Splicers - I Am Legion - IC Thread

[Psychie]

Toni slowly lowers her rifle as she watches the wounded animal limp away, leading the rest of the pack. She says, “Hold your fire. No need to kill it unless it comes back and wants a rematch.”

She checks her radar for any sign of approaching robotic foes that were drawn to the sound of the fighting. In any case, Toni says, “Time to move out. This position is compromised. Gather up your gear and be ready to march in five minutes. We’ll find somewhere else to rest. Move to live, people.”

 

[Purr]

"Chaska copy."

Chaska stands down and gives an until-now audible sigh of relief. Having no gear to gather up, he assumes his position watching the party's back as Tail-end Charlie and covers everyone until Cerberus + Friends are ready to move on.

 

[Sherwood]

When Toni checks her radar, she can see that there are several robotic aircraft flying nearby, but their path doesn't indicate that they are aware of the fight that just took place. Leaving here is still probably a good idea, but to do so safely, you'll need to stick to the ground or else you could be discovered by the multitude of aircraft in the area. It was a good call for the squad to keep from using their louder weapons or else you'd have been drawing in an unwanted Machine presence.

Moving along, it takes another full day of travel for the squad to get to the tunnel and cave complex that makes up the safe nest of Avalon. The underground entrance is guarded by a pair of Dreadguards and a Bombardier controlling a quartet of Mantis Cannons. They greet you with a genuinely friendly attitude with handshakes and fist-bumps. One of the guards says, "Welcome home, Cerberus Squad. We've been waiting for you. Word of your arrival has been sent ahead, and we've received word to have you wait here for your escort."

Just as promised, two Splicers in their Host Armor and wearing the distinctive robes of the Royal Guards come walking up. Only the best of the best of the Dreadguard are ever offered positions in the Royal Guard, so it is natural for everyone to show them a high level of respect whenever dealing with them. These two guards offer up respectful bows, and indicate that you should follow them. "Please, come with us. We've been tasked with escorting you to the meeting chamber where Warlord Artemis and the Senate are already waiting for you."

The usually packed and bustling hallways quiet down and part ways for the Royal Guard, making it much faster for you to make your way to the meeting room. It isn't like you need directions through the halls to find your way or that you would dawdle and get lost; it is more likely that Warlord Artemis wants you there in the meeting as soon as possible. Time is of the essence with the threat of Legion looming high in the background.

Warlord Artemis’ chamber is sealed by a pair of twenty foot tall, polished oak doors, but the Royal Guards’ powerful suits of Host Armor allow them to push these heavy doors open with ease. As the group enters the chamber, they see a heated discussion already taking place. The guards motion the group to remain in the doorway until they are addressed. Warlord Artemis the Fourth is sitting at the far end of a massive table that is large enough to seat thirty. Seated around this table is the entire Senate, twenty of the most heroic Dreadguards within House Artemis. These legendry warriors have served their House with distinction for decades and now they are Warlord Artemis’ most trusted advisors. They are arguing ferociously about how to handle the current crisis as Warlord Artemis looks on intently.

As the group waits to give your report, you glance around the chamber. The room itself is circular with polished marble walls and a high, domed ceiling. The walls are covered with more of the same silk tapestries and marble statues that lined the hallway leading in. The chamber is basically empty except for the finely crafted table sitting in the center of the room and the twenty Royal Guards standing motionless along the walls. The room is well lit by dozens of organic glow cells, but the way they are arranged casts a series of shadows that adds to the ominous and intimidating feeling of the room. Warlord Artemis allowed the discussion to continue for a few minutes after the squad arrives, but he eventually raises a single hand to silence the room.

Once the room falls silent, the Warlord motions for the members of Cerberus to approach the table. With a voice that carries in the chamber, the Warlord says, "Welcome, Cerberus. We have been waiting for you to report in on what happened at New Harrisburg. Please. Enlighten us."

Purr Psychie celestialbody Eonivar

 

[Psychie]

Toni feels the tightness in her throat as the focus of the room turns to her. She takes a step forward and clears her throat, trying to muster the courage to face the Warlord and the assembled Senate. Finally, she says, "Sir, there is a new threat out there, a new personality of the Machine that calls herself Legion. The attempt to destroy the mobile base of operation that the warriors of House Deluvane called the Factory Walker was a complete failure, and we barely escaped with our lives to tell the tale. Sir, the scientists on the Kraken have come up with a bio-recorder that we had operating during the attempt on the Walker, and we have many copies of the whole event with us. It will be much faster to take the time to review the bio-recording we have than for us to relate our impressions of the fight." Toni takes the bio-recorder in hand and offers it up to the Warlord, waiting for him to ask for it before approaching him.

 

[Sherwood]

Warlord Artimes motions for Toni to approach him, and he holds out his hand to take the bio-recorder from you. "Thank you, Sergeant. We have received messages from Chief Rybeck of the Kraken about these creations, and in his messages, he informed us that there were going to be copies of the mission sent along with you. We will take the time for all members of the Senate to review the images of the mission before we proceed." At this point, he takes the recorder and hooks it to his bio-com and settles back with his eyes half closed as he quickly reviews the mission. While he does this, the guards that escorted you here go around and recover the extra bio-recorders that were sent along with everyone and hand them to other members of the Senate to also review.

As each person finishes watching the video, they pass on their recorder to another member of the Senate to also watch, and for the most part, everyone is silent as each person tries to assimilate the images into their minds and think about what they just watched. It takes several quiet minutes for everyone to watch the images, then almost as if on cue, the Senate once more erupts into chaotic debate. Some members of the Senate are calling for an immediate immobilization of House Artemis, gathering up their forces for a direct assault on the Walker. Other members call for House Artemis to hunker down and let NEXUS and Legion alone to fight it out and destroy each other. Each side seems to believe that the record that the group have brought in is proof that their idea on how to deal with this threat is the best way.

Warlord Artemis, however, realizes there may be another way. With a wave of his hand, Warlord Artemis once again silences the room. He then stands up from his chair and addresses the Senate.

“While discretion has forced us to live underground, it is only through the strength of our military and merciful luck that we, humanity, continues to survive. Burying our heads in the sand and hoping for this storm to pass would be folly, as would throwing our entire army against an enemy we do not understand. But we must act, and we must act now. Make no mistake, Legion is no... savior. She is not the answer to our prayers, but the harbinger of this planet’s doom. We are the strongest Great House within this Area of Influence, and it is our duty to defuse this threat before Legion becomes unstoppable.

“Judging from your report, the speed and precision with which Legion’s forces fell upon your assault teams suggests that she knew of your presence long before you struck, yet she allowed the attack to proceed anyway. She wanted to deliver a message, and not to insult the talents of your team, but I believe you were allowed to escape so that you could deliver it. She wanted to tell us that she can neutralize our most powerful weapon, but what she doesn’t know is that it’s not our only weapon.”

He pauses momentarily to let the gravity of his suggestion sink in. One of the Senators then interjects, “My Lord, you can’t mean the Shell. I thought it was meant only for the most desperate of circumstances.”

“I would say this qualifies,” Artemis calmly replies. “But it’s not like the Kamikazes. It has no failsafe against organic targets. If House Janus or worse yet, House Shiva got their hands on the genetic code, it would be a greater threat to our security than Legion and N.E.X.U.S. combined.”

Warlord Artemis once again raised his hand and quickly silenced the discussion before any other Senators could inject their opinions. He then continued on, “The risk is great, but you underestimate the danger posed by Legion. N.E.X.U.S. has billions of robots at her disposal and yet she can’t stop Legion. She can’t even slow her down. If the Deluvane Splicers were correct, the Factory Walker is the key. The Shell has the power to take it down, but more importantly, its small size will let our people sneak it through the Walker’s defenses. We just need to activate the Shell’s timer, place it in the path of the Factory Walker, and let Legion casually stroll over it. The blast should rip the Walker to shreds. Perhaps we should use two just to be sure.”

He then addresses the members of Cerberus directly. “That is where you come in. You did great work out there. You not only provided us with invaluable intel, but you went toe-to-toe with Legion’s forces and survived. That pretty much makes you the resident experts. I need you to serve your House in this difficult hour. I need you to place these bombs in Legion’s path.” Artemis then turns his attention back to the Senate, “Assign two of your best Sweepers to their team to handle the Shells, and send Drake Benton as well. His Archangel stealth fighter skills have always been impressive. We need to keep the team small and low-profile or else risk repeating Deluvane’s mistakes, but I also want some firepower on this mission.

“Senator Bane, escort them to the armory and make sure they get everything they need. I want them fully briefed and fully equipped within the hour. Time is of the essence, and I want them mobile the second that Deliveryman reports back on Legion’s position. That’s it. Dismissed.”

With that, the Senators quickly pour out of the room to make preparations as Warlord Artemis and his retinue retires to his personal quarters, leaving Cerberus alone with the grizzled war hero, Senator Bane. Even in his late fifties, the Senator still strikes quite an imposing figure. His six foot, three (1.9 m) frame is still heavily muscled, despite his advanced age. His
weathered face bears the scars from a lifetime of military service, including a vicious looking slash that runs down the entire left side of his face and across his throat. How he survived such a wound is a mystery, but it left him with a voice that sounds like he’s gargling gravel. Perhaps this is the reason he rarely speaks, but the perpetually stern look on his face makes it seem unlikely he was ever the chatty type. He is wearing the same elaborate white and red silk robes worn by the rest of the Senate, but for some reason he just looks out of place in them. He looks just as pristine and regal as his fellow Senators, but he looks more like a front-line soldier playing dress up than a professional politician.

Senator Bane gives each of you a quick look up and down with an almost disgusted look on his face, then turns and starts walking out. If it were not for the uncomfortable silence, the player group might have missed the raspy “let’s go” coming from Senator Bane as he quickly walked away. He leads the group through the twisting tunnels of House Artemis to the
armory without saying another word. As soon as Senator Bane enters the armory, the dozen or so Splicers in the waiting area and the clerk standing behind the long stone counter immediately springs to attention. It is not often that anyone from the Senate strolls into the armory unannounced, so it is unclear if the look of terror on the clerk’s face would have been caused by any Senator or if it is specifically due to Senator Bane. As Bane starts hissing orders at the clerk, you watch the other armory attendants busily going about their business. The unique nature of Bio-Technology means its care and storage is also somewhat unique. Like a standard high-tech armory, all the weapons and equipment are neatly filed away on a series of hundreds of shelves. The difference is that all of these shelves are submerged within an enormous pool of nutrient-rich fluid that keeps these weapons alive. The thick pink liquid is clear enough to allow the players to see the armory attendants in their Proto-Host Armor shuttling weapons and suits of Living Armor to and from their designated storage areas. This is one of the main armories for House Artemis so it is absolutely enormous. Even the somewhat low ceilings in this simple stone chamber cannot hide the massive
size of the cavern.

Turning your attention to Senator Bane, he says to the clerk, "Get these people hooked up. I want six Chig grenades, six Bug Bombs, two Migs, and two Slap Patches for each squad member." He looks over to the members of Cerberus and says, "You are also free to requisition a handheld weapon of choice and a heavy rifle. I see that several of you already have Sidekicks. For those of you that don't have one, you can add one of these symbiotic weapons to your arsenal to be bound to your bio-signature."

OOC for celestialbody and Eonivar If you want to, you can add a Sidekick Rifle to your character sheets, with up to 50 bio-e of upgrades available to them to increase range or firepower. If there is anything different that any of you want, here is your chance.

 

[Psychie]

Toni raises an eyebrow when Warlord Artemis starts to give orders, feeling glad that the leaders of the House are taking this threat seriously. She feels a wave of surprise and a touch of awe when Cerberus is put into the very capable hands of Senator Bane. She gathers up the members of the squad and falls in line behind the man, part of her wanting to ask a million questions of the war hero and get his autograph on something, the other part of her cowed into silence as the older man leads them further down into the depths of Avalon to the armory.

When the Senator tells them to gear up, she doesn't say no, even if there is little need for her to take extra explosives. But when a man of his stature tells you to jump, you jump. Toni takes the time needed to attach the various Chigs, Migs and Bug Bombs to her armor, but doesn't waste any time looking over the rifles knowing that she already has a potent two-handed weapon in the form of her own built-in rifle.

Finally, Toni musters up the courage to ask, "Excuse me, sir, if I may ask, but what is the Shell that the other Senator was talking about?"

 

[Sherwood]

The Senator fires off a glare at Toni and says in a harsh tone, "No you may not. No one here is cleared to hear about it, let alone even hearing the name. Even you and your squad aren't on the Need-to-Know list. Stay quiet and keep your ears open. You'll get your briefing on the Sh . . . that weapon soon enough."

 

[Psychie]

<gulp> What did I just step into? "Understood, sir." At that, she stands at ease, watching and waiting.

 

[Eonivar]

When Jin reentered Avalon she felt as if she did not recognize it anymore, it was a replay of nightmares and memories to her. And she had clearly changed since she had left not too long ago. She felt worse as she was lead to debriefing to the Senate and the Warlord. She just could not find in herself a way to want to like any of them, yes, they fought the machine and have enabled House Artemis and those within to survive...but she remembers all the innocents down below, in the lower levels who were tortured or killed by the gangs and the lack of enforcement there (or even by the corrupted enforcement)

To Jin it was almost as if the Dreadguard treated the lower levels as a place to recruit those who could survive such an ordeal, like herself. But if she was not as smart and physically impressive as she was, there would have been no way they would have recruited her. The protectors of humanity? Do they even know what being human is anymore? Or how a human should be treated or taken care of?

There were good Dreadguard, like Toni. Not everyone is bad, but Jin felt like the rulers of House Artemis were more interested in fighting the machine rather then also making sure they do not kill themselves from within, or even making sure that they do not become what they are fighting. After all is said and done...what will humanity be than just as cruel and heartless as the machine itself? And the concept of this Shell weapon terrified her just based on what was said.

Jin remained silent through the whole ordeal and then escort to the armory. She easily took on the Chigs, Migs, patches, and Bug Bombs into her many pouches built on to her host armor. To the question of having a sidekick...Jin responded trying not to sound indignant but respectful towards the Senator.

"Taking on a sidekick could impair my mobility, stealth capabilities, and capabilities as a sniper. I have cultivated a good balance with this Host Armor. Thus I respectfully decline the Sidekick sir."

 

[celestialbody]

Bellamy stood silently beside the rest of the group, his hands stiff at his sides as he subtly fiddled with his fingers. The tension in the chamber was palpable, and the weight of Warlord Artemis’ gaze on everyone was heavy. He kept his eyes trained on the man as Toni took the lead in presenting their report. He was glad she did—this wasn’t his moment to speak. Most of what was being discussed, he hadn't even been present for, and he’d only joined the group at the end. His role was simple—be present and follow orders.

The silence pressed in around them as the Senate debated, their voices rising and falling with fervor. When Warlord Artemis spoke, his words were calculated and direct as he dished out orders on what was happening next.

The quiet moments following the discussion were thick with tension. Bellamy’s gaze flickered to Senator Bane as the grizzled veteran strode out of the room, grunting for them to follow. His presence was commanding, even without much use of words. Bellamy was used to people not liking him, but he wasn’t sure why the senator seemed so aggravated with the rest of the squad.

Either way, Bellamy fell in line without a word, following Senator Bane as he led the squad to the armory. As they entered and started getting equipped, Bellamy nodded, taking all the new equipment offered to him. His curiosity piqued slightly at the chance to acquire a Sidekick, with the Bore type specifically catching his eye.