Patched UpKatherine moved over to Angus. Looking at the wound, she realized the chance of infection was minimal. The brutish beast had simply crushed his mask, and the edges of the mask had cut Angus. She sterilized the wound and, using surgical needle and thread, sewed him together. Then she moved over to the newly landed Mortimer. The Assault Armor had taken the brunt of the beating, and she gave him what treatment she could. His wounds were not severe.
Angus ran back to the armory and retrieved a new mask. He looked at the destroyed one and decided it would be best if they had spare armor in the Mary Sue.
***
The Control RoomPhil approached the console in the second control room. Just like the previous one, this room had a view over the launch silo where Mortimer performed his antics. As Phil sat down, a familiar female voice spake in Russian.
"Имя и звание?"
"Mary? Do you have a translator?", Phil said.
"Name and rank, Phil. It means name and rank", Angus interjected.
OOC: Intellect 11 - 13 = +1 language. Intellect 13-15 = +2 languages. Intellect 16+ = +3 languages"What was that commander's name again?", Katherine wondered.
"Nevermind, I'll hack the thing!", Angus said, quickly sitting down in the console operator's chair.
1. Open Silo Gates
2. Access Video Logs
3. Internal CCTV Systems
4. External CCTV Systems
5. Door Controls***
Mortimer Flies AgainThe time had come for the blue button, and Mortimer stood ready for anything. Just as he pressed the button, his rockets became silent and the wings of the rocketpack extended to double their length. Mortimer realized he had discovered some sort of glide function. Now he knew that the green button was a rocket booster, the red button was the shutdown button, and the blue button was glide mode.
***
Surveilling the Facility via CCTV"Screw it, Cap! I'll just connect the Mary Sue!", Angus said. Then he patched her in using his mobile.
" Hello Angus. What do you want me to do for you today?", Mary Sue said in her usual husky voice.
"Whatever Captain Phil tells you baby", Angus replied.
"Ah, our powerful Captain. How can I help you, Captain Marion?", Mary Sue said.
"Please review available video for all enemies, then inventory available systems, weapons and stores", The captain answered.
It took a short while, then Mary Sue started to speak once again.
"All facility levels but one are clear. I am simultanously watching 16 surveillance cameras, Captain Phil. Enemy presence in 3 rooms, all on sublevel -3"
"That's neat, Mary Sue. Now, tell me where I can find the Power suit per Katherines description!"
"Captain, I am somewhat troubled. There seems to be another AI here. She is currently... She is currently occupying the Powered Armor, Sir", Mary Sue sounded genuinely troubled.
Katherine Bradshaw-Brennan interrupted the Captain. "Is she connected to the system, Mary Sue? And is Berthold still in his box?"
"Doctor Bradshaw-Brennan. I am happy to report that the molecular freeze was successful within 30 minutes. His transformation is underway, but he is now in cryostasis. As for the hostile AI, Not at the moment, but I see traces of her all over. It seems that she prefers the armor, as she is there for extended periods of time. Her name is... Ekaterina"
***
Return of Sandra van de WielSandra van de Wiel returned. She was distraught and tried to parlay with the refugees. Doctor Katherine Bradshaw-Brennan tried to parlay, but the cyborg invoked the first directive, a command from The Master of the Observatory, Deckard Daniels. She explained how she had endured for several hundred years, exchaning organ after organ with machine parts. In the end even her brain had to be exchanged, and her personality was uploaded and made into an AI. Sandra then pushed her face to the side and showed them a clockwork machinery.
Having failed to convince Sandra to stand down, Sandra started to break down the side entrance door to the facility. The party saw no other option than to man the Mary Sue. Quickly navigating out of the silo, Angus fired upon the elusive cyborg, now fully cloaked, with Mary Sue's gattling.
The cyborg didn't stand a chance, and Rebecca landed the spacecraft in the deep Ural snow. Running out she found the torn of head of Sandra, crying, synthetic tears running down her face. They had discovered that Sandra was the one that engineered them, and Rebecca insisted they bring her along. Sandra begged Rebecca to retrieve her still human heart from the robotic torso, and Rebecca retrieved a beating human heart, suspended midair in a bluish bulletproof container.
***
Defeat of the EnclaveWhile Phil, Mortimer and Angus left to loot the facility, Rebecca and Katherine spoke to Ekaterina, the facility AI, through the comms. It was a lengthy debate on what Ekaterina wanted, which was to preserve all things Russian, and what was truly Russian.
After a long, long debate, Katherine convinced the AI that the G'Kraun were no longer Russian.
The comms were full of inhuman screams as the Red Powered Armor butchered the G'Kraun.
The Powered Armor then took the elevator up, and Katherine waited with her taser as Rebecca, displaying a courage hitherto unseen, talked and reasoned with the AI.
In the end they convinced the AI that since the Russian state was broken, anyone could be made Russian, and Ekaterina then freed Mary Sue, uploaded Russian lessons into the ships database and boarded the Mary Sue; the protector of the Russian state reborn.
***
Loot, Loot, Loot!Meanwhile Angus, Phil and Mortimer looted the facility. In the end they arrived with way too much loot, as Mary Sue's carrying capacity was severely diminished by the hulking powered armor that was Ekaterina.
The ships manifest was then updated, and now holds the current inventory.
***
SkyborneTraveling from the Urals, Angus and Mortimer found a new delight.
They asked Mary Sue to lower her cargo ramp, mid-flight, and with the rocket backpacks on they ran down the ramp and jumped out of the plane.
Free-falling, diving and performing acrobatics they started a new trend.
OOC: Anyone in the group that participated in the skydiving with rocketpacks, get a +10 to pilot.After a nearly fatal incident, Mortimer, the most enthusiastic of them all, discovered that the backpacks ran on gasoline, and that they flew an hour on 10 litres. The backpacks hold a maximum of 20 litres of gas.
***
KaliningradEkaterina, even more bossy than Katherine, forced the Mary Sue down in Kaliningrad. After the docking procedure, she disabled Mary Sue and said she would enable her again as soon as she was ready to renew her rebuild of proud Russia.
Meanwhile the party was "told" by Ekaterina that they needed Russian lessons, except Angus, her pride and joy and full member of Neo-Russia. Angus, speaking fluent Russian, was let out to do as he pleased, and even Captain Phil had to sit down and learn Russian.
OOC:
Everybody now has the Perk "Citizen of Neo-Russia". The perk gives them Russian as a spoken language. Half a year has gone by now. No sign of the scientists, no sign of Mary Sue reawakening. They spend their days in the old stock exchange, which Mary Sue is parked on top of.
Half a year has gone by. The characters have spent their days working and slaving, Ekaterina no different a tyrant than the Scientists once were. Well, Ekaterina does not abuse them, but is more like a stern matron, and she wanders the streets, patrolling and talking to the populace, who are very happy now that raiders and G'Kraun no longer harass the city.
OOC:
The party earns 25 skill points for staying a half year in Kaliningrad.
The party earns 1 fate point each for their success in the Ural Mountains.
The party earns one perk each for their success in Chapter 1, as follows:
Mortimer:
Strengthened Claws - His mutation evolving, Mortimer now has long sharp lizard claws. He can use these claws in melee and they rake the enemy for 1d6 damage, plus any damage bonus.
Gung-Ho - Mortimer's reckless trials with rocketpacks has made him fearless when it comes to flying. He is +10 pilot when flying solo using the rocketpacks.
Katherine:
Agent Provocateur - Katherine is skilled in subverting the enemy and creating dissension within enemy ranks. Her skill in divide and conquer earns her a +15 Communication whenever she is trying to agitate people into dissent.
Angus:
Adrenaline Junkie - His rocketpack acrobatics has made Angus addicted to adrenaline. His skydives followed by grenade-tossing and rocketing back to the skies has made him the terror of raiders all around Kaliningrad. His skilled use of the rocketpacks has made him +10 pilot, close combat and small guns - only when he is airborne using his rocketpacks.
Phil:
Denial - Phil's ability to put any negative comment behind him, or in fact completely suppress it, is legendary. Phil is immune to fear as a result, as anything that scares him is simply suppressed and forgotten. Phil is thereby immune to: Fear, insanity and logic.
Rebecca:
Champion of Gaia - Rebecca has found strength where there previously was none. Infuriated by the scientist's words, and truly feeling for Gaia, she will find courage and words where the revival of Earth is concerned. She gets +15 Communication, and social courage, when she is fighting for her ideals.
