Whoami

The Rogue Planet Incident

Bump

P̵̢̢͍̝̜͍̰̪̘͍̃͌̾̎̒̌͌̒͋ͅro̵̗̟̟͈̗̤͌͂͝ject Infatil̶̛̖̭̪̤̤̞͓̩̣̯̺͉̦͇̲͇͎̟̅̎̉̂̉̚ͅ

I hope there's still room! My interest has most certainly been garnered!

The Rogue Planet Incident

The Rogue Planet Incident

When the Odyssey left Earth's orbit, everything felt surreal. The crew of the ship stood on the observation deck, watching as their blue pearl shrunk in size. They knew the world was watching them, cheering them on, praying for a safe journey and a safe return. It was the day when humanity would test its first interstellar jump drive, the Fold Wave Manipulator. Everything started off smoothly. Humanity would finally leave the familiar territory of the Solar System. Their eyes were set on Alpha Centauri, to explore alien worlds and lead humanity into a new era.

The Fold Wave Manipulator worked. The local space around the Odyssey began to twist, turn, and finally engulf the ship. In only a matter of hours, the ship would be 4.7 light years away from the Sun. When the ship emerged from Fold Space, they weren't graced by the light of a new star. Not entirely at least. The Fold Wave Manipulator had detected a gravitational anomaly while navigating Fold Space, and performed an emergency exit. The crew was glad that their untested drive kept them alive, but they weren't entirely aware of the danger they had emerged next to. The Fold Wave Manipulator had exited Fold Space two light years too early. Alpha Centauri was still just another dot in the black void. While the crew tried to prepare the ship for another jump, the ship's computer warned them of a gravitational influence that made the Fold Wave Manipulator unable to function. That was when the crew turned their eyes to their scanners, then to the windows and observation ports. They had entered into a unstable orbit over a starless planet that had been drifting for millions of years. A rogue planet.

The ship only had enough fuel to set itself into a stable orbit around one of Alpha Centauri's planets, and escape again on the return trip to Earth. The rogue planet's gravitational influence was so strong that escaping would mean the Odyssey would have no fuel to return to Earth. They were trapped and cut off from communications with Earth. It'd only be a matter of days until the Odyssey would crash land on the surface of the rogue planet. It was up to the crew of the Odyssey to survive, and find a way home. Luckily, the Odyssey was crewed by Earth's best and brightest. Scientists and engineers of many different fields, pilots and soldiers from every corner of the Earth, and leaders handpicked to adapt to any scenario. The crew of the Odyssey will not be beaten.

The Premise

So! First off, thank you for reading this interest check! This has been an idea floating around in my head for a while. I'm aiming for this to be a sort of survival horror on a planet with no sun. Beyond the lights of Odyssey, things on the surface are pitch black and frozen over. There is an atmosphere capable of sustaining human life. And if it can sustain humans, than it is likely that it can sustain something else as well! While this is first and foremost a survival horror story, there will be equal parts action and exploration. At least, that is the intent. The Odyssey had a crew of two hundred, with people ranging from a variety of skills and professions. The tech level is futuristic, we're talking magnetic weapons and even some energy weapons as well. There will be power armored suits, and if people want, even combat mechs a la Armored Core, Full Metal Panic, or Front Mission.

The GM

Here's the catch... I have a bit of a track record of hosting RPs that never really get off the ground, or lose steam quite early on. So that said, I'm looking for somebody else to GM this RP instead. I would much rather be the Co-GM, and help build a world for the RP to take place in. I could advise the GM on plot points in the story that might be important, and help guide the party through a long and successful adventure! So that's the hope!

The Players

While there are many people aboard the Odyssey currently, that population will be quick to fall. I intend to kick off the RP with the Odyssey crashing into the surface of the rogue planet. So many of the crew will die. The players are obviously the survivors. I don't intend on killing off all the crew but the players, so there will be NPCs that need to be auto'd. I will allow for players to freely come up with side characters to help along with interactions, development, and also to generally be red shirts for when chaos ensues. That said, I want to keep a count on how many of the crew are left standing in total. So don't go crazy with killing everybody off for dramatic effect. :P

Myself and the volunteer GM included, I will allow a maximum party size of 10, but would preferably want 6 or 7. The characters should have a good spread of skills to tackle a variety of situations. Keep in mind though, that myself and the GM will constructively criticize the application CS's. If something doesn't make the cut initially, don't fret. Edit the character, and consult with me or the GM in private until the character is up to snuff. THIS IS NOT FIRST COME FIRST SERVE! If two characters fill the exact same role, one will end up being chosen over the other. If you aren't picked, feel free to make a CS for a different role.

Now! With that out of the way, do we have any takers? And is there anybody willing to GM this RP?

NEON GODS [Japanese Country Cyberpunk]

Serrice Ward, the Arms Dealer

Serrice Ward

More Art

DISCLAIMER: All art is made and owned by RaikoArt, the character is Tess.

"Are those M16's? Those things are almost a century old. Why don't I hook you up with something a little more modern? Some of the stuff I can get you would make those M16's look like BB guns."

Name
Serrice Ward

Age
24

Sex
Female

Nationality
Canadian

Languages Spoken
English [Fluent]
French [Fluent]
Japanese [Advanced]
Serrice can understand all other modern languages through the use of her SpeechMaster Implant, but she cannot speak them.

Cybernetic Enhancements
SpeechMaster LX - This implant is a small chip located in the ears that records languages and translates them into the wearer's native language. While it only serves the purpose of allowing the wearer to understand other languages, its data can be downloaded onto a computer for later studying and learning. This implant is popular for its ease of use and low cost, making it accessible to the masses. What separates the LX from the standard edition implants, is that it can be customized with new languages, whether they be officially recognized by the world, or a homebrew language shared between a small group.

Arm Scout 3rd Gen - These are ocular implants not much different from other sight enhancing augments. They improve eye sight, allow for better night vision and limited zoom. The Arm Scout's advantages over more common and cheaper ocular implants are focused on firearms. The implants are directly connected to the world's firearm database, allowing the Arm Scouts to identify and provide information on any cataloged firearm. The latest 3rd Generation model of the Arm Scout, identifies modern weapons, and attempts to interface with the firearm's onboard computer. If the weapon's data isn't properly encoded, the 3rd Generation Arm Scouts can provide 'active information' to the wearer, such as the weapon's current ammo count, the safety status, the last time the weapon has been given maintenance, and if there is a bullet currently in the chamber. Additionally, if the safety is off and the Arm Scout can interface with the weapon, it can then show the wearer, in real time, the direction and trajectory of the weapon. 3rd Generation Arm Scouts are very new, not even three months on the market. Arm Scouts are favored by arms dealers.

HoloPalm - A simple augmentation located in the palm of Serrice's left hand. It allows her to create holographic projections with her palm. Obviously, Serrice can't always carry around the hardware her company sells. The HoloPalm allows Serrice to show her stock to buyers without the need to struggle with customs. She can easily show off a new rifle or suit of full body armor. Better yet, small sensors linked to the holopalm in Serrice's fingertips, she can manipulate the holograms, rotate them, and pull parts away from the projection to showcase components and interiors of her products.

Property

Schwertkämpfer P633
A modern semi-auto pistol made by the German company Schwertkämpfer Arms, a young sister company to Sauer & Sohn. The pistols is chambered in .45 ACP and can carry a magazine of 12 rounds (plus one in the chamber). Serrice's personal P633 has a white slide, equipped with hologram sights mounted on a picatinny rail. The onboard computer in the P633 interfaces with Serrice's Arm Scout, allowing her to keep updated on the ammo count of her weapon. If she needs to, Serrice can rely on her Arm Scout to provide trajectory information for a more accurate shot. That said, Serrice uses the weapon for personal defense.

Spoofed ID
The very identification that managed to get Serrice and her brother out of Canada, and into Japan. The ID shares her face, but it can be modified to alter her information, such as her name, date of birth, country of origin, etc. Serrice and her brother paid quite a large amount of money from their arms dealing in Canada to hire a skilled hacker capable of spoofing the IDs to appear official.

Appearance
Serrice is a fit, pale girl with long blonde hair. She often dresses in fancy clothing when not on business, and more enticing clothing when working with a client. Her icey blue eyes are highlighted by bits of HUD data from her ocular implants. She has a tattoo on her right thigh, a garter with an old baretta resting in it.

Personality Traits
Calm
Approachable
Confident
Witty
Punctual
Knowledgeable (Weapons, Armor)

Background
Serrice was born and raised in Canada along with her older brother. Her parents weren't anybody of importance, even less so in Serrice's rise. She wasn't anybody special growing up, just another pretty girl in a middle class family. Serrice went through all the normal phases, a darling when she was a child, a rebel when she was a teen, and a bachelor living paycheck to paycheck when she was a young adult. She was never sure what she wanted to do when she was older, so she ended up taking out student loans for college and university to go through courses she thought might interest her. While she made it through all of them, Serrice was never too keen on the field by the end. This of course resulted in Serrice being buried in student debt, with nothing to show for it.

Her older brother was far more rebellious than she was. He had fallen in with the wrong crowds, and might have slipped on the opposite ends of the law on occasion. But Serrice saw the money he had, and figured he might be able to provide a solution for her debt. One day, she approached her brother, and asked if he could show her how to make the money he was making. Serrice found out that her brother was selling handguns and machine pistols to local gangs and wannabe hitmen. It intimidated her at first, but after she and her brother made their first joint deal with a corrupt businessman, she was hooked. They had managed to get their hands on a pair of ultra modern handguns, fresh in the market. The corpo who they sold the guns to, paid double to keep the entire affair hush hush. In just one deal, Serrice had already managed to make a huge dent in her debt. Things changed when a deal went south with a powerful group of local mobsters. Serrice's brother was beat after the kingpin claimed their price was too high for the quality of the guns. They had grabbed Serrice, and tried to take her to another room. In a panic to protect himself and his younger sister, Serrice's brother pulled an autopistol, and cut down the gangsters. Knowing that they hadn't seen the end of this, Serrice's brother took her and all of their money, and ran.

Her parents were obviously concerned, and had the police looking for them. But they never realized that their children had already left the country with spoofed identities. They ended up in Japan, masking their presence among the waves of immigrants flooding into the country. But it was a difficult transition. Neither of them knew Japanese, and they had no connections to start doing what they did best. Nevertheless, the siblings went to work, once again dealing arms on the street level to Yakuza remnants and other gangs. As months passed, the two had worked up the creds to get some implants that'd make their lives easier. The first implant Serrice got was a SpeechMaster implant to help her better understand their Japanese clients. She was glad that the second language in Japan is English. Next was a HoloPalm augment, simple enough, but it meant that Serrice didn't need to carry weapons around with her all the time to make a deal. Things were beginning to go smooth for the siblings. Their influence had grown to a respectable amount, and they managed to out compete some other arms dealers on the streets. Their clients got bigger and better, but that also meant their names became more widespread too.

Serrice had heard of the Sycamore crime family, but she hadn't yet dealt with them. The siblings had expanded further, reaching Sycamore turf. It wasn't long before they were approached by a man representing the Sycamores. He game then two choices. Work for the Sycamores, or leave the city. Relocating wasn't in the cards for them now, so the choice was clear. They had to start giving the Sycamores a cut of their income. At the time, Serrice had no idea that her brother was undercutting the Sycamores and keeping some money for himself. Meanwhile, her own loyalty to the Sycamores was growing. She was giving the family more of her share than what was agreed upon, and that helped build a rapport with them. A divide began to grow between Serrice and her brother. As a gesture of goodwill, the Sycamores even paid for an advanced augmentation for Serrice, state of the art Arm Scout cybereyes. Her brother warned her not to go through with the augmentation, but Serrice didn't listen to her. She accepted the augments.

Not long after she had the cybereyes installed, the Sycamores discovered the large secret savings Serrice's brother had been building. They were furious. Serrice and her brother were brought before the don. The don suggested first that they take both the money and one of Serrice's cybereyes as recompense and punishment. But her brother explained she had no part in his undercutting, that it was all him. It was the truth, but it certainly didn't improve matters. Serrice's brother was pulled from the room. He yelled, kicked, and punched helplessly as the heavily augmented mobster dragged him away. Serrice never saw her brother again. The don went back to Serrice, and said that for her brother's disloyalty, she would need to make up for his profits, and pay them back for the cybereyes, or else they'd be ripped out from her.

By the time she left the Sycamores' residence, her bank account had already been hacked and drained entirely. But even with the money they took back from her and her brother, she was still very short of what she needed to pay back the eyes, as well as maintain her brother's cut. She knew she'd need to make larger scale deals, and work above street level arms trade.

Skills
Arms Trade
Serrice has been selling weapons and armor for a a few years now, and has acquired a fair amount of knowledge in her field. When people come to her looking for something, she knows what they need, and how to get it. Her Arm Scout cybereyes help with this, but over time, she has learned for herself what is bad, what is good, and what is great.

Connections
Her work has allowed Serrice to meet a colorful variety of individuals. She knows some very dangerous people, some of which she has supplied before. Serrice keeps some of these connections loyal by making them preferred clients, offering them discounts for her wares and choosing to supply them over their competition (that they know of). If there is a service that Serrice can't provide by herself, then she will point you to somebody who can.

A Pretty Face and a Quick Mind
In her trade, one needs to be charming enough to break the ice, and witty enough to work their way out of a sticky situation. Serrice does quite well in both fields, and she knows it. She likes to learn her clients, so she can find ways to sweeten the deal. Given the situation the Sycamores have put her in, Serrice isn't afraid to get close and flirt with clients to entice them into more business. She might not like it. But she understands the effectiveness.

Flaws
Debt to the Sycamores
Because of her brother's attempt at undercutting the Sycamores, Serrice has inherited all of the debt. Unfortunately, this also comes with a way to easily manipulate Serrice. The Sycamores can call Serrice at any moment and tell her to do something, usually reminding her of the consequences if she doesn't comply. This debt has spawned fear in Serrice. Her survival instinct tells her to just get whatever the Sycamores ask of her over with, and continue on her own work to free herself from them.

Untrained
Serrice might know guns, but she rarely needs to use them. On top of that, she has never learned proper ways to fight. This makes her a rather poor adversary. Anybody with any real fighting experience could easily overcome Serrice. She does carry her own pistol however, so some caution should still be advised.

Her Brother's Fate
Serrice never knew what became of her brother after the don had ordered him taken from his office. Maybe he was killed. But Serrice doesn't know for sure. Sometimes, the thought of what might have happened to her brother depresses her. If somebody knows of this weakness, they can easily manipulate her into a disadvantageous scenario by claiming they have information on her brother. The Sycamores know she wants to find out, and they often use her brother as a way of getting her to do what they want.

NEON GODS [Japanese Country Cyberpunk]

And here she is! I felt I could've done more with the background, but I was REEAALLY trying to keep it in as few paragraphs as possible. I have ideas for her though, so the rest will just have to be discovered or revealed in character! I hope you like it! If you have any concerns or nit picks with the character, let me know I can happily make edits.

Serrice Ward, the Arms Dealer

Serrice Ward

More Art

DISCLAIMER: All art is made and owned by RaikoArt, the character is Tess.

"I've got everything you'll ever need. Weapons, body armor, vehicles, and more. For the right price, I might even be able to supply you with an army. Just remember where not to point your new toys."

Name
Serrice Ward

Age
30

Sex
Female

Nationality
Canadian

Languages Spoken
English [Fluent]
French [Fluent]
Japanese [Conversational]
Cantonese [Conversational]
Mandarin [Conversational]
Korean [Conversational]
Russian [Conversational]
Serrice can understand all other modern languages through the use of her SpeechMaster Implant, but she cannot speak them. She'll often have a translator as a part of her entourage if she knows a client doesn't speak the same languages as her.

Cybernetic Enhancements
SpeechMaster LX - This implant is a small chip located in the ears that records languages and translates them into the wearer's native language. While it only serves the purpose of allowing the wearer to understand other languages, its data can be downloaded onto a computer for later studying and learning. This implant is popular for its ease of use and low cost, making it accessible to the masses. What separates the LX from the standard edition implants, is that it can be customized with new languages, whether they be officially recognized by the world, or a homebrew language shared between a small group.

Arm Scout 3rd Gen - These are ocular implants not much different from other sight enhancing augments. They improve eye sight, allow for better night vision and limited zoom. The Arm Scout's advantages over more common and cheaper ocular implants are focused on firearms. The implants are directly connected to the world's firearm database, allowing the Arm Scouts to identify and provide information on any cataloged firearm. The latest 3rd Generation model of the Arm Scout, identifies modern weapons, and attempts to interface with the firearm's onboard computer. If the weapon's data isn't properly encoded, the 3rd Generation Arm Scouts can provide 'active information' to the wearer, such as the weapon's current ammo count, the safety status, the last time the weapon has been given maintenance, and if there is a bullet currently in the chamber. Additionally, if the safety is off and the Arm Scout can interface with the weapon, it can then show the wearer, in real time, the direction and trajectory of the weapon. 3rd Generation Arm Scouts are very new, not even three months on the market. Arm Scouts are favored by arms dealers. Larger firearms corporations often pay to have their sales representatives augmented with arm scouts to improve efficiency.

HoloPalm - A simple augmentation located in the palm of Serrice's left hand. It allows her to create holographic projections with her palm. Obviously, Serrice can't always carry around the hardware her company sells. After all, driving convoys of tanks or flying loaded attack helicopters across national airspace is a quick way to get shot at. The HoloPalm allows Serrice to show her company's stock to buyers without the need to struggle with customs. She can easily show off a new rifle, an armored personnel carrier, or even a cruise missile. Better yet, small sensors linked to the holopalm in Serrice's fingertips, she can manipulate the holograms, rotate them, and pull parts away from the projection to showcase components and interiors of her products.

Property

Schwertkämpfer P633
A modern semi-auto pistol made by the German company Schwertkämpfer Arms, a young sister company to Sauer & Sohn. The pistols is chambered in .45 ACP and can carry a magazine of 12 rounds (plus one in the chamber). Serrice's personal P633 has a white slide, equipped with hologram sights mounted on a picatinny rail. The onboard computer in the P633 interfaces with Serrice's Arm Scout, allowing her to keep updated on the ammo count of her weapon. If she needs to, Serrice can rely on her Arm Scout to provide trajectory information for a more accurate shot. That said, Serrice uses the weapon for personal defense, and would much prefer to leave the fighting to her bodyguards if and when the time comes.

The Black Card
A globally recognized credit chit often found in the possession of the elite one percent. The Black Card is hyper secure from hackers. In the event of a cyber-whizz hacking through the card's defenses, it can ping local security companies, notifying them of the location of both the card, and the location that the intrusion was detection. The black card then automatically transfers funds from the cardholder's account, and can even be programmed by the cardholder to pay a premium fee for expedited services. This extends to any service that the cardholder has subscribed to, emergency, luxury, and more. For Serrice, the black card is linked to Falcon Logistics, and has access to the company's deep pockets. Holders of the Black Card often automatically included into exclusive events, and immediately approved for VIP services.

Appearance
Serrice is a lithe, pale girl with long blonde hair. She often dresses in fancy clothing when not on business, and more enticing clothing when working with a client. She keeps herself fit in case she finds herself working in an active warzone, and needs to keep up with her bodyguards in extreme scenarios. Her icey blue eyes are highlighted by bits of HUD data from her ocular implants. She has a tattoo on her right thigh, a garter with an old baretta resting in it.

Personality Traits
Calm
Approachable
Confident
Witty
Punctual
Knowledgeable (Weapons, Armor, Military Vehicles)

Background
Serrice was born and raised in Canada along with her older brother. Her parents weren't anybody of importance, even less so in Serrice's rise. She wasn't anybody special growing up, just another pretty girl in a middle class family. Serrice went through all the normal phases, a darling when she was a child, a rebel when she was a teen, and a bachelor living paycheck to paycheck when she was a young adult. She was never sure what she wanted to do when she was older, so she ended up taking out student loans for college and university to go through courses she thought might interest her. While she made it through all of them, Serrice was never too keen on the field by the end. This of course resulted in Serrice being buried in student debt, with nothing to show for it.

Her older brother was far more rebellious than she was. He had fallen in with the wrong crowds, and might have slipped on the opposite ends of the law on occasion. But Serrice saw the money he had, and figured he might be able to provide a solution for her debt. One day, she approached her brother, and asked if he could show her how to make the money he was making. Serrice found out that her brother was selling handguns and machine pistols to local gangs and wannabe hitmen. It intimidated her at first, but after she and her brother made their first joint deal with a corrupt businessman, she was hooked. They had managed to get their hands on a pair of ultra modern handguns, fresh in the market. The corpo who they sold the guns to, paid double to keep the entire affair hush hush. In just one deal, Serrice had already managed to make a huge dent in her debt. Things changed when a deal went south with a powerful group of local mobsters. Serrice's brother was beat after the kingpin claimed their price was too high for the quality of the guns. They had grabbed Serrice, and tried to take her to another room. In a panic to protect himself and his younger sister, Serrice's brother pulled an autopistol, and cut down the gangsters. Knowing that they hadn't seen the end of this, Serrice's brother took her and all of their money, and ran.

Her parents were obviously concerned, and had the police looking for them. But they never realized that their children had already left the country with spoofed identities. They ended up in Europe, eventually catching the eyes of Europe's largest weapons dealer, a man under the alias of Falcon. Falcon was looking to expand his operations into Asia, and he needed more people familiar with the business. But beyond that, he wanted somebody young, fresh faces that hadn't been seen in the industry that he could mentor. Beyond that, the Falcon was getting old, and he wanted a successor to take his place. Most of the people in his employ either never saw his face or he couldn't trust implicitly. When he heard of two upstarts coming to Europe with nothing more than their money and the clothes on their back, starting to trade firearms in his turf, he was interested. One of the Falcon's personal assistant, one of the few people to have ever met the Falcon in person, contacted Serrice and her brother. He posed as an interested buyer for a very wealthy man, a half truth at least. When the truth was out, Serrice's brother seemed skeptical, but Serrice was on board. She reasoned that it wasn't a difficult choice, and that they could easily make good lives by working for the Falcon. After some convincing, Serrice's brother finally conceded to her tenacity. They agreed to meet the Falcon.

Years later, Serrice was the Falcon's best associate. She took to larger scale gun deals almost immediately, and had a knack for developing strong relationships for the Falcon's clientele. She learned more than just guns over the years. Her knowledge of protective armor and all kinds of vehicles expanded. Soon she was selling columns of tanks, squadrons of helicopters, and containers of cruise missiles. She went from selling small arms on the streets to gangsters and ill-intended white collars, to governments, rebellions, and private militaries. In return for her exceptional work, Falcon Logistics provided her with an entourage of talented bodyguards, hand picked veterans from all over the world to watch over her and keep her safe. He also gave his full financial backing to her, not that she was struggling with her own income. And lastly, he gave Serrice access to his operations in Asia. She had become the sole representative of Falcon Logistics in the continent, while her brother took over Europe and Africa, as well as the Falcon alias.

Japan was a hotspot for Serrice's business. With mafias constantly moving into the country, it was no surprise that they needed proper supply lines to keep themselves going. Turf wars weren't an uncommon thing as the country soon became flooded by a number of feuding crime families. Most of the business went through the Sycamore family, who had made a fortune of their own on gun running. Serrice knew that she could extend an offer to the Sycamores. She supplies the arms, and they run them to wherever they need to go. Customs would be the Sycamores' problem, and they practically owned the port she'd ship the weapons to. It was the perfect time to expand into Japan, and Serrice knew she had to move before rival dealers beat her to it.

Skills
Lord of War
As a successful arms dealer, Serrice is well versed in hardware designed for war. With the assistance of her Arm Scout augmentation, there isn't a weapon that Serrice doesn't know (unless it isn't listed on the database). She might share her assets with allies if its suits her. If somebody needs hardware, Serrice can likely supply them.

Wealthy
Serrice is rich. Very rich. Her bank account was built on her own success as an arms dealer, and is backed up by the company she works for, Falcon Logistics. There is rarely a situation that Serrice can't buy her way out of.

Connections
Her work has taken Serrice across the globe. While she deals with governments mostly, Serrice has also worked in the both the Gray and Black market as well. She knows some very dangerous people, some of which she has supplied before. Serrice keeps some of these connections loyal by making them preferred clients, offering them discounts for her wares and choosing to supply them over their competition (that they know of). If there is a service that Serrice can't provide by herself, then she will point you to somebody who can.

Flaws
Dependent
Serrice has become quite comfortable with her assets. As a matter of fact, she's so adapted that without them, she'd be rather lost. Losing assets like her money, her high life, her security, and her job connections would making Serrice feel exposed, powerless, or inadequate.

Untrained
She is so reliant on her bodyguards, that Serrice rarely gets involved in conflict. This makes her not very capable of fighting. While she does carry a firearm around, and certainly knows how to use it, her lack of combat experience makes her an inadequate fighter. Anybody with any real fighting experience could easily overcome Serrice if not for the entourage of combat specialists watching her back.

Loyal to a Fault
Serrice does as she is told by her superior. And in a world of cybermasking and spoofing, it wouldn't be impossible to mask as her boss and order her into an easily exploitable situation. Fortunately, Serrice's boss rarely interacts with anybody directly, so his identity is well hidden. Serrice is one of the few people who speaks to him, so if one could record a phone call, a gain access into a virtual conference, then they'll have a method to manipulate Serrice.

Also, I'm sure one of us can find a very easy way to leave Serrice without her bodyguards, money, or both. Perhaps that can be how she ends up with the crowd. A deal with the Sycamore's gone south, a rival dealer thinning out the competition, another mob attempting to sabotage the Sycamore supply train. The possibilities should be quite exciting if this character gets approved in her current state.

I can always downsize her operating area from the entirety of Asia to just the Pacific coastline if you're not too keen on the original concept.

NEON GODS [Japanese Country Cyberpunk]

Will have my app up tonight.

NEON GODS [Japanese Country Cyberpunk]

My interest has been captured! I will definitely begin working on a CS!

Tear the World Down

[Mood Music]

Chapter 7
A Bittersweet Respite

Topesh's jolt of aetheric energy into the footman's body did well to make him lucid for a bit longer. But the man was fading too fast to get all of the information they needed out of him. Gwynne raised a brow at the mention of Valdi. For once, it was a name she was unfamiliar with. She wasn't sure if the man the soldier mentioned was after any one chosen, or after the group in its entirety. It left a strange feeling in her. Gwynne was half expecting the man to mention her own pursuers; after all, she had just fought for her life against them mere hours before joining with the rest of the chosen. If the magi were still near, then it was likely they were involved in some way. Perhaps they were aligned with Valdi's goals? It was too hard to say, and there was too many if's and but's in the theory to really come to a solid conclusion.

Nevertheless, there was a new piece on the board. Gwynne called out to the other chosen who weren't gathered around the footman. "We have an enemy with a name, everyone. We need to learn more about him, and I doubt this soldier is able to give us any more. Is anybody here familiar with Valdi? Gwynne looked around at the chosen, hoping at least one of them would know who they were up against.

Her eyes traced over the other chosen who were busying themselves with other things. Nobody ever talks about what work must be done after a fight. Collecting fallen friends and finishing fallen foes, attending to injuries, and looting and maintaining equipment were only just a few chores that needed to be seen to. The smell was always rank. The feeble cries of broken warriors, who had somehow survived the battle despite their injuries, added a very somber and humanizing atmosphere that could make anybody question their own morality. Worst of all, was when the combat high came down, as adrenaline levels lowered and the fighters all began to uncover things they hadn't realized in the heat of the battle. Minor and grievous wounds, bruises, scrapes, and sores all became apparent. Worse yet, the realization that the only thing keeping a person standing, was their grit and sheer force of will. More would fall and die in the minutes following the battle.

While Gwynne was calling out to anybody who might know Valdi, she started becoming more and more aware of just how battered she was. Her body was shaking as both adrenaline and aetheric energy wore off. The injuries she had sustained while she was surrounded stung at first, then felt hard. She felt over her shoulder, looking for the wound given by a spear piercing through her shoulder. Instead of a bloody hole, she found a hard, crystalline surface. The crystal was flush with her body, and seemed fused to the skin. "Topesh... What is this?" She asked as she looked down at the injury on her leg. That wound was also crystallized.

"T'would seem the energy that flowed through your body used your injuries as a form of escape."

That seemed familiar to Gwynne. She ran her fingers over the surface of the crystallized injury, "Much like the convergence point of a leyline..."

"Indeed. Use this as a lesson, Apostate. If you're willing to contain aetheric energy within your body, don't go getting yourself injured in the process. I've no doubt in my mind that if I supplied you with more, that crystallization would only be more prominent."

Gwynne bit her lip while she studied the injury. "These injuries are never going to truly seal... Is it possible that aetheric energy will continue to bleed out from them whenever I use magic?"

"It is possible. For now, I suggest you observe the crystal formations." Topesh's voice had a lack of surprise in his tone throughout the conversation.

"You knew this would happen... Didn't you, Topesh?" Gwynne said in a scolding tone.

"I know of the phenomenon. But worry not, Apostate. You are a talented fighter. So long as you refrain from leaping headlong into a group of trained soldiers, you shouldn't get so badly hurt. Thus, you shouldn't require aetheric energy to keep you standing. Thus! You shouldn't see this condition spread!" Topesh let out a little chuckle.

XCOM: The Black Winter

[Mood Music]

Sara made sure Fiona was ready. Things were about to get far more intense than anybody had prepared for in this operation. She nodded assuredly to her, "We're gonna clear the troops on three, then sprint for that ramp. Clear?"

Sara peaked over the edge of the window and saw two troops running to help the burning soldiers and scientists. The screams echoed in the burning warehouse. If Sara wasn't so committed to the end of ADVENT, she probably wouldn't have had the stomach to keep listening to their screams. "One... Two... Three!"

Sara lifted her MP7 over the ledge of the window and let out a short controlled burst into one of the assisting troops. The other trooper didn't even have time to realize what had happened to his companion. The combination of alarms, pained screams, and roaring fire completely covered the sound of her suppressed SMG. The second trooper dropped dead not long after. Sara was already on the move. She placed one hand on the shattered windowsill, glad that her gloves were able to stop glass from shredding her hands, and vaulted over it into the main section of the warehouse. She looked right, then brought her MP7 to bear on the left as she moved with purpose toward the top of the ramp. In chaos of it all, ADVENT was far too occupied dealing with other things than to notice their movement in the open. The sound of mag fire at the neighboring building told Sara that David and Carlotta had engaged the enemy. Reports on their radio confirmed her suspicion.

When the report came in that the supply truck was secured, Sara spoke, "Stand by and be ready to charge the front gate. We're going to need quick egress out of this base once we're done here!"

Sara turned to face down the ramp, her MP7 quickly doing the same. The fire suppression sprinklers were in full effect down there, doing what they could to minimize the fire. It was working, but not very well. The two would practically have fire licking at them while they'd navigate the corridors underground. Sara looked back to Fiona, "It's your call if you want to go in there. If not, go and assist the other two at the power station. I'm going in."

Sara took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she clipped her MP7 to her harness, and unslung her Benelli M4. She pumped a shell into the shotgun's chamber and started moving down the ramp. Sara would support Fiona's decision either way. While she certainly would appreciate the assistance down there, she couldn't blame the younger woman for not wanting to willingly go into a tight corridor filled with flame and ADVENT. Sara only hoped that the initial explosion and resulting fire had thinned or wiped out the security underground.

A large blast door was at the bottom of the ramp, but it was jammed open by a forklift that had been tossed to its side by the explosion. The ten ton lead counterweight in the forklift would be enough to hold that door open despite its best attempts. Sara climbed over the forklift and immediately felt the heat. Guide lights blinked in succession, leading the way to the blast door Sara had just climbed through. The corridor was tall and wide, allowing plenty of room for trucks and other vehicles to deliver their supplies. There was only small access out from the loading bay, a double security set up obviously in place to keep unauthorized people out, and to sterilize the ones who were authorized before going in. The doors had held against the explosion, but all of the windows around the security checkpoint had been blown out. She climbed through the busted window and slipped to the other side of the checkpoint. A burnt body laid over a row of security consoles, while another was completely blown apart into multiple pieces. The smell of burnt flesh was rancid and made Sara want to wretch.

Beyond the checkpoint, things were far stranger. The corridor's architecture was less human in design. Support struts were far more rounded and curved, even the metals looked like they weren't from Earth. While most of the fires burned orange, some fires were burning as a bright green. Plasma fires. The corridors ran in two directions, but it appeared as though they only ran the perimeter of a series of labs, and connected on the end. "Falcons. We've stumbled on something big... Moving deeper, keep them busy."

It was a tall order. Sara knew the squad was good, but they weren't equipped for a protracted firefight. They'd need to move quickly to find out whatever was so important in this underground lab. As she moved deeper down the corridor, Sara felt something nagging at the back of her mind, that despite how stupid it was to be in this burning alien facility, she was on the right track. "There's a long row of labs down here, most are destroyed from the explosion or burning."

There was a sound of rattling just ahead of her, causing Sara to stop in her tracks and throw up a closed fist to signal Fiona behind her. Even if Fiona hadn't come, it was second nature to signal anyways. Sara kept her shotgun pointed on the source of the noise. There was a quiet chitter, and then a screech. "Sectoid, sectoid!"

The small gray alien was perhaps only three feet in height and skittish. Sara was less concerned for the sectoid, and more concerned for the armament mounted on its wrist. It spotted Sara, and quickly crawled to cover just as Sara had fired a round off. The buckshot sparked and scattered down the corridor, missing the sectoid. She heard the sound of the plasma pistol charging up, and dove for a piece of debris. When she heard it fire, Sara didn't see any plasma coming her way. The plasma shots kept ringing through the corridor. Sara peaked around the cover, and saw the sectoid shooting into the lab. It seemed far more focused on whatever was inside to fight Sara. She used its distracted state to her advantage, and sprinted toward the sectoid. The gray alien turned its bulbous head, and let out another screech when it saw the muzzle of Sara's shotgun at point blank range. She pulled the trigger, spraying yellow-greenish blood into the lab.

"Sectoid down." Sara called out. She looked into the lab, trying to see whatever it was that the sectoid was shooting at. She spotted a humanoid shape laying on an operating table. It wasn't human, but it looked close. Multiple parts of the body were completely destroyed by the sectoid's plasma fire on it. Clearly the sectoid was trying to destroy this project before Sara could find out what it was.

Sara stepped into the lab and got a closer look at the body. Its skin, while mostly burnt, was noticeably grayer than a normal human's. It had a wide jaw of human teeth, but no lips to hide them, giving the face of the creature a haunting grin. Its eyes were black and wide. "What the..."

There were two other tables in the lab with bodies laying on them as well. One was human, obviously an ADVENT trooper, and the other was a squat sectoid. Sara was able to run the numbers, it really wasn't that difficult. Laying on the table in front of her was a hybridization of human and sectoid DNA. Connecting to the back of the hybrid sectoid's skull was a long, luminous cord that stretched up to the ceiling, and further down the corridor. She noticed there were more cords meeting in a bundle before running out of the lab. She followed the other cords around a corner in the lab, and spotted a row of tables. There were a dozen of them, all carrying bodies of hybrid sectoids. All except three of them. The cords were dangling, fresh greenish blood dripping from the inputs. "Oh shit... Falcons, be advised, new hostiles are in the AO. Human-Sectoid hybrids. Stay sharp."

Sara knew that if she didn't see them come out of the blast door after the explosion, then they were either in the facility with her, or they had escaped through a different access point. That nagging feeling returned in Sara's mind. Whatever the feeling was, it was telling her that the hybrids weren't the reason for going into the facility. There was something else. She looked back at at the luminescent cords, and decided to follow them to their source.

Visions of Futures: A Pre-Interest Check

I have a particular weak spot for modern superpower RPs.