OOC: You won piloting which means I go first. I will turn 180 degrees, like I said I would in the turn recap, and then be on your tail until... you successfully back of at which time you will be on my tail leaving me with no shot.
Questions?
Game on!
If Kamiya successfully 'backs off' (i.e., gets on the Infernex's tail) then the Blackmoon has BOTH shots and the Infernex has none.
Questions?
Game on!
[dice=dorsal turret +bonus +captains aid -fire at will]1d20+4+4-4
[dice=gyrolaser +bonus +captains aid -fire at will]1d20+4+4-4
OOC: I'm a nice GM.
Go ahead and assume that your first shot hits and your second (if you ever take it) misses.
Questions?
Game on!
The Vesk gaped "Back up!" he yelled to Kamiya.
No sooner had the vesk completed the word 'up' than Kamiya was already redirecting Honu to follow orders. She backed off on the speed momentarily so that they would be repositioned behind the Infernex.
Kamiya felt more relieved having the Infernex in front of her. However, she knew that it wasn't about to run so she had to prepare for it to turn around. "Should I attempt a flyby? It's a little tricky but if they turn to face us then it may be our best gamble."
"Robert. Full power to the guns." He turned to Thyx "All right. Show me why you're worth a berth, bolt bucket. Double cannon on their Aft. Fire at Will!"
Thyx watched the scanner carefully as Kamiya pulled Blackmoon back. He watched the enemy fall into sight and, at the Captain's indomitable insistence, pounded the fire button. The dorsal turret loosed a tight beam that scoured the aft shields of the enemy. The faintest smile bent his lips as he suddenly remembered to fire the gyrolaser. It shot harmlessly into space.
"The bugger has too good shields for our pea-shooters," Robert grumbled as he kept managing the ship's energy distribution. "I think the simulation gave us a nut too hard for our teeth with this pairing.
OOC: And I don't want to take too long on this exercise. I just wanted to get refamiliarized with the starship combat rules (which it did for me at least) or regular combat (if desired).
If you guys want, I think I'm ready to 'end this VR session' and then continue with the campaign.
Thoughts?
Game on!
OOC: OK, I'll wrap up the exercise (leaving it open for input) and then move things along. Probably not tonight though so feel free to RP for the time being.
Questions?
Game on!
Anyone who has time to geek out about starships...
Kip pulled the helmet from her head, whiskers twitching in concern. The captain wasn't happy with how they'd done. "Sorry, Captain. I'll work on learning the console better, so I'm faster next time."
***
As they Drifted, Kip spent time puttering around the Blackmoon Rising, tidying, reorganizing, and optimizing.
Sitting next to Kamiya one day, she asked, "Why do you call the Blackmoon Honu? Does that mean something in your language?"
**
Kip and Thyx were in the port cargo hold, where they'd set up a gym of sorts. She'd sweet-talked the android into "showing her some moves"; she was always looking to learn from those around her. "Are you remembering anything about your past yet? From before we found you, I mean?"
**
Beardo caught her staring at him, and before he could scold her, Kip quickly said, "I was looking at your tattoo. It's very pretty. Does it mean anything? How long have you had it? Did it hurt? What part hurt the most? Do you have any other tattoos? I can't get a tattoo. Well, I guess I could, but nobody would ever see it. Unless I shaved a lot. But then I'd have to clean it up, and as it is my fur gets everywhere. Also, it's so itchy growing back. Do you shave your head? Does it itch?"
**
Kip stared at the Captain, lost in thought. She'd run out of questions about the differences between the two dimensions. At least for now. But something had been bothering her. "Are you worried about your other crew?" she asked, hesitantly. "I mean, for them, you just vanished, in the middle of space. They must be really worried about you. Do you think you might go back? Do you want to go back? Do you think another you might come here one day, and then there would be two?"
Beardo caught her staring at him, and before he could scold her, Kip quickly said, "I was looking at your tattoo. It's very pretty. Does it mean anything? How long have you had it? Did it hurt? What part hurt the most? Do you have any other tattoos? I can't get a tattoo. Well, I guess I could, but nobody would ever see it. Unless I shaved a lot. But then I'd have to clean it up, and as it is my fur gets everywhere. Also, it's so itchy growing back. Do you shave your head? Does it itch?"
"One thing at a time, short stuff," Robert growled as he abandoned for the moment the crystal clarity and beauty of mathematics, of the new formula he had been assembling on and off for days now in the privacy of his virtual vision, using his implanted processor nodes to crunch the numbers and project diagrams directly into his mind.
"The tattoo," he said, touching the black and gold fractal tattoo that seemed to go on forever if you looked at it close enough. "Tattoos were an "in" thing in the crowd I was hanging out with when I was a student. Hell if I know why I bothered to try and fit in, but it just happened. I believe drinks were involved. Possible pills too. Was a time I would try most anything to expand my mind, the stupid little snot-nose that I was. Another of the things one just did, in that time and place. Might have hurt when they printed it on, but can't really tell. Something to do with the things that made me take it in the first place, ye scan?"
"No point shaving - easy enough to kill the roots so it won't try and come back," Robert said as he rubbed his gleaming scalp. "You could try it - can't imagine they don't have an adaptation for Ysoki physiology. Or re-sequence your fur to grow in different colors in patterns. People pour enough money to their appearance, someone's bound to have made a commercial cosmetic application that does that much for your folks."
It was funny, really, Robert mused as he looked down on the rodent bombarding him with questions. He should resent the interruption - answering these inane questions certainly seemed of no particular value, except keeping Kip happy. Granted, there was some use in that - build up rapport he could take advantage of a later time, when friendship might mean the difference of someone else risking his or her life for Robert's benefit. But for some inexplicable reason, chatting with the Ysoki was somehow... calming. In suitably small chunks of time, of course.
What would happen next
"That went fairly well. Magnusson, you're right, but a drill isn't a game. It isn't supposed to be fair. Opunui, amazing flying. Can't believe you managed to put a freighter on a Hellknight's butt. Kip - I want you to think about when to use the computer, and when to fire. Thyx..." the Vesk hesitated. "Your shooting was not up to par. I could see you getting better at the end - but you need to practice on this ship, or you'll let the team down. From what I saw I'd guess your experience os with kinetics, rather than beams?"
The Vesk shook his head "I'm not angry - I could see you were trying your best, and your reaction speed is fine. Drill showed where we need to put in the work, and we're going to. Kip, Thyx, the three of us are going to run shooting drills without the others, alternating weapons. Everyone else take a break. Opunui, you're in charge."
Plus, I actually thought we were doing fairly well.
Is this okay?...
OOC: Of course, that's perfectly fine. I just went on a limb because you had disappeared on us for a while. And I got it wrong. :(
I'll let everyone chime in and then recap with another event as appropriate.
Questions?
Game on!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Action 1:
It was like the end of the night and the bar lights came on, ’the ugly-lights’, as the cockpit view of the vastness of space vanished and the gridded room of the simulation deck appeared. The transition seemed harsh and Thyx knew what was coming next - a proper dressing-down. It didn’t take an empath to see the captain wasn’t happy. The phrase ’field stripping’ flashed in his head as everyone came out of simulation. He pulled the appliance from his neck, quickly stowed it, and waited for a review. ’We didn’t play to our advantage. We may have been one ship vs one ship but we had five minds working to his one. We should have tried to play on that. Two guns, two gunners.’ His face was blank.
"That went fairly well.”
Thyx’ eyes hardened. This didn’t feel right.
”Thyx…” the Vesk hesitated. "Your shooting was not up to par. I could see you getting better at the end - but you need to practice on this ship, or you'll let the team down. From what I saw I'd guess your experience os with kinetics, rather than beams?”
Thyx’ eyes softened again as he stood a little taller. ’That’s a little more like it.’ ”Thank you Captain. I’m not sure about kinetic over energy Sir. The guns you found me with … I don’t think they were mine. Happy to run a few drills.” He stayed and tried to relax and pay attention to what was in front of him. The nagging feeling like he was supposed to be somewhere seemed to be constant.
Action 2:
Thyx spent a lot of time walking the ship. He liked to keep busy, drummed up chores for himself, and where possible he did small tasks near where someone else was working. He felt a little uncomfortable when he was by himself, and he liked watching as the others went about their work. The android sometimes found himself unconsciously copying the posture of the other crew and would shake it off and get back to what he was doing.
Once while cleaning the unoccupied bunks he found a flimsy yellowed paper-novel, something printed analogue, at some boarder colony perhaps. He looked it over and took it for an adventure. It was called ‘The Dead Bastard’s Brother.’ When he did want to be alone he spent time in the dorsal turret and read.
The bridge doors were open and Kamiya was sitting at the helm. Thyx wandered in and stood stock still for what must have been several minutes before he piped up suddenly and as if she already knew he was there. He had a way of entering a room unannounced and acting like a hole in space. ”Can you walk me through the controls?” He walked over to her side, ”You did very well in the simulation. It seemed you had command over the flow of combat. The ‘upper hand’. Where did you learn to fly?”
Kip and Thyx were in the port cargo hold, where they'd set up a gym of sorts. She'd sweet-talked the android into "showing her some moves"; she was always looking to learn from those around her. "Are you remembering anything about your past yet? From before we found you, I mean?"
Kip was interesting and quick with a question. Thyx seemed to find her fascinating without much effort on her part and talking to her was somehow easy. When she suggested setting up a kind of gym he said yes quickly. His body was his again but not quite listening to every command. As they played a kind of tag the android looked over the Ysoki’s fighting chops and tried to reply. ”No, nothing. I hear a buzzing sometimes. It’s like someone is playing a recorded voice over my shoulder but the recorder is broken. Sometimes it feels like a memory trying to reveal itself … no, try that approach again … sometimes I wonder if it’s what people who believe in ghosts feel … You’ve got a lot of advantages. You will be better against a large combatant or several foes than one small opponent … I think that’s what was happening in the simulation. Ghost imagery or memories. I think I might be a gunner but I’m used to another control station … That’s it. Don’t let me get close. Leap back out of my reach and draw down that sidearm. Don’t worry about crossing another’s path or giving someone a free shot. You’ve got the tumbling moves to avoid them. … This all feels right. I mean being here, aboard the ship, with all of you. I think I was a crew member aboard another ship … See if I get my hands on you then it’s close to over. Keep moving. From foe to foe if you can. If all else fails … just toss in one of your micro-granades.”
Action 1:
Kamiya went absolutely still as the Captain slammed down his helmet. She willed herself to sink into the pilot's chair and disappear. She had a feeling that the Captain was dealing with more than he has let on regarding his sudden appearance after they thought he was dead. Otherwise it was a gross over-reaction on his part to their performance. She thought they had been holding their own considering they had been outclassed.
She was going to say something relatively comforting to the Captain but Sig seemed to recover rather quickly as he broke down how they did. She couldn't help but beam a little as he told her she had flown well. The lashunta nodded her appreciation but didn't interrupt.
Kamiya looked surprised when Sig dismissed them, well her and Robert at least, and had put her in charge. She quickly hopped out of her chair and gave the vesk something that resembled a salute. She wasn't about to hang around, even if it did mean more virtual flying, "Aye, aye, Captain."
Action 2:
As they Drifted, Kip spent time puttering around the Blackmoon Rising, tidying, reorganizing, and optimizing.
Sitting next to Kamiya one day, she asked, "Why do you call the Blackmoon Honu? Does that mean something in your language?"
Kamiya looked slightly embarrassed, "You heard that, huh? I've always named the vehicles I've piloted and since it's second nature, I don't realize I'm doing it. Some people think it's weird." She gave a small smile when she realized Kip was genuinely interested and not looking for weaknesses in her co-worker, "Honu is said to be a symbol of good luck in the form of a guardian spirit. And from what I could gather from what I've read, it was represented by a turtle which is like a water tortoise. It seemed appropriate given my alter-ego. But if someone not part of our crew were to ask me, I'd just tell them it was an acronym for Hurtling Over Never-ending Universes."
She pointed at Kip's tools that always seemed to be close at hand for the Ysoki, "Do you mind if I watch as you make tweaks to Honu? I think that a good pilot should also know how things work internally and not just how to make them do what you want."
”Can you walk me through the controls?” He walked over to her side, ”You did very well in the simulation. It seemed you had command over the flow of combat. The ‘upper hand’. Where did you learn to fly?”
Kamiya spun around when she was startled by the android's voice. Quickly recovering, her eyes twinkled at the prospect of talking about piloting. "Of course!" She motioned at Thyx to join her at the controls. "This one is my favourite because it makes you go faster. Although whether or not Honu responds depends a lot on what Robert can do to divert power. But it's not super complicated. Most of the controls are for maneuvering Honu and letting him know which way he needs to go."
The lashunta ran her hands over the console like someone may pat someone's shoulder, "As for where I learned to fly, most of my experience has been piloting land vehicles. That in turn taught me what I needed to know to move up to starships." She looked slightly sheepish, "This is the first starship I've piloted so I'm afraid what you saw in our simulation was a lot of beginner's luck."
... "This one is my favourite because it makes you go faster. Although whether or not Honu responds depends a lot on what Robert can do to divert power. But it's not super complicated. Most of the controls are for maneuvering Honu and letting him know which way he needs to go." ... "This is the first starship I've piloted so I'm afraid what you saw in our simulation was a lot of beginner's luck."
'Hmmm, Honu ... I wonder if it's an acronym for something?' "May I try?" Thyx sat at the helm and did some light maneuvering "The right inertial null seems slightly mis-timed. Something for you and Kip to look over? Simulations, as accurate as they may seem, will never have the stakes of the real world. I remember the day the Captain saved us, me. He died. I - felt - it. That is what 'stakes' feels like. Strange, now he's back, or a version of him. It's confusing. But this Captain is good at what he does. And he's confident in your ability to maneuver HONU. For my part you seem not to be 'very' lucky but you take good circumstances and make them excellent. Mediocre circumstances and turn them into something good. I'm sure the crew would prefer you be piloting when 'bad luck' occurs than anyone else."
Great stuff everyone!
Turn 011 - Traveling through the Drift
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Action 4:
Sigirijus sat down hard, and sighed. "Yes."
He shook his head and continued "There was a flash, just before I got here. I've been thinking about that. Did something happen? Was the flash just me shifting?" he sighed again "There's nothing I can do about it, but it weighs on me. I don't really know how any of this works!"
"I try to tell myself that one crew is without Captain, so it all sort of works out, but..." he trails off, and kicks out, the uncertainty transmuting into anger "There might be people back home who know how this works, but the best I have is legends and stories." he shrugs, slumping "Sounds stupid... Do you ever get deja vu?"
Sigirijus waits for Kip to chime in, then continues "I sometimes get this feeling, like I remember this happening before, but different. The other day I pushed at it and..." he hesitates "let me show you."
Sigirijus concentrates, and the room flickers. Furniture seems to oscillate between two positions, and a crack in the doorframe repairs itself.
"Did you see that?" he asks.
Sigirijus concentrates, and the room flickers. Furniture seems to oscillate between two positions, and a crack in the doorframe repairs itself.
Action 5:
Thyx released the con back to Kamiya, "If you need a break please wave me. I'm sure I can get us from point b to c without hitting anything.", with his stone face it was difficult to tell if the android was joking, "Hmm, did you see that? There was an onboard sensor fluctuation. It came from the mess. It's gone. Perhaps I was mistaken."
Action 1
"Sure!" Kip eagerly agreed. "Blackmoon is amazing, she has some systems that are quite unique." Pulling the lashunta's arm, she said, Let's start over here..."
Action 2
"Oof!" Kip recovered quickly from having her wind knocked out, and bounced back to her feet. "Micro-grenades? I don't have any of those left. Maybe we can get some when we get out of Drift space. Like this? Ouch! Nope. Anyhow, I wouldn't worry about your past. When I used to travel with Mama, we met lotsa folks who wished they could forget their history. Papa used to say that your past was like a corrupted storage chip. You just throw it away and install a new one. It's today as matters, not yesterday or tomorro...oof!"
Action 3
Kip looked horrified at the idea of colouring her gleaming white fur. "Ooh! I don't think I'd like that at all. Can you imagine me with pink arms? Or bald ones like yours? Anyway, I think your butterfly is pretty." It was the most she'd gotten out of Beardo, and Kip had enough sense not to push her luck.
Action 4
"Deja vu? Sometimes. One time I saw this black cat walk by, then another cat exactly the same. But maybe it was the same cat."
Sigirijus concentrates, and the room flickers. Furniture seems to oscillate between two positions, and a crack in the doorframe repairs itself. "Did you see that?" he asks.
Kip's eyes widened. "I saw...something." She rubbed her eyes, and looked around again. "Did you do that? What was it? Was it magic? Was it just in this room, or the whole ship, or everywhere? What else can you do?"
Action 1:
"Sure!" Kip eagerly agreed. "Blackmoon is amazing, she has some systems that are quite unique." Pulling the lashunta's arm, she said, Let's start over here..."
Kamiya laughed at Kip's eagerness which seemed to surpass her own. "Brilliant!" Then she added a bit more hesitantly, "I'm totally willing to get my hands dirty if you'll let me."
Action 5:
“The right inertial null seems slightly mis-timed. Something for you and Kip to look over? Simulations, as accurate as they may seem, will never have the stakes of the real world. I remember the day the Captain saved us, me. He died. I - felt - it. That is what "stakes" feels like. Strange, now he's back, or a version of him. It's confusing. But
this Captain is good at what he does. And he's confident in your ability to maneuver HONU. For my part you seem not to be very lucky but you take good circumstances and make them excellent. Mediocre circumstances and turn them into something good. I'm sure the crew would prefer you be piloting when bad luck occurs than anyone else.
Kamiya stared in surprise at Thyx. That was the most she had heard him say to her all at once since they sucked him aboard. "Ummm, I never noticed that but I'll mention the mis-timed...thing to Kip and I'm sure she'll have it sorted in no time." She looked around to see if the Captain was lurking about because part of her felt odd talking about him behind his back, "It is confusing but we need a Captain and I'll take any version of him over no Captain at all."
The lashunta beamed at his compliments on her piloting. "From your lips to the universe's ears. You're kind to say so. But for now, I'm also the only pilot...until you learn more, of course."
"If you need a break please wave me. I'm sure I can get us from point b to c without hitting anything.", with his stone face it was difficult to tell if the android was joking, "Hmm, did you see that? There was an onboard sensor fluctuation. It came from the mess. It's gone. Perhaps I was mistaken."
Kamiya's antennae quirked as she tried to determine the intent behind the android's words. "Will do. But remember that there's still a lot to hit in space..." She was going to say more but just at that moment there was a flicker on the console that distracted her. "You're not mistaken. There was something. Let's go check it out. Otherwise, we need to tell Kip to take a look if wires are crossed or something."
Action 3
Kip looked horrified at the idea of coloring her gleaming white fur. "Ooh! I don't think I'd like that at all. Can you imagine me with pink arms? Or bald ones like yours? Anyway, I think your butterfly is pretty." It was the most she'd gotten out of Beardo, and Kip had enough sense not to push her luck.
"You did the asking, snow-white" Robert grunted, stretching on his chair as he realized just how long he had been sitting there, unmoving. Modern smart seats might be great in how they molded themselves to support the body that sat on them, but even then, you could remain stationary for only so long before the body wanted to shift position, and his utter concentration in his virtual vision made it easy to ignore such subtle hints... until one returned one's attention to the base reality and found the hints subtle no longer. "You change your mind, I'm sure I could whip you up a bit of dye that'd stick to your fur, if you want to try being a young rebel for a bit. And as you said, it'll always grow back if you get bored with it."
Action 4
Kip's eyes widened. "I saw...something." She rubbed her eyes, and looked around again. "Did you do that? What was it? Was it magic? Was it just in this room, or the whole ship, or everywhere? What else can you do?"
"That was weird," Robert chimed in, as he had just walked past and had happened to glance what the fuss was about. "Remind me to ask you not to touch me with that hand of yours. And might keep it off the ship's hull while you are about it - I like the armor just where it is, thank you - between me and the Drift. No reason to give it ideas."
Sigirijus stiffened as Robert called out, obviously surprised and uncharacteristically indecisive.
"It's not the hand. It wasn't this big, last time, either. It's... I don't know what it is. Good point though..." he sighs "I should probably hold off experimentation until we can hit dirtside."
He waves Robert to approach "So - you got any idea for Kip's questions? Is it magic?"
He waves Robert to approach "So - you got any idea for Kip's questions? Is it magic?"
Robert glowered at the lizard. "Magic is a crutch of the mentally infirm," the technomancer declared. "An easy explanation when one is lacking in knowledge and refuses to admit it."
"As you your issue, I have had enough of time to run scans and compile information while we have been Drifting," he went on, frowning. "While messing with the worlds of if and when is sort of your thing as I have understood, I don't have the slightest how you managed to get yourself shifted from one brane to another. Likely as not it wasn't anything about you, really, but some cosmic coincidence. Not that I wouldn't love to get to the bottom of that one - just imagine the possibilities! - but even if we had been forewarned of your little step through the mirror, this ship doesn't even have the tools to build the kinds of specialized sensors I'd have needed to begin to gather that kind of data."
"Anyway. if you go by the current theories that I prefer, different branes have different underlying quantum energy values - some fools will insist that a many-world theory means there's a different universe for every single little meaningless difference imaginable. Like there being a world otherwise identical to ours but where I had one more gray hair in my beard. Which it ridiculous. No, most of the differences would be in the underlying framework of the universe, and those would result in much larger changes in the macroscopic world."
"That is, until you waltz in to ruin a perfectly good theory, with your memories of an almost-identical world," Robert gave Sig a sour look. "But I don't think you have to worry about being snapped back - if that was the case, you'd have been sucked up through the straw already - every moment you spend here, the less likely for that to happen in my mind. Although your quantum makeup is still alien to this universe, and the universe will not like that one bit. So you are in middle of an adjustment period, I believe. If the brane can't get rid of you, I'll make you belong in here, bit by bit. Just be happy being a bit more weird that usual is the worst you are experiencing."
... Papa used to say that your past was like a corrupted storage chip. You just throw it away and install a new one. It's today as matters, not yesterday or tomorro...oof!"[/b]
Thyx got a very serious look on his face, "My past 'is' a corrupted storage chip." 'Ha, good one.' he thought to himself.
"Anyway. if you go by the current theories that I prefer, different branes have different underlying quantum energy values - some fools will insist that a many-world theory means ...Just be happy being a bit more weird that usual is the worst you are experiencing."
Thyx came in with an urgency to his step, Kamiya not far behind. He waited for 'the Brain' to finish his diatribe. As he waited he listened. 'Does that mean a single powerful event caused the creation of this 'straw'. Perhaps it started that day on Akiton or perhaps before. It may have had nothing to with us. The Captain may have simply been within range.'
"A very enticing theory Magnusson. Sorry for interrupting. We noticed a flicker on the bridge monitors with no obvious cause or report. It seemed to be coming from this room. Is everything BF in here?"
When the overhead lights flickered, Kip barely noticed. After all, the odd flicker was nothing to get concerned about. When her computer panel flashed pink, then flickered off, she raised a whiskered eyebrow. When her feet momentarily came off the floor as the artificial grav flickered, she called out, "Captain? You doing that? You playing around with your not-magic again?"
tag
Heading back to main engineering, Kip was alarmed to see the drift engine's power fluctuating well out of acceptable limits. Going through her checklist, she checked dials, levers, output readings, and temperature. She even climbed down into the ducting and inspected all the main intersections, looking for hitchhikers or anomalies.
After an hour or more, she finally said, "I don't know what's going on. Something is draining our power, and it ain't inside the ship." Her gaze drifted over to the airlock. Hesitating, she said, "You don't reckon it could be something...outside the ship?"
OOC: PCs can indeed step outside their ship. Their armor provides environmental protection.
There are also boots that magnetically attach to metal and allow PCs to walk on the hull of a starship.
Questions?
Game on!
"Crap, we got hitchhikers on the hull," Robert growled on the coms. "Drift leeches, they feed on energy, and their appetite is voracious. One we could probably handle, but four are too much for measly little Core like ours. Someone needs to suit up and kick 'em loose physically."
The Vesk's membranes nictated. "Everything's fine. I've had some... lingering side effects. Magnusson was explaining what's likely happened."
He turns to the Engineer "Thanks. That helps a lot." he sighed and repeated "A lot. Nice to know I'm not going to just get sucked through the brain-straw again."
Sigirjus growled "No. not since Magnusson told me it might endanger the ship."
Nine Lives smiled - and a Vesk smile had nothing to do with humour. "I'll grab my suit and make short..."
He cut off. His suit had been left in some other 'Brane', and the captain in this Brane had been wearing his when he went down.
Sigirijus sighed "Guess I'll just wear my undersuit. I need two more, minimum. Who's up?"
"Magnusson. I need to know these things' strengths and weaknesses. I don't want to shoot these things with an energy weapon and discover we're force feeding them."
Immune to electricity
Power Discharge (Ex) A drift leech can lob a ball Ex of energy-infused mucus at its foes. This is a ranged attack with a range increment of 30 feet that targets EAC and has the arc 1 critical hit effect.
Tech Trouble (Ex) Drift leeches have a negative effect on technology in close proximity to them. Attacks using weapons without the analog trait take a –1 penalty to attack and damage rolls. Armor with environmental protections expends 1 hour of that protection every round it’s within the leech’s aura.
Piloting checks attempted for starships or vehicles within the aura take a –1 penalty. The bonus granted by any technological item to a skill check decreases by 1.
The effects of multiple tech trouble auras do not stack.
Heal Self (Ex) Once per day, as a standard action, a drift leech can expend energy it has siphoned from starships or other technology to restore 1d4+1 Hit Points to itself.
"Magnusson. I need to know these things' strengths and weaknesses. I don't want to shoot these things with an energy weapon and discover we're force feeding them."
"Coherent energy is good - I guess they aren't that good at refining their food. But don't ask me how they are draining the Core though a non-conductive hull," Robert grunted, muttering something unprintable under his breath. "Just don't use anything that channels pure electrical energy. Oh, and they can recycle what they eat both to attack and to heal themselves. And they bleed enough energy around themselves to be pure murder for advanced tech close by. So environ suit's systems are going to glitch something fierce if you get anywhere close to one."
"Magnusson. I need to know these things' strengths and weaknesses. I don't want to shoot these things with an energy weapon and discover we're force feeding them.""Coherent energy is good - I guess they aren't that good at refining their food. But don't ask me how they are draining the Core though a non-conductive hull," Robert grunted, muttering something unprintable under his breath. "Just don't use anything that channels pure electrical energy. Oh, and they can recycle what they eat both to attack and to heal themselves. And they bleed enough energy around themselves to be pure murder for advanced tech close by. So environ suit's systems are going to glitch something fierce if you get anywhere close to one."
Sigirijus looks sad, and waves the sharp claws of his suit around "So, the Taser Claws?..."
Thyx walked onto the bridge holding a simplex-12 comms unit with the virtual screen extended. After some time in his room trying to research himself, looking for some clue as to where he came from, some strange interference from ship's comms caused some serious glitching in his scrolling. "Excuse me Magnusson. I was doing some reading and my comms unit seems to be having difficulty. Could you take a look at it? It called me a 'snow-flashed minstrel' and then shut ... "
Sigirijus sighed "Guess I'll just wear my undersuit. I need two more, minimum. Who's up?"
"Captain are you sure you should be going out there? I don't think we should be risking you. I'm happy to act as scout but if you insist on going I'll be on your left guard."
"Coherent energy is good - I guess they aren't that good at refining their food ... And they bleed enough energy around themselves to be pure murder for advanced tech close by. So environ suit's systems are going to glitch something fierce if you get anywhere close to one."
"What does that mean for me? It sounds like I will need to keep my distance. I don't want to become a liability for the Captain." 'Not again. Not when we just got him back.'
Action 2:
Kamiya had been in her happy place, the pilot's chair on the bridge, when the flickering started. She sat bolt upright in her chair trying to see if there were any specific alarms on the console to tell Kip about.
"Crap, we got hitchhikers on the hull," Robert growled on the coms. "Drift leeches, they feed on energy, and their appetite is voracious. One we could probably handle, but four are too much for measly little Core like ours. Someone needs to suit up and kick 'em loose physically."
The lashunta visibly paled at the mention of drift leeches attached to Honu.
Sigirijus sighed "Guess I'll just wear my undersuit. I need two more, minimum. Who's up?"
Kamiya stood up, "If they're hurting Honu then I'm in. My grenades won't do much out in space but maybe I can daze the buggers and give you an opening."
"We can check the stores. Maybe there's something more substantial that you can wear, Captain."
"Just don't use anything that channels pure electrical energy. Oh, and they can recycle what they eat both to attack and to heal themselves. And they bleed enough energy around themselves to be pure murder for advanced tech close by. So environ suit's systems are going to glitch something fierce if you get anywhere close to one."
Kamiya crossed her arms, "Well they sound delightful. How intelligent are they? Can we reason with them?"
"Captain are you sure you should be going out there? I don't think we should be risking you. I'm happy to act as scout but if you insist on going I'll be on your left guard."
Sigirijus scoffed "They're leeches. Magnusson said we can just kick them. I'll be fine."
"What does that mean for me? It sounds like I will need to keep my distance. I don't want to become a liability for the Captain." 'Not again. Not when we just got him back.'
Sigirjus inclines his head at the comment, apparently touched. "Good plan. Ranged is good. I'll stand guard in case they close."
How does being on the outside of the ship affect combat? Does my pistol still work? Do I get a negative because I'm wearing gloves?
Sigirijus looks sad, and waves the sharp claws of his suit around "So, the Taser Claws?..."
"Not so good an idea, yeah," he said, shaking his head.
Sigirijus scoffed "They're leeches. Magnusson said we can just kick them. I'll be fine."
"You can kick them. Didn't say they'd let you try, though," Robert grunted as he checked the seal of his helmet.
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How does being on the outside of the ship affect combat? Does my pistol still work? Do I get a negative because I'm wearing gloves?
OOC: I did a brief check for rules and did not find any.
Let's keep it simple and assume there's no change other than battling these critters as Robert explained.
I'll let you all know if I find anything different.
Questions?
Game on!
EDIT (below are some considerations)
Zero Gravity
Movement in zero gravity (also referred to as zero-g) is not the same as flight. Controlled movement is difficult without some form of propulsion, and creatures without something to push off from often find themselves floating aimlessly. A creature in a zero-gravity environment can’t take move actions to move its speed, crawl, or take a guarded step. If a creature is adjacent to or in the same square as an object (including a wall, floor, or ceiling) or another creature one size category smaller than itself or larger, it can take a move action to push off that object or creature, moving at half its land speed in a direction of its choosing (as appropriate); if that object or creature is movable, it begins moving in the opposite direction at that same speed.
Moving in Zero-G: A creature that moves in a given direction continues to move in that direction at the same speed at the beginning of its turn each round (without taking any action); it must move the full distance unless it is able to change its motion by latching on to an object or creature, pushing off in a new direction, or creating thrust of some kind (all of which are considered move actions). If a creature runs into a solid object during its movement, it must succeed at a DC 20 Acrobatics or Athletics check to safely stop its movement; failure means that creature gains the off-kilter condition. If a creature runs into another creature during its movement, both creatures must each attempt a DC 20 Acrobatics or Athletics check to avoid gaining the off-kilter condition. A creature anchored to a solid object (such as by the boot clamps available with most armor) receives a +4 bonus to this check. An off-kilter creature in a zero- gravity environment can steady itself as a move action that requires a surface to grab on to or some method of propulsion; alternatively, that creature can throw a single item weighing at least 4 bulk (for Medium creatures; 2 bulk for Small creatures) to reorient itself and remove the off-kilter condition.
If provided with sufficient handholds, a creature with a climb speed can move along a wall at full speed, as can any creature that succeeds at a DC 20 Acrobatics or Athletics check. Creatures that fly via methods that require an atmosphere, such as wings or turbofans, can’t use their fly speeds in a vacuum; once they reenter an atmosphere, they can recover and get their bearings within 1d4 rounds, after which they can fly normally. Magical flight and methods of flight that provide their own thrust, such as maneuvering jets, are not affected. A character in a zero-gravity environment can lift and carry 10 times her normal amount.
Weapons: Thrown weapons have their range increments multiplied by 10 in zero-g. In addition, all ranged weapons no longer have a maximum number of range increments—their wielders simply continue to accrue penalties the farther away the target is.
As the crew trotted out to stand on the ship's hull Robert did his level best to keep his eyes trained on the comfortingly boring hull "under" his boots - a relative term in the lack of natural gravity wells in vicinity - as he always found the Drift jarring to view with naked human eyes. The way things shifted and flowed without bothering what poor human brain understood of immutable laws of physics always set him on edge. For some reason, he was find staring at the strange transitive plane via ship's sensors, but seeing with is own eyes things drifting dozens of miles apart in the Drift suddenly span right next to each other without seeming to move made his mind rebel. And he didn't need distractions just now.
Even the sight of the leeches was kind of a relief - something mundane enough to focus his attention on. Not wishing to get any closer to the strange creatures than he had to, the technomancer trained his pistol on the closest worm and squeezed the trigger. His aim was off, however, and the projectile missed the lead leech by a foot, sailing into the void, out of sight... and then something pinged off the back of Robert's helmet. He turned around and saw a single bullet floating in the air next to his head - his own bullet, no doubt, returned to him by a quirk of the Drift, although luckily without any of the momentum it had just carried.
Thyx watched as everyone put on a helmet. He looked over at Yip and offered up his long arm 'It has a better range then what she had.' He stayed quiet, expecting to be afraid. After all, he had been out there, alone, for who knows how long and he had no more memory to lose. He looked at the others and couldn't figure out what he was feeling ... he didn't want to leave, the liked it here. When he went out onto the hull, however, the undiluted colour of the drift calmed him. So much so he had to remember his purpose, 'Protect the captain ... protect the crew'
As they got within sight of the worms, Thyx vision became laser focused. He watched them suck away at the hull and drew down. He stepped forward twenty feet and fired from the hip. The bullet glanced its' flesh and a few fluid gravity free droplets spewed out.