Raizi 2013/01/20(Sun)18:49 No. 486574 ID: 0f60d7
File 135873658513.png - (23.05KB , 512x512 , 7.png )

Well, whatever it is, it doesn't sound friendly. And I'm not really armed for this situation. It is a perfect distraction.

I can only hope this isn't happening back on my ship too. Argh. I was worried I wouldn't have enough time originally, but now I just want to bail out of here as quickly as I can.

I stay where I am and watch the interactions between the two on this ship and the newcomer.

"Yeah, I'm going to say no to that," buzzes the tan ren soon. "Get off the ship." He holds his blue sphere up and it reconfigures itself into some form of weapon. I think most likely a gun. If it's close range, doesn't look very practical. Tan ren soon technology, as far as we've encountered, tends to be made of some form of smart material. Never heard of any superculture efforts successfully reverse engineering it, and I'm not about to change that.

I think that chest thing opening is to convey threat, haven't ever found out why. I've heard they're radioactive on the inside. Maybe that's it.

"ShhResistance is demonstrably futile." The four things hovering near the thing's hand all swivel to face the tan ren soon and--

Raizi 2013/01/20(Sun)18:49 No. 486575 ID: 0f60d7
File 135873659861.png - (43.83KB , 512x512 , 8.png )

bweeeeeeeeeeee

--and, uh, the tan ren soon slumps to the ground. The gun falls to the floor and reforms into a sphere. The noxon is just staring and shaking in fear now. "I can lead you to the captain sir, just follow me sir, please don't kill me sir"

Okay. Not fucking with that thing, then.

Damn it. Not sure what my options are here--

WOP

"HOSTILE FOREIGN PRESENCE: CEASE. PROCESSOR UNIT: ARRIVED TO RECLAIM VESSEL. HOSTILE FOREIGN PRESENCE: VACATE VESSEL."
"Unexpected intruszzion. Defense unit?"
"UNIT PURPOSE: COLLECT VESSEL. REAPPROPRIATE STOLEN TECHNOLOGY. IDENTITY CONFIRMED: KITER NEBURI. APPROPRIATE ACTION: ERADICATE."
"Do not understand?"

...Are you fucking kidding me. No, it's okay, sure, fine, now there's a hostile robot in the room too. Can't help notice the noxon made a break for it. I don't know much about my Helix Dominion history but I have heard the tan ren soon had some sort of robot rebellion in their past, so I doubt this guy is on their side!

Without warning, it splits into two smaller copies of itself. One of them marches up to the previous invader while the other one walks over to the downed tan ren soon.

What the hell is going on out there? There must be at least four vessels in this area of space now. This can't be a coincidence. I didn't sign up for this!!

[ 17 / 20 ]

Ok, this is the part where you sneak past the fighting and go to the next room. Preferably the hallway to the left.

>>486575
The robot seems like it is very likely to be on your side, or at least neutral. You are after all, here to disrupt the ship so your ship can get away. This matches the mission of the robot. Heck, it matches the mission of the bird-thing too, but I suspect they might want to harvest your ship as well. Your ship isn't stolen so the robot won't be interested in you.

I suggest activating stealth camo and sneaking up on the bird-thing to smack it with your disruptor-claw, if the robot doesn't just up and blow it up before you reach it.

>>486575
OH FUCK, TRUE VON NEUMANNS!

Well. Head for the engines and plant a time bomb, then bugger off back to the evac zone. Hopefully the three hostile alien races will annihilate one another. Else civilization is totally fucked.

Jump out and yell "SURPRISE!"

Raizi 2013/02/26(Tue)14:55 No. 496370 ID: 29c085
File 136191931883.png - (49.10KB , 512x512 , 9.png )

Right. Not going to draw any more attention to myself. Also, best to assume the robot thing's hostile just to be on the safe side of making decisions that could get me forcibly blown to bits.

In fact, maybe best to stay away from that anyway. Let's head to the engines. I just so happen to have a nano delay bomb I neglected to mention earlier, it's already been prepped to detonate just a little bit after extraction's scheduled.

I'd have remembered to mention it at some point. I think. I don't think I'd have been so careless to just keep it on me when I got zapped back.

I quietly make my way between big boxes of empty nothing while the two things engage in conversation, demonstrating an increasingly aggressive lack of understanding each other's purpose for being here.

I duck into engine room B as I hear the sound of a loud energy weapon firing and a mechanical scream of pain. I don't risk hanging around to see exactly what happened.

First things first, I look for a place to plant the bomb.

...I have absolutely no idea what any of this, uh, does.

Raizi 2013/02/26(Tue)14:55 No. 496371 ID: 29c085
File 136191932863.png - (48.00KB , 512x512 , 10.png )

"Oh. Hey. You're the engineer, right?"

Oh shit.

"I was trying to look for the ship's records but this place is so much more fascinating. All this technology. It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Uh, uh, yeah."
"I don't suppose you could co-operate with me and take me to the ship's records, could you? Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I'm unarmed. You look like you could take on the entire ship singlehandedly if you wanted to, though. Nice claw thing. Make it yourself? I'd love to take a look at it."

Okay, I can think of a few options here. Continue pretending to be a crew member until the second any of the real crew spots me and instantly recognises me as the initial intruder they were looking for. Come clean as an intruder and hope we can still co-operate - I want those records too, really. Or, I guess I can see if the neutraliser works on weird bird-looking aliens.

[ 16 / 20 ]

I guess you can pretend to be the actual engineer.

Ask the bird about the other bird.

>>496371
Inform them that you're actually an alien operative hostile to the aliens operating this ship, and that you're trying to disable it because its' currently kicking the crap out of your ship. Suggest they leave quickly, as two other hostile alien lifeforms have boarded the ship, each more hostile and alien than the last, and all extremely advanced.

I'd come clean about who you are and why you're here. It's not as if pretending to be part of the crew is an act you could keep up for very long. She'd wonder why you were trying to hide from everyone else on the way to records.

Uh... I'm less the engineer and more the de-engine-er, I'm afraid. Trying to save my ship from these guys. ...what are you doing here, anyways? You seem somewhat more... sane that the other bird-thing I saw.

I say pretend your a crew member but as the ... whatever the hell she is may have guest we have multiple intruders on the ship so if you do go with her say we may have to dodge some guys here and there (she doesn't know who is and isn't crew, unless she's lying to us), and you would love to help her find the ship's records but first you need to finish checking the engines (aka planting the bomb)
Also act a little scared around her so she will be less suspicious of you and also see if you can find out what she is doing on this ship.

>>496385
Dude, she just pointed out we're wearing battledress and advanced weaponry. She's obviously still confident she can frag us. After the robot thing, we should appear as an ally, not as an Acceptable Loss.

Tell the truth. It is most likely you will get busted later, which will not earn any points with this thing, and considering it is not immediately hostile cooperation may be best. Tell it you can still take it to the records.

Come clean on who we are and say that as it happens we were planning on visiting the records ourself and we sort of know where they are. (We actually do have an idea of where it is from our vague map.)

>>496371
Uh. She isn't making much sense actually. I mean, she's obviously not part of the crew, but wants you to take her to the ship's records despite claiming to be unarmed and commenting that you're heavily armed? If you were an engineer the correct reaction is to say "Bitch, you crazy" and attack her. If you're an infiltrator the correct reaction is to say "Bitch, you crazy, I'm obviously not an engineer."

Trying to pass yourself off as an engineer is foolish. Just say that you'd love to go with her to the records because you want to see them too.

...hey uh, can you disable the bomb? Considering these bird aliens want to take over the ship, you prooooobably don't want to blow up their engine and piss them off. Perhaps this would be a good time to ask this one if maybe they would let you go after they take over the ship?

Tell them that you were actually on your way to records yourself, and would be happy to have someone with you who isn't pointing guns at everyone they can find.

Raizi 2013/02/28(Thu)20:53 No. 496955 ID: 29c085
File 136211358876.png - (48.27KB , 512x512 , 11.png )

"Nope. Not the engineer."
"Yeah, with hands lack that I'm not surprised. ...Do you even have hands?"
I'll let that slide. "They're not as obvious to aliens."
"Uh huh. Who are you, then?"
"I'm actually an infiltrator here to, uh, disable the ship."
"Interesting." She leans forward. "Why?"
"Well, they're not exactly my friends."

She walks over to me. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the other ships nearby, would you?"
"One of them's mine. Kind of why I'm here."
"Interesting. Probably not the machine ship. Your implants are crude and unrefined. So the other vessel. Damaged. Yes, damaged. Of course. Your story checks out. How were you planning to disable this ship?"
I feel kind of uncomfortable with how rapidly I'm being grilled here. "Uh, do some damage to the engines, sabotage systems, just anything to buy us time to get out of here."

She nods. "Fast way to make yourself enemies, isn't it."
"Whuh?"
"The crew want this ship intact. The machines want this ship intact. We want those records intact, and the ship being intact is a nice way of ensuring that the records aren't lost due to any undesired accidents."
"Don't you guys want to pull this ship to bits?"
"Maybe later." She taps at her beak. "The composite's been destroyed. That was part of the plan, but what destroyed it was not. Does your weapon work against rapidly reconfigurable smart matter robots?"
"...I, uh, I uh, we haven't exactly been able to test it against machines, so, uh, I don't think it would, but..."
"Well I'm unarmed. I wasn't lying, you know. Kind of makes that robot a little bit of a problem."

I weigh up giving this unknown factor more information. I decide it really can't hurt the mission any more, what with it currently lying on the floor bleeding everywhere. "There's a safer path." I pull out my map and show it to her. "We go to engine room A, duck into the hangar, quickly and quietly leap from there through cargo into this big corridor looking thing, and records are at the far end. We can duck into these rooms if we need to."

We move into engine room A.

"So what are you anyway?"
"Salazzarine. Name's--" I consider a fake name, and chide myself for thinking it even matters at this point. "--Raizi."
"That's new. You're new to us. That's beautiful. We didn't expect that."
"What are you anyway? Any relation to that white bird thing?"
"Kiter neburi. My name is Feint. The white thing is, or, well, was a composite. Empty brain with a few unoccupied hive members steering it. Entirely disposable. No risk to anyone that actually matters."

Raizi 2013/02/28(Thu)20:54 No. 496956 ID: 29c085
File 136211365150.png - (44.50KB , 512x512 , Contract?.png )

She abruptly puts her hand on my shoulder. My fibres bristle instinctively. She stares transfixed at my shoulder and rubs it. I try to relax. She only rubs my shoulder more gently. "...it's like velvet. Your biology is incredible."

She brings her head far closer to me than I am even remotely comfortable with. "You know, we don't think the records matter that much any more. So far, you seem to be the biggest treasure onboard this ship. A mystery surprise specimen unlike anything we've ever seen."

I can't even count the number of ways I don't like where this situation could be going.

"There are richer data sources for us to consider than this vessel. You are far too precious to allow you the chance of escape. We can leave these... distractions to the retribution of their machine progeny. We can fix your ship. We can escort you to safety. We only ask one thing in return."

I choke the words out, visions of surgical tables and dispassionate bird faces running through my head. "...w-what?" She is so close. I could just smack her with the claw, hard as I could force it, and not stop running.

"To examine you. To determine your biological composition. We can return you to your vessel when we are satisfied."

[ 14 / 20 ]

>>496956
Unacceptable. Say that you can share data on your species, but you won't submit yourself to being examined via unknown means on a strange ship full of strange aliens. If they like, they can come on board YOUR ship, where you will be surrounded by YOUR kind, and they can examine you there, while being supervised by YOUR crew.

Ok, uh, you probably want to ask if that's going to be invasive or not. Because if it isn't I don't see it being much of a cost for a shaky alliance. And if they don't have the technology to look inside without actually cutting open I'll be a bit surprised, but you may not be as willing to agree. Although I understand you guys heal quickly, and they seem relatively trustworthy. Tell her that you also still planned to get get some of the records if you can do so safely.

>>496956
Uh, what the hell would that actually entail?

Okay, wow. This is getting somewhat unsettling.

Is she using the singular or plural "you" there, though? Because you mission is fundamentally to secure the safety and escape of your own ship and crew. If putting yourself through an uncomfortable, potentially risky situation will achieve that, well, that's pretty much your mission already.

If it's a plural you (she wants to study all of you) the decision isn't as easy (since you're putting the people you're supposed to be protecting at risk, not just yourself). Depending on what exactly their examination would entail though, this may be a better option than the alternative.

There's also the consideration that refusing is pretty problematic. Do so, and you somehow have to complete your original sabotage mission with this ship's crew trying to stop you, and the bird things trying to get you.

 

>>496961
Oh, you KNOW what that entails.

Oh, and actually tell her to back off, that she's making you uncomfortable.

How about NOOOOOooooooooooOOOoooo
Then Try and change the subject to something else, like the ship's records. Those could be useful. Just trying to get some information on way this one ship has seemingly attacked all of these ships at once would be nice, especially if they could give you some facts on the other races on board right now. That and Because I think it would be better if you could go back to your ship with something.
Also I don't think you really need to worry to much about sabotaging this ship if it is getting invaded by how many other ships as I doubt they would even notice you left with all the other problems they seem to be having right now.

Go for it, we're out here all alone and need some friends. You're just gonna have to make a sacrifice to save your shipmates.Maybe take one of the ideas from >>496958 and make sure your ship's doctor is on hand to supervise and make sure they keep their word and also don't accidentally kill you out of ignorance.

Kill her and wear her skin as a decoration.

Tell her you are uncomfortable with being examined by aliens you know nothing about, because you'd really like to get back to your ship alive, and dissections and autopsies are low on your enjoyment list.

Explain that you're very interested in negotiating something to mutual benefit, but the middle of a hostile vessel may not be the best place for it. Why don't you both finish what you're here for, and then your superiors can execute proper formal negotiations, and the creepy aliens can benefit not just from getting to learn about your species' biology, but do so with the additional insight of qualified medical professionals and access to relevant portions of your ship's databanks?

Raizi 2013/06/12(Wed)21:07 No. 516528 ID: 405647
File 137109645453.png - (55.25KB , 512x512 , 13.png )

"...what would that involve? Anything invasive? I can get you some data on my species from my ships' records, wouldn't you be more interested in--"
"Raizi." She chuckles. "If we wanted your records, we would simply take them. That is what we are here to do on this ship, after all."
"Erm, can you give me some space? You're-- your proposal is making me feel really uncomfortable now."
"Shame. Guess you're coming with us less willingly."
"Nope. Bye."
"Don't make me resort to force, Raizi."

Both our eyes drift to my neutraliser claw. I have seconds to act before she tries something--

"Raizi! There you are! Everything's gone completely wrong and now there's like four or five ships all in this one cluster and I think we can probably just limp away at this point and what the hell is that Raizi is that freaky kigavi looking thing with you or should I start shooting?!"

Kurkuma, one of my amstvane crewmates, comes to my rescue totally unexpectedly, in her usual endearing and endangering absent-minded way. Look, they sent me and not her on this ship for a reason.

It's getting kind of weird that people keep showing up every three minutes. Glad to see it's a familiar face this time but I feel like someone is orchestrating this. This is too much of a coincidence. Two unaffiliated hostile ships show up to go after the same ship that was chasing after ours. Just what is on this ship? A trouble magnet? Or is it on our ship? When I get back I'm telling Mock to flush everything remotely suspicious out of the airlocks.

Feint looks at Kurkuma in a mixture of awe mixed with a growing unease. "...We would have brought you back unharmed."
"See, that word is the kind of word that scares me. Unharmed doesn't necessarily mean 'without pain' or 'unmolested'."
"We would undo any damage. Physical or mental."
"Look, I gave my answer, don't make me tell the big one to start shooting."

She wanders off, muttering something under her breath in a language of rumbling noise and synthesiser tones.

"By the way change of plan forget the records we're getting the hell out of here!!"
"Great! How?"
"Weren't we gonna teleport you out?"
"Yeah. In [13 time units]."
"Oh. That's a while, huh?"
"Yes. Yes it is."
"Okay maybe we have time for some records then?"

Stick with Kurkuma as she goes to hunt down records, or drag her into the exit point and wait things out until the chaos dies down a little. Hrm. Oh. I never actually sabotaged the engines, either. Conveniently, I believe we're right on top of them.

What to do, what to do.

[ 13 / 20 ]

stick them bombs in their pipes. and tell them to smoke it.

...wait, how did she get on this ship? And how are you supposed to get her back with your teleport? Can that take two?

>what do
Well, I guess sabotaging the engines might still do something? At the very least, it might keep some of the 50 different groups of aliens you've run into busy briefly.

Although the biggest challenge to your escape might not be this ship, but Feint's if they decide they're not letting such an interesting specimen get away.

well if you do go for the engines make sure it would be an easy fix since you don't want all of these bastards who popped up on this ship to start doing the same to your ship but I don't really see a point to it as everyone we have talked to has said there are enough ships attacking this one for you to slip out easily. Unless whatever ship Feint was on decides to come after yours.

I say go for the records to at least find out why this ship has so many enemies but at any point it looks like you won't be able to make it back to the teleporter area in time then forget the records and get make sure you can actually get off of this ship. Everything else comes second.

We've got plenty of time to both plant something in here and get the records. If it turns out we DO start to run low, we could always see if the neburi is willing to let us accept her offer if she can help us get off. If you don't want to do both, it's pretty clear that this ship is going to have issues anyway, so focus on the records.

>>516528
Sounds like she was gonna experiment on you then make you forget everything. Good choice on not going with her.

As for the sabotage... how about you just pull out some wires somewhere? Do some temporary damage. Like the creepy lady said, if you damage the ship too much you might piss off a lot of people.

Afterwards let's head straight for the records room. Time to find out what the hell's going on.

>>516528
1.) Aim Down
2.) Depress Trigger
3.) Run back to the teleport point with your new space alien prisoner/hanger on.

Ask the alien how her people somehow managed to completlely miss an entire empire of Salazzarine?! Did she never leave her home in some backwater asteroid belt?!

>>516542
I think she ran off. That said...

I think uh, we might be in the middle of a convergence of worlds. Like, we're in a place present in multiple dimensions, and everyone is flocking to it because of the anomaly. And they want to know how to replicate the effect. Think about it. Inter-dimensional travel. It would be an astounding valuable technology.

>>516548
and Feint was willing to give it up just to 'look under the hood' on Raizi. If that is the case I'm really glade we didn't go with her

Raizi 2013/07/07(Sun)23:43 No. 522674 ID: 1e43fc
File 137326578142.png - (32.44KB , 512x512 , 14.png )

Feint's gone, thank every god past and present. I find myself thinking what this might all mean. Some kind of space anomaly? I don't know. Way beyond my level. I like to think I'm smart, which means I like to consider the possibility of giant squid from another universe eating my face more of an academic curiosity than something that could happen.

Permanent damage is probably going to stir up an already furious hive of angry alien robot bees. I make a few cuts in the parts of the engines I can recognise as probably not being too hard to repair and likely to not kill us instantly.

"Emergency. Primary power systems nonfunctional. Switching to backup power."

I am never assuming I know how anything works ever again.

"Aaaaaaaaa what did you do Raizi it all went red! I can't aim so well in the dark!"
"Good job it's not dark, then." My optical augs kick in and do more seeing for me. "And that I can apparently see fine. Guess I'll have to lead you ahead."
"I don't like this, Raizi! I don't know anything about this ship and there's already a lot of chaos and gunfire!"
"It'll be fine," I lie through my jaws. "I know where we need to go."

[ 12 / 20 ]

Raizi 2013/07/07(Sun)23:43 No. 522675 ID: 1e43fc
File 137326579708.png - (18.24KB , 512x512 , 15.png )

Some time later...

I have no idea where we need to go and am now completely lost and unable to figure out where we are.

I try to compare the general plan of the room to Mock's map and realise that the ship was not in fact shaped like a giant box, and that following the map has probably been actively worse for me than just walking in a straight line would have been.

"How many engine rooms does one ship need?!" I hear Kurkuma getting increasingly antsy, and see her clutching her minigun in ways a weapon should never be held.
"Hey. Don't point that thing at your face, Kurkuma. You'll see even less if you shoot your eyes out."
"I know how to use this thing, Raizi!"
"Then show it!"
"You're so mean."

Ugh not this now

"Okay, I'm sorry. Just, please, try not to accidentally fire--"

Raizi 2013/07/07(Sun)23:43 No. 522676 ID: 1e43fc
File 137326581078.png - (30.28KB , 512x512 , 16.png )

WHRRRBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG

WHAT THE FUCK

"KURKUMA WHAT DID YOU DO"
"I PRESSED THE DISARM BUTTON! I CAN'T SEE A THING IN THIS LOW LIGHTING!!"
"AGH HOLY FUCK FIND THE DISARM BUTTON FIND IT AND DON'T POINT IT AT ME"
"I'M TRYING HOLD ON!!"

WHRRRRrrrrrr

"Szz, szz, szz, szz, Kurkuma, I am going to end up dying of a heart attack because of you some day!"
"I'm sorry! I was trying to be safe and mistakes were made and I won't do it again and maybe I should just not turn this thing back on until we get out of here or we have literally no other choice but hey is the ship falling?"

"Emergency. Artificial gravity systems compromised."

Raizi 2013/07/07(Sun)23:43 No. 522677 ID: 1e43fc
File 137326583444.png - (14.19KB , 512x512 , 17.png )

...took a right turn, then hugged the wall, then a left and a left again and oh fuck we're in the gravity room. Kurkuma just shot up the gravity generator. "Kurkuma, you idiot, you just shot up the gravity!"
"I didn't mean to! It was an honest mistake!"
"Drop that thing before you put a bullet through me too!!"

I find myself feeling nauseous as everything moves in different directions. I cling to the nearest thing I can find. Everything's so damn weightless.

Kurkuma continues to hug that damn gun. I give up. That's it. I'm through. If I survive this I'm quitting my job and taking up farming. Or an office job. I'm done.

So. Records or what next. I haven't willingly set foot into a microgravity situation in years. Urrggh.

[ 11 / 20 ]

Well, I mean, can you find them? I thought you were lost. It might be a good idea to see if you can find your way out, but then again, if you're lost, I guess just keep moving and see what you find first.

Also, make a note to cuss somebody out about the maps later.

>>522677
Wuh-Why would you even MAKE IT so that instead of a trigger there's an ON button!? WHO DESIGNED THESE GUNS!?

I'm really not liking how this is going. If you can find your way back to your pickup point I say head there now as I think it would be much better if you got there early and had to play 20 questions instead of wondering around the ship hoping to find records only to get left behind. But if you are lost... well then shit keep moving and hope you find either the records or something familiar to help you find your way back.

>>522677
Can we get to the records room please?

The gravity room isn't even on the MAP. Getting this lost is an amazing accomplishment.

Push off towards records, I guess. Pretend you're swimming or something. Make sure to do some sweet flips along the way, too. Or if you don't want to do that, make Kurkuma do some flips. You can actually do that now that she doesn't weigh anything! Also firing that gun is going to be a mess in microgravity, isn't it. It spins AND recoils.

>I don't know anything about this ship and there's already a lot of chaos and gunfire!
The chaos and dark works against the people who are supposed to be here as much as anyone else.

>The gravity room isn't even on the MAP
It's the trapazoid just to the right of the center. The label is almost illegible, though.

Which means... if the map is useful at all we're halfway to records (upper left of the map), and probably headed in the right direction.

I vote we try to head for records, still. Although we're almost halfway through our time. Much longer, and we'll have to think about heading back to our evac point.

>>522694
Even worse, there's no grips or any good way to hod the gun. She's hugging the gun, pointing at her face, because there's literally no good way to hold it.