes, but now he was realising just how far he was pushing it. Past even the considerable limits it had been designed to endure. He sagged in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt like sleeping, and his body complied. The black crept back, and the final words he muttered before sleep forcibly parted him from consciousness were, ‘Fine work by the way Commander Barns, fine work indeed.’ |
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Roleplays I am in: Distant Stars Proximo Cowards and Fools: Civilisation The Ghosts of Altressa The Awakening Odin IV | |
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| Syaoran | 23 Feb 2012, 07:45 Post #463 |
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Why are you such a sour puss?
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The ship rocked too and fro in the great struggle in the void. The project just layed back in his bed, having dismissed Rex to go tend to others on the ship, fires becoming a frequent occurrence in the battle. He did not wish to move, hands resting upon his stomach, left onto right, the only noise in his mind was the soft breathing inside his shell, blinking gently in the relaxing horror that was his transformation. Ghost was anew, and still evolving with each passing thought. To have served a master so horrible, and only to realise it after all these years. It could drive a man mad, this beast being no exception. A droid slowly buzzed its way over, half leaning over him to scan his body, speaking in a voice so very distant. The project watched himself from afar as his microphone clicked and he asked for the lights to be switched to emergency, and it was done so, going from fluorescent to a dark red. At this he gave them permission to remove his armour, each bit hissing as it came away, being placed before him either on his tray table or just next to him on the bed, blood and remains of the battle staining the bed. Slowly moving in, his conciousness returned to his frame, reaching out to his helmet and fiddling at the neck-guard. Narrowing the gaze, the beast removed a tooth that was embedded in the metal. As it was removed, the hole immediately melted into itself, forming back into a perfect surface. Holding it up, Ghost turned it this way and that, observing its curved, carnivorous characteristics. A Rival's tooth...He did not know why, but Ghost wanted to keep it. It had no value, no use at all, but he still required it to sate his feelings. Looking at it, he felt the pressure around his neck where one had tried to decapitate him, his other hand rubbing at the spot as if mortally wounded by the memory. Without warning, he winced. So caught up in the fascination, he had forgotten his own pain. “Soldier...you are suffering from THIRD DEGREE BURNS found INSIDE YOUR BODY...” The synthetic voice blurted out, diagnosis formed via vox while the rest the same calming voice shared by all bots. “CAN NOT TREAT...CAN OFFER PAIN MANAGEMENT.” Trying to move his arms caused a flow of lava that wrought the edges of his bones, his implants having warmed to such a degree as to cook his own flesh during his last stand. “Sure...” He gurgled out, and the bot leaned over, injecting into his permanent IV insert. Water rushed over the lava, solidifying into stone, the beast leaning back on his headboard once more, eyes glazing over as he continued to observe his stationary armour. Now feeling nothing, he felt free to explore the torso with touch, reaching over, still sitting back and passing it over the sides, feeling the slick surface, the blood coating his pads and matting the fur that he called hair. However, he paused at the waist joint, feeling in a crevice and pulling force from it something organic. It was a piece of Her. An end joint of a vine had become lodged in the side of his torso and ripped asunder in the first encounter. It was still fresh and stiff, malleable but retaining its form. Slowly he turned it this way and that, up and down, ignoring the flow of crying men and women as they flooded the med bay, burnt or injured during their escape. He brought it close to his face and smelt it gently, trying his best to find a description for his first scent of the female. It was harsh, and black, cracking at the edges, and writhing, but flowing like a river. It was bitter, matching his emotions towards her. But did she really deserve such a thing? Slowly he looked from the appendage to his IV, it stained with an unknown amount of medicine and fluids. Now that he had what he assumed to be morphine in him, he did not want to end her as he once did, in fact, he did not want any harm upon anything at all. He was content being a God, without having to exert his power. From the sound of the war, Ghost was sure he would never see her again, and he felt a pang that he had not before. It crushed his throat and crackled down to his heart. The only other who could understand what was happening, to give him answers to questions unable to be asked, was now damned. And because he was not the one to damn her, he could not call upon her conciousness. He rubbed his thumb over the torn end, breathing slowly as his eyes began to grow heavy. Pulling at his purple jumpsuit, he found his left most top pocket on the torso of the fabric, sliding the piece of vine into it. Time will rot its insides, but Ghost will find a way to keep it, even if he had to go planet side to do so. With a soft hand, he reached forward and took the tooth from the table, sliding it into a strap on the armour's hip. While it paled in comparison to the newly found vine, it still needed to be preserved from the zealous orderly bots that cleaned this area. With nothing left, the project's head fell back against the wall and fell into unconsciousness. And for once, he dreamt not a dream to fear. |
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Had sex, undressed, saw her boobies and the rest! Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: whats to say im not an idiot now Bri: I love you, Gavin says: o.o The lack of penguins. Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: so to be an idiot, you must have penguins Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: ? Bri: I love you, Gavin says: >> Bri: I love you, Gavin says: << Bri: I love you, Gavin says: Yes. --- Bri: To you, I pledge my eternal soul says: You are the.. genuinly good nature show on my public broadcasting line up. Codemaster of Teal's CD | |
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| TheZamboniKnight | 27 Feb 2012, 01:02 Post #464 |
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I am Nathan Fillion.
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To be quite honest Oriana wasn't exactly sure what was going on. That was one of the curses of being an engineer; people tended to forget about you while they were rushing around on the bridge or doing whatever it was they did on the upper decks. Though, to be honest, that was kind of how she liked it. Oriana worked better alone. She liked being with her dad, but when it came right down to it she just liked solitude more. The Achilles was big enough to make her rethink her fondness of flying solo- especially when things started getting a little more active than was strictly good for them. "Fuck! Shit! What the fuck are you doing?!" Oriana yelled, partially to the machinery and partially to the universe at large as she snatched her hand away from a burning hot piece of metal. She already had a small new collection of electrical burns on her wrists and fingers, and there was a new scorch mark on her sleeve. "Y'ain't bein' cute! Cut it out!" She gave the part that had burned her a stern look and carefully reached out again. She followed her father's way of thinking about gloves: they got in the way. Besides, why let all those callouses go to waste? Work was good for a body. "Motherfucker!" This kind of work, however, could fast run a body into ruin. She shook her burnt hand and stubbornly finished the task she had started before hurrying to the next. It was kind of worrisome, to be completely honest. Oriana was running back and forth so much she was probably losing weight. By the amount of sweat pouring off her face this thought probably wasn't exaggerated. She was too out of shape to be dealing with this boat's technical difficulties by herself. In a quiet pocket she leaned against a wall and wheezed, trying to catch her breath. What the hell was this ship doing? If she wasn't so focused on her work she probably would have caught some hint of what was going on, but breathing and rushing around at the same time was becoming increasingly difficult. |
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"Drug induced awesome is not awesome, but a pretender to awesome. True awesome comes naturally from within oneself." Doc | |
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| Hyede | 2 Mar 2012, 16:08 Post #465 |
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Resident Shirtless Bishonen
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Seth did not have long to wait before Dane and the Captain arrived on the bridge, or rather heard them arriving on the bridge. His attention was still consumed by guiding the ship back up through the atmosphere and when he had a moment, hitting the appropriate buttons to spin up the FTL drive. After that tough it would have been a crapshoot as he’d never used such an antiquated jump controller before. Thankfully the two men who did know how to use the system properly had arrived and as soon as Dane was beside him, eth vacated the seat and moved to one of the ancillary consuls. With the ship in it’s proper pilot’s hands, Seth should assist in other areas, namely weapon’s control. The Sword’s computer was doing an admirable job or coordinating the Achilles’ vast array of weaponry but if anything happened to that data link between the two computer systems, the weapons and anything else the Sword’s computer was plugged into would return to their default controls, meaning in this case, the weapons would fall silent. As they arced out of the atmosphere and into the airless void between the stars, it looked as though those systems were very much in demand. Dane announced two targets incoming and as soon as the Captain ordered that their weapon’s fire be redirected, the order was relayed, the computers responded and the guns swiveled to face the enemy. It didn’t seem to be enough though and the massive vessel was forced into a turn that was akin to some of the maneuvers only smaller ships like the Sword were capable of. It was still obvious they were going to hit though so Seth did the only thing he could do. “Lieutenant, enemy vessels attempting to ram, brace for impact.” he called into the intercom and then tapped the appropriate controls to seal every bulkhead in the ship in order to isolate the damage and inevitable escaping atmosphere as much as possible. The impact was catastrophic, at least that’s the way the Commander felt it. Braced in his chair he would have been thrown to the floor or into one of the walls had it not been for the safety restraints. The Achilles’ rapid turn and subsequent collision with the enemy craft shuddered through the entirety of the ship and at once Seth noticed several monitors on the bridge go dead. He immediately knew the significance of the event, something had happened to the Sword, or at the very least it’s data link with the Achilles. With weapons back under manual control, Seth tried his hand at targeting and managed to get off a few pot shots at the near obliterated enemy vessels before they jumped into FTL flight. With the ship now safe in the quasi-spatial layer beyond normal space, Seth took the time to confer with his own crew about damage while Dane and the Captain discussed the Achilles’ condition. The intercom was out, another indication the data link had been severed and Seth had to resort to his wrist communicator. “Styles, report.” the blonde ordered, more worried then authoritative. “Commander, reports coming in now sir. We’ve lost the data link and appear to have slid about seventy feet down the length of the hanger. There’s minor damage to the underside of the hull but it appears we’ve lost the portside mid-ship and portside aft landing legs. They mush have crumpled when we started moving. Sickbay is only reporting minor injuries.” Styles replied, relaying reports from the Operations Officers. “Hmmm, sounds like we’ll have to cut gravity in the hanger for repairs… Very well, secure the ship as best you can. As soon as we have the time I’ll talk to the Captain about sitting still so we can free float the Sword. Barns out.” Seth responded still looking worried. The Sword was his baby and to hear that she’d been damaged, even with as something as trivial as broken landing struts was troubling. The Captain addressing him though pulled his thoughts away from his own ship and back to the situation at hand, as well as adding a sense of satisfaction to the day’s events. Before Seth could reply though the exhausted Officer had fallen asleep in his chair, leaving Seth alone with Dane. “Hmmm, you know I think that’s the first time he’s ever actually complimented me.” Seth stated, unbuckling from his seat and approaching Dane’s. “What is our course?” he asked, not having been paying attention to the FTL controls when they jumped. He’d been too busy taking those last few shots at the enemy ships before the universe spaghettified around him during their transit to faster the light speed. |
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“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” “I've never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a 'fat cat' and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a 'public-spirited philanthropist'. Ronald Reagan Remember, I'm watching you... and I know what you've done. Dark Rain, Dark Rain über alles, Über alles in der Net …
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| Arius Daemonis | 5 Mar 2012, 02:16 Post #466 |
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Guardian of the Dark Rain
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Dane didn't drag his eyes from the screen. He couldn't. A dozen, dozen icons and warnings demanded his attention, and considering the damage that had been done to the ship, he didn't dare ignore them. The Achilles would need repairs, which would be both timely and difficult. Fortunately the army of droids that Rex had awoken would prove invaluable to the task, as much of the damage had been sustained to the exterior of the hull, and that which was interior had rendered the areas hazardous. He made a mental note to put Rex and Oriana in charge of the repairs should the Captain not awake by the time they re-entered real space. After a long moment of concentration, Dane tilted his head upwards slightly to show he had heard and was about to answer the Commander's question, though he still didn't take his eyes from the many control panels and screens before him. 'We're headed towards the next set of co-ordinates that were deduced from the data we acquired from the Geratzul ship. Hopefully, we'll find the second piece of the puzzle there, perhaps something similar to the pyramid device we activated. I just wish we'd had time to study it longer,' he said, frowning in frustration. 'We've still got a lot to learn about the Geratzul method of communication and space travel. Their interception back there was timely, uncannily so, and I'm not quite sure how they managed to even get a word out to summon reinforcements with the speed at which we destroyed their fleet.' Dane paused momentarily with his damage control, considering the transmission he had overheard between Seth and his crew man. 'The Achilles wasn't designed to harbour a ship like the Sword, but perhaps we could look into having some of the droid teams install docking clamps so she is more secure?' |
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Roleplays I am in: Distant Stars Proximo Cowards and Fools: Civilisation The Ghosts of Altressa The Awakening Odin IV | |
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| Hyede | 2 Apr 2012, 02:31 Post #467 |
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Resident Shirtless Bishonen
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Seth nodded and looked back to the Captain, still sleeping in his command chair. The adventure down on the planet must have been exhausting but had also carried with it that their arrival had doomed a newly discovered civilization. A return to the mystery planet would have to wait though, the human civilization came first, only when they had destroyed the immediate threat could a force be marshaled and sent to liberate the alien planet. Hopefully there would be something to liberate when they did arrive. “Very well, and good suggestion. The only reason I’d not instituted such a project is I hadn’t planned on taking a battle ship on a dive through the atmosphere and the techs on my ship were busy with the internal laser system.” the Commander started to reply and then the eerie message he’d received resurfaced in his thoughts. It was that message that was the only reason he hadn’t launched the Sword and thus avoided the damage that had been done to it. “Oh, mister Luck, I know you have your hands full, but once we’re on auto guidance and after you’ve cleaned up, do you think it might be possible to assist me in tracking down a message sent over the ship’s intercom system. I don’t know if these older ships do but the Sword’s intercom records everything and was hoping the Achilles might have a similar mechanism.” Seth paused and glanced back at the captain then to the ship’s status displays and continued. “I’d normally just ask Rex or Oriana but they are undoubtedly going to be busy with damage control and my own technicians are all tending to the Sword. Again, I’m not asking as ship’s commander, just a favor when you have some free time.” |
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“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” “I've never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a 'fat cat' and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a 'public-spirited philanthropist'. Ronald Reagan Remember, I'm watching you... and I know what you've done. Dark Rain, Dark Rain über alles, Über alles in der Net …
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| Arius Daemonis | 10 May 2012, 06:11 Post #468 |
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Guardian of the Dark Rain
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The Achilles gradually fell from a state of roaring agony to groaning discontent. The venerable Battleship was by no means cured of its ailments, not even in the slightest, but for now its redundancy systems and fail safe controls would keep it alive as it completed its hyperspace journey, which in itself was only occurring at forty per cent efficiency. He had sent a hail to Rex, who would even now be overseeing what repairs he could, guiding the teams of maintenance droids through the ravaged decks of the ship. A sense of weary relief settled, because they had survived and escaped and though the price had been high, they could hope to have achieved something on that enigma world. Something that would bring them one step closer to winning them this war. ‘Of course, Commander,’ said Dane, swivelling in his seat to a different set of screens. He worked in silence for a moment, bringing up the logs of all communications that had taken place in the last three hours. He transferred them to a main console, and leaned aside so the Commander could see as he gestured to the information. ‘Here are the last few transmissions to, from and relayed by the Achilles, Commander,’ noted Dane, ‘Everything that went through the intercom is here. It’s exclusively the communications between the Captain and yourself when we were planet side, and any inter-ship co-ordination that took place with the Sword.’ Dane looked up at Seth, and frowned as he noted what he thought was a look of puzzlement on the Commander’s face. He could be wrong though. He too had been greatly taxed by their recent endeavours, and could feel the need to rest settling heavily on his shoulders and eye lids. ‘Are these what you need, Commander? If you’re looking to compose a mission report, I can send them to the Sword for you.’ + + Project Ghost, Model S + + The words, spoken or read, hard to tell, invaded the silence of the unconscious mind, like imposters to thought. + + Project Ghost, Model S + + + + You are unauthorised to cease functionality + + + + Awake + + + + Do not forget the vow you made to us + + + + Awake + + |
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Roleplays I am in: Distant Stars Proximo Cowards and Fools: Civilisation The Ghosts of Altressa The Awakening Odin IV | |
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| Syaoran | 12 May 2012, 08:42 Post #469 |
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Why are you such a sour puss?
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The emptyness was pierced through with pangs of adrenaline. Each passing echo of nothing was bridged by a sharp increase in heartbeat. The cold was flooded with the warmth of conciousness, a blue image turning red. Opening his eyes, he once more saw the darkness of his veil. It couldn't have been more than ten, maybe twenty minutes since he had closed his eyes. The project growled to himself at how tired he still felt. Maybe this was why he would go into stasis rather than using a bed, but without a repeated attempt, he would never know. Shifting his legs, sitting on the edge of his bed, he held the side of his head, gripping at the sheets with the other. He had heard the voice as clear as he felt the techniques of warfare, and the voice, it was so far away, yet at his core. Ghost knew the person, some how, but couldn't place the ID tag to it, nor a code name, or a name itself. With a sigh, his hand slid back across his head and pulled at his tattered hood, pulling it atop his head, covering the large ears that defined him as different. Almost lunging at the noise, Ghost withheld his instinct to destroy the sudden noise that was coming towards himself, recognising the soft whirr as a medical bot, most likely to treat the patient in the bed next to his. The project was surprised however to hear , “...do I detect pain, soldier?” That synthetic voice describing an odd, and noticeable, fake sympathy. “Its only my head...its nothing.” And as if the bot knew, it had already forced two pills into the beast's hand, and began to whirr away. Strange, medication that goes through the mouth. Being a good patient, trusting the attention of the programmed professional as he had so many times before, swallowed down the chalk smelling pieces without a second thought. He almost dozed off as he began to clack his armour on in his usual fashion, having done it so many times before his brain needed not tell the body what to do. What does one do in down time? Or rather, is this time down time? Either way, he would need to see his Keeper. He paused for just a moment with his helmet hovering over his head, eyes closed shut from lack of eyeband. His nostrils forced him to stay exposed as he took in the scent. Flesh. There is nothing quite like the smell of blackened skin and hair, and with such explosions across the vessel, there was no lack of them here. It was strange the way it reminded him of past days that he was sure never happened. Strange how he knew he had never smelt it before, but the way it made his maw salivate for more. He conciousness snapped back into attention, and he clasped the helmet onto his head, the usual hiss closing him from the universe. Adorning himself in his damaged, and depleted rifle, he made his way to the bridge, bypassing blocks and checks by just his own appearance, no soldier wishing to stop him on whatever task they assumed the captain had given him. With as soft footfalls as he could manage, he slid into the bridge, ignoring both Dane and Seth, taking his position to the left of the captain's chair, slightly in front, clasping his rifle at the low in both hands. And thus, he turned in true military style to the chair front, clasping his heels together and letting the rifle fall to its strap. “Keeper, I am ready for duty once more.” Was he ready? It would seem that his unconscious step had allowed his mind to regress some partial thoughts of the last day. He himself, could not understand why, for he could not even remember. It was strange the way his Keeper was sitting still, saying nothing, with a less than normal heart rate. For according to Ghost, he was just an ID Tag attached to a red body on a screen. |
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Had sex, undressed, saw her boobies and the rest! Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: whats to say im not an idiot now Bri: I love you, Gavin says: o.o The lack of penguins. Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: so to be an idiot, you must have penguins Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: ? Bri: I love you, Gavin says: >> Bri: I love you, Gavin says: << Bri: I love you, Gavin says: Yes. --- Bri: To you, I pledge my eternal soul says: You are the.. genuinly good nature show on my public broadcasting line up. Codemaster of Teal's CD | |
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| Syaoran | 20 May 2012, 08:17 Post #470 |
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Why are you such a sour puss?
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The following is an exert from the manual: The Diary of Dr. Tamaday Li, I have spent my life working towards engineering a perfect soul, however, today after saying goodbye to my husband, I realised that my life has, in fact, been spent trying to remove the soul from a body. As per my earlier writings, one can see that S01, and S03, both failed due to an abundance of belonging, and as such, I have written a new formulae. It is sad to think that for the sake of peace, one must make war, and to make war, one must remove reason. I can't take this any more. Each and every bastardisation of my great great grandfather's vision rips at my very insides. He sought to make perfection, someone of so much will and ability, that its future was litterally endless, and here I am, with my scapel, taking away its organs and replacing it with grenades. They wont read this. What is one doctor's diary in the mass that is a military complex? For those who read this page, number 10 325R, you have the power to run, to hide. I shall continue the process of making S05, but only so that I can implant into him a piece that no general can extract. I shall give him the gift of thought. My friend will take my memory segmentation, and place it in the opt code of the nanites that shall course his body. The gift that makes him unstopable, shall also make him uncommandable when it comes to his final purpose. This, I fear, shall allow him to do as he pleases, and since he will know only the call of battle, will mean he shall choose to destroy everything. S05, if you ever read this. I am so sorry, but I had to make you perfect enough to flaw you in such a way as to make the S project unviable. Forgive me. |
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Had sex, undressed, saw her boobies and the rest! Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: whats to say im not an idiot now Bri: I love you, Gavin says: o.o The lack of penguins. Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: so to be an idiot, you must have penguins Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: ? Bri: I love you, Gavin says: >> Bri: I love you, Gavin says: << Bri: I love you, Gavin says: Yes. --- Bri: To you, I pledge my eternal soul says: You are the.. genuinly good nature show on my public broadcasting line up. Codemaster of Teal's CD | |
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| Hyede | 24 May 2012, 04:05 Post #471 |
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Resident Shirtless Bishonen
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Studying the transmission logs as Dane brought them up, disappointment did indeed show up on the man’s face. Shaking his head in the negative he replied. “No, it’s not there… What I’m looking for isn’t there.” Seth replied. “A message came through, just prior to the second enemy fleet arriving in orbit. It didn’t come over the normal intercom though but rather through the speakers on the clocks, the door chime and other displays. It was strange to say the least. Can you…” the Commander was asking when suddenly the Captain’s experimental bodyguard announced his presence on the bridge. The blonde was too busy looking over the logs and speaking with Dane to have noticed the machine animal’s arrival. Had he been a lesser man Seth might have jumped at the sudden and loud voice, instead his back merely stiffened with momentary shock. “The Captain is resting. I’m sure he would appreciate it if you didn’t disturb him.” Seth responded to the Project. He wasn’t sure just what the being did and did not understand, but surely everyone could recognize a state of sleep when they saw it, right? He didn’t have time to teach the experiment though as there were too many things to get done, his own experiment had been damaged when it slid down the length of the Achilles’ hanger for one thing. “What about the bridge recorder?” Seth continued, returning his attention to Dane. “Surely we have one, even on a ship this old. Could we play back the last half hour or so of footage and see if what I’m looking for is there?” the man inquired. “If it’s too much trouble I’ll handle it from my quarters on the sword once we get the data line plugged in again. We seem to have nothing but time on our hands until we get where we’re going.” |
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“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” “I've never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a 'fat cat' and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a 'public-spirited philanthropist'. Ronald Reagan Remember, I'm watching you... and I know what you've done. Dark Rain, Dark Rain über alles, Über alles in der Net …
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| Syaoran | 26 May 2012, 12:53 Post #472 |
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Why are you such a sour puss?
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The project turned his head to the other on the bridge, returning it to gaze upon his Keeper's slumped body. Sleep. If one was not aware of such a thing, one could believe the man to be on his deathbed with such slow responses and life signs. “It would explain his low heart beat...” He spoke through his speaker in a self reflecting tone. He shouldered his rifle and turned, his heels clacking gently together to face the Barns. He was ordered by a voice he knew to be authoritative, someone with power, and thus, he must follow the directive to 'not forget his vow'. The next in line of command was Barns. Rather, however, all Keepers have the same authority, it is just that the project would prefer to take orders from Barns than Dane. To Ghost, Dane was still a grey blur. Nothing defined him, and not easy to trust. Dane just seemed to come out of nowhere, out of convenience. It was just too easy. With a turn, the beast's heels clicked together gently to face Barns. “Keeper Barns, I must follow orders, and I have none. It appears you require something, maybe I can assist you. If not that, then some other task?” And while he was at it, find out about Barn's specifics. The man had promised him a flame-thrower, and morphine, and has had many a disagreement with the avatar of Death. His true mission included his head, and thus, any and all information would make his job easier. With a click, he became a silent metallic being once more, his heartbeat ever increasing in pace at the prospect of ending the leader's life. |
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Had sex, undressed, saw her boobies and the rest! Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: whats to say im not an idiot now Bri: I love you, Gavin says: o.o The lack of penguins. Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: so to be an idiot, you must have penguins Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: ? Bri: I love you, Gavin says: >> Bri: I love you, Gavin says: << Bri: I love you, Gavin says: Yes. --- Bri: To you, I pledge my eternal soul says: You are the.. genuinly good nature show on my public broadcasting line up. Codemaster of Teal's CD | |
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| Arius Daemonis | 30 May 2012, 20:41 Post #473 |
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Guardian of the Dark Rain
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'I'm not exactly familiar with the ship,' said Dane slowly, his eyes locked on to the armoured form of Ghost while his words were directed at the Commander, 'but let's take a look.' For the first time since Ghost had walked on to the Bridge, Dane took his eyes off of the project and returned them to the controls before him. It didn't take him long to find the bridge recorder, and he put the feed from fourteen cameras up on to the main screen. Dane filtered through the video, fast forwarding it right up until the point where the Achilles bridge doors slid open and Seth strode on to the bridge. His transmission with the Sword crew played out and then- Dane slapped the pause key as simultaneously all fourteen video feeds dissolved into white noise and flickering static screens. ‘What the..’ Dane cursed, rubbing his ear against the painful noise that had erupted from the speakers. He spent a silent minute working at the consoles, before looking up at the Commander again, but not before his eyes had flickered over the still form of Ghost. Why did they call the thing Ghost anyway? There was nothing subtle about the beast. ‘I can’t get the video back Commander,’ he said, ‘it cuts out at that point and I’m not entirely sure why. Did the ship come under fire at that point? That may have caused some disruption to the cameras. I can go through to see if it comes back.’ He did so, and the video resumed with the sound of Oriana’s voice, coming through on the bridge intercom, followed by the Commander’s response. “Don’t worry, I thought it best not to leave you alone here so I’m up on the bridge.” Dane hit the pause key again. ‘The video resumes from here, Commander. The transmission you’re talking about could have only taken place during the distortion. Might I ask from who and with what message this transmission was?’ |
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Roleplays I am in: Distant Stars Proximo Cowards and Fools: Civilisation The Ghosts of Altressa The Awakening Odin IV | |
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| Syaoran | 4 Jun 2012, 11:18 Post #474 |
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Why are you such a sour puss?
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The following is an extract from the Manual: Project M-92 Following the failures of all previous sentient machinery, the program has moved unto a new area of expertise under the directive of the S program. Utilising the A.I augmentations we have created, we are to make a suit with a living Op Code that can easily be integrated into individual pilots. Our carapace has already been used in the creation of battle armour (both infantry and space navy) and thus we are to combine our alloys with existing exoskeletons for the upcoming Project S. We will begin by converting standard medicinal skeletons used in the rehabilitation of fallen soldiers, and, from there, move up the exoskeleton tree until such a time that one of sufficient size, and ability is found. FILE NOT FOUND FILE NOT FOUND FILE NOT FOUND It went berserk again, took out half of the station this time. We are going to delete M-04 and attempt to use M-12. FILE NOT FOUND Minor success, cognitive learning and loyalty, however, it learned of its existence, and once more killed itself. Moving back to phase 2. FILE NOT FOUND FILE NOT FOUND FILE NOT FOUND FILE NOT FOUND High Command has given us the next month to finish something tangible, otherwise we are being merged back into Sec Com. To be honest, I wouldn't mind a desk job for a while. FILE ERROR FILE RETRACTED The project has come to an end, however, we have, in conjunction with S03 created a working suit, it was too late for High Command and so we are to abandon our station and leave it as a storage yard. They didn't even want to take M132 with them...such a waste of such a beautiful woman. Project M132: Type: Medium B19 Exoskeleton Conversion Alias: Mech Cost: $832 193 213.52 Function: A learning battle exoskeleton utilising the most advanced alloys on offer for the century. Hollow on its interior, it is a pilot-able vehicle to be driven by an individual wearing an S class suit. It currently can not function without a pilot. Production was ceased due to RETRACTED. The B19 has been modified to include enhanced armour, and extra weapon modifications including a long range artillery sniper rifle and self aiming machine turrets. For full specifications, please see Mech: Engineers Report. One of only a handful of armoured suits that are designed for any form of combat, including space, hostile environments and water (both above and below). Currently there exists only one known model, located at the now defunct Project M Research Facility. See also: I Miss You, A.I Development Program, High Command, Retraction, Project M, Spacial Deployable Armour, Project S |
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Had sex, undressed, saw her boobies and the rest! Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: whats to say im not an idiot now Bri: I love you, Gavin says: o.o The lack of penguins. Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: so to be an idiot, you must have penguins Fox: If I was asked to describe my perfect day, i'd just say 'Brianna'. says: ? Bri: I love you, Gavin says: >> Bri: I love you, Gavin says: << Bri: I love you, Gavin says: Yes. --- Bri: To you, I pledge my eternal soul says: You are the.. genuinly good nature show on my public broadcasting line up. Codemaster of Teal's CD | |
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| TheZamboniKnight | 5 Jun 2012, 00:34 Post #475 |
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I am Nathan Fillion.
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Breathe. Breathe, lungs. Breathe, god damn it! Oriana was getting the best workout she'd had in a long time as she struggled to keep up with the machines around her. They were in pretty good ship for such an old ship, but whatever they were doing on the bridge was pushing things to their limit. And, in the case of one of the smaller control panels, beyond it. Luckily it was an easy fix, but by the time that was sorted something else had sparked and begun to spout orange flames. She stumbled around the engine room, her fingers somewhat worse for wear as she didn't have time to see to any of her newly acquired burns. They hurt, but you know what would hurt more? Dying. With this in mind, she was able to ignore the inconvenience and focus on her work. Whatever was going on, it was certainly violent. The Achilles was being jolted around like an elevator with a faulty life mechanism. She had to brace herself carefully as she examined the engine or else she might get pitched into it face first. The effort, combined with her continuous movement, made her muscles burn. If I survive this, I'm going to stop eating so much and exercise, she promised herself, giving the engine one last pat and standing up, only to trip over her own shoelaces and almost fly into a wall. Ok, ok, fine, I'm still going to eat, but I will exercise. I promise. The ship rocked violently, throwing her into a corner. She tried to turn herself to avoid damage, but her head still hit the floor with a sharp thunk that she saw as a brief burst of static across her vision. After a moment of disorientation she sat up, gingerly feeling the bump. "What the hell are you doing?!" She yelled hoarsely, slightly dizzy. Her whole body felt like a bruise now, but there was no blood coming from her head and she hauled herself up. She sent a glare in the general direction of the bridge. "Couldn't warn your mechanic 'bout the crazy fuckin' stunts, could you? Ooooh no, it's not like there's dangerous equipment that she can kill herself on down here, why would you do that? She's just runnin' 'round without anything to strap into. That's perfectly safe." She rubbed her eyes and used her hand as a guide on the wall, continuing to do her job as she continued to mutter to herself. She wasn't the only one worse for wear after that jolt; she had a lot of damage control to deal with. The more she fixed, though, the more she realized was broken. There was way more than she could handle by herself here. She did what she could, but her head hurt too much to be ignored. She tried the com, but it appeared to be out. "Great. Just great. How'm I s'pposed to figure out what's going on? Everyone could be dead and I wouldn't know. There could be alien fuckers runnin' around the upper decks. God, that'd suck. I need to get to med bay. Would Geratzul turn off those droid nurse doctor robots? Whatchacallems?" She made her way over to the control panel that controlled coms, but there didn't seem to be anything she could do. It was fried. When she tried to touch it it burned her fingertips. "Ow. Sure. Let's add another one, because Oriana hasn't had a bad enough fucking day already. First mud and now this. What are they payin' me again? Shit. I deserve a fuckin' raise. Where's the captain when you need him?" She considered trying to find someone, but even the thought of that exhausted her. She slid down the wall to sit down instead, resting her head on her arms in an attempt to lessen the pounding. Oriana wasn't a fan of being able to feel her heartbeat in her skull. |
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"Drug induced awesome is not awesome, but a pretender to awesome. True awesome comes naturally from within oneself." Doc | |
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6:16 AM Jun 20
