The latest thread in the adventures of Tadeusz, GMed by JohnA1nut.  :)

So you verse out of that world and end up in this one.

The room you're in is completely sterile. Gray metal walls, gray metal floor. There's an open, gray metal door leading to a gray metal hallway.

And two verser senses. They're pretty far apart.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 2):

I shake my head to get it straight.

I pray.  And I add in a bit about God blessing the poor man who versed me.

I get up and go out in the hall.  If its empty, I use its length to try to figure out which verser sense is closer by triangulating.

When you enter the hallway, there's only one way you can go. It leads out into a busy thoroughfare. Think the Promenade on Star Trek DS9. People coming and going. Shoppes open here and there. It's a shopping mall. You can look up and see multiple levels. It extends beyond your field of vision.

It's a bright, happy place.

As far as figuring which verser sense is closer, that's easy. When you look up, you happen to catch a glimpse of eight year old Samantha. She's wearing jeans and a tee shirt and has got a pair of katana swords strapped to her back. She looks almost exactly like she did in the photograph the museum curator showed you. She waves at you and then teleports down to your level.

She takes you by the hand and says "We've got a problem. Slider is here."

And she looks up at you like she expects you to tell her what to do.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 4):

"You've gone to various worlds since I last saw  you right?  I just saw you a minute ago."

"How is he acting?"

Samantha gasps and then says "Wow!!! Yeah, Miss Hastings told me things like that happen. For me, that was at least a hundred worlds ago. So, this version of Slider hasn't been to the Verserscum world yet, right?"

She pauses.

"We can't stop him from doing that. There's nothing we can do. So far, I've just been treating him like any other verser. We ate lunch together in the cafe yesterday. There's really nothing we can do, is there?"

Pauses

"He's just a kid. He's acting like a normal kid."

Pauses

"Did you ever have the dream about the Chess Pieces?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:21, Thu 27 Aug 2020.

Two Posts

OOC) I was waiting to tell you this until it would have become more obvious to Tadeusz, but it's gonna drive me nuts if I don't say it.

IC) You are currently onboard a space station. It's not in orbit of any star. As a matter of fact, the nearest star is about 4.5 light years away.

Your armor is solar powered. It was more or less fully charged when you left Verserscum world. Without direct sunlight, you estimate it will lose power within a month just from normal, day to day usage. That's if you don't use any powers. You could slow this down by taking it off and only putting it on when you expect combat. But even then, it would only last for another couple months. Even without a charge, you will still have armor protection. However, your blasters, teleportation, super strength, etc. will all be gone in approximately 30 days if you don't use anything.

That is, unless you can find another source of solar energy.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 23:31, Thu 27 Aug 2020.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 6):

"A hundred? Wow!" I smile.  My little adoptee is all grown up in experience even if not physically. That is way more worlds than me.  And I take note of the name Hastings.  Wonder who that is.

"I don't know Samantha.  I'd like to try, but I don't know what to do.  And chess pieces?  Um, mebbe?"

As you're standing there talking, all at once, a white aura the size of a football and the shape of a teardrop begins circling overhead. Samantha looks up at it and giggles.

"That's Slider!!!" She says.

Then he materializes in front of you. He's wearing a Tee Shirt and jeans, the MP jacket, and the belt with the Colt 1911 and two magazine pouches. He's got the white iron Chaos hammer in his left hand.

Dropping the hammer into a slot on his belt, he extends his right hand to shake and says "S'up Fellow Verser!!! Felt ya verse in I did. Slider's the name!!! How goes it?"

Then he turns to Samantha and says "And the ever lovely Sammmyantha!!" He takes her hand and kisses the back of it, like a proper gentleman.

Samantha can't help but laugh.

Two Posts

Something worthy of note. When your armor is in close proximity (1-2 feet) of Slider's white iron Chaos hammer, the counter stops counting down and starts going back up. You're fairly certain he could maintain your charge.

Samantha has two katana swords strapped to her back and her hair is up in a bun with two metal chopsticks running through it.

Three Posts

Samantha is carrying a rather large gym bag and Slider is wearing a backpack.

OOC) My favorite plot device is a large container of unknown contents.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 11):

"Well how about you two give me the tour?"  I am aware of the Slider problem, but I don't know what to do.  And I remember a story or three where a man created his own doom trying to stop the doom coming for him.  Perhaps I should just stay my hand, observe, and pray for now.

Slider says "Certainly my good sir!!"

And as you all turn to walk away, a floating drone robot flies up in front of the three of you. Slider, who is in the middle, puts one arm around you and Samantha and starts grinning like an idiot.

The drone robot flashes a light in your face, then a display pops up. It's the photograph that the museum curator showed you. The robot asks if you want a copy made.

Slider whips out a credit card of some kind, swipes it and gets a copy.

"Thank you" The robot drone says and flies away. (Unless you want a copy, that is.)

So you start walking around. It's not all the dissimilar to a shopping mall. Stores here and there. You can buy clothes, weapons, high tech, low tech, food, video arcade, movie theaters, etc.

Whilst you're talking, Samantha asks Slider "Where did you get that magical Chaos hammer?"

Slider says "Met this verser dude name a Magehammer on this one world. He taught me to blacksmith. Made me a magical hammer. Met this verser chick name a Lauren Hastings there too. Man, she was hot." And then using adjectives and descriptors which would be inappropriate for WorldWalker, he goes on an incoherent, babbling rant about exactly how hot she was.  Until finally you have to tell him to shut up.

He just cowers and says "Oh, sorry!!"

Samantha says "You met Miss Hastings? She had a magical hammer too. She said something about meeting Mister Magehammer. He taught her to blacksmith. Made her a magical hammer. Hers was an Order hammer though."

Slider just grins. "Yeah, she had that when I met her."

Along the way, one of them mentions that you should go to registration. They show you to an elevator looking thing. Going inside, Samantha says "Registration" And then the world tastes purple, you cease to exist, and when the doors open, you're on a different floor. A voice says "Registration is down the hall." And a lighted path shows up on the floor to guide you.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:11, Thu 03 Sept 2020.

"Relax, relax.  Let me give you some gentle advice.  One, there are things you should not do, just beccause you should not.  Two, there are things you should not do cause they annoy folk around you.  And this varies.  Per people.  Some guys are going to laugh if you burp out the Declaration of Independence, and some girl might think you're tacky, or vice versa.  Three, well girls like it when you like them.  Indeed they do, but they also want you to demonstrate control.  If you drool too much they don't usually like that.  So you have to be suave.

And all this takes time to learn.  Luckily you're immortal so..."  I clap him on his shoulder and walk on with a smile.

Slider accepts it and grins. You're not sure you really got through to him, but you are certain he's taking it in stride.

OOC) How did I know you were going to be trying to advise him?

So you proceed to registration. It costs to register. They take gold, or any number of other precious metals or gems. You are given a room and a credit card. It's your room key and all of your money is on it. Credit transactions. You've got enough gold in your possession to keep the room for a year if you don't get any more money.

Samantha starts telling you that she got really good at forging documents.

"Any chance I got, I would enroll in an elite military academy with forged admission papers. Military academies always have martial arts in the curriculum."

She knows any weaponless hand to hand fighting style you can imagine, and is only a GE roll away from knowing any weapon. She's been training herself to fight ever since you left her. Her preferred weapon is a katana sword.

Slider has been to about a dozen worlds. He met Magehammer and Lauren Hastings in the same world. He made him a magical hammer and she taught him some psionics.

So where do you want to go now?

(Doing Therapy)

I tell them thanks for showing me around, and arrange to meet for dinner in two days with them.  Then I dump my solar powered armor, and put it in storage in a cabinet in my room, all powered down.

That done, nice hot shower.  If I can get one, and its not a sonic shower.

Then I head out looking for space shuttles or other small craft.  I think learning to be a pilot could be useful and fun.

So you do. There's storage space for it in there.

You've got bed, bathroom, kitchen, food replicator, all the basics.



There's sonic showers, there's water showers, and there's something called a "Laser scan shower". Some investigation indicates that this lasers the first layer of skin off. It's only intended for when you are REALLY REALLY DIRTY!!!!



You go out into the shuttle bay. After asking around for a bit, you are introduced to Launchpad McQuack. He's tall, rangy and handsome. But he's had a bad run of luck and now teaches to try to get back on his feet. His rates for training pilots are reasonable.

"Hideleho!!!" he calls out, friendly enough. He offers to take you out and show you the ropes.

You've got 1@1 Pilot Spaceship from the video game world.

(Doing Therapy)

"Let's do this.  Um, do I call you teacher or instructor...?"

"You can call me Launchpad, Genius!!"

OOC) Please tell me you know who Launchpad McQuack is!!!!

So he shows you to his ship. It's a shuttle craft he's been upgrading. Calls it The Delta Flyer. It's warp capable, will sleep a total of 4 people. Eight if they share bunks. It's agile, fast and maneuverable. He's gotten into his fair share of trouble in it.

So he shows you how to plot a warp trajectory. How to handle the controls. The one that bugs you is you need to pull down to go up. (Seriously. That bugged me crazy when I played a game like that the first time.)

You hear a jolt with the engine. Launchpad says not to worry.

"Prolly just a Ghost in the Machine."

It's a legend much like the Gremlins of WW2, and with just about as much empirical data backing it. A Ghost in the Machine is a mythical energy demon that messes with space pilots.

"I seen one once. Last time I took Mister McD back to his Moneybin."

He says not to worry. It was probably just the after effects of that rotten piece of fish he had for dinner the night before.

"Dunno how I let Huey, Dewey and Louie talk me into trying sushi!!!"

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 21:08, Fri 11 Sept 2020.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 19):

OOC: After being reminded...

I'm eagerly learning, and trying to override my instincts which say 'pull up', but I figure its because the thrust goes down so the nose goes up?  I ask Launchpad, Genius, which I do not call him.

But when he says, Huey, and the rest my eyebrows go up.  And then I think, McD and Moneybin, and it takes a few minutes but I come up with a duck pilot.

What on Earth or not Earthis going on here?

OOC) The words "Tall, Rangy and Handsome" were used when I read them applied to Charles Lindbergh. I've a feeling that's what Launchpad would be in the Duck World. He's the equivalent of a 6 foot 4, blond haired, blue eyed pretty boy. At least, I think so. In the cartoon, he could fly great, but almost always crashed. So the guy you're with has the world's record for surviving crashes.

If you want to imagine him as a walking, talking duck, go ahead. I used to fantasize about having Huey, Dewey and Louie for my best friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9cmPE88a_0



"Something like that, yeah. I never really got into designing the aircraft."

He can fix it, but he can't really tell you how it functions. It's one thing to replace a worn out part. Totally different to build that worn out part.

But yeah, you remember it was like that in the video game shuttle.



Launchpad does get a phone call. What you hear amounts to:

"Yeah. I can do that."

"Just one guy. He's cool."

"I think he will."

Then he comes out and says "Plot a course to such and such a place. This guy says he's captured a Ghost in the Machine."

These are common novelty items. Most likely it's some spring-loaded WhaChaMaJigger that will pop out when they open the box. Some of them are sophisticated holographic projections. It's a much more advanced version of the snake in the can. Or perhaps something like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn3-4TLZtnU

You're going to go pick it up. If you help him with everything, your next lesson is on the house. What do you say?

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 08:05, Sat 12 Sept 2020.

Two Posts

Hey Eric, I don't want you to lose all of your armor. So, if you'd like to say that you could have one piece of your choosing which is powered by your body I would allow it.

That and it'll be easier to show you alternate power sources if you've got a piece on you.

What do you think? And which piece would you want? Two boots count as one piece, the sword and sheath count as one piece, but no other two pieces. Two boots or one gauntlet, you get it?

To rehash:

(And to be clear, the list is far from 100% accurate. If you recall a power assigned to a specific piece, say so. This is just intended as a starter. It's what I remember off the top of my head.)

Gauntlets, blasters, magnetic, healing, enhanced strength in that arm.
Boots, Running, rocket flying.
Breastplate, Teleporting, blaster.
Helmet, life support, enhanced senses.
Sword, morph into any melee weapon
Shield, morph into any shield.

Which piece would you want?

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 22):

"Let's do it, Launchpad." I say with a smile to the not a duck.  "Let me do some pracise on the way if you can."

And I take my gauntlets with me.

OOC) What did you think of that Zombie Containment Unit video? I've seen one of those in real life for sale at the Halloween store.

IC) He teaches you maneuvers and tricks. The Double Decker Pretzel Loop is a favorite of his, for outrunning pursuers.

So you're up to 1@3 pilot spaceship.



So you dock in a port on another space station orbiting a planet. It's called Deep Space Nine, Commander Benjamin Sisko in command.

Launchpad takes you in. You're introduced to Garak. He's an alien of some species. He presents you with a crystalline jar, about the size of a quart Mason jar. It's glowing on the inside. When you hold it, it's warm and it charges your gauntlets. It's apparently radiating a great deal of Chaos energy.

Garak is incredibly nervous about it. He insists that you treat it with the utmost care and consideration. He swears he's actually captured a Ghost in the Machine. This isn't a gag or a Halloween prank. This is the real deal.

Launchpad just shrugs that off. He elbows you in the ribs and whispers "Ya know how many times I've heard someone talking like that?" He's certain it's just a fake. Although he does admit he's never seen one quite like this before.

So Launchpad takes you out to lunch. It's an alien restaurant. You're fairly certain some of your dinner is still moving when you eat it.

And then you go back to TerraNova. Launchpad lets you pilot. Slider and Samantha are waiting for you. Samantha says she tracked you psionically.

Slider sees the crystalline jar and his eyes light up. He's in awe of it. You're not certain, but it almost seems like his white iron Chaos hammer glows a bit brighter around it.

Launchpad takes the jar to the assayer's office for holding. He's no longer responsible for it.

"Meet me back here tomorrow for your next lesson." He tells you.

And Samantha and Slider ask in unison "So what do you want to do now?"

And then glare at each other.