Making her way to the bridge, Viper slipped into the pilot's chair, easing into the smooth, cool, compression-gel that helped with High-G acceleration.    She took a breath and felt a wave of serenity wash over her.

The Orishi had a familiar-feeling set of panels and even an Augmented-Reality headset.  But Viper didn't need the bells and whistles.

Pinging off of the Stellar Beacon, she found the frequency for K-Zino, and made contact with their Port Authority.   For a colony of a little under 1500 people, it had a pretty laid-back approach.

Landing was straight-forward.  The ship's identity was duly logged and noted by the watch-command of the KZ Authority.  They went through a small series of questions about their reasons for being on KZ, how long will they be here and do they have sufficient credits.

This last one could have been a touchy subject.  But the Authority Lead advised that because virtually everything on K-Zino was produced or mined or traded, there was No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.. Visitors are photographed and logged to their incoming vessel.  Basic living expenses for atmosphere, food, water, and personal waste & recycling would be billed every seven days or upon departure, and tracked via an issued or implanted credit chip.

Of special note is that at no point did anyone request to scan your seed (the implanted identity chip you all had from Zenda-Meier).  In fact, getting that removed could be done pretty easily here.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:51, Thu 03 Feb 2022.

Though primarily an agricultural colony, almost the entire colony was underground.   There were five enormous hollowed-out areas, two of which served as harvest areas, sub-sected into various levels of hydroponics.   The other five bubbles were assigned for business/commercial, habitat, and operations.

As visitors, the crew of the Orishi would be directed to a hostel and the local communications hub, where everything was posted:  gigs, jobs, items for-sale, services for purchase or rent.  The downside of the hostel was that it was always busy, always noisy.  One could always crash on their own ship, after all!

The structures on K-Z were functional but in good condition.  Simple fare with a focus on sturdiness and reinforced superstructures.  There hadn't been a major asteroid collision in decades, but anything that could shake the buildings this far under the surface had to be prepared for.

There were two bars in town, which seemed to be pretty starkly demarcated between Locals and Visitors.  Lightning's was more rowdy and boisterous and filled with Scyllan, Paixois and Paihuai alike, and even some more exotics, perhaps some that weren't even from in-system.   Lita's was a bit more sedate and felt almost more like a pub.  Most visitors, if they didn't have family or contacts on KZ, were pointedly turned away.

Even Gothique can not believe they let her off the ship.  That was the most prized moment she had ever encountered in her life.  Or at least since she had woken up with no memory.  Still she had a goal or was given a goal, or someone kick a goal  Something like that.  But she was also warned, do not wander off without someone so here stood waiting for the someone.

While waiting though she scans the area and friendlily waves at any who pass off.

Baylee stood at the ramp of the ship and waited. It was her ship and she'd not leave it until each undesirable was off it. She also made sure the local system knew they were in transit. No longer linked to their ship. Gone and done. She felt no pity for the lack of mercy. Life was a grab bag of hard knocks, black eyes, and shit. People needed to get busy living, or get busy dying and out of her hair.

More worrisome, she glanced at the chronometer and grimaced. They were being charge in seven days for life support. Being charged money they did not have. Too, the ship needed parts and work. That meant, as soon as the dead weight was gone, the rest needed to get their buts to work. She'd let it be known that each crew members was responsible for coming up with at least their life support costs.

She opened their brand new comms, giving Gothique a wink of thanks as she did, "Alright. We got seven days to get a stash together. Ying wei you find work what needs a crew, Suo yi let us know and we can vote. Ying wei you find work as needs no crew, man man lai. Ranhuo, thoughts?"

While the central domes were surprisingly well-lit, most of the "buildings" were chambers carved out of the interior of the asteroid.  Some were rough-hewn with a layer of insulating  material over the raw rock.  Other were bonafide classic buildings made from pre-fabricated alloys.  It was a mix of the wild-west and Borderlands and post-apocalyptic Fallout style architecture, though with less of the feeling of unplanned scavenging.  It was still evident that many of the buildings and chambers had been supplemented by resources scavenged and repurposed.

At landing there was a small crowd of mostly children, perhaps six or seven of them, piled near the fence leading from the intake office, the better to see the newcomers.   They were uniformly tall, gangly kids--all legs and arms.   Some sported tattoos on their arms already, while the oldest appeared to have the first tracing of a blueish along his temple.

"You got chit?"  one of the kids--a girl no older than eight cycles old--approached Gothique  She held her hand out, her eyes wide and pleading.


--
OOC: Gothique: Up to you.  Chit would be some sort of commerce slang.  But could be pretty well anything...  Might be coin, might be a token of authorization... I'll roll with it if you make something up.   This is the equivalent of the beggars in the street.  And Gothique was targeting because she looks like the most susceptible mark.  If you want--no obligation--you can roll to suss out whether this is an opening of a con or not...  Your call what skill might be appropriate.

Viper transmitted to the Mrr'shan, through the comms
"Remember, sister Gothy, that we're flying the colors of the Pai-Huai clan Lin... (with a bar strike), owned by The Congregation of the Hermanas Mercedarias y Pobres, Save the Orphans branch (CHMyP : mining, salvage, commerce, praying for the poor, helping the poor), led by Madre Lin Li-Ling. We, the non-PaiHuay crew, are Rescued Orphans..."

Actually Gothique was already thinking of giving what she had when Maissa spoke but the problem is after some thought she was not sure what Chit was.  Still reaching in her pocket she pulls out some cards.



She has one of each but looking at each one she has to debate if this is what they mean.  Still looking at the girl to see if this was right and if it is any indication in her eyes she guesses so.  Problem is Gothique also has no idea what each of these represent and she is not sure if that is the lack of memory or something else.  Still also she realizes that for some reason she feels some form of kinship to them and as such she gathers them up and uses what likely they have the capacity to use themsleves...or maybe it is where she learned it from.

"But She's Cute & Innocent!"
"How about I give you all of these and you help me out.  You know maybe you can help us find some parts that we need or if you can tell me where the junkyard is.  Or maybe if you can help my friends out.  Please?"  She then offers all but the purple chit as she likes that colour.

She then turns and smiles to Maissa to see if she did good.

if any of these cards has any value bigger than a waiter's tip, Maissa wrests them from Gothique's hands.

"We have a saying in my country: charity begins at home'."

"I suggest We find a trader to do an assessment and evaluation", insisted Maissa

OOC: what is the kids' reaction?

Watching the kids actually grab for them but Maissa protecting the things Gothique turns, "Yes that would be awesome.  I am curious what they are?"  Gothique says looking at each one.

The kids are curious, but it doesn't seem to be an obvious thing, yet.  But they re kids and you're spacers from out-system.  They're interested--many reaching to grab them, uncertain if you were offering them or displaying them.

It didn't take long to identify a supply importer with a focus on technologies.  He was an old man with curly brown hair and a half-stubble beard shot through with grey.  Immediately, Gothique felt a certain comfort with him, though she couldn't easily tell why.

He looked over the chips, put on a pair of ancient spectacles and, with their permission, ran it under a scanning device.

"Holographic display chips." he said after a moment.   "Data-storage.  Interface suggests command-relays.  They look sort of like Māo duì lóng chips, but there's no branding on them.  Could have been factory-blanks."

"Hmmm."  he grunted as he offered the chips back to the pair of women.   "I think Lita's used to run Māo duì lóng tournaments back in the day..."


--
Māo duì lóng - Cats vs Dragons
This message was last edited by the player at 20:26, Tue 14 June 2022.

"We're very thankful for sharing your knowledge, Uncle Importer!", exclaimed Maissa, displaying her smile she took for irresistible. This was an attempt of manipulating old men, and obtaining information for nothing. "Now, please tell us, uncle, who are the Māo duì lóng, and who is Lita, I wonder?", she minced, eyes wide open.

Gothique having no clue what really is going on studies the cards although she does stop to see what the Maissa is doing.  Almost with a curiosity killed the cat type look on her face.  But then when there is a chance to know these tournaments, "Yes that would be awesome to like totally know."  She says her eyes actually matching a cat looking adorable wanting something.

It was mildly disconcerting to be straight ignored by people who were, technically, meant to be under her command. Still, she reminded herself, she did not run that type of ship. It was more a coterie of comrades than a brotherhood of pirates. As she let her gaze roam around the buzzing port of the asteroid, she felt something familiar. It was as if this was her natural environment. There was gravity, sure, but it was lighter than normal. You could still walk with feet on the ground but her body felt more comfortable. There was a hum, a hubbub that enticed her. She knew there'd be games of chance and competitions. She knew there'd be work both risky and illegal. She itched to be at it.

Then she noticed the strange new mechanic and the pilot talking to someone. Frowning, she suspected they were headed straight for trouble. Trouble with a capital 'T' if she didn't miss her guess. Grumbling about her own pleasures put off, she trod down the ramp and up behind the women, "So, plans to tear up the town? Or what?"

Gothique jumping a bit at hearing Bai's voice but only because she was a bit surprised.  Still  a question was asked, "No we plan on going to find out about Māo duì lóng which is one of the things I found on my person.  I am wondering if I used to play it or not."  She answers bringing out the treasures and showing them to Bai and not being to careful who else sees them considering her trusting nature.  It was almost as if that is how she was designed.

"Uncle Importer." the old man laughed at that.  "Nobody's called me uncle in... well, longer'n you been alive."

He leaned forward a bit, nodding briefly to Baylee as she came up.  But there was a sudden stiffness to his features, as if he were suddenly becoming wary.  "Used to be Cats versus Dragons, I think.  Based on Mrrshan Dragara.  Teach critical thinking.  Some variation comes and goes ever generation or so.

And if you're new, well... Lita ain't a person.  She been dead and gone nearly twenty cycles.   But her hostel was the first habitable structure on this rock.  Back when this was a rebel holdout against the Scylla.   You go there and if you can get one of the old-timers to talk, they'll tell you how Lita rallied the belters, held out against vast numbers until peace was declared.   That peace brokered K-Zino it's neutral status.

But the game... yeah.  I remember seeing a console, and three-dimensional creatures fighting.  If you won, you could integrate something from your opponent's creature.  So, they evolve.  So, from cats to dragons?  I don't know.  It was a very long time ago."

He gave Gothique a speculative look.  "If they're treasured to you, keep them close.  If not, I'm sure I could dig up  good appraisal price."  The inference to buy was obvious ,but he wasn't pushing it, either.

Maissa was quite certain she did not care for 3D-games - except flight simulators. The piece about local lore was interesting, though. Also the info about Mrrshan culture. She shelved the knowledge in her vast and empty memory.

Now it was Gothique's choice to part with her baubles for money. The Mrrshan puppet should not be forced to do anything. She also had to be protected from swindle.

Still, Viper wished Gothique would just sell things right away, so she could loan some cash to Viper, who'd just get booze or drugs, which she was longing for, for so long.

---
OOC let's say Gilina is with us. We need someone technical to check if the chips are what their label says... if Rayfe is offloaded (I suggest we keep this interesting character+backstory as a NPC, though)
This message was last edited by the player at 06:32, Wed 06 July 2022.

Gothique looks unsure but turns to Gilly if she is there as well as Maissa, "If we need the money I would be more then happy to part with these to benefit the group.  But if it is OK with everyone I would like to keep them as they may have some clues on the past."  She says making a genuine offer.

She then goes through them all thinking if it is up to her, "If selling some would help I would like to keep this one."  She says holding up the rarest one only because of the colour.

"Thank-you." Gilina said to the man.  "It's more information than we had before."

"Oh, don't stress." he said with a slight smile.  "It'll take me time to find an appraisal on them anyway.  Take them with you.  Come back in a half-rot and I'll see if my agent can dig up any useful information.. I don't even know if anyone here would be interested in them, or whether I'd have to sell them off-the-rock. No hurry."

He turned away from them briefly, and turned back, putting an ancient pair of spectacles on.  They were too small for his face, making him look a little more eccentric than patronly.  And he fixed them each with a short look.

"You're going to want to be careful around here."  he said after a long moment. "There's ghosts that walk the caverns.  And ghost-hunters, too."
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:16, Sat 09 July 2022.

Maissa mimicked covering the Mrrshan's ears and laughed. "Our little sister - we're orphans, Madre Lin here is our leader - must not hear this scary tale! What are those ghosts and ghosts fighters, dear Uncle?"

Not sure what Maissa was doing Gothique actually does cover her ears enough to not here as she fully trusts both Maissa and Gili.  While doing so she looks around at the rest of the place almost curious what is going on but figures there is a good reason for all of it.

(OOC - Would have been so much better if she said Mrrshan...earmuffs!)

Baylee raises an arch eyebrow at the 'madre' stuff, but looks away as she lets it pass. She had never felt motherly a day in her life, she supposed, but wouldn't hurt to play along with the ship's ruse. She grinned wickedly as she considered just how Maissa would make it up to her later.

She then noted the young cat-girl, she still hadn't adjusted to that bit of..., well, the naïve girl was looking around about as much like a belter going planet-side for the first time. She tapped the girl's shoulder then pointed to her ears and motioned for them to open up, "Viper was just acting. You need to keep your wits about you in a place like this or someone'll skin you." She chuckled a bit at the wordplay then considered how it might affect Gothique and smiled as warmly as she was able, which was more heat than warmth, and patted her shoulder soothingly.

She gave Gilli a casual glance and smile as well.

The inside of the shop/stall they'd entered was a hodge-podge of materials, gathered from all sorts of places.  There were items that were obviously food, obviously mechanical parts, obviously clothing and several pieces that Baylee couldn't immediately identify.

The shop seemed to be a two room affair, with the front room being subdivided by a metal and chrome countertop. , giving it a right inside/outside feel.  The shopkeeper made a quick gesture, placing two fingers together then tapping his lips twice.



"Place is a cross-roads." he said.  "It took a lot of blood to achieve neutral ground. a lot of people died to make it happen.  Some sacrificed more than that.   For some, it's never enough.  The past bleeds into the future.  You understand what I'm saying? "

Gothique confused by the contradicting requests pulls her hands off her ears and looks around.   "Sorry I thought I should listen but I will pay attention to everything."   She says to their leader making note of everything now just in case danger approaches.

Maissa reflected. She didn't know much anymore about the universe, so she had to attempt an uneducated guess.
"Sacrifices. Yes I understand you are referring for example to Lita, who, among with other Pai-Huai, fought for the Freedom and neutrality of this place and its people. Her, and the other rebel's spirits still are roaming here. But there are ghost hunters, those who wants to subjugate K-Zino to a corporation, such as Zenda-M....". She bit her lip; "...Mervin-Dahl!"

Despite having said too much, Maissa decided to trust the importer and hopped into her train of thoughts. "But spirits can now be kept in Cortical Stacks, rights? If Lita's memories were stocked in a stack, her personality could be copied into another body..."
Maissa couldn't help to cast a glance towards Baylee. Could it be that the imposition of a colony founder's personality lead to the commanding attitude of her captain? How could the former inmates be sure of who they really were?
Anyway.
"By the way. We need to have seeds of... our former abusive family... removed. Uncle Importer, could you please recommend someone? We don't have any money, so if you have some job for us, we'll do it, even if it's illegal. The Holy Lady of the stars is full of forgiveness."

As the older man exited the ship, his arm gave a twinge of pain, in remembrance of the pain when he had boarded.  But it was merely a momentary distraction.

One heartbeat...  Two...  Three...  Four...

He took an unsteady step away from the ship.  Another...

His footsteps became steadier, his face more certain.

He was needed, or would be needed.  His feet knew the way, though he had no memory of this place.

His empathic senses felt the ebb and flow of emotions from the others around him.  And, as if hearing distant echos of familiar voices across a crowded room, he felt distant echoes of emotional familiarity from the crewmates who had preceded him.

He quietly observed his surroundings as his feet carried him forward, content to see just where this path would lead him.

After a bit of walking, he saw a junk shop nearby...

Chang Sheng-Xin

As Sheng-Xin came up to the Junk Shop, he couldn't help but notice the four men in ceramic body-armor outside the shop.  Their faces were hidden behind opaque visors but one of them--slightly shorter than the others--made definitive gestures of instruction.

He couldn't hear them, so presumably they were speaking helmet to helmet.  But he did see a brief flash of a hologram that looked too much like Baylee to be a coincidence.

They hadn't been on K-Zino long enough to have caused any trouble.  So, the armor was probably precautionary.  But...

But then Sheng-Xin saw that all four of them were armed with PEPs.  Rifles with reinforced stocks instead of pistols.  Likely heavy-bore.

One of the bigger guys nodded and took off across the courtyard space into one of the rabbit-warren tunnels that dotted the chamber.

The short one--Sheng-Xin was convinced it was a woman--and one of the others took up position on either side of the entrance, while the biggest one brought a hand to his mouth.

The courtyard was, Sheng-Xin noticed, curiously empty.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:39, Sun 07 Aug 2022.

Baylee, Gothique, Viper

"No." Uncle Importer said.  He slammed a fist down on the table before him.  "This isn't a game!"

He sighed heavily and faced Baylee directly.  She could tell that the direct gaze was uncomfortable for him. "If you're her ghost, you must have reason to come back.  Is this something we need?"  He motioned at the data-chips Gothique held in her hand still.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:11, Sun 07 Aug 2022.

Y'all can roll Notice(+2) to see if you're aware of the comparative sudden silence outside the shop.

Failure will mean a you get a one-shot Surprised Aspect applied until the the first round of exchanges is complete.

Success means you're aware that something's different and probably not right.

Success with Style allows you to prepare for combat.  If you feel that any of your Aspects gives you permission to be prepared, let me know.

Also... I say "exchanges" because it might not be combat...

As soon as the older man glimpsed the hologram, he casually shifted direction toward the nearest tunnel as he activated his communicator, speaking conversationally while subtly monitoring their movements...

{In Chinese}"Three armed soldiers are about to enter the junk shop seeking you, Captain.  A fourth soldier is departing.  What are your orders?"{/In Chinese}

"Sān míng wǔzhuāng shìbīng jíjiāng jìnrù jiù huò diàn xúnzhǎo nǐ, shàngwèi. Dì sì míng shìbīng líkāi. Nǐ yǒu shé me mìnglìng?"
"三名武装士兵即将进入旧货店寻找你，上尉。 第四名士兵离开。 你有什么命令?"

This message was last edited by the player at 06:39, Sun 07 Aug 2022.

18:38, Today: Bai Ling-Li rolled -1 using 4 Fudge dice.  Notice +2. So, success. Plus, Casks warning?

Baylee looked at the man and blinked; being an amnesiac was inconvenient at times. She was beginning to suspect that she was recognized here to some extent. Or, she began to suspect this was not her first time here or among these people. Too much made sense, but not enough sense.

Something was crawling up her spine like death walking over her grave. She kept her eyes on the uncle though, steady as a heartbeat. She counted three long breaths and then looked back toward the door ready for heat. "Wouldn't know about them things. Saw them the first time just now. Pero if these blokes about to walk in this door aren't the friendly type, I'd suggest ducking. Ni Jidao ma? (You understand?)" She made a motion warning Viper and Gothique to be ready to find cover while she bounced on her feet a bit and smirked at how the gravity felt.

Briefly she considered what Casks had asked, then mumbled into her transceiver, "Well, are the hostile FEELING?"

Maissa Haukea rolled -2 using 4 Fudge dice. Skill = notice (+2). Magnificent total of 0.

Maissa felt confused. Was this the answer for the request of a recommendation?


"Well, that went fast over the top", the pilot reflected.
"Just a wild guess, an improbable speculation and he's all fired up.
Is he so gullible or were the people here waiting for a messiah?
That info wasn't in the database!"

The Viper was lost in her thoughts. She reacted slowly and hardly noticed anything.

Since this notice (+2) looks like an Initiative roll, I declare that in her action turn, Maissa will draw her pistol, hunker down to level her eyes with the top of the table and call the attention of the importer with a quiet: "Backdoor?"

At the slamming of the fists Gothique jumps and out of instinct lets out a hiss.  But that also leaves her distracted and well not being the most astute she does not see anything and continues to follow instructions listening to what Maissa and Uncle Importer were discussing.

Sadly at this time she was lost and looking back and forth between him and her head almost looking like she disagrees with everything but really it was her following along.

Okay, none of you twigged to the sudden silence outside.  This means you have the Surprised Aspect for one exchange.   In this particular case, it's no big deal and won't impact you any.  But there was a chance you might've made it something more than it is.  From a metagame standpoint, I wanted to introduce this because this kind of thing may happen again in the future.  By the same token you can do this to others!


Now that I know that the inside is surprised, Casks words filter through.

Let's add OK (Kaede) into the scene, and we'll bring CM into it in a little bit.

Kaede, can you write yourself into the scene.  Outside the junk shop, where Chang Sheng-Xin in.  I don't care how you get there.   What's important is that you witness whatever's going to happen with Baylee and the folks with her inside...

During all this, a lone figure stood upon a building observing the scene unfolding. This particular stranger has been with the crew since the first time they've awoken. The reason they have never met her is because, well, she was distracted. At first it was a search for her name, until she hacked into a wealth of treasure she didn't understand but grew to love. When things got hectic, she moved to a new location which was coincidentally wherever the crew went. And ever since then, she's been following them ever since, always sticking to the shadows where she binge her shows at peace.

After hours upon hours of constant binging, Orochi Kaede sees that the time to step out of the shadows is now. Mostly because she felt that everytime she tried to want to speak to them, she felt sort of awkward. How do you explain to someone that you've been hiding under your bed and on occasions eating your leftovers. That was an awkward topic, so she watched and waited for when the time was right. When they made dock at this new colony, she knew this was it. The perfect opportunity arrived, all she needed to say that she's just a humble mercenary that opted to help them in their time of need.

She fist bumped to herself, and instantly appeared behind Chang Sheng Xin,"Greetings Xin-sensei, I am Orochi Kaede, you may call me Kaede-chan or Kaede if you prefer. I'm the one to have secretly been eating your snacks every night. I must say that your closet is a comfortable place to sleep." she says, then facepalm herself as she realized that she forgot her lines. What Chang Sheng Xin sees, is some sort of teenage girl, though she looks off. Half of her body is just covered in metal, her arm is an elegant prosthetic with a steel-like skin, her face looked more like a synthetic skin compared to her left arm which looked normal. Her right eye was covered by an oversized circular glass with a yellowish color, similar to a monocle or a magnifying glass,"Ergh, gah, I, ugh, mean that I'm here.... Yes, I am here to help Captain Baylee-senpai. No worries, I don't know how to fight, but I'm very quiet. And my machine parts are equipped with a lot of stuff that I don't know of." she says, not with a lot of confidence compared to when she first left the ship.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:58, Thu 11 Aug 2022.

The older man regarded her kindly, calm in spite of the threat before them.

"Well met, Kaede-chan.  I sensed you, and left the snacks out for you, and look forward to knowing you better.  But time presses..."

"You can't fight, have unknown capabilities, and are quiet.  Do you want to quietly follow after the departed fourth soldier, who just left down that tunnel?  Or do you want to stay with me, to see what can be done here?"

Orochi was surprised, both in the fact that he knew that she was the culprit and that his not very hostile to her,"I thank you for your kindness, Xin-sensei." she says in a soft and formal tone, then gives him a bow. She then looks toward the soldier's roaming about, her robotic eye magnifying toward the direction of the fourth soldier,"Hmm, I believe I won't be much use in simply observing, I would not like to be on standby again. And with that, I take my leave. Good luck to you, Xin-sensei." she says, giving him one last bow before disappearing right before the missionary's eyes. Either it was a cloaking device or she was just that good at being so-called "quiet". Either way, Kaede follows the soldier, wondering what they're going to do.

14:42, Today: Orochi Kaede rolled 3 using 4 Fudge dice.  Stealth +5.

Woah, a +8. Makes sense for a master of stealth.

OK:
The lone militia-man hustled down several corridors until he came to what appeared to be yet another nondescript corridor.  Kaede's location trace suggested that this was actually much closer to her original location with Sheng-Xin than she might have guessed otherwise.  So... it was another entrance to the junk shop, probably.

The soldier took up a position beside the door, and placed two small metallic egg-like things on either side of the door, approximately six inches from the doorway.  Though there was no actual wire, Kaede could surmise that it was a tripwire like set-up.  Maybe a laser focus?  Or targetted audio-stream?

Out front (Casks, everybody inside)
"Attention!  This is K-Zino Authority."  A voice boomed out.  The figure with the raised hand.  A megaphone receiver/speaker in his gauntlet amplified his voice dramatically.

"Please empty your hands and step to the center of the room with your arms raised.   Non-compliance will be registered as an act of aggression.  You have ten seconds."

Inside:

Uncle Importer's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head for a moment, and he began to sweat.

He fixed his gaze on Baylee.  "Tell them you're a joke.  A stupid joke by the Resurrectionists."  His voice went higher, then, faster, carried more of lilt to it than it had earlier.   "You're not Bai Ling Li.  If you were her--even as her ghost--Reyes would make you pray for the end!  Who sent you?  Why are you here?"


If any of you want to do anything other than comply with the Authority soldier's direction, this would be the time.  I may opt to compel that Surprised, depending on what you want to do.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:55, Sun 14 Aug 2022.

The older man stretches out his empathic senses to assess the emotions of the soldiers...

Seeing the trap being set, Kaede begins tapping her metal plate next to her mechanical eye. Her eye briefly showed a loading screen, and then various 0s and 1s load up and she feels a connection in her mind. In the shop, Baylee's comm piece received a message, if she answered, a stranger's voice was heard,**Ugh, Baylee-senpai, it is good to finally speak to you. Unfortunately, I don't have time for introductions it seems, or I guess the best term of phrase would be you don't have time for introductions. I'm calling to bring you some measure of awareness that there is another entrance out of the building. Only one soldier is protecting it, unfortunately he has set up some sort of laser trip wire trap, probably a bomb. Do not worry, explosions tend to be a better escape route than any other, as I've seen. Remember to shout blast off when doing it.** she says in a serious tone, though the information she got that from is pretty unreliable,**Though if you prefer it disarmed, I can make such an attempt.** she says as she taps her arm which opens up a compartment filled with computer chips, four to be exact.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 09:10, Sun 14 Aug 2022.

Baylee's eyes narrow slowly. Her form slowly, minutely goes still. First, someone claiming to be an authority commanded her. She grit her teeth in response. Then this guy said some things about the person she was pretty sure she was and someone called Reyes.

Baylee had very little to go on regarding her former life, mostly vids and such. She hadn't expected a warm welcome in the more regulated parts of the system. However, to be immediately accosted in a neutral zone. It spoke to enemies and her appearance being recognizable. Her lip slowly curled as she sneered at the Uncle.

"I came here because it was the closest station when we dropped. Because we are low of food, resources, and cash. BUT, if someone is itching to give me a reason to cause..."

She paused suddenly, blinking rapidly, as a barely recognized voice came out of her ear piece. One of the people she thought they were dumping on this rock. She struggled to put a name to the voice, the mob sort of all blended together, but she'd heard that voice before on the ship. It forced her to consider the situation. She looked slowly around to the others present with a raised eyebrow. She had not brought a PEP, but she had charged ZM marines mostly unarmed before. Some local yokel types did not scare her. But, she was not alone. "Well, fight or flight girls? You know my vote." She licked her lips and anyone with sense would note her widening irises as she was getting excited.

In the comms, she replied, **What the fuck is a sen... whatever. If you can do it without anyone seeing or knowing, do it.**

**Oh, that's too bad, but understood. Good luck Captain Baylee-senpai, I shall report to you of my success.** Orochi Kaede says, though she looked disappointed as she wanted to see the explosion in real life. Either way, she needs to focus on the task at hand, she pulls out one of her chips. She remembers finding these during the escape, she wondered if this is what she usually used back then. She shook her head, she shouldn't bother,"It'll be distracting to what I have to do." she says to herself in order to focus, she then inserts the chip on her metal plating near her eye. The chip seamlessly merged right onto her metal plate, but only halfway until Kaede received a warning from her iris, it said that further insertion of a chip while a current one was being in use will take a while for swapping to commence,"Ah, I forgot about this. But they need my help, maybe if I just..." she says and slowly pushes the chip further in her head. The warning kept flickering on and off as she did so, and suddenly a chip flew off, to which she managed to grab it in time. Thankfully it wasn't the chip that she put in, it was the old one she used last time. She was successful,"And with no repercussions." she says, but felt her head making a static shock for a brief moment, she shrugged upon that strange occurrence and stared at the trap on the door. Her mechanical eye started rotating, its camera view zooming in and scanning the egg-like item, trying to see if there's some sort of weakness.

17:51, Today: Orochi Kaede rolled -1 using 4 Fudge dice.  Tech +4.

I'm trying to create an advantage in order to hack it. And I got a 3, I hope the consequence was worth it, whatever that maybe.

"I will do my best to back you up Captain but I don't think I am much of a fighter but I will admit I am not sure."  Gothique offers but really is in a state of unknown.  "Either way it is your call!"  Gothiques ears do go back in a bit of fear mainly as this seems to be a defensive reaction.  The way she was built was such that she could not hurt whoever it is that had control.  You know easier to keep control...docile.

"- so much for disguising Baylee as Madre Lin Ling Li - ", Maissa reflected.



"Flight then fight when we're cornered, cap'., was her glum reply.

Kaede

Kaede crept closer.  The soldier backed up, crouching over a rifle-stocked Particle Emission Projector (PEP).  She could see the power-bar on the side of the weapon was set to the lowest setting.  So, probably set for stun or incapacitation, like an electrical jolt, rather than a a sustained electrocution.

The egg was a manufactured cylinder of brushed steel and plastic.  An, incendiary device with a directional cone that pointed at the door in a small arc.   It probably wasn't a fragmentation grenade or anything lethal.  Kaede could put that together from the PEP setting.  The two parts were probably connected via a tight-beam of light.  And if that beam of light got broken.... boom!.

Disarming it would be pretty easy.  The larger egg would have a disarm switch somewhere.

But getting to the egg meant dealing with the soldier who'd set it in place.  Of course, his attention was on the door, not on her....

--
OOC:
she then inserts the chip on her metal plating near her eye.
Okay, so which chip is in play?

Also, as per our discussion in the character-creation thread, "You could "hot-swap" a chip for immediate use if you're willing to take on a Consequence."  It would be a mild consequence.

I suggest Visual Ghosting, meaning that every now and again--ie, when I compel it--you get ghost images of things you've just seen... so someone walks across your vision, there may be, for a moment, two of them...  potentially distracting?  Yup.  I'm open to other possibilities.

17:51, Today: Orochi Kaede rolled -1 using 4 Fudge dice.  Tech +4.
I'm trying to create an advantage in order to hack it. And I got a 3, I hope the consequence was worth it, whatever that maybe.
Okay, so 4dF(-1) + Tech(+4) = Tech(+3).  It's unfamiliar tech, but it's also not particularly difficult.  It's a trip-wire grenade.  The big question--that OK doesn't have an answer for is: what kind of grenade is it?  She's determined that it's probably not a lethal effect.   But OK doesn't have any idea of whether it's a flash-bang, a smoke-grenade, an audio effect or even a stink-bomb or a paint-bomb...

I'd set difficulty for this at Average Tech(+1).  With a Tech(+3) result to Create an Advantage, you succeed.  Which creates an Aspect and gives you one free invoke.

As I'd envisioned it, this is a strictly mechanical contraption.  So, hacking it remotely isn't going to be possible.  But you've got the Aspect... Tell me what you're thinking?  Suggest an Aspect.   (It's your roll, it's your call.  I'm not going to put words in your mouth here).  I'm open to negotiation.  The narrative is flexible.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:05, Tue 23 Aug 2022.

Chang Sheng Xin

The older man stretches out his empathic senses to assess the emotions of the soldiers...

Encased in armor as they were, there just wasn't much to get a read on.  Tenseness of body and economy of motion suggested these three had long-standing training, and further, they had trained together and were used to working as a unit.

The smaller one was definitely a woman.  The one with the megaphone moved with a casual motion that suggested boredom or overconfidence.  The other neither spoke nor moved very much.


--
OOC:
As discussed in private, I'm really disliking the idea of an empathic sense.  I'm feeling it's me giving you a lot of information without you actually doing anything to get it.  It's too powerful, too much insight.  At the very least, we need a roll, and there wasn't one this time.

Casks has had a little bit of time to observe them.  They're not hiding what they're doing, so it's a straight Notice(+0) test to Create an Advantage.   I rolled for you.
Control, on behalf of Chang Sheng Xin, rolled -4 using 4 Fudge dice.  Details about KZ Authority soldiers.
This gives you a result of +0, which is, actually, a tie.  This means success with a minor cost or a partial success.  You are welcome to invoke your Aspects to bump this up to a full success, should you wish to do so.

As it's your action, you can define an Aspect that applies to these soldiers, that would be a representation of your notice--empathic or not--roll.

Baylee, Gothique, Viper & Gilina
& Uncle Importer

"If they wanted you dead, they wouldn't have announced themselves." Uncle importer said.  But he was still frantic.  "You've probably got Reyes scared.  Maybe.  He Bai Ling killed.  We all know it. You walking in with her face..."  He shook his head.  "If you fight, they will take you.  Or send you inside."

Baylee, Casks, Gothique, Viper & Gilina
& Uncle Importer

The biggest of the three flipped the latch on the door and nudged the door open with a heavy step (though, curiously, not a forceful kick).  He flicked on a beam light on his PEP and stepped inside.  The other one--the quiet one--stepped in behind him, but went low.

The woman--their leader, Casks thought--remained just outside the door.

The big one spoke, his voice augmented by the megaphone.  "Lin Li-Ling.  Unauthorized biological irregularities have been identified in association with your arrival.  You are to come with us to assist in the investigation.   Do you understand?"

It didn't change the fact that there were two men with rifle-stocked PEPs trained on them.

"Biological Irregularities?" Uncle Importer cocked his head to one side.  He relaxed dramatically.  "What kind of irregularities?"

The shorter one, the quiet one kneeling with his weapons trained on Gilina and Viper, responded.  "Unknown.  Possible contaminants that may affect atmospheric integrity."

"Car."  the big one said.

The shorter one nodded curtly.


--
OOC:

At the moment, I'm thinking this ties in with the rainbow spore things Gothique and Gilina cleaned out of one of the smuggler's holds.  But, you know, that can change...

After her scan was complete, she tap the side of her plate again, her cybernetic eye's holographic data disappearing,"A bomb of the incendiary kind... Hmm, but he set his PEP to the lowest setting, I can only assume that it's set up with the same goal in mind." she says, then tries to analyze the best way to disarm it. But then another idea came up as she remembers that it was only one guard, and one trap. Put two in two together and she has a plan. She hops from her rooftop and lands gracefully like a cat or cat girl and slowly approach the soldier. Not even making a sound or give any sign that she was even their.

13:16, Today: Orochi Kaede rolled 1 using 4 Fudge dice.  Stealth (+5).
Ooh, a 6, that means I succeed with style.  What added benefit do I get :D

"is it a ruse to quietly capture Baylee?" wondered Maissa in her head. "Let's put it to the test".

The young woman addressed the patrol and drew the attention to herself - as she was so good at - "I'm the perp you're looking for!", she claimed, with a little melodramatic aspect.

"Here's your biological hazard." She showed the paint can where she had put the slime - or whatever - away. "My intention was to bring it to a biolab - I'm sorry... we - I - forgot to mention this biohazard on arrival." She bit her lip out of frustration - she knew the details of docking procedures as any smuggler, but had been so enthralled to start a new pirate crew and a new romance with the captain, that caution had been thrown overboard.

She neatly put her pep down on the counter and stepped forward. "Arrest me. I'll follow you. Let my sisters and Madre free."

Maybe Gothique was carrying the paint can; in which case - since Viper has sworn to herself to protect the innocents - Viper quickly seized it.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:01, Thu 25 Aug 2022.

Baylee was liking this situation less and less by the second. She could feel the blood accelerating in her veins. It pounded a tattoo in her ears. She was just about to make some type of aggressive comment when Viper started talking. It was like splashing ice water on a sleeping person-shocking. Baylee blinked at the woman then at the guards. FInally, she glanced down to the PEP now on the floor.

She let Maissa try her gambit. But the captain was still ready to cause a lot of trouble in the blink of an eye.

(OOC - I am good with Gothique carrying paint can.  Why not.  :) Actually if it has biological or not I am fine with either but also good with that is her container she is using like a basket.  A sealable basket.  Either way I am good.)

At this moment a lot sailed over Gothiques head but still she had no worries playing along with it when Maissa grabs her paint can.  But now this person that seemed to care to help her when she had no reason to do so.  She could not let her take the fall.

"No it is not her fault it is completely my fault but honestly I did not know better.  I am so sorry."  Gothique says actually trying to help and actually going very wide eyes like many a neko from the anime.




(OOC - OK I am not sure how this system works still but could Gothique use - "But She's Cute & Innocent!" in this endeavour and would it help?)

Scratching for now

This message was last edited by the player at 04:19, Fri 26 Aug 2022.

I'm going to suggest that this won't come into play quite yet.     I'm certainly aware of it from a narrative standpoint.  But for it to be used mechanically, we want for Gothique to need to roll the dice for an action.

The Action would be either an Attack, Defend, Overcome or "Create-Advantage" Action.  Invoking But She's Cute & Innocent! would either give her a +2 to an already-rolled roll or allow you to re-roll (and take the better of the two rolls).

Great that you're thinking of how the Aspects might tie in, though!

Without skipping a beat, once the cyborg ninja comes close to the soldier. She sprinted, her robotic leg giving her the kick she needed to create momentum. Once her mechanical arm place it's palm on the soldier's armor, she could tell that it was heavy. Their was no way she could have lift this person nor even push him, he was like a boulder. Yet, she knows that this soldier was only human, if she applied enough pressure like so, even a rock could give way. That's exactly what she did as the soldier felt a sudden force on his back, which he suddenly trip due to his armor being heavy and fell right toward the laser sensors. If her calculations where correct, the design to these grenades have a time delay if it were applied with a little static shock. So she released a bit of electricity from her reserves in the few seconds she pushed the soldier. And then she calmly walked out of the radius of the bombs and contacted the captain,"Captain Baylee-senpai, mission complete. Backdoor secured." she says and an explosion was heard from the background in Kaede's comms.

13:17, Today: Orochi Kaede rolled 0 using 4 Fudge dice.  Fight With Boost (+6).
+6 just beats the first attempt

13:18, Today: Orochi Kaede rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice.  Tech (+4).
Overcome with Style, meaning I gain another boost or maybe a free invocation

INSIDE:  Baylee, Gothique, Viper & Gilina
& Uncle Importer


The big one stayed where he was, his PEP Rifle held at the ready.  The beam of cold light illuminated much of the small space of Uncle Importer's shop, casting harsh shadows all over the place.  "Step away from the container."  He said, his voice almost preternaturally neutral.

The smaller one--Someone had called him "Car"--took two steps forward.   He wore over-sized gloves.  They looked like treated rubber or some other product to handle hazardous materials.

"What is it?"  Car asked.  "Bio-filters didn't recognize it. I'm sure it's just a precaution.  But we can't risk a contaminant in the Atmo system."

"Yeah."  the big guy followed up.  "We need to hustle back to Customs for a decon and analysis.  All of you, including you, Marcus."

Uncle Importer looked even more startled, his eyes nearly bulging.  "Me?" he squeaked.  "We haven't had any physical contact!  They just got here!  They haven't even touched anything..."


"Move along."  someone beyond the doors said.  Presumably, the locals were gathering to watch.

"You know the regs." Car shook his head as he reached for the cannister.  "We can't risk another Nano Horizon."  He looked up-picking Viper of all people to focus on.  "Anything that threatens life-support is a priority response.  We don't think you mean any trouble, but we don't know."



--
Scene Aspects if you want them
Small Space, Big Shadows
Car: Big Clumsy Gloves

Just cause we have them does not mean that we need to use them.  I can see this immediate scene ending without tactical maneuvering.  Or with.  Your call.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:29, Sat 03 Sept 2022.

Out Front: Chang Sheng-Xin

AS he watched, one built like a Hoops linebacker nudged the door open and moved inside with the fluid movement of someone with years of training.  The shorter guy went right on his heels, going low.

The leader--the one who'd bene showing them a holographic display of some sort, cocked her head to one side, then her helmet nd the inscrutable face-plate turned towards Sheng-Xin's direction.

"Move along." She said, curtly, as if she simply expected to be obeyed.

Moments later, she lifted a hand to her helmet, fingers over where here ear would be.  And her head cocked to one side.  Like she was listening.  Probably to an internal broadcast.

--
Where'd the Crowd Go?
Only the Sound of the System

Out Back: OK
Kaede moved silently forward and with a surprisingly minimal use of force, was able to upset Soldier-4's balance, casting him into the laser tri-line of the device.   He froze, arched his back, and twitched in a rigid seizure that just had to have hurt like no tomorrow...

It looked like it must've been an electrical jolt.  Like a taser or stun-baton.  But localized.    Probably only enough charge for one burst, though there had been no flash of light.  Even the detonation had been a minimal whump of static discharge that tickled across some of the neural receptors on Kaede's ports.

For all the armor, he was taken out by his own device.


So... having taken out soldier-4 and triggered the tripwire.   What now?

The silence that followed was eerie.  Except for the ever-present breath of air that registered on her sensor grid, nothing moved...
This message was last edited by the player at 22:16, Mon 05 Sept 2022.

INSIDE:  Baylee, Gothique, Viper & Gilina
& Uncle Marcus, the Importer

Maissa fought against Viper's rebellious nature, her urge to give the guys the middle finger, and burst into a wildcat all-out attack of kicks and shouts and bites and scratches.

She felt the adrenaline flow into her vein, but she knew part of it was due to her shame of being the cause of the arrest. They could fight her way out of this place, out of the strong doors to space, capture a shuttle and reach the Orishi, then what? This was the best place in the system for cast-outs like them.

They had no choice, but to stay on K-Zino. That wasn't to say they would surrender everything if they could do otherwise.

She pushed the canister into Car's hands.
"Consider this, officer" she spitted.
She took the most reasonable tone she could: "We're not bio-terroristes and we have no idea of what Nano Horizon is or was. We don't want to die from some unspeakable disease * either.

However, we also defend ourselves when our freedom is threatened. Which is precisely what you're doing by pointing your gun to our faces, which makes us very nervous and inclined to respond in kind. This is the Belt, and You Can Pry Our Freedoms From My Cold Dead Fingers, you know that

Do not try to hide your turpitude behind a show of force. You did a mistake by not stopping us at the customs when you detected something. Now, lower your guns and turn off that beam and discuss. I agreed to surrender and follow y'all, and the teen doll also, so take us both to your lab to examine us and scan us, while the others stay here in quarantine as many hours as the analysis takes. The alternative - I swear - we'll start a very stupid fight just because you seem trigger-happy. De-escalate. Comprende?"

Viper's muscles are tensed and she's ready to jump down and sweep the female soldier.

* A member of Parliament to Disraeli: 'Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.' That depends, Sir,' said Disraeli, 'whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.'
This message was last edited by the player at 05:18, Tue 06 Sept 2022.

Baylee was about to respond to the threats and instructions. By the look on her face, the response wouldn't have been half as civil as Maissa's, but then she was distracted by the notice from kaede over coms. Well, more, she was distracted by the 'captain' and -'sama' in the same breath. She didn't know what the second was, but the combination felt extremely formal to her. Grunting with surprise, she then noticed that MAissa had taken the lead in the neogtiations. That produced a second frown. But as she processed what the woman had said, she grit her teeth and waited.

She didn't really want to be the one that escalated this now. That'd make Viper look a bit foolish, right? That didn't feel right. Besides, to Bylee's line of thought, Maissa was being exceedingly rational. Plus, she'd already threatened the guards, so that was done. Besides, baylee didin't like thrats nearly as much as actual violence. She waited, a tension building in her shoulders so powerful she was shocked others hadn't noticed.

Gothique too was stunned....her last move already mustered up pretty much all of her courage that she likely ever had. And yet Maissa just seemed to have an everlasting pot of both courage and something else.  Gall?  She also was just starting to develop some confusion on who should be in charge but it passes as her brain rationally can't figure out any of it and better to just go with the flow!

She does wait to see how this plays out before she tries her one last hail Mary.

INSIDE:  Baylee, Gothique, Viper & Gilina
& Uncle Marcus, the Importer

Viper handed the cannister to the smaller of the two armored militiamen, as she made her speech, offered her own threats.

"Nuh-uh." the big one said, the flat tone of his voice suggested that he'd had this argument before.  "Don't know you.  Don't trust you.   You walk back to customs, submit to bio-scan. It's an arn, maybe two.   You throw down now, the entire section gets locked down."

The smaller one, with the cannister, shook his head, but he was still very careful with the cannister.   "There's maybe two hundred AE's in this section.  It'll take scrubbers maybe a full orbit before it's cleared.  That's a pretty long time to be trapped here.  It is great way to make friends with all the locals, though.  I'm sure they'll appreciate your curtailing their freedom to move to other sections, to return to their homes or jobs."

"Look, we're not cuffing you, we're not knocking you out." the big one said.  He shifted his weight, his stance lowering a little bit.  "But if you run, we'll do it.  If you fight, we'll do it.  Don't make this worse than it needs to be.  If you've any weapons, please place them on the counter, then step back and place your hands on your head so we can search you for any other weapons.  Marcus, I'll need you to step out into the front, please."

"Me?" Uncle Importer sputtered.  "But, I'm not...  They just arrived..."

""You know the drill.  Guns and blades." the big guy responded, but his tone softened a little.  Something like respect in his voice.  "An arn at customs, and you'll be compensated for your time.  Thus is the price of safety."


--
These guys don't appear to be taking viper's bait (the comments about turpitude and you made the mistake in not catching this sooner).
Also, a reminder: AE - Autonomous Entity (biological or mechanical)

Scene Aspects if you want them
Small Space, Big Shadows
Car: Big Clumsy Gloves



Casks:
The militiaman (woman) at the front of the import shop spent some time with her head bowed, leaning closer to the door, to listen... probably to the discussion inside.

Sheng-Xin also notices the subtle change in the background noise as the major prevalent rhythm of the machinery around them dropped by a couple of notes on the audio-scale.


OK:
So, having take the guard out, Kaede returned to one of the crawl-spaces above the buildings.  There was perhaps five or six feet total between her and the ductwork and piping that had been laid as the functional services-grid for this section of the colony.  Beyond that was  several dozen feet of asteroid ... rocks and metal.

OK also notices the change in tone in the surrounding ambient noise.

<Orange>You've got a high enough tech skill to correctly surmise that this is switch over to an auxillary system.  If it's such a pervasive tone, it's probably for power-generation, water filtration, waste removal or atmosphere generation.

So... what now?
This message was last edited by the player at 05:07, Tue 20 Sept 2022.

Orochi stares at the ductwork, her cyber eye giving her the necessary info on what that is,"Hmm, air-conditioning.... Space colonies need air to breathe... If I destroy some of the pipes, it would be repaired easily..." she says, and stares at the store, noting the fact that the captain has chosen not to exit yet,"Captain Baylee-senpai hasn't arrived, I gotta do something." she says, then her mechanical arm starts shifting it's gears and suddenly, several sharp knife protrude her arm,"Ah, did I always have those? Was I a cook before... Nevermind, I think I know what to do." she says, her eyes scanning for weakpoints to the ducts. Once done, she throws her shurikens at the pipes and immediately runs off.

14:11, Today: Orochi Kaede rolled 1 using 4 Fudge dice.  Overcome (Tech +4).

Orochi's attempt at destroying the ductwork resulted in a +5

OK rolled 4dF(+1) + Tech(+4) to Overcome(+5)... something.

I prefer to think of the overcome action as something to clear past a hurdle or remove an obstacle.  It sounds like you're going for straight damage here.  To my mind, that's an Attack.

However, since we're not rushing forward, let's backtrack for just a moment...

For a colony embedded inside an asteroid--especially one with a history of some conflict and the ever-=present threat of asteroid collisions--I just don't see them having a rickety, weakness-prone life-support system. Most of the colonists would be walking around in EVA suits just in case the life-support systems went down.

On the other hand, you are taking initiative and trying to move things forward and I definitely want to reward that...  So... in the scheme of "Play to see what happens", we'll roll with it....

OK:
Kaede threw out a couple of jagged metal projectiles with unerring accuracy.   The shrapnel wasn't enough to actually pierce the atmosphere conduits.  That would have required substantially greater force than she had mustered.

But it probably wasn't a coincidence that moments after the jagged metal projectiles made contact and clattered off into the distance, that a klaxon sounded throughout the section.  It wasn't particularly loud, but it was shrill and high-pitched, and it played across several frequencies on her integrated receiver.

Whatever she had done had set off an alarm.

"Your attention please." a dispassionate woman's voice said  It was distant, vaguely distorted.  A recording.  "A threat to the life-support system has been detected.  Please adopt stage-one precautions.  Maintenance crews have been dispatched."

The recording repeated once more immediately...
This message was last edited by the player at 04:23, Fri 30 Sept 2022.

Casks:

The lone figure outside the front of the junk shop lifted her head suddenly, the helmet swinging back and forth.  She raised a hand again to the side of the helmet and then hunched forward.

Moments later, a distant klaxon--not unlike the one that had awakened him aboard the Ptolomen Space Station--began to go off.

"Your attention please." a dispassionate woman's voice.  A recording.  "A threat to the life-support system has been detected.  Please adopt stage-one precautions.  Maintenance crews have been dispatched."

The recording repeated once more immediately...
This message was last edited by the player at 04:22, Fri 30 Sept 2022.

 distant klaxon--not unlike the one that had awakened them aboard the Ptolomen Space Station--began to go off.

"Your attention please." a dispassionate woman's voice, audible even inside. "A threat to the life-support system has been detected.  Please adopt stage-one precautions.  Maintenance crews have been dispatched."

The recording repeated.

"We're out of time, folks." the bigger of the two militia men said.   He let out a big sigh and pointed his rifle at the floor.  The corrugated steel floor of the junk shop.



I'm waiting on an indication of where we're going next...  Waiting on an IC or OOC response from Baylee's player.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:28, Fri 30 Sept 2022.

Honestly, sometimes watching was fun in a morbid sort of way. Baylee was quite happy with her new lover, but the weird paradox of Baylee's existence was that that did not mean that she trusted her. Oh, to a certain degree, sure. But completely, no. So, it was nice to see the woman had some sack. It probably didn't hurt that the innocent meeting was almost certainly going to go poorly for them. Trying to talk someone innocent down with reason only actually worked when that person was really innocent. Baylee wasn't exactly certain what part of their past was biting her in the ass right now, but some part of it was and going along seemed a bad idea. Well, now, an out of the question idea.

But the idiots had guns. Baylee cocked her head to the side and sighed. Not like this was the first time someone had used guns against her.

Baylee rocked back and then sprang forward. It was nice to be in gravity slightly belong planetside. She felt more comfortable. As she moved, she saw Maissa trying to damage the ducts and her eyes widened. Well, okay! She rushed in to grab the taller one's collarbone, yes it hurts when you do that, with the intention of getting a good grip in close where the longarm wouldn't help him. Once she had her grip, she will throw him at the ducts. But one thing at a time.

"No one will blame us if they don't know. They won't know if you are corpses. See? Solved the problem."

17:47, Today: Bai Ling-Li rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice.  +4 fight + 2 stunt.
Stunt gives me +2 fight in low-g or zero-g. Baylee is good at fighting. Total is 8, contested roll of course.

And yes, I said "grab the collarbone" and I expect that in and of itself will hurt. So, depending on my level of success, I might play with that.

I put this up so that you guys can post your actions as time permits without having to wait for the guy before you (or after you in the initiative, anyway) to post.  It's likely overkill because of what I have planned, but who knows?  It might go in a completely different direction than I expected.

As a heads up:
Kaede damaged the ducts.  She's outside the junk-shop, alone, away from the action.   Baylee wouldn't have seen her damage anything as there's the rear of the junk-shop and a locked door between her and that zone.  Kaede would have heard the situation go down, though, as she's on comms...

Combat Sequence:

• Zone 1: Inside Front
  
  • +5: Baylee - Legendary(+8) Fight Attack against Beta
    
    • Results: Determined but not yet revealed
  • +5: Beta (Big Guy)  - Action DEFINED
  • +4: Viper (Zone 1 Inside Front) - Action Undefined
  • +4: Gothique (Zone 1 Inside Front) - Action Undefined
  • +4: Gilina (Zone 1 Inside Front) - Action DEFINED
  • +4 Car (Little Guy with Big Clumsy Gloves and the Biological Sample) - Action DEFINED
• Zone 2: Inside Rear
  
  • +2: Marcus - Action Not DEFINED (but he'll neither help nor hinder... so maybe he should be a Scene Aspect instead: Uncle Importer )
• Zone 3: Outside Front
  
  • +7: Casks (Zone 3 Out Front)- Action Undefined
  • +4: Alpha (Distracted (+1 Invoke)) - Action DEFINED
• Zone 4: Outside Rear
  
  • +3: Kaede (Zone 4 (Out Back) - No immediate conflict.

Scene Zones:

• Zone 1 - Junk Shop Front Area
  
  • Small Space, Big Shadows
  • Fabricated Metal Counter between Zone 1 & Zone 2
  • Basic Fabricated Metal Door between Zone 1 & Zone 3 (Front Entrance)
• Zone 2 - Junk Shop Rear Area - Private Quarters
  
  • Small Space, Big Shadows
  • Fabricated Metal Counter between Zone 2 & Zone 1
  • Locked Fabricated Metal Door between Zone 2 & Zone 4 (Rear Entrance)
• Zone 3 - Out front, in the large common chamber.  Casks watching the Militia Lead
  
  • Open Space Common Area
  • Basic Fabricated Metal Door between Zone 1 & Zone 3 (Front Entrance)
• Zone 4 - Out Back, a cramped network of tunnels that lead to a "back door" to the junk shop.
  
  • Cramped Tunnels
  • Incapacitated Militiaman
  • Locked Fabricated Metal Door between Zone 2 & Zone 4 (Rear Entrance)

(excellent recap' control! I wonder when I got to declare Viper's actions)

Viper jumps down to the ground and quickly extend her legs with force to sweep the legs of the female soldier under her.

06:21, Today: Maissa Haukea rolled 0 using 4 Fudge dice ((0, -1, 1, 0)). +3 for Fight

(excellent recap' control! I wonder when I got to declare Viper's actions)
Any time!  Now's better than later!  So, thanks for doing it.

However, I need clarification.

Female soldier is outside the door, in zone 3.  Basically, she's guarding the door from the outside.  She's in the same zone as Casks. There's only Beta (Big) and Car (Little) in there with you.

DO you want to cross into zone-3 (try to pass Beta & Car and pass through the door to teh outside) in order to attack the female lead?

Or do you want to attack one of the two guys in there with you?  Big Guy is Beta, Little guy with the big clumsy gloves and your biological sample is Car.

Orochi, hearing everything in her comms decides to call in,"Ah, Baylee-senpai, I don't think it is wise to make corpses. That is murder, and it is wrong, are you sure you want to proceed?" she says, her cold eyes staring at the damage ducts,"Back entrance is still secured, an avenue of escape is possible." the cyborg said, for now she waits until she's given a response. Judging from her cursory readings of the procedure of this colony, she has enough time before maintenance arrives.

Ah my apologies, Dr Control ; I thought I could just repeat my statement of Sep 6th, but I did not take the time to check that the scene of my theater of the mind corresponded to the recap... :)

Viper quickly assessed the situation. There were two targets : Beta and Car. Car's hands were full and he wouldn't just drop the can of paint. The Custom girl wasn't here yet. She had an opportunity and fighting with fists would be less a crime, were they to end up on trial.

She jumped down to the ground and quickly extended her legs with full force, targeting the place where the legs of the Big Guy will be after Baylee's and the guy's actions...
This message was last edited by the player at 16:14, Thu 10 Nov 2022.

Gothique addresses the situation and knows she is severely handicapped at this point.  She was not in anyway, shape or form a fighter or even combat worthy.  There was also a bit of a fight or flight in her....maybe it was genetically and probably be renamed flight or flight.  Which was odd for a cat!

Still this was a job for those capable, and her to maybe hide and as such she dives for the shadows and does her best to hide while trying to find anything that she can find to help or move towards the area as suggested by Orochi. But her main thing was tech.  So in her mind that is what she searches for.  A technological solution to help out.

The older man follows up on Orochi's comment over the comm, still speaking in Chinese while in the vicinity of Alpha.

"I agree, Captain.  'A friend made is a road paved; an enemy created is a wall built.'"

OOC: 交个朋友多条路，树个敌人多堵墙.  Jiāo gè péngyou duō tiáo lù, shù gè dírén duō dǔ qiáng.

Chang Sheng-Xin
The soldier at the front of the junk-shop  shook their head, then pressed something on their neck.   The visor on the helmet flipped up revealing a young woman with blonde wispy hair and a reddish complexion.  There was a nasty scar along one side of her jawline reaching right to the corner of her lip.  The other side of her face seemed to covered in fine writing, glyphs and symbols that Sheng-Xin couldn't identify from this distance.

"Delta, You sonbitch.  You'd better not be dead, or I'll kill you twice."  Then she lifted a hand to her ear again.  "Command.  Iridium-Alpha.  They're not standing down.  Lockdown Sector Bravo.  Belay Maintenance until the sector is flat.  If we have to---"


The muted sounds of gunfire from inside. "Aw, fuck."  Alpha, said.  "Iridium.  Lay them out!"
This message was lightly edited by the player at 02:31, Wed 19 Oct 2022.

Kaede
With a groan, the militia-man (Delta), rolled to one side.  He sat up and lifted both hands to his head.  The front of his visor was a spiderwork of cracks radiating out from where Kaede had sent him into the wall.  He moved uncertainly, shaking his head. Looking around the cramped back-alley.  His assailant, however, was probably long-gone...

Well, no, she isn't.

Kaede

• Please roll Stealth to overcome Delta's Good(+3) Notice roll to look for his assailant.  You can leverage The scene Aspect Dazed Militiaman if you need to... but it'll go away in a round or two.
• I'm waking him up because I don't want to keep you sidelined and I want to give you something to do.
• Because I'm waking him up, that boost is back on the table if you want it.  Though I suggest that Dazed Militiaman covers that well-enough.

Q&A...
Baylee:

• You delivered 3-shifts of stress to Beta.  Beta takes 3-shifts as Stress.  Due to both his armor and his military training, he's able to absorb and deflect much of the force of the blow.   The armor is a couple of layers of ceramic plating that distributed the kinetic energy.  But, like any ceramic plate, find the weaknesses or hit it just right and you can shatter it.  Not an easy task and not something she can take the time to identify in the middle of a fight...
• You've got: Solid Grip on Beta's Armor (as a 1-shot Boost)
• Given Viper's follow-up, do you want to sacrifice that boost and offer it to Viper in some form or another?    It would allow her to push her Attack(Tie) to an Attack(Success).

Viper:

• The Sweep was a tie.  So, Beta goes down.  However, it was a tie, which means you need to take on a minor cost.  Given the Electrical Field and Car's water-bomb attack (Everything's All Wet!), I think it apropos and narratively appropriate for Viper to be caught with Four on the Floor.. Your thoughts?
• Mechanically, you and Baylee can discuss her passing on her one-shot boost to you, to push the attack from an Attack(Tie) to an Attack(Success), which would remove the need for a cost.  But that's between you two.

Gothique:

• Are you looking to hide or escape?
• If Hiding, roll Stealth as an opposed check (On Car, we'll call it Overcome his Notice(+3) roll.  That's the final roll, not his skill level).
  The front of the junk-shop has an Aspect Small Space, Big Shadows.  That could help if you need it... to invoke it for a fate-point.
• If you're looking to escape, you'll want to move into Zone-2 where Uncle Importer is.  There's no difficulty to do so, it's just a narrative statement so I know what's going on.  However, unlocking the rear door to move into Zone-4, where Kaede is, is another matter  entirely...

Baylee, Gothique, Viper

• Beta & Car's attacks (narrative use, not mechanical, of the word "attack") have served to create Advantages.  They don't deliver stress this round.  But they will next round.
• I'm placing The Electricity at +2 on the Initiative roster
• Next round, I'll need you to roll Physique to overcome the effects of the Electrical Field and the fact that Everything's All Wet!.  This is a damaging effect and it will deliver a Fantastic(+6) Attack for the next two rounds, provided you are in contact with anything metal and/or conductive in Zone-1.

Seeing the soldier rises up from unconscious prompted Kaede to instinctually hide, considering that she was still on a rooftop, she jump down to an alleyway. Gracefully landing like a cat and she hid in the corner like a rat. Her cybernetic eye zooms in on the soldier,".... Everyone is counting on Kaede-chan to succeed..... Kaede-chan will not fail to secure." she says, for now she waits for him to make a first move. Be patient and don't be reckless is a motto her anime has told her, and she will follow that to the letter.

20:22, Today: Orochi Kaede rolled -1 using 4 Fudge dice.  Stealth (+5).

That's a +4, so how does one use Dazed Man as leverage. Is it like getting a boost?

So long as you can make a narrative link to why this Aspect comes into play, it's valid...
 Mechanically, it's a +2 to the pre-existing roll or a completely new re-roll.  Narratively, it's up to you what it looks like... as long as it's vaguely consistent with the Aspect.  So, yes, it's exactly like a boost.  I'm going to put a countdown on this Aspect as he regains his consciousness, to say that it'll expire in a couple of rounds.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:21, Fri 21 Oct 2022.

Oh, sure. But she'll pay me back later! hehe. Now, how might that look?

Baylee grinned as she got a good grip on the big man's armor, "Thanks for wearing such nice hand holds! Did you think that armor would save you? How cute!" She was just shifting her muscles to leverage that grip into a throw when she saw Viper making her own attack. Her practiced eye saw the target moving in such a way as to reduce its effectiveness. That would leave Maissa in a rather awkward position. Grunting in annoyeance and mentally vowing that Viper would pay for this, she jerked the man into the attack rather than allowing him to avoid it.

Basically, using her hold to prevent him from dodging as effectively. Unfortunately, it would "shake loose" her good grip when he falls. *sigh* XP

Nicely done.  That'll give Viper the success--allowing her to avoid the minor cost.

Gothique here is trying to hide.  She will not abandon her friends unless ordered to even as frightened as she is.  As such she goes for the Small Space, Big Shadows.  at the front of the store and tries to keep herself safe and still be nearby to be of use.

(OOC -
21:20, Today: Gothique rolled -1 using 4 Fudge dice.  Stealth +2.)

All right, so the round is done:

Baylee rocked back and then sprang forward, enjoying the freedom of the lighter gravity.  It felt right, familiar even.  Baylee rushed forward and grabbed the bigger guys torso plates. Viper went low, sweeping out his feet from underneath him.  He twisted in Baylee's grip, but she adjusted the pitch and angle so that he had no choice but to go down on his back, as the second blast chuffed out a blast of compressed.... water?

Then everything crackled and lit up.  Electricity arced all over the room.


Combat Sequence II:

• +5: Baylee
• +5: Beta -
• +4: Viper
• +4: Gothique - Hiding among a stack of boxes
• +4: Gilina -
• +4 Car -
• +2 Electrical Field (2x) - Arcing Attack(+6) this round

Scene Aspects:

• Small Space, Big Shadows
• Fabricated Metal Counter between Zone 1 & Zone 2
• Basic Fabricated Metal Door between Zone 1 & Zone 3 (Front Entrance)
• Everything's All Wet!
• Electrical Field

I've refreshed my memory by reading up on Hazards in the Fate Condensed book.
You're facing: Hazard: Electrical Field: Skill-Rating (Arcing): +4, Weapon-Rating: +2

• Roll to defend against a Fantastic(+6) attack. 
• So, it attacks with 4dF(+2) + Arcing(+4)for a Fantastic(+6) electrical Attack.
• It's still on +2 Initiative, so you've got a couple of moments before the attacks fire.
• Hazards can attack and create advantages; they can't be attacked and they don;t overcome obstacles.  If you want to overcome or cerate an advantage to block the hazard, you'll be facing passive opposition (meaning I don't roll for it) of Arcing(+4)

This message was last edited by the player at 04:53, Fri 21 Oct 2022.

By this line, I'm adding the aspect Viper's PEP on the counter (remember? :)). The poor PEP is going to suffer with the electrical field/ark... however, the gun's barrel is facing the Rear Area

Viper is already excited by this fight, and now she's exhilarated by the electric field, which makes her tense... With a little push, she even would want to experience it! But now the adrenaline of the fight is stronger and she jumps on Beta - who's down - and tries to kick him while staying on top, so that the massive... - minuteman? - acts like an insulator (or whatever you call it. Maissa is really bad in sciences)

 Maissa Haukea rolled -1 using 4 Fudge dice.  kicking from the top of the insulator. Crap.
She began to slip from her "human step" and waver her arms to keep her balance (I'll spend one Fate point to reroll)

Maissa Haukea rolled 1 using 4 Fudge dice.  kicking the insulator from the top of it. +3 for fight, and calling her Aspect What's Life Without a Little Excitement? for another bonus :)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:55, Fri 21 Oct 2022.

Baylee's grip was a bit loose now and she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as her previous plan wobbled in possibility. There was a certai type of dissatisfaction born when interesting and bloody plans failed that stirred the bile in the pits of her stomach. She didn't like it. Still, the past was the past. At least MAissa was still moving and able to pay for that dissatisfaction later.

Then the room exploded. Baylee's eyes went wide as electricity arced all over the place. Grinning, she used what hold she had left to pull the big guard in close so she could hiss in his face, "This? This is going to be FUN!!!" She released her previous precious hold and pushed off the man's chest attempting to destabilize him for a split second. Meanwhile, she used the momentum and some muscle power to spin in something akin to a violent ballet. Her head swept down as she spun and her dominant foot came up under the guard's chin. The low gravity made it feel easier than it would have back on the prison station. Baylee felt herself get every ounce of force her slim form and centripedal force could muster and send it into the man's chin. Or, at least, the chin of his helmet. The goal to send his head snapping back and knock him down.

09:18, Today: Bai Ling-Li rolled -1 using 4 Fudge dice.  +4 Fight, +2 Stunt. So, 5 total.

Finishing her deadly little dance faced down with her leg in the air, she moved into a sort of flip that saw her land atop the guard's body. She hoped that he would insulate her from the electricity moving through the water on the ground. She hoped. Otherwise, this was going to hurt. Hopefully, him more than her. Just to be sure, she did her best to find a bit of exposed skin to make contact with to send anything taht hit her into him as well.

09:38, Today: Bai Ling-Li rolled 1 using 4 Fudge dice.  Athletic +3. To alnd atop the guard.

Orochi Kaede's cybernetic eye stares at the dazed soldier. She did not like the fact that her friends... Co-workers? Acquaintances? Potential life long partners? Let's say friends for convenience sake. For now she tries to see what that soldier those, is he contacting his team,"Hmm, if he is that might prove useful, they might decide to split up. And I could plan out an ambush of sorts." she whispers to herself, trying to form a sort of tactic based on what that soldier will do.

Scene Aspects:

• Small Space, Big Shadows
• Fabricated Metal Counter between Zone 1 & Zone 2
• Basic Fabricated Metal Door between Zone 1 & Zone 3 (Front Entrance)
• Everything's All Wet!
• Electrical Field
• Viper's PEP on the counter

Combat Sequence II:

• +5: Baylee - Superb(+5) Attack Beta
• +5: Beta  Made impossible by Baylee's action -defeaulting to Defend.
• +4: Viper  - Fantastic(+6) Attack Beta
• +4: Gothique - Hiding
• +4: Gilina - Hiding Also
• +4 Car - Steps back to place his back against the door, protecting sample.
• +2 Electrical Field (2x) - Arcing Attack(+6) this round

A reminder that both militiamen are wearing full ceramic body-armor.  This includes a full-visored helmet.  Their faces are not visible (or, well, I don't care, they can be visible, if you want, underneath the visor... I just like the "faceless thug" look for them).  The point there is that there isn't any exposed flesh.

Baylee

• Baylee rolled 4dF(-1) + Fight(+4) + Stunt(+2) == Superb(+5) Attack vs Beta
  
  • Beta rolled 4dF(+0) + Fight(+3) = Good(+3) Defend vs Baylee's +5 Attack
  • Beta takes 2-shifts of stress

• Baylee rolled 4dF(+1) + Athletics(+3) == Great(+4) Create-Advantage: Landed Atop Beta

There's only real one dice-rolling action per combat round (outside of a defend action or an out-of-narrative Create-Aspect discussion).  The attack was a success, but not a success with style, so it's not even a boost (one-shot aspect)...

So, sorry. I don't think I can allow this as it is.

However, if you wanted to spend a fate-point and invoke one of your Aspects, you can take the attack success to a success with style, which would give you a one-shoot Aspect (a boost).  This would totally fit the bill.  The question is... is it worth it to you?

Viper
Viper's PEP on the counter is definitely a valid Aspect.

To be clear... as it wasn't paid for with a dice-roll upon creation, it must be paid for with a fate-point when invoked.  Just grabbing it and using it is not an invoke.  It's not an invoke if it doesn't confer the +2 bonus or the reroll activity.

• Maissa Haukea rolled 4dF(+1) + Fight(+3) + Aspect(+2) = Fantastic(+6) Attack vs Beta
  
  • Maissa Haukea -1 Fate Point for re-roll Attack vs Beta
  • Maissa Haukea -1 Fate Point for Aspect Invoke: What's Life Without a Little Excitement?
  
  
  • Beta rolled Good(+3) to Defend vs Viper's +6 Attack.
  • Beta takes 3 additional stress

Gothique
Gothique rolled 4dF(-1) + Stealth(+2) for an Average(+1) Create-Advantage (Hidden)

Neither Car nor Beta are actually looking for Gothique, so, there is no real opposition.   You can let this value stand or re-roll for free during the next round, if you wish.  It still might not come into play.

First (1 of 2) Fantastic(+6) Electrical Arc Attack

Hazard: Electrical Field: Skill-Rating (Arcing): +4, Weapon-Rating: +2

Roll Physique to defend against a Fantastic(+6) attack.

I debated about Athletics, but there's no real avoiding this.  It's hitting the entire zone--including the militiamen.

You can spend fate-points to reroll or add +2 if you can justify invoking an appropriate Aspect.

Orochi Kaede

The militiaman looked around, his face visible through the shattered visor.  He was barely a kid--not even fully filled out as an adult yet.   His eyes were wide and he seemed easily spooked.

He lifted a hand to his ear and OK heard him say  "Yeah."  he swallowed, his voice unsteady.  "This is Delta.  Ma.  I got hit.  Fuckers got me from behind.  Tunnel Rats, maybe.  But they... I don't think they took anything."

There was a subtle hiss from Delta's helmet.  Someone talking on the other end.

In reply to Narrator (msg # 94):

Behind the stick, she was a goddess, but with her fists and kick only, much less so. Viper briefly considered taking a "Raised by Fists" aspect as her 4th and - until then - undetermined aspect, then decided against it. Rolling the dice was always funnier !

Maissa Haukea rolled 1 using 4 Fudge dice +2 for Physique = 3. Giving her body to the intensity of the moment! :)

A Fantastic(+6) attack is hardly lamentable! (It's only 3-shifts less than this game might allow for a maxxed skill and maxxed roll)... So maybe +9 is "Godly?"  Open step above Legendary(+8).

Orochi Kaede simply stares at the young soldier, wondering why his doing what his doing she appears out from her hiding spot and stares at the guard,"... Excuse me little nii-san, may I inquire why your wearing what your wearing." Kaede said, scanning the boy of any sign of nervous inflection or emotion that might prove useful,"Ah, my apologies, my name is Kaede-chan, what's yours?"

18:02, Today: Orochi Kaede rolled 0 using 4 Fudge dice.  Empathy (+3).

Creating Advantages with only a +3

First (1 of 2) Fantastic(+6) Electrical Arc Attack
Hazard: Electrical Field: Skill-Rating (Arcing): +4, Weapon-Rating: +2

How in space did they get into this situation especially since this situation was well above Gothiques head and nothing in her bag of tricks would likely help her out.  But maybe she can help on the outside so she tries to Escape the scary situation and hopes the Fabricated Metal Counter will provide better shelter until she can assess the situation seeing hiding seems to be no longer an option.

If possible she will grab Gili and take her over as well using all the adrenaline she has to actually do this seemingly shrugging off the effects of the first blast.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:47, Sun 13 Nov 2022.

The electric shock was not the orgasmic tickling she expected. It was all pain and pression on the heart and throbs in the brain, or the opposite, and even her eyes (which wanted to gouge out of their sockets, it seemed), were flashing with stars.
Still, she had learned during her rough upbringing and her stays in jail to Dancing with the Pain - rewiring her brain to send surges of endorphins. New Aspect! Maissa is masochistic-kinda.

She still felt the burn, but shook herself back into action [and that's my narrative excuse I want to use to explain why she's not taking damage :)]

I guess the order of initiative hasn't changed, so here's Maissa action statement : "electrified", she grabs Beta and tries to remove his armor by any way possible...

The boy turned, and his expression went closed and guarded almost immediately.  He gave Kaede a once-over, taking in the mechanical elements of her appearance, and he took an involuntary step backward.   One hand went to the ear of his helmet, the other to his waistband, where he  withdrew a cylindrical object.

"Don't come any closer." He said after a moment, his hand splayed out in front of him trying to keep her back from him.     "We're inside a bio-threat radius."

"You're not a tunnel-rat."  He said after a moment. "Where's your rebreather?  Back at yer berth?"

Empathy(+3) + 4dF(+0) Noted.  Will apply depending where this conversation goes.

And no, he hasn't given you his name yet.  He's there on a police-action and he was attacked from behind.  Kaede might be cute under the metal bits, but she's still a suspect.

"Rebreather? Berth? Sorry, little nii-san, I don't know what any of that means, I'm new around here." Kaede says, being truthful in her words,"Tell me, what do you mean by bio-treat radio, it sounds delicious but I have concerns with it being called a radio." she says, also being completely honest. At least based on this kid's accent, it's quite hard to tell what his talking about.

So...

The electrical charge is arcing through the air, sending bolts of electricity all over the place. Most of the surfaces in the junk shop were fabricated metal, so the conductivity in the place is super high.     Touching pretty much anything is a sure-fire way to get shocked.  and, well, nobody--not even the militia-men--seemed to be able to avoid it.

Viper is--mostly--on top of Beta, who's down, his back on the ground after Baylee's dance card left him reeling.  Gothique, Gilina and Uncle Importer took relative shelter in the spaces behind the counter--putting them in zone-2.  It's still in the reach of the electrical arc attack, though.  And the fabricated steel counter doesn't offer any protection from the electruical arc.  It does, however, offer possible protection from the militiamen, as they can't actually see the girls and Marcus the Uncle Importer.


Scene Aspects:

• Small Space, Big Shadows
• Fabricated Metal Counter between Zone 1 & Zone 2
• Basic Fabricated Metal Door between Zone 1 & Zone 3 (Front Entrance)
• Everything's All Wet!
• Electrical Field (for one more combat-exchange)
• Viper's PEP on the counter

Combat Sequence III:

• +5: Baylee (F2/3, M8/8, P14/14, C2246) - undefined
• +5: Beta (M6/6, P7/12, C246) -
• +4: Viper (F2/3, M4/4, P4/8, C246) - try to remove Beta's armor...
• +4: Gothique (F3/3, M4/4, P5/10, C246) - undefined
• +4: Gilina (M12/12, P1/8, CX46) -
• +4 Car (M6/6, P5/10, C246) -
• +2 Electrical Field (1x) - Arcing Attack(+6) this round only

Viper:
Trying to remove Beta's Armor

It's not terribly futuristic or advanced.  It's ceramic plating on top of a heavy fabric weave of some sort.  It's just a configuration she hasn't seen before.  But she's also got years of experience behind her... even if she doesn't directly remember it.  It's just armor.  So, roll for it.  You're trying to remove an Advantage by removing the Armor.  so, that's going to be an Overcome Fight roll vs Beta's Fight of a paltry Opposition(+1).  'Cause that's what I rolled.

His armor doesn't actually provide any bonus to him in trying to prevent you from removing said armor...


Gothique:
 Private Message.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:34, Wed 23 Nov 2022.

Orochi Kaede

The kid tilted his head to one side with a confused look.  "You just get off the boat, mah?"  He seemed to be utterly shocked.  "You looking to die?  Serious Juju here. Not safe.  Here."

He flicked his wrist and the cylinder in his hand arced towards her.

Given the vagueness of the situation and the ways his words can be interpreted... you tell me what you do.  Let the palm-sized cylinder fall, swat it away, catch it, dodge it,... or something else?

It wasn't a fast-pitch.  More like a slow lob...  but the kid's movements were fast and precise...  something OK could recognize.

Gothique looks around trying to figure out exactly what is going on invoking Bright-Eyed and Curious in hopes she can figure it out!

Science roll - 5

21:43, Today: Gothique rolled 1 using 4 Fudge dice.  Science +4.

Orochi's cybernetic eye zooms into that strange object heading toward her. In a few moments her eye scans what sort of threat does it possibly pose to her well-being, then her body does the rest of the work.

17:55, Today: Orochi Kaede rolled 0 using 4 Fudge dice.  Notice (+4).

Success