Over the next few days, the party splits up to see to various parts of the cluster, only Metis remaining behind. Zinda's trips result in a couple patients in medbay - Kali slowly settling into a new body, and a publicist who went comatose and needed psychiatric care after one trip out with Zinda. The Armstrong factories are churning out new designs; apparently Zinda, Spyboy, and Abraham all picked up new ship designs, and Abraham forwarded from Wayne designs and equipment to outfit a small army…if only said army could be recruited.
There have been two abortive invasion attempts, but Wenser seems to have the Armstrong-Grissom jump point locked down. His solution is simple and brutal: when the jump point flares, fill the area with firepower. It seems to have worked so far, but he admits there is a chance something may have slipped through.
There has been no further word from Dakka.
Zinda Tegram: "So…we attack."
The lago refugees are beginning to settle on David's worlds, Thanes keeping good on his word.
Zinda Tegram taps the node representing Grissom on the map.
Spyboy: "I wish I had a better idea, but I don't."
Abraham: "Well, we really only have two options, weather their attacks until they're distracted by something shiny or attack."
Spyboy: "And they only have to be lucky once to get a cloaked plague ship in."
Abraham: "That would be against the conventions of war, and a violation of the oaths we have all sworn. I'm surprise they haven't tried already."
Zinda Tegram: "Do you really think they give a shit?"
Zinda Tegram: "They're using clone soldiers. Get real."
Zinda Tegram: "They're going to go all out, we should too."
Zinda Tegram streeeetches.
Abraham: "Of course they care. Public relations are important."
[OOC] Abraham: Read that as 'Zinda_Tegram screeeeeches'.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: xD
Abraham: "Although Zinda does raise the point that the clones probably haven't sworn formal oaths…"
[OOC] Abraham: BRB
Zinda Tegram: "So? We're not Confed anymore either, remember."
Zinda Tegram: "I mean, I guess if we need I can recruit volunteers from Oldziey to take part in the boarding op."
Spyboy: "I'm sure we can get some marines, too. Particularly if the stuff Wayne told you is true."
Abraham: "That… might actually be for the best. Oldziey citizen have never sworn Confed oath, so there's no divided loyalties at play there."
Zinda Tegram: "It's settled then."
Zinda Tegram: "I'll have Geoffrey work out the logistics."
Abraham: "All right."
[OOC] Abraham: Also… back. But you figured that out on your own. Because you're all far too clever for a poor Spathi like me.
Zinda Tegram pulls out a tablet and makes the text.
[OOC] WC GM: …I don't see any Backward-Utilizing Tracking Torpedoes. Are you sure you're Spathi?
[OOC] Abraham: I'm Black Spathi Squadron.
Even with FTL communications, it takes some minutes for Geoffrey to respond. "$We're still recovering, but I can get you some. They should arrive within a day.$"
[OOC] WC GM: Now if only the BSS made a canon appearance. Of course, there would need to have been an actual, canon-accepted sequel for that.
[OOC] WC GM: Doing anything else during the day that it takes for them to arrive?
[OOC] Spyboy: Not here.
[OOC] Abraham: Probably not. My plate is already fairly full.
A few thousand recruits arrive on troop transports about a day later. They have little military training, and appear to be the types who would rather fight than help rebuild Oldziey.
Zinda Tegram sighs and starts going through dossiers to find the actual vets.
[OOC] Abraham: So you want to vet their vet status?
Zinda Tegram: "$Frickin' marvelous…$"
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Yeah.
Abraham: "Something wrong?"
Zinda Tegram: "Just, suicidal morons."
Those with combat experience number but 20, including one from Crown Squadron.
Abraham: "Well they'll be piloting untested power armor against a foe that has all the technology of the Confederacy but none of it's interest in legal niceties. 'Suicidal morons' do seem to be the kind we want."
Zinda Tegram takes those without combat experience but with experience as part of an armed force into a separate pile.
Zinda Tegram: "Easy for you to say. They're my people, I don't send them to die against trained clones in a boarding op without training."
Abraham: "Fair enough. We at least want them to know how to turn on their armor."
Zinda Tegram shunts the rest into a training program.
Over 99 percent of the volunteers need to be trained, and trained fast. How are they trained?
[OOC] Abraham: In a montage. A combat training montage. Even Rocky had a montage.
[OOC] Metis: With a hastily slapped together training program that bears little to no resemblance to what their actual duties will be like. Of course.
Zinda Tegram is unsure, but still puts their papers in a separate pile 'To be trained'.
[OOC] Abraham: Are you sure you're not Confed?
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Fairly
[OOC] WC GM: So…not training them, then?
[OOC] Abraham: Oh we are. Just trying to figure out how farcical we should make the obstacle course.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Mostly just not using them for this operation.
[OOC] Spyboy: We have a day before the attack. We can't train them sufficiently, so we'll have to proceed without them.
[OOC] Abraham: Hurry up and wait. You /are/ Confed! I knew it!
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Zinda's basically with spyboy on this.
[OOC] WC GM: Alright, then how do you proceed?
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: The trained-but-no experience people can be used in the operation. They have to see combat eventually. They will be commanded by those with experience. The gaps in the ranks will be filled with slithers.
[OOC] Spyboy: My recommendation: proceed through the jump point with the entire fleet on assault. Selected boarding party - Zinda and Spyboy at the minimum - onboard the cloaked transport ship, board the enemy command ship.
[OOC] Abraham: Probably have to use crew from The Roland to fill out the gaps in combat experience.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Yes, seems wise.
When this plan is presented to him, the Executive Officer shakes his head. "We could lead them from the Roland, sir, but we're no marines. Except for ship's security, and they'll want to remain here."
Zinda Tegram: "…Proceed without them."
Abraham: "Yes, they won't be ready in time. We will make due with slithers and the crew of The Roland."
Zinda Tegram: "We don't need the crew, either."
Zinda Tegram: "Just use the slithers."
Zinda Tegram narrows her eyes.
Zinda Tegram: "I'll make it work."
Abraham: "If nothing else, it will be an effective psychological tactic…"
Abraham: "But I would rather Spyboy at least was with you. You've been along so well together lately."
The Executive Officer excuses himself at that comment. Metis and Spyboy, for different reasons, hear when he finally bursts out laughing once he thinks he is far enough out of earshot.
Spyboy: "I'll be needed to take control of the ship's systems while she's clearing out the opposition. I'd also like Heggy to watch my back. Anyone else, sir?"
Abraham: "Zinda, can you field the rest of the team as Slithers? I would rather not have The Roland running a skeleton crew in an engagement."
[OOC] Abraham: No on Metis, I'm guessing?
[OOC] Metis: Not if there isn't a need. If there is a need, then sure.
[OOC] Spyboy: The need would be 'don't break the party.'
Zinda Tegram: "…Yeah."
Zinda Tegram: "I will definitely overwhelm them."
[OOC] Metis: Is Abraham going?
[OOC] Spyboy: No, so.
Zinda Tegram: "Give me a few hours with the suit, first."
[OOC] Abraham: I don't plan on it. I'm better off laying aspects from The Roland.
[OOC] Abraham: That said, I do have a not-quite-zero score in EVA…
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Let the commander-type person command.
[OOC] WC GM: So, what is being done with the volunteers?
[OOC] Abraham: Oh they'll be training during the battle.
[OOC] Metis: Push-ups, mostly. Its the most military thing ever.
[OOC] Abraham: No. They'll be practicing their rope climbing. Because that is the most relevant military skill possible in space combat.
[OOC] Metis: Good point.
[OOC] WC GM: So, skip to the invasion, or any further prep? If skip, narrate your approach.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: They'll be the crew when we take the ships back through the jump point.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: XD
Abraham stands on the bridge, watching the tactical map track the Confed… he still can't really bring himself to think of them as 'the enemy'… fleet advance. "Boarding party 1, stand by for launch."
[OOC] Spyboy: Think of them as Black Lance.
Spyboy: "Boarding party ready for launch."
Zinda Tegram sits in a boarding pod, directly across a slightly sticky pod filled the brim with raw slither material.
Abraham waits a moment for the… other fleet to get in optimal position. "Launch." ((Science instead of Tactics to lay the "Optimal Position" aspect?))
Zinda Tegram maxes the throttle on her boarding craft.
[OOC] WC GM: You're on the other side of a jump point. Unless you go through, you don't know the other side's exact position.
[OOC] WC GM: So you're going through the point, boarding craft first?
[OOC] Metis: Clearly they are. Those in the boarding craft, your sacrifice will not be in vain!
[OOC] Abraham: So you told us to narrate our approach to an enemy that is still literally star systems away?
Zinda Tegram does indeed pass through the jump point.
[OOC] WC GM: One star system away. One jump point, in fact.
The boarding pod passes through…and, somehow, is not immediately fired upon, upon entry.
Radio traffic pipes up.
Mothership: "Come in, Echo 2. That was you through the point just now, right? Drop cloak and respond!"
Spyboy: "Zinda - wait - you're leaving the rest of the fleet behi- shit, they think we're one of them. Initiating plan lie like hell."
[OOC] Abraham: Abraham changes the station to NPR.
There are about a dozen ships scattered about, most of them support for an autonomous fleet. The mothership - the lone carrier among the fleet, and the largest ship - is obvious at a glance.
Spyboy: "This is Echo 2. Cloak damaged in fight, looks like a short. Unable to disengage."
Zinda Tegram taps the slither at her side to make it reproduce the sound of the voice of the marine who spoke to her and called her a flunky.
[OOC] Spyboy: Disengaging mike)) - "Zinda, can you random-walk while still cloaked?"
Spyboy: "I'd rather not get smeared if my bluff doesn't work."
Zinda Tegram wordlessly follows Spyboy's advice.
[OOC] Spyboy: Back on mike.)) "They opened fire as soon as the jump node triggered. I don't think they saw us, but they didn't have to, as much fire there was."
Mothership: "Echo 2, your voiceprint is of 4124, but he was on the first wave. Please confirm your operating number."
[OOC] Abraham: It's an old number, but it checks out.
[OOC] WC GM: How closely is the Roland following the boarding ship through the jump point?
[OOC] WC GM: I.e., when does the Roland arrive?
[OOC] Spyboy: Heck, I think the only reason the boarding pod went first is cuz Abraham thought the Roland was already through the jump node when he started narrating.
[OOC] Abraham: Just so.
Zinda Tegram buzzes around between potentially useful approaches while waiting on spyboy.
[OOC] Spyboy: I can think of zero reason for the boarding pod to go into Grissom alone.
[OOC] Spyboy: Also, gonna try to jam into the mothership's computers while stretching out the bullshit. Communications for data attack, or Charm for bullshit?
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: …Say you forgot, but you can never remember damn numbers anyways?
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Seriously you guys just always look at the card
[OOC] WC GM: Spyboy: both.
[OOC] WC GM: Alright, so Roland is now in system?
Spyboy rolled up 4dF: 0 - 0 + (Base: 6 Total: 6) (Communications for data attack into mothership's systems.)
WC GM rolled up 4dF: + 0 0 0 (Base: 3 Total: 4) (Computers)
Spyboy rolled up 4dF: - + - + (Base: 6 Total: 6) (Charm for bullshit. "Mothership, are you sure you're reading that voiceprint right? I don't sound anything like 4124.")
Fortunately the Black Lance are using pretty standard Confed protocols. It takes a bit of time for Spyboy to gain admin access, but gain it he does.
[OOC] Spyboy: If I'm in, pulling mission logs for Echo 2, looking for operating number of crew on that.
WC GM rolled up 4dF: 0 - 0 - (Base: 2 Total: 0) (Bureaucracy)
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: TAG TAG TAG
[OOC] Spyboy: …do I get Spin for that? Cuz NICE.
Mothership: "Uh, roger that, these dang systems…oh, wait, waitwait. Were YOU the one they were putting in charge of the servers? Uh, think you can fix them?"
Mothership: "Why they sent our tech out on missions…"
Zinda Tegram returns on her approach.
[OOC] WC GM: Better than tag.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Wait
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Hahahaha they cloned him
Spyboy: "Well, leadership is all Gen-1's, you know. The cream hasn't had time to rise to the top…"
Mothership: "Copy that. The hangar's open for you. Please proceed to dock."
Mothership: "…and hurry up! The scum's carrier is behind you!"
Microphone off.* "Zinda, I leave it to you whether you want to take the hangar or cut through the side anyway." * Back on. * "Shit! We're making our approach at best speed!"
Mothership: "Why aren't they attacking?"
Zinda Tegram flies into the hangar at 'best speed'
[OOC] Abraham: Currently The Roland is waiting for a signal from Boarding Party 1. Once they do, they'll head to Grissom.
[OOC] Spyboy: ….wait.
[OOC] WC GM: Ah, thought you'd jumped in?
[OOC] Spyboy: How are we going to send you a signal?
[OOC] Spyboy: We're in Grissom.
[OOC] Abraham: Metis. Using the Neutrino comms.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Hahaha, well, we'll figure something out.
[OOC] Spyboy: Neutrino comms are STL.
[OOC] Spyboy: Well, light-speed, anyway. Don't go through jump points.
[OOC] Abraham: And Grissom is like twelve feet away ATM.
The trip into the hangar is easy and uncontested. There are no visible guards, though a few hangar techs are standing around, presumably waiting for decloak before coming up to repair and refuel.
[OOC] Spyboy: I…don't think Wing Commander universe works that way? ….Is the Roland holding the jump node open?
Zinda Tegram grins, and without decloak sets a boarding pod countdown to fire and climbs into one.
Spyboy: "Zinda, what are you do-"
[OOC] Abraham: If need be.
Heggy grabs Spyboy and yanks him into another pod.
[OOC] WC GM: Boarding pod fire from inside the hangar?
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Once the others arrive, of course. I'd assumed they had.
[OOC] WC GM: And - alright, Roland's mid-jump-point and that's what they're seeing.
[OOC] WC GM: Anything you've had following you is indeed with you in the hangar now.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Well then yep, Zinda's firing a pod to get to another spot in the mothership.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Hangars tend to be well defended.
[OOC] WC GM: Which spot in particular?
[OOC] WC GM: Ah - not Wing Commander hangars.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Let's head to….medical.
[OOC] WC GM: Those tend to run through the core of the ship, partway or all the way.
[OOC] WC GM: Where spinal weapons would be in other 'verses.
[OOC] Spyboy: Yeah, I think I'm gonna be AFK for a few minutes while I rant at the thin air. I don't think anybody has the same idea of what's going on.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Ah, OK. In that case, definitely medical.
[OOC] WC GM: …ah, recapping situation then:
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Sorry?
[OOC] WC GM: Zinda, Spyboy, and crew are in a repurposed cloaked transport, which transport has boarding pods, that is in the Black Lance carrier's hangar.
[OOC] WC GM: Metis and Abraham are on the Roland, which is sitting mid-jump-point while waiting on signal from Zinda or Spyboy.
[OOC] WC GM: Does that clear things up?
[OOC] Abraham: Sounds right to me.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: S'what I thought yes.
[OOC] Spyboy: Same, I was more annoyed and frustrated by the fact that basically grew out of half a dozen different starting points…
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Oh haha.
[OOC] WC GM: And it sounds like Zinda's about to eject the boarding pods. Zinda's heading to the sickbay. Spyboy and Heggy haven't declared where they're heading to.
[OOC] WC GM: The rest of the pods are crewed by slitherers, presumably about to be scattered around the ship.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: That was the idea, yes.
[OOC] Spyboy: Based on the fact that the boarding pods are starting from inside the mothership, I think it's gonna be random based on whatever pod we got into and where it's facing.
[OOC] WC GM: Eh, when one finds those different starting points, one weaves them together as best as possible.
[OOC] WC GM: It is! But, you know the layout and thus can choose which pod you get into.
[OOC] WC GM: Presumably you're picking one based on the destination you wish to reach. Thus I ask: what is that destination?
[OOC] Spyboy: Heggy grabbed Spyboy and yanked him into a random pod so they wouldn't be left behind. So, random!
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Medical, haha.
[OOC] Spyboy: Quite possibly, if she grabbed the pod next to Zinda….or Zinda's pod, even.
[OOC] Spyboy: Especially if it was the only one not filled with slithergoo…
[OOC] Abraham: Their destination is the pantry. For a mid-boarding snack.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Zinda filled most of them with Slithergoo.
[OOC] WC GM: Then in the interests of not splitting the party, yes, they got in the same pod as Zinda.
[OOC] Abraham: Pay no attention to my no-breakfast rambling posts on the interwebs.
[OOC] WC GM: Fair?
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Haha, alright.
[OOC] WC GM: PD: that work for you?
[OOC] Spyboy: Yup
Launch ahoy! And the Black Lance mothership is rocked by boarding pods making the shortest boarding run that model has yet seen.
Spyboy: "Well, may as well check their file system befooooooh shit!"
ExecutiveOfficer: "Sir! Power fluctuations throughout the en…the Black Lance carrier! Is that the signal for us to move in?"
Zinda, Spyboy, and Heggy emerge in a sickbay that has seen little use. The pod breached the wall to the next compartment - which, as it happens, is indeed the pantry, though it is filled only with MREs.
[OOC] Metis: So, not food.
[OOC] WC GM: Well, the slitherers could probably digest them.
[OOC] WC GM: But that's not saying much.
Zinda Tegram sets a slither to set devouring and repurposing the MRE's.
Zinda has rarely before seen one of her slitherers hesitate to follow orders.
Abraham: "Maybe… maybe not. Either way I want to watch this. Move in."
ExecutiveOfficer: "Aye aye!"
The Roland clears the jump point. Two gunboats move to intercept, powering up weapons but not firing yet.
Spyboy sits up and checks the datafeeds between the ships. Are they passing voice orders?
[OOC] Spyboy: Or digital orders? Any remote control going on?
Zinda Tegram: "Shame, I was hoping for more people…oh well."
It seems there are no datafeeds right now. Moments after Spyboy discovers this, the lights flicker and die, switching to locally-powered red emergency lights.
Zinda Tegram: "Ah, there we go. Much more familiar."
Spyboy: "…Well. Boarding pod through the power feeds, I see."
Zinda Tegram almost seems to relax in the face of the blaring siren.
But given their command structure, the gunboats are probably acting on their own initiative.
Spyboy: "[Metis, power's down on the enemy mothership. We may not be much good for now.]"
The siren only blares three times before there is a CRUNCH from down the hall, and the siren dies.
[OOC] Abraham: So they rolled those separately then? No teamwork. What a disgrace.
Metis: "[Understood.]"
Spyboy pings for local network structures, ship status updates, anything like that.
Zinda Tegram saunters down the hall as her slithers trash medical.
Zinda Tegram: "Spyboy, is your access good?"
Zinda Tegram: "I'm about ready to get to work."
Zinda Tegram: "…See if you can get ventilation access."
Spyboy follows, pistol in hand, half his attention on Zinda and their environment, the other half on the network feeds.
It takes a bit to even find the local network. The data traffic seems to have ceased; they have fallen back to voice access - and panicked ones at that. Screams of "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING" are typical traffic.
Spyboy: "Eh. Seems like the servers might be down. Plenty of screaming on comms traffic, though."
Spyboy: "For the record, none of your slithers are going to attack me or B-4, right?"
[OOC] Abraham: "Black Lance wannabes. This is Admiral Abraham Bounty of The Roland. I am prepared to accept your surrender at this time."
Zinda Tegram: "Probably not."
Zinda Tegram leaves things open to fuck with Spyboy.
[OOC] Spyboy: Go for it.
ExecutiveOfficer: "Sir, should we launch fighters or engage ship to ship?" He gestures toward the gunboats.
[OOC] Abraham: I really am a hair's breath away from saying that IC.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Do it. Zinda would.
[OOC] Spyboy: So would Spyboy, for slightly different reasons.
Zinda Tegram starts carving her way to the operations deck.
[OOC] Metis: If those are gun boats, and we're a carrier, engaging ship to ship would be like them having weapons and us having spitwads.
Abraham: "Launch fighters, XO."
[OOC] WC GM: That's why the XO's asking. On the one hand it looks like a rout, on the other the gunboats do outgun the Roland.
ExecutiveOfficer: "Aye aye!"
Sounds of fighting surround Zinda and Spyboy, but cutting through the decks - while slow - manages to avoid any active shootouts.
The gunboats light up and begin blasting at the Roland's fighters. It is a type of battle Abraham and Metis have seen before.
[OOC] WC GM: And mostly offscreen unless you direct it?
Zinda Tegram starts seeding any ventilation she passes with spores.
Zinda Tegram rolled up 4dF: - - 0 - (Base: 7 Total: 4) (medical to place 'Fantasy land' on the mothership scene.)
WC GM rolled up 4dF: + 0 0 - (Base: 4 Total: 4) (Engineering of the mothership's HVAC)
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Tagging a thing.
[OOC] Abraham: Other than laying aspects like 'The Roland is a hell of a distraction, ain't it?", off screen it.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Uh…production model I guess.
[OOC] Metis: Is there much of a contest between two gunboats and a fully armed and operational Dea…Roland?
Zinda recalls early trials of these spores got swept away by standard filtration systems. Redesigning to slip around worked in practice, and it appears to work now.
[OOC] WC GM: Not really. The fighters will take a few hits but no casualties, and in the mean time they're bottled up enough that the Roland itself can go around.
[OOC] Metis: Are there enough other gunboats that could engage and haven't yet that we should be concerned?
[OOC] WC GM: No, just the 2. The rest of the fleet appears to be support.
[OOC] WC GM: This looks like an advance, beachhead-establishing fleet.
Dakka: "Dakka to Roland, come in! Please please please let this transceiver be working!"
Metis: "Your transceiver is working."
Zinda Tegram notices the new voice on comms.
Zinda Tegram: "Ooooh, old man, good to see you've joined the party."
Zinda Tegram: "Where you been?"
Abraham: "This is The Roland, we are receiving you."
Dakka: "Hiding out. I don't think they know I'm down here, or that I've cracked their cloaks with help from the local eggheads."
Dakka: "Looks like their VIPs bugged out as soon as you started attacking."
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Really now?
Spyboy: "Well, that's no fun."
Dakka: "They're heading back to Chandley. I can give you coordinates but you'll have to race to catch up with them."
Dakka: "And be careful. This smells like a trap."
Zinda Tegram: "…I'm busy, but Abraham might have a free interceptor."
Zinda Tegram: "Their getaway or the ship?"
Dakka: "Both of them."
Dakka: "Just a hunch, but, you aren't facing serious resistance are you?"
[OOC] Abraham: That sounds like something a PC should check out then.
Zinda Tegram: "I, honestly, wouldn't be able to tell. I did the feeling they were expecting an attack, though."
Just then, Zinda manages to breach to the operations deck, which is completely empty.
Zinda Tegram: "…Tch."
[OOC] WC GM: Alertness check from Zinda and Spyboy.
Zinda Tegram rolled up 4dF: 0 0 + - (Base: 5 Total: 5) (Alertness)
Zinda Tegram sends a slither in, this is too fishy.
Spyboy rolled up 4dF: 0 + + 0 (Base: 4 Total: 6) (Alertness from Heggy)
[OOC] WC GM: Good enough…
Most of the consoles are powered off, but one in the corner dimly shows a red number. 30…now 29…then it's 28…you are pretty sure you know what it means.
Spyboy: "Oh dear."
Spyboy: "[Roland, be advised enemy carrier is on self-destruct. Going to try to bypass.]"
Zinda Tegram: "Tch."
Zinda Tegram sprints to the panel and checks for a cancel.
Spyboy jams into that console on remote and traces datafeeds back to the source. What exactly is counting down?
Zinda Tegram: "Spyboy…"
It is indeed a self-destruct, with no easy cancel. But if the shipwide networks are down, where could the bomb be?
Spyboy: "Gotta be local, network's down. Can you remove the cover on the console?"
Zinda Tegram sends a message down ventilation to look for an explosive.
Abraham pulls one of the fighters off 'Annoy Black Lance wannabes' duty and sends him to Dakka's coordinates, warning them that it is probably a trap.
Zinda Tegram cuts the cover off.
Indeed, the bomb is present. Enough to destroy a carrier is a large bomb; Zinda needs to peel off more of the cover to get the extent, but it looks like the entire floor of the operations room - roughly 10 meter square.
Zinda Tegram: "Ok.."
Zinda Tegram looks it over.
The fighter acknowledges and peels off, but is straining to catch up with the fleeing VIPs before they are projected to make it to the jump point.
Zinda Tegram rolled up 4dF: + - + 0 (Base: 4 Total: 5) (Engineering)
Spyboy rolled up 4dF: 0 - 0 + (Base: 4 Total: 4) (Engineering to assist)
Zinda has seen technical diagrams for nuclear weapons, but never before actually been face to face with one. Quick estimate puts the payload from this one at least in the megaton range.
Zinda Tegram checks whether cutting all cords simultaneously would work.
Spyboy looks for a way to reset the counter.
Zinda Tegram brings all her slithers over to try and do so.
The cords are dispersed over the floor, difficult to cut all at once. There are subprocessors about every 2 meters that seem to be dead man switches for the main counter.
Zinda Tegram: "Sheez…serious."
Spyboy: "Ugh."
Zinda Tegram: "OK, uh…"
The counter is a simple chip, too simple for normal hacking, though other means of attack are possible.
Zinda Tegram brings a slither over to try and see if she can spoof the signal in a wire to buy time.
Zinda Tegram: "Jesus Christ this is crazy…"
Zinda Tegram: "OK, so uh…"
Spyboy frowns. No nuke is made without safety interlocks. Force one of those and it's done.
The slitherers are not equipped for fancy electrical work, and it will take longer than the timer has to summon enough to cut all the wires.
Zinda Tegram frowns, and checks how the bomb is secured. If that was 30 seconds she'd be dead, but if it's minutes…
Zinda Tegram: "Spyboy, you may need to get out of here if I can't move this thing."
[OOC] Spyboy: That countdown was definitely in seconds, we're in 'talking is free action' time.
Indeed, the safety interlocks are accessible, though buried under the wires.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Alright.
[OOC] WC GM: That, yeah.
[OOC] Spyboy: Which means, don't push it.
[OOC] WC GM: Even with that, the timer's around 20 by now.
[OOC] WC GM: Actually, just passed 10.
Spyboy pulls a knife from his pocket, unfolds it, crosses his fingers, and slides it carefully between the wires, then jams it into one of the interlocks.
Zinda Tegram sighs.
Tick…tick…an error signal weaves its way back up…
Zinda Tegram closes her eyes.
The timer stops with 008 seconds remaining, blinking.
Zinda Tegram: "It's not over…"
Spyboy: "And now we have a low megaton nuclear bomb with a broken safety interlock."
Spyboy: "I…really don't want to be on this ship right now."
[OOC] Abraham: We secretly replaced Boarding Party 1's plutonium with new improved Folgers Crystals. Let's see if they notice.
[OOC] WC GM: Because you're not quite 007. ;)
Zinda Tegram: "Spyboy, if you get clear, I uh…"
Zinda Tegram: "For reasons I can not entirely disclose I am the perfect disposal technician right now."
[OOC] WC GM: …you know…I get a feeling one or more of them might need coffee that powerful.
Zinda Tegram starts summoning spare slithers.
[OOC] Spyboy: …So. Operation Kaiju Zinda is a go, I see…
Spyboy: "…Well. Enjoy your meal. I will be in the server room, eating every file they have."
Spyboy: "If that time resumes counting, call me so I can tell you I hate you."
Spyboy leaves quickly, followed by Heggy, who waves to Zinda on her way out.
Zinda Tegram stretches out.
Zinda Tegram: "Don't forget, intelligence sharing is a virtue!"
Zinda Tegram waves him out and sighs heavily.
The fighter finally catches up to the VIPs, then reports back. "Crown Two to Roland. Escapees slowed down as they neared the jump point, as if they were waiting for something. I tried to cut them off but they saw me coming. Strange, though…I got a scan of their ship. Except for the cloak, it…well…"
CrownTwo: "I could almost swear it was a news ship."
[OOC] Metis: Oh? Blow it up.
Zinda Tegram: "…What"
CrownTwo: "Lots of scanners and transmitters."
[OOC] Abraham: Oh good. I finally get to space that reporter.
[OOC] Metis: Nothing good has ever come from the news.
Spyboy: "[Decent cover ID, I suppose, but a spy ship would look the same.]"
[OOC] Abraham: This news brought to you by Metis, the finest android in the galaxy.
[OOC] WC GM: Unfortunately, if you're thinking of the reporter I think you're thinking of, that's who Zinda recruited as her publicist. If you really want to space her, though, she's still in medbay.
[OOC] Abraham: Soundwave, Jam that transmission!
Zinda Tegram: "…I see. Good work Crown two."
Zinda Tegram: "Shame you couldn't catch it."
[OOC] Abraham: I can not think of a worse punishment, there is nothing I can do that is worse than having Zinda as a boss.
Zinda Tegram frowns.
Zinda Tegram: "I should have podded to operations…"
Abraham: "XO, can you jam that ship from here?"
ExecutiveOfficer: "They've already jumped, sir."
Zinda Tegram: "Probably just checked to see if their bomb would go off."
Abraham: "Oh well. I have no doubt we'll have another chance."
Zinda Tegram goes over the nuke in detail to find the arming signal detector.
Taking a bit of of time to convert a slither into an ammeter, she carefully measures the arming signal.
With the interlocked jammed, the bomb will not detonate. The subnodes were to relay the arming signal.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Zinda's just being safe/stupid.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: Wants to make sure nothing changes electrically as she disarms it.
Spyboy: "[Spyboy to Roland. Sending some files over. Commander's personal diary. Seems a bit off, Admiral, you might want to take a look.]"
After summoning enough slitherers to have a few handle each subnode, Zinda is reasonably certain the bomb will not go off by accident.
Zinda Tegram cuts everything.
Abraham: "I'll take those on my screen, XO."
Metis relays the message from Spyboy.
[OOC] Abraham: Zinda on budget management.
ExecutiveOfficer: "Take…" He glances at Metis. "…oh. Relaying to screen now."
[OOC] WC GM: Does Metis glance at the data too?
[OOC] Abraham: I'm an Admiral. I can do shit like that.
[OOC] Metis: Of course. It is /data/.
[OOC] Zinda Tegram: I gotta BRB.
[OOC] WC GM: NP; we're almost at session end.
[OOC] Abraham: Yeah, Metis is a hardcore Brent Spiner fandroid.
Two things stand out to Abraham immediately. First, that the Black Lance commander is labeled a "Political Officer" . Second, that he refers to his troops as "munitions" .
Abraham: "Well, if we do manage to find that reporter ship again… I think we have their next scoop."
Spyboy: "[Sir?]"
Abraham: "Spyboy, what you found will crucify people. Careers will end and if that's all that happens they will be extremely fortunate. And they will be rather…distracted I think. This needs to be shown to the general public. Metis. I want you to understand, and this is very important, these files are /not/ secret."
Session 8 4
page revision: 0, last edited: 19 Dec 2015 18:19