Boom. You, CPO Kukyendall, are shaken badly. Another explosion reverberates through the building, carrying a blast wave with it. Waiting for repairs on the USS Triton to be completed before joining her sister ships at Wake Island, you were assigned to odd jobs around the base, mostly training, prepping, and conditioning of both men and equipment for the Navy. Now, however, total hell has broken loose. "Petty Officer Kukyendall, Skipper's on the line! You are to get down to the boat immediately!" came a cry. You're not quite sure how this desk jockey managed to find you in this maelstrom of steel, paper, and people, but his dedication is admirable. "I thought it still had problems with the engines!?" you yell back. Problems just as it arrived prompted the last-minute change in plans for the Tambor-class sub. "Doesn't matter! If it doesn't get under way, there might not be any engines to worry about! Besides, most of the repairs were completed last night, I filed the papers myself!" "Understood!" You pop a salute in the general direction of the voice, and break out of the building. Overhead a massive swarm of aircraft the likes of which you've never seen before is wreaking havoc on the base. They're obviously not Japanese. You hope. Giving your best sprint, you head down to the docks where the Triton is waiting.
>>19129078"Petty Officer!" acknowledges the watchman, popping a salute. You return it. "What the hell is going on?" you demand. "No idea, Comman-" A massive explosion erupts overhead, wreckage falling down not a hundred feet distant. The two of you glance overhead, expecting to see American fighters struggling with the sudden assault. You're not disappointed, but you are surprised. "The hell? Those aren't ours!" The watchman is right. Out of nowhere, the furball has been joined by an impressive number of decidedly more human craft. As they fly through the swarm from a fresh direction, you can spot the tell-tale sign of magic sparking through the air. The Japanese have arrived. "They're not shooting us, right? I'll take whoever we can get!" you yell, and hop on board the sub. The Japs I could have understood, you think, trying to make sense of the attack. What the hell did we do to these other guys? With a jolt, you awake. Right in front of your face is Socks, the Martian who has been your...caretaker...for the past week or so. And he seems curious.>What do?
>>19129081get crushed while stuck in a torpedo tube while your submarine you are launching from sinks to the bottom of the depths
>>19129098>Panzerhexen
>>19129081Make eye-analogue contact. Stare. Radiate intense suspicion.
>>19129107>>19129081Make eye-analogue contact. Stare. Radiate intense suspicion.
>>19129081Check to make sure that other captured witch isn't dead, then see what Socks wants.
Horishet!!! Uboot-Hexen!!!
>>19129104Find some way to start fucking shit up
>>19129198I agree with this gentlemen, let us fuck shit up
>>19129107Pretty much this. See if Caulders is awake.
>>19129302seconding
>>19129081 You take a deep breath, trying to fight down the urge to sock Socks right in the head. This creepy alien helped save Caulders, and he's your ticket out of here. Speaking of Caulders...you look over to check on her. She's still asleep, looking uncomfortable in the mixed rags and remnants of sliced equipment she was wearing during the attack. She rolls over...and falls out of "bed." "Ow..." she says as she wakes. "Oh, um...am I interrupting anything?" she asks, looking at you and Socks. Satisfied that she's still breathing, you return your gaze to the alien in the room. He appears to have some sort of head gear, what might be a miniature microphone slung forward in front of his mouth. As you stare him down, he keeps a straight face. "Guys? If you're having a moment, you might want to try and find another room..." At this, Socks turns away from you and stares at the wall. It suddenly becomes transparent, revealing a trio of armed guards and one important-looking Martian. After a few seconds, a filtered voice (if you could call it that) comes from the walls, speaking in a bizarre collection of sounds that you can only assume is the Martians' language. Though you have no real issue with it, you are suddenly filled with great anger and annoyance. You realize now that Socks is doing that...thing again, linking his and your minds somehow.
>>19129371Test it. See if it works both ways, see if you can communicate general concepts (Annoyance, suspicion, etc) or even full blown words and sentences. And do it semi-fast - You don't know how long he's going to do this.
>>19129371Let's think of something he hates while we greet our visitors.
>>19129371 "Hey, Caulders," you begin. "Yeah?" "Do you have a particularly nasty urge to punch that alien behind the glass?" "Not particularly more than I want to punch any alien, no." Huh. So it's just you. Socks lets loose a torrent of what you think is Martian insults at the alien behind the glass. They go back and forth, their communication obviously becoming a heated argument. Anger and rage build, spilling over from Socks. It causes a physical reaction in you; adrenaline begins to flow, you clench your fists, and your breathing becomes more heavy. Worried, and needing a release from this emotion, you turn around and punch the transparent wall. "OW," you cry. It might look like glass, but it still feels like metal. Socks jumps, futilely nursing a tentacle as if he were the one that attacked the wall. The feeling of frustration recedes then is suddenly cut in half, Socks regaining his cool. With a few curt words, he turns from the alien in charge and looks at you.
>>19129371Think of punching martians. Think of crushing their reproductive organs with your magic. Think of eating delicious martian infants, and how they would probably taste good deep fried in fat and oil.
What are you doing not writing fapfiction Kotters
Headbutt the wall, see if it knocks him out.
>>19129468 He pulls a device out from god knows where and tosses it to you. It's rectangular, about the size of the palm of your hand. On it is a screen of some sort, with symbols and pictures you don't recognize. You turn the device over. The back also has a screen, though this one has what looks like readouts or technical specs. You look over at Caulders. "What the hell is this?" "How should I know? I'm still lost from the drama show you guys put on," she replies, shrugging. Ok. Not the smartest question you've asked. You turn back to Socks. The muted feels of annoyance return again with clarity, along with numerous other feelings and emotions you hadn't recognized. Socks has closed his eyes, apparently in concentration. Glancing back down at the device, you now recognize a few of the symbols and their meanings. Things like "Power," "Signal," "Transference," and the like dot the screen. You realize that he must have opened the link greatly. The peanut gallery beyond the wall seems to be watching and waiting.>Start touching buttons on the device>Try to send something back through the connection>Other
>Try to send something back through the connectionI'd like to know what exactly he wants us to do.
>Try to send something back through the connection>"Okay, but what does it /do/?"
>>19129566Dont fucking give them anything. Kill all of the bastards. This is a mind control device i swear.
>Try to send something back through the connectionSee if we can hold a conversation. If so, that makes everything easier.
>>19129078AH SHIT! WE'RE SUB SAMMICHES NOW!WE SAMMICHES BITCHES!
>>19129566DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING.[x] try to send something backBy 'something' I mean the device, and by 'try to send' I mean throw as hard as possible.
>>19129566 You decide to test the connection. So far you've managed to get vague senses and emotions from it, whatever it is, but now you're getting actual knowledge. There's no way the Martians are speaking English with another name; there's some sort of automatic "translation" going on here. Instead of playing with the device, you close your eyes and also try to focus. You find that directing your thoughts isn't difficult, owing to your experiences as a radio witch. In one, booming thought, you direct a question to Socks. "Who are you?" Instantly he erupts in confusion and fear, reeling back from your mind. He pulls back to defend his mind, but curiosity prevents him from cutting the connection. As if peeking over a wall, he waits for you to do something. You radiate reassurances, curiosity, and caution. After a few moments, you feel a response. "Who are you?" he asks. "I asked you first."
Keep this in mind guys - We're probably being studied. If we can communicate with the martians, then we can plumb socks for intel. And since he's a scientist, his concept of operational security is probably pretty bad.
>>19129768THIS! ALL OF MY THIS!
>>19129755 "...I am..." he replies, ending with nonsense sounds your mind can't interpret. You guess names have a problem with translation. Sensing your unease, he continues. "You can call me..." he reaches for anything you can toss him. You think of the name you've already been using for him. He must have missed the underlying meaning behind it, for he finishes with "Socks. This is easy for you, yes?" "Yeah, very," you reply. The two of you stay linked in silence. "And who are you?" "...Cleona." Martians must have a much easier time processing human sounds, as he doesn't raise any objections. Awkward silence again comes between the two of you, different species from different planets, captor and captured. Again, he is the first to break the silence. "...How is it that you can communicate with me? The others didn't respond like this.">Press him for information about your capture>Try to figure out how you might escape>Others?
>>19129844>Others?
>>19129844[x] Others?
>Others?Oh god why do they want to communicate with us
>>19129768Furthermore, Socks is probably going to be our main contact with the Martians. If we play our cards right, we might be able to get him at least sympathetic to us.At some point, we should probably ask him why the Martians are invading Earth. Even if they have a forward base on Luna, their logistics and supply chains are going to be horribly bad, so they've got to want whatever we have pretty badly.What is it? Why are you (Martians, not Socks) here? Why bother? Furthermore, why are you waging an interplanetary war on us instead of initiating trade?Is this entire war first-contact gone horribly horribly wrong?Put all that on a backburner though. We want to get to know Socks first.
>Others?It's probably because we're a radar witch - We have /something/ to start off with, whereas the "others" have fuckall. Don't reveal this yet.
"I saw... its thoughts. I saw what they're planning to do. They're like locusts. They're moving from planet to planet... their whole civilization. After they've consumed every natural resource they move on... and we're next. Nuke 'em. Let's nuke the bastards."
>>19129844 "Wait, others?" you ask. If there are others, you might need to re-think your escape plans. "Yes, others. Though your group is the first we've managed to..." he skirts around the word "capture," obviously uncomfortable with the specifics of the current situation. "We found a few of your comrades. Like your friend here, one of them didn't respond at all. The other we had limited success with, but-" Your eyes widen and you grab Socks. "YOU FOUND A FEW?" you scream at him. You realize you're no longer speaking through the connection as the room erupts in noise. Outside, you can see the Martian in charge begin squawking orders at the guards. The wall opens and they charge in, yelling warnings you can understand until Socks breaks off the link. They shove you against the wall and drag Socks out of the cell. After taking him out, they drop you on the floor. The wall closes and the window returns to its metal state. In just a few seconds, it's all over. Looking over at Caulders, you smile. "What the hell was that, Kukyendall?" she asks, bewildered. "There are others.">Hold off on the escape>Plan to rescue the others, but don't delay>Other
Ooh, this is getting exciting.Hold off on the escape until we can learn more, but keep a plan B in case an opportunity to escape arises.
>>19130072>otherTry to mind-meld with Caulders. If we can initiate a connection from our end, we might be able to use it offensively.It's not like we have any other weapons...
>>19130072Time to blow our own horn, thrice.Let's tell her about how we plan to get out and how we could possibly take the others with us.
>Hold off on the escapePlumb Socks for information
>>19130072 "Others? I know that, they just stormed the cell-" "No, not Martians, you idiot. Other witches." "What? How the hell do you figure that?" You spend the next few minutes explaining what happened to Caulders, talking about the link and how Socks used it to help save her life. With the link, you can talk with them, and Socks doesn't seem to be very tight-lipped. "How do you know he's not just leading us along?" she asks. It's a valid question. "When we're linked, it doesn't seem like he can hide his emotions. Either he lets them get through or we're not connected. I know this 'Psionic' stuff is a mystery, but it seems like we can't hide who we are when we're linked. When we were talking, I felt his fear, his desire to hide and cut it off...but I also felt his curiosity and discomfort. I don't think he'd try to lie, let alone succeed," you say. Caulders folders her arms, thinking. "Alright, let's say you're right. You can't hide what you're feeling from him. Is there any chance he figured out we plan to escape?" You shake your head. "Is there any chance he might not think we plan to escape? We're giving our enemies vital information just by being here. Even if he doesn't think we want to escape, you can bet some military bigwig does. Speaking of which, I don't think he's military."
>>19130299 Caulders widens her eyes. "What?" "When you're part of an organized fighting force, you think and act in a certain way. You're used to order, whether you're perpetuating or creating it. When you're fighting a war, you don't act like your enemies are people, even if you feel it deep down. I didn't sense anything like that from him. He couldn't even bring himself to say that we were captured." That would explain the freely-given information, now that you think about it. No military interrogator would let so much slip to prisoners of war, and he really had an issue with that Martian officer. "A civilian!? You're joking. Why would they send a civilian hurtling through space down here? It's a war zone, not a holiday spot." "I don't know. They're as much a mystery to me as they are to you. I'm just lucky enough, I guess, to have found a way to communicate." "Speaking of which..." Caulders begins. "Is it something only they can do? This linking. Now that you've felt it, can you open a link yourself?" That's an interesting question, you think. Linking helped focus your magic and gave you information and skills you didn't have before. If you could figure out how to do it yourself, the possibilities would be endless. No more misunderstandings, instant training and learning, silent communication... Then again, it could also be a problem. You nearly got lost in Socks' anger earlier, and what if he could force you to do actions through it?
>>19130386 "Well," you say, "why don't we try?" "Oh? On me? Um...." she says, having second thoughts at linking with you. "You're the one that wanted to try it out, Caulders." "Oh fine, let's try it. Not like you've got anyone else to talk to." Caulders closes her eyes, as if anticipating pain. Carefully, you try to recreate what it was like being linked with Socks. You try to reach out to Caulders' mind, focusing your thoughts and suddenly releasing them in a booming "Hello?" Caulders doesn't respond to your thoughts, and you feel a tad embarrassed. You didn't quite get it, instead accidentally shifting into the mindset you use when communicating via magic radio. Sighing, you try aga- "Hello!?" You blink. That didn't come from inside the room. That was another witch! "Who's there!?" you transmit. "Miranda Kellos! Oh my god, Cleo, is that you!?" Why hello there.>What do?
GET US OUT OF HERE
>>19130451Wait, who?See if we can connect to anyone else.
>>19130497>"...And this is Lt. Miranda Kellos. She'll be serving as Radio Witch for your missions. She'll be your only link to the Tullibee during missions, so try to get along."> Lt. Miranda Kellos was a young officer, radiating eagerness and potential. Kukyendall started to dismiss her out of hand as just another typical witch when Miranda spoke. > "CPO Kukyendall, I've heard about you from some of the enlisted personnel. I have to say I'm a little eager to be working with you. It may be a bit presumptuous of me, but I admire what I've heard of your work ethic," she said, holding out her hand.> Kukyendall blinked. Her work ethic? She just did what needed doing. If that made her impressive in the eyes of others... Kukyendall took a deep breath before responding, trying to decide if she should be happy at the compliment or annoyed with the apparent low standards to which others held themselves. Deciding the former, she took Miranda's hand and gave it a firm shake.> "I just do what we all should be doing. Nothing more and nothing less, Lt. Kellos."> "Then you're already ahead of most of us," Miranda replied. Surprised at such candid acknowledgment of laziness in some parts of the service, Kukyendall found a smile forming on her lips. > Well, she thought, I guess witches can't all be bad.
>>19130523Oh well you can't honestly expect us to remember every minor character, can you?I mean, you're probably just going to kill her off anyway, no point getting attached or anything.So, we're using radio powers rather than psychic link. Boooring. Let's see if we can get a signal boost and zorch some Martian brains.
>>19130581>Oh well you can't honestly expect us to remember every minor character, can you?I can.I don't.>I mean, you're probably just going to kill her off anyway, no point getting attached or anything.Oh you>So, we're using radio powers rather than psychic link. Boooring. Let's see if we can get a signal boost and zorch some Martian brains.That's Tesla's territory.
>>19130451Compare notes.
"Yes! Miranda, what are you doing here? I thought you were...you know..." you say, trailing off. "I thought you were out drifting in the middle of the ocean! Are you in a cell, too?" "Yeah, stuck in here with Lt. Caulders. Been payed a few visits by a Martian I socked in the face." "Oh, is that why he has a bandage on his head? I thought that was strange." "Haha, yeah. Anyway, I was just talking with him an-" "Talking!?" "Well, not quite, you see-" "Helloooo, are you done trying yet?" asks Caulders, bringing you back to reality. She's still patiently anticipating your linking with her, face scrunched up. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm done. I did manage to get a hold of Lt. Kellos, though." "WHAT!?" she yells, jumping to her feet. "She's alive!?" "Yeah, incredibly enough." "Oh, Cleo," comes Miranda. "Henrieta says 'hi' too."Next time, on Submersible Witches Quest: Jailbreak Pt 2 – We actually get to the jailbreak!I'll see you guys on Monday, at about 9 PM EST, 8 PM CST. Hope to see at least one person still following by then.
WHAT
>>19130679WAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
>>19130698WTF! MAN! WTF!
>>19130698>>19130731>>19130969
>>19130679too short!! you need a back up writefag bro, these threads stay active too short to harness a crowd.you guys want some? specify a time period pre wwII and lets see if I cant wip up something for monday's thread
>>19131488Strike Witches 1662: Sailing the Ocean Blue
>>19131587fine, I'll tell you the dark and seedy history of Anne-Marie Clostermann, scourge of the seven seas and the fist witch to recieve a lettre de course
>>19131669BuenoAnd I'll try to go longer next time.
>>19131682it's a promise onii-chan! ~<3
>>19131697I'm going to regret this
>>19131703could be worse, could have gone full retard and ask "tell me the life of Jeesoos H. Christus Esq. , the first recognized male magic user" or even "this threads need more grim, tell us the life of the witches in the Crimea"
Kotters, I think you just hit a weird slow spot on /tg/ or something. I was looking at other threads around the time you ended, and they all seemed to be really slow too.Maybe run a couple hours earlier or later next time?
>>19134010I'm aiming for a little bit later. I'm thinking it might be that no one that might have interest even knows the quest is going, though that might just be me blaming my problems on things other than my writing.
>>19135282Nah, it was just that you hit a time slot where /tg users slumped. Though since tonight is a SWQ night, so keep that in mind if it's slow tonight.Anyway, this session got archived.
