You are a strange creature, capable of taking over other lifeforms to serve as your vessel and turning them into biological engines of war. Your current host, Jack Winters, was unbeknownst to you a drug addict, and overdosed on speedball. To survive, you bonded with him, but this damaged you, leaving you separated from the bodysnatcher command structure. An individual by accident, you are hunted by the cyborg aliens and your own kin, allied out of necessity with the century spanning conspiracy the Wise, and their many forces.

You recieved shocking news: the Wise have gone off the grid, Eliah has likely died in the release of the Origin Virus that leveled Seoul and it's immediate surroundings, and the conventional forces of the Wise are down to one third, with many of the missing likely working for the enemy. Before you could leave to involve yourself, Daisy reveals that she can approximate the bodysnatcher Queens' locations.

Jacobs looks at the printed maps in his hands, eyes wide in disbelief. Four little thumbtacks, each marking a city, a Queen. Los Angeles. Hamburg. Beijing. Saint Petersburg. Daisy couldn't mark them accurately, but managed to narrow it down to a few bloc radius. "This... you two might have just won us the war. But, I'm not sure if this is information that I'd like to share with Black Crown Three. She'd order us to immediately fire our Orbital Kinetic Bombardment Platforms. The death toll would be monstrous. Millions." He runs a hand through his cropped-short hair, cold sweat running down his scalp.

"I don't know if I have what it takes to decide on this. If I circumvented Black Crown Three, and called together a meeting of all personel with high enough clearance... no, that wouldn't work, we'd argue for hours, days even. We have to act now." He looks up at you, his eyes desperate, and grits his teeth, the admission paining him. "Please, tell me you have some other solution. I was never trained for this, I'm a field agent, an investigator and covert operative, not a general. But the two that outrank me are scientist, even less suited for the task. There's so few of us left..."

Wat say/do?

The only response last week was Magus O'Grady's post, with one anon supporting him.

" I say we put together an 'off the book' strike force and slip in quiet-like. We go in, projecting the image of the xeno-trees to the queens. See how the first queen reacts (I vote St. Petersburg first). If that calms them down and lets them listen to reason (or better yet, listen to us), then we call off the war and send them elsewhere. If not, then we bring in the cavalry. We fight our way out while Cath and the Canes Belii troops fight their way in. The Snatchers that get caught between us are crushed, and then we run the queen to ground and feast. Rinse/repeat as needed for the other queens."

Reporting in.
Magus' course of action seems reasonable. I wonder why Daisy wasn't able to detect Queens before, but currently we have bigger problems. Either we pull some epic plot twist on everyone, or we're fucked. This is war, and we can't win alone.

>>16604950
Hey, glad to have you back.

I'm sorry, but I can't join for the next two or three hours. If you're still here by then, I'll be game.

Still reading up on yesterday's Breaker Quest, be with you in 20.

>>16604972
There is only one tactic that promises decisive victory. It is called STEEL RAIN!
I've been out a little. Do the Wise even have effective anti bodysnatcher arms?

I STILL day we try to make our supersoldier race.

"I'd like to lead a strike team to one of the Queens before we do something drastic. St. Petersburg first. I might have something that could pacify them, and worst case scenario, with a help from Catherine and some Canes Belli I can take it out without anywhere near as much collateral damage." "Really. That sounds perfect. I'll organise it right now. Ah, Michael, perfect, did you finish restoring the weapon Mister Winters used?" The techinican who just popped his head through the door steps in, a little nervous. "Well, of course, we finished it yesterday night. We put all the things from last time into it. If there's anything else you might need Jack, tell me, and we'll try to make it happen." Jacobs nods at the two of you, heading towards the door. "We should be ready to go in two hours at the most. Sort it out by then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I-" You feel a disturbance in the mind-link, not far from here, the lobby if you guess right. A moment later, it is followed by an alarm going off, a female voice through the PA system echoing through the halls. "All combat personel to their positions, two unidentified intruders in the main lobby. This is not a drill. I repeat, all..."

The center of the distrubance moves closer fast, descending quickly, and as you rush out, impact shakes the elevator doors that are torn apart a second later. Two figures step out, Cath and Eliah Gough. But no, it's not them. They are slightly different, enough to make you hesitate for a moment. The cyborg is no longer solid metal, instead a shifting mass, it's back sprouting a tangle of machinery and tentacles. The woman's cheekbones are higher, her face more pointed, curves less pronounced than Catherine's. Her eyesockets house a dozen sensors, and her skin is blotted with moving patches of black, the steel mesh revelead under the skin. She's barefoot, wearing nothing more than white pants and an unbuttoned black sportsjacket.

>>16605377
The woman smiles as she sees you, lifting the ragged rosebush, torn out roots and all, in front of her.
Ja̕c̷k͝.͏ I w͏a͏s҉ j̶us̸t͠ comíng̴ ̴t͟o ̴s̴e̶e͟ y̛o͏u. ̶I, ̶I͢ ͢broug͠ḩt ̀yo̸u̢ flow͏e̛rs̷.̡
She blushes, your heightened sight revealing that it's caused by a set of red LEDs going off underneath the skin.

>>16605383
Well shit.

Attempt two.


J̗͇̔̐ͥ̽̒ͨͭa̻c͙͉̮̃̾k͙͉̱̅̿́ͪͅ.̲̘͇̮̍̓̋ͮ̔ I̗̭̘̲̮̮̞͌̔͋̐̍̄̚ ̠͕͙ͩ̓̓͛w̯̼̯͗̊ͤ̄̒ḁ̳ͨ̅͊̌ŝ̤͋̽̏ͤ ̮̺͉̆ͣ̌ͩ̍͛ͭjͦ̊͌̈́ṵ̇̓s͔͎̮͇̀ͅṫ̻̺͔̤̲̮͛̊͗ͦ ̬̳͕̟̪͈ͬ̐̚c͎̮̭͇͆͒ọ͙̤̞̥ͣ̓̍̾̓̋ͤm͔̤̖͓͚̤̞̄ͧĩń̯̃̃̆̽gͧ̄̌̊
̰̹ͪ͑̌ ̭̲͗ͥt̗̳̘̮͉̰o̰͓̞̲ͪ̐̾̇ ͈̬̗̩̓ͤ͌ͪ̈̍s͕̳̠͂̎̔ê͙̦̝̹̍e͕ ͈̞̩ͦͬ͒̐ͩy̻̣̯͇̘̫ͨͤͅǒ̟͉̰͓̣͕̑ṳ͖ͫ̓̽̄.̞̩͙̩̺̟͚ͦ̔̅ͪͦ͑̚ ͕̤̰̹ͅȈ̞̱̝̙͛̔ͥͩ̈́̚,͙̞̝̻͕̖̼̀͋ͥͫ̏ ̭̫̲̼̠̬͌̒Ĩ̬̙͙ͮ̓͌̂̚ͅ ̗̝̣̯̭ͭ͋̇̌ͮb͖̺̣̤̗͍͚ͯ̔̀͆r͇̖̱͇̾̓͑̇ȯ͇̝̞̹͙̼̏ͨ͂ͯu̙̺̼ͦ͐̑̍ͅ
̻g̲̰͓͈͚ͫ͂̏͊͊̊ͣh̤͕̮̊̊̑̿̚t̊ͅ ̼̪̰̩̲͍͆̈ͅy͙̥͋o̳u̬̻̞̘͔ ͕̱̙̻̾̌̍͊͌̓ͩͅf̬ͮ͋l̳͛̂̽̉oͫ͌̎̈wͪ̆̒͂ͭͨ̚e̮͋̃̆̚r̒s͔̼̠̙ͭ͋̎̇ͅ.
̩͍̬̇͒

>>16605275
>Do the Wise even have effective anti bodysnatcher arms?
Yes, but the Hunters still are way above their league.

>STEEL RAIN
We want the Queen alive, either for info or absorbtion. And we don't want to destroy the city.

>>16605331
If we absorb the Queen, this may be possible. Who knows?

>>16605389
>>16605383
Third time's the charm.


J̠a̖̯c̜k. ͔̞̳̥I͈̭̦͎̫̥̗ ̬̞̬̗̘w̲̖̥a̜̗͕̘̞̲̯ṣ̹̝ ̟̺̪j̝͙̹̫̯͕͍u̥̩̳͔̠͚͚st͔̮̘̥ͅ ͔͖͔̭̙c̝͎͈̻̳o̙̱̥͎ͅm̺͉i̥̙̬͇n̮̰̯g t̟͔͈o ̮̳̱͙̙̖s̯e̮e̗ ͕̝̺y̖̝̭̞͔o̳̫͈̰̦̱u̼.̦̱͉ ̺̻̮̼͙I͇̙̪͕̻̩͎,̜͙̫͎͔ ͚͓̦̝̬̬I̮ ̺͉̭̭b̞̪̘͉̼r̙̯͓o̪͓̥u̦͔̳̯̯̰̰gh̥͈̝t̠ ̣͚͍y͖͎̻̙̖͔͇o͕͖͇͕̤u̮̻̜̦͖̠ ̻͇f͔̣̜̝͚l̲̭̮ow̜̤̯̠e̼̤̤̱̝r̼̘̠͇̪̝̭

>>16605383
theres really only one response here.

"WHAT THE FUCKING SHITFUCK IS THAT?!"

>>16605406
I give up. Anyways, sorry for the slow response, took a shower after waiting for ten minutes, and it was a bitch to figure out where I could continue from, since the field was too long here >>16605377

>>16605397
Steel Rain is an orbital insertion tactic.
So basically shooting us and Cath into the heart of it to do whatever.
But I imagine they lack drop pods.

>>16605377
>>16605383
What the shit.
Wait. Is that Anne? And where is Catherine anyway?

>>16605397
Why do we need to absorb a queen? We can still infect people, and thanks to our mutations, our spawn just might be loyal to us and not the other snatchers..and then we have backup..and raise the chances of the planet surviving exponentially.

Any reactions beyond WHATISHAPPENING/NOOOOOOPE?

>>16605452
The distortion the two in front of you emit is making it hard to be sure, but you think Catherine is smashing her way down from the suite at the moment. And as far as you can tell, it's not her sister either, she looks a little different and her hair is dyed black, the cyborg woman has blonde hair that's just like Cath's in every way.

>>16605509
"Who- no. What are you? Is this a declaration of war? A clumsy attempt of diplomacy? Answer, cyborg!"

Wait for an answer, ready to react to what comes next. This could mean pretty much anything up until now.

>>16605544
We could also ask Eliah what is he doing here. But yeah, try to find out what the hell is going on and be ready for anything.

>>16605588
I actually think these are some kind of copies, hastily slapped together to make contact with us. I just don't see the purpose.

"Who- no. What are you? Is this a declaration of war? A clumsy attempt of diplomacy? Answer, cyborg!" The woman takes a step back and drops the bush on the ground, surprised, but answers while looking at the floor, her voice a little more human. "Of course, you don't remember me like this. We met in Finnland, two days ago. We fought, and you beat me. I'm grateful, if it wasn't for you, I would've exectued my programming and expired afterwards." She raises her head, beaming at you. It doesn't really help that her teeth, human teeth, are polishes black steel. "I retreated, and rebuilt. I owe you my life. A-and it's not like we're here to fight you, I came to help, and he didn't have anywhere else to go." she says, jabbing a finger at the inhuman figure by her side.

" I hope that you don't mind us just barging in like this, but I really wanted to meet you again." She twirls her hair with a finger, smiling bashfully. The Eliah-like cyborg beside her makes a disgusted sound, and steps forward, bowing it's head slightly.


WE͢ ̨A̡R̶E ̨W̸HA̧T ̵YOU ̷ÇĄL̸L ͢T̵HE O͠RIGI͡N̨ ҉V҉IR̕US:͏ WE̸ ̷O̴WE̡ ̴OUŔ E͟X̛IS͢TENCE ͝TO YOU,̴ ́AN̨D ͏W͘OULD A̶S̨K͢ T̵O̧ B҉E ͞ALLOWED ͞TO F̧IGH̀T҉ A̴S ̨W͢ELL.

>>16605712
> Moe A.I.
I love you.

*tilt head to the side* "Ok, you're welcome. Whatever. Smashing through the roof and want to help."

>>16605712
oh shit.

the origin virus is..loyal to us.

Super soldier race is go

>>16605712
"What exactly are you capable of? why would I want to keep the force that could potentially swallow the plane anywhere near me?"

>>16605814
*planet

You cross your arms in front of your chest, and tilt your head a little. "Ok, you're welcome. Whatever. Smashing through the roof and wanting to help. But what exactly are you capable of? why would I want to keep the force that could potentially swallow the planet anywhere near me?"

W̷E͘ AR͟E̛ S̛TABL̕E. ̶IF͏ ONE͘ WÈRE̵ ̀TO D͡E͝F̨I̴ŅE̛ ͢OU͏R CAP͢A̷BILITI͝E͜S,͠ ẀE͜ ̡C͏OUL̸D͞ BE B͠E̷S͠T ͜DE̶SC͞RI̴BED AS҉ AK̡IN ̶TO ͘M̧ISS͞ A̡BBȨY.̴

The woman nods enthusiastically. "She is what allowed us to be like this. We are meant to adapt to threats and communicate solutions. While she exists, her structural template is what we strive to copy. We're all a little different. I had to deal with the liquid you, ahem, injected into me, and he had to survive the divine machine's attack under Seoul." Catherine chooses this moment to burst through from the level above, concrete showering around her changed battle form, the one you saw when you brought her back to her senses.

She stops dead for a moment though, trying to make sense of the scene in front of her, her confusion only growing when the cyborg woman's leap ends with her embracing Cath. "Sister! So good to see you!"

You can see dozens of weapon systems, from close combat to anti-armor and artillery types revving up, and you catch a message through the mind-link. "Jack, what the HELL IS GOING ON?"

>>16605903
fluid? what fluid?

also, "Oh well, apparently, these two are the origin virus, and they apparently want to help us."

Oh it is SO cybersnatcher master race time.

>>16605932
At the end of the battle, you unleashed bodysnatcher cells primed to attack Origin Virus cells into the infected HK. I interpret that as a fluid more than a solid material, but correct me if I'm wrong and there's a more sensible way to flood a machine with cells.

>>16605993
oh yeah, I forgot about that. We should probably ask if those are still, you know, active.

>>16604950
Holy crap you're back. Catching up now.

>>16605903
"Whoa, hold it, Cath! She may be a little inapt, but she appears to be well-meaning. Now retract those guns."

>>16606073
Almost meta'd this hard with Animé comparisons.

You send a surge through the mind-link, hoping to bypass the distortion. „Whoa, stand down Cath, they’re friendlies. They’re the Origin Virus, they’re like you now. They want to help.” She seems to recieve it, as the plethora of weapons sink back into her body. She’s still tense, but that’s not all that suprising. „What do you mean ’sister’?” The cyborg woman steps back, hands calsped together behind her back, fidgeting for a moment before answering. „Well, I modeled myself after you. And mother sounds weird, since we look the same, and share a...” quick glance at you ” common interest.” „Oh. HEY.”

Before she has time to continue, the inhuman cyborg’s head snaps back, looking at the roof.

NO͠ T͜I͡ME͟ ̸FOR̨ ͡B̶ICK̨ER̕I͡NG. ̀T͞H͝E ͟S͝I͞T͘E͟ H͝AS̵ BEEN ͜N̴ÓT͢ICE̴D҉. ͏E̶XPE҉CT̵ ͟A̶ STR̀IK̕E I̶N TWO͝ ͢MI̴NUTES̡, ҉GŖO͢UND FO̴R̸C̛ES. ͞C͏Y̢B͝O͢RGS͘. I ADV̴I̶SE͟ E͡V́A҉CU҉ATI͝ON.

>>16605903

>>16606292
Sorry about the speed, but I had to accept that I need more fiber in my diet, and as a consequence, that my hemorrhoids are back. I don't really want to say more about it.

I'll try to build up some speed.

>>16606292
Fuck. Tell Jacobs to begin evacuation of this site ASAP. Priority on vital equipment and personel (Obviously) and for everybody else to gear up for combat. Tell Daisy over mindlink to get her and Kellery moving.

We'll help buy time.

>>16606292
Great. Ask our two new arrivels if they can do anything to delay the cyborgs without attacking them. They should have quite the insight into their ecm defences etc.

>divine machine's attack under Seoul
Could they expand on that? Did Eliah Gough survive?

>Incoming attack
Have them fall back to an abandoned office building not owned by the wise, or an abandoned supermarket or anything large enough. Something that won't be on the traitor's maps.
Help with moving large hardware, so we can save the important stuff like lab equipment or databanks.

Before that, give the two a handshake. Nice to have them on the team.

„Let’s get moving then. Jacobs.” He already has his phone in his hand.” On it. Code Blue 14. Now.” The PA system echoes him after a moment, and you turn back to the cyborgs as technicians, scientists and soldiers make a run for the stairs. „Could you two slow them down without directly attacking them?” „Sure! We’ll be right on it.” The mind-link fills with fragments of data seeping from their connections, and you grab the tall cyborg’s hand. „Welcome to the team. It’s good to have yo-ungh-” The woman, more of a girl now that you have time to look at ther better, takes the handshake as an oppurtinity to hug you with enough force to crush a normal human’s bones. „Ahaha. Ha. We’ll meet up top.” You peel her off of you under Cath’s icy glare, and hurry to the ruined elevator, flying up the shaft with Catherine in tow.

People start piling into VTOLs and trucks in orderly fashion, everyone knowing where to go. They clear off fast, but the lights of four HK and a dozen dropships are visible by the time they finish. The inhuman cyborg walks out from the now empty building, the girl following him with a skip in her step.

WE̢ ÁRE ̴RE̢A͢DY̛.͟ ̴WHAT͝ ͏A̴R̨E TH̵E̴ ͜RUL͡ĘS͏ ҉O͟F͠ ̛EN͟GAGEM͜EN͏T̀?

The Cath lookalike helpfully chimes in. "He means what's the plan. What's the plan? If it's no trouble telling us." She's excited, hopping up and down in place a little, her toes never leaving the ground.

>>16606731
Look to Cath. "Are you as weirded out as I am right now?"

ROE: Minimise civilian casulties. As long as it doesnt irradiate the area anything goes.

>>16606731
Could we try to establish a secure link with Cath and the two new ones?

"Yeah, first of all, I would like to know your names."
-Try to keep the enemy away from the evacuees and the building as long as possible.
-Can we form some kind of com-link with the three cyborgs.
-Minimise any colleteral damage.
-Let the three decided on the exact tactics. They now our enemy much better than we do.

>>16606893
here, where the hell is everyone else? Did we all decide to go for an evening run at the same time?

>>16606913
I honestly hate the Wednesday timeslot. It's really impractical for me.

>>16606895
"We don't really have any. I couldn't decide on one, and he didn't really have the time to think about one yet."

>name time!

>>16607042
"Wow. That's a lot of responsibility. I've always liked Victoria and as Catherine is already taken, I'd like to think it's one of the best choices there are. In the men's department, I've always been a fan of Winston. Don't see it as something necessarily permanent though, I'd love you to choose your names ones you've got the time to put some research and thought into it."

"Wow. That's a lot of responsibility. I've always liked Victoria and as Catherine is already taken, I'd like to think it's one of the best choices there are. In the men's department, I've always been a fan of Winston. Don't see it as something necessarily permanent though, I'd love you to choose your names ones you've got the time to put some research and thought into it." „Victoria! I like it!” She giggles and twirls around on her toes, one leg extended behind her in the air like a ballerina.

IT̸ ҉I̸S AS GO̡OD͠ AS ̀AN͢Y͜.

„Okay then. I’d like to establish a communication link with the three of you. Can it be done?”

OF̕ COU҉R̡SE̶.̸ ͞ALLOW̢ ̕ME̕.

The distortion clears some, and you can feel a constant strem of information coming from the hybrids towards you, a bastardised version of the mind-link. „Good. Our first priority is to keep collateral to a minimum. Besides that, I’ll deferr to you, as I have less knowledge about our enemies.” Cath turns her head a little, breaking the fixed gaze she held on the incoming cyborgs. „The dropships have no shields. Someone should take them down first, while the rest take down the force fields for you.” The girl waves a hand in the air. „Ooooh, oooh, let me! I’ll take down the dropships.” You roll your shoulders, and allow yourself a grin. „Allright then, let’s do this.”

You leap into the air, morphing armour, jets and wings, blasting off towards the incoming fliers. The hybrids follow, each of their propulsion systems a little different. Catherine has her thrusters on her back, the Winston simply opens up in places, revealing the concave dishes concealed inside it and Victoria sprouts spidery many-jointed limbs, some of them with the cyborg engines on their ends.

Soaring through the early evening sky, you watch as the girl opens fire on the dropships, the immense energy cannons she first attacked you with formed by three of her thin metal limbs fusing. The blindingly bright discharges vaporise hull, engine and cargo with the same ease, and two dropships turn into so much flaming junk in a flash. Cath follows suit with her own mixed weapons, bombarding an HK, while the hulking hybrid’s body flows and twists, thick flat-ended spikes and exhaust ports forming on it’s shoulders, hands turning into guns with slender elongated barrels, a stream of metal darts flying out from them.

While they lay down supressive fire, you dodge the incoming energy lances, noticing that two HKs have lost their shields.

>rolls please

>>16607395
>rolls please

Sorry, I've got to ask: What kind of rolls, exactly?

>>16607413
1d100, higher the better.
Or if that's not what you are asking, then chalk it up to me hurrying and leaving out the wat do.

rolled 21 = 21

>>16607395
Well, let's after the two HKs our allies have managed to weaken.

"I've always had problems with those guys, any advice on how to disable them efficiently?"

rolled 57 = 57

>>16607557
>21
;_;

rolled 90 = 90

>>16607557
>>16607565
Last try.

>>16607395
>Participation
Wednesday seems to be a rather unfortunate time for the other regulars. Any chance of moving time slots? I doubt I'll be able to keep showing up during the week as the semester progresses either.

>>16607599
To be honest, I was thinking about moving it as well, for the same reasons you might have difficulties participating. But the way my schedule goes, I only have wednesday, friday and saturday reliably open. So the most I could do is maybe have one longer quest, with mostly the europeans at the start and the overseas players at the end.

Maybe things will change, but for now, that seems to be the only option if I keep running both quests.

>>16607628
Well, I'd favour Friday for BQ, as I'm pretty sure I'll be unable to attend any session on Wednesday, at the latest starting two weeks from now.

>Maybe things will change, but for now, that seems to be the only option if I keep running both quests.
Well, I hope you do. If today's session any indication, the hiatus really worked out for the quest.

>>16607727
Thanks.

And since it seems like you're the only one here, and I haven't quite managed to sleep for more than four hours at a time for, what, the last four days, I will end it here tonight. I'll arhcive in a minute, and Bodysnatcher Quest will be back on Friday, not quite as horribly late and hopefully at a better pace after a good night's rest.

>>16607825
Great. Take care!

Archived:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Brain%20In%20A%20Jar

And I'm off.