TaintedMushroom — Roleplayer Guild

Terror On Galaga

Current Logs

Sector G5 - Galaga System - Galaga 6 “Taurus” - Remote Research Outpost
15/43/4389 GSF [Galactic Standard Format MM/DD/YYYY]

Interview with the commanding officer of the responding vessel follows. 

Col // “Good evening Captain, can you state your name for the record?”

Capt // “Captain Geoff Morgan, commanding officer of the LMV Eudora.” 

Col // “Thank you. Now, just go ahead and tell us your take on events please, starting from the top.”

Capt // “Well, sir, we had dropped into the sector on a standard patrol schedule when our comms officer picked up a weak intermittent distress signal. After adjusting our instruments we were able to pinpoint the originating point, an RRO in the local system. After relaying the data to the nearest hyper-comm relay we moved to respond on our own. Upon approach to Galaga 6, known locally as Taurus, we attempted to establish contact with the RRO. Our attempts at communication were unsuccessful, at the time we were unsure if it was due to interference or worse. Proceeding with protocol we breached orbit and, after ensuring no threat of AA interference, proceeded to establish an aerial recon of the facility.”

Col // “One moment, when mentioning communications you said, ‘or worse’. Can you elaborate?”

Capt // “In due time sir, you said you wanted my take, from the top, right?”

Col // “Correct Captain, sorry for the interruption, please proceed.”

Capt // “Right, so aerial recon established that the facility had definitely suffered from some sort of attack. The western most edge of the main compound was breached, a sizable hole leading straight inside. After deliberation a four man squad was sent down in a URV while the LMV would return to orbit and achieve a geo-syncronous position.”

Col // “You mention a four man squad. Who were the members?”

Capt // “You already have this information Colonel, right?”

Col // “Yes Captain, but please state it for the record.”

Capt // “Ahh, right, Yes sir. The squad members were Gunnery Captain Alexis Roderick, Gunnery Captain Bryce Von, Gunnery Lieutenant  Vince Marshall, and 2nd Gunnery Lieutenant Mason Grey.”

Col // “Thank you Captain, now skip ahead a bit to what they encountered upon arrival.”

Capt // “Yes sir, upon arrival Gunnery Captain Alexis, henceforth GC1, reported a gooey viscous fluid coating the opening of the hole into the facility. A thin membrane was present stretching the entire hole that, upon inspection, was revealed to be maintaining atmospheric pressure in the facility. After deliberation the squad attempted to traverse the barrier, finding that it posed little resistance to them and allowed them to pass through without breaking the seal. Upon entry it was immediately apparent that the facility staff had been unaware of the impending attack. Workers decapitated at nearby workstations showed little sign or resistance or even any attempts to flee. Clearly the attackers had managed to breach rapidly and somehow with serious stealth.”

Col // “You said the hole was large right, yet it also sealed the building from atmospheric pressure, and yet the workers hadn’t even left their stations? How is that all possible captain, none of these facts lineup?”

Capt // “I’m just reporting the events to you as we were able to witness and report ourselves, sir, may I continue?”

Col // “Yes Captain, please.”

Capt // “Right, GC1 reported that facility power was down throughout. GC1 and Gunnery Lieutenant Vince, GL1, made the decision to head to the facilities command hub in order to halt the distress and secure facility logs. GC2 and GL2 proceeded on to the sub-level in order to ascertain facility power capabilities. The deeper both units proceeded into the facility the more signs of struggle they reported. It was clear the further along the assailants got the more aware facility staff was and the level of resistance increased. Upon arrival it was quickly established that restoring electrical capabilities was impossible. The equipment was liquified, preliminary tests suggested an acid, lab reports have since confirmed it was a bio-based acidic compound. GC2 and GL2 proceeded to the command hub to link back up with GC1 and GL1.”

Col // “Can you explain to me what evidence was present on the bodies and the facility that might provide insight on the assailant?”

Capt // “Squad reported that the bodies were originally decapitated but as they progressed deeper into the facility things began to get messier. Bodies appeared to have chunks eaten out of them, bodies were divided into many segments. Squad reports rarely spotting bodies that appeared disfigured and morphed beyond previous recognition, weaponized in twisted horrid forms and set upon their previous comrades. There is no evidence of any sustained damage on the beings encountered, it appears like they merely fell over and died in the aftermath.”

Col // “Right, that’s what was written in the report as well.”

Capt // “Reports accurate as written sir, this is all just a waste of time.”

Col // “As you were Captain, we’ll proceed anyways as protocol dictates. Can you pick up where you left off?”

Capt // “Yes Sir, there’s not much more to mention. GC1 reported total destruction of command hubs and facility terminals. It’s a wonder enough was left for a weak distress signal to even be sent out. After confirming logs were unrecoverable and disabling the comm signal GC1 and squad reported back to the URV and returned to the Eudora. Following contingency protocol we slated the facility for erasure and nuked it from orbit, about 4 times. Upon dust down we visually confirmed no trace remained and reported back to the nearest military port for debriefing. Aaaaand now here we are.”

Col // “Thank you Captain, that will be all. All details of this discussion are henceforth classified and any reveal of said details will be handled appropriately, do I make myself clear?”

Capt // “Aye Colonel, anything else Sir?”

Col // “No Captain, you are dismissed, thank you for your honesty. Good day.”

Capt // “Good day,  Sir.”

Capt // "Sir, off the record. My men saw some scary shit while they were down there. Described to me things that made seasoned soldiers shiver. In all my years and many tours I've seen nothing like this. And our unit ain't fresh, we've served in many theatres and many conflicts, but nothing like what we've dealt with looked anything like what we saw down there.

Col // "That'll be all, Captain."

End transcription.

Attached are two files, an audio recording salvaged from a comms unit recovered from a mutilated body at the initial breach point, and a video recording from a security terminal in the command room.

ATTACHMENT 001

***WARNING***
It is recommended that this file not be accessed or played without proper safety equipment and prior authorization. Failure to heed this recommendation will result in penalization.
***WARNING***

Footnote: The above file has been classified and restricted by myself, Doctor D. Nothing can be extrapolated from the data without the proper equipment regardless. In layman's terms the recording only suggests usage of some sort of high powered sonic resonance at the breaching point. It’s impossible to predict how this might have been used in the attack without further data and accessing the file itself is likely to just lead to irreversible auditory damage. Access at your own risk. 	~Doctor D.

ATTACHMENT 002

A blurry soundless image barely depicts the final moments of the command center, clearly the file was damaged before recovery. The recording starts out in a flurry of movement, half dressed staff rush too and fro whilst a trio of engineers works on securing the bulkhead. Behind them stand two security personnel geared up in basic run of the mill power armor. The armor is sleek, providing an extra layer of defense as well as assisted mobility and an enhanced available arsenal. Panic ensues as one of the engineers is knocked from the door, a basketball sized dent having formed in the metal where he once stood. 

Quickly the security personnel train their guns on the door as staff begin scattering as best they can from the breach point. More dents from as the camera shakes, and then everything is still. The room's occupants seem frozen and one might almost assume that the playback was paused. The only giveaway is the occasional shifting in weight from the two armored soldiers.

Suddenly the doors buck once more, twice, and finally with a third heave the left side busts free from the wall and careens across the room, quickly extinguishing three lives. Smoke pours through the opening and security doesn’t hesitate as automatic guns go off and bright flashes of light burst forth from the muzzles. Security empties both weapons, pausing a moment as they reload. One man hesitantly steps forward, easing closer to the opening as he attempts to shine a light through the doorway. The thick smoke obscures the man's vision and after a moment's hesitation he creeps another step further.

In a sudden rush of motion an arm lashes forth from the smoke and wraps its fingers around the faceplate of the man. It’s hard to tell for sure but from the angle of the camera it almost looks as if it’s a human hand grasping the man’s face. The man struggles in futility for a moment and his partner panics unsure of how to react. In a momentary lapse of judgment he fires his gun in the general direction of the door. The armored suit of his partner and the assailant both deflect the bullets which ricochet around the room resulting in further casualties. As the situation devolves the man finally decides to take decisive action and makes a step forward to assist his partner. It becomes clear though that his hesitation cost him as suddenly the off balance man is pulled from the room and into the smoky corridor. 

The remaining soldier stands seemingly paralyzed. Nothing happens for what feels like a painfully long time, though in reality merely moments pass as indicated by the recording’s timestamp. And then suddenly movement towards the bottom of the door. A spherical object bounces its way into the room towards the remaining man. At first he takes a step back as if expecting an explosive but as the object comes to a stop it quickly becomes obvious that no explosives have been tossed into the room. Rather the severed head of the first man who’d been pulled from the room.

The last man falls to his knees, gun slack at his side, hands shaking uncontrollably as he stares at the head sitting on the floor. Moments later a twisted figure marches through the door. It was a man, once. He wears a suit of power armor of his own, armed with two electro swords dangling from each arm. As he slowly steps into the room it becomes obvious that whatever just walked in was certainly no longer human. Stretching from an unknown source behind the man are a number of gray pulsating feelers that seem to have wormed their way into the power armor through a variety of cracks and service ports. The faceplate reveals nothing but a swollen mass of flesh making it clear that whatever controls the man's body is orchestrating him like a puppet rather than controlling his actions.

For moments nothing happens. The marionette stands completely still as more gray feelers enter the room from beyond, stretching and unfurling across the floor as if searching for further occupants. The true intentions are quickly revealed though as any that come into contact with the dead start to wrap and envelop the bodies, their purpose unknown. Suddenly the last soldier lunges forward, arms outstretched as if attempting one final desperate move. The marionette barely seems to register before it’s arm twitches and, with a quickness that the human body can’t naturally endure, beheads the man, shearing through the armor as if butter. The man's head flies through the air growing in size until the last image on the screen is the man’s last face of horror before the feed cuts out.

FACTIONS

Grand Imperial Duchy of Man

The GIDM has been around for centuries. They are solely responsible for the breadth with which humanity has explored the known universe. Their infrastructure links together thousands of known and unknown systems throughout the known universe. Hyperlanes, deep jump gates, transit lanes, anything that contributes to the growth and colonization of discovered space finds roots with the GIDM. Like all things though, the GIDM as it was known eventually had to come to an end. With the death of the previous Holy Monarch the GIDM fell into a perilous civil war that resulted in the fracturing of all known space into a multitude of feudal societies. Various houses now rule systems they’ve carved out of the chaos themselves. Some tend to be more civilized whilst others have practically slid back to the dark ages of man. For centuries man spanned the universe but now the sun sets on a golden age and terrors unknown whisper in the dark fringes of known space.

Holdouts from the GIDM still remain though far too weak to exert any form of authority. Those who remain also tend to disagree between themselves on how the GIDM should exist going forward and thus they remain fractured. An unknown number of GIDM capital-ARK ships remain, entire archaeology ships housing immense numbers of GIDM citizens and personnel. These ships tend to be accompanied by GIDM support cruisers and assault carriers and the fleet tends to exist in a nomadic state. GIDM ARK fleets tend to vary from fleet to fleet, some see themselves as upholders of the law whilst others might seek some form of imperial tithe. GIDM fleets typically attempt to form relationships with local holdings in order to guarantee some sort of save zone to resupply and station the fleet as they travel.

??????? ?? ?????

REDACTED INFORMATION TO BE REVEALED//PLACEHOLDER

?????????

REDACTED INFORMATION TO BE REVEALED//PLACEHOLDER

LOCATIONS

Taurus

Sector G5 - Galaga System - Galaga 6

Taurus is the capital planet of the Galaga system. House Balam controls Galage as well as the 5 neighboring systems. Taurus itself is still a rough frontier planet undergoing terraforming. As such most of its buildings are pressurized and its major population centers exist under domes.The actual terrain of the planet is windswept and sun-scorched, its current atmosphere strong enough to maintain air pressure but unable to protect from harmful solar radiation. As such the landscape is windswept, varying from flat unending plateaus, deep wind gouged canyons, sprawling salt flats, and deep acidic oceans. The landscape is rough and terraforming has been and shall continue to be a challenge, but out of all of the planets in the Galaga system G6 presents the best opportunity.

Well it looks like we got ourselves a lil squad here if @DeadDrop is down, I'll see if I can work up a few documents for world-building and maybe an incident report or some documents that'll give some better insight towards the overall image. In the mean time if y'all have any ideas you'd like to see included I would implore you to share. 

I would also like to reiterate, as this is important to me, I am down to put in some groundwork to get things off the ground but I do not want to be the sole fulltime GM here. I am hoping the four of us can all cooperatively build the universe and the story that follows together with equal consideration for each other. I also don't wanna have a lot of work, so yea.

In the meantime here's what I've drafted as an initial character hook.

We are 4 petty officers that formulate a special tactics squad aboard one of the ark colony ships, designated SCAS Mother Theresa, a proud holdout of the Grand Imperial Duchy of Man, or GIDM. the GIDM was the dominant galactic force in the galaxy at the height of it's reign. It's borders stretched from edge to edge and probed beyond the rim into parts unknown. Such a vast size easily grew unwieldy and, as all things do, the GIDM eventually came to an end. With the death of the emperor as well as a mysterious enemy chewing on the outskirts of known space the GIDM fell into a civil war that shattered the empire in the the hundreds of fiefdoms it exists in today. generations have passed and the GIDM is all but lost, several ark ships remain drifting through space as self sustaining holdouts of imperial power but remain far too thinly spread to have any hope of truly reuniting and reforming any sort of authority.

All of these factors have left the known galaxy in a state similar to feudal Europe. 

House Balam rules over the Galaga system and 5 of it's neighboring stars. House Balam and the Mother Theresa have had a long standing mutually relationship of trade and military assistance and thus when the capital of their minor holding G6 "Taurus" comes under invasion from an unknown foe the GIDM are contacted for military aid. Our squad in particular will be dispatched on VIP retrieval to the capital city of Taurus which seems to be under the heaviest assault. In universe our enemy is mostly unknown, merely whispers exist amongst the highest echelon. We will be broaching horrors that have yet to be witnessed by the masses and although we shall potentially be high-powered killing machines our tactics and technology will not be prepared for the complete shift in paradigm that our new foes shall bring to the table.

For our characters, and all those others located in this universe to be, things are fixin to get a whole lot worse before there'll even be a thought of things gettin' better. Hope you guys are still interested in tagging along for the ride!

TaintedMushroom Member

Status

Recent Statuses

Bio

Most Recent Posts