{Checking
the rest of the Old Military Base}
M.I.S.H.A. <<GGRRRAAWWWLLL!!!>>
This
elicited a reaction from those in the room to stop and turn to see what the
alarm was from Demy and the bear.
<<DESTROY>>
With
that M.I.S.H.A. charged at a series of robotic arms spendings the next few
moments to rend, bite, and rake it to an unusable wreck. It was shocking to see
how fast M.I.S.H.A. demolished the robotic arms.
Manta-Man:
"What the hell? Is there a problem
with her, kid? Or did you have her do that?"
<<DISDAIN>>
Demy
appeared transfixed a moment before replying, "Huh? Da- I mean, no. She is
quasi-autonomous given specific directions. Technically by way of specific
Russian words via our neural sync. (OOC: Think Clint Eastwood's commands to
the plane in the Firefox movie).
Although, over time she and I have evolved something past that
limitation. But, yes, I feel M.I.S.H.A.
has a BIG problem with this production facility....". Rubicon paused before continuing.
“Comrade
Commander Orchid - Comrades...”, Rubicon finally said looking at the leader and
the others, “Apologies as I collect my thoughts: My original syncing and
training with M.I.S.H.A. was at the same location as COL Zaytsyev's production
facility where they created prototypes of her and other drones – definitely
some other stuff I couldn’t ID. I can
tell you that this facility matches exact production line materials used back
at that same facility back in Russia so there is definitely a connection somehow. Either directly from the COL Zaytsyev,
Russia, or somehow stolen data from Iron Maiden perhaps? That said, M.I.S.H.A.
is MUCH more advanced than this stuff." Demy said this last bit with no
small amount of pride.
RRROOOOWWRRRRKKKKK
- BOOM!!! Another mechanical arm was torn to shreds by
M.I.S.H.A.
"M.I.S.H.A.!
STOY!!!", Rubicon commands her to stop.
<<REPULSED>>
“That
is why the Colonel, let alone Russia, is adamant about getting us back. Well,
her at least...". With that
M.I.S.H.A. locked eyes with Demy.
"Since
we have linked, she has been evolving in our relationship, expressing more
emotions but I always thought that was some humorous representation of how she
expresses her communication with me from her internal AI. But this - this is
feels different. Perhaps her AI is more
advanced than I was led to believe."
"Let
me know if you want me to dismiss her, but perhaps we can somehow utilize her
to "jack" into the system here somehow or perhaps use her in the
future to sync in with one of the Cyberion's we take with us for further
investigation. Maybe the crossing of
wires will help me/us "see" if there is any additional hidden
"Easter Eggs" we can find since M.I.S.H.A. may have the similar
operating system?”
(@Tom:
Can I spend a CP(s) to allow M.I.S.H.A. to have some sort of port or connection
to tech (such as computers, robots, etc) to help establish a cyberlink to
transfer data and search systems? It may help Demy if not Black Orchid and
other hi tech wiz's if she can be used as a mobile computer, data storage
center, and possibly utilize her to eventually hunt down malware, viruses, etc
in the "computerverse" itself (think Tron). Let me know your thoughts
on this and how many for what is being asked for, if even possible).
{GM
Note: Yes the cyberlink is possible using the Communicators Ability. I would
create a special modifier for data transfer/search. The creation of a
computerverse is also possible. It would be using the Dimensional Travel
ability with the alternate dimension being the computerverse. M.I.S.H.A. has 12
CPs and 8 IPs to use. Demy has 4 CPs, if he put into his summoning, he would
give M.I.S.H.A 1 additional CP. Communicators would be cheaper than Dimensional
Travel. Let me know what you want to spend on first.}
Hearing
Demy's question about the reasoning behind MISHA's reactions to the robotic
arms, StrikeForce analyzed to see if anything about it was proprietary I.P. of
Vanguard. He found Vanguard proprietary I.P., he relayed the information to the
group.
Manta-Man
found Manning Enterprises, DeBrandt Industries {Alexander Brandt, aka
Centurion X, owner see Quest Issues 33 to 34}, StarCorp {Joshua Rose,
aka DarkStar, owner see Quest Issue 1} Intellectual Property and Designs.
They were surprised to see how much Tech Iron Maiden had been able to steal and
was used to create CyberDoom’s SLAM Androids and Cyberions including
derivatives.
Manta-Man
cursed, “How did Iron Maiden gain access to Manning Enterprises intellectual
property and their designs? I will need to brief their security team on what
happened.”
Demy
recognized the designs for the Cyberion robot, and all its derivatives, were
from earlier designs of the same Russian research program that M.I.S.H.A. was
created in. The program was codename Siberdum.
Black
Orchid with Manta-Man’s help was able to permanently lock down all the trapped
robots and androids.
"Manta-Man,
StrikeForce, Demy, we might be able to kill two birds with one stone if we
study these Seaberions. Manta-Man, does Manning Labs have a heavy-duty large
Faraday cage where we can work on reactivating the Seaberion without fear of
alerting Cyberdoom?” Black Orchid said.
Manta-Man
replied, “No it does not. The only location I know that has a Faraday cage
large enough is the CHESS facility in Megalopolis.”
Black
Orchid said, “Okay, Using CHESS’s Faraday cage may give us more clues as to any
additional moles within the various compromised corporations and any connection
to the Siberdum program beyond the obvious of Iron Maiden and CyberDoom. I know
when I was at NRDC, we would hide Easter Eggs buried deep in code and
engineering designs to be used, if necessary, in legal cases of industrial
espionage. We might find some here as well."
Having
heard all of the options for next steps and understanding the surveillance that
the team was able to gather, Erdbeben suggested that the team investigate the
Satellite Tracking Station. "If there's a killer satellite in orbit, I
think it becomes the highest priority. You never know what CyberDoom or Dr.
Apocalypse are planning to do with it."
“I
believe we might have already dealt with the satellite, but we’ll know for sure
when Adamas returns. I sent him on a small errand, so to speak.” Black Orchid
replied.
Demy
said, "I think the protective bubble surrounding the Islands is down now,
da?”
Manta-Man
said, “That is a good question. I don’t know if the protective bubble and
satellite are linked or not. Black Orchid do you know?”
Black
Orchid shook her head, indicating she didn’t know.
Dr.
Wildman said, “No the protective bubble is still in place. It is a magical
creation.”
Black
Orchid said, “CyberDoom's tracking systems are pretty sophisticated. Since he's
currently running away with his tail between his legs, we probably have some
time to study this a bit to see if we can use them to continue to monitor the
island remotely. If it seems too dangerous, we should just let Powercell,
MantaMan and Dr. Wildman to turn it to slag."
Dr
Wildman was just not interested in the conversations around satellites and
technology. He agreed with some enthusiasm that the satellite should be
destroyed and will be happy to lend a hand with any of the tech destruction;
but he will only do so if directed. He finds the SLAMS distasteful and avoids
any contact with them other than kicking the odd limb out of the way.
Black
Orchid said. "Dr. Wildman, I assume the magical power here on the island
is reduced or at least somewhat restricted. I think we've seen that tech is bad
at tracking magic and vice versa, so is there anything we can do on the magic
side to monitor the temple and the village to make sure they stay contained to
the island."
William
replied: "It's a bit more complex than that but my working assumption is
that the Temple is probably a fixed node of black magic, a power resource for
Dr Apocalypse. The Villa is more likely to have artefacts and objects that will
be more portable. He is the Supreme Sorcerer and interfering with any of this
is well above my paygrade. My best guess is that he has probably retreated
somewhere to return at a later date. My advice is leave the Temple and Villa
alone; like it or not we may have thwarted his immediate plans but we don't
have the means to challenge his magical superiority...yet."
Dr
Wildman let the sentence drift as he began to get lost in thought.
Black
Orchid: "Dr?...are you OK?"
Dr
Wildman: "Yes, sorry...I just had an idea - much more long term than suits
our needs now...but not a bad idea, even if I say so myself. This is his stronghold,
and we don't have the capability to breach it yet. It's frustrating but the
whole world will now be much more aware of the threat Dr Apocalypse presents.
Magic is a weird world...when the white is supreme it's easier, grey makes folk
nervous...it's the uncertainty I guess...and when it's black we just have to
hold on and hope and manage the threats when they come."
{Checking
the Satellite Tracking Station site}
The
tracking station site is located on the tip of one of the hills near the old
military base. It was being constructed by the U.S. Military as a station for
tracking satellites. When the United States lost possession of the island and
had to leave the site unfinished, it was completed by CyberDoom. The
sophisticated tracking systems of the base are currently used for two main
purposes:
1.
As
a radar base for monitoring the defense of the islands; and,
2.
The
major portion of the facility is devoted to the tracking of CyberDoom’s secret killer
satellite as it hurls through space in a low orbit over the defenseless cities
of the United States. The equipment in this station has been specially designed
and calibrated to be unaffected by the satellite’s cloaking device.
There
are disintegration ray burns on the outside and throughout the building.
When
the New Crusaders investigated the Satellite Tracking Station, Black Orchid was
able to determine the satellite was moving steadily toward the sun. It was
gaining speed. By the end of the day, she expected it would be destroyed and
Adamas would have returned to the Island.
Black
Orchid was able to hack the systems in the station so she could monitor the
radar systems which monitored the defense of the islands.
{GM
Note: this was an opposed skill test. Black Orchid vs Cyberdoom. Black Orchid
needed a 13 or less to win. She rolled an 11. Marc let me know how Black Orchid
intends to monitor the island using this including the frequency. If she
intends to hand the responsibility to someone else be aware it would that
person’s skill vs Cyberdoom when he attempts to remove access. Currently when
Cyberdoom opposes Black Orchid he would need a 7 or less to win.}
{Undersea Base}
This is the undersea
base of CyberDoom, it is his personal sanctum sanctorum, 800 feet below the
surface of the sea. The killer satellite threatening the cities of the United
States is controlled from here as is the satellite’s cloaking device.
The undersea base is a
permanent structure located at the bottom of the deep-sea trench. There are
many possible ways to approach the installation. The New Crusaders used the
undertube system which is connected to the undersea base.
When the New Crusaders
arrived at the undersea base, they witnessed 3 Seaberions floating in the water
outside. They are totally inert. When Black Orchid checked the surveillance
system, she discovered that CyberDoom produced from within his armor a device
which froze the Seaberions, shutting down all their systems and fusing their
circuits.
{GM Note: CyberDoom
used Inventing Points to create a device with 3 shots which immediately and
permanently froze the Seaberions by taking advantage of their vulnerability to
electrical attacks. They would have to be repaired by an external source before
they could start working again}
Black Orchid,
Manta-Man, and the rest of the New Crusaders searched the undersea base. They
were able to discover where CyberDoom had fled to. They know in what city his
secret base is located.
"Team, I've
tracked down where CyberDoom went. If we can lock in strong surveillance, we
can let him stew for a bit while we sort out the rest of this mess. He might
also play his hand if he is unaware of our monitoring. If it looks like he'll
jump, we should hit him now. Patty, when we hit him, do you think you'd be up
for a little -- Sabotage!"
Patty
cracked her knuckles. "I say we hit
him so hard we send him... Intergalactic."
“I think that can be
arranged”. This is one of the few times you see a little smile appear on The
Black Orchid's face.
William
would be happy to take down CyberDoom - one less tech villain at large is a
great blessing to the rest of the world.
{GM Note: Let me know
if and/or when you decide to use this information to hunt CyberDoom down. }
Manta-Man
said, “Dr Wildman, tell us more about what you saw while you were separated
from the rest of the team and what you did that makes you think that someone
would chase after you to seek revenge.”
Dr
Wildman seemed confused: "I must confess I thought retaliation was on its
way. I found Dr Apocalypse and his Coven of Chaos in a cave complex. From a
hidden vantage point, I could see a device for some sort of magical generator
and Starbolt and some others in some sort of tubes that looked like batteries.
I noticed Stormlord had something that belonged to me so took a gamble and
opened a teleport gate in the wall of the cavern and as the sea water poured in.
I grabbed my possession and fled. Perhaps I did more damage than I expected but
there were some heavy hitters down there. Truth be known they are not the
easiest bunch to get along with so maybe the coven was more chaotic than
useful. Perhaps we should check the cave?"
Manta-Man
replied, “Good Idea, let’s go.”
{Checking
the Cave}
The entire cave floor
was electrically illuminated. In the middle of the cave is a large platform.
There are broken crystals and orbs scattered across the platform. There are
broken crystals and orbs in the river downstream. The team searched downstream
where they found crystal and orb shards at least a mile away from the platform.
Dr. Wildman, by opening a portal to the ocean, had destroyed the massive
magical generator that Dr. Apocalypse had planned to use to mentally enslave
the people of the Refuge Islands.
Over on the opposite
side of the cave are container tubes for holding the subjects whose magical
abilities would have powered the crystals and orbs. They are all currently
occupied by the members of the oceanographic expedition and a man in a blue and
black costume with gold arm bands. Blizzard ran to his cousin. He called out
asking Starbolt if he could hear him. The five members of the oceanography team
and Starbolt are in a semi-comatose state.
The Headsmen are lying
incapacitated on the ground. There is no sign of Dr. Apocalypse and the Coven
of Chaos (Stomlord, Hauntress, Headhunter, and Skyhawk) in the cave.
Blizzard opens the
containers releasing Starbolt and the oceanographers. Starbolt was the first to
wake up. He didn’t remember how he came to be here. The last he remembered was
being attacked by Skyhawk and Headhunter. When asked by Blizzard if he was
okay, Starbolt tried to use his powers but couldn’t. Headhunter had stolen his
powers, and his waking up didn’t return them to him.
The oceanographers
remember being warned by villagers to leave the island. While they were sleeping,
they were attacked by the Headsmen and brought to this cave where they were put
into these containers. No gas was pumped into the container, it felt like their
consciousness was drained from them when the crystals and orbs started glowing.
Black Orchid said, "I'm
concerned about what happened to Starbolt. Erdbeben, could you do some research
to see if and how Starbolt's abilities could be returned."
As
Endbeben started to look him over, Starbolt shook his head. “I don't think
there will be anything you can do. My powers were stolen by magic. Headhunter
used his axe to transfer my power to one of the skulls on his belt.”
{GM
note: In Mighty Protectors all powers have visible effects which can be seen by
all as their default basis. A modifier to make it invisible must be bought with
CPs which Headhunter did not do.}
The
New Crusaders released the oceanographers and left the cave to take them to
their base. On the way there, the oceanographers thanked them, repeatedly, for
rescuing them.
Dr
Wildman released Bruce the shark from the influence of the Amulet of Control.
He changed into a seagull once more and made a detailed search of the surface
of the island. What he was particularly looking for is a secure space to
memorize for his 'gate' spell; looking for a surveillance dead zone -
observationally be it physical, technological or magical. When he found it, he
memorized the location.
{GM
Note: 1 CP spent to memorize the location. I did not assign a specific spot or
pick 1 of the 4 Islands. I am happy leaving it vague. If you are not, let me
know. I have added it to your Character Sheet as Nacht Islands.}
Dr. Wildman met up with
the New Crusaders at the Oceanographic base.
{Oceanographic Base}
The oceanographers
packed up their base.
Black Orchid said, "This
was an international incident, and I'm mostly familiar with U.S. concerns. Does
anyone have the proper authority for dealing with the Headsman? I think Adamas
will be back here shortly as well. He might know."
Demy
said, “I don’t know about international law but it seems to me that we have
confirmed outlaw Supers here. Perhaps we should be contacting CHESS, the US
government, and any other appropriate organizations with video and photos of
the place and people we have? Is this not evidence enough to get support of
troops to secure and get medical aid for those civilians here? It could be more
of a humanitarian effort verses conflict.
Perhaps AFSOC CCT and Pararescue / SF medicscan be called in if close
by?". Demy stopped and realized
he's run on with string of thought but with the fight and potential for more
fighting his adrenaline was up (more than usual).
Blizzard
chuckled, “Were any of those real questions or were you trying to make a point?”
Enforcer
said, “Remy we get it. I wish everything was simple, but it isn’t. Superhuman
law is a specialty in and of itself. Unfortunately, I am not sure that Dr.
Apocalypse qualifies as an outlaw Super. If his abilities come from the use of
Magic, that is a different set of legal problems, as Evergreen reminds me
constantly. That is why there are both CHESS and FISH governmental agencies.
CHESS is for superhuman, and FISH is for magical and supernatural.”
“What
you are correct about, we must gather evidence to show that both CyberDoom and
Dr. Apocalypse was involved in it. The last thing we need is for the defense to
show that CyberDoom was casting an electronic illusion of Dr. A. and faking his
voice. Once that doubt is in place in the minds of the jury then convincing
them that the giant storm was Stormlord’s doing, all part of his plan to escape
prison by tricking Dr. Wildman, will be a piece of cake.
So
far, all what we have is CyberDoom with what he has done. Let’s document that
so when we capture him, he can be brought to justice.
Suddenly,
the area next to the team is filled with rolling smoke. It didn’t originate
from any fire but as if the fabric of this reality was opening. Out of the
opening walked a man in a trench coat, fedora, a walking cane, and a face mask
which was a homage to the American Flag.
Enforcer
yelled, “Dammit, PeaceMonger, you nearly gave me a heart attack!
Manta-Man
said, “How did you know to come now? I haven’t signaled for you yet?”
PeaceMonger
replied, “I watched from the Astral Plane. Now is time for me to do my part.”
The
New Crusaders which are aware of political affairs and the different agencies
of the United States knew who this was. For those that don’t, Enforcer explained
to them later.
“This
is PeaceMonger the leader of Sui Generis Attache. It is a team of super powered
envoys. Its members work as special status diplomatic attaché for the US State
Department. The United States reserves the right to deploy them anywhere in the
world regardless of whatever diplomatic arrangements exist with any nation.
Their responsibilities included everything from the protection of embassies and
embassy staff, to safeguarding diplomatic activities from undue super powered
influence, to facilitating diplomatic negotiations with super powered entities,
to high priority intelligence gathering in regions best by war, anarchy, or
revolution.
Essentially
the SGA is a superhero team which fights for world peace, instead of fighting
super crime. It’s technically attached to the Department of State Air Wing
(which spearheads international cooperation against terrorists and drug
dealers), but they are currently direct to the Secretary of State. The SGA is
allowed broad autonomy, and its members operate with full diplomatic immunity.”
PeaceMonger
walked away from the New Crusader to where the oceanographers were packing and said,
“I am here to evacuate your team. Please everyone, you have 1 hour to gather
everything you can carry. If you can’t carry it, we will have to leave it. You
will get it back, but I don’t know when. Be sure to gather all essentials and
download all research onto portal memory devices. It is best you are gone with
‘help’ arrives.”
“The
United Nations does not want the United States to handle this alone. The threat
was against the world and not them only. United States laws do not trump the
laws of other countries. The U.N. Security council decided to send a coalition
team of supers from each of the major countries to assist the U.N.’s own team
known as the Summit. Each U.N. Member could send 3 supers.”
Demy
was standing a distance away from PeaceMonger with the other New Crusaders. "Comrade
Commander Black Orchid, did we not identify the killer satellite Adamas sent
hurtling away to the sun that it was targeting cities in the US as well as
abroad? I'm no lawyer in international
law", Demy visibly cringes, "but it's bezumnyy* to me to think that
the US couldn't lift a finger directly based on that information, world
superpower or not". Demy's words trail off in the background as he rants
about "bureaucratic red tape" and the "need to take
action", making exaggerated gestures, and kicking rocks, and knocking
limbs off trees...
*
Russian for insane / deranged
{Outer
Space}
Adamas
grunted with the effort of pushing the CyberDoom’s Satellite into a terminal
velocity directed into the Sun. No one
would be using it to control anyone, ever.
He
smiled smugly thinking back to another artifact he had launched into the sun
and nostalgically thought back to when he an Pietor had fought side by side…
his visage returned to one of resign as he turned back toward the blue gem of a
planet he had come to think of as a home.
He had a new family now, and hoping they were not still in battle he
began to move faster and faster toward it.
Dr.
Apocalypse had better be ready because Adamas was coming, it was time to put an
end to this once and for all.
Adamas
lands next to the New Crusaders as PeaceMonger was leaving with the
oceanographers. They all stepped into a new hole in the fabric of reality
following PeaceMonger.
The
New Crusaders were glad to see Adamas back and caught him up on all that had
happened. When the members of the Coven of Chaos were explained to Adamas, his
face twisted with emotion. Hearing that Skyhawk was alive but that he had been
transformed into a form that was nuclear blazing inferno at its core.
Skyhawk
was an ally that had died at the Battle of Stonehenge when Adamas ripped open
an Atomic Tank to cause it to explode in the field of battle killing both
supporters of the Domain and of Earth.
{GM
Note: See Crossover: Special Deliveries issue 5. The special even crossover of
Megalopolis where the Domain was preparing portals for the invasion of Earth.
When I had multiple players groups I had Crossover events. The Domain Invasion
was the second event. The first was the Crushers’ Crimewave}
https://vav-megalopolis-pbem.blogspot.com/2013/04/crossover-event-issue-5-special.html }
Black
Orchid, Starbolt, & Adamas were caught in a flashback of memories from the
horrors they witnessed that day.
The Summit arrived in their jet and sat down near the oceanographic base.
The Summit stepped out followed by superheroes from around the world.
Black
Orchid, Starbolt, and Adamas recognized Seeker, Dynamo, and Klondike from the
Crimson Guard. They had fought with them at the Battle of Stonehenge. {See
the entire mini-series: Crossover Issues 1 to 12}
All the New Crusaders recognized American Woman, Molecule Man, and Fortress from the New Super Society.
{See
their formation in the Quest Comics issue 17.
https://vav-megalopolis-pbem.blogspot.com/2011/11/quest-separate-ways-issue-17.html }
Dr.
Wildman thought he recognized the staff which Fortress was holding. It was a
magical artefact, and it had been stolen!
Enforcer
and Erdbeben recognized the members from the Royal Guard from Malaia; Sangoma,
Quagga, and Serengeti.
Demy
recognized the members of the Red Guard who had come. They were Megawatt,
Sensor, and Sympath and they had been assigned to COL Zaytsyev and the Siberdum
project when Demy was there.
Demy
knew that Megawatt had super strength, could absorb electricity, and emit
electric bolts. It was his responsibility to handle the drones and ensure they
didn’t destroy the facilities. Megawatt loved to wrestle with M.I.S.H.A. He
told Demy it was to ensure that M.I.S.H.A’s creators were making it strong
enough but Demy thought Megawatt enjoyed the wrestling because M.I.S.H.A was
the first real challenge he had faced in a long time.
Sensor
was an intelligence agent for COL Zaytsyev. He wore a special suit which
provided heightened senses. Among the candidates he was known as the “Eyes and
Ears” of COL Zaytsyev.
Sympath
is Franco-Russian. She was the medical doctor for Ciberdum project. She made
sure all the candidates survived their tests and evaluated their condition to
determine if they could continue the program. She was the person who
recommended Remy piloting M.I.S.H.A.
There
are more superheroes than those who the New Crusaders were able to immediately
identify. {GM Note: Let me know if you want to know and meet the other
heroes that have arrived}
The
Red Guard and the New Super Society members traveled to the old military base.
The
Crimson Guard traveled to the Satellite Tracking Station.
The
Royal Guard traveled to the villages.
The
Summit set up a base of operations for the U.N. Mission at the Oceanographic
Base.
{GM
Note; Let me know if your PC follows or interacts with any of the teams when
they leave the U.N. Base of Operations.
<Turns
and Actions due February 24th>
I have updated your character sheets to add the CPs,
recovering Invention Points. I am providing the Character Sheets in Excel
format. If you want them as a PDF let me know.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks
Tom!
Can't wait to dive in.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Greg
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team,
Thanks
for keeping Adamas in the action, and me in the loop.
We
are moving on as a family, holidays are tough, but at the same time, we've been
able to pull together. I think we're
seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but I think it's just leading us to
our next phase in recovery. We went to a
memorial service with our Grief group this past week. Tears were shed, but having our other
grandchildren around brought a peace to the occasion. Kids are soo resilient, and while they still
remember, they don't seem to get stuck as we adults do.
As
to my job, I started a new position at the end of October, with a company that
I love. Christus is a Christ based
health care company, who's mission statement is, "Extending the healing
ministry of Jesus Christ." The
company has been amazing, and I feel very comfortable in what I'm doing. It's actually a step down in level, but I'm
making more money, and there is significant room for advancement.
I
know the holidays will be crazy, but I think I'm ready to re-join the team if
Tom can fit me in. :)
I
look forward to adventuring with you all.
Jon/Adamas
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glad to hear things are better, healing, less
painful (I don't know the right words). You can join anytime. Just pick your time and Adamas will return
from his outer space mission.
Tom
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New issue! Glad you are doing better Jon. Glad
to have you back.
Jamey
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, all great news Jon!
Hope
the best for all in the group.
Greg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi everyone, been a while. Hope you are all
well.
Delighted
to hear your news Jon, so pleased things are slowly moving forward and yay -
Adamas is back!
Thanks
for the issue Tom - that's a lot to think through!
From
my end its Carol Service this weekend - should be a lot of fun! Full on
Christmas activities on work and personal front but will lever some New
Crusader time into it!
Merry
Christmas - one and all!
Steve
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Does anyone have a preference as to which way
the team should go?
Jamey
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've been busy and have planning to reread
this last issue in depth and follow up after Christmas and prior to this
weekend.
Happy
Holidays all!
Greg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Having heard all of the options for next steps
and understanding the surveillance that the team was able to gather, Erdbeben
suggests that the team investigate the Satellite Tracking Station. "If
there's a killer satellite in orbit, I think it becomes the highest priority.
You never know what CyberDoom or Dr. Apocalypse are planning to do with
it."
Paul/Erdbeben
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IC:
Adamas grunted with the effort of pushing the CyberDoom’s Satellite into a
terminal velocity directed into the Sun.
No one would be using it to control anyone, ever.
He
smiled smugly thinking back to another artifact he had launched into the sun,
and nostalgically thought back to when he an Pietor had fought side by side…
his visage returned to one of resign as he turned back toward the blue gem of a
planet he had come to think of as a home.
He had a new family now, and hoping they were not still in battle he
began to move faster and faster toward it.
Dr.
Apocalypse had better be ready because Adamas was coming, it was time to put an
end to this once and for all.
OOC:
Looking forward to being back in the game!
Jon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey Tom I need a couple of more days please
sir 🙂
Shane
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh shoot, me too, please!
Christmas
was super busy
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No problem I can extend to Jan 3rd, how does
that sound?
Tom
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sounds great! Thanks Tom. Happy Holidays
everyone!
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are a few of the conversations The Black
Orchid will initiate after a thorough sweep of the islands.
A:
"Dr. Wildman, I assume the magical power here on the island is reduced or
at least somewhat restricted. I think we've seen that tech is bad at tracking
magic and vice versa, so is there anything we can do on the magic side to
monitor the temple and the village to make sure they stay contained to the
island."
B:
"Team, I've tracked down where CyberDoom went. If we can lock in strong
surveillance, we can let him stew for a bit while we sort out the rest of this
mess. He might also play his hand if he is unaware of our monitoring. If it
looks like he'll jump, we should hit him now. Patty, when we hit him, do you
think you'd be up for a little -- Sabotage!" This is one of the few times
you see a little smile appear on The Black Orchid's face.
C:
"Manta-Man, Strike Force, Demy, we might be able to kill two birds with
one stone if we study these Seaberions. Manta-Man, does Manning Labs have a heavy-duty
large Faraday cage where we can work on reactivating the Seaberion without fear
of alerting Cyberdoom? It may give us more clues as to any additional moles
within the various compromised corporations and any connection to the Siberdum
program beyond the obvious of Iron Maiden and CyberDoom. I know when I was at
NRDC, we would hide Easter Eggs buried deep in code and engineering designs to
be used if necessary in legal cases of industrial espionage. We might find some
here as well."
D:
"Cyberdoom's tracking systems are pretty sophisticated. Since he's
currently running away with his tail between his legs, we probably have some
time to study this a bit to see if we can use them to continue to monitor the
island remotely. If it seems too dangerous, we should just let Powercell,
MantaMan and Dr. Wildman to turn it to slag."
E:
"This was an international incident, and I'm mostly familiar with U.S.
concerns. Does anyone have a proper authority for dealing with the Headsman? I
think Adamas will be back here shortly as well. He might know."
F:
"I'm concerned about what happened to Starbolt. Erdbeben, could you do
some research to see if and how Starbolt's abilities could be returned."
OOC:
The Black Orchid is trying to be a good team leader and include everybody, come
up with a general plan of action, but also leave lots of leeway for group
planning. Are there any loose ends I didn't address or misunderstood? Feel free
to jump in on any of these conversations!
-
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, thanks Tom for the awesome wrap up and
giving us lots of avenues to explore!
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And to be clear, Erdbeben’s comment about the
satellite came before we knew Adamas threw it into the sun, correct?
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do we even know he eliminated it? I'm not sure
the characters would know that had happened so Erdbaben is still voting to go
to the control center.
Paul
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I know the holidays will be crazy, but I
think I'm ready to re-join the team if Tom can fit me in. :)
I
look forward to adventuring with you all.
Jon/Adamas"
Huzzah!
Shane
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Patty, when we hit him, do you think
you'd be up for a little -- Sabotage!"
Patty
cracked her knuckles. "I say we hit
him so hard we send him... Intergalactic."
---
OOC
There
are a LOT of potential paths to follow here. From a mission perspective, what
was our main goal in coming to the islands? Not just "fight bad guys"
but the goal according to the mission brief?
The goal we measure against to say mission succeeded or mission failed?
Best,
Shane
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC:
I
think it was taking out the new Doomsday robot and dealing with Dr Apocalypse
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I think that can be arranged”
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I believe we might have already dealt with
the satellite, but we’ll know for sure when Adamas returns. I sent him on a
small errand, so to speak.”
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks, Tom!
Also,
I switched computers and I’m having a hard time finding the latest version of
The Black Orchid. Could you send what you have for her. I might want to branch
out or fall back on the Inventing Points.
Marc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi everyone, hope you had a great Christmas
and Happy New Year to you all!
@
Tom - I'm a great believer that the first rule of any RPG is that the players
should follow the main thread of where the GM wants them to go. You have given
us loads of options - is there a path you would like us to follow? Is this the
mop up and finale of this chapter (that is what it feels like to me...but I may
be wrong (not an uncommon experience, sadly!). I have approached my reply with
this assumption and am happy to alter if needed.
OOC:
Lot's of threads to pick up - I'll do my best to pick up what I can:
A:
Manta-Man said, “Dr Wildman, tell us more about what you saw while you were
separated from the rest of the team and what you did that makes you think that
someone would chase after you to seek revenge.” Dr Wildman seemed confused:
"I must confess I thought retaliation was on its way. I found Dr
Apocalypse and his Coven of Chaos in a cave complex. From a hidden vantage
point I could see a device for some sort of magical generator and Starbolt and
some others in some sort of tubes that looked like batteries. I noticed
StormLord had something that belonged to me so took a gamble and opened a
teleport gate in the wall of the cavern and as the sea water poured in I
grabbed my possession and fled. Perhaps I did more damage than I expected but
there were some heavy hitters down there. Truth be known they are not the
easiest bunch to get along with so maybe the coven was more chaotic than
useful. Perhaps we should check the cave?"
OOC:
Dr Wildman & Manta Man go and check the cave as the working assumption is
it's flooded. Blizzard joins them when they discover it's not. William will be
surprised at the amount of damage he caused and will be mentally processing why
there was no immediate retaliation. When they see Headsman unconscious on the
floor William will use his survival skill to try and identify what led to him
being knocked out.
Q's
for Tom: How much do the NC know about Headsman's abilities? Do they still come
from his axe? Is his axe around? Can the axe be separated from Headsman and
contained?
B:
Black Orchid said: "Dr. Wildman, I assume the magical power here on the
island is reduced or at least somewhat restricted. I think we've seen that tech
is bad at tracking magic and vice versa, so is there anything we can do on the
magic side to monitor the temple and the village to make sure they stay
contained to the island."
William
replied: "It's a bit more complex than that but my working assumption is
that the Temple is probably a fixed node of black magic, a power resource for
Dr Apocalypse. The Villa is more likely to have artefacts and objects that will
be more portable. He is the Supreme Sorcerer and interfering with any of this
is well above my paygrade. My best guess is that he has probably retreated
somewhere to return at a later date. My advice is leave the Temple and Villa
alone; like it or not we may have thwarted his immediate plans but we don't
have the means to challenge his magical superiority...yet."
Dr
Wildman let the sentence drift as he began to get lost in thought.
Black
Orchid: "Dr?...are you OK?"
Dr
Wildman: "Yes, sorry...I just had an idea - much more long term than suits
our needs now...but not a bad idea, even if I say so myself. This is his
stronghold and we don't have the capability to breach it yet. It's frustrating
but the whole world will now be much more aware of the threat Dr Apocalypse
presents. Magic is a weird world...when the white is supreme it's easier, grey
makes folk nervous...it's the uncertainty I guess...and when it's black we just
have to hold on and hope, and manage the threats when they come."
C:
Dr Wildman is just not interested in the conversations around satellites and
technology. He will agree with some enthusiasm that the satellite should be
destroyed and will be happy to lend a hand with any of the tech destruction;
but he will only do so if directed. He finds the SLAMS distasteful and avoids
any contact with them other than kicking the odd limb out of the way.
D:
Dr Wildman will release Bruce the shark from the influence of the Amulet of
Control. He will change into a seagull once more and will make a detailed
search of the surface of the island. What he is particularly looking for is a
secure space to memorize for his 'gate' spell; looking for a surveillance dead
zone - observationally be it physical, technological or magical. He will expend
a CP point to add to his places.
E:
William would be happy to take down Cyberdoom - one less tech villain at large
is a great blessing to the rest of the world.
F:
Re: CP's - When things return to normal Dr Wildman will secure the Helm of the
Chimera and the Staff of Thorns back into the Steading. William (for the
moment) will continue to use the Cloak of Storms and the Amulet of Control and
will learn a few more spells (depending on time passing between adventures).
I
think that's it...
Cheers,
Steve
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strike Force will pitch in wherever he is
needed.
James
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was kind of thinking the same here: it takes
8 minutes 2 seconds traveling the speed of light for light from the sun to
reach earth. I know Adamus is super powerful and may have thrown a heater with
the satellite but he's also been gone a bit so may have had some time to fly it
to th proper trajectory to ensure it was out of commission. Either way, unless
we hear from Adamas or some other computer confirming its gne Demy is up for
checking the Control Room.
Demy:
"I think the protective bubble surrounding the isnd is down now, da? I
don't know about international law but it seems to me that we have confirmed
outlaw Supers here. Perhaps we houl be contacting CHESS, the US government, and
any other appropriate organizations with video and photos of the the place and
people we have? Is this not evidence enough to get support of troops to secure
and get medical aid for those civilians here? It could be more of a
humanitarian effort verses conflict.
Perhaps AFSOC CCT and Pararescue / SF medicscan be called in if close
by?". Demy stops and realizes he's
run on with string of thought but with the fight and potential for more
fighting his adrenaline was up ( more than usual).
Greg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To make it clear for everyone: Headhunter who
had stolen DarkStar and Starbolt's powers is not in the cave or on the
island. It is his henchmen the Headsmen
who are incapacitated in the cave. They were normals without powers so the
ocean falling on them was powerful enough to knock them out.
Tom
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New Crusaders - Demy's Turn 95: Following
Aftermath issue
Tom,
apologies this is late, but hope it can still be of use!
B:
Black Orchid said: "Dr. Wildman, I assume the magical power here on the
island is reduced or at least somewhat restricted. I think we've seen that tech
is bad at tracking magic and vice versa, so is there anything we can do on the
magic side to monitor the temple and the village to make sure they stay
contained to the island."
>
William replied: "It's a bit more complex than that but my working
assumption is that the Temple is probably a fixed node of black magic, a power
resource for Dr Apocalypse. The Villa is more likely to have artefacts and
objects that will be more portable. He is the Supreme Sorcerer and interfering
with any of this is well above my paygrade. My best guess is that he has
probably retreated somewhere to return at a later date. My advice is leave the
Temple and Villa alone; like it or not we may have thwarted his immediate plans
but we don't have the means to challenge his magical superiority...yet."
Dr
Wildman let the sentence drift as he began to get lost in thought.
Black
Orchid: "Dr?...are you OK?"
Dr
Wildman: "Yes, sorry...I just had an idea - much more long term than suits
our needs now...but not a bad idea, even if I say so myself. This is his
stronghold and we don't have the capability to breach it yet. It's frustrating
but the whole world will now be much more aware of the threat Dr Apocalypse
presents. Magic is a weird world...when the white is supreme it's easier, grey
makes folk nervous...it's the uncertainty I guess...and when it's black we just
have to hold on and hope, and manage the threats when they come."
Greg
OOC: the patch work of technical vs magical coverage seems odd. A testament to
the lack of coordination and arm wrestling between CyberDoom and Dr. A. I do
wonder what those areas of magic may be potentially warding by Dr. A. I agree with Black Orchid and Dr. Wildman
that further exploration on how the magic is controlled (Dr. A or Black Magic
Villagers, both?) and are their any additional threats that may be unleashed as
a result. Something to watch in my
opinion and return to in the future.
>
C: Dr Wildman is just not interested in the conversations around satellites and
technology. He will agree with some enthusiasm that the satellite should be
destroyed and will be happy to lend a hand with any of the tech destruction;
but he will only do so if directed. He finds the SLAMS distasteful and avoids
any contact with them other than kicking the odd limb out of the way.
Greg
OOC: Re: Satellite – after rereading correspondence, it sounds like it’s out of
commission from Adamas following Black Orchid's direction. Unless directed otherwise by Black Orchid,
I’m inclined to have Demy and M.I.S.H.A. focus their attention on coordinating
with Strike Force, Manta-Man and Black Orchid on identifying, documenting, and
collecting elements, data, and exhibit evidence that will hold up in
international legal and military case against the Penta Purpetraters by
scouring the Military Base and the nearby Satellite Tracking Station.
Rubicon/M.I.S.H.A.'s order of execution will be: Establishing security,
collecting and delineating data, helping civilians/team members who need
medical attention, and opening pathways/establishing LZ's for additional
outside support (via UN since CHESS and US Gov. is tied up in legalities)
either directly or through observation of the islands from afar to monitor
until we/others can return.
Rubicon
IC:
M.I.S.H.A. <<GGRRRAAWWWLLL!!!>>
This
elicits a reaction by those in the room to stop and turn to see what the alarm
is from Demy and the bear.
<<DESTROY>>
With
that M.I.S.H.A. takes a charge at a series of robotic arms spends the next few
moments attempting to rend, bite, and rake it to an unusable wreck. (She has a
ST of 37, DMG of 2D10+, and Carrying Capacity of > 38K lbs so I'm assuming
she can do some serious kinetic damage to a stationary robot arm or two?).
Manta-Man:
"What the hell? Is there a problem
with her, kid? Or did you have her do that?"
<<DISDAIN>>
Demy
appears transfixed a moment before replying, "Huh? Da- I mean, no. She is
quasi-autonomous given specific directions. Technically by way of specific
Russian words via our neural sync. (OOC: Think Clint Eastwood's commands to the
plane in the Firefox movie). Although,
over time she and I have evolved something past that limitation. But, yes, I feel M.I.S.H.A. has a BIG problem
with this production facility....".
Rubicon pauses before continuing.
“Comrade
Commander Orchid - Comrades...”, Rubicon finally said looking at the leader and
the others, “Apologies as I collect my thoughts: My original syncing and
training with M.I.S.H.A. was at the same location as COL Zaytsyev's production
facility where they created prototypes of her and other drones – definitely
some other stuff I couldn’t ID. I can
tell you that this facility matches exact production line materials used back
at that same facility back in Russia so there is definitely a connection somehow. Either directly from the COL Zaytsyev,
Russia, or somehow stolen data from Iron Maiden perhaps? That said, M.I.S.H.A.
is MUCH more advanced than this stuff." Demy says this last bit with no
small amount of pride.
RRROOOOWWRRRRKKKKK
- BOOM!!! Another mechanical arm is torn
to shreds by M.I.S.H.A.
"M.I.S.H.A.!
STOY!!!", Rubicon commands her to stop.
<<REPULSED>>
That
is why the Colonel, let alone Russia, is adamant about getting us back. Well,
her at least...". With that
M.I.S.H.A. locks eyes with Demy.
"Since
we have linked she has been evolving in our relationship, expressing more
emotions but I always thought that was some humorous representation of how she
expresses her communication with me from her internal AI. But this - this is
feels different. Perhaps her AI is more
advanced than I was led to believe."
"Let
me know if you want me to dismiss her, but perhaps we can somehow utilize her
to "jack" into the system here somehow or perhaps use her in the
future to sync in with one of the cyberion's we take with us for further
investigation. Maybe the crossing of
wires will help me/us "see" if there is any additional hidden
"Easter Eggs" we can find since M.I.S.H.A. may have the similar
operating system? (@Tom: Can I spend a
CP(s) to allow M.I.S.H.A. to have some sort of port or connection to tech (such
as computers, robots, etc) to help establish a cyberlink to transfer data and
search systems? It may help Demy if not Black Orchid and other hi tech wiz's if
she can be used as a mobile computer, data storage center, and possibly utilize
her to eventually hunt down malware, viruses, etc in the
"computerverse" itself (think Tron). Let me know your thoughts on
this and how many for what is being asked for, if even possible).
Regarding
the issue with the US and CHESS defering to the UN: "Comrade Commander
Black Orchid, did we not identify the killer satellite Adamas sent hurtling
away to the sun that it was targeting cities in the US as well as abroad? I'm no lawyer in international law",
Demy visibly cringes, "but it's bezumnyy* to me to think that the US
couldn't lift a finger directly based on that information, world super power or
not". Demy's words trail off in the background as he rants about
"beaurocratic red tape" and the "need to take action",
making exaggerated gestures, and pushing papers and files off desks...
*
Russian for insane / deranged
>
E: William would be happy to take down Cyberdoom - one less tech villain at
large is a great blessing to the rest of the world.
Greg
OOC: CyberDoom: Agree we should hit him now, but potentially circle back to
these islands after we deal with him and Dr. A.
>
F: Re: CP's -
Greg
OOC: Tom: We can deal with this off line
this next month, but here are some questions and thoughts I had on M.I.S.H.A.'s
advancement.
Aside
from the above cyber link, since M.I.S.H.A. is a drone, I'm interested in Demy
using his CP's for gaining Heightened Senses in the following manner:
Gain
the following Senses (1 CPs +1 Permanent CP for each sense = 8 CP's?): Light,
Infrared; Light, Ultraviolet; X-Rays; and Radiation. Tom, is it safe to assume she has Default
Senses at least on the Basic level? (pg. 46) Let me know your thoughts on this
as I'm sure these will need to be picked up over time and need to raise my
permanent CP score equal to what is necessary for the additional CP's spent,
right?
Sensory
Level: Can you clarify if an increase from Basic to Full or Full to Analytical
is required for Vision and Hearing if I want I want to raise her levels in both
of these?
Modifier:
Telescopic: Is the cost adjustment on the first column of the table on page 48
representative of the number of CPs needed to add this based on the level of
magnification desired?
Greg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom, sorry if this is late, but I wanted to
add.
Hearing
Demmy's question about the reasoning behind MISHA's reactions to the slam
robots, he will analyze to see if anything about it was proprietary I.P. of
Vanguard. If it is he will relay the information to the group.
Jamey
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No problem on the responses. I have started
working on the bigger parts of the responses but there is still plenty of time
to incorporate Greg and Jamey's responses.
Thanks
Tom
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
