Toxoglossa 2017/11/15(Wed)17:24 No. 845351 ID: a6af03
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You are…

Toxoglossa 2017/11/15(Wed)17:25 No. 845352 ID: a6af03
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Taking fire.

Two on the third floor, you’re pinned down.
Unknown number of assailants inside.

For this mission you are assigned callsign “Ghost”.
Echo took a hit to her chestplate, setting off a shieldpack charge. She’s wheezing pretty bad and is leaned up against the cruiser next to you while you assess the situation. The vehicle rocks slightly as another potshot thunks into it.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/15(Wed)17:26 No. 845353 ID: a6af03
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Word comes in over comms, recon spotted targets attempting to set up a railgun. A weapon like that would easily punch through your cruiser’s light armor. Someone either needs to neutralize that gun or you need to move out of its field of fire.
Echo says she’s ready to move but even with pain dampeners on she will probably be slowed.
Two other agents nod to you from behind their vehicle: Cricket and Zombie. The four of you are fast response enforcers: shock troops ill equipped to take out an entrenched opponent. In an ideal world, you would have been able to breach the compound and secure the targets before they could organize a defense. Unfortunately someone smelled you coming and until a heavier response team arrives, you’re on your own.

Current mission assets:
3 talon smgs
1 reaper combat rifle w/ underslung grenade launcher
2 tactical cruisers (partially disabled)
4 stunprods
2 breaching charges
4 shieldpacks
6 concussive grenades
2 smartfog grenades
1 high altitude support drone

Mission objective:
Secure and extract reNu company assets (2) alive.
Neutralize or capture insurgent agents.

How high altitude is this support drone? Is it an eye in the sky or can it swoop down to carry a smartfog grenade payload into that gun nest?

Looks like Annie is dreaming. Memories of battles long past. "Ghost" "Echo" "Zombie"... all allusions to things coming back after they're gone. "Cricket" seems out of place here, why is that?
...I wonder if we should really be helping them. Well, I want to at least see who the targets are.

>>845355
I don't think that's a good idea. If the drone comes down it will get shot at.

>>845353
It kindof looks like you could use the cars as cover to go around the side of the building where there aren't guns pointed at you. Obviously some covering fire would help for the dash. It would also help if you could move the car in front closer to the car behind it.

After that I'd use breaching charges on the wall of the building to enter it.

Throw a smartfog grenade in front of you, then use the drone to take out the marksman while they're focused on the fog.

>>845353
New Mission Objective Desert with Echo
Fuck this!

>>845358
Maybe "Cricket" alludes to the fact that its often something you hear but not see from the dark of night. A sound effect of crickets sounding(?) is often used to signify silence from an audience (perhaps the silence of there being none, or are already dead). According to Wikipedia, cricket fights are a thing. In Brazilian belief, a cricket is an omen of death, illness, or money.

Cricket also happens to be a lighter brand, but I doubt it has any significance.

>>845353
Utilize underbarrel grenade launcher to put a grenade through that window. You will die if you take a hit from that gun.

have the person with the rifle suppress the gunner in the window so the other three of you can push to the to the building.
The UBGL would be ideal to at least stun the guy in the window and give you the opportunity to suppress.

Who has the rifle? That person needs to get a concussive grenade into that room while the other three provide covering fire.

Smartfog the machine gun nest with the reaper rifle and advance on the building under the cover of some concussion grenade booms.

>>845494
Launching a grenade toward the railgun is a good idea, but it should be smartfog, not concussion. Hacking is a better way to confirm that the railgun's out of commission (maybe even capture it intact, which would be super handy for the rest of this mission), might let you tap some cameras in there and get precious intel, and fog definitely won't kill anybody you're being paid to bring back. Concussion might.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/16(Thu)19:32 No. 845592 ID: a6af03
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You try not to think about the significance of your callsigns. You’ve heard that they’re randomly generated but you’ve never believed it.
You send Zombie orders and give everyone a countdown to move. She stands back a from the personnel carrier a few feet and lobs a grenade into one of the windows with the reaper. You pick up a distant curse just before sound cancellers cut in to muffle the thunderous concussion wave.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/16(Thu)19:32 No. 845593 ID: a6af03
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Instantly the four of you launch into action: breaking from cover and pushing forward. Cricket and Zombie vault the low barrier around the building while you cover Echo’s advance. Cricket slaps a breaching charge against the wall and shouts “CLEAR!” before the shaped explosive punches through.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/16(Thu)19:32 No. 845594 ID: a6af03
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Dust and glass crunch under your boots as you sweep through the opening, the rest of your team filing in behind you. You stand in a large foyer, open to the second floor and scattered with overturned furniture. The force of your ingress sent chandeliers tinkling and raining crystals, which pop erratically against the floor in ones and twos. A large open crate lays discarded in the middle of the floor.

You peer through the dust with your IR scanner, picking up two warm bodies already on the floor and a third behind a desk. Sonics are still trying to unscramble all of the noise, but detect movement from the elevator shaft.

Hmm, could any of these be the targets you need to capture? Well, first priority is to get in and take control of the viable cover in the room. Yell at the one behind the desk to show their hands, and assuming they aren't hostile you can stun prod them and take positions around the elevator to ambush whoever comes out.

Hmm I bet you could smartfog the elevator to take control of the doors.

Shoot them all. Arrest any bystanders later for obstruction of justice!

>>845594
Shoot the chandelier above the guy behind the desk to drop it on him!

>>845594
Order the person behind the desk to stand up with their hands in the air. If it's an insurgent, shoot them. If it's someone we require, don't shoot them.

Shoot some holes through the unoccupied half of the desk. Croucher might be easier to ID while they make a mad dash for harder cover, or might freeze in a panic and buy you time to close the distance with minimal risk.

Make sure to identify your targets before engaging. We don't want to harm the objectives or bystanders if it's not necessary.

>>845620
This.
>>845617
Good idea. Flush the guy out of cover.

Shoot them all in the legs, search for equipment, then direct them to the nearest underwatched exit. Get to the next area quickly.

Consider that your existence is that of a vat-grown enforcer-class slave, designed to enforce your masters' will upon other slaves.

What do you think of this? Do you resent your fate but have no other way to live, or do you feel such things are not worth considering?

>>845866
Or, do you LIKE IT

Toxoglossa 2017/11/18(Sat)10:48 No. 845873 ID: a6af03
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You put a three round burst into the table and command “Hands in the air and stand up slowly!”
There’s no response so you fire a round into the chandelier. Fragments of glass rattle against the tiled floor and a pair of hands fling a pistol aside. “Alright! Alright, I’m coming out!” A shaking figure emerges and you turn off your IR to run him through the ReNu asset database: no match. The two prone figures shift and groan.
“Echo, Cricket; secure these three. Zombie, I want fog on that elevator.”

Toxoglossa 2017/11/18(Sat)10:49 No. 845874 ID: a6af03
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They snap into action, Echo covering the targets as Cricket zip-ties and tapes their arms. Zombie pops a nade agains the far wall and smartfog billows into the foyer.
“I want that elevator on hold till we get eyes inside!”
“Patching in now...”
A small security feed pops up on your HUD, revealing the squat shape of a defense drone. Must be what was in the crate. Makes sense to use the elevator: they still haven’t made one that handles stairs well. The elevator is well sealed, so its unlikely the smartfog will be able to breach it and attack the drone, bit at least its locked in for now. You shrink the camera feed into a corner and set it to alert you if anything changes.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/18(Sat)10:49 No. 845875 ID: a6af03
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There’s a banshee-like electrical scream outside. One of your personnel carriers suddenly caves in and is thrown across the parking lot: they must have got the railgun up and running. Should take them a minute or two to build up enough charge to fire again. You need to find a way up there to neutralize that gun before the secondary response team can approach.

>>845874
Can you kill power to the elevator?
If you can hold it in place then you get above it and force the smartfog through the emergency escape.

>>845875
Have the elevator go to the floor below yours without stopping, force the doors and climb on top. Disable or subvert the drone then move up to the floor the railgun is on via the elevator shaft.

>>845874
You could get the smartfog in by opening the doors a crack, or fully opening them while none of you stand in the line of fire. Then you could use the elevator to get back up there, but stay out of sight while the drone goes in first.

Are the doors bulletproof / can you shoot the door to let the fog in? What'd be neat is it you could subvert the drone via smartfog, then send it up to the floor with the railgun and let it go to town.

>>845889
As nice of an idea as this is, part of our objectives are to secure a couple of very specific people. Turning the railgun nest into a slaughterhouse may cost us the VIP's.

I'm all for subverting the drone though. If we can do that, we should have it secure the ground floor for us.

Tell the guy who surrendered to go outside, climb on top of the remaining cruiser, and sit there quietly until further notice. You don't care if he gets blown up, but the folks with the railgun probably do, and minimizing further damage to your company car would be nice.

>>845889
If the doors aren't bulletproof, we shouldn't stand in front of them because that works both ways.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/20(Mon)16:27 No. 846521 ID: a6af03
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You check on the Elevator. Currently its sitting in between the first and second floor. The mech inside looks around curiously, whoever is piloting it must realize something is wrong with the elevator. You tell Zombie to kill power to the shaft, locking it in place while you assess the situation.
Working with Echo, you pry the outer doors open and peer up into the darkened elevator shaft; your helmet compensating for the low light with a grainy green filter.
If this were a zero G ops you’d have brought grappling guns, but fortunately you’re able to utilize a maintenance ladder to allow you to climb up above the elevator. You step on it and it sways slightly. With the power out, you can’t check the security feed, but tread carefully to keep from alerting the drone.
You eye the emergency access hatch, wondering whether it would be a worth it to deal with the drone now, or just ride the elevator up to the top floor.

Engage the emergency locks so it stops that swaying. Then line up the team to breach the second floor at the door.

Deal with the drone now. Its guns could be able to swivel upward, and you'd have nowhere to dodge. Shall we use the second smartfog grenade?

>>846521
Smartfog it. If you can take control then you can let it loose on the railgun.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/21(Tue)18:19 No. 846900 ID: a6af03
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You lever up the hatch a few inches, prime your second smartfog grenade and roll it into the carriage. Within seconds, the room fills with nanites, worming their way into the drone’s armor and assembling themselves into tiny antennae. It takes a bit longer to hack into its controls but its a fairly old machine; using outdated software with known security exploits.
Idly you wonder how these guys were able to get tech like this at all. It seems odd that a group of clone smugglers would be this well armed. You make a note on your mwlission status to question the detainees about the source of the weapons.

Once you establish a connection with the drone, you restore power to the elevator and send it up to the third floor. The door slides open and the robot immediately comes under heavy fire. Bullets clatter against its forward armor in furious bursts, a few ricocheting up through the roof of the car. You pick out targets with the drone’s targeting system and return fire; the guns roaring like thunder in the tiny compartment. Twin bursts of fire tear through the soft cover of office walls, downing two combatants. When the smoke clears and spent brass stops rolling, you hear footsteps running in the opposite direction. Voices are yelling, but even with sound dampeners, your ears are ringing too much to register what is being said.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/21(Tue)18:19 No. 846901 ID: a6af03
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You assess your situation: One of the drone’s cameras is out and its armor is compromised in several spots, but it is otherwise operational. You look down and see that one your legs is leaking a thin streak of blood: must have caught a ricochet. In the confined space, your shieldpack was unable to respond without the compression wave squishing you flat. Still, its a nonvital injury; your pain dampeners kick in and you slap a field suture over the wound.

Okay, cool. Put the drone in front of the elevator then exit. Use it for cover while you send the elevator down for the other two. Or maybe they can climb up, whichever's faster.

Advance through the second floor with the drone, take out hostiles and ID any nonhostiles.

Lay down extra suppressing fire with the drone while you climb down, then split up. Use the drone to distract while you set up traps and ambushes, then have the drone retreat. They'll realize the distraction and search for you in the opposite corner, at which point you ambush them with what you've built. Have the drone catch up and hunt down any stragglers.

drive the drone out of the elevator so you can drop down behind it and use it as cover

>>846901
Do you have anything to bind the injury with? Even if it's a non-vital hit, you might as well slow the rate of blood loss.

>what do
Using the expendable drone as a forward scout seems prudent.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/24(Fri)16:45 No. 847842 ID: a6af03
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You send a command to the drone and it trundles out of the elevator, scanning left and right. The sensors pick up a blip of movement an instant before a flash fills the camera. A screaming metal thunderbolt streaks down the hallway and your helmet registers a “signal lost” error as the robot is erased from existence. There's a rumble from down the hall as the projectile punches through the far wall.
Oh yeah, they have a railgun...

Toxoglossa 2017/11/24(Fri)16:45 No. 847843 ID: a6af03
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You patch through to Echo and signal her to join you on the roof of the elevator. You ping Cricket and Zombie but get no response. You check their helmet cams and get a glimpse of movement before you lose the signal.

>>847843
Oh fuck is that a Sam clone? You may be in trouble. Time to sneak around and recon the second floor to see if you can take out that railgun without being spotted.

Alert central command, Old Sam has neutralized response team.

>>847855
Inform them that another Sam clone has gone berzerk and that you are the only survivor of the current team. Request reinforcements.

Looks like you're all alone now.

we have no idea if that's a sam clone. but we know it's some kind of badass :P

>>847843
Backup is already on the way. Are they equipped to handle a force that took out your team? If not, alert them they will need more support. If so, you need to survive while also trying to take out that rail gun and that odd assailant.

Who's helmet cam was it that got a small blip of movement?

>>847843
well thar's good and creepy, you just saw a ghost.
i don't suppose you recorded that for a better look?

Toxoglossa 2017/11/28(Tue)16:32 No. 848448 ID: a6af03
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“Zombie? Cricket? Report...” You hear an unfamiliar quaver to your voice. You clear your throat and try again but get no response. Echo joins you on the roof of the elevator. Underneath the helmet you can tell that she’s just as worried as you are. No one should be able to take out two Repo men without someone noticing, so who was that person?

“Command, this is Ghost. Reporting loss of signal from two of our operatives due to unknown enemy actions. What is ETA on secondary response team?”

Text pops up on your HUD: ETA 3 MINUTES. REQUEST STATUS OF RAILGUN.

“Working to disable railgun, will update once status changes, hold response team until then.”

STATUS CONFIRMED.

Currently you still have
2 talon SMGs
3 concussive grenades
2 stunprods
1 breaching charge
2 shieldpacks
1 high altitude drone.

Seek vent shafts leading left. It's a confined space, but a shieldpack isn't going to do much against an anti-material railgun. Split up so they can't hit both of you at once. You take a grenade and the breaching pack, Echo takes two grenades, split the rest evenly. Attempt to accomplish your mission separately: delivering an explosive payload to disable the railgun.

>>848448

Your breaching charge is probably the only thing direct and angry enough to take out a railgun, unless you find its power source.

Do we have a floor plan of the complex, or better yet, a building schematic?

>>848451
Split the supplies, but do coordinate with Echo to take control or disable the rail gun.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/29(Wed)17:36 No. 848683 ID: a6af03
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You divvy up your remaining resources and bring up a sonic map. Looks as though there’s an access panel above you that leads into a maintenance hallway above the third floor. You lever up the hatch and creep into a narrow room packed with humming capacitors and winding cables. You and Echo head in separate directions, looking for a way to disable the railgun.

Toxoglossa 2017/11/29(Wed)17:36 No. 848684 ID: a6af03
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If its using the local power grid, stopping it might be as simple as killing the power to the building. Tracing the conduits away from the capacitors brings you to a person sized mesh cage marked with high voltage warnings. Behind the locked door you see a row of breaker panels tied into the building.

Shoot fusebox.

Stun prod it to overload the capacitors.

>>848684
Oh, good! It's a breaker panel!
The cage is a giant molly-guard. and faraday cage.
It's not electrified or anything, if that was your concern. That would be extremely counterproductive. They only want people who know what they're doing to cut power or, more dangerously, reset a tripped breaker.

There's probably a knox box nearby for emergency services, but the lock is crap and the frame is laughable. If you can get some leverage you can just pry the door away from the frame near the lock to pop it out - a crowbar would make it easy, but you can probably do it by hand. The breaker box might also be locked, but since it's inside a cage they probably haven't bothered. Not that a breaker box is made of anything all that much stronger than a soda can, and can easily be pried open as well.

Assuming the cage is locked.

If you can't immediately tell what circuit the railgun is on, then start tripping breakers from highest to lowest amps until it dies, ganged breakers first.

>>848726
This is a bad idea that is more likely to cause injury than succeed.

>>848733
This is an extremely bad idea that would successfully kill both the gun and yourself. Also possibly the building via fire.

Have you tried hacking the mainframe.

Break in and shut everything off.

Disable the breakers as per >>848736, but please don't shoot anything or blow anything up. you'll hurt yourself and give away your position.

Alert Echo. Have her ready to go low light and drop the fools around the gun as soon as you cut the power as noted in >>848736

This feels a little too easy. How much time did the defenders here get to set up before your team's arrival? Enough that they could have trapped this cage lock or the breaker panel?

The lock is likely flimsy, meant more to keep idle randos from sticking their hand in their and tripping the building's power. A solid yank on the mesh door might pull it open. Failing that, levering a screwdriver or other prying lever in there should work. Just a solid piece of metal you can slip in between the door and its frame.

...Actually, wait. The better option would be to get a stick or pole and push it through the mesh cage to push the breakers off. That way anyone coming back this way to flip them back on would have to contend with a locked cage, which will delay them.

However, don't assume that cutting the building power will disable the railgun. It may have a secondary power source, such as a portable capacitor bank, good for at least one more shot. You or Echo need to get eyes on the railgun to confirm it doesn't have alternate power before giving the green light to the secondary response team. Radio this to Echo right before cutting the power, then catch up with her to advance towards the railgun's position.

Shoot the lock out and kill all power to this floor. It's not like they would have taped a sign saying 'Railgun Feed' to the fusebox... would they?

Tell your partner power might be going out soon and to ready a flashlight or other light source. Then blast that fusebox.

Sure, shooting the fusebox would kill whatever fuses you hit, but you can't reliably shut down that railgun without getting everything.

If the conduits coming out of the fusebox are plastic, and the surrounding materials are unlikely to catch fire or direct energy towards you, it might be best to stand back and shoot those, rather than messing around with the cage and the box itself.

>>848874
If you've got nightvision and the targets probably don't, all the local infrastructure is working against you. Forget the lock, just shoot out the cables leading to the junction box... after checking to be sure overpenetration won't hit anything you're being paid to bring back alive, of course.

>>847843
i'm telling you guys, i know a ghost when i see one and that was definitely a ghost. like, actual ghost, not ghost as a codename.
in fact, from known prior ghost behavior i can predit that Echo will be the next target.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/03(Sun)08:59 No. 849545 ID: a6af03
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You pull at the mesh, and with a few well placed kicks to the supports, you find just enough leverage to open it.

You check the breaker box and send a message to Echo: “Going dark, standby.” She pings you an affirmative and you get to work.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/03(Sun)08:59 No. 849546 ID: a6af03
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The heavy switches snap one after another as you power down the building, piece by piece. You flip a final breaker and kill the lights around you, causing your helmet to switch to low light. You send a communication to HQ: “Building depowered, standby for update.”

Echo reports in: “Found the target, got three working on it. Two armed.”

Does this mean at least one of the clones is still in cryo-sleep? How resilient are these chambers?
More importantly, how more resilient are they when compared with the living bodies outside?

>>849546
A grenade should handle those fucks.

You should flank around the railgun while echo approaches it from the other side. Use a grenade to flush out the gun crew and guards, and clean them up with SMGs when they run for cover. Fragmentation grenades would have been better, but concussion will have to do.

>>849546
Go loud.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/04(Mon)16:59 No. 849841 ID: a6af03
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You message Echo: “Hold position, wait for my signal to engage.”
She sends you confirmation and you take off down the hall, following your helmet’s map to her last position. You detour slightly to set up a flank and get into position, cracking a door to peek out on the unsuspecting targets. You and Echo do a quick confirmation and you send the signal to come out guns blazing.

A concussion grenade rolls out of a nearby doorway and lifts the railgun crew off their feet. You shoulder the door open and throw yourself into the fight, your talon strobing the hallway with flares of exploding cordite. Your helmet outlines the boxy shape of a weapon in someone’s hands moments before you cut him down. Echo expertly neutralizes her target and shoves the third, unarmed, target to the ground with her boot as he tries to stand.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/04(Mon)16:59 No. 849842 ID: a6af03
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You check what they were working on, confirming that it is indeed a man-portable railgun. It appears they were attempting to switch it over to a portable capacitor for power before you arrived. You send a message to HQ: “Railgun secure, second team you are free to approach.”

HQ sends you a TEN FOUR and you nod to Echo as part of a job well done, booya.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/04(Mon)16:59 No. 849844 ID: a6af03
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She nods back, then suddenly looks down as she is pulled off her feet and dragged down the hallway by a thin cord.

Dump the railgun out the window so if you get taken out by the unknown hostile, they can't get the gun back up. Then warn the incoming team about the mystery, and run after your compadre.

>>849844
Intercede before you lose Echo. If you have to leave the railgun, ruin it with a grenade.

The mission comes first. Chuck the railgun or its battery out the window before chasing Echo!

Make sure to disable the railgun and inform HQ that something is taking out your team members. See if Echo can detonate her shieldpack or use something to dislodge the cable.

Drop a grenade next to the railgun and chase after Echo!

Grenade or bullet the railgun. Then save your teammate.

>>849844
no time for the railgun, there isn't anyone around to use it right now anyhow.
save your teammate right now or you'll be left alone until reinforcements arrive.

>>849844
Quickly ruin the railgun with your Talon, persue Echo and spew what's left of your magazine at where that wire leads, if you can.

Fire it first if you're going to dump the gun out the window. Something undesirable might happen if it hits the ground fully charged.

Mission priority comes first, but that doesn't mean you can't do anything from your position. Quickly ready a concussion 'nade and throw it so it bounces off the wall into the hall where Echo is being dragged to possibly catch whoever is dragging her. Then neutralize the railgun with a point blank Talon burst into its control module or down its barrel before pursuing Echo.

Get Echo's helmet cam on your HUD, display sonar detection and activate tracking on her radio signal. Realize that chasing directly after her down the hall very likely will be into a enemy trap. Instead go through a side room to where she was being dragged.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/06(Wed)18:36 No. 850198 ID: a6af03
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You break into a flat-out run; your boots slipping on loose shell casings and forcing you to catch yourself. You throw a concussion grenade behind you to disable the railgun and feel the pressure wave carry you forward as you give chase.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/06(Wed)18:36 No. 850199 ID: a6af03
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Echo disappears around a corner and you hear the burst of an automatic weapon. Her’s? You can’t tell.
You throw your back to the wall and change your mag out in one smooth motion.

Check Echo's camera and see if you can get any idea where they are. Chuck any nonlethal stuff you have at them. Otherwise just head out and pray.

It was hers. Old Sam has not been seen or heard using firearms. If she's not firing, she's out for the count anyway. Can you check her helmet-cam or do anything to open fire on her position without exposing yourself?

>>850199
Perfect setup for a trap. Check her feed, if it's dark, she's gone and you need to alert HQ.

Check her cameras and get another grenade ready.

>>850199
hey, any mirrors or a way to look over the edge of the wall without getting shot?

Can you get a floor plan on your HUD? Optimally, we shouldn't follow directly because we could be ambushed easily. See if you can flank.

Also, how are you doing on ammo/munitions?

Update HQ on what's going on. Then try and see if Echo's camera is still on?

Toxoglossa 2017/12/10(Sun)15:34 No. 850826 ID: a6af03
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You switch over and check Echo’s helmet cam: no signal. You swear.
Wait, there’s something there... not her signal, someone else?
Was someone watching you? How’d they get in? If your system was compromised then…

Toxoglossa 2017/12/10(Sun)15:34 No. 850827 ID: a6af03
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There’s a roar from downstairs, interrupting your train of thought as the heavy response team makes ingress. From the sounds of it, they drove their armored assault transport straight through the wall. Oh god, they could be walking right into a trap!

Alert teams immediately that comms may be compromised. Maybe if heavy responce knows there's a trap, that will be enough.

You won't be able to get there in time. Your priority is still Echo. Gotta rescue your squad-mate, or confirm that she's down, and deal with whoever snagged her.

I think they just ran over the trap.
Don't go down to meet them, they can and should be shooting everything that moves. What's the state of your primary objective?

Report on comms and that Echo has gone silent.

Report that comms are compromised and you are going dark. Search for Echo.

>>850828
Eveeything here

You have to get to Echo.

Alert the response team they may be walking into a trap and that you are going after echo, who has gone dark.

Then go dark yourself and relocate immediately instead of going after echo.

time to hunt the world's most dangerous game, killer bird clone!

Toxoglossa 2017/12/11(Mon)18:44 No. 851132 ID: a6af03
File 151304666858.png - (110.66KB , 600x465 , 5-26.png )

“Abort! Abort mission! We’ve been compromised! Do you read?” You yell into your helmet and in response a burst of static echos back. You try several times but something seems to be scrambling your comms.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/11(Mon)18:44 No. 851133 ID: a6af03
File 151304667426.png - (95.25KB , 421x600 , 5-27.png )

“Fuck this...” You turn the corner, weapon drawn. “Echo? You there? Come on, we’re bugging out, let me hear you...”
The hallway is empty and dark; you try to boost your night vision but it futzes at you, sending a blur of chromatic aberration over your viewfinder. You step forward cautiously and your foot grazes against something.

Hit the deck!

>>851133
Dodge forward, something's behind you. Echo is dead.

>>851133
Hostile, directly behind your right shoulder, I think.

>>851133
Consider the following:
Your helmet is compromised.
Everything you see, including visual light, is a processed data stream.
You just kicked something that's not there.

Dodge to the side and remove your helmet. Its best use right now is as a projectile weapon.

>>851133
Take off your helmet.

>>851133
i told you man, i warned you about ghosts!

>>851133
The tech you rely on is now a liability.

Time to go au natural.

Take off helmet as you dodge, throw it at assailant.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/12(Tue)20:54 No. 851396 ID: a6af03
File 151314087203.png - (37.37KB , 600x317 , 5-28.png )

Your helmet clunks against the ground as you stumble back. Eyes adjusting, you finally spot the slumped body of Echo, a pool of blood seeping from her neck.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/12(Tue)20:54 No. 851397 ID: a6af03
File 151314087525.png - (62.67KB , 600x589 , 5-29.png )

“Son of a-“ Something moves and your gun snaps up, waving vaguely into the shadows. Instinctively, you take a step back and thump into someone. A knife flies to your neck and hovers there.

“Hundreds of years of combat experience and you people still can’t resist a Trojan horse.” Someone breathes in your ear.

Realization hits you, “The drone...”

“Got it in one. Nice of you to let us in like that. You people are so confident in your tech; makes you predictable.”

Toxoglossa 2017/12/12(Tue)20:54 No. 851398 ID: a6af03
File 151314087955.png - (312.35KB , 546x600 , 5-30.png )

A figure steps forward, their face shrouded by a hood. “If you’re done here, we need to move.”

Toxoglossa 2017/12/12(Tue)20:54 No. 851399 ID: a6af03
File 151314088490.png - (97.02KB , 600x584 , 5-31.png )

Another person steps into view from behind you. She's carrying an agent helmet; a coil of wires runs from it to their bulky looking neurocollar. “Nearly done, shame about that last one. Full set of tactical data from a Repo-squad would have made a nice find.”

The one with the knife growls, “You shouldn’t have let em get a shot off then...”

>>851399
Okay, sure, there's a knife to my neck, but I still have a gun. I will pull the trigger before I bleed out, and there's no helmet to make me miss.

Let's make a deal: nobody else gets shot and nobody else gets their throat cut. We both walk away, with information gained on both sides.

You've lost. There's no way to complete the mission, and no hostile action you can take against the opposition that will not result in your death, even if you injure or kill some of them in the process.

Surrender. Burdening the enemy with a prisoner, and biding your time for a future opportunity to present itself, is your best option.

It looks like only the one with the knife is armed. Know any martial arts that'll save your neck, no pun intended?

>>851399
"Ok, I surrender. I'll tell you anything you want, but please try to save Echo - the one on the floor.
Partially severed carotid artery. She'd have just lost consciousness, but for the next few minutes she's not beyond saving. Styptic patch and blood transfusion kit, in our field kits.
I won't hold it against you if you fail, but please try."

>>851397
"I don't know why you would have expected otherwise. We're cloned soldiers stuffed full of memories. Memories picked by people so in love with their tech they think cloning soldiers and stuffing the same memories in their heads will give them a balanced fighting force. I'm sure we've called them out on it many times, but obviously none of us are going to inherit memories of THAT."

shoot wolf then hoodie
If you have any way to disable pain, do it.
You have 3 seconds before you loose consciousness. Focus. Don't panic. Make it count.

Grab knife with one hand open fire with the other.

They should really include some sort of feedback failsafe in these helmets in case they fall into enemy hands. Some self-destruct charges would make for awesome death headbutts too!
Shoot somebody as you go down. Preferably the hooded one.

Throw them off with "just do it already" while getting closer to the blade, then pull your head back into a head-butt when they start to take the blade away, grab out one of your stun grenades, pull the pin and take it from there.

Try to bluff them!

Tell them that if your entire team dies, then all of your bodies have been rigged to explode! So if they kill you, then everyone dies! And even if they don't kill you, you'll just kill yourself! Either way, you'll take them with you!

Analyze the situation. The tactically sensible action from the knife weilder's position should have been to slit your throat the second they could, not hold you here for a chit-chat while the clock ticks down on the response team catching up to them. And especially not to say what they did, or show who they are, which you would carry back to a debrief. They might have made a tactical error or are just gloating, but the most likely reason you aren't dead is that they want you alive for some reason. And whatever that reason is, is one where you won't be getting back to ReNu to tell what you've seen and heard here.

From what the gal wearing the neurocollar said, they were scraping tactical data from your team via neurocollar, probably direct from your brains as well as out of your helmets. You're alive possibly because they want to stick your helmet back on to finish that job. Alternatively, they might use your compromised helmet to have another of their group take control of your body via neurocollar, possibly to walk you right up to the response team with a bomb on your back. But it's also possible they'll use it to walk you out of here for capture, where they can neuro-scan you and scrape your brain for everything they can get.

The conclusion is that if they want you alive for their purposes, then you can not let them have you alive. Choose a course of action that will most likely end your life while causing the most damage and hindrance to them and their plans. Once your throat is slit, you will have only a few seconds before you will be unable to act, so make them count.

You still have your Talon SMG in hand, finger on the trigger, so evaluate what targets you could most likely hit within those few seconds. Also consider turning your gun on your own shieldpack and triggering it so they are caught in the blast. It's no claymore mine, but it'll still hurt 'em. And could you drop your gun, grab a concussion grenade, pull its pin and toss it upwards before you bleed out?

>>851402
They won't let Ghost walk away with intel on how they compromised the agent team's helmets, nor anything else she's seen and heard here that will come out in a debrief, so they won't cut a deal.

>>851411
Talking is not a free action here 'cause they know the heavy response team is breathin' down their necks. Besides, a clone agent wouldn't say any of that. Echo is expendable, same as Ghost and same as every other clone agent.

>>851413
Hoodie potentially has a shieldpack under her clothes that would soak a shot, but the gal wearing the neurocollar isn't wearing enough to adequately obscure a shieldpack, so she probably isn't wearing one. Priority fire on her.

You're clones. By definition you're expendable.

Don't you have an implanted bomb in the event shit like this happens?

>>851426
You're right. A clone agent probably wouldn't say that.
That's WHY Ghost should say it.

If you've got any kind of training in hand to hand combat, now's the time to use it and disarm the thug behind you.

either that or switch with old sam.

>>851399
What does your training say about this situation? Now ask yourself, what do you want out of this situation?

>>851478
That's stupid.
Ghost has the same training as every other Repoman. That did the other Repomen no good.
This isn't some random group of thugs. They have very clearly done this before, and are able to predict behavior. The solution, then, is to invoke the memories from the overwritten clone and do anything BUT what your training says.

Be a burden as a prisoner.

you have a knife to your throat, it's time to bargain. maybe they're interested in a double agent

Just keep quiet. There's nothing you have to offer them and struggling will most certainly get you killed.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/13(Wed)16:19 No. 851588 ID: a6af03
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“If you know what I am, then why am I still alive? Don’t you know we’re expendable?” Your finger wraps itself around the trigger on your talon as you try to stretch this out.

The hooded figure steps closer, “I know, I was just... I need your help.“

A callous laugh erupts out of you. “Why the fuck...” real, genuine confusion dripping from every syllable, “would I help, you? What are you? Mercs? Thieves?”

The figure ignores this, “I’m looking for someone. Chances are that one of your... iterations will make contact with her at some point. I need for you to pass along a message.”

“Oh? What’s that?” You sneer.

“Tell her: I’m coming for her. That I am alive...”

“And how do I find this person?”

She pushes back her hood, “You’ll know her when you see her...” Her eyes sparkle in the dark like windows into a clear, blue sky. The woman looks at you with such... sorrow, such pity, that bile rises in your throat. How dare she; looking down as if you were some dumb beast of burden? Your finger twitches on the trigger and you quietly thumb the weapon into full-auto mode.

>>851588
What is the current date?

Also obviously don't just shoot everyone. These are high value targets, aren't they? Ones your company would prefer to capture alive? That's your actual job-- to capture, not to kill. Remember your duty, abandon your emotions. Negotiate something in return for your cooperation. You came here looking for two people, ask them to give you one of them.

"Alright, fine. I promise that one of my respawns will tell your dainty little sister that we WERE ALIVE-"

Open fire.

"AND NOW WE'RE NOT!"

>How dare she; looking down as if you were some dumb beast of burden? Your finger twitches on the trigger and you quietly thumb the weapon into full-auto mode.
Gonna repeat myself: having to escort a live prisoner hinders them more than having to leave your dead body. Surrender. Allow yourself to be disarmed.

They exploited blind spots in your clone line's tactics. You want to stop this from happening? You need to live, so future clones will learn from the mistakes made here. You can stop this from happening again. So your sister's sacrifices weren't in vain. The intelligence you can bring back if your survive is worth more than going down in last stand.

Do. Not. Pull. That. Trigger.

>>851593
This plan is intelligent. Do not allow vital memory data to be destroyed.

>>851593
Supporting this.

>>851593
This.
Also, she's sorta right. Your creators and employers do treat you like an expendable "dumb beast of burden."
Like a disposable assassin.
It's kinda fucked up.

>>851593
Also, the only way you could provide that message as a memory is if you make it back alive.
Thus they are not intending to kill you.

Fire. Command already has copies of your squad's tactical data, don't they? What you recorded is evidence enough for your future sisters. Let them remember you for your commitment to ReNu's mission by your legacy.

Don't pull that trigger.

>>851588
opening fire here is not the logical course of action. calm yourself soldier.
you are expendible, yes, but you are also expensive. there is an easy, low cost way to get out of this alive. do not fuck it up with useless emotions.

Say you'll do it only if she does something for you and when she asks what say "Save us" then grab the knife with your free hand and open fire on the smug tech bitch.

It was a setup. You're expendable to her as anyone else. She killed your sisters to make you the sole survivor. She'll tag you, then send you back to corrupt the template.
They're turning you into a time bomb. You must go off while they're still holding you!
Don't let them corrupt Annie.

>>851731
Corrupt->create.
Please stop trying to retcon our favorite birdbutt out of existence. D:

>>851778
Not your Annie. The Annie.

Hold yourself back, don't pull that trigger.

Sam better say something convincing soon, cause right now, you know what you gotta do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dVKMla1LAY

please say something convincing Sam I like Annie

>>851896
>please say something convincing Sam I like Annie
Lucky for you, neither of them are Sam or Annie. They are completely different people from Sam and Annie.

Just fire.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/16(Sat)14:22 No. 852198 ID: a6af03
File 151346293805.png - (110.80KB , 528x600 , 5-33.png )

“If I'm going to send this message, that means you need me alive, right?” You flick the safety on, securing the Talon before dropping it.

“Alive is a pretty broad definition... “ The knife wielder insinuates, “We’ve already lost some good people today.” The woman with the eyes waves her silent.

“Yes. I’m sorry about your... sisters, but this is the only way we can think of to reach the person I’m looking for.”

You fold your arms, “And why should I help you? I’m just a tool to you; you’d just be using me like everyone else does.”

Toxoglossa 2017/12/16(Sat)14:22 No. 852199 ID: a6af03
File 151346294982.png - (62.58KB , 600x525 , 5-34.png )

She pauses and struggles with this, “I... I know... I know more than you can imagine.”

There’s a rumble from downstairs that shakes drop tiles loose from the ceiling. “We might want to wrap this up.” comments the one with the collar.

The lady with the eyes leans forward anxiously, her hands clasped as if protecting something precious. “Please, I’ll- I’ll...” She implores, mentally searching for something to offer you: a disposable soldier.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/16(Sat)14:23 No. 852202 ID: a6af03
File 151346301431.png - (101.40KB , 535x600 , 5-35.png )

Her eyes light up, drilling into you with such impish delight that you recoil. “I’ll give you information. Not for ReNu, this is for you.” She steps within arms reach and gazes up at your face.
“Your name... Is Annie. Annie Woad.”

Your head reels as disbelief and curiosity wrestle for control of your tongue. You manage an “Uh-“ just as a gout of fire roars from down the hall.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/16(Sat)14:23 No. 852203 ID: a6af03
File 151346302256.png - (98.19KB , 600x467 , 5-36.png )

“Time to go...” The collared merc drops the helmet at your feet and picks up the Talon. You feel the knife leave your neck and the person behind you brushes past: another wolf, powerfully built and standing almost as tall as you.

The three of them march into the dark in a business-like fashion. You hear the rustling and stomping of the response team behind you. As they leave, the woman turns back. She gives you one last glance, a silent apology etched on her face.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/16(Sat)14:23 No. 852204 ID: a6af03
File 151346303765.png - (1.12KB , 600x600 , 5-37.png )

And then she's gone.

>>852204
Ok. You're able to move.
Get out your medkit. Put a patch on Echo's neck to stop the bleed, then use an IV.
You probably don't have a bag of saline, but you definitely have a transfusion kit. Fortunately you're the same blood type.
Her heart may or may not have stopped yet. Check for a pulse, then apply chest compression.

That could have gone so much worse.

... Your mother's last name is @#$%ING 'WOAD'?!

ANNIE @#$%ING WOAD?! WHAT KIND OF @#$%WIT KEEPS SUCH A STUPID-

[Incoherent rambling]
[One internet search back at base later]

Oh wait 'Woad' comes from the latin phrase 'wod' which means @#$%ing angry okay sure cool but you're totally changing it to 'Woadaz' because it sounds like "Roadie Badass".

>>852204
Time to wake up, Annie.

...Open your eyes.

Asses the situation for a moment, and find out what all the noise going on up there is about. If it's your team you can probably afford to relax for a second and think about what just happened.

If it's not, try and retreat.

>>852204
Just who
are
you?

Rise and shine, Miss Woad. Rise and... shine. Not that I... wish to imply you have been sleeping on the job. The right name in the wrong time can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up, Miss Woad. Wake up and... smell the sasses... (with apologies to HL2)

Analyze what's happening around you.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/19(Tue)18:56 No. 852804 ID: a6af03
File 151373858628.png - (1.12KB , 600x600 , 5-38.png )

“Hey.”

Toxoglossa 2017/12/19(Tue)18:56 No. 852805 ID: a6af03
File 151373859561.png - (128.72KB , 600x564 , 5-39.png )

“You okay?” You open your eyes, a child of indeterminate age and gender squats on their heels, sitting at eye level to better inspect your prone body.

You sit up, sore after being kicked around by your older sisters. You wince and check a scrape on your elbow, which bleeds down your scaly forearm and stains your feathers.

Another kid, smaller and nervous looks on from a distance, “Sam, come on! You’re not suppose to talk to them!”

“Why not?” The kid cocks their head at you as if examining a strange insect, curious and unafraid. Their strange blue eyes examine your injuries with clinical dispassion, “They’re hurt.”

The other kid’s ears droop as they cast a glance around the playground, “Fine, but don’t be surprised if you’re the one who gets hurt...” They wander over to the pixel wall, currently displaying relaxing forest scene, and look over their shoulder at you anxiously. You’ve seen these two around, its hard not to in a small “school” like this.

Bite cat.

>>852805
"No, but I will be. I don't think I'm allowed to not being ok."

>>852805
Tell her you're fine. Soldiers have to get used to pain.

>>852805
You're alive, and you're coming for you.

Shrug it off. "Yeah I'll be fine..."

>>852805
>indeterminate age and gender

Nonsense; its age is cute and its gender is cute. Nothing indeterminate about that.

“Tell her: I’m coming for her. That I am alive...”

She’s probably who you were told to deliver the message to.
Let’s just hope it’s worth it.

>>852805
"Instead of gawking, how about you get me a bandaid or something?"

>>852805

Those blue eyes are pretty familiar ...

Wait, that's the cat from Coxwette and Nate in the background ...?

>>852916
...nnaahhhh, you're probably overthinking things.

>>852805
Frown and tell her you're not sure you've ever been okay.

"...I don't know."

Respond with being unsure yourself.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/21(Thu)18:11 No. 853239 ID: a6af03
File 151390869235.png - (121.71KB , 574x600 , 5-40.png )

You cast a sideways glance at your two older sisters, wary of any perceived sign of weakness. You cup your hand around your bleeding elbow, “I’m fine. Just... get me something for this...“

The kid hops back up on their feet and scurries off. You take a moment to assess your injuries: mostly just bruises and scrapes but it looks like their talons caught you in a couple of spots. While you’re encouraged to sort out minor conflicts through these constant acts of aggression, causing actual bodily harm is frowned upon. Whether intentional or not, the holes in your skin serve as expressive punctuation marks in a savage daily existence.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/21(Thu)18:12 No. 853240 ID: a6af03
File 151390876360.png - (106.08KB , 600x578 , 5-41.png )

Moments later the kid comes back with a couple of ice cubes and a washcloth. They take your elbow and hold the cloth-bound ice to the wound, you wince and try to draw away. They hang on to your arm, addressing you with the confident authority of an eight year old “Hold still. Trust me; I’m a doctor.”

The kid’s friend rolls their eyes, “Saaaaam. Come on, you’re not a doctor!”

Sam ignores their friend, repeating “I'm a doctor.” They take the opportunity to take a closer look at you, assessing your injuries. Never one to enjoy being singled out by others, you yank your arm back and hold it to your body. They offer you the icepack and after a moment of hesitation you accept it, “Why’d they beat you up?”

You think about it, unsure yourself. Among your sisters any minor transgression or weakness is an indictment, resulting in swift acts of mob justice. Whatever you did, it was one of an infinite number of infractions you police among yourselves every day.

Sam's intense blue eyes bore into you. Something about them rubs you the wrong way, like an itch at the back of your mind. You glare back at them but find eye contact hard to maintain for some reason. "I dunno..."

Well gosh if you don't know what you're being punished for it's not going to be very effective as a punishment, is it? Violence has to have a purpose and you have to be sure it's actually accomplishing that purpose.

Maybe turn the question back by asking "Why help me". Say, can you not tell whether this is a boy or a girl? Maybe you should ask.

>>853240
Maybe they don't have a reason. Maybe they're just hyper-aggressive jerks.

Is there anyone that you can report your injuries to? Or is that just going to cause MORE problems for yourself?

Maybe it would be good to have some friends around here. Talking to Sam is probably a good start, if that's something you want to do.

Isn't it somewhat of a weakness to let the other soldier clones dictate your actions?

>>853240
Don't let your sisters see any of this. The more you get roughed up, the more of this kid you'll see, which will look bad. If you're going to talk to her, do so out of eyesight of them.

>“Why’d they beat you up?”
*Shrug* Frustrated maybe? There's not a lot we can do but get in fights.

>Sam's intense blue eyes bore into you. Something about them rubs you the wrong way, like an itch at the back of your mind.
"She's coming for you. She's alive."

>Wby are your sisters obsessed with targeting you
There's something wrong with you. The fact that it's so small and negligible makes it even worse; the corporation analysts might not pick it up but your sisters can, and it irks them to no end that no matter how hard they try to point and explain, they simply can't. Maybe it's the quarter of an inch your hips sway further than your sisters. Maybe it's because you react to the word 'blueberry' with a mild chuckle. Maybe it's because the other kids want to play with you and not your sisters, no matter how much fake cleavage they show off.

Nothing you can do but defend. Just tell the teachers to increase your guerrilla tactics lessons and apply thoroughly.

>>853240
You're gonna fare better with allies. Since your sisters aren't gonna help you, let's make friends with those two.

Toxoglossa 2017/12/22(Fri)22:38 No. 853446 ID: a6af03
File 151401113564.png - (64.62KB , 459x600 , 5-42.png )

“Maybe they don’t need a reason? Maybe it just ‘cause I was there..” You huff, “Why? What’re you helping me for?”

The kid looks down, uncertain for the first time as they arrange their words, “It’s... just that... they’re your sisters, right? And they’re always getting into fights...and... I don’t know anyone else here with brothers or sisters... So I was just wondering if all sisters are like that...” One by one they drop their questions like stones in a well; curious, but with the careful knowledge that something dangerous might lurk below.

Every sister, without exceptions. We are all part of the same whole.

>“It’s... just that... they’re your sisters, right?
I guess. It's not like... we do sister stuff. Whatever that's supposed to be.

>So I was just wondering if all sisters are like that...
I... don't think so? Or I hope not. I don't think there'd be a special word for it if it was like this everywhere.

>curious, but with the careful knowledge that something dangerous might lurk below.
Well don't go realizing that fear. She helped you, she doesn't deserve for you to beat her up if she says the wrong thing.

"Well, they're all like that to me. Does that count?"

>>853449
>>853446
"Some of them treat their family like this (outlines injuries) but not all of them, we are all shaped by our experiences after all and some of us just act out due to desperation/fear of what might happen. If we all acted and/or reacted exactly the same way none of us would ever live for long. Some are violent yes but not all of us, some are kind, just because we all follow the same pattern doesn't mean we are all the same."

>>853446
"They probably think they're making me tough. I won't speak for them and you shouldn't talk to them anyways."

>>853446
Tell her that your situation is not normal.

In all fairness, we're encouraged to do this to each other. Tomorrow, I will probably do this to another sister. It won't be because I hate her, or despise her, but because its what we do. It's not what all sisters mostly do, I know its what we do. You don't have to worry about that, even if you had a sister, you'd treat each other differently then we treat ours. Honestly, its tough to call each other sisters. We just look alike. That doesn't mean anything. If one of my sisters died, I'm not even supposed to shed a tear, and I wouldn't anyway. It's just the way things are. Its not sad. Its not happy. It's just what it is.

Thanks for the help.

"Well, brothers or sisters are just people who are a lot like you, right? I'm a fighter, so my sisters are fighters, and we fight. You said you're a doctor, and you help people, so if you had brothers or sisters, they'd be doctors and help people too."

>>853446
We're made for fighting

All of your sisters are like that, but only because you were made that way. Other people? who knows.

you have no idea if all sisters are like that, but you do know that you are in a different situation.
you and your sisters are groomed for a purpose, and the best way the caretakers found to get us there is by encouraging this mentality of conformity out of fear and have the sisters enforce it themselves.
that's so specific it can't possibly be the general case that all sisters are like this. this situation was engineered.

"Hopefully not."

Toxoglossa 2017/12/28(Thu)20:35 No. 854406 ID: a30024
File 151452211261.png - (84.76KB , 600x484 , 5-43.png )

You shrug, “It doesn’t mean noffin. They hurt me today, I hurt them tomorrow, doesn’t matter. Nobody messes with us ‘cuz we’re fighters. Nobody else here’s got that.”

You look back at your sistren, a few of them clearly sizing the mystery kid up for trouble later. “Look, some of us... we’re not nice. Just... watch out.” You thrust the washcloth back into the kid’s hands, making it look like a shove. They glance down at the bloody bundle and then up at you with confusion. You hesitate as you turn an unfamiliar word around in your mouth, “...Thanks...”

Toxoglossa 2017/12/28(Thu)20:35 No. 854407 ID: a30024
File 151452211757.png - (99.85KB , 600x600 , 5-44.png )

You turn your back and rejoin your sisters. They acknowledge you by not acknowledging you; one big happy family. A few snarky comments are thrown around about the kid with the weird eyes, and you scoff and chuckle along with the group. There’s a grim malice to the ribbing, like the growls of predators who can see you limping but aren’t hungry yet. You watch from the corner of your eye as the kid rejoins their friend at the pixel wall, doodling on the touchscreen and talking in hushed tones about what they heard. The two of them cast anxious glances in your direction, the rabbit closing some kind of app when they notice you looking.

>>854407
Not much to do but wait it out. If you approach them now, all you do is draw your sisters down on them.

Somebody's up to no good!

Now to find out what and how to get in on it without alerting your sisters or the authorities.

Don't look, you'll only put them at risk. Find yourself a spot to sit where you to side eye them without making it look obvious.

>>854407
Of course we want to get involved with the other kids, but we need to ditch your agro sisters first.

>>854407
Dammit! We owe her, which means that we got to bail her out when, cause its not gonna be "if", they get into trouble for... whatever it is they're doing.

>>854407

So begins Bucky's descent into realizing that the internet really IS for porn.

... In all seriousness, I think we owe blue-eyes a favor.

Yeah, can't go treating the cat like trash, because you owe her... previous... revision? Her mother? Do you even know who you were, when you saw her last? Why don't your sisters remember the cat? They're all the same as you... right?

Toxoglossa 2018/01/02(Tue)16:12 No. 855635 ID: a30024
File 151493836676.png - (78.62KB , 600x388 , 5-45.png )

You turn away and pretend not to notice, deciding to distract your sisters with bits of overheard information.
“I heard they’re gonna start putting us on time trials next month...”
They snort, “You think you can keep up, shorty?”
Having just taken a beating, you decide not to risk mouthing off. Instead, you attempt to project an air of cool confidence. The others seem to think this is funny. “You know what they do with you if you don’t make the cut right? They cut their losses; make a fresh start. No sense in wasting time on a failure, right?”
You can tell they’re trying to rattle you; to provoke an outburst so they’ll have reason to give you another beating. At least the other kids are momentarily forgotten as your sisters posture over the expectation of passing the upcoming physicals. A lot of it is bluster, inwardly they’re all worried about the same thing: failure.

>>855635
"Speaking of failures, did you girls know they record it when they kill one of us? It's true. Then they sell the footage off on the black market. Isn't that gross?"

Guess you'd know all about that.

>>855635
Don't provoke them, you'll just get pummeled again.

"Then I guess I won't fail."

>>855635
"I'll be fine. We'll all be fine. Just another day, really." Divert any attention away from any individuals, yourself included.

>>855635

"I heard when you don't make the cut, they don't kill you, they sell you. A living body's worth more to some people than a pile of dead meat, right? Good for testing weapons on. If you're lucky."

...
(just stay silent, see what happens I'm curious how thay will react. you don't have to say anything)

==>

Toxoglossa 2018/01/04(Thu)21:37 No. 856261 ID: a30024
File 151513062797.png - (119.60KB , 600x600 , 5-46.png )

You opt to remain silent as your sisters chatter. Having not provoked a reaction from you their interests wander.
“Do you think they’ll have a zero grav course?”
“They better: all that grav ball has to pay off some how.”
“Yeah seems like a waste, like we’ve got better things to do...”
You really don’t but you nod along anyway. Grav ball’s not so bad: a kind of zero-g dodgeball. You and your sisters are practically forces of nature on the court, but have trouble working together. You suppose the game is supposed to encourage teamwork but something about your sisters just ruffles your feathers. Still, against a bunch of uncoordinated kids, grav ball usually ends up being a one sided slaughter. Its one of many reasons the other kids steer clear of you.

Toxoglossa 2018/01/04(Thu)21:37 No. 856262 ID: a30024
File 151513063398.png - (62.51KB , 600x346 , 5-47.png )

“Hey, maybe this means they’ll start us on combat training...” The three of you look at each other with shared concern. You all know what that would mean: more installment sessions.
That means memories: stronger, more violent memories. Even now its not unusual to wake at night as the ghosts of long fought battles trickle through your mind. None of you like to talk about it, but among your “family”, its the one experience that binds you all together. While all the kids here are the product of intrusive memories, you and your sisters are being forged into child soldiers.
Hmm... memories...
Something in your head sparks: a flash of blue in the dark.

The moment of familial understanding passes as your sisters’ shake off the feeling: only a fleeting show of weakness. They declare that they’re going to go get a drink and march off towards the cafeteria, neither expecting nor caring if you follow.

Hey, that memory reminds me that kid's eyes. Or is it supposed to be the other way around? Well, your sisters are gone. Maybe if you go talk to that kid again you can get a bit more of it. Flashes of blue in the dark doesn't sound like a combat memory.

Child soldiers? Really? They're giving you so much elite training though! They're gonna invest all that into a soldier who they don't expect will make it past puberty?

Maybe what you mean was that you'd get trained as children, but only thrown into battle in your prime, peak maturity. Or is there some conflict so terrible, they ran out of adult soldiers and can't afford to wait?

Anyway I don't have any advice, except... don't hate your sisters. The more you can empathize with them, and see where they're coming from, the less they'll be able to hurt you and tear you down. They're just trying to do good, and don't understand that picking on you isn't good.

“Tell her: I’m coming for her. That I am alive...”

>>856262
Maybe if there's no one watching you could go back to the kid from before. I mean, it's not as if you have anything better to do, and someone who's apparently not trying to fight with you over everything might be... nice?

>>856262
You're alone, right? Maybe you can go see that cat again. She was.. alright.

>>856262

Try to remember that flash of blue. Is there something you're supposed to be doing right now?

Toxoglossa 2018/01/06(Sat)13:27 No. 856615 ID: a30024
File 151527404149.png - (96.62KB , 600x436 , 5-48.png )

You nonchalantly walk to the far wall and do a circuit of the room, casting a wary eye around to see if anyone is watching. Most of the kids would rather pretend you’re not there, just in case you decide to take out frustrations over your recent beating on them.

You trail your fingers over the pixel wall as you walk, prompting the interactive display to simulate a breeze and stir the trees. Or, at least that's what you’re told. Somewhere in your memory banks the idea of a tree registers but you’ve never seen one yourself. Similarly, you have trouble processing the concept of a gentle breeze; the few times you’ve been outside, there’s only been a screaming wall of wind that threatened to rip your feathers off. Whatever planet you’re on, you doubt there are magical forests anywhere.

Toxoglossa 2018/01/06(Sat)13:27 No. 856616 ID: a30024
File 151527404697.png - (127.26KB , 600x542 , 5-49.png )

You make your way around the room until you’re standing behind the kid, “Sam”, and their friend. The rabbit is engrossed in a small interactive window as Sam watches over their shoulder, both oblivious to your presence. You lean forward, “Whatc'ha doin’?”

The shocked rabbit immediately falls over and gasps, “SHIT-!” You look on impassively. None of the adults seem to care if the kids swear and, thanks to memory implants, most of them have a pretty good idea what they mean.

Toxoglossa 2018/01/06(Sat)13:27 No. 856617 ID: a30024
File 151527405006.png - (127.17KB , 600x534 , 5-50.png )

The kid looks at the window and then at you, weighing whether to try and close the app again before hanging their head in resignation. You look at the screen: inside is a simple set of directional and zoom controls. A corner of the app is partitioned off, displaying a windy, ragged skyline glittering against a night sky. The frame is zoomed in on a flat, well lit expanse and, as you watch, a small, fierce light breaks free of gravity in a rush of acceleration. It soars out of frame in an unstoppable upward trajectory.

Sam delicately explains, “Bucky wanted to watch the spaceport. There’s an unsecured camera we found that can see the edge of it...” She looks back at the screen, “He..he, can name most of the common ship designs. Sometimes he can even guess where its going...”

The rabbit keeps his eyes low, flushed with embarrassment. You could, with a word, have this gap in security repaired and have him punished. He braces, glumly, for you to strip away this tiny freedom.

Better execute them a couple times, just to be sure.

No wait can you see the ships taking off? That's so cool!

>You could, with a word, have this gap in security repaired and have him punished. He braces, glumly, for you to strip away this tiny freedom.
Sure, but what do you get for it? A tiny scrap of approval until one of your sisters beats you up over it? There's no point.

>a small, fierce light breaks free of gravity in a rush of acceleration. It soars out of frame in an unstoppable upward trajectory.
>he, can name most of the common ship designs. Sometimes he can even guess where its going...
What was that one?

>>856617
Holy crap, that's a cute bun. These kids seem alright. If they're getting up to mischief, then you want a piece of the action.

Sure, it's a security hole, but it's not like the kid can actually do anything with it. Let him have this scrap of freedom.

>>856623
This, ask what ship that was. It'll show you're not gonna ruin his shipwatching hobby.

What would you gain from turning him in?

If he can get a outside feed from here what else could he do? This could be a kid worth making a friend. Or at least a minion. Plus he is a cute little thing.

Just think about it. If you are nice to him maybe he will help you get access to feeds that you want to watch. Or help you hack other neat things later.

>>856617
That seems pretty harmless and also cool.

“So, what else can you do with this little security gap you’ve found?”

>>856617
why would you do that?
to feel power over someone weaker? that's dumb. you must be better than that if you're to win against the adults. don't let them turn you into something awful. something less than a person.

>>856617
face it. they've been nicer to you in the last 20 minutes than any of your sisters, or the adults, have. even in those memories they put in your head.

Sit down and enjoy the secret show with them. Maybe you'll learn something?

>Sometimes he can even guess where its going...
How? Seriously that's some impressive shit but how do you know if he's right?
Also first chance you get play with his ears.

>he can name most of the common ship designs. Sometimes he can even guess where its going...

That'd be pretty impressive if it's true, let's put that to a challange, what model is the next one and where is it going?
(Not that we could tell if he's right or not, I just think it's interesting, and I'm curious.)

>>856617
>He braces, glumly, for you to strip away this tiny freedom.
(whispering) "Well? Don't just sit there staring at me, close it before someone else sees it!"

>>856623
This seems harmless. Even if you don't have an interest, it shows you aren't going to oust him immediately.

ask him about the one that just launched

Toxoglossa 2018/01/07(Sun)21:22 No. 856921 ID: a30024
File 151538895534.png - (80.77KB , 600x493 , 5-51.png )

“What about that one: the one that just left? Where’s it going?” You point back at the screen, demanding he demonstrate…

Bucky picks himself up off the thin carpet and gets to his knees. He backs up the footage and watches the spark take off several times, “I-its a courier probe. Huh, you don’t see those make landfall that often. Must've needed maintenance...”

You stare at him with blank curiosity, prompting him to explain: “Its an unmanned probe, they use them to send data between systems.” He clears his throat and continues, “You can’t send data through a pinch field 'cause of the, um… I think they call it Kass distortions? So colonies send a ship up with a bunch of data and stuff and they jump it back and forth between systems. That one probably services Vector or Quetza…"

>>856921
"Neat. You're pretty good, kid."

“Meh, not like you can actually do something with this in here. Just don’t make it so bloody obvious your doing something wrong next time and there shouldn’t be a problem.

>>856932
"You know you can't make a speep about this to anyone else, right? They'll gladly report you and have the security patched. You have to be careful, kid. You need a lookout."

Maybe you could fill the role when you have the time?

>>856921

That bun's a wizard ...!

"That's handy. If you can't send data through a pinch field, does that mean a pinch field could be used to escape detection? If any sensor info could get through you could use it for some kind of communication, yeah?"

>>856921
cooool, where did you learn all that?

Such a nerd ;-)

Toxoglossa 2018/01/09(Tue)16:20 No. 857434 ID: a30024
File 151554361965.png - (121.73KB , 600x600 , 5-52.png )

“Huh, neat... This distortion, could it be used to escape detection?”

He shrugs, “I dunno, its all up here...” he taps the side of his head, “I pick up some of it but there’s a lot of noise.”

You nod, sounds consistent with implanted memories. You eye the security display: two other thumbnails indicate unsecured cameras, refreshing once every several seconds in gritty chunks. “Is that how you were able to do this?”

He nods “Yeah, I don’t think they expect anyone to access it from here.”

You fold your arms and clack your beak “Well, you’re doing it all wrong.” He flinches inward, bracing himself. “You need a lookout. The wrong person spots you and who knows what they’ll do to you? You’ve both heard the stories, right?”

Sam and Bucky nod. Every once in a while you see a kid in a collar, the kind they use during the installments. Kids say that they can do things to you with it: hurt you, turn your arms and legs off, make you see things. The kids wearing them walk through the world as if it were made of glass: never making a move or saying a thing out of place, lest they draw the wrath of an administrator.

“I could do it!” Sam smiles.

“No offense kid, but I spotted you right away.” You look around with a casual air, “How about this: if I see anybody coming, I’ll throw something at you to let you know.”

They exchange a worried glance. “What? I mean, I’m not gonna hit you! Just, you know, so no one suspects.”

Bucky, who seems to know how these things goes, asks, “And what do you get out of this?”

"Someone to watch and tell me if I'm in trouble. And information. Anything that could give me an edge. I'll tell anything I can that'll help you, too. Speaking of information: blue eyes, you a girl or a boy or what? Your eyes remind me of something. I remind you of anything?"

Someone who doesn't beat the shit out of me for interacting with them?

>“And what do you get out of this?”
*shrug* Something to do besides fighting with my sisters?

Besides, you'll owe me.

>>857434
... i get to touch your ears

>>857465
Oh that's good supporting that. Fluster that bun.

Something in rabbit kids head is telling him how to do that with the cameras.

Something in my head is telling me to do something with you “Blue eyes”, not sure what yet but it’s something.

>>857465
Yes, this. Changing my vote to this. Absolutely this.

"Honestly? Something to do other than fight with my sisters."
Feel free to admit that you wouldn't mind hanging out with them or that he is kind of cute.

You're up to no good and I want in.

>>857436
>>857465
Both of these have my vote.

>>857434
An advantage over your sisters is the number one priority, as that equates to survival.
Socializing with these two dweebs seems like a good second priority.

Point at Cat: "I owe her."

>>857529
say something like "so you weren't paying attention to what she did? I kind of owe her for the help, its just this is what I thought of in return but if you don't want my help I'll just leave you alone then."

>>857434
also, for future reference, stop looking over your shoulder like you're doing something you're not supposed to. and if when i got to you you'd have pretended the vid wasn't important, acted like you don't care if i see, i'd have ignored it.
if you're gonna do shady shit, you're gonna have to be more subtle.

>>857434

Friends who aren't shitheads like our "sisters."

I owe you pair one. least I could do is throw something at you.

>>857577
yeah, you gotta be more subtle than that if we're going to get out of this place without getting caught.

Knowledge.

Everyone I know on a personal level so far sucks. Hard.
I thought I should find a nicer crowd, you guys seem very alright.

>>857434
"Friends?"

Toxoglossa 2018/01/18(Thu)16:53 No. 859513 ID: a30024
File 151632318222.png - (93.99KB , 549x600 , 5-53.png )

You shrug, “I need some kind of edge. I heard that there’s some kind of test coming up and if you guys can give me that advantage, then maybe I can make your lives easier for a while. Besides...” You tousle his ears; they’re soft, extremely so. “I kinda owe you one, and you guys seem alright.”

Toxoglossa 2018/01/18(Thu)16:53 No. 859514 ID: a30024
File 151632318765.png - (62.45KB , 600x436 , 5-54.png )

You share a glance with Sam, and those eyes spark a memory for a second. You try to hang onto it but it slips through your fingers like fog. You realize that you're staring and try to turn it into a smile; its totally not creepy.

Despite your less than stellar social graces, they agree to help you out, though aren't quite sure what they're looking for.

Social interaction achieved!

Trouble. You know what that looks like. You, well, taller- your sisters. Adults and kids looking to get brownie points with said adults

Hmm... maybe they can keep tabs on your sisters? If one of them finds out something you want to find it out too.

Alternatively, they could take the direct approach and try to hack into something to get information on the test itself.

Toxoglossa 2018/01/19(Fri)16:29 No. 859747 ID: a30024
File 151640819645.png - (95.86KB , 600x590 , 5-55.png )

“I want to know what they’re up to; you know, my sisters. Keep an eye on ‘em. And let me know if you see anything weird from the admins. See if you can find more of those cameras too, inside the facility...”

The kid nods and hurriedly closes the application as he hears the main door open. One of the administrators steps in with a datapad and a friendly expression.
He raises his voice, “Alright everyone, lets liiiine up. We’ve got a work assignment for you all and then we’ll have lunch. Sounds good?”

A kid raises their hand, “Are- are there going to be any, um, sessions today?”

The worker checks his datapad, “Mmmm nope, nothing scheduled for today. Not sure what we’ve got lined up for the afternoon yet, but no memory transfers.” The kid looks noticeably relieved and steps into the growing line of children.

Hm. This doesn't concern you, does it? Tell the kid to close shop. You don't want the attention of the others.

Line up like an obedient little tot. Ask what kind of work you're doing.

before we go to wherever else we’re going we should tell the cat and rabbit to never try to find us themselves, we will come to them. They wouldn’t want to accidentally get the attention of our sisters instead.