Lutalica

Star Heresy

Vulma threaded through the tightly clustered masses towards the phosphene-flare their OSS provided, favoring instinct over the real-time routing of her optical feed. <So....funny thing about that. Turns out the target is passing by my location. I could improvise something here, or I could go guns blazing on her. I leave it up to you team. I am sure P'siyah could help me out here.> By the latter part of Rose's suggestion an ingrained comms suite was already panging out reply at the speed of thought.

<There are easier ways to opt into prosthetics.> the CSM sussed into the digital ether of their shared mind, her own high-gloss chassis still surging along an erratic intercept course. <Too many shooters, too little cover. Our target won't be the only one to think we're gunning for them.> A silence hitched itself to her last statement as Vulma vaulted the cloth cordon between two gambling dens and up a partially collapsed stairwell. <Not to mention you may as well be packing a starting pistol; wouldn't want our only lead getting trampled.> If there was an easy anwser she didn't have it; but between Anson and P'siyah their best bad idea was bound to work.

<I'm in parralel and matching target. Overwatch, do you see any detours? Sewage mains, dumping grounds--any place people are avoiding. Emperor knows what we'll be walking into if she gets where she's going.> Naturally no sooner had such a scenario been arrived at than the courier hung the sort of hard left it would look unnatural for Vulma to suddenly mirror. <If someone brought a rabbit now's the time to pull it out of the hat.>

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Nearly done

◤UPDATE

Ended up short but sweet, essentially build up to (I'll guess P'siyah's) moment of glory. Really enjoying the pace so far guys and gals. If things pick up before Thursday I can fit another post into my schedule.

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Sunday night I'll throw something up IC.

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@Dondude Have to agree that I wasn't expecting star cults and snipers to be dropped into lap ((Really hoping you don't plan to work a prophecy in as a sub-plot with that book.)) Wouldn't have been my choice but then again that's the draw of collaborative writing. I'm going to sit on my hands for a bit and see how this plays out, as I had the skeleton of a subtler post waiting in the wings--need to re-imagine it.

I do have to ask though:

◤ How did Bruce get made?
◤ How did the old man KNOW Bruce had been made and intercede on his behalf
◤ Why would the Nym special forces fire on Bruce? (revealing themselves) Isn't the chip their target?

Great to see the IC and OOC so active at least. Silver lining.

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---

^{◤ Planet: Luynus, Imperial Controlled Space
◤ Locality: Snoria City slums, the Snoria Bazaar
◤ Time: Early Evening}

Luynus fell away from one's feet when crossing into the bazaar, itself an embassy arrived at through fragile interlocking failures of imperial oversight and the unchecked ambition of local Snorians. A lawless market of the deepest, darkest black choked in illicit wares and overrun with warring gangs. That was the spiel at any rate, just something else they were trying to sell. Vulma wasn't buying. Of the 7-5 she may have been the only body in the whole devil's dozen to find things just a bit upscale for her tastes; even without Javi panging through the expected palter it reeked of nobility. It was practically a tourist trap. Que Sera, Sera; they weren't here to find out who's pocket it was filling.

As if on cue Anson's laid back yet authoritative tones coalesced within her mind by way of an encrypted channel.

<Status check. All operators, update location and readiness.>

Naturally what followed was a veritable roll call, it'd be an even bet their fearless leader was already piecing together a tactical overlay from each response. So far Wraith and Nightmare were concentrating overwatch from the north and south respectively, Router had his HR overhead and the locator was a go thanks to P'siyah and Rose. Luke, Bruce, Thane and herself were providing boots on the ground, with Hex holding in a central location. Dodging a blush of urchin boys Vhyrd followed suite, stitching together a reply in a voice that was pure, synthesized sex.

<Western Bazaar. Frosty.>

Truth be told nothing had really jumped out at her, a few identity swaps; some organ trade; and a surprising number of people looking to eat endangered animals--but nothing mission critical. Mostly she'd just traced a furtive patrol through the curtain of bodies that kept the tracts of peddlers from colliding. Fortunately she didn't really jump out either, even with a full prosthetic body she had a knack for becoming scenery in these places; just another ant in the column. Vulma achieved this through the complete antithesis of stealth, hidden by the urban ghille that was 'gang-chic' fashion. Letting a loud, loose sweatshirt slouch off her factory sleek contours, one sleeve absent arm in a style that was inexplicably vogue; 'Terra Lives' stickerbombed over the portion of plated midriff it left exposed. Men's track pants likewise rested asymmetrically over her form, rolled up to reveal an uneven offering of each ankle; an off-market hand carbine worn open carry along the waistband. To almost any observer she was just another casualty of the post-armistice, pre-glam xenopop scene.

Before cutting the communiqué an addendum razzed crossed the channel.

<I have ten credits saying half of us showed up in black hoods. Any takers?>

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Liking how my post is shaping up so far. Might not pad it out fully before I hit the hay but It'll be up tomorrow if I have any say in the matter.

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I won't be getting anything at tonight, and with my schedule Fri/Sat are likely the same. I'll try to add to the IC by Sun night.

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I couldn't concur any harder if I was a pre-colonial brit!

ⒸRⒾMⒺ PⒶRⒶDⓄ✖

Alright. Then I'll be leading with the idea of 'automotiles' arising alongside or before wheeled alternatives. So instead of a horse drawn carriage in (the equivalent of the Victorian Era) you'd have the carriage itself trotting along. I'd imagine leisure cars like these would rely on a 'floaty' suspension as the Tsuk keeps the cabin and its passengers level, but could escalate beyond bumpy at a gallop. The advantage this has over having a Tsuk (or living animal for that matter) pull a wagon along would be the ability to traverse stairs, turn in place, shuffle sideways etc. I think trots or motes' would be good shorthand for these.

Wheeled vehicles I think would have the appeal of more manual control over what's going on. Powered by Tsukumography rather than simply animated through it. Maybe even have hybrids that can park themselves with a special release.

For aircraft I'm thinking of actual wings. Even though this would require them to be so large they'd cover the craft like a tent when not in use. Additionally no fuel means no refuelings, so aircraft could soar near indefinitely; only landing for repairs. Given the pre-discussed scale of most everything attached to government or wealth this could mean more than just airborne aircraft carriers. Think mobile fortresses. Helicopters and the like are in their infancy, and I don't think breaking the sound barrier is tech feasible.

@Wade Wilson

Hell, maybe even make it a little cyberpunk, with augmented/cybernetic animals? *shrug*

Cybernetics are strictly out. One of the technologies that undershoots our own in that regard. It's not that they can't make a functioning prosthesis and attach it to you, it's that the limb would have a mind of its own. I am keenly interested in a few alternatives however:

◤ Helping hands - A backpack or harness style Tsuk marketed towards amputees, engineers and artisans; literally the solution to "I've only got two hands!". Costly due to the specialized training required and the difficulty associated with breeding and rearing suitable helper monkeys.

◤ Previously I mentioned that the orendic sciences are used heavily in construction and agriculture as a means of planned growth. I think that that could extend itself to animal eugenics. For now we'll just refer to it as Post-Breeding. As this would require preforming surgery on an infant human augmentation via this manner is unconscionable. Seen almost exclusively in dedicated work animals (scent hounds, weather birds, etc) post-breeding fills a niche where even purpose built Tsuks would be too clumbsy.

- As an addendum to the above, which I don't think I've yet mentioned: Tsukumographed creatures retain only a token array of senses. ((This may change later. Depending on if I think having everything have a face is silly or cool))

◤ I could see cross species organ transplants being a cyberware analog. I'm undecided. If it ends up being thrown into the pot it'd be less designer bioware and more a patchwork of animal parts. They'd need a lattice to keep your body from rejecting them, and as that's the physical (often fragile) component of a ritual damaging it leads to organ failure.

ⒸRⒾMⒺ PⒶRⒶDⓄ✖

So military and domestic drones will be old hat in setting; since giving motion to the motionless is sort of -the- thing here. Initially they were crude; sailed spears and the like, nowadays they're ahead of the curve if compared to real life robotics. The limiting factor I'd stress being that they're only as intelligent and well behaved as their animal component. It's the sort of world where your car could get sad because you don't wash it. Unsurprisingly this makes taming a lucrative (and cut-throat) industry.

These 'drudges' preform best if structured similarly to their component creature: guard dogs, birds of prey etc. Though it's not beyond a good trainer to acclimate them to an unfamiliar form. The simplest of such being self driven gears and living engines, the cornerstones of modern living.

Speaking of modern life (and that's as good a segue as I can manage at the moment) Transportation is something I've been mulling over. I'd appreciate if interested parties could weigh in. Would you prefer that they be clean energy analogs of real means of conveyance (Sleek and futuristic) or rather that they borrow from the animal world (Legged locomotion)