The Return to Liten (Game Over)

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #0 (isolation #0) » Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:33 pm

The Return to Liten

Moderator: SaintKerrigan

Backup Moderator: Haylen

Reviewed by: bv310

Spoiler: The Living

Spoiler: The Dead

Preceding Game Flavor

(The Prequel) Open 209: The Invasion of Liten

Spoiler: Opening Scene 1

SS

Davy Maybourne

High Orbit, UTP Planet Massotorrido, Medici System
November 26th, 2486 Space Calendar
0233 hours Standard Space Time

The graveyard shift was always a bitch. Ensign Sammy Weiss wearily rubbed her eyes and took another swig of coffee.

Another six hours to go...

Distractedly she eyed the steel-gray mug in her hand, studying the symbol of spacefleet printed on it's side: a crimson laser pistol on top of a white circle, which was encircled by a pair of curved, green olive branches. The colors intrigued her dazed eyes...

A shrill beep emitted from her computer console. Setting the coffee mug down, she looked at the holographic display and saw the pop-up the earlier sound had announced. It read, "Incoming Interstellar Transmission. Priority Alpha-1 Red. Source: Rebel Planet Liten, Tynnfred System."

She raised her eyebrow. Alpha-1 Red transmissions were high-danger red-alerts, on par with planetary invasions. On top of that, it was coming from a rebel planet. Something was going on, here.

"Bertha, answer transmission," she ordered the AID (Artificial Intelligence Design) on her computer terminal. "And flag the transmission for Communications Officer Vivaldi."

"Complying," Bertha's low, smooth voice replied. A black rectangle took up the majority of the holodisplay's visual area and began showing video feed.

Immediately Sammy was startled by the sound of laser rifles firing in the background. A woman, clad in a faux-tiger fur coat in addition to a simple gray jumpsuit, was standing in front of the camera on the other end of the transmission, panting heavily. Behind her, five militia were brandishing laser rifles and facing something to the left of the screen. A door, perhaps? And then there was no time left to wonder as the woman gasped,

"This is Leslie Hampton, Governor of Liten. We're being invaded by the Arkons, and we lack the resources to fight them off. We request immediate aid from Spacefleet."

"Governor Hampton, this is Ensign Weiss of the SS

Davy Maybourne

," Sammy replied. "You are currently considered a rebellious state to the Union of Terran Planets. As such, you may not request--"

"Damn it, then, consider this a surrender!" Hampton shouted. "This pains me, but not as much as getting wiped out by the bloody Arkons!"

"If you're surrendering, I'll need to relay this transmission to our station admiral--" At this point Bertha automatically began to hail Admiral Washiby-- "--as only an admiral can accept--"

"There's not enough time!"

Behind the governor, the militants held their rifles at the ready. One of them said, "Get ready, men."

Hampton sighed and keyed something into her terminal. "I'm transmitting the data we have on an object of alien origin," she stated. "We think it's the reason the Arkons invaded in the first place. We didn't have enough time to figure out what it was, but we know it's damned important!"

On Sammy's screen, a pop-up appeared announcing, "Incoming Data Packet. Priority Alpha-1." She told Bertha to accept the data packet. "The Admiral has been notified, and should be responding shortly, Governor."

"Just get here soon," Leslie growled, "or there won't be anything left to save!"

Suddenly, a large yellow laser shot across the room in the background. One of the militants cried, "They've gotten through!" He and the others opened fire with red laser bursts.

"Shit!" Hampton screeched. "We've got the files uploaded. Just get the hell--"

Suddenly, the display returned to black. A pop-up appeared, reading, "Signal Lost."

"Bertha, attempt to reestablish contact with that transmitter," Sammy ordered, fighting the fingers of ice tap-dancing on her spine.

"Complying."

Two more video boxes, smaller than the first one, appeared on Sammy's display. The right-side box displayed a black-haired man in his thirties--Communications Officer Vivaldi--and the left-hand box displayed an older man with graying wisps of hair and icicle-blue eyes. Station Admiral Washiby.

"Yes, sirs?" Sammy inquired tentatively. "Did you guys get all that?"

"Indeed," Vivaldi replied in a rich, tenor voice.

"Did you get the entire data packet?" Washiby asked.

"Oh, um, yes sir." Sammy ordered Bertha to open the data packet. Immediately a plethora of files appeared on the holodisplay, with a small summary box on the side. Inside the summary box were two things: a picture of an egg-shaped, ebony-black object with a ring of turquoise light running around the widest diameter, and written text that read,

"Unknown Alien Artifact. Discovered: Day 25, Month 13. Dimensions: 0.28m at shortest diameter, 0.81m at longest diameter. Distinctive Properties: Emits a blue light and a quiet hum of 26 decibels. Preliminary scans indicate energy of some form, but will require more extensive tests to be conclusive. --Dr. Joshua Gordon, Lead Scientist"

"I'll get our science team working on this data immediately," Admiral Washiby stated. "Have you been able to reestablish contact with Liten, Ensign?"

"Negative, sir. The transmitter probably got fried."

"Keep trying, anyway. Officer Vivaldi, alert the Admiralty Board of our situation and request a conference transmission to discuss how we're going to respond to this event. Afterward, order Commodore Kerry to recall his crew from shoreleave and report for duty within the next 24 space hours."

"Yes, sir!" Vivaldi and Sammy replied simultaneously.

"Good. Admiral Washiby out."

Spoiler: Opening Scene 2

SS

Davy Maybourne

High Orbit, UTP Planet Massotorrido, Medici System

November 26th, 2486 Space Calendar

0412 hours SST

Admiral Washiby sat on a comfortable, yet stiff black chair, in a tiny low-lit room. In front of him was an opaque, circular, black holotable, and encircling the table were 14 plain, sparse chairs, in addition to Washiby's. Holographic figures were seated in most of these chairs; five were male, eight were female. One chair, however, was devoid of an occupant.

"Has any news been heard on the whereabouts of Admiral Dawkins?" Washiby inquired. "This is a situation of utmost importance, and though I feel the entirety of the Admiralty Board should be available to discuss the implications of the event at hand, we cannot afford to wait any longer."

"I concur," agreed Admiral Gradkowski, an auburn-haired woman in her early forties. Murmurs of assent trickled from the rest of the admiralty. Gazes shifted toward a white-haired, steel-eyed woman in her late fifties, her face bearing the stretched, shiny look of people who underwent wrinkle surgery. "What say you, Supreme Admiral?"

"Very well," the Supreme Admiral responded. "We shall convene this meeting without the presence of Admiral Dawkins. Should he make his entrance at a later time, he shall have to catch up via an AID summary. Now, Admiral Washiby, elucidate us on what has transpired that called for a full meeting of the board."

Reading from a condensed, AID-written summary projected in front of him, Washiby recounted the events of a couple hours ago, having them refer to the data packet he sent them when necessary. In his conclusion, Washiby stated, "Until now, we have not been able to discern a proper motive for an Arkon invasion beyond speculation of manifest destiny and causation of chaos. Now, however, they seem to have a specific objective to their invasion of the planet Liten. It would be in our best interests to retake the planet from the Arkonian forces and deny them whatever it is they're after."

"Hold on," protested Admiral Yakamoto, an aging Japanese man. "This is merely speculation on your part. There is no concrete evidence to support your position. Even if your supposition is true, our forces are spread thinly enough as it is. There are more productive things to do with our armadas than retake a fringe colony that up til now has been in a state of rebellion."

"But Liten is on the border of UTP space!" Admiral Lynch protested, her emerald eyes smoldering with fire. "They could effectively utilize it as a staging ground for a full-scale invasion of the 8th and 9th Sectors! We should deal with this situation now before it grows out of hand!"

"And what do you expect us to do?" growled Admiral Kearns, plucking at his gray mustache. "The 5th, 6th, and 12th Sectors are already war-torn and suffering heavy Arkon occupation. Many of our fleets have already been culled from other systems to defend the systems currently bordering Arkon-occupied territory. The

Davy Maybourne

already has a significant fighting force in the 89th Fleet. They should be able to handle any light Arkon incursion, and if the situation worsens they can get off the alert."

"Do you have no concern for our border worlds?" Lynch seethed. "These are

our

people, dammit!"

"We do not have the resources to protect every single world!" Kearns insisted. "You know that as well as I do! It's a terrible fact, but there it is."

"You just have no concern because it's not

your

people that are going to die!"

"Order!" All eyes focused on the Supreme Admiral. "We all know how precarious the Arkon situation is, and we all know that ugly decisions must be made. Please keep the emotional aspect out of your consideration.

Suddenly, a notice flashed in front of Admiral Washiby, stating, "Alpha-1 Intrastation message incoming." Lines of text began scrawling across the holodisplay. His eyes widened as he read.

"Admiral Washiby, what's happening?" inquired the Supreme Admiral.

"I'm receiving a summary from my science team." Slumping into his chair in exhaustion, he continued, "According to the Liten data, that object is capable of generating high amounts of power, with no physical cost. In other words, the device is a source of infinite energy."

Stares of shocked silence could be found in abundance at that point in time. "This...this isn't a joke, right?" Admiral Yakamoto queried.

Admiral Washiby shook his head. "My scientists seem certain about this."

"But isn't limitless energy...impossible?" protested Admiral Gradkowski weakly.

Admiral Kombu an elderly, balding black man, stated, "This changes things entirely. If that device is a source of infinite energy, not only can we ill-afford to allow the Arkons to possess it, it would be to our great advantage to secure this device for our own needs. This could advance our technology by tenfold, and indeed may be the key to fending off the Arkon menace."

"But even if this device is what it claims it is, we can't just divert our forces from their current locations," Kearns objected. "We're having a hell of a time holding our own as it is."

"Does it matter?" Lynch insisted. "If we can replicate this infinite energy source, we'll have the Arkons beat. Plus, we sure as hell can't allow the Arkons to get their hands on it."

"Then we'll send an SOB team," interjected the Supreme Admiral. "I know of a team in close proximity to the Medici system, but they currently lack a stealth frigate. Admiral Washiby, I believe you mentioned that you had a frigate being readied in the event of a go situation?"

"Aye," Washiby replied. "The frigate isn't stealth, but with the right equipment we can make one out of her. The captain is experienced, and quite honestly I was close to recommending him to the Special Operations Branch myself. Just get the team and the equipment to the

Maybourne

, and you'll have your ship."

"Excellent. Does anyone have an objection?" Silence was the answer. "Excellent. I shall get the SOB team and the necessary stealth equipment to the

Davy Maybourne

as quickly as possible. Admiral Washiby, ensure that this commodore of yours is briefed properly on his new assignment, and get him the necessary clearances. Everyone else, prepare for the possibility of redistribution of forces, should it become necessary.

"This meeting of the Admiralty Board is adjourned!"

Spoiler: Opening Scene 3

SS

Davy Maybourne

High Orbit, UTP Planet Massotorrido, Medici System
November 26th, 2486 Space Calendar
1726 SST

Commodore James Kerry sat quietly on a chair comprised of Programmable Matter (known colloquially as progmatter). This particular progmatter was running a program that caused it to change color based on the color clothing worn by it's occupant; since Kerry sported the customary black uniform worn by military space personnel, the chair chose to color itself crimson, with various shading techniques and hue variations to suggest a leather texture. On the opposing side of the waiting room, a pretty young man sat behind a holodesk, his brown eyes intently focused on the third-meter tall holoscreen, although the side of the hologram facing Kerry was opaque, thus preventing him from observing what exactly the secretary was doing. On Kerry's left was the door that led to Admiral Washiby's office; to the right was the door that led back to the rest of the

Davy Maybourne

's Command and Control center.

Kerry looked at his omniwatch and sighed mentally. Considering that he and his crew were supposed to be enjoying well-earned rest and relaxation at the moment, if Spacefleet felt like canceling the down time and recalling him and his crew, the least they could do was not keep him waiting patiently in a chair for over twenty minutes, especially when the holomag reader was burned out. His hand ran through his jet-black hair. Then there was the unexplained change in clearance level this morning--

The C&C-side door soundlessly slid open, and Admiral Washiby trotted in, decelerating to a halt in front of Kerry, who immediately rose to his feet and braced for a salute; at the same time, the progmatter chair reverted to its normal pale gray color. "At ease, Commodore Kerry. I just got back from an important meeting that ran slightly over time. Please, follow me. We have much to discuss."

Admiral Washiby stepped toward his office door; the sensors recognized the admiral's presence and opened the doors, allowing him to walk on through. Kerry firmly strode in just behind him. The admiral beckoned Kerry toward a progmatter chair as he himself moved behind the holodesk and took the seat on the other side. Quietly, the office doors sealed shut.

"So what's this about, Admiral?" Kerry inquired. "I'm presuming it's important."

Admiral Washiby nodded. "I know you and your crew were cherishing your R and R, but we've happened upon a perilous situation that, if resolved correctly, could result in a key advantage over the Arkons in the war. Since you're the best commodore we've got around these parts, the task of completing this mission falls to you."

"I see." Kerry leaned back into his chair, which reshaped itself to accommodate the new posture. "So, what's the mission, sir?"

Reaching into a pants pocket, the admiral extracted a data-chip and held it for Kerry to see. "The in-depth particulars are detailed in this data chip. Allow me to summarize your mission: The rebel fringe colony of Liten, out in Tynnfred, is being invaded by Arkon forces, and they have requested our aid in exchange for their surrender. Based on data they've sent to us, we believe that the Litens are in possession of a device of unknown origin, termed the Infinity Generator, and that this device is capable of producing an infinite amount of energy. It is imperative that we recover the Infinity Generator and prevent it from falling into Arkon hands. Unfortunately, we can't spare any fleets toward the recapture of Liten, so the decision is to send an SOB team to infiltrate Liten, recover the device, and bring it back to Terran space."

"Sounds nice, sir. Since I'm not a member of the Special Operations Branch, I don't see where I fit into all this."

"I was just getting to that part. As it happens, the closest SOB can be here within the next forty-eight hours. What they lack, however, is a stealth frigate to bring them to Liten. The nearest stealth frigate won't be able to arrive quickly enough to suit our timetable, so we've upgraded your security clearance and given you and your crew temporary reassignment to the Secret Operations Branch. Stealth equipment for your battle frigate will arrive with the S.O.B. team, and as soon as we can have the equipment installed on your frigate, you will leave for the Tynnfred system.

"Commodore, I cannot stress the importance of this mission enough. As of now, we're not winning this war. Procurement of the Infinity Generator may give us the crucial advantage we need to defeat the Arkon menace. Failure is absolutely not an option. Do I make myself clear?"

Tersely Kerry nodded. "Yes, sir. Perfectly clear."

"Good." Admiral Washiby held the data-chip out, and Kerry took it and placed it in his own pants pocket. "I suggest you familiarize yourself with the information on that data-chip quickly," he added. "Time is of the essence. You're dismissed, Commodore."

Kerry rapidly rose, saluted, and strode out of the admiral's office. As he traipsed down the myriad corridors leading to the space station's shuttle bay, he pondered on how the hell he was going to brief the crew on these changes in events...

Spoiler: Opening Scene 4

Dropship

Apollyon

High Orbit, UTP Planet Massotorrido, Medici System
November 28th, 2486 Space Calendar
1628 hours SST

Captain Sara Gaints felt a queasiness in the pit of her stomach. It was that damned space sickness acting up on her again. On larger spacecraft, such as capital ships and space station, there was artificial gravity, so the nausea wasn't an issue; in tiny tin cans like this dropship, however, there wasn't room for a gravity generator, and thus her ear fluids continually threw themselves out of whack. At least there were barf bags onboard for this sort of contingency; having to contend with globules of vomit floating around in nullo was far from the most pleasant experience in the universe.

It didn't help ease the wooziness besetting her, though.

Suddenly, a male voice announced, "Major Sedarski, we're on final approach with the SBF

Deborah

. We've been granted permission to dock, and the commodore will meet you in the hangar bay. Estimated time to dock: fifty seconds."

"Thank you, Jordy." Strapped into the seat across from Sara, Major Sedarski stretched out her legs. "Maybe we'll finally find out just what the hell's going on, eh, Sara?"

"Maybe we will, sir." Sara replied hesitantly. The need to suppress the urge to vomit was rapidly usurping her mental concentration.

"Please, Sara, you can call me Margaret whenever we're not around the brass. I know you're a new addition to the Megiddos and the Special Operations Branch, but one thing you'll need to pick up on very quickly is knowing when to be formal, and when to let things slide. There a ton of shit out here that SOB's have to deal with, and if you don't maintain good morale, even the strongest of wills can break under the strain. You--" Without warning, the bright, red "Entering Gravity Field" sign began flashing, accompanied by obnoxiously loud klaxons.

"Got it, Sara?" the major asked again.

"Yes, sir." Sedarski's stare could've melted ultrasteel. "I mean, Margaret."

"Good."

Suddenly, Sara plunged downward into her seat, and her nausea used that disruption in concentration to attempt a violent expulsion of putrid particles. Sara barely managed to stymie the puke in her throat and force it back into the bowels of her stomach. Now the yellow "Landing" sign flashed, and Sara grasped the handles protruding from the wall behind her. She braced her self, awaiting the inevitable jolt that all landings had in common...

"We've landed, Major," Jordy announced. "Debark at your convenience."

We've touched down already? Damn, that's one--

"Hell of a pilot, ain't he?" Margaret winked as she unfastened the safety restraints. "C'mon, let's get out of this tin can. I'll head out and meet the commodore. You make sure everyone gets off and takes their gear with them."

"Will do, sir--Margaret."

A smile traipsed Margaret's lips. "We'll make a fine Megiddo out of you yet." With those words, the major pushed herself onto her feet, ambulated to the rear of the dropship, and punched a large, black-striped red button. The door-ramp lowered itself outward and downward, revealing an ultrasteel-plated, massive room waiting outside. Sara watched as Major Sedarski strode down the ramp; then she finished extracting herself from her seat and stood up, along with the other twenty-two SOBs on the dropship.

"You know the drill, boys and girls, now get your asses moving!" Sara barked.

Spoiler: Opening Scene 5

SBF

Deborah

High Orbit, UTP Planet Massotorrido, Medici System
November 28th, 2486 Space Calendar
1855 hours SST

Sara lay on the narrow bunk, eyes staring vacantly into the ceiling. The Meggidos were being quartered in the station that normally belonged to the

Deborah

's shipboard marine squad. Since the marines had also been ordered to help the Meggidos store the equipment they'd brought with them, quite a few harsh words had been exchanged.

Hopefully we won't have to be on this ship together for long...

A high-pitched beep, hitting B-flat 7, jarred Sara from her thoughts. "Enter," she called. The door refused to open.

Oh, right. It's a time-delay door.

A few seconds later, the door slid back, and Major Sedarski strode into Sara's quarters. Immediately Sara bolted to her feet and jabbed her hand up to her forehead in salute.

"Please, Sara, relax," the major groaned. "I've just been shitting brass out of my ass for the past few hours, and I don't need any more of that crap today."

Sara abashedly lowered her arm to her side. "Sorry, Major--"

"Did you forget my name already, Sara?"

"I mean Margaret, sorry--"

"And for Darwin's sake, stop apologizing already! There's a reason it's called a cliche. Aside from that, apologies used in excess simply negate any authority you exert over your subordinates."

"Sorry--" Sara sighed. "Yes, Margaret."

Margaret smiled. "See, you're learning. It's not a hopeless cause. Now, why don't we sit down?"

Indicating the nearby desk, Sara said, "The chair's over there--"

"I mean on that lousy excuse for a bed, silly."

Tentatively Sara seated herself, while the major came over and plopped down to her right. "You're not big on protocol, are you?" Sara inquired.

"You're observant." Margaret leaned back against the wall, hands behind her head and legs stretched out and crossed. "There's two reasons why I'm here. First, I'm giving you early notice of what our mission is going to be so you have time to adjust before we present it to the rest of the team tomorrow."

"What's the second thing?"

"I'll get to that soon enough. Sara, I'm not gonna lie to you: we've got a hell of a mission on our hands, here. It's easily the most difficult mission I've undertaken, in all my years with the SOB." Margaret took in a deep breath. "We're going to the planet Liten, out in Tynnfred. It was formerly a rebel planet, but the Arkons recently invaded, and given Intel's estimate of Liten's defensive capability, the planet is most likely under alien control by now."

Margaret paused, looking intently at Sara. "Um..."

She wants me to engage her...right?

"If this planet was in rebellion and the Arkons are taking it over, why are we going there?"

With a nod, Margaret replied, "Exactly. Why are we jumping into another shithole when we can't get out of the ones we're already in? Well, it turns out that just before the Arkon invasion, the scientists on Liten found an alien artifact, something

non

-Arkon. When the Arkons invaded the planet, the governor surrendered to the UTP and transmitted the data they'd gathered on the artifact. Intel thinks that this device is capable of producing an infinite source of energy."

Limitless energy...

"That's not possible! At least if I understand anything at all about the sciences..."

"I know. It goes against all the laws of physics, and then some, but supposedly the data is irrevocable. Needless to say, an infinite power source is not only something we can't afford to let the Arkons have, but it could very likely be the key to us winning the war. So we're being sent to Liten to retrieve it."

"Dear god..." Sara's mind felt almost numb. "It's a suicide mission."

Margaret sat up and put her left arm around Sara's shoulders. "Yes, it is. Like I said, it's the worst mission I've ever seen. But the Meggidos have toughed it through other suicide missions before and won, and I'm confident that we'll be victorious this time, as well."

Sara looked into Margaret's eyes. "Do you really believe that?"

"Does it matter? I

have

to believe it. It's the only chance we have of not getting killed. You're a smart woman, Sara. But forget the odds, the likelihoods, the chances. Trump it with absolute conviction. It's one of the most important lessons you'll need to learn as an SOB operative. If you don't pick it up fast, the troops'll revile you for it. Understand?"

Sara bobbed her head. "I know. It's just...I've never lacked courage, my record shows that--"

"Relax. Everyone's allowed to be afraid, hon. Just don't let it go to your head. Speaking of which, that's the other thing I wanted to show you."

"What"

Margaret smiled. "Relaxation techniques." She edged closer to Sara, who tensely leaned away.

"What are you doing, Margaret?" Sara asked.

Using her arm to pull Sara against her body, Margaret replied, "Sara, when you're an SOB, you have to find ways to cope with the hell that comes as a part of your job. When's the last time you've made love to someone?"

"Um...ah..." Sara blushed. "I've never done it with a woman before."

"How about a guy?"

Sara shook her head. "Major, this is against protocol!"

"And you already know how much I respect protocol. Besides, when it comes to SOBs, the brass is nice enough to be lenient on matters like these." She rubbed Sara's left breast, just above the heart. "You can feel the tension, can't you? Pent up emotion, crammed in there like clothes in an overstuffed suitcase. You gotta get it out somehow, Sara. And what better vehicle than passionate love?"

Margaret's rubbing extended from the breast to the entire torso area, and inside her Sara felt something melting. "I-I don't think this is appropriate..."

Ceasing her massage, Margaret reached up, gently pressed Sara's left cheek, and turned her head so that they gazed into each others' eyes. "Do you really mean that?"

Smoldering, emerald green eyes reflected Sara's timid, sapphire blue eyes.

I shouldn't...this only leads to trouble...

Even as those thoughts coursed her mind, she felt something else consuming her mind. A feeling she'd kept suppressed for her entire life, crying out for release. She wanted it so much, yet it was not only against protocol, but against her personality, her sensibility, her rational thought...

Argh, the hell with it!

She looked into Margaret's eyes once again. This time, they reflected back passionate sapphire blues. "No, I don't," she said quietly, but determinedly.

Margaret leaned in close. "Perfect," she whispered.

Her lips brushed Sara's warmly. Stiffly she began to lean into the kiss, but suddenly Margaret stopped.

She put a finger to Sara's lips. "This is lovemaking, girl, not a briefing. Here, let's try that again..."

She crushed her lips on Sara's and squeezed their bodies together tightly. Surprised, Sara gasped. Then she threw her arms around Margaret's shoulders and pushed back passionately. Together, they collapsed onto the narrow cot.

* * *

November 29th, 2486 Space Calendar
1257 hours SST

Commodore Kerry leaned forward in the commodore's chair. "Engineering, is the stealth equipment functioning properly?" he inquired.

"Aye, sir," the chief engineer replied. "It's a clean marriage."

"And the rest of our systems are operational?"

"Aye, we are at full capability."

"I guess it's time to get this operation out of drydock, then. Comm, open a channel with Admiral Washiby. Display on the viewscreen."

"Yes, sir," replied the communications officer. She manipulated a few holobuttons above her station. "The admiral's standing by, Commodore. Putting him on visual."

Kerry stared forward. On the bridge's viewscreen, an image of Admiral Washiby, sitting in his office, appeared. "Ah, Commodore Kerry," he greeted. "Have you called to tell me that you're ready for departure?"

"Yes, sir," Kerry replied. "With your approval, we'll be underway at once."

"You have my approval, Commodore. Godspeed, and God be with you."

"Thank you, sir. God help us all."

"Indeed. Admiral Washiby out."

The admiral's image vanished, restoring the view from Forward Camera One: black, starry space on the left side of the screen, the planet Massotorrido on the right side.

"Helmsman, take us out of orbit to minimum safe hypertunnel distance," Kerry ordered. "Navigator, plot a course to the Tynnfred system. Put us on the outer fringe."

The

Deborah

rumbled slightly as she accelerated out of planetary orbit. "Comm, put me on internal ship broadcasting. Audio only."

"Yes sir. You are now live all across the ship."

Kerry sat up straight, squaring his shoulders resolutely. "Attention, all personnel. This is the commodore speaking. By now, you have all been informed of the nature of our operation, and as such, you know exactly how dangerous our task is going to be. It may seem overwhelming, even impossible to accomplish."

* * *

Sara stopped in the middle of the corridor to listen to Commodore Kerry's speech. Others around her did as well.

"However, we have on the

Deborah

the best of the best in all of Spacefleet," Commodore Kerry continued. "Crew, we have entered lost causes time and time again, and we have always proved victorious."

"Hell, yeah!" an ensign hollered.

"And as for our guests, they are one of the most successful SOB squads in UTP history, though their accomplishments often aren't shown due to the secrecy necessary for their work."

Sara nodded silently in agreement.

"Together, we form a powerful team, one that will go into this hellhole called Liten, retrieve the alien artifact, and bring it back for the glory of the human race! The

only

things we'll let the Arkons have are the taste of defeat and, if required, the shots from our laser rifles! We will not--no, we

can

not--do anything less.

* * *

"You know what we can do, people. Make your commodore proud."

Kerry nodded to the communications officer, and she deactivated the internal broadcast. "Well spoken, sir," she complimented. The rest of the bridge crew nodded in assent.

"Commodore, we've reached minimum hypertunnel distance," the helmsman notified.

"I have a course plotted for the Tynnfred system as well, sir," added the navigational officer. "Shall I engage?"

Leaning back into his seat, Kerry raised his right hand, extended the second and third fingers, and let his arm fall forward, pointing the two fingers at the viewscreen. "Do it."

"Yessir." The navigational officer pushed a holobutton, and a low-pitched blare began to drone throughout the ship. "Engaging Torr Drive on my mark. Five...four...three...two...one...

"Mark."

* * *

1300 hours SST

For a moment, the

Deborah

was still there. Suddenly, the front end of the ship disappeared, and before a second had passed, the frigate was nowhere to be found.

* * *

"Hypertunnel entry successful," the navigator reported. "We're en route to the Tynnfred system."

"Excellent." Kerry stared emptily at the ceiling. "I'll be in my quarters. Number One, you have the bridge."

"Yes, sir," replied the first officer.

Silently Kerry stood up from the commodore's chair and ambulated thoughtfully off the bridge.

God help us all, indeed...

Spoiler: Opening Scene 6

SBF

Deborah

Hypertunnel Transit (Medici to Tynnfred)
November 30th, 2486 Space Calendar
0755 hours SST

Sara sat at the end of one of the long tables in the

Deborah

's mess hall, staring idly at her half-emptied tray of spaghetti and popcorn shrimp, with a glass of blue Voojoo on the side. She knew that accepting the invitation to the Special Operations Branch would mean more difficult assignments, but invading an Arkon-controlled planet to search for a nanoscopic needle in a macroscopic haystack--it was the perfect definition of "suicide mission". And here she was, with her inexperience in covert operations, expected to flawlessly take command should something happen to Margaret.

What if I can't do it? What if...what if I fail?

Someone set a tray on the table, across from her. Looking up, Sara saw Zanado, one of the SOBs, sit down, staring at her with dark brown eyes.

"You look lost in thought," he remarked. "Nervous about the upcoming mission?"

"A bit," Sara admitted, "but I've got it under control."

Zanado nodded. "That's good. If you don't, survival of the fittest will pare you away soon enough."

That was a bit...cold.

"You're with the Church of Darwin, right?" she inquired.

"Only as far as government regulation go." He took his fork and played with his buttered garlic mashed potatoes. "It's a common misnomer that Darwinism is a religion, really. The government only makes us classify ourselves within that tired framework because we lack enough incontrovertible evidence that our findings are true."

"Isn't that what a religion is, though? A collection of beliefs?"

"No, you misunderstand me. Science accurately predicts what happened; we just have to go find the proof. Alas, but the nature of macroscopic spaces precludes easy and rapid discovery of the evidence. It's only a matter of time, fortunately."

"But it's been, what, four or five hundred years. Surely--"

"If this is the standard by which you measure credibility, then we are hardly the only ones to fall short of your preconceptions of validity. Take the religion of our fellow comrade, Wesley. His god has had millennia to convince humanity that he exists, and yet where is he? And don't even get me started on Islam or Hinduism--"

Someone cleared their throat next to Sara, and she turned and looked up. One of the

Deborah

's marines stared back at her. "You're the second for the SOBs, right?" the marine inquired.

Sara nodded. "I am."

"Good. Please go muzzle your dogs before they cause an...incident."

The marine pointed at the other end of the mess hall. Looking in that direction, Sara saw Pal, Psycho, Kestrel, and Black Cat at a table with six marines. Suddenly, Pal slammed the table and yelled,

"And what the fuck do you know about dangerous, huh? They don't even

expect

us to come back alive when we go out on a mission, that's how bad our missions are..."

Quietly Sara ambled toward the cluster of people. Her mind raced like a particle of light through space.

This is a chance to show what you've got, Sara. Don't screw this up. You've handled worse situations, you'll get through this one.

By the time she reached the table of arguing people, she felt confident--or so she told herself.

"Can it, all of you!" she barked.

They ignored her and continued their diatribes.

"I said can it!" she yelled, and everyone stopped, turning to stare at her.

"You sons of bitches have quite the ego, don't you?" one of the male marines said to her. His namebadge read "Willard".

"It's not ego if you've earned it!" Pal retorted.

Sara held up her hand. "Calm down. What's going on here?"

"Those assholes think it's easy being a Meggido," Kestrel replied.

"So we, of course, had to set the record straight," Pal added.

Psycho nodded in agreement.

"I wasn't involved in any of this," Black Cat said. She picked up her vibration knife, the blade specked with bits of some kind of sticky juice--peach, if Sara interpreted the pits on Black Cat's plate correctly. "If you don't mind, Judith and I are going to retire before this becomes a shitfight," she added.

One of the other marines laughed. "They even let crazies like you in? Why don't you talk to my dick instead? It's just as lifeless, and much more enter--"

"Fuck off!" Pal yelled, leaping across the table and tackling the marine. "You wanna know how tough we are?" He slugged the marine in the face.

"Stop it!" Sara hollered, but Pal ignored her, walloping the marine incessantly.

"Get off of him, you bastard!" Willard shouted, seizing Pal by the shoulders and yanking him backwards, slamming his head on the floor. "You don't fuck with the marines and get away with it!"

"Just watch us!" Psycho proclaimed, jumping across the table onto Willard. A brawl quickly formed, in spite of Sara's vehement protests. Blood began dotting the floor of the mess hall, as well as the uniform of the combatants.

Sara stood outside of the melee, her mind frozen in indecision.

There's too many for me to break up on my own, but I can't let them continue like this...

Suddenly, one of the marines began screaming widly with pain, falling to the floor and writhing around. In seconds the other nine combatants followed suit. Sara stared at the scene, unsure of what was going on...

"What the hell is this?" Margaret yelled.

Looking in her direction, Sara saw the major standing a few tables away, with a laser pistol in hand.

Of course...the stun ray...

She fingered her own laser pistol.

How did I forget about that...

"Sara, what happened, here?" Margaret demanded to know.

Sara briefly explained the situation to her. Margaret nodded and input something onto her wristcom.

"Security, this is Major Sedarski. I've got ten people in the mess hall that need to be brought to the brig. Four SOBs, six marines. The SOBs get four hours; you can do as you see fit with your people."

She lowered her wrist and holstered her pistol. "Let's go, Sara. We need to go over the battle plans."

Sara nodded and followed Margaret out of the mess hall.

You failed, Sara. You can't afford to fail...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1 (isolation #1) » Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:34 pm

SBF

Deborah

Outspace, Tynnfred System
November 30th, 2486 Space Calendar
2341 hours SST

It was just a random patch of space; the only thing that was visible was Tynnfred's orange-red star, at this distance about the size of a rounded red grape. Without warning, the bow section of a starship appeared from the middle of nowhere, and less than a second later, the Spacefleet Battle Frigate

Deborah

was throught the hypertunnel and drifting amicably.

"Commodore, we have just entered the Tynnfred System," the navigator announced. "We're in Outspace, just as you ordered."

"Excellent work," Kerry responded. He looked behind him. "Engineering, are the stealth systems up and running?"

"Aye, sir. As long as we keep quiet, the Arkons'll never know we're here."

Well, wait until we try to send our team down there.

"Good. Helmsman, set a course for the planet Liten, at maximum stealth speed."

"Yessir." The

Deborah

rumbled slightly as she turned to follow the plotted course.

"Comm, contact Major Sedarski and tell her to prep her team. They launch in thirty minutes."

* * *

Beedeep! beedeep! Beedeep! beedeep!

Margaret's hands froze in the middle of undoing Sara's bra strap. "Aw, shit," she groaned. "I thought we'd have another half hour at least."

"Is it the prep alert?" Sara asked softly.

"Yeah, probably. One sec, hon."

She gave Sara a light peck before pulling away and walking over to the desk to pick up her wristcom. Since Sara couldn't hear what the caller was saying due to sound redirection, she contented herself with idly studying the supple flesh on Margaret's back and half-listening to her side of the conversation.

"Sedarski here." Pause. "Half an hour?" Pause. "Yes sir, we'll be ready. Sedarski out."

She put down the wristcom and picked up her bra, which happened to also be lying on the desk. "Yep, that was the prep alert," she stated. "We've got half an hour before launch, so we've gotta get moving."

"Too bad." Sara sighed wistfully. "I'd put on the lilac perfume, too."

"Damn, that

is

a shame. But there'll be time when we get back." Margaret finished fastening up the bra, pulled off her uniform pants, and strode over to her wardrobe. Sorting through the various apparel within, she found her black and grey combat uniform and began putting it on.

"I...guess I'll get into my fatigues, then," Sarah mumbled, reluctantly tearing her eyes from Margaret's sumptuous form to grab her own shirt, lying on the floor. In silence the two women finished dressing.

Just before Sara turned to leave, she paused. "Margaret, in case I don't get the chance...thank you."

"Not yet," Margaret cautioned. "Thank me when we get back. When you can truly show it."

Sara smiled. "You taking the Alpha bunks or Beta?"

"I'll rouse Alpha." She blew Sara an airy kiss. "See you on the shuttle, hon."

* * *

Dropship

Apollyon

Low Orbit, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 1st, 2486 Space Calendar
0010 hours SST

"Hey, wake up!"

Sara shook her head, startled. "I wasn't asleep, Jezzy."

"Ah, so you were daydreaming about Major Aphrodite again." Strapped into the seat to Sara's right, Jezzy was third into the Meggido chain of command. If her behavior was any indication, she resented it, too. "You better get your head in the game, or it ain't the major you're gonna be dreaming about."

"I'm perfectly fine," Sara insisted, in as neutral a tone as possible.

"Then you better prove it," Jezzy countered. "Because if you don't know what you're doing, either the Arkons are gonna roast your ass, or we will. Take a guess at which one's worse."

"All right, Jezebel, knock it off!" Margaret growled.

Jezzy shrugged her shoulders. "Just breaking in the rookie, ma'am. The one you made second in command."

"Cut it, operative!"

Jezzy fell silent. Turning to stare down the interior of the dropship, Margaret said, "You're all here? C'mon, we can do better than twenty-nine minutes, and you know it! Maybe I will have to run the drills more than minimum regulation."

She went to her seat, across from Sara, and strapped herself in. "For those of you that haven't done a hot-drop before, be sure to hang on tight. It

will

rough."

"Major Sedarski, we've been cleared by the commodore for launch," Jordy's voice spoke over the speakers. "He wishes us Godspeed."

"Thank you, Jordy--"

"What, no God remark, Wesley?" Pal cut in. "Thought you would've been all over that."

"Shut up, jackwad," snapped Martin Kowden. "We don't need more bitchin' from you than is necessary--"

"Can it, the both of you!" Margaret hollered. "Jordy, go ahead and launch."

"Aye, Major. Lifting off on my mark. Five...four...three...two...one...mark."

The

Apollyon

shuddered as it rose off the floor of the hangar bay. In front of them, the hangar doors were opened just enough to allow the dropship to carefully squirt out and into space. Below them, the planet Liten awaited.

"Going in for hot-drop," Jordy reported. "ETA to planet surface: twenty seconds."

Twenty seconds?

"Isn't one minute the minimum--"

Without warning, someone dropped a skyscraper on Sara's left side, and she cried out.

"Ha!" Jezzy hollered. "Told ya she'd do it, Kestrel!"

"Aw, fuck you. I'll pay you when we get back."

The

Apollyon

continued to shoot through the Liten atmosphere, the stealth technology suppressing the bright glow from the heat friction. Sara's teeth rattled uncontrollably, and she figuratively prayed that they wouldn't get too close to her tongue. The intense pressure on her left side was almost unbearable, but after hearing Jezzy's remark, Sara did her damned best to keep from crying out again. Around her, a good number of her comrades were whooping and hollering like madmen.

Suddenly, the pressure dissipated, and Sara let out a huge sigh. Now that she'd survived it, the adrenaline rush had actually been kinda fun...

"Major Sedarski, we've landed on Liten, in the drop zone. Debark when ready."

I didn't notice it again?

Margaret threw off her safety restraints. "C'mon, folks, you know the drill, get your asses out, move move move!"

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #2 (isolation #2) » Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:43 pm

SaintKerrigan's Mafia Ruleset

Article I: Day

1. The game is a day start.
2. Day shall last two weeks.
3. Scum may use their quicktopic during the day as well as night.
4. During the day, you may place votes on a person using this format:

Vote: Player-X.

4a. Unvotes are not required, but are very helpful.
5. When a player receives more than half of the total votes at any point during the day, that player is lynched.
6. Once a player is lynched, twilight begins.
7. If the deadline has passed and no one has received more than half the total votes, no one will be lynched.
8. If a player has not posted within 72 hours, they will be prodded.
8a. Failure to reply to the prod in thread (or by PM during the night) in 24 hours will result in replacement of that player.
8b. If a player has been prodded three times and is due for another prod, they will be automatically replaced.
8c. If a player continually skirts the prodding threshold with insubstantial antiprod posts, they may be prodded anyway at the mod's discretion. These prods count toward the three-prod threshold mentioned in Article I, Section 8b.
8d. If a player has been absent long enough to be replaced, but has yet to be prodded, the 24-hour safety window will automatically be waived.

Article II: Twilight

1. Votes and unvotes will not be counted during twilight.
2. The lynchee may continue to talk during this time, as well as any other living player.
3. Once the lynch scene has been posted, the mod will lock the thread and night will commence.

Article III: Night

1. Night will last 72 hours.
2. During the night, scum may communicate using their provided QuickTopic.
3. During the night, any roles or factions with night abilities may choose to use them by PM-ing the mod (see the Role PM for role-specific instructions).
3a. If the role or faction chooses not to submit an action, a PM to the mod stating such is preferred.
4. Once the deadline for night has passed, all actions not received will count as a No Action.

Article IV: Capital Offenses

1. Do not quote your Role PM (with one exception: the Arkons may quote their Role PMs in their designated quicktopic).
2. Do not use invisible text, codes, cryptography, etc.
3. If you have the power to edit your posts, don't.
4. Do not insult other players personally.
5. Do not test the mod by experimenting to see what he considers a personal insult.
6.

Dark Red

is the mod's color. Don't use it.
7. Do not talk about ongoing games.
8. Do not quote any QuickTopics you may have access to, unless the mod has given you permission.
9. If any of these offenses in Article IV are committed, the first action taken will be a warning against the player.
10. Any further offenses committed will result in either a sterner warning, forced replacement, or a modkill, to be determined at the mod's discretion.
11. Modkill means you are removed from the game and autolossed.

Article V: Miscellaneous

1. The mod has the final say on any issue.
1a. However, the mod can make mistakes. If he does, please point them out either in a PM or in thread.
2. If something is missing from this ruleset, do not exploit the loophole. Instead, point it out to the mod so it can be corrected. Taking advantage of a loophole will result in a modkill.
3. If you need any help, or have questions, or just want to talk in general, feel free to PM the mod.
3a. This does not mean the mod is obligated to answer any of your questions.
4. In some games, dead people can talk. For the most part, this doesn't happen to be one of them.
5. The mod reserves the right to edit this ruleset as he deems necessary.
6. Flavor is simply flavor. Speculate about it at your own peril.

Article VI: Flavor

1. All players have "flavor names" that represent them in flavor scenes.
2. For the purposes of this game, the term "Vanilla Townie" is replaced by either of the words "SOB Operative" and "Colonist", depending on whether the player character is an SOB Operative or a Colonist in terms of flavor. Regardless, both terms are the same thing as "Vanilla Townie".
3. "Town" is represented as "Human" in this game, as "Mafia" is represented as "Arkon". This is for flavor purposes only; you do not have to adopt this nomenclature if you don't want to.
3a. If any alignments other than those two appear in the game, the ruleset will be updated to reflect what name they are represented by.
4. In the flavor, the term "lynch" will be replaced by other names for terminating someone's life. However, votes made using terms other than that described in Article I will not be counted.

Article VII: The Most Important Rule of All

1. Remember, this is a game. Don't forget to have fun!

SAMPLE TOWN ROLE PM

Flavor goes here.

Game Name:

bv310

Flavor Name:

Buttcheeks McFarty

Flavor Gender:

Male

Flavor Age:

14

Flavor Role:

Role Model

Game Role:

Colonist

Role Description:

[character-specific flavor goes here], you're just a normal human being, with no special powers conferred onto you.

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #4 (isolation #3) » Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:45 pm

Role PMs going out shortly...

Also, you're free to post. It's the least I can do after making you guys wait this long.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #11 (isolation #4) » Thu Oct 14, 2010 1:14 pm

All right, all the Role PMs have been sent. Every. Fucking. One. /thankyougodhallelujahfuckinjesus

Since I have spent almost this entire day, as well as last night, writing flavor, I will start the game when I either have sixteen of eighteen confirms, or Friday, October 15, 2010, 10:00 a.m. CST arrives, whichever occurs

LATER!!!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some sleep to recuperate.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #25 (isolation #5) » Fri Oct 15, 2010 6:29 am

Would anyone object if I held off starting this game until the Marathon Weekend is over, so it won't count against the deadlines?

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #33 (isolation #6) » Sat Oct 16, 2010 12:03 pm

The game will start Sunday, October 17, 2010 at or around 12:00 p.m. CST

Also, if you think someone would like to join this game, ask around, because daniel54981 has not picked up his Role PM yet, and I'm anticipating needing to get a replacement.

(If he doesn't confirm by game start I'll open his slot up for replacement.)

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #34 (isolation #7) » Sun Oct 17, 2010 6:33 am

Eastern Edge of Istor Forest
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 3, Month 15 Liten Calendar)
0523 hours SST (0545 hours Liten Local Time Zone 2)

The Liten sun was beginning to rise in the western sky, just over the tips of the strange, twisted, gnarly trees that comprised the Istor forest. Sara stood just outside the forest's edge, staring through her laser rifle's scope intently into the forboding shapes, the weapon clenched tightly in her sweaty, bloodied hands. How had it all gone so wrong? How had the Arkons found the rendezvous point? And then her screaming face came into mind again

Oh Margaret dear Margaret why why why I could've saved you but my confusion oh god no no

"No!" Sara spat at herself. "You

must

stay calm, Sara, you're in command now! You've got to get these people out of here! That's what you're going to do, and by Darwin Almighty you'll do it!"

Something rustled behind her, and she whirled around, fearing the worst. Instead, she found Arthur Williams, approaching her from the hastily-erected camp site, bouncing slightly as he strode across the boing grass (or so the colonists called the grass-like substance predominantly covering the ground in this area, so named because the grass was shaped like a small spring, and was stiff enough to cause anyone walking on it to bounce slightly).

How do I know they didn't get him?

Despite the thought, she forced herself to lower her weapon.

"What is it, Arthur?" she inquired.

"Volunteering to take over watch from you, Captain," he replied. "We're all on edge, so we should rotate watch more quickly than normal. Besides, you're our leader now. You need to be at the camp."

Grr, I hate how he just acts like he knows how to handle everything. I hate it even more when he's right.

"I was just about to call for someone myself," Sara replied. "Since you volunteered, go right ahead."

"Affirmative, Captain."

"And please, call me Sara."

Arthur raised his left eyebrow. "You don't have to run things just the way our former commander did, Captain."

"True, but I do want to run things the way

I

want to," Sara retorted gently. "So please, it's Sara."

"As you wish, Sara." Arthur turned around to face the forest, while Sara tramped the short distance back to the camp. Before she even got halfway there, she heard raised voices.

"So how the fuck do we know that

you

aren't an Arkon, Pyscho? You're crazy as hell to begin with anyway!"

"Was that part ever in doubt? What you're

really

asking, Geordi, is whether or not I'm gonna kill the rest of you."

"Are you?"

"With a few exceptions, probably not."

Simona sighed. "See, Pyscho, how the hell can we trust you with answers like that?"

"Well, whatever happened to Miss Pretty as a Pansy in Pink Pantyhose? Aren't you"

"Wha, the fuck?"

"supposed to be morale raisin' or whatever shit the brainiacs call it?"

"It would help if you'd stop

lowering

morale," Kestrel grumbled.

"Speak for yourself, Kestrel," Ingrid growled. "The hell happened to your gut, anyway? Wasn't it supposed to catch shit like that?"

Kestrel threw her hands in the air. "I don't know!" she exclaimed. "I've said this like a thousand times already, so please, cut it out!"

"What if we don't believe you?" Chuck countered.

Suddenly, Pal exclaimed, "Don't you fucking get it, guys? We can't trust

anyone

anymore! That's it, man, game over man, game over!"

By now Sara was entering the camp, approaching the huddle of vexed soldiers. Away from the main crowd, the three surviving colonists sat close to each other, Black Cat was a long distance away fiddling with her customized weaponry, Wesley and Dylan were standing guard over the IED (or Infinite Energy Device, which was a much better name than Infinity Generator, anyway), and Bill was over with his equipment, trying to contact the

Apollyon

. Sara made her way over to where Bill was working.

"Pal, shut the fuck up and sing some campfire songs if you're not going to do anything useful." Jezzy spat.

"I could just kill him for you," Psycho offered. "Make it more permanent-like."

"God-

dammit

, Mac O'Leary!" Simona snapped. "Even I know there's a time where you shouldn't be joking around!"

"You know, Arkons don't have a sense of humor..."

"The fuck you know about that?"

Sara'd had enough. "Cut it out, all of you!" she hollered. Everyone turned and stared at her. "Baseless speculation isn't going to get us anywhere, so everyone just close your mouths, walk away from each other, and calm down." She turned to Bill. "Any word--"

"But Mommy, I'm scared of the dark!"

"Can it, Psycho!" Sara turned to Bill again. "Get through to the

Apollyon

yet?"

Bill sigh dramatically. "No, Captain, I've--"

"Sara."

"Right, Sara. Anyway, I've tried every trick I know, but the Arkons must jamming all communications planetside. We're not getting through to the

Apollyon

, or the

Deborah

; hell, we can't even use our own wristcoms!"

"Then we'll have to fall back to the extraction point. Pack up your gear."

"Yes, Capt--I mean, Sara."

Sara nodded and turned away. "Operatives, pack up your equipment! The Arkons are jamming planetary communications, so we're falling back to the extraction point. Make

sure

you take your adrenaline stimulants, we cannot afford to have anyone falling asleep right now!"

Looking over at Furry and the other colonists, Sara added, "Be sure to stick by us. It's not going to be an easy time getting out of here, and we won't have time to hunt for you if you get lost. You read me?"

Furry stared blankly into space. "We'll keep close, Captain Gaints." Travis answered.

"Good. And it's Sara." She began to reach for her wristcom.

Oh...right.

"Ellen, run out and get Arthur."

"Aye, ma'am."

Five minutes later, all living personnel were present, the prefab structures and barricades had been microcollapsed, and the small cubes and rectangular prisms were placed in various operative's pockets.

After looking around one more time to make sure everything had been packed up, Sara activated her wristcom locator, only to remember that without orbital communication, the locator was utterly worthless.

Guess we do this the old-fashioned way.

Switching to use the wristcom's compass, Sara turned north-northeast. "All right, everyone, move out!"

The game has now begun.

Vote Count 1.0

Not Voting: Slaxx, Data, Furry, MagnaofIllusion, apathyplusCUPCAKES, Nikanor, Twomz, AlmasterGM, Nero Cain, Nobody Special, Spyrex, LynchMePls, danakillsu, Bowser, Thor665, Feysal, Square Obscure (Wraith until Hydra is approved), daniel94581

With eighteen people alive, it takes ten votes to lynch.
The deadline is Sunday, October 31st, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. CST.

I am opening daniel94581's slot for replacement. If he posts before I find a replacement, he can keep his slot.

Actually, stand by on that.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #101 (isolation #8) » Wed Oct 20, 2010 1:47 am

Vote count coming later this afternoon, when I'm not drowning in schoolwork.

Additionally, Nobody Special has requested replacement. Searching for one now...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #110 (isolation #9) » Wed Oct 20, 2010 8:22 am

About one kilometer northeast of Istor Forest
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 3, Month 15 LC)
0555 hours SST (0707 hours LLT2)

The colonists kept closer to the rear of the group, observing as the Megiddos glanced suspiciously amongst themselves. It only took an hour before a massive argument broke out amongst the SOB operatives.

"Interesting," Dr. Gordon remarked. "To see a unit that depends on trust in each other, now deprived of their greatest strength. Tragic, isn't it?"

Furry glared at him, some emotion finally smoldering in her eyes. "You think it's 'interesting', do you? Just wait until we start mercilessly

murdering

each other like wild beasts. Let's see how interesting you think it is to have to beg for mercy from the people you once called friends, and then callously be executed anyway!" Tears began brimming in her eyes, and she turned away. "So this was how it feels," she murmured. "How Sarah felt..."

Travis placed a hand on Furry's shoulder. "Please, Leslie, this is not the time for mourning. If we don't get off of Liten, we'll all die."

"And what makes you think we aren't dead already?"

Someone dropped back from the front of the group to join up with them. It was Jack. "How are you guys holding up?" he inquired.

"The hell would you care?" Furry hissed. "You left your family and the colony behind a long time ago, why do you give a damn about us now?"

Everyone glanced awkwardly at each other. "Travis and I seem to be fine, relatively speaking," Dr. Gordon spoke. "Furry...well, not to be rude, but all the recent carnage has taken a heavy toll on her psyche. She would greatly benefit from counseling."

"Dear Darwin, Joshua, do you even remember that you

had

a wife? Or three darling children? That were

brutally

eviscerated by the Arkons?"

"Of course I do, but unlike you, I am keeping myself under strictest control in order to aid our group's survival in whatever ways necessary. As you should be doing."

Furry's eyes flared. "You have no idea, you bastard!" she screamed. "You have no idea what it's like to relive your worst nightmare for a second time!" Enraged, she turned around and deliberately strode off to a solitary distance behind the group.

"I suppose this would be a bad time to ask Furry about my brother," Jack remarked.

Travis nodded. "Aye."

Vote Count 1.1

(6) danakillsu: Thor665, daniel94581, Square Obscure, LunchMePls, apathyplusCUPCAKES, Bowser
(2) Thor665: Nobody Special, Nero Cain
(2) Data: AlmasterGM, Furry
(1) LynchMePls: danakillsu
(1) Slaxx: MagnaofIllusion
(1) AlmasterGM: Slaxx
(1) Feysal: Twomz
(1) Nero Cain: Nikanor
(1) Bowser: Data

Not Voting: Spyrex, Feysal

With eighteen people alive, it takes ten votes to lynch.
The deadline is Sunday, October 31st, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #144 (isolation #10) » Fri Oct 22, 2010 10:52 am

HackerHuck replaces Nobody Special. Thanks,

[replacement name]

!

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #161 (isolation #11) » Sat Oct 23, 2010 4:37 am

About five and a half kilometers northeast of Istor Forest
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 3, Month 15 LC)
0820 hours SST (1235 hours LLT2)

Black Cat tromped across the boing grass, her hands firmly gripping her laser rifle. As one of the rearguard, she kept glancing behind her every now and then to make sure nothing was pursuing them.

"I know it's tough, Sherry," she murmured quietly. "It's never easy, but we've survived before. You watch my back, and I'll watch yours, and we'll stay alive. Stay alive while everyone around us succumbs to death's succor, just like we always have."

Nearby, Bill scowled at Black Cat. "Must you insist on such insanities as conversing with your weaponry? In case you haven't noticed, we've got a serious issue to deal with, here!"

Black Cat idly aimed her rifle at Bill. "What do you think, Sherry?" she asked softly. "Should we forgive him for his lack of manners, or would a punishment be prudent?"

"Hey, point that thing somewhere else, dammit!" Bill protested. "Or are you one of those damn things? Huh?"

A hand rested firmly on Bill's shoulder. "Relax, kid," Wesley said calmly. "Everyone has their ways of coping with this job. Black Cat's has gotten her through some really rough times. If you survive this mission, you'll likely find yours too."

"But--she's pointing a gun at me!"

"If she wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already. I know it's your first mission, but you must fortify your will, or you will be consumed by this blight."

"Easy for you to say. You have your hypothetical God to fall back on if the shit hits the fan. Pity my higher intelligence doesn't allow me such follies."

"Belief in God certainly helps, but others have dealt with this stress in their own way. Like Black Cat."

Black Cat chuckled. "His oration never ceases to amaze me, Sherry. Come, let's return to our duty." She turned away from Bill and Wesley, resuming her rearguard duties.

"What's with Black Cat, anyway?" Bill inquired. "I've asked around, but all I hear is that she's cursed. Squads die in her presence, or something like that."

Wesley nodded. "Not that I believe in curses, but Black Cat has had a rough past. Both of her former squads were utterly annihilated in combat, she being the lone exception."

"Holy Darwin..."

"No one really knows the details; her file is drowning in black ink, and she's none too willing to interact with us period, let alone share her past. Regardless, being a lone survivor twice in one's life is undeniably an incredible torture to live through, so we oblige her eccentric nature. It's not like she's worse than Psycho, anyhow."

Bill chuckled halfheartedly. "You have a point, Wes. I guess...I just don't fully comprehend the eccentricities of war, yet. You know, my bubble visions of grandeur and glory being popped and all that."

"Well, it's not like those things don't exist," Wesley pointed out. "You're just discovering what the ugly side of war is. As the saying goes, 'The triumphant warrior stands on the corpses of his friends.'"

"Indeed."

Vote Count 1.2

(4) danakillsu: daniel94581, Square Obscure, LunchMePls, apathyplusCUPCAKES
(4) Data: AlmasterGM, Furry, Thor665, Slaxx
(2) Bowser: Spyrex, danakillsu
(1) Thor665: Nova Cain
(1) Feysal: Twomz
(1) Nero Cain: Nikanor
(1) Square Obscure: MagnaofIllusion
(1) MagnaofIllusion: Data
(1) LynchMePls: HackerHuck

Not Voting: Feysal, Bowser

With eighteen people alive, it takes ten votes to lynch.
The deadline is Sunday, October 31st, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #176 (isolation #12) » Sun Oct 24, 2010 3:16 am

The ruleset has been modified.

From

Article I: Day

8b. If a player has been prodded three times and is due for another prod, they will be automatically replaced.

daniel54981 has been prodded. SpyreX and Nero Cain are dangerously close to getting a prod (this is the mod being nice and warning you guys in advance, so please take advantage of it).

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #213 (isolation #13) » Mon Oct 25, 2010 5:13 pm

daniel94581 has not responded to his prod, so he'll be replaced.

Vote count and other stuff will have to wait until either late Tuesday or sometime mid-Wednesday (due to school-related stuff, and for the record this will be a regular occurrence).

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #247 (isolation #14) » Wed Oct 27, 2010 7:34 am

About two kilometers southwest of the extraction point
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 3, Month 15 LC)
0915 hours SST (1501 hours LLT2)

The midday heat beat on Geordi mercilessly. Although the combat uniform he and the other SOBs wore included an internal cooling system to help regulate body temperature, his head was still exposed to the orange-red rays of Liten's sun. It didn't help that he was currently one of the SOBs regulated to carry the heavy ultrasteel case the IED was placed in.

Simona, the other carrier, was in the front, tromping her way forward across the stiffweed, which had replaced the boing grass about half an hour ago, SST. As the name implied, the ankle-high, stick-like, gray-green plants weren't easy to path through.

Geordi kept glancing upward nervously. "Red sky in the morning..." he mumbled.

"Eh?" Simona partially turned her head so an ear was facing Geordi. "What's that you said?"

"Old, old Earth omen," Geordi replied. "It goes, 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.' Heard it from my father, long time ago."

"But it's not morning or evening."

"I know, I know. It's just this red sky. I've heard of the effect these 'red-sky' planets can have on people, but I guess I didn't really believe it until now. Can't you feel it, Simona?"

A pause. "I...I guess something disturbs me about the sky. I just thought it was related to the Arkon threat, though."

"Well, the Arkons certainly aren't helping things."

"Yeah..." They walked in silence for a bit. "What

I'm

worried about is Kestrel," Simona said quietly. "That psychic gut of hers is damn impeccable. How did she fail to detect the Arkon ambush?"

"Are you saying she was an Arkon? That we were betrayed on the inside?"

Simona shook her head. "I don't know. It's either that or they found a way to shield themselves from Kestrel's gut. Either way, it's disturbing as hell."

"This entire mission is disturbing as hell. This IED we're carrying better damn well be worth the price we've paid."

"Yeah. And the price we're likely going to pay..."

Vote Count 1.3

(4) Square Obscure: Furry, AlmasterGM, LunchMePlz, MagnaofIllusion
(4) Bowser: Spyrex, HackerHuck, Thor665, danakillsu
(3) Data: Slaxx, Bowser, Nikanor
(2) danakillsu: Cogito Ergo Sum, apothecaryplusCRABCAKES
(1) Thor665: Nova Cain

Not Voting: Feysal, Data, Twomz, Square Obscure

With eighteen people alive, it takes ten votes to lynch.
The deadline is Sunday, October 31st, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. CST.

Additionally, Cogito Ergo Sum replaces daniel94581. Give him a hand, folks! (Note: hand need not be attached to the body.)

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #282 (isolation #15) » Thu Oct 28, 2010 12:32 pm

Data has requested replacement. UntrodTripod (the other head of the Bowser hydra) has told me that he, in fact, still wishes to remain in the game, but will not be able to post until the 30th, so the Bowser slot will not be replaced. I'm not sure yet whether he'll keep posting as Bowser or if he'll revert to his regular account.

Vote count and prod check coming shortly.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #286 (isolation #16) » Thu Oct 28, 2010 1:14 pm

About one kilometer southwest of the extraction point
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 3, Month 15 LC)
0941 hours SST (1600 hours LLT2)

Dylan stared ahead through his tacvisor. Along with Ingrid and Jezzy, he was responsible for scouting ahead for the main party. At the moment, he could see the stiffweeds began to fade away, giving way to the regular boing grass.

He heard rapid footsteps, and he turned to see Ingrid run-springing across the boing grass to him. "Look, over there!" she panted when she reached him.

Dylan turned his head in the direction she was indicating, using the tacvisor to zoom in. Off in the distance, a strange animal, resembling a cross between a horse and an anteater, was sticking its elongated, snaking tongue into a half-meter-high, orange-petaled, sunflower-shaped plant. More flowers were nearby, varying in color from vibrant pink to dark crimson to royal purple. More of the horse-anteater creatures were present as well, some with their tongues in the flowers, some rolling on their backs on the boing grass, some standing still and wiggling their proboscis-snouts in a myriad of contorted ways.

"How fascinating," Dylan replied.

"I know, right? Aren't those the strangest creatures you ever saw?"

"Oh, um, that too."

"Wait a sec. You were talking about the flowers?"

"Yeah. They resemble the sunflowers of Earth, but with broader petals, and yet not as high. I wonder if the red shades are meant to catch the light from Liten's star...even if they aren't, they still make for a pretty hue, with the goldenrod-colored stems."

Ingrid giggled. "I never knew you were such a flower aficionado."

Jezzy walked up to them. "What are you guys yakking about?" she asked sternly. "Why aren't you in your places?"

"Just admiring the view," Ingrid replied. "Dylan's quite the flower lover, it seems."

All three of them were silent. Then Jezzy erupted with laughter. "You gotta be kidding me. I knew you had a soft side, Dylan, but I didn't figure you'd be the type for girly stuff."

Dylan blushed. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I find it humorous, that's all. All right, Flower Boy, you and Ingrid get back on patrol before our wet-ear Captain chews our asses out." Jezebel chuckled again and turned to stride off to her formation position.

Ingrid giggled. "Well, Flower Boy, looks like you've got yourself a nickname at last!"

Vote Count 1.4

(6) Bowser: Spyrex, HackerHuck, Thor665, danakillsu, Cogito Ergo Sum, Nikanor
(2) Square Obscure: AlmasterGM, LunchMePlz
(2) Data: Slacks, Bowser
(2) Nero Cain: Furry, MagnaofIllusion
(1) danakillsu: apothecaryplusCRABCAKES

Not Voting: Feysal, Data, Twomz, Square Obscure, Nova Cain

With eighteen people alive, it takes ten votes to lynch.
The deadline is Sunday, October 31st, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. CST.

Slaxx and apathyplusCUPCAKES have been prodded

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #310 (isolation #17) » Sat Oct 30, 2010 12:55 pm

ThAdmiral replaces Data, effective immediately.

Additionally, I am extending the deadline to Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. CST, exactly three days from the date of the original deadline. This is a special circumstance, so don't expect this to become a regular occurrence.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #362 (isolation #18) » Sun Oct 31, 2010 2:52 pm

Meggido Extraction Point
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 3, Month 15 LC)
1013 hours SST (1712 hours LLT2)

Ellen sat crouched behind a rock, her laser rifle clenched tightly in her hands and her tacvisor over her eyes. She kept her eyes and aim focused on the extraction point. With multiple large rock formations dotting the area, it afforded numerous places for an Arkon ambush. On the other hand, should it be clear, the same tactical advantages would serve the Meggidos well in defending the extraction point until the

Apollyon

arrived at midnight of the next day, Liten time. Thus, Dylan, Chuck, Wesley, and Black Cat were sent on ahead to clear the area, while the rest of the Meggidos took defensive positions behind additional rock outcroppings, ready to provide cover if necessary. The colonists, along with Jack, Arthur, and the IED they were carrying, fell back to a position away from the main group.

Ellen elbowed the woman beside her, to her left. "Feeling anything, Kestrel?"

"Nothing," Kestrel replied quietly. "Gut's clean as a decon chamber."

"Well, that's

real

comforting," said Pal, on Ellen's right. "That's what you said before the ambush, too. Better get a gut-check."

"Fuck off, Pal," Kestrel snarled. "I told you a million times--"

"Shh!" Ellen hissed. The three of them fell silent as they continued to observe the advance team carefully. After combing the nearby area, Chuck came into view and gave a thumbs-up.

"All clear!" Sara announced, from her nearby rock. "All Meggidos, move in and set up camp." She then looked specifically at Ellen. "Be sure to cook something extra special tonight," she said to her. "After what we've been through today...we need it."

"Aye, Sara." As the Megiddo's cook, Ellen was renowned for her ability to take the regular shit supplied in military compact rations and transform it into gourmet shit that was actually worth eating. After finding a good spot to set up her insta-house, she went inside and took out eighteen one-inch cubes of expand-a-meals, as well as several small vials of custom-made chemical compounds, from her backpack. Unrolling a small bit of soft, gray plastiphane on the floor, she cut enough off to serve as a small tray. When she was satisfied that no wrinkles were present, she took out a small Energy Storage and Discharge Device (colloquially known as a discharger) and jabbed it into the plastiphane; the electric current caused the plastiphane molecules to permanently rigidify themselves into the shape Ellen had formed. With a surface to work on, she unwrapped the first expand-a-meal cube, set it on the tray, and began carefully adding one of her chemical solutions to it.

Someone knocked on the door. "Enter," she called.

She looked up and saw Arthur crawling in on his knees; the insta-houses were only about a meter high. "Mind if I watch you make supper?" he asked.

"Well, ah, no, not at all." She paused for a moment. "I never knew your interests extended to cooking."

"Well, technically speaking, what you do is more chemistry than cooking," Arthur pointed out. "But to address the point, considering how we've fared thus far, redundancy will become critical should we end up staying longer on this godforsaken rock than is currently planned. Simply put, you have a unique talent for preparing good meals for us soldiers, and if something ill were to befall you, it would be most...ah...calamitous."

Ellen smiled. "If you have a crush on me, Arthur, just say so."

"What?" Crimson tinged Arthur's face. "But I wasn't-- I didn't--"

With a chuckle, Ellen said, "Oh, I was joshing you, Arthur. I'd love to have you study my craft. Who knows, maybe if I don't make it, you can take over my restaurant when the war's over."

"I had different plans for my--"

"That was a joke, too." She giggled. "Oh, I do love your penchant for the literal. Just sit back and watch me. Feel free to inquire about anything you don't understand."

Vote Count 1.5

(8) Untrod Tripod: Spyrex, HackerHuck, Thor665, danakillsu, Cogito Ergo Sum, Nikanor, MagnaofIllusion, Square Obscure
(3) Square Obscure: MathblasterGM, LunchMePlz, Untrod Tripod
(1) ThAdmiral: Slacks
(1) Nero Cain: Furry
(1) danakillsu: apothecaryplusCRABCAKES

Not Voting: Feysal, ThAdmiral, Twomz, Nova Cain

With eighteen people alive, it takes ten votes to lynch.
The deadline is Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #456 (isolation #19) » Tue Nov 02, 2010 1:18 pm

Sheesh, I think the number of posts in this game nearly doubled over the deadline extension...

Anyway, vote count incoming.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #458 (isolation #20) » Tue Nov 02, 2010 2:01 pm

The ruleset has been modified.

From

Article I: Day

8c. If a player continually skirts the prodding threshold with insubstantial antiprod posts, they may be prodded anyway at the mod's discretion. These prods count toward the three-prod threshold mentioned in Article I, Section 8b.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #459 (isolation #21) » Tue Nov 02, 2010 2:09 pm

Meggido Extraction Point
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 3, Month 15 LC)
1031 hours SST (1746 hours LLT2)

The Meggidos, as well as the colonists, clustered around in a small clearing of boing grass amidst the rocky terrain. They sat in a haphazard circle, slurping spoonfuls of expand-a-meals vicariously; it was the first true source of sustenance they'd had since the ambush. Some tuned themselves out from the rest of the world, some chatted quietly amongst themselves, and some listened to:

"So there was this one time on Cassidy," Pal began. "I was out hunting by myself in some backwater neck of the woods, hunting for--"

"Just skipped to the part where you fucked the bear," Psycho urged.

Giving the middle-finger salute to Psycho, Pal continued, "--hunting for nicapaloca, when all of a sudden I hear this loud

CRASH

, like the sound of ten thousand fists in the air. I turn around, and guess--"

"What in fuck's name does that mean?" Chuck inquired.

"What does what mean?"

"Ten thousand fists in the air. The hell you talking about?"

Pal shrugged. "Hiaunnho. It just came to me. In my brain."

Chuck nodded. "Uh huh. I would say my mother's the Queen of England, except she was."

"Up yours. So anyways, I turn around, and guess what I saw?"

"The light?" Wesley suggested.

Pal stared. "Huh. Never figured you to be the type to joke about religion."

"The Lord can most certainly appreciate good humor. Was I right?"

"Fuck, no. What I saw was the biggest, meanest, most I-gonna-fuck-your-shit-up-est monster of the century: a--"

"Ungh!" Simona laid her spoon in her bowl and pressed the free hand to her head. "The hell was that?"

"God

dammit

Simona!" Pal shouted. "Could I

please

get ten words out

without getting fucking inter

--"

Suddenly Simona dropped her bowl of expand-a-meal and clutched the top of her head in her hands. Bloodcurdling, agonizing screams blasted from her mouth, as she rolled around and thrashed about on the ground.

Everyone started. "It's an Arkon mind attack!" Jack yelled. "They're scrambling her mind!"

Pal's face blanched. "They're scrambling...oh,

shit

!" He slowly began backing away from the scene, but Chuck stopped him with the butt of his laser rifle.

"But...this isn't possible," Arthur stated.

"Why not?" Ingrid asked. "We already know the Arkons have psychic powers."

"Yes, but all the known data states that they require physical contact with humans in order to mind kill them--"

"Who's to say we've seen everything there is to know about Arkon mind killing?" countered Bill. "Just because we haven't seen it doesn't mean it can't exist."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Travis queried.

"Yes." Black Cat stepped up to the flailing Simona, Sherry pointed straight at her. "We put her out of her misery--"

"No!" Sara cried, stepping between Black Cat and Simona. "We can't do this! There must be

something

we can do!"

Black Cat shook her head. "You can't stop it," she said sorrowfully. "Not without killing the attacker. She's gone, Captain. Please move. You're in my line of fire."

"Gaaaayrk!" With a final convulsion, Simona flung her limbs out and lay still on the grass.

"Jesus..." Sara breathed. "Someone...check her pulse--"

Without warning, guitar strumming was heard, and a voice began to sing, in a low, off-key bass:

Well, I went to the doctor
I said, "I'm feeling kind of rough."
"Let me break it to you, son
Your shit's fucked up."

Everyone turned and saw Geordi and Psycho sitting nearby, the former strumming his guitar and the latter exercising his vocal cords.

"The hell is this shit?" Ellen demanded to know.

I said, "my shit's fucked up?"
Well, I don't see how--"
He said, "The shit that used to work--
It won't work now."

"Did you guys just completely fucking

lose

it?" Jezebel screamed.

"You think this is funny, you fucking motherfuckers?" Pal added.

Then a female voice starting singing,

I had a dream
Ah, shucks, oh, well
Now it's all fucked up
It's shot to hell

Everyone turned to see--

"Jesus H. fucking Christ!" Bill exclaimed. "

Simona

?"

Indeed, Simona was on her feet, and she strode through the throng of dazed people to join Geordi and Psycho. Both Psycho and Simona sang together now:

Yeah, yeah, my shit's fucked up
It has to happen to the best of us
The rich folks suffer like the rest of us
It'll happen to you

No one else spoke a word. Psycho and Simona began to alternate lines.

PSYCHO:

That amazing grace

SIMONA:

Sort of passed you by

PSYCHO:

You wake up every day

SIMONA:

And you start to cry

And once more they sang together.

Yeah, you want to die
But you just can't quit
Let me break it on down:
It's the fucked up shit

Geordi played the final strum. Silence reigned supreme over the camp.

Then all three of them erupted with laughter. "Oh my god, did you guys bite on that one!" Simona gasped, struggling for breath amidst the chortles.

"That was...a

joke

?" Joshua said disbelievingly.

"You bet your ass it was!" Pyscho replied, grinning. "Simona figured we needed some, ah,

lightening of the mood

."

"You've

gotta

be kidding me," Kestrel groaned. "At least my gut didn't actually let me down again."

"Simona, you asshole!" Pal yelled, his face as red as the Liten sky above them. "We thought you were dying, dammit! That wasn't funny!" He then glared at Geordi. "I knew you've always been her partner in crime, but

this

--this was too far!"

"Oh, chillax, big guy," Geordi commented, patting Pal on the shoulder. "You're just pissed because we interrupted your wonderful, magnificent story."

"And what a welcome diversion it was," Chuck commented, a smile on his face. "Much better than your tall tales."

Pal sniffed. "Look who's talking, Mr. Wallbreaker. You've got quite the bravado build-up yourself."

"Unlike you, however, my awesomeness precedes me, and thus requires no embellishing on my part."

"Ah, fuck you."

Vote Count 1.6

(9) Square Obscure: AlmasterGM, LynchMePlz, Untrod Tripod, Slaxx, ThAdmiral, MagnaofIllusion, HackerHucker, Twomz, Cogito Ergo Sum
(4) Untrod Tripod: danakillsu, Nikanor, Square Obscure, Thor665
(2) Nero Cain: Furry, SpyreX
(1) danakillsu: apathyplusSADFACE
(1) MagnaofIllusion: Nero Cain

Not Voting: Feysal

With eighteen people alive, it takes ten votes to lynch.
The deadline is Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #465 (isolation #22) » Tue Nov 02, 2010 5:24 pm

Looking at it again, that was an absurdly long flavor segment for a vote count...oh well.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #472 (isolation #23) » Wed Nov 03, 2010 8:06 am

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you guys. Flavor's just taking a while to write...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #477 (isolation #24) » Wed Nov 03, 2010 10:31 am

Final Vote Count of Day 1

(10) Square Obscure: AlmasterGM, LynchMePlz, Untrod Tripod, Slaxx, ThAdmiral, MagnaofIllusion, HackerHuck, Twomz, Cogito Ergo Sum, Nikanor

(3) Untrod Tripod: danakillsu, Square Obscure, Thor665
(2) Nero Cain: Furry, SpyreX
(1) danakillsu: apathyplusCUPCAKES
(1) MagnaofIllusion: Nero Cain

Not Voting: Feysal

With eighteen people alive, it takes ten votes to lynch.
The deadline is Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. CST.

- A lynch majority has been achieved! -

Meggido Extraction Point
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 3, Month 15 LC)
1222 hours SST (2425 hours LLT2)

The final rays of light danced across the Liten landscape. Sara observed the sunset silently, her rifle held loosely at her side. So far, nothing truly eventful, other than Simona's fake death. Not a single Arkon sighting the entire day.

I ought to be relieved. And yet...

She heard footsteps behind her, and she glanced back. "Jezzy?"

"Sara." Jezzy stepped up to Sara's side.

She's being polite to me?

"What it is it, Jezzy?"

"Something's not right. We're not safe here."

Sara raised an eyebrow. "Is there anywhere on this planet that is safe?"

"No, it's not like that. I think we're going to be attacked tonight."

"Uh...explain, please."

Jezzy stared at Sara's eyes. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed it."

"Noticed what?"

"Felt that something feels wrong about all this. We haven't seen a single Arkon since the ambush, not even an air patrol. If they want this IED so badly, why haven't they made a more concerted effort to locate it?"

Sara sighed. "I've noticed, all right, but what can we do about it?"

"Dammit, Captain, are you really this blind? There's only

one

reason why their presence is this minimal, and that's because they've got infiltrators in our ranks! We can't just ignore that!"

"I

know

! But we can't use scanners to detect them, and from what I've seen in the files, they can even fake human DNA for blood draws. Without a strong psychic to do a mind check, we don't have any way to detect them."

"Wrong. There is a way."

Sara felt the blood vanish from her face. "You can't be serious..."

"Oh, I'm absolutely serious," Jezzy said sternly. "If we ignore the threat, they'll tear us apart!"

"But--that's barbarian!"

Jezzy chuckled. "Real world's a bitch, ain't it? So, you actually got some balls, or is it all pussy down there?"

Before Sara could respond, Travis ran up to them, panting heavily. "Captain Gaints--come quickly--about to kill--Ellen!"

Icy fingers seized Sara's spine. "Oh, god..."

"Better get down there,

Captain

," Jezzy suggested. "Your iron fist is required."

Sara glared at her, but now was not the time for petty contrivances. "Show me," she ordered Travis.

He nodded, and led Sara and Jezzy back to the boing-grassy area where they'd eaten earlier that day. Directly in the center was Ellen, her arms tightly secured by Dylan and Black Cat. Jack stood in front of her, his laser rifle aimed straight at her body. The rest of the Megiddos and the colonists encircled them, attention squarely on the scene before them.

Sara pushed her way into the circle. "What the devil is going on here, Jack?"

Without removing his gaze from Ellen, Chuck replied, "She's an Arkon, Sara. Wesley, how about you show Sara what you found in Ellen's pack."

Wesley stepped out from the outside of the circle and approached Sara, holding a strange object in his fist. "It's obviously not human," he stated.

Sara studied the object. It was a small, black-green cylinder, twelve centimeters in diameter and twenty-nine centimeters long, with uneven ridges lining the outer wall. The top of the object was slightly concave, and unlike the rest of the cylinder, was perfectly smooth. To the naked eye, it almost seemed as if there were faint, swirling, red lights inside the object. It made no noise whatsoever.

"Sara, don't listen to them!" Ellen pleaded. "They've gone crazy!"

"Shut the fuck up, you Arkon bitch!" Pal shouted. "We've caught you, and now you're going to pay for what you motherfuckers did--"

"Shut up, Pal!" Sara ordered. "Wesley, why were you searching Ellen's things in the first place?"

Wesley shrugged. "God gave me a feeling. A strong intuition, if you will."

"He's wrong!" Ellen screamed. "Someone else must've planted that thing in my pack! Or...or he's

lying

!"

"No, you," Pyscho countered.

"Fuck you!"

Sara felt panic creeping through her brain. "Jack, holster your weapon, goddammit! Do you have absolute proof that Ellen actually put that device in her pack?"

"Sir," Jack spat, "with all due respect--"

"That was an

order

, Operative!"

Slowly Jack lowered his laser pistol. "Yes,

sir

."

"And you two," Sara continued, pointing at Black Cat and Dylan, "let Ellen go. Now!"

"Are you serious, Captain?" Kestrel exclaimed. "Do you honestly believe what it's saying?"

"I- I don't know!" Sara groaned. "But we can't just kill her!"

"Why not?" Simona inquired.

"All of you are acting so absurd," Joshua cut in. "You haven't even tried to find all the data--"

"

Fuck

off," Jezzy barked.

"He's right!" Sara glared at each of the accusers. "You're willing to kill off one of our own

without giving her a fair chance to prove her innocence

? There isn't nearly enough data to make an informed decision--"

"Aw, fuck this shit." Sara whirled in time to see Jack bring his laser rifle to bear on Ellen.

"Jack, no!"

Suddenly, Jack froze. "Um...I have something to do," he mumbled, lowering his weapon and walking away.

Sara looked back at Ellen, and saw her standing alone; both Black Cat and Dylan were nonchalantly striding away from her...as was everyone else.

"Move along, Captain," Ellen commented. "Nothing to see here."

Obediently Sara turned around and strode off.

Wait, isn't this--nope, nothing to see here...

Suddenly she heard a laser shot, and a low, guttural cry: "Hylesk!" Then another laser shot.

She whirled around. Ellen was lying on the grass, two holes burned through the side of her head. Except...it wasn't really Ellen anymore. Her body was transforming rapidly. Pupils narrowed until they were almost like vertical slits, while irises became eggplant purple and whites bright orange. Pale, white skin darkened until it was dark green in color. Black hair became bubblegum pink, and some of it even recessed into her skull. Purple lips snarled to expose goldenrod-colored teeth. In the space of less than a second, the Ellen she thought she knew had vanished, replaced by this horrific abomination of nature.

An Arkon.

Oh my god. But...

People slowly came back to the clearing. "So what the fuck

was

that shit?" Ingrid demanded to know.

"It was weird..." Dylan commented. "More importantly, who broke that spell and shot the bitch?"

"Moi." Everyone turned to see Chuck, standing on a nearby rock. "Was coming back from my scouting position to report in, when you all went random or something. So I took out my laser rifle and shot the Arkon dead."

"Nice shot," Black Cat remarked.

"Why, thank you."

Arthur cleared his throat. "After thinking about it for a bit, I recall something about a type of Arkon warrior that was capable of misdirection like this. Doctor-class, they're called by us, and few people have seen them--or at least, seen them and lived to tell the tale."

"Well, aren't you the fucking Encyclopedia," Psycho said. "Why'd they call it Doctor, anyway? Why not Mindfucker or something more appropriate?"

Arthur shrugged. "Because it saves lives, I guess."

Sara's mind was a convoluted mess. "I can't believe this..."

"Yeah, we noticed." Jezzy frowned. "And it nearly cost us our lives."

Sara glared at her. "You're out of line, Operative."

"Oh, I am, am I? At least I know what should be done in the clutch."

Pal nodded. "Jezzy's right. Now we know what kind of soldier Sara truly is--"

"A soldier who still possesses a heart, even in the midst of this living hell."

Everyone turned. "Furry?" Travis asked tentatively. "Are you okay?"

"Well, as okay as I can get, considering what's happened," Furry replied. "Sorry my personal moping took so long, guys, but for better or worse, I'm back in the saddle."

"So..." Simona scratched her heel. "Could you explain what you meant by that earlier statement?"

"Simple. Sara is still a human being. The rest of you guys, I'm beginning to wonder about."

Jezzy frowned. "With all due respect, ma'am, you have no idea what you're talking about. How about you let the real leaders do their job?"

Furry laughed. "With all due respect, Operative Bahha, your covetous desire for command has no place on the battlefield.

"Wha- how dare you--"

Furry turned to look at the others. "And as for the rest of you, you seem to be forgetting the very principle of teamwork. What would've happened if Ellen had been telling the truth? Wouldn't

that

send y'all right up shit creek without a paddle?" People began hanging their heads. "The only one of you that remembered the principle of teamwork is your leader. And you want to depose her, why? Because she wanted to be certain about things before committing to a permanent solution? But your carelessness nearly allowed the Arkon to escape. In fact, the only reason the Arkon

didn't

escape was because of Chuck--who was following Sara's orders."

Furry paused. "So, if you really feel like having a mutiny, you get two choices. On the one hand, you have the rebellious Lieutenant Jezebel Bahha, who has shown she'll only take the obvious solution, with little thought of the aftereffects; on the other hand, you have your rightful leader, Captain Sara Gaints, whose prudent caution is being mistaken for fearful hesitation. Sara has shown that she will try to keep as many of her people alive as she can. Can you say the same about Jezebel?"

Taking a cigarette out of her utility belt, Furry concluded with, "I'm with Sara." She lit up, took a draw, and blew out a puff of smoke. "That's all from me, folks." She put the cigarette back in her mouth and strode away. Joshua and Travis followed her.

Sara looked at her operatives. "All of you need to get some shut-eye," she ordered. "It's been almost two days space time since we've last slept, and it's showing. Hopefully, we can just board the

Apollyon

and safely return to the

Deborah

; but in the event that we're not so fortunate...we'll be alert and refreshed. You got me, operatives?"

Chuck nodded. "I got you, Sara."

"As do I," Simona added.

"And I," Bill concurred. One by one, the surviving Meggidos assented to Sara's order, until only Jezzy was left.

She fell silent for a long time. "C'mon, Jezzy," Geordi said, "don't do this to us. We're a team, remember?"

Jezzy sighed. "Aye, Sara. Um..." She scuffed her feet on the boing grass. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Sara replied. "I'm sure it was just the sleep deprivation."

"Yeah..." Jezzy shrugged and ambled off to her insta-house; the other Meggidos followed suit. Sara, however, strode off to find Furry. By now, the sun had set completely, and with no moon to bounce light onto the planet, Sara had to use her laser rifle's light to find her way through the dark.

The colonists had set up their own insta-houses on the outskirts of the Meggido camp. Joshua and Travis had already retired, but Furry was sitting outside the entrance to hers, drawing silent breaths from her cigarettes. She looked up as Sara approached her.

"I suppose you came here to thank me," she remarked.

Sara nodded. "I'm new to the SOB, and it's less...regulated than I'm used to. So, thank you for saving my ass."

"You're welcome." Furry took a long draw. "The only shot we've got at beating these bastards is unity. So do me a favor and don't put yourself in that kind of situation again, okay?"

"I don't intend to." Sara thought for a moment, wondering if she ought to ask her

the

question.

What the hell, I do need to know these colonists if we're going to survive together.

"Um, mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you rebel in the first place?"

"Hmm..." Another long draw. "Didn't your briefing mention anything about that?"

"I'd like to hear it from your lips," Sara replied. "You obviously had a reason."

Furry sighed. "Ironically, it was because I thought I knew better than my leader. Sarah--Governor St. Kerrigan was moving towards complying with the UTP's demand that we join them. A number of people, myself included, fervently believed that joining the UTP would be our undoing. So we launched a coup. Right in the middle of when we were dealing with the Arkon scouting party, too." She laughed bitterly. "And here I am, now officially a UTP citizen, the very thing I rebelled against in the first place. Talk about karma."

"Wait...the Arkons sent a scouting party

before

this invasion?"

"Aye. Even got two of their infiltrators in the cabinet. Hell, we only killed one of the little buggers; the other rat bastard just slipped away." She shook her head. "If I hadn't blindly insisted on forwarding my agenda, I could've got him, too. But that's the past." She checked the clock on her wristcom. "Extraction's at 0000 Liten Local, right?"

Sara nodded. "About four hours and change from now."

"Then I better get some shut-eye." Furry ground the cigarette into the soil and opened the door to her insta-house. "Goodnight,

Captain

Sara Gaints."

Sara smiled. "Goodnight, Furry. Oh, and next time, I really want to know how you got that nickname."

Furry chuckled. "When there's time." She crawled into the insta-house and closed the door behind her. Sara turned around and headed back for her own insta-house.

She removed all the equipment that she had fastened to her person, but left the uniform on, not only to combat the chill of the Liten night, but also to be ready in the event that combat sprung up at less than a moment's notice. Holding her laser pistol in her right hand, Sara lay on her back on top of the sleeping bag, not bothering crawling in. For a moment, she missed the soft, warm touch of Margaret's body, but shortly thereafter she fell asleep.

Square Obscure, Ellen Abalyski,

Arkon Doctor

, was sniped by Chuck Norris on Day 1.

It is now Night 1. The deadline is Saturday, November 6th, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #478 (isolation #25) » Fri Nov 05, 2010 12:55 pm

Half a kilometer south of Vodlesta, Capital City of Liten
Colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 1st, 2486 SC (Day 27, Month 14 LC)
0318 hours SST (2520 hours LLT1)

Sara sat behind a rock, along with Margaret. "How long has it been since we've landed, Sara?" Margaret whispered.

"Um..." Sara shrugged. "About three hours, I guess. But don't you have a--"

"Wrong. It's actually been over five hours."

Huh? Oh, right...

"I didn't know you wanted Liten Local."

"I didn't tell you. I was testing to see if you'd already made the adjustment." Margaret put a hand on Sara's shoulder. "Your dossier indicated that you haven't been transferred much planet-wise in your career, so let me give you some more advice: once you land on a planet, acclimate to its time zone as swiftly as you can. A standard second is 1.6 times that of a Liten second. The Liten time system runs on fifty second minutes, fifty-minute hours, and thirty-hour days. If you don't adjust to it fast, your internal chronometer will get thrown out of whack, and you just can't afford to compromise yourself like that. So from now on, give me times in Liten Local, and get used to it as soon as possible. Understood?"

"Y-yes, Margaret. I'm sorry."

Margaret raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"I didn't think of it soon enough. I know I'm better than this."

"Hey, now..." Margaret pulled Sara in close. "You're not perfect, Sara. No one is. Don't beat yourself up over things you have less experience with. Everyone's allowed to learn, even when they know everything." She began rubbing Sara's back. "Have faith in yourself, Sara. You wouldn't be my second if you didn't deserve it."

They stared into each others eyes. Sara felt Margaret's hands on her back, rubbing out a bit of the tension accumulated over three--no,

five

--straight hours of foot transportation. She let out a pleasured sigh.

"A-a-ahem." Startled, Sara turned to look at Jezzy, standing beside them; she could feel the blood rushing through her cheeks. "If your business with Captain Gaints is finished, Margaret, Bill and I have returned with a situation report on Vodlesta."

Margaret took her hand away from Sara and stood up; Sara rose as well. "Go ahead," Margaret ordered.

"It's almost totally destroyed. Most of the buildings are either melted piles or burnt rubble. What's still standing is precariously close to tumbling in on itself. There's a heavy Arkon presence, and a good number of groups that appeared to be search parties. Too many to be simply ferreting out survivors, in my opinion."

"So they still haven't found the IED, yet," Margaret commented. "Go on, Jezzy."

"Bill set up some equipment and ran a brief scan for human life-signs, but he didn't find any. Given the state of Vodlesta in general, I doubt we'll find any."

Margaret looked at Sara. "Thoughts?"

It's rather obvious.

"In all likelihood, a small group of colonists have managed to escape the capital city, along with the IED, and are now hiding somewhere, hoping for the UTP to send someone to extract the IED. If I had to guess at a likely hiding place...either the Istor Forest or the Kehvit mountains, as both are not that far away, yet distant enough to avoid the main bulk of the Arkon invasion force."

Margaret smiled. "Excellent, Sara, you practically spoke my mind. Now, both of you, go round up the rest of the troops. The Istor Forest is closer, so we'll head north, skirt Vodlesta and head there first. Move out, operatives!"

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #479 (isolation #26) » Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:01 am

Night 1 is over. Day will break once I resolve night actions...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #480 (isolation #27) » Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:17 pm

Meggido Extraction Point
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 3, Month 15 LC)
1434 hours SST (2930 hours LLT2)

Sara opened her eyes--and moments later her wristcom buzzer went off. She smiled wistfully.

I got the Liten timing down pat, Margaret, just like you told me to...

It was still hard as hell to keep her eyes from clamping shut again, but sheer willpower and a quick jab of adrenaline stim helped overcome that deficiency. Quickly dressing, she crawled out of her insta-house. A few people were crawling out as well; others were still inside, held captive in the land of Nod.

The two nearest operatives were Chuck and Simona, and Sara called them over. "Go 'round and get the heavy sleepers up," she ordered. "I want us packed and ready for evac as quickly as humanly possible."

They both gave lackluster, tired salutes and set off to accomplish their task. Meanwhile, Sara turned back to her insta-house. After taking all her things out and putting them in her pack, Sara compacted the insta-house to a small, 30cm by 30cm by 20cm box in less than thirty seconds. Afterward, she put the whole thing into her pack. It was quite heavy, but her muscles were well-conditioned, and she knew just how to carry it to lessen the stress on her back.

"Sara."

She stood up and turned around. "Yes, Bill?"

"Did you have that Arkon device taken care of?"

What device...oh, shit!

"Uh, no. It slipped my mind."

Great way to start the day, with more incompetence on my part.

"It slipped a lot of people's minds." Then he grinned. "Fortunately for us, it didn't slip mine."

Sara sighed in relief. "Good job, Bill. I'm going to guess you spent a good portion of your sleep time studying the thing."

"Well...all of it, actually. But don't worry, I've got enough adrenaline stims to keep me going, and it'll be awhile before it becomes unsafe for me to--"

"Hey, don't worry about it." Sara laughed. "At least you were doing something productive. But you better get some shut-eye first chance you get, 'kay?" He nodded. "So, find anything interesting?"

"Oh, yeah. Actually, perplexing is more the word I'd use--"

"What, exactly?"

"Right. Anyway, when I started my scans, the device was still active. Not long afterward, however, the device shut itself off. I don't know if it was my scanning or if it just did that automatically, or perhaps the batteries ran out--"

"Focus, Bill."

"Yeah, sorry. Probably the stims. Anyway, when my first scans were finished, I couldn't believe it, but every test I've run since then has confirmed it--"

"Confirmed what?"

"The device was a signal jammer!"

Sara stared at him. "So you mean that was what was jamming our transmissions?"

"No, no, not that! That's a separate thing entirely.

This

jammer was configured to block Arkon channels."

"

Arkon

channels?" Sara folded her arms across her chest. "Why the hell would Arkons want to jam their own comms?"

Bill shrugged. "I dunno. I told you, it's damned perplexing."

Sara chuckled bitterly. "Wouldn't it be ironic if the Arkons were having a bloody civil war right now."

"Who knows? That IED is a valuable and powerful device. Perhaps there's a leadership schism on how to handle the post-acquisition--"

"Well, whatever the fuck's going on with those bastards, it's not our concern. We're just going to get us and the IED the hell off of--"

Suddenly, someone came running up to Sara rapidly. "Sara!" Pal exclaimed, hyperventilating uncontrollably. "Chuck...sent me...big...fucking...shit, man!"

"Calm down, Pal," Sara said calmly. "What's going on?"

"Jack's dead!"

Sara's cheeks paled. "I'm on my way--"

Someone else ran up to the group. "Sara, we've got trouble!" Kestrel gasped. "Arthur's dead!"

Two deaths? Dear god...

"I'll see Jack first," Sara said. "Kestrel, come with me and give me details on Arthur."

"Wait, why are you..." Kestrel's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, fuck!"

"We're screwed, man, we're screwed!" Pal moaned. "Only four fucking months, and I'd get my leave--"

"Dammit, Pal, this isn't the time for bitching!" Kestrel shouted.

"Can it, both of you," Sara barked. "C'mon, Kestrel." As they took off for Jack's tent, Sara checked her wristcom. 1041.

Dammit. I should've gotten everyone up a hell of a lot earlier!

"Describe Arthur for me," she ordered Kestrel. "How'd he die?"

"Seems obvious enough," Kestrel replied. "Laser melted through his brain and fried him. If you want a time of death, you're asking the wrong person."

"Any evidence of a struggle?"

"Not that I could tell. One odd thing, though: he had medical equipment in his insta-house."

Medical equipment? But one of our medics died in the ambush, and the other...

They came upon Jack's tent. A small crowd already stood gathered outside.

"Hey, Sara!" Psycho called. "Smells good out here, don't it?"

Jezzy glared at him. "Christ Jesus, Psycho,

seriously

?" She then turned her hellfire-'n-brimstone flamethrower at Sara. "And you! Why the hell didn't you set up guards, huh? A team's only as good as it's leader--"

"Save it for when we evac, Jezzy!" Sara barked. "Everyone, stand back and let me see him."

The operatives stood aside, and Sara got onto her knees and peered through the opened door. Jack lay on the ground, in combat uniform, his eyes rolled so far into the back of his head that they weren't visible. Other than that, no evidence of stress or trauma was visible. Nearby, his medical equipment lay, unpacked and ready for use.

Why didn't I set up guards? I should've thought of that! Dammit, maybe I really can't do this...

Sara slowly stood up. "Chuck, Geordi, get Jack's body and bag it. We'll...take it with us when the

Apollyon

arrives."

Speaking of which...she checked her wristcom. 2948.

Dammit, the

Apollyon

is due any moment now!

A low roar began rumbling in the sky. Looking up, Sara saw nothing at first; then, seemingly from out of nowhere, a dropship appeared. The

Apollyon

. "Make that double-time, operatives. Kestrel, see to Arthur's body. I'll get the colonists."

Without warning, loud, screeching sounds, like fingernails on a chalkboard put through an amplifier, blared from the skies. Looking up again, Sara saw white streaks of light impacting the

Apollyon

. It took all of Sara's will to avoid collapsing to the ground then and there.

Anything but this...

"Air raid!" she yelled. "Operatives, night vision and laser rifles, now! Set to maximum power and burn those birds out of the sky, fast!"

The entire camp buzzed with activity as the word was passed down amongst the operatives. Sara grabbed her laser rifle, amplified the power output to maximum, and dropped her tacvisor over her head, night vision engaged. She searched the sky for the Arkon bogeys.

"Remember, short, singular bursts!" Sara hollered.

We only get six short shots per battery on max power. Every shot needs to count.

The

Apollyon

was performing aerial acrobatics nearby, and streaks of light were still hitting it. Rapidly Sara traced the path of one light stream back to the Arkon fighter that it was coming from. She set the laser rifle to her shoulder, let the tacvisor autorange for her, took careful aim, and pulled the trigger. A violet beam of light burst from her rifle, instantly streaking across the sky and slicing clear through the Arkon fighter. The fighter didn't even wobble.

Damn, missed the fuel cells!

More lasers began bursting from the ground into the sky, lighting up the night in a purple extravaganza of light dancing across the clouds that had crept over the land. Sara took aim once again, at another fighter, and fired. This time, the shot knifed through the center of the cockpit, and the aircraft skewed downward, plummeting toward the ground. Moments, later, it smashed into the ground and exploded; fortunately, it was far enough away that the debris didn't have a chance of hitting the Meggidos.

"Good shot, Sara!" Chuck yelled.

Sara smiled, and then she saw the

Apollyon

. It was flying more slowly than before, and there was a trail of smoke coming out of the rear.

We've gotta hurry, dammit!

"Look out!" Jezzy screamed. "One of them's making a pass at us!"

Sara began scanning the sky for the incoming hostile, but before she found it, the ground exploded nearby, throwing her violently through the air and into a rock. She willed herself to stay on her feet, however, and she estimated where the bird had last fired and pinpointed it in the sky. The ground blew up again, but it was farther behind her; it still shook her and disrupted her aim. Compensating, she fired at the fighter. Another hit, but not on the cockpit. She started to aim for another shot when suddenly another laser struck it, and the fighter exploded.

"Got 'im!" Psycho yelled. "Oh, you bitches ain't so tough now, are ya? Not when the Psycho's fuckin' your shit up, you ain't!"

Sara looked at the

Apollyon

. Only one stream of white lasers were hitting it now. "I think we're down to one left!" Sara shouted. "Get the bastard, men!"

She followed the trail of light back to the bogey. She aimed carefully and fired. Once again, a hit, but not a fatal one.

We're running out of time, dammit!

Suddenly, a violet laser sliced through the fuel cells on the fighter, and it detonated brilliantly. Sara found the

Apollyon

in the sky and watched. No lasers were impacting it.

"Fuck, yeah!" Pal shouted. "We got the fucking motherfuckers! Hoo-rah!"

Cheers began erupting all around. Sara kept her eyes on the

Apollyon

. Something looked wrong. And then she realized what it was...

"Dammit!" she screamed, throwing her rifle onto the ground in disgust.

People stared at her. "What's your problem?" Jezzy wanted to know. "We got the bastards--"

"Yeah..." Sara nodded toward the

Apollyon

. "But not soon enough."

The others looked up, and saw it, too: the

Apollyon

was gradually nosediving toward the ground.

"Aw, fuck!" Pal's tone had done a drastic turnaround. "We're fucking dead, now, fucking goddammit! How the fuck are we getting off Liten now, huh?

What the fuck now

?" More murmurs of horror began emanating from the others.

"Dammit, this isn't the time to be bitching!" Sara hollered.

"

You

got a better idea?" Kestrel growled. "In case you didn't know, our comms are jammed, and our only ticket off of Liten just got shot to hell--"

"I know that!" Sara stared at everyone nearby. "The fact is, we're still alive, and until that is no longer true, we still have a chance." The ground rumbled underneath her feet, and a quick glance back told Sara that the

Apollyon

had finally crashed onto the ground, shredded into various pieces, but without compromise of the fuel cells. "Right now, we need to clear the area. If the Arkons knew about the rendezvous, you can bet this place'll be swarming with them in very short order. We'll check the

Apollyon

wreckage and see if we can find anything useful. After that, we'll be long gone from here."

"Where to?" Chuck inquired.

"I'll figure that out en route to the wreckage. Chuck, Jezzy, grab the IED. Psycho, help me round up the rest of the troops. We are

lea

ving, operatives!"

Nikanor, Jack Anorr,

Human Medic

, had his brains scrambled on Night 1.
danakillsu, Arthur Williams,

Human Medic

, was shot with a laser rifle on Night 1.

It is now Day 2. With 15 players alive, it takes 8 votes to lynch.
Deadline is on Sunday, November 21st, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST (note: this is a bit longer than normal because I don't want to spend 2+ hours writing flavor at 9 o'clock in the night).

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #481 (isolation #28) » Sat Nov 06, 2010 3:11 pm

You may post now.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #491 (isolation #29) » Sat Nov 06, 2010 6:55 pm

I just realized that I completely forgot to post the deadline.

Chalk it up to writing massive amounts of flavor...

Anyway, the deadline is on Sunday, November 21st, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST (this is a bit longer than normal because, given how long it's taking me to write flavor these days, I don't want to be up past midnight writing the flavor).

I also edited the deadline into the daystart post.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #551 (isolation #30) » Mon Nov 08, 2010 2:52 pm

Unfortunately, I have no time to write flavor now, but I'll get a vote count up for you guys anyway. Stand by...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #552 (isolation #31) » Mon Nov 08, 2010 3:04 pm

SBF

Deborah

Low Orbit, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
1515 hours SST (0109 hours LLT2)

Kerry frowned. The

Apollyon

should have been back by now; at the least contact should have been made outside of the Arkon jamming range. The obvious conclusion stared him straight in the eye, and he sighed.

I guess now we come up with a way to salvage this situation...

He began to think. The

Deborah

was equipped with two planetary shuttles; the problem was that neither of them were equipped with stealth technology, and unless they knew exactly where the Meggidos were, a hot pickup was too risky to attempt. And with the Arkon planetary jamming array online, they couldn't contact the Meggidos to find out where they were.

Then we obviously need to find a way to knock out the jamming array.

He turned to his science officer. "Science, when we did our flyby scan before the jammers came online, were you able to detect their location?"

"Aye, Commodore."

"Then show me."

* * *

Major Lew Willard entered the briefing room. Commodore Kerry sat at the far end of the long, ovular holotable, and he beckoned Lew toward the seat on the opposing end. Lew stepped forward and took the seat.

"What's going on, sir?" he inquired.

"The mission plan's fucked," the commodore replied. "There's really no other way to put it. The Meggidos failed to make the rendezvous, and the Arkon planetary jammers are prevent us from scanning for the SOB team or establishing radio contact with them. It's up to us to get them off Liten."

"Those poor sons of bitches," Lew remarked sarcastically, shaking his head. "All that bravado about being tough, and they can't even--"

"Major, I'm well aware that you and the other marines are not fond of the Meggidos, but like it or not, they're on Liten, potentially in possession of the IED, and right now we're the only way they have off planet. I suggest you get over your distaste for the SOBs, because I'm sending the marines planetside to help save their asses. Understood?"

Lew sighed. "Perfectly, sir."

"Good. Then here is your mission..."

Vote Count 2.1

(6) Feysal: SpryeX, Furry, HackerHuck, Cogito Ergo Sum, apathyplusCUPCAKES, Slaxx

Not Voting: ThAdmiral, MagnaofIllusion, Twomz, AlmasterGM, LynchMePls, Untrod Tripod, Thor665, Feysal, Nero Cain

With fifteen people alive, it takes eight votes to lynch.
The deadline is Sunday, November 21st, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #587 (isolation #32) » Tue Nov 09, 2010 5:06 pm

As noted sometime earlier in this game, Tuesdays are hell days for me, and I'm in no state to do anything modding wise at the moment. You will, however, get at least a full-flavored vote count on Wednesday, most likely in the afternoon.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #614 (isolation #33) » Wed Nov 10, 2010 12:06 pm

Ok, working on game stuff now. Stand by...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #617 (isolation #34) » Wed Nov 10, 2010 1:03 pm

(sigh) Somebody up there hates me.

Most unfortunately, something came up unexpectedly that will likely consume the rest of this night, which means I can't do flavor until Thursday afternoon at the earliest.

I'm really, really sorry about this!

A lynch has occurred, however, and although I hate not putting flavor on a lynch scene, the twilight has gone on long enough. Therefore, I will announce the flips now, and fill in the flavor later. In the future, if I don't have time to write the flavor for a lynch scene, this will be my policy for handling it.

I'll make sure to bedazzle all of you with vivaciously vicarious flavor at the earliest opportunity, don't you worry! Until then, aditot!

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #618 (isolation #35) » Wed Nov 10, 2010 1:03 pm

Final Vote Count Day 2

(8) Feysal: SpryeX, Furry, HackerHuck, Cogito Ergo Sum, apathyplusCUPCAKES, Slaxx, MagnaofIllusion, Twomz

Not Voting: ThAdmiral, AlmasterGM, LynchMePls, Untrod Tripod, Thor665, Feysal, Nero Cain

With fifteen people alive, it takes eight votes to lynch.
The deadline is Sunday, November 21st, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST.

- A lynch majority has been achieved! -

Three kilometers west of the extraction point
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
1608 hours SST (0310 hours LLT2)

A lot of the threedees tended to picture dropship crashes as being explosive and fiery affairs; in truth, modern engineering was such that the fuel cells were rarely ruptured by impact crashes, and there were very few flammable materials utilized in a dropship's construction. Thus, while there were electrical sparks coming from severed wires here and there, and a notably deep trough had been plowed into the ground, it was hardly the apocalyptic vision presented by the entertainment industry.

Sara sent Kestrel and Geordi ahead to check the area around the wreckage, while she and the rest of the Megiddos stayed back at a safe distance and covered their approach. It wasn't long before Kestrel gave a thumbs-up to give the all-clear.

"All right, move in, Meggidos," Sara ordered. "Wes, Pal, stay with the colonists and keep close to the main group. Simona, Ingrid, Dylan, and Black Cat, patrol the outer circumference of the area and keep an eye out for Arkons. Bill, you're with me. Jezzy, take everyone else and salvage everything you possibly can from that wreckage."

"Aye!" barked a chorus of voices. The team members split off to fulfill their assignments. Sara began to walk slowly toward the shuttle, with Bill at her side.

"Bill, are you sure you don't know a way to counter that Arkon comm jam?" Sara asked.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not possible. The only way to beat a jam is to overpower it, and we don't have nearly enough power at our disposal to break a jam of planetary scale."

Sara stared at the

Apollyon

debris thoughtfully. "Could we cannibalize the fuel cells and use them to break the jam?"

"It wouldn't even be

close

to enough. I'm talking something akin to a dreadnaught's fusion core, and even at that I'm not sure that would cut it."

"What about the IED?"

"Even

if

we knew how to hook it up to our instruments, our circuitry would melt long before we reached the necessary power levels."

Sara sighed. "So, we can't break through the jam. What if--" Suddenly she stumbled over a small pothole in the ground, and she grunted. "If I remember correctly, the Arkon planetary jamming technology is based on a network of individual jammers. Right?"

"Correct," Bill assented. "They use a grid of jammers to provide a collective whole, the numbers used being dependent on the size of the planet."

"So...if one of the jammers were to be taken offline, would it make a hole in the jamming blanket?"

"Well...not a complete "hole", per se, since the other jammers would still have an influence over an area. However, it

would

severely weaken the strength of the blanket in the area the defunct jammer used to cover."

"Enough to establish contact with the

Deborah

?"

"Most likely. But if your plan is to go out and destroy one of these jammers, there's one big problem: we don't have a clue where any of the jammers are."

"Can't we scan for it?"

"Hello? It's a jammer, Sara. If it can disrupt our comms, it's definitely going to play havoc with our scans."

Sara arched an eyebrow. "Wait a minute. How come our tacvisors work, then?"

"It's a complicated story," Bill explained. "But essentially, tacvisors don't work the same way as a transmission or a scan, so they aren't affected by the same things."

"Okay, then. Could you possibly estimate where the optimal positioning for a jamming grid would be?"

"Not really. You can technically place the grid wherever you want, as long as you maintain the correct spacing." He looked off in the general direction of the Kehvit mountains. "A mountain location would be quite an ideal spot for a jammer, though..."

"So you think there's one up there?"

"Well, I don't

know

that for certain, but if I had jammer and a mountain, I'd put it up there."

"That's at least a hundred clicks away." Sara sighed. "I guess it's better than having no direction at all, though--"

"Sara!" Sara looked and saw Jezzy standing just outside the cockpit section of the wreckage. "Jordy's still alive! Get in here, quick!"

What the hell? How did he survive the crash?

"On my way!" Sara called. Quickly turning back to Bill, she concluded, "Try to figure out where those jammers are. If we can contact the

Deborah

, then our chances of survival go up dramatically."

"Saying something earnestly won't change the facts," Bill answered, "but I'll see what I can do."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "That's all I'm asking, Bill." She took her hand off and briskly trotted the rest of the distance to the debris.

The cockpit section of the

Apollyon

wasn't actually the furthest forward of the dropship chunks, and it had flipped upside down, with the sundered end facing the forward side of the trench. Apparently the nose had caught in the ground, and subsequently the cockpit was rent apart from the rest of the dropship. How was it possible for anyone to survive a collision of that magnitude?

She reached the cockpit section and climbed up the thick outer shell and onto the ceiling--which was technically the floor at the moment. Near the front of the cockpit, illuminated only by the glowstrip stuck to the floor--currently the ceiling--Jezzy sat crouched. Next to her was Jordy's body, bleeding badly and appearing to be partly smashed in. Every breath came in wheezing, painful gasps, accompanied frequently by virulent fits of coughing.

"Dear god..." Sara whispered.

"I already sent Psycho and Chuck to get the medical equipment that wasn't blown up during the air raid," Jezzy reported as Sara came up to the cockpit. "Frankly, though, I doubt he's going to last long."

Sara nodded. "Did you find anything else of note here?"

"Not yet, but I haven't finished searching--"

"Jezzy, come here!" Kestrel's voice called. "I found a Nutcracker case, but it needs officer authorization to open it!"

Jezzy laughed bitterly. "That would be great--except we don't have anything that's worth using a Nutcracker on. Anyways, I'll finish searching the cockpit once I get this dealt with." She tramped out towards the dropship section that Kestrel was calling from.

It suddenly clicked in Sara's head:

A Nutcracker! If there's actually a working one in there, it'll definitely devastate an Arkon planetary jammer. Now we just need to find one...

She set her laser rifle aside and knelt down by Jordy's body, and her elation immediately sobered. It would definitely be a pain to have to carry a wounded person on their travels, but she wasn't about to leave one of their own behind to suffer the torture of the Arkons.

She touched his left hand, one of the few parts of the body that wasn't pulverized in some form or another. He groaned, opened his eyes. "S-Saahr-Sara-a--" He coughed, and dark, crimson blood splattered on Sara's uniform; she ignored the discomfort.

"I'm sorry, Jordy," she said quietly. "I wish there was something I could do--"

Suddenly, Jordy's right hand reached out and seized her by the throat. "Domka hitoslik," he growled, smiling.

Sara gasped, and not simply for lack of air. She grabbed at the hand, but her efforts to pry it loose were futile. On her chest, the blood was morphing color, from red into blackish-purple.

It can't be...

"Majy krynash dieza magriki tamvir vershowen kondit charutji, enk kondit strydbaruwed," Jordy--only it wasn't really Jordy, was it--continued, as its grip on Sara's throat continued to magnify in strength. The other hand began to reach for Sara's forehead slowly. "Enek skichik kryy enzaket kondit ichmeer shas--"

Sara made a move for her laser pistol, but the Arkon was faster, using the free hand to grab her right arm in an instant. "Slegijirak. Majy gozee igskinpok hitoslik." Elongated fingernails suddenly grew out of the Arkon's hand and raked Sara's arm. The nails dug deeply through the uniform and into her flesh, leaving behind oozing trenches of scarlet blood. Sara tried to scream, but lacked the air to do so. "Kigedaara enek ozeg Arkon," the Arkon concluded. Deep, guttural noises came forth from it, sounding akin to human laughter.

Sara gritted her teeth and swung up her left hand, which held the vibration knife Sara had unsheathed while the Arkon was occupied with her other arm. The vertically-oscillating impervium blade shot upward, its finely-honed edge cutting cleanly through the Arkon's hand like a laser through butter. Red blood gushed all over Sara's face and body, rolling in streams down her combat suit; even before the blood hit the floor it was changing color. The severed hand, however, remained clamped onto Sara's neck, and she reached up and ripped it away from her with her right arm, screaming in agony as she did so.

The Arkon stared at its missing hand, then back at Sara. Pupils literally narrowed into vertical slits. "Hylesk!" it exclaimed. The blood stopped gushing forth from the Arkon's arm, and indeed a new hand seemed to be forming at the end of the shortened arm. At the same time, its body began to transform into Arkon form. Sara tried to push herself to her feet, but her wounded arm gave out on her and she collapsed onto the floor.

"Arkon!" she tried to scream, but all that came out was a hoarse, raspy whisper. She tried to get on her feet again, but the Arkon leaped and tackled her. Her forehead smacked the ultrasteel ceiling violently. She stabbed at the Arkon, but it grabbed her hand, twisted it sharply, and the vibration knife fell from her hand and onto the floor, where it vibrated noisily.

Pinning Sara to the floor with the shortened arm, the Arkon grabbed the back of her head. "Domka, izhylesk hitoslik!"

"Fuck you too, asshole!" Sara hoarse-yelled, pushing on the floor with all her strength. Her right arm screamed a litany of pain, but she succeeded in disrupting the Arkon's balance, sending it toppling to the floor. Desperately she scurried for the vibration knife. She reached out for it with her left hand, but the blade suddenly spun in her direction, so she hastily jerked her arm back. She made another attempt--but the Arkon darted around her body and seized the knife from her outstretched fingertips. Then its foot stomped virulently on her left arm and continued to stand there, pinning her arm to the floor.

It knelt beside her, holding the vibration knife just over her captive arm. "Laatky ekto tamvir giaseb dieza majy yuuaan opzuk ekto, majy izhylesk, muskin hitoslik!" it declared.

Sara's eyes widened and she tried desperately to squirm out of the Arkon's hold, but all her efforts were in vain. Horrified, she watched, as if in slow motion, as the oscillating blade began to drop, lowering itself slowly closer to her arm. Every sound around her drummed out of focus, save the voluminous, rapid beating of her own heart. Time inched slowly forward, as the blade was nearly close enough to touch...

The first bite. Arcs of pain raced through her body as the blade kept slicing through her arm. Blood

my blood

spurted from the wound, onto the ceiling-floor, all over the Arkon, onto her face

never stopping oh god oh god the agony

. The knife made contact with the bone, and it offered as much resistance as the skin and muscle had. The entire width of the blade was inside

my arm is being severed god help me FUCK YOU Arkon bastard

and nearing the end of its journey...

In microseconds, the deed was done, and Sara screamed as shrilly as her hoarse voice would allow. Bright red blood gushed out of her severed arm, pooling all over the ultrasteel plating. Still keeping her arm pinioned to the ground, the Arkon picked up her severed hand and looked at her.

"Enek dinkae majy gozee izkusonkar steisuk..." It tossed her hand directly in front of Sara's face, and it took all of her mental willpower to stop herself from passing out due to shock and blood loss.

The Arkon now leaned forward and grabbed her hair with its short arm, yanking upward to pull her head off the floor. "Enek hankeerd majy, hitoslik," it said in a rumbling bass voice. It jerked her head up again, but Sara didn't even grunt. "Majy gozee ichmeer verdikak tamekry taikompesen yoas enek dinkakae, enk majy bekiver ichmeer yoas aeo kogee valbatsu." Slowly it brought the vibration knife close to her throat. Sara stared at her severed arm, surrounded by a pool of her own blood.

My own pool of blood...

The blade was in position under her neck. "Sientadsu, hitoslik bubensol."

Mustering every iota of willpower within her body, soul, and spirit, Sara pulled back her left arm as hard as she could. As soon as the blood got under it, it slid across the floor, and the Arkon fell forward. As soon as its foot was off her arm, Sara rolled out of the way, narrowly missing the vibration knife with her neck. Her body shrieked in agony, but she willed herself to skitter-crawl to the forward section of the cabin as fast as she could. Where her laser pistol was...

"Hylesk majy, muskin hitoslik!" growled the Arkon. Sara didn't even bother looking back, but continued her hellish half-scramble toward her weapons. A loud thud behind her suggested that the Arkon had slipped while trying to get up. She pressed on, despite her anguishing body all but set to give out on her.

Oh please, c'mon, just let me get that pistol...

She heard rapid thuds coming from behind her...

just a little further...

she heard growls and hisses getting closer and closer...

almost there...

she stretched out her right hand toward the laser pistol...

I can feel it on my fingertips...

An alien hand grabbed her left foot. "Sittow yobo, hitoslik!" the Arkon yelled.

Her fingers clenched the laser pistol--yanked hard on her leg, pulling her back--fist formed around handle, finger inserted into trigger--grabbed her head, held it fast--pointed the laser pistol blindly behind her, only hoping--"Kierf, muskin hyleska, kierf! Kierf--"

She pulled the trigger.

The Arkon loosed the grip on her foot and head and grunted loudly. Quickly Sara spun around on her back, aimed the laser pistol at the Arkon's face, and pulled the trigger. The shot only grazed the left side of its head, but it was enough to make the Arkon release her completely. She pulled up her legs, her knees against her bloodied chest.

"

Fuck

you!" she screamed hoarsely, kicking the Arkon squarely in the upper chest area. It flew backwards and collapsed onto the floor in a heap. Wasting no time, Sara aimed between her legs and put a red beam of light straight through the Arkon's torso. "You like that, you fucking motherfucker?" Another blast went into its abdomen. "You think you can just waltz in our star sytems and fuck with our shit without paying for it, is that it?" At that point, Sara didn't really bother with precision aiming, pouring bolt after bolt of energy into the Arkon. "Well, guess what, you motherfucking dickwad? You just got your own shit fucked up, asshole!

Your own fucking shit!

You think you're better than me, but guess what, bitch? I'm alive!

I'm fucking aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!

How you liking that, you goddamned, fucked-up dickshit from hell? Oh wait, I'm sorry, you can't tell me.

You know why?

Because

you! are! fucking! dead!

Fuck yeah, bitch! You're dead and you can't do anything about it, so kiss my soft, human, lily ass!"

Panting, she stopped firing. By that point, the Arkon was clearly inert, and the smell of seared Arkon flesh filled the air. Wearily, Sara kept her pistol trained on the body, ready to fire at the first twitch. Her vision started to become blurry, and the searing pain hit her again.

Dear god, I lost my fucking hand...I need to get help, and fast...

She tried to push herself onto her feet, but no sooner was she on her feet than she lost her balance and tumbled to the floor again, her head impacting the ultrasteel forcefully. Yellow and white static began to flood her vision.

No...I cannot have survived this...only to die shortly afterward...

She heard a faint voice. "Sara, what the hell's going on? Geordi's missing and I've been calling you for-- Oh my...oh my god!

Someone get the fucking medical equipment to the cockpit, stat! Sara's dying...

" The voice faded into obscurity as the static began fading into black.

I'm...sorry...Margaret...I wasn't...good...enough.

Then she felt a lightness, and suddenly she saw a young girl, playing in a field of daisies. It wasn't long before she recognized the child's face as her own...

Feysal, Geordi Moss,

Arkon Infiltrator

, had his shit seriously fucked up on Day 2.

It is now Night 2. The deadline is Saturday, November 13th, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. CST. (Unless I'm meeting my project group then, in which case, the deadline will be pushed back to Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #619 (isolation #36) » Sun Nov 14, 2010 3:47 am

????
????
????
????

I open my eyes.

Am I dead? Where am I?

Starry blackness is all that is in front of me. I look down and realize that I have no body. What's happened to me? Is this heaven? Hell? Nowhere in particular? I begin walking toward the starry blackness...

"I'm telling you, there's nothing we can do!" an echoing voice exclaims behind me. "She's as good as dead!"

Jezzy...

I turn (

how is this possible with no body

) and see Jezzy, standing on the ground behind me.

I'm not on the ground?

At her feet sat Wes, and lying on the ground adjacent to him was...

my body?

Yes, it was my body, albeit with a blood-soaked pressure cap on the end of my left arm instead of my hand.

The thing cut my fucking hand off...

Pal is on the other side of my body, wiping my face with a damp cloth and removing the concoction of human and Arkon blood smeared on my face, while Kestrel is bandaging the lacerations on my right arm.

Am I dead or not? How can I tell the difference?

"She wouldn't leave us to die," Wes counters, "so I, for one, won't abandon her."

These four are all I see nearby.

Where are the others?

"Nor I," Kestrel concurs. "What's been with you anyway, Jezzy? You're usually good with the chain of command. Why so quick to abandon your commanding officer?"

Jezzy sniffed. "Look who's talking. Isn't it damned convenient that your gut just happens to fail when we need it the most?"

"God, would you lay off that shit already?"

Already chaos has reentered the ranks of my Meggidos. What am I doing, floating up in the air simply looking on? I need to get involved, retake control of the situation. I start moving closer to my body--only to realize that I am not actually moving closer. Why? There is so much I do not understand...

"Why should I, Kestrel? It's that kind of shit that we need to look into, dammit. You saw what that Arkon did to Sara, what they've

been

doing to us. If we don't get rid of them, there is

no

chance that our mission will succeed!"

"Who the fuck are you to tell us that?" Pal growls bitterly.

"Because I'm your new C.O., that's why," Jezzy barks.

"By what--" Wes begins, but Jezzy interrupts with,

"SOB protocol handbook, article thirty-six, section two, regulation nine, part one: 'If the commanding officer is killed, seriously injured, or in any other condition that critically impairs the commanding officer's ability to lead his command, the second commanding officer may assume direct command, effective immediately.' Look at her. That's looks pretty fucking impaired to me."

She's not even trying to save me...

Why, oh

why

must I remain a spectator to these events?

Suddenly, something begins to pull at me from behind. I look, and see nothing there. What new deviltry was this?

"Her pulse just went erratic!" Kestrel screams faintly. "Get the--"

"Leave her," Jezzy orders, her voice cold and severe.

The three of them stare at her. "Jezebel, you can't--"

"We don't have any time to waste with failed revival attempts, dammit! The Arkons could be upon this place at any moment, and we need to be far away from here when they arrive." Jezzy frowns. "I don't like this, either, but there's no other choice."

"That's bullshit," Pal grumbles.

"And Pal, you will shut the fuck up and

properly

address your superior officers! Seriously, I don't know why the fuck Margaret and Sara put up with your shit."

"Jeez, I'm sorry! I meant to say that's bullshit,

sir

!"

I strain to see them as the mysterious force pulls me further and further away. White light begins to seep into my vision, and I think I can hear voices. Lots of voices, and with each passing moment they crescendo louder and louder.

I barely hear Wes' voice. "She's dead..." And then I am completely surrounded by white light, with the sound of voices, of every sound, reverberating everywhere. There are so many voices; I am unable to distinguish what any of them are saying. It is chaotic, and I find the disjointed rhythm...strangely comforting. The temptation to succumb to the turbulent maelstrom is strong--

No! I refuse to die! I refuse to give in!

I struggle once more against the invisible force, with renewed vigor. The conflict is intense, and it isn't long before the only thing on my mind is breaking free of this force. Pressure threatens to tear whatever I currently am to pieces--

--and without warning, the whiteness vanishes, along with the harmonious discord of voices. I find myself once again above the surface of Liten, staring at my body.

Lying in a freshly dug grave...

The others stand around my grave, some with tears streaming down their face. I hear Jezzy saying,

"While our time with Captain Sara Gaints was short, I think we can all agree that she was taken before her time. It is truly a shame for the Meggidos to lose such a valuable member such as Sara. Rest in peace...wherever your soul abides after it leaves the body." She nods toward Psycho and Chuck, and silently they take their collapsible shovels, dig into the mound of dirt adjunct to the grave, and begin softly lowering the soil onto her body.

It's now or never, Sara. You can do this!

Taking a deep breath--metaphorically speaking--I plummet toward my body as fast as I can. The resistance shows itself again, but not nearly as strongly as before, and I plow through it easily. Closer and closer I draw, and suddenly I am within my body

!tear violent a

and I see white and black mix together

coalesce!

and I hear a loud ringing noise--

Dark silence.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #620 (isolation #37) » Sun Nov 14, 2010 4:07 am

Night 2 is over. Day will break once I have resolved actions

and written flavor

.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #621 (isolation #38) » Sun Nov 14, 2010 5:13 am

About three kilometers west of the extraction point
Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
1705 hours SST (0520 hours LLT2)

Sara's eyes shot open, and she gasped sharply, arcing her back in the process. Something flew into her open mouth and down her throat, causing her to cough virulently. Her vision was too blurry to be able to see anything.

Did it work? Am I--

A larger something impacted her belly, partially knocking the wind out of her.

"Oh my god!" she heard a voice exclaim. "She's still alive!"

"Stop shoveling!" someone else hollered. "Get her out of there!"

Hands grabbed her armpits and her feet and hoisted her out of the grave. A pinkish-white blur appeared in her field of vision; as the blur gradually dissipated, Sara was able to identify the owner of the blur.

"Sara, can you hear me?" Jezzy inquired. "Nod your head once for yes, and twice for--"

"I--" Sara exhaled sharply, and a small clod of dirt flew out. "I can hear you fine, Jezzy."

"I'll be..." Wes breathed. "A miracle from God!"

Chuck whistled. "Damn, Sara, but you're one tough SOB."

Sara chuckled and pulled herself up to a seated position. From there, she put her right arm on the ground and slowly pushed herself to her feet. Her head felt woozy, and she wobbled around a bit. Dylan put his hands on her back to steady hear, and soon the wooziness dissipated.

"Thanks, Dylan," Sara said. Looking around, she soon realized that not everyone was present. "Where's Simona and Travis Knull?"

"They're dead, man," Pal moaned. "Fucking dead. The colonist dude got brain-fried by Arkons, and someone used a skitter mine on Simona. Can you believe it?

A fucking skitter mine!

"

"There wasn't even enough left of Simona's body to be buried," Ingrid said sadly. "So when we buried the others, we just turned up some dirt for her."

"On a side note, we did find some of our recon equipment on Travis's body," Kestrel answered. She looked at Furry pointedly. "Didn't know you had anyone on Liten that knew how to use that stuff."

Furry shrugged. "He didn't want us to mention it. He never looked fondly on you guys, I think."

"But it was something we should've--"

"Kestrel." Sara stared firmly at Kestrel, and she stopped. "It doesn't matter now. I don't know how long we've been here, but I'm sure it's been way too long. We need to clear out, and fast. Our best shot at contacting the

Deborah

and getting a second dropship down here is to knock out one of the jamming towers--"

"I told them that already, Sara," Jezzy stated.

"She ignored the alternative option suggested by Dr. Gordon, though," Bill protested.

"It's takes way too long, and it's too risky," Jezzy countered. "Did I not make that--"

Sara stepped in. "Jezzy, while I value your input, I would prefer to hear all the options." She looked at Bill. "Do explain."

"I should probably let Dr. Gordon do the explaining," Bill said. "It's his idea, after all."

"You helped quite a bit," Joshua told him. He turned to Sara. "First, the nearest jamming device is one hundred and ten kilometers away, on Mt. Ivanova--"

"Wait a sec." Sara looked at Bill. "I thought you said the jamming prevented us from scanning for the jammers in the first place."

"True," Bill replied. "However, Dr. Gordon realized something that I completely overlooked."

Nearby, Psycho snickered.

"Yes, Psycho, it happens. Anyway, while we can't directly scan for the jammers, we can

indirectly

scan for them by passively measuring the intensity of the jamming signal at three or more locations, comparing the difference between the field intensities, and use that information to calculate where the strongest point in the field is."

"In other words, the location of the jammer."

"Precisely! Anyway, we took the relevant data from older scans that I'd made, and now we know precisely where the nearest jammer is located!"

"Which is where the next part of the plan comes in," Joshua interjected. "One hundred and ten kilometers is a tough walk, no matter what way you put it. The odds of us making the trek on foot and undetected are slim at best. The optimal solution is to jury-rig some form of transportation. I took a look at the

Apollyon

, and I believe that we have the necessary materials to MacGyver a basic flycraft."

"Which would be great, except it takes too much time to build," Jezzy snapped.

"Lieutenant Bahha is correct. It would take at least eight hours to make this flycraft, and that's if we ignore safety checks and the like. However, Bill assures me that he can modify the cloak generator to function as an electromagnetic field generator, which would effectively disable any Arkon machinery that came within twenty kilometers of our position. We'd have to keep our eye out for ground forces, but it will likely be awhile before it comes to that point. If all goes well, we can have the flycraft built and be long gone before then."

"And if they figure this out sooner rather than later?" Jezzy folded her arms across her chest. "Sara, this is just a pipe-dream born out of lunacy, and you know it."

"We don't have a chance going on foot!" Joshua protested. "They'll be swarming us long before we get to Ivanova!"

"And they'll be swarming us faster if we sit here and wait for them! You may be a scientist, Dr. Gordon, but that doesn't mean you have the smarts to know battlefield tactics!"

Sara sighed. "Jezzy, while knowing proper battlefield tactics is good, you also need to know when to go outside them. Right now, if we move out on foot, there's a very high chance that the Arkons will find us before we reach the jammer, and at that point we'll be dead no matter what we do. On the other hand, if we can build a flycraft, then we not only get to our destination faster, we also solve the issue of scaling Mt. Ivanova once we get there. Yes, they know where the crash site is; but we know the terrain. In this case, it's better to defend a known territory and hope we can build a better chance for survival versus moving into a plethora of unknowns."

"But--Captain, with all due respect, are you sure you're fit for command?"

Sara stared into Jezzy's fiery eyes. "My mental faculties are perfectly fine, Lieutenant. Thank you for expressing your opinion, but we're going with Dr. Gordon's plan. That is my final decision. Now please, do your best to ensure that this plan will succeed. Understood?"

"Perfectly...

sir

."

"Good." The first rays of dawn peeked over the horizon as Sara began giving her people orders...

SpyreX, Travis Knull,

Human Scout

, had his brains scrambled on Night 2.
Untrod Tripod, Simona Sanchez,

Human SOB Operative

, was blown to pieces by a land mine on Night 2.

Day 3 has begun. With 12 players alive, it takes 7 votes to lynch.
The deadline is Sunday, November 28th, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. CST.

You may post now.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #629 (isolation #39) » Sun Nov 14, 2010 8:36 am

In case anyone's wondering why flavor is going slow (again), there's a fair bit of Arkonese in the Day 2 lynch scene...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #634 (isolation #40) » Sun Nov 14, 2010 11:41 am

All flavor for Day 2 has been added in. I'm going to pause on my flavor catchup, because my mind is thoroughly burned out.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #651 (isolation #41) » Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:06 pm

I will hopefully get a vote count up sometime tomorrow. Whether there's flavor or not depends on my school schedule...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #660 (isolation #42) » Wed Nov 17, 2010 7:13 am

AlmasterGM has been prodded.

Hoping to get some flavor up today, but I'll at least post a vote count. Stand by...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #661 (isolation #43) » Wed Nov 17, 2010 7:47 am

Spoiler: Adverisement Skipping

Wreckage of Dropship

Apollyon

Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
1736 hours SST (0629 hours LLT2)

"All right, Pal, hold this maneuvering jet in place while I weld it to the beam," Joshua ordered. "And don't drop it. It's a bit weak as it is, and the last thing we need is to rupture the containment jacket."

"Yeah, yeah, yet another way for us to die," Pal grumbled, his muscles straining to hold the jet in place on top of the ultrasteel beam; it was nearly as large as him. "I suppose it would blow up the universe if it ruptures, right?"

"No, not the whole universe. Just the part where you and I are standing. It might get Bill, too. Not sure on the distance variables."

Seated on the ground in front of a large, black, spherical device, Bill glanced over and shouted, "What might get me?"

"Nothing, Bill, you'll be fine."

"Oh, good." Bill turned back to work on the sphere thing, while Joshua grabbed a laser pistol and began aiming at the space between the jet and the beam.

"Hey, wait a minute," Pal protested. "I drop this thing and it blows us to hell, but you shoot it with a laser and it's all right?"

"Ok, so I was slightly exaggerating," Joshua admitted, "but you still shouldn't drop it. There's a lot of compressed chemicals in that thing, and you don't want to take the chance."

"But still, how does a laser not blow this thing up?"

"Very precise aiming, and the fact that I deliberately had the jet placed so the strongest part of the jacket is touching the beam. As long as I don't miss, we'll get good, clean welds."

"Whatever." Pal stared at Joshua. "You better not miss, though, or my ghost is haunting yours in the afterlife."

"Whatever." Joshua began taking aim again with the pistol. "Although when we get the chance, I really ought to ask Sara if she saw anything..." he mumbled to himself.

He squeezed the trigger, and Pal squeezed his eyes shut. Fortunately for both of them, the jet was still there, as bulky as ever.

"See?" Joshua remarked. "Nothing to be worried about."

Bill stood up, stretching his arms. "Good news, guys. I think I succeeded in turning the cloak into an EM field generator. Better turn off any electronic gadgets you've got on you, so they don't get fried by the EM field. I'm going to see Sara and tell her that as well." With that, Bill strode past Joshua and Pal and through the field of debris to find Sara.

"Can I let go of this thing for a sec, Doc?" Pal asked.

"Absolutely not," Joshua replied, deactivating his personal wristcom. "I still need at least five more welds before that thing will hold solid."

"But--but my iPod Piconano!" Pal wailed. "It's all I've got to keep me sane!"

"With all the latest hits?"

"Of course! Lady Jansen and the Starfuckers, Cosimo, The Beetlesgeuse--"

Joshua sniffed disdainfully as he took aim again. "With all the battles you go through, I thought you'd be sick of all the screeching and screaming."

"Just fucking shut up and get the job done already..."

Vote Count 3.1

(3) apathyplusCUPCAKES: Thor665, ThAdmiral, LynchMePls
(2) Thor665: Nero Cain, Twomz
(1) Nero Cain: apathyplusCUPCAKES
(1) Twomz: MagnaofIllusion
(1) Cogito Ergo Sum: Furry

Not Voting: AlmasterGM, HackerHuck, Slaxx

With twelve people alive, it takes seven votes to lynch.
The deadline is Sunday, November 28th, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #690 (isolation #44) » Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:04 am

Hey guys, I know I haven't been able to keep up as much with the flavor, and believe me, no one is more disappointed by this than me. That doesn't mean you guys ought to slack off so I can catch up with the flavor. Generally, I get more excited about writing when I don't have to worry about doing a prod check.

tl;dr Let's pick up the pace.

Also, I have the night scene for Day 3 finished. Only one more to go! (Might be two if I feel cheery after writing the first one.)

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #741 (isolation #45) » Mon Nov 22, 2010 10:17 am

Vote count incoming.

Liking the increased activity, btw.

Keep it up!

Also, all of the to-be-added flavor has been added in for your consumption.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #748 (isolation #46) » Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:27 pm

Wreckage of Dropship

Apollyon

Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
1831 hours SST (0834 hours LLT2)

Furry and Chuck ambled slowly, glancing cautiously in every direction. So far, no Arkons had been spotted.

"How are you holding up?" Chuck inquired.

"Well enough, all things considered," Furry replied. "I'm not going to have another mental breakdown, if that's what you're worried about."

"Just making sure. It's going to take every iota of effort and strength we've got to get out of this mess alive."

"I know."

For a few moments they simply strode in silence; then Chuck said, "All right, I have to ask: what's with the nickname?"

"Why don't you take a guess?"

"Your sexual tastes?"

Furry roared with laughter. "A bit forward, are we?"

"You asked for it," Chuck replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, although actually that's a part of the truth."

Chuck arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You see, I very much enjoy the texture and appearance of fur, be it real or faux. I would always be wearing a fur coat, even in the heat of summer. And let me tell you, the touch of soft fur on naked skin is a great way to get you in the...mood..." Furry's cheeks turned a lovely shade of crimson. "Anyway, with my obsession over fur, it wasn't long before my nickname became 'Furry'." She sighed. "I really wish I could've saved at least some of my fur coats. I don't think I've gone this long without the touch of fur in a very long time."

"Well, I'm sure there's some faux somewhere on the

Deborah

. There's definitely faux on the SS

Davy Maybourne

."

Furry smirked. "You're sweet."

Chuck gasped. "Who, me? A lean, mean, killing machine who eats roasted Arkons for breakfast?"

"It's not impossible for tough guys to have a soft spot."

They stared at each other awkwardly.

"Perhaps we should change the subject?" Chuck suggested.

"Yeah, good idea. So...how'd you get

your

nickname?"

"My...nickname?"

"Chuck Norris. You must've busted some ass back in training camp or wherever--"

"Ah, actually, that's my real name."

Furry stared. "C'mon, you're shitting me."

"God's honest truth."

"Well, I'll be...why'd your parents name you that?"

Chuck sighed. "My parents were a bit...obsessive over twentieth-century action flicks. Thought they were the shit of the 1900s and all that. They even went so far as to legally change my last name to Norris and then acquire guardianship over me."

"That's insane. So, do you like the name?"

"I've gotten used to it. The good and bad part of the name is the jokes that come with it. Including the ones from the twentieth-century area."

"Those are still around?"

"Oh, yeah. Actually..." Chuck stopped for a moment, and Furry quickly followed. "It's time for a check-in," he announced. "You wanna run in to Sara or shall I?"

"Well...I'll do it, but how exactly do you know the time when our wristcoms are powered down?"

Chuck smiled. "I keep perfect time on seventeen different planets. Liten is the seventeenth."

Furry shook her head and laughed. "God damn, man. You sure your name isn't rubbing off on you?"

"I wouldn't exactly mind if that were so. Who doesn't want to be Chuck Norris?"

"Good point. All right, I'll head off, now. See you in a few."

Vote Count 3.2

(4) Cogito Ergo Sum: Furry, Almaster GM, Nero Cain, Thor665
(2) Nero Cain: apathyplusCUPCAKES, HackerHuck
(1) apathyplusCUPCAKES: ThAdmiral
(1) Thor665: Twomz
(1) Twomz: MagnaofIllusion, LynchMePls
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum

Not Voting: Slaxx

With twelve people alive, it takes seven votes to lynch.
The deadline is Sunday, November 28th, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. CST.

(And yeah, I got interrupted in the middle of making the vote count.

)

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #754 (isolation #47) » Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:38 pm

HackerHuck has been prodded.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #783 (isolation #48) » Wed Nov 24, 2010 4:39 pm

I'm going to extend the deadline by three days, for two reasons. The first is on account of Thanksgiving, and the second is because I just survived an unpleasant car accident that left me considerably nicked up, and I'm hoping that I'll be back up to par within a few days. In case that doesn't happen, I'm alerting Haylen to keep a closer eye on the thread than usual, in case I need her to take over for a bit as mod.

For those of you who celebrate the holiday, Happy Thanksgiving!

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #801 (isolation #49) » Fri Nov 26, 2010 11:01 am

Wreckage of Dropship

Apollyon

Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
1956 hours SST (1249 hours LLT2)

Jezzy and Black Cat tromped silently across their assigned path. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other in hours beyond, "Time to check in, back soon." Around them, the air was eerily silent, with nary a sound from the Liten wildlife, and no breeze to rustle the boing grass. Suddenly, a large, black bird, resembling a cross between a toucan and an albatross, soared across the sky. It uttered a call not unlike that of a crow in the midst of being strangled.

"God fuck you!" Jezzy muttered virulently. She aimed her laser rifle at the annoying bird, but Black Cat quickly reached out and put her hand on the top of Jezzy's weapon.

"Don't give away your position!" she hissed. "Even Sherry knows that."

"You and your fucking talking weapons," Jezzy growled, refusing to yield to Black Cat.

Black Cat furrowed her brow. "Are you insulting my friends?" she intoned, her voice icy and calm. "Maybe I should let Judith carve you up a bit, teach you some manners. Would you like that?"

"Jesus, Black Cat," Jezzy complained, but she quickly lowered her weapon.

Black Cat kept her gaze fixated on Jezzy. "What's going on, Lieutenant? You haven't been yourself lately, and it's showing."

Jezzy gave a bitter half-laugh. "What's wrong? Everything! The mission's fucked up and shot to hell, Sara doesn't have a

fucking

clue how to command yet she's getting away with it, and

now

she thinks she's capable of making sound decisions after coming back from the fucking

dead

! Worse, you all are falling in with her!" She sighed. "Guess I'm just destined to get the raw deal out of life."

Black Cat shook her head. "You know nothing about getting raw deals from life," she growled. "All you have to show for your scars is a bruised ego. You don't know how it feels to live with the screams of forty-nine voices in your head for the rest of your life. You don't know what it's like to find love...and have it ripped away from you in the worst imaginable way possible." She looked away from Jezzy, hiding the single tear that had materialized in the inner corner of her right eye. "Dean..." she whispered quietly.

At this point, both women chose to keep moving on their patrol. With the obnoxious avian far off in the distance, silence reigned once again...

Vote Count 3.3

(4) Twomz: MagnaofIllusion, LynchMePls, Thor665, AlmasterGM
(3) apathyplusCUPCAKES: ThAdmiral, Furry, Slaxx
(2) Nero Cain: apathyplusCUPCAKES, HackerHuck
(1) Cogito Ergo Sum: Nero Cain
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum
(1) HackerHuck: Twomz

Not Voting: no one

With twelve people alive, it takes seven votes to lynch.
The deadline is Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #850 (isolation #50) » Mon Nov 29, 2010 11:02 am

Wreckage of Dropship

Apollyon

Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
2048 hours SST (1500 hours LLT2)

Kestrel and Wesley strode out on patrol, having just gotten off their break less than five minutes ago. Kestrel looked somewhat refreshed; a quick catnap had done her well. Wesley, on the other hand, seemed to be staring vacantly into the boing grass at his feet.

"Hey, snap to it, partner!" Kestrel vociferated firmly. Surprised, Wesley shook his head.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I have some...thoughts on my mind."

"Oh, do you?" Kestrel gave a short laugh. "Well, now, you've got me intrigued. What about?"

"Well...I don't know, it's about my faith--"

"It's all right, I don't mind."

Wesley sighed. "While you were getting some shuteye, I had a chat with Sara about her, erm...experience. Specifically, whether she saw some kind of afterlife."

"What did she say?"

"Quite frankly..." Wesley shook his head. "Heck, it goes against everything I learned at the monastery, what I've believed my entire life--"

"

What

did she see, Wes?"

"Right, sorry. She said she floated above her body for awhile, watching what happened around it."

Kestrel shivered. "Shit, then she must've saw..."

"She didn't say outright, but I'd imagine so. Anyway, she was suddenly pulled away by some unknown force, while a white light consumed her vision. And then she heard voices. Innumerable voices, all speaking at once. She felt an urge to give in to the pull, but she fought it, and after some time, she managed to escape the light and return to Liten. She then took back her body in the midst of the burial and, well, we know the rest."

"Well, shit." Kestrel half-nodded her head. "That's just weird, man. No heaven or hell or nothing?"

"So it seems. And that's my problem." Wesley's brow furrowed. "If this is what happens after you die, then what of the heaven and hell spoken of by God? Is that a lie? And if that's a lie...what else, then?"

Kestrel chuckled. "Wes, buddy, I think you're taking things a little too literally. Wasn't there something in the Bible about people's souls being kept somewhere until Judgment Day or whatever?"

"Well, there

is

a mention or two of that, but it's hardly what Sara described--"

"But is that your theologian's interpretation, or your God's?"

"Hmm..." Wesley stopped and stared vacantly ahead of him. "Y'know, now that you mention it...I was going by what Abbot Presley told me..."

Kestrel paused beside him. "Well, then, how do you know that they didn't...misinterpret it?"

"I suppose...but the abbot is rarely wrong..." Wesley grunted. "I just wish God would always give me the answers, straight and simple."

"That would be convenient," Kestrel agreed. "But He doesn't tend to do that, so there will be room for misinterpretation. Who knows, maybe Sara's whiteness is a part of the way your God runs the universe."

"Well, I guess I'll just keep asking Him for clarity, and hope He deigns his servant worthy of receiving an answer." Both he and Kestrel started walking again. "Where'd you pick all this up, Kestrel? If you don't mind me asking."

"One of my old boyfriends. He was quiet about his faith, but it had a positive effect on his life. Until..." Kestrel's voice wavered. "...until he died."

Wesley put a hand on Kestrel's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks. I've survived, though. We, um, should probably focus on our patrol."

"Yeah." Wesley removed his hand from her shoulder. "Thanks for the talk, by the way. It was...helpful."

"Anytime, Wes. Anytime."

Vote Count 3.4

(4) Twomz: MagnaofIllusion, LynchMePls, Thor665, AlmasterGM
(3) apathyplusCUPCAKES: ThAdmiral, Furry, Slaxx
(2) Nero Cain: apathyplusCUPCAKES, HackerHuck
(1) Cogito Ergo Sum: Nero Cain
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum
(1) HackerHuck: Twomz

Not Voting: no one

With twelve people alive, it takes seven votes to lynch.
The deadline is Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #862 (isolation #51) » Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:05 pm

The ruleset has been modified.

From

Article I: Day

8d. If a player has been absent long enough to be replaced, but has yet to be prodded, the 24-hour safety window will automatically be waived.

In addition, camn replaces Nero Cain, effective immediately. Show her some love, folks!

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #875 (isolation #52) » Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:18 am

All right, I'll give you guys one more deadline extension. The final deadline for Day 3 is Saturday, December 4th, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. CST. (In other words, you get an extra three days from the old deadline.)

This is the last deadline extension I'm going to grant today, though, so take advantage of it.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #915 (isolation #53) » Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:34 am

Protip: I write my ruleset in order to help you guys out, so it might be worth at least one look-over. Just sayin'.

I'll get a vote count up sometime this afternoon.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #931 (isolation #54) » Wed Dec 01, 2010 3:23 pm

Wreckage of Dropship

Apollyon

Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
2151 hours SST (1721 hours LLT2)

Ingrid paced slowly across the grassy Liten plain. She turned her gaze left, then right, then forward, then behind; regardless of where she looked, there were no Arkons to be spotted. Nearby, and a bit behind her, Psycho strode as well. As she looked at him, Ingrid's eyes narrowed. The fingers on Psycho's left hand were tapping his laser rifle in a rhythmic pattern...

His lips were moving as well, and now that Ingrid was paying closer attention to him, she could make out what he was quietly saying.

"Yes, I'm movin', yes I'm movin'
Gettin' ready for the big time
Tap dancin' on a land mine
Yes, I'm movin', yes I'm movin'
Old tin lizzy, do it 'til you're dizzy
Give it all you got 'til you're put out of your--"

"Hey!" Ingrid snapped. "The hell you think you're doing?"

Psycho ignored her.

"--tramp, Daddy's little cutie, you're so fine, they'll never see ya leavin' by the back door, ma'am. Hot times, get it--"

Ingrid slowed her pace until she was alongside Psycho, and then she took her elbow and gave him a sharp jab to the ribs. He grunted, wincing slightly.

"Hey!" he protested. "What's wrong with you?"

"You're listening to music while on patrol, that's what's--" Ingrid stopped abruptly. "Wait, how're you listening to music anyway? The EM field supposed to KO all active electronic devices."

Psycho shrugged. "Ok, ok, so I broke the laws of physics. When's my court date?"

"Dammit, Psycho, just give me an honest answer!"

"Whoa, girl, you seem stressed." A glint appeared in Psycho's eye. "You could use some, ah,

relief

."

"With anyone but you, Psycho."

"So I should tell the captain that she's got a new toy?"

Ingrid glared at him. "Go to hell."

"Working on it, don't you worry. And it was all mental, by the way."

"What?"

"The singing, remember? The whole reason you decided to jab me in the ribs in the first place?" Psycho grinned. "Man that ancient old school shit's the best. Not like the crap that gets pumped out nowadays--"

"Whatever." Ingrid sighed. "Just shut the fuck up and do your patrol. If I die because you went lax on the job, my ghost or aiùa or whatever the hell you become after you die is gonna come back and haunt your damn ass."

"Don't worry, I ain't shirking. Al

though

I wouldn't necessarily mind having a pretty lass haunt my ass..."

Ingrid flipped Psycho the bird and resumed scanning her surroundings.

Vote Count 3.5

(6) Twomz: MagnaofIllusion, LynchMePls, Thor665, AlmasterGM, apathyplusCUPCAKES, camn
(3) apathyplusCUPCAKES: ThAdmiral, Furry, Slaxx
(1) camn: HackerHuck
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum
(1) HackerHuck: Twomz

Not Voting: Schrodinger's Cat
>_>

With twelve people alive, it takes seven votes to lynch.
The deadline is Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #952 (isolation #55) » Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:25 am

Something has happened in the game. Stand by while I take three days to write flavor about it... >_>

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #953 (isolation #56) » Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:22 am

Shoot, I was hoping to be done with this before my class started...will finish this up once I get back, but regardless of whether I finish the flavor or not, you will get a flip tonight.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #963 (isolation #57) » Fri Dec 03, 2010 6:59 pm

Final Day 3 Vote Count

(7) Twomz: MagnaofIllusion, LynchMePls, Thor665, AlmasterGM, apathyplusCUPCAKES, camn, Slaxx

(2) apathyplusCUPCAKES: ThAdmiral, Furry
(1) camn: HackerHuck
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum
(1) HackerHuck: Twomz

Not Voting: no one

With twelve people alive, it takes seven votes to lynch.
The deadline is Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. CST.

- A lynch majority has been achieved! -

Wreckage of Dropship

Apollyon

Colonized Sector 2, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
2323 hours SST (2047 hours LLT2)

Sara stood near the IED, staring idly at the pressure cap on the end of her left arm. She lost track of how many times she'd tried to grab something with that hand today, only to realize that it gone, separated from her by that vile Arkon. Earlier in the day, the pain her body suffered was horrendous, but she'd refused to take painkillers, not wanting to risk dulling her mind. Thankfully, over the course of the day the harrowing agony had subsided to a muted throb. She still felt like hell, but at least she was in the fifth circle of hell now instead of the ninth.

She turned her gaze towards the IED. A power source with infinite energy...purportedly the most valuable discovery in the history of humanity, and the key to defeating the Arkons.

It damn well better be worth the price we're paying for it...hell, we can't even come up with a good name for the damn thing...

"Sara."

Looking up, she saw Dylan approaching her. "Dr. Gordon thinks he's got the flycraft readied enough for a test flight, and wants you to observe."

Sara nodded. "Stay here and keep an eye on the IED, then."

"Aye." He looked at her left arm, then at her again. "How you holding up?"

"Well enough, considering. Thanks for asking."

He nodded. "I'll be honest...when you first came to the Meggidos, I wasn't sure you'd be able to handle the challenge. You looked too much the thinking officer rather than the commanding officer. But after what you went through...well, you've earned my respect."

"Thank you, Dylan."

She put her right hand on Dylan's shoulder, and he reciprocated the motion.

"Go down to hell..." Dylan began.

"...get out of hell..." Sara continued.

"...rinse and repeat," they finished together. Sara took her hand off his shoulder, and he hers. Nodding her goodbye, Sara strode off in the direction of the flycraft construction zone.

It wasn't long before she saw it: a large, rectangular, ultrasteel platform, with guardrails and seats welded on top of it, as well as a rudimentary pilot's console in what Sara presumed was the front of the flycraft. Underneath this platform, four long ultrasteem beams jutted out, two from the bow and stern sections of the port side, and likewise for the starboard side. At the end of each beam was a maneuvering jet; the front two jets were each fitted within a strange, claw-shaped apparatus, while the rear jets were simply welded directly to the ultrasteel beams.

What a piece of junk...

Joshua, Bill, and Pal glanced at her as she arrived at the site. "Ah, there you are," Joshua commented. "I want you to be on hand to witness the first test flight of our makeshift flycraft, the

Subitaneous Chimera

!"

Pal stared at the scientist. "Substantial

what

? Is that even Standard E, Doc?"

"The word is 'subitaneous', and it most certainly is a part of the standardized English language," Joshua insisted.

"I dunno," Bill murmured. "It's a bit of a tongue-twister..."

"Let's just go with my suggestion," Pal stated bluntly.

Joshua rolled his eyes. "Please.

Silver Ducky

is hardly an appropriate name for such an important vessel as this, and you make horrific use of a terrible metaphor."

"But hey, at least we all know what the hell duct tape is," Pal countered. "I don't even know what the fuck

either

of those words you used mean--"

"That, my friend, is one of the benefits that comes with a good education," Joshua lectured proudly.

"Oh, I'm soooo impressed. Wanna take a bet on which of us got laid more in high school?"

Sara waved her arms. "Okay, folks, let's just get around to that test flight, shall we? Who's flying the...thing?"

Pal raised his hand. "Used to bulls-eye bluehorns down in Urchin's Canyon back home, and in an uglier wreck than this."

Joshua huffed. "You have no appreciation for the marvel that has been put together in less than a day, do you?"

Suddenly, a voice called, "Sara! Sara!"

Turning around, Sara saw Dylan running up to her.

I trust he's got a good reason for abandoning the IED.

"What's wrong?"

"Kestrel found an Arkon device in Wesley's pack," he explained.

Sara felt her face go pale.

Shit, not again...

"Do we know where Wes is?"

"Kestrel's got him back by the IED, with a laser rifle pointed at his face."

Sara turned to Joshua. "Guess you'll have to conduct the test without me. I need to get this resolved."

"Please do," Pal requested. "I don't want that God-fearing motherfucker frying my brains in my sleep."

Ignoring Pal, Sara make quick time back to the IED's resting place, followed closely by Dylan. Soon both of them were there. True to Dylan's word, Kestrel was standing nearby, covering Wesley with her laser rifle. She didn't take her stare off of him as Sara and Dylan approached.

"What's the story, Kestrel?" Sara inquired.

Continuing to focus on Wesley, Kestrel replied, "We were both on our break, Wes goes through his pack to find his Bible, and then the thing fell out."

"I swear I don't know how that thing appeared in my pack," Wesley protested.

"

What

thing?" Sara demanded to know.

Dylan strode over to the chest containing the IED and picked something up off the top of it. "This," he replied, ambling back to Sara and handing the device to her.

Sara took the object from Dylan and examined it. This device was shaped like a small, bumpy, green-black cube, with multicolored lights emanating from each bump. It was definitely not a human artifact. Her eyes narrowed and she stared at Wesley.

"Sara, please!" he pleaded. "An Arkon must've planted that there when I wasn't looking!"

"Yeah, and how are we to believe that?" Kestrel countered. "Believe me, I want to trust you, I really do. But those Arkons have proven to be devious bastards."

Sara sighed. "Dylan, round up some of that cable from the

Apollyon

wreckage. That should keep him out of trouble while we investigate--"

Without warning, she heard two small explosions off to the west. Moments later, a bright red flare shot up into the sky. Her blood turned into ice.

They're here...

"Belay that order, Dylan. Go tell Dr. Gordon and Pal to get ready for immediate departure, then get Bill and start packing shit up. Move it!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Dylan ran off to accomplish his task. Sara turned back to face Kestrel and Wesley.

Why do things always have to be so complicated...

"Kestrel, keep covering him while I find something to restrain him," Sara ordered.

"With all due respect, Sara," Kestrel replied, "this isn't going to work. We can't keep dragging him with us while we take out the jammer. I hate saying this, but there's only one thing we can do."

It didn't take long for Sara to decipher what Kestrel meant, and her stomach churned.

There's got to be another way, a way to prove Wes' innocence without killing him!

The more she thought about it, however, the more she knew that Kestrel was right. They couldn't afford to lug Wes with them to the jammer, and they couldn't leave him here to expose their plans to his brethren. It almost killed Sara herself to think it, but ultimately this was the only way to help ensure the survival of the others...

"Fine," Sara slowly withdrew her laser pistol. "But I'll be the one pulling the trigger."

Kestrel nodded. "No argument from me, ma'am. I'm not relishing this, either."

With a nod, Sara turned to face Wesley, a lead brick settling into her heart. His eyes were closed, and his lips were moving silently. Reluctantly, Sara stepped closer to him, until they were only a meter apart. Another explosion went off in the distance, from the south this time.

"I'm so sorry, Wes," she whispered. "I wish it didn't have to end like this--"

He opened his eyes and smiled serenely. "I don't blame you. It's for the best. The Lord will take care of me, now." He looked deeply into her eyes. "It was an honor to serve with you, Sara."

I'm not entirely sure about that...

"It was an honor to serve with you too, Wes. God be with you."

"God be with us all."

Quickly, before her nerves talked her out of it, Sara raised her laser pistol and shot Wesley squarely in the heart. He made no sound as the red beam pierced his body; with the smile still intact on his face, he slumped forward and impacted the grassy ground face-first. Sara watched intently, waiting for any sign of change to Wes' body.

Seconds passed...seconds turned into minutes...yet Wesley remained irrevocably human.

Dear god, what have I done...

Behind her, a voice yelled, "What the fuck's going on here?"

Sara turned around and saw Chuck and Furry standing nearby, panting heavily. "Oh, fuck..." Chuck murmured.

"I made the wrong call," Sara stated flatly.

For a moment, everyone was silent. Then another explosion sounded off, and Sara snapped back into focus.

"You light off the flare?" she asked.

Furry nodded. "There's Arkons everywhere, thousands of them!"

"Then let's get the fuck out of Dodge!" Sara pointed at the IED case. "You two get that thing over to the flycraft! Kestrel, get the Nutcracker and bring it to the flycraft as well!"

They scrambled off to carry out their orders. Other scouting pairs began to arrive, and Sara tasked them with packing up the equipment and loading it onto the flycraft. She fell back to the flycraft, scanning the horizon for any sign of Arkon arrival...

Suddenly, a cloud of dirt, grass, and rock erupted into the air, and the ground rocked vehemently, sending Sara tumbling to the ground. She landed directly on top of her bandaged right arm, and she gritted her teeth in anguish. Determinedly she pushed herself back onto her feet.

"Chuck, you got that pack bomb made yet?" she yelled.

"Affirmative!" he hollered back.

"Good! Set a one-minute timer and wait for my mark to activate it!"

She grasped the boarding ladder with her right hand and began slowly ascending the flycraft. Another explosion rocked the ground, but Sara managed to hold fast to the ladder. As quickly as her crippled body allowed, she finished climbing the ladder and stood on the flycraft. She glanced at the two columns of seats lining the port and starboard sides of the flycraft, pilfered directly from the dropship and welded to the ultrasteel floor.

I really hope that welding job holds...

The port side of the flycraft--where the ladder was also located--had five seats, while the starboard side held six. All the seats on the starboard side held strapped-in occupants, while two of the port seats--those closest to the front--were vacant. An ugly metal box, welded to the floor at the back of the flycraft, contained the various packs and equipment they needed to take with them.

Near the front of the flycraft, Chuck held Wes' former pack in hand, stuffed with enough explosive equipment to send anything in a five hundred-meter radius straight to hell. At the very front, Pal occupied the pilot's seat. He glanced back at Sara nervously.

"About time," he grumbled. "The

Silver Ducky

was getting nervous--"

"We're

not

calling it that!" Joshua objected.

"Fuck you, Doctor! The pilot

always

has final say on the name of the ship. Them's the rules!"

"Can it!" Sara growled as she took the nearest vacant seat and strapped herself in. "Chuck, activate the timer and throw the pack bomb overboard, then get your ass in a seat! Pal, lift off on my mark!"

"Can't I do it now?" Pal inquired as Chuck hurled the pack bomb overboard.

Sara ignored him as Chuck raced back to the other vacant seat, to the left of Sara. Nearby, the ground blew up, and a yellow laser narrowly missed the

Silver Ducky

.

This is getting close...

"I'm in!" Chuck yelled.

"All right, Pal," Sara shouted, "get us the hell out of here!"

"With extreme pleasure, Sara!"

Without warning, the

Silver Ducky

shot straight up into the air, and Sara felt like God had dropped a black hole on her lap. The air whooshed past her swiftly, chilling her face thoroughly. The flycraft trembled violently, and Sara feared that the fragile creation would shatter itself across the surface of Liten at any given moment. Suddenly, the upward acceleration stopped, and the

Silver Ducky

began rocketing forward with rapidity.

"Yeehaw!" Pal hollered. "Now

that's

what I call getting the fuck out of Dodge!"

Below them, a loud, reverberating thunder was heard. "Well, those guys won't be causing no trouble for us no more," Chuck remarked dryly.

"It's gonna be awhile before we get to our LZ," Pal added, "so y'all might wanna try and get some shut-eye."

"Good idea," Sara acquiesced. "I'm making that an order, Meggidos." She looked at Furry and Joshua, sitting on the opposite side. "I'd strongly advise that you get some rest as well," she added.

"No argument from us," Furry answered heartily.

Leaning as far back as her seat allowed, Sara closed her eyes and sighed. For a while, at least, there could be some peace from all this strife.

And then Wesley's face filled her mind...

Twomz, Wesley Hudson,

Human SOB Operative

, was reluctantly executed on Day 3.

Night 3 has now begun. The deadline is on Monday, December 6th, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. CST

I apologize for the time it took to end the day, but my internet decided to have a threesome with Satan and Murphy. (In other words, she got fucked up and I couldn't get online, period. I'm currently lucky just to have gotten this post off.)

In case I can't lock the topic after I post this, please don't post after this, kthnx.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #964 (isolation #58) » Sat Dec 04, 2010 1:14 pm

Slaxx has requested replacement. Searching for one now...

Edit: The replacement gods have been kind to us today. nopointinactingup replaces Slaxx, effective immediately. Make a fuss over him, guys!

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #965 (isolation #59) » Sun Dec 05, 2010 3:38 pm

Southwestern Edge of Istor Forest
Colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 2nd, 2486 SC (Day 30, Month 14 LC)
0618 hours SST (2730 hours LLT1)

Sara gazed at the legions of tall, thin, brown-gray trees that comprised the Istor Forest through her tacvisor, laser rifle in hand. It had been two Liten days since they'd landed on the planet, and as of yet there had been no contact with any of the colonists. While it could simply be that the hypothesized group of escaped colonists simply lacked the proper equipment for either detecting or contacting the Meggidos, it also wasn't hard to consider that this was all a wild goose chase. Hell, there was no guarantee that the Istor Forest was where they'd fled to...

Martin ambled up alongside her. "Wow, that's a lot of fucking trees. How are we supposed to find those colonists in all that shit?"

With a shrug, Sara replied, "Portascanners and a lot of diligence."

"Yeah, but this is like looking for a hypothetical needle in a galaxy-sized haystack, if you catch my drift," Martin remarked. "Anyway, Margaret sent me up here to relieve you of your watch." He smirked. "Enjoy your...assignment from the major."

Sara arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, you'll see..." Martin winked at her and turned away to face the forest, laser rifle held at the ready. Sara turned south and strode back to the temporary camp.

What was he implying...is something wrong?

It didn't take her long to spring-walk across the boing grass and reach the camp. Margaret's insta-house was in the approximate center, and she was there, leaning on the door, gazing at Sara as she approached. "Feeling tired?" Margaret asked, once Sara was close enough that she didn't have to shout.

"A bit," Sara replied.

Obviously, since it's been at least twenty-four hours standard since anyone's slept...

"I'll be fine, though. Martin says you've got an assignment for me."

Margaret stood up straight. "He didn't tell you?"

"Uh...not really."

"Oh, that buffoon..." She rolled her eyes. "We're not moving into the forest, yet. First we're gonna get some quick R and R." A smile traced her lips. "I think this would be a good time for you and I to alleviate some of the stress we've accumulated the past two days."

Sara paused.

While that's certainly tempting...

"Shouldn't we be trying to find the colonists ASAP, Margaret?"

Margaret chuckled. "Sara, if you don't learn to take care of yourself, you'll just be at a disadvantage when the timing is most inopportune. If the colonists have survived this long, they'll survive until we find them. It does them--and us--no good to abuse our bodies in our search." She crouched on her haunches and pulled open the door of the insta-hut. "Shall we, then?"

Sara nodded. "How long are we going to be resting?"

"Don't worry, we'll only be here for a few hours."

"All right then. I'm all yours, Margaret."

Sara strode up to the insta-house, got on her knees, and crawled through the small door. Margaret followed closely and pulled the door shut. It wasn't long before low moans could be heard emanating from within the insta-house...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #966 (isolation #60) » Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:03 pm

Night 3 is over. Day will break once I resolve night actions and write

a novel

the morning scene.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #967 (isolation #61) » Mon Dec 06, 2010 3:53 pm

Kehvit Mountain Range
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
0142 hours SST (2514 hours LLT3)

Despite getting almost five hours to catch up on lost sleep, the rickety flycraft plus Wesley's innocent face haunting her thoughts provided for a fitful slumber for Sara. Thankfully, they were now weaving their way through the Kehvit Mountains. Hopefully they would soon be at

"Mount Ivanova!" Pal called from his perch in the pilot's chair. "There it is! Don't worry, folks, this queasy-ride's gonna be over soon!" The holler earned numerous groans of relief from the

Silver Ducky

's passengers.

Sara glanced to her left. The tallest mountain that was immediately visible, Mount Ivanova was comprised of multiple conical, snow-crested spires. As they flew closer to the mountain, multitudes of level plateaus became visible. Suddenly, not far from the peak of the mountain, Sara saw a tall, elegant structure made of a strange, black-green substance, as well as several alien vehicles and squads of troops on the ground.

"Is that what we're looking for?" she called out to Bill over the noise of the maneuvering jets, nodding her head in the direction of the structure.

Bill took a look. "Yep, that's what we're looking for," he shouted back.

"All right, then. Pal, find a plateau that's near the jammer, but not too close. Maybe we can keep the element of surprise."

"Aye, Sara!" A gentle steer of the

Silver Ducky

, and they began to fly upward and to the right of the jammer.

Once again, Sara glanced at her left arm. Without that hand, she'd be restricted to only using a laser pistol. Not nearly as powerful as a laser rifle, and one-handed aiming was a bitch; but until she could get back to civilization and have a new hand grown for her, she'd just have to deal with it. At least the permeating pain that plagued her body had placated a bit further on the trip over...

The

Silver Ducky

now began to decelerate. Looking ahead, Sara saw a medium-sized rock plateau, with patches of snow plopped on top of the rock. Off to the

Ducky

's right, a plethora of smaller plateaus stretched off in the distance between the landing site and the jammer location. Soon, the flycraft was hovering over the plateau, and slowly it lowered itself toward the ground. The contact with the ground was rough, giving everyone aboard a hearty shaking. Fortunately, the slipshod

Silver Ducky

maintained structural integrity.

Pal lifted his hands off the controls dramatically. "Thank you for flying Liten Airways, ladies and gents. We hope to do business with you in the days to come!"

"Yeah, remind me to bring my mother-in-law next time," Chuck quipped as he unfastened his safety restraints.

Sara fumbled around with her belts.

Funny how I never realize just how much I rely on both my hands until I get one of them lopped off by a malevolent Arkon...

Eventually, she untangled herself from the seat, and she stood up, taking a good long stretch before striding over to the storage container in the stern of the

Silver Ducky

. She stood behind the cluster, waiting her turn to retrieve her pack. Suddenly, the crowd of people parted, giving her a clear path to the box.

"You go first, Sara," Dylan said to her.

Sara nodded at him and the others, then went in and grabbed her pack. Striding over to the boarding ladder, she lowered her foot onto the first rung and grabbed the sidebars with her hands.

...well, with her right hand. The missing left hand failed to grab anything at all, and suddenly Sara was swinging in the air, her vice-like grip on the rail with her right hand the only thing saving her from an uncomfortable tumble to the hard rock below.

Aw, shit, that was fucking stupid!

Swinging out the stump on her left arm, Sara clumsily hooked her inner elbow around the ladder and pulled herself back onto the ladder, groaning painfully as she did so. Once she was solidly back on the rungs, she slowly and carefully made her descent, until she finally stood on solid rock. Her face felt frigid from the subzero temperatures, but her temperall kept her overall body temperature at normal human heat levels. It was probably cold enough that she'd need to wear the mask extension of the temperall, though, lest her face freeze on top of all her other ailments...

She stepped out of the way of the ladder traffic and dropped her pack on the bare rock. Despite the inherent maladroitness of a one-handed sifting job, she managed to extract her face mask from the pack without any overly undue difficulty. Putting the mask on her head, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter altogether. It was hard enough just to get the elastic mask to stay on her head; by the time she'd finally gotten it pulled down, the whole thing was skewed left, with an eyehole resting over her forehead. After a multiplex of minor adjustments and changes, she managed to orient the mask correctly. From there, hooking the mask up to her body temperall was relatively simple, and soon her entire body, from head to toe, felt pleasantly warm.

Glancing around, she observed her fellow Meggidos donning their masks as well. Furry and Joshua, however, simply stood with their arms wrapped tightly around their torsos, practically bouncing all over the place with their shivering.

Dear lord, how could I have overlooked this?

"Dylan, get Jack and Simona's packs and take out the temperalls," Sara barked. "Then take Furry and Dr. Gordon to the other side of the

Silver Ducky

and show them how to put the temperalls on."

"It's not going to be a clean fit, Sara," Dylan replied as he carried out orders. "The suits weren't tailored for them.

"It's a hell of a lot better than not having anything at all," Sara responded.

"True," Dylan acknowledged.

"W- wait a minute," Joshua stuttered. "You mean w- we have to get--"

"Oh, knock it off, Josh," Furry remarked, chuckling. "We get naked all the time during the hot summer months, it's no big deal."

"Yeah...b-but we hardly know these people..."

Dylan smiled. "Don't worry, it's not like we're going to have a threesome or something like that. C'mon, let's go get you guys warm..."

Joshua nodded tentatively, and he, Furry, and Dylan all made their way around the back of the

Silver Ducky

and onto the opposite side.

Sara looked up at the sky, a brilliant, crimson hue with nary a cloud in the sky. With the sun setting within the hour, they wouldn't have to wait long to begin their night assault.

One more quick run-through of the battle plan, and then the assault can begin...

"Wow," Ingrid called, standing near the edge of the plateau, "would you look at that--"

BOOM!

The ground shook slightly, and Sara gasped. In the place where Ingrid once stood, a good-sized crater made its abode, with minute body and equipment fragments splattered over the surrounding area.

"What the

fuck

?" Chuck bellowed. "What the hell just happened, here?"

"Holy Christ, Ingrid just blew up!" Pal exclaimed.

Sara shook her head furiously and dashed toward the crater, her mind refusing to believe that the event had actually come to pass. Upon reaching the site, however, it didn't take her long to realize that the horrific, lamentable event was true. Someone had blown Ingrid Cortega to hell, just like they'd done with Simona. And the blood on the ground remained a steady shade of crimson...

"Those--fucking bastards!" Bill gasped. "Dropped a 'nade in her pack and let it blow."

"Wait, how do you know it was a 'nade?" Furry demanded to know as she threaded her arms through the sleeves of the temperall. "And that it was in her pack?"

"Last part's easy--there's no way the pack could have been so thoroughly decimated without an explosive force from within the pack," Bill explained. "As for the grenade...well, technically it could've been any explosive, but it just looks like a grenade blast to me."

"Yeah, I think Bill's right on this one," Chuck concurred.

Suddenly, Pal called, "What the hell? Oh my god, those Arkon bastards! They killed Psycho!"

Even though dying teammates was hardly a new thing to Sara by this point in time, it still hit her hard.

My kingdom for a day where I didn't lose any men...

Sara and the others made quick time back to the

Silver Ducky

to check Psycho's corpse, but there was nothing different from the other deaths attributed to the Arkons, just the same old eyes rolled into the back of the head.

Psycho...I'll miss you, even if you were a bit of a crazy bastard...

"I know this keeps getting worse, guys, but we

have

to stay focused," Sara told the others bluntly. "I doubt the Arkons missed hearing that explosion, so we're going to have to move fast. Kestrel, Pal, bag those bodies and store them in the hold of the

Silver Ducky

. Then take the Nutcracker and make haste for the jammer."

As the four Meggidos carried out their orders, Furry walked up to Sara and asked, "You sure you don't want to go with them? Josh and I can handle ourselves if the Arkons come snooping around."

"Maybe," Sara replied, "but you should have someone with combat experience to back you up. Besides, I'm crippled, so I'd just be dragging the team down by partaking in the assault. Believe me, if I could join them in combat, I would."

Furry smiled. "I'm sure."

By now, the Meggidos had gathered around Sara again. "This is it, troops," Sara stated solemnly. "This is our only shot off this rock, so go make it count!" She turned to face Jezzy. "Good luck."

Jezzy nodded. "I'll get the job done, Sara. I know what I'm doing."

I hope you do, Jezzy. I hope you do.

"Then I wish all of you good luck, and Godspeed," Sara concluded. She held out her right fist. "Go down to hell..."

"...get out of hell..." Jezzy added, putting in her fist, along with the other Meggidos.

"...rinse and repeat!" the entire squad finished, dropping their fists towards the ground and pulling them away. As Jezzy and the other Meggidos tromped off toward the jammer, Sara couldn't help but feel pangs of regret.

Remember, Sara, it's for the best.

Sara turned to face Furry and Joshua. "Well, we're going to be here for a while. Know any ways to pass the time?"

LynchMePls, Mac "Psycho" O'Leary,

Human SOB Operative

, had his brains scrambled on Night 3.
apathyplusCUPCAKES, Ingrid Cortega,

Human Neighbor

, had a grenade stuffed in her pack on Night 3.

Day 4 has now begun. The deadline is on Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST.

Flavor note: For those of you who are actually paying attention to the time stuff at the beginning of flavor scenes, I'm going to be going back and retroactively editing the times in previous flavor scenes to make it obvious which time zone the characters are in when the scenes occur. This has no relevance to the game itself, so don't fret over it.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #968 (isolation #62) » Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:37 pm

You may post now.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #981 (isolation #63) » Wed Dec 08, 2010 3:12 am

nopointinactingup has requested replacement due to sudden real-life issues that prevent him from being on the site. Searching for a replacement now...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #991 (isolation #64) » Wed Dec 08, 2010 11:54 pm

I will try to get a vote count up sometime today. Whether or not flavor is included depends on my mental state (pre-finals week has been hell for me; can't wait for actual finals)...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #994 (isolation #65) » Thu Dec 09, 2010 9:24 am

chesskid3 replaces nopointinactingup, effective immediately.

I will get a vote count up for you soon, but flavor will have to wait until later (school obligations).

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #995 (isolation #66) » Thu Dec 09, 2010 9:31 am

Mt. Ivanova
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
0212 hours SST (2621 hours LLT3)

Jezzy trudged across the snow-crested rock, eyes focused on her scouts, Black Cat and Chuck, fifty meters ahead of her and the main group. They were barely visible in their combat uniforms, now colored to more closely match the bleak, monochromatic color palette of Mt. Ivanova. To her left, seven meters away, Mt. Ivanova continued to reach for the jet-black, star-studded sky; to her right, only about fifteen meters distant, lay the cliff edge, and below that, naught but air for at least a kilometer. The top of the Arkon jammer, a thick collection of needle-like spires, was just visible above the walls of rock on the left...

Suddenly, both Black Cat and Chuck froze and smoothly flattened themselves on the ground. Jezzy halted at once, and held her right hand up in a fist, signaling the other Megiddos to wait. Minutes ticked by, and neither Black Cat nor Chuck moved from their prone position. Silence rested heavily on the group, engulfing their bodies in a sea of water that no one dared disturb.

After a period that felt like hours, Black Cat slowly rose and began jogging lightly back towards Jezzy. It didn't take her long to arrive, and she'd hardly broken a sweat.

"We've located the jammer grounds, about half a kilometer beyond Chuck's positon and down some stepped plateaus," Black Cat reported. "But something strange is going on, Lieutenant."

"What?" Jezzy asked. "I'd be surprised if they weren't battle-ready, what with the explosion and--"

"No, it's not that at all. They're already engaged in combat with another party."

Once again, silence reigned supreme.

"Another party?" Dylan echoed. "You mean those fuckers are fighting with each other?"

Black Cat shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever's going on is happening on the other side of the jammer."

"I wonder if it's got anything to do with that rumble we heard earlier," Bill suggested.

"It doesn't matter," Jezzy said firmly. "This gives us a tactical advantage, and we need to exploit it. We're upping the pace to double-time. Black Cat, you and Chuck continue to scout ahead for us. When you get close enough, find sniping positions and cover the rest of us as we breach the jammer, as per the plan."

"With the Arkons being otherwise distracted, is the plan changing at all?" Kestrel inquired.

"Negative."

"Roger that. Just checking."

"Any more questions?" There were none. "Black Cat, get back to Chuck, and the rest of us will wait on the two of you."

Jezzy watched and waited as Black Cat made her way back to Chuck's position. The two scouts took out rappel guns, shot the grip through the snow and into the rock, and disappeared from sight.

"That's going to take awhile," Pal groaned.

"Zip it!" Jezzy hissed. "Everyone move out, double time!"

Vote Count 4.1

(2) HackerHuck: camn, Furry
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum
(1) chesskid3: AlmasterGM

Not Voting: chesskid3, MagnaofIllusion, ThAdmiral, HackerHuck, Thor665

With nine people alive, it takes five votes to lynch.
The deadline is Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1017 (isolation #67) » Fri Dec 10, 2010 8:22 pm

I think some prods are in order, but I don't feel like doing anything at 1:30 a.m., and I'm busy 9-5 today.

I'll get a prod check (and maybe a vote count, if needed) done this evening. Those of you who haven't posted in a while would be well advised to post before then. Just some friendly advice from your mod.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1023 (isolation #68) » Sun Dec 12, 2010 6:31 am

Finally got around to doing the prod check, and the only person who needs prodding is MoI; since he tends to have a V/LA on the weekends I'm going to give him until Monday night before I prod him.

@ chesskid3: Bowser was a hydra for CSL and UntrodTripod. CSL left on Day 1, so UT chose to post under his own account for the rest of the game instead of the hydra's.

SaintKerrigan · Tue Dec 14, 2010 12:19 pm

Probably should have told you guys this earlier, but I'm pretty much going to be incommunicado for the duration of finals week. I'll get a vote count in when I can, but I haven't the time to write any flavor.

On the bright side, after finals week, I'll have a lot more time to devote to flavor catch-up!

Also, I really hate whatever technical difficulty it is that's fucking MS up the arse these days...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1055 (isolation #70) » Wed Dec 15, 2010 8:05 am

Two hundred meters from the Arkon Planetary Communications Jammer
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
0226 hours SST (2647 hours LLT3)

Chuck knelt behind a waist-high rock and peered around it. Ahead of him, the jammer; from the ground level, it appeared much taller than it had from the air. The occupied section of the jammer only appeared to be a few stories tall, with much of the height coming from spindly, slightly-curled, black-green spires. A single catwalk lined each of the four levels that Chuck could readily discern, with a few guards patrolling each catwalk. There also appeared to be small, unmanned turret-bubbles, one on the third floor and one on the fourth floor of each of the visible corners of the heptagonal structure.

Glancing over in Black Cat's direction, Chuck observed that she'd found a good rock as well, about twenty meters from his, and had taken position behind it. She now glanced at him.

"One turret on each corner," Chuck mouthed. "Wait for my shot, eliminate visible turrets left side, then eliminate guards."

Black Cat mouthed the order back to him, ensuring that she hadn't misunderstood. Chuck nodded, and she nodded back and vanished back behind her rock. Chuck carefully adjusted his laser rifle to the highest intensity, which gave him six shots with the current battery.

He lowered his tacvisor over his eyes and took aim at the rightmost turret on the fourth floor. The tacvisor calculated where his shot would hit and placed a small red dot on the calculated location. Satisfied with his aim, Chuck waited a few moments to make sure Black Cat had time to calibrate her aim.

Then he pulled the trigger.

A violet beam of light sliced clear through the turret-bubble, melting it beyond all usability. Chuck quickly aimed at the turret directly below and took it out as well, while distant hissing noises told him that Black Cat had begun her own operation.

With the two rightmost turrets down, Chuck focused in on the two middle turrets, and within ten seconds those were down as well. Ducking behind the rock for a moment, Chuck changed the amplitude on his laser rifle, lowering it to just above the reported level for Arkon battle armor. Once he finished with that, he popped out around the other side of the rock he'd been firing from and began picking off the Arkon guards with yellow-green laser streaks, apparently unable to locate his and Black Cat's sniping position. Black Cat joined the sniping fray, and less than thirty Liten seconds later every outside guard was dead.

Chuck quickly made sure that there no other Arkon threats outside; he then raised his hand and made a beckoning motion, knowing that Jezzy was watching him.

An explosion sounded from inside the jammer. "What's going on in there?" Chuck muttered to himself as his eyes traipsed across the jammer...

Vote Count 4.2

(2) HackerHuck: camn, MagnaofIllusion, Furry
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum
(1) chesskid3: AlmasterGM
(1) MagnaofIllusion: HackerHuck

Not Voting: chesskid3, ThAdmiral, Thor665

With nine people alive, it takes five votes to lynch.
The deadline is Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:16 pm

Arkon Planetary Communications Jammer
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
0238 hours SST (2720 hours LLT3)

Kestrel and Dylan strode tentatively down the corridor. The black-green walls had strange ridges protruding out at irregular places, like slabs of rough tree bark. The illumination was close to pitch-black, and both Meggidos were forced to rely on their tacvisors for decent vision. They each held their laser rifles at their waist, well aware that an Arkon could come around any corner, at any time.

"You know where we're going, right?" Kestrel whispered.

"The fuck should I know?" Dylan whispered back. "I know the directions Bill gave to the control room, but honestly, all these goddamn corridors look the same to me. Besides, all we really need to do is keep any stray Arkons occupied for the next thirty minutes, so it doesn't really matter if we--"

Without warning, Kestrel knelt to the floor, her right hand shooting to her forehead. Dylan was at her side instantly.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "We've no time for headaches--"

"Gut!" Kestrel gasped. "Arkons! They're near!"

Immediately Dylan was on his feet again, laser rifle held to his shoulder. He swiveled his body rapidly, his eyes scraping the area for any sign of Arkons. "You sure about that, Kestrel? Your gut's hasn't been working this whole--"

The hiss of a laser shot melting through body armor interrupted his question, the sound coming from behind him. He turned just in time to see an Arkon body fall to the floor unceremoniously.

"That direction!" Kestrel hissed, still kneeling on the ground, but with her laser rifle at her shoulder.

Loud, rapid clomps could now be heard emanating from the corridor the Arkon had appeared from. Dylan groaned and pressed himself against the wall, his body perfectly aware of each and every little bump on it. Shitfights were never a fun thing.

"I just hope the others come through," he grunted to Kestrel. "I don't want all this to be for nothing."

Kestrel nodded. "You and me both."

Vote Count

4.2

4.3

(3) HackerHuck: camn, MagnaofIllusion, Furry
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum
(1) chesskid3: AlmasterGM
(1) MagnaofIllusion: HackerHuck

Not Voting: chesskid3, ThAdmiral, Thor665

With nine people alive, it takes five votes to lynch.
The deadline is Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:46 am

Well, I'm trying to add flavor/vote counts back into the game, but MS decided to not let me edit my posts.

Plus I'm lucky if I can even get a full page to load...

Just letting you know that it's not my fault you aren't seeing updated material yet.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1133 (isolation #73) » Mon Dec 20, 2010 5:38 am

I will be doing a vote count shortly. If I can edit my posts, it will appear in this post. If not, I'll make a new post.

Also, you are reminded that the deadline is tomorrow.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1136 (isolation #74) » Mon Dec 20, 2010 5:49 am

Arkon Planetary Communications Jammer
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
0255 hours SST (2803 hours LLT3)

Pal peered around the corner and glanced over the hallway. No Arkons in sight.

"Clear," he spoke quietly. He entered the corridor, with Bill right behind him, hauling the ultrasteel Nutcracker case by two handles placed on opposing sides; Jezzy took the rear, ensuring that no one snuck up on them from behind. One Liten minute later, they stopped in front of a smooth spot in the wall, shaped like a horizontal oval.

"This should be the door," Bill said.

"That's what you said last time," Pal retorted.

"Chillax, dude, I'm doing this from memory, remember?"

"Shut it, both of you!" Jezzy hissed. "Pal, get that door open.

"Aye, sir." Pal slung his laser rifle over his back and took his vibration knife out. Disengaging the safety and activating the oscillating blade, Pal chose a spot close to the floor, jabbed the knife into the door, and began sawing away. Bill set the Nutcracker on the floor and helped Jezzy watch the corridor while Pal guided the knife into a roughly rectangular shape large enough for them to step through.

"It's odd that we haven't met significant resistance," Bill remarked.

"Hopefully Kestrel and Dylan are keeping them occupied," Jezzy responded.

"What I want to know is what the hell those explosions were," Pal said, "and why they stopped about ten minutes--

"Stay focused, operative," Jezzy ordered.

"Yeah, yeah..."

Not long thereafter, the last bit of material was sliced through, and Pal shoved the rectangular slab forcefully. Quickly he sheathed the knife, brought his laser rifle to his shoulder, and stepped through the hole. Bill grabbed the Nutcracker again and followed, with Jezzy close behind. Inside, they found themselves inside a massive room, two stories high, filled with seemingly innumerable amounts of strange, indescribable objects, varying in color from traditional Arkon black-green to fluorescent pink and neon green. Catwalks snaked above them like a spider's web.

"This the power station?" Jezzy inquired of Bill.

"Um...I think so. Yeah, probably."

"Yes or no?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's get that Nutcracker set and get the hell out of here."

"Hold it." Pal held up his hand. "There's movement at the far end of the room.

Jezzy immediately brought her rifle to bear. "How many?"

"Not sure yet--wait...what the hell? They're human!"

"Wearing UTP space marine uniforms..." Jezzy sighed. "I don't like this. Those could easily be Arkons."

"Well, they've seen us and are coming this way, weapons drawn. Looks like five of them to three of us. What's your order, Lieutenant?"

"Approach them, but don't lower your weapon. Bill, stay back and try to avoid being a target. And if I give the signal, take them out. With no hesitation."

"Right..." Bill murmured.

The Meggidos and the marines tentatively approached each other, each looking for the slightest flinch from the other, the single false step. No such mistakes were made, and soon they halted in the middle of the power station.

"So...you're still alive..." one of them spoke.

"Nice to see you too, Major Willard," Jezzy replied, her lackluster voice contradicting her words. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you, apparently." Willard gestured toward one of the other marines; she held a Nutcracker in her hands. "Commodore Kerry got concerned when you didn't make the rendezvous, so he sent us to blow up the jammer so we could establish contact with you guys."

"I'm flattered."

"You guys got a shuttle?" Pal asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

One of the other marines shook his head. "She got blasted to hell not long after we landed. Damned Arkon flyers."

"Which we've you, apparently, to thank for," Willard growled. "That explosion earlier set the place on full alert, and I've lost nearly all my men because of it--"

"We haven't been that lucky ourselves," Jezzy interrupted. "But there's no time for small talk. Let's set the Nutcracker and get out of here."

"Presumptuous asshole." Willard spat. "Your Nutcracker or mine?"

"Yours will do fine. Set it for twenty minutes, SST."

"Whatever."

Jezzy stared coldly at the marines as two of them took their Nutcracker case and set it next to one of the larger Arkon objects, stretching from the floor to the ceiling. As the marines extracted the sphere-shaped Nutcracker and began the arming procedure, she rotated herself to face Pal and Bill, her back now turned to the marines. She made a fist with her left hand, extended the pinky, and drew a small X in the air just above her stomach; the sign was quickly followed by a vertical palm and three fingers.

Pal and Bill glanced at Jezzy, then each other, then back at Jezzy; each man quickly bobbed his left shoulder up one time. Her brow set low above her eyes, Jezzy once again extended three fingers; one second later, three became two, and the second after that, one...

"It's done," Willard reported icily, as Jezzy's hand formed into a fist.

Whirling around with rapidity, Jezzy brought her laser rifle to bear on Major Willard and pulled the trigger. Pal shot at the marine closest to him, while Bill let his Nutcracker case fall to the floor and opened fire. Moments later, all five marines lay on the floor, dead by the Meggidos' hands.

Their bodies yielded no transformation to Arkon form. Jezzy sighed.

"Satisfied, Lieutenant?" Bill queried, a tinge of bitterness present in his voice.

"Yeah, what's up with this?" Pal added. "I didn't see anything--"

"Shut up!" Jezzy screamed, and both Pal and Bill shied away from her. In a calmer voice, she added, "Let's make sure that timer got set properly and get out."

Vote Count 4.4

(3) HackerHuck: camn, MagnaofIllusion, Furry ThAdmiral
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum
(1) chesskid3: AlmasterGM
(1) MagnaofIllusion: HackerHuck
(1) camn: chesskid3

Not Voting: Thor665

With nine people alive, it takes five votes to lynch.
The deadline is Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST.

Also, you guys may want to make sure this is actually correct, since I might have missed something amidst all the fubared posts and F5-abuse.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1170 (isolation #75) » Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:58 am

Final Vote Count Day 4

(5) HackerHuck: camn, MagnaofIllusion, ThAdmiral, chesskid3, Thor665

(2) chesskid3: AlmasterGM, Furry
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum

Not Voting: HackerHuck

With nine people alive, it takes five votes to lynch.
The deadline is Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST.

Arkon Planetary Communications Jammer
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
0317 hours SST (2845 hours LLT3)

"Rook to f2," Joshua said, leaning back into one of the seats on the

Silver Ducky

.

Sara closed her eyes. It had been years since she'd last had the time to play mind chess, and although her bodily aches and pains continued to dwindle away, they were making it difficult for her to focus her mind properly. Still, she managed to envision the board in her mind:

Spoiler: Sara's Mind

This isn't looking good. My kingside is shot to hell, my three-point advantage is negated by two of my pieces being inactive, and that's a nasty attack he's got brewing there. On the other hand, his king's not well protected...and he's hung the b-pawn. If I take the free pawn, whether the checkstorm that's coming, I can drop into the back rank, force the king out, and then I can start activating my pieces.

Are there any flaws...hmm, can't find any. Let's do this!

"Queen takes b7."

Joshua smirked slightly. "Rook to f1, check."

Why is he smirking...

Sara visualized the chessboard again:

Spoiler: Sara's Mind

Well, there's only one way out, so...

"King to g2?" She said hesitantly, then wondered why she'd added the high inflection at the end. "Yeah, king g2."

The smirk began to widen. "Queen to e2, check."

Once again she looked at the mental board:

Spoiler: Sara's Mind

I'm being forced out of my box. This might get ugly...

"King to h3."

"Queen to h5, check."

Spoiler: Sara's Mind

What the fuck? Is he trying to force perpetual check or something? Regardless, my move is forced...

"King to g2."

Joshua shot forward and slapped his knee, his grin approaching the size of the sun. "Rook to g1 and checkmate!" he proclaimed, the statement followed by an emphatic sigh.

...huh?

Spoiler: Sara's Mind

It finally dawned on her. "God

dammit!

How did I not see that coming?"

"Remember that free piece you thought I gave you earlier? Well, it wasn't free! For one knight, I got you to open up your kingside

and

trade away one of the few active pieces you had in play."

Sara nodded dully. "Yeah, I got too greedy and thought I could weather the storm." She stood up and offered her hand to Joshua. "Well played, Joshua, well played."

He rose, took the hand, and shook. "We'll have to try this again when you don't have agonizing pain affecting your thought process."

Sitting in the seat next to Sara's, Furry shook her head. "Damn, I don't know how you folks can keep all that in your head. And my memory's pretty good."

"Oh, really?" Joshua chuckled. "What happened to all those funds that were supposed to go to my research team way back before all this started?"

"I didn't forget about them. I...reallocated them toward the defense fund. Which needed lots of pengrah at that point in time."

"Ah, the toilet paper was really expensive this year, eh?"

Sara's attention once more focused on the sound of crunching snow she'd heard a bit earlier. It was getting closer, but Furry and Joshua still didn't seem to notice it. Taking out her tacvisor, Sara rotated to face the direction the sounds were coming from and clumsily dragged the tacvisor over her eyes one-handed.

"What's going on, Sara?" Furry wanted to know.

"Are we going to be attacked?" Joshua added, the pride from earlier dissipating like chalk dust in a tornado.

"Not sure yet..."

"You sure it was a good idea to play mind chess?" Joshua persisted. "I mean it took a lot of focus--"

"I've been aware of the noise since during the game. I didn't tell you guys because it wasn't close enough for us to do anything about it, and I didn't want you guys to start worrying unnecessarily. Please be quiet for a moment."

Both the colonists fell silent, and Sara looked over the landscape. Suddenly, she saw something near the edge of a nearby plateau, a black streak against the white snow followed by a high-pitched

plink

. She zoomed in on it; it was a rope from a rappel gun. More

plink

s sounded, accompanied by jet black ropes.

"They're back," she told the colonists. "Get the loose stuff back into storage pronto, we'll need to leave in a hurry."

She kept her eyes on the multitude of ropes fastened to the rock near the plateau edge. A quick count revealed something disturbing:

There's only six ropes...

Dylan was the first to ascend the plateau. Chuck was close behind him, and shortly after him, Kestrel. Next up were Pal and Bill, carrying a bulky object between them. Sara raised an eyebrow.

The Nutcracker? What the hell happened?

After Pal and Bill rose Jezzy. The six Meggidos hastily detached their rappel guns and began sprinting toward the

Silver Ducky

.

Sara pushed the tacvisor onto her forehead. A quick glance-over informed her that all the equipment currently on the flycraft was stored away. Both Furry and Joshua were already strapped into their seats. She gave them a quick nod and continued to watch the progress of her Meggidos.

"What the hell happened out there?" Sara shouted as the Meggidos came up to the

Silver Ducky

. "Where's Black Cat? Why isn't that Nutcracker planted at the jammer?"

"Long story, Sara!" Jezzy hollered back. "Short version is Black Cat's an Arkon and we got unexpected assistance from the

Deborah

's marines! But we gotta scram,

now

! Detonation in a few minutes!"

That didn't really explain much.

"All right, move it, then!"

Sara hustled to a vacant seat on the right, second from the front, adjacent to Furry. It was still a challenge to manipulate the straps with one hand, but this time the process seemed a shade faster. One by one Meggidos ascended the ladder, deposited their packs into the rear storage container, and found themselves a seat. There was a slight slowdown as the Nutcracker was handed up from the ground and put away, but even with that caveat, all personnel were on board in less than a Liten minute.

"Wait!" Sara yelled as Pal dashed for the pilot's chair. "Make sure the storage container's sealed properly!"

Groaning, Pal doubled back and rapidly checked the locks. "We're good!" he reported as he sprinted for the pilot's chair once more.

"How much time do we have?" Sara asked.

Jezzy, seated across and two left of Sara, checked her wristcom. "Just over seventy-five Liten seconds. Less than one minute SST."

"Punch it, Pal!" Sara ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The

Silver Ducky

lifted off the ground, and with a quick twist shot off the edge of the mountainside. As they screamed across the Liten sky, it didn't take long for Sara to realize that they were falling at an alarming rate...

"Is something wrong, Pal?" She screamed. "We're falling like a lead brick!"

"I know! I'm going almost full lateral, it'll get us away from the explosion faster!"

"You're mad!" Joshua cried. "You'll never be able to pull up again at these velocities!"

"Oh, yeah? Just watch--"

A suddenly flash of white. A loud, deep-throated rumble. Sara glanced back and up as a formidable cloud mushroomed into the sky. Massive chunks of rock barreled down, spreading out through the air before they left hefty craters in whatever surface they happened to crash upon. Fortunately, none of the rocks appeared close enough to be a threat to the

Silver Ducky

, and the shockwave appeared to have passed above them.

Was it really that easy?

"All right, Pal, we're clear!" Chuck shouted. "Pull up!"

"I'm trying!" Pal yelled. "She's not even slowing down! Oh, fuckin' hell!"

A sinking feeling overcame Sara's mind.

Dammit, of course it can't be that easy...

"I told you!" Joshua insisted. "I told you we were falling way too fast to pull up!"

"Well, thank you very much, Shitsmart McGenious," Pal growled. "You got any

helpful

suggestions, motherfucker?"

"Beyond pointing those jets straight down and keeping them at--"

"What if we're, like, less than fifteen seconds away from smashing into a mountain?"

Joshua was silent for a moment. "Try to land as vertical as possible, and brace for impact."

"Oh, fuck no...fuck no, man! No way we'll survive this, man, no way!"

From her position, Sara couldn't see the ground coming up at them; she could see towers of rock rising around them on either side.

Oh god, just don't let us land on one of those...

"Five seconds!" Pal yelled. "It was a pleasure serving with--"

"No, dammit!" Sara screeched. "We've survived this far, and we'll--"

A furious jolt, and suddenly they were skidding down a sharp incline. Shrieks and grates provided the musical accompaniment to this latest disaster piece. Without warning they were airborne again, barreling straight for a sheer rock wall. Violently they slammed into the wall, slightly askew of headfirst, and then they fell. Twirling to the ground, like a badly-crafted paper airplane. The darkened night sky swirled with the dark shapes of rock, refusing Sara a clear vision on what was happening.

Another harsh pop, and Sara's seat shot away from the

Silver Ducky

and into the air, tumbling madly. Sara was aware of the motion, but could not respond to it. Indeed, she could even bring herself to close her eyes to the dark blurs around her.

A virulent slam to the back of her head, and the motley darks became true black...

HackerHuck, Marsha "Black Cat" Thompson,

Arkon Roleblocker

, was killed in action on Day 4.

Night 4 has begun. Due to the Christmas holiday the night deadline will be extended to Sunday, December 26th, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST. Have a wonderful, glitch-free holiday, everyone!

P.S. In the event that I won't be able to add flavor in relatively soon, I'll make one large post that has the missing flavor in it.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1171 (isolation #76) » Sat Dec 25, 2010 7:05 pm

Southwestern Istor Forest
Colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 2nd, 2486 SC (Day 1, Month 15 LC)
1147 hours SST (1031 hours LLT1)

Sara had never seen so many trees in her life. Born and raised on the mining world of Pittsburgh, the topography she knew growing up was barren rock, lava rivers, and volcanoes with a penchant for erupting every other day. It wasn't easy, being a miner's child, especially when one's specialty was brain rather than brawn. The only way to survive was to be perfect, and all her life that was Sara's primary objective in life: sheer perfection.

Do well enough, and they won't be able to ignore you...

She continued to walk through the forest, alongside Scout Jackson. Seventeen Liten-hours of combing through this sea of trees, and no indication that the colonists had even been there.

Every minute we lose is one more minute the Arkons gain to find them...

Jackson stopped and held up his palm. "Wait."

Sara froze. "What is it?"

Jackson pointed up at a tree to their right. "That tree branch. It's been broken."

Looking at the indicated branch, it didn't take Sara long to see what Jackson meant. There were only two branches sticking out from it, and both had been bent backward to form the shape of an arrow. "A sign?"

"Perhaps. We might as well check it out, it's not like we've got any other leads."

"Agreed." Sara tapped her wristcom and brought it under her lips. "Margaret, this is Sara."

"I read you, Sara, go ahead."

"Scout Jackson and I have come upon a potential lead. We're going to check it out."

"Copy. Let's hope this goes somewhere, because we've got zilch on the rest of the board. Margaret out."

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1172 (isolation #77) » Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:46 pm

So I really wanted to have all the flavor caught up before dawn as a Christmas present, but my schedule didn't treat me kindly (read: mod enjoyed the R&R overly much), so I didn't get all of it done. I'm going to go ahead and post what I do have completed, so it's less of a block read once I finish the catch-up.

Also, I've decided to post each flavor piece in its own post instead of all of them altogether, due to site issues with large, meaty posts (at least for me). I'll spoiler them, though.

Here goes (these are posted in the order which I would have posted them had I been up to date on flavor).

Spoiler: Opening Scene 6

SBF

Deborah

Hypertunnel Transit (Medici to Tynnfred)
November 30th, 2486 Space Calendar
0755 hours SST

Sara sat at the end of one of the long tables in the

Deborah

's mess hall, staring idly at her half-emptied tray of spaghetti and popcorn shrimp, with a glass of blue Voojoo on the side. She knew that accepting the invitation to the Special Operations Branch would mean more difficult assignments, but invading an Arkon-controlled planet to search for a nanoscopic needle in a macroscopic haystack--it was the perfect definition of "suicide mission". And here she was, with her inexperience in covert operations, expected to flawlessly take command should something happen to Margaret.

What if I can't do it? What if...what if I fail?

Someone set a tray on the table, across from her. Looking up, Sara saw Zanado, one of the SOBs, sit down, staring at her with dark brown eyes.

"You look lost in thought," he remarked. "Nervous about the upcoming mission?"

"A bit," Sara admitted, "but I've got it under control."

Zanado nodded. "That's good. If you don't, survival of the fittest will pare you away soon enough."

That was a bit...cold.

"You're with the Church of Darwin, right?" she inquired.

"Only as far as government regulation go." He took his fork and played with his buttered garlic mashed potatoes. "It's a common misnomer that Darwinism is a religion, really. The government only makes us classify ourselves within that tired framework because we lack enough incontrovertible evidence that our findings are true."

"Isn't that what a religion is, though? A collection of beliefs?"

"No, you misunderstand me. Science accurately predicts what happened; we just have to go find the proof. Alas, but the nature of macroscopic spaces precludes easy and rapid discovery of the evidence. It's only a matter of time, fortunately."

"But it's been, what, four or five hundred years. Surely--"

"If this is the standard by which you measure credibility, then we are hardly the only ones to fall short of your preconceptions of validity. Take the religion of our fellow comrade, Wesley. His god has had millennia to convince humanity that he exists, and yet where is he? And don't even get me started on Islam or Hinduism--"

Someone cleared their throat next to Sara, and she turned and looked up. One of the

Deborah

's marines stared back at her. "You're the second for the SOBs, right?" the marine inquired.

Sara nodded. "I am."

"Good. Please go muzzle your dogs before they cause an...incident."

The marine pointed at the other end of the mess hall. Looking in that direction, Sara saw Pal, Psycho, Kestrel, and Black Cat at a table with six marines. Suddenly, Pal slammed the table and yelled,

"And what the fuck do you know about dangerous, huh? They don't even

expect

us to come back alive when we go out on a mission, that's how bad our missions are..."

Quietly Sara ambled toward the cluster of people. Her mind raced like a particle of light through space.

This is a chance to show what you've got, Sara. Don't screw this up. You've handled worse situations, you'll get through this one.

By the time she reached the table of arguing people, she felt confident--or so she told herself.

"Can it, all of you!" she barked.

They ignored her and continued their diatribes.

"I said can it!" she yelled, and everyone stopped, turning to stare at her.

"You sons of bitches have quite the ego, don't you?" one of the male marines said to her. His namebadge read "Willard".

"It's not ego if you've earned it!" Pal retorted.

Sara held up her hand. "Calm down. What's going on here?"

"Those assholes think it's easy being a Meggido," Kestrel replied.

"So we, of course, had to set the record straight," Pal added.

Psycho nodded in agreement.

"I wasn't involved in any of this," Black Cat said. She picked up her vibration knife, the blade specked with bits of some kind of sticky juice--peach, if Sara interpreted the pits on Black Cat's plate correctly. "If you don't mind, Judith and I are going to retire before this becomes a shitfight," she added.

One of the other marines laughed. "They even let crazies like you in? Why don't you talk to my dick instead? It's just as lifeless, and much more enter--"

"Fuck off!" Pal yelled, leaping across the table and tackling the marine. "You wanna know how tough we are?" He slugged the marine in the face.

"Stop it!" Sara hollered, but Pal ignored her, walloping the marine incessantly.

"Get off of him, you bastard!" Willard shouted, seizing Pal by the shoulders and yanking him backwards, slamming his head on the floor. "You don't fuck with the marines and get away with it!"

"Just watch us!" Psycho proclaimed, jumping across the table onto Willard. A brawl quickly formed, in spite of Sara's vehement protests. Blood began dotting the floor of the mess hall, as well as the uniform of the combatants.

Sara stood outside of the melee, her mind frozen in indecision.

There's too many for me to break up on my own, but I can't let them continue like this...

Suddenly, one of the marines began screaming widly with pain, falling to the floor and writhing around. In seconds the other nine combatants followed suit. Sara stared at the scene, unsure of what was going on...

"What the hell is this?" Margaret yelled.

Looking in her direction, Sara saw the major standing a few tables away, with a laser pistol in hand.

Of course...the stun ray...

She fingered her own laser pistol.

How did I forget about that...

"Sara, what happened, here?" Margaret demanded to know.

Sara briefly explained the situation to her. Margaret nodded and input something onto her wristcom.

"Security, this is Major Sedarski. I've got ten people in the mess hall that need to be brought to the brig. Four SOBs, six marines. The SOBs get four hours; you can do as you see fit with your people."

She lowered her wrist and holstered her pistol. "Let's go, Sara. We need to go over the battle plans."

Sara nodded and followed Margaret out of the mess hall.

You failed, Sara. You can't afford to fail...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1173 (isolation #78) » Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:47 pm

Spoiler: Vote Count 4.1

Mt. Ivanova
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
0212 hours SST (2621 hours LLT3)

Jezzy trudged across the snow-crested rock, eyes focused on her scouts, Black Cat and Chuck, fifty meters ahead of her and the main group. They were barely visible in their combat uniforms, now colored to more closely match the bleak, monochromatic color palette of Mt. Ivanova. To her left, seven meters away, Mt. Ivanova continued to reach for the jet-black, star-studded sky; to her right, only about fifteen meters distant, lay the cliff edge, and below that, naught but air for at least a kilometer. The top of the Arkon jammer, a thick collection of needle-like spires, was just visible above the walls of rock on the left...

Suddenly, both Black Cat and Chuck froze and smoothly flattened themselves on the ground. Jezzy halted at once, and held her right hand up in a fist, signaling the other Megiddos to wait. Minutes ticked by, and neither Black Cat nor Chuck moved from their prone position. Silence rested heavily on the group, engulfing their bodies in a sea of water that no one dared disturb.

After a period that felt like hours, Black Cat slowly rose and began jogging lightly back towards Jezzy. It didn't take her long to arrive, and she'd hardly broken a sweat.

"We've located the jammer grounds, about half a kilometer beyond Chuck's positon and down some stepped plateaus," Black Cat reported. "But something strange is going on, Lieutenant."

"What?" Jezzy asked. "I'd be surprised if they weren't battle-ready, what with the explosion and--"

"No, it's not that at all. They're already engaged in combat with another party."

Once again, silence reigned supreme.

"Another party?" Dylan echoed. "You mean those fuckers are fighting with each other?"

Black Cat shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever's going on is happening on the other side of the jammer."

"I wonder if it's got anything to do with that rumble we heard earlier," Bill suggested.

"It doesn't matter," Jezzy said firmly. "This gives us a tactical advantage, and we need to exploit it. We're upping the pace to double-time. Black Cat, you and Chuck continue to scout ahead for us. When you get close enough, find sniping positions and cover the rest of us as we breach the jammer, as per the plan."

"With the Arkons being otherwise distracted, is the plan changing at all?" Kestrel inquired.

"Negative."

"Roger that. Just checking."

"Any more questions?" There were none. "Black Cat, get back to Chuck, and the rest of us will wait on the two of you."

Jezzy watched and waited as Black Cat made her way back to Chuck's position. The two scouts took out rappel guns, shot the grip through the snow and into the rock, and disappeared from sight.

"That's going to take awhile," Pal groaned.

"Zip it!" Jezzy hissed. "Everyone move out, double time!"

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1174 (isolation #79) » Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:48 pm

Spoiler: Vote Count 4.2

Two hundred meters from the Arkon Planetary Communications Jammer
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
0226 hours SST (2647 hours LLT3)

Chuck knelt behind a waist-high rock and peered around it. Ahead of him, the jammer; from the ground level, it appeared much taller than it had from the air. The occupied section of the jammer only appeared to be a few stories tall, with much of the height coming from spindly, slightly-curled, black-green spires. A single catwalk lined each of the four levels that Chuck could readily discern, with a few guards patrolling each catwalk. There also appeared to be small, unmanned turret-bubbles, one on the third floor and one on the fourth floor of each of the visible corners of the heptagonal structure.

Glancing over in Black Cat's direction, Chuck observed that she'd found a good rock as well, about twenty meters from his, and had taken position behind it. She now glanced at him.

"One turret on each corner," Chuck mouthed. "Wait for my shot, eliminate visible turrets left side, then eliminate guards."

Black Cat mouthed the order back to him, ensuring that she hadn't misunderstood. Chuck nodded, and she nodded back and vanished back behind her rock. Chuck carefully adjusted his laser rifle to the highest intensity, which gave him six shots with the current battery.

He lowered his tacvisor over his eyes and took aim at the rightmost turret on the fourth floor. The tacvisor calculated where his shot would hit and placed a small red dot on the calculated location. Satisfied with his aim, Chuck waited a few moments to make sure Black Cat had time to calibrate her aim.

Then he pulled the trigger.

A violet beam of light sliced clear through the turret-bubble, melting it beyond all usability. Chuck quickly aimed at the turret directly below and took it out as well, while distant hissing noises told him that Black Cat had begun her own operation.

With the two rightmost turrets down, Chuck focused in on the two middle turrets, and within ten seconds those were down as well. Ducking behind the rock for a moment, Chuck changed the amplitude on his laser rifle, lowering it to just above the reported level for Arkon battle armor. Once he finished with that, he popped out around the other side of the rock he'd been firing from and began picking off the Arkon guards with yellow-green laser streaks, apparently unable to locate his and Black Cat's sniping position. Black Cat joined the sniping fray, and less than thirty Liten seconds later every outside guard was dead.

Chuck quickly made sure that there no other Arkon threats outside; he then raised his hand and made a beckoning motion, knowing that Jezzy was watching him.

An explosion sounded from inside the jammer. "What's going on in there?" Chuck muttered to himself as his eyes traipsed across the jammer...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1175 (isolation #80) » Sun Dec 26, 2010 6:49 pm

Spoiler: Vote Count 4.3

Arkon Planetary Communications Jammer
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
0238 hours SST (2720 hours LLT3)

Kestrel and Dylan strode tentatively down the corridor. The black-green walls had strange ridges protruding out at irregular places, like slabs of rough tree bark. The illumination was close to pitch-black, and both Meggidos were forced to rely on their tacvisors for decent vision. They each held their laser rifles at their waist, well aware that an Arkon could come around any corner, at any time.

"You know where we're going, right?" Kestrel whispered.

"The fuck should I know?" Dylan whispered back. "I know the directions Bill gave to the control room, but honestly, all these goddamn corridors look the same to me. Besides, all we really need to do is keep any stray Arkons occupied for the next thirty minutes, so it doesn't really matter if we--"

Without warning, Kestrel knelt to the floor, her right hand shooting to her forehead. Dylan was at her side instantly.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "We've no time for headaches--"

"Gut!" Kestrel gasped. "Arkons! They're near!"

Immediately Dylan was on his feet again, laser rifle held to his shoulder. He swiveled his body rapidly, his eyes scraping the area for any sign of Arkons. "You sure about that, Kestrel? Your gut's hasn't been working this whole--"

The hiss of a laser shot melting through body armor interrupted his question, the sound coming from behind him. He turned just in time to see an Arkon body fall to the floor unceremoniously.

"That direction!" Kestrel hissed, still kneeling on the ground, but with her laser rifle at her shoulder.

Loud, rapid clomps could now be heard emanating from the corridor the Arkon had appeared from. Dylan groaned and pressed himself against the wall, his body perfectly aware of each and every little bump on it. Shitfights were never a fun thing.

"I just hope the others come through," he grunted to Kestrel. "I don't want all this to be for nothing."

Kestrel nodded. "You and me both."

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1176 (isolation #81) » Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:01 am

Night 4 is over. I'm still behind on flavor, so you'll just get flips, for now.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1177 (isolation #82) » Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:10 am

Unknown Location, Kehvit Mountain Range
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 5, Month 15 LC)
0354 hours SST (0006 hours LLT3)

At first, there was only the dull throbbing in the back of her head. Darkness enveloped Sara; she opened her eyes, and the blackness only slightly diminished in intensity. Thoughts crawled through her mind like slugs in a marathon.

Suddenly, something in her vision changed, and she could pick out bright, white dots amidst the blackness. More sensations came over her body, the vast majority being ones of extreme soreness and fatigue.

Oh, right. We crashed.

She was lying on her back, her face turned to the sky. She tried moving her limbs, and they seemed to respond perfunctorily.

Nothing feels broken...

Grunting, she reached for the safety straps and removed them from her body. The dullness in her mind refused to go away, but she ignored it as she wearily pushed herself out into a sitting position.

Looking around, Sara soon spotted another one of the seats from the

Silver Ducky

lying on its side in the snow. There were two figures nearby; one was Jezzy, and the other...

Sara stared at the other figure blankly as it clawed virulently at Jezzy, lying on the ground and desperately fighting back.

Oh, god...another of those bastards...

What are you doing just sitting on your ass, Sara? Do something!

Sara reached for her hip holster, fumbled a bit with the strap, and extracted her laser pistol. Quickly she took aim at the Arkon, but found her arm shaky. She tried to stabilize the right arm with her left hand, before remembering that she had no left hand.

Damn it all!

She laid her right arm across what was left of her left forearm, but there was still an uncomfortable amount of lateral movement. At the site of the conflict, Jezzy suddenly collapsed to the ground, scarlet blood oozing out from a multiplex of wounds. The Arkon raised an arm, sharp claws glistening with Jezzy's blood.

Sara grunted.

Here goes nothing...

The shot went wide right of the Arkon, but it did start and glance in her direction, ignoring Jezzy. Sara fired another shot, this one slightly closer, but off to the right.

"Hylesk!" the Arkon growled, scampering away from Jezzy and off into the night. Sara took one last shot at it, and like the others before it missed. The snow was hard enough to avoid leaving any trace of footprints.

"Fuck!" Sara grumbled as she holstered her laser pistol. She climbed out of her seat, only to topple to the ground after only a couple steps outside. Still she kept at it, run-crawling towards Jezzy in spite of the mental dullness and dysfunctional limb coordination. Finally, she was at Jezzy's side.

It looked bad. Jezzy's chest was barely heaving up and down, the suit, skin and muscle were severely torn apart, and blood gushed from her wounds, staining the surrounding snow red. The right side of her face was half-ripped from her skull, and blood covered everything, from her eyes to her hair.

Jezzy stared as Sara knelt at her side. "Sara?" she spoke, and Sara could her the blood gargling in her throat.

"It's all right, Jezzy, it's gone. I scared it off."

"You didn't kill--" A violent fit of coughing interrupted Jezzy.

Sara shook her head. "No, I missed. I tried to kill it, but I missed. I'm sorry."

They stared at each other for a moment, their silence strong enough to cut through ultrasteel. Then Sara said, "You're gonna need a lot of bandaging up if you want to--"

"No." Jezzy coughed again, splattering more blood on Sara's already-bloodstained uniform. "We don't need...two people holding us down." She glanced at Sara's laser pistol. "You know what to...what to do."

Sara sighed. "It's not that bad--"

"Don't kid yourself. Even if I'm patched--

haughck

--patched up, I'm still just porce...porcelain in a box." She paused. "I guess it's fitting, given what I've done."

"What you've...what are you talking about, Jezzy?"

Again, a long silence. "No point hiding it anymo--" Jezzy coughed up more blood. "I killed them, Sara."

"Them? Them who?"

Does she mean...

"Arthur...Simona...Ingrid...and the marines the

Deborah

sent to--

huachk--to help us."

"They sent...my god. Jezzy--"

"I know what you're going to say. Yes, what I did was...wrong. But I thought...I thought I knew what I was doing. But...I was so wrong...I thought I could prove you wrong, but I--"

Jezzy's body heaved violently in a torrent of coughs. Sara stared numbly at the blood pool soaking into the snow.

She...I can't believe she would...

"I don't...blame you," Jezzy spoke. "For hating me for what I've done."

Sara shook her head very slowly. "No. I don't hate you. I can't condone your actions, but I know you were only trying to help our mission."

Jezzy smirked. "At least you're being kind about it. More than...I'd have done, in your shoes. Now, please...just finish me off. It's the best thing to do."

Slowly, Sara withdrew her laser pistol. The two women stared into each other's eyes, and Sara could feel tears streaming down her face.

"For what it's worth, I'm..." Jezzy paused. "I'm sorry things turned out this...this way."

"Yeah, me too. May you--" Sara froze, visions of the whiteness filling her mind. "May you find happiness in whatever afterlife awaits you."

Jezzy bobbed her head. Sara backed off a bit and aimed her laser pistol at Jezzy's heart. Jezzy stared up at the sky, her breathing noticeably more laborious than earlier.

Oh, god, how I hate this--

She pulled the trigger. Jezzy's head rolled on its left side and lay still.

Sighing, Sara stood up, pulled her tacvisor over her eyes, and looked around. She was in the bottom of a canyon, at least three hundred meters deep and half a kilometer wide. Snow coated everything that wasn't rock. In the distance, near the northern wall of the canyon, she could barely see a large pile of twisted metal.

The crash site...hopefully if anyone's missing, they'll gather around there...

Holstering her laser pistol, she rose to her feet. Her legs held this time, and the dullness in her mind seemed to have cleared up. She began to jog toward the crash site...

ThAdmiral, Jezebel "Jezzy" Bahha,

Human Vigilante

, was put out of her misery on Night 4.

Day 5 has begun. With seven players alive, it takes four votes to lynch.
The deadline is on Monday, January 10th, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. CST. (Note: I might change this if it conflicts with next semester's schedule.)

Two more things:

- First, if I've sent you a PM anytime after the beginning of the Liten game, would you mind PMing the contents back to me? I...got a little overzealous whilst cleaning out old PMs.

- Second, at some point in the near future, I'm going to relocate all the Opening Scenes from the first post to their own posts within the game, because the current MS problems won't let me edit posts with too many characters in them. I'll put links in the first post so you guys can still find them easily, but I just thought I'd give you a heads-up.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1178 (isolation #83) » Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:11 am

You may now post.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1179 (isolation #84) » Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:22 am

Spoiler: Opening Scene 1

SS

Davy Maybourne

High Orbit, UTP Planet Massotorrido, Medici System
November 26th, 2486 Space Calendar
0233 hours Standard Space Time

The graveyard shift was always a bitch. Ensign Sammy Weiss wearily rubbed her eyes and took another swig of coffee.

Another six hours to go...

Distractedly she eyed the steel-gray mug in her hand, studying the symbol of spacefleet printed on it's side: a crimson laser pistol on top of a white circle, which was encircled by a pair of curved, green olive branches. The colors intrigued her dazed eyes...

A shrill beep emitted from her computer console. Setting the coffee mug down, she looked at the holographic display and saw the pop-up the earlier sound had announced. It read, "Incoming Interstellar Transmission. Priority Alpha-1 Red. Source: Rebel Planet Liten, Tynnfred System."

She raised her eyebrow. Alpha-1 Red transmissions were high-danger red-alerts, on par with planetary invasions. On top of that, it was coming from a rebel planet. Something was going on, here.

"Bertha, answer transmission," she ordered the AID (Artificial Intelligence Design) on her computer terminal. "And flag the transmission for Communications Officer Vivaldi."

"Complying," Bertha's low, smooth voice replied. A black rectangle took up the majority of the holodisplay's visual area and began showing video feed.

Immediately Sammy was startled by the sound of laser rifles firing in the background. A woman, clad in a faux-tiger fur coat in addition to a simple gray jumpsuit, was standing in front of the camera on the other end of the transmission, panting heavily. Behind her, five militia were brandishing laser rifles and facing something to the left of the screen. A door, perhaps? And then there was no time left to wonder as the woman gasped,

"This is Leslie Hampton, Governor of Liten. We're being invaded by the Arkons, and we lack the resources to fight them off. We request immediate aid from Spacefleet."

"Governor Hampton, this is Ensign Weiss of the SS

Davy Maybourne

," Sammy replied. "You are currently considered a rebellious state to the Union of Terran Planets. As such, you may not request--"

"Damn it, then, consider this a surrender!" Hampton shouted. "This pains me, but not as much as getting wiped out by the bloody Arkons!"

"If you're surrendering, I'll need to relay this transmission to our station admiral--" At this point Bertha automatically began to hail Admiral Washiby-- "--as only an admiral can accept--"

"There's not enough time!"

Behind the governor, the militants held their rifles at the ready. One of them said, "Get ready, men."

Hampton sighed and keyed something into her terminal. "I'm transmitting the data we have on an object of alien origin," she stated. "We think it's the reason the Arkons invaded in the first place. We didn't have enough time to figure out what it was, but we know it's damned important!"

On Sammy's screen, a pop-up appeared announcing, "Incoming Data Packet. Priority Alpha-1." She told Bertha to accept the data packet. "The Admiral has been notified, and should be responding shortly, Governor."

"Just get here soon," Leslie growled, "or there won't be anything left to save!"

Suddenly, a large yellow laser shot across the room in the background. One of the militants cried, "They've gotten through!" He and the others opened fire with red laser bursts.

"Shit!" Hampton screeched. "We've got the files uploaded. Just get the hell--"

Suddenly, the display returned to black. A pop-up appeared, reading, "Signal Lost."

"Bertha, attempt to reestablish contact with that transmitter," Sammy ordered, fighting the fingers of ice tap-dancing on her spine.

"Complying."

Two more video boxes, smaller than the first one, appeared on Sammy's display. The right-side box displayed a black-haired man in his thirties--Communications Officer Vivaldi--and the left-hand box displayed an older man with graying wisps of hair and icicle-blue eyes. Station Admiral Washiby.

"Yes, sirs?" Sammy inquired tentatively. "Did you guys get all that?"

"Indeed," Vivaldi replied in a rich, tenor voice.

"Did you get the entire data packet?" Washiby asked.

"Oh, um, yes sir." Sammy ordered Bertha to open the data packet. Immediately a plethora of files appeared on the holodisplay, with a small summary box on the side. Inside the summary box were two things: a picture of an egg-shaped, ebony-black object with a ring of turquoise light running around the widest diameter, and written text that read,

"Unknown Alien Artifact. Discovered: Day 25, Month 13. Dimensions: 0.28m at shortest diameter, 0.81m at longest diameter. Distinctive Properties: Emits a blue light and a quiet hum of 26 decibels. Preliminary scans indicate energy of some form, but will require more extensive tests to be conclusive. --Dr. Joshua Gordon, Lead Scientist"

"I'll get our science team working on this data immediately," Admiral Washiby stated. "Have you been able to reestablish contact with Liten, Ensign?"

"Negative, sir. The transmitter probably got fried."

"Keep trying, anyway. Officer Vivaldi, alert the Admiralty Board of our situation and request a conference transmission to discuss how we're going to respond to this event. Afterward, order Commodore Kerry to recall his crew from shoreleave and report for duty within the next 24 space hours."

"Yes, sir!" Vivaldi and Sammy replied simultaneously.

"Good. Admiral Washiby out."

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1180 (isolation #85) » Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:22 am

Spoiler: Opening Scene 2

SS

Davy Maybourne

High Orbit, UTP Planet Massotorrido, Medici System

November 26th, 2486 Space Calendar

0412 hours SST

Admiral Washiby sat on a comfortable, yet stiff black chair, in a tiny low-lit room. In front of him was an opaque, circular, black holotable, and encircling the table were 14 plain, sparse chairs, in addition to Washiby's. Holographic figures were seated in most of these chairs; five were male, eight were female. One chair, however, was devoid of an occupant.

"Has any news been heard on the whereabouts of Admiral Dawkins?" Washiby inquired. "This is a situation of utmost importance, and though I feel the entirety of the Admiralty Board should be available to discuss the implications of the event at hand, we cannot afford to wait any longer."

"I concur," agreed Admiral Gradkowski, an auburn-haired woman in her early forties. Murmurs of assent trickled from the rest of the admiralty. Gazes shifted toward a white-haired, steel-eyed woman in her late fifties, her face bearing the stretched, shiny look of people who underwent wrinkle surgery. "What say you, Supreme Admiral?"

"Very well," the Supreme Admiral responded. "We shall convene this meeting without the presence of Admiral Dawkins. Should he make his entrance at a later time, he shall have to catch up via an AID summary. Now, Admiral Washiby, elucidate us on what has transpired that called for a full meeting of the board."

Reading from a condensed, AID-written summary projected in front of him, Washiby recounted the events of a couple hours ago, having them refer to the data packet he sent them when necessary. In his conclusion, Washiby stated, "Until now, we have not been able to discern a proper motive for an Arkon invasion beyond speculation of manifest destiny and causation of chaos. Now, however, they seem to have a specific objective to their invasion of the planet Liten. It would be in our best interests to retake the planet from the Arkonian forces and deny them whatever it is they're after."

"Hold on," protested Admiral Yakamoto, an aging Japanese man. "This is merely speculation on your part. There is no concrete evidence to support your position. Even if your supposition is true, our forces are spread thinly enough as it is. There are more productive things to do with our armadas than retake a fringe colony that up til now has been in a state of rebellion."

"But Liten is on the border of UTP space!" Admiral Lynch protested, her emerald eyes smoldering with fire. "They could effectively utilize it as a staging ground for a full-scale invasion of the 8th and 9th Sectors! We should deal with this situation now before it grows out of hand!"

"And what do you expect us to do?" growled Admiral Kearns, plucking at his gray mustache. "The 5th, 6th, and 12th Sectors are already war-torn and suffering heavy Arkon occupation. Many of our fleets have already been culled from other systems to defend the systems currently bordering Arkon-occupied territory. The

Davy Maybourne

already has a significant fighting force in the 89th Fleet. They should be able to handle any light Arkon incursion, and if the situation worsens they can get off the alert."

"Do you have no concern for our border worlds?" Lynch seethed. "These are

our

people, dammit!"

"We do not have the resources to protect every single world!" Kearns insisted. "You know that as well as I do! It's a terrible fact, but there it is."

"You just have no concern because it's not

your

people that are going to die!"

"Order!" All eyes focused on the Supreme Admiral. "We all know how precarious the Arkon situation is, and we all know that ugly decisions must be made. Please keep the emotional aspect out of your consideration.

Suddenly, a notice flashed in front of Admiral Washiby, stating, "Alpha-1 Intrastation message incoming." Lines of text began scrawling across the holodisplay. His eyes widened as he read.

"Admiral Washiby, what's happening?" inquired the Supreme Admiral.

"I'm receiving a summary from my science team." Slumping into his chair in exhaustion, he continued, "According to the Liten data, that object is capable of generating high amounts of power, with no physical cost. In other words, the device is a source of infinite energy."

Stares of shocked silence could be found in abundance at that point in time. "This...this isn't a joke, right?" Admiral Yakamoto queried.

Admiral Washiby shook his head. "My scientists seem certain about this."

"But isn't limitless energy...impossible?" protested Admiral Gradkowski weakly.

Admiral Kombu an elderly, balding black man, stated, "This changes things entirely. If that device is a source of infinite energy, not only can we ill-afford to allow the Arkons to possess it, it would be to our great advantage to secure this device for our own needs. This could advance our technology by tenfold, and indeed may be the key to fending off the Arkon menace."

"But even if this device is what it claims it is, we can't just divert our forces from their current locations," Kearns objected. "We're having a hell of a time holding our own as it is."

"Does it matter?" Lynch insisted. "If we can replicate this infinite energy source, we'll have the Arkons beat. Plus, we sure as hell can't allow the Arkons to get their hands on it."

"Then we'll send an S.O.B. team," interjected the Supreme Admiral. "I know of a team in close proximity to the Medici system, but they currently lack a stealth frigate. Admiral Washiby, I believe you mentioned that you had a frigate being readied in the event of a go situation?"

"Aye," Washiby replied. "The frigate isn't stealth, but with the right equipment we can make one out of her. The captain is experienced, and quite honestly I was close to recommending him to the Secret Operations Branch myself. Just get the team and the equipment to the

Maybourne

, and you'll have your ship."

"Excellent. Does anyone have an objection?" Silence was the answer. "Excellent. I shall get the S.O.B. team and the necessary stealth equipment to the

Davy Maybourne

as quickly as possible. Admiral Washiby, ensure that this commodore of yours is briefed properly on his new assignment, and get him the necessary clearances. Everyone else, prepare for the possibility of redistribution of forces, should it become necessary.

"This meeting of the Admiralty Board is adjourned!"

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1181 (isolation #86) » Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:23 am

Spoiler: Opening Scene 3

SS

Davy Maybourne

High Orbit, UTP Planet Massotorrido, Medici System
November 26th, 2486 Space Calendar
1726 SST

Commodore James Kerry sat quietly on a chair comprised of Programmable Matter (known colloquially as progmatter). This particular progmatter was running a program that caused it to change color based on the color clothing worn by it's occupant; since Kerry sported the customary black uniform worn by military space personnel, the chair chose to color itself crimson, with various shading techniques and hue variations to suggest a leather texture. On the opposing side of the waiting room, a pretty young man sat behind a holodesk, his brown eyes intently focused on the third-meter tall holoscreen, although the side of the hologram facing Kerry was opaque, thus preventing him from observing what exactly the secretary was doing. On Kerry's left was the door that led to Admiral Washiby's office; to the right was the door that led back to the rest of the

Davy Maybourne

's Command and Control center.

Kerry looked at his omniwatch and sighed mentally. Considering that he and his crew were supposed to be enjoying well-earned rest and relaxation at the moment, if Spacefleet felt like canceling the down time and recalling him and his crew, the least they could do was not keep him waiting patiently in a chair for over twenty minutes, especially when the holomag reader was burned out. His hand ran through his jet-black hair. Then there was the unexplained change in clearance level this morning--

The C&C-side door soundlessly slid open, and Admiral Washiby trotted in, decelerating to a halt in front of Kerry, who immediately rose to his feet and braced for a salute; at the same time, the progmatter chair reverted to its normal pale gray color. "At ease, Commodore Kerry. I just got back from an important meeting that ran slightly over time. Please, follow me. We have much to discuss."

Admiral Washiby stepped toward his office door; the sensors recognized the admiral's presence and opened the doors, allowing him to walk on through. Kerry firmly strode in just behind him. The admiral beckoned Kerry toward a progmatter chair as he himself moved behind the holodesk and took the seat on the other side. Quietly, the office doors sealed shut.

"So what's this about, Admiral?" Kerry inquired. "I'm presuming it's important."

Admiral Washiby nodded. "I know you and your crew were cherishing your R and R, but we've happened upon a perilous situation that, if resolved correctly, could result in a key advantage over the Arkons in the war. Since you're the best commodore we've got around these parts, the task of completing this mission falls to you."

"I see." Kerry leaned back into his chair, which reshaped itself to accommodate the new posture. "So, what's the mission, sir?"

Reaching into a pants pocket, the admiral extracted a data-chip and held it for Kerry to see. "The in-depth particulars are detailed in this data chip. Allow me to summarize your mission: The rebel fringe colony of Liten, out in Tynnfred, is being invaded by Arkon forces, and they have requested our aid in exchange for their surrender. Based on data they've sent to us, we believe that the Litens are in possession of a device of unknown origin, termed the Infinity Generator, and that this device is capable of producing an infinite amount of energy. It is imperative that we recover the Infinity Generator and prevent it from falling into Arkon hands. Unfortunately, we can't spare any fleets toward the recapture of Liten, so the decision is to send an S.O.B. team to infiltrate Liten, recover the device, and bring it back to Terran space."

"Sounds nice, sir. Since I'm not a member of the Secret Operations Branch, I don't see where I fit into all this."

"I was just getting to that part. As it happens, the closest S.O.B. can be here within the next forty-eight hours. What they lack, however, is a stealth frigate to bring them to Liten. The nearest stealth frigate won't be able to arrive quickly enough to suit our timetable, so we've upgraded your security clearance and given you and your crew temporary reassignment to the Secret Operations Branch. Stealth equipment for your battle frigate will arrive with the S.O.B. team, and as soon as we can have the equipment installed on your frigate, you will leave for the Tynnfred system.

"Commodore, I cannot stress the importance of this mission enough. As of now, we're not winning this war. Procurement of the Infinity Generator may give us the crucial advantage we need to defeat the Arkon menace. Failure is absolutely not an option. Do I make myself clear?"

Tersely Kerry nodded. "Yes, sir. Perfectly clear."

"Good." Admiral Washiby held the data-chip out, and Kerry took it and placed it in his own pants pocket. "I suggest you familiarize yourself with the information on that data-chip quickly," he added. "Time is of the essence. You're dismissed, Commodore."

Kerry rapidly rose, saluted, and strode out of the admiral's office. As he traipsed down the myriad corridors leading to the space station's shuttle bay, he pondered on how the hell he was going to brief the crew on these changes in events...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1182 (isolation #87) » Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:23 am

Spoiler: Opening Scene 4

Dropship

Apollyon

High Orbit, UTP Planet Massotorrido, Medici System
November 28th, 2486 Space Calendar
1628 hours SST

Captain Sara Gaints felt a queasiness in the pit of her stomach. It was that damned space sickness acting up on her again. On larger spacecraft, such as capital ships and space station, there was artificial gravity, so the nausea wasn't an issue; in tiny tin cans like this dropship, however, there wasn't room for a gravity generator, and thus her ear fluids continually threw themselves out of whack. At least there were barf bags onboard for this sort of contingency; having to contend with globules of vomit floating around in nullo was far from the most pleasant experience in the universe.

It didn't help ease the wooziness besetting her, though.

Suddenly, a male voice announced, "Major Sedarski, we're on final approach with the SBF

Deborah

. We've been granted permission to dock, and the commodore will meet you in the hangar bay. Estimated time to dock: fifty seconds."

"Thank you, Jordy." Strapped into the seat across from Sara, Major Sedarski stretched out her legs. "Maybe we'll finally find out just what the hell's going on, eh, Sara?"

"Maybe we will, sir." Sara replied hesitantly. The need to suppress the urge to vomit was rapidly usurping her mental concentration.

"Please, Sara, you can call me Margaret whenever we're not around the brass. I know you're a new addition to the Megiddos and the Special Operations Branch, but one thing you'll need to pick up on very quickly is knowing when to be formal, and when to let things slide. There a ton of shit out here that SOB's have to deal with, and if you don't maintain good morale, even the strongest of wills can break under the strain. You--" Without warning, the bright, red "Entering Gravity Field" sign began flashing, accompanied by obnoxiously loud klaxons.

"Got it, Sara?" the major asked again.

"Yes, sir." Sedarski's stare could've melted ultrasteel. "I mean, Margaret."

"Good."

Suddenly, Sara plunged downward into her seat, and her nausea used that disruption in concentration to attempt a violent expulsion of putrid particles. Sara barely managed to stymie the puke in her throat and force it back into the bowels of her stomach. Now the yellow "Landing" sign flashed, and Sara grasped the handles protruding from the wall behind her. She braced her self, awaiting the inevitable jolt that all landings had in common...

"We've landed, Major," Jordy announced. "Debark at your convenience."

We've touched down already? Damn, that's one--

"Hell of a pilot, ain't he?" Margaret winked as she unfastened the safety restraints. "C'mon, let's get out of this tin can. I'll head out and meet the captain. You make sure everyone gets off and takes their gear with them."

"Will do, sir--Margaret."

A smile traipsed Margaret's lips. "We'll make a fine Megiddo out of you yet." With those words, the major pushed herself onto her feet, ambulated to the rear of the dropship, and punched a large, black-striped red button. The door-ramp lowered itself outward and downward, revealing an ultrasteel-plated, massive room waiting outside. Sara watched as Major Sedarski strode down the ramp; then she finished extracting herself from her seat and stood up, along with the other twenty-two SOBs on the dropship.

"You know the drill, boys and girls, now get your asses moving!" Sara barked.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1183 (isolation #88) » Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:25 am

Spoiler: Opening Scene 5 Part 1

SBF

Deborah

High Orbit, UTP Planet Massotorrido, Medici System
November 28th, 2486 Space Calendar
1855 hours SST

Sara lay on the narrow bunk, eyes staring vacantly into the ceiling. The Meggidos were being quartered in the station that normally belonged to the

Deborah

's shipboard marine squad. Since the marines had also been ordered to help the Meggidos store the equipment they'd brought with them, quite a few harsh words had been exchanged.

Hopefully we won't have to be on this ship together for long...

A high-pitched beep, hitting B-flat 7, jarred Sara from her thoughts. "Enter," she called. The door refused to open.

Oh, right. It's a time-delay door.

A few seconds later, the door slid back, and Major Sedarski strode into Sara's quarters. Immediately Sara bolted to her feet and jabbed her hand up to her forehead in salute.

"Please, Sara, relax," the major groaned. "I've just been shitting brass out of my ass for the past few hours, and I don't need any more of that crap today."

Sara abashedly lowered her arm to her side. "Sorry, Major--"

"Did you forget my name already, Sara?"

"I mean Margaret, sorry--"

"And for Darwin's sake, stop apologizing already! There's a reason it's called a cliche. Aside from that, apologies used in excess simply negate any authority you exert over your subordinates."

"Sorry--" Sara sighed. "Yes, Margaret."

Margaret smiled. "See, you're learning. It's not a hopeless cause. Now, why don't we sit down?"

Indicating the nearby desk, Sara said, "The chair's over there--"

"I mean on that lousy excuse for a bed, silly."

Tentatively Sara seated herself, while the major came over and plopped down to her right. "You're not big on protocol, are you?" Sara inquired.

"You're observant." Margaret leaned back against the wall, hands behind her head and legs stretched out and crossed. "There's two reasons why I'm here. First, I'm giving you early notice of what our mission is going to be so you have time to adjust before we present it to the rest of the team tomorrow."

"What's the second thing?"

"I'll get to that soon enough. Sara, I'm not gonna lie to you: we've got a hell of a mission on our hands, here. It's easily the most difficult mission I've undertaken, in all my years with the SOB." Margaret took in a deep breath. "We're going to the planet Liten, out in Tynnfred. It was formerly a rebel planet, but the Arkons recently invaded, and given Intel's estimate of Liten's defensive capability, the planet is most likely under alien control by now."

Margaret paused, looking intently at Sara. "Um..."

She wants me to engage her...right?

"If this planet was in rebellion and the Arkons are taking it over, why are we going there?"

With a nod, Margaret replied, "Exactly. Why are we jumping into another shithole when we can't get out of the ones we're already in? Well, it turns out that just before the Arkon invasion, the scientists on Liten found an alien artifact, something

non

-Arkon. When the Arkons invaded the planet, the governor surrendered to the UTP and transmitted the data they'd gathered on the artifact. Intel thinks that this device is capable of producing an infinite source of energy."

Limitless energy...

"That's not possible! At least if I understand anything at all about the sciences..."

"I know. It goes against all the laws of physics, and then some, but supposedly the data is irrevocable. Needless to say, an infinite power source is not only something we can't afford to let the Arkons have, but it could very likely be the key to us winning the war. So we're being sent to Liten to retrieve it."

"Dear god..." Sara's mind felt almost numb. "It's a suicide mission."

Margaret sat up and put her left arm around Sara's shoulders. "Yes, it is. Like I said, it's the worst mission I've ever seen. But the Meggidos have toughed it through other suicide missions before and won, and I'm confident that we'll be victorious this time, as well."

Sara looked into Margaret's eyes. "Do you really believe that?"

"Does it matter? I

have

to believe it. It's the only chance we have of not getting killed. You're a smart woman, Sara. But forget the odds, the likelihoods, the chances. Trump it with absolute conviction. It's one of the most important lessons you'll need to learn as an SOB operative. If you don't pick it up fast, the troops'll revile you for it. Understand?"

Sara bobbed her head. "I know. It's just...I've never lacked courage, my record shows that--"

"Relax. Everyone's allowed to be afraid, hon. Just don't let it go to your head. Speaking of which, that's the other thing I wanted to show you."

"What"

Margaret smiled. "Relaxation techniques." She edged closer to Sara, who tensely leaned away.

"What are you doing, Margaret?" Sara asked.

Using her arm to pull Sara against her body, Margaret replied, "Sara, when you're an SOB, you have to find ways to cope with the hell that comes as a part of your job. When's the last time you've made love to someone?"

"Um...ah..." Sara blushed. "I've never done it with a woman before."

"How about a guy?"

Sara shook her head. "Major, this is against protocol!"

"And you already know how much I respect protocol. Besides, when it comes to SOBs, the brass is nice enough to be lenient on matters like these." She rubbed Sara's left breast, just above the heart. "You can feel the tension, can't you? Pent up emotion, crammed in there like clothes in an overstuffed suitcase. You gotta get it out somehow, Sara. And what better vehicle than passionate love?"

Margaret's rubbing extended from the breast to the entire torso area, and inside her Sara felt something melting. "I-I don't think this is appropriate..."

Ceasing her massage, Margaret reached up, gently pressed Sara's left cheek, and turned her head so that they gazed into each others' eyes. "Do you really mean that?"

Smoldering, emerald green eyes reflected Sara's timid, sapphire blue eyes.

I shouldn't...this only leads to trouble...

Even as those thoughts coursed her mind, she felt something else consuming her mind. A feeling she'd kept suppressed for her entire life, crying out for release. She wanted it so much, yet it was not only against protocol, but against her personality, her sensibility, her rational thought...

Argh, the hell with it!

She looked into Margaret's eyes once again. This time, they reflected back passionate sapphire blues. "No, I don't," she said quietly, but determinedly.

Margaret leaned in close. "Perfect," she whispered.

Her lips brushed Sara's warmly. Stiffly she began to lean into the kiss, but suddenly Margaret stopped.

She put a finger to Sara's lips. "This is lovemaking, girl, not a briefing. Here, let's try that again..."

She crushed her lips on Sara's and squeezed their bodies together tightly. Surprised, Sara gasped. Then she threw her arms around Margaret's shoulders and pushed back passionately. Together, they collapsed onto the narrow cot.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1184 (isolation #89) » Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:26 am

Spoiler: Opening Scene 5 Part 2

November 29th, 2486 Space Calendar
1257 hours SST

Commodore Kerry leaned forward in the commodore's chair. "Engineering, is the stealth equipment functioning properly?" he inquired.

"Aye, sir," the chief engineer replied. "It's a clean marriage."

"And the rest of our systems are operational?"

"Aye, we are at full capability."

"I guess it's time to get this operation out of drydock, then. Comm, open a channel with Admiral Washiby. Display on the viewscreen."

"Yes, sir," replied the communications officer. She manipulated a few holobuttons above her station. "The admiral's standing by, Commodore. Putting him on visual."

Kerry stared forward. On the bridge's viewscreen, an image of Admiral Washiby, sitting in his office, appeared. "Ah, Commodore Kerry," he greeted. "Have you called to tell me that you're ready for departure?"

"Yes, sir," Kerry replied. "With your approval, we'll be underway at once."

"You have my approval, Commodore. Godspeed, and God be with you."

"Thank you, sir. God help us all."

"Indeed. Admiral Washiby out."

The admiral's image vanished, restoring the view from Forward Camera One: black, starry space on the left side of the screen, the planet Massotorrido on the right side.

"Helmsman, take us out of orbit to minimum safe hypertunnel distance," Kerry ordered. "Navigator, plot a course to the Tynnfred system. Put us on the outer fringe."

The

Deborah

rumbled slightly as she accelerated out of planetary orbit. "Comm, put me on internal ship broadcasting. Audio only."

"Yes sir. You are now live all across the ship."

Kerry sat up straight, squaring his shoulders resolutely. "Attention, all personnel. This is the commodore speaking. By now, you have all been informed of the nature of our operation, and as such, you know exactly how dangerous our task is going to be. It may seem overwhelming, even impossible to accomplish."

* * *

Sara stopped in the middle of the corridor to listen to Commodore Kerry's speech. Others around her did as well.

"However, we have on the

Deborah

the best of the best in all of Spacefleet," Commodore Kerry continued. "Crew, we have entered lost causes time and time again, and we have always proved victorious."

"Hell, yeah!" an ensign hollered.

"And as for our guests, they are one of the most successful SOB squads in UTP history, though their accomplishments often aren't shown due to the secrecy necessary for their work."

Sara nodded silently in agreement.

"Together, we form a powerful team, one that will go into this hellhole called Liten, retrieve the alien artifact, and bring it back for the glory of the human race! The

only

things we'll let the Arkons have are the taste of defeat and, if required, the shots from our laser rifles! We will not--no, we

can

not--do anything less.

* * *

"You know what we can do, people. Make your commodore proud."

Kerry nodded to the communications officer, and she deactivated the internal broadcast. "Well spoken, sir," she complimented. The rest of the bridge crew nodded in assent.

"Commodore, we've reached minimum hypertunnel distance," the helmsman notified.

"I have a course plotted for the Tynnfred system as well, sir," added the navigational officer. "Shall I engage?"

Leaning back into his seat, Kerry raised his right hand, extended the second and third fingers, and let his arm fall forward, pointing the two fingers at the viewscreen. "Do it."

"Yessir." The navigational officer pushed a holobutton, and a low-pitched blare began to drone throughout the ship. "Engaging Torr Drive on my mark. Five...four...three...two...one...

"Mark."

* * *

1300 hours SST

For a moment, the

Deborah

was still there. Suddenly, the front end of the ship disappeared, and before a second had passed, the frigate was nowhere to be found.

* * *

"Hypertunnel entry successful," the navigator reported. "We're en route to the Tynnfred system."

"Excellent." Kerry stared emptily at the ceiling. "I'll be in my quarters. Number One, you have the bridge."

"Yes, sir," replied the first officer.

Silently Kerry stood up from the commodore's chair and ambulated thoughtfully off the bridge.

God help us all, indeed...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1216 (isolation #90) » Wed Dec 29, 2010 6:38 am

Spoiler: Vote Count 4.4

Arkon Planetary Communications Jammer
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 4, Month 15 LC)
0255 hours SST (2803 hours LLT3)

Pal peered around the corner and glanced over the hallway. No Arkons in sight.

"Clear," he spoke quietly. He entered the corridor, with Bill right behind him, hauling the ultrasteel Nutcracker case by two handles placed on opposing sides; Jezzy took the rear, ensuring that no one snuck up on them from behind. One Liten minute later, they stopped in front of a smooth spot in the wall, shaped like a horizontal oval.

"This should be the door," Bill said.

"That's what you said last time," Pal retorted.

"Chillax, dude, I'm doing this from memory, remember?"

"Shut it, both of you!" Jezzy hissed. "Pal, get that door open.

"Aye, sir." Pal slung his laser rifle over his back and took his vibration knife out. Disengaging the safety and activating the oscillating blade, Pal chose a spot close to the floor, jabbed the knife into the door, and began sawing away. Bill set the Nutcracker on the floor and helped Jezzy watch the corridor while Pal guided the knife into a roughly rectangular shape large enough for them to step through.

"It's odd that we haven't met significant resistance," Bill remarked.

"Hopefully Kestrel and Dylan are keeping them occupied," Jezzy responded.

"What I want to know is what the hell those explosions were," Pal said, "and why they stopped about ten minutes--

"Stay focused, operative," Jezzy ordered.

"Yeah, yeah..."

Not long thereafter, the last bit of material was sliced through, and Pal shoved the rectangular slab forcefully. Quickly he sheathed the knife, brought his laser rifle to his shoulder, and stepped through the hole. Bill grabbed the Nutcracker again and followed, with Jezzy close behind. Inside, they found themselves inside a massive room, two stories high, filled with seemingly innumerable amounts of strange, indescribable objects, varying in color from traditional Arkon black-green to fluorescent pink and neon green. Catwalks snaked above them like a spider's web.

"This the power station?" Jezzy inquired of Bill.

"Um...I think so. Yeah, probably."

"Yes or no?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's get that Nutcracker set and get the hell out of here."

"Hold it." Pal held up his hand. "There's movement at the far end of the room.

Jezzy immediately brought her rifle to bear. "How many?"

"Not sure yet--wait...what the hell? They're human!"

"Wearing UTP space marine uniforms..." Jezzy sighed. "I don't like this. Those could easily be Arkons."

"Well, they've seen us and are coming this way, weapons drawn. Looks like five of them to three of us. What's your order, Lieutenant?"

"Approach them, but don't lower your weapon. Bill, stay back and try to avoid being a target. And if I give the signal, take them out. With no hesitation."

"Right..." Bill murmured.

The Meggidos and the marines tentatively approached each other, each looking for the slightest flinch from the other, the single false step. No such mistakes were made, and soon they halted in the middle of the power station.

"So...you're still alive..." one of them spoke.

"Nice to see you too, Major Willard," Jezzy replied, her lackluster voice contradicting her words. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you, apparently." Willard gestured toward one of the other marines; she held a Nutcracker in her hands. "Commodore Kerry got concerned when you didn't make the rendezvous, so he sent us to blow up the jammer so we could establish contact with you guys."

"I'm flattered."

"You guys got a shuttle?" Pal asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

One of the other marines shook his head. "She got blasted to hell not long after we landed. Damned Arkon flyers."

"Which we've you, apparently, to thank for," Willard growled. "That explosion earlier set the place on full alert, and I've lost nearly all my men because of it--"

"We haven't been that lucky ourselves," Jezzy interrupted. "But there's no time for small talk. Let's set the Nutcracker and get out of here."

"Presumptuous asshole." Willard spat. "Your Nutcracker or mine?"

"Yours will do fine. Set it for twenty minutes, SST."

"Whatever."

Jezzy stared coldly at the marines as two of them took their Nutcracker case and set it next to one of the larger Arkon objects, stretching from the floor to the ceiling. As the marines extracted the sphere-shaped Nutcracker and began the arming procedure, she rotated herself to face Pal and Bill, her back now turned to the marines. She made a fist with her left hand, extended the pinky, and drew a small X in the air just above her stomach; the sign was quickly followed by a vertical palm and three fingers.

Pal and Bill glanced at Jezzy, then each other, then back at Jezzy; each man quickly bobbed his left shoulder up one time. Her brow set low above her eyes, Jezzy once again extended three fingers; one second later, three became two, and the second after that, one...

"It's done," Willard reported icily, as Jezzy's hand formed into a fist.

Whirling around with rapidity, Jezzy brought her laser rifle to bear on Major Willard and pulled the trigger. Pal shot at the marine closest to him, while Bill let his Nutcracker case fall to the floor and opened fire. Moments later, all five marines lay on the floor, dead by the Meggidos' hands.

Their bodies yielded no transformation to Arkon form. Jezzy sighed.

"Satisfied, Lieutenant?" Bill queried, a tinge of bitterness present in his voice.

"Yeah, what's up with this?" Pal added. "I didn't see anything--"

"Shut up!" Jezzy screamed, and both Pal and Bill shied away from her. In a calmer voice, she added, "Let's make sure that timer got set properly and get out."

Note: I miscounted when I did vote counts, so there is no Vote Count 4.5. The next flavor update will be the Day 4 lynch scene.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1217 (isolation #91) » Wed Dec 29, 2010 6:47 am

Wreckage of the

Silver Ducky

, Kehvit Mountain Range
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 5, Month 15 LC)
0359 hours SST (0013 hours LLT3)

Pal opened his eyes, the pilot's chair lying on its left side. He gasped and rapidly fumbled with the safety restraints, but they refused to release him. His arms were shaking badly.

"Calm down, Pal, calm down," he muttered. After a moment his arms ceased trembling, and he was successful in undoing the straps. He fell to the snow-crusted ground with a

thud

. For the first time, he looked in front of him. There was nothing in the darkness but snow and rock, for as far as his naked eye could see. Pulling down the tacvisor confirmed his initial visual.

"Oh, fuck, man, I'm dead," he moaned. "I'm dead! Those bastards'll surround me and fillet me alive--oh Jesus, sweet Jesus, have mercy on my soul--"

"You done bitching yet?"

Pal flipped on his back and looked behind him. There, to the rear of the wayward pilot's chair, lay the bulk of the wreckage from the

Silver Ducky

, but no trace of where the voice was.

"Who's there?" Pal called.

"It's me, Dr. Joshua Gordon," the voice called back. "You didn't sustain a concussion, did you?"

"Um...how would I know? Wait, never mind, that's not important. Where are you?"

"In the wreckage. Shouldn't be too hard to find me."

With a grunt Pal pushed himself onto his feet. He winced and hissed the word "fuck" under his breath, but he managed to keep himself upright. Favoring his right leg, he advanced into the chunks of debris. In the middle of the strewn wreckage was Joshua, knelt in front of the SOB communications equipment and fiddling with it.

"Hey, the fuck you doing, man?" Pal barked.

"Trying to get it online, obviously," Joshua retorted. "No one else is here, so--"

"

Stop

! That's specialized equipment, meant especially for stealth communications! I know you're a scientist and all, but don't mess with tech you don't know anything about."

"The faster we can contact your ship--"

"We wait for Bill. He knows his gear."

"He might be dead, and we're running out of--"

Without warning, Pal withdrew his laser pistol and aimed it at Joshua. "Am I not being clear enough? Or are you trying to sabotage our stuff, you Arkon motherfucker?"

Joshua threw up his hands. "Calm down, Operative Bixton! I was merely trying to help."

"Then just back away from the comm gear."

The scientist did so, and Pal lowered his weapon. "Where'd you wind up, anyway?"

"Amidst the wreckage, same as you."

"I see..."

Vote Count 5.1

(3) chesskid3: AlmasterGM, Furry, camn

Not Voting: Thor665, MagnaofIllusion, chesskid3, Cogito Ergo Sum

With seven players alive, it takes four votes to lynch.
The deadline is on

Monday, January 10th, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. CST.

(Note the time change to several hours later than the previous deadline.)

Those who haven't posted yet would be advised to do so before I get my prod stick...

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1235 (isolation #92) » Fri Dec 31, 2010 2:04 am

The mod is going V/LA from now until Sunday (meaning I won't post until Monday). I'm also going to declare that period of time prod-free due to the holiday. (In other words, no one gets prodded over New Years, and the prod counter is reset on Monday).

Happy New Year, everyone!

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1236 (isolation #93) » Fri Dec 31, 2010 2:08 am

Near the wreckage of the

Silver Ducky

Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 5, Month 15 LC)
0403 hours SST (0019 hours LLT3)

Furry ambled across the hardened snow, practically dragging her right foot behind her. The wreckage wasn't far off, but the likelihood of the leg holding out the whole way was unlikely--

"Ho!" Chuck's voice called.

Furry turned her head right and saw the man himself. "Oh, hey! Looks like I'm not the only survivor after all!"

Chuck chuckled. "We're a tough bunch, man, we can live through shit like this." He looked at her right leg. "Ooh, that don't look so good."

Furry shook her head. "Landed the wrong way, I--" She hissed loudly. "Damn, that hurts!"

"Hmm. Fastest way to the wreckage is for me to carry you, methinks. What do you prefer, two-armed or shoulder style?"

Furry smirked. "You pick."

A few moments later, Chuck held Furry in his arms, his left arm on her rump, and his right just below her shoulders. "You sure you can handle my weight?" Furry inquired.

"Pshaw, I once carried the slug for a mass driver," Chuck responded. "You're at least ten kilos lighter and have a better personality to boot!"

She laughed. "All right, Mr. Atlas, let's get moving."

Chuck began trotting across the snow, his movement smooth with little jostling. For a moment, both of them were silent.

Then Furry spoke, "I've been meaning to ask...how'd you guys find out that Black Cat was an Arkon?"

"Well...it has mostly to do with me, actually. See, Jezzy put Black Cat and I on sniper duty, but after we cleared the outside threats and the others went inside, she tried to snipe me." Chuck grinned. "She didn't count on me dropping my battery while I was reloading, though, and thus me dropping my head out of her line of fire.

"Anyway, she missed, I whirled around and shot her quick, and then she died and went Arkon. That's pretty much it."

Furry snicked. "Oh, c'mon, you can spin a better yarn than that! Let's try that again, but with

passion

!"

"Oh, really?" With a laugh, Chuck continued, "Let's see...so there I was, crouched behind a massive boulder, having just ruthlessly exterminated some motherfucking Arkons..."

Vote Count 5.2

(2) chesskid3: AlmasterGM, camn
(2) AlmasterGM: MagnaofIllusion, chesskid3
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum

Not Voting: Thor665, Furry

With seven players alive, it takes four votes to lynch.
The deadline is on

Monday, January 10th, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. CST.

(Note the time change to several hours later than the previous deadline.)

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1247 (isolation #94) » Mon Jan 03, 2011 6:09 am

The mod if now back. Prod timer begins as of 11:00 a.m. CST today. (And so too does the flavor catchup...)

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1286 (isolation #95) » Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:06 pm

Near the wreckage of the

Silver Ducky

Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 5, Month 15 LC)
0409 hours SST (0031 hours LLT3)

According to Kestrel's tacvisor, the wreckage of the

Silver Ducky

was only about five hundred meters away, now. Indeed, with the tacvisor zoomed in, she could clearly see that some of the others had already made it back to the wreckage.

"Kestrel! Hey, Kestrel!" It was Dylan.

Kestrel pushed the tacvisor above her eyes and turned in the direction of Dylan's voice. He and Bill were to her left and a tad behind. Bill had his left arm wrapped across Dylan's shoulders, and he was leaning on him heavily.

"You just walked right by us!" Bill remarked.

Kestrel's cheeks turned crimson. "I...ah...I guess I was a tad concentrated on my objective."

"Indeed." Dylan chuckled. "How about you help me drag Bill the rest of the way back. It's the left leg; not sure what he did to it, but he says it's painful."

As if on cue, Bill hissed loudly. "Yeah," he groaned, "you could say 'painful.' 'Motherfucking nerve-searing' also works."

"Aw, suck it up, already," Kestrel grunted, going over and proffering her shoulders to Bill's right arm. He grasped her left shoulder tightly.

"Ah, much better!" He remarked. "Let's get the show back on the road, shall we? I just hope we didn't lose all the painkillers in the crash..."

"Bill," said Dylan and Kestrel simultaneously. Bill shut up, and the trio continued their trek in silence...

Vote Count 5.3

(3) AlmasterGM: MagnaofIllusion, chesskid3, camn
(2) chesskid3: AlmasterGM, Furry
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum

Not Voting: Thor665

With seven players alive, it takes four votes to lynch.
The deadline is on

Monday, January 10th, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. CST.

(Note the time change to several hours later than the previous deadline.)

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1310 (isolation #96) » Fri Jan 07, 2011 9:45 am

Wreckage of the

Silver Ducky

Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 5, Month 15 LC)
0416 hours SST (0044 hours LLT3)

At long last, Dylan, Kestrel, and Bill reached the wreckage site. Sara stood waiting for them.

"Good, you're all alive," she said. She looked at Bill, hanging valiantly to Dylan and Kestrel's shoulders. "How bad it is, Bill?"

"Feels better than it did after the crash," he grunted. "I think I can get by with painkillers."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Sara."

Both Kestrel and Dylan stared at Bill, but said nothing.

"All right, then you go grab the comm equipment, Bill," Sara ordered. "Dylan, Kestrel, get your packs and whatever else you can. There'll be Arkons looking for us, so we need to clear the area ASAP."

The two operatives nodded and let go of Bill. He hissed as his injured leg hit the ground, but he was able to limp away to find the medical equipment.

"Find Chuck," Sara informed him. "He's treating Furry's leg, so he's probably got some medical stuff."

"Thanks." Bill limped behind a large piece of wreckage.

Ten Liten minutes later, everyone was gathered together just outside the wreckage. Furry, her leg bandaged but still too heavily injured for travel, was in Chuck's arms again; everyone else carried not only their own packs, but as much essential equipment as they could carry, including the communications equipment, the medical equipment, the Nutcracker, and the all-important IED.

"We've got as much as we could, Sara," Dylan reported.

"Excellent. All right, Meggidos, here's the plan: we're going to keep to the cliff wall and travel at least out of sight of the wreckage. Once we have done so, we'll try to establish contact with the

Deborah

. Are we clear?"

As one, the others shouted, "Aye!"

"Then let's move out!"

Vote Count 5.4

(3) Thor665: chesskid3, camn, AlmasterGM
(1) AlmasterGM: MagnaofIllusion
(1) chesskid3: Furry
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum

Not Voting: Thor665

With seven players alive, it takes four votes to lynch.
The deadline is on

Monday, January 10th, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. CST.

(Note the time change to several hours later than the previous deadline.)

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1358 (isolation #97) » Sun Jan 09, 2011 3:54 pm

The deadline is still tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. CST, but I may not be around at the time, depending on circumstances (I will still get flips tomorrow, it just might not be at the time of the deadline). Whether I'm on then or not, no votes will be counted after 2 pm tomorrow.

SaintKerrigan · Post Post #1371 (isolation #98) » Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:46 am

Final Vote Count Day 5

(4) Thor665: chesskid3, camn, AlmasterGM, Furry

(1) AlmasterGM: MagnaofIllusion
(1) chesskid3: Thor665
(1) Furry: Cogito Ergo Sum

Not Voting: none

With seven players alive, it takes four votes to lynch.
The deadline is on

Monday, January 10th, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. CST.

(Note the time change to several hours later than the previous deadline.)

- A lynch majority has been achieved! -

Unknown trench, Kehvit Mountain Range
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 5, Month 15 LC)
0416 hours SST (0338 hours LLT3)

Sara looked behind her as she tramped over the hardened snow. The wreckage of the

Silver Ducky

had vanished from sight almost an hour ago, but still she looked for it.

Force of habit, I guess.

Thus far, there were no signs of Arkons in the area. Except, of course, for the one that had mauled Jezzy earlier. That bastard was probably masquerading as one of her people even now. Hell, how was she to know that there was only

one

Arkon in her unit...

They still don't know what Jezzy did...

All Sara had told them was that Jezzy had been killed by an Arkon. They didn't need to know the truth. They

shouldn't

know the truth, or their morale, already hanging by mere threads, would surely be rent asunder--

Stop being melodramatic. Just get them the hell off of Liten. Speaking of which...

Sara stopped and turned to face the others. "All right, we're far enough away. Bill, get the comm set up and hail the

Deborah

. The rest of you drop your equipment here and form a perimeter around this location. Move it!"

Chuck, still holding Furry in his arms, strode up to Sara as the other Meggidos strode off a short distance. "You want me on perimter, or do you want me to stay with Furry?" He asked.

"And what about me?" Joshua inquired, standing nearby. "I don't feel adept enough to--"

"Then you stay and tend Furry," Sara cut in. "Chuck, set Furry down and join the perimeter."

"Yes, Sara," Chuck replied. Gently he laid Furry down on the ground, the blanket he'd held underneath her serving as a shield from the frigid surface. He and Furry shared a long stare, and then he strode off to join the perimeter. Meanwhile, Sara knelt beside Furry.

"How you holding up?" she asked.

"I'll live," Furry grunted. "Nothing that can't be fixed shipboard--unless your

Deborah

's a complete junk of a ship."

Sara smiled. "Don't worry. It's as state-of-the-art as Spacefleet ships can get."

"I wonder...what will the commodore do with Joshua and I once we reach the ship? We

were

rebels, after all."

"Well, Commodore Kerry is a fair man, from what I've heard. You did plenty to help the UTP acquire that godforsaken IED, so I'm pretty sure he'll be lenient with you and Dr. Gordon."

"Sara!" Bill hollered. "Something's wrong!"

God dammit, why couldn't he just have come over and told me? Morale is tenuous enough as it is.

Sara gave Furry a quick look and a gentle pat, then stood and strode over to where Bill had set up the communications equipment. "What's wrong, Bill?"

"I've got the equipment fired up, but the stealth modules are malfunctioning."

"Malfunctioning? What does that mean?"

"It means they're shot to hell and not working, that's what!" Bill spat. "If we contact the

Deborah

, the Arkons will be able to trace us easily!"

Fucking shit, yet another problem.

"Just relax, Bill. How long will it take to fix things up?"

"You don't understand. Whatever happened, it fried the modules beyond any repair I can make here." He shook his head slowly. "We're fucked. There's nothing else to it. We're totally, and utterly, fucked."

"The hell we are. Hail the

Deborah

."

"Goddammit, weren't you listening? I said--"

"I know what you said," Sara said, slowly, firmly. "I also know we didn't land on this godforsaken rock, sacrifice more than half our team to steal an artifact the Arkons direly want, and come this close to getting away with it just to pussy up and pitch our controllers on the final boss. If we don't at least

try

, all our efforts will have been for shit, and I'm not gonna let that happen. Is that clear, Bill?"

Bill gulped. "Yes, Sara. I-- I don't know what I was thinking."

Sara put a hand on Bill's shoulder. "Then hail the

Deborah

. Let me know when you've got 'em."

Bill nodded and began fiddling with his controls. Sara lowered her tacvisor and looked at the nearby wall of stone and snow. Not far off down the right side of the wall, she espied multiple openings in the otherwise impassive surface.

Cave entrances...if we can hole up in there, we can sit tight until the

Deborah

sends a shuttle. Much better than waiting out in the open, at any rate--

"Got 'em!" Bill whooped. "I've got 'em, Sara, I've got 'em!"

Yes!

Sara turned and looked down at him, grinning. "Excellent work, Bill!"

"I've linked your wristcom to the transmitter, so you won't have to remove your facemask and use the headset," he explained. "Better talk fast, though. The shorter the transmission, the longer it'll take the Arkons to find us--hopefully."

"Understood. What's the channel?"

"Alpha-3-5."

Sara nodded and, holding her wristcom under her lips, she vocally changed the channel to the one Bill stated. "Here goes...Wristcom, open communication." She paused momentarily. "Captain Sara Gaints, reporting."

"Captain Gaints..." Commodore Kerry's voice was slightly fuzzy; probably an effect of the weakened, but not eradicated, jamming field. "Where's Major Sedarski, over?"

Her screams...

"Killed in action, I'm sorry to report. I'm acting commander for the duration of this operation, over."

"Noted. Not that I meant to be ungrateful that you aren't-- I mean, that you still-- What's the status of the mission, Captain Gaints? Over."

"We have the IED, sir. However, we've lost...um..." Sara quickly counted in her head. "We've lost seventy-five percent of our team, and the rest of us aren't in great shape. Of the colonists we rendezvoused with, only two still live. Also...I have reason to believe that at least one, if not more, of our survivors is an Arkon, over."

"An Arkon...are you certain, over?"

"Yes, sir. Respectfully, I request to delay further explanation until we're shipboard, over."

"Granted, your operative already informed us that you are unable to transmit in stealth. We'll have a Psychic Operative waiting for you when you get back. According to the data your transmitter is feeding us, you're up in the Kehvit mountains. Is this...accurate, over?"

"Yes, sir. Another long story that needs to wait, over."

"Acknowledged. Our shuttles aren't stealth-equipped, so we'll have to drop the

Deborah

into low orbit over your position to give the shuttle the best chance for success. Stay at your present location until the shuttle arrives to pick you up. ETA: two hours, space standard. Over."

"Two hours? Sir, there's a good chance the place'll be crawling with Arkons by then. Is there--"

"This is as fast as we dare operate, Captain. Any faster and we'll be detected by the massive Arkon fleet surrounding Liten. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to hold out, over."

"Understood, sir. Better tell your flyboys that we're at the bottom of a canyon so they'll know to look down there, over."

"Roger, wilco. One more question: we sent a team of our marines to take out an Arkon communications jammer, and although the jammer is obviously defunct, they haven't reported back as directed. You're in the same general vicinity they were sent to; would you happen to know the whereabouts of our team, over?"

Sara paused. "All K.I.A. as well. However, they were instrumental in aiding our own mission to destroy the jammer. They did not die in vain, over."

All true...technically.

Kerry sighed. "I'm sorry to hear the news, but at least their deaths weren't meaningless. Thank you, Captain. Hopefully, we can discuss things further once you and your sqaud arrive on the

Deborah

, over. But in case you're compromised...prepare to enact Emergency Protocol 136. We can't let those bastards have the IED, over."

Sara gulped. "Roger, sir. Will comply. Captain Gaints, over and out. Wristcom, cease transmission."

Sara lowered her hand and sighed.

EP-136...the mutually-assured failure protocol..."If you can't prevent the enemy from taking something, ensure he doesn't get the chance to take it, by any means necessary."

"Two hours?" Bill groaned. "How the hell are we supposed to--"

"Those caves." Sara gestured her right arm in the direction of the openings she'd seen earlier. "We'll hole up in there and hold that position as long as necessary."

"Or as long as we can."

"...as long as necessary. You trying to be Pal or something? Where's that excitement you used to have?"

He looked at his feet. "Times change."

"Hey, relax, it's going to be fine." Sara tried to enthuse her voice as much as she could. "Two more hours and we're home free. Pack up the comm equipment. I'm calling the others back."

"Yes...uh, yes, Sara."

Sara changed the wristcom back to the team channel and ordered her team back.

Come to think of it...I could've just used the wristcom to contact everyone after the crash. Why the hell didn't that occur to me?

Moments later, everyone was gathered around Sara.

"So...did you get the

Deborah

?" Kestrel inquired.

Sara nodded. "Yes, we've contacted the

Deborah

, and they are dispatching a shuttle to our location. ETA: two hours, space standard."

"Two

hours

?" Pal moaned. "That's bullshit, man, bullshit. We can't--"

"Oh, quit your bitchin' already, Pal," Dylan snapped. "It's not helping."

"Worse," Sara continued, "the stealth modules in the comm equipment were somehow destroyed--probably an aftereffect of the crash--and we were unable to transmit in stealth."

"Oh, so we just threw blood in the water,

and

the rescue boat's taking its sweet time gettin' here." Pal shook his head. "That's just fucked up--"

Chuck elbowed Pal in the ribs. "Seriously, Pal, just

shut

the

fuck

up!"

"The fuck do you--"

"Enough!" Sara barked. "It's not all bad. There's some caves just over there--" She pointed at the caves. "--that we can bunker up in. That way, we'll at least make it harder for them to find us."

Pal rolled his eyes. "Oh,

brilliant

idea. Let's go inside the small, dark caves so we can be buried alive by the first good explosion anywhere in the vicinity--"

"Actually, the rock predominantly found in the Kehvits is really dense," Joshua interjected. "Dense enough that you'd need a force greater than half that of your Nutcracker to do any significant damage to it. It

should

hold for quite awhile."

"Um, wait a minute," Bill objected. "How's a rock that dense possible in Liten's lighter gravitational force? You shouldn't be able to get something that dense on a relatively low-grav planet like this, or else gravity would be

much

stronger."

Joshua shrugged. "We were curious about that ourselves, but those Arkon buggers decided to invade right before we got around to sending a science team to this location. Perhaps Liten wasn't always a low-grav planet--"

"God

damn

!" Without warning, Pal's laser rifle was aimed at Joshua. "You motherfucking bastard!"

"Pal!" Sara screeched. "Lower your weapon, right--"

A beam of orange light pierced Joshua's heart. He doubled over and clutched at the hole through his torso. "But what-- is this-- I don't even--" He collapsed onto the crusted snow and tumbled onto his side.

"Jesus, Pal!" Sara dashed to Joshua's side and felt for a pulse; none was found.

What the fucking hell? Why does this have to happen

now

, of all times--

"You motherfucking bitch!" Furry hissed. At that moment, her face could've been used as the textbook definition of how seething anger looked. "What the fuck were you fucking

thinking

, fucking god--

sssss

ouch--goddammit!"

"I caught that motherfucker fucking with the comm equipment earlier," Pal explained tensely. "Later, we discover that the stealth mojos got fucked to hell. It don't take a math wizard to put two and two together."

"...

honestly

?" Furry screamed. "You didn't even bother to fucking

ask

, you fucktard asshole! There's no fucking way you meant that,

no fucking way

!"

Kestrel raised her own laser rifle. "Let's grease this trigger-happy motherfucker before he arbitrarily--"

"

No

!" Sara bellowed. "Kestrel lower your fucking weapon!

Now

!"

Begrudgingly Kestrel complied. "I think this is a mistake--"

"Shut up!" Sara's eyes were wide open, her movements exaggerated; a thousand thoughts ricocheted rapidly inside her mind. "Pal, look at Joshua!

Does that look like a fucking Arkon to you

?"

Pal glanced over at Joshua's corpse, still as human as human can be. "Um...well, it sure

seemed

damning-- I mean, the hell was he trying to fuck with the comm for anyhow--"

"Mother

fucker

!" Furry yelled. "Would someone

please

kill that--"

"Stop it!" Sara yelled. "None of us have slept well the past few days, and it's clouding our judgment! Yes, that was an asinine move by Pal--but that doesn't make him an Arkon! We aren't going to survive this mission if we just wantonly killing each other, so get your fucking act together!"

Sara turned and stared into Furry's fiery eyes. She attempted to force calmness into her voice. "Look, I know you hate Pal for what he did, but you can't let it consume you! The last thing we need is--" She stopped herself.

--another Jezebel. Dear Darwin, I almost let

that

bomb out.

"Look, we can sort things out later, but right now, we just need to get the hell off this planet. Can you at least put your feelings on hold until we're off Liten?"

Furry said nothing, simply glared at Sara. Sara stared right back, keeping her expression steeled and calm despite her mind being in the exact opposite state.

I can't afford to let the crazy out now--how will I get them back if the crazy gets out--damn it all!

Finally, Furry nodded, albeit very slowly. "All right...for

now

."

"Thank you." Sara turned to face the others once again. "Meggidos, grab the equipment. I'll get Joshua's stuff--"

"No." Furry's voice was soft and bitter. "Leave it. It's...fine..."

Sara went over to Joshua's pack and picked it up. It wasn't that heavy, but holding it with only one hand wasn't easy. After a bit of repositioning, she managed to lay the top portion of the pack on what was left of her left arm, while the right arm supported the bottom; her hand snaked up and held the front side, preventing it from sliding forward.

"I said it wasn't necessary," Furry reminded her, a distinctive edge to her voice.

"I know," Sara replied. She brought the pack over to Furry's side and gently set it down. "I just thought I'd let you take a memento."

Tears streamed from Furry's eyes, freezing on her face shortly afterwards. Pushing herself onto her seat, she took the pack from Sara and opened the main compartment. It wasn't long before she pulled out a two-dimensional photograph, and she promptly pushed the pack aside. "That's it..." she whispered. "I don't need anything else."

Sara had only seen a few twodee photos in her life. Although twodee photographs weren't unknown within the UTP, they were rarely used due to the stigma they bore as a "poor man's holophoto". Even on Pittsburgh, any family that wished to have at least some measure of respect saved up two years wages for a holocamera rather than buy a twodee camera at a thousandth of the cost. Thus, she found herself staring at the black back of the photograph in Furry's hand, despite knowing it was impolite.

Furry turned the photo in her hand and held it down, exposing the image to Sara's view. "Go ahead, you can look."

Sara knelt and gazed into the image. It was of a beige-skinned woman, her hair long, black, and spilling onto her shoulders in big, playful curls. Dark, emerald-green eyes stared passionately back at Sara; plump, crimson lips traced a warm smile on her face. The purple gown she wore hung gently on her shoulders, while her bare arms crossed themselves just below the ample swell of her breasts. A pink belt encircled her waist, with the bottom half cut off by the bottom of the photograph. A large tree trunk was immediately behind the woman, it's jagged, dashed bark in stark contrast to the woman's smooth appearance. Behind the tree was a small bit of boing grass-covered plain, placed in the lower third of the photograph; clear, bright, scarlet sky occupied the two remaining thirds.

It was truly beautiful.

Sara glanced up at Furry. "Was she his wife?"

Furry chortled. "That's not his wife, although she was a beauty, too. No, that's Joshua, before the sex change."

Sara gasped. "Seriously? She's Joshua?"

"Yep. We were very good friends back then, despite her being four years my senior. And god, she was so beautiful, even with the quirky personality."

"So why'd he--she--change sex?"

"Well...she never did say. Might've had something to do with the jokes made about her masculine name. Or maybe she got tired of guys trying to get in her pants every five seconds. I dunno, though, we drifted apart a bit after the change." She looked down at the photograph. "Those early years were some of the best years of my life. If only...if only one could change the past."

Sara nodded. "If only."

"Ah-ah-ahem."

Sara and Furry glanced up and saw Chuck standing above them. "We're all packed up and ready to go, if you girls are done socializing," he said.

Sara nodded and rose to her feet. "All right. Pick Furry up and let's head out."

* * *

Unknown cave, Kehvit Mountain Range
0422 hours SST (0400 hours LLT3)

As soon as they arrived at the outside of the nearest cave entrance, Sara ordered Dylan and Kestrel to scout the immediate interior; shortly afterward, they reported the designated area clear, and the others moved in. Sara retreated back near the IED's chest.

Okay, I guess I better do it now, before something else happens.

"Kestrel," she called, "bring the Nutcracker over here."

Kestrel looked puzzled, but she complied with the order, sitting it right next to the chest. "What're you doing, Sara?"

"Carrying out orders," Sara replied, stepping over to the Nutcracker and squatting beside it. "Kerry told me to prep EP-136. Hopefully this'll do the trick, if it needs to come down to that."

"Aw, fuck," Pal grumbled. "As if we--"

"Shut

up

, for fuck's sake," Bill hissed.

Silently everyone watched as Sara used her one hand to prep the Nutcracker for arming and set the timer to two hours. She then synched her wristcom to the bomb and turned on the remote detonation program.

"Remote detonation program activated," a synthesized bass voice said. "Please speak detonation phrase. Say 'start phrase' to begin phrase recording and 'end phrase' to cease phrase recording."

Sara took a deep breath. "Start phrase. December Ash. End phrase."

"Detonation phrase recorded. Please speak disarm phrase. Say 'start phrase' to begin phrase recording and 'end phrase' to cease phrase recording."

"Start phrase. Green hills of Pittsburgh. End phrase."

"Disarm phrase recorded. Do you wish to keep these phrases?"

"Yes."

"Phrases locked. Only the recorded phrases may detonate or disarm the Nutcracker Tactical Warhead now, and only the creator of the phrases may detonate or disarm the Nutcracker Tactical Warhead. Remote detonation program shutting down..."

Sara lowered her arm and stared at the "arm" button, flashing a bright red light underneath a clear plastiphane cap. She began to reach for the button, but her hand refused to move forward.

It

must

be done, dammit...

Forcing her hand forward, Sara flicked the cap up and fiercely jabbed the flashing red button. Immediately the button ceased flashing and became a solid red.

"Nutcracker Tactical Warhead, armed," the synthesized voice from earlier spoke. "Time until programmed detonation: one hour, fifty nine minutes, fifty-six seconds and counting. Remote detonation and disarming are only possible via their respective phrases."

Sara sighed. "It's done. Chuck, Dylan, you get first watch out by the cave entrance. Kestrel, Bill, you relieve them in two hours. If for some reason I'm not up by second watch, someone wake me. Everyone else, get some shuteye, and that's an order."

"Wait, so

Pal

gets full shuteye and the rest of us don't?" Kestrel complained. "That's not fair at all--"

"He's the most on edge, and thus most in need of rest," Sara said quietly. "You all have your orders, operatives. Carry them out."

Four reluctant ayes were afforded Sara, and Chuck and Dylan lumbered up to the cave entrance and set up positions behind conveniently-positioned boulders. Sara quickly looked over the others to make sure they were at least appearing to follow orders; then she spread a blanket out on the rock floor and lay down on it.

Less then ten Liten seconds later, she was fast asleep.

Thor665, Joshua Gordon,

Human Colonist

, was shot on a whim on Day 5.

Night 5 has begun. Deadline is on Thursday, January 13th, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Thu Jan 13, 2011 11:09 am

Southwest Istor Forest
Colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 2nd, 2486 SC (Day 1, Month 15 LC)
1303 hours SST (1327 hours LLT1)

Sara leaned against a tree and sighed.

More than an hour--no, three hours--of searching, and no sign of colonists other than that damned arrow. Maybe it was just a coincidence after all...

Scout Jackson leaned on a tree nearby, just across from Sara. "You callin' it off, Sara?"

There's probably not much point left, but...

"Not just yet. It's not like we've got anywhere better to search, so we might as well keep trying this lead. Even if it just turns out to be a goose chase after all. But a short rest first."

Jackson nodded and took out a compressed-water canteen from his pack. After removing the canteen from its plastiphane shell, he pressed the small, green button near the opening. A second later the canteen had decompressed some of its water reservoir into the drinking chamber, occupying the upper third of the canteen. Unscrewing the cap from the opening, Jackson took a couple of quick swigs.

Sara thought about doing the same, but she'd had some water on the last breather they'd taken, almost five hours ago, and she didn't urgently need another drink just yet.

Besides, conserving the supplies is never a bad idea.

"So, I was curious," Jackson said. "It's not that often that rookies make seconds in the SOB Actually, it rarely happens. What's your story?"

"Well..." Sara stared vacantly at the leaves above Jackson's head. "I had to work for everything I've gotten, work ten times harder than everyone else just to prove I belonged, let alone be among the best. On Pittsburgh--my homeworld--I had to prove I had brawn as well as brain. When I signed up for Hellgate, I had to prove that a woman from Pittsburgh could be as good, if not better, than officer candidates from more prestigious worlds--"

"You weren't drafted?" The surprise in Jackson's voice was evident.

Sara shook her head. "No, I joined the army voluntarily. I graduated from Hellgate number one in my class

and

the first officer in thirty-nine years to graduate a lieutenant. I was originally scheduled to be deployed to Arcadia, one of the contested systems in the 6th Sector, but at that point was the point where the SOB got hold of me."

"Hmm. You joined as a lieutenant, yet you're now a captain. How'd you swing that?"

"Margaret had me promoted almost as soon as I joined you guys, and then she made me her second. I thought all the Meggidos knew that already."

"I did." Jackson dashed some more water down his throat. "I was asking

why

you think you got the promotion."

"Oh. Well, Margaret's told me that I have potential, and she saw it in me."

"Are you sure that's the only reason? The two of you are quite...friendly, after all."

Sara narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, I guess. I just find it intriguing that Jezzy, who has always refuted Margaret's advances on her, got passed on for second in favor of someone who is frequenting the major's bedroll. It makes one wonder..."

A slight wind whistled its way through the forest, stirring the leaves slightly. Sara stared down at them idly.

Could it be? Is Margaret just...no. No, Margaret's not that way. She's not that way at all--

"I've got movement."

Sara glanced at Jackson; his eyes were fixated on his portascanner. She pushed off from the tree and unslung her laser rifle. "Where?"

Jackson forward and to the left, then held up two fingers followed by a fist.

Northeast, twenty meters.

Cautiously Sara stepped behind a tree, rifle at her shoulder, eyes flicking to and fro, straining to find a target amidst the motley assortment of trees.

Is it one of the colonists? An Arkon? Some goddamned animal? Where is it, dammit?

Jackson, who had followed her behind the tree, tapped one finger on her thigh, followed by five taps.

Fifteen meters. It's coming closer...

A sudden movement ahead of her. Just a brief instance of maroon between the browns of two trees, but she'd seen it. She softly jabbed her elbow into Jackson's arm and held it there for a moment.

Contact.

Shortly after she took her elbow away, he tapped once on her thigh, followed by a slightly longer press.

Ten meters...

Once again the maroon appeared, and this time Sara was able to get a clear view of what it was: a Caucasian human male, blond-haired with streaks of white, sporting a solid maroon shirt and dark blue jeans, both covered lavishly with dark stains. Sara almost sighed in relief, but a thought froze her:

What if he's an Arkon? They are goddamn shapeshifters, after all.

Then again, how was she to tell whether he was an Arkon or not? That was one of the major reasons the Arkons were such a pain in the ass in the first place...

"Step out," she whispered to Jackson. "But have your rifle ready."

Jackson nodded. "Yes, sir."

He slung the portascanner on his left shoulder and, gripping his laser rifle, stepped away from the tree. Sara followed, holding her laser rifle at the hip, but still aimed in the man's general direction.

The man froze when he saw them, five meters away. He glanced first at Jackson, then at Sara, then back at Jackson. "My...my god! You came! You actually came!" Tears rolled freely down his cheeks. "Oh, Jesus, I can't believe-- we're all right, we're going to be fine!"

And just like that, he dashed up to Sara. Sara stiffened as he threw his arms around her and crushed her in his embrace, laser rifle and all. He clung to her, sobbing joyfully, and Sara allowed herself to relax.

If he was going to kill me, it would've happened already.

"I'm Captain Sara Gaints, second in command of this operation," she told the man. "I'm presuming you're one of the surviving colonists?"

He finally released her, dabbing his eyes with his hand. "Goodness, where are my manners? Basilika, Hans Basilika, but you can call me Hans! I am...er,

was

...a colonist of Liten. Until...until those Arkons bastards blew everything to

hell

!"

"Well, you'll be all right, now," Jackson said. "Do you know where we can--"

"Did anyone else survive?" Sara interjected. Jackson gave Sara a strange look, but she ignored him.

Don't start with the IED, it'll just make him ungrateful.

"Oh, yes!" Hans laughed. "Hundreds of us, actually! Those Arkons didn't give Furry enough credit, and she got a lot of us out of Vodlesta alive! Ha!"

"Governor Hampton? Where is she? Where's the others?"

"That's why I'm way out here, actually. Travis spread a bunch of us throughout Istor to leave signs, make it easier for a rescue party to find us. We daren't use our long-range comms out of fear of Arkon detection. But now that I've found you, I can take you straight to them!"

Now I need to ask.

"What about the alien artifact that triggered this invasion? What became of it?"

"Yeah, that damn thing's there, too. I suppose that's why you're

really

here, now that I--"

"No." Sara held up her hand. "We're here for both the IED

and

any surviving colonists. Make no mistake about it."

Even though our orders are to prioritize the IED over the colonists should it come to that...

Hans beamed. "You don't know how glad I am to see you, truly! We should get going as soon as possible!"

"Not just yet. We need to get the rest of our team gathered, first."

"Of course, of course. Go right ahead!" He clapped giddily. "With you fellows here, things are finally starting to look up!"

Sara nodded. "If you'll excuse me..." She tapped her wristcom and brought it beneath her lips. "Margaret, good news. We've found one of the survivors, and he knows where the other colonists

and

the IED are..."

SaintKerrigan · Thu Jan 13, 2011 11:10 am

Night 5 is now over. Day will break once I've resolved night actions...

SaintKerrigan · Thu Jan 13, 2011 11:26 am

Unknown cave, Kehvit Mountain Range
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 5, Month 15 LC)
0507 hours SST (0536 hours LLT3)

Sara lay atop Margaret, their bodies entwined and enmeshed. Beneath them, a white-sheeted bed with just the perfect thickness for the two of them. Sara smashed her lips to Margaret's for what felt like an eternity of love. When she pulled away, it was only to smother the rest of Margaret's body with kisses. Her neck, her chest, her bosom, her legs, her feet, and everything in between.

Margaret moaned softly. "I love you, Sara," she breathed.

Smiling, Sara leisurely crawled forward, just above Margaret's tender flesh, her tongue caressing Margaret's torso all along the way. She paused mere centimeters above Margaret's face, gazing into those beautiful, vibrant emerald eyes.

"I love you too, Margaret," she murmured. Once more her lips met Margaret's, and she drank deeply of the love that poured from Margaret's mouth. When she could breathe no more, Sara pulled her head away and gazed down. To her surprise, Margaret's face seemed to be literally vanishing into the sheets.

"I love you, Sara," Margaret whispered faintly. Getting on her knees, Sara quickly realized that it wasn't just Margaret's head that was being consumed by the whiteness of the sheets...

"Margaret!" Sara cried, rising to her knees and seizing Margaret's arms, pulling them above the bed. "Oh, Margaret, don't go!"

The bed disappeared, and there was nothing around them but whiteness, pure whiteness. Voices suddenly became audible, and they quickly rose to a tumultuous clamor as Sara fought desperately to pull Margaret away from the whiteness enveloping her.

"I...ove you...Sa...a..." By now, Margaret's torso and legs had vanished; only the front of her head and her arms remained free of the whiteness.

"Don't give in, Margaret!" Sara screamed, now on her feet and yanking with all her might. "You can resist this! You can defeat the whiteness! Just don't give in, dammit!"

Margaret smiled; whiteness crawled around her hair, onto her face. "Joi...me...s'ch...peace..."

"No, Margaret! No, no, don't do it--"

The whiteness entirely enveloped Margaret's face, and with it her head. Pulling on Margaret's arms as hard as she could, Sara heard an abrupt

crack

, and the arms broke away from Margaret's body. Sara stared at the arms in her hands, unable to let them go.

"Nooo!" Sara wailed, breathing heavily. "Oh god, no, please, no, no no no..."

She looked down where Margaret's body formerly resided, and only then noticed the whiteness engulfing her own feet--

"Sara!" Something was shaking her body. "Sara, wake up!"

Sara's eyes shot open and she rolled over onto her back, staring up into Chuck's face. "Did I miss the alarm?"

Chuck shook his head. "Worse--Dylan's dead, less than ten minutes ago. Brain-fried, from the looks of it."

Fucking Arkons, can't they leave my troops alone?

"How the hell did that happen, Chuck? He was supposed to be on watch with you."

"I know, I know. I look at him one moment, he's there doing his watching, I go back to doing my watching, and next time I look at him he's dead. I don't know how that Arkon fucker got in an out without me noticing it, I just can't believe it!"

"Yeah..." Pal remarked slowly, sitting on his blanket. "That

is

rather hard to believe."

Chuck whirled and glared at Pal. "You're in

no

position for talking," he growled.

"Oh, what are you worried about," Pal countered. "You're

innocent

, right?"

Nearby, Kestrel yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Well, there goes any hope of sleep. Not when that Arkon's up fragging people."

Unfortunately, she's right about that.

Sara sat up and pushed herself onto her feet. "All right, then, we'll stay awake. Chuck, did you bring Dylan's body in yet?"

"Yeah, I dropped him off behind the IED box. I also found this in his hand..." He handed a holograph to Sara. She activated it, and a miniaturized head and bust of Ingrid Cortega appeared, smiling sensuously.

"What off Earth...could they have been lovers or something?"

Chuck shrugged. "If they were, they did a good job hiding it. But, um..."

Sara cocked her head. "Speak your mind."

"Look, um...could we at least bring his body back with us on the shuttle? I feel bad enough about the other ones we've left behind."

"Me, too. If we aren't pressed for time, we'll do it."

"Thank you."

Sara yawned, fished in her pack for an adrenaline stimulant, pulled open the mouthflap on her mask, and swallowed the pill dry. For a brief moment, she wondered if she was overdosing, but the thought was swiftly brushed aside.

I need to be awake, alert. We all need to. Otherwise we might not survive this hell...

Cogito Ergo Sum, Dylan Richards,

Human Neighbor

, had his brains scrambled on Night 5.

Day 6 has begun. With five players alive, it takes three votes to lynch.
The deadline is on Thursday, January 27th, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. CST.

SaintKerrigan · Sat Jan 15, 2011 7:19 pm

Only Vote Count of Day 6

(3) chesskid3: Furry, AlmasterGM, MagnaofIllusion

Not Voting: camn, chesskid3

- A lynch majority has been achieved! -

Unknown cave, Kehvit Mountain Range
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 5, Month 15 LC)
0515 hours SST (0601 hours LLT3)

Sara stepped just outside the cave entrance and glanced up at the sky. A tinge of red light was present, although little of it was making its way into the heavily-shadowed crevasse. There was nary a cloud in the sky--and no shuttle, either.

Damn, that clear sky is going to make us that much easier to shoot out of the sky--

A speck, almost midway in the sky and to the left, seized her attention. It was moving too fast to be some sort of natural phenomenon. She punched a few buttons on her tacvisor and zeroed in on the speck.

Please let that be the shuttle come in early...

Upon zooming in, however, it was easy to tell that it was not a Terran shuttle, but an Arkon fighter; most likely, a patrol craft. "Fuck!" she spat.

Our time is running out...

Sara turned around and went back inside the cave. Inside, she found the others in heated argument.

"...got to admit, this looks bad for you, Chuck," Bill was saying. "You

were

right next to him, after all."

"Damn straight," Pal chimed. "Let's just shoot him and stop worrying about it."

Chuck glared at Pal. "And that worked out real well the last time you tried that, didn't it? Who's to say

you

aren't trying to take advantage of the circumstances and off someone?"

"Ha! You can't prove that, and you know it!"

"Just like you can't prove I'm the one who offed Dylan."

Kestrel, sitting on the ground and reclining against the rock wall, raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? There's a lot more evidence against you than Pal, to be honest."

"What do you think, Furry?" Bill inquired. "Isn't Chuck's story a little...convenient?"

"I don't know..." Furry lay on her side and stared at the ground. "Yeah, it sounds convenient, but...I'm not convinced. This would make a perfect framing, if the Arkon was clever enough about being stealthy."

"Bullshit." Pal shook his head. "If Chuck's human, no way in hell any sneaks right by him, fries Dylan, and gets out unnoticed."

"Then how come the Arkon didn't wake any of you up?" Chuck demanded to know. "Huh? Why don't you answer

that

?"

Sara held up her hand. "Everyone, calm down! We don't need a repeat of yesterday's incident. We've only got about an hour left before the shuttle arrives, so let's all just stay

calm

and get off this planet al--"

Suddenly, Sara heard a muted

boom

, coming from the direction outside the cave. She whirled to look at the entrance, as did the others. "What the hell was--"

A flash of light. A sharp hiss. By the time Sara whirled to see what had happened, Chuck was already collapsing to the ground, a laser hole bored straight through his heart and the side of his head.

Unable to speak, Sara just stared mutely at Chuck's body...his unchangeably human body...

chesskid3, Chuck Norris,

Human SOB Operative

, was owned by a laser on Day 6.

Night 6 has begun. The deadline is Wednesday, January 19th, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. CST. (Extra time due to me not going to be available until then.)

SaintKerrigan · Wed Jan 19, 2011 11:59 am

Southwest Istor Forest
Colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 4th, 2486 SC (Day 2, Month 15 LC)
0125 hours SST (2639 hours LLT2)

Sara shoved the adrenaline stimulant pill in her mouth, quickly chasing it with a swallow of water. She hadn't slept since the short nap the Meggidos took before following Hans through the forest. While the stim wouldn't grant her rest, at least it would keep her awake and alert for awhile.

She checked the time on her wristcom. Twenty minutes since Hans had gone ahead to the colonist camp to announce their arrival. Not an overly long wait, but it didn't prevent her mind from formulating foreboding thoughts...

A hand rested on her shoulder. "Relax," Margaret said softly, "it's going to be fine. We just need to be patient."

Sara looked at Margaret. "How did you know?"

"I saw it on your face." She smirked. "You do look cute when you're worried, though--"

"Margaret." Medic Larson approached Margaret and Sara. "Hans is back, and he says we can come in, now."

Margaret nodded. "All right." She held her wristcom under her lips. "All operatives, this is Margaret. We're moving out."

* * *

Sara looked around slowly as she and the other Meggidos strode into the colonist camp. It was little more than makeshift tents fabricated from branches and blankets, with piles of equipment scattered here and there. Hollow-eyed people slouched and stared at them, as if unable to believe their own eyes. What few children there were stuck close to the adults. No one said a word, not even a whisper.

Directly in front of her, a short distance away, four people stood next to a large, ultrasteel chest. They eyed the Meggidos with livelier eyes, and unlike the other colonists, they stood up straight.

The leaders, I'll bet.

Margaret held up her hand, and the Meggidos halted. "Sara and I will take it from here," she told the Meggidos. "Follow me, Sara."

Sara nodded, and the two of them ambled up to the people by the metal chest. One of them--the lone woman--stepped away from the others.

"Welcome to Liten," she said, half-laughing bittery. "What's left of our colony, at any rate. I was Governor Leslie Hampton, but please, just call me Furry. Behind me is Travis Knull, head of security, Dr. Joshua Gordon, lead scientist, and Luke Dayne, expert woodsman and the only reason we've stayed alive as long as we have." Furry indicated each man as she said his name.

Margaret nodded. "I'm Major Sedarski with the Special Operations Branch, but do call me Margaret." She gestured at Sara. "This is Captain Gaints, my second in command, and behind me is my unit, Meggido Squad."

"SOBs..." Furry suddenly spotted someone in the crowd. "Jack? Jack, is that you?"

Sara whirled her head and saw Operative Jack Anorr, looking directly at Furry.

Oh, yeah...he

was

born on Liten...

"Hey, Furry," Jack replied. "Long time, no see."

"Well, yeah, indeed! I mean--" Furry's face was rife with scarlet.

"Where's my brother, Nik? Is he around?"

"Well-- um, I--"

"There'll be plenty of time for the two of you to catch up back on the

Deborah

," Margaret interjected. "Right now, we need to get to business. Where's the IED?"

"You mean you mean the artifact?" Furry pointed an open palm at the ultrasteel chest. "It's in there, safe and sound. But we're getting my people off, first. I'm gonna have to insist on that."

"Don't worry, we'll get all your people off Liten," Margaret said. "But we can't afford to let this artifact fall into Arkon hands, so it should get off planet ASAP."

"Well, if we let you do that, what's stopping you from taking the artifact and leaving us to die?"

"And if we don't get the IED off planet fast, what happens if something goes wrong and the Arkons capture it?"

Sara watched silently as Margaret and Furry stared each other down.

This doesn't look good...

And suddenly, she heard a loud, earsplitting scream...

SaintKerrigan · Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:03 pm

Unknown cave, Kehvit Mountain Range
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 5, Month 15 LC)
0521 hours SST (0613 hours LLT3)

"Oh...oh, god!"

Sara slowly turned around. Still sitting down, Kestrel slowly let her right arm fall to her side, laser rifle in her hand. "Kestrel?"

Kestrel didn't even glance up. "I'm-- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, he just moved and my reflex--"

"Yeah, right," Pal growled. "Reflex, my ass. You did that on purpose--"

"Who are

you

to talk?" Bill spat. "You didn't even bother feigning an accident with--"

"What hell's wrong with you?" Furry screamed. "

All

of you? Honestly--"

Sara stared numbly at Chuck's unmistakably human corpse, trying desperately to come to grips with the virulent maelstrom of thoughts and emotions swirling within her.

It's all falling apart a cascade of chaos I've no control what do I calm must calm fuck fuck fuck why the fuck this is madness

Another deep rumble from outside the cave. "That sounds like shit blowing up!" Pal yelled.

"Oh, really," Furry snarled, "you think?"

Sara ignored both of them and jogged belatedly back to the entrance of the cave. A look at the sky, however, yielded no information as to what the noises were.

She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see Pal and Kestrel approaching her. "See anything?" Kestrel inquired.

"No, I didn't." Sara paused. "I

did

see an Arkon fighter scout when I looked outside less than ten minutes ago. Not sure if they saw us or not, but--"

"Oh, hell, they're trying to bomb us!" Pal yelled. "They're gonna bomb us to hell! I

knew

these caves were nothing but trouble!"

"Oh, c'mon, you're just being paranoid." Kestrel rolled her eyes. "Dr. Gordon said--"

"And Dr. Gordon's dead!" Pal glared at Kestrel. "Since when the hell did you become so perky, anyhow? Aren't you supposed to be all melancholy and shit because you

accidentally

killed Chuck?"

"Well, excuse

me

for trying to pull myself together--"

Sara got between the two Meggidos and held up her hands. "Enough, both of you! Let's just get back inside the cave and keep waiting on the shuttle."

"But--"

"He's--"

"I mean it!"

Grumbling, Kestrel and Pal turned and walked back into the cave. Sara followed.

If that really was the Arkons trying to bomb us, then that shuttle's gonna have a hell of a time--

"Holy shit!" Kestrel exclaimed. "Bill!"

"Oh fuck, man, not another one!" Pal moaned.

Sara caught up with both of them and looked at the ground. There lay Bill, eyes rolled into the back of his head, just like every other Arkon-attributed death.

Yet it was in the open, while all of us were awake...

"Furry!" Pal hissed. "That bitch is a fuckin' Arkon, I know it!" He darted off deeper into the cave, towards the camp. Kestrel was right behind him.

"Stop!" Sara yelled, running as fast as she could.

I can't let them pull another incident, not now!

All three of them gathered around Furry, who stared up at them through slanted eyes. "So the Arkon got Bill, if I interpreted those outbursts correctly," she said calmly.

"Ok, now

that's

too calm!" Pal yelled, aiming his laser rifle at Furry.

"You've been faking that injury all along, haven't you?" Kestrel accused.

Furry chuckled. "I'm entirely innocent. The two of you, however..." With a quick jerk of one hand she flicked aside the blanket folded over her body to reveal a laser pistol in her other hand. "...I'm not sure about." She casually pointed it at Pal, then Kestrel, then Pal again.

I have to stop this! I have to!

Yet Sara found herself unable to even speak a single word to quell the sudden standoff. Everything was coming to a head, time was running out, and the outcome of the mission was about to be decided...and here she was, incapable of action.

Dammit, Sara, just fucking

do

something...

camn, Bill Guy,

Human SOB Operative

, was stealthkilled on Night 6.

Day 7 has now begun. With three players alive, it takes two votes to lynch.
The deadline is on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. CST.

By the way, all flavor up to the start of Day 5 is complete and added in their proper posts, should you wish to peruse it.

SaintKerrigan · Fri Jan 28, 2011 4:47 pm

Well, this is embarrassing. Apparently I've had a typo in my ruleset this entire game, and I only caught it just now.

Anyway, the ruleset has been modified.

From

Article III: Night

3a.

If the role or faction chooses not to submit an action, a PM to the mod stating such is preferred.

SaintKerrigan · Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:22 am

All flavor has been caught up! (In case you guys are bored and need something to read...)

SaintKerrigan · Sun Jan 30, 2011 9:53 am

Endgame has been triggered. Stand by...

(

Dead players please wait until the final scene is posted before posting, plz. Thanks.

Actually, to keep the suspense, would all players, living and dead, wait on posting until I get the endgame scene done? I know it's asking for quite a bit, but the drama's been built up this far, I'd like to keep it going right to the end. Thanks!

)

(And then it occurred to me that I can just lock the thread.

)

SaintKerrigan · Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:23 pm

Only Vote Count of Day 7

(2) MagnaofIllusion: AlmasterGM, Furry

(1) AlmasterGM: MagnaofIllusion

With three players alive, it takes two votes to lynch.
Deadline no longer matters...

- A lynch majority has been achieved! -
- Endgame has been triggered! -

Unknown cave, Kehvit Mountain Range
Non-colonized Sector 1, UTP Planet Liten, Tynnfred System
December 5th, 2486 SC (Day 5, Month 15 LC)
0527 hours SST (0625 hours LLT3)

Silence had overcome the group. Furry, Pal, and Kestrel continually aimed their weapons at each other, first at one, then at the other, then at the first again. All the while Sara looked on, knowing she needed to do something, yet unable to muster the will to do it...

You're stronger than this, Sara. You know you are...

But no matter how many times her mind told her that, her body simply refused to take action. Never in her life, not even during the ambush, had Sara felt so utterly

useless

...

Kestrel gave a half-laugh. "Well, now. This is quite the quandary we've got, here."

"No shit," Pal said dryly. "I sure as hell don't trust either one of you."

"Same here." Kestrel looked at Furry. "Perhaps we should lower our weapons and try to sort this out--"

"Like hell I will!" In an instant Pal had his laser rifle trained on Kestrel, and she quickly responded in kind. "You're just trying to catch me off guard, aren't you?"

"Hardly," Kestrel replied calmly. "You're just afraid to give up control. It must be maddening, coming this far, only to die at the apex of your supposed triumph--"

"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up! Your gut wasn't malfunctioning at all, was it?

It wasn't actually there

!

"Please. You bastards have been screwing with my gut, and you know it!"

At last Sara was able to put words in her mouth. "Stop it, all of you! Just lower your weapons, and let's settle this like reasonable people--"

Two sudden hisses, and both Kestrel and Pal collapsed to the floor. Pal rolled along the ground, clutching his left shoulder and groaning in agony; Kestrel lay motionless, her eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling of the cave.

Furry slowly pushed herself onto her feet. "Fuck reason," she muttered, training her laser pistol on Kestrel's head.

"Wait, what the hell just happened?" Sara demanded to know.

"It's simple," Furry replied. "I shot Kestrel, and she shot Pal. She missed. I didn't. Now I intend to settle the question of Kestrel's nature once and for all, and if she doesn't turn, then we'll know just who our Arkon is..."

She cast a glance at Pal. "Fuck that!" He hissed, fumbling at the holster for his laser pistol. "You'll not take me--"

Without warning, Kestrel seized Furry's leg and pulled hard. Furry plummeted to the ground, smashing face-first onto the rock floor and losing her grip on the laser pistol. Sharp claws began to form at the end of Kestrel's hand as she pulled Furry closer, her hands leaving behind deep gashes. Furry screamed and tried to grab her laser pistol, but Kestrel yanked her out of range before her hand could close on it.

By now the transformation was complete. The image of Kestrel was gone, replaced by a green-skinned, violet-haired Arkon. It held Furry completely in its grasp, and despite her furious struggling, she was unable to break free.

Sara began to take out her own laser pistol, but the weapon slipped out of her hand as she drew it out.

No time--

"Dammit!" Pal yelled, struggling to aim his laser pistol at the Arkon. In an instant the Arkon whirled its body so that Furry's body was between it and Pal. Its back was now turned to Sara...

You've got no choice! Do it!

The Arkon's purple lips curled into a grimace, and its hand reached for the back of Furry's head. "Sittow yobo, majy izhylesk akuhitoslik--"

"

Yaaaaaaaagh

!" Sara dove onto the Arkon and, with her one hand, yanked the Arkon's hand away from Furry's head. "Get away from her, you

bitch

!"

Its hold on her loosened, Furry pried the Arkon's other arm away from her body, and she rolled away, crying in agony as she did. With feral ferocity, the Arkon pulled hard with the arm Sara held, sending her flying over the Arkon and crashing against the cold stone of the ground. She felt her nose collapse, and warm liquid spread all over the inside of her mask.

The Arkon leaped upon her and, with one hand, seized her right arm. Sara thrashed madly, but could not break out of the Arkon's grasp. She felt its hand grasp the back of her head.

No, not like this! Not like this!

"Haburikrag vango domka tamvir speelka byot majy, hitoslik," the Arkon growled. "Enek gaaku nezak masave dieza--"

Without warning, the Arkon fell on top of Sara, its hold on her slackened. Virulently Sara kicked herself out of the Arkon's grasp, rolling madly away across the ground. She stopped and lay on her back, breathing heavily and wiping blood away from her eyes.

"That's right, motherfucker, die!" Pal bellowed, and she heard, more than once the hiss of a laser searing flesh. "You thought you won, you fucked-up bastard? Guess again, bitch, because you don't fucking

mess

with us and get away with it! Fuck, yeah! You got fucked, bitch,

fucked

, and you can't do a goddamn thing to stop it, yeah, that's righ, fucking

die

!"

Wearily Sara pushed herself up on her butt and glanced back. What was left of the Arkon was either on fire, molten, or charred to a crisp, but that wasn't stopping Pal, lying on his stomach, from pouring bolt after bolt of energy into the remains. For that matter, Sara was tempted to find her laser pistol and dump a few rounds into that fucking beast herself...

The lasers suddenly stopped firing from Pal's weapon. Puffs of white smoke rose from the laser pistol. "Aw, fuck, I fried it," Pal moaned. "I wasn't even halfway done with that motherfuckin' bitch, yet."

Sara stood up wearily and looked around for Furry. She was lying on her back, her facemask stained bright crimson, and with troughs of blood dug into her legs and torso.

"Furry?"

Furry didn't respond. Sara limped over to Furry and stood over her body.

"Furry, you still alive?"

Still Furry maintained her silence. Grunting, Sara knelt beside her head and felt her neck. There was no pulse.

Oh, no...

Refusing to believe what she felt, Sara jammed her fingers into Furry's neck. "Don't die on me, dammit!" She screamed. "You made it this far, Furry,

don't fucking die now

!"

And then, finally, she felt a faint beat. A few moments later, she felt another one, and shortly after that, another. She dropped her head, unable to stem the monsoon of tears.

Thank god...

Heavy footsteps lumbered behind her. "Is she...is she alive?"

Sara gave the faintest of nods. "Yes. Barely, but yes."

Pal grunted. "Thank god for small miracles. And--damn, you look like shit."

"Yeah, I think the worst of it's a broken nose, though. I hope." Sara stood up. "It's gonna be hard enough fending off an Arkon army with just the two of us as it is--"

Pal suddenly whirled and faced the cave entrance. "Oh, shit, you hear that? They're coming."

Sara suddenly became aware of a dull, constant roar, getting louder and louder by the second. Her heart sank.

This is it. The endgame.

"Behind those rocks," Sara ordered Pal. "We'll have to do what we can."

Pal nodded. "Not like we've got a chance, but what the hell."

"Exactly."

The two of them somberly strode up to a pair of large boulders near the entrance of the cave, serviceable as barricades. As she took her position behind the right-side boulder, Sara couldn't keep a dull flatness out of her mind.

I want to believe there's a way out, I really do. But be honest, Sara, there's no chance in hell you'll survive, not in this condition. Despite your best effort, you still managed to fail in the end.

She glanced over at Pal, the roar outside almost deafening in intensity. "It was an honor to serve with you, Pal," she yelled over the noise.

"Likewise, Sara," he called back.

Sara brought her laser pistol into proper firing position. Thoughts about the whiteness filled her mind.

You cheated us once. Never again--

Suddenly, a voice spoke through her wristcom: "Captain Gaints, this is Shuttle

Deborah Two

. Do you copy?"

Every single nerve in Sara's body went numb.

That couldn't be right. That can't be right! It's impossible!

And yet again, the voice spoke: "Captain Gaints, this is Shuttle

Deborah Two

, please respond."

My god...it's really happening! We've won!

Sara brought back her arm, tapped her wristcom, brought it under her lips. "This is Captain Gaints!" she yelled over the noise outside. "

Deborah Two

, where the

hell

are you?"

"Sara?" Pal yelled. "What the hell's going on, Sara?"

"Captain Gaints," the voice of

Deborah Two

responded. "Thank god you're still alive. We're flying in the trench near your given location. Where are you?"

"In a cave! Hold on a sec, I'll step out!"

Giddily she bounced to her feet and sprinted for the mouth of the cave.

"Sara, what the

fuck

are you doing?" Pal hollered. "Are you out of your

goddamn

mind?"

"We're saved!" she screamed back. "The shuttle's here! We're going to live through this after all!"

Sara didn't even bother slowing down to hear Pal's response, instead dashing out into the open air and glancing up into the sky, searching for the shuttle. In moments she found it, flying towards her from the left, a short distance away.

"We've got you in our sights, Captain,"

Deborah Two

said, the voice on the wristcom barely audible over the roar of the shuttle. "Touchdown in less in fifteen seconds or less. See you on the ground."

Sara watched the shuttle, delight practically shining from every pore in her body. After everything she and the others had gone through, it ended up being worth it.

"Hell, yes!" Pal shouted, from beside her.

On impulse, Sara whirled and threw her arms around her comrade. He squeezed back, and they held each other in a tight embrace. "Am I dreaming?" Pal spoke into her ear. "Tell me I'm dreaming, because this is too fucking good to be true!"

"Oh, Pal, this is no dream!" Sara crushed Pal even more tightly to her body. "It's all real!"

The loud roar suddenly quieted, and Sara heard a loud

whoosh

behind her. She and Pal released each other and turned to see the shuttle, a small pond of water surrounding the ground where it had landed. As they watched, two large doors on the side of the shuttle slid back, and six armored marines stepped out, faces concealed behind temperall facemasks. They tromped over to Pal and Sara, stopping when they were close enough to speak without shouting.

"I'm Captain Charles Doward with the

Deborah

marine platoon," the frontmost marine said gruffly. He was quite blatantly staring at Sara's missing left hand, but she could hardly care less.

"I'm Captain Gaints," Sara replied, "and you have

no

idea how glad we are to see you!"

A few of the marines chuckled, and Doward waved them down. "You have the IED, I understand?"

"Aye, and we have one wounded. She'll need immediate medical attention once we get back to the

Deborah

. We've also got...corpses that we want to bring back for a proper farewell."

Doward nodded. "One sec." He turned around and faced one of the marines. "Chilly, Bernard, get a stretcher from the shuttle, pronto!" Once the stretcher was brought out, Doward said, "All right, just show us where to go."

"Certainly." Sara turned around and strode back into the cave, followed by Pal, Doward, and the other marines.

"So how the hell is it you're here so early?" Pal inquired. "Not that I'm ungrateful, but I thought you guys couldn't be here in under two hours."

"And that's what Commodore Kerry wanted the Arkons to think," Doward said, "in case they were tapping into the transmission. And apparently it worked; all we had to face were a few paltry scout fighters, which our shuttle dealt with easily. With any luck, by the time the bulk of the Arkon force gets here, we'll be long gone."

By now, they had reached Furry, still out cold on the floor. Doward signaled to the marines carrying the stretcher, and they went over to her. Everyone else continued on back to where the IED chest was.

Oh, and the Nutcracker!

"Hold on a minute," she told Doward, "I need to disarm the Nutcracker we had set up. EP-136 and all that."

Doward nodded. "Understood."

Sara brought up her wristcom and switched to the channel the Nutcracker was receiving on. "Green hills of Pittsburgh."

"Nutcracker Tactical Warhead disarmed," spoke the Nutcracker AI's synthesized voice. "It is now safe to handle the warhead."

Sara glanced at the timer; just a little over forty minutes left on it. "All right, your boys can do their thing," she told Doward.

Indeed,

she thought as the marines grabbed the IED chest and the Nutcracker and carried both back to the shuttle.

With haste. I want nothing more right now than to get the hell off this planet...to get the hell off of Liten...

MagnaofIllusion, Evelyn "Kestrel" Falconi,

Arkon Infiltrator

, was melted, incinerated, and otherwise obliterated on Day 7.

SBF

Deborah

Hypertunnel Transit (Tynnfred to Medici)
December 5th, 2486 SC
1755 hours SST

One scream.

It starts with a single scream, but before long that one scream multiplies into hundreds. Arkons seem to spring forth from the trees, ready to kill, ready to slaughter.

I see the Arkon, raising its weapon, aiming at me. My body has turned to putty, my mind to lead. I can only watch...and await my demise

A beam of light streaks beside me, burning through the Arkon, felling it with a single shot. Margaret steps in front of me, the very flames of hell in her emerald eyes. Her lips move, uttering words, but I cannot hear them over the ringing in my ears.

Margaret whirls and downs another Arkon, and then another. All around them colonists are being slaughtered, and the Meggidos are barely holding their own. I knows what is happening, know I need to do something...but I cannot.

Suddenly, I see an Arkon running at Margaret from behind, weapon down and claws bared. I try to call to Margaret, but my lips will not move. I try to raise my laser rifle and shoot the Arkon, but my arms refuse to cooperate. All I can do is watch as the Arkon leaps on Margaret's back, tears the flesh--that tender, supple flesh--from her body. Margaret drops her rifle, whips out her vibration knife, slices the Arkon to pieces; but by now two more Arkons are upon her, and their feral claws rake at her beautiful body.

I can mutely hear Margaret's agonized screams, I'm close enough to do something, and still I am motionless. They rip her right arm off, right at the socket, and toss it aside. The left arm follows shortly thereafter, and soon Margaret has been ripped apart, limb from limb. Her head flies in my direction and lands at my feet. Hair torn, skin hanging loosely from her face, both eyes gouged out, mouth open in a rictus of sheer terror.

And at last, I can hear one thing clearly: the shrill, piercing wail of my own voice--

Sara gasped and clutched the sheets, her skin glistening with sweat. She'd been able to shove the horrible memory out of her mind, for the most part, during the mission, but ever since she'd gotten back on the

Deborah

that damn nightmare had tormented her nearly every sleeping moment. And she fully deserved it.

"I'm so sorry, Margaret," she murmured. "I'm so, so sorry..."

Beedeep! beedeep! Beedeep! beedeep!

Groaning, Sara rolled over and grabbed her wristcom with the temporary robotic hand grafted to her left arm. The metal fingers were clunky and it was hard picking up an object with practically no sense of touch, but somehow she managed. She tapped the answer button.

"Captain Gaints, here."

"Commodore Kerry, here. Just wanted to let you know that we've just dropped out of the hypertunnel. We'd like to perform the rites at 1830 so we can get back to the

Davy Mayboure

as quickly as possible."

Sara yawned. "Sounds good. I'll be ready."

"Excellent. See you in the shuttle bay at 1830, then."

Quickly Sara tapped more buttons on her wristcom, then waited for Pal to answer.

"Lieutenant Bixton," his voice spoke sleepily, "and you better have a damn good reason for waking me up."

Sara smiled. "It's Sara, Pal. Rites are being performed in the shuttle bay at 1830, just letting you know."

"Right. I'll be there."

Sara terminated the transmission and strapped the wristcom to the wrist of the robotic arm. The final member she wanted to see personally...

Slowly she pushed herself out of bed, wincing painfully as each and every wound on her body cried out. She dressed as quickly as she was able and strode for the door, grabbing something from her desk just before heading out.

* * *

1808 hours SST

"Yes, you certainly can go in and see her," the Medbay nurse said to Sara. "But I'm afraid she won't be able to move anywhere just yet."

Furry's earned the right as much as anyone else, dammit.

"Are you sure?"

The nurse shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if a superior officer were to order me to move her somewhere, I guess I'd have to obey, despite the inherent risks."

"She's a tough gal. She can handle it."

"Well? Are you going to order me to do it?"

"Yes, I order you to move Furry to the shuttle bay."

"And if Commodore Kerry disapproves, I was just following orders."

"Don't worry; he won't."

The nurse nodded. "Follow me, then."

Sara was led down one of Medbay's four corridors, all the way down to the final door. The nurse's command slid the doors back, and she and Sara entered the room beyond.

Furry lay on a bed, strapped in and with an IV inserted into each arm. Her chest heaved up and down peacefully, rhythmically. Sara strode over by Furry's head. She pressed her palm against Furry's cheek.

"Mmmh..." Furry's eyes fluttered open, and she turned her head to look at Sara. "Nice arm. Planning on entering any beauty pageants anytime soon?"

Sara smirked. "Hell, no. You'd win, hands down."

It was Furry's turn to grin. "So what brings you down to my neck of the woods, as limited as it is?"

"We're performing the last rights in the shuttle bay at 1830. I'm here to make sure you're there."

"Hmm...the docs didn't seem real keen on moving me around...wouldn't even let me raise my head to watch a damn threedee."

"Oh, speaking of which..." Sara placed the item she'd grabbed earlier on the nightstand by Furry's bed. "I brought an audiobook for you to listen to. It's of one of the greatest novels of the twenty-first century."

"Ooh, that sounds interesting...what's it called?"

"Descent into Chaos II. It's a dark fantasy."

Furry smiled. "You're good. Dark fantasy is my favorite genre. I've heard lots of good things about that story, in particular, but copies of it are so damn hard to find."

"Well, this copy's been in my family for generations. Supposedly we're directly descended from the author of the original novel, but nobody ever believes us outside the family."

"That's sweet. Thank you very much, this'll definitely alleviate at least some of the boredom."

"Indeed. You ready to go?"

"Well, I guess if you got 'em to go this far, I ain't gonna stop you."

"Good. You don't have to speak if you don't want to, though."

"I have to, as long as I'm there. Someone has to represent...my people."

Sara nodded. "That's exactly what I thought you'd say."

* * *

1830 hours SST

Sara stood beside Pal and Furry, the latter strapped to a gurney and with the two IVs still stuck into her arms. Behind them lined the surviving marines and most of the crew of the

Deborah

. Near the atmosphere shield of the shuttle bay were the coffins, levitating just above the ultrasteel-plated deck.

Kerry went first, giving a general address for the fallen. Doward followed with a more specific eulogy for the fallen marines.

I sure hope Kerry didn't tell Doward how all those marines actually died...

When Doward was finished, he brought the microphone over to Sara and handed it to her. Sara looked down at Furry. "You want to go first?"

"Sure."

Sara held the microphone down by Sara's lips. "Go right ahead."

For a moment, Furry was silent. "I feel largely responsible for the demise of the Liten colony. If I hadn't spearheaded a rebellion against the former government, perhaps the UTP intervention would've been able to stave this invasion. As it stands, out of seven thousand, four hundred and eighty-one colonists, only I still remain alive. And while I cannot recognize the contributions of every single one of those colonists, I can recognize the efforts of Travis Knull and Joshua Gordon, for without their help Sara, Pal, and I would not still be alive today. To all of our colonists, dying in defense of Liten, their beloved colony...may your sacrifice never be forgotten.

"That's all from me."

Sara nodded and brought the microphone underneath her own lips.

"Twenty-five Meggidos went down to Liten to retrieve the Infinite Energy Device. Only two of us made it back alive. But without the twenty-three who died, we wouldn't have had a prayer in hell of surviving that mission.

"Jordy Novacek. Thomas Jackson. Dane Larson. Kelly Marr. Jake Winston. Tamara White. Avery Clyde. Scott Orson. Robert Heinlein. Ellen Abalyski. Jack Anorr. Arthur Williams. Geordi Moss. Simona Sanchez. Wesley Hudson. Mac O'Leary, better known as Pyscho. Ingrid Cortega. Marsha Thompson, better known as Black Cat. Jezebel Bahha, better known as Jezzy. Dylan Richards. Chuck Norris. Bill Guy. And...Margaret Sedarski.

"In the short time I got to know these individuals, I got to see their devotion to the unit and the mission, and without their efforts, this mission would surely have been a failure. They went down to hell and didn't get back out...but they allowed Furry, Pal, and I to do so, and in the process potentially bring back the key to defeating the Arkons once and for all.

"Rest in peace, valiant soldiers...your courage and valor will never be forgotten."

Sara nodded at Kerry. Crewmen came up to the coffins and stood behind them. Kerry raised his right hand to his forehead, and everyone else followed suit, except for Furry.

As the coffins were gently pushed out into space, Kerry's voice recited the final rite:

"For from the stars we came, and to the stars we return. Those we have honored today have the distinction of making a difference in their brief time with us. May we all be heartened by their example, and carry forth in honor of their memory.

"Farewell, comrades. You shall not be forgotten..."

AlmasterGM, Pal Bixton,

Human SOB Operative

, survives and wins the game, as do the rest of the Humans.
Furry, Leslie "Furry" Hampton,

Human Colonist

, survives and wins the game, as do the rest of the Humans.

The game is now over. Everyone is free to post. Mod comments will be provided in a bit.

SaintKerrigan · Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:40 pm

Oh, and here's where all the dead people went.

(Still no mod comments, my mind is still recovering from that final flavor scene...)

Oh, and

that's

who Furry was...cool.

SaintKerrigan · Sun Jan 30, 2011 5:36 pm

The Role PMs

The Human Role PMs

Spoiler: Chuck Norris (Slaxx, nopointinactingup, chesskid3)

Spoiler: Jezebel "Jezzy" Bahha (Data, ThAdmiral)

You possess two distinct personalities. The first aspect is perfectly complacent, always giving the correct answer to a given situation, obediently following orders, and smiling as the praises and accolades are showered upon you. Your other aspect is quite the opposite of the first, believing that you always have the right answer, that no one can do your job better than you, and that your superiors are a bunch of spineless assholes who think too much about keeping their dicks or pussies happy. You've managed to find a sense of balanced harmony between your conflicting personalities that appears amicable to most people, while excelling in your role as a military officer.

Your commanding and tactical prowess led to recruitment by the Special Operations Branch, who assigned you to the Meggido squad. As the third officer in the chain of command, you performed excellently under the command of Major Sedarski, helping the Meggidos to make themselves admired within the confines of the SOB. The Arkons began their assault, and you only showed further brilliance in your role. When the second in command died in combat, you fully expected to be made the second officer. Instead, Sedarski went and got some new hotshot chick to fill the role. As soon as you saw the newcomer, Sara Gaints, it didn't take an expert to see why Sedarski had chosen as she did. It was the same ol' pussy n' dick rule, and you'd never felt inclined to indulge the major's lesbian tendencies.

As the Liten mission progresses, your second aspect is quickly assuming greater control over your mind. By the time the Arkons ambushed the rendezvous with the colonists and slaughtered a good number of your compatriots, you decided to stop taking bullshit from all the shitheads above you in the chain of command. You know there's Arkons in your midst, and that something needs to be done to stop them. Why not administer your own brand of judgment?

On the outside, your first aspect still appears to be in control. Inside, your second aspect is prepared to do whatever is necessary to ensure that you and your human compatriots are able to get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as human beings...

Game Name:

ThAdmiral

Flavor Name:

Jezebel Bahha, AKA "Jezzy"

Flavor Gender:

Female

Flavor Age:

27

Flavor Role:

Third Officer (Currently Acting Second Officer)

Game Role:

Vigilante

Role Description:

Every night, you may target one player. Unless prevented by another action, you will kill that player. Your kill flavor will change from night to night, but it will always have a military-oriented theme. If you wish, you may suggest a kill flavor for me to use that night, and if I feel it fits the character and setting I'll use it. Otherwise, I'll use one of my own kill flavors, or alter your kill flavor to make it suitable.
(EXAMPLE KILL FLAVOR: Player-X, SOB Operative,

had a hole melted through his head

on Day 0.)

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Leslie "Furry" Hampton (Furry)

After you murdered Governor Sarah St. Kerrigan, you thought that things were going to take a turn for the better. Yet even as you began to establish the new Liten government, your every dream was haunted by one of two faces: Nik Anorr, your lover, and Sarah St. Kerrigan, the one you blamed for his death. Desperately you tried to forget that either of them existed, and the close relationship the three of you once had; slowly, over time, they faded away into the recesses of your mind, just the way you wanted it to be.

Not long ago, Dr. Gordon found a mysterious alien artifact, one that was not of Arkon origin. Before the scientists could properly study it, however, the Arkons launched a full-scale invasion of Liten, most likely in search of this artifact. Though it left the bitterest of tastes in your mouth, you contacted the UTP and surrendered to them in exchange for a rescue. You do, after all, have the best interests of your people in mind. At least, what's left of them.

You and a few other people, including Dr. Gordon, managed to escape from the capital city of Liten and hide away in the nearby forests. Once you detected the presence of the rescue team, you contacted them and arranged a meeting place. Imagine your surprise when the rescue team arrived and you discovered that Jack Anorr, Nik's twin brother who had left Liten years ago, was one of its members. Now the two ghosts from your past have returned to haunt your thoughts, as if the Arkon threat was not enough to deal with. But then the Arkons ambushed the meeting place, and although they were adeptly defeated, they are jamming all communications on the planet, so it would behoove you and the others to get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Game Name:

Furry

Flavor Name:

Leslie Hampton, AKA "Furry"

Flavor Gender:

Female

Flavor Age:

33

Flavor Role:

Former Governor of Liten

Game Role:

Colonist

Role Description:

Other than being an ex-governor and a murderer, you're just a normal human being, with no special powers conferred onto you.

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Ingrid Cortega (apathyplusCUPCAKES)

Your life has been about relationships. All your relationships had three things in common: they encompassed people you'd only recently met, they involved steamy sexual escapades, and they only lasted a maximum of three weeks. You hated all the superficiality, yet you couldn't kick the sexual addiction. This continued even after you were conscripted by the military to fight against the Arkons. Your ability to be stealthy and quietly take out your targets made you a prime candidate in the eyes of the Special Operations Branch, and it wasn't long before they recruited you to join their Meggido squad.

There, you met fellow Meggido operative Dylan Roberts. Not only was he content to listen to every word you prattled, sensible or not, he was willing to indulge in all of your sexual fantasies and, more importantly, had the stamina to perform at your intense level. His own musings and speculations were thought-enticing and easily capable of initiating all-night philosophical discussions. He seemed...perfect. Even as the Megiddos repeatedly went through hell together, Dylan was always there, as ready to support you as you were him. As the months passed by without a breakup, you even dared to let yourself believe that you'd finally found your true love.

The Liten mission, without a doubt, is the most challenging assignment the Meggidos have faced yet. Even worse, once you made it to Liten and found the surviving colonists, an Arkon ambushed killed a good number of your comrades, and forced a hasty retreat from the area. With all communications being jammed, the only thing to be done is to get back to the rendezvous point with the

Apollyon

. Dylan's still his regular old self, though...right?

Regardless, the best thing to do now is to get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Game Name:

apathyplusCUPCAKES

Flavor Name:

Ingrid Cortega

Flavor Gender:

Female

Flavor Age:

24

Flavor Role:

Specialist Operative

Game Role:

Neighbor

Role Description:

During the night and in the pregame, you and Dylan Roberts (Game Name: daniel94581) may converse privately with each other via this quicktopic.

Additionally, during the night, you may collaboratively target another player. If the action is successful, that player will join your Neighborhood; after all, when it comes to sex, the more the merrier!

This action may only be performed once, and you will not be told the alignment or role of the recruited player. As long as both you and Dylan are alive, you must show agreement on the target choice, either via separate action PMs or quicktopic agreement (in the case of the latter, one of you must still send a PM submitting the recruit action).

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Jack Anorr (Nikanor)

You were born on Liten, but to you the place was always a boring ol' dump, so as soon as you were of proper age, you took a transport off of Liten and went to a medical school in Saint Teresa, the capital city of the UTP planet Sanctuary, where you spent several quiet, uneventful years. When the Arkon invasions began, however, the Union Armed Forces sent recruiters to your medical school in an attempt to persuade young, adventure-seeking students to join the army as medics. Being one of those adventure-seeking students, you accepted the call, and after going through the medic's version of boot camp, you were deployed on the front lines.

The Special Operations Branch saw your performance scores, both in med school and in boot camp, and comandeered you from the Army to serve with the Megiddo squad. Ironically enough, the first place you're being sent to is Liten, your home planet. Apparently the Arkons are after some valuable artifact or something, and since humans are a greedy race, they can't let the Arkons get the whatever.

You weren't quite prepared for the shock you'd feel when you returned to Liten, however. It's hard to comprehend that most of the people you once knew are now dead. When you meet up with the surviving colonists, however, one of them reacts quite strongly to your presence. Furry Hampton, if you recall correctly. There's little time for catching up, however, as the Arkons ambushed the meeting place, forcing a hasty retreat. Now your concern is with two things: helping as many people as you can and getting the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Game Name:

Nikanor

Flavor Name:

Jack Anorr

Flavor Gender:

Male

Flavor Age:

25

Flavor Role:

Specialist Operative

Game Role:

Medic

Role Description:

Every night, you may target one player. If the player is targeted for a kill that night, their death will be delayed by one game-day. All players will be notified that the target is going to die, but role and alignment won't be revealed until the target actually dies.

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

"A doctor cures people. A medic just make them more comfortable. While they die."

--Anonymous Soldier, Unknown Date

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Wesley Hudson (Twomz)

In a day and age where God's name is almost exclusively restricted to expletives, you have silently kept your faith alive. Ever since you were a child, you'd followed your parents' faith; every night, before bed, you confessed your sins to God and asked forgiveness before falling asleep. You prepared to dedicate your life to God, dropping out of school to join a neo-Catholic monastery on a remote planet near the fringe of UTP space. Surrounded by other children of God, how could you feel uplifted and enlightened? For over a decade, you spent your life in worship to the Creator.

As the draft was forbidden from forcibly taking members of a certified religious organization, you didn't have to enter the war. One night, however, you experienced the most intense vision of your life. In it, God himself, with Jesus at his right hand and an empty seat on the left, looked at you and commanded,

"Go forth, my child, and do your part in my plan to prevent the spawn of Satan from extinguishing my people. Do this, and your faith shall be rewarded."

Unable to get the vision out of your head, you spoke with the abbot, and he agreed that you should temporarily leave the monastery and go join the war effort. You signed up to join the army; yet, despite not having received any combat training of any sort in your life, you were able to pass tests that were meant for veterans. Due to this excellence in skill, the Special Operations Branch recruited you into their Meggido squad.

At first, you tried to discuss your faith with your teammates, but you quickly found them to hardly be the religious type. Afterwards, you let them be, but ensure to visibly demonstrate that you are keeping faith in God. You are one of the few people to not react with some form of fear to the Liten mission. Even when the Arkons massacred a good number of your teammates when they ambushed the rendezvous point with the colonists, you kept your focus on the Lord above, allowing him to guide your every step. And right now, God's will is for you to help your comrades to get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as human beings...

Game Name:

Twomz

Flavor Name:

Wesley Hudson

Flavor Gender:

Male

Flavor Age:

35

Flavor Role:

Combat Operative

Game Role:

SOB Operative

Role Description:

Other than being a child of God, you're just a normal human being, with no special powers conferred onto you.

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Pal Bixton (AlmasterGM)

Spoiler: Bill Guy (Nero Cain, camn)

Spoiler: Travis Knull (SpyreX)

You were once a regular scout in the UTP Armed Forces. You grew sick of risking your life in pointless conflicts which only served to showcase some distant general's strategy skills, so you deserted the army and managed to sneak onto the fringe colony of Liten. There, you lead a quiet, peaceful life, where people, for the most part, managed to live in amicable fashion.

The tranquil existence ceased after Furry Hampton successfully revolted against the Liten government, stymieing an Arkon infiltration effort in the process. She declared that Liten would stand firm against the UTP's mandate that they would war with whatever colonies refused to join with them. Fearing military retaliation from both the UTP and the Arkons, she immediately began militarization of the population. This time, you entered the drills with heart; you had become a Liten, and you'd be damned if the bureaucratic oafs in the UTP came to take away Liten's freedom. After noticing your still formidable combat skills, Furry quickly appointed you to be in charge of Liten's newfound militia.

When the scientists found the alien artifact, however, all hell broke loose. Despite your vehement protests, Furry surrended to the UTP and used the alien artifact as an incentive to send help to the colony. The two with you, along with a few other colonists, barely managed to escape the capital city alive. Although you cooperated with Furry officially, inside you loathed her decision to take the easy way out instead of standing firm against evil and corruption.

Not long afterwards, an SOB team arrived on Liten to extract the colonists and the alien artifact. An Arkon ambush disrupted escape plans, however, and in the resulting chaos you happened upon an operative who had scouting equipment in his possession. Feeling that your old scouting skills would be needed once again, you took the equipment for yourself. Since the Arkons are jamming planetary communications, the only thing to do is to fall back to the Meggidos' extraction point and get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Game Name:

Spyrex

Flavor Name:

Travis Knull

Flavor Gender:

Male

Flavor Age:

41

Flavor Role:

Former Commander of the Liten Militia

Game Role:

Scout

Role Description:

During the night, you may select one, and only one, of the following actions:
1.

Remote Surveillance:

You plant ROCs (Remote Observation Cameras) outside a single player's insta-house. At the end of the night, you will learn how many people targeted the player that night. Unfortunately, the ROCs' night vision quality has been degraded due to battle damage, so you will be unable to see exactly who targeted your player.
2.

Path Tracing:

You observe another player for the rest of the night; if that player performs an action, you will learn who the player targeted. Unfortunately, since you can't have your eyes everywhere at once and you have to stay back a safe distance, the odds that you'll be able to spot someone visiting the player are so astronomically small as to be called nonexistent.

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Mac "Psycho" O'Leary (LynchMePls)

If you didn't happen to be in the Special Operations Branch, you'd probably be hospitalized for psychopathy. You can't quite explain your blood lust or your urge to laugh maniacally as you administer your kills. Perhaps it was all the villains you portrayed as a young lad, acting out the diabolical lives of criminal masterminds. No, that was an effect. Truth be told, you just love the concept of chaos, and your continual habit of straddling the line between sanity and insanity produces a most interesting point of view.

After you joined the army to find some chaos, you became a very proficient heavy soldier, frequently utilizing shoulder-mounted laser cannons, tactical nukes, and other destuctive devices. As a result, the SOB recruited you and put you on the Meggidos, where you make constant application of your deadly craft. It isn't enough to simply eliminate the target; you gotta make sure that bitch is dead as sin. Ain't that the honest truth?

While others viewed the Liten mission as the greatest challenge of their lives, you simply see more chaos, more carnage, more craziness. After the Arkons ambushed the rendezvous with the colonist and massacred a good number of Meggidos, you were the only person who could still be found laughing at the end of it all. Despite all this, you know better than to start randomly offing your buddies in order to find out which of them are Arkons. If one decides to show itself, you know what to do with it. Right now, the orders are just to get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Game Name:

LynchMePlz

Flavor Name:

Mac O'Leary, AKA "Psycho"

Flavor Gender:

Male

Flavor Age:

25

Flavor Role:

Heavy Combat Operative

Game Role:

SOB Operative

Role Description:

Other than being two petunias short of insanity, you're just a normal human being, with no special powers conferred onto you.

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Arthur Williams (danakillsu)

Throughout your life, you've been a bit of a know-it-all. Regrettably for you, you never quite seemed to realize just how much it pissed people off when you stepped in and solved all their problems for them. You always chalked it up to your condition of Asperger's syndrome, your habit of taking people's words too literally.

Due to your considerable intellect, the Special Operations Branch conscripted you to work for their Intelligence Division. Once they found out you were also proficient in combat, able to diagnose almost any mechanical problem nigh instantly, and highly adaptable to changing battlefield conditions, you were reassigned from a desk job to field operations, where you worked with the Meggido squad. Although the hells you and the Meggidos went through brought you close together with the rest of the squad, there was still resentment for your tendency to butt your head in to fix their every problem.

The Liten mission, though the most dangerous assignment you've ever been given, didn't faze you in the slightest. As you met up with the surviving colonists, however, the Arkons ambushed you and forced a hasty retreat. Since you can't be certain which of your comrades are now impersonated by Arkons, you've taken it upon yourself to retrieve Medic Larson's equipment from his body, and are prepared to administer treatment in his stead. Beyond that, all you can really do is try to get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Game Name:

danakillsu

Flavor Name:

Arthur Williams

Flavor Gender:

Male

Flavor Age:

28

Flavor Role:

Combat Operative

Game Role:

Medic

Role Description:

Every night, you may target one player. If the player is targeted for a kill that night, their death will be delayed by one game-day. All players will be notified that the target is going to die, but role and alignment won't be revealed until the target actually dies.

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

"A doctor cures people. A medic just make them more comfortable. While they die."

--Anonymous Soldier, Unknown Date

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Simona Sanchez (Bowser, Untrod Tripod)

Spoiler: Joshua Gordon (Thor665)

Liten was good to you. You didn't have to deal with the dreadful bureaucracy that plagued the UTP, you could study Liten's xenobiology and simply enjoy it, and you had a beautiful wife who was perfectly content to raise the kids and keep house while you reveled in your observations. When Governor Sarah St. Kerrigan was rumored to be considering an alliance with the UTP to gain protection from the distant Arkons, you were fearful for the future. Then good ol' Furry survived the tumultuous lynch mob that St. Kerrigan initiated and took control of the government, and her declaration to stand against the UTP made you happy once more.

Life never went back to completely normal, though. First, Furry appointed you as the colony's new lead scientist, following Dr. York's death; this brought a whole host of new, annoying responsibilities. On top of that, Furry demanded that the colonists begin training in combat techniques, in the event of UTP or Arkon assault. While you understood the necessity, it still grated against your peaceful, scientific nature.

When an exploration team discovered the alien artifact, you felt unbridled excitement, further intensified when you realized that the artifact was not Arkon in origin. Alas, before you could fully study the artifact, the Arkons launched a full-scale invasion of Liten. To your dismay, Furry promptly surrendered to the UTP in exchange for military assistance. As if that wasn't terrible enough, your entire family was massacred by the vile Arkons. You barely were able to help Furry and a small band of colonists break out of the capital city with the alien artifact.

Somehow, you managed to avoid being detected by the Arkons as you waited to see whether the UTP would choose to intervene. They sent an SOB team, whose primary concern was with the alien artifact. Then the Arkons ambushed you, slaughtered so many of you, and only a hasty retreat prevented total disaster. Now, your primary concern is with getting the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Game Name:

Thor665

Flavor Name:

Joshua Gordon

Flavor Gender:

Female

Flavor Age:

37

Flavor Role:

Former Lead Scientist of Liten

Game Role:

Colonist

Role Description:

Other than being a dedicated scientist, you're just a normal human being, with no special powers conferred onto you.

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

[MODNOTE]:

Due to a copy-paste fail, Thor's Flavor Gender is listed as female instead of male, a fact that he humorously referenced in a few of his future posts, and which I myself poked fun at in his death scene.

Spoiler: Dylan Richards (daniel94581, Cogito Ergo Sum)

You're used to being the strong, silent type. Because of your attitude, girls have often flocked to you with their problems, exchanging ear time for bed time. It's been a deal that's worked out decently enough for you, but you couldn't help but feel slightly above the women who've shared themselves with you. Or perhaps that was just an after effect of your less common variation on male prostitution.

When the Arkons began assaulting the human race, the draft found you swiftly enough. Your stamina proved to be extraordinary, but it was your innate ability to psychoanalyze other humans that caught the attention of the Special Operations Branch. It wasn't long before they recruited you and assigned you to the Megiddo squad. There, you met fellow operative Ingrid Muenster. Like the other women you'd known, she was prone to excessive chitchat; unlike the other women, however, she was perfectly willing to engage in philosophical diatribe with you, step by step, even if she didn't always understand all the concepts you brought up. To top it off, she was by far the best sexual performer you'd ever consummated, and that was including the three-night stand with Miss Utopia. Even as the Meggidos went through hell time and time again, Ingrid was always there, as ready to support you as you were her. She was...perfect. You even dared to let yourself believe that you loved her.

Then the Liten mission came along, by far the toughest assignment you and the Meggidos would face yet. Things seemed to go fine, until the rendezvous with the surviving colonists. Then an Arkon ambushed took out a number of good troops and forced a rapid retreat. With communications being jammed, the only thing to do is fall back to the extraction point and wait for the

Apollyon

. At least Ingrid's still her same old self...right?

Regardless, the best thing to do now is get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Game Name:

Cogito Ergo Sum

Flavor Name:

Dylan Richards

Flavor Gender:

Male

Flavor Age:

28

Flavor Role:

Morale Operative

Game Role:

Neighbor

Role Description:

During the night and in the pregame, you and Ingrid Muenster (Game Name: apathyplusCUPCAKES) may converse privately with each other via this quicktopic.

Additionally, during the night, you may collaboratively target another player. If the action is successful, that player will join your Neighborhood; after all, when it comes to sex, the more the merrier!

This action may only be performed once, and you will not be told the alignment or role of the recruited player. As long as both you and Ingrid are alive, you must show agreement on the target choice, either via separate action PMs or quicktopic agreement (in the case of the latter, one of you must still send a PM submitting the recruit action).

Alignment:

Human

Win Condition:

You win when all Arkon players have been eliminated.

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

The Arkon Role PMs

[MODNOTE]:

These PMs were the reason the role assigning process took as long as it did. >_>

Spoiler: Evelyn "Kestrel" Falconi, AKA Vrytag Akkeisoon ae Yuuikoolde Makketpaal (MagnaofIllusion)

In the seventy-odd years of your young life, you've become well versed in the ways of taikompesen. In particular, your shapeshifting skills have garnered significant renown, which led to the honorable opportunity to be allowed to compete within the Shutsuskadu Rolkubun. You are also one of the few Arkons to have the privilege of acquiring a fourth name at such a young age. When strydbaruwed was initiated with the newfound alien race, the Akuhitoslik, your shapeshifting skills proved up to the task of hitoslik shapecraft, something not many Arkons were able to do. As a result, the Shukot of the Infiltration Division put you on the shinskadu team Malkyou, along with three other infiltrators.

Malkyou was among the military units sent to invade the hitoslik colony they call Liten and retrieve the newly-discovered Onaangee Gietsuk, only the second such device found in Arkon history. Although misuse resulted in the first Gietsuk's destruction, the technological advantage it lent the Arkons was immense, and it most assuredly was the reason the Arkons have triumphed in strydbaruwed over seven other alien species. It would be most disadvantageous to allow the pathetic akuhitoslik a chance to acquire a Gietsuk.

Along with an algebatto unit, you and the rest of Malkyou have ambushed a hitoslik junskadu team sent to retrieve the Geitsuk. In the confusion, you and your fellow akuhitoskadu assassinated and assimilated the identities of four akuhitoslik. Although you could simply slaughter the rest of the akuhitoslik now, Malkyou has an opportunity to use this mission to infiltrate the Funiskadu that brought them here, and an opportunity to examine hitoslik skadu technology--the one area where they are more advanced than the Arkons. Considering that success would likely mean acquisition of a fifth name and a chance to compete on the Shuk level, you have agreed to join the rest of Malkyou in attempting this charuitji...

Game Name:

MagnaofIllusion

Arkon Name:

Vrytag Akkeisoon ae Yuuikoolde Makketpaal

Arkon Age:

74

Game Role:

Hitoskadu

Team Description:

As a part of the shinskadu team Malkyou, you are impersonating a member of the human junskadu, along with three fellow akuhitoskadu: Haburikrag ae Kalmoku Magriki (Feysal), who is simply a Hitoskadu, like you; Shuk Shinwaar ae Tantlok Fokasugaan ae Tsukukrag Salkigou (Square Obscure), who is also a Shuk ou Kogee Verdetate; and Shuk Abunabed Iwarots ae Roershif Faundegrond (Nobody Special), who is also a Shuk ou Kogee Komimi.

The four of you may talk with each other at any time, day or night, via Kogee Praatshab. In addition, you may collaboratively decide on a person to kill via Kogee Valbatsu. One of you must submit an action PM to me in order for the kill order to count, and you must also submit the name of the person carrying out the Kogee Valbatsu.

Role Description:

As a simple Hitoskadu, you have no special abilities other than those previously mentioned.

Alignment:

Arkon

Win Condition:

You win when the Arkons comprise at least fifty percent of all living players, or nothing can prevent such from occurring.

Your basic assimilation of your victim's memory has revealed this information about her life.

Flavor Name: Evelyn Falconi, AKA "Kestrel"
Flavor Gender: Female
Flavor Age: 25
Flavor Role: Reconnaissance Operative

You've always had an uncanny gut feeling. When your father died in an orbital collision while you were a child, you'd felt a terrible queasiness fall all over your body, long before the first casualty report was even posted. At age sixteen, the explosion at the Malgrim Research Facility occurred, killing your boyfriend of three years as he was visiting his father at work. Once again, you felt a terrible nausea, even though you didn't hear about the explosion until days later.

Eventually, a Special Operations Branch domestic operative heard of you, and immediately you were signed on by the SOB as a part of their secret Psychic Development Program. There, you were put through rigorous testing and training, and eventually your gut feeling was conditioned to the point that you could use your gut to detect hostile forces almost a good half kilometer before a conventional infantry motion tracker. As a result, you were given supplemental training as a field operative and, upon finishing that, received an assignment with the Meggido squad.

You interacted with the other members of your squad, initially just to improve the efficiency of your gut. As you and the other Meggidos survived suicide mission after suicide mission, however, the forced friendships developed into meaningful bonds. Now, undertaking the Arkon mission, you're prepared to do your best in giving your comrades the advantage they need to successfully complete the mission.

Somehow, the Arkon ambush managed to catch you completely off guard. You hadn't even known the Arkons were nearby until their trap was sprung. As you and the surviving Meggidos and colonists break away from the horrid scene, the primary concern now revolves around getting the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Marsha "Black Cat" Thompson, AKA Shuk Abunabed Iwarots ae Roershif Faundegrond (Nobody Special, HackerHuck)

You've always been klienkakaku, the underdog in akutaikompesen. It's not that you were bad, but every time you competed there would always be someone better. You worked diligently, though, and eventually you began to win in taikompesen. Still the Akushukot ignored you, and it wasn't until your one hundred and twenty-fourth year that you were awarded your fourth name. Desperate to prove your worth, you pitted your skills in Kogee Komimi against six Akushuk of the art, and triumphed over all six. As a result, the Shukot of Shutsuskadu Rolkubun awarded you the title of Shuk and allowed you to change your taikompesen to that Rolkubun. Even after proving your mastery of Kogee Komimi, you did not receive the respect you felt you deserved. Thus, you engaged in verbal taikompesen with the Shukot to allow you to join a worthy taikompesen; the result was assignment to the skadu team Malkyou, something considerably beneath your station; nevertheless, you endured the humiliation.

Malkyou was among the military units sent to invade the hitoslik colony they call Liten and retrieve the newly-discovered Onaangee Gietsuk, only the second such device found in Arkon history. Although misuse resulted in the first Gietsuk's destruction, the technological advantage it lent the Arkons was immense, and it most assuredly was the reason the Arkons have triumphed in strydbaruwed over seven other alien species. It would be most disadvantageous to allow the pathetic akuhitoslik a chance to acquire a Gietsuk.

Along with an algebatto unit, you and the rest of Malkyou have ambushed a hitoslik junskadu team sent to retrieve the Geitsuk. In the confusion, you and your fellow akuhitoskadu assassinated and assimilated the identities of four akuhitoslik. Although you could simply slaughter the rest of the akuhitoslik now, Malkyou has an opportunity to use this mission to infiltrate the Funiskadu that brought them here, and an opportunity to examine hitoslik skadu technology--the one area where they are more advanced than the Arkons. Considering that success would undeniably prove your inherent skill as a competitor and as a Shuk ou Kogee Komimi, you have agreed to join the rest of Malkyou in attempting this charuitji...

Game Name:

HackerHuck

Arkon Name:

Shuk Abunabed Iwarots ae Roershif Faundegrond

Arkon Age:

124

Game Role:

Shuk ou Kogee Komimi

Team Description:

As a part of the shinskadu team Malkyou, you are impersonating a member of the human junskadu, along with three fellow akuhitoskadu: Haburikrag ae Kalmoku Magriki (Feysal) and Vrytag Akkeisoon ae Yuuikoolde Makketpaal (MagnaofIllusion), who are simply Hitoskadu, and Shuk Shinwaar ae Tantlok Fokasugaan ae Tsukukrag Salkigou (Square Obscure), who is also a Shuk ou Kogee Verdetate.

The four of you may talk with each other at any time, day or night, via Kogee Praatshab. In addition, you may collaboratively decide on a person to kill via Kogee Valbatsu. One of you must submit an action PM to me in order for the kill order to count, and you must also submit the name of the person carrying out Kogee Valbatsu.

Role Description:

At nighttime, as a Shuk ou Kogee Verdetate, you may establish a mental block in the mind of a player of your choice. Unless interfered with by another action, that player will be unable to perform any action that night. You cannot perform Kogee Verdetate and Kogee Valbatsu on the same night.

Alignment:

Arkon

Win Condition:

You win when the Arkons comprise at least fifty percent of all living players, or nothing can prevent such from occurring.

Your basic assimilation of your victim's memory has revealed this information about her life.

Flavor Name:

Marsha Thompson, AKA "Black Cat"

Flavor Gender:

Female

Flavor Age:

35

Flavor Role:

Munitions Operative

At one point in your life, you knew how to love people, even getting engaged to a man named Dean Lockheart when you were twenty-one. A mere month before you were to be wed, however, a group of gangsters kidnapped, raped, and tortured your future husband for the entertainment factor, and by the time they were through with him, Dean had succumbed to death's embrace. Simultaneously grief-stricken and enraged, you took your custom-built laser pistol, hunted down each and every motherfucker responsible for Dean's death, and remorselessly terminated them.

The city police uncovered evidence that you committed the murders, and would have moved in to arrest you had the Special Operations Branch not interfered on your behalf. As compensation, they conscripted you to work with the Black Star team. Your innate skill with handling, modifying, and constructing a wide array of firearms, combined with Gun-Katsu prowess, impressed your teammates. In 2483, a miscue on the part of Intelligence resulted in the deaths of every single Black Star except for you. Again, you felt numb, but the SOB quickly reassigned you to a new team and sent you on a deep-space assignment before your desire for vengeance kicked in. Less than two months later, this new team was also utterly exterminated except for you; upon reassignment to the Meggidos, your new squadmates quickly nicknamed you "Black Cat".

Although nothing drastically unfortunate occurred after you became a Meggido, you took to the habit of staying practically aloof from the rest of your squad, and they let you do it. You found bitter solace in the company of your weapons. Inanimate objects, yet when you treated them right, they'd never betray you. You've even taken to naming your personal weaponry: your laser rifle is "Sherry", your laser pistol is "Madeline", and you vibration knife is "Judith". You aren't the first soldier to name their weaponry, but you are one of the few to talk to them as if they were actual people.

In 2186, the event you pessimistically expected to occur seems to have arrived. The mission to Liten has just gone horribly wrong, with the Arkons ambushing the rendezvous between the Meggidos and the colonists. Now, with planetary communications jammed and a good number of Meggidos dead, your primary concern is to get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Geordi Moss, AKA Haburikrag ae Kalmoku Magriki (Feysal)

You are a rather pathetic excuse for an Arkon. After all, it took you seventy years to score just high enough to be allowed to compete in the Kikyplek section of the Sosikaal, and as a mere bubensol for the Algebatto Rolkubun at that. When strydbaruwed was initiated against a new alien species, the Akuhitoslik, it was discovered via a widespread test that you were quite adept at shapeshifting into hitoslik form. As a result, you were taken out of the Algebatto Rolkubun and put on the shinskadu team Malkyou, along with three other members of the Shutsuskadu Rolkubun.

Malkyou was among the military units sent to invade the hitoslik colony they call Liten and retrieve the newly-discovered Onaangee Gietsuk, only the second such device found in Arkon history. Although misuse resulted in the first Gietsuk's destruction, the technological advantage it lent the Arkons was immense, and it most assuredly was the reason the Arkons have triumphed in strydbaruwed over seven other alien species. It would be most disadvantageous to allow the pathetic akuhitoslik a chance to acquire a Gietsuk.

Along with an algebatto unit, you and the rest of Malkyou have ambushed a hitoslik junskadu team sent to retrieve the Geitsuk. In the confusion, you and your fellow akuhitoskadu assassinated and assimilated the identities of four akuhitoslik. Although you could simply slaughter the rest of the akuhitoslik now, Malkyou has an opportunity to use this mission to infiltrate the Funiskadu that brought them here, and an opportunity to examine hitoslik skadu technology--the one area where they are more advanced than the Arkons. Knowing the immense amount of glory that stands to be reaped from successfully accomplishing this venture, you and the rest of Malkyou have consented to attempting this charuitji...

Game Name:

Feysal

Arkon Name:

Haburikrag ae Kalmoku Magriki

Arkon Age:

114

Game Role:

Hitoskadu

Team Description:

As a part of the shinskadu team Malkyou, you are impersonating a member of the human junskadu, along with three fellow akuhitoskadu: Vrytag Akkeisoon ae Yuuikoolde Makketpaal (MagnaofIllusion), who is simply a Hitoskadu, like you; Shuk Shinwaar ae Tantlok Fokasugaan ae Tsukukrag Salkigou (Square Obscure), who is also a Shuk ou Kogee Verdetate; and Shuk Abunabed Iwarots ae Roershif Faundegrond (Nobody Special), who is also a Shuk ou Kogee Komimi.

The four of you may talk with each other at any time, day or night, via Kogee Praatshab. In addition, you may collaboratively decide on a person to kill via Kogee Valbatsu. One of you must submit an action PM to me in order for the kill order to count, and you must also submit the name of the person carrying out the Kogee Valbatsu.

Role Description:

As a simple Hitoskadu, you have no special abilities other than those previously mentioned.

Alignment:

Arkon

Win Condition:

You win when the Arkons comprise at least fifty percent of all living players, or nothing can prevent such from occurring.

Your basic assimilation of your victim's memory has revealed this information about his life.

Flavor Name: Geordi Moss
Flavor Gender: Male
Flavor Age: 27
Flavor Role: Morale Operative

You were a musical prodigy with the misfortune to be the child of poor parents on Earth. After slogging your way through the mandatory school years, you signed on with the army because at least it was a crap job that took you around the galaxy. Although you were decent enough in combat, your real value came from using your musical talents to lift the morale of the troops around you. It wasn't long before the Special Operations Branch took notice of your unique abilities and conscripted you into the Meggido squad.

Since then, you've been an integral part in keeping up the morale of your fellow squad members. They value your presence, and for once you feel like you actually belong, like you truly matter to other people. Even though the hells you and the other Meggidos face are truly terrible, you and Simona, the Megiddos' self-appointed comedian, can bring a happy note to the others' lives.

Even though the invasion of Liten is the most dangerous combat you have faced to date, you feel positive that the Meggidos will once again pull through. Of course, the Arkons caught you and your other squadmates off guard during the rendezvous with the surviving colonists, inflicting severe casualties. With your comrades dying left and right, your main concern now is simply to get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Spoiler: Ellen Abalyski, AKA Shuk Shinwaar ae Tantlok Fokasugaan ae Tsukukrag Salkigou (Square Obscure)

You have proven yourself most resilient in all of your akutaikompesen, and not merely in the realm of shapeshifting. You have worked hard to develop your skill in the art of Kogee Verdetate, and now, in your one hundred and thirtieth year of existence, the Shukot of the Shutsuskadu Rolkubun has seen fit to declare you a Shuk ou Kogee Verdetate, one of the best in your craft. The title also came with a reassignment to the skadu team Malkyou, and you relish the chance at a combat taikompesen.

Malkyou was among the military units sent to invade the hitoslik colony they call Liten and retrieve the newly-discovered Onaangee Gietsuk, only the second such device found in Arkon history. Although misuse resulted in the first Gietsuk's destruction, the technological advantage it lent the Arkons was immense, and it most assuredly was the reason the Arkons have triumphed in strydbaruwed over seven other alien species. It would be most disadvantageous to allow the pathetic akuhitoslik a chance to acquire a Gietsuk.

Along with an algebatto unit, you and the rest of Malkyou have ambushed a hitoslik junskadu team sent to retrieve the Geitsuk. In the confusion, you and your fellow akuhitoskadu assassinated and assimilated the identities of four akuhitoslik. Although you could simply slaughter the rest of the akuhitoslik now, Malkyou has an opportunity to use this mission to infiltrate the Funiskadu that brought them here, and an opportunity to examine hitoslik skadu technology--the one area where they are more advanced than the Arkons. Considering that success would solidify your position as a Shuk of Kogee Verdetate, you have agreed to join the rest of Malkyou in attempting this charuitji...

Game Name:

Square Obscure

Arkon Name:

Shuk Shinwaar ae Tantlok Fokasugaan ae Tsukukrag Salkigou

Arkon Age:

130

Game Role:

Shuk ou Kogee Verdetate

Team Description:

As a part of the shinskadu team Malkyou, you are impersonating a member of the human junskadu, along with three fellow akuhitoskadu: Haburikrag ae Kalmoku Magriki (Feysal) and Vrytag Akkeisoon ae Yuuikoolde Makketpaal (MagnaofIllusion), who are simply Hitoskadu, and Shuk Abunabed Iwarots ae Roershif Faundegrond (Nobody Special), who is also a Shuk ou Kogee Komimi.

The four of you may talk with each other at any time, day or night, via Kogee Praatshab. In addition, you may collaboratively decide on a person to kill via Kogee Valbatsu. One of you must submit an action PM to me in order for the kill order to count, and you must also submit the name of the person carrying out Kogee Valbatsu.

Role Description:

At nighttime, as a Shuk ou Kogee Verdetate, you may establish a mental barrier around a player of your choice. Unless interfered with by another action, that player will be immune to death that night. You are allowed to use Kogee Verdetate on yourself; however, you cannot perform Kogee Verdetate and Kogee Valbatsu on the same night.

Alignment:

Arkon

Win Condition:

You win when the Arkons comprise at least fifty percent of all living players, or nothing can prevent such from occurring.

Your basic assimilation of your victim's memory has revealed this information about her life.

Flavor Name:

Ellen Abalyski

Flavor Gender:

Female

Flavor Age:

30

Flavor Role:

Morale Operative

You always wanted to be a real chef when you were growing up. From the first time you created macaroni and cheese from scratch as a child to the third time you won the Philo planet-wide cook-off as a high-school graduate, the passion for food has fueled your life. You rode a scholarship through a prestigious cooking academy on Bluesky and worked for a restaurant of interstellar renown before returning to your home planet at age twenty-five to open your own restaurant,

Abalyski's

. After almost five years of operation,

Abalyski's

was on track for an interstellar rating.

Of course, that's when the Arkons decided to attack the human race, prompting the UTP to initiate a draft. Since you always had good muscle development due to habitual workouts, the draft picked you up and threw you in with the rest of the army grunts. There, you made a name for yourself by preparing standard rations in a way that were actually delicious. Realizing that they couldn't let your talents be squandered by the chaps in the army, the Special Operations Branch recruited you and assigned you to their Meggido squad.

There, you've toughed through some wretched scenarios, but at the end of it all you could always come up with a good meal out of nothing more than methane and granite dust, and your teammates loved you for it. The Liten mission proved to be a different story altogether. The Arkon ambush claimed the lives of many of your friends, and of the Meggidos and colonists who still remain alive, there is not much hope. You'll help raise morale when you can, but ultimately you just need to get the hell off of Liten. Preferably as a human being...

Please confirm your role via PM. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. The game thread can be found here

Some Thoughts from the Mod

1. The final word count for the in-game flavor is 45,773 words. When the Role PM word count is tacked onto that, it becomes 55,118 words. I didn't even bother tracking down the Night Action PMs, but regardless, I did a

hell

of a lot of writing this game, even more than I'd originally anticipated (and I was already anticipating a flavor-heavy game). That said, at least I managed to actually finish the flavor process on time and make the final scene that much more poignant.

2. I am self-admittedly a flavor mod, but despite the quality of the story I presented, even I have to say I went overboard on this one. I let the story go wherever the hell it wanted to go, and I feel that this might've detracted a bit from the overall quality of the game (particularly when I got way behind on the flavor). One of the things I will have to do during my hiatus is reevaluate how I handle the flavor process of a game. I refuse to make low-quality flavor, but at the same time, there is a difference between doing well and doing too much.

3. The major new role in this game was the Medic, and despite putting two of them in the game, they still managed to die by Night 1's end. While frustrating, at least it was a humorous reminder of Murphy's Law. This role will be showing up in one of my games again at some point in the future, if only so I can actually see it in action.

4. The setup I felt was a little swingy (with a Vig and an Arkon Doc), but even though the Arkon Doc got lynched Day 1, the Vig misfired enough times that the Arkons weren't truly hurt by this loss. Then both the town protective roles went down Night 1, and a deathfest ensued. All in all, I'm happy with the setup (minus the minor fail on the Scout role, yet another half-decent attempt by me to make a combo investigative role).

5. Congratulations to the town on their first victory in one of my games! At first, I thought town had the sure victory, especially when they had all but one Arkon dead by Day 4. Magna played a hell of a game, though, and managed to take it right down to the wire. Yet another dramatic finish to a SaintKerrigan game (minus the cult controversy, lol).

6. I dropped a fairly obvious hint in the endgame scene for an upcoming game of mine that I'm expecting to overshadow Return to Liten in terms of epic scale, and not just in the flavor realm. It's been in development for over half a year, so I figured I'd go ahead and soft-advertise it. It's definitely not being run until summer at the earliest, though. (Just to drop a hint on how epic this game will be, one of the mechanics is going to revolutionize the entire player flavor and role aspect. Think RPG, but in a mafia game, and you'll get an idea of where I'm going with the mechanic.)

7. There

are

tentative idea concepts for a third Liten game, but as of now that's all there is. That said, if Liten 3 were to be run I'd definitely try to bring back the surviving characters to play a part in it.

Thanks for playing my game. It was a pleasure modding all of you (even if the flavor writing was hellish at times), and I'd love to see all of you in one of my games again.

SaintKerrigan · Mon Jan 31, 2011 3:49 am

Feysal wrote:"Think RPG, but in a mafia game..." I've seen something like that done off-site. It was not pretty. Of course I can't guess how RPG-like you are thinking here, but the game I'm talking about was a mess.

I guess I should clarify that I'm thinking more along the lines of video game RPG mechanics (like Dragon Age: Origins) versus something where everyone is forced to actually roleplay (I've never found that to work too well within the confines of a mafia game).

Essentially, there will be a Character Creation System, where every player gets to tech up specific skills that enhance their ability to play the game; additionally, there will be an option for every player to at least have some choice in who their flavor character is. On top of that, the Sleep Cycle and the Item and Inventory mechanics have both been revamped, and the game will have a hurt/heal-type mechanic that replaces the standard lynch (see the War in Heaven games to get an idea about the hurt/heal mechanic), and the game will end after a specific period of time

not

told to the players (unless someone wins the game first). (In retrospect, this all could probably have gone into the Game Announcement thread, but whatever. You guys get to hear it first.)

So yeah, I might as well straight-up say it: Descent into Chaos II is coming out this year, hopefully in the summer. With excellent flavor, of course...

SaintKerrigan · Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:09 am

Wraith wrote:Also: @SK: Is Red vs. Blue Mafia based on the series, or something else?

Yes, it is based on the series. (Well, currently the first five seasons, but that part isn't set in stone.)

@ Feysal: Yeah, with the way DiC II will be set up all actions resolve at the end of a phase (and there's four phases per game-day, with each phase lasting three rl days), so waiting for people to get online won't be an issue. Your example is not far off from what I'm planning, except the stats (or attributes, as I'm calling them) extend to more than the combat (hurt/heal) mechanic. There's magical items in the game separate from the combat items, and these will have abilities more related to actual "roles" in mafia games (like cop, doc, and roleblocker).

If you're interested in this, you might be interested in reading the first Descent into Chaos game, since some of the mechanics in the sequel were present in the first one.

SaintKerrigan · Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:32 am

Thanks, Magna.

Also, fun fact: Pal Bixton is a modified anagram of Bill Paxton, the name of the actor who played Hudson in

Aliens

. It isn't coincidental that the two characters have a similar behavior...

Another fun fact:

Aliens

in general was a large source of inspiration behind the story theme of Return to Liten, and there were at least a couple of references to that movie beyond Pal Bixton (the "game over" line at the beginning, Sara yelling "Get away from her, you

bitch

!" in the last scene).

SaintKerrigan · Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:37 pm

ThAdmiral wrote:Um...pre-in?

Sure.

SaintKerrigan · Sun Feb 27, 2011 4:34 pm

...and with the deafening silence of thunder does this leviathan fall to sleep.