"Yeah, but which lady? Cryptic important riddles piss me off," Trav says, frowning.

As usual, the Time Lord is doing 3 things at once. "Mandy, I'm downloading some software to my pistols for you over the wireless. Stan, here, take my sonic. I think we're going to meet the owner of that TAROT soon. I know that Evers TAROT contains my war council clearances. I'd rather not take the thing away from blondie, but if we have to, we will. The bad guys will be paying attention to me, not to either of you. If we can get the drop on them, we can get that device into our hands. Amanda, my pistols are loaded with software that should compress that TAROT down temporarily. Even with the upgrades I've put in, my guns will probably only hold it for a few moments. Any questions before we go in to get Smoke?"

Trav is looking at the readings coming in from Smoke's phone, and listening in on the conversation.



Trav curses out loud. "CRAP." She throws down two big levers. The time rotor moves up and down. Whatever happens, she wasn't going to let anyone hurt Smoke Alarm. To her left, she flips up a lid and hits a large green button - the Time War force field systems come online. Designed to resist such things as Dalek temporal unravellers and N-form weapons, the systems were those found on type 102 War Tardises. As the blue police box materializes, she works to make sure that Smoke is within the permiter of the forcefield, protected. When the TAROT messed with her the first time, she didn't have time to erect these defenses. On the flip side, it was like putting M-1 Abrams armor on a Ford truck - her type 50 wasn't designed as a war vehicle and the massive power requirements of Type 102 TARDIS defenses might overstrain her sweet boy.

Going in hot, the TARDIS materializes behind Smoke. The cavalry is here!

11:58, Today: The Traveller rolled 12 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,6. 2d6+Awareness 3+Science 6+Research Capsule 2 Trav checks Smoke's readings
OOC: Forgot to add my Awarness 3, Science 6, Tardis 2. Total should be 23. And look at that roll!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:01, Fri 16 May 2014.

In reply to The Guardian (msg # 372):

Stanley is shocked to see the large number of warning signs pop up. He doesn't know what they mean, but he guesses that each one individually could be classified as really bad news. Then he notices that they spell out a message. "Lady's left in rags?" He looks at Trav. "Well, if I had to guess I would say that "lady" refers to you, but I have no idea about the rest of the riddle. "

"I'll take good care of the sonic. Just like last time." Stanley says as Trav hands him the sonic. "Uhm, I have a question: what do you want me to do with it?"

Bear with me as I stagger the responses here.

First, let's take it as read that Sereth got on board before the monitors went crazy, so Trav, Stanley, and Sereth (plus Amanda) are in the TARDIS as it vworps in.

Second, here is the response to Smoke Alarm.  Let's give her a chance to react to it, and then the TARDIS will appear (since Trav did hit the panic button) however that plays out.

The blond man's eyes widen when Smoke Alarm pulls her arrowgun -- though he does not appear particularly intimidated.  The corners of his mouth tighten as he takes in the cards for a moment.  Then he makes a single wave in front of him, and the cards vanish.

"Do be calm," he says, with just a hint of testiness.  "I should, I suppose, have given you fair warning, but that was nothing but a scan.  I admit that I'm surprised.  You're showing a very high level of osmic residue, and a slightly elevated artron count.  So you have come a long way through time, but not through the Vortex -- and yet you've also been in a Vortex craft, and very recently at that.  And there are very, very few of those in existence, my friend."

His eyes narrow, but more as if he's regarding Smoke Alarm as a puzzle, and possibly as a figure to be pitied.  "Tell me.  Have you come here with the Traveller?  And if so, just why has she chosen to interfere again, after all this time?"

Smoke didn't put her arrowgun away, not now that she was alerted to the tricky card-playing mechnician. 'I'm not your friend.' she snapped. She didn't want to tell him about Traveller, but it seemed he already knew everything, if Smoke earspied Traveller's science talk: the big blue bubble she'd fallen through, the talkiphone box, Traveller's work here. What was a Kang to do? She thought about being tricky with him, but she wasn't very good at that. 'Traveller is my friend. Traveller came-out here with me to help put Arsuran Orbital Prime to rights, just like the Doctor. Because I asked.' she answered proudly.

"Well," the man says, "good for you, I suppose.  I know the Traveller; that is, somebody I used to be, he knew the Traveller."  The expression on his face is either pain, or a sneer.  "But I'm not him any more, and that is proof enough, for me at least, that the Traveller doesn't put everything to rights.  Now, people call me Warlock.  Be very careful in dealing with your friend -- who knows what you'll be when she's through with you."

Erysk has positioned herself between Smoke Alarm and Warlock, on Smoke Alarm's right, and she's watching the exchange intently -- but, mostly, the arrowgun.

One of the other Fists speaks up, and says, "Sir -- should we call for assistance?"

"That might be wise," Warlock says.  "Our guest has just transmitted a multi-phasic scan, and I imagine we'll shortly have some more visitors."

A breeze kicks up and thunderous trumpeting starts to roar through the room.

"Right on schedule," he adds, in a resigned tone.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:26, Mon 19 May 2014.

As the TARDIS homes in on Smoke Alarm through the Vortex, Trav goes over the readings Smoke Alarm took.  From the surrounding data, she picks out a faint residual telepathic field.  It must be pretty strong when engaged, because it doesn't appear that whatever was projecting it was active when Smoke Alarm took the reading.  But even with that, it's very familiar to Trav.  It looks like the telepathic signature from the mental circuits of a primitive TARDIS.

The TARDIS engines give their normal soft whump and the console its characteristic ding!  They've arrived.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:25, Mon 19 May 2014.

'Mayhaps I'll be better.' Smoke said quietly.

She was about to ask Erysk about who this Wall-Lock was when he spoke of Visitors and Smoke Alarm heard the familiar song of the talkiphone box. She outlooked away briefly to see it fade out of the air, big and blue and brave and bold. 'Icehot!' she breathed in awe.

'Officer and cars respond to all calls.' she told Erysk proudly before the doors opened.

'He has the magic cards!' she told Traveller as soon as she exited.

The door swings open. She snugs Smoke. "Aw, thank you, baby. I know you make me better. Blue Kangs are best!" She does the how-do-you-do with smoke before turning. Safe behind the force field, she turns to face the Fists.

"Young man, from where I am, I think you're under a few misapprehensions. I think we have our order mixed up. First,  I've never met you before, wearing that face, bearing that name. Second, I don't think I'm quite through with you yet. Third, if you're organizing a conquering army or band of heroic defenders, you're making some fundamental errors. I think we're out of chronological sequence - you may have dealt with a future self of mine."

She still does not carry her pistols or her sonic."If I have done you bad or wrong in the past or future, Warlock, I want to make amends. Bad folks took me too, and being  in the hands of the Daleks for 30 years made me into something horrible. It seems you want to defend people from something terrible. But coercion and conquest will only ruin them, ruin you, and make yourself identical to your enemies. Your kung fu mind control army couldn't even stop a band of refugees from escaping your clutches. This forced, undisciplined, chaotic coercion will make your army shatter like glass. A populace that doesn't love and support its leaders will not be able to support an army with its heart and soul. They must not only obey you, Warlock, they must *love* you. If you are a moral and good leader, you will also love them. People will *not* be forced, no matter how right you think you are."

Trav sits down on the ground cross legged. "I think we have a lot to talk about. There is so much going on that I don't understand at this point in time with you, Warlock. Sit with me, let's exchange our info. Tell me why you think it's necessary to use a blue mind control ball and a martial arts regimen to build an army to resist some terrifying threat.  I want to protect everyone too, I want to help. Your purpose seems right but your method is all wrong. Please,  explain this all to me. I'm ready to listen."

03:29, Today: The Traveller rolled 18 using 4d6+7 with rolls of 1,2,4,4. Trav's opening statement to Warlock - Presence 3+Convince 2+Voice of Authority 2+Story Point.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:59, Fri 02 Jan 2015.

In reply to The Traveller (msg # 386):

Stanley follows The Traveller outside. "Good job, Smoke." he quickly says before Trav starts confronting Warlock.

Stan notices that he isn't quite as nervous as when they faced the Sisterhood. This wasn't as likely to end in a shoot-out. Trav has told him how to operate the sonic and lock the Tarot, but for now he keeps it aimed at the floor.

Smoke Alarm beamed as her friends stepped out of the talkiphone box and gave her good words. Here they all were, sound and safe, meaning the eggheads had really taken the fire-escape sky-fly, ship-shape and sound. ''Ware slime!' she squealed at Traveller, but hugged her back anyway. She stopped Traveller at a cut-down how-you-do — it wasn't necessary every time, only in formal greetings — and ended in a fist-bump.

Then Traveller got all talky with the Wall-Lock. 'They want to stop an army of goannas.' She tried again, because it was important. 'Geh-hennas.'

She outlooked to Erysk, who'd gone all quiet and confuzzled by this, and it wasn't Smoke's fault this time. 'Who's this Inbetween? Is he your Chief Caretaker, your Great Architect?' she asked.

Smoke kept her arrowgun in hand and pointed toward Wall-Lock — not directly at him, but rather at his hands and pockets, in case he played with the magic cards again.

Warlock doesn't sit.  With the arrival of the TARDIS he seems to be on edge.  Oddly, he barely gives a glance to Sereth and seems even less disturbed by Smoke Alarm's arrowgun, but his gaze keeps flickering between the Traveller, Stanley, and Amanda.

"I'm no sort of leader, Traveller," he says.  "And I am not trying to be.  I found a man who was a leader.  Haran Lucin.  I've been working to give him the tools to make something out of all these people before it's too late.  Before I happen to these people."

He focuses in on Trav, and his eyes are full of pain.  "You get that, Trav, don't you?  You never told me all that much about being the Marshall, but I could see how much you hated that.  What wouldn't you do to keep from being like that again?  That's what I'm up against.  When the Gehennans came and took me from Arden...."

He takes a deep breath, his shoulders sagging.  "They showed me what I was supposed to become.  Like Fortuna did... will... whatever.  They had the TAROT, and they brought it to me, and...."  He holds out an empty palm and looks at it as if summoning up the device, but nothing happens.  "It showed me records of the Beast.  Showed me what the Beast had done, using it.  Sezan Crayne had seen those same records, and he decided that the Beast was just what he needed.  So he... he set out to make one."

Warlock folds his arms and looks down, his eyes shut tightly for a moment.  "Well, in the end, they got me, instead.  Kept trying to make me over into what they wanted, so I played along.  And I learned.  A little.  Enough to escape, because you never did come, Traveller."

He draws himself up, a little more assured.  "And you're mistaken, too, about what it is I'm doing here.  Yes -- when the Fists seize a world, they do their very best to bring people to their way of thinking, keep them as a captive audience, even, but in the end, everyone's will remains their own.  This?"  He gestures at the blue device.  "This isn't used to change peoples' minds for them.  It's used to show them exactly what I have been through.  What the Gehennans are.  What the Beast wants to do with the universe.  I can't just blunder blindly toward that, and I can't let the universe do that either."  His voice firms, and he meets Trav's eye.  "So I'm doing the best I can, and Lucin is too.  And honestly, Trav, I don't want your help. I've done without it up until now, and I'd get along best if you'd just go play at do-gooding, and stay out of my way."

OOC:

Reaction roll, spending a story point.  The Guardian, for the NPC Warlock, rolled 22 using 4d6+9 with rolls of 1,3,6,3. Reacting to Trav's statement: Convince(3) + Resolve(4) + Brave(2) + Story Point.

Counter-argument.  The Guardian, for the NPC Warlock, rolled 12 using 2d6+9 with rolls of 4,1. Laying the guilt trip: Convince(3) + Presence(4) + Empathic(2) -2 (second action).

I forgot to add the -2 for the second action in the round, but you should include that when you make your Convince + Resolve.

"He's a scientist," murmurs Erysk.  "This device he has, it's like a recorder that shows what I meant to show you -- what is coming that we need to fight."

She's sitting on the floor, looking up at him, seeing the hurt in him. He reminds her of her two sons, and her grandson. She can see him making the same mistakes and the same presumptions when she escaped from the Daleks in an orgy of fire and blood.

"This isn't about me, my apprentice, or really you. You'll have my thoughts, but after my travelling family explains how they see this, through their unclouded eyes. To their judgement, I submit, always. But, Smoke, Sereth, Amanda, Stan - you've seen what the Fists, under Warlock's instruction and leadership, have been doing. Please, tell me what you see. Also, I want to see these Gehennans, what you're showing the Fists. If they have *hurt* you, by god, I will send them to a very special kind of hell."

"For context - Warlock here was once a young man named Phillipe, who was my companion, very briefly. It seems, from what I understand, that he was snatched from me, and I failed to protect him, and he was abused by *someone*, who I don't know. No one, no one hurts the people who have traveled with me. But, but, we have to be careful - These Gehennans, if they had you and the TAROT, most likely now know about me. They may not be manipulating *you* into becoming the Beast, Warlock - but instead, *me*. It seems that we're both being played - it would help them if we didn't trust each other."

Trav feels welling up within her the same dark, terrifying rage that gave birth to the Marshall - with the torture-deaths done to Shandy, Calabra, Sir Engar, Martin and Jose - the rage which drove her to attempt to conquer the universe, and which allowed her to unleash the horrors of the Vault of Omega upon the Daleks at the orders of first the Master, and then Rassilon.

She smiles and sighs wearily. "But that's pretty vain, I think. Fuck, being the Marshall too a hell of a lot of energy, and I was way less dangerous as the Marshall - I was horribly predictable. I think whoever these clowns are, they misjudged you, and me. You haven't killed anyone - yet."

"Also, Warlock, if I were serious about stopping you, all of this bullshit would have ended when I arrived here on Arsuran Prime. You're causing people to be injured, hurt, displacing families, causing violence and mayhem. You're also misleading the Fists. Fist Erysk, is it? I can show you another view of what's going on. But using coercive violence won't solve any problems. Violence and coercion *never* does, and neither does deception. You're on the cusp of a possible war with the Draconian empire, and they will be *far* less forgiving than I am. People *will* die if the Draconians see you as a threat to their government."

She holds up her hands. "Look - no pistols, no sonic. This was all a *conversation* about the nature of free will and grass roots action that you and we are having. They're being held in trust by my family, over here."

"So, maybe you're right, baby! Show us the AV presentation, and then I'll let my companions judge you. Me? I have too much baggage. But they can see with clear eyes and hearts. Show us why you're doing this. Show us Gehenna. Show us The Beast. If this war is as vital as you make it out to be, you can not afford to not make use of *any* resource. Also, I've ended a Time War - you have not."

OOC: Revised - no roll for Trav, but she wants to see what that blue ball shows.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:11, Tue 20 May 2014.

A frown from the Draconian; but then he speaks quietly.

"If what you say is true; the words to my Emperor should not have come across like a threat. Regardless though, that is not what's important."

He shook his head and spoke, calmly, quietly.

"I want to tell a story. There's a story amongst my people; it is said to have happened so long ago it has become legend. Whether true or not, the basic message is the same. My people and the humans had come to an uneasy peace; but we did not trust each other, we did not listen. So it was easy for us to be manipulated to being on the verge of war; which suited another race." His eyes flickered towards The Traveller for the briefest moment. "The war was averted thanks to one man; a man we already owed much to. But more importantly, he pointed out that working together, -listening- to each other... would have avoided the war before it got to the point it was at. You cannot construct an army to stand against what comes by conquering all who stand in your way. Because they will continue to fight and when this army, if it comes, arrives you will have not only that army but the bickering amongst your own. If we had gone to war back then, the Draconian Empire may have fallen. Even if we had won the war, we would have been so damaged by it we would have been easy prey. This here, is your moment. You need someone to stop you before you destroy yourselves, everyone you hold dear, and this sector of the galaxy in the process."

The Draconian sighed quietly, and stepped back.

So Traveller and Wall Lock had done the how-you-do before. Smoke didn't know-how exactly they were all talking about, but it was definitely Big Talky Time, and Traveller wanted her to talk too. 'The Fists sploded Arsuran rezzidents and towers, they hurt people and made them unalive. Rezzies take the fire-escapes from their partments, they go to hide-ins and exits, but Fists say no-exits, no fire-escapes. And they call us train-see-ants and take away our boxes and hide-ins. I had a box! I had nothing and they took it away from me!' Smoke complained in surprising anger. Her feelings went far back, before Arsuran, before time start, to another war and another sky-fly fire-escape. 'We say no, we don't want to play, and they don't listen. We wall-scrawl it, and they make blank walls. They chase us and grab us and take us to the cleaners.'

'The Fists make people unbrave and unbold and unalive, and you can't ever put that to rights. You can't hurt people to help people, you can't make a to-do to stop a to-do.' she pointed out firmly.

'Now turn on the picture-spout and show-and-tell us this army of goannas. Give us the know-how, so we can tell you how you're doing it wrong.' Smoke outlooked to Erysk. 'It's what I came-out here for.'

"Oh man...I am sorry, Phillipe. I can't even imagine... It's.. er.." Stanley looked shocked. This Warlock guy had already seemed kind of familiar but now Stanley was beginning to remember some details about Phillipe. The scary, and frankly embarrassing, thing was that Stanley hadn't noticed his disappearance at all. Phillipe had been there in the park and on Arden, and suddenly he wasn't there any more. Something which didn't seem strange or unusual at the time.

He stares at Phillipe, unsure what to think about the current situation. "Trav, are you sure that this is the real Phillipe? I am not calling you a liar..er...Phillipe. I am just being careful."  He pauses. "Trav, I know you set up all sorts of telepathic shielding, but here we are, close to what we thought was a mind-control device and all of a sudden we want to use it. Or watch it. So do I, because I want to know about the Gehennans and what happened to Phillipe or why we...why we didn't notice his... I am sorry Phillipe... his disappearance."

"I guess...I am already doubting my memories, I don't know who or what to believe right now. Maybe what he says is true, but what if it isn't? What if the blue sphere is a brainwashing device? Think about that before you decide."

Amanda looks at Warlock pensively.  "I remember when Rosco pulled his gun on my father...."  She trails off and doesn't finish.  She has Trav's turbo pistol pointed low, at the floor.

Warlock looks at Stanley.  "I don't blame you, Doctor.  I mean, I really don't blame you."  He frowns.  "Perception cloak.  The oldest trick in the book, or that's what I am told.  But... I have a hard time remember what being Phillipe even felt like.  I was studying physics, but the things I've learned since then... you know what they say about sufficiently advanced technology."

He looks behind him.  "Fist Sevemar?"  One of the men hands Warlock the device he's been holding; it's about the size of a smartphone.  Warlock looks back at the group in front of the TARDIS.  "I promise you: this is non-invasive.  Simply, mmm, let your concentration relax for a moment."  He makes a motion to do something with the control.

OOC: I thought I'd leave it there in case someone wanted to push the panic button.

Trav stands and opines, "that's a fair question, Phillipe. You are Phillipe, aren't you? Stan - use setting 964 on the sonic. That is, if Warlock doesn't object."

She steps beyone the forcefield now, utterly vulnerable. "Let just me experience it first. I'd rather that if anything bad happens, it happens to me."

The Draconian steps forward again.


"No. We've been through this. You are too valuable. If this is a trap; and it catches you, we are lost. And if it is not; then there is no need to put yourself alone. So if you're worried, at all, about repercussions, you cannot risk yourself. YOu -cannot-."

It is clear he will not be moved on this.

Smoke didn't get what the hold-up was, and didn't know-how the big blue ball worked. 'Just put it on the picture-spout.' she insisted, and footed out the bubble after Traveller. 'No mouse-trap can catch a Kang.' she said, brave and bold as a Kang could be.

"Sereth. Those are kind words, baby." She places her hand on his shoulder. "I was worried about you trusting me. Thanks for your faith." She turns back to Warlock. "As usual, Smoke Alarm has a point, as does Stan. I don't see why you need a telepathic gadget to describe what can be shown on a Powerpoint. That thing is a mind control device. I want to listen to you, and hear your story, but I don't see why that thing is necessary."

The turbopistols, being based on the same technology as the sonic screwdriver, have an obvious machine destroyer option which has disabled many Cybermen. Trav made sure that Amanda was aware of the setting.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:26, Wed 21 May 2014.

Stanley hesitates and stares at the sonic. "Phillipe...er...Warlock...I am not going to scan you if you don't want me to. What you want to show us is obviously very convincing, very intense and I can imagine that a Powerpoint probably wouldn't have the same impact, so I can understand why you want to use a device...but let me scan you first before we decide anything, okay?"

"Go right ahead, Doctor Newton," Warlock says.  He sets the control device down on the pedestal holding the mental transmitter.

He looks at the Traveller then, and there is winter in his eyes.

"Traveller, I could lie to you just as easily without a telepathic circuit as I can with one.  Ultimately it's not going to show you anything that I haven't already said, or that Disciplant Erysk hasn't said to Smoke Alarm.  It might show Doctor Newton that I am who I've claimed to be, and it might show your other friends that the Gehennans are just as frightening as I say.

"But you've not said anything to convince me either that this is a war that should not be fought, or that there is a better means available to me to rally people to fight it.  I've certainly thought about ways to do it faster.  I've only scratched the surface of the abilities the TAROT could open up, but I've seen some of the information it holds.  Things I could build with it.  Terrible things, things that your people came up with.  Things I'm--"  He cuts himself off and shakes his head.  "The Fists are a middle ground, and they -- and this -- give people the chance to see why they should be fighting."

"As for this being a mind control machine--"  Now the look he gives Trav is one of disgust.  "Traveller, so far as that is true, you live in a mind control machine."

A long deliberate pause, then he frowned.

"Traveller, you suggested that your friend here is being played, and that whoever is behind it wants -you- to be the beast, whatever or whoever that might be." He shook his head. "If that is true, you need to step carefully. If that is the case, they know you well enough to anticipate anything you might do. They may have even anticipated you "raining hell" on anyone who's hurt your companions. Be that as it may, they probably have -not- anticipated myself or Smoke Alarm, or possibly not even the good doctor or Amanda. I have no doubt this army of Gehenna is as bad as he says it is." He regards Warlock carefully. "However, the price for peace cannot be enslavery, or destruction and killing of innocents. My own people made that mistake long ago. Even to this day, they will not lie down and be dictated to by anyone. And you know this. This is why you conquer human settlements; settlements far enough away from earth to not cause a stir. And why you tried to approach my government first with an offer to 'talk'... but couch in words of intimidation. You know if war breaks out; you may well win due to the amount of planets you've conquered... but your losses will be vast. There must be a better way because this? Win or lose, this won't be a place to live afterwards. You'll destroy the very thing you claim to be trying to save."